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The Emperor Ponders the limits of description

Emperor Norton at The Emperor Ponders describes for us the four kinds of text you can write: There are four broad categories of text you can write (exposition, narration, description, and dialogue,) and descriptions are what can give more problems to a fiction or genre writer. To sum up, description

Linkfest 2020-10-30

I recently saw a listing of the bar tab from the United States Constitutional Convention, and it reminded me of this series of posts from 2012 on an attempt to drink like a colonial. There was a reason for the temperance movement. Sensor Sweep continues to provide some of the

Janissaries by Jerry Pournelle Book Review (Again)

I reviewed Janissaries [Amazon link] by Jerry Pournelle in 2011, but I am going to do so again in preparation for the fourth posthumously published volume in the series. This is another book that made a big impression on me, and I want to do it justice. First, the physical

Wintersteel by Will Wight Book Review

Just when I thought I knew what to expect from a Cradle book, that Will Wight couldn’t surprise me or ramp up the stakes anymore, Wintersteel [Amazon link] comes along to delight and astound me. And given how well sales have been, I’m clearly not the only one.

Alternate Routes by Tim Powers Book Review

Alternate Routes [Amazon link] is a combination of the myth of Daedalus and the horror with which long-time residents of Los Angeles regard their infamous freeway system. I’m not an Angeleno, but I don’t find a supernatural conjunction between the LA freeways and the Minotaur’s Labyrinth at

Get all Seven Cradle Books by Will Wight Free

Will Wight announced that he is giving away the first seven volumes of Cradle free on Amazon from October 5 - 7. If you haven’t tried this series before, this is a good opportunity to get into it. Take a look at my review of Unsouled to whet your

Dinner at Deviant's Palace by Tim Powers Book Review

Dinner at Deviant’s Palace [Amazon link] is a bit unusual for a Tim Powers’ book, a post-apocalyptic adventure rather than a secret history. In my own mind, it has been overshadowed a bit by The Anubis Gates [Amazon link], possibly Powers’ most famous novel, released two years earlier. Yet,