The Drawing of the Three by Stephen King

This is the second in King's Dark Tower series. Even with a gap of five months, I found myself forgetting who a lot of the characters had been. Lucky me, King knew how to throw in recaps when necessary. But for the next in the series, I won't wait nearly as long. I want more. I want a deeper immersion in this already fantastic piece of work.

In this one, Roland picks up the rest of this questing party in an adventure more dangerous and gripping than the last. I found myself unable to slow down, needing to know what happens next, among jaw dropping horrors. Roland plays a risky game indeeded, traveling between the mirage towers of our New York City and his own world, risking it all for his tower. This is my kind of fantasy, for sure.

The Gunslinger by Stephen King

For those who don't know, The Gunslinger is the first in King's fantasy epic series The Dark Tower. This introduces our hero Roland, the gunslinger from the world before it moved on, whatever that means. There are a lot of mysteries, and we're on a quest to solve them. What a concept. Instead of sending heroes off to get things and destroy things, why not give the readers a mystery, so we're equally invested in the adventure.

This is a fun ride on a painfully bright, but darkly desolate, desperate path. Roland knows only his quest. His _ka_. And he's the last gunslinger, with two huge pistols hanging from his hips. It's not a european elf and troll fantasy. It's a western, and I can't wait to get through the rest.

Red Rock West (feat. Nicolas Cage)

Red Rock West is an objectively good film, and it succeeds in everything it tries to do. Being a modern, crime-oriented western, it doesn't set out to do anything new. That being the case, it's altogether pretty genuine. The scenes are beautiful and the acting is great. There are surprises and treachery within treachery, as you'd maybe expect.

There were no awkward moments that took me out of this terrifically immersive film. And there's even a cameo from Dwight Yoakam, which is a pretty big plus. However, this type of film isn't altogether inticing. There's no great hook for people who aren't into modern westerns. Life before this Red Rock West, I don't feel like I was missing much other than another well-made movie.

1. Raising Arizona
2. Leaving Las Vegas
3. Red Rock West
4. Adaptation
5. Birdy
6. Wild at Heart
7. Color Out of Space
8. Peggy Sue Got Married
9. City of Angels
10. Drive Angry
11. Lord of War
12. Gone in 60 Seconds
13. Matchstick Men
14. Vampire's Kiss
15. Con Air
16. Face/Off
17. Honeymoon in Vegas
18. Amos and Andrew
19. The Sorcerer's Apprentice
20. Bringing Out the Dead
21. The Family Man
22. It Could Happen to You
23. 8mm
24. Ghost Rider
25. Next
26. The Weather Man
27. 211
28. The Croods

Catlow by Louis L'Amour

 

Since my 34th birthday, I have indeed read some books.  Many of them were ebooks to boot.  So I may not be talking about all of them.  Reading also feels constructive, even in a relaxing context.  It keeps the brain ticking at a healthy, natural pace you know?  In fiction, justice is often actually served and it's often served at the right temperature.  Stories provide a nice place to insert yourself when you don't want to exist in our present world.  

This year I intend to finish writing my 2nd book.  It's a fantasy novel and I won't be talking about it much.  You probably won't get to read it.  There will be (almost) no bragging, pitching, nagging, plugging, branding, back patting, and circle jerking.  That's not what this blog is about.  Anyway, I think good writing requires research.  I'd be a dick to expect people to read my story without doing my homework and genuinely trying to understand what will make that story good.

I bring up writing as an activity, because I was very impressed by Louis L'Amour's about the author.  He sounds like a super intimidating ass hole.  A world war two hero and a seemingly perfect guide into the western world.  No surprise, Catlow was a neat story.  The action was exciting, the characters were mostly admirable, and the desert was dry and dangerous.  The cowboy skills were so impressive I found myself rootin' and tootin'.  Rootin' for who though?  The hero or the villain?  Both are so killer.