Category Archives: Speculative fiction

A lesson to learn from Peter Jackson (or, stating the obvious, part infinity plus eight)

By terje | Published: July 19, 2009
(Disclaimer: The following, while containing at least some opinions the author can sort of be said to hold, is more of an exploration than a presentation of ideas. It should all therefore be taken with a few barrelfuls of salt.) So I’m watching the appendices on the Fellowship of the Ring Extended Edition DVD, and as [...]
Also posted in Ambiguity, Annoyance, Art, GRRM, Harry Potter, History, Hodge-podge rambling, Impressions, Language, Literature, Malazan, Movies, Opinions, Rant, Scott Lynch, Speculations, WoT | 3 Comments

The books of 2009, so far

By terje | Published: July 13, 2009
As I’ve been fairly absent from my blog in the past six months, to say the least, I thought I’d post a quick summary of any recommendable books — and not only novels this time – I’ve read since I was last observed round this neck o’ the woods. Also, I’ll include some not-so-recommendable books, [...]
Also posted in History, Impressions, Lists, Literature, Opinions, Recommendations, Review, Roman stuff | 20 Comments

Stranger than Fiction

By terje | Published: March 30, 2009
Watched Stranger than Fiction again tonight, and I was happy to discover that it was as good on the second viewing and in company as it was on the first and alone. The plot is a bit hard to describe without ruining it all, as discovering what the hell is going on is one of the [...]
Also posted in A Moistening of the Eyes, A Praise Chorus, Art, Awe, Bliss, Glee, Goosebumps!, Love, Movies, Pimping, Pleasant surprises, Recommendations, Review, Television stuff, Yay! | 9 Comments

The First Book of Lankhmar by Fritz Leiber

By terje | Published: March 24, 2009
Containing the four short-story collections “Swords & Deviltry”, “Swords against Death”, “Swords in the Mist” and “Swords against Wizardry”, The First Book of Lankhmar is a must-read for any serious lover of Fantasy. Fritz Leiber’s Sword & Sorcery has to be counted among the many who created the clichés of the genre, especially as Leiber [...]
Also posted in Literature, Review | 1 Comment

Sky of Swords by Dave Duncan

By terje | Published: January 20, 2009
450 pages. Eos Fantasy paperback. 2000. Third published novel in the Tales of the King’s Blades trilogy. So. Denouement, eh? After having spent Lord of the Fire Lands setting up pretty much an alternative plotline to the one told in The Gilded Chain, Dave Duncan endeavours to straighten things out again in Sky of Swords. Obviously, any such an [...]
Also posted in Ambiguity, Annoyance, Boredom, Disappointment, Discomfort, Great Expectations, Literature, Rant, Review, meh. | 6 Comments

Lord of the Fire Lands by Dave Duncan

By terje | Published: December 30, 2008
1999. 457 pages. Eos Fantasy Paperback. A Tale of the King’s Blades (#2). Somewhere off the coast of Chivial, the kingdom where most of The Gilded Chain takes place, are the Baelish islands. The Baels are a warlike and maritime people, so remniscent of Vikings we’d be talking plagiarism if the Vikings hadn’t been public domain material, and Lord [...]
Also posted in Literature, Review, Whoa | Leave a comment

The Matrix

By terje | Published: November 20, 2008
Just watched The Matrix, but seeing as I’ve already reviewed this movie somewhere else on this blog, I’m going to limit myself to pointing out how much the whole Matrix/human batteries thing seems like something out of Marx. You’ve got your people, right, who can be likened to either the people in Marxist theory in general, [...]
Also posted in Ambiguity, Art, Awe, Bliss, Coincidents, Goosebumps!, Hodge-podge rambling, Karl Marx, Movies, Old Heroes, Pleasant surprises, Politics, Revelations, Review, Weird stuff, What I Learned Today, Whoa, Yay!, lol | 6 Comments

Interview with the Vampire

By terje | Published: November 19, 2008
Man, I did not until a few seconds ago realise what an inane title Interview with the Vampire really is; it is scary to see just how much an article can matter… Anyway, I had my sister over for dinner a couple of days ago, and we watched this thing, mainly because we both remembered the [...]
Also posted in Annoyance, Boredom, Death, Disappointment, Language, Links, Literature, Misery, Movies, Pain, Panic, Review, Weird stuff, lol, meh. | 2 Comments

The Gilded Chain by Dave Duncan

By terje | Published: November 18, 2008
1998. 396 pages. Eos Fantasy Paperback. First published novel in the Tales of the King’s Blades series. In the kingdom of Chivial, it is the task of the Loyal and Ancient Order of the King’s Blades to supply the king and his chosen servants with bodyguards. Boys, unwanted troublemakers for the most part, are taken in around the age of [...]
Also posted in Collections, GRRM, Literature, Optimism, Pleasant surprises, Recommendations, Review, Yay! | 11 Comments

The Broken Sword by Poul Anderson

By terje | Published: November 10, 2008
1954. 274 pages. Gollancz Fantasy Masterworks. Paperback. Skafloc, kidnapped when he was a child and raised by the elves, received the sword Thyrfing as a naming day present from the Aesir. This was considered a perverse gift by most, as the sword has been broken by Thor to prevent it from being used to cut the roots of Yggdrasil [...]
Also posted in Collections, Literature, Medieval stuff, Norse stuff, Poetry, Recommendations, Religiousity, Review | 16 Comments