I is crazy please shoot me now

What was I thinking?

What am I thinking?

My frenzied, maniacal charge through Nanowrimo last year was done with the backing of a full six months' worth of planning (yeah, I double checked my notes and chats, it had actually been that long). And although I didn't work through all of the notes, hadn't finished and can probably consider the story only 65% complete, what remains is hardly as detailed. That was supposed to have come later.

So why, oh why, was it that a brief twitter conversation that started with someone saying this...

Ola!! You doing Camp Nano with us? We have coffee! And cookies ;-)

...ended with me saying:

 *laughs* Fine! But you better be bribing me with awesome cookies, madam :D

Please someone kill me now.

The worst part of it is that the evil woman who tweeted her accursed offer of cookies at me lives on the other side of the country. I've never met her and most likely won't. *mutters* Probably poisonous cookies.

So what is it?

Well, as you can guess from the name, Camp Nanowrimo an offshoot of Nanowrimo (National Novel Writing Month... although it's interNational now, but anyhoo). There are some distinct differences, but the idea of it is the same. You sit and write a story from scratch aiming to reach a specific wordcount by the end of the month. One of the differences to Nano being that you can actually set your own target. Camp Nano also allows you to choose between one of two months (or both) to participate - namely April and July. It makes use of the Nanowrimo forums as a means for participants to communicate. Camp Nano also allows them to be grouped into 'cabins'. These cabins can be a group of strangers who have a similar interest or friends who try and be grouped together. My suspicion is that, due to the participation of Camp Nano being considerably less, municipal liaisons aren't really there to fire up the local group. The cabins are there to push up morale so that you don't feel like you're the only one participating.

Camp Nano is essentially there for those who couldn't get enough of Nanowrimo or those whose Novembers are far too busy to participate.

There are of course as always some Nano Rebels. People who use the time and deadline for their own nefarious schemes such as writing screen plays, writing 30 poems instead writing fiction to satisfy a word count, writing non-fiction, writing a collection of short stories instead of a novel, continuing old work rather than starting something new. (I don't really consider the last one that much of a rebellion, but I'll be falling into that category this month.)

So what's my target?

I'll be aiming for 50k again. Yes, I know. I'm going to hate myself, but I know I can make it. I'm not aiming for higher and frankly babbling 1667 words a day - not really a challenge for me. That is, if I have a storeroom filled with ideas.

So I have 6.5 days left before the April craze begins. What I will be doing until then?

Such a silly question. Of course I will be PLANNING!!!!!!!!!

I'm not a pantser.




Those better be bloody good fictitious cookies...

Game Babble: Tomb Raider Reboot

Lara Croft. Strong. Smart. Sexy. 

Ask a gamer what comes to mind when they think of her and the common thread would be that she is appealing. In just about every way possible, she's managed to capture the attention of a majority of the gaming community who have followed her into tombs since 1996. She has been to just about every part of the globe, driven just about every vehicle, fired just about every weapon, has died, has returned and now she's reborn as something we have not yet seen Lara Croft as.

A human being.

Lara has always managed to be something of a symbol. She carries a power within her that inspires women. No longer are we the damsels in distress, the ones fawning over the genius of a man, carrying their equipment while they set out to explore and discover. Lara blazed ahead as someone who could take care of herself and achieve success in whatever she put her mind to. She could overcome the odds and still manage to do so without having to butch up.

But the British explorer has always been perfect. She may struggle, but she never really gets any grit underneath her fingernails. As awesome as it is to have a woman represented as something more than a submissive sex toy, she's always seemed a little out of reach for me.

Cue the reboot.

The latest Tomb Raider sets out to show us what shaped Laura into being the all-but-fearless badass we have grown up with. She's on her very first expedition and along with the crew of the Endurance is off to find the lost kingdom of Yamatai. While Laura is not the lead archaeologist, the crew knows her well and trusts her judgement and so when she points them into the worst possible direction on instinct, they follow.

And the boat sinks. Nice one Laura.

And that's where the game starts off. Laura is separated from her crew and they need to all get together and leave the island they wash up on. Of course things are never that easy.

So how does one became "fearless"? You overcome your fears. How do you do that? By being immersed in them and having to find your way out. The game goes to just about every level to shake Laura - and by extension you. Laura is terrified and with good reason. She has to fend for herself and, like anyone of us may be in that situation, she doesn't truly believe that she can do it.

In one of the earliest cutscenes the player watches Laura begging someone to come get her; to find her and save her. The idea of surviving on her own, of trudging off into the unknown, hips swinging, doesn't come into her mind at all. I think this in particular is something that I admired. Laura does have some advantages, some survival training, but she is forced into trying circumstances simply because there isn't any other option. There isn't anyone else able or available to perform whatever task needs to be performed at that particular time.

Laura grows through the game much like a blade gets sharpened on a whetstone. Painfully.

I was really scared to buy this game without hearing from anyone else how it was. Not being as deep into the Tomb Raider series, I was already not completely sold on the idea that this game was going to be worth R600 (and tthat's with a pre-order discount). It's a lot of money. I'm still waiting for Far Cry 3 to come down on its price and I've been itching to get my hands on it.

Stinginess aside. The biggest reason for my hesitance was this:

Those of you who have been following the build up to the game's release may instantly know what my reluctance was about. In one of the trailers, it shows Mister Baddie shown in the screenshot above seemingly very interested in his young, beautiful, female captive. Laura fights him off, grabs his gun and shoots him. He becomes her very first kill and she understandably freaks out about it.

The problem being that it brought up a rather painful question: Should rape be portrayed in games? The reason for that question was naturally the interest Mister Baddie showed. Even from the picture above, it hardly seems as if he's just about to stop with his hand on her shoulder

It caused an uproar. The idea that Laura would have to fight off this dude from raping and then killing her. It's stomach turning. It's revolting. Bring the pitchforks. I'll take the lead.

Fortunately, the trailer was incredibly misleading.

I've played past this point. Let me give you a spoiler. You see Mister Baddie's hand? That hand has a massive fascination with squeezing the life out of Laura, and not slipping any lower as the trailer implied. I've purposefully missed the fighting cues to see what would happen. The furthest he goes is to trail his hand down her arm, then he grabs her throat - just like he does when you miss any of the cues . In no instant is there an idea that he's going to take her. The only explanation I can give for the 'tenderness' in his touch is his love for killing.

So if you're like me and were willing to tear things apart with your bare hands. Stay calm and rest assured. There are no dodgy scenes besides the occasional strangling, being shot, knifed, falling to one’s death or being crushed by boulders. Oh and a lot of corpses, skulls and body parts.

Hope that puts you at ease. ;)

I have to say, I'm impressed. I didn't think I was going to be. I was hoping for a good game, but was cautious to get too excited about it. Naturally I failed. Thankfully the game didn't let me down. The scenery is breathtaking. The music is good.

The acting... oh my word, the acting! These actors are making magic in a room that gives them virtually nothing to go on. They're utterly brilliant. The script is also superb. I haven't had a moment where I felt like asking what the writers had been smoking when they cooked up the dialogues. Everything is relevant, whether you take the time to listen to it or not. Nothing is trite. Nothing is cliche. The creators really did good on this one.

I'm about halfway into the game according to the percentage of completion the game gives me, but I think I'm a little further in terms of story. And it has been a hell of a ride. I've cringed and freaked out (I don't like heights), I've gasped and snarled (softly, the dogs were sleeping), I've laughed as Laura did some snarling of her own.

I'm enjoying every bit of this game.

From a story side, I'm extremely curious to see where it's going to end off. I love the character progression thus far, I love themes that get seeded into the story. I'll admit it. I'm hooked. I'm not devoted. But I'm hooked.

I'm not going to go into gameplay and what not. I might do that in a later post... maybe. I can tell you the only problem I've had with the game is finding a flaw worth mentioning. Yes. I'm having trouble finding fault. Imagine that.

Tentatively Excited

So my past self left my present self a surprise.

I pre-ordered Tomb Raider and forgot about it.

Now this was back in the beginning of 2012 when the release date was still somewhere around November. So after all that jazz and the craziness that was last year - seriously, crazy doesn't actually come near to describing it - I eventually ended up forgetting about the whole thing.

That is until last week when I got a text message reminding me of it.

I wasn't really planning on getting it immediately. I figured I'd go the same route as I'm going with Far Cry 3 which I actually really want to play. That route being to wait it out until the crazy price drops to something more manageable. But seeing as I did pre-ordered and since I haven't bought any games in several months... Hell, why not?

I'm hoping that it's going to be worth the money. I'm hoping there aren't any rape scenes or any nonsense in there (you'll hear me ranting about it if there are, believe you me). These are things that had me thinking that if I heard so much as a whisper of it, I wasn't going to touch the game at all. So I'm taking a leap of faith. I'm excited because from what I've seen, it's going to be good.

I'm planning on blogging about it this weekend regardless. Here's hoping it's going to be a gush and not a whine. Or a meh. Tired of meh.

Book Babble: The Hunger Games

Hi! Been a while, hasn't it? Well, I'm glad to inform you I'm still alive. Now that we've got that out of the way, let's get to what this post is actually about.

What it's about

The Hunger Games centres around 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen who becomes a tribute (an offering) from her district to the Capitol - the oppressive governing body of what was formerly America. She and eleven other tributes are sent to the Capitol to take part in an annual televised death match. The winner, being the only one left alive, will walk back out again and thereby grant their district the grace of not going hungry for a year. The games is expressly for the enjoyment of the Capitol and acts as punishment for the twelve districts and their rebellion 74 years before. As Katniss fights for survival, little does she know the impact she's having on those watching outside of the games. 

I'm going to write both about the movie and the book. I think they're such a brilliant complement to each other that one can actually consider them as a single unit. I might spend a little time on the other two books in the series: Catching Fire and Mockingjay. 

The Hunger Games

The book is written in first-person from Katniss' point of view and really sets up the shock of what happens throughout the story. Katniss is stubborn and strong-willed with a survivalist instinct born from having to take care of her family. She can be cold and calculating and has difficulty really knowing her own feelings let alone expressing them. This makes her withdrawn and difficult to warm up to. This is a big problem in the Hunger Games as the survival of the tributes could depend on gifts sent to them during the games from sponsors. These gifts don't come often, but can be anything needed in a moment of crisis be it food, medicine, extra weapons, etc. Should the sponsors like you, they'd want to keep you alive. So capturing their attention may very well be in your best interest. Which means making yourself worth noting - something that Katniss only is good at the moment she forgets herself and does something out of instinct.

The movie, in many ways, shows the story from the perspective of those outside of the games and specifically from the perspective of the Capitol. It's reality tv in its gruesome finest. As the movie cannot show you Katniss' thoughts, insight is supplied by interviews and eager Capitol commentators talking about strategy, obstacles, and the 'excitement' of the games. The movie goes out of its way to contrast the decadence of the Capitol versus the desperation of the districts it oppresses.

As I've said, the movie is in many ways a complement to the book. It shows a different perspective on the same story and helps fill in the spaces that readers might not have immediately understood from the books. I specifically had that problem. When I finished the first book I was very neutral about it. I couldn't decide because I couldn't understand some of the choices Collins had made. I didn't understand why she went to some of the extremes she had gone to.

It took Alyssa (a partner in crime) to sit and explain it; to point out the underlying message the Capitol was sending to the districts for me to first understand, then appreciate and finally marvel at how amazing the book actually was. I felt dumb not getting it the first time 'round. Soon after that, the movie came out and emphasised all the points she had made and again I felt dumb, but maybe I wasn't the only one. That's what I console myself with at least. In any event, the movie shone a light in the patches hidden within the pages of the book and so they really end up making a neat whole.

Katniss

There is this quote I heard as a teenager that has stuck with me ever since. "When we forget ourselves, we usually do something everyone else remembers." Katniss' story is very much about that. When she does what she's supposed to, when she controls herself as much as she can, then Katniss doesn't make much of an impression. However, the moment she just acts and reacts to her emotions, she blazes and captures everyone's attention.

I can't say I liked Katniss, but really now, this is me. Can we say we're really surprised that I didn't? Nope. Didn't think so. But I can't say I disliked her either. She is someone who has been shaped by very difficult circumstances to become she needs to be rather than just being who she is. She comes across distant and unapproachable; expressionless to some extent. I know Jennifer Lawrence has been faulted for playing Katniss too two-dimensionally, but in truth, the movie rendition of her is far more emotionally expressive than the book's. 

Maybe it is the necessity, the role she has to play that makes me dislike Katniss. She has to be manipulative to have her best chance at surviving the games. It's very much like supposed real-life television where everything is bs and spectacle. She has to adapt and in doing so, I get put off. Yes, hypocritical and heartless of me I know. It has to be said though, of all the protagonists I've disliked, she's at the bottom of the list. Which means she's very close to 'okay', but not quite there yet. At least not at the end of the first book. By the second and moreso the third, I'll go as far as bumping her up to the bottom of my 'like list'.

I'm not going to go into the whole team Gale/Peeta thing. 

Gale is hunky, Peeta is charming. Both are interesting in their own right and both are really not. But then we know I'm not the gushy love-puppy type. I think they act more as a way of pointing out the two sides to Katniss: the mind and the heart. They're instruments of hormones that Katniss very rarely has time for. Y'know, with the whole not-being-killed thing. They did cast the two characters really well in the movie, it has to be said.

Peeta comes across very flat both in the book and in the movie. He only starts showing his true depth in Catching Fire and then just fizzles out in Mockingjay. But the main reason he seems so 2D is because Peeta is all heart. He's very true to himself and that self just so happens to care about everything. As we know, a drawing is very bland without shading and that's very much how Peeta comes across. You feel for the guy. What he is admired for is also the his greatest weakness in the games. He is set up as a lamb for the slaughter and you're just waiting for the axe to fall.

Gale, on the other hand, is all wolf. He's a survivor, a hunter. He sets his mind to something and gets it done. He is also very dark and broody and can do an awesome Angel impression. He clearly cares for Katniss, but he isn't all heart. He comes out a lot more throughout the series and his rage against the Capitol knows no bounds.

The series
When you talk to people who've liked The Hunger Games and then read the series, get yourselves ready for two different reactions. The one group with tell you "For the love of all that is sacred, don't read the rest of the books!!" and the other will say "The other two books aren't as good as the first one, but I'd think they're worth reading."

I think I'm in both camps. If you want the two subsequent books to capture what the first book did, don't read them. You're going to be disappointed.

Catching Fire shows how Katniss is left in a very precarious position. She has survived the Hunger Games and managed to piss off people that can grind her home into dust. How do you bs your way through that? It's about realising the power of a small act and dealing with the possibility that everything can spiral out of control because of it.

Mockingjay in turn is about the power of a symbol, how people would do anything to manipulate such a symbol and how easily it is to become what one hates. In the last book, Katniss breaks free by doing exactly what she has done all along: forgetting herself and acting out on instinct.

The series has some surprises in store and does bring things to a close. I can't call it satisfying but I don't feel like pulling out a bullhorn and warding people off from reading it. Collin's did state that the reason The Hunger Games became a series was because the story didn't feel done yet. By the end of the third one, it has definitely reached that feeling.

Conclusion
Whether you read the series or not, I'd still recommend giving The Hunger Games a shot. I enjoyed the book. I loved the movie and it is definitely something I want to purchase - the score is lovely. And it's something I wouldn't mind revisiting again in the near future. That itself is definitely a thumbs-up.



_LOTR Storybook update_
Gandalf and Strider are debating the mountains versus Moria. I still want to chew my wrists and the disc in my car reached its end. I'm in no way tempted to put the next one in.

Babble: Glee! is ripping off covers.

So I wanted to do a post on Coursera today. No really! I'm not lying! But then yesterday I stumbled further onto a story that I think merits addressing.

And that is the story of:

I can't call myself an absolutely devoted fan, but there is a part of me that absolutely loves Glee. I blame it on the theatre geek in me that never received the exposure necessary to turn into a snob. In any event, it's a show I can enjoy despite the moments that it tries to preach at me or throw themed episodes at me that make me shudder. It's a show that can inspire me. It's a show that takes risks and addresses issues that are common in life and high school, but not necessarily what I would call common on television.

And it's a show whose creators seem to be sneaky and worth frowning upon.

I often find myself marvelling at the way a song would be performed by Glee. Sometimes the approach is so contrary to its original rendition and other times it's absolutely spot on and that makes it just as spectacular.

Here's the problem: It would appear that some of the covers were nabbed from other people - initially without the artists knowing and then without really acting as if it's all that much of a big deal seeing as due to [insert legal copyright explanation here] Fox can get away with it. In at least one case, the group they nabbed the cover from got credit but it seemed that it was also in bad taste. From what I've read the potential agreement between the show creators and Divisi fell through and the song got used anyway.

Mash-up artist DJ Earthworm also seems to have fallen prey to Glee without them giving him anything more than a big ol' raspberry if even that much.

Then there was Greg Laswell's rendition of Cyndi Lauper's "Girls just wanna have fun". The producers didn't even bother giving any kind of nod in his case. His response does kinda show the heart of the matter:


"Of the Glee version, I think they have enough talent over there that they shouldn't need to go rummaging through other artists' work. Public acknowledgement of their note-for-note rendition would have gone a long way."






The way I (and probably quite a few other people) became aware of this whole thing was when Jonathan Coulton's cover of 'Baby got back' was used in a recent episode. With his, it was surprisingly blatant, even including lines that he had put in himself.

So why is Coulton's case different? I can't say that it is. But the mistake Fox made with Coulton is that they didn't bank on the fact that he has a serious geek following. He also has a lot of colleagues who happen to be geeks and who also have rather large geek followings. Add this little thing called Twitter and hmm....

I think all of this was utterly unnecessary on Fox's part. I don't think anything will really come from it legally, but there is going to be a backlash. And as much as I love Glee, I hope that backlash will be substantial. 

Spitting Kitty left the following comment on Glee's youtube vid of Baby got back (the vid I embedded):  I have a great suggestion for an episode of Glee! The New Directions do this incredible cover of a song, let's say Boyz in the Hood, and the Warblers steal their version for sectionals. The New Directions go to the judges to complain, and are told, "too bad, so sad, it wasn't your song to begin with!"

I think that's it in a nutshell. We can play the 'Whose song is it anyway?' and we can point out what this copyright means and that copyright means and the idea of borrowing hardly is a new concept regardless whether it's a song, a book, a movie, a piece of technology, etc. etc. But you have to admit no amount of legalese will make this water any less murky or stink any less foul. 

So here's a thought: Why not just give credit where it is due? 

Can you imagine how much lift these artists could have had if they just got a nod? I mean think about how much attention these artists are receiving now and how many slushies the Fox peeps have to wipe off their faces in the process. What if they had gone a different route? How about promoting these artists just as Glee is promoting the next generation of singers, dancers and musicians in the show itself? Image the good press Glee would have received.

So what stopped them? That's the question that's been running through my mind. If giving credit would have been so painless, then why not just give it where it is due and come out the hero for it?

“If this were an episode of Glee I would win." - Jonathan Coulton


Further info:
Wired: Jonathan Coulton Explains How Glee Ripped Off His Cover Song — And Why He’s Not Alone
The Daily Dot: Serial song theft on "Glee"? Jonathan Coulton wasn't the first

The quest of Lord of the Rings...

Road to Gondor by Breathing2004

Were you to talk to me about the Lord of the Rings, you will find me either an admirer or someone who is really disinterested in the subject. It would all depend on one thing:

Are we talking about the movies or the books?

While I realise the depth and scope and brilliance that is the creation of JRR Tolkien's Middle-Earth, I have yet to read the trilogy or the Hobbit or any of it. In my life I've attempted reading The Fellowship of the Ring between five and seven times, succeeding only once. Exhausted, I left it there, not even trying to pick up The Two Towers. With some art - especially in poetry and abstract paintings - you really have to work to absorb all it has to offer. With the Fellowship, I felt like I had just finished a marathon crawling over the finish line while carrying a ton of bricks on my back - just to be crushed by the load in the end.

That's the least satisfying way to finish a book.

When I attempt to describe my feelings of trying to read Tolkien's writing to my fellow countrymen, I simply say that I can totally see that he spent his first three years of his life in Bloemfontein. Everyone seems to understand that (except those who were born in Bloemfontein. They don't appreciate that at all haha).

I know I'm straying very close to literary blasphemy here and I'll be the first to tell you that what the man had done and what ground he had broken for the fantasy writers that came after him is nothing short of amazing. But despite the disbelief of others who had read through the books a bazillion times, I just have never been able to get past book one. And part of me has never really felt the compulsion to do so. However, how can you even claim to enjoy fantasy if you haven't read LoTR? Okay, that's a bit of an over-exaggeration but you get the idea. It is a shock to claim one thing and deny the other. Especially if that other is JRR Tolkien.

So a couple of years ago, I gave myself a goal, a deadline. By a particular year, I should have read through the trilogy at least once. The years passed and still I have not managed to make my goal and now that deadline is sixteen months away. I'm so screwed, haha. Or I will be if I don't take any action now. And so I am. And so, ladies and gentlemen, I'm going to go back to the epic journey that had me wanting to slit my wrists before and come hell or high water, I'll get through those books one way or another.

The one way I'm attempting it is by listening to an audio reading. I've stuck it into my car stereo and that's what I'll be listening to until the books are done. If anything, I'll be so desperate to listen to something else that I'll force myself to sit through it. So far I've spent one day in my commute to and from work listening to the disc. I wish I could say that it went well. It didn't. I was bored out of my skull, quite ready to climb out of my car while driving to escape the tedium.

So what is it that gets to me? What is it that makes me want to gnaw at my wrists?

Well the problem I have is that Tolkien is a really expert world builder who is completely infatuated with his world. Which means that the journey through the first book is one massive detour throughout. And to be honest? I don't care. If you haven't made me care about what is going on, I could be less concerned about the world in which it takes place. I don't care about whose feet are hairier, who figured out how to stick stuff in a pipe and smoke it. I don't care how many times a hobbit eats in a day. You've already bored me to tears and you haven't even gotten to the first line of dialogue. And when we finally get there, it's just as much of a schlep to get through.

Yes, I've signed my confession, haul me off to the gallows. Tolkien might be amazing, but he's amazingly boring. Not that he meant to capture me. His writing of the Hobbit and LoTR, from what I understand, was for his own pleasure. An external audience had never been his priority, it was his place to explore and stuff whoever else may read it. And again, I admire him for it. It is a rich world, multi-layered and well-defined. I just haven't even been able to go through his basking without stifling a yawn.

Alright, so ...

Action 1) Audio book in car where I can't escape and where I can't listen to anything else until the evil series is over.

Action 2) Random updates here. Nothing works as good on me as guilt. Stuff positive affirmation, if you want me to do something, guilt me into it. You'll get twice the reward with half the effort. And the best way to make me feel guilty is to hold me accountable. So I'll be throwing in random posts commenting on what I've heard that I might have found interesting (Please let there be something. Please) and maybe a rant or two here and there. Who knows? I don't.

Action 3) ... I don't know yet. Anyone who can think of any ideas, chuck 'em my way. Goodness knows I need it.

It is a place that has enchanted so many. It has inspired so many. It has become the ultimate fantasy measuring stick. And I can see why. I just hope at some point I can do more than just appreciate it from a distance. Otherwise, this is going to be an awful time to be in my car...

Brief babble 2012 Book list

It's almost the end of the year and I tend to keep a book list of everything I've finished in the year along with some comments. So I figured share and share alike ;)

I don't think I will be posting again before next year. Maybe I will if something bites hard enough, who knows? But if not I hope you have an awesome new year with fresh challenges that you feel confident in overcoming and not those frustrating ones that laugh at you at every turn (I've had an awful year, so sue me).

All the best for the rest!


1. How to ruin your life by 40 - Steve Farrar:
          It was okay... some of the principles were fine and legit. The guy is a little old fashioned and most of the book had to do with choosing the right marriage partner (which makes sense since that's probably the biggest thing in your life besides having children). It's just not really applicable to me in particular. Other than that, definitely has some things one could chew on.

2. A feast for crows - George RR Martin:
          There are so many things he leaves us hanging on in this book. Evil, evil author. But still a series I enjoy. This is actually the second time I've read the Song of Ice and Fire series through. I know 'A dance with dragons' is out, but I'm waiting for the paperback version... which looks like it's going to take a while if you consider how long I've been waiting for 'Rogue' by Trudy Canavan to go soft.

3. Darkly Dreaming Dexter - Jeff Lindsay
          I really enjoyed this book. Dark, somewhat twisted but beautifully executed. Jeff not only managed to convey Dexter's "strangeness" but made you believe it too. You felt his confusion and understood his amusement. I grinned through most of the book and worried through the last. I have to say that the shift to mortal peril was a little jagged and random. But it was a good read. Somewhere in future, I'll definitely get my hands on the second book in the series.

4. The Crucible - Arthur Miller
         Short, somewhat sad and disturbing. Lots to take out of it but still not a play that I'd fall over myself recommending.

5. Basilisk Station - David Weber
          The First of the Honor Harrington series. I've read the series so many times through. Love it. David Weber can be somewhat info-dumpy, but it's easy to overcome.

6. Honor of the Queen - David Weber
          Second of the Honor Harrington series. Just as fun as the first if a little slower. Totally different dynamic with a lot more outer politics thrown in.

7. The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins
         Thought-provoking. Well written and well thought out. I also love the fact that the movie worked to enhance and clarify the book.

8. A Dance with Dragons - George R R Martin
         Took me over two months to read! Interesting, surprising, confounding. It finally appears as if the real players are beginning to reveal their cards. Still seems far to go though. I wonder how long it'll take for the next book to appear.

9. Equal Rites - Terry Pratchet
        My first step into the Witches series of Discworld. It was a rather interesting journey. I found it a little slow going but it said a lot more than what was written. Very thoughtful approach to gender roles and what is expected and unexpected. I LOVED the concept of headology :) Granny Weatherwax is an interesting character.

10. Mistborn - Brandon Sanderson
        Intriguing. Magic based on science, a well thought out system that is fed to you slowly and steadily as the main character beomces more competent. It was a really interesting read. I admit it took a couple of chapters to pull me in, but I eventually got to the point where I couldn't stop reading. You'll sit through most of the book speculating about what's going to happen at the end. In my case I was about 50% right... but I wasn't disappointed by my accuracy. I felt quite proud that I had guessed correctly. Rewarding the reader is the best way to get them to your side. ;)

11. The Well of Ascension - Brandon Sanderson
        I have some mixed feelings about this one. I only got interested by what I was reading 600 pages in (nope, not making this up). It took me far longer to finish the book than it should have because of how much of a slog it was to get through. Oh the characters were interesting, but it just never got anywhere until the end. Sanderson has amazing setups, but he is his own worst enemy. Instead of keeping important things secret, he ends up blurting them out in the very next page. With that being said, he put it one helluva amazing twist in the very end of the book that made your heart drop into your shoes. I have to read the last book now because of that even if it ends up being a slog too. Bastard.

12. Mass Effect: Revelation - Drew Karpyshyn
         I was rather apprehensive about reading a Mass Effect book. I've read a couple of Star Wars extended universe ones, and they've been... very coincidental. I was afraid I'd find something similar in this book. Surprisingly, that was not the case at all. The story was well set out, easy to read without being simple, and finely crafted. It expanded on a well known character without throwing him out of sync with what he appeared like in the games. The book also presented concepts and explanations of the 'verse that broadened and enriched what I already knew. Nice.

13. Mass Effect: Retribution - Drew Karpyshyn
          So I only realised that this is the third book in the series when I was already something like a quarter into it. By then I was already well into the story. Going on about how much the book helped me with getting ideas for my story and how I had to jump up, grab a notepad and start taking notes won't really make anyone all that eager to read it. But Drew Karpyshyn - having been one of the main writers who brought ME & ME2 to life - will pique every ME fan's interest. He knows his lore and shares it freely without boring you.

14. The Hero of Ages - Brandon Sanderson
         A bit of a weird ending to the series. Some interesting twists and turns. It was rewarding in its own way, but I wouldn't exactly call the book satisfying. I'll have to sit on the fence with this one.

15. The Walking Dead - Kirkman, Adlard and Rathburn (Issues 1-30)
         I read the first 20 issues a couple of months (or maybe over a year) before the series came out. I thought it was rather interesting - and this from someone who doesn't do horror at all. I decided this year to start from the beginning and work my way through. I've gotten to 30 and it's good. It's not necessarily excellent. I do feel that it's lost its punch, but that seems to be a trend with most graphic novels that don't have a definite end. I know there are some twists coming (don't spoil me), but I'm giving it a break for a bit. There's only so many crazy people you can take at a time.

16. Mass Effect Redemption #1 - Story by: John Jackson Miller & Mac Walters
         Short but rather interesting. Some key moments that link up with Mass Effect 2. I'm not completely convinced of the Liara-Feron friendship. He seems too much of a greasy git and she seems far too passionate about his plight. Not that I'm saying she's interested in him, but seriously? Too much angst, too little foundation.

17. Mass Effect Invasion #1-4 - Story by: John Jackson Miller & Mac Walters
         Again an interesting series detailing the seizure of Omega by Cerberus. It was noteworthy how many plans-within-plans there were. Cerberus are a bunch of seriously sneaky bastards, that's all I'm saying.

Maybe next year I'll keep a list of movies and series too. I'm nerdy enough to do that, after all. :)

Anime Babble: Read or Die

So I was sick this past week (no I'm not making excuses, damnit. I'm using this as means of introduction). I don't know about you, but when I feel sick and miserable and brain dead, I like to sit and watch something that doesn't really require much in the line of thought. A friend of mine recently directed me to the anime series 'Read or Die' and this ended up being the brain-dead story I chose to watch.

Big mistake.

As it turns out, the series actually sparked my mind and sent it flying in all kinds of directions. Granted this is me and I'm an over-thinker but I finished it yesterday and 24 hours later, my mind is still working overtime. So clearly it gave a lot more than I was expecting.

I usually like structure with posts and I can't really do that here. Also this more a "I seriously need to share this and get it out of my system" post than a review. So I'm just going to babble and we'll see where it goes. FYI I'm going to be referring to the original video animation (OVA) and the series as the same thing since that's how I watched it. Oh, and another reason for the lack of structure is the whole being sick thing... I don't whether I sleep longer than I'm awake, but if not, I'm always half asleep and drugged out of my mind. (So this is probably the best place to apologize for any language issues in this post. If anything is unclear, point it out and I'll fix it, but I can't say I'm really thinking clearly in any language at the moment and a warning should probably be made about it.)

So what's it about?

It an alternate history where knowledge is absolutely everything, the world is run by large Libraries (think more government agencies than book-nerds with paper cuts) - each moving powerfully to achieve their agendas for a better future at the expense of the common man. Caught in the maelstrom are six women, each extremely capable in skills sought after. It'll be up to them to face conflict from all sides in hopes of saving those they love, righting their own wrongs, and bringing to heel those who seek to destroy everyone for the gain of few.

Sounds pretty epic, doesn't it?

The OVA basically lays down the groundwork by introducing you to Yomiko Readman, a constantly distracted bibliomaniac with a powerful ability to shape paper into whatever she wants to. It exposes you to the British Library and the background of some of the characters who continue on in the series. The series takes place several years after the OVA's events and brings in three sisters, each specialising in their own form of paper mastery. Together are assigned the task of looking after a extraordinary author who everybody (assassins, agents, crazy fans) seems to want a piece of.

I can't talk much about what I didn't like. Because honestly, my biggest disappointment was running out of episodes. I'm still sulking.

I don't believe the series is for everyone. For one thing, it is extremely female-dominated with hints of same-sex interests - none of which are ever confirmed; the orientation of virtually all the characters are (purposefully?) left obscure. The story revolves around strong relationships (friendship and familial) more so than the events surrounding them. It is definitely character-driven and the moments where the circumstances are emphasised more than the relationships, the story actually begins to drag.

The things that made me go hmm...

Characters

By now, you should know that I'm a sucker for good characters. So obviously that's the thing that struck me the most of this story. I'm not going to go into each and every character. They are all pretty interesting and the bonds between them are fun to explore. I'm specifically going to focus only on three of them as they are the ones who made the biggest impression on me.

And they are called The Paper Sisters.

Michelle Cheung, Maggie Mui, Anita King are three non-biological sisters who have their own detective agency and are hired as body guards of Nenene Sumiragawa - the author who everyone loves and hates and wants to use.

Michelle (25), the eldest and often the leader of the three, is cheerful, ditzy and (like Maggie) an extreme bibliophile. In moments of conflict she is often able to keep a calm, almost detached, attitude and as a paper user primarily fights from a distance.

Maggie (20) is tall, reserved and easily embarrassed. As middle child, she looks up to Michelle while always keeping an eye on Anita. She is extremely protective of her sisters and doesn't hesitate to step into danger if it keeps them safe. She is considered the strongest Paper sister and uses her ability primarily to defend others.

Anita (13) is small, fierce and outspoken. Extremely agile, she uses paper in close combat along with martial arts. She dislikes books (which is uncommon for a paper user) and seems to enjoy being contrary and difficult.

Personality reflected in action
I found it fascinating to see the personality of the character reflected in the actions taking in their daily lives as well how they manifest when using paper abilities. You have the spitfire who is amazing at close-quarters combat, the collected leader firing at her targets with precision, the strong guardienne who always manages to shield the others. It really made me re-examine this dynamic of personality vs behaviour; looking at characters in other stories as well as people in real life.

Weakness/Strength/Unity

Reading the descriptions, you'll note how these three complement each other perfectly. Each weakness is balanced out by a strength be it in terms of personality, behaviour or ability. And, obviously such diversity brings conflict, it is still noteworthy how that very same diversity brings balance and unity. Most of us would say "Sure, nifty, but in real life it's not going to work that way." and probably it won't. However, a strong case is made and I can't say that what was presented was particularly one-sided. Nothing was perfect, left unquestioned or uncontested. It was really insightful to watch that play out.

Relationship/Family

What struck me the most was that the three really embodied the idea of family - which is particularly powerful considering they're a self-made unit. It's always said that blood is thicker than water, but in this story the bonds of the three are really tested and it's quite extraodinary to see how they deal with these challenges. They are broken and separated quite a few times and the ache produced by these moments of isolation is actually something I would easily compare to a 'natural' family unit disintegrating. And being able to provoke such an emotional response is quite noteworthy.

Maggie

I cannot begin to express how stuck I am on this character. She's going to haunt me for ages to come, I just know it. I could write paragraphs as to why. Instead, I'll note how awesome it is when you watch something and a character just sticks. When multiple aspects of a character just fuses into your mind so powerfully that you'll always carry them with you. For me it's Honor Harrington, Elphaba in Wicked, Tara in Buffy, Fred in Angel, Book in Firefly, Shepard and Tali in Mass Effect, Adam in Being Erica, Brienne in Game of Thrones, and Maggie in Read or Die.

So how do I end this off?

I watched this series in four days hoping for brainless entertainment and walking away with a lot more. It's worth noting not because it's an amazing series that everyone will love and adore. I think it's worth documenting simply because it struck at the heart of this blogger and I think everyone recognizes how rarely we are truly moved by what we see/hear/read and pushed towards asking any type of question regardless of what it is.

Such moments are always worth the time to note.

Book Babble: Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson

I have to admit, I feel really out of practice. Not only in reading but summarizing what I've read, bringing it over in a way that makes some sense...

Thing is with the Mistborn Trilogy, I haven't quite decided what to make of it and I finished reading it over two weeks ago.

Oh well, roll those sleeves up and let's get going.

After being discovered as a mistborn, Vin, a street kid, is recruited into a thieving crew consisting of very ambitious, very capable individuals keen on stealing the Lord Ruler's cache of the most valuable metal in the world, Atium. Able to use all the powers of allomancy, Vin is trained by the crew's leader Kelsier and challenged to break out of her previous conceptions of the world and of life, and of her own identity.

That's how the trilogy starts. You follow the story of Vin and how she grows and is shaped by the events that take place around her - events in which she plays an integral part. By the end of the third book, it's hard to go back to the beginning and try to look at her as the grimy street rat. It's hard to believe how much she shifts throughout.

A colleague of mine at work couldn't stop talking about how amazing this story is and eventually just loaned me the lot. I don't want to spend too much time explaining the trilogy as much as give my opinion on it as a whole. But some of the things I did actually like merit a little.  

What I liked:

World Building
Sanderson is definitely a Class-A world builder. There's absolutely no doubt about that. He doesn't data dump. Instead he simply lets the reader experience a world completely different to our own through the eyes of his characters. And it works perfectly. Reading through the trilogy, to say that the world is intricately put together would almost be an insult. It is truly masterfully done.

And the world works with the story. It's almost a supporting character, enhancing the plight of the characters, staying in the background for the most part with the exception of a few crucial moments. Really masterfully done. Massive nod to Sanderson in this regard. He knows how, no doubt.

Complexity and simplicity of abilities
Sanderson introduces a whole range of different abilities that are all in some way connected to metal. Allomancy, for example, is series of abilities which are activated by swallowing and then 'burning' metals in the body. Each metal enables a different kind of ability. Pewter, for example, enables a person to be stronger, have greater stamina and absorb damage to the body that might have resulted in death otherwise.

Sounds complicated right? 'Wait, this is just one ability in this set? Whaat?'

But Sanderson makes it simple, giving names to these abilities. A person burning pewter, is a thug. We all have a very specific image of a thug... and it works.

The mechanics of the abilities are fascinating, but not overwhelming. They're introduced smoothly into the series and what also helps a great deal is that he endows single abilities to some characters who in some way then embody the essence of what it is. Both his ability to do this as well as the ability to construct the abilities themselves needs to be nodded at. I thought it was rather brilliant and I can understand the incredible enthusiasm that he has gained from his fan following.

Seeded, watered and not noticed until the very end
Certain critical elements in the story are seeded throughout and mentioned, but never really focused on. That is, until the whole plot turns on a dime and everything rests on those seemingly insignificant things you've been taking for granted all along. It is the piece of chalk you picked up this morning not knowing that you're going to be caught in a concrete labyrinth later today; the unassuming old lady who ends up with all the diamonds hidden underneath her pillow; or the old ache in your foot that renders you unable to run at a crucial moment.

And it's utterly, utterly brilliant. As someone who loves experiencing not only the story, but the crafting that goes into it, I could only marvel. Simple, subtle and powerful. Very few people manage to get that right.

What I disliked:

No character writer be he
At all. Regardless of gender or age, the characters are just not quite there. I very rarely felt myself caring about what was happening to them or understanding why other characters cared. Sanderson managed to make what was supposed to be a romantic relationship so dry that it felt more like two housemates who worked opposite shifts.

I love character development, it's my playground and I wanted to be able to dive into these people who were each unique and well formed but none of which seemed to have the emotional capacity of a tea spoon. I just wasn't sold on most of them. There were three emotional aspects I could pick up on that I considered strong enough for me to accept and those were loyalty, regret and the need to prove oneself due to low self-worth. All of which are valid feelings, but to have those be the only ones to really be sold by in an entire trilogy? Eh.

I wanted to like Vin. I really wanted to like her. She is a female protagonist in a fantasy series, for heaven's sake. That in itself should have me hauling out pom-poms and start doing cheers. But I really struggled with Vin.

Now let's state up front, I'm known for the fact that I very rarely like the main character in whatever I read or watch. It's just one of those things.  But what bothered me most about Vin was that she wasn't what she could've been. I'd dare say she wasn't what she should've been. If it weren't for the lack of depth in the male characters, I would've said that Sanderson just struck that wall called femininty, but I can't. And then there's the dreaded Mary-Sue aspect. Horseshoes? Really?

Setups
I praised Sanderson for the awesome way he assembled some of the most masterful twists I've ever read and I don't want to detract from that here. It has to be said though that some things one could see coming from a mile away - especially character roles. It's the pretty girl next door that the dude ignores until some other bloke doesn't and then he has to pine and fight for her. It's done SO much that the moment a girl next door gets mentioned, everyone already knows where that story thread will be going. It's like that.

I have to say that the trilogy wasn't overrun with this problem, but I did have those moments here and there.

Give away, give away, give away
Imagine Luke Skywalker meets Darth Vader for the first time. He's horrified and runs off screaming like a girl (c'mon, look at the hair!). In the next scene ol' Darthie is having coffee with the Emperor (anyone having a Spaceballs moment?) and the Emperor goes "So how's your son doing?". "Oh, fine. He has a bit of a hair issue, but I'll mention it to him when I cut his hand off."

The connection between Luke and Vader was a pivotal moment in the trilogy. And it would've meant nothing if Lucas decided to give away the game in the very next scene.

Back to the book. There were moments where I was screaming at the book. Screaming because the game got given away in the very next segment, chapter or pov. There were some parts that were really interesting. It made me curious. I wanted to know more. Only I didn't want to know everything there was to know about it on the very next page. Bad author! Bad, bad! No cookies for you!

Conclusion:

I don't think I would've read this series if my colleague didn't loan me the books and then frequently asked me where I was in the story, and what I thought and what I predict will happen in the future. What he consumed eagerly, I had to slog through.

And yet, if I hadn't read the trilogy, I would have missed on some really awesome word building and mind-blowing storytelling. As someone who writes, I learnt both from the things I liked and disliked. As a reader, despite the effort it took for me, I felt rewarded at certain key parts.

As I've said at the beginning, I don't know what I really think of this story. The very end of the trilogy manages to both tie everything together brilliantly as well as leave me completely confounded. I could marvel at all the little things that led up to the very end. I could really see the planning and exquisite execution. But I also had to step back, look at everything and go... "Uh... what?"

So I have to sit on the fence on this one. I can't say I loved it, I can't say I hated it. I love the world and the mechanics. I love it. Enough so as to want to read the fourth book in this universe, The Alloy of Law. It's set 300 years later and I'm eager to see what's what.

Just... no horseshoes, if you please.

Huh??

It's nine days after Nanowrimo and I am still somewhat in a state of shock and disbelief.

What do you mean I can play games now? What do you mean I can stop ignoring those books that have been calling me since October when I was knee deep in planning? What do you mean I can straighten my hunched back (scream at the pain it will induce) and breathe fresh air again?

Is this someone's idea of April Fools? You're too early, bub. Or too late... Whichever blows your hair back.

Okay, I have to say my state of zoned-out zombie girl primarily has to do with the fact that work had me bit by a Walker in January and left me in a fit of spasms and unrelenting pain and fever until now. Sorta. Still working *sigh*

But nano definitely did its part, oh yes it did.

Another thing that adds to the whole dazed expression is that I am still writing. It is risky and surprising in the directions that it is going but it still is going and going and it is terribly lopsided so will need some more work after the first draft.

That definitely also adds to the blank expression punctuated by the occasional bout of drooling.

So what I am hoping to tackle this December in terms of posts.

1 Coursera - probably will be uninteresting to most but toughies for you.

2 The Mistborn trilogy. It took more than half a year but I got through them and can now comment.

3 My santa picture I share EVERY Christmas

4 have noooo clue...




Grrr, arrggg, drool