What? They're Still Coming In?
Colour me pleased. (According to Nick Kyme, that means green, but then he is under a lot of pressure, so we mustn't scoff.)
Earlier this week, I received an e-mail alerting me to a new online review of Rebel Winter, and it's cracking - probably the kindest and most eloquent review that any of my work has enjoyed so far (and that's saying something, you kind, eloquent people!).
The picture above is my Xbox avatar jumping for joy at the good review. The next one is a furious Steve raging over how much noise there is here in Tokyo. No writer should live here. Hell, they shouldn't even visit!
Anyway, if you're interested in said review, head on over to Red Rook Review. There's a great piece on Gav Thorpe's Malekith, too, written by the same guy - a Texan poet and novelist by the name of Keith Harvey. He certainly seems to love his Black Library books.
Let's see. What else is going on? Last week, I found myself halfway up the side of Japan's third largest volcano. The scenery was pretty amazing and bizarre. There are sharp black rocks all over the place, jutting up at every possible angle. Looking at them, you can't help but see twisted figures and animal shapes. One in particular reminded me of a massive wolf howling at the moon. There was also a pretty large ash cloud drifting up and out of the caldera at the top. Here's a pic that's a bit better than the ones I took:
The volcano, Mt. Asama, erupted most explosively in 1783 and really did a number on the whole region. Now, though, there are trees sprouting from the rocks, and greenery has returned, even though the volcano is still highly active. I'm definitely glad I checked it out. It was practically deserted. I even took the opportunity to 'visit' an abandoned museum/visitor centre halfway up the slope that seemed to have been struck and ruined by airborne rocks from a more recent eruption.
I generally don't recommend ignoring signs that say 'Danger! Keep out!'. It's not something I do on a weekly basis (sadly), but it was worth the small risk of death from falling masonry and collapsing floors. The atmosphere was intense, like a spooky old hotel. I guess no one had used the place in about twenty years, but I could really envisage what it had been like in its heyday. The photos on the wall were so old and sun-bleached that I could hardly see the detail, and the glasses left on the bar were covered with dust and ash. The wind blowing in through the smashed windows topped it all off, and there was a hell of a view. If only there had been a thunderstorm!
I love places like that... Sometimes, I wish I was the last human on the planet. (No, doctor, I was just joking. Honestly.)
Reading: Horus Heresy: The Collected Visions (just finished it today, actually)
Watching: Nature: Unforgettable Elephants (which really is unforgettable)
Listening to: Jim Swallow's Heart of Rage (okay, so I still haven't started it yet, but soon!)
Playing: Nothing, I tell you! Nothing!
Earlier this week, I received an e-mail alerting me to a new online review of Rebel Winter, and it's cracking - probably the kindest and most eloquent review that any of my work has enjoyed so far (and that's saying something, you kind, eloquent people!).
The picture above is my Xbox avatar jumping for joy at the good review. The next one is a furious Steve raging over how much noise there is here in Tokyo. No writer should live here. Hell, they shouldn't even visit!
Anyway, if you're interested in said review, head on over to Red Rook Review. There's a great piece on Gav Thorpe's Malekith, too, written by the same guy - a Texan poet and novelist by the name of Keith Harvey. He certainly seems to love his Black Library books.
Let's see. What else is going on? Last week, I found myself halfway up the side of Japan's third largest volcano. The scenery was pretty amazing and bizarre. There are sharp black rocks all over the place, jutting up at every possible angle. Looking at them, you can't help but see twisted figures and animal shapes. One in particular reminded me of a massive wolf howling at the moon. There was also a pretty large ash cloud drifting up and out of the caldera at the top. Here's a pic that's a bit better than the ones I took:
The volcano, Mt. Asama, erupted most explosively in 1783 and really did a number on the whole region. Now, though, there are trees sprouting from the rocks, and greenery has returned, even though the volcano is still highly active. I'm definitely glad I checked it out. It was practically deserted. I even took the opportunity to 'visit' an abandoned museum/visitor centre halfway up the slope that seemed to have been struck and ruined by airborne rocks from a more recent eruption.
I generally don't recommend ignoring signs that say 'Danger! Keep out!'. It's not something I do on a weekly basis (sadly), but it was worth the small risk of death from falling masonry and collapsing floors. The atmosphere was intense, like a spooky old hotel. I guess no one had used the place in about twenty years, but I could really envisage what it had been like in its heyday. The photos on the wall were so old and sun-bleached that I could hardly see the detail, and the glasses left on the bar were covered with dust and ash. The wind blowing in through the smashed windows topped it all off, and there was a hell of a view. If only there had been a thunderstorm!
I love places like that... Sometimes, I wish I was the last human on the planet. (No, doctor, I was just joking. Honestly.)
Reading: Horus Heresy: The Collected Visions (just finished it today, actually)
Watching: Nature: Unforgettable Elephants (which really is unforgettable)
Listening to: Jim Swallow's Heart of Rage (okay, so I still haven't started it yet, but soon!)
Playing: Nothing, I tell you! Nothing!
Labels: Rebel Winter, Sneakin' Around, Volcanoes
posted by Steve Parker at
4:30 PM
6 Comments:
Hey Steve, hope you like Heart of Rage - I'm really pleased with it.
Let me know your XBL id and I'll tag ya...
Hey Jim,
Great to hear from you. It's been a while. I've no doubts that I'll enjoy Heart of Rage, 'cos I hear great things about it.
As for XBL, if I ever opt to pay over the odds for online play again, I'll definitely send you my tag. If, on the other hand, you happen to have a PS3, we can kick ass together for free, in which case, drop me a private mail with your info and I'll add you to my friends list.
Ahem... after Rynn's World is finished, of course.
Mt. Asama looks awesome, mate. Who knows, maybe one day I'll get over to visit you and see it first hand. The spooky museum/visitor's centre sounds interesting too, and oddly like a location for an episode of Scooby Doo... :-)
Oh, love the avatar by the way - it looks like a shorter Simon Pegg. :-p (Sorry, couldn't resist... Colour me purple, if you like)
See, it's pictures like that which just make me jealous since I'm pretty much the only one of my group of friends that still hasn't managed to make it to Japan yet.
Makes me sulk.
And classy av, it actually looks like you....a fine feat since mine never ever do (partly on purpose and partly because....well I don't know why!).
@ Nick and Xhalax:
Thanks for the avatar compliments. Hah, that old Simon Pegg thing again, eh?
Somehow, though, it seems I've inadvertently ended up promoting Japanese tourism. Frak that! Read Starfish, people. Read it! The friends and relatives who've visited me out here so far have all said the same thing on going back to Blighty... that they won't be visiting Japan again (and I'm pretty sure it's nothing to do with my own hospitality).
Japanophiles get all starry-eyed about the place until they get here and find out they were way off the mark.
Visit Tanzania or Kenya instead (I know I would).
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