Discovery: A Col Sec Novel: Volume 3 by Jan Domagala

I have read many science fiction books over the years and I would say that “Discovery” is a good representation of this genre.

The Colonial Confederation and Elysium Alliance are two opposing governments that for decades have been at war over the colonization of planets but are now at an uneasy truce.

The main character, Kurt Stryder, is an ex-military black operations soldier with Recon Delta in the Confederation. He is genetically enhanced with regenerative abilities which makes it hard to kill him.  He can also access any computer using NI, a Neural Interface.  

Kurt is grieving for his lover Zara Hardy, who was killed somehow, and is in turmoil over his decision to leave the Recon Delta unit.  So he books a room on a luxury liner, the Colonial Queen. There we are introduced to Prince Aswan, the son of a very rich and powerful man, who has booked most of the rooms on the ship and has persuaded the Captain of the cruise liner to make a quick stop.

The ship makes its unplanned jump to the Taranan Battlefield, “the largest debris field in the galaxy” which is a Forbidden Zone due to high radiation levels from a major battle.  The field is also the hiding place for pirates, whom board the ship and murder passengers. Kurt manages to escape the ship with Prince Aswan and his bodyguard, Natasha Garvey, who is military trained for diplomatic security. They are the only survivors.

General Sinclair is another character who heads the Recon Delta and Col Sec Intelligence Division on Earth. The Recon Delta team are also genetically enhanced, they one group that will take part in the rescue operation at Taranan Battlefield.

The majority of the book is about the rescue mission on the planet, which is in the vicinity of the battlefield.  Kurt Stryder has many questions about the planet, the Taranan Battlefield, and his arising abilities that gets answered by the end of the book.

I thought “Discovery” was an easy reading book. I have read books which delve into similar scenarios before but Jan Domagala has some surprises, especially the epilogue cliff hanger.

Domagala successfully transports the reader to a possible future with genetic enhancements, war between two super factions, and the politics that runs these governments.

This novel isn’t a stand alone story.  While reading the book, I felt like I was missing some information that is probably in one of the previous books.  The author explained some of the history of this period in later chapters but it wasn’t enough, and the transition between scenarios wasn’t conveyed well.  As the reader, I was confused with some of the jumps from one scene to another.   The author did this a few times but eventually I was able to catch on.

I would recommend this story even with some of the quirks in Jan Domagala’s writing, and would like to read a sequel because the ending peaked my interest.  I need to know what happens next.

Netflix Produces Anime

If your like most people, Netflix has become the top streaming Internet viewing source. It has also become a producer of original programming especially in Anime. The Knights of Sidonia is an anime acquisition by Netflix with sole licensing for streaming. It was first released in Japan then release in the U.S. a month later probably so we had all the episodes available. It is a manga by Tsutomu Nihei who is also the artist for Blame!, NOISE, and Biomega.

The Knights of Sidonia is about the future of the humans where Earth was destroyed by alien beings called the Gauna. Sidonia is their ship and is a piece of Earth where inside humanity resides.  The people have been in space for a thousand years and have been genetically engineered to photosynthesize, are asexual, and the youngsters are trained as pilots to combat the foe.

The hero is a low-born youth, Nagate who has lived with his grandfather underground. The series follows him as he navigates through Sidonia's culture and his inevitable recruitment as a pilot. As the series unfolds we learn more about him and about the original citizens of Sidonia.

I would recommend this fast pace anime but it's not care free, funny, it can be very heartbreaking with the deaths of Nagate's fellow pilots.

Another Netflix anime series that I really enjoyed is The Devil is a Part-timer. It's a funny anime about the Devil King (Sadao Maou) who is from another dimension called Ente Isla where he is moments away from conquering the world when the Hero arrives and foils his plans. He and his General Alciel are caught in a vortex that transports him to modern day Toyko. He soon realizes that he has no magic in Tokyo but his ambitions are the same take over this new world. It's not until he has to live among the common folk that he starts having feelings that he's never had before. He cares what happens to them especially Chiho Sasaki who is a fellow employee at McDonald's fast food restaurant. With his personality for domination he becomes a conscientious employee and he works hard for his pay. General Alciel (Shiro Ashiya) becomes the house caretaker with duties of grocery shopping, making dinner, and still on the Satan's beckon call while on a budget.

Meanwhile the Hero (Emi Yusa) is also in modern day Tokyo and is following Satan. She can't believe he has changed his ways from Ente Isla. She is quick to temper, suspicious, and has a job as a call center agent.

There are other characters that are pieces of the ensemble that become friends. The dichotomy of the characters from Ente Isla are shown with them working together in modern day. The Hero sees the irony of their life as they struggle with the day to day business in Tokyo.

Psycho-Pass is another anime I would recommend. It's set in the future of Japan where your psyche is measured daily by monitors on the streets of the city. The system is called Sybil.  There is a range that registers the individual as normal but if the number gets too high that person is now deemed dangerous to society is either locked up or terminated on the spot with a gun the police carry that changes power from stun to death. The main character is Akane Tsunemori, a rookie cop who also has a perfect psyche no matter what her emotions are. The force is made up of people with perfect psyche and enforcers who are used as police dogs. It's that adage of "It takes one to know one" is why these people are enforcers. Their criminal mind can profile the ones their after. Akane, is that caring individual who has feelings for an enforcer,  Shinya Kogami who was once a police officer but his psyche went too high. He thinks like a criminal and is also a "Dirty Harry" type that takes things in his own hands 

I'm hoping Netflix buys the rights for the next seasons of these animes.

The Season Finale Episode of True Blood: Total Disaster!

True Blood has come into our lives and now is gone forever. I would be so sad if not for the finale episode was one of the worst I ever watched! Truely, the writers could have come up with a better ending. I will tell you my ideas that would have at least satisfied most of the vigalent viewers.

First scenario would be that Sookie wakes up from a coma and realizes that she had dreamed about vampires. Remember in the first season Sookie is beaten up by the Rattray couple? Bill gives her som some of his blood and saves her life. What if that never happened? Sam could have found her and called 911. 

Second scenario, Bill becomes HUMAN again. He was a God for awhile in season 6 as the chosen one by Lilith, the first vampire.  In the finale, Bill is dying from contractind the EIP V from Sookie but I thought that the Governor who sabotaged all the True Blood drinks wouldn't have wanted to endanger mankind with this disease. I realize that viruses mutate but vampires are dead and not human so you wouldn't think it would jump species. I know I'm getting to technical when this is just make believe, but I do want a little bit of common sense even in a television series. With Sookie being Fae, the disease shouldn't have gotten it and who did she contract it from? It wasn't revealed in the episode and remember she was able to hear Bill's thoughts when she never could listen to the minds of vampires. I was disappointed when she helped in his suicide.

I like the ending of the book series by Charlaine Harris, Sookie realizes that she has always loved Sam and Sam has always loved her so they end up together in the finale book. She has had many difficult relationships with vampires in the book. In the book series Sookie and Eric Northman are a couple but he later gets betrothed to another vampire. So Sookie turns to Sam. I know that in the television show, Sam has a pregnant girlfriend, Nicole who is human and leaves Bon Temps with her so to raise their child in a less chaotic place.

So in conclusion I just have to say to all television series writers of television shows that were based on a popular sci-fi/fantasy books is don't be in a hurry to to tell the final episode.  The ending needs to make sense to the audience. I know there has to be creative license but the finale of True Blood was a disaster, very sloppy and hastily written. 

An After Look of Denver Comic Con 2014

Logo property of Denver Comic Con

Denver Comic Con 2014 ended with a roar, what a great place for cosplay, sitting in panels, seeing celebrities, and buying great stuff at the trade show.

This years comic con was very large compared to recent years. It has grown exponentially since inception 3 years ago. Yes, this comic con is very young compared to other cities. It's also the only one that is associated with a community charity, Comic Book Classroom.

Trade show area.

Trade show area.

It was three day full of cosplay, panels, trade show, and comic book art.  I went to a few of the Doctor Who panels but missed the 75th Anniversary of Batman with guest panelist, Adam West, Bruce Ward, and Julie Newmar.

The Doctor Who panels were with Peter Davison, the 5th Doctor and Sylvester McCoy, the 7th Doctor. It was funny as well as informative.  They answered questions from the audience and both were quite humorous with funny banter.

My grandson who is an expert on the Classic Doctor Who trivia was a panelist on two panels: Big Finish Audio and Life Lesson from the Doctor. He did a marvelous job in his knowledge of Doctor Who and in his ability to address the audience.

The trade show was very impressive with such a large selection of vendors that it was overwhelming. The artist alley was more subdued but impressive with the artist of Adventure Time and Bravest Warriors on hand drawing new covers for their comics. I watch them both online. This is the first time I've seen them in comic book form.

There was a display from Weta Experience, a five-time award conceptual and effects company from New Zealand was there to showcased art, collectibles, prop replicas, and merchandise from Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, Avatar, The Adventures of Tintin, The Chronicles of Narnia, District 9, Elysium and other films.  There was a life size replicas of Gandalf, Thorin, and Azog, the Orc Chieftain.


















Cosplay

Dark Lords of the Sith.

Futurama: Amy Wong, Leela, and Fry

X-Men

Corpse Bride characters.

Doctor Who.

Anime characters of Fooly Cooly.

Darth Vadars.

Boba Fett and other bounty hunters.

Crunchyroll watching anime and Japanese drama

I have really getting into watching anime but it was difficult to find the right source to watch them through.  Netflix has only a small amount of anime and most are older or only has a few seasons. My daughter told me about Crunchyroll where she watches anime on her PC.  I found the Crunchyroll app for iPad to be a wonderful source for watching anime.

Crunchyroll started as an online site for Asian TV in 2008 where fans uploaded their favorite shows this was during height of the free downloading without the licensing.  The owners of Crunchyroll on a trip to Japan were able to convince the largest anime publisher, TV Tokyo, with an offer of direct streaming of Japanese shows. They expressed to the publisher that there was a large fan base in the US who were willing to support the anime industry.

Payment through subscriptions or through adds for free members are distributed on the anime that the viewer watches. Lets say you watch only Naruto then that show will get all the percentage from your subscription or through the ads. In the article I read, it didn't say how much goes to the publishers but it must be good for Crunchyroll has over 40 simulcasts this season. It has become international with less than 50% of total members and there's a gender split of 50-50 among the users.

The Crunchyroll is PC and iOS friendly, just login and you can watch anime anywhere. Once on-site, it's easy to navigate. On the left side is Home, Anime, Drama, search, and settings. On the top of the page, navigated through buttons for popular, simulcast, updates, A-Z, genre, and seasons. The is home where the anime in your que are and your past anime history. 

I really recommend Crunchyroll for viewing the lastest anime coming out of Japan.  

Crunchyroll article- Otaku Journalist blog@http://otakujournalist.com/where-your-crunchyroll-dollars-really-go-an-interview-with-the-ceo/

Image-http://www.pakman.com/investment/crunchyroll-acq-by-the-chernin-group/

Angus Wells author of "The GodWars" trilogy

Every now and again I will hunt through my library looking for something to read. I will look through the books searching with my mood, what am I into reading?  I decided on an older series that I haven't read for many years and I forgot what the ending was, Angus Wells, Dark Magic, book one.

Angus Wells wrote two trilogies, the Godwars and The Book of Kingdoms.  The GodWars series,  I think is well written but it follows in the vain of the heroes journey where a mismatch group goes through insurmountable odds to obtain their goal in the end.

The main  character is Calandryll Den Karynth,  the second son of the Domm of Secca who we read early on is a disappointment to his father.  Calandryll's older brother, Tobias is the heir apparent so the Domm decides that his younger son will become a priest as not to be a threat to his elder son's succession.  At this point in the book,  Calandryll is more of a scholar who's head is always in the books rather than a warrior like his elder sibling.

There's a treaty being worked out between Secca and a neighboring city state Aldarin through the ambassador of the latter, Lord Varent den Tarl.  This man will become the instigator to the quest who is also a fair wizard and more.  He enlist Calandryll's help to find a book that has the potential of awaken the war god, Tharn. He tells Calandryll that he wants to destroy the book but I had a hunch there was more to Varent's story. Even though I have read this book in it's entirety, I couldn't remember much of the storyline.

In the meantime Calandryll is shocked to find out that the woman he secretly loves is being bethrothed to his brother and that he will be going to the temple to become a priest.  Before Callandryll knows all this, he seeks out a seer who can foretell his future. She sees him on a life changing path and travel as on a quest with two others.

Through rage and fustration after hearing his fate from his father, Calandryll goes out and ends up in a tavern in the seedy part of town. He meets one of the two in a tavern where he almost gets beat up for not having any money for the wine he drank.  Calandryll is saved by Bracht of Kern, a freesword who later is hired by Varent to help Calandryll's journey to the far reaches in search of the Arcanum.  Later in the book, the third member of the party, Katya of Vanu is added to the quest.

A long time ago the original gods of this world had to entomb their two sons who had been at war with each other after seeing how much devastation this was causing the world. The Arcanum is an ancient book that has spells that can release them from their slumber.

The trilogy follows the three who now have become friends through the ends of their knowledge of the world and back with the finding of the book. Throughout the series it is said that they are pre-destined by the gods. And they do get help from the younger gods who earn their existence to the demise of the slumbering ones.  In the end the questers have to figure how to keep Tharn asleep forever.

Hunter X Hunter, anime

In the last few years I have been really interested in Anime, Japanese Animation. I watch them because of the content, humor, and the Japanese language is interesting. I watch either in subtitles in English or English dubbed. My recent find is Hunter X Hunter watched through Crunchyroll app on iPAd.

Hunter X Hunter is about a young 12 year old boy, Gon who wants to be a hunter like his father. When Gon finds out that his father isn't dead, he sets out to become a hunter. Gon want to find his father so he can ask the question, "why did you leave me?"  The Hunter exam is brutal but along the way  he meets other applicants who become his friends. Each boy hass their own reasons for taking the exam to be a hunter. On a boat to the island Gon meets, Leorio and Kurapika. They inadvertantly join up and save a sailor who goes overboard during a storm. Because of their joint effort they pass a test to go to the next step of the Hunter exam. They later befriend another boy, Killua who is the same age as Gon. 

The first 20 episodes are of the Hunter Exam.  Crunchyroll has 120 episodes for free. 

Hunter X Hunter started out as a manga (Japanese Comic) in March 3, 1998 in Shuesiha magazine, Weekly Shonen Jump. The series is illustrated and written by Yoshihiro Togashi.  Yoshihiro Togashi came up with the name of the manga while watching a variety show, Downtown on the television. The host would repeat his words to get a laugh from the audience. There are 340 chapters published in chapter collection in Japan.

I recommend this anime for all ages who love adventure stories with humor, action, and drama.

Image- copyright Yoshihiro Togashi