Luke is old as hell. He is a vampiric assassin for the shadow underworld just beneath the surface of our own. He is also incarcerated and going to court, being tried for the murder of another shadow dwelling individual. This will not be the first time he has had throw down fights with the law. Over the centuries, he has been involved in a number of conflicts, investigated and exonerated. Everyone knows he is guilty but evidence is always lacking. The difference this time is that the murder was of an underworld Judge… and enough evidence to damn him is practically white glove served to the cops.

Sara is an “up and coming” prosecutor in the real world. After pushing a difficult mass murder case through the courts and winning, she is offered a new job in the “Division”. Division, located multiple floors (and various security precautions) below the city, is the local underworld cop-shop. Dealing only with shadow crimes, they elect to bring Sara in as their newest Human law protege.

Sara’s first case is making sure that Luke sees his day in court and is found guilty.

Overall, this book was enjoyable. I look forward to the remaining two books in the series. The series idea was fairly original. It was well written and kept me interested through out. I was fascinated by some of the strict restrictions authored in for law breakers who are able to turn to mist (eg, handcuffs are useless).

I was also very pleased that I did not guess the plot. With only one or two “I saw that coming” moments, it was nice to make it to the end with little more than an inkling of what was going to happen.

As such, I look forward to reading the final two books in this trilogy. I need to know what happens in the steamy vampire love fest of politics, law, murder, redemption, and the grey area between every line that society draws..

This is also a pretty decent standalone novel. Not to give away plot, but the end is wrapped up neatly enough that should you decide not to continue the series, you do not feel as if you are obligated to in order to get plot closure, nicely done Beck!

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Now that I am done with the good, lets move on to the bad. There were a couple negative items which really threw me off:
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- This is not a slight against the author, but I am not a big fan of soft-core erotica and the ways in which it’s authors refer to body parts and sexual activities. An example would be [when he closed his] “Mouth so intimately on her”.. Just say it, He went down on her.. It is much easier to understand than thinking he gave her an intimate (mouth) kiss, and three sentences later find him standing up from a previously unknown crouched or prone position…

- The liberal use of the term Nosferatu. This is most commonly (in the horror genre) associated with vampires that are damaged, deformed, or have otherwise “not a sexy vampire” traits. The root of Nosferatu is often relegated to the Greek for “disease-bearing”. As such, reading hard bodied charismatic sex-pots down playing themselves was a bit hard to get behind. All I could imagine was the buck-toothed (buck-fanged?) Klaus Kinski from West Germany’s ‘Nosferatu the Vampyre’ (1979). Very very not sexy… Very…

- For the first rough 50 pages, the men in the book were all posturing, sycophantic, and dotty, regardless of their intended place in the character pool. They seemed more like stereotypical closeted gay men, with rough and tough pseudo-macho injected conversation and descriptions..  For some reason, starting on page 51, they came into their own and encompassed the strong masculine banter that was needed. There is no question going forward how they will be perceived, but it was hard to swallow in the beginning that they were the hardened police and criminals that they were described as. It is also difficult to imagine a woman getting the “hot beef injection” from someone who is looking over her shoulder at the cover of the romance novels on her night stand… Again though, this is a moot point after 50 pages.

- Too many of the characters names in the beginning reminded me of Harry Potter characters. It was like a class reunion. Lucius (Luke) Dragos, Agent Ryan Doyle, Agent Severin Tucker… Anyway, it wasn’t any real leap to see a similarity. I got over it quickly as the characters fleshed out into their own entities.

A quick recap, though I have a few gripe points, I was over all very pleased with the book.
‘When Blood Calls’ is book 1 of a forth coming trilogy. Set to be released in stores August 31st 2010, with the two follow up books released back to back from there (2nd book is  When Pleasure Rules, 3rd book is When Wicked Craves).

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About the Author (from JKBeck.com):

“J. K. Beck spent more than ten years as a litigator in Southern California and Central Texas, using her rare free time to indulge in her passion for writing. Now she uses her legal background as inspiration for her paranormal romantic suspense series, The Shadow Keepers, set in and around a secret judicial system hidden within and mirroring our own.

California born, J. K. now lives and writes in Texas, where she hangs out with her husband and daughters and drinks far too much coffee.”

For those interested, JK Beck is a pen name for Julie Kenner, an already established name in the paranormal romance, and romance genre. Make sure to check out her work!

Authors website: http://JKBeck.com

Thanks to the author, JK Beck, for early review access to this novel..

No thanks to the FTC for requiring this lame FTC review disclaimer

1632 is part of the “Alternative History” genre of Fantasy/Science Fiction.

A flash of light kicks off the plot in this novel. In what is initially interpreted by everyone as a nuclear blast, light blinds the residents of Grantsville, West Virginia. When they realize they have not all been reduced to ash, they step outside and determine that something very wrong has happened, their town is no longer on the east coast of North America. Grantsville is now in the year 1632, residing in the Black Forest (what will later become Germany). They are smack dab in the middle of the 30 years war.

As readers, we all have the same paradox questions. The characters also recognized these potential issues, and they are addressed very quickly (first or second chapter).  They came to the conclusion early on that there are only two real theories to work with.

- Time travel Paradox =”The world ends”
- Time Travel Paradox = “Multiple time streams make paradox irrelevant”

As they are all still breathing, they logically conclude that they are in a tangential stream.  They have limited supplies, and no guarantee that they will ever return to normal, they could be screwed if they do not act fast.  They have an unknown belief/system for the region/era. They do not know the local languages. If they are going to survive, they need to get moving asap.

If they are not going to destroy the future and they will only affect their new time stream, there is no reason they should not fight for survival and the American way of life… Early in the book, it is decided with a vote that the best way to survive is to recreate something that has worked in the the past (the future). They will start the American Revolution early, in Europe instead of the Americas.

Flint does not spoon feed you with information. There is some theory and some wavy inundation of “how are we going to survive” conversation, but overall, Flint recognizes that the reader doesn’t need everything spelled out for them. The exception is when it comes to history. Most people are not fluent in the methodologies or details of key battles in the 30 years war. Neither are they familiar with the political flow and relationships of those in power. These are laid out fairly well for the layman.

Most of the key characters are part of the West Virginian coal miners union, so theory and plans are things are broken down as they would be explained for the common man. Essentially,  you do not get too little info, leaving you upset, but neither are you treated like a 5 year old.

About Eric Flint:

Flint is all over the place with his experience pool. He holds a Masters degree in West African history, spent plenty of time as an activist and as a Union Labor organizer.

He won the 1993 ‘Writers of the Future’ contest, which really pushed him into his current roles. Eric left his work plans and set off into the publishing world. He began writing a variety of his own novels, and a surprising number of collaborations with authors like Mercedes Lackey and David Weber.

Eric has been working with Baen Books, as an Author, contributor, and editor. He is staunchly anti-DRM and leads the experimental “Baen Free Library” and the e-zine “Jim Baen’s Universe”. Through his work at Baen, he has also begun editing out of print SF authors and is slowly reviving them in the digital realm.

Basically, he is an all around bad-ass :)

Video: Fuck Me, Ray Bradbury
Music video by comedian Rachel Bloom detailing her love for Science Fiction. Fantastic video, may not be appropriate for work or kids, but book loving adults will get a kick out of it! As it is Bradbury’s 90th B-day on August 22, this is a super cool “gift”. Also check out this LA Times post for some classic Bradbury quotes

I love you Vonnegut, but the chick in the video deserved that face slap… :)

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Here is the video I have been itching to share for a few weeks.. Jenn showed me and I became obsessed.

Jane Austen’s Fight Club

Emily Janice Card and friends made this for some Santa Monica film festival.
I dont know if they won or not, but i know they did well.
Thanks to the chicks who made this badassedness.

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Just for good measure as I am in a video mood:

Heineken’s take on Pride and Prejudice. It is a classic, something like 10 years old.
Beer, guns, manly explosions.. beer. oh yeah, and classic lierature.
sorry for the bad audio, finding this version took a while, the only other version found was worse.

sometime in the last week or so, i must have been in some meetings. in my drug and pain haze, i don’t rightly know when it was, but it would have been either a week ago today, or a week ago last friday.

i really should post more of these.. after i scan them i have an excuse to get them off my desk so i look like less of a slacker.

when it crosses your mind to gargle with diluted hydrogen peroxide, dont do it. it will make you want to puke. for anyone who thinks it might be a good idea, just walk up to someone who loves you and ask them to punch you in the gut then the throat then the gut again.. sane effect but with out the nasty residuals.

a week in and not better. this sucks. sore throat etc. going to go to see a doctor tomorrow.

really just want to feel better. preferably before my liver shuts down from acetaminophen over use :)

Part One of my e-book spotlight -

THIS IS NOT A GUIDE FOR PIRACY. These instructions will not assist in removing drm from a file someone else gives you, nor one you may have downloaded someplace. They will only remove DRM restrictions from books legally purchased via Amazon. The intent is only to allow you better use of what you already have.

Remember, copyright is everyone’s responsibility.

Folks looking for info on pirating books are gonna have to look elsewhere as this spotlight will not help you.  :) Sorry Charlie.

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So, you bought an E-book from Amazon, and it hurts your soul that you cannot read it in the format you want or the devices you own.. This Spotlight is catered to you.  contained here you will find information on the hacks that people have created. You do not need to know programming or anything silly like that, you just need the tools others have already created.

Credit given where due to the genius code monkeys appropriate :)

This walk-through only focuses on the removal of Amazon DRM via windows PCs. Converting  to  alternate file formats (epub, etc) will be covered in the next article. AZW1 and TPZ (Topaz) files extensions can be freed from restriction, but it is a different process, also easy, but should not be confused with what is described below.

Amazon’s AZW format files are nothing more than a renamed .MOBI file with some security enabled. When you purchase an Amazon e-book, it has code built in specifically associating the purchase with your account and it’s various serial numbers.
If you were to copy a book from your kindle to another in your household, what you would see is an error message reading “This item cannot be opened because it is licensed to a different user.” Opening your file on multiple devices does not require a whole lot of effort, once you have the basics spelled out.

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Here’s what you need before you begin:

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- Copies of your legal Amazon E-books

These are the files you want to use on other devices.You will see later why it is important you purchased these.

- A free installation of the Python2.6 code language

Most windows users will want to locate and download “Windows x86 MSI Installer (2.6)”. Save this someplace easy for you to remember like your desktop or my docs folder. x64 users should still get the 32bit version.

- A couple Python scripts written to strip DRM

Download these two python scripts unswindle v7 and MobiDeDRM by DarkReverser. For MobiDeDRM, click the download button in the top right next to “raw”. Then save the file with this exact name – “mobidedrm.py”
Thanks to I <3 cabbages for the links and info

- Version 1 of the Kindle-for-PC software

You can download version 1 of the Kindle software in various places on the internet. Just make sure to check the version you are downloading before wasting time. One example is:  at FileHippo
Alternately, google “Kindle-for-PC 1.0.1 beta” and you will find plenty of sources. Make sure to use antivirus just in case!

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Step 1: Installing Python

- When finished downloading,  find and run your copy of Python-2.6.msi.
- Keep pressing next, okay, continue, or finish…Every default setting is fine. If you find yourself asking “What should I do here?” you are over thinking it. Just choose next, okay, continue, or finish. Once you have clicked on Finish, move on to step 2.

Step 2: install Kindle-for-PC version 1.0.1 or older

- This whole process is dependent on the version of Kindle-for-PC you use. V1 will work perfect, but V1.1 will utterly fail.
- During the install it will ask you for your account information. Fill it in accurately. It will need access to your Amazon account in order to function.
- Once installed, you need to ensure that it does not auto-update to a non-compatible version. Immediately launch the application, then under menu–>settings, uncheckmark the auto-update option and press ok.

Step 3: Installing those fancy Python scripts mentioned earlier.

- There is nothing to install, put both of those files in a safe folder, make sure they are in the same one as they reference each other.
- I suggest creating a desktop shortcut to the UnSwindle python file or easy access later

Step 4:  The Easy Part

- Make sure you do not have Kindle-for-PC open. Instead, find your copy of unswindle (or your shortcut to it) and run that.  The Unswindle script will launch Kindle-for-PC.
- Kindle-For-PC will only give you access to books that Amazon sees as valid through their ordering systems.
- Click on the book you want to remove restrictions from and load it. as soon as it loads on screen, close Kindle-for-PC. Underneath it, you will see a save box asking what name you want the new file to be called, and the new extension will be mobi, not azw.
- If you do not see the save window, minimize the rest of your open windows. It is very common for me to find it at the bottom of the pile.

Step 5: Copy your new file to the device you want to use it on and enjoy reading it!

Repeat step 4 as many times as you need to on any other AZW Kindle files.
As long as you do not upgrade the Kindle-for-PC software, Python, or remove the scripts, you should not need to perform steps 1-3 again.

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Next week’s Spotlight – Converting your DRM free e-books to other formats. This will be of interest to people who want to read their legally purchased Amazon purchased books on their Nook, Kobo, etc.

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The American Alarm Clock. An alarm to “[...] wake these people from their sleep!”. Historical Fiction, published in 1972, detailing the overhaul of Central American social structures.

In 1810, Mexico was an unsettled country. Manhandled and abused by Spain, they were in the midst of a hostile takeover by the Napoleanic French. Spain was relatively powerless.

300 years of oppressive rule had left the people (native born, immigrants, and those in-between) restless for a change. The Gachupine, those born in Spain, were blamed for most wrongs, including the national famine, high taxation, and violations of basic Human rights (referred to as the “Rights of Nature”).

This aptly sets the scene for the first Mexican revolution.

The American Alarm Clock (source of the book’s name) was the newspaper that was the primary voice for this revolution. Edited by Padre Francisco Severo Maldonado, it chronicled the ideas and core beliefs of the freedom fighters.

The Clock was the first independent newsrag in the region, all others were under the control of the Gachupines and Royalists. Inked in a confiscated print house based out of Guadalajara called the “House of Dogs”, the Alarm Clock spoke to the people but did not detail only Liberator/General Hidalgo’s proclamations. It was an outlet for revolutionary thoughts and theory, ideas that would call down the Inquisition and ultimately destroy a man.

This book is Maldonado’s story. As Maldonado was the editor of the Alarm Clock, he was also chief writer and instigator of the ideas put forward. It shows the changes in his thoughts and attitude as the war waged. Beginning with his dreams of an Utopian country, and ending in a call for a socialist republic, Maldonado shows himself as a master of political theory. Unfortunately, via both the ignorance of those in power and the start/stop nature of the civil upheaval, his ideas were barely recognized (including his proposed constitution). Maldonado was anxious to see all of the Americas joined together in a fight against oppression, from north pole to south pole. United States of America side by side with the United Mexican States.

Glen Wright did a fantastic job with this book. He spent a few years in Mexico doing research, and ended up in West Samoa discussing theory and historical text with Catholic Diocese. The Alarm Clock is based purely on fact, with conversations and speculation interspersed to make it readable as a story, but it does not feel as if Wright imposed his own feelings. It felt true to the revolutionary nature of the tale.

It should be noted that out of its 252 pages, 70 of them are appendices. The American Alarm Clock (the newspaper) only published 7 issues before they were shut down. All seven are listed in the appendices along with other relevant texts from the time. Though incredibly important to the story, I believe that most readers should ignore these appendices until after they have finished reading. The dense political theory in said appendices could deter many readers from finishing the book if  are not in the people mindset.

Note to readers: Copies of this book are available at a fair price from various online retailers and small bookstores. I suggest searching alibris.com as a first attempt.

I would like to suggest that a limited reprint of this book would be advantageous. A lot of great information in here that would be a shame to have reburied..

—

About the Author:

I have been friends with Glen’s son since high school. He was a cranky old man when I met him, and to be honest, he scared the piss out of me. I did not know until years later that he was an author. Curious what the scary old man had in him, looked up some of his books and this was the first I have read (unfortunately, years after his death).

I will let the author description on his book do the rest of the talking.

“David Glen Wright was born in Murray, Utah, in1909. After finishing high school, he served a long apprenticeship as a gas operator, a seaman, a cost accountant in a Chilean copper mine, jungle adventurer, a newspaperman and owner, a logger, and a gold miner, an advertising man and sales man, etc., before entering San Jose State College in California to earn a degree in Journalism. Then he earned a master’s degree in the same subject at the University of California.

He has taught and lectured in schools and colleges in the United States, in Afghanistan, in Samoa, and elsewhere. [...]“

the okayness has left the building.

my good lookin wife. careful, aint she perdy?

my not so good lookin mug.. aint i unperdy?………….

. ……….  no, i am not hiding a chipmunk in my mouth, i am just a fatty

Unfortunately, I think I threw him off his game a bit, and feeling bad, I did not stick around to ask him any questions. Instead, I will ask them psychically, or maybe via email :)

‘The Magicians’ will not end up holding a couch off the hardwood floor of his living room. It was a phenomenal book.

In Magicians, magic exists. Schools for magic exist. Students go to these schools and learn a very large amount of very dull information. There is no evil villain ala Rowlings/HP universe.. Only a life assisted by magic, or a life in a cubicle with the rest of us non-magic schmucks.

Quentin Coldwater lives in one fo the boroughs of  NYC. He is a geek, top of his class, not used to brilliance that outshines his own. He is no virgin, but likely this could be due to technicalities. Quentin is focusing on getting into an Ivy League college… Little else matters, including the fact that he has absolutely no idea what to do with his life. He is very easy to relate to, angsty, but relate-able.

This novel is perfect for anyone who loved reading CS Lewis as a child. It is perfect for those who wish HP and friends would grow a backbone and drop an F-bomb when they get angry or forget some homework. Drinking, drugs, praying to the porcelain god, sex, mind numbing classrooms, confused normal humans, even a throwback scene near the end that reminded me of the ridiculousness of the movie ‘The Craft’ (floating windblown witches)… This book has just about everything in it.

It shares just  a bit of the same essence as Peter Jackson’s ‘Meet the Feebles’ had for muppets. Just a bit…

The Magicians touches quite boldly on the pulse of the magic community. People may be able to snap their fingers and light a cigarette from a finger tip flame, or accidentally call a black hole into existence, but in the end, self-esteem cannot be given to a person. Though I have to admit a bit of money, success, sex and a lot of luck could set someones self esteem in a spot where growth will be hands off to a certain degree. Ultimately though, it has to come from with in.

About the Author

Lev has authored three books to this point. His authorship does not end with fiction however. Surviving the dot-com burst, he ultimately landed as book critic for TIME Magazine. LEV writes technology articles, and is a general geek’s geek. TIME really likes him and says nice and fluffy things about him that are shiny enough to make just about anyone’s chest puff with pride.

Authors site: levgrossman.com

DRM impacts my every day usage of media that I legally acquire. Many people are frustrated by DRM when it comes to e-books but do not know how to limit the frustration. This article will focus on situations and workarounds. It is by no means a guide to piracy, but instead the beginnings of a how-to “jail break” your e-books, allowing you to use them how you feel is appropriate.

At this point, thanks to the movie, music, and software industry, DRM should be a household term that most people are already very familiar with. It affects the DVDs you purchase, the CDs you buy, music you download, and more.

||Explanation and Theory||

For those who are unaware, DRM = Digital Rights Management. DRM is industry designed to help keep a handle on how digital copyright is maintained. Each company has the possibility of employing different methodologies, code restrictions, and other checks/balances.

Copying on computers is just too easy. People get addicted to “free media” and stop paying for it. Piracy has an impact on how much money the source company makes, it limits the choices they make regarding availability, it may even deter many artists from creating media to begin with. Why sink the time and money into a project that may never pay for itself? This is where DRM comes in.

Conceptually, it makes sense. Conceptually, I like DRM. Making sure that people get paid?.. Seems fair to me. Unfortunately, as it stands now, DRM is an imposition. It causes accessibility conflicts and impacts the usability of a product.

||Example Situations||

I am going to use Amazon as an example here. I am not ripping on them, i like their products, but as a big-boy on the market, they are visible enough to be a prime learning tool.

Less than a month ago, I bought my wife a Kindle2. She had used mine a couple times, liked the feel and format, but felt like she was imposing when she used it for long periods of time.

1- Purchasing an E-Book from Amazon, you are allowed to send it to a variety of linked devices, totaling six. These six devices must all be registered to a single Amazon account in order to have access. These could be Kindles, or the PC/Mac/or Mobile software.

2- My bank account information is not on Jenn’s Amazon account. Her’s is not on mine. They are Independent creatures.

3- Jenn’s Kindle is assigned to her account, and mine to mine. As such, they are not linked in the amazon system, and are not able to share media.

4- I don’t read E-books on my PC/Mac/Or Mobile devices, instead only a single copy (out of six) is in use.

5- Because we choose to have separate finances and accounts, we are automatically penalized with the inability to share our purchased books.

When I buy a paperback novel from Amazon, I fully expect that I can hand that book to Jenn for her to read. Likewise, when I buy an E-book from Amazon (regardless of the account in use) I can put it on her Kindle, same as if it were attached to my account. The decision to have separate accounts is a matter of personal finance and should not be penalized. The Barnes and Noble Nook took a great approach to this with their share feature, but this only works Nook-to-Nook and doesn’t help the rest of us.

Alternately-

What if you own a Kobo, Nook, or other non-Kindle device? Amazon formats are proprietary. If you own a e-reader, why would you choose to only read the book you purchased on predefined platforms like Kindle-For-PC? You wouldn’t. Instead, you would want to read it on the E-Reader that you spent your spare cash on.

Kobo only supports 3 E-book file formats, while the Nook supports 4 E-book formats. None of these are compatible with Amazon E-books.

||Resolution / Workaround||

Regardless of the reader you own, the ability to convert your E-books to the proper format is important. in order to do this, you need to Jail break the media.

If you remove the DRM on a specific E-book, you can then convert the media to be used on any device you would like. This would open up non-Kindle users to purchase E-books from one of the largest online retailers. Frustrated code geeks around the world have already done all the hard work for you, it is now just a matter of having the details you need to open up your purchases for a fair use on the devices you already own.

Maintaining the copyright is in your own hands at that point. Users would need to ensure that they do their own part to ensure they are not adding to the global pool of pirated material. To be honest though? It is all a matter of intent and personal ethics, neither of which I will lecture on.
||Walkthrough / How-To||

In upcoming spotlight’s, I will be battling a number of topics in this arena. My goal is to have 1 spotlight a week for the next few weeks, but i have not yet settled on a day. I am lazy and very busy.. so please do not restrict me to a solid schedule, instead, make use of that handy little RSS feature linked on this site.

These spotlight articles will mainly be focused around the Kindle as it is what my wife and I own. Regardless, the key ideas and methodologies discussed should be useful for all E-reader owners:

1- How can I tell if a specific E-book has DRM in use?

2- How can I remove DRM on a specific E-book opening it for use on various legal devices?

3- Converting books to the format I want/need/prefer to use.

4- Removing annoyances: Headers, Footers, etc

5- E-book file formats: Why choose one over the other?

If folks are interested in other associated topics, please let me know.
Feel free to discuss via comments as well, I find this topic very interesting.