Writing status and update

Been a little quiet here as of late. I just got done moving to another state and have spent the last few days without internet access. Yikes! Trying hard to find a new job that doesn't suck, and planning on how to deal with a winter that actually involves this cold white stuff that I heard falls from the sky. Not sure if I buy it, but it's best to take precautions regardless.

In the meantime, I'm hard at work trying to edit my latest book and first actual novel Primal Frontier: The Kapar's Mark. Check out the awesome custom cover!

The summary of this story is that our intrepid adrenaline junky has gotten bored with the local fare, but his interest is sparked by tales of an unnaturally dangerous beast lurking in the steaming jungles of a giant island far to the south. The interior of this island has never before been penetrated by white men and peril lurks behind every rock and tree. But not being one to let danger stop him from finding even more danger, he charters a steamship to travel up one of the massive rivers to explore the mysterious interior to go on one of the deadliest hunts of his entire career.

At this time of editing, I'm almost edging past 100K words, easily my biggest book to date. If you liked my earlier stories, you will love this one. Unlike the others I'm stocking us with a much larger cast of hopefully compelling characters and some themes that I think are pretty darned interesting. Ideas like spirit animals, motivations for doing things in life, what truly constitutes bravery and strong will are all things I'm exploring this time around. A little bit of philisophical spice to add some food for thought. But don't worry, there will be loads of action, obligatory fights with monsters and hostile tribes and other cool characters that can hold their own.

This is also the first book I'm having editing help on, and thank Odin, because that will really polish this story up. I'll try to have it out by December, so keep your eyes peeled!

Aurion: The Legacy of Kori-Odan game review

Epic

Aurion: The Legacy of Kori-Odan is an absolute gem of a video game. I first checked it out with passing interest, something worthy of looking at certainly, but it far surpassed my expectations. A little history for this game, since it is breaking new ground, this is actually the very first video game produced in Africa, specifically Cameroon. It was successfully kickstarted this year and put up on the hub of all games, Steam.

I confess, hearing that it was made in Africa really caught my attention. The lore in this game is inspired from African mythology which is very cool. Although I would loosely classify this game as a fantasy, you wouldn't think that based on the unrelenting over-saturation of the game market with things based on Northern European mythology and Tolkien. I love Tolkien, certainly, but good grief you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a game without elves, dwarves and magic. So the idea of a game with a completely different inspiration really made it stand out to me.

In fact, I would almost say it has a Avatar: The Last Airbender vibe and freshness to it. It's a completely new experience that I hadn't gotten from American, European and Japanese games. Although clearly not a big budget game, every single cent goes to polishing and perfecting the absolute essentials. There is no flab or gimmicky garbage to distract you from the solid core. It's efficiency and focus like this that makes me appreciate low-budget games over million dollar sloths with little substance that have become more prevalent in the gaming world.

The setting is rich and deep, with a wonderfully fleshed out world with unique characters, cultures, visual style and combat. It lacks the insane complexity of most modern games, functioning more like a 90's side scroller RPG which I admit feels very fresh and has a nostalgic charm. We start off in the kingdom of Zama where we meet our character, Enzo, who is preparing for his coronation to King of Zama. He's got cold feet so we're allowed to stroll around the place and get immersed in the setting. We get a nice scene of Enzo ascending to his father's throne and also marrying the loooovely Erine! No sooner is this accomplished that we learn that the little kingdom of Zama is under attack by an unknown enemy. Starscream can relate to what's about to happen. Coordinated warriors storm the city and we learn that they are led by Erine's brother, and after some combat our two heroes are exiled from the country, evading death only through the help of another major character, Enzo's mentor Namode.

It's pretty evident that Enzo is currently incapable of taking his brother in law in combat, and to retake his kingdom he has to travel the world trying to unlock and hone the latent power within him, the Aurion, which I will discuss more later. He and Erine are thrust into countries and cultures that are completely alien to them, and even as they try to do good and gain allies, problems mount and fill them with a sense if nihilism that threatens to keep them from moving forward. The real meat of the story is the existential conversations and philosophy which resonate very strongly in our modern world.

So how does the game look?

When I first booted this game up I was instantly smitten with just how drop dead gorgeous this game is! Now, the graphics aren't cutting edge like most, but its simplicity allows for focus and it is very smooth. You can't possibly go into this game and not see the backgrounds and buildings. I honestly spent the first half hour of this game just walking around and soaking up the atmosphere of Zama. I truly felt as if I had been transported to another world, walking around living people with a very real culture. The art direction is simply fantastic. Every building, every character, every single item laying around on the ground seems to convey a sense of beauty and reality. The colors are as vibrant as a school of tropical fish that pop from the screen. I want my wallpaper to be like this art direction! Even if the gameplay doesn't interest you, this deserves an award for its visual style.

The music is excellent too. It uses African instruments and their musical style, making it contrast sharply with the usual orchestral scores we hear in the US. While we don't have a ton of variety in the soundtracks, the ones they have are solid and don't get tedious. Some are good for combat, others are relaxing and atmospheric.

We have no voice acting here, which I actually don't mind. We get floating heads and text bubbles. The writing is actually very good. For a game that wasn't originally made for English speakers, it is translated wonderfully and never leaves you feeling confused or adrift. There are typos here and there, but nothing big enough to actually cause a problem. I also adore the expressions they have for the speech bubbles. The faces that are used can show all of the emotions and thoughts the characters are feeling, conveying everything even without the speech. I found this to be extremely charming and a welcome change from most modern games.

The journey of Enzo and Erine also feels very real. The two do have chemistry and their interactions are a delight. These can range from them bickering, confessing their worries and fears, helping prop each other up during times of weakness to even highly amusing shenanigans. The comedic moments are actually very well placed in this story, helping to alleviate some of the grave situations that can really weigh down on you. I should also say that the character interactions all feel very natural. There are really no one note characters. All of the main characters have depth and range, with history to back their behaviors up. So if you've gotten jaded by Hollywood generic writing this will be a breath of fresh air.

But the real fun of this game is the combat. Mixing Street Fighter and Dragon Ball Z we have a combat style unlike almost any other I've ever seen. There are all sorts of combos and combat styles that you can utilize, switching up your tactics and strategy on the fly to deliver devastating attacks that feel like they can tear entire armies asunder. It's very difficult to convey with mere speech, but the combat is exceptionally satisfying. Not once did I swear at my computer screen for some arsery pulled by an enemy. Whether I'm dashing forward and delivering an epic kick that sends a minion flying, executing an apocalyptic power move that rends the earth in twain or powering up DBZ style and unlocking an ability far beyond the ken of my foes, everything in combat is fun.

This system is so versatile that you can easily come up with your own unique style to tear your enemies apart. The hits feel like they frigging hurt, and your moves feel epic. Even if you don't care about the extremely deep and intriguing themes present in the story, which if is the case with you then how frigging dare you, you can easily find this game's worth in the combat.

Oh, and a word of advice, buy an X-Box 360 controller. The game was intended to be played with such. But when I first got it I was being a cheapskate and thought I could surely handle it with the keyboard. Boy was I wrong! The easy fights at the beginning kicked my scrawny arse up and down the curb. There is no way to sufficiently describe the agony I experienced trying to play this with just a keyboard. I consider myself a reasonably skilled and seasoned gamer, but wow this was one challenge I simply couldn't overcome. So yeah, I invested in the controller. Trust me, the experience is infinitely more enjoyable if you spare your digits the masochistic torture that is keyboard combat.

For me the highlight aside from the combat was the world, mythology and existential philosophy. The intricacies and depth of this stuff is so vast and comprehensive that I can only give a very basic run down here and hope that you can pick up the rest if you play the game. In this world there is no magic per se, rather a blend of natural energy not unlike what you see in animistic belief systems and ancestor worship. There are people here known as Auronics, able to utilize this universal energy known as the Aurion. There are the four basic pillars of one's Aurion, which are element based, as in Fire, Water, Wind and Earth. However, this is a very deceptive oversimplification. Water for example is Adaption, the ability to change one's abilities and tactics in order to survive a current situation. This is just a very simple example of how these powers work, but it is far more fascinating than that once you get into it.

These are also much more than simple energies for combat. The entire game is centered around awakening these latent powers through soul searching and understanding one's complete self. Emotions, mindset, beliefs, all of these can either hold an Auronic back or empower them, for good or ill. The Aurion is an amoral thing, being neither inherently good or evil, but rather reflecting the user. It is through this that we are greeted to some absolutely amazing villains. Although evil, you understand their motives entirely and see how they have reached their current ideals. They represent everything from greed, vengeance and revolution. It's this variety of ideals and concepts that also really gives one the impression that there are almost an infinite number of Aurionic abilities that can be awakened for different individuals.

In fact, one's Aurion can be assisted in times of extraordinary need or emotional duress by a deceased ancestor, hence the ancestor worship. Elders and wise men who have long since passed can help guide our heroes from beyond The Veil where all the dead go, and give a sense of connectivity that one rarely sees in most games. Nor is it simply talking to ghosts like a seance with a crystal ball or some crap. It's much deeper and instinctive than that, something you could almost imagine actually happening.

Again, I'm only scratching the surface here, but if you've seen Avatar: The Last Airbender then you can get some idea of the kind of depth and complexity I'm talking about here.

The story is irrecoverably entwined with these ideas, taking us over the entire breadth and scope of the planet. The political problems our characters deal with are very real and don't shy away from the brutal realities. Many of the issues have no clear right or wrong answer. You can only find the best solution you can and hope for the best. The RPG aspects really shine here and I loved every minute of it. You deal with class warfare, revolution, rebellion, corruption, vengeance, sins of the past, poverty, and other problems we face in societies around the world. What's magnificent is how different leaders try to deal with these problems.

Very few games have ever made my brain itch like this one. You feel the weight and gravity of the concepts and situations presented. You watch as some of the top leaders pull dirty stunts to achieve the greater good and think of how they can truly solve the world's ills. The idealism of achieving moral and political victory without any strife or foul deeds of some variety are pretty brutally killed off in this game. Nor is it out of malice that some of these tricks are done. Rather it's out of raw necessity, where all attempts at peaceful diplomacy fail, leaving some people no other choice.

This is one of the very few games that threw me for a loop. I honestly didn't know where it was going to take me and the surprises that came up hit me like a brick. The emotional impact was very real. Honestly, this is some of the best writing I've seen in any game, movie or book. I have seen plenty of things flirt with this concept of existential truth, this underlying reality that is so essential and basic as to be almost beyond comprehension, but fail and look stupid. This is one of those extraordinary few that actually succeed. In fact, many times I had to reread stuff multiple times, because the subjects being discussed were so alien and yet ground breaking that it was difficult to wrap my head around. After playing this game my mind felt expanded, like I had reached a new plane of thinking. I can count the number of media outlets that have done that on one hand.

This game went from being an amusing curiosity to becoming one of my all time favorite games. For me it vaulted up to my favorites like Fallout, Bioshock Infinite and Mass Effect. It is so fun, beautiful, smart and thought provoking that I actually felt guilty for having purchased it when it was on sale. I want to go back and pay for this game at full price because it is just that good and deserves my money! I want a sequel from this company. Heck, I want five sequels! I'll pay double full price for each of them.

Sorry if this seems like a shameless love letter, but I can't say enough good things about this game. If you want a legitimately good buy with fun gameplay and an unbelievably good story, I HIGHLY recommend purchasing and playing this game. Please support these fantastic creators so that they can continue making more great games like this.

http://aurionthegame.com/

Cold Steel Bowie Machete product review

I frigging love Cold Steel. Their products range from top of the line slicers of finesse and art to cheap, effective choppers that you can beat senseless. The breadth and scope of their product line is enough to make a weapon nut like me squeal with delight. So it was that recently I purchased their Bowie Machete. Now, this will come as a great shock to those who know my love for the Wild West, but I've never owned a real bowie knife. Okay, I owned one, but it was a piece of junk that didn't cut well and had only a partial tang. When I smack the flat of the blade I can hear something in the handle twang. So I know that when the going gets tough this blade is going to go flying and I doubt it will end up anywhere safe, knowing my luck.

I've been looking around high and low for a bowie that's both affordable and meets my standards. I've seen plenty hanging up in outdoor places, but they keep screaming "Partial Tang" at me, which turns me off mighty fast. I learned in my teens that if I need a big bladed chopper, there is no substitute for a full tang. Then Cold Steel, the cutlery equivalent of Santa's Workshop came through and produced the Bowie Machete. Their machete line consists of what are essentially economy-grade workhorses. No bells or whistles, just a chunk of sharpened leaf spring steel with a coat of paint and a handle. With price tags usually ranging within 30 dollars, you can afford to run these through a gauntlet of punishment and not mind if they bust. They aren't pretty, but they are ruthlessly functional and reliable. Perfect for a penny pincher like me!



Normally I prefer a chopping knife to have a little more belly to it, but I was impressed at the finesse this twelve inch long blade had. I managed to give it a bit of light testing on some mesquite brush and cut through a two and a half inch branch with minimal effort. For those of you lacking context, mesquite wood in the Mojave desert is some of the most parched and hard wood you can get. It's baked in the kiln that is the desert there and usually requires a chainsaw to process. But as you can see, what little I was allowed to do with witnesses around was promising.

For such a thin blade this thing chopped like a champ. The steel is relatively soft, meaning that it can take a royal beating without breaking and can take a nice toothy edge. Unique to this variety however is that the clip point lacks a false edge, unlike most bowies. That back portion is indeed very sharp, which took some getting used to, but found it to be very useful. I actually touched that up to a more delicate but much sharper edge than the rest, using it for jobs that required more finesse. So I can use the main edge for cutting through brush, branches, doors, tax collectors and the like, while using the back for opening letters, shaving and whittling.

I managed to test it out on some nasty thorny scrub too. Those branches are long and thin with a deceptively peaceful look, but will grab onto you and bit deep with their thorns. Where a hatchet or axe would have failed, this little champ excelled. Light and quick I was able to slice through the light but hard branches with deft flicks of my wrist. For the more stubborn ones the backside availed wonderfully, cutting through like a laser. I haven't had any experience in tropical regions unfortunately, but I imagine that this would excel as a brush chopper if one finds themselves in jungle or similar terrain. Much lighter and faster than a traditional South American machete, this boy will make quick work of any vines or pesky branches barring your path.

Normally my favorite fixed blade is a good kukri. Nothing can match those knives when it comes to raw chopping power, but now that I've given a real bowie some handling I can see why both are touted as among the best knives in the world. The kukri packs more brute chopping power, but the bowie has better balance and capable of more gentle tasks. I hope to give it a more thorough testing in the future. As of now the only thing for it to chew on is yuccas and joshua trees, hardly fitting for such a splendid blade.

I highly recommend acquiring one for either a bug out bag or heavy duty cutting work. You can get one for a song and it'll keep for a good long time.
You can buy one here!
https://www.amazon.com/Cold-Steel-97BWM12S-Machete-Sheath/dp/B00BD558JY

Glory for the Emprah!

I frigging love Warhammer 40K Soulstorm with the Apocalypse Mod. Having a plethora of new infantry, weapons and vehicles to utilize on the battlefield as well as expanding the volume of units you can field at any time really gives this game some punch.

It was yesterday that I used this mod to engage in one of the most intense battles witnessed by man, mutant, heretic or xeno. My regiment of Imperial Guard, aided by another regiment, landed upon a battlefield known only as Dread Alley. Bombed out buildings smoldered around us as our bases were erected. We didn't know who or what we would be facing. We knew only that we had to reclaim this city in the name of the Emperor of Mankind. Through some fouling of our strategists our regiments were separated, each of us holding a small chunk of territory on opposite sides of the city. I was unable to lend him aid in the event of attack, nor could he aid me.

Undaunted, we swiftly began fortifying our positions and ushered in squads. Imperial Conscripts, young men and women barely having completed basic training were our first on the field. When serving the Imperium one must use all tools offered. Unfortunately our initial position was not advantageous. It had few resources and space. The one saving grace was that the entrance was a bottleneck, which would soon prove to be our salvation. By concentrating our firepower on this narrow entrance the enemies of mankind were unable to attack us without receiving a withering hail of bolts, artillery shells and blisters lasgun blasts.

We established a number of heavy bolter turrets and attempted to expand our territory whilst we built up our forces. But to our horror our left flank was beset by one of the worst enemies of mankind: The Ruinous Powers of Chaos. But like us they had not yet build up a sizable force. Gathering what men I had I beat back their initial wave and attacked their base which was only a hundred meters away from my own base of operations. How the Ruinous Powers could have been so close without our noticing I do not know, and it troubles me greatly. Even so we lost our initial advantage, for they had enough weapons in place to beat back our light infantry. Then as fate would have it we met another foe upon our right flank, almost equally repellent to Chaos if such a thing were possible. The Dark Eldar.

Their wretched ships sailed across the once sacred streets of the human city and their hideous soldiers marched on us, quickly destroying what little area we had secured. I realized that unless we reacted swiftly our base would be quickly be overwhelmed. Utilizing the expertise of the techpriests I built a wall of heavy bolters and summoned the true might of the Imperial Guard, our artillery. We deployed Medusa and Basilisk artillery units which then began to lob their shells with devastating accuracy. Soon heretic and xeno alike were sent skittering back under our devastating fire. Our bolters rattled unceasingly, sending streams of lethal bolts into their ranks.

Realizing that we didn't yet have the ability to fight enemies on each flank, I erected a wall of barriers across the bottleneck, effectively barring all entrance to our base. From here our bolters and artillery delivered scathing fire to our foes as they sought to break our defenses or attacked each other. Their mangled bodies piled high outside our walls. Rivers of blood soaked the soil. Daemons were shot to tatters. Our lasguns burned the flesh from their bones. It was no wonder that none of their assaults lasted for long. Not even a Tyranid horde could have withstood our withering fire.

North however our allies were in dire straights. They fought the horrendous Necrons, those soulless machines that moved without haste or emotion, coming with the same relentless inevitability as death itself. They unleashed their arcane weapons upon the regiment and slaughtered hundreds of brave guardsmen. In fact, even with some air strikes I delivered to assist them, their base was crushed under the weight of the Necrons and only a small enclave of barracks and a listening post managing to hold on in the far corner of the city. Being unable to lend them any true support and knowing they couldn't build any vehicles, I gave what resources I could to them and wished them luck. Had I the capacity to do more I would have done it. But with heretics on my left and xenos on my right, I had no ability to do anything else.

I began building more artillery, as our deep scans revealed that the Chaos base was close, and knew that with proper positioning and dedicated fire our long range guns could reduce their foul buildings to rubble. This process presented its own problems however. Being constrained in our small cell of city we had little room to build the necessary batteries. But build them we did and delivered the righteous wrath of the Emperor. Better still, we managed to construct a nuclear weapons silo. After many long minutes of repairing our barricade and firing countless rounds at the enemy, our nuclear weapon was ready. We calculated the target carefully, for the enemy's close proximity to us risked the blast damaging our own troops and buildings. With some careful planning however this was achieved.

With a single press of a button we bathed the traitors and daemons in atomic flame. A cheer went up from our soldiers as we watched them burn and turn to ash. But this was not enough for scum like them. We launched airstrikes and had our artillery annihilate what little was left, until there was not a single scrap of their foul tech or flesh left. Everything within range was bombarded relentlessly. We were determined to purge their taint from the planet. But to our disappointment, they were not entirely expelled from the city. Somewhere they still held barracks, as their forces continued to fight, albeit at a far lesser intensity. Even so we were overjoyed, having beaten them back and swiftly moved to seize their now vacant territory. We were in desperate need for additional space.

After an initially terrible attempt at securing it, the first party being slaughtered by another attack party, we barricaded the entrance and constructed much needed barracks and vehicle depots. We planned to unleash titans upon your foes, for none could stand before our full might when we launched our armored behemoths. Our forces were bolstered by a Baneblade we had fielded. Few things inspire Guardsmen or strike fear into the heart of the enemy like those mountains of armor and swiveling guns. It's plasma bolts burned earth into glass and vaporized heretics, leaving not even charred skeletons.

It was then that disaster struck. Before we knew what doom had befallen us our primary base was suddenly engulfed in a piercing light, and an explosion rocked the earth. Entire squads of infantry were vaporized in but a moment. Vehicles were burned to slag. Buildings were reduced to rubble. As my ears rang I realized to my horror that we had just been hit by a nuclear weapon. Almost half of our combat force had been wiped off of the battlefield, crippling our regiment. Worse still, our defensive walls had been knocked down and our turrets either badly damaged or destroyed. Somehow, my lieutenant survived the blast, even though her entire squad of weapon specialists had been devastated. I can only believe that she was protected by The Emperor.

Then the Dark Eldar came after us. They poured through the hole in our defenses and what little we had left was swiftly destroyed. It was fortuitous that we had established our secondary base, otherwise we would have surely met our doom. Our Baneblade roared to life and rumbled down the street, rubble crunching under its mighty treads. The Dark Eldar were soon blasted to bloody pieces under its mighty guns. They were unable to sustain the assault and were forced to retreat to lick their wounds. Although we were badly hurt, we were not dead, and the moment the assault ended we began rebuilding what we had lost. Our walls were again erected. Bolter turrets were mounted. Earthshaker platforms were placed. Techpriests repaired and rebuilt. Hundreds of Imperial Guardsmen and Karskins marched onto the field. We were the vanguard of the Imperium, and we would not falter.

Unfortunately our northern regiment faltered. Only able to field normal guardsmen and cavalry, they were crushed under the foul foot of the Necrons. We were alone amidst a hostile warzone. It was a dreadful stain on the history of the Imperium.

But we were not to be stopped! I fortified our ranks, bolstered our defenses and summoned our General's personal titan! A war machine of unparalleled terror and destruction, towering above even our largest buildings and boasting an arsenal that put even our mighty Baneblades to shame. It was our time to strike back. It was time to show the heretics and xenos the true power of the Imperium! So great was our resolve that even after we endured FOUR more nuclear strikes, we didn't falter. We moved forward, now finally ready to bring death to the enemies of the Imperium!

Then my sodding game crashed. Sigh. The one enemy that the Emprah can't protect me against.

Hunting Ground: And Other Stories review

Hunting Ground is a collection of shorts and one decent novella taking place in an alternate history where humans and dinosaurs co-exit together from ancient to modern times. Huh, that sounds kinda familiar. Like another series that this reminds me of, cough cough, the dinosaurs aren't called by names that we use today, what with the continents having formed in a completely different way and the animals were named by other means rather than where their bones were found. It makes little sense to have an animal named Albertosaurus when no Alberta exists, no?

The biggest story is Hunting Ground, and I have to be careful with this one since it is pretty complex to judge. That and the author is a fellow indi and from all accounts seems like a very cool guy and very influential in the paleo community, and I don't want to risk him taking offense and having his raptor-ssassins coming after me.

Hunting Ground in a nutshell is the tale of two huge theropods of an unknown species appearing seemingly out of thin air in a rural territory full of ranchers herding scalies in present day and are being pursued by the adrenaline-junkie main character, Gina. These two critters are bigger than anything else in the area, and before you think you know what the story is, they are not causing mass panic and eating everyone in sight. Rather they are almost treated like Bigfoot at first, a few sightings by ranchers and such wondering what the heck they saw and others wondering if they just got into the vanilla extract again. Things do pick up after a time, as interactions between the huge theropods and people increase in frequency and problems arise, especially when a prize bull is killed and a bunch of ranchers and hunters decide that they have to solve that little problem.

The best thing I can say about the dinos in these stories is that they feel like living animals, not monsters bent on harassing our heroes at every turn like loan sharks. If you're one of the people who is bored with the Jurassic Park Syndrome and want to see actual animals that happen to be prehistoric acting like real animals, then this is your wet dream come true. From the first I was smitten with how natural the things felt. It was like I had stepped into a real breathing world and not a realm of chaos where you spend every second risking getting eaten. I have to give Will major credit, because his portrayal of scaly critters acting like critters is perfect. Every action our giant theropods take is natural and makes sense, from a critter perspective anyway.

But that's what also makes the story somewhat challenging: It was kinda boring for the most part. Because these dinos acted like normal animals and were NOT causing problems meant the story had almost zero momentum. Some scenes with our human characters don't feel necessary and I found myself tapping my foot, wanting to get a move on. I think part of this is a problem with myself. I've been spoiled by the lyrical prose and juggernaut pacing of REH and other authors, so pulling the pace back can feel like driving below the speed limit after you just had a try at NASCAR.

When we're at the interesting points this story is great. It's real. When the huge critters start getting aggressive it makes total sense from an animal perspective, something that takes great finesse and you can see the effort and love Will put into those parts. But when we get to the characters doing their every day stuff the story is wearing lead shoes. But I do give credit for trying to do a plot that hasn't been beaten into the ground like a railroad spike.

I did have difficulty following some of the exposition on the history of the locations and tribal interactions, but whether this is due to the way it was presented or because I have the attention span of a goldfish that lost a head-butting contest with a drunk bison is kind of a coin toss. Perhaps a combination of both.

The story mostly centers around our reckless young heroine Gina, who is adventurous to the point of being an insurance liability and being pretty abrasive to other people. Not many people can tolerate her, but when it comes to dealing with dino critters she is pretty darned good. A lot of the time I found her to be bland, but at a few points her character seemed to glow. The end game goes from just trying to spot the animals to actually capturing one and proving its scientific existence, and making a name for herself. It's not everyday someone makes a contribution of that size to science! One scene in particular captivated me, where we saw straight to her core and for a brilliant moment Gina was a whole person and you truly relate to her. It was an absolute gem of a scene. I just wanted more of those.

But most of the time the characters don't jive that well. I mean, it's not like I'm one to talk, and I am the half-Vulcan who doesn't relate to most actual humans or fictional characters anyway. Gina is supposed to be a gruff tom-boy character, but at times it really felt like she was trying too hard and it felt a little awkward. That also isn't to say that the characters are bad. Not at all. They aren't like 90% of anime characters, and wow that's going to net me some hate mail. I will actually say that the characters never felt like stereotypes or annoying tropes to make a point. They were just people and while they sometimes did stupid things, it was in keeping with their characters and had some range. I suppose I simply wanted them to shine more.

The ending is actually very sad. I mean nobody dies, but it leaves you with this sad, hollow feeling. Definitely not a story that ends on a high note. I mean Gina loses a leg, and now living as a cripple resigns herself to the fact that she can never go adventuring again, and the captured dino lives the rest of its life in a small concrete cage, its soul slowly dying in its prison of flesh. Jeez, apparently the zoo was willing to help catch it but not give it a decent habitat. Maybe the author was trying to make a point about something, but I just felt sad.

What I find interesting is that the very first page which serves as more of a prologue than anything else, describing an ancient wall, is frigging fantastic. You feel the age and mystery surrounding this wall and you want to explore it. I was taken right in like a bass looking at a worm jig. I may be incorrect, but I get the feeling that this author prefers a more prosaic style, as he certainly exhibits such a style in his earlier stories, and then tried his hand at a more casual style that had a slower pace. Again, I could be wrong, but that is simply the impression I got. Will Svensen does have some legit writing skills, and when he's on the ball, he does great. It just felt like he was experimenting in some of these stories and that on this big one he was going outside his comfort zone.

So what are my overall thoughts on Hunting Ground? I think objectively speaking it's good, but not great. Like I said, I've been spoiled by pulse-pounding thrillers and a slower paced story just dumped sand in my gears. But when we deal with the actual dinosaurs, this story truly does stand out. If you're a paleo fan and want something you haven't seen before, definitely check this one out. It does have some very well thought out and intriguing world building, with unique cultures, customs, and wonderfully realistic dinosaurs. I actually really hope that he keeps building this world, hones his craft, and delivers more stories. We need more fiction like this! He certainly broke the mold and took a real jump into the alternate history vein of dino stories, a sorely untapped sub-genre.

Most of the other stories are major shorts, lasting one to five pages, one of them a darned good little short as we watch nature take its course with some hadrosaurs. My personal favorite, a novella of decent size is Long Winter Night.

Unlike all the others, this is a survival story. Two scientists doing grunt work in the Northern Circle of this alternate reality are routine rounds with surveillance equipment when a blizzard comes in and they have to hunker down for shelter. Lo and behold, when it's over their rides are gone and they have to hoof it and hope they can make it back to the compound before the freeze, starve or get eaten. This time since it's winder and all normal prey critters have gone into burrows, anything active that eats meat is going to be mighty hungry and have exactly no standards. So a pair of humans walking around make prime pickings, so these two really have to keep on their toes.

I really like this one. I get the vibe that Will has actually done some outdoors stuff, because the steps the characters take in their survival situation are smart and realistic to the point I was almost clapping with glee. Take that Bear Grylls! It has good tension, a good action bit and it's fun. With the exception of mentioning that the two boinked while holed up, which even they felt was kinda pointless, I have little to complain about in Long Winter Night. It's a good story.

I'm glad that someone is taking all this time and effort to make something like this. I truly do recommend checking out and buying the book and checking out his sight Tyran King Press, a small hub trying to network other paleo authors in this vein dubbed dino punk. Hey, how can I not be cool with that? Or anyone for that matter? Dino punk! And yes, that did make me think of a dinosaur wearing black makeup and listening to punk music whilst headbanging. Somebody make this happen.

https://www.amazon.com/Hunting-Ground-Other-Stories-Gondolend-ebook/dp/B00XFAAMIM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1471576099&sr=8-1&keywords=hunting+ground+and+other+stories#nav-subnav

http://tyrantking.net/

Artificial insomnia

I have just learned a very important lesson ladies and gentlemen. To insure a good night's sleep one must take several precautions. 

First, go to the bathroom. A full bladder is detrimental to peaceful rest. 

Second, have something to eat. Hunger pangs are not conductive to sleep.

And thirdly, and this is the most important... do NOT watch the remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, especially around midnight. 

Yeah. Yeah, I made that mistake. So for all of those you who suspected I was above average intelligence, let this stand as a lesson to not overestimate some people. 

Sigh. I'll go to bed in a minute. Right after I check the garden. With my kamgee tomahawk. 

Good time for pulp movies!

Well now, this is a very pleasant surprise! I had feared that gritty movies with beasts and tough guys were a thing of the past, but I'm glad to be proven wrong. In the last few years we've had Jurassic World, Jungle Book, Tarzan, a slew of westerns, a new Predator movie and now a new King Kong movie. These cool things just keep coming!

I guess Hollywood finally figured out that awesome with good story sells. In this age of modern tech and distance from nature these survival action movies from the bygone era really seem to still strike a cord with folks. Jurassic World actually tried something new, had great action and had enough interesting ideas and concepts to give the audience food for thought. It also wasn't afraid to poke fun at itself, being self aware and not taking itself too seriously. Tarzan, which just came out and for the first time in years I found myself rebuffed from the theater due to every single seat in the theater being used, was a wonderful adaption of the original books. It borrowed enough to be recognizable to the fans but did enough that was new to be its own thing. It was fun, epic, and really captured the magic of the novels.

I'm especially interested in this new King Kong movie, since it is NOT a remake. From the trailer it appears to be taking place in the 60's or 70's, which I think is a good choice. For a moment I was terrified that it was taking place in contemporary history, which is always a good way to turn me off. Rather than trying to retell the same story this one appears to be trying to explore the history of Skull Island and King Kong, something I haven't seen done and which really captures my interest. If handled correctly, this could end up being a really worthy movie. It could still end up being garbage though. I haven't seen King Kong this huge and OP since King Kong vs Godzilla in the Showa Japanese movie. Then again, this is being directed by the same guy who made the latest Godzilla movie, so fair enough.

Still, I'm cautiously optimistic. The line "This planet doesn't belong to us. Ancient species owned this earth long before mankind." really strikes a cord in my primitive soul, evoking images of some ancient secret lurking in the depths of this movie. Please, please, please be good!
Oh, also, Loki is in here. Cool!

Check out the trailer and let me know what you think. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAbI4w95cTE

Being a long time Predator fan, having sold my soul and dignity to acquire almost every comic, game and book on the franchise out there, hearing about another upcoming movie is most exciting. Funny enough, the Predator franchise has had a consistently good string of movies if you exclude the AvP stuff. Aliens sank itself right after the first sequel, but it seems as though that being an underdog has kept Predator from being shamelessly exploited. Although whoever names these movies needs to get fired. Follow me on this one.

First movie: Predator. Beautiful! Simple, effective, and no copyright issues.

Second movie: Predator 2. Sequel, simple title. Not too imaginative, but it works.

Third movie: Predators. Read closely. It is not the same as the first title. Look at that tiny s at the end. Oh! Plural form of Predator. Okay. If you're reading fast it's pretty easy to miss. I'm sure that won't cause aaaaaany confusion at all!

Fourth movie: The Predator. Wow, you guys are really breaking out the dictionary to make this title stand out, aren't you? Adding one whole new word! THE! This surely won't cause havoc when trying to research on Google. Ugh.

Okay, whining aside, from what I've read everyone seems to have a firm handle on what this should actually be. Shane Black, Hawkins from the first movie and one of the writers, stated that it's not the gadgets and action that will make this movie survive. It's putting them into a good story so that those gadgets and action actually mean something. They also know not to violate what is established in the previous films. They said why should they do a remake when they already have a deep and interesting setup to explore further?
Everything the producers say regarding this movie makes me want to jump and clap my hands in glee. It's like they actually understand the fundamentals of storytelling and want to make a good product!

While the rest of the world is falling apart around our ears, at least we have some good movies coming out to help curb the pain. Here's to good movies!