That was probably the biggest question at the end of Return of the Jedi: What happens next? The Rebel Alliance just killed the Emperor, and the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Navy, now what? It's a question that went unanswered until the early 1990's when Timothy Zahn answered it in the Thrawn Trilogy.
Like all good Star Wars stories, this one is told in three parts: Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising and The Last Command. The story pick up five years after the Battle of Endor (the battle at the end of the Return of the Jedi). We find Leia and Han are married, and expecting twins (to be named Justin and Joe), Luke is a powerful Jedi now, and he is training Leia. Chewbacca still hangs out with Han, and R2 and 3PO are there too. The Rebel Alliance has now become the New Republic, which is modeled closely after the Old Republic (that fell so easily to the Sith in the prequel trilogy). The problem they run into is that the Empire may be impossible to defeat completely. An obscure Grand Admiral named Thrawn has taken command of what is left of the Empire, and is a tactical genius. His plan is to reconquer the Galaxy, a little at a time. The first problem the Empire runs into is not a lack of loyalty, but a lack of supplies, so Thrawn plans to attack the Sluis Van shipyards in order to get ships for his fight (and it sets up a cool space battle at the end).
The second book, Dark Force Rising is my favorite of the three, just like Empire Strikes Back is the best of the Original Trilogy and Attack of the Clones is the best of the prequel trilogy (if you know how to watch it). This time, Thrawn's scheme is to find the lost Katana fleet. The Katana fleet is a huge fleet of early star destroyers from the Clone Wars that disappeared. It is an interesting mystery story that also results in an awesome space battle.
Book three is also very good, it is about Thrawns desperate attempt to build a clone army at the Emperor's old cloning facility, Mount Tantiss. C'Boath also escalates his search for the Jedi twins, and it results in the only lightsaber duel of the series.
What makes these books so interesting for a hard-core Star Wars fan is the depth they add to the mythology. Take this for example: Thrawn knows that the Emperor used the Force to "motivate" the troops in the Empire, and when he died during the Battle of Endor, they lost the will to win and were beaten more easily. That is why Thrawn enlists the crazed Jedi Master Joruus C'Boath to help him. C'Boath just asks for two things in return: Leia and Hans children, so he can train them and mold them into the more Dark Jedi like him. To protect himself from C'Boath's power, Thrawn gathers many Ysalimiri, a lizard-like creature that actually blocks the Force out of its area. A Jedi is powerless when they are about three feet away from an Ysalimiri, and C'Boath's Force lightning cannot enter the Force-free area around them.
This creature also proves useful in the Last Command when Thrawn is trying to make a new clone army. He found the Emperor's cloning facility at Mount Tantiss, and tried making new clones and growing them up really fast (infant to adult in five years), however that didn't work, since they broke down and went crazy from growing too fast. Thrawn's solution was to block out the Force during their development, and they wouldn't have the problems the first batch of clones had.
I liked how well Zahn seamlessly adds new characters and aliens to the existing Star Wars universe rather than recycling people and creatures we already know. He delves into the disorder in the smuggling world caused by Jabba the Hutt's death, and he adds the Noghri race. The Noghri are used by the Empire as assassins, and they have a really interesting backstory. I won't go into details here, you'll just have to read the books.
The series also gives some depth to the characters. We see (well, I see, because whenever I read a good book it's like I'm watching a movie of it in my head) Chewbacca's homeworld of Kashyyyk, Thrawn isn't just "generic Imperial Grand Admiral number 7." What is most interesting though is that Zahn spends a few pages on race within the Empire, noting that all the Grand Admirals were humans, yet Thrawn is not (he's a blue guy!).
Overall, this is a worthy successor to the Star Wars Original Trilogy. It offers all the thrills, action, bad guys turning into good guys and plenty of Lando Calrissian to boot. I really wish they would make these into a movie already.
Heir to the Empire
ISBN# 0-553-29612-4
Heir to the Empire on Amazon.com
Dark Force Rising
ISBN# 0-553-56071-9
Dark Force Rising on Amazon.com
The Last Command
ISBN# 0-553-56492-7
The Last Command on Amazon.com
Friday, August 27, 2010
Friday, August 20, 2010
2001: A Space Odyssey: What did I just watch?
2001: A Space Odyssey (Henceforth 2001) is probably the most famous of all the science fiction films. Notice I use the word “famous” and not “most popular.” It is nowhere near the most popular movie because it leaves everyone who watches it wondering: “what the hell did I just watch?!” I first saw it when my fiancé took a class on Stanley Kubrick (who directed the film). Before he started the movie, the instructor warned us that there is no plot: this is a concept film about human evolution (reminds me of Childhood’s End , another Arthur C. Clarke book).
Knowing that, I braced myself for a long, boring, pointless movie that would last about four hours. I was disappointed on all counts, because I found the movie to just be long (and at times boring, but it is so interesting). The movie is separated into five parts: precreation, the Dawn of Man, the trip to the moon, Jupiter Mission, Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite. The Dawn of Man is the famous 25-minute sequence with the ape-men (the book calls them ape-men), where they discover a giant black monolith that imparts the knowledge of tools upon them. The movie does an excellent job establishing how harsh life is for the ape-men, it shows them unable to sleep at night because they are afraid of jaguars, and they have to fight off other tribes of ape-men for water. Then they discover the big black monolith. In the book, it is a big crystalline monolith that actually takes control of them and makes them do some rudimentary tasks (like tying a knot) to see if they can do it. Then the crystalline monolith turns into a sort of video screen that shows fat ape-men, to taunt them. Once they figure out how to use tools, the ape-men are able to kill the jaguar that is scaring them (at least in the book they do), and they fight off another tribe of ape-men. After the battle, one ape-man triumphantly throws his tool into the sky, and it transitions to the moon sequence.
It’s at the moon that the movie actually loses a lot of its momentum. I really enjoyed watching the ape-men, and now we have all these scientists and some kind of epidemic on the moon. They eventually find a moon monolith, and it redirects them to Jupiter (Saturn in the book). I think this part is so long so as to emphasize how people will lose control of their environments in space: it shows a woman who just relearned how to walk, it has a long list of instructions for the bathroom, and there is a pen floating around. We have left our cradle and are learning to walk again.
The Jupiter mission is the famous part where the computer (HAL 9000) goes crazy and kills everybody except for Bowman. The book goes into a lot of detail, but what I like about the movie is it leaves HAL’s motives open to debate, and you can come up with your own reason for HAL to kill everyone. The same goes for the Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite sequence: you can decide for yourself what you just saw. Objectively, what you’ll see near the end is a twelve minute sequence of trippy light tunnels and strange noises, and then a bizarre ending that seems to make no sense at all. It’s really whatever you want it to be, unless you read the book.
If you read the book, Clarke spells everything out for you in very clear terms, and I think that takes a lot of the fun out of it. He also goes into meticulous detail about the mission and the astronauts daily routine, which gets kind of boring after a while since I don’t really care. The biggest problem with Arthur C. Clarke’s works is that he goes into too much technical scientific detail, and it becomes much less accessible non-science people. That’s what makes the movie 2001 so much better than the book: Kubrick had all the scientific details too, but it just makes the movie seem realistic, whereas in the book it just makes it hard to read. Overall, I think this story works better as a visual experience rather than a written experience, which is good because it will only take you just over two and a half hours to experience it rather than 236 pages.
The Book:
ISBN# 0-451-45273-9
2001: A Space Odyssey
The Film:
ISBN# 1-4198-5308-2
2001: A Space Odyssey
Knowing that, I braced myself for a long, boring, pointless movie that would last about four hours. I was disappointed on all counts, because I found the movie to just be long (and at times boring, but it is so interesting). The movie is separated into five parts: precreation, the Dawn of Man, the trip to the moon, Jupiter Mission, Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite. The Dawn of Man is the famous 25-minute sequence with the ape-men (the book calls them ape-men), where they discover a giant black monolith that imparts the knowledge of tools upon them. The movie does an excellent job establishing how harsh life is for the ape-men, it shows them unable to sleep at night because they are afraid of jaguars, and they have to fight off other tribes of ape-men for water. Then they discover the big black monolith. In the book, it is a big crystalline monolith that actually takes control of them and makes them do some rudimentary tasks (like tying a knot) to see if they can do it. Then the crystalline monolith turns into a sort of video screen that shows fat ape-men, to taunt them. Once they figure out how to use tools, the ape-men are able to kill the jaguar that is scaring them (at least in the book they do), and they fight off another tribe of ape-men. After the battle, one ape-man triumphantly throws his tool into the sky, and it transitions to the moon sequence.
It’s at the moon that the movie actually loses a lot of its momentum. I really enjoyed watching the ape-men, and now we have all these scientists and some kind of epidemic on the moon. They eventually find a moon monolith, and it redirects them to Jupiter (Saturn in the book). I think this part is so long so as to emphasize how people will lose control of their environments in space: it shows a woman who just relearned how to walk, it has a long list of instructions for the bathroom, and there is a pen floating around. We have left our cradle and are learning to walk again.
The Jupiter mission is the famous part where the computer (HAL 9000) goes crazy and kills everybody except for Bowman. The book goes into a lot of detail, but what I like about the movie is it leaves HAL’s motives open to debate, and you can come up with your own reason for HAL to kill everyone. The same goes for the Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite sequence: you can decide for yourself what you just saw. Objectively, what you’ll see near the end is a twelve minute sequence of trippy light tunnels and strange noises, and then a bizarre ending that seems to make no sense at all. It’s really whatever you want it to be, unless you read the book.
If you read the book, Clarke spells everything out for you in very clear terms, and I think that takes a lot of the fun out of it. He also goes into meticulous detail about the mission and the astronauts daily routine, which gets kind of boring after a while since I don’t really care. The biggest problem with Arthur C. Clarke’s works is that he goes into too much technical scientific detail, and it becomes much less accessible non-science people. That’s what makes the movie 2001 so much better than the book: Kubrick had all the scientific details too, but it just makes the movie seem realistic, whereas in the book it just makes it hard to read. Overall, I think this story works better as a visual experience rather than a written experience, which is good because it will only take you just over two and a half hours to experience it rather than 236 pages.
The Book:
ISBN# 0-451-45273-9
2001: A Space Odyssey
The Film:
ISBN# 1-4198-5308-2
2001: A Space Odyssey
Friday, August 13, 2010
On Brand Loyalty
One of the topics for the new Futurama episodes was the "eye-phone," a phone that everyone in New New York had to have. This is an obvious spoof on Apple products and the insane loyalty some people have for them. Personally, I dislike Apple, and loved the episode. I'm a Science Fiction Nerd, and I'm a PC.
But why? Why do I like PC's so much?
The answer is that they have earned my loyalty one way or another. I like the layout of PC's and they are cheap compared to Macs. I like Target because it seems organized and clean. Other than that, most businesses seem pretty much the same. Every bank offers checking accounts, savings accounts, and will sell you a loan. Every sit-down restaurant has roughly the same menu and atmosphere. Every candidate running for governor has roughly the same platform.
Begin tangeant from my what I'm writing about:
If you read the "issues" page on any given candidate's website, they all sound the same. Take this example:
Now read this one:
Now which one is Tom Emmer and which one is Mark Dayton? They are both pro-education, they both acknowledge that our schools aren't good enough, but they are otherwise on opposite ends of the political spectrum. (The answer, if you are curious, is that it doesn't matter because neither one of them would be a good governor anyway).
/tangeant
I guess what I'm getting at is that your loyalty should be very expensive. If you get bad service somewhere, don't go there again. That's what makes capitalism the most democratic system on Earth: you vote with your money. If you keep going back to the same place over and over, bad companies will not be slapped by the Invisible Hand. My favorite quote from the Futurama episode was this exchange between the eye-phone salesman and Fry: "it's $500, you have no choice of carrier, the battery can't hold a charge, and the reception isn't very-" It's at that point that Fry interrupted the Eye-phone salesman and told him to "Shut up and take my money!" I think that's an accurate representation of the idiotic loyalty Mac fans have to their computers. "It costs twice as much as a comparable PC, and it doesn't work as well," "Shut up and take my money!" Mom put it best at the end of the episode: "Idiots!"
But why? Why do I like PC's so much?
The answer is that they have earned my loyalty one way or another. I like the layout of PC's and they are cheap compared to Macs. I like Target because it seems organized and clean. Other than that, most businesses seem pretty much the same. Every bank offers checking accounts, savings accounts, and will sell you a loan. Every sit-down restaurant has roughly the same menu and atmosphere. Every candidate running for governor has roughly the same platform.
Begin tangeant from my what I'm writing about:
If you read the "issues" page on any given candidate's website, they all sound the same. Take this example:
Since the pivotal 1983 release of A Nation at Risk, we have known that America’s schools are falling behind those of other industrialized countries. Now, more than ever, we find ourselves part of a truly global economy with workforce needs changing and businesses facing employee shortages in critical areas such as engineering, science, and health care.
Now read this one:
I will insist that some of my additional state funding be used to increase public school teachers’ salaries. The average Minnesota teacher’s salary is 3.3% below the national average. Good salaries are essential to attracting and retaining the best teachers possible, who are essential to the best public schools possible.
Now which one is Tom Emmer and which one is Mark Dayton? They are both pro-education, they both acknowledge that our schools aren't good enough, but they are otherwise on opposite ends of the political spectrum. (The answer, if you are curious, is that it doesn't matter because neither one of them would be a good governor anyway).
/tangeant
I guess what I'm getting at is that your loyalty should be very expensive. If you get bad service somewhere, don't go there again. That's what makes capitalism the most democratic system on Earth: you vote with your money. If you keep going back to the same place over and over, bad companies will not be slapped by the Invisible Hand. My favorite quote from the Futurama episode was this exchange between the eye-phone salesman and Fry: "it's $500, you have no choice of carrier, the battery can't hold a charge, and the reception isn't very-" It's at that point that Fry interrupted the Eye-phone salesman and told him to "Shut up and take my money!" I think that's an accurate representation of the idiotic loyalty Mac fans have to their computers. "It costs twice as much as a comparable PC, and it doesn't work as well," "Shut up and take my money!" Mom put it best at the end of the episode: "Idiots!"
Friday, August 6, 2010
The Sirens of Titan: An elaborate plan to make everyone just be nice to each other
The Sirens of Titan is Kurt Vonnegut’s second novel, and it is very obvious from the start (at least to me) how much his writing style changed throughout his career. I’ve read Timequake and Breakfast of Champions though, so I know what ends up happening to his writing style. The Vonnegut style that I’m used to is short paragraphs that all seem to be about nothing, but tell a complete story over two to three hundred pages. They are full of random thoughts (especially in Breakfast of Champions) that are funny because they are usually not something you think about. Sirens is different in that Vonnegut was still a young author who probably felt he had to write like all the other authors. I had a hard time believing this actually was a Kurt Vonnegut book, but there were a few elements that convinced me it was. One of those elements was the character Winston Niles Rumfoord, who is a character I’m sure I’ve read about in another Vonnegut book (I don’t recall exactly where now, it just sounds really familiar), and the presence of the Tralfamadorians, our favorite aliens that were also featured in Slaughterhouse-Five.
Now that we know it’s an actual Vonnegut book, we can start looking beyond the story to see what it is all about. Rumfoord is one of the main characters, and he doesn’t seem like a protagonist or an antagonist in the book. He’s just the guy that makes everything happen. He travels around the solar system by materializing in regular intervals on different planets. He does this because he (and his dog Kazak) flew into a chrono-synclastic infundibulum, and it turned them into some kind of wave. Whenever the Rumfood/Kazak wave intersects a planet, they materialize there. Somehow Rumfoord also gains the ability to see the future. So what does Rumfoord do with these cool powers? He stages an elaborate attack on Earth by Mars. There were no aliens on Mars, instead he has people kidnapped and taken to Mars to form an army to attack Earth later. The purpose of the attack is to unite everyone on Earth in a new religion called “The Church of God the Utterly Indifferent.” The Church of God the Utterly Indifferent teaches that God created everything, and then stopped interfering altogether. Everyone is a victim of a series of accidents, and there isn’t much they can do about it.
The purpose Rumfoord has in creating this new religion is to take away any claims that God wants this or that. It asks the questions “Why would God single you out? Why does God like you more?” Obviously then this takes away all claims to leadership by divine right. Another implication of having a totally indifferent God is that there would never be any reason to pray. If God doesn’t care anyway, why bother asking him for things, or thanking him? He didn’t do anything for you besides creating you, so your thanks is wasted on him. The Church of God the Utterly Indifferent goes another step further in trying to eliminate random good luck by making people compensate for their strengths in negative ways: an attractive woman wears frumpy clothes, the local priest carries around 48-pound weights, the most attractive man marries a woman who is nauseated by sex. The purpose of that is to try and bring everyone to the same level and eliminate jealousy. It makes everyone easier to love I guess, which is the central point of the religion: just love each other, even though no one Up There really cares.
The book is very well written. Unlike Arthur C. Clarke, Vonnegut wastes no space on pointless exposition. The other two main characters life stories are very important to the conclusion of the book, Mars’ attack on Earth is the turning point of the book, and Unk’s time on Mercury is also important. At one point, it seems that the two main characters are forgotten, but they are not. I promise. This is a very linear story with a pretty important message, and even though it wasn’t as easy to read as other Kurt Vonnegut books, I still enjoyed it. I also have a new favorite quote from it:
The Sirens of Titan on Amazon.com
ISBN#: 0-440-17948-3
Now that we know it’s an actual Vonnegut book, we can start looking beyond the story to see what it is all about. Rumfoord is one of the main characters, and he doesn’t seem like a protagonist or an antagonist in the book. He’s just the guy that makes everything happen. He travels around the solar system by materializing in regular intervals on different planets. He does this because he (and his dog Kazak) flew into a chrono-synclastic infundibulum, and it turned them into some kind of wave. Whenever the Rumfood/Kazak wave intersects a planet, they materialize there. Somehow Rumfoord also gains the ability to see the future. So what does Rumfoord do with these cool powers? He stages an elaborate attack on Earth by Mars. There were no aliens on Mars, instead he has people kidnapped and taken to Mars to form an army to attack Earth later. The purpose of the attack is to unite everyone on Earth in a new religion called “The Church of God the Utterly Indifferent.” The Church of God the Utterly Indifferent teaches that God created everything, and then stopped interfering altogether. Everyone is a victim of a series of accidents, and there isn’t much they can do about it.
The purpose Rumfoord has in creating this new religion is to take away any claims that God wants this or that. It asks the questions “Why would God single you out? Why does God like you more?” Obviously then this takes away all claims to leadership by divine right. Another implication of having a totally indifferent God is that there would never be any reason to pray. If God doesn’t care anyway, why bother asking him for things, or thanking him? He didn’t do anything for you besides creating you, so your thanks is wasted on him. The Church of God the Utterly Indifferent goes another step further in trying to eliminate random good luck by making people compensate for their strengths in negative ways: an attractive woman wears frumpy clothes, the local priest carries around 48-pound weights, the most attractive man marries a woman who is nauseated by sex. The purpose of that is to try and bring everyone to the same level and eliminate jealousy. It makes everyone easier to love I guess, which is the central point of the religion: just love each other, even though no one Up There really cares.
The book is very well written. Unlike Arthur C. Clarke, Vonnegut wastes no space on pointless exposition. The other two main characters life stories are very important to the conclusion of the book, Mars’ attack on Earth is the turning point of the book, and Unk’s time on Mercury is also important. At one point, it seems that the two main characters are forgotten, but they are not. I promise. This is a very linear story with a pretty important message, and even though it wasn’t as easy to read as other Kurt Vonnegut books, I still enjoyed it. I also have a new favorite quote from it:
“it took us that long to realize that a purpose of a human life, no matter who is controlling it, is to love whoever is around to be loved.”
The Sirens of Titan on Amazon.com
ISBN#: 0-440-17948-3
Thursday, August 5, 2010
The Dresden Files . . . meh.
For a series that boast of badass-ery all over its cover (and indeed, the cover art is really really sweet) the Dresden Files just doesn't live up to the standards of a good fantasy. It is a unique concept for a book, and the mysteries are interesting and not your run of the mill variety. However, the book is bogged down by poor writing and a self-involved main character who can't get past his own image.
Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden is a wizard for hire in downtown Chicago. You'd think being the only publicly practicing wizard would pay more, but Harry can barely make ends meet. He sometimes works for the Special Investigations unit of the Chicago Police Department, investigating crimes which involve magic. Karrin Murphey, head of this unit, is the one who hires him and the only one who takes him seriously.
I've read the first two books it this series: Storm Front and Fool Moon. I enjoyed both books, but overall, was not that impressed. After the first book, I was not particularly compelled to read the next one, which should have been a clear sign for me not to bother with the rest of the series. However, I found the plot of the first book enjoyable enough, and decided to try the next one. After reading Fool Moon I realized I really don't need to read anymore of this. The mysteries Harry works on are interesting, but the character pushes the limits of what I can bear to read, the dialogue is contrived, and as I get further into the books, the author begins to hint as deeper undertones for the series which are so cliche they leave a chalky taste in my mouth.
The first complaint I have is the main character, Harry Dresden. The books are written in the first person, so it is possible that his enormous ego is an intrinsic character flaw, but based on the level of competence I see in Butcher's writing, I'm fairly sure that it's not. My suspicions rise as I look at his author picture. Seriously, look at the guy. He's the steriotypical D&D nerd. Character Harry Dresden seems to have no major flaws, aside from a vaguely hinted at darkness that lies dormant in his soul, and even that sounds a little bit cool. Sure, he has some flaws, probably added at the editors requests. They seem out of place with such an otherwise perfect character. He is tall, dark, mysterious, stylish, and, as we are repeatedly reminded, an unusually powerful wizard. If there's ever a bad guy he can't face, it's due to him overexerting himself earlier in the story. As for his image, he makes numerous references to his black duster, guns, and powerful magical weapons, as though trying to remind his readers of how cool he is. The movements the author describes seem unrealistic, as though they're simply for dramatic flare. At times reading this book was like watching a movie with all the dramatic swooshing of his black trenchcoat.
Another thing I disliked about the story was the writing, which, as I've mentioned, is not the highest calibre. For one thing, it is first person, which can be done well, but this is one of the instances where it's not. A good first person narrative offers a certain insight into the character and the way they view the world. In this, it was like playing an RPG. Butcher plows through the story with little attention to narrative devices. His direct method makes for a fast read, with lots of action, but little art. This may appeal to some readers, but not me. After two books I still feel no connection with any of the characters, and that's quite a feat for an author.
The third problem with these books was the dialogue. What passed as witty banter was mostly just a series of awful puns and smart-alec taunts between good guys and bad guys. Most of the time it's horribly out of place, such as when Harry is talking to the head of the police force or mob boss Johnny Marcone. Oftentimes, even the narration would contain such things, followed by the words "(no pun intended)," which, as we all know, is basically the person saying "SEE WHAT I DID THERE??"
It's a shame that such a unique idea was handled so poorly. I enjoyed following the clues and twists along with Harry as he tried to discover the truth behind the murders he was investigating. However, it was not enough to redeem the otherwise empty story. I understand this author has received a good deal of success, and it's no surprise to me. People like a story with a first person narrator who really has no character. It makes it easy for them to slip into that persona and imagine they are the hero. It's the same reason Twilight is famous. Many readers love that sort of thing, and if you are one I don't mean to dissuade you or make you feel wrong about liking it. Reading, and particularly the fantasy genre, is a beautiful escape from everyday life, and everyone should feel free to experience that in whatever way makes them happy. However, if you value the art of a well crafted story, you'd best skip The Dresden Files.
ISBN# 0451457811
The Dresden Files on amazon.com
Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden is a wizard for hire in downtown Chicago. You'd think being the only publicly practicing wizard would pay more, but Harry can barely make ends meet. He sometimes works for the Special Investigations unit of the Chicago Police Department, investigating crimes which involve magic. Karrin Murphey, head of this unit, is the one who hires him and the only one who takes him seriously.
I've read the first two books it this series: Storm Front and Fool Moon. I enjoyed both books, but overall, was not that impressed. After the first book, I was not particularly compelled to read the next one, which should have been a clear sign for me not to bother with the rest of the series. However, I found the plot of the first book enjoyable enough, and decided to try the next one. After reading Fool Moon I realized I really don't need to read anymore of this. The mysteries Harry works on are interesting, but the character pushes the limits of what I can bear to read, the dialogue is contrived, and as I get further into the books, the author begins to hint as deeper undertones for the series which are so cliche they leave a chalky taste in my mouth.
The first complaint I have is the main character, Harry Dresden. The books are written in the first person, so it is possible that his enormous ego is an intrinsic character flaw, but based on the level of competence I see in Butcher's writing, I'm fairly sure that it's not. My suspicions rise as I look at his author picture. Seriously, look at the guy. He's the steriotypical D&D nerd. Character Harry Dresden seems to have no major flaws, aside from a vaguely hinted at darkness that lies dormant in his soul, and even that sounds a little bit cool. Sure, he has some flaws, probably added at the editors requests. They seem out of place with such an otherwise perfect character. He is tall, dark, mysterious, stylish, and, as we are repeatedly reminded, an unusually powerful wizard. If there's ever a bad guy he can't face, it's due to him overexerting himself earlier in the story. As for his image, he makes numerous references to his black duster, guns, and powerful magical weapons, as though trying to remind his readers of how cool he is. The movements the author describes seem unrealistic, as though they're simply for dramatic flare. At times reading this book was like watching a movie with all the dramatic swooshing of his black trenchcoat.
Another thing I disliked about the story was the writing, which, as I've mentioned, is not the highest calibre. For one thing, it is first person, which can be done well, but this is one of the instances where it's not. A good first person narrative offers a certain insight into the character and the way they view the world. In this, it was like playing an RPG. Butcher plows through the story with little attention to narrative devices. His direct method makes for a fast read, with lots of action, but little art. This may appeal to some readers, but not me. After two books I still feel no connection with any of the characters, and that's quite a feat for an author.
The third problem with these books was the dialogue. What passed as witty banter was mostly just a series of awful puns and smart-alec taunts between good guys and bad guys. Most of the time it's horribly out of place, such as when Harry is talking to the head of the police force or mob boss Johnny Marcone. Oftentimes, even the narration would contain such things, followed by the words "(no pun intended)," which, as we all know, is basically the person saying "SEE WHAT I DID THERE??"
It's a shame that such a unique idea was handled so poorly. I enjoyed following the clues and twists along with Harry as he tried to discover the truth behind the murders he was investigating. However, it was not enough to redeem the otherwise empty story. I understand this author has received a good deal of success, and it's no surprise to me. People like a story with a first person narrator who really has no character. It makes it easy for them to slip into that persona and imagine they are the hero. It's the same reason Twilight is famous. Many readers love that sort of thing, and if you are one I don't mean to dissuade you or make you feel wrong about liking it. Reading, and particularly the fantasy genre, is a beautiful escape from everyday life, and everyone should feel free to experience that in whatever way makes them happy. However, if you value the art of a well crafted story, you'd best skip The Dresden Files.
ISBN# 0451457811
The Dresden Files on amazon.com
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
New Writer!
Michelle is now a writer for the Summer of Sci Fi!
I am 22 years old, and really enjoy reading fantasy books. My favorite authors are Terry Pratchett, Mercedes Lackey, Tamora Pierce, Charlaine Harris, and of course, J.R.R. Tolkien. I have a degree in English with a minor in Art from the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth. I took a Fantasy Literature class at St. Scholastica, but found that being forced to read Fantasy is not as enjoyable as reading it for fun. I am going to review primarily Fantasy books (and maybe some sci fi every now and then), and I will be contributing guest posts periodically.
I am 22 years old, and really enjoy reading fantasy books. My favorite authors are Terry Pratchett, Mercedes Lackey, Tamora Pierce, Charlaine Harris, and of course, J.R.R. Tolkien. I have a degree in English with a minor in Art from the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth. I took a Fantasy Literature class at St. Scholastica, but found that being forced to read Fantasy is not as enjoyable as reading it for fun. I am going to review primarily Fantasy books (and maybe some sci fi every now and then), and I will be contributing guest posts periodically.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Way of the Wolf (and the Vampire Earth Series)
Way of the Wolf is the first of an ongoing series called Vampire Earth, which is currently on its 8th book. The series takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where the Earth has been taken over by an alien race called the Kurians. They have taken over the planet, except for a pockets of resistance spread throughout the world and concentrated in the Ozark Free Territory--the area west of the Mississippi. The plot follows David Valentine, one of those freedom fighters.
There are also beings called Lifeweavers who have taken the side of the humans, and they are able to impart certain powers on humans who are capable of possessing them. There are four branches of service in the militia known as Southern Command: Guards, Wolves, Cats, and Bears. Each branch except guards has certain advanced abilities given to them by the Lifeweavers (senses for wolves, reflexes and balance for cats, and strength and berserker rage for bears).
David Valentine is a resourceful Wolf Lieutenant who readers quickly come to like. He's a Minnesota boy, which gets me rooting for the home team right off the bat. He was raised by a priest after the Kurians killed his parents, and he went into Southern Command to protect others from similar experiences. Though in this book he's a new Wolf, he shows a lot of promise, and seems to be a natural leader. His ability to sense Reapers, the life-sucking minions of the Kurians, also gives him an edge.
In this book, he is separated from his unit when he goes out on a covert operation into Kurian-controlled Wisconsin. He finds himself posing a Kurian supporter while caring for a badly wounded comrade in secret. With the help of a Wisconsin farming family named the Carlsons, he is able to hide his friend, and maintain his cover. But when the family that has been so gracious to him is in danger, he finds it impossible to just stand by and watch.
I loved this book, and the entire series after it. EE Knight's writing is superb, and every story is so gripping I read it in just a few days. I have recomended this book to two other friends and they both love it just as much as I do. This book is unlike anything I've ever read before. Knight places you in a dark future, but with a character who won't allow that darkness to get through to the reader. It speaks volumes about the indomitable human spirit, and our will to fight and survive no matter how bad things get.
Every book of this series is excellent, but I have to warn you of its one drawback: after book 2, (Choice of the Cat), the books no longer have endings which will allow you to stop reading the series. While they do wrap up almost everything that happens in the book, they don't leave you satisfied. You will always think to yourself, "I need the next book RIGHT NOW!" or "I have to find out what happens next!" Even at book eight, there is no end in sight for the series as of yet. So unless you're in it for the long haul, you better just quit after Choice of the Cat. If you can, that is.
ISBN# 0-451-45973-3
Way of the Wolf on Amazon.com
There are also beings called Lifeweavers who have taken the side of the humans, and they are able to impart certain powers on humans who are capable of possessing them. There are four branches of service in the militia known as Southern Command: Guards, Wolves, Cats, and Bears. Each branch except guards has certain advanced abilities given to them by the Lifeweavers (senses for wolves, reflexes and balance for cats, and strength and berserker rage for bears).
David Valentine is a resourceful Wolf Lieutenant who readers quickly come to like. He's a Minnesota boy, which gets me rooting for the home team right off the bat. He was raised by a priest after the Kurians killed his parents, and he went into Southern Command to protect others from similar experiences. Though in this book he's a new Wolf, he shows a lot of promise, and seems to be a natural leader. His ability to sense Reapers, the life-sucking minions of the Kurians, also gives him an edge.
In this book, he is separated from his unit when he goes out on a covert operation into Kurian-controlled Wisconsin. He finds himself posing a Kurian supporter while caring for a badly wounded comrade in secret. With the help of a Wisconsin farming family named the Carlsons, he is able to hide his friend, and maintain his cover. But when the family that has been so gracious to him is in danger, he finds it impossible to just stand by and watch.
I loved this book, and the entire series after it. EE Knight's writing is superb, and every story is so gripping I read it in just a few days. I have recomended this book to two other friends and they both love it just as much as I do. This book is unlike anything I've ever read before. Knight places you in a dark future, but with a character who won't allow that darkness to get through to the reader. It speaks volumes about the indomitable human spirit, and our will to fight and survive no matter how bad things get.
Every book of this series is excellent, but I have to warn you of its one drawback: after book 2, (Choice of the Cat), the books no longer have endings which will allow you to stop reading the series. While they do wrap up almost everything that happens in the book, they don't leave you satisfied. You will always think to yourself, "I need the next book RIGHT NOW!" or "I have to find out what happens next!" Even at book eight, there is no end in sight for the series as of yet. So unless you're in it for the long haul, you better just quit after Choice of the Cat. If you can, that is.
ISBN# 0-451-45973-3
Way of the Wolf on Amazon.com
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