starbryte
Starbryte's Labyrinth - Welcome to My Mind, Enjoy the Meander....
Book #23
The arrival of this book kind of freaked me out. It came out of the blue, with a return address for a Christian Resource Centre and the customs declarations said it contained a bible. Not being of the Christian persuasion, nor knowing anyone who would send me a bible, I was slightly alarmed. This proved to be all for nothing thank goodness, when I finally opened the parcel and found a copy of the Early Reviewer book, Powers by John B. Olson, I’d requested.
After all the furore over the Harry Potter books exposing kids to magic, who knew there was even such a thing as Christian fantasy?
The blurb for the book certainly didn’t mention it. The most intriguing thing was a grandfather’s plea to be buried standing and probably why I requested the book. Throw in gypsies, Louisiana and a growing darkness, it sounded pretty interesting.
It turns out the gypsies are of a weird Christian sect called the Standing and the darkness is never fully explained(perhaps that was explained in Shade). I’m not sure traditional Christians would approve of it. It's more of a nature based faith.
The best thing about the book is the lush descriptions at the beginning that take you right into the heart of the forest where you can almost touch and hear the surroundings. Powers is also quite well paced, leading to a quick read. And there was one small twist I didn’t see coming which was nice.
I became highly annoyed with Mariutza, the lead female character who grew up isolated in the swamps, could take out 5 armed militia without thinking about it but who spent a lot of the novel like a 5 year old and never having the strength to be the fantastic character she could have been. I also found the other female characters to be quite one dimensional.
The one thing I couldn’t get past and perhaps ultimately ruined the book for me was Mariutza’s hysterics about going into buildings. I am not exaggerating when I say she screamed blue murder when anyone attempted to take her inside, thinking it would ruin her purity and she would be fallen. Worse than if someone had tried to have sex with her. The reason for this was briefly glossed over in the latter part of the book in a biblical quote which was meant to outline her beliefs. Then infuriatingly in the last chapter she was inside with not a care in the world and no explanation! Which I think sums up the inconsistencies and contradictions in this book. And don’t get me started on healing a gunshot wound.
Powers is a sequel to Olson’s Shade which I have not read, but this felt like a stand alone novel and I didn’t feel I’d missed anything in relation to this story. The press release that came with the book mentioned it had been made into a graphic novel that is available online, it might be interesting to take a peek at just to see how it looks visually compared to what my mind saw.
If you don’t mind a lot of prayer and are happy to take a lot of things on faith then this might be a good, quick read for you. For those that like depth to story and characters, and want something more than a quest and chase book I’d recommend giving it a miss.
After all the furore over the Harry Potter books exposing kids to magic, who knew there was even such a thing as Christian fantasy?
The blurb for the book certainly didn’t mention it. The most intriguing thing was a grandfather’s plea to be buried standing and probably why I requested the book. Throw in gypsies, Louisiana and a growing darkness, it sounded pretty interesting.
It turns out the gypsies are of a weird Christian sect called the Standing and the darkness is never fully explained(perhaps that was explained in Shade). I’m not sure traditional Christians would approve of it. It's more of a nature based faith.
The best thing about the book is the lush descriptions at the beginning that take you right into the heart of the forest where you can almost touch and hear the surroundings. Powers is also quite well paced, leading to a quick read. And there was one small twist I didn’t see coming which was nice.
I became highly annoyed with Mariutza, the lead female character who grew up isolated in the swamps, could take out 5 armed militia without thinking about it but who spent a lot of the novel like a 5 year old and never having the strength to be the fantastic character she could have been. I also found the other female characters to be quite one dimensional.
The one thing I couldn’t get past and perhaps ultimately ruined the book for me was Mariutza’s hysterics about going into buildings. I am not exaggerating when I say she screamed blue murder when anyone attempted to take her inside, thinking it would ruin her purity and she would be fallen. Worse than if someone had tried to have sex with her. The reason for this was briefly glossed over in the latter part of the book in a biblical quote which was meant to outline her beliefs. Then infuriatingly in the last chapter she was inside with not a care in the world and no explanation! Which I think sums up the inconsistencies and contradictions in this book. And don’t get me started on healing a gunshot wound.
Powers is a sequel to Olson’s Shade which I have not read, but this felt like a stand alone novel and I didn’t feel I’d missed anything in relation to this story. The press release that came with the book mentioned it had been made into a graphic novel that is available online, it might be interesting to take a peek at just to see how it looks visually compared to what my mind saw.
If you don’t mind a lot of prayer and are happy to take a lot of things on faith then this might be a good, quick read for you. For those that like depth to story and characters, and want something more than a quest and chase book I’d recommend giving it a miss.
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A Sci-Fi Festive Event!
Continuum and the Melbourne Science Fiction Club present
A Sci-Fi Christmas Cracker!
Join us for a festive night of treats
including delectable edibles, fun things to watch and silly season celebrations.
When: Friday 11th December
Doors open at 8pm, excitement begins at 9pm.
Where: St. David's Uniting Church Hall
74 Melville Road, West Brunswick
(Melways ref 29 C5, or catch a #55 tram from William Street in the city, to tram stop 36).
Cost: MSFC and Continuum members free, otherwise $2 at the door
Gold coin donations for food and drinks
We apologise but due to the nature of the venue no alcohol is permitted on the premises.
Silly paper hats not mandatory.
Hope to see you there!
A Sci-Fi Christmas Cracker!
Join us for a festive night of treats
including delectable edibles, fun things to watch and silly season celebrations.
When: Friday 11th December
Doors open at 8pm, excitement begins at 9pm.
Where: St. David's Uniting Church Hall
74 Melville Road, West Brunswick
(Melways ref 29 C5, or catch a #55 tram from William Street in the city, to tram stop 36).
Cost: MSFC and Continuum members free, otherwise $2 at the door
Gold coin donations for food and drinks
We apologise but due to the nature of the venue no alcohol is permitted on the premises.
Silly paper hats not mandatory.
Hope to see you there!
Burned It To The Ground
Last Tuesday I felt hungover and like a bus had run me over. You'd be surprised to learn then that I hadn't had a drop of alcohol. It seems this is the aftermath of having been to a Nickelback concert. A good old fashioned amped-up show.
I was thrilled to find out the morning of the show the support act was Sick Puppies. A Sydney band who had a YouTube phenomenon with the Free Hugs video for their single All The Same, spent the past year in the States and it shows. The stage presence is strong, and their energy is off the charts. Unlike All The Same, most of their sound is guitar heavy, metal, but it's not only their sound that fills the arena, lead singer Shimon Moore is not the shy wallflower I've seen from some young support acts who barely mumble the next song title and band name. And bassist Emma Anzai, how her head is still attached is a miracle after so much head banging. A nice mix of tracks from their new album Tri-Polar and debut album Dressed Up as Life made a tight set, a highlight being a killer cover of Destiny's Child's Say My Name. Keep an eye out if they land near you, they are worth checking out and a perfect compliment to the main act.
In the middle of Jump by Van Halen came the sudden bangs before the house lights went out and Nickelback arrived. I saw them last time they toured and it was a pretty big show then. I never dreamed it could get so much bigger! It definitely rivaled the loudest concert I've seen, which was Aerosmith on their Pump tour in 1990, it was so loud the drum and bass lines were beating straight into my heart, so much so it became your heartbeat for the night and felt a bit quiet and had to check it was still beating afterwards. The set list covered their biggest hits from their last 4 albums and as much as I love Chad Kroeger, if he said "jam a tune" one more time I might have punched him.
You know you're in for something spectacular when the techs take the sheets off the drum set after the opening act and there on a chromed riser with six (yes six!) exhaust pipes coming out the back is the drum kit. And magnificent it was, not only did it slide forward, and raise up but turned and shot fireworks. The whole show was a mass of pyros and flashes and sunglasses would not have gone astray. The use of the video screen was great, and at times you forgot to watch the real people on stage. The montages used for Photograph were more in depth than last time and the flood of back stage passes during Rockstar was impressive, especially when you spotted tours you'd been to. One interesting note that they chose to play Rockstar, a full of fun rock song, as part of a quieter, semi-acoustic set and not with the power of full on guitars. It's still one of my favourite songs which ever way it's played. Chad also showed he has a great country voice when they sang a verse and chorus of I've Got Friends In Low Places.
Nickelback also love giving back to their fans, if you were lucky enough to be near the front there was free alcohol and t-shirt guns fired freebies to those further away.
A Nickelback gig is just a huge party, and no one is having more fun than Chad Kroeger!
Rock On!
I was thrilled to find out the morning of the show the support act was Sick Puppies. A Sydney band who had a YouTube phenomenon with the Free Hugs video for their single All The Same, spent the past year in the States and it shows. The stage presence is strong, and their energy is off the charts. Unlike All The Same, most of their sound is guitar heavy, metal, but it's not only their sound that fills the arena, lead singer Shimon Moore is not the shy wallflower I've seen from some young support acts who barely mumble the next song title and band name. And bassist Emma Anzai, how her head is still attached is a miracle after so much head banging. A nice mix of tracks from their new album Tri-Polar and debut album Dressed Up as Life made a tight set, a highlight being a killer cover of Destiny's Child's Say My Name. Keep an eye out if they land near you, they are worth checking out and a perfect compliment to the main act.
In the middle of Jump by Van Halen came the sudden bangs before the house lights went out and Nickelback arrived. I saw them last time they toured and it was a pretty big show then. I never dreamed it could get so much bigger! It definitely rivaled the loudest concert I've seen, which was Aerosmith on their Pump tour in 1990, it was so loud the drum and bass lines were beating straight into my heart, so much so it became your heartbeat for the night and felt a bit quiet and had to check it was still beating afterwards. The set list covered their biggest hits from their last 4 albums and as much as I love Chad Kroeger, if he said "jam a tune" one more time I might have punched him.
You know you're in for something spectacular when the techs take the sheets off the drum set after the opening act and there on a chromed riser with six (yes six!) exhaust pipes coming out the back is the drum kit. And magnificent it was, not only did it slide forward, and raise up but turned and shot fireworks. The whole show was a mass of pyros and flashes and sunglasses would not have gone astray. The use of the video screen was great, and at times you forgot to watch the real people on stage. The montages used for Photograph were more in depth than last time and the flood of back stage passes during Rockstar was impressive, especially when you spotted tours you'd been to. One interesting note that they chose to play Rockstar, a full of fun rock song, as part of a quieter, semi-acoustic set and not with the power of full on guitars. It's still one of my favourite songs which ever way it's played. Chad also showed he has a great country voice when they sang a verse and chorus of I've Got Friends In Low Places.
Nickelback also love giving back to their fans, if you were lucky enough to be near the front there was free alcohol and t-shirt guns fired freebies to those further away.
A Nickelback gig is just a huge party, and no one is having more fun than Chad Kroeger!
Rock On!
No Responses - Respond
Books, Books and More Books
This is what I've been reading in the last 6 months or so, it was meant to go up with mini reviews but I'll keep editing this post with them so check back often!
Ignition City #1 and 2 Warren Ellis
The Darkness Within Jason Nahrung
Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader Part 1 and 2 Neil Gaiman
Out of the House of Life Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
The Opposite of Life Narelle Harris
Feast in Exile Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
Astonishing X-Men Vol. 1 Joss Whedon and John Cassaday
Extraordinary Engines
White as Snow Tanith Lee
Realms of Fantasy Feb 2009
Astonishing X-Men Vol. 2 Joss Whedon and John Cassaday
World Shaker Richard Harland
The Del Rey Book of Science Fiction and Fantasy: Sixteen Original Works by Speculative Fiction's Finest Voices Ellen Datlow
Song of Kali Dan Simmons
Realms of Fantasy Dec 2008
The Time Traveler's Wife Audrey Niffenegger
Hellboy Volume 1 Library Edition Mike Mignola
The Domino Men by Jonathan Barnes
Kitty and the Silver Bullet Carrie Vaughn
Death: The High Cost of Living Neil Gaiman
Death: The Time of Your Life Neil Gaiman
Let The Right One In John Ajvide Lindqvist
Ignition City #1 and 2 Warren Ellis
The Darkness Within Jason Nahrung
Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader Part 1 and 2 Neil Gaiman
Out of the House of Life Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
The Opposite of Life Narelle Harris
Feast in Exile Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
Astonishing X-Men Vol. 1 Joss Whedon and John Cassaday
Extraordinary Engines
White as Snow Tanith Lee
Realms of Fantasy Feb 2009
Astonishing X-Men Vol. 2 Joss Whedon and John Cassaday
World Shaker Richard Harland
The Del Rey Book of Science Fiction and Fantasy: Sixteen Original Works by Speculative Fiction's Finest Voices Ellen Datlow
Song of Kali Dan Simmons
Realms of Fantasy Dec 2008
The Time Traveler's Wife Audrey Niffenegger
Hellboy Volume 1 Library Edition Mike Mignola
The Domino Men by Jonathan Barnes
Kitty and the Silver Bullet Carrie Vaughn
Death: The High Cost of Living Neil Gaiman
Death: The Time of Your Life Neil Gaiman
Let The Right One In John Ajvide Lindqvist
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