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Text of the page (random words):
ephen king one of the things that strikes me about stephen king s writing is the way in which he puts ordinary people in extraordinary situations he stretches his characters to the limits throws them to the edge of chaos and lets them play and boy does he play having now read two of his short story collections the first being the more recent just after sunset i can safely say that i enjoyed the earlier works more than the more recent i don t usually read horror fiction as most of said genre leaves me disappointed perhaps it is just my lack of experience but it s just something about reading these terrible things that leaves me feeling empty jerusalem s lot is the first work of fiction that truly completely terrified me i had a hard time sleeping after this one in fact i am noticing a trend in the short stories i like more than the rest when it comes to stephen king the stories i like all draw heavily from the mythos of h p lovecraft i guess i am just a sucker for the supernatural the new covers are so much better than the old lockwood is my hero the legacy and starless night by r a salvatore the works of r a salvatore serve as a comfort blanket or a favorite treat they are my guilty pleasure i cannot count the number of times i have found myself pulling out one of these worn paperbacks to revisit the adventures of drizzt do urden and his friends if there was one fantasy place i could visit it would be the streets menzoberranzan minus the drow the city would have to empty out for a few days so i could have my fill of exploration without fear of being mercilessly murdered thank you very much three things draw me to salvatore s prose first r a salvatore writes hands down the best combat sequences i have ever had the privilege of reading if i could even begin to compose the fluid battles he so eloquently puts to the page i would be set for life as it is i am content to continue to be a happy onlooker second i love the colloquial language he uses in his prose there s just something about seeing familiar words and phrases peppered within an unfamiliar setting that brings a smile to my face finally characters characters characters do i have to point out that salvatore has breathed life into some of my most beloved fantasy characters can you guess which ones i like best here s a hint not drizzt 2 comments posted in reading list tagged legacy of the drow night shift r a salvatore starless night stephen king the legacy a chance meeting excerpt posted on february 20 2010 1 comment an excerpt from a piece of fiction i finished recently nothing too special if you want to see the rest and have not already i might consider it if you ask nicely and every man he killed rose again to turn upon his neighbor a puppet to the necromancer s will his stage was little more than a stool placed near the fire his voice a low whisper carried through the settled silence within the small tavern shadows and flame danced with his words figures falling and rising against the burning backdrop of a city grand towers fell to glimmering dust with a motion of the storyteller s hand shadowed faces posed in silent screams a city destroyed by her hallowed defenders and her honored dead he walked among his army of corpses a king and his loyal demon the necromancer his eyes as empty as the dead men he commanded the cries of children nothing to him nothing as his army blocked the doors the windows as the buildings burned and they with them the bard s lute rested against the hearth forgotten as he relayed his story to those gathered around him the men watched him with wary eyes we could see the flames from here one man spoke voice quiet a hundred leagues away and we could see them aye the bard nodded no magic could snuff those flames they devoured stone and sand alike the heat alone killed many a strong man were it not for evander s courage all would have perished that day his hands moved quickly the flames within the hearth shifted changed to show the final moments of a once grand city the tavern s occupants watched as the storyteller weaved his magic as the shadows and light of the room bent to his will a few soft words and simple illusions brought light to the tired eyes of the gathered dock workers and merchants the man rose from his stool with a flourish whispered words rising in pitch as he continued i was in dragon s circle when she burned he declared his long bright cloak writhing with his pacing form in all my years i have never witnessed such horrors as those brought about by ezekiel on that day they say no one survived a man whispered no he motioned towards the fire the flames flickered violently twisted to show several shadow formed men as they defended the city against the writhing mass of ezekiel s army evander survived and a handful of others he fought unlike anything i have ever seen hundreds of the necromancer s pawns falling beneath the strength of your lord s magic the bard motioned towards the captivated men the necromancer s roar when he realized we would escape and oh how he shrieked was like no sound ever uttered among the living his hand closed about his instrument the dissonant chord he played eliciting many a wince among his listeners he stilled the trembling strings with his hand a small victory he whispered for us men against ezekiel and his otherworldly hoards and those of us left asking why the gods would so choose to punish us twenty years or more we have lived within his reign of terror how many of us have lost a son a father a brother to the claws of his demon or the teeth of his minions he perched upon the stool and his hands caressed the strings of his lute the bard teased each melodic note into existence to fall heavily upon the ears of his listeners his fiery illusions faded as his music filled the overcrowded room the melancholic tune served as a backdrop to his lilting voice as he continued to weave his tale yet he lifted his clear blue eyes to sweep across his listeners our pain has ended great men elves and humans alike have snuffed out our darkest fear rest assured our loved ones now dwell in peace their innocent deaths avenged ezekiel is dead his smooth baritone rose in song and his rich voice swallowed the din of the outside world no more were the men within that room plagued by the crashing of planks upon the docks or the shouts of men as cargo was unloaded from waiting ships instead the bard s rich mournful voice carried them inward as his story burned within the soul of each listener the bard s eyes closed as he sang and his fingers danced about the strings of his unadorned instrument his magic dispelled he was left with little more than the crackling of the fire to accompany him the soft glow of the flames highlighted his brightly clothed form and reflected upon his long black hair as his voice rose and his sorrow mounted he became aware of a familiar set of eyes studying him from the darkness the tortured state of this man s soul stroked his own magic touched senses his ballad recounting the legend of the necromancer s destructive reign so lately brought to an end was colored by this man s pain his voice trembled as he went on his mind replaying the tragedy he had witnessed in dragon s circle the heat on his sweat slicked flesh still sickened him he still saw the animated corpses of friends and lovers turned upon him he felt the resistance of bone against steel as he was forced to strike them down he still woke to their terrible screams at night still his song went on pure and bittersweet as it honored the innocent dead in the shadows that tortured soul sat concealed beneath a dark cloak his tired footsteps brought him once again into the bard s soothing presence the man s body shook beneath his masked form shook and trembled at the power within the other s music he craved more he marveled at how something so simple could so perfectly express the storyteller s will night after night amatsu rascien fell into the crowded streets of the human city to indulge in a pleasure never afforded him within the confines of the temple the sweet and somber notes of the human s instrument placated the writhing energies trapped within his twisted soul the music stopped the crowd began to disperse the bard fell into a low bow holding out his hat to the audience clustered around him he thanked them graciously his animated limbs sweeping gracefully as he spoke before long the instrument rested in a strap over his shoulder and he shared a meal with a few of the dock men the bard brought news and letters from the south and in exchange the men regaled him with stories of the icy north his meal finished the storyteller picked up his drink and drifted across the room what sort of face does a man have to have that he hides behind his cloak the bard fell into the chair across from amatsu instrument resting in his lap and in such a place as this when the other did not respond he continued a man must have a secret the black haired bard mused or a face so hideously scarred he must hide it from sight either way i am sure such a man would have a story to tell as he spoke the man leaned across the table straining to see the face beneath the dark cloak a story he added i would love to hear boldly he reached out to pull down the hood covering the stranger s face a dark hand darted out to grasp his wrist don t a low voice warned at the same time the human gasped dark elf the grip on the bard s wrist tightened the human winced this is the third night you ve come to watch me play a smile ghosted across the bard s features you must grow tired of the same stories lord elf perhaps you might honor me with a new one slowly the dark elf s grip slackened and his hand disappeared beneath the cloak ezekiel is not the monster you make of him was is the necromancer lives then a raised brow the bard settled back into his chair amatsu nodded i care not all i see of him is his boot crushing the skull of an infant as though she were little more than a beetle the human spat bitterly the cloaked man across from him fell uncomfortably silent a silence the bard was quick to fill my name is varian songspinner he introduced himself bowing his head slowly a soft laugh escaped the dark elf across the table the rich sound more precious to the bard s ear than the sweetest of music varian smiled what sort of name is that the dark elf asked it suits me the human retorted features brightening i am but a simple bard a spinner of tales my name it is a reflection of this tell me what price must a man pay to see your face another song varian s smile remained soft knowing come upstairs with me wooden stairs groaned beneath the men s weight as they ascended the ancient stairway into the rooms above the tavern the boards had long ago succumbed to dock side humidity and insect infestations leaving them cracked and in some places missing altogether paint peeled on the walls bright orange chips separated from the wood to be crushed beneath varian s boots at the top of the stairs he whirled gracefully to face the elf most men come to see me once and it is enough to last a lifetime he pressed into the room behind him as he spoke but you you return each night to listen to the same tales the same songs the room like the rest of the tavern was scarcely furnished varian lit several candles to illuminate the small space and scatter the rats that lurked within the shadows an unbalanced table occupied the center of the room with two mismatched old chairs to accompany it one a heavy mahogany beast boasted a rat eaten cushion and the other smaller and carved from oak was missing a back the corner of the room held a cot with a few blankets and the human s personal possessions piled on top out of these varian retrieved two small glasses and a bottle of wine do you live here the other asked distaste coloring his heavily accented words no he answered it s just a room one among a great series of rooms i ve slept in he poured them each a glass of the vintage the dark elf murmuring a soft word of thanks as the bard handed him a glass the bard s glass found its way to rest on the table as he stepped towards the taller man varian reached for the hood of amatsu s cloak but hesitated when the dark elf flinched he let his hands drop to his sides and pulled away sit he motioned for the chairs i will play for you the bard drew his legs up into the chair and laid his instrument across his lap calloused fingers plucked gently reverently at the strings this time the soft notes that drifted through the air were soft upbeat and playful varian s head inclined subtly to the side and a soft smile playing on his lips when the dark elf s cloak finally fell away from his face you have sad eyes varian spoke softly over the music no response met his ears but he continued to play quietly for the other it was an hour or more before the dark elf stirred and the human s hands stilled varian stretched languidly joints in his back popping blissfully as his arms stretched over his head come again tomorrow night the bard murmured i promise i ll make it worth your time the cloak came up to cover the dark elf s fine features amatsu rascien nodded his ascent before the motion ever registered with his better judgment he moved towards the doorway but a hand on his arm stopped him from leaving i don t even know your name varian whispered desperate please i want to forget the dark elf spoke slowly more words than he had spoken all that evening you said your name was a reflection of you then mine must be a reflection of me but it is a life and a place i would forget if it is so important call me what you will and i will answer to it hawke he smiled unhesitating that s what you are when you watch me a hawk the dark elf smiled in kind hawke then my name is hawke 1 comment posted in writing tagged fantasy fiction writing january reading list zombies vs flappers posted on february 1 2010 1 comment collected short stories of f scott fitzgerald by f scott fitzgerald i have probably mentioned this somewhere before but the short story happens to be my favorite form of literature there s something to be said about an author able to leave a life long impression in a few thousand words of all the stories in this collection two have caught my fancy the offshore pirate and the diamond as big as the ritz both of these stories are fantasies which if you have been reading these lists from the beginning should not come as a surprise the offshore pirate tells the story of ardita farnan and her love affair with a pirate that raids her uncle s ship off the florida shores the diamond as big as the ritz chronicles john t unger s trip to visit a classmate at his home in the west john soon discovers that his friend s family lives on a mountain sized diamond and will go to any lengths to keep this secret to themselves the offshore pirate is quickly climbing to the top of my favorite short stories list i adore the strength of the characters that drive this narr...