Friday 31 July 2015

Friday Fics Fix!

Friday Fics Fix!

Yes, my beautiful bookish people, it is time once again for me to go off the rails and trail through the ever-expanding masses of fan-fiction on the interwebs to bring you five of the best, the worst, and the down-right weird. I apologise in advance, but honestly, there's a lot worse out there - you're lucky I go through it so you don't have too.

I've actually found some relatively non-disturbing fics for you this week - as in, can be read by people under the age of 18. They're also all one-shots - which are one part stand-alone short stories. I hope you enjoy and as always, feel free to make (non-emotionally-scarring) suggestions.

What if Deadpool taught at Hogwarts? by Absent Emotions.

This is 'crack fic' - as in, 'you must've been on crack to come up with it.' Like most crack fic, it leaves you slightly bemused and needing a lie-down and a glass of water while your brain tries to process it. However, it's Deadpool teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts - so it has to be included in my picks just for the sheer randomness of that idea. This is actually relatively acceptable to most age groups - but it is very, very weird.

Wanderer by Empatheia

This is a full-blown crossover (where one fictional world/franchise is smooshed into another one,) between Harry Potter and Alice in Wonderland, where Miss Luna Lovegood and Alice are old friends, and Luna is constantly on the search to get back to her. To be honest, it's most then just friendship, but it never gets explicit so no worries - it's actually kind of sweet and beautiful.

The Starbucks Hobo by Loki's Brat

This is Stucky fluff. I know that sounds like another language (it is, it's fangirl/boy,) but it basically means that it's a Steve Rogers (Captain America) and Bucky Barnes relationship (yes, romantic, this is fan-fiction, almost everyone is gay,) that doesn't go into physical or sexual detail and stays in the fluffy rom-com gee-isn't-that-sweet territory. This is set in Starbucks, which is a well-known AU (Alternate Universe) for the Avengers. I don't know why. People just want the Avengers characters to work in a coffee shop; plus fangirls love the thought of Captain America being the 'Star' and Bucky being the 'bucks.' Supernatural references in this fic; also, I love where Clint works, it's so very fitting.

Fever by 1kiwiabroad

This is a Sherlock sickfic (story where the main character is ill, and one of the others has to take care of them.) Sherlock has flu, and, delusional, is running around Baker Street starkers - it's actually quite cute and fun.

Knock Knock by PrettyKitty Luvs U

OK, this is a really short fic, so my explanation of the background will probably be longer than the actual thing. Sorry, can't be helped. This is a Jackunzel Big Four fic. The Big Four are Jack Frost from Rise of the Guardians, Rapunzel from Tangled, Merida from Brave, and Hiccup from How to Train Your Dragon. They all know each other and are friends because someone somewhere decided it should be so, and legions of fangirls just got sucked in. This fandom is also sometimes referred to as Rise of the Brave Tangled Dragons. There are various ships (favourite relationships) within the fandom, and occasionally it expands to include characters from the movie Frozen (though technically this is then the Big Six.) Unusually for a fandom, the ships tend to favour heterosexuality rather than homosexual relationships. Jackunzel is the pairing name for Jack Frost and Rapunzel, which kind of feeds into the seasons metaphor that Big Four fans have a thing about (Jack as Winter and Rapunzel as Spring in this case.) This is cute fluff, and like I said - shorter than the explanation.

Thursday 30 July 2015

Reviewing the Evidence - Shiver

Title: Shiver (US Link)
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: paranormal, romance, ditzy, werewolves, ya
Series: The Wolves of Mercy Falls (#1)

A few starting notes:


I didn't really have many preconceptions about this book - I knew it was YA, and a paranormal romance, so probably also ditzy (I was right.) For those of you who aren't familiar with my own special brand of genre designation, ditzy is best described via personification - she's like a teen girl who keeps laughing in that way that sounds like dolphin noises. You know, the dolphin noises? Yeah, her.

Premise:

When she was 11, Grace was attacked by wolves. Unlike most normal people, who would probably stay away from wolves after that, she becomes obsessed with them. Lucky for her (and for the plot) these wolves are not quite what they appear to be. Cue a teenaged Grace, another kid getting attacked by wolves, and a heap load of s**t hitting the fan. (Sometimes I think I write far better blurbs than the ones on the backs of books...and then I remember that's because no-one's paying me.)

Best bits:

The character of Isabel is awesome sauce! At first, I didn't like her - because she's painted as the kind of girl that we're not supposed to like: popular, gossipy, b***hy, rich, and privileged. But after a while, she comes into her own. She rocks. Honestly, she makes up for all the craziness.

I also like Sam - it's nice to have a book where the boy is more in touch with his feelings than the lead girl. Plus, a slightly traumatised bookish boy who's head over heels in love, and plays guitar, is pretty much what any girl would fall over themselves for, lets be honest. His song lyrics are terrible, but I'm willing to overlook it.

Ms Stiefvater also has some interesting twists on werewolf lore - can't say anything for fear of spoilers, but I was pleasantly surprised by the attempt to bring some originality to the genre.

Not so great bits:

There's some stuff in here that'll upset some people - negligent and sometimes abusive parents feature, references are made to self-harm and suicide attempts, and there's much blood 'n' gore and an unfortunate syringe scene (*shudders*) but it probably won't bother people who don't have the paralysing fear of needles that I do.

There's also some virginal sexy times involving older teens (I think they're 18, or close to it,) which may offend the sensibilities of some, but it doesn't get that explicit.

I found that the urge to slap Grace was pretty high - though she was better in a crisis than I thought she would be. Generally speaking though, she's not a character I really liked all that much - maybe because she's so bland and yet so very incredibly stupid. Who obsesses over the wolves that attacked you in such a creepy way? Argh! It just felt like she was a bit too cookie-cutter paranormal romance heroine (I'm talking Bella Swan levels of cardboard and lack of chemistry) and that was slightly disappointing. But, like I said, she perks up in a crisis, so there is hope yet.

Verdict:

This is readable and enjoyable - and will certainly appeal to tweens and teens who like to dive into paranormal romances. Isabel and Sam are the saving graces - unlike Grace, who needs a suffusion of personality before the next book.

Tuesday 28 July 2015

Trailer Review! - Suicide Squad First Look

Hello my lovely people! I decided to do a review/reaction thingummy of the first official Suicide Squad trailer. So, join me as I shuffle meekly into the church of DC while resisting the urge to clutch my Captain America shield necklace to my throat for fear of being outed as a life-long Marvel girl. Guys, we're all geeks here, and sometimes we need to sit in for a service at another congregation - toleration of the Marvel girl please! And in return I will try my best to be sensitive to the DC-ers amongst you and not say anything about Aq... ugh! Nearly fell at the first hurdle! But I will soldier on (til the end of the line..) No. DC. DC.

What's that my lovely book worms? What has this to do with reading? Well, as difficult as you may find this to believe, Marvel and DC cinema and TV stuff is an adaptation of the comic books and graphic novels that deserve to be read again and again and clog the tbr piles of booklovers everywhere! (Speaking of which, note to self: get hands on a copy of Suicide Squad Vol 1.)

Oh, quick warning - this very much sticks to the dark, gothic, and mentally scarring (and that's just Jared Leto,) so don't watch if you're easily scared or upset (or a kid, seriously, no coming complaining to me, you have been warned.)

So, to the trailer (duddle-uddle-uddle-uddle-uh!) (I'm sorry - blame the coffee...)

 
Wait, is that Cara Delevigne?
 
Why yes, eagle-eyed viewer, that is indeed model/actress and generally impossibly beautiful Cara Delevigne. First seen underground with a lamp on her head. That's when you know this is going to be gritty, when the first glimpse of one of the world's most beautiful women is in a damp cave. Later on we see her taking an ill-advised bath under a pentagram.
 
Will Smith is also here - see? Yep, Will Smith.
 
Did the talky-talky official people say the Squad are the bad guys?
 
Again, yes, yes they did. This is villains turned anti-heroes, used and then discarded by the callous government. I'm thinking  (and hoping!) ethical issues people!
 
What's with the creepy music/girl in a cage?
 
Isn't it awesome!?! Creepy girl extraordinaire is Harley Quinn - she's...something else. The music (which fits Harley's entrance something awesome,) is actually a cover of a Bee Gees song (those guys with the teeth and the flares and the 'Staying Alive'..? yeah them,) called - and I'm loving the irony here - 'I Started a Joke.' I love the choir-like eeriness of it; I think it sets a gothic tone rather nicely.
 
Wait, what's with the panda, and the goat?
 
Welcome to Suicide Squad my friends. This ain't your truth, hope, justice, and mother's drapes (sorry :P) affair. This is twisted.
 
The Joker?!?!?!
 
Yes. Yes. And more yes. Ladies and gentleman, I give you the man who's going to replace the spiders in my nightmares...Jared Leto! We see him for what? 10-20 seconds of screen-time? And he is easily the most disturbing thing I've seen in a long time.
 
So, overall impressions?
 
Dudes, this film looks awesome. Gothic. Gritty. No more happy-go-lucky. I know that a lot of DC fans will've been hoping for more on the humour side of life - or at least less of the grit and the pain - but, believe it or not, this is where DC comes into its own. When it gets scary, it gets scary.
 
And does it not reflect on the way we are right now globally? We don't know what's right and what's wrong, and we don't know where to stand in the middle of all the pain and the muddled ethics. This is our generation calling out and, yes, entering the church of DC, heads held high (though perhaps with our Cap shields tucked into our shirts) and saying - this! THIS IS WHAT WE ARE!  We are complex and broken, and dark, and gritty, and yes, just a little unhinged...and we need The Suicide Squad. Because it appeals to that part of us that says the dirty work needs to be done, the government is corrupt, and bad people can do good things in the same way that good people can do bad things. We need heroes, but we need the anti-heroes even more.

Monday 27 July 2015

Graphic Novel Score!

Scored a graphic novel this morning in the post! Woo! Been wanting to read 'The Invincible Iron Man: Demon in a Bottle' for a long time now because I've heard good things and dudes, it's classic Iron Man for the love of Stark!

Plus, I got one of these awesome Book Depository bookmarks free with it (no, I don't benefit from the plug, I just really like the bookmarks I get from them!)

 
Isn't it freaking adorable?!?!?! Sorry, I love bookmarks - one of these days I'll have to upload a pic of my Gorjuss by Santoro bookmark which my father bought for me because he's amazing and I can never afford Santoro products and I love them. So. Bad.
 
Happy reading! (Sorry for the close-ups of my pudgy fingers ;) )

Friday 24 July 2015

Friday Fics Fix

Friday Fics Fix!

Hello again! Welcome to the second instalment of 'Friday Fics Fix!' This is where I highlight 5 fan fics a week that are worthy of mention - either for good or not-so-good reasons!

Basically, I trawl my way through reams upon reams of fanfiction and share my infinite wisdom (by which I mean cackle like a lunatic due to the amount of craziness I have been exposed to.) Seriously, these posts are warping my perceptions already. There are very few strands of life where a billionaire who faffs around in a technologically advanced suit of armour has fairly graphic sexy times with a Norse god, or a Word War Two veteran; even fewer parts of life then allow said billionaire to give birth to the lovechild of one of these fine gentlemen. Yet in fanfiction we don't blink an eye. (Don't worry there is no Mpreg (male pregnancy) in this week's pics.)

Again, a reminder that most couples in fan fiction are gay, there is much porn, and if I give you a warning I mean it. 'M' means mature (18+) audiences only.

Feel free to comment and leave suggestions (not too disturbing please.)

So, here's this weeks Fics Fix -


To Have a Heart by ibelieveinguardianangels.

This is a Sherlock fic - short and sweet, but a bit distressing, the author has rated this K (which is suitable for everyone) but I'd say it's more for teens. There's references to violence to children which may upset/distress some readers.

Avengers Text Messages by K A Carlyle.

This does what it says on the tin - and is amazing! And Deadpool slams in every now and then for absolutely no reason! What more could you want out of life?!?! (OK, I may have been spending too much time on the Internet, I'm starting to sound like a bats**t crazy fangirl (again)) Anyway, there's some swearing in this, but generally it's just light-hearted and honest-to-goodness laugh-out-loud funny. Enjoy!

Cell phones are a wonderous thing by coconut-and-metal.

This is FrostIron (which, as I taught you last week is where Loki and Tony Stark get together romantically and usually do very naughty things which require an M rating - this fic is also M only.) Basically, this is Loki sexting Tony - it's worth reading just for Clint's line near the end, but it is very adult, with very adult humour. It starts out fun, and then descends into porn.

Shades of Darkness by opalish.

This is a short Dark! Harry fic. This is where Harry Potter, the symbol of Light in the wizarding world, turns instead to the Dark and all that that represents. This is quite good, actually, and has that right level of tipping into the darkness. It's very angst-y though. I would say (and apparently the author agreed,) that this is for a teen audience. This was written all the way back in 2005 - a decade ago people! Proof that the Potterheads know have a veritable library full of fanfiction. I wasn't even a teenager when the author wrote this.

Honestly Merlin by Wordinrain.

This is a Merlin fluff fic. For those of you who don't know, fluff is where things are romantic and kissy-kissy but without the explicit sex. Y'know - it's kind of 'fluffy!' This is based on a Merlin/Arthur romantic relationship and is fairly entertaining. There is much gayness.

Sunday 19 July 2015

Reviewing the Evidence (Classics Edition!) - 12 Years a Slave

Title: 12 Years a Slave (US Link)
Author: Solomon Northup
Genre: classics, non-fiction, memoirs, autobiography

A few starting notes:


I approached this book with a mix of trepidation and interest - I'd heard of the film, but not seen it, and knew a little about the story, but didn't know what the writing would be like or how the tone would be. I needn't have worried.

Premise:

Solomon Northup was a black man born free in the time of slavery in the USA. He is tricked, kidnapped, and enslaved, enduring the life of a Southern slave for a period of 12 years. This is his own account of his time spent in slavery.

Best bits:

The very best bit is our narrator - Solomon Northup himself. He never lacks perspective, considers the opinions and feelings of others, and speaks with a strong voice that reverberates through the pages. His account keeps a level of admirable dignity up throughout its entirety, and he weaves the prose together better than many bestsellers today.

Mr Northup never shies away from the realities of slavery - we are told of the whippings and beatings, and the pain of separated families, whilst maintaining that same dignity. He never includes gratuitous levels of violence or suffering simply for their own sakes, and is honest about everything - the good times and the bad.

He also always gives credit where credit is due in a gracious and understanding way. He refrains from judging slave-owners simply for being slave-owners. His first master, William Ford, he has genuine affection for and Ford joins the ranks of white men who put themselves out for Mr Northup's sakes (the others including but not limited to an English sailor, and the Canadian carpenter, Bass.) Northup insists that, in his estimation, Ford was only a slave-owner because he had been born and raised in the South - something which he could not help any more than Solomon could help being black.

Not so great bits:

Slavery is understandably an uncomfortable subject - and though Solomon Northup is an excellent narrator, he uses the language and the attitudes of his time. He thinks nothing of classifying people according to their skin colour - something which actually becomes very interesting in the case of the slave Celeste who is paler than her owner - and this can jar with modern sensibilities.

He also uses the 'n' word a lot - simply because this is how black people were referred to by those he is in contact with. This is historically accurate but mightily uncomfortable.

The subject matter, as can be expected, is not always pleasant, though is not gratuitous.

Verdict:

This book is excellent. It is written sublimely with a voice that is not often heard in accounts of slavery - that of an actual slave. More than just an outstanding piece of literature, this is also a work of historical importance - and should be just as much as a necessity on reading lists as the likes of Anne Frank's Diary.

Friday 17 July 2015

Friday Fics Fix

Hello! And welcome to my first ever Friday Fics Fix!

This is where I trail through reams of fanfiction so you don't have to! Because fanfics are a really, really strange portion of the internet - yet weirdly addictive!

I plan to highlight about five fics every Friday, pointing out the weird and wonderful. I want to say now that if I give a warning I mean it. Seriously, I'm not responsible if you ignore it. Nor am I responsible for the general disturbing-ness and bonkers-osity that occurs in a helluva lotta fics!  I'll try to give an age range as well, because let's face it, a lot of fics are porn - or whatever your preferred word: slash, smut, lemon, citrus, PWP... I'm wise to you erotica peddlers! I will mark M (mature) anything that's not suitable for under 18s. Although you'll probably just ignore me; but I'll have tried.

But why fics? Because it's reading! Plus, some of them are actually quite good, and some...just have to be seen to be believed. And I love anything that explores the characters and stories I enjoy. I'm going to try to keep as fandom-neutral as possible, but obviously I'll be able to understand and evaluate fics from my own fandoms far more easily.

Ooh! And before I forget, there are very few heterosexual (straight) pairings in fanfiction. So if you have any issues with homosexuality then a) love will still win, and b) fanfiction isn't going to be for you.

Without further ado - here is your Fics Fix!

The Talk - by Starkers.

Rated M (by author.) This is a superfamily one-shot (one chapter) fic. Supefamily is non-canon (non-official plots and aspects) Marvel fiction where Steve Rogers and Tony Stark are married (usually this pairing is referred to as Stony) and raising Peter Parker - who they've adopted. Yep, Captain America and Iron Man are Spidey's fathers. It's actually usually ridiculously cute, and this is no exception.

At first, this seems really really awkward - Steve makes Tony have a 'talk' with Peter about certain...biological urges...that may lead to him spending a long time in his bedroom alone; the awkwardness is part of what makes it endearing, and the ending just makes it really adorable! I actually really enjoyed this fic, and the fluff (i.e. lovey-dovey non-sexual stuff) between Steve and Tony is done really well.

The Lightning Strike - by Batsutousai.

Rated M (by author and probably pretty much anybody who has ever read it.) This is an Omegaverse fic for the Marvel universe. If you're naïve and/or new to fics I'm so, so sorry I'm about to tell you about this. Move on to the next one if you want. OK, the Omegaverse is where people are born with the sexuality and social structure inherent in wolf packs. Again, feel free to skip. So the Alpha is the dominant one, the Beta is like a second (not always included in these fics) and the Omega is the subservient one (often very bad things happen to them.) People also go into heat when they're ready to mate, and in some fics there's 'knotting' as part of sex. Generally, in this genre, heats are painful and lead to hormones and pheromones taking almost complete control.

There were aspects of this fic that what really interesting - particularly in terms of Loki. This fic has Loki as Omega, who suddenly goes into heat in a battle, leading Alpha Tony's protective instincts to set off a rather unusual set of events. Basically it's a FrostIron (Tony and Loki pairing) Omegaverse fic.

Warnings for this I would say are: implied/desired dub/non-con sex; threesome; repressed sexuality; sex toys; much and various sexual things; mate-bonding; a bunch of prejudice; a bunch of physical and emotional distress.

Sherlock' Secrete - by The Posh Pancake.

Rated K+ (older kids) (by author) - I would say this is for age 16+ or possibly even older. I assume that the author means Sherlock's Secret, as they use secrete for secret throughout. This is JohnLock for the Sherlock fandom (John Watson and Sherlock Holmes pairings.)

It's quite fun and a light-hearted, but there's a bit of adult themes here - particularly at the end. Still, it's wonderfully wacky.

Goodbye's the Saddest Word - by roelliej.

This is a Harry Potter fic - it's a very short fic about Draco and Harry as married fathers. It's OK, not my cup of tea, but something that shows the imagination of fans. It's cute fluff really, and is quick and readable - if a little random.

Stucky - by Gonardo.

This is M. No question about it. This is porn. This is a Marvel, Stucky, fic (Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes) and includes much graphic gay sex. To be honest, the whole thing is graphic gay sex. I thought I'd highlight this one because it's just such a definitive example of so much 18+ rated fanfiction (and is PWP - plot what plot? as far as I'm concerned.) (Still, those of you who like Stucky smut/citrus/lemon will love it.)

Well, that was my first Friday Fics Fix - providing your Fix of Fics to stop reading and fandom withdrawal! :)

I hope I haven't disturbed you too badly with all this! Feel free to comment and let me know what you think, and tell me about any fics you think I should feature (please not too disturbing!!!! There's some f****d up s**t out there!) And please attempt to go by my ratings/warnings. Although I do wonder why I bother.

Thursday 16 July 2015

Reviewing the Evidence - Bloody Valentine

Title: Bloody Valentine (US Link)
Author: James Patterson
Genre: crime
Series: Quick Reads

A few starting notes:


Having previously read James Patterson books, and found his books entertaining if sometimes a little devoid of depth, and being a sucker for the excellent and always commendable Quick Reads series, I decided to pick this up in my last library haul.

Premise:

It's Valentine's day. But something is wrong in the Barnes apartments - the block of flats shared by entrepreneur Jack Barnes and his extended family. An awful and gory crime has been committed...could it have been by one of their own?

Best bits:

The locked-room style aspects of the mystery at the heart of this book is always interesting - and for the most part Patterson does justice to the concept.

The other thing that really stands out about this book is the sense of secrets, hidden deep within a well-off family, bubbling beneath the surface until they spill forward. The interplay of the tension is well-used, and the view of rich families as somehow hiding sin and betrayal, though a well-trodden path, is also used to good effect.

Patterson's main appeal is his sheer readability - and there is no difference here. The chapters are short and draw you onwards through the tale, and the whole book is also short - this being the Quick Reads series - so it is handy for those in-between moments, and for the busy reader.

Not so great bits:

The ending feels a little rushed, as if we're sprinting at the finish, and I think it would've benefited from a little more detail at the end. The prose is sometimes clumsy and a little bewildering, though largely it remains clear and readable.

The characters too could have done with a little more development - the standout perhaps being Leila and Ted, who both stand out more than Zee, Jack, or any of the detectives.

Verdict:

This is a quick and entertaining mystery. Yes, it's a little rough around the edges in more than a few places, but it's still pretty readable, and you'll want to read to the end, if only to reach the final answer to the whodunit? question.

Quick Note: I forgot to mention before but there is a scene or two in this book that is very gory - might not be to everyone's taste.

Wednesday 15 July 2015

We're All Stories in the End

image courtesy of jannoon028 at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
I got to thinking recently that we essentially tell the same stories over and over, since the beginning of time.
This isn't to say that we are repetitive idiots who are unable to come up with anything original. Not at all. What my point is, is that clearly there are things in these stories that we need to hear. There are things that we have recognised as fundamental since the very beginning, and we feel the need to repeat it - to get the message through again and again. But why? Are we still not hearing it?!?! Well, given the state the world seems to be in as of late, that's a distinct possibility. But I think it's more to do with it speaking to something inherently human in us.

We never abandoned the old Gods - Thor and Loki are still with us (literally if you're a Marvel fan,) but the rest are still here too. Does no one else see the Robin Hood parallels with The Green Arrow or Hawkeye? Or older still, the Eros/Cupid and Apollo associations with archery etc?

We have literally clung on to all of the old traditions, the myths, the stories, we just give them a new cape and a mask, and set them to it. But it's not just comics and their associated media (i.e. movies) that are affected by this phenomena. We litter the pages of our novels with the things that go bump in the night - vampires, werewolves, angels and demons haunt our pages. But, more subtly than that, the same stories play out in front of our eyes again and again. Even the dreaded Twilight owes so much to Romeo and Juliet, which in turn is a retelling of Pyramus and Thisbe. 'Fallen' by Lauren Kate leans heavily on Biblical tales and the legends of fallen angels. Hell, The Hunger Games' Katniss Everdeen bears more than a passing resemblance to Artemis. And I won't mention the obvious Percy Jackson parallels - I think you can figure that one out by yourselves.

I kind of like it, if I'm going to be honest with you lovely people: I like the thought that our stories are such a fundamental part of us that we tell the same tales over and over, shaping and framing, adding and subtracting - and that's what really shows the strength of these ideas and stories. They still captivate and intrigue. And fan-fiction feeds into that (no, really, it does!) - it's us hearing the story and adding our interpretation, our hopes, our feelings (and lots of the feels,) taking the parts that most speak to us and zooming in on them. We're the myth-tellers, sat around the collective glow of the laptop and the tablet, instead of the fire, and telling just one more tale of love and hurt, of bravery and sorrow, to get us through one more dark night when we're tired and hungry and afraid. And isn't that beautiful.

Monday 13 July 2015

Reading Addict vs Reality

OK, so we're currently having the bathrooms refurbished, and it feels like the ceiling is going to come down on my freaking head! It's driving me completely bugf**k! I can barely hear myself think - how's a girl s'posed to read in these conditions!

I wish I could dive into a book world for a bit to avoid all the noise - like Hogwarts. Except, Hogwarts doesn't exactly have the most calm of environments...or the best record when it comes to bathrooms...

This is my poorly drawn snake btw; he has sunglasses. Yeah. Sunglasses.

Wednesday 8 July 2015

Reading Addict having a Minor Freakout!

Why the hell is Goodreads down! Now what am I supposed to do! I need to add to my challenge and faff around the new releases! How can they do this to me?!?!

Yes, I have a problem.

Yes, I'll calm down now, make a cup of coffee, and try to refresh the page later.

Happy reading everyone!

Sunday 5 July 2015

Reviewing the Evidence - Doctor Sleep

Title: Doctor Sleep (US Link)
Author: Stephen King
Genre: horror, paranormal
Series: The Shining

A few starting notes:

Doctor Sleep Stephen King
It's probably no great surprise to anyone by now that this is the sequel to The Shining. With that in mind, I do recommend that you read The Shining first - you'll just get so much more out of Doctor Sleep if you do. I'm going to keep this spoiler-free, with the exception of anything you can learn from reading the blurb for Doctor Sleep - because I think that's only fair.

Premise:

Daniel Torrance is all growed up. Except, the problem when you had an...unusual...childhood is that it tends to leave after-effects.

But now he has something else to think about. Or, at least, someone else. Abra Stone is a girl with one of the strongest examples of the Shining the world has ever seen - and she's attracted some attention. The True Knot aren't human anymore, and they live off steam - the thing that kids with the Shining produce, their essence. The True Knot are coming, they're coming for Abra...

Best bits:

It's an almost universal rule that the sequel will never be as good as the original. This is one of the exceptions. I hesitate to say that it's better than The Shining, but it's certainly as good as its predecessor. I personally also found it easier to relate to - but that's probably because the world in which Doctor Sleep is largely set is one I recognise, one not lost to the time after WW2 but before I was born like The Shining was.

The prose, plot, and characters are sublime. King knows what he's doing. I wonder why people still doubt his awesome mastery of the art. The writing hooks you in and carries you along on the tide. The characters are recognisably real in that they have flaws - some pretty major ones - virtues, and a good dollop of everyday life.

Also, and the amount to which I was chuffed by this is probably a testimony to just how nerdy I am, Stephen King's books have cross-contaminated with Joe Hill's. As well as references to other portions of his work (a brief mention of the ever present Castle Rock, for example,) there are references to Joe Hill's NOS4R2 (or NOS4A2, depending on which version you have,) which you may remember my previous review of. I also remember the odd reference to Stephen King works in Joe Hill books - and I love it. They need to keep this going for as long as possible because together I reckon they're damn-near unstoppable.

Not so great bits:

This is a Stephen King book - there are going to be traumatic things. You need to accept this. King is rarely if ever gratuitous however and deals with such weighty issues as alcoholism, various types of abuse, and some pretty unpleasant things happening to children, with his usual measured blend of realism and tact. There is also swearing, again, as per usual.

I personally would've liked it if certain aspects of the story - can't go into too much detail on account of spoilers - were brought more to the fore. For example, the actual 'Doctor Sleep' persona. And the cat - there should be more cats in everything as far as I'm concerned. This is a matter of personal preference though - I really can't fault Mr King for going in the direction he did with this, even if I would've liked to see other avenues expanded and explored.

Verdict:

This is an excellent sequel to a book considered a modern classic. It doesn't fall into the trap of trying to replicate the original, neither does it strain too much under the weight of its predecessor. This is carried off with skill and power. If you've read The Shining, read this.

Saturday 4 July 2015

When you need a better strategy

Sorry if this is an honest-to-God ramble but I figured I'd get my thoughts down on (metaphorical) paper. We've heard a lot lately about extremism, and I wanted to add my stance on the smart way forward. It includes books and words, which, as we know, are the best weapons.

So, I guess most people will be aware of the events in Tunisia, France, Kuwait, etc. over the past week. Also the events in Syria, Iraq, Libya, Nigeria, etc. over the past months and (in some cases) years. Those who don't know what I'm talking about - just go to any global news website and I'm sure you'll get the point.

But the way forward against IS and Boko Haram and all the other lost and lonely little boys playing at war out there (including white supremacists and their ilk)  is not guns, missiles, and bombs. These are not things that they're afraid of - in fact they actively want people to treat them to traditional warfare - to them it vindicates the role they've painted for themselves as under attack and fighting a holy war.

What they are afraid of is a lot more simple than that. Actually, it's a lot more pathetic than that, they're scared of coloured pens. After all, why else would Islamic State ban art and colour from schools?

They're also scared of learning. They're scared of words. Why else would the Taliban shoot Malala Yousefzai? They shot a girl with some books because she was a bigger threat than all of the bombs and guns put together. They're so insecure in both their beliefs and their masculinity that the idea that a woman could learn and think for herself was too frightening for them to let it happen.

The way forward then is not to shoot people - that's the way of the extremists, those lost little boys who want the world to hurt so that they don't have to address their feelings of inadequacy, their isolation from a world they feel they don't fit in to, their daddy issues and abandonment complexes. And their over-compensation for a lack of masculinity.

No, the way forward is far more subtle. Governments and world leaders need to control the narrative - words are powerful. The way to kill ideas is not with bullets (to paraphrase vol 2 (Dallas) of Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba's excellent Umbrella Academy,) it's with words. At the moment, world leaders are reading the script the extremists are writing - words like 'evil' and 'martyr' just perpetuate the sense of conflict, the insistence of Mr Cameron on the importance of 'British values' just makes him look like an idiotic out-of-touch Tory. His values are not mine, I happen to value people and not hurt them out of an idealistic urge to slash funding.

Instead, governments need to focus on what Islamic State would not want them to say. A sense of patronising pity, perhaps, that these boys have been led so far astray that they'll never be able to claw their way back to the lives they could have had, and the people that they could have been.

What needs to be said, and often, are the things that jar with the macho image Islamic State want to have - influential people need to call out the lost little boys and tell them they are jumping at shadows. They are frightened of art. They are frightened of women - frightened to let them wear what they want and think for themselves. They are frightened that what they believe is wrong - and so they defend it blindly without thinking it through. They are people who are so insecure in their faith and in themselves that they feel they must become defensive - like cornered animals.

Of course, the other thing that needs to be done globally, is the better kind of cloak-and-dagger stuff. This is not the assassination, plot-foiling, and secret codes stuff. This is the stuff that opens the minds of others. In short, we have to smuggle books into Islamic State. All books and any books. We need to drop leaflets with satirical cartoons from the planes that would otherwise carry bombs. We know that free speech scares them - Charlie Hebdo showed us that - so that is the weapon we must use.

So, we need to smuggle in classical novels with heroines - Jane Eyre and Moll Flanders - books with dangerously subversive messages - 1984, The Hunger Games - books of magic and fantasy - Harry Potter, J R R Tolkien - and however many Vampire novels and cheesy romance books we can squish into our metaphorical suitcase. There will be ears forever deaf to the voice of liberty and free-thought, but we don't know if we don't try.

Let's screen movies on huge projectors against the walls of buildings, drop art prints into the towns of Syria, poetry into Boko Haram controlled areas of Nigeria. Let's remind people that they're human. Guns and bombs are weak weapons, let's bring out the WMK - weapons of mass knowledge - and bring down these pockets of stupidity from the inside.