tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74200795172918195082024-02-19T07:17:44.597-08:00Elmenreich BooksNight Zachttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01082414527253020349noreply@blogger.comBlogger559125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7420079517291819508.post-72658811100285947672017-08-14T20:37:00.002-07:002017-08-14T20:37:43.779-07:00Breakfast at Tiffany's<br />
<div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;">
<img alt="Breakfast at Tiffany's Audiobook" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51luVX2ZjJL._SL300_.jpg" /></div>
<br />
<i style="font-weight: bold;">Breakfast at Tiffany's</i> is the latest in my novella/short novel kick. At 192 pages, it runs for under three hours on Audible, and it's read by Michael C. Hall from <i>Dexter</i> and <i>Six Feet Under</i>. It had been in my wish list for some time when it became the Daily Deal yesterday; I bought it for $1.95. Narrated by Fred, an unpublished writer living in the same poor tenement as the main character, Holly Golightly, it tells the story of the two of them, their friendship, and most importantly, Golightly's story. <br />
<br />
When you're reading a bunch of good literature, it's hard to say how one stands out sometimes. In the case of <i>Breakfast at Tiffany's</i>, it's many things. It's the characters. It's 1943 New York. It's the prose. It's Holly, it's Holly, it's Holly. I haven't been this entranced by a female character in literature since I first saw Bizet's <i>Carmen</i> by the San Diego Opera, after which I immediately went home and wrote a one-act play. Holly made me want to become a writer again. Night Zachttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01082414527253020349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7420079517291819508.post-55933391695272688512017-08-14T04:09:00.002-07:002017-08-14T04:09:42.554-07:00All These Worlds<br />
<div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img alt="All These Worlds Audiobook" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61GJ0YKvEsL._SL300_.jpg" /></div>
<br />
<b style="font-style: italic;">All These Worlds</b> is the third "Bobiverse" novel, a science-fiction story about a self-replicating spacecraft with an "artificial" intelligence created by scanning the brain of an early 21st-century entrepreneur and engineer who dies in an accident outside a sci-fi convention in Las Vegas. In the third and seemingly final book (billed as the "conclusion" to the series), the Bobs must deal with a genocidal race called the Others along with a host of other problems. In the first novel, the Bobs simply fly into space, bent on exploring it. As the series progresses, they gain more and more responsibilities, ending up saving not only the human race but two other sentient species.<br />
<br />
I was decidedly nonplussed at seeing the series end. With so many series going strong at five or even ten books, the almost abrupt ending of the Bobiverse series disappointed me, not just that it ended but the way it ended (spoilers follow). The Others are destroyed when two of the Bobs accelerate a planet the size of Mars into the star around which the Others are building their Dyson sphere, and the explanation of this is completely left out. Where do they get the power to move a planet at all, let alone at relativistic speeds? I get the feeling that author Dennis E. Taylor didn't know himself, so he only spends a single page on this plot device. I'll still buy every book Dennis E. Taylor writes, but make no mistake. <i>All These Worlds</i> is a flawed novel. Night Zachttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01082414527253020349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7420079517291819508.post-26063141359873780732017-08-10T17:22:00.001-07:002017-08-10T17:22:37.491-07:00The Secret Scripture<br />
<div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;">
<img alt="The Secret Scripture.jpg" height="400" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f0/The_Secret_Scripture.jpg/220px-The_Secret_Scripture.jpg" width="261" /></div>
<br />
<i style="font-weight: bold;">The Secret Scripture</i> is another fantastic book by the Irish writer, Sebastian Barry. It's the story of Roseanne McNulty, a 100-year-old Protestant woman who has lived in the Roscommon Regional Mental Hospital for half her life, perhaps more. She decides to write an autobiography, which is discovered at the turn of the 21st century by her psychiatrist, Dr. Grene. The narrative voice shifts between the autobiography and Grene's account; Grene must decide if she is to be transfered to another hospital or let free. <br />
<br />
A little math shows that the heart of the story is in the 1920s, when the Troubles took place, being of course the Irish Civil War and its aftermath. Roseanne's family, being Protestant in the mostly Catholic borough of Sligo, face hardships and loss, as you might well expect, but what I can't get over is how author Sebastian Barry manages to write an epic story in just 300 pages, as he does in the other novel of his I've read, <i>Days Without End</i>. <i>The Secret Scripture</i> was made into a movie in 2016.Night Zachttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01082414527253020349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7420079517291819508.post-87436598662459498482017-08-09T20:40:00.003-07:002017-08-09T20:40:50.187-07:00Great Jones Street<br />
<div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img alt="Great Jones Street Audiobook" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41MfcwKyrcL._SL300_.jpg" /></div>
<br />
<i style="font-weight: bold;">Great Jones Street</i> is the 1973 novel by Don Delillo about the reclusive rock star, Bucky Wunderlick. Wunderlick lives in an unfurnished apartment on Great Jones Street, Manhattan, where he is hassled by his agent, a drug dealer, neighbors, and other strange people. The two main plot elements are a new drug that inhibits the speech center of the brain and the so-called "Mountain Tapes," a series of 20 songs recorded by Bucky in the mountains. This all must sound very Pink Floyd to most readers, but we have to remember that <i>The Wall</i> was realized later in the 1970s. A more likely basis for the Wunderlick character is Bob Dylan, who recorded the <i>Basement Tapes</i>, which were mired in rumor and legend until their release in 1975. <br />
<br />
I listened to a new recording of the <i>Great Jones Street</i> audiobook, released on Audible earlier this month. The recording gives the novel an otherworldly feel, as if the events take place in the future or on another planet. The book itself, we have to remember, is pure 1970s and touches upon themes delved into more deeply in later works by Delillo such as political violence as art (<i>Mao II</i>) and pop-culture journalism becoming mainstream (<i>Running Dog</i>). It mixes the surreal and the mundane like <i>White Noise</i>, and damnit, read Don Delillo. He's fucking good.Night Zachttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01082414527253020349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7420079517291819508.post-25651472473734419892017-08-03T03:22:00.000-07:002017-08-03T03:22:01.762-07:00July's People<br />
<div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;">
<img alt="111050" height="400" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1328616249l/111050.jpg" width="260" /></div>
<br />
<i style="font-weight: bold;">July's People</i> was written in South Africa in 1981 by Nadine Gordimer It takes place in the near future, when after a civil war in South Africa, apartheid is ended. With all the major cities engulfed in war, the liberal Smales family escapes Johannesburg to the village of their servant, July. What follows is a series of events that sees the Smales family decidedly out of their comfort zone. While before the riots, they traveled the world in luxury accommodations, they now must bathe in the river, sleep in huts and forage for food. <br />
<br />
Nadine Gordimer herself came from a wealthy, liberal family from South Africa, and you can tell that she puts a lot of herself in the novel. While there isn't one great story, the book is more made up of scenes, much like the "Slice of Life" manga popular in Japan, but taking place in a fictional, war-torn South Africa. It's a short book, and I'm sure I missed a lot. Instead of re-reading it, I picked up <i>The Conservationist</i>, the 1974 novel that won Gordimer the Booker Prize. She was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1991.Night Zachttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01082414527253020349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7420079517291819508.post-90056263020541383912017-08-01T18:06:00.001-07:002017-08-01T18:06:54.952-07:00Eileen<br />
<div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img alt="Eileen Audiobook" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51N4kxTT6cL._SL300_.jpg" /></div>
<br />
<i style="font-weight: bold;">Eileen </i>is the stunning debut novel by Ottessa Moshfegh, an American writer who was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize for her efforts. The novel is the story of Eileen, the boorish daughter of a police officer who lives in a small town outside of Boston in the 1960s and who works as a receptionist at a juvenile prison, where she gets caught up in a bizarre crime. That crime takes up only the last fourth or fifth of the short novel. The rest is us just getting to know Eileen, her habits, and her house life. <br />
<br />
A new take on the anti-heroine, <i>Eileen</i> depicts the titular character as plain, slovenly, alcoholic, naive, and slightly stupid, but we cannot help but root for her. The narration is from the present day (the book was written in 2015), so we know she survives, and clues are given about her life after leaving "X-ville," where she commits her unusual crime. I can't wait to read more from this author. Night Zachttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01082414527253020349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7420079517291819508.post-27843606420279683772017-07-30T17:48:00.001-07:002017-07-30T17:48:07.519-07:00The Butterfly Effect With Jon Ronson<br />
<div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;">
<img alt="The Butterfly Effect with Jon Ronson Radio/TV Program" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/515S-CNfGnL._SL300_.jpg" /></div>
<br />
<b style="font-style: italic;">The Butterfly Effect With Jon Ronson</b> is a seven-episode podcast given away for free on Audible. It's about the effects of massive amounts of free pornography around 2008 on PornHub, although there have been other outlets like peer-to-peer files haring programs and downloading options like Megaupload and Rapidshare. To make a story out of it, the author, Jon Ronson puts the blame on free pornography squarely on the shoulders of PornHub and its "creator," a Belgian man who simply invested in the company, tracing the effects of free porn on the pornography industry, Ashley-Madison, and on the viewers.<br />
<br />
I never went on Ashley-Madison, but it did tickle me to find out that only a tiny percentage of its members were women, and only a tiny percentage of that tiny percentage of those women were real women, the rest being bots. Of course, we all know that Ashley-Madison was hacked, leading to the publication of millions of members in a database searchable by zip code and name, but to add further to the humiliation - in most cases undeserved - of these men in saying that they were paying $25 a month to talk to bots, is just hilarious to me. <br />
<br />
There is a lot of darkness to this series, of course. It follows the stories of a couple of people who attempted or committed suicide. Among pro athletes, there's always the thought, "if only I'd come along 10 years later and made as much as the athletes are making today." In the porn industry, all that money was made 15 or 20 years ago, in many instances before the producers, directors, and stars were born. Night Zachttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01082414527253020349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7420079517291819508.post-12523103406971424302017-07-28T14:53:00.001-07:002017-07-28T14:53:18.341-07:00Days Without End<br />
<div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img alt="CoverOfSebastianBarryNovelDaysWithoutEnd.jpg" height="400" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/ce/CoverOfSebastianBarryNovelDaysWithoutEnd.jpg/220px-CoverOfSebastianBarryNovelDaysWithoutEnd.jpg" width="259" /></div>
<br />
<i style="font-weight: bold;">Days Without End</i> is a fantastic book. I read it on Audible, which I'd highly recommend. It's an Irish novel, and very few of us are able to subvocalize an Irish accent with the genuineness of Aiden Kelly, who gives a wonderfully authentic reading. His accent is fully Irish but not too modern, as the book takes place in the 1850s through 1870s. The main character is Thomas McNulty, an Irish boy who escapes the famine in Ireland in a boat to Canada. He then becomes an Indian fighter, a crossdresser, a prisoner in Andersonville, and so much more. <br />
<br />
It is a unique achievement to make such an epic novel fit into 70,000 words or under eight hours unabridged on Audible. I'm reminded of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Voltaire, and Cormac McCarthy. <i>Days Without End</i> is not a comedy, though; it's a very serious book. The best praise I can give author Sebastian Barry is that I will read every book he's written, as soon as I can. I've already purchased two more of his novels. Night Zachttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01082414527253020349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7420079517291819508.post-52864577562366574532017-07-27T03:37:00.002-07:002017-07-27T03:37:51.197-07:00The Hospital: A "Mountain Man" Story<br />
<div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img alt="The Hospital: The FREE Short Story: The First Mountain Man Story Audiobook" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/511XKIDHiFL._SL300_.jpg" /></div>
<br />
<i style="font-weight: bold;">The Hospital: A Mountain Man Story</i> is free on Audible, so I thought I'd give it a listen. There are four "Mountain Man" books, all of which take place during a zombie apocalypse. I know, I know, but I read on. I'm not a huge fan of zombie stories; I only got through the first episode of <i>The Walking Dead</i> before giving up, and I've never read the comics, but somehow I liked this one, and I'd like to explain why.<br />
<br />
The first of two big reasons to read "Mountain Man" beyond the free short story is R.C. Bray. With credits including <i>The Martian</i> and Craig Alanson's "Expeditionary Forces" novels, Bray is quickly becoming a sci-fi audiobook powerhouse, and this is an excellent performance by him. He's funny, dramatic, and terrifying. The second reason is that the first three "Mountain Man" books (each barely 300 pages long) are being sold for one credit on Audible, so you get three books for the price of one. I'm definitely down with that, and while the series isn't the first thing I'll read next - I might not get to it until September - I'll probably spend a credit on it. Night Zachttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01082414527253020349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7420079517291819508.post-89593979488212163412017-07-25T18:11:00.000-07:002017-07-25T18:11:05.294-07:00The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian<br />
<div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;">
<img alt="The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.jpg" height="400" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/23/The_Absolutely_True_Diary_of_a_Part-Time_Indian.jpg/220px-The_Absolutely_True_Diary_of_a_Part-Time_Indian.jpg" width="267" /></div>
<br />
<i style="font-weight: bold;">The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian</i> is a short novel for adults and young adults by Sherman Alexie. Albert Spirit, Jr. is the narrator, a 14-year-old boy starting high school on the Spokane Reservation. After a tumultuous first week that sees him suspended from school for attacking a teacher, that teacher encourages him to leave the "Res." Instead of getting good grades and going to college, Albert registers for a school outside the reservation the next day.<br />
<br />
Albert describes the abject poverty and insipid alcoholism of the Indians on the Res (many prefer the term "Indian" over "Native American" because the latter implies colonization and Americanization). This contrasts with the spirit, warmth, and intelligence of the main character and his friends and family both on and off the Res. The book is depressing and funny. Night Zachttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01082414527253020349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7420079517291819508.post-21410248108425784982017-07-24T18:17:00.000-07:002017-07-24T18:17:47.295-07:00The X-Files: Cold Cases<br />
<div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;">
<img alt="The X-Files: Cold Cases Performance" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61Xj4EEzE-L._SL300_.jpg" /></div>
<br />
<i style="font-weight: bold;">The X-Files: Cold Cases</i> is a full-cast, six-episode mini series on Audible. Each episode is 45 minutes long, and they star David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, and all the stars of the TV series, <i>The X-Files</i>. The series starts off with former Special Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully living as Mr. and Mrs. Blake in Virginia, under the auspices of the FBI Witness Protection Program, but don't worry. It isn't long before they're back in the FBI, working on the X-Files. <br />
<br />
Throughout the TV series, <i>The X-Files</i>, or at least the first nine seasons (I haven't seen the most recent outing, but I will), there has been a mix of "Monster of the Week" and "Mythology" episodes, with most people preferring the latter. I've always maintained that it's the mix of the two that makes the series great, and I enjoyed the one "Monster of the Week" episode in this Audible series. I won't spoil this series by giving out any further details, but I have to say that it exceeded my expectations by a great deal. Five stars, and all that. Night Zachttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01082414527253020349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7420079517291819508.post-38068777383319252812017-07-24T03:44:00.000-07:002017-07-24T03:57:33.573-07:00The Oedipus Plays: An Audible Original<br />
<div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img height="400" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/513D8BfHTML._AA300_.jpg" width="400" /></div>
<br />
<i style="font-weight: bold;">The Oedipus Plays: An Audible Original</i> was in my wish list for a few months, but I couldn't bring myself to pay $7 for a bunch of plays I've already read a couple of times. When it was the Audible Daily Deal a week or two ago, I bought it, and I'm really glad I did. The three Theban plays, <i>Oedipus the King</i>, <i>Oedipus at Colonus</i>, and <i>Antigone</i>, were written by Sophocles some two and a half miliennia ago, and they remain one of the earliest examples of high drama in the world. The "Oedipus" story has been around for even longer than that; Oedipus is the baby who is prophesized to one day kill his father, the king, and marry his mother, the queen, so he is abandoned in a forest, where he is raised by a woodsman and his wife. He grows up, of course, to kill his birth father and marry his birth mother.<br />
<br />
Sophocles makes the story so much more than that, of course. The story was so well known at the time that he begins the Oedipus story with Oedipus as the king of Thebes, only referring to his origin story. <i>Oedipus at Colonus</i> describes Oedipus' late life and how he dies a blind beggar. It was written much after <i>Oedipus the King</i> and even after <i>Antigone</i>, which is the story of Oedipus' daughter, who breaks a royal decree not to bury her brother by giving him full funeral rites. <br />
<br />
The acting in this Audible Originals production is simply superb, far above R.C. Bray's "Skippy the Magnificent," and Frank Muller's "Eddie Dean," two of my favorite audiobook performances. This is high art and high drama, produced and acted by real professionals. I cannot recommend it too highly. Night Zachttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01082414527253020349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7420079517291819508.post-63073654170652206302017-07-23T20:03:00.001-07:002017-07-23T20:03:45.588-07:00Green Lanterns #26<br />
<div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;">
<img height="400" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/A1nKDzwDdvL._SL1500_.jpg" width="260" /></div>
<br />
<b><i>Green Lanterns</i>, Issue #26</b> begins 10 billion years ago, when Volthoom and Rami forge the First Ring. Rami, of course, is a Guardian of the Universe, and Volthoom is the First Lantern, from Earth-15, which was destroyed by unknown forces. The interplay between them is excellent, an extremely emotional Volthoom and Rami, who is supposed to have forsworn emotions, yet he is the most emotional of the Guardians. You see Volthoom losing control and eventually...<br />
<br />
There's a Snickers ad that I thought was part of the story; it was very annoying. Also, the usually excellent lettering is a little too small, in particular, Rami's narration, which takes the form of script on lined paper. I could still read it, but I had to struggle to do so. At 44, I don't have the eyes I did at 14. The story of Rami and Volthoom is nice, and I'm excited to see what happens between them and Jessica Cruz and Simon Baz in the following issues. Issue #27 came out a few days ago, and I already have it. Night Zachttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01082414527253020349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7420079517291819508.post-47002699347066657412017-07-22T14:04:00.000-07:002017-07-22T16:56:53.498-07:00Clue #2<br />
<div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img height="400" src="http://www.freaksugar.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Clue_02_A-copy-674x1024.jpg" width="263" /></div>
<br />
<b><i>Clue</i>, Issue #2</b> begins with a focus on Professor Orchid. He is a gay Pakistani man who the deceased A. Body apparently had information about. Detectives Amarillo and Ochre then find out that Mr. Body had information - perhaps intended for blackmail - about all the guests, but why did Mrs. Peacock die? Things really heat up when two suspects escape the mansion, and Detective Ochre is attacked. <br />
<br />
If you're a fan of the movie <i>Clue</i> with Tim Curry, you might want to check this one out. It's actually better in a number of ways, as there are multiple attacks, and it's a sincere mystery, as opposed to a formulaic comedy. I particularly like the use of color by Nelson Daniel, the artist. Paul Allor remains my favorite IDW writer, and the letters by Neil Uyetake are consistent and legible, with emphasized words both italicized and bolded. Night Zachttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01082414527253020349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7420079517291819508.post-48313365684398020312017-07-22T08:46:00.001-07:002017-07-22T08:46:51.884-07:00Fear the Sky<br />
<div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;">
<img alt="22171697" height="400" src="http://images.gr-assets.com/books/1400430094l/22171697.jpg" width="302" /></div>
<br />
<i style="font-weight: bold;">Fear the Sky</i> is the story of an alien invasion, taking the form of four satellites and seven androids. The satellites are stealth-enhanced and difficult to find, and the seven androids are controlled by the digitized minds of seven aliens, one for each of the seven nuclear powers on Earth: America, Britain, Russia, France, Israel, India, and Pakistan. The seven androids all have the mission to infiltrate the armies of those countries, attend officer training, and get as close as they can to the nuclear arsenals of those countries to prevent them from attacking the forthcoming space armada. <br />
<br />
The cabal of scientists and military personnel begins with two scientists who have to keep the secret of alien incursion because if they don't, the aliens will deploy a biological agent that will kill all humans. One of many plot holes is that the two scientists don't know this. While I can see how them keeping the secret from the American government makes for good sci-fi, I still don't "get" why the two characters would keep the invasion secret in the first place. <br />
<br />
To make matters worse, <i>Fear the Sky</i> is some 700 pages long or over 20 hours on Audible. Like many self-published novels, there are too many errors in the original text, and while the audiobook version is slightly better - no less a luminary than R.C. Bray does the reading - there are still problems with the sentence structure at times. It's a good book for fans of military and technical sci-fi, but while I finished it, I won't be reading the two sequels. Night Zachttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01082414527253020349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7420079517291819508.post-34824877245015626422017-07-20T14:41:00.000-07:002017-07-20T14:42:05.619-07:00Green Lanterns #25<b><i>Green Lanterns</i>, Issue #25</b> is a 30+page anniversary issue. The title debuted one year earlier, and has been published twice a month since then. Like the last few issues, there's a flashback to 10 billion years ago, when the first seven Green Lanterns got their rings, the story of Tyran'r of Tamaran. Somehow, he's still alive and guarding the Vault of Shadows, where Simon Baz and Jessica Cruz have traveled with Volthoom, who inhabits the body of Rami, the Rogue Guardian. Finally, Volthoom reveals himself. <br />
<br />
And there's more. This is a particularly convoluted issue, one that even an ardent follower of <i>Green Lantern</i> and <i>Green Lanterns</i> would have trouble making heads or tails of. There are actually two tales of the first seven Green Lanterns. I mean, these are okay enough stories, but the two of them kind of break the flow of the issue, especially an issue with such an important reveal as this one (Volthoom escaping in body with his Power Ring from the Vault of Shadows). <br />
<br />
I'm getting closer to getting caught up with this series, as Issue #27 came out yesterday. I'm all caught up with <i>Rogue One: A Star Wars Story </i>and <i>Clue</i>, and I don't have that much left with <i>Copperhead </i>and <i>Old Man Logan</i>.
<img scr="http://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/dcn-wp/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/19194857/greenlanterns25a.jpg" />Night Zachttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01082414527253020349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7420079517291819508.post-87784546362859827142017-07-20T07:02:00.000-07:002017-07-20T07:02:02.715-07:00Rogue One #4<br />
<div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img height="400" src="https://tse3.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.k0AE9FPXzKO1UHGabV7jpwDJE1&pid=15.1" width="260" /></div>
<br />
<b><i>Rogue One: A Star Wars Story</i>, Issue #4</b> promises Darth Vader, and it delivers. It continues the arc from Issue #3 which involves the meeting between Jyn Erso and Galen Erso, which the latter doesn't survive. Then we get the Darth Vader goodness. Seriously, the <i>Star Wars</i> producers need to get James Earl Jones to make every sound the way that woman who did Siri did, so we can have him say anything. Over 20 years ago, when I lived in Japan, I loved the BBC <i>Star Wars</i> dramatizations for radio, but they weren't the same without Jones. <br />
<br />
Despite this issue's unfortunate beginnings - I hated the "Erso reunion" scenes in the movie - this is a pretty good issue. We get to see Darth Vader, Mon Mothma, Yavin 4, and all the other fun stuff. This issue also captures the unique humor of <i>Star Wars</i>, which is the difference between good <i>Star Wars</i> and great <i>Star Wars</i>. While I didn't like <i>Rogue One: A Star Wars Story</i>, the movie, very much (I liked <i>Star Wars Episode One: The Phantom Menace </i>better, much to the chagrin of my nephew), it has elements of greatness.Night Zachttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01082414527253020349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7420079517291819508.post-53622577636669821382017-07-18T11:39:00.000-07:002017-07-18T11:39:41.164-07:00Green Lanterns #24<br />
<div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;">
<img height="400" src="http://thegww.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/GLS_Cv24_ds-.jpg" width="260" /></div>
<br />
<b><i>Green Lanterns</i>, Issue #24</b> concludes the training arc with Simon Baz/Kyle Rayner and Jessica Cruz/Guy Gardner. All Baz has to do to pass is punch Rayner in the face. Jessica Cruz has put her training in jeopardy by punching Gardner in the face, beginning a fight. Then it goes to the Volthoom arc from 10 billion years ago, on Mars, where Z'Kran Z'Rann, the White Martian, overcomes great fear to become one of the first seven Green Lanterns. Z'Rann's old ring, one of the original seven, is now on Jessica Cruz's finger, leading Volthoom to request Cruz and Baz to help him go to the edge of the universe in the following arc.<br />
<br />
Cruz's character has been progressing nicely. Just six months ago, she still couldn't make constructs with her ring, merely shooting out beams with it and stuff. Now she's able to handle her own in a fight with Guy Gardner. Gardner isn't a very likeable person, so it's no surprise that he ends up on the losing end of their fight. Baz, when the current run began, was getting some unique powers from the ring, like Emerald Sight and being able to pull his brother out of a coma. It looked like he was going to become one of the most powerful Green Lanterns, yet his character has evolved as well. He no longer carries a pistol, but under Rayner, he's become aware of his own limitations. Night Zachttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01082414527253020349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7420079517291819508.post-54169635153512782842017-07-17T15:55:00.001-07:002017-07-17T15:55:12.654-07:00Rogue One #3<br />
<div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img alt="printSizeImage" height="400" src="https://i.annihil.us/u/prod/marvel/i/mg/3/d0/59306453e5d7d/detail.jpg" width="260" /></div>
<br />
<b><i>Rogue One: A Star Wars Story</i>, Issue #3</b> begins on the Death Star, where Imperial operatives are watching the destruction of the holy city. Jyn Erso is in Saw Gerrera's camp, along with the other anti-heroes, and they barely make it out alive. Back on the Death Star, soon-to-be Grand Moff Tarkin and Director Krennic are having their pissing match which we know ends with Tarkin being in control over the Death Star. Then the remaining rebels go to talk with Jyn Erso's father for some reason, and somehow they all don't get killed. <br />
<br />
The "find Galen Erso" arc is a lot of what soured me on the movie. It's well done, the whole, "he has the face of a friend," and, "his weapon was in the sniper configuration," but the scene seemed like a contrived way of putting father and daughter together in an improbable meeting that no Rebel officer would give the go-ahead to. Fortunately, it lasts even shorter in the comics than it does in the movie, so there's that. <br />
<br />
In my blog post about Issue #2, I mention that science fiction is better suited to television than it is to movies. On Facebook, I further stated that science fiction is best suited to books, magazines, and comics. Then television. Then movies. Of course, I like books, magazines, and comics more than I like TV, and I like TV more than I like movies, so I hope this doesn't belie a sense of certainty in this assessment. Night Zachttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01082414527253020349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7420079517291819508.post-4620731683181768692017-07-16T08:26:00.001-07:002017-07-16T08:26:34.348-07:00Green Lanterns #23<br />
<div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img alt="Green Lanterns (2016-) #23" height="400" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/cmx-images-prod/Item/493211/493211._SX1280_QL80_TTD_.jpg" width="260" /></div>
<br />
<b><i>Green Lanterns</i>, Issue #23</b> begins with Jessica Cruz stripped of her Lantern emblem and undergoing basic training with Guy Gardner, while Simon Baz is undergoing advanced training with Kyle Rayner and Volthoom in the body of Rami is tasked with the rebuilding of the Green Lantern Corps rings. Then it goes into a story from 10 billion years ago that I didn't quite follow, something about the Old Gods. <br />
<br />
I don't see where this title is going right now. "Training" arcs can work pretty well, in genres as diverse as <i>Rocky</i> and <i>Hunter X Hunter</i> or <i>Naruto</i>. I just haven't gotten into the Volthoom arc yet, but it seems likely that the creators know where they're going with it. I do like the Rayner/Baz and Gardner/Cruz scenes so far. We'll just have to see where the title goes from here. Night Zachttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01082414527253020349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7420079517291819508.post-82742946970434518842017-07-16T02:59:00.002-07:002017-07-16T02:59:17.665-07:00The Gospel According to Jesus Christ<br />
<div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;">
<img alt="TheGospelAccordingToJesusChrist.jpg" height="400" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/3/31/TheGospelAccordingToJesusChrist.jpg/220px-TheGospelAccordingToJesusChrist.jpg" width="263" /></div>
<br />
<i style="font-weight: bold;">The Gospel According to Jesus Christ</i> is the book that got author Jose Saramago banished from his native Portugal. It's the story of Jesus Christ - a story of Jesus Christ because there can no longer be just one story of Him. Portraying Jesus as a complex and flawed man, <i>The Gospel According to Jesus Christ</i> describes the entire life of Jesus Christ, focusing on His young adulthood, from the age of 14 until He meets Mary of Magdalene, although it also describes His conception, birth, and first few days on Earth. <br />
<br />
Needless to say, the Roman Catholic Church hated this work. I see it as akin to Hermann Hesse's <i>Siddhartha</i>, a religious work written by someone not of that religion, as paradoxical as that may sound. Saramago himself is not religious and of course not a Christian. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1994, and this work played heavily in the judges' decision to give him that prize. Night Zachttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01082414527253020349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7420079517291819508.post-86106943039408419792017-07-15T04:09:00.001-07:002017-07-15T04:09:27.067-07:00Rogue One #2<br />
<div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img alt="printSizeImage" height="400" src="https://i.annihil.us/u/prod/marvel/i/mg/3/03/5903930117ef1/detail.jpg" width="260" /></div>
<br />
<b><i>Rogue One: A Star Wars Story</i>, Issue #2</b> introduces several new characters, including the blind priest and Saw Gerrera. The main character, with the utterly forgettable name of Jyn Erso, has gone to the holy city of Jedha, where the Empire is mining for Kyber Crystals, which are used in the making of both Jedi lightsabers and the Death Star. From what I've read, the Sith lightsbers are red because they cannot sense Kyber Crystals after turning to the Dark Side of the Force, but somehow, they happened upon a bunch. <br />
<br />
Perhaps it's a cultural icon of the Sith to use red lightsabers, and given that the Empire found a whole bunch of Kyber Crystals pretty easily, it's not out of the realm of possibility that they could use other-colored lightsabers if they'd chosen to do so. I didn't like the movie <i>Rogue One: A Star Wars Story</i>; it lacks the flow and energy of even the prequel trilogy, which many people didn't like, and it lacks the characters of the other seven movies. Sure, it's a statement that the characters all die, but I didn't find one of them that I could relate to.Night Zachttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01082414527253020349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7420079517291819508.post-53985894535747419412017-07-13T17:04:00.000-07:002017-07-13T17:04:03.143-07:00Green Lanterns #22<br />
<div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;">
<img alt="Green Lanterns (2016-) #22 by [Humphries, Sam]" height="400" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/617FIfYTJ4L.jpg" width="260" /></div>
<br />
<b><i>Green Lanterns</i>, Issue #22</b> starts the "Lost in Space" arc. Jessica Cruz and Simon Baz, in the middle of fighting Magneto, are called to Planet Mogo. Mogo is a sentient planet that is a member of the Green Lantern Corps and now the Green Lantern Corps' homeworld. Needless to say, Jessica Cruz freaks out. She calls a halt to their redeployment, and she is met by Kyle Rayner, who calms her down and helps her get to Mogo, safe and sound. Oh, and in case you've forgotten about Volthoom, he's still in the body of Rami, the rogue Guardian, and he's reunited with the last two remaining Guardians.<br />
<br />
I loved this issue. For the past 22 issues, I've simply been enjoying Baz and Cruz, but now they're being brought back into the main <i>Green Lantern</i> storyline, which has taken place in the series <i>Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps</i>. I haven't kept up with that series, so it was nice to see some more galactic trouble included in the <i>Green Lanterns</i> series. I'll be reading Issue #23 forthwith. Night Zachttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01082414527253020349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7420079517291819508.post-88887200392224474432017-07-12T12:36:00.001-07:002017-07-12T18:21:18.384-07:00Green Lanterns #21<a href="http://www.dccomics.com/sites/default/files/styles/covers192x291/public/comic-covers/2017/03/GLS_Cv21_1500_58d2ec27006447.14850482.jpg?itok=-LXOgi1w" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://www.dccomics.com/sites/default/files/styles/covers192x291/public/comic-covers/2017/03/GLS_Cv21_1500_58d2ec27006447.14850482.jpg?itok=-LXOgi1w" width="263" /></a><b><i>Green Lanterns</i>, Issue #21</b> is the first <i>Green Lantern</i> comic I've read in a while. I figured I'd start reading an issue a week or two of my favorite comics until I caught up. The current list includes <i>Green Lanterns</i>, <i>Copperhead, Rogue One</i>, <i>Kill or Be Killed</i>, and <i>Old Man Logan</i>. I'm just as busy as before, but I've found time to read a few comics a week.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
</div>
There are a couple of reasons why I picked <i>Green Lanterns</i> despite it coming out every two weeks. The characters and situations are as complex as those in a good novel. Volthoom isn't in this issue, but I can't wait for him to come back. Also, Issue #22 promises to tie in with the <i>Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps</i> arc. I'm a fan. </div>
Night Zachttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01082414527253020349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7420079517291819508.post-69121971005314964142017-07-12T04:45:00.000-07:002017-07-12T04:45:33.837-07:00100 Years of Solitude<br />
<div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;">
<img alt="Cien aƱos de soledad (book cover, 1967).jpg" height="400" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a0/Cien_a%C3%B1os_de_soledad_%28book_cover%2C_1967%29.jpg" width="281" /></div>
<br />
<i style="font-weight: bold;">100 Years of Solitude</i> is like a grand symphony because the reader can enjoy it on many levels. When my mother read it a few years ago with her book club, she was given 100 pages of notes on the novel and expected to know all the relationships and how each character relates to every other character. I know that some people love doing this to novels, but in the end, she didn't really find it enjoyable the way I did. <div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Before writing novels, Gabriel Garcia Marquez wrote for newspapers. There, he learned how to write short pieces that people could get information and enjoyment out of. The texture of his novels, in that vein, is very complex. You can pick almost any two pages at random and enjoy them as a mini-story within the novel. When I read <i>Love in the Time of Cholera</i>, I was struck by how funny it was. <i>100 Years of Solitude</i> is funny and fun as well, but in a different way. Needless to say, I loved it. </div>
Night Zachttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01082414527253020349noreply@blogger.com0