Nate | favorite thing EVER

Mar 7, 2012 Posted by Nate

Fantasy Characters Behaving Politely

The problem with most popular fantasy is that it’s all reactions to Tolkien, either following staunchly in his footsteps (like David Eddings) or trying to deconstruct the heroic fantasy archetype (like Terry Pratchett). It’s a rare fantasy novel that ignores ol’ J. R. R. altogether. But Susanna Clarke’s first novel draws far more from Pride and... read more

Feb 10, 2012 Posted by Nate

Still think the South Pole is Boring?

A Strange Manuscript Found in a Copper Cylinder is an odd book. I came across it in a collection of sci-fi stories I bought on my Kindle for a dollar, so that should tell you something. Specifically, it should tell you that the book is out of copyright, and I paid a buck too much, since you can easily find this book free on any platform. Which makes... read more

Feb 1, 2012 Posted by Nate

A Girl and A Ghost Walk Into A Bar…

In my youth I was a sucker for adventure games. I suffered through any number of ignoble deaths in all the old Sierra “Quest” games, I punned my way through Monkey Island, and I punched my way through the Nazis of “Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis”. Give me a pixelated guy with an improbable mission and a world full of... read more

Jan 27, 2012 Posted by Nate

Sci-Fi with a wink, a smile and a plot

In December of 1999 I was taken to St. Mark’s hospital in Metro Manila to have my gallbladder removed. For the next few days, my doctor and the incredibly attentive staff worried about the state of my internal organs. Me, I was higher than a kite on whatever it was they put in my drip line, and figured that any place that calls itself “the most... read more

Sep 21, 2011 Posted by Nate

He really did have a cunning plan

There are a number of television series from the UK that have ingrained themselves into American geek culture. Shows like Monty Python’s Flying Circus, which practically defines all English-speaking geekdom, or Red Dwarf, regarded as the in-joke amongst Anglophile sci-fi nerds. Dr. Who does well, indeed is much more popular than Red Dwarf although... read more

Jul 27, 2011 Posted by Nate

Hop on the road to board game addiction

Hello, my name is Nate, and I have an addiction to board games. (Hi Nate!) It started so simply; just a game or two for my wife and I to play during the long Alaskan nights (we were live-in caregivers for people with developmental disabilities, which meant we were on the clock 24/7, and meant that from about 9:30 PM onward we were stuck in the house and... read more

Jul 20, 2011 Posted by Nate

Kick out the (marion berry) jams

There are times when you don’t really want a movie, or a song, or a game, or anything like that. All you want is something yummy to put in your face, preferably while sitting on the couch wrapped in a blanket. That’s where my favorite jam EVER comes to the rescue. Wikipedia has far too much information about the Marion berry. Yes, it sounds like... read more

Jul 5, 2011 Posted by Nate

King’s Bounty: A new take on an old legend

Gather ’round, children, while I tell you a tale of video game history. Time was, there weren’t any games out there where you could heroically gather your might and magic and fight other people on a battlefield of honor. Fortunately, there soon came some dude who made a game called King’s Bounty, clear back in the 80′s, before... read more