Where did my week go? Seriously.

I lost a week. Well, not really, but work has made it feel like that. Yes, I'm fine, don't worry. Just a bit tired more of the time than I'd like. Mandatory overtime and I don't get along for the long term.

So now, I'll ramble and rant a bit, and give a little of my plans for next week.

First, a bit of an Appendix N/pulprevolution ramble,  as I do chat with those guys online a bit. I'm guessing I'm about the same age as Jeffro, but I think I lucked out in some big ways. I grew up with a GREAT used bookstore in town. We're talking something like a 4 story Victorian house, converted over entirely to this. Yeah, even the basement. When I went to college, the next town over had a small but excellent used bookstore as well. I bought a lot of stuff there, including a first edition of Dune(no slipcase, but yes, Chilton) for a mere $5. I think I stumbled into Robert E. Howard about then, or maybe late high school. I even read some Shadow and Doc Savage novels on a Palm Pilot when they were new and laptops were heavy.

When I moved to the town I'm in now over a decade ago, there were three good stores for used books. I'm talking Richard Matheson in hardcover, ERB galore, Mickey Spillane, and more. One of them has closed, the other two are diminished greatly. On the plus side, one of the local libraries has a friendshop of donations/weeded books, and it rotates fast, and has some serious treasure potential.

Anyway, when I got into Spillane, it was somewhat by way of Max Allan Collins, author behind Road to Perdition, Quarry, and a whole lot more. Around this time, a publisher started up an imprint for crime books, some of which were reprints, and some new ones. This was Hard Case Crime, they still are going, and doing the same, including comics with Titan Comics.

Long story, well, long, I may have been peripherally aware of Appendix N, but I never went after it, but I didn't ignore old stuff, either.  I hated that for over a decade I couldn't find any new Science Fiction that really wasn't Anti-Christian, and moved to reading more fantasy. I only got here because I found about the Sad Puppies about 2.5 years ago, and I quickly found Vox Day and Castalia House after that.

After I quit a job just over a year ago, I decided to start blogging about boardgames; I didn't see anyone on that front much, and I had a bit of knowledge of the hobby. I decided in April last year to start reviewing books, in thanks to Ben Zwycky's novel Nobility Among Us. I didn't even have my opening line for book reviews. Ok, this paragraphs was more straight history than ApN/pulprevolution related. Next!

Second, in one recent rant on Marvel, Razorfist noted that Marvel gave the new Iron Man Chic a new codename(I'm too lazy to search for lamename), and rhetorically wondered why they went with the lesser Iron name from metal. While this may not have occurred to some, Marvel, one, doesn't want to explore the possibility of the suit causing pain in use, being a real(though lessor) Iron Maiden. Personally, that sounds pretty metal to me. Also, since there's  little regard for virtue in major media these days, I also highly doubt they would consider exploring the idea of an actual maiden character. One that's actually chaste, and perhaps her powers are in part related to such, or at least the focus such might allow. Again, more interesting than what they've been doing.

Third: plans. I do have some books ready for the next quick review set. Not the whole thing, but a start. Monday, I intend to do a post on Kickstarter projects of note. One I plan on pointing out launches then, so that's why. I will also do a Appendix N comics post later in the week; I'm currrently thinking about Thunda'a created  by Frank Frazetta. Between fiction reads, I'm going through Jeffro's Appendix N book, and will have a more normal review of that when I'm done. Wait. This makes me sound busy. Nuts. I have other things I need to do/add to this, including a possible move later in the year.

Fourth:  Please harass Robert Kroese gently and kindly. He proposed on Twitter a novel that was part Chronicles of Amber, part The Man Who Fell to Earth, and part Count of Monte Cristo.  Let this awesomeness happen!

When you play Social Justice, the world loses.