November 19, 2005
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Thursday night, or Friday morning, I watched Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is a very entertaining movie that just so happens to bear a strong resemblance to a book of the same name. If you want to see a movie that closely follows the book, you're going to have to make your own, I'm afraid.
On the other hand, if you want to see a movie that has the same flavor as the book, and don't mind some rather large alterations, you're in for a treat.
[back page contains review with some spoilers. you have been warned]
Overall, I found the adaptation to be great fun. The Yule Ball (and scenes leading up to it) were amusing, they managed the youthful-embarassment without making it too painful to watch.
Ron Weasley's dress... er, wait, dress robes... were really really horrible, which added to the humor of the scene quite nicely. Something about moldy old 18th century-style robes that... don't really look very manly.
The Prefect's Bathroom. Damn, I want a bath like that... though I could deal without the creepy ghost trying to put the moves on... This scene was made more humorous than usual because of the reaction of the crowd. I said this last movie, but I forget how teenage girls act... when Harry jumped into the bath, the audience could be heard sighing dreamily and screaming. It was... sad, but funny...
The Quidditch World Cup. Wow. As short as these sequences were, they were fabulous and fun... the World Cup was a truly magical carnival.
The Maze. Boo! Hiss! I totally disapprove of how the maze was done. Sure, it looks creepy, but for the first 5 minutes, nothing creepy happens, but all the actors are acting terrified. And then when something creepy does happen, it's not nearly as creepy or magical as advertised.
Dumbledore talks about dragons and monsters and losing yourself, but all there is is a maze whose walls close in periodically, and once or twice reach out to entangle someone. Not nearly as cool or creepy or magical as I expected. This was the single greatest disappointment in an otherwise fabulous movie.
The other tasks were done nicely, though Harry seems rather dumb, having to be told to use his wand... but whatever... staring at a big huge giant fire-breathing dragon has to be scary and disorienting, so I'll forgive him -- though it is problematic -- one of Potter's great strengths is his ability to deal with pressure like this without losing his head. That ability saves him time and time again, but here we see him completely lose it until someone in the crowd nudges him into action.
There were plenty of amusing takes and embarrasing moments to go around -- entirely appropriate for kids of that age -- but there are serious moments and creepy moments as well.
Overall, the tone of the film is definitely on the creepy side, (I avoid saying "dark" because it has become an overused word with regard to Harry Potter books and movies) without dipping too deeply into what has become of the horror genre. There are definitely those moments when you're waiting for something to jump out from around the corner... all the hallmarks of an edge-of-your-seat type of film, but then there are all the light, fun and magical moments as well... All in all, it balances out to two-and-a-half of the more entertaining hours of the last few months. I can't wait to see it again, and if this sounds remotely interesting to you, GO!
If you haven't read the books, but are into the fantasy genre at all I strongly recommend you go. I suspect you'll enjoy it even more than those of us who know the books, because you won't be tainted by expectations.
I wish to conclude with one additional small gripe: The movie is trying to condense 700 pages into 150 minutes. Newell did so rather well, but some of the transitions are so non-existant that it took me as much as 10-15 seconds to figure out what had transpired between fade-out and fade-in... if you're going to jump from scene to scene, location to location, you must provide some hint as to what you're doing...
Meh... Go See It! Worth the $10.
— The Shelanman
Posted by andrew at 11:23 AM | Comments (0)
August 07, 2005
Magic Street
Well, it's been a long time since I posted anything here... I do seem to get out of the habit easily...
Today I'm going to try to write a review of Orson Scott Card's latest novel Magic Street, without giving away too much... Because, you see, I really liked the book, and I don't want to ruin the fun! So, here goes.
Wow. This is hard. In between the last paragraph and this one went a half-hour's worth of starting paragraphs, in which I tried to tell you just a few simple things about the story without giving away anything.
I give up, I'm going to do like nearly all reviewers end up doing, and give away some of the more basic plot elements. Without further ado...
Magic Street is the story of young Mack Street, a child growing up in present-day Los Angeles. Mack thinks he's a pretty normal kid... or at least, as normal as you can be without having any real parents.
But then one day, he tries to explain his dreams to his friend. But nobody understands when he starts talking about "cold dreams," and he quickly learns not to talk to people about stuff that's not normal... Because, Mack begins to realize that his "cold dreams" aren't normal at all...
Indeed, Mack's cold dreams have a way of coming true... in terrible and horrifying ways.
What follows is a highly entertaining mix of reality, history, Shakespeare, and yes, Magic. Oh, and don't forget Bag Man — can't leave him out of it... he would wish to be remembered.
(Ha-Ha, I'm so clever, that's so funny... but you'll have to read the book to get it)
Card does his usual expert job of building realistic characters that you truly care about (or genuinely dispise, as the case may be). But, more importantly, he makes complicated people... Books about Good versus Evil are interesting, but it's much more entertaining (and, much more realistic, too), if Good and Evil are complicated. People encounter real moral dillemas with no clear solution in real life, and Card is capable of handling that with his characters as well
Mack wouldn't be half so interesting a person if he always knew what the right thing to do was — or even if he always cared. Instead, Mack, like everyone in Magic Street, is a person, with emotions, desires, and all... and that's what makes Card's writing so entertaining, especially when he's writing about children.
Anyway, I can't really think of another word to say that doesn't completely give away revelations that I found enjoyable, so I'm going to just leave it there... Oh, except for one last comment. If you liked Card's Enchantment then click the link below and Buy. This. Book.
Magic Street by Orson Scott Card
4 out of 5 stars (Highly Recommended)
Get Your Copy Today (and earn me my first-ever Amazon Affiliate money)!
You know, it's really unfair. Fictional characters have it way too easy... something terrible happens to them, but if they're important, the author can, with but a stroke of the pen, make them strong enough to cope...
Then again, it's usually the author's fault the bad thing happened in the first place, so maybe it's not so unfair after all...
Either way, enjoy. I know I did.
— The Shelanman
Posted by andrew at 06:29 PM | Comments (0)
November 09, 2004
That Foxy Flame
Today FireFox 1.0 Released. This fact has been noted in many places around the internet, including Slashdot.
One of the more interesting places, however, was on the Mises Economics Blog. As happens to all topics on the Mises blog, the release of FireFox became a discussion of economics — specifically, this time, about monopolies...
You see, Microsoft's Internet Explorer has enjoyed between 94% and 97% market share for the past several years. Many were quick to cry foul — Microsoft obviously was exploiting its monopoly power to force us all to use their terrible browser, thus eliminating all competition in the browser market! How Evil!
Well, it didn't turn out quite like that, did it. Turns out, Internet Explorer was vastly superior to most of the alternatives, and it was free. At the time Netscape Navigator — the major competitor — cost $29.99 (or maybe $29.95, but either way NOT FREE).
Why would anyone, especially a non tech-savvy individual, go buy a piece of software that would only serve to replace an at-least-as-good product that they already had (properly configured even).
Enter FireFox: In the last several months, more and more people have been saying "switch to FireFox, it's more secure."
Guess what... for the first time since version 3.0, Internet explorer is losing marketshare! They've fallen to just below 92% in recent weeks, and this was before the first production release of the browser.
Why has Microsoft been suffering these losses? Does FireFox bundle itself with the Mozilla Proprietary Operating System? Has Microsoft given up on its Operating System market? I don't think so. People have just discovered what appears to be a superior product. They no longer desire the Microsoft product, and so have taken steps to pick up another product that is at least as free as the Microsoft one.
And it didn't take any big DoJ lawsuit to make it happen either.
— The Shelanman.
Posted by andrew at 04:47 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 07, 2004
The Incredible Edible... Err...
Friday evening a bunch of friends and I saw the new Disney/Pixar film, The Incredibles. I'm generally not a movie person, but the trailers were interesting, and hey, most of my friends would be there, so I went.
The Incredibles is the story of what happens to a family of superheros when the world decides that "It is time that their secret identity became... their only identity."
What follows is a hilarious and extremely fun rendition of a superhero story, where the "supers," as they are called, must join together to fight the forces of... er.. pig-headedness.
Pixar has done it again folks. The Incredibles is a fabulous movie. Go see it.
Very Strongly Recommended
4.5 out of 5 stars
Go See It!
Posted by andrew at 09:27 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 14, 2004
Kong in Concert
Welcome to today's edition of The Shelanman Review. Today I'm going to talk to you about Kong in Concert. To quote Digital Coma, Kong in Concert "is a collaborative arrangement project born from the music of Donkey Kong Country and created for the purposes of reviving, reinterpreting, and rearranging its entire soundtrack..."
If you have every played Donkey Kong Country, you will recognize many of the themes in this excellent album. You will also probably be unable to recognize the themes in several of the others.
Instead of focusing on a single musical style to build a complete album (a la Relics of the Chozo), Kong in Concert chose to allow the contributers to use whatever style they felt worked best with that particular track.
The result is a highly unusual album, spanning only two CDs, but many different musical styles.
I'm no expert on different musical styles, but I can point to a few memorable tracks...
- Godiva in the Desert: I hate to start off this review on a low note, but I'm going in order here. This first track was an arrangement of the original Donkey Kong Country theme track. It is very interesting, but I just don't quite get it. There is a weird opera-sounding choir thing going on, and I only feel the original towards the middle for about 10 seconds. This is an interesting piece of music, but I must confess disappointment. The DKC theme, being one of my favorites and one of the most recognizable, just needed to be more... cool... for me. Sorry Israfel, I know you were going for something unusual and creative -- and you found it. It's just not for me.
- Swing, Monkey, Swing: "Swing, Monkey, Swing" is a fun jazzy mix of "Simian Segue." Like all good jazz music, it is layered fairly thick, always at least 2, usually 3 or more things running at once. This is a very nice take on what I felt was a fairly plain original track. I do have one small complaint, and that is that the saxophone has a tendency to chop off the ends of its notes. Other than that, however, I found this to be a thoroughly enjoyable arrangement. Of course, I am a little biased, as arranger Hemophiliac is a friend of mine, but I really do think you'll enjoy it.
- West Coast DK Island: This is perhaps my very favorite arrangement of the collection. I can't point to a particular thing that makes it stand out. I definitely can pick out the themes from the original "DK Island Swing" The muted trumpet is fun as the lead. Overall this just seems a very rich track, its upbeat, I enjoyed listening to it quite a bit. And the bits of birdcall in the background at the beginning were a cool added touch. I can tell that arranger JigginJonT had fun with this track.
- Cry of the Chasmal Critter Chain: Picking one of my favorite tracks from the original, ReMixer Adhesive_Boy has made what I feel to be a fairly conservative mix of the original. While the instrumentation is significantly different, I get a strong feel of the cavey-undergroundish theme that was the original. This is partially due to the fact that the theme is fairly recognizable throughout. That is not to say, by any means, that this is a simple reworking of the original. It is very complex, and it ranks highly among my favorite tracks.
- Funky Monkey Love: Arranger Vigilante has an absurdly amusing song here. The lyrics, though a bit suggestive, are hilarious. I don't know what to say about this track other than I thought it perhaps one of the most amusing and creative tracks in this colleciton. This is a mix of Candy's Love Song. Look, I can't describe it. Just listen. You'll enjoy it. It sounds good, the singing's pretty good, and... I warned you already about the lyrics. Nicely done Vigilante.
- Arboreal Ascent: This is yet another fun jazzy mix, this time of "Treetop Rock." Unlike "Swing, Monkey, Swing," this piece has a quieter, calmer, more loungeish style feel. I no longer have the sound of "Treetop Rock" firmly implanted in my brain, so I couldn't tell you whether the theme is recognizable, but it does have that vague Kong feeling, and it has a very nice sound to it. Smf has put together another tasty track for this collection.
- Aerofunknamics: bLiNd has put together something entertaining for his mix of "Funky's Fugue." Don't know if it is just me, but I am strongly reminded of Propellerhead's "Bang On!" (which incidentally had its place in the videogame world -- as one of the background tracks in the Nintendo 64 game "Wipeout 64." At least, I think that's what it was called). Give this track a listen, let me know if I'm insane or not. Either way, Aerofunknamics is an upbeat electronic deal that... well... belongs in the background of a racing game!
- Dolilop Do Wop: Arranging "Ice Cavern Chant," the theme from, well, the Ice Cavern, Analoq puts together another of my favorite tracks in this collection. It has a cool quiet beat to it that I find very nice. Filled with quiet synthy-sounding instruments, this track is very much up to Analoq's usual standards. As always, his entry is cool, unusual, and very nice. Again a bit of my personal bias undoubtedly comes into play, Analoq is another good friend of mine. Go give Dolilop Do Wop a listen. You'll like it.
There you go, I've picked out a good number of tracks, and given you my take on each of them. Now, why don't you go download this collection and listen to it for yourself. A word of warning however, listen at home; you will have a strong desire to go grab your old cartridge, or your favorite emulator, and spend an evening with the 800 Pound Gorilla!
Very Strongly Recommended
4.5 Out of 5 Stars
Want to Hear It?
Kong in Concert
Kong in Concert BitTorrent
Posted by andrew at 06:59 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 13, 2004
Shenandoah Cafe
Last night I ate dinner with my family at a little place called Shenandoah Cafe in Long Beach. When I say a little place, I really do mean it... it had perhaps 15 tables, and maybe only 12...
I am unable to come up with a single phrase that describes what kind of food they serve. They call in American Regional Cuisine, or something like that. That seems reasonable -- it is food from all over the U.S. with a particular emphasis on the South.
Yes, that means that there is an opportunity for nice fried foods, along with some good southern barbeque, but they have other tasty items as well...
Shenandoah's menu claims to be all about giving you the feeling of mother's (or perhaps Grandma's) home cooking, but since my family has never lived in the South, and we're not generally much for southern cooking, I wasn't so much reminded of "back home". But then, I'm living at home now, so I suppose I don't need to be reminded of it.
While I was not reminded of good old fashioned home cooking, I did enjoy my meal (and the few bites of everybody else's meal that I tasted).
So... My meal consisted of:
- Seafood Gumbo: A delicious cajun-style seafood soup. This was surprisingly flavorful and delicious, especially given that it was very much not spicy
- Broccoli Cheese Soup: This tasted more like Cream of Broccoli than anything else. I have to say that this was the low point of the meal. It was so-so, everything else was really good.
- Cajun Rib Eye: Sensing a pattern here? I told you I was a steak person. To be fair, I did consider the Bacon and Hazelnut Crusted Halibut too, but they ran out of that (price I pay for going there Sunday night). This was very tasty, and only slightly spicy. It was served with a very thin dark brown sauce that was slightly sweet and slightly salty. The sauce was good, but I borrowed a bit of the barbecue sauce that came with somebody else's ribs. The barbecue sauce was seriously good... I really want a big bottle of it.
- Apply Fritters: Every meal at Shenandoah includes these delicious little fried treats. They come around carrying a basket full of them every 15 minutes or so, and you get two of them each time (if you want). They remind me of nothing so much as apple cinnamon donut holes -- but they are very tasty. Alas, but they are also artery-cloggers -- I can just tell by the way they taste.
- Shenandoah Rolls: Also included with every dish are these rolls. They are roughly the shape of muffins, and they taste... different... I can't really describe it except that they were slightly sweet and pretty good. The do have the unfortunate tendency to continue rising in your stomach long after you consume them -- making it hard to eat the rest of your food.
- Country Rice: My steak was served with something called Country Rice -- which is essentially a sort of wild rice dish. It was fairly good. It didn't get finished, but that's mostly because there was so much other stuff to eat, and because it didn't taste good mixed with the barbecue sauce (can't you tell, I loved that barbecue sauce).
Overall, it was more food than I could eat, and it was very tasty. I also borrowed a quick taste of the Artichoke Hearts appetizer which was quite nice. I'm told the Fried Green Tomatoes were good, but they were all gone before they made it to my end of the table...
Unfortunately, Shenandoah is a fairly expensive place. I don't recall exactly what my meal cost, but here's what I can tell you...
Dinner for 6, including 3 appetizers shared, a dinner apiece, no dessert and no alcohol cost somewhere around the $200 mark.
The seafood gumbo was probably about $10, everything else in my personal menu list above was included with the Cajun Steak, and I'd bet that it was either $19.95, $22.95, or $24.95... so definitely not a place to go every day... (or every week or month even, at least not on my budget). Not that I'm suggesting it is overpriced, mind... just that it is expensive. It was worth the price, neither a bargain nor overpriced.
Oh, one other thing... the inside of the restaurant looks very much like I would expect a traditional southern home to look like. Having never been to the South, my opinion of a southern home is probably wildly inaccurate, but it looked pretty southern to me -- quilt on the wall and everything.
Also, Shenandoah is open only in the evenings -- they open at 5:00pm, and they are closed Mondays. And apparently they are pretty quiet on Sundays -- a good time to go, except that they may be out of the more popular items.
One last thing -- for real this time. Meals come with soup or salad. I had soup, but if you have the salad, they make it in front of you. They bring a plate with the lettuce mix on it, and then a basket with radishes, onions, tomatoes, carrots, broccoli, and (I think) cucumber. You pick out what you want, and they build you a salad. It was neat, and looked good. I'm not a salad person, so I didn't have any, and thus won't tell you if it was good.
Recommended
3.25 out of 5 stars
Want to try it?
Shenandoah Cafe
4722 E. 2nd St.
Belmot Shore, CA 90803
Phone: (562) 434-3469
P.S. The lower rating of only 3.25 stars has more to do with them being out of several items and being out of my personal price range than a reflection of actual food quality or quantity. I rated Shenandoah down heavily for being out of several items -- especially because they didn't tell us until we ordered them.
Posted by andrew at 05:12 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 27, 2004
Adami Japanese Restaurant
Today I had dinner at Adami Japanese Restaurant. This is the kind of Japanese restaurant where you sit at a table with a grill in the center, and the chef puts on a little show in front of you.
Tonight I'm feeling lazy, so I'm not going to look it up, but I'm pretty sure that's called a Teppan grill... If any of you know what I'm talking about, and know that I'm wrong, let me know... I'll fix it, both in this post and in my brain.
This meal consisted of several small courses. Most were prepared in front of my eyes and were timed so that I was just finishing eating one when the next arrived... On to my menu for this evening...
- Miso Soup: I like Miso soup... this was only fairly good miso, however. Not as strong as most.
- Salad: I rarely like salads, and this was no exception... the dressing was the same Japanese dressing that most places use, so if you like that, its probably good
- Sushi Roll: I don't usually like sushi either. I ordered a California Roll, and it was very nice. My brother had the Tuna Roll which actually wasn't bad either.
- Fried Rice: Fried rice is always good, and Adami's is quite good. There were no vegetables in the fried rice, which is a shame -- the veggies add to the flavor. Adami served the vegetables separately, which is unfortunate -- the last bit of rice and vegetables were good though, as I mixed them together myself at the end.
- Grilled Vegetables: Zucchini, onions and mushrooms. What can I say... it's grilled veggies...
- New York Strip Steak: Very tasty. cooked exactly as much as it ought to be -- medium. I do tend to be a steak person, so my decision on what to order was very simple...
- Shrimp Appetizer: 3 shrimp grilled with a little bit of lemon. The shrimp were also quite good.
- Bean Sprouts: At least, I think that's what they were... little white slightly-crunchy stringy things. They weren't bad. I was completely not expecting them to be served -- I thought the meal was over, and then the chef grabbed yet another food tray, this time containing the sprouts.
I ordered the New York Strip steak, everything else listed above was included, all for $17.95, which, although not cheap, is very reasonable for the quantity and quality of food serveed.
I'm sure the regular food critics could come up with delicious phrases to describe all this, but you'll just have to go try it yourself to find out. If you like Japanese food, I can promise you will not be disappointed, and I can also personally guarantee that you will not leave still hungry. While the portions are not enormous, there are so many different things that you're bound to fill up on something.
Strongly Recommended
3.75 out of 5 Stars.
Want to try it?
Adami Japanese Restaurant
5775 E Santa Ana Canyon Rd
Anaheim, CA
714-998-2200
MapQuest
Posted by andrew at 10:31 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 23, 2004
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Well, I know it's 1 o'clock in the morning, but I just finished reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and I thought I should take the first crack at reviewing it now.
The Order of the Phoenix is the fifth volume in the Harry Potter series, and is by far the "darkest" yet. Even the cover is darker -- the English version has given up its usually cheerful pastel colors for a dark blue.
This lightning-fast read weighs in at just under 900 pages of torment for our tragic young (but growing) hero...
(for those who have not yet read book 4, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire fair warning... spoilers (of book 4 plot) abound! (couldn't resist))
This volume begins, as always, with Harry at the Dursley's (his aunt and uncle). This year, however, Harry has more on his mind that trying to tolerate the Dursley's horrid treatment. He is paying careful attention to news -- both from the Muggle world and the Wizarding one.
[SPOILER WARNING]
Harry is keeping an ear out for word that Voldemort (yes, I can say his name; no, I won't call him "Voldy") has been attacking people again. Harry witnessed the Return of Voldemort merely a month before this story begins, and so he is waiting for him to strike -- and is becoming increasingly disturbed that he's heard nothing. Of course, it doesn't help that his best friends in the world are all together and seem to know something, and have sworn not to tell.
And thus we embark on by far the least pleasant journey on which Ms. Rowling has expertly guided us. Harry returns to a Hogwarts full of students who don't believe his story about how Cedric Diggory died, instead choosing to believe that Harry is simply trying to increase his fame. Of course, this opinion has help -- the Ministry of Magic insists that Harry is wrong.
JK Rowling has captured quite nicely (actually, rather nastily) how emotionally charged life can be for a boy of fifteen who must face daily mocking from nearly everybody he knows; Shouting matches between Harry and nearly every other character are inserted at precisely the right moments -- when it is understandable but somehow absurd...
And boy does the Boy Who Lived ever know how to let someone have it. He hurts a great many people -- including those he cares very deeply for -- throughout this book. Indeed, as far as Harry is concerned, the only good thing to have come of his fifth year at Hogwarts is that perhaps, perhaps, in the future he will be more mindful of his emotions, and choose when it is appropriate to act upon them, and when it is appropriate to instead destroy some treasured possessions (a favorite pillow, perhaps?).
And that's it. I will say nothing more on the subject. At least, not until the arrival of book 6, which, I have been informed (makes me sound important when I phrase it that way, doesn't it) will be entitled Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. I can also, (non-)exclusively reveal to you that neither Harry Potter nor Tom Riddle is the Half-Blood Prince who is featured prominently in the new volume's title. And with that:
Posted by andrew at 01:12 AM | Comments (0)
August 19, 2004
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Over the last week or so I've been listening to my audio copy of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, (fourth book in the world-famous Harry Potter series for the uninitiated). The series is truly remarkable, JK Rowling's wit and clever humor come out in this book, as in the previous.
Ms. Rowling does have a nasty streak though, and she uses it to great effect in this particular novel.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire chronicles Harry's 4th year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry turns 14 towards the beginning of the book, and, as always, we leave him just before his next birthday -- 15th this time, of course.
While Hogwarts has always appeared an enchanting place to visit, it has always been a dangerous place to live, as Harry learns each year. As I eluded to, there is a nasty element at work in this story, for the first time Harry faces true injustices. I will not ruin the story for those of you who have somehow still avoided the temptations of this series.
During Harry's fourth year at school, Hogwarts plays host to the Triwizard Tournament -- a highly dangerous tournament whose ultimate purpose is to bring together wizards from throughout Europe in friendly competition. As expected all does not go as planned, and the nightmare begins when Harry Potter is chosen as the fourth of three competitors...
This story ends in a very unsatisfying manner -- not to say that you shouldn't read it, you should. You should just make sure you have your copy of book 5, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix at hand. I personally find the injustices in this book, as well as the unsatisfying conclusion more than vaguely depressing -- so you can imagine how I felt when, upon first finishing book 4, I had to wait what became nearly 3 years for the next installment (and I promise, things do get better, even as they get worse).
I just finished reading this book for the fourth time -- the first two occurred within a week of each of each other, the third just days before book 5 was released, roughly 14 months ago. Each time I finished I was left with a very unpleasant weird feeling... I do tend to get too emotionally involved in things I read... May I suggest also not finishing the book when you will be alone for an extended period of time. I did each time, and I always wanted to have a long chat with someone as soon as I finished... couldn't tell you why...
Anyway, this is an excellent volume in an excellent series, I rate it 4.75 out of 5 stars... I can't remember much of book 5 anymore, but I promise a review of it as soon as I finish.
Narrator Jim Dale is perhaps the very best audiobook narrator I have ever listened too. He has amusing and appropriate voices for each and every character -- the one time I read Goblet of Fire aloud, I tried to imitate his voices (I couldn't do it -- mine came out all dumb sounding, especially the female ones). If you can afford it I highly recommend the audio version, it is a masterful accomplishment, Jim Dale should be proud. (Incidentally, I've heard that he rather dislikes the series now, he finds the books annoyingly long to read -- and I don't think he quite likes the recognition he's been getting).
I think I will end this review here, in an effort to minimize the appearance of my obsession with these books (which I assure you is much more serious than this glowing little review might suggest).
Extremely Strongly Recommended.
4.75 Out Of 5 Stars.
Want to buy it?
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Book 4) (Paperback)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Book 4) (Audio CD)
Posted by andrew at 10:42 PM | Comments (0)
August 10, 2004
Eragon, Inheritance Book 1
Christopher Paolini's first novel, Eragon, is the story of how Eragon, a young farmboy becomes the last dragon Rider. While the intended audience (at least according to the publisher) are young adult readers, I strongly recommend this novel to any avid reader of epic fantasy -- at least, so long as he is patient. (Books 2 and 3 are still "forthcoming" and this book lacks a satisfying conclusion).
The story begins with young Eragon finding an amazing blue stone in the mountainous region called the Spine. What follows is an entertaining account of how this stone, actually a dragon egg, starts him down a painful road of discovery -- both of himself and of the evils of the world.
Sound familiar? That's because it is. Eragon follows the same "Hero's Journey" story pattern that drives most Epic Fantasy. Normally I would say that is a shame, except that I've read countless different fantasies (and other stories as well) that used the "Hero's Journey", and yet I find that I still really like the ones that do it well. Apparently this is just one of those story forms that resonates with me (and many readers, or it wouldn't be so common)
I thoroughly enjoyed the writing of Christopher Paolini. It was very straightforward and to-the-point, but the occasional bit of philosophising is slipped in (again not uncommon in such a story). Generally the story moves very quickly and with a certain light-heartedness that I find enjoyable. I can't put my finger on how he does it though -- I mean some really awful things happen in the story, and they pull on the right emotional chords, and yet I still walk away saying it was "lighthearted".
I keep reading these things, hoping that I'll somehow spot the magic skill that good authors possess that allows their writing to be so emotionally involved, and mine to feel so very flat. Perhaps I'll figure it out someday -- I do keep trying.
Back to Eragon, however. Paolini makes only one significant writing mistake that I noticed, and that is that the "ancient language" that drives magic in this story (yet another common theme, eh?) possesses many words that aren't readily pronounceable. My favorite author, Orson Scott Card, warns never to do this, and I completely agree. Ok, there, I've criticized the book, nobody can claim this is a shameless plug.
Well, OK, it's a plug. But it was my idea to plug it, I'm not being paid for it, and I really do like the book!
There is an audio version of Eragon as well. I read the print version, I listened to the audio version, and both are excellent.
Strongly Recommended.
4 Out Of 5 Stars.
Want to buy it?
Eragon (Inheritance, Book 1)
Update:Amazon is listing Eldest as releasing August 1st, 2005. That's a long ways away yet... but at least we have a date.
Posted by andrew at 08:52 PM | Comments (0)