Ravings of a Bookworm

HellHunter

2008-05-19T17:59:00.000-07:00

CHAPTER 1 : The Dream

It all started with a dream. It was a Wednesday night, pouring rain outside my window. I had just settled down for bed. I slipped my hand in the compartment under my bed feeling around. I finally found it. It was a book entitled Sorcery Of The Ages. Hardle anyone bothered keeping books at that time. Why should we? Everything was now virtual. Technology had finally caught up to Man's imagination. Books were outlawed nearly a hundred years ago. This book was nearly a five hundred years old, from the 32nd century. It was in terrible shape. My Great-Grandfather told me he rescued it from the museum he worked in that was about to be burned down. I was six when he gave it to me
"Guard it with your life, boy" he had told me.
And so I did. For the many years to come.
My eyes skimmed the pages absorbing every detail despite having read it numerous amount of times. No one knew how to read or write in my time. I started from scratch when I was seven. That was when my great-grandfather died.
That night, a particular paragraph caught my eye. It was entitled The Warlock of The People. I found that to be a strange title. The rest of the book emphasised on the destruction warlocks did to mankind when they created demons. Legend has it, warlocks existed five hundred years ago. They found out the means to create demons, but in order to do so they had to sacrifice a bit of themselves. The warlocks chose to give a portion of their intelligence, which they thought they had enough of to spare. They did not.
From the moment a demon is created, it is bound to its creator. But the warlocks never realized that the creator, too, was bound to the creation. A demon was sent to do its creators bidding and was not free unless its creator chose to free it or died. Most warlocks just destroyed them after their bidding was done. The demons were under the tight rein of the warlocks. But the warlocks got cocky. They didn't realize that their intelligence was now a part of the demons'. The demon soon realized a way to become free. Kill their creator. And so they did. Within a hundred years over five thousand warlocks were killed by the demon army. Now every demon ever created is still loose. Invisible to human eye, of course. Demons can be seen only by those they choose to be seen by and warlocks. But the warlocks had gone extinct. That's why there was no panic. People kept popping up dead and everyone soon followed a superstitious rumour that the Gods were angry.
But this particular title, The Warlock Of The People. It puzzled me. Was there, in fact, a warlock who worked for the good of mankind as a whole instead of just for himself? I decided to read the paragraph.
500 years ago, young apprentice warlock witnessed the murder of his master at the hands of a demon. The boy, fueled by anger and pain, created a demon, sacrificing his heart, soul, and brain. He gave this demon only one charge : Destroy the other demons. The boy died creating this demon and the demon set off fulfilling its destiny, destroying one demon at a time. It is believed that this demon is still alive, hunting demons and avenging its master, for whom it, it is rumoured, to have affection for.

I read the passage a few more times. Then I heard my mom's voice.
"Jon! Lights out, sweety"
"Yes, mom!" I yelled. I could hear her footsteps. She was coming up! I shoved the book back into the compartment, locked it, and dove under the covers. She came in and switched off the lights."Good night, honey".
I didn't respond. Maybe she would leave if she thought I was asleep. She did. I let out a sigh of relief. Then it hit me just how tired I was. I shut my eyes and fell asleep, dreaming of men with wizard hats point at couldron and yelling in gibberish. Then my dream began to change. I was in a small, dark room. There was a large table in the centre of the room that had one candle on it. The candle was the rooms only source of light. Then I saw something move near the large window. I looked closer and I couldn't help but gasp when I saw who it was. It was me. A couple years older, possibly 17, but definitely me. He let out a small sigh and moved away from the window.
"Erisi, va." he said to the air. More astonishingly the air seemed to respond.
"You called, sir?" It sounded like a female voice.
He switched to english. "None of that "sir" business, my dear. I believe we are past that."
"Indeed we are."Definitely female."Why did you call me, Jon? An afternoon chat over tea?"
Suddenly the smile left his face."No. No chats anymore. I-I wanted to ask you if you are sure of your decision to........help me."
"Of course. The question is whether or not you are prepared to do this."
"Yes. Yes, of course. But I just thought-I mean, you and I- we can't--"
Her voice became hard " You and I? I am a demon, you are my creator. I am bound to do your bidding. That is why I was created. I am ready."
He took a deep breath."Very well then." He picked took a large, leatherbound book from a shelf, opened it and began to read. "Raiese, de carye saimee yenesca.........." It was Warlocks' Tongue. "Rise, Carrier of Man's Burden..." Carrier Of Man's Burden. That must mean demons.
The colour of the room began to change. Purple, then yellow, pink, green. Then everything went black. A dark figure rose in the black, its silhouette painted dull among the emptiness. It spoke. "Menasei yeth carhath". "Name your charge".
His eyes looked haunted. "Nai carhath soi garth yeth kin pilei."
"Saanthe"
He placed his hand on the silhouette. "Is throth de noyi san ried poi."
The room burst into light. The creature shrieked in agony. Jon's (the other Jon's) skin seemed to wither away.
And then I woke up.
I was sweating, gasping for air. I remembered what he had said just before he died. "Is throth de noyi san ried poi." It still sent chills through my body.
"My soul lives on in the last boy."

TO BE CONTINUED

MaRcH oF tHe DoGs!

2008-03-19T06:34:00.000-07:00

March of the dog to a beat disillusion
Sworn under God breeding panic and confusion
The white flag is down, send in the clowns
The Carnival of Sins is not about to begin

A band formed out of 2 rival bands 41 days into summer, Sum 41 has released five studio albums, one live album (under two different titles), two live DVDs, more than fifteen singles, and sold over 10 million albums worldwide.
On June 27th, 2000, Half Hour of Power was the first album they released on Big Rig Records. The album was dedicated to the band "Closet Monsters"- and i quote- "in loving memory". The songs include :

"Grab The Devil By The Horns And F***Him Up The A**" – 1:06
"Machine Gun" – 2:29
"What I Believe" – 2:49
"*T.H.T." – 0:43
"Makes No Difference" – 3:10
"Summer" – 2:40
"32 Ways To Die" – 1:30
"Second Chance For Max Headroom" – 3:51
"Dave's Possessed Hair/It's What We're All About" – 3:47
"Ride The Chariot To The Devil" – 0:55
"Another Time Around" – 6:52 (3:19 without added silence to make album length thirty minutes)
*T.H.T. stands for Tables Have Turned
"Makes No Difference" and "Dave's Possessed Hair" are both singles.
Three of the songs on the record, "What I Believe", "Another Time Around" and "Summer" were all originally featured in their first-stage demo versions on the "Rock Out With Your Cock Out" demo tape.

All Killer No Filler, Sum 41's first full-legnth album, was released on May 8th, 2001. The album features lyrics with various subjects such as society, laziness, self-indulgence, relationships etc.
The songs in this album are:

"Introduction to Destruction" – 0:37
"Nothing on My Back" – 3:01
"Never Wake Up" – 0:49
"Fat Lip" – 2:58
"Rhythms" – 2:58
"Motivation" – 2:50
"In Too Deep" – 3:27
"Summer" – 2:49
"Handle This" – 3:37
"Crazy Amanda Bunkface" – 2:15
"All She's Got" – 2:21
"Heart Attack" – 2:49
"Pain for Pleasure" – 1:
* "Makes No Difference" - 3:11
The songs "Summer" and "Makes No Difference" were originally from Half Hour of Power.
The singles are "Makes No Difference", "Fat Lip", "In Too Deep", "Motivation", and "Handle This".

Does This Look Infected? was the third album by Sum 41. It was released on November 26th, 2002, on Island Records. The tracks are:

"The Hell Song" – 3:18
"Over My Head (Better Off Dead)" – 2:29
"My Direction" – 2:02
"Still Waiting" – 2:38
"A.N.I.C." – 0:37
"No Brains" – 2:46
"All Messed Up" – 2:44
"Mr. Amsterdam" – 2:56
"Thanks For Nothing" – 3:04
"Hyper-Insomnia-Para-Condrioid" – 2:32
"Billy Spleen" – 2:32
"Hooch" – 3:28
The bonus tracks are "Reign In Pain (Heavy Metal Jamboree)" (UK Bonus track) and "WWVII Parts 1 & 2" (UK Bonus track)
"Still Waiting", "The Hell Song", and "Over My Head(Better Off Dead)" are the singles from this album.

Chuck is an album by Sum 41. The album was released on October 12, 2004. The album is named after a UN peacekeeper Chuck Pelletier, who was in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where the band was filming a documentary for War Child Canada. Fighting broke out during the filming and Chuck helped the band evacuate from their hotel during the fighting (Chuck was staying in the same hotel during that time). The album holds the songs:

"Intro"- 0:46
"No Reason"– 3:04
"We're All to Blame"– 3:38
"Angels With Dirty Faces" 2:23
"Some Say"– 3:26
"The Bitter End"– 2:51
"Open Your Eyes"– 2:45
"Slipping Away"– 2:29
"I'm Not The One"– 3:34
"Welcome To Hell"– 1:56
"Pieces"– 3:02
"There's No Solution"– 3:18
"88"– 4:40
The singles are "We're All to Blame", "Pieces", "Some Say", "No Reason".
Japanese Tour Edition includes:
Noots – 3:51
Moron – 2:00
Subject To Change- 3:17
The Japanese Tour Edition also contains a bonus disc.
Pieces (Acoustic) - 3:18
No Brains (Acoustic) - 3:04
Over My Head (Better Off Dead) (Acoustic) - 2:46
Some Say (Acoustic) - 3:42
There's No Solution (Acoustic) - 3:28

The current members are Deryck Whibley (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards), Cone McCaslin (bass guitar, backing vocals), and Steve Jocz (drums, percussion, backing vocals). The band's "classic" line-up is the same except with Dave Baksh on lead guitar and backing vocals.

Underclass Hero is Sum 41's fifth overall studio album and the first to be released without former guitarist Dave Baksh. The album was first released July 18, 2007 in Japan. It was released under the Island Records label and distributed worldwide by Universal Records, and in Canada by Aquarius Records. The album was released in Australia under Mercury Records. The title's similarity to John Lennon's hit "Working Class Hero" is not a coincidence, according to the band's front man Deryck Whibley, who in an interview with Sun Media claimed Lennon as his favorite songwriter.
Underclass Hero is over ten minutes longer than any previous Sum 41 album. This is a result of there being a total of fourteen tracks (plus one hidden track) compared to the set of twelve or thirteen the band has used before. Mostly however, the length is due to a majority of the songs being much longer than the usual three minutes existing on preceding full-lengths.
"I had to decide what I wanted to say with my music," explains Whibley. "I asked myself all these questions and then just pulled up my own answers and started writing songs based on those themes. I wanted to make an album that meant something important from beginning to end. I wanted it to have relevance and significance. It's not a concept album. It's not about fictional characters in a made-up story but there is a constant idea that runs through the record. It's a deeply personal statement that reflects the confusion and frustration in modern society."
The album has spawned three singles, "Underclass Hero", "Walking Disaster", and "With Me". Another song called "March of the Dogs" has also been released as an album preview. "Speak of the Devil" and "Count Your Last Blessings" were leaked onto the internet on July 13, 2007. The entire CD was leaked onto file-sharing networks on July 14 2007. Track Listing:

"Underclass Hero" (Deryck Whibley/Steve Jocz) - 3:14
"Walking Disaster" - 4:46
"Speak of the Devil" - 3:58
"Dear Father" - 3:52
"Count Your Last Blessings" - 3:03
"Ma Poubelle" (Deryck Whibley/Steve Jocz) - 0:55
"March of the Dogs" - 3:09
"The Jester" - 2:48
"With Me" - 4:51
"Pull the Curtain" - 4:18
"King of Contradiction" - 1:40
"Best of Me" - 4:25
"Confusion and Frustration in Modern Times" - 3:46
"So Long Goodbye" - 3:01
"Look at Me" (Hidden track) - 4:03 (Starts at 2:00)
The bonus tracks are "No Apologies", "This Is Goodbye" and "Take a Look at Yourself".
The singles are "Underclass Hero", "Walking Disaster" and "With Me".

Sum 41 is a new brand of music, the likes of which have never been seen. They can captivate the audience like a modern day Beatles. For those of you who haven't heard them.....you have no idea what you're missing.
*Click the links to know more about that particular title.

The Protector - Chapter 1, A Last Good-bye

2008-03-06T03:06:00.000-08:00

Tick Tock. Tick Tock. The clock on the wall was soo loud, it was amazing anyone could concentrate. It was a reminder of how little time we had left. The scratching of pens on paper could be heard all around me. At the same time there was enough silence to hear a rat nibbling on some cheese in a hole in the next 1classroom.
I was sitting in the second row, third column of a cramped little classroom in the oldest room in 2Town. The 35 of us all had seperate desks. Needless to say, there wasnt enough space in the classroom to swing a rattlesnake. If you wanted to swing a rattlesnake. The usual silence seemed to have died down. It was the day of out Segregation exams. This exam gave us the rest of our lives. Not for me. But for the other students, it's kinda a big deal. Depending on the score the kid gets in this exam, we're shipped off to an institute run by the same people, where we'd graduate and get a 3low, meaningless job. If you were lucky, your friends would be shipped off with you. But most students of the Lady Drowns' Institute for 4Parentally Challenged Children weren't lucky. All parentally challenged children had to go through this system. But despite the schools strange, not to mention depressing, name and...um...shipping-habits, it was a normal school, for normal children. And "normal" was something I was not. But had to pretend to be. For the time being.... Like I was saying. Me. Not normal. I'm a protector.
I looked down at my question paper.
"Name the places to which Town imports sugar." I was coming up blank.
After spending a few minutes fusing over this question I wrote down, "Never-Never Land, Olympus, The Himalayas, Satellite City and Davy Jones' Locker." Hey, I wasn't getting anywhere with this. Might as well have some fun with it.
And that's when the trouble began.
"Excuse me. We're looking for a Miss Gia Zethyr."
I froze.
A bead of sweat ran down my fac. Strange. I never sweat.
I didn't look up. Not yet.
My teachers voice wafted through the silence. "Um, yes. She's over-over there."
She raised a quivering finger in my direction. Then i looked up.

1.It's the only analogy i could think of at the time. My apologies.
2.Town is an actually place. This is assuming you're not reading this in my time. Town is the name of a city that used to be a town. I know. Confusing.
3.A system which I heartily agree with. All the jobs have long hours and low wages. No one needed any skills. A good thing too, 'cause no one in my school has any. Heck, no one in my century has any.
4. Parentally challenged children doesn't just mean kids with no parents. It means kids with parents with serious problems as well. Orphans, drug/alcohol addicted parents, runaways. You name it, we got it.
TO BE CONTINUED

Angelina, Airman, And Artemis Fowl, on the Bees tail.

2007-12-20T00:24:00.000-08:00

Angelina Jolie, wife of the major-hottie Brad Pitt(atleast i think theyre still together), recently starred in a semi-animated movie as a golden she-creature that lives in water and haunts the men whom she enchants. Ah...now the interesting part. To add to her new golden ensemble Jolie got herself nice pointy horns and a long golden tail to match. The facts are that shes the one who's cursed an entire nation and only if the man she has, um, infatuated, kills her, will the curse be lifted. So using the ingenious identity of 2 + 2 = 4, Angelina Jolie is a right out She-Devil.

Airman takes to the Skies! Eoin Colfer, the mega-bestselling author of Artemis Fowl, decided to bring a new charactor into sketch. Airman is the story of a brilliant man, a genius like another charactor of his(not sure who), who uses his brilliance to get him in and out of the toughest of situations. A genius who is misunderstood and, I quote, "takes to the air"!. As Eoin Colfer himself says ".....No leprechauns(LEPRecon), no fairies. Science fiction. A true 19th Century Batman...." Now thats gotto be worth reading..
And again quoting from Publishers Weekly ".....Conor Broekhart’s superpower is his brain, and he uses his smarts to fight tyranny. A tour de force...." Airman releases to the public on 3rd January 2008. All Artemis Fowl fans (like myself) will with no doubt want to read Eoin Colfers latest masterpiece. As for the rest, hopefully my review will get you flocking towards the bookstore.

Ever wonder what Artemis Fowl looks like? This boy genius, criminal mastermind, and anonymous psychologist, has been thoroughly described in the book. But do you know exactly what he looks like? Captain Holly Short, of Section Eight. Slim frame, auburn hair, hazel eyes, brown skin and ,naturally, pointed ears. Is that enough to see her? Commander Julius "Beet" Root. Face is always in a red hue, earning him the afforementioned nickname. Of course these few words alone wont make his appearance clear, will it? So Eoin Colfer though of something else. Artemis Fowl is now being released as a graphic novel. Artemis Fowl: The Graphic Novel shows the child prodigy as he is, his bitter-sweet relationship with Captain Short, and, of course, his friendship with Butler, his, um, butler. Artemis Fowl:The Graphic Novel will soon be released into stores near you.

A Bee Movie is a new animated film on, yes you guessed it, bees. The story is about a certain bee, a Barry B. Benson(voiced by Jerry Seinfeld),who has just graduated from college. His choice of career, honey making, has left he disillusioned and diasappointed. Outside the hive, Barry's life is saved by a human, Venessa(voiced by Rene Zellweger), who works as a flourist in New York City. A friendship blossoms between the honey-maker and human. Through this Barry finds that humans have been taking their honey! Subsequently he decides, using his might and brain power, to sue them. Us.

Harry Potter and the Lost Memories

2007-12-19T21:23:00.000-08:00

An eighteen year-old Harry Potter ran through the wide doors into the hall of the Ministry of Magic. He was followed by his two best friends. His face was flushed with pride and he wore a huge grin. Ron and Hermione were at his side, panting and sweating.
Ron let out a deep breath."Bloody hell! Why did we have to run, Harry? Apparating would have been easier." Despire his agitated tone, he, too, was grinning.
Harry didn't reply. He was gazing at the statue in front of him. He was thankful to see the statue brought by the Death Eaters was gone and the original one was back
"um, Harry?"
Hermione hovered nervously behind him. "Are you sure i should be here?".
"Aw, lighten up, Hermione!", Ron roared,"Now that we're Aurors,"he puffed out his cest proudly,"we're entitled to bring a visitor."
"But not on your first day!"
Ron shook his head."Hermione, Hermione, Hermione. We don't need to worry about getting in trouble. We got in on pure skill."
"You only got in because I helped you."
"And it doesn't hurt that Kingsley's Minister now",Harry added.
Ron looked at Harry in disbelief,"Whose side are you on?!"
"I'm not on any side!"
"Well you should be! On mine!"
"-well aware of the situtation, Kingsley"
The three of them swerved around to find the source of the new voice. They found it.
There were two other people in the room. One was Kingsley Shacklebolt. The other was a woman. She was young, possibly in her mid-twenties, but the scars on her face, the pain in her eyes and her stern expression gave her the appearance of a much older woman. Her hair fell down to her hips. It was jet black, slightly matted in dirt and what appeared to be blood and looked like it hadn't been combed in years. Her hands were covered with cuts and bruises. There were two scars on her face. One ran fron just beneath her right eye to the top of her lip. This one was red, like it had recently been opened. The other ran straight through her left eye. They gave her a somewhat demonic look. She was saying something. Harry decided to listen.
"I am more concerned about your so-called plan to resolve it. No doubt Professor McGonagall will be making an inquiry." she said sternly.
"Well I can hardly blame her."said Kingsley in his deep voice."The meer thought of the Death Eaters arising without Voldemort was laughable a month ago. But now, not only have they revived but they are making full on attacks to innocent civilians."
The woman snorted and muttered something about just how innocent Minerve McGonangall was.............

.............To Be Continued.............

The Vampire Slayer

2007-12-18T20:00:00.000-08:00

250 years ago, then world was not known for its cleanliness or generosity. Quite the opposite, in fact. The roads were not roads are much as flat dry mud. The shops were empty, money was scarce. And most hospitals spewed out the dead without so much as batting an eyelid. To make things worse there was rebellion afoot. Not just one but two. The humans wished to overthrow the vampires and the vampires wished to overthrow the Master Vampire. But ill explain that later. But if you take away the war, the dirt, the deaths, the disappearances, the vampires the corruption and the lack of morals...well, life's just dandy, ain't it?
**************************
Simpleton's was one of the worst hospitals in the state. The doctors were young and inexperienced. The beds were infested with bugs. The rooms were small and cramped. The equipment was old, dust-covered, and virtually useless. Naturally, the hospital was always empty. So when you've swallowed half a bottle of poison, have been running from your family, hidden from the world for the last 3 years and are about to go into labour, Simpleton's the best place to go. Right?

A woman entered the hospital. She was weak, pregnant and tired. She was slowly using her senses and slipping away from conciousness. Staggering over to the counter, she spluttered something about needing a room and doctor. While the poison in her stomach was not visible, the large lump was. She was admitted. She threw herself onto the mouldy cot. The squeeking could've been heard a hundred miles away but that wasnt her priority at the moment and she'd spent three years living in barns and trees. She didn't need luxury to survive.
The window slipped open for a second. Something was flying around the room. She didn't need to open her eyes to see what it was.
"Draco. Come sit."
The thing flew to her bedside. It was a bat. But not for long. It folded its wings behind it and slowly its features began to change. It began to grow to a huge size. It's head and body began to mold into human features. In a second, a young man stood next to her. His hair was dark black and slicked back. His chin was pointed and jutted out in a way that some people(not me!) found attractive. He was smiling, but there was no happiness in his smile. The last thing that changed were his eyes. From beady black eyes they turned an emerald green. Like they glowed in the dark. He stared at the woman intently,"My old friend. What have you done to yourself?"
"Nothing the world wouldnt have already done, darling. Why have you come?"
"To join my friend at her death." Short. simple and to the point.
Her eyes were still closed."Ah so the rebellion begins. And what of you? Will you fight? Or will you allow them to destroy what you've built?"
Something flashed through his eyes. Defeat. Shame."I have no choice. My will is theres."
Her eyes fluttered open,"Then this is the perfect time for me to die."
They clasped each others hands. He leaned towards her...he beared his fangs knowing he would regret this for the rest of his life...

A woman was found and reported dead in a room of the Simpleton's hospital. The cause of her death was reported as poison and unstable labour. The baby was fine except for a few minor injuries. No deformities were found. In fact people were so preoccupied with the baby and the publicity he was getting that nobody noticed the two holes on the side of her neck. Two hols that looked extraordinarily like fang marks..........