Review of Sly Mongoose

It feels rather odd to write this, since the book won’t be released until mid August. But I was able to get my hands on an advance reader copy of the novel Sly Mongoose so I thought I’d let you know just how darn awesome it is. 

Sly Mongoose is a space opera novel by one of my favorite new authors, Tobias Buckell. It’s not really fair to say he’s new — the guy’s had an enormous amount of short stories professionally published. He’s also a very accomplished freelance blogger about new media, futurism, technology and racial issues. I’ve cited his nonfiction material in at least one academic paper off the top of my head.

Sly Mongoose is based in the same universe as his previous two novels, Crystal Rain and Ragamuffin. But don’t let that make you worry. Each book is written as a stand-alone based against a larger backdrop. 

The story takes place on the planet of Chilo. Pepper, the sly mongoose man from the earlier books, has just returned to the region of space controlled by the human faction based on the planet New Anegada. He had ventured out of the space to witness the execution of what was believed to be the last of the Satraps — a repressive alien species that has subjugated humans and other species for quite a while. Unfortunately, one satrap has escaped the purge of their one-time subjects and is hiding on Chilo. So its former subjects have sent a weapon to destroy their former dark overlord. And it’s a virus that turns people into zombies (quite literally). 

Pepper finds himself fighting off the zombies, trying to save the inhabitants of Chilo from death. He’s assisted by two teens, Timas and Katerina, who are from two very different cultures. Timas is from a group who are very technologically backwards and xenophobic (for good reason), and Katerina is a living avatar of the ultimate democracy.  They don’t live on the planet, per se, but rather above it.  See, Chilo’s uninhabitable on the surface due to severe heat, pressure, and a poisonous atmosphere. So its citizens live in scientifically plausible floating cities. The two teens work with Pepper to convince their clashing cultures to work together to defeat the zombie horde. It’s a thrill ride filled with sword fights, air ships, pirates, blood, guts, and ichor. 

But the neatest thing about Sly Mongoose is the fact that it isn’t just a top notch action novel. It’s also a very thoughtful novel that deals with such topics as gender relationships, the formation of governing bodies, personal freedom, and eating disorders, specifically, bulimia. Buckell strives to deliver a book that is both profoundly entertaining and deeply thought provoking — an ideal more entertainers should work for. And the great thing is he succeeds.  It’s very easy to read Sly Mongoose on just a pure adventure-novel level and then put down to find yourself thinking about really serious and pertinent topics, which is what great fiction should do.

I’m definitely going to pick this up as soon as it hits the shelves, and I encourage you to do the same. 

2nd annual International Pixel-stained Technopeasant Day

Well folks, today is the second annual International Pixel-stained Technopeasant Day! Now, I don’t have a new song ready for today, so I thought I would post a short story that I wrote a few months ago.So, here it is, I hope you enjoy it: “Snowflakes”.

An interesting traffic stop

A few nights ago, I was heading to my parents house after work. I set the cruise control to the posted speed limit and was just enjoying listening to a podcast. Five miles from home, a set of flashing red and blue lights appeared behind me.

Now, I was confused. Why was I getting pulled over? I’d not been driving recklessly or anything. But I complied and pulled over, trying to figure out what I’d done wrong.

The trooper came up to my car and told me that I wasn’t in any sort of trouble. The only problem was that one of my headlights was out. He asked to see my license and registration. So first I fished out my wallet. That’s when the routine turned a bit odd.

 ”Is that a duct tape wallet?” the officer asked.

“Yeah, it is,” I said. “I made it myself.”

That was the last thing that I expected. But it really shouldn’t have been. I get the question a lot, at least once a week. And I never mind answering it. I made the wallet, not only to replace the one I had been using, but to be a bit of a conversation starter. I like talking to people, but I’m not thrilled about initiating the conversation for the most part. The wallet is a great way to do it.

The trooper, once he’d broken the ice with that non-routine question, became really nice. That one spark of curiosity was enough to transform him from a dude stuck on night patrol in February to a participant in a conversation.

 It’s an interesting idea. Carry around one unusual (but harmless) item and see how people’s perceptions about you change. Just a thought for today.

No songs this week

So it’s been a week since I’ve posted any new songs. If I’d stuck to my schedule, I would’ve been about halfway. But, as so often happens, college has intervened. Tests and classwork have really eaten up a lot of my time. Hopefully, when those deadlines are passed, I’ll be able to work some more on the music. This weekend, though, I’m taking a break from both song writing and education. I’m actually in Pittsburgh! Last year, I went to a really good Christian conference called Jubilee. I liked it alot, and decided to come back this year. And that’s what I’m doing. Six friends are here with me, so we’ll have a lot of fun. We’re planning to hit up Max and Erma’s for dinner tonight (unless someone else comes up with a better idea), and that should be good.Some quick highlights of what’s coming up tonight… Chuck Colson is going to be one of the main speakers. He’s been a personal role model for me now since I was in middle school, so I’m really excited about getting to see him. Also, Derek Webb and Sandra McCracken will be performing. There’s going to be a session about the Blood:water mission  (an organization I’ve financially supported in the past). Also, a former speech writer for President Bush will be here. My friend Billy is excited about the session “Sabbath Keeping for Dummies.” So the weekend looks like it’s going to be both fun and informative. Well, the one thing I forgot to bring was my Bible, so I have to go buy a new one. D’oh!   :-)  Later.

New Song — “You’ve Walked Among us Still”

Song number three is done. This has taken the longest to write thus far, which was a bit frustrating. I had a hard time getting words that I really liked for the chorus.

This song is radically different compared to the two I’ve produced so far. It is a praise and worship song, which has been my default genre for quite some time.

If you’re new to the blog, I guess this would now be the point in which to say that I’ve been a Christian for quite some time. It’s a very defining feature in my life ever since I was a kid, and I don’t think that it will be going away any time soon.

This song came about, lyrically at least, as kind of a supplement on a Bible study I’m involved with at College. We’ve been going through the first few chapters of Genesis since last semester, looking at it as a fundamental building block for what a Christian’s world view would be. And it boils down to this: even though humanity has royally screwed up and done everything possible to alienate God, he’s gone out of our way to reconcile us to him. That fact should reflect on everything we say and do. Now obviously, we’re still fallen creatures living in a fallen world, so we’re going to screw up. But Christ doesn’t see our mistakes as a brick wall between us and him. He has gone the extra mile to make a way for us.

Technically, this song really excites me because it is the first I wrote while using two capos simultaneously on my guitar. I put my standard capo on the 2nd fret and then put my brand new cut capo on the 4th fret. The end result looked like this:

I’m really excited about the versatility of this technique, and I’m thinking of picking a couple more capos just to see how much I can get out of — what’s that? you’re eyes are glazing over? Oh, okay, then. How about the song?

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You’ve Walked Among Us Still

Words and Music by Jordan Dennis

Written on February 6th-8th 2008

http:www.fawm.org

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Verse 1:

We heard you drawing near

And we were filled with shame

We just hid out of fear

To escape the blame

But you were greater

Than we ever knew

Chorus:

You’ve walked among us still

Taught us to love, not kill

At the given hour

You drained our cup

Giving up

Your Holy Will

And even to this day

Your love clears the way

You cause our hearts flower

As you come

To walk among us still.

Verse 2:

We feel you reaching out

And we just run and hide

“Don’t get close” We all shout

The price is way too high

We loathe and love

The trash inside

Bridge:

There’s nothing you did to merit us

There’s nothing you did to merit us

There’s nothing you did to merit us

But You love us anyway

Sweet Sinéad

So I bet you think this project dropped off the face of the earth, right? No, sirree. I’m still kicking. I had a test this morning, so that took all of my attention, though.

This song was actually written on Sunday and Monday. I just wasn’t able to record it until today because of time restraints and all that.

Just a note about the song, it’s based in the 1700’s. The town of Port-de-paix is on the northern coast of Haiti. Wikipedia is great for finding odd rhymes.

Also, I’m sorry about the various faux pas in the recording. It’s a technically tough piece to play, and I wigged out at the end.

 

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Sweet Sinead

Words and Music by Jordan Dennis

Written on February 3rd and 4th, 2008

http://www.fawm.org

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I left my love in Dublin town

To gain a fortune and renown

I broke my word and never returned

A callow youth with much to learn

My brother came to Port-De-Paix

And found me there, drunk and fey

He said she wept a river of tears

And grew more wretched each new year

Oh sweet Sinéad I love you dear

Though I’ve been gone these many years

And if I could return to thee

I’d cleave to you for eternity

At first his pleas bore no fruit

I paid little heed, resolute

That life was gone, across the sea

How could her pain now affect me?

But then I thought of joys we’d shared,

The love we’d had when I was there.

The life I led here was mislaid

I resolved to go back to Sinéad.

Oh sweet Sinéad I love you dear

Though I’ve been gone these many years

And if I could return to thee

I’d cleave to you for eternity

I followed through with my plan

And joined a ship, an excited man.

About halfway, a nor’easter blew

The ship went down with all the crew.

And now I roam the ocean floor

With all I loved in reach no more.

There’s all of time to nurse my shame

And hear the waves sing out her name.

Oh sweet Sinéad I love you dear

Though I’ve been gone these many years

And if I could return to thee

I’d cleave to you for eternity

Pigeon of the System

So, here’s the fruit of the first two days of FAWM! Enjoy. Also, please let me know what you think.

Pigeon of the System

Verse 1:

Billy’s folks had a lofty goal

Their little boy would wipe out H-I-V

He tried to tell them he could make engines sing

But they weren’t listening

They couldn’t see.

This lack of love then took a toll

And Billy decided he’d go be free.

If you head South down to New Orleans

You can get your car fixed

And hear Billy say

Chorus:

I don’t wanna be a pigeon of the system

Scratching my way through life

I wanna have some peace, love, and joy

and maybe a bit of strife

I don’t want to sell my soul

Just to fit an expected role

‘Cause then I’d be a pigeon of the system

Scratching my way through life.

Verse 2:

Sally Ann was a party queen

She always was the belle of the ball

It wasn’t hard to be number one

When the weekend begun

Drinking alcohol

The party stopped when she careened

Her brand-new car into a shopping mall

And now for her that lifestyle’s done

I’m not a pigeon

She says standing tall

Repeat Chorus

Bridge:

You and I have paths to choose

Will we peck the crumb trail

Or strike out for something new?

Repeat Chorus

Ending:

I don’t want to sell my soul

Just to fit an expected role

‘Cause then I’d be a pigeon of the system

Scratching my way through life.

Song Preparation — Of pigeons and people

In just a few hours it’ll be February 1st, as you all know, and that means that February Album Writing Month will be here! As I mentioned in the last post, that’s very exciting for me. It’ll be a challenge, but I think it’ll be a good stretch for me.

 

Tonight as I was driving into work, I thought it would be a good idea for me to write about the songs I’m going to do. I’ll discuss the topics I’m going to cover, typically a few days before I produce the final product. I went through some days ago and wrote down a whole bunch of ideas.  Some of them have really great potential, and those are the first string that I’ll write. The first one has been percolating around my head for a while now and I’m really excited to be able to formalize it. 

 

This first song has a bit of a story behind it. My best friend and I had gone down to Washington D.C. to see Great Big Sea in concert. We got down to the city several hours earlier then necessary and we decided to hit the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum (after all, where else would two science fiction fans go?). 

 

While walking along, we were just jokingly making up song titles. It was probably sparked by seeing a busker while we walked back to the metro stop. Some of the stuff we came with was just smarmy or cute fluff — nothing worth mentioning. But then one of us hit upon “Pigeon of the System.” And something clicked. 

 

The idea of a pigeon in D.C. was really neat to me. These birds live in an environment that is charged with political vitality… and they don’t even know it. They spend all of their time walking around, scratching out an existence in an environment that they can barely understand. 

 

In some ways, those pigeons can be seen as a good analogy for people. We very often can be living in the middle of something that is miles above our ability to comprehend. A force of nature, a major news story, even issues of a spiritual nature… we can be really willfully ignorant. Unlike those pigeons, we don’t have to be ignorant. Though learning, debate, and thought we can come to grips with many of the hard issues around us. Not everything is within our grasp, but we can at least acknowledge that we are ignorant in those areas. 

 

So, “Pigeon of the System” is the name of my first song, and those are some of the thoughts that I’ve been considering as I prepare to write. Come on back over the next few days to see the results. 

 

Humble beginnings

So… This is a wordpress blog. And you’re reading it. Lucky me.

I guess there are a few things I should mention to get this started. I decided to open up this weblog as an aggregator for different projects and hobbies of mine. Most specifically, this is meant to provide space for an upcoming project.For a couple of years, I was a music major. Like many out there, I play guitar and write my own songs. And, to be honest, I had a fair amount of ability in the field, particularly in the writing portion. I was good at stringing words onto a melody to make an aural necklace. But, as oft occurs, life intervened and I began taking a different path.

My song writing got left behind. After a while, I wanted to pick up the habit again. However, I couldn’t make it click. I had a hard time getting ideas to flow. I could only write sporadically. After the fall of 2006, I just didn’t get into it. No production at all. And, rather then actively forcing myself to write, I turned to other endeavors.

Then, a few weeks ago, I was listening to a local NPR station. They interviewed a singer/songwriter who said she had the same problems. She had been able to get through her struggles by working with February Album Writing Month — a program in which people try to write 14 songs in the month of February. On average, that’s a song for every two days. I decided that it was worth a shot.

So, for the next month, many of the posts will be lyrics and mp3 demos of music that I write for the month. I’m going to try for the goal, but if I only get a few done, I’ll consider it a success.

Well, I suppose that’s enough for now. Until next time, have a good one!