Wordsmith's Anvil

Image credit: Constantinos Pritsos and ... me. A Fire to be Kindled “What do you know about the Louisiana territory?” President Thomas Jefferson asked. “Very little,” I said. “How would you like to learn more about it?” he continued. “First-hand.” “Is this the expedition I’ve seen discussed in the papers?” I asked. “The one with Meriweather Lewis and…” “William Clark, yes,” he said. “You’d be leaving one corps tomorrow and joining another by the end of the month. The Corps of Discovery.” My heart soared. This could be the opportunity I needed to move forward. All I had to do was take the leap and see what the future held in store for me. “I’d love to.” “It’s settled, then,” Jefferson said. He waved a lanky arm to the disapproving man standing near the door. “Secretary Dearborn will draw up the necessary papers.” Henry Dearborn moved reluctantly from the doorway. I think he had hoped that his only job that evening would have been to open it and usher me out. I disappointed the man, and ...

Image credit: James S.A. Corey & Orbit Now clearly I've read Leviathan's Wake and Caliban's War , I just had to get that out of the way before I start delving into my review here. I'm not just starting in medias res with the series. I've watched the show, I've read the first couple books, and I also have my copy of Osiris Reborn pre-ordered. I've done some expansive homework on this topic. Okay, that's the only dad joke I'll put in here, I promise.     Abaddon's Gate is a continuation of the science fiction story that the duo known as James S.A. Corey have laid out in the first two books. The protomolecule has already had a lasting impact on the solar system and life as we know it. Nevertheless, Protogen is shut down and Mao is in the slammer, Holden and his crew have been running missions for the OPA for months, Avasarala is doing what she does best behind the scenes, and Bobbie Draper... well, I guess we have to watch the show to find her ...

  Image credit: Ocean Drive Studio I love when a game comes around and has the confidence... nay, the audacity... to just completely usurp the time that my other games take up. It's not often, but sometimes you'll get in a gaming slump that really just means that anything and everything doesn't really seem all that appealing.     Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch to the rescue.     In this spin-off from Ocean Drive Studio's initial Lost Eidolons project, we find ourselves occupying the boots of Ashe. Ashe can be male or female depending on your pick in the offset, but the difference is largely negligible when it comes to the narrative. Ashe doesn't remember who he or she is, and only has snippets of recollections as to why they would possibly be on the faraway island they find themselves on in the first place.     Our first companions to join us are Evie and "Marco," a cleric and a berserker, who do not seem to have lost any of their own memories but a...

  Image credit: Lights Ooh, deep breath.     I've never written an official review about music before, and thus have certainly never done one about a live performance. I suppose that makes this one all the more appropriate, considering how much I've come to love Lights over the last several months.     Does that make me sound like a casual fan? I hope not, but it's hard to avoid when it's such a burgeoning listening relationship.     Lights is a Canadian musician who has been putting out music in a variety of mediums since 2008. 2007, technically, although her first album didn't come out until after. But I digress. She has showcased an immense amount of talent from an incredibly young age and yet... there's a good chance that you've never even heard of her. And up u ntil about six months ago, the same was true for me.     Just due to music shuffles and "You might be interested in..." playlists, I was first introduced to Lights via her collabo...

  Image credit: Penguin Random House A couple weeks ago I put down my thoughts on the Dungeons & Dragons prequel novel entitled The Road to Neverwinter . Now that I've finished E.K. Johnston's dive into Faerun I can officially say I'm caught up on everyone's backstory before the the events of the movie.     While Road was a bit more congruent with the overarching tale that would inevitably unfold in Neverwinter on the big screen, The Druid's Call is more of a side quest. We're introduced to Doric, one of the best characters in the movie albeit fairly quiet through most of it, and a loose connection that she has to Simon. The entirety of the novel really explores Doric's life from infancy to young adult. We see what things have been like for her as a tiefling in the elven world, a significant step up from her brief time in the human one.     Born to human parents, Doric is confined in her attic until the ripe age of six. This Harry-Potter-esque treatment ...

  Image credit: Respawn Entertainment A lot of times games age out. It's just the nature of the beast. You go back to play Twisted Metal 2 and realize that the game looks like garbage and plays even worse. Now granted, that might be an unfair comparison since it's significantly older than Titanfall 2 , but my statement still stands.     Titanfall 2 does not fall into that category.     In the game, our protagonist Jack Cooper is a rookie rifleman of the future's "Militia" acting as a protege to a celebrated pilot. Pilots in Titanfall are the main guys and gals running the frontlines. They act in conjunction with their titans to be true heroes. Smarter. Stronger. Faster. Better, right? That's how it's going for Cooper's mentor until he gets wrecked by a couple mercenaries working for the IMC. Now it falls to Cooper to take over the slot and fill the mighty shoes of BT-7274. Alongside this titan, we have to learn how to wall run, switch weapons fast, and...