Song of Ice & Fire: Book 5

While I have not yet had time to read George RR Martin's Song of Ice and Fire I have enjoyed watching the the fan reactions to the long delay between books. After (I believe) a 7 year gap between the last book and the announcement of the release date of the newest book. Apparently there were some plans to split up the newest book for retail release, but the publisher has decided against, at least for the hardcover book, not to pursue that option.

More American Gods Stuff

Neil Gaiman is everywhere now! Gaiman harnessed the power of the internet to limit the field of candidates to record the audiobook of American Gods. I think that this is a really interesting phenomenon and I actually really like it. It is a unique way for authors to interact with their fans. In a time when authors are expected to have more fan interaction than ever before, this is an great way for fans to have a positive two-way interaction with the creative properties they love. My favorite choice, Veronica Giguere, unfortunately did not make it to the final selection.

Hunger Games Movie

Last week, John mentioned The Hunger Games as a series that he would recommend to everyone. Listening to the Sword and Laser podcast I learned that there is a Hunger Games movie in production. There doesn't appear to be any big name talent in the movie, but nonetheless I will almost certainly see the movie.

Ender's Game Movie

Wow! Apparently they are developing a Ender's Game live action movie. Ender's Game had been optioned earlier in the Oughts, but there were creative differences between Card and the director. However, now it is on the schedule to be filmed yet again, this time by the director of Wolverine: Origins.

HBO Options American Gods

It seems that with the success of both The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones, HBO is diving headlong into the fantasy genre. After a single episode they signed GoT for a second season and they have now optioned Neil Gaiman's American Gods. Wow!

While I have not yet read it, I have heard good things. Guess I have another book on my summer reading list.

Two more Podcast Audio Books

Reviewing my podcasts, I came across two more podcast audiobooks that you guys might be interested in. The first is the Secret World Chronicles by Mercedes Lackey and Denis Lee, read by Veronica Giguere. It is a set in a world in which super-heros are real, corporatized and nationalized, and besieged by alien nazis from a different dimension... yeah its weird. Nonetheless, it is an awesome fantasy romp, by one of the biggest names in the genre, that is already four audio books long and available for free!

The other title is another audiobook by Jeremy Robinson: Beneath. A science fiction adventure with dark currents, this is a good transition book between Andy's two classes. Highly recommended.

Kronos

Recently I have been listening to podcasted audiobooks offered through itunes. One of the best that I have found so far is Kronos an audiobook by Jeremy Robinson. A fantastic tale about a sea monster from the ages, it is a fast paced listen that is a extraordinary value for its price: FREE! I just thought I would share this find.

Under the Dome: A Retrospective View

Stephen King's Under the Dome is a lengthy novel well worth the number of trees needed to print it. The concept of an inverse abduction is interesting and well presented. The premise had a lot going for it and King did not abuse it. While the choice of a small town being trapped was an interesting one, it worked to build the tensions to the boiling point at a low heat rather than throwing the audience straight into the flames. The characters were rich and diverse with Big Jim Rennie a clear favorite as the self interested antagonist. Overall, the town dynamics felt authentic, if slightly out of place geographically. The only characterization flaw was that some of the characters came off as slightly less than 3 dimensional, relying on a specific trait to give them personality. The clever use of conflict and unexpected elimination of characters (that likely characterize a King novel, I am unfamiliar with any of his other works) serves to mask that slight tendency well. The biggest weakness of the book was the ending, which wrapped up questions that probably would have been better unanswered.

The book was a lot of fun, despite taking a sizable investment of time.

Heart Shaped Box: A Retrospective View

Joe Hill's Heart Shaped Box was my favorite book this semester. It is dark fantasy at its best, melding together the Fantasy and Horror genres perfectly. Its ghastly real wold subject matter allows it to appeal to a broader audience than some of the other books that we read this semester, but the fantastic elements really shone. The characters of the novel were vivid, coloring their surroundings and generating a almost film-like tone. The blending of magic traditions was an interesting way to bring the broader world in which the story took place to live.

The action, the metaphors, and the fast pacing of the plot served to make this novel extremely readable and worth discussing.

Pretty Monsters: A retrospective view

Kelly Link's Pretty Monsters was a whimsical anthology of short stories that defied expectations. Rather than just talk about the book as a whole, I feel it is better to review a few of my favorites.

The Wrong Grave was a fun adventuresome romp with characters that were easy to relate with. Its ending was somewhat unexpected and decidedly clever.

The Wizards of Perfil: One of my favorite stories of the book, it has a vague Grimm's Tales feel and was very satisfying.

Magic for Beginners: Absolutely my favorite story in the collection. The meta structure of the story was unusual and the story felt stylistically distinct.

The Surfer: Definitely my least favorite of the stories. The Surfer takes a swing at mild science fantasy and misses just by a little.

Overall, the anthology was one of the best books this semester.

The Shadow Year: A retrospective view

The Shadow Year was another novel that I felt fell short of its intended purpose. Having not read To Kill a Mockingbird, I have no attachment to the sort of narration that the author used in this work. I understand, after hearing Andy discuss the origins of the novel, that the work was partially autobiographical with fantastic elements thrown in, but that is exactly what they feel like: thrown in. The plot meanders with no sense of urgency, no sense of building suspense, and leads to an ultimately unsatisfying conclusion.

The Little Stranger: A retrospective view

Having reached the end of the course, I would say that this was the weakest of the novels we read this semester. That is not because its writing style was lackluster; indeed, the novel drips with authenticity of the period and atmosphere. Nor is it because of the low level of supernatural elements, though I must confess this threw me a little. No, the reason I so heartily disliked this book is because there doesn't seem to be nearly enough plot to support a 500+ page volume. The details dragged out the book far longer than necessary, causing an incautious reader to miss crucial details. I know I had to reread several pages as a result of unintended skimming.

Overall, I like the idea of the haunted house sub-genre. However, after reading The Haunting of Hill House, The Little Stranger came up woefully short.

Shadow of the Torturer

Recently I stumbled upon a forum discussing the Book of the New Sun series by Gene Wolfe. From the discussion it sounded like something right up this class's alley. The series appears to be about guild oriented world rife with darkness and warped characters. However, based on the thread, there are a number of clues indicating that it is set not in a fantasy past as might be supposed upon first glance, but rather that it is set in the far future. It appears that the civilization forgot the technology that made it great and went into severe decline, to stabilize at a much lower level

Anyway, I was wondering if anyone had read it...

Class Quotes

I've made a few amusing notes in my notebook, and I thought I'd share them with y'all...

"some ghost giving people hugs" (--"For the Blood is the Life")

"My wife is snorting with derision." --Andy

"metafurs" --Andy

"Of course they could be both alien AND a metaphor, though..." (--"Family")

"...then he got slammed with the wall of crazy." (--"Stone Animals")

"Luke is a flibbertigibbet." --Andy

theory = "something shiny" --something Andy was saying, maybe he didn't say this exactly...

"The rain in Spain..."
"...stays mainly EVERYWHERE."
--post-The Orphanage and Pan's Labyrinth

"He can't see it because he's not a fairy princess!" --Mary Grace, on the captain in Pan's Labyrinth

"I was like, I'm reading a book, and he was like, you're an idiot." --Matt Meng, introducing "Monster"

"I would like to hang out with him. If he was full." --Matt Meng, on the monster from "Monster"

"Their parents might as well have not existed because they have absolutely no control over their kids."
"That's true in a lot of households."
--about The Shadow Year

"They can spray-tan you--I'm sure they can spray-pale you." --Bailey ("It's called MAKEUP!")

"It's like the opposite of an alien abduction." [Under the Dome]

"...So people could've died waiting for that last book." --Jordan (on King's Dark Tower series)

Ah, the end of the semester...

Hey everybody! So this is what it has come to, is it? We are nearing the end, and our time together runs short... But enough of that! Time for blogging!

Last week, Andy or somebody made a joke about a "recommended reading list" that I took to heart and decided to put in this post. The majority (all, maybe?) would be classified as sci-fi as opposed to fantasy, but there's a good overlap in the audience so you'll probably like them anyway. So without further ado, here is a short list of books I think you should read over the summer (or whenever):

- Daemon by Daniel Suarez - An awesome near-future story about how technology is and will become more integrated into our lives. Basically MMORPG's enter reality in a way, and the results are really cool. There is a very real likelihood you'll come away from this saying "I wish the world was really like that." This is my number one recommendation. If you read any of these here, pick up Daemon and it's sequel Freedom(tm).

- The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - Classified as "young adult" but enjoyable by all, The Hunger Games and its two sequels are set in a distopian future where a bloodsport involving children is once again the name of the game. So if you liked Battle Royale or like rooting for a charismatic and relate-able underdog or like a fantasy/scifi romp with some serious character building and more then check this out.

- Little Brother by Cory Doctorow - If you weren't in Andy's class last Fall, then you should really check this one out. It was on the syllabus for a reason. The reason? Being really good. It was to the sci-fi class what The Graveyard Book was to this one: meant for a younger audience but with adult level depth (and awesomeness). Plus, you can get it online for free. Just google it.

- World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks - Certainly the most unique book on this short list, World War Z is written as a collection of stories complied after the Zombie War has occurred. A must for anyone into zombie stories/movies.

- The Walking Dead - OK, not really reading. There is a graphic novel (or a lot of them), but I haven't had the chance to read any so I can't really recommend it. What I am recommending though, is the TV show. The first season aired last fall and is already out on DVD. This show has some serious production value, and the next season will be starting this fall. Again, if you like zombies, this is a must watch show.

Well that is the list as I can think of it now. Check some of these out, and enjoy them!



Also, Jordan, I have found something for you (stumbleupon is a beautiful thing, no?)

27 Amazing Graphic Novels For Readers New To The Genre

Not sure if you still need anything for that graphic novel class, but this is a hell of a list to get you started. It reminded me of some I've read but had forgotten (Maus, 30 Days of Night, etc.), and there are at least a couple on there I'd like to check out for the hell of it. Anyway, I hope this helps!

Henry Jenkins and Fan Culture

Hey y'all--

So last class when I was talking about my Kelly Link paper idea and how she utilizes TV in "Magic for Beginners," Andy mentioned this guy named Henry Jenkins whose writings might be useful to me.

I found his blog and have linked in the title. I'll have to check it out later, but I think he's pretty awesome already from what I've seen. (Then, I dream of making books writing critically about Japanese manga and other pop culture, and my thesis is on anime conventions, so.) I just wanted to link to him in case anyone else was interested. :)

It's Andy Day!

Guidos get ghosted

Hello everyone! I hope that lack of nonsense of the blog means that everyone is just as busy as I am right now! I just had a few points:

1. Thanks for all the help with my topic discussion thingy last week! It really helped me with my directional stuff.... so I figured that I would go ahead and ask... any more helpful mentions, etc. for my paper? I'm doing the technology in fantasy thing, esp. in Heart Shaped Box, and I'm thinking of going with a "it makes it scarier" sort of angle (because I know that made HSB scarier for me).

2. To go along with Jennifer's post, take Andy's sci-fi class if you haven't already! It's a lot of fun and pretty interesting to look at the genre in general.

Now, here is a clip of my favorite "paranormal investigators" on Ghost Adventures! (or as I like to call it: "Guidos Get Ghosted") Enjoy!! (and notice how they always manage to draw attention to their muscles "look at my arm dude" for goosebumps haha)

Out of curiosity...

Is anyone else planning on taking this class in the fall?

Mozart's Requiem, Dark and Fantastic

Performance TODAY, link is in the title.

Please consider coming out to Moody at 7:30 p.m. to hear Mozart's Requiem, one of the most widely-known, haunting choral compositions.

The thing about this requiem is it seems vastly different from others I've heard. Others are full of sadness and, always in the end, hope. Here, too, there is hope--but only after movements of sheer terror and anger. Truthfully, this requiem feels as dark and fantastic as some of the novels we've read--"Libera animas omnium fidelium defunctorum de poenis inferni et de profundo lacu! Libera eas de ore leonis!" That is, "Save the souls of all the faithful departed from the pains of hell and from the deep pit. Deliver them from the mouth of the lion!"

When singing this Mozart piece--his last work, left unfinished at his death and wrapped up by one of his pupils--we hear bits of odd chords and minor keys, things that feel like "gypsy music," for lack of a better term. Listen to the haunting melody of "Lacrymosa." We are told to sing with anger, as in "Dies Irae"--"Day of Wrath." We are told to sing with terror, as in "Rex Tremendae" ("King of tremendous majesty, who freely saves the worthy--save me!"). We sing with pleading and with all the hurt and confusion that we feel through Mozart's music. In the end, we ask for eternal rest and a place with the holy saints, "for You are merciful"--even on the last note, in the last phrase, when we have seemed to calm and be reassured, we remind God that He is merciful with something that is still a kind of frightened hope.

"Mozart was very angry with death," our director has told us. The School of Music chose specifically that we perform this work on Good Friday. I feel it fitting. On Good Friday we are sorrowful, repentant, perhaps fearful, perhaps a bit angry--on Good Friday is confusion, but all may resolve on Easter Sunday. Begging your pardon if you're not religious or Christian, but music is very religious to me, and that's how I see it.

And so, again, I hope you'll come hear us play and sing tonight. Major works of music have ways of being life-changing. It has happened to me before with the Brahms Requiem. I'm not sure what Mozart will bring tonight, but I know it's been stuck in my head all week. It's something that has the potential to stay with you. And hopefully we will sing well enough to leave you with a sense of awe for--something. For anything.

Game of Thrones renewed

"After just one episode, hit-hungry HBO has renewed “Game of Thrones” for a second season.

That’s because, the pay-cable network indicated in its announcement, the first episode grossed 4.2 million viewers over multiple plays, and TV critics gave the show a lot of thumbs up."

So, seems like we will get to see book 2 played out at the least. I am super excited from this news!

Also, if you haven't seen it yet and like fantasy, go watch it!!