Well, my CardCaptor order came in today, along with the two games. However, thanks to the madhouse that is my job right now, I’m not up to starting any animé series… in fact I’m not really interested in going to the trouble of downloading anything I’ve been watching lately. I’m just going to take it easy tonight. Re-reading The Magic of Recluse, by L.E. Modesitt, Jr. Interesting storycrafting, in that it seemed to wander about going nowhere, but at the end I realized it had been headed to that finalé with a sense of purpose many authors fail to match. Curiously, that parallels the main character’s discovery of the principles of order and chaos — I rather suspect that was deliberate. Although I’m not sure I want to read much more of his writing if it’s always like that. I prefer a bit more action-oriented narrative, and while a lot happens to Lerris, it’s told in a very matter-of-fact, dry tone. Although, again, that matches the character and the story, so it was appropriate.
I guess it’s sort of like my reaction to Lain. Damn good story, very well told and I’d definitely recommend it if someone wanted to watch a good, thought-provoking animé. But it’s just not my speed. Except for the last two episodes, which I have watched three times now. Frankly, that mystifies me….There’s something about the wonder and joy of Lain overcoming her final trials, and accepting herself.
Did your CCS package have Amazon shrinkwrap and labelling?
Hmmm. They were all shrinkwrapped together, but I don’t see anything hinting at Amazon. I’ll look closer tomorrow.
I’ve read a whole bunch of L. E. Modesitt, Jr. (though nothing recent) and Magic of Recluse is pretty typical of his style. I think its one of his most successful novels, though. Typically, the first novel in each series is pretty interesting, mostly for the worldbuilding, but each series goes downhill fast. If you’re going to read only one L.E.M. Jr. novel, you picked the best one, IMHO.