Sensate Saturday: Fantasy is the Highest Form of Fiction

Hey all I’m back this week for Sensate Saturday with a quick essay on my feelings about Fantasy. Fantasy is the Highest Form of Fiction, in my opinion!

What do you mean highest form?: I mean that if Fantasy is done correctly it’s the best genre in all of fiction. It serves the purpose of literature to allow readers to experience things they otherwise couldn’t, and while many contemporary fiction books cover rare or hard to experience situations and events, they aren’t out of the reach of people, just costly or impractical, or illegal.

Why?: Well if Fantasy is done correctly than no other genre of fiction can really take you to completely alien worlds and cultures. I’ll point to any of Brandon Sanderson’s many Cosmere works as shining examples of what I’m talking about, and they are also my personal gold standard for judging any and all books. The Cosmere novels completely take you away to worlds that just don’t exist, and yet they make sense to us and we can easily relate to the characters. Not many authors can achieve the mastery of the genre as well as Sanderson, and the masterful way he comes up with complete worlds, with customs, cultures, religions, magic and many other things is truly spectacular. That isn’t even including his incredible pace for writing either.

Why isn’t (Insert other Genre here) as good as Fantasy?: Because if done correctly it’s still a world that is Earth, or a culture we can relate to because of it being distinctly “Terran”. That isn’t to say there aren’t masterworks in other genres, I’m not arrogant enough to believe that and I personally love many other books that just aren’t in the Fantasy genre. The Harry Bosch series is one of my favorite series of all time and yet it’s completely grounded in American culture. Connelly pulls off amazing mysteries, but they just aren’t as unique or otherworldly as stuff Brandon Sanderson writes.

This is all of course my opinion as is everything else I write and personally I’d love to read other’s thoughts on the matter. Do you agree or disagree with my claim that Fantasy is the Highest Form of Fiction? Leave your comments down below.

Launch Imminent

Hey all, I’ve finally gotten my new computer, however due to my old computer being a 2008 Mac Pro (I’m surprised it lasted as long as it did) I’m having to wait on some specific cables to get my data off the computer. Because some of that stuff is stuff I’d rather not redo, or replace unless I absolutely have to, I’m not going to be resuming my writing until I get my data off the computer.  As for my Game and Book reviews, I’m waiting till the end of Pesach (Passover) because I have a free source for Microsoft Office, but said source is observing Pesach and I’m going to give them that time.

I also injured my right hand index finger while on the way to the local grocery store.  I was trying to open a gate whose lock was broken, and I cut open a chunk of skin on the finger pad. It’s not terrible I only got a bit of skin layers and there probably won’t be any permanent issues, but I’m currently typing without using said finger. It’s highly inconvenient and I’d like to give it another week to heal. However I anticipate all of these taking only a week. So unless my plan to get data off my Mac Pro fails miserably (and as far as I know it shouldn’t, but you never know) I should be back up and running by next Thursday. I thank you all for the understanding and giving me this time. I hope you all will enjoy reading my content again.

As a final tease, I’ll be give you the names of my next few game and book reviews.

Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 Road to Boruto

Dark Souls III: The Ringed City

Snake Eyes (Demon Accords Book 11) by John Conroe

The Librarians and The Mother Goose Chase by Greg Cox.

As one last question and I’d really like to get any feedback on it via comments, would people mind if I eased back into the writing gig? I have been gone for more than a month and while I could dive straight back into the writing daily posts, I was given advice to take it easy for a while. I’ll probably be doing 3-4 posts a week, hitting Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday in one week, the rest of the weekday content in the following week.

Bookish Wednesday: Brutal Asset by John Conroe

This week for Bookish Wednesday I’m back with the third entry in the Demon Accords series! It’s Brutal Asset by John Conroe!

Plot Synopsis: Partnered in an uneasy alliance with federal law enforcement, Chris Gordon has been hunting down the outlaw gang, Loki’s Spawn, who attacked his vampire girlfriend. But when he finds unexpected hostages who trigger his baser instincts, Chris is thrown into a search for answers to dark questions. How to control his inner demon, what do the Spawn want with children, and who is hunting him?

Plot: This entry is probably my least favorite of the series, but that isn’t to say it’s a bad book. In fact it’s pretty freaking awesome, I just don’t like this entry as much as any of the other entries. This entry is actually really good compared to most Urban Fantasy books, and definitely proves that John Conroe can contend with heavy hitters like Jim Butcher.

Characters: We get introduced to a few new characters in this entry, although the best newcomer is probably Katrina. We also finally put a name to Chris’s darker persona, Grim. Grim is an awesome addition to Chris as a character, because it makes him vulnerable and badass at the same time. As for the why I’ll leave that to you to RAFO (read and find out).

Overall: An excellent entry in an awesome Urban Fantasy series.

For those who like: Urban Fantasy, Demons, Vampires, Weres, Drama, Action, Romance, Excellent Plot, Fantastic Cast of Characters.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above.

Bookish Wednesday: Demon Driven by John Conroe

This week for Bookish Wednesday I’m covering the second book in the Demon Accords series. It’s Demon Driven by John Conroe!

Plot Synopsis: It’s been seven months since Chris Gordon met Tanya Demidova, and a lot has changed. He’s stronger, faster, has the senses of a vampire and the appetite of a werewolf. But even as he settles into his new position with the Special Situations Squad and his relationship with Tanya, new threats appear.

Plot: The plot is pretty great and it touches upon things we learned about in the first book. It also delves deeper into what Chris is and we get to learn more about Okuali (I think I’m spelling that right, but not sure due to listening to the series on Audiobook format). It’s an excellent addition to the series and a great sequel.

Characters: We get to meet some new people and expand the circle of contacts that Chris interacts with. My favorite of the newcomers is probably Brett, but everyone is great.

Overall: An excellent entry in an excellent series.

That’s it for this week’s Bookish Wednesday!

Bookish Wednesday: God Touched by John Conroe

This week for Bookish Wednesday I’m covering the first entry in a series I found quite interesting. It’s God Touched, Book 01 of the Demon Accord series, by John Conroe!

Plot Synopsis:Chris Gordon is a rookie cop in the big apple with an interesting sideline – hunting demons. But after rescuing a beautiful girl from a demonic attack, he finds life stranger than he ever thought possible.

Plot: The plot is excellent and very quickly caught my interest and has held it firmly since the first few minutes. I’ve enjoyed plenty of Urban Fantasy books in the last few years, but this is easily up in the top 5 so far. As long as the author doesn’t destroy it, I’m probably not going to change my mind.

Characters: Chris is snarky, a characteristic I love, and is quick to take action for the right reasons. Tanya on the other hand is rather quiet, but quite a bad ass female lead and I love that as well. The rest of the cast is great, although Lydia and Gina are probably my favorites of the bunch. Senka is a close contender as well.

Overall: A must read for any Urban Fantasy lovers.

For those who like: Urban Fantasy, Action, Romance, Drama, Excellent Plot, Fantastic Cast of Characters.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above, but how can you hate all that!