Star Wars: The Old Republic: Revan – A Recap and a Rant

[Author's Note: This turned out to be a LOT longer than I had anticipated.  Bravo to you if you make it through this post.  And thanks for reading.]

I wrote a post a long time ago pondering whether or not a possible sequel to Knights of the Old Republic 2 could be vexed by the existence of a book revealing Revan‘s story.  I finally had a chance to read the book, The Old Republic: Revan, and finished it just a few nights ago.

I came to a couple of conclusions after finishing the book.  The first conclusion I came to is that there will be no Knights of the Old Republic 3.  Ever.  That was likely decided even before LucasArts was shut down by new owner Disney, but that’s another post entirely.

The second conclusion I came to was that this book, as someone pointed out in my previous post about this, is nothing but a setup for Star Wars: The Old Republic.  I didn’t know the commenter, as he/she posted anonymously, but I took the comment with a grain of salt.  Whoever that person was is right on the money.

Please be advised, after this point there will be plenty of spoilers from the book so if you haven’t read it yet and don’t want to know…STOP READING NOW!!

Why I Don’t Judge a Book By Its Cover

I have not been inspired too awfully much by the prompts the last few days.  Aw, who am I kidding?  They’ve been horrible.  Well, I take that back.  Yesterday’s was okay, and I have experienced déjà vu before, but they were completely mundane events and nothing noteworthy so I didn’t feel like boring you all with them.

Today’s prompt is different.  Today’s prompt inspires.  Today’s prompt…yeah, I’m exaggerating.  It’s not life-changing or extremely deep, but it is something about which I can cobble together a few coherent words.  I hope.  So, enough of this jibber-jabber.  PROMPT ME!

If you were to judge your favorite book by its cover, would you still read it?

How to Make Metaphorical Lemonade

[Editor's Note: Today we have a very special guest. Here, today, we have...a dinosaur! Yay!

Please welcome Rarasaur, Stuph Maphia™! Or, as I refer to her, Rawra. Rawra is one of my most favoritest bloggers. She is an excellent writer, blogger, and person. Above all else, she is one of the most positive people I know. Her personality shines as bright as the sun, if not brighter.

As always, folks, I humbly request that if you don't already follow Rawra (if not why the hell not?) that you head on over to her blog and click the follow button for hilarity and positivity delivered straight to your inbox.]

Team Awful – 100, Team Awesome – 3

It’s human nature to notch our bedpost with the nightmares we suffered, rather than with the dreams we’ve created. These metaphorical notches are little imprints in our brain that add up quickly as we age, giving many of us the feeling that life was mostly bad times littered with glimpses of good moments.

In almost all cases, that’s just not true. It’s an understandable world view, but an unbalanced one.

In the case of any unbalance, whether you’re talking diets, finances, or perception– the key is to either increase the good stuff, decrease the bad stuff, or both. Want to get fit? Eat less junk, burn more calories, or both. Want to get rich? Make more money, spend less money, or both.

The Life of Twindaddy, A New Mystery Novel

Five!  Five days in a row!  That’s, like, almost an entire work week or something.  Today’s prompt is extremely contemplative and thought-provoking…for everyone else but me.  Coherent thoughts elude me right now.  Okay, prompt me!

If you could have any author –living or dead – write your biography, who would you choose?

Things You May Not Know: Lord of the Rings

For anyone who has ever read, or watched, the Lord of the Rings series, there may be things that you may be unaware of. Recently, one of Tolkien’s original manuscripts was discovered. After reviewing this manuscript, it was discovered that two characters were left out of both the books and the movies. Since more people have seen the movies, I’ll tell their story in terms of where they would have fit in with the film.

The Fellowship of the Ring was nine people in the movies: an elf (Legolas), a dwarf (Gimli), three humans (Gandalf, Boromir, and Aragorn), and four hobbits (Sam, Merry, Pippin, and Frodo). In the original manuscript, there was actually six hobbits. What they didn’t tell you was that Frodo had a set of twin brothers named Dee and Tee.

Dee Baggins was left out because he was mean to all of the others in the fellowship. He went out of his way to upset and anger the rest of the group. The hobbits didn’t actually fall down the hill when the farmer was chasing them. Dee pushed them. The Nazghul didn’t find them on Weathertop because of the cooking fire. They found them because Dee was calling Sam and Frodo gay at the top of his lungs. Unfortunately for Dee, he didn’t make it out of the first movie. It wasn’t a bucket that Pippen dropped down the well in the Mines of Moria. Now, the name of Dee is legend in the Shire. It is used to keep kids from acting out. After all, no hobbit wants to be told that they’re acting like a Dee Baggins.

Tee Baggins…..well, what kept Tee from being in the movie is something that can’t be said in polite company. In fact, it is now a crime in the Shire to even bring up Tee Baggins, so this tale must end here.

I hope you all learned a little something today. Thank you for reading this week’s episode of Things You May Not Know.

 

Book Review: Paths of Glory

Paths of Glory (novel) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Not long ago my wife and I had stopped into the Dollar Store right down the road to pick up a fan for the twins’ room as their fan had quit working the prior night.  As we were walking through the store I noticed a spinning book rack, so naturally I stopped to see what was on it.

Most of what was on it was crap, but I did happen to find a book that was a New York Times Bestseller for $1.25.  The book was Paths of Glory, written by British author Jeffrey Archer.  I had never heard of Jeffrey Archer.  I flipped the book around and read what was on the back:

Some people have dreams that are so outrageous that if they were to achieve them, their place in history would be guaranteed. Francis Drake, Robert Scott, Percy Fawcett, Charles Lindbergh, Amy Johnson, Sir Edmund Hillary and Neil Armstrong are among such individuals.

But what if one man had such a dream, and when he’d achieved it, there was no proof that he had fulfilled his ambition?

Paths of Glory is the story of such a man. But not until you’ve turned the last page of this extraordinary novel, will you be able to decide if George Mallory should be added to this list of legends, because if he were, another name would have to be removed.

I was slightly intrigued.  This was different from any other book I’ve ever read.  It’s basically a life story of George Mallory, a British climber who attempted three times in the early 1920′s to reach the top of Mount Everest.  The novel is part fact, part fiction.  It starts out with George as a young boy and goes right up to the end of his life as he attempted to be the first person to reach the highest place on earth.

A photograph of George Herbert Leigh Mallory during World War One. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I had never heard of George Mallory.  I’d obviously heard of Sir Edmund Hillary.  Who hasn’t?  But George Mallory?  No.  Then there was the intrigue.  Did he make it to the top?  He was last seen roughly 600 feet from the summit by another climber.  He then entered a cloud and was never seen again until 1999, when his body was found about 2000 feet below the summit.  Did he make it?  Did he not?

I decided to give the book a shot.  Obviously, some things were known before I read the book.  Mallory dies.  Duh.  But I was interested to see if the author thought he made it and I wanted to learn about this pioneer.  After further research on George Mallory I discovered that many of the climbing routes to the top of Mount Everest were discovered by George Mallory.

To be honest, there are some bland parts in this book.  Reading through his childhood was somewhat dull.  There were some interesting parts as he was attending Oxford where he went on climbing trips in the Alps.  There was also some interesting reading during World War I and the part that George played in the war.

Mount Everest (topgold) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The book didn’t really get interesting until he started gearing up for his first assault on Everest.  From there the book does get pretty good.  You get to see behind the scenes of the Royal Geographical Society, which commissioned and funded the attempts to climb Everest.  There was quite a bit a politics that went into the the selection of the teams and who was or was not allowed to make an attempt on the summit.  The RGS was adamant that an Englishman must be the first person on top of the world.

You also get to see how George tries to strike balance between the two loves of his life:  his wife Ruth and climbing Mount Everest.

Overall, Paths of Glory was a good read and decent story telling.  I enjoyed the book, although I would have done it a bit differently had I been the author.  I just didn’t see the relevance of including George’s early years into the story.  And though there was no doubt about the ending, I kept reading to see if George made it to the top before he died.  Actually, that was really the only reason to read this book.  Most everything else in it can be looked up on Wikipedia.

This book is definitely worth at least one read.

Related articles

• 73-Year-Old Woman Scales Mount Everest (newser.com)
• Mt. Everest Deaths: Four Climbers Die On Mount Everest, One Still Missing (inquisitr.com)
• 1924 gold medal taken to summit of Everest to fulfil ‘Olympic pledge’ (independent.co.uk)
• Returning the Ring to Mount Doom (outsideonline.com)

Book Review: Dragon Age: The Calling

Image courtesy of the Dragon Age Wiki

The Calling is the second prequel book of the Dragon Age: Origins video game and is a sequel to Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne.  It is set 11 years after the end of the Orlesian occupation of Ferelden.

King Maric is well-respected as the king of Ferelden.  He has a young prince named Cailan, but unfortunately his wife Rowan has passed.  The book never really delves into what caused her death.

The Grey Wardens were banned from Ferelden 200 years ago, but Maric, on the advice he received from a witch more than 13 years ago, grants them an audience at their request.

The leader of the Grey Wardens, Genevieve, comes to Maric asking his assistance.  It seems that a Grey Warden was gone on a quest, The Calling, into the Deep Roads.  All Grey Wardens take this journey when the darkspawn taint over takes them.  They journey into the Deep Roads to fight the darkspawn and, ultimately, die.  Anyhow, this particular Grey Warden, Bregan, has not died and they need to go into the Deep Roads after him to ensure that the darkspawn didn’t capture him and extract vital information from him.

They request either Maric or Loghain to accompany them since they’ve been into the Deep Roads and know the way.  Maric, again remembering the prophecies of a witch he spoke to long ago, agrees to accompany them against the wishes of Loghain and, well, everyone.

Maric and the Grey Wardens travel into the Deep Roads and find more than they bargained for in the form of intelligent darkspawn and they definitely aren’t prepared for what Bregan has become when they find him.

The Calling is an epic fantasy novel that delivers an action packed story.  It also introduces Duncan, the Grey Warden that recruits the Hero of Ferelden in the video game.  It’s interesting to see Duncan as a young man as he is far different as a young man than he is as a seasoned Grey Warden in the video game.

The Calling is written by David Gaider, who was the lead writer for Dragon Age: Origins.  Gaider does an excellent job balancing the action and drama in this book and keeps the story moving at a pretty quick pace.  He also addresses how Alistair, Maric’s bastard son, comes to be.  Gaider again does a fine job crafting his story and shows Maric as a humble, yet funny and self-depreciating king.  Almost the same as Cailan after him.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable book.  I highly recommend it to those who enjoyed the video game or enjoy fantasy novels.

Book Review: Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne

Photo courtesy of the Dragon Age Wiki

When Dragon Age: Origins was released by BioWare in 2009, they launched a pretty impressive ad campaign along with it.  I became intrigued by the game and I can confidently say I’ve played that game through more times than any other game I’ve ever played.

The writers at BioWare created the wonderful world of Thedas, world in which humans, elves, and dwarfs all coexist, but not harmoniously.  The story took place in the nation of Ferelden, as do the events of The Stolen Throne, which is a prequel book to the video game.

This book details how King Maric (King Cailen’s father) came to power and overthrows the oppression of the Orlesian Empire.

The story starts swiftly as it begins with the murder of Maric’s mother, the rightful queen of Ferelden.  At the time, she was the leader of a group of Ferelden rebels whose goals were to retake the Ferelden throne from the Orlesians.  It then slows down for a bit after Maric escapes the ambush and stumbles upon Loghain, a sort of ruthless warrior who, for reasons he doesn’t know, assists Maric with his escape.

The two eventually make it back to the rebels and they continue with their mother’s plan.  They battle the Orlesians for years as Maric tries to become the king he is meant to be.

Maric eventually becomes a capable warrior and leads his rebels to an unlikely victory on a coastal city.  This leads the Orlesians to slip a spy into Maric’s midst, and he doesn’t recognize the lies or betrayals.

A sound defeat handed to the rebels at the hands of the Orlesians sends Maric, his best friend Loghain, and his betrothed warrior princess-to-be Rowan, along with an elf they’re not sure they should trust, into the Deep Roads to escape the Orlesian army.  There, they face the perils of the darkspawn and find unlikely allies as well.

Obviously, Maric makes it through the Deep Roads and reclaims the throne otherwise the events of Dragon Age: Origins would have happened quite differently.  This book was released before the game and was meant to be read prior to playing the game, but I only found out about the book a month or two ago.

The book, written by lead writer David Gaider, is well crafted.  The story is interesting despite the fact that the outcome is not in question.  The story, aside from much of the first half of the book when Maric is trying to find his footing as the rightful king of Ferelden, is action-packed and fun to read.  It also delves deeper into the character of Loghain, who is the main protagonist in the video game.  It also does a great job of showing Maric grow from a naive boy into a king who learns that certain things must be done whether he likes them or not.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoyed the video game or who enjoys reading fantasy novels.

Book Review: Just Take My Heart

Image courtesy of maryhigginsclark.com

Just Take My Heart is the first novel I’ve read written by Mary Higgins Clark.  I must say, I’m not quite sure how she earned the title “the Queen of Suspense.”  Maybe it’s because she’s written close to 30 suspense novels or maybe other people find her books suspenseful, but I found little suspense in this novel.

Furthermore, I was able to successfully guess “whodunnit” for the first time ever when I read this book.  That could have contributed to the lack of suspense I felt when reading this book, but I think the hallmark of a good mystery/suspense book is leaving the reader totally flabbergasted after they’ve found out “whodunnit.”

Before I delve into the story there’s one other thing I’d like to nitpick about.  Most books have one-liner reviews printed on the first few pages, and this book is no different.  One of the reviews caught my eye after I had read the book, and it is completely false.  The line read, “Non-stop action from start to finish,” or something along those lines.  I don’t have the book here in front of me or I’d be able to recite it verbatim.  Quite frankly, this statement is an outright lie.  There is barely one page of action in this book.  This book is more of a legal drama than anything else.  Most of the “action” takes place in the courtroom.

On to the story, however.  There are two separate stories going on in this novel, both centering around Emily Wallace, an assistant prosecutor somewhere in Los Angeles.  She has drawn a very high-profile case involving the murder of Natalie Raines, a premier broadway actress.  Emily’s workload steadily increases as the trial nears and so a seemingly innocent neighbor offers to help care for her dog.

The case ends up being connected to the 20-year old murder of Raines’ one time roommate, Jamie Evans.  From the get-go, Emily is convinced that Raines’ soon-to-be ex-husband, Gregg Aldrich, is the perpetrator of this crime.  She becomes even more convinced as she pours through all of the evidence leading up to the trial.

Once the trial begins, however, she starts to doubt whether she has the right man.  She also doesn’t realize that her own life is in danger, and that a serial killer has her in his sights.

Clark weaves these different plots together adequately enough, but as I said before I figured out “whodunnit” about halfway through the book.  The only reason to read on after that was to see whether or not Emily escaped the clutches of the serial killer pursuing her.

There were also some elements of Clark’s writing style that I just didn’t care for.  For instance, most authors, when their characters are thinking to themselves, have those thoughts printed in italics and it’s something that I’ve become accustomed to.  That’s not the case in this book.  It’s not a huge deal, but it’s something I’m not familiar with and annoyed me from time to time.

Overall, the book was enjoyable enough, but nowhere near the likes of a Harlan Coben book.  It’s definitely worth a read, but that’s about it.

 

Book Review: Alter of Bones

Alter of Bones - Image courtesy of philipcarter.com

My mother-in-law brought me a couple of books to read recently, and one of them was Alter of Bones, penned by Philip Carter.

I had never heard of Philip Carter, and neither the book nor the author’s website shed any light on this author, saying only that, “Philip Carter is a pseudonym for an internationally renowned author.”

How mysterious.

Anyhow, as for the book, all I can say is:  wow.  I couldn’t put the damn thing down.  I literally spent all of my free time this week reading that book just so I could get to the end to find out the ending.  This book is the very epitome of a page-turner.  I couldn’t handle the suspense, which is why I couldn’t put the book down.  I had to know what was going to happen next.

Here is the synopsis from the back of the book:

In San Francisco, a homeless woman is fatally stabbed by an assailant she’s been expecting for years—and her cryptic last words unlock a decades-buried secret that changed history.

In Galveston, an old man makes a chilling death-bed confession—”I am not who you think I am”—that serves as a warning to his sons of danger and deception.

In Massachusetts, a cold-blooded female assassin makes an insidious pact with a corporate billionaire over a highly incriminating film.

Each of these people has ties with a woman who, decades ago, fled a Soviet prison camp with an ancient knowledge people would sell their souls to possess.

Drawn in to this web of danger are Ry O’Malley, a man desperate to outrun his own deadly fate; and Zoe Dmitroff, a San Francisco attorney who recognizes the slain homeless woman—a woman she was told had died nearly half a century ago. No one can be trusted in the corrosive game of cat-and-mouse that ensues—one that spans a century, from the frozen Siberian terrain to the serpentine streets of Paris, from the shocking revelations of a doomed Hollywood legend to the deadly machinations of the KGB and the highest office of the United States . . . and ultimately to the guardians of an ancient religious icon . . .

A priceless artifact worth killing for. The dark and unimaginable promise of a power that could change the world as we know it.

Like author Steve Berry, Philip Carter has used real-life events blended with fiction to create a masterpiece of a story.  I really hate to talk about the plot much for fear of giving anything away, but I’ll do what I can.

Ry O’Malley and Zoe Dmitroff both find things out about their families’ respective pasts that set them on the run.  There are bad people trying to kill them both.  Their family histories intersect in the 1960′s, which Ry somehow finds out.  Ry is able to track down Zoe and save her from a thug trying to capture and torture her for something she is presumed to know.  From there, the two journey across multiple locations in Europe and Russia in an attempt to find this missing knowledge and in the midst of doing so they find a secret the CIA has been covering up for a half a century that would rock the USA to its core.  All the while they are being pursued by agents of evil who don’t care if others are hurt in their quest to capture Zoe and Ry.

This is a fast-paced story with nearly non-stop action.  A very thrilling read.

I’m sure this simple review does a terrible injustice to this book.  I was truly shocked by how much I enjoyed this book.