Upstream Reviews Presents…!
Entertainment in your pocket for the busy days ahead.
Thanksgiving Day approaches and who has time for entertainment when you need to plan a large dinner, prep for Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and are looking forward to seeing the game on Thursday? All anyone wants to do is survive the coming week. Books, movies, et al can wait until at least the first week of December. Right?
Well, perhaps. Yet perhaps there is room for a quick, pre-Thanksgiving purchase or video. As long as it is short, to the point, and fun…. One might just be able to slip it in amid the many, many preparations and duties calling for one’s attention in these hectic times.
It is worth a try, at least.
YouTube Channels
Remember Rip the Falcon? Follow him and his creator, Riley Webber, on their YouTube Channel, TIC Studios!
RTF FLY FOREVERMORE by Zacky Sickness
Like Final Fantasy? Then you might want to check out Ikkin’s channel:
Ikkin Investigates: Christian Symbolism in FFXV
Anyone remember Zoids: Chaotic Century and its sequel series, Zoids? No? Well, maybe this channel with these fantastic AMVs will jog your memory – or give you a reason to check out the series.
Eye Of The Saber Tiger (Saber Tiger/Zaber Fang Tribute)
Urban Fantasy (including Paranormal)
Halloween is long past, but the days are still growing darker and colder. In this time a memento mori can remain in one’s thoughts even or especially as the holiday cheer increases. For a little something to help keep back the night and recall mortality in a fun way, try these urban fantasies:
Fanged by Elisabeth Wheatley
Family dating rules were pretty clear—no humans. But the undead heart wants what it wants and Haddie’s high school boyfriend ended up dead because of it. Now her brother Damian is repeating history and the same fate’s lined up for a very non-vampire, Madelyn.
With the girl’s throat on the line, they don’t have many options. Soon all three of them are on the run. Hunted across country by dear old dad’s enforcers, they’ll need help from the humans who hate them most. Assuming they all live that long.
Honor At Stake (Love At First Bite Book 1) by Declan Finn
One is a heartless, bloodthirsty killer. The other is a vampire.
College freshman, Amanda Colt knows few people and wants to know fewer still. She enjoys fencing and prefers facing a challenge every once in a while. She is beautiful, smart, and possibly the most interesting person on campus.
Then she finds tall, intense Marco Catalano in her fencing class. With a mind like a computer and manners of a medieval knight, he scares most people - but not Amanda. They both have secrets, for they are both monsters.
As they draw closer, they must find the line between how much they can trust each other, and how much they can care for each other. Each carries a secret that can destroy the other. But they must come to grips with their personal drama soon because a darkness rises around them. Bodies keep turning up all over New York, and an army of vampires closes in on all sides.
Kindred (The SumDood Chronicles Book 1) by Kelly Grayson
In the Dakota Territory, a U.S. Marshal haunted by his past works desperately to discover who is behind a weaponized smallpox plague and stop an incipient Sioux uprising.
A Serbian policeman, at war with terrorists as well as his conflicting loyalties, races against the clock in Sarajevo to stop the terrorists intent on setting off World War I.
A gifted New Orleans paramedic finds himself embroiled in the bloody drug cartel wars on the U.S./Mexico border, battling a new kind of plague he does not understand.
All three men have two things in common: the archangel that resides in their heads, and the fallen angel they’re pursuing.
It’s a battle as old as time, with the fate of mankind hanging in the balance.
Non-Fiction
Want something meaty besides turkey or ham to chew on this Thanksgiving? Try these non-fiction works and see how they taste!
Gateway to Fiction by C. Chancy
Do the Research, Keep the Shiny! A writer’s guide. Want a good story? Choking on yet another sparkly cinematic production that has all the flash and explosions yet no real people in it? If you want stories done right, sometimes you’ve just got to do it yourself. But how? Roll up your sleeves, we’re going to cover it all. No preaching; no “but thou must follow steps X, Y, Z”. Just, here’s some ideas, and some examples, of how it can work. From getting over that first hump of pen to page, through getting ideas and characters from point A to point B, all the way to how to keep breathing when the whole world’s crumbling in. There are links. There are tropes. And there’s a sober explanation of why fanfic has always mattered. In your mind’s eye there’s a world no one else has seen. Here’s some tools. Worldbuild away!
TOLKIEN & FAITH: ESSAYS ON CHRISTIAN TRUTH IN MIDDLE-EARTH
J.R.R. Tolkien has captivated the imagination of countless souls with his fantastical realm of Middle-Earth. While his world never mentions God, Tolkien's Catholic faith is woven throughout his fictional mythology. Voyage Comics presents a selection of previously published articles - including a few that have not been published - on a range of Tolkien topics that investigate the underlying Christian themes that can be found in Middle-Earth.
Films
If you are a fan of gore films or know someone who is, then this might just be the Christmas present to put under the tree:
Shock Invasion
In one night, a red flash fills the planet's sky, instantly paralyzing mankind into a bloody feast for the alien invaders. But there is hope, as Ral Foster (Max Bludharte of "Dead Fury") wakes up to find himself unaffected. Filled with incredible, action packed carnage through city streets, malls, alien ships, forests and more, Shock Invasion delivers the thrills like never before. Animated Gore
Short Stories
All of the above recommendations were too long? There is no time to watch or read any of them? Don’t worry, Upstream Reviews has you covered. Try out these shorter reads today!
Dream Drivers by The PBC Ninja (Oh, look, it’s free!)
In Somnu, all children are born with Dream Classes, which categorize the type of dreams they have at night and afford them special abilities during the day. Fatima Fey is an anomaly, born with no dreams at all-- But something is about to happen that will change all that, ripping her away from the simple future she envisioned and catapulting her into the center of a national conflict she never asked to be involved in.
Dragonfire and Time by Mary Catelli
An angry dragon demands justice of the king.
Mae, a royal wizard, is assigned the task: the dragon had metted out her own justice, burning a thief with dragonfire, but she had seen him since, whole and sound, and this she will not tolerate, so Mae must put an end to it.
Mae goes to discover the truth of this before the dragon leaves its lair to extract her own justice. And in her search of the spring festivities, learns more secrets than the dragon had even guessed of.
Sparrowind: The Dragon Who Lived As A Knight by R. K. Modena (It’s $0.99!)
Tiny Sparrowind can't hunt from the sky, cannot hope to best his siblings in contests of strength, and scrapes by to survive. But in the books stashed in his parents' hoard of gold and gems he finds a greater treasure: ideals.
Deciding to make his own way in life gives him more hope than he could have if he tried living only by the way of Dragonkind, but can this dreamer of a Dragon find his place in the world?
A delightful tale for all ages, that may be shared by reading out loud - either to a young audience, or those who are young at heart.
Bulletproof Vestments: Father Jay Book 0 by Jane Lebak (Also $0.99!)
A former gang member has tracked down the man who ratted out his brother 10 years ago. It's time for some good old-fashioned revenge, except the man in question is disabled. And he's a priest. And no one's going to let him go down without a fight.
In this first novelette of the Father Jay series, Jane Lebak introduces the world of a man who's lived through the worst life has to offer, and yet somehow after losing his heart and losing his body, struggles to offer hope to others.
Sites & Links
Too frazzled for ANY kind of story? Give these links a try and see what you can find to entertain you!
Head Noises is great for short reads and shiny finds.
Then try the Serpent’s House for more in-depth posts.
The Remodern Review has plenty of great art insights.
And Irons in the Fire is safe for work until the weekend. After that, make sure you’re looking at it off the clock!
