Michael G. Munz

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Book Review: Wizzy Wig by Tiffany Pitts

March 4, 2016 By Michael G. Munz Leave a Comment

Wizzy Wig by Tiffany Pittz

My rating: ★★★★☆ (4 out of 5)

I’ve read both books in Tiffany Pitts’s Thanatos Rising series, and I can honestly say that Pitts writes with a uniquely delightful literary voice. Her particular brand of contemporary sci-fi adventure somehow manages to present life-and-death situations alongside blithe imagination in a way that often seems to look askance at reality as if to say, “Really, reality? Really?”

I’m not sure if I’m making sense here, so to sum up my opinion more concisely: The second book in the series in the series, Wizzy Wig is a fun sci-fi read that’s certainly worth your time. Especially if you like cats. And strong characters of any gender. And reality-bending pizza.

Yeah, you read that right: reality-bending pizza. I won’t spoil the details, but this book is a tale of multiple realities and how a tiny hole between them wreaks havoc upon a small group of Seattle citizens, a nanotechnologically-augmented house cat, a sugar glider, and quite possibly one of the few point-of-view spider characters in fiction.

Pitts tells the story from multiple points of view, which is something of a necessity when dealing with characters able to force themselves into the bodies of their alternate-universe counterparts–or when entertaining us with the internal thought processes of a cat or a deadly (and puckish) Brazilian wandering spider. While the reality-warps in Wizzy Wig were a tad confusing for me to keep up with, the characters themselves were in the same boat, so my confusion was theirs, but I grasped it all in the end.

Wizzy Wig is a ridiculous book, and I say that in every complimentary sense of the word. Whether or not you’ve read the first book in the series, if you like light science fiction with a sense of humor, you’ll find something to enjoy here.

Also, pizza. 🙂

Geek Notes bonus: Check out my interview with the aforementioned nanotechnologically-augmented house cat in a post last November!

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Filed Under: Books, Featured Tagged With: Review, Science Fiction, Seattle, Thanatos Rising, Tiffany Pitts, Wizzy Wig

My Lightsaber Arrives!

February 16, 2016 By Michael G. Munz 4 Comments

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!

[Read more…]

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Filed Under: Featured, Miscellaneous Tagged With: Dark Menace, Geek Interest, Lightsaber, Review, Star Wars, Ultrasabers

XCOM 2: First Impressions

February 5, 2016 By Michael G. Munz Leave a Comment

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?

[Read more…]

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Filed Under: Featured, Gaming Tagged With: Firaxis, first impressions, Geek Interest, PC Games, Review, XCOM, XCOM 2

Book Review: The Wormwood Event

November 30, 2015 By Michael G. Munz Leave a Comment

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.

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Filed Under: Books, Featured Tagged With: apocalypse, Free, JM Guillen, Lovecraft, occult, Review, science fic, The Wormwood Event

Book Review: Crooked by Austin Grossman

August 13, 2015 By Michael G. Munz Leave a Comment

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…]

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Filed Under: Books, Featured Tagged With: alternate history, Austin Grossman, Crooked, Fantasy, Lovecraft, Nixon, Review

Book Review: The Primary Protocol

July 31, 2015 By Michael G. Munz Leave a Comment

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…]

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Filed Under: Books, Featured Tagged With: cosmic horror, JM Guillen, Lovecraft, Review, Science Fiction, The Primary Protocol

Movie Review: Ant-Man

July 26, 2015 By Michael G. Munz 2 Comments

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…]

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Filed Under: Featured, Movies and TV Tagged With: ant man, Avengers, Farscape, Geek Interest, Marvel, Review

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