Kage Baker that is, one of the hotter new SF authors of the past decade, and Company of course refers to The Company novels she is best known for.  I just finished the latest "The Machine's Child" and wow, what a ride.  From the future to the depths of the past, all forces are building to the final confrontation in the 24th century with the time traveling corporation from which the series takes it's name.  Many familiar characters have a number of interesting and sometimes awful things happen to them, many plans are laid, the nature of religion is discussed, and Botanist Mendoza gets laid.  If you aren't familiar with the series to date, go get "In the Garden of Iden" and start remedying that.  I'm guessing that this is the penultimate book, although I confess I thought that after reading the previous book as well, so Kage is still surprising me by heading off in unexpected directions.  In any case, highly recommended and marked for eventual acquisition.  

Grade A+ 

Posted by bookwyrms at 10:41 PM EST

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It could almost qualify as the perfect weekend.  The Brownies won a game most experts said they shouldn't have in beating the Jets.  And they looked almost clued in on offense, which is certainly a major change from past weeks.  It remains to be seen if Davidson is the answer at offensive coordinator, but he could hardly have been worse than Carthon, and so far, it looks like he's an improvement.  But that's not what makes the weekend perfect.  Oh no.  It's not enough that the Browns won.  

The Steelers LOST to Oakland.  

 Let that soak in for a moment.   The Steelers got beat by what most people consider the worst team in the NFL this year.  A team even Cleveland beat before sending Carthon on his way.  The Super Bowl Champions have no more wins than the Browns.  Oh Frabjous Day!

I'm off to dream of a world where the Browns end up the season with a better record than the Steelers.  I'm sure cold, cruel reality will disappoint me eventually, but until then, pleasant dreams indeed. 

Posted by bookwyrms at 9:37 PM EST

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It's only fitting that almost immediately after the Indians season whimpered mercifully to a close, the one positive thing about Cleveland sports began practicing again.  Thank God for the Cavaliers.  Cause the Brownies sure aren't going to take away the stench of defeat from anyone's nostrils anytime soon.  Although, we can guarantee they won't loose a game next week.  Aren't bye weeks lovely?

The Indians season ended with more questions than it began, the potential return to contention that seemed so likely after last season now at least a year (perhaps more) away.  But questions about closers and second basemen can wait.  Because the CAVS are back in town!   Can I get an AMEN?!

 Sure, there are plenty of questions about the Cavaliers as well.  But most of them involve how the team can improve and build on it's current success.  The players are on record saying they won't be satisfied with anything less than a title.  Certainly a target worth shooting for and just maybe one that this team can pull off.  They've got a long way to go, and the title is clearly a longshot, but you have to like the fact that the team has clearly set it's sights high this year. Better to fail high expectations than to live down to mediocre ones.

Posted by bookwyrms at 5:28 PM EDT

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Just got done watching the pilot, (Jeers to NBC for their broken links to the online pilot, Cheers to the ever reliable Shareza) and my first reactions weren't all that favorable.  The start is rather slow and the pretentiousness of the voice overs and beginning title did little to endear me to the show.  It took a bit too long to show someone who's powers were clearly not a delusion.  Although he is clearly supposed to be a sympathetic character, I found Hiro rather grating, perhaps a bit TOO much of a loser.  And I still have no idea whatsoever what Nikki's (the stripper) power actually is (not really a complaint, but I think they could have hinted just a bit more, right now it looks like she's just nuts).  I'm still not completely convinced that a lunar eclipse could be visible from both New York and Japan, and I know that the sun could not be almost directly overhead in both locations as it appears to be in the show.  Yet I think I'll still be looking for the next episode.  Why?  Because they got me at the end with a twist I probably should have seen comming (they dropped a fairly big hint and I missed it).  Because there is obviously some secret behind Claire's father.  Because they've given me just enough to want to know more.  Because even though most of the characters are obviously not playing with a full deck, they're still interesting enough to make me want to know what's going on.  But this is a limited repreive.  Unless things pick up a bit more in the upcoming episodes, I'm outa here.

Posted by bookwyrms at 6:23 PM EDT

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So, the Browns lost again and dropped to 0-3 on the season.  At least it wasn't an ugly loss, just the usual blow it in the last minute horrorfest all Browns fans know a bit too well.  But there is reason to hope.  The team played at least 200% better than the previous two weeks and against a tough opponent too.  Admit it folks, none of you REALLY expected the Browns to beat the Ravens this time.  And yet, with playcalling that actually made use of the Browns limited offensive weapons even on third down consistently for the first time this season (Thank you Kellen Winslow for saying what needed said, even if you said it to the wrong people), the Browns were in a position to win this game.  They lost because they stayed aggressive and went for the kill when nibbling the clock away might have been better, something that is hard to fault them for, particularly when missing their best running back.  Yes, despite the loss, there was cause to celebrate in Cleveland last week.  And also cause for concern.  For in Cleveland sports there can never be any sunshine without a dark ominous cloud somewhere on the horizon.  The cloud in this case is obvious.  Charlie Frye cannot continue to take this kind of beating on a weekly basis and expect to finish the season on the field instead of watching from the sidelines.   Even if he survives the season, his career could be shortened significantly.   Sadly, there is little the Browns can do at this time to improve the line.  Here's hoping something gets worked out, before it's too late.

Posted by bookwyrms at 5:09 PM EDT

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