So I made the mistake of declaring, “Hey, the flu shot actually worked!” a couple of weeks back. This time it landed squarely in my head, more specifically behind the eyes. The last time I had a head cold like this I ended up in the hospital for emergency eye surgery of all things: the pressure apparently caused the inner lining of my right eye to shift, which in turn ripped my retina. Even as I write this, I can see the ‘floaters’ caused by the debris of the tear (and subsequent surgery): black spots and tangles—like a Pollock in spattered suspension. No such drama this time, fortunately, but it still feels clumsy putting words together, like assembling complex molecules out of glass marbles.

It’s either snot or words for me, apparently. Only one effluent at a time.

Luckily, the shot seems to have worked for others—either that or they’re more scrupulous when it comes to washing their hands! My brother Bryan has released the full version of the Second Apocalypse trailer, one which reveals how wonderfully Jason has mapped the sacred nooks and profane crannies of the World—images my brother has conjured into animate life. Meanwhile, Adam has reposted his original reviews of the The Prince of Nothing over at The Wertzone, as has Pat over at Fantasy Hotlist. Aside from running two of the most successful speculative media blogs on the web, they have been critically-minded supporters of the series since the very beginning.

We have marched to the limits of our supply lines, so far that we must consume our enemies to continue. The slog has been long, I know. But Golgotterath grows near.