Film

Arrival

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arrivalposter

I would be the first to admit that it would be a rare circumstance that would find me missing the opportunity to give the movie studios my hard-earned dollar(s) for the latest Star Trek or Star Wars film, or many other franchise films that in one way or another often rework and rehash old ideas in the hopes of pleasing old fans while gaining new. Though I have often conversed with friends both in person and online about the dearth of creativity in the science fiction film industry, especially given the many talented writers who keep the field fresh and interesting, I am loathe to back up that position by voting with my wallet.

The truth is, I am a fan boy at heart.

Thus it came as a great surprise during the end credits of the critically acclaimed film, Arrival, to find that it was based on the novella, Story of Your Life, for which author Ted Chiang won both the Hugo and Nebula awards.

I was already elated at the end of what was a truly affecting, beautiful film, and that elation mounted with the glimmer of hope that perhaps competing studios might look to Arrival as an example for how to tap into the rich science fiction literature market for interesting film ideas.

Despite Arrival having already surpassed its relatively modest production budget, and despite being critically lauded, I realize this is wishful thinking.

It is now officially the Christmas Season. Please give me a few more days before you crush my dreams.

Continue reading Arrival →

Art/Photography, Book Reviews, Comics

Silver ~Stephan Franck

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“The simple truth is, there’s only two kinds of objects in this world…
the ones that shine and the ones that don’t.

My name is James Finnigan and I mostly concern myself with objects from the first category.”

Set fifty years after Bram Stoker’s seminal novel, Dracula, Stephan Franck’s graphic story, Silver, focuses on the efforts of a famously illusive con man who assembles an eclectic team to infiltrate the castle made famous in Jonathan Harker’s journals to pilfer a horde of silver from the vampires who hold it dear.

Simple, right?

Continue reading Silver ~Stephan Franck →

book news

R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril XI

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(Much thanks to Hugo Award winning artist Abigail Larson for the use of her art)

By the pricking of my thumbs,
Something wicked[ly fun] this way comes!

~Shakespeare, the play that shall not be named, slightly edited

To be up front, there will be no thumb-pricking here.

After all, one might get blood on one’s books!

Well, the year has gone and done it again. Winter gave way to Spring, Summer came blazing in, and here before we know it Autumn will officially take the reins. Every year when September arrives I feel a lightening in my spirit, knowing that the constricting heat and humidity of the Midwest summer will soon give way to my favorite season of the year.

Orange will become a predominant color, and pumpkin-flavoring will invade every drink and dessert that we love to imbibe.

Speaking of imbibing, eleven years ago I embarked on a quest to bring a community of readers together to enjoy the literature most associated with the darkening days and cooling temperatures of Autumn:

Mystery
Suspense
Thriller
Gothic
Horror
Dark Fantasy

I wanted to be able to use the well-worn graveyard acronym, R.I.P., so I came up with the name “R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril’. And for over a decade that is what we have done, imbibed together.

For the 10th anniversary I took a break and the hosting duties were fulfilled (quite wonderfully) by the team over at The Estella Society. I am so grateful to them for so doing, I truly needed the rest.

But I am back for year eleven and it is time to embrace the delicious thrill of things that go bump in the night, to figure out if the butler actually did do it, to cover our eyes during the scary bits and to conquer our fears together.

Welcome to R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril XI.

Continue reading R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril XI →

Book Reviews, Fantasy, Mystery, Short Stories

The Builders ~Daniel Polansky

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The squirrel dropped down to the floor. “Tell me a story”, he said, “or I’ll cry”.

Pity was generally no more a motivator of the Captain than fear—but for whatever reason he started to speak then.

“Once there were two brothers”.

Two brothers, one kingdom, and two companies of animals whose hatred for one another has not dimmed over the intervening years since the war’s end. The Captain, a mouse in name only, if not in character, was on the losing end of the war, with one dead eye to show for it. That singularity of vision has allowed his focus to be consumed with revenge, and now the Captain has decided that it is high time he brought the old team together for a reckoning.

This two-hundred plus page novella is the adult version of those talking animal stories you read as a kid, with nary a cute or cuddly creature to behold. The animals that inhabit these pages are ones you would shy away from if you ran into them in a dimly lit wood, despite the size advantage of being a human. They are dastardly and they are deadly; efficient killers whose skills have not diminished over time. Their story is dark, to be sure, but also wildly entertaining.

Daniel Polansky has skillfully crafted a story of page-turning suspense, which injects timely humor, and builds an unexpected pathos for a group of very unlikable creatures.

Continue reading The Builders ~Daniel Polansky →

Art/Photography, Book Reviews, Fantasy, Mystery

Notes from the Shadowed City ~Jeffrey Alan Love

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notesfromshadow

“I miss my home, even though I cannot remember it.”

A young man, who does not remember who he is, or how he came to the Shadowed City, is in possession of a journal that reveals that he was on a journey to research lesser-known magical swords, but nothing else of consequence.

He decides to continue writing and drawing in the journal in the hopes that so doing will help him to recall his lost memories.

And thus begins artist Jeffrey Alan Love‘s debut graphic story, a fantastical travelogue that draws the reader in with unique visuals and succinct journal entries that reveal details of the enigmatic Shadowed City and its inhabitants, while adding layer upon layer to the mystery of the unknown young traveler.

I have been excitedly following Jeffrey Alan Love’s career since first discovering his work on the cover of the Simon Ings novel, Wolves, thus I was thrilled when he began sharing his plans for pairing his artistic creations with prose to create his first book.

Notes from the Shadowed City is a lot of fun. I knew that the art would grab my attention, but the fact that Love’s words stirred my imagination in different ways when reading it on its own merit and then when pairing it with its accompanying image, was a surprise that made me very happy for what he was able to accomplish in this first book.

Continue reading Notes from the Shadowed City ~Jeffrey Alan Love →

Eclectic Musings of a Renaissance Geek