I picked this book up as part of a reading group list. It’s not a book that I would have picked up on my own I don’t think. A story about a retired time cop (yes, I’m stuck on old Jean Claude movies) that gets dragged back into active service and the mystery that ensues…
I understand why this book was recommended by the person that brought it to the group. There is an awful lot of talk about stitching, fabrics, research and practical application of clothing. This is decidedly not my thing. I get it. It’s important – I just don’t see it working long term for stories.
I found all the characters in this novel to be understandable and have a real feel to them. I was happy to see a protagonist that doesn’t fit neatly into a standard publishing pigeon hole. I was also happy to see secondary characters with thoughts and feelings that mattered to the line of the story.
The world building was a teeny bit problematic, but then I find any kind of time travel story to have issues relating to paradox and changing the past. The author took pains to add explanations about this to the story, but there still seemed to be holes in certain aspects for me. The action parts of the story were all but glossed over and I had a number of logistical issues with that.
The story of a young girl given extensive and dangerous powers as part of an experimental weapons program – creating a void witch… I could have really been on board with this. There were a number of things that pulled me out of the story. This definitely fits into space opera territory and I could see this becoming a series on a network like Netflix.
There were holes and world building gaps that didn’t work for me. The main character’s power level seemed out of balance. The fact that the program is supposedly secret but everyone seems to know a void witch when they see one didn’t sit right with me. The character does have a well developed sense of not wanting to be close to people.
I’m very middle of the road on this title. It’s interesting, but I don’t know if I can actively recommend it.
This post was originally published in Watch The Skies fanzine – June 2020
You Should Be Watching OR more precisely, you should watch again.
Netflix has recently made the Nickelodeon show Avatar – The Last Airbender available for viewing. Airbender is an animated series following the journey of Aang, the last of the air nomads as he travels a world where adepts have the ability to change the elements around them using a form of martial arts known as bending. Aang is the Avatar, a person who has the ability to blend all forms of bending (earth, water, air and fire) together. His quest? Save the world.
I originally watched the show with my daughter when it first aired back around 2008. As soon as the show became available we grabbed it up on DVD so we could revisit it when we wanted to. As happens with many discs, the show languished for us at the back of a dusty shelf. We did revisit an episode now and again, but less frequently than we might have. Since the show has popped up on Netflix we sat down and re-watched the entire series in order. It might be more than a decade old, but the show holds up.
This show is one of those rare animated series that combines so many parts that anyone in the family can enjoy it. The world building shows a fantasy world with a number of cultures. There are matters of daily life, holidays, politics and any other sort of thing you’d expect in a world. It’s a place that feels lived in. The characters are as varied as the cultures they visit. Diversity is on display without making a big deal about said diversity. Characters with physical differences and abilities were not treated as if they were somehow lacking, it was the spirit that mattered. As the heroes journeyed through three seasons of shows they dealt with corruption of those in power, sexism, love, loss vulnerability and the use of true power. Heroes can make mistakes. Villains can redeem themselves. Mistakes can be forgiven. I will even say that the ending was one of the most satisfying I’ve watched for any series.
If you’ve seen Avatar, it’s worth a re-watch. If you haven’t seen it you should seek it out.
“I’m not looking for anyone’s approval, I know who I am…” Toph Bei Fong (aka The Blind Bandit)
Like so many people I’ve spent a lot of time with YouTube (and many over streaming services) lately. Along the way I bumped into a list video. These videos are not uncommon. Most of the time I can either enjoy or ignore them. One caught my attention – the top ten sword and sorcery movies list.
This particular list made it difficult to tell if they were in a particular order or not. I chose to believe they were in random, jumble order. If they weren’t, it only made the list more challenging for me. I could only agree with a handful of them. As I thought about it I tried to assemble my own list and realized I needed to narrow down what I meant by sword and sorcery and then what my own top ten would be.
Sword and sorcery is a sub-genre of general fantasy films. They are mythic adventures involving a great deal of action and supernatural or magical entities. They can (and often do) involve romance, but it is not always the case. The story could be a world saving adventure but doesn’t have to be. It can just as easily be a single hero’s journey to achieve some goal.
That definition puts epic scale fantasy in a different category. I love the Lord of the Rings series but I would call that epic fantasy rather than sword and sorcery. I think Narnia falls into the epic category as well, though that one is also clearly a portal fantasy. It also eliminates a really wonderful movie – The 13th Warrior (1999) from contention. While it has swords and action it is very short on sorcery. There is the barest hint of prophecy at one point, but it’s really just a great adventure movie set in the time of the Vikings.
In narrowing the field I found it made the choices here much more clear. My list starts at number 10 and works up to my favorite. It’s entirely possible that this list shifts over time. I haven’t seen a lot of great sword and sorcery coming out recently, but there’s always the chance that something new will jump in here too. The list:
#10 The Sword and the Sorcerer (1982) This is a pure nostalgia pick. The story of a mercenary with a triple bladed sword who is recruited to help stop a tyrant and his sorcerer, this was the very first R rated movie I ever went to the theater to see. It’s a bit dark at times, a bit cringy at times, and I don’t think it holds up well, but it makes the list.
#9 Sword of the Valiant (1984) This movie does not get the credit it deserves. Sean Connery, John Rhys-Davies, Ronald Lacey and Peter Cushing are all in this movie. I’m genuinely shocked more people are not on board with it. The story is of Sir Gawain accepting the challenge of the the Green Knight and the journey he takes to meet that challenge. I am actually looking to pick this one up on DVD to add to the collection. It shocked me that I don’t already have it.
#8 The Beastmaster (1982) I went back and rewatched this one recently. The story of a warrior who could communicate with animals – an ability that those in power tried to eliminate from the world. He and his animal companions set out to track down his father’s killer and take revenge. There are a lot of parts that are very cringe worthy given today’s view of things. I still put this one in the top ten.
#7 Willow (1988) This movie is just a lot of fun. It is the heart of what I think a sword and sorcery film can be. A villager who would be a wizard sets off on a quest to return a lost child ends up protecting her from an evil queen. This wizrad is joined by the great warrior Mad Mardigan – a masterful swordsman with a delightful mercenary streak. I really enjoy this one.
#6 Excalibur (1981) A wonderful film version of the Arthurian legend. It’s soooo shiny! The sword work is all over the place and Merlin is just as nutty and dangerous as you would imagine. One of my favorite versions of this tale.
#5 Jason and the Argonauts (1963) My only real inclusion of the Greek mythos in this list. I clearly remember watching this one on Saturday afternoon television as a kid. The story telling is solid and the special effects are from the one and only Ray Harryhausen. Stop motion battles at an amazing level. Harpys, skeletons, a hydra… just fantastic stuff that is still watchable today.
#4 The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958) Everything I said for the previous entry applies here as well. The fantasy aspects combined with pirates racing to save a princess from a sorcerer who has holed up on an island filled with monsters. Just as with Jason – still totally watchable all these years later. Harryhausen’s stop motion is magic.
#3 Legend (1985) I love the visuals of this movie. I love the soundtrack(s) from this movie. I love the villain in this movie SO much. Legend is the story of a young man who must stop the Lord of Darkness from destroying the last unicorns and ending daylight forever. It is a legend.
#2 Ladyhawke (1985) Significantly more romance than most of my top picks, this is the story of a thief who is rescued by a warrior after escaping from a dungeon. The thief becomes involved with the warrior and his plan to destroy the bishop in the city the thief just escaped from. IF the bishop can not be faced, the warrior will lose his love forever. Some anachronistic parts, but still great sword and sorcery.
#1 Conan the Barbarian (1982) Conan must take the top spot here. The Arnold Schwarzenegger portrayal of Robert E. Howard’s iconic hero is hands down my favorite. It has everything. War, cultists, magic, partying, stealing and vengeance. It is violent and grim. It had one of the first villains that gave me something to measure other villains against. When James Earl Jones plays the cult leader Thulsa Doom and says, “now they will know why they fear the night…” it gives you shivers.
That’s the list. My top ten. Do you agree? Is the order all wrong? Are there any that are missing?
Poetry has always been something that has given me fits. I hated studying it when I was in school. I was forced to attempt my own poetry. Thankfully all of those creations have been lost to time. I’m certain they were terrible. I’m certain they were terrible not because I failed to take the exercise seriously (like the student in Dead Poets Society who wrote about a cat) but precisely because I took them very seriously. I have no doubt they were beyond terrible.
Looking back it’s easy to regret my failure to connect with poetry. One of the most acclaimed American poets once lived down the road from my house. He taught at the school I attended. I could have delved deep into the works of Robert Frost… and didn’t. Complete failure to connect.
In the many years since I attended school I have attempted to reconnect to poetry. I have gone back and attempted to reconnect with the places that were part of the history of poetry. I took my daughter to the Robert Frost farm while visiting relatives.
I still just don’t connect. I wish I did.
The rekindled desire to connect surfaced again when I saw the video linked below. This video provided an interesting glimpse into the story behind a famous poem along with one of the strongest indicators for me that I may in fact be better off not trying to delve into poetry too deeply. I’m certain I’ve been one of the people that blithely went along with the common interpretation of the final three lines of the poem. Who knew that Frost was gently prodding his indecisive friend rather than making some profound statement about striking out in an uncommon direction?
My wife often participates in a charity event called GISH. It’s a lot of fun for a good cause (or series of good causes). Here’s what they list on their site:
GISH is a scavenger hunt like no other.
We challenge our players to connect, create, have fun, and make a difference in their communities through wild tasks and experiences — all from the brain of Misha Collins!
They’ve been conducting a series of one day stay at home scavenger hunts while the world is on lock down. One of the things the scavenger hunt teams needed to come up with was a map of your house as if it was an adventure map like the Hobbits would have had. I have to admit I did have a lot of fun with this one – here’s part of the result:
Here I am. I’ve managed to survive a full half of a century. I’ve tried to start this a couple of times and it’s been less than successful. My birthday is smack dab in the middle of the dumpster fire that amounts to the year 2020. Pandemic, civil unrest, soaring political rage, massive unemployment… let’s celebrate?
I don’t know that being fifty was ever going to be some kind of revelatory moment for me. My other “round number” birthdays weren’t overly moving. Other people seem to have this obsession with a single day signifying something more than a continuation of what you’ve already been doing. That’s not how I operate. Changes happen when they happen, they’re not tied to a Wednesday. So I keep forging along trying to do as much as I can. The issue of course being that as I have aged, some things DO change.
My muscles retain their knowledge of the things I used to be able to do. Sadly, as confirmed by one of my doctors (there’s a sign of getting old right there – one of my doctors), while the muscles will do as they have done before, all the connector parts can not handle the same stresses. The ligaments and tendons have failed to hold up for me. Combining that with the Jenga tower that is my back things have been pretty painful lately. I simply can’t do the things I’ve done before in the way I did them. I have to learn and understand what I’m trying to accomplish. Is there a work smarter, rather than a work harder way to do something? I can say at this age I am now very mindful of the physical challenges I take on. Hopefully I’ll continue to avoid going under the knife.
I’ve heard about midlife crises happening to people when they reach their forties or fifties. I don’t get it. I suppose that having a crisis involves being unhappy about what you have going on in your life. As for my life – I guess one would consider it ongoing. I certainly feel more together and aware of things in my life. I’m happy and comfortable most days. There are certainly a lot of things that I’d like to make better, but that’s how life goes. There aren’t any things I’d trade – all the experiences and events that I have been through combine to make me who I am today. Pull any one thread and the tapestry starts to unravel. I would rather move forward and create more tapestry rather than fold back, pull threads or obsess over past events.
That begs the question – You’re 50, what now?
I have a number of family, volunteer and professional obligations that I intend to keep going with. I don’t foresee any massive changes. Of course I’ve learned over time that the biggest changes tend to be the ones you don’t see coming, but I’m still relatively optimistic for things going forward.
I do have a list of goals that I will be updating. Having goals is an important aspect of life and those goals should be reviewed and considered regularly. I don’t have what is popularly known as a “bucket list”. That’s morbid. I have so much I want to do that making a list of it all seems to be a waste of time and resources. Could I say I want to have McDonald’s on every continent where it’s available? Sure, call that a “bucket list” item if you want, but I just call that something that will happen in my future (if you’re wondering I’ve had McDonald’s on 3 continents so far). While that plan is in progress I have a bunch of other things I need to do. At the end of the day, 50 is just a number. IF I’m writing this at 100 then maybe we’ll have a bigger celebration.
Thank you to all who read here (speaking of numbers – yes, all six of you)!
This article was previously published in Watch The Skies
There has been a lot of binge watching out there since folks have gone into isolation. The global pandemic has put a whole new focus on finding something to watch that doesn’t exacerbate the anxiety of the real world. A number of shows have leaped in popularity that might never have gotten the chance in the past simply for the lack of other entertainment. Many of those shows likely won’t last, but parts of them might endure. It’s difficult to predict. The same has always been the case with the big screen. Movies that “flop” in the theater become cult classics. Movies that people had modest hope for endure for generations. These movies can have an impact that lasts long after their run in the theater is done.
That lasting impact, in the form of physical objects, is the focus of the show Prop Culture now streaming on Disney+. The show hosted by Dan Lanigan digs into the physical props that remain from some Disney films that have had a significant impact on pop culture. The first season includes: Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, Mary Poppins, Tron, Nightmare Before Christmas, The Muppet Movie, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Chronicles of Narnia, and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.
Dan digs in behind the scenes and hunts down various creators and actors to reconnect them with the objects that helped make these films great. Hats, swords, puppets, matte paintings and all manner of samples. Not all props are small either. Ten foot tall models, cars and tall ships are part of this as well. Seeing these real world things give both the creators and the viewer a very strong sense of nostalgia.
At a half hour in length these episodes are just the right length. They don’t drag and they don’t hold back for the sake of false anticipation. There are expected pieces along with little things that evoke strong emotions for all. Along with strong emotion there is a fun sense of humor. You get quotes like, “There’s a lot of bald yaks out there…” from a effects studio head. It hits all the right notes to help the viewer feel good after each episode.
If you have the opportunity and love to know more about the movies this show is definitely worth a look.
I would have to consider it the negligent misuse of understatement to say that our current global pandemic has changed many things. Everyone has been asked to significantly change our way of living. How we work, how we connect with each other and certainly how we gather… and that is to say that we DO NOT GATHER. We don’t know a lot about the virus that is raging across the world and killing people by the thousands. We do know that if we keep our distance from each other, things slow down.
Everything has slowed down. Meetings take longer to arrange. Work hits unexpected delays. Time off takes on a whole new dimension – if you’re lucky enough to still have a job and still be working.
Part of the slowing down, part of the social distance needed involves not getting together. Conventions that many of my friends and collegues depend on are simply not happening this year. They are not able to gather so many people in a single place. The risk is too great.
Going to conventions – particularly science fiction / fandom cons – are a major part of my life. I have been going to or working as part of the staff of cons for somewhere around the past 27 years. I genuinely don’t remember a year when I haven’t been off to Richmond or Boston or Pittsburgh or Baltimore for a convention. Sometimes a big con, sometimes a small con – always going to see friends and talk about my favorite things. This is part of my life. It is part of my family’s life. My daughter doesn’t know anything else. In her mind this is simply what people of like minds do – they get together to enjoy their favorite things.
I’m not going to any conventions this year. None.
That is at least the plan as it stands right now. Most cons have “shut it down” and declared they will return in 2021. Some are making the effort to push ahead with the program parts they had lined up and are creating methods for holding virtual cons. I am amazed at how quickly some of these fan run, volunteer organizations have turned around the parts they need in order to make something like this work. I applaud them. It’s fantastic to see that they’re doing what they need to in order to survive. I wonder how many of them will. I just don’t see myself doing a virtual con. It feels too much like work at this point.
I understand the value of meeting virtually. I am, on average, attending between 5 and 10 virtual meetings every week now. I have adjusted my computer settings, arranged my working spaces differently along with changing and upgrading some of my hardware… and it’s still not the same. Gathering with friends in the same physical location matters. A hug, a handshake or even a simple hand on the shoulder are very important. Yes, there are down sides to meeting in person. There is expense. It’s time consuming. Scheduling is a challenge. Meeting with your friends is great, dealing with everyone else… not as much. Even with all the challenges (and occasionally the terrible smells) I hope to see the very best of them return for live and in person events. They are what recharge my batteries. It’s how I level up my creativity.
For the first time in decades I will be home on Memorial Day weekend. My family will be having a small gathering to celebrate my sister’s birthday. That’s it. That’s the entire schedule. There are no festivals going on, there are no events other than on the computer. We’ll see how it all goes. It is an odd feeling to know I won’t be part of something so dear to me. Hopefully it will come back around. Until then I’ll have to navigate my way around “the new normal”.
