shadows i recently finished the night angel trilogy by brent weeks. it was good. it's your typical fantasy fare. orphan boy is secretly the most powerful creature in the universe. but there's a twist. kind of a major twist. he kills people for money. many interesting characters examine that whole good/bad thing. is a good person who does evil things a good person? or an evil person? is an evil person who does good things a good person? or an evil person? the characters behave reasonably. even if why isn't revealed until much much later in the books. it's not a walking book. unlike lord of the rings. every chapter you have to figure out where you are. and when. and pay attention. cause side plots are unfolding right under your nose. one thing i never liked about tolkien is the interesting wonderful things that happen don't get very much print. or even none at all. these books don't have that problem. i stayed up late gulping the first one. with amazing things happening every chapter the most amazing of all must be at the climax. right? obviously. except it overextends and collapses into a scooby doo, fifth element, star trek kind of ending. love conquers all. they wave their magical wands and the world goes from ultimate tension to complete peace and harmony. like an integer rolling over. 253, 254, 255, 0, 1 2... hrm. i'll have to count chapters and see if mr weeks has an 8 bit number fetish. anywho, it was a great read for me. i fully expect to have forgotten everything about it in a few years. unlike tolkien where i wouldn't be surprised by yet another insight ten years from now.  ¶ 8:00 AM