Monday, November 28, 2011

Dear Santa

I've been a good lad this year. Please send me two more good Amazon reviews of Prince of Wolves and six more good reviews of Master of Devils. Nice round numbers will make me an even better lad next year.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Master of Devils Reading

Where: Warp One Comics & Games
When: Saturday, November 26
Time: 11:00 am

I'll read selections from Master of Devils and chat all things Pathfinder Tales. Afterwards, some of us will cross the street for a bite and a pint at the Empress.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Prince of Wolves Review

Fifteen months after the book's release, Prince of Wolves continues to receive reviews from readers discovering the line for the first time. This one from Geeklore is among the best written, and it might also be the most positive review of the book I've seen.

Since the reviewer wasn't previously familiar with Pathfinder or Golarion, it could be the perfect review to show someone who's on the cusp about trying the Pathfinder Tales line.

My day, she is made.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Red Cliff (2008)


We celebrated October with scary movies each Tuesday, but I’d forgotten to cue up the DVD, so one night began with previews. All the chatter subsided, and everyone stared at a war between ancient Chinese factions. Units of footmen formed tortoise-shell defenses, luring the cavalry into a trap. Heroes threw back six foes at a time while their brooding masters pored over maps, wrote poetry, and studied cloud formations.

When the preview ended, everyone turned to me. “You want to see that one instead?” I asked, knowing I had it in the vault.

Did they ever.

After a decade spent making movies in Hollywood, John Woo returned to his native land. There he undertook a film version of one of the famous battles of China's Three Kingdoms period.

On this blog, I’ve used the term “kung fu” pretty loosely, but this time I need to point out that this film is a war epic. While there are some impressive wirework stunts in Red Cliff, the film is far more concerned with the leaders of the opposing camps, the flaws and virtues of their characters, and the particular strategies they use to take advantage of their foes’ mistakes. That said, once the action begins, it will kick your ass all the way up to the fiery finale.

The movie opens by establishing the influence Chancellor Cao Cao (Zhang Fengyi) has over the young emperor. Seizing power over the military, he turns his forces against the lords who have resisted his control. Soon after, the heroes Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun display superhuman fighting prowess in a retreat against the imperial army. Any one of those heroes could be the star of a film, but here they are the supporting cast.

The learned and brilliant strategist Zhuge Liang (Takeshi Kaneshiro) proposes an alliance between his master, Liu Bei, and the reluctant warlord Sun Quan (Chang Chen), who comes around after a lesson learned during a tiger hunt. Quan places Zhang Yun (Tony Leung Chiu-wai) in charge of the combined forces, and the unified rebels prepare to meet Cao Cao’s vastly larger force, including an enormous navy.

The battles that follow reflect the personalities of the faction leaders, each clash somehow topping the previous for audacious tactics. The drama among the allies is equally gripping.. In a desperate hour, Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liange wager each can achieve a seemingly impossible task—assassinating the opposing admirals, and acquiring 100,000 arrows—and the stakes are their lives.

Men are not the only combatants in Red Cliff. Both Zhou’s wife, Xiao Qiao (Lin Chi-ling) and Sun’s sister, Sun Shangxiang (Zhao Wei) play pivotal roles in the conflict. The beauteous Xiao surrenders herself to the enemy in a ploy to delay the lustful Cao Cao, while tomboyish Sun Shangxiang serves as a spy in the enemy camp, where she bonds with a dim but sweet-hearted enemy soldier.

Such a brief description can’t do justice to a 280-minute film. The 148-minute North American cut is said to be quite good, but I wouldn’t want to miss any of the subplots or deliberately paced character development leading up to the spectacular fights.


Thursday, November 10, 2011

Upcoming Events II: Pathfinder Tales Web Fiction Chat

At last we’ve mastered time and space!

In November, to accommodate people in more time zones, we’re hosting two Pathfinder Tales chats, each featuring about ten authors of Pathfinder Tales short fiction.

Authors expected* to attend include Richard Lee Byers, Elaine Cunningham, J.C. Hay, Howard Andrew Jones, Liane Merciel, Erik Mona, Kevin Andrew Murphy, Steven Savile, Amber E. Scott, James Sutter, Bill Ward, and Yours Truly.

To prepare for the event, check out the glorious and free web fiction.

The events officially last one hour, but some folks hang out much later, so come on by even if you must be late. To join the event, point your browser to chat.dmtools.org, choose a screen name, and type “/join PFTales.”

Pathfinder Tales Web Fiction Chat I
Saturday, November 19
12:00 PT

Pathfinder Tales Web Fiction Chat II
Monday, November 21
18:00 PT

* A few guests have cautioned me that their attendance depends on the day job, traffic, and similar obstacles.

Upcoming Events I: Pure Speculation

I’m excited that Pure Speculation, Edmonton’s SF/F convention has moved to new digs in downtown’s Grant MacEwan University. We’re expecting fewer plumbing catastrophes and much better AV equipment. The festivities run from November 18-20.

At 17:00 on Saturday I’ll co-host the “Sounds of Science” panel with musicologist Alex Carpenter. We’ll talk about the effects and influences of SF, fantasy, and horror soundtracks. Come armed with a list of your favorites to discuss.

At 11:40 on Sunday I’ll join Joe Walton, Joe Wos, and Jennifer Kennedy for “Which Book Stays on the Island,” in which the panelists pitch their choices for the best classic SF/F novel. At the end, you decide which book prevails.

At 15:00 on Sunday I’ll read from Master of Devils and chat about shared-world fiction, the challenges of writing in a world designed for a game, and pretty much anything else related to my sordid past as a writer and editor. If you buy me a pint afterward, I might tell you the really sordid stories.


Master of Devils Review

Mike Tresca posts his review of Master of Devils here. Add another member to the Arnisant fan club!

Mike also has a new book available, which you can buy in print or for the Kindle.