THE LAST LION: ALONE word count

The estimated word count for William Manchester's THE LAST LION: ALONE is 355,000 words. Another volume worthy to be included in the Huge Mangy Tome Project.

(Deus Vult)

ROLLING THUNDER next Varley Book

In an interview for Si Fi Wire, Varley revealed that he is currently writing the third book in what he is calling his "Heinlein Tribute" series: RED THUNDER, RED LIGHTNING, and now ROLLING THUNDER.

What's the Best Movie You've Never Seen?

A friend of mine, Dante, used to say this to me all the time, "What's the best movie you've never seen?" This was years ago when ID4 was being hyped. It didn't quite live up to the anticipation, but I have used this line to start conversations ever since. Thanks, Dante.

I am looking forward to the next movie in the Vampire-action genre, Ultraviolet, starring Milla Jovovitch, from the creator of Equilibrium, Kurt Wimmer.

I want to see Final Destination 3. Genre: Ingenious Teenage Gore.

Deep Space Rumble: UNDERWORLD EVOLUTION

This movie lives up to the potential hinted at in the first installment. The original Underworld showed great promise: They got the mood right, and the look was fantastic, but it fell flat in places. The character Kraven couldn't carry his needed weight, and the genetic plot convolutions were not given enough air time to make sense. This sequel, however, takes the original story and runs with it. All the elements from the first are realized in this second effort, the imortal Corvinus, and his two sons are characters, not just some cryptic references in a crumbling ancient tome. Selene (Kate Beckinsale) is a little more subdued in the sequel but her screen presence is undiminished, and she still doesn't blink when firing off her automatic pistols. And Micheal (Scott Speedman) finally becomes an asset. Underworld can now stand proudly beside the Blade trilogy as the state of the vampire movie art.

Deep Space Rumble: SERENITY

I got a chance to watch the last 3/4 of the movie Serenity the other day. I like the fact that it has a no name cast; fewer distractions. I was impressed with the characterization, all seemed to understand their place inthe universe. The crew reminded me strongly of the crew of the Betty in A L I E N Resurrection; both are fiercely loyal to their ruggedly handsome leader, both crews are COED and interracial, both crews are quasi-mercenary pirates existing in the shadow of the law, both are far from Earth. It should be no surrprise that both were written by the same guy, Josh Whedon. Serenity is clearly a post-Martix product, but manages to incorporate the obligitory martial arts scenes in a way that advance the story; in this case, revealing a side of the fugitive character River no one could have guessed at. I learned that this is the movie sequel to the short run TV series Firefly, which has a large fan base. Both are available on DVD. I plan to check them out.

Seventh Son

Finished SEVENTH SON. This is my 2nd read. This book is so smooth, so polished, so satisfying, that it is a wonder that the crafter of this tale would ever set down a dull word to paper. But sadly even the best writers are permitted only glimpses of glory.

(Deus Vult)