OK! DAMN THIS SERIES! DAMN IT TO HELL! CURSE YOU MAGGIE STEFVATER!
Why do I hate this series so much? BECAUSE IT OVERLOADED MY COLD, UNCARING SOUL WITH EMOTIONS!!!
No, I don't actually hate this series. It's freaking awesome, and this is coming from someone who typically won't read anything that doesn't contain a plentiful quantity of action sequences. But who needs copious amounts of action when you have drama, peril, curiosity, camaraderie, love, original supernatural stuff, beautiful character arcs, carefully woven plots, characters worth geeking out over, and the sort of emotional power that can drive your soul into happiness one second, depression another, and anxiety over the course of the series.
Unfortunately, the story begins with one of the worst openings in the history of good books.
1) It tells us right off the bat about one of my only issues with the book. It seems that if Blue Sargent ever kisses her true love, he will die. OH THE ANGST, THE HORROR, THE MELODRAMA!
2) It goes out of its way to talk about how darn weird Blue is, setting her up to look like a your average "quirky" YA book character who has little to offer except her "quirkiness".
3) Shortly after introducing Blue's little curse, it tells us which of these main characters is going to die soon, which is basically a giant red arrow screaming THIS IS THE LOVE INTEREST! SEE HERE, THIS IS THE LOVE INTEREST! SHE WILL FALL IN LOVE WITH HIM! ANGSTY ANGSTY DRAMA ALERT!
But then it quickly goes on to introduce the Raven Boys and becomes AWESOME. Gansey, Ronan, Adam, and Noah go to Aglionby Academy; a prep school for rich kids. Ronan is angry at the world, Adam works three jobs and has severe family issues, Noah is the fourth wheel, and Gansey is the glue that holds everything together.
He is also obsessed with Glendower, a certain Welsh king who just might be buried in the mountains of Henrietta, Virginia. But there's more to this quest than uncovering a coffin. Glendower is buried on a leyline, bringing on a far more supernatural element to the adventure.
Through chance encounter at a pizza parlor, Blue gets roped into the search for Glendower, and the group embarks on an epic adventure filled with ghosts, whispering trees, murderers, a hitman, Latin riddles, sleeping spirits, and dangerous situations.
And I could say more, but then I'd start giving away everything.
As for characters, I feel that Blue is one of the weaker characters, and this is probably because she is tied to the weaker plot-threads (mostly having to do with the romantic aspect) that -THANK GOD- the story doesn't dwell on upon for too long. However, insufferable, cliched, or boring she is not. She's just not a particularly strong character, and I don't care about her as much as I do the other characters.
Ronan and Adam are probably the best written characters in here (with Ronan as my personal favorite of the two). I say this because they're flawed as heck but still amazing. Ronan's father is dead, and ever since the event, Ronan has been... difficult. He swears constantly, is remarkably irresponsibly, notoriously grumpy, and can be quite cold. Adam, on the other hand, is quiet, insecure yet prideful, and deals with anger derived from his abusive father. But he is also VERY hard working, as we wants nothing more than to become successful and escape his past.
Gansey is much more calm and collected than his friends. He is privileged, has two good parents and an older sister, and a set path for success. Surprisingly, he's not at all boring. He is the foundation of this story as far as I'm concerned. He is the glue, he calls the shots, he practically initiated the entire plot. Gansey is also my favorite character. I love his enthusiasms (bordering on eccentricity) and kids kindness, but for Pete's sake Gansey stop wearing your Polo shirts!
Now, I'd love to talk about Noah, but most of what I have to say about him is related to a certain thing revealed in book 1 and it's not like I'm going to spoil it. But I will say that I'm constantly going from "he's adorable" to "I desperately want to give him comforting hugs" throughout the series.
It's all been amazing so far, and I can't wait for book 4. But as all finales go, I'm a little afraid for it. (Revealing a sorta spoiler)... The author has given the signal. She has killed a minor character on the protagonist;s side. No one is safe anymore. Anybody can die.
It comes out at the end of April. Hopefully I'm wrong, but it's been set up for tragedy and I'm not sure I'm prepared for this.
Overall, I'm giving the series 8/10 stars.
Diatribes from the Dark Side (and an occasional happy post)
Saturday, March 19, 2016
Sunday, March 13, 2016
A "Slightly" Biased Summary of This Year's Elections
I know, I've been gone for a long time. Life has intervened with my internet time. A review of Mistborn book 6, The Last Fairy-Tale, and my very first anime review, Black Butler, will arrive shortly be uploaded before April.
BUT FIRST: To those of you who didn't want to follow the elections for some bizarre reason (they've really been quite entertaining)...
There are clips from the actual debates, Stephen Colbert videos, and a John Oliver take on Donald Trump. Enjoy.
1st republican debate (august 6th 2015):
Stephen Colbert:
2nd republican debate (september 16th 2015):
Stephen Colbert:
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=svMxwRj3LdY - https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=M-yWgpxwBKk - https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=AuN6I30NNa4 (Bernie is a socialist) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=o5kAom55cj8 (JEB) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=F8ed_BVDgwI - https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=Ns7ocpRhDD8 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=0RBVCp9Sksw (Hillary) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=t6tKY_euxm4 (Rubio) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=oK3WWu7Xztk (JEB)
1st Democratic debate (October 13th 2015):
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=815lzdrmcqs - https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=AciwXaRfh3k (Stephen Colbert) - Stephen Colbert: https://www.youtube.
com/watch?v=oEz08IuRlv4
3rd republican debate (October 28th 2015):
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=K7kMDgJt31c - NOTE: this one was insane, and I suggest looking at other videos of the debate. Here is a Stephen Colbert summary https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=gDUFvLWl-Oc
Stephen Colbert:
4th republican debate (November 10th 2015):
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=LGq1a4B3r-A - https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=xXXcXhRv9v4 - NOTE: these are not clips from the actual debate, but this one was also ridiculous, so if you want, watch the whole thing. Jimmy Fallon does a good job of discussing the topics because not much was actually discussed, but I suggest going through bits and pieces of the actual debate for the sake of entertainment.
Stephen Colbert:
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=d1XAyL7PE_s (Carson) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=Hlblv6_kYpQ (more Carson, follow-up) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=pFUXcA1fp6g
2nd Democratic debate (November 14th 2015):
Stephen Colbert:
5th republican debate (December 15th 2015):
3rd Democratic debate (December 19th 2015):
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=K1CJtuo6__4 NOTE: There was much controversy over this debate. Hillary Clinton was accused of scheduling the debate on the busiest travel day of the year (therefor, low viewership), which would not allow people to get to know the other candidates.
Stephen Colbert:
6th Republican debate (January 14th 2016):
Stephen Colbert:
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=JxQKYgw9G2k (primaries) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=UHxz4DyidLA (Trump and Cruz)
4th Democratic debate (January 17th 2016):
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=fNrbM7ngyv0 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=AciwXaRfh3k (the 2nd one is another Stephen Colbert summary)
Stephen Colbert:
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=0Oo0RcL4PJw - https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=nmWqwKkaGjw (Republican Party denounces Trump)
7th Republican debate (January 28th 2016):
Stephen Colbert:
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=WpKiP_gmDS8 (Trump contradicts himself)
February 1st: Iowa Caucus
Stephen Colbert:
5th Democratic debate (February 4th 2016):
8th Republican debate (February 6th 2016):
February 9th: New Hampshire Primaries
6th Democratic debate (February 11th 2016):
9th Republican debate (February 13th 2016):
Stephen Colbert:
10th Republican debate (February 25th 2016):
Stephen Colbert:
March 1st: Super-Tuesday (multiple primaries)
Stephen Colbert:
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=lojb-a5VZK0 (primaries)
11th Republican debate (March 3rd 2016):
- https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=7FCTKNv2eM0 (the big manly part comment) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=rYo4VFUpZAA
Stephen Colbert:
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=MZj1bQtRNdk (Mitt Romney redemption arc) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=xnSbHaIG4j4 (Bernie)
7th Democratic debate (March 6th 2016):
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=zOSNswFx7I0 (this is all you need to know)
Stephen Colbert:
8th Democratic debate (March 9th 2016):
Stephen Colbert:
12th Republican debate (March 10th 2016):
NOTE: some of these videos are really long. You don't have to watch all of it.
Important things to know:
- Iran deal (https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=xvbslzC8Z94) - Trump wants to build a wall at the border and make Mexico pay for it
- Super-Pacs: Political action committees that fund candidates https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=oy7TUtlPmqk - ISIS and immigration
- North Korea nukes
- Bombings in France and the San Bernardino shootings
- economy
- Should we legalize pot?
- Social security and healthcare
- Primaries/Caucuses: choosing a candidate for the general election. This is about the time when candidates start to drop out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUGhwgqx5NE, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_95I_1rZiIs
- Trump's art of the deal: Trump is "very good" at making deals. He intends to come off brash and scary at the beginning and calm down at the end. That's exactly what he's doing now.
- Trump didn't properly denounce the KKK
- Trump bought Jeb's website
- Rubio's stump speech v Chris Christie (epic fail)
- Cruz lied at Iowa caucus, claimed Carson dropped out in order to gain supporters
- Clinton email scandal (basically clinton is evil, corrupt, and possibly breaking the law)
- Trump conspiracy: Trump only wanted to promote his business, not actually become president (evidence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=_q33sHC_tYc)
John Oliver Trump overview: https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=DnpO_RTSNmQ
House Speaker (Stephen Colbert): https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=Wx2xzqDOivc https: //www.youtube.com/watch?v= gSNKPj6fZUg
Cruz:
- known to be a sociopath
- hated by high school peers and college roommate
- "will stretch the word "support" to within fraction of it's life
- To former roommate: "You are trapped in a room with Trump and Cruz with a gun with one bullet. Who do you shoot?" Roommate: "Myself"
- "Good debater, but the girls were afraid of him and we called him 'the lizard'"
- "Trading Cruz for Trump is like trading Saddam Hussain for ISIS"
- Cruz wants to merge state and religion (constitution says there needs to be a separating between church and state)
- Similar policies to Trump, but more eloquent and so far has not denied his older policies like Trump has.
- https://twitter.com/clmazin
Currently:
Trump and Cruz are in the lead on the republican side. Kasich will stay in the race if he wins Ohio, but Rubio may drop out any day now because he wanted to win Florida but Trump is winning in the polls there.
Bernie is failing. Hillary is winning the delegates and the support of the super delegates (bonus points).
I suggest you read the policies of the top three candidates and continue watching CNN for updates on the current events of this election so you know why 1) we should be democrats for the rest of the year, regardless of if we were before or if we liked Obama and 2)exactly what sort of peril America is in. The next Republican debate will be on the 21st and the next Democratic debate will be in April (exact date unknown).
- Trump: https://www.
donaldjtrump.com - Cruz: https://www.tedcruz.org
- Hillary: https://www.
hillaryclinton.com
Tuesday, December 29, 2015
The I Hunt Killers Trilogy by Barry Lyga
Well, I WAS going to read The 5th Wave, but I fell asleep during the first hundred and fifty pages.
Luckily, this meant I got to finish up the I Hunt Killers trilogy which I've been chipping away at since my book club started up in October. I read all of book 3 today in one sitting.
This series is awesome. Mystery, murder, gore, disturbing glances into the killers' minds, anti-hero done way too well, it's all here. And it is glorious.
Tonight I'm going to review all three books as briefly as possible, as I would hate to give too much away.
Before I properly begin... JUST LOOK AT THESE COVERS!!! THEY DEMAND TO BE READ! THEY ARE BEAUTIFUL MASTERPIECES!!!
The Plot
Jasper Dent (Jazz) is the son of the infamous serial killer Billy Dent: a man responsible for hundreds upon hundreds of brutal murders and mutilations involving young women. He's been raised to be the perfect killer. To be charming, to be manipulative, to be able to avoid the cops, and to preform the best possible murder/torture for the situation. Luckily, Billy was caught by the local sheriff before Jazz could make his first kill.
Now in high school, Jazz is trying to regain some sort of normality. But that proves to be a difficult task. He lives in a small town with a senile grandmother, is trying to erase the teachings of Billy Dent and struggling against sociopathic tendencies, and his mom disappeared when he was young, leaving her fate a grim mystery.
And then a body shows up in an open field. Jazz, determined to use his skills for something good and possibly redeem himself, decides to track down the serial killer. Things soon get tangled, and very deadly.
The Good
Ooh this was fun. Everything flowed at a lovely, brisk pace. This book has no time for whining, bullshit, and unnecessary moments. Best of all, it doesn't lag. So many books will start out strong and then slow down. Oh no. This series just keeps moving right along, making it far too easy to lose track of pages. Which is what I did today... with all 470 of them.
The characters, or more the way the characters are written, is glorious. The main focus is kept almost entirely on Jazz, Billy Dent, and occasionally the serial killers. Anything written from the POV of said killer is downright creepy (with the exception of book 1). Jazz's whole struggle with his past, his dad's voice always creeping into his thoughts, his description of Billy... it's really well done. His struggles feel very real, and the sense of dread he builds up around Billy is effective to say the least. Actually, Jazz is the highlight of the series. He's got a recognizable "voice", a mantra, distinction, flaws galore... it's very easy to get a sense of who he is and what he wants to be. I really felt for him. The side characters are also very distinct. It's very easy to remember who they are and easy to picture.
Since this was a murder mystery, there were a lot of twists and turns here. The author avoids cliches like the plague, which makes the story unpredictable. What's really great is that the story could so easily have done something stupid or formulaic, but it always managed to surprise me and get more and more interesting.
This is especially true in the ending. Good lord that ending... that was...
The Bad
Honestly, I really don't know what to write here. I didn't have many issues with this series that I can actually remember. But if I must find something to whine about...
I guess I could say that the main side characters (Connie and Howie, Jazz's girlfriend and best friend) were too underdeveloped or static, but that's unfair. This story is about Jazz. Jazz has the spotlight, and there is no need to create super-developed side characters. Besides, they aren't annoying or boring. They can hold a their own chapters well enough, and are likable people.
Now that I think about it, there was one thing which was more of a matter of personal preference. I'm the type of person who really likes the whodunnit sort of mysteries. I didn't really like the surprise jumps into the murderer's minds because it made it feel... I don't know, easier? This was especially noticeable in book 1, where the killer POV's were very weak. Maybe I looked in the wrong places for the "whodunnit" aspect, because it's definitely there, but more in the big picture rather than by the book. That, and it's more whathappened than whodunnit.
Still, this is something that's going to annoy me, especially since one of the main plot twists on who the murderer was was way too easy to guess. I swear, book 3 started and I was like
You're not hiding anything I know it's you
Oh it is you? YA DON'T SAY
It's not like it's straight out the mind of M. Night Shyamalan, but if you have a good brain on your shoulders it'll be pretty obvious. It makes too much sense.
Other than that... it was pretty darn awesome
Overall
If you're in the mood for a thrilling murder mystery with a creative premise, this book is for you.
I give it 8/10.
Saturday, December 26, 2015
Well, THAT was dissapointing (The Kingkiller Chronicle 2: The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss)
First, here are the basic issues I had with book 1:
- Lack of character development
- Detail and lengthy conversations distributed in the wrong places (which contributed to the lack of character development, as the important ones didn't get enough attention while the extremely minor ones were given all kinds of pointless dialogue)
- Rothfuss does a lot of showing and not enough telling
At the end of TNotW, we had an established purpose for some of the scenes at the inn, the the characters at the University were becoming [dis]likable tropes rather than pieces of cardboard, and Rothfuss had seemed to have found his rhythm.
Once TWMF began, it felt like the story had really come into it's own and taken full flight. I was eating up those pages. Kvothe's friends at the University (especially Simmon and Wilem) were getting some worthy page time, and I started enjoying their presence instead of not giving a crap. There was still the "show not tell" issue, but it was easy to overlook. It was downright glorious... and then Kvothe left the University.
Our troubles first started when Kvothe mentions leaving, getting robbed, attacked by pirates and barely escaping with his lute. Oh Boy! PIRATES! YES TELL ME ABOUT THE PIRATES THAT MUST HAVE BEEN EXCITING!!!
"That is not important to the heart of the story"
Ok... YOU WERE ATTACKED BY PIRATES AND YOU DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT THAT??? Something cool better happen later.
But of course, nothing cool happens. We just continue encountering boring characters with less personality than an un-syruped pancake and doing favors right and left.
First, we spend like 200 pages wandering around town and helping out a possible patron, which is surprisingly boring considering that Kvothe's life and livelihood hang in the balance, and the possible patron is being poisoned. It just drags on and on and ON with the only relief coming from Denna. This gets ruined when Denna becomes an unwilling damsel in distress and ends up in a fight with Kvothe over her welfare. But then, this should be the mark of some deep emotional drama right? Nope. Kvothe just sighs and writes her a letter of apology before running off to hunt bandits.
Oh wait, hunting bandits? That sounds exciting! Nope. It's just a lot of wandering through the woods with Kvothe, the old tracker, the jerk, the noble badass, and the girl. Their personalities are laid out the first time we meet them, and any of their dialogue or actions are just there to provide evidence for Kvothe's observations. Except for the badass. He's just this flawless assassin of great majesty; which is all good and fun, but not very interesting. Technically, their situations are not as bad as some of the others in TNofW when Kvothe would say something about a character and I'd wonder what I've seen about that character that would make the point valid, but it's still not good either.
Oh yes, and Kvothe meets a FAE! NOW We're going to pick up the story right? No! Let's partake in a million pages of the most fillery filler ever. Naturally, I stopped after this.
Sure there were some exciting moments, but most of the book was painfully bland as well as most of the characters. Kvothe couldn't even hold the story up because he was too busy devolving into a cliche. In TNotW, Kvothe was a little too clever and awesome to be realistic, but he wasn't flawless. He had a tendency to make stupid decisions while being cursed with bad luck. He'd just barely manage to scrape through, but usually with a sort of consequence. After leaving the university, Kvothe falls in favor with a powerful person of nobility and is shut up in his room all day. He has no room or time to make stupid decisions, and anything bad that happens to him is overcome all to easily. He becomes little more than banter, and even got on my nerves at times.
I think the saddest thing here is that Bast is the most interesting character here, and most because he's the most unpredictable. He constantly spazzes out or overreacts, threatens to kill the Chronicler at random moments, and is the one in this story with identifiable quirks, likes, dislikes, etc. He is the most interesting character here, he's kind of annoying, and hardly has any page time. This is a huge problem.
I'm deeply disappointed, and I'm afraid I will be giving TWMF a 5/10. I do not understand the obsession with this book series, but y'all have fun with it. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to read The Fifth Wave for book club (I swear they hate me there).
Thursday, December 24, 2015
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Spoilers ahead)
After what seems like forever, The Force Awakens finally arrived in theaters on the 17th of December. Unlike the prequels, it has so far been a hit at the box office, shattering records and gaining 5-star reviews by critics and die-hard fans alike. J. J Abrams has revived a classic, continued its story, and proven himself to be capable of satisfying even the most dedicated fans.
But The Force Awakens (TFA) is not without its imperfections. In fact, there are a good deal of imperfections that I noticed while watching this. So this Christmas Eve (which will become christmas by the time I finish writing this), I will be talking about the good, the bad, and the ugly in the latest installment of the Star Wars franchise and how it came to be.
Background
Saying that TFA was born from a great disturbance in the force would be an understatement. When Disney bought LucasFilms back in 2012 and soon after announced plans to bring back Star Wars and Indiana Jones, they were met by outrage and skepticism. The outrage because the entertainment giant was going to exploit movies for the sake of expanding their empire and money, and thus capitalism would drain the heart from the fondly remembered franchises. After the anger wore away, many began to realize that this may not be too horrible. Disney was allowing Lucas to stick around, and would be under his guiding hand. Then again, Lucas was also the man who -as of late- created the great abomination known as Jar Jar Binks
and Indiana Jones 4 (one of the most horrible movies ever made)
But The Force Awakens (TFA) is not without its imperfections. In fact, there are a good deal of imperfections that I noticed while watching this. So this Christmas Eve (which will become christmas by the time I finish writing this), I will be talking about the good, the bad, and the ugly in the latest installment of the Star Wars franchise and how it came to be.
Background
Saying that TFA was born from a great disturbance in the force would be an understatement. When Disney bought LucasFilms back in 2012 and soon after announced plans to bring back Star Wars and Indiana Jones, they were met by outrage and skepticism. The outrage because the entertainment giant was going to exploit movies for the sake of expanding their empire and money, and thus capitalism would drain the heart from the fondly remembered franchises. After the anger wore away, many began to realize that this may not be too horrible. Disney was allowing Lucas to stick around, and would be under his guiding hand. Then again, Lucas was also the man who -as of late- created the great abomination known as Jar Jar Binks
and Indiana Jones 4 (one of the most horrible movies ever made)
AND would later go on to create Strange Magic (which I'm willing to bet you've never heard of before but trust me you don't want anything to do with it).
Perhaps it was better to let Disney handle the task since Lucas's genius was draining.
When brainstorming for a 7th Star Wars first began, Disney kept their promise by letting Lucas remain on the scene to advise the rising director J. J Abrams. However, it wasn't long before Lucas and Abrams began to clash. It appeared that Lucas was ready to repeat The Phantom Menace while Abrams wanted to pay homage to one of his favorite movies of all time. Lucas was kicked off the set (which was probably the right decision, as he went on to create Strange Magic), the story and script were rewritten, and nearly everything had to be redone or reorganized.
The script was rewritten numerous times, and revisions were made all over the place. To make matters worse, Harrison Ford (Han Solo) was involved in more than one aircraft accident during filming and even managed to break his leg on set. Then there was the fine-tuning and retakes. In short, the creation of TFA was somewhat chaotic; while not as disorderly in creation as many other films, production wasn't exactly smooth.
In the meantime, some fans were cautious in their excitement for the film. For one thing, it didn't follow the Expanded Universe. It was also noticeable that many fans were reluctant to accept the changes and differences the film would/could have.
As we know, for Disney, Abrams, and audiences, TFA was spectacular. Here is why:
The Good
J.J Abrams created a solid installment to the Star Wars franchise.
Style-wise, he kept to the original trilogy. The bouncing back and forth between characters was done smoothly, any scene involving the starships was reminiscent of the original, and the light-saber duels were awesome. When I watched it, I didn't feel like I was watching a J.J Abrams film (for lack of lens flares) or another Star Wars trilogy. I felt like I was watching Star Wars, and was experiencing the thrill that so many felt back in the early 70's/early 80's.
The story was entertaining, as were the characters. It's Star Wars, so you get the gist: there's a new sith lord out there and he needs to be taken out. Luke has disappeared, the jedi order is in disarray, and SOMEBODY has got to bring it back together or otherwise the galaxy is screwed. By the way, there's a super awesome mega "death star". There were a great deal of parallels that could be drawn to between TFA and ANH, which often worked in the film's favor by bringing in that sense of nostalgia and added some substance. Yet it also managed to stand on its own enough that I didn't feel a strong sense of deja vu (most of the time).
This time, the enemy is The First Order, led by Snoke. His pawn is Kylo Ren. Our heroes are the long-time orphaned scavenger Rey and the reformed Storm Trooper Finn. I really, really loved the protagonists. Rey is pretty cool and quick to act. Finn just wants to get away from The Order, and is reluctant to fight. Both of them are not the typical badass heroes. They are a bit awkward at times, they don't always hit the enemy on the first shot, and they do make mistakes. Both of them were relatable characters, and fun to watch. BB-8 was a pretty awesome droid, and his[?] personality differed from R2-D2 so he didn't feel like he was a simple replacement. Actually, he's freaking adorable. Look at that thumbs up! <3
And then there was Kylo Ren. Good god he's a horrible villain but I love what the writers did with him! He is the son of Han and Leia, he was trained by Luke Skywalker but apparently killed his peers before running off to the dark side, and is said to have a lot of Vader in him. Now, Obi-Wan and Yoda especially have both said that Luke had a lot of his father in him. But lets admit it, the resemblance wasn't strong (keep in mind I am going by the prequels and and original). Vader (Anakin at Luke's age), was highly emotional. He could be charming and roguish, but he had a dark side and a ton of angst. He was brash, angry, took everything personally, and a bit unstable (especially after the death of his mother). Darth Sidious took advantage of his immaturity and temperament, which ultimately led to the creation of who we now know as Darth Vader.
Luke, on the other hand was a (I'm sorry) whiny little bitch who needed constant counseling and never actually did anything unless he had a lot of encouragement. His behavior could get obnoxious, but it was never volatile. Luke is also cautious by nature (demonstrated then, demonstrated now as he ran from the little problem that is Kylo Ren), and his anger is restrained even as he fights Vader. Solo actually shares more similarities to Kylo Ren than Luke.
Kylo Ren actually does remind me of Anakin; except even more uncontrollable, insecure, and in a higher position of power. Anakin was unstable, Kylo Ren is a mess. When he gets mad, you do not want to be in his way. At the same time, he is very insecure, as he wants to live up to Vader and therefor has a lot of pressure on him (similarly to how Anakin was burdened with being the chosen one). He is never really calm, and is easily riled. It's obvious that HE is the one who takes after Vader. Sure, he's going to get his ass kicked later, but I appreciate his character for the time being and I hope he develops to be more interesting than a scary version of Anakin.
The characters from the original (as far as I know), are not rewritten, and are kept as they were. Leia is still barking orders at the resistance though she has become weary with age. Solo is still getting into trouble and being awesome, and Chewie is still grumpy.
The humor was also well timed. Adorable droids and "normal" protagonists lead to funny moments here and there, and it was well done. Not too forced, and just enough to keep the movie from getting overly-serious.
The Bad
While I didn't mind the parallels too much, sometimes they didn't always work. Having a droid acting as the herald is a reoccurring event. Having the villains continue to build death star things is repetitive. Putting in an exciting prison break from said death star thing is perfectly acceptable provided it isn't placed in the east same place as previously. IT'S NOT ACCEPTABLE WHEN YOU DECIDE TO RECREATE A MAJOR EVENT FROM THE FIRST TIME IT WAS DONE!!!
We all remember Leia's rescue from the death star. It had some pretty memorable moments, including the death of Obi-Wan Kenobi. When Finn, Solo, and Chewie went to death planet to rescue Rey, I started connecting the dots.
- Mentor Trainee
- Good guy Bad guy
- Faced death to stop him (ROTS) Rejected help, went to battle
- Died facing trainee on a bridge in enemy territory. Killed his former friend
- Dad Son
- Good guy Bad guy
- Faced death to try to return him to the light side Rejected help
- Killed by son on a bridge in enemy territory Killed his dad
GEE! THAT LOOKS FAMILIAR! I WONDER WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO MY FAVORITE CHARACTER.
Referencing the trash chute/compacter was a funny allusion to the first movie. Killing Han Solo was a BAD BAD BAAAAD idea. It just sucked the emotion right out of the moment. I just quietly accepted that Han was going to die and 20-15 minutes later, he was stabbed by Kylo Ren. I don't even think I'm alone on this. I expected a collective gasp or something but everyone in the theatre just shrugged their shoulders like "I knew it" and went back to their popcorn.
Here's the other issue I have with this whole thing. We get told pretty early on that Kylo is Han's and Leia's kid, but this feels like a statement and nothing more. There were a few lines between Han and Leia about the tragedy of their son, but it feels like they're just reminding the audience that Kylo is their son. There's hardly any emotion in it, it's very forced, and it puts a major breech in Han and Leia's characters. Even as parents (who as far as I know sent him off to Luke at a young age), I still don't think they'd try and bring Kylo back to the light side. They're hardasses who would treat him as the enemy but with obvious pain and difficulty. Obi Wan was a nice, forgiving person, and he didn't stand there to convince Vader that he's wanted back on the light side. Yet here's Han, standing on a bridge, weaponless, pulling that bs.
If you're going to kill HAN FREAKING SOLO you should do it with dignity.
Actually, most of Han's scenes are some of the worst in the movie. I love Han Solo. He's my favorite character in the franchise. But his presence should've been handled differently or something because he did not fit in well. He shows up with all his dues ex machina (still haven't received a good enough explanation for this) and starts being a badass. While -as I said- I love Han Solo, he was a total attention whore. Dude! Give our main characters a chance here! He had too much presence.
Speaking of which, he's not the only one with an overbearing presence. A lot of this movie felt like a cast reunion. The new heroes did not receive the attention they deserved because too much time was spent on other people, but not nearly enough was spent on them to give them the substance Abrams was clearly trying to give them. The Leia/Han plot-line and their relationship with Kylo was rushed through, C-3PO, R2-D2, and Chewie were shoved in as an afterthought. In the meantime, backstories for the main characters were being shoved in. Its internal structure could best be described as cattle being crowded into a freight car.
So what now?
The movie ends with Rey finally meeting Luke Skywalker, and I assume that this is where the next movie will pick up.
There's much more to be discovered such as Rey's past and Finn's future, and possibly what will become of Leia with her beloved dead and son turned evil. Perhaps another character will also be introduced. Either way, I pray that we don't have another Yoda/Luke situation taking up most of the next movie.
J.J Abrams is a good director, but I've noticed that he seems to have a difficult time creating first movies if Star Trek is anything to go off of. It was rushed, emotionally forced, and introduced characters right and left. It's sequel was amazing.
Then again, J.J Abrams will be busy with the next Star Trek movie, and is producing the next Star Wars. Directing is left up to Rian Johnson, who's most famous credit is Looper (terrible movie that critics loved for some unfathomable reason). But many people in this new trilogy are not from backgrounds of fame, and the main characters were fantastic.
I conclude that the future of the upcoming movies are unknown.
Overall
I'm going to say 8/10 on this one. It's better than the first to prequels, but it pales in comparison to the original trilogy and ties evenly with ROTS.
Merry Christmas everyone (by that I mean the one or two people who might actually read this), and may the force be with you.
Tuesday, December 15, 2015
The Kingkiller Chronicles: The Name of the Wind
This is one of those extremely popular fantasy books that everyone seems to be obsessed with. Heck, George R. R. Martin wrote a prequel to this! Naturally, I had to read it.
Is this really the grand and glorious magnificence that everyone's been hyping up?
Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it. If I didn't I wouldn't have read all 662 pages of it within the span of a week. I'm just a little underwhelmed.
Because I have very mixed feelings about this book, I'm not doing my normal format. I'm separating everything into the good and the bad.
So here it begins, The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss.
The Basic Story
So here's the gist. There's this dude named Kote who runs the Waystone Inn (in a kinda smallish town). But Kote is no ordinary innkeeper. He's actually a notorious hero presumed dead named Kvothe (pronounced Quothe). When The Chronicler arrives at/is forced into the Inn, Kvothe sits him down to set the legends straight. It's a tale of his transformation from a trouper to an orphan to a street rat to a university student, his love of music, and his quest for revenge against the mysterious Chandrian.
The Good
I must say, there's really something to be said for good writing style. Rothfuss is gifted with that rare ability to carry the reader simply through his words. Even the most mundane and boring of conversations flow like a stream of water unfettered by stones. It's beautiful.
Kvothe is a very well done character. He's fun, flawed just enough, and easy to root for. One of the things I really liked was the way Rothfuss was able to manipulate Kvothe's character trope. It would've been very, very easy to turn Kvothe into a cliche, as young Kvothe is charming, quick witted, and a relatively nice person. Luckily, Rothfuss knows how to handle his character, and gives him flaws, quirks, and turns him in an overall interesting character who I definitely felt for. For example, there's this one character named Ambrose who is basically a stereotypical jerk who goes out of his way to make Kvothe's life misery. I HATE this guy. He's not particularly interesting; he's a noble with vast wealth who can do whatever he wants and will destroy anyone who challenges him (Kvothe). Yet, I really hate this guy because he's just so mean to Kvothe! There's this one scene where Ambrose goes waaayyy too far (if you've read this you know what I'm talking about), and I'm reading it like
Oh no you did NOT! SOMEBODY KICK HIS ASS RIGHT NOW!
This is first person done well: understanding and feeling a shadow of the main character's emotions.
The love interest doesn't screw everything up, which is nice, because they usually do that. I actually like her.
Also, the ending. You know how when you're really bored and you suddenly have this thought that shows you a glimpse of clarity, but then you end up with more questions than you intended to have and you can't get rid of said thought so it just sticks to you, nagging you all day? That is this ending. It was damn good, and left me like this
Unfortunately, this is wear the good stuff ends.
The Bad
I'm going to start with the storytelling. I would NEVER have finished it without the aforementioned writing style of beauty, because there's some major things that just irk me. Before I begin, because there are 2 stories going on, I'm going to refer to the main story as "Kvothe Adventures" and the other as "Old Kvothe". Now, we begin.
WHY all the detail on the "Old Kvothe" parts? The first 50 pages of this book is setting up the current affairs of the time. Corrupt government officials, giant spiders, dark forces brewing, all that jazz. But why? The current affairs don't much affect "Kvothe Adventures", nor will the 5 billion characters that are being mentioned here get enough detail that I'm going to really remember their names. I'm serious. One dies, and I was still trying to come up with a good character design for him. I don't care. I can understand why there would be some detail, and no way in hell would this tale work without having "Old Kvothe". With the ending "reveal", it's obvious that there are key events that are important. Still, most of these details are completely pointless.
The lack of development on the side characters drives me insane! The parents and the mentor aren't there for too long, and pre-university Kvothe is off on his own so this is not what I refer to. It's when he is AT the university does a whole host of interesting, not-so-disposable characters present itself, and almost NOTHING is done to them. We have our basics: Hemme is the angry teacher, Ambrose is the jerk, Simon is the nice friend, Wilem is the more edgy friend, Sovoy is the friend with a lot of first-world problems, Master Elodin is the crazy professor, Denna is the lost love, and Fela is the... well she's kind of just there. ROTHFUSS!!! WHY are they nothing more than this? Hemme, I can understand, and my feelings towards Ambrose comes from Kvothe's. But, Wilem, Simmon, Elodin, Fela, Sovoy!!! Wilem and Simmon are Kvothe's best friends, yet most of what is known of them comes from what Kvothe mentions about them. The same goes for Sovoy. Kvothe practically steals his girlfriend (but this is Denna so more like she drifted away from him), but no reaction from Sovoy is ever shown except that Simmon mentions that he's upset. AND THAT'S IT. ELODIN IS SUPPOSED TO BE INSANE AND I ASSUME HE'S IMPORTANT!!! HE NEEDS MORE SCENES!!!! I get it, first person makes it hard to develop side characters. But best friends? I think they're important and deserve something more than what they have in this story. Wilem is supposed to be the more shady, dark friend, and I don't know anything about him, except for those couple things which I only know because Kvothe said it. I'd be a little less harsh here except Kvothe seems to remember the most random conversations with the the side characters that serve the least purpose while any sort of conversation with the more important characters is skipped over. It's obnoxious! The lesson here is SHOW NOT TELL. How many times do I have to say this?
And heck I KNOW that Rothfuss is capable of writing good characters because 1) Kvothe himself and 2) BAST of "Old Kvothe" (who got very little page time but is the second most interesting character here). I just wish that the lengthy dialogue put into so many other things would be implemented in places in rightfully belongs.
Some of the scenes have the same issue as the dialogue. They're misplaced. Things that should have gotten more details are skimmed over to make room for minor moments.
Conclusion
While there's no denying that the book is interesting, entertaining, and pretty damn good, I'm not sure it deserves the fame it receives. The lack of character development and misplaced details inhibits the story from reaching its full potential.
All in all, The Name of the Wind gets a nice 7 out of 10 stars.
I am about to start the second book now. If it manages to hold most of the forte of book 1's ending throughout it's nearly 1000 pages (the biggest book I'll ever have read if I finish it), it'll earn 8 stars. Now off I go to start it.
Is this really the grand and glorious magnificence that everyone's been hyping up?
Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it. If I didn't I wouldn't have read all 662 pages of it within the span of a week. I'm just a little underwhelmed.
Because I have very mixed feelings about this book, I'm not doing my normal format. I'm separating everything into the good and the bad.
So here it begins, The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss.
The Basic Story
So here's the gist. There's this dude named Kote who runs the Waystone Inn (in a kinda smallish town). But Kote is no ordinary innkeeper. He's actually a notorious hero presumed dead named Kvothe (pronounced Quothe). When The Chronicler arrives at/is forced into the Inn, Kvothe sits him down to set the legends straight. It's a tale of his transformation from a trouper to an orphan to a street rat to a university student, his love of music, and his quest for revenge against the mysterious Chandrian.
The Good
I must say, there's really something to be said for good writing style. Rothfuss is gifted with that rare ability to carry the reader simply through his words. Even the most mundane and boring of conversations flow like a stream of water unfettered by stones. It's beautiful.
Kvothe is a very well done character. He's fun, flawed just enough, and easy to root for. One of the things I really liked was the way Rothfuss was able to manipulate Kvothe's character trope. It would've been very, very easy to turn Kvothe into a cliche, as young Kvothe is charming, quick witted, and a relatively nice person. Luckily, Rothfuss knows how to handle his character, and gives him flaws, quirks, and turns him in an overall interesting character who I definitely felt for. For example, there's this one character named Ambrose who is basically a stereotypical jerk who goes out of his way to make Kvothe's life misery. I HATE this guy. He's not particularly interesting; he's a noble with vast wealth who can do whatever he wants and will destroy anyone who challenges him (Kvothe). Yet, I really hate this guy because he's just so mean to Kvothe! There's this one scene where Ambrose goes waaayyy too far (if you've read this you know what I'm talking about), and I'm reading it like
Oh no you did NOT! SOMEBODY KICK HIS ASS RIGHT NOW!
This is first person done well: understanding and feeling a shadow of the main character's emotions.
The love interest doesn't screw everything up, which is nice, because they usually do that. I actually like her.
Also, the ending. You know how when you're really bored and you suddenly have this thought that shows you a glimpse of clarity, but then you end up with more questions than you intended to have and you can't get rid of said thought so it just sticks to you, nagging you all day? That is this ending. It was damn good, and left me like this
Unfortunately, this is wear the good stuff ends.
The Bad
I'm going to start with the storytelling. I would NEVER have finished it without the aforementioned writing style of beauty, because there's some major things that just irk me. Before I begin, because there are 2 stories going on, I'm going to refer to the main story as "Kvothe Adventures" and the other as "Old Kvothe". Now, we begin.
WHY all the detail on the "Old Kvothe" parts? The first 50 pages of this book is setting up the current affairs of the time. Corrupt government officials, giant spiders, dark forces brewing, all that jazz. But why? The current affairs don't much affect "Kvothe Adventures", nor will the 5 billion characters that are being mentioned here get enough detail that I'm going to really remember their names. I'm serious. One dies, and I was still trying to come up with a good character design for him. I don't care. I can understand why there would be some detail, and no way in hell would this tale work without having "Old Kvothe". With the ending "reveal", it's obvious that there are key events that are important. Still, most of these details are completely pointless.
The lack of development on the side characters drives me insane! The parents and the mentor aren't there for too long, and pre-university Kvothe is off on his own so this is not what I refer to. It's when he is AT the university does a whole host of interesting, not-so-disposable characters present itself, and almost NOTHING is done to them. We have our basics: Hemme is the angry teacher, Ambrose is the jerk, Simon is the nice friend, Wilem is the more edgy friend, Sovoy is the friend with a lot of first-world problems, Master Elodin is the crazy professor, Denna is the lost love, and Fela is the... well she's kind of just there. ROTHFUSS!!! WHY are they nothing more than this? Hemme, I can understand, and my feelings towards Ambrose comes from Kvothe's. But, Wilem, Simmon, Elodin, Fela, Sovoy!!! Wilem and Simmon are Kvothe's best friends, yet most of what is known of them comes from what Kvothe mentions about them. The same goes for Sovoy. Kvothe practically steals his girlfriend (but this is Denna so more like she drifted away from him), but no reaction from Sovoy is ever shown except that Simmon mentions that he's upset. AND THAT'S IT. ELODIN IS SUPPOSED TO BE INSANE AND I ASSUME HE'S IMPORTANT!!! HE NEEDS MORE SCENES!!!! I get it, first person makes it hard to develop side characters. But best friends? I think they're important and deserve something more than what they have in this story. Wilem is supposed to be the more shady, dark friend, and I don't know anything about him, except for those couple things which I only know because Kvothe said it. I'd be a little less harsh here except Kvothe seems to remember the most random conversations with the the side characters that serve the least purpose while any sort of conversation with the more important characters is skipped over. It's obnoxious! The lesson here is SHOW NOT TELL. How many times do I have to say this?
And heck I KNOW that Rothfuss is capable of writing good characters because 1) Kvothe himself and 2) BAST of "Old Kvothe" (who got very little page time but is the second most interesting character here). I just wish that the lengthy dialogue put into so many other things would be implemented in places in rightfully belongs.
Some of the scenes have the same issue as the dialogue. They're misplaced. Things that should have gotten more details are skimmed over to make room for minor moments.
Conclusion
While there's no denying that the book is interesting, entertaining, and pretty damn good, I'm not sure it deserves the fame it receives. The lack of character development and misplaced details inhibits the story from reaching its full potential.
All in all, The Name of the Wind gets a nice 7 out of 10 stars.
I am about to start the second book now. If it manages to hold most of the forte of book 1's ending throughout it's nearly 1000 pages (the biggest book I'll ever have read if I finish it), it'll earn 8 stars. Now off I go to start it.
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson
You know what! I HATE Brandon Sanderson. This guy is evil. DUDE I ALMOST STARTED LAUGHING AND THEN CRYING IN THE MIDDLE OF HISTORY CLASS WHEN I WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE READING!
This is Shadows of Self.
So first, a review of the past. Once upon a time, Brandon Sanderson wrote an amazing trilogy consisting of The Final Empire, The Well of Ascension, and The Hero of Ages. These were fantastic and exalted as one of the great fantasy series. But then Sanderson decided that there would be more to the story. This original trilogy became Era 1 of the epic series, and he began Era 2 starting with The Alloy of Law. Instead of Vin, we had Waxillium Ladrian. Instead of a pseudo-medieval setting, we had a pseudo-1800's-Western. And after such an amazing ending to the trilogy, people expected The Alloy of Law to be just as glorious. Needless to say, people did not receive quite what they expected, and reactions were mixed.
Here were the main complaints:
"It just wasn't DEEP."
Well, it is the BEGINNING of a new era. Beginnings set things up. It's the endings that reveal all the layers of DEEPNESS.
"The tone was too light."
Yeah... ok I give this one but it's a beginning, and will probably get darker soon.
and then there was this that really seemed to get some reviewers: "He fridged a woman"
People got mad about this in particular. Not just because it was deemed anti-feminist, but because it seemed a terribly lazy way to fill our hero with angst (trust me there was a shitload of it). And how could Brandon Sanderson do such a thing? Surely such an exalted author wouldn't do such a things without brilliant plans ahead.
So did Sanderson make a brilliant recovery and do something brilliant with the latest Mistborn book? Is this new era revealing more layers than appeared on the surface? Does darkness lie ahead? Let us begin and see!
The Story:
Corruption has manifested in Elendel once more. Politicians are using illegal methods to keep riches within the top circles. Unrest amongst the working class grows below. And it seems that the governor's brother has been mysteriously murdered.
Upon close inspection, it seems that there is more than this murder than meets the eye, and more are occurring. As a mad killer rampages through the city and illegal activities amongst politicians are discovered, it is up to Wax, Wayne, and Marasi to uncover truths and nab killers before Elendel erupts into chaos.
But it gets better!!! Guess who's back in the game? KANDRA! SAZED! CONNECTIONS TO THE TRILOGY!
It's glorious! There's action, sass, bullets, badassery, mystery, and plot twists of epic proportion.
Did it get dark? Eh, not as much as Mistborn but I think it will soon. Did it get deep? Well, emotionally, yes. But this is building up to something massive. Was something done that completely reversed the annoyance of the fridging? Well, about thaaaaaat.... (it was fantastically evil)
Spoiler
DAMMIT SAZED.
Looky here pal. You were my SECOND FAVORITE CHARACTER. How the hell could you DO this!? Yeah, yeah shuddup bout your bullshit with being a god and how you're harmony and are not all-powerful or something. Don't you DARE tell me you couldn't have just TOLD Wax to go out into the Roughs and NOT given him Lessie, or said "Dude she's a Kandra bodyguard". No. Instead you're like, "Yadda yadda trials and preparation and stuff. You NEEDED that pain". Sazed, did that power go to your head or something? Cuz you used to be so awesome and now your causing Wax so much unnecessary pain. That was UNCALLED FOR. That was CRUEL.
Now I just feel all sad and betrayed. You better whip up something marvelous or.... hell what can I do. You're a book character and a god.
Just... Just don't do it again ok?
Spoiler End
Ok, now that I'm done being furious...
The Characters:
The characters are the main reason I really liked this book. New characters are introduced and old characters are developed.
Imma go ahead and start with Marasi.
Back in The Alloy of Law, I didn't quite know how I felt about her. She seemed too stiff, too perfect, too calm, and, well, too perfect. The only thing I could really give her credit for was that she preferred to follow the rules, but was willing to step outside the boundaries. Usually, you see a member of two extremes: the rebellious one and the one who always follows the rules. Marasi was not an extreme, but she seemed a little too much at ease whenever danger came about. Just like, "well, here's what they say to do in X situation. Oh wait, they didn't mention this in the rulebook. *proceeds to shoot gun*." "Oh I've been taken hostage. *runs through rules calmly before making decision*." I would kind of expect her to be nervous. I'm all for badassery, but it just way too easily for someone as inexperienced as her.
This time however, I think I really like her. She's more or less the sane and civilized one of the group. She also has more experience so I can accept her displays of awesomeness. She also relies less on rulebooks and more on experiences in this book, which definitely makes her less stiff. And then there's the fact that she did decide to become the lieutenant instead of a lawyer for the sake of idealism and a craving for action. I'm with that, and I really, really like her this time around. She's dedicated, well put together, and an honorable human being. Marasi is awesome, and I will have to live with her somewhat flawed perfection (actually this is probably a sign of a well written character).
Next here, we have Wax. He's still serious and feeling the ache of Lessie's death (which is not at all helped by a looming marriage and that her face seems to be popping up in unexpected places). Honestly, I feel like the whole purpose of this book was to break him, which I would love to go into but... spoilers. Let's just say that I really wanted to give this poor guy a hug afterwards.
Wayne is still being Wayne. Weird, obsessed with hats, and "trading" objects with other's whether he has permission or not. He also has recently noticed the wonders of gum. Wayne is also the character responsible for making me almost begin giggling like a schoolgirl in the middle of a silent classroom. Unfortunately, he also kinda makes me sad because of a certain past incident involving first-degree murder at his hand. Errrr.... Wayne WHY were so such an idiot! Now you've done fucked up and you're stuck with that forever and a bunch of kids are left fatherless! That, at brief little moments, still plagues him, but isn't really mentioned that often.
Overall, Wayne remains bizarre and hilarious.
But apparently Wayne was not enough. Enter MeLaan: the Kandra with an attitude. I love her. She's youthful, blunt, brash, and sassy Kandra of only about 600 years. Despite this being relatively young in Kandra years and the fact that she was perfectly happy to have a belching contest with Wayne, she takes full advantage of her extended life span and calls those whom she has firm establishments with (mostly Wax and Marasi) "kid". She's amusing and interesting, and I desperately need her to STAY IN THIS STORY.
Also worth mentioning is Steris, Wax's betrothed. I never paid her any attention in The Alloy of Law, but she seems to be getting some development. She is stiff and lives almost entirely within her social boundaries. So much so that she believes herself to be trapped in a role and that very little of her interactions are actually "real". However, she has revealed a hidden wit and appears to be a genuinely good listener. Perhaps she is just introverted but tries to make herself extroverted. When she fails, she traps herself and claims that it is her role to be boring.
Finally, the main villain: Paalm: the rogue Kandra. Dude... I don't even know what to say without spoiling something. She's insane, but she might not be. She's evil, but she's not a force of it in its purest form by any means. Just... Wow.
The Rating?
I'm giving this a 9. It was amazing. The ending was insane and almost drove me to tears. It's one of the best in the series so far, and I can't wait for the next book and Era 3 for that matter.
This is Shadows of Self.
So first, a review of the past. Once upon a time, Brandon Sanderson wrote an amazing trilogy consisting of The Final Empire, The Well of Ascension, and The Hero of Ages. These were fantastic and exalted as one of the great fantasy series. But then Sanderson decided that there would be more to the story. This original trilogy became Era 1 of the epic series, and he began Era 2 starting with The Alloy of Law. Instead of Vin, we had Waxillium Ladrian. Instead of a pseudo-medieval setting, we had a pseudo-1800's-Western. And after such an amazing ending to the trilogy, people expected The Alloy of Law to be just as glorious. Needless to say, people did not receive quite what they expected, and reactions were mixed.
Here were the main complaints:
"It just wasn't DEEP."
Well, it is the BEGINNING of a new era. Beginnings set things up. It's the endings that reveal all the layers of DEEPNESS.
"The tone was too light."
Yeah... ok I give this one but it's a beginning, and will probably get darker soon.
and then there was this that really seemed to get some reviewers: "He fridged a woman"
People got mad about this in particular. Not just because it was deemed anti-feminist, but because it seemed a terribly lazy way to fill our hero with angst (trust me there was a shitload of it). And how could Brandon Sanderson do such a thing? Surely such an exalted author wouldn't do such a things without brilliant plans ahead.
So did Sanderson make a brilliant recovery and do something brilliant with the latest Mistborn book? Is this new era revealing more layers than appeared on the surface? Does darkness lie ahead? Let us begin and see!
The Story:
Corruption has manifested in Elendel once more. Politicians are using illegal methods to keep riches within the top circles. Unrest amongst the working class grows below. And it seems that the governor's brother has been mysteriously murdered.
Upon close inspection, it seems that there is more than this murder than meets the eye, and more are occurring. As a mad killer rampages through the city and illegal activities amongst politicians are discovered, it is up to Wax, Wayne, and Marasi to uncover truths and nab killers before Elendel erupts into chaos.
But it gets better!!! Guess who's back in the game? KANDRA! SAZED! CONNECTIONS TO THE TRILOGY!
It's glorious! There's action, sass, bullets, badassery, mystery, and plot twists of epic proportion.
Did it get dark? Eh, not as much as Mistborn but I think it will soon. Did it get deep? Well, emotionally, yes. But this is building up to something massive. Was something done that completely reversed the annoyance of the fridging? Well, about thaaaaaat.... (it was fantastically evil)
Spoiler
DAMMIT SAZED.
Looky here pal. You were my SECOND FAVORITE CHARACTER. How the hell could you DO this!? Yeah, yeah shuddup bout your bullshit with being a god and how you're harmony and are not all-powerful or something. Don't you DARE tell me you couldn't have just TOLD Wax to go out into the Roughs and NOT given him Lessie, or said "Dude she's a Kandra bodyguard". No. Instead you're like, "Yadda yadda trials and preparation and stuff. You NEEDED that pain". Sazed, did that power go to your head or something? Cuz you used to be so awesome and now your causing Wax so much unnecessary pain. That was UNCALLED FOR. That was CRUEL.
Now I just feel all sad and betrayed. You better whip up something marvelous or.... hell what can I do. You're a book character and a god.
Just... Just don't do it again ok?
Spoiler End
Ok, now that I'm done being furious...
The Characters:
The characters are the main reason I really liked this book. New characters are introduced and old characters are developed.
Imma go ahead and start with Marasi.
Back in The Alloy of Law, I didn't quite know how I felt about her. She seemed too stiff, too perfect, too calm, and, well, too perfect. The only thing I could really give her credit for was that she preferred to follow the rules, but was willing to step outside the boundaries. Usually, you see a member of two extremes: the rebellious one and the one who always follows the rules. Marasi was not an extreme, but she seemed a little too much at ease whenever danger came about. Just like, "well, here's what they say to do in X situation. Oh wait, they didn't mention this in the rulebook. *proceeds to shoot gun*." "Oh I've been taken hostage. *runs through rules calmly before making decision*." I would kind of expect her to be nervous. I'm all for badassery, but it just way too easily for someone as inexperienced as her.
This time however, I think I really like her. She's more or less the sane and civilized one of the group. She also has more experience so I can accept her displays of awesomeness. She also relies less on rulebooks and more on experiences in this book, which definitely makes her less stiff. And then there's the fact that she did decide to become the lieutenant instead of a lawyer for the sake of idealism and a craving for action. I'm with that, and I really, really like her this time around. She's dedicated, well put together, and an honorable human being. Marasi is awesome, and I will have to live with her somewhat flawed perfection (actually this is probably a sign of a well written character).
Next here, we have Wax. He's still serious and feeling the ache of Lessie's death (which is not at all helped by a looming marriage and that her face seems to be popping up in unexpected places). Honestly, I feel like the whole purpose of this book was to break him, which I would love to go into but... spoilers. Let's just say that I really wanted to give this poor guy a hug afterwards.
Wayne is still being Wayne. Weird, obsessed with hats, and "trading" objects with other's whether he has permission or not. He also has recently noticed the wonders of gum. Wayne is also the character responsible for making me almost begin giggling like a schoolgirl in the middle of a silent classroom. Unfortunately, he also kinda makes me sad because of a certain past incident involving first-degree murder at his hand. Errrr.... Wayne WHY were so such an idiot! Now you've done fucked up and you're stuck with that forever and a bunch of kids are left fatherless! That, at brief little moments, still plagues him, but isn't really mentioned that often.
Overall, Wayne remains bizarre and hilarious.
But apparently Wayne was not enough. Enter MeLaan: the Kandra with an attitude. I love her. She's youthful, blunt, brash, and sassy Kandra of only about 600 years. Despite this being relatively young in Kandra years and the fact that she was perfectly happy to have a belching contest with Wayne, she takes full advantage of her extended life span and calls those whom she has firm establishments with (mostly Wax and Marasi) "kid". She's amusing and interesting, and I desperately need her to STAY IN THIS STORY.
Also worth mentioning is Steris, Wax's betrothed. I never paid her any attention in The Alloy of Law, but she seems to be getting some development. She is stiff and lives almost entirely within her social boundaries. So much so that she believes herself to be trapped in a role and that very little of her interactions are actually "real". However, she has revealed a hidden wit and appears to be a genuinely good listener. Perhaps she is just introverted but tries to make herself extroverted. When she fails, she traps herself and claims that it is her role to be boring.
Finally, the main villain: Paalm: the rogue Kandra. Dude... I don't even know what to say without spoiling something. She's insane, but she might not be. She's evil, but she's not a force of it in its purest form by any means. Just... Wow.
The Rating?
I'm giving this a 9. It was amazing. The ending was insane and almost drove me to tears. It's one of the best in the series so far, and I can't wait for the next book and Era 3 for that matter.
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