It certainly looks like this blog is either a) in the process of dying a death, or b) has already completed the process while I’ve been busy looking away. Whether this death is only a temporary one (as deaths sometimes, unarguably, are) or of the more traditional kind known as “final” only time will tell. A similar situation occurred around this time last year, so maybe this will pass too. In any case, now is not the time to be painstakingly and regularly updating a weblog. Now is the time to do all kinds of other things. Like preparing to get married and purchasing a new apartment.

Next month, Sinisthra will be performing at a tribute gig in Helsinki, to a band who recently ceased to exist in a tragic manner, and we’re currently reaching a point where we are Successfully Coping With The Unnatural Tempo Changes Of A Certain Song, instead of “we’ll never be able to play this bloody song in its’ entirety” we started out with. This month should also finally see the recording of vocals for our album.

RECENT ENCOUNTERS WITH BOOKS:
Despite being one of my favourite authors, Iain Banks’ debut novel “The Wasp Factory” left me with mixed feelings. I usually try to go through an authors’ bibliography in a chronological order but this book has always kind of avoided me and maybe quite rightly so. I didn’t particularly like it, his second novel “Walking On Glass” is a lot better while the third one “The Bridge” is absolutely superb, as are most of his later novels as well. I like a book that is disturbed but not so much a book that is disturbing like this one.

I’ve never been a big fan of abrupt endings either (not even of the kind Jonathan Carroll favours) although abrupt endings seem to occur way more often than the traditional “everything will be explained in detail before it’s time for The End”. Maybe I should read a Terry Pratchett novel for a change, he’s always been good in tying things together unhurriedly towards the end, and I’ve been neglecting his latest novels for no apparent reason. Only there’s too much more interesting stuff waiting to be picked up and examined before it’s time to glimpse what’s up in Discworld.

Michael Moorcock’s “Behold The Man” was a remarkable read (even despite its’ abrupt ending) and among the very best of all the numerous Moorcock novels I’ve waded through with varying enthusiasm during the years. It deals with one of my absolutely favourite topics, i.e. casting light from an unexpected angle on the Jesus Myth. Highly recommended reading, his sentences are simultaneously sparse and abundant, graphic and vague, descriptive and freeflowing. And the Jesus he presents is a “drooling idiot”, which is always refreshing.