Monday, December 13, 2010
Friday, November 19, 2010
Ls Magazin Happy Birthday
After the traditional summer blackout of the blog, and coinciding with the anniversary, I wrote one last entry in the optimistic and promising all sorts of new projects and ideas for the future of this page. Since then, silence. Nothing in September or October or November so far. I think it should be an explanation. From the first days of September I've been involved in a serious family situation, which began as a silly but has been growing and growing. The main consequence has been my total and absolute loss of free time. The one (outside work) has been fully occupied by my new situation. Following high school I had to move to a home where there is no internet connection. Therefore I have no choice but to hang the announcement closed until further notice. I hope that in the not too distant future "Memoirs of a Geek" returns to its old ways, he was sincere when he said a few months ago it was full of ideas and projects, unfortunately things are as they are and to certain facts have to make sacrifices. In my most optimistic dreams I see the blog reborn for the first quarter of 2011 but I can not one hundred percent secure. Therefore, today, the blog is closed, I sincerely hope this is not goodbye but only on a bye.
Thank you all for being there, on the other side. A hug.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Style Your Hair Like Synyster Gates
This time I missed the deadline for pure red herring. On 22 August, "Memoirs of a Geek" fulfilled its five years old, which is not bad. A degree program as before, almost nothing. Although in recent times, the summer is a time to just play online, I usually be offline, I hope to restart soon the gigs and that the sixth season of the blog worthwhile. I have projects and ideas to spare, to be seen if the time and desire to accompany them.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Friday, July 23, 2010
Number 2 On The Hair Chart Koleston
Shot by Marquinez.
Eugenio Costa on bass guitar Jonathan Prado, Lolo Marquinez Luciani and voices.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Bright Red Wedding Lengha
Authors science fiction who began his career at 90 in what has been generically called fandom, few escaped the ghetto and propelled to other sites, yes, most had to quit in the past cienciaficcionero way. To give a few examples, Cesar Mallorquí was devoted to youth, and Leon Arsenal to Best Seller.
Y, however, has been Elia Barceló it has taken a route more special and, ultimately, ambitious. Perhaps because of its status as professor of literature, perhaps because of its innate quality or simply why I asked the body, Barceló chose the path of Great Literature with a capital in the wake of classics such as Hoffmann, Poe and Gautier, of contemporary and Pilar Pedraza and Cristina Fernández Cubas, or teachers as Borges, Cortazar or Calvin. An ambitious choice, of course, but he has emerged triumphant far and has earned a clear recognition of critics and audiences, if that, curiously, has lost many of its readers fandomitas.
This "Heart Tango" is a good example of making this great author. A short novel of ghosts as evocative as effective as beautiful as ruthless.
goes without saying that to me personally, the dance in general and tango in particular, left me quite cold and, surely, no I had stopped in this book if not for what he knew who I was going to find. I hasten to say that one can be so insensitive and vagabond like myself and therefore no longer enjoy this work. The dance, although he plays a key role, is not the only focus of the story.
And is that "Corazón de tango" is fundamentally a love story larger than life and time (literally). In this respect complies with a series of topics, say, melodramatic: the impossible love at first sight, the tragic destiny, affection thwarted, incredible coincidences ... Yet Barceló manages to make believable a story a thousand times a thousand times read and view , in part by a magnificent creation of characters, and especially a wonderful development of scenarios: the Buenos Aires of the early twentieth century in a manner described as meticulous as nostalgic (can you be homesick for a place we've never met? with books like this the answer is yes, no doubt), and where it is noted that the author has done well his duties as the imitation of speech gives Buenos Aires hit a perfect (though this says a English plateau, may have bonoarense to ask a pro about it).
But, especially, the novel goes back beyond the topic thanks to two issues which shines above the Valencian of the ordinary: the tango as the backbone of what counted as dazzling metaphor of the passion of the protagonists, and the ghost story that becomes cruel, to an extent unimaginable a narrative that, apparently, is just as tragic .
A novel as exquisite, which demonstrates the good taste of the author and his publishers, 451, one of those young seals are having trouble with the bloody crisis that has risked strong by different authors such as Elia Barceló. Anyway, I hope that 451 survive, if only to enjoy stories like this and more novels Elia Barceló, an author, no doubt, to follow.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Waldorf And Statler Masks For Sale
is why I have opted for Banana Yoshimoto, an author also very accessible to Western eyes and, in some cases, it has been defined as a woman Murakami (but Murakami is best known for his novels and stories by Yoshimoto) .
Although announced with "Kitchen" I preferred to start with "Deep Sleep", an anthology of short stories that are read in one breath and I have been very dissappointed.
Indeed, similarities with Murakami are notable both for the style simple and easy to read but with a somewhat reminiscent it only as sadness and depth of their stories. However, it may seem difficult, the Japanese get more sensitive than her male colleague, or at least, has left me that feeling.
"Deep Sleep" contains three stories: the book's title, "The night commuters" and "an experience." The first and last are fantastic and the realistic environment but these labels are not very useful because in this case, what matters is not that gender uses Yoshimoto but it is exactly what we are telling.
And in all three cases we speak of loneliness and death, loss and sadness involved and how to address the weakness inherent to being human. However, as with Murakami not tragic or pessimistic stories rather leave an aftertaste of tenderness and humanity which, though apparently its protagonists are alone, there really is a warm human brotherhood around him that allows them to get ahead how hard it is their experience.
"night travelers" tells how to deal with the death of a loved one (brother of one of the characters and boyfriend of another), and, again, although his approach is realistic, it is true that the story is permeated by an aura of unreality about it to fantasy, if not in substance if the tone.
"Deep Sleep" is the original, while recognizing that Yoshimoto is lavished in terms of innovation, is also the painful loss of a loved one but fascinated by seemingly minor details that, eventually, end up becoming the real axis of history, that deep sleep that first title late practiced as a peculiar profession and then affects their friends no longer as powerful as an illuminating metaphor for how to deal with the crossroads of our lives and friendship as can help beyond death.
"An Experience" is the most fantastic of the three and the most terrifying story of alcoholism and sleep but in which stands a seance really disturbing and puts Yoshimoto as a business devoted to more traditional sources of Terror.
In short, an enjoyable read that I highly recommend and encourage you to read on this author. And that despite the nickname you have chosen that, at least in English, it does sound like a joke ... both
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Ash May Pokemon Doujinshi
the death of a writer, especially a great writer, is frequent talk of many things connected with him but not literature. Reactions, his life, the details of his demise ... all this is scanned in live by the pen of the day but a comment rested from the work he leaves behind, it is often conspicuous by their absence. José Saramago
would not be an exception. Since its Iberianism, its relationship with Portugal, his country, to his home in Lanzarote, the Nobel Prize, the affection of his readers (of which I attest, one of the oldest entries are answered in this blog was my negative comment on "Intermittently death), her marriage to a English Communist militancy, his childhood poverty and need, its late addition to the literature, the suddenness of his death (despite his age) or the unfortunate statement from the Holy See (What happened to the subtlety of Vatican diplomacy! another myth crumbles .) In short, everything that has been said and a lot of press but, again, their books, Justito and little else. As much a bit of emphasis on the rarity of its success being an author who has a very special style, baroque, poetic and somewhat avant-garde. Unfortunately
do not feel qualified to make that effort I've been missing elsewhere, and I will not do an elaborate critique of the work of Saramago. But I would like to remember one thing: Portuguese was an author who carefully cultivated, intensity and repeated the fantasy genre. Something that, in my humble opinion, has not been reported enough. Saramago practiced so diffuse that has been called magical realism, but also the purest Fantastic literary, political fiction, the biblical and even something like science fiction.
In that sense it is, probably, and died after Ballard and Lem, the closest thing to an author of our tastes that the Nobel Academy may come to recognize. Therefore, it is worth remembering, and not try to be exhaustive, titles like the aforementioned "death Intermittently" but also, "The Stone Raft," "The Gospel According to Jesus," "Blindness" (perhaps his most recognized), "The Cave", "The man doubled," Essay on the lucidity " "Cain" or some of their stories.
The fact that critics and the public would accept without question these titles are probably the best example of how far the normalization of fantastic literature, especially science fiction, has become, and despite the redundancy in normal . While probably protest this input (which I'm pretty regular) start to stop making sense. Currently writing about a world where everyone becomes blind but a few and how that Revelation reflects our human condition is no longer science fiction, but a social critique worthy of a Nobel. Ah, if Wyndham lift his head!
Monday, June 14, 2010
How To Know My Computer Is Hd
My fellow struggling language arts daily with this panda irreducible to the delights of reading, and try to lure them in a thousand and one way to deceive, usually unsuccessful.
time ago that no one suggests that reading the classics (at least in the ESO), perhaps not entirely bad idea. The trouble is that, in turn, dominates the dictatorship of the Youth Literature "values", so dear to publishers and ministries and so poor in performance.
Some of the works to be read (so to speak) the kids in my school I have reviewed in this blog, fantasy-themed obviously, that some have been, though they are far from the majority. And that is something that, frankly, I understand ever, why is there a type of reader, and I believe that most common in adolescence than in maturity, passion for the weird, the weird, the adventurer, the terrifying and even bizarre. All this land of fantasy and that, surely, could serve as bait for that coveted El Dorado, the habit of reading, is at last found at these ages. And if not, let's look at JK Rowling and her Harry Potter saga, or, as in my time, the success of Michael Ende or Tolkien himself. Well
odd, fantastic, as always, is more of a journal that has crept into the party for a guest with all of the law.
And to change that, does not help anyone starting with the parents, other blessed creatures. And after this prologue explaining step by detailing the case. This year one of the books to read (or suffer, as the case) was "Session Spiritualism" by Carlos Puerto. I have not had the pleasure of reading the novella, but I think it's a fantastic book "false", a little style Gisbert ("The Venetian mirrors," "Something awakens in secret"), based on a theoretical premise tells a fantastic rather realistic story in which fantasy is fully explained. Although it does not rule out the surprise ending with a touch that some ambiguity to the story.
In any case, although this is not a sub-genre that awakens my enthusiasm, I can not stop watching this little work with some sympathy, it is possible to be truly effective in awakening the reader bug between our beasts.
Until the parent of the beast of the day saw the book and said his children "that" do not read it, it was dangerous, a mess, and anti-religious and potato patatin. And the child does not read the book, and peace here and then glory. Such a huge
closed head which Iranian jail is tricky at this stage of the game. It is a minority position but someone still go out there at the mention crossing a word spiritualism or anything that smacks of Terror I find worthy of other times and latitudes. No, Spain 2010, here and now.
course, the stupidity of the parents of the boy is total if we consider that other years the little angel had to read things like "City of the Beasts" by Isabel Allende or "High Risk" by Nick Manns, the latter a true ghost story with a couple of little scenes quite successful for a book of the kind that we speak (somewhat cutrelux youth literature). Of course, the author or publisher, older dogs are sniffing the bigoted minds similar problems and settle the issue by putting bland and generic titles fool getting certain characters, who judge books by their titles alone, probably why they are unable to go beyond the cover in its sights readers.
In short, amusing if it were not for what, at bottom, is worthwhile. Just do not suffer much by the student reading the book usually means 10-20% of a quarter note, so unless a dunce (which equal each other), do not read a non-dangerous material leads to the automatic suspension. And so we will, of course.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Mysore Mallige Blue Flam
has come recently commented on one of my old reviews. Happens sometimes, you just wrote does not seem to interest anyone and a few years ago called the attention of a visitor who passed by, that's life and not worth thinking a lot about the subject.
The fact is that the ineffable anonymous turn back and put half my enthusiastic appreciation for "Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell" by Susanna Clarke. An interesting bath humility, one can say that a particular book is a masterpiece but someone will always remember you for it is a pain unbearable. Fortunately I have an ego
bombproof and I am not frighten by critics outside like that. After a brief reflection, I shook my head and sighed. "Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell" is a masterpiece, no matter who though, which does not mean you have to like everybody. After all, Tolkien hated Shakespeare ....
admit that when I read the great work of Clarke if there was one thing that bothered me somewhat. A book so enormous, enormous and complex could be a single outbreak? Did not have bottomless this author to your career? "The bar was not set too high? The same thoughts
assaulted me when I started reading "The Ladies of Grace Adieu," the next work of Britain to reach the English market. Well, after a reading frenzy I could breathe a sigh of relief. Clarke was at least as good a storyteller as a novelist and the flame that had scorched his great novel burning just as much in their stories.
Tales, yes, set in the same universe of his opus magnum and even have some appearance of old known as the Duke of Wellington, King Raven and Jonathan Strange. We therefore once again, to the spurious cross between Jane Austen and Neil Gaiman has been the delight of many, this fascinating hybrid between fairyland and early nineteenth-century England. And, of course, Clarke gets an unexpected artifact as work with the gracefulness of a ballet dancer.
Stories like the title of the book, "The Mrs. Mabb "," Mr. Simonelli or widower duende "or" Tom Brigtwind or how the bridge was built Thoresby magic "have the same virtues as its big brother" Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell ", and even end up being more affordable and pleasant to not having an overwhelming presence.
Of course, Clarke introduced a new record in his work, I mean stories written in the style of traditional fairy tales, where the reference points both Jean Austen would not like the brothers Grimm, folklore and anthropology rather than nineteenth-century English history. This section would stand stories like "In Lickerish Mount, "" The Duke of Wellington lost the horse, "Antickets and Frets" and "John Uskglass and saithe in Cumbria." And though they are well written and not without its charm, in my humble opinion are somewhat far from the achievements of his other stories. Are interesting but not stunning, pleasant but not exciting, a path not as fruitful as the rest of his work.
Despite their variety, we must recognize that these stories share a series of common ideas. On the one hand are very feminine and even feminist (especially "The Ladies of Grace Adieu"). Stories in which women are the protagonists (sometimes players only) and where these are demonstrated superior to men (in a society as sexist as the nineteenth century) are common in this volume. In a way, a kind of compensation to the very masculine "Jonatahn Strange and Mr Norrell", where women seem to take the role of victims to save and little else. Something that once drew my attention taking into account the sex of the author and the long tradition of female witchcraft is in fantastic literature. Now
heroines can be as clever or more than men and witches so terrible and cruel as the Raven King himself, a change from the more refreshing and enjoyable. Finally there
an issue that I think Clarke is a true masterpiece: the transitions from the kind cotidianedad the utmost cruelty. We started reading one of his stories and the atmosphere pleasant, almost bucolic, and deliciously English permeates the work, then, little by little, things are changing, imperceptibly, and when we want to account for the savagery and pain make an appearance with devastating force. It is in this contrast between the two worlds, civilization and barbarism, the England of the Napoleonic era and the fairyland, science and magic, where Clarke's writing has more strength, which shows all its power and effectiveness demonstrate when the two sides of the same coin: the man and the elf.
Of all the tales are a few that deserve a little more detail. "The Ladies of Grace Adieu" is that it has been more enjoyable round. Not only because of its subtlety, good work and terrible feminist message if not why, in the end, Jonathan Strange himself meet with some opposition to it is better to withdraw.
"Mrs. Mabb" has a say about Carroll imagination and poor inceible milk and makes it very clear that that in love and war anything goes.
"Mr. Simonelli or widower duende" reminded me a lot like "Wuthering Heights" by Bronte, by setting and the demonic nature of the elf-like character as Heatcliff of the Yorkshire moors. It is probably the most romantic work of Clarke in the literary sense of the word.
Finally, I can not fail to mention "Tom Brigtwind or how the bridge was built Thoresby magical, a real gem of a humorous and exuberant imagination unleashed. The one I have remembered his famous novel.
I can think of a single but the dazzling magic of Susanna Clarke is there life beyond Jonathan Strange? Will it be able to create a work so exciting but set in another universe, different, in short?
Time will tell, I personally know that I will enjoy trying to answer this question with the next book to appear in our language.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Hollywood Breasts Indian
No one is free from bias, though I try, and this weakness always plays tricks. In my case, as I have said many times in this blog, my great prejudice is against UFO-esoteric world. It is to see the bug and get the nerves, rot, disease and goats.
Everything is explained and, as in so many things the explanation lies in childhood. As I also mentioned more than once, I grew up my compulsive reading phase of such booklets, especially those in the UFO subject, very popular in my youth. Little by little I was aware of hoax representing those books and left to read. I remember the change took place on the border between the college and high school (13-14 years) and caused an infamous tome speculated that Stonehenge was a secret UFO base. Bearing in mind that I knew that something about the prehistory, such was the explosive calving end of my relationship with the Bears Jiménez, JJ Benitez and company.
Of course, I felt pretty angry, so pissed that I still tough. Why? Why nobody likes to be fooled, ripped off or scammed, and what I think is outrageous that this be done with a child, the world's most gullible creatures. In fact, the concept fool a child has a tremendous notoriety, today's rogues would not hesitate to raise his pension to a little old lady would be unable to play the innocent credulity of a youngster of 6 years old.
And UFO-esoteric writers engaged in this, to deceive tender infants. It's funny, but children learn very quickly the difference between fiction and reality. I can not say but that distinction ages learn do it in a very early period of his life. I've seen it with my nephews who are in full swing, and watch them allowed me to recall some processes of my own childhood. At some point, one learns to distinguish between Spiderman and Newton, among the laws of gravity and Middle Earth. We know that the adventures of Star Wars are real in our imagination but not in reality and we know that the intricacies of the theory of relativity are as real in our minds and the world beyond our brains.
However, as children we are still naive and we know that deception is there, waiting to bite as unwary. What terrible UFO-esoteric books is not presented as fiction but as fact. Now, as adults, we know that's part of his deception but, as children, find it hard to differentiate this level of infamy. If not a novel (and not presented as such) is real, authentic, real.
When I discovered that I was kidding my anger was monumental and even today, still, dull and semi-forgotten, but it's there, present, dormant, but present.
And sometimes that will prejudice the plays. In my childhood days one of the most notorious UFO cases in our country was the subject Ummo, if anyone is curious can track online and draw their own conclusions. I, on the tadpole stage, I was fascinated by those pictures of silver discs with a strange logo on the belly. Then, as so often in this mudillo, the bubble deflated, Ummo passing away and a few years ago, the creators of fraud confessed it was all staged. The usual.
Yes, the pro ufologists still in their heels, one year ago I discovered something of a Carrefour a booklet explaining the ineffable as Ummo JJ Benítez was real as life itself, yes it was partly fraud but there was another part real, that if men in black, that if government plots to discredit, etc, etc. Nothing new under the sun. That
Ummo had been there in my subconscious I discovered it in 2004. That year he published "Umma" by Juan Antonio Fernández Madrigal. From that his name did not say anything (not yet discovered his stories), was a young author, like so many that appear every year. Like any good geek I like to keep up with what is written in the country cf but time and money are an obstacle fucked for that purpose. So you have to do a screen, especially when we are facing a new author, with a leap of faith. And in the case of Madrigal decided to pass. The reason? In my brain, "Umma" became Ummo, and automatically classify the book as it was not: as a further attempt ufologists to deceive timarnos pull our hair, so I went and got the leg to the hock, why now that I've read some of the work of Madrigal burn with desire to face the first brick of the building complex and exciting than is the saga of Vipers of Forms.
It's funny how the head works for us. Umma is also the community of believers to Islam, and one of the first Mesopotamian cities (although it appears as UNMA). In fact, the latter meaning is used as a reference to Madrigal. I, as a degree in history, should have been able to see these connections. For odd, my brain went by peteneras and chose to focus on those dark 70's UFO story. You have to fuck.
But like many things, there is an ill wind that blows no good. "Umma", though written first, is really the third volume in the series, which, by twist of fate, I'm reading in the correct chronological order, so when one of these days I dive into "Umma" I will have completed, so far, the journey of humanity that has been designed Madrigal. So perhaps my subconscious (which is much smarter than me), knew what he was doing ...
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Free Mysore Mallige Movie Online
All this comes about because "Alexander the Great and the eagles of Rome" no longer the feverish fantasy of more than a geek, in this case, the military history section Ancient World. Why, those who belong to that select club, we have spent years asking the same question, apparently, Javier Negrete is in this book: How could the hoplite phalanx had defeated the Roman legions?
A rhetorical question with obvious answer: none of the ways, for which the moment of truth, the Roman legions to dust the Greek phalanx Rinoscéfalos Pidna and without major problems. But a geek is not that other, and the vision of a compact mass of heavy infantry carrying shoulder to shoulder slowly like a hedgehog with spikes and rolling several yards to put everything in its path no longer something that We put the hairs like hooks. Vale, yes, we are weirdos, but to each their own, others enjoy watching fights of market women on TV about who is the father according to children and most drool watching 22 millionaires in shorts doing weird things with your foot and a ball. Those of our sect flipped hoplites imagining burly pilum receiving rain on their coats and standing firm holding the onslaught of the Legionnaires and their gladium. To taste the colors.
With all this it is clear that, at bottom, all Negrete's novel is an excuse that leads to the biggest battle of all time. Is not not enjoy the little adventures of their characters but a quickie page saying goes: Do you begin and the hosts, or Why?
And some say at this point, if the Romans gave to the Greek soup with slingshots at what the fuss? Easy answer, when the Romans encountered the Greeks, they went into decline and the commanding generals and more than mediocre, the Romans, however, were near the zenith of its military. More than one has been the question that would have happened if things had been more than matched, for example, with Greek fitter, a less seasoned Roman general and a leading authority on the Greeks, Alexander the Great, for example.
And that is this beautiful ucronia, an Alexander the Great who does not die at age 33 in Babylon (By the way, Negrete as disease if not murder) and that, therefore, decided to take a look to the West and take a tour of Italy, by the way, conquer Rome. Throughout the novel, Negrete gives us all his knowledge about the ancient world (in fact a professor of classical languages), and in this sense, the book works perfectly as an informative text on classical culture.
also a perfect historical novel is why, in principle, only fantasy element is created for survival ucronia Alexander. Minotaur in this sense was a bit tricky, and introduced the most novel in its historical aspect in the Uchronics. In a way, I can understand this view, CF geeks too familiar to Negrete and went to buy your book safely, however, fans of the historical novel is not, and this little trick helped them meet a writer more than competent (the success of "Salamis", the following fully historical novel seems to prove Negrete).
And, of course, the story is highly addictive. Characters topics, okay, but very well made and extremely fluid narration. To highlight a game Negrete usual, a mixture of personalities from the spheres of power (Alexander, his family and his generals), along with several entirely popular (in this case, primarily, soldiers). This technique (as old as literature) allows Madrid to give a total picture of events, both at high politics and look at ground infantry soldier bites the dust in the midst of combat.
Of course, in the end, strip the mountain goat, and the appreciation of the fantastic Negrete surfacing just like it or not. There are elements throughout the book as any veteran reader are giving him clues: the meteorite is going to destroy the world, that doctor out of memory and as appropriate, the Platonic myth of Er ... Yes indeed, here is tomato.
The downside is that the tomato appears to be delayed, and that is, the main handicap of the story is its unfinished character, it is much story to tell and what promises Negrete in the last pages: the adventure continues in a hypothetical book titled "The Last Journey of Alexander the Great." We will have to be patient and wait, but seen as walking the Plasencia based writer of an affair with his many projects, it goes for long.
(Of course, if someone in a hurry you can take a look at the story "The Myth of Er", finalist in 2001 and winner UPC Ignotus 2003, the seminal story where part everything. Published in UPC Awards 2001. "Ediciones B , Suite No. 149 Nova. Barcelona 2002)
A couple of little details to finish. As loose book is, paradoxically, Alexander himself remains too vague and ethereal, it may reflect the psychology of such an element is very difficult but for someone so adept at building characters like Negrete no longer a peculiar bug, maybe the weight of the legend could with the author?
Instead, the tributes to Aristotle (sudden and surprising guest star) and Livy (the creator of the first ucronia to ask, yes, indeed, would have happened if Rome had met Alexander) I found charming.
Ah! What battle? As God commands, epic, savage and bloody ankle. I enjoyed more than a pig in an era. Yes, Negrete, grecófilo said, does a little bit of cheating, the victory of the phalanx against all odds is that Alexander takes out a pair of aces from the sleeve in the form of deceit, espionage and counterespionage, a tad convoluted action. Instead, the premise that the cavalry of Alexander could have broken the Roman and the Macedonian rearguard most liked to do it the most credible. Of course, the Roman general, of course, walks a bit more obtuse and, in essence, the final fight reminds me of the Battle of Cannae. What is not without its logic, if Alexander was great, Anibal not be left behind (and yes, one is punicófilo What's up?).
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Kates Playground Blue And Yellow
That world died, the times changed, as always changing and as it should be, and the paperback editions became the background. However, those of my generation are accustomed to quality standards in design, typos, layout and even translation (maybe this section might be a bit more debatable). We bought a cheap product but met the same standards as more expensive. To some fudge, no buyer had accepted the excuse is that it is a paperback. We knew, and we accepted, which were smaller, were less bound and the paper was of lower quality, but otherwise, the paperback editions were as readable as the luxurious hardcover.
As I said, times changed and won another model editorial, also in science fiction. Prima the expensive large format book (although the cover is back) and, interestingly, has also become fashionable that quality is going to gargle. Read
science fiction in Spain is, to some extent, mourn. Errata campaigns for its wide, the layout is crazy, absolutely amateur design and decent translations of Alice's Mad Hatter. The oldest
we complain, we tore their clothes and do not understand anything. Others, however, seem to be more understanding (curiously, in this section are often the publishers themselves) and looking for excuses one after another: we are publishing small, practically the work is done by one person (or two or three), total for four cats who buy these things, for four dollars we earn, and you complain, ungrateful, over which we publish what no public ... And part fandom down, and stands beside him and "whiners" (like myself) stayed at the section of rare, old eccentric and crazy.
Well sorry, but no drink. If the 70-80 could do well in the twenty-first century should be much better. And, sorry, but size does not matter (it is an easy joke ...) Why? Why, even today, there are all like in a drugstore. Take, for example, a publishing medium (for the parameters of science fiction) and The Factory of Ideas is guilty of many of the ills we are talking about, it can be put in front of someone who does much better and with similar means, such as For Bibliopolis / Alamut.
Or go down to the very small field, which by its size automatically arouse sympathy. There is AJEC whose books are an example ... in the worst sense of the word (and again I speak of criteria of quality editing of texts). For SWAT apologies have always been precisely that character and tiny craft. Well, sorry but no school. Why now has born a new publisher: NGC Fiction!, a priori equally sickly that SWAT and it happens that your first book (the very estimable "Fragments Bubble") is a resounding professionalism. It has nothing to envy the greatest and most famous publishers like Seix Barral, Chair, Anagram, Alfaguara, Tusquets, Mondadori or anything else that passes through our heads.
So, I'm sorry but moral alibi is over the size or character of the geek market. If you want you can do things, otherwise excuses. You can be professional or not, that simple. Why, yes, at the time of charging the book, curiously, all charge you the same, good or bad editing. And to Mr. Pocket I fear that all arguments end up losing much of their weight.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Eta Infinity Sign Vuze
Rejhuntte and its flagship theme "Freebase". Filmed by Fernando Marquinez in the "bunker surreal," 2000. With Eugenio Costa and Lolo Luciani.
"say the shadows in a film where do you get simple? / Scream like a violin spasms and die just sad / real forward without turning back or end / chemical ideal, you're always behind your kit" (lyrics by Marquinez)
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Play Undf Files Online
For many reasons, this blog has been a real surprise package, fortunately, most welcome. Especially emphasize the relationship has been created with many who pass by here regularly leave their opinion, views and really appreciate that, very often, I have to reflect deeply on many of the titles of which I speak so lightly. And, of course, views are used to much.
As such this book was totally unaware of its existence and if I knew him for the comment of one of the visitors to this page (and am truly sorry to say that I do not remember who in particular). That comment piqued my curiosity, I bought it and, really, I'm glad I did. Just for details like this is worth pursuing with the blog.
"seems reasonable" is a collection of three children's stories of Christina Rossetti, originally published in 1874. They are, without doubt, what most peculiar fairy tale that has given Victorian literature and, in my belief that this was a time of abundance peculiarities.
Christina Rossetti is primarily renowned as a poet and sister of Dante Gabriel Rossetti, painter and poet as pre-Raphaelite it and similar sensitivity. In life, Christina was a rarity. In a deep religiousness, which pervades most of his poetry was, in turn, a fiercely independent woman, who gave up two marriages, in theory, religious differences, and spent much of his time working with works charity (today we would say that in an NGO, belonged to an association that helped prostitutes "repentance"). A woman really paradoxical, bitter spinster in a period in which this condition was almost a crime but at the same time, doubting the right of women to vote. Christina Rossetti a handful of novels left unpublished at his death and has been very claimed in recent years by trends as diverse as feminist critic Harold Bloom or himself.
The fairy tales that are collected in this volume are no exception in Rossetti's career. In fact, the first poem that made him famous ("The market elves") also has a child intentionality, at least apparently. Just as these stories, as so often in fairy tales (and more with the Victorians) hide much more than what they show.
Much of his fame comes from the similarities with the work of Lewis Carroll. Indeed, Rossetti has just unbridled imagination that the author of Alice, are united by the same taste I like word games and penchant for dazzling dreamlike atmosphere and somewhat disturbing. As always happens when I reviewed these classics, the feeling that I have is that they are reading is not how far a child can enjoy or understand and that very often hide a dark and sinister rather peculiar. And this sinister
around all these stories, especially the last where the childhood cruelty to reach almost Dickensian limits. Why cruelty is one of the most striking features in these stories. Cruelty in the tone of the narrator, an aunt scolding and demanding child with his audience, and cruelty on the characters: children who have committed petty offenses, probably unforgivable for any Victorian pro, and therefore are punished in a way that verges on sadism.
course, if the intent of the story is a warning, children at the time they made it clear that the slightest failure would bring irreparable consequences and disproportionate. This exaggeration between crime and punishment do not know to what extent it is an aspect of time that embodies Rossetti convinced, or a way to criticize the prevailing teaching methods in those years. In this sense, the British author is shown as ambiguous as in many other aspects of your life. The end result is fascinating, as I said before disturbing.
A book worth having, among other things, that the tightrope Editorial threw the boat out with editing. Vale, the size is similar to a pocket, and only a hundred pages How much for 15 euros? Maybe not if we consider that the translation is impeccable, the role is of extreme quality that the edition is in hardcover with dust jacket, and includes all original artwork, a delight to make this issue into a virtual facsimile. A job well done that it becomes more attractive if this title.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Jcpenny Jewlery Box Have Logo On It?
personally miss another Javier Negrete. Ye I finally hooked me with him to read the following cycle of "The Sword of Fire", undoubtedly the best epic fantasy novels (with a nod to the CF, true, but mostly epic fantasy) that was written in our country. It was a great success with the public (so my opinion is not an isolated voice) and that it came at a time when the competition was very tough: Sapkowski, Martin. Gemmell, Rowling, ... I had to choose from in that time, however, many chose to Negrete. And I, I've read all the above, I certify that the Spaniard has little to envy.
course there no end of him. Why a little later, gave birth to a great ucronia of which I shall speak more at length here the other day: "Alexander the Great and the Eagles of Rome", another splendid novel.
So where is the problem? The problem is that two separate titles are sagas and sagas that have been left unfinished. I'm still biting their nails to know how noses just Tramorea adventures set in, and that talk of Alexander and his journey to save the world (although if you've read a UPC you may have a clue). In any case the years pass and the series are inconclusive and that gives me an itch so. Especially if the join similar sensations produced by Martin and Sapkowski (or rather Bibliopolis / Alamut). In short, a sinvivir.
Every time I see coming out Negrte something new I have no illusions, one of the two cycles will end or will continue to excited. And then the disappointment. And yes, it is true that "Lords of Olympus" won the Minotaur, and no author was bitter sweet as a prize. It is also true that "Salamis" is a wonderful historical novel that has allowed it to an audience that never would have bought his other books. And I imagine that writing "The great adventure of the Greeks" was a joy to have a passion for ancient Greece. But, Damn! The geeks also have our sweetheart and our needs. Javier, by God, and just start again with this uncertainty rather than nails I'm starting to eat and the dies!
said this at the earliest opportunity I agency "Atlantis", missing more, which is an incongruous geek and proud.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Hip Pain While Sleeping
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Goldwell Color Chart Reds
Read and understood the above one would expect now a glowing review of the novel but this is not going to be exactly. "Providence" is a book a bit daunting, 587 pages and there are many pages to be very good writer to get someone to have a full-sized effort. Ferré is a good writer, but still not so good. I personally find that is the main handicap of the novel: its excess. A good pruning that had allowed in 300 pages would have been Pearl to avoid glut, personally, I felt in the last 100.
Why, moreover, "Providence" is written in first person and the book, in a sense, is a long monologue by the main protagonist, a novel English film director embarked on his new film project while teaching a course in Brown University located in the U.S. city of Providence.
And the use of this technique is simultaneously a great success and a tremendous defect. The voice of this character is pervasive and, given the second extract I have offered, it is clear that voice is a powerful, funny, original, but at the long, somewhat tiresome. Remember
protagonists somewhat Heinleniano this was the wise old hermit, knew everything and explained everything, never confused. Or, to quote an author's most fashionable, has reminded me of Houellebecq's protagonists (especially to "The Possibility of an Island"), cults but unbearable, conceited, self-sufficient coolest eight but, ultimately, exasperating. All know, all statements (for who do not speak) and the world comes down to idiots who are against them and intelligent women who sleep with them, support them and then, inevitably, betray them. This, for a couple of hundred pages is his grace, in five hundred can end up causing a nervous breakdown. Why
addition, Providence has a patchy structure. The bulk of the novel focuses on the description of college life of our protagonist in Brown (by the way, where he teaches Ferré himself). But the classes themselves and the relationships between teachers end up staying in the background, most of the story is to see how many women lie with our teacher and theater director, teachers, students and passers-by, told with a wealth of details and, inevitably, going into the routine and boredom. Misunderstand as anyone else enjoy the description of a good powder in a novel but when that is just becoming apparent, the only purpose of the book, I just bored. The repetition makes me bored.
So is "Providence" a bad book? Well not exactly, rather the opposite. Ferré writes well, and many of the adventures and opinions of the protagonist of the book are fun, exciting and very interesting. Sometimes you can not peel your eyes from the pages, pieces like the journey through the secret passageways beneath the tomb of Lovercraft, or mania developed into the movie "Jaws" Spielberg are fascinating. The trouble is that, again, Ferré is carried away by the exuberance and do not know the verbiage curb his alter ego, which makes the end, many of the thoughts and adventures end up being a bit repetitive, indistinguishable from others that occurred 50 pages. A shame, What a great book could be! Paragraph
What fantastic? Why this is a blog about fantasy literature. Well ... it depends. Without being an expert in literature, I have the feeling that this novel plays in the league of the postmodern, in an attempt to introduce the world as a set of layers with multiple readings. And in that sense, "Providence" fulfills this premise that what you tell us can be understood in many ways. It is possible that what happens is real, and you may not. It is possible that everything is a game, or that we are facing the largest global conspiracies, or in the near future where some things today are no longer impossible. Or maybe none of the above is correct. From the standpoint of science fiction there varis strokes, and note that Ferré is a good deal of gender readings (Lovercraft and Dick were the most obvious), there is a cyborg, there could be a crazy game that the wearer also a peculiar Revelation, and a no less peculiar immortal, and even a transfer to an AI personality. But, I fear, the fiercest fans will not feel this novel as yours. All these details together represent only a handful of pages in a project as huge as this book. The bulk no longer a quite realistic description of life in the U.S. very paranoid today. In other cases
now I would paternalistic (one of my many flaws) and throw shit about the short-sightedness of the fandom that never read books like this. It's their loss, would sentence. But in this case, I do not know really who does not read "Providence" will have lost something. There is a snack fit for all tastes, and includes the finest readers, I almost choked me though, I recognize that sometimes the journey is worth it. Too bad not a little shorter and less arduous.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Herbal Essences Mission Statement
could become the overnight (...) in a cult movie, at least in the guild of freaks, the dark fraction of the population traumatized by many complex since childhood (poverty, marginalization, ugliness, lack of opportunities, low educational level and professional of the household, poverty secular public school, dorm rooms, shared loneliness, adolescence, neighborhood, etc.). These traumas are translated into adulthood a communicable code that allows them to finally come out of poor living conveying a vision of reality (which would better respond to the expectations then forged a sentimental education in failure absolute and mental horizon of life and overhead time Masturbation as personality (...). All these poets of the inferiority, marginalization and immaturity as an attitude and lifestyle often fill their senseless sermons in favor of cultural alteralidad a lot of publications which more bizarre, fanzines and magazines that serve as official bulletins of the underworld, parish leaves taken from a madhouse evicted by conventional psychiatry and care given to terminally ill patients, detailed reports of the English subculture that is taking over for good, aesthetics and creating innovative and even more insistent speeches in the mainstream media. (pages 122-123).