While at the library, I pulled out Paul Melko’s The Broken Universe. I started reading it and it seemed familiar and new at the same time. So, I went and looked around and quickly realized that the book was the sequel to The Walls of the Universe. A book which I had read a few years ago. From what I remember, the original book was an interesting take on a kid having a universal transporter (Family Guy’s Stewie used a similar device in a couple of episodes). This sequel picks up soon after the events that ended the first book and ends on a cliffhanger which will (I assume) lead to another book. Let’s take a look.
Burning Paradise by Robert Charles Wilson
Robert Charles Wilson’s Burning Paradise is a story about what happens if a paranoid’s worst nightmare came true. It’s a well written tale with some decent characters, but I had a hard time accepting the premise and that just sank the book for me. Labelled as hard science fiction, the main concept seemed so fantasy that it was hard for me to take the book seriously. Let’s check out what went wrong.
The Day of the Doctor review
It’s hard to believe it’s been 50 years of Doctor Who. For me, it’s only been 3+ years. I’m a late comer to the Doctor. I started with Steven Moffat and Matt Smith. It’s not that I hadn’t heard of Doctor Who before, but I just hadn’t started watching. But when I heard that they were starting with a new showrunner and a newly regenerated Doctor, it seemed like the perfect jumping on point. And I’ve been a fan ever since. Using Netflix, I’ve been slowly (very slowly) making my way through the 9th and 10th Doctors and am finding myself becoming more aware of the Doctor’s history. This is how I found myself sitting on the couch this past Saturday and watching the 50th anniversary episode The Day of the Doctor. Let’s see what happened. Spoilers Ahoy!
Ender’s Game movie review
Just so there is no confusion, this review will be ignoring all the controversy about author Orson Scott Card’s beliefs. The review will look at Ender’s Game as a movie and as an adaptation of the popular book. In both views, the movie falls short. It fails as a movie and does not do a particularly good job in adapting the book. Let’s see where the problems lie. WARNING: Spoilers ahoy.
Ex-Heroes by Peter Clines
I first saw Peter Clines book Ex-Heroes a couple years ago. It looked interesting, but I had burned out on zombies at that point. The zombie craze has definitely gone too far for my taste. But, Ex-Heroes, isn’t really about zombies. It’s about superheroes and gangs in a zombie world. The zombies are definitely talked about, but they are the setting, not the story. So, let’s check it out.
Glimpses by Lewis Shiner
I’ve never read any Lewis Shiner before, but had heard great things about him. When a friend recommended that I read his classic novel Glimpses, I decided to jump in. I found the book at a used book store and tore into it. A couple of hours later I was drifting into and out of classic rock and feeling like listening to albums which I hadn’t felt the need to hear in 20 years. The novel suffers through some weak sequences, but overall is a strong view into the impact of music and the musicians. Let’s check it out.
Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson
Brandon Sanderson is well-known for his epic fantasy. He loves writing 1000 page books of swords and sorcery, so it’s always a treat when he dips his hand into another genre. And in his latest novel, Steelheart, Sanderson takes on super heroes…kinda. It’s difficult to say that Sanderson is playing in the superhere genre when none of the super powered folks are heroes. And that’s partly what makes this an interesting story. Let’s check it out.
Dexter’s Final Cut by Jeff Lindsay
Just so there is no confusion, this review is of the latest Dexter novel, not the final season of the TV show. I’ve only seen season 1 of the TV show, so I don’t have any opinions on the rest of the seasons of the show. Now as for the book, I wasn’t happy with Dexter’s Final Cut, especially the ending. It wasn’t as bad as Dexter in the Dark, but that’s not much to be proud of (that book was really bad). This book takes Dexter out of his element for most of the novel and puts him in contact with some other narcissistic people who learn to hide their true self, actors. Dexter’s on the movie set and helping out, but it’s not quite what he envisioned.
Knowing movie review
I was recently talking to someone about the movie Knowing and could have sworn that I had reviewed it previously. But, looking through my archives, I couldn’t find it. The movie was directed by Alex Proyas, who is still living off his wonderful movie Dark City (my review). None of the movies he’s made since then really have the same visual appeal, but he does keep trying. Nicholas Cage dominates the movie and he chews up scenery thoroughly. Knowing isn’t a great movie, but I get the feeling that there could have been a good movie somewhere in here. Let’s check it out.
Quick Miscellaneous Reviews
Sorry for the lack of posts lately. Nothing I’ve read or watched recently has made that great of an impression on me or prompted me to write about it. So I figured I’d just do a catch-all post where I give a paragraph or so about several things at once, rather than a detailed review of something I’m not motivated to write about. Join me on the random discussion of miscellaneous items.