Carl Alves's Blog, page 5
March 6, 2022
The Fifth Ward: Friendly Fire by Dale Lucas
I thoroughly enjoyed the first novel in this trilogy. Despite the high bar, Friendly Fire, did not disappoint. Much like the first novel, the world building and characters are superb. That’s not to short change the overall quality of the writing and the dialogue, which are also top notch. The biggest difference between the two novels is that Friendly Fire was far more steeped in dwarven lore than its predecessor and magic was more tied to this novel. There was good character development as well. Rem moved toward being able to reveal his past, and Torval’s character was explored in far greater depth.
I like the use of the Kothrum in this novel, a demonic entity in dwarven lore that is called upon to seek vengeance that Rem and Torval eventually have to take down. The other thing that was particularly compelling was the racial turbulence between the dwarves and the human stonemasons. What I liked is that the author wasn’t heavy handed. There was no side that was clearly in the right or clearly in the wrong. Instead, they each have good people and bad people, and they each have their own points they made that were valid. That’s the way it should work in the real world but seldomly seems to. Even the villains in this novel generally weren’t real villains with a couple of exceptions.
This was a fun novel. I highly recommend it and look forward to completing the trilogy.
I like the use of the Kothrum in this novel, a demonic entity in dwarven lore that is called upon to seek vengeance that Rem and Torval eventually have to take down. The other thing that was particularly compelling was the racial turbulence between the dwarves and the human stonemasons. What I liked is that the author wasn’t heavy handed. There was no side that was clearly in the right or clearly in the wrong. Instead, they each have good people and bad people, and they each have their own points they made that were valid. That’s the way it should work in the real world but seldomly seems to. Even the villains in this novel generally weren’t real villains with a couple of exceptions.
This was a fun novel. I highly recommend it and look forward to completing the trilogy.
February 26, 2022
The Fifth Ward: First Watch by Dale Lucas
This novel was so different from any epic fantasy novel I have ever read. It was refreshing to read a novel that featured orcs, dwarves, and elves but didn’t involve some massive quest with the fate of the world at stake. That’s the blueprint of the overwhelming majority of epic fantasy, and although that’s enjoyable to read, this offered something unique and interesting. The premise follows Rem and Torval, two members of what amounts to the police force of the city. They stumble into a major crime spree involving important members of their city.
Beyond the premise, the execution of this novel was top notch. The writing was strong with some modernization and grittiness in the language that reflected the hardboiled crime story involved. The characterization was top notch, both with Rem and Torval as well as some of the side characters. I read a great many thrillers, and the plot unfolded in a well thought out manner with suspense but without plot holes and gaps in logic. I really don’t even have anything to quibble about. The length was about right for the story, and there was not a massive bloated backstory or unnecessary writing that often plagues the genre.
This is a novel I recommend and look forward to reading the remaining novels in the series.
Beyond the premise, the execution of this novel was top notch. The writing was strong with some modernization and grittiness in the language that reflected the hardboiled crime story involved. The characterization was top notch, both with Rem and Torval as well as some of the side characters. I read a great many thrillers, and the plot unfolded in a well thought out manner with suspense but without plot holes and gaps in logic. I really don’t even have anything to quibble about. The length was about right for the story, and there was not a massive bloated backstory or unnecessary writing that often plagues the genre.
This is a novel I recommend and look forward to reading the remaining novels in the series.
February 20, 2022
The Gathering Storm by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
I had really soured on the most recent books in The Wheel of Time series. The books had gotten long winded. They meandered aimlessly and seem to be leading nowhere. There were a million characters that I could no longer keep track of, let alone care about. I strongly considered giving up on the series even though I was so far into it, but I had heard to stick with it because the series got better after Brandon Sanderson took over, and I definitely concur with that sentiment. Sanderson has given this series the shot in the arm that it badly needed.
Although the novel was long, and there were storylines that seemed to be going nowhere, the writing was vastly improved, and, by the end of the novel, those wandering storylines came together more cohesively. The Egwene storyline was an example of one that had been really dragging but came together strongly at the end of this book and was a real highlight. I also liked the villain turn of the Daughter of the Nine Moons. The writing was tighter. The plot and progression was more focused.
There were still some issues with the novel. The biggest problem that I see is that Rand Al’Thor has become a completely unlikeable character. He started off the series as a character that you could root for, but now it’s like, yeah I suppose the world needs him to defeat the Dark One in the final battle, but he has become a complete bore. He barely even feels like a real person any more. I am hoping in the last couple of novels they fix his character, because it’s hard to truly enjoy a novel when you don’t like the main protagonist.
Overall, I enjoyed this novel and remain optimistic for the final two.
Although the novel was long, and there were storylines that seemed to be going nowhere, the writing was vastly improved, and, by the end of the novel, those wandering storylines came together more cohesively. The Egwene storyline was an example of one that had been really dragging but came together strongly at the end of this book and was a real highlight. I also liked the villain turn of the Daughter of the Nine Moons. The writing was tighter. The plot and progression was more focused.
There were still some issues with the novel. The biggest problem that I see is that Rand Al’Thor has become a completely unlikeable character. He started off the series as a character that you could root for, but now it’s like, yeah I suppose the world needs him to defeat the Dark One in the final battle, but he has become a complete bore. He barely even feels like a real person any more. I am hoping in the last couple of novels they fix his character, because it’s hard to truly enjoy a novel when you don’t like the main protagonist.
Overall, I enjoyed this novel and remain optimistic for the final two.
January 20, 2022
Beyond the Ice Limit by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
I wanted to like this novel because I found the concept to be interesting, but there were too many hurdles to leap over to actually find it enjoyable. There were problems with the characterization and the writing, which weren’t particularly well done, but the biggest problem was believability. And the lack of believability had nothing to do with the concept of an alien tree-like creature being launched somewhere from deep space in an impenetrable pod before landing on the sea floor, growing into a structure that was miles long and was going to then destroy the planet. And yes, that does sound a bit far-fetched but I was willing to go with that. It was everything else that was a problem.
For starters, the team was able to get a nuclear weapon placed on a ship with the intent to destroy this alien life form without any government in the world noticing them. Things like the obtaining of nuclear weapons typically doesn’t go unnoticed by government agencies. Not to mention this type of voyage would have possibly cost into the hundreds of millions, if not billions of dollars, but funding and resources seemed to be no problem for these folks. The science in the novel was preposterous and turned me off because it was almost silly at times. The way the characters acted on the crew did not come off as realistic, but what really lost me was the ending.
Without spoiling the ending, to kill the alien creature and have the characters actually survived would have been a one in a trillion shot, and that’s being generous. Yet, somehow they threaded the needle so that everybody could live happily ever after. Except that it wasn’t remotely satisfying since it was so preposterous. For me, this novel is a pass. I think you could do much better.
For starters, the team was able to get a nuclear weapon placed on a ship with the intent to destroy this alien life form without any government in the world noticing them. Things like the obtaining of nuclear weapons typically doesn’t go unnoticed by government agencies. Not to mention this type of voyage would have possibly cost into the hundreds of millions, if not billions of dollars, but funding and resources seemed to be no problem for these folks. The science in the novel was preposterous and turned me off because it was almost silly at times. The way the characters acted on the crew did not come off as realistic, but what really lost me was the ending.
Without spoiling the ending, to kill the alien creature and have the characters actually survived would have been a one in a trillion shot, and that’s being generous. Yet, somehow they threaded the needle so that everybody could live happily ever after. Except that it wasn’t remotely satisfying since it was so preposterous. For me, this novel is a pass. I think you could do much better.
January 13, 2022
Movie Review: Spiderman Far From Home
By the time I watched this movie, I had heard so much hype surrounding it and so many good reviews that the movie had an uphill battle to climb. This movie has crushed all pandemic records and proved that if you focus on presenting a good story and making a good movie, people will go to watch it (yes, I’m specifically referring to Marvel under the Disney umbrella, whose products have left a lot to be desired of late and they seem to have lost their way).
Spoilers ahead, so be warned. What this movie had in abundance was a nostalgia factor, bringing back almost every Spiderman villain from the previous iteration of Spiderman movies. They skipped Venom so as not to confuse people with the current Venom and Rhino, who was just lame. Having Doctor Strange in this movie also worked. My favorite part of the movie was not just bringing back the Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield to fill their previous roles as Spiderman, but when the three Spider Men worked together to thwart the movie’s villains.
Spoilers ahead, so be warned. What this movie had in abundance was a nostalgia factor, bringing back almost every Spiderman villain from the previous iteration of Spiderman movies. They skipped Venom so as not to confuse people with the current Venom and Rhino, who was just lame. Having Doctor Strange in this movie also worked. My favorite part of the movie was not just bringing back the Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield to fill their previous roles as Spiderman, but when the three Spider Men worked together to thwart the movie’s villains.
October 25, 2021
Movie Review: Venom Let There Be Carnage
I enjoyed the first Venom movie and appreciate the character in the current superhero landscape. Venom is a smart-alecky, violent, antihero, portrayed well by Tom Hardy. With my thorough disappointment in recent movies and television shows presented in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I was glad to have a change of pace with this movie. Although I generally liked this movie, it didn’t quite measure up to the first one. Venom was still Venom, but part of the novelty of the character was gone. There were still funny lines and good action, but Carnage was overacted by Woody Harrelson. It was of an over the top portrayal of the character. Also, there was no explanation of Frances Barrison, the other villain in the movie, of who she was and how she got her superpowers and how it fit in with these two characters.
It’s hard to pinpoint where this movie fell short of the original yet still felt enjoyable. For one thing, it wasn’t always easy to tell who was who when Venom and Carnage were fighting each other. There were things that I enjoyed about the movie. One of my favorite parts was after Venom separated from Eddie Brock, he went to a rave party and was the hit of the party and was able to conceal his identity since everyone there just thought he was wearing a costume. I also like the character of Dr. Dan Lewis, who brought some comic relief with his interactions with Venom. I would recommend this movie as a fun two hours, even if it doesn’t quite live up to the original.
It’s hard to pinpoint where this movie fell short of the original yet still felt enjoyable. For one thing, it wasn’t always easy to tell who was who when Venom and Carnage were fighting each other. There were things that I enjoyed about the movie. One of my favorite parts was after Venom separated from Eddie Brock, he went to a rave party and was the hit of the party and was able to conceal his identity since everyone there just thought he was wearing a costume. I also like the character of Dr. Dan Lewis, who brought some comic relief with his interactions with Venom. I would recommend this movie as a fun two hours, even if it doesn’t quite live up to the original.
July 6, 2021
Long Live the Queen by Kate Locke
This series started off so strong with God Save the Queen. I enjoyed the concept, the writing style, the characters, and was digging the novel. I was lukewarm about the second entry into the trilogy, but still had hopes for the final addition. Unfortunately, it only got worse with Long Live the Queen. The series kept losing steam and then ran out of gas at the end. There was a lot not to like about this novel. The one thing that really bothered me is the illogical treatment of technology. So, the series sets up as not quite being a steampunk novel, but with technology that is considerably behind our technology. But somehow we are supposed to believe that their cloning technology is light years ahead of ours. Somehow they are not able to just clone a human fetus (which would be a serious stretch given the disparity in technology), but they can clone a fully grown were/goblin. They also have extremely advanced bioweapons. It also felt tired. The storyline never advanced from the first novel. It just felt like more of the same. The fight scenes were poorly described. The author just kind of skimmed over them, even during climactic fight scenes. Xandra is a very generic character, the type that has been done to death in this genre. If you have read the first two novels in the trilogy, you will probably want to finish it, but I would not bother.
June 5, 2021
Movie Review: A Quiet Place II
It’s rare to see a sequel in the horror genre that is as good if not better than the first movie in the series. As much as I enjoyed A Quiet Place, the sequel is just as good. It’s also unusual to see a horror movie that can be provide scares and chills without the use of gore, and in general is family friendly. In fact, this is the first horror movie that my entire family went to see in the movie theater (and our first since the start of the pandemic).
What A Quiet Place II has in abundance is tension. From the opening scene, which is a flashback to day one of the apocalypse and one of the best scenes in the entire movie, where they introduce the invasion of the creatures, to the following scene where the family is fleeing from their home with a baby in tow, all the way to the chilling ending, the movie had tremendous tension throughout. It doesn’t rely on cheap scares or blood and guts to deliver this, and it doesn’t even rely on dialogue.
What I also enjoyed about this movie are some of its central themes—faith, family, and community—things that are important especially in the most dire of circumstances. To me, the most tense scenes in the movie involved the baby, which added an incredible quandry to an already dire situation just trying to survive against these creatures. This is a movie that lived up to my expectations, and I highly recommend it.
What A Quiet Place II has in abundance is tension. From the opening scene, which is a flashback to day one of the apocalypse and one of the best scenes in the entire movie, where they introduce the invasion of the creatures, to the following scene where the family is fleeing from their home with a baby in tow, all the way to the chilling ending, the movie had tremendous tension throughout. It doesn’t rely on cheap scares or blood and guts to deliver this, and it doesn’t even rely on dialogue.
What I also enjoyed about this movie are some of its central themes—faith, family, and community—things that are important especially in the most dire of circumstances. To me, the most tense scenes in the movie involved the baby, which added an incredible quandry to an already dire situation just trying to survive against these creatures. This is a movie that lived up to my expectations, and I highly recommend it.
May 24, 2021
Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson
Overall, I enjoyed Words of Radiance, perhaps not as much as the first novel in the series, but I still thought it was quite good. Not that I thought every aspect of this novel was good. For one thing, it’s too long. Even though some parts of it are page turning and intriguing, there were too many long flashbacks, too many inconsequential scenes, and the interludes generally seem like a waste of time. So, this novel is quite good but not without its flaws.
The lifeblood of any series is the characters, since the reader is going to have to spend so much time with the characters, especially in a novel as long as this one. This novel and series has well developed characters from the main ones: Kaladin, Shallan, and Dalinar to many of the lesser and side characters. The author is strong at characterization as well as building suspense. I found myself wanting to find out more about the big reveals, which are set up well. There are times when the novel is an exciting page turner, such as when Kaladin jumps into a duel with no protection to save Dalinar’s sons. I also enjoyed the specter of the Assassin in White attacking, and the intrigue surrounding the plot to kill the king. There was a lot going on in this novel, and for the most part it was good. I would recommend reading this, but I wish a strong willed editor was willing to chop this down a bit and get rid of some of the fluff.
The lifeblood of any series is the characters, since the reader is going to have to spend so much time with the characters, especially in a novel as long as this one. This novel and series has well developed characters from the main ones: Kaladin, Shallan, and Dalinar to many of the lesser and side characters. The author is strong at characterization as well as building suspense. I found myself wanting to find out more about the big reveals, which are set up well. There are times when the novel is an exciting page turner, such as when Kaladin jumps into a duel with no protection to save Dalinar’s sons. I also enjoyed the specter of the Assassin in White attacking, and the intrigue surrounding the plot to kill the king. There was a lot going on in this novel, and for the most part it was good. I would recommend reading this, but I wish a strong willed editor was willing to chop this down a bit and get rid of some of the fluff.
May 2, 2021
Movie Review: Godzilla vs Kong
The entire selling point of this movie was the showdown between King Kong and Godzilla. It certainly worked on me since I have enjoyed watching these titans not just in their recent movies but in movies throughout the years. As an extra bonus, Mechgodzilla was thrown into the fray. The fighting delivered and was clearly the highlight of the movie. It was delivered in a compelling way—almost like a three round fight and was fun to watch. Unfortunately, that was about the only redeemable aspect of the movie.
It seemed as if the writers and director had this great concept for a movie—namely a clash between Kong and Godzilla, but they couldn’t figure out a way to deliver this. Everything else about the movie was so utterly flawed. For one thing, the human characters were really terrible, specifically the trio that was on Godzilla’s side—Madison, Josh, and Bernie. These three characters were so poorly written it was laughable. Dr. Nathan Lind, played by Alexander Skarsgard, comes off as a dope. He’s a geologist with no apparent flight or military experience, but was chosen to captain this incredibly advanced vessel to go into the middle of the earth—which seemed to be a complete ripoff of Journey to the Center of the Earth.
The science in this movie was ridiculous. The most absurd part was that the above mentioned trio get stuck in this vehicle that was able to get from Florida to Hong Kong in about two seconds in some sort of underground tunnel that wasn’t even explained. I can suspend my disbelief enough that a company could build a robotic version of Godzilla, but this was too much. Then there was the absurdity of the gravity inversion theory they tried to push and other eye rolling science. The plot was also utterly illogical and filled with holes. The entire premise of the hollow earth and why Kong needed to get there to avoid Godzilla was laughable.
If you want some good fight scenes with heavy hitting monsters, this movie will deliver for you. If you want more than that, you will be disappointed.
It seemed as if the writers and director had this great concept for a movie—namely a clash between Kong and Godzilla, but they couldn’t figure out a way to deliver this. Everything else about the movie was so utterly flawed. For one thing, the human characters were really terrible, specifically the trio that was on Godzilla’s side—Madison, Josh, and Bernie. These three characters were so poorly written it was laughable. Dr. Nathan Lind, played by Alexander Skarsgard, comes off as a dope. He’s a geologist with no apparent flight or military experience, but was chosen to captain this incredibly advanced vessel to go into the middle of the earth—which seemed to be a complete ripoff of Journey to the Center of the Earth.
The science in this movie was ridiculous. The most absurd part was that the above mentioned trio get stuck in this vehicle that was able to get from Florida to Hong Kong in about two seconds in some sort of underground tunnel that wasn’t even explained. I can suspend my disbelief enough that a company could build a robotic version of Godzilla, but this was too much. Then there was the absurdity of the gravity inversion theory they tried to push and other eye rolling science. The plot was also utterly illogical and filled with holes. The entire premise of the hollow earth and why Kong needed to get there to avoid Godzilla was laughable.
If you want some good fight scenes with heavy hitting monsters, this movie will deliver for you. If you want more than that, you will be disappointed.
