Honor Harrington is a Friend of Mine

I had never heard of Honor Harrington at all until just last year, when Matthew finally insisted — rather than suggest — that I read On Basilisk Station, by David Weber.  Oh, sure, he might have mentioned it a time or two, but I filed it away in the list of “yet another book series I have to read but probably won’t ever get around to.”  I was missing out, and I weep for my own stupidity.Basilisk

Fortunately for you, I am here to introduce you to my friend, Honor Harrington, one of the greatest characters in science fiction, so you won’t have to miss out for so long, like I did.

The series is one that grabs you and won’t let you go.  It’s one that makes you stay up to completely unreasonable hours, just to see what happens next.  The characters are compelling — especially Honor herself — the stories are fascinating, and the universe is widespread and realistic (at least, to a science dummy like myself).  If you think Star Trek is good . . . you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.

This isn’t just a book series; it’s a whole culture.  It has multiple spinoffs written in the TRMNsame universe, a young adult series, a collection of short stories, and, of course, an official (and totally hardcore) fanclub: The Royal Manticoran Navy.  I’m posting this review here in honor — haha!  Pun! — of my own trip to HonorCon this weekend.

Once again, I’ll try to give you a general review of the stories in general, so that there will be no spoilers to ruin your first reading.  I’ll keep it about general themes, characters, the science, and so on, so that you can enjoy the tales for yourself.  I might skip around between books a bit, but that’s just to make sure you actually go out and read them.

So, without further ado: *ahem*

Attention, all hands:

From Admiral Sir Lucien Cortez, Fifth Space Lord, Royal Manticoran Navy: to Commander Honor Harrington, Royal Manticoran Navy, Thirty-Fifth Day, Fourth Month, Year Two Hundred and Eighty After Landing.  Madam: You are hereby directed and required to proceed aboard Her Majesty’s Starship Fearless, CL-Five-Six, there to take upon yourself the duties and responsibilities of commanding officer in the service of the Crown.  Fail not in this charge at your peril.  By order of Admiral Sir Edward Janacek, First Lord of Admiralty, Royal Manticoran Navy, for Her Majesty the Queen.

Captain, you have command of my complete attention for the duration of the entire series.

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The Battle of Agincourt

22278196378_5d72bc67ed_oThe Hundred Years’ War is a bit of an historical oddity, because it’s a significant conflict that can be appreciated from both sides. The same people, historians both professional and armchair, can enjoy the study of its causes, events, and consequences without siding with one side or the other.

Well . . . except perhaps for the English and the French, but I suppose that’s to be expected. After all, one of the most significant consequences of the Hundred Years’ War was the redevelopment of significant cultural differences between those two nationalities. More specifically, both nations developed what a modern audience would recognize as a “true” national identity after this conflict. War often does that, and a hundred-year-long mix of hot and cold war tends to bake it in.

There are two events in the Hundred Years’ War that even Westerners who are not English or French know at least a little about. The more famous is Joan of Arc, the famous woman warrior and Catholic saint who turned the tide of battle in the latter part of the conflict, preventing English victory. (Xena, eat your heart out.) Almost as significant is the Battle of Agincourt, the most significant use of English longbow tactics in military history and a truly lopsided defeat for the French. That battle took place exactly 600 years ago yesterday. Continue reading

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A full Jessica Jones trailer? Really?

This is going to be creepy as Hell.

…. Ahem.  Anyway. Possible spoilers ahead — spoilers for the comics, anyway, not sure about the tv show.

So, in Marvel Comics earlier this century, they had a Marvel “Max” line — mature content. No nudity, but certainly rated R … well, R-ish.  One of the headline titles was Alias — no, nothing to do with the TV show of the same name with Jennifer Garner (how’s that for 6 degrees of Marvel?).

jessica-jones-teaserAnyway, Alias focused around, surprise, Jessica Jones, a former superhero who was now a PI. She’s a drunk, she’s self-destructive, in a meaningless “purely physical” relationship with another hero, Luke Cage, just so she can feel something, (in quotes because they end up married with a kid by the end, if I recall correctly), and she’s a borderline basket case.

In short, she’s the poster girl for PTSD. What happened? What could destroy a superhero?

Enter, Zebediah Kilgrave, aka The Purple Man…

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Posted in Analysis, Fiction, Science Fiction, Superhero | Tagged , , , , | 12 Comments

There Is No Such Thing as Universal Literature: A Shakespearean Fisk

We haven’t had a good fisk here at The Catholic Geeks in a while, so it was inevitable that we would find some juicy material for one sooner or later.  Well, the stupidity of this particular article approaches full plaid.

PlaidSo here we are, with another fisk for your entertainment.  This week’s contestant is some silly person named Mina Shah, a columnist for that bastion of intelligence, the Stanford Daily.  Her column is entitled, Enough of Shakespeare.  As usual, the original text is in italics, and my comments are in bold.

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Review: Liberation

Well, we come now to book three in the I Am Margaret series, and I have to say, I’m starting to fall off the bandwagon.

GenieI know, and I’m sorry to have to say it, but there it is.  Once again, the story in Liberation is a good one.  Unfortunately, my objections are a little deeper than how the plot goes.  I will try not to give too many spoilers here (because, in spite of my objections, it’s still worth reading), but I will promise an in-depth analysis of the whole series after book four is released in November.

Until then, here’s what I think.

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Review: The Three Most Wanted

There’s no way I could review I Am Margaret and just leave it at that.  It would be thoroughly against my nature to leave the series unfinished without addressing each installment in turn.

OCDAnd, of course, it’s a good series, so that helps, too.

The Three Most Wanted is book two in the series, and I can say that it is also a good book.  I’ll keep this review short, again, so that I don’t spoil the plot.

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There is Nothing Wrong with Your Browser

Do not attempt to adjust the URL. We are controlling transmission. We will control the horizontal. We will control the vertical. We can update the post. We can change the topic to theology or comic books. Sit quietly and we will control everything you read. You are about to participate in a great adventure. You are about to experience the awe and mystery which reaches from your inner soul to — the Catholic Geeks.

Well, we’re updating, anyway. You may have noticed that The Catholic Geeks‘ URL now no longer includes “.wordpress.com.” This site is in the process of migrating, and while it should go smoothly there might be a few hiccups along the way.  Continue reading

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Quick Anime Review: School-Live!

School Live Anime Kurumi

Sometimes, a show winds up doing something unforgettable. It might not have been the best show you’ve seen, but that one moment, that narrative whammy that it pulled on you just once, is something you take away from you. It’s the sort of thing that, when it happens, makes you scoot a bit closer, because the show suddenly shows some incredible promise, raising the stakes both physically and narratively. So, believe me when I say that School-Live! is more than it seems. It’s ostensibly a 12-episode high school slice-of-life show, but it manages to hit home with something that winds up being a lot stronger.

Naturally, some spoilers follow, but they’re only spoilers that matter for the first episode. Which you can watch right now on the official streaming site. If you have a half-hour to spare, and trust my taste in shows sufficiently, give it a watch and then come back here. If not, you can go on, and it’s not a major spoiler (I knew things before I watched the first episode). But, just in case you wanted to get the full effect. Continue reading

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Better Living Through Lego

As you already know if you’ve been following me over at Novel Ninja, I like Lego. I really like Lego. Lego is one of the greatest inventions of mankind, right up there with the wheel, written language, agriculture, and pizza. Lego has extraordinarily simple rules and yet functionally infinite combinations, capable of being learned in moments and yet they take a lifetime to master; a finite art form able to encompass the length and breadth of the human imagination itself.

“Wait . . . art form?” you might ask. “We’re talking about kid’s stuff, right? You know, the little plastic blocks found in the toy aisle and all over the floor where I walk with my bare feet in the middle of the night?”

Yep! Same thing. Sure, it’s a kid’s toy. It’s also an art medium. Don’t believe me? Then take a look at this:

Lego Smaug

Yes, that’s Smaug. Yes, that’s made out of Lego.

Need more? Well, how about the Vatican?

Lego Vatican

Upon this brick I will build my church.

In case you haven’t seen this one flying around the Internet, this was designed and built by a Catholic priest. There’s a great article on it here. I met Fr. Simon myself at BrickFair this year. What’s BrickFair? I’ll get to that.

The point is, Lego isn’t just for kids. Or perhaps more accurately, it’s for kids of all ages.

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Review: I Am Margaret

I was asked to do a review on I Am Margaret by Corinna Turner, published by our friends at Chesterton Press.IAmMargaretBeing a good and friendly blogger, I agreed, and even though I was a bit wary at the description at first, it turns out that I was wary for nothing, and ended up enjoying it.  As you probably know by this point, usually my reviews are more like in-depth analyses, with details and plot spoilers; but this time, I’ll keep it like Babylon 5 and Honor at Stake and just give you enough to whet your appetite.

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Heroes Reborn: the Series Returns

Heroes Noah Bennet

I really didn’t know what to think when I heard that Heroes was going to be returning to TV. I definitely have a complex sort of relationship with the show, thanks to its ups and downs, and so I didn’t really know what to expect. So I went and watched the pilot episode(s), just to see what the new show looks like, because it’s been a while, and it’s nice to revisit the characters of Heroes.

For those who somehow don’t know: Heroes was a TV show that premiered in 2006 (…wow, that’s nine years ago). A forerunner to the current trend of superhero shows and movies, it followed a large cast of superpowered individuals across the world, united against a mysterious world-destroying threat. It was an epically-scoped show that got dropped by NBC after its fourth season, which wrapped up the story somewhat. Continue reading

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Boardgames I’ve Been Playing

Carcassonne meeple board games

So, for a change of pace from my recent posts, I’d like to take a step to one of my other areas of interest: boardgaming. I’ve been into boardgaming for a while. And by that, I don’t just mean playing boardgames, I mean actively developing an interest in them, learning new games and playing them with dedication. I started heavily learning how to play games far more involved than the usuals (RISK, Monopoly, and so on). It’s been about four, maybe five years since I started getting involved in board games as a regular hobby, and I’ve found some really neat stuff.

Today, I want to talk a bit about some of the games I’ve been playing, and give you an idea on whether you’d like them. Today, we’re playing with fiery patterns, questing adventurers, and civilizations building towards greatness… Continue reading

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Don John of Austria and Our Lady of Victory

Today is October 7th, which most of the world will refer to as Wednesday; but those who know its significance know it as a day when the world could have turned out very differently. Dig deep enough and you can find such events on any day of the calendar; but rarely are there days of decisive action in the face of uncertain times, of reverberating victory despite inevitable defeat, as happened on this day, nearly four and a half centuries ago.

Today is October 7th. Today is the day when the Ottoman Empire, the fearsome juggernaut, the unstoppable superpower, its soldiers and ships poised to conquer Europe, were stopped in the last medieval naval engagement in European history.

Today is the Feast of Our Lady of Victory, and the 444th anniversary of the Battle of Lepanto.

Torchlight crimson on the copper kettle-drums,
Then the tuckets, then the trumpets, then the cannon, and he comes.
Don John laughing in the brave beard curled,
Spurning of his stirrups like the thrones of all the world,
Holding his head up for a flag of all the free.
Love-light of Spain–hurrah!
Death-light of Africa!
Don John of Austria
Is riding to the sea.
~ “Lepanto,” by G. K. Chesterton

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AAR The Catholic Geek radio show: #GamerGate Primer with ShadowDancer, Ninjas and More 09/27

Declan Finn (Honor At Stake, The Pius Trilogy) has the wonderful RK “Shadowdancer” Modena return. RK Modena is an artist whose work is on sale (and quite beautiful). She will join a panel that includes Matthew Bowman and Tom Knighton.

Source: The Catholic Geek: #GamerGate Primer with ShadowDancer, Ninjas and More 09/27 by We Built That Network | Culture Podcasts
http://player.cinchcast.com/?platformId=1&assetType=single&assetId=7945791

Check Out Culture Podcasts at Blog Talk Radio with We Built That Network on BlogTalkRadio

 

Below the break is the opening rant from the show.  This doesn’t talk about anything touched on by Shadowdancer, or Matt, or Tom, or anything about #GamerGate, the stupidity that is Anita Sarkeesian, or Zoe Quinn.  If you are tired of listening to me rant and rave about StrawPope Frank, skip to the 30-minute mark.  If you want the highlights, but without me ranting raving and screaming, read the notes below.

However, if you like me carrying on cranky, just click on the link and hit play.

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Man Proposes; God (or in this case, Audible) Disposes

My publisher may be called “Damnation,” but I felt pretty blessed when I was asked if we could produce the audiobook version of I Left My Brains in San Francisco. I think my Neeta Lyffe novels are great for listening to, and I loved working with voice talent Becky Parker on Neeta Lyffe, Zombie Exterminator. She took what was already a hilarious story and made it even funnier with her voices and sound effects. (I shall never hear Unchained Melody the same again!) There was one stipulation: they wanted it done fast so they could promote it with an ad they’d already bought for Neeta Lyffe in October. We had only weeks!

Becky and I got to work, she recording the chapters in between stage plays in NYC and me listening, critiquing and geeking out at hearing my words in a whole new way. Despite the press for time, Becky did a terrific job, even adding sound effects and producing an original song. (That’s right – she took my paltry lyrics in the book and made a hilarious song out of them.) Becky turned in the files to Audible Sept 23, and we planned a rocking book tour for Oct 1-18 – interviews, guest posts, and a podcast on Catholic Geeks as the finale. (Thanks, Declan!)

You know the saying, “Man proposes; God disposes”? I don’t know what God thinks of my zombie fic (I’d like to hope He gets giggles from it), but Audible has certainly disposed of my plans.

My poor book is lost in the bowels of Amazon's Audible!

My poor book is lost in the bowels of Amazon’s Audible!

We’re a third of the way into the tour, and still no book on audible. Maybe they’re backlogged. I don’t know, and there’s not much anyone can do. It’s the reality of dealing with a huge company. Sometimes, things don’t go at the speed you want. Add to that, Damnation Books changed hands this month, and everything is in flux. (Please say a quick prayer for the past publisher and the new one. I can’t get into the reasons for the sudden sale of the press, but they are both noble and tragic.)

End result: I’m on a book tour with no book.

Becky and I put a ton of work on this, and we have people reading our interviews and guest posts and wanting to get their hands on a copy. It’s not fair that this happened, but we want to do our best to be fair to readers. Therefore we are offering the first three chapters, free. All you need to do is go to http://karinafabian.com/neeta-lyffe-zombie-exterminator-series/ and sign up. (I’m a Luddite, so I need to email you the link.) In addition, anyone who registers gets a chance to win a free copy of the audiobook version of Neeta Lyffe, Zombie Exterminator.

If you enjoy zombies, satire and fun with chainsaws, head over to my website now and sign up. While you’re there, click to the Neeta Lyffe series and enjoy the videos and excerpts, too.

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AAR: The Catholic Geek radio show: “The Young, Catholic and Restless,” with J. Ryan on 09/13

Jonathan Ryan (Dark Bride) of Ave Maria Press joined Declan Finn (Honor at Stake), discussing being an editor, and “The Young, Catholic and Restless” revolution, his book Dark Bride, as well as working as an editor for Ave Maria Press

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AAR on The Catholic Geek radio show: Erin Lale on WorldCon 09/20

Tonight, host Declan Finn (Honor at Stake) will talk with Damnation Press’ Erin Lale, as Erin gives us an after action report on this year’s WorldCon. Erin Lale is an author and editor.

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Posted in Commentary, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Rants, Romance, The Church, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

AAR: The Catholic Geek Radio show with Michelle Buckman on Death Panels from 09/06

Host Declan Finn (author, Honor At Stake), will interview Catholic Writer Guild member and author Michelle Buckman, who penned a book called Death Panels in 1994. Expect that we’ll be talking about Planned Parenthood and Obamacare.

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The Catholic Geek: Rory Modena and David Chalmers 08/30 by We Built That Network | Culture Podcasts

Declan Finn (Honor At Stake, The Pius Trilogy) has the wonderful RK “Shadowdancer” Modena and her cohort David Chalmers. We’ll cover art (which Declan knows nothing about), censorship in gaming and game chat, et al

Source: The Catholic Geek: Rory Modena and David Chalmers 08/30 by We Built That Network | Culture Podcasts
http://player.cinchcast.com/?platformId=1&assetType=single&assetId=7881255

Check Out Culture Podcasts at Blog Talk Radio with We Built That Network on BlogTalkRadio

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Posted in Fantasy, Fiction, Gaming, Horror, Romance, Science and Technology, The Church, Video Games | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Quick Anime Review: Yona of the Dawn

Anime Yona

Sometimes, you go into a show not really expecting to be blown away. Sure, a lot of people you know are hyping it up, but cmon now, we all know they don’t have your discerning taste. Joking aside (well, partial joking), that’s what it was like for me and Yona of the Dawn: I wasn’t really sure if I could trust it to be good, because I’d had mediocre shows come highly recommended to me in nonspecific terms. Fortunately for me, the show wound up being really good, and while it’s not one of my most favorite shows, it’s still got a strong place on my list.

Yona of the Dawn is (so far) a 24-episode fantasy shoujo anime about a young princess who is forced to grow into a courageous heroine. In terms of subject matter, it bears a lot of similarity to an American Young Adult fantasy novel, following Yona’s path through trials and perils. Fair warning: as of yet, there’s no second season currently out, and the first season is definitely deliberately open for continuation. Continue reading

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