The Multiverse Is Everything

Posted on November 18, 2016 by Rawle Nyanzi
A whole Multiverse of Earths.

A whole Multiverse of Earths.

One thing I noticed with the Doctor Strange movie (which I review here) is the constant talk of the Multiverse. It is described as an infinite number of universes connected together, and Strange and the other mages depicted in the movie draw their power from these distant realms. Of course, the Multiverse is familiar to any Marvel or DC fan since it is used to justify all sorts of crossovers, reboots, and alternate timelines. It gives both companies’ characters and stories an epic scope, so even the smallest, simplest tales exist within the context of a much larger whole.

But what if I told you that the Multiverse concept goes farther than that? What if I told you that the Multiverse not only encompasses Marvel and DC, but all fictional material outside their control as well?

It’s not as unbelievable as you think; in fact, it makes perfect, logical sense.

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Hard Work Update

Posted on November 15, 2016 by Rawle Nyanzi
Work never ends.

Work never ends.

Another week, still more work to do. On that front, I have some bad news and some good news.

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Doctor Strange (spoiler-free review)

Posted on November 13, 2016 by Rawle Nyanzi

Doctor Strange

Stephen Strange is a well-respected neurosurgeon, very gifted at his trade and quite well-paid. While speeding along a mountain road, his car is rammed and extensive nerve damage costs him the use of his hands. Since no medical procedure in existence could fix them, he seeks relief from the Ancient One, an powerful mage in Kathmandu. Here, he learns of powers that draw from the fabric of spacetime itself and allow him to warp and twist his landscape as much as he pleases — and he needs to, for a dark god and his heralds seek to overtake the Earth!

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Why Ninja Are Highly Visible

Posted on November 1, 2016 by Rawle Nyanzi
We are ninja!

We are ninja!

We all know about the ninja. All-black suits. Shuriken. Kunai. Smoke bombs. Magic ninja arts. We also know that all of this is historically inaccurate, since a spy who wears distinctive outfits and carries obvious weaponry is no spy at all, just a fool who becomes a corpse in record time. The Youtuber Gaijin Goombah explains in a video just how wrong popular culture, whether Western or Japanese, has it about the ninja (with further thoughts here.)

Yet in spite of what we know about real-life ninja, we still have black suit-wearing, shuriken-throwing, magic-wielding shadow warriors in our fiction. Why do we continue to portray ninja in this way when we know it is false?

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Update on the Pulps, and a Call for Beta Readers

Posted on October 28, 2016 by Rawle Nyanzi
I'm always writing.

I’m always writing.

As you all know, I have been writing a novel. Writing it has been both an enjoyable and frustrating experience, but one I have grown and learned from. However, I also said that I had something in mind regarding the Pulp Revival.

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Binaural Beats — Do They Work, or Are They Woo?

Posted on October 16, 2016 by Rawle Nyanzi

I regularly read Mike Cernovich’s website Danger and Play — it’s a useful site that shows people how to handle the ups and downs of modern life without sinking into a pit of despair. His Gorilla Mindset book has a lot of good, solid life improvement tips as well. However, I would see him occasionally mention this thing called “binaural beats,” which, according to him, helps listeners focus their minds.

For the longest time, I dismissed binaural beats as new age woo that didn’t actually do anything. But one day, as I was having trouble with my writing, I decided to give binaural beats a shot. After all, I wouldn’t really lose anything from it.

Did they help?

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An Appreciation for the Fantasy Genre

Posted on October 9, 2016 by Rawle Nyanzi
One of the things I like about the genre: this kind of straightforward heroism.

One of the things I like about the genre: this kind of straightforward heroism.

I had begun my Appendix N Review Series as a way to see how the fantasy genre in the 1950s through the 1970s was different from today’s genre. Going in, I wasn’t sure what to expect — I expected to see umpteen copies of stories in the mold of J. R. R. Tolkien, and I cringed at the idea of reading about elves and dwarves and the like. I went in with low expectations all around.

Then I actually read the books. I fell in love.

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Martians, Go Home (Appendix N Review)

Posted on October 8, 2016 by Rawle Nyanzi

martians-go-home

Martians, Go Home
by Fredric Brown
Originally published E. P. Dutton (1955)
Republished by Gateway (2011)
$5.99

Luke Devereaux is a struggling science fiction writer reeling from a recent divorce. Unable to come up with an idea for his next novel, he borrowed a shack in the middle of nowhere from his friend and stayed there to concentrate on his work. All of a sudden, a Martian — a little green man, opaque yet unable to be handled physically in any way — appears in his shed and drives him absolutely crazy. When the Martian leaves and he tells other people what he saw, he learns that a billion Martians had come to Earth and were annoying the hell out of everyone.

This is Martians, Go Home, an alien invasion story unlike any other.

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Hard at Work

Posted on October 5, 2016 by Rawle Nyanzi
Pretty much me.

Pretty much me.

It may seem like I’ve dropped off the face of the Internet, but believe me, I have not forgotten about any of you. It’s just that a combination of my day job and my personal projects have left me little time for Twitter/Gab and blogging.

Therefore, a progress report is in order.

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Legend of the Galactic Heroes Vol. 1 (spoiler-free review)

Posted on September 9, 2016 by Rawle Nyanzi

legend-of-the-galactic-heroes-vol-1-dawn

Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Vol. 1: Dawn
by Yoshiki Tanaka
Translated by Daniel Huddleston
Originally published in Japanese by Tokuma Shoten (1982)
Published in English by Haikasoru (2016)
$8.09 (Kindle)
$11.62 (Paperback)

In the far future, the monarchy of the Galactic Empire and the democracy of the Free Planets Alliance clash in deep space, fighting for ultimate supremacy in a great war that has lasted centuries. Evenly matched, neither side can gain ground against the other. However, two great commanders arise for each side: Reinhard von Lohengramm, born to an irresponsible father and forced t work his way up the ranks of the Imperial military, and Yang Wen-li, a middle-class boy who only wanted to study history, but got pushed into the Alliance military because it was the only way to pay for his education. As the two commanders battle each other in the depths of space, they develop a rivalry that will decide the future fate of their respective nations.

This is Legend of the Galactic Heroes, a fine political drama.

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