I’ve been away from the blog for nearly three months, although there’s been a good reason for my absence — I’ve been working feverishly to finish the final book in my Dragon-Myth Cycle trilogy, and a complete draft is nearly in sight! But I am way behind on writing reviews for books I think my…
As I do each year, I’m re-publishing my post on the very first Thanksgiving. Happy holidays everyone! Growing up, I never paid much attention to the origin of Thanksgiving. Other than what I may have learned in elementary school, all I recall knowing was that it was a feast between the Pilgrims and the Native Americans sometime…
Of all the fantasy novels I read growing up, Deryni Rising by Katherine Kurtz was among the few that affected me the most. Published in 1970, it was a short novel that introduced me to two things that have influenced my writing ever since: a quasi-historical medieval setting and a puzzle-like plot. The novel takes…
Well, that wasn’t the ending I expected for Season 4 of Westworld. My primary theory after last week’s episode ended up D.O.A., though we did get answers to several season-long mysteries. *Spoilers* to follow as I try making sense of it all on Westworld. After Episode 7, I had really hoped we’d see Bernard and…
The mind-blowing seventh episode of Westworld Season 4 left me with one huge question: What’s real and what isn’t on Westworld? Keep reading for my best spoiler-filled guess. Into the Sublime The episode begins with Bernard in one of his many simulations. This time, he and Maeve are breaking into the Hoover Dam to open…
Season 4, Episode 6, titled “Fidelity,” turned out to be the Frankie and Caleb show. We learned nothing more about Delores, but something very important about Charlotte Hale/Halores. And it may be setting up the endgame on Westworld. Caleb-278 The best part of the episode was seeing Host Caleb, version 278, play through an escape…
Episode 5, titled “Zhuangzi,” brought some clarity to what’s really happening on Westworld. Let’s just say we’ve entered the Matrix. Big *spoilers* to follow. Michael Crichton’s Westworld was always a story about the dangers of artificial intelligence. We’ve seen the same story play out in The Terminator series and later in The Matrix. In HBO’s…
Just when it looked like some theories were beginning to solidify after three episodes, as soon as we hit the season’s midpoint, everything has changed on Westworld. Most of the theories I had so carefully crafted have gone kablooey after episode 4, titled “Generation Loss.” Big-time *Spoilers* to follow. We Had The Timelines All Wrong…
Episode 3, titled “Années Folles,” returned to Barnard’s story and left me rethinking Westworld Season 4 –or at least several of my existing theories. As you’d guess, *spoilers* to follow. Bernard’s Mission The episode begins with Bernard in the Sublime, where we finally see the mysterious Tower. But, of course, the Sublime is a virtual…
Futureworld was the 1976 sequel to Michael Crichton’s Westworld. In the sequel, Delos Corp. uses hosts to replace world leaders, and has re-opened a new park after the mess that was Westworld gets cleaned up. If you’ve watched Episode 2 of Season 4 of HBO’s Westworld, does any of this sound familiar? Big *spoilers* to…
After a two-year wait, we finally have Season 4 of Westworld. The opening of this one was a bit more subdued than the opening of other seasons, but it’s clear the writers are setting up another puzzle-like plot. Note, *Spoilers* abound from this point on. Season 4 appears to begin seven years after the events…