Michael G. Munz

The official website of Seattle sci-fi/fantasy author and geek Michael G. Munz

My Lightsaber Arrives!

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As I mentioned previously, I recently made one of those Big Life Purchases: I bought a lightsaber. I promised to bring you more details and show it off when it arrived, and finally, I am bringing!

The saber, a modified “Dark Menace” model from Ultrasabers, arrived in a long, slim box, ensconced in bubble wrap, with the blade already attached. I’m happy to report that UltraSabers had charged the batteries as well, so I was able to light that sucker up right out of the box without having to be patient any further. They also included the battery charger and little hilt display stand I’d asked for. The special silver pommel I’d ordered to swap out the stock Dark Menace pommel had already arrived, so I swiftly attached that.

my Dark Menace saber

My own Dark Menace, with a customized pommel and other wee tweaks. LOOK AT THE AWESOME!

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XCOM 2: First Impressions

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Meanwhile, in the alternate universe where you lost the war…

So at long last, Firaxis released XCOM 2 last night, and I’m here to report my first impressions of what–so far–feels like a worthy successor to the original. (Or, rather, the remake of the original, if you want to get really technical about it.) I’ve only had a chance to play a little, but what I’ve seen is fantastic. For the moment, I’m selflessly taking a break from it to give you my first impressions. Aren’t I wonderful?

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Book Review: The Wormwood Event

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The Wormwood Event cover

My rating: ★★★★★ (5 out of 5)

If I’m counting correctly, this is the fifth book I’ve read from JM Guillen, and I continue to be impressed. The Wormwood Event is an excellent, gripping work of short fiction that combines Lovecraftian horror with a modern sensibility and setting. Experience the end of the world through the eyes of college student Grace Juarez, a survivor of the horrifying event that left billions dead and turned billions more into savage, soulless monsters. I enjoyed the references to a couple of elements from his other books–note that these are not gratuitous mentions, but in-universe elements that fit perfectly for how they are used.

My one complaint is that I want more! This is only a brief novella–really more of a long short story–which I read in one sitting. I’m hopeful this tale will prove an introduction to another, to take place after it ends.

Book Review: Crooked by Austin Grossman

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Crooked, by Austin Grossman

My rating: ★★★☆☆ (3 out of 5)

“What if our nation’s worst president was actually a pivotal figure caught in a desperate struggle between ordinary life and horrors from another reality? What if the man we call our worst president was, in truth, our greatest?”

These are the questions posed by the new novel Crooked by Austin Grossman—indeed, the quoted text is from the official book description—into which I recently immersed myself.

The moment I heard Crooked’s premise, it grabbed my interest: a supernatural, Lovecraftian layer to not just the Watergate scandal but to Nixon’s full political career, the entire Cold War, and the institution of the U.S. Presidency itself. (Note: The novel is alternative history, and not meant as some sort of non-fiction conspiracy exposé.) I knew I was going to read it. What I got was a book with a fantastic first half that stumbles toward the end and ultimately leaves me disappointed. [Read more…]

Book Review: The Primary Protocol

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The Primary Protocol - JM Guillen

My rating: ★★★★☆ (4 out of 5)

J.M. Guillen’s The Primary Protocol wastes no time in plunging us back into his eldrich world of technologically augmented agents waging a secret battle with Lovecraftian forces that threaten to overrun our rational realm. The cosmic horror of the Vyriim, introduced in Rationality Zero (the spawn point of this series), have threaded their nightmarish tentacles further into our world, seeking a beachhead, and as The Primary Protocol begins, we—and protagonist Michael Bishop—are already right in the thick of it. [Read more…]

Movie Review: Ant-Man

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Ant-Man official poster

“What’s this? A movie review for ANTS?”

I wasn’t expecting much out of Ant-Man. I really wasn’t. Understand that this is coming from a guy who’s seen and enjoyed (to varying degrees) all of the Marvel cinematic universe, but who’s never really read comic books. After I saw Iron Man for the first time, a friend had to explain to me who the Avengers were, and he made mention of Thor. “The actual god Thor?” I asked. “Like, running around with a guy in an iron suit? How are they even on the same level?” I’d thought that a Thor movie couldn’t really work, to say nothing of the eventual team-up with everyone in the Avengers. [Read more…]

Book Review: Blood, Spirit, and Bone

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Blood, Spirit, and Bone

My rating: ★★★★☆ (4 out of 5)

While I’ve always found vampires and their associated to be fascinating, with my fascination comes a picky, almost elitist view of how they should be: monstrous, dangerous, and—while they can and should have intelligence and character, the fact that they’re monsters should always lurk in the background. Also—and really, does this even need to be said?—NO SPARKLING. [Read more…]