Carl Alves's Blog, page 21
July 19, 2017
Game of Thrones: Dragonstone
Ah yes, the greatest television show in the history of the small screen is back with Dragonstone. This is the type of episode that I would describe as a table setter. There wasn’t any big action or reveals or any OMG moments, but it nicely set story lines for the upcoming season. This was an episode I enjoyed, if not for the greatness of the episode, then for the mere fact that I get to watch Game of Thrones again
Sam Tarly
I don’t think any of the characters quite have it as rough as Sam. He’s serving food, putting books away, and cleaning chamber pots. To be honest, I could have done without this scene, or at least lessened the amount of feces in it. After about fifteen seconds, I got the picture. And then his revelation about the dragon glass being in Dragonstone was anti-climactic. Stannis already told him and Jon that there are tons of dragon glass there. I’m not sure why this was such a revelation.
Arya Stark
I suppose that this was the one big action scene, but for me it was a complete let down. From the moment I saw Walder Frey addressing his men I knew exactly what was going to happen—Arya was wearing a false face and was going to poison all of the people in the hall with the wine that they drank. Because of that, this mass murder had no impact. It would have been far more impactful if they never showed the scene at the end of last season when Arya kills Walder, and instead have this scene, and then perhaps do a flashback to her killing Walder.
Jon Snow
In this episode, Jon Snow shows how he is capable of leading the houses of the North because of the person he is and not his birthright. Sansa, on the other hand, has the birthright but nowhere near the charisma and leadership skills that Jon has. Instead of penalizing House Umber and House Karstark for siding with Ramsay Bolton, he gets the young children who lead those houses to pledge fealty to him, whereas Sansa wanted to strip them of their land. Jon points to Ned Stark as his moral compass, while Sansa indicates that she leans toward Cersei’s leadership style. Meanwhile, more seeds are sown. It’s clear that Littlefinger is going to try to lead her to betray Jon, and based on her weak character, I think she will betray him.
Cersei Lannister
Cersei is surrounded by enemies on all sides, and the only person she can truly trust is Jaimie, but her brother is having some serious doubts about her, and for the first time is seeing Cersei for the monster that she truly is. Even with Euron Greyjoy pledging to use the Iron Fleet to help her, there is no way that anything other than her getting crushed by Daenerys will be the final outcome. She is about to blitz Cersei with overwhelming force.
The Hound
The Hound is quickly becoming one of my favorite characters on the show. I love his surly nature and his overall nastiness. Deep down, a lot of good resides in him, as shown when he buries the farmer and his daughter, whom previously he had stolen money from them when he was roaming with Arya because they were weak and wouldn’t survive. I guess he was right. With the Hound’s vision of the White Walkers, my guess is that he and his band will be venturing North to join the Wildlings in what should be an epic battle at Eastwatch by the Sea.
Cool episode. Lots of good stuff. By the way, I absolutely love every scene where Brienne and Tormund are in. Their mannerisms and facial expressions are priceless.
Sam Tarly
I don’t think any of the characters quite have it as rough as Sam. He’s serving food, putting books away, and cleaning chamber pots. To be honest, I could have done without this scene, or at least lessened the amount of feces in it. After about fifteen seconds, I got the picture. And then his revelation about the dragon glass being in Dragonstone was anti-climactic. Stannis already told him and Jon that there are tons of dragon glass there. I’m not sure why this was such a revelation.
Arya Stark
I suppose that this was the one big action scene, but for me it was a complete let down. From the moment I saw Walder Frey addressing his men I knew exactly what was going to happen—Arya was wearing a false face and was going to poison all of the people in the hall with the wine that they drank. Because of that, this mass murder had no impact. It would have been far more impactful if they never showed the scene at the end of last season when Arya kills Walder, and instead have this scene, and then perhaps do a flashback to her killing Walder.
Jon Snow
In this episode, Jon Snow shows how he is capable of leading the houses of the North because of the person he is and not his birthright. Sansa, on the other hand, has the birthright but nowhere near the charisma and leadership skills that Jon has. Instead of penalizing House Umber and House Karstark for siding with Ramsay Bolton, he gets the young children who lead those houses to pledge fealty to him, whereas Sansa wanted to strip them of their land. Jon points to Ned Stark as his moral compass, while Sansa indicates that she leans toward Cersei’s leadership style. Meanwhile, more seeds are sown. It’s clear that Littlefinger is going to try to lead her to betray Jon, and based on her weak character, I think she will betray him.
Cersei Lannister
Cersei is surrounded by enemies on all sides, and the only person she can truly trust is Jaimie, but her brother is having some serious doubts about her, and for the first time is seeing Cersei for the monster that she truly is. Even with Euron Greyjoy pledging to use the Iron Fleet to help her, there is no way that anything other than her getting crushed by Daenerys will be the final outcome. She is about to blitz Cersei with overwhelming force.
The Hound
The Hound is quickly becoming one of my favorite characters on the show. I love his surly nature and his overall nastiness. Deep down, a lot of good resides in him, as shown when he buries the farmer and his daughter, whom previously he had stolen money from them when he was roaming with Arya because they were weak and wouldn’t survive. I guess he was right. With the Hound’s vision of the White Walkers, my guess is that he and his band will be venturing North to join the Wildlings in what should be an epic battle at Eastwatch by the Sea.
Cool episode. Lots of good stuff. By the way, I absolutely love every scene where Brienne and Tormund are in. Their mannerisms and facial expressions are priceless.
July 12, 2017
Movie Review: Spiderman Homecoming
The best way I can describe my feelings toward Spiderman: Homecoming is lukewarm. It certainly wasn’t a bad movie. It had some decent entertainment value, but when I compare it to the last two movies that I saw in the theaters: Wonderwoman and Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2, it falls short.
I guess my biggest criticism is that I’m not a big fan of the actor they cast as the newest Spiderman. He’s not nearly as good at the role as Tobey Maguire (my favorite Spiderman) or Andrew Garfield. Tom Holland comes off as being a bit immature for the role. The Spiderman character itself seems less capable than the previous iterations. It also didn’t make sense that the Vulture’s crew of blue collar workers would be able to engineer alien technology, something that would seem better suited for let’s say a team of MIT engineers or NASA scientists. There was also some very obvious product placement for Audi in the movie.
That’s not to say that there weren’t things that I enjoyed about the movie. The overall action and effects were pretty cool. I enjoyed Iron Man’s involvement in the movie. I also liked the casting of Michael Keeton as the Vulture. He really fit the role well as the hard-nosed blue collar business owner turned criminal. He humanized that role and was even sympathetic and turned out an A+ performance. Without trying to spoil things, there was a great twist when Spiderman took his date to the homecoming dance that was my favorite part of the movie. In the end, I was entertained by the movie but somewhat underwhelmed.
I guess my biggest criticism is that I’m not a big fan of the actor they cast as the newest Spiderman. He’s not nearly as good at the role as Tobey Maguire (my favorite Spiderman) or Andrew Garfield. Tom Holland comes off as being a bit immature for the role. The Spiderman character itself seems less capable than the previous iterations. It also didn’t make sense that the Vulture’s crew of blue collar workers would be able to engineer alien technology, something that would seem better suited for let’s say a team of MIT engineers or NASA scientists. There was also some very obvious product placement for Audi in the movie.
That’s not to say that there weren’t things that I enjoyed about the movie. The overall action and effects were pretty cool. I enjoyed Iron Man’s involvement in the movie. I also liked the casting of Michael Keeton as the Vulture. He really fit the role well as the hard-nosed blue collar business owner turned criminal. He humanized that role and was even sympathetic and turned out an A+ performance. Without trying to spoil things, there was a great twist when Spiderman took his date to the homecoming dance that was my favorite part of the movie. In the end, I was entertained by the movie but somewhat underwhelmed.
July 9, 2017
10 Questions with Keith DeCandido
1. How do you approach writing science fiction and fantasy series tie-in fiction for the various series that you write for and how did that come about as a career path for you?
Answering the second question first, I actually started out as an editor of media tie-in fiction, working for the late Byron Preiss. Among other things, I edited a line of Marvel Comics novels and anthologies that were published by Boulevard Books from 1994-2000. That job put me in touch with lots of other folks that gave me the opportunity to pitch, and I also wrote a bit for the Marvel program—other folks in the company edited those works—and it just kind of snowballed from there. In terms of how I approach it, with every licensed universe I've written in—thirty and counting—my method is to immerse myself completely in the world. If it's a TV show, I binge-watch the show. If it's a comic book, I read as much of the comic book as I can. And so on.
2. Who has been your biggest influence as a writer?
I don't think I can narrow it down to one person. So many different people have continued to influence my writing over the decades. I will single out the four authors my parents gave me to read when I was old enough to read on my own, as they were probably the most formative on my early desire to make up stories: J.R.R. Tolkien, Ursula K. Le Guin, Robert A. Heinlein, and P.G. Wodehouse, which not only explains my love of science fiction, fantasy, and British humor, but also my pretentious insistence on using my middle initials all the time.
3. How did you get involved in the Limbus, Inc. Book 3 project and what was the genesis of your story?
I got involved simply by being recommended by regular Limbus contributor Jonathan Maberry when they were casting about for fresh blood for Volume 3. I read the first two anthologies after JournalStone approached me. My first thought was that Limbus Inc. goes after people who are down on their luck and/or underappreciated. It seemed to me that the last people they would go after are white guys, who are the people in the world least suffering from those problems. You want to target the people who never get a chance to show their stuff, go after a black woman in a poor part of New York City in the 1970s. That's someone whose gifts would be guaranteed to go unnoticed—except by a fancy-shmancy powerful shadowy corporation.
4. What advice do you have for beginning writers?
Put your ass in the chair and your fingers on the keyboard. Finish what you start. If you don't finish what you start, you're not a writer, you're a hobbyist—a doodler. Also the big secret that so many writers forget: the first draft is supposed to suck. You can go back and fix it later, but get through to the end first. It's easier to fix a whole story than a fragment.
5. What type of scenes do you most enjoy writing?
I love writing police procedurals, and I've written several over the years, including two series of fantastical procedurals, one taking place in a high fantasy setting (Dragon Precinct and its sequels), the other taking place in a city filled with superheroes (the Super City Cops stories). The thing I love writing most is the interrogation scene, the verbal dance between cop and suspect to try to cadge a confession out.
6. What type of research do you have to do when preparing for your series tie-in fiction writing?
As I said above, immersing myself in the material as much as is possible.
7. What made you start writing?
No idea. The desire has always been there. The first thing I wrote was an eight-page book on construction paper called Reflections in My Mirror. I was six. It's horrible.
8. If you could pick one other author to collaborate with on a novel or story, living or dead, who would it be?
Alfred Bester.
9. Which person do you most admire?
Anyone who follows their dream and does what they love.
10. If you could invite five people to a dinner party (alive or dead, real or fictional) who would you invite?
Mary Shelley, Lord Byron, Dorothy Parker, Molly Ivins, and Crowley from Supernatural.
Answering the second question first, I actually started out as an editor of media tie-in fiction, working for the late Byron Preiss. Among other things, I edited a line of Marvel Comics novels and anthologies that were published by Boulevard Books from 1994-2000. That job put me in touch with lots of other folks that gave me the opportunity to pitch, and I also wrote a bit for the Marvel program—other folks in the company edited those works—and it just kind of snowballed from there. In terms of how I approach it, with every licensed universe I've written in—thirty and counting—my method is to immerse myself completely in the world. If it's a TV show, I binge-watch the show. If it's a comic book, I read as much of the comic book as I can. And so on.
2. Who has been your biggest influence as a writer?
I don't think I can narrow it down to one person. So many different people have continued to influence my writing over the decades. I will single out the four authors my parents gave me to read when I was old enough to read on my own, as they were probably the most formative on my early desire to make up stories: J.R.R. Tolkien, Ursula K. Le Guin, Robert A. Heinlein, and P.G. Wodehouse, which not only explains my love of science fiction, fantasy, and British humor, but also my pretentious insistence on using my middle initials all the time.
3. How did you get involved in the Limbus, Inc. Book 3 project and what was the genesis of your story?
I got involved simply by being recommended by regular Limbus contributor Jonathan Maberry when they were casting about for fresh blood for Volume 3. I read the first two anthologies after JournalStone approached me. My first thought was that Limbus Inc. goes after people who are down on their luck and/or underappreciated. It seemed to me that the last people they would go after are white guys, who are the people in the world least suffering from those problems. You want to target the people who never get a chance to show their stuff, go after a black woman in a poor part of New York City in the 1970s. That's someone whose gifts would be guaranteed to go unnoticed—except by a fancy-shmancy powerful shadowy corporation.
4. What advice do you have for beginning writers?
Put your ass in the chair and your fingers on the keyboard. Finish what you start. If you don't finish what you start, you're not a writer, you're a hobbyist—a doodler. Also the big secret that so many writers forget: the first draft is supposed to suck. You can go back and fix it later, but get through to the end first. It's easier to fix a whole story than a fragment.
5. What type of scenes do you most enjoy writing?
I love writing police procedurals, and I've written several over the years, including two series of fantastical procedurals, one taking place in a high fantasy setting (Dragon Precinct and its sequels), the other taking place in a city filled with superheroes (the Super City Cops stories). The thing I love writing most is the interrogation scene, the verbal dance between cop and suspect to try to cadge a confession out.
6. What type of research do you have to do when preparing for your series tie-in fiction writing?
As I said above, immersing myself in the material as much as is possible.
7. What made you start writing?
No idea. The desire has always been there. The first thing I wrote was an eight-page book on construction paper called Reflections in My Mirror. I was six. It's horrible.
8. If you could pick one other author to collaborate with on a novel or story, living or dead, who would it be?
Alfred Bester.
9. Which person do you most admire?
Anyone who follows their dream and does what they love.
10. If you could invite five people to a dinner party (alive or dead, real or fictional) who would you invite?
Mary Shelley, Lord Byron, Dorothy Parker, Molly Ivins, and Crowley from Supernatural.
July 1, 2017
Limbus Inc. Volume 3 edited by Brett J. Talley
I jumped into Volume 3 of the Limbus, Inc. series without having read either of the first two books. The book was well-crafted and well-explained so that I didn’t feel as if I was missing anything. I thoroughly enjoyed the weaving of each of the stories along with the interludes where Detective Malone is following the journey in much the same way the reader is experiencing it while having his own story told.
Seanan McGuire’s story kicks off the shared world anthology in a strong way with a tale of a woman who is a genetically engineered and works for Limbus as an assassin, killing people who deserved to die. Each of the stories added another layer onto this amorphous, all-encompassing and dangerous entity of Limbus. I enjoyed it thoroughly up until the final story of the anthology, which I found to be a major let down. That brought the book down from a five star, fantastic anthology, to a four star, still really good anthology. My favorite story is probably a toss up between Seanan McGuire’s story and Keith DeCandido’s story about a woman with an extraordinary ability to talk people off the ledge so to speak, who travels through time influencing the lives of others and her own on behalf of Limbus, Inc. This anthology both had a great concept and was well executed.
Seanan McGuire’s story kicks off the shared world anthology in a strong way with a tale of a woman who is a genetically engineered and works for Limbus as an assassin, killing people who deserved to die. Each of the stories added another layer onto this amorphous, all-encompassing and dangerous entity of Limbus. I enjoyed it thoroughly up until the final story of the anthology, which I found to be a major let down. That brought the book down from a five star, fantastic anthology, to a four star, still really good anthology. My favorite story is probably a toss up between Seanan McGuire’s story and Keith DeCandido’s story about a woman with an extraordinary ability to talk people off the ledge so to speak, who travels through time influencing the lives of others and her own on behalf of Limbus, Inc. This anthology both had a great concept and was well executed.
June 27, 2017
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
Ender’s Game is an iconic science fiction novel that was both a flawed novel and a deeply compelling one. It is the story of Ender Wiggin, a child genius who is selected by the Earth’s military establishment as the person who is going to be the fleet commander to destroy the buggers—an alien race that has twice invaded Earth. After repelling them both times, they decide that they now need to attack them on their home planet, and Ender is the weapon they will use. Before that he goes through space academy.
This was a compelling and well written novel. Right from the jump I was gripped and I remained that way all the way through until the end. There is a timelessness about the story. It was well-crafted and intricate in its design. However, I had some issues with it that knocked it down a peg. For one thing, it suffered from one of the things that many young adult novels suffer from. In an effort to make it appealing to a young adult audience, the novel completely abandoned any sense of realism regarding what its main character was capable of doing. There’s no way the military apparatus of a planet would put the fate of humanity in the hands of a young child, especially the way they did it in this story. No child, even if he was a genius, would be capable of doing what Ender could do. The same holds true with Ender’s brother and sister. If you can get past the complete lack of reality associated with forcing this into a young adult novel, then you will probably enjoy this novel, since there was a lot to like.
This was a compelling and well written novel. Right from the jump I was gripped and I remained that way all the way through until the end. There is a timelessness about the story. It was well-crafted and intricate in its design. However, I had some issues with it that knocked it down a peg. For one thing, it suffered from one of the things that many young adult novels suffer from. In an effort to make it appealing to a young adult audience, the novel completely abandoned any sense of realism regarding what its main character was capable of doing. There’s no way the military apparatus of a planet would put the fate of humanity in the hands of a young child, especially the way they did it in this story. No child, even if he was a genius, would be capable of doing what Ender could do. The same holds true with Ender’s brother and sister. If you can get past the complete lack of reality associated with forcing this into a young adult novel, then you will probably enjoy this novel, since there was a lot to like.
June 22, 2017
Movie Review: Wonder Woman
DC just can’t seem to make a good movie, especially when compared to their counterparts at Marvel, who have put out an impressive string of movies over the last decade. DC, meanwhile, has put out dreck like Suicide Squad, and have done silly things like cast Ben Affleck as Batman. And then comes Wonder Woman, a movie that throws that narrative for a complete loop. In my humble opinion, this was the best movie ever made featuring DC characters.
First of all, I liked that they gave the Wonder Woman origin story, which hasn’t been done in film or TV before. She just appears as an already established superhero in previous iterations. Going back to World War One was a nice touch. Overall, the setting enhanced the movie. The casting was also a key in making this movie a success. Gal Gadot was tremendous as Wonder Woman, and Chris Pine was well cast in the leading male role. I also liked the casting of Ares, the villain in the movie. Wonder Woman totally kicked ass in this movie. They did a fine job of incorporating CGI and special effects to really make her character look impressive. Her cache of weapons was pretty cool. I liked the freshened look that they gave to her costume. The plot was well-crafted. In fact, I can’t really think of anything negative to say. Even if you’ve written off the DC universe as a flowing miasma of terrible movies, this one will change your mind.
First of all, I liked that they gave the Wonder Woman origin story, which hasn’t been done in film or TV before. She just appears as an already established superhero in previous iterations. Going back to World War One was a nice touch. Overall, the setting enhanced the movie. The casting was also a key in making this movie a success. Gal Gadot was tremendous as Wonder Woman, and Chris Pine was well cast in the leading male role. I also liked the casting of Ares, the villain in the movie. Wonder Woman totally kicked ass in this movie. They did a fine job of incorporating CGI and special effects to really make her character look impressive. Her cache of weapons was pretty cool. I liked the freshened look that they gave to her costume. The plot was well-crafted. In fact, I can’t really think of anything negative to say. Even if you’ve written off the DC universe as a flowing miasma of terrible movies, this one will change your mind.
June 16, 2017
10 Questions with Keith Donohue
1. What was the most unusual job you have ever held?
One summer I worked in construction, helping to build townhouses, and my job revolved around all of the tasks no one else wanted to do. Laying plastic in crawlspaces in the middle of the August heat made me realize that writing might be a better option.
2. What’s the greatest moment in your writing career?
Publishing “The Stolen Child,” my first novel, was a tremendous thrill, but I have to say that getting the chance to meet the Irish poet Seamus Heaney, who I had written about, was the best moment.
3. How has your experiences with the National Endowment for the Arts affected you as a novelist?
That’s a great question. Working at the NEA exposed me to a lot of different kinds of art – visual art, music, theater, literature – that led me to think more generally about how the arts actually work to engage and enchant the mind. Also, I had the opportunity to meet a lot of different artists—from Martha Graham to Toni Morrison to Mikhail Baryshinkov—and to understand how similar they are while at the same time get the sense of passion they bring to their creativity. I wrote speeches there as well, and that’s great training for the novelist’s need to occupy another persona.
4. Who is your favorite writer?
I love the work of so many writers, but I have a special place in my heart for the Irish novelist Flann O’Brien. He wrote three masterpieces: “At Swim-Two-Birds,” “The Third Policeman,” and “The Poor Mouth,” and I still laugh out loud when I read them.
5. What was the genesis of The Boy Who Drew Monsters?
A couple of different strands wound together. First, I wanted to see if I could write a psychological Gothic story under the influences of Shirley Jackson and Henry James’s “Turn of the Screw.” Second, the inner life of a character who is afraid to go outside. And third, I read a newspaper story about cross-country skiing on the beach in Maine, and I thought that would be a wonderful setting—a house hemmed in on one side by a snowstorm and by the ocean on the other with something outside trying to get in.
6. What current writing projects are you working on?
I have another novel in the works, but I’m superstitious about talking out the story while I’m writing. I’d only say that there’s nothing supernatural in this one.
7. Is there an overall theme to your writing?
A couple of things. All of my work deals, in some fashion, with the question of belief and things we cannot see or prove. I’ve been interested as well in how art can reenchant us, lift us from everyday experience into something magical.
8. What type of scenes do you most enjoy writing?
Believe it or not, but comic scenes that break the tension. Suspense is a delicate dance, and comedy actually helps keep the steps going.
9. What is your best quality as a writer?
Curiosity? I love writing sentences.
10. If Hollywood was making a film adaptation of The Boy Who Drew Monsters, and the director asked you to cast the role of Jack Peter Keenan, who would you choose?
Jacob Tremblay was wonderful in “Room,” but the trouble with children is that they grow up so quickly!
One summer I worked in construction, helping to build townhouses, and my job revolved around all of the tasks no one else wanted to do. Laying plastic in crawlspaces in the middle of the August heat made me realize that writing might be a better option.
2. What’s the greatest moment in your writing career?
Publishing “The Stolen Child,” my first novel, was a tremendous thrill, but I have to say that getting the chance to meet the Irish poet Seamus Heaney, who I had written about, was the best moment.
3. How has your experiences with the National Endowment for the Arts affected you as a novelist?
That’s a great question. Working at the NEA exposed me to a lot of different kinds of art – visual art, music, theater, literature – that led me to think more generally about how the arts actually work to engage and enchant the mind. Also, I had the opportunity to meet a lot of different artists—from Martha Graham to Toni Morrison to Mikhail Baryshinkov—and to understand how similar they are while at the same time get the sense of passion they bring to their creativity. I wrote speeches there as well, and that’s great training for the novelist’s need to occupy another persona.
4. Who is your favorite writer?
I love the work of so many writers, but I have a special place in my heart for the Irish novelist Flann O’Brien. He wrote three masterpieces: “At Swim-Two-Birds,” “The Third Policeman,” and “The Poor Mouth,” and I still laugh out loud when I read them.
5. What was the genesis of The Boy Who Drew Monsters?
A couple of different strands wound together. First, I wanted to see if I could write a psychological Gothic story under the influences of Shirley Jackson and Henry James’s “Turn of the Screw.” Second, the inner life of a character who is afraid to go outside. And third, I read a newspaper story about cross-country skiing on the beach in Maine, and I thought that would be a wonderful setting—a house hemmed in on one side by a snowstorm and by the ocean on the other with something outside trying to get in.
6. What current writing projects are you working on?
I have another novel in the works, but I’m superstitious about talking out the story while I’m writing. I’d only say that there’s nothing supernatural in this one.
7. Is there an overall theme to your writing?
A couple of things. All of my work deals, in some fashion, with the question of belief and things we cannot see or prove. I’ve been interested as well in how art can reenchant us, lift us from everyday experience into something magical.
8. What type of scenes do you most enjoy writing?
Believe it or not, but comic scenes that break the tension. Suspense is a delicate dance, and comedy actually helps keep the steps going.
9. What is your best quality as a writer?
Curiosity? I love writing sentences.
10. If Hollywood was making a film adaptation of The Boy Who Drew Monsters, and the director asked you to cast the role of Jack Peter Keenan, who would you choose?
Jacob Tremblay was wonderful in “Room,” but the trouble with children is that they grow up so quickly!
June 1, 2017
The Boy Who Drew Monsters by Keith Donohue
In The Boy Who Drew Monsters Jack Peter is a peculiar boy who has a complete and utter phobia of going outdoors who spends all of his time inside of his house. Besides his mother and father, his only companion is Nick, his one friend in the world, although they have a relationship that is contentious at best. Oh, and he likes to draw. Without giving any spoilers, that is something that factors heavily into the novel. His parents, along with Nick’s parents are experiencing their own personal and relationship issues. Strange things begin to happen as peculiar things and monsters are witnessed by the characters in the story. There are several red herrings along the way to draw the reader away from what is actually happening.
The novel had good atmosphere and good horror elements along the way. The stark and bleak New England setting added to that sense of foreboding. On the down side, I thought there were dead spots in the novel where little was happening and it seemed drawn out. The characters were flawed but compelling. One thing I didn’t quite get was that Nick and Jack Peter didn’t seem to actually like each other, so I wasn’t sure why they were friends. Perhaps, the best part of the novel was the twist at the end, which I didn’t see coming. There was a strong buildup and the ending really delivered. Although the novel, had a couple of flaws, all was forgiven with the final twist, which is the kind that will stick with me for a long time to come.
The novel had good atmosphere and good horror elements along the way. The stark and bleak New England setting added to that sense of foreboding. On the down side, I thought there were dead spots in the novel where little was happening and it seemed drawn out. The characters were flawed but compelling. One thing I didn’t quite get was that Nick and Jack Peter didn’t seem to actually like each other, so I wasn’t sure why they were friends. Perhaps, the best part of the novel was the twist at the end, which I didn’t see coming. There was a strong buildup and the ending really delivered. Although the novel, had a couple of flaws, all was forgiven with the final twist, which is the kind that will stick with me for a long time to come.
May 27, 2017
10 Questions with James Crawford
1. What is the genesis of your novel Manleigh Cheese?
Initially, it was born from Facebook. After writing my first trilogy, I asked my friends what I should write next. Out of the choices I gave them, they picked urban fantasy. I decided to give it a try.
Of course, I had to bend the genre a little.
There’s a small chain of high-end specialty cheese stores (Cheesetique) here in the Washington, DC area that is super amazing. I crossed them with a food truck and ended up with Manleigh Cheese, the mobile cheese-oriented food truck that gave the book its title.
2. Who has been your biggest influence as a writer?
There are two, maybe three. I tend to throw the absurd into my work, whether it’s horror or otherwise. That’s due to Richard Kadrey, with a serious serving of Mario Acevedo. Jim Butcher.
3. Describe your experiences with Permuted Press and Burning Willow Press?
My experiences with Permuted…Uneven. Let’s leave it at that.
Burning Willow is an amazing group of people. They truly love their authors, do their best to promote us, and are very transparent. I also have to say that their contract is the least draconian of anything I’ve seen so far.
4. What current writing projects are you working on?
My current project is a supernatural action novel, tentatively titled “Bleeding the Little Lambs.” It’s my first effort at writing a kick-ass female lead. The manuscript is about ¾ finished and I’m having a ball writing it.
I’ll probably start working on Manleigh Cheese II after “Bleeding…” is finished.
5. Is there an overall theme to your writing?
The "Blood Soaked" trilogy and "Manleigh Cheese" have a huge helping of government conspiracy. Looking at everything as a whole, I’d have to say that the main theme is how ridiculous life is.
6. What made you start writing?
A weapon I couldn’t afford to make. The hero weapon of "Blood Soaked"—the Man Scythe—was beyond my abilities as a hobbyist knifemaker to build (in skill level and costs), so I decided to write about it instead. That’s what started the ball rolling, and why I produce more words than blades.
7. Is there any subject that is off limits for you as a writer?
I don’t know. My initial answer was “anything I find morally reprehensible,” but I realized that my villains have been known to do things that fall into that description. That aside, I probably will never write Fluffy or Plushie erotica…unless a character needs to be a fetishist.
Oh, hell. I wish I hadn’t written that.
8. How do you define success as a writer?
When my readers have fun and I have fun at the same time. As an indie/small press author, I can’t focus on monetary success, or I’ll spend my life in a perpetual state of disappointment.
9. What is your best quality as a writer?
I don’t shy away from humor, and my characters have “real people” feelings.
10. If you could create a Mount Rushmore of the greatest authors in the horror genre, which four writers would you choose?
Stephen King. Peter Straub. Laurell K. Hamilton, when her characters aren’t being polyamorous and kinky…her first five books. Relative newcomer Ronaldd Malfi. I have one book from him, and it tweaks me so much that I haven’t made it past the first chapter. (Good job, Ronald!)
Initially, it was born from Facebook. After writing my first trilogy, I asked my friends what I should write next. Out of the choices I gave them, they picked urban fantasy. I decided to give it a try.
Of course, I had to bend the genre a little.
There’s a small chain of high-end specialty cheese stores (Cheesetique) here in the Washington, DC area that is super amazing. I crossed them with a food truck and ended up with Manleigh Cheese, the mobile cheese-oriented food truck that gave the book its title.
2. Who has been your biggest influence as a writer?
There are two, maybe three. I tend to throw the absurd into my work, whether it’s horror or otherwise. That’s due to Richard Kadrey, with a serious serving of Mario Acevedo. Jim Butcher.
3. Describe your experiences with Permuted Press and Burning Willow Press?
My experiences with Permuted…Uneven. Let’s leave it at that.
Burning Willow is an amazing group of people. They truly love their authors, do their best to promote us, and are very transparent. I also have to say that their contract is the least draconian of anything I’ve seen so far.
4. What current writing projects are you working on?
My current project is a supernatural action novel, tentatively titled “Bleeding the Little Lambs.” It’s my first effort at writing a kick-ass female lead. The manuscript is about ¾ finished and I’m having a ball writing it.
I’ll probably start working on Manleigh Cheese II after “Bleeding…” is finished.
5. Is there an overall theme to your writing?
The "Blood Soaked" trilogy and "Manleigh Cheese" have a huge helping of government conspiracy. Looking at everything as a whole, I’d have to say that the main theme is how ridiculous life is.
6. What made you start writing?
A weapon I couldn’t afford to make. The hero weapon of "Blood Soaked"—the Man Scythe—was beyond my abilities as a hobbyist knifemaker to build (in skill level and costs), so I decided to write about it instead. That’s what started the ball rolling, and why I produce more words than blades.
7. Is there any subject that is off limits for you as a writer?
I don’t know. My initial answer was “anything I find morally reprehensible,” but I realized that my villains have been known to do things that fall into that description. That aside, I probably will never write Fluffy or Plushie erotica…unless a character needs to be a fetishist.
Oh, hell. I wish I hadn’t written that.
8. How do you define success as a writer?
When my readers have fun and I have fun at the same time. As an indie/small press author, I can’t focus on monetary success, or I’ll spend my life in a perpetual state of disappointment.
9. What is your best quality as a writer?
I don’t shy away from humor, and my characters have “real people” feelings.
10. If you could create a Mount Rushmore of the greatest authors in the horror genre, which four writers would you choose?
Stephen King. Peter Straub. Laurell K. Hamilton, when her characters aren’t being polyamorous and kinky…her first five books. Relative newcomer Ronaldd Malfi. I have one book from him, and it tweaks me so much that I haven’t made it past the first chapter. (Good job, Ronald!)
May 21, 2017
Movie Review: Get Out
Based on the trailers I had seen previously for the movie Get Out, I wasn’t overly thrilled about the prospects of watching it, but the reviews were overly positive. As it turns out, the trailers pretty much were spot on in their depiction of the movie.
Get Out was preposterous, ridiculous, silly, and over the top. The racial overtones in the movie were utterly laughable. If I’m going to be honest, the movie was flat out racist, and if the shoe were on the other foot, and the black characters in the movie were painted out as evil monstrous people, there would be a shitstorm of protests like you wouldn’t believe. The concept of the movie was stupid. It boils down to this: older, evil white people lure young, athletic black males, to this isolated small town through the use of an evil, white harlot, she-devil, in the hopes of pulling an Invasion of the Body Snatchers type switch. Yes, the movie is as stupid as that description makes it out to be. There’s not one thing about the movie that is remotely believable, especially the surgical suite in the doctor’s basement.
Daniel Kaluuya, who plays Chris, was a complete dud in this movie. About the only redeemable aspect of the movie was Chris’s friend, Rod, was provided some excellent conspiracy theory comic relief. If the movie played it for laughs as a satire, then I might have enjoyed it, but this movie took itself and its outlandish ideas very seriously. I found it stunning that this movie got 99% on Rotten Tomatoes, since it was flat out terrible.
Get Out was preposterous, ridiculous, silly, and over the top. The racial overtones in the movie were utterly laughable. If I’m going to be honest, the movie was flat out racist, and if the shoe were on the other foot, and the black characters in the movie were painted out as evil monstrous people, there would be a shitstorm of protests like you wouldn’t believe. The concept of the movie was stupid. It boils down to this: older, evil white people lure young, athletic black males, to this isolated small town through the use of an evil, white harlot, she-devil, in the hopes of pulling an Invasion of the Body Snatchers type switch. Yes, the movie is as stupid as that description makes it out to be. There’s not one thing about the movie that is remotely believable, especially the surgical suite in the doctor’s basement.
Daniel Kaluuya, who plays Chris, was a complete dud in this movie. About the only redeemable aspect of the movie was Chris’s friend, Rod, was provided some excellent conspiracy theory comic relief. If the movie played it for laughs as a satire, then I might have enjoyed it, but this movie took itself and its outlandish ideas very seriously. I found it stunning that this movie got 99% on Rotten Tomatoes, since it was flat out terrible.
