Title: A Handful of Dust
Author: Evelyn Waugh
Genre: Fiction
My Rating: *****
Official Rating: N/A
Age Group: 16+
Summary:
Welcome to English high society during the 1930s. John Beaver is a "professional luncheon-goer" (back of the book)--a lazy man with no job and friends who only call when their dates stand them up at the very last minute. When Beaver meets Brenda Last, things change dramatically. Brenda has been married to Tony for seven years and the two have an incredibly annoying son named John Andrew. But Brenda is bored, and Beaver is her way out.
Of course, everything falls apart.
Word of Warning:
This is a story of adultery--amid a world filled with it. We see very little, though Brenda does ask what Beaver's sex life is like, but it stops there. It's implied that things happen, but never shown.
The characters have no moral standards at all and live very empty lives. They are petty, negative, and self-centered. They are everything that happens when one encounters Christianity--and turns it down.
There is a death of a young character but even that is quick. Tony catches a terrible fever and is delirious (in one of the most skillfully written delirium scenes of all time). Native Americans are portrayed in a negative light, but digging deep and looking closely, we see that the Englishmen are portrayed in the same way.
Tony and Jock get drunk. Characters party, spend money, and for the most part don't work.
In order to get a divorce, Tony must get "evidence" that he has been unfaithful. This consists of taking a woman (and her daughter) to the seaside and then having breakfast in bed with her.
Word on the Author:
Waugh is a master at the art of writing fiction. He is a Catholic convert and in his writings we see just how despicable a world is without Christianity. We also see a very realistic portrayal of a society Waugh himself belonged to for some time.
He has been referred to as the second greatest author at satire. This means to enjoy the book, one has to pay attention just a tad more than usual. It's well worth it.
My Thoughts:
I loved this book very much. It's full of laughs, utterly horrible things, and a complete lack of morals (but in a negative light). The narration and the dialogue are near-perfection and the whole thing is just so wonderful words fail every time. Granted, the topic is for an older audience, but adultery is, for the most part, just that: a topic. We know that somewhere in the background things are happening, but we see no more than a kiss. Impressively handled.
I assure you I will be reading this over many times, and also reading more Waugh.
A bright light amid all the lack of morals is Tony Last. He is loyal and tries so hard to fix matters when he finally realizes they have gotten out of order. Unfortunately, it's simply too late. But we love him for trying.
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Movie Review: Zoom: Academy for Superheroes
Title: Zoom: Academy for Superheroes
Author: N/A
Genre: Adventure, Science Fiction
My Rating: **
Official Rating: PG
Age Group: 10+
Summary: Zoom's, er, Jack's team went over the edge years ago. Bad things happened and only Jack survived--but he lost his powers. He blames it all on the Gamma 13 dosage his team was given. No, not the loss of the powers, just the implosion of his team.
So when Jack is recruited some thirty years later to train new superheroes, he's not as thrilled as we might expect. In fact, he's downright disinterested (and not the virtuous kind). He doesn't try. He's got his own problems to deal with.
Then, slowly, the kids get under his skin. Slowly, they become more than a team. They become a family.
The big question remains: will they be ready in time to face the major threat they've been training for? Or will they too suffer from a massive dose of Gamma 13?
Word of Warning:
Where to start? There are a lot of problems, but all rather small, all things considered.
Honestly, the reason I gave this movie two stars instead of one is because of the family concept. No, they're not just a team, they really do form a family. Summer looks after Cindy, Dylan takes Tucker aside more than once to talk to him. The four protect each other and look out for each other. Ms. Holloway is motherly but a little quirky (in a nice way) and Jack, while being far from a good father, does attempt to take on the role. He ends up more like that fun uncle who never got married and drives the parents insane. You know the type: the one the kids love.
The problem with this whole family idea is that close to the time that they really get big into using the "family" word, Dylan and Summer start to get a lot closer. In some scenes, right after we see a shared glance between them, we get the family thing. Awkward to fall in love with a girl who happens to be part of your makeshift family, no?
Overall, it wasn't a bad film. The reason I rated it 10+ was because while the problems are minor, they're probably not the influence many people want for younger kids. The problems may be small, but they are numerous.
This almost feels like Sky High, but closer to the "failure" end of the spectrum.
Author: N/A
Genre: Adventure, Science Fiction
My Rating: **
Official Rating: PG
Age Group: 10+
Summary: Zoom's, er, Jack's team went over the edge years ago. Bad things happened and only Jack survived--but he lost his powers. He blames it all on the Gamma 13 dosage his team was given. No, not the loss of the powers, just the implosion of his team.
So when Jack is recruited some thirty years later to train new superheroes, he's not as thrilled as we might expect. In fact, he's downright disinterested (and not the virtuous kind). He doesn't try. He's got his own problems to deal with.
Then, slowly, the kids get under his skin. Slowly, they become more than a team. They become a family.
The big question remains: will they be ready in time to face the major threat they've been training for? Or will they too suffer from a massive dose of Gamma 13?
Word of Warning:
Where to start? There are a lot of problems, but all rather small, all things considered.
- Jack is constantly flirting with Ms. Holloway, who is oblivious for a while (no, she's not ignoring him, she's just that oblivious).
- Jack makes a comment like, "Gee, for a guy who's straight, you sure are dramatic." Pretty much the only remark in that area.
- Summer remarks that Dylan is hitting on her and suggests he stop. He shakes his head, smiles, and says "I can't do that."
- When Dylan is testing out his mental abilities, he sees Summer in her room dancing and she doesn't know he's watching. Or maybe she does...it's hard to tell.
- Summer and Dylan kiss. It's not necessarily brief (the scene closes, then opens again later, but it's presumed that it was paused, not continuing) but not deep or passionate either.
- The kids constantly disobey and for the most part do not get into trouble.
- Cindy is a little girl who has super strength and throws giant things when she doesn't get her way. Needless to say, people are happy to do what she wants.
- Jack is focused on his own life problems and almost completely neglects the kids for much of the movie.
- The kids have a serious disrespect problem when it comes to the adults at headquarters. To their credit, most of the adults are jerks, but that doesn't give the kids an excuse to be disrespectful.
- Dylan says "That's hot" when Summer lifts a guy into the air using her mind. He's referring to Summer's power, but it's a bad choice of words no matter what he means.
- The general is harsh and self-centered. He doesn't seem to change much, if at all.
- Jack breaks rules constantly, and his actions are nearly glorified because the rules broken are often on behalf of the kids.
- We know very little of the kids' parents (who are almost completely nonexistent) but do get the hint that at least a few of the kids were abandoned by them.
Honestly, the reason I gave this movie two stars instead of one is because of the family concept. No, they're not just a team, they really do form a family. Summer looks after Cindy, Dylan takes Tucker aside more than once to talk to him. The four protect each other and look out for each other. Ms. Holloway is motherly but a little quirky (in a nice way) and Jack, while being far from a good father, does attempt to take on the role. He ends up more like that fun uncle who never got married and drives the parents insane. You know the type: the one the kids love.
The problem with this whole family idea is that close to the time that they really get big into using the "family" word, Dylan and Summer start to get a lot closer. In some scenes, right after we see a shared glance between them, we get the family thing. Awkward to fall in love with a girl who happens to be part of your makeshift family, no?
Overall, it wasn't a bad film. The reason I rated it 10+ was because while the problems are minor, they're probably not the influence many people want for younger kids. The problems may be small, but they are numerous.
This almost feels like Sky High, but closer to the "failure" end of the spectrum.
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Author Alcove: Ally Carter
Ally Carter is one of the few authors I read who is still alive, and one of the few teen fiction authors I read willingly. Compared to some of the more questionable children's books I've seen, many of her works could actually sit among children's fiction and not teen fiction.
Carter is amazing. She is inventive, convincing, and has a fun style. At times her style feels a bit detached, and as a reader who loves to see extensive character development, occasionally I was disappointed. However, in her most recent additions to both her series(es?) she has proved that she can pull in some major character development and actually make the reader see and feel the pain.
In her Gallagher Girls series, she gives us a very interesting portrait of a private school which trains girls to be spies. The picture she describes sounds so realistic it's hard not to believe it. In her Heist Society series, she takes the opposite approach: that of professional thieves. They too are so convincing that sometimes I wonder if it's real or not.
Why, then, are her writings considered teen fiction? Generally this is because of some awkward scenes that show up now and then. Take the scene when character Z (a boy) sneaks into character C's bedroom in the middle of the night (C is a girl). The intent is innocent. He simply needs to warn her about something and had no way of contacting her. Still, the scene is set up so that it's extremely awkward. I do have to credit Carter with this much: the scenes which do put her writings in teen fiction are, for the most part, simply awkward and are clearly so, going no farther than awkwardness.
However, moving to the Heist Society books, things get a little more awkward than girl and boy characters running into each other in strange places. I take that back. That's pretty much the nature of the awkwardness in Heist Society as well, only these go a little further. Take the boy in his pajamas with no shirt on, or the awkward kiss that is thought about just a little too much, or the time when two characters end up spending an entire day in a closet while they are undercover. Did I mention that they were dating, are now going through a rough time, but both want to make up?
Aside from the awkwardness, we do have to take into account that the Heist Society characters are portrayed as the good guys even though they are only glorified thieves who have a tendency to come off as being "good" since they have decided to only steal from those who do not own what they have.
As for Gallagher Girls, we can't forget that these girls are trained as spies and agents. They also come into contact with a very dangerous group of people called the Circle of Seven and a school of boys who are trained to be assassins (luckily the one who does stick around is trying desperately to escape his past).
Let's put it this way: I hand the Gallagher Girls books to my sister of 13 without questioning it. She knows what's wrong in them and the wrong is never far enough that I'm worried. And while I'm willing to recommend Heist Society books to my friends, and my sister in the future, I have not yet handed them over to her.
Overall, Carter writes some relatively clean teen fiction. The worlds she draws up are impressive and totally believable. The adventures are fun and often have a light carefree feel about them, but she also knows how to write something a little deeper and more sensitive.
She's a fun read, and I eagerly await the next instalments to both her book series(es?).
Carter is amazing. She is inventive, convincing, and has a fun style. At times her style feels a bit detached, and as a reader who loves to see extensive character development, occasionally I was disappointed. However, in her most recent additions to both her series(es?) she has proved that she can pull in some major character development and actually make the reader see and feel the pain.
In her Gallagher Girls series, she gives us a very interesting portrait of a private school which trains girls to be spies. The picture she describes sounds so realistic it's hard not to believe it. In her Heist Society series, she takes the opposite approach: that of professional thieves. They too are so convincing that sometimes I wonder if it's real or not.
Why, then, are her writings considered teen fiction? Generally this is because of some awkward scenes that show up now and then. Take the scene when character Z (a boy) sneaks into character C's bedroom in the middle of the night (C is a girl). The intent is innocent. He simply needs to warn her about something and had no way of contacting her. Still, the scene is set up so that it's extremely awkward. I do have to credit Carter with this much: the scenes which do put her writings in teen fiction are, for the most part, simply awkward and are clearly so, going no farther than awkwardness.
However, moving to the Heist Society books, things get a little more awkward than girl and boy characters running into each other in strange places. I take that back. That's pretty much the nature of the awkwardness in Heist Society as well, only these go a little further. Take the boy in his pajamas with no shirt on, or the awkward kiss that is thought about just a little too much, or the time when two characters end up spending an entire day in a closet while they are undercover. Did I mention that they were dating, are now going through a rough time, but both want to make up?
Aside from the awkwardness, we do have to take into account that the Heist Society characters are portrayed as the good guys even though they are only glorified thieves who have a tendency to come off as being "good" since they have decided to only steal from those who do not own what they have.
As for Gallagher Girls, we can't forget that these girls are trained as spies and agents. They also come into contact with a very dangerous group of people called the Circle of Seven and a school of boys who are trained to be assassins (luckily the one who does stick around is trying desperately to escape his past).
Let's put it this way: I hand the Gallagher Girls books to my sister of 13 without questioning it. She knows what's wrong in them and the wrong is never far enough that I'm worried. And while I'm willing to recommend Heist Society books to my friends, and my sister in the future, I have not yet handed them over to her.
Overall, Carter writes some relatively clean teen fiction. The worlds she draws up are impressive and totally believable. The adventures are fun and often have a light carefree feel about them, but she also knows how to write something a little deeper and more sensitive.
She's a fun read, and I eagerly await the next instalments to both her book series(es?).
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Movie Review: Emma
Title: Emma
Author: Miramax (staring Gwyneth Paltrow)
Genre: Romance
My Rating: ****
Official Rating: PG
Age Group: 12+
Summary:
Enter the world of high English society, when there was little to do and the trivial matters thus became exceedingly interesting. Parties are, it seems, everything. Then add a cast of characters. Emma, a girl who likes to make couples, Mr. Knightly, her friend since childhood, and a woman whose birth is unknown and has fallen into Emma's hands. Emma decides Ms. Smith needs a husband, and Emma is going to find her one. But along the way, various other couples are made that Emma did not plan for. As Emma's plans fall down on her head, she stumbles about blindly wondering where to turn.
Word of Warning
The characters are concerned with everything trivial.
Emma constantly gets involved in others' affairs and tries to manipulate things. She insults one woman (but is very sorry and tries to make amends) and is very opinionated about other people. Still, she is aware she has this fault and tries hard to stop it. She does make progress, but I believe this will be her struggle for life.
People are looked down upon because of their place in society.
One man leads Emma to believe he loves her in order to cover up his engagement to another woman.
Emma and some of the other ladies were dresses with low necklines.
There are four kisses, but they are chaste and don't even take place until the end of the movie.
My Thoughts
This is one of those movies that leaves you laughing, cringing, and then, at the end, sighing and staring at the screen because you simply can't think of anything better to do. It's stunning. The dress, the countryside, and the buildings are beautiful. The acting is wonderfully done and we do feel drawn into this society where people clearly have little to do and are seeking entertainment, but never in immoral ways.
For much of the movie I disliked the character of Emma. But, as it progressed, I was impressed to see her struggling to mend her ways. Honestly, the only character who kept me watching until she did so was Mr. Knightly, a true gentleman. And, of course, all the comic relief characters.
It's a charming movie, very different from the usual ones I watch. There's no drama, no excitement, no high speed anything, and happily nothing scandalous. It's just a very good rendition of the reality in which characters of this society lived.
Wonderfully portrayed.
Author: Miramax (staring Gwyneth Paltrow)
Genre: Romance
My Rating: ****
Official Rating: PG
Age Group: 12+
Summary:
Enter the world of high English society, when there was little to do and the trivial matters thus became exceedingly interesting. Parties are, it seems, everything. Then add a cast of characters. Emma, a girl who likes to make couples, Mr. Knightly, her friend since childhood, and a woman whose birth is unknown and has fallen into Emma's hands. Emma decides Ms. Smith needs a husband, and Emma is going to find her one. But along the way, various other couples are made that Emma did not plan for. As Emma's plans fall down on her head, she stumbles about blindly wondering where to turn.
Word of Warning
The characters are concerned with everything trivial.
Emma constantly gets involved in others' affairs and tries to manipulate things. She insults one woman (but is very sorry and tries to make amends) and is very opinionated about other people. Still, she is aware she has this fault and tries hard to stop it. She does make progress, but I believe this will be her struggle for life.
People are looked down upon because of their place in society.
One man leads Emma to believe he loves her in order to cover up his engagement to another woman.
Emma and some of the other ladies were dresses with low necklines.
There are four kisses, but they are chaste and don't even take place until the end of the movie.
My Thoughts
This is one of those movies that leaves you laughing, cringing, and then, at the end, sighing and staring at the screen because you simply can't think of anything better to do. It's stunning. The dress, the countryside, and the buildings are beautiful. The acting is wonderfully done and we do feel drawn into this society where people clearly have little to do and are seeking entertainment, but never in immoral ways.
For much of the movie I disliked the character of Emma. But, as it progressed, I was impressed to see her struggling to mend her ways. Honestly, the only character who kept me watching until she did so was Mr. Knightly, a true gentleman. And, of course, all the comic relief characters.
It's a charming movie, very different from the usual ones I watch. There's no drama, no excitement, no high speed anything, and happily nothing scandalous. It's just a very good rendition of the reality in which characters of this society lived.
Wonderfully portrayed.
Friday, April 19, 2013
Book Review: The Dragon of Trelian
Title: The Dragon of Trelian (First book in a series)
Author: Michelle Knudsen
Genre: Fantasy
My Rating: *****
Official Rating: Not Applicable
Age Group: 14+
Summary -
A good way to start any story is to have the main character almost fall out a window because he is startled by a precocious and not-very-sensitive princess named Meg who sneaks up behind him and, without any warning, starts speaking.
Calen's first impressions of Meg aren't exactly the greatest, but her overall friendliness definitely makes up for any of her shortcomings. As a friendless and bored Apprentice Mage, Calen is willing to befriend practically anyone at this point, even if "anyone" includes a Third Royal Daughter who has a secret mind-link to a dragon named Jakl.
As the kingdom prepares for a royal wedding which will potentially end a century-old conflict with a neighboring kingdom, Calen and Meg explore Meg's link to her dragon, and Meg falls in love with a handsome Royal Attendant named Wilem. Unbeknownst to Calen and Meg, however, is the fact that Wilem and his mother, Sen Eva, plan to kill the royal bride on her wedding night in revenge for a murder supposedly committed by Meg's father and mother.
Also unbeknownst to them is the fact that Sen Eva is an extremely powerful, extremely dangerous unmarked Mage (which is illegal. But that's beside the point.)
Unfortunately, Sen Eva and Wilem's plan doesn't remain unbeknownst to the two friends for long. That's the problem with accidently overhearing extremely sensitive information while hiding behind a curtain. And then getting discovered by the sensitive-information-givers, who happen to have almost unlimited magical power at their disposal.
Calen and Meg have to race against time to stop the murderers (they also have to get back to the castle because they somehow ended up in the middle of nowhere... it's a long story). Can they get back in time? How will they convince everyone that Sen Eva is evil?
The Good -
Unlike most fantasy princesses, Meg has a very good relationship with everyone in her family. For the most part, she respects the authority of her parents, and she fosters friendships with all her sisters. She is willing to sacrifice anything for their well-being, including her own safety.
Meg's friendship with Calen is also unusual for a fantasy story; at this point in the series, they are not romantically involved, and while romance is certainly possible between them in future books, there is not even a hint of romantic interest on either part at this time. Instead, a deep and lasting friendship grows between them. They both sacrifice for the good of the other, and this particularly shows in Calen, who does many little things for Meg to show his great regard for her.
Everyone (every "good guy", at least) is very courageous. Guardsmen protecting the royal family face grave injury and even death to perform their duties. Meg and Calen face the powerful Sen Eva multiple times in order to save Meg's family. Calen braves his fear of heights so that Meg can complete her mission. Meg allows Calen to experiment with potentially dangerous magic on her because there is no other options.
The Magistratum, a group of Mages who control the rest of the Mages and make sure that they don't do anything harmful, represent order and the good use of magic. It is obvious in the contrast between Sen Eva (who does not follow the Magistratum) and the Mages ruled by the Magistratum that some sort of law must be put in place to govern the use of such powerful forces.
Sen Eva's search for "revenge" is actually a search for self-redemption (I won't say any more because I don't want to ruin the story). However, she searches for that self-redemption in the wrong way. While her bad actions nullify any good that might come from her search, it still does not erase the fact that she wants to fix her past actions.
Wilem eventually finds out that his mother has been using him as a pawn to fulfill her purpose. Though he was about to kill the royal family, he immediately refuses to act and is willing to die rather than to do what his mother asks him to do.
Meg, who has every right to be angry at Wilem (he played her romantically as well as plotted to kill her family. More on that later.), is given complete control of his fate. She is angry enough to literally kill him, but she does not take revenge as she wants to and decides to temper justice with mercy.
The Bad -
- Mild
It is very rare that I find a well-written, interesting, relatively clean fantasy novel, and The Dragon of Trelian is probably one of the best I've read. It was not a humorous book, and was actually quite serious, which is surprising because a lot of books with similar subject matter end up being more comical than anything. Yet, though it was serious, Trelian was not a sad or depressing story. In fact, I found it rather inspiring. Meg and Calen's friendship is one of the most beautiful I have seen in recent fiction, and it was not ruined by any premature, infatuated romance. The other relationships in the story were very realistic, and the plot was absolutely brilliant. Sure, the story definitely had its issues; the dumb sexual comments in the "wedding night" scene were completely unnecessary, and the magic posed a problem (at least, it did for me, but I often get hung up on fantasy magic). But in spite of these downfalls, I can honestly say that I really liked this book, I would definitely recommend it, and I will either a) buy myself a copy or b) borrow it so often from the library that it might as well be mine.
DO NOT READ FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT A SPOILER
Just to warn anyone who decides to pick up this book: This book is the first in a series that only has two books so far, and the second book ends on an absolutely horrible, and I repeat, HORRIBLE cliff hanger. So be prepared to be angry at everyone and everything for at least a week if you decide to get sucked in.
Author: Michelle Knudsen
Genre: Fantasy
My Rating: *****
Official Rating: Not Applicable
Age Group: 14+
Summary -
A good way to start any story is to have the main character almost fall out a window because he is startled by a precocious and not-very-sensitive princess named Meg who sneaks up behind him and, without any warning, starts speaking.
Calen's first impressions of Meg aren't exactly the greatest, but her overall friendliness definitely makes up for any of her shortcomings. As a friendless and bored Apprentice Mage, Calen is willing to befriend practically anyone at this point, even if "anyone" includes a Third Royal Daughter who has a secret mind-link to a dragon named Jakl.
As the kingdom prepares for a royal wedding which will potentially end a century-old conflict with a neighboring kingdom, Calen and Meg explore Meg's link to her dragon, and Meg falls in love with a handsome Royal Attendant named Wilem. Unbeknownst to Calen and Meg, however, is the fact that Wilem and his mother, Sen Eva, plan to kill the royal bride on her wedding night in revenge for a murder supposedly committed by Meg's father and mother.
Also unbeknownst to them is the fact that Sen Eva is an extremely powerful, extremely dangerous unmarked Mage (which is illegal. But that's beside the point.)
Unfortunately, Sen Eva and Wilem's plan doesn't remain unbeknownst to the two friends for long. That's the problem with accidently overhearing extremely sensitive information while hiding behind a curtain. And then getting discovered by the sensitive-information-givers, who happen to have almost unlimited magical power at their disposal.
Calen and Meg have to race against time to stop the murderers (they also have to get back to the castle because they somehow ended up in the middle of nowhere... it's a long story). Can they get back in time? How will they convince everyone that Sen Eva is evil?
The Good -
Unlike most fantasy princesses, Meg has a very good relationship with everyone in her family. For the most part, she respects the authority of her parents, and she fosters friendships with all her sisters. She is willing to sacrifice anything for their well-being, including her own safety.
Meg's friendship with Calen is also unusual for a fantasy story; at this point in the series, they are not romantically involved, and while romance is certainly possible between them in future books, there is not even a hint of romantic interest on either part at this time. Instead, a deep and lasting friendship grows between them. They both sacrifice for the good of the other, and this particularly shows in Calen, who does many little things for Meg to show his great regard for her.
Everyone (every "good guy", at least) is very courageous. Guardsmen protecting the royal family face grave injury and even death to perform their duties. Meg and Calen face the powerful Sen Eva multiple times in order to save Meg's family. Calen braves his fear of heights so that Meg can complete her mission. Meg allows Calen to experiment with potentially dangerous magic on her because there is no other options.
The Magistratum, a group of Mages who control the rest of the Mages and make sure that they don't do anything harmful, represent order and the good use of magic. It is obvious in the contrast between Sen Eva (who does not follow the Magistratum) and the Mages ruled by the Magistratum that some sort of law must be put in place to govern the use of such powerful forces.
Sen Eva's search for "revenge" is actually a search for self-redemption (I won't say any more because I don't want to ruin the story). However, she searches for that self-redemption in the wrong way. While her bad actions nullify any good that might come from her search, it still does not erase the fact that she wants to fix her past actions.
Wilem eventually finds out that his mother has been using him as a pawn to fulfill her purpose. Though he was about to kill the royal family, he immediately refuses to act and is willing to die rather than to do what his mother asks him to do.
Meg, who has every right to be angry at Wilem (he played her romantically as well as plotted to kill her family. More on that later.), is given complete control of his fate. She is angry enough to literally kill him, but she does not take revenge as she wants to and decides to temper justice with mercy.
The Bad -
- Mild
- The violence in this book usually happens in the background, though there are plenty of perilous situations.
- Though they mutually agree to allow it, Meg and Calen both put the other into varying amounts of danger.
- Meg and Calen show disrespect to their elders and often disobey them. They do not get into any trouble for doing so (usually).
- At one point, Sen Eva asks, "What harm in a lie?" While Sen Eva's lies eventually destroy her, Meg and Calen's lies only receive a passing mention at most, and rarely have any real consequences. They also keep grave secrets from those in authority.
- Calen and Meg's relationship often seems more sibling-ish than not. They are often sarcastic to each other, and they call each other "stupid" and "idiotic" every once in a while. This is always meant as teasing.
- The religion of this fantasy world seems to be dualistic: there is a lady of light and a lord of darkness. The religion is not delved into, though mentions of praying to a particular deity are made. Also, the characters say "gods" in moments of excitement.
- There are some serious issues with the magic in this book. I particularly found an extended description of a "divination" using something akin to tarot cards very disturbing. Sen Eva is trying to raise her son from the dead. Meg has a link with her dragon which seems more like a soul-sharing than anything. Characters are able to share each other's power. Magic is portrayed as a tool which can be used for good or for evil. While this specific explanation may not be dangerous in a fantasy world, in the real world it is a very concerning subject. However, aside from the tarot card incident, the magic should not present any extreme problems for most mature teenagers.
- Meg has extended fantasies of getting revenge on Wilem and Sen Eva. At one point, she finds herself with the opportunity to kill Wilem; her connection with her dragon actually seems to push her toward this action, and it is only after a very long struggle with herself that she resists.
- Wilem uses Meg's romantic interest in him to get information from her. We see Meg progress into her infatuation with him, and then think of kissing him. They do eventually kiss.
- We later see Wilem flirting openly with a kitchen maid, and Meg wonders whether or not Wilem ended up in her room.
- A very awkward conversation ensues between Meg and Wilem about wedding nights. Nothing is clarified, so younger readers would probably not catch it. However, older readers will find it very apparent.
It is very rare that I find a well-written, interesting, relatively clean fantasy novel, and The Dragon of Trelian is probably one of the best I've read. It was not a humorous book, and was actually quite serious, which is surprising because a lot of books with similar subject matter end up being more comical than anything. Yet, though it was serious, Trelian was not a sad or depressing story. In fact, I found it rather inspiring. Meg and Calen's friendship is one of the most beautiful I have seen in recent fiction, and it was not ruined by any premature, infatuated romance. The other relationships in the story were very realistic, and the plot was absolutely brilliant. Sure, the story definitely had its issues; the dumb sexual comments in the "wedding night" scene were completely unnecessary, and the magic posed a problem (at least, it did for me, but I often get hung up on fantasy magic). But in spite of these downfalls, I can honestly say that I really liked this book, I would definitely recommend it, and I will either a) buy myself a copy or b) borrow it so often from the library that it might as well be mine.
DO NOT READ FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT A SPOILER
Just to warn anyone who decides to pick up this book: This book is the first in a series that only has two books so far, and the second book ends on an absolutely horrible, and I repeat, HORRIBLE cliff hanger. So be prepared to be angry at everyone and everything for at least a week if you decide to get sucked in.
Thursday, April 18, 2013
2 Days Left
Dear Blog Readers,
Please take a moment and vote on the poll which is at the top of the right sidebar. It would only take a moment, and would greatly help us know what our readers are looking for.
Please note that the poll ends in two days.
Thank you and may God bless you.
~ Maria Gianna
Please take a moment and vote on the poll which is at the top of the right sidebar. It would only take a moment, and would greatly help us know what our readers are looking for.
Please note that the poll ends in two days.
Thank you and may God bless you.
~ Maria Gianna
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Movie Review: Balto
Title: Balto
Author: Disney
Genre: Historical Fiction
My Rating: ***
Official Rating: G
Age Group: 6+
Summary
Balto is half wolf and half dog. This doesn't go over well with the dogs of the small town he lives near, nor does it go over well with the humans. So he lives on the outskirts of town with a talking goose and two rather dense baby polar bears who don't know how to swim, all the while entertaining romantic feelings for a pure-bred husky named Jenna. Balto's life is simple, he's rather reckless, and pretty much nothing ever happens to him. But Balto admires the sled dogs. He wants to be one.
When an especially harsh winter arrives, the children fall seriously ill, and the doctor runs out of medicine, well, something has to be done. A select team of sled dogs will be sent out to a neighboring town to get medicine for the dying children. Balto joins the races to determine the dog team, and wins, but is turned away because of his wolf-blood.
The team sets out, and Balto is left to watch Jenna suffer as her girl gets sicker and sicker.
Things don't go as planned, and Balto ends up having to play the hero. Out in the wilderness all alone, only his wolfish blood can save him.
Will he accept this?
Word of Warning
Steel is a nasty dog who is full of himself and will lie to get whatever he wants. The other sled dogs admire him but eventually he does get justice--which is exactly what he doesn't want. He's selfish, determined to play the hero, cruel, seems to go crazy, and tries to kill Balto.
Dogs fight, but though teeth sink into other dogs (and bears), no blood is drawn. A few dogs fall off cliffs, but all make it. Balto almost drowns. A bear tries to kill various members of Balto's company.
A strange wolf who may or may not be a spirit (but hey, it does leave paw prints) appears when all seems lost.
Children get sick and though we're never told they are going to die, we see a sobering scene of a man building little coffins and standing them up next to a regularly sized one.
My Thoughts
This is your typical Disney-animal-hero movie. We have an outcast who falls in love with the only in-group member who is open-minded. We have the toady, the animal that might have a mental disorder, a wise guardian-like companion who is ultimately undermined by his charge's instincts, and a few other characters thrown in.
As I was watching it, I wondered, does Disney have a set plot for all animal stories that they just change the names for? I mean, sure, the plot is a little different, but surely they have a set of characters who undergo very slight changes depending upon the movie.
Aside from that, however, I found this to be a relatively good movie. Personally, I am not a big fan of animated animal movies. Don't get me wrong, I love animals and actually plan to go to vet school in the future. But there's something about animals having a romance (which is technically impossible) and just talking in general that doesn't sit well with me. I love animals in movies and books and include many very strong animal characters in my own writings, but the portrayal of animals as though they are equal to humans just gives me the jitters.
Still, even though this movie was predictable, I found myself waiting on the edge of my seat in the dramatic moments, just waiting to see what would happen. But then I'd laugh at myself and report exactly what would happen. I was right, but somehow that didn't take away from the excitement. I was quite impressed by this.
As a whole, a great movie, but probably not worth watching again.
Author: Disney
Genre: Historical Fiction
My Rating: ***
Official Rating: G
Age Group: 6+
Summary
Balto is half wolf and half dog. This doesn't go over well with the dogs of the small town he lives near, nor does it go over well with the humans. So he lives on the outskirts of town with a talking goose and two rather dense baby polar bears who don't know how to swim, all the while entertaining romantic feelings for a pure-bred husky named Jenna. Balto's life is simple, he's rather reckless, and pretty much nothing ever happens to him. But Balto admires the sled dogs. He wants to be one.
When an especially harsh winter arrives, the children fall seriously ill, and the doctor runs out of medicine, well, something has to be done. A select team of sled dogs will be sent out to a neighboring town to get medicine for the dying children. Balto joins the races to determine the dog team, and wins, but is turned away because of his wolf-blood.
The team sets out, and Balto is left to watch Jenna suffer as her girl gets sicker and sicker.
Things don't go as planned, and Balto ends up having to play the hero. Out in the wilderness all alone, only his wolfish blood can save him.
Will he accept this?
Word of Warning
Steel is a nasty dog who is full of himself and will lie to get whatever he wants. The other sled dogs admire him but eventually he does get justice--which is exactly what he doesn't want. He's selfish, determined to play the hero, cruel, seems to go crazy, and tries to kill Balto.
Dogs fight, but though teeth sink into other dogs (and bears), no blood is drawn. A few dogs fall off cliffs, but all make it. Balto almost drowns. A bear tries to kill various members of Balto's company.
A strange wolf who may or may not be a spirit (but hey, it does leave paw prints) appears when all seems lost.
Children get sick and though we're never told they are going to die, we see a sobering scene of a man building little coffins and standing them up next to a regularly sized one.
My Thoughts
This is your typical Disney-animal-hero movie. We have an outcast who falls in love with the only in-group member who is open-minded. We have the toady, the animal that might have a mental disorder, a wise guardian-like companion who is ultimately undermined by his charge's instincts, and a few other characters thrown in.
As I was watching it, I wondered, does Disney have a set plot for all animal stories that they just change the names for? I mean, sure, the plot is a little different, but surely they have a set of characters who undergo very slight changes depending upon the movie.
Aside from that, however, I found this to be a relatively good movie. Personally, I am not a big fan of animated animal movies. Don't get me wrong, I love animals and actually plan to go to vet school in the future. But there's something about animals having a romance (which is technically impossible) and just talking in general that doesn't sit well with me. I love animals in movies and books and include many very strong animal characters in my own writings, but the portrayal of animals as though they are equal to humans just gives me the jitters.
Still, even though this movie was predictable, I found myself waiting on the edge of my seat in the dramatic moments, just waiting to see what would happen. But then I'd laugh at myself and report exactly what would happen. I was right, but somehow that didn't take away from the excitement. I was quite impressed by this.
As a whole, a great movie, but probably not worth watching again.
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Movie Review: The Sorcerer's Apprentice
Title: The Sorcerer's Apprentice
Author: Disney
Genre: Fantasy, Sci-Fi
My Rating: *
Official Rating: PG
Age Group: 16+
Summary -
Long ago, in the time of King Arthur, the great sorcerer Merlin defeated the evil Morgan Le Fay and trapped her in a doll. The act killed him, and with his dying breath he commanded his three apprentices to find the Prime Merlinean who would ultimately defeat Morgana.
Fast-forward about 1300 years... Balthazar Blake, the only faithful apprentice, is still searching for the Prime Merlinean in New York City. He finally discovers him in the form of a very nerdy, very wimpy boy: Dave. And Dave adamantly refuses to get mixed up in the magic war raging around him. That is, until Balthazar practically kidnaps him.
The Good -
Dave eventually overcomes his own self-consciousness and becomes brave enough to fight the evil that has been unleashed on the world.
The Bad -
There was a bit of minor swearing, including one softly-muttered b***h.
Dave falls in love with a girl that he knew in grade-school. While the romance is usually sweet, at the end they kiss very passionately. He suggests that they run away to Paris (with no mention of marriage).
There is some violence, but it is usually confined to sorcerer's duels.
The main problem with the movie is the magic that runs helter-skelter throughout the whole thing. In a movie about sorcerer's, it's pretty inevitable that there will be magic, but this magic was not fairy-tale magic. It was full-blown Satanic babble. Balthazar does explain that sorcerer's have the capacity to manipulate matter because they are able to use 100% of their brain power instead of just 10% like normal humans. This concept, however, gets buried beneath the obviously occult symbolism that pervades the movie. We see pentagrams, pictures of a magician tattooed with other evil symbols, a picture of him being worshipped by a woman, and his house is full of other evil things. Merlin states at the beginning that they are mere servants of a greater power. Morgana chants in Latin (although I wasn't able to translate the whole thing, it was basically Morgana calling the spirits of the dead to rise) and we see long-dead sorcerer's begin to come back to life. Several character's become possessed by Morgana's soul.
My Opinion -
My review is extremely incomplete mainly because I didn't want to have to go back and rewatch the movie in order to catalogue everything that was wrong with it. My "bad" list could go on for pages if I did.
I really don't recommend this movie for any age group. Besides the obvious evil of the Satanic magic gunk, the story-line and the characters were just blah. It was not a good movie. I'm sure there was something redemptive about it somewhere, but I just couldn't see it.
I'm sorry if this review is more subjective than it should be, but I have big issues with magic unless it's the fairy-tale kind, so I tend to be biased. If you watched this movie and liked it, I give you full permission to rant at me in the comment box.
Author: Disney
Genre: Fantasy, Sci-Fi
My Rating: *
Official Rating: PG
Age Group: 16+
Summary -
Long ago, in the time of King Arthur, the great sorcerer Merlin defeated the evil Morgan Le Fay and trapped her in a doll. The act killed him, and with his dying breath he commanded his three apprentices to find the Prime Merlinean who would ultimately defeat Morgana.
Fast-forward about 1300 years... Balthazar Blake, the only faithful apprentice, is still searching for the Prime Merlinean in New York City. He finally discovers him in the form of a very nerdy, very wimpy boy: Dave. And Dave adamantly refuses to get mixed up in the magic war raging around him. That is, until Balthazar practically kidnaps him.
The Good -
Dave eventually overcomes his own self-consciousness and becomes brave enough to fight the evil that has been unleashed on the world.
The Bad -
There was a bit of minor swearing, including one softly-muttered b***h.
Dave falls in love with a girl that he knew in grade-school. While the romance is usually sweet, at the end they kiss very passionately. He suggests that they run away to Paris (with no mention of marriage).
There is some violence, but it is usually confined to sorcerer's duels.
The main problem with the movie is the magic that runs helter-skelter throughout the whole thing. In a movie about sorcerer's, it's pretty inevitable that there will be magic, but this magic was not fairy-tale magic. It was full-blown Satanic babble. Balthazar does explain that sorcerer's have the capacity to manipulate matter because they are able to use 100% of their brain power instead of just 10% like normal humans. This concept, however, gets buried beneath the obviously occult symbolism that pervades the movie. We see pentagrams, pictures of a magician tattooed with other evil symbols, a picture of him being worshipped by a woman, and his house is full of other evil things. Merlin states at the beginning that they are mere servants of a greater power. Morgana chants in Latin (although I wasn't able to translate the whole thing, it was basically Morgana calling the spirits of the dead to rise) and we see long-dead sorcerer's begin to come back to life. Several character's become possessed by Morgana's soul.
My Opinion -
My review is extremely incomplete mainly because I didn't want to have to go back and rewatch the movie in order to catalogue everything that was wrong with it. My "bad" list could go on for pages if I did.
I really don't recommend this movie for any age group. Besides the obvious evil of the Satanic magic gunk, the story-line and the characters were just blah. It was not a good movie. I'm sure there was something redemptive about it somewhere, but I just couldn't see it.
I'm sorry if this review is more subjective than it should be, but I have big issues with magic unless it's the fairy-tale kind, so I tend to be biased. If you watched this movie and liked it, I give you full permission to rant at me in the comment box.
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