RULES!
1. Post these rules
2. Each person tagged must post 8 random facts about themselves
3. Tags should write a journal/blog of these facts
4. At the end of the post, 8 more persons are tagged and named
5. Go to their page and leave a comment, telling them they're tagged and hugged

1) I study law.
2) I detest politicians of any party.
3) I love Greek, Norse, Egyptian, Celtic and Aztec mythologies.
4) I find Manhunt, Postal and Carmageddon sick games.
5) My biggest wish (that I know will never come true) is to fly my own spaceship.
6) This is the first time I'm tagged.
7) "I can not live without books" - Francis Bacon.
8) The cake is a lie!

I'm tagging...

Zay-el, B-Gev, Alexa, The-Evil-Reaper, Ziele, Ralexand, Denden666Piek, Hraesvelgr.

I decided to make a few short lists of good things I read/watched/played in 2007. So, here they are:

NOVELS:
1) Naomi Novik's "Temeraire" series
2) James Clavell's "Shogun"
3) Robin Hobb's "The Liveship Traders" trilogy
4) Terry Pratchett's "The Truth"
5) Craig Russell's "Blood Eagle"

GAMES:
1) Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
2) Fahrenheit
3) Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
4) Desperados: Wanted Dead or Alive
5) Sid Meier's Pirates!

MOVIES:
1) Arthur and the Minimoys
2) Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
3) The Fifth Element
4) Happy Feet
5) The 9th Company

COMICS & WEBCOMICS:
1) Paul Taylor’s “Wapsi Square”
2) Tom Siddell’s “Gunnerkrigg Court”
3) Juan Diaz Canales & Juanjo Guarnido’s “Blacksad: Red Soul”
4) Tracy J. Butler’s “Lackadaisy”
5) Mike Krahulik & Jerry Holkin’s " Penny Arcade”

SUMMARY:
- Novels: the books speak for themselves, only a quick digression - each time I hear peans about Sapphira from Eragon trilogy – "how Paolini created a real, true dragon etc." – I snicker. Compare Sapphira to Bialolecka’s Pozeracz Chmur (translation: Cloudeater, a short version of "Good White Flyer, Soaring High And Eating Clouds Of The Same Colour As Himself" ), Novik’s Temeraire and Hobb’s Tintaglia. Not this league, dear friends. Paolini’s Sapphira has the character of an old, grumpy aunt, while those dragons have some animal anarchy in their actions and words. Plus, Cloudeater has fur. How many dragons you know, that have fur?

- Games: frankly, the first place was meant for The Witcher. But, due to sudden twist of fate (read: PC not meating the minimal requirements), I could not play it. Therefore, my former type for place two lands on the first.

- Movies: another sudden change. Recently, I thought I’d put PoC at the top. But, after I saw the current Number One, I knew this is my true type.

- Comics & Webcomics: as you easily noticed, 4/5 of this list consists of webcomics. Well… that’s mostly what I read of this category. On the third place, though, we have very interesting Blacksad. Maybe next year will bring more regular comics.

NOTE: on those lists I put only novels/games/movies/comics I finished. That is the reason why I didn’t add Deus Ex and “Tai-Pan” – I merely began them.

And Happy New Year!

As we say in Poland. In English, this would mean "I've read a neat book". However, this isn't completely true. Not one neat book - but three of them. All of them were detective novels, one of my favourite genres.

The first was "Стечение обстоятельств" ("Kolacja z zabojca", "A Supper with the Killer") by Alexandra Marinina. It takes place in Moscow during the economic crisis. The protagonist is major Anastasia "Nastya" Kamienska, trailing the killer - a specialist in creating "unfortunate accidents". The novel is quite addictive, and fun to read.

Second one was "Blood Eagle" ("Krwawy Orzel") by Craig Russell. This time, we are taken to modern Hamburg, where chief commissar Jan Fabel is hunting a serial killer, who murders young women, using the Norse ritual, known as the Blood Eagle. As the story unravels, the plot becomes more and more complicated, involving immigrant Ukrainian and Turkish gang war and former Nazi Wolfgang Eitel with his son. A masterpiece.

The last one is "Mannen som log" ("Mezczyzna, ktory sie usmiechal", "The Man Who Smiled") by Henning Mankell, taking place in Ystad (Sweden). The main character, police inspector Kurt Wallander, is visited by an old friend, Sten Torstensson, who suspects, that the accident, in which his father dies, wasn't really an accident. Wallander, who is depressed after killing a man in self defence and wants to quit being a police officer, refuses helping his friend. A few days later Sten is killed and Wallander decides to return to the police and lead the investigation. The deepest of all three books – concentrates on the psychology.

I'm currently reading a great Russian sci-fi novel "Roadside Picnic" (Пикник на обочине ) by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky.

The book tells about the Zones - places of Alien landing, abandoned by humans - very dangerous places, in which are found artifacts of Alien technology. Those artifacts - which do not obey to known physical laws - are very valuable. There are people known as "stalkers", who risk their laws in illegal expeditions to get those artifacts. The novel tells about one of the best stalkers - Red Shoehart.

The novel is absolutely fantastic. It's only bad side is, that it is pretty short However, it's one of the greatest sci-fi novels, next to Frank Herbert's "Dune", Isaac Asimov's "Foundation" series, Philip K. Dick's novels (really can't pick the best of those - one of the best known is "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?") and Stanislaw Lem's novels (like in Dick's - can't choose the best - one of the best known is "Solaris").

"Roadside Picnic" has been inspiration for "Stalker" movie by Andrei Tarkovsky (loose adaptation, I'd wish to see it), "S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl" game (the novel was an inspiration to the authors of this game) and up-coming "Roadside Picnic" movie (directed by David Jacobson, announced to 2008).

Yesterday I saw Troy. From the technical side it wasn't bad. But from the story side...

Firstly - Achilles was hidden in his father's, king Peleus', court, where he was dressed as king's daughter, so he wouldn't go on this war. That was his mother's, Thetis' idea, because she knew that he won't return from Troy. Odysseus, who was sent to find him, tricked him by appearing as a merchant and showing him swords - and a warrior wouldn't stand such temptation In the movie, there wasn't such part. Though this I can forgive - it would be hard to make Brad Pitt look like a woman

Secondly - Menelaos and Agamemnon survived the war and Helen was brought back to Sparta. Guess what's in the movie.

Thirdly - the Greeks fought at Troy for 10 years. In the movie, it seems like it all ended in 18 days.

Fourthly - Paris shot Achilles in his heel BEFORE taking over the Troy. Not DURING it.

Fifthly - Briseis was the member of the TROYAN ROYAL FAMILY? Well that's news even for Homer!

A little plus is Aeneas appearing in the final movie scene. A little.