Space Casey by Christiana Ellis

Space Casey by Christiana Ellis



GoodReads Rating: 4 of 5 stars

I intended to listen to just the first episode or two of this audiobook to see if I liked it, while I was working on some things for Second Life; ended up putting it on my Zune and devouring it. The humour is engaging, the production is good, and the story is just fun overall. A great read/listen!

I snagged it from podiobooks.com.


View all my reviews.

Twilight

I should say first off that I haven't read the Stephanie Meyer series that begins with the book Twilight, although I may in the future. I was not one of the wide-eyed fangirls standing hours in line at the theatre to be one of the first to see the movie. In fact, I broke a little personal rule of mine about not going to a movie on the opening day by going to see Twilight last night. However, there were extenuating circumstances, and see it I did.

I did enjoy the movie. I did have some quibbles with it. They were, however, not really story quibbles as much as movie quibbles. I found some of the vampire makeup not terribly well done (too stark), and I think the movie didn't need to be as long as it was. (No doubt die-hard Twilight fans will think it was exactly the right length, and since they're the target market, I won't fault the moviemakers for that.) The main character, Bella, who is also the story's narrator, didn't come across as a very sympathetic character in some ways. I think, though, that as is usually the case, her motivations are probably very well-explained in the book and glossed over in the movie. So anyone who has read the book(s) will be able to fill in the gaps.

This is not a movie for horror-movie fans. It's a movie for romance fans, and particularly teen-romance fans. So be warned.

I find some of the discussion around this aspect of the movie (and the books) sort of amusing. The protests that the vampires in the Twilight series are not "real" vampires--in essence, that Meyer has not followed the vampire "rules." I think it's funny that some people think writers should be constrained in their original treatments of imaginary creatures, because they're not doing it "right." I think there's always room for a fresh take on an old idea, and writers have every right to go ahead and explore those new ideas.

The real question for me in going to see Twilight was whether I would find it a difficult movie to watch because of my...you know...thing about vampires. The thing that started when I read Stephen King's Salem's Lot. It's not that I can't stand vampires--I've watched movies like Blade and Underworld--but I'm always a little worried that I'll get too creeped out.

Not a problem in Twilight, really. Much of the violence happens off-screen and what blood-sucking there is, isn't very horrific.

Which is not to say that I didn't hurry in from the car when we got home. There might have been something lurking in the shadows.

Quantum of Solace

Last night we went to take in the latest James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace. It's actually been a while since I saw a new Bond movie. I loved them at one time, but the past few Bonds haven't really piqued my interest. I felt that the movies had perhaps devolved too far into fantasy and too far away from Fleming's original vision. In fact, I didn't even see Casino Royale.

However, I plan to correct that little oversight since seeing Quantum of Solace. I like Daniel Craig's interpretation of Bond--more serious (in fact rather tortured in Q of S) and actually involved in a plot with some meaning. Craig's personification hearks back to Sean Connelly's Bond, although without Connelly's sardonic amusement with the world at large. I also enjoyed Judi Dench as M. She brought a new dimension to the character, which I appreciated.

The movie is fast-paced with tons of action, as a Bond film demands. My only slight quibble is that I realized upon leaving that I still didn't really know what the title meant. I believe it was mentioned in passing, but I might have been distracted by something else because, although I have the impression that it refers to a geographical place, I'm really not sure. I think with a title this intriguing, it could have been emphasized just a bit more.

All in all, I think fans of the early Bond films, or of Fleming's books, should enjoy this newest incarnation.

Chandler Project

A quick note today on a new organizer I've been trying out--and already I love it. Chandler (http://chandlerproject.org/) is a free, open-source organizer with the ability to share data with other users or across multiple computers using the online Chandler Hub.

Tasks, to-do lists, calendar events and the like are tracked on a triage basis of "now," "later" and "done," which makes it easy to see at a glance what should be on your immediate radar. There's also an option to create an email directly from Chandler, so that you can take some tasks from start to finish without switching programs.

I'd like to be able to customize the interface colors a little more, but other than that I have no complaints. It's easy to learn and is proving very helpful as I organize all this book launch data.

Lego Star Wars II

I've been playing this game with my son the past couple of days and I have to post a recommendation for it--it's a total blast! The storyline is so similar to the movies it brings a smile to the face of any Star Wars fan. There's no dialogue, but the cutscenes are mimed so well you know what's happening.

One thing I really like about the gameplay is that it's challenging but completely do-able. The number of lives seems to be infinite, so that while there's a penalty to pay for dying, it doesn't involve repeating sections of the game over and over. One can always move ahead. The Lego characters are awfully cute and while it's only a two-player game, it's often the case that a group contains more than two characters, and players can switch between them. There are 99 levels of play, so it's good for lots of hours of fun.

If you like video games with lots of action, a fun storyline, and just enough challenge that it's not frustrating, I highly recommend this one. Oh, and if you're a Star Wars fan, it's just that much better.

Book Review: Your Novel Proposal

(Edit: Grrr...I posted this on the 10th but it's saying the 11th--something's messed up! Oh well, anyway...)
(Later Edit: And... now it's fixed, thanks to the fabulous Maricello. Hurray!)

Your Novel Proposal: From Creation to Contract by Blythe Camenson & Marshall J. Cook

Your Novel Proposal is an invaluable tool for anyone who has reached the point in their writing career when it's time to delve into the world of novel submission. Whether you are beginning the search for an agent or going directly to editors and publishers with your manuscript, this book will guide you through the process.

The book is divided into three main sections. In Part One: The Approach, the authors discuss publishing options, how to conduct the search for agents and editors, drafting the all-important query letter, and making your pitch. Part Two: The Package, deals with putting together a professional submission package that will make agents and editors take notice and provide them with exactly the information they require. Part Three: The Result, covers handling wait times and rejections, working with agents and editors through the acceptance and publishing process, and the technical side of having a book published. It closes with an appendix of resources for writers.

The subtitle sums up the meat of this book: "The complete guide to writing query letters, synopses and proposals for agents and editors." The authors present easy-to-understand instruction on what agents and editors are looking for, and, perhaps more importantly, what they are not looking for. There is much good advice in these pages, as well as insights into how the publishing industry works, and thoughts from many authors and industry insiders on the process of publishing.

The real treasures of the book, however, are the sample documents. One can spend any number of words explaining how to write a synopsis, but there is nothing like a real-life example to really drive the points home. The examples provide a starting-point, something one can modify and model on when writing one's own documents.

I can't recommend this book highly enough if you are serious about presenting yourself and your work in a professional manner. It should be on every aspiring novelist's bookshelf.

Canadian Writers to Read

The Canadian Writers to Read series of posts will highlight a few Canadian authors whom I think deserve to be more widely read. Number one on the list is Matthew Hughes, science fiction and fantasy writer of elegant and eloquent stories.

Hughes' short stories have become, if not staples of, then at least regular offerings in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction over the past few years. With several novels and a ream of short stories under his belt, Hughes is a fast-rising star in Canadian SF.

If you've heard of Hughes at all lately, you've probably read a short story featuring either Hengis Hapthorn (a professional discriminator, similar to a private eye) or Guth Bandar (a "retired explorer of the collective unconscious"). Both these characters have made appearances in longer works as well, Hapthorn in Majestrum and The Spiral Labyrinth, Bandar in Black Brillion, and both in the collection The Gist Hunter and Other Stories. The stories are by and large clever and intriguing, many combining mysteries with unusual and fantastic settings to keep the reader obsessively turning pages.

Personally, it's Hughes' use of language that I appreciate most of all. He doesn't shy away from using a vocabulary that is both eclectic and capacious, a refreshing break from the ever-narrowing range that many contemporary writers seem unable to reach beyond. I recommend Hughes' stories and novels for their unconventional and interesting characters and intriguing plots, but even more for the way he makes words sing on the page.

Review: Storm Front by Jim Butcher

(Book One of The Dresden Files)
This season on Space came a new series, The Dresden Files. The previews looked interesting, and I made a point to watch the first episode. I was quite impressed. I watched the next one, and the next. Yes, I'm hooked. It's permanently set to record on the PVR now.

Then I found out that the series is based on a book series by Jim Butcher. I called up my library's online site and managed to locate a copy of Book One, Storm Front, through interlibrary loans. It came into my branch on Monday and I picked it up in the afternoon, intending to put it in line after the book I'm currently reading. Then I made the mistake of just taking a peek at the first few pages Monday night.

Three solid hours later I convinced myself to lay it aside because otherwise I'd never be able to get up when the alarm went in the morning. I finished it Tuesday afternoon once I'd done my library volunteer stint in the morning. Whew, what a page-turner! This author knows how to turn up the heat and keep it on!

The protagonist is Harry Blackthorn Copperfield Dresden, a modern-day wizard living and working in Chicago. Work isn't exactly plentiful for a wizard-for-hire, so he also works as a consultant for the Chicago police department if an unusual case turns up--that is, something that smacks of otherworldly intervention, for those who are willing to accept the possibility. In Storm Front, that intervention takes the form of a couple murdered in a particularly unpleasant and, by mundane standards, seemingly impossible way.

Harry is a likable guy, but he has more on his hands than just solving a weird double murder. He also has to face demons from his past (of the figurative sort), demons in the present (of the literal sort), rogue black wizards, anal-retentive white wizards, sometimes hostile cops, decidedly hostile mafiosos, beautiful vampires, and clients trying to keep too many secrets. It's little wonder he doesn't have much time to breathe during the course of the book.

The magic aspect is appealing--Harry's not over-powerful, and he has Rules he has to follow. Most folks think he's a kook or a con man, but he tries his best to shrug it off and just get on with his life. The ending is quite a rip-roarer, and ultimately satisfying.

There's a modicum of sex and a fair bit of violence--I wouldn't let my 12-year-old read it right now, but in five or six years' time it would be okay.

If you're in the mood for a fast-paced read that stirs up mystery, horror, fantasy, action, and a very likable good guy, pick this one up. I'm off to the library website to order up book number two.