Review: War God Rising

Tim Marquitz has done it again. His work is always interesting and War God Rising does timagainnot disappoint. War God Rising is funny. We’re talking Mel Brooks funny. Quick asides, tongue-in-cheek, make you spit your soda out your nose funny. Marquitz writes with a quick easy style that makes you want to keep reading long past bedtime. His characters are clear and stand out as individuals that blend together into a symphony of humor. I’ve seen other reviews compare War God Rising to Monty Python. I’ll admit I’m not a huge fan of Monty Python. However, I’m a HUGE fan of Mel Brooks. Marquitz has the same timing and cheeky attitude you would find in any Brooks film.

You get a bonus with this book. Marquitz has a teaser for his novel ZILF tagging along. Even more hilarity for your enjoyment. He also has a new kickstarter for another novel in his Demon Squad series. The man is a machine. If you haven’t read anything by Tim yet, what the hell are you waiting for? You can find the Marquitz madness on his webpage, Amazon, Kickstarter and he has a publishing gig at Ragnarok Publications.

Talking to myself

Are you guilty of oversharing? Do you post the most intimate details of your life on social media? Are you the person in the grocery store who tells random strangers about your hernia while choosing produce?

Most of us have some type of presence on the internet. If you’re reading this then you obviously use at least a few social media platforms. So what do you choose to share with the world? Pictures of your children, your pets, what you had for dinner? Do you use it to promote your business or creative endeavors? What about just keeping in touch with relatives and friends in faraway places?

There are as many reasons for being online as there are people logging on every day. Some of us do share a bit too much for other people to feel comfortable. But have you ever stopped to wonder why we might be sharing so much? Granted there are narcissists who think we should all be privileged to know the size of the hairball their cat hacked up last night. And we’re all familiar with the person who has something to sell that bombards the world with repetitive posts about their product until we’re sick of seeing them.

There is another group of people who share a lot of themselves because it is the way they process emotional data. Many things we experience are small in the grand scheme of life. But other things can be overwhelming. How do you handle the big stuff that makes you tremble inside? How do you cope with a situation you may have limited control over? Sometimes, for some people, sharing that burden, speaking of it aloud to other people, helps to make it a little smaller. It brings the mountain back down to a molehill. It’s not always about telling total strangers that you’re having back spasms. It’s more about letting off the emotional pressure of dealing with chronic pain.

It’s not posting just to whine and complain about how you feel or your situation. It’s meditating out loud. It’s not posting cat pictures so you feel like you’re part of a group. It’s hearing other people say they feel the same thing. It’s okay, you’re not alone.

Oversharing does happen every day. Next time you see someone posting personal stuff, stop and think about what that person is experiencing. You probably don’t know what they’ve been through. And if you do, let them know. It may be the connection that gives them hope of making it through another day.