John Birmingham’s latest, Without Warning has showed up on Amazon. Looks great, although it isn’t out in the US until February. If I make it to Asia again this fall, I may get it early … as I was able to do with Final Impact, since they get the Aussie editions at some of the Kinokuniyas there (can’t, at this point, remember if it was the Singapore one or the then-new Siam Paragon one in Bangkok.)
It does lead to the interesting question of whether to pre-order (then cancel, if I get it in Asia) or whether to wait to see if the fall vacation (A) happens, and (B) if it’s Asia or Buenos Aires… lots of steak plus the 32.5k mile Citi award (*) make for a tempting option, even with hotel and other prices once I’m on the ground so much higher.
(* vs 40k usually, and 70k for Asia… seeing as I’ve made PLT for the year, this is a good chance to burn miles rather than earn them.)
Just watched Wild in the Streets on cable, and thought I’d leave a note here since it’s exactly the sort of film I see once and then a couple of years later think:
What was that 60s film about youth taking over the country?
So by writing about it here, hopefully I’ll find it more easily. It’s sort of like a prequel to Logan’s Run, minus the whole “overpopulation” angle.
Sadly, like two other movies I’d really like to see again(*), it’s not out on DVD.
Alignment: Neutral Good A neutral good character does the best that a good person can do. He is devoted to helping others. He works with kings and magistrates but does not feel beholden to them. Neutral good is the best alignment you can be because it means doing what is good without bias for or against order. However, neutral good can be a dangerous alignment because it advances mediocrity by limiting the actions of the truly capable.
Race: Humans are the most adaptable of the common races. Short generations and a penchant for migration and conquest have made them physically diverse as well. Humans are often unorthodox in their dress, sporting unusual hairstyles, fanciful clothes, tattoos, and the like.
Class: Wizards are arcane spellcasters who depend on intensive study to create their magic. To wizards, magic is not a talent but a difficult, rewarding art. When they are prepared for battle, wizards can use their spells to devastating effect. When caught by surprise, they are vulnerable. The wizard’s strength is her spells, everything else is secondary. She learns new spells as she experiments and grows in experience, and she can also learn them from other wizards. In addition, over time a wizard learns to manipulate her spells so they go farther, work better, or are improved in some other way. A wizard can call a familiar- a small, magical, animal companion that serves her. With a high Intelligence, wizards are capable of casting very high levels of spells.
Don’t read this unless you’ve finished The Deathly Hallows, don’t care about spoilers, are or just a jerk who wants to find out what happens at the end and ruin it for everyone.
Sadly the funny parts are pretty much wall to wall spoilers, but once you’ve read the book, this is a must read. If you are not bothered by spoilers, while you CAN read it without spoiling the book, I don’t think it would be very funny on its own.
Finished reading at a bit after midnight last night… since I started a bit after noon, and given about a three hour break for dinner “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” provided about 9 hours of solid entertainment. Not bad.
Overall, liked it. A very few bits reverted to the “whiny/angry Harry” of Order of the Phoenix (OotP/Book 5) but fortunately that part didn’t last TOO long. Solid action sequences, and a nice resolution although a few questions left unsanswered.
I’m going to keep the body of this spoiler free and add a few of the latter to a comment. If you have complaints about unanswered questions or other comments/reviews, please add them there
