Real Life, Reading, & Writing
- Justin Watson
- 9 hours ago
- 6 min read
If you'd like to get these updates straight to your email and read some of my short fiction for free, click the link below to sign up for my newsletter:
Well, we dropped Daughter the First off at college. It’s been awhile since we crossed such an obvious line of demarcation from one phase of life into another. I won’t try to process an event like that here, and my words would be insufficient if I did.
I was telling a younger writer the other day that while a life with more responsibilities and commitments inevitably cuts into writing time, it leads to a richer life. Which is not only more important, in and of itself, it’s also likely to enrich your writing as well. No endeavor has illustrated that more clearly than raising our children and we're not anywhere near done.
But you’re not here for my sentiments on child rearing so--
On the Guns
With all the college prep and travel to get Daughter the First set up this month, it’s been slow going on Romanov III, but not standstill. I wrapped up the Battle of Kharkov, and now am back with Sigi in Eastern Siberia, navigating the dynamics between the revived but unstable Romanov Dynasty, the Cossacks, the Japanese and the various local militias.
At the FDC
No more con appearances or any author events on the calendar for the remainder of the year. Just knuckling down to finish off Romanov III. The Patreon is off to a slow start, but I expected that. I’m still working to establish a better, sustainable rhythm for that platform. I’ll be posting Red Tailed Tigers, the second short in my Alt-French Indochina War series, to Patreon come mid-September. I have initial cover art for that release:
Red Tailed Tigers is the sequel to For a Few Camels More, which is available free to all newsletter subscribers. It's a tale of early jet combat in an alternate timeline. If you'd like to get a new short story every quarter and, incidentally, support my work directly, consider signing up for my Patreon below. All subscribers who sign up for the $5 tier before June of 2027 will have access to all digital benefits I add for Patreon members in perpetuity at no extra cost.
From the Hill
I’ve been carving out more time for reading fiction both because I love reading and because reading, like life experience, is one of those things that enriches writing. Amidst the chaos of this month I still managed to finish Ilium by Dan Simmons, which was great and I’ll talk about that a bit, but the real surprise delight this month was Tim Powers’ The Mills of the Gods.
Last newsletter I included a link to Dave Butler’s review of an older Tim Powers novel, Declare because I found it fascinating. Based on Dave’s praise, when I got a digital review copy of Power’s upcoming novel, I decided to open it up on the plane to Alabama…and ended up staying up all night reading the damn thing.
Nolan is an American veteran of the Great War making a living as an artist in 1925 Paris.
Like many veterans, Nolan is relieved to have survived yet unsure how to find meaning in a post-war life. His peaceful, if discontented, existence is disrupted when one of Nolan's commissioned illustrations brings unwanted attention in the form of Vivi.
Vivi is a young woman possessed of memories and skills not entirely her own. She is on the run from the sauteurs, cultists of child-like appearance who are eager and willing to murder to acheive their goals. Embroiled in Vivi's troubles, Nolan's adventures will take him through mortal peril and ancient mysteries. Nolan and Vivi will find themselves caught between pagan gods who are entirely unfamiliar with concepts like mercy. With a little help from Gertrude Stein, Ernest Hemingway and Pablo Picaso, though, perhaps Nolan and Vivi just may avoid utter doom…
If you’ve been missing classic adventure stories that offer a well-mixed palette of action, tension, mystery, and wonder, The Mills of the Gods is perfect for you. It’s like an Indiana Jones story, with more mythical and literary depth.
Back to Ilium.
Ilium is hard to describe in a tagline, but my preferred short version is if you made a far-future sci fi epic by blending Homer (obviously), The Time Machine, Zardoz, Terminator, Days of Future Past and five or six shots of Shakespeare and Proust each, you get something that works far better than it should when you write it out like I just did.
Despite the mad-cap nature of the story, the structure isn’t terribly complex.
Plotline A (as introduced) follows Thomas Hockenberry a resurrected scholar from the 20th century, as the Olympian gods force him to chronicle the events of the Iliad in person. Hockenberry is often humorous, frequently pathetic, a bit of a creeper, and occasionally heroic.
Plotline B follows, mainly, the story of Daeman, a young man from the Elois-like human inhabitants of Earth in the far future. Daeman is a feckless horn dog who is only pulled through most of his adventure by his desire to have sex with Ada, a young woman who has zero interest in him. That you find yourself caring if he lives or dies by the end of the book is a testament to Simmons' skill with a character arc.
Plotline C follows Mahnmut, the Shakespeare-obsessed sapient robot and his friend Orphu, the Proust-obsessed sapient robot. They are on a mission to figure out why time-space around Mars is getting all screwy.
A, B, and C collide in the midst of the Trojan War, and history in this novel is not written in stone.
If you’d like a deeper dive, I’ll give Dave Butler’s High Low Brow Channel another shout for his review:
On the screen front…it’s more anime. That tiny island across the Pacific still knows how to prioritize excellent writing for their flagship shows.
The Watson family is now up to date on Frieren, Spy x Family, and Witch Hat Atelier, all of which have a recommendation from me with the caveat that if you would be hesitant to show your kid something with PG-13 violence and innuendo, you should probably preview them yourself to make an informed decision. The Japanese do not wall their gardens for viewer discretion in quite the same way we do. Personally, I never found the violence, language, or suggestive dialogue inappropriate for a teen or preteen, but mileage varies greatly.
The newest addition in the journey to Weebhood, though, Michele and I took without our kiddos. On the recommendation of my brother-in-law we started Apothecary Diaries, which is a bit too adult in theme for kids below 16 or so IMHO. There is no on-screen sex, but many of the characters are concubines and courtesans so suggestive themes and tongue in cheek jokes abound. There isn't much direct violence either, though there's a LOT of tension and peril, but when they do get violent, they aren't super shy about depicting it.
Those caveats in place, it's one of my favorite things ever to hit the small screen. We just finished Season 2 and I'm super glad Season 3 is coming out in December.
Apothecary Diaries
Our heroine, Maomao, the eponymous apothecary, is kidnapped in episode one and finds herself indentured to serve in Emperor’s Rear Palace—that is to say, the palace where he keeps all his concubines.
The intrigue and humor are top notch, but the character work is truly exquisite. Maomao is a masterclass in how to write a woman from a culture not our own (the show is a rough analog to the Tang Dynasty). Maomao is clever and brave, but she has to persuade, not command, and watch her words around those in power. The unfair system in which she exists does not bend itself around her sheer awesomeness. Maomao is aware of the base unfairness, but at no point does she engage in an anachronistic soliloquy bemoaning her plight. In a world where every other heroine seems to share the exact values of a 30 year old native of LA or NYC in 2026, it's a breath of fresh air.
And that’s about it for now. I hope summer has been good to you, and you're coming into fall in a good place.
Bonecrusher 6, out.
Comments