#the Ann Powers review captures this so well

[specialagentartemis]

godddddd i have disliked becky chambers' work since long way to a small angry planet and I agree that that fish scene is SO much of what is wrong with contemporary SFF especially queer SFF. refreshing take, great review, thank you. would love to hear what authors or works you think of as the antidote to that sensibility.

The thing is, I enjoyed The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet when I first read it - it was a fun, light adventure, clearly a debut novel but I was excited to see where Chambers would go from there. And I actually really do think the sequel, A Closed and Common Orbit, was good! It did interesting things with AI personhood and identity.

... and then Chambers just kinda. Did not get better. She settled into a groove and has a set number of ideas that I feel like she hasn't broken out of, creatively. And they I M O kind of rest on an assumption that "human nature" = "how people act in suburban California."

As an antidote to that sensibility, I'd say... books where people have a real interrelationship with the land they inhabit, a sense of being present, and reciprocal obligations to that land; books that recognize that some things can never be taken back once done; books with well-drawn characters, where people have strong opinions deeply informed by their circumstances, that can't always be easily reconciled with others, and won't be brushed aside; books where these character choices matter, they impact each other, they cannot be easily gotten over, because people have obligations to each other and not-acting is a choice too.

And it's only fair that after all day of being a Hater I should rec some books I really did like.

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke - A man lives alone in an infinite House, over an equally infinite ocean. Captures the feeling that I think Monk & Robot was aiming for. Breathtaking beauty, wonder at the world, philosophy of truth, all that good stuff, and actually sticks the landing. The main character's love, attention, and care to his fantasy environment shows through in every page. (Fantasy, short novel)

Imperial Radch by Ann Leckie - An AI, the one fragment remaining of a destroyed imperial spaceship, is on a quest for revenge. Leckie gets cultural differences and multiculturalism, and conversely, what the imposition of a homogeneous culture in the name of unity means. (Space sci-fi, novel trilogy)

Machineries of Empire by Yoon Ha Lee - An army captain's insubordination is punished by giving her a near-impossible mission: to take down a rebelling, heretical sect holing up in a space fortress and defying imperial power. She gets a long dead brain-ghost of a notorious criminal downloaded into her head to help. Very, very good at making you feel like every doomed soldier was a person with a past, with a family, with feelings, with hopes and dreams and frustrations and favorites and preferences and reasons to live, right before they brutally die in a space war. Also very much about the imposition of homogeneity of culture as a force of imperialism. (Space sci-fi, novel trilogy)

The Fortunate Fall by Cameron Reed - Maya Andreyevna is a VR journalist in high-tech dystopian future Russia, and she decides to investigate the truth that the government doesn't want her to. She might die trying. It's fine. Also has digital brain-sharing, this time in a gay way. It's bleak. It's sad. It feels real. Not making a choice is a choice. Backing out is a choice. And choices have consequences. Choices reverberate through history. About responsibility. (Cyberpunk, novel)

The Vanished Birds by Simon Jimenez - Nia Imani is a spaceship captain, a woman out of time, a woman running from her past, and accidentally adopts a boy who has a strange power that could change the galaxy. Spaceship crew-as-found-family in the most heartbreaking of ways. Also about choices, how the choices you make and refuse to make shape you and shape the world around you. How the world is always changing around you, how the world does not stay still when you're gone, and when you come back you're the same but the world has moved on around you. About how relationships aren't always forever, and that doesn't mean they weren't important. About responsibility to others. It's a slow, sad book and does not let anyone rest on their laurels, ever. There is no end of history here. Everything is always changing, on large scales and small, and leaving you behind. (Space sci-fi, novel)

Dungeon Meshi / Delicious in Dungeon by Ryoko Kui - A D&D style fantasy dungeon crawl that stops to think deeply about why there are so many dungeons full of monsters and treasure just hanging around. Here because it's an example of an author thinking through her worldbuilding a lot, and it mattering. Also because of the characters' respect for the animals they are are killing and eating, their lives and their place in the ecosystem, and the ways that humans both fuck up ecosystems with extraction and tourism, but also the ways that you can have reciprocal relationships of responsibility and care with the ecosystem you live in, even if it's considered a dangerous one. (Fantasy, manga series)

Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang and How Long 'Til Black Future Month by N. K. Jemisin and Everyone on the Moon is Essential Personnel by Julian K. Jarboe - Short story anthologies that were SO good and SO weird and rewired the way I think. If you want the kind of stuff that is like, the opposite of easy-to-digest feel-good pap, these short stories will get into your brain and make you consider stuff and look at the world from new angles. Most of them aren't particularly upbeat, but there's a lot of variety in the moods.

"Homecoming is Just Another Word for the Sublimation of the Self," "Calf Cleaving in the Benthic Black," and "Termination Stories for the Cyberpunk Dystopia Protagonist" by Isabel J. Kim - Short stories, sci-fi mostly, that twist around in my head and make me think. Kim is very good at that. Also about choices and not-making-choices, about going and staying, about taking the easy route or the hard one, about controlling the narrative.

The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells - Security robot with guns in its arms hacks itself free from its oppressive company, mostly wants to half-ass its job but gets sucked into drama, intrigue, and caring against its better judgement. This is on here because 1) I love it 2) I feel like it does for me what cozy sff so frequently fails to do - it makes me feel seen and comforted. It's hopeful and compassionate and about personal growth and finding community and finding one's place in the world, without brushing aside all problems or acting like "everybody effortlessly just gets along" is a meaningful proposal. also 3) because it is one of the few times I have yet seen characters from a hippie, pacifistic, eco-friendly, welcoming, utopian society actually act like people. The humans from Preservation are friendly, helpful, and motivated by truth and justice and compassion, because they come from a friendly, just, compassionate society, and they still actually act like real human beings with different personalities and conflicting opinions and poor reactions to stress and anger and frustration and fear and the whole range of human emotions rather than bland niceness. Also 4) I love it (space sci-fi, novella series mostly)

[ca-suffit]

there's a new review of season 2 out from empire magazine (big magazine, with a sizeable following online, and once again, assad's name has not been mentioned once, just a vague "another vampire". i am so angry and so tired. and i don't want to hear people trying to explain it away with "well spoilers", fuck that. the reveal was at the end of season 1, two years ago, season two has finished airing (in the us, which is where the magazine is based) just so lovely to see that americans think brown people and muslims in general are simply not worth mentioning

here's the full text of the article (and link at the end for a src but in case u don't want to give it clicks)

Interview With The Vampire: Season 2 Review

Following Lestat's (Sam Reid) presumed murder in 1940, Louis (Jacob Anderson) and Claudia (Delainey Hayles) travel to Europe where they meet a Parisian coven of thespian vampires. Meanwhile, Daniel Molloy (Eric Bogosian) continues his interview in the present day, after discovering that Louis’ assistant is actually a formidable vampire in disguise.

By David Opie | Published On 30 07 2024 Streaming on: BBC iPlayer

Episodes viewed: 8 of 8

Second chances are hard to come by, and even when they do happen, it's not always for the best. That's true for vampires like Louis (Jacob Anderson), who are brought back from the dead only to wish they were still dead when forced to face the agonies of a never-ending life in darkness. And that could have also been true for Interview With The Vampire itself, a critically lauded yet bizarrely overlooked adaptation of Anne Rice's saga that could have easily been cancelled after just one season. But thank the dark gods it wasn't, because Season 2 defies any potential sophomore slump by expanding the world once contained to a New Orleans townhouse with an international scope that's just as mesmeric and more theatrical than ever.

Season 2 establishes this immediately, with an opening card that explains Claudia's recasting with a simple, elegant reveal. As extraordinary as Bailey Bass was, capturing the perverse rapture of a child who tastes true power for the first time, nothing's lost in this transition as Delainey Hayles brings a newfound maturity to Claudia, who's grown more world-weary, exhausted by the childish confines of her prepubescent body. The returning cast are pitch-perfect too, especially Anderson, who grounds the story across three different timelines, including a flashback to 1973 which changes everything. This astonishing episode of television would be up for every award going if not for voters' aversion to genre — and the same is true for the show as a whole.

From the lavish costumes and production design to the intricate nuance of the writing, it's hard to think of another series that's this ferociously strong across the board. Even (largely) without Sam Reid's seductive vamping, Season 2 is a feast more than worth devouring. And if you're anything like us, it'll devour you too, consuming your every waking thought until Season 3 brings us out of the darkness all over again for another dalliance with these twisted yet infinitely watchable creatures of the night.

Interview With The Vampire continues to outshine the ’90s movie and even the source material with an extravagant, unabashedly queer second season that cements it as one of the all-time greats.

src

[world-cinema-research]

Short Essay: The Graduate (1967)

by Rachel Powers

Mike Nichols’ The Graduate, starring Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft, is the coming-of-age story of Benjamin, an aimless college graduate contemplating the direction of his life. During this tumultuous period, Benjamin is seduced by an older woman, Mrs. Robinson, only to end up falling in love with her daughter Elaine.

The film, adapted from Charles Webb’s novel of the same name, was released in December 1967, The Graduate has made a worldwide gross amount of $105,015,318 on an estimated $3 million budget. It was a huge success, resulting in Mike Nichols’ 1968 Oscar win for Best Director. Dustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft, and Katharine Ross were also nominated for Oscars for their roles. The Graduate also won a Grammy for Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture.

Mike Nichols winning Best Director at the 1968 Oscars

“'The Graduate,' the funniest American comedy of the year, is inspired by the free spirit which the young British directors have brought into their movies. It is funny, not because of sight gags and punch lines and other tired rubbish, but because it has a point of view. That is to say, it is against something. Comedy is naturally subversive… In the direct style of new British directors, the audience is the target of the joke, and the funny events do not happen in the movie -- they are the movie… When something funny happens, the actors don't react; the movie itself reacts by what it shows next.” – Roger Ebert (1967)

Even the original poster of the movie expresses the humor that Roger Ebert wrote about in his review. The quote "This is Benjamin. He's a little worried about his future," paired with an image of the character behind a woman's leg pulling on a stocking, portrays the comedy that is to be found in this film.

 A great example of Roger Ebert's observation of the movie reacting to comedy rather than the actors reacting to it is the scene where Benjamin grabs Mrs. Robinson's breast. Mrs. Robinson is unfazed and fusses with her sweater. Benjamin turns around, walks across the room, and bangs his head against the wall. In fact, this was all unscripted. Dustin Hoffman spontaneously improvised grabbing Anne Bancroft's breast and found her lack of reaction so funny that he almost broke character. To stay in character, he had to turn around, walk away, and bang his head against the wall to hide his laughter from Mike Nichols. This improvised scene made it into the final cut.

Any review of The Graduate would be remiss to leave out Simon and Garfunkel’s musical contribution. The famous song “Mrs. Robinson” was written specifically for The Graduate, and the film’s score hosts many of their other songs such as The Sound of Silence, Scarborough Fair, and April Come She Will.

Paul Simon describes the incarnation of Simon and Garfunkel’s “Mrs. Robinson”

"Simon and Garfunkel’s eerie and sublime The Sound of Silence perfectly captures both Ben’s alienation and bewilderment about what he should do with his life, and then his postcoital disenchantment and self-loathing. And Here’s to You Mrs Robinson, with its gentle reassurance that Jesus loves her, provides a note of final gentleness and forgiveness for this character that is really nowhere in the script." - Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian (2017)

In the above clip, the Simon and Garfunkel song “The Sound of Silence” is used to join scenes of Benjamin's emptiness. Dustin Hoffman's vacant facial expressions pair well with Simon and Garfunkel's music to express the isolation the character is feeling. This adds to the films style, look, and feel as well with this demonstration of the passage of time.

The beginning of the song “Mrs. Robinson” starts at night when Benjamin is searching for Elaine. The intro of the song (instrumental, with the only lyrics being "de de de de") is dragged out while overlaying a few scenes as Benjamin continues his search. As dawn breaks, Benjamin drives onto the Bay Bridge towards Berkeley and the song breaks into its full version. I find Peter Bradshaw's observation of this song's impact very enlightening. Although not in the script, the use of this song and its lyrics does offer the feel of forgiveness towards Mrs. Robinson.

The style of the film is also quite consistent in it's camera work. At times, certain camera shots and angles are used to add or remove distance from characters. In the beginning of the film, the shot is framed tight onto Benjamin’s face at the party. Although all he wants to do is escape, the guest of the party proceed to invade his personal space as demonstrated through these crowded, tight shots.

Camera zooms were also used to create distance, as such in the scene where Mrs. Robinson says goodbye to Benjamin after he confessed the affair to Elaine.

A conventional film, The Graduate was made to make money and appeal to both older and younger generations. At the time, Mike Nichols was a relatively new director who had just seen success with his first film, Who’s Afraid of Virgina Woolf. Dustin Hoffman was virtually unknown as an actor, and this was his first feature film. The use of Simon and Garfunkel’s music for the score compounded the audience draw. Prior to The Graduate’s release, they performed at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967, which is widely regarded as the beginning of “The Summer of Love.” Influential in their reach, it is no doubt that their participation in The Graduate drew larger numbers to the box office.

In 1967, the younger generations were becoming more rebellious, resistant, and unconforming, which was a fitting audience for those same themes found in The Graduate. This was also demonstrated in protest events such as the March on the Pentagon in 1967.

“Flower Power,” the famous photograph by Bernie Boston, taken at the March on the Pentagon in 1967. This image was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.

The Graduate has inspired other movies, especially with its older-woman-younger-man relationship dynamic. Films such as Harold & Maude and American Pie notably use this same dynamic. The term “Mrs. Robinson” is still used to this day in popular culture to refer to age-gap relationships or attractive older woman (sometimes also referred to as “cougars.”) Although released in 1967, this film is just as entertaining and relevant today as it was then.

[richincolor]

Book Review: Rust in the Root

Title: Rust in the Root

Author: Justina Ireland

Genres:  Fantasy

Pages: 448 

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Review Copy: ARC by publisher

Availability: Available now

Summary: It is 1937, and Laura Ann Langston lives in an America divided—between those who work the mystical arts and those who do not. Ever since the Great Rust, a catastrophic event that blighted the arcane force called the Dynamism and threw America into disarray, the country has been rebuilding for a better future. And everyone knows the future is industry and technology—otherwise known as Mechomancy—not the traditional mystical arts.

Laura disagrees. A talented young mage from Pennsylvania, Laura hopped a portal to New York City on her seventeenth birthday with hopes of earning her mage’s license and becoming something more than a rootworker

But six months later, she’s got little to show for it other than an empty pocket and broken dreams. With nowhere else to turn, Laura applies for a job with the Bureau of the Arcane’s Conservation Corps, a branch of the US government dedicated to repairing the Dynamism so that Mechomancy can thrive. There she meets the Skylark, a powerful mage with a mysterious past, who reluctantly takes Laura on as an apprentice.

As they’re sent off on their first mission together into the heart of the country’s oldest and most mysterious Blight, they discover the work of mages not encountered since the darkest period in America’s past, when Black mages were killed for their power—work that could threaten Laura’s and the Skylark’s lives, and everything they’ve worked for. 

Review: As a fan of Justina Ireland’s Dread Nation series, I was excited for another book by her. Ireland is so good at weaving issues of race and marginalization with historical fantasy and horror. She is able to capture fantastical horror such as zombies and monsters while showing that the true horror comes from living in a racist society. Rust in the Root, is a different novel structurally, but does include similar themes and motifs that Ireland is known for. 

While I enjoyed Rust in the Root, it did begin a bit slow and I had a bit of trouble connecting to the story. Ireland is usually excellent with mixing story telling with world building, but for me, this time I struggled. I think it may have been that the book is told in a number of perspectives, mixed with a mission report, news articles, photos, etc. It is a unique way of building the world but it took me out of the story at times as I had to adjust from connecting with one character to suddenly reading a mission report. Laura and Skylark’s time in NYC definitely set the stage for the novel but I feel like the novel’s real pacing began once they were on the mission. The creepiness and fear factor really ramped up and it became a good old fashioned monster fighting/mystery solving novel. 

As well as world building, one of Ireland’s strengths is her characters and Rust in the Root is filled with many great characters. When Laura and Skylark go on the mission, the story truly becomes an ensemble piece with folks that annoy you and folks that you love. Without giving spoilers, let’s just say not all of your favorites make it to the end and I honestly respect a writer who does that. It makes the stakes really high when you don’t think everyone is safe. I found myself rooting for folks to live  then being sad when they didn’t (and secretly hoping for a Deus ex machina to bring them back). I love that all the characters reflected different aspects of Black life as it created a unique tension with how they use their magic, how they try to fight the monster and solving the mystery. This tension adds to the horror of the book because the ensemble really is fighting two “monsters” - an actual monster and a societal one. 

Rust in the Root seems like it has the beginnings of a new series and one that any Justina Ireland fan will enjoy. 

[redhairedgirl95]

Ok wow. Omg the new chapter was incredible. First off Cyrus and Samson :( I’m so happy we got to see their reaction to the whole darkar situation. I love their relationship with Stella so much it’s so cute to see I mean they’re literally like her older brothers even the king can see that. I think radius definitely has a soft spot for them as well, seeing how well they look after Stella and how much they worry about her I think would definitely put them in his good books. Omg jealous radius! He still really infatuated with Luna or maybe it’s a case of i cant have her but i dont want anyone else to have her either. I’m really curious to see who it is though. However I cant even begin to express how much i hate chimera and Cassandra, they irritate me so much. I think just knowing that right in that moment (during summer) everything was perfect for Stella and she doesn’t know that in a couple weeks absolutely everything will be ruined . Cassandra is so fucking slimy though ugh I hate her she’s so fucking annoying even back in your Luna and radius fic she annoyed the shit out of me but at least we had the satisfaction of Luna putting her in her place but right now I just know it’s going to get a lot worse before it gets better. I mean saying she disliked Stella since she’d been born like cmon get a fucking grip your an adult and she’s a literal baby and omg chimera 🙄 I just need her to be punched like I don’t think magic will be satisfying enough for me, I want Stella to absolutely ROCK HER SHIT… anyway. Radius was never interested in Cassandra like that!!!omg i wanna be sick so from the night Cassandra and chimera got their mark radius started seeing Cassandra and therefore became spelled, how come they’re waiting for the princess ball was it just to gradually show that Cassandra and radius were together to those working in the castle? Ugh I just can’t deal with them! Also I’m assuming Cassandra and chimera still have complete free will unlike radius I hope they get punished severely like I beg the bring back beheading because I really can’t stand them

Anyway! Onto Stella! I love how supportive the girls are of Stella it’s so cute to see her with such a healthy support system after everything she has and will go through. I also loved reading everyone staring at Brandon because it’s so true that everyone would be so interested in why he’s so special and why Stella the princess of the most power realm would be interested in him.

Stella and Anne :( I love them so much it’s actually insane. She really stepped up and did what Luna should’ve been there for. I understand her still going which I think Stella will really appreciate it however she could’ve done a lot more for her daughter then what she has done.

This was such an amazing chapter you’ve absolutely nailed it YET AGAIN!! I can’t wait for the next chapter yet also dreading it, because just poor Stella!! Little does she know this will be her last time in solaria for a while :(

I really hope the solarian people will reject Cassandra and chimera it would be so cool to see solaria’s people uprising because they demand to see their king and the real heir to throne and won’t accept anyone but them. I just feel like solarians love their royal family and would sense something is wrong especially since they will probably see that the royal family demands Stella be killed/captured.

Omg I CANT FUCKING WAIT!!!! You really out do your self everytime so sorry for such a long paragraph well multiple paragraphs 😭 I really can’t wait for the next chapter!

Never apologise for an in depth review! They’re my favorite!

- C&S are Stella’s big bros ❤️ aaaaand after EM3 you’ll get their backstory too 🌟

- Radius will always be down bad for Luna. He fell first and fell harder, while Luna is more of an ‘introvert’ as regards feelings. She is better at keeping them in check, at storing them and putting them away. While Solarian blood boils hotter and Radius is waaaaay more impulsive

- C&C are the worst. Always have been. Always will be. No redemption for them. Never in a million years. They are just straight up evil. Cassandra has always been after power and she’s raised Chimera in her own image. They will have what they deserve

- the girls know how important the Ball is for Stella and they want to make sure she enjoys every second of it! Little do they know that bigger things are happening behind the curtains …

- poor Brandon is a bit sick with all the attention 😅

- Anne is the ultimate loving mama. Best in the Dimensions!

- I still have to figure out the Solarians reaction … we’ll see!

Again, thank you for being so so so supportive 🌟 it’s much appreciated ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[ladonnahumphreyarkansas]

Connected by Fate by LaDonna Humphrey of Arkansas

Connected by Fate is book written by LaDonna Humphrey of Arkansas. This book is all about the unresolved murder of Melissa Witt.

Connected by Fate unfolds against the haunting backdrop of the Ozark National Forest, where the unresolved murder of Melissa Witt has cast a long shadow over the dense woodlands for almost three decades. The mystery, woven into the fabric of the remote mountaintop, has become a part of the lore of the land, with the true identity of the murderer eluding capture, concealed by the forest’s imposing presence.

Enter LaDonna Humphrey, driven by a profound sense of justice and a personal commitment to uncovering the truth, despite never having met Melissa Witt. LaDonna’s connection to the case transcends the ordinary, fueling her with a relentless determination that has defined her life for almost a decade.

LaDonna’s investigation is a riveting narrative of courage, resilience, and an unwavering pursuit of truth in the face of overwhelming odds. Each breakthrough and setback, each clue unearthed and lead followed, draws her deeper into a web of intrigue that extends far beyond the initial crime.

Connected by Fate is more than a true crime story; it’s a testament to the power of human spirit and determination fueled by the knowledge that solving Melissa’s murder is not just about bringing a killer to justice — it’s about restoring dignity to a life cut tragically short, and offering closure to a community haunted by the specter of an unsolved crime.

Reviewed by Michelle Stanley for Readers’ Favorite

Connected by Fate is a non-fiction true crime account by LaDonna Humphrey. In December 1994, Melissa Ann Witt was abducted and her body was found in early 1995. The case has remained unsolved but has not been forgotten in Arkansas. LaDonna joined Detectives J. C. Rider and Chris Boyd to investigate the murder case that has intrigued them for years. Many people, including Sandy Jones, a crazy informer, contacted them with fictitious stories.

However, other persons claiming to be Melissa’s friends caught the investigative team’s attention, as well as the letter of a man’s name in Melissa’s diary. The bodies of more murder victims found in national parks also convinced the authorities that it was a serial killing.

“Proverbs 28:1: The wicked flee when none pursueth” — Chris Boyd, Major (Retired). LaDonna Humphrey’s Connected by Fate aroused my curiosity. The author has invested time and effort to assist Rider and Boyd find Melissa Witt’s killer. Becoming impatient and sometimes emotional about this seemed to make LaDonna more determined to help the lawmen, and a notebook kept on the case is often perused.

It’s so hard to believe that the victim was only forty-five steps away from Bowling World. Although no visual material or interviews are included, LaDonna’s writing is easy to comprehend with sufficient detailed information about what transpired. If you like reading true crime stories or murder mysteries and don’t mind the graphic details, then you’ll find Connected by Fate by LaDonna Humphrey as interesting as I did.

To buy this book, visit here or visit below link to know more about LaDonna Humphrey.

[fictionfromafar]

The Venus of Salò by Ben Pastor

The Venus of Salò

By Ben Pastor

Bitter Lemon Press

Publication Date: 23 May 2024 

The Venus of Salò is the latest and the eighth novel in the Colonel Martin Bora series, the most recent of which was The Night of Shooting Stars in 2020. The Martin Bora series written by Ben Pastor is comprised of a total of 11 books, which were released in Italy between the years 1999 and 2015. Ben Pastor is actually the pen name of a famous Italian author named Maria Volpi Verbena. Born in Rome, she now has dual citizenship and lives and works as a teacher in the United States. 

This was the first novel I had read featuring Martin Bora and while there are references to his previous exploits, particularly on the Russian front, the characters in this story aside from Bora appear specific to the novel. They comprise of a combination of real historical figures and fictional characters. 

The story sees Martin Bora arrive in the fascist Republic of Salò on Lake Garda in October 1944, six months before the end of the war in Europe. This was a very turbulent time in the history of Northern Italy as the once captured Mussolini has been rescued by the Germans from his mountain prison and restored him to power in the north of the country. While the German occupiers ruled through violence and the aid of the local Fascists, official and unofficial armed bands would roam arresting suspected partisans, members of the Resistance and terrorising the local population. During this time, Salo‘s grand villas by Lake Garda are used by Mussolini, the Gestapo and the SS. When a valuable painting, the Venus of Salò goes missing from such a residence, Bora is tasked with the investigation into the theft of the work of art, and it's recovery. A pattern of mystery develops when several attractive women are found dead, apparently but perhaps not by their own hands. 

The investigation sees Bora mingle with a range of Italians whose allegiences can vary quite substantially as well as German occupiers from whom he has his own secrets to preserve.  Along the way finds himself mistrusted by nearlt everyone, yet also falls in love while at risk of capture from Slavic partisans. 

Ben Pastor's astute reading of historical settings emerges strongly through this story providing a multifaceted crime novel which gives the reader a real flavour for the chaos and paranoia of this period while on a human level, they route for Bora to emerge from the situation unscathed. 

The blurb:

October 1944, in the so-called Republic of Salò, the last fascist stronghold in Italy. After months of ferocious fighting on the Gothic Line, Colonel Martin Bora of the Wehrmacht must investigate the theft of a precious painting of Venus by Titian, stolen with uncanny ease from a local residence. While Bora’s inquiry proceeds among many difficulties, the discovery of three dead bodies throws an even more sinister light on the scene. The victims are female, very beautiful, apparently dead by their own hand but in fact elegantly murdered. 

The author

Ben Pastor, born in Italy, worked as a university professor in Vermont before returning to her country.   She is one of the most talented writers in the field of historical fiction. In 2008 she won the prestigious Premio Zaragoza for best historical fiction. She writes in English.

Many thanks to Bitter Lemon Press for an advance copy of this book and to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for inclusion in the blog tour. Please check out the other reviews of this book as shown below.

[cyarsk52-20]

10 of the best and 10 of the worst TV shows that came out this year

This year brought a new lineup of comedies, dramas, thrillers, and docuseries.

Some of the worst-reviewed shows of the year included "Queen Cleopatra" and "Saint X." 

But critics recommended "Drops of God," "A Small Light," and "Cunk on Earth."

Plenty of new series entertained fans this year. But according to critics, some were better than others.

Here are the best and worst TV shows of 2023, according to critic scores.

Critics loved the highbrow drama “Drops of God.”

Rotten Tomatoes: 100%

Summary: After a titan in the wine industry passes away, his estranged daughter Camille (Fleur Geffrier) is forced to compete against her father's greatest student (Tomohisa Yamashita) to earn her inheritance.

The Apple TV+ drama was received as an intelligent, fast-paced series with rewarding plotlines.

"The writing, acting, directing, and cinematography all hit the right notes," Randy Myers wrote for The Mercury News.

“A Small Light” added new layers to the legendary story of Anne Frank. 

Rotten Tomatoes: 100%

Summary: On the National Geographic series, Dutch woman Miep Gies (Bel Powley) takes in Anne Frank's (Billie Boullet) family at the height of World War II.

Critics admired "A Small Light" for handling a delicate subject with grace and faithfulness.

"'A Small Light' finds a fresh way into this tale of courage, resilience and tragedy and, in doing so, may well pass the story on to yet another generation," Rebecca Nicholson wrote for The Guardian.

The mockumentary “Cunk on Earth” had critics rolling with laughter. 

Rotten Tomatoes: 100%

Summary: Philomena Cunk (Diane Morgan) travels the world, speaking to experts about untold secrets as she investigates the history of the human race.

Morgan's dry humor kept critics laughing from start to finish.

Michael Phillips wrote for the Chicago Tribune, "It's the funniest thing I've seen in months, and not just on Netflix."

The Australian comedy “Deadloch” offered a refreshing change of pace for crime fans. 

Rotten Tomatoes: 100%

Summary: After a dead body washes ashore in their town, by-the-numbers Sergeant Dulcie Collins (Kate Box) is paired up with rough-and-tumble investigator Eddie Redcliffe (Madeleine Sami) to solve the case.

Critics said viewers who take a plunge into the oddball Amazon Prime series will find a refreshing take on crime procedurals.

"It might sound a little cliche to say you'll be guessing all the way to the end, but you really will, with unpredictable pace-propelling twists rolled out from go to whoa," Luke Buckmaster wrote for The Guardian.

Critics tore through “Beef” in a matter of days. 

Rotten Tomatoes: 98%

Summary: After a road-rage incident, art curator Amy Lau (Ali Wong) and struggling contractor Danny Cho (Steven Yeun) are caught in an escalating rivalry that threatens to spill over into their everyday lives.

Critics said Netflix's "Beef" was a binge-worthy drama with an explosive finale that will leave viewers hungry for more.

"With addictive performances, stellar writing, and an innovative tone throughout, 'Beef' will undoubtedly garner a dedicated viewership on Netflix due to its sheer originality," Anna Miller wrote for Discussing Film.

“Gen V” expands on the world of “The Boys” with dark wit. 

Rotten Tomatoes: 97%

Summary: On the Amazon Prime spin-off for "The Boys," young college students with superpowers compete to earn a spot in the coveted Seven.

In the age of reboots, sequels, and spin-offs, critics were genuinely charmed by the worldbuilding of "Gen V."

"'Gen V' has the same irreverent, iconoclastic sense of humor as 'The Boys,' and introduces a new cast of superheroes with creatively designed powers that capture the audience's attention right off the bat," Audrey Fox wrote for Looper.

Critics said “I’m A Virgo” was bursting with creativity. 

Rotten Tomatoes: 96%

Summary: On Amazon Prime's "I'm A Virgo," 13-foot-tall Cootie (Jharrel Jerome) leaves his sheltered home and tries to accept his larger-than-life self.

Critics agreed it was a charming, weird, and wonderful series from "Sorry to Bother You"(2018) director Boots Riley.

"'I'm a Virgo' is a whimsical 'Alice in Wonderland'-style fantasy," Jeanine T. Abraham wrote for Medium.

“Telemarketers” pulled back the curtain on a nationwide con. 

Rotten Tomatoes: 96%

Summary: On HBO's docuseries, Sam Lipman-Stern looks back on his time working as a telemarketer for a suspicious corporate conglomerate.

Critics said that the scrappy early-2000s footage grounded the series in realism and added a grittiness that's noteworthy among a sea of glossy docudramas.

"It feels like a rebellious artifact, realized in real-time and with a kind of earnestness and zeal that the endless stream of glossy true-crime docs peeling off the streaming-service presses lack," Alison Lanier wrote for Pajiba.

Critics said period drama “Transatlantic” had a classic Hollywood flair. 

Rotten Tomatoes: 95%

Summary: In 1940 Marseilles, France, Mary Jayne Gold (Gillian Jacobs) and Varian Fry (Cory Michael Smith) help European refugees fleeing from Nazi Germany to the US.

Critics praised the Netflix period drama — which was based on a true story — for blending several plotlines in a riveting, cohesive way.

"While the show isn't afraid to get as dark as its circumstances require, it's also not afraid to embrace the occasional moment of levity, from funny misunderstandings to romantic drama to even an unexpected musical number," Liz Shannon Miller wrote for Consequence.

The charm of “Platonic” was undeniable. 

Rotten Tomatoes: 93%

Summary: After a long rift, best friends Will (Seth Rogen) and Sylvia (Rose Byrne) reconnect when they need each other most.

Critics said Rogen and Byrne effortlessly carried their chemistry from the "Neighbors" film series over to the Apple TV+ show.

"'Platonic' works because Byrne and Rogen are such joys to watch together, and because viewers want to spend ten half-hour episodes watching them spend time together," Sarah Ward wrote for Concrete Playground.

On the other hand, critics were completely split on “Digman!”

Rotten Tomatoes: 57%

Summary: In a world where archaeologists are worshiped like heroes, Rip Digman (voiced by Andy Samberg) tries to reclaim his former glory a decade after being fired by the Smithsonian.

Critics were split on Comedy Central's "Digman!" Some called it a funny Saturday-afternoon cartoon, but others felt it was something to skip.

"'Digman' misses the mark in essentially every department," Brittany Vincent wrote for Decider. "Its jokes fall flat, its premise can't hold up an entire series, and the word 'arky' is overused to a maddening degree."

Critics felt like a great cast was wasted on “Secret Invasion.”

Rotten Tomatoes: 53%

Summary: On the Disney+ Marvel series, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) teams up with old friend Talos (Ben Mendelsohn) to stop rogue aliens from taking over Earth.

The phenomenal cast — Jackson, Mendelsohn, Olivia Colman, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Emilia Clarke — was commendable, even if critics were weary of franchise fatigue.

"'Secret Invasion' is the epitome of the Marvel TV and film franchise," Richard Ferguson wrote for The Australian. "Even an armed chase through the streets of Moscow seems stunted, fake and without life."

“Citadel” had high ambitions but felt clunky to critics. 

Rotten Tomatoes: 50%

Summary: Former spies and lovers Mason Kane (Richard Madden) and Nadia Smith (Priyanka Chopra Jonas) reunite after learning that a syndicate of adversaries wiped their memories.

Critics wanted to let their guard down and let the Amazon Prime series take them on a fun adventure ride. But its overstuffed plot and rushed CGI proved too distracting to ignore.

"Audiences for action movies are willing to suspend disbelief if the payoff is worth the cost, but 'Citadel' never closes the sale," Brian Tallerico wrote for The Playlist.

Critics were left unimpressed by the “True Lies” reboot. 

Rotten Tomatoes: 42%

Summary: On CBS' reboot of "True Lies," secret agent Harry Tasker (Steve Howey) tries to balance work and marriage when he invites his wife Helen (Ginger Gonzaga) to Paris on a spy mission.

Reviewers agreed that the series failed to translate any of the fun and spark of the 1994 movie that inspired it.

"Your eyes would be well advised to look for something better too," Pat Stacey wrote for the Irish Independent. "'True Lies' is truly dire — and that's no lie."

Bad reviews rolled in left and right for “Velma.” 

Rotten Tomatoes: 39%

Summary: On Max's reimagining of "Scooby-Doo," high-school-age Velma Dinkley (voiced by Mindy Kaling) is forced to prove her innocence after a murder is pinned on her.

Critics came to a consensus that "Velma" reworked "Scooby-Doo" so radically that it lost all its most lovable ingredients.

"It's an empty shell of a farce that's not clever or engrossing. Just gross," Erin Maxwell wrote for LA Weekly.

Critics called “Florida Man” an overstuffed crime drama. 

Rotten Tomatoes: 22%

Summary: Ex-cop Mike Valentine (Edgar Ramírez) promises to track down a mobster's girlfriend in Florida. But the gig spirals into something more sinister.

Critics said Netflix's "Florida Man" tacked way too many ideas to its storyboard, and lost a strong throughline in the process.

"'Florida Man' is a muddled show that has some interesting characters and story points, but they're lost in a show that's far too crowded," Joel Keller wrote for Decider.

With countless superhero shows on the market, “Gotham Knights” fell to the bottom rung. 

Rotten Tomatoes: 21%

Summary: After Bruce Wayne dies, his adopted son Turner Hayes (Oscar Morgan) is framed for his murder and forced to go on the lam with the children of Batman's greatest enemies.

"Gotham Knights" earned poor reception, with critics agreeing that there were much better superhero offerings than the CW show.

"There's too much other quality content based on comic book universes populating the broadcast and streaming landscape to make this feel like anything other than an embarrassing afterthought," Zaki Hasan wrote for The Wrap.

Critics said “The Idol” lacked any semblance of self-awareness. 

Rotten Tomatoes: 19%

Summary: After her last tour ended in disaster, pop star Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp) tries to piece her fame back together with self-help guru Tedros (Abel "The Weeknd" Tesfaye).

Critics felt like the Max drama was desperately trying to be edgy — and ultimately fell short of anything boundary-pushing or fresh.

"'The Idol' tries so hard to be edgy and coolly shocking that you start to feel sorry for the show," Craig Mathieson wrote for The Age.

“Saint X” left critics unsatisfied on many levels. 

Rotten Tomatoes: 19%

Summary: Based on the book by Alexis Schaitkin, "Saint X" follows Emily Thomas (Alycia Debnam-Carey) as she tries to solve the mystery of her sister's (West Duchovny) brutal death in the Caribbean 20 years prior.

Reviewers pointed to clunky dialogue and head-spinning plotlines while giving the Hulu thriller low marks.

"Unfortunately, its execution muddles the message on almost all levels," Adrian Horton wrote for The Guardian. "The timeline-switching is chaotic, the acting wooden, the pace doleful and the aesthetic cheap-looking."

Critics didn't know what to make of “Queen Cleopatra.”

Rotten Tomatoes: 18%

Summary: On Netflix's dramatic miniseries, narrated by Jada Pinkett Smith, the legacy of Queen Cleopatra is brought to life through reenactments and expert interviews.

Across the board, "Queen Cleopatra" received poor reviews from critics who said the series suffered from an identity crisis.

"With no distinctive aesthetic point of view on offer and nothing intellectually novel to engage with, 'Cleopatra' swiftly becomes a test of patience before it even reaches episode two," Joseph Fahim wrote for Middle East Eye.

Sent from my iPhone

[trouble-writing]

I posted 280 times in 2022

That's 275 more posts than 2021!

19 posts created (7%)

261 posts reblogged (93%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@specterthief

@naometry

@nosmallpotatoes

@itsrapsodia

@skyheaven1231

I tagged 228 of my posts in 2022

Only 19% of my posts had no tags

#art - 146 posts

#fanart - 144 posts

#persona5 - 137 posts

#queuing because i can - 119 posts

#writing - 41 posts

#myfanfics - 16 posts

#akeshu - 16 posts

#fe3h - 12 posts

#shuake - 11 posts

#akeshuake - 5 posts

Longest Tag: 74 characters

#because it captures exactly the vibes goro had in my mind while reading it

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Slightly cracky 'he was the gardener all along'-idea.

Let's turn the 'Akira's parents are loaded'-headcanon up to 11. They have a huge elaborate garden. Akira comes back and slots seamlessly back into the family.

His parents ignore him as much as before, but they don't think of him as an absolute criminal, so that's nice. But they are adamant about him not going back to Tokyo, and more or less forcing him to enroll in the college in the next bigger town.

Maybe they could pull some strings despite his (overturned) criminal record. He goes there after protesting, being sure he will transfer at the first opportunity. It's not that bad. Morgana's here, his friends can video call and message, and he mostly has the house to himself.

On one of the rare occasions his parents are there, they inform him that they hired a new gardener from a local firm with good reviews, and he's supposed to keep an eye out if he does a good job, etc. And he does! The flowers look better than ever.

It's a delight to see the garden flourish, especially after he spent working so many hours at the flower shop. He starts doing his homework outside, but he hasn't seen or met the gardener yet, since he always comes around when Akira has classes.

Until one day - classes are canceled - he looks out the window and sees someone working out there. Imagine the general gardener fit, jeans, a t-shirt, if we're daring a straw hat, and Akira's just looking. And keeps looking.

He likes the glimpses of sun-bleached hair he sees and the slight tan, but he's busy, having a call with Ann scheduled, and during it, he carries the laptop over to the window and she approves of what she sees, comparing Akira to a romance heroine lusting after the gardener.

He just laughs. He doesn't laugh when he sees the gardener remove his shirt the next time. And thus begins Akira's journey of lusting after the gardener, but trying not to become a cliché by being inappropriate towards the guy. He hasn't even seen his face!

And well, it's summer soon, and he still misses Goro, and maybe Ann was right that he should distract himself, and flirt a little. And of course, there's a pool in the garden. Because of course. And maybe he should do his homework at different times on one of the beach chairs.

Wearing shorts and t-shirts, maybe even a tank top if he's particularly brave, to see if there might be a little interest. And there is! It's almost as if the gardener can't look away whenever Akira enters the garden and makes his way to his new favorite spot.

The guy keeps working and himself hidden, but it's as if Akira can feel his eyes on him. They keep staring at each other once the other looks away, and it's fun for a while. Definitely distracts him from everything else going on in his life.

At one point he gets bold enough to just approach the gardener. More or less sneaking up on him. And when he finally makes a noise to let him know Akira's approaching, he turns around.

And Akira stares into the face of one Goro Akechi, who found his calling in taking care of plants and nurturing them during their time apart.

*bows* That is all.

6 notes - Posted November 19, 2022

#4

PT.exe has stopped working an akeshuake No Powers AU, in which a Dating Sim appears on the Phansite.

Graphic for this post and the fic has been made by the wonderful @nosmallpotatoes!

Pairing: Goro Akechi/Akira Kurusu - Rating: M

Posted for ShuAke Week 2022 Day Six: Rule 63 - Crossover - Dating Sim

7 notes - Posted November 20, 2022

#3

True Romance is Dead (I shot it in the chest then in the head) 

Pairing: Goro Akechi/Akira Kurusu - Rating: M

A self-indulgent fic I'm actually rather proud of. Maybe one day I'll even write the second part.

Posted for ShuAke Week 2022 Day Two: Body Swap - Heist - Cooking

7 notes - Posted November 19, 2022

#2

Tell a little truth an akeshu one-shot written for the Monster Smash event on Twitter.

My gift for @enlacinglineswrites who wanted shuake/akeshu with a bit of truth serum.

Pairing: Goro Akechi/Akira Kurusu - Rating: E

Summary:

The truth that spilled out of him made Goro's eyes widen once more, but he gave no answer, just kept thinking, hand going up to his chin, already absorbed in whatever he was puzzling over.

“Just a hypothesis, but whatever you did to the potion very obviously made us unable to lie.”

After accidentally brewing a healing potion with another interesting property, Akira and Goro have to navigate the lingering effects of a truth potion.

14 notes - Posted November 21, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Claws and Feathers an akeshuake soulmate AU with shapeshifting.

Pairing: Goro Akechi/Akira Kurusu - Rating: M

Posted for ShuAke Week 2022 Day Five: Bad End - Sickfic - Shapeshifting

24 notes - Posted November 20, 2022

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[space-girl-and-droids-art]

Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark- Book Review

“Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark” Is an anthology of stories narrating some of the arcs of the clone wars from the perspective of the characters. It gives more details and depth to some episodes, as well as giving us information that makes us have a different view of the events.

This is not exactly a review, but mostly my reactions to reading the book. I do recommend it, if you loved the clone wars and want another perspective on some of the arcs this will be a good read. That said, this does contain spoilers for the clone wars.

#1 “Sharing the same Face” -Jason Fry (from the episode “Ambush”)

Okay this was once one of the most light-hearted episodes of the series and now I ended up crying. I did not expect an order 66 reference here. Every time Yoda addresses Dooku is painful. Seeing how Yoda perceives the clones is really heart-warming, but knowing how it all turns out in the end is really sad and during the whole text you are really aware of that. In the show you kind of forget about what’s going to happen for a while, but this text just keeps you thinking about it constantly. It was a good read, I loved it. I found it really interesting knowing Yoda approaches the clones the same way he approached his students at the temple, and knowing what his opinions on the clone army it was a good detail. Loved this one.

Did I care that much about this episode before? No. But watching it right after reading this made me cry for half an hour. (I am a really emotional person, so take this with a grain of salt.)

#2 “Dooku Captured”- Lou Anders (From the episodes “Dooku Captured” and “Gungan General”.

This was a funny read, and the fact that the events are narrated by Dooku Himself made it even more hilarious. It’s supposedly a holorecording Dooku was doing for Sidious, and you can tell by his words that he was so done. Poor Dooku deserves a meditation day after it. You can tell how annoyed he was by the whole situation and his perception of Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi. They really are bothering for the count. I’m surprised he didn’t retire after this event, man’s gotta be really tired. Also, when they were tied together, they just shared a braincell and most of the time, Dooku was the one carrying it. The love he had for Qui-Gon does not extend to rest of the lineage, clearly.

At first it was really slow, but after they get captured by the pirates it just gets funnier. Good story to read after the sadness the previous text gave me.

Also, the fact that Dooku canonically records himself venting to Sidious is hilarious to me. Like, can you imagine being Palpatine and receiving daily vlogs from your apprentice ranting and complaining about Anakin and Obi-Wan? Dude was tired, of course he would let Anakin decapitate him in the end.

#3 “Hostage Crisis”- Preeti Chhibber (from the episode “Hostage Crisis”)

For an Anidala shipper this is a must read, because you will know exactly what Anakin thinks of his wife and how he views Padmé. This text was more Anakin centric (I believe the next one is Padmé centric) and it was a delight. I haven’t read much in canon about stuff that involves Anakin’s feelings so this was really good.

The scene from the beginning of the episode? Is hotter when you read it, trust me. For a clearly SFW text, this was intense. I’m pretty sure I can guess all of Anakin’s kink only by what was implied in his thoughts. Is also really sweet to see how much she cares, but also know why everything went downhill at the end. Good retelling.

#4 “Pursuit of Peace”- Anne Ursu (from the episodes “Heroes on both sides” and “Pursuit of Peace”)

I really love Padmé Amidala. My favorite senator. If you have seen my review of Queen’s Peril you KNOW How much I love her, and even when this text was written by another author, I still got the same feeling about her. Padmé is amazing. This arc is one of my favorite of the Clone wars because it’s the arc that let you see that it wasn’t a black and white kind of situation, both sides were being played. An none of them were really worrying about their people, they were in it for the money. I love reading Padmé’s thoughts on the whole situation. Also, the way this story is written makes what went down with Padmé and Anakin in the third episode make more sense and more in character. She is a strong, good, and smart politician. But she is also motivated to see the light in the dark and preserve the light, it gave me major Qui-Gon from “Master and Apprentice” vibes. It did make me tear up a little, because when I finished it, I realized everything she did was for nothing. She was too kind in a galaxy already so corrupted.

Also, Palpatine stop calling her “my child” you disgusting sith lord, I know you are responsible for her death and so do you, so shut the f up. Padmé was doing everything right and she hasn’t done anything wrong in her life whatsoever.

“Just because there’s darkness in something does not mean you do not love it. You show it love, you show it light, and you hope it chooses the light”.

She was talking about the senate but you just KNOW she isn’t really talking about the senate.

This story re-telling broke me, just as the first one. I am not ready for the next one. Do I have to? Man, I really don’t want to go through Umbara again.

#5 “The Shadow of Umbara” -Yoon Ha Lee (from the episodes "Darkness on Umbara," "The General," "Plan of Dissent," and "Carnage of Krell”)

I was, indeed, not ready for it. It doesn’t really add much to the story… except pain. Rex’s pain, to be precise. Let my man mourn Hardcase :C I just wanted to give him a hug, him and all of the clones to be honest. Fives was as good as always, but re-reading his lines knowing what happens to him made me sad. I hate Pong Krell, get you dirty hands off my babies. I don’t think this re- telling made me sadder, but that’s only because it was just as painful as the episodes.

Dogma my beloved, you deserve everything.

I love how this arc develops Rex character and his attitude towards the war in general.

#6 “Bane’s Story”- Tom Angleberger (from the episodes “Deception”, “Friends and Enemies”, “The Box” and “Crisis on Naboo”.)

Is Cad Bane the Regina George of the Bounty Hunters?

The answer is yes. Yes, he is.

I wasn’t really excited to read about Cad Bane at first, I felt that everything that had to be said about the guy had already been stated in the show. He was just a mean bounty hunter in space. But this was actually pretty funny to read, specially because it’s narrated in first person from Bane’s perspective on what happened with Kenobi. And it’s hilarious.

He is basically re telling the events to Boba and Bossk while he is in jail again. During his story you can learn a few things about him as well, specially what his thoughts are in relation to some important topics. You would think he is only concerned about the money and blasting people, and you would be right. But he also does have an opinion on what’s happening on the galaxy at large, on the jedi, on Palpatine and Dooku. But those opinions don’t affect how he gets the job done. It was really interesting seeing him internally judging Kenobi for being a liar, and knowing something is wrong with the jedi order if they pulled that off. He knows everyone is being deceived, but doesn’t know how. That’s why he doesn’t care, and doesn’t get involved on anything unless you offer to pay him. Money moves him, but not the people who has it.

It was a good story, and I also liked to see how Bane respects Boba and sees him as the one that’s going to take his place eventually.

We know from the deleted episodes that Cad Bane was supposed to be killed by Boba Fett, but we haven’t seen that in canon yet. I really hope they answer what happened to Cad Bane in the current canon, I would love to see that in a comic, or in a book.

#7 “The lost nightsister”- Zoraida Cordova (from the episode “Bounty”)

I love Asajj Ventress for a million reasons and this story just made me love her even more. It’s the same story from the episodes but with an insight of what Ventress is thinking about. Which is unsurprisingly very depressing but the story itself turns out to be pretty uplifting.

It’s about her thoughts on what happened after the massacre of her sisters, her family, and how she deals with everything she had already lost. How lonely and worthless she feels. But during the course of the story, we see her reconnecting with who she is, and learning her value. Learning she is a powerful person, master or not.

It was also really sad to see how she compared herself to others. She was really sad and angry that nobody cared about what happened to her people, no one that cared about her. She saw how people wanted the girl in the box back and thought about how nobody would ever do the same for her and it was sad.

I also find very depressing that she couldn’t mourn her family.

But then she said this:

“What made her so special? What made her worth—No. She couldn’t think that way. This girl’s worth didn’t diminish her own. “

And like, I’m 100% rooting for her here.

Also, I love that once she realized the girl from the box was being smuggled to be essentially a child bride, she didn’t hesitate to scam the old creep. She may be an assassin, but during the course of this story you learn that she is disgusted by men who take advantage of female beings. I also love her internal monologue after the guy was bothering her in the cantina and how she just knows that if she can defend herself, she will do it with no hesitation.

Lovely story, I love knowing more about Ventress. Beautifully written.

#8"Dark Vengeance”-Rebecca Roanhorse (from the episodes "Brothers" and "Revenge")

It’s so on brand for Darth Maul to have his entire story be about Kenobi. It’s narrated by him, but directed towards you, like he is telling the reader a story. That in some stories could be like an awkward thing, but here it was well done. I love Maul and like, I could picture us having that conversation, well, me listening to him monologuing.

I really liked that he started telling the story from the events that happened on Naboo. You get to really see what happened from his perspective and understand why his hatred of Kenobi only grows over time.

Also, Darth Maul was like “I can excuse murder, but I draw the line at being rude”. Which is so morally wrong, but very fitting to his character. He is really upset at Kenobi for not caring about what happened to him. From what I gathered of the info that he let us know, he would probably like it more if Kenobi killed him instead of having to spend all those years in the garbage. Nobody cared for him enough to go and check up on what happened to him. That doesn’t excuse murder though.

The interactions he had with Kenobi let us know that it was not very jedi like the way he treated Maul, ignoring his rage and letting it consume him. Obi-wan just kept adding fuel to the fire because he was also really angry at Maul for the murder of Qui-Gon, not realizing that that would only make Maul be even angrier. And we know how that ended up for Satine Kenobi.

Final thoughts: Savage, I love you.

#9 "Almost a Jedi"-Sarah Beth Durst (from the episode "A Necessary Bond")

I thought this story was going to be from Ahsoka’s point of view. It was not.

I’m not mad at it though.

The story itself does focus on Ahsoka but it’s narrated by Katooni. It’s basically about how much she adores Ahsoka and wants to be like her, but also doubts herself a lot. She thinks she is not good enough to be a jedi. But her experiences both with Ahsoka and with Hondo Ohnaka makes her change her mind.

I want to say that I love the fact that it’s canon that she drew a poster of Ahsoka for her room because she really admired her that much it's so wholesome. It’s cute, and also let us see the perception the younglings had of Ahsoka.

Also, the bond between Hondo and Katooni is really wholesome. This also made me realize that this encounter with a young jedi is the reason he is immediately friendly with Ezra in Rebels. Ezra and Katooni do share similar personality traits sometimes.

Deep diving in Wookiepedia after reading this I found out that Hondo’s ship in Galaxy’s Edge is called “The Katooni” and now I’m sad thinking he was probably devastated when he learnt about Order 66 and what Vader did to the younglings. Great now I’m angsty about a chaotic evil space pirate.

I think it was confirmed by Dave Filoni that those kids are dead now. May the force be with them, they were good enough jedis.

#10 "Kenobi's Shadow"-Greg van Eekhout (from the episode "The Lawless”)

This is the re-telling of one of the saddest clone wars episodes. The episode just lets you think that everything’s going to be alright, that they are going to survive together, lets you hope that they take off just in time… and then it doesn’t happen. I’m still not over Satine’s death. And this made it even sadder. There were so many points their story could’ve gone differently, but their story was already at an end.

This is in third person but heavily focusing on Kenobi’s thoughts along the way. He really was close to turn to the dark side, but his love for Satine and his grief made him not surrender to it. But he felt an anger, a justified one, but an anger that I have never seen in a jedi other than Anakin Skywalker. And we all know what happens to him.

It was a good but sad reading. I won’t be reading this one again. It’s too much. I knew what was going to happen and it still hit me hard. I wish things would’ve gone differently for the both of them. I wonder if we will get flashbacks to this in the Kenobi show.

Also, I really need an Obi-Wan Kenobi and Satine book of their time on the run.

#11 "Bug"-E. Anne Convery (inspired by the episode "Massacre”)

I can’t talk openly about this story because it’s not actually featured on the clone wars. It’s a really good story, specially if you want to expand on the lore regarding Dathomir and the Nightsister in the new canon. It’s perfectly executed, and even when the story isn’t about any of the main characters it hooked me from start to finish. Definitely one of my favorite stories of the book and If I had to pick one story from this anthology to read again it would be this one.

It has more gruesome details than the others and the atmosphere is dark, and I loved it. I would read a whole Dathomirian Nightsister novel written by this author if it was in this exact same style. I really liked it a lot.

In summary, I really enjoyed reading this Anthology. I would really recommend it to anyone who is fond of the Clone Wars or the prequels era. Adults, Kids, Teens, Young adults. I think I would’ve enjoyed this book as a kid as well, and I enjoyed it a lot now in my early twenties. It contains a little bit of everything and that makes it a really complete anthology.

[nclkafilms]

When all leaves are lost

(Review of ‘The Father’)

*Warning: contains minor spoilers*

Having just lost my grandmother, who suffered with increasing dementia throughout her last years, it was with a mix of excitement and grief that I pressed play on Florian Zeller’s ‘The Father’. Zeller has adapted his own play ‘Le Père’ from 2012. The language and location has been changed to English and London, and apparently this was because Zeller always has had his eyes set on Anthony Hopkins to play the lead in the film version. Seeing the film, you understand why; Hopkins is at the heart of this experimenting and brutally honest depiction of dementia and what this disease does to both loved ones and especially the person, who suffers from it. Add to that, that Zeller succeeds in what neither ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’ nor ‘One Night in Miami’ fully did: releasing itself from its theatrical ancestry and becoming a full-blown cinematic experience.

At this point in my reviews, I typically go through the main plot lines of the film, but that is neither easy nor meaningful when it comes to ‘The Father’. Florian Zeller uses Hopkins’ Anthony (named after the actor to underline Zeller’s determination to get him onboard) as an unreliable narrator. A narration style that can be both confusing and annoying but also compelling and fascinating. Here it ends up being both and I am absolutely certain that this is deliberate from Zeller, who uses the narration style to give us an experience of the frustrations, confusion and anxiety caused by dementia. Slightly spoiling the experience, I have to applaud Zeller for his daring choices of not only scrambling the order of the scenes but also switching the actors from scene to scene. At first it mainly frustrates as you struggle to realise what is going on and what is reality, but the deeper we get into the film (and, thus, into the mind and mental state of Anthony), it also broadens our perspectives and heightens the film experience. 

This is - perhaps more than anything - thanks to a tour de force performance from the British veteran, Hopkins, who at the age of 83 feels more alive and better than ever. He infuses Anthony with life and a realism, which - having just experienced the disease intimately - was breathtaking in the word’s truest form. I have to admit that the range showed by Hopkins during the little more than 90 minutes shocked me. He manages to capture both the relieving moments of humour and gratitude, the sudden bursts of resentment and subtle, yet hurtful comments, and the vulnerability of losing track of every single aspect of your existence, with devastating precision and heart. While I am full of appreciation for Riz Ahmed’s work in ‘Sound of Metal’ and Chadwick Boseman’s in ‘Ma Rainey’ in particular, I have to say that Anthony Hopkins gives the performance of the year for me - without close competition. This is a master at work and it will be hard to find a better performance from Hopkins when looking back at his glorious filmography. He captivated me for 85 minutes before releasing me in the final minutes of the film, where I admittedly burst into tears not only moved by his heartbreaking performance but also as he had me reminiscing the last years with my grandmother.

The supporting cast is small (one remnant from its theatrical source) and confusing due to the fact that we are never really fully certain what their roles and relations to Anthony are. The one, who shines brightest is the ever so talented Olivia Colman as Anthony’s daughter, who despite caring immensely for her father is struggling with finding the surplus energy to keep looking after him. Colman always guarantees top quality acting and as Anne she makes no exception. Where she surprised Hollywood with her showy and over-the-top performance as Queen Anne in 2018′s ‘The Favourite’ securing her a well-deserved Oscar, she is much more quiet, subtle and timid here. She embodies the emotions of love, hurt and despondency as someone who can only observe the slow disappearance of a loved one. What she does here is the exact opposite of showy acting, but it is nonetheless of the highest order adding another perspective to Anthony’s disease and its influence on the people surrounding him. In further supporting roles Mark Gatiss and Rufus Sewell creates an appalling yet understandable male character who slides in and out of Anthony’s conscience, while Olivia Williams and especially Imogen Poots as Anthony’s newest helper adds further emotional power to the story.

One of the main reasons why Zeller succeeds so well in transforming his play into a cinematic experience is the masterful production design. While limited to more or less one location, the art directors and set designers have managed to create a clever, intricate labyrinth constantly changing the layout and interior design of the flat. This stroke of genius not only creates an interesting visual experience but also adds to the confusion caused by the unreliable narrator. The cinematography and editing also play important parts in this process by framing the locations in the same ways and structuring the chaotic story line respectively. I reckon that the technical aspects of the film will be overshadowed by both other films and the majestic nature of Hopkins’ performance, but with a less imaginative production design, a less observing cinematography and a less daring editing style, I am positive that the theatricality of the film would have taken something away from the experience.

At the helm of it all stands Florian Zeller, who not only debuts as a film director but also as a feature film screenplay writer. His vision is both clear and daring, and I have to applaud the way in which he manages to create a film that respects both its subject and his loved ones equally. It would have been easy to end up with an unlikeable lead due to the often unfiltered and biting nature of people suffering from dementia. Instead, Zeller opens up Anthony’s world and invites us inside by frustrating and confusing us as viewers. Not to fully grasp  the incomprehensible but to give us a glimpse of it, a realisation of the many emotions of losing touch with where you are, what things are and ultimately who you are yourself. Thus, revealing the powerlessness felt by everyone affected by dementia either personally or through a loved one. Here are no easy solutions, no short cuts and no Hollywood ending. Instead we are given a ruthless film about a ruthless disease.

4,5/5

[p-and-p-admin]

Interview given to The Severus Snape and Hermione Granger Shipping Fan Group.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/199718373383293/

Hello CorvusDraconis and welcome to Behind the Quill, thank-you so much for sitting down with us to chat.

You’re a well known and beloved figure in the SS/HG community for your many stories - including a personal favourite of mine, A chance for happiness.

Okay, let’s jump right in. What's the story behind your pen name? 

I have always had a fascination for the shiny things and the Northwest Coast depictions of Raven the Trickster/Creator, and, I tend to hoard (and get super protective) of my art supplies. Corvids have always been a positive sign in my life. They tend to show up when I’m feeling down and engage in funny antics in the yard. As for dragons, I’ve always had a love for them and think the Western depiction of them as dangerous beasts with no mind but for hoarding treasure and killing people only to be slain by a knight quite despicable. 

Which Harry Potter character do you identify with the most?

Severus, actually. I see a lot of my life in his. Hardships, challenges, bullying— trying to be something better and later wondering about unwise decisions. I have a very similar dislike for dunderheads, but I do not share his inclination to denude rosebushes of their petals. Do you have a favourite genre to read? (not in fic, just in general) I have always preferred fantasy and sci-fi. 

Do you have a favourite "classic" novel?

I am not sure if you would call it a classic novel, but grew up on all things Tolkien (and even puzzled through the Silmarillion at the grand age of seven), and have a special place in my heart for Watership Down. While I’ve read pieces like War and Peace, Iliad, Ulysses, Pride and Prejudice, Grapes of Wrath, Moby Dick, Great Gatsby, Little Women, Catcher in the Rye, Tom Sawyer/Huckleberry Finn, Scarlet Letter, Don Quixote, To Kill a Mockingbird, Animal Farm, Jane Eyre, Lord of the Flies, Tale of Two Cities, Heart of Darkness, Robinson Crusoe, Alice in Wonderland, Great Expectations, Odyssey, Frankenstein, Dracula, Crime and Punishment, Heart of Darkness, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, The Secret Garden, Treasure Island, Anne of Green Gables, Les Misérables, Peter Pan, Gulliver’s Travels, all things Jack London, 20000 Leagues, etc.— they never captured me as aptly as Anne McCaffery’s Dragonriders of Pern or Mercedes Lackley’s the Last Herald Mage. Though, if I were to pick classic stories I read more than once (litmus test for things I like) it would be things such as The Secret Garden, Call of the Wild, Wild Fang, The Hobbit, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,  and The Last Unicorn. At what age did you start writing? The moment I could pick up pencil and paper, I was writing. I had notepads full of stories I wrote as a kid. Alas, my dad found them one day when I was off to college, made fun of them, and I came home and burned every single one in mortification.

How did you get into writing fanfiction?

The moment TV shows did “stupid things” to their characters. I used to write things about Beauty and the Beast (the old CBS show) when they killed off the main character, Knight Rider, Robocop, Transformers— there are probably far more that I just don’t remember now. I was writing it long before there was a fanfiction dot net or a term to even call it. What's the best theme you've ever come across in a fic? Is it a theme represented in your own works? I am a shameless romantic for the beauty within and sometimes the quite literal love for a monster (not just some person who acts like a monster and changes into a better person.) The misunderstood monster is perhaps my most favourite theme, and it shows up in my stories often if not always. What fandoms are you involved in other than Harry Potter? I ship SessKag from Inuyasha, Lucard/Sophie from Dracula: The Series, and Loki/Hermione when I’m feeling crossover-y. If you could make one change to canon, what would it be? Do you have a favourite piece of fanon? Other than my favourite fanon that Severus lives/survives/finds a better life free of two masters and his guilt, I would say I would want Harry to wise the heck up and realise his father was a swine, his godfather was an almost successful murderer that used his own best mate to try and kill off another student, and his mother wasn’t all that hot either. I would want him to find value in himself without having to make stuff up about his “perfect” parents. Then again, I would want Vernon/Petunia to be arrested for child abuse and put in gaol, but— then the story would have been very different XD Do you listen to music when you write or do you prefer quiet?  Sometimes quiet, sometimes music. But usually, I am best mates with Spotify.

What are your favourite fanfictions of all time?

In the HP universe: I honestly don’t read many of them because I’m always writing my own stuff XD, but when I really feel like I need a good Ron bashing SSHG HEA, I read just about anything by IShouldBeWritingSomethingElse. However, that being said, I often return to “The Sun is Often Out” by Hannah-1888 for just the right amount of angst and HEA to make me happy.

In the Inuyasha universe: A Trick of Fate by PristinelyUngifted

In the Marvel universe:  Mutual Respect Sends His Regrets by moor

In the Star Trek universe:  Gratified By Your Company by starfleetdream

Are you a plotter or a pantser? How does that affect your writing process?

I go by the seat of my feathered rump, to be honest. Inspiration is a fickle, unpredictable beast, and I usually don’t know what is going to happen until it does.

What is your writing genre of choice?

Fantasy

Which of your stories are you most proud of? Why?

Chance of Happiness because it was my very first publication. It may not have been my best, but it was my first, and it very well could have been my last yet somehow wasn’t.

Looks Can Be Deceiving and One Step Forward, Two Decades Back are two epic tales that seemed to demand being written. The fact I finished them was something I think deserves a little pride.

Did it unfold as you imagined it or did you find the unexpected cropped up as you wrote? What did you learn from writing it?

Looks started off with me attempted to write Dramione just once. It failed. Draco demanded to be her brother of the heart, Viktor came in and said “nope she’s mine,” and no one was more surprised at the outcome of that story than me. The characters did what THEY wanted.

I learned that trying to plan a story from start to finish is useless when the characters decide what they want. The story demanded more, and I was just a conduit that typed it down. For me, at least, attempting to outline and plan is utterly useless

How personal is the story to you, and do you think that made it harder or easier to write?

I think every story I write is personal in some way. The inspiration comes from somewhere inside, and I often have no idea what it is until I go back and read it later. I think the story wrote itself in a lot of ways, which made it easier in a way, but there are a lot of things I can’t say were from personal experience because as a high fantasy of talking gryphons and such I can only imagine it. There is no basis in real life on how any of that would go down. There is a freedom in that but also many challenges in making it real enough to identify with despite how alien and fantastic the idea is.

What books or authors have influenced you? How do you think that shows in your writing?

Dragonriders of Pern introduced sentient dragons and the idea that despite a vast difference in species there could be teamwork and love between the two as they teamed up against a greater threat.

The herald-mage books by Mercedes Lackley were also important staples in my childhood because it impressed the values of responsibility despite having powers others did not, and that people were fallible despite greatness and potential.

Gandalara Cycle by Randall Garrett and Vicki Ann Heydron: I cannot tell you how often I read this story. I had dog ears on these novels because there was so much I loved about them. It was a search for humanity when displaced in a seemingly alien world, societal clashes, and the great sha’um (the giant rideable cats) that were the main characters’ partners for life.  

 The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C Wrede: A princess rebels against her arranged marriage by running away to be a dragon princess.

All of these books had creatures in it that chose to partner with a human and be with them for life, not as lovers that you find in the more modern supernatural romance blender out there, but the ultimate friend for life— the family you choose.

Do people in your everyday life know you write fanfiction?

Oh heck no. Hah. They have their secrets, and I have mine. Personally, I think mine are more healthy than theirs.

How true for you is the notion of "writing for yourself"? 

Very.

I write for myself. Sometimes I’ll write a story for one of my betas or a sshg friend, but for the most part, I write for my own entertainment because nothing like what I write is out there. There is a lot of SSHG out there, but mine is almost always a creature feature story. I blame X-Files growing up. It tickles me that others enjoy my stories, but in the end I write to get things down and out of my head. They just so happen to entertain others as they do me.

How important is it for you to interact with your audience? How do you engage with them? Just at the point of publishing? Through social media?

I will often engage in A/N talk at the end of chapters, but I really don’t engage in the fandom. I loathe social media. That being said, I read every review, and while I don’t reply to everything because FF dot net is a horrible platform for messaging anymore (or ever was really)-- I appreciate every single one. Sometimes it helps to know people are enjoying the story for the story’s sake.

What is the best advice you've received about writing?

Get a beta, even if you are pretty good at writing. Get one because a second pair of eyes will catch things you don’t. Read your own stuff out loud. If you trip over it, your audience will too. If you stumble, so will they.

Get a beta who isn’t afraid to tell you that your shite stinks in places and you make no sense. You may want a cheerleader, but what you need is a beta. If you are super lucky, you can have both at once.

What do you do when you hit writer's block?

I play computer games and sew things. I’ve sewn a lot of things lately. Scrub caps and masks for work— 

There has been a lot of writer’s block lately due to the times, and I will not write when I’m uninspired. I will not force inspiration. That’s not fair to me or those unfortunate enough to share in the reading. I want to be able to go back on a story I wrote and enjoy it and not curse at myself. XD

Has anything in real life trickled down into your writing?

Sometimes certain catch phrases and things from real life friends have trickled in as a sort of Easter egg (unbeknownst to them since I don’t tell them I write fanfic). Sometimes random news stories or whatnot find their way in. Lessons of the day. Random events. Things that are too odd not to stick in my brain somehow. I can’t say I always do it on purpose, though.

Do you have any stories in the works? Can you give us a teaser?

No, I have a goal this year to finish off the unfinished stories. This is made harder because Dragon and the Rose keeps adding more and more bunnies into the idea bin, and my brain wants to run with them, but I’m like NO DANGIT, I HAVE STUFF TO FINISH STILL!  It’s a hard thing trying to finish what you start when so much interesting stuff pops up and waves at you like “heeeeeyyyyy I’m cool too!”

Any words of encouragement to other writers?

Keep writing but remember you can always be better. You can always improve.  Writing isn’t a popularity contest. It isn’t about how many reviews you get or how many fans you may or may not have. Write because you want to write. Write what you like not what other people like. Write for you because in the end, you are the one who goes back to read it and say “I wrote this story, and I still love it” instead of forcing yourself to write something just because the topic is “popular” and gets a lot of visitors. Write something you’ll be proud to go back and read and enjoy. You’ll find when you write something genuinely, readers will come. And if only one person leaves you a paragraph review on how much your story meant to them out of someone else’s hundreds of  “great!” (with nothing else)-- think of what you value more.

If my story helped someone through a dark time.

Just one person—

Then it was a good effort.

Maybe that person didn’t have the bravery to leave a message. Maybe they are ashamed. Maybe they send you a PM instead of a review.

That is, to me, the ultimate reason why I realised that despite writing stories for myself that there are people out there that needed to hear my story at just the right time in their life. If my story can bring a little joy to someone else, then it doesn’t matter how many reviews I have. It doesn’t matter that I don’t have thousands of reviews like “that other author.” What matters is that I told my story; someone out there read it and it spoke to them.

I love hearing from people and what they liked about my stories, but I also am glad that there are some people out there who secretly like my stories but do not feel safe enough to review.

So, I would say to the aspiring author: write for yourself but share it. You never know whose day you will make with your story. They may never tell you. They may tell you years later (happened to me!). There is a good chance that someone out there needs your story as much as you need to write it. That being said, find yourself a beta to share your journey with you. You may find a few friend in the process.

Thanks so much for giving us your time.

You are quite welcome.

[mediaevalmusereads]

On Stranger Tides. By Tim Powers. New York: Harper, 1987.

Rating: 2/5 stars

Genre: historical fiction

Part of a Series? No

Summary: Aboard the Vociferous Carmichael, puppeteer John Chandagnac is sailing toward Jamaica to claim his stolen birthright from an unscrupulous uncle, when the vessel is captured . . . by pirates! Offered a choice by Captain Phil Davies to join their seafaring band or die, Chandagnac assumes the name John Shandy and a new life as a brigand. But more than swashbuckling sea battles and fabulous plunder await the novice buccaneer on the roiling Caribbean waters–for treachery and powerful vodun sorcery are coins of the realm in this dark new world. And for the love of beautiful, magically imperiled Beth Hurwood, Shandy will set sail on even stranger tides, following the savage, ghost-infested pirate king, Blackbeard, and a motley crew of the living and the dead to the cursed nightmare banks of the fabled Fountain of Youth.

***Full review under the cut.***

Content Warnings: sexual assault, violence, body horror, microaggressions; references to incest, rape, slavery

Overview: I originally picked up this book because I was in the mood for a pirate story, and On Stanger Tides kept popping up on online lists of “greatest pirate novels.” I can see why, to an extent. Powers writes good ship battles, and most of his descriptions of the setting are lush and evocative. However, I couldn’t give this book more than 2 stars on account of the pacing and the treatment of women, people of color, and fat people. I know that, being written in the 1980s, it’s not going to be as “woke” as contemporary readers would like, but even so, there was a lot about this book that made me uncomfortable - things that even “historical accuracy” can’t cover.

Writing: Powers’ prose was something of a mixed bag for me. On the one hand, there are some absolutely stunning descriptions of the environment, and Powers has a knack for writing compelling action scenes. I really liked the way Powers would compare resurrected crewmates to “chains and jelly in a wet leather bag” or the eerie look of ships gliding through mist. These descriptions really immersed me in the setting and elicited feelings of horror, so I think Powers deserves praise for that.

On the other hand, however, I think that some parts of the book dragged. It took forever for characters to actually get to the Fountain of Youth, and all the things that were happening in the meantime didn’t hold my attention well. Some of the battle scenes also felt slow at times, in part because Powers is so invested in describing every little action.

Plot: On Stranger Tides primarily follows Jack Shandy as his ship is attacked and he is forced to join a pirate crew. During his adventures, he is forced to accompany Blackbeard to the Fountain of Youth, and must fight a number of sorcerers who seek to control Beth Hurwood, a British woman who seems to exist to be a damsel in distress.

There’s not much to say about this plot. It’s a swashbuckling adventure, to be sure, but nothing really stood out as unique to me. Of course, I could be biased, since I’m reading this story in 2021, not in the 1980s, so take my reaction with a grain of salt. I think to make this story more compelling, I would have liked to see more personal stakes for Jack Shandy. It seemed to me that Shandy mostly went along with the pirates and accepted the existence of magic. Combined with the fact that his desire to reclaim his inheritance wasn’t all that present, I think filtering the plot through the perspective of someone with stronger convictions and goals would have done a lot to create more suspense.

Characters: Jack Shandy, our protagonist, is a bit bland. He originally had some interesting qualities in that he was able to use his background as a puppeteer to get in the pirates’ good graces, but that’s about the only thing I liked about him. He doesn’t seem to have any real flaws and is good at whatever he does, such as handling a sword (despite having only done theater swordplay). He also doesn’t seem to have any strong convictions or goals; other than rescuing Beth and one time shooting a Naval officer because he was about to murder someone in cold blood, Shandy just seems to exist in the world and go along with the flow. His initial motivation - reclaiming his inheritance - also didn’t seem like an important goal; for one, Shandy forgets about it pretty quickly, only retuning to it within the last 70 pages or so, and never seems determined to escape the pirates after 100 pages. Second, his inheritance is a plantation in Jamaica, which gives me icky colonialism feelings.

Beth Hurwood, our damsel in distress and Shandy’s love interest, has no personality traits and serves no role other than being a victim. I hated that her main purpose was to be victimized by her father and her father’s accomplice, Leo Friend, and I hated that her agency was stolen at almost every turn. Beth did have one good moment when she tried to persuade a disgruntled pirate to abandon Blackbeard and escape with her, but since that plan failed, she had no scene where she attempted to seize control of her own destiny.

Beth’s father, Benjamin Hurwood, could have been a compelling antagonist if the focus was solely on his obsession with magic, but Powers had to go and make it weird. Hurwood is obsessed with putting the soul of his dead wife in his daughter’s body, a process which will effectively kill her. The incestuous undercurrent was a bit too gross for me, and I couldn’t get on board with it.

Leo Friend, Hurwood’s accomplice of sorts, is another powerful sorcerer whose goal is to take Beth for himself. Powers also made Friend more gross than he had to be: Friend desires to dominate Beth, body and soul, by using his magic to make her want to have sex with him. On top of that, Friend also wants to use Beth as a stand-in for his mother, who he was also sexually attracted to. To make matters even worse than that, Powers never, ever lets the reader forget that Friend is fat, using lots of adjectives like “pudgy,” “bloated,” and “round” in every scene, seemingly as a way to disgust the reader. This character was so over-the-top. I hated it.

Other supporting characters were ok. Blackbeard was as one might expect: self-interested and intimidating, but ultimately, he became kind of bland when his sights turned towards Beth Hurwood. Davis, a pirate captain, was a kind of loveable rogue with a nice rapport with Shandy. Stede Bonnett had some interesting motivations and hurdles to overcome, but I couldn’t get interested in his story. Anne Bonny makes a surprise appearance, but her entire purpose is to be a sex object, and I hated it.

Surprisingly, there were black characters in this book. However, rather than being complex, they seemed to only exist to be comic relief (such as one named Mr. Bird whose only job is to periodically scream “I am not a dog”) or to embody the magical negro trope (such as Woefully Fat, a deaf “bocor” who delivers weird messages and conducts odd rituals).

TL;DR: On Stranger Tides has some wonderful descriptions and does a good job evoking a supernatural atmosphere, but ultimately, the weak plot, flat and/or offensive characters, and pacing prevents this from being a memorable pirate story.

[dweemeister]

NOTE: This is the second film released theatrically during the COVID-19 pandemic that I am reviewing – I saw Wonder Woman 1984 at the Regency Theatres Directors Cut Cinema’s drive-in operation in Laguna Niguel, California. Because moviegoing carries risks at this time, please remember to follow health and safety guidelines as outlined by your local, regional, and national health officials.

Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)

It took decades for a female superhero movie to make a lasting cultural impact. The honor fell to Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman (2017) – no matter what you think of it, the film dispelled any perceptions that a female-driven superhero movie could never be a cinematic phenomenon. Jenkins returns, as does Gal Gadot as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman and Chris Pine, in Wonder Woman 1984. This sequel is at its best when not proclaiming to the audience its self-importance – an aspect commonly found in and that plagues the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) – and, unfortunately, its poor screenplay oscillates between a flighty romp and superheroic maximalism. For Patty Jenkins, whose filmography is regrettably small mostly due to the lack of opportunities afforded to women directors, she could not have envisioned Wonder Woman’s success, nor the impossible expectations put upon her to surpass the first film. As it is, WW84 is an entertaining, if troubled sophomore effort.

Seven decades after we saw her in the first film and after a prologue during her childhood on Themyscira, Diana Prince (Gadot; Lilly Aspell as young Diana) is working as a restorationist at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. In her off hours, she performs the occasional heroic act as Wonder Woman. One of the newest hires is gemologist Barbara Ann Minerva (Kristen Wiig). Diana and Barbara, from an FBI request, identify a stolen artifact as the Dreamstone – a gem that, according to legend, has the power to grant a person one wish. On accident, Diana wishes for her long-dead lover Steve Trevor (Pine) to come back to life; envious of Diana’s looks and wallowing in self-pity, Barbara off-handedly wishes to be like Diana. Both wishes come true, but in ways profaning the literal meanings of the respective wishes. For Barbara, this means a transformation into one of Wonder Woman’s archnemeses, Cheetah. Elsewhere in D.C., struggling television infomercial pitchman Max Lord (Pedro Pascal) wishes to procure the stone to revive his flagging business.

Robin Wright and Connie Nielsen are barely in the film as Antiope and Hippolyta, respectively. Lynda Carter, who played Diana on the ABC television series Wonder Woman from 1976-1979, has a self-aware moment which will delight fans.

1980s American culture is the nostalgic fixation at this moment in popular culture (with the march of time, each decade seems to be beholden to its own moment of nostalgic media cycles). Think of television shows like Stranger Things; movies like Adventureland (2009) and It (2017). The generation that came of age during Reagan’s America grew up in a time where the veneer of the Soviet-backed Eastern bloc was crumbling from within, and where Reaganomics spurred prevalent materialism and indulgence. Unadulterated greed and desire are in every corner of WW84 – from the terrible attempts at flirting with Diana and Barbara that easily qualifies as harassment, the difficulty in renouncing wishes on the Dreamstone, Max Lord’s inability to balance his business commitments in order to make time for his son, Alistair (Lucian Perez). WW84 captures this consumerist, entitled attitude throughout, and remarks on how corrosive this mindset is. Admittedly, it is simple messaging from the screenwriting team – Jenkins; Geoff Johns (a DC Comics writer and producer for comics, television, and film since 2000); and Dave Callaham (2014’s Godzilla, 2019’s Zombieland: Double Tap) – but they never contradict that central message.

WW84 progresses to its hackneyed, natural conclusion. But along the way, the screenplay is bogged down in the havoc that ensues from fulfilled wishes via the Dreamstone. The film’s impressive, animated start cannot build on its own momentum when – after the fulfillment of Barbara’s wish – it begins to clearly delineate its time between Diana/Steve, Barbara, and Max Lord. In their respective thirds of WW84, each character learns more about their granted wishes and the Dreamstone’s nature. The set-up for each third follows the same process: a monologue dripping with disappointment with their life directions, confusion in discovering their wish becoming true, and the exultation of their wild imagination defying all sense of reality. WW84 cannot help itself slathering on the foreshadowing and the repetitive narrative structure. The screenplay’s sins are compounded by the screenwriters’ inability to properly and consistently define the limitations of the Dreamstone’s powers – leading to expositional dumps occurring in the movie well past their welcome. As morbidly entertaining as watching humanity run amok with half-baked and ill-considered wishes is (credit to whoever choreographed the third act’s mass chaos), WW84’s unpolished storytelling leaves behind a somewhat befuddling mess.

The movie’s relative lightness in its opening two acts, though entertaining, throws away Diana’s characterization of a solitary, somewhat maternal protective figure in favor of a decades-long yearning for Steve. Are we really to believe that she has spent every waking moment since World War I pining – no pun intended – for someone she knew for probably less than a month? Whatever chemistry Gadot (whose performance as Diana remains at a laudable standard) and Pine had in the first film has evaporated into a labored dynamic in WW84, and she is too quickly is prepared to leave behind her life as museum preservationist by day/superhero-if-not-by-night-then-during-non-working-hours for him. Her behavior concerning Steve – and this is not even mentioning the ethically murky fact that Steve’s soul inhabits the body of a male stranger for the entirety of his resurrection – does not square with any notion of human growth, especially as most of the twentieth century has passed Diana by.

Putting aside the amusing transformation of Barbara from a bookish, clumsy gemologist to an unspectacled femme fatale, the emergence of not one, but two, villains weakens the characterizations, motivations, and portrayals of both. Thus, WW84 spends less time sympathizing with Barbara’s status as a social outcast, so too the relationship between Max Lord and his forgiving – at film’s end, at least – son (the only aspect of Lord’s life that exists outside work). The film’s divided attention between Barbara and Max Lord assures that their concluding actions become too cartoonish, depthless. It’s not that I am demanding that WW84 (or any superhero movie) should provide brooding, soliloquizing philosopher-poets for a villain. Far from it, especially when noting what the likes of Christopher Nolan and, more recently (and exasperatingly), Zack Snyder have offered in their interpretations of D.C. Comics characters’ mythos. Instead, Barbara and Max Lord become caricatures, rather than fully realized, flawed individuals who retain strands of their goodness even as their actions plunge them into villainy.

Though lacking a moment matching the brilliance of Wonder Woman’s entrance into No Man’s Land from the first film, WW84 contains its share of pulsating combat scenes. Cheetah’s debut during a confrontation at the White House is crisply edited by Richard Pearson (2004’s The Bourne Supremacy, 2006’s United 93) and shot by Matthew Jensen (Wonder Woman). The fight, unlike so many littering action movies nowadays, makes geometric sense of who is doing what and where. This collaboration of cinematographer and editor reaches its peak with a vehicular fight in Egypt that resembles something out of an Indiana Jones movie (minus the comedy that usually occurs during an Indiana Jones vehicular fight). It is a wonderfully choreographed scene, but one mired in its poor depiction of the Egyptians involved. WW84 concludes with a dud of a fight. This is not because of terrible CGI, or the revelation that their mothers share the same name. Instead, it is the lack of lighting that destroys this moment. The final fight between Wonder Woman and Cheetah is so poorly lit that the combat becomes an amalgam of flailing limbs and incomprehensible movement. Cheetah, who by this point appears as if she wandered off the set of Tom Hooper’s Cats (2019), appears to be nothing more than a ball of spotted fur. It is a disappointing end to an erratic sequel.

Longtime readers know that I have pilloried composer Hans Zimmer again and again for dispensing with melodies and for relying too heavily on ostinatos, electronics, and musical texture on his recent film scores. I’m a simple person with certain biases: as a classically-trained amateur pianist-violinist, I prefer scores that have musical interest within and outside the context of a film (would I enjoy playing this score in an orchestra and listening to it in a concert setting?). The worst of his imitators and colleagues at Remote Control Productions are on a train to my musical shit list.  His score to Wonder Woman 1984 is a rare bright spot (aside from maybe his work in the Kung Fu Panda series) in a decade marked by excess. The film opens with “Themyscira” – a synth-y prelude quoting Wonder Woman’s motif, but one that blossoms into orchestral triumphalism. This cue crescendos from 0:27 to 1:11 on the back of string ostinatos, regal brass, and chorus chanting pianissimo. The orchestra and chorus explode to life at 1:11 in a majestic, ascending melody celebrating the joys of Amazonian life on Themyscira. A hummable, singable melody in a 2020s Hans Zimmer score? Yes! Alongside Wonder Woman’s now-iconic electric cello motif, Zimmer has composed a secondary motif for her beginning at 1:53 in “Themyscira” (and which eclipses the electric cello motif in terms of appearances in the score). Another throwback occurs during the cue “1984”, a jubilant cycling of rhythmic melodies that could easily been in a 1980s film scored by Alan Silvestri, perhaps even younger Zimmer himself. Even when Zimmer is introducing villainous motifs or the motif for the Dreamstone, his contemporary obsession for droning synth is tempered by ostinatos in the strings and winds, rather than ear-splitting percussion.

Zimmer’s love theme for Diana and Steve is “Wish We Had More Time” – and I cannot recall the last time the composer brought forth such affecting romantic music. A languid melody led by strings speaks to Diana’s longing – however one may disapprove of it – in ways reminiscent, but still inferior to, of Italian movie scores during the 1980s and ‘90s (think: Luis Bacalov, Ennio Morricone, Nicola Piovani). One quibble: beginning at 1:13 until 2:12 in “Wish We Had More Time”, the second violin tremolos are much too loud, and are just as audible as the melodies by lower strings, first violins, and winds. Hans Zimmer’s score to WW84 is the most thematically fascinating he has composed over the last decade, and it – not Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, not Inception (2010), and sure as hell not the sonic assault that is Dunkirk (2017) – represents the best of what he can be as a film score composer.

The temptation to elevate the dramatic stakes for sequels is present among all the major Hollywood studios. WW84 is not immune to this temptation, but it, at times, resists it. Its ungainly conclusion and dreadful narrative structure reflect those expectations, but one could not classify it as grimdark, such as almost everything Zack Snyder has directed. This is not a Wonder Woman limping her way through apocalyptic or post-apocalyptic times.  Patty Jenkins’ sequel, however flawed, unironically celebrates its own corniness and absurdity – one cannot say this about the MCU (which does so only via metatextual humor). Many of us can no longer experience for the first time Wonder Woman emerging from the Allied trenches of WWI, but Wonder Woman 1984 provides a vision of superhero movies particular to creator William Moulton Marston, director Patty Jenkins, and Gal Gadot’s portrayal of Diana Prince. It even allows for faint echoes of the Lynda Carter Wonder Woman series that would not have been appropriate in the first film. Flawed though this film is, its approach, after a decade or so of building cinematic universes of dramatic escalations, signifies a refreshing change of pace.

My rating: 6/10

^ Based on my personal imdb rating. Half-points are always rounded down. My interpretation of that ratings system can be found in the “Ratings system” page on my blog (as of July 1, 2020, tumblr is not permitting certain posts with links to appear on tag pages, so I cannot provide the URL).

For more of my reviews tagged “My Movie Odyssey”, check out the tag of the same name on my blog.

Also in this series: Wonder Woman (2017)

[jacnaylor]

romance book recs!!

romance is my feel good genre, and it’s also usually somewhat easier to read during stressful times, so here’s a list of some books that are either romance or have a romance element i feel like mentioning.

(EDIT: I STAYED UP TILL 2 AM DOING THIS HELP. this is why some of the comments. don’t make any fucking sense.)

romance books and authors:

CONTEMPORARY:

1. The Bromance bookclub series by Lyssa Kay Adams (A group of men form a bookclub dedicated to romance books in order to understand women, improve their relationships and become better men. It’s funny, cute, and all about dismantling toxic masculinity one romance book at a time)

2. Mariana Zapata books (The queen of slowburn romance. The only book I’ve read by her is ‘Under Locke’, but ‘From Lukov with love’ and ‘Kulti’ have rave reviews. There is so much build up and SO much sexual tension with a great pay off)

3. Milly Johnson books (A uk author whose books are primarily set in the north, these are total feel good books. Not so much graphic and more romantic, but her characters are great and her plot lines really hook you in.)

4. The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren (Super cute, quick enemies-to-lovers story about a bridesmaid who has to go on a honeymoon with the best man when the bride and groom get food poisoning. Obviously this means the holy of holies: fake relationship!)

5. Well met by Jen De Luca (Oh my gosh! Super fun, the characters are just wonderful especially our heroine. A hate-to-love romance set at a renaissance fair! All about overcoming the limits you set on yourself and rethinking your first impressions.)

6. Katherine Center books (My personal favourites are ‘How to walk away’ about a woman who falls for her PT after a near fatal plane crash. And ‘Happiness for beginners’ about a woman taking part in a wilderness trail with her brothers annoying best friend. She writes such great plots and you really feel all the emotions!)

7. Mhairi Mcfarlane books (my personal favourites are ‘Here’s looking at you’ about a woman who comes face to face with her high school bully years later - only he doesn’t recognize her. And he’s not awful? Don’t worry. I know how that synopsis sounds. He’s not excused his actions, but you also understand how he’s grown and changed. It definitely gets you in the feels though. As does ‘You had me at hello’ Which is about a couple from university meeting again years later. God this woman can write angst and yearning!!)

8. A part of me by Anouska Knight (On the same day she and her husband have been accepted into the adoption process, their marriage implodes. This has such a cute romance which follows hate-to friends- to love and it’s v funny)

9. Southern Eclectic series by Molly harper (Just as it sounds. Southern small town romance with a great, quirky cast of characters)

10. Maggie’s man by Lisa Gardner (writing as Alicia Scott) (An escaped convict kidnaps a woman from the courthouse to act as his hostage whilst he tries to prove his innocence. Surprisingly funny and warm. Maggie as a heroine is an absolute joy. They’re sort of chaotic together and it’s a wild ride.)

11. The Mister by E.L James (LISTEN OK - SIT BACK DOWN - It’s not winning awards but it’s actually decent! I was skeptical, but I will admit I was won over. I mean parts are cheesy but it’s so addictive. Basically a rich man falls for his cleaning lady - but it’s also about the yearning. It’s also quite action packed as there’s danger, drama and a chase across europe to get the girl.)

12. RECENT Colleen Hoover (Now, you may enjoy older CH books. Personally I find them very problematic. Now I’ve really enjoyed her recent books though. Especially ‘Without Merit’ and ‘It ends with us’ and ‘Regretting you’. High angst, high drama, dark topics for all of her books. But you can tell she’s matured with her writing. She isn’t for everyone but they’re addictive, fast paced reads.

13. The Austenland duology by Shannon Hale (You might have seen the Austenland movie - The cutest, cheesiest, sweetest, campiest movie ever. Well there’s a book! It’s about women who go on a holiday and live their own Jane Austen story with actors. The first book leans towards Pride and Prejudice and Mansfield park. The second book is more Northanger abbey and Emma.

14. Brigid Kemmerer contemporaries (She is an auto-buy author for me, especially her contemporaries. She writes the best teenage characters, the best teenage boys I’ve ever read about. Her characters are real, she writes about kids trying their best, struggling, and being good, and kind, and the world not being kind to them. Usually the books have a pov from both the female and male love interest. I would rec any of them tbh. ‘Letters to the lost’ comes before it’s companion novel ‘More than we can tell’. I loved ‘Call it what you want’ with has modern Robin Hood elements!!!! seriously she is my favourite YA contemporary author.

15. Sophie Kinsella books (If you haven’t picked up her stand alone novels then what are you doing???? she is the queen!!!! Personal favourites are ‘Can you keep a secret’ and ‘I’ve got your number)

16. A quiet kind of thunder by Sara Barnard (I love her ok. Her books are short and sweet but she packs a punch. TBH these aren’t primarily romance, they’re more just about teenage girls but this one has a good romance element so I’m putting it on here. It’s about Steffi, a selective mute who sometimes communicates with basic sign language who is assigned to look after the new boy at school Rhys, who is deaf.)

17. Meet me at the museum by Anne Youngson (GORGEOUS! moving, tender. A lonely housewifes strikes up a correspondence with a widowed museum curator in Denmark. Oh gosh. I just love this one. It’s about friendship, love, grief, second chances, the choices we make. Seriously love this one and it’s not that long.)

FANTASY:

1. Sorcery of thorns by Margaret Rogerson (Elisabeth has grown up in the great library, protecting grimoires with powers and fearing sorcerers. When a dangerous grimoire is released, she’s forced to team up with an enigmatic sorcerer and his demonic servant in order to save the world.)

2. Sky in the deep duology by Adrienne Young (A viking inspired story about a warrior who is captured by the tribe she is at war with. Such good tension and it’s also got a lot of action. Battle couple romance! Mutual respect! Hate to love!)

3. The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley (I’ve reread this book once but will end up reading it again. It’s a time travel romance about a woman staying in cornwall dealing with the death of her sister who is transported back and forth to the 17th century. It’s a favourite. The romance is wonderful but the stakes are really high too. I also love ‘Belleweather’ by the same author)

4. An ember in the ashes series by Sabaa Tahir (Oh god, the romance. THE ROMANCE! it’s so much. The angst, the pining, the longing. The first book follows Laia, part of a slave class in a roman inspired world. She begins spying in the top military academy and meets Elias, a reluctant soldier. This is a proper fantasy series with only the first three books out, but it’s so great.)

5. Alias Hook by Lisa Jensen (Let me just copy the blurb ok: “Meet Captain James Benjamin Hook, a witty, educated Restoration-era privateer cursed to play villain to a pack of malicious little boys in a pointless war that never ends. But everything changes when Stella Parrish, a forbidden grown woman, dreams her way to the Neverland in defiance of Pan's rules.” I MEAN COME ON. a gorgeous adult fairytale with love and redemption at the center.

6. The Mediator series by Meg Cabot (Obviously Meg Cabot is the most iconic and we stan. But this series is my absolute favourite by her. About Suze Simon, a kickass, no nonsense mediator - Someone who helps ghosts move on to the other side. Sometimes by force. She has to move house and ends up sharing her room with a 100 year old hot ghost named Jesse. The tension. The angst. THE BANTER!!!!)

7. House of Earth and Blood by Sara J Maas (a half fae half mortal girl tries to solve a murder with the help of a fallen angel. It’s a LONG book, but for me personally it flew by. It’s a big new fantasy world but the romance has a great build. Overcoming grief! Being normal together! Being in danger together! THE UST! the characters are so good. I ahven’t been this impressed by a new series for a while)

8. Cursebreakers series by Brigid Kemmerer (yep, she gets another mention. This one is a beauty and the best retelling about a man forced to relive the same season over and over, becoming a literal beat, until a girl from our world can break the curse. The second book, following secondary characters, is my fave so far. But both feature kickass ladies and those small romantic moments BK is so good at)

9. A court of thorns and roses series by Sara J Maas (a fae inspired beauty and the beast retelling. The only time you support a ship switch. Also the secondary ships are getting their own books and oh my god. I’m so excited.)

HISTORICAL/CLASSICS/MILLS AND BOON

1. Jane Austen (The original rom com queen, obviously. Pride and prejudice and Emma are faves. Also I have a major soft spot for the alwayc chaotic and underrated Northanger Abbey)

2. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell (Actually might be my favourite classic ever. Often described at an industrial p&p. Margaret, from the south, comes face to face with the harsh reality of the world when she moves up north and comes face to face with a brooding millowner. There’s obviously a lot more nuance than that but. THE PINING!!!!!! THE MISCOMMUNICATION! THE DRAMA!)

3. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer (You might have seen the film. Please also read the book. Told entirely in letters. The sharp witted author Juliet Ashton falls in love with Guernsey and it’s characters whilst researching what happened there during the war. Funny, moving and romantic.)

4. The Veronica Speedwell series by Deanna Raybourn (A butterfly hunter foils her own kidnap and is paired together with a reclusive natural historian. They solve mysteries together. They can’t admit they wanna sleep together. The tension.......unbearable. See also the Julia Grey mysteries by the same author)

5. The warrior knight and the widow by Ella Matthews (So last year I discovered Mills and Boon and I have no shame about it whatsoever. This is a medieval beauty and the beast retelling about a woman being escorted to her fathers estate by an enigmatic and scarred knight. She’s hoping to convince her father to let her steward her own lands, and of course trying not to fall for her escort.)

6. The bareknuckle bastards series by Sarah Maclean (A badass, brooding trio of siblings who rule the underbelly of Covent Garden fall for smart, beautiful women. Opposites attract, Good girl/bad boy, strong women, banter. Super fun historical romance)

7. Redeeming the reclusive earl by Virginia Heath (I just read this and it was seriously cute!!!! And book where the hero blushes even once is a good book in my opinion. Basically aspiring antiquarian named Effie barrels into the life of a new earl - who really just wants to be left alone to be grumpy and sad and disfigured. ALONE. But Effie wants to dig on his land. And she won’t take no for an answer. She also talks A LOT.

8. A family for the widowed governess by Ann Lethbridge (Technically this is part of a series but you don’t need to read them in order and this is the best one. A widow who is being blackmailed accepts a governess post. She can’t tell her employer about the blackmail especially when she starts falling for him.)

9. The bedlam stacks by Natasha Pulley (I read watchmaker and didn’t like it but you might like it. This one also FEAUTRES A M/M ROMANCE. I know this list was super straight im sorry. Anyway this is about a botanist falling in love with a priest in the jungle.

10. The wilderness series by Sara Donati (Think outlander without the time travel and also not set in scotland. Basically Last of the Mohicans fanfiction about Hawkeye’s grown up son. An english woman moves to america when her father promises she can be a school teacher there. Little does she know he actually has plans to marry her off. Things get more complicated when she falls for Nathaniel Bonner, a white man raised native american and who’s daughter and extended family is Native American. Like outlander there’s romance, adventure, history. But unlike the outlander books the love interest is a decent guy (i say as if i don’t love the tv show)

STUFF THAT REALLY ISN’T ROMANCE AT ALL. BUT I SHIP A SHIP.

1. The Lacey Flint series by Sharon Bolton (Lacey Flint is a police officer who becomes involved in the hunt to catch a Jack the ripper copycat. There actually is a strong romantic element with the other lead police officer.)

2. The last hours duology by Minette Walters. A novel about the black death and a closed estate lead by a woman who’s trying to protect her people. There’s also a kind of murder mystery. But she also has a close relationship to one of the surfs that I got super invested in.

3. The Strike series by J.k Rowling (I know we don’t stan anymore but. This series about  PI and his assistant slowly growing closer? Becoming best friends and partners? Not acknowledging any feelings for each other?

[lady-plantagenet]

Unsolicited Book Reviews (n3): The Sunne in Splendour

Rating:

⭐️⭐️⭐️(+1/2?)

Even before I had an account, I tended to go to tumblr to see people’s opinions before buying a histfic. Certain books are either severely underrepresented, where I feel like there needs to be something on them, whereas others, though talked about enough, something more can still be said about them. So for my quarantine fun, I have decided to start a series where I review every medieval historical fiction novel I read. Hopefully, it will either start interesting discussions or at least be some help for those browsing its tag when considering purchasing it.

TL;DR: Keep in mind that I’m harsh with my ratings. I don’t expect my historical fiction to offer some sort of insight about the human condition or be some perfectly manicured prose, but this book’s biggest detriment was its lack of depth. Some scenes packed a serious emotional punch, but then again I am attached to this era and given the length, it would be insane not to. I learned a lot - no lie, but while my background knowledge on the wars of the roses has become enriched, I feel no closer to Richard.

Plot: We follow Richard III from a young boy at eight right before the catastrophe that was Ludlow to his death and a few years after. This story seems to be told through omniscient third person point of view, which creates issues when it comes to voice - a lot of the characters sound the same (John ‘Jack’ Howard, Francis Lovell, Richard Catesby to name a few). This is only a natural consequence of the sheer amount of people Penman chose to portray. I’m honestly still grateful for this as I was not a fan of Richard III’s POV, but really enjoyed Richard Neville Earl of Warwick’s, Margaret of Anjou and Cecily Neville’s. Everytime these three were the center of the chapter, it was truly enjoyable and multi-faceted which comes to show that Penman is capable of writing complexity when she wants to. I would also like to add that the author’s knowledge of medieval life (e.g. the food, the dogs, the nature of battles) was a high point of this novel and did something to counter-balance the rampant late 20th century flavour in this novel. She tries way too hard to adapt a medieval man such as Richard to our modern values to propagate her Richardian Agenda, which ultimately underscored this.

It must be said though that the author clearly did her research as most of what she said regarding minutae such as: what day of the week it was, where the characters were at one time, details of documents, who did what in which battle, what laws were passed etc... I had just come back to this time period after some years and I thought I knew all there was to know, yet, here comes this book which springboarded me into a wealth of new research - I suppose I am grateful for that. However, do not let that delude you into thinking it is comprehensive. There were historical innacuracies which I can only guess were intentionally made for the sake of the author’s Richardian goal e.g. Anne Neville being forced into her marital duties when historicalMargaret of Anjou made it clear that there would be no consummation until Warwick would prevail at Barnet, Isabel Neville being ‘abandoned’ by her husband in France when really it was only about 4 months they were apart and it would have made no sense for Isabel to sail with an invasionary force, Richard III abolishing benevolence tax because he thought it unfair as opposed to the reality which was that he had failed in his initial attempt to raise them because the population opposed, Richard III allowing the marriage between Jane Shore and Thomas Lynsom when in reality he had initially opposed it... Historical fiction is entitled to innacuracies but given that the author made it clear in her afterword that the only time she strayed was setting a scene in Windsor as opposed to Westminster, it is dishonest to conceal the aforementioned blips, especially when they are so unobvious that it would take a seasoned enthusiast to spot them. As you can tell they either do have a negative bearing on Richard’s image as a saint or show detractors in a positive light, clearly neither that which she was in a mood to explain away.

Characterisation: I can not stress enough how well Cecily Neville was portrayed, every scene she was in, I felt. She tends to be a very difficult character to get because of the whole illegitimacy rumour which casts shades of doubt. She was proud but also pious, subservient but also commanding... just an incredible woman of gravity. I enjoyed Warwick in all his flamboyancy as well and Edward IV was masterfully portrayed as the intelligent but forgiving man that he was. You could clearly see how despite his indulgent character, he knew when it was time to be serious, it was a joy to read the scenes where he strikes people into subserviancy. Anne Beauchamp was also quite a treat for the little time we had with her.

There were also some portrayals of mixed quality: George Duke of Clarence for one, his warped sense of humour and charm were well presented, his unpredictability adequately captured. The issue I have though is that no man is unpredictable to themselves and while it may make sense for other characters to see his temperaments as those like a weather vane it would make no sense for it to be this way in the chapters where he is the POV. Penman’s basically wrote him off as crazy (I mean literally mad) for the majority of the story which is utter tripe given that the whole madness angle is a modern invention. I won’t write more on this now as it deserves its own post (btw if anyone wants me to elaborate on anything I said so far send me an ask). Last thing I will say though: the last scene we have with him is utterly tragic and still sticks with me today, honestly the best writing in this novel was during the ‘Anne’ Book and ‘Protector of the North’ in the years surrounding George’s death. Speaking of, where do I begin with Isabel Neville and Elizabeth Woodville? Their marriages with Richard’s brothers are portrayed negatively for no other reason than to set up Richard and Anne Neville as a perfect love story. This story-telling technique is cheap as hell and I did not expect to find it in a novel so highly acclaimed for its ‘quality’. Let me make this clear: The marriage which was hailed as a love match at that time was that of Elizabeth Woodville and Edward IV. Anne and Richard could have been just as much a marriage of politics as George and Isabel’s, or the latter’s just as much a love match. George fought for Isabel just as much, if not more than Richard did for Anne, George stayed loyal for a surety whereas Richard’s bastard John’s conception may have coincided with his marriage according to Hicks, Marrying Anne was highly advantageous for Richard as marrying Isabel for George... I could go on. Therefore, why is Isabel constantly described as wretched, miserable and at one point abused(!) by her husband whereas Richard was nothing but gentle to the happy Anne. The Mary of Burgundy proposal story is often cited as proof that George only cared about power... but what about Richard’s proposal to Joanna of Portugal one month after Anne died? This may sound minor but it’s a perfect example of the author trying hard to make Richard a modern romantic figure which he wasn’t. I think he may have loved Anne Neville, but that doesn’t change the fact that he was a medieval king and made marriage provisions after her death to secure the succession. For a 800+ page novel about Richard III some seminal pieces of information were left out such as his seizure of the aged Dowager Countess of Oxford’s Howard fortune, the mysterious circumstances in which George Neville Duke of Bedford died young and unmarried after becoming his ward. All in all, do not let the wonderful historical detail fool you into thinking this is a complete account of Richard III’s day to day life.

Don’t even get me started on the Woodvilles... They were all treacherous villains and social climbers who belonged in hell. EVEN ANTHONY WOODVILLE - what has he ever done to Penman or anyone? All scenes with Elizabeth Woodville at the beggining were bedding scenes pretty much, which shows that the author saw her as nothing more than a heartless seductress. There was even a point where Edward in his rage said: ‘you would lie with a leper if it meant you becoming Queen’ and I was just shocked at that. I was further shocked when her daughter Elizabeth of York was musing that if her mother had been a good wife her father wouldn’t have needed to stray and I was just like... ‘I thought we were trying to be sensible in this book 0_0’ - How is it appropriate to have a woman blamed for her husband’s infidelity? How can we have such blatant classism and sexism on the one hand and late 20th century wokeness on the other? It’s what I said earlier, the author can’t prop up Richard and Anne without putting down all other couples in this book. By the end of the book I was honestly finding myself cheering for Elizabeth Woodville as she was becoming the woman with sense and cunning as we all know her, the saving grace of this entire characterisation was that Elizabeth became the only person with a brain by the end (I doubt this was the author’s intention). Down here in this category of bad characterisation I will add Richard and Anne themselves. Anne Neville though often absolutely adorable to me lacked any personality trait apart from being in love with Richard and past sexual abuse by Edward (which didn’t historically happen). Anne’s father and only sister die and she barely thinks about them, which severely undermines her portrayal as a loving and empathetic person. Her death scene and wane was tragic and affected me as a reader but holy Christ before that the author was very heavy handed throughout the book with her martyrisation of Anne, even when she was a young girl and everything was going well she cried in nearly every goddamn scene. Yes, this is Warwick’s daughter we are talking about. Richard (unlike the real great man that once lived on this earth) was similarly flawless and any small flaw he had was something like: ‘too trusting’, ‘acts then thinks’ - essentially ‘too good for this world’ flaws. No one is like this, least of all the real Richard who would not recognise this weird contrived romanticisation of a man. The saving grace of all this is that he admitted around the end to himself and Anne that he did want to be king a little bit, which YES, at least we get that because no one goes through all the procedures he did and endangers the survival of their house, unless they wanted to become king, at least a little bit. All in all, if Penman’s Richard III is the real man, all I have to say is: thank god his reign was cut short because this character would have made a terrible and weak monarch.

Prose: And here is where another of the stars was deducted. The prose is largely very pedestrian. It was full of modern phrases such as ‘hear me out’, ‘He thinks I am in the wrong’ ‘he can’t get away with this’ and other such likes. Also, I know it’s difficult to write a book where everyone’s names are Elizabeth, Edward, Richard and Anne, but apart from ‘Nan’ which was a nickname of that time, the modernity of ‘Bess’, ‘Bella’ or ‘Lisbet’ and the use of them in-text and not just dialogue, did much to draw me out of the medieval era. This is not just a criticism towards Penman but a grand majority of historical fiction novelists of this period. Having said that, her choice to cut conjunctions and use the word ‘be’ intead of ‘is’ or ‘are’ did not bother me at all and I found it effective in dating the language a bit. I appreciate that writing in poetic prose for 800+ pages is extremely difficult, but other’s have done it. And even in other novel where that’s not the case, the writing is still profound and impactful and conveys a deeper meaning, whereas here it’s more of a fictionalised history book. The author appears to have some imagination as the few scenes she made up e.g. Catherine Woodville’s visit to Richard or Edward summoning Edmund’s previous carer John to talk about Edmund as he was trying to deal with the grief of losing George, any scene with Cecily Neville in it, Anne Neville and Veronique (OC lady-in-waiting to her) when they were in hiding, Rosamund and Richard at the end, Margaret of Anjou when she was lodged at that abbey, When Stillington visited George before his death to give him a rosary and last rites and he refused to get them from him, Anne and Richard going to Middleham and Isabel’s lying in state were just some of them. However, even if you took all those well-written scenes and stuck them together they would not be more than maybe 150 pages which is not good in such a massive novel. I really don’t know how I would rank the prose, I feel weird saying it’s at the low bestseller level because at least it’s not overwritten and annoying, however, it lacked a lot of soul most of the time, which is dissapointing given what Penman had to work with. I can see that the author has some strengths, for example she’s good at writing about the weather and the natural landscape, she’s also good at describing facial expressions. But her massive flaw is dialogue and flow - especially the latter. The flow is hindered by her abject inability to weave historical events and their happenings into the prose, so she often settles for an exposition dump, especially when it comes to some male chatacter’s POV such as John Howard, Francis Lovell or Buckingham. A lot of the characters exposited at each other too, which wasted the opportunity for some serious character profiles. Basically too much telling and not enough showing. In conclusion, It didn’t always feel clunky, expository or laboured, but it way too often did for the good to be redeemed by the bad prose-wise.

In Conclusion, I cheated on this book a couple of times when it dragged, but got right back into it whenever the good sections came along. It is one of these books which people cannot stop raving about and I can’t stress how much I wanted to love it when I got it. It’s nice being a fan of something a lot of people are too for once, but it was just not to be. But at least now I can say I have read the cult classic of this histfic niche which apparently everyone has read and cried over. Even though it took me 7 months where others got through it in a week through sleepless nights. Despite all the negativity in this review, I would still reccomend it as it is a solid book and written by someone who clearly gets the conflict and time period. You will learn lots with this book (I intend to keep it as a sort of timeline) regarding things that you might otherwise find too dry to research in depth e.g. battle strategies and sieges. But what you will not learn about is the characters’ psychologies and personalities though Penman tries very hard and heavy-handedly to exposit their feelings to us.