Dying of the Light

George R.R. Martin is officially part of the big time. An author in great demand who seems to have been able to win over everyday readers as well as a significant fraction of the literati. Most folks know him through his uber popular A Song of Ice and Fire series (aka his Game of Thrones work). You can definitely count me as someone who is a big fan of his writing style, his skill at building worlds, systems of magic, characters who take on flesh and bone, his dialog, and his pacing. However, until recently my only exposure to Martin's writing was through his Game of Thrones novels. I decided that I would begin to work my way through some of his other fantasy and science fiction works, beginning with his first published novel, Dying of the Light.

The story takes place on Worlorn, a rogue or free-floating planet that orbits the outer edge of the galaxy directly, instead of remaining closely tied to a central star. Thus the majority of the time, Worlorn is a frigid, dark, and lifeless rock. However, for a period, Worlorn's orbit brought it near a red giant star and it was settled. In fact 14 major cities were established to celebrate the diverse cultures of 14 different planetary systems. As Worlorn moved out away from the red giant, the planet was abandoned by all but a few individuals.

The protagonist of the story is Dirk t'Larien who was apparently called to Worlorn by his ex-girlfriend Gwen Delvano. Dirk's life has been empty and without purpose since Gwen left him, and her call sparks hope. When he arrives on Worlorn, he finds that Gwen is married to a warrior from the planet High Kavalaan, whose home-world culture is based on honor and clan loyalty. Dirk's sudden appearance on Worlorn however seems to be a surprise to Gwen and his presence leads to conflict on a number of fronts. The story is played out under the dying light of the star on the planet surface and the dying life of humanity that once filled the festival cities that were constructed to celebrate life and humanity's spread across the galaxy. Against this forlorn backdrop, Dirk finds himself immediately in conflict with the Kavalars on Worlorn whose own culture is dying just as everything around them.

The novel is relatively short for all of the development of peoples and cultures and worlds that Martin introduces, yet he handles this development with aplomb. A very gritty novel in which many of the characters face their own personal fears of life and death. Some might find this work too minimalist, too sullen, too moody. For me, I found it more introspective and a refreshing change from the typical novel endings where everything is tied up into a package with pretty wrapping and a neat bow. I will definitely move on to other works by George R.R. Martin, so stay tuned.

Absurdities 2

I have a lingering collection of things that I have stumbled across in my travels and daily life that have made me laugh or shake my head whilst uttering expressions such as, "What has this world come to?". In this series I share the absurdities with you. Enjoy.

• From the files of folks who have way too much time on their hands, I give you an announcement of the "Annual meeting of Abe Lincoln impersonators" (for those who think that I am making this up, see the story).
  
• Folks can get awfully melancholy when their sports heroes can no longer perform as they once did. I was given a harsh reminder when I saw the following mid-game box score for a recent Lakers game:
  
  
• The following sports headline put a wacky image in my head of a watermelon smashing, mustachioed bald guy affecting the outcome of a NHL game:
  
  
• To folks who claim that I have used a word incorrectly, I glibly reply, "A language is defined by its usage." My own retort has come back to haunt me as it was just announced that the fine folks at Oxford have added the word, "al deskco" to their dictionary. Its definition is one who eats lunch at their desk. Perhaps, just perhaps, we have enough words already.
  

Quick Hits 32

Sometimes I hear an utterance or catch a quick visual of something that sticks in my mind. As this sensory input rolls about in my head, several different outcomes are possible. It might be the case that after a moment of consideration, the input is deleted as uninteresting, trivial, or too much for me to deal with. However, another possible outcome is that the input keeps demanding my attention. It somehow wants me to wrestle with it and give it more than just a passing notice. In such cases, they can end up here, in my blog series called Quick Hits.

If someone were given one wish that would come true, would you think less of them if they wished to be a billionaire instead of wishing for world peace or a cure for cancer? What fraction of such wishes do you think would end up being an absolute disaster?

What do you think?

The Fi5th Gospel

I was turned onto a devotional entitled The Fi5th Gospel by my online friend (and pastor) Bill. This book was written by pastor Bobby Conway. The title may seem a bit curious as the New Testament in the Christian bible contains only four "Gospel" books, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. So what is this business of the "fifth" (stylized as "fi5th") gospel? Conway explains that this notion of a fifth Gospel is meant to be an incarnation of how Christians live out the good news declared in the four Gospel books. Just as the four Gospels of the bible point people to Jesus, so too should each of our own lives. Conway notes two important points that form the basis for his devotional,

#1 - We often forget that Christianity is not a philosophy to be argued but a Person to be known.

#2 - People generally have a skewed mental portrait of God. And, for better or worse, that perception is largely formed by their interaction with Christians.

This devotional is designed to not only point each of us Christians to Jesus, or at least point each of us Christians more toward Jesus, but moreso to give Christians a way to help point non-Christians toward Jesus. Each chapter confronts a different area of relevance that can be considered for individuals or for small groups. Conway's advice is consistently practical, consistently realistic, and consistently biblical. If you are looking for a spark to rekindle your approach or just a devotional to keep you thinking straight, this might just be a book that you will enjoy.

Observations 78

My occasional blog series "Observations" was created to be an outlet to share a variety of topics that pop into my field of view as a result of a condition that many bloggers are afflicted with known as "blogger's eyes". In this state we view the world on the constant look-out for topics on which to write about. Today's blog came about from random odds 'n ends of things that I have noticed over the past few weeks.

• Observe pretty much any commercial on T.V. and you will see line after line at the bottom of the screen of unintelligible small print consisting of blurry, white letters on a white background. This is a wholly accurate reflection at once of both our legalistic society and the ever-present con-artists grabbing every open loophole.
  
• Have you ever had a sales representative get all snarky and rude with you when you are trying to place an order with their company, one where you have placed well over a million dollars of orders in the past few years? Yeah, me too.
  
• Joan Jett and the Blackhearts were just elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I can name one of their songs, "I Love Rock and Roll". See if you can name another. Go ahead, I'll wait.
  
• The other night I was watching an NBA game on TV when a player checked into the game whose first name was Festus. That made me chuckle. You don't come across too many Festuses (or Festi) these days.
  
• What's that? You say you want to hear more quotes from fully self-absorbed, prima donna athletes? How about this from Dez Bryant of the Dallas Cowboys about his contact negotiations?
  "It's all about respect. I am a very loyal person, but just don't test my loyalty."
  

The Alloy of Law

I give Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn epic fantasy trilogy my highest marks. Demigods, kings, class warfare, and power struggles among the privileged, pitted good against evil and forced us to see that oftentimes labels may be a matter of perspective or opportunity. In this series, Sanderson created a system of magic known as "allomancy" that fit perfectly within his setting and his story. Individuals known as allomancers have the ability to use ingested metals in order to trigger a variety of physical and mental enhancements and abilities. In an age of relatively low technology, these rare individuals, especially those with enhanced powers, were especially revered or feared. The self-contained trilogy wrapped up with "i"s dotted and "t"s crossed. However, in several interviews, Sanderson has presented his future plans for developing additional books in this series set in a more modern age. Sometimes authors can be a bit too greedy and overextend themselves, thereby somehow tarnishing the original seed. That idea entered my mind as I began to read Sanderson's most recent entry in his Mistborn world, entitled The Alloy of Law.

This story takes place some three hundred years after the original Mistborn series and is part of his Wax and Wayne trilogy. The story begins in a western-style frontier land, where two allomancers, lawman Waxillium "Wax" Ladrian and his right-hand man Wayne, are doing their part to keep crime in check and stay ahead of the rogues, bandits, and ne'er-do-wells who seem to congregate in these settlements. Wax is actually the heir of an important noble family back in the big city of Elendel and must return to see to his house's affairs after his uncle is killed in an accident. As Wax needs to project an air of refined and dignified power to ensure the success of his house's business interests, he is forced to set aside his crude, shoot-from-the-hip style and settle into the role of a high lord. However, that mien doesn't last long when Wax is pulled into the fray caused by a mysterious crew known as the "Vanishers" who are hijacking train cargos as well as kidnapping various ladies of high society, including the woman who is set to become Wax's wife.

This story amounts to a sort of buddy comedy with Wax and Wayne as western-style partners in the mold of Riggs and Murtaugh from Lethal Weapon or Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The characters have a wonderful chemistry and humor that sees them through the direst of situations with trust, purpose, and panache. The main villian, one Miles Dagouter, is an allomancer with powers that make him nearly immortal. Miles once served as the lawman in the neighboring frontier province to Wax, but turned to crime as he became bitter and jaded watching the nobility pass laws simply to protect their interests while turning their backs on the working classes. A wonderful story that made me even a bigger fan of Sanderson as he pulled this new direction off without a hitch. Highly recommended reading. The next entry in this series, Shadows of Self, is tentatively scheduled for release later this year.

iTunes Latest - 24

I have been a user of iTunes since 2011. This service has allowed me to bring music back into my world and to reconnect with so many great songs from my past. One of the things that I really like about music is that so often a given song has a strong association with a time or moment in my life. I have also found that every now and then a recent song inspires me. So, I thought that I would share my latest five downloads and a bit about my thoughts on each song.

• Head Over Heels - Tears for Fears (1985) - Songs from the Big Chair was an album that dominated the sales charts from the mid-80s and its songs were in heavy rotation on every stop on the dial. This was my favorite song from that album and it takes me back to my days in college. Definitely an association with a teenage version of me.
  
• Let it Please - The New Old Fashions (2014) - A haunting song of longing and pleading from my worship pastor and his wife. Unique, musical, and well paced.
  
• Love Changes Everything - Honeymoon Suite (1988) - I have recently connected to this group that was gaining steam back when I was in college. They had a great 3 album run before they fell off the map. This song is a pop piece that reminds us that relationships can pull us back into life no matter how long we have been away.
  
• All Along You Knew - Honeymoon Suite (1986) - When I say "rock flute solo", most folks would think Jethro Tull, as well they should, yet this song has a great little flute riff that works into this song about affairs and their associated struggles.
  
• All the Little Lights - Passenger (2012) - Passenger is not a band, but the stage name of singer/songwriter Michael David Rosenberg. After I came across the gem Let Her Go on the album All the Little Lights, I also gave a listen to the title track from this work. A melancholy, soulful, and reflective piece about losing one's innocence one little light at a time until they have all gone out.