Fairy Tale Spotlight: Legacy of Rust [Video Game Review]

"Legacy of Rust" is the newest installment to the original Doom. It was released in 2024. Yes, they are still making new official content for original Doom, and I absolutely love it.

"Legacy of Rust" has two episodes included: "The Vulcan Abyss" and "Counterfeit Eden." The story is about the UAC's attempt to find the actual Garden of Eden which turns out is hidden away inside Hell itself. Of course, they shouldn't be messing around with stuff like that, and you get caught in the middle of the whole mess. Time to kill things!

First of all... Wow! It looks like the original Doom, but there are effects and map designs never before seen in the old Doom games. They even created a portal that takes you from the UAC into Hell itself. Brilliantly done! It was all practical effects too. They used the old engine in ways that blew my mind. There was even a bridge that you could walk under. I know that doesn't sound like anything special, but that was previously impossible in the older games. I'm not even sure how they did it.

"Legacy of Rust" also has new enemies and weapons. The latter shocked me most of all. Doom has not seen new weapons since Doom II with its double barreled shotgun. I'll list it all out and tell you a little bit about them.

New Weapon - Incinerator: Very cool. I don't normally like flame throwers in games, but this one was really interesting. It throws out a flame that will stick to surfaces and enemies and burn them during contact. The only downside is that those flames will burn you too. This weapons completely replaces the Plasma Rifle.

New Weapon - Calamity Blade: I am a little surprised it is called this. It is obviously the Ballista from "Doom Eternal." It works about the same way too. It throws out a wave of fire that just about takes up the entire screen, and it slices through enemies. It completely replaces the BFG9000. This is an extremely efficient killing weapon that can clear an entire screen of enemies very quickly and cheaply. By the end of the mission, I was using this gun exclusively.

New Enemy - Banshee: They would have been incredibly stupid if it wasn't for the noise they make. They slowly float towards you, screaming the entire time. It is very unnerving. They explode if they make contact with you and also when you kill them.

New Enemy - Ghoul: I have mentioned these in an old blog. They were in "Doom Zero," but they were called Alpha Souls in that one. They are basically Lost Souls that fire projectiles at you. They never gave me any trouble, but they do make creepy noises.

New Enemy - Mindweaver: Basically weaker versions of the Spiderdemons. Never gave me any trouble unless they showed up in large numbers.

New Enemy - Shock Trooper: These guys are awesome. They basically look like the sprite for Doom Guy, but they are carrying plasma rifles. They fire fast too. They are very dangerous, but they get killed pretty easily. I always prioritized them when they showed up. They have a cut-off scream when they die that I absolutely love. I think this ended up being my favorite of the new enemies.

New Enemy - Tyrant: It's like a weaker version of a Cyberdemon, and I don't really like them. They are kind of deformed which makes them ugly and no fun to look at.

New Enemy - Vassago: This is my second favorite of the new enemies. It's like a charred-black demon with wings. He throws fire at you which sticks to surfaces and burns for a bit. It's basically the same attack as the Incinerator but not as rapid. I like them a lot and want to see more of them. They look amazing, and you get to see them a whole lot too.

That's all the new stuff. Both episodes were amazing and fun. The secret levels were really interesting too. Not really hard, but strange. I really liked the variations from map to map. You never quite knew what they were going to throw at you.

The music was all new as well. It was all done in the old MIDI style of the original game too. Although all the pieces were well produced, I only liked a few of them. Most of the music reminded me of anime tunes. When I play Doom, I wanna hear heavy metal influences. All said though, I still enjoyed how well made they were.

I recommend "Legacy of Rust." You should play it! It proves that new Doom games can still be made on the classic game engine.  This particular game takes everything Doom has already been, adds to it, innovates, and brings out a new experience that blew me away. Bravo! May Classic Doom live forever!

This blog was written on September 4, 2024.

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Fairy Tale Spotlight: Prescription: Murder [Play Review]

"Prescription: Murder" is a play written by William Link and Richard Levinson. It was published in 1963. It is the very first appearance by Columbo, although he was not at the time played by Peter Falk. Columbo was actually played by a man named Thomas Mitchell. This play ultimately lead to the making of the movie of the same name, as well as the beginning of the long series.

I was well-familiar with the original movie when I read this script. The film and the play are almost identical. There were just a few things changed from one to the other. There was a scene at the airport that was missing in the play, probably because it would have been too difficult to create a set for that. A scene set in one of the character's home was gone for likely the same reason. The ending was also different.

In the movie, the villain was as cold and heartless as he possibly could be. I actually saw him as borderline demonic. In the play, he does have a conscience that does come out at the very last moment. He actually does do the right thing after being tricked by Columbo. This is a very interesting change! The movie actually made the villain more of a cold-hearted individual.

These changes, however impactful, are actually very small, and I felt like I was really just reading the script for the film. It's a great murder story, and it started the formula of making the villain the main character, which was the standard for all of the Columbo episodes. And just because this Columbo was played by a different person, I could still easily see Peter Falk doing these lines. After all... I kind of did.

It was an interesting read, but I did not get as much out of it as I hoped. It was so close to the movie that I felt like I was just treading old ground. But as a play, there's nothing wrong with it. If this is something you'd be interested in checking out, I totally recommend it. Columbo is amazing no matter what format he appears in.

This blog was written on September 2, 2024.

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Fairy Tale Spotlight: Eidolons [Short Story Review]

"Eidolons" is a short science fiction story written by Harlan Ellison. It was published in 1989. It's a weird one for sure.

There is a story here, but it is presented in a very surreal way. As far as I can tell, there is a man named Vizinczey who is looking to purchase soldier figurines. He ends up in the house of a Mr. Brown who collects them, but these soldiers look extremely real and they all have the face of men who are about to die.

The moment Vizinczey speaks to Mr. Brown, the collector dies on the spot but not before telling him of a special scroll that allowed him to accomplish his strange hobby. He then asks Vizinczey to take the scroll and continue his work. The rest of the story is the author relating 13 passages from the scroll that sound a lot like moments from the lives of different people throughout history: past, present, and future. This part of the story is absolutely hypnotic and surreal.

The thing that makes this story so strange is how it almost feels like its taking place as you read it. It gets into your head and makes you wonder if the supernatural thing that is happening is actually happening. I know it is a work of fiction, but it was a very well-written one. It was a story intended to have emersion. Emersion is not always necessary for good fiction, but it sure as hell is great when it is accomplished.

I do recommend "Eidolons" to readers who like surreal content. If you aren't into that though, you may find this one confusing or boring.

This blog was written on August 29, 2024.

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Fairy Tale Spotlight: From A to Z, in the Chocolate Alphabet [Short Story Review]

"From A to Z, in the Chocolate Alphabet" is a short science fiction story (sort of) written by Harlan Ellison. It was published in 1976.

There is no single narrative happening here. Harlan uses each letter of the alphabet to tell 26 mini-stories all based on various scifi concepts. An example would be the letter A which was for Atlantis. H was for Hamadryad. J was for Jabberwock. L was for Loup-Garou. O was for Ouroboros. Q was for Quetzalcoatl. And Y was for Yggdrasil. The ones I mentioned were the few that I was familiar with. He also had a bunch that I was not as familiar with.

Each one of these was accompanied by a mini-story that was unrelated to all the other ones. These stories could range from just a couple of sentences to a few pages. Their themes ranged from very dark to comedic and silly. You never quite knew what you were getting until you got there. It was like opening up 26 presents.

I actually really liked this one, but I do want to criticize the Hamadryad story for its anti-Christian rhetoric, something that Harlan just cannot help himself from doing most of the time. And what made this so egregious was that he had an opportunity to tell a very interesting story of the Hamadryad which had already been well-accomplished in 1934 with the book "Mary Poppins." Lost opportunity.

As far as the title... I don't know. I don't understand the "chocolate" thing. It's a reference that goes over my head.

I do recommend this one. It's very interesting and full of ideas. I just wish Harlan would have stopped being so angry towards Christians.

This blog was written on August 29, 2024.

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Fairy Tale Spotlight: How's the Night Life on Cissalda? [Short Story Review]

[I spoil the main points of the story but not the actual ending.]

"How's the Night Life on Cissalda?" is a short science fiction story written by Harlan Ellison. It was published in 1977. This is another comedy story.

The idea here is that there is a scientific excursion team sent through time and space to alternate versions of Earth. One traveler, interestingly named Enoch, finds a version of Earth that's been taken over by a race of gross looking aliens called the Cissaldans. These ugly creatures give off some sort of aura or pheromone that makes people want to have sex with them... forever. Like they just have sex with them nonstop until they starve to death. Enoch is pulled back to his own world while engaged sexually with one of this creatures.

The way these creatures travel through space is through spontaneous teleportation. They just think of where they want to be and then they poof into that spot. They are always looking for people to have sex with... forever. When Enoch brings back his own Cissaldan, that creature sends a telepathic thought to its home planet, and suddenly every man, woman, and animal on Earth ends up having their own Cissaldan to have fun with... forever.

Most of the story is a comedically written. It goes over all the different people in the world who are stopping what they are doing and having sex with these things. My favorite was the cameo appearance of William Shatner who, acting like his Captain Kirk character, went out of his way to make contact with them. That made me laugh. But the point here is that all activity on Earth suddenly stops because everyone wants to have sex, and nobody is going to stop having sex until they die. It is literally the end of the world.

I actually did enjoy reading "How's the Night Life on Cissalda?" and I do recommend it. It is a funny idea, and it's really just there to put a smile on your face. The ending is a bit dark, but it doesn't subtract too much from the comedy that leads up to it.

This blog was written on August 28, 2024.

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Fairy Tale Spotlight: Djinn, No Chaser [Short Story Review]

[I spoil the main parts of the story.]

"Djinn, No Chaser" is a short science fiction story written by Harlan Ellison. It was published in 1983. It is a very silly story, and I would almost rather call it a comedy story.

A husband and wife are doing some shopping for their new house. Something weird happens and they end up temporarily being transported to an ancient shop that seems to be popping all around time. Inside this shop is a magic lamp that has a djinn inside it. The wife wants it. The husband haggles for it. They end up getting it for real cheap.

The problem here is that the djinn inside the lamp is really just very grumpy and wants to make the lives of this couple complete hell. Even though he has the power to grant their wishes, he is acting more like a curse and just causing awful things to befall them. They can't just get rid of the lamp either. They are only allowed to sell it.

The husband actually goes temporarily mad during all the insanity, but the wife figures out how to make friends with the grumpy djinn. She gives him a can opener. Although it isn't clear why this makes things all right, I can only imagine that the djinn was placed in a lamp full of cans he couldn't open.

Also, is this the missing can opener from "I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream?!" I can't be the only person to ask this question. Maybe Harlon Ellison is just obsessed with can openers. Who knows?!

"Djinn, No Chaser" is a funny story. It has a lot of quick-witted humor, and the comedy beats are solid. As I read it, the story felt really familiar, like I had seen it on TV or something. Apparently it was adapted into an episode of "Tales From the Darkside." I actually don't know if I saw it or not. I might have caught it on TV when I was younger and just sort of remembered aspects of it.

I liked this story, and I do recommend it. It's funny and even cute in a way. Definitely not what I have come to expect from Harlan. He is not normally so silly.

This blog was written on August 28, 2024.

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Fairy Tale Spotlight: Reynard the Fox [Book Review]

"Reynard the Fox" is a book that is based on a lot of very old writings. It is very hard to say who the original author was, and to be fair, it was based on the works of many authors over a very long period of time. The earliest writing of the titular character goes all the way back to 1148. That stuff is naturally unreadable to me. The book I presently have was a translation of Reynard's adventures by James Simpson. It was published in 2015.

The story here is about Reynard the Fox who uses trickery to do some pretty horrible things. He tends to get away with much of it though because he has this amazing ability to talk himself out of nearly every situation. He has to do this because he is small and not very strong. Over the course of the book, he is pitted against nearly every type of animal and always seems to come out on top, but not without being placed in what often feels like insurmountable danger to him and his family.

The world of Reynard actually mostly takes place within the court of King Noble the Lion. Much of this story actually is a court scene with Reynard being on trial and having to defend his horrible actions as he causes the maiming and death of his fellow animals. Always he presents himself as a fellow Christian who keeps ending up in bad situations because of the treachery of others.

The presentation of all the characters is taken deadly seriously. You can almost forget that these characters are animals. They could all easily be thought of as humans, for we all know people that behave like these corresponding animals. The book also has extreme continuity with itself. If an animal is injured somehow, that injury remains and has consequences throughout the story onward to its ending. Everything has consequences whether it be gory or of a sexual nature. All the characters have realistic feelings and can hurt both physically and emotionally. Everything feels real, and that is one of the main reasons I found this book so riveting.

Yes, this book is amazing. It is a shockingly wonderful story, and I was surprised to find myself rooting for the fox himself, despite the fact that he really kind of was the villain. There were many times where I did not think he could get out of a situation or two. I'd even go so far as to say that God would have a particular fancy for this fellow for using his talents so wisely in this story.

Now, I do recommend this book, and I think people should read it. I'd even say that this book should be required reading for people who are exploring the classics. Be warned though: This book is not for children. It is very gory and has some very sexual content in it, including rape. There is probably a child version of Reynard floating out there somewhere, but the James Simpson version is very clearly based on the original. Adults only please.

This blog was written on August 26, 2024.

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Fairy Tale Spotlight: How Interesting: A Tiny Man

[I spoil this entire story.]

"How Interesting: A Tiny Man" is a short science fiction story written by Harlan Ellison. It was published in 2010. This one had some promise.

The idea here is simple. Someone creates a tiny human being. For a little while the little human is perceived as a curiosity, and he even is famous for a time. But as time goes on, someone calls the little guy out as an act against God's plan. All of the sudden the world gets swarmed by group-think, and everyone suddenly goes from loving the tiny man to hating him.

Unfortunately, this is one of those stories that tries hard to paint the Christian point of view as one of the major holdbacks to progress due to superstition. I've seen this in science fiction before. It's really annoying. He does not even seem to understand Christians in this story, because the accusation made is not even an accurate one. However, the phenomenon that is presented in the book is actually real. It is just pitched from an atheist/liberal perspective.

People actually are like this. They have trouble thinking for themselves. If a celebrity goes on the air and says something, people will often listen to what they have to say and forego their own ability to think for themselves.

One other thing that is very odd about this story is that the author includes two different endings. Neither one is very good. I suppose he just could not think of only one way to conclude it. In one ending, the protagonist kills the little man. In the other, the tiny man becomes God and kills the one who created him. Both are ridiculous. All said, however, I don't really recommend this one. I mean you could do worse, but there are better Harlan Ellison stories out there that don't get so toxic with Christianity.

This blog was written on August 25, 2024.

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Fairy Tale Spotlight: I'm Looking for Kadak [Short Story Review]

"I'm Looking for Kadak" is a short story written by Harlan Ellison. It was published in 1974. This one ranked extremely high on the "weird idea" scale.

You'll have to forgive my explanation of this one as it is a bit of a muddled story. I don't have the patience to explain all of it with too much detail. What is actually happening here is that there is an alien race that had multiple arms and six eyes... that have also converted to Judaism. If that were not weird enough, the planet is about to be relocated and so they have to leave before everyone dies in the process.

The problem is that they have to perform a Jewish ritual before they can leave which requires 10 of them, but they are missing one. They have to find this former Jew named Kadak which apparently nobody likes because he... sort of... breathes really loudly??? It's so weird. This whole story is so weird.

This is the kind of story that makes me think the man was just pulling stuff out of his ass at the time. It has a sort of "dartboard method" feel to it. I just had a hard time enjoying it. It did not help that the author kept dropping tons and tons of Yiddish words into the narrative. I don't enjoy that sort of thing in any story. Just write in one language!

This is the kind of story that completely relies on its own novelty (Jewish aliens). It is otherwise kind of annoying to read. I don't really recommend it.

This blog was written on August 22, 2024.

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Fairy Tale Spotlight: No Rest for the Living [Video Game Review]

"No Rest for the Living" is an episode for Doom II. It was released in 2010. Originally this episode was made for the Xbox Live Arcade version of Doom II, but it was also released for the BFG Edition of Doom 3. It is only 9 maps, but there are some things about this episode that stand out.

I really needed to play this episode after the miserable experience I had with "Master Levels for Doom II." I had actually played this one before but just forgot about it. I quickly began to recognize some areas and realized that it had just been a long while since I had encountered these maps before.

All in all, these are some pretty difficult maps, but they never seem unfair. There are also a lot of outdoor areas that look really amazing. Apparently, these outdoor areas could not have been made in the original Doom II. New technology had to be invented for them to exist in the complicated way that they were presented. It really gave a lot of these maps a very open feel that I thought was quite good.

The plot is actually about one particular Cyberdemon that was angry at Doom Guy and was building up his own army to kill him. Hilariously, I did not know this and ended up not even killing him in the final map. I just went directly for the exit. I guess he'll just keep on trying!

These maps are well known for tossing a hell of a lot of enemies at you at one time, even on the easier difficulties. They also often throw in a few high level baddies into the mix just to freak you out all the more. I liked it, but it was rough. I can remember a few moments where I just "noped" out of a room to gather up my sanity. None of this is a complaint. I like the maps where they toss everything and the kitchen sink at me.

I guess the only real drawback is how short this episode is. It sort of comes and goes, and then you may feel a little sad. I would have liked to have seen more of those open outdoor areas in later episodes. Good stuff. Also I don't really feel bad for not killing the Cyberdemon. I'm good with slaughtering his whole army instead.

I absolutely recommend "No Rest for the Living" to Doom enthusiasts. Hey, isn't it great that Classic Doom is still coming out with new original content? The Nightdive produced remaster is so good!

This blog was written on August 21, 2024.

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Fairy Tale Spotlight: Master Levels for Doom II [Video Game Review]

"Master Levels for Doom II" is a series of 21 Doom II maps released commercially by id Software in 1995. It was originally released without any sort of map order. People had to load them up manually which kind of sucked. Through the recent Nightdive remaster of Doom and Doom II, we can actually play this game as its own episode.

The first half of this episode is very good. The level designs were very solid. The enemies come at you fiercely and in great numbers. That's just the sort of Doom experience I am looking for. The trouble began with most of the second half. The problem here is mainly the confusing map design. Everything looks really good, but to circumvent the map, you have to find a lot of secret paths. They broke a major rule in Doom map-making. The secret areas are not suppose to lead to crucial areas.

It got so bad that I would often spent up to an hour, searching around a map where all the enemies were already dead. It was boring. I don't play Doom to solve complicated puzzles. I play it to fight tons of enemies in various interesting environments!

That said, the maps themselves were still well-built. I actually do like solving puzzles, but I just don't play Doom for that sort of thing. This felt more like I was playing a game like "The Room." I spent so much time just dragging my face against every single wall, desperately hoping to find some hidden door. It sucked. I mean... it really sucked.

The last few missions were not as bad, but they still suffered from the puzzle bug. I did like that it all leads up to a fight with John Romero's severed head at the very end. This time you could actually see him, although he was still kind of far away. I kind of enjoyed that mission, despite how long it took me to figure it out.

There was one hidden mission. I could not find the secret entrance to it, so I had to load it up with only a pistol. Unfortunately, it was something called a "slaughter map," which basically means it's just absolutely packed full of enemies. In this case, there looked to be a room full of at least 30 Cyber Demons. I was actually able to finish it. The mission was designed in such a way that you could actually beat it and even kill everybody even if you go in with no weapons. I liked it!

Sorry to say this, but I am not going to recommend "Master Levels for Doom II," however I do recommend just poking around at the maps individually. They are not all bad, and I am actually happy that the maps were put together into an episodic format. There really isn't a downside to doing that, but the maps are still what they are.

This blog was written on August 19, 2024.

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This Is My 1000th Blog

I actually had no idea I had written this many blogs. 1000? What the heck?! But here I am. It's a nice whole number. I'm happy to finally get here, and I guess I should say a few things before I move on to 1001.

I started this blog Tuesday, June 18, 2013. It was a bunch of introductions and book promotions. I did not have any idea of where I was going with it, but at least I was writing something. It took a little time, but I soon began experimenting with the whole Spotlight thing. I actually got the idea from some Star Trek comic books I was reading back in the day. They had a special series of comics that would spotlight each alien race in the franchise (such as "Vulcan Spotlight"). I liked the term and how it could be used to focus on one particular thing.

I started off focusing on something I was and am still a fan of: Rodents. "Rodent Spotlight" was a way for me to give to the world a look into one aspect of my interest that I was really into. When I eventually ran out of that, I moved on to other Spotlights, ultimately landing on the final leg of the journey: Fairy Tale Spotlight. The latter probably will never end since it sort of encompasses everything in reality. I've turned it into the whole identity of my blog.

"Fairy Tale Spotlight" ultimately began as a way for me to explore fairy tale concepts, but the further I looked into it I soon realized that I could see fairy tales in just about every facet of reality. Everything had a little fantasy in it, even things that were real. Everything seemed to inspire one thing or another. Even the Bible, a book I consider to be a work of truth, seemed like a fairy tale to me. And that is why I have kept it for as long as I have.

I now use this blog to simply review the books I read, and some movies and video games too. I don't do book promotions anymore because the bulk of my writing is done under an alternate name. Yes, I am still writing. My closest friends knew this for a long time. I am publishing and doing okay with my stuff. Some people already found out about my other penname, and that's okay. But I just felt that I did not have enough literary freedom to write as T.K. Wade. Ann Rice would probably understand the problems I was having, if that makes any sense to you.

As far as the future is concerned, I am just going to continue writing reviews. I am backlogged pretty heavily as I read a lot and am finishing books all the time. I always look forward to working on a review, even if my intention is to bash it. I actually love smacking down on a bad book just as much as I love raving about a good one.

First and foremost, I firmly believe in the First Amendment and literary freedom in this country. A writer should never be cast down for what he writes about. Authors write about what they like and love, and it provides us with a release that we actually really need. We get inspired by the books we read, and then we write out our "corrections" by way of our own stories. It's always been this way. It is a privilege that should never be oppressed in any way. In fact, we should get more freedoms to write fiction in the manner we please. If you don't like it, don't read it. Don't tear people down. Always build them up as much as you can. If you can't do it, then mind your own business.

Even the books I have hated still deserve to exist, and the authors deserved to write them. All you get from me is a recommendation based on my own opinion. There's something out there for everybody at the end of the day.

I think that's all I wanted to say. I'm just going to keep doing what I am doing. I want to thank Shawn O'Toole, Christopher Buffaloe, and Donald White for replying to most of my blogs through the years. They are all close friends of mine, and I always looked forward to their replies.

That's it! Time to just keep going. Lots of books to read and reviews to write.

This blog was written on August 19, 2024.

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Fairy Tale Spotlight: The Beast that Shouted Love at the Heart of the World [Short Story Review]

[I spoil the main premise of the story.]

"The Beast that Shouted Love at the Heart of the World" is a short science fiction story written by Harlan Ellison. It was published in 1968. This is more of a traditional science fiction with aliens and such, but the premise is still pretty surreal.

The idea here is that there is a seven-headed dragon with dogs heads that is completely insane. As a matter of fact, he is the very spirit of insanity. The aliens who capture him drain him of his insanity and somehow transmit his spirit across all time and all space. This is used to explain why some people in our world throughout history just did horrible things for seemingly no reason.

Where this explanation is a bit dry of substance, the presentation of this story is very ambient. I actually liked how everything was described. It is a very surreal story for something I consider fairly mundane. For that reason, I think it is okay to recommend this one. It has a visual appeal to it if anything. Just understand that there isn't much substance behind the point it's trying to make. Just a simple "what if."

This blog was written on August 15, 2024.

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Fairy Tale Spotlight: Paladin of the Lost Hour [Short Story Review]

[I spoil the premise of this story.]

"Paladin of the Lost Hour" is a short science fiction story by Harlan Ellison. It was published in 1986. I can't help but feel like I've seen this one before. I did notice that it was adapted into a Twilight Zone episode, but I looked it up and don't really remember it. It might just be Deja Vu.

The story here is about an old man who is actually carrying around the universe's last hour in an old pocket watch. Basically, he is not allowed to use any of that time or else the world will end. And that is a really neat idea. Imagine if you were in charge of keeping the end of the world at bay.

I did spoil this story because the entire premise of it is revealed in the final moments, and I still wanted to write this review. I do like the idea of it, but one weird thing about it is just how secular it is. A pocket watch like this would easily fall under the realm of God, but it seems like it just sort of exists or is the result of the actions of ancient men. But what are you gonna do? It's modern science fiction.

Either way, this one was a fun read, and the way they presented the pocket watch was really surreal and interesting. The author definitely had some really fascinating visuals in his head when he wrote this one. I do recommend it.

This blog was written on August 15, 2024.

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Fairy Tale Spotlight: Naked Lunch [Movie Review]

Well, here I am again.

"Naked Lunch" is a movie released in 1991. It was written and directed by David Cronenberg. Yes, that David Cronenberg. The "Scanners" guy. Him. Somewhat more astounding is that this movie was not in any way made by David Lynch. How did that happen? They got a different David to make a Lynchian movie. It is, of course, based off the book of the same name, written by William S. Burroughs.

Anyone who reads the book will probably wonder how in the world are they going to interpret it into a movie. It seems impossible! And in many ways, it is impossible. I'm not joking. It really is. No one should make a movie for that book. It's a bad idea. Of course, they actually did make a movie, and the movie is about as close to the book as it can be. I'm actually surprised. They actually did it.

It would be impossible to do a movie word-for-word of the book, but they did their very best to get as much of the content into the film while trying so very hard to both capture the feel of the book while also being a movie. By the latter point, I mean that this really is a movie. It has actors, and there is a script, and they are reading their lines at the appointed places, and I really don't think there is any adlibbing going on. Don't quote me on that, but everything seems to be done very purposefully. But this is not a normal movie. This is a surreal drug-scape with a story that is still very interesting... as long as you just relax and pay close attention.

The main character is a man named William Lee, but he is very clearly William S. Burroughs. They made the author of the book the main character. This was a great idea since that is the impression I got from the book. Almost in every scene, William is on drugs and fully addicted to them. Like the book, the movie makes his altered perception of reality part of the story. It is extremely hard to figure out what is real and what isn't. The hallucinations are mixed in with the reality. It is one big trip from beginning to end.

And during this long drug trip, you have a very intricate spy vs. spy intrigue story that you have to circumvent. It's all very good, and I really did notice that a lot of it was directly taken from the book and implemented in a fascinating way into the film. Cronenberg did this flawlessly, and I loved it.

Even though it is hard to really figure anything in the book out, the book did have characters in it, and my favorite was always a certain Doctor Benway. He is in the movie, but he doesn't have a whole lot of airtime. Even so, he is very important to the plot and his few scenes are spectacular. If this story has a high priest character, it would be Benway.

I do recommend this movie. If you read the book, it's even better. If you haven't read the book, the movie may make you wonder how the book would actually go, and visa versa for reading the book first and then wondering about the movie. I really like both of them, and I am very pleased they went through the trouble to make this film interpretation.

One warning though! This movie will make you feel filthy. You will want to take a shower when you are done watching it. It is one of the most filthy films I have seen in a long time. I felt gross.

Also to David Lynch, I really disliked his movie "Inland Empire." I would say that it was similar in feel to "Naked Lunch," but it did not seem to have any good direction to it. "Naked Lunch" actually sells the "sureality mixed with actual plot" better in my opinion. I know that comparing those two movies might be kind of a stretch, but I just felt the need to mention that because of how they both made me feel when I watched them.

[And if you are seeing this David Lynch, I am actually a huge fan of yours and "Inland Empire" is literally the only movie you ever did that I did not like. Keep up the great work.]

This blog was written on August 14, 2024.

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Fairy Tale Spotlight: Naked Lunch [Book Review]

"Naked Lunch" is a novel (or rather antinovel) written by William S. Burroughs. It was published in 1959. It is a complete mess to read, but it's also not really that bad. I'll try and explain.

This is less of a story and more of a book written by a man absolutely blasted on opium. He's also a beatnik, so he was already kind of "out there" to begin with. There is no real story here. It's just a man who is writing what he wants, when he wants, and how he wants. If you go into it expecting a traditional structure, you will not find it. Go somewhere else.

But what is there is really very interesting, if you are willing to just relax a bit. There are thoughts and ideas sort of blasted at you from the author's pen. A lot of drug use. A lot of sex. A lot of extremely violent and gross stuff. Stuff I cannot even go into in this blog. This book has probably offended a lot of people, but at the same time, this book has been a soldier for free speech in both America and Europe. I guess that's the point. Maybe it's something else. I don't really know. The book reads like gibberish.

But that gibberish is often poetic and interesting in its presentation. Once you get past that you probably are not going to understand most anything you are reading, it becomes a lot easier to just... read it. And that's really all that's expected of you here. You are just supposed to read it and move on. Or don't read it. I don't think anyone will care if you do or don't. "Naked Lunch" just is what it is. It doesn't try to be anything it isn't. You are either going to like it or hate it.

Do I recommend it though? Well, see if you can't get ahold of one of the chapters. It doesn't matter which one. They can be read out of order. Read a few pages, and if you want more, go read the entire book. If not, move on--this book is not for you. It's really that simple, and I have nothing left to say on the matter.

This blog was written on August 14, 2024.

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Fairy Tale Spotlight: Project Eden [Video Game Review]

"Project Eden" is a video game developed by Core Design of "Tomb Raider" fame. It was released in 2001 on PC and PlayStation 2. I have actually attempted to play this game multiple times since it came out, but I only recently finished it. It's one of those games I would give up on over and over but still somehow obsess over it.

The game takes place in a world where civilization just kept building on top of itself, working its way up into the heavens. The world below would get forsaken and only the top level actually got policed. The people living in the many levels below were just people who wanted to get away from the laws of the top level. Now, you might see this as one of those stories where the oppressively rich people live on the top with the peasants down below, but no. It's nothing like that. Human civilization just moved upwards, and there doesn't seem to be anything bad about life there at all.

You play as four security forces that are trying to figure out what's going on in one of the facilities. Carter is the point man and the one with all your security clearance. Andre is a mechanic, and he can repair things. Minoko is a hacker girl. And then there is Amber who is a big strong battle robot. You have to go through the entire game playing all of these characters (one at a time) in order to solve each mission, which in a very big way is a puzzle unto itself.

There is combat too. As you go lower and lower into the forsaken cities down below, you will run into all sorts of enemies... and eventually some sort of mutants. You have to balance your puzzle solving with the combat. It isn't always an easy thing to do, but I did eventually get the hang of it. By this I mean that I just sent Amber ahead of everybody until I found something for the others to do. You don't have to play it this way, but it was the strategy that made me the most comfortable.

As you proceed down, down, deep into the most forsaken places of the past cities, the story that unfolds is quite interesting. I don't want to spoil it, but I really got into it. I wanted to know why all this was happening. It is one of the strangest stories I have ever encountered in video games. That said, the ending felt a bit rushed and... kind of silly. It wasn't awful. I got a chuckle out of it, but I think it could have been better.

I still really enjoyed the journey though. Everything about this game is interesting, and sometimes it's legitimately scary. Imagine coming out of an old run-down building, but instead of seeing sky, you just see darkness and other buildings going off as if into infinity above you. Exploring the lower levels in this game is so dark and atmospheric. And I actually do respect that they didn't make the topside to be all that corrupt. I felt like I was on a good team working for a respectable organization, just trying to solve a very complicated problem.

I do recommend "Project Eden," but I don't think it is for everybody. The reason I quit this game a few times I played it previously had to do with respawning enemies. This seems like something that might get on people's nerves. Just know that if you push forward past these moments, the enemies tend to stop respawning. It's annoying, but I think the experience of this game is worth the hassle. Give this one a try if you can find yourself a copy.

This blog was written on August 14, 2024.

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Fairy Tale Spotlight: On the Downhill Side [Short Story Review]

"On the Downhill Side" is a short story written by Harlan Ellison. It was published in 1972. It is a ghost story.

But this isn't just any ghost story. It is a ghost story about ghosts... not people encountering ghosts. In fact, ghosts are the only characters in the story. There is also a unicorn. I'm not sure why... but there is a unicorn.

The story is about two ghosts, male and female, who are trying to mend mistakes of their past lives, which seem to be fairly ancient. They are meant for one another, but they can't seem to tie the knot. This is like a "last chance" scenario. They have to figure this out, or else someone needs to be sacrificed.

I won't spoil this one because the ending is actually kind of shocking and dramatic, but I will say that this one took me a while to even get into. It was written in such a sudden way... with there being a random unicorn in it and all... that I was already kind of bored of it by the time I got to the good parts. I basically finished it because I was going to do that anyhow.

The thing that makes this special is that it is a ghost-only story. That's cool. I haven't seen anything like that before. However I don't think I'll recommend it. He's written better stuff than this that were more fun to digest.

This blog was written on August 9, 2024.

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Fairy Tale Spotlight: Mefisto in Onyx [Novella Review]

"Mefisto in Onyx" is a science fiction novella written by Harlan Ellison. It was published in 1993. It is a good story but has some problems that I will try and cover in this review.

The story is about a black man who had the ability to jump into people's minds. He could instantly walk around in there and learn everything about them. He is asked by a friend to jump into the mind of a serial killer on death row to see if he is innocent or not. The reason he does this at all is because the girl he is doing it for is in love with the killer and thinks he may be falsely accused.

I don't want to spoil this one. If I go any further then the whole twist of it is revealed and that really ruins the story and makes it not worth the read. I do want to say that the narrative, which is in the first person, is very hard-edged and impactful. You really get to know this physic man for who he is, and the ultimate conclusion of this story is actually fairly fun and brilliant.

The problem with this story is a small one but it was enough to annoy me. There is one part where the main character dumps really hard on Christians. There was no real need for it. It did not help the story in any way. It was in very bad taste, and I really wish the author had not done it. This was neither a Christian or atheist story. It was a fantasy tale about ESP.

This sort of thing can make people dislike what would otherwise be a wonderful science fiction tale. And it is good. Genuinely good. Riveting even.

If you are capable of getting past the garbage attack on Christianity that happens in one paragraph then you'll enjoy yourself just fine. Otherwise, I should recommend some other story.

This blog was written on August 3, 2024.

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Fairy Tale Spotlight: I Am Fish [Video Game Review]

"I Am Fish" is a video game developed by Bossa Studios. It was released in 2021 on a number of platforms. It is a physics-based action/puzzle game.

The ridiculous idea behind "I Am Fish" is very simple: four fish consume sentient bread which makes them sentient fish. They quickly become intelligent creatures that think and problem solve like human beings, but they are still fish. They also get separated, and the point of the game is to get all four fish back together in the ocean where they can be free.

As silly as the actual premise is, the story itself plays out something like a children's movie. Even the animation and the sets of this world look like it came from a Pixar or a DreamWorks movie. The fish cannot talk though, although they do squeak in a way that makes them sound like people.

Although the game does involve some puzzle solving sections, the bulk of the game has you trying to manipulate physics to your favor. Remember that you cannot last long outside of water, so in order to traverse your environment, you have to keep to areas where there is water. Sometimes this means rolling around in a fish bowl, a mason jar (I hated those), a mop bucket, and the occasional rolling trashcan. Even though the physics of this makes no sense, you can push these around from inside them. It's something you just have to accept and move on about.

There are four types of fish, and each of them has something that makes them special:

-The Goldfish does not have any powers, but he does have really shiny scales that act as a beacon for the other fish to eventually find him. Other than that, he's just a regular fish.

-The Flying Fish can glide through the air for a while before he dries out. He can actually cover a large distance while out of water, probably way more than the others. He is also the most difficult to control, in my opinion.

-The Puffer Fish can blow up like a balloon. If you do this while at the bottom of the water, he will fly up and out really quite high. He can also roll around on dry ground for a little bit and is very easy to control. I found him to be the easiest to play with.

-The Piranha is all about destruction and violence. He is way stronger than he should be. A normal mission with him is all about flooding homes by ripping into the water pipes. The idea is to fill the house full of water until he can escape through a window or something. His music was my favorite. It had a good beat and was full of mischief.

Once you get them all to the ocean, you have one final mission where you have to play all four of them at once. Along the way, there is this poor guy who keeps having a bad day, because, by random chance, he continuously has ban run-ins with each of these four fish. It's sort of an ongoing gag and very funny.

The game is extremely fun, but it is also very difficult. The maps are really not that big, but you may end up getting stuck in some parts trying to get your fish to jump just right or glide the way he's supposed to. It's one of those games where the premise is simple, but it is so hard to master. The ending, however, made the whole journey so worth it.

I absolutely recommend "I Am Fish." I'll go a step further. This game needs to be a movie. I really loved the premise and the whole adventure aspect of it. To see how far four sentient fish go to join together in the ocean made all the frustrating aspects of the game worth it. Just be prepared to fail a lot.

This blog was written on August 2, 2024.

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Fairy Tale Spotlight: Two Stories by Janet Kuypers [Short Story Reviews]

The two stories I am referring to in the title are "Christmas at the Old House" and "Driving to Champaign." They were both written by Janet Kuypers and published in 2012. By the way, Janet Kuypers is also the editor of "Down in the Dirt" magazine. These two stories came from issue 107 (June 2012). I did not really care for much in this issue at all, aside from a few exceptions and a story by my friend Donald C. White Jr.

The two final stories in the book were surprisingly off the dark themes of the magazine, and they were very enjoyable, I thought. Say what you will about Janet's choice in contributed works, she has one of the most enjoyable writing styles I have ever come across. I might even look up some more of her works in the future.

"Christmas at the Old House" is a very short little anecdotal story about being the youngest child at a family Christmas get-together. There's no real plot or intrigue to it. It was just a cute story about a little child not able to pronounce the the name of her new electronic toy properly. That was it... and I kinda loved it.

"Driving to Champaign" was a bit different and slightly more in line with the magazine's theme. It was the same person, although much older, sitting in the back of a car, while the driver was being a tad reckless. The author decides that she should write something down incase they end up dead. A lot of it is just rambling about musical choices and stuff, but then it slips into good life advice that made me smile.

The rambling nature of Janet Kuypers is relaxing and quaint. It made these stories very enjoyable, and I really do wish the best for her. Janet, if you are out there, I loved these two stories. Keep up the good work!

This blog was written on July 29, 2024.

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Fairy Tale Spotlight: Mario Polzetti [Short Story Review]

Oh, thank God. A story from "Down in the Dirt" magazine that's actually decent.

"Mario Polzetti" is a short detective story written by Rod Hamon. It was published in 2012.

It is a very quickly-paced detective story about a gangster boss named Mario Polzetti who allegedly shot his wife. The detective in charge of the case, Dabrowski, is trying to prove that he did it. Everything is boiler plate detective stereotypes here, but that isn't necessarily bad. Sometimes diving into stereotypical stuff can be charming and even relaxing.

The detective reminded me a little of Columbo. He was not perfect by any means. He even came across as nervous, biting his nails and all that. I liked him. Mario the boss was a little bit on the goofy side, but I still liked him. He was definitely not a good man.

I was rather surprised to see a detective story run so quickly from beginning to end. This is a story that will begin and end before you can even blink... so don't blink. It even had a solid conclusion which I won't be spoiling today.

I think this one is worth the read, and I recommend it. Good job! It's good to see that there are at least a few decent stories in this magazine. It's been a pain for me to read through. Sorry to all those stories I bashed, but I don't pull punches on this blog.

This blog was written on July 26, 2024.

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Fairy Tale Spotlight: The History Teacher [Short Story Review]

[I spoil this story. If you don't want to know the ending, don't read this.]

"The History Teacher" is a short story written by John Ragusa. It was published in 2012. It's another story I found in the "Down in the Dirt" magazine. I was not actually going to review it originally, but there are some parallels to the story "Lady Killer" by Donald C. White Jr. Oh, and I don't like this one. I'm writing this to kind of show how similar ideas aren't always accepted equally.

The story is written in the first person by a history teacher. For two solid pages, he explains how much he loves American history and how he is so very good at teaching it. Seriously, that's two whole pages of self-aggrandizement. I was actually kind of curious where it was going. It was certainly very weird to have so much exposition about how good a person is at something.

The problem lies with the very last paragraph. The history teacher just suddenly drops that the reason he is so good at teaching history is because he is a vampire. So he is long lived and stuff. He's been there and all that. Sorry, but that's really lame. I know this author thought he had a good idea, and maybe it would have been a great story is better presented.

I can totally see how a history teacher who is a vampire would actually work as a story. That is an intriguing idea, but to just drop it at the end to wrap up the story... I just don't care. It's barely interesting. I'd much rather know more about him than to just leave it that way.

With "Lady Killer," the vampire twist had so much substance baked into it. Not only was the intended victim a vampire, she was a vampire that was hunting predators. In that case, the twist was shocking and desirable.

You shouldn't just write a whole story and then place a "Reason: vampire!" sticker right at the end of it. You gotta give me more, man! So for that reason, I just can't recommend this one. It was an eye-roller. Although I would suggest that the author re-write it to be longer and integrate the vampire aspect into it better. I think the concept is excellent. It just needs to be delivered in a more palatable way.

This blog was written on July 26, 2024.

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Fairy Tale Spotlight: Family Diary [Poem Review]

"Family Diary" is a poem written by Steven Pelcman. It was published in 2012. This is another thing I found in that "Down in the Dirt" magazine that I have not been enjoying. This, however, is one of the exceptions. I did like this one.

I don't normally like to review poetry. I usually don't have a reason to, as poetry tends to need to be read to get your own interpretation out of it. This poem was unusual because it was done as a diary. It told a story that isn't normally told in this kind of format.

It goes into the life of a farmer and father who works hard for a living. He reminded me of my granddad that I knew when I was a kid. He was sort of a quiet hard worker that was amusing to talk to from time to time. I guess that's why I related to it so quickly.

The poem's story does eventually get tragic, but it shows life's tragedies as things that can't always be avoided. Life also seems to go on, and we take the memories of the good and bad times with us. All true. This isn't what I had come to expect from stories in this magazine. Most of them just want to hammer you with tragedy and then leave you alone so you can properly hate life like the authors do.

This poem was written by a person who knew how to properly make peace with the hardships of life. I respect that, and I hope I will have the strength to do that when those things begin to happen to me. I do recommend this poem, although I'm not a fan of the magazine I found it in.

This blog was written on July 24, 2024.

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Fairy Tale Spotlight: Second Sight [Video Game Review]

"Second Sight" is a video game developed by Free Radical Design. It was released in 2005. I sometimes think of this game as TimeSplitters 3 and a Half. It was made by the same team with an extremely similar animation style, but the gameplay itself is completely different.

Gone is the off-beat humor of the TimeSplitters games. Suddenly, we are thrust into the gritty world of psychics and ESP. You play as John Vattic, a man who is waking up with no memory, although he does seem to have some psychic abilities. As he tries to escape the facility, the game will occasionally transition back to his past where he slowly learns what led him to that point. That's the basic structure of the game's presentation.

If you pay very close attention to the present day segments of the game, you will begin to realize that you are killing a lot of innocent people who are just at their daily jobs. They are mostly security guards who aren't actually working for some evil organization. It actually kinda hurts when you realize you're doing this, but the game does deal with this in a very cool way later on... something that I refuse to spoil.

Your powers as a powerful psychic are as follows:

-Telekinesis: The ability to lift objects and people up with your mind. You can also throw switches at a distance. Super useful.

-Healing: The ability to heal yourself and others.

-Charm: The ability to convince people that you are not there. It can also be used to calm hysterical people down.

-Psi Pulse: This is an attack. You toss a forceful energy pulse at someone, sending them flying into a wall with enough impact to damage or kill them. You can also send out a blast wave that will knock multiple people down, but it's less powerful.

-Projection: My favorite. You can run around outside your body. You can also use it to posses other people and temporarily take over their bodies. It is a good way to do reconnaissance without putting yourself in danger.

You have to utilize these powers as well as the weapons in your arsenal to deal with the threats this game sends your way. One thing I dislike was that if you switch to one of your powers, he automatically holsters his gun. It is an annoyance you just have to get used to.

The presentation of the game is quite good, but it does sometimes come across as a bit video gamey. There was one scene where you were walking with a squad into enemy territory. One of your sharpshooters gets hit by a bullet--blood and everything. I was like, "Oh, god! He's dead or wounded!" But the game just sort of ignores that he ever got hit from that point on, treating it like a loss of HP rather than a real wound in battle. In mid-gameplay that sort of thing is okay... but in a cutscene?!

The game definitely borrows a lot of inspiration from Metal Gear Solid 2. It even lets you switch to a first person perspective, letting you do some fine aiming with your gun or your powers. The first person gun stuff definitely reminds me of the look of the TimeSplitters games, but you are not allowed to move around while in this mode. It very much feels like they just took the TimeSplitters engine and made a Metal Gear Solid game with it.

To be absolutely fair, this game is a bit janky. Also for those of us who prefer an inverted Y control scheme, they totally dropped the ball. I had to create my own mod in order to get it to play comfortably for me. The story, however, is one of the best ever told. They dropped all the silliness of the TimeSplitters games and made a really interesting and intriguing story. I was totally sold and enjoyed it right up until its fantastic twist ending.

Sadly, "Second Sight" is the last good game by Free Radical Design. Their next game was called "Haze," and it was a load of crap. It also destroyed their whole group. I won't be reviewing that one. I do easily recommend "Second Sight" though. They set out to make a serious game, and they succeeded. It might not be a perfect game, but it's good enough to enjoy.

By the way, if you want to play this one, it is available on Steam. It is the only game by Free Radical Design that is still publicly available. For some reason, the TimeSplitters games are just gone. Can't find them anywhere. It's really too bad.

This blog was written on July 24, 2024.

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Fairy Tale Spotlight: Warm [Short Story Review]

"Warm" is a short story written by Bob Strothers. It was published in 2012. A lot of the recent stories I have been reading have been coming from a magazine called "Down in the Dirt."  I gotta say... I have not really been enjoying them. They are either too politicized or pointless with hardly much of ending. I'm not asking for every story to inspire me; but I do want to feel like I was not wasting my time by the end.

"Warm" is just such a story. It's about a boy and his mother who become suddenly homeless. A whole lot of bad things happen to them, one after the other. The mother is arrested, and the boy ends up lost and alone with no one to turn to. It honestly just keeps getting worse, and it does feel a bit contrived to pull at the heartstrings. I worried that the whole story was going to be like this.

The whole tale has a direction problem. It jumps to a complete different character right towards the end and just barely manages to deal with the problem the boy has by the end of it. I won't spoil it though, not that there was a lot to spoil. The ending did not really resolve much, and it left me with a lot of questions as to the fate of everyone.

I have read tragic stories before. It is a very hard genre to write in. You have to strike a balance between showing the tragedy while regulating the mood and interest of the reader as you go. There also needs to be a concrete ending. I'm serious. Especially in tragic stories, you have to end it. It is one of the greatest disservices you can do to your reader if you pull them through the mire and then give them nothing. This story does that, and I don't recommend it.

This blog was written on July 22, 2024.

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Fairy Tale Spotlight: Shatterday [Short Story Review]

"Shatterday" is a short story written by Harlan Ellison. It was published in 1980. Interestingly, it was featured as the story in the very first episode of The Twilight Zone's 1985 reunion show. I have not seen it though.

So back in the olden days, we did not all have cellphones. We had regular telephones, and you had to remember the numbers for everyone important in your life. You especially had to remember your own phone number as well, so you could tell people how to contact you. This is a problem that people just don't have anymore with the advent of mobile contact lists.

One of the things that would often happen to people was that you might accidently dial your own home number when you meant to dial the number for someone else. It happened to me all the time when I was growing up. In the case of "Shatterday," the main character makes this very common mistake. He calls his own house... but to his surprise... he actually picks up the phone on the other end.

Both versions of this man are surprised by this supernatural occurrence, but it soon leads to them both trying to take control of their one life. This is a very hard thing to do when you both understand each other. That's not all this story has to offer though. You see, the original man who accidently made that call is kind of a shitbag. I know that sounds mean, but that's also kind of the point. His doppelganger is actually trying to fix his life and make it better. Interestingly enough... it's kind of working for him.

The story is not so much about running into yourself as it is with running into a darker (or lighter) version of you. The part of you that you might have been if you had made different decisions in life. For that reason, the battle is actually a matter of good versus evil. Whoever loses will end up fading away into nothing.

This is a great crossroads story! I was really impressed with it. There is a lot to learn from it, and it might make you think what you might have been like if you were a on the opposing side of the moral spectrum. I recommend the story. I love fiction that makes you turn the view inward. Introspection can be a good thing sometimes.

This blog was written on July 22, 2024.

Thank you for reading my blog! Did you enjoy it? Either way, you can comment below, or you can email me at tkwadeauthor@gmail.com. Also stop by my Amazon.com listing by clicking this link: https://www.amazon.com/T.K.-Wade/e/B07BQK9RTZ

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