Carl Alves's Blog, page 2
January 6, 2024
The Outsider by Stephen King
Prior to reading The Outsider, I watched the mini series on Netflix, so I knew the basic story line. In the early going of the show, they stayed true to the novel, but then diverged as it progressed. The concept of the novel is very compelling. Terry Maitland, a little league coach and teacher who the community respects has unassailable physical evidence and eye witness accounts that he murdered an 11 year old boy in the most heinous way possible, except that there is equally compelling physical and eye witness accounts that Maitland was far away when the murder happened.
Stephen King is without a doubt my favorite writer of all time. His early stuff is fantastic. He had a terrible stretch after his accident where his writing was subpar to be kind, and now he is definitely hitting his stride again with terrific fiction. The Outsider was top notch with excellent writing, a great plot, well-developed characters, and suspense that made me want to keep reading. It was one of King’s better works in what I consider the third phase of his writing career.
The supernatural and horror elements to the story are very well done. Everything was believable within the context of the story and the world the author built. There were no obvious flaws. My favorite part of the novel was when they were investigating Terry Maitland’s computer and found that he was watching Ozark on Netflix, making me wonder if Stephen King had any inkling that Jason Bateman would be playing Maitland on the HBO show. This is a novel that I would recommend.
Stephen King is without a doubt my favorite writer of all time. His early stuff is fantastic. He had a terrible stretch after his accident where his writing was subpar to be kind, and now he is definitely hitting his stride again with terrific fiction. The Outsider was top notch with excellent writing, a great plot, well-developed characters, and suspense that made me want to keep reading. It was one of King’s better works in what I consider the third phase of his writing career.
The supernatural and horror elements to the story are very well done. Everything was believable within the context of the story and the world the author built. There were no obvious flaws. My favorite part of the novel was when they were investigating Terry Maitland’s computer and found that he was watching Ozark on Netflix, making me wonder if Stephen King had any inkling that Jason Bateman would be playing Maitland on the HBO show. This is a novel that I would recommend.
December 5, 2023
Movie Review: The Nun 2
I just finished watching The Nun the previous week for the first time before watching The Nun 2 in the theaters. I have watched all of the movies in The Conjuring universe with this movie. Generally speaking, these are quality horror movies with The Conjuring being one of my all time favorites. The Nun 2 falls somewhere in the middle of the pack, better than the first movie in the series but not up to par with the better movies within this universe.
This movie follows the demon Valak, who has now infested Maurice, who was instrumental in saving Sister Irene in the first movie. Valak, working through Maurice, has been terrorizing churches in Europe searching for the eyes of Saint Lucy, a powerful relic in the Church. The Vatican has tasked Sister Irene, who is befriended by Sister Debra, who is played by a subpar actress and is a poorly written character, with stopping the current attacks on these churches. This leads them to a boarding school for girls where Maurice is working at. There, they once more do battle with the demon Valak.
Overall, I liked this movie more than The Nun. It’s not a great horror movie, but it is very watchable and enjoyable on an entertainment level. There is good creepy religious horror imagery and good suspense. The power of prayer and faith is emphasized in this movie as a way to defeat this demon, which I enjoyed. But the movie had some plot holes, and wasn’t quite the edge on your seat, gripping horror movie that would take this from good to great. If you enjoy horror films, this is worth your time.
This movie follows the demon Valak, who has now infested Maurice, who was instrumental in saving Sister Irene in the first movie. Valak, working through Maurice, has been terrorizing churches in Europe searching for the eyes of Saint Lucy, a powerful relic in the Church. The Vatican has tasked Sister Irene, who is befriended by Sister Debra, who is played by a subpar actress and is a poorly written character, with stopping the current attacks on these churches. This leads them to a boarding school for girls where Maurice is working at. There, they once more do battle with the demon Valak.
Overall, I liked this movie more than The Nun. It’s not a great horror movie, but it is very watchable and enjoyable on an entertainment level. There is good creepy religious horror imagery and good suspense. The power of prayer and faith is emphasized in this movie as a way to defeat this demon, which I enjoyed. But the movie had some plot holes, and wasn’t quite the edge on your seat, gripping horror movie that would take this from good to great. If you enjoy horror films, this is worth your time.
November 16, 2023
The One You First Expect by Adam Cesare
In The One You First Expect, Tony Anastos makes micro budget splatter horror movies with very little recognition or ability to make money. Things change when he meets Anna, his coworker at the grocery store he works at when not making these movies. Anna has far greater aspirations as an actress and works with Tony on a kickstarter for his new movie—something that becomes a smashing success when Anna actually kills someone in the kickstarter video. That’s only the start of what Anna is willing to do. Her bloodthirstiness seems to know no bounds.
The writing in this novel is probably the strongest aspect of it. The books moves at a fast clip and is an easy read. There is nothing heavy duty in this novel. The concept is interesting and the execution is done well. The character that really stands out for me is Anna. She’s basically a sociopath hiding under a pretty veneer. But she’s a well developed character who knows what she wants and will do what it takes to achieve her goals. Tony is not nearly as strong as a character. He just goes along for the ride and doesn’t drive any of the action. He’s a character who has things happen to him rather than making things happen. Perhaps this is done by design to make his character contrast with Anna.
The writing in this novel is probably the strongest aspect of it. The books moves at a fast clip and is an easy read. There is nothing heavy duty in this novel. The concept is interesting and the execution is done well. The character that really stands out for me is Anna. She’s basically a sociopath hiding under a pretty veneer. But she’s a well developed character who knows what she wants and will do what it takes to achieve her goals. Tony is not nearly as strong as a character. He just goes along for the ride and doesn’t drive any of the action. He’s a character who has things happen to him rather than making things happen. Perhaps this is done by design to make his character contrast with Anna.
August 12, 2023
Movie Review: Oppenheimer
My level of appreciation for a movie is often weighed against my expectations of the movie. In this case, they were quite high. I generally enjoy historically based movies. This movie had an impressive cast. The trailer was really cool. The subject matter was interesting. So, although I enjoyed this movie, I don’t know if it quite met my expectations.
There was a lot that I liked about the movie, but there were also certain aspects of it that I didn’t like so much. On the plus side, the acting from this ensemble cast lived up to expectations. Cillian Murphy, in particular, excelled as J. Robert Oppenheimer. There was a lot of tension and drama in the movie. I thought it was really neat to have all of these great scientists: Albert Einstein, Neils Bohr, Heisenberg, and Enrico Fermi among others all on the screen together. That was like the golden age of scientists back from a time when scientists were celebrities. Compared to today when TikTok stars are celebrities and scientists operate in obscurity, it’s quite depressing.
On the downside, the constant jumping back and forth in time made the movie hard to follow, especially in the early going. I thought a more linear storytelling would have made the movie better. Oppenheimer’s first wife only seemed to be in the movie so that she could be naked on the screen. It was a bit unnecessary. The movie was too long. In particular, the part after they dropped the bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki dragged a bit.
So, my final verdict is that I enjoyed the movie and I would recommend watching it, but it could have been better executed.
There was a lot that I liked about the movie, but there were also certain aspects of it that I didn’t like so much. On the plus side, the acting from this ensemble cast lived up to expectations. Cillian Murphy, in particular, excelled as J. Robert Oppenheimer. There was a lot of tension and drama in the movie. I thought it was really neat to have all of these great scientists: Albert Einstein, Neils Bohr, Heisenberg, and Enrico Fermi among others all on the screen together. That was like the golden age of scientists back from a time when scientists were celebrities. Compared to today when TikTok stars are celebrities and scientists operate in obscurity, it’s quite depressing.
On the downside, the constant jumping back and forth in time made the movie hard to follow, especially in the early going. I thought a more linear storytelling would have made the movie better. Oppenheimer’s first wife only seemed to be in the movie so that she could be naked on the screen. It was a bit unnecessary. The movie was too long. In particular, the part after they dropped the bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki dragged a bit.
So, my final verdict is that I enjoyed the movie and I would recommend watching it, but it could have been better executed.
July 26, 2023
Dragons Reborn by Daniel Arenson
In book 2 of Daniel Arenson’s Requiem for Dragons trilogy, the book continues immediately after book 1 with little regard to bringing readers up to speed with what happened in the previous novel, which is fine if you are reading them one after the other like I did, but if there was a gap in between books or you didn’t read book 1 you would be lost.
In book 2, Cade and the other weredragons are attempting to create copies of the book of Requiem to spread among the people to show that weredragons aren’t so bad, while the paladins of the Cured Temple hunt them down. Elsewhere, other weredragons are trying to lead an attack against the Cured Temple.
I thought the first book in the trilogy was okay. I liked the concept and thought there was entertainment value and potential but this second novel has left me disinterested. The biggest problem is that the writing is flawed. The author doesn’t bring the action to the reader. The descriptions in the action sequences lack the kind of sensory detail to make me as a reader feel what the characters are feeling. Characterization is also lacking. Every major character in this story falls in love with another character at the drop of a hat. They barely know another character and are already madly and deeply in love with them. If this was isolated to one instance it would be okay, but basically every character has this happen to them. They also each harbor terrible, dark things that have happened in their past. Basically, all the characters are constructed the same way. The three main antagonists in this story are just poorly constructed.
I gave book 2 a try, but I just can’t muster enough interest to complete the trilogy, even though I already have the ebook for book 3.
In book 2, Cade and the other weredragons are attempting to create copies of the book of Requiem to spread among the people to show that weredragons aren’t so bad, while the paladins of the Cured Temple hunt them down. Elsewhere, other weredragons are trying to lead an attack against the Cured Temple.
I thought the first book in the trilogy was okay. I liked the concept and thought there was entertainment value and potential but this second novel has left me disinterested. The biggest problem is that the writing is flawed. The author doesn’t bring the action to the reader. The descriptions in the action sequences lack the kind of sensory detail to make me as a reader feel what the characters are feeling. Characterization is also lacking. Every major character in this story falls in love with another character at the drop of a hat. They barely know another character and are already madly and deeply in love with them. If this was isolated to one instance it would be okay, but basically every character has this happen to them. They also each harbor terrible, dark things that have happened in their past. Basically, all the characters are constructed the same way. The three main antagonists in this story are just poorly constructed.
I gave book 2 a try, but I just can’t muster enough interest to complete the trilogy, even though I already have the ebook for book 3.
July 22, 2023
Nos4A2 by Joe Hill
Nos4a2 might have the single coolest cover an any novel I have ever seen. And although you may not be able to judge a book by its cover, it certainly got me wanting to read it. When I first saw the title, I figured the novel would be about vampires, but there are no vampires residing inside—at least not in the traditional sense of the word. I suppose that the story’s villain, Charles Manx, is a type of vampire. He doesn’t drink blood, but he does feed off the emotions of children, who keep him alive far longer than any person would expect to live, living in Christmasland—a fantasy world of his own making.
The foil in this story for Charles Manx is Victoria McQueen. Since she was a small child, Victoria had the ability to get on her bike and find things. She, along with others like her, have talents similar to Manx, but they don’t use their ability to abduct children. As a teen, she runs into Manx, and he is arrested for abducting her. Later in her messed up life, after she has a child of her own, Manx and his Rolls Royce get out of his confinement and return to Christmasland after taking Victoria’s son captive.
This was an imaginative and enjoyable novel. The world of the story is richly built. The writing is captivating. For the most part, the characterization is strong, although I wasn’t so enamored with Victoria McQueen. She was a bit hard to root for as a protagonist. The story was overly long and could have been trimmed, especially the second third of the novel. But I think what really stood out for me was the story’s villain, who, although he is a despicable character, is the hero of his own story and truly believes that what he is doing is good. I think villains are hard to get right and Joe Hill nails it.
The foil in this story for Charles Manx is Victoria McQueen. Since she was a small child, Victoria had the ability to get on her bike and find things. She, along with others like her, have talents similar to Manx, but they don’t use their ability to abduct children. As a teen, she runs into Manx, and he is arrested for abducting her. Later in her messed up life, after she has a child of her own, Manx and his Rolls Royce get out of his confinement and return to Christmasland after taking Victoria’s son captive.
This was an imaginative and enjoyable novel. The world of the story is richly built. The writing is captivating. For the most part, the characterization is strong, although I wasn’t so enamored with Victoria McQueen. She was a bit hard to root for as a protagonist. The story was overly long and could have been trimmed, especially the second third of the novel. But I think what really stood out for me was the story’s villain, who, although he is a despicable character, is the hero of his own story and truly believes that what he is doing is good. I think villains are hard to get right and Joe Hill nails it.
May 20, 2023
Dragon's Lost by Daniel Arenson
Dragons: Lost is the first installment in the Requiem for Dragons trilogy by Daniel Arenson. In this story world, weredragons—people who can change into dragons—once ruled the roost and now are hunted down and killed and are virtually extinct. Newborns are tested to see if they are weredragons, and if they are, they have the ability to change into a dragon removed from them by paladins of the Cured Temple, a very repressive group of people who force the people to live in austerity while they live the good life. The story starts when Cade transforms into a dragon after seeing his baby sister get her dragon abilities removed from her and then becomes hunted by the paladins of the Cured Temple. He then tries to find others like him.
For me, this is just an okay novel. The concept is a good one. I like the idea of weredragons. The world building is pretty good. But the book falters beyond the high level concepts it has in it. The writing is a bit underwhelming. The biggest problem with it, especially when it comes to the action scenes, is that the description is to general. I don’t feel as if I’m in the scene and part of the action when reading these scenes. There’s a lack of visceral, sensory detail, and it seems as if the author is just skimming through these sections. Characterization is also lacking. Every character seems to have some horrible dark thing that has happened to them in their past that they are trying to forget yet haunts them. The villains in the story, are particularly poorly written. They lack dimension and are one-note characters.
The novel does provide a good bit of entertainment value, and despite some of these flaws is worth reading, and I will continue on with this trilogy.
For me, this is just an okay novel. The concept is a good one. I like the idea of weredragons. The world building is pretty good. But the book falters beyond the high level concepts it has in it. The writing is a bit underwhelming. The biggest problem with it, especially when it comes to the action scenes, is that the description is to general. I don’t feel as if I’m in the scene and part of the action when reading these scenes. There’s a lack of visceral, sensory detail, and it seems as if the author is just skimming through these sections. Characterization is also lacking. Every character seems to have some horrible dark thing that has happened to them in their past that they are trying to forget yet haunts them. The villains in the story, are particularly poorly written. They lack dimension and are one-note characters.
The novel does provide a good bit of entertainment value, and despite some of these flaws is worth reading, and I will continue on with this trilogy.
April 23, 2023
Wards of Faerie by Terry Brooks
Wards of Faerie is the first book in the Dark Legacy of Shannara series. There’s no question that Terry Brooks has a formula that he follows in all of these series. Some great talisman must be found (in this case missing Elfstones). A group of characters must be gathered and this group always involves druids, elves, at least one member of the Ohmsford family, a member of the Leah family, and an assortment of others. They have to travel a long distance to achieve this goal and there are both human (the Federation) and non-human groups opposing them.
Although this is formulaic to be sure, it is also comforting. I know that when I read Terry Brooks, I’m going to get a well written epic fantasy novel. There’s going to be danger, good characters, a journey, and many of the elements that I like in my fantasy. This novel is no different. The first novel sets the stage, but to really judge it, you have to read the entire trilogy, and then see how it compares to the other trilogies.
What I like so far is the use of airships for travel. It’s not the first time they are being used, but I think they are a cool addition. I also like that the series is coming full circle now that science is coming back again to the world. After the world went into an apocalypse where science (in the form of nuclear annihilation) led to the end of the world and the rise of magic, science is now making a come back and threatening the supremacy of magic. The tone is overall a little darker than in some of the other books in this series.
Thus far, it’s a solid first book. It’s not spectacular but good. As I mentioned before, it’s difficult to judge this by itself but only in the context of how good the overall series will be, which is still too early to tell.
Although this is formulaic to be sure, it is also comforting. I know that when I read Terry Brooks, I’m going to get a well written epic fantasy novel. There’s going to be danger, good characters, a journey, and many of the elements that I like in my fantasy. This novel is no different. The first novel sets the stage, but to really judge it, you have to read the entire trilogy, and then see how it compares to the other trilogies.
What I like so far is the use of airships for travel. It’s not the first time they are being used, but I think they are a cool addition. I also like that the series is coming full circle now that science is coming back again to the world. After the world went into an apocalypse where science (in the form of nuclear annihilation) led to the end of the world and the rise of magic, science is now making a come back and threatening the supremacy of magic. The tone is overall a little darker than in some of the other books in this series.
Thus far, it’s a solid first book. It’s not spectacular but good. As I mentioned before, it’s difficult to judge this by itself but only in the context of how good the overall series will be, which is still too early to tell.
April 17, 2023
Rule by Rowena Miller
Rule is the final installment in Rowena Miller’s Unraveled Kingdom trilogy. The trilogy started off strong but lost steam as it went on. The best novel in the trilogy was the first one. I think one of the issues I had is that I don’t think there was enough material to fill out three novels and as a result, it seemed as if there were stretches where there wasn’t a whole lot going on. I also found the believability to suffer in this novel. For instance, Princess Annette, who never had any military experience at all, is not only the rebel naval commander but she is apparently a commander extraordinaire, which was too much for me to swallow. There were similar elements here that I just found it too much of a stretch to suspend my disbelief.
I think the other thing that suffers is that the author doesn’t do a good job with battle scenes, which wasn’t as much of a problem in the earlier novels because they weren’t featured, but now in the third novel, they were more in the forefront, and the battle scenes were not well described. As a result, the ending felt a bit anticlimactic. A stronger battle scene could have delivered a more satisfying ending. That's not to say there weren’t positive elements. In general, the writing is strong and the narrative style is easy to read. It just did not finish strong.
I think the other thing that suffers is that the author doesn’t do a good job with battle scenes, which wasn’t as much of a problem in the earlier novels because they weren’t featured, but now in the third novel, they were more in the forefront, and the battle scenes were not well described. As a result, the ending felt a bit anticlimactic. A stronger battle scene could have delivered a more satisfying ending. That's not to say there weren’t positive elements. In general, the writing is strong and the narrative style is easy to read. It just did not finish strong.
April 15, 2023
Movie Review: John Wick 4
John Wick 4 is much like the other John Wick movies, so if you didn’t appreciate them, you probably wouldn’t like this movie, and if you were a fan of the other John Wick movies, this one will be to your liking. This movie is very much like its predecessors except that it happens at a gander scale and seems to have a bigger budget than those movies. Everything about this movie is just a little more than the other ones.
Certainly a big draw of these movies is the action and the fighting. I get a kick out of all of the creative ways that they have come up with the main characters killing the nondescript characters. This was a very long movie, so the body count was probably the biggest of all the John Wick movies. But I think the real draw to these movies in the world building that exists with this crazy underworld and all of its rules and regulations. The writers intricately crafted this underworld, and without it the movie would be action for action’s sake, and fighting for fighting’s sake. But this world building creates a whole web of intricate fabric that composes the John Wick movies.
This movie definitely delivers. I’m not sure if this is my favorite of the four movies. It’s probably the first John Wick movie that is the top of my list, but this movie certainly ranks near the top and will not disappoint.
Certainly a big draw of these movies is the action and the fighting. I get a kick out of all of the creative ways that they have come up with the main characters killing the nondescript characters. This was a very long movie, so the body count was probably the biggest of all the John Wick movies. But I think the real draw to these movies in the world building that exists with this crazy underworld and all of its rules and regulations. The writers intricately crafted this underworld, and without it the movie would be action for action’s sake, and fighting for fighting’s sake. But this world building creates a whole web of intricate fabric that composes the John Wick movies.
This movie definitely delivers. I’m not sure if this is my favorite of the four movies. It’s probably the first John Wick movie that is the top of my list, but this movie certainly ranks near the top and will not disappoint.
