On the Verge of Lunacy

Today I reread a novella of the Malazan Book of the Fallen series. The book tells how the manservant Emancipor Reese met his masters Bauchelain and Korbal Broach. Readers will recognize the three characters if they read the series. The tale began when Mancy's employer dies and he was forced to look for a job. The city he lived in at that time, Lamentable Moll, was agitated because of a rumoured killer who disembowels his noble victims. Sergeant Guld began an investigation. The King's daughter was also involved when she was found in the crime scene of the killer's latest victim. The Mortal sword of the Sisters was also involved when he vowed he would deliver justice himself. The readers who are already familiar with Bauchelain and Korbal already know who the culprit is so it sort of takes away the anticipation of the things to happen. Mancy's personality however is interesting to make me continue reading. Their past was not also mentioned in the series, so this is a sor...

Title : Warcraft: The Sunwell Trilogy Part one: Dragon Hunt Part two: Shadows of Ice Part three: Ghostlands Illustrated by Kim Jae-hwan Written by Richard Knaak This three-volume manhwa follows the aftermath of Arthas' destruction of Quel'thalas and the Sunwell.  The main characters, Kalec and Anveena, met at Lordaeron when Kalec was wounded. Kalec's pursuers killed Anveena's parents while they were looking for the two. They were attacked by another enemy, Dar'khan, and binds their magic by placing neck collars on them. It would have been over if they were not saved by Kalec's future mate, Tyrygosa. Later Anveena finds a dragon hatchling among the ruins of her home.  They then travelled to Tarren Mill to have the collars removed. They were found by the dragon hunter, Harkyn, the one who shot Kalec earlier. Fortunately Anveena was able to escape and met the paladin Jorad Mace.  Kalec and his hunters however were ambushed by the undead led by Dar'khan. He l...

Title : Midnight Tides 5th book of the Malazan Book of the Fallen series Author : Steven Erikson For the first time in the series, no Malazan was involved in the fifth installment although Erikson leaves enough names and places that will be familiar to the reader. The story focuses on the Tiste Edur and the Letherii. Two nations that are so different from one another. The book also shows the Crippled God's direct involvement with other beings providing the readers a glimpse of his plans and the extent of his madness. Although the focus of the story shifted, the book's theme is related to the fourth book, House of Chains. Midnight Tides highlights the relationship between leaders or gods and their followers and the identity of nations. The Letherii and Tiste Edur viewed each other as different people yet they both believed in destiny - that they are both destined for greatness. The Letherii sees conquest as an opportunity to expand and to expel outdated a...

A few years back I downloaded a game to pass time. I did not realize I will spend the next two years playing skirmishes and Defense of the Ancients for hours and hours. This review is a bit late but I feel that as a fan I have to write something about it. Warcraft 3: Reign of Chaos and Warcraft 3: The Frozen Throne follow up on the story of the aftermath of the Burning Legion invasion. The game begins with a warning sent to Warchief Thrall through a dream. The Prophet delivers this message as well to the other armies. Fans of the Warcraft universe will soon find out the true identity of The Prophet. The Orc campaign is one of the many stages the player has to go through to unlock the other campaigns.          Another campaign involves the humans. Prince Arthas Menethil is introduced. Later he would join Jaina Proudmoore to discover the source of the plague. The discovery led him to kill Kel'thuzad. The chase led him further into a trap that he would later ...

Title : House of Chains 4th book of the Malaza Book of the Fallen series Author : Steven Erikson This book begins with the story of Karsa Orlong. Those who have read the first three books in the series know him by the name of Toblakai. A quarter of the book is spent relating his journey to discover the place of their people in the world. The book spans all the previous three books so readers have to take note of some events that were mentioned earlier in the series so they do not miss the significance of said events. The readers also encounter the elder races here for the first time. These include: a Forkrul Assail, Tiste Edur, the Eres, and Tiste Liosan. Half of the story is also told from the point of view of a Tiste Edur and a T'lan Imass for the first time. The nature of the Tellann Ritual is examined here as well. The story focuses on the two important things that makes up this series. Readers will be presented with Korbolo Dom's long-term plans for the Malazan Empire...

Niko Bellic came to Liberty City to live the 'American Dream'. Instead he found himself entangled in Mafia wars and drug dealers. Despite all the criticisms and controversies connected to the franchise, GTA 4 has provided players a more complicated character and a memorable story. Before his cousin Roman convinced him to come to the city, Niko's was searching for answers from his past and trying to start life anew. Roman's gambling debts  and love affair plunged them into trouble. One death led to another and Niko found himself in the similar path he took in his past. He found friends along the way, but those friends consisted of arms dealers and steroid junkies. Niko was later betrayed by Dimitri Rascalov and when things got complicated in their group. Niko and Roman managed to escape and moved to another part of the city to start again. But this time Niko motivation was to get his revenge. Niko took jobs from a vigilante, drug dealers and befriended men connected t...

Title : Memories of Ice 3rd book of the Malazan Book of the Fallen series Author : Steven Erikson This book is more related to the first in this series. Several characters are introduced for the first time including new players. Familiar character present in Gardens of the Moon are also reintroduced. The plot of the series is finally presented here. The Crippled god shows up in the first part of the book. Whiskeyjack also returns, as well as Paran. This book serves as a turning-point to the story. It's filled with revelations about important characters, including the introduction of some of the young gods, elder gods and elder races. The book begins with a flashback of an important event that took place sometime in the past. At this point in the series, the reader must have a sharp memory of the previous books and pay attention to the events that will take place thereafter. References to other characters and events are scattered throughout the series and the significance might b...