Elizabethan Demonology by Thomas Alfred Spalding

This is an essay about the belief in the existence of devils and is focused primarily on the Elizabethan era. It has a lot of references to Shakespeare's works so anyone who's not familiar with the works of the famous playwright will only find this confusing instead of being helpful.

The writer discussed succinctly the prevailing beliefs of the society in which Shakespeare grew up in. There are a lot of digressions in the essay. In the first part, the writer started off by discussing how classic writers might be misinterpreted and he went on to cite examples. It took him longer to get to the point of his essay.

He did a good job however in establishing the context in which the beliefs in demons and witches prevailed. He wrapped it up nicely too by analyzing the changes in Shakespeare's works over the years.

I also have to warn the reader about the writing style. He writes very long sentences and like I mentioned earlier, he sometimes goes off-topic just to make his point.

I recommend this only to those who are familiar with most of Shakespeare's works (unless you're willing to ignore the names of the characters unfamiliar to you).

I'm giving this a 7 out of 10 rating.

Stories From Le Morte d'Arthur and The Mabinogion by Beatrice Clay

This is a must-read for people who love the Arthurian legends.

The selections were chosen from The Mabinogion and Le Morte d'Arthur and were divided into eleven major parts. It was also arranged chronologically although there will be hints about the coming events in the first few chapters. Major characters like Lancelot, Merlin and others have sections or 'Books' dedicated to them.

I advise the reader to not skip the introduction. It provides some background about the legends, the sources, and even a little bit of history about Britain.

Except for the hints that will spoil the mysetery for first-time readers of the Arthurian legends, this a fun and easy read. Only the important figures were included in this as well as most of the well-known stories about Arthur and his Knights.

I'm giving this book a 9 out of 10 rating.

I recommend The Mabinogion by Lady Charlotte Guest for further reading.

The Mabinogion by Lady Charlotte Guest

This is a collection of twelve interconnected stories of the heroic age of the British Isles. Those who are fans of legends about King Arthur will find this book interesting. Note however that this is not exactly about Arthur himself.

There are some disputes to the meaning of mabinogion but I'll just go with the more popular translation of the word mabinogi which is "aspirant to bardic honor" or "someone who is apprenticed to a bard."

The following are the tales included in this book:
The Lady of the Fountain
Peredur the Son of Evrawc
Geraint the Son of Erbin
Kilhwch and Olwen or The Twrch Trwyth
The Dream of Rhonabwy
Pwyll Prince of Dyved*
Branwen the Daughter of Llyr*
Manawyddan the Son of Llyr*
Math the Son of Mathonwy*
The Dream of Maxen Wledig
The Story of Lludd and Llevelys
Taliesin

*Four Branches of the Mabinogion

The author provides an introduction about how she chose to include the twelve stories listed above.  She also provided a comparison between these tales and the Continental romance tales. I advise the reader not to skip this part because it is also important to know where these tales came from. Other than this introduction, the book does not provide analyses of the tales.

I recommend this to readers who are interested in Celtic mythology and the Arthurian legends. However, I have to warn about the style of which these tales were written, especially those who are not yet exposed to classic literature. Repetition of certain phrases and sentences here is common especially in the Twrch Trwyth.

I'm giving this book a 10 out of 10 rating.

Time Thieves by Dean Koontz

Peter Mullion woke up in his garage not knowing what had happened to him in the past few weeks. His wife and the doctor think he has amnesia. Yet he feels it's more than amnesia and so he began to search for clues. When he and his wife went out to eat, he saw a man he thought he recognized but he doesn't have a clue where he had seen him. And as he and his wife Della made their way to their resthouse, he began to feel that his mysterious disappearance was somehow connected to his trip there. He began to feel too that he was being watched. He saw the man again at the restaurant watching him from outside his home.

Things went from bad to worse as he had an episode of time-space distortion. He could not count and recognize numbers and he did not know where he was supposed to go. The trip to his office became a challenge. He passed out, then when he came to his senses, his wife told him he disappeared again for 3 days.

Was the man who had been watching him had something to do with his inability to remember the events in the past few weeks? Not only did he have to find an answer to that but he was also starting to 'hear' other people's thoughts.

This Dean Koontz novel takes the reader to the mysteries and power of the human mind as Peter sought to understand and control his newfound powers. It's fast-paced and Koontz's descriptive skills is impressive as usual. It reads like most of his suspense/sci-i novels but is much shorter.

Spoiler Alert! Skip to the next paragraph.


The ending however was something I did not expect. I can't be certain if Koontz's justification of Peter's choice to retain his telepathic ability was something he really believed was a good choice. It might also be an attempt to show that something as noble a motivation as love can be corrupted. Peter appears to be a contented man who does not wish to have something beyond his grasp. And yet he did not show any remorse for killing the beings who had given him back his life. It seems ironic that he kept saying that he did it for his love of Della and yet he seems to have forgotten that he would not be with her anymore if the Politins did not save him in the first place. He knew too that the Politins did not mean him harm and his death was an accident. But maybe Koontz did write it up that way so the reader can decide about it for himself.

I recommend this to any Koontz fan who wants to read his early novels. I'm giving this book a 7 out of 10 rating.

This book was published as an Ace Double in 1977.

A Look Back at Tim Duncan's Accomplishments

Collegiate:

Two-time ACC Player of the Year (1996–1997)

Three-time NABC Defensive Player of the Year (1995 to 1997)

NABC Player of the Year (1997)

John Wooden Award (1997)

Sporting News Player of the Year (1997)

Naismith College Player of the Year (1997)

USBWA College Player of the Year (1997)

Adolph Rupp Trophy (1997)

Two-time Consensus NCAA All-American First Team (1996 to 1997)

Made history as the first player in NCAA history to reach 1,500 points, 1,000 rebounds, 400 blocked shots and 200 assists

College Basketball Hall of Fame 2017

Rookie Year:

#1 Overall Draft Pick in 1997

Won NBA Rookie of the Month award every single month in his rookie season

NBA All-Rookie First Team (1998)

NBA Rookie of the Year (1998)

All-Star:

14-time NBA All-Star (1998, 2000 to 2011, 2013, 2015)

NBA All-Star Game MVP (2000)

NBA Shooting Stars Champion (2008)

10-time All-NBA First Team (1998 to 2005, 2007, 2013)

3-time All-NBA Second Team (2006, 2008, 2009)

2-time All-NBA Third Team (2010, 2015)

8-time All-Defensive First Team (1999 to 2003, 2005, 2007–2008)

7-time All-Defensive Second Team (1998, 2004, 2006, 2009–2010, 2013, 2015)

Only player in NBA history to receive both All-NBA and All-Defensive slots in his first 13 seasons

San Antonio has never missed the Playoffs throughout his career

MVP Awards:

Back-to-back NBA Most Valuable Player (2002 and 2003)

Championships:

5-time NBA Champion (1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2014)

3-time NBA Finals MVP (1999, 2003, 2005)

Career

Points 19.0 ppg .506 fg%

Rebounds 10.8 rpg

Assists 3.0 apg

Others:

Summer Universiade (1995, Fukuoka) - Gold

Goodwill Games (1994, St. Petersburg) - Bronze

FIBA Americas Championship (1999, San Juan) - Gold

FIBA Americas Championship (2003, San Juan) - Gold

Olympic Games (2004, Athens) - Bronze

USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year (2003)

Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year (2003)

NBA Teammate of the Year (2015)

List of Dean Koontz Books

I made a list of Dean Koontz books including those that are out of print, children's books, books with Trixie, short stories collections and a novella. More helpful information is indicated beside the year the book was published. I did not include the individual short stories, the graphic novels and screenplays.

I separated the list of the series at the bottom. Winter Moon and Icebound, and Invasion and Prison of Ice are all counted separately.

This will be updated everytime Koontz has a new book. If I forgot a title, please inform me by posting a comment.

I recommend that you visit deankoontz.com for more info about the author and his works.

 Total no. of books: 112

1.Star Quest (1968)
2.Fear That Man (1969)
3.The Fall of the Dream Machine (1969)
4.The Dark Symphony (1969)
5.Hung (1970) - wrote as Leonard Chris
6.Hell's Gate (1970)
7.Dark of the Woods (1970)
8.Beastchild (1970)
9.Anti-Man (1970)
10.Soft Come the Dragons (1970) - a short story collection
11.Demon Child (1971) - wrote as Deanna Dwyer
12.The Crimson Witch (1971)
13.Legacy of Terror (1971) - wrote as Deanna Dwyer
14.Warlock! (1972)
15.Time Thieves (1972)
16.Starblood (1972)
17.The Flesh in the Furnace (1972)
18.A Darkness in My Soul (1972)
19.Chase (1972) - wrote as K. R. Dwyer
20.Children of the Storm (1972) - wrote as Deanna Dwyer
21.Dance with the Devil (1972) - wrote as Deanna Dwyer
22.The Dark of Summer (1972) - wrote as Deanna Dwyer
23.The Haunted Earth (1973)
24.Demon Seed (1973)
25.A Werewolf Among Us (1973)
26.Shattered (1973) - wrote as K. R. Dwyer
27.Hanging On (1973)
28.Strike Deep (1974)
29.After the Last Race (1974)
30.Nightmare Journey (1975)
31.The Long Sleep (1975) - wrote as John Hill
32.Dragonfly (1975) - wrote as K. R. Dwyer
33.Invasion (1975) - wrote as Aaron Wolfe (see Wintermoon)
34.Prison of Ice (1976) - wrote as David Axton (see Icebound)
35.Night Chills (1976)
36.The Face of Fear (1977) - wrote as Brian Coffey
37.The Vision (1977)
38.The Key to Midnight (1979) - wrote as Leigh Nichols
39.The Funhouse (1980) - wrote as Owen West
40.Whispers (1980)
41.The Voice of the Night (1980) - wrote as Brian Coffey
42.The Eyes of Darkness (1981) - wrote as Leigh Nichols
43.The Mask (1981) - wrote as Owen West
44.The House of Thunder (1982) - wrote as Leigh Nichols
45.Phantoms (1983)
46.Darkfall (1984)
47.The Servants of Twilight (1984) - wrote as Leigh Nichols
48.Twilight Eyes (1985)
49.The Door to December (1985) - wrote as Richard Paige
50.Strangers (1986)
51.Watchers (1987)
52.Shadow Fires (1987) - wrote as Leigh Nichols
53.Lightning (1988)
54.Oddkins: A Fable for All Ages (1988) - children's book
55.Midnight (1989)
56.The Bad Place (1990)
57.Cold Fire (1991)
58.Hideaway (1992)
59.Dragon Tears (1993)
60.Mr. Murder (1993)
61.Winter Moon (1994) - see Invasion
62.Dark Rivers of the Heart (1994)
63.Icebound (1995) - see Prison of Ice
64.Strange Highways (1995) - collection of short stories
65.Intensity (1995)
66.Ticktock (1996)
67.Sole Survivor (1997)
68.False Memory (1999)
69.From the Corner of His Eye (2000)
70.One Door Away from Heaven (2001)
71.The Paper Doorway: Funny Verse and Nothing Worse (2001) - children's book
72.By the Light of the Moon (2002)
73.The Face (2003)
74.Every Day's a Holiday : Amusing Rhymes for Happy Times (2003)- children's book
75.The Book Of Counted Sorrows (2003) - collection of poetry
76.The Taking (2004)
77.Life Expectancy (2004)
78.Robot Santa: The Further Adventures of Santa's Twin (2004) - children's book
79.Life is Good! Lessons in Joyful Living (2004) - with Trixie Koontz
80.Velocity (2005)
81.Christmas Is Good!: Trixie Treats And Holiday Wisdom (2005) - with Trixie Koontz
82.The Husband (2006)
83.The Good Guy (2007)
84.The Darkest Evening of the Year (2007)
85.Your Heart Belongs to Me (2008)
86.Bliss to You: Trixie's Guide to a Happy Life (2008) - with Trixie Koontz
87.Relentless (2009)
88.Breathless (2009)
89.A Big Little Life: A Memoir of a Joyful Dog (2009)
90.I, Trixie, Who is Dog (2009)
91.Breathless (2009)
92.Darkness Under the Sun: A Tale of Suspense (2010) - novella
93.Trixie and Jinx (2010)
94.What the Night Knows (2010)
95.The Moonlit Mind (novella) (2011)
96.77 Shadow Street (2011)
97.Nevermore (2011)
98.Oddkins (2012)
99.Innocence (2013)

  Black Cat Mysteries or Mike Tucker Series
1.Blood Risk - wrote as Brian Coffey
2.Surrounded (1974) - wrote as Brian Coffey
3.The Wall of Masks (1975) - wrote as Brian Coffey

  Moonlight Bay Series
1.Fear Nothing (1998)
2.Seize the Night (1999)

  Odd Thomas Series
1.Odd Thomas (2003)
2.Forever Odd (2005)
3.Brother Odd (2006)
4.Odd Hours (2008)
5.Odd Apocalypse (2012)
6.Odd Interlude (2012)
7.Deeply Odd (2013)

  Frankenstein Series
1.Prodigal Son (2005) - with Kevin J. Anderson
2.City of Night (2005) - with Ed Gorman
3.Dead and Alive (2009)
4.Lost Souls (2010)
5.The Dead Town (2011)

Amaya

This epic of a binukot (princess) turned babaylan (priestess) and bagani (warrior) made history as it showcased Southern Filipino culture in a primetime TV series.

I was particularly impressed with the use of straight Filipino in the dialogues, the beautiful costumes and the fight scenes. A great deal of research and preparation were made for this.

The main character Amaya can be likened to most epic heroes. She had an unusual birth (had a twin snake) and had to face many challenges as she journeyed to fulfilled her destiny (tagna) to kill the then-reigning Rajah (king) Mangubat. Add to that the constant trials set by her father's wife, Dian Lamitan. But despite the oppositions she was still able to find allies, human and divine.

The main antagonist Lamitan was impressive too. Smart and cunning, she was able to manipulate people around her including her relatives to get where she wants. Essentially, she and Amaya were the same. Both women sought to change the prevalent beliefs of the society. But whereas Lamitan sought for power,the political power that apparently a woman cannot have at that time, Amaya used her gifts to bring peace to her life and to those around her.

The ending was great. I liked the message of the old Alunsina about not knowing one's own culture. I admit that I watched that series because I was mostly interested in the costumes, artifacts, mythical creatures, and the life of a babaylan. It's a shame that I learned so much more by watching the series than when I combine all the reading materials I've had over the years about pre-Spanish Philippines.

The series has 165 episodes and is the first historical drama in the Philippines. Kudos to GMA Network for making a great series!

Children of Odin by Padraic Colum

Padraic Colum retells the story of the struggle of the gods and goddesses to preserve beauty, freedom and wisdom against those who would wish to destroy everything. The book begins with the aftermath of the Ragnarok where the surviving gods picked up a tablet recording the events of the past. Colum then proceeds to narrate the exploits of Odin, Thor, Loki and the other Norse gods and goddesses.

The creation myth was retold through Heimdall's point of view in the middle of the book. The Volsung saga was also included in the last section just before the Twilight of the Gods.

Colum did a great job of trying to link together the events. The transition from one story to the next to create a one, flowing narrative is flawless, making it look like all the events are interconnected. It reads more like a novel than a compilation of stories.

This can be a great introduction to Norse mythology. I recommend this to anyone who's not yet familiar with the myths.

I enjoyed this book a lot. I'm giving it a 10 out of 10 rating.

The Edda Volumes 1 and 2 by Winifred Faraday

These books contain studies about the Eddas. It includes the explanation of the possible sources and history of the Eddas and the myths contained in those books.

A few selected stories were analyzed. Readers who are already familiar with those stories will find this helpful in understanding the myths.

I do not recommend them as an introduction to Norse mythology but rather as supplementary reading materials only. The second volume contains the story and includes the different versions of the Volsung saga. If the reader wishes to know more about the exploits of Siegfried and the people he encountered, I recommend reading the second book. I also do not recommend this to readers who are not familiar with any Western myths. Some names and events will be cited that beginners will find hard to understand.

Warlock by Dean Koontz

Modern man and his inventions survive only as relics of a forgotten past. What seems ordinary to us now are mere legends for the characters in this book. That period in the history is referred to as the Blank where it said that the earth's crust has shifted.

Shaker Sandow wanted to find out what happened during the Blank and if it was connected to his ability as a "master of the mind".

He was expecting the Banibaleers to arrive at Perdune. This small contingent of General Dark's forces were to investigate the ruins beyond Cloud Range and to gather information about the enemy, the Oragonians, who are rumored to have used the lost technology.

More than half of the book deals with the journey of Sandow and his two adopted sons with Commander Richter and his army. Little did they know that the Darklands was about to be conquered by Jerry Matabain and that they were the only ones who can save their people.

This book is interesting because of its combination of fantasy, sci-fi and suspense. It seemed quite ambitious but Koontz was able to pull it off. It became less interesting however when they met Berlarak's group. From then, every campaign was a success and they even managed to eliminate Jerry Matabian in an instant. I wish Koontz has stretched the story and offered more obstacles for the protagonists.

But even with such a short book, Koontz was still able to devlier an important message: that even if General Dark's forces were successful, the acquisition of the new technology will still lead men to more wars and possibly to another Blank.

This is a must-read for Koontz fans. I'm giving this book a 9 out of 10 rating.

***
This book was published in 1972 by Lancer and is out of print.

The Myths of the Norsemen by H.A. Guerber

This books which is composed of 29 chapters is a great introduction to Norse Mythology. Each major deity has a chapter dedicated to him or her. The first chapter introduces the reader to the creation myths and the battle of Bor and Bestla's sons against the giants. There are also separate chapters about the fairies, dwarves and giants.

The reader will be disappointed however if he is expecting a sort of chronological retelling of the tales leading to Ragnarok. The stories where each god is involved is included in the chapter about him.

There is however a comprehensive chapter of the Sigurd Saga. It is an advantage to the reader that the details come from various sources. There is also a short introduction and analysis of what the myths symbolized.

The only thing that is missing is an introduction of the cultures which made up these myths. It is important for readers who are new to Norse mythology to understand the kind of people who made up these stories, although the author did explain that the environment played a huge role in shaping the myths.

The last chapter was written badly. It is a comparison of Norse to Greek mythology. I was expecting a more scholarly type of analysis but he just listed down some names and events which have similarities to the latter. Other than that  this book still serves as a good introduction.

I'm giving this book an 8 out of 10 rating.