StanleyWheeler

I've had some musketeer miniatures from Redoubt Enterprises for some months and have never got around to painting them. One reason being that I'm not a gifted painter. My paint jobs are best observed from a distance in dim light. I did three this weekend. Below are Rochefort, Richelieu, and Aramis.

Only about 20 more of those to go.

Last time I mentioned this movie.
Empires Collide - That's not actually the title; it's what I remember of the title.

It's really a documentary with a lot of computer animated sea battles; there is also some live action that's not particularly well done. As entertainment it's only a couple notches above a cat video. As for being informative and interesting, a Ken Burns' film it's not, but I liked it very much. A year or so ago, I was wondering about the fall of the Dutch Republic. While this documentary doesn't address that particular question, it does explain the Anglo-Dutch war(s) and how the Dutch traded New Amersterdam (New York) for England itself. Of course, that's not exactly true, but the Dutch did lose that colony, and William of Orange invaded and became king of England. I recommend it.

Book Reviews:
Fatemarked by David Estes

General Thoughts: Based on the reviews and sales, lots of people liked this book. I'm not one of them. I got the book for free either on Prime or some other special. I don't remember. There are some 1 and 2 star reviews. One of those reviews mentioned that the best thing about the book was the cover. I have to agree.

Story in a nutshell: There are 4 kingdoms (I think) and the prophesy says that 8 kings will die. People with special marks on them have special powers: healing, death, and I don't remember what else. The story follows these marked people, jumping around from one to the other, without ever piquing my interest...and therefore I don't know what they ever did. I bailed somewhere short of halfway through.

Do I recommend it? No. The 1 and 2 star reviews seem to sum it up pretty well. A confusing story line and uninteresting characters are the main complaints. It seems to be marketed for both teens and adults, yet is suitable for neither. I couldn't take the incessant inner whining in which the characters wallowed, and the talking-it-all-out to discover the respective traveling companion's inner pain. I rate it: Wading Naked Through Broken Glass with a Side of Salt for Your Wounds.

Faerie Tale by Raymond Feist

General Thoughts: This was a find at the local used bookstore after I read some online recommendations at a page for fantasy genre readers. Published in 1988, this book reeks of the 80's. That's actually what I liked about it. No cellphones, no internet. One of the characters is a writer and gets his first word processor. Reading it was like watching an 80's movie based on something from Stephen King. Many years ago, I read and enjoyed Feist's Rift War Saga.--and I remember nothing about it. I had high hopes for this one.

Story in a nutshell: A family buys a house and weird things start to happen. A hidden key, a hidden room, a secret map, a strange wood, and an ancient and powerful organization, collide to culminate in a showdown with evil.

Do I recommend it? No. The book is over 400 pages long. It moves slowly, finally building to the climax that has become inevitable. Two characters are 8 year old twin boys. I don't think the author had spent much time with 8 year olds. These two don't act like 8 year olds; they act at least 12 in most respects. I didn't find those two (who are critical to the story) to be believable characters. I also wasn't persuaded that their mom was a real person either. Although, when you're talking about visitors from, and to, the Faerie world, that seems like a bit of a strange thing about which to complain. And yet, I do because if the reality part doesn't ring true, the fantasy part just rings hollow. Additionally, the sex and profanity detracted from a potentially good story. By the time the story concluded, I felt like the destination hadn't been worth the journey. I rate it: Pandora's Box--best left unopened.


It seems like my last few reviews have not been favorable. I'm going to have to post the review of Treachery of Daimyo--which I really liked. I should probably be reading the last two books in that series instead of getting cheap books that disappoint me.

Speaking of cheap books. Look at this:

I read this book some months ago. I had read and enjoyed the Spellsinger series up to that point when I was much younger. I couldn't remember if I had read this one. I read it and remembered that I had, and why it was the last one that I had read. I didn't care for it. But my point here was the price of the paperback: $975.66????? I got it from the used bookstore for $2.00--but that's probably the mass market paperback. I have no idea what the edition is that goes for nearly a grand.