Monday, January 31, 2011

Book Review: The Last Colony by John Scalzi

Publisher: TOR Books
Genre: Space Opera/Military Sci-Fi
Page Count: 320 Pages
Author: John Scalzi 
 
What to do when you find yourself continuing to sing an authors’ praises again and again. Case in point: I am finding myself stymied for things to say about John Scalzi and his OLD MAN’S WAR series, since I’ve already said them in my two previous reviews.  The man writes excellent, easy to read space opera’s with compelling characters and plotlines.

What else can I say?

With the third book in this series THE LAST COLONY Scalzi brings back POV character voice from the first book John Perry. A character that is rye and wise, but also a smartass take-no-shit kind of guy and fun as hell to read about.  He is joined by his (now) wife, ex special forces officer Jane Sagan and their (now) teen adopted daughter Zoe Boutin Perry (daughter of mad traitor scientist Charles Boutin).

The story starts with John, Jane and Zoe (and her Obin bodyguards Hickory &
Dickory) leaving their colony world of Huckleberry (where John was an ombudsman) to help the CU start a new colony on the planet Roanoake with an amalgam of second generation colonists selected from ten different worlds. The only problem with that is that the mysterious 400 system alien Conclave have avowed that no one is to colonize in the system anymore…and they threaten anyone who does with swift and powerful retribution. So the crew skipping to Roanoake are headed for certain destruction…or are they. Things start to unravel almost immediately with challenges to John and Jane’s power as leaders from other colonists and with an initial twist that throws the whole story into a spin that changes it entirely.

From the moment they land on Roanoake the story takes of not only at a rocket pace, but with so many unique twists and turns that my brain didn’t know what to do. Every single turn is red-herring-less and completely unexpected. The Conclave is explained in its entirety, the mysterious Obin and their near worship of Zoe (whose father Boutin is considered a saint by their people for bringing them “souls”), and the true nature of the Colonial Union and the CDF is revealed.

The characters are even more fleshed out her than they were in the first two books, with Sagan and Perry becoming even more endearing as people than I previously thought them to be. The depth with which Zoe is handled is decent as well, though we only get a lot of her in the latter half of the book, and her Obin become major players in that section as well.

This book switches gears from the military aspect and uses the skills they learned therein to useful advantage when trying to control a whole colony of people, most of which have their own ideas on how things ought to be run. This was nice as we already had two books from the military standpoint and this book seems like the natural progression. Make no mistake though as there is still a lot of action and intrigue.

Basically I’ll say it a 3rd time. This book is a winner. A ferociously paced, action packed winner that keeps you guessing about true motives till the last few pages. It brings things to a nice close (even though there is still ZOE'S TALE which tells these same events from her POV).

If you liked the first two books then you will certainly like this one as well. Scalzi has solidified his place as my favourite sci-fi writer.

 

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Look, up in the sky...

George Reeves,

Christopher Reeve,

Dean Cain,

Tom Welling,

Brandan Routh,

and now, Henry Cavill?



At 28 years old, Cavill is the next Superman\Clark Kent in Zack Snyder’s SUPERMAN: MAN OF STEEL. He’s British and has a lengthy resume in a bunch of things I’ve never seen. I’m sure the tiny portion of the Internet who cares about these things is busy second guessing the casting. I’m just happy that the deal is done and things are finally moving forward with this project.

So congratulations Henry, I hope you look good in spandex.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Comic book reviews for the week of January 26th in six sentences (or less)

We were transitioning june-ya to daycare this week, and I took some time off in case there was a meltdown or some child on child violence. (Mine would win) Thus I was late in getting to my LCS and writing up everyone’s favourite comic book reviews.

But what I lack in timeliness I make up for in biased opinions and half-assed writing. And today, you’ll get both of those in spades.


THE AVENGERS #9
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Penciller: John Romita Jr.

The Avengers continue their quest to discover the identity of the thief who stole the Infinity Gems. Of course all that gets derailed when Steve Rogers discovers the existence of illuminati led by Iron Man who have kept the location of the Gems hidden. Cue several pages of Civil War redux where Rogers and Tony Stark posture and preen and re-ignite their not-so-passive-aggressive hate fest.

Bendis writes 22 pages of talky-talky. JRJR draws 22 pages of pretty drawings. This comic book is exactly what you think it will be.

GREEN ARROW #8
Writer: J.T. Krul
Penciller: Diogenes Neves

Green Arrow is a character that’s had a lot of difficulty finding any stability lately. He’s been a bloodthirsty vigilante, a reluctant father, a proto-Batman, complete with arrow-themed sidekicks, and a confident family man. But none of these interpretations have successfully taken. The character seems cursed by an endless cycle of rebirth that comes complete with a new creative team and a new direction for the hero. Constantly set upon by the whims of editorial it seems like we’re always trying to understand just what it is that makes the Green Arrow tick. Thankfully, J.T. seems to be aware of that fact and he’s chosen to take a slow burn in develop the characters new status quo. He’s reinvented GA as the Robin Hood knockoff that he clearly always been, complete with his own group of Merry Men. The central theme of this title has always been about the various characters exploration of their own motivations and desires. The subject of identity comes to the forefront time and again. ‘Who am I and what do I want’ is a question asked by hero and villain alike. Everyone is searching for something in themselves and a mythical forest, which offers up only more questions, is the perfect backdrop in which to do so.

In this issue Lois Lane drops by to take a look at the magical forest that has sprouted up in the middle of Star City. (An aside: are we officially calling this forest magical now? I thought it was a byproduct of the White Lantern energy.) Sherwood Forest has begun to attract attention from both the scientific community and the DCU’s magic-based underbelly. The two sides collide as each of them struggle to understand the meaning and purpose behind the forest’s appearance. It’s a good issue, a solid attempt to understand and explain the rules and circumstances that GA now has to operate by. It doesn’t reach for the stars but instead chooses to focus on smaller and ultimately more satisfying personal internal struggles.

SHAZAM! #1
Writer: Eric Wallace
Penciller: Cliff Richards

The Marvel family, one of DC’s more poorly developed properties, continues its long slide into creative marginalization. Ever since the poorly executed weekly series, COUNTDOWN, Captain Marvel and the gang have been little more than jumped up lab rats for various DCU creators to experiment with. Mary Marvel’s character was altered beyond recognition, Billy Batson was shuffled off into expositional irrelevance, Freddy Freeman’s rebirth as the new Captain Marvel was robbed of any impact whatsoever by a disappointingly received mini series that was plagued by delays and the most successful character of the bunch was the super villain and perpetual faux Superman foil, Black Adam.

In this one off, meant to catapult the Fawcett characters back into the DCU proper X X starts with the germ of a good idea; ‘Why does everyone granted the powers of Shazam inevitably squander their gift’ and turns it into a 22 page slugfest. Nothing of importance is revealed, nothing of consequence happens and nothing about this issue makes me think the Marvel family is on the verge of a creative renaissance. This wasn’t a bad issue, it just didn’t strike me as anything to get excited about. And its a sad reality of comic books in the 21st century that while you may not have to hit a homerun everytime, you definitely won’t get very far doing the same old thing.

WONDER WOMAN #606
Writer: Phil Hester (by way of J. Michael Stracynski)
Artist: Eduardo Pansica

Wonder Woman battles against the Huntsman, a minion of the Morrigan, the god of war personified by three deities.

J. Michael Stracynski’s aborted Wonder Woman character reboot seems to be bearing fruit. Like Green Arrow, Wonder Woman is a character with a long convoluted publishing history. Her execution in her early stories seems at odds with her characterization. That’s not the only contradiction inherent in Wondie’s makeup. It’s a difficult to stand as an icon of feminist ideals when you’re reduced to fighting crime in your bathing suit. Some writers have twisted themselves into a pretty pretzel in order to explain her garb and her backstory, but the truth remains she’s a hard character to write well.

I know it could be argued that rebooting a character is the lazy way out and normally I’d agree. But I’ve seen Wonder Woman as the Amazon warrior, the ambassador to man’s world and the superhero crimefighter. And none of these interpretations works for me. They’re too safe, too pat. Her character is too sure of herself and whenever an author attempts to graft insecurities onto her frame it always comes across as forced. Stracynski’s back to basics approach, an exploration of a woman trying to define her place in a world that isn’t her own, allows for character growth and exploration that the original incarnation just couldn’t handle. I know the reboot won’t stick, but it’s got me reading a Wonder Woman comic for the first time in 31 years. So that has to be worth something.

Doctor Who: The Doctor's First Appearance in 2011!

Ladies and Gents,

Considering I am a card-carrying Doctor Who fanboy extraordinaire (seriously, my girlfriend buys me DW paraphernalia for birthdays, holidays and sometimes just to make me feel better when I've had a bad day...) I thought I'd show you guys the Doctor's first appearance in the year 2011.

I bring you VIA the BBC, the intro to the National Television Awards from the UK...which features our heroic Doctor helping the host.

I love this!

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Book Review: Shadow's Son by Jon Sprunk
(Prepare thyself, no nonsense magical assassin fantasy)



Publisher: PYR
Genre: Assassin Fantasy (AKA lotsa killing)
Page Count: 279 Pages (Short, but that's cool)
Author: Jon Sprunk


Jon Sprunk’s debut novel SHADOW’S SON, a tale of corrupt religion and nobility, brutal assassinations and dark magic is as no nonsense as it gets.

Assassin books are kind of the dime a dozen sort these days. What we need here is clearly something a little different. Thankfully, in the main character Caim we kind of get it. He is without compunction about his killing of targets…if he was the one who did it that is. When an assassination that he was supposed to carry out was already achieved in a gory fashion before he arrives on scene…our man is understandably pissed. Thus jumps off a race that includes his sexy, dress-clinging, ghost-like companion Kit (who only he can see) and the orphaned daughter of that supposed target, a high maintenance socialite named Josephine (Josey) as they try to find out not only who killed her father, but also the deeper machinations and evil that seem to permeate the holy city of Othir.

In amongst that we can add Caim’s ability to “summon” the darkness and shadows around him to cloak and hide himself,  a fair number of subtle and not-so-subtle hints at Caim and Kit’s back story, (which I am sure will get further fleshed out in the rest of the trilogy) and even another baddie character with similar abilities hinting at a very dark connection between Caim and his "magic" indeed. Kit, our sexy ghost, is especially fun and interesting because we know so little about her, not to mention her ability to "scout" ahead and see into rooms for our hero...letting him know what he is in for. That added a bit of an extra bonus for me as a fresh take within this sub-genre.

Most of this is fairly by-the-numbers for this sort of fantasy. I can actually see this being something that could have been released in the 70’s, as it is a quick, easy fantasy read that you could devour in one sitting without a lot of complexity. That’s not meant as a slight mind you, but kind of a caution. I say that because there are a few elements that probably certainly required larger focus and fleshing out. There is a scene in which there is described a rape. That rape is brief (thankfully) and quite poorly worded as it comes across in a way that makes it more ambiguous than it likely should be. It is also glossed over by its victim to an extent that makes her a tad less believable, if only because her reaction should have been stronger and it isn’t. That may be just my opinion, as perhaps she is meant to deal with it in that way to forget it…it just stood out to me as uncharacteristic is all. That said other areas are tended to perfectly. Case in point, there is a scene with a huge twist near the end and threw me for a loop, as I didn’t see it coming at all. Beyond that we don’t find out all that much beyond the twist, and I again assume this will get more fleshed out in the future books.

Every last sentence in this book is used to its full measure. The prose isn't groundbreaking, and is very workman-like, let's get the job done sort of writing. That's not a slight mind you as a lot of my favourite authors write in this fashion. The book clocks in at a mere 280-ish pages total and all of that flies by. What all this means is that Sprunk writes most of his action at a breakneck pace and we are all the better, as readers, for it. Said action sequences, of which there are a fair number, are concise, brutal, magical and breathless.

In the end I quite liked this book, as it was just the kind of episodic fantasy where I neither have to struggle with complexity nor have to contend with a cavalcade of characters. The bad guys are mean, nasty and vile, and the good guys are good and heroic…if a bit gray in the beginning. My only real issue is one that I have discovered since the advent of TV DVD box sets…my brain wants me to wait for the whole trilogy to be out because I want to devour the whole story in one sitting, rather than episode by episode. That’s nitpicking though.

If you are looking for a quick, dark-yet-fun episodic fantasy world, then Caim and Kit’s world of action-packed chases, fights, assassins, magic and political intrigue will fit the bill quite nicely. It will, however, make you wish the sequel SHADOW’S LURE, was out already so you could continue the story. A quality read, and Sprunk really does have an eye for quick prose that maintains a nice atmosphere, whilst losing none of his pacing in the longrun.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Era End: WIZARD Magazine closes doors immediately

Wow. When I started getting into all things pop-culture back in the day, Wizard Magazine was one of those publications that I used to buy with regularity to keep up to date.

Seems everyone was laid off and the magazine ceases to be...

Check out the full story here:

Book Review: The Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi


Title: The Ghost Brigades

Author: John Scalzi

Publisher: TOR

Year: 2006

Page Count: 320 Pgs

OLD MAN’S WAR did something for me when I read it last year. It proved to me that sci-fi books don’t have to be super-hard SF with tropes that required a degree in astrophysics to understand, or be entirely based on politics. It proved to me that John Scalzi writes the kind of sci-fi I can not only enjoy, but  sci-fi that I can immerse myself in and escape.  Don’t get me wrong, I like my share of harder SF, but Scalzi just writes enjoyable fiction that can be ingested on so many other levels. Now when people ask me to recommend sci-fi, John Scalzi is one of the first names out of my mouth.

THE GHOST BRIGADES is Scalzi’s second book in the same universe of OLD MAN’S WAR. A universe where old people are drafted into the Colonial Defense Forces as humanity attempts to carve out its own niches in an ever-warring bunch of systems and planets. In the last book we were introduced to the Special Forces VIA John Perry’s love interest Jane Sagan. We found out that Special Forces are actually not live old people at all, but rather the consciousness of old people who died between when they signed up and had their brain scanned, and their subsequent military service and switch to new bodies. Therefore they are called the Ghost Brigades as they are technically...ghosts. This time around we don’t see John Perry, but rather we get more insight into Jane Sagan, and the Special Forces as a whole VIA our new protagonist, a Special Forces recruit named Jared Dirac. Jared is special because his consciousness is that of a traitorous scientist named Charles Boutin who gave BrainPal information to a race of aliens that are humanities enemy.

That’s where we start out, and what is great here is we get the same training process that John Perry went thorugh in the first half of OLD MAN’S WAR, but from the POV of Jared and the Special Forces. They are more connected and work more as a unit. They don’t have previous personalities in new bodies, and are essentially new constructs that have to be taught everything at a sped up rate. So you have soldiers who are only a year or two old that are weaned on only war and interacting as a mind-connected unit. It presents such an interesting look at the same things we saw in the first book from a completely different perspective and to me that was ingenious. Something that could have felt boring and repetitive, feels instead fresh and new.

As the second half of the book takes off Boutin’s memories start to surface within Jared and the CDF scientists and commanders hope to be able to control him and find out just why Boutin defected and what the other side knows. Jared finds himself going through a few transformations, some of which get him very close to Boutin himself, and what is very interesting here is watching Jared’s reactions to these situations and wondering if this was happening to me, how would I feel? Sagan is well used as a character and we get a lot more insight into her feelings, her way of thinking and we see just why John Perry ended up so attached to her (beyond the obvious that is). Jared really is the shining beacon in this book though. For a book that is a lot about human consciousness and how the brain thinks and how a brain would interpret the soul of another person entering into a new body…it is a surprisingly enthralling read. I found that the actions sequences were great, but that I was just as interested in the quieter, conversation-based scenes. In fact, this book has oodles more emotion infused into it than its predecessor. The last section contains some of the most heroic, heartfelt and genuinely human scenes in any sci-fi I have yet read. This is definitely Scalzi’s strength as his stories’ attachment to humanity and all that entails. The inclusion, for example, of a child’s stuffed Babar toy as part of the narrative makes for one of the more touching scenes of the book, and it also serves in one of the more caustic ones. 

THE GHOST BRIGADE builds on the first book, and achieves a whole new level for me of interest and excitement. There is believability about the science involved in these books, and Scalzi is adept at talking about his tech in layman’s terms that not only makes it easier to understand, but fun to read about. Contained herein is also the strains of a melody that will make up a longer thread arc for the other books in the series. Mysteries about the Conclave and the CDF and CU’s  true purposes are yet to be revealed, but more light is shed on those and I am sure they will play a bigger role in the other two books.

Scalzi, with his VERY readable books, has fast-tracked his way to the top of my sci-fi author list. THE GHOST BRIGADES is a well thought out, clever and exciting read that qualifies as one of those damn books that keeps you up long past your bedtime and makes you late for work in the morning…but to be honest I am totally not complaining!

I wholeheartedly look forward to the next book THE LAST COLONY.

Musical Madness: Amanda Palmer

Since Iceberg Ink is your one stop shop for all things cool, I thought I'd take this opportunity to introduce you to...Amanda Palmer.
If this is a new name to you I'm jealous of all the joy that is about to come into your life.

Amanda Palmer is a singer\performance artists, formerly of the Dresden Dolls but now winging her way through the musical ether as a solo act. I was lucky enough to see her open for Nine Inch Nails six years ago and I walked away from the experience having enjoyed the opening band more than I did the main show.

She is the queen of punk cabaret, a rarefied musical genre with few players in it.

But the term punk cabaret doesn't do enough justice in describing what this talented artist is capable of producing. Her musical stylings alternate between deeply soulful. cheekily irreverent and refreshingly honest. She's a sort of musical bohemian who can't be confined to any one sound or one taste.

Her most recent album, AMANDA PALMER GOES DOWN UNDER, dropped on Friday and I'm still in the early stages of courtship with it. Expect a proper review of the album soon, after I've had more time to digest it. The video above, Map of Tasmania, is the first single from the album, but a very poor example of what she's capable of creating. (I'd be really bad at marketing wouldn't I? Trying to turn people on to an artist by showing off her less powerful creations)

For a definitive AP album, I recommend her first solo endeavour, WHO KILLED AMANDA PALMER? It's a powerful, soulful disc that ensnares you with its rich musical melodies, naked lyrics and captivating arrangements.

If you're looking for something that's a little off the beaten path but still refreshing and charismatic, welcome home.

Here's a link to Astronaut, my fave song from her first album.

Friday, January 21, 2011

Book Review: THE TOWERS OF MIDNIGHT by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson


I’m going to give you the Reader’s Digest summary of events for the TOWERS OF MIDNIGHT. I figure if you’re reading a review for book 13 of a 14 book series then...

a) you don’t want me to be spoiling too much of the plot for you and
b) you’re probably pretty familiar with the characters involved and where things are heading anyway.

So, let's recap shall we? In this book, Perrin continues to struggle with his new found station as lord and commander over one of Rand’s ragtag armies, Egwene works to bring the fractious splinters of the White Tower under her control, Mat stalks the dangerous assassin known as the Gray Man through the streets of Caemlyn and Rand al’Thor, the Dragon Reborn, works feverishly to prepare his forces for the Final Battle he knows is sure to come.

(and much, MUCH more)

It’s clear now that what Robert Jordan hath sewn, Brandon Sanderson is reaping.

This both saddens and elates me.

On his own, Robert Jordan wrote the first eleven books, as well as a prequel title, in the wildly popular THE WHEEL OF TIME series. After Jordan’s untimely death in 2007, battling cardiac amyloidosis, Brandon Sanderson picked up the literary torch with the blessing of Jordan’s widow and has been working steadily at wrapping this lengthy series up.

And I have to say, for the most part, he’s been doing a bang up job.

When I read his first foray into the WoT universe, 2009’s THE GATHERING STORM, I couldn’t help but scrutinize the pages for signs of Sanderson’s personal literary voice.

I was concerned that a new author might not be able to inhabit or seamlessly channel the characters of this distinctive universe without accidentally putting their own stamp on it. After all, Jordan had 12 WoT books under his belt (yes, I’m counting the prequel) and was the sole architect of this expansive world. How could an outsider ever hope to fill those shoes?

But, credit where credit is due, Brandon Sanderson was able to absolutely and unequivocally nail it…kinda.

Before you break out the tar and feathers hear me out.

I think you’d be hard pressed to find a WoT fan who wouldn’t cop to the fact that somewhere around the fifth or sixth book the pace of events started to slow down a lot. This was a result of expanding the series beyond its initial ten books*. Suddenly the same amount of material was expected to be streeeeetched over a greater number of novels.

Presumably Jordan filled the empty pages by padding the development of his central characters. And I couldn’t help but notice that secondary characters suddenly gained a greater prominence in the series, with a large number of chapters being devoted to the resolutions of their own personal sub plots.

Whatever the reason, a series that was previously characterized by its blistering pace suddenly got bogged down in wet cement. Important characters would disappear from entire books, significant plot points would be spun out over multiple novels and rather than actually doing ANYthing, everyone seemed to be content to just sit around and talk about doing SOMEthing.

Now, to be fair, it’s not as if the whole plot came to a screeching halt. Major significant events continued to be portrayed throughout the series. Only now there were far fewer of them and they seem to be confined to climax\cliffhanger type endings, intended to whet reader appetites for the next book.

I’m sure that the ever expanding continuity of the series also played a part in slowing things down. That’s one of the dangers of a maturing literary world, when you’ve got that many story threads on the go it’s impossible to give each one the attention they deserve. So Jordan spread the love around, focusing a little bit of time on developing each one, but not significantly advancing the story of any of them.

It was painful.

The first half dozen books in the WoT series were notable because things kept HAPPENING. (And not just in the climax either.) New characters were always being introduced, interesting story elements were being tossed into the mix and characters would noticeably develop and grow over the course of a single book. The series was addictive.

To switch gears from a story that was characterized by its dynamism and energy to one that seemed to be full of endless talking heads and pointless descriptions was disheartening. (Watching my favourite characters vanish in smoke for entire books, even more so.)

For awhile there I was reading the WoT, not because I was actively enjoying it, but because I had invested so much time and energy in the series to date that I just had to see how things finished. And that is the wrong reason to be reading anything.

So the point I was trying to make, before I got caught up in a painfully long diatribe, was that Sanderson’s work on THE GATHERING STORM sure as hell sounded like Robert Jordan, but it didn’t really feel like him. And I think that can all be traced back to the fact, finally, things were happening again in the series. I’d gotten so used to having the WoT spin its wheels that I’d forgotten what it was like to actually to be excited to read these books again.

So well done, mission accomplished.

Now, I believe I was supposed to review the TOWERS OF MIDNIGHT?

The biggest problem with batting clean up on a series like this is that a lot of time and energy is being expended just wrapping things up. You get an idea of just how out of control things were and how many dangling plot threads were kicking about by the fact that its going to take three giant ass books to deal with them all.

It should be clear to even the most cursory WoT fan that Sanderson has done his homework with this book. The man seems to have an unparalleled grasp on all manner of forgotten WoT lore. He resurrects obscure story devices and plot threads that even I’d forgotten about. On the one hand, it’s great to see the author going the extra mile to be true to the WoT world by trying to tie everything together. But the flip side of that argument is with so much material to cover I’d actually forgotten that some of these story points were unanswered in the first place and even needed resolving.

I wasn’t thrilled to see so much time spent on the resurrected Aelfinn and Eelfinn subplot. Even though it had a guaranteed fan approved payoff I’ve always felt that the world of the Aelfinn\Eelfinn was a bit of an anomaly in the WoT and didn’t really fit into nature of things.

It’s also frustrating that in many ways, Sanderson’s work on the series is restricted to wrapping up Jordan’s story. There is an underlying sense in the book that he knows where the characters are supposed to end up for the Final Battle, so he spends his time moving the characters around like an elaborate chess game in order to get them there. So while reading the book I never really felt a sense of threat or danger, as all the central characters seem to have been given a hall pass that guarantees they’ll make it, mostly undamaged, to the final book.

(Now having said that, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the final chapter in this series turns out to be a bloodbath of sorts, with many of our heroes being killed during the course of the Final Battle.)

Yet despite these limitations Sanderson does his level best to ramp up the physical and emotional stakes for our characters. He may be tasked with bringing the whole thing to a close, but damned if he isn’t going to try and earn that standing O in the process. The stakes are for keeps and no one can accuse him of plodding along. Just because these characters might be getting a free pass doesn’t mean he’s not going to make them work for it.

If its seems that I’m only focusing on the parts of the book that were unsatisfying its only because no one wants to read 2,000 words of never-ending effusive praise.

There are so many things that are done right in this book.

The exquisite plotting, the painstaking research, the spot-on representations of a diverse cast of characters and the sheer skill needed to reconcile 20 years of storytelling into 800 pages is awe inspiring.

To point out some of the shortcomings of the book is not meant to tear it down. Rather, given the scope of the endeavour, it is testament to Sanderson’s ability as a writer that there isn’t more to criticize.

Brandon Sanderson has done something for me that I thought was nearly impossible, he made reading the Wheel of Time fun again. And for that, I owe him my thanks.



*My google fu appears to be broken. I can’t find the reference that backs me up on this. Maybe someone else can step up and point me in the right direction.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

iPoddery: Scott's musical tastes


Inspired by fellow book reviewer extraordinaire Amanda’s Music Passion Post at her blog, I decided to list a few of my own faves. Each shall be accompanied by a video for your perusal.

I have an eclectic taste though, so look out:

(old) Tori Amos

Tori Amos first two albums LITTLE EARTHQUAKES and UNDER THE PINK saved me, at 14, from my parents divorce and the subsequent years of nutty family squabbles. They took me away to a fantasy place where snow fell, mittens were worn, lights were left on for loved ones, and it was okay to rail against the upset and ask not to be crucified, or why you were the weirdo. Note: I haven’t liked her music since her 5th CD To Venus & Back though.




30 Seconds To Mars

I get SO made fun of for liking this group, and quite frankly I don’t care. Everything they ever released has blown me away. Consider it epic rock. I’ve seen them twice live and will be seeing them on my actual birthday this year! The ridicule probably comes from the fact that the lead singer is actor-musician Jared Leto (and the drummer is his brother Shannon) and people think they are a throw away actor’s band. Well to me they aren’t, because I love their music. It always makes me feel epic when I am down.


Lissie

I discovered Californian folksy, raspy voiced, be-freckled singer Lissie early last year when I stumbled across her cover of a hip-hop song about excess which she took and made her own, while also making it be about the opposite of its intent, and it amazed me. She also does vocals for Canadian DJ MORGAN PAGE (see track: The Longest Road).



Within Temptation

My favourite Dutch symphonic metal band. Yeah, for all those people who liked American goth rockers Evanescence….they stole their sound from WITHIN TEMPTATION who are by far superior in every single way. Lead singer Sharon is gorgeous and has one incredible voice. Their music is always interesting, epic and has classical tones sharing the stage with grinding guitars. Sharon also has done some trance vocals in her day.


Above & Beyond

I admit that in my earlier days I was an electronic music fanatic. It is pretty much all I listened to for about 6 or 7 years. Then electronic music took a nose dive and started to…well suck…so I got off the scene for a long time. Then sometime in my late 20’s there started to be a bit of a resurgence…only faintly, but that all went south when all these emo-indie artists started adding synths and drum machine beats to their sad bastard music and started calling it electronic (and it is what currently, sadly dominates the category on iTunes). Sigh. Well, thankfully through all this emo-infused crap shines a few heavyweights on the scene (like Armin Van Buuren, BT, and Tiesto). The one that always tops it for me is Anjunabeats, Oceanlab founders ABOVE & BEYOND. These guys are without a doubt keeping alive the music I used to love from the late 90’s whilst keeping it fresh and reinventing it…without changing the core of the idea and sound. That’s key. They continue to release relevant music that stays true to its roots and I love them for it.

Thievery Corporation

Back when I was in my early 20’s, I used to listen to the regular radio feed of an Internet radio station that used to exist (1groove.com) for a house show called The Cathouse hosted by Madame Lynx, and a downtempo show. I used to wake up at 4AM (before I got up for work) to hear these shows. Well the dowentempo show played a lot of very blissed out music that always impressed me. Well the one that stands out is downtempo masters THIEVERY CORPORATION, their simple beats and synths can take really take you somewhere special and always invoke the cinematic.

Nine Inch Nails

I became a fan of NIN at 15. I have never ceased to be a fan. Trent Reznor continued, through his varied, career to release unflinchingly real and gritty music that speaks to those dark parts inside us. I am very thankful to have been at the last NIN show in Canada ever on their farewell tour (he’s now given NIN a well deserved rest in favour of other projects) this past summer. Trent had a cold and was stuffed up and still managed to put on a spectacular show.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Comic book reviews for the week of January 19th in six sentences (or less)

BEST OF THE WEEK

SUPERIOR #4
Writer: Mark Millar
Penciller: Leinil Yu

I know, right? Trust me, I’m just as surprised as you are. Welcome to the continuing adventures of Mark Millar’s Superman analogue, Superior, and this week’s Six Sentences or Less... Best of the Week. In this issue Superior meets his Lois Lane counterpart, Maddie Knox, helps his friend out with the local bully and, oh yah, volunteers to help end the war in Afghanistan.

With that last point Millar is clearly riffing off some of the material he was exploring in ULTIMATES 2, namely if superheroes really existed would they feel or be compelled to enter into their country’s war efforts? This is hardly virgin territory. Take a look back at some of those World War II era comic books where your favourite DC heroes stepped up to take on the Axis armies. But after the Comic Code came along it was deemed that superheroes were destined to stop bank robbers and fight their way out of elaborate death traps. And so the motifs of the modern superhero were forged.

Having said that, I think the question of why mainstream superheroes don't fight in wars is one worth answering. Thorny and nuanced political motivations aside, surely its not that big a leap to go from stopping an alien invasion to routing out terrorist cells or fighting alongside soldiers. The basic principles at play are the same. There are people with weapons trying to inflict damage on other people and you need to put your life on the line to stop them. If superheroes existed in real life are we so naive to believe that they would be blind to the good they could do on behalf of their fellow countrymen during war? Patriotism doesn't vanish just because you can bench press a tank. Its hard to belive that the Justice League would go out and stop a genocidal alien conquerer but then draw the line at meddling with wars on Earth, because, you know, 'politics are scary.' Hell, even Superman isn't immune to call of home and hearth, fighting on behalf of Truth, Justice and the American Way.

Some comic books sidestep the issue of superheroes and war by portraying the government as corrupt or the soldiers bloodthirsty quasi-criminals, thus giving the hero a moral reason to remove themself from the fray.

Aside from the fact that war is bloody, graphic and fairly unheroic, if hyper-powered heroes actually did decide to wage war the whole thing would probably be over fairly quickly and it would beg the question 'what took you so damn long?' Periodically Superman does develop a god-complex and sets out to protect the entire world, but somehow events always transpire to show him that he’s better off sticking to his little corner of the globe.

No, better our funny books ignore the issue altogether and go back to giving us our four colour slug fests.

The great thing about Millar’s reinvention of Superman is that he’s not trapped into the traditional prudish trappings of the character. Superior can swear, threaten little kids with death and volunteer to go to war on behalf of his country and its all totally believe within the confines of the character.

Some bloggers like to talk about how today’s modern superhero comic books are violating the sanctity of their childhood. A sentiment that I see repeated frequently is that in the rush to make long established characters dark and edgy the core elements that define these characters are often abandoned. That’s only part of the story. In reality, writers were handcuffed for decades and the freedom to take characters to darker places was often was often denied them. So all that’s happening now is that the depths of these decades old characters are now finally being fully explored. Unfortunately that means portraying them in a fashion that readers are unfamiliar and uncomfortable with, hence the angry backlash.

What makes a character like Superior so great is that Millar is able to play around with all of Superman’s powers but bypass his restrictive mid-western upbringing and stupefying continuity. All things considered, given Millar’s history of extreme subject matter in his comic books, SUPERIOR is relatively tame. Sure there’s some swearing but what human being wouldn’t drop the F-bomb given the discovery that they have superpowers. And considering that DC is so anal retentive about their intellectual properties that they editorially mandated that an adult Clark Kent can't be shown sharing a beer with his father, its refreshing to see an adult version of the character that doesn’t treat its readers like they’ll be emotionally traumatized if their idol ever does something human.

INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #500
Writer: Matt Fraction
Penciller: Salvador Larocca & Frank D’armata

Marvel continues its proud tradition of renumbering their series with their latest issue of IRON MAN. I’m not an IRON MAN reader so I was grateful to see that this quincentennial issue was a (mostly) self contained story. The art was good, the writing passable. So I’ll probably check in again in another 500 issues. See you then.

Cover Art: Shadow's Lure by Jon Sprunk

This is timely. I just started reading Jon Sprunk's first book SHADOW'S SON, and I am enjoying it, and here we have our first look at the awesome Michael Komarck cover art for the second book in the series SHADOW'S LURE. Apparently still a work in progress (according to Sprunk's blog), which makes it even cooler to me cause it already looks so nice!


Dude. I'm digging it. It fits with the feel of the series and is similar to the first books' cover art, whilst being different enough to impress. In fact, I think I like it better than the first books cover. :)

Also, Kit! She's awesome!

Book Review: Tome Of The Undergates by Sam Sykes

Lenk can barely keep control of his mismatched adventurer band at the best of times (Gariath the dragon man sees humans as little more than prey, Kataria the Shict despises most humans, and the humans in the band are little better). When they're not insulting each other's religions they're arguing about pay and conditions. So when the ship they are travelling on is attacked by pirates things don't go very well. They go a whole lot worse when an invincible demon joins the fray. The demon steals the Tome of the Undergates - a manuscript that contains all you need to open the undergates. And whichever god you believe in you don't want the undergates open. On the other side are countless more invincible demons, the manifestation of all the evil of the gods, and they want out. Full of razor-sharp wit, characters who leap off the page (and into trouble) and plunging the reader into a vivid world of adventure this is a fantasy that kicks off a series that could dominate the second decade of the century.
 Have you ever gone to a party, and at that party is a guy who seems to be the very life of that party. This guy yells funny things, makes people laugh, kisses the girls and shoulder squeezes the guys. Later on in the night this guy will inevitably have everyone’s attention as he tells one bawdy story or another, the punch line of which is a laugh riot at the same time as it is disgusting. This guy is forgotten once you leave the party and head back to your normal lives…but he’s there again at the very next party, doing all the things you wouldn’t, being crass, drunk, fun and flat out ridiculous…and telling stories that you’ll remember.

This guy is new author Sam Sykes, and that story is PYR books TOME OF THE UNDERGATES.

Is this a glowing review, or a scandalous scathing one? Only you can tell. Read on good friend, read on…

Sam Sykes first book, is probably one of the most interesting I have read in a while. A lot of folks have mentioned the 200-ish page battle that starts the book. I actually wouldn’t call it that. To me it is three separate acts of sea battle, or at least that’s how it came across. Sea battle with pirates, sea battle with pirates and frogmen, and finally sea battle boss fight.  This works, sort of. In theory it’s a nice way to slice up that first section in to three, while introducing us to the main characters. The only issue that arose for me was that those pirates get a bit tiresome. The frogmen and the boss fight add a nicely twisted edge to those fights, but there is still pirates. So it’s like if the Jedi in the Star Wars prequels fought battle droids for 160 pages. Yes it is cool when they get cut down, but yeah after a while it gets kind of repetitive. Still, the 3 act battle sequence IS indeed a feat of writing and should be noted as such. I enjoyed it as an intro to the main characters, and quite frankly it was a perfect way to introduce us to six protagonists who pretty much hate each other.

The plot doesn’t scoot forward an awful lot in that first half, but it is clearly meant to be character driven so that was okay by me. That said, as mentioned by a few other folks, the nearly constant nasty banter back and forth starts out amusing, but after a while really does grate on the nerves a bit.

Lenk kind of sums up his leadership of these adventurers in one sentence early on. It is one where the Captain of the first ship they are on says that he is the worst of the lot of them…and he says that’s why he’s their leader. That kind of sums up the rest of the band too. This really is a casting call for a D&D raid. A warrior with a cool sword, Elvish-like cat chick archer, young wizard, altruistic priestess healer, cowardly rogue, and species-hating dragonman. That, however, is where the D&D comparison ends. This is D&D if you played it with a bunch of frat boys who spend the night getting steadily more and more drunk and belligerent. That’s actually a compliment, for where this book could have easily slipped into the tropes of every day D&D quest style sword and sorcery, it doesn’t. In fact it rails against those tropes hard. Yes they are on the hunt to kill demons, and obtain the Tome of the title, but the journey there is much different than you’d expect.

That said, the characters dislike of one another does begin to rub and wear after a while. It starts out funny, and then as time goes on you start to think they ought to start trusting one another more and start looking to each other for help, but instead they all just mostly continue to hate each other. Add the fact that Lenk clearly lusts after Kataria and you get kind of a mish-mashed strange abstract love (that seems ill placed in amongst the hate), one in which Lenk can’t really talk to Kataria. So instead he talks about how she farts when she sleeps. Oh bravo Lenk. His inner voice is a lot more scathing to him when it comes to his ineptness concerning Kataria.

As for the plot, it is pretty simple after the sea battle...The demon stole the Tome (with it can open the Undergates and unleash bad stuff) and itself seemingly spells their deaths to go up against, but if they abandon the quest to get the Tome back...they die anyways. So they have to push on, and the characters all seem to hate the idea of it...and have no trouble mentioning it. Simple in plan, more difficult in execution, but that's what makes the story worth your time.

If Kevin Smith wrote a fantasy book it might be like this. Sykes is first and foremost a humorist to me. He is funny as hell. The humor in the book is almost always firing on all cylinders, and will certainly entertain. The man’s twitter feed and blog are one-stop comedy shops, and never fail to make me howl.

What really stands out here is this. Is Sykes first book great? No. Is it good. Hell yeah it’s good. The prose is ridiculously easy to get into and flows with a clip and pace that will find you rolling through the pages. I think the only issue here is that there is a repetitiveness that can be very jarring. Both in the characters interaction with one another (all that repetitive nastiness)and with some scenes and ideas. The voice in Lenk’s head for example…there are only so many times it need be mentioned methinks and it goes over that line. The characters, I feel, need to eventually trust one another and stop their bickering…and that doesn’t really happen in this volume. That said, It is the glimmers here of greatness that will keep you reading, and what will certainly make you want to read the upcoming sequel BLACK HALO. They only shine through occasionally and I can totally see Sykes coming up to be a frontrunner of the sub-genre with dirty, grimy, no-holds-barred, take-no-prisoner adventures like TOME OF THE UNDERGATES. I simply think that it may take a book or two more to get there and hone that craft into something super-awesome.

That said, this book is an easy and fun read, that will entertain you if you let it. Make no mistake though it is gritty, slimy, nasty and as dank as it gets for this kind of sword and sorcery book. Not really for the faint-hearted. I fall into the middling camp. I liked it a fair deal, but there are enough little bothersome things to prevent me from loving it. That said, I really look forward to the sequel and see where Sykes awesomely twisted mind takes us next.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

WOT First Reads: Book Review: The Gathering Storm by Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson (AKA buckets of awesome)



THE GATHERING STORM is the first book in the Wheel Of Time series since the 5th book THE FIRES OF HEAVEN to really knock me over. I have liked the volumes in between, mostly (see TPOD and COT as ones I didn’t), but none of those really had the impact the first few, and now the 12th have had on me.

The main benefit here is one of plot threads tying up. So many of the main plotlines that have been running through books 6-11 are wrapped up, or abandoned for useless in TGS that I nearly clapped every time one did that. Basically this novel is a cleaning of the house for the series. Sweep the front walk clean of debris so that the soldiers have no obstacles when they head off to war.

Beyond that, this book kicks the action into high gear, and everything you have come to love about the series flies right to the forefront. Certain characters go from being awesome to being flat out amazing. Egwene, for example, finishes the transformation she began way back when she was raised as the rebel Aes Sedai’s Amyrlin. By novels end she becomes something of a legend, and her chapters and scenes in the last 200 pages are likely to be remembered as some of the most stunning of the series. Rand spend most of the book kind of annoying me, as he not only hasn’t changed in books and books from being a jerk, but he also gets even worse here. However, this character progression is also one that ties up/comes to a head and Rand’s plotline FINALLY makes sense to me so in the end I can’t complain, but I am actually excited to see what Rand can do now! Cadsuane is another character that goes through a series of chapters where I can’t stand her, but her progression is one that has a point too. The Aes Sedai in general get paintyed better here methinks. Not as many pepper the scenes and for the most part they are much easier to read IMHO. Verin Sedai’s plot thread here is probably one of the most impressive in the book aside from Egwene and Rand. The aftermath of Semirhage’s capture is dealt with for a number of chapters and finished in a way that I wasn’t expecting at all. The deal with Siunae and Bryne is finally tackled and comes to bear fruit we’ve been waiting books for. Perrin and Mat are only in the book for a chapter or three each…but I’ve heard tell their stories get dealt with in TOWERS OF MIDNIGHT which I have to assume will bring everyone up to date for the final volume if I am not mistaken. Basically though, this book belongs to Rand and Egwene, and aptly so as I don’t think all the characters could have been done this sort of justice in one book, so good on the powers that be for splitting it with ToM.

So, plot points tie up and some in such satisfying ways that I can’t even explain their awesomeness. It’s hard to sing the praises of this book without spoiling too much for anyone who hasn’t read it. Sufficed to say Sanderson really does begin the rescue of this series from the chasm of plodding boredom that it started to descend into. The writing is succinct, enjoyable and the pace moves along at a great clip. In fact, I don’t think that at any point I had to slog. Most chapters had a point to the overall arc, and if they didn’t then they moved along fast enough to not have to worry to much. Is it overlong? A tad maybe, but I honestly can’t really see much of what could be removed. I think the only part that I felt lacked some purpose was Rand’s attempt to save the folk of Arad Doman from the Seanchan AND themselves. In the long run it really only served to deal with one of the Forsaken, and add to the tension that Rand’s personality really begins to alienate his friends and the people around him.

The action sequence at the end of the book is, for lack of a better word, glorious. Honestly, if I was there and witnessed it, that is how I would describe it. It is a pull-no-punches, head smacking, saidar-wielding, Raken blasting night of chaos. Which is then followed by a set piece involving Egwene and a bridge into Tar Valon that was, for me at least, one of the most beautifully descriptive passages in the series evoking quite stunning imagery.

The final chapter (before the epilogue) made everything I’ve endured as to a certain story thread up until this point worthwhile. It is quiet, telling, and deftly handled by Sanderson.

THE GATHERING STORM is worth the wait, and is the book I think a fair number of WHEEL OF TIME fans were waiting for. I don’t want to say it is perfect, but like I said above I enjoyed this book on level with the first few books in the series and my state of wonder and enjoyment with this series is rekindled with it.

Bring on TOWERS OF MIDNIGHT…and Scott will finally be caught up with everyone else.

Doctor Who: Series 6 News: Sontarans?



A fair-sized bit of news from the set of the now-filming DOCTOR WHO series 6 dropped today. It appears that an old enemy is returning. Yes, that is a Sontaran on set. Though my guess is that it is again part of the alliance that was formed between enemy alien races trying to contain the Doctor in THE PANDORICA OPENS episode from last season. I certainly hope we don't get a purple-tinged Russel Davies Era style Sontaran episode with silly poison gas.

In other news: Apparently there will be the return of the ORIGINAL Mondasian Cybermen..and the rumour is that they will be Officer Rank..and overlords to the Davies Era New/Cybus Cybermen....which would be a cool twist...bringing back a classic scary enemy to replace its rather non-scary revamp. Nice.

Monday, January 17, 2011

Film Review: The Green Hornet




Seth Rogen is one of those guys that just makes me laugh. Even his laugh itself is relatively infectious. However, it was with a certain amount of trepidation that I went to see the Rogen/Goldberg written (SUPERBAD, PINEAPPLE EXPRESS) Michael Gondry directed (ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND) superhero/comedy THE GREEN HORNET this past weekend.

Now, I am not old enough to remember the 1960’s TV serial, am I am certainly not old enough to remember the 1930’s radio serial. I DID have a little car toy of Black Beauty though, the Hornet’s car, a sleek black Chrysler with green headlights and chrome detailing. I remember playing with that as a kid and thinking, man this is a cool little car. To me it was even cooler than the 1960’s Batmobile.

That is my only experience with the Green Hornet character, a kid with a cool black car toy which I am sure I wondered if I could ever drive its like.

Rogen/Goldberg/Gondry’s THE GREEN HORNET is a surprisingly, fun and entertaining film. Rogen’s humour abounds and suits his character of spoiled playboy Britt Reid, son of a newspaper magnate. Add to this the second main character of Kato (Taiwanese pop star Jay Chou), Britt’s fathers’ mechanic who has a penchant and skill for designing gadgets and martial arts, and you have the makings of a very interesting duo.

The two together are such an ideal pairing that every minute they share on screen together, there is something interesting to watch. Whether that is Britt exclaiming something is awesome, or really scary, or Kato seemingly moves faster than light while his enemies move like molasses as he beats them silly, or the two put their heads together to make everything blow up around them using cool gadgets, THE GREEN HORNET fires on all cylinders for most of the film.

That said, the film is not a perfect outing. About an hour into the film, Cameron Diaz shows up as secretary Lenore…and whether she exists as a love interest for Britt, for Kato, or for the two to fight and then bond over she really does kind of just stand there. I wouldn’t use the term wasted, but there is really not a lot of reason for her beyond the catalyst for the bonding fight between the two heroes. The film is also a tad overlong and might have benefited from some trimming in the editing room.

If you enjoyed the humour of PINEAPPLE EXPRESS, and the expensive gadgetry of BATMAN BEGINS then you are certain to like THE GREEN HORNET. It is a fun, adventurous romp that plays deftly along the border between action and comedy, while its two leads dance along that fence never letting anything really fall into the gaps.

Probably one of the most solid January film experiences I have had in recent memory, and was enjoyed enough that I would see it again if the opportunity arose. 

Oh, and the car...Black Beauty....is gorgeous in every single frame of the chasing, gun shooting, gadget wielding,  green headlight shining awesomeness. The kid in me squeed with unbridled excitement at seeing it int action like this. Also: WANT!

A Note on the 3D: The film was converted to 3D in post-production (something studios keep pushing for even at detriment to the films themselves). However, as opposed to a lot of other films converted in post which look murky and jarring and annoying, THE GREEN HORNET is bright, clean and easy to watch. I didn’t have any trouble with the 3D, but it IS converted for no real reason so you don’t have to see it that way and will enjoy it just as much in 2D.

Trailer: Game of Thrones

A new GAME OF THRONES teaser trailer and this is easily the best one yet.
This trailer is built around short vignettes, that convey the essence of the character, rather than recycling footage from the show itself. An approach that whets my appetite better than anything they've tried so far.
A shame that I have to wait until April to see the finished product.

Upcoming: Cover Art of The Departure by Neal Asher

Hey folks,

Happy Monday! Neal Asher is a name in sci-fi that seems to garner praise on level with Alastair Reynolds, Richard Morgan and Ian M. Banks. While I have not yet read his Skinner books, somewhere in my To-Read pile is GRIDLINKED, of which I hear great things.

Well, cover art has debuted for his forthcoming new Polity book THE DEPARTURE, and here's the synopsis as well.


There are no more wars, just police actions, though sometimes the truncheon used weighs in at about a kilotonne and the undertakers have to wear hasmat suits. Nobody goes hungry, so there certainly aren’t any food riots – just ‘dissident actions’ which end abruptly when the Inspectorate reduces the crowd to a writhing screaming mess using pain inducers.

And didn’t Chairman Alessandro Messina himself say that we are more free than ever before; community political officers conducted a survey only last year to prove this point. The Press has greater freedom too, now being government run and unburdened by financial concerns. People don’t disappear, see, they always come back from Inspectorate cells, ready to sing the praises of the Committee.

But Alan Saul knows that twelve billion are due to die, that the Committee has decided the Safe Departure clinics, the ‘sectoring’ of zero asset communities, the reader guns, razor birds and nightmarish shepherds will not be enough. The Argus satellite laser network is their answer, and he intends to take it away from them.

Friday, January 14, 2011

Upcoming: Towers Of Midnight eBook art!

Finally!

Article HERE at TOR.

Perrin!

I likey.

Comics/Movies: First Look @ Andrew Garfield in the Spiderman suit!

I like the suit better than Tobey Maguire's....only time will tell if this series relaunch is a good idea....but I DO like the cast so far, and Garfield is a pretty damn fine actor if you ask me. Better than Maguire.

Just sayin'.

I don't own the rights to this pic, they belong to Columbia Pictures
 
What does everyone think?

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Cover Art: Angel: A Maximum Ride Novel - James Patterson

I have a dirty little secret. I enjoy James Patterson's YA series MAXIMUM RIDE, about a group of cross-bred, smart-ass teens with wings who are hunted by the shady folk who created them. They are quick, action packed, sometimes predictable reads that I treat as palate cleansers. When I just need to read something I know I'll enjoy, but doesn't require a lot of brain power. I read these little mindless popcorn action books.

That said, the cover art for them is just this side of ridiculous. I'm not kidding. It is probably the WORST assembled cover art for such a high profile author I have ever seen. There is literally NO thought involved and my niece could assemble a better collage of images and fonts.

Here is the cover for the 7th book in the series (the first 5 had differing names, then Patterson started naming each one after each of the main characters, starting with book 5 MAX, and book 6 FANG) titled ANGEL.


Is it bad? Why yes it is. The worst one so far of the new NAME titled ones. the MAX one was fairly innocuous and didn't bother me. It also didn't impress me, but that is besides the point. The second of those FANG was a litle worse, but still was sort of just a silhouette of Fang, so I let it slide. 

This one though is perfectly awful. 

Is that meant to be Angel herself there? I doubt it, cause she's supposed to be like 6 or 8....which leaves me to believe it is Max....but then why does Max grace the cover of Angel's book? Also, the marketing dept. decided that the rest of the cover should have a fadey tree, full moon and what I can only assume is once again Fang.

Sigh.

In a publishing world where Patterson is the second best selling author on the planet (after J.K. Rowling), doesn't his publisher feel that these covers deserve more than just fly-by-night design by some hack? I could design this exact same cover in Photoshop myself in MAYBE 2 hours tops. Seriously Little Brown & Co.? You are going to release cover art that could have been designed in two hours? How much did you pay the cover artist? It's awful. This series needs someone to save it from these covers.

To the Publisher: Look what the other YA novels that have had success look like (below), some of which are decidedly simple, but all are striking nonetheless. Just have a gander at these few and tell me these Patterson ones are up to snuff...




Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Comic book reviews for the week of January 12th in six sentences (or less)


SUPERMAN #707
Writer: Chris Roberson (by way of J. Michael Straczynski)
Penciller: Allan Goldman

The problem with Superman is that he’s just too powerful. This is hardly a shocking revelation. Superman has two basic methods for getting out of a scrape. Punching something really hard, or using another of his many powers in a unique and inventive way, usually to help him circumvent some elaborate deathtrap. In far too many aspects the Superman of today is the Superman of 10, 20 or 30 years ago. His supporting characters are mostly the same, his powerset is the same. His origin? The same. I think out of all the big name comic book characters being published today his is a story whose basic elements have hardly changed at all. Which means, after nearly 80 years, his adventures carry a certain repetitiveness and staleness to them.

Compare Superman to someone like Batman who has seen so many incarnations he never seems to grow old. Over the years we’ve seen Batman portrayed as a light hearted crimefighter, a dark and brooding vigilante, a crack detective, a billionaire playboy and a focused martial artist. And nearly every re-interpretation of the Batman mythology manages to work for its time.

And that’s the key phrase there, ‘for its time.’ In comic books it seems that a constant cycle of renewal and rebirth is necessary in order to reframe characters within the context of the present day. How else could you explain the resurgence of Hal Jordan and Barry Allen within the DCU? (Ok the short answer is there Geoff Johns, but a longer explanation would show that these characters have newfound relevance because, although their core traits remain the same, the world they function in has been reshaped to provide the perfect dramatic counterpoint to their personalities and abilities.)Their characters and lives are no longer frozen in amber, in a era that most contemporary comic book readers never even lived through.

Superman gets no such character revamp. Oh, occasionally he’ll turn blue, grow his hair long or even work at a television station. But even his death in the 90s didn’t significantly alter the world he was living in. After he was done fighting crime for the day he still went home to Kansas to stop in on Ma before meeting up with Lois and filing tomorrow’s headline for Perry. No major overhaul of Superman’s existence has ever stuck. Which is why we constantly feel like we’ve seen it all before.

It’s a shame that DC is so frightened of destroying the bankability of their most recognizable character that they will allow him to atrophy and wither away into irrelevance, rather than take a chance at re-examining his makeup.

Now you could make the argument that a great storyteller will always find new and interesting stories. But the problem is, after 80 years, new and interesting stories are a lot harder to come by. And in the meantime, hundreds of other writers, some of lesser ability, have played in the Superman sandbox and had their own uninspired crack at new and interesting.

In fact, Superman’s world actively resists reinvention. Readers have become so ingrained to seeing Superman look and behave a certain way that we get uncomfortable seeing him step outside of his little prefabricated box. We’re like the old time convicts in THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, too acclimatized to the way of doing things to ever really feel comfortable out in the real world. Oh sure, we can read and love our ALL-STAR SUPERMAN and our Elseworlds stories, but those are temporary and impermanent, a refreshing look at what could be and never a serious threat to the Super status quo.

Which is why the ‘Grounded’ storyline currently running in the Superman titles is so grating. Instead of seeing Superman going around being, well super, we’re treated to the incredibly ho-hum sight of seeing him try to reconnect with humanity. And that’s not his job. That’s Clark Kent’s job. The whole reason Superman persists in keeping up a secret identity is so that he can walk amongst the rest of us without being recognized for who he really is.

Its completely disingenuous for Superman to be hanging around in his cape and tights pretending to be one of the guys. Its a bit like going drinking with your boss. He might be funny and great to hang around with, but you never really forget he’s your boss. So you drink and laugh at his jokes and you have a good time, but you secretly wish he’d move along so you can just relax and be yourself. Having Superman just walking around as Superman is exactly like that. It’s almost as if he wants to be recognized for his ‘sacrifice’ of being regular. But no one’s buying it. We all know what regular people look like, because that’s who we are. We look to Superman for greatness, to be more than regular - because that’s who we want to be.

‘Grounded’ can’t end too soon.

BATMAN AND ROBIN #19
Writer: Paul Cornell
Penciller: Scott McDaniel

The first of two offerings from Paul Cornell this week. Batman and Robin conclude their struggle against the new Bat-villian, The Absence. It’s always a treat to see Scott McDaniel working on a Batman related title. And although sometimes his pencils can seem a bit rushed I find that most times their energy and dynamism really adds another level to whatever project he’s working on.

And another solid effort from Paul Cornell as well, who’s been playing a bit of a shell game with both Batman and Robin as well as the reader, seemingly telling the story of the Absence’s obsession with getting revenge on Bruce Wayne. In reality, the Absence has much more easily obtained goals in mind and delaying Batman and Robin will only help to further her cause.

Can I just say how nice it is to see an honest to goodness olde tyme death trap in comic books again? Without making it seem hackneyed or clichéd Cornell creates a tight scene between our heroes and the villainess, which reveals a heck of a lot of characterization by all the players involved while still moving the plot forward. Loved it. What a great way to play with the tropes of the genre without falling victim to their weaknesses.

GREEN LANTERN: EMERALD WARRIORS #6
Writer: Peter J. Tomasi
Penciller: Fernando Pasarin

Have you heard the news that DC is developing an ongoing RED LANTERN series? Apparently three ongoing GL titles aren’t enough to satiate the hunger of the hundreds of slavering Green Lantern fans. Out of all the possible series to emerge from the newly minted post-Blackest Night Rainbow Warriors a Red Lantern series comes at the absolutely end of my list. A corps built around rage, violence and a tendency to vomit up blood? It sounds like a rejected high concept 90s Image title. I’d much rather see a Larfleeze or even a Sinestro ongoing before I skim over the adventures of Mr. Ouchies and the gang.

Abandoned by Kilowog and Arisia for keeping them in the dark about the true nature of his mission in the Unknown Sector Guy Gardner is forced to take Bleez with him to confront the unknown force that is slowly draining the power from the Green Lantern rings. If you’ve read the first five titles of this series you know exactly what you’re getting into here. Dynamic penciling, snappy writing and a ripping good tale. Of all the GL stories currently being told, Warrior easily stands out from the rest of the pack.

KNIGHT AND SQUIRE #4
Writer: Paul Cornell

Ever heard an embittered comic book blogger to tell you to vote with your dollars? Or that bad comic books continue to be made because fans who don’t any better continue to throw good money after bad when it comes to questionable titles? Well, with KNIGHT AND SQUIRE I’m happy to be proven wrong. Initially I found the title uninteresting and its very Britishness detrimental to my enjoyment of the read. However, after time, its grown on me like a fungus and all the things that used to detract from its readability have now become its greatest strengths. I’m so glad that I stuck with this title as Paul Cornell has really managed to define the essence of this British Batman and Robin and define them in their own right, rather than portray them as cheap knockoffs of DCs biggest money maker.

In this issue Knight’s mechanized costume becomes possessed by a corrupt memory engram of Knight, causing the suit to believe that he is the real deal. Only the memory engram seems to be masochistically focused on reliving Knight’s greatest failures and mistakes. Cornell does a great job presenting us with a different take on what makes a superhero. So many heroes seem to be defined by the need to fight crime because of some injustice in their past. While the Knight is a legacy character who manages to overcome his own doubt and failures and be a hero in spite of his fears. Rather than giving into an emo, woe is me take on the character Cornell presents him almost as a recovering alcoholic (which in a way he is), cheerfully optimistic and determined to take each challenge one day at a time. A great read.

Through The Door: Review Copies from PYR!

Hey all,

Just a bit of a heads up about a new category here at Iceberg Ink, Through The Door is going to handle the review copies that we get here from various publishers. Since I received my first shipment from the awesome folks over at PYR, I thought I'd post which ones. So, these are all going to be reviewed in the next couple of months. A couple of them are older titles, but most are either new, or fairly new.


PARAGAEA: A Planetary Romance - Chris Roberson

TOME OF THE UNDERGATES - Sam Sykes

THE BUNTLINE SPECIAL: A Weird West Tale - Mike Resnick


AGE OF MISRULE 1: Worlds End - Mark Chadbourn

DIVING INTO THE WRECK - Kristine Kathryn Rusch

SHADOW'S SON - Jon Sprunk

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