Kevin Lau
This is what your adoration does. You create for yourselves heroes using our names, but those fabrications are so incredible, so elevated that the real thing can never live up to them. You destroy us, consume us.And I am what's left over when you're done.
After giving us two heist stories in a row, Sanderson shakes things up by flipping the formula. Instead of doing the heisting, the twist is that it's the heroes getting heisted!
Of course, this formula flip alone isn't why I think this is the best installment so far, but also because the writing is so powerful here. Sure, it may seem like things are meandering for the first 75%, but it all concisely builds to the twist and leaves us with a strong “All is Lost” moment with Alcatraz, doubling as the thesis of the series. Seriously, chapters 18 and 19 are breathtaking.
For a middle-grade series, each book is becoming surprisingly more mature and complex, and I dig it. It's almost creating a timeless story, one that could cross generational gaps (and I think the literary device of having adult Alcatraz tell us the story of his thirteen year old self might also have something to do with that, which is used in full force here). Though the previous installment had it's dark, almost eerie moments, this one shows that it's not all fun and games. Sometimes the heroes lose. Sometimes the good guys aren't good.
But there's also that sliver of hope, providing emotional complexity stronger than most middle grade or even YA series.
But maybe that's enough spoiler talk for now. Onto the next book!
Though many may find it disturbingly vivid in the first half, the emotional journey this novels takes you through is astounding and truly jaw-dropping in certain segments. It's not a comfort read what with all the sequences of abuse and racism, holding nothing back, but it ends in such a satisfying way.
I'm at a loss for words on this novel. This review (which is the top Goodreads review as of writing this) praises it far better than I ever could.
[scrolls through some reviews]
So, like, is no one going to talk about how this is just a higher-stakes version of the first book?
This observation, of course, doesn't reflect on the quality of the book because a second heist to introduce new concepts and characters is still fun to read. I just hope the third book mixes it up a little bit (and from what I hear, it mixes it up a lot). However, this means that the faults and strengths of the first book are still here, even if the execution is a bit better.
The first half still has trouble integrating information and drama, but this time has high-octane action to fill in the gaps. It's a very bloated first half but, once we get to the midpoint, things get much smoother and, perhaps, goes by a little too quickly.
That said, this book still has powerful character moments and Alcatraz's dramatic catharsis hits even harder here than in the previous installment. Kaz and Australia work better as supporting characters than Sing and Quinten, in my opinion, and help Alcatraz get closer to that sweet, sweet life lesson. Plus we have the origins of Alcatraz's talents and more hints of what's to come, showing that Sanderson has a clear vision of how this is going to end.
Not quite five-star material yet, but quality is definitely improving.
Will read again at another time, hopefully more consistently. However, I feel this is a must-read for those interested in entering the film scene, writer or no. It's not a how-to book on screenwriting, but rather an experiential account of the film industry from a screenwriter's perspective.
Also, it's William Goldman. C'mon, the dude's a brilliant writer.
I don't think there's a real way to review this book in 2020 since it serves its purpose of showcasing a plethora of independent films, but does so in a manner where it might serve better as a coffee table book rather than something kick back and read.
The main problem with this book, however, is how it quickly and not-so-cleanly goes from one film to the next. No analysis outside of plot summaries that range from simple loglines to incoherent three-page descriptions. They're not essays, and they're not clearly labeled to actually be showcasing like a Roger Ebert book. If this were written in the age of the World Wide Web, I think a major restructure would happen.
It's fun to skim through, but not sure if worth seeking out. I have every film mentioned in the book listed here for anyone curious. There's definitely some deep cuts here worth checking out.
Supposedly a build-up to another Spider-Man novel, Goblin's Revenge. I unfortunately don't own that one yet, but I'll get there eventually.
This is only the fourth Spider-Man novel I've read, but it's the flimsiest so far. In terms of plotting, it really doesn't get going until the midpoint where Carnage escapes. Mary Jane has her own subplot with helping Aunt May, and Peter has a personal subplot with The Daily Bugle, but each of these are cookie-cutter and by-the-numbers with no real stakes or depth (They even missed out on a fun opportunity to have J. Jonah Jameson blame Spider-Man for Carnage's escape).
I know Carnage is a simple-minded villain, like an edgelord Venom, but he's also very simple in this book. We're not sure what any of his motivation is except causing chaos and putting himself in a position to get caught or biding his time on enacting his plan until Spider-Man swings in and it's too late. There's a couple jabs that point out how dumb and flawed Carnage's plan is, and I hope it turns out Carnage's pan is more complex in the next novel instead of an attempt at metahumor so the writers didn't have to rewrite it.
Going back to how flimsy this book is, I mean that it feels like a three-issue arc stretched to 245 pages, with scene openings repeating themselves and filler chapters that adds nothing to the narrative. Lots of focus on walking and crossing streets and less on narrative drama and internalizing character.
There's still enjoyment to be had in this book. It's like a light TV episode with a two-act structure, where the first half is all setup and the second half is all payoff. Everything ties together without any loose ends, but there aren't enough threads to make it difficult to do otherwise.
Keep it simple, I guess.
Serviceable plotting until the climax, interesting world-building and organic set-up for the sequel, BUT is all hanging on by a thread with a protagonist/narrator that isn't interesting or motivated. Key character moments aren't motivated by the character, there is no lesson for the hero to learn since he has all the answers, and his voice is a bland redux of Percy Jackson's.
I really liked how this book started until the fight on the bridge, then I enjoyed it again when they faced the goddess Ran. Every scene with Annabeth was great not only in terms of nostalgia, but also it was some of the few moments where Magnus was an actual character. Then there's Jack, the saving grace not only as a character but also with his dynamic with Magnus and how it reshapes and comments on the genre/formula.
Yet this is all bogged down by fetch-quest plotting spread extremely thin and unmotivated transitions between plot points. It makes logical sense on why we, the readers, go from one place to another, but there's no emotional continuity for why Magnus goes from one place to another since he isn't actively making the choices of his quest.
I'll still be reading onward to satisfy my curiosity (and also because of quarantine), but... Yeah, maybe Riordan needs to give this world a rest.
This book has been on my shelf for a while, along with the rest of Gillian Flynn's novels, though I have never read any of them nor seen any of the adaptations. How I made it to the end of 2019 without having at least seen Gone Girl is a bit beyond me.
Sharp Objects reads like a novel of someone who studied Creative Writing in college with a dash of journalistic tendencies to aim for conciseness, which works great to match the personality of the protagonist Camille Preaker. However, because of its textbook plotting and set-up, it's predictable to those who consistently read mysteries. It hurts more when the last 2 chapters of the second act feel like filler, delaying the reveal because it thinks it's keeping you guessing when in reality it's dragging you through pointless misdirection.
As for the writing itself, Flynn shows a lot of potential in these pages. Lots of creative similes and metaphors that simultaneously made the characters in question and the protagonist more real. Though the emotional continuity was rocky at the start and abruptly stop-and-go towards the end of act 2, I still felt satisfied by the end of it.
This isn't a mystery novel for hardcore fans of the genre, but it's a solid enough “first adult mystery”. Seeing the potential of Flynn's writing, I'll definitely be checking out her later work.
For the first half of the book, I was all in. I was having fun with Mr. Walter's personal stories and insights, his inviting voice on his teachings and methods, until I had reached the midpoint and realized I had learned nothing worth slogging through 118 pages for. However, in hopes of learning everything I can about the craft of film and screenwriting, I slogged through 140 more pages.
The things I do for knowledge.
Richard Walter, a screenwriting professor at UCLA, knows his stuff. Funneling his vast knowledge of his experience in the film industry, unfortunately, seems to be a challenge for him. He comes off as someone I wish/hope to talk to in person and ask questions when he presents a lesson or idea, but in the case of this information being in book form... Well, you can only get so much response from a dead, tattooed tree.
Some of the information is a bit outdated too. For example, Walter says that you should never write a story revolving around drug dealing. Flash forward to not even a decade after this book was published, Breaking Bad took the world by storm. In Walter's defense, though, he claims that most of his advice on plots can be rendered obsolete as long as the writer properly integrates plot and character development.
There's a good cliffnotes version to be made of this book. As for sitting and trying to absorb every detail, your efforts would be more fruitful elsewhere.
Essentially, it teaches everything an Intro to Production class should teach in an approachable manner. It doesn't go into detail with the technical bits like lenses, shutter speed, and editing software, but it does provide info on the basic idea of how to make a video that draws interest with lighting, angles, and pacing your edits. Even though I went to film school, I still found stuff in here that made buying and reading the book cover-to-cover worth it (Plus it's only, like, $11).
You can check out some examples and pieces from the book on the author's site: https://www.stevestockman.com/
This is certainly early 2000's James Gunn with most of the humor relying on twisted shock value. That being said, reading this today after watching his more recent work shows how far he has come in crafting his stories and how he views the world.
This story still has a strong emotional core about a screwed up individual who can't seem to stop screwing up. At 25, he refuses to grow up and take anything seriously and it all comes back and bites him in the bud. Even though a lot of the content can be seen as twisted or downright disgusting, it's clear that the author knows that too and is using it all to portray the downward spiral of addiction and immaturity.
But is it good? Yes and no.
Like I said, the emotional core of the story is there. The characters are very well-realized and the protagonist is almost uncomfortably realistic. As for the writing, it's clearly written by a screenwriter with minuscule visual and auditory details. That being said, this story does work better in the literary medium rather than film.
It kept me hooked from beginning to end and I might reread it in the future.
Blake Snyder's Save the Cat! for screenwriting, as helpful as it is, is a prime example of “Those who can't do, teach.” Jessica Brody's Save the Cat! for novels, though, is “I can do this and have done it; I'll take you under my wing.”
Trust me, there's a difference.
The infamous Save the Cat! outline is the same, but Brody goes into a lot more detail as to how each plot point works and has an excellent first chapter in creating a captivating protagonist. Though this isn't a craft book on how to write effective prose, this is a great way to learn what makes an effective story and a brief insight on how to sell your novel.
I highly recommend screenwriters to take a peek into the first two chapters!
Think Coraline meets Death Note while being Carrie at its core.
Back when I reviewed The Half Life of Molly Pierce, I noted that Katrina Leno's writing was similar to that of Stephen King's. The use of adverbs, the inner monologues, attention to detail, and how the prose ebbs and flows. I don't know if Miss Leno had read that review and felt inspired, but her Stephen King-esque skills are at full force here.
You Must Not Miss is a descent into madness and a rise to revenge. Magpie Lewis is a fantastic character and I can't see the story told from any other perspective. She's a character you want to root for but morally can't. I dug it.
The structure of the plot, the balancing of subplots, and the transitions between each plot point were handled very carefully. Every seed for themes and ideas were planted perfectly and all pay off in aces. The inclusion of Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? by Joyce Carol Oates was a fantastic touch and really helped tie everything together.
Simply put, this is Katrina Leno's best novel yet and I am hyped for Horrid!
AUG 2018-2019 BOOK CLUBBook 16/30: A Sequel
It took 9 books, but this is the first Dresden novel I wasn't entirely invested in. Of course, all the characters are great and the narration is as fun and snarky as ever, but the main plot of this book paled in comparison to the subplots. As a whole, this novel paled in comparison to Proven Guilty.
Of course, I will continue to devour this series. I'm told the series is about to pick up in the next book.
The art is absolutely fantastic, but the writing tries to mesh a complex mystery with CW tropes in the worst way possible. This, in turn, creates an uninteresting protagonist, a mystery with very confusing execution (it's not clear the protagonist is suffering from amnesia about the previous summer until halfway through the second issue, after it seemed like it was established she knew exactly what happened (which she kind of does?)), and scenes that don't really transition to each other.
Everything here kind of just... happens. Like a bad YA novel but with pretty pictures. Even the cliffhanger ending couldn't make me invested to continue.
Doing some research on budgeting to make sure the film I'm working on this summer is properly prepared. Mostly skimmed through the because it contains a lot of topics I've already learned, but it's still a great resource.
I have an older edition, but it seems the newest edition is from 2000 so there isn't any talk about digital filmmaking here. However, like I said, it's still a great resource to make sure you're thinking of everything when you'r producing a film!
AUG 2018-2019 BOOK CLUBBook 12/30: A Nonfiction Book
I only realized through reading this that most people who know Dessa's music might have discovered her from the Hamilton Mixtape for her performance of the song Congratulations (which was a song cut from the original play). I, on the other hand, discovered her on a Spring Sampler album with her cover of Balance by The Mountain Goats. I really dug her voice and how it correlated with the choice of instrumental (way different from the original Mountain Goats song but still held true to its core. One of my favorite covers), so I looked into her discography and absolutely loved her 2018 album Chime.
Not only did I adhere to her voice and excellent rapping skills, but to her lyrics as well. Dessa mentions in her memoir that she seems to be born to perform burn songs, and she may be onto something. In her music, the poignant vocabulary carries its own weight and provides a strong momentum,, never missing a beat. The writing in this book shares a similar effect.
My Own Devices is a candid collection of essays where Dessa writes about her road to music and addiction to love. She's a Philosophy major turned rapper that has a unique interest in science. She recounts her father's big project, her road trips from touring with DoomTree, her on-again-off-again ex for over a decade, and questions the validity of certain ideas and behaviors. Dessa writes with a lot of experience and knowledge under her belt and the placement of the essays really works in her favor, creating a rollercoaster of emotions that make you laugh from her witty remarks or ponder your own behavior from her sharp insight, and this is a rollercoaster you want to ride.
In short, Dessa was robbed for not even being nominated for Best Memoir/Autobiography of 2018.
DNF at 53%
This is supposedly one of the best Buffy novels out there, with the supposed dream team of Christopher Golden and Nancy Holder. I can definitely see why the fanbase praises these authors, especially considering these writers come out with books at almost the same speed of Stephen King. However, though there is enjoyment to be found in this book, the vast majority of my reaction was “Okay, that was cool, but...“
I'll do my best to break it down.
Dialogue vs. Character
Christopher Golden's media tie-ins are praised for their dialogue, with Buffy probably being the highest praise of his vast portfolio. And it's true that the dialogue of this book sounds like something Joss Whedon would write, matching each character perfectly. However, though the characters speak like they do on the show, they don't act like they do on the show.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is, at its core, a Monster of the Week show. This means that there is a formula: Monster shows up, Buffy fights monster but loses the first time, Giles pools his resources, Buffy then fights monster again with brains rather than brawn, the end. Add in the bits here and there where one would think, “Oh, Willow would say something like this about that,” or, “Xander would make a joke here.”
Those little details are in here, but they're flat and forced, almost no motivation to make the character speak other than the writers thinking “They would say something here.” Add in the fact that dialogue from the visual medium is simplified compared to those of novels, every character ends up feeling a bit flat and uninteresting. This is also due to...
Storytelling: Movies/TV vs. Books
Screenwriting is very different from writing a novel (Don't let J.K. Rowling's screenplays fool you). When you're writing for film or TV, you can't write about what the character is thinking unless you are planning to show a visual representation of the thought or have voice over (the latter only working in comedy and/or drama done right). Good screenwriters know that you only write what you see and hear. One of the challenges media tie-in authors face is creating an interesting story that breaks the status quo, novelize the characters, create stakes for the readers, yet not interfere with the canon in any way, shape, or form (good-bye character development). They can't just write what you see and hear, but also what you smell, feel, taste, and think.
Christopher Golden and Nancy Holder seem to know that, but have the wrong idea. There a lot of long-winded scenes describing the setting before getting into the meat of the scene, but that's the problem. There is so much focus on describing every little detail to replicate the show's setting that it becomes boring. There is no motivation as to why we have 3 pages of description other than, “This is where we are and what is here,” nor is there any character in the narration.
Here's an example. Would you rather read...
Along the walls of the library were wooden bookshelves filled with books. A lot of them were on Demonology, since Giles was a Watcher.
Or...
Along the walls of the library were wooden bookshelves filled with... Well, books. And since no kid in school ever liked reading, Giles seemed very comfortable with putting his Demonology books on display.
Action Sequences
Here's a problem I noticed in more media tie-ins that I would like: When the protagonist is fighting the scene's villain and almost beats them not once, not twice, but THRICE in the same scene. Doing this trick once or twice to build tension and suspense works, but repeating the trick more than that just becomes tedious no matter how good your prose is (see 3 Days to Kill starring Kevin Costner (Or chapter 1 of this book)).
Final Verdict
I didn't hate this book and I don't blame anyone who loves it. My problem with it is that it's boring. I appreciate how the authors try to break the status quo by having a vampire that keeps resurrecting, but the villain is very flat and has no motivation for anything she does other than “I want the world to die.” There are no personal conflicts between this villain and Buffy outside of “Slayer kill vampire but vampy won't die.” If characters don't have solid motivations, then why should audiences be motivated to read about them?
Here's hoping the Gatekeeper Trilogy is good.
The Christmas spirit(s) is strong in this one. Charles Dickens's prose perfectly convey the atmosphere, physical scene, and the emotional depth of Scrooge from both an inner and outer perspective simultaneously.
No wonder Disney keeps remaking this tale. There's nothing that needs changing and the audience will always be engaged in the emotional journey (except for maybe the CGI Jim Carrey one).
AUG 2018-2019 BOOK CLUBBook 7/30: A Book You Don't Think You'll Like
As much flak as I give YA, I can't deny that it is simultaneously the worst and best genre in all of literature. Unlike with adult or, surprisingly, children's novels, Young Adult is a lot of GO GO GO! Thin plots! Flat characterization! Lost potential but it doesn't matter because it's just soooo relatable to the youth!
Young Adult fiction is the genre that tries really hard to get people who think reading is dumb (Yay! Pressures of fitting in!) to pick up a book and go from cover to cover. If the plot slows down at any point for the characters to reflect and develop, a sub-literate teenager will most likely drop it unless it becomes a phenomenon with a film.
This is why I'm always hesitant to read YA. The popular 2% are rather bland and 95% are trying to mimic what works for others. Thankfully, Mariah Fredericks falls into the narrow 3% that are legitimately good.
Mean Girls meets [random witch story] isn't an apt description here. Sure, you've got your typical high school setting with the bitch squad bullying the protagonist and pushing them to take measures into her own hands. Sure, you've got some spells casted too. Ultimately, though, Mariah Fredericks writes a very moving story about why you shouldn't beat yourself up and how some things, even the death of someone you know, are out of control and aren't always your fault.
By literature standards, the plot is rather thin but could easily be adapted to film. The pacing and overall structure is perfect and every beat matters. The characterization is strong for the main cast, with the protagonist and antagonist servicing as two sides of the same coin, but minor characters are only mentioned when they're needed (like pulling them from a void). Season of the Witch doesn't necessarily paint an atmosphere, but its strong narrative really gets you inside the main character's head.
I really thought this was going to be trash. Outside of the fact the writing could be richer and perhaps a different editor should have been hired (some typos and lack of proper italicization), this book really outdid itself. This may not be the creepy horror story the marketing team suggests, but it's a good novel nonetheless.