Eric Mesa > Recent Status Updates

Things continue to get dangerous with the priest, but at least Sanderson was smart enough to make him a sympathetic character rather than pure evil.

Likewise the stakes are being amped in Elantris.

"Buelller" - The author starts off with the same criticism I had when Hunger Games first got popular - It's a rip off of Battle Royale. Then used this to go back through the history of teen movies since they're all riffs off each other. Then ends with an absurdist version of Battle Royale containing characters from nearly every movie he mentioned.

The stakes are ramping up in all the plot lines

"List, Combination, Recursion" - a strange, stream of consciousness essay I did not enjoy. Perhaps something was lost in translation.

The Prince lets his friend learn inadvertently about the destruction. My guess is that his friend was an original Elantris that survived the purge, but I could be wrong.

"Children Playing with Guns" - uses BR as a reason to talk about gun violence in schools in America (with a few world examples). Best case I've heard yet as to why all the gun laws we can come up with won't do a darn thing to stop it from happening again.

As soon as they revealed Johnson had alzheimers I knew his time with a certain someone would be a tragedy

"The Postwar Child's Guide to Survival" - An analysis of BR as a criticism of what the post-WWII generation did with the country. I'm not sure it resonates as well as the author posits, but it certainly has merit.

A ball. What will happen at this ball?

"Dead Sexy" - The author essentially posits the same theory that eventually came to guide how I understand sex and violence in art. There is a difference between the gratuitous and the story-rooted acts. Take, for example, The Handmaid's Tale. It's key to the story that the sex scenes both in the book and TV are depicted the way they are. That is not gratuitous.

"Seeing the Sequel First" - The writer had a bad childhood in school and talks about how BR2 was a spark of inspiration for him.

The Prince continues to have success. From a trope point of view this worries me.

The acolyte continues to scare me way more than the super evil guy.

The Princess gains the confidence of some, but the priest's plans may cause her to fail in the short term.

I like the prince's plans in Elantris although so far he's been a bit of a marty stu - especially the way people talk about him.

"Killer Kids in Jeopardy" - the essay explores how we have been OK with kids being in trouble in novels, but not movies. Or rather that it's been a reluctant march towards acceptance in movies of that which has been happening in novels for hundreds of years.

"Generational Warfare" - The author of the essay takes a look at the societal issues that drove the zeitgeist as the author of BR composed his book. Also inadvertently taught me the origin of the motorcycle gangs in Akira.

The Prince makes plans, but so does the Priest. I'm also afraid the Princess' coping mechanism for her father-in-law may end up undermining her in the future.

"Girl Power" - A great example that with art, each person takes something different out of it. While many have criticized BR as mysoginistic, this author sees strong women in some of the female characters.

"Over the Top" - An exploration of how wrestling in the USA and Japan inspired the author to write Battle Royale.

Soooo close to the next point of excitement.

I'm liking the modern transported to the fantasy realm.

Apparently the religious war is the worst kind - it's not even one religion vs another, but two sects of the same religion.

"From Dangerous to Desirable" - A look at where BR fits in with gender norms in Japan via various media that is its spiritual ancestor. There's a lot I missed as an American reading the story and applying my ideas of gender to the story. My takeaway after reading this essay is that the author was a bit more adventerous with the male characters.

"Innocence Lost and Regained" - Touches on similar themes to the essay before it - innocence of children is a construct, relatively recent, & a false one. A bit more of a scholarly style of writing & so a bit harder to read than the previous essays in that it it has more complex sentence structure that my brain isn't quite awake enough to parse right now. Also neat exploration of how Bradbury tackled similar topics.

"The Fight the Night Before" - About deliberations on Battle Royale winning a horror prize and why, perhaps, it did not win.

"Happiest Days..." - Showing ways that reality is like BR and comparing other novels, including Hunger Games and Lord of the Flies. Also a great section of how school shootings are nothing new.

So a theocracy that presents as evil (may be a plot twist...we'll see) has sent their prophet to the city to convert them (or they all die!).

And our Elantrians begin a tour of the city. (That sounds a bit like RPG dialog :) )

So it is like fantasy computer tech! Exciting for plot purposes

Another parallel - a royal betrothal

Something neat - apparently a fantasy AI on the order of "OK Google" or Alexa follows her around.

"Blood in the Classroom" - Intro essay to the book. Discusses how the subversive books of yesteryear are today's boring books that kids are forced to read in the classroom. Mentions that Battle Royale probably won't suffer this fate.

"Death for Kids" - A guy who lived through an evil police state in Argentina sees death at 8 years old and realizes how the world is. Sees BR as a lesson kids need to experience.

Great ending to the prologue: "Eternity just ended 10 years ago"

Similar themes to Warbreaker: Faded glory of a kingdom, divinity on Earth, divine population formerly being mundane.

Past all the non-essay content. Ready to start reading ... probably Monday.

"Interview: Beth Meacham" - Neat talk about how she worked with Jay

"Interview: Christopher Barzak" - A discussion about his short story in the magazine as well as his career.

A breakthrough in an unlikely place and a proposal to move to the next location.