It's been ten years since I graduated High School.
And in that time, I've had a chance to reflect upon a lot of things.
And the one thing I came to regret more then anything else, is that I never said "I love you" to the girl who stole my heart.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
.... of the City of the Saved.
I'm a rather avid reader.
I deeply enjoy sci-fi, especially Doctor Who novels (in many ways, I learnt to read reading the old Target novelizations, and the Virgin and later BBC books novels were a great release during my scholastic life (for the most part it was rather shite)). That and the friendship I developed with the likes of Sausage, Cessel, Joseph, Bunt, Rebecca, Laura and the others.
But I digress.
.... of the City of the Saved (by Phil Purser-Hallard, from Mad Norwegian Press and now Random Static Publication) is a sci-fi novel set literally after the end of the universe. It features the entirety of humanity reborn in bodies that never age, wither or die. Every single human from the first Neanderthal to the last "post-human" to die before the end of everything.
It's a fascinating look at how cultures change in the face of literal immortality. How religions cope with their adherents discovering that they all died and aren't exactly in Heaven (or Hell or anything like that).
And once clearly setting the scene, about how noone can die and so forth - they have a murder.
The investigation plays second fiddle, IMO, to the effect this change has on the culture(s) of the City, and that's what made it interesting. How the various belligerent factions react with glee or the schemes of the new Roman Senate bubble and develop.
Equally brilliant, and from the same publisher(s) is Warlords of Utopia (by Lance Parkin).
A simple premise spawns a fascinating tale - the Roman Empire versus the Nazis.
What if, out there in the great Multiverse, there was a universe where everything went right for the Romans and that even in what we'd call the 70s there was an Empire, and a totally successful one at that. And the same holds true of the Nazis, there’s a world where Hitler had a child, and they rule, all their enemies having “Gone East”.
And then, throw in the discovery of the ability to travel from universe to universe.
And it sets the scene for a confrontation of the two eagles – the symbols of Rome and the Nazis.
Legionaries armed with Kevlar-lined shields, slinging arrows at Nazi soldiers, showing them the arrogance of their “superiority”. Machinations across universes as the deviousness of two empires are pitted against one another.
But again it is the way the cultures react that I found interesting.
How the Romans first thought was of civilisation and trade, while the Nazis thought of conquest and dominance. How the worlds they visited were “the same, yet different”.
Both equally fascinating stories IMO, and well worth seeking out.
I deeply enjoy sci-fi, especially Doctor Who novels (in many ways, I learnt to read reading the old Target novelizations, and the Virgin and later BBC books novels were a great release during my scholastic life (for the most part it was rather shite)). That and the friendship I developed with the likes of Sausage, Cessel, Joseph, Bunt, Rebecca, Laura and the others.
But I digress.
.... of the City of the Saved (by Phil Purser-Hallard, from Mad Norwegian Press and now Random Static Publication) is a sci-fi novel set literally after the end of the universe. It features the entirety of humanity reborn in bodies that never age, wither or die. Every single human from the first Neanderthal to the last "post-human" to die before the end of everything.
It's a fascinating look at how cultures change in the face of literal immortality. How religions cope with their adherents discovering that they all died and aren't exactly in Heaven (or Hell or anything like that).
And once clearly setting the scene, about how noone can die and so forth - they have a murder.
The investigation plays second fiddle, IMO, to the effect this change has on the culture(s) of the City, and that's what made it interesting. How the various belligerent factions react with glee or the schemes of the new Roman Senate bubble and develop.
Equally brilliant, and from the same publisher(s) is Warlords of Utopia (by Lance Parkin).
A simple premise spawns a fascinating tale - the Roman Empire versus the Nazis.
What if, out there in the great Multiverse, there was a universe where everything went right for the Romans and that even in what we'd call the 70s there was an Empire, and a totally successful one at that. And the same holds true of the Nazis, there’s a world where Hitler had a child, and they rule, all their enemies having “Gone East”.
And then, throw in the discovery of the ability to travel from universe to universe.
And it sets the scene for a confrontation of the two eagles – the symbols of Rome and the Nazis.
Legionaries armed with Kevlar-lined shields, slinging arrows at Nazi soldiers, showing them the arrogance of their “superiority”. Machinations across universes as the deviousness of two empires are pitted against one another.
But again it is the way the cultures react that I found interesting.
How the Romans first thought was of civilisation and trade, while the Nazis thought of conquest and dominance. How the worlds they visited were “the same, yet different”.
Both equally fascinating stories IMO, and well worth seeking out.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
An Ancient Bible...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090206/lf_nm_life/us_cyprus_bible
Fascinating.
Absolutely fascinating.
Is it as old as they say? Experts are divided.
But even at a thousand years old (the article says two thousand years old) it's got to be an interesting historical document.
And the idea that it's Pre-Nicean?
Really interesting to see what was considered "canon" before the Council of Nicea and the Nicene Creed.
A literal thousand years puts it 300 years after the seventh Council of Nicea, a rough two thousand puts it just before/roughly at the same time.
It could very well be one of the first post-Nicea Bibles.
Fascinating.
Absolutely fascinating.
Is it as old as they say? Experts are divided.
But even at a thousand years old (the article says two thousand years old) it's got to be an interesting historical document.
And the idea that it's Pre-Nicean?
Really interesting to see what was considered "canon" before the Council of Nicea and the Nicene Creed.
A literal thousand years puts it 300 years after the seventh Council of Nicea, a rough two thousand puts it just before/roughly at the same time.
It could very well be one of the first post-Nicea Bibles.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Captain Britain and MI:13...
Is brilliant.
What is MI:13 I hear you ask? It's Her Majesties "Weird Happenings" Organisation, formed to deal with things like mutants, aliens and fairies. Yes, fairies. You see, Britain is the heart of all Earthly Magic in the Marvel universe.
So we have MI:13. Run by a magnificent bastard called Pete Wisdom - "I did my duty" is his motto, and it covers a multitude of sins. He's a mutant, but mostly the poor bugger they ask to do everything noone else wants to, because it's his duty to Crown and Country.
The titular Captain Britain is the literal embodiment of the British Culture. It's said every British person thinks he has a accent like theirs. He's a magical being, whose powers are tied to his emotions, if he's feeling defiant for example he's unstoppable, but if he's feeling unwell he's as weak as a kitten.
Did I mention that the current wielder of Excalibur is a doctor, who happens to be a Muslim?
She's the team's medic, as you can guess.
And now, we have: Vampires. And not normal vampires. Count freaking Dracula.
Who has a base on the Moon.
And is allied with Doctor Doom.
Who is also on the Moon.
What is MI:13 I hear you ask? It's Her Majesties "Weird Happenings" Organisation, formed to deal with things like mutants, aliens and fairies. Yes, fairies. You see, Britain is the heart of all Earthly Magic in the Marvel universe.
So we have MI:13. Run by a magnificent bastard called Pete Wisdom - "I did my duty" is his motto, and it covers a multitude of sins. He's a mutant, but mostly the poor bugger they ask to do everything noone else wants to, because it's his duty to Crown and Country.
The titular Captain Britain is the literal embodiment of the British Culture. It's said every British person thinks he has a accent like theirs. He's a magical being, whose powers are tied to his emotions, if he's feeling defiant for example he's unstoppable, but if he's feeling unwell he's as weak as a kitten.
Did I mention that the current wielder of Excalibur is a doctor, who happens to be a Muslim?
She's the team's medic, as you can guess.
And now, we have: Vampires. And not normal vampires. Count freaking Dracula.
Who has a base on the Moon.
And is allied with Doctor Doom.
Who is also on the Moon.
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