Silence of the Lambs (book)

The Silence of the Lambs (novel) - Wikipedia

Clarice Starling is a promising cadet at the FBI academy pushing herself she can make it in the field. Driven and determined, she’s surprised when Jack Crawford asks her to question the legendary psychopath, Dr. Hannibal Lector. After the events of Red Dragon (book) he hasn’t responded to any questioning and his advice can become crucial in catching a disturbed killer called Buffalo Bill, who flays the flesh off of woman. When Buffalo Bill kidnaps a senator’s daughter, it’s up to Starling to try and discover the identity of this madman and save her, relying on Dr. Lector for advice and clues into the mind of madness.

So this book is pretty much what kids today would call a se-boot. You can pick it up just fine on it’s own without reading Red Dragon; their are callbacks to Graham and events of the first book but the info you get is pretty sufficient. While I personally like Will Graham better as a main character, Clarice is compelling in her own way and it is interesting to see how she interacts with familiar characters. Again, the villains steal the show. Lector is pretty damn memorable and Buffalo Bill is a creepy ass son of a bitch. The end comes together really nicely and there’s a lot of tension. The pacing is good and admittedly I never got bored with it. In the end I’d definitely say it’s well worth a read. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

On Writing, a memoir of the craft

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft: King, Stephen: 8580001040363:  Amazon.com: Books

So for those who have been keeping up with things on the blog, my first book is debuting through Barnes and Noble’s website as Savior covered in The Flies Inside Pre-order . That being said, I myself enjoy reading books on reading to find truth on how to improve or get a laugh on how full of shit the author is. I’m glad to say On Writing by King is one of the most helpful and insightful I’ve heard. In this book, we get a good look at the legendary writer’s back story as well as some of his personnel tips on the trade. If you have Audible, I highly recommend adding this to your library because it’s pretty cool hearing it straight from the man himself as well as from his son Joe Hill, another good author in his own right. While not my typical content for review, I’ll say it’s well worth a read or listen for good advice and some stories from a legend, especially if you are a writer like myself. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Red Dragon (book)

Image result for Red Dragon book

Being a horror fan for my whole life, I’m almost ashamed to say I have no connections to Dr. Hannibal Lector. I’ve never seen the movies and only few months ago started reading the books. So after finishing the first story to introduce the legendary killer, are the stories worth the hype?

Will Graham was a talented FBI Investigator who had been pushed to the brink of his sanity by prominent psychologist turned killer Hannibal Lector. Graham never felt the same and was hesitant when his old friend and colleague Jack Crawford comes to him begging for help with a new case. There’s a new killer who violently slays whole families. Cunning as well as savage, Graham is at a loss, resorting to ask help from his old nemesis for advice, unaware Lector and this new foe deemed the “Tooth Fairy” may be connected. Can Graham stop this brutal killer before he falls victim to the madmen?

I really didn’t know what to expect and about half way through I was pretty damn engaged in this book. Thomas Harris is fantastic at putting you in the killer’s shoes and once we start seeing the story from their perspective, I was hooked in. Graham himself is a good protagonist I enjoyed following who seemed mentally burned out throughout the story and I could feel his frustration and obsession growing. As for Lector- he ain’t in there much. He is involved in the story but this far from his story so don’t go in looking for a lot of him. The story is paced really well but I feel like the ending fumbles. Red Dragon is pretty self contained which I liked (yes, I’m now currently reading Lambs). In the end, I enjoyed this story as a good psychological crime thriller I’d definitely recommend. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Aliens: Fireteam reveal trailer

As a Alien fanboy, I bet you want me to be excited for this new game in the Aliens universe. Truth be told, I’m not. I wanted another horror game, not another action shooter. The graphics look fine but I’m not really impressed at the look of the Aliens. Maybe it will be good and slay those awful memories of that game we don’t speak of, but I’m not holding my breath. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Cruella trailer 1

First, I have to say I’m really glad to see Emma Stone back in the spotlight. She sounds and looks like Cruella Deville which is really cool. Surprising I dug this trailer and kinda forgot it was supposed to be the origin of a Disney villain. Either way, the movie looks pretty decent and I hope the best for it. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Green Lantern: The Animated series

Green Lantern: The Animated Series Pictures - Rotten Tomatoes

It’s no secret the Green Lantern movie is one of the most hated superhero movie of all time and with some pretty damn good reasons. I didn’t have much faith in the animated series when it debuted on Cartoon Network around the same time, more than likely to cash in on the movie. I’ve never been a fan of this kind of CGI animation style, especially as I got older, but I decided to give the series a chance, a decade after the awful movie.

Wow. Just wow. My surprise at this show is pretty damn unmeasurable. First of all, I have to stay the best part is the writing. In the series entirety, there are 2 main storylines that are well executed, both with fantastic endgames that have some pretty deep impact. I cared about the characters. Essentially we follow Hal Jordan, Killowog, Razor- a Red Lantern turned good, and AYE- their ship’s A.I turned into sentient Lantern. The show has a good blend of classic style sci-fi adventure, epic fights, emotional moments and dark themes at times but with humor that works. Pretty much this series has everything I pretty much wanted from a Green Lantern anything. The voice acting is really good with some really cool cameos sprinkled through. The show has sadly 2 things that bugged me but the first I can’t really really pin on them. The show teases some really awesome characters and story threads: Sinestro’s dark turn, Krona ( Green Lantern: Brightest Day ), a Black Lantern symbol, and Alan Scott. I can’t tell you how much I would’ve loved to see these stories unfold and see Jon Stewart, the Alpha Lanterns, Dr. Polaris, and Hector Hammond as well. The overall story ends well on its own but it does leave you wanting at least another season. The other mild complaint I have is some of the character designs look wonky because of the animation style, namely Atrocitus and Larfleeze who looked really off in my opinion. In the end, the show is a great piece of Green Lantern that’s short but sweet I recommend to DC fans. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

The Bay

The Bay (2012) - IMDb

Hey kids, do you remember the found footage craze? Of course there was Paranormal Activity which led the charge with it’s imitators such as the Gallows, The Last Exorcism , and that god awful abomination The Devil Inside . But of course, Cloverfield and Diary of the dead and the ludicrous The Chernobyl Diaries showed the subgenre wasn’t exclusive to ghosts. This movie literally was invisible on my radar until I saw a good review for it that made me reconsider, so was it worth uncovering?

We begin with survivor and former TV anchor, Donna Thompson as she discusses the outbreak that decimated the bayside town of Claridge, Maryland. Through recovered footage, she narrates the mysterious events that killed over a thousand people in a weekend. Boils, lesions, missing tongues, and bodies seemingly rotting from within? But why? Questions unfold as the origin of the slaughter is a aquatic parasite and the origins develop, but can they be stopped before the whole town meets a gruesome end?

I basically knew nothing about this movie going in and honestly I was pleasantly surprised. The concept is pretty cool, and isn’t a zombie or ghost take. While there are jump scares, they aren’t cheap; I’m not ashamed to admit this movie got me at one point. The effects and gore are pretty convincing. Some of the stories I was pretty invested in and the story I was interested all the way through. My issue is how it’s presented at times. Sometimes the narration gets annoying, but at least it’s warranted here and the freeform nature of the movie is a bit disorientating at first but you do get used to it. In the end, this is a surprisingly cool found footage horror movie I’d say is worth checking out. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Rick and Morty season 4

Rick and Morty (season 4) - Wikipedia

Rick and Morty, the Adult Swim cartoon turned international sensation, has returned after Rick and Morty season 3 ended with some interesting threads left untied. With the Smith family reunited, life looks back to as much normal as the drunken, mad scientist and his naïve, simple minded grandson can expect: dragon soul orgies, time warping, a story train, a fabled toilet, and a huge revelation at the season finale. The dynamic duo was back…and I’m disappointed. This season has a good opening and a pretty good end, but everything in between is pretty hit and miss. If it was any other sitcom I’d be more lenient but when a few episodes out of your 10 episode season are duds it hurts. There aren’t many times I had the feels during this season, and the humor was blah most of the time. Admittedly the overabundance of swearing got old quick. My favorite episode was the season finale, where we at least we get some plot resolutions and a badass fight. In the end, I can’t say it was damn right terrible but it wasn’t worth the wait. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

HORRORSTOR

Amazon.com: Horrorstor: A Novel eBook: Hendrix, Grady: Kindle Store

Haven’t we all found ourselves in the clenches of a soul ravaging dead end job? Amy, like many of us, finds herself deep into a tedious life as a ORSK partner, employee of one of the largest furniture chains in the US. With dreams of a well paying desk job, away from ORSK and her hardass boss Basil, her mom’s trailer, and her roommates she can’t afford to pay. One day Basil pulls her into the office one day, and rather than fire Amy, he makes her a offer: stay with him and another partner overnight to catch a vandal messing with the store before a huge corporate visit. Easy cash, right? It turns out the answer behind the mischief may or not be partners wanting to stage a ghost hunting show, a random homeless dude, or something more sinister from the past.

This is a really strange read in a sense. Being a longtime retail slave I feel Amy’s pain here. The characters are alright and while the story takes awhile to build, the pay off is interesting enough. While the horror and comedy aspects aren’t great, the story is entertaining and familiar because of the retail experience. My favorite part is the beginning of each chapter with a old school ads that go to a dark place as the story continues. While its not for everybody, its a alright read that isn’t too long. In the end, it’s a alright book that’s checking out.