Monthly Archives: February 2023

books

(book) Django Wexler – ‘The Price Of Valour’ (The Shadow Campaigns #3)

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I discovered Django Wexler totally by surprise, while looking on Goodreads something similar to Joe Abercrombie, who is one of my favorite let’s say newer fantasy writers. Django Wexler released this five book serial called The Shadow Campaigns and this is third opus in that series. This is complicated fantasy with many characters involving only humans, so there are no dwarves, no elves, no dragons, monsters and similar themes. I learned to love that approach when I read Martin’s Songs of Ice and Fire which are ninety percent human based fantasy.

Well, The Price Of Valour deals with war. After the events in first two books which I must not write in detail not to spoil potential reading to you, war broke out in Kingdom of Vordanai. Winter Ihernglass is now first woman Colonel in Vordanai army leading the battalion formed of ex prostitutes, thieves and abused orphaned women who fight valiantly in Army of the East commanded by General Janus Bet Vhalnich. Meanwhile, evile Penitent Damned, who are like dark magic commandos installed a coup in Vordan so the army must come back to save the queen Raesinia and not to let kingdom fall into darkness, at the same time fighting with enemies surrounding them. This is in short told story of this third part of the series and I enjoyed every second of this 500plus pages behemoth. I am now going to part four and will let you know what I think. Of all three read until now, this one is the best.

4/5

Reviews

(rerview) Høstsol – ‘Länge Leve Döden’

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This is a debut opus of international supergroup known as Høstsol. This band was formed in 2020 and after two singles and one split opus, here is the debut full length. Members of this band are well known in black metal scene and extreme music scene being Kalmos (bass – Ajattara, ex Barathrum, Woland), Rainer Tuomikanto (drums – ex Shining, Ajattara, Woland), Cernunnus (guitar – Manes) and none other than Niklas Kvarforth(vocals – Shining, Skitliv). I was eager to hear what this will sound like. There are five longer epics on this opus. The music is black metal, old school black metal of the nineties mixed with depressive black metal and add to that a bit of punky edge. What I love the most about this album is that old school black metal atmosphere and vibe that many bands nowadays lack a lot. Lyrics are in Swedish except for one song, so I don’t understand what is being sung about, but judging by the album title, they are about depression, inner self, demons, battle with life, hopelessness, darkness and similar themes. There are also many atmospheric dark ambient parts to start and end a song, making this opus more heavier with almost touchable darkness. One of my personal favorites is ‘Det som en gång var (det kommer aldrig igen)’ with almost punk conviction and rawness turning later in the song into epic keyboard orchestration backed pure black metal anthem. Kvarforth’s singing is tortured screaming but at the same time pronounced, so it is another plus for this international supergroup. There is also a bit of chanting and clean singing at the begin of awesome ‘Din skördetid är nu kommen’. So, if you are a fan of old school atmospheric black metal with touch of black irony and depression go get this one.

9/10

tv series

(tv series) ‘Hunters’ season two way better than the first one!

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I was surprised when Hunters season two came out because I thought it was a one off series back in 2020. I watched first one during corona lockdown and it was not a prime time of my personal life due to some other issues, so it remained in my memory as good, with good twist in the end. But, there it is! Second season, eight episodes and final season as poster above says. This one starts as first left us, with our characters, a group of Jewish Nazi hunters in 1979, dispersed around the world, some still hunting Nazis, some doing other jobs, some holding grudges due to events in the first season. But, one thing gets them back and joins them with another group of Jewish hunters, the hunt for ultimate Nazi, hunt for Adolf Hitler who still lives in South America with his beloved Eva Braun and plots how to come back and conquer the world. This one was created by David Weil(‘Invasion’, ‘Solos’) and has a stellar line-up with every character being so greatly written and done, from main man Jonah(Logan Lerman -‘Fury’) across Al Pacino who appears again in parallel story which prequels happenings in first season, to Jennifer Jason Leigh, Kate Mulvany, Lena Olin, Josh Radnor of ‘How I Met Your Mother’ sitcom, and of course Udo Kier as Adolf himself being grumpy insane old dictator, on the surface not having much reality based thoughts anymore and Judd Hirsch as Simon Wiesenthal. Since Jordan Peele is executive producer it was bound to have some interesting and a bit different parts. So, I love the hommage to ‘The Sound Of Music’, I think it was in episode two, and also the penultimate episode is I think something weirdest and also most beautiful that I have seen lately. Dialogues are great, there are plenty action scenes and deaths of dear characters, ending provides tiny window for third season, but I would like it to end here, this being final season as they announced.

10/10