I watched Warcraft this past weekend. Throughout the first half of the film, I was confused. The story wasn’t boring, but it was somehow unsatisfying. The characters were well-defined, but were not engaging. The dialogue wasn’t bad, but it kept falling flat.
What the hell was going on?
I feel compelled to write a brief follow-up on Crossbones, since my preliminary review was posted just before the season finale—which was also the series finale as the show wasn’t picked up for a second season, a fact that really showed in those dual closing episodes.
Let me preface this by confessing a bias: I really like gunpowder fantasy. On the other hand, I think the sub-genre focuses too much on pirates, as if they were the only thing going on between the rise of fire-arms and the Industrial Revolution. So, when NBC announced it was airing a series about Blackbeard, particularly on the tails of Black Sails on Starz, I wasn’t sure I wanted to ride another buccaneer bandwagon.
Then, I heard that John Malkovich was starring. Continue reading
In protest of the homophobic views of author Orson Scott Card, many are talking about boycotting the upcoming film adaptation of his best-selling novel Ender’s Game.
Before anyone pats themselves on the back for keeping a few dimes of profit out of the pocket of a bigoted assclown, let’s take a look at the reality of outrage-based boycotting.
Writing a great short story is difficult. Very often a short story will end up feeling like a novel or novella folded onto itself, so that parts of the story seeming rushed or compressed, while other parts seems stretched out by comparison. And, I say that meaning it’s still a great short story, the same way a sunflower seed is tasty to eat, but has larger possibilities folded inside it. Writers sometimes give in to the narrative tension wrapped into the short story form, and refuse to accept that their own work is “good enough” while it still feels bursting with potential.
This is why it’s wise to read other writers’ short stories, to feel the literary goodness and structural tension living peacefully side by side.
So, when I got my copy of the sci-fi short story anthology Diverse Energies (available in hardcover and ebook), I knew that I would be reviewing the stories both as a reader and as a writer. And DE turned out to be perfect for this: the stories are pure fun to read while still giving a structure-minded writer plenty of test cases to strategize ways to tweak short story pacing for novella or novel length, for adaptation as a TV series or feature film, or just to massage a different effect from a good short. Continue reading
A mystery novel set in the Roman Republic? I have to admit, although I love mystery and I love history, I bought this book (from Big Sleep Books in St. Louis) with a bit of hesitation. I was worried about the author’s ability to balance authenticity and accessibility.
On one hand, too readable a tale and the reality of ancient Rome might get glossed over, and I was in no mood to read a book that bullshitted its way through historical reality.
On the other hand, too much real Rome and the typical reader might get lost; having promised my business partner Johnny Sorello a review, I was reading not only for my own entertainment but also for you guys and gals. I was dubious. The burden of proof was on the author.
Boy, was I surprised. And impressed. Continue reading
