March Upcountry - David Weber and John Ringo

March Upcountry is the first book I've read by either of these authors, or listened to rather. (Stefan Rudniki does an incredible job narrating this one.)

I love the military science fiction genre and historical military fiction as well. March Upcountry enthralled my imagination immediately. I was intrigued by the cast of characters and thought the intrigue and world building fascinating. Great detail. These authors are clearly very experienced in this genre.

So I was a bit bemused when I realized how dramatically the point of view shifts and how head jumping occurs so frequently that I hear writing coaches all over the world writhing in misery. However, there is something to be said for the fact I didn't notice the much derided technique at first.

Probably because I was wrapped up in the story and dying to see what happened to each character. My writer's mind wrote this phenomena off as something I shouldn't try but perhaps works for these two master story tellers.

In the end, I was really glad to have bought the book and listened to it. The details and suspenseful plot combined with characters I really empathize with has made March Upcountry worth every moment of my time. One group of antagonists are called Saints, a sociopolitical group dedicated to removing Terran influence from the universe. They are depicted as fanatical conservationist, a group that has taken a possibly noble ideal to a destructive extreme. This book does not delve into the minds of the Saints, but I imagine future books will. It should be interesting at least.

March Upcountry is a great book. I recommend it.

Film Friday 3: Warrior

This week's Friday night film was Warrior. I've had this one on my list for a long time. I know the movie received good reviews and Nick Nolte earned an Academy Award nomination. Even with all this hype, the promotional trailers left me worried, which is probably why I waited so long to see it. Warrior is the story of two brothers, one a war hero, the other a school teacher, who find themselves fighting for a five-million dollar purse in a brutal MMA match.

I was wary. The pre-release movie trailers looked slick, the movie had good reviews, but it still seemed that the slightest misstep with this plot would lead straight to cheeseville.

I shouldn't have worried. There turned out to be other plot twists that increased the tension. I thought the acting was superb and the dialogue excellent.

If you just want a lot of MMA, it is probably only a decent movie. On the other hand, if mixed martial arts violence turns your stomach, this show isn't for you. I still recommend taking a chance on Warrior if you are a little squeamish, because the story, acting, and overall package are solid and the execution is great.

I give this one five stars, because my rating scale doesn't go to six.

Thanks for reading this blog. Happy viewing.

Priceless: A Rylee Adamson Novel (Book 1) - Shannon Mayer

Shannon Mayer is such a good writer. I've been a fan for a while now. Priceless has been on my reading list since it came out. And though I have at least a dozen books I planned to read first, I pulled it up on my phone and dove in.

Priceless is a fun new adventure into urban fantasy. The main character, Rylee Adamson, is a woman on a mission. She finds lost children when no one else can. Mayer quickly defines the genre without beating me, the delighted reader, over the head with world building details. Character back story, descriptions, and motivation flow easily making the reading experience pure enjoyment. The pace of the story is superbly managed.

I see a cast of characters that will rock the rest of the books in this series. If you like books by Ilona Andrews, you will enjoy reading this one by Shannon Mayer.

#FLF 2: IRON MAN 3

Welcome to week two of Film Loving Friday. Not quite sure it's a tradition yet, but maybe--just maybe it will be.

If I seem surprised, it's because I actually forgot all about my plan to watch and review a movie each week. I really love a good movie, but it's hard to find two hours of uninterrupted time these days.

Fortunately, my mom is visiting and we decided to check out this film with the kids via direct TV. I'll probably finish this tomorrow, since I actually have a spectacular headache. Over the years I have developed a policy of never skipping something I want to do for the sake of a headache unless it is literally bad enough to put me in the hospital.

Because I have a lot of headaches. This one promises to be a classic. My hands keep going numb. That's never a good sign.

However, in the spirit of minor heroics, I better make a few notes.

First things first; Iron Man 3 entertained. I was pleasantly surprised, but (spoiler alert) there we too many Iron Man suits. It fit into the plot, given the genre, well enough--but come on people. Shouldn't the hero be in the suit. The movie is called Iron Man, not Stark Enterprises. The invulnerable super suits seemed awfully disposable.

On the up side, Stark's use of improvised weapons, quick thinking, and partial suits did offer a change of pace from what I would expect from an otherwise unstoppable master of weaponized technology. The more powerful each generation of the Iron Man suit becomes, the harder it is going to be to find a bad guy worth the time of day. (Note to Hollywood script writers: stop leveling up.) 

I admit that taking Tony out of the super suit is the only way to put him in danger, so I give the movie props for that. "A" for effort.

The family had a great time. We made our own popcorn at home, so it was about a $5 event. #SpendingTimeWithFamily #WinnerWinnerChickenDinner

Tomorrow I will take another Excedrin Migraine around 2100 hours if I need to, and think about catching up in the Marvel movie series. I'm pretty sure most of them are now on Netflix.

I still haven't seen Captain America or the Avengers. Come to think of it, is there another Hulk and another Thor movie? I need to get a life. I'm so behind on my movies.

See you all later. I have NaNoWriMo word goals for today, so I'd best get started. See you next Friday, I hope.