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Okay, so I figured out the heat thing. I forgot to take my medicine yesterday, somehow. Could have sworn... Never mind. So, down the hatch they went. Almost as I soon as I did that, considering that I don't notice time slide by, I was instantly cold. Turning up the furnace did nothing for it. Ah! Now I know. No medicine for a day? Oh!
I am slowly downloading the songs I have used on my blog. I could go much faster, but I am enjoying the work, usually, by listening. Ah! Listening usually takes longer than downloading. Some songs are downloading funny, or not really at all. Ah well. I am trying to find some songs in other links that will replace them, but some of them have videos I like better. My suspicion is (such as with 300-March or Die-Motorhead) there is some sort of... hold put on downloads. Or it comes out scrambled. I suppose I could try to get around that, but messing around too much might not be for the best. Oh!
While considering jumping right into the free download of Vox's book, I wanted to see where it fit in with the rest of his fantasy writings. I hate reading a book out of line, only to have to go back and re-read to get things right in my head, time-line-wise. That can be dizzying. In doing so I "bought" his first and will read that first. While looking around in the Kindle store, I happened to be looking up "Summa", the first word in the title of his first novel, and found Summa Theologica, unabridged, for $.99! Okay, yeah, that went in the bag too! Ah! And, being in that region of the mind and store, I looked around for a Douay-Rheims version of the bible. I did a bit of research before choosing between the offerings. I am merely hoping I have found the better one, as none of them really put in which version they were. It might be somewhere in the ebook, though? The earliest version is based on a version of the Vulgate no longer accepted, the next revision is the best of the lot, and revisions after that are all somewhat questionable to my mind. The fear that revisionism through gender neutrality and other crap might be there is my problem. Oh!
While researching these things, I thought to see what books some thought Catholics should read. Here is a list from a man of the cloth I have come to put some faith into, who also seems to have a difficulty with numbers if a fun-to-me sense of mild humor about it. With the Catechism out of the way, twice so far anyway, I should have an easy time with the rest. I have read many of these, and actually the next after Vox will be on that list (Mere Christianity). How to fit another book or two in for reading at a time though? I have a... great interest in reading Summa Theologica... a calling as it were. I don't even know why, probably won't even like or understand the stupid thing! :p Hmm, I'll think on it.
Hmm, as morning approaches I am thinking that a shower would be good. Though perhaps after I find wood stock and begin repairing the ceiling first? Actually, the light won't be able to go in right away. I had forgotten about painting. I suppose I COULD just repair and cover most of the repair job with the light. And I don't have paint, yet, either. Let me see... If I do most of the patch job this morning, take a bit of the painted drywall I cut out for a paint match and get that, see about my friend, do some shopping, I might be able to finish by painting and then putting up the light when I return, or tomorrow, or a bit of both? Depending on how fast paint dries. It's cold back there, and somewhat humid with all the snow of late... And I am slower than drying paint in cold humid places... sooo... Hey, just... making plans.
Have a great day.
Summa is not really necessary to follow Throne. There are some references, and a couple of characters follow through, but nothing that throws you. The names, names, names (!!) in Throne are quite enough to keep track of! I really think it would take two or more readings to follow all of the story threads. The problem is that each character has something like three names--his formal, family name, his given (first) name, and then another name given to him by compatriots that accents some aspect of his/her character.
ReplyDeleteA spreadsheet could be helpful, I swear.
It is really quite good overall. Not Tolkien, but a damn sight better than a lot of what gets published in the fantasy genre.
I should also give kudos in that each of his efforts has exceeded the previous one so far. So if you end up liking Summa, you will certainly like Throne.
ReplyDeleteAlso, the hard copy finally arrived here this week. My Gawhd the thing is massive! I knew it was long when reading the Kindle version, but this thing is a six by nine inch hardback that is nearly two and a half inches thick!
ReplyDeleteAnd to think this is volume 1 of 3.
What he may lack in Tolkien's inimitable style, he certainly makes up in volume of material. But then it's not Tolkien but George R. R. Martin he's attempting to rival.
Not Vox, not any writer, I doubt if even a conclave off the (truly, not popular) writers, could pull of what Tolkien pulled off. Not even Tolkien Actually pulled it off. But then you knew that. He collected writings from over 30 years, filtered them down to a number of books, and then released them. Further, none of the writings had been intended as a book, but as backdrops for languages Tolkien had created as a linguist, to bring those to life in imaginary folk.
ReplyDeleteWho has thirty years to brew a story as a pretext for creating a bunch of languages or cultures or developing characters from various theoretical manlike bio-forms? Actually, it would be interesting to get a look at those languages though... Come to think of it.
If his books were tight, and they were, imagine the... challenge of having to learn the languages for each group before being able to complete the book! When the story moves to the elves, they speak their tongue, as with dwarves, and so on. I wonder if he wrote any of it that way?
So, I don't expect Tolkien. I'm not sure I could handle another hit like that. :p