The Geekiest Geek to Ever Geek Down the Pike, and Other Tales

Revenge: Eleven Dark Tales appeals to my inner morbidness and love of the dark and unconventional, but sort of bumps up against a general discomfort on my part with short stories. I don't have a problem with short stories, per se, but they're not really in my wheelhouse. I'm not saying I enjoy those long-winded nineteenth century Russian novels, but I do love a good book I can immerse myself in for hours and forget about the world. Short stories are too brief for that kind of escapism. They also leave too many unanswered questions. They tragically end just as I begin to love a character or dive into a tale, without offering any explanations or directions, or even much backstory. Luckily, tragedy is the soil in which the stories in Revenge: Eleven Dark Tales take root. While the stories are short on revenge (I think I was imagining short supernatural versions of The Count of Monte Cristo ), each tale is tinged with sadness and a good helping of eerie discomfort. Only on...

I walked in on my husband watching one of the ubiquitous airings of The Two Towers on TNT a few days ago during the "where is the horse and the rider" bit of the movie (though why anyone would want to watch anything other than the extended version is beyond me).  In the movie, Theoden says "Where is the horse and the rider?  Where is the horn that was blowing? They have passed like rain on the mountains.  Like wind in the meadow.  The days have gone down in the West behind the hills into shadow".  This is one of my favorite parts of the movie.  The Rohirrim make The Two Towers movie easily the best of the trilogy (though The Fellowship of the Ring is my favorite of the books).  In the book, these lines are recited by Aragorn.  In case you don't remember the full text, they are as follows: Where now the horse and the rider? Where is the horn that was blowing? Where is the helm and the hauberk, and the bright hair flowing? Where is the hand o...