Category Archives: Other Than Guns

Book Review: Pale Horse Coming.

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If you are a shooter, Stephen Hunter should not need an introduction. He is one of the few writers out there that knows guns and its applications plus he is a hell of a story teller. His Bob Lee Swagger series are well know and even one made into a movie (Shooter) but I confess I have a soft spot for Bob’s father Earl Swagger. He is old school, righteous and inflexible in his mission. He is mentioned in some of the Bob Lee Swagger books, but the ones were he is the main character are a world appart.

My favorite is Pale Horse Coming. The book is perhaps the one of the best portrayals of darkest and worst examples of the human souls unchecked. The first half of the book is Earl’s travels to Hell on Earth, almost abandoning all hope and so well described your own mood will become as miserable and hopeless as Earl’s itself. The second part is all Fire and Brimstone as only can be achieved when justice is served magma hot and shoved down the throats of evil men. It is St. Michael descending into Hell to whip Satan’s ass with a crew of like minded archangels. And what archangels! No spoilers here if you haven’t read the book, but even with the names disguised by Mr. Hunter, you will know who they are and agree that you would not mind going to a righteous war besides these men.

“I am giving you a night in Dodge City, where I bet in your heart of hearts you’ve always wished to be.”

Dodge City was a nunnery compared to what’s coming in that book.

Quiroga: I hate thee.

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I remember clearly that day min elementary school when a teacher read to us Horacio Quiroga‘s “The Feather Pillow”. I got home to literally beat the crap out of my pillow even though it was stuffed with some artificial filler. Quiroga was a fantastic horror writer from the early 20th Century and the absolute definition of a tortured soul. Later in High School I was treated to his Decalogue of the Perfect Story Teller and I was always haunted by rule 9.(Loosely translated):

“Do not write under the empire of emotion. Let it die and evoke it later. If you are capable to revive it as it was, you have artfully reached the half way point of your road.”

No doubt I am an emotional writer. I’ve been writing on and off for many years but mostly for myself and the occasional very non-professional works. The Word Processor and the Internet has helped me expand (and seriously get in trouble) but I still write in the moment when I am exploding emotionally about something. Now that I am forced to write “seriously” (as seriously I can which ain’t that much. I don’t take myself seriously enough) I find myself again remembering Quiroga’s #9 and damming his cursed soul.


Horacio Quiroga in the jungle, Misiones Province, Uruguay.



PS: To KJ, first article should be there soon. Second article on the works.

How can you mend a broken heart… apparently with Tylenol

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Answering a question that the BeeGees posed many years ago, it seems that Tylenol might be the solution.

On the good side, we should see a reduction in chick flicks, romantic paperbacks with Fabio-look-alikes in the cover and women complaining that we are insensitive plus reduction in the price of beer, spirits and chocolate since the supply will far exceed the demand.

On the bad side…… I’ll have to get back to you on that one.

Facebook may erase your gun pics.

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Probably I am the last idiot that has seen this, but I have to say I got caught unaware of this little Facebook thing (No, I did not read the terms of agreement when I signed up) but I am wondering if they even have an idea of how many shooters display their wares and activities via this system.


If they ever start deleting, they are gonna have a long job ahead.

PS: Would this be considered “/or Gore”?

Hiroshima: Told ya we weren’t messing around, Didn’t we?

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Back in the day, there were less people worried about what the rest of the world would think about us and what we did. 65 years later somehow we turned out to be the bad guys because we dropped the big one in Hiroshima while the poor peaceful Japanese nationals were farming, playing with kites, doing origami and having fun with Ikebana. And we now have some people in Japan demanding an apology for dropping the Bomb.

Bullshit. They deserved it.

Nobody talks about Japanese atrocities, Nankin, Mongolia, the Death March, the “Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere” which was Japanese for “we are gonna steal your stuff, rape your women and behead everybody on the way out.” And nobody has apologized for that and even more creepier shit.

If anything, Hiroshima (and Nagasaki) should serve as a reminder to America’s enemies that we shouldn’t be trifled with. If you piss us big enough, long enough, we are willing to convert your cities in glassy parking lots or at least the future sound stage for the remake of The Road Warrior.