Heavy Covenant: 2021

2021 was a decent year overall, and a year of great change and fluctuation. He’s a little post to reflect and recap the year that was 2021.

The quick personal reflection

From the get-go 2021 was uneven, and it never really seemed to get stable. A lot of this was lingering anxiety, frustration, and mixed signals related to COVID. Sadly, 2022 is off to a similar start. But we can only control what we can control, and just as with 2021, we’ll do our best. For me, I saw a year with great strides at work, a stable personal life, progress towards some small nagging health issues, and quite a bit of creative growth. Yep, you can still grow and learn and improve, even after 50. :)

I had planned on writing a lot more here on this blog, but…yeah, I’m just not all that interested anymore. With anything “online” if I’m being honest. I’ve done a ton of writing, a fair bit of photography, making, etc. but sharing that crafting is just not a priority.

I hardly did anything related to social media this past year, and I think I’m just about done with it aside from the occasional peak and share. I hate to say it, but it’s just all the half-baked opinions I can’t deal with. So much is shared without even a second thought, and even the things I agree with I find annoying. So, yeah, not for me anymore. I do miss friends, and much of 2021 was pretty lonely, but the online interactions I used to get a little thrill from just frustrate me or feel half-hearted and shallow. So, yeah, miss me on all of that and hit me up IRL if you want.

2021 in my ears

The first song to make it to my 2021 rolling playlist on Spotify was “Heavy Covenant” by the ever-prolific The Hold Steady, who put out another terrific album in 2021. My favorite track off of which was probably, “Unpleasant Breakfast”—but the whole thing is great.

One of the best things 2021 had going for it was the return, albeit uneven, of live music. I didn’t see many shows and had more things canceled than I was able to attend, but I did get to revisit the band I saw just before the pandemic wrecked everything—IDLES—and it was amazing. Their new album is solid as well.

Overall 2021 was really great for new music, and I think I’ve got a lot of discoveries to point out. Let’s start with a song and video that brought me a ton of joy this year. “Scratchcard Lanyard” from Dry Cleaning. Their album, Strong Feelings, is stellar, but this video? Just watch. So good.

2021 was terrific for both newer discoveries and some old favorites that put out new stuff. I really loved new music from Quicksilver, AFI (really), Cloud Nothings, Clowns, Frank Carter, Maximo Park and so much more more.

A few new (to me) standouts, listed here in no particular order aside from the general chronologic I found them in.

First up, oh boy, Billy Nomates and Sleaford Mods, both of which were on regular and repeat pretty much all year. I’d never heard of either and spent a fair bit of time acquainting myself with their work.

Next up, the mellow funk of The Goon Sax. They’ve got an oddly compelling groove that strikes me as slightly depressing yet fun to listen to. They’re like random rain on a sunny day. It’s sort of weird, but I love it.

The first show I saw this year—the first one back—was a fabulously eclectic line up of fabulously eclectic bands headlined by The World Is A Terrible Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die who I thoroughly enjoyed and really want to see again. There was a lot to take in with every song, and the whole show was a little overwhelming. In a good way.

Speaking of overwhelming, the opener for that show was Bent Knee, and they were awesome. But also probably the loudest band I’ve seen in many years. You can’t really tell it from “Queer Gods” but, believe me, they almost knocked the house down.

Last I’ll mention two albums I listened to more than most and share cuts from them. First up is I won’t Care How You Remember Me by Tiger’s Jaw, a refined-yet-still-essentially-midwest-emo hit parade. Such a great album. Next was the latest from Delta Sleep, Old Soul, which helped me fill a gap left by Minus The Bear’s retirement.

Want more, check out the whole playlist on Spotify, there is a lot of great music in there, I promise.

2021 in Books

I read quite a few books this year. I think I got over sixty and they were a mix of old classics and new. As usual, most of them fall into the “speculative fiction” genres, but I did pick out a few biographies and read a decent share of books on writing and other non-fiction. Here’s a sampling of my favorites this year.

• The Sun Eater series by Christopher Ruocchio. I’ve done a longer review of the first book in this epic series, Empire of Silence, but the gist? These are sneaky great and I think they’re classics in the making. They check all the boxes for me and are highly recommended if you’re into science fiction.

• The Storyteller by Dave Grohl. What can I say about this book? It’s fun. Dave Grohl is a terrific storyteller and has some terrific stories to tell. I loved it.

• Consider This by Chuck Palahnuik. Fun fact: I’ve never read one of his novels. This is kind of hilarious because this might be the best book on writing I’ve ever read. Sort of makes sense in a mad sort of way.

• The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune. I said a lot more about it here, but…this damn book was so good.

• The Fall of Babel by Josiah Bancroft. I’m not sure The Fall of Babel was the best book I’ve read this year, but this series is easily one of the best I’ve EVER read. It’s so unique in a variety of ways and it really stands out as something everyone should try.

2021 in TV, Movies and Games

I’m having a really hard time thinking of other media I enjoyed this year, with the exception of a few standouts. I didn’t watch many movies, didn’t have much time for gaming, and spent most of my TV time watching the Warriors play or picking up older “easy” shows like Lucifer and Doom Patrol. Here are the standouts.

• Arcane. For me, this was the best show of the year. I loved the artful animation and the story was fantastic as well. Loki and Wandavision were also favorites, so fun. I enjoyed Wheel of Time. I liked the books and, frankly, thought the changes were more than fine. Ted Lasso was solid, as was Succession and Mare of Easttown. I still need to catch the latest season of The Expanse and would like to check out Foundation.

• Dune was great. I’m not sure I saw much else that really stands out.

• Returnal (PS5). This game was way, way too hard for me, but I still managed to play the hell out of it. Fantastic concept and execution. I didn’t really get into much else…maybe just some Destiny 2 grind here and there, but just didn’t have much time for gaming this past year. Womp.

That’s all I have for 2021. I think it was a good year overall and I have high hopes for 2022. Let’s get after it!

Empire of Silence

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Empire of Silence is a brilliant debut, the first in the forebodingly named Sun Eater series. It has been described as The Name of The Wind meets Dune and that’s…a pretty good description actually. Maybe throw in a little Star Wars and some Red Rising and you’d get a pretty good picture of what you’re in for.

Empire of Silence works as both a traditional coming of age fantasy and an epic space opera. To be sure, it wears its influences on its sleeves, especially Dune, but also feels unique and, as the first outing for a young author especially, it’s fairly remarkable, but maybe not for everyone. If you’re looking for a top-down view of an epic universe, this isn’t it, but the story might go there in later volumes.

The backdrop is grand, but we only see the smallest corner of the universe and only through the eyes of Hadrian, the protagonist. Most of the scenes and the story itself are fairly intimate. If you’ve read The Name of The Wind you’ll get that comparison right away, the viewpoint is similarly structured as is the purple prose, which I grew to enjoy once I got used to it. I felt like it worked, both for me as a reader, and as a voice for a character representing an entire universe. It didn’t work all the time, and it might be fun to see these worlds from another’s point of view, but in the main, I thought it felt right.

I think what I liked most, though, was a bit surprising to me. I had gone in expecting to immerse myself in a universe sweeping drama but found myself more and more invested in Hadrian and his day-to-day. As the tale moved on I realized I could relate to him quite a bit. Not so much the epic struggles, but the more mundane elements within them and within him. He struggles with privilege, fitting in, simple things like creativity and feeling trapped by circumstance. He’s unable, for a variety of reasons, to unlock himself and find his best future and his purpose, which is hinted at throughout and I’m sure I’ll be revealed in later volumes as beyond epic. He’s not always likeable, but he grew on me and by the end, I felt like I was pretty invested in what was going on with him and his friends.

If you pick this up and are at first put off by the structure, prose and awkwardness of its main character, I’d press you to stick with it. I don’t think it’s for everyone, but I’m very glad I kept going and I’m very excited to read future volumes.

The Fionavar Tapestry

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I’ve been reading a lot of Guy Gavriel Kay lately. He’s a wonderful writer who has grown over the years with each book. The Fionavar Tapestry, his first outing unless you count his work on The Silmarillion, is impressive and worth a look.

The Fionavar Tapestry is aptly named. This three-book epic fantasy is a work of art, which is mostly, but not completely, a positive. The tale feels carefully crafted; expertly woven, the threads lyrical and bright, with some very dark exceptions. There is one scene at the end of the first book that is so dark as to be almost alarming when it shows up and that slight incongruity is not all that uncommon within the tapestry. A bit of randomness that doesn’t always work all that well.

Within you’ll find threads drawn from myth, legend and history from all over the world, with most pulled from European tales. Arthur, Odin, Dana, The Wild Hunt and many more familiar myths make an appearance, and they’re woven together well and in ways that work most of the time.

If you’re a fan of epic fantasy, you may also see some of your favorites sketched out here as well; some from the past, the Tolkien Influence is clear, for example. But even more from those who came after. You might catch a glimpse of a Stark, or the red priestess or the Aes Sedi. It seems clear to me that the threads of The Fionavar Tapestry extend from the past and well beyond its initial publishing.

But this weave was its problems as well. The tone and pace are often rough, and some of the events just don’t work well together. The plot has a fair amount of deus ex machina and the many characters feel a bit one-dimensional. But when taken as a whole tapestry, it’s grand. It’s one of the better examples of 80’s era high fantasy, and a precursor to the terrific works that could come from Kay later in his career.

If you’re interested, but a series feels like a bit much, I’d recommend Tigana, which I think is my favourite of Kay’s works. So far.

The Divine Cities Trilogy

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Divine Cities Trilogy, by Robert Jackson Bennett is a fascinating and well-crafted fantasy series set in a world that mixes industrial age technology with divine magics. These books are clever, but not overly so, and despite the complex and ephemeral nature of the setting and the concepts that run this miracle-woven world, the stories come through clearly and are woven together in surprising and satisfying ways.

Bennett, who is becoming one of my favourite authors, shows his skill as he blends together a fantastic mix of styles, flowing smoothly from action to horror to political intrigue to the highly symbolic and philosophical. The story and plot are driven by well crafted and realized characters that feel real, even when they’re faced with the supernatural and the world-building is phenomenal with layers upon layers that, while different from anything I’ve ever read, are easy to settle into. I’m going to miss Shara, Sigrud and Mulaghesh and their world of divine miracles and I’m eagerly awaiting Bennett’s next book, the finale to his Founders Trilogy, another terrific series that, while different, has many of the same qualities.

Highly recommended.

Piranesi

A magical, ephemeral mystery set in a house that contains an ocean.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I was one of the few people I know who read Susanna Clarke’s first novel, "Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell," and didn't absolutely love it. I'm not actually sure why, I just found it slow, almost tedious, despite the objectively brilliant prose and compelling setting.

This short novel, "Piranesi", however, I thoroughly enjoyed.

I don't want to speculate too much about the Meaning or Theme behind "Piranesi" or give away any details. I think going in, as I did, with very little idea of what to expect is probably best. It's a short but dense book, a magical mystery that unfolds slowly; it's sort of like piecing together a puzzle, but there is so much symbolism, allusion and allegory in there, that you might feel like you're constructing the pieces yourself. At the same time, it works well as a straight-forward portal fantasy/mystery, guiding the reader just enough so that the pieces, ephemeral as they feel at times, fit together in a perfectly imperfect way.

When you've finished, look up Giovanni Battista Piranesi and his imaginary prison engravings. Very cool stuff.

The House in the Cerulean Sea

A sweet, thought-provoking tale about finding family in unlikely places.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This fucking book. :) It lives up to the hype. It truly is the sweetest damned book. You could stop here and read it if you want. You'll love it unless you're a monster. If you continue, I'll try and give some more impressions and reflections, but beware of small spoilers.

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune is a little hard to review. It's a beautiful, well-written, and immensely thought-provoking book. And that's the problem. There are too many reasons to like this book, far too many to really capture in any meaningful way.

And what's it's about? Well, Amazon's blurb has the plot down as "Linus Baker is a by-the-book case worker in the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. He's tasked with determining whether six dangerous magical children are likely to bring about the end of the world. Arthur Parnassus is the master of the orphanage. He would do anything to keep the children safe, even if it means the world will burn. And his secrets will come to light." That's accurate, but it's not really about all that. That's the plot, but what about the story? That's where Cerulean Sea really shines. It's the story of how Lunus finds his place and helps to bring a lot of light and love into world in the process.

While entertaining me and warming my heart with its easy, yet compelling story and charming characters, it's a book that made me think about a whole slew of different things.

It's about love, care, and intention. It's about lifelong learning, feeling like you don't fit in (more Linus than the kids, as he's ostensibly "normal"), positive reinforcement in teaching, diversity and acceptance. Recovery (from trauma and abuse but also more in general). It's about accepting responsibility for things that need work and creative problem-solving. About learning to love yourself and seeing the value within you that others see.

It's also got some sharp social commentary delivered with sweetness and wit. And some astute observations about systemic prejudice and bureaucracy, how it serves the status quo and the lengths people will do to maintain it, and the absurdity and pointlessness of it all.

Reading about the children's situation, the nearby villagers' attitudes, and the role of DICOMY, I thought a lot about parallels with real-world divisiveness (which probably wasn't intended by Klune) left me wondering why people NEED to have an "other" they can beat at life. Is that just part of our nature? And, if so, how can we evolve past it, as it clearly doesn't serve us anymore, doing much harm and no good as far as I can tell. Tribalism without accepting (or worse, actively working against) those that are different feels like a weakness to me.

The theme that hit me the hardest was parenthood and what it's like to be a parent to children who aren't yours. As someone learning to be a step-father to a group of kids who are all vastly different, as different as they are the same, it's...fascinating to reflect on the ways Linus changes from bureaucratic worker to father.

But these musings took a backseat to the hopeful, sweet messages about tolerance, acceptance, and family littered throughout. "In order to change the minds of the many, you have to first start with the minds of the few."

So, yeah, a lot is going on here, but don't let that stop you; it's an easy, delightful read and highly recommended.

Jack of Shadows

A classic blending of sci-fi and fantasy from a master of both.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Roger Zelazny, one of the masters of early sci-fi and fantasy, is one of the absolute best at cramming a ton of interesting world-building and compelling story into small packages. Jack of Shadows, which tackles both of those genres, is a fantastic example. It's a small, odd, jewel. Not Amber, but similar enough, both in the flaws and smooth edges. The writing is terrific if dated-feeling (it was first published in 1971 and it shows) with a brash style that I very much enjoy, despite the quirks and passages that are a bit hard to follow.

The story here is a bit strange, both epic and prosaic as shifts back and forth between Shadowjack's internal struggle and the saga of the world. It's about literal polar opposites, day and night, science and magic, winter and summer, but also an examination of the shadows that lay along the edges and in-between. Within Jack's world, they're all split, yet intertwined and evolving, much Jack himself changes as he struggles to understand the world, and himself.

Sounds like a lot, yeah? It is, and while Zelazny doesn't give you all the answers to the questions that arise along the way, he does a killer job of exploring complicated themes, while also packing in plenty of action and adventure. The result is a lot of fun.

Cheap Regrets: 2020

It was a year. It wasn’t all bad. I’m glad it’s over. Here’s a reflection as well as some of the things I enjoyed in 2020.

For my rolling playlist of liked songs that came out in 2020, I just decided to keep the title of the first song I put in there. This year it was “Cheap Regrets” by The Districts and that sort of fits. The other option put in the same day, I think, was “The Alarmist” by Pinegrove. Probably a better choice?

A quick personal reflection

Looking back 2020 doesn’t seem as bad as I’m sure it did while in the moment. The biggest feeling I have towards it and believe me, I feel privileged and very lucky to say this—is that I felt bored and trapped. It could have been a hell of a lot worse. I was able to work and work well. My family and I are healthy. The kids probably had it worse than anyone, but they all seem mostly ok. I’m glad it’s over but grateful to have made it through healthy and mostly happy. A lot of the credit for all of that goes to my partner, Kerri. Our wedding was just before all the shit hit the fan, and while it wasn’t always easy, our first year was reassuring and filled with more love, laughter, and good times than I ever would have expected.

2020 in music

The lack of live music in 2020 really messed with my music discovery plans. I was all fired up and getting ready to build my SXSW plan when things were called off. I think I saw one show in 2020, and while it was awesome—IDLES and Fontaines DC—it was nowhere near enough. No live music might have been my lowlight of 2020. I hope we can get that back soon and that all the venues, the small indie bands, and the hosts of people that support them make it through alright.

Speaking of, take a minute and check our Save Our Stages, and if you’re in a position to, think about helping them out.

I recently went through and listened to the music I’d discovered in 2020. A few old favorites came back around this year. I’ve already mentioned The Districts, they had quite a few tracks make it into my playlist. Hell, “Cheap Regrets” is in there twice with the Porches remix! Gorillas put out a ton of fun stuff. The Cribs latest, Night Network was a nice surprise. Fleet Foxes new one, Joywave had some killer hits, Albert Hammond Jr, HAIM.

And, of course, The New Abnormal from The Strokes is one of my favorites of the year. Have you seen the crazy, cool video for “At The Door”?

While there might not have been as many standouts as a “normal” year but there were a few. My current favorite, Impossible Weight by Deep Sea Diver, is fantastic. Here are a few more.

The Weeknd brought some serious 80s vibe in 2020. He wasn’t the only one but was probably one my favorites, with some killer singles and a great album.

Not many had a better year than Phoebe Bridgers. Punisher is top-notch. But she really got me with the Copycat Killer versions she released, I love them.

Probably my favorite new to me (thanks to a tip from my brother) artist is the sax-rock-dance-party band Melt Yourself Down. Their 2020 release 100% Yes is awesome. They remind me a whole lot of 90’s Seattle scene darlings Critters Buggin, and their legends on the saxophone, Skerik.

The last show I saw in 2020 was IDLES and Fontaines DC. Both of whom put out killer albums this year. Ultra Mono might have been my most played album of 2020 and if it wasn’t it was top 3.

2020 in Books

While I didn’t reach my reading challenge of 75 books and read less than last year, I still read a lot in 2020, mostly escapist fiction as I found myself really struggling to focus and keep momentum with pretty much everything else, especially earlier in the year. I blame American politics and culture coupled with a lack of imagination on my part leading to a lot of doom-scrolling.

Here are the new books I really loved.

• Gideon The Ninth and Harrow The Ninth by Tamsyn Muir. These were probably my favorites this year. They’re a nearly perfect mix of an interesting and crazy premise with likable, relatable characters who grow and change in meaningful ways. They’re also just bonkers. Really fun read.

• The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin. A super weird and super entertaining tale about a Cthuluian takeover of New York City.

• Foundryside and Shorefall by Robert Jackson Bennett. Fast-paced, character-driven fantasy set in a steampunk world where magic is sort of like computer programming.

• The Trouble With Peace by Joe Abercrombie. Gritty, violent, and complex fantasy from one of the new masters and an amazingly talented writer.

Most of the books I read this year just sort of seem so-so to me. Hopefully, 2021 is better.

2020 in Television

There’s much less for me to say here. Surprisingly I didn’t watch that much TV this year, and a lot of what I did watch doesn’t really stand out. A few things that do:

• Ted Lasso. Perfect.

• The Mandalorian. Loved it. I’m not a Star Wars junky, but I was a huge fan when I was a kid (I saw A New Hope in theatres when I was about seven or so) and The Mandalorian comes the closest to how I remember Star Wars as a kid.

• The Flight Attendant. Kerri and I binged this one last weekend. It’s a dark humor murder mystery that was pretty much perfect for us at the time and kind of felt like it hit all the right notes at the right times.

• Lovecraft Country. I thought this show was so cool and interesting. I really enjoyed how they mixed Lovecraftian horror and sci-fi with day-to-day living and historical events. And, of course, the big old “fuck you” to Lovecraft was fun.

• Raised by Wolves. I really enjoyed this, even though the kid, Campion, reminded me of Sally from Mad Men mixed with Atreyu and I couldn't stop thinking about it every time he came on screen.

2020 in Movies

I don’t have much. I liked Soul and wrote a little review about that. Does Hamilton count?

2020 in Video Games

I didn’t play a lot of video games this year, but I did spend a fair amount of time with a few that I think will go down as all-time favorites of mine.

• 🤯The Last of Us Part 2. Mind-blowing. I think I loved just about every moment of this game, with one major exception, which I’ll mention later. The Seattle arc was my most fun playing a video game in ages. I especially loved rolling around the aquarium, as I’ve spent so much time there IRL. Anyway, this is a classic in every way.

• ⛩️Ghost of Tsushima. I’m not sure if I liked this better than The Last of Us Part 2, but it was damn close. The game is fantastic, the story solid and the…cinematography (?) probably the best I’ve seen to date. I might have spent more time taking photos with Tsushima’s in-game camera than I did outside with my real cameras.

• 🔱Hades. I’m not really into rogue-likes but I’ve been very much enjoying this one.

• ⚔️Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. I’m playing this one right now and, aside from one thing, enjoying it quite a bit. I spent a lot of time with AC: Odyssey this year as well and enjoyed that too.

So, what did I not enjoy about most of the above games? Killing dogs. They should seriously build options into these games to turn that shit off or make it easier to avoid it.

Have a great New Year and here’s to a timeline for 2021 that’s better than 2020. 🎉