Last week I had the pleasure of watching two movies, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. I enjoyed both movies tremendously.
To be honest, I was particularly worried about Dungeons & Dragons, because, let’s face it, the previous attempts at making D & D movies have been of questionable quality. My fears were unfounded. This movie was fun from the outset. The characters were interesting; the action was cool, and there were plenty of references to the games and books. It surprised me I remembered so many details.
For me, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was a grand slam. This movie took the characters introduced in the first movie and brought them full circle. It was compelling, heart-wrenching, and heart-warming in ways I didn’t expect. And it was a lot of fun. I don’t want to say more for fear of spoiling things, but if you have any interest in Guardians of the Galaxy, check this one out. As always, the music choices were pretty awesome, too!
I recently finished the most recent book in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series. Unfortunately, this means I have to wait several months for the next installment! Listening to these books was the most fun I’ve had in a long time. I enjoyed the series so much I recommended it to my wife and some of my friends. They are enjoying it as well. Since it was so good, I’m recommending it to all of you. Though the stories and characters are completely different, the interactions in Dungeon Crawler Carl have a similar vibe to the relationship between Joe and Skippy in the Expeditionary Force Series, another favorite of mine. Check it out. Though the books probably read fine, Dungeon Crawler Carl is another one that really shines in audio format, so I would recommend that if you like audiobooks.
(Note: the links above are affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking on them, I may receive a small commission. Thank you for your support.)
Mechhaven Missives
- I should receive feedback from my editor on Mechhaven Book 4: Rally Point any day now. In the meantime, I’ve started working on Mechhaven Book 5. So far, I’ve completed one scene and have started a second. I’m planning on getting some more writing done this weekend.
- Once I receive Book 4 edits back, I’ll be planning several promotions for the release of Rally Point. I should know more by the time of the next newsletter. You’ll be the first to find out about any upcoming promotions.
- BREAKING NEWS!!! Overnight, I received a message from my editor with his feedback on Rally Point. Exciting times ahead. I’ll start the final editing and manuscript preparation process ASAP. Wish me luck. More news in two weeks!
Mech of the Month
In March, we had Mazinger Z. In April, we had Voltron. Now, without further ado, the Mech of the Month for May is the veritech fighters from Robotech!
These mecha are so cool! They have three modes: a basic Fighter mode that similar to an F-14 Tomcat, a Battloid mode that is a humanoid-shaped mech that moves like a human and carries an enormous gun. The third form is a Guardian mode, which is the fuselage of the fighter with the arms and legs of the battloid mode deployed. This sounds (and looks) weird, but it grows on you, and makes for some interesting action sequences.
Robotech is composed of three series, The Macross Saga, The Masters, and The New Generation. Each featured variations on the robotechnology. The veritech fighters I’m referring to are specifically from The Macross Saga. However, I have to give honorable mentions to the hover tanks from The Masters and the motorcycle-based cyclones of The New Generation. There were also some newer versions of the veritech fighters in The New Generation that were really neat.
Robotech began airing in 1985 and ran for 85 episodes. It was a departure from most other cartoons of its day. Namely, the show was serialized, meaning it was one continuous story. The events from one episode directly affected the following episodes. This was a stark contrast from other cartoons of the time, which had little or no connectivity between the episodes besides the main characters.
Another big difference between Robotech and other cartoons at the time was that actions had consequences. The characters were defending the earth from alien invaders. People were injured and even died! The deaths of a couple of key characters throughout the series had a lasting impact on the rest of the series. As kids, back in the day, this hit us hard. Characters could die? WTF? This is some serious s**t, especially compared to shows like G.I. Joe and the Transformers, where major battles occurred with bullets, lasers, and explosions filling the screen and characters walked away without a scratch. If they were injured or knocked out, it was only until the end of the episode.
The relationships between the characters in Robotech were more realistic and mature than other shows. This contributed to the growth of several main characters and the overall storyline. I think this may have also been why, at least at my school, high schoolers watched this series without feeling they being too immature for watching cartoons (Yes, this used to be a thing). I remember talking with several upperclassmen about the show and being surprised that they actually watched and enjoyed it.
Robotech remains one of my favorite animation series. There are so many things I enjoy about it, including the theme song, the action sequences, and score. I often watch key episodes when I’m preparing to write important scenes in my books. I can think of one scene in particular from On Darkhaven Forged that was inspired by the battles in Robotech. Let me know if you can guess which scene it was!
Featured Authors
This week’s featured authors include Drew Avera/Rick Partlow, Zee Kelley, and Merick N.H. Ulrik. I was pleased to find a mech-related book to include this week! Please help support these authors who also support me. Thank you!
by
Rick Partlow and Drew Avera
Nathan Stout was born to save the world.
Cloned from the genes of heroes past, tossed aside when the Army abandoned the program, Nate has seized his own destiny. Forming the Broken Arrow Mercenary Force, he leads a team of hired guns piloting cutting-edge mechs in a last-ditch effort to restore a United States he never knew.
by
Zee Kelley
A quest to stop the black bane.
During the previous full moon, the ancient salvus trees prepared to display their fall colors and stood sentry over the Florix tribes who lived in the branches below. But, as fast as storm clouds rolling in, a fatal black sludge attacked the plant life, poisoned the water, and left the forest people sick and dying. Painful black boils appeared on farmers’ and herb-gatherers’ hands and arms, and in mere days the killing disease spread to entire families. Within a month, the bane decimated entire villages. Nothing would stop the spread of death. Not even their healer’s magic.
by
Merick N.H. Ulrik
How does an innocent young girl become an all powerful evil Blood Queen?
But with greed and decadence and a desire for power there came a vacuum, a rift in the universe which gave an opening for an extreme old evil to gain form and power once again. When evil is allowed to choose its form it doesn’t come in the form of a gory beast but in the most seductive form possible.
Featured Promotions
I have one new promotion and one previous promotion this week. Please take a look and support these authors if you see anything you like!
Contest!
I belong to the IASFA (International Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Authors). The organization is currently running a promotion to help grow its mailing list. If you sign up for their monthly newsletter, which includes free books and other promotions, you will be entered to win a Kindle Fire HD10. This is a very helpful organization for authors. Please sign up if you are interested.
https://kingsumo.com/g/k9xsho/kindle-fire-hd10-us-only-giveaway
Until next time, have fun and read a lot of books!
Greg Sorber
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