names that make megan go "urk," comic book covers that make her squee and a bit more

1.  I spent most of today reading Simon Brown's Inheritance, the first book in the Keys of Power trilogy and a rather good coming of age fantasy.  It starts off seeming to be a fairly generic but solid and enjoyable fantasy novel but consistently becomes better and better, succeeding largely because of Brown's refusal to take easy roads and a very well developed backstory(and actually, one that screams "he tried to get me poublished but they rejected me, but one day he'll rewrite me as the prequel.")  But there are 2 names that keep bugging me.

One is a mercenary named Prado.  He's a rather nasty and sinister fellow who shall no doubt have deservedly nasty things done to him in the next 100 pages(roughly what I have left) but I simply CANNOT take a man seriously when his name makes me think of a woman's handbag.

The other is that there's a town called Daavis.  It just...looks like a typo.  A consistent one.  And this is from someone almost incapable of avoiding typos.

2.  The cover of New Warriors #8 makes me a giddy fangirl.

( well, there's goes my biggest theory...probably. )

3.  I care nothing about Prison Break.  I haven't deliberately read anything about it since season 1, having realized that, even though it's supposed to be a very good show, it didn't interest me.  However...

( SPOILERS! )

names that make megan go "urk," comic book covers that make her squee and a bit more

1.  I spent most of today reading Simon Brown's Inheritance, the first book in the Keys of Power trilogy and a rather good coming of age fantasy.  It starts off seeming to be a fairly generic but solid and enjoyable fantasy novel but consistently becomes better and better, succeeding largely because of Brown's refusal to take easy roads and a very well developed backstory(and actually, one that screams "he tried to get me poublished but they rejected me, but one day he'll rewrite me as the prequel.")  But there are 2 names that keep bugging me.

One is a mercenary named Prado.  He's a rather nasty and sinister fellow who shall no doubt have deservedly nasty things done to him in the next 100 pages(roughly what I have left) but I simply CANNOT take a man seriously when his name makes me think of a woman's handbag.

The other is that there's a town called Daavis.  It just...looks like a typo.  A consistent one.  And this is from someone almost incapable of avoiding typos.

2.  The cover of New Warriors #8 makes me a giddy fangirl.

( well, there's goes my biggest theory...probably. )

3.  I care nothing about Prison Break.  I haven't deliberately read anything about it since season 1, having realized that, even though it's supposed to be a very good show, it didn't interest me.  However...

( SPOILERS! )

(no subject)

You know, one of the best things about Stargate SG-1 is the expresions Teal'c and O'Neill get sometimes.

With Teal'c, it's anytime people are standing around talking or bickering...his face is all "I have no idea what these people are doing but I shall stand here and hope I am not required to participate.  I am quiet certain I shall be sent to blow something up soon."

With O'Neill, it's anytime he's unintentionally smart and sends the brain off into solution finding mode.  Then it's "I don't know what I did but I'm sure it means I'll get to shoot something soon, so I'll just stand over here and blend in now so they can get to it."

Also, I have decided that I need SG-1 icons.  Especially of Carter and Teal'c.  But not Carter/Teal'c(nuh uh)

(no subject)

You know, one of the best things about Stargate SG-1 is the expresions Teal'c and O'Neill get sometimes.

With Teal'c, it's anytime people are standing around talking or bickering...his face is all "I have no idea what these people are doing but I shall stand here and hope I am not required to participate.  I am quiet certain I shall be sent to blow something up soon."

With O'Neill, it's anytime he's unintentionally smart and sends the brain off into solution finding mode.  Then it's "I don't know what I did but I'm sure it means I'll get to shoot something soon, so I'll just stand over here and blend in now so they can get to it."

Also, I have decided that I need SG-1 icons.  Especially of Carter and Teal'c.  But not Carter/Teal'c(nuh uh)

Stargate: odd things that make my head spin

I do not know why, but for some reason, it makes my head spin that the goauld that possessed Carter early in s2 was female.  It shouldn't as Carter is female, but it does.  Maybe because "Jolinar" sounds like such a guy name...

Also, I miss the more mythology-themed worlds from s1.  Not enough for it to harm my enjoyment, but... 

Stargate: odd things that make my head spin

I do not know why, but for some reason, it makes my head spin that the goauld that possessed Carter early in s2 was female.  It shouldn't as Carter is female, but it does.  Maybe because "Jolinar" sounds like such a guy name...

Also, I miss the more mythology-themed worlds from s1.  Not enough for it to harm my enjoyment, but... 

A fighter pilot, and asian prince, a bug hunter, a dokebi and a shamaness(?) all met in the car...

 Before I(rather briefly) get to the books I read over the weekend, magicnoirehas posted a great review of Loretta Chase's Lord of Scoundrels here.  Go read it.

Susan Grant's The Scarlet Empress wraps up the multi-author 2176 series with the story of Banzai's partner, Cam, and the crown prince and regent of Asia, Kyber.  Found and revived from stasis before Banzai was and hidden away in the boonies, Cam's recovery from the severe atrophy-ing(yeah, NO IDEA how to say that properly here..) from 150~ years of stasis was much rougher.  By the time Kyber, the prince Banzai dumped for trying to use her as a political weapon, finds her, she's only just managed to be able to walk properly.  Kyber, it seems, has a bad habit of falling for early 21st century fighter pilots who don't give him an inch, and even though he plans to avoid Cam so he won't make the same mistake twive, he keeps meeting her in disguise as a bounty hunter.  The actual romance between the two is very fun, and the book itself is good, but the romance and the book's ability to stand alone as well as others in the series do suffers.  2176 is Grant's brainchild, with the first and last books being written by Grant herself.  In addition to telling Cam and Kyber's story, Grant has to finish Banzai and Ty's strong, wrap up the entire storyline, resolve all dangling threads from the books in between, and tie it all together.  While she does so quite well, there's just not a lot of room left for the leads.

Dokebi Bride and Mushishi are two series that I love for their quieter feel, and the sense of whimsy and tradition they have.  Dokebi Bride is a book about tradition and the clash between tradition and the modern world as our heroine, sUbi, tries to recocile the two and live in both worlds.  In volume 3, Sunbi decides to strike a bargain with a dokebi for protection.  The dokebi she gets, though, Gwangsoo, is rough, crude, illkempt and apparently rather on the horny side.  Not exactly what she was hoping for.  Despite being set in modern Seoul, the book has a very historic, country tradirional feel, and I like that.  While I have no idea if Mushishi is based on any sort of tradition or folklore, it "Feels" like it is, and that's good enough for me.  The world of Mushishi looks and feels like medieval Japan in many way, but at the same time, it doesn't quite.  Only sardonic, smoking, overcoat-wearing Ginko doesn't look like he stepped out of medieval Japan, which is ironic, as he could have stepped right out of an Akira Kurosawa movie.  While Vol 2 didn't grab me as much as Vol 1, that's mostly because the world was more familiar to me, not because it wasn't as good.  I am very fond, though, of the second story in this book, with the Mushi bound to books.

A fighter pilot, and asian prince, a bug hunter, a dokebi and a shamaness(?) all met in the car...

 Before I(rather briefly) get to the books I read over the weekend, magicnoirehas posted a great review of Loretta Chase's Lord of Scoundrels here.  Go read it.

Susan Grant's The Scarlet Empress wraps up the multi-author 2176 series with the story of Banzai's partner, Cam, and the crown prince and regent of Asia, Kyber.  Found and revived from stasis before Banzai was and hidden away in the boonies, Cam's recovery from the severe atrophy-ing(yeah, NO IDEA how to say that properly here..) from 150~ years of stasis was much rougher.  By the time Kyber, the prince Banzai dumped for trying to use her as a political weapon, finds her, she's only just managed to be able to walk properly.  Kyber, it seems, has a bad habit of falling for early 21st century fighter pilots who don't give him an inch, and even though he plans to avoid Cam so he won't make the same mistake twive, he keeps meeting her in disguise as a bounty hunter.  The actual romance between the two is very fun, and the book itself is good, but the romance and the book's ability to stand alone as well as others in the series do suffers.  2176 is Grant's brainchild, with the first and last books being written by Grant herself.  In addition to telling Cam and Kyber's story, Grant has to finish Banzai and Ty's strong, wrap up the entire storyline, resolve all dangling threads from the books in between, and tie it all together.  While she does so quite well, there's just not a lot of room left for the leads.

Dokebi Bride and Mushishi are two series that I love for their quieter feel, and the sense of whimsy and tradition they have.  Dokebi Bride is a book about tradition and the clash between tradition and the modern world as our heroine, sUbi, tries to recocile the two and live in both worlds.  In volume 3, Sunbi decides to strike a bargain with a dokebi for protection.  The dokebi she gets, though, Gwangsoo, is rough, crude, illkempt and apparently rather on the horny side.  Not exactly what she was hoping for.  Despite being set in modern Seoul, the book has a very historic, country tradirional feel, and I like that.  While I have no idea if Mushishi is based on any sort of tradition or folklore, it "Feels" like it is, and that's good enough for me.  The world of Mushishi looks and feels like medieval Japan in many way, but at the same time, it doesn't quite.  Only sardonic, smoking, overcoat-wearing Ginko doesn't look like he stepped out of medieval Japan, which is ironic, as he could have stepped right out of an Akira Kurosawa movie.  While Vol 2 didn't grab me as much as Vol 1, that's mostly because the world was more familiar to me, not because it wasn't as good.  I am very fond, though, of the second story in this book, with the Mushi bound to books.

Bourne of Stargate

There is a guest star named J.R. Bourne on the current Stargate SG-1 ep...I shall be HIGHLY disappointed if he doesn't resemble Matt Damon. 

Bourne of Stargate

There is a guest star named J.R. Bourne on the current Stargate SG-1 ep...I shall be HIGHLY disappointed if he doesn't resemble Matt Damon. 

Inheritance By Simon Brown

 In the kingdom of Kendra(this universe likes to gives its countries people-names)  Queen Usharna is dying.  A powerful monarch, Usharna has 4 children from 3 husbands.  Berayma, the crown prince, is kind, generous, a good leader and as smart a pile of bricks.  His father is never really mentioned.  Probably because poor Berayma is rather disposable.  Next in line is Areava, proud, aristocratic and too aware of duty and obligation for her own good.  The only affection she ever allows herself to show is towards her younger brother, Olio, a very sweet and kind prince whose unfortunate stammer sometimes leads people to think he's slow.  Their father, unfortunately, was executed as a traitor.  The youngest son, Lynan, pretty much makes Berayma look smart(though, as he's the hero, we assume he gets better) and is even more aware of his mixed heritage than anyone else is, spending all his time trying to find people who knew his father.  His father was Elynd Chisal, was a commoner and a slave who became Kendra's greatest general and helped Usharna win wars and eliminate slavery.  Was lucky enough to become the love of her life and the king in the process. (Can you say "If you ask nice, I'll publish the prequel one day"?  Yes, yes you can.)

( more )

Inheritance By Simon Brown

 In the kingdom of Kendra(this universe likes to gives its countries people-names)  Queen Usharna is dying.  A powerful monarch, Usharna has 4 children from 3 husbands.  Berayma, the crown prince, is kind, generous, a good leader and as smart a pile of bricks.  His father is never really mentioned.  Probably because poor Berayma is rather disposable.  Next in line is Areava, proud, aristocratic and too aware of duty and obligation for her own good.  The only affection she ever allows herself to show is towards her younger brother, Olio, a very sweet and kind prince whose unfortunate stammer sometimes leads people to think he's slow.  Their father, unfortunately, was executed as a traitor.  The youngest son, Lynan, pretty much makes Berayma look smart(though, as he's the hero, we assume he gets better) and is even more aware of his mixed heritage than anyone else is, spending all his time trying to find people who knew his father.  His father was Elynd Chisal, was a commoner and a slave who became Kendra's greatest general and helped Usharna win wars and eliminate slavery.  Was lucky enough to become the love of her life and the king in the process. (Can you say "If you ask nice, I'll publish the prequel one day"?  Yes, yes you can.)

( more )