Sorry folks...

I do most of my blogging during downtime at work, and this week they decided to block Blogger. I know. They blocked Google too. WTF?

So, I hope to get my schedule to where blogging from home is easier. I have some things in mind, but am a creature of habit.

John Carter: Warlord of Mars

In anticipation of Disney's John Cater movies, I decided to re-read some of the books, and decided to begin at, well, the beginning. The first three books, for the uninitiated, are:

1. A Princess of Mars
2. Gods of Mars
3. Warlord of Mars

These three books are the beginning trilogy.

These books are primarily a lot of fun, considering how early they come in the sci-fi genre. The first two are superior. Warlord of Mars is my least favorite so far. Burroughs gets a bit ham-handed with the mystery elements. Items that should build tension instead make the hero look stupid. Between Princess and Gods is a hard choice for me. Princess is very swashbuckling, but Gods has a lovely Atheist quality where Carter brings down a cruel and malign religion.

There are definitely better entries in the sci-fi genre, but remember that these books were written early in the twentieth century, and some of the science is ludicrous. Taken for what they are meant to be, they are very enjoyable. A cross between the King Arthur tales and Treasure Island. Also, they are short and in the public domain, so they are available on Project Gutenberg.

Premature Book Review: The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey

Trenton Lee Stewart's Mysterious Benedict Society was supposed to be a one shot book, but is now on its third title. The Perilous Journey is the second in the series, and reunites the children with their former mentor.

For those unfamiliar, four orphan children with remarkable talents were identified and put to work by Mr. Benedict, a scientist and freelance government agent. They were sent on a mission to defeat Benedict's brother, Mr. Curtain, who had devised a machine that would facilitate world domination. The machine required children to operate it, so Benedict needed children to infiltrate Curtain's organization.

If this sounds dark, it is. This is a children's book, but it is not lighthearted. Similar to A Series of Unfortunate Events, it confronts a lot of issues, and is very scary at times, even for an adult.

Initially, this book seemed less in the mold of the original. It was less dark, and more child-friendly, but at around the halfway point things took a serious turn. There are a lot of very vicious villains, beside the returned Mr. Curtain, and there are many life-and-death situations to be dealt with.

If you enjoy children's literature, or have a, maybe twelve-year old (I'm not sure, as I have no kids), both these books are excellent. They are not corny, and do not patronize. The children are gifted, but flawed. The villains are ruthless, and tend to undercut and/or fear each other. I would put this in the class with Treasure Island in being for 'tween to adult readers. Definitely read the first book to catch much of what is going on in the second.

Scary Movies: The Vampire Lovers (1970)

The original Hammer entry features the incomparable Ingrid Pitt as Carmilla Karnstein.

I have not seen this one in a long time, but it is quite a good entry in the vampire canon. The titillation of lesbian vampires aside, it examines the psyche of the vampire as Carmilla finds love only to lose it, like Dracula, because of their nature.

If you are a vampire movie fan, this is one of the few I put on my must-see list. It is not the greatest vampire film, but is iconic and likely the best in the niche of sexy vampire films.

Scary Movies: Twins of Evil (1971)

The second of the Karnstein films is easily my favorite: Twins of Evil.

This film features Mary and Madeleine Collinson as two girls who lose their parents and must leave Vienna to live in a backwater town under the care of their religious nutbag and witch-finder-general uncle, played beautifully by Peter Cushing. He in no way approves of the girls, or any girls really, and hopes to make an example of local libertine and future vampire Count Karnstein.

The Collinson twins are fairly notorious Maltese born Harrison Marks protegés and the first twin Playboy Playmates (October 1970). They are identical, but do a surprising job of being identifiable. One is prim and scared of her lunatic uncle, the other is wild and desires nothing more than to be with the virile Count Karnstein.

In this film Count Karnstein is my favorite vampire ever. Damien Thomas plays him like Adam Ant playing the Marquis de Sade playing a vampire. He is arrogant and haughty, decadent and degenerate, beautiful and foul. All due respect to the Collinson's beauty, Damien Thomas is the reason to see this film.

Scary Movies: Lust for a Vampire (1971)

There were three films in the Hammer Horror "Karnstein Trilogy" based on Sheridan le Fanu's Carmilla.

This is a late horror entry for Hammer, and features actors they hoped would be the studio's future, including Yutte Stensgaard as Mircalla.

This film falters at times, particularly with the inclusion of a pop song that seems terribly out of place in this Gothic tale. Despite taking place in a girl's boarding school, the film is far less hot that its predecessors, though they provide stiff [ahem] competition. Probably the best parts of the film are the Karnstein family, who make the occasional (often silent) appearance, and look so much like a family of vampires you wonder why anyone let their daughter into the school in the first place.

If you are a completist and have seen the other two films, this one is worth watching. Otherwise, grab a grain of salt, and feast your eyes on an oddly beautiful, if slightly confusing, vampire film.

Moooo!

So, it looks like minotaurs are a player race now in 4e D&D.


Immediately reminded me of this DING! comic:


I did actually have a minotaur character in 1st edition AD&D, but that was a whole homebrew NPC that the DM turned over to me. Too many races, perhaps...?