- N.K. Jemisin’s second book in The Inheritance Trilogy – The Broken Kingdoms is awesome. Loved it even more than the first book, and can’t wait for the final book, The Kingdom of the Gods. 

- John Scalzi’s The God Engines: balla. That’s a good thing.

- Stephen R. Boyett took 25 years to write the sequel to Ariel, but I will tell you this much… I’m enjoying the shit out of Elegy Beach. A world where the introduction of magic to Earth has pushed mankind to extinction, the friendship between to two boys can change the fate of the world. My regular subway read these days.

More stuff to come soon, promise. In the meantime, the twitter feed get slightly more updates. Slightly more.

Logo on fire

That’s right, as I am sure any enthusiast of the 12 colonies knows, The Hunger Games is getting a Hollywood makeover and coming out in March 2012.  Will it be great or will it dissapoint all the loyal fans?   It is hard to know, but equally hard not to be excited.  I am not thrilled by all the casting choices, I admit, but I am willing to give them a try.   

Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen

 I think Jennifer Lawrence will probably be amazing.  She was great in Winter’s Bone, showing a steel to her acting needed to play Katniss.  The casting of Peeta and Gale, however, worries me.  They seem to be cast too much on their looks and  that might mean that this movie will swing to the Twilight side of adaptations. 

I will admit that the Twilight books were a guilty pleasure of mine, but when I saw the first movie, I really didn’t like it.   It was all pretty actor/models, standing around and mooning over each other. It didnt seem to capture the essence of the book, as it had played out in my head.   The people cast to play the very central roles in The Hunger Games need to be more than pretty faces.    (side note, for a great bit of satire relating to Edward’s relationship with Bella, watch Chad Vader, season 3 and keep an eye out for the vampire stockboy)

The Hunger Games does have some different, deeper  themes going on which should help, but so help me, if people stare at each other for minutes on end without dialogue, I will become very upset.

Lenny, soon to be Cinna

Another troubling casting choice is that of Lenny Kravitz as Cinna.   I am not sure about anyone else, but he is most certainly not the man I would have picked for this part.   He is too scruffy.  I personally picture Cinna as a smoother member of this very polished district of people.  Cinna by his very job description, is a part of an over-stylized culture, for all that he doesn’t buy into the extremes.    Although, to be fair, I have never seen Lenny Kravitz act.  I guess we have no choice but to wait and see.

I think Donald Sutherland will be brilliant as President Snow.  He has the gravitas to pull it off.  Woody Harrelson as Haymitch is a bit iffy.  He sure knows how to play a mean drunk, but he is not quite what I pictured.  I hope he will roughen up appropriately.  Ceaser Flickerman should be great, played by the always interesting and entertaining Stanley Tucci.

Own the trilogy. Go on, Buy It!

I am definitely reading the books again, before the movies come out.  And this time, I will know which parts to avoid reading in public for fear of –spoiler alert—the tears that will inevitably roll down my face.  If you havent read the books yet, do it!  You wont regret it. 

 As I am sure I am not the only one on the edge of my seat, waiting for this movie to be released and snapping up every little bit of news as it becomes available, join me in the countdown, at this, one of the many movie fansites.

A world on fire

 I read this book on a recommendation from a friend. To be fair, it is not a book I would have picked up on my own, but then such was the case for my friend. This book, for both of us, was an anomaly. But what an anomaly it was. On the surface, this book is exactly what it claims to be. Through multiple first person accounts, the reader is invited to experience the first and hopefully only, Zombie War. Just hearing that, I’m sure you might expect to hear an account that might start, in the movies

“ In a World where disease has racked the land,…. the dead…don’t stay that way….”

Maybe the trailer would then cut to the scene of an innocent child, surrounded by wreckage…who turns with a bloodthirsty grin, seeking its next victim.(I know, I just stole that scene from Walking Dead, but is so iconic and unforgettable.

But World War Z is much more than a book of scare tactics and this is why I highly recommend people who have not discovered it for themselves, to read it. This book is more about the state of our world today, country by country, then it is about any zombie plague. It evaluates how the mysterious plague begins and follows it through the war, the reclamation, and its after-effects.

 It talks about how Isreal confronts the problem as a more militaristic state, which has a highly mobilized army and borders that are already diligently patrolled, to a country like the US, which is a democracy that more often fights over the best way to solve issues, in lue of actually solving any of them. Imagine the difficulty, the impossibility, of accomplishing anything in such an environment,  where the truth is too crazy to be believed, and so is often pushed under the rug and ignored, until it is too late.  Finally it crystalizes with the dilemma of fighting an enemy that never cuts its losses, but fights for no reason, without stop and multiplies as you dwindle.

This is a book about our humanity. Who profits, and who helps others; how we as people band together and tear each other apart. By telling the accounts of victims and soldiers, documentarians and physicians, clean up crews and government officials, a strangely true-feeling account comes to breathing life. Who even would have thought of how useless most Americans would be ,with the loss of the power grid, at basic survival? Who would have contemplated the fate of the undead in the ocean or the way religion can rise or fall in crisis as well as how the fate of nations can change so completely based solely on location and terrain, and even its status as a shunned nation, under the influence of shipping and immigration embargos? How do you detect the disease and how do you turn away those destined to spread the plague, while they still appear perfectly normal? How does the psyche break down in the victim, in those left behind by death or carelessness?

What are the consequences of not thinking through a war fought on a new level, and in a new way? Why are soldiers on the ground always discounted as experts, when ivy league graduates, who have studied the masters, but have no clue about field operations, are left to command the death of thousands with outdated and unsuited battle plans? What do we lose in this fire that burns down our planet? What do we gain? When do we decide to give up?

 This book may at first appear a light read, but I assure you that it is one of the most contemplative books I have read to date. It is a call to action, to actively participating in your government and the world around you. It is a plea for common understandings in a world of differences. It may be written by the son of Comedian / Director Mel Brooks, but despite possible moments of levity, it a shocking revelation of how fragile life is.

Much of the reading I have to do is textbook reading which is very boring.  Unless you find that certain textbook author (whom I have yet to come across) textbooks are pretty lifeless.  Even if they are describing something amazing.

The textbooks aren’t really the issue for me, though.  I skim them, rather than get in-depth with the reading assignments.  It’s being forced to read other books–in the case of my Literature class, they are classic novels.  Reading for pleasure is one thing, but being required to read a novel, with time constraints, is another animal altogether (when coupled with other readings, there just never seems to be enough time).

There are three novels I will be reading for my class: The House of Mirth, by Edith Wharton, A Farewell to Arms, by Ernest Hemingway and Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston. I am also reading, for my Anthropology class, a fascinating look at the ancestors of humankind called Our Kind, by Marvin Harris.

We received our assignment for The House of Mirth just days ago.  I am halfway through the novel, and need to be done by Tuesday.  I just can’t bring myself to stick with it.  I feel like my brain is rebelling.  Does anyone else have this issue?  I’d like to hear about how you wonderful readers deal with it.

The good thing about this assignment is, that it’s a book review.  After I finish (Fates willing) The House of Mirth, I get to write a review of it.  If there is one thing I enjoy, is reviewing!  And getting a grade for it can’t hurt.

Priest does a much better job with the pacing in Dreadnought, which can be mostly credited to the fact that a lot of the groundwork has been laid in the first novel, as well as the core of the story taking place aboard the train our novel is named after. You see, Mercy Lynch’s trip across America is about as smooth as sandpaper – her trip takes her perilously close to the front lines of the Civil War several times. It is during the early part of her trip that readers get to learn more about this alternate America, complete with an independent Texas that serves as a weapons dealer to both sides, the goings-on out west and the far reach of the sap drug since the first novel. The meat of the story however, is Mercy’s train ride west, full of shoot-outs, showdowns and a collection of people who can’t get along all headed in the same direction.

Mercy’s character is well polished from the start; a superb combination of strength and kindness keeps her motives and intentions true all through the story, and makes you give a crap about her actually getting what she sets out for – a meeting with her father. Other characters, like Horatio Korman add depth and intrigue without taking all the spotlight away from our leading lady – though more expulsion on his skulkings about are welcome (who knows? I may get answers someday).

Dreadnought was awesome. With the way things are fleshing out, Cherie Priest’s Clockwork Century collection is becoming more and more fascinating now that I can see the United States as a whole. Now that things are in cruise control, I can’t wait to see what goes down in the next novel.

The cover of my copy is silver... Not that that means anything

So, I missed a post last week because I was pretty sick from Thursday on.  Feeling much (much much!) better now, and decided to get on here and do another review.  I am not exactly sure how regularly I will be writing starting next week, as the semester starts back up, but I’ll do what I can!

The Sheriff of Yrnameer was the very first novel by Michael Rubens.  It is set in the distant future.  It centers around a fairly pathetic space pilot/smuggler named Cole.  He’s one of those characters that aspires to be Han Solo like, thinking he’s got everything going for him, but he’s more like Fry from Futurama.

In fact, the whole of Rubens’ future is similar to Futurama–in a good way.

Basically all the worst things happen to Cole.  He is captured by an alien bounty hunter who wants nothing more to lay his eggs in Cole’s brain; the girl of his dreams leaves him for his alien sidekick; and his precious ship is vaporized because he didn’t make it to the parking meter in time.  All of this terrible stuff happens in the first few chapters.

When Cole overhears his rival’s plan to take on a cargo and a couple passengers, he decides he wants in on the action.  After knocking his rival out, he steal his ship, and begins an adventure that takes him out of civilized space.  The group, with a cargo of freeze-dried orphans in tow, encounter cannibalistic business men, ornery grey aliens, and the same bounty hunter that was after Cole from the start.

They wind up in the final frontier for humans: the last bastion of their race, an underdeveloped planet called Yrnameer.  The planet is basically the last unspoiled beauty in the who galaxy, and they are in need of a sheriff to protect them from “bad men” that live in the wilds.  It’s up to Cole to fulfill his duties!

Rubens’ first novel is well-written and completely hilarious.  The worlds, even though they’re briefly seen, are rich and full of life.  The future detailed here, though, is very business-centric.  Every planet has been bought by companies, and each one has basically become a corporate world.

While not a future I would enjoy living in, it is definitely a place visit, now and again.  Word from Rubens’ is that there is a sequel planned–and the novel definitely segues well into one.  It’s definitely a worthwhile read for anyone who enjoys sci-fi with a little western influence!

I’ll be completely honest, when I picked up Trevor Corson’s book, The Story of Sushi: An Unlikely Saga of Raw Fish and Rice, I expected a grand historical account of sushi throughout the ages.  What I didn’t expect, and what the book offered to me, was a story–though true to life–about a young woman’s struggle at a school where sushi chefs learn their trade.

I picked it up, a little wary.  I’ll admit that I didn’t read what this book was about.  I honestly decided to read it, hoping for some history on sushi.  After the first few pages, I was hooked.  That lase sentence may come across as a terrible pun, considering the book has a fish on the cover.  For that, I apologize.

The story is set in California.  More specifically, the California Sushi Academy in a restaurant called Hama Hermosa.  It follows a few students, and the instructors, of what was the last class the Academy held before Hama Hermosa was closed.  (It’s since moved to another restaurant.)

Corson does a wonderful job of blending the story aspect, following the students/instructors, and giving his readers a history lesson in sushi.  When a new fish, or sushi style is introduced, the chapter it appears in tells about how it came about to be a sushi topping or style.  Corson did a lot of research for this book, and it shows.

I enjoyed the blending of the two styles.  It was written like it was half novel and half sushi encyclopedia!

After reading it, I learned that Corson also has a book called The Secret Lives of Lobsters. I am eager to find a copy, and read that one, as well.

“A bluebear has twenty-seven lives.  I shall recount thirteen and a half of them in this book, but keep quiet about the rest…”  So begins one of the most creative books I have ever had the chance to read. The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear, written by Walter Moers, is touted as “Equal parts J.K. Rowling, Douglas Adams and Shel Siverstein.”  This description is absolutely true.

The story begins with a preface from the good ol’ Captain, and soon begins with his adventures just after birth.  Each of the chapters following, delve into on of Bluebear’s “lives”.  By life, the author means different ways that Bluebear has lived and learned.  He starts by…well…being born, of course.

Not long after birth, Bluebear is rescued by Mini Pirates (as shown on the cover) and lives one of his lives at sea.  Bluebear has twelve and a half other lives that he goes through, including living with Hobgoblins, getting named by roving sea waves, and learning (just about everything) from one of the smartest creatures on the Earth, a seven-brained Nocturnamath.  The Nocturnamath, Abdullah Nightingale, is responsible for planting an all-knowing encyclopedia into Bluebear’s head.  If he runs into any troubles, he usually finds an answer.

This encyclopedia seems like a delightful not to Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.  It pops up at opportune moments to explain to Bluebear, and the reader, about the different things he has encountered.

Bluebear’s world is basically ours.  He spends the bulk of his lives living on a continent known as Zamonia.  There is a map depicting the Earth as we know it, plus a few continents (including the fabled Lost City of Atlantis).  The setting is sometime in the past, as these continents, according to Bluebear, no longer exist.

The writing style is clever with some very funny bits, but it seems a bit sloppily translated.  Moers is German, and the original book was written in German.  There are just some paragraphs that seem…well…oddly written.  Aside from that, the book is great!  A number of the pages have illustrations, and some of them are full-page.

I recommend this book.  As I mentioned above, it’s perhaps the most creative book I have ever read.

I will some fodder for articles here on the site after Christmas (since I asked my mother for some new books to read as gifts).  You can look forward to–and I know this, because I had to place the order for the books–reviews for The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing by Tarquin Hall (another in the Vish Puri series that I covered before), The Sheriff of Yrnameer by Michael Rubens and The Story of Sushi: An Unlikely Saga of Raw Fish and Rice by Trevor Corson.

I look forward to reading these books, and sharing my opinion of them with you.  Until then, I am going to try to post here and there to keep myself writing for the site, and let you know what’s going on.

I got a novella started.

I know. Because that’s exactly what I needed added on to my goals: another book, right? While contextually speaking it is canonical to the overall novel, the theme, subject matter and even the culture of it is entirely different. Pieces of it will be in another language. It definitely calls for some research (which thankfully I have already enlisted in the form of a person). There’s nothing better than personal experiences to add some life to a story.

This thing is going to be written in big chunks, just to keep me from devoting too much damn time to it. Plus the plot is simplistic in nature, so I’m hinging all the value on character and dialog emphasis. Fingers crossed that I can get this thing going somewhere, because I’m kind of excited by it.