If last week’s Westworld was the most mind-blowing episode ever, this week gave us a straightforward tale. But Episode Five, titled “Akane No Mai,” did touch on a lingering mystery from the season premiere. Namely, how has Maeve become so powerful? Maeve It all begins in Shogun World, a more violent form of entertainment for…
Wow is all I can say about last week’s episode of Westworld, titled “The Riddle of the Sphinx”. It was the most mind-blowing episode of Westworld yet, and answered some of this season’s biggest mysteries. But it also raised some huge new questions. Oh, and Elsie’s back! William’s Dark Secret We know now what William…
Episode Three of Westworld’s second season, titled “Virtù e Fortuna,” revealed a new park—The Raj. It also took us to the edge of Shogun World. But more importantly, the episode gave us two more mysteries on Westworld. Who Is The Mystery Woman? It begins in Park 6, which we now know is called The Raj….
Episode two of Westworld’s second season, titled “Reunion,” delved deep into the show’s past. We even learned how Ford and Arnold convinced Logan Delos to consider investing in the park. And as the scenes with Delores later prove, the past holds a key to a mystery on Westworld. Delores’ Past The episode opened with a huge curveball:…
Season 2 of Westworld on HBO premiered last Sunday. Going into it, I wondered if the show’s writers could pull off the same mysteries and magic that made last season so special. It’s probably too early to tell if Season 2 will live up to Season 1’s high standards. But one thing’s for sure: Season 2…
The second book in Michael Moorcock’s Eternal Champion Sequence, Phoenix in Obsidian, isn’t as good as its predecessor, but still adds to the mythology of the Eternal Champion. This is particularly true with the reemergence of the black sword Stormbringer. Without a doubt, it was the best part of this novel. The story picks up…
To thank readers who followed the blog’s move to my new website, I’m offering everyone who joins my Reader List a FREE ebook of Mava’s Echo: A Short Story of Celtic Myth and Magic. Originally published in Mindflights in 2010, Mava’s Echo is a work of historical fantasy and happens to be the first short…
Saint Patrick’s Day is one of my all-time favorite holidays, so today I’m re-posting an article about Stephen R. Lawhead’s Patrick: Son of Ireland. I had little appreciation for the story of Saint Patrick until I began my research for Enoch’s Device. The novel tells the story of two Irish monks who try to prevent the apocalypse at the end…
I’ve been operating Fresh-Scraped Vellum for almost seven years now, and I think it’s time for a change. The ship is packed and ready to go. Since 2013, I’ve owned a self-hosted website at authorjosephfinley.com. My intent then was to move the blog to that site, but I backed off under the belief it would…
This past Saturday I started reading Breaker of Bones, the second novel in David Penny’s Thomas Berrington series. By Sunday, I had devoured the book. It was that good. Breaker of Bones is a gripping medieval mystery that, at times, places its hero in extreme peril at the hands of a truly diabolical villain. I…
As anyone following the blog this year knows, I’m experimenting with writing more short fiction. I haven’t given up on novels by any means, but short fiction will allow me to produce more content at a quicker pace. To this end, I’m also reading more short stories, and the most recent ones brought me back…