Walkabout Thoughts

Title: Nevernight Author: Jay Kristoff At first, I had no idea what kind of adventure this book would bring. Though to my surprise, this was one of the best assassins fantasy novels I have read that was not YA. Though the character Mia Covair and Celina from the Assassins Blade are the same age, that thought is for another post. The Story of Mia is a sad one, her father hung for treason. Her mother and infant brother tossed in a hellish prison, and she her self is lost and wandering in the dangerous slums of Godsgrave. There she finds her mentor and teacher in the art of assassination and is then thrust into the teachings of the Red Church an order of assassins who are feared in all the known reaches of that world. This book has its humorous points with witty banter, that tempers this dark world (metaphorically due to the world having 3 Suns). The lore that was part of the world building made it very alive and the other characters were well rounded and had more to them. Even ne

Title: The Assassins Blade Author: Sarah J Mass This is the backstory of the famed assassin Celina in her first of many adventures in a collection of novels for the popular YA book series The Throne of Glass. It is an interesting and very thrilling collection of stories showing a background for the first book in her Throne of Glass novels. As well as the first book I have read by Ms. Mass, and all I can say is I can't wait to dig into the first book. This is due to how alive the characters feel when reading, each has their own thoughts and motives and are more than there to prop up the main character. Does not help that there was a budding romance, betrail and murder (last one, not much of a surprise as it is about an assassin). Who to trust and where to find the knife in the back, like a fantasy Noir (I love noir so much, just as much as I do SFF). In her travels, she manages to piss off a Pirate Lord, her master and a few people of notoriety as well as to endear her self

There is one movie that I watch every hallows eve, one film that brings this night to a close. The one and only Rocky Horror Picture Show. Ever so much a campy musical with a plot that makes the Killer Tomatoes feel less cheesy, but lord knows, God does he knows how much I love it. This past Halloween I could not find the classic this year but happened upon a happy remastering of this beloved cult classic. I am talking about the 2016 TV remake of The Rocky Horror Picture show, and to my absolute surprise, joy and pleasure. It was really good, the music, the dancing and who could forget Ms. Cox rendition of Dr. Frankfurter (Yes I know that is a sausage). It Thrilled me and chilled me, and shivered in an......tic....i....pation for every scene. Though who did it best, was it Cury or Cox? I have said it before nothing beats Tim Curry in Drag save for Ms. Cox. Of course, there are hidden homages to the classic. If you find them, you will be rewarded, but only if you watched the classic

There is something that is just so relatable to my life and Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii. This wonderful anime romcom is so delightful, more so that it is not a high school setting or some otherworld slice of life romantic comedy. It stars two working professionals that were childhood friends and due to their love lives (or lack thereof) started to date each other. As the show progressed they found that they do care and love each other. The male lead had loved this girl since he was young and she is now getting around to noticing this (very slowly). With their coworkers (who are also Otaku) they find that even as a geek (otaku) that there is love out there. What is funny about Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii is that all the struggles that happen from their interactions and finding the feelings for each other are just what I needed in life. Something pure, fun and relatable that I can reflect on. Rating: A MUST WATCH ANIME, GO NOW WATCH IT NOW!!

Movie: Annihilation Genre: Sci-Fi, Thriller Synopsis: After an object falls from space and crashes into the earth, strange things are going on. The Shimmer appears and starts to grow, the government went in to investigate. Though teams have gone in, none have returned. Three years later one man made it out, now his wife has to put the pieces together and solve just what is going on in that area. This movie is just stunning visually, with the mixture of CGI and how it worked to alter nature its self. I loved how they made the creatures there a mix of plant and other animals, both beautiful and horrid at the same time. Like a marriage of styles of del Torro and Burton, odd yes, but beautiful. The feeling of suspense never lets you go, from the very first part to the very end. RATING: GO WATCH THIS NOW!

Title: Artificial Condition (The Murderbot Diaries) By Martha Wells What can I say about this book that has yet to be praised? It is a fun and wonderful romp in a dystopian future with everyone's favorite SecUnit Murderbot. Is it odd to feel attached to a construct with little to no human emotion? I say no, as it shows us how horrible we humans can be and how odd it must be for logical machines to make sense of us. In this book, Murderbot is looking into his past as to why he went on a killing spree in the past on an assignment in a mining facility. With the Help of his new "Friend" A.R.T, just don't ask what the A stands for and some humans he happens to get some work from. I say to everyone that we need more Muderbot, #Murderbot2020. Rating: GO READ IT NOW! YES NOW WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

Disenchanted reminds me of several tabletop games I played in my youth as in D&D, Pallidum RPG, and White Wolf games. This medieval romp is a fun distinction from the Simpsons and Futurama that came out before Disenchanted and what a refreshing show it is. I would have to say that the Simpsons is suffering from running out of ideas, Futurama was also a good break from America's longest running show. It stars Bean the princess of the land, Elfo the elf and Luci Bean's personal Demon in their quest for booze and adventure (Plus the pile of bodies left in their wake). The misadventures of this group of misfits are pure fun in a coming of age story. Bean is a princess and like all of them in the dark ages where more of political tools for forming alliances, though she wants to find herself first (If she can stay sober enough to find out). Elfo a misfit elf that ran off to find the land of unhappiness as he was sick of being too happy. Only to find that he has a thing for B

Voltron was the main icon of my youth and at first, I was excited about the reboot. Season One was not the best and it really made a bad impression on me so much that I did not even know that they made other seasons. It was the BEST thing to happen Season Two really shown what made Voltron one of the best Reboots to come out in a very long time. I am glad that I binged it all to the most current Season Seven. This gave me time to enjoy the great animation as well as the sweet sweet synth-wave soundtrack in the background. Season Two made up for the first season it was more story driven by the characters themselves and it showed how they are growing as individuals as well as a team. This continued throughout the other seasons. There are some tributes in the show that break up the tension like in Season 6 EP 4 where they basically play D&D and I LOVED IT. Then in Season 7 Ep 4 with a homage to Family Fude that you just have to watch. Now the trailer to Season seven had some peop

Movie: Black Panther Genere: Sci-fi, Comicbook, MCU Synopsis: Leaving off from Captin America: Civil War we follow  T'Challa after his father was killed in the explosion, heading back to Wakanda to take his place as King and as the Black Panther. The past comes to haunt the nation of Wakanda when Killmonger takes the stage. This movie is one of the best from the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a long time and sets the stage for the first part of the Infinity War movies and shows the background for the Back Panther mythos. From the setting in Africa and the traditions seen in the movie make for more of a realistic Wakanda (makes me wish this was real) in a way that the DC movies could not. The pacing and the theme were well done, not to much action and not too much exposition and pauses for banter. The CGI and Cinematography of the locations were just great and this film discovered all the praise it has received.  Rating: WATCH IT OVER AND OVER (it's just that good) If yo

// A side note, this is a story from the campaign a friend is DMing and I am a player therein. Cast: Lilith a Lvl 5 Rouge (NPC) Raiden a Lvl 4 Druid (PC) Ken a Lvl 4 Monk (PC) Aldia a Lvl 4 Ranger (PC) Backgrounds. Raiden was from a prominent tribe of Dragon Born from the Northen Kingdoms on the Hellstine Content. There she trained to be a warrior that is until one of the rival tribes attacked and removed her tribe from power, almost wiping them out. Now on the run, fighting for survival she ran across a circle of Druids. Wounded and at the brink of death she had a vision from the gods of nature that she would be a druid. There she studied the Druidic arts from the Circle of the Moon, now she is looking for any survivors of her clan. During such adventures, she ran across Ken as their goals are about the same and thus they became allies in a world that is out to get them. Ken (one of my characters) the son of a noble and an elf. His father came from a well to do noble famil

Title: The Root: A Nove of the Wrath & Athenaeum Author: Na' Amen Gobert Tilahun Genre: Urban, Modern Fantasy Synopsis: This story takes place in two different realms Zebub and San Francisco, there is something going on in both areas. Hungering Darkness waiting to devour all creation is attacking the Zebub where we find Lil a holder apprentice, in San Francisco, we find Erik a former child star with a scandal that ended his acting career. Both find out about the power they have hidden in them and how they act to take on this darkness. Review: This is a great book, I really enjoyed how the author used each chapter to use a character's voice and POV for what was going on, I am reminded of Theodora Goss' The Alchemist Daughter in some ways of this. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a good story with well-rounded characters that are not flat. I enjoy books that have great characters and the antagonists in this book are just as dynamic as the protagonist

Movie: Mary and the Witch's Flower Genere: Animation, Fantasy Netflix What can be said about this charming movie, then if Studio Ghibli were to close then this studio (Studio Ponoc) would be the heir apparent. The style is fantastic and a great family movie, the art, and the animation have the very essence of Hayo Miyazaki in every frame. Synopsis: Mary Smith just moved into a new town with her great Aunt as most of the families are on holiday there are very few children she can play with. Mary is a good girl who wants to help, even though she has the heart, the skill is very lacking. With all the accidents she causes. She comes upon a strange flower that unlocks an adventure that she would hardly forget. The characters of Mary, Aunt Margret, Peter and the antagonists are all well fleshed out. You learn about them later on in the movie and their motivations are hardly pure. Not one character felt flat or two dimensional or even lacking in a personality, if they can do this

Movie: Star Wars: The Last Jedi Gener: Sci-fi, Space Opera. To clarify I have been a fan of the series for the majority of my life, read most of the books and invested several years into the lore of Star Wars. What gets me it seems like they ignored the rich lore this universe has, even if they stated everything after Return of the Jedi was no longer canon. It left me with more questions than answers, who the heck was Snook, why was he after Skywalker, where does he fit in the Sith or was he a Dark Jedi? He was to be the big bad, but they killed them off in the second movie.  Then there is Kylo Ren (Ben Solo) he is nowhere as menacing as Vader, more like a Darth Riven wannabe without the full aspect of the dark side of the force. This is what I hate about the movie the most, you have great character development on the heroes but the villains, not so much. Snook and Kylo Ren are what I call lackluster villains, they could have been so much more to make the struggle feel real. Afte

Title: The Devouring: A Billy Boyle WWII mystery. Genere: Mystery, Noir, WWII Author: James R Benn Synopsis: Billy Boyle is at it again this time in a neutral (but not so neutral) Switzerland. Billy and Kaz must find out what is going on when there is not one but two murders in Bern. Filled with intrigue and espionage. The age-old motive, greed. Nazis, murder, and gold in the alps is a good way to summarize this wonderful example of Noir. Review: This being the first Billy Boyle novel I read, it did not feel like other books in which you would have to have read the others to get an idea of what is going on. I like that, where I can pick up and read where I want and not feel lost. So if you want great detective book, this is one of the best I have read in a long time. If you love noir like me, then this is a great read and I will be looking for more Billy Boyle novels in the future. RATING: GO OUT AND READ IT!

Title: Terminal Alliance: Book One of the Janitors of the Post-Apocalypse Genere: Sci-fi Author: Jim C Hines Synopsis: The Crew of the EMC Pufferfish finds themselves in a heap of trouble after coming to the aid of a merchant ship. The captain is dead, 90% of the crew has gone mad and it is up to the cleaning crew to get to the bottom of all this. Lt. Mops and her band of space janitors go off on an adventure across the galaxy to cure the crew, find out what happened and in the process find out a secret that can jeopardize the Alliance that helped humanity after a virus mad humans go feral. Review: This book was fun to read, the characters and the alien races, the hijinx from the crew of the Pufferfish all to find out what made the rest of the crew go feral. Never in my mind would I have thought to make the heroes to be the cleaning crew, the janitors, after reading this book, why not, they have to clean up other peoples messes all the time. So why not let them be the ones to cl

Movie:  April and the Extraordinary World. Genere: Animation, Steampunk, SciFi. Synopsis: The story is about an alt-history earth in which the technology has not passed the 18th century in steam-powered engineering. After Napoilon the 3rd is killed in an acident, the worlds leading minds are abucted. As such that there was no progress in technology, France still under Napolionic rule started aresting scientest and forcing them to work on weapons of war. Cut to the 1930s and you have April the daughter a family of chemist working on the ultimet serum that could help end sickness and even death. Add in some talking lizards, a talking cat and lots of chasing and crashes. With the lovable animation stlye close to (but not the same as) Tintin and you got your self a wonderful adventure for the whole family. Style: Western animation style, is not a lost art here. As most have at one point assimulated the Japanese Anime style for a time then had a change and went with more of the spon

Movie: The Girl Without Hands Genere: Folklore, Fairy Tales Review: This is very much an artistic approach to film, with the watercolor looks and abstract feel from this masterpiece. Just to be forward and honest I have never read or heard of this tale from the Brothers Grim. That being said, I have never been so disappointed in my self for not knowing.  The story is about a girl who's father unknowingly sold her to the devil for riches. Since the devil could not have her, he had her father cut her hands off with an ax. She then wandered around until she met a river spirit that helped her get a prince. With the devil is without his due, he plays tricks on them as the prince is at war and the girl is with a child. As not to spoil it any further go watch this movie, even in French it is such a cautionary tale. Be careful what you wish for, the price may be more than you expect. Style: Just stunning the visuals and how it is presented is very unique and I have yet to see

Works in Progress: #SPQ: SFF novel set in the current era, a bit like the last starfighter, star wars and hitchhikers guide to the galaxy. With a mix of StarCraft, Warhammer 40k and Star Trek for added flavor. Empowering Darkness: Fantasy novel set in a post-renaissance world of Magic. VR: Death.exe: SFF Noir set in the near future where entertainment is done in Virtual Reality, where murder can be down to 1's and 0's, also will have interaction with QR codes and sites to visit for more exposition to solve this who done it. Ember: A platforming game in the spirit of Mega Man X, with magic. Play as Ember the Apprentice of a great Sorceress. Unnamed SRPG: An app where you can make your own merc town. Build, craft, recruit friends and set off on an adventure. In the spirit of X-com, Fire Emblem, and Final Fantasy Tactics. So I really need your help to get these off to the press for my books and off of the Design Documents and into your hands. To see

Hello, Fellow wanders, Just an update for you all on what is going on. First off I got a new Job working nights so reviews will be off, for now, I will still try to get at least 2 a week. Upcoming Reviews: Books: Terminal Alliance By Jim V Hines, Dark Intelligence by Neal Asher. Movies: The Girl without Hands, Valerian and the city of a thousand planets, April and the Extraordinary World. Remember if you want to see them a day before please subscribe to my Patron .

Books: House of Shattered Wings, House of Binding Thorns. Author: Aliette De Bodard Genere: Historical Fantasy, Gothic. Synopsis: House of Shattered Wings: In this introduction to the Dominion of the Fallen series we are introduced to a Paris filled with ruin, due to a war between the houses. These houses are ruled by fallen angels, who have a great attitude and power in magick. The house known as Silverspires lost their leader Morningstar (Lucifer) some time ago. While rummaging through the trap-laden ruins in Paris, Phillipe and his fellow vagabonds stumble on a newly Fallen Angel. This leads him to painful memories and his own history as well. In the end, he overcomes it and sets on his own path once again. Phillipe is a great character, not a native of Paris but from Vietnam, and is written with such care that the history and culture were represented by him as a strong character. Not to mention the wise aunts did bring some humor to the book. Hosue of Binding Thorns: At t

Movie: In this Corner of the World Directed by: Katabuchi, Sunao Based on the works of Kouno, Fumiyo Genere: Anime, Historical Fiction Synopsis: This anime starts in Hiroshima of the life of a girl named Suzu. At the age of 18 gets married to a man from her past (who she hardly remembers) and is living with his family in Kure during WWII and it takes a look at the effect it had on the people of Japan at that time and what hardships those who where caught up in this conflict had to deal with. It is touching and heartwarming and very sad at points in this film. It shows another side of the coin on how the war took its toll of every one, both Allies and Axis. With the struggles of rationing and getting clever on how to cook when you don't have much to use. RATING: Watch it, collect it.

Movie: The Hitman's Bodyguard. Starring: Ryan Reynold, Samuel L Jackson, Gary Oldman, Selma Hayek. Genere: Action Comedy This is one of those movies that you would watch over and over again. Like Space Balls, Pulp Fiction, good movies that you love and enjoy to watch. Synopsis: By the book bodyguard (Ryan) was the best money could by that is until a fateful day when a client was assassinated. Just to say his life has been less than stellar would be an understatement, more so when an ex-girlfriend calls in a favor to protect a high priority witness that would bring down an evil dictator. Ironically it is an assassin (Samuel) who has tried to kill him (Ryan) several times. This was like a road trip movie with the banter between Ryan and Samuel was some of the best I have seen in a LONG time. The action was set at the best pace, not giving too much calm between action scenes and witty banter scenes. Is this a good movie to rent, well yes, though better to own it so you can enj

Interview on 5/28/2018 US 5/29/2018 UK This is was my first interview in such a long time, that I should have asked and had a recording of the interview. So this will not be a verbatim more or less on the notes I took from the said interview with Jeannette Ng. The main influences in her book Under the Pendulum Sun  are the works of V.C. Andrews the author of  Flowers in the Attic . In the way, she would describe a piece of architecture making the place and the objects within the narrative their own characters. She went into a quote on what she meant by this "The bead was like a swan with its wings stretched out". Jeannette went into detail about how gothic writing tends to highlight the buildings and objects within were as most would go into detail on a scene or emotion. One set example is from her novel, there is a scene that describes a hallway during the night when the light of the moon hit it and the how she made the garden in the book be more like the Victorian era s

Title: The Strange Case of the Alchemist Daughter Author: Theodora Goss If you are into Victorian SciFi, with some of our most famous horror stories. Then this is a book for you, it is like little women (if they were the daughters of mad scientists), Charlies Angels and a bit of Whovian madcap adventures and you have a thrilling adventure. At first, the style in which this was written was odd and a bit jarring at first. As the book went on and I got used to this odd but inventive way of storytelling, thoughts of how this can be used in other books did flow through my mind and may have some influence in future works. I do hope to set up an interview with Ms. Goss to see what was the inspiration behind this wonderful adventurous book. Looking forward to book 2 and to see the girls in action once more. My Rating: READ IT NOW

Title: It Devours By: Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor. What can I say, this book is a trip down the tunnel from Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. Adventure with a touch of madness, a dash of romance, and a heap of terror mixed in with the style of HP Lovecraft and Twin Peaks and you have your self a great book. It is good to see Carlos and Cecil in the book, though they are not the main Focus. The main focus is on Nilanana a young scientist that is in the most Scientific interesting place in the world, known as Nightvale. Where time is weird and does not flow normally, back to the main point. She learns of love and that science is a tool, it can be used for good or it can *spoilers and more spoilers* to Nightvale. (I don't spoil the book, movie or game for anything) So if you have yet to read or even listen to the wonderful whimsical surreal Podcast Welcome to Nightvale, then what are you waiting for, besides the festival of soft meat hats. Go Read, listen and Good Night r

Book: The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart Author: Stephanie Burgis For a Middle-Grade book, this was well written and the characters well developed, not a flat character in this book. From what I can recall from my own childhood, most characters were flat in the books I read. Anyhow, this would be a book I would recommend to any child 10yrs up or even 36 in this readers case. It is a heartwarming tale of a Dragon Girl named Aventurine and the misadventure that ended up in her finding herself in Chocolate. (No Spoilers) This is a must-read for a child trying to find their sense of self. Rating: READ IT!

I rented the latest installment of the Blade Runner movies 2049. Plot: Good, kept me interested and had me guessing who is really who, with a classic Film Noir way. On a job, K finds out there is more going on in his investigation tracking down the 8s. He starts to think there is more to him than being a newer model of Replicant. As I will state NO SPOILERS to those who have yet to see this wonderful movie. Though the plot did remind me of Armitage the III Poly Matrix (2nd Movie) and the first Armitage the III (1st Movie) also a good favorite anime of mine. Cinematography: Just as good as the first Blade Runner (Which I recommend watching as one of my top Noir films from the 80's), the setting and lighting played a part in setting the atmosphere. My rating: Watch it

Hello fellow wondering people. Update time! Still reading on It Devours a Welcome to Nightvale book an working on my first novel. I restarted on the first chapter and hit a mental block. So did more world buildig hope to finish soon so I can get back on schedule.

World Building is fun, yet draining. Still working out a few more backgrounds and then on to character profiles. I hope to start on #ProjectSpacePirateQueen here soon, by mid to late May. Look me up on twitter @mizuotaku

Hello fellow wanderers. Here is my review of Jeannette Ng's first book Under the Pendulum Sun  this romp into a Victorian-era fantasy is at first a slow start. The story does not start to really pick up until chapter 7, but each chapter is paced rather well and keeps you wanting more, leaving off on tense moments. The way she hinted at one plotline while weaving in the deeper narrative like a well-made tapestry (as I will not spoil the book for you). The main characters Catherin and Loen Hellstone are well fleshed out and do not fall flat, the same can be said about the Pale Queen and the other fae that inhabit the chaotic landscape of Arcadia. She did keep me guessing on the true nature of the main protagonist, but I won't tell you as that would be spoilers. Rating: READ IT Next reviews will be It Devours a Welcome to Nightvale book by Joseph Fink and Jeffery Cranor, The First two books of the Dominion of the Fallen House of Shattered Wings & House of Binding Thorns

A lot has happened in the past 8 years since my last post. One is that I almost finished my education in Game Design from Full Sail. Another is moving to the Austin TX area in 2014 and moving back to Sioux Falls SD in 2017. I no longer work in a factory that drained my soul of any creativity. I am working hard to write my first novel, a space opera with plenty of twists. Now no spoilers or at least not yet. I will, however, post the first 2 chapters here. I do not have a title as of yet but on Twitter, it is #ProjectSpacePirateQueen. You can follow me on twitter @mizuotaku. I will be posting more as I grow in writing.