A Bunch Of Young Geniuses Just Made A Corrupt Corporation Freak Out Big Time. Time For Round Two.
Some punk kids figured out how to cut some awful monolithic companies out of our lives. They are not amused.

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The Unholy by Paul Deblassie
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Let me see. Where to start?

Claire Sanchez is the daughter of a curandera she saw murdered at 5 years old. She grows up knowing that she's destined to be a curandera herself, but chooses instead to avoid her heritage and live out life as a natural healer instead.

Whatever.

There's also an evil religion extorting money from it's wealthy parishioners and sacrificing women. And it's not really difficult to guess how it ends.

I really wanted to care. I really wanted to like this novel with the beautiful descriptions and snapshot view of the mestizo culture. But in all honesty, this book was a mess. I mean how many times does the author have to explain the history behind the women of Lozen? Three times in the first 75 pages, word for word.

Characters were one-dimensional. Plot-lines were predictable. I kept expecting the villain to suddenly shout, "Bwah ha ha," like you see in the cheesy Saturday morning cartoons. It was that bad.

I received a free copy for review and I don't recommend it. Unless there's some kind of drinking game involved.

Then again, maybe not even that.

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The Devil's Concubine by Jill Braden
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Most of the fantasy I've read has had a Middle Ages bent to it. Knights and sorcerers, damsels in distress, characteristics that are all too familiar. The Devil's Concubine was completely different.

Set in a world comparable to the Orient, we're introduced to Qui'Tal, a woman of a snake-like race called the Pongonese who have been conquered by British like colonialists, the Thampurians. The Pongonese have been left desolate, living in hut like structures and oppressed by their new rulers. Through all this is the story of Qui'Tal, the mistress and enforcer of the Devil, the werewolf kingpin.

When I started reading this book I thought I was in for another cheesy urban fantasy, but Jill Braden has managed to create a lush and vibrant world without the usual cliches. I was fully immersed in this world, and I found myself wondering, which nation were the Pongonese based on? Their culture, the way they tell their stories, the tiny details, all added to the charm of this novel.

My only complaint comes from the characterizations of the some of the supporting characters. The Major seemed to warm to Qui'Tal too quickly, and the rapport between Kyam Zul and Qui'Tal seemed a bit forced. They went back and forth and back and forth with no real explanation as to why they even needed each other to begin with. And the over-protective male role is just such a turn off.

This book deserves 3.5 stars. I'm even considering reading the next book, but I may hold off till there are more in the series. I'm just too impatient to wait!

(I received a free copy for review.)

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What is J.J. Abrams teasing with Bad Robot's new mystery trailer?
Bad Robot, the production company founded by geek culture hitmaker J.J. Abrams (Lost, Fringe, Star Trek: Into Darkness, Alias, etc.), has released a mysterious new trailer titled "Stranger." The...

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The Sisters Will Dance by Brian Wheeler
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The main character, Blaine, is an addict. His life seems predisposed to addiction with no cure in sight. When he inherits a farmhouse in Monteray, he doesn't know why or how he's going to live there. His only real concern is how to avoid the cravings gnawing at his skin. The truth hidden in his blood.

This is one of those books that you shouldn't take three months to read like I did. From the first chapter, Wheeler thrusts you into a hyper-realistic world full of lush details and metaphors. It's so detailed that you have to keep track of who's who because it's somehow a key to unraveling the underlying mystery of who Blaine really is and why he is or isn't important.

This is not the typical fantasy novel. A certain mysticism weaves its way through the story, and right when you think you know what's going to happen next, the complete opposite occurs.

Needless to say, I really liked it.

(I was given a free copy to review.)

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I feel my age. Maybe even older!

I suppose that's normal. Growing up with a disability somehow makes you mature 5 times faster than the normal person. So while I may have been 20 once upon a time, I felt 25. So on and so forth. (At least I managed to have a grand ole time!)

Now I feel older... and single. No significant other to speak/write about. And though I'd love to think of Ravi as my other half, it's just not the same. Besides, he's taken to ignoring me when other people are around.

Hence, the solution: visit Ok Cupid.

My photos on there are old. My profile still lists me as having an innate love affair with BSG. And apparently it's not cool to not have the official app, or something like that.

Within an hour of my going active again, I received quite a few messages spelling out a number of things including but not limited to an invite to coffee, movie star comparisons, and the all important, "Hey, beautiful." (hubba, hubba)

The stalker sense has not stopped tingling. I mean, when did online dating become so creepy?

Duh! It was always this way.

But I think I'll hang around the OK site just to see what other amusing things I can fill my time with.

Arata: The Legend, Vol. 01 by Yuu Watase
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm a huge fan of Fushigi Yuugi, and after watching the Arata anime, I figured I needed to find out what happened next.

First major difference between the anime and the manga? The anime rushes through the story while the manga gives you a better opportunity to get to know Arata and relate to him.

It's also a great start to a hopefully memorable story.

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New York City planning to use a new, more progressive handicapped symbol
For some years now, the ubiquitous "handicapped" symbol — a blue and white logo of a person leaning back in a wheelchair known as the international symbol of access — has come under fire from...

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Movie studios send fraudulent censorship demands over Pirate Bay documentary
You'll remember last month's news that Fox had sent fraudulent takedown notices regarding my novel Homeland. This is hardly an isolated incident: the studios routinely exhibit depraved indifference to the inaccuracies in thei...

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