Today is the anniversary of the Battle of Falkirk in 1298 A.D. – the famous battle where the army of King Edward Longshanks defeated William Wallace and his fellow Scotsmen, depicted in the movie Braveheart. So, this week I’m revisiting one of my first posts from July 2011, this blog’s inaugural month. Loved the film, even if the history is…
The past several days, the internet has been abuzz with the story that Harper Lee’s new novel, Go Set A Watchman, portrays Atticus Finch as a racist. This is the same man she portrayed as a noble hero in To Kill A Mockingbird, which is set twenty years before Watchman. So how could the moral…
Once again I’m pleased to feature a guest review by Bill Brockman, this time of The Lord of Vik-Lo by James L. Nelson. Bill is an avid reader of historical fiction, but he’s also devoted his life to public service as a Battalion Chief of the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department and a 31-year part-time airman in the Air National…
Some of my favorite words ever written, 239 years ago: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Happy July 4th to all!
This past weekend, my daughter and I saw Jurassic World, and we both really enjoyed it. I wish I felt the same way about the original Jurassic Park when I saw it in 1993, but I didn’t. I had a big problem with that film. Here’s why. I had no beef with Jurassic World –…
The entire Game of Thrones watching world is talking about last night’s season finale. So here are my thoughts. Obviously, huge *SPOILERS* to follow if you missed last night’s show. Last night, Jon Snow played the role of Julius Caesar, apparently stabbed to death by the brothers of the Night’s Watch. Kit Harrington, who plays…
This Sunday’s episode may be the last time I watch HBO’s Game of Thrones and have any idea what might happen. The show is about to exhaust the core material in George R.R. Martin’s series through his fifth book, A Dance With Dragons. After that, we’re in uncharted waters. And for many of the storylines,…
To kickoff the summer, and in honor of Saint Columcille‘s Day (he’s Brother Ciarán’s patron saint, after all), the Kindle version of Enoch’s Device will be on sale at Amazon for the next 7 days! (And on Amazon UK too!) Here’s a link to the book’s Amazon page, followed by an image of the cover and a brief summary. Nearly a thousand years…
There is little time to write this week, but I have a minute to offer my quick take on last week’s episode of Game of Thrones titled “Hardhome.” In short, it was the best episode of the year and further proof that despite the show’s divergence from the books, HBO’s writers are doing their job…
The last two weeks I’ve been fairly critical of the way HBO’s Game of Thrones has deviated from George R.R. Martin’s books. But after last week’s episode, “The Gift,” I’m feeling better about how everything might work out in the end. As usual, some *SPOILERS* will follow. Cersei’s story is progressing like GRRM intended. My…
Honestly, it’s not my goal to turn this blog into a weekly commentary on HBO’s Game of Thrones, but the show’s divergence from George R.R. Martin’s novels are starting to bother me, even though I still enjoy watching every week. As always, *SPOILERS* will follow for those who haven’t read the books. This should have…