Introducing Blogshadow: Rainshadow Unleashed!

After much anticipation and a little bit of pressure from my online family over at terrygoodkind.com (affectionately referred to by many as PI) I have finally decided to get this little shindig up and running. I’ve been on the net for years, and as an avid writer, one might wonder what the heck I’ve been waiting on. Why procrastinate on creating a blog? There is no more popular way for a long-winded nutjobs such as myself, without the advantage certain resources, to spread the word in the world today.

The reason I’ve held off is quite simple: rainshadow despises blogs. I think they’re ridiculous and they have no real backbone when written by a faceless advocate of words. Most of them are poorly written and have no real aim other than pointless blathering of a fool who thinks his blathering is worth something to other people. There is little structure to any of them and to top it all off, if I can find one that makes actual sense, it usually turns out I despise the person’s viewpoint as much as I despise blogs themselves.

So to sum it up: rainshadow and blogs go hand-in-hand.

Hope you enjoy the pointless blathering!

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This weekend is a special weekend for the folks over on PI. It signifies the opening of something more than two years in the making. And no, I’m not talking about Blogshadow.

Here’s the background, for those of you who don’t know; you can get more details behind the story over at terrygoodkind.com. About two years ago a fellow by the name of Sam Raimi had a sit-in at the home of one of today’s great fantasy authors, a fellow by the name of Terry Goodkind. Mr. Raimi, who is most known for the Evil Dead (starring Bruce Campbell) and Spider-man (starring Tobey Maguire) trilogies, pitched an idea to Mr. Goodkind to turn his epic fantasy series, The Sword of Truth, into a television miniseries.

Well, in the two years or so since that day, things have really picked up the pace. We went from a miniseries to a full-blown syndicated television series, the first first-run syndicated series to hit the scene since another Raimi production… Xena: Warrior Princess (starring Lucy Lawless). Many of the same people who worked to create Xena and it predecessor, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (starring Kevin Sorbo) are back for the new show.

It’s called Legend of the Seeker, starring Craig Horner as a woods guide from Westland, Richard Cypher, and Bridget Regan as a mysterious woman from across “The Boundary”, Kahlan Amnell. Bruce Spence portrays the mysterious, old cloud reader, Zeddicus Z’ul Zorrander. Jay Laga’aia is the powerful Boundary Warden Chase, Richard’s best friend. The show’s villain is Darken Rahl, and the role belongs to Craig Parker. The first season is inspired by Wizard’s First Rule, Terry Goodkind’s first book, and reportedly will have elements from some of the other novels sprinkled throughout.

As I said, the two hour premier for Legend of the Seeker—affectionately, though admittedly rather blandly, referred to by this particular blogger and my online family at PI as LOTS—airs this weekend. Because it’s syndicated, you’ll have to check your local listings for show times.

I could go into all the juicy details, but why do that when it’s already done for me? Check out the show’s website at legendoftheseeker.com for details. You can find cast interviews as well as the first ten minutes of this weekend’s first episode there.

Please, if you get the chance, read the books. Terry Goodkind is an amazing author who has created an elaborate tale, spread out through the course of eleven novels and one novella. This ain’t your typical fantasy. I loved the characters, the plot, the message behind the books, the writing style (very visual and dramatic), and that invigorating rush that I get from reading each and every richly detailed scene. The Sword of Truth is a love story first and foremost, set in a magnificent fantasy world. It is a story about the nobility of the human spirit, rich with a love for life.

But don’t take my word for it. I’m no critic. I’m just a reader. Pick up the first book, Wizard’s First Rule, if you have not yet done so, and judge for yourself.

The main purpose of this blog is for me to follow and comment weekly on the progression of LOTS. I’ll do my very best to avoid spoilers. Blogger’s honor.

Heh. Blogger’s honor… is that an oxymoron?

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Now that that’s out of the way, let me tell you a little about rainshadow. I’m a mild-mannered Kansan (with no plans to move to Metropolis at all in the near future). I’m twenty-seven and I work at the local hospital (my local hospital, not your local hospital). In my free time I pick boogers and write. I live alone with my cat, Zedd, who owns my apartment (despite what my landlord says). In my free time I write down my cat’s thoughts and pass them off for my own. They can be read over at PI and now here at Blogshadow.

I’m presently writing my cat’s first novel, a futuristic thriller set on a colony world in distant solar system. It’s untitled and I will post updates and possibly snippets in the future for your reading pleasure.

I’m gonna vote on Tuesday. I don’t know for whom yet, but I will vote. I typically lean conservative but I’m not a fan of either of the yahoos on the ballot. My cat wants me to write in Garfield. Go figure. I wouldn’t mind, really. Maybe he’d make it a new national tradition to serve lasagna for Thanksgiving dinner. I haven’t had a decent turkey since last century.

There’s the extent of politics on this particular blog. You folks are sick of hearing about it, and I’m sick of talking about it.

You know my favorite books. I also read Stephen King and Tom Clancy. Which begs the question… why won’t anybody do the smart thing and make a TV series out of Clancy’s Jack Ryan novels? I enjoyed the movies—I didn’t so much care for The Hunt for Red October; for whatever reason, submarine movies annoy me—but this series is dying for a new treatment and a television series would rock my socks off. If 24 can do it and sustain it, somebody can do the same for Clancy. Personally, I’m dying for an onscreen translation of Without Remorse… but that’s just me.

My favorite movie is The Dark Knight, followed closely by Batman Begins and the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I have a guilty pleasure for anime. I recommend Trigun, Blue Gender, and Cowboy Bebop in particular. If you never watch another anime, watch Cowboy Bebop.

I promise not to be nearly so boring next time. I think I’m loved over on PI because I’m not boring, and I have not only a wonderful sense of humor, but also a wild and twisted one at that. For whatever reason I beat the snot out of my sense of humor before I sat down to write this, and he’s not coming out. I’ll be sure to tie him up and bring him to the party in a paddy wagon if I have to.

Until next time, may the good spirits be with you!