Friday, February 22, 2019

Booknote: Sisters of Battle

James Swallow, Sisters of Battle: The Omnibus. Nottingham, UK: Black Library, 2017.  ISBN: 978-1-78496-572-3.

Genre: science fiction
Subgenre: military scifi, Warhammer 40,000
Format: paperback omnibus
Source: I own this one.

This omnibus collects two full novels and two short stories written by James Swallow and featuring the Adepta Sororitas, the Sisters of Battle. We do not get many works featuring these warrior women of the 41st Millennium, so naturally I wanted to read this. Let's have a look at the contents.

The novella "Red and Black" had some good pacing, and it presented an ethical dilemma (the sentient clones) for Miriya and the other sisters as they realize all is not as it seems in a newly rediscovered imperial world. In the end, the taint of Chaos cannot prevail, but is the cost worth it? Miriya may be sure, but the readers not so much. It is a tale that offers a small element of horror to it.

The first full novel in this omnibus is Faith and Fire. Miriya and her team head out to Neva. The story starts with her team escorting a prisoner that, for some strange reason her superiors want to keep alive, a psyker witch. The prisoner manages to escape, and it falls to Miriya to capture him again. However, the witch is the least of her concerns as her superiors often make things difficult for her, and if that was not bad enough, the local ecclesiarchy authorities have a whole other agenda of their own, an agenda that involves Vaun the witch. Vaun also has an agenda of his own. Miriya needs to work around all of this to succeed. The novel starts a bit slow, but it does pick up the pace, especially after Sister Verity arrives. As the plot thickens, the story gets more interesting, leading to the inevitable confrontation of opposing forces. To be honest, I was not too happy with the ending for Miriya, but it does set things up for the second novel in the series: Hammer and Anvil. Sister Miriya is a strong, independent woman who does not always see eye to eye with her superiors in the Ecclesiarchy, but she does remain loyal and devoted to the Emperor.

The second novel of the series, Hammer and Anvil, is included in this volume. I had read it previously in paperback from my local public library. It is a work I enjoyed, and it provides a good continuation of Miriya' and Verity's tales. I had read this novel previously, and I reviewed the book previously here on my blog.

The omnibus ends with the short story "Heart and Soul." Sister Miriya and her squad are at the end  of a battle campaign at Meseda Quintus. They are about to launch their final offensive when another squad from another Sororitas order comes in wanting to take their work and glory away. What seems like petty political bickering soon acquires depth as the new squad has ulterior motives for their arrival. Miriya and her team soon find themselves in a fierce battle against Chaos forces, and they are confronted with a secret that could lead to major scandals. Overall, the tale was a nice way to close out this volume.

Overall, I really liked this volume. We do not get a lot of works featuring the Sisters of Battle, so this will give you a good set of tales.

4 out of 5 stars.



Friday, February 15, 2019

Booknote: American Gangster and Other Tales of New York

Mark Jacobson (author) and Malcolm Hillgartner (audio narrator), American Gangster and Other Tales of New York. Ashland, OR: Blackstone Audio, 2015. ISBN: 9781481582957.

Genre: nonfiction
Subgenre: essays, biography, true crime
Format: online audiobook
Source: Overdrive system of the Madison County (KY) Public Library


This book is a collection of essays and stories. The main story is the tale of Frank Lucas, the heroin dealer who went on to become the basis of the film American Gangster; Denzel Washington portrayed Lucas in the film. I picked this up via Overdrive out of curiosity since I saw it was the basis of the film. Turns out the book contains some other essays on mob life and other tales of New York City. Like many collections, some tales were more interesting than others. The book does give a pretty good portrayal of parts of New York City at the time.

The book starts with the story of Frank Lucas. The author notes that  he did spend time with Lucas, as Lucas by then was telling his story. We note the irony of Lucas claiming patriotism. He smuggled heroin in coffins of dead American soldiers returned from the Vietnam War. However, he clarifies it was not put in the body bags with  the bodies, but in the coffins. He claims he hired good carpenters to build coffins with false bottoms, and it was there the drug was smuggled, so as not to be sloppy nor disrespect a corpse. At one point, even Henry Kissinger's plane, was used by Lucas to smuggle drugs back into the U.S. Talk about brazen. Go figure.

The author also points out that had Lucas been born wealthy, he could have been a corrupt, powerful politician. He was born poor however, so he went on to become a rich gangster and drug dealer. To be honest, that does not say much about American society. If rich, an option is to become powerful and corrupt. If poor, the option then is to become powerful and corrupt as an outright criminal, as opposed to a white collar criminal, and rich in the process.

For the book as a whole, the author states the stories he presents here are different than his previous book. He does note that much of what he writes  about now does not exist anymore. For instance, Lucas' reign as a heroin dealer is long gone. The rest of the book collects essays he wrote for other things. Some of them are interesting and humorous.

Here is a sampling of some topics presented in the book:

  • Insight: it is harder for crooks to extort a place like Home Depot versus a mom and pop place. Why? A place like Home Depot is just too big. 
  • Find out where the most comfy couch in New York City resides. Plus, there is a good interesting story of a cigar maker in Chapter 2. 
  • There is a pretty humorous piece on filming a zombie movie. 
  • An essay on Charlie Rangel, the long time Harlem congressman. 
  • A good look at Chinatown,its gangs, and how the place has changed over time. A big part of the change is outside investors from places like Hong Kong; they can modernize the place, but also a part of the past is lost, not to mention the gangs' influence lessens.
  • On editors, they should write too, not just edit. So they keep in touch with  the agony that writing can be.

In the end, I liked the book. It was no big deal, but it did have some interesting stories of the city from the 1970s or so. The narration was good as well.

3 out of 5 stars.




Friday, February 08, 2019

Media Notes: Roundup for January 2019

 
These are the movies and series on DVD and/or online I watched during January 2019.


Movies and films (links to IMDB.com for basic information unless noted otherwise). Some of these I watched via TubiTv.com or other online source. The DVDs come from the public library (unless noted otherwise). In addition, I will try to add other trivia notes, such as when a film is based on a book adding the information about the book (at least the WorldCat record if available):

  • The Cabin in the Woods (2011. Horror, with a bit of comedy). I got curious about this film when I saw one of those best of horror lists online (can't remember where) recommending this. Initially, it starts like any other common horror film: bunch of college kids head out on vacation to a cabin in the woods. The college folks are even fairly stereotypical: a slutty female, a jock, a stoner, another nerdy girl, and a more scholarly guy. However, the movie soon takes a seriously deep twist as they discover there is way more inside and around that cabin.  The stakes get a lot higher as the great truth is revealed. As in many good horror movies, you do get bits of humor here and there. The last act of the movie there is a lot of detail. You may find yourself looking closely to get them. This movie shows that movie makers can still make a good horror film. If you have not seen it, and you like horror, you need to see this one. Via TubiTv. 
  • The Iceman (2012. Crime. Drama. Biography). Movie tells the story of Richard Kuklinski, a Mafia serial killer from the late 1960s into the 1980s. Captured in 1986, his family had no idea what he really did; that's how well he kept the secret from them. The film does portray him somewhat sympathetic. It still presents him as a cold killer, but at least from accounts I have read, the guy was a true psychopath who kept his family under a very tight control. Still, the movie is good enough to watch, but do keep in mind it is "based on a true story." I found it interesting. It does capture the time period fairly well. According to the credits, it is based on Anthony Bruno's book The Iceman: the True Story of a Cold Blooded Killer and on the documentary The Iceman Tapes: Conversations with a Killer (link to full interviews record). Movie does feature some known actors such as Ray Liotta, Chris Evans, and David Schwimmer. Michael Shannon portrays Kuklinski. Via TubiTv.




Television and other series (basic show information links via Wikipedia unless noted otherwise). Some of these come in DVD from the public library. Others may be via YouTube, which, as noted before, I keep finding all sorts of other old shows in it, often full episodes:

  • American Justice (1992-2005. Crime. Documentary). Documentary series that once aired on A&E and was hosted by Bill Kurtis. The series looked at various forms of crime, and the ending of each episode usually the justice system prevailed. Via YouTube.
    • "Mob Hitmen." Episode 63 in the series looks at mob hitmen with a focus on Philadelphia. Episode makes it a point to dispel the Hollywood myth of the well armed and well trained hitman. In reality, more often than not, hitmen worked out of need or convenience, whoever could get closest to a target. Any and all loyalties were out when an order to kill someone was given. In the time period the episode presents, of 50 "made men" or so, 30 or so died in mob wars. 
  • Endeavour, Series 1 (2013. Mystery. Crime. Drama.). The second spinoff series of the Inspector Morse series. This time we go back in time to see a  young Morse start his career as a Detective Constable. We begin to see some of the quirks and brilliance we will later see down the road. He is a college dropout, fan of opera, a bit impulsive but also begins to show signs of becoming a good detective. Here he is mentored and encouraged by Detective Inspector Thursday who sees the potential in him no one else does or wants to see. Via DVD from my local public library.
    • Pilot episode. In this episode, we meet Morse for the first time. He is brought into Oxford when they are short on detectives, and soon he is involved in a murder case of a young girl. The more he perseveres, the more obstacles and corruption he finds along the way to get to the truth. However, it is his keen sense of observation, deep thinking, and attention to detail that help him solve the case, with support from DI Thursday. A great first case.  
  • Endeavour, Series 2. (Mystery. Crime. Drama). This series includes four episodes.  Series continues to be very good and compelling.
    • In the opening episode, "Trove," it has been four months since the last series. Morse got shot and was almost killed. He now returns to duty but DI Thursdays worries about his mental state. Meanwhile, they get to investigate an apparent suicide but they soon discover there is a lot more along with a robbery, and Morse gets a brush at high corruption amongst the elites of Oxford. 
    • Note that the second series ends in a serious cliffhanger as the evil corruption in high places hinted at the start of this series surfaces. By the closing episode, "Neverland," no one knows who can be trusted.  
  • Endeavour, Series 3 (Mystery. Crime. Drama). Series contains four episodes. 
    • In opening episode, "Ride." Morse returns after the end of Series 2 where he was arrested for a crime he did not commit. The opening glosses over the inquiry, and while he is cleared, Morse is still traumatized. However, he cannot afford to stay out of detective work for long as a new case draws him back in. It is a case of some very rich people, some fair performers and magicians, and a con.  
    • The series is now moving into the 60s decade, a time of free love, communes, and social activism, and we see this in the second episode, "Arcadia." A wealthy merchant's daughter is kidnapped for extortion, but it turns out there is much more to it, including homicide. Also in this episode, Detective Sergeant Jake finds true love, and he leaves the force to go to the U.S. with his bride. 
    • In "Prey," there is a tiger on the loose, or so it seems given how victims are found. But it turns out there is more to it than just a wild animal. And in "Coda," the local mafia chief dies, and underlings are racing to see who can fill the vacuum. Within that, a bank robbery goes wrong, and there is a reason for that too. And DI Thursday faces the passing of time as his children are now adults and making out on their own. Overall, this continues to be a great series, and it manages to keep a feel for the original as well. 
  • Endeavour, Series 4 (Mystery.Crime. Drama). This series starts after the finale of Series 3; it contains four episodes. DI Thursday's daughter has left in light of the trauma of the bank robbery at the end of Series 3, and no one knows where. The 60s are now in full swing, and we get rock and roll, drugs, free love, and religious extremists trying to stop time and progress. Along the way in the episodes, we get bits and pieces of various historical events and references. Also in this season, adding to the mystery and adding a bit of an ominous feeling, episodes end right before the credits with a pair of old hands drawing a single Tarot card.
    • In "Game," a new machine, a computer, is going to play a chess game with a Russian chessmaster and scientist. However, murder is happening, and there may or not be a connection to the computer team. 
    • In "Canticle," The Wildwoods are the latest teen heartthrob band. They are cool. They are hip. They do a good bit of drugs too. They seem to have it all, including the attention of a right wing conservative Christian widow on a crusade for decency, including banning music like The Wildwoods. However she herself may have a skeleton or two in her closet as well. Meanwhile, people start dying connected to the band.  
    • In "Lazaretto," Superintendent Bright suffers from an ulcer and gets hospitalized. His luck that he gets put in bed number 10, which has a reputation that those assigned to it tend to die. Meanwhile, Thursday and Morse have another murder to solve, plus they work to keep a criminal under witness protection alive. But that is the least of the mysteries in this hospital. 
    • In "Harvest," it is the fall equinox. A scientist goes missing in a rural town, a town that so happens to be next to a nuclear power plant. Is there a connection? And Morse gets a job offer to go work at The Met (Metropolitan Police, in London). Oh, and we finally get to see who has been laying out the Tarot cards at the end of the episodes in this series. Overall, a tense but good end to this series.  
  • Endeavour, Series 5 (Mystery. Crime. Drama). This set contains 6 episodes. The late 1960s are in full swing. As a curious detail, some of the episodes end with references to specific historic events, which help you place the time period. Also you get a few other historical references if you pay attention. In this season, a new mob of Black folks, mainly Jamaican, move in to overtake the local mob led by Nero. Meanwhile, Cowley Police Station is getting consolidated, and so the station will be shut down, its officers sent to other assignments. Within that context, we get various murders and mysteries still taking place ranging from old actors to the military to Cold War espionage.  Overall, the series continues to be interesting, enjoyable, and quite engrossing. Unfortunately, Series 6 is coming out in UK in February of 2019, which means it will be quite a while before it gets to the U.S., let alone on DVD. Still, best way to watch this is on DVD with no ads, and you can watch it all at once. In a final note, this series often makes references, some very subtle, to the original series Inspector Morse. I may, while I wait for new episodes, go back and watch Inspector Morse once more.



Booknote: The 50th Law

50 Cent and Robert Greene, The 50th Law. New York: Harper Studio, 2009  ISBN: 978-0-06-177460-7.

Genre: nonfiction
Subgenre: self-help, personal development, celebrity books, biography
Format: paperback
Source: Berea branch of the Madison County (KY) Public Library


I saw this book in the returns shelf of my local public library, and I picked it up out  of curiosity. The  book is a self-help/personal development text. Even though 50 Cent is named as author, the book feels more written by Robert Greene who uses 50 Cent's life and experiences as a case study.

At the beginning of the book, Greene explains how he met 50 Cent (Curtis Jackson) in 2006. The rapper was a fan of Greene's previous book, The 48 Laws of Power. Greene notes that in talking to the rapper he saw they both had a common way of thinking, looking at what people are really up to. 50 Cent developed his keen sense of looking at the world in the streets; Greene did so by studying history and observing behaviors  in Hollywood, where he had worked. This book then is the result of conversations as well as Greene spending time observing 50 Cent at work and his personal life. From all that, Greene noticed the patterns that would make the 10 chapters of this book.

In the 10 chapters, Greene starts with a quote that may be from 50 Cent or some other famous person. He then tells a story of 50 Cent's life to illustrate the point of a chapter. In addition, Greene adds stories of other famous persons who were also fearless. Then Greene provides some points of advice for readers to develop as well. That is pretty much the basic structure of the book.

In a nutshell, the 50th Law is to lose your fears. Your fears are your prison. Once you learn to lose your fears you will be free, and once you are free, you will gain a  new sense of power to do what you need and wish. This does not mean to be reckless. Along with being fearless you are also observant, and you seek opportunities. But being fearless gives you power of confidence and a sense of urgency  to act  now. Those are the bare basics, and the rest of the book develops the ideas further.

The book overall is interesting. It also displays a bit of an aggressive tone, no doubt reflective of 50 Cent, but that goes well with the overall message. In advising ruthlessness, the authors can seem a bit Machiavellian (and yes, they do quote Machiavelli at one point), but then again, it is a hard world we live in, and you have to stand up for yourself. The stories and examples are interesting as well. However, the book can get a bit repetitive at times; there are only so many  ways to say shed you your fears.

Still, the book is a good read. Of the many self-help/personal development books out there, this is pretty good and better than most. It is accessible and easy to read. Overall, I liked it.

3 out of 5 stars.


* * * * * 

Additional reading notes:


Summing up the book's philosophy:

"In the end, this is a book about a particular philosophy of life that can be summed up as follows-- your fears are a kind of prison that confines you within a limited range of action. The less you fear, the more power you will have and the more fully you will live" (x). 

How the media manipulates fear to get attention. We see this on a daily basis now:

"In the evolution of fear, a decisive moment occurred in the nineteenth century when people in advertising and journalism discovered that if they framed their stories and appeals with fear, they could capture attention. It is an emotion we find hard to resist or control, and so they constantly shifted our focus to new possible sources of anxiety: the latest health scare, the new crime wave, a social faux pas we might be committing, and endless hazards in the environment of which we are not aware. With the increasing sophistication of the media and the visceral quality of the imagery, they have been able to give us the feeling that we are fragile creatures in an environment full of danger-- even though we live in a world infinitely safe, and more predictable than anything our ancestors knew. With their help, our anxieties have only increased" (4). 

Politicians and political parties' operations also deploy fear regularly to get voters "motivated." The catch is fear is not exactly a good "motivator" long term. Fear is not something designed to be on all the time. But it is a great tool for politicians and media without scruples nor ethics to get attention and power. Thus you need to learn to observe and lose your fears so you are not manipulated.

The greatest danger:

"Truth's words apply to you as much as to Fifty: the greatest danger you face is your mind growing soft and your eye getting dull" (32). 

Do not let yourself get complacent, never stop paying attention, and realize you cannot avoid reality.

"Reality has its own power-- you can turn your back on it, but it will find you in the end, and your inability to cope with it will be your ruin. Now is the time to stop drifting and wake up-- to assess yourself, the people around you, and the direction in which you are headed in as cold and brutal a light as possible. Without fear" (33). 

For me, the above also explains a bit why I find it so difficult to disconnect. I feel like I will miss something that may be important. Key is balancing the need to be attentive and alert, vigilant, without succumbing to fear.

Napoleon had a superior grasp on reality, and so should you:

"Your goal is to follow the path of Napoleon. You want to take in as much as possible with your own eyes. You communicate with people up and down the chain of command within your organization. You do not draw any barriers to your social interactions. You want to expand your access to different areas. Force yourself to go to events and places that are beyond your usual circle. If you cannot observe something firsthand, try to get reports that are more direct and less filtered, or vary the sources so you can see things from several sides. Get fingertip feel for everything going on in your environment-- the complete terrain" (40-41). 

You need to get to the root of problems to solve them:

"When you do not get to the root of a problem, you cannot solve it in any meaningful way. People like to look at the surfaces, get all emotional and react, doing things that make them feel better in the short term but do nothing for them in the long term" (41). 

On true ownership:

"True ownership can only come from within. It comes from a disdain for anything or anybody that impinges upon your mobility, from a confidence in your decisions, and from the use of your time in constant pursuit of education and improvement" (55). 

On not just waiting for things:

"The hustler thinks: 'I must make the most of what I have, even the bad stuff, because things are not going to get better on their own. It is foolish to wait; tomorrow may bring even worse shit'" (77). 


On the need for mental flow (plus why most college and university faculty and academics are so myopic):

"Knowledge has once again hardened into rigid categories, with intellectuals shut off in various ghettos. Intelligent people are considered serious by virtue of how deeply they immerse themselves in one field of study, their viewpoint becoming more and more myopic. Someone who crosses these rigid demarcations is inevitably considered a dilettante. After college, we are all encouraged to specialized, to learn one thing and stick to it. We end up strangling ourselves in the narrowness of our interests. With all of these restrictions, knowledge has  no flow to it. Life does not have these categories; they are mere conventions that we mindlessly abide  by" (108-109). 


Like DaVinci, develop and nurture hunger for knowledge:

"You must develop this spirit and the same insatiable hunger for knowledge. This comes from widening your fields of study and observation, letting yourself be carried along by what you discover. You will find that you will come up with unexpected ideas, the kind that will lead to new practices or novel opportunities. If things run dry in your particular line of work, you have developed your mind along other lines that you can now exploit. Having such mental flow will allow you to constantly think around any obstacle and maintain your career momentum" (109). 


A paradox in life:

"By a paradoxical law of human nature, trying to please people less will make them more likely in the long run to respect and treat you better" (132). 


A lesson to heed (this applies to many liberals today who keep wanting to play "nice" and calling for "civility"):

"Think of it as war-- short of unnecessary violence, you are called to do whatever it takes to defeat the enemy. There is no nobility in losing if an injustice is allowed to prevail" (141). 




Friday, February 01, 2019

Booknote: Family Affair

Sam Giancana and Scott M. Burnstein, Family Affair: Greed, Treachery, and Betrayal in the Chicago Mafia. New York: Berkley Books, 2010.  ISBN: 978-0425-22831-9.

Genre: nonfiction
Subgenre: true crime, Mafia, Chicago
Format: paperback
Source: Berea branch of the Madison County (KY) Public Library


This book is a collection of stories about the Chicago Mafia, also known as The Outfit. The stories in the book take us from 1986, when the Spilotro brothers were murdered, to the first decade of the 2000s, when Operation Family Secrets closed and led to major convictions of key Chicago Outfit members. The operation was a success largely due to a made man of The Outfit, Nicholas "Nicky Breeze" Calabrese, who turned government witness.

Some readers may know of Tony Spilotro from the film Casino (in the movie, it Joe Pesci's character). Little did the Mafia know his murder would set off a chain of events leading to serious damage to the mob decades later. The book itself is interesting albeit inconsistent. Some stories are more interesting than others. Other stories are just minutiae that adds little to the overall story and feel like filler. Also, this is not a chronological history of the Chicago Outfit. It is more a collection of connected stories that mostly, but not always, follow a sequence.

If you are interested in the topic of the Chicago mob, this book can provide a start. However, you may want to seek out other books to learn more. Overall, I liked it, but it was no big deal.

3 out of 5 stars.