Sidney Blaylock Jr.'s Blog, page 41
May 14, 2018
What’s On My Bookshelf: The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson (Signed Copy)
Project Paradise Word Count: 113
Project Skye Word Count: 1084
Project Independence Word Count: 1723
Project Ship of Shadows Graphic Novel Page Count: 12 (+1)
Summer Reading
So, I bought Brandon Sanderson’s novel Oathbringer (Stormlight Archives Book 3) for my birthday to read as a reward for finishing the Spring Semester. This semester was so challenging that I was actually tempted (and actually tried) to read Oathbringer before the semester was over. However, there is a prequel novella called Edgedancer that BS suggested reading before diving in Book 3 proper. Luckily, MTSU’s Library had a copy and I’ve started reading it in preparation for book 3 in the series. Today, I wanted to have a quick look at another book on my bookshelf, The Way of Kings (Stormlight Archives Book 1), which I was fortunate enough to have signed by Brandon Sanderson when he came to LibertyCon here is Chattanooga several years back.
The Way of Kings
Brandon Sanderson’s work is one of the few of the “New Generation” of fantasy writers that I like. Even though George R. R. Martin has been around since the 80’s, his Game of Thrones series kicked off a resurgence of the GrimDark genre. To be clear, GrimDark has always been around–Stephen R. Donaldson, a few of Piers Anthony’s early Sci-Fi works–not his YA or Fantasy, per se, and Dave Duncan–are just a few writers that immediately spring to mind whose works that I’ve read (and disliked) because of the GrimDark elements Most writers of Sanderson’s generation are (of course) seeing the popularity (and dollar signs) of GoT and are trying to emulate his success with their own versions. Sanderson, however, tells a very different tale–one that, while having its own grim elements, eschews GrimDark for a more hopeful and elegant premise. The hero is flawed, but not in a “antihero” sort of way, but more in that he keeps trying to protect, but it all seems to come to naught and he is so very tired of not succeeding. In an era of “Me Too” GoT clones, this was very refreshing. The world was very well built and I like the way Sanderson plots (he thinks up big, “set-piece” moments and then writes to those moments). The ending has a bit of twist and ultimately it was the hero and the ending that sold me on the story.
Life Before Death
So, the above heading is the “creed” of one of the forgotten orders of (this world’s) “knights” in the book and is what Brandon Sanderson inscribed on my copy of the book when he came for LibertyCon.. He was very nice and must say that I enjoyed meeting him. I was, surprisingly, tongue-tied but mentioned that that I was a librarian when I asked him to sign my A.R.C. (Advanced Reader’s Copy) version of the book that I had been given by another librarian a year (or two) earlier. He was very respectful and said that he enjoyed meeting librarians and the the A.R.C. was fairly rare in that there weren’t many printed and signed my copy. It is still a treasured addition to my collection even all these years later. I can only hope that, if ever I reach my goal of being a published speculative fiction novelist, that I am as gracious and nice as Brandon Sanderson was during that event.
Anyway, that’s all for today. If you’re in to Fantasy in any way, I would highly recommend checking out this series, starting with The Way of Kings. It is an awesome start to an awesome series by an awesome author!
Here’s hoping you have a good week! 
May 11, 2018
Nitpicking the Future
Project Paradise Word Count: 113
Project Skye Word Count: 1084 (+599)
Project Independence Word Count: 1723
I’ve got a nit to pick with Star Trek Enterprise
So, I’ve been rematching Star Trek Enterprise in these lazy two weeks before I have to start school related stuff again, and I noticed something. In one of the episodes, there is an unexplained plot hole that (while not major), if one picks at it, it actually doesn’t make a whole lot of sense and undermines the story–and yet, this episode appeared on network TV, the collaborators (those who wrote the “story” and those who wrote the “teleplay”) were all presumably compensated for their work, and the episode continues to an important exploration into Captain Archer’s character (& Ensign Mayweather’s as well) despite the flaw. In essence, no one “nitpicked” this episode to death and rejected it even though it does inspire disbelief.
We’ve Been “Detained”
(Spoilers Ahead–if you don’t want to know the outcome of the episode, please skip down to the next section). The episode in question is “Detained” and it Captain Archer and Ensign Mayweather are captured and held in a detention center that also houses eighty-nine Suliban (a group of aliens who are predominately shown as antagonists for the series). These Suliban are normal people who have been rounded up because a group of extremists within their race have attack other races. Their only crime was being part of the same race as those in the “Cabal” (the terrorist organization). Modern day parallels notwithstanding, it is made mention that the Sultan man (Danik) and his daughter have a wife in another internment camp (who was denied the right to join her family in the episode, so that we could see how unfair all this is to these peaceful Suliban). It is made mention that there are thousands of these peaceful Suliban in internment camps all over the planet. Archer and Mayweather along with the crew of the Enterprise manage to free these eighty-nine Suliban, but what about all the other Suliban in the internment camps?
So, you’re going to tell me that Danik is going to just abandon his wife? You’re going to tell me that those other Suliban aren’t going to face reprisals for the escape of the eighty-nine, you’re going to tell me that the Enterprise just flies off and doesn’t try to help the other Suliban in the other internment camps (which is what is strongly implied), you’re going to tell me that none of these eighty-nine individuals are going to become bitter and not, at least consider, joining the Cabal for retribution on their captors/freeing the others in other internment camps (which is also strongly hinted at by Archer’s final line of dialogue)?
Picking nits
I could go on. The point I’m trying to make is that every story, no matter how well written, will have some sort of flaw to it, if you look at it hard enough. The point the writers were trying to make is that internment camps are bad. They bring out the worst in humanity and that we need to oppose them wherever and whenever they rear their ugly heads and that we need to look at our prejudices and preconceived notions that allow internment camps to exist in the first place–why condemn a group for the actions of a few, the episode ultimately asks? This is an important question–and lesson–that could have been lost if the producer (or in my case, editor) just sat around nitpicking the stories that were generated, looking for reason not to publish them, rather than seeing the best qualities of the story and looking for reasons why it should be published. Now some editors might say, “nice in theory, but I’ve got a magazine/journal/fiction website to run,” my reply would be simple: “if it worked for Star Trek . . . .”
Have a great weekend!
Sidney
Read Skin Deep for Free at Aurora Wolf
Read Childe Roland for Free at Electric Spec
Read Faerie Knight in the anthology Fae, Rhonda Parrish, Ed. or the Kindle Edition
Read Ship of Shadows in the anthology Visions IV: Space Between Stars, Carrol Fix, Ed. or the Kindle Edition.
Read WarLight in the anthology Visions VI: Galaxies, Carrol Fix, Ed. or the Kindle Edition.
Read Dragonhawk in the magazine Tales of the Talisman, Vol. 8, Iss. 3, David Lee Summers, Ed. or the Kindle Edition.
Amazon Associate Disclaimer:
I earn a small commission on the purchase of these items.
May 10, 2018
Writing a Story: Three Things Every Great Story Has
Project Paradise Word Count: 113
Project Skye Word Count: 485
Project Independence Word Count: 1723 (+635 words)
So, this morning a watched a YouTube video (well, I actually watched several as I woke up earlier than normal–I went to be on time last night and now I feel refreshed, imagine that) that was on the channel Film Courage. While there are quite a few useful videos on the channel, this one caught my eye and I watched it. It was called Writing a Story: Three Things Every Great Story Has. I’m linking it below if you want to watch it for yourself, but I wanted to quickly touch on each of the three points in terms of my own writing.
A Great Hook
This is where I feel that I’m the strongest. All my stories, written and unwritten, have a great “hook” (in my mind at least). As a matter of fact, I think this is probably my strength as a writer (now, this is from an internal assessment–to know if this is true, I’d need people to read my writing and corroborate this) as I love coming up with ideas and new projects. I’m still working on my follow through–I could make it a full-time job of just coming up with new speculative ideas, if there was a living to be made from it, but alas, there isn’t. I have manilla folder after manilla folder of projects that I’d like to develop into short stories, graphic novels, screenplays, and novels (well over a hundred) and at least 5 or 6 notebooks filled front to back with ideas for even more projects, so this part (again, in my mind, not sure if it is true in reality) is something that I consider a strength.
Strong Characters
If having a good hook is my strongest area, then I think creating strong characters would be my weakest area. I’ve mentioned in a previous blog that the reason for this, I believe, is that I’m a fairly reserved person. I don’t tend to joke around or be the social butterfly who is the life of the party. I’m an introvert through and through. Give me a choice between a loud raucous party and a nice quiet tree with shade and a good book and I’ll take reading under the shady tree every time. However, I’m learning to try to expand my characters. Just because I’m reserved doesn’t mean my characters have to be. I’m trying to expand my characters–Project Skye and Project Independence both feature (what I think are two no-nonsense female protagonists, although again, that’s my perception writing them), while Project Paradise features two characters who are polar opposites. I’m really working on trying to upgrade my characters and make them more emotive than they have been in previous stories.
Twists and Turns with a Surprise Ending
So this is one area that I’m not sure about–I thought I was doing well with this, but two editors that I submit to regularly, keep giving me contradictory feedback. Well, the feedback isn’t contradictory–it’s always negative. They keep finding “flaws” in the story. Why did X person do this? Why did Y thing work this way? Etcetera. Yet, it is always “nitpicky” things, you know, small things that could be fixed in editing/getting the story ready for “print” if you were going to publish it. For instance, here is a partial critique from a rejection “letter” for “Silence Will Fall“:
The story is well written and the alien conquerers of Earth are well conceived, and the necessary silence ads texture. However the alien weakness seems like something that should have been found and exploited when humanity still had all its resources. After such a long time it will be a long battle to get all the aliens to die at an electricity generating plant. It also defies belief that the hydro plant would get back into to operation so easily. When Eckhart talked (signed) to Victor, how did Victor see what he was saying if he had to half-turn after to look at him after? Sorry it didn’t quite work for me.
So, here I can’t tell what’s wrong with the story (at least, what’s wrong enough to keep it from going to print). These, to me, look like “nitpicking” rather than substantive story problems (in terms of “twists and turns”). The only one that seems substantive is the one that I bolded–“It also defies belief that the hydro plant . . .” as I had a longer, more fleshed out version of him getting the plant back online in an earlier draft, but condensed it for pacing (the one in the earlier draft was longer, slower, and other rejections noted it as a problem, so I changed it for the revision). The word also implies that the editor didn’t believe humanity wouldn’t have been able to stop the alien threat before it got so far out of hand. Yet, that’s exactly what happens in pretty much all of the “zombie apocalypse” stories out there right now (and quite a few “alien invasion” stories)–humanity is overwhelmed in the first few days, hours, weeks, and it is the survivors who have to deal with the threat (Independence Day, The Last of Us, and The Division are all media that I’ve watched or played that has this same set-up, not to mention the perennial powerhouse in the “room,” The Walking Dead), so is it me not understanding/doing something that these writers are understanding/doing or is it the editors just not wanting to publish the story and are nitpicking flaws to justify their decision? This is why I’m unsure if my twists and turns are a strength or weakness because there are examples (published) that I can point to that have similar set-ups/constructions, but I’m told via editorial feedback that my twists and turns have unpublishable flaws, I’m at a loss at who to believe.
Anyway, I found this YouTube video extremely helpful in helping me to think about my writing in terms of strengths and weaknesses and will continue to try to refine my strengths and raise the level of my weaknesses until they are strengths as well.
Have a good day!
May 9, 2018
Writing Inside vs Outside
Summertime and the Living is Easy
So, over the week I’ve started to think not just about my writing projects, but also about the most effect and efficient way of writing. Its more about experimentation than anything else at this point, but I’ve had a chance to do both over the week while waiting on my car (which, by the way, I got back and it seems to work now *crosses fingers*). So this post is to just discuss some of the things that I’ve noticed and some of the preferences that I (as a unique individual seem to like).
Project Paradise Word Count: 113
Project Sky Word Count: 485
Project Independence Word Count: 1088
Inside Writing
So, I had the opportunity on Sunday night to do some writing. I rearranged my writing “set-up,” put on some music, and wrote for approximately two hours, just bopping away to the music. It was really invigorating. I set up the area so that I could look out the window. Even though I was super productive, a part of me still wanted to be outside, in the fairly warm air before it got really dark/chilly, but I didn’t and stayed indoors and just wrote until bedtime. However, I promised myself that I would try to write outside some time this week like I used to do.
Outside Writing
Yesterday, I got a chance to try my hand at writing outside and it was as glorious as I remember. My laptop is both old and underpowered (now), but when I originally bought it, I envisioned using it to take out on the deck and writing in the early evenings. The problem is, I don’t really live in a neighborhood that is conducive to “showing off” a large, bulky, Apple (i.e., expensive) laptop while on my deck at night, no matter how “noble” my intentions. Also, because my laptop is one of the 15 inch Macbook Pros, it isn’t exactly “portable” either, so I’ve not really used it in the manner that I’d envisioned. However, yesterday, when I went out, I found a place outdoors with outside outlets, but they didn’t work as the computer didn’t charge and I had only about 30 mins of battery time.
Even though it was only 30 mins., I was still able to get 113 words done on Project Paradise in that short time. And it felt good to be outside, writing in warmth of the sun with a slight breeze blowing on me.
Even though I’m now back to being a poor student, I’m going to try to squirrel away money this summer for a Chromebook. I had one when I was a 6th grade language arts teacher. While I much prefer Apple’s Macbook Pros, I can’t deny the portability and long battery life of them, which would be perfect for outdoor writing. I could just throw it in my bag and go, and write anywhere.
Sidney
Read Skin Deep for Free at Aurora Wolf
Read Childe Roland for Free at Electric Spec
Read Faerie Knight in the anthology Fae, Rhonda Parrish, Ed. or the Kindle Edition
Read Ship of Shadows in the anthology Visions IV: Space Between Stars, Carrol Fix, Ed. or the Kindle Edition.
Read WarLight in the anthology Visions VI: Galaxies, Carrol Fix, Ed. or the Kindle Edition.
Read Dragonhawk in the magazine Tales of the Talisman, Vol. 8, Iss. 3, David Lee Summers, Ed. or the Kindle Edition.
Amazon Associate Disclaimer:
I earn a small commission on the purchase of these items.
May 8, 2018
What’s All the Hoopla About?
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So, I’m a little late today as I got up a bit later than normal. I would normally do the blog either during breakfast or shortly afterwards, but today (in addition to picking up my car–yay!) I needed to reset my password to Hoopla, a service that my home public library, Chattanooga Public Library subscribes to and that I have access to by being a member.
What is Hoopla?
Hoopla is a streaming service that is more than just a traditional streaming service. It allows you to borrow (for my institution) 10 items per month. Notice that I said, items, not movies or TV shows. It does have movies and television, like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu. However, it also has comics/graphic novels, ebooks, audiobooks, and music (!). I’ve used it before and really liked it. What it lacks in terms of terms of hit releases (very few major releases), it makes up with breadth–there are a lot of good genre materials embedded within each of the categories.
Summer Hoopla
So, while I’ve got a ton of work to do over the summer, in terms of getting ready for my summer classes this summer, I’m going to try to catch up on reading some of the comics/graphic novels (& books) that I’ve put off over the school year. They have quite a few Marvel graphic novels, Star Wars, Star Trek, and other properties (again, books and graphic novels, mostly, not so much with movies/television). Still, now that I trying to integrate Popular Culture into my scholarship as a Pop. Culture scholar, I actually need some pop. culture to go with my scholarship.
I would encourage you to check out Hoopla if your library has a subscription. If not, then you might want to see if your library has something similar. It is a really useful service that I plan to investigate more over this summer.
Sidney
Read Skin Deep for Free at Aurora Wolf
Read Childe Roland for Free at Electric Spec
Read Faerie Knight in the anthology Fae, Rhonda Parrish, Ed. or the Kindle Edition
Read Ship of Shadows in the anthology Visions IV: Space Between Stars, Carrol Fix, Ed. or the Kindle Edition.
Read WarLight in the anthology Visions VI: Galaxies, Carrol Fix, Ed. or the Kindle Edition.
Read Dragonhawk in the magazine Tales of the Talisman, Vol. 8, Iss. 3, David Lee Summers, Ed. or the Kindle Edition.
Amazon Associate Disclaimer:
I earn a small commission on the purchase of these items.
May 7, 2018
Missing in Action: Why I’m Probably Not Going to See Avengers Infinity War in the Theaters
Stop Signs
So, remember a couple weeks back when I posted that sometimes life gives you “stop signs” and you just have to be cognizant of them and learn when to listen to them in order to stay sane. I discussing it in the vein of writing, but it looks like it applies to other areas of life as well as it turns out that Avengers: Infinity War is one of those “stop signs” for me, at least when it comes to seeing it in the theaters. Without going into a long essay on the matter, simply put, car problems is the ultimate reason why I’m not going–my car, which had always been so reliable, now has decided to gift me with an intermittent starting problem which happens to me, but not the mechanics. Yeah, I know, right. I get stuck and it won’t start and have to get it towed (twice now) and then they start it up with no problem and charge me for diagnosing it.
If there was a digital equivalent of a “scream” emoji, I would be using it right now.
Thor Ragnarok
Actually, I’m not really all that concerned about missing Avengers: Infinity War in the theaters. My mother and I have already had some of the movie spoiled for us and I’ve even encountered a couple of more spoilers in the two weeks since it has been released (despite my care of limiting my social media use). My local theater wasn’t showing it in 3D Imax anyway, just regular 2D Imax, and (most importantly, to me, anyway), we haven’t yet seen Thor Ragnarok. I’m sure that it isn’t essential to TR before AIW, but we’ve pretty seen every mainline Marvel entry in order and their are some character changes to Thor (obviously) that occur in TR which seem to carry over to AIW.
While I have seen movies out of order, I much prefer to see them in order, if that is an option.
Memorial Day & Labor Day
If you are wondering, we’re planning on seeing Thor Ragnarok on Memorial Day. For those outside of the US, that’s a big holiday that happens on the last Monday in May (this month, as I write this) that is the unofficial kickoff of the Summer Season here as most schools are either out for summer break at this time (or will be out in a week or two afterwards). We’ll probably purchase it (as opposed to renting it) as a movie to watch after the holiday dinner).
I’m hopeful that AIW will be out on Bluray/Itunes by Labor Day–our complementary holiday that ends the summer. If so, then we can bookend the summer with Marvel movies and catch-up.
I’m not going to stress over things I simply cannot control. I’d like to see AIW, but since it doesn’t look like its going to happen for a while, and since I have no control of the situation at the moment, I might as well just wait patiently until circumstances work out and allow me to see the movie.
Sidney
Read Skin Deep for Free at Aurora Wolf
Read Childe Roland for Free at Electric Spec
Read Faerie Knight in the anthology Fae, Rhonda Parrish, Ed. or the Kindle Edition
Read Ship of Shadows in the anthology Visions IV: Space Between Stars, Carrol Fix, Ed. or the Kindle Edition.
Read WarLight in the anthology Visions VI: Galaxies, Carrol Fix, Ed. or the Kindle Edition.
Read Dragonhawk in the magazine Tales of the Talisman, Vol. 8, Iss. 3, David Lee Summers, Ed. or the Kindle Edition.
Amazon Associate Disclaimer:
I earn a small commission on the purchase of these items.
May 4, 2018
Day One
Day One of Writing
So, there’s this new YouTube channel that I recently discovered called Film Courage and it has interviews with screenwriters, producers, and actors and is basically a channel dedicated to helping beginners break into the the movie and television industry. It features advice in the form of long-form interviews with these individuals, but it understands that most people don’t have an hour/hour and a half to watch the entirety of the interview and breaks them out into smaller, more manageable 10-15 “chunks” that talk about 1 or 2 specific elements of the craft.
I recently found one that was especially impactful called “Day One of Writing a New Screenplay.” I’ve linked it below if you want to check it out, but basically the screenwriter tells how he gets started on new project and how he budgets his time to get the project done, and his advice for ending so that you’re ready to work on it the next day.
Walking the Walk
What I love about this video interview by Mark Sanderson is that he is super professional in his approach and much of his advice deals with both professionalism (i.e., sticking to a schedule) and working from an outline (still being creative even though he has a general idea of where he’s going. I also liked the way he creates strategies to help him become and stay creative.
I started Project Independence on Wednesday night. I tried to work on Project Paradise Thursday night and try to hopscotch between the two, but I’m probably not going to be able to do that (435 words on Project Independence and only 31 words for Project Paradise). I’m probably just going to have to pick one “weekday” project that I work on through the week and one “weekend” project (right now, probably my Ship of Shadows graphic novel). I’m going to try to work on 1 “script” page this weekend. Again, as I’m only shooting for 250 words a day, I need to figure out what it means if I blew through that goal for one project and didn’t even come close to meeting the goal for another. Does it mean I’m more interested and ready to write one vs. other and should stick with the one I’m seemingly invested in until I finish? Or is it that I was just enervated one day, where I was exhausted the next? Not quite sure.
“Bottom Line is: ‘You Have to Write and Stick to a Schedule'”
I’m trying to take his advice and try to fit it into my life because the “daily schedule” is one I’m still trying to conquer. I don’t know how many artists I’ve lost for my graphic novel projects (four (4) is my current count although it may be more) because I couldn’t produce work fast enough because I wasn’t able to keep to a daily writing schedule and let work and school interfere with writing. I’m not really a fast writer–I only type about 35-40 words per minute, which is fairly good, but isn’t amazing, but I often slow down when writing because I’m trying to think of the words that I need to describe the action I see in my mind.
I’m not sure what I’ll try to write tonight, but whatever it is, at least I’ll put my behind in my seat and, as the man said, “write and stick to a schedule.”
Sidney
Read Skin Deep for Free at Aurora Wolf
Read Childe Roland for Free at Electric Spec
Read Faerie Knight in the anthology Fae, Rhonda Parrish, Ed. or the Kindle Edition
Read Ship of Shadows in the anthology Visions IV: Space Between Stars, Carrol Fix, Ed. or the Kindle Edition.
Read WarLight in the anthology Visions VI: Galaxies, Carrol Fix, Ed. or the Kindle Edition.
Read Dragonhawk in the magazine Tales of the Talisman, Vol. 8, Iss. 3, David Lee Summers, Ed. or the Kindle Edition.
Amazon Associate Disclaimer:
I earn a small commission on the purchase of these items.
May 3, 2018
The Expanse: Season 1 (Mini-Review)
A “Spaceship Show” for the Grimdark set
So, The Expanse is a “Syfy” TV show that has been billed as “Game of Thrones in Space” (it isn’t really, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have similarities. The story is supposed to be a more mature, “realistic” look at Science Fiction. The show is based on a series novels by James S. A. Corey, which according to a quick check on GoodReads, is up to Book 8 in the “mainline” series, although based on GR, it looks like the author has several “gap” novels that fill in various parts of the story and that exist “between” the time-period of the main story.
I’ve not read the novels, but the show is fairly standard. It weaves three main stories together: a sci-fi noir detective story about a cop trying to find a missing young woman, a political thriller between a potential war between Earth, Mars and “Belters” (those who live & work in the Asteroid Belt), and a “spaceship show” about the survivors of The Canterbury (aka The Cant) who later become the crew of a new ship: The Rocinante (The Roci). Each of these tales gets woven with the others, although it doesn’t happen until the later episodes (season 1 is 10 episodes long).
Too Dark, Literally & Figuratively.
Is the show any good. Not really, not unless you like poorly explained character motivations, trite dialogue that is supposed to be edgy, and character deaths just for the sake of “shock” value (the whole “no one is safe–anyone can die at any time” motif). The problem is that is a fairly conventional TV show masquerading as edgy. While a few characters do die, it is nothing like what I’ve heard happens on shows like The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones, and the few deaths that occur, like most in the genre of “Grimdark,” seem mean-spirited and in poor taste.
Also, in order to go for that grimy, noir vibe, they made the filter really dark. No, I mean really dark–the color pallet is so desaturated that, after 2-3 episodes, you’ll be reaching for your brightness controls to turn them up just to see the action. It’s a stylistic choice, sure, but a poor one–they do it to emphasize the deficit that Belters and Mars citizens feel that they have to Earth with its open skies and open water, but it just makes the show seem really bland to me–Bladerunner (the original) did the whole “dystopian” vibe better and with more vibrancy and that was 30-40 years ago.
Oh, and as was suggested by an online review on Amazon Prime where I watched it, be sure to turn on Captions. Not only is some of the dialogue hard to hear/understand, but the “Belters” speak (sometimes) in their own made-up dialect. Sometimes this dialect sounds like creole and can be understood and sometimes it is completely alien words that are more like a foreign language. Good idea in theory, but again, in practice, a poor choice.
Good actors, Poor Story
About the only things that I liked in this first season was the “spaceship scenes” and the female characters. Anytime anyone was in a spaceship, the show was at least watchable. Somehow, the producers, directors, and writers seem to “get” the whole spaceship, crew interactions, and space drama of the show (except for the intro “sex” scene not 5 mins into the first episode which turned me off initially–again their attempt to be “edgy,” but it just made it feel sophomoric–especially since this follows the noir section which itself seems like a pastiche of other, better dystopias). All the other times, the show seems forced, pretentious, and decidedly not fun to watch.
I really liked the female characters, however, on the show. For some reason, these seemed like the only real characters on the show. All of them, from the political diplomat on Earth, to the “Captain” of The Rocinante, to the “former” girlfriend/lover/partner to the noir detective, even down to the “mother” of one of the main characters (who is only in one episode for a few minutes) feel fully realized where the men seem like caricatures is many instances (for the most part–of course, there are exceptions).
Overall Score: C (73-77)
The only reason I didn’t score it lower was because I really like the female characters in the story and the acting overall by the cast. Had I been grading just the actual material (writing, dialogue, style, plot, etc.), then it would have earned a D (63-67).
Look, I don’t like “Grimdark.” So any story that features grimdark elements has an uphill battle for me to enjoy it, no matter its success in the mainstream. It just isn’t what I like–not to read, not to watch, not to consume in any medium. Will I watch Season 2 which is available on Prime right now? Yes, probably. Will I watch it immediately? No, I’m good for now. I might pick it back up later this summer, but I think I’ll move on to another “spaceship show” if I can find one. Will I read the books? Most assuredly not. Like Game of Thrones, this one is for a different audience than me–and that’s okay.
As a writer myself, however, I just wished it worked the other way around. Fair’s fair, after all.
Sidney
Read Skin Deep for Free at Aurora Wolf
Read Childe Roland for Free at Electric Spec
Read Faerie Knight in the anthology Fae, Rhonda Parrish, Ed. or the Kindle Edition
Read Ship of Shadows in the anthology Visions IV: Space Between Stars, Carrol Fix, Ed. or the Kindle Edition.
Read WarLight in the anthology Visions VI: Galaxies, Carrol Fix, Ed. or the Kindle Edition.
Read Dragonhawk in the magazine Tales of the Talisman, Vol. 8, Iss. 3, David Lee Summers, Ed. or the Kindle Edition.
Amazon Associate Disclaimer:
I earn a small commission on the purchase of these items.
May 2, 2018
Potpourri May 2018
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So this (short) post is just a little bit about everything that I’m currently doing right now.
Watching The Expanse: I’m not really feeling the show all that much, but I need a “spaceship” show at the moment to get me through Final Exam week and help me as I get my car repaired. Will probably do a mini-review of it after I watch all the seasons (there are 3 total, but only seasons 1 & 2 are currently “free” on Streaming via Amazon Prime.
Project Poet (Rough Draft): Two-Thirds (⅔) way complete. Not really happy with the way it is turning out, but then again, I guess that’s what rough drafts are for. There’s no magic in this one, so it doesn’t really seem like a Fantasy story, but it is one that I really like the idea for. I may have to find a way to add in a “magic system,” however, because it seems really slow and boring otherwise.
Recently Watched Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets: I’m putting this one on the list to remind myself that I need to do a mini-review of this movie as I saw it about 2 weeks ago. I didn’t much care for The Fifth Element (never actually managed to ever get through the whole movie), but I thought this might actually win me over. Spoilers for the mini-review: it didn’t.
May 1, 2018
Mini-Review: Netflix’s Lost in Space
Image of Netflix’s Lost in Space, Robot and Will Robinson, Penny and Judy Robinson. Image Source: Film Daily
A Great Start
So, last week I finished watching Season 1 of Netflix’s Lost in Space, a 10 Episode Science Fiction show reboot of the original 1960s show and the 1990s movie version and I have to say that I really enjoyed it! I watched it a 2nd time over this weekend in lieu of Avengers Infinity War in order to help take my mind off the car trouble that I had over the weekend and it held up over a 2nd viewing. It is classic science fiction, but unlike most modern shows (this includes pretty all genres), the science is fairly crucial to the story. While not overblown or overbearing, the fact that the new show portrays the Robinsons as mostly a family of scientists and doctors (the father is now a marine vet. who is better at combat than at pure science–but even he has his moments), they actually use the skills and knowledge that they are supposed to have in much the same way the detectives and lawyers on Law and Order use their skills find the perpetrator of the crime and use the law to get a conviction. This makes the show feel grounded and more realistic than other recent sci-fi shows that I like and watch.
Danger, Will Robinson
I won’t go into spoilers, but a certain robot with a certain “catch-phrase” is back and the origin is pretty unique. The robot is central to the plot, however, so if you’re not a robot person, then you’re not going to like the show because the robot is as much the main character in the show as is Will Robinson. Sometimes the robot is CGI and sometimes the robot is some sort of “suit.” While the robot didn’t bother me particularly, I know from at least one YouTube review of the show that one reviewer said that when it was the “suit,” it brought her out of the experience. I didn’t really notice it myself, so I’ll just say Your Mileage May Vary depending on your tolerance for special effects. I know it makes a difference as, while I wasn’t born yet when the original show came on, I could never go back and watch reruns of the original show because of the dated nature of the special effects after having seen the special effects in the Star Wars and Star Trek movies. I really liked all of the characters in the Robinson family–each was made wildly different from one another and it was easy to differentiate between them, but their skill set and knowledge-base complemented each other. Well done to the writers on clear and effective characterization.
Dr. Smith, I Presume
So, the chief antagonist is Dr. Smith, played by Parker Posey. Now her character is polarizing: one reviewer loves the character while another reviewer called her character a major problem for the show. I personally liked the way she played the character. The way the character was written and the way the story unfolded, I felt like I understood her every motivation. Again, no spoilers, but they update Dr. Smith’s character into a “modern day” conception of a bad guy. If there’s a problem with the character, this is where I think it lies. I’ve said time and again that being the anti-hero doesn’t really work because at some point, the anti-hero/villain is only out for number one and will work against you when their purposes no longer align with yours, and Dr. Smith is the epitome of this philosophy. What I think is happening is that the dislike/distaste that people feel toward the Dr. Smith character is actually their distaste for the notion that someone would be selfish enough to work against the group for their own ends so ruthlessly (which is what a villain actually does) and their transposing that distaste onto the character/actor. Again, Your Mileage May Vary, but the “flashbacks” that show Dr. Smith’s earlier actions before crashing with the Robinson’s sufficiently explained why she acted the way she did and I always felt that I understood her motivations even if I didn’t agree with them.
Overall Score: A- (91-92)
Look, I’m not going to lie, I really liked this story. I like that there’s a lot of science and science-based concepts in it while also retaining quite a few “science fiction” tropes that really make it interesting. I really like that it isn’t “grim dark” and is more of a family show that kids and adults can enjoy. I like the characters and felt that all of them (even Dr. Smith) had interesting and sufficient characterization for me to understand why they were doing what they were doing. The only reason that I didn’t give it a solid A was the fact that it did slow down in a couple of places where they were establishing the robot as a “friend” to Will and Will’s decision not to tell his father (originally) about the robot. Not telling his father was something that seemed like the writers needing it for the plot and not organically from Will’s character because it sets up a situation later on that could have been avoided had Will told his father about it sooner. Other than that, however, I found the story to be a fun, and interesting ride. I’m looking forward to Season 2 (fingers crossed as I haven’t heard if it will get another season yet).
Sidney
Read Skin Deep for Free at Aurora Wolf
Read Childe Roland for Free at Electric Spec
Read Faerie Knight in the anthology Fae, Rhonda Parrish, Ed. or the Kindle Edition
Read Ship of Shadows in the anthology Visions IV: Space Between Stars, Carrol Fix, Ed. or the Kindle Edition.
Read WarLight in the anthology Visions VI: Galaxies, Carrol Fix, Ed. or the Kindle Edition.
Read Dragonhawk in the magazine Tales of the Talisman, Vol. 8, Iss. 3, David Lee Summers, Ed. or the Kindle Edition.
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