Happy Birthday to Awesome

For months now, Gina has said some comment about how she is so not looking forward to her 40th birthday. I usually keep my quiet, knowing this is a sensitive issue, but...

I'm excited for her 40th! So why? Because that means I've had another year to live in the presence of this spectacular woman who has brightened my life since we started dating oh-so-many years ago. For me, her getting older means I'm getting older with her. And I'm pretty cool with that.

Happy birthday Awesome!

Yeah, I'm Enjoying This

 Earlier this week, we ventured down to Clearwater Beach, Florida. While these pictures are from our last trip there, I have been sitting on a beach this week, enjoying views like this.

Tampa Bay Rays Game

This is from last year, but tonight I'll be watching the Rays take on the Red Sox from a similar location. Go Rays!

Iron Man 3: A Review--SPOILERS

SPOILERS contained herein.

First, let me say that I'm a lifelong Iron Man fan (I was reading the comics in the 80s and 90s), so I'm pretty much going to like a movie that puts Tony Stark in a suit of armor and has him kicking bad guy ass.

In this latest installment, a long-ago encounter returns to haunt Tony Stark, and one of his wisecracks unleashes the forces who hope to profit from fear mongering and weapons sales.

So what does Iron Man 3 get right? As always, Robert Downy Jr.'s portrayal of Tony Stark is spot on. Wise cracks, petulance, and an obsessive "tinkering" building and improving on the Iron Man technology. In this movie, he's also haunted by what occurred in 2012's Avengers. Also, this franchise has been spectacular at capturing the "operation" of the Iron Man suits: From their sometimes bugginess, to JARVIS's hugely important role, to their power that often surprises Tony himself.

The movie captures the Extremis (for those who are unaware, think super soldier via a virus) and Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce) quite well. Aldrich is still hurting from the long-ago snub and is out to make a fortune, and his transformation from a sad, pathetic man to a powerful villain is well done. The filmmakers held off on Aldrich showing his Extremis powers until later in the movie.

Then there's Mandarin. And here is my quibble with the film. Within the context of the film--i.e., if all you know of Iron Man is the three movies--then what was done with Mandarin makes sense. Mandarin, played by Ben Kingsley, is a fictional terrorist created by Aldrich to, essentially, cover up Extremis experiments gone bad that he can manipulate to his purposes. Ben Kingsley's Mandarin turns out to be a drunken British actor named Trevor Slattery. Kingsley performs admirably in both personas. After Slattery is revealed, the movie takes a less serious tone (up to then it was about the terrorist bombings, the frightening hijacking of the airwaves by the Mandarin, etc.).

So what's my quibble? That for me is not Mandarin. In fact, before Slattery is revealed, the Mandarin as portrayed in Iron Man 3 was, I thought, fantastic, and the let down to know that the Mandarin is just a fake was disappointing. I thought they blew the opportunity for a fantastic villain. Again, within the context of the films, it is OK, and many won't be bothered. But I can't help asking, "What if?"

Still, see the movie. Iron Man does kick some ass along with War Machine/Rhodey (Don Cheadle) rebranded as the Iron Patriot.

"Safarka's Butterflies": A Free Short Story

When a stranger pawns a mysterious object, Ton Nax encounters a world of dreams that are not his. Could they be a portal to someone else's experience? As Ton uncovers the truth, the reality is even more terrifying than he thought.

A short story set in the Inspector Pierce universe.

Get this short story for free by paying with a Tweet or Facebook Like. Just click here to "pay" or here to "pay."

This ebook is only available from May 7th to June 7th.

Also, if you sign up for my newsletter, I'll send you the free download link as well.

My Near-Term SF Reading List

So my short-term (that is read probably by August) science fiction reading list is (but not necessarily in this order):

Ex-KOP by Warren Hammond
Use of Weapons by Iain M. Banks
The Great North Road by Peter F. Hamilton
re-read Ringworld by Larry Niven
Boneshaker by Cherie Priest
Wool by Hugh Howey
Caliban's War by James S.A. Corey

Thanks to a query at Google+, I've received a list of some additional potential reads:

Rule 34 by Charles Stross
Marooned in Realtime by Vernor Vinge
Flatlander by Larry Niven
14 by Peter Clines
Replay by Ken Grimwood

And whatever my Goodreads SciFi and Fantasy Book Club reads.

Orphan Black: A Review

I'm not very good about keeping up on the new shows that are coming out (my wife often asks, "Are you going to watch yadda yadda yadda?" And my reply is often, "I've never heard of it.") But Orphan Black is one I managed to hear about, albeit close to when it premiered on BBC America. I'm glad I heard of it and had the DVR record it.

Sarah Manning (played by Tatiana Maslany) arrives in New York (more on this in a moment) with designs to restore her relationship with her young daughter, who is living with a foster parent (Maria Doyle Kennedy). Immediately it becomes clear that Sarah has been a less than ideal mother. While at the station, Sarah sees someone who looks an awful lot like her. This woman, Elizabeth Childs (also played by Tatiana Maslany) then proceeds to jump in front of a train. Though shocked, Sarah sees a chance and steals Childs' purse. And the plot moves forward from there. This is no spoiler: Sarah Manning has several clones and someone seems to be hunting them down.

Sarah assumes the identity of Elizabeth Childs, including Childs' employment as a homicide detective on suspension for shooting a civilian in a dark alley. The mystery and conspiracy unfold week by week, and Orphan Black is a pleasure to watch. Tatiana Maslany brings excellent diversity to her clones without losing some consistency across them either.

Inevitably, we step into the nature versus nurture aspect of the clones and their different lives, but the writers are restrained and do not pummel the viewer. Instead, they go for character and story.

While Sarah arrives in NYC, the city itself is pretty much forgotten about and no attempts are made to hide the fact that the filming is in Toronto. It's not a big deal, but some have complained.

You do have to suspend your disbelief. Assuming human cloning was at that level, the harder suspensions are actually Sarah assuming Beth's life. The writers go to some lengths to provide excuses, but in the end, you just have to go with it, and Tatiana brings enough confusion and uncertainty to Sarah playing Beth to sweep it under the rug.

Orphan Black is an enjoyable ride. I suggest you join.