For my book God and the Problem of Evil, I went through several different images before deciding on the final cover. This was my favorite of the lot, but it got rejected by the people I showed it to. They thought it was a tad too sensational for the subject matter.
But I thought it was too cool not to share.
Behold!
I play a lot of video games. One of my favorite genres is the ARPG (Action Role Playing Game). I’ve probably played close to a thousand hours of Diablo 2 over the last twenty-five years.
So I’ve been eagerly anticipating the early-access release of Path of Exile 2. After playing it over the weekend, I’m happy to say that the game doesn’t disappoint. In fact, I think it exceeds every expectation I had.
It is by far the best feeling and most engaging ARGP I’ve ever played. The combat is slower-paced than most ARPGs, and it incorporates a Dark Souls dodge-roll. These two design choices give combat a weight and immediacy that’s missing from other click-happy ARPGs.
Combine this with a new stun mechanic, in that almost all monsters and bosses have a stun meter that can be used to stun them for a few seconds, and a new movement system where you use WASD instead of the mouse, and the combat feels fresh and tactical in a way that I’ve been craving from a new ARPG for years.
There’s some real, much needed, innovation of the genre here, and I’m thrilled to see it.
The game is also tuned to be challenging instead of a pushover. It is so refreshing to have to actually focus, learn the patterns, and utilize all of my abilities to down a boss rather than stand next to it and hold down left-click.
There have been a few minor gripes, but the developers have already released a patch to address the most annoying complaints. I’m excited to watch the game grow and improve, and I plan to play it for many years to come.
I have a seven year old boy and a five year old girl, and they’re both addicted to books. About two years ago, I got to the point that I couldn’t read the same picture book for the thousandth time, so I transitioned them to more advanced books. Some of these books are still for kids, and some are genuine novels.
We operate in a pattern, each one of us getting to pick a book in turn. This is the only way I can avoid reading the same book over and over!
I had to ban all Roald Dahl books for a time because that’s all they would pick.
In the past two years, these are the books I’ve read aloud:
The Hobbit – The Magician’s Nephew – The Horse and His Boy – The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia – The Voyage of the Dawn Treader – The Silver Chair – The Last Battle – James and the Giant Peach (x2) – Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (x3) – Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator (never again) – The Twits – The BFG (never again) – Matilda (x3) – Esio Trot – The Minpins – The Wind in the Willows – Where the Red Fern Grows (x2) – Akiko on the Planet Smoo – Akiko in the Sprubly Islands – Akiko and the Great Wall of Trudd – Akiko in the Castle of Alia Rellapor – Akiko and the Intergalactic Zoo – Akiko and the Alpha Centuari 5000 – Akiko and the Journey to Toog – Akiko: The Training Master
And for a bonus, these are the books I’ve read aloud to my wife in the last two years:
The Fellowship of the Ring – The Two Towers – The Return of the King – Redwall
I used to be a voracious reader. I would read a book a day, if I had the time. But when I started writing, my reading slacked off. I was worried that I’d be distracted from coming up with my own ideas, or that the things I read would bleed over into my own stories.
I’ve since decided that this was a silly thing to worry about, and I started reading again.
Because it had been a few years since I tucked into a fiction book, I had a backlog to tackle. Neal Stephenson is my favorite living author, and it was with eager anticipation that I cracked the cover of his 2019 novel The Fall.
As with most Stephenson books, you never quite know what you’re getting into. This one proved to be no different. I thought I was in for a gripping techno-thriller in the vein of Cryptonomicon or Reamde. Instead, what I discovered was one of the best fantasy books I’ve read in my entire life.
That’s a very divisive statement to make for Stephenson fans. The Fall was poorly received compared to his more popular books. Most of his readers expect and demand weird, pseudo sci-fi futurism with a healthy dose of angsty, overwrought prose. Neal seems to be allergic to writing short books.
So for him to drop what is essentially his take on Lord of the Rings was quite a dramatic shift in what he usually writes.
Personally, I loved it. There’s a mythical quality to The Fall that few other books can match, and the world that he builds is so compelling that I was genuinely sad to have to step away from it once I finished the book. It was fresh in a way that I feel modern fantasy lacks.
I can’t say too much for risk of spoiling the story, but I will say that it’s the best book I’ve read in years, and it might be in my top three fantasy books of all time.
Hello, dear internet wanderer!
If you’ve stumbled across this page, that means you’re deep into the uncharted warrens of the web. Here there be monsters!
Just kidding.
It’s only me down here, I promise.
And I’m still writing! I just published Blood of Druids, which completes the Shattered Son trilogy. I count this a minor triumph, as all three books were published in the same year.
If you read them, be sure to let me know what you think!
Now, on to the next project.
Hello, dear reader! I’m back from the shadows of obscurity. For the past year, I’ve been toiling away at a new series. And I’m proud to say that the first book is ready!
With this ninth book, I have completed the goal I set for myself seven years ago to write and publish a million words.
Not only is my latest book out, but this also marks the end of the saga of the Shrouded king!
Pick up the eBook from the links below, and stay tuned for what’s next.
Salutations, dear reader!
I hope you’re doing well.
I just wanted to pop in and give a quick update. I’m halfway done with the first draft of the final book in the Shrouded King series. It’s taking a bit longer than usual because it’s the last book in the series, and I want to get it right.
I hope to have it finished and published in a few months.
I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I have writing it!
Hey, you! Yes, you! I wrote another book.
Shocking, I know. But you should read it!
Surprise, I wrote another book!
At 140k words, this is by far the longest work I’ve ever completed.
I hope you enjoy it! Click on the image below to view it on Amazon.
Sandell Wall 