Roland's Codex

Game of Thrones Season 2: Shadow Trailer

2012-02-01T21:52:00.001-05:00

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - Official Trailer

2011-12-21T15:35:00.000-05:00

Next December can't come soon enough. This looks like it would be an actually good mature fantasy movie again.

Game of Thrones Season 2: First trailer

2011-12-13T16:25:00.001-05:00

YES! The cold winds are rising!

Game of Thrones The Complete First Season on Blu-Ray

2011-12-08T10:09:00.001-05:00

The Blu-Ray will have the following exclusive items:

The Complete Guide to Westeros: an interactive guide to Westeros and Essos, their key locations and noble houses etc. There are also 24 exclusive histories of the Seven Kingdoms told by the characters.
Anatomy of an Episode: a guide to the creation of an episode from start to finish, in this case the sixth episode, A Golden Crown.
In-Episode Guides: in-feature infoboxes that provide information about characters, locations and histories whilst each episode plays.
Hidden Dragon Easter Eggs: find the hidden dragon eggs to unlock more exclusive content.

The following features will appear on both DVD and Blu-Ray:

Making Game of Thrones: a 30-minute documentary about the series.
Creating the Show Open: a featurette about how the opening title sequence was crafted.
From the Book to the Screen: George R.R. Martin, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss discuss the issues involved in bringing the novel to the screen.
Character Profiles: profiles of fifteen major characters, provided by the actors playing them.
The Night's Watch: an in-depth look at the men of the Night's Watch.
Creating the Dothraki Language: a feature on how the Dothraki language was created for the show.
Audio Commentaries: Seven audio commentaries with cast and crew including David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, George R.R. Martin, Emilia Clarke, Peter Dinklage, Kit Harington and more.

Coming out on March 6, 2012. Can. Not. Wait.

Game of Thrones Season 2: In Production video

2011-12-07T11:28:00.001-05:00

Cover art for John Scalzi's Redshirts

2011-11-01T10:38:00.001-04:00

Via A Dribble of Ink

I have been meaning to read something by Scalzi for a while now, and Redshirts seems just the thing. The cover is absolutely fantastic, evoking just the right blend of geekiness and 60s style SF.

Also, alternative covers, courtesy of Tor:

George Martin's Wild Cards to be turned into a movie?

2011-10-31T11:48:00.000-04:00

Via Not a Blog

Great news for Wild Cards fans! We have just closed a deal with SyFy Films, a brand new joint venture of Universal Pictures and the SyFy Channel, for film and television rights to the Wild Cards series of mosaic novels and shared world anthologies.

You can read all the details in THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER.

The plan is to begin with a Wild Cards feature film, for theatrical release. If that's successful, more features and a television series may follow.

Melinda Snodgrass will write the screenplay. Part of the series since the very start, Melinda has been my assistant editor on most volumes of Wild Cards, and is the creator of many of the series most popular and iconic characters, including Dr. Tachyon and Double Helix. Snod will also serve as an executive producer on the film, as will I.

Further details will need to wait until we're a little further along in development, but I think I speak for all the writers in the Wild Cards Consortium, both new and old, when I say that we're jazzed. We look forward to working with Gregory Noveck and his great team at SyFy Films, and to bringing some of your favorite Wild Cards characters to the screen.

I haven't read anything Wild Cards related yet, but I've been curious for a while, so this is a good incentive to get on with it.

World Fantasy Award winners

2011-10-31T11:37:00.000-04:00

BEST NOVEL

Winner: Who Fears Death, Nnedi Okorafor (DAW)
- Zoo City, Lauren Beukes (Jacana South Africa; Angry Robot)
- The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, N.K. Jemisin (Orbit)
- The Silent Land, Graham Joyce (Gollancz; Doubleday)
- Under Heaven, Guy Gavriel Kay (Viking Canada; Roc; Harper Voyager UK)
- Redemption In Indigo, Karen Lord (Small Beer)

BEST NOVELLA

Winner: “The Maiden Flight of McCauley’s Bellerophon,” Elizabeth Hand (Stories: All-New Tales)
- Bone and Jewel Creatures, Elizabeth Bear (Subterranean)
- The Broken Man, Michael Byers (PS)
- The Thief of Broken Toys, Tim Lebbon (ChiZine)
- “The Mystery Knight,” George R.R. Martin (Warriors)
- “The Lady Who Plucked Red Flowers beneath the Queen’s Window,” Rachel Swirsky (Subterranean Summer 2010)

BEST SHORT FICTION

Winner: “Fossil-Figures,” Joyce Carol Oates (Stories: All-New Tales)
- “Beautiful Men,” Christopher Fowler (Visitants: Stories of Fallen Angels and Heavenly Hosts)
- “Booth’s Ghost,” Karen Joy Fowler (What I Didn’t See and Other Stories)
- “Ponies,” Kij Johnson (Tor.com 11/17/10)
- “Tu Sufrimiento Shall Protect Us,” Mercurio D. Rivera (Black Static 8-9/10)

BEST ANTHOLOGY

Winner: My Mother She Killed Me, My Father He Ate Me, Kate Bernheimer, ed. (Penguin)
- The Way of the Wizard, John Joseph Adams, ed. (Prime)
- Haunted Legends, Ellen Datlow & Nick Mamatas, eds. (Tor)
- Stories: All-New Tales, Neil Gaiman & Al Sarrantonio, eds. (Morrow; Headline Review)
- Black Wings: New Tales of Lovecraftian Horror, S.T. Joshi, ed. (PS)
- Swords & Dark Magic, Jonathan Strahan & Lou Anders, eds. (Eos)

BEST COLLECTION

Winner: What I Didn’t See and Other Stories, Karen Joy Fowler (Small Beer)
- The Ammonite Violin & Others, Caitlín R. Kiernan (Subterranean)
- Holiday, M. Rickert (Golden Gryphon)
- Sourdough and Other Stories, Angela Slatter (Tartarus)
- The Third Bear, Jeff VanderMeer (Tachyon)

BEST ARTIST

Winner: Kinuko Y. Craft
- Vincent Chong
- Richard A. Kirk
- John Picacio
- Shaun Tan

SPECIAL AWARD, PROFESSIONAL

Winner: Marc Gascoigne, for Angry Robot
- John Joseph Adams, for editing and anthologies
- Lou Anders, for editing at Pyr
- Stéphane Marsan & Alain Névant, for Bragelonne
- Brett Alexander Savory & Sandra Kasturi, for ChiZine

SPECIAL AWARD, NON-PROFESSIONAL

Winner: Alisa Krasnostein, for Twelfth Planet Press
- Stephen Jones, Michael Marshall Smith, & Amanda Foubister, for Brighton Shock!: The Souvenir Book Of The World Horror Convention 2010
- Matthew Kressel, for Sybil’s Garage and Senses Five Press
- Charles Tan, for Bibliophile Stalker
- Lavie Tidhar, for The World SF Blog

----------------

As usual, I've read nothing of those titles, and as usual the nominations seem incredibly weird to me, but I guess congrats to the winners all the same.

Cover art for Subterranean's edition of Brent Weeks' Perfect Shadow

2011-10-23T12:49:00.000-04:00

Perfect Shadow is an eBook novella set in Weeks' Night Angel world, and now Subterranean is releasing it in limited edition form. Raymond Swanland's art is absolutely gorgeous. It almost makes me want to buy it, even though I haven't read any of Weeks' work yet.

In other news, sorry for the lapse in posting. Life has been hectic and there hasn't been anything major enough to post about. Will do better, promise!

Artwork and sinopses for two Daniel Abraham books

2011-10-02T12:11:00.000-04:00

Via A Dribble of Ink

War casts its shadow over the lands that the dragons once ruled. Only the courage of a young woman with the mind of a gambler and loyalty to no one stands between hope and universal darkness.

The high and powerful will fall, the despised and broken shall rise up, and everything will be remade. And quietly, almost beneath the notice of anyone, an old, broken-hearted warrior and an apostate priest will begin a terrible journey with an impossible goal: destroy a Goddess before she eats the world.

We are not alone.

The alien protomolecule is clear evidence of an intelligence beyond human reckoning. No one knows what exactly is being built on Venus, but whatever it is, it is vast, powerful, and terrifying.

When a creature of unknown origin and seemingly impossible physiology attacks soldiers on Ganymede, the fragile balance of power in the Solar System shatters. Now, the race is on to discover if the protomolecule has escaped Venus, or if someone is building an army of super-soldiers.

Jim Holden is the center of it all. In spite of everything, he’s still the best man for the job to find out what happened on Ganymede. Either way, the protomolecule is loose and Holden must find a way to stop it before war engulfs the entire system.

CALIBAN’S WAR is an action-packed space adventure following in the footsteps of the critically acclaimed Leviathan Wakes.

The second Dagger and Coin novel and Leviathan Wakes' sequel. Both covers are not finalized, but I think they both look awesome! Haven't read the first part of either series though, so can't get excited yet.

A Game of Thrones comic book series, Issue 1

2011-09-28T12:17:00.000-04:00

The first issue of the comic book adaptation of George Martin's A Game of Thrones is now out. The mini-series will come out on a monthly basis, and be followed by a new title for every separate book.

Personally, I wasn't impressed. The words are good - Daniel Abraham's done a great adaptation, using exactly the necessary amount of description and dialogue, with only a few instances of added information, when the dialogue would not be enough to present the information that the reader would otherwise read in the novel.

Problem is, I've already read the novel - and more than once - so the only thing the adaptation can offer me are the visuals. And they are... bland. I have never been impressed with Tommy Patterson's art, and it is nothing to write home about here either. The pouty overly pretty and wavy-haired characters would be much more in place in a teenage girl comic book, and the color scheme - done by Ivan Nunes - is entirely too bright. The comic book is definitely not ugly, but it is also nowhere near the style that I think would suit Martin's gritty world best.

And, sadly, the story shows early signs of PG13-ness. Even though the first issue goes only as far as Daenerys' first meeting with Khal Drogo, there is at least one instance of nudity and borderline sexual cruelty that has been cut. And honestly, A Game of Thrones without the realism, sex, violence and dark visuals doesn't seem like much fun now, does it?

Still, I'll follow the series. Who knows, it might grow on me...

6/10

New UK cover art for Adrian Tchaikovsky's Shadows of the Apt

2011-09-26T11:58:00.001-04:00

Via The Wertzone.

Apparently Tor UK will publish those new covers next year. I am not sure I like them. They are flashy, but the character arts are a bit kitsch. And as usual no recognizable characters could be discerned. The artists keep making everyone in Tchaikovsky's world look like a Marvel Comics superhero alien elf robot...

Game of Thrones Season 2: First set photos

2011-09-26T11:52:00.000-04:00

Here are the first set photos for Season 2 of Game of Thrones. Not that there is anything spectacular to see, but it's nice to know progress is being made.

Peter Dinklage wins the Emmy!

2011-09-19T02:00:00.000-04:00

Congrats to Peter Dinklage who won the Emmy for Supporting Actor in Drama for his role as Tyrion Lannister in HBO's Game of Thrones! He more than deserved to win, and I am also happy that a fantasy show gets recognition through the guy.

Game of Thrones Season 2 casting: part 11

2011-09-14T12:30:00.000-04:00

Ian Whyte has replaced Conan Stevens as Gregor Clegane, a.k.a. The Mountain. It seems Stevens had too many scheduling conflicts (including a role in The Hobbit and a recurring one in Spartacus). Now, I can't predict if Whyte will play the role better, but he is freakishly tall, so I guess that's ok...

Fintan McKeown is Ser Amory Lorch - one of the Lannisters' most vicious knights. McKeown has the face to pull it off, but this is yet another character that will probably not have more than a total of 7 minutes of screen time in the season.

Cover art for Joe Abercrombie's Last Argument of Kings

2011-09-14T12:24:00.000-04:00

Definitely not my favorite cover of the trilogy, but looks pretty nice. You can pre-order on Subterranean's website.

Game of Thrones Season 2 casting: part 10 - psychopaths edition

2011-09-11T12:26:00.000-04:00

Anthony Morris is the Tickler. The character appears for a short time in the second book, and then again in the third, as a part of Arya's story-line, but I've always liked how horrible he is in her eyes. Can't wait to see how Morris pulls it off.

Andy Beckwith is Rorge - one of the trio of criminals that travel with Arya and the rest of the boys going for the Wall. Not familiar with Beckwith, but he looks pretty evil, so...

Jordan Gerard is Biter - the last of the trio of psychopaths, together with Rorge and Jaqen H'ghar. Another brutish looking actor, but those are all minor roles, so it's going to be more about looks anyway.

The Ungodly Vilification of Orson Scott Card

2011-09-10T09:21:00.000-04:00

After my post about Hamlet's Father, I've been keeping a close eye on the whole little drama. And sure enough, Uncle Orson Answers Everything and a response popped up on Hatrack. Turns out there are no gay characters in that novella. Hamlet's dad was a pedophile and not homosexual. Those are some pesky semantics there, mister, especially when you're known to have stated that pedophilia is the natural way to turn people gay (you can find the link to that quote in the previous post). Uncle Orson proceeds to defend himself by claiming to have written about "sympathetic homosexual characters" in the 80s and 90s, but that he has stopped because he's been targeted by the "Inquisition of Political Correctness" and doesn't want to be accused of any more homophobia.

Gee-whiz, Mr. Card, don't you think it would be easier to escape that hateful accusation if you weren't, I don't know, a member of The National Organization for Marriage?

Honestly, some people are so confused...

Cover art for Ian Cameron Esslemont's Orb, Scepter, Throne

2011-09-08T13:25:00.000-04:00

It's pretty awesome, but at this point I care very little for the Malazan world. I am yet to read anything by Esslemont after Night of Knives, and I haven't even finished the original Malazan series. Talk about disappointment.

Anyway, Orb, Scepter, Throne is set in Darujhistan and is a sequel to Toll the Hounds.

Uncle Orson Boudlerizes Everything

2011-09-07T18:52:00.000-04:00

First of all, thanks to Pat from the Fantasy Hotlist for drawing my attention to this abominable work of bigotry, by posting Scott Lynch's hilarious response to it.

Now, I'm sure if you read this blog (thank you, mom!), you must know of Orson Scott Card - author of the magnificent Ender's Game (Review), as well as Raving Maniacal Homophobe Extraordinaire. What you may not know is that he has taken up the heavy burden of writing a new version of Shakespeare's Hamlet in order to make it more "accessible" (the thing has obviously been around for a few years, but now the impending doom of a new Subterranean ultra expensive edition is upon us). Now, I like dumbing-down great literature as much as the next pretentious guy who really hates it when people do that, but THIS HERE ARTICLE further strengthened my opinion that Uncle Orson needs to see someone about those pesky feelings he's been having.

In the new "accessible" version of Shakespeare's naughty classic, most characterizations and themes have been swept away by the Proprietydozer, with Hamlet turned into an emotionless automaton. But Hamlet's Father apparently reveals a deeper, uglier truth about what is rotten in Denmark - HAMLET'S DAD WAS GAY! And not just your run-of-the-mill friendly neighborhood eternally damned sodomite sinner, but an evil recruiter for the abominable gay lifestyle, having managed to recruit Horatio, Laertes, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern by molesting them in their youth (it's the natural way to recruit children into the gay lifestyle, as Uncle Orson will be quick to tell you here). And what's even worse - it seems the father's decadent choice persists in the afterlife and Hamlet himself is doomed to spend some quality gay time with daddy in Hell. Ouch!

Needless to say the horribleness that is the very existence of this book has not gone unnoticed, and fans raised their concerns loudly enough for Subterranean to actually issue a reply, managing to not say anything at all (what's to say anyway?).

So what do you think? Is Uncle Orson a hero of modern Baudlerization, warning of evil recruiters, trying to infect innocent children with teh gay, or has age really done as irreparable damage to the poor guy's mind as I feel it has?

Cover art and synopsis for Stephen King's The Wind Through The Keyhole

2011-09-02T12:03:00.000-04:00

Via A Dribble of Ink

For readers new to The Dark Tower, THE WIND THROUGH THE KEYHOLE is a stand-alone novel, and a wonderful introduction to the series. It is a story within a story, which features both the younger and older gunslinger Roland on his quest to find the Dark Tower. Fans of the existing seven books in the series will also delight in discovering what happened to Roland and his ka tet between the time they leave the Emerald City and arrive at the outskirts of Calla Bryn Sturgis.

This Russian Doll of a novel, a story within a story, within a story, visits Mid-World’s last gunslinger, Roland Deschain, and his ka-tet as a ferocious storm halts their progress along the Path of the Beam. (The novel can be placed between Dark Tower IV and Dark Tower V.) Roland tells a tale from his early days as a gunslinger, in the guilt ridden year following his mother’s death. Sent by his father to investigate evidence of a murderous shape shifter, a “skin man,” Roland takes charge of Bill Streeter, a brave but terrified boy who is the sole surviving witness to the beast’s most recent slaughter. Roland, himself only a teenager, calms the boy by reciting a story from the Book of Eld that his mother used to read to him at bedtime, “The Wind through the Keyhole.” “A person’s never too old for stories,” he says to Bill. “Man and boy, girl and woman, we live for them.” And stories like these, they live for us.

My god, that's a beautiful cover! As for the book itself, I have no opinion as I haven't even finished the original Dark Tower series, not to mention I don't even remember well enough the books I have read from it. A reread perhaps?

True Blood, Season 3

2011-08-31T10:41:00.000-04:00

Not really in the mood, so this one will be short...

After the events in Season 2, Bon Temps is in a state of cautious denial. Nothing terrible really happened, it was all just some mass hysteria thing. But Tara can't forget Eggs' tragic death, and Sookie has a very real issue to deal with - someone has kidnapped Bill. Soon werewolves enter the picture, and it would seem a vampire king has outgrown his state, and is looking with hunger towards Louisiana. With intrigue everywhere, political scheming and personal agendas, Sookie seems to be in the center of it all in more than one way, but can she trust anybody? Even the love of her life?

Sounds unfocused? That's because it is. After the absolutely stunning previous season, the third year of True Blood suddenly drops the quality to a level of self-conscious audience-excluding posturing. Literally EVERY character has their own story-line, so the plot barely progresses from an episode to episode. Nobody acts smart anymore (and I don't mean smart in general, but in the campy context of the show), and by this point it seems everybody has some romantic interest in everybody else, which to me is a very powerful sign of screenwriting exhaustion.

Just in case things weren't complicated enough between Sookie, Eric and Bill, now we have hunky werewolf Alcide Herveaux (fitness model Joe Manganiello) to set the stage for a love square - with all the vampires scheming against each other while trying to use Sookie's powers, Alcide is of course a pillar of normality and stability even being what he is.

And then there is the revelation of what Sookie herself actually is, and where her telepathic powers come from. I cannot bring myself to say it, even if I wanted to spoil. It hurts too much...

The writing in Season 3 is simply poor. Even the "main" plot, as much as such could be discerned, is a disastrously uneven affair that ends in the most fantastic anticlimax imaginable, leaving the viewers with a feeling of "wait, is that it?" frustration. Honestly, it feels like all the writers of the previous two seasons have been fired, and the script has been entrusted to the janitor's aunt.

I can't say I actually hated the season, really. Watching it in the span of two days prevented me from hitting the wall in anger which would have been the case if I had to wait a week between the doses of story impotence. There is stuff to like in it, as this is still True Blood. But there is no real joy as the previous two seasons delivered. The show feels tired, and slightly annoyed with you for expecting too much from it when it's not in the mood to play.

I can only hope the next season is better. I don't want Season 2 quality. Just a sign that the show hasn't abandoned all ambition of a coherent storyline.

6/10

Hero - Perry Moore

2011-08-29T01:28:00.000-04:00

Hero is my annual Random Young Adult Book for 2011. My previous one - Ryan Brown's Play Dead (Review) was based on the awesome cover and my latent zombie love, and ended up a spectacular - if entertaining - failure. What drew me to Hero was the unique premise. And this time I don't feel stupid for spending the short time it took to read it.

Set in an alternate present-day Earth reminiscent of the Marvel/DC comic book universes, the novel tells the story of Thom Creed - a teenager with a lot of problems weighing heavily on him. He is a basketball star in his high school team, but still he has no friends because he is also the son of the world's once-premier superhero Major Might. Failing to prevent a horrible tragedy due to his lack of super-powers, Hal Creed was disgraced and blamed for the thousands of victims, and has been met with hostility and ostracized ever since. Thom also possesses healing abilities that he is just barely beginning to understand, which in a house where heroes are taboo is anything but a good thing. And if that is not enough, the boy hides an even bigger secret from his dad - he is gay.

A chance encounter with the A-listers of the League of Heroes ends with Thom being recruited as a probationary member, and put in a team of misfit wannabe heroes, each with their quirky power and personal issues. But even as he struggles with the secret he is hiding from everyone, a much bigger problem arises - someone is killing the world's most powerful superheroes, and Thom quickly finds himself in a place where his choices might determine the fate of many.

Hero is young adult all the way through, but at the same time it deals with the adolescent issues in a serious and honest manner. The superhero world is intentionally made cliche. Many of the A-listers are clearly recognizable DC characters like Superman, Flash or Wonder Woman, with only the name and clothing changed. Moore doesn't try to be original, and it seems to me his purpose was to create a comic-book universe that felt familiar and comfortable to the teenage readers. Even if I am more of a Marvel guy myself, I have to say he has succeeded. The world is a wonderful background for the allegory of growing up different and fighting to find your own value among hatred and bigotry.

The theme of Thom's sexuality is obviously the most important one, permeating practically everything else in the story, but Hero is surprisingly pure in that it doesn't focus on the sexual attraction so much as on the internal conflict and the need for support. At the same time, this is a book about growing up, surviving adversity, and finding your own wings, so it can be an equally pleasant read for any non-bigoted reader no matter their sexuality. It definitely doesn't feel like a "gay read". Also, despite the writing and story being on the YA side, the novel contains some pretty harsh language and a lot of description of grizzly violence, especially towards the end. Yet somehow those don't really clash with the concept, but instead serve to enhance it, to add more depth to it.

Perry Moore's writing style, on the other hand, leaves something to be desired. Hero is his debut novel, and it shows. Of course, YA books tend to be judged by lower standards stylistically, but even so the prose often feels rushed, uneven and chunky. Surprisingly, this didn't prevent me from enjoying the story, which - in contrast to the sometimes clumsy writing - is perfectly paced, the built-up to the epic showdown executed with confidence, and with enough plot twists to keep the interest until the very last page (even if most of them are pretty obvious for an older audience). Moore also has a very good instincts where describing superhero battles and large-scale cool-looking events are concerned, and the description of those is usually top notch.

The characterization is also uneven, but this is easily forgivable. Hero is, after all, the story of one boy's journey of self-discovery, and as such, it focuses heavily on him. Thom is well developed and feels real and interesting enough to forgive him his sometimes unrealistic lack of confidence, considering he is after all, an athletic jock with a superpower. That said, many other characters - like Thom's father, the old and sarcastic compulsive smoker precog Ruth or the haughty and constantly angry Scarlett who hides her own painful secrets behind her fiery powers - receive a really decent amount of fleshing out, almost surprisingly deep considering the target age group. Ironically, the least well developed is Thom's love interest who isn't even identified as such until very late in the novel, even though we are constantly in the kid's head and should've gotten the memo earlier.

In the end, Hero is a really good book. The unrealistic setting serves to enhance the very real problems Moore deals with, while at the same time also presenting the palette for a cool superhero story that examines the usual coming out drama in a new and exciting light, without undervaluing it. It is an entertaining and quick read, and at best it might even make you think about the struggles of many kids all over the world, dealing with what Thom faces without having superpowers.

7.5/10

Game of Thrones Season 2 casting: part 9

2011-08-26T13:34:00.000-04:00

Ian Hanmore is the warlock Pyat Pree from the House of the Undying, whom Daenerys meets in the city of Qarth. A minor role, but important in terms of her character development.

Daniel Portman is everybody's favorite Podrick Payne - Tyrion's squire in King's Landing. It is more or less a comic relief role, and the kid looks awkward enough to pull it off. I can't wait to see how it turns out.

Ralph Ineson is Dagmer Cleftjaw - an ironborn raider with a fearsome reputation. He plays a role in the events in the north, but to me the actor seems rather... well, refined. Still, that's what make-up is for, I guess.

Lucian Msamati is the pirate Salladhor Saan, "the Prince of the Narrow Sea". A colorful character that I have always liked, and Msamati seems a good choice.

The Quantum Thief - Hannu Rajaniemi

2011-08-25T02:18:00.000-04:00

Needing a break from the A Song of Ice and Fire marathon that I have been doing, I decided to go for something completely different. Hannu Rajaniemi's first long form work The Quantum Thief was hailed by many as the debut of 2010, and I am a sucker for good space opera, so - mistakenly thinking the book would fall in that genre - I gave it a go.

The story is set in the far future, in a posthuman solar system where most human minds have been uploaded as "gogols" in virtual environment, indistinguishable from the artificial intelligences that also roam the multiple realities of the ruling entity - the upload collective of the Sobornost. Governed by the copyclans - the trillions of copies of the Founders - the Sobornost turns every other uploaded mind into a slave gogol to serve its mysterious purpose, known as the Great Common Task.

Meanwhile, in the outer reaches of the system other societies fight to remain independent of the copyclans. The Oortians from the Oort Cloud are transhuman warriors whose society - based on Finnish culture - has adapted their manufactured bodies to zero gravity and the freedom of open space. The Zoku are another posthuman group, similar to the Sobornost, who once lost the great Protocol War with it and as a result had to hide on Mars. They are descendants of MMORPG gamers and their entire culture is shaped around the pursuing of games, achievements and leveling up. For them everyone else is a "meme zombie", one who doesn't "play".

And on Mars is the Oubliette - the last baseline human society. A walking city constantly on the run from the whirlwind of trillions of self-replicating killing machines called phoboi, the Oubliette is a place of privacy and old technology, untouched - except for the Zoku colony - by the nanotech quantum singularity that transformed the rest of the system. Its citizens follow an endless cycle of death and rebirth. Everyone carries a Watch that measures their Time as a Noble - a conscious baseline human body. Time is both a measure, and a currency, allowing one to shorten or lengthen their human life in exchange for services, goods and the right to create children. When one's Time is up, their body shuts down and is stored while their mind is temporarily uploaded into a Quiet - machines tasked with maintaining the walking city and fighting off the phoboi threat.

The Quantum Thief's main character is Jean le Flambeur - a notorious thief, alluded to have known many of the Sobornost Founders and possibly hailing from an age close to our own time. Jean has lived many lives in the many societies of the system, stolen both artifacts, ideas and minds, and committed acts that are now a legend. However, he failed in his last project, and as a result was imprisoned in the Dilemma Prison - a structure governed by the Sobornost created Archons tasked with "reprogramming" malevolent minds so they can be uploaded into the collective. But as the novel begins, Jean is saved by the Oortian warrior Mieli and her mysterious godlike benefactor. In return, he has to help them with a theft that only he is capable of, but first, he needs to find the missing pieces of his mind - pieces he hid in the Oubliette a generation ago.

I spend so much time describing the setting and story because The Quantum Thief has not a single speck of mercy for the reader. It bombards you with terminology only half of which is ever explained properly, and the rest is left to your powers of deduction. Even so (or maybe because of that?), the book is immensely rewarding. The first part of a planned trilogy, it is almost entirely set in the Oubliette, thus focusing on a single aspect of the solar system and giving the reader an in-depth view of this posthuman future where the human mind is only another piece of digital information and bodies are easy to create, replace and upgrade.

Apart from Jean and Mieli, there is a third main character - the young Oubliette freelance detective Isidore Beautrelet who solves mysteries on behalf of the Tzadikkim (Hebrew for "righteous ones"), a group of mysterious vigilantes that protect the peace of the walking city with their Zoku-based technology far more advanced than anything the Oubliette uses. Isidore has the ability to see patterns in events and make connections that nobody else could make, which makes him an invaluable part of everybody's plans, and thus - the book's fascinating plot.

And it is fascinating. The Quantum Thief moves with lightning speed, giving you just enough time to kind of orient yourself in the current situation before changing it. Yet the story doesn't feel rushed at all, just charged. Although there are only two plot lines, and the connection between them becomes apparent early on, the finale is still really neat in combining multiple elements of the story so far, and giving a very satisfying conclusion considering that this is only part one of a trilogy.

Rajaniemi's style of writing is great, without drawing attention to itself. Straight to the point, but with enough flourish not to betray the author's hardcore mathematics background (PhD in Physical Mathematics among other degrees). The Quantum Thief sports zero scientific outbursts of the variety that has completely and forever put me off hard SF writers like Stephen Baxter for example, and yet you can clearly see Rajaniemi knows what he is talking about. He is just far more interested in worldbuilding and storytelling, and he has my utmost gratitude for it.

That said, his writing style is not without its flaws. Characters aren't especially complex and their development leaves a lot to be desired in terms of change. They aren't one-dimensional, and they do change with the book's progress, but there is definitely a room for improvement in that aspect, even if it doesn't deter from the enjoyment. My more serious problem is the way information is given to the reader. Like I said, The Quantum Thief throws you in the deep water with very little interest in your ability to swim. Personally, I really love that approach, as I choose to trust the author will eventually make it all clear to me. And Rajaniemi definitely does that, but he seems to not be able to strike the balance for it. Half the time information is just too sparse for the reader to be certain of anything (I must admit to going online too look up some of what I wrote in the previous paragraphs), and the other half is given in rather clumsy infodumps. Not long ones - characters don't burst into sudden talking head mode, thank Cthulhu - but still pretty obvious, and considering that they usually describe the things we are already more or less clear on, I would say the effect is quite unnecessary.

Still, I absolutely loved that book. It is action-packed, and chock-full of ideas. I haven't even touched on the amazing concept of gevulot - the privacy protocol used in the Oubliette - or the walking city's "exomemory", the Sobornost gubernyas, the Zoku Spimescapes, or the cool weapons and other technology used in the action scenes. And the main plot - of which this novel is only the very beginning, even if it is a complete story on its own - seems to be really promising. So, in case it wasn't obvious, The Quantum Thief is a total must read. I am not sure if I would put it above the other great 2010 debut - Bacigalupi's The Windup Girl - but it's definitely among the best SF debuts I've read in a long time, and utterly worth the very little time it will take you to devour it. With a slightly easier access to the world, and a little more character development, it could have been a masterpiece. Still, I can't wait for The Fractal Prince to come out next year!

9/10

Game of Thrones Season 2 casting: part 8

2011-08-24T20:14:00.000-04:00

Patrick Malahide is playing Balon Greyjoy. A minor role, but a solid actor, and he looks scary and mean, so I guess he'll do fine. I actually hope his role is expanded, compared to the book.

Oona Chaplin - the legendary Charlie Chaplin's granddaughter - is playing Jeyne Westerling of the Crag - a role that I can't say anything about without spoiling an important moment from the second book for people who are only watching the show. Suffice to say, she looks perfect for the role.

Laura Pradelska plays the mysterious woman Quaithe whom Daenerys meets during her travels. Quaithe wears a mask the entire time, which is sad, cause Pradelska is a really beautiful woman. Oh well...

Forbes KB (like, seriously?!) plays the ironborn raider Black Lorren. Another minor role, but the guy looks mean and scary, plus we've already seen that characters get different amount of time on the show than they do in the book.

Hugo award winners 2011

2011-08-21T12:32:00.000-04:00

Here is the list of Hugo winners for this year. Nothing fascinating to me, and yet another Connie Willis win seems somehow underwhelming, especially considering the criticism this one generated. Still, I guess 2011 was a slow year, novel-wise... I am however a little pleased that The Dervish House did not win. I realize it is childish of me, but considering how deeply I disliked the novel and how raging the adoration from everyone else, I feel like some measure of balance has been achieved here.

BEST NOVEL

Blackout/All Clear, Connie Willis (Spectra)
Cryoburn, Lois McMaster Bujold (Baen)
Feed, Mira Grant (Orbit)
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, N.K. Jemisin (Orbit)
The Dervish House, Ian McDonald (Pyr; Gollancz)

BEST NOVELLA

The Lifecycle of Software Objects, Ted Chiang (Subterranean)
‘‘The Maiden Flight of McCauley’s Bellerophon’’, Elizabeth Hand (Stories)
‘‘The Sultan of the Clouds’’, Geoffrey A. Landis (Asimov’s 9/10)
‘‘Troika’’, Alastair Reynolds (Godlike Machines)
‘‘The Lady Who Plucked Red Flowers beneath the Queen’s Window’’, Rachel Swirsky (Subterranean Summer 2010)

BEST NOVELETTE

‘‘The Emperor of Mars’’, Allen M. Steele (Asimov’s 6/10)
‘‘The Jaguar House, in Shadow’’, Aliette de Bodard (Asimov’s 7/10)
‘‘Plus or Minus’’, James Patrick Kelly (Asimov’s 12/10)
‘‘Eight Miles’’, Sean McMullen (Analog 9/10)
‘‘That Leviathan, Whom Thou Hast Made’’, Eric James Stone (Analog 9/10)

BEST SHORT STORY

‘‘For Want of a Nail’’, Mary Robinette Kowal (Asimov’s 12/10)
‘‘Ponies’’, Kij Johnson (Tor.com 11/17/10)
‘‘Amaryllis’’, Carrie Vaughn (Lightspeed 6/10)
‘‘The Things’’, Peter Watts (Clarkesworld 1/10)

BEST RELATED WORK

Chicks Dig Time Lords: A Celebration of Doctor Who by the Women Who Love It, Lynne M. Thomas & Tara O’Shea, eds. (Mad Norwegian)
Robert A. Heinlein: In Dialogue with His Century: Volume 1 (1907-1948): Learning Curve, William H. Patterson, Jr. (Tor)
The Business of Science Fiction: Two Insiders Discuss Writing and Publishing, Mike Resnick & Barry N. Malzberg (McFarland)
Writing Excuses, Season 4, Brandon Sanderson, Jordan Sanderson, Howard Tayler, Dan Wells
Bearings: Reviews 1997-2001, Gary K. Wolfe (Beccon)

BEST GRAPHIC STORY

Girl Genius, Volume 10: Agatha Heterodyne and the Guardian Muse, Phil & Kaja Foglio; art by Phil Foglio (Airship Entertainment)
The Unwritten, Vol. 2: Inside Man, Mike Carey; art by Peter Gross (Vertigo)
Grandville Mon Amour, Bryan Talbot (Dark Horse)
Schlock Mercenary: Massively Parallel, Howard Tayler (Hypernode)
Fables: Witches, Bill Willingham; art by Mark Buckingham (Vertigo)

BEST DRAMATIC PRESENTATION – LONG

Inception
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
How to Train Your Dragon
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Toy Story 3

BEST DRAMATIC PRESENTATION – SHORT

Doctor Who: ‘‘The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang’’
Doctor Who: ‘‘A Christmas Carol’’
Doctor Who: ‘‘Vincent and the Doctor’’
F**k Me, Ray Bradbury
The Lost Thing

BEST PROFESSIONAL EDITOR LONG FORM

Lou Anders
Ginjer Buchanan
Moshe Feder
Liz Gorinsky
Nick Mamatas
Beth Meacham
Juliet Ulman

BEST PROFESSIONAL EDITOR SHORT FORM

Sheila Williams
John Joseph Adams
Stanley Schmidt
Jonathan Strahan
Gordon Van Gelder

BEST PROFESSIONAL ARTIST

Shaun Tan
Daniel Dos Santos
Bob Eggleton
Stephan Martiniere
John Picacio

BEST SEMIPROZINE

Clarkesworld
Interzone
Lightspeed
Locus
Weird Tales

BEST FANZINE

The Drink Tank
Banana Wings
Challenger
File 770
StarShipSofa

BEST FAN WRITER

Claire Brialey
James Bacon
Christopher J Garcia
James Nicoll
Steven H Silver

BEST FAN ARTIST

Brad W. Foster
Randall Munroe
Maurine Starkey
Steve Stiles
Taral Wayne

JOHN W. CAMPBELL AWARD FOR BEST NEW WRITER [NOT A HUGO AWARD]

Lev Grossman
Saladin Ahmed
Lauren Beukes
Larry Correia
Dan Wells

A Storm of Swords - George R. R. Martin

2011-08-21T10:45:00.000-04:00

War rages across Westeros. After Stannis Baratheon's defeat the Lannisters control the South, with Tywin Lannister ruling King's Landing in the name of his cruel grandson Joffrey. But the fragile peace in the capital is threatened by the tension brewing between the lions and their uncertain allies - the haughty Tyrells from Highgarden, family to the young king's future wife, and the proud Martells from Dorne who seek vengeance for the brutal murder of princess Elia, the wife of Raegar Targaryen - a murder commanded by none other than Tywin Lannister.

Meanwhile the Ironmen are rampaging throughout the North. Winterfell is a burnt ruin and the two Stark children Bran and Rickon are separated and hidden, with Bran heading on a journey to find the three-eyed crow - a journey that will eventually lead him beyond the borders of the realm. In the Riverlands, Robb Stark, the King of the North, has won every battle he's engaged in, yet it seems he is still losing the war. After his alliance with the Freys is shattered by a terrible mistake, he is trying to find a way to repair the damage his own honor has done.

At Dragonstone, Stannis Baratheon is licking his wounds while still listening to the advice of the deadly priestess Melisandre. But his one true servant Davos Seaworth has survived the battle that destroyed his army and comes back to his king, trying to save him from the path he has taken.

Beyond the Wall, Mance Rayder is marching his vast wildling horde towards Westeros, bent on conquest. Jon Snow plays the turncloak, conflicted by the dishonor he brings his oath with the pretense, as well as by the feelings he is beginning to develop for the wildling woman Ygritte. Yet he needs to find a way to get back to his brothers and warn them of the host, and quickly, because the Wall is not impossible to get across for a small raiding party, and the castles of the Night's Watch have no defense of their own. But there is an even greater danger coming from the north - the Others are roaming the wilderness, and the world has forgotten how to stop them.

In the east, Daenerys Targaryen has traveled to Slaver's Bay to buy herself an army. But events there turn her in a different direction, and she begins a conquest of liberation, creating a following and slowly beginning to realize her destiny. Yet she is surrounded by uncertain loyalties and desires, and even her closest advisers keep secrets from her. And she is constantly haunted by the prophecy that she is yet to be betrayed again. Twice.

A Storm of Swords paints by far the broadest picture so far of the wars that began in the first book of the series. The cast of characters is immense, the events unfolding are epic, and the plot moves to an entirely new level on all fronts. The realm is in ruin, yet nobody sees the danger coming from beyond the Wall, preoccupied as they are with their greed for power. The Stark children are scattered to the winds, each one suffering in a different way. Arya's journey to find her mother in particular seems to be cursed, as she is constantly deterred and diverted from her path. Sansa is the greatest victim of course, as the Lannisters keep using her for their games of politics with her only allies the drunken fool Dontos, the violent Sandor Clegane and the Imp Tyrion who has lost all of his power in the capital with the arrival of his cold father.

There are a couple of new PoVs, the most interesting of course being that of Jaime Lannister. We slowly come to realize there is more hiding behind his devil-may-care attitude, than meets the eye, and his journey from Riverrun to King's Landing changes him in more ways than even he realizes. The other new addition is Sam Tarly - another "helpless" character who suffers terribly in the north. It is always enjoyable for me to read the PoV's of the likes of him or Sansa, as they give an almost outside perspective on the strife that most of the others are a part of.

Yet, even as the story unfolds in its epic scale, and dramatic events follow one after another, A Storm of Swords is not without its flaws. Martin's prose is as always absolutely superb, yet the narrative keeps slowing down. While A Game of Thrones was almost bare-bones straight to the point, the third book in the series sometimes takes way too much time on way too insignificant details. Meals are described in painstaking fashion, as well as the surrounding environment - hills, forests, castles and general geography. Unlike the previous books, now a good part of every PoV's chapters is dedicated to just traveling and thinking about stuff, which brings us dangerously close to Robert Jordan Land. Of course, there is no real comparison, and the third part of A Song of Ice and Fire feels in no way like a filler. Yet the slowing down is palpable, and makes for a much slower reading.

Then there is the Stark issue of course. It is becoming funny how horribly that family suffers all the time. Each and every one of them gets screwed again and again, in more and more violent and horrible ways. And as much as I appreciate tragedy, it is becoming funny in its purposefulness, and funny is definitely not what Martin is going for here, or should be. The Starks need a break, especially after this book, and they better get one soon...

That said, practically everything else in the book is love-worthy. The many plot-lines are filled with shocking revelations and unexpected turns, and meanwhile magic becomes more and more important. I mean, don't misunderstand - I love a magicless fantasy as much as the next very weird person, but it a beautiful contrast to the very human power struggle that rages at the center of the series' story. Speaking of contrast, the way in which the three major lines - Westeros, the Wall and the East - are written is amazing. Even though Martin's style does not change noticeably, the atmosphere of each is distinctly its own, as if an entirely different palette is used to paint each one. ASoIF could easily have been three separate fantasy series and they would still work (in fact, a couple of storylines - Daenerys' for example - have been published in an isolated novella form, thus proving my point).

Yet it is exactly this diversity that makes A Song of Ice and Fire the masterpiece that it is. Even with the tempo slowing down, there is still so much happening, that it is impossible to put A Storm of Swords down. And as this was the last book in the series that I have previously read, what's left now is entirely new territory, which makes it all the more exciting. On to A Feast for Crows!

8.5/10

True Blood, Season 2

2011-08-19T10:31:00.000-04:00

The psychopath Rene is dead, his stream of "fangbanger" murders stopped just before he managed to kill Sookie. But instead of peace returning to Bon Temps, it appearsthat a new killer is on the loose. Season 1 ended with Lafayette being attacked by something unseen, and Tara and Sookie finding a dead body in Andy's (Chris Bauer) car. But as Season 2 starts, it would seem there are bigger fishes to fry. Eric demands Sookie's help with finding the vampire Godric (Allan Hyde), a powerful sheriff in Texas. At the same time Sookie's brother Jason gets more and more mixed up with the vampire-hating Church of the Sun which operates suspiciously close to where Godric disappeared from. Meanwhile back at Bon Temps, Tara falls deeper under the influence of the charming Maryann (Michelle Forbes), even though the life she offers her seems much too good to be true and strange occurrences keep happening around the town. And if that's not enough, Sam is no longer the only shifter in Bon Temps!

Season 2 of True Blood is by far my favorite so far. There is so much to love about it! Having established the whole campy premise of the world, the show can now go boldly into Actual Plot Land, and it does so with great enthusiasm. There are multiple storylines with the Texas mystery and Maryann's rise to power being the central ones. The former is heavy on world-building, introducing us to vampire politics outside of Bon Temps and Fangtasia, while the latter builds on the mythology of the show, revealing that there are powers older and stranger than vampires roaming the land.

There are a bunch of new characters in Season 2. Chief among them is Maryann Forrester who was introduced in the last episodes of the previous season. She is a woman of mystery, obviously rich and powerful, who enjoys throwing parties that get progressively wilder as time goes by. To say anything more about her would spoil basically everything. The Texas line introduces us to Lorena (Mariana Klaveno) - Bill's vicious maker who is still obsessed with him even after he left her almost a century ago. There is also Godric - one of the oldest vampires in America, yet he is more angelic than demonic, and his authority is tempered by an aura of introvert vulnerability. Definitely the first time I see an ancient teenage vampire who actually acts like his age and not his looks. Bite on that, Edward!

My favorite new addition to the cast however is new-born vampire Jessica (Deborah Ann Woll) who got turned at the end of Season 1. She is still trying to cope with all the new abilities and urges her body now has, as well as being an actual teenager who is about to fall in love for the first time in her life. Her little plot line is absolutely adorable as well as really funny, and it intertwines with another so-far-minor character - Hoyt Fortenberry (Jim Parrack) who has the most unbearable mother in the world. There are other new faces as well, around the disappearance line as well as the Church of the Sun, but none important enough to waste review space on.

The production is still as superb as it was in Season 1. I am not much into the technical aspect of tv and cinema, so whatever I say sounds unprofessional to say the least, but the cinematography of the show looks absolutely amazing to me. The style of shooting corresponds so well with the campyness, the scenes and especially episode endings shot in such an in-your-face shock-value way, that if you don't hate it the moment you witness it for the first time, you are bound to fall in love with the style. Then of course there is the soundtrack. The music of True Blood is generally to die for, and perfectly implemented, while the ending songs - with their small town, often country or retro style - are so much in contrast with the usually shocking cliffhangers that they seem to create a weird resonance together.

A point of interest - True Blood doesn't really do character building that much. Even though some experiences change certain people, it is mostly on the surface - they are pretty much set in who they are, as otherwise they would stop representing the aspects of the world that the show has introduced them to represent. It can be viewed as a drawback, and at certain times I would agree, but in the end, the story that True Blood is trying to tell doesn't really require character growth. What's more, its entire plot is built around the predictability of responses on their part. And in the case of vampires, this also adds to the atmosphere of timelessness around them. Plus, the acting is still absolutely superb from everyone.

If a definite drawback is to be found in Season 2, that would be the spreading of storylines. There are too many of them. They are still manageable (nowhere near the absurdity that Season 3 is), but the end result is that the overall plot does not progress too much in any single episode apart from a few of the last ones. I watched the show on blu-ray and within two days, so for me that was ok, but I can easily imagine the frustration if one has to wait a week for the next episode to come out. My sympathies to all of you who are following the show as it airs - it only gets worse as the seasons progress.

My experience was not like that though. Having seen Season 2 within such a short period of time, I fell utterly in love with it. Both major plots were amazing, their respective culminations - totally epic with the Godric one being perhaps the most memorable moment in the entire show. The characters are still as compelling as they were when True Blood started, even if some of them act in unbearably stupid ways some times. I love it when a second season surpasses the first one in such a spectacular way. Especially when the first one was so good to begin with.

9/10

Game of Thrones Season 2 casting: More casting news

2011-08-18T10:27:00.000-04:00

First of all, sorry for not posting. I took a trip to Chicago, and somehow I never had enough time to blog. But now I'm back, very much not dead, and it's time for the next dose of GoT casting news via The Wertzone.

Kerr Logan will play Davos Seaworth's third son Matthos who accompanies him on his ship. Probably a minor role, but at least the boy looks good...

Roy Dotrice - famous for his audio book reads (including ASoIF books 1-3 and 5) - was supposed to play Grand Maester Pycelle in the first season of the show, but health issues prevented him from doing it. Now he is cast as Hallyne, the head of the Guild of Alchemists in King's Landing. Another minor role, although the character might get more screen time than he originally had in the book.

I am a huge fan of the first two seasons of the UK tv show Skins, and so I'm happy that a second actor from its cast joins this project (the first one being Joe Dempsie as Gendry). Hannah Murray's character Cassy was one of the most compelling in that show so it's sad that she has been given the very minor role of Gilly - Craster's pregnant wife-daughter. Still, the role isn't completely meaningless, so I can't wait to see what Murray's gonna do with it.

Craster himself will be played by Robert Pugh. Yet another British actor who has played in everything ever, including everybody's favorite Doctor Who. I love Craster in the books and can't wait to see how he'll look in the show.

Another pretty boy (and I just couldn't resist putting that pic - I mean, look at the kid's jeans!), Karl Davies will be playing the new character "Alton Lannister". Rumour has the guy replacing Cleos Frey - Jaime's cousing who keeps delivering messages between Robb Stark and King's Landing - but it is as yet unconfirmed, and considering Davies' looks and Cleos' role in the books, it seems kind of unlikely to me. Anyway, we'll see.

Ben Crompton is set to play everybody's favorite Dolorous Edd. The Night's Watch brother who keeps bemoaning his sad fate is one of the few comic relief characters in the series, so Crompton better deliver!

Last but not least, Michael McElhatton will be playing Roose Bolton. The Lord of the Dreadfort is an important character, and leaves a very strong impression in the books. McElhatton has the looks, but this role will be dependent on his acting, so I guess we'll have to wait and see.

True Blood, Season 1

2011-08-07T00:04:00.001-04:00

I keep getting back to vampires. I don't know why, really, I haven't liked the concept since Twilight. Yet, for some reason the things I watch keep having vampires in them. I actually saw the first season of True Blood a while back, when it started airing, but I never followed up with Season 2, so I decided now is a good time to catch up on how the show has been going.

The setting is really cool - in a world where the Japanese have created a working synthetic replacement for human blood, two years ago vampires have "come out of the coffin" and are now public knowledge. They fight for equal rights, while new forms of entertainment, crime and pop-culture arise around them, but at the same time they are not the typical persecuted minority. Cause, see, they are vampires. Powerful, ancient, seductive, they are all we know from literature, and more. So sometimes the persecuted become persecutors, and then things turn bloody.

In the little Louisiana town of Bon Temps, Sookie Stackhouse (Ana Paquin) lives an ordinary redneck life as a waitress in a local bar. Sure, she is telepathic and open-minded (which, in the place she lives at, makes her a total freak), but other than that, she is just like any other southern gal. Until Bon Temps sees its first vampire. Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer), son of one of the original founding families of the town, arrives to claim the family estate and settle there. The very first thing Sookie realizes about Bill is that she can't hear his thoughts. The second is that she is irrepairably attracted to him. And then the murders start.

It is easy to realize what True Blood is going for, but hard - for me - to describe it. The show is what you might call "messed up southern gothic". Vampires, swamps, awesome southern accents!!!, lots of sex, and all the white trash campiness that one could wish for. The show is very self-aware, and while the plot - a whudunit murder mystery - is serious, the attitude towards it is not. The entire vampire concept is an in-your-face allegory for gay rights and homophobia ("God hates fangs" and the opposing derogatory "breathers"), while the setting itself is so absolutely unrealistic - I mean, most vampires are so obviously vicious and evil - that you just know this is a show that wants to laugh at itself while still entertaining you. And if it turns out that it becomes too pleased with itself, and cuts the viewer completely out of the picture, well, apparently it's a risk Alan Ball (of Six Feet Under fame) is willing to take.

There is much to like about Season 1. The trashy campy style in which everything is presented (perfectly captured in the amazing opening theme) is a delight to experience, while the story itself is actually smart. You have barely any idea who the killer is until the next to last episode, and when the revelation comes, it is - again - painted in the same ridiculous smug-dumb way that everything else in True Blood works.

The characters are awesome. Sure, you want half of them to be quartered or defenestrated, but at the same time the acting is all-around great. The spot-light shines on Sookie herself, and Anna Paquin's impeccable (although completely fake) southern accent. She is sassy, self-dependent, and doesn't hesitate to tell everyone what's on her mind. Bill is her complete opposite - reserved, ever the dark brooding gentleman, and with a vocabulary from the 19th century, he is as vampire as one can be, and actually dangerous, unlike most vampire romance love interests.

The rest of the cast are all colorful, with everyone having some unique trait to remember them by. Jason Stackhouse (Ryan Kwanten) is Sookie's dumb brother who basically tries to have sex with every female he could find, yet somehow still manages to always be in the center of whatever drama is going down around Bon Temps. Tara Thornton (Rutina Wesley) is Sookie's best (and only) friend - aggressive, sensitive to a fault (especially where racism is concerned), but also smart and caring in her own broken way. Sam Merlotte (Sam Trammell) is the owner of the bar where half the characters in the show work. A decent and reliable guy caring a bit of a torch for Sookie, with a few secrets of his own. Lafayette Reynolds (Nelson Ellis) is Tara's cousin. Flamingly gay, a great chef, as well as drug dealer, go-go dancer, male prostitute and occasionally the Wise Black Dude when necessity calls for it.

Then of course there is Eric (Alexander Scarsgard) - the vampire Sheriff of "Area 5" - who, although not nearly as cool as he will be in later seasons, sets the standard for badass sex appeal. Thousand years old, cold and cynical, with the bearing of a king and the attitude of a drug lord, he commands total obedience and respect in the vampires under his control. He is also, occasionally, absolutely hilarious.

But in the end, it is the attitude that makes True Blood so appealing. It is sexy, trashy, doesn't take itself seriously and you could see how everyone involved with it just has too much fun. And in an age where vampires are all but completely domesticated, the violent and vicious approach of the show, combined with the nose-thumbing it gives the genre, is just too much to resist. Hard not to fall in love with it, and no reason you shouldn't give it a chance.

8.5/10

New cover for Subterranean's special edition of Deadhouse Gates

2011-08-05T13:26:00.000-04:00

After the less-than-inspiring cover that was released about a month ago, Subterranean released a new one, and I dare say it looks way better. Also, the scene depicted on it makes a lot more sense as cover art.

Game of Thrones Season 2 casting: Jaqen H'ghar

2011-08-04T23:19:00.001-04:00

Via Winter is Coming

The role of the mysterious murderer Jaqen H'ghar has been given to German actor Tom Wlaschiha. Obviously they would need to do quite a makeover for him to look the part, so any speculation on whether the guy is up to the challenge so far is pointless, but there is certain intensity in his eyes that I kinda like.

Game of Thrones Season 2 casting: Yara Greyjoy and Xaro Xhoan Daxos

2011-08-02T19:27:00.000-04:00

Gemma Whelan has been cast for Theon's sister who, in the TV adaptation, will be called Yara instead of Asha, to avoid confusion with the name of the wildling woman Osha.

Meanwhile, Nonso Anozie will play the Quartheen merchant-prince Xaro Xhoan Daxos who tries to woo Daenerys. Anozie doesn't match the description from the book, but as usual, as long as he plays the part well, it won't matter.

A new R. Scott Bakker interview by a trio of bloggers, Part II

2011-07-25T22:31:00.000-04:00

Some time ago, I posted the link to an interview that Pat, Adam and Larry took from Scott Bakker. Now it's time for the second part. It is a lot shorter, but plot-intensive, and I love it! You can read it here. My favorite part:

Is Aurang special amongst the Inchoroi in his ability to use Sorcery? Or were all Inchoroi, his brother included, amongst the Few?　

The Inchoroi only possessed the Tekne when they arrived in Eärwa. All of the Inchoroi are the products of successive Graftings, species-wide rewrites of their genotype, meant to enhance various abilities and capacities, such as the ability to elicit certain sexual responses from their victims (via pheromone locks), or the capacity to ‘tune sensations’ and so explore the vagaries and vicissitudes of carnal pleasure. The addition of anthropomorphic vocal apparatuses is perhaps the most famous of these enhancements.

The Grafting that produced Aurang and Aurax was also devised during the age-long C no-Inchoroi Wars, one of many failed attempts to biologically redesign themselves to overcome the Nonmen. But they had been outrun by their debauchery by this time, and had lost any comprehensive understanding of the Tekne. The Graftings had become a matter of guesswork, more likely to kill than enhance those who received them. The Inchoroi filled the Wells of the Aborted with their own in those days.

Aurang and Aurax are two of six who survived the attempt to Graft the ability to see the onta.

Limited edition of A Dance with Dragons

2011-07-25T12:00:00.001-04:00

Subterranean announced their limited edition of Martin's fifth ASoIF book. More info here.

Personally, I find the artwork devastatingly uninspired, but we'll see when the finished cover shows up.

Dwarves! Everywhere dwarves!

2011-07-20T21:06:00.000-04:00

I am sorry. I had a long rehearsal, and it's really hot outside...

Anyway, more dwarves from The Hobbit:

Thorin Oakenshield

Balin and Dwalin

Game of Thrones Season 2 casting: Davos and Cressen

2011-07-20T12:53:00.000-04:00

Casting news continue to pop up. Winter is coming announced two new names - Lian Cunningham as Davos, the "Onion Knight", and Oliver Ford Davies as Maester Cressen. The second role is irrelevant, but Davos Seaworth has a major role in the story. I have to say Cunningham doesn't even remotely resemble the character that I've always had in my mind, but as usual, that won't matter if he plays the part right.

Game of Thrones Season 2 - more casting news: Stannis and Melisandre

2011-07-19T14:46:00.000-04:00

Via Winter is Coming:

Melisandre will be played by Carice van Houten, a Dutch stage and film actress. She’s appeared in the movies Valkyrie and Repo Men. I think you’ll agree she looks just about perfect for Melisandre.

And Stannis will be played by British actor Stephen Dillane, best known to U.S. audiences by playing Thomas Jefferson in HBO’s John Adams.

I don't know either of the actors, but they both seem really good for the roles. Can't wait for next year!

Movies: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2

2011-07-18T21:10:00.000-04:00

It is hard to review this movie without looking back at the ten years of Harry Potter that precede it. We literally saw those little kids grow up, witnessed as their world matured with them, grew darker, more serious and far more dangerous. There is a feeling of immensity to this franchise that few others have achieved. And even though the quality of the movies was uneven, and they had many problems that could not be denied, in the end the scope of the thing seems to be worth more than its mistakes. If you were ever captured by the magic of Harry Potter, you can't not see the conclusion to the boy wizard's story.

After the painfully boring disappointment that the previous movie was, I had pretty low expectations for Part 2 of The Deathly Hallows, mingled - as always - with some hope to be proven wrong. My opinion of David Yates as a director is, shall we say, low. And when you've failed three times in a row, it's hard for people to expect much the fourth time, even if it's your last shot at getting it right.

Surprisingly though, the movie delivers. Beginning where the previous one ended - with Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) claiming the Elder Wand from Dumbledore's grave - The Deathly Hallows, Part 2 follows Harry to the end of the road, going full circle back to Hogwarts, as it should.

The movie is epic. Considering the part of the book that it covers, most of it is one gigantic climax spread into two hours, and that of course leads to problems with pacing as is Yates' wont, but even so it is epic. As usual, the script follows the novel almost to the letter, so all of the fans' favorite moments are there.

I find it pointless to go over the story (everybody knows it) or acting (as that hasn't changed in the last years). Instead, I'll just focus on how the ending itself works. And it works wonderfully. Alexandre Desplat's soundtrack is much better suited to the grand tragedy that unfolds at Hogwarts than John Williams' original music from the first movies, and even though the pacing is all over the place ("uneven" doesn't begin to do justice to the awkward moments of slowness amidst scenes of action, revelations and drama), when the key moments happen, they are always satisfying. The final confrontation between Harry and Voldemort itself is magnificent, and Snape's memories actually got me choked up - something I no longer expected from that particular series.

So, is Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 the best movie in the series? Hell no! In terms of overall quality it holds no candle whatsoever to The Prizoner of Azkaban or The Goblet of Fire. But it is the final chapter, it is the end of an era, and it is epic! And you should go see it, if for some weird reason you already haven't. With all its flaws, and even knowing how much better it could have been in the right hands, it is worth the ticket money.

So yeah, mischief managed. Let's see what the next Big Thing will be.

8/10

The dwarves of The Hobbit

2011-07-15T12:04:00.000-04:00

Oin and Gloin

Fili and Kili

Bombur, Bifur and bofur

Nori, Ori and Dori

Found those over at A Dribble of Ink. A colorful bunch, no doubt, but I am more interested in the dragon myself. I wonder if they'll show it to us prior to the second movie's release.

Cover art for the e-book edition of Robert Jordan's New Spring

2011-07-14T22:26:00.000-04:00

As usual, vastly superior to anything we've seen in print...

Game of Thrones has 13 Emmy nominations

2011-07-14T13:50:00.000-04:00

And here they are:

- Best Drama Series: Game of Thrones
- Supporting Actor in a Drama Series: Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister
- Writing in a Drama Series: David Benioff and Dan Weiss for “Baelor”
- Direction in a Single-Camera Series: Timothy van Patten for “Winter is Coming”
- Casting in a Drama Series: Nina Gold and Robert Sterne
- Costumes for a Drama Series: Michelle Clapton and Rachael Webb-Crozier for “The Pointy End”
- Hairstyling in a Single-Camera Series: Kevin Alexander and Candice Banks for “A Golden Crown”
- Main Title Design: Angus Wall, Robert Feng, Kirk H. Shintani, and Hameed Shaukat
- Non-prosthetic Makeup in a Single-Camera Series: Paul Engelen and Melissa Lackersteen for “Winter is Coming”
- Prosethtic Makeup in a Series: Paul Engelen and Conor O’Sullivan for “A Golden Crown”
- Sound Editing for a Series: Stefan Hendrix, Tim Hands, Michelle McCormack, Steve Fanagan, Andy Kennedy, Jon Stevenson, Robin Whittaker, Caoimhe Doyle, and Eoghan McDonnell
- Special Visual effects for a Series: Adam McInnes, Angela Barson, Lucy Ainsworth-Taylor, Raf Morant, Henry Badgett, Damien Mace, Stuart Brisdon, and Graham Hills
- Stunt Coordination: Paul Jennings

Excluding Hairstyling, Visual effects and Stunt coordination, I'd say the show deserves all of the above. I am particularly hopeful that Dinklage wins the support actor award.

Deadhouse Gates limited edition

2011-07-08T10:33:00.001-04:00

The limited Subterranean edition of Steven Erikson's Deadhouse Gates finally has a cover. I want to say something nice, but it looks pretty uninspired to me, and way more forgettable than the Gardens of the Moon one. Also, It would seem to me that when you are publishing a 10-book series, you don't want to wait for four years in between books.

Anyway, if you are interested, here is the link to pre-order it.

Game of Thrones Season 2 casting news

2011-07-08T09:38:00.000-04:00

British actress Gwendoline Christie has been cast as Brienne of Tarth. A major role, and the choice seems pretty good. Obviously Christie isn't half as ugly as the character she will be portraying, but I can definitely see her donning the armor and awkwardness of Brienne.

Another casting choice - as of yet not entirely official - is Gemma Whelan who is supposed to play the character of "Yara Greyjoy". So far it seems that Theon's sister has been renamed, potentially to avoid confusion with wildling Osha.

A Clash of Kings - George R. R. Martin

2011-07-06T14:11:00.000-04:00

My ASoIF reread is going much slower than expected, due to summer being all summery... I am really annoyed that I won't be able to finish the fourth book before A Dance With Dragons comes out, which means I will not be reading it the first second it hits shelves. Profound tragedy to say the least. Oh well, moving on.

A red comet shines over the skies of Westeros. The color of blood and fire, it is a symbol, but a symbol of what? Five kings strive to rule the Seven Kingdoms, and everyone sees it as a sign for his victory. In King's Landing, the young Joffrey Baratheon sits on the Iron Throne, but his fickle rule - directed by his mother Cersei of House Lannister - is on the brink of total disaster as both the late king Robert's brothers are declaring themselves king and threatening open war.

Meanwhile, in the North, Robb Stark has been declared King of the North, and he is fighting the Lannister forces to rescue his sisters from the Queen and avenge his father's death. At the same time, in the Iron Isles the Greyjoys have decided to carve a kingdom for themselves as well, returning to their old ways of piracy and pillaging. And beyond the Wall the force of Jeor Mormont and his Black Brothers are tracking the lost Benjen Stark in an attempt to find out why all the wildlings have left their villages and what are Mance Rayder's plans.

But the red comet is a sign meant for someone else entirely. A new Queen has arisen beyond the Narrow Sea. Daenerys Targaryen, Mother of Dragons and rightful heir to the Iron Throne of Westeros, sets on a pilgrimage, following the red star with the remnants of her dead husband's khalasar, ever looking for a way to reclaim the kingdom that was stolen from her father.

A Clash of Kings starts right where A Game of Thrones (Review) ended. The realm is in chaos, with multiple powers vying for control. War rages everywhere and the smallfolk are just victims in the battles of knights and lords. The book has many PoVs, but with one exception they are all familiar faces from the first part. The most time is given to Tyrion Lannister - sent by his father to act as Hand of the King and somehow save King's Landing from the invading armies of both Renly and Stannis Baratheon. Those were also - to me - the most enjoyable chapters in the book, as Tyrion constantly plays the scheming game with his malicious sister Cersei, but unlike Ned Stark and Jon Aryn before him, he actually revels in it, and the reader revels with him.

Another big chunk of the book is given to Arya Stark, last seen in the hands of Yoren of the Black Brothers. He dresses her up as a boy and takes her with his group of conscripts for the Wall, hoping to drop her in Winterfell on the way North. Things don't go so smoothly of course, and Arya is used to give the reader a ground level view of the war that we didn't have in A Game of Thrones.

There are many new characters, some of them important, others - not so much, but with one exception, none of them has their own chapters (although that will change in the next books). Still, the cast is quite a bit larger than in the first part, and a good thing too, because Martin isn't shy about killing off characters, even if they are important players. And more than a few fates are left hanging by the end of the book.

Just like with A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings doesn't so much have its own plot, as follows a chunk of the overarching story. However, unlike A Game of Thrones (where I could not find a single unnecessary page), here there be filler chapters, and not a few of them. Many of Catelyn Stark's entries are pretty much just her bemoaning her sad fate while a good half of Tyrion's chapters could easily have been cut. They aren't entirely "unnecessary" of course, as they create atmosphere, and fill in time gaps that would otherwise remain unaccounted for. Also, the latter are immensely enjoyable as everything Tyrion does is gold. It's just that not that much plot development happens in them, and they do feel rather fillerish.

That said, the book suffers not from this. A Clash of Kings is every bit as good as A Game of Thrones, and what it lacks in speed, it more than makes up for in epicness. War is ravaging the land, and you can feel it in every chapter, no matter how far the character is removed from the actual battles. Most of the main players see a significant development, both in terms of personality and their place in the game, and the threat from beyond the Wall is beginning to take tangible shape.

So, as far as magnificence is concerned, A Clash of Kings is pretty damn magnificent! And if I wish it were shorter, it has more to do with the fact that I desperately want to finish the reread before Dance comes out, than with anything else.

9/10

Second excerpt from Brandon Sanderson's The Alloy of Law

2011-06-29T16:07:00.001-04:00

Tor has released a second excerpt from Sanderson's upcoming Mistborn novel, The Alloy of Law. Chapter 2 can be read here.

Cover art for Hannu Rajaniemi's The Fractal Prince

2011-06-28T23:51:00.001-04:00

The Quantum Thief has been getting some very big praising and is high on my "to read" list. Here is the cover for the US edition of its sequel, The Fractal Prince. And just like the first book, it looks positively gorgeous!

Cover art for Philip K. Dick's Adjustment Team

2011-06-26T11:56:00.000-04:00

The artwork for Philip Dick's Adjustment Team - volume two of Subterranean's new project to collect his short stories. Looks a little... ugly...

Game of Thrones casting call: Natalie Dormer is Margaery Tyrell

2011-06-24T12:54:00.000-04:00

From Entertainment Weekly.

Tudors star Natalie Dormer will play the part of Margaery Tyrell in Season 2 of Game of Thrones. Although appropriate for the part, it is strange to me that hey would cast a relatively familiar actress for it, considering Margaery is barely in the second book. Perhaps her role will be slightly larger in the show?

The first image of Martin Freeman as Bilbo

2011-06-24T12:29:00.001-04:00

From Entertainment Weekly.

”He fits the ears, and he’s got some very nice feet,” Jackson says of his Bilbo. ”I think he’s got the biggest hobbit feet we’ve had so far. They’re a little bit hard to walk in, but he’s managed to figure out the perfect hobbit gait.”

Cute. And there are some dwarves in the background too!

More News on HBO's American Gods

2011-06-23T19:22:00.001-04:00

Mad Hatter sheds some more light on the upcoming HBO show American Gods, based on Neil Gaiman's book.

First and foremost Neil mentioned that the first season of the HBO adaptation of American Gods will be comprised of the whole of the novel. Given that it has been discussed that there are plans for 6 seasons Neil will be providing a lot more information. The idea that the “Monarch of the Glen” being made part of the series seems likely as well. Plus Neil said there are at least two more stories about Shadow’s time in Europe that take place after Monarch and before the events of the planned sequel to American Gods. Neil briefly discussed the shorts and seemed interested in getting to them sooner than later. He also brought up what he calls “The American Gods Sequel Box,” which includes Bigfoot, a possible appearance by Jesus, and a tiny town in Florida founded by Spiritualist in the 20s comprised of lots of tarot reading shops. It is apparently a real thing.

Sounds good to me. Plus, Gaiman has worked in TV before, so if he is in control of the project the way Martin is with Game of Thrones, it should turn out to be a really good show.

An excerpt from Vernor Vinge's Children of the Sky

2011-06-22T12:34:00.000-04:00

Once upon a time, I read a book called Fire Upon the Deep, by a guy named Vernor Vinge that I'd never heard of before in my life. The book was mind-blowingly awesome, even translated in Bulgarian, and since then I've kept an eye on Vinge. So I was really happy when Tor announced a sequel to Fire, titled Children of the Sky.

Here is an excerpt from the book, and here is the blurb:

Ten years have passed on Tines World, where Ravna Bergnsdot and a number of human children ended up after a disaster that nearly obliterated humankind throughout the galaxy. Ravna and the pack animals for which the planet is named have survived a war, and Ravna has saved more than one hundred children who were in cold-sleep aboard the vessel that brought them.

While there is peace among the Tines, there are those among them—and among the humans—who seek power…and no matter the cost, these malcontents are determined to overturn the fledgling civilization that has taken root since the humans landed.

I am definitely doing a reread of Fire Upon the Deep soon. I'm really excited about this one!

Game of Thrones Index

2011-06-20T02:27:00.001-04:00

Considering the ridiculous number of posts on this blog that are dedicated to HBO's Game of Thrones, I decided to make an index containing all the material on the Codex.

Episode reviews:

Episode 1 - Winter is Coming
Episode 2 - The Kingsroad
Episode 3 - Lord Snow
Episode 4 - Cripples, Bastards, and Broken Things
Episode 5 - The Wolf and the Lion
Episode 6 - A Golden Crown
Episode 7 - You Win or You Die
Episode 8 - The Pointy End
Episode 9 - Baelor
Episode 10 - Fire and Blood

Trailers:

Here, here, here, here, here, here, and here

Episode Previews and clips:

Episode 1
Episode 2
Episode 3 and here
Episode 4
Episode 5
Episode 6
Episode 7
Episode 8
Episode 9
Episode 10

House previews:

House Stark

Houses Targaryen, Lannister and Baratheon

Character profiles:

Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish

Tyrion and Jaime Lannister, Catelyn Stark, Jon Snow, Bran and Robb Stark, Daenerys Targaryen, Khal Drogo, and Robert Baratheon

Documentaries:

In Production
The Artisans: Buster Reeves, Simon Brindle, Richard Roberts, and Maisie Williams
An Invitation to Westeros

Pictures:

Here, here, here, here, here, and here

Random:

Episode titles and release dates

A Sad review...

...and George Martin's reply to it

Whoa... That was a s*itload of posts. I am slightly disturbed by myself...

Game of Thrones Episode 10 - Fire and Blood

2011-06-20T01:56:00.000-04:00

I was very anxious to see this episode. Fire and Blood, the finale to the first season of what might easily be the most ambitious fantasy project since Jackson's Lord of the Rings. So many things could have gone wrong in this one, but I am happy to say they didn't.

The episode doesn't focus on any one line in particular, instead spreading evenly on all of them. Everyone gets the perfect amount of screen time, and many lines from the second season start here. Actually, a number of little details that happen in A Clash of Kings are shown here.

There are only two new scenes - a short conversation between Catelyn and Jaime that showcases Coster-Waldau's talent that was left unused for most of the season; and a weirdly random monologue of Maester Pycelle's disguised as a post-coital lecture given to Ros (Esme Bianco whose presence in the show is a total enigma to me).

Of course, the strongest scenes are in the Daenerys line. The interaction between her and Drogo is heartbreaking, while Mirri Maz Duur is slightly more dignified than in the book, and her venom is rather downplayed.

And then, of course, there is the finale, which - while differing slightly from the book in terms of... uh... hair - is superb in every possible aspect, including its sparse use of special effects.

So, that's it. Season 1 of Game of Thrones is done, and we are left with ten episodes of brilliant success. The show had its ups and downs, but its downs are easily dismissable, while its ups are on par with HBO's best. They did justice to an amazing book that looked to me impossible to translate properly into the TV medium, and I have rarely been so happy to be proven wrong.

I have no idea how I am going to survive the wait for Season 2...

Season 1: 9/10

Brandon Sanderson wins the David Gemmell Legend award

2011-06-18T11:56:00.000-04:00

So, Brandon Sanderson won the DGLA 2011 for best novel with his Way of Kings. Congrats to him, even if I have severe reservations where this particular award is concerned. The other winners and coverage of the event could be found here.

The cover of David Wingrove's Daylight on Iron Mountain

2011-06-18T11:05:00.001-04:00

After the gorgeous cover of the first part of Wingrove restarted, revamped and reimagined Chung Kuo series, here is the second one. It looks even better than Son Of Heaven, if that is even possible. I am still to start reading the first book, but I have very fond memories of the original series, so I am hoping this project polishes the rough edges.

Exciting Hal Duncan news

2011-06-17T12:42:00.000-04:00

Hal Duncan posted on his blog about his forthcoming poetry collection Songs For the Devil and Death. The collection is coming in July for those of you, interested in his unorthodox writing. I know I am.

In other news, Duncan has signed a deal with Lethe Press for a collection of his short stories. No further info for now, but I'll keep you posted.

Excerpt from Brandon Sanderson's The Allow of Law

2011-06-17T10:51:00.000-04:00

Tor has released the prologue and first chapter of Brandon Sanderson's upcoming Mistborn novel, The Alloy of Law.

We are very excited to offer this excerpt from Brandon Sanderson’s fourth and latest Mistborn novel, The Alloy of Law, out November 8th from Tor Books!
Tor.com will be releasing six excerpts in all from The Alloy of Law as the weeks go on, along with sweepstakes, news, and other fun stuff, so keep checking back!

You can keep track of the excerpts by bookmarking this page, or by visiting our Brandon Sanderson Master Index.

It seems good, although you can't really get much from so little text. To read the excerpt, click here.

Game of Thrones 8-bit opening

2011-06-16T10:18:00.000-04:00

Much hilarity...

Terry Pratchett has started the process of assisted suicide

2011-06-14T23:46:00.000-04:00

From Guardian:

Sir Terry Pratchett, the fantasy writer who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2008, said yesterday he had started the formal process that could lead to his own assisted suicide at the Dignitas clinic in Switzerland.
Pratchett, whose BBC2 film about the subject of assisted suicide is to be shown on BBC2 tomorrow, revealed he had been sent the consent forms requesting a suicide by the clinic and planned to sign them imminently.
"The only thing stopping me [signing them] is that I have made this film and I have a bloody book to finish," he said during a question-and-answer session following a screening at the Sheffield documentary festival Doc/Fest.
He said that he decided to start the process after making the film Terry Pratchett: Choosing to Die, which shows the moment of death of a motor neurone sufferer, millionaire hotel owner Peter Smedley.
Pratchett, the creator of the Discworld novels who was 60 when he was diagnosed, said his decision to start the formal process did not necessarily mean he was going to take his own life.
According to Dignitas, 70% of people who sign the forms do not go through with taking their own lives.

I find this news very sad. It is in a way a good thing that we live in a time where such a step is possible, and people suffering from things like Alzheimer should have the option to go with dignity if they so choose, but it is incredibly tragic that such a great voice in literature is to fade away in such a manner. I can only pray that Terry Pratchett has many good years ahead of him, before the sickness starts taking its toll.

American Gods on HBO in 2013

2011-06-13T22:25:00.000-04:00

From The Hollywood Reporter:

Tom Hanks’ Playtone Productions is set to produce an open-ended series, American Gods, for HBO, based on Neil Gaiman’s award-winning novel, while the company’s next project, Major Matt Mason, is in talks with Robert Zemeckis to direct in 3D, Playtone partner Gary Goetzman told The Hollywood Reporter.
The series-in-development, revolving around the question “are you a god if no one believes in you?” is executive produced by Goetzman and Hanks, with Bob Richardson, and Gaiman on board as executive producer and writer.

Now slated for six seasons, each season will be of 10-12, hour-long episodes with a budget of around $35-40 million per season, targeted to debut on the cable powerhouse in 2013 at the earliest.
Rich in religious folklore that spanned millennia and featuring deities from Greek and Nordic mythology, and even the Judeo-Christian monotheistic God making an appearance, in the contemporary U.S., American Gods will be effects-heavy to do justice to the awe-inspiring power of the divine beings. “There are some crazy things in there. We’ll probably be doing more effects in there than it’s been done on a television series,” said Goetzman.

I am not sure I'm terribly excited about this. American Gods is not a book that could sustain even two, let alone six seasons of a well made TV show. Then again, the setting is compelling enough that HBO might simply decide to use only fragments of the story and make their own with Neil Gaiman's characters. Which, if you think about it, would not be such a bad thing. Still, it's a project that could easily turn very, very wrong.

Incidentally, this is the cover of the Spanish hardcover edition of the book. Pretty awesome, eh?

Game of Thrones, Episode 10 preview

2011-06-13T11:17:00.000-04:00

Added scenes with Catelyn and Jaime. Oh goodie!

Game of Thrones, Episode 9 - Baelor

2011-06-13T01:59:00.000-04:00

Episode 9 is the penultimate chapter in the first season of Game of Thrones, and it really does feel like the threshold to the ending. Dealing mainly with the battle between Robb Stark and the Lannisters in the North, Baelor has a magnificent scene between Tyrion, Bronn and the newly introduced Shae (Sibel Kekilli) which doesn't feature in the book, but serves to build all three characters to a degree I have rarely seen achieved in a single scene. Shae herself seems to me vastly different from her original literary form, and I was originally put off by her face, but after the aforementioned scene Kekilli seems more than appropriate for this new image.

Another great addition to the cast is David Bradley as the old Lord Walder Frey, guardian of the Twins at the crossing of the Trident. True, the actor is quite a lot younger than the character is supposed to be, but he has such a strong aura of Mean Old Man that he is just perfect for the role.

The episode also brings Daenerys' line to its final stage. Drogo's sickness isn't properly explained though, and for someone who hasn't read the book, the impression would be that Mirri Maz Duur (Mia Soteriou) either failed to heal him with her poultice, or intentionally poisoned him. Other than that, the Dothraki scenes are magnificent and emotionally charged, and I can't wait to see the season finale with Daenerys.

If I have a complaint, that would be the incredibly cheap way in which HBO avoided the budget issue with the battle between Robb's and Tywin Lannister's troops. I don't want to spoil it, but it is almost comical.

Other than that though, Baelor is a gorgeous episode, easily among the best in the season. With more than a few dramatic moments - the long awaited ending scene included - it smoothly guides us into the season finale next week. If Fire and Blood can keep that quality up, the first season of Game of Thrones will have been arguably the best fantasy ever to appear on the TV screen.

The White Luck Warrior - R. Scott Bakker

2011-06-12T02:38:00.000-04:00

After the relative disappointment that The Judging Eye turned out to be (if only in comparison with the original Prince of Nothing trilogy), it took me a while to actually get into The White Luck Warrior. Part of it was fear of another disappointment, one that would cement the realization that even Bakker could not keep the quality and measure to his own high standards. Another part was the fact that the book was big, and in recent times it's been getting progressively hard for me to start large volumes, little reading time that I have.

Now I feel slightly silly for waiting so long, but better late than later. I have been denying myself one of the best fantasy novels in recent years.

WARNING! SPOILERS FOR WHAT HAS COME BEFORE!

The Aspect-Emperor's Great Ordeal marches on the Istyuli Plains, bound for ancient Kuniuri. In front of them the Sranc mob, more and more clans combining and running back, to turn into a Horde that would end up dwarfing the great army of Men. Varalt Sorweel, the young King of conquered Sakarpus, is trying to come to terms with the fact that the goddess Yatwer has chosen him to be her weapon against the Aspect-Emperor, hiding his face from the man's dread Dunyain gaze and that of his uncanny children, and positioning him in ever greater positions of power.

Meanwhile, the Skin Eaters continue their journey for ancient Sauglish and its fabled Library, where the Wizard Achamian hopes to find the secret location of Ishual - the ancient citadel of the Dunyain, the birth-place of Anasurimbor Kellhus. Mimara, daughter of the woman who left him for divinity, is struggling with the gift she has - the Judging Eye - and the knowledge that it reveals to her every time it opens, as well as her doubts about the old Wizard's mission.

And in Momemn, capital of the New Empire, the Holy Empress Esmenet is struggling to hold everything together. Assailed by Fanayal ab Kascamandri, the Bandit Padirajah and his Kianene rebels, Psatma Nannaferi, the Mother-Supreme of the Cult of Yatwer, the threat of civil war and the possible machinations of Maithanet, the Shriah of the Thousand Temples, she is blind to the biggest threat of all - her own little son Kelmomas, whose blood-thirsty manipulation threatens to destroy everything she cares about.

And the White Luck Warrior follows a path already trodden, an instrument of circumstances that will inevitably deliver him at the right moment in time and space where the Aspect-Emperor could be killed. But his journey has first taken him to Momemn...

The White Luck Warrior is split into those three lines, with multiple view-points in each one. The Ordeal is seen through Sorweel's POV and my favorite bird's eye view, which Bakker proved to be magnificent at in the original trilogy. The Slog of Slogs is told through Mimara and Achamion's perspectives, while the Momemn line is split into multiple sections - each of its chapters starts with a short scene with the White Luck Warrior, written in italic, and told in a very Gene Wolfean style - due to the man's divine nature - following his inexorable progress towards the death of Anasurimbor Kellhus. Other major POVs are Esmenet and little Kelmomas', as well as the Zeumi sorcerer Malowebi, sent to live among the Kianene rebels to determine whether they are worth Zeum's help.

After The Judging Eye seemed to do nothing but set the new stage and spend half of its length in Moria - pardon, Cil'Aujas - the second part of The Aspect-Emperor propels the plot forward. Unlike with The Prince of Nothing, entire major story-lines end in this novel, leaving many characters' future open for speculation. Of the major POVs, it is Sorweel's that sees the most development. This was the character I hated the most in the first book, as he represented all that is unholy in Steven Erikson's writing, come to Bakker's work as a spreading of cancer. Not so in The White Luck Warrior. Instead of continuing feeling super sorry for himself, the young "Horse-King" actually grows up, his doubts no longer directed at the measure of his worth as a human being, but at his conflicting passions and loyalties where his monstrous enemy and even more monstrous patroness are concerned.

Description of epic battles and sorcerous displays has always been one of Bakker's strongest points, and he more than delivers in both aspects. The Ordeal faces multitudes of Sranc so vast as to obscure the horizon - a plague that does not dwindle even when hundreds of thousands of the abominations are destroyed by the army's four Schools. Where sorcery is concerned, nothing leaves quite as big an impression as the Swayali witches and their gloriously beautiful Grandmistress Anasurimbor Serwa. Kellhus has invented special clothing for his Schools - billows that allow protection against Chorae - and wearing those, the witches are described as flowers of light blooming in the sky. The words used to paint their glory resonated so well with me, at times I felt I was the sole focus of Bakker's writing.

There are two things that prevent The White Luck Warrior from being the perfect fantasy. One is the Mimara/Achamian story-line. It is just too devoid of events, too steeped in despair and drug-warped misery, as all the Skin Eaters slowly succumb to the lull of the mystical Qirri that the Nonman Incariol dispenses every night. At some point those chapters become almost unbearably hard to plod through, and even though the ending to that line more than pays off, less pages could have been spent on it, either leaving them for other lines, or making the book itself shorter.

The one true element I could not stand though, is Anasurimbor Kelmomas. I don't mind that he is a deranged little Stewie, and honestly, if he were only that, he would just spice things up in Momemn. But no, he has to be a Wesley as well! Bakker gives the little abortion an inordinate amount of plot-influence, spinning the entire Momemn line on the juvenile evil genius machinations, and every time something disastrous happened because of him, it made me cringe. There is this syndrome in some fantasy novels, that I can't describe properly. It is when events just turn bad in a bad way that you hate, not because you are attached to certain characters, but just because it's bad and not right. I know that those of you who have shared the feeling - the syndrome has been more than abundant in latter Malazan novels - will know exactly what I mean, and I apologize to the rest if I am unclear. Well, Kelmomas and his argh-inducing plot-direction are exactly that, and in a bad way. I do hope he has a less prominent role in the last book - I mean, he already fraked up everything that could be fraked up...

But despite that one ugly Anasurimbor tumor, The White Luck Warrior is superb. It is Bakker at his best, easily comparable with The Warrior Prophet in terms of quality. The story progresses toward the inevitable battle with Golgotterath, and The Unholy Consult promises to be an epic conclusion to The Aspect-Emperor. The writer himself has promised to basically shatter our world with that one, so I can only wait and hope.

9/10

And just like that - a new Michael Swanwick novel

2011-06-08T09:00:00.000-04:00

Somehow Michael Swanwick managed to publish a book without me hearing anything about it. I am slightly disturbed by the lapse, but whatever. Now, I've always been somewhat reserved towards Swanwick's novels, whereas his short stories are nothing short of brilliant. Dancing With Bears however deals with Darger and Surplus - the two conmen from The Dog Said Bow-Wow, The Little Cat Laughed to See Such Sport and Girls and Boys, Come Out to Play - and those three stories are among the best I've ever read. Not to mention the amazing steampunk/biopunk postapocalyptic world their adventures are set in. So I have high hopes fir this one.

Here's the blurb:

Dancing With Bears follows the adventures of notorious con-men Darger and Surplus: They've lied and cheated their way onto the caravan that is delivering a priceless gift from the Caliph of Baghdad to the Duke of Muscovy. The only thing harder than the journey to Muscovy is their arrival in Muscovy. An audience with the Duke seems impossible to obtain, and Darger and Surplus quickly become entangled in a morass of deceit and revolution. The only thing more dangerous than the convoluted political web surrounding Darger and Surplus is the gift itself, the Pearls of Byzantium, and Zoesophia, the governess sworn to protect their virtue.

Game of Thrones, Episode 9 preview

2011-06-07T10:38:00.000-04:00

The big battles come. Now we'll find out whether HBO has the muscle to pull them off.

Game of Thrones, Episode 8 - The Pointy End

2011-06-06T11:29:00.000-04:00

The new episode finally pushes the plot ahead, and pushes it big time. By making quick jumps ahead and dispensing with all the logistics of travel, The Pointy End sees the effects of Ned Stark's attempt at revealing the truth of Joffrey's parentage spread throughout the Realm. Rob Stark calls the banners and the North begins marching on King's Landing, but the twin armies of Tywin and Jaime Lannister are barring the way. Arya is a runaway, her future uncertain, while Sansa is held hostage by the Queen, to be used as a leverage against the Starks. And on the other side of the sea, events are set in motion that would set Daenerys on her journey towards her destiny.

The Pointy End is among the best episodes in the season so far. All the major players see enough screen time, and the changes - like the missing Brynden Tully, the reason for Drogo's wound and the completely erased mini-arc with Jon's attempt at running away from the wall - actually strengthen the plot. Tyrion's savages are adorable, Bronn proves to be just as cool as he originally promised to be, and even Cersei's constant constipation is somehow appropriate for her scenes. The star of the episode however is Richard Madden. His Robb Stark shows more backbone and determination than even the book gave him, and the interaction with his mother is beautifully subtle (not in small measure due to Michelle Fairley's superb acting).

So, the end draws near and everything is set for the grand finale. Two more weeks and we'll know if the hype was worth it.

Movies: X-men: First Class

2011-06-05T09:07:00.000-04:00

I am a HUGE X-men fan. For various reasons this has always been the comic book series that I have loved the most, even if at times writers turn it into a disgusting soap opera. There is just something that draws me back every time. So when it was announced that an X-men movie is in the making, I was beside myself with excitement. It was the year 2000, and I was a lot younger, but it was also more than that. The super hero movie was nowhere near the huge budgets and blockbuster status that it now has, and after a few horrible Batmans, it was considered bad taste to even call it cinema.

Enter Brian Singer and his original X-men. The approach he had chosen was unique. Instead of gaudy suits and flamboyant action scenes, Singer had gotten to the core of what makes that particular series good, and the movie was more a social drama than a superhero action. Of course, it didn't lack in the latter regard either, and the end result was mind blowing. The fact that it took a major crap-fest like Wolverine to actually ruin the franchise, speaks of its inherent quality.

When they announced X-men: First Class, I was nowhere nearly as excited as I had been 11 years ago. I've seen too many comic book movies now, not all of them bad, and the 60's setting seemed a bit too far from the roots of the series. But then I heard that it will be a true prequel to the original trilogy, and not a reboot - as is so fashionable these days - and thought there might be some potential there. Then the cast was announced. Then the trailers started appearing.

And I was sold.

X-men: First Class is different from the original trilogy. Matthew Vaughn (Stardust, Kick-Ass) has created a campier, more comic-book feeling movie than Brian Singer's sombre realism, and even with all the implausibility and plot holes that entails, it actually works great. The 60's setting on the other hand fails, in my view, as there is very little actual 60's feel to it, but the Cuban missile crisis plot would not work without it, and in the few instances where it does have the feel, it is great, so I can't really criticize it.

Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) has just graduated from Oxford when he meets the young CIA agent Moira MacTaggert (Rose Byrne). She is after an elite group called The Hellfire Club and run by the mutant Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon), and she believes that Xavier could help her, even though at first she doesn't know that he is a mutant himself. With the CIA's help he finds another mutant - the concentration camp survivor Erik Lehnsherr (Michael Fassbender) who is after Shaw to avenge the murder of his mother - and together they form a team of young mutants in order to stop the Hellfire Club.

It's a typical Origin story, but unlike many movies of that sort, First Class doesn't waste most of its time origining. We already know who those people are, what they will become in the future. So Vaughn gives us an actual adventure which just happens to be their first one.

The two main characters are wonderful and the actors are perfect matches for the roles. McAvoy's Xavier is a lot more arrogant and cocky than Patrick Stewart's in the original trilogy, still having all his ideals intact and untested. He has supreme confidence in his powers, as well as his ability to help mutants and reach out to humans for peaceful coexistence. Fassbender's Erik is also not the Magneto that we know. Nowhere near as fanatic and without the hypocrisy and duplicity that mar Ian McKellen's character, he is a troubled and angry young man who is hunting for his mother's killer, not realizing what his anger is shaping him into.

Meanwhile, Kevin Bacon's Shaw is an evil beta version for Magneto's ideals (he even goes as far as to unwillingly provide him with his famous helmet). It is not a complex role, but Bacon is charming in his unapologetic evilness, while being smug and overconfident at the same time. Perfectly in tune with the unrealistic early comic book feel that First Class goes for.

The rest of the characters are the usual serving of heroes and rogues. Only one is memorable enough to warrant her own paragraph, and that is Raven/Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) - Charles' shapeshifting sort-of-sister who slowly comes to terms with the way she looks and the fact that she will never be accepted by anyone until she accepts herself. Her disappointment with Xavier and her subsequent infatuation with Erik are among the best storylines in First Class. Sadly, Lawrence's appearance - her face specifically - seems weirdly inappropriate to the character, but that might be just me.

Still, at times the movie isn't quite there. Perhaps we've reached the point where the superhero visuals just don't work anymore, or maybe the action just isn't good enough. It isn't really bad either, but it looks slightly uninspired, except for Azazel (Jason Flemyng) and his "evil Nightcrawler" fighting techniques, as well as some of Erik's brutalities. Most of it is fairly predictable too. The effects are gorgeous though, and a few scenes are just jaw-dropping (the submarine scene for example, and yes - there is actually more of it in the movie than in the trailer, if you could believe that!). It's just that we've seen most of it before.

Also, more than a few characters - like Riptide (Alex Gonzales), Havok (Lucas Till), Angel (Zoe Kravitz) or Darwin (Edi Gathegi) - just feel unnecessary, as if added only for the visuals (not surprisingly three of those are super attractive). Still, I am happy that the screenwriters kept their mutation in check, and didn't present us with too many characters to handle in a single movie. Apart from the ones listed above, everyone gets decent screen time and as much development as the scrip has allowed, thus saving First Class from the feeling of fanboy mutant-fest that tainted X-men 2 for example.

In the end, X-men: First Class might suffer from the modern comic book movie syndrome, but it is a good comic book movie. Lacking the ironic punch of the first Iron Man for example, it relies on the main duo's chemistry and their superb acting, and the gambit pays off. There are plot holes and there is also bad acting from some of the minor characters, and there is also the could-you-have-been-more-obvious horribleness of the "Mutant and proud!" line, but as a whole, I liked First Class quite a bit more than I've liked any comic book movie in years. It doesn't reach the effect of the original X-men and even though it's a lot better objectively, it can't replace The Last Stand in my heart, but it is way better than both X-men 2 and the unfortunate abortion that was Wolverine. So if there is even a little fanboy in you, or you just like quality summer popcorn movies, do yourself a favor, and go see it.

Plus, Wolverine's cameo is PRICELESS!!

7.5/10

P.S. There is no scene after the credits. Just fyi.

A new R. Scott Bakker interview by a trio of bloggers

2011-06-02T02:11:00.000-04:00

Pat, Adam and Larry have done an interview with Scott Bakker, and the first part of it is up on Pat's Fantasy Hotlist. My favorite part:

- Speaking of THE UNHOLY CONSULT, what can you tell us about the final volume of The Aspect-Emperor?

Completing it will certainly be a tremendous relief, simply because it’ll allow me to finally talk about so many things I’ve kept bottled up for so many years. I’m not sure whether The Second Apocalypse will be anything more than a cult success, commercially speaking, but when you live with a story as long as I have, it becomes a kind of yardstick, something almost religious in its demands. I am very, very happy with how the tale has come along–thanks, in large part, to some important lessons I learned along the way. My brother and I used to pine and daydream about this back in our D&D days, so to see it rendered, every bit as epic as we hoped, and as profound and lyrically beautiful as I could make it... well, that’s just way, way cool.
It feels scriptural, in my imagination at least.

Now, at the top of the sixth inning, the bases are loaded and I need to hit the ball out of the park. So what I want to say is that The Unholy Consult is where most of the burning questions will be revealed. I write books that many people love to hate: my hope is that after this latest set of reveals, the series will have earned their grudging respect as something genuinely unique and daring.

Most of the interview deals with things other than The Aspect-Emperor series, but it is still very interesting. Make sure to check it out.

Some news about The Hobbit movies

2011-06-01T02:34:00.001-04:00

The names of the two Hobbit movies are now known - The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey will hit theaters on 14 December 2012, while The Hobbit: There And Back Again is due 13 December 2013. Meanwhile, Peter Jackson addressed some questions. Apparently, Orlando Bloom is on board now (let's hope it's just a cameo, please God, let it only be cameo!), and as for the White Council and the attack on Dol Goldur:

“I’m not going to say just what and when, but I will confirm that both the White Council and Dol Guldur will feature in the movies. And not just in one scene either. Just how to visualise it has been a challenge, but fortunately Alan Lee and John Howe went crazy with ideas, and it should look pretty cool.
“In fact to celebrate the start of these 20 questions, I’ll show you an exclusive photo of the White Council planning the attack on Dol Guldur! Even if you don’t want to be hit with spoilers, you should still take a look. For the first image of Gandalf, Elrond and Galadriel brandishing an array of fearsome Elvish weapons, CLICK HERE!”

Game of Thrones, Episode 8 preview

2011-05-31T16:20:00.000-04:00

I can just feel that there will be absolutely no action in this episode. I don't know why, it's a gut feeling...

Heirs of the Blade pushed back for October

2011-05-30T08:24:00.000-04:00

Adrian Tchaikovsky confirmed on his blog that the seventh book in his Shadows of the Apt series - Heirs of the Blade - won't be released in the UK in August as originally planned, but on October 7th. In other news, we are still waiting for a US release date for the sixth one - The Sea Watch - from Pyr, and who knows when that will happen. Still, it is slightly comic that the author would apologize for a delay that would still see him publish two big books in one year, but you gotta admire guys like him or Sanderson who could actually pull off a good quality work in such a short period of time.

30 000 hits!

2011-05-30T07:27:00.000-04:00

Yay! Go me! Thanks to everyone who keep visiting this blog! I know the book reviewing section has been lacking recently, but I will do my best to improve on that. And the comment section is always open, so don't be shy.

Movies: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

2011-05-25T09:26:00.000-04:00

There was no way I could've had lower expectation for this movie. Not after the tragedy that was Dead Man's Chest and the confused sea fantasy fiasco of At World's End. Still, epic pirate fantasy is epic pirate fantasy and propriety is to be observed, so I put on the ugly glasses and went to see if On Stranger Tides is as bad as people have been saying.

Well, it's not. The movie is pretty mediocre, and the plot unravels at the most cursory of serious thought, but it is still fun and entertaining, even with half the original support cast missing.

The story is set some time after the events of the previous movie. Captain Jack Sparrow (Johny Depp) is yet again crewless, shipless and most likely at a shortage of gold, but for some reason, rumors circulate around London that he is looking for a crew to sail to the Fountain of Youth. Now, Jack does happen to possess the map leading to said Fountain, but everything else about the rumor is false. So he tries to find out who is impersonating him, only to stumble upon his old flame Angelica (Penelope Cruz), who - as it goes - happens to be the daughter of the most horrifying pirate of all time - Black Beard (Ian McShane). Who, on the other hand, happens to be searching for the Fountain himself, on account of a prophecy that says he'll be killed in the next forthnight. Add to that an angry one-legged Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) on a mission from the King of England, and a Spanish force who are also looking for the same thing, and you have the action adventure all ready to go.

Sadly, a lot of it is spent talking and meandering. Not that there is no action, but it seems weirdly lacking from key moments of the script where you'd very much expect it to be in full swing. Still, some scenes are just awesome, key among them - the mermaid hunt - but I would have expected quite a lot more, considering the budget of the movie. Also, I think it's bad form when important plot-elements have no purpose and just fizzle in the end.

On Stranger Tides is missing a lot of players from the previous movies, but the lack of such monstrosities as dear Orlando and Keira has automatically improved the quality of the cast. Cruz and McShane are both brilliant in their poorly scripted roles, both making the most of them and going beyond the call of duty. All in all the acting is superb - even Depp's captain Jack is slightly less absurd than before (which surprisingly makes him cooler). I was expecting the Random Pretty Christian Boy (Sam Claflin) and the Sexy Mermaid (Astrid Berges-Frisbey and I dare you to say that fast three times) to be obnoxiously bad as the previous "young couple" but they are actually very unobtrusive - kind of to the point where the viewers asking themselves why they are even in the movie...

Special effects, when applicable, are good, although the overall blandness dulls their use. The soundtrack consists of the usual Pirates theme - repeated ad nauseum - and practically nothing new. When it comes to eye or ear candy, On Stranger Tides leaves you with the impression of something lukewarm and re-used, as if you're watching a second hand movie that has already been worn out.

But it is still vastly superior to the abomination that was Dead Man's Chest, and in the end, there is not much competition on the epic pirate fantasy front, so I would still say that if you have the money, the movie is worth the price for admission. Nothing you'll tell your grandchildren you were among the first to see, but a decent entertainment for a few lazy hours on a hot day.

6/10

Game of Thrones, Episode 7 - You Win or You Die

2011-05-24T03:36:00.000-04:00

After being released as a web promo, Episode 7 is up one week ahead of schedule. And after the King's Landing cliffhanger from A Golden Crown, that's more than a good thing, although You Win or You Die spends surprisingly little time in that storyline.

The final major player in the game of thrones - Tywin Lannister (Charles Dance) - is finally introduced in a very cool deer-skinning scene with Jaime. I know it will sound stupid, but I was majorly disappointed when his hair wasn't shaved, considering that the first description we see of him in the book particularly says how he shaved his head the moment he started going bald. It's part of the character, and not just a visual detail, so I was annoyed they didn't do it. Other than that, Dance seems to be spot on for the severe and disdainful Tywin, and I can't wait to see him in the next three episodes.

Littlefinger is surprisingly obvious and his scenes lack the nuance of previous episodes. The new one - with the two whores in the brothel - is so utterly pointless it surprises me Martin has allowed it to happen. Cersei presents Lena Headey's usual acting constipation. Such a tragic miscast that girl turned out to be...

Everything else though - the Daenerys and Jon lines, as well as the rest of the King's Landing arc - is superb. There is little action in You Win or You Die, but a lot of plot, and it ends with possibly the most famous line in the book. I expect the final three episodes will be a real treat, if HBO has spent the necessary budget for them. Too bad some of us will now have to wait two weeks for them...

Game of Thrones, Episode 7 preview

2011-05-24T03:33:00.000-04:00

There's no real point in doing this, considering many people (myself included) have already seen the episode, but I am posting it for continuity's sake. It's funny how the trailer has been cut to create the false sense of a lot more urgency and action than there is in the episode itself.

Game of Thrones, Episode 6 - A Golden Crown

2011-05-23T18:28:00.000-04:00

Not much to comment on this one. It's more or less on the same extremely high level as the previous episode, and it includes several key moments from the story. There are also, however, a few downsides that are just too annoying not to mention.

The budget is not big enough for what HBO is trying to achieve, and it shows more than once. For example, there are still no direwolves whatsoever, and a very important moment which in the book is resolved by one of them, doesn't feature it at all in the episode. At the same time, large vistas like the view from the Aerie look like they're literally painted, and although pretty, seem entirely unconvincing. Probably the most absurd moment in A Golden Crown though, is the one scene from Robert's hunt, featuring him, Renly, Ser Barristan (the wonderfully well cast Ian McElhinney) and the poor "Little Red Riding-Hood" squire Lancel Lannister (Eugene Simon) literally walking alone through the forest. Not much of a Royal Hunt there, HBO!

On the plus side, Daenerys is just wonderful. The prophecy about her child is powerfully portrayed, while the final scene - giving name to the episode - is morbidly beautiful, and the girl's final words are the perfect way to end the episode. Then, of course, there is the Aerie with Dementia Aryn and her son Creepy McCreep who would have stolen every scene they are in, were it not for Tyrion's heart-breaking and loquacious confession of how he jerked off in his sister's soup when he was a child, as well as Bronn's smirking coolness. Of course, to balance the scales, we have Sansa's obnoxiousness which goes well beyond the call of duty (and the book) to get on the viewer's nerves in a BIG way. Sure, her attitude could be easily understood, but it makes her no easier to bear.

All in all, a great episode (even if the bad seems more than the good in this review - it's not), and the ending sets the stage for the final chapter in King's Landing. And the best part? The next episode is already here!

Nebula Awards 2011

2011-05-23T09:12:00.000-04:00

From Tor:

SHORT STORY

WINNER: “Ponies,” Kij Johnson (Tor.com 1/17/10)
WINNER: “How Interesting: A Tiny Man,” Harlan Ellison® (Realms of Fantasy 2/10)
“Arvies,” Adam-Troy Castro (Lightspeed 8/10)
“I’m Alive, I Love You, I’ll See You in Reno,” Vylar Kaftan (Lightspeed 6/10)
“The Green Book,” Amal El-Mohtar (Apex 11/1/10)
“Ghosts of New York,” Jennifer Pelland (Dark Faith)
“Conditional Love,” Felicity Shoulders (Asimov’s 1/10)

NOVELETTE

WINNER: “That Leviathan, Whom Thou Hast Made,” Eric James Stone (Analog 9/10)
“Map of Seventeen,” Christopher Barzak (The Beastly Bride)
“The Jaguar House, in Shadow,” Aliette de Bodard (Asimov’s 7/10)
“Plus or Minus,” James Patrick Kelly (Asimov’s 12/10)
“Pishaach,” Shweta Narayan (The Beastly Bride)
“The Fortuitous Meeting of Gerard van Oost and Oludara,” Christopher Kastensmidt (Realms of Fantasy 4/10)
“Stone Wall Truth,” Caroline M. Yoachim (Asimov’s 2/10)

NOVELLA

WINNER: “The Lady Who Plucked Red Flowers Beneath the Queen’s Window,” Rachel Swirsky (Subterranean Summer 2010)
The Alchemist, Paolo Bacigalupi (Audible; Subterranean)
“Iron Shoes,” J. Kathleen Cheney (Alembical 2)
The Lifecycle of Software Objects, Ted Chiang (Subterranean)
“The Sultan of the Clouds,” Geoffrey A. Landis (Asimov’s 9/10)
“Ghosts Doing the Orange Dance,” Paul Park (F&SF 1-2/10)

NOVEL

WINNER Blackout / All Clear, Connie Willis (Spectra)
The Native Star, M.K. Hobson (Spectra)
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, N.K. Jemisin (Orbit UK; Orbit US)
Shades of Milk and Honey, Mary Robinette Kowal (Tor)
Echo, Jack McDevitt (Ace)
Who Fears Death, Nnedi Okorafor (DAW)

BRADBURY AWARD BEST DRAMATIC PRODUCTION

WINNER: Inception, Christopher Nolan (director), Christopher Nolan (screenplay) (Warner)
Despicable Me, Pierre Coffin & Chris Renaud (directors), Ken Daurio & Cinco Paul (screenplay), Sergio Pablos (story) (Illumination Entertainment)
Doctor Who: “Vincent and the Doctor,” Richard Curtis (writer), Jonny Campbell (director)
How to Train Your Dragon, Dean DeBlois & Chris Sanders (directors), William Davies, Dean DeBlois, & Chris Sanders (screenplay) (DreamWorks Animation)
Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World, Edgar Wright (director), Michael Bacall & Edgar Wright (screenplay) (Universal)
Toy Story 3, Lee Unkrich (director), Michael Arndt (screenplay), John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, & Lee Unkrich (story) (Pixar/Disney)

ANDRE NORTON AWARD

WINNER: I Shall Wear Midnight, Terry Pratchett (Gollancz; Harper)
Ship Breaker, Paolo Bacigalupi (Little, Brown)
White Cat, Holly Black (McElderry)
Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins (Scholastic Press; Scholastic UK)
Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword, Barry Deutsch (Amulet)
The Boy from Ilysies, Pearl North (Tor Teen)
A Conspiracy of Kings, Megan Whalen Turner (Greenwillow)
Behemoth, Scott Westerfield (Simon Pulse; Simon & Schuster UK)

THE SOLSTICE AWARD (for impact on the field)

WINNER: Alice Sheldon/James Tiptree, JR.
WINNER: Michael Whelan

SERVICE TO SFWA

WINNER: John E. Johnston III

As usual, I've read next to nothing of the awarded works, but I have ceased being surprised by the fact. I have been less than impressed with the winning novels in the past few years (The Windup Girl excluded), so I'm not sure I'll be trying Blackout / All Clear, but who knows...

An interesting article on eBooks

2011-05-23T09:04:00.000-04:00

This article from The Atlantic caught my attention. It's called "The Annoyance of eBooks" and deals with the issue of whether they will completely replace print or not. Me, I am on the fence. I don't think I am ready to part ways with the printed book, but I can't argue with the many advantages of e-publications. I guess time will tell, but either way, it's an interesting thing to read.

A big Dance With Dragons update

2011-05-21T02:14:00.000-04:00

George Martin has posted a massive update on his site in which he sheds a lot of light on the upcoming Dance With Dragons.

A few key points:

- The book will be slightly shorter than A Storm of Swords.
- There are 73 chapters, told from 16 viewpoints.
- Sansa, Sam, Aeron Damphair, Arianne, and Brienne have no chapters in the book.
- There will be new POVs, some of them of new characters, introduced here.
- Of the 73 chapters, 35 are dedicated to Jon, Daenerys and Tyrion.
- Of the rest, a large chunk is given to a character "who has been missing for a couple of books, but now returns to us... rather the worse for wear".
- The pre-editor trimming Martin did cut down the size almost 80 pages!
- A few chapters have been redirected to The Winds of Winter.

Read the whole post, it is worth your time, and definitely whets the appetite for Dance. As if said appetite needs any more whetting...

Going Postal - Terry Pratchett

2011-05-19T17:18:00.000-04:00

I have spent most of my conscious life being a wild and dedicated Terry Pratchett fan. He was the voice of wise British sarcasm, consistently showing a world that could do with some more irony, from an angle that was just that little bit original. The bent mirror of the Discworld has been a source of artistic inspiration for me, as well as constant fount of good cheer and much, much smartass verbal smugness. I grew up with it, and through it...

...and then I grew out of it. Something happened about six years ago, that I could not define. Suddenly I had no more desire to read Terry's books, and every attempt at doing so failed miserably after a couple of pages. Seemed like I had just read too much of his work, and there was no more I could take.

But that is not asleep which can eternal rise, or some such, and I decided to try again. Turns out Jupiter and Pluto were at a proper alignment, and success was had. Maybe I just needed a break.

Starting as a stand-alone novel, Going Postal is now considered the first book in the Moist von Lipwig subseries - the fifth one in the Discworld (the other four following the misadventures of Rincewind, Death, the Night Watch and the witches of Lancre) - and it deals with said Most von Lipwig, con man and fraud extraordinaire. After his latest alter ego is "almost" hanged, he is given a choice by the patrician of Ankh Morpork, Lord Vetinari - he could take on the job of Royal Postmaster (the Royal Post Office having collapsed under its own ungainly and ill-managed weight some decades ago) or he could die, this time for real. Being alive presenting a lot more possibilities than being dead, Moist accepts the post (haw haw, see what I did there?) and soon wishes he'd chosen the quicker demise.

Now he must deal with a golem parole officer, the crazy ancient descendants of the once proud postal office workers, the evil money-grabbing owners of the Grand Trunk and their clacks towers, as well as his interest for the severe and sarcastic compulsive smoker Adora Belle Dearheart. Also, he must consistently do the impossible, because - as any con man knows - unless you give them a show, you can never get them to give you their money. Oh, and there is a killer in the night.

Going Postal isn't Terry's best novel by far. But then again, I have read his supposed best novels a good ten years ago, so who knows how they'd seem to me now. And as overall quality goes, it is still pretty damn good. It is always fascinating to see how authors we used to love as kids fare in the test of growing up. Well, Pratchett fares well. More than well. Style-wise the novel is absolutely fantastic. There is not a clever word-play that hasn't been thought of, no opportunity for elegance has been missed. The book simply flows, and the reader glides through the pages with such ease and comfort that it's a surprise the cynical effect isn't lost.

But it isn't. The Discworld, having started as a tableau for making fun of heroic fantasy, has seen many transformations, to evolve, finally, in its present state, which is just outside of our own world, with our own problems, sometimes alarmingly close yet always retaining that little bit of mystery, magic, and Things That Lurk At The Edge Of Reality. There has never been an easy way to describe the blend of flavors that is the Discworld (although people constantly do it, to varying degrees of mediocre effect), but one thing is for certain - there is always the cynicism. It is not the rebellious teenage aimlessness of Fight Club, or the bitter vitriol of an old spinster, but the self-aware wisdom of a man who knows the world far too well not to see everything that is inherently wrong with it, but still loves it.

In a way, Going Postal resembles in structure the beginning of the Night Watch books. A failing state position is given to an unlikely candidate, and he turns it upside down creating miracles. Moist is no Vimes though - he is opportunistic, fake, a fraud through and through... only it doesn't really feel that way. Somehow Pratchett has failed to make Moist' bad side believable enough, so his way-too-quick transformation into Someone Who Cares fails to hit the spot. The character is still cool, he just seems too nice for his supposed self-serving worldview. And the lack of believable internal conflict is what, in the end, makes him not terribly interesting.

This (semi-minor) problem aside, Going Postal is immensely enjoyable. True, if you have read any of Pratchett's recent novels, you've more or less read this one as well. But that is the trick to any of his works - you know them sometimes before you have even opened the first page, but you love them all the same. The novel is masterfully written, grips the attention from the very first page, and doesn't let go until the very end. And if when you finish it, you are not entirely sure you got anything new from the reading, well - I personally have gotten nothing new from reading far inferior books.

7.5/10

Game of Thrones, Episode 6 preview

2011-05-19T02:24:00.000-04:00

There will be another action-packed episode, I can just smell it...

Movies: Priest

2011-05-18T16:14:00.001-04:00

I am always fascinated by bad SF. There is just something so disarming in it, so innocent in its stupidity, one can't help but love it. I hurry to add that I have never read a single page of the manhwa this movie is supposed to be desecrating, but considering the wailing of its fans, I assume that's probably a good thing.

Priest is actually a very fun ride, but is sadly unbalanced in at least three aspects. But first thing first - in a gory cartoon story during the opening credits, we are told that in the reality of the movie, vampires have always existed. We see humans battling them in different eras, until - in the near future - the Earth is all but uninhabitable as a result of the endless wars. What ended said wars were the Priests - humans with a vague and potentially supernatural (although it's never stated as such in the movie) gift for killing vampires. The Priests were so badass that the Church itself feared them too much and after the surviving vamps were imprisoned in "reservations" and most of humanity enclosed itself in Church-governed dystopian cities, the warrior-monks were disbanded and fell into obscurity.

Now, I am sure you have to be wondering how smart it is to lose track of a super-powerful killing machine in the city you rule and make sure he feels thoroughly outcast and unwelcome, but we'll let that one slide. Soon enough our guy's (Paul Bettany) brother's family is attacked by the not-so-extinct-after-all vampires, led by a ghost from the past (that is, from a one minute long flashback that the movies starts with) in the shape of a very evil Karl Urban - whose role, incidentally, would have been a lot better was it not so ungainly burdened with lines - and he must disobey the Church's orders and go into the wilderness to save his niece. He is joined by heroic young sheriff Hicks (Cam Gigandet) who is in love with the girl.

Which brings me to the unbalance I mentioned earlier. See, the movie has tremendously good setting. Everything - from the "Blade Runner gone wrong" Church cities, spewing smoke in the sky, to the postapocalyptic cowboy towns and the vampire hives, and even the SF dystopian western coutire clothing - is just made of style. This almost dead world is alive and believable, and it is cool! The vampires themselves are something like a combination between Aliens and rabid dogs, what with the no eyes and lots of saliva thing, but even so, they work great in this setting.

But then comes the script, and it all goes horribly wrong. That the story is stupid is a given. Whoever doesn't expect a stupid story from an overbudgeted b-movie? But Priest goes that extra mile and makes the stupid story pretentious. Everything drips coolness and pathos in that very annoying way of things taking themselves way too seriously. The dialogue is painful to listen to. Every word that comes from the nameless bad guy's mouth for example is so horrendously trite and misdelivered that it literally made me cringe. And sadly, the story just doesn't work. The epic feel that the setting provides gets thoroughly wasted around the middle of the movie, and the epic ending just doesn't feel epic enough.

And then of course, there is the matter of the Screaming Asian Ninja Priest With The Fancy Knife Moves, but we shall speak not of such vile things... *spits on floor*

Paul Bettany adds to the weirdness that is Priest. He is a good actor. Maybe not A-list material, considering his serial killer looks, but he is a better actor than a movie like that deserves, and he delivers a performance that is just a tad too nuanced and thus brings further dissonance to the whole experience.

But this is mostly me picking my nose for something to say. Yes, Priest is a dumb movie and yes, every word that comes out of Karl Urban's mouth makes you feel embarrassed for him, but the setting is awesome, the action is cool (yes, even with the slow-mo!) and in the end who needs plot when you have frothing vampire... ish goodness?

6/10

Game of Thrones, Episode 5 - The Wolf and the Lion

2011-05-16T17:46:00.000-04:00

Episode 5 abandons the multi-plot structure the show has been following up until now, and with the exception of three short scenes following Catelyn and Tyrion's journey to the Aerie, as well a two completely pointless Winterfell cameos, it is entirely focused on the events in King's Landing, and thus - positively teeming with intrigue. This episode probably sets the record for most new scenes in the show so far, and they are all great. My personal favorite is the absolutely sublime exchange between Littlefinger and Varys (Cоnleth Hill) who trade veiled insults and almost-threats in the throne room.

Loras Tyrell (Finn Jones) gets introduced here, and unlike in the books, his relationship with Renly Baratheon (Gethin Anthony) is shown clearly. And although a blowjob just might be a bit less subtle than hints and innuendos, I think that's ultimately a good decision, considering the little parts both characters play in the first novel; however, I feel no particular sympathy toward either character, while my love for Varys grows by the minute. Arya also keeps being adorable, while the newly introduced Lysa Arryn (Kate Dickie) and her son Robin (Lino Facioli) are a total creepfest, and perfectly fit the characters from the books.

At this point of the story it's time for action, and Game of Thrones more than delivers. There are two big sword fights as well as a nice little melee, and if some of the swordfighting feels a little sterile, an adorable kill with a shield edge and a decapitated horse more than make up for it.

The show is in full swing now. Characters have been established, and the story is moving toward the inevitable conflict between the Starks and the Lannisters. Even the lovely new scene between Cersei and Robert clearly shows the fan is to be hit by a fecal matter very soon and there is no chance of avoiding it. I expect however that Episode 6 will focus mainly on the Daenerys storyline, which means we will have to wait until Episode 7 to see how the King's Landing drama will unfold.

Ah, a week can seem like so much time...

Star Wars blu-ray release covers

2011-05-15T19:37:00.000-04:00

I don't know how new those are, but I just saw them for the first time, and I think all three of them are positively gorgeous. Now, I know fans have been complaining about a lot of stuff concerning the new blu-ray editions. It seems they will be upscales rather than true HD, the original versions are missing, the new deleted scenes aren't made part of the movies as they should have, and there are almost no new documentaries.

But... it's a blu-ray release of Star Wars for frak's sake! And especially the complete set with its nine discs has a lot going for it, at least in the eyes of a non tech savvy humble fan such as myself. This is something that I will be buying on the day of its release if I have the financial capability at the time.

So anyway, here are the arts of the separate trilogies:

As for the specs of the sets, they can be found in the official Star Wars site.

The Vampire Diaries - Season 2

2011-05-13T19:21:00.000-04:00

SPOILERS FOR SEASON 1!!!

It is the night after Founder's Day. The vampires from the church have been dealt with, but Anna (Malese Jow) has been killed by John Gilbert (David Anders), and that pushes Jeremy (Stephen R. McQueen) to take the final step and kill himself with vampire blood in his system so he won't have to deal with the pain of loss. While he lies comatose after overdosing on sedatives, Katherine has infiltrated the Gilbert house, invited in by an oblivious Jenna who mistakes her for Elena...

Season 2 begins the very moment Season 1 ends - with Elena coming home at the precise moment when Katherine stabs her uncle John. It is only the beginning of a brutal mind-f*ck as Katherine starts pursuing her own ends in Mystic Falls while playing cruel games with the Salvatore brothers and her look alike Elena. But that is only half the trouble, as an older and far more dangerous enemy starts closing on the town to use Elena for a purpose that Katherine herself was once meant to fulfill.

There is no real difference in quality between the first and second years of The Vampire Diaries. The plot structure and narrative pacing of Season 2 are more or less the same as they were in Season 1. That said, it suffers a little bit from the "what do we do with those characters now?" syndrome. Elena and Stefan achieved perfection around the middle of the previous year, and the new season doesn't attempt to mess that up, which means they are kinda stuck in their awesome love, with Damon hanging around hopeful and confused. Speaking of Damon, he is completely in the Good Guys camp now, although he still messes things up badly by being a psychotic killer who utterly disregards any life that is not his, Stefan's or Elena's. Apart from being something of a wild card though, his motives are not unclear as they were in Season 1 and to me he feels rather tamed.

Other than the main triangle though, relationships develop and change all over the place. With the introduction of an entire new species of supernatural beings, a lot of characters change their roles in the show, while new ones appear around the main strory-arcs. The best development award undoubtedly has to go to Caroline Forbes (Candice Accola) who changes dramatically after events from the very beginning of the season, and turns into easily my favorite person in the Good Guys camp. Another severe change is the character of Tyler Lockwood (Michael Trevino), but both him and Caroline are an important part of the main plot, so I can't say more without spoiling,

The star of the first half of Season 2 is undoubtedly Katherine though. Played by Nina Dobrev same as good girl Elena, the 400 year old vampire could not be more different. Self-serving, vicious, with no dignity or honor whatsoever, except for when it would help her survival, Katherine is an evil manipulative flirt who would stop at absolutely nothing to get what she wants. She is always prepared, always has a plan B, C and D, and is thoroughly delicious, especially in the early episodes of the season. If anyone could make you squeal with unformulated joy by their very presence in this show, it has to be Katherine.

The Vampire Diaries has not learned its lesson from Season 1, sadly, as the most awesome characters in the show - usually guest stars - get snuffed out all too quick, and with no chance of returning. It is annoying to get to love someone after barely five minutes of him being in the show, only to have him killed at the end of the same episode or the next one. Another problem is the drama, which is still all over the place, extremely formulaic and mostly boring, particularly when it deals with someone's personal issues like lil' brother Jeremy or best friend Bonnie (Kat Graham) who - by the way - turns in this season into Dr. Strange. The ending of Season 2 is also rather bland and doesn't fare well in comparison to that of Season 1. The resolution of the main plot is no resolution at all, and the cliffhangers leave sort of a meh feeling that doesn't hold a candle to Katherine's "Hello, John. Goodbye, John" from the previous year.

That said, there is action galore, and it is absolutely fantastic at times, and just like Season 1, the few times when the drama is actually done right, it is done all kinds of right. Towards the end of the season there are moments to seriously make you cry, and manipulative as they might be, they work. The soundtrack is still awesome if you are into cheesy pop - although there are a little fewer memorable tunes this time around - but the fact that apart from the main triad most of the recurring characters see major improvement (seriously, you will not believe how Caroline turns out) deserves admiration.

So, if you liked Season 1 of The Vampire Diaries, you can not afford to miss Season 2. The quality might not be drastically different, but the stakes are higher, the characters are cooler, and there is now two of Nina Dobrev, which I count as a win. And personally, I can't wait for Season 3 to start!

8/10

Game of Thrones, Episode 5 preview

2011-05-11T07:41:00.000-04:00

After four episodes of introduction and setting the pieces on the board, it seems that Action is coming!

Game of Thrones, Episode 4 - Cripples, Bastards, and Broken Things

2011-05-09T15:32:00.000-04:00

After the introduction to the world and characters in the first three episodes, Episode 4 takes time to fill in some of the back-story for some of them. Dealing mostly with the intrigues in King's Langing and Ned Stark's search for the truth behind Jon Aryn's death, it is filled with what in a lesser show would be shameless infodumps. Despite that, Cripples, Bastards, and Broken Things still somehow manages to move the story more than the previous one did, as well as introduce a few new characters.

The most interesting part of the episode is of course the background. We learn more about the Greyjoys and why Theon serves in Winterfell. Also, with the introduction of Gregor Clegane (Conan Stevens) we're told the sad story of his younger brother Sandor (Rory McCann). Personally, I was a bit disappointed with that particular tale, as it is Littlefinger that tells it to Sansa, instead of the Hound himself, as part of a bonding that might now never come to be. The names of dragons are also thrown around by a slumming Viserys in a new scene that doesn't feature in the book, while the screenwriters finally deign to give us a tease of the three-eyed crow of Bran's dreams that was supposed to make an appearance as early as Episode 2.

Last but not least is Sam Tarly (John Bradley). At first I was taken aback with the actor's looks as they did nothing to impress on me the image of an intelligent and sensitive lad not cut for warfare, as his character is described in the book. Bradley however quickly manages to get around his less than intellectual appearance and Sam Tarly promises to be one of the funniest characters in the show.

My favorite character for the episode is definitely Catelyn. Michelle Fairlay might seem a tad older than most of us would like, but she has the airs of a highborn lady and her mere presence commands obedience in a way that Lena Headey's poor queen Cersei couldn't even dream of achieving. Other than that, Peter Dinklage's Tyrion Lannister is still the best character in the show, in turns coldly sarcastic and haughtily decent. For those of us who have read the novel, he is so much Tyrion that it's almost inhuman!

Sadly, the Daenerys storyline is yet to be given the time it deserves to develop properly. I am hoping that the next six episodes will spare her more than a passing minute or two because the way things are now, I can't see anyone who hasn't read the book caring about what's going on on that continent.

All in all, Episode 4 is keeping with the tendency of each episode being better than the previous one. With a cliffhanger ending that literally made me squeal with joy, it sets the stage for the buckets of horribleness that are about to start pouring over everybody's head. I can barely wait for The Wolf and The Lion!

Game of Thrones, Episode 4 preview

2011-05-06T12:55:00.000-04:00

Yes, yes, please.

Movies: Thor

2011-05-06T10:46:00.000-04:00

I am a big Marvel fan. I am fully aware that most of what the studio produces right now is utter crap, but it's still a huge part of my childhood, and I will probably love these characters till the day I die. Also, ever since they acquired the rights to some of their franchises and started making their own movies, Marvel has done an amazing job at creating comic book adaptation of a level usually vastly superior to anything else on the subject.

That said, I have never read a single issue of Thor, and have only basic knowledge of who the character is and what he's about, so I went to watch this movie with no comic book preconceptions. That also means I have no idea how true it is to the original, although I don't suspect it's too close to it.

Thor is not a typical comic book movie. Unlike most other superhero flicks where the good guy is some form of altered human, Thor's origins are otherworldly. He is, quite literally, the god of thunder, hailing from Asgard - a place of wonderful megalomania where technology and magic combine to produce a people that seemingly hasn't evolved morally since Norse Mythology times, and somehow hasn't invented any means of transportation that isn't a world-destroying space blaster that propels the user throughout the cosmic chasm or a horse...

After showing us how mighty Odin's (Anthony Hopkins) ancient armies were and how thoroughly they raped the collective Frost Giants' ass, the movie schwooms forward to present time, where Odin's older son Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is a monstrous frat-looking douchebag who - in a less adolescent friendly movie - would spend his life drinking, whoring and fighting, but in a Marvel offering does only the last bit. He is apparently very good at it, but little else, which of course makes him seek battles like a junkie. In the end this causes actual damage (one might say almost political) and Odin gets furious, strips him of his powers and casts him down to Earth, throwing his all powerful hammer Mjollnir which has all the fallen god's might trapped within after him, making sure that only one worthy of it can wield it.

Being a thoroughly unworthy but lucky douche, Thor happens to crash-land in front of a scientist's van - Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) who is studying a strange phenomenon which is actually the Asgardians' world-destroying space blaster. Through her he finds the value of compassion and self-sacrifice, thus becoming worthy enough just in time to kick some godly ass.

Thor is a first grade popcorn experience. It combines heart-breaking kitsch with tongue-in-cheek humor, and although it never reaches the quality of the first Iron Man, it is a far superior offering than the second one and definitely on the level of The Hulk. Half the time it feels more like a modern day He-Man reimagining than a comic book movie, what with the epic epicness of golden Asgard and its mighty inhabitants - but it still ties nicely to the whole modern Marvel mythos.

The plot is nothing original, and actually doesn't quite manage to convey Thor's evolution properly at all - he seems to just flip at some point - but it is not offensively dumb either, and is a solid summer(ish) entertainment without making the label sound like an excuse. Chris Hemsworth's role is lovable and doesn't take itself entirely seriously, which in this case is a huge plus, especially considering the actor looks like a total Norse bro and could easily become very offensive to all the five senses. Instead he is utterly disarming and has a few moments of actually decent comedy.

In fact, the acting might combined within the cast is quite formidable. Anthony Hopkins is the perfect Odin and doesn't seem absurd or embarrassed in the role. Natalie Portman's Jane is a lot more furtive and awkward character than one would expect from a Norse god's love interest, while Thor's semi-evil semi-brother Loki is a wonderful performance by Tom Hiddleston who, I admit, I'd never heard of in my life before. The cast also sports lovely geek-favorites like Rome's Ray Stevenson, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist's Kat Dennings and Stellan Skarsgard in a role that literally every actor in his age range could have played just as easily.

The special effects are quite grand, as can be expected in a blockbuster about gods, and they look really, really good, although the 3D is mostly unnoticeable. The action is borderline chaotic, but not enough to start twisting your enjoyment's wrist, and the soundtrack is Epic Comic Book Movie crap that is hard to listen to without cringing a little from the blandness of it, but is still mostly ok.

In the end, Thor is a good, solid entertainment. It doesn't inspire wowness, but for what it's trying to be, it is really successful. And yes, it might not be in sync with the comic books. I suspect the differences are infuriating to actual fans. My perfectly sincere condolences to them, because they have been robbed of some real quality time. To all the rest of you I suggest you give it a go. It's more or less the best brainless fun I've had in a movie theater this year.

7/10

Game of Thrones, Episode 3 - Lord Snow

2011-05-02T02:03:00.001-04:00

Episode 3 is just as big an improvement compared to Episode 2 as it was compared to Episode 1. Covering the events from Ned's arrival in King's Landing to Arya's first "dancing" lessons, its pacing is beyond perfect. Of the four major storylines only the one in King's Langing is given any significant time, introducing the members of the Little Council (and yes, Aidan Gillen is exactly as awesome as Petyr Baelish as the trailers promised) and further developing Jamie and Cersei Lannister's characters. Lena Headey has two more emotional scenes that further distance her Cersei from the literary original, but I am beginning to fall madly in love with this version, so I'd say it's working out fine.

The other three arcs don't progresses much, and Bran's has only a few minutes long cameo, but with barely three scenes we get a very strong sense of what life on the Wall is like through Jon's eyes. The one weak spot for me remains the Dothraki storyline. Emilia Clarke is without doubt the perfect Daenerys, but her brother Viserys has so little screen time that his outburst in this episode should come out of the blue for anyone who hasn't read the book and isn't familiar with the character.

Still, a great episode. I no longer have any doubts regarding the quality of this show. Game of Thrones is HBO at its best, and next Sunday can't come soon enough!

First fifty pages of China Mieville's Embassytown

2011-05-01T10:26:00.001-04:00

Found this on A Dribble of Ink. The beginning of China Mieville's first space opera. Man, I can't wait. Here's a little teaser:

The children of the embassy all saw the boat land. Their teachers and shiftparents had had them painting it for days. One wall of the room had been given over to their ideas. It’s been centuries since any voidcraft vented fire, as they imagined this one doing, but it’s a tradition to represent them with such trails. When I was young, I painted ships the same way.

I looked at the pictures and the man beside me leaned in too. ‘Look,’ I said.

‘See? That’s you.’ A face at the boat’s window.

The man smiled. He gripped a pretend wheel like the simply rendered figure.

‘You have to excuse us,’ I said, nodding at the decorations.

‘We’re a bit parochial.’

‘No, no,’ the pilot said. I was older than him, dressed-up and dropping slang to tell him stories. He enjoyed me flustering him. ‘Anyway,’ he said, ‘that’s not…It is amazing though. Coming here. To the edge. With Lord knows what’s beyond.’ He looked into the Arrival Ball.

There were other parties: seasonals; comings-out; graduations and yearsends; the three Christmases of December; but the Arrival Ball was always the most important. Dictated by the vagaries of trade winds, it was irregular and rare. It had been years since the last.

Read the first fifty pages of Embassytown here.

A Dance With Dragons video and a new episode 3 preview

2011-04-30T17:53:00.000-04:00

A fun video with ADWD's editor Anne Groell.

And a new GoT preview clip:

Game of Thrones, Episode 3 preview

2011-04-29T11:20:00.000-04:00

Awesomeness is about to happen...

A Dance With Dragons is done!... I think...

2011-04-27T18:58:00.000-04:00

At least that's what everyone seems to be making of this post at George Martin's Not A Blog. And oh man, it's been so long it doesn't even register yet... But... wow...

Hugo Award nominees 2011

2011-04-26T18:03:00.001-04:00

The nominees are up, and the full list can be viewed HERE. Meanwhile, here are the more notable categories:

Best Novel

Blackout/All Clear by Connie Willis (Ballantine Spectra)
Cryoburn by Lois McMaster Bujold (Baen)
The Dervish House by Ian McDonald (Gollancz; Pyr)
Feed by Mira Grant (Orbit)
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin (Orbit)

Best Novella

“The Lady Who Plucked Red Flowers beneath the Queen’s Window” by Rachel Swirsky (Subterranean Magazine, Summer 2010) - Read Online
The Lifecycle of Software Objects by Ted Chiang (Subterranean) - Read Online
“The Maiden Flight of McCauley’s Bellerophon” by Elizabeth Hand (Stories: All New Tales, William Morrow)
“The Sultan of the Clouds” by Geoffrey A. Landis (Asimov’s, September 2010) - Read Online (PDF)
“Troika” by Alastair Reynolds (Godlike Machines, Science Fiction Book Club)

Best Novelette

“Eight Miles” by Sean McMullen (Analog, September 2010) - Read Online
“The Emperor of Mars” by Allen M. Steele (Asimov’s, June 2010)
“The Jaguar House, in Shadow” by Aliette de Bodard (Asimov’s, July 2010) - Read Online
“Plus or Minus” by James Patrick Kelly (Asimov’s, December 2010) - Read Online
“That Leviathan, Whom Thou Hast Made” by Eric James Stone (Analog, September 2010) - Read Online

Best Short Story

“Amaryllis” by Carrie Vaughn (Lightspeed, June 2010) - Read Online
“For Want of a Nail” by Mary Robinette Kowal (Asimov’s, September 2010) - Read Online
“Ponies” by Kij Johnson (Tor.com, November 17, 2010) - Read Online
“The Things” by Peter Watts (Clarkesworld, January 2010) - - Read Online

Best Graphic Story

Fables: Witches, written by Bill Willingham; illustrated by Mark Buckingham (Vertigo)
Girl Genius, Volume 10: Agatha Heterodyne and the Guardian Muse, written by Phil and Kaja Foglio; art by Phil Foglio; colors by Cheyenne Wright (Airship Entertainment) - Read Online
Grandville Mon Amour, by Bryan Talbot (Dark Horse)
Schlock Mercenary: Massively Parallel, written and illustrated by Howard Tayler; colors by Howard Tayler and Travis Walton (Hypernode) - Read Online
The Unwritten, Volume 2: Inside Man, written by Mike Carey; illustrated by Peter Gross (Vertigo)

Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, screenplay by Steve Kloves; directed by David Yates (Warner)
How to Train Your Dragon, screenplay by William Davies, Dean DeBlois & Chris Sanders; directed by Dean DeBlois & Chris Sanders (DreamWorks)
Inception, written and directed by Christopher Nolan (Warner)
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, screenplay by Michael Bacall & Edgar Wright; directed by Edgar Wright (Universal)
Toy Story 3, screenplay by Michael Arndt; story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton & Lee Unkrich; directed by Lee Unkrich (Pixar/Disney)

Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form

Doctor Who: “A Christmas Carol,” written by Steven Moffat; directed by Toby Haynes (BBC Wales)
Doctor Who: “The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang,” written by Steven Moffat; directed by Toby Haynes (BBC Wales)
Doctor Who: “Vincent and the Doctor,” written by Richard Curtis; directed by Jonny Campbell (BBC Wales)
Fuck Me, Ray Bradbury, written by Rachel Bloom; directed by Paul Briganti - Watch Online
The Lost Thing, written by Shaun Tan; directed by Andrew Ruhemann and Shaun Tan (Passion Pictures)

Best Editor, Short Form

John Joseph Adams
Stanley Schmidt
Jonathan Strahan
Gordon Van Gelder
Sheila Williams

========================

Personally, I am really disappointed by the Best Novel nominees, as it seems designed to promote Ian McDonald and his The Dervish House. I won't get tired of repeating how underwhelmed I was by that book (Review), but since that makes five of us, if even that many, I should just learn to live with it. Anyway, I haven't really read any of the other offers, but I have heard a good deal of pros and cons for all of them, so who knows how it will turn out. Still, not terribly exciting this year.

Full cover of Stephen King's 11/22/63

2011-04-25T13:01:00.000-04:00

Stephen King's next. I haven't been following his work for a while, but this particular novel seems really interesting, and I might give it a shot. Here's the synopsis:

On November 22, 1963, three shots rang out in Dallas, President Kennedy died, and the world changed. What if you could change it back? Stephen King's heart-stoppingly dramatic new novel is about a man who travels back in time to prevent the JFK assassination - a thousand page tour de force.
Following his massively successful novel Under the Dome, King sweeps readers back in time to another moment - a real life moment - when everything went wrong: the JFK assassination. And he introduces readers to a character who has the power to change the course of history.
Jake Epping is a thirty-five-year-old high school English teacher in Lisbon Falls, Maine, who makes extra money teaching adults in the GED program. He receives an essay from one of the students - a gruesome, harrowing first person story about the night 50 years ago when Harry Dunning's father came home and killed his mother, his sister, and his brother with a hammer. Harry escaped with a smashed leg, as evidenced by his crooked walk.
Not much later, Jake's friend Al, who runs the local diner, divulges a secret: his storeroom is a portal to 1958. He enlists Jake on an insane - and insanely possible - mission to try to prevent the Kennedy assassination. So begins Jake's new life as George Amberson and his new world of Elvis and JFK, of big American cars and sock hops, of a troubled loner named Lee Harvey Oswald and a beautiful high school librarian named Sadie Dunhill, who becomes the love of Jake's life - a life that transgresses all the normal rules of time.
A tribute to a simpler era and a devastating exercise in escalating suspense, 11/22/63 is Stephen King at his epic best.

Game of Thrones, Episode 2 - The Kingsroad

2011-04-25T00:51:00.001-04:00

Episode 2 is out, and the show already takes a slightly different turn compared to the book, especially where the character of Cersei Lannister is involved. She is given a lot more vulnerability and softness than the first book shows, in a scene that is perhaps the best in the episode. Daenerys also seems to be rather different. Her simple love for the Khal and her newfound sense of freedom from the novel have been replaced with a slightly demented stoner persona that looks very interesting for the time being.

I am sensing how I'll need to rewatch every episode again and again until I stop subconsciously comparing every scene with the book. But the show keeps being worth it, and I can't wait to see how it develops!

Full cover of Jon Sprunk's Shadow's Lure

2011-04-24T13:52:00.000-04:00

Pyr has released the full cover of Jon Sprunk's Shadow's Lure, sequel to his 2010 debut Shadow's Son (Review), which I found underwhelming, but still a fun enough read to make me want to know what happens next. As for the cover itself, it is not nearly as inspiring as the first book, but still - like almost everything Pyr publishes - very easy on the eyes. Here's the novel's synopsis:

The unforgiving Northlands . . .

In Othir, he was at the top of the food chain—an assassin beyond compare, a dark shadow in the night. But Caim left that life behind when he helped an empress claim her throne. And now his past has come calling again.

Searching for the truth behind the murder and disappearance of his parents, Caim discovers a land in thrall to the Shadow. Haunted by temptations from the Other Side, he becomes mired in a war he does not want to fight.

But there are some things a son of the Shadow cannot ignore, and some fights from which he can’t run. In this battle, all of Caim’s strength and skill won’t be enough. For none can resist the Shadow’s Lure.

Shadow's Lure is out in June.