Smashbomb

"The first time I heard this was in 2012. I remember we were driving down the Great Ocean Road in Australia, the sun was out and hearing this, it was such an amazing song. And subsequently learning what it was about, or so the story goes, I don’t know whether it’s true or not but it’s an affecting story, which is the line ‘I couldn’t say it to your face, but I won’t be around anymore’ is about him either telling a lover or a friend that he’s HIV Positive and that his days are numbered. “Aside from it being an amazing song, I always think as a lyricist you want to be having conversations that you can’t have, that you’re too scared to have. If you’re making yourself uncomfortable then you’re doing something right, because there’s an incredible catharsis that comes with that. It really puts my issues into perspective, it is all relative, but it’s an amazing song and I think to be that honest and to be that authentic is an amazing thing and that’s when I always connect to music, when it’s doing that. “In the last few years Arthur Russell has had a real resurgence and that interest in him has snowballed. He had a million clubby projects and there’s a lot of his stuff that I don’t connect with, but the more direct, vulnerable stuff I really like. There’s the Love Is Overtaking Me compilation, it feels like a ‘Best of"

Source

Kudos

David McK (3372 KP) rated Knights of Dark Renown in Books

Aug 8, 2021

Knights of Dark Renown

David Gemmell | 1989 | Fiction & Poetry

8.0

(3 Ratings)

Book Rating

One of the rare(ish) David Gemmell stand-alone novels; [u]not[/u] part of any series such as the Stones of Power/Sipstrassi sereis, or even of the Drenai.

Indeed, there's only a single other reference made to the events of this in any of his other works: a throw-away line, briefly, during Morningstar.

The central character of this is Manannan, the Coward-Knight who once abandoned his other eight companions (the legendary 'Knights of the Gabala') to ride alone through a mysterious portal to another realm, and who is now (as the novel starts) trapped within his own armour and slowly being strangled to death by his own beard, as the armour was fashioned so that it could only be opened by passing through the portal.

As the land seems to be falling further and further into chaos, the rest of the novel deals with a terrible discovery made by Mannanan, and with the creation of a new Knights of the Gabala (the 'Knights of Dark Renown' of the title), most of whom - in true inimitable Gemmell style - start out as far from the ideal as it is possible to be!

I have to say, though, that I've always felt the ending of this story to be a little bit rushed: lots of work laying the groundwork; lots of 'meat' in the body and then it just seemingly ... ends. Almost as if Gemmell had gotten tired of the story!

Kudos

Joe Goodhart (27 KP) rated The Zodiac Paradox (Fringe, #1) in Books

Nov 30, 2020

My wife and I were late bloomers, getting into the show as it entered its 5th, and final season. We "binge watched" on Netflix, getting caught up, and then left with a craving for more after series ended. Enter 'Fringe: The Zodiac Paradox', the 1st in Christa Faust's trilogy that serves as prequels for the the three main characters: Walter and Peter Bishop, as well as Olivia Dunham.

Reviewing a number of reviews on here, as well as via Amazon.com, I found complaints that Walter's characterization was more in-line with his character in the show, not the 1968 "scientist" version. And, yes, that is true enough, the story and dialogue were good enough that I could overlook that issue, in head, reworking his persona, as I read it.

I am probably biased, as I am fan of 'Fringe', as well as having an interest of sorts in stories involving the Zodiac Killer, but I liked the book. Is it perfect? No, but, as I am finding these days - in books, newspapers/magazines, and even scrolling text on TV, spelling, grammar, and/or syntax have gone the way of the dinosaur! The errors were minimal, at worse, and the only character that appeared "off" was Walter. None of that, though, affected my appreciation of the story.

If you are looking for a good fix to fill your 'Fringe' void, you could do a heckuva lot worse. Try it, I think you may surprise yourself..