Articles by Alexander Collas
Into the Wild – Chapter 20
Chapter 20 Mat and Devon stood in the doorway of The Dancing Hobbit with stupid grins on their faces. “Close the damn door, you're letting rain in,” yelled one of the patrons bringing them out of their stupor. “Oh, sorry,” commented Devon as he pushed the ragged collection of wood closed. “The first floors of these places really are inns,” Mat said to no one in particular. This one had a shallow ceiling, just inches above their heads. The chandeliers were rusted metal on chains, each holding five candles belching black smoke, adding to the already dark atmosphere. The walls, [...]
Lamashtu – Xia Morningstars Mother
Lamaštu practiced evil apparently for its own sake, her primary victims considered to be unborn children and new-born babies. Pregnant women were therefore also her targets, Lamaštu generally being held responsible for miscarriage and cot death amongst babies. It was believed, in the first instance, that the wearing by the expectant mother of an amuletic bronze head of the demon Pazuzu might thwart the goddess' evil plans. Another apotropaic device in warding off Lamaštu was the positioning of the so-called 'Lamaštu-plaques' of metal or stone about the house, these including a depiction of Pazuzu forcing Lamaštu back into the Underworld [...]
Into the Wild – Chapter 19
Chapter 19 By the time they’d made it back to the cave and canceled the spells they were both exhausted. As the excitement of the trip drained away, Mat realized just how weary he was, not only their excursion and the walking but from the residual shock from their first encounter. Their bodies ached and his magic stores were low; still he forced himself to use a little more mana to reseal the cave. He was hyper careful at this point. When Mat eventually lumbered in, he found Devon already snoring, asleep in his spot by their fire. Mat laid [...]
Interesting article on Reding Retention.
Have you ever found yourself at the end of a book you’ve just finished wondering, what did I just read? (And not in a Gone Girl "what the hell just happened"way.) If you have trouble remembering the finer points of your recent reads, don’t stress, because you’re not alone, and there are plenty of ways to improve your reading retention.