There is perhaps no better way to escape the doldrums of quarantine captivity than an epic journey into a brand-new fantasy series. An intricately constructed world built just for you. Ready to whisk you away to destinations hitherto unknown. A sprawling land of imagination full of new heroes and epic quests. In this section, I’ve included some of my favorite Epic Fantasy series. I’ve left out some obvious ones (Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia) because, well, they’re obvious. And if you’re wondering where Harry Dresden and his ilk are, I’m saving Urban Fantasy for another day.…
Recent Posts
The Eclectic Eccentric’s guide to binging through the Apocalypse: Murder Mystery Television Series
With most of the world trapped in their homes for the foreseeable future its going to be hard for us all to keep from going stir crazy. With that in mind, this blogger is launching a daily series of recommendations to distract you from these troubled times. TV, movies, books, comics; over the coming days and weeks I’ll be sharing some of my personal favorites across all sorts of genres. A quick disclaimer however, these are not top lists. As such these lists will not be presented in any particular order and may not include some of the more…
The 2020 Democratic Primary Field- Iowa Caucasus
With the Iowa Caucuses kicking off the official primary season tonight it’s time for the Eclectic Eccentric’s official ranking of the Democrats left in the field. A number of factors went into these rankings but primarily my decisions boiled down to two factors: platform and electability. These are not static endorsements and are subject to change as primary season unfolds but going into tonight this is how it stands for me. 1. Senator Elizabeth Warren Senator Warren wins the Eclectic Eccentric’s official endorsement. It was tight pick between her and Senator Sanders, and I will be content with either of…
In Theory- Taxpayer-Funded Sports Complexes
October is the only month where all four of America’s biggest professional sports leagues are in action. It’s a glorious time, baseball playoffs, basketball and hockey just getting going, and meaningful football on the weekends. But for as much as our communities can rally around our respective teams it’s important to remember that these teams are privately owned business ventures and not community property (well except for the Green Bay Packers). As privately-run ventures, it is the goal of these teams to make money and they often do so at the expense of the very cities that play host to…
Meanwhile in Countries Not Called America- The Kurds
Meanwhile in Countries Not Called America is a place where I normally go out of my way to find issues that are completely independent of the United States. But given the events in Northern Syria over the last few weeks, I feel compelled to break that rule and attempt to explain just how awful a situation the Kurds find themselves in. And while the geopolitics of the situation may be complicated, the morality is not. As always you need to understand the history of the region to properly put all of this into perspective. The Kurds are the…
On the Shelf- Cat’s Cradle
Any list of American literary masters would be incomplete without Kurt Vonnegut. Known for prose that was simultaneously absurd and deadly serious, Vonnegut was deeply affected by his experiences as a soldier in World War II. More specifically, he was psychologically scarred by his survival of the bombing of Dresden, one of the most horrific events in a war full of horrific events. He would write about this experience in some of his non-fiction essays and in his seminal work Slaughterhouse-Five. But before Slaughterhouse-Five, Vonnegut truly found his voice in his fourth novel Cat’s Cradle; which is the subject of…
We Can Do That Now!- Replicators
The Star Trek franchise has always served as a fount of ideas for futurists. From wireless communication devises to tractor beams, scientists have spent decades trying to create real-life versions of the fictional innovations they’ve seen on their television screens. Perhaps no technology has seemed further from our grasp than the series’ replicators. These devices are first shown to be able to create basic food rations before receiving upgrades that allowed them to create sophisticated meals and industrial materials, all of these items being created seemingly from thin air. But something from nothing is not a feasible area of academic…
The Franchise- Batwoman
Batwoman is about to up her game in a big way by becoming the newest hero to join The CW’s Arrowverse. And while the name Batwoman dates back to 1956 when Kathy Kane was introduced as a one-note love interest for Batman in a rather transparent attempt to put to rest the idea that Batman and Robin’s relationship was homosexual in nature, that character is a far cry from what will be appearing on your television screens this fall. Renamed Kate Kane, and now a lesbian herself, this version of Batwoman was introduced in 2006, making her practically brand new…
On The Shelf- Mycroft Holmes
Since his invention by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in 1887, Sherlock Holmes has dominated the public square. Whether the medium be the printed page, the stage, radio, or screens large and small; not a year goes by without some new iteration of the world’s most famous detective entering the canon. With such an endless stream of adaptations and reinterpretations, it comes as a pleasant surprise when something comes along to pique my interest. I hope you feel the same way because in this edition of On the Shelf I discuss a rather inventive take on the Sherlock Holmes legend, Mycroft…
Character Study- Mrs. Robinson (The Graduate)
It is incredibly rare that a fictional character can transcend their medium and become a part of our everyday lexicon. The Graduate’s Mrs. Robinson has done exactly that. So much so that even now, over fifty years later, the name invokes a universally understood archetype in our society. What is it about this character, played to absolute perfection by Anne Bancroft, that resonates so deeply within the zeitgeist? It’s time to strip away the cougar cliché and take a deep dive into the quiet, bored desperation of suburbia that is The Graduate. The Graduate follows Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman)…