Non Vi, Sed Arte Et Cor – 'Not by Force, but with Art and Heart!'
Category: Books, Movies & More
Thoughts inspired by, cool things discovered in, or reviews of:
• Books I’ve read
• Movies I’ve seen
• TV I’ve watched
• Music I’ve listened to
• Games I’ve played
• Software I’ve used
Most of this is usually posts about science fiction & fantasy books & movies, though I also often enjoy history & historical fiction, and occasionally post about cool music, videos, geeky software or tech gadgets I’ve used.
Assassin’s Quest, L.A. Noire: The Collected Stories, V for Vendetta, and Old Man’s War
Haven’t felt much like writing reviews recently, but I have read quite a few very good books that I would highly recommend. So here’s my ratings and some “micro” reviews / comments. Continue reading Reading Updates: 4 Book Ratings
Friedrich Schiller, German poet & writer (1759-1805)
This poem, (despite its age and that it was written in a foreign language,) is one of my favorite bits of lyric writing. I wish I could “live” what it recommends (I can’t…) but I “feel” the truth in most of it. A small, somewhat altered part of it appears in the final “choral” movement of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony. That symphony is also my favorite, and what got me interested in the poem.
When ever I hear that 4th movement or read this poem, it reminds me of my old, blind, now deceased dog, Buddy — who, despite everything, was the most joyful creature. At least he gave me joy…
Below is the entire text of the poem, in both the original German, and in an English translation. I have bolded the one verse that really jumps out at me whenever I read it (the one about Joy driving the wheels of “the Cosmos” (that’s how I read it, anyway 😉 ). Ironically that verse is not in Beethoven’s ninth (though a slightly altered part of the chorus of that verse does appear). I also really like the verse and chorus which precedes my favorite verse, (the one that starts “All creatures drink Joy”) Continue reading Ode To Joy
“The story so far:
In the beginning the Universe was created.
This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.”
― Douglas Adams, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
Richard Biggs as Dr. Stephen Franklin in Babylon 5
Dr. Stephen Franklin: “I realized I always defined myself by what I wasn’t… Always what I wasn’t, never what I was. And when you do that, you miss the moments. And the moments are all we’ve got… I can’t go back, but I can appreciate what I have right now. And I can define myself by what I am instead of what I’m not.”
Captain John Sheridan: “What are you?”
Franklin: “Alive. Everything else is negotiable.”
Babylon 5, S03E21 “Shadow Dancing” – written by J. Michael Straczynski
My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
First Published: April 1996
Read from: July 4 to 11, 2014
Love This Assassin, Though I REALLY Want to Hate Him
Book Blurb:
Fitz has survived his first hazardous mission as king’s assassin, but is left little more than a cripple. Battered and bitter, he vows to abandon his oath to King Shrewd, remaining in the distant mountains. But love and events of terrible urgency draw him back to the court at Buckkeep, and into the deadly intrigues of the royal family.
Renewing their vicious attacks on the coast, the Red-Ship Raiders leave burned-out villages and demented victims in their wake. The kingdom is also under assault from within, as treachery threatens the throne of the ailing king. In this time of great danger, the fate of the kingdom may rest in Fitz’s hands—and his role in its salvation may require the ultimate sacrifice.
The novel Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb is the sequel to Assassin’s Apprentice and the second book in the Farseer Trilogy. This book continues the story of it’s main character Fitz Chivalry, a bastard son to a now deceased prince of the royal family of the Six Duchies. As such he has been taken in, raised and trained, and now secretly works for the King as an assassin (hence the name). Despite this character’s seemingly “evil” occupation he is quite a likable, interesting and realistically written character. The character, the world, and the story really grabbed me, pull me in and enthrall me… But it also really frustrated me. Read My Full Review →
BioShock Infinte Release Date: Mar 2013 Genre: First Person Shooter Developer: Irrational Games
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
BioShock Infinite delivers one hell of a punch.
So I finally finished the Xbox version of the game BioShock Infinte this “weekend” and I must say the ending of the game’s intense story truly delivered a punch to my gray matter that left me reeling in much the same way as the movies Twelve Monkeys, Seven and Fight Club did. (Hmm? Just noticed that all 3 of those movies star Brad Pitt. Very weird.)
I definitely enjoyed the game-play, the “world”, the FPS action, and the intense story. I don’t fault the ending (which I will NOT reveal here) as I think it fits the story-line and genre and is pretty cool to be honest… But STILLthe ending did leave me feeling a little betrayed. Read My Full Review →
“X-Men: Days of Future Past” Trade Paperback by Marvel Comics – Chris Claremont, John Byrne & Terry Austin View book info on GoodReads
Overall “Book” Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars First Published: Trade Paperback published July 2013, collecting 7 comic book issues originally published in 1981 Read from: Jun 27 to July 12, 2014
Better Than the Movie, But…
I checked this Trade Paperback out from the library after watching the “meh” movie VERY loosely based on in it, (see my review of that movie here,) as I did not recall having read the original comic story “back in the day”. I guess I was expecting more of a graphic novel, or a longer story, so I was initially disappointed when I first started to read this collection of “classic” X-Men… Especially after reading the first story of the bunch, which is pretty darn poor. The actual “Days of Future Past” story line really only takes up 2 of the 7 comics included in this collection. While the “DOFP” story line is fair to good, a few of the other comics in the collection are actually better than this “title” story.
I have rated, reviewed & provided brief synapses of each “issue” included in this trade paperback below. With most of the stories I have provided more details for those who are curious. The spoiler-laden details are hidden in “spoiler tags” so those who want to read the TPB without ruining anything can still read on, as long as they don’t click through to the spoiler contents… Read My Full Review →
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars First Published: June 2011 Read from: Jun 22 to July 3, 2014 Awards: Nominated for 2012 Hugo Awards for Best Novel and the 2012 Locus Award for Best Science Fiction
“Leviathan Wakes” My Appetite For Cool Space Opera
“Humanity has colonized the solar system – Mars, the Moon, the Asteroid Belt and beyond – but the stars are still out of our reach.
Jim Holden is XO of an ice miner making runs from the rings of Saturn to the mining stations of the Belt. When he and his crew stumble upon a derelict ship, “The Scopuli,” they find themselves in possession of a secret they never wanted. A secret that someone is willing to kill for – and kill on a scale unfathomable to Jim and his crew. War is brewing in the system unless he can find out who left the ship and why.
Detective Miller is looking for a girl. One girl in a system of billions, but her parents have money and money talks. When the trail leads him to “The Scopuli” and rebel sympathizer Holden, he realizes that this girl may be the key to everything.
Holden and Miller must thread the needle between the Earth government, the Outer Planet revolutionaries, and secretive corporations – and the odds are against them. But out in the Belt, the rules are different, and one small ship can change the fate of the universe.”
Leviathan Wakes on the whole was a VERY entertaining bit of space opera science fiction, with some tantalizing bits of “hard sci-fi”, “horror”, “detective story” & “military sci-fi” thrown in. The book is the first in the highly acclaimed Expanse series, written by James S.A. Corey – a pen name for the collaboration of Albuquerque, New Mexico authors Ty Franck & Daniel Abraham, the last of which also is known to work closely with George R.R. Martin. Read My Full Review →
The Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi
4.5 out of 5 stars 
Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb
5 out of 5 stars 
BioShock Infinte
4 out of 5 stars
So I finally finished the Xbox version of the game BioShock Infinte this “weekend” and I must say the ending of the game’s intense story truly delivered a punch to my gray matter that left me reeling in much the same way as the movies Twelve Monkeys, Seven and Fight Club did. (Hmm? Just noticed that all 3 of those movies star Brad Pitt. Very weird.)
“X-Men: Days of Future Past” Trade Paperback by Marvel Comics – Chris Claremont, John Byrne & Terry Austin
3.5 out of 5 stars
Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey