Author: Justin Bowers

Justin is a purveyor of fine code, a collector of many many things, and a sympathetic reader. Aside from here, you can find his inane rantings on Bluesky at @aquaphase.23rdlegion.com or on Goodreads. Justin can be reached here.

Book Review: This Eternity of Masks and Shadows

Posted on July 23, 2020 by - Book Review

** NetGalley provided me an ARC of this book for an honest review **

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Oh what an incredibly fun jaunt of a book!

This is the tale of world in which the gods of old — of all pantheons and traditions — walk among mortals with their full array of divine powers. Some lead normal lives, some fight hidden fights, and some seek to use these strengths for personal gain.

Cairn Delacroix is a relatively normal teenager whose mother happens to be Sedna: the Inuit goddess of the sea and marine animals. Sedna’s sudden death by apparent suicide leads Cairn and a growing cadre of friends and foes through a tumultuous spiral of power, half-truths, self-discovery, and intrigue.

I’m a total sucker for mythology and extraordinary powers stories, and this one hit all the right buttons. Karsten Knight masterfully weaves together the right dashes of grief, noir, the fallibility of the human (and superhuman) condition, and the struggles of modern life in this tale of justice and redemption. While there were a few storylines that I would have liked to have seen drawn out and expounded upon, I was, nonetheless, very pleased by the rollercoaster the story presented.

I would very much like to see more written in this world. The possibilities seem almost endless.

Order your copy here.

It’s all about quality

Posted on August 22, 2018 by - 23rd Legion

It’s back to school time, so my social feeds are packed with folks looking for and offering vinyl monogramming for lunchboxes, cars, tumblers, etc.. I’ve done a couple of monogramming projects, but I don’t really advertise for anything other than fandom-related things, so I just don’t jump into that realm that often. With the easy availability of the Cricut and Silhouette cutting machines, a lot more people are able to enter the creative space than ever have.

There is one major thing that separates most casual vinyl crafters from the others: vinyl quality.

Words about words (Part 1)

Posted on August 6, 2018 by - 23rd Legion, Fandom

Many of you know that I’m a huge fan of reading. I’ve almost always got three books going at any given time and I keep an iPod of audiobooks in my car for any time that I’m in the car alone. If you are on Goodreads, saddle up and say hi. Without it, my TBR list would be a horrible mess and I would probably be years behind on releases.

Soo, here’s where I inundate you with what I’ve thought is really awesome lately (and by “lately,” I mean the last five years).

Slacking off already?!?!

Posted on July 26, 2018 by - 23rd Legion

Yep, there is nothing quite like launching a new content channel and then slagging off for almost two weeks. I’d like to say I had a good excuse, but really I was slacking off with the Mrs. down in Southeast Georgia.

It’s Not All Just Decals…

Posted on July 12, 2018 by - 23rd Legion, Motorsports

Sure, just about 90% of the stuff I pump out is bookish-related, but there are some aspects of the great work I get to do that I don’t share very often just because it isn’t very germane to about 90% of my audience. One of the greatest things I get to do is help create and cut stencils for one of the best motorcycle and automotive painters/restorers in the Dallas area.

Origin Story

Posted on July 11, 2018 by - 23rd Legion, Fandom

Professional Reader   Reviews Published

I had spent many years building up the 23rd Legion without really knowing what I wanted to do with it. The first thought was to pull together a collective of creatives and see where that went. That went pretty much nowhere.

Since I have a history of helping online communities get their feet, the second incarnation was sort of a “one-stop shop” for everything you might need to get your online presence established. That kinda flopped, too, as social media helped make those tools easy peasy for everyone to use. I applauded that and waited for the next pivot.

Then came Red Rising.