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RUSSIA'S ZHUKOV BECOMES 11TH CONSECUTIVE NEW BRACELET WINNER AT WSOP
June 10, 2011 - 12:12:57 PM EST | Nolan Dalla
TOURNAMENT HEADLINES:
Viacheslav Zhukov Finds a Treasure Chest
22-Year-Old Russian Poker Pro Wins First WSOP Gold Bracelet
Zhukov Becomes Fourth Russian WSOP Champ in History
Zhukov Collects $465,216 Top Prize in First-Ever WSOP Cash
Top Internet Pro George Lind Finishes as Runner Up
WSOP Strong Numbers Continue – Attendance Continues to Exceed Last Year's
11 Gold Bracelets Won – 47 More Still Up For Grabs
Las Vegas, NV (June 9, 2011) – One of the most star-studded fields of the year turned up for the latest World Series of Poker tournament, which was the $10,000 Buy-In Omaha High-Low Split Championship. The high-caliber four-day competition finally concluded today with the crowning of a new gold bracelet champion.
The winner was Viacheslav Zhukov, from Stary Oskol, Russia. He is a 22-year-old professional poker player. Prior to taking up the game full-time last year, Zhukov graduated from Moscow Mining University where he studied geology.
Zhukov must have learned something at the mining school. He appears to be using his formal education to maximum benefit. He came to this year's WSOP seeking to find gold and cash, and ended up uncovering a treasure chest.
This was not only Zhukov's first year to attend the WSOP. It was, in fact, his very first WSOP cash. Zhukov sure picked a powerhouse event in which to make a splash. He came out on top in one of the toughest events in poker, thereby achieving, by any measure, an international tournament breakthrough. Indeed, the championship-level Omaha High-Low Split event is widely-regarded as one of the toughest fields of any tournament held. As proof, consider that three-time gold bracelet winner Sammy Farha won this same event last year.
Zhukov collected $465,216 in prize money. The Russian was also presented with the ultimate symbol of achievement in the game of poker, the WSOP gold bracelet. This marked his first WSOP victory.
As is the case with just about every WSOP winner, Zhukov has a marvelous story en route to victory and riches. On Day One, he lost several pots in a row and was about to give up. Zhukov began the tourney with 30,000 in chips. Three hours into the tournament, he was down to just 2,000 – an embarrassingly-low figure that was, for most, a ticket to almost-certain elimination.
But something happened. Zhukov starting winning pots. By the end of the first day, he was back to where he started – with about 30,000 in chips. Day Two would prove to be a moving day when he climbed into the upper ranks. By the time the cards were dealt out at the final table, Zhukov had a shot to make poker history. And, he did just that.
The runner-up was George Lind, a tough poker pro from Chandler, AZ. Lind is one of online poker's most accomplished players. He has been known to play up to 40 tables/screens simultaneously. He was previously selected as the "Player of the Year" at one of the biggest online poker sites.
Lind had a 2-to-1 chip lead at one point when play was heads-up. But his final opponent proved just as tough and caught a wind of cards that ended up winning the tournament. Lind's consolation prize for finishing second amounted to $287,554, which for a player with as much talent and ambition as Lind was like being given the keys to a red Ferrari with a flat tire.
This was the eleventh event (of 58) on this year's WSOP schedule. The tournament attracted 202 entries, which represented a slight decline from last year's number of participants – 212. This was only the third tournament that has showed a decline from 2010. Eight other events have been up, and three tournaments have been record-setting.
The total prize pool amounted to $1,898,800. The top 27 finishers collected prize money. Among those who cashed were former WSOP gold bracelet winners Steve Billirakis (3rd), Richard Ashby (4th), Josh Arieh (9th), Michael Chow (13th), Brendan Taylor (14th), Mike Sexton (15th), Perry Green (17th), Freddy Deeb (20th), Eric Buchman (21st), and Jason Mercier (27th).
So far, this year's tournament series has produced several newcomers to WSOP stardom, including Zhukov. Remarkably, all of the first 11 gold bracelet winners have been first-time winners. In fact, several tournaments (five of 11) were won by players who had never previously finished in-the-money in any WSOP tournament.
Also of note was Guillaume Rivet's two strong finishes in both of this year's Omaha High-Low Split tournaments. The poker pro from Lorraine, Quebec, took 15th place in the largest live Omaha High-Low tournament in history, which ended last week. He also finished in sixth place in this event, stringing together two impressive showings that place him ahead in most Omaha categories.
For a list of all players who cashed, in EVENT #11, please click here.
EVENT #11 CHAMPION – VIACHESLAV ZHUKOV
The 2011 World Series of Poker $10,000 buy-in Omaha High-Low Split World Champion is Viacheslav Zhukov, from Stary Oskol, Russia.
Zhukov was also born in Stary Oskol, which is located about 400 miles south of Moscow on the Oskol River.
Zhukov is a 22-year-old professional poker player. His name is alternatively spelled in some poker records as VYACHESLAV ZHUKOV.
Zhukov speaks English well. He is close to fluency.
The newest poker champion shares a name with Georgy Zhukov, who is the most decorated military commander in Russian history. Zhukov commanded the Red Army during World War II and was largely responsible for commanding forces that successfully defended Leningrad, Moscow, and Stalingrad.
Zhukov graduated from Moscow Mining University. He holds a degree in geology.
Zhukov is single.
Zhukov started playing poker about five years ago. He planned to attend last year's WSOP for the first time, since he was of legal age (21). However, Zhukov graduated from college while the WSOP was in progress and decided instead to make the trip this year.
Zhukov is one of many Russian poker players who are becoming a formidable force in WSOP tournaments. Skill games have always been entwined deeply in Russian culture, which has been manifested in dominating competitions such as chess for centuries. Following his victory, Zhukov suggested that many young Russians are now turning to poker rather than chess (or are adding poker to their repertoire of skills). This is largely motivated by the lucrative prize structures of major tournaments, such as the WSOP.
Zhukov collected a $465,216 for first place. He was also awarded his first WSOP gold bracelet.
Prior to this victory, Zhukov's biggest cash was at the European Poker Tour's event held in Kiev, in 2009.
According to official records, Zhukov now has 1 win, 1 final table appearance, and 1 in-the-money finish at the WSOP.
Zhukov currently has $465,216 in career WSOP winnings. He has an estimated $600,000 in live tournament career winnings, according to several major popular websites. This does not include online play.
Zhukov becomes only the fourth player from Russia in history to win a WSOP gold bracelet. The three previous winners were Vitaly Lunkin (2 wins), Alex Kravchenko, and Ralph Perry (who now resides in the U.S.).
Zhukov is to be regarded as a poker pro, since he has been playing full-time for about one year.
WINNER QUOTES (Note: The winner was interviewed at tableside moments after the victory)
On making an incredible comeback during the first day, when he was down to just 2,000 in chips, from his 30,000 starting stack size: "I lost about 14 pots in a row. I was ready to go out. Nothing went my way. But I was patient and I started to get chips. I finished the day at 30,000 and then started to move (on Day Two)."
On the tough competition he faced throughout the tournament: "This was my first time to play the WSOP. But I had good experience playing online … so, I can compete with the world's greatest."
On his goals coming into this year's WSOP: "It's very exciting to be here. Everything here is perfect. To be in Las Vegas is perfect. To be at the WSOP is perfect."
On Russian poker players and the emerging reputation of his fellow countrymen: "I think a lot of Russian players can't get here because they are under 21. But there are a lot of good players. Russian poker is really coming up and you will see a lot of big wins. In one or two years, more will come (to the WSOP)."
On Russians being great chess masters and possible impacts upon the poker scene: "I think chess and poker are similar games. But in poker you can win a lot more money. Young people now prefer to play poker. And, with the Internet it is easier. I think many Russian young people are concentrating on poker now.
THE FINAL TABLE
The official final table was comprised nine players.
The final table contained three former gold bracelet winners – including Steve Billirakis, Richard Ashby, and Josh Arieh.
Five different nations were represented at the final table, making this the most international table played so far in 2011. Players represented the following countries -- Canada (1 player), Great Britain (1 player), Russia (1 player), Sweden (1 player), and the United States (5 players).
The heads-up match went for nearly four hours. This marks the third consecutive heads-up finale that has lasted that long.
The runner up was George Lind, from Chandler, AZ. He is best-known in the poker world for his online accomplishments. Lind has been known to play up to 40 tables at the same time. He was selected as the "Player of the Year" at one of the biggest online poker sites.
Lind had a 2-to-1 chip lead at one point when play was heads-up. But Zhukov proved just as tough and caught a wind of cards that gave him a 2-to-1 chip lead. Lind fought back and regained the lead at one point. But the escalation of blinds finally did Lind in, as he was unable to survive a late cold spell. Lind's consolation prize for finishing second amounted to $287,554.
The third-place finisher was former WSOP gold bracelet winner Steve Billirakis, from Las Vegas, NV. He won the $5,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em event in 2007, becoming the then-youngest WSOP title-holder in history (his record has since been broken). Billirakis now has 13 WSOP career cashes and has accumulated more than $1 million in earnings.
Billirakis became only the second player so far at this year's WSOP with multiple top-10 finishes. The other player is Eddie Blumenthal, who had 4th and 2nd place finishes in the two events in which he cashed.
The fourth-place finisher was last year's gold bracelet winner: Richard Ashby, from Watford, UK. He won the $1,500 buy-in Seven-Card Stud event in 2010. Ashby now has a 1st-, 2nd, and 4th- place finish over the past two WSOPs. He now has five final table appearances in Omaha events played at the WSOP, since 2003.
The fifth-place finisher was Mack Lee, from Los Angeles, CA. He is a 51-year-old investor. This was Lee's best WSOP finish in his four cashes.
The sixth-place finisher was Guillaume Rivet, from Lorraine, Quebec (Canada). He is a 25-year-old poker pro. He recently graduated with a degree in finance from The University of Montreal. This marked Rivet's second time to cash this year at the WSOP, after taking 15th place in the previous Omaha High-Low Split tournament ($1,500 buy-in).
The seventh-place finisher was Jason Steinberg, from Montebello, CA. A 32-year-old attorney, Steinberg is a graduate of Villanova Law School. This marked Steinberg's first time to cash at the WSOP.
The eighth-place finisher was Mikael Thuritz, from Stockholm, Sweden. He is a 25-year-old poker pro. Thuritz holds the distinction of having won one of the first "Speed Poker" championships, which was held at the European Poker Tour stop in Barcelona, Spain. Thuritz has a very impressive resume of big buy-in tournament finishes at the WSOP. He took 5th place in last year's $25,000 buy-in Six-Handed Championship. He finished 13th in this same event last year. He also took 8th place in the $50,000 buy-in Poker Players Championship. If that's not impressive enough, Thuritz also cashed in the WSOP Main Event Championship in 2006 and 2009. He took 41st in 2006, which was the largest live poker tournament in history, with 8,773 players.
The ninth-place finisher was two-time gold bracelet winner Josh Arieh, from Atlanta, GA. Arieh's last win on the big stage came back in 2005. He now has 18 WSOP cashes and nearly $3.5 million in total WSOP winnings.
Final table play began at 10 pm on a Wednesday night. Play was suspended after five hours due to the maximum number of playing levels being reached for a single day (10 levels). Final table play resumed at 3 pm on Thursday. The finale went another 4.5 hours. Hence, the total duration of the final table lasted about 9 hours and 30 minutes.
The final table was played on two different stages. The first day took place on ESPN's main stage. The final day was played on the so-called "secondary stage," which is actually a cozier configuration for most spectators than the expansive main stage. The final table areas are getting raves in terms of design and appearance. No stage in the history of poker has ever looked as spectacular. Early reports from the television crew are that this year's preliminary footage looks "spectacular." Viewers will be able to see ESPN's coverage again once the WSOP Main Event begins.
Action was streamed live over WSOP.com. Viewers can tune in and watch most of this year's final tables. Although hole cards are not shown, viewers can follow an overhead camera as well as a pan-shot of the table. The floor announcer provides an official account of the action.
OTHER IN-THE-MONEY FINISHERS
The top 27 finishers collected prize money.
The defending champion was Sammy Farha, from Houston, TX. He did not cash this year.
Several former WSOP gold bracelet winners cashed in this event – including Steve Billirakis (3rd), Richard Ashby (4th), Josh Arieh (9th), Michael Chow (13th), Brendan Taylor (14th), Mike Sexton (15th), Perry Green (17th), Freddy Deeb (20th), Eric Buchman (21st), and Jason Mercier (27th).
Kirill Gerasimov continues to build an impressive WSOP resume. The Russian poker player cashed for the 15th time (all since 2003). He also has nine final table appearances. Based on his results, it seems only a matter of time before Gerasimov wins what would be his first gold bracelet.
Another player to watch is Italian poker pro Alessio Isaia. He finished 12th in this event. Isaia finished as the runner up in the Seven-Card Stud tournament (Event #5).
Popular television commentator, former gold bracelet winner, and member of the Poker Hall of Fame (Class of 2009) Mike Sexton finished in 15th place. With this finish, Sexton has now cashed at the WSOP for 23 consecutive years.
Tournament results are to be included in the WSOP official records. Results are also to be included in the 2011 WSOP "Player of the Year" race.
This is the 904th gold bracelet awarded in World Series of Poker history. This figure includes every official WSOP event ever played, including tournaments during the early years when there were no actual gold bracelets awarded. It also includes the 16 gold bracelets awarded to date at WSOP Europe (2007-2010). Moreover for the first time ever, one gold bracelet was awarded for this year's winner of the WSOP Circuit National Championship.
This was one of the few tournaments this year with a decline in attendance. The 202-player field was a slight reduction from last year's number of runners: 212.
This was the second Omaha High-Low Split tournament played this year. The first event had a $1,500 buy-in (classified as Event #3) and was the largest live Omaha High-Low Split tournament in history, with 925 players.
The official WSOP gold bracelet ceremony takes place on the day following the winner's victory (or some hours later when the tournament ends very late). The ceremony takes place inside The Pavilion, which is the expansive main tournament room hosting all noon starts this year. The ceremony begins at the conclusion of the first break of the noon tournament. The ceremony usually starts around 2:20 pm. The national anthem of the winner's nation is played. The entire presentation is open to the public and media. Video and photography is permitted by both the public and members of the media.
Zhukov's gold bracelet ceremony is set to take place on Friday, June 10th. The Russian National Anthem will be played in honor of his victory.
This was the third-largest Omaha High-Low Split prize pool in poker history. In fact, only seven Omaha events had ever surpassed the million-dollar mark. Here are the biggest Omaha High-Low Split prize pools in poker history:
2008 WSOP -- $2,209,000 ($10,000 buy-in)
2007 WSOP -- $1,316,000 ($5,000 buy-in)
In 1983, the fist Omaha-High tournament was introduced at the WSOP. The first Omaha High-Low Split tournament was played in 1990. During the 1990s, the WSOP schedule included Limit Omaha-High and Pot-Limit Omaha events. Limit Omaha-High has gradually faded in popularity since, and the game was removed from the WSOP schedule after 2003, while Omaha High-Low Split continues to generate a steady following.
Here are the attendance figures for the last three Omaha High-Low championship events, since the buy-in was raised to $10,000. Prior to 2008, the highest buy-in Omaha High-Low tournament was $5,000:
2011 – 202 entries
Only five players in WSOP history have won two gold bracelets in Omaha High-Low Split. They are Thang Luu, Scott Clements, Scotty Nguyen, Chris "Jesus" Ferguson and Sammy Farha.
Brent Carter and Berry Johnston are currently tied for the lead in the "Most Omaha Cashes" category in WSOP history – with 20 each.
TOURNAMENT PLAY
The tournament was originally scheduled to be played over three consecutive days, but extended to four days due to the length of the final table.
The tournament officially began on Monday, June 6th at 5 PM. The tournament officially ended on Thursday, June 9th, at 7:30 pm.
2011 WSOP STATISTICS
Through the conclusion of Event #11, the 2011 WSOP has attracted 10,724 entries; $22,082,800 in prize money has been awarded to winners, so far.
Through the conclusion of this tournament, the nationality of gold bracelet winners has been:
Through the conclusion of this tournament, the national origin (birthplace) of winners has been:
Through the conclusion of this event, the home-states of (American) winners have been:
Through the conclusion of this tournament, the breakdown of professional poker players to semi-pros and amateurs who won gold bracelets is as follows:
Professional Players (8): Jake Cody, Cheech Barbaro, Eugene Katchalov, Allen Bari, Harrison Wilder, Matt Perrins, Sean Getzwiller, Viacheslav Zhukov
Semi-Pros (2): Sean R. Drake, Amir Lehavot
Amateurs (1): Geffrey Klein
All of the first 11 tournaments completed so far have been won by first-time champions (non-winners from previous years).
Five of the first 11 winners this year also enjoyed their first-ever WSOP cash with their victory.
Every WSOP over the past 11 years has included at least one multiple gold bracelet champion (wins within the same year). 1999 was the last year the WSOP was comprised exclusively of single-event winners. The record for most multiple gold bracelet winners in a single year was in 2009, when five players managed to win two or more titles.
The streak of male WSOP gold bracelet winners has now reached 173 consecutive events. Aside from the annual Ladies Championship, the last female player to win a WSOP tournament open to both sexes was Vanessa Selbst, in 2008.
The highest finish by a female player (open events) at this year's WSOP was Maria Ho, who finished second ($5,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em).
Note: Various categories and statistics will be updated with each gold bracelet event as they are completed.
Note: All results are now official and may be reprinted by media. If you are posting these results on a website, we would appreciate providing a link back to: WSOP.com
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF DUSTIN MANNS
BRIAN O'DONOGHUE WINS LATENIGHT SHOWDOWN AT WEST PALM BEACH
2012 WSOP HALFTIME REPORT: PLAYER LEADERBOARDS
TOM SCHNEIDER SWEEPS THE HORSE EVENTS


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Light Novel Club Chapter 32: The Faraway Paladin, Vol. 1
Welcome to our Light Novel Club discussion of The Faraway Paladin, Vol. 1! We've got a fairly unique light novel to discuss this time around, and this is a great time to discuss it, with an anime adaptation coming up soon and also the recent announcement of hardcover print editions for the series. So let's jump into the discussion!
Joining Jeskai Angel and I is marthaurion, one of the members of the Beneath the Tangles Discord! This is a reminder that all Light Novel Club discussions are held on the public Beneath the Tangles Discord and anyone can join these discussions, so if you want to join future discussions, check us out over there.
1. What are your overall thoughts on the novel?
Jeskai Angel: The pacing was a little slow at times, but overall I enjoyed this light novel. Also, it bugs me that I can't narrow down a specific reason, but this story felt strangely old, like I might have picked it up at the public library back in 1998. I've written before about how I think Unnamed Memory doesn't "feel" like a typical light novel, and I experienced a similar sensation with Faraway Paladin, though I don't think it was for the same reasons (e.g., how magic works is actually explained quite a bit in Faraway Paladin).
stardf29: Maybe it's because the author took inspiration from traditional tabletop RPGs like Dungeons and Dragons, as opposed to video game RPGs like "typical" fantasy light novels?
Jeskai Angel: Ooh, that's possible! It's not exactly "You all meet in a tavern," levels of DnD tropey-ness, but I can definitely see the DnD resemblance now that you point it out.
stardf29: This was definitely an interesting read that is quite different from the usual isekai light novel. It does feel a bit slow-paced because a lot of the beginning is so focused on Will simply growing up with his "parents" and learning about the world. That said, that kind of start is nice every once in a while; it is kind of like Mushoku Tensei in that regard. The worldbuilding is great because of it, and the conflict against the god of undeath is nice, too.
Beyond that, I do like how this story delves into various themes that are worth thinking about. It's a nice, thoughtful light novel, and as much as I like my brainless fun light novels, having something like this is good for a balanced light novel diet.
2. What are your thoughts on the characters?
Jeskai Angel: By far, my favorite aspect of this story was the active role the gods played. It actually sort of resembles my favorite aspect of Spice and Wolf in that regard. In most light novels, either there's no evidence gods are real, or they are deistic watchmakers who jump-start the story by isekai-ing the MC but thereafter take a hands-off approach to the setting, or they are benign comic relief. The biggest exceptions I can think of are Invaders of the Rokujouma!? and Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?, plus Tearmoon Empire (which, thus far, has strongly-implied-but-not-explicitly-confirmed divine intervention).
I think one way to summarize this volume is that it's the story of someone (Will) coming to know and put his faith in a loving deity (Gracefeel). Since learning about the Lord and then choosing to devote oneself to him is fundamental to being a Christian, it's actually kind of a relatable process. Gracefeel, as a character, walks a fine line, managing to be knowable while remaining mysterious. She's not just a human with superpowers, but neither is she a total enigma. She's also a rare truly benevolent god; her power is finite, but she consistently seeks to use it for good.
Stagnate was…peculiar. Like, if the author had added a line about Stagnate twirling his mustache while cackling evilly, it would have fit right in; he acts almost ostentatiously villainous. At the same time he, doesn't feel quite as "evil" as he acts. He DID help with sealing away the demon king, and even if he had an ulterior motive, that doesn't entirely invalidate the goodness of aiding the struggle against the demon king. Then there's issue of death. Stagnate isn't wrong to see death a Bad Thing (TM). I got the the sense that he really had at least somewhat good intentions behind his flawed approach to the problem of death. Even his nefarious scheme to ensnare Blood and Mary consisted of…arranging for them to raise the child they'd always longed for. Like, as far as villainous plans go, "Give a childless couple a baby so they can shower him with love" isn't actually all that fiendish. I can't be too hard on Stagnate if that's the best he can do for an "evil" plan.
marthaurion: For what it's worth, I don't really think I got the same impression of stagnate as being overtly evil, but maybe I wasn't focusing on that at the time. From what I read, it seemed like his motivations were rooted in a concept that made sense, but his implementation ultimately brings him at odds with others.
stardf29: I have to agree that Stagnate is not so much "intentionally evil" as much as a sort of "well-intentioned extremist". I think it's interesting that Stagnate was originally a "good" god, but would later "stray from that path"; it shows that, putting the initially "evil" gods aside, the gods are not actual moral paragons and are indeed falliable. I'll have more to say on this in a later question.
Jeskai Angel: Will was surprisingly relatable. The way he described himself, I got the impression that he suffered some real trauma which caused depression or anxiety or some other form of mental ill health, and as one commonly sees in anime / light novels, he never got adequate psychological / psychiatric treatment for it. I also appreciate that his past-life memories were important yet not intrusive. By that, I mean that the story spend a bunch time dwelling on Will's efforts to replicate modern technology, business practices, or Japanese food culture the way so many isekai protagonists do. That sort of thing is sometimes done well, but other times just feels like a cookie cutter isekai trope. Memories from his past are both inspiring and useful for Will, but they can only carry him so far, something he explicitly notes when talking about how Gus's lessons eventually surpassed his past-life education level.
Will eventually does end up as an OP Isekai Protagonist (TM), but it feels "earned" in a narrative sense. He puts forth a ton of effort to reach the point of being OP, and even then, it's not just efforts that make it possible. He never could have reached the point he did without all the care and teaching Blood, Mary, and Gus give him. Mater and Gracefeel also contribute to what he becomes. He isn't just handed phenomenal cosmic power from the start.
marthaurion: For my impression of will, it was hard for me not to draw parallels to Mushoku Tensei, since both protagonists come from that similar thought of feeling like they want to make something more of themselves in their new lives. It's hard not to feel like Will's reincarnation is more of an afterthought whenever it comes up, whereas Rudy's reincarnation seems to more actively inform many of his decisions. Ultimately, it seems like will's reincarnation is mostly meant to tie him to Gracefeel. To be fair, i think this is fine, but the other attempts to tie back to his old life don't really hit home for me.
Also, I would agree that will's abilities definitely feel earned, in spite of what I said earlier about how I compare him to Rudy.
It's more of a commentary on how the reincarnation aspect ties into things.
Jeskai Angel: I haven't read the Jobless Reincarnation light novels, and only watched the first few episodes before dropping the recent anime adaptation. That said…the big contrast I saw between Will and Rudy is that the former is a relatively good person and the latter is a relatively awful one. I got the distinct sense that Rudy, was a Jabba-the-Hutt-like sleazeball in his previous life, AND that he carried over his perverted habits into his reincarnated life. In that regard, at least, Rudy didn't even seem to be trying to do better than in his previous life. Perhaps I'm off base in this, and Rudy wasn't as bad as in his first life as the anime made him seem, or perhaps he eventually turns better in his second life. I just know that in terms of comparisons, I found Will vastly more sympathetic and likeable.
marthaurion: Is that so wrong? Even if I don't have the same traits, I can respect that Rudy carries over parts of his identity while working past some of the traumas that held him back.
stardf29: Regarding Will, honestly, I don't really have anything to add here that Jeskai hasn't already said. I like how his past life memories have enough of an effect on his current self that you're curious what his past life was life, but not so much that I want the story to actually explain it, leaving that in the realm of fascinating mystery.
Jeskai Angel: I appreciated how each of Blood, Mary, and Gus contributed something irreplaceable to Will's upbringing. They were well balanced, and had a fun rapport with each other. I also thought it was a fun touch how the story emphasized that some of their knowledge was dated and they don't really know anything about the current state of the world. I can't help but suspect all three are some kind of allusion to Christianity, due to in their names. First, having a woman named Mary who ends up with a baby through unnatural means is…not remotely subtle. And once you've introduced that, the names of the other two start to seem suspiciously coincidental. "Blood" is in fact a very important thing in Christianity (e.g., the Lord's Supper / Eucharist). And Gus isn't in the Bible by his nickname, but "Augustus" (of the Caesar variety) does get a shout-out in Luke 2:1.
stardf29: Man, Blood, Mary, and Gus are great. They are such a great parental trio, with each of them having aspects that are different from each other that allow them to balance each other out, which overall makes them quite good at raising Will. It definitely made me sad that their time with Will ultimately had to come to an end. And I definitely found the use of "Mary" for the mother's name strangely familiar…
Someone took some creative liberties with their nativity display.
3. What do you think about the setting/worldbuilding in this volume?
Jeskai Angel: Now that you've said it, the worldbuilding and setting seem clearly inspired by tabletop RPGs (or video games closely based on tabletop RPGs, like Baldur's Gate or something), which in turn drew from older western fantasy works (from Greek mythology to Tolkien). It contains a lot of traditional elements, and the end result is something that in one sense feels creative and unusual compared to typical fantasy light novels, but in another sense more derivative than many other fantasy light novels. That is, light novels that don't draw so heavily on traditional fantasy have room to sometimes do some really interesting things, whereas Faraway Paladin never completely loses that familiar "I think I might have read this in the '90s" vibe I mentioned before.
marthaurion: I really liked how magic was presented in this world. It feels more grounded to think of it as something that isn't guaranteed to succeed in a general sense. With that presentation, Gus's philosophy of choosing words that have the safest failures rather than the most effective successes makes a lot of sense. It truly makes magic feel like a feat of intelligence, rather than just a question of how well you can time or aim the spell, as is the general impression in other fantasy settings.
As for the pantheon, I'm less familiar with kind of the "official" pantheons for D&D, so I didn't immediately draw that parallel. I felt the similarities to Greek/Roman mythology a lot more strongly when I was reading, where the gods are just presented as very powerful beings that preside over processes.
stardf29: As mentioned before, the current highlight of the worldbuilding is in the gods and how they relate to the people of the world. I do like how the worldbuilding is presented over time, as if we are learning about it alongside Will. This is especially notable since this first volume only takes place in a small area geographically, so there's still a lot of world for us to learn as Will explores outside the city of the dead.
Also, I like how magic in this world works. It's not just "oh yeah people can use magic," nor is it too videogame-like or overly "scientific". There's a greater sense of mystique thanks to the connection to the "Words of Creation", and even Will himself mentions it's more like classic fantasy novels in this way.
Now, about those gods. As I mentioned before, the "good" and "evil" designation of gods is not static, and that does make me wonder a few things. For one, what exactly defines what makes a god "good" or "evil"? Gus does say at one point that he considers those designations something that their followers, i.e. the people, decided, and that makes me curious as to the greater religious sociology of this world. It also makes me wonder if there are any cases where an "evil" god ends up beoing more "good"…
4. What connections does this volume's story have with our Christian faith?
Jeskai Angel: The conflicting divine approaches to death provide fascinating contrasts with the third possibility Christianity teaches. Gracefeel represents reincarnation with no memories. Life ends in death, but then restarts from scratch. In this system, a soul is basically an Etch A Sketch, getting erased & reused over & over. I find this a deeply unsatisfying concept because it makes one's life meaningless. It doesn't matter what you do, eventually you'll die & get erased & nothing about you will carry over. This approach leaves no room for reward or judgment. It actually reminds me a bit of some of my issues the versions of predestination/election found in some circles of Christianity, in that by say God absolutely predetermines the outcome, they risk making this life meaningless.
Stagnate has beef with this, & thus offers undeath as an alternative to reincarnation. Your identity won't get erased, but you'll be stuck as some damaged or half-destroyed version of yourself (e.g., a skeleton, zombie, or ghost) that isn't truly alive. By offering some degree of continuity, Stagnate's undeath does have an advantage over Gracefeel's soul recycling bin. Unfortunately, it's rightly called 'undeath," not "life." The solution to death needs to be life, so in that respect Gracefeel's approach has an edge over Stagnate's.
Finally, there's Christianity, promising a transformative bodily resurrection. Gracefeel & Stagnate only have workarounds to the problem of death; they can't do anything about death itself. On the other hand, in the person of Jesus, Life directly challenges & overcomes death. In the resurrection, we will still be ourselves in some meaningful sense, unlike Gracefeel's reincarnation. But unlike with Stagnate's static, flawed imitation of life, we will be truly alive as transformed, perfected versions of ourselves. In short, the contrast between Gracefeel's reincarnation & Stagnate's undeath really drives home how awesome our Lord's promise of resurrection is.
stardf29: So one of my favorite moments in the novel is when Mater protects Mary, and shows that Mary's "punishment" was entirely self-inflicted, and that Mater had long forgiven her. It's a good picture of grace, and how we can sometimes believe we are being "punished" by God, and perhaps even try to punish ourselves, even though God has already satisfied all need for "punishment" through Christ's death. Sure, we have to deal with consequences of our actions, but that is not some kind of divine judgment.
Now, this story's theological worldbuilding is based on the idea that "if good is created, then evil must be created to balance it". There's also how Will feels like he needs to fear death in order to feel like he truly is living, in opposition to Stagnate who wants to remove death entirely. It's this idea of "balance" that I think comes from one of the major Eastern religions (will have to do some more research on this) and is fairly popular in fantasy works. It's certainly a nice-sounding idea, but I think Christianity shows how we can look forward to a future without death, and not feel like we're "missing" something because of that.
The contrast with Stagnate, as Jeskai pointed out, is particularly helpful because it shows that eternal life, separated from God and His perfect design for life, is pretty crappy. (And I have to agree that Gracefeel's reincarnation of souls feels rather empty.)
Thank you for checking out our discussion on The Faraway Paladin, Vol. 1! The series is available digitally from J-Novel Club if you want to buy this volume or any later volumes for yourself, with a hardcover print edition planned for release in March 2022.
Discussion on our next Light Novel Club title, Tearmoon Empire Vol. 4, has started on the Beneath the Tangles Discord! The discussion will be open throughout the month of August, so there's still time to read the series and join our discussion.
If you want to prepare for the novels we are discussing later in the year: In September 2021, we will be discussing Sword Art Online: Progressive, Vol. 1! And if you want to know what we are discussing in October 2021… we will be discussing the next novel in the "Rascal Does Not Dream…" series, Rascal Does Not Dream of Petite Devil Kohai!
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


I first received a Transmission of Light in the L.A. Convention Center in 1983.
My friend and I arrived early for a spiritual lecture and jostled to get seats in the second row of the convention center's vast auditorium. A tall American man walked onstage, sat down, and began talking. He was extremely knowledgeable and extremely funny, and I liked him right away.
When it was time to meditate, he suggested that we keep our eyes open. Absurd! An open eye meditation? But as I sat there, meditating, while mentally complaining, he looked at me.
When I met his gaze, I left this world. In that moment, it was as though the Light from his eyes formed a golden tunnel, and I was pulled through to the end. Suddenly there was no time and no space. The room didn't exist. Nothing existed. I was poised on the edge of Nothingness. It was the most beautiful experience I had ever had, and I longed to have it over and over again. It felt like coming home, like finally coming home after being away for a long, long time.
I had spent my entire life searching for something, and, finally, I had found it. I not only saw it within him, but his Transmission of Light allowed me to see it inside of myself. It blew away my mental and emotional processes long enough to allow me to simply STOP and glimpse my own Universality—something that had always been there but had been overlooked. And, through the years, his repeated Transmissions of Light provided enormous boosts to my evolution.
Of course, integrating that increased Universality and stabilizing it in my own awareness field didn't happen in a moment. With time, I studied and mastered the art of organizing my life in a spiritually street-smart way. I learned to access, accumulate, store, and retain energy. I learned how to streamline the way I navigated the world so as not to lose the energy of Universality I accrued.
"If you want to make a million dollars, apprentice yourself to a millionaire.
By hanging out with the person, you'll pick up their mindset.
What they say to you about how to make a million dollars isn't important.
What's important is that your body of awareness will map to their expertise.
So I suppose the question for all of us is: "How serious are you about your evolution?" "What do you want out of life?" Many on a spiritual path want happiness, health, and peace. Others want an end to suffering or full-blown Self-Realization.
Whatever degree of Awakening you're after, if my work resonates with you, why don't you consider coming and hanging out for a bit? Two opportunities loom on the horizon for doing just that. At both, we'll be doing Transmissions of Light, talking about how to integrate and stabilize more Universality in your life, and spending lots of time together.
For an audio description, access this YouTube (28 min).
For complete details, visit our In-Person Events page.
For an audio description, click here (49 min).
For complete details, visit our Retreats page.


Summer put in an early appearance at Midori House as we shipped the May issue off to the printers and we started gearing up with our commissioning and deployments for June. While London's enjoyed a rather tame winter, there wasn't much use of our garden area and terraces over the past few months but it was all change on the first Monday of production week as lunch suddenly moved from canteen to the garden, sunglasses were pulled from top drawers, extra buttons were undone, skirts hitched up and trousers rolled – a rather tricky task in this era of skinny denim and chinos. (I also made an inventory of all the new additions required to make for a more enjoyable few months – extra tables and chairs from Grythyttan, umbrellas from Garpa and possibly some benches for a few lucky souls to stretch out on.) By the end of the week we even managed to have our first outdoor after-work drink of the season – even if the late March breezes snuck up on us as the sun started to dip.
It's always something of a surprise to see how little attention companies give to outdoor space – particularly where staff and visitors are concerned. With plenty of consideration given to public art, parking lots and statement landscaping, the outdoor area for enjoying lunch or a blast of sun is frequently a bench or two alongside a pond, picnic tables with no shade and perhaps a sports pitch that also doubles as a landing pad for corporate choppers. From Bergen to Boston, Sapporo to Seattle, people want to be outside when the weather is at its best but somehow developers, architects and their clients don't go quite as far as they could with outdoor spaces that can be enjoyed from sunrise until well into the late evening. As the temperature starts to rise we're having a healthy debate about whether we install air conditioning across the entire building (currently it's just the radio studios, server rooms and canteen that benefit from AC) or if we invest in awnings for the sunny side of Midori House and rely on cross breezes to keep heads and computers cool. Either way, it's our intention to be as indoor/outdoor as possible over the coming months – partly in a bid to encourage the sun to put in some extended appearances and also embrace the festivities that are about to engulf the capital.
Over the next few weeks Sally (our housemistress) will start spending more time watering and pruning and will start drawing up suggestions for my mother's (chief landscape officer) next visit to London. In a distant corner Sally's already creating what can best be described as a manger-scene-meets-grotto with some abandoned pillars, terracotta pots and vines. If it comes together nicely it could easily turn into the most desirable table for lunch or it could take a wrong turn and end up looking like an entrance that might be attractive to Austrians who prefer to host guests and family members in subterranean settings.
As the days get a bit brighter we're thinking of early morning language classes accompanied by suitably themed breakfasts and it's likely our morning and afternoon story meetings will also shift outdoors. As we don't want our radio colleagues trapped inside their studios, we've also started making provisions for broadcasting from the upper terraces and the garden in order to add some seasonal texture to our output. Indeed by the time you read this Monocle 24 will already have celebrated its sixth month on air and expanded its live output with the addition of Continental and Atlantic shifts to round out the day in Europe and keep the tempo up for North America. Later in the summer we'll add a Pacific shift that will mean we're live, around the clock. It will mean taking over the six news bulletins currently aired from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Back in the garden we're also planning a couple of events for all the visitors who'll be paying special visits to London this summer. Sally's keen on having our barbecue fired up at all times to host unexpected visitors, so there's another debate currently going on in the kitchen about what type of grill we should purchase. All of this planning is in anticipation of a Monocle summer "country" fair we're planning for June (think Disney-meets-diplomacy in a funked-up version of It's a Small World complete with great food, cute things to buy and surprise musical guests) that will open our yard to subscribers and neighbours alike. Come the Olympics at the end of July we're looking at playing host to guests from some of our favourite companies and countries with our own take on a Biergarten. Details about both of these initiatives will get more coverage in the next issue and also on monocle.com.
While we continue to plot our summer season we'll also be taking Monocle 24 on the road with special programmes from Stockholm, Paris and Geneva. In print we have a number of specials in the works, including our annual transport survey in our June issue and quality of life double issue for July/August. Thoughts, questions, comments and requests can be sent to me at tb@monocle.com or my assistant Mr Seres at tse@monocle.com.
From magazine revamps and reinventions to much-loved mascots and new HQs, the media world remains a force of creativity.


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Gratitude for our Much More Than Me models!
Carlie Casey has appeared on television shows such Hawaii Five-O, New Girl, House and Perception along with recurring roles on Big Time Rush and Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide.
Kevin Schmidt has enjoyed a starring role in the show Unnatural History, and recurring role on The Young and the Restless as well as being on the creative end as a director and producer on his own projects- most recently, director of the music video Rain Don't Come by Heffron Drive.
Jess Henrickson is a successful financial planner and family man from Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Elaine Nuguid's background includes acting and modeling, and she is currently involved in the retail clothing business.
Kendall Schmidt is enjoying success with his band: Heffron Drive. He may be best known for his success as a member of the band: Big Time Rush as well as the lead in the Nickelodeon television show of the same name.
Gregg Franklin is known for appearances on The Young & The Restless, but is currently enjoying a fantastic multi-city run of the engaging musical: I Love Lucy that encourages audience participation.
Robbie Amell's acting career is in full gear. He was recently seen in the reboot of The X-files and starred in the movie, The Duff. He has a recurring role on the CW's The Flash, and was the lead in the CW's The Tomorrow People. Other roles include: Revenge, Pretty Little Liars, True Jackson and the Scooby Doo movies to name just a few.
Breanna McFarlane finds time to work at Open Source Organics in West Hollywood, California when she is not attending college at the University of California State Northridge.
Andrew McFarlane's diverse acting experiences include such shows as My Wife & Kids and Secret Life of the American Teenager, but he is also a successful entrepreneur and owner of Open Source Organics in West Hollywood, California.
Italia Ricci will be starring in the new show, Designated Survivor. She is also on Supergirl and was star of the critically acclaimed ABC Family hit, Chasing Life.
Allie Gonino is enjoying success on the hit show: The Red Road on Sundance Channel. She was also the lead in ABC Family's The Lying Game. She is a lead performer in the band: The Good Mad.
Siera Casey has a diverse acting background in theater, such as playing Nora in A Doll's House, and in television shows such as CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.


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Infos zur Person
Birth Name: Daniel John Dyer
Height: 5' 11¾" (1.82 m)
Danny Dyer was born in Canning Town, east London, UK on 24th July 1977. Danny was spotted at his local Sunday School, by an agent who auditioned him for the part of Martin Fletcher in the Granada Television series Prime Suspect 3 (1993). At the age of 14 he was given the part and found himself working alongside Helen Mirren. Danny went through a quiet patch in terms of work coming in but after a few notable appearances in Thief Takers (1995) and Soldier Soldier (1991), the film, TV and theater work came flooding in making him one of the most sought-after London-based actors. As well as his film and TV work he has also appeared on stage in London and New York.
Film Name
Severance – Ein blutiger Betriebsausflug (Severance – Another bloody office outing)
Trailer & Videos
Trailer: Severance