Everything Is Better With Dragons

Review: ‘Steam City Pirates’ by Jim Musgrave

Steam City Pirates

Pat O’Malley Steampunk Mysteries

Jim Musgrave

English Majors Editors and Publishers, LLC

Pub Date: Dec 1 2013

Like Alice’s rabbit, a strange “mechanical-like man” leads 1869 New York Detective Pat O’Malley down into the world of steam power. A group from the future calling itself the World Scientific Advancement Society for Progress is living secretly beneath Central Park. These pirates are inventors whose only goal is to keep the Earth in the Steam Age in order to save it from a future nuclear holocaust. Five alien assassins from other universes are ordered to kill O’Malley and his group, and each alien has a unique ability to do the job. As the Steam City Pirates build a steam-powered amusement park on Coney Island, O’Malley and his group are hunted down in the streets of New York City. The future of the world is at stake in this mystery and adventure featuring a twisting plot, steampunk time travel, steam men duels, crafty inventions, and monsters from other planets.

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Frisian Chieftain Radbod: ‘I’ll See You in Hell’

Beautiful piece of embroidery and an interesting look at seventh century European politics.

Kim Rendfeld

In the best known legend about Frisian chieftain Radbod (d. 719), from The Life of Wulframn of Sens, he stuck his toe in the baptismal font and asked a profound question: would he see his ancestors in the afterlife? Told that his kin were in hell while he would be in heaven, Radbod refused the rite. He would rather spend eternity damned with the ancestors he loved rather than be in paradise with the Franks he hated.

We have no way of knowing whether this particular story is true, but it might reveal Radbod’s reasoning for considering conversion but staying with his pagan gods. Both decisions had more to do with politics than spirituality.

Embroidery depicting Radbod refusing baptism Sixteenth century embroidery depicting the legend in which the Frisian chieftain Radbod refuses baptism at the last moment (public domain image via Wikimedia Commons).

Around the 690s, Radbod had been fighting with Frankish Mayor of…

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Let’s Talk About Class: Hierarchies of Taste and Gender

I found this interesting and thought I’d share.

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Posh man: I ain’t one

Recently, I found myself at a wine-tasting session with a friend, only to be confronted with the embarrassing reality that I had no idea how to act “appropriately” in the situation. The whole thing wasn’t helped by the fact that I was wearing an outfit much like Julia Roberts circa Pretty Woman, as I sometimes care to do (it’s a great look). Trying to “be myself” rather than affect a more refined countenance turned out to be quite the faux pas in terms of the disdainful/pitying/embarrassed looks I got from other patrons. While on the one hand I was rather “f*** you” about it, it also later resulted in me crying into my pillow.

Ladette to Lady: teaching us how not to be working class

Later, I came across this article about the UK’s Education Secretary Michael Gove, and his comments that

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First Extraterrestrial Waves Ever Spotted On Titan

First Extraterrestrial Waves Ever Spotted On Titan.

The history and future of the Universe in four minutes: Brian Greene at TED2014

Review: ‘The Season of the Witch’ by Natasha Mostert

Portable Magic Ltd.

Jan 31 2014 (Originally published 2007)

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What to do, what to do?

I have such a lot of reviewing onContinue reading “What to do, what to do?”

Phone Frustrations

Just a quick post from me this morning, I have a couple of things to do then I have to get some writing done, or possibly some reading.Continue reading “Phone Frustrations”

I believe?

I decided to take a break from working on my novel for a few minutes to have a look at today’s ‘Reader’ when I came across the Daily Prompt. Three things I believe in my heart to be true, three things I believe in my heart to be false. Hmm, time to do some soul searching?

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2014/03/16/daily-prompt-i-believe/

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Like. Love. Trust.

“There are few people whom I really love, and still fewer of whom I think well.”

Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

I would add to that ‘and there are still fewer whom I trust completely.’

Scrolling through the WordPress ‘Reader’ yesterday I came across this ‘Daily Prompt’ post:

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2014/03/13/prompt-something-so-strong/

The prompt was about ‘best friends’ – how you met, how the friendship has survived etc.Continue reading “Like. Love. Trust.”