Book Review

Just finished the biography  Augustus: The Life of Rome's First Emperor.  It makes a pretty good companion book to Rome (or at least it did to me.  I admit that somehow they all now look like Rome's actors in my head... except Marc Antony.  Somehow it's still as easy to see Marc Antony as Richard Burton as it is to see him as Rome's Marc Antony).  It shows where Rome gets it right (most of the characters on the show hit the right emotional notes, with perhaps being too harsh on Octavian recently, or at least Rome is more harsh on Octavian than the writer of the biography is, even as the biographer notes how chillingly terrible Octavian could treat family members who displeased him).  It makes a pretty good "and what happens to them all after the end of the series?" answer as well  (well, except Pullo and Vorenus of course).    

queenofthorns and I noted how very fictionalized the opening scene of the book is, but the author does explain that in the concluding chapter of the book, explaining why and how he had fictionalized that account.  Anyway, interesting account for history buffs as it travels much the same ground as Rome, though certainly a far more historically accurate account, and goes into greater detail over the struggles between Octavian and Marc Antony than the show can with its limited airtime.  

If you like history and would like more detail than Rome (and wouldn't mind knowing where Rome is fictionalized) it's actually a fairly interesting book.

Book Review

Just finished the biography  Augustus: The Life of Rome's First Emperor.  It makes a pretty good companion book to Rome (or at least it did to me.  I admit that somehow they all now look like Rome's actors in my head... except Marc Antony.  Somehow it's still as easy to see Marc Antony as Richard Burton as it is to see him as Rome's Marc Antony).  It shows where Rome gets it right (most of the characters on the show hit the right emotional notes, with perhaps being too harsh on Octavian recently, or at least Rome is more harsh on Octavian than the writer of the biography is, even as the biographer notes how chillingly terrible Octavian could treat family members who displeased him).  It makes a pretty good "and what happens to them all after the end of the series?" answer as well  (well, except Pullo and Vorenus of course).    

queenofthorns and I noted how very fictionalized the opening scene of the book is, but the author does explain that in the concluding chapter of the book, explaining why and how he had fictionalized that account.  Anyway, interesting account for history buffs as it travels much the same ground as Rome, though certainly a far more historically accurate account, and goes into greater detail over the struggles between Octavian and Marc Antony than the show can with its limited airtime.  

If you like history and would like more detail than Rome (and wouldn't mind knowing where Rome is fictionalized) it's actually a fairly interesting book.

Book Review

Just finished the biography  Augustus: The Life of Rome's First Emperor.  It makes a pretty good companion book to Rome (or at least it did to me.  I admit that somehow they all now look like Rome's actors in my head... except Marc Antony.  Somehow it's still as easy to see Marc Antony as Richard Burton as it is to see him as Rome's Marc Antony).  It shows where Rome gets it right (most of the characters on the show hit the right emotional notes, with perhaps being too harsh on Octavian recently, or at least Rome is more harsh on Octavian than the writer of the biography is, even as the biographer notes how chillingly terrible Octavian could treat family members who displeased him).  It makes a pretty good "and what happens to them all after the end of the series?" answer as well  (well, except Pullo and Vorenus of course).    

queenofthorns and I noted how very fictionalized the opening scene of the book is, but the author does explain that in the concluding chapter of the book, explaining why and how he had fictionalized that account.  Anyway, interesting account for history buffs as it travels much the same ground as Rome, though certainly a far more historically accurate account, and goes into greater detail over the struggles between Octavian and Marc Antony than the show can with its limited airtime.  

If you like history and would like more detail than Rome (and wouldn't mind knowing where Rome is fictionalized) it's actually a fairly interesting book.

Evolution Revolution

Pretty good article  

Depressingly wrongheaded comments *headesk*  The asinine stupidity and ignorance burns! *headesk*

Evolution Revolution

Pretty good article  

Depressingly wrongheaded comments *headesk*  The asinine stupidity and ignorance burns! *headesk*

Evolution Revolution

Pretty good article  

Depressingly wrongheaded comments *headesk*  The asinine stupidity and ignorance burns! *headesk*

WIP Meme

WIP meme gakked from spikewriter:

Turn to page 123 in your work-in-progress. (If you haven't gotten to page 123 yet, then turn to page 23. If you haven't gotten there yet, then get busy and write page 23.) Count down four sentences and then instead of just the fifth sentence, give us the whole paragraph.

---

From When Darkness Falls (Since it's a conversation, to make any sense of it, I'm posting part of the scene rather than just a paragraph.)

Spike pushed off and began swinging. “Even if there is a crusading connection, I don’t see the point of any of it. The Le Fey bird may have filled her talisman with hocus pocus from Avon, but the rest of them? Pfft.”

“Fairly dismissive of King Richard for a former British subject. What happened to the Pre-Raphaelite obsession?” Giles's tone was just shy of mocking.

“Pre-Raphaelite movement died and so did the Pre-Raphaelite.“ Spike flew off the swing, landing softly in the dirt. “The Master may prattle about tradition and history but it’s bollocks. He’s more interested in curses and black magic. A sword wielded by the Sultan of Egypt and a shield from of an absentee British monarch wouldn’t be of interest to old batface. It’s not a matter of what the artifacts are. It’s what they do.”

“Which, apparently, is nothing. As far as I can tell, whatever magic the talisman held dissipated long ago, and the sword and shield are exactly what they appear to be—a sword and shield.”

“So what now? Continue as curator of the Master’s private museum collection? Seems bloody pointless.”

“You have a better plan?”

“Well, yeah. What about killing him? Can’t very well start an apocalypse if he’s dead, now can he?”

---

From Perfect Vengeance:

Spike panted beside her. And, in lieu of the words she couldn’t form or even think, Buffy sought Spike's hand and threaded her fingers with his. He gave a squeeze and she did the same before turning onto her side, curling into him, and drifting to sleep.

(BTW - Spike is kinda, sorta human at this point in the fic, hence the panting.)

WIP Meme

WIP meme gakked from spikewriter:

Turn to page 123 in your work-in-progress. (If you haven't gotten to page 123 yet, then turn to page 23. If you haven't gotten there yet, then get busy and write page 23.) Count down four sentences and then instead of just the fifth sentence, give us the whole paragraph.

---

From When Darkness Falls (Since it's a conversation, to make any sense of it, I'm posting part of the scene rather than just a paragraph.)

Spike pushed off and began swinging. “Even if there is a crusading connection, I don’t see the point of any of it. The Le Fey bird may have filled her talisman with hocus pocus from Avon, but the rest of them? Pfft.”

“Fairly dismissive of King Richard for a former British subject. What happened to the Pre-Raphaelite obsession?” Giles's tone was just shy of mocking.

“Pre-Raphaelite movement died and so did the Pre-Raphaelite.“ Spike flew off the swing, landing softly in the dirt. “The Master may prattle about tradition and history but it’s bollocks. He’s more interested in curses and black magic. A sword wielded by the Sultan of Egypt and a shield from of an absentee British monarch wouldn’t be of interest to old batface. It’s not a matter of what the artifacts are. It’s what they do.”

“Which, apparently, is nothing. As far as I can tell, whatever magic the talisman held dissipated long ago, and the sword and shield are exactly what they appear to be—a sword and shield.”

“So what now? Continue as curator of the Master’s private museum collection? Seems bloody pointless.”

“You have a better plan?”

“Well, yeah. What about killing him? Can’t very well start an apocalypse if he’s dead, now can he?”

---

From Perfect Vengeance:

Spike panted beside her. And, in lieu of the words she couldn’t form or even think, Buffy sought Spike's hand and threaded her fingers with his. He gave a squeeze and she did the same before turning onto her side, curling into him, and drifting to sleep.

(BTW - Spike is kinda, sorta human at this point in the fic, hence the panting.)

WIP Meme

WIP meme gakked from spikewriter:

Turn to page 123 in your work-in-progress. (If you haven't gotten to page 123 yet, then turn to page 23. If you haven't gotten there yet, then get busy and write page 23.) Count down four sentences and then instead of just the fifth sentence, give us the whole paragraph.

---

From When Darkness Falls (Since it's a conversation, to make any sense of it, I'm posting part of the scene rather than just a paragraph.)

Spike pushed off and began swinging. “Even if there is a crusading connection, I don’t see the point of any of it. The Le Fey bird may have filled her talisman with hocus pocus from Avon, but the rest of them? Pfft.”

“Fairly dismissive of King Richard for a former British subject. What happened to the Pre-Raphaelite obsession?” Giles's tone was just shy of mocking.

“Pre-Raphaelite movement died and so did the Pre-Raphaelite.“ Spike flew off the swing, landing softly in the dirt. “The Master may prattle about tradition and history but it’s bollocks. He’s more interested in curses and black magic. A sword wielded by the Sultan of Egypt and a shield from of an absentee British monarch wouldn’t be of interest to old batface. It’s not a matter of what the artifacts are. It’s what they do.”

“Which, apparently, is nothing. As far as I can tell, whatever magic the talisman held dissipated long ago, and the sword and shield are exactly what they appear to be—a sword and shield.”

“So what now? Continue as curator of the Master’s private museum collection? Seems bloody pointless.”

“You have a better plan?”

“Well, yeah. What about killing him? Can’t very well start an apocalypse if he’s dead, now can he?”

---

From Perfect Vengeance:

Spike panted beside her. And, in lieu of the words she couldn’t form or even think, Buffy sought Spike's hand and threaded her fingers with his. He gave a squeeze and she did the same before turning onto her side, curling into him, and drifting to sleep.

(BTW - Spike is kinda, sorta human at this point in the fic, hence the panting.)