We all struggle to spend our hard-earned entertainment
budget wisely. There are certainly many
things worse in life than making a misstep on this front, but it’s always nice
when we get a little guidance from those with similar tastes.
In March, I had the good fortune to be guided by my favorite
author, George RR Martin, to explore a seven-volume series I hadn't yet heard
of. It’s always enlightening to explore
the works that have inspired those who have, in turn, so deeply inspired me. So, I very eagerly ordered a copy of the
first book in Maurice Druon’s series; The Accursed Kings.
The Accursed Kings (Maurice Druon)
“Pope Clement, Chevalier Guillaume de Nogaret, King Phillip,
I summon you to the Tribunal of Heaven before the year is out, to receive your
just punishment! Accursed! Accursed!
You shall be accursed to the thirteenth generation of your lines!” The haunting words of Jaques de Molay, Grand
Master of the Knights Templar, as the flames of his funeral pyre consumed him
set the tone for a tale for the ages. Burned
at the stake in 1314 by the order of King Philip, Molay was the last of the
Grand Masters of this ancient monastic order.
This series is the seven-volume telling of the fall of the
Capetian dynasty and the very roots of the Hundred Years War. According to many, this is historic fiction
at its finest! While I have only just finished
reading the first book, The Iron King, and have eagerly dove into the
second volume, I am already inclined to agree.
The depth of character, political intrigue, and sense of historic
immersion are incredible.
British publisher, Harper Collins, is planning on publishing
all seven volumes in English. The
seventh book has never before been offered as such. While there are no plans for a US edition of
the books, through the power of the internet you too can partake in this
fantastic series. Maybe we can even talk the Great Stories crew
into making a few copies available for direct purchase. I’ll see what I can do.
Ten Grand (J. Michael Straczynski & Ben Templesmith)
Then there are other times when we just get lucky. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention a comic
I grabbed on impulse last week; Ten Grand #1 - “Blood Oath”. A great fusion of grit and the supernatural,
this one caught me by surprise. You can
even scan a QR code in the back of the book for an excellent audio performance
of the story as you flip the pages. Even
better still, there’s an alternate cover by Bill Sienkiewicz of Moon Knight
fame (yep, I worked Moon Knight into my guest blog with minimal effort). So what’s the story here?
As mob enforcer, Joe Fitzgerald, laid dying and staring across
the room at the corpse of Laura, the love of his life, he was offered a deal. Where he was going, he wouldn’t want her to
follow. Where she was going he couldn’t
follow. But, if Joe agrees to work for a
mysterious and seemingly angelic force, he will be brought back to life again and
again, with the promise that should he die a righteous death he will be given five
minutes together with Laura. Would you
endure an eternal cycle of pain and death, to be reunited with the one you
love?
If that doesn’t whet your appetite, I’m not sure what
will. This story has a lot of promise,
and I’m looking forward to the rest of the arc.
Ten Grand #2 - “Angels Never Lie”, is slated for a June 5th
release.
And more…
Of course, if you haven’t yet read George RR Martin’s series
A Song of Ice And Fire (The first book is A Game of Thrones),
David Eddings’s Belgariad (The first book is Pawn of Prophecy), or
Raymond Feist’s Faerie Tale, you’ve got some other amazing stories
available to you as well and I'm only scratching the surface.
On the comics front, June looms, and then you can pick up Savage
Wolverine #6 with artwork by the amazing Joe Madureira.
These are just a couple ideas on entertainment spending. But remember, your local library carries a
veritable plethora of fantastic tales too.
Take advantage of that! Nothing
stretches your entertainment dollars more than enjoying so many options for
free. And when you do purchase a book or
movie with your hard-earned money, you can almost always donate it to your
local library when you are done with it to further develop their catalogue.
So get reading, or better yet writing and drawing, and let us know what you would recommend!
~Rob
