#REVIEW: INK AND BONE, by Rachel Caine

On November 30, 2016 By Luther M. SilerIn Reading, Reviews

Y 61tZg+d8VbL._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg ou may find it surprising– I certainly did, when I counted– to learn that I have seventeen books by Rachel Caine, which probably puts her under Stephen King and not a whole damn lot of other people in terms of the sheer number of her works that I own. I don’t talk about Caine’s work much around here because her previous work have slotted in my brain precisely where Star Wars and Conan books go: they’re the literary equivalent of candy, consumed quickly, enjoyed, but not really lingered on that much afterwards. I don’t think I’ve reread anything she’s written, for example. That’s not a criticism of her or her work, mind you; I like for my own books to have a bit of the “candy” feel to them, so it’s certainly not a bad thing.

Then I read Ink and Bone. This is a new series– the second is book is out in hardback, but I don’t have it just yet– and it’s wildly different from everything else she’s ever written, or at least everything she’s written that I’ve read, as I’ve not touched her Morganville Vampires series.

Because vampires.

At any rate: her previous three series that I’ve read have all been urban fantasy, for lack of a better phrase, mostly written in first person. The Great Library series is alternate history, sort of, except it starts way back with the Library of Alexandria not being burned down two thousand years ago, and from there we end up in a now (or near future, maybe?) where the Library runs the world and there are no original books left. Instead, you can access any work ever written through a device called a Codex, which I thought was a little cooler until I realized it was basically just a Kindle. Throw in some shadowy government conspiracy stuff, a bit of advanced tech in the form of teleportation, creepy forbidden magic, a brutal war between England and Wales, and a bit of Harry Potter-esque librarian school stuff and you have a hell of a story.

Check it out, guys.

god what day is it

On November 29, 2016 By Luther M. SilerIn Work1 Comment

And now it’s 53 hours and five days. Breakfast this morning was a Snickers bar and half a pot of coffee. I considered adding a couple of cigarettes on top for a truly balanced breakfast but then remembered I don’t smoke.

The whole morning was jitteriness and is this the coffee or do I need a Clonazepam type of nonsense, the afternoon was abject fucking death-boredom, and the evening was frantic Jesus we’re understaffed where were you assholes all day craziness.

What I’m getting at is the review of Rachel Caine’s Ink and Bone that I was gonna write is gonna have to wait until tomorrow. Short version: go read it.

G’night.

Haters mad for whatever reason

On November 28, 2016November 28, 2016 By Luther M. SilerIn Music2 Comments

I’ve been at work for 41 hours in the last four days. I may not legally be conscious right now, and I’m not sure how I got home.

Watch this: I don’t know if you’ve heard of Rae Sremmurd (“Ear Drummers,” backwards), and whether you have or not probably shows whether you’re my age or older or younger than me, or whether the words “mannequin challenge” mean anything to you. One way or another, I encountered these guys for the first time… yesterday? Two days ago? and I think I’ve listened to their album SremmLife 2 a thousand times since then. There hasn’t been enough hours in that time to listen to the album a thousand times but I’ve done it anyway, because time actually stops while you’re listening to Rae Sremmurd.

This is hiphop inflected, but hell if I know what genre it is. I’d call it trance music, but that’s already a thing and I’m pretty sure this isn’t it. Like… I’ve been high twice in my life, right, or at least I’ve been high twice when the high-inducing agents weren’t prescribed by a doctor and administered in a hospital. At any rate, the first time barely even counted, so maybe I’ve only been high once. So maybe I have no idea what the hell I’m talking about, but:

I’m pretty sure this music is what it’s like to be high just transformed into music.

That’s a recommendation.

Like, there are lyrics, I suppose? I barely know what any of them are. I can’t pay attention to the words. They’re probably gross in some way; my experience with Southern hiphop in general hasn’t been great, and these guys are from Tupelo, Mississippi, which is probably on the slightly dirtier side of the Dirty South. But hell if I know or care what they’re talking about on any of their songs, because the music starts and the groove kicks in and all the sudden it’s fifteen minutes later and the car is on the other side of town and I don’t remember the drive in between at all but I went somewhere magical and wonderful while it was happening.

I love the fact that they’re playing guitar in the video the whole way through and there appear to be no guitars featured in Black Beatles at all. That’s, like, a metaphor, man.

Go download this. I’m going to bed.

It’s Cyber Monday!

On November 27, 2016 By Luther M. SilerIn Writing

Okay, technically it’s Sunday night, but this will be up all day Monday and it’s already 7:40, so y’all will live.

You were planning on spending money at Amazon today, right? Sure you were. How about buying some books? Click here to go straight to my author page, or on either of the following links to go to the pages for my books:

All of my books are available in print or as ebooks. Buy one for yourself and one for a friend!

Whoever found my blog…

On November 26, 2016 By Luther M. SilerIn Uncategorized5 Comments

…by Googling “Morena Baccarin strapon,” PLEASE explain yourself.

Grayish-green Saturday WOO!

On November 26, 2016November 26, 2016 By Luther M. SilerIn Work

I promise, I won’t do this three times in a row.

Black Friday wasn’t much of a thing, really– the usual Friday crew said that there really wasn’t a whole lot of reason for all of us to be there as it wasn’t much different from a usual Friday, and my personal sales were mediocre. Today went a lot better, actually, over two times as much, helped along by a guy who dropped five grand in cash on the desk in front of me after picking out his furniture. Five grand in cash is a lot of cash, folks! Sunday is usually my best day of the week, so I’ve got a good chance to have a pretty good week, but not, like, “massive crowds/best day of the year” good. Just, like, “Man, November’s going well for me” good.

This is normally the spot where I’d talk about some aspect of my life other than my boring (to others, at least I assume) job, but I’ve spent 23 hours at work since 8 AM Friday morning and I am a bit tired. So I’mma go to bed and read now and try to be more interesting tomorrow. Meanwhile, if you’re looking for something to spend money on, can I interest you in my books? They’re available, exciting, and inexpensive!

Black Friday WOO!

On November 25, 2016November 24, 2016 By Luther M. SilerIn Work1 Comment

Okay, furniture sales is probably– probably– not going to be Ground Zero of the retail zombie apocalypse, but still. It’s gonna be a twelve hour day (only one longer than normal, if we ignore the fact that I’m not supposed to be at work on Friday in the first place) and I’m probably gonna be too tired to post when I get home. And then I get to do it again on Saturday! Whee!

Be nice to retail employees today, is what I’m saying. And shop at places where the employees are more likely to either own the store or related to the owners, as those folks are likely to be a lot happier to be at work than most of the rest of us.

Thanks.

Nope^3, the I Can’t Use Proper HTML in Headlines edition

On November 24, 2016 By Luther M. SilerIn idiocy3 Comments

il_570xN.1009221103_97v2.jpg I feel like a GIS for “Nope Turkey” ought to produce some decent results, particularly on Thanksgiving, but I have been thwarted, and it does not. Instead, I have a picture of an innocuous casserole dish. A very specific, innocuous casserole dish. And I’m not going to tell any of you why.

It’s just going to sit there.

Where some of you can stare at it.

Because reasons.

You know who you are.

Dinner was at the in-laws’ tonight, as First Thanksgiving was at my mom and dad’s when my brother and new sister-in-law were in last weekend. I had a revelation partway through the meal; there’s absolutely nothing that keeps me from learning the recipe for my mother-in-law’s corn and bacon casserole and making it whenever the hell I want. It’s not like there’s a law that says I can only have it on two days a year.

Well, two days a year and at least one more day following each of those two days. Unless I eat all of it tonight, which is a distinct possibility, as I keep casting eyes toward the kitchen as I’m typing this. Thanksgiving was five hours ago, after all.

At some point this week I have to make it over to my parents’ place for some persimmon pudding, speaking of things I actually can’t have whenever I want, since persimmons are, like, never actually in season.

Wait.

Maybe that’s a lie too. If I can have corn and bacon casserole whenever I want… does that mean that I can have persimmon pudding whenever I want, too?

God.

That would change the entire universe if it were true. I’m not sure I’m prepared.

What do you eat two days a year that you could have anytime, if you were actually free to do so? Answer me, while I go have more mashed potatoes.