Category: Books

Book of the Week: The Deed of Paksenarrion.

The Deed of Paksenarrion is a compliation of a fantasy trilogy by Elizabeth Moon about one Paksenarrion Dorthansdotter. It is probably one of the best High Fantasy series ever written: unlike most other modern works in this genre (some of which are quite good, actually), Ms. Moon takes the tropes of High Fantasy quite seriously, and respects what they do and do not mean. There may be better books that try to imagine what it’s like to be a no-fooling paladin; but I can’t think of one, offhand.

And so, adieu to The Stand.

In the Mail: Masks of Nyarlathotep.

Masks of Nyarlathotep is one of the classic Call of Cthulhu scenarios, of course.  It’s one of the buying for looking-at, rather than buying-for-playing: you know how it is.  But it was bought with birthday money, so I don’t have to penny-pinch justify the purchase to myself.

…I wanted to finish that out by typing ‘neener neener:’ only, who am I neenering? Most of the people reading this aren’t really emotionally invested in what I should spend my Amazon birthday money on. Although modest suggestions welcome: I have a decent balance, and I’ve already pre-ordered all the SM Stirlings and Charlie Strosses and Harry Turtledoves that are coming out this year.

Book of the Week: The Stand.

Although, I have to admit: Stephen King’s The Stand has a lot to answer for.  More accurately, the expanded version does. The problem was not so much in the fact that King’s book about medieval Christianity (I’ve seen him cop to that, in those words) set in a post-apocalyptic America was reissued with all the previously-cut bits put back in.  It’s that the book sold like even more hotcakes afterward, convincing the world that expanded versions of previous best-sellers were just what American literature needed.  Alas, this was not true.

Still, the book itself is fantastic. In both versions.  And, I suppose, in both meanings of the word.

And so, adieu to Lords and Ladies.

Goodness gracious, but www.abebooks.com looks dangerous.

https://www.abebooks.com/

That special kind of dangerous where you start out at “Why, these used book prices are quite reasonable!” and end up with “Oh my God, I spent HOW MUCH?”  The kind of danger that makes me reluctant to put up the link, because some of you might snipe my book choices before cash flow rejuvenates my bank account on Friday.  But I’m putting up the link anyway, because I’m not a monster.

Unless you didn’t feel like dropping a bunch of money on out-of-print books that are otherwise going for quite a lot of money.  Then maybe I am.

Moe Lane

PS: Nope, no affiliate fees on this one.  This is all community service on my part.

In the Mail: “You.”

You is a book by Greg Stolze that’s set in the Unknown Armies RPG universe.  I got my copy via Kickstarter, but the book itself is now available for sale. I look forward to reading it this afternoon.

Also: as is hopefully obvious, I am an Amazon Associate: clicking that link and then shopping on Amazon gets me referral income at no cost to you, even if you don’t buy the clicked item. So if you’re looking for an easy way to support the site, there you go. And if you don’t want to support the site, well, the sites that you do want to support probably also have referral links, and they probably wouldn’t mind the extra income, either.

Take a look at my hilariously wrong March Madness picks.

Chosen with a variety of methods, mostly involving occult mythology. conspiracy theory, and at least one fond recollection of Manly Wade Wellman’s Silver John series, which by GOD you should read before you die.  I mean, seriously.  Those stories are what literacy is for.

‘Forbidden Brides of the Faceless Slaves in the Secret House’ [breathe] ‘of the Night of Dread Desire.’

I picked up Neil Gaiman’s Forbidden Brides of theFaceless Slaves in the Secret House of the Night of Dread Desire this evening as part of Date Night, which this week instead became Wife Needed To Go Be All Phd-y For Once For An Old Mentor’s Sake So Her Husband Volunteered To Drive To The University With Her So She’d Have Somebody To Talk To During The Ride Night.  Since I don’t actually speak Engineering or Robotics, I of course meandered over to the university’s college town, which is apparently now these days completely populated with fifteen year olds.  Fortunately, the comic book store was still there.

Alas, the Amazon reviews for it are not promising.  Still, it was either this or Curse of Strahd, and Curse of Strahd was fifty bucks (it’s thirty on Amazon, though*). Sometimes you just have to make the call.

Moe Lane

*I have a birthday coming up at the end of the month, and my mother and father-in-law both understand that I love me some gift certificates, so hopefully it’ll still be thirty bucks in three weeks.