Ok. I personally *love* Richelle Mead's VA series. It's so much amazingly better than, say, Twilight, or most other vamp stories, for one big reason -This story has action. Sword fights, beheadings, true love, rebellion, magical powers that don't suck (or say "I'm totally gay. Watch me sparkle and be amazed!"), staking, death, etc. etc. etc.
Technically this *is* book four, so I can't spill too many beans here or the story is basically ruined, but oh well. VA (Vampire Academy) follows Rose, a guardian, who is 'half' vampire. She is shadow kissed (awesome right?) which basically means she died and her friend brought her back. That is soooo much better than sparkling, am I right? If all my friends could heal me I would probably hurt myself much more though, so maybe it's good that they all content themselves to get roll-on body glitter and stay out of the sun : ) Sorry, can't let that one go...
Rose's friend Lisa, also called Vasilisa, but that's too freaky for everyday conversation, is a 'real' vampire. There are three kinds is this series: Moroi (good [not evil in most ways] vampires), Strigoi (evil, dead, murdering, awesome vampires), and Dhampirs (the half-breeds who become guardians because of their strength). They kind of had a falling out, but I'll expalin that in a second, so half of the story is about Rose, and the other half is seen when Rose looks through the 'shadow kissed bond thing' and checks in on Lisa. Confusing? Not really, it's introduced early on in the story line and takes very little time to get used to.
Quick Catch Up: Rose and Lisa had run away from school awhile back to protect Lisa, but they get stopped by the school guardians and are forced to return after two (?) years on their own. Lisa is slightly caught up in typical school drama ("That's *my* boyfriend!" "Well, then *your* boyfriend just asked me to dance and I really like dancing..." "Oh, we are SO not friends anymore!!"), but Rose is more badass. I imagine her punching people in her dreams more often then not. She gets into fights, yada yada, basic truant stuff. Dimitri, the guard that caught her and lisa, starts training her again for guardianship when she graduates, but in about the first book or so you can easily see a 'my true love!' thing will happen. Sure enough, Dimitri and Rose have a whole big romance going on, but for the sake of pedophilia charges they usually try to call it off. (he's about 6/7 years older than her...don't judge) So Lisa is more into the whole 'Royal Vamp' scene, while Rose is training to be her guardian while trying to manage her feelings for Dimitri. Oh the drama. Lisa is kidnapped and tortured to heal an old and diseased Moroi Royal, but Rose (thanks to Mr. Shadow Kiss Bond) and Dimitri save that day and end it with a Kumbayah around the camp fire...presumably with S'mores and guitars. Lisa eventually falls for Christan (a fire using Moroi...told you these things were awesome, he could cook for hours when camping! No stove needed! Not even a match!!! Talk about a useful ability.), but Strigoi attack the school and turn Dimitri into one of them. Apparently they do that -if you've ever watched 'Interview with the Vampire' than you know how this is done- so Rose decides to leave Lisa and go on a journey to kill Dimitri. (In the first book she and Dimitri had talked about what they wanted if this ever occured and both agreed to kill the other if such a monstrocity ever really did happen)
Which is where this book picks up. Rose has left on her quest to find and kill her 'one true love, destined to be but never can be' Dimitri, and goes to Russia, as he was Russian. The scary person 'Abe' or Zmey (fun nickname) tries to convince her to leave for America, but she only goes to a different city after angering one of Dimitri's sisters and basically getting semi-kicked out. She leaves with Strigoi hunters who don't do anything but randomly stalk and kill the evil vamps, and forces her leadership on them to find Dimitri. Eventually she indeed finds him but, "forgot my first lesson. Never hesitate", as he put it before knocking her unconscious.
She wakes up in a human-proof (^_^) room (human proof? lol...rofl...*sighs* ah, that shouldn't really be that funny but it is...) and tries to fight Dimitri off, but after awhile ends up high off his bite -long story made short: vamp bites are like drugs...just with bite marks- and making her few remaining friends (adrian and lisa) mad at her. Before this, and yes I know I'm backtracking, she met another Shadow Kissed bond friendship/marraige/whatever and learns quite a bit from them. Among these good things gleaned from the other shadow kissed people is a ring 'infused with spirit' -another long story...just read the books- that might just hold the key to our next installment of VA! *happy dancing while ticking off months till its release* For about a month she is continuously asked to, in effect, join the dark side (Light sabres humm in the distance and mechanic breathing echoes through the staticy air), but never says yes. After finally breaking away from Dimitri by stabbing him with a chair leg...brutal right?...she escapes from the Strigoi hideout. He easily survives and chases her for a mile or so where she stabs him with a stolen stake and is deemed dead as he falls from the side of a bridge. Pretty final I would say. Rose gets back to the school, everything is buddy buddy again with Lisa after some big showdowny scene earlier, when she gets a package. In it is the stake she supposedly killed Dimitri with, and a note "You forgot my other lesson: Never turn your back until your sure your enermy is dead.". So friendly, don't you think?
So after being kidnapped, drinking Russian vodka that she suggests be used for jet fuel, meeting her father, and killing (for a few days) Dimitri, Rose had a reprieve from action. Thankfully for fans everywhere Richelle destroyed the irony of a sad ending by giving hope that A) Dimitri might be saved from his evil ways or B) That he'll come back and pwn Rose like he did before. Oh well, it says that after the next book there's another one, so I must assume nothing *too* dramatic and life changing happens there either. I can dream though.
For some reason Richelle Mead makes VA the one vamp series I can get completely into without feeling stupid for reading it. A few 'questionable' scenes are about the only thing between me and shouting to everyone passing by to read the book, but even those are mild and spaced out. Like I said, no whimps allowed in this one, because everyone fight for what they believe in, people actually die (except apparently Dimitri), and twists are usually surprising. When I was done I just turned to my friend and said, "Wow, I would never think of *half* that stuff! God, I'm really not that creative compared to *that*!". Take my word for it, or don't, THIS IS AWESOME! If you like or hate vampires and don't mind the teeny drama plaguing some chapters, then you will thoroughly enjoy this series.
ENDING POINTS:
+ Interesting new characters inroduced
+ Really random plot twists...that I probably just ruined by telling the whole story...but oh well
+ *love* the action
+ Realistic characters that rarely infuriate you
- Sometimes it all seems to revolve around Dimitri, but at least it keeps the story going
- The cliffhanger endings may have some throwing books against the wall. To prevent serious danger to your budget I suggest wall insurance. Just in case.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Othello - Even back then you had to be wary of people with funny names...
If having the main 'bad guy' be named Iago wasn't funny enough, you must also endure what seems like PAGES of 'strumpet', 'villian', and 'fool!' (Evil laughter included). Aside from that, as you can almost expect it from Shakespeare, I found this story to be surprisingly twisted for its 'back-in-the-dayness'. But hey, people were evil then too.
Ok. *deep breath, this will take a little bit to get down* Iago and Roderigo (I know! Poor people, I would be desperate for success too after failing so epically in the name department) break the news to Desdemona's dad about her marrying Othello -the one *African American/Moor* dude working for the government, at two in the morning. Not a happy meeting, but I don't blame him, rage is a common emotion when woken from sound sleep by hoodlems in your street. Iago gets his friend (who wants to marry Desdemona) to bring the father around to Othello's place while he goes to warn Othello. Meanwhile, Turks are planning to attack some city and Othello is about to get orders to leave for a semi-secluded islandy place.
The call to duty overrides crazy dad who thinks Othello bedazzled his daughter with 'Moor Magic' (Tm) and married her before it wore off. Desdemona tells father she isn't retarded or incapacitated, just in love. *cue happy music...or not* So, with love-struck people all around, DD (as we'll call her) simply must go with Othello to this island. Everybody packs up and moves temporarily to the place where, incidentally, they all will die. Iago's wife works for DD as a maid, and despite marrying the devil incarnate, is a fairly nice person. Introduce Cassio: player extrordiaire, expert at kissing his own fingertips (a polite gesture apparently), and a collector of women's hankerchiefs. Cassio got the job Iago wanted, which supposedly sets off this whole plot.
Iago's mastermind plan - 1)Get Cassio in trouble/fired. 2)Tell Othello that DD is sleeping around, particularly with Cassio. 3)Get Cassio to ask DD for help in getting his job back. 4)Get DD's hanky and let Cassio find it. 5)Make Othello think Cassio laughs at both him and DD in his spare time. 6)Get Othello to kill off Cassio and promote Iago. 7)Get rid of Roderigo sometime during or after step 6. 8)Enjoy new job and get rid of everybody nonessential.
Pretty simple actually. Wait, that's a lot of planning for a 'spur of the moment' thing? You didn't think of handkerchiefs either? You don't see the connection between telling Othello to kill DD and yet never wanting to kill her earlier? Well, neither do I. But it's still awesome.
Iago gets Rodrigo to make Cassio attack him, blah blah, riots, fatal injuries, villages in uproar = Cassio fired. Cassio is friends with basically everybody, so he talks to DD and Iago about what to do. Iago hints that DD could help, Cassio asks her, DD declares something along the lines of 'Othello shall never get a moments rest till this conflict is resolved!'. Iago then tells Othello, with fake modesty of course, that he thinks DD and Cassio are secret lovers, and tells him to watch how much DD pleads with him about it. After a scene or two DD drops her hankerchief (apparently its a special gift from Othello) while running after him, trying to fix some problem or another. Emilia (Iago's wife/DD's maid) finds it and, remembering how often her husband had asked her to steal it, decides to give it to Iago. Smart women, eh? I didn't think so.
Upon getting the hanky, Cassio's fate is sealed. Othello threatens to kill Iago if he doesn't give proof, enter Bianca. Bianca is a 'prostitute' who basically stalks Cassio. He makes fun of her all the time though, but still accepts her dinner invite. Iago gets Othello to hide while he talks to Cassio about Bianca -Othello thinks this is about DD. Othello gets all riled up and declares to Iago later that he just wants to kill them all. Bingo! (and all the seniors groaned while muttering about young luck, but still ate their lemon pie...)
Rodrigo is set to kill Cassio on his way to the brothel/Bianca, while Othello is going to kill DD. It's all symbolic and creepy, 'I'll kill her in the same bed she defiled. I'll save her from herself.'. No good. Rodrigo fails...badly...so Iago cuts off one of Cassio's legs from behind. (ooowww!?!?!) Othello sneaks into DD's room and has a little maniac speech before smothering her. He is interrupted by Emilia, who tells him that Rodrigo is dead, and that Cassio isn't much better himself. DD chooses this moment to not be dead and mutter something about being murdered. Emilia calls the others in to keep Othello from escaping. Iago and Cassio comes in (The latter on a stretcher...probably bleeding profusely the whole time) where the plot begins to unravel. Emilia outs Iago, Iago stabs/kills Emilia, Othello eventually stabs/kills himself, and the visitors are pretty confused. I can only imagine -got here three hours ago and already theres a room full of dead people. Questions anyone?
Between all this masterful evilness and the first page are, as I said before, a lot of pages where Othello calls Desdemona a 'strumpet' (basically a whore...nice husband huh?). There is also lots of stabbing, bleeding, yelling, betrayal, drama, confusing meanness, confrontations, and death. Good stuff from my point of view! I never really watched Soap Operas, but I think I got a decade's worth in a few hours with that book. Good Lord, I had to blink a couple times after putting this one down. Just sitting a few seconds to digest all of it.
ENDING POINTS:
+ Iago is one crazy dude, it was also hilarious to hear the people talking about torturing him on the last couple of pages. Like someone as resourceful as Iago wouldn't escape and try this again in Brazil with a fake mustache and a sombrero?
+/- Desdemona is completely clueless this whole time...even after a scene's worth of accusations in the middle of the play between her and Othello. (My husband calling me a prostitute would *kind of* tell me somethings off)
+ Everyone suspects Iago is doing something, but never figures it out, and usually ends up helping in some way.
+ By the end there are three dead people piled up on DD's bed. Just a comical mental picture.
- You never get a clear reason for Iago to ruin all these people's lives.
- If Othello hadn't been so easily swayed, this whole thing would never have happened. One of those 'stories with a moral' things...
Ok. *deep breath, this will take a little bit to get down* Iago and Roderigo (I know! Poor people, I would be desperate for success too after failing so epically in the name department) break the news to Desdemona's dad about her marrying Othello -the one *African American/Moor* dude working for the government, at two in the morning. Not a happy meeting, but I don't blame him, rage is a common emotion when woken from sound sleep by hoodlems in your street. Iago gets his friend (who wants to marry Desdemona) to bring the father around to Othello's place while he goes to warn Othello. Meanwhile, Turks are planning to attack some city and Othello is about to get orders to leave for a semi-secluded islandy place.
The call to duty overrides crazy dad who thinks Othello bedazzled his daughter with 'Moor Magic' (Tm) and married her before it wore off. Desdemona tells father she isn't retarded or incapacitated, just in love. *cue happy music...or not* So, with love-struck people all around, DD (as we'll call her) simply must go with Othello to this island. Everybody packs up and moves temporarily to the place where, incidentally, they all will die. Iago's wife works for DD as a maid, and despite marrying the devil incarnate, is a fairly nice person. Introduce Cassio: player extrordiaire, expert at kissing his own fingertips (a polite gesture apparently), and a collector of women's hankerchiefs. Cassio got the job Iago wanted, which supposedly sets off this whole plot.
Iago's mastermind plan - 1)Get Cassio in trouble/fired. 2)Tell Othello that DD is sleeping around, particularly with Cassio. 3)Get Cassio to ask DD for help in getting his job back. 4)Get DD's hanky and let Cassio find it. 5)Make Othello think Cassio laughs at both him and DD in his spare time. 6)Get Othello to kill off Cassio and promote Iago. 7)Get rid of Roderigo sometime during or after step 6. 8)Enjoy new job and get rid of everybody nonessential.
Pretty simple actually. Wait, that's a lot of planning for a 'spur of the moment' thing? You didn't think of handkerchiefs either? You don't see the connection between telling Othello to kill DD and yet never wanting to kill her earlier? Well, neither do I. But it's still awesome.
Iago gets Rodrigo to make Cassio attack him, blah blah, riots, fatal injuries, villages in uproar = Cassio fired. Cassio is friends with basically everybody, so he talks to DD and Iago about what to do. Iago hints that DD could help, Cassio asks her, DD declares something along the lines of 'Othello shall never get a moments rest till this conflict is resolved!'. Iago then tells Othello, with fake modesty of course, that he thinks DD and Cassio are secret lovers, and tells him to watch how much DD pleads with him about it. After a scene or two DD drops her hankerchief (apparently its a special gift from Othello) while running after him, trying to fix some problem or another. Emilia (Iago's wife/DD's maid) finds it and, remembering how often her husband had asked her to steal it, decides to give it to Iago. Smart women, eh? I didn't think so.
Upon getting the hanky, Cassio's fate is sealed. Othello threatens to kill Iago if he doesn't give proof, enter Bianca. Bianca is a 'prostitute' who basically stalks Cassio. He makes fun of her all the time though, but still accepts her dinner invite. Iago gets Othello to hide while he talks to Cassio about Bianca -Othello thinks this is about DD. Othello gets all riled up and declares to Iago later that he just wants to kill them all. Bingo! (and all the seniors groaned while muttering about young luck, but still ate their lemon pie...)
Rodrigo is set to kill Cassio on his way to the brothel/Bianca, while Othello is going to kill DD. It's all symbolic and creepy, 'I'll kill her in the same bed she defiled. I'll save her from herself.'. No good. Rodrigo fails...badly...so Iago cuts off one of Cassio's legs from behind. (ooowww!?!?!) Othello sneaks into DD's room and has a little maniac speech before smothering her. He is interrupted by Emilia, who tells him that Rodrigo is dead, and that Cassio isn't much better himself. DD chooses this moment to not be dead and mutter something about being murdered. Emilia calls the others in to keep Othello from escaping. Iago and Cassio comes in (The latter on a stretcher...probably bleeding profusely the whole time) where the plot begins to unravel. Emilia outs Iago, Iago stabs/kills Emilia, Othello eventually stabs/kills himself, and the visitors are pretty confused. I can only imagine -got here three hours ago and already theres a room full of dead people. Questions anyone?
Between all this masterful evilness and the first page are, as I said before, a lot of pages where Othello calls Desdemona a 'strumpet' (basically a whore...nice husband huh?). There is also lots of stabbing, bleeding, yelling, betrayal, drama, confusing meanness, confrontations, and death. Good stuff from my point of view! I never really watched Soap Operas, but I think I got a decade's worth in a few hours with that book. Good Lord, I had to blink a couple times after putting this one down. Just sitting a few seconds to digest all of it.
ENDING POINTS:
+ Iago is one crazy dude, it was also hilarious to hear the people talking about torturing him on the last couple of pages. Like someone as resourceful as Iago wouldn't escape and try this again in Brazil with a fake mustache and a sombrero?
+/- Desdemona is completely clueless this whole time...even after a scene's worth of accusations in the middle of the play between her and Othello. (My husband calling me a prostitute would *kind of* tell me somethings off)
+ Everyone suspects Iago is doing something, but never figures it out, and usually ends up helping in some way.
+ By the end there are three dead people piled up on DD's bed. Just a comical mental picture.
- You never get a clear reason for Iago to ruin all these people's lives.
- If Othello hadn't been so easily swayed, this whole thing would never have happened. One of those 'stories with a moral' things...
Monday, October 26, 2009
Carrie - My first Stephen King
Right.
How to describe this book? ....'odd' just doesn't do it justice.
A girl, Carrie, who is constantly tormented by her peers and basically the whole town, gets her revenge. Telekinesis is her one claim to coolness, but her fanatical mother calls her the devil's child because of it. A few incidents happen one after another and Carrie's TK (telekinetic, telekinesis, telewhatever...) abilities come back from hiding and enable the following tragedy.
The book switches (somewhat noticeably, so you shouldn't get lost) from story line to excerpts from books/newspapers about the story of Carrie and her revenge. The book is somewhat vulgar, but seeing as this is Stephen King here, this should surprise no one. Sue Snell (God forbid anyone actually passes down the name of 'snell' to their children) is a fellow angst ridden teenager at Carrie's high school, but feels sorry for her and convinces her boyfriend (who is also mildly upset at people's treatment of Carrie) to take Carrie to the prom. Meanwhile, in the 'dark side' of town, a snotty cheerleader is planning to dump pig's blood from the rafters onto the prom King and Queen. She also tries to ensure that Carrie will be the one getting covered in the aforementioned blood bath.
We can easily see these two coincidences lining up to create the big 'you dunnit know beetch!' scenario at the end when Carrie goes crazy and basically kills everyone. Carrie's mom is a real psycho. Religious mania taken to a whole new 'lock me into a psych ward or I'll kill you...' level. Not good. But technically if my mom made me wear six (basically) layers of clothing everyday and called me devil spawn when she wasn't locking me into a closet to repent for my sins, I would kill her later too. Hey, honesty is the best policy. Unless, of course, you plan on setting fire to your home town. You might want to keep *that* one to yourself.
So Carrie and whats-his-face go to prom together, and Carrie has some semi-big-showdown with her mummie over making her own red dress. Oh the horror. Red. *sighs* Anywho...they do in fact get voted as prom King and Queen (by one vote) and the evil cheer girl is outside w/her boyfriend waiting to pull the string that will consequently end in their untimely demise. Blah blah blah, Carrie and (Ted?) have the blood all over them, the guy gets knocked unconscious when the bucket hits him over the head. Carrie trips over herself but runs outside and cries, then decides to kill them all. Nothing disturbing there.
Carrie, now covered in rotten piggy blood, zombie-walks the streets after setting fire to the school and locking all her classmates inside. She makes all the fire hydrants lose their water (read: unscrews the lid and lets water shoot everywhere), and then takes down the power lines. After causing a little chaos there she goes home to finish of mom. Mom, likewise, was waiting to kill sweet little Carrie -wonder why? After getting stabbed in the shoulder by her mother, Carrie uses her fab new superpower to stop the batty old thing's heart. She then basically drags herself away and kills the cheerleader who caused the whole thing, I almost smiled at that one because she was really annoying, then dies after talking to Sue. Well, 'mind-talking' anyway. *mutters* Stupid TK people, they don't even have to talk to do anything. They could just sit there all day and do nothing! Lucky....
Aside from the vulgarity and eventual carnage, the book was pretty 'to the point'. I kind of expected more cruel/personal killing scenes for the high school thing, but I guess setting the whole thing on fire works too. The little article/book excerpts were interesting, and gave the book a 'non-fiction' feel, but at times I had to double check where they ended and the story began.
ENDING POINTS:
+ Carrie is likable, and you really *want* to sympathize with her
+ You also find yourself liking Sue and whats-his-face (Ted???) because they try to help
+ You might (hopefully will) smile when you see the cheerleader and her bf die...by then you will probably hate her too
- Excerpts try to make this seem real, which can get annoying (Think 'Blair Witch Project', "Wait, that wasn't real!?!? WHY???!?!? They lied to me! NOOOOooooooo...")
- The mom is pretty crazy, you wonder why CPS was never called
- You see the carnage coming from chapters away, but it does take a *long* time to get there, the book does a good job with suspense though
+/- Its not really that *scary*...just creepy and 'what?' feeling
How to describe this book? ....'odd' just doesn't do it justice.
A girl, Carrie, who is constantly tormented by her peers and basically the whole town, gets her revenge. Telekinesis is her one claim to coolness, but her fanatical mother calls her the devil's child because of it. A few incidents happen one after another and Carrie's TK (telekinetic, telekinesis, telewhatever...) abilities come back from hiding and enable the following tragedy.
The book switches (somewhat noticeably, so you shouldn't get lost) from story line to excerpts from books/newspapers about the story of Carrie and her revenge. The book is somewhat vulgar, but seeing as this is Stephen King here, this should surprise no one. Sue Snell (God forbid anyone actually passes down the name of 'snell' to their children) is a fellow angst ridden teenager at Carrie's high school, but feels sorry for her and convinces her boyfriend (who is also mildly upset at people's treatment of Carrie) to take Carrie to the prom. Meanwhile, in the 'dark side' of town, a snotty cheerleader is planning to dump pig's blood from the rafters onto the prom King and Queen. She also tries to ensure that Carrie will be the one getting covered in the aforementioned blood bath.
We can easily see these two coincidences lining up to create the big 'you dunnit know beetch!' scenario at the end when Carrie goes crazy and basically kills everyone. Carrie's mom is a real psycho. Religious mania taken to a whole new 'lock me into a psych ward or I'll kill you...' level. Not good. But technically if my mom made me wear six (basically) layers of clothing everyday and called me devil spawn when she wasn't locking me into a closet to repent for my sins, I would kill her later too. Hey, honesty is the best policy. Unless, of course, you plan on setting fire to your home town. You might want to keep *that* one to yourself.
So Carrie and whats-his-face go to prom together, and Carrie has some semi-big-showdown with her mummie over making her own red dress. Oh the horror. Red. *sighs* Anywho...they do in fact get voted as prom King and Queen (by one vote) and the evil cheer girl is outside w/her boyfriend waiting to pull the string that will consequently end in their untimely demise. Blah blah blah, Carrie and (Ted?) have the blood all over them, the guy gets knocked unconscious when the bucket hits him over the head. Carrie trips over herself but runs outside and cries, then decides to kill them all. Nothing disturbing there.
Carrie, now covered in rotten piggy blood, zombie-walks the streets after setting fire to the school and locking all her classmates inside. She makes all the fire hydrants lose their water (read: unscrews the lid and lets water shoot everywhere), and then takes down the power lines. After causing a little chaos there she goes home to finish of mom. Mom, likewise, was waiting to kill sweet little Carrie -wonder why? After getting stabbed in the shoulder by her mother, Carrie uses her fab new superpower to stop the batty old thing's heart. She then basically drags herself away and kills the cheerleader who caused the whole thing, I almost smiled at that one because she was really annoying, then dies after talking to Sue. Well, 'mind-talking' anyway. *mutters* Stupid TK people, they don't even have to talk to do anything. They could just sit there all day and do nothing! Lucky....
Aside from the vulgarity and eventual carnage, the book was pretty 'to the point'. I kind of expected more cruel/personal killing scenes for the high school thing, but I guess setting the whole thing on fire works too. The little article/book excerpts were interesting, and gave the book a 'non-fiction' feel, but at times I had to double check where they ended and the story began.
ENDING POINTS:
+ Carrie is likable, and you really *want* to sympathize with her
+ You also find yourself liking Sue and whats-his-face (Ted???) because they try to help
+ You might (hopefully will) smile when you see the cheerleader and her bf die...by then you will probably hate her too
- Excerpts try to make this seem real, which can get annoying (Think 'Blair Witch Project', "Wait, that wasn't real!?!? WHY???!?!? They lied to me! NOOOOooooooo...")
- The mom is pretty crazy, you wonder why CPS was never called
- You see the carnage coming from chapters away, but it does take a *long* time to get there, the book does a good job with suspense though
+/- Its not really that *scary*...just creepy and 'what?' feeling
Monday, October 19, 2009
1984 - God, I love Orwell.../The 80's -more than just big sunglasses...
Ok, I've read 1984 a few years ago, but my British Lit class demanded it be brought to light once again. So after pillaging the room in our house full of multiple genres of books, 1984 has resurfaced, to my enjoyment. George Orwell can have the socks he oh-so-cleverly knocked off of my feet...they're to small anyway. Of course, answering many redundant questions *does* take some of the charm, if a dystopian Big Brother has much 'charm' per say, I still come away with a smile on my face and an innate fear of posters. Mainly those with faces, containing a mustache, plastered over their entirety.
Just a question: Does Big Brother (BB) make it a point to make sure every place you go smells weird?? We have an apartment that smells like boiled cabbage, gin that smells like a penguin after an oil spill, and Parsons (who smells like sweat 24 hrs. a day...truly a scientific miracle). Sorry, just *had* to ask. But it looks pretty effective at making people depressed. So kudos BB, have fun making perfumes with such titles as: Processed Cigarette Smoke, Three Day Old Sock, Julia's Scarf, Inside of Oil Can, and Acidic Beer. Sounds like it'll be a hit!
Winston, the lovable fatalist he is, is a curious combination of vulgarness and amicable 'lone-wolf'ness. I have no idea how to go about becoming an 'amicable lone wolf', but hey, it works for my evil purposes of entertainment. Julia is amusing, as always, but shows a surprising burst of intelligence now and then. Winston practically asks to be caught by the end, but Julia still manages to hold out on defeatism till the actual day of capture. Congrats, dear. Despite my love for insatiable old men who fear what they may say at night because a camera of any kind sits near their bed, and women who rival modern feminists in their love of sex, my favorite character is O'Brien. Is a friend or Big Brother's BFF? Who knows, they may eat popcorn and watch scary movies together on the weekends.
"'Do you remember writing in your diary,' He said, "that it did not matter whether I was a friend or an enemy, since I was at least a person who understood you and could be talked to?'" And really, it doesn't matter, O'Brien is a legendary character because he is perceived as a friend and an enemy all at once. This is how Winston comes (que scary music) over to the dark side, so to speak. If you actually fear rodents, such as rats, and even if you don't, Room 101 is still worthy of pause. It has always made me wonder what they did/threatened to do to Julia, as she never reacted to anything like Winston did to the rats. Maybe they painted her toenails a disturbing shade of green while giving her a perm. We may never know.
The last scene, where Winston sits in the Chestnut Tree Cafe, is also amazingly awesome and tragic. "Under the spreading chestnut tree I sold you and you sold me" is connected to the three men who were killed after being taken to the Ministry of Love (miniluv), Winston remembers hearing this song play on the telescreen and one of the men started crying. In the last scene he thinks he hears this song, then traces 2+2=5 on the table. I love George Orwell. Julia, having accidentally met Winston after they were both released, is now officially a (fill in the blank with a word meaning: "a malicious, unpleasant, selfish person, esp. a woman"). Whatever they did, it worked. So, after finally finishing my favorite British dystopian book (it matters not that there are few to choose from) again, I have to conclude that it is full of philosophical pondering...and a grievously long excerpt from the book (from Goldstein and the Brotherhood). But it's still worth reading : )
ENDING POINTS:
+ Characters you can love, but still make fun of in your spare time...if you ever get *that* bored
+ A plot that actually carries over and still surprises you, even though the end is obvious from the beginning
+ Glorious descriptions of random happenings
- Aforementioned crazy long reading from the book
- Orwell goes pretty in-depth into human nature and the workings of BB/The Party
- Ending, while completely awesome, will ruin the day of delicate minds who can't understand the irony of an unhappy ending
Just a question: Does Big Brother (BB) make it a point to make sure every place you go smells weird?? We have an apartment that smells like boiled cabbage, gin that smells like a penguin after an oil spill, and Parsons (who smells like sweat 24 hrs. a day...truly a scientific miracle). Sorry, just *had* to ask. But it looks pretty effective at making people depressed. So kudos BB, have fun making perfumes with such titles as: Processed Cigarette Smoke, Three Day Old Sock, Julia's Scarf, Inside of Oil Can, and Acidic Beer. Sounds like it'll be a hit!
Winston, the lovable fatalist he is, is a curious combination of vulgarness and amicable 'lone-wolf'ness. I have no idea how to go about becoming an 'amicable lone wolf', but hey, it works for my evil purposes of entertainment. Julia is amusing, as always, but shows a surprising burst of intelligence now and then. Winston practically asks to be caught by the end, but Julia still manages to hold out on defeatism till the actual day of capture. Congrats, dear. Despite my love for insatiable old men who fear what they may say at night because a camera of any kind sits near their bed, and women who rival modern feminists in their love of sex, my favorite character is O'Brien. Is a friend or Big Brother's BFF? Who knows, they may eat popcorn and watch scary movies together on the weekends.
"'Do you remember writing in your diary,' He said, "that it did not matter whether I was a friend or an enemy, since I was at least a person who understood you and could be talked to?'" And really, it doesn't matter, O'Brien is a legendary character because he is perceived as a friend and an enemy all at once. This is how Winston comes (que scary music) over to the dark side, so to speak. If you actually fear rodents, such as rats, and even if you don't, Room 101 is still worthy of pause. It has always made me wonder what they did/threatened to do to Julia, as she never reacted to anything like Winston did to the rats. Maybe they painted her toenails a disturbing shade of green while giving her a perm. We may never know.
The last scene, where Winston sits in the Chestnut Tree Cafe, is also amazingly awesome and tragic. "Under the spreading chestnut tree I sold you and you sold me" is connected to the three men who were killed after being taken to the Ministry of Love (miniluv), Winston remembers hearing this song play on the telescreen and one of the men started crying. In the last scene he thinks he hears this song, then traces 2+2=5 on the table. I love George Orwell. Julia, having accidentally met Winston after they were both released, is now officially a (fill in the blank with a word meaning: "a malicious, unpleasant, selfish person, esp. a woman"). Whatever they did, it worked. So, after finally finishing my favorite British dystopian book (it matters not that there are few to choose from) again, I have to conclude that it is full of philosophical pondering...and a grievously long excerpt from the book (from Goldstein and the Brotherhood). But it's still worth reading : )
ENDING POINTS:
+ Characters you can love, but still make fun of in your spare time...if you ever get *that* bored
+ A plot that actually carries over and still surprises you, even though the end is obvious from the beginning
+ Glorious descriptions of random happenings
- Aforementioned crazy long reading from the book
- Orwell goes pretty in-depth into human nature and the workings of BB/The Party
- Ending, while completely awesome, will ruin the day of delicate minds who can't understand the irony of an unhappy ending
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
"By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes..." -MacBeth, Shakespeare
Not only is the title of this book one of my all time favorites (who doesn't like Shakespeare?), but this author also wrote Fahrenheit 451. Ray Bradbury has created a very amusing tale about two boys and a carnival. Sound like fun? Think again. While carnivals and scary stories may only make you think of evil clowns or uncanny psychics, 'Something Wicked This Way Comes' will give you a new worry to indulge.
Bradbury finds a way to pack in all the great creepy things we hope *not* to see at town functions without you even noticing. If your one of those people who let themselves get sucked into a good story, then you will love 'Something Wicked...' (hey, it's a long title!). While the language style is somewhat philosophical/fanciful, it adds depth to the dark folktale-in-the-making story being told. The characters are believable, if not a little surprising, and the carnival workers/freaks/owners are amazingly creative. I expected a simple story about kids getting scared to death by some evil fair, but instead got a unique classic that I can easily recommend to anyone who needs a little thrill.
As long as you have no desire to question the workings of this story you will enjoy it thoroughly. Why does a smile and laughter conquer evil? Why does a seemingly quiet and depressed man suddenly find courage to help his son? Why does a carnival go around with their magical carousel taking people after ruining their lives? Why would hugging someone evil kill them? Like a psychiatrist I will answer these questions with a new question -who cares? It really doesn't matter because the story is so incredible it all makes sense. It seems completely logical that the blind witch can kill you with her muttering. It also feels right when someone named 'Mr. Dark' is covered in tattoos depicting the faces/general image of all his victims. It just makes sense when you read chapter after chapter of haunting descriptions by Bradbury. The blackness of the night when all the carnival people show up, the glow of Mr. Electrico when he is revived by electricity, the music played by the carousel, and the smile carved into a bullet all draws the eager reader into this magical and strange world where anything can (and will) happen.
This book also explores human nature, our weaknesses, and the strength of friendship. Our two main characters, Will's father not included till later in the story, have been friends for years and contrast each other in many symbolic ways. Jim Nightshade, the dark and brooding boy born on Halloween, is drawn to the promise of adulthood the carnival can give. Will Halloway, the blonde angel boy born on All Saint's Day (ironic?), on the other hand, wants to stay as far away as possible after seeing one of the carnival owners take a ride into the past by becoming twelve again. I really don't blame him, but where's the story in someone hiding in their attic for three or four days till a carnival leaves town? I didn't think so.
Even if most of the characters from the carnival, and some of the action scenes, are far fetched, it all adds to the fairytale nightmare effect the book gives off. The rooftop battle between Will and the Dust Witch might just make your heart do a few extra beats, so might the library scene near the end of the book. But why spoil the surprise? I will merely say the ending was satisfactory and just as random as the rest of the book : )
Ending Points:
+ Fairytale like language, even though it takes a few pages to get used to it...
+ Random and sufficiently creepy plot twists
+ Memorable characters, both good and evil, that rival other classics
- It actually *does* take a little bit to get used to this writing style, and there were a few grammatical mistakes I got hung up on, but they were few and the story more than makes up for it
- It may annoy some that Jim continuously wants to go back to the carousel...even after it is grouped with the evil people, and that no one ever finds Miss Foley
Bradbury finds a way to pack in all the great creepy things we hope *not* to see at town functions without you even noticing. If your one of those people who let themselves get sucked into a good story, then you will love 'Something Wicked...' (hey, it's a long title!). While the language style is somewhat philosophical/fanciful, it adds depth to the dark folktale-in-the-making story being told. The characters are believable, if not a little surprising, and the carnival workers/freaks/owners are amazingly creative. I expected a simple story about kids getting scared to death by some evil fair, but instead got a unique classic that I can easily recommend to anyone who needs a little thrill.
As long as you have no desire to question the workings of this story you will enjoy it thoroughly. Why does a smile and laughter conquer evil? Why does a seemingly quiet and depressed man suddenly find courage to help his son? Why does a carnival go around with their magical carousel taking people after ruining their lives? Why would hugging someone evil kill them? Like a psychiatrist I will answer these questions with a new question -who cares? It really doesn't matter because the story is so incredible it all makes sense. It seems completely logical that the blind witch can kill you with her muttering. It also feels right when someone named 'Mr. Dark' is covered in tattoos depicting the faces/general image of all his victims. It just makes sense when you read chapter after chapter of haunting descriptions by Bradbury. The blackness of the night when all the carnival people show up, the glow of Mr. Electrico when he is revived by electricity, the music played by the carousel, and the smile carved into a bullet all draws the eager reader into this magical and strange world where anything can (and will) happen.
This book also explores human nature, our weaknesses, and the strength of friendship. Our two main characters, Will's father not included till later in the story, have been friends for years and contrast each other in many symbolic ways. Jim Nightshade, the dark and brooding boy born on Halloween, is drawn to the promise of adulthood the carnival can give. Will Halloway, the blonde angel boy born on All Saint's Day (ironic?), on the other hand, wants to stay as far away as possible after seeing one of the carnival owners take a ride into the past by becoming twelve again. I really don't blame him, but where's the story in someone hiding in their attic for three or four days till a carnival leaves town? I didn't think so.
Even if most of the characters from the carnival, and some of the action scenes, are far fetched, it all adds to the fairytale nightmare effect the book gives off. The rooftop battle between Will and the Dust Witch might just make your heart do a few extra beats, so might the library scene near the end of the book. But why spoil the surprise? I will merely say the ending was satisfactory and just as random as the rest of the book : )
Ending Points:
+ Fairytale like language, even though it takes a few pages to get used to it...
+ Random and sufficiently creepy plot twists
+ Memorable characters, both good and evil, that rival other classics
- It actually *does* take a little bit to get used to this writing style, and there were a few grammatical mistakes I got hung up on, but they were few and the story more than makes up for it
- It may annoy some that Jim continuously wants to go back to the carousel...even after it is grouped with the evil people, and that no one ever finds Miss Foley
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Rosemary's Baby - Not what I expected...
After being told by many (three) people that 'Rosemary's Baby' was a good/scary book I decided to raid my local library to see for myself. I've never seen the movie, but books are usually better anyway, unfortunately at this point it may have actually been worth watching instead. I was looking forward to creepy happenings, think 'Poltergeist', and maybe a few demonic possession scenes, but no. Nothing. The only weird thing that happens is when Rosemary gets pregnant in the nightmare/ceremony/whatever where the stalker old people stand around naked holding black candles...which, while worthy of nightmares in itself, is *not* cool for a scary book. Or any book for that matter. Other than the weird nightmare scene its just a whole bunch of old people convincing a gullible pregnant person not to ask questions. She innocently agrees and endure about seven months of non-stop pain. Sadly, she basically believes everything anyone tells her till the last month or so of her pregnancy, which is when she finds out how many people are in the cult. No witch coven extends *that* far. How could ONE coven (cult) take over an entire city of people? Hutch (Rosemary's outside father-figure who is suspicious of the cult people) dies, which is practically the high point of the book, but even that is glossed over and ignored for the most part. You would think someone would notice random people who say there's a cult dying off. You would also assume that would make someone wonder, 'Hmmmm maybe they were right and this really *is* some coven of witch people'. At the end, when you finally get the promise of action and conflict, Rosemary gets sucked into the cult-people's group and everything ends very anticlimactically. The author builds up this whole ending sequence by having her sneak through a secret passage holding a butcher knife ready to kill A) the demon spawn and B) the nutjobs who got her pregnant with the aforementioned evil child, but then she sees the baby and drinks some tea (which is implied to be cursed or something) and decides to just be the baby's mother. She sits there and rocks the baby in it's emo basket and the book ends. Nobody dies, nobody does anything. *sigh*
Ending points:
+ Creepy Idea
+ Semi-good last chapter
+ Good plot twists/Character Reveals
- No actually scary scenes
- Lack of Action
- You may be endlessly frustrated with the level of gullibility Rosemary shows throughout the book
Ending points:
+ Creepy Idea
+ Semi-good last chapter
+ Good plot twists/Character Reveals
- No actually scary scenes
- Lack of Action
- You may be endlessly frustrated with the level of gullibility Rosemary shows throughout the book
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