On the Verge of Lunacy

The tragic death of Deveren Larath's wife has driven him to seek other means of finding her murderer. A member and recently elected leader of a group of thieves, his search has found no trail. However recent events involving Byrn and Mhar has taken his attention. With the help of his brother Damir, the thieves, and unlikely allies Deveren discovers gruesome secrets of evil rituals and a conspiracy to bring the two kingdoms to war. What seems to be at a glance a short, light fantasy/mystery novel, King's Man & Thief was able to exceed my expectations. Although not exactly as complex as most novels fashioned after Tolkien's works, Christie Golden has managed to create a solid lead character, an elaborate pantheon that put color in the cultures of Mhar and Byrn, and she had no qualms including torture scenes and killing off characters. One of these characters the type of which you'd least expect to die. Christie did a fairly good job in creating a trap for the...

This comprehensive book on the chariot is comprehensive, engaging, reader-friendly, and well-organized. Casual readers need not worry about the names and events mentioned in the book because the author provides the necessary information. While students will find the notes and references section helpful for further studies. The book covers three continents and historical events and mythological scenes of the three epics, Iliad, Mahabharata, and Ramayana. It has eight chapters and several illustrations. The author discussed the possible origins of the chariot; its uses; modifications and variations of the chariot in each region; impact of the chariot on warfare; the use of weapons, armor, and;domestication of animals used for pulling, the formation of the armies in consideration of the chariots; the symbolism of the chariot; and finally the gradual decline of its use.  The following are the chapters included in this volume: I. Chariot Battle II. The Rise of the Cha...

John "Soap" MacTavish and John Price are back in the final installment of the three-part series after they survived the schemes of Lt. General Shepherd in Modern Warfare 2. They are now outlaws but that doesn't stop them from pursuing and putting an end to Vladimir Makarov's plans. The Campaign mode is divided into 3 acts. The player gets to play through different characters, mainly as Yuri, Soap's and Price's new ally against Makarov. The gameplay is the same in previous games. The player has to fulfill several objectives to get to the checkpoint and complete each campaign. Special Operations also features the same gameplay although the missions have more variety this time. The ranking system is a new feature where the player earns experience points and unlocks items and missions. There are two types of missions in Spec Ops; survival and mission mode. Both have 16 missions each which can be played co-op or single player. Although some peo...

Ryusuke Tsukumo  used to be just a chick magnet until he had an accident. After his brain operation he became a different man. In order to understand more about himself he pursued neuroscience and became foremost in that specialty. He was offered a job at the National Research Institute of Police Science. His resourcefulness and analytic skills were put to the test as he goes head to head with the most baffling cases. This 8-episode series is a must-watch. I got hooked right away in the first episode. Tsukumo's brilliant skills in putting together puzzle pieces of a case that don't exactly fit at first glance is intriguing and fun to watch. Add to that his antics with co-worker Kazune Yuri and the police/investigators Hayashida and Tanbara he continuously annoys and helps in the investigations.   It's a good mix of comedy, mystery, and drama. There are plenty of funny scenes but the more emotional scenes were delivered expertly. Viewers can also...

It has been fourteen days since my San Antonio Spurs lost for the first time in a finals series. I admit I cried after game seven although game six was even more painful. We almost won. Almost. Both teams played really well and it was only a matter of who made the most mistakes and which team would capitalize on those mistakes. What makes this loss even harder is that I didn't not know how to deal with it. Losing in the playoffs was easier to accept because it's not that close to the final goal. I was always so confident that we'd never lose.  When I learned that Miami Heat won against Indiana Pacers in the ECF I was a bit apprehensive. I've been hearing rumors about rigged games and stuff like that but I'd like to believe all teams have a fair chance at getting the championship. After all three of the last four teams that remained were low-market teams including the Spurs. I also thought it would be a great opponent for the Spurs. The last f...

Ken Iwase is the most miserable man in his best friend's wedding. Rei Yoshida is getting married to Tetsuya Tada, their former student teacher, and Ken cannot do anything about it. For years he has always loved his best friend but never got the chance to tell her his feelings. As Ken watches the newlyweds he is filled with regret for all the missed opportunities and misunderstandings with Rei over the years. During the slide show  in the wedding reception, he became even more despondent. Looking at the pictures reminded him of his happy days with Rei. Luckily for him, a fairy or yosei noticed his despair and offered help. From left: Eri, Mikio, Rei, Ken, and Tsurumi Ken was given several chances to travel back in time to change the events leading to each picture on the slide show. As the story progressed and more pictures were shown, Ken realized that he had wasted so much time and so many opportunities all the while thinking he was secured that Rei would be b...

du Picq gives insightful ideas on some ancient battles and the campaigns he witnessed during his lifetime. The book, which is both a commentary as well as a treatise on tactics in ancient and modern war, is divided into two major sections and includes a supplementary section of the author's related works. The first part is about ancient battles. du Picq highlights the major battles of Hannibal and Julius Caesar by differentiating the battle formations and the value of morale. However du Picq's main focus is the importance of understanding man's mind under pressure. The second part is more technical. It discusses combat methods, weapons, cavalry and infantrymen. This part of the book might be confusing to the reader not familiar with the battles and names in du Picq's time. The book does not focus on technical stuff like the correct battle formations, weapons, and others. The author emphasized several times that although the weapons and times have changed, even ...