Atrocities and other good times

I finished up The Atrocity Archives by Charles Stross. And I have another favorite new series. This one (as mentioned a post down) is espionage crossed with Lovecraftian nightmares. With some math and science thrown in. Bob Howard is your basic hacker that stumbled on something he shouldn't have. And now he is forced to work for the Laundry saving the world from those entities that think we are delicious and good with ketchup. Tired of his IT desk job he gets sucked into field work. Now if only he can keep it from literally sucking him in. Curse those nasty inter-dimensional monstrosities. It really was a lot of fun to read and I look forward to the other two books in the series. I suspect this is one I'll need to pick up as well.

The Losers was a fun little action movie right up until the end. Mostly because they felt like leaving it wide open for a sequel. A risky move these days. I'd certainly watch another one - the cast was a lot of fun - but would have liked a little more closure from this one. Maybe I'll check out the comic and see if it ties things up any better. (That's a joke, nothing is ever wrapped up in the comic. And if it looks like it has been, they'll retcon it next time.)

Up in the Air suffered from the same problem - I liked it up until the end. And then it went and got depressing...

So last time I mentioned a few games I had my eye on. They have been shoved aside in favor of Mansions of Madness. It looks like a board game version of Call of Cthulhu (an RPG). Sign me up! Cthulhu based minis, tiles, madness, one player against everyone else. Oh yeah. It was originally slated for November, but has already slipped to December I believe. Considering the fact that it's Fantasy Flight, I'll be a touch surprised if it makes it out before year's end, but I suspect the wait will be worth it.

Laundry and other sundries

We watched Date Night a couple days ago. (sexy robots) It was pretty amusing. Crude, but amusing. I suspect it falls into the same camp as Bill Cosby's book, Fatherhood in that it's funnier if you've experienced it. So if you've been married for years and have kids, there's a little more depth to this movie than you'd otherwise expect. I won't comment on how many of those conversations we've had, but they really do a good job of portraying marriage at it's familiar best. Tina Fey, Steve Carell and Mark Wahlberg are all excellent in it.

I read Bone: Tall Tales since it was more Bone. There are a couple funny bits and a couple good bits, but mostly it was just alright. If you like Bone there's certainly some joy to be had with it, but you might be better off just reading Bone again. Or Rose. Sounds like they're going to put out a new trilogy in an illustrated story format. I'm not sure how I feel about this...

Currently I'm reading The Atrocity Archives by Charles Stross. It is most excellent. Take one part Cthulhu mythos, a couple shakes of LeCarre espionage, a hint of Kafka and mix it all together into one gooey, satisfying mess. I'll comment more when I'm finished, but for now know that this is the first book in the Laundry Files and I suspect I've found a new favorite series. That I might just have to pick up.

Ubongo has gotten some more play at casa del 'd'. It is still most excellent. Lovely wife taught the girls 10 Days in Europe. Sounds like that went mostly well. I think that now that they've played it future trips through Europe will be a little less stormy. I've got my eye on a couple games for DCon or upcoming holidays. Incursion is drawing my attention at the moment (partially due to this sale). As are Castle Ravenloft and Talisman. So many choices.