The Writer's Notebook

I Am Not A Serial Killer

2010-11-26T19:55:00.002-06:00

We're going to start off the proceedings with an entirely new author! His name's Dan Wells, and writing about creepy guys is his specialty. He's only got two books published as of now, the first two books in a trilogy, and I've had the priviledge of reading them both. Here's the thing: Dan Wells is one of the most promising new writers I've read in recent memory, and I Am Not A Serial Killer is a real genre-defying delight.

John Wayne Cleaver is something of a troubled teen. By "troubled" here I mean of course that he has all the indications of growing up to be... well, you know. Even though he's a sociopath, he really doesn't want that. So he studies up on famous serial killers to give him an idea of what not to do.

But there are some issues. Like the fact that his family owns a morgue. And the fact that some murder victims are arriving, looking to be more and more like the work of a serial killer. So John's faced with a smidgen of a problem-- finding and stopping the killer without anyone else knowing... or without succumbing to the temptations of blood himself.

It's impossible to classify a book like I Am Not A Serial Killer. It involves a teenage protagonist, but it's a bit too gruesome to be classified as YA. And there are some twists which make it hard to place in any specific genre at all. But that's okay, Dan Wells's book isn't any worse because of it. This is a truly original work (although comparisons to Dexter will inevitably be made, it's way too much of a stretch) with a chillingly complex narrator.

More about that narrator. John Wayne Cleaver's voice is what guides us through the book, and Dan Wells has absolutely nailed it. He's nailed it so well that I'm almost worried about his state of mental health. John is both a teenager and a sociopath, a paradox when it comes to emotions, something which in the hands of a lesser writer would only lead to disaster. But Dan Wells is Not A Lesser Writer. John is a protagonist you will in turn root for and be unnerved by, a diamond in the very, very rough. It's what had me coming back for more in the sequel, Mr. Monster.

In short, I Am Not A Serial Killer is Not An Average Book. The characters are fascinating, the plot page-turning, and the attention to detail on the part of the author unnerving. In short, I recommend it highly.

My rating: 9.5/10

Coming Soon: Mr. Monster and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I

I'm Back!

2010-11-26T19:45:00.002-06:00

I'd like to start off by saying I'm terribly sorry about the lengthy hiatus from the blog. I've been extremely busy, and I've hardly had time to get to a computer. This is perhaps the longest I've ever gone without a post, and for a brief period of time, I was contemplating not coming back. After all, Speculative Horizons just recently bid farewell, and since I reviewed such a good book for Classic of the Month, I considered just leaving it at that.

But I couldn't let it sit anymore. And I'm not going to let it sit anymore. The Writer's Notebook is coming back up, starting now, and I've got some really explosive reads for you now! New authors, new books from old authors, and a new look! I appreciate any and all of you who actually read what I write, and I look forward to continuing this journey.

Classic of the Month: Les Miserables

2010-09-28T09:45:00.003-05:00

Hi, there. I think it's time I wrote about what is quite possibly the best book I have ever read. This time on Classic of the Month, I'm going to take a look at the greatest thing to come out of France, and one of those books EVERY PERSON should read before they die. Period. I am of course referring to Les Miserables by Victor Hugo.

First of all, yes, the musical is fantastic, but if that's all you know of this story, you're missing out on a beautiful experience. The movie with Liam Neeson is a terrible adaptation, and I'm still astonished the filmmakers got away with it. Now, onto the top ten reasons why I love this book so much:

10. The Structure. Les Miserables was published in fifths. Each section has its own feel to it, as well as rising action and a major climax of sorts. At the same time, each part fits in with the whole seamlessly, creating one massive, complex arc of love, loss, and redemption.

9. The Setting. Victor Hugo picked the perfect time for his masterpiece to take place. The revolutionary turmoil serves as a superb backdrop for all the characters' internal confusion, and when the two become linked closer to the end of the novel, it is immensely satisfying.

8. The Thernardiers. M. and Mme. Thernardier, who go by different aliases throughout the novel, are some of the most repulsive villains to ever be written. But they aren't the only ones I'm talking about. Their children, notably Eponine and Gavroche, live lives of hardship and tragedy, but push on and keep fighting until the end. I promise, if you haven't read this novel before, this family will elicit stronger emotions from the reader than you could ever imagine.

7. The French Atmosphere. The world all the magnificent characters inhabit is undeniably French in every way. The novel doesn't deny this at all, but instead uses it as a way to further enrich the story.

6. The Writing. As if all that weren't enough, Victor Hugo is one heck of a writer. When even the translations feel fluid and poetic, you know there is some fantastic talent present. I have been tempted to learn French just so I could read the novel in Hugo's own words.

5. Fantine. Perhaps the most tragic character the Greeks or Shakespeare didn't think up. Fantine is willing to give everything, go through anything, just to keep her daughter alive. Her selflessness in the face of insurmountable odds is inspiring, and her ability to weather through all the world throws at her will make your heart break.

4. Marius. Marius is the character most short-shrifted in any adaptation of Les Miserables I have ever seen. Everywhere else, he exists primarily as a love interest for Cosette, but in the actual novel he has a backstory, one that is rich and ties in with other plotlines and characters as well. Readers who have only known the musical will have a newfound respect for him before the book is halfway done.

3. Javert. It may seem strange to not list the characters as one point, but there is so much going on with each and every character that to group them all together would be a massive disservice. Take for example Javert, the prime antagonist of Les Miserables, the embodiment of the unjust law. Javert spends his whole life hunting after Valjean, and through this chase we discover his character is deeper than what he seems. He lives in constant inner turmoil, and Valjean brings into uncertainty everything he once thought was truth about human nature. His inability to reconcile the real world with his preconceptions provides for the driving force of later parts of the book.

2. The Raw Emotion. Another sign that this novel is indeed French is the sheer peaks and valleys the characters go through. Fantine's struggles, Valjean's sacrifices, Javert's epiphanies, Marius and Cosette's unrequited love, and the fierce passion of the barricade all hit the reader hard (or at least this reader). I found myself on multiple occasions reaching for a tissue when such an action seems unusual for me. It's all so stunning and beautiful, but at the same time like daggers to the heart. What more can I say? It's Les Miserables.

1. Jean Valjean. He is the focus of Les Miserables, the crux of the action, the reason the novel is the classic that it is. Released from jail on parole (he was there for nineteen years for stealing a loaf of bread), an encounter with a merciful bishop turns his life around. His goal is at first just to escape, but slowly he changes and wants to make a difference in the world. He strives to prove Javert wrong, that people can change, and he puts his life on the line time after time for other people when he has no reason to at all. His story is the entire point of Victor Hugo's novel, and it is an unforgettable one.

So there you have it. I don't have much more to say that wouldn't seem like mindless ramblings, although I could do those about the novel for hours. Now go read it. Enjoy it. I know you will.

My rating: 11/10. (I know, I know. It seems immature. So sue me.)

Chuck: Season 3

2010-09-19T13:08:00.003-05:00

It's time for a new season of television to begin! That means it's time for me to stop being lazy and post some reviews for TV! I'll start with a show whose fourth season has its premiere tomorrow night: the imcomparable, unstoppable Chuck.

Chuck has survived being an on-the-bubble show for three seasons, and it's remained delightful the whole time. Season 3 was no change to the formula, while bringing major changes to the formula. How is this possible? Only in the nonsensical and addictive world of everybody's favorite Nerd Herder.

Chuck Bartowski has gotten an upgrade, downloading the Intersect 2.0 in his head in a last-ditch attempt to save his friends. It worked, and now he knows kung fu. The new Intersect allows Chuck to "flash" on skills as well as information. In other words, he can play the guitar on sight as part of a cover in a Mexican restaurant or perform feats of impressive acrobatic ability to retrieve a case for the CIA. But there are some problems with the new Chuck. Namely, the Intersect doesn't work when Chuck's emotions are in flux. And with Sarah around, that's a bit of a problem.

I know there was a lot of negative fan reaction to the series around Episodes 7 and 8, which slowed the romantic progression of a couple of characters down considerably. Looking back, it's not nearly as big a deal as the raving fanboys made it out to be, and the episodes are still fun on their own. Besides, this season had 2 finales (originally, Season 3 was given a 13-episode run, and by the time NBC extended it to 19, the 13th episode had been written), as well as the first major villain for Chuck to fight on his own. In addition to this, there are some great twists, and the finales aren't afraid to give the audiences some gut-punches.

One thing I liked about this season that I know a lot of people hated was the slightly darker tone. We're talking slightly here. There were still some hilarious gags, but the characters were dynamic enough that some of the darker moments of development hit hard. Personally, I'm glad that Chuck has changed a lot from where he started in Season 1, and while I doubt the darkness will be anywhere near as present in Season 4, I think this was a necessary step.

Now that that's said and done, here are my favorite episodes:

Chuck vs. First Class: Chuck goes on his first solo mission. On a plane to Paris, he finds out that his mission is sitting right next to him, in the form of Ring operative Stone Cold Steve Austin. Honestly, how do you top that? I'll tell you: fencing in the cargo hold of the plane.

Chuck vs. the Beard: Chuck's secret is getting a tad less secret, and when Ring operatives infiltrate Castle via the Buy More, Chuck is going to need some emotional help to flash. Also of note: the Buy More revolution is one of the best, most hilarious things I've ever seen on the show.

Chuck vs. the Other Guy: Chuck/Sarah shippers, your glorious moment has come! Seriously, though, the original Season 3 finale is full of great twists and character development, including a huge step in Chuck's character.

Chuck vs. the Honeymooners: Chuck and Sarah are thinking about quitting the spy life together on a train in Europe. However, they end up having to go behind each other's backs and then work together in a fantastically coreographed fight to solve one last case.

Chuck vs. the Subway: The first part of the 2-part finale is an earth-shattering one. Everything starts to fall apart. A recurring character is killed. Chuck goes to prison, and is in danger of losing his sanity. All in all, a great preparation for...

Chuck vs. the Ring, Part II: The finale. A bit of espionage work, a daring rescue, a massive twist, and a fight between two human Intersects with a Jeffster music video playing in the background. If this episode were a drink, it's be called Liquid Awesome.

So there you have it. I'll be tuning in tomorrow to see how this incredibly fun show continues for what could, unless ratings improve, be its final season. The antics of the lovable Nerd Herder may not always be new on TV, but they'll certainly be in my DVD collection, between LOST and Firefly, where I can relive the humor and action whenever I want.

My rating: 9.5/10

Dean Koontz

2010-09-18T10:26:00.003-05:00

It's time to spotlight a gaping hole in my reading: I've never experienced a Dean Koontz book. Never. I love a good thriller, but I for some reason haven't gotten around to him. Well, that needed to change. I decided to read two books by him, back to back. The books were selected at random (probably not smart), and read quickly, as per the norm with thrillers. My two-book experiment consisted of Relentless and Velocity.

While these titles sound related, they really aren't. The first is about an author who is pursued to point of near-insanity by an inhuman reviewer (which seems like a chance for Koontz to make himself feel better). The second is about a bartender who keeps getting notes with deadly choices for him, along the lines of, "Who would you rather die?" See, two very different books. Now let's get specific.

Relentless: This one is the more recent (and worse written) of the two. Now, I haven't read nearly enough to call myself an expert on Koontz, but I'm going to assume the style is a bit different from his usual thrillers. In Relentless, Koontz strives to keep things more tongue-in-cheek. The overall effect, however, is jarring considering the situations the characters find themselves in. Half the time, he seems to want us to take things seriously, be concerned for it all, and the other half of the time, he seems to be laughing at himself. In this volume, I'm not sure which works better, because the story is far-fetched enough to warrant many a raised eyebrow.

There are also too many things that are just weird for the sake of being weird. The genius I'm-not-Charles-Wallace-from-A-Wrinkle-in-Time-I swear kid, who makes something bizarre...because Koontz wills it. Then there's the certifiably insane in-laws, who have an underground booby-trapped lair in case of Armageddon that they really enjoy spending time in. I think they're supposed to be endearing, but it comes off as forced.

And yet... at the same time, I couldn't stop reading. Koontz's writing was fluent enough that I was able to get through all the rough spots and still have a decent time. Decent enough that I tried something more up his alley.

My rating: 6.5/10

Velocity: Now there's why this guy is so popular. Interesting moral dilemmas, dangerous situations, tense moments, and a anil-biting roller coaster ride all around. The protagonist is more normal this time around (except for the violent and traumatic backstory, which seems so far to be a Koontz staple), and his descent into paranoia and the gray areas of morality are extremely compelling and vivid. I couldn't put the book down, and I didn't want to.

There is a negative, though. The end, where the true villain is revealed, seems to exist for the sole purpose of being unexpected. The motivation seems beyond forced, and I was glad when the scene ended.

But the ride getting there was intense and awesome. I'll definitely be reading Dean Koontz again, just maybe not the most recent Dean Koontz.

My rating: 9/10

Coming Soon: The Way of Kings and more backlog reviews.

Old Man's War

2010-09-06T08:07:00.002-05:00

I've had a bit of a backlog of books to review for a while, so I thought that while I read The Way of Kings (which is fantastic so far, but I'm trying not to read it too fast, and it's really long), I'd get through some of them. The first of these showcases a negligible hole in my reading: Sci-Fi. I love the genre on film, as well as the pseudo-sci-fi movies like STAR WARS, but in book form, I've read hardly any of it. I've read most of Orson Scott Card's Ender and Bean books at some time or another, with the exceptions of the most recent volumes. I've read some Asimov. A fair bit of Bradbury. A smidgen of Peter F. Hamilton, but not enough to formulate my opinions on the author. And that's it, for my entire life.

I've heard for years about the famous/infamous John Scalzi, especially in regards to his Whatever blog. However, one thing wasn't really disputed: he was a good writer. So I decided to pick up a copy of his debut, and dive in, after going years without reading a full sci-fi book.

It was awesome.

Old Man's War tells the story of John Perry, a 75-year-old man who, since his wife is dead, takes the most sensible course of action. He joins the army. Don't worry, this is centuries into the future, and this is how all wars are fought. The soldiers are given new bodies, shipped out to planets to win them over for human inhabitants, and never look back. By never look back, I mean there's a contract saying they'll never return to Earth. Which maks sense, bacause Perry's new body is green.

This book is full of fun touches and interesting details that serve to remind me that sci-fi needs worldbuilding, too. The characters, first person narrator John Perry especially, are dynamic and compelling from the start. I know it's been said before, but this is the closest thing I can think of to Stephen King writing in this genre. It's all about the characters, and the conversational style of the prose makes the pages fly. The book isn't too long either, unlike some Orson Scott Card books became (I'm looking at you, Xenocide!).

There are a number of scenes that stick in your head long after the reading. John first getting his new body, recognizing a member of the Ghost Brigades, and fighting an extremely aggressive yet tiny species of alien come to mind instantly. I cannot recommend it enough, even if sci-fi isn't your thing. You'll have fun, and the book won't take too long to read.

After getting through it, I can say with some certainty that I'll return to the genre soon. I'll definitely return to John Scalzi soon. A great, fun ride.

My rating: 9/10

Coming Soon: The Way of Kings and more backlog books!

Mockingjay

2010-08-26T20:43:00.002-05:00

I'm writing this after taking only a few minutes to collect my thoughts on what is probably the biggest YA release of the past few years. Mockingjay brings to a close the events Suzanne Collins began in The Hunger Games and Catching Fire. By the way, before I launch in to review this book, which will undoubtedly be absurdly polarizing for its fans (how many times have I used that word this month?), I'd like to point out that there will be spoilers for the first couple of books. Unavoidable, I'm afraid, but you should really have read them by now. Go ahead. They're quick reads. You can finish the whole trilogy in a week without a problem.

Here we go.

Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games, not once, but twice, and is being torn every which way. She is in the mysterious District 13, the face of a full-scale revolution going on all across Panem. But it's not that simple. Can she really trust District 13? Can she trust Gale? Can she trust anyone?

That's all I'm willing to say, because what makes this novel so great is that it is full of twists. Suzanne Collins has deftly woven the plot to make it look like the entire trilogy was heading a certain direction, then masterfully switched its course. The Hunger Games, and their close-up violence is gone, replaced with a solid, moving war novel. A warning: this series veers more towards the "Adult" side of the YA market, and it goes some dark places that will rattle even older readers. Older meaning adults.

This isn't a perfect, polished story, but that's not what Collins wanted to write. Instead, she has given us a true war novel, delving into the psychological aspects of warfare and not being afraid to showcase some of the innocent lives lost on the sidelines. This is a book full of political manipulation, gray areas, and tough choices. (Speaking of choices, there is a certain one all the female readers are clamoring for. Don't worry, it gets answered, in perhaps the only way that it could.)

Because this isn't a perfect story, it isn't about tying up all the loose ends with a pretty bow. Actions have consequences, and war has repercussions. Anyone who's read Collins's excellent Underland Chronicles (starting with Gregor the Overlander) will know this is one of the themes she stresses. I'm pleased to say she handles it even better here than she did there, providing a truly strong conclusion.

There are a lot of people out there who will hate the ending. And I understand where they're coming from. Certainly it's not what any of us expected. But it's true to the characters and the spirit of the previous two volumes, as well as the confused narrator of Katniss, whose voice Collins absolutely nails. This story has a bite to it, yes, but it provides a bittersweet end to what will surely be remembered as a highlight of YA fiction.

My rating: 10/10

Coming Soon: More stuff. Eventually, after it comes out, The Way of Kings. But it doesn't come out till the 31st, so there might be something else in between.

Classic of the Month: East of Eden

2010-08-22T18:15:00.002-05:00

This is certainly the longest Classic of the Month I've ever done here, but don't worry, it's by one of the greats. The book, not the review.

When I started Classic of the Month, it was to see which classics deserve to be read, which ones are timeless and beautiful in their own way. Some books are classics because of the writing itself, like F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, while others are there because of their ability to do something new, like Truman Capote's In Cold Blood. East of Eden by John Steinbeck deserves to be a classic because it tells a classic, familiar story in a new way that will speak to just about everybody.

East of Eden is a beautiful book, one Steinbeck called "the first book." The reason is obvious from the title: if you really want to know the plot, read the first few chapters of Genesis and imagine Steinbeck were writing them. It sounds like a simple exercise, but Steinbeck turns this project into a cyclical epic of both massive scope and intimate characters. The Trasks are all interesting characters, and the Hamiltons, whose story entwines with theirs, are the sort of the people you wish you knew.

This is where Steinbeck succeeds: he creates some of the most vivid and memorable characters of the 20th century. There is Adam Trask, whose life presents the main focus of the novel; Samuel Hamilton, the old man who helps guide him; Cal and Aron, the twins who reenact the story of Cain and Abel; Cathy Ames, perhaps the most vile and horrendous character in all literature; and Lee, the Chinaman who aspires to break free of the stereotypes that have plagued his kind and who knows the true meaning of the word timshel.

Coming away from this book, I felt as if I knew these people, and I didn't want them to leave. The beginning of East of Eden takes some time to crack into, and the book as a whole is a major time commitment, but it is worth every minute. The book spans all aspects of life, the good and the bad, and all the darkest corners of the human psyche. It shows the power to choose to do the right thing, though the way is far from easy. And in simple, conversational prose, Steinbeck weaves a tale that is timeless and true.

In a way, East of Eden is a good companion piece to The Grapes of Wrath. They show different time periods and characters, sure, but they make nice novels to compare and contrast. The Grapes of Wrath is a gritty novel about people trying to overcome what the world throws at them, while East of Eden is about people in a desperate struggle to overcome themselves. Both struggles are timeless, and both should be read by everyone. I cannot say this enough: read Steinbeck if you haven't already.

My rating: 10/10. A true classic.

Love Never Dies, Part Three: Act II

2010-08-19T14:18:00.004-05:00

And now we're back after the intermission! My review of Love Never Dies, while only halfway done, has attracted a pinch of negative buzz, most notably from the musical's hate site, Love Should Die (LSD for short, and did I mention they sell T-shirts?). There are a couple of things I'd like to address:

First off, Andrew Lloyd Webber has not been overly polite in talking about Love Never Dies. This doesn't change the music itself, but my opinion of him has lessened. There is no reason to split the fandom in half, each side calling itself the "true phans" of the original. Despite what Webber and LSD say, true phans are the ones that love to watch and listen to the original Phantom of the Opera. Whether you enjoy the sequel or not, the original is still there, and a true phan will still be able to come back to it whenever they're in the mood for some music of the night.

Second, Love Never Dies shouldn't be compared to the original. It's easy for any critic to do so, but no new musical should be compared to a classic, especially the most popular musical of all time. To do so would be foolish and would only make you seriously hate the sequel.

Third, the ambiguity of the original Phantom's ending is gone now. There's no getting past that, and it's kind of sad. But Webber wanted a sequel, and if he didn't want said ambiguity to exist anymore, he's well within his rights to say what happened after. Personally, I'm very 50/50 about the whole thing, because while the original Phantom has a beautiful ending, there was always a slight nagging at the back of my mind as to how the frankly flimsy relationship between Christine and Raoul would last. And this is especially true because Raoul in the original was a very flat character. He sings great stuff, and "All I Ask of You" is still gorgeous (I listened to it again the other day; I told you I'm a phan), but he's not that interesting.

Moving on now, with Act II!
Entr'acte: It's exactly what it says it is, and it does its job quite well. The musical recap of Act I is tasteful, and the main themes soar quite nicely as it seques into the second half.

Why Does She Lone Me?: Raoul is in a bar, drunk and depressed, and asking himself this question. In walks Meg. And you'll never quess who's tending bar. This is a lovely somber piece, but not as infinitely sing-able as the start to the original's Act II (sorry, I said I shouldn't compare).

Devil Take the Hindmost: This is good stuff. Admit it, all of you have been wanting for a long time to hear a Phantom/Raoul duet, and this simple yet tense melody delivers. A fair bit of plot is exchanged amid insults, and the inner aggression is nicely channeled by both of the actors.

Heaven by the Sea (reprise): Nothing to say here that I haven't said before. I know what Webber's purpose is, but the same problems are here as before.

Ladies...Gents!/The Coney Island Waltz (reprise): Just more of the Trio announcing in their bizarre voices, which becomes oddly hypnotic after a few listenings, but is nothing special. A decided "meh" track.

Bathing Beauty: Hoo, boy, how far Meg has fallen. This cute, gaudy piece accomplishes its aforementioned goal in spades, but it certainly is painful to listen to. Especially disappointing after this act's stronger start.

"Mother, Did You Watch?": A very short track. The acting is nicely done by both Girys, and it moves the plot along, but it's got nothing new.

Before the Performance: The longest piece in the show thus far, we have reached the Holy Grail for phans. It's full of homages to the original, providing a nice symmetry for the original's climax, and it does the heart good to hear "Till I Hear You Sing" once more, especially with Christine's "Twisted Every Way" moment from the original.

Devil Take the Hindmost (Quartet): Yep, the song's still great, and the addition of new parts makes for a rich, tense track. I especially like the Phantom's new part, which soars, luscious and full, above the rest of the proceedings.

Love Never Dies: And at long last we arrive at the title track! It is the best the musical has to offer? No, that's "Till I Hear You Sing." Plus, it's been used before, in the period Webber thought he'd never make a sequel. But the piece works best here, and it's clear that this is the song's preferred home.

"Ah, Christine!...": I like this, but it's a bit rushed, especially in a letter at the end. Still, it's great to hear Karimloo inject his passion into the scene, even if he is rather young for the part of the Phantom ten years later.

"Gustave! Gustave!...": More just a string of events to get you to the final track, and while there's nothing particularly wrong with it, it's not all that special.

"Please Miss Giry, I Want to Go Back...": The death of a major character, a kidnapping, a kiss, and not in that order. It's not any "Down Once More" (sorry, I'm comparing it to the original again), but it's got some good emotion in it, even if the Phantom has a stupid line and a certain character takes an agonizingly slow time to die. An unusual way to end this saga of sorts, but this has been an unusual musical from the start.

So, what did I think? The music is really pretty good, with some spots that really soar above other musicals. However, it has the unfortunate fate of following the original Phantom. And it just can't compare. The story is weak, and while the original's was too, it didn't show quite so much. The character changes are interesting, but sometimes not the most desirable things in the world.

Yet... I find Love Never Dies to be a strangely addictive experience. There are some truly beautiful moments, and its reception was nowhere near as bad as LSD would have you think. Someday, after it's come to America, I might find myself seeing it. The truth of the matter is, if it wasn't a sequel, Love Never Dies could be great, something that could stick betten than this one probably will. I honestly don't know how it will do, but it carries the weight of the original around wherever it goes.

But I'll listen to the soundtrack from time to time, whether it continues to be profitable or sinks prematurely, because there's some really good stuff in there.

My rating: 8/10 (higher if I could view it as a separate entity)

Coming Soon: Classic of the Month.

A Cool Update from Patrick Rothfuss

2010-08-16T08:45:00.003-05:00

Patrick Rothfuss-- you know, the guy who wrote that book everyone really liked called The Name of the Wind and has been working on its sequel ever since-- has just written a great new blog post about his revision process. In fact, he even revises the letter the fan sent him asking about it. Funny stuff, and very revealing.

My favorite part, however, is when he says The Wise Man's Fear is about 4,000 words shorter than The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson. And that book (which is almost out, and my most fanboyish side is already drooling in anticipation) is almost 400,000 words long. So when we finally get out hands on The Wise Man's Fear, it's going to be really well edited, and really, REALLY long.

I can't wait till March 1, 2011.

On a side note, I've gotten some interesting and rather negative comments on my posts over Love Never Dies, and I see that this is more controversial than I had even originally thought. Then don't worry; the Act II post is coming soon.

The Writer

Love Never Dies, Part Two: Act I

2010-08-15T13:05:00.005-05:00

Every musical has to start somewhere. No, I'm not talking about the idea process. I'm referring to the actual beginning of it. I don't live in the UK and therefore haven't seen the West End performances of Love Never Dies, but I do have to soundtrack, and I know the story. What does that mean? It means I can go song by song, telling what I liked and disliked. This is gonna be a long one.

But first, the basic framework. It's been about ten years since The Phantom of the Opera, and in that time, a lot's happened. The Phantom was smuggled onto a ship headed for America, and the Girys went with him. Madame Giry and her daughter, Meg, went for their own ends, Meg wanting to catch the Phantom's eye and her mother wanting to get a slice of the Phantom's money. In the ten years, the Phantom and the Girys put their minds to work, creating Fantasma, a "little slice of heaven" on Coney Island. The Phantom is able to walk amongst the world because, let's face it, Coney Island is weird enough that a guy who walks around in a half mask won't get too many second glances.

This isn't enough for the Phantom. He desperately wants to see, and more importantly hear, Christine again, and nothing can keep him from his obsession. So he cooks up a plan to bring Christine to the performance hall inside Fantasma to sing an aria that he's composing. Christine arrives, Raoul and son Gustave in tow, and quickly discovers the true meaning of her invitation. Cue a jealous Raoul (who in those ten years has managed to gamble away his fortune and tried to drink the pain of that away), a confused Christine, and a Phantom who realizes he just may have the ace up his sleeve.

Be honest, Andrew Lloyd Webber's stories were never his strongest point, and Love Never Dies doesn't change any of that. So how's the music?

Prologue: A short intro. Tries to be creepy and atmospheric, but the show's just begun, and the odd choice of characters for the first scene don't help things.

Coney Island Waltz: A great instrumental piece that introduces many of the themes we'll hear throughout the course of the musical. Very smartly orchestrated, and it has atmosphere the Prologue never could achieve.

That's the Place That You Ruined, You Fool!: Same characters as the start, and this short piece doesn't impress any more than the Prologue did. All in all, a somewhat disappointing intro.

Heaven by the Sea: While I understand what this song is intended to do (show how base the visitors to Coney Island are), and it achieves it, it still feels out of place when compared to the rest of the music.

Only for Him/Only for You: I kind of like this one. It's the first glimpse we've ever really gotten into Meg's head, and the duality of it is likeable. It's also not nearly as overdone as the previous piece.

The Aerie: Another beautiful instrumental piece. Where the music is not always winning, the instrumentals are. Nuff said.

Till I Hear You Sing: Oh, Phantom, it's good to see you again! This piece is phantastic, and is surely a show-stopper on all accounts. Magnificent music of the night, one that's worthy of being lumped in with the original. Bravo!

Giry Confronts the Phantom/Till I Hear You Sing (reprise): This one's great too, if only to hear Karimloo soar his way through the melody again. I'd also like to point out that Liz Robertson does a splendid job as Giry.

Christine Disembarks: Not much to say about this one, no real music.

Arrival of the Trio/Are You Ready to Begin?: The trio is weird, and one of the weakest parts of the new show. They annoy me less and less as I go, but their melodies are sung in strange, off-putting voices, and it doesn't fit in too well.

What a Dreadful Town!...: A Raoul piece where it becomes clear how much the character has changed. A very different, mature Webber piece, and it's kind of good for something offbeat.

Look With Your Heart: A Christine and Gustave duet that makes for lovely listening. It's catchy and quite nice. It almost feels like it could be in The Sound of Music. Be sure to listen until the end, because there's a cool nod to the original in the final seconds after the song has finished.

Beneath a Moonless Sky: A Phantom and Christine duet! It's been too long since "Point of No Return." Webber gets across a lot of information in an emotional, soaring way, and it lays the groundwork for a nice twist.

Once Upon Another Time: Really a continuation of "Beneath a Moonless Sky," but it's beautiful. I greatly enjoy listening to Karimloo and Boggess singing together.

"Mother Please, I'm Scared!": Not much of a new piece, but there's a very cool moment when the Phantom and Gustave first meet. Otherwise, forgettable.

Dear Old Friend: This is a fun layered piece, and the veiled hostility is conveyed nicely. It's also a melody you won't really hear before or after, which makes it an interesting surprise.

Beautiful: Look out, there's a quick nod to the original, but it's only a few notes long! And then Gustave sings, and it makes the Phantom realize something, and makes him sing, which is always good. It transitions directly into...

The Beauty Underneath: This is the most polarizing piece in the whole show. You either like it or hate it. Either way, you can't deny that Gustave's part is awkward and for the most part unnecessary, and the song, while it rocks, is a bit over the top, even for Phantom.

The Phantom Confronts Christine: A secret gets out, the Phantom makes a resolution, and Giry overhears it all. All of it's important to have but doesn't really stick out.

So far, we've got a varied set of songs, much more so that the original, and when it works, it works. It's got some incredibly good moments, as well as some that don't fit. But what's my verdict? Now, now, don't be impatient, we still have Act II to get through!

Love Never Dies, Part One: An Introduction

2010-08-13T18:35:00.002-05:00

I am a huge phan. For those of you not in the know, that means I love the Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical The Phantom of the Opera, which has been successfully playing for over 20 years on stage. It has gotten a lot of recognition, being perhaps the most popular musical around, and there was even a movie released several years ago, starring Gerard Butler as the Phantom.

Now, Phantom is a phenomenon if ever there was one, and it's a musical I know all the words to. But it had a huge growing process to get to where it is now. Lyrics were changed, songs were shortened, and roles were recast and recast and recast. But the effects have always been phabulous, the music has always been phantastic, and the cultural impact has been more phar-reaching (I know, it's a stretch) than anyone could have anticipated.

For example, every song has a multitude of interpretations, depending on who's involved with the production at the time. Take one of my favorites, "Music of the Night." Michael Crawford's version is vastly different from the version that Gerard Butler sings in the movie.

There is also something quite puzzling I've noticed over the years that I like to call "Phantom Creep." Namely, the disfiguration of the Phantom's face has lessened and lessened over the years. It's still shocking, yeah, but not as grotesque as in the good old days. There's Michael Crawford, and then there's Gerard Butler.

But, although the story is weakish and the characters are flatish, the Phantom excluded, the music keeps it all afloat, and it works wonderfully. On a side note, I'd like to say that Ramin Karimloo is probably my favorite Phantom, which weighs heavily on what will follow this post.

And then I heard that Andrew Lloyd Webber had made a sequel. Set ten years later. On Coney Island. My first reaction was as expected: "WHAT?!?!?" I became rather annoyed at Webber, because, let's be honest, while he had been talking about making one for a good decade or two, I never figured he had the guts to do so. Webber, however, thought differently, saying that the original sort of ended on a cliffhanger. I'm not lying here.

At the same time, I was intrigued, and I set out to get the gist of what Love Never Dies was all about. And I came upon a video of one of the songs from the production, "Till I Hear You Sing." Folks, if you don't click on another link in this post, click on that one. It was enough to persuade me to buy the soundtrack and see what it was all about. Yes, it's Ramin Karimloo himself singing, doing even better than he did with the original, and the song is beautiful.

So, I've now listened to the entire thing a few times, and what did I think? Coming next time, you'll find out.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

2010-08-13T17:23:00.004-05:00

I gotta admit, the trailers for this movie, the source material for which I sadly haven't read, were enough to guarantee I saw it on opening day. I mean, just look at it! And it's directed by Edgar Wright, the man behind Hot Fuzz! And it's got Chris Evans and Brandon Routh as villains, along with a whole slew of others! And Michael Cera as a somewhat superhuman lead! And... well, just look at it!

Scott Pilgrim lives a happy little life as a bass player for a garage band on its way to some semblance of notoriety. His life is filled with animated excitement, complete with significantly younger girlfriend Knives Chau. But things get spun for a loop when Scott encounters Ramona Flowers. She's the girl of his dreams (Literally. She makes deliveries for amazon.ca using a subspace highway in his head. Don't ask, it's not really that big a deal.), and she agrees to go out with him. Scott quickly dumps Knives, and he and Ramona begin to experience "the L word" for each other.

And then things get spun for a loop again. Scott finds out first via e-mail, then attack, that Ramona has something of a violent past. Namely, seven evil exes who have formed a league to keep anyone else from dating Ramona. Cue energetic fight sequences in the spirit of classic video games!

This is a polarizing movie if I ever saw one. Half the audience in the theater couldn't stop laughing, and the other half barely laughed at all. It depends who you are, really. Or rather, how geeky you are. And I am geeky, I'll be the first to admit, so I had a blast.

The visuals are over the top and unique to a wonderful degree. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is a saturated movie in every sense of the word. It's saturated with action, saturated with the visuals, and saturated with jokes, both in the foreground and the background. Combatants flash red when they are on low health. Baddies burst into coins when they are felled. Scott graps a 1-UP icon, saying he's "getting a life."

Scott Pilgrim's sense of fun is contagious. The action is delightful and comic-booky. The humor is ever-present. The acting is purposefully, enjoyably cheesy. The visuals pop like those of Speed Racer desperately wanted to. And it's probably one of the weirdest, most original movies you'll see this year. Do see it, by the way. It's great fun, and perhaps the only film which uses the line, "I'm in lesbians with you."

My rating: 9.5/10

Coming Soon: Ooh, a lot of stuff. But I'm not making any promises.

The Desert Spear

2010-08-12T21:35:00.003-05:00

WARNING! THERE ARE SPOILERS AHEAD FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN'T READ THE WARDED MAN! I ENJOYED BOTH BOOKS, SO READ THEM BEFORE I GIVE ANYTHING AWAY!

Things have changed since the events of The Warded Man. Arlen goes about with Rojer and Leesha, giving the people they encounter methods to combat the demons that rise from the earth after night falls. He is rumored by many to be the Deliverer, the one who will lead humanity in a triumphant conquest over the demons.

Jardir now wields the Spear of Kaji, which he took from Arlen not long ago, leading his people with authority to fight demons in alagai'sharak. He proclaims himself to be Shar'Dama Ka, the Deliverer, the one who will unite humanity under his rule and lead them to destroy the demons in glory-filled combat.

The two most powerful and influential figures in the world are destined to collide, for there can only be one Deliverer. But, as tensions swell aboveground, below lurks a new kind of demon, one whose might is legendary.

Or something like that.

The Desert Spear rather controversially follows The Warded Man. Why controversial? Because Peter V. Brett's debut novel was fantastic, and it left me salivating for more. So I had to read the sequel, but I was afraid of the disappointment sequels usually bring. Let's get this out of the way: Is it as good as the first book? No. Is it still good? Heck yeah.

For about the first third of The Desert Spear Arlen is absent. So are Leesha and Rojer. In fact, the first 200 pages of this sizeable novel are devoted to building up the character of Jardir. Which I have to admit I wasn't exactly looking forward to, since he was a thoroughly unlikeable character in The Warded Man. But Brett makes it work. In fact, the first third is perhaps the best written part of the entire book, and better written than its predecessor. Brett made a bold move in how he started The Desert Spear, but thanks to his bulging, steroid-enhanced storytelling muscles, it made me seriously reevaluate my opinion of him.

In fact, this is probably the novel's strongest point: It fleshes out the characters to an extent where you fully understand the consequences of any interactions they have. Arlen is given an interesting scenario when he must face up to his past, and I enjoyed the growth is provided for his character. Renna, only briefly in The Warded Man, takes on a whole new dimension in this one. The viewpoint count jumps from three to-- I believe-- eight.

Unfortunately, this does have a side effect in that the pace is noticeably slower than its predecessor. The threads this time around are more numerous, and the story takes time to tell. And yet, here's the thing: the characters are interesting enough and the writing is good enough that The Desert Spear is a treat to read. The world, especially Krasia, is fleshed out nicely, which gave me moments of great laughter at the awkwardness of eventual culture clashes.

I have to say, Peter V. Brett set out to write a different book than The Warded Man, and he did so with talent and spirit, providing a nice counterpoint to a strong series starter. While the pace lags in comparison to its predecessor, The Desert Spear is more than worth a read. Seriously, read this series, if you haven't already. You'll thank me later.

My rating: 9/10

Coming Soon: That's a secret.

Thoughts While Writing... About Writing

2010-08-06T15:07:00.004-05:00

Well, it's the tagline of the blog, and yet the only real glimpse I give into the mind of a novice, unpublished writer is my taste in books (and occasionally movies). It's time I gave some random thoughts that went through my head recently about writing. This is free-form, and in no particular order. Aren't experiments fun, kids?

I am fascinated by the relationship between story and ideas. Here's my thought: If the ideas come forth the moment you actively think about a story, the chances are the story's good.

I love it when a plan comes together, when it seems the answers to the questions my story raises are actually out there, not waiting to be invented, but instead discovered.

When you have an idea for a story that feels like a mix between The Spiderwick Chronicles and the TV show Chuck, it's time to start writing.

It's a scary moment when you have an idea for a story that seems simple-- but later on it becomes apparent that it really has to do with quantum physics.

Don't ever try to write the 700 page fantasy epic first. I've tried it. Believe me: It will be very rough, and you will want to die.

On another token, don't write a story that takes place simultaneously in three time lines. If such a story rears its head, run like the devil himself is on your tail. Whatever you do, do NOT proceed to map out the story over six books. To do such would be madness.

When your hand cramps from writing, it means the story's getting good.

And lastly:

If you have a vivid dream, it's your mind telling you to get up and write NOW.

Until The Desert Spear review, which should be soon, since I've finished the book,

The Writer

Carrie and Cujo (the books)

2010-07-31T22:17:00.004-05:00

It's time for yet another double-feature, boys and girls, Constant Readers all! A Stephen King two-fer. It'll be pretty brief, just the basics here. We're taking a look at two of his big 3 C's. Sorry, car fans, no Christine for you yet. Someday.

Carrie: Well, ladies and gents, it's time to go back. Way back. All the way back to the beginning. That's right. The very first Stephen King novel ever published, all the way back in the 1970s. The one that started it all. It's the novel about the little telekinetic girl that could, and the prom night that no one will ever forget. We all know a Carrie White, so be warned...

For a first novel, this is a really solid effort. The pages turn with ease, and Stephen King's telltale style shines through brightly. I enjoyed this lovely festival of horror, especially since it has a different method of unspooling from the rest of King's works. The amalgamation of multiple sources, mixed in with traditional narrative text, gives Carrie a unique feel, something akin to Avi's Nothing But the Truth, but much, much darker. It's not King's best, but it'll give you chills nonetheless.

My rating: 9/10

Cujo: Man's best friend is about to become his worst enemy. When a normally lovable dog comes into contact with the shadows, the lives of a family will never be the same. Simple in premise, yet multifaceted in its approach, this one bites.

Rarely has any Stephen King story been so basic: Mother and son are trapped in an overheating car by a rabid dog. But King tells it differently than just a straight-up scare-fest. Which it could easily become. But the characters themselves lend the book drama. 400 pages of Cujo trying to break into a car might eventually get boring. King makes it more special. No book this basic should provide this much white-knuckle enjoyment. And yet, King makes this one into a winner. Not as good as his best, but still an excellent, different, read.

My rating: 9/10

Coming Soon: The Desert Spear and more.

Sorcerer's Apprentice and Inception

2010-07-30T07:31:00.003-05:00

That's right, I've been to the movies again! This time, I'm taking a look at the blockbusters of July (or modest earners, in the case of Sorcerer's Apprentice). And I've got some expensive news for you: you should see both these movies. Of course, I mean that on different levels, but let's dive in.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice: It's a movie about that classic story of boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, boy gets involved in long-standing wizard's feud, boy has a nervous breakdown, etc. In all seriousness, This is a movie about Dave (Jay Baruchel), a hopelessly geeky kid-- which doesn't at all remind me of myself-- who becomes a major player in the plans of Balthazar Blake (Nicolas Cage), a powerful sorcerer and former apprentice to Merlin. Dave is also hunted, however, by a darker sorcerer, Maxim Horvath (scenes stolen by Alfred Molina), who wants to raise an evil sorceress from the grave.

There was no way I should have enjoyed the movie as much as I did, except for the fact that Bruckheimer and co. were having an absurd amount of fun making it. Sorcerer is not afraid to poke fun at itself, and it never takes itself too seriously. Some of the action setpieces are creative and kinetic without resorting to Bourne-esque shaky cam. And the scene that pays homage to the Fantasia short is great. It's not going to be one of the best movies of the year, or even most profitable, but it is a good time at the cinema for the whole family.

My rating: 8.5/10

Inception: Hoo, boy. The big one. The one we've been waiting for since the bizarre teasers last year. Especially since it's from Christopher Nolan, the mastermind behind Memento. And The Prestige. And Batman Begins. And The Dark Knight (ever heard of that one?). I can't explain this film. To do so would take ages, and I just wouldn't be that good at it. Can I just say see it?

No, I don't think it's quite as good as The Dark Knight, and it's impact on a genre won't be like the aforementioned film. But it's still really, really good. It's a multilayered (literally) tale about dreams, with Leonardo DiCaprio's best performance to date. Actually, almost all of the actors give their best performances to date. Hans Zimmer's score is unique and suits the film. The action is nail-biting and some of the best I've seen this year. The story makes you think, but you never get tired of constantly focusing on this two-and-a-half hour film. The world it creates is fantastic, and it raises some great questions about the nature of dreaming. Now go see it. Seriously, there's at least a few things in there for everybody.

My rating: 9.5/10

Coming Soon: Steven King and The Desert Spear.

Classic of the Month: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

2010-07-27T19:16:00.004-05:00

Well, buckle up, ladies and gents. This blog post is gonna get a little trippy.

Why is that, you ask? Well, Constant Reader, it's time for another Classic of the Month! And this time, we're not looking at Gatsby, but rather something a little more recent. 1962, to be precise. And this time, the review's going insane... literally. That's right, it's Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. The one that was made not too long after into a movie starring Jack Nicholson, considered a classic in its own rights. The one about crazy people.

Patrick Randle MacMurphy enters the ward, guns blazing, ready to change things from the start. He's a boistrous fellow, a fan of both gambling and women, and he's not ready to give up either. He'll do anything to keep things interesting, despite the intimidating presence of Nurse Ratched. Throw in a colorful cast of other loonies, and have the book be narrated by a Native American who only pretends to be deaf and dumb, and you've got the gist of the story. Just as long as you realize Nurse Ratched isn't willing to give up without a fight, and it's easy to keep fighting when you hold all the cards.

Where can I start? The characters are mesmerizing. It's never really revealed whether or not MacMurphy is legitimately insane, but Kesey tells the story in such a way that it doesn't matter. Also, Kesey has a good grasp of the surreal and bizarre, presumably aided by the LSD he went around in a bus distributing shortly after. Kesey was one of the Merry Pranksters, subject of the book The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test.

Additionally, it's fascinating to look at Chief Bromden's transformation over the course of the novel. MacMurphy's presence is the catalyst in every character's change, and it's Bromden's narration that keeps the novel from having a totally depressing ending. Ratched is genuinely threatening, and despicable in a three-dimensional way. The climactic confrontation between her and MacMurphy is satisfying in the utmost.

To sum it up, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is an unusual, lively story told in an unusual, lively way. The writing is skillful, and it's a pity Kesey didn't write regularly. The dialogue is snappy and realistic. The book is in every was a success, and one that I would certainly recommend, if not for everybody.

My rating: 9.5/10

Coming Soon: Some Stephen King and some movies, along with The Desert Spear and more. A lot of stuff.

The Magicians

2010-07-25T21:07:00.002-05:00

I'm back, at long last! For a while, I've been somewhere north of home, in a dark realm where no computer access lies. So now I'm back, and boy do I have a lot of stuff that needs to be reviewed! Before the month is out, I'll be looking at another Classic of the Month, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, in addition to a bunch of books. Oh, and a little movie, I don't know, called Inception. (By the way, see the movie now, if you haven't already. The review will just be me saying that in a thousand more words.)

Here we go, the first book I've ever read from pretty new author Lev Grossman, the book that made a huge splash last year... The Magicians.

Quentin Coldwater is an unremarkable genius. Sort of. Just go with it. He's absurdly attached to an old series of five novels set in the magical world of Fillory, and he's bored to tears with life as is. And then, one chilly day, he stumbles into a fantastic new reality, a reality that might be perfect for him. But the world of magic is not as pristine as what is depicted in the Fillory books, and Quentin is in for a rude awakening.

This book was too much fun to be expressed in words. Grossman wears his influences proudly, but never lets them become distracting to the overall effect. In fact, they contribute to the fun vibes. The Magicians is marketed as Harry Potter grown up, but it's more than that, a deeper character study set in a bizarre yet whimsical universe. The pace just whizzes by, much like The Warded Man, and yet Grossman gives the characters a lot of time to breathe. This seems like a paradox, but hey, it's magic.

There are a few nagging things that bring the book down in my estimation, however. The climax is far too heavy and melancholy for the rest of the book, and therefore makes the end feel almost incomplete. The emotional ebb and tide is a bit off, something I hope Grossman will fix in The Magician King, due out next year. And I will be buying it. Because stuff this much fun (the majority of the time) is hard to come by, it will be one of next year's most anticipated reads. It's not often such a quality mix of literary fiction and fantasy can be achieved.

My rating: 9/10

Coming Soon: Classic of the Month.

The Fact That This Exists...

2010-07-13T06:43:00.003-05:00

...leaves me shocked, but I'm not entirely sure if it's in a good way or a bad way. I mean, you don't really have a way of preparing yourself for THIS.

Until next time,

The Writer

A Lord of the Rings Film Retrospective

2010-07-11T13:28:00.004-05:00

One Ring to Rule Them All...

A few months ago, I went and watched all six STAR WARS movies back to back. This provided an unparalleled opportunity to review one of my all-time favorite film series as a whole. So, recently, I decided to go for a marathon viewing even more epic in scope: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. And I didn't cut corners-- these were the Extended Editions, the shortest of which is three and a half hours long. The Return of the King is over four. In other words, this viewing took almost as long as the one for STAR WARS. It's a big time commitment, but one that is ultimately extremely rewarding.

Here's a note beforehand: these films were released over three years' time, but they together comprise a single storyline. Watching them as such, the continuity is to die for, and the love for the source material from the filmmakers is overwhelming. You can feel the love in every frame, in the costumes and sets, in the editing, in the special effects, and in the brilliant score by an inspired Howard Shore.

It is the height that all book adaptations strive to reach, and the height that few, if any, others will. Sure, there are great adaptations out there, like Stardust, The Princess Bride, or To Kill a Mockingbird, but even these fantastic films cannot match the emotional weight of almost twelve hours of breathtaking story. I saw all of these films when they came out in the theater, and the memories of that first viewing are still clear in my mind: the audience sitting on the edge of their seats, cheering, and crying together. It was an experience, and one I'll never forget.

So, with that out of the way, here goes some EPIC.

The Fellowship of the Ring: Peter Jackson initially wows audiences with his nailing of the first third of J. R. R. Tolkien's classic story. Frodo, a hobbit, finds himself in possession of the One Ring, an object of great and sinister power forged by the dark lord Sauron in the fires of Mount Doom. He sets off to the mountain to destroy it, aided by Sam, his closest companion; Merry and Pippin, two hobbit friends; Gandalf, an ancient and wise wizard; Legolas, an elf; Gimli, a dwarf; Boromir, son of the steward of Gondor; and Aragorn, blood heir to the throne of men. But the Fellowship is being tracked by Sauron's forces of evil, and the road will not be easy...

What I Liked: The Prologue, which can bring even someone who has no idea of what Tolkien is talking about up to speed, and narrated by the lovely Cate Blanchett. The Shire, which Peter Jackson nailed, and graciously didn't speed through to get to the action. Rivendell is realized marvelously, as are all the environments and locales. New Zealand is truly the perfect place to shoot The Lord of the Rings. Boromir's arc was well-handled. Peter Jackson also gives a taste at what the Scouring of the Shire would have looked like. And in the Extended Edition, Bilbo's trolls from The Hobbit even make a brief appearance, as well as the rest of Galadriel's gifts.

What I Didn't Like: No Tom Bombadil, which makes me sad deep in my heart, but I understand why, for time reasons, it was cut. There are a few other changes, but most of them were made for understandable reasons, such as Arwen being the one who takes Frodo the last leg to Rivendell.

My rating: 9.5/10

The Two Towers: The Fellowship has been broken. Some have died, and the rest are spread out over no less than three locations. Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli track Merry and Pippin, but get sidetracked by trouble in Rohan, caused by the turncoat Saruman. Merry and Pippin, having been carried away by orcs, flee into Fangorn Forest and find something far older and stranger than they would have imagined. Meanwhile, Frodo and Sam receive the aid of an unlikely creature to help them on their way the the land of Mordor...

What I Liked: Rohan, especially Edoras. This set was beautifully constructed, and feels like an Alan Lee illustration come to life. The new additions to the cast fit in nicely. I think this is a good time to talk about Christopher Lee's pitch-perfect portrayal of Saruman. Lee says he reads The Lord of the Rings every year, and it shows. He's really, really good. And I can't write this review without talking about the marvelous Ents. Seriously, I giggle with fanboyish glee everytime I see them, and my father's worse. Gollum is a feat of groundbreaking motion capture that still holds up today and doesn't distract from the story. Also, in the Extended Edition, there is a scene that is a lovely homage to Tom Bombadil.

What I Didn't Like: Faramir. Peter Jackson, I know you wanted to add another dimension to him, but in doing so, you deprived him of his strength of character. I like him better in the book-- a lot better. Also, I know that Arwen is here mainly to be a reminder of her importance in Aragorn's life, but she doesn't actually do anything in this movie besides cry in a sexy way. And yet, the film is still fantastic.

My rating: 9.5/10

The Return of the King: Winner of 11 Oscars, this is the final part of the saga of The Lord of the Rings. Sauron unleashes his forces upon Gondor, and Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli struggle to combat it. They go into a haunted mountain in search of a secret weapon to turn the tide. Gandalf and Pippin ride fast to Gondor to bring a warning, but the steward, Denethor, has turned to madness, and they quickly become embroiled in the conflict. And Frodo, Sam, and Gollum journey the final stretch to Mordor, where Sauron waits to reclaim his prize.

What I Liked: Can I just say this film was practically perfect in every way? Howard Shore's score will move you to tears. The acting reaches new heights of success. The action is tense and epic in scope. The "Lighting the Beacons" sequence features jaw-dropping cinematography. Aragorn's speech is full of great literary value, and his final, "For Frodo" is exciting and dramatic. The entire Mount Doom sequence, one of my favorite scenes of all time, is emotionally charged and true to the book's heart. The Gray Havens WILL make you cry. If not, you have no soul. The very last line of the book has been preserved, something that makes me extremely happy. And, on the Extended Edition, there are a number of great additional sequences, such as one in Isengard that gives an element of the Scouring of the Shire, and the Houses of Healing.

What I Didn't Like: No Scouring of the Shire. I miss the Scouring of the Shire. I mean, the movie would have been nearing the five hour mark if it had been included, but still. I wouldn't have minded. Honestly, I just can't fault this movie.

My rating: 10/10

So there you have it. When put together, The Lord of the Rings is One Movie to Rule Them All, based upon One Book to Rule Them All, centered around One Ring to Rule Them All. It's just... awesome. I'm sorry, but I don't know what else to say. I love these movies so much, and and sincerely hope the movie version of The Hobbit gets made eventually. The world needs more Tolkien movies. Although I don't know how well The Silmarillion would go over with audiences. You know, regular, non-geeky audiences.

I will return again very soon with more Stephen King and Lev Grossman's The Magicians.

Until next time,

The Writer

IT

2010-07-10T20:27:00.003-05:00

So, I've been trying to catch up on good ol' Stephen King's work, which is no small feat. His seemingly endless numbers of tomes assault my eyes and my imagination. But until now, I haven't read one of the modern master's greatest achievements: what is perhaps the longest horror novel ever written. I am speaking, of course, about IT, the book which has inspired a chilling fear of clowns in millions of Constant Readers.

So, to quote another famous frightening clown, here... we... GO!

IT is a book of immense scope and simultaneously a book of intimately personal character studies. I have rarely if ever read a novel with characters so well-developed, and each one sticks out in my mind, long after I have read the final page.

I can tell you all about Stanley Uris, who had perhaps the greatest grasp of all of what he and his childhood friends were fighting.

I can give you a wealth of information about Mike Hanlon, the only one who was willing to stay in his hometown haunt of Derry, if only to give the signal to his comrades to return.

I can get off a good one about Richie Tozier, whose myriad of voices could keep a terror at bay, but who is struggling to find his own.

I can delve into the childhood of Beverly Rogan, who traded one set of demons for another, but whose love may be the key to saving them all.

I can spin many a tale about Eddie Hapsbrack, whose hypochondriac mother's influence lingers decades after leaving the house.

I can talk about the transformations gone through by Ben Hanscom, who has built both spectacular skyscrapers and an inpenetrable wall of will.

And I can explain the workings of the mind of Bill Denbrough, a writer and leader, whose stutter cannot mask a strength of character within that no force of darkness can easily overcome.

This review wasn't meant to be long; in fact, it seems as if the lengths of my reviews are inversely proportional to the lengths of the books which they are about. But that's okay. IT has been around for twenty-five years, and on this auspicious anniversary, I can say wholeheartedly that it still holds up, and that it is perhaps the best of its kind. This book gave me chills repeatedly, but not by cheap methods. Stephen King is a master storyteller because he earns the scares, because the terror comes from within the darkest places in our consciousness. You can feel the characters, and because of this, you can feel all the fear that King has intended. IT is a book written with great intentions, pulled off by the sheer tour-de-force that is Stephen King's writing. A masterpiece.

My rating: 10/10

Coming Soon: A Lord of the Rings film retrospective.

This Is Why I Love Fantasy.

2010-07-07T22:30:00.002-05:00

This and this.

Until next time,
The Writer

Frenzy

2010-07-07T22:02:00.006-05:00

Okay, I've stalled doing reviews for a while now. Over a week, in fact. But it's time I reviewed a very solid book, a very solid YA fantasy, and the finale of Robert Liparulo's excellent Dreamhouse Kings series. This one's called Frenzy, and it earns its title easily.

Honestly, I don't know how to explain this one. Anything I say will be loaded with spoilers from previous books. If you've read them, you know where the Kings are when this book begins, and if you haven't, then it would take too long to explain anyway. So I'm just going to say that it's everything you've come to expect in terms of suspense and more besides. It's got more action than any other book in the series, and things are closed off well while leaving the world open for readers' imaginations to ponder the future.

If you haven't heard of Dreamhouse Kings, then I'll try to sum it up for you. Take LOST, except make everybody a family, change the island to a house, change the smoke monster to... actually, that's a spoiler, and throw in some Back to the Future-esque, headache-enducing time travel conundrums, and you've at least got some idea of what's going on. The six-book series is really just a really long serial novel, as one book flows into the next seamlessly and without any sort of time gap.

Now, for people who know the series, Frenzy is clearly chock-full of stuff Liparulo has been dying to write, stuff that could only be achieved in the Dreamhouse Kings universe. The six-book length has given him the ability to explore a myriad of possibilities, and one in particular is quite hard-hitting, especially for a YA book. This is a fantastic effort from the author, and it makes me happy to see a series written quickly, economically (even with six books), and yet thoughtfully as well.

Dreamhouse Kings is a series that parents can read with their children without worrying, and one that will make the children eager to read more. It should inspire conversations, many of which will be about time travel and circular in nature, but it should also make one think about the courage displayed in the face of truly frightening and overwhelming circumstances. All in all, I'm pleased with Robert Liparulo for telling an interesting and complex story in an accessible, fun way.

My rating: 9.5/10

Coming Soon: IT

The 13th Reality-- The Blade of Shattered Hope

2010-06-28T16:51:00.002-05:00

James Dashner is awesome. There, I said it up front. He just is, and there's no getting past it. He simply doesn't have it in him to write a bad book, and he is one of the brightest new faces on the YA scene. His 13th Reality books have always been top-notch, with the second volume, The Hunt for Dark Infinity, being one of the better books I read last year. I approached Book 3, The Blade of Shattered Hope, with extreme trepidation. Is there any way in which Book 2 could be topped? Such a feat seems impossible.

Don't worry. The 13th Reality-- The Blade of Shattered Hope is good. Very good.

Atticus Higginbottom, he of both unfortunate name and extraordinary circumstances, has been shaken by recent events. The discovery of his true powers has left him with a need to refine, to prepare. Because it's not over yet. Not even close.

Mistress Jane is back, sporting a new look for her face that really shines (pun intended), and she means business. You know, like she didn't before. Her plan involves the kidnapping of Tick's parents and something more sinister than anything I would have expected from Book 3 in a five book series. Tick is going to need to use all the resources available to him to save the world-- not one of them, but all of them.

It's epic time.

I'm surprised at this new wave of YA fantasy, perhaps the most aggressive since the onslaught of Harry Potter. This is the age of Erec Rex and The 13th Reality, where the authors aren't afraid to throw in some huge revelations fairly early on in the series. I for one think this is a great approach, as it allows for some really interesting character-building moments due to the fallout of these earth-shattering events. And there was some huge stuff that happened in Book 2.

The Blade of Shattered Hope felt almost a little too packed for me, if that's possible. In many ways, this could have been the sort of climax reserved for the last book in the series. I mean, there's an army, and I can't honestly see how the stakes could be any higher (I expect to find out in the as-yet-untitled Book 4). The opening action feels just the slightest bit forced, and the book could have been allowed to breathe just fine without it.

That said, the opening is short, and I was pleased as punch at the events that unfolded in the remaining 400 pages. There's action, suspense, and some nice character development. I was especially thrilled with what Dashner did for the character of Sato. In this one volume, as he did everything else, he turned one of my least favorite characters into one of the strongest and most compelling. It takes talent for that.

The ending is one of those I-can't-wait-until-next-year-why-can't-Dashner-just-write-twice-as-fast kinds, with some fantastic and explosive setup for Book 4. I honestly am not sure where Dashner is going, and I eagerly anticipate the last volumes. Good work yet again.

My rating: 9.5/10

Coming Soon: Frenzy and more.

Classic of the Month: The Great Gatsby

2010-06-28T10:29:00.003-05:00

Well, folks, since we're about to run out of month (again), it's time for another Classic of the Month! This month, we go back a bit farther than we've gone before, although not really far back. This month, the classic is one of those books that everyone has to read, even though they're not exactly sure why. It's a very different book from the usual fare over here at The Writer's Notebook, so here goes: The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

The story is simple, and if you've ever been to high school, you know it by heart. That's because there's not much to know. It's a small book, in case you've forgotten, or if terror of your junior year of English has inflated your memory of it to 600 pages or so. Gatsby follows Nick, self-proclaimed discerning narrator, as he spends some time on West Egg. His neighbor, Jay Gatsby, is shrouded in mystery. How did he get all that money? What exactly does he do? As Nick gets to know Gatsby better, he becomes entangled in two things: one being Jordan, with whom he develops a lackluster relationship; the other being a love triangle between Gatsby, Tom, and his cousin, Daisy.

The story is chock-full of symbolism-- not as much as, say, The Scarlet Letter (oh yes, we'll be reviewing that one someday), but enough to weigh the story down significantly. Everyone remembers the repetition of the green light at the end of Daisy's pier and the eyes of Dr. T. J. Eckleberg with the sickening clarity of one who has been in the WWI trenches. English professors spend as much time analyzing Gatsby as Atlas Shrugged, and they expect every student to approach Fitzgerald's greatest work with the same pseudo-religious fervor.

I'm going to step away from that and just talk about the book. Not the symbolism. The book. So is it good, really? Well, yes and no. In the first third of the book, virtually nothing of any real significance happens. Fitzgerald spends so much time writing about Gatsby's parties that by the end of it the reader feels as drunk as Nick gets on rare occasion. It's just excessive prose, going beyond setup and elaborate background and entering the territory of wasted space.

But then, slowly but surely, things do start to happen. You almost become involved in the characters, before you remember that Fitzgerald portrays them in such a way as to make them thoroughly unsympathetic. And Chapters 7 and 8 have absurd amounts of major events occuring withing their pages, out of proportion with the rest of the novel. No less than three characters die in the space of two chapters. The book achieves a melancholy emotion at the end, which is obviously what Fitzgerald wanted in the first place.

Looking at it now, I think The Great Gatsby is not a bad book. I don't hate it in the same way as those in the trenches do. But I'm not entirely convinced of its need to be read by everybody, and therefore it's need to become a classic. I hate to break it to you, high school English teachers, but there are better books out there. This one's only for if the 1920's are being really emphasized.

My rating: 7/10

Coming Soon: The 13th Reality-- The Blade of Shattered Hope, Frenzy, and much more.

Prince of Persia and Toy Story 3

2010-06-18T16:13:00.003-05:00

I just realized my last post was this blog's 200th. That's a lot of words, and a lot of time. And yet, here I go again. When will I ever learn?

In all seriousness, it's time for some quick movie reviews!

First up is Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. Already, it's being viewed as a major box office disappointment. And that's a shame. Because it's a lot of fun to watch, in its own special way. Jake Gyllenhaal makes a serviceable action hero, the effects are spiffy, and the action setpieces are top-notch. Plus, it's got Alfred Molina, who's got a nice track record. I mean, he's been in Spider-Man 2 and Raiders of the Lost Ark!

It's not terribly mental entertainment, but there's something to be said for lighthearted fun. My recommendation: Once you've seen Toy Story 3, give this one a shot. It's your required popcorn movie of 2010.

My rating: 7.5/10

I'm also here to talk to you about the best movie of the year so far, and in the running to be the best overall. It's an animated movie. About toys. And it's a threequel. Aren't you excited yet? Well, all that stuff aside, you should be. Because this is Pixar we're talking about here. And this isn't just any threequel. It's Toy Story 3. It's a wonderful film, well-made in every way.

But I don't want to talk about it much. To talk about it would spoil its greatness. Let me just say that it's a great finale to what is one of the best trilogies ever made, a phenomenal send-off worthy of its predecessors. Seriously, if the word "Pixar" wasn't enough for you, then you really need to go to the movies more.

My rating: 10/10

Coming Soon: The 13th Reality-- The Blade of Shattered Hope.

FEED

2010-06-16T15:58:00.002-05:00

It's time for another debut! This one's sorta cheating on my part because it's really a pseudo-debut. It's the first Mira Grant novel, but the author also writes under another name. But either way, it's really good.

In 2014, we had cured cancer, and the common cold was no issue for us. But in our great triumph over disease, we unwittingly created another one: the Kells-Amberlee virus. The KA virus is chillingly simple. Once infected, the mind is controlled by the virus and given just one command: FEED.

That's right. We've got zombies on our hands.

Twenty-six years later, the world is a different place. Cities are deemed unsafe, security protocols determine how and where people live, and blogs are seen as truer than official news. Two of these bloggers, twins Shaun and Georgia Mason, are going to look into events deeper than ever before. It's time for the 2040 presidential election, and they're getting to cover it. Beneath a series of seemingly tragic accidents, they will unearth a conspiracy that will endanger all they hold dear. No, really. I say this all the time, but it's true.

FEED is enormosly fun to read. When you take zombies away from the horror of the initial outbreak, you get a fantastic worldbuilding tool, which Mira Grant uses to great effect. It's fascinating to look at the ways society has evolved as a result of zombie presence in the world, and it's actually handled fairly plausibly. I was pleasantly surprised, to say the least.

This is not a horror novel. It's a taut political thriller. With zombies. I know, some of you just started groaning, but it's still really good stuff, and a breath of fresh air in the much-overused "undead rising" genre. The characters are nicely drawn, and the political movements are pretty believable. It makes sense once you understand how things work in Grant's world.

And for a zombie novel, this one's long. Clocking in at about 600 pages, FEED provides for good immersion into a zombified alternate reality. But I can't really think of anything I'd cut out. Despite its length, Grant uses words smartly, better than some novelists who have written five times as many books as her. I know it seems odd, gushing about a pseudo-debut right after gushing about someone else's debut, but I'm just having good luck in that department of late.

Grant provides a phenomenal introduction to a projected trilogy of Newsflesh novels (like her pun?). FEED is great reading, very fresh and promising for Grant's career. There are twists that I honestly didn't expect, but Grant never takes herself too seriously. At the end of the day, it's a book that's simply fun to read. I can't wait to devour the next novel (see what I did there?), BLACKOUT, when it comes out.

My rating: 9.5/10

Coming Soon: The 13th Reality-- The Blade of Shattered Hope.

The Warded Man

2010-06-15T17:35:00.002-05:00

At long last! Here's the deal: I read The Warded Man a month ago. That's right. A month. Actually, a little over a month ago. But I've been writing stuff, reading stuff, and out of town since then. I mean, I've even been in a car accident with an illegal immigrant from Honduras since then! (Long story, not important here. But bizarre nonetheless.) So what do I have to say about Peter V. Brett's debut novel?

It's awesome. Go read it yesterday.

I'm serious. I waited till the paperback release, and now I'm kicking myself for doing so. This is great stuff, and really addictive too. I finished reading the book extremely quickly, and I can say it's one of the best fantasy debuts I've read in a long time. Probably since Sanderson and Rothfuss. A big deal.

The Warded Man centers around a world where demons prowl at night. They are kept at bay by wards, magical symbols from days long past. This creates a nice points-of-light society that allows for a huge variety of cultures in a relatively small number of pages. Note: I say small, but it's still 450 in my edition. They just go by really, really fast.

Anyway, the story focuses more acutely upon three children who grow up each having a life-altering confrontation with demons, called corelings in Brett's world. Together, they strive to fight the darkness before it destroys all they hold dear. In a nutshell. But there's a massive amount of mythology hinted at, to be expanded in later volumes (The Desert Spear is already out, so don't worry too much about waiting!).

One of the most remarkable things about The Warded Man is how economical it is. The book manages to convey a great deal of emotion over a great deal of time over a relatively small page count. All of the characters go through major arcs, and it's only Book 1 of a series. The climax is tightly written and doesn't overstay its welcome. Not to mention that Peter V. Brett (apparently called Peat to his friends) is just a good writer, hands down.

The Warded Man is a fast-paced, well-executed romp of a novel with a little something for everybody, and I'm astounded to think this is only Brett's first. This is the guy to watch when it comes to new authors in fantasy. Definately in the running for best debut I've read this year.

My rating: 10/10

Coming Soon: Ooh, a lot of stuff. Stuff I haven't gotten a chance to review yet. Perhaps I'll do a little book about zombies next...

Classic of the Month: The Catcher in the Rye

2010-05-31T07:11:00.002-05:00

It appears we have run out of month, and so it is time to return to my fairly new feature on The Writer's Notebook. Classic of the Month is back, just sneaking in at the end of May, and once again I have decided to forego Shakespeare for a more recent work. Today, it is time to look at J. D. Salinger's one and only classic novel, The Catcher in the Rye.

Here's the question: is this a book that everyone should read? Is it really a classic? Is it still, fifty years down the road, worthwhile? Yes, but with a little bit of caution. While this book is about an angsty teenager, this is not the best book to give to the average angsty teenager, as they might be under the wrong impression that Holden is them, and that those phonies really are as terrible as they thought. People misreading The Catcher in the Rye is one of the reasons John Lennon was killed, and it is perhaps the greatest reason Salinger never published anything he wrote again.

No, the real joy of The Catcher in the Rye is how fleshed out and wonderfully unreliable the narrator is. Holden Caufield is not meant to be taken as the light of truth by readers; instead, Salinger is just writing in character superbly. It is the character of Holden that keeps the book from being Just Another Teenage Novel.

Holden Caufield has been kicked out of Pencey, a boarding school, and one would do well to note that this is not the first school where this has happened. Everybody has something they want Holden to do with his life, but Holden himself is unsure. School doesn't really motivate them. It doesn't help that at Pencey there are a lot of people who are "phonies" to themselves, and that is something that Holden simply can't stand.

So he leaves Pencey, but he decides to spend three days in New York City before returning to his parents. During that time, his encounters with memorable characters, such as Maurice, Sunny, and a couple of nuns, add spice to the proceedings. But it is only when he reunites with his sister that he finally begins to accept the things that are going on in his life.

This is one of those books where the narrator's voice provides all the charm the book needs and more to be successful. Holden has an unusual, stream-of-consciousness way of telling things that give you a good idea of who he is by the end of the first sentence or so. His voice allows for some comic moments in the bizarre shrewdness of some of his observations, and some extremely heartfelt and sad moments in the overall hopelessness and confusion that he conveys.

All in all, it is Holden Caufield, played in the literary equivalent of an Oscar-winning performance by J. D. Salinger, that makes this book anything special, and it is for this the book is a classic. Touching, unusual, and one-of-a-kind, The Catcher in the Rye is a real literary treat.

My rating: 10/10

Coming Soon: The Warded Man (I promise).

LOST: Season 6

2010-05-29T07:22:00.002-05:00

The Final Season. That's what all of the ads made sure you knew. After LOST: Season 6, there would be no more, and you would have to find something else to do with all your spare time. So the writers put it all together for an unimaginable climax, a high note that every show would love to go out on, which ties in with the characters and temes set up from the beginning.

If Season 6 had a title, it would be "Showdown."

Here's the thing: I can't explain any of it to you, because of how interconnected it all is. I can't give any details about the flash sideways, or the Man in Black's plans, or what lies at the heart of the island. Because to tell any details whatsoever will ruin the show. So this one's gonna be short and sweet on the plot synopsis. Let's just say this: Woah.

That pretty much sums it up.

LOST has always been a show that captured your attention with the characters. Back from the start of the Pilot in Season 1, before we heard frightening noises in the jungle or saw a polar bear, or had any inkling of even the existence of the DHARMA Initiative. The first shot of the series is not the plane crashing, or the wreckage afterwards. It's Jack's eye opening. The characters are our windows into the bizarre world of the island, and it's been a joy to watch them transform over six seasons. Season 6 remembers that characters are important, more than the previous season or two did, in fact. In The End, it's all about how the characters turn out.

Are all of your questions going to be answered? Well, no. Are the questions going to be answered that have a direct impact on the characters and story of the final moments? Yes. And it's all done so artistically and beautifully, with an unbelievable score from Oscar winner Michael Giacchino. Watching it through to the end has made me extremely glad I started off on this journey, and I would recommend everyone do the same.

Aloha, LOST. You will be well missed.

Some favorite episodes of mine:

LA X: Out of all the shockers you could see on this show, the one to start off this season is perhaps the most shocking of all-- Oceanic Flight 815 lands in Los Angeles.

The Substitute: Here's a moment we've all been waiting for since Season 1. It's time to figure out the real significance of the Numbers, and it's not purely mathematical.

Ab Aeterno: You know Richard? The guy who doesn't seem to make any sense? This episode explains his past and in doing so sheds a great deal of light on the purpose of the island. Once scene in particular sets up the events in the finale perfectly.

The Candidate: Jack and Co. try to escape the island via submarine, but things don't go as planned. The ending is one of the hardest-hitting moments in LOST's history.

What They Died For: It's the penultimate episode, and everything clicks into place. A Candidate must be selected. An explanation must be given. And a purpose must be found.

The End: This is it, folks. The last LOST. It's one of those moments you approach viewing with dread, and afterward don't know why. The events on the island culminate in a showdown. The flash sideways world is explained. And the series is given a sendoff that is worthy of the rest of the series. It's beautiful, literary, and makes you think. And no, I wasn't crying, I was just chopping onions. Vigorously.

So that's it. A viewing journey that took up two and a half months of all my free time. Was it worth it? If you've gotten this far in the review, I'll bet you know the answer. Once again, a round of applause for Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, the minds behind LOST, and for everyone else who was part of this great show: the Emmy-worthy cast (all of 'em), the brilliant episode directors, the genius sound and music guys, the special effects team, and for everyone else who sat down in a little office in LA and figured out what was going to happen in Oahu.

Thank you.

My rating: 10/10

Coming Soon: The Warded Man, Classic of the Month, and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.

LOST: Season 5

2010-05-22T14:22:00.003-05:00

I thought I'd get more time to do reviews, but apparently I was wrong. So I'm putting my review of The Warded Man on hold for right now, and moving on to a more timely subject. That would be, of course, the penultimate season of LOST. What? you say. Penultimate? How dare they cancel LOST? Don't worry. The whole thing was planned out three years ago, and the creators know exactly what they want to do. Season 5 shows further proof of this.

If we stick with the book titles metaphor, which I figure would be just peachy, the fifth season would probably be called "Bomb." Yeah, it's big.

The Oceanic Six need to return to the island, three years after they left. But getting all of them together will prove to be a daunting task. And on the island, the events in the Season 4 finale are causing the other survivors to be flung through time and space.

Where will they end up? What was the DHARMA initiative like? How did Ben become the man he is now? What lies in the shadow of the stuatue? Is Jacob real? What happened to Locke? These questions will be answered in Season 5.

It's very clear the end is in sight. The creators have gone full sci-fi on us, and the story moves along at a breakneck pace. Huge, huge things happen, and there are fantastic twists. The finale is incredible in that it opens up a whole new world of possibilities. And that's all I can really say without giving it away. Spoilers will be everywhere.

Some of my favorite episodes this season:

Because You Left: Season 5 opens wth all our characters in various states of weirdness. Some involve insane asylums. Others involve timetravel and bloody noses.

Jughead: One of the biggest pieces of the season is introduced. Time travel's ramifications are talked about. Locke figures something out.

The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham: How Locke got to be where he ended up in the Season 4 finale. It's wonderfully teasing and puzzle pieces get laid out.

LaFleur: Sawyer and Juliet play house in Dharmaville. When they do so... now that's more interesting. And what happens when the Oceanic Six return?

Dead is Dead: Ben-centric episodes are always great, and this one is no different, providing a huge character-shaping moment for him, courtesy of the Smoke Monster. The pieces are being put into place.

The Incident: This one is about the most game-changing episode ever. Old allies come to blows, life-altering decisions are made, and we discover why the Hatch was put where it was. The last few minutes put everything in a new, terrifying light.

The series finale for LOST airs tomorrow, and I'm happy to say that I've caught up to it. You can hopefully expect a Season 6 review soon after. Huge stuff is happening, and the answers are right in front of our faces. I can't wait to see how it ends.

My rating: 10/10

Coming Soon: LOST: Season 6 and The Warded Man.

LOST: Season 4

2010-05-10T21:06:00.002-05:00

Once again, I find myself going back to the book title metaphor I used when reviewing LOST: Season 3. This one, could have a couple of titles. It could be "Relocation," perhaps. Maybe "Rescue." However, my strongest impression after seeing LOST: Season 4 would be to title it "Whoa."

LOST: Season 4 is where things really start to churn. There's more action than ever before. Characters are killed-- a lot of characters. The rest are nicely felshed out with the help of a new tool: the flash-forward. The freshness brought to this series with its new format adds a great sense of urgency.

The writers revealed partway through Season 3 that they had plotted the rest of the series out, and that it would all end with Season 6 (still on the air with a few episodes left to tell). Season 4 shows a streamlined format, not because of the writer's strike that shortened it to 13 episodes, but because the writers are working with the end constantly in mind. It was a smart move that keeps the show from ever experiencing the occasional lagging moments of Season 3.

Aside from all that, what more can I say? Everything gets turned up to 11, and every character experiences some earth-shattering stuff. Ben Linus and Charles Widmore butt heads together enjoyably, and when you throw the survivors and a great cast of freighter folk in with them, there's some real magic to be had. Is it weird? Yes. Is it head-scratching? Yes. Is it addictive and incredibly well-produced? Oh yes.

Some favorite episodes of mine:

The Beginning of the End: Well, sort of. More like the end of the beginning. Rescuers arrive on the island, but who sent them? And why does the safety of the survivors not seem to be their greatest concern?

The Constant: Once again, proof of why Desmond is one of my favorite characters on the show. Time travel is utilized here in a different way than before, and it's done so to great effect. It's tense, exciting, illuminating, and emotional. One of the great midseason LOST episodes.

Meet Kevin Johnson: Some of you might know him by a different name. But he's done some terrible things, and he gets hired by some shady Others to do more terrible things. Things the island seems to require of him.

The Shape of Things to Come: Charles Widmore has changed the rules of the game. And Ben isn't happy. Lots of action, the death of a major character, and more puzzling pieces to put together. Heart-stopping.

Cabin Fever: It's almost season finale time, and that means it's time to go chat with Jacob again! Or at least someone who can speak for Jacob. Someone we've seen before. Someone who makes a bizarre and impossible demand.

There's No Place Like Home: The survivors have called the island home for almost 100 days. Now, six of them will get a chance to leave. But it's not going to be easy. Perhaps an even better season finale than the one from Season 3, and there's more action than there's ever been before on this show. Jaw-dropping, and there's a bit of a surprise waiting Jack in a coffin...

Here's the final verdict: LOST: Season 4 is the best season of the show since Season 1, with episodes that move the plot along at a frantic, unstoppable pace. It's a marvel that a show like this manages to get better as it goes along.

My rating: 10/10

Coming Soon: The Warded Man.

Iron Man 2

2010-05-09T19:04:00.002-05:00

Well, I was going to do a review for Season 4 of LOST, but fate intervened and I ended up seeing Iron Man 2. Seeing as I like to keep movie reviews current, I figured I'd bypass the lineup of future reviews and get right to this one. Keep a weather eye on the horizon, for here, there be spoilers.

Tony Stark (Robery Downey, Jr.), in an unprecedented move, has revealed himself to be the shellhead superhero of musical fame. And everyone in the world has taken notice. This includes a man named Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke), whose father is connected to the Stark family, and who is working on putting the ARC reactor technology to his own use. Here's a hint: it involves awesome-looking whips.

Meanwhile, Stark is going through a midlife crisis of sorts. No, he's not buying a new car. He doesn't need an excuse to do that. In fact, he's dying. Yes, you got that right. The palladium that both powers his suit and keeps him alive is poisoning his blood at a frightening rate, and he is searching desperately to find an alternative element that doesn't exist.

In addition to this, there's a lot of great action, comedy, and plot progression that makes this sequel every bit as good as the original. To tell you the truth, it's the most enjoyable movie so far in 2010.

The movie is crammed full of characters, but this doesn't bog it down as much as it has every right to, thanks to the sleek, stylish script written by Justin Theroux and the skillful, easygoing direction of Jon Favreau. Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury and SHIELD play a much larger role in Iron Man 2, but they actually have a part in the story of the movie rather than just being a setup for The Avengers in a couple of years.

Downey Jr.'s Stark is, as always, a treat to watch, and he has just as many wonderful lines as in the original. Rourke's Vanko is a compelling villain, one of the creepiest and most eccentric screen characters since the Joker. Gweneth Paltrow's Pepper Potts is great, and the chemistry she has with RDJ is delightful. Don Cheadle takes over Terrence Howard's role as Rhodey, and he does a better job, giving both a character arc and some awesome moments in the War Machine suit.

The action is both more quantitative and qualitative than the original. The climax is breathtaking and exciting. And somehow, a movie where the hero is in such danger of dying still comes off as a lot of fun. See it as soon as possible, if you haven't already.

My rating: 9/10

Coming Soon: LOST: Season 4.

The Bride Collector

2010-05-04T17:15:00.002-05:00

I have to confess, I've been done with this book for quite a while. In fact, I've got five more items to be reviewed soon, with a sixth close on their heels. So whenever I get the chance, I'm going to be writing reviews. Today we have Ted Dekker's latest, The Bride Collector.

One of the reasons I waited so long to review this one is because, since I've read it, I've had the chance to actually see Ted Dekker in person. He was a really nice guy, very humble and appreciative of his readers, and even gave away a copy of Immanuel's Veins, his next book, away in an advance form. Lucky winner there. He also did one of the best jobs of describing the book that I can come up with, so I'll give you the gist of what he said.

"The Bride Collector is a love story at its heart. I know, I know, yes, it's about a serial killer who's looking for the bride of Christ and draining the blood of all those he finds unworthy, but really, it's a love story." He gave a friendly grin. "Paradise, in this book, is one of my favorite characters, and I have to admit I fell in love with her as I wrote the book. She's a delicate girl, and she has some demons plaguing her life, but she's really a beautiful person."

He went on to talk about the collaborative creative process between the writer and the reader, but it was this section that was most important to the review at hand. The Bride Collector is, like Dekker, like Paradise, a unique gem, and it really is both a love story and a thriller rolled into one. The best part is that it is both to a very high degree, making this one of Dekkers very best books.

The real reason it stands head and shoulders above the competition is the characters. Over little more than 400 pages, Dekker creates a world full of characters who are extremely well fleshed-out and memorable, from Roudy to Paradise to the sinister Quinton Gauld. Dekker's approach to writing in the novel is similar to that of Joe Abercrombie, changing the style of writing and the tone to fit the character whose POV he's using. This really gives Bride Collector something special, a strong look into quite a few unstable minds.

With beauty and terror bundled together in a neat little hardcover, The Bride Collector is one of the best books of the year so far. Well done, Dekker, and keep it up.

My rating: Do you have to ask? 10/10.

Coming Soon: LOST: Season 4, The Warded Man, Charlie Bone and the Red Knight, and the Classic of the Month (which is about as recent as one of these reviews will go).

At Long Last, Some News

2010-04-28T16:58:00.002-05:00

Patrick Rothfuss announced today that The Wise Man's Fear, sequel to the phenomenal debut novel The Name of the Wind, will be released, for real, period, end of story, on March 1, 2011. It's been a long wait, and that's almost a year from now, but I think it's going to be amazing. It's certainly a labor of love from the author.

Huzzah!

Coming Soon: The Bride Collector, LOST: Season 4, and The Warded Man.

Classic of the Month: In Cold Blood

2010-04-20T17:09:00.002-05:00

It's time to start a new feature here at The Writer's Notebook: Classic of the Month! The basic idea is that these are books you either have been forced to read or really should read, reviewed solely on their own merits. The goal is to get a better idea of which classics are really... well, classic, that deserve to endure from generation to generation and be read by every self-respecting member of the human race.

So, I'm going to start things off on an unexpected note. That's right, no Shakespeare here, not yet. Instead, it's time to take a look at the enigmatic Truman Capote's only great work: In Cold Blood. Capote envisioned this work as a "nonfiction novel," or objective facts told in the style of gripping fiction. And it really does work.

The date is November 15, 1959. In a small town in Kansas, the Clutter family has always stood as the paradigm of the American Dream. They are religious, stable, and honest folk, with beautiful children who are all too quickly growing up. But when the next morning dawns, all four of them are found savagely murdered in their house. In Cold Blood is the account of the events preceding and following this act of brutality, up until the execution of the guilty parties.

Capote spent half a decade researching In Cold Blood, and it shows. There are loads of interviews, tirelessly reproduced and tastefully integrated into prose that manages to flow without becoming subjective. Capote said that he accumulated enough research to fill a small room, and there's a part of me that would like to see some of the "outtakes."

Objectivity is another interesting part of this book. Capote never reveals his thoughts on an idea, with our only clues to subjectivity being what facts he leaves out. The events are told at a good pace, and I can't ever recall another nonfiction book that has held my attention so solidly.

Capote also takes great care in fleshing out the killers. He makes them appear as real on the page as they undoubtedly were in person, making you halfway sympathize with them (before you remembered that because of them, a family is gone). By the end of the book, you have an understanding of them that you never would have expected.

So Truman Capote knew what his aim was with In Cold Blood, and he achieved it, making a tale suspenseful even when everyone reading it has known the outcome for fifty years. In my book (no pun intended) this makes it a classic deserving of its title. Outstanding.

My rating: 10/10

Coming Soon: The Bride Collector.

LOST: Season 3

2010-04-19T16:04:00.003-05:00

If the seasons of LOST were written as books, the first book would probably be called "Survivors." The second would probably be called either "Dharma" or "The Hatch." Season 3 could very easily be called "The Others."

That's right, in a controversial move, LOST: Season 3 focuses on the mysterious and hostile inhabitants of the equally mysterious and hostile island. We've already met a few, with Ethan Rom in Season 1 and Ben Linus and Tom Friendly in Season 2. But now that the gloves (and beards) are off, it's time to really expand on what happened after the second season's massive cliffhanger. And it takes a while.

This is the problem with Season 3, which is lessened by my watching the DVDs: for about the first six episodes or so, the show only focuses on a couple of major characters at a time. We don't even hear anything about the hatch until the third episode. Really, there's a six episode prologue of sorts that could have used some trimming down.

But the farther in we get, the more the characters develop, and there are some side stories which, while they aren't really all that necessary, are a lot of fun and worth watching. And then, toward the end, the show turns it to 11, giving us a really powerful season finale that makes the desire for Season 4 instantaneous. So, while there was a bit of a dip, and this is a weaker season than the first two, it's still immensely enjoyable and good for some great head-scratching entertainment.

Some favorite episodes of mine:

I Do: Awesome points for the show: Kate was married to Captain Malcolm Reynolds from Firefly. It does my heart good to see Nathan Fillion again.

Flashes Before Your Eyes: This episode is amazing, making Desmond one of my favorite characters. I mean, it's really weird. But GOOD.

Tricia Tanaka is Dead/Expose: These are both of very little significance, but they're so much fun to watch! One involves Hurley and a hippie bus, and the other makes me think Twilight Zone, with a Poe-esque ending.

The Man from Tallahassee: It's about time we found out how Locke got in that wheelchair to begin with. By the way, it's just a tad shocking.

The Brig: In which two birds are killed with one stone. Literally. I mean, metaphorically. I mean, wow, it's tense but showcases fantastic acting.

Through the Looking Glass: This is the ultimate season finale. Charlie is redeemed, major characters are killed, and a twist shows up at the end that will surely shake the world of LOST to its core. Wow.

So there you have it. FYI, I'm already well into the fourth season, and so far it's even better.

My rating: 9/10

Coming Soon: A week of mystery and thrills.

Clash of the Titans (2010)

2010-04-13T17:11:00.003-05:00

Before I begin, I want to say that while I have seen the Harryhausen original, it's been a while. When I saw it, I found it to be enjoyable, but without nostalgia-tinted lenses, it's not amazing. Which is fine. It did some creative stuff, and the camp value you get nowadays when viewing it is a warm feeling. The remake of Clash of the Titans is just that-- a remake. Some things will be different, but the overall idea is the same. Except, since it's been made today, the camp value is gone, but the visuals have been nicely updated and in some cases improved from the original.

With that said, I enjoyed Clash, but not immensely.

Don't get me wrong, it's a lot of fun, especially with the scene-stealing performances of Liam Neeson as Zeus and Ralph Fiennes as Hades. I always love watching these two actors, no matter what universe they're in, and having them act together was a real treat. Suffice it to say these actors captured all the campiness of the original and make it work in a surprisingly commanding way. Sam Worthington... well, he's got that melancholy look down, and he's added fierce and solemn to his repertoire. But the original Perseus wasn't spectacular either, so that's moot.

Let's get to why people really are watching Clash of the Titans: the monsters. I found them to be an improvement almost all across the board. The scorpions have made a purely logical transition to CG, and it comes across nicely. Calibos doesn't look like a troll anymore, which is refreshing. And the Kraken... well, there's no comparison. It's easy to see where a lot of the creative juices and money went in this picture.

Why the Pegasus is black in the remake has no real explanation, other than to stand out. There's nothing wrong with the original, so the change was pointless. Medusa was a bit of a disappointment. She was one of the best things about the eighties version, and in this one, with everything fiercer, she doesn't stand out at all. She in fact loses some of her fright factor from the original. Sad.

Other than that, there's not much to say. The pacing was good, and kept me from going to the bathroom any time in the two hours the movie was playing. The score was nicely energetic, but not memorable. All in all, see it if you enjoy a good summer blockbuster and want to see one a month early, before the season starts with Iron Man 2. But to be honest, I liked The Lightning Thief better.

My rating: 6.5/10

Coming Soon: LOST Season 3. And some books. Really. I promise. Harry Dresden won't be the only thing you get this month.

Fool Moon

2010-04-08T17:15:00.003-05:00

I enjoyed Storm Front, Book 1 of the Dresden Files, about a year ago, and I finally got around to reading the sequel. Once again, I'm going to keep it brief, because it's a quick read.

For Harry Dresden, the only registered wizard in the Chicago phone book, business has been pretty much dead. And that's dead dead, not like a vampire or a zombie or anything. But a few things change for the worse when he actually does get a job. Because there are bloody paw prints left at the scene of the crime. And there are tooth marks on the corpses of the deceased. Really, if you can't figure out what the big deal is, you need to get out more.

As always, Jim Butcher's writing style is crisp, fluid, and full of character. It comes right off the page smoothly, adding to the mental movie of the proceedings that you will immediately have. And speaking of character, let's talk about Harry Dresden himself. Butcher isn't afraid to put the titular Dresden through the wringer, and it's astounding how low he gets beaten.

But perhaps the most remarkable aspect of it all is how Butcher still keeps the story feeling fun, even with all the darkness that goes on. There is murder, betrayal, and copious amounts of both guilt and angst, but the story stays fun. Bob, the enchanted talking skull, is a hoot, and Dresden frequently exchanges witty banter. Part Sam Spade, part Malcolm Reynolds, Dredsen's is an entertaining voice to tell the story with.

I know I'll read Book Three, Grave Peril, at some point, as this was an improvement upon the first.

My rating: 9/10

Coming Soon: The Clash of the Titans remake.

LOST: Season 2

2010-04-03T10:34:00.002-05:00

4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42.

Have I got your attention yet?

Good. Since I recently jumped on the LOST bandwagon, I've found there is much to enjoy and surprise in this show. I was worried this season's review would be a bit shorter, and looking back over it, I'm afraid I'm right.

Here goes. LOST: Season 2 lives up to Season 1's potential, taking some unanswered questions and answering them by way of making you ask another question. The show whirls you around, constantly going in different directions and dealing with different mysteries. Here's the thing, though: it works. It still holds together remarkably well, and by all accounts it should have fallen apart rapidly.

There's little left to say. The high production values, quality of acting, and head-scratching goodness of the scripts are back in spades, and it doesn't disappoint.

Some favorite episodes of mine:

Man of Science, Man of Faith: It's high time we found out what was inside the hatch, and that is the very first thing we see in Season 2. But, of course, it's not what you expect. It's not even close to what you expect.

The Other 48 Days: Guess what? There are more survivors of the fateful crash of Oceanic Flight 815. But their month and a half has been a little less positive than the one experienced from the survivors of the fusilage. And that's saying something.

Lockdown: Trouble in the hatch. A blast door shuts on Locke and he needs to depend on a prisoner to save him. He gets much more than he bargained for, though, and stumbles upon a major clue.

Two for the Road: A betrayal. An escape. And two murders. This is where the real end game of the season begins, and it's really quite shocking. Really.

?: Yes, that's the full title of the episode. Locke, with the help of Mr. Eko, makes good use of the clue he found, but what he finds at a strange DHARMA (not explaining that here) location will test his faith in the Island and drastically change his perspective.

Live Together, Die Alone: In this double-length season finale, Jack, Kate, Sawyer, and Hurley follow a known traitor into a trap. Meanwhile, at the hatch, Locke works with a familiar face to make a potentially cataclysmic decision regarding the hatch. And wow, does it have a whopper of a cliffhanger.

I'll admit, I've heard that this show hits a bit of a slow spot midway through the series, but LOST: Season 2 is not it. This is relentless, mysterious entertainment at its best, and something that will surely be remembered for a long while.

My rating: 10/10

Coming Soon: Fool Moon (Book Two of the Dresden Files).

A STAR WARS Retrospective

2010-03-30T17:15:00.004-05:00

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...

These are the movies that brought a sense of wonder to a generation (although not mine). They inspired a generation to create, no matter what stood in their way, and dream BIG. The STAR WARS Saga is a testament to what makes going to the movies such an experience, Gungans and all.

Recently, a couple of other geeks and I (yes, I'm a geek, I've accepted it and am proud of it) banded together to do the rarely-attempted movie viewing trial of a lifetime. That's right, we watched all six of the movies, back to back, in chronological order. The way George Lucas envisioned them, and the way few really experience them.

And I've learned some things from it. First of all, if you're a new viewer, HEED THIS WARNING. You will enjoy the STAR WARS Saga immensely more if you begin with Episode IV-- A New Hope. There are great, classic moments which will only be ruined if watched in chronological order, or their significance will be lost, at least. And the original does the best job of introducing the viewer to the overarching story, in medias res.

So here's a little play-by-play of my thoughts while watching the Saga of a lifetime.

Episode I-- The Phantom Menace: Another reason to start with the 1977 movie. While it is fun, and the effects still hold up, the film is a lot more childish than the rest of the Saga. I enjoy little moments when Jar Jar is talking and the Jedi are looking at him, annoyed, as if silently pleading he shut up. It's also interesting to look at some of Anakin's lines and see how loaded they are as foreshadowing. I love Liam Neeson in a totally non-romantic way, so his appearance here is much appreciated. John Williams's score is epic in scope, especially the climactic piece, Duel of the Fates. And there's quite a bit of eye candy like only STAR WARS can deliver.

My rating: 7.5/10

Episode II-- Attack of the Clones: The Saga's weakest link. The acting is at its low point, partially because of George Lucas's diminishing ability to write dialogue, partially because of the poor casting choice of Hayden Christiansen as Anakin. He just has this... whiny quality to his voice that gets to be a bit grating over two hours. The special effects hold up the least in this Episode as well, with too much reliance upon computers that weren't completely up to the challenge. They came pretty darn close, though. Liam Neeson is gone, but Christopher Lee is present, so I can live with that. And there's a fanboyish delight in finally getting to see how the oft-referenced Clone Wars began. That sequence doesn't disappoint at all. Don't forget Yoda, either. You don't want to mess with that little green guy.

My rating: 7/10

Episode III-- Revenge of the Sith: Here we go, this is why the prequels were made. This is a dazzling tragedy of simply huge proportions, an action flick that doesn't let up, and a nice way to complete the circle began almost 30 years prior. Jar Jar is almost nonexistant (hallelujah). So is Christopher Lee's Count Dooku (aww). Ian McDiarmid as Chancellor Palpatine truly steals the spotlight in every scene he's in, being so deliciously creepy that you can't help but watch. Ewan MacGregor's Obi-Wan is so close to Alec Guinness's it's frightening, from both appearance to mannerisms and inflection. And the final duel between Obi-Wan and Anakin is stunning, complete with Battle of the Heroes, John Williams's finest hour. A random thing I noticed: In the opening shot, one of the pieces of shrapnel from where a ship has been blasted is actually a tiny kitchen sink. I guess the animators decided they'd already thrown everything else in, so what the hey.

My rating: 9/10

Episode IV-- A New Hope: This is one of my favorite movies, period. There's a timelessness to it that has captivated me since I saw it for the first time at age 4, and it the best way to enter the STAR WARS Saga. I don't know where to begin, but let's just say it draws you in, right from the very first shot and that imposing Star Destroyer. This film holds up remarkably well, and it's use of the Joseph Campbell archetypal "Hero with a Thousand Faces" makes it easily accessible. James Earl Jones has the perfect menacing voice for Darth Vader. Harrison Ford as Han Solo is always fun to watch. Simply put, a classic that defies time.

My rating: 10/10

Episode V-- The Empire Strikes Back: Another movie event from the mind of George Lucas, a cinematic achievement that enchants the mind and arrests the eyes. The characters are put through some really dark stuff here (not like Revenge of the Sith, but still dark), and it enthralls from start to finish. Standout moments include Frank Oz's masterful puppeteering of the eccentric Yoda, the carbonite freezing scene (did you know that Harrison Ford improvised his "I know" line?), and the game-changer of a lightsaber duel... which has one of the greatest reveals in movie history. All in all, a must-see.

My rating: 10/10

Episode VI-- Return of the Jedi: I can't give much away about the plot here, so I'll just say that everything comes to a head in this chapter. Yes there were some bizarre moments (here's looking at you, Ewoks-- and you want to click on that), but it still works marvelously well. Some randon thoughts now. I like this version of Jabba the best. The weird tentacle guy behind him will occasionally open his mouth as if he is silently screaming, which I find to be mildly hilarious. At the end of the DVD version, there's a shot of a celebration on Naboo. Atop one of the buildings, there are a bunch of Gungans, one of which is unmistakably shouting, "Weesa free!" So yes, Jar Jar lives, but only in an Easter Egg from the filmmakers. I love the musical cue with the low voices at the climax of the lightsaber duel between Vader and Luke. And seeing the whole thing end always makes me a little bit sad, since that's the last Episode there will more than likely ever be.

My rating: 9.5/10

So that's that, in a pretty overlong post. I don't know how many of you made it to the end, but congratulations if you did. This movie marathon of epic scope is not for the faint of heart, and I would only recommend it to the greatest of STAR WARS afficionados. You'll probably be delirious by the end, and you'll have uncovered a few new Easter Eggs. I will return again very soon with the second season of LOST, as well as a bunch of books in no particular order.

May the force be with you. Always.

The Writer

LOST: Season 1

2010-03-25T19:24:00.003-05:00

I'm not one to jump on the bandwagon. If something's big, chances are I'll get to it in the next few years. It's just not major for me. I planned on waiting until this monster of a show was completely finished with its sixth and final season (airing now) before watching the whole show, straight through. I planned on getting the story without ever having to wait. Well, LOST has such a good reputation, I just couldn't help myself when I found Season 1 for a great price. So I watched it. And yeah, the hype was right.

The plane crash is just the beginning. 48 survivors are stranded on a beautiful Pacific island after Oceanic Flight 815 crashed, and they must band together if they have any hope of returning home in one piece. Of course, this isn't just Cast Away on TV. There's no Wilson or any of that. The island itself is surrounded in mystery, and the survivors must investigate it if they have any hope of lasting until a hoped-for rescue arrives.

This show starts fast and weaves so many threads together. It's hard to describe, and the later seasons may be beyond description that doesn't veer into spoiler-tastic territory. Suffice it to say I really like the structure and just the writing overall. This show keeps its cards close to its chest, unveiling mystery after mystery until your head feels like it's going in circles. And the characters are three-dimensional and well fleshed-out. All in all, a success.

So here are my favorite episodes:

Pilot: This is what all pilots were meant to be. It's totally gripping, from the very first minute until the last, where the question is finally asked... "Where are we?"

Walkabout: The first episode centered around the enigmatic Locke, who believes the island to be miraculous. Truly a head-scratcher of a development.

Confidence Man: An episode centered around one of fans' favorite characters, Sawyer, begs the question of whether Sawyer should be feared...or pitied.

Numbers: 4, 8, 15,16, 23, 42. That's all I need to say. The numbers that have puzzled viewers for half a decade make their first appearance, through a character you don't expect.

Do No Harm: A Jack-centered episode where HUGE events happen. There is both a birth and a death, and things are being stretched pretty thin.

Exodus: The raft is ready, and things look like they could possibly wrap up here... until a plume of smoke is seen on the island, meaning the Others are coming. Season 1 ends with the island's harsh lesson that appearances can be deceiving.

In short, LOST: Season 1 is a tour-de-force of story, action, characters, and intrigue that is compulsively watchable and addictive as the heroin that a certain rockstar possesses. I recommend watching it yesterday, if you aren't already hooked.

My rating: 10/10

Coming Soon: A STAR WARS retrospective, From a Buick 8, and Empire in Black and Gold.

A Gift of Ice

2010-03-21T16:52:00.002-05:00

Well, I can't stay away from James Dashner's writing for too long, it seems, not when there are still books of his to be read. This time, it's the continuation of the Jimmy Fincher Saga. I enjoyed Dashner's debut novel and start to the series, A Door in the Woods, last year, a quick and easy read that still packed a lot of story in. So now I move onto the second volume: A Gift of Ice.

And what do you know? It's better.

After opening a door found in the forest near his house, Jimmy Fincher was given The Shield, the first of four Gifts needed to combat the fearsome Shadow Ka. With it, he's practically invincible... until the Bosu Zoku show up.

Jimmy, now in Japan, has the Sounding Rod thrust upon him, and it stops the effects of The Shield. Jimmy himself can and does activate it, but he doesn't know how. Now, he's powerless against the forces of evil, and he'll need all the help he can get.

That help will come in the form of the Alliance, a bizarre group dedicated to ensuring Jimmy receive all four Gifts and save the world. And they know where to find the second Gift... but beware, the Stompers are coming.

James Dashner shows real improvement in his writing from A Door in the Woods here. While the style is still not up to the heights of The 13th Reality or The Maze Runner, it's still definitely his, and it's definitely good. He has a way of keeping your eyes glued to the pages and your hands turning them, and his mix of wit, action, and heart is always compelling.

There are some great new developments this time around, with some huge, game-changing events occuring at the end. New characters are introduced, along with, once again, a wealth of story. I think A Gift of Ice could be twice as long and still work, though Dashner's minimal, fast-paced writing has its own unique draws. This book is about 50 pages longer than its predecessor, though, which was good. Dashner had noticeably more time to breathe, even at the book's breakneck speed.

His trademark creativity, which was what initially drew me into The 13th Reality, is present here, in spades. Jimmy's transformation from carefree fourteen-year-old to almost superhero status in less than 500 pages is well handled, and I can always get a clear visual picture of what is happening.

In other words, bring on The Tower of Air. At least, as soon as I can find it. I may have to order it off Amazon now...

My rating: 9/10

Coming Soon: A STAR WARS retrospective, LOST: Season 1, and Empire in Black and Gold.

Lord Sunday

2010-03-18T10:57:00.002-05:00

This is a series I've been invested with since the beginning. The Keys to the Kingdom is perhaps the most ambitious project Garth Nix has attempted to date, and it's probably his most original and enjoyable, too. Mister Monday, published in 2003, gave readers a taste of what to expect, and a good intro. Grim Tuesday is probably my least favorite in the series, although it's still enjoyable. Drowned Wednesday, the longest, was solid and mixed up what looked like the formula for the books. FYI, there is no strict formula, really. There are some things that need to be done in all of them, but not done in any sort of formula.

Sir Thursday introduced a couple of the biggest conflicts in the series, and did so with a lot of good action and character development. Lady Friday was weirder than the others, but there were some really good ideas there, too. Superios Saturday, the shortest of the bunch, was great in setting up a lot of stuff, and its cliffhanger ending left me waiting with bated breath (for a year and a half) for Lord Sunday. Now it's here, the ending to a series I've been reading since 2003. So how was it? That's for me to know and you to find out.

On the seventh day, there was a choice...

Arthur Penhaligon has fought six of the seven Trustees in the House for their Keys, and he's in a tight spot. Saturday has successfully entered the Incomparable Gardens, domain of Lord Sunday, as she has been trying to do for millennia. The Piper's army is also making its way there, and the Nithling hordes are devouring everything in their path. Nothing is destroying the House.

Meanwhile, Leaf is taken from her home by the Reaper, a servant of Lord Sunday's, but is forced to serve another purpose entirely. Arthur, who has sacrificed his humanity to save the House and the Secondary Realms, has one final struggle ahead of him. One more Trustee. One more part of the Will to free. One more Key to obtain. But Lord Sunday's Key is paramount, the most powerful one of all, and it will take still another sacrifice before the Will of the Architect can be done.

And here's a biggie: What does the Architect even want, anyway?

I come to the last page of Lord Sunday with thoughts of how much I've changed since starting this series. Relatives have died and moved. I've written a couple of unpublished books. I've learned how to play a musical instrument and how to speak a different language (albeit with what is probably terrible grammar). I'm a different person than I was when I started The Keys to the Kingdom. So, with that said, I would not have liked the ending if I was the same person as I was when I started this series. I would have been furious.

But I've changed, and so has Arthur Penhaligon. And these changes have made the path that Arthur is on go an entirely different place than he imagined. Except, deep down, he had an idea that it would come to this. And looking at the ending with these different eyes, and seeing the risky move that Garth Nix took (no, it's probably not what you're thinking, calm down) I actually really like it. Arthur is a hero in that he will take the hard path if it's the right one, no matter what kind of trial he will face. He's a good person, and the ending of this series reflects it. So I can see that this was the right course of action for Garth Nix to take.

Don't worry, Lord Sunday still has all the action, humor, and eccentricities that make this series so enjoyable, and it has them in spades. So don't go into this expecting something horribly somber. The ending will be divisive in the greatest sense, but when you think about it, it's really the right way to end it. Bravo, Garth Nix, and job well done.

My rating: 10/10

Coming Soon: A Gift of Ice and Empire in Black and Gold. Maybe in that order.

FANG

2010-03-16T11:19:00.002-05:00

James Patterson's uber-bestselling series Maximum Ride is back for a sixth installment. I have to admit I've had a waning relationship with this series. The first three, now branded as The Fugitives, had a tightly wound narrative and a serialized feel. It was one long book divided into three, with action, suspense, and grit, with just a hint of romance. A well-balanced, addictive brew.

Then James Patterson decided to continue the story by continuing on with the loose ends from the trilogy, and we got The Final Warning, the most divisive book in the series. While it was nice to see the characters again, the sense of immediacy was absent, the tone was a lot lighter, and there was a real green streak running through it all. In fact, the climax involved Global Warming... which then proceeded to overshadow the characters. And it was only 250 pages long. So I was disappointed, naturally.

I still read Book Five, MAX, when it came out. While it was a serious step up from number four, it felt like a different series. The plot was episodic. There was only one significant bit of character development that carried over into the next book, and it was pretty much inevitable. So it's a love-hate relationship.

That said, I approached FANG, released just yesterday, with some degree of skepticism, expecting a book not unlike MAX, with a self-contained adventure with a few environmental themes. So I was surprised to find something more akin to the original three. In fact, it's darker than any book since probably The Angel Experiment, and there haven't been as many long-range devolpments to both the plot and the characters since Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports. Is that enough titles I've tossed around?

Max and Fang are a couple. If you didn't know that, you're a year late to the party. They seem to be about perfect for each other... so leave it to Angel, the creepiest girl since River Tam, to mess things up. And things get really messed up. You see, she says that Fang will be the first to die.

And soon.

Throw in perhaps the most evil villain this series has seen since the beginning, a better connection to the series as a whole, and Dylan, another bird kid created to be Max's perfect match (creepy), cnd you've got more than enought material to fill this slim volume. I wouldn't have minded a bigger page count, but at least it's bigger than Book Four. Actually, it's almost the exact same length as MAX.

This book and the last one form a nice complete set, with MAX building everything up and FANG proceeding to tear it all down, piece by piece. There's some serious character development here, and only a few scenes I found to be repetitive. The direction Patterson takes the story is shocking in the way it hasn't been in years, and it never gets that over-the-top environmental exposition that had come to mar the past couple of volumes.

The book ends on the biggest cliffhanger perhaps to date, with one of the characters doing something that will have repercussions for a long time coming. The mysteries are deepening, and it seems clear that Patterson is falling back in love with Maximum Ride, which he's said before is his favorite series. It's a fantastic return to form, and all he can do from here is make it longer.

Welcome back, James Patterson. We've missed you.

My rating: 9.5/10

Coming Soon: The Keys to the Kingdom: Lord Sunday.

Peter and the Sword of Mercy

2010-03-15T18:21:00.003-05:00

And now, for your reading pleasure, the fourth and final volume in the Starcatchers Trilogy: Peter and the Sword of Mercy, by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson!

It's 1902, twenty-some-odd years after the tumultuous events of Peter and the Secret of Rundoon. Peter, along with the Lost Boys and everyone else on Mollusk Island/Never Land, hasn't aged a day, but outside, time has passed. Molly Aster has married George Darling, and they have three children-- John, Michael, and Wendy. The latter is the most troublesome, just like her mother.

One night a strange visitor from Molly's past visits her with grave news. It's James, one of Peter's original Lost Boys, and he is working with Scotland Yard. He is suspicious that Prince Albert Edward, under the influence of Baron Von Schatten, is being twisted. And who does he think Von Schatten is? Well, it's a blast from the past, and I'll give you a hint: his name starts with Lord and ends with Ombra.

But why is Ombra in London (again)? The Cache-- a secret store of starstuff that fell to Earth centuries ago and is hidden underground. Of course, it's near impossible to find, and can only be opened with a key that is impossible to use. What is this key? The Sword of Mercy, a legendary broken sword kept with the Crown Jewels.

Molly (and Wendy, who listened in on her talk with James) know they'll need help. Someone who knows all about starstuff from personal experience. Someone with a youthful vigor who can fight Ombra. I'll give you three guesses as to who, and the first two don't count.

(Yeah, it's Peter.)

This volume has a different feel from the first three, a mix between The Da Vinci Code and the most recent Indiana Jones movie. There's a nice treasure hunt vibe, mixed with a new generation of resourcefulness a la Wendy. The writing is solid, as always, and I like how this is really a direct "prequel" to Peter Pan. It was also good to give some more permanent closure to loose threads that the original three Starcatchers books created that weren't present in the classic.

But there is one distinct problem that this book's existence, however fun, brings about. The entire plot, to a small degree, feels pointless, because all the pieces need to be in the same place at the ending as they were at the beginning. It nagged at my mind throughout the reading, and detracted from the novel's sense of urgency, which was already not very high just because of its nature as a prequel.

Still, it's nice to see these characters one last time, and I'd still say that the Pseudo-Prequels are worth a read. And that's my two cents on this series, flying pretty furiously through all the reviews in the space of a week. And more reviews will be up soon.

My rating: 8.5/10

Coming Soon: FANG.

Peter and the Secret of Rundoon

2010-03-14T15:37:00.002-05:00

And now, Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson present the final novel in the Starcatchers trilogy and the penultimate novel in the Peter Pan Pseudo-Prequel franchise: Peter and the Secret of Rundoon. A more compact and concise volume than Peter and the Shadow Thieves, it has a lot to do-- namely, getting everything into place for Peter Pan, sort of. Except the novel's events take place about 20 years before the actual classic begins. So not really into place, but getting into a lull that could last a couple decades.

But I digress.

Remember how, in Peter and the Starcatchers, Peter and Molly were on a ship headed for Rundoon? Well, they've finally ended up there, and guess what? It's not a very nice place. King Zarboff rules the land with an iron fist (and the help of his pet snake, Kundalini, who eats anyone he doesn't like).

But that's not all. Remember Lord Ombra, from Peter and the Shadow Thieves? Of course you do. He's evil, remember? He's none too pleased that things didn't go according to plan in Book 2, and now the scale of his schemes have increased. Here's a hint: first Peter, then the world!

To top it off, on Mollusk Island, aka Never Land, there's a tribal war going on, and the vicious Scorpions look like they'll conquer Peter's allies. Shining Pearl, the chief's daughter, thinks she has an idea of how to stop them, but it'll be risky...

I've noticed a parallel between the Disney-published Pseudo-Prequels and their Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise. There was a stand-alone based off an already established Disney franchise (featuring pirates, no less), and the stand-alone did so well that other installments were planned, designed to be more interconnected and come out a year apart. The second installment, released in 2006, had about as much story as the first one, if not a little less, but was longer and felt more bloated. The third, released in 2007, was even more packed, convoluted, and outlandish than the previous two, but significantly better than the second one.

See what I mean?

And this volume will be more divisive than the others, simply because it's weirder. But it's still a lot of fun, and makes a great ride to the finish that can't be put down. It's a nice change of scenery from the previous one, expanding the number of locales even farther. The adventure runs as high as Peter can fly, and there's a particularly memorable sequence that involves both, as depicted on the cover.

Did I mention that I really like the illustrations? Both the cover and the illustrations are done by the talented Greg Call, which lend a nice atmosphere to the book. The covers all feature increasingly chaotic moments, with Peter and the Secret of Rundoon being the most so. They're a lot of fun to take in, and genuinely make you think, when you pick up the book: How the heck does this happen?

So, in summary: Good writing, weird plot, fun and memorable moments, and some great illustrations. Whatever your stance is on Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson deviating from James Barrie's notes, you should give this series a try.

My rating: 9/10

And you know how else it's like the Pirates of the Caribbean movies? A couple of years after the "end" of the "trilogy" was released, the decision was made for there to be one last installment. And that's how we get to Peter and the Sword of Mercy...

Coming Soon: Peter and the Sword of Mercy.

Peter and the Shadow Thieves

2010-03-12T16:41:00.004-06:00

And we're back with the second and longest of Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson's Peter Pan Pseudo-Prequels. Why pseudo-prequels? Because they mess around with a number of backstory details, offering a different explanation for several things than James Barrie did in his notes. I have been informed of this after posting my review for Peter and the Starcatchers, so there's my disclaimer for the series. It's more faithful than the Dune prequels, though.

With that said, here's Peter and the Shadow Thieves. Keep a weather eye on the horizon, mateys, thar be some spoilers ahead.

The world of Peter Pan becomes more complex as Peter embarks upon his second adventure. While Mollusk Island, also known as Neverland, is far from safe, it's better than London-- which, of course, is where Peter must go. Molly Aster needs his help, because there are some new terrors afoot. First is the ruthless pirate captain Nerezza, who has a mean streak that more than makes up for his lack of a nose. Second is Lord Ombra. The Master of Shadows, he is after all the remaining starstuff he can get his hands on, and boy, is he evil...

And that's all I'm going to tell you, plotwise. Suffice it to say Peter and Molly get into a lot of new scrapes, but the sense of danger is not the highest because of the knowledge that they survive. The little tweaks suggest an alternate plotline that could lead to the major characters actually dying, but we all know that won't happen. So Peter and the Shadow Thieves must derive its suspense from the uncharted territory. Namely, Ombra and Nerazza. And they're quite the motley crew of villains, making Captain Hook look like a fool by comparison.

It's nice to see some other ties into the more traditional Peter Pan universe. These include some simple Darling characters, as well as the development of Peter's relationship with the Mollusk tribe. While the book is a bit bloated at times, it is the longest in the series, so we can say thay Barry and Pearson learn from their mistakes. It's still a fun read, one that goes by pretty quickly. Next stop, Rundoon.

My rating: 8/10

Coming Soon: Peter and the Secret of Rundoon.

Peter and the Starcatchers

2010-03-08T15:36:00.002-06:00

Here's a book that made quite a splash when it came out. It's the first of a trilogy (more recently extended to four books) that provides a prequel story to James Barrie's timeless classic Peter Pan. And it's written by thriller writer Ridley Pearson and comedian Dave Barry. This is supposed to be good? I wonder.

And then I read the book.

How did Peter Pan get to Neverland? How did Captain Hook get there, and what all made him first start to hate Peter? How did Peter come to know the natives? And why did Peter seek out Wendy on that fateful night? Some of these questions will be answered here! The rest... well, that's what sequels are for.

Peter is an orphan on a ship, the Never Land en route to the land of Rundoon when he spies two things. First, there is a chest filled with something strange and extremely valuable. Second, there is Molly Aster, a girl about his age... who is almost as mischievous as him.

The ship is overtaken by the ruthless pirate Black Stache, and Peter and Molly, along with several of Peter's orphan friends, are stranded on an uncharted island. They have nothing with them but the clothes on their backs...

...And the mysterious chest.

I had no idea of how such different writers as Barry and Pearson could come together for any project, or how their writing styles could be in any way meshed. Well, it actually worked, and the writing flowed quite nicely. The style has some humor, some suspense, and a very nice sense of wonder. It's immensely enjoyable getting to see all the pieces fall into place, and to see characters begin to transform into the characters of Barrie's novel. Peter Pan flies off the page once again, ready to be enjoyed by an entirely new generation. It's a lot of fun, and a great, great read.

My rating: 9.5/10

Coming Soon: Young Frankenstein and Peter and the Shadow Thieves.

Alice in Wonderland (2010 Tim Burton Version)

2010-03-06T20:25:00.004-06:00

OK, let me say these things first, so you'll get the rest of the review. They're the "DO NOT"s. First, DO NOT go to see the new Alice in Wonderland expecting the Disney animated classic. Just watch the classic if that's what you really want. Second, DO NOT treat this like it's going to be another Tim Burton movie. It's PG, and it's adapted from a classic children's book, sort of. So it's not going to be another Sweeney Todd. Third, DO NOT expect anything. If you do, you won't know what to make of the movie.

Now that we've gotten that out of the way, let's talk about the first "must-see" movie of 2010.

It's been thirteen years since Alice's (Mia Wasikowska) fateful fall down the rabbit hole and into a world that seems as if it could only be thought up while under the influence of drugs. In that time, she's convinced herself she's dreamed it all up. And who can blame her, really? It's a lot easier to believe it was just a figment of a mind that's gone 'round the bend. Now she's in a rather uncomfortable situation, as she's being proposed to by a downright undesirable fellow with some stomach unrest. She takes the initiative when she sees a white rabbit to follow it. Who can blame her, really?

Of course, she ends up in Wonderland.

Actually, it's called Underland, she just got it wrong the first time. No not that Underland. The Mad Hatter (the one and only Johnny Depp) has a prophecy that concerns Alice, and she's been brought back to fulfill it. What is this prophecy? Well, the Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter) doesn't like it at all, and neither does the Knave of Hearts (Crispin Glover). Why? you ask, because you're naturally getting curiouser and curiouser and haven't read all the reviews that have previously come out.

To slay the Jabberwocky (voiced breifly by Christopher Lee!).

I actually enjoyed this movie quite a bit, because I listened to my own "DO NOT"s. It makes no sense and perfect sense at the first time. There are a lot of nods to the books, even though this is a sequel to them. While I wouldn't suggest the youngest audiences watching this movie, it's suitable for a PG crowd. My favorite of Burton's little details in Wonder/Underland is the inclusion of rocking-horseflies. Which is pretty awesome.

The acting is all quite nice, with Depp's Scottish Hatter and Bonham Carter's Queen stealing the show in every scene they're in. Except when Alan Rickman is in there. Or perhaps the Cheshire Cat (Stephen Fry).

Also, the character of Alice has a nice arc in this movie. She starts from being more like the passiveAlice we know from the original, thinking it's all just a dream and such, but slowly becomes more active until she actually does some pretty heroic stuff. And it's all with the half-useless advice of Absalom the caterpillar (Alan Rickman).

There's a lot to enjoy, and if you listen to the "DO NOT"s you'll have a good time. Plus, you'll get to see perhaps the most outrageous Johnny Depp moment ever put on screen.

My rating: 8.5/10

Coming Soon: Young Frankenstein and Peter and the Starcatchers.

Mel Brooks, Part Three: Blazing Saddles

2010-03-04T19:47:00.004-06:00

This is it. The moment we've all been waiting for. Just in time for the Oscars, a review of a true classic. Blazing Saddles is a torch to light the way for comedy.

The year is 1974, and Mel Brooks creates a movie about 1874. The place is the West. It's a movie that the studio wanted to censor, that TV stations wanted to make cuts to, and that a number of paraniod people wanted to call racist. It's a comedy legend, challenging all its viewers to push the limit and go for what's really the funniest. And it is funny.

The railroad has hit a patch of troublesome quicksand, and the line needs to be redirected. But where? Hedley Lamarr (with an L, thank you very much, and played by Harver Korman) has the notion to put it through the peaceful town of Rock Ridge. The rail supervisors (one of which is played by the larger-than-life Slim Pickens) ransack Rock Ridge, really raising a ruckus (say that five times fast) and driving away the town's sheriff.

Who to send in as a replacement? Lamarr has a notion about that too, tricking the governor (Mel Brooks) into making the new sheriff someone so offensive, he will be able to do nothing: a black rail worker named Bart (Cleavon Little). What will happen? I'll let you find out, but it involves a man named Jim (Gene Wilder). Most people, of course, call him... Jim.

This movie is simply a riot. Perhaps Mel Brooks's finest film is one of his first. It pokes fun at everything, and I've barely scratched the surface of what the film includes: an Oscar-nominated performance by Madeline Kahn, a cameo by Dom DeLuise, and an ending that is one of my favorite movie scenes...ever. I love this movie for everything that it does to parody as much as possible.

There's so much I could say about this film: what it means for freedom of expression, why it wouldn't be made today, what makes it so great. But that could make you almost forget that it's really funny. Even the American Film Institute puts it as #6 on their "Greatest Comedies of All Time" list, coming up behind only a few greats like Bringing Up Baby, Dr. Strangelove, and Some Like It Hot. Just sit back, relax, and enjoy the efforts of comedy's equivalent of a mad scientist.

My rating: 10/10

Coming Soon: Young Frankenstein.

Mel Brooks, Part Two: The Twelve Chairs

2010-03-03T17:49:00.003-06:00

It's time for the second of my Mel Brooks reviews!

The year is 1927. The place is the recently formed Soviet Union (although it's much easier to just call it Russia). When a man (Ron Moody) discovers his dying mother placed all of the family jewels into one chair in a set of twelve, he sets off along with a con man (Frank Langella) to track down the fortune. Unfortunately, his mother's greedy priest (Dom DeLuise) hears of The Twelve Chairs, he goes a-hunting for them as well. And the great race begins.

This is a movie which is normally glossed over, as it is in between The Producers and Blazing Saddles. It's also not as outrageous (except in DeLuise's priest). But it's a different style from the "traditional" Mel Brooks. It's got more somewhat sober moments than most of his other work, and Brooks is only in the movie for a couple of short scenes. For many parts it barely feels like a Mel Brooks movie.

That's not to say it isn't enjoyable. It has history-based jokes (don't worry, it's all pretty well-known stuff), pure silly one-liners, and a fantastic parody of classic "chase movie" cinema, complete with sped-up characters and high-pitched voices. It's easy to see how this one gets lost in the crowd, but it's definitely worth a look.

My rating: 7.5/10

Coming Soon: Blazing Saddles... the legend rides on.

The Way of Kings cover

2010-03-01T20:24:00.002-06:00

I must say, I'm a huge fan of Michael Whelan's cover art, and I think this one is quite nice. An epic cover for an epic start to an epic series. Now I really want to read it. As if I didn't before.

Until next review (I've got two waiting),

The Writer

Cover Art, 2/25/10

2010-02-25T20:56:00.002-06:00

May 4

October

July 6

April 6

Mel Brooks, Part One: The Producers

2010-02-23T19:52:00.004-06:00

Mel Brooks is something of an icon of comedy. He's responsible for some of the funniest movies in the past forty-two years. So I thought I'd take some time to look back at the man's films, starting from the very beginning. I'm not tackling such things as the Get Smart TV show, simply because I haven't seen much of it. I'm simply sticking to the films that he was majorly involved in.

The year is 1968, and Mel Brooks creates a movie that almost is never released. It is saved, in fact, by Peter Sellers, who ends up watching The Producers by mistake. If The Producers had failed, these reviews probably wouldn't be up here. It's the one that started them all, and I love it to death.

Max Bialystock (Zero Mostel) is a Broadway producer who simply can't make a successful play anymore. This situation has forced him to desperate measures, such as romancing little old ladies, to get money for each production. In a chance encounter with an accountant, Leo Bloom (Gene Wilder), Max hatches a plot. Why? Because under the right circumstances, it's possible to make more money with a flop than with a hit-- assuming you're a dishonest man.

After some deliberation, Bialystock and Bloom discover their winner, a play that is sure to make all their dreams come true, a sure-fire, close-before-the-first-act-is-done, horribly offensive musical diamond in the rough. What is it? you might ask.

"Springtime for Hitler," of course.

With this film, Mel Brooks struck comedy gold-- not fool's gold, but real gold. There is hardly a moment I can watch without laughing at something. It's just chock-full of gags that simply get me every time. The events leading up to the play, which include casting a hippie as Hitler and hiring a director who makes his first appearance in a dress, are wonderful, escalating fantastically. Gene Wilder's Bloom is many times the audience's viewpoint, asking how everything got so crazy and why that director is wearing a dress, anyway.

But the real payoff comes when the play opens. There is a nice twist, which I won't spoil for you if you somehow haven't seen this (remedy immediately). Before the twist, however, is the opening number. Epic in its tackiness, glorious in its offensiveness, and magnificent in its failure, there is nothing quite like it. Thinking about it, I'm almost tempted to change my Top 25 Movie Scenes to put it in there. Suffice it to say, a classic, and one I watch every year at least once.

Brooks-o-meter: 10/10

Coming Soon: The Twelve Chairs.

Shadow's Edge

2010-02-22T15:34:00.002-06:00

The perfect killer has no identity, but many faces.

Beware! There are spoilers ahead!

Kylar Stern has rejected the assassin's life. The Godking's successful coup has left Kylar's master, Durzo, and his best friend, Logan, dead. He is starting over-- new city, new friends, new profession.

But when he learns that Logan might actually be alive and in hiding, Kylar is faced with an agonizing choice: will he give up the way of shadows forever, and live in peace with his new family, or will he risk everything by taking on the ultimate hit?

It's been about six months since I've read Brent Weeks's debut The Way of Shadows. I loved it, and thought it was one of the best debuts of 2009. Weeks's fast-paced, dark tale left me satisfied. I'm beyond pleased to say Shadow's Edge did not let me down. If anything, Weeks improved upon what he already laid down in the start of the Night Angel Trilogy.

Let me explain: This book doesn't suffer from middle-book syndrome. You know, where it's only a bridge, and the more than 600 pages only serve to get us from one book with a plot to the next. The stakes are upped nicely. We go from Kylar facing an equal to facing someone he believes it's his destiny to try to kill. Not to mention the mythology of the Night Angel being expanded even further. So it's big, and it's important.

The scope of the book is also much grander. More countries are visited, and more pieces are put on the table, giving us a sense of some really huge things. And the number of viewpoints is greatly expanded. Book one was all Kylar's show-- how he became an assassin. This book is about him trying to escape the shadows he has so long made his home. He does a lot of things that you wouldn't have seen coming at the start.

But it's not just about him anymore. It's got its focus on other areas, too. For example, Vi Sovari, just a very minor character in book one, has become one of the major viewpoint characters, and she's quite dynamic and intriguing. There are others: Dorian, who also had a small role, keeps cropping up, and mystery seems to follow him everywhere. Elene and Ully have some very unexpected twists. And the characters in the dismal Hole really leave an impression.

All in all, it's a worthy sequel, and a fine chapter in what is shaping up to be one of the best trilogies recently published. Highly recommended.

My rating: 10/10

Coming Soon: Something Completely Different (and no, that doesn't mean Monty Python).

The Green Mile (The Complete Serial Novel)

2010-02-17T10:37:00.002-06:00

I still haven't figured out why Stephen King is put into a box, with everyone saying that he's "that guy who writes all those horror books." I mean, his first few novels (Carrie, 'Salem's Lot, The Shining) were horror, but since then he's written in just about every genre. I mean, take The Green Mile for example. It's a serial novel, and it's not horror at all. There are some frightening parts, but it's not horror. In fact, it's downright impossible to peg this serial as being in only one genre. I mean, I'll try: Literahorrospirituhistorfantasy. See? That looks ridiculous.

But I digress. The Green Mile is a fine American novel, and one of Stephen King's best books to date.

Paul Edgecombe is a man trying to make a living during the Great Depression. His place of work: Cold Mountain Penitentiary, E Block. Full of convicted killers waiting to meet their date with "Old Sparky," Cold Mountain's electric chair. Full of fleshed-out characters, too. There's Brutal, the prison guard; Edouard Delacroix, who is obsessed with a mouse named Mr. Jingles; Billy "the Kid," who others say "just doesn't care"; Percy Wetmore, who has a serious mean streak, especially when Delacroix is around; and John Coffey. It's this last one who gets the story started.

Brought in for a crime that can only be described as truly awful, John Coffey is put on the fast track to walk the Green Mile. But there's something haunting about him. Something that will shake Paul Edgecombe (and you, Constant Reader) and shock him into questioning what he thinks he knows.

Stephen King is one of the best writers alive today, and this is one of his best books. It's a literary achievement, a book that has almost every emotion known to man contained within its pages, and it really works. I absolutely enjoyed reading this book, allowing it to take me on each harrowing twist and turn of plot. It's unique in both its approach and its payoff. And the payoff is immense. I tried to read it more slowly but couldn't. I can say the same will be true for you. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

My rating: 10/10. The best book I've reviewed so far this year.

Coming Soon: Shadow's Edge

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief movie review

2010-02-16T20:38:00.004-06:00

Now, it should come as no shock to you that I've read and loved pervious books in this series. It's a great work of children's lit that, like the oh-so-famous Mr. Potter, blurs the line between what is "for children" and what is for "adults." The characters were a lot of fun, the premise was thrilling (and a lot of fun) and the writing never took itself too seriously, to great effect. It allowed for some epic moments in a lighthearted framework.

So now I've seen the film adaptation of the first book in Rick Riordan's bestselling series, Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. Directed by Chris Columbus, who did the first couple of film adaptations for the aforementioned Potter, and with a cast headed up by Logan Lerman (you know, Christian Bale's kid from the remake of 3:10 to Yuma). It's clearly intended to be a series starter, which is good, because I want to see the rest of this series on film. I went in to the theater (crowded with pre-teen boys) expecting a failure of downright mythological proportions (pun sadly intended). But I was pleasantly surprised.

Clearly Chris Columbus should stick to family friendly fare, because that's how his best movies get made. Think about it: Harry Potter, Home Alone... that's some pretty decent stuff. The characters are nailed. I really like how they're depicted, even if they're a few years older than in the books. I could let that slide, probably because I've seen the trailers.

Bear in mind that this is a two hour adaptation of a 400 page book. So stuff gets left out. But I knew that would happen. There are some big things that have been left out, but nothing that will be too hard to add in the adaptation of the much shorter The Sea of Monsters. So I'm not too worried about the long range stuff. The other cuts I can understand why the filmmakers made. Which is a far cry better than some adaptations (here's looking at you, Eragon and A Series of Unfortunate Events and Inkheart).

The special effects work solidly, and the acting is satisfactory. I enjoyed seeing Pierce Brosnan as a centaur. Something about James Bond with half a horse's body is just hilarious, in context. And the spirit of the book is kept miraculously intact. In short, there's a fast-paced movie here that just might do well enough to get a deserved sequel, and it gets a lot more right than it does wrong.

My rating: 8/10

Coming Soon: The Green Mile.

The Day of the Year That All Men Dread

2010-02-14T07:00:00.002-06:00

Just stopping by to wish you all a Happy Valentine's Day, or Singles' Awareness Day! May you all spend ridiculous amounts of money on your loved ones (or yourself, if you're single). I'll be back with more reviews soon!

Coming Soon: The Percy Jackson & the Olympians movie and The Green Mile.

Terry Goodkind, Part Two: The Law of Nines

2010-02-11T15:24:00.004-06:00

"Trouble will find you," multiple characters in the novel say. Of course, that's absolutely wrong. If I'm reading this book, trouble has already found me.

If you've ever read anything at all by Terry Badkind, you'll know that the name Rahl means trouble. In his Sword of Truth series, it meant repetitive "non-fantasy" violence and lengthy monologues. Here, in his totally original thriller The Law of Nines, it means repetitive "non-fantasy" violence and lengthy monologues. It turns out you can take the Terry out of the fantasy, but you can't take the fantasy out of Terry.

There are spoilers ahead, but since I sincerely hope you won't purchase this book, there's no reason to stop reading the review.

Alex Rahl (yes, I know) is a struggling artist living in Nebraska. Seeing as Goodkind was an artist before he became, in his opinion, one of the greatest writers of today, I'm sure this character will be as totally original as the rest of the book. Full sarcasm implied. Well, as Alex-- or is his name Mary Sue?-- walks down the road, he saves a woman from being run over by a truck with a pirate flag. This is the best part of the book. Yeah.

The woman's name is Jax Amnell (yes, I know), and she comes from a parallel dimension (but, as Goodkind assures us, this is not fantasy) where a great man with the name Rahl did some vaguely hinted-at things. I think that even considering how bad The Law of Nines is, Goodkind is still trying to sell us the Sword of Truth series. Jax is immediately (I mean by page 3) established as a love interest for Alex. Despite initially being quite cold, and even contemplating killing him at the beginning, Jax falls madly in love with Alex in about a week. Yeah.

So, there's some prophecy about Alex being able to unite the two worlds with some kind of gateway, and it ties into the land Alex just inherited on his twenty-seventh birthday. But it's not fantasy. Apparently, when a member of the Rahl family (but not by blood, since it applies to both his father and mother...weak) turns 27, they go insane. His dad's dead; his mom's institutionalized.

Well, after an attempt to seduce Alex, his girlfriend, who happens to be a queen from the other world, decides to call in the heavies to beat Alex to submission in what is an absolutely bizarre, pointless, and stupid tazer sex scene. But that's over quick when Jax the deus ex machina fairy saves the day at the last moment. That's a paragraph I'll never type again.

Then they're captured the next day by the doctors at his mom's asylum. They turn out to all be evil and from another world, as well. How many people in this book are actually regular Earthlings like me? To be perfectly honest, not that many. But it's not fantasy. There's a drawn out scene where the characters are drugged, and I feel like I slept through it. It's quite boring, and it lasts fifty pages. After a naked torture scene (I think Goodkind has a weird fetish) they escape in a massively dull sequence of violence. It's intriguing to see how good Alex the artist becomes with a gun and a knife in a matter of days.

As the story plods along clumsily and readers beg for escape, it reveals a slew of contrived character moments and not-fantasy cliches. The dialogue is so cheesy it could be served with Ritz crackers, and the prose feels like it was written by me, age thirteen. Except I was more original. Characters magically figure out things at perfect moments, Jax becomes a total wimp in a matter of pages and the climax is extremely disappointing. The last few chapters seem like Goodkind is trying to lay ground down for a sequel. Don't read it; don't read this.

I was never expecting great things from Terry Goodkind, but I wasn't expecting this. Word gets out quickly, though. When the book came out, it debuted at #10 on the New York Times Bestseller List. Within six months, the first edition hardcover I got was languishing in the bargain section of the bookstore for $5. And that's paying too much. Seriously, avoid this book like the plague.

My rating: 2/10.

When I finished, I needed some good writing to get that taste out of my mouth. So I turned to the fail-safe King of fiction once again. Tune in next time.

Coming Soon: The Green Mile.

Terry Goodkind, Part One: The Man, the Myth, the Legend

2010-02-10T15:46:00.009-06:00

There are three Terrys that are considered the staples of modern fantasy: Terry Brooks, Terry Pratchett, and Terry Goodkind. Terry Brooks writes the Shannara, Word and Void, and Magic Kingdom of Landover series. Terry Pratchett writes the whimsical Discworld series (surely you've read one). Terry Goodkind writes the Sword of Truth series and most recently, The Law of Nines. Of these three, Terry Goodkind is unquestionably the worst.

Now I had never read this last Terry's work... until now. I knew I didn't want to read the 11-volume Sword of Truth series, whose reviews only went downhill as time progressed. So I decided I'd read his most recent, The Law of Nines. Don't make the same mistake as me.

But I'll get to that part later.

Just for your information, here are some of the pictures of the Terrys for comparison. Here's Terry Brooks:

Here's Terry Pratchett:

And here's Terry Goodlord... I mean, Goodkind:

Yeah. And this sums them up pretty well. Brooks and Pratchett are good-natured gentlemen. Goodkind is a pretentious weirdo. Don't believe me? Read this interview. I mean, seriously. Read it all. It's important for your understanding.

Read it? Good. In summary, for those of you that were too lazy, he idolizes Ayn Rand above all others (he mentions it twice in the interview), he is full of himself (for proof, read where he talks about the "fantastic" Dean Koontz), and he believes he doesn't write fantasy.

It's this last one that's really shooting himself in the foot. All his fans are genre readers. They're the only ones willing to slog through book after book in hopes of finding a glimmer of good writing. And he says fantasy is one-dimensional, has no plot, and anyone who notices similarities between his and other books is just not mature enough to read them. Wow. That's harsh and stupid. I mean, if he doesn't write fantasy, why is his debut novel called Wizard's First Rule? Hint hint: If that's your title, and it takes place in a secondary world with magic...

YOU WRITE FANTASY. Deal with it.

In fact, he says he doesn't even read reviews. So I can say whatever I want. Nyah-nyah-nyah-nyah-boo-boo. And so on.

He also makes it clear that he believes writing has nothing to do with hard work. His "look at me, I got published at age 45 with the first book I ever wrote, and I hated English too" schtick gets old real fast.

Why am I so angry with Goodkind now? Well, remember what I said about The Law of Nines? I actually read it, so I could say I've read Goodkind. And now I have, and I never will again. But what is it that makes The Law of Nines so bad?

Next time, dear readers. Sleep in fear.

Coming Soon: The Law of Nines. Be very afraid.

Breathing a Sigh of Relief

2010-02-06T15:32:00.002-06:00

I promise, there's a good reason I haven't posted since... last month. I'm usually better with this, but I've been really really busy. Doing what? you might ask, because you are all of course the greatest blog readers in the world and are certainly more concerned about my personal life than the latest book I've reviewed. Or maybe you're just asking that because you're goodnaturedly curious. Or maybe you don't want to know, but since this the first blog you've gotten from me in a while, you're going to stick around and see.

I'm a writer. Remember? It's even in the title of this blog o' mine. Go ahead and look, if you don't recall.

Back yet? Good. I've been busy because I've finally finished writing my book. Now, I've been writing this book for a good 2 and a half years now, in whatever spare time I've not been reading. So this is huge. This is massive. And then I'm going to pound away on a second draft, maybe another one or seven (you pick whichever sounds the most likely) and send it off to some publishers. Will it be published. I don't know. For now, I'm content to rest. And read.

Until next review,

The Writer

Sherlock Holmes (2009 Movie)

2010-01-19T18:00:00.002-06:00

I'm a little late to the party here, I'm afraid. It seems most everyone has seen the brand spanking new, Robert-Downey-Jr.-and-Jude-Law-starring Sherlock Holmes, and liked it too. There's a reason. It's good.

These are just my thoughts. I'm not going to tell you the story, because that could give away some of the great twists and turns the movie has in store. And there are a lot of them. This reboot doesn't try to dumb down the characters of story for ease of audience enjoyment. If you hate thinking, leave the theater now. Watch G. I. Joe again, or maybe Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. They're fun, light entertainment that will leave a nice buzz that lasts all the way until you leave the parking lot. Will you remember most of what happens in a week? Nah, but that shouldn't bother you. I'm not being insulting, because those movies are a guilty pleasure of mine. But this is different. There is some great action, but Sherlock Holmes is first and foremost a mystery.

Holmes (Downey Jr.) is portaryed wonderfully, adding a nice edge to the eccentricity and brilliance already exhibited by the classic Rathbone. But the character is great, and could be no one but the great detective. I love the moments where the film lets you get inside Sherlock's head, with a nice wit and precision.

Jude Law's Watson is a very different bird from the original, but it works. Watson here is accomplished, able, and very, very smart. Jude Law turns the sidekick into a real partner, and for taking the risks he did, I commend him.

The film moves along at a good pace, keeping the audience at the edge of their seats with action, intrugue and humor. The mystery, while blessedly complex, could truly be solved by the audience. All of the clues are there, and they make sense... if you're as smart as Holmes. And every time you guess something right, you get to pat yourself on the back.

The film ends with solid setup for a sequel that could prove to be even better than the first, with a nemesis I need not name for all of you knowledgeable ones out there. I mean, it's elementary who it is. All in all, bravo to the cast and crew for delivering a great piece of entertainment.

My rating: 9.5/10

Coming Soon: Last Argument of Kings

Burn

2010-01-14T17:13:00.002-06:00

Janeal Mikkado is a gypsy. Some of you just stopped reading this review, thinking this will be another one of those heavyhanded "traveling gypsy stories" that are so cliche. I promise it's not what you think. The gypsy element is merely present for the introduction. And it's another fantastic collaboration by New York Times bestselling author Ted Dekker and Erin Healy.

She escaped the fire, but not the effects of the Burn...

Back to Janeal Mikkado. One day, she goes wandering off, her head filled with thoughts of possibly leaving her old life behind, and encounters a man known as Salazar Sanso. Sanso is a Mexican criminal mastermind of sorts, and he's gotten tangled up in a situation involving Janeal's father. His way out: get Janeal tangled up in it too.

But things don't go according to plan. Do they ever, especially in a Dekker book? Things get so far apart from the intended plan, events are set in motion that culminate in a fire that ravages Janeal's longtime home. The survivors are so few they are almost nonexistant, all very fragile, and all keeping their identities secret.

Fifteen years pass. Janeal, now under the alias Jane Johnson (might as well make her last name Doe) is working in New York City, clawing her way to the top of the corporate ladder, trying to leave her old life and the shames that go with it behind. She finds this impossible when a news report surfaces that confirms her once boyfirend is alive-- and there is another survivor, one whose life was traded for Janeal's. And when Sanso gets involved, things will certainly turn out to be messy...

Burn is quite good. Is it Dekker's best? No. Is it better than Kiss? In pretty much every way. The twist is played up over a longer period of time, the pacing has a great build to it (one of the sections is actually titled "Slow Burn"), and the climax frames the story nicely.

Dekker has a deft hand for quick characterizations, but his bluntness, which has long polarized readers, is refined somewhat by Healy's prescence. The book is still gripping, it's just not quite as gritty. It gets quite dark, but Healy manages to soften the virtual bruises Dekker's writing sometimes leaves.

It's a nicely balanced book which, while it lacks some of the storytelling kick and vigor of other Dekker creations, still is endlessly engrossing and well worth a read. If you were... um... burned (no pun originally intended) by some of Dekker's harsher work, give this one a try. If you love his harsher work (like me), give this one a try. It'll make for great conversation after you're done, too.

All in all, bring on the next one! Which is The Bride Collector, coming this April. Yeah, he's a really fast writer.

My rating: 9.5/10

Coming Soon: Last Argument of Kings

Most. Awesome. Thing. Ever.

2010-01-11T16:59:00.002-06:00

I don't think words can describe how amazingly, awesomely... awesome this is. I literally stumbled across this five minutes ago, and it made my day. That's saying something, because there's another episode of Chuck on tonight.

They're making a Mistborn movie.

Yeah, that's right. See the full story, as told by Brandon Sanderson, here.

Chuck Season 2

2010-01-09T19:38:00.003-06:00

Well, it's time for the continuation of Chuck reviews. Especially since Season 3 starts TONIGHT. The tagline for the new season is "No More Mr. Nice Spy"... and I'm beyond excited. No series on TV's return could bring such a fanboyish reaction as that of Chuck. Well, except for Firefly, but that's not gonna happen. Except in my dreams.

Chuck is still trying to get used to life as a human Intersect. He's being used more and more on missions, and the stakes, they just keep a-raising for everybody's favorite member of the Nerd Herd. To be perfectly honest, Chuck just wants his old life back. He wouldn't cry if Sarah was included with his "old life," but even if not, he wants to be able to live his life to its fullest. Not that anyone can blame him. He's full of potential, and the Buy More isn't exactly the best place for people with potential.

And he finds a way to get that old life back. It turns out the government is building a brand new Intersect computer 2.0, and once it's finished, Chuck can finally put all of the spying and danger behind him. Downright appealing for someone who has a wealth of options before him. There's just one catch, but it's a doozy: when the new Intersect is operational, the old Intersect must be... neutralized. In other words, no matter what happens, Chuck will probably die.

Not so fun after all.

This show has quite simply taken off. Season 1 was great, some of the best stuff on television at the time, but Season 2 outdoes its predecessor with even more humor, explosions, and dramatic reveals. The full-length season allows the show to delve deeper into the mythology of Chuck's world. Without getting too deep in the explanation, some of this involves Chuck's dad, a Dark Intersect, a major secret (or 27) about Fulcrum, Sarah's past, Chuck's ex, Chuck's past, the creator of the Intersect, and an even more impressive and dangerous upgrade to the Intersect. Yeah, this season has a lot to offer, even more so than the outstanding Season 1.

Perhaps the biggest draw to this series is the characters, and the writers and actors don't let us down here. Chuck and Sarah's relationship grows both more complicated and deep, and his family and friends provide a great foundation of semi-normalcy for the show to always fall back upon. Yes there are a few missteps, one involving a less-than-excellent episode about Casey's past, but they are, as I said, few. Big things happen more and more often as we get to the end of the season, and the finale presents us with an interesting change of direction that should provide for some new freshness in Season 3.

Some favorite episodes of mine:

Chuck vs. the Cougars: Nicole Ritchie guest stars in an episode where Sarah goes back to her high school reunion... much to Chuck's amusement.

Chuck vs, the Fat Lady: Chuck's ex, Jill, and the opera. What more could you ask for? How about one of the funniest moments from Casey in the show's history?

Chuck vs. the DeLorean: Chuck encounters a con man with his eyes set on something huge. Oh, and he's Sarah's dad. That's kinda important too.

Chuck vs. Santa Claus: Christmas at the Buy More, complete with a car chase that ends up in the store and Morgan in an elf costume.

Chuck vs. the Colonel: Chuck and Sarah run away, Fulcrum gets closer than ever to their goal of having an army of Intersects, and Casey gets promoted. Don't miss the midnight showing of Tron.

Chuck vs. the Ring: A shocker of a season finale. Ellie and Devon have an Awesome wedding, people leave their jobs, and Chuck knows kung-fu. A true game changer.

It's absolutely great, and that's the simple truth. Every episode, even the one I mentioned earlier as being my least favorite, has moments of greatness, and it's obvious everyone involved loves their jobs. It's a fantastic viewing experience that I'd recommend to anyone.

My rating: 10/10

Coming Soon: Burn and Last Argument of Kings

Chuck Season 1

2010-01-09T18:57:00.004-06:00

I've never reviewed a TV show on this blog before, but I think this gem deserves a mention. No, I haven't forgotten Burn. It's coming soon. But this is the perfect time for a post about the fantastic show known as Chuck.

The titular main character, last name Bartowski (played by the fantastic Zachary Levi), is rather pathetic when the series starts. He went to Stanford, but was kicked out due to allegedly cheating on a test. So he's now living with his older sister, Ellie, and her boyfriend/fiancee/husband (it changes from start to finish) Devon Woodcomb (nicknamed Captain Awesome by Chuck). He works as part of the Nerd Herd at the Buy More electronics store in Burbank, California with his lifelong best pal Morgan Grimes (Joshua Gomez). Dead end job, hopelessly geeky (he wears Band-Aids at the start of the pilot episode from playing Call of Duty too much)... things aren't that exciting.

But that changes in a major way when his old college roommate Bryce Larkin (remember that name) sends him an e-mail on his birthday. Chuck opens it and discovers to his immense surprise that it contains a wealth of government secrets hidden in encrypted images-- the Intersect. The next morning, he finds that these images are still in his head. Enter two agents: Sarah Walker (the beautiful Yvonne Strahovsky) from the CIA, who catches Chuck's eye before he's caught up in espionage; and John Casey (played excellently by Firefly veteran Adam Baldwin) from the NSA, who would find it much easier if he could just kill Bartowski and be done with it. Things will never be the same again.

Don't panic.

The series started with what is perhaps my favorite pilot episode ever. The rest of the show lives up to it, thankfully. It's action-packed, funny, and has great characters that you come to know and love more and more. Even Casey. Chuck and Sarah's relationship is a well-handled will they/won't they situation, and there's a lot of interesting tension that comes with this (only to be ramped up in Season 2). And the show consistently manages to juggle drama with all of the lighter material, something rarely achieved, and both actually work.

Some favorite episodes of mine (besides the pilot):

Chuck vs. the Alma Mater: Chuck has to go back to Stanford... because he "flashes" on his student ID. And it turns out Stanford and the CIA have a good working relationship.

Chuck vs. the Truth: A poisonous truth serum leads to hilarious results, but not when Ellie becomes involved.

Chuck vs. the Undercover Lover: Casey has a past after all. And it's romantic. And he was called Sugarbear. Oh yeah.

Season 1 was cut short due to the writer's strike, but it still left us with a tantilizing promise of more to come, and not all of it was so nice. Very fulfilling, even though it ended midseason.

My rating: 9/10

Season 3 airs Sunday the 10th with two hours straight of new material. I'll be watching.

Coming Soon: Chuck Season 2 and Burn.

It's Poll Time!!!

2010-01-05T17:29:00.002-06:00

Nothing like starting off the year with a good poll. I'm having some trouble on figuring what to read next. Well, Burn is next, but you get the idea. It's about time for another epic fantasy. I've been reading through The Wheel of Time slowly, but surely, and when I'm done with all of them, I'll post up a series of fifteen reviews for the entire series plus the prequel. So that's taken care of.

Here are the candidates:

Shadow's Edge by Brent Weeks. I've already read and enjoyed the first book in Weeks's Night Angel Trilogy and found the tale of an assassin to be nicely character driven. I would love to see what happens to Kylar next in this twisted series.

Last Argument of Kings by Joe Abercrombie. I enjoyed the start of his First Law Trilogy, and I absolutely adored Before They Are Hanged. I doubt the ending to this series will be truly happy, but I have a feeling it will really satisfy.

Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson. I've heard many a wonderful thing about Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen epic of soon to be ten books, and I really want to see what everyone's talking about. It sounds unorthodox and exciting, and I'll read it soon even if it doesn't win. Just not as soon.

Last Battle of the Icemark by Stuart Hill. I only have one book to go in the Icemark Chronicles, and I want to see what happens to the cast in the end of it all. My guess: a lot of dying, a lot of mythology, and a lot of glory. And it's all good.

It's up to you. You hold my fate in your hands.

The Writer

Kiss

2010-01-05T17:01:00.003-06:00

Ted Dekker teams up with his longtime editor Erin Healy to deliver a thrill ride readers won't easily forget. You could have just said that and millions would buy it. Well, all you really needed to say was Ted Dekker. Period.

She steals more than your heart...

All she remembers of the last six months is her name. Shauna. Not her loving boyfriend. Not the identity of the mysterious figure who keeps showing up. Not the secrets of her abusive family-- no, those are just out of reach. But she soon realizes she's in danger. Her only weapons are her fractured mind... and something too frightening to comprehend.

All in all, this is a very nice bit of writing. The suspense of Dekker's writing is ever present, but the innermost thoughts of the heroine get more screen time here. The style is more subdued, allowing for a slower build to a somewhat subtler climax. That's not to say the book isn't exciting. Because it is. It's exciting and intriguing, and there's at least one moment that's quite chilling. I'm not going to give away the Big Twist (every Dekker novel has one), but it's very cool, and the repercussions of it are nicely handled.

The book is described as heart-pounding meets heart-warming. For the most part, that's right. Dekker, with the help of Healy, gets into the mind and heart of the female protagonist, and it provides for a great character study. Sometimes, the two don't mesh together completely, as one of the major relationships in the book didn't work convincingly for me, but it's a lot less than you'd expect from such a risky venture. It's an interesting concept well-exectued, and although it's not quite up to some of Dekker's later work, it's worth a read.

My rating: 8.5/10

Coming Soon: Burn.

Best Books of 2009 (in my humble opinion)

2009-12-31T08:09:00.002-06:00

Here we go, after the long wait! It's been a pretty good year, and I've never seen so many finales published at once. Know that this list was really, really hard to make. I've been introduced to many authors, started many series and ended many more. So, without any more of this intro (which half of you probably skipped anyway)...

Here's the list:

Best Debut (Adult): The Way of Shadows, by Brent Weeks
Runner-Up: The Blade Itself, by Joe Abercrombie

Best Debut (Children's): The 13th Reality-- The Journal of Curious Letters, by James Dashner
Runner-Up: Bran Hambric-- The Farfield Curse, by Kaleb Nation

Best Title: The 13th Reality-- The Hunt for Dark Infinity, by James Dashner
Runner-Up: Before They Are Hanged, by Joe Abercrombie

Best Series Starter: The Maze Runner, by James Dashner
Runner-Up: The Way of Shadows, by Brent Weeks

Best Fantasy World: Mistborn-- The Hero of Ages, by Brandon Sanderson
Runner-Up: Erec Rex-- The Search for Truth, by Kaza Kingsley

Best Whimsy: Erec Rex-- The Search for Truth, by Kaza Kingsley
Runner-Up: Leven Thumps and the Ruins of Alder, by Obert Skye

Best Christian Fiction: Green, by Ted Dekker
Runner-Up: Curse of the Spider King, by Wayne Thomas Batson and Christopher Hopper

Best Movie Adaptation: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Runner-Up: Cirque Du Freak-- The Vampire's Assistant

Best Fight Scene: PENDRAGON: The Soldiers of Halla, by D. J. MacHale
Runner-Up: Blade of Fire, by Stuart Hill

Best Stand-Alone: Elantris, by Brandon Sanderson
Runner-Up: Warbreaker, by Brandon Sanderson

Best of Stephen King: Under the Dome
Runner-Up: Duma Key

Best Sequel: Before They Are Hanged, by Joe Abercrombie
Runner-Up: The 13th Reality-- The Hunt for Dark Infinity, by James Dashner

Best Middle Novel in a Series: Erec Rex-- The Search for Truth, by Kaza Kingsley
Runner-Up: The Shadow Dragons, by James A. Owen

Best Penultimate Novel: Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins
Runner-Up: Whirlwind, by Robert Liparulo

Best Finale (Adult): Mistborn-- The Hero of Ages, by Brandon Sanderson
Runner-Up: Green, by Ted Dekker

Best Finale (Children's): PENDRAGON: The Soldiers of Halla, by D J. MacHale
Runner-Up: The Last Olympian, by Rick Riordan

Best "To be continued..." Moment: Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins
Runner-Up: TIE! Timescape, by Robert Liparulo AND Whirlwind, by Robert Liparulo

Book I'm Looking Forward to Most Next Year: The Wise Man's Fear, by Patrick Rothfuss
Runner-Up: TIE! Erec Rex-- The Three Furies AND The 13th Reality-- The Blade of Shattered Hope

Author of the Year: Stephen King
Runner-Up: James Dashner

Book of the Year: Under the Dome, by Stephen King
Runner-Up: Mistborn-- The Hero of Ages, by Brandon Sanderson

So, there it is. Maybe not your favorites, but they are mine. I'd love to hear your thoughts as we enter the uncertain realm of 2010. Happy new decade!

Best Movies of the Decade (in my humble opinion)

2009-12-30T10:26:00.002-06:00

We've done books. We've done this year's movies. Here's a challenge: the best movies of the decade. Or... my favorites, at least.

In no particular order:

V for Vendetta: We'll start off the list with the Wachowski brothers. This film is smart, has great acting, great cinematography, and great source material. It's absolutely compelling, and you manage to still root for even the ambiguous characters. A great achievement.

Pirates of the Caribbean-- The Curse of the Black Pearl: This is the definition of summer blockbuster, as given to us with Jerry Bruckheimer and Johnny Depp. The portrayal of Jack Sparrow is endlessly inventive and funny, the story is smart enough to stand out, and this movie revived the long-dead pirate genre of films. That's saying something.

The Phantom of the Opera: A feast for the eyes and ears. Who would have thought the same Gerard Butler who screamed his head off in 300 could deliver a performance as the Phantom-- and a good one? Another surprise is Joel Shumacher, who was responsible for Batman and Robin before this. This is hands down my favorite musical of the decade-- and yes, I've seen Chicago and Sweeney Todd.

STAR WARS Episode III-- Revenge of the Sith: The triumphant return of STAR WARS after two exciting, but ultimately disappointing prequels. George Lucas handles the tragedy with broad strokes, and it works in his favor. The standout performance is Ian McDiarmid as Palpatine, a slimy, manipulative monster whose appearance finally changes to match his true character. The saga ends on a high note.

Harry Potter (Whole Series): Adapted faithfully, this is one of the longest and most profitable film series ever made. You can tell the love everyone involved has for the source material, and although some of the films aren't perfect (I'm looking at YOU, Order of the Phoenix), the heart of the story has never been lost to the callous world of Hollywood.

Avatar: James Cameron's only film of the decade deserves its spot. It's an epic spectacle that wows you every minute, keeping your eyes glued to the screen. This is the third time I've talked about it this month, so I won't bore you all with more of the same, but it's truly great.

The Dark Knight: What every comic book turned movie aspires to be. Real-world grittiness mixed with acts of selflessness and heroism, action mixed with chilling dialogue, suspense, tragedy, and humor all thrown in. Heath Ledger's last full role is perhaps his finest, and it's one that makes us truly miss the talented young star.

The Lord of the Rings (Whole Trilogy): An epic which has yet to be equalled in my eyes. A book adaptation that goes above and beyond the call of duty. The passion for Tolkien's words is evident in the first five minutes, and it deserved every penny it made, along with the 11 Oscars Return of the King got. And the Extended Editions are-- gasp!-- even better. Absolutely wonderful.

Serenity: I'm a bit of a closet browncoat. Let's just get that out of the way. I missed the series on television, and the movie when it was in theaters, but shortly after I got hooked. Why? Because it's pure gold. Perhaps some of the best sci-fi ever made. There is nothing that should keep you from watching this. I mean, really.

Stardust: This is the closest thing this generation has to The Princess Bride. It's a great fairy tale, well told, adapted nicely from the Neil Gaiman book. It's smart, funny, and magical to watch, and everyone I've shown it to has liked it. It's one of those movies that makes you feel truly warm inside. I cannot praise it enough.

That's the best 00's (in my humble opinion). The new decade has plenty of promising movies on the horizon, and I'm sure there will be more than a few surprises to come. I, for one, can't wait.

Coming Soon: The best books of 2009.

Dreamhouse Kings: Whirlwind

2009-12-28T09:06:00.002-06:00

If you hadn't noticed, serials are becoming a big thing nowadays. There are two Spiderwick serials, Stephen King wrote a serial... they're everywhere. But Robert Liparulo still stands out and delivers, giving a serial story in 300 page chunks every few months. I started reading a year ago, and it's already part 5. the cover for book 6, Frenzy, is on the back of Whirlwind, and it's supposed to be released in March. But Whirlwind is not just a way to describe the publishing schedule for Dreamhouse Kings. It's also exactly the way to describe this serial.

They've been to three worlds in less than a day. Time isn't just running out. It's running wild.

Having been everywhere from the Titanic to the Civil War, David, Xander, and Ed King look for any possible way of defeating Taksidian, the menace who wants their house to himself, and finding their lost mother. Things are getting desperate when they fall into a trap laid by Taksidian in his own lair, but that's only the beginning.

Jesse reveals the secret of the house and of the Kings. The house has a purpose beyond just the portals it fixes into place. In order to achieve this purpose, the Kings must not just survive history... but rewrite it. The clock is ticking, and one false move could be their last.

The key lies with the hulking monster known as Phemus. When is he from? Where is he from? It's these answers that will put the Kings in greater peril than ever.

This is one of those stories that needs to be started from the beginning. It's good news that House of Dark Shadows is so well-written. Robert Liparulo here stretches the boundaries of what a serial can be, making one of the longest ones ever written. Thomas Nelson, who also published Ted Dekker, once again does a nice job, making a great-looking book.

I've really come to enjoy getting to know David and Xander, Toria and Ed, Keal and Jesse, and all the rest of the characters that populate Liparulo's fantasy. Taksidian is truly an unnerving and unpleasant figure, making several chilling appearances in this volume. I know it's been 1500 pages, but it still feels really fresh. Give this series to any child, and they'll love it. Then, when they're done, borrow it from them. It works its magic just as well on adults.

My rating: 9.5/10. I can't wait for Frenzy.

Coming Soon: The best movies of the decade and the best books of 2009.

Best Books of the Decade (in my humble opinion)

2009-12-27T06:27:00.002-06:00

Well, this is a big one. I kind of cheated on this one, with the inclusion of series as single items, but I hope you'll forgive me. These books are not the best I read this decade, they're the best that were published from 2000 to 2009. And they're in no particular order.

Harry Potter (Entire Series), by J. K. Rowling: The books that got an entire generation reading. And with good reason, too. They're phenomenal. Harry Potter's journey will be classics from now on, to be passed down from parent to child.

Abarat (Parts 1 and 2), by Clive Barker: This is perhaps the least known one, seeing as the most recent volume was published in 2004. But this insane romp through a world where there are 25 Hours in a day (capitalization intended) and there's a new surprise around every corner is a delight. And these are only the first two of five. Look next year for book three-- Absolute Midnight.

The Name of the Wind, by Patrick Rothfuss: One of the best fantasy debuts in recent memory. It balances nicely the departure from genre cliches and the embracing of them in order to turn them into something different. A must-read, and I can't wait for book two-- The Wise Man's Fear.

The Circle Series (Black, Red, White, Green), by Ted Dekker: A genrebending delight for all fans of fantasy, sci-fi, thrillers and a tale well told. The series that started the whole Books of History Chronicles. Give it a whirl. I think you'll dive deep into its pages soon enough,

Duma Key, by Stephen King: This novel has one of the best buildups I've ever seen, giving great characters before whopping you upside the head with some major twists.

The Thirteenth Tale, by Diane Setterfield: The most "literary" book on this list. Setterfield returns to the style of Jane Eyre, and this Gothic "ghost story" will keep you spellbound. Perfect for anyone who loves books. Even if it doan't seen like your cup of tea, try it.

PENDRAGON (Entire Series), by D. J. MacHale: A fun, epic, 10 volume masterpiece. Bobby Pendragon's journey through time and space has been considered to be as good as Harry Potter, and I'd say it's close.

Mistborn Trilogy, by Brandon Sanderson: This is how trilogies should be done. The first book accomplshes what it usually takes three books to do, and it only builds from there, challenging your perceptions while thrilling you. Wonderful.

Under the Dome, by Stephen King: A 1000 page book anyone will read. Gripping from the very start. One of King's best.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians (Whole Series), by Rick Riordan: Absolute fun. A magical mix of Greek mythology and 21st century life. There's a movie coming out in February of the first book; read it before watching. This series has come the closst to Harry Potter in terms of getting kids to read. Truly enjoyable.

Those were the best of the 00's. What wonders will the new decade hold?

Under the Dome

2009-12-26T17:23:00.002-06:00

I'm writing this review literally five minutes after reaching the concluding page 1072 of one of Stephen King's longest works of his career. And that's saying something. But everything is very jumbled up in my head, and it could be conveyed in this review.

There is something I know for sure: Under the Dome is a masterpiece.

On an entirely normal, beautiful fall day in Chester's Mill, Maine, the town is inexplicably and suddenly sealed off from the rest of the world by an invisible force field. No one can fathom what this barrier is, where it came from, and when -- or if -- it will go away.

Dale Barbara, finds himself teamed with a few intrepid citizens -- the town newspaper owner, a physician's assistant at the hospital, a select-woman, and three brave kids. Against them stands Big Jim Rennie, a politician who will stop at nothing to hold on to the reins of power, and his son. Because time isn't just short... It's running out.

That's the story, except it's a lot more than that. It's a huge book, but King wastes no time. Instantly, we are thrust into a thriller-horror-sci-fi epic that all takes place in less than a week's time. The characters are numerous and compelling. The writing has a wondrous fluidity that demands pages be turned (look how fast I read it). The body count is second only to The Stand.

And so much HAPPENS. The book is filled with action and suspense from th moment an airplane crashes into an invisible wall. For the first time this decade, there is a book with a four digit page count that millions of people are clamoring to read. There is a talent behind these words that earns the name King, and I find myself hoping that he lives forever. Well, at least for another sixty years.

But his writing, endlessly compelling will never die... an idea King would love.

My rating: 10/10

Coming Soon: The rest of the lists.

Top 5 Movies of 2009 (in my humble opinion)

2009-12-25T15:27:00.004-06:00

It's time for the start of my end-of-year lists! I know you're all wondering: will I ever finish Under the Dome? Patience, children. I'm already at page 800.

First up, it's my personal favorite movies of the year. Are these the best of the year? Probably not. But they're the ones that made me feel the bst upon leaving the theater. So, without further ado...

5. Cirque du Freak-- The Vampire's Assistant: I've read all twelve books in the series years ago, and I was really skeptical. But this movie shows those other chumps (do I hear Lemony Snicket, anyone?) that it IS possible to deviate from the books, combine multiple books, and still manage to give a wildly entertaining ride. And John C. Reilly absolutely steals the show. It did poorly at the box office, but don't let that stop you from renting it when it hits DVD and Blu-ray.

4. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: This shows a real maturity in every aspect-- the writing, the acting, the directing, it's all better than before. Props to Steve Kloves for balancing the right levels of deviation and impressive amounts of detail. The saga becomes darker stll, but there's enough humor to lighten it up. As if you haven't seen it already.

3. Star Trek: A franchise reboot by J. J. Abrams. Fun all around, with good acting from both the leads (i.e. Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto) and the supporting cast (i.e. Karl Urban and Zoe Saldana-- note that Saldana's work is on the list twice). The goal of this movie was to make a Star Trek the world would love, and it succeeded splendidly.

2. UP: Pixar has done it again. I've liked every one of their movies, with only a few falling below the "excellent" range. In my opinion, this is one of their best. Just watch the first few minutes, and see if any other movie gets a reaction quite that fast.

1. Avatar: And James Cameron comes out on top. This film blew me away completely, from its stunning visuals, masterful score, great directing, and spot-on acting (from Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, and Zoe Saldana, in order of appearance) that's believable even beneath the truly groundbreaking motion capture technology. See it; when you're done, see it again. Epic in every way.

Well, I don't imagine the list surprised you very much, but there it is. Comments?

Coming Soon: Under the Dome, along with more lists.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T06:53:00.003-06:00

May all your hearts be filled with good cheer, may all your Christmases be white, and may you receive many books as Christmas presents!

The Writer