There is a point where the phrase “nothing worth doing is ever easy” drives one to near masochism. It usually doesn’t. I would say on most occasions it’s a decent enough shorthand. But there is no shortage of Sisyphean tasks out there, and some are even less useful than eternal torment pushing a boulder up …
I read the first novel of the Night Angel Trilogy on the basis of a friend’s recommendation way back in high school, only recently coming back to finish off the last two of Brent Weeks’ fantasy trilogy (though I do believe a new entry in the same world has since been published). On the whole, …
It’s been a busy time over here, with the many fantasy and sci-fi stories I’ve read or watched or played stacking up like cordwood near an unlit campfire. So, grab a chair and take a seat, because this fire is about to be lit, and these stories burn bright and quick. As we watch the …
So often in storytelling the topic of pacing is brought up, belabored upon, critiqued. But, to my experience, it’s more often than not in one direction: readers, viewers, or listeners telling the author to put the pedal to the floor and get moving, to stop getting side-tracked by self-indulgent curiosities and keep the story going. …
I’ve finally done it. I’ve read every published Brandon Sanderson Cosmere novel to date. The journey – and given the length, general number, and content of his novels, I’d say the word journey is an appropriate one – began over 10 years back in undergrad. I have other posts on the matter (https://mweald.com/2024/01/28/on-long-chills-case-dough-brandon-sanderson/), so I …
I’ve been working my meandering way through books I feel I should’ve read years back. ‘Salem’s Lot is one of those, especially considering how much I’ve long enjoyed Stephen King (see https://mweald.com/2024/05/31/on-fairy-tale/ for more on that). So, what to say on this well-known tale of blood-sucking vamps? First off, surprise surprise, it was a fun …
There’s been a welcome shift in popular culture over what feels like the past 5-10 years, a recognition that the animated medium of storytelling shouldn’t just be relegated to children’s tales, something Japan recognized years ago. Not that there aren’t incredible family friendly animated stories like Disney’s Up that I’ll keep coming back to till …
The amount of fun I’m having playing the video game Baldur’s Gate 3 reminds me of when I first played Dragon Age: Origins way back in 2009. BioWare seemed to have poured its collective heart and soul into developing DA: O back in the day, even if BioWare’s more recent entries have been a tad …
If I’d been asked to pick my favorite author during high school, it probably would have been Stephen King. I read my fair share of his horror classics during this time: The Stand, The Shining, It, The Long Walk, Cell, Under the Dome, etc. I grew up amongst the corn fields of southern Indiana and …
As of this writing, I’ve watched a season and a half of Invincible, a show that, for me, has been one of the few antidotes to superhero fatigue post Marvel’s Avengers putting an end to Thanos (though the fatigue set in a bit before that if I’m being honest). Along with The Boys, it’s given …
M. Weald 