Read more about the article What Went Wrong With Netflix’s Altered Carbon
Personal Rants

What Went Wrong With Netflix’s Altered Carbon

I’ve read Richard Morgan’s Takeshi Kovacs series in my early twenties, back when I lived in Poland. There was a bit of hype about it, and I decided to check it out. Needless to say, a book that started with the main character dying on the first two pages had to suck me in (and I missed my tram stop because of it). I devoured all three books as they became available in Polish, and then—since there were no more Takeshi Kovacs stories—I moved onto other exciting reads.

When Netflix released its series based on the books, I hardly remembered the stories, only the setting, so it took me a while to actually get around to watching it. That delay allowed me to watch season 1 and 2 of Netflix’s Altered Carbon almost back to back.

If you had not watched the series, be warned—some spoilers ahead. (more…)

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May 18, 2020
Read more about the article Invisible Writing Progress – Q1 2020
On Writing / Personal Rants

Invisible Writing Progress – Q1 2020

So far, 2020 has been an odd year for me. I might not be a person to make New Year resolutions, but I had plans, solid and detailed, and I was ready to see them through. Yet, as always in life, unexpected things happen, and my plans got derailed, so the first quarter of the year for me, although somewhat productive, has been affected by a sudden loss of direction and then need to rearrange my goals.

And although writing isn’t necessarily as lonely endeavor as some people might paint it, the writing progress remains invisible until a novel or a story is done and published. That’s why I thought I’d share how my writing life has been so far this year, and what else I’ve been busy with. (more…)

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April 13, 2020
Read more about the article Why I Don’t Write About Self-Isolation
Personal Rants

Why I Don’t Write About Self-Isolation

This post a bit more personal than my usual offerings, so if you’re here for fantasy and science fiction, feel free to skip it.

Every few weeks, my acquaintance messages me to ask, “how is it going?” We then proceed to have a short chat, sometimes about updates from his life, sometimes about movies or games. Then, the conversation is over, but he’ll ask again in less than a month. In a way, it amuses me, because my life rarely changes and events that others would consider “exciting” are a rarity, so even months would not be enough for an update.

You see, I’ve been pretty much self-isolating for the last years. (more…)

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March 30, 2020
Read more about the article 4 Years in the USA
Personal Rants

4 Years in the USA

Among the (not too) chilly aura of Virginia’s winter, among the business of my writing and freelancing, quietly passed four years since I moved to the United States and over twelve years since I immigrated from my own country. And nothing tells me clearer that I settled in my new home than the fact that I had to do math to figure out both numbers.

It’s hard to believe that 4 years ago I packed all the essential things (many of them being books, of course), gave or threw away over 8-years worth of living stuff, and embarked on a plane to carry me over the ocean to start a new life. (You can read more about it in my Of the Endings post.)

Now, after all that time, I can look back and see how that “starting went”.

 

(more…)

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March 9, 2020
Read more about the article Remembering Mike Resnick’s Books
Personal Rants

Remembering Mike Resnick’s Books

Last year, I came across information that writer Mike Resnick was sick, but people get sick all the time, and then they get better… except for when it’s the sickness which gets the better of them as it was in his case.

To be honest, I didn’t know Mike Resnick as a person. I didn’t even know him as a writer. But I did know his books, so when the news of his recent death reached me, I immediately thought of his works. I don’t have those fancy memories of meeting him in person, but I have all the memories of reading his books and how formative some of them became. So today, to honor his memory and let him live on within his words and worlds, I’m sharing the ones I liked the most with you. Who knows, maybe you’ll feel tempted to pick one up?

(more…)

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January 13, 2020
Read more about the article Friends Do Lie: Normalization of Lies in Fiction
Personal Rants

Friends Do Lie: Normalization of Lies in Fiction

After three and a half seasons of screaming at my tv, I finally gave up on Supernatural. The show had a lot of potential: good acting, interesting lore, and that speculative element I always welcome in my entertainment, so I was willing to give it a go, despite it being a little too close to horror for my liking. And yet, here I was, finally giving up after over three seasons of being less and less entertained. At the same time, I had similar experience with Stranger Things 3. I’ve been so hopeful for it, only to be met with disappointment. While I appreciate some aspects of these two and many other shows, they all seem to suffer from a fatal storytelling flaw. (more…)

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August 19, 2019
Read more about the article Finding Time for Important Things
Personal Rants

Finding Time for Important Things

My flamenco shoes have been sitting in the wardrobe for years… A random thought triggered by an online add made me realize that my shoes had been stuck in various wardrobes for good 10 years now. My bellydancing scarf might not have accrued such an impressive number, but it isn’t far behind, and the fan veils I wished to learn to use… I never took them with me from Ireland. And that’s only dancing I’ve been neglecting. If I had a closer look at my art supplies, the list would become even longer, though at least I make use of it once every few months.

Such is the the fate of the creative types who always find more things to do or try. (more…)

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February 25, 2019
Read more about the article Pride and Prejudice and Other Classics I Didn’t Read
Personal Rants

Pride and Prejudice and Other Classics I Didn’t Read

Some time ago, I stumbled across people discussing some reference to Pride and Prejudice. To my surprise, one of the points raised was that one cannot consider oneself a book-lover if one has not read Pride and Prejudice. That gave me a pause. I definitely consider myself a book worm, but at the same time, I haven’t read anything by Jane Austen. And come to think of it, I haven’t read a bunch of other books considered classics either.  (more…)

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September 17, 2018
Read more about the article The Story from the Bag That Was Stolen
Personal Rants

The Story from the Bag That Was Stolen

When I first arrived in Ireland, I lived at my friends’ place, on the north side of Dublin. The area consisted of indistinctive dark gray houses that must have been built back in 70’s, and small gardens that weren’t much to look at in late autumn. Once I found a job, I moved closer to it, and for the next eight years I became the resident of Dublin’s south side. (more…)

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August 27, 2018