The Cambias Digression

Notes and thoughts on everything from what I had for breakfast to the fate of the Universe.

  • The Initiate Arrives Today!

    The wait is over, the stars are right, and all the necessary rituals are complete. My new modern-day noir fantasy novel The Initiate is officially released today. Pick up a copy in your local bookstore, or buy on line. Get Initiated! And if you're going to be in the neighborhood of Easthampton, Massachusetts this coming…

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  • Polygon Gets Initiated!

    Polygon's roundup of new fantasy and science fiction recommendations for February includes my new book The Initiate. Check out the article here. The official publication date is tomorrow, so get ready to hit the stores!

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  • Happy Palindrome Day! Yad Emordnilap Yppah!

    Today is, of course, 02/02/2020, so happy Palindrome Day! What makes this one rather special is that it's Palindrome Day no matter where you live and what format you use for writing dates. In the month-day-year zone based on American practice, we had Palindrome Days on January 2, 2010 (01/02/2010) and November 2, 2011 (11/02/2011);…

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  • Movie Review: Color Out Of Space

    Well, there's no "U" in "Color" so I guess it sucks. Actually, it doesn't. Color Out of Space is a sincere and competent attempt to film a completely unfilmable story. As a horror movie, it succeeds at its most basic task: scaring the audience. My wife spent about half the run time in the theater…

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  • Lewis and Lovecraft

    This post is about a common thread I've noticed in the works of two very different writers: Howard Phillips Lovecraft and Clive Staples Lewis. (One of their few similiarities is that both are known by their first two initials.) C.S. Lewis, of course, is famous as the author of the Narnia series and numerous works…

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  • Book Launch Party February 6!

    My new novel The Initiate comes out in two weeks from Baen Books. In this modern dark fantasy thriller, Samuel Arquero fights alone against the Apkallu, the ancient and secret order of wizards who rule the world. But what price must he pay? Join me and special guest Suzanne Palmer, author of the upcoming novel Driving…

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  • Great Moments In Gaming

    This table anecdote by Daniel J. Davis is one of the greatest examples I've seen of player-characters being player-characters. I love this stuff. It's why I love roleplaying games: seeing other people be clever (and, occasionally, horrifying).     For more clever, horrifying acts, check out The Initiate, from Baen Books. It will be in…

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  • Arisia 2020 Report, Day 3

    Sunday was my final day at the con. Most conventions are three-day affairs: show up Friday afternoon, do stuff Friday night and Saturday, maybe a few things Sunday morning, then head home after lunch. Not Arisia. Taking advantage of the MLK Day weekend, it stretches into Monday. That means Sunday is a busy full day…

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  • Arisia 2020 Report, Day 2

    Saturday the 18th was a light-duty day for me, which meant I got to enjoy the con as a member rather than as one of the dancing monkeys.  Still fighting off my cold, I slept in on Saturday morning, starting my day by having brunch with my CSFW colleague Alexander Jablokow at a nearby Mexican…

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  • Arisia 2020 Report, Day 1

    I drove out to Boston on a sunny but cold January afternoon, left the car at the disintegrating Alewife garage, and rode the T to the good old Westin Waterfront hotel. Various delays en route and long lines at the hotel meant I barely had time to get my room, get my Arisia badge, and…

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