Immolation – A Review of The Fire Never Goes Out: A Memoir in Pictures, by Noelle Stevenson

Memoir; from the French mémoire.  A memory.  Unlike a biography, which tends to be a relatively straightforward look at a person’s life, a memoir consists of their collected memories.  It may be presented in chronological order, order of most importance, or how each memory leads into the next.  As long as people have been committing words to writing, they have written memoirs.  From the ancient world, to the modern, memoirs have only grown in popularity as a way to pass down one’s own legacy.  Not all of us are destined to become legendary poets and writers, many people are forgotten as time passes.  But a memoir can be an extension of a life.  The Fire Never Goes Out: A Memoir in Pictures is what is known as a graphic memoir containing both her words and her artwork in a masterful combination.

Throwback Thursday: The Tower of the Swallow, by Andrzej Sapkowski: Book 4 of the Witcher Saga

Every chapter in a story has a responsibility to the overall narrative.  This is most evident in trilogies, where the first novel sets up the stakes and the characters, the second builds upon the threat, and the finale contains the climax of all that came before.  The saga of the Witcher is atypical in its structure and how each novel contributes to the narrative.  On top of that, the story began long before the novels were written, in the world crafted by the original series of short stories.  Despite its odd nature as a five-novel story, the fourth book, The Tower of the Swallow, still has a responsibility as the penultimate chapter in the tale of Ciri, Geralt, and Yennefer.  It must continue the adventure that has come before, while escalating the stakes.  Some characters begin the lead up to the finale, while others are brought to their lowest point in preparation for their eventual rise.

The End of Hope: A Review of Fate of the Fallen, by Kel Kade

One of the longest enduring staples in fiction is that of the Chosen One.  The Chosen One is the special hero, standing above all others as the only one capable of defeating the enemy of the story or saving the world.  The method for selecting a chosen one can be varied.  In many stories, there is some form of prophecy which only fits this one individual.  In others, they may have a certain birthmark or be born from the right parents at just the right time.  This trope is not even relegated to one genre.  Chosen one are found all throughout fantasy, science-fiction, and beyond.  Harry Potter may be one of the most recognizable examples, but the chosen one can also be found in Star Wars in the form of Anakin Skywalker, and in The Matrix with Neo.  Even The Lord of the Rings, which posits that anyone can defeat evil if they have the courage to rise up, contains a chosen one to a certain extent with Eowyn.  However, the chosen one has waned in popularity.  There are no chosen ones in real life.

Throwback Thursday: Baptism of Fire, by Andrzej Sapkowski: Book 3 of the Witcher Saga

A “baptism of fire” can be defined in several different ways.  Classically, and for most of literary history, it referred to a specific passage from the Gospel according to Matthew in the Catholic Bible.  According to John the Baptist, who baptized Catholics with water, God would come after and baptize their followers with the Holy Spirit and with fire.  The phrase also appears in the Gospel according to Luke and Dante’s Inferno referring to a fiery trial of faith which would purify those who looked upon God.  It was not until the 19^th century that “baptism of fire” finished its transformation and gained the meaning Andrzej Sapkowski hints at.  First used secularly to mean a soldier’s first time in battle, a baptism of fire is now any toil or hardship which strengthens you through the challenge.