My Redeemer by Jason Zapata

What Hell I have dragged her through.
This devoted conscience bound in flesh.
Rescuing me from fires of fault and flaw,
The flames of my failures sear her.
Irrationally she remains by my side still.
Faithful in her belief I will someday honor
All the promises I have yet to fulfill.
I caress her lovely face.
She is my guardian angel,
My would-be saving grace.

There is no abandoning this path I tread,
As it coils deeper into unyielding sorrow.
She’s radiant in the darkness engulfing me,
My salvation that refuses to surrender.
She sees all the noble acts I would commit
Fall easy prey to the infirmity of my nature,
Victims of the failings to which I submit.
Her heart has not hardened,
As I seek forgiveness for,
Crimes that cannot be pardoned.

How can anyone remain so patient,
When given no reason to remain so?
Despite this battle being a lost cause.
She valiantly confronts my demons,
Always without reservation or pause.
She is my Virgil in this Hell.
I would be lost without her,
My last and only chance.
My Redeemer.

Abdul Alhazred by Jason Zapata

As a man in Sana’a I heard their voices
The inhuman dialect flooded my mind
With images of a vast nameless city
Lying in the wastes of Roba El Khaliyeh

I wandered through buildings and spires
Built by a race not of this earth and time
Descending deeper into the city’s depths
Where madness and damnation awaited

Within the fathomless cavern I became
A worshipper of the great devourer
Imbued with the forbidden knowledge of
The unreverberate blackness of the abyss

In forgotten R’lyeh dead Cthulhu sleeps
But my master's message reaches me still:
That is not dead which can eternal lie
And with strange aeons even death may die

"The Lamp Maker" by Minna Sundberg

Minna Sundberg is a Finnish artist. She started studying art at the age of seven. Her high school studies also focused heavily in art and she’s currently studying graphic design at Aalto University School of Art and Design in Helsinki.

Minna specializes in fantasy art. Important factors in her creations are perspectives, color schemes, and mood settings. She began studying digital art on her own, utilizing Paint Shop Pro. In recent years she relies more on Photoshop. In terms of traditional art Ms. Sundberg uses combinations of watercolors and black markers.

I highly recommend you check out her official website at: http://www.minnasundberg.fil/

She also has a gallery on deviantart: http://shadowumbre.deviantart.com/gallery/

“The Girl Who Played with Fire” is Stieg Larsson’s sequel to “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.” The story is an enthralling murder/mystery starring the series dynamic protagonist – Lisbeth Salander. In this installment Lisbeth is faced with a deadly enemy from her past named Zala and blamed for the murder of two Journalists. The murder victims were working with Mikael Blomkvist to expose perpetrators of Sweden’s sex trade. Blomkvist owes his life to Salander. He adamantly believes in her innocence – even as the country is inundated with headlines proclaiming her a psychotic killer.

There are several viewpoints in this story. We see the investigation aspect of the murder. Officers of the Ministry of Justice relentlessly search for leads to Lisbeth’s whereabouts. There are henchmen working for the mysterious Zala, especially the intimidating killer known as the “blonde giant” who pursue Salander. And through Blomkvist’s perspective – we see his frustrated efforts in trying to uncover the truth with only the cryptic clues Salander leaves on his hacked computer.

And then there’s Salander herself. Her unflappable will and determination are evident every time she makes an appearance in the novel. Salander is the modern day version of Sherlock Holmes. She possesses a unique ethical code, photographic memory, and is a world renowned computer hacker. What I admire about Lisbeth’s character is her believability. She doesn’t perform miraculous acts of martial arts or gunplay. Her primary weapon is always her incredible intelligence.

I’m surprised she hasn’t been adopted by the Feminist movement yet.

"The Girl Who Played with Fire" is well paced and the characters for the most part are intriguing. I think it losses some of its pacing during the investigation scenes. Some of the minor characters were unnecessary and could have been omitted altogether. But that’s a negligible comment. There is a reason this novel is an international bestseller. It is damn well written. For those who love a good mystery novel or for those looking to break into the genre - this is a great series to start with.