Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy

In the middle of the journey of our life I came to myself within a dark wood where the straight way was lost.

As Meat Loves Salt: On the cover and the blurb

I read As Meat Loves Salt, a historical novel by M. McCann, in December last year, finishing it (unwisely) on Christmas, so that I found myself barely able to communicate with the merry aliens around me during the family feast. The book confused me, shocked me, charmed me, warmed me through, worried me sick and in the end, shattered me. For a while I was so distraught that I wasn’t even sure if I liked it or not.

But I have since come to my senses. As Meat Loves Salt (AMLS from now on) is the best book of my adult life. No other has affected me this profoundly, nor stayed on my mind so long. Three months into this new obsession, I’m almost done reading it the second time; I’m drawing fanart, and writing fanfiction for it. Yet somehow I’ve not yet managed to put my thoughts and feelings in sufficient order to blog about it. And I may never write a comprehensive essay: there’s just too much to say, and I lack the patience, and my writing time and energy are better invested elsewhere. But there are some relatively standalone bits and pieces for a series of shorter posts.

One thing I do not plan to do in any of them is retell the book. I will also make no attempt to avoid spoilers. These posts are addressed to fellow fans.

I’ll start with front and back matter: the amazing cover and the dismal blurb.

Fury’s Embrace — A Darksiders Story

The maker tree from Darksiders 3 was only one of many. Strife and Ulthane had been running a global rescue operation since the beginning of the Apocalypse, but Fury’s arrival attracted unwanted attention and signaled the beginning of the end. Bereft of hope and purpose, Strife pays Fury one last visit in the realm where the remnants of the human race are hidden, and makes her an offer she cannot refuse.
Cover: my very own!

Read it here or on AO3.

My 2022 in Books

The last year wasn’t as great for my reading as the previous few. Having read 30 books in 2021, I set myself the goal of reading 36 in 2022, and fell short by a dozen. Mostly I blame my Darksiders obsession, which rendered me unable to focus on most other things throughout the first half of the year. But a part of the blame lies on the poor choice of books as well. Most of them simply bored me to varying degrees, with a few striking exceptions.

On Sticking to Schedule

A couple weeks ago, I complained of troubles with managing my free time. Literally a few days later, they were solved so abruptly, I’m tempted to call it a miracle. Namely, I started to schedule tasks; and it turned out that sticking to the schedule is something I’m very good at. In a matter of days, I turned from feeling that I don’t have nearly enough time for all my hobbies and interests, to writing daily, finishing artworks in progress, and even games!

Metal Hellsinger

This game has been an absolute delight. It’s a rhythm-based first-person shooter where you play a demon-like creature wrecking havoc though the circles of hell in search of her lost voice. The rhythm-based part means that you’re supposed to shoot (or otherwise hit) enemies, reload your weapons, jump and dash to the beat of the music. This is not only great fun, it’s also built into the mechanics. Following the rhythm helps build up the fury level, and two good things happen when it gets high: you deal more damage, and you get to hear more elements of the music arrangements.