| Howdy, all. CHOO-AH! If anyone ever tells you that sneezing isn’t normal, try doing it backwards, as my brother and I did as kids. I can’t remember for certain, but we were plainly bored and likely dealing with colds or allergies. Once you try doing it backwards, you will quickly come to appreciate sneezing forwards as quite normal indeed. Why do I open up with commentary on the “sneezing is not normal” / “Never Sneezer Scrooge” ongoing joke from the Green brothers, you ask? I recently had a bout with the bodily function when I caught a minor cold back in mid-late February. I hadn’t had a respiratory illness since well before the pandemic. Likely sometime in 2019 or maybe even 2018. It was a little leaky, coughy, and yes, a little sneezey. But it wasn’t the flu or the vid, so I’ll count myself lucky. Especially because I hate getting respiratory infections. They sometimes turn into laryngitis for me, and I despise that dry and raw feeling in my throat even more. And this cold thankfully stayed in my nose where I smote its ruin with copious numbers of Kleenexes. Blessings. They are counted. That made me think of other personal streaks I’d like to keep going. My overall mental and physical health. My deep relationships with my family and friends. And, of course, this little thing I do with writing a buncha epic science fantasy novels. Everything comes to an end at some point, but I plan to do all I can to keep the ball bouncing in the game. And speaking of the Game… |
| Players of the Game Works in Progress. |
| I totally forgot the end/beginning of the month was coming until I sat down to type the missive you’re currently reading. How did that lack of me thinking about my “accountability deadline” affect my output this month? Uh. It didn’t. I revised and rewrote 13 chapters in The Game War this past March, which is the same number I wrote in February. I’ll try for more next time around in the interest of not indulging complacency. I’m close to the end of the second draft, having just started the epic climax section. So the end is in sight! Until I start over again with the third draft. Players of the Game Out of Context Quote of the Month: Fittingly, it’s Xax again: “You forgot marshmallows!” |
| Recommendation Corner |
| Area X: The Southern Reach Trilogy – Annihilation, Authority, Acceptance by Jeff VanderMeer There was a Natalie Portman movie that adapted the first story. I haven’t gotten around to seeing it yet. But I heard about a weird creepy bear. And yes, that’s in the novel series. Annihilation is cold and antiseptic by design. It’s written as a journal entry from a character whose name has been reduced to her function: The Biologist. But she has another name. A term of endearment given to her by her deceased husband. Ghostbird. She is part of an all-female expedition into a section of the South called the Forgotten Coast that’s been overrun by alien flora and fauna. It’s now known as Area X. And the very land has changed. There’s an organic tunnel. Or is it a tower? With glowing, living biblical language out of a nightmare written upon its walls. And then there’s the old lighthouse. This series honestly feels like it’s neo-Lovecraftian, with an alien presence so pervasive, that it alters perceptions and the very sanity of those who enter it. Bronson Pinchot does a standout job of the three narrators, starting on the second book. If you’re looking for something creepy and weird, this book will check off those boxes. Nacelleverse 0 by Melissa Flores and various artists from Oni Comics So the guy who produced The Toys that Made Us, Brian Volk-Weiss, bought the licenses to a bunch of 3rd tier 80s toy properties. And his production business, The Nacelle Company, is making a bunch of cartoons involving the Rock and Ryan Reynolds. They’ll be re-releasing new versions of the toys along with a series of comics from Oni. And I used to have toys for a lot of these rebooted properties. RoboForce, Sectaurs, and Power Lords in particular. My brother and I used Hun-Dread from RoboForce as a makeshift Decepticon. Same for Prince Dargon from Sectaurs. And I integrated Adam Power into our limited stint with Masters of the Universe toys. I remember all of these “also ran” action figures fondly. I have no room for new toys. But this comic. And probably the cartoons. They totally hooked me with nostalgia. The comic’s story with the character re-introductions was fine. As was the art. But the premise of restoring all these old properties in a shared universe, it’s just too interesting for me to ignore. Even if it sucks. I gotta see what they do with this stuff. I gotta. |
| That’s all for this time. Stay smart. Stay safe. Jim |
