RE:View: Things To Do In a Retirement Home Trailer Park When You're 29 and Unemployed

A frustratingly frequent piece of advice given to young writers is "Write what you know"; something that newcomer Aneurin Wright has taken to the next level with his debut graphic novel/memoir, as Things To Do tells the moving story of what happened to himself when he was 29 and Unemployed, looking after his father Neil in a Retirement Home Trailer Park.

Neil is sick. Emphysema ails him after a lifetime of cigarettes and stress. Nye (that's Wright himself) is his son, struggling to find work after graduating from art school and finds himself in a predicament -- to care for his imperfect father through his illness as per the rest of his family's wishes. So off he sets to spend the next number of months beside Neil in a trailer. Oh yeah, and Nye's a blue minotaur and Neil a blue rhino...

Whilst the majority of the other characters around them are human, this bizarre animal imagery is never addressed full on; we just sit there and take it. But the reasoning behind it is plentiful, with ideas as obvious as giving the book a more fantastical look in art direction and colouring (the blue, red, white and grey dominate the well drawn pages), to subtler narrative cores that pay off astronomically in the long run. As such a personal journey for this writer/artist, the cartoonish feel is essential so that it's visually more engaging and displays the distance set out between writer and experience. And thanks to the sharpness of the storytelling, it blends into the book with ease and style.

With this in mind, the 300 page book comes alive through three distinct acts, each with a good 12 or 13 chapters (varying in length) that bring Wright's comedic, dramatic, emotional or just plain imaginative chops to light. There are scenes so varied that one may consist of nothing else than Neil getting a sponge bath, while another shows Nye's frustration through a dream-like, crime fighting situation. Family, epiphanies, forgiveness, regret, anger and realisation: all major themes. When I say this book has everything, I mean it -- through the humanity of the story (it is true, after all) these things are so present and come from a very real, very first hand "I felt what you're feeling times 10" place, and that carries true in dialogue, imagery, pacing; EVERYTHING. 

Now things aren't all about the present, mind, as Wright consistently throws around the framing of time -- glimpses of childhood, patches of the recent past, even flashes of the imagination and the unruly subconscious of a man coming to terms with his Father's impending death. Admittedly jarring at first, but as the jumbled story progresses things shape out and we're given more fleshed out characters and relationships as a result, which is unimaginably important for the conclusion.

As if the book wasn't brilliant enough on all these other merits, Wright completely knocks obliterates it out of the (trailer) park within the last 80 pages with the most moving moments I've ever seen in the comic book/graphic novel medium. At this point, through the snivelling, heaving, sobs and streaming tears (seriously), you realise all this stuff -- the humourous touches, the flashbacks, the animal charactertures, every last minor detail -- has been plotted excruciatingly for the inevitable finale.

Jaw droppingly powerful.

At the heart of Things To Do lies almost what you'd call an everyday story of life, death and family. But through Nye's emotionally driven scope it transcends into something indescribably huge, human and heart wrenching and warming at the same time. It's in this way that Wright has captured the essence of how moving real life can be for everyone and everything in this world once put in the right story structure and imagery.

Now this is one of the best things I've read, medium regardless, in my life. And it's only his debut. I think that warrants a slogan...
Nye Wright: Future Talent, No Doubt.

ATR

Thinky Thursday: My Ethed Up Work Ethic/Mind Slightly Ajar

My Ethed Up Work Ethic
It was one year and two days ago today that I posted this little 'Sunday Supdate' (a tradition sadly dying out), which outlined my Summer failures of motivation and writing (and also doubled as a love letter to Felicia Day, looking back at it). So of course, Summer comes round again and obviously I'm not going to let this happen again. No sir-ee; I am going to sit my butt down, write at least 25 posts, develop some creative ideas, write a play, a short film, a few songs... And I can do it all because of all that wonderful spare time, tralalala.

12 weeks later (extended Summer, just makes it worse): Here I am , sitting my butt down, writing at least 1 post, mulling over undeveloped ideas, kicking myself for not trying harder on writing, composing, filming -- hell, I didn't even read as many books as I'd planned. And I can do it all because of all that wonderfully depressing hindsight. Trala-freaking-lala.

Two years in a row. It's time to work this thing out.

"Learn from your mistakes", the oldest saying in some sort of book, but you don't mess with the classics. So Introspection, Reflection and Self-Awareness have lead me to a conclusion; I SUCK at working when I don't have to. Consider this now, because I know plenty other people have the same issues, that when no pressure or expectation is applied, nothing gets done. It's simple to the point of being stupid. But when one hundred and eleven things are going on that I'm supposed to be doing, I manage to do another one hundred and eleven on top of it. Sense makey?

As people, we naturally thrive for things to do. Whether the gain be short term or long term, for better or worse. So we do. We do much. The thing is, it's through all the doing that you gain 'extra dos': caught up in a sweep of progress usually brings out more progress. There's no room for pushing back or doing later, because later might be a ton more stuff to do. I need a drive to keep driving, otherwise I'm just lolling about in a limbo of "plenty of time", "couldn't hurt to do that later" and my personal favourite, "*looks at blank page* Blurgh. *closes blank page*". Now whether this theory remains true will be seen next week when I start sixth-form college, which means a large work increase, so potentially a large drive increase. Or a big time decrease... So check back to measure the success/redundancy this post has come then.

But enough about me, let's talk about the upside of my Summer. The part two of the inaugural Thinky Thursday:

Mind Slightly Ajar
That's it, I'm done with secondary school. As of June 2012, my studies were complete and I received some fairly decent grades, especially in the things I'm excited to take forward to the next level. But what I left behind on those exam papers of subjects that weren't of that much interest to me were perhaps more impactful than I give credit for. Maths and Science, specifically; things that I didn't particularly love (hated in some cases) but on the whole I was quite good at. However, I'm never going to do them again -- leaving all that information in a static state in my brain (if not deteriating out of boringness). Sure they've given me a good grounding in their ways, which on the most part I understood and will continue to, but it's not what I've learned in them that I'm getting at, it's what's happened since I've stopped learning them...

It is believed that the way the human brain works is like in this image:

Now I for one hate it when people define you as one or the other in terms of which side you'd use. I've always seen myself as a middle ground mixer of the two hemispheres, and still am. I've got varying extents from each side, as I'm sure you wouldn't argue, but look at that Science and Math sitting humbly on the left side. What if we were to reduce the portion of thinking belonging to that? Say, if I were to stop actively learning them and not have to again...

Enter "The Free Brain Space".

(Please remember that what I am saying here is in noway proven, only what I'm currently perceiving)

So I've now got room for other areas of thought to grow out into, expanding at greater rates to compensate. Thought in particular is where this is headed. No, I didn't read all the books I had hoped to over the break, but there was one in particular that I most certainly did: Jean-Paul Sartre's Nausea, an apparent seminal work of philosophical fiction that gives a frank and realised examination of the power of existing. Existentialism.

It's a deep book.

The thought of existing and how physically frightening that actually is (he words it a lot better...) gave me a clarity of persona, so to pretentiously speak. I honestly believe that this book will be one of the most important I'll read in my life and that I read it first at just the right time for it to have the powerful effect that it's had. Why? Because my thought process was ready for it; with all that worked out and calculated straight thinking of maths and science reduced, it left the mind slightly ajar for Nausea's dizzying concepts to speak to me. Thus reaching the free-thinking, perceptive anti logic part so it made some god-damn sense (also, very much the "Pompous Windbag-iness" part).

Hey, it's called Thinky Thursday for a reason.

ATR
Follow Me: @The_DudeMeister

Note: Not all Thinky Thursday's are going to be as self-involved as this narcissistic piece of nonsense, just a one off to get things started. You can always count on self-deprecating though!

Trailer Tuesday: Cloud Atlas

For this week's trailer I've got a bit of a mind blower for you: Cloud Atlas, based on the novel of the same name, is a high-concept, sci-fi, drama, action, comedy, fantasy, romance -- let's just call it ambitious, okay? -- from the Matrix messiahs themselves, the Wachowsci siblings and German film-maker, Tom Tykwer. With names like Tom Hanks, Halle Berry and Jim Broadbent starring in multiple roles (such is the nature of this huge, universe-spanning film), it's hard not to get excited. And then you see this 5 minute long trailer. Jaw. Dropping.

This synopsis from YouTube commenter, eroilormafia gives a round-about idea of the complexity of how the story works:

"Cloud Atlas is based on the 2004 multi-award winning novel by David Mitchell. It consists of 6 loosely interconnected stories: an 1850 diary of an ocean voyage across the Pacific; letters from a composer to his friend; a thriller about a murder at a nuclear power plant; a farce about a publisher in a nursing home; a rebellious clone in futuristic Korea; and the tale of a tribe living in post-apocalyptic Hawaii, far in the future."

With any luck, that should do something to lessen the madness about to invade your mind. Now prepare for 342 seconds of mind-bending, no-holds-barred, incredible film making. THIS is why we go to the movies:

 

And if that wasn't enough to quell your appetite for this fresh foray of film, why not hear what the directors/writers themselves have to say:

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No breakdown I'm afraid, (although seriously, do you really think I have anything more to say about THAT?) but my intrigue/excitement levels are at a high.  With such big talents behind it on almost every angle you look at it from, and a sincere "blessing" from the novel's author, David Mitchell, expectations are going to go through the roof; this ain't no Sucker Punch, that's for sure. To me, this seems like it comes from such an honest, human place; to talk about connection through reality and fantasy, covering every emotion along the way on its quest to unveil our condition. And just look at this -- it's a film from people that love films, a culmination of the tradition of film itself, engulfing us all in its rejuvenation of that old school spirit. Now to just grab a copy of that book and get a'reading before we set sail for Cloud Atlas on October 26, 2012.

ATR

I'll tell you what else is connected through a menagerie OF differences: more trailers!

The Pledges

What? Google Images was lacking today...

Over the past few weeks or so, I've made some pledges to myself for the sake of integrity within my very own mindset. Whether it's to avoid spoilers, honour a piece of work or just stay sane, these act as little bite size rules for the very dangerous life as a teenage writer/geek/swimwear model.

Avoid Second Trailers
Movies are awesome; there's no argument in that. Therefore with the oncoming arrival of a hotly anticipated release comes the slew of media coverage and trailers that give us a glimpse of how the film's going to look, sound and feel. But sometimes, when you watch all the trailers released before a movie's opening, the film gets a bit "When is that line going to come?" or "I wonder how they'll work that scene from the trailer into the unfolding plot..." .
 
    To counteract this unyielding wave of destructive spoilers, I've decided that second trailers are a no-no. Half the time I know I'm going to watch the movie anyway, so what's the point on getting more sold on it? I know some go entire blackout on stuff like this, which I'm sure works out great, but I seriously don't have the will power to give up trailers altogether, and that very first glimpse is all too desirable to forget. After all, what would happen to our beloved Trailer Tuesdays if I went ultimate cold turkey on those good ol' three minute peeks? No, so it's first trailers only from here on out.



Reject "Follow Backs"
So Twitter; that huge social networking, micro-blogging, up-to-date powerhouse that fills up (usually unproductively) a good part of the day. In some minds - the ones which I like to call the clever minds - it is a media tool to both share your experiences/thoughts/feelings/work and feel a part of someone else's, be it celebrity, friend or web-outlet. But then there are those who see it as a popularity contest: high school on a global scale. And so the "I follow back" is born.
 
   I'm sure you savvy Twitterees know what I mean, you may even do it, which isn't such a bad thing if that's your thing. But I cannot get my head around the phenomenon: why would I want to clog my timeline up with a bunch of people's useless tweets about football or food or whether they just showered, just so I can gain a few more people to view mine within the same degree? If I'm following someone it's because I respect them, admire them, or socially know them and do it in a show of friendliness, not because I merely want their follow. Seriously, a few extra numbers on a pixelated web page is hardly worth the compromise of truly earning followers who want to follow you for you.




Read The Book First

These days, it's getting increasingly harder to find a film that wasn't based on an existing franchise before its production, typically focusing its literal lenses on a previously successful novel. Now in an entirely hypercritical notion against the trailer rule, whereby spoilers are the aim of the game, I'm going to try and understand the issues of "Why'd they miss that chapter from the film" and what-not, by reading the book before hand when possible.

   Obviously this can't happen for every single film with literary roots, but it's the least I can do to get the most out of a film, and perhaps appreciate it and the original author's work a little better. There's actually an existing scheme in place online here, where you can "Take The Pledge" yourself to "Read First" wherever humanly possible. You may even notice that new widget down the sidebar expressing the promise, just as my friends over at He Said She Said have done too.




Watch The Proper Airing
It can be inexplicably frustrating to discover that one of your favourite shows is going to take a number of months to reach your own airing shores. So much so that unfortunately many of us turn to unofficial internet streaming (outside of iPlayer, Netflix, etc) to get our fix, neglecting the show of its all important ratings to keep it afloat in the ruthless age of television. Sure, you may think my one viewing won't really matter, but if everyone thinks that then they've just lost out of an extra .5 million rating.

Which is why I'm taking this pledge, to support our shows and keep them on air. Here's the rules for it:

New Show That Takes A Few Months: Wait for it.
Beloved Show That Takes A Few Weeks: Wait for it.
Beloved Show That Takes A Few Months: Wait, unless absolutely necessary to stream, i.e. To talk about with friends.
Beloved Show That Takes Indefinite Periods of Ridiculous Time: Stream

As you can see, I'm not perfect on this, because some shows just take too long to get here *Cough*Community*Cough so I feel literally forced by my need for this. To balance this out, I make sure I pick up the boxset when it releases or just re-watch them when they eventually do air. It worked for Heroes, which is why it managed to still get 4 seasons; yep, that was all me.

_______________________________________________________________________________

Well, there's my pledges for you. Why not think up some of your own and stay more disciplined for it, or carry on living the happy-go-lucky, do-as-I-please lifestyle that you've already got going on, you untameable beast, you.

ATR

Trailer Tuesday: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

This week has seen the release of the first trailer for Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, featuring everybody's favourite Founding Father, and a bunch of evil, blood sucking vamps. Tim Burton's attached (to no surprise), but Johnny Depp isn't (to much surprise). So feast your eyes on this here trailer, complete with state of the art, essential bass drops - because these days, a trailer isn't a trailer without them.



Yes, this is an actual thing, and comes from a novel of the same name. The author has also written the much praised Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, which sadly hasn't yet got the screen adaptation it deserves. "Oh Mr Darcy, your brains are so divinely exquisite".

     Later on this year comes Spielberg's very own take on Honest Abe, starring Daniel Day-Lewis as the man himself, in Lincoln (an odd name, I know). Well that may be all well and good, and a sure-fire Award Baiter, I doubt it'll have the top-hat wearing Pressie wielding huge axes and pulling off unimaginable stunts. Then again, I've been wrong before...

ATR

Trailer Tuesday: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

A little late, I admit, but I can't just let such a monumental trailer slip by without my most humble of dissections. Yes, we shall be returning to Middle-Earth this December when Peter Jackson's highly anticipated prequel to the epic Lord of The Rings trilogy finally hits cinemas, in an unprecedented level of 3D with 48 Frames per Second (that's good). Without further a-do, here's the synopsis for any Shire dwellers out there less acquainted with the tale:

"The adventure follows the journey of title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakenshield. Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Giant Spiders, Shapeshifters and Sorcerers." - Warner Bros

And prepare to get all goose-bumpy with the trailer to rule them all:



Now prepare to get all knowledgeable with my breakdown:

• 0:12 - Ah, even that music (produced once more by Howard Shore) takes me back... Especially when we can see the welcome return of Frodo (Elijah Wood) and an old Bilbo (Ian Holm), standing Hobbitly in the Shire during this prologue scene. The film is, after all, going to be seen through their eyes as they read of Bilbo's past escapades.
• 0:23 - And so we come to the real star of this story, a young Bilbo Baggins, marvellously captured by fan favourite, Martin Freeman (of Sherlock fame). Of course, pipes are a-go-go, as well as everyone's favourite wizard, Gandalf the Grey (Sir Ian McKellen).

• 0:29-0:33 - Hobbits can only really ride ponies, as Bilbo demonstrates, while he gathers stock around the Shire markets with that awfully long list the Dwarves give him at the beginning, seen at 0:32. From these short clips alone, it's easy to see why Freeman got the role; looks the part, sounds the part and can really nail the humourous elements of Tolkien's and Jackson's writing.

• 0:35-0:50 - It's Dwarf time! This recreation of the memorable first chapter in which the 13 Dwarves accompany Bilbo for an impromptu party looks very true to form and we get to see each of them (briefly) in action. First up is the youngest of the troupe, brothers Fili and Kili, the latter you may recognise as Being Human's Aidan Turner. Smoking Oin is next, followed by Gloin (father of Gimli!), and then the brutal Dwalin and look-out Balin.  Next is the three cousins, Bifur, funny-guy Bofur (James Nesbitt) and the comically enormous, food consumer Bombur. Nearly there now, with the brothers Ori, Nori and Dori, each with their own physical traits. And finally we have their leader, the mighty Thorin Oakenshield, played by another British actor, Richard Armitage.  
• 0:55-1:15 - As well as all being kick-ass in battle, the group can also lay down some awesome bassy tunes. This is where the spine-shivers start, people, as the Dwarves eerily recite the classic "Over The Misty Mountains", one of many of Tolkien's compositions. Jackson has promised there'll be a greater focus on the music lore of the book, and this definitely backs that claim. 
• 1:19 - Gandalf on his own? This looks like one of the many new scenes created for the film, that fill us in on why the hell Gandalf keeps wandering off. Looks like trouble... Could it be the Necromancer, which has been confirmed as turning up at some point (in the shape of Sherlock himself, Benedict Cumberbatch!)...
• 1:24 - Bilbo finds the broken sword at Elrond's home in Rivendell, another early part of the book. 
• 1:31 - Wait, what? Gandalf and Galadriel (Cate Blanchett), romance sub-plot!? That's certainly... new. Not sure whether to be intrigued by this new angle, or grossed out... 
• 1:36 - More Gandalf "lone-wolving".

• 1:43 - Bilbo draws, for the first time, the legendary sword, Sting, the very same weapon Frodo adopts in years to come. 
• 1:50 - Alright, let's kick this into high gear. With increased tempo (and trumpets) comes those beautiful scenic shots of Middle Earth, also known as New Zealand, as the gang head up toward the daunting Misty Mountains.
• 1:58 - Who exactly is Gandalf fighting in these shots? Necromancer? Goblin/Orc? James Corden!?
• 1:59 - If you pause quickly you'll see some of the dwarves rushing the Trolls from the book's early stages. Mutton, ahoy!
• 2:01 - And if you pause again here you'll see (SPOILER ALERT) Gandalf casting that great beam of searing light to turn those aforementioned trolls to stone. (SPOILER OVER)
• 2:02 - The Dwarven floods wreak havoc on Bilbo's homely hole. 
• 2:12 - Recognise that bit of bling? Yup, that's the One Ring alright. Looking somewhat younger here too - it's amazing what movie magic can do these days.
• 2:25 - A familiar voice... Riddle games with Gollum (Andy Serkis, no less) are sure to be tense...
• 2:29 - December 14th 2012. Luckily just before the apocalypse, allowing you to see it roughly 21 times before we all die. And don't forget that 3D, because this could be just what the tired gimmick needs to revitalise. 

Yes it's still nearly a year out, but you can't rush perfection. Plus this is only the first part, with the second coming one year later, in There and Back Again (which was the title of Bilbo's finished book in the story). This part alone is already running on odds of 3-1 to win a whopping 11 Oscars next year, following in the footsteps of The Return of The King. So until December, make sure you don't die, go blind or deaf or enter a coma, because YOU WILL NOT WANT TO MISS THIS FILM.

ATR

MORE TRAILERS

The Obligatory "What I Got For Christmas" Post

Ah Christmas, that annual time where most people celebrate that snowballing mish-mash of traditions and joy, and get given a bunch of stuff from friends and family, as well as giving back to them in a gracious show of love. Now, of course, the question on everyone's lips is obviously, "What did you get, Arnold?", because that's how god-damn inspirational I am to the world. Well alright, if you insist then... Don't worry though, I'm not going to start talking about all the pairs of socks I was given, no matter how awesome they were. Just significant, perhaps more exciting gifts, the majority with a hint of my absolute nerdiness.

Here are some awesome tile coasters, via my lovely Sister, each with a nice little nod to certain pop-cult entities. Left: Castle reference, Right: Superman/Smallville reference. 

A tidy set of Blu-Rays, featuring the coveted Star Wars set.

Some shiny brown work boots, just 'cause. 

Halo: Anniversary, and Assassins Creed: Revelations: Because no Holiday is complete without a fair share of video games.

A couple books, both with the Comic book industry in mind. On the left we have Grant Morrison's documentation of the world through superheroes and panels (signed, of course), and on the right, a visual commentary on the timeline of Marvel. 

A very pretty letter opener (because I suck at doing it with my hands), with an awesome Limited Edition Supes theme going on. 

Another sweet Superman thing: This huge canvas will look epic on my wall.

Writer/Actor/Comedian Alan Davies' new part auto-biography, part "talk about people he is inspired by" book. 

3 Graphic Novels, 2 of which changed the face of the industry forever (The Dark Knight Returns and The Sandman), while Old Man Logan is just too awesome. The quilt cover they rest on was also a present.

My highly-anticipated Jayne Hat, straight outta Firefly, complete with replica box and letter. "How's it sit?  Pretty cunning, don't you think?"

And the "I wonder what this could be used for" Blue Yeti USB microphone, for all my vocal and musical needs. Seen here accompanied by my new "We're not fancy, but we still rock" JVC headphones. Unlike me, who's always fancy. (Each gifted separately)

'Course, this is just a taster of all the awesome shizzle I got this year, because I don't think it's safe to expose your minds to the actual level of generosity that I was granted by my family. So thanks to all of you who were silly enough to spend unheard of riches on my humbled, yet grateful self. 'Tis a kindness, truly. Most of what you see here is from my Mum, Sister and Dad, so big, big props to them, and I hope you too were gifted such nice products of materialistic properties. "And a Happy New Year".

ATR

Trailer Tuesday: The Hunger Games

After that short teaser earlier this year, The Hunger Games has now launched an official trailer (like, 2 minutes long!) jam packed with everything... except the games, that is. Nope, this trailer is all about the pre-games build up - so the Reaping, the Make-Overs and the Training. Of course, for those unaware of the books, this means nothing to you, so feel free to read this before proceeding to the breakdown, while the in-the-knows should just ride on through:

"Every year in the ruins of what was once North America, the nation of Panem forces each of its twelve districts to send a teenage boy and girl to compete in the Hunger Games. Part twisted entertainment, part government intimidation tactic, the Hunger Games are a nationally televised event in which “Tributes” must fight with one another until one survivor remains.

Pitted against highly-trained Tributes who have prepared for these Games their entire lives, Katniss is forced to rely upon her sharp instincts as well as the mentorship of drunken former victor Haymitch Abernathy. If she’s ever to return home to District 12, Katniss must make impossible choices in the arena that weigh survival against humanity and life against love." - Wikipedia

And the main event, the trailer itself:

RE:View: The Name of The Wind

Tolkien. Lewis. Rowling. Martin. Pratchett. Undoubtedly the greatest Fantasy authors that ever lived. Well, time to add a new name to that list: Rothfuss. And don't go forgetting it, as Patrick Rothfuss' beautifully crafted first entry into a breathtaking trilogy (The Kingkiller Chronicle) teaches us that, above all things, names are important; especially one as grand as The Name of The Wind.

  From street urchin to magic prodigy, the ageless-like Kvothe has led an eventful life that he now tries to forget, hiding under the masquerade of a humble innkeeper on the very outskirts of life. But when a travelling scribe comes a-knocking, Kvothe reveals his long and winding history, stretching deep through the darkest pits of despair and the greatest acts of bravery. And so it is told how our protagonist Kvothe, the charming, red-headed young boy, seeks to discover what the name of the wind is, throughout his journey of tragedy, love, magic and heroics.

Ranging from his childhood days of travelling with the Edma Ruh entertainment troupe and hard cold nights on the grimy streets of Tarbean, to his trouble-bound days at the University and heartfelt attempts at wooing the woman he loves, Kvothe comes off as a charming, fun and complex character. And all the more for it, as this really is a character-driven story, all coming from Kvothe's point of view.

  But truly the most gripping of this world is its believability. Don't let the pretence of Fantasy fool you, as Rothfuss has put a ridiculous amount of effort into making this seem realistic. Magic is not just a thing that snaps from your fingers, but instead must be conjured through 'Bindings', which involve all matter of chemistry and alchemy. Folklore and religion, society and history; all richly interwoven throughout this most wholesome tale.

 It then kicks in with both these huge & dramatic and small & endearing, emotion-evoking moments. I was welling up and whimpering within the first 50 pages, then laughing joyfully out loud at those tiny character moments that just sit perfectly, while action had me rooting on the edge of my seat and then bubbling up with anger at one particularly irritating character. These characters seem so well-thought out and totally imaginable, painting a dainty image in my head of every single slight movement they make notated down on the page. You just feel like you're there, like you are with Kvothe, living and breathing his universe.


The pace seems to slow and lurch out toward the middle, as Kvothe settles down into his educational lodgings at The University. Harry Potter fans will feel right at home here, with a similar vibe of "school of magic" going on that I really dug. Don't be put off though, as this is a more mature, realistic and off-beat setting compared to that of HP and co. When it gets slow here, things start to descend a little - perhaps causing a worry of disinterest in the reader - but when the break of the equilibrium finally comes, it consequently hits you as hard as it hits Kvothe, luring you into this (as he says it) "false sense of security" and then shattering it within moments.

 Simply put, upon opening this book, you will be engulfed. Engulfed into a world you won't want to get away from. Engulfed so that you will want to make time for this story. You will stay up into the late hours, telling yourself "Just one more chapter". You won't stop thinking about it once you put it down. And you will be crushed when you realise it's finished. In fact, the ending comes so suddenly that it's just plain cruel, teasing you silently with the anticipation of the second, The Wise Man's Fear. Luckily for me, it came out earlier this year, so no waiting time, but for those who had to wait four years... How did you stay sane?

Buy it now. Read it ASAP. Thank me later.

5 Stars

ATR

Buy Now from Amazon:

The Name Of The Wind: The Kingkiller Chonicle: Book 1

The Sunday Supdate: 09/10/11

It's been a while since we last caught up, and so a steady amount of talking points has arisen for tonight's agenda. So sit back, relax and enjoy the nonchalant show. It all began with the 3 P's...

Publicity!
Regular visitors should easily recall my recent posts regarding and praising the new web series, Husbands. And they aren't the only ones... Writer Jane Espenson and actor of the show, Cheeks, have both shown a huge amount of acknowledgement for me, with ReTweets and links (also via Twitter). I was even put on the Husbands Press page, with a quoted excerpt from my RE:Commend! And you know what? Recognition rules! +5 Fame!

Podcast?

It would seem I'm becoming quite the internet media addict, and as such have decided to possibly extend my medium. Hot on the heels of my "famously successful" (read: crashed and burned) Vlogging experiment, the Dude Meister Podcast could bring something new to the table. I think the problem with the Vlogs was that I wasn't entirely comfortable with myself on the screen - I didn't really feel I could be myself. Take out the image and you've got just my voice, which could inspire confidence and fluidity when I'm only to be judged by ear alone.

   I could talk about movies and TV, games and books - basically geek culture in general. Guest co-hosts would be downright awesome, although probably currently limited to immediate friends and family... Interviews would be nice, hard to secure, but nice. Hell, I could even throw in some transitions of my own composition. Weekly most likely, and a while yet. I don't want to hype it up any more than that though, in fear of eating my words, choking violently on them, and then hocking them up in a great sticky mess, staining the metaphorical carpet with splashes that are still lingering months after... So I'll leave it there. Stayed tuned.

Patrick.
These quotes at the top aren't for nothing you know, so please take the time tor read them. The past couple have been courtesy, as it states, of Fantasy author Patrick Rothfuss. Now this guy is relatively new to me - I hadn't even heard the name until a few weeks back. He is the writer of The Kingkiller Chronicle trilogy of books and the first, The Name of The Wind, has been preoccupying my life for the past fortnight. Now with only 20 pages left of the 662 page epic, I'd just like to savour it with this section. INCREDIBLE. I'd go as far to say that this was one of, if not the, best book of my life. I'll drop the RE:View sometime this week, but I'm a little anxious as to whether I am worthy enough...

RIP Brian Jacques
On the subject of books, I discovered some upsetting news recently. Acclaimed British author, Brian Jacques, passed away at the age of 71 on February 5th this year. Now Jacques was the man behind best-selling series, Redwall - the series that dominated my childhood experiences of reading. To date, I have 18 Redwall titles sitting on my shelves upstairs, the majority proudly cracked with creased spines and folded pages. The tales of the creatures of Redwall (woodland-type animals) and their epic battles with the evil vermin would keep me entertained for years, frequently taking a torch to bed for some late night stealth reads.
 
   To say this was what got me into the fantasy genre in the first place is a huge understatement. So the (belated) news that their creator was dead was quite emotional for me. Even though it's been a few years since I last picked one up, I've got the greatest amount of respect for this man and his series - so much so that after reading the news (and I am in no way ashamed of this), I threw on some emotional music via iPod (violins and everything!) and sat, at my bookshelf, gently grazing through the pages: smelling the finely peeled paper, feeling their weight and getting hit by a warm wave of hard nostalgia that ran right down to my heart. I won't lie; I welled. But that's me. A soppy, reminiscentful type of guy. Long live Redwall. Long live Brian Jacques' legacy.

Brian Jacques
1939-2011

And on that heartfelt note, I will make my exit. Thanks for reading and thanks for being.

ATR

Trailer Tuesday: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

A double bill of trailers today with David Fincher's take on the massively popular The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo; the first of the best selling trilogy by Stieg Larson. It should be pointed out that, yes, there has been a version before, done by a Swedish film company and crew. In Fincher's take, Daniel Craig stars alongside Rooney Mara (The Social Network) in this dark, mystery-crime tale.

Journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Craig) is aided in his search for a woman who has been missing for forty years by Lisbeth Salander (Mara), a young computer hacker. - IMDb

The first of the two trailers is the clippidy-clappidy, intensey-musicy one:

And then the slowy-burning, dark-plot-heavy one:

Wow, "The feel bad film of Christmas"? That has definitely peaked my interest. And from the second trailer, things look to be menacingly gloomy and mature - after all, the original book was killed "Men Who Hate Women" in Sweden. But this is what Fincher does best, so I'm sure this'll be a knockout hit, maybe even an awards contender... Also, Trent Reznor is once again teaming up with Fincher for the score (after winning multiple awards for The Social Network's score) and looks to be on top form with this remix of Led Zepplin's "Immigrant Song" - very gritty. Prepare to "Feel Bad", 21st December 2011. 

ATR

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Trailer... Thursday?: The Hunger Games

Yes, The Hunger Games teaser has finally arrived. Are you ready for one whole minute of "Strong-minded girl running round a burning forest with a bow and arrow"? Because I surely am! Synopsisation Time:

"Katniss Everdeen takes her sister's place in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to death on live television. The story is in a post-apocalyptic setting in which the country of Panem contains twelve districts, with the Capitol in the center. The Capitol controls the Hunger Games in a reminder of the failed rebellion against the Capitol 74 years ago." - Wikipedia

And some personal points of my own:

Katniss Looks Perfect
Obviously the main part of this trailer is our hero Katniss herself, portrayed by Jennifer Lawrence. Now I for one had my doubts to begin with (Lawrence was a natural blonde, *gasp*), but the film makers have totally nailed the look in terms of what I had in my head when reading the books. And the best thing is she looks grimy; broken, tough, edgy. I had these horrible visions of a "Glamorous" take on The Hunger Games, another dull attempt to take a great series and turn it into another Twilight, but fortunately this trailer looks to be taking it the other, proper, way. Of course, they've left her eyes blue (brown in the books), but I'll cope.

The Little Things
As a big fan of the books, my eyes were peeled throughout the trailer for canonical references and luckily, it didn't disappoint. The orange back-pack, given to each contestant at the start of the games makes a welcome appearance and the mocking-jay pin at the end heavily reflects that of the books. Also, that whistle at the end has got to be Rue's; a young girl Katniss allies with in the arena. Goosebumps a-plenty to be had from that tune...

The Direction Style
I know, I know: it's only a minute long clip, but I think what we're seeing here is deeply representing what else we can expect in terms of direction and style. Just look at how the camera shakes and wobbles and the use of CGI (falling tree). Again, going to the point of "non-glamorising" the production, this holds true here too; shots that look rough and sketchy, mirroring that of Katniss's personality versus that of the perfect Capitol (in which I'm hoping shots there will be all straight up and professional, just to further this subtext). Looking too much in to it? Never!

Gale's Voice-Over
That's certainly Gale (Liam Hemsworth), Katniss' hunting buddy talking over the teaser, most likely taken from a scene just after she is chosen to enter the games. I'm not going to lie, it does sound slightly wooden compared to the dramaticness the dialogue on page might have suggested, and kind of unnecessary. Hopefully the film won't be littered with cheesey voice-overs like this (I doubt it would), becasue I've become very wary of them ever since The Last Airbender. *Shudders*

That's all for today's off-schedule trailer, but keep coming back for more of that informative-movie goodness. Also, whenever a proper, full trailer drops for this (I predict late Oct/early Nov), I'm sure to break it down with tons of background knowledge and all that razzle-dazzle. But for now, tar-ah, and may the odds be ever in your favour.


ATR


Also, fancy new follow button on the left! Ka-ching!

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Expecto-No-More-O: The End of Harry Potter

After 10 years of the boy wizard, the series finally draws to a close with the climactic Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows - Part 2, which opened last Friday. But what happens next, and what kind of impact has the Boy Who Lived had on the muggle world we live in?

RE:View: iBoy

iBoy is a short novel by acclaimed young-adult author, Kevin Brooks. The premise is exactly what the title suggests; a teenage boy is granted the powers of an iPhone after an "accident" embedded one of Apple's popular mobile device into his brain. The boy, Tom Harvey, must now work out his powers (including zapping dudes, hacking into phones and surfing the web through his mind, all while keeping up an impenetrable electrical skin) and use them to right the wrongs of his gritty London council estate. But he'll soon learn that his powers might just be a curse rather than a blessing...

    It's a fun idea that in the wrong hands could end up being a little childish or even camp, but luckily Brooks keeps some very adult themes running through, such as gang violence, drugs and rape. I for one was certainly not expecting this level of grittiness when I first picked up the book, and have to say I was not quite ready for the many f-bombs that started dropping. Plus there is a sense of good and evil throughout that questions our hero's morals as he fights not only the gangs, but himself for his love, Lucy.

  iBoy feels like a very internal story about the main character, Tom/iBoy, as he struggles to cope with his abilities in the dangerous and violent world just outside his flat. As a first person novel, it delves deep into the protagonist's feelings and emotions, making for some emotive reading outside of the few action sequences. And the structure as a whole takes a unique turn with chapters listed in binary code (10011, 10100 etc) and a variety of relevant quotes at the start of each chapter, often involving gangs, technology or feelings.

    At times it can be light hearted with strains of humour and pop-culture references (Spider-Man gets mentioned more that a few times), and then take a heavy, darker tone as iBoy attempts to take down the gang underworld. In between this there's a lot of filler that at times doesn't seem particularly productive to the overall narrative, but is still easy page-turning fodder.

     But when the story hits climax point, things get incredibly tense and will have you on the edge of your seat (despite the near-twist that borders on cheesy). Once its done however, I doubt it'll stick in your mind that long and isn't exactly what I'd call re-read material, but it works as a nice little hero-complex story to wind down with. I'm not sure whether it would've worked out better as a graphic novel of some sort, due to its firm "superhero origin story" roots, but that's an argument for another day. For now, I'll just accept it as a decent emotive story about love, fear, good and evil, that thankfully isn't what the cover might suggest.

6.5/10

RE:View: Plague

  If you don't know what he Gone series is about, here's a short introduction to interest you:

"The "Gone" series by Michael Grant (Gone, Hunger, Lies and now Plague) about everyone 15 and over, for reasons unknown, dissapear, leaving everybody 14 and under in an inpenetrable dome, is one of the best series out there for teens. The love child of "Lord of the Flies" and "X-Men", the Gone series is an intense, violent and sometimes saddening narrative, charting the stories of these teens as they deal with the problems obtained from living in the dome: being hungry, searching for water, trying to live some semblance of a life -- and don't forget how the children begin to mutate, gaining all sorts of powers, along with the animals of the FAYZ (Fallout Alley Youth Zone). And this is just the bare strands of what forms Michael Grants' "Gone" novels." - Amazon Reviewer

 Michael Grant's 4th book in his epic Gone saga, Plague, is perhaps one of the most edge-of-your-seat, heart-in-your-mouth, pulse-racing young-adult novels to ever grace the book shelves. Despite this being the latter middle of the series (a planned six), the quality is as good as ever. Gripping action, emotive characters and some shocking twits help to make this the best so far.

  The FAYZ is at it's lowest point in the 8 months since the dome went up. A deadly flu is sweeping the town, rendering kids to the point of death. And what with the water supply running out, things turn from bad to worse. Over the course of 72 hours and 7 minutes, friendships are tested, dark alliances are forged and blood is spilled.

  And when I say blood is spilled, I mean it. This is by far the most violent and gruesome of the series, and will make you wince and whine at the detailed brutality. And even the romance gets a bit more explicit, if you catch my drift. But luckily, it never feels over-the-top, as with all of Grant's superb story-telling. The Heroes-esque array of characters all still play perfectly into this installment, with their emotions and action laid bare by the tremendous display of thoughtful language, giving an overwhelming sense of relatability and realism.

 But then there is this new layer of historical and political allusion which has been magnified since the events of Lies. These underlying themes of democracy and fascism, racism and power, give the seemingly all-teen book very adult qualities. There are times when events such as the Russian Revolution and even Hitlers rise to power are echoed into the book, leaving faint traces of allegorical genius.

  Obviously, this is not a good point to jump into the series, and it's highly recommended you go from the start. But those familiar with the previous titles can dive in straight away and immerse themselves in this crazy world that is the FAYZ, and experience the finest teen novel out there.

10/10. Just saddened by the prospect of waiting till 2012 for the next one...

RE:View: The Quantum Thief

Yay, a book!

  The Quantum Thief is the debut sci-fi crime thriller from Finnish Scotsman (yeah, really), Hannu Rajaniemi. Set in a deep and technological world some centuries into the future, the plot follows cunning inter-planetary thief, Jean de Flambeur as he tries to piece together his lost memories on the Moving Cities of Mars, after being broken free from a cruel and relentless game-theoretic "Dilemma Prison" by the mysterious Mieli and her dazzling Spider-Ship, Perhonen. Ridiculously long sentences aside, this is a stunning hard sci-fi novel "peopled by bizzare post-humans but powered by very human motives of betrayal, revenge and jealousy."

  Starting out as a clever heist tale, The Quantum Thief soon explodes into a sprawling and engaging story of elaborate crime, twisted romance, mind-boggling conspiracy and heart-racing action, all neatly wrapped in some interesting and thought inducing high-end sci-fi concepts. From privacy gevulots and zoku tribes to exomemory and the "Quiet", the book is littered with these complicated and often unexplained terms from start to finish. In the first few chapters, things like this are rapidly dropped upon the reader, most likely leaving you with questions that will only be answered through perseverance. And although this may turn away the impatient reader, those that stick around will find great satisfaction in the way Rajaniemi unofficially reveals the meaning of his puzzling concepts, through natural character involvement and well placed dialogue.

 The characters themselves are equally as deep as the universe they populate, with the majority having complex and intricate backgrounds that shape their poignant personalities. The thief, Jean, shines as the lovable anti-hero protaganist trying to rekindle his lost memories, while using all his charm and wit along the way. His accomplace Mieli and her modest spaceship, Perhonen, are as mysterious as they are bad-ass and young martian detective Isidore adds intellect and perception to the proceedings, while implementing a cat-and-mouse element to the narrative.

 But what really shines in The Quantum Theif is the words themselves. Literally every chapter has a killer beginning, such as the very first line itself: "As always, before the warmind and I shoot each other, I try to make small talk." and my personal favourite: "It is only a few steps from death back to life.". It's these few words that will drag you in to the story, and an incetive to read "just one more chapter then...".

 Perspective-wise, the book's split in two, as in some is written in third person (when following Mieli or Isidore) and some in first (following Jean). This original style doesn't just keep it fresh, but is a nice touch from an inquisitive readers stand point, getting the best of both worlds with the thought tracking of 1st person and the unbiased views of 3rd.

 Action and drama are handled extremely well, providing a perfect balance of the two. No fight is dragged out too long, no conversation lasts more than it needs to be and the light-romance never gets soppy or awkward, resulting in a superb overall package of all the best novel elements.

  As the story unfolds, there are gob-smacking twists, awe-inspiring mysteries and hell of a lot of awesome ideas. A new race evovled from MMORPG guilds? Futuristic vigilantes? Time as a currency? There's so much here that it's an overwhelming achievement to Rajaniemi that he's crammed it all in, while keeping well developed characters and a clever but somewhat classic story intact. And what with this being the first third of a planned trilogy, you can expect a lot more from this talented new author.

9/10 - The worst part was finishing it.