Special Treat for #SampleSunday

Ok so I've been away for a while and a lot has been going on; I've gotten a healthy dose of both positive AND negative reviews for MATHION. Nonetheless as an early Halloween "treat", I present to you a sneak peek excerpt from THE LAST ASCENSION, book two in the MAVONDURI TRILOGY.

Enjoy!

The Empty Scabbard had a low-lying ceiling supported by thick wooden beams, and these beams continued down the walls, and braced into these vertical beams were brass oil lamps that illuminated the pub with a pleasant flickering yellow light. Yet it was very wide and very long, and so had room for well over fifty soldiers to sit and drink and eat comfortably. There was a rich medley of scents, from the fermented ale to aged mead and meaty stew and potatoes to imported Kôvudénean pastries and Kiharian cream-cakes. There was a large floor-to-ceiling fireplace at one end of the pub, with a small makeshift stage for the minstrels to play their instruments and stomp their feet as they sang old songs that had been passed down for generations upon generations.

On Mathion’s left side was a structure that many had come to acknowledge as the greatest feat of carpentry ever accomplished in Hádakaš: what many had affectionately come to nickname the Long Oak Bastard. This was, as its name implied, a two hundred-foot long bar of solid oak that was as long as the entire length of the Empty Scabbard. Behind it was a shelf stacked to tipping with bottles of the finest fermented drinks this side of the Greatwater. Looking through the sea of ruddy faces, Mathion spotted Narios, Kéle’il and Oharion at the far end of the Long Oak Bastard, a mug to each man. He walked up, and Kéle’il, obviously drunk, spun around in his stool.

“What is it now? I’m tired,” complained Kéle’il. “Can’t this wait until morning?

HARBINGER OF DOOM: THE FALLEN ANGLE Review Coming Soon!

I'm currently reading the second installment of Glenn Thater's HARBINGER OF DOOM series, and will be posting a review soon after I finish. So far it is a very exciting read, and this book is shaping up to be Lord Theta's show, for which I'm very excited! Stay tuned!

Synopsis:

In The Fallen Angle, Glenn G. Thater transports you to a time of legendary heroes, armored knights, spectacular duels, courtly intrigue, otherworldly evils, and ancient, forbidden magics. Though it can be read as a stand alone tale, The Fallen Angle is the second story in Thater's Harbinger of Doom series and picks up shortly after the events chronicled in The Gateway.

Claradon, the young Lord of House Eotrus, stands accused of murder and treason by his family's political rivals while on the trail of the chaos lord that slew those dearest to him. Claradon has recruited the mysterious knight of mystical power called Angle Theta to aid him is his quest. But Claradon has bought far more than he's bargained for, when his comrade Ob discovers the terrifying secret of Angle Theta. A secret so horrifying as to shatter a man's mind and call into question the very nature of good and evil.

THE HARBINGER OF DOOM SAGA
The Harbinger of Doom saga centers around one Lord Angle Theta, an enigmatic warrior of unknown origins and mystical power. No mortal man is his match in battle. No sorcery can contain or confound him. No scholar or sage can outwit him. But for all his skills, he is but one of us; a man, a human, who shares our faults, our dreams, and our ambitions. He boldly strides across the land, fearless, peerless, and cloaked in mystery; all his will bent on righting such wrongs as he deems fit.
Until the day the Gateway opened and turned the world on its head. On that fateful day, Korrgonn came and washed away our dreams. And his outre’ realms of chaos set their unholy mark upon our world and claimed it for their own.
Only Theta and his companions see the enemies aligning against us. Only they foresee our end coming -- the end of civilization, the end of the world of man. Only they can hope to turn the tide of madness and preserve all that we hold dear.
But no man, not even our greatest hero, can stand against the Lords of Chaos and the dark armies of Nifleheim at their command. Fiends that infiltrate unseen within our ranks, that tear down our temples and our traditions; that devour us from within, unseen, unknown, unheralded, and unopposed until the hour grows far too late.
Through the murk and mist that hangs before our eyes, one man only sees true. One man pierces the veil of magic that blinds us all and marks the world as it truly is, revealing secrets, secrets of Angle Theta, so horrifying as to shatter a man’s mind and call into question the very nature of good and evil.
Join us now on our journey back to the days of high adventure.

The Harbinger of Doom Saga
Book 1: The Gateway
Book 2: The Fallen Angle
Book 3: Knight Eternal
Books 1 & 2 combined: Harbinger of Doom
Book 4+ (forthcoming)
About the Author
ABOUT THE AUTHOR For more than twenty-five years, Glenn G. Thater has written works of fiction and historical fiction focusing on the genres of heroic fantasy and sword and sorcery. His published works of fiction include the first three volumes of the Harbinger of Doom saga -- The Gateway, The Fallen Angle, and Knight Eternal, and the short story The Hero and the Fiend, which appears in the anthology Shameless Shorts. Mr. Thater holds a bachelor's degree in Physics with concentrations in Astronomy and Religious Studies, and a master's degree in Civil Engineering, specializing in Structural Engineering. He has undertaken advanced graduate study in Classical Physics, Quantum Mechanics, Statistical Mechanics, and Astrophysics, and is a practicing, licensed, professional engineer specializing in multi-disciplinary alteration and remediation of buildings, and the forensic investigation of building failures and other disasters. Mr. Thater has investigated failures and collapses of numerous structures around the United States and internationally. Since 1998, he has served on the American Society of Civil Engineers' Technical Council on Forensic Engineering, and is the Chairman of that Council's Committee on Practices to Reduce Failures. Mr. Thater is a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Accredited Professional and has testified as an expert witness in the field of structural engineering before the Supreme Court of the State of New York. Mr. Thater is an author of numerous scientific papers, magazine articles, engineering textbook chapters, and countless engineering reports. He has lectured across the United States and internationally on such topics as the World Trade Center collapses, bridge collapses, and on the construction and analysis of the dome of the United States Capital in Washington D.C. Many of Mr. Thater's stories and story excerpts are posted on his official website http://www.glenngthater.com, where fans may leave comments and questions.

You can find THE FALLEN ANGLE and the rest of the HARBINGER OF DOOM SAGA on Amazon.com by clicking here!

World Premiere- HRÉOKAI: THE RISE OF AZGHARÁTH

In the interim between MATHION and THE LAST ASCENSION (mainly due to computer issues which I unfortunately have no control over), I am very proud to present the latest OFFICIAL installment in the Mavonduri Legendarium. Going back over ten thousand years before the emergence of the Wolven, I decided to shed some light on the antagonist of the entire trilogy, the High Lord of the Werewolves himself, Azgharáth the Betrayer.

The joy of writing this little novella was exploring what made Azgharáth who he is. Where in MATHION Azgharáth's history was only touched upon, here I was able to really dig deep into his psyche and his simultaneous fall and rise. I won't give away all the spoilers here, but I am very pleased to say that you can witness the rise of the Betrayer for FREE at
Smashwords by clicking here.

And if you notice the image I used for the cover of the book (which is partially due to its lack of expense), you may notice a familiar face. Let it be known here and now that this IS the face of the High Lord himself. No substitutes accepted!! Happy reading all, let me know how you like it!

#SampleSunday World Premiere! From the Appendices of MATHION

This SampleSunday, I'm giving you all a real treat: a never-before-seen excerpt from the Appendices of Mathion: Book One of the Mavonduri Trilogy! The text I'll be presenting to you today is part of Appendix II, which covers the geography of the Lands of Émae, where the Mavonduri Trilogy is set. It, along with the rest of the Appendices (which will appear in each book of the Trilogy, along with notes from Prof. Cillian R. Khandjian, who discovered the Mavonduri documents--more on that later!) was written by a Wolven sage named Paliro, who survived the Cataclysm that sunk these vast landmasses over 10,000 years ago. Read carefully, and you may find some major clues to The Last Ascension: Book Two of the Mavonduri Trilogy. Enjoy!

APPENDIX II – THE LANDS OF ÉMAE

Mathion’s homeland of Ánovén is but the southern continent of a vast landmass, comprised of two large continents connected by a narrow land-bridge. Collectively, these are known as the Lands of Émae. This Appendix will primarily concern itself with the geography of the lands themselves, but will also touch upon the different geopolitical regions and spheres of influence of the Cénáre, the Kânín, and the Akáre.

(i)

Geography of the Three Kingdoms

Kânavad

Geographically speaking, the lands of Kânavad and Ánovén were vastly different from each other. Kânavad was comprised of a diverse landscape of mountains, desert, and a large forest in the north of the land. The environment that covered the most area was known as the Karváde or Deadlands, a vast desert that had taken in the harsh rays of the sun every day for many thousands of years. However, the Karváde is not a vast sea of brown sand. Rather, it is a vast grey plain of dry, cracked rock, littered with black stone and only faint thimbles of weed and brush. The heat of that land, or at least the southern portion of it, is so intense that the heat actually reverberates off of the rocks in shimmering waves.
To the north of the Karváde is a great, dark forest. No name is found for this forest in either the Kæna’ar or Old Cénárol languages, but in the Akáric tongue of Kôvudén it is called Ordos Âhānuv (Forest of the Werewolves). Cold, biting winds sweep through that forest, and the trees trap this cold air in; how they do not freeze into ice it is not said in the histories. Further north of this forest, near the base of the Great Mountains, rumor has told of vast fields of blue flowers that are ever in bloom.
Perhaps the most notable geographical feature of the Kânavadian continent is the Várhade or Great Mountains. These towers of sheer grey stone rose well over fifteen thousand feet above the sea, crowned with white snow from ever-present clouds that hovered above their summits. The Várhade stretched in a continuous range from just south of the city of Bazôkaš on the northernmost peninsula of Kânavad, down into East Ánovén, just east of the port-city of Ohakaš (these are known as the "Southern Highpeaks" among my people), making it undoubtedly the longest mountain range in the Lands of Émae.
West of the city of Padakis was the only inland sea in the Lands of Émae. It was a freshwater body of water, and some accounts from the Men of Kôvudén claim that the Padakisian werewolves, the only breed capable of swimming, use this sea as a training area.

Kôvudén

The “Dominion of Kôvu” is (geographically speaking) a part of the Kânavadian continent, but is autonomous and under the protection of the South-realm. The most westerly region of “Elôvad” (the proper name of the entire Northern Continent) was unusually more fertile and lush than the rest of the northern lands: vast fields of green cover the landscape, dotted by ridges of dark stone here and there. There is only one notable mountain in Kôvudén—Had Kôvu, where Padilar Kôvu was crowned the first King of Kôvudén and where the Realm of Men was established. From that mountain, a river of crystal-clear water flowed north into the Sea of Kânavad.
Kôvudén’s capital city of Kalendu is bordered on the east by the Forest of Kalendu, which the hidden Watchers occupy, protecting their king from enemies that might wish to kill him. The city itself is built at the summit of tall seaside cliffs, against which the waves of the Kânavadian Sea continuously crash against.
One of the recognized borders of Kôvudén is the beginning of the Gulf Mountains or Ecirháde. These begin as large, round knolls of dark stone, and slowly became tall mountains, though not as tall as the Várhade or the Southern Highpeaks.

Degos Enath

Degos Enath, the Dark Valley, is the name of that narrow land-bridge that separates Kânavad and Ánovén. The land-bridge was bordered on either side by mountains: the Várhade on the east and the Gulf Mountains on the west. The ranges sloped down and eventually leveled out at the bottom, forming a valley where a tangled forest grew out of the fertile soil. This forest, commonly called the Degoštel by the Cénáre loremasters, was a thick forest, warm and muggy, and hard for one to breathe in. The branches of the trees were as gnarled as old hands, yet they were thick and brown, as if they were still in the vigor of youth.
A legendary feature of this area of land was not natural, but man-made: the Guardian Towers. One built on the slopes of the Great Mountains, the other on an outcrop of the Gulf Mountains, these towers maintained a staunch vigil over the Karváde to the north. Their construction was commissioned by Hâr-Erios in the early years of the South-realm, and they endured to the time of Mathion.

Ánovén

I know more of my own land than the others so described above, so it is here where I will say the most.
The geography of the South-realm is vastly different from that of the Northern Empire. Ánovén is a land of green meadows and rolling hills, of lush forests and high mountains. Its territory comprises the area from that unseen border drawn by the Guardian Towers in Degos Enath, and extends down to the uttermost of the Southern Isles. From Mekelir to Néktas, Avakaš to Ohakaš; all of it is Ánovén.
The land along the Great Gulf bears a mountain chain of great renown: the Red Mountains or Keženháde. They are so named for their crimson stone, of which legend tells that Ka’én, the Creator, shed his own blood in a sign of blessing upon the three Wolven houses of Etheôn, Géledor, and Padilos. These mountains are our most prominent, and the Mountain-city of Hádakaš was built along that range.
The river Váracar or Greatwater is a long, winding ribbon of sapphire blue water that flows from its sources in the Mountain-walls of Degos Enath to the delta in the deep south, ultimately emptying into the Southern Bay, making the Váracar the longest river in all the Lands of Émae.
The length of the Great River divided Ánovén into two distinct regions: East Ánovén and West Ánovén (this natural boundary also contributed to the distinct dialects of the South-realm). To the west were the cities of Mekelir, Avakaš (the chief city of the whole of the South-realm), Štélue (home to the Regent of Ánovén), and Hádakaš. On the east were Kihar (the chief city of East Ánovén), Ohakaš, and Néktas, along with various other smaller towns and cities united under their banner. The city of Fordótas is unique among the great cities of the South-realm: while situated on the western bank of the Greatwater, is largely held by both its people and the rest of Ánovén, to be part of the Eastern regions, and so falls under the authority of the High Steward of Kihar. The West and the East were connected by two bridges: the Bridge of Váracar in the north, at the confluence of Greater and Lesser Váracar, and the Bridge of Štélue, just shy of twenty-eight leagues to the south of Fordótas.
In the eastern region of Ánovén was the Várhade Ánôho, the southern reach of the Great Mountains, commonly known as the Southern Highpeaks. It was here that the grey stone aladar was discovered and used as the primary stone with which the Cénáre used to construct their fortresses and walled cities. Aladar was sturdy and held up to strong winds that periodically came from the sea during the summer months.
The whole of the Ánovénean continent was shaped like that of a waxing crescent moon. The waters within the great Ohar Ánovéno were very warm, particularly during that period of the year from the Hléodai Iktir’vânol through the end of the month of Oharel. These caused great storms wielding strong winds and dark clouds to form and travel along a path that curved north and east along the coasts of both Ánovén and Kôvudén, often impacting the capital city of Kalendu and the Port-city of Taqár, and (though less frequently) the city of Mekelir on the western coast of Ánovén. These storms were also rumored to form great funnels of cloud that churned the water and destroyed many traveling ships that came across them, as well as lightning and hail. The hailstones could be (as Narios of Hádakaš and Kir-Dovosir of Štélue reported) as large as the catapult-stones that defend the city of Avakaš, and able to slice through several feet of strong oak.

SampleSunday EXCLUSIVE: Never-Before-Seen excerpt from the MATHION Appendices

A Brief History of Ánovén, up to the Birth of Mathion

This book chronicles the early years of Hâr-Mathion Mavonduri, last king of the ancient realm of Ánovén, the southern continent of the Lands of Émae, in the days when myth was history, and legend was lore. This has not been so for over ten thousand years, since Émae was swallowed by the earth as payment for the treachery of Azgharáth, Lord of the Kânín, or Werewolves.

Before Hâr-Mathion there were thirty-nine kings of Ánovén, and Mathion was the fortieth. There was only one High King: Etheôn the Renowned, father of the Seven Royal Lines. His eldest son, Eredôn, was meant to receive the Wolf-crown after his father’s eventual death, but he, having a large degree of foresight, and grieving for the loss of his father in the Kemmar Degoso Enatho, handed the crown to Erios, his younger brother, and Eredôn decreed that his line would receive the kingship last. Erios appointed his brother Dúrevon to be the Regent of Ánovén. That office was abandoned when Hâr-Málašir, a descendant of Kir-Dúrevon, became the first king of the Line of Dúrevon in the year AE 1098. It was not until the reign of Hâr-Quarios, in 4303 of the Second Era (Amaviya Enkâro in Old Cénárol), that the line of Kan’hadjion was given the office, and a Second Line of Regents was begun.

The Council of Elders, or Methir Edaeron in Old Cénárol, was established by Hâr-Valaxor II in AE 4615 with the outbreak of war on the eastern borders of Kôvudén. As king, Valaxor was obligated to ride to war if he was in good health. This he was, but there was no law indicating whether or not the Regent of Štélue would be given lordship of Ánovén, since his son was then too young to rule. Thus, Valaxor called to assembly the eldest living members of each of the clans of Etheôn, and decreed that when the king rode to war, the elders and the Regent would hold dominion over Ánovén, until such time that either the king or one of his successors returned to Ánovén. However, the Council’s power grew when Hâr-Etharon, first King of the line of Athion, ascended to the High Throne in AK 3094.

Etharon had inherited the pride and ambition of his ancestor Athion, and he desired to be remembered forever in song and history. He led mighty campaigns against the Kânín of the North, most notably against the costal city of Padakis on the Bay of Tisîr. Many Cénáre were lost on those campaigns, but this did nothing to quell Etharon’s aims. Finally, in Etharon’s three hundred and eighty-first year on the High Throne, two hundred Sentárin were lost on a failed sack of Ak’horokaš, and the Council finally acted. They decreed unanimously that the King’s power would be restricted so that it could not be abused; one of these being that the King would need the approval of the Council in order to attack enemy territory. This was marked as the first time the power of a King of Ánovén had ever been checked.

Many lives of kings passed before the Elders intervened again. During the reign of Hâr-Mežolo, a dispute arose between him and the Elders of Kôvudén. The Kânín had once again attacked Kôvudén, this time the costal city of Taqár. Mežolo sent a great force of well-trained Sentárin to the region to aid Peledos the Kôvudénean king, and they fought the most against the Kânín. But the Kânín kept attacking, and eventually the small battle became a war that lasted for half a century and scarred Kôvudén for many centuries after. Peledos was slain before the gates of Kalendu, and Mežolo claimed by right the overlordship of Kôvudén, declaring it to be “a protectorate of the South-realm”. This did not sit well with the elders of Kalendu, and the Methir Edaeron agreed, judging that Mežolo had, like Etharon, abused his power as King. Eventually, the rule of Kôvudén was committed to Peledos’s great-nephew Kathiru, and it is from him that the Kings of Kôvudén in Mathion’s time are descended.

WORLD PREMIERE: "UNSEEN" - Chapter I of THE LAST ASCENSION: BOOK TWO OF THE MAVONDURI TRILOGY

Five hundred and eighty-three years after the Battle of Ak’horokaš…
 
Hâr-Tharion, Ser-Mathion, and Ser-Mathios were riding along the Red Mountains, returning home after holding council with Belevâk, the Mountain-lord of Hádakaš. Belevâk was now very old. Having been nine hundred and six years old during the time of the Great Alliance, he was now eleven years shy of his fifteenth century, and there was far more grey to be seen in his hair than when Mathion first met him. Mathion had changed as well. No longer counted among the “young people” of Ánovén, Mathion had only the year prior reached the age of one thousand, during the course of which he had garnered many victories against the Kânín.  

His son Mathios was now four hundred and twenty-eight years old, and a perfect replica of Mathion himself at that age, save for Mathios’s red hair. For much of the last ten years, Mathios had spent his time in Kôvudén, joining the Watchers guarding King Lehadi X. As a result, he had adopted many Kôvudénean customs, and now rode with his sword sheathed behind his back.

Tharion, by the grace of Ka’én, was now one thousand, five hundred and twenty-four years old, the oldest King of recent memory. Not only was his sheer age a rarity, but Tharion succumbed to neither senility nor dementia, two maladies which often plagued many of the Elders in their waning years, as had been the case with Mahavir of the clan of Úrevos. Tharion was neither crippled nor bent with age, but tall and proud as ever, save that his hair had now become as white as Elekan’s fur. Some said that it was not simply by the grace of Ka’én that Tharion had lived for so long, but that Mathion’s Wolfstone had blessed his entire family.

“Do you think Belevâk will send more Red Guards northward as you requested?” Mathion asked his father.

“Of course,” Tharion replied. “I have not asked anything of Belevâk for over two hundred years.”

“I know, because I have,” said Mathion. “The Kânín are pressing further and further into Ánovénean territory, Father. We are being worn too thin. And without the last Wolfstone, Hádakaš is still blind.”

“I have sent Kir-Belevâk report of everything that has been said through the Stones,” Tharion retorted. “The last stone will be acquired in time.”

“We don’t have a lot of time left, Father.”

“What about all those stories I’ve heard of you two?” Mathios asked.

“You are here to learn, not speak, Mathios,” Mathion said sternly.

“Oh hush,” Tharion interjected. “Council is over and done, let the boy speak as he may.”

“You’ve certainly changed since I was young.” Tharion smiled.

“Grandchildren have that effect on you, my son.”

Ic óm atar? said Elekan.
(What is that?) Mathion turned his head this way and that, but saw nothing, though he smelled a sweet fragrance from the flower fields south of their path.

“I don’t see anything, Elekan,” he said.

Ondóv naerogé.
(See with your mind.)

Mathion closed his eyes, and the Wolfstone shone as bright as the noonday sun above their heads. Mathion had long since become used to the sensation of soaring out of his body, over the trees and high above the mountaintops, seeing the world as if from a bird’s-eye view. After a few moments, he opened his eyes and scratched Elekan’s head.

“Maybe age has finally caught up with you, my old friend,” he said. Elekan merely snorted.

“Please, Father,” Mathios said. “Elekan’s going to outlive all of us!”

Mathion laughed, “He very well may, my son.”

“Mathion,” said Tharion, “there are matters that we need to discuss when return to—”

Ondóv!
(Look out!)

Out of nowhere, a ravenous werewolf leapt upon Tharion. The King fell from his horse, and with a howl the Kânai ripped it in half, spilling blood and entrails on the verdant grass. The werewolf leapt onto Tharion and snarled viciously as it raised one of its great paws and held Tharion’s head down. Mathios leapt off his horse, unsheathing his sword with such speed that it may have well been summoned, but it was too late. The werewolf opened its jaws wide and sunk its fangs deep into the king’s flesh. Tharion cried out in such pain that Mathion felt it as his own.

Bé-tathálij ktildo! Mathion had no sooner thought the command when his great sword Aelak’ra flashed into his hand. Elekan bared his teeth and let loose a terrible howl that flung the werewolf aside. Mathios pounced forward between the beast, his father, and his grandfather. He widened his stance and held his sword at the ready. The werewolf rose onto its four powerful legs and crouched, primed to pounce on the king and this little warrior standing between them.

“Mathios, get back!” Mathion roared.

“I can fight!”

“I said now, ictola!” But it was too late. With a roar the werewolf bolted at Mathios, gnashing its jaws violently. Mathios crouched and leapt in a great arc over the beast, slicing its back. Wounded, the werewolf fell to the ground. Mathion stepped forward and Aelak’ra shone with a brilliant golden light. With one motion Mathion stabbed the werewolf’s neck, and the Kânai was consumed and destroyed in flames. Mathion said nothing as he recalled Aelak’ra, and immediately ran to his father’s side.

Tharion’s throat and shoulder had suffered traumatic damage. Dark red blood flowed from several large, deep gashes caused by the Kânai’s fangs and Tharion was wide-eyed, struggling to breathe.

“Wolfsbane,” Mathion said, and Mathios rushed through a bag hanging from Mathion’s horse. Mathios pulled out a small bundle of pungent blue leaves and stems and handed it to his father. Mathion chewed the lot and packed it into the deepest cuts on Tharion’s neck. Taking a strip of cloth and wrapping it tightly around Tharion’s wounds, Mathion removed his Wolfstone and placed it around his father’s neck.

“Stay with me,” he said as Tharion’s eyes fluttered. Mathion turned and glared at his son. His eyes flashed angrily, but Mathios held his ground.

“I said I could fight, and I did.”

“Now is not the time,” Mathion shot back.

CAPTAIN AMERICA AVENGES HIS MOVIE CURSE

Every comic book fan knows or has heard of the 1990 Captain America film starring Matt Salinger as Steve Rogers, with an Italian Fascist Red Skull. And that brings a sour taste to their mouths. Thankfully, Joe Johnston's Captain America: The First Avenger, starring former Johnny Storm Chris Evans, is not that movie. The latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe along with Iron Mans 1 & 2, The Incredible Hulk and most recently Thor, this was probably the most important film for Marvel to make, not just to build momentum for next year's second-best superhero epic, Marvel's The Avengers (sorry Marvel fans, but The Dark Knight Rises will rule all next year!) but as a viable stand-alone franchise. And for once, I have to give it to them: Marvel delivered.

The First Avenger is a joyous World War II action film with awesome pulp-scifi elements and only subtle ties to the other films in the MCU. Without going into spoilerific specifics, we begin in the modern-day Arctic before flashing back to 1942, when the story really kicks in. The period sets and costumes are fantastic, and though the film is NOT propagandically patriotic, the patriotism in this film is beautifully handled by blending it with nostalgia.

The most significant of thoseaforementioned MCU links is Johann Schmidt's search for the Tesseract (aka the Cosmic Cube for comic fans), an artifact that supposedly adorned Odin's throne room, and a source of nearly unlimited power. We're then introduced to Steve Rogers, a skinny asthmatic kid from Brooklyn desperately trying to enlist in the 107th. One thing I have to say is that the CGI used to make the super-ripped Evans into a short, skinny twerp is superbly well done. Steve's buddy James "Bucky" Barnes (his middle name is Buchanan, hence "Bucky") has already successfully enlisted, and is a real hit with the dames, contrasting with Rogers' introvertedness.

The story moves along at a brisk pace prior to all the popcorn-action elements, introducing us to the future Iron Man's old man Howard Stark (by the way, Dominic Cooper looks eerily like a younger Robert Downey Jr.), Hayley Atwell's Agent Peggy Carter, and who could forget the wonderfully aloof ex-German scientist Dr. Abraham Erskine, played by Stanley Tucci? Tucci is an actor I hugely admire for his talent, and this was one impeccable piece of casting. But that's nothing to say of the relationship that forms between Erskine and Rogers over the course of his training under Col. Chester Phillips (Tommy Lee Jones).

Once we see Rogers in full Cap glory post-enhancement, the ball really gets rolling. There's too much to say here, because there is a lot that happens, but the story moves along very satisfyingly and really invests viewers in Rogers as a person, not just a guy in a suit. Not an easy task, this is a comic-book adaptation after all. It's very easy to get lost in the action and the effects when you have a film of this scale, but Johnston proves that he can take those same elements and infuse them into a character-driven story. And when you take the audience on that kind of a ride, you can bet that they'll pay attention the whole way through to the bitter end.

It's a breath of fresh air that Captain America and the Red Skull aren't just arch-nemeses, they're antitheses of each other, very much like Batman and The Joker. However, unlike The Joker, Johann Schmidt has very clear goals, and very clear motives for those goals. One of the things that Dr. Erskine tells Rogers is that his serum doesn't just affect the subject's physical state, i.e. bring them to the peak of human perfection, but brings out and amplifies the subjects best or worst characteristics. Essentially, "Good becomes great, bad becomes worse." And that is exactly what we have, a psychological dynamic between hero and villain who have no personal history, but are drawn together by fate and choice.

Now, as for the romance that blossoms between Peggy and Steve, all I can say is that it is a love story both with and without an end, and is heartbreakingly good to see play out.

But the real treat here is the final setup to The Avengers, which is what this is really all about, bringing the four (five if you count Hawkeye's cameo in Thor, and I do) of Marvel's biggest heroes together along with Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury. By the way, it's a real treat to see Evans and Jackson as Cap and Fury share a scene together.

I have to say that, even as a DC fan, Marvel took the cake this year with Thor and Captain America. Great action, on-the-ball casting, and smart directing gives these films some weight, and I'm positive I'll be seeing Captain America again before it hits Blu-Ray. Oh, and that shield is freaking sweet!