The Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Brandon Sanderson does some stuff very, very well: action filled fantasies starring main characters who question their purpose and motivations set in a world where religion is considered in unconventional ways.

For the most part, Sanderson managed to deliver again an incredible fantasy adventure filled with laugh out loud moments and pulse racing scenes. Somehow, his seemingly simple prose was always extremely effective in describing complicated action scenes that were practically his hallmark.

I was initially apprehensive about The Alloy of Law because I was major fan of the original Mistborn Trilogy. While the ending was not entirely satisfactory in my opinion, it was nevertheless an ending that I have come to grudgingly accept as a bittersweet conclusion to an extraordinary fantasy series. But I thought, what the heck, this is Brandon Sanderson! One of my favourite fantasy author and I have yet failed to read any book written by him (except for WoT).

The story was an interesting addition to the original Mistborn lore. The applications of Allomancy to semi-modern gunfight sequences and Wax-Wayne’s hilarious interactions kept me turning the pages as time flew away.

However on the negative side, the world building wasn't as extensive as other Sanderson books. Religions have always been a strong focus in his worlds, but they were only alluded to in this case. This was something I felt remiss and could have expanded upon to clue in readers who aren't familiar with the original characters or to bridge better with the original series.

When I finished the book, I had many lingering questions. What the heck was bendalloy??? How did they discover bendalloy? Did Sanderson decide they need 8 pairs of metals and since theres the absence of attium and malatium, created an additional metal out of the blue? What's the God Metals?

Why were the aristocrats so useless in the ballroom scene? Have the mistings been relegated to mere courier services? What happened to keeping strong men in your household? That seems like a 180degrees change from 350 years ago. And having an entire ballroom of Aristocrats of noble descent and all of them could only cower in fear? Elend is a not hereditary Mistborn, so the kidnap theory was extremely flaky on my part as the reader.

I was very annoyed that Elend is known posthumously as Lord Mistborn, when Vin was obviously the stronger Mistborn warrior and the main character in the Mistborn series. What each religion has come to represent was also too vaguely explained.

So you will understand my disappointment that towards the end, instead of addressing these issues, Mr Sanderson chose to leave major cliffhangers in the final chapters to preempt possible future entries in the series. It went like this: after the main conflict was concluded, it was revealed that the main villain was manipulated (for unknown ulterior motives) by a higher-order villain. And surprise, surprise, Marsh and Sazed (ie GOD) are still there having a hand influencing the proceedings. Effects of Marsh's actions are another cliffhanger. Sazed didn't sound like Sazed at all. why did he help Wax? Why were Miles's actions considered so wrong as to justify God's intervention? I thought Wax was the more evil one meting out capital punishment for crimes of theft & kidnap. The crew had no initial plans to kill anybody.

Then the story ends. WTF? W-T-F!!!????

Considering there were no clear plans (if any at all?) that this series will continue in the future, I felt the ending was very bad. I was left feeling bereft of a satisfying closure to what I expected to be a standalone novel but all I could do was pull my hair in frustration.

As much as I may love the rest of the novel, the final chapter made me feel that the book was incomplete and spoiled the entire thing for me. I apologise for the schizophrenic tone in this review, for the book has clear merits and deficiencies, which accounts for the 3 stars.

P.s. Brandon Sanderson wrote in the preface he wanted to do an urban fantasy trilogy on the Mistborn world. By usual definitions urban fantasy is different from the steampunk setting of this book, which makes me doubt the continuance of this storyline, hence my utter frustration at the ending.

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Captain America: The First Avenger Review

Rating: 2.5/5 Stars

Lets get the good thing over first, its faster that way. Chris Evans (Captain America) is very, very good looking:

Yah, got that?

Now the bad. 

No, I am serious. The chance to stare at Chris Evans in his dashing army uniform (however brief those scenes were) was probably the only redeeming quality this film has got. 

Alright, maybe Stanley Tucci's performance was quite interesting. Still, too brief.

The film felt like it was a 2 part miniseries. The first half was how he got to become Captain America, with a climax scene in which he rescued his best buddy (huh? where did he come from?) from behind enemy lines. The 2nd half was...

Damn, that's how forgettable the whole excursion was.

Thing is, Captain America is one of the most...ordinary superhero that I have ever seen. He hasn't got Thor's god-like powers, Stark's smartass-ness, Black Widow's sexiness, Batman's mysteriousness, Spiderman's coolness. He's just... a guy with 4x metabolism as the normal human being. I guess the problem was it was never fully explained what were the extent of his powers before he started chasing the bad guys around.

To quote Brandon Sanderson's First Law of writing fantasy, a good fantasy has to clearly define the magical rules and boundaries within which the characters can act. Captain American was clearly shortchanged in this aspect.

After Captain America become Captain America, I am still just seeing the extra buff guy who's got ample beef. And the whole sequence on him parading as a carnival performer (to get people to buy bonds, raise morale, however funny that might be) did not help.

Strangely enough, this buff guy is able to outswim submarines, out run (1930s) cars, block bullets with a shield the size of half his chest (what about his legs?), withstand WMD charges with a flick of his arm, and FLY planes without any training whatsoever. Say what?

The villian in the film is Red Skull, played by the often reliable Hugo Weaving (LoTR, The Matrix), who's got his hands on super power mystical artefact with god-like energy powers which has enabled him to develop weapons which can vaporise a human being instantaneously and cause explosions. I assume that these are powerful enough characteristics of a weapon for America to become VERY concerned. Right.

Which leads me to the point that this is one of the lousiest villians i have ever seen. You got a mystical artefact and all you can do is vaporise human beings? The movie did not even demonstrate the extent of destructive capabilities these weapon! This guy has got no back up plans, lays out his grand plans on a map for all to see, and only knows how to yell at his minions when Captain America starts destroying his weapons factories.

After the 1 hour mark, the rest of the film truly felt like an eternity. Knowing full well that Captain America will emerge victorious (how else is he going to be in the upcoming Avengers' film?), I kept waiting for Red Skull to do something shocking that might actually make the audience care about how he was vanquished. Alas, it was too much to hope for.

In the end, it was just a meh superhero film filled with cliches. Cool graphics, hot guy + girl (whose attraction only did truly blossom after Chris Evans returned to his normal shape. Now what does that say, i wonder?), guns, explosions, uber high-tech vehicles, motivational kiss before the final showdown.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz



I have seen many reviews talking about the disappointing qualities of the films leading up  to The Avengers (due 2012), and reviewers have expressed their hopes that they will finally do the characters justice by tying them all together in that film. As long as the Avengers isn't 5 hours long, I can't say I have got the same level of optimism.

步步惊心

Just spent the last week watching this drama and reading the original book. 

One of the saddest stories I ever read.

The beautiful cinematography of this scene in the last episode caught my eye.

I was struck by Number 14's devotion to the girl, despite the fact that the girl has never looked upon him with anything more than platonic love. 

Haiz, such a beautiful scene to send off the girl he loved.

This has got to be one of the best scenes in the whole show.
I think No 14's acting reached its apex in the show here.

I thought I had cried enough when I read the book. It took 1 hour of tears before I could finish the final few chapters. But the torrent continued as I watched the show.

What a 

beautiful,

depressing,

horrid, 

but lovely story.

Just like the main character, I am a masochist.

Miserere: An Autumn Tale by Teresa Frohock

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Original world building and action packed adventures. The world and magic system is very intricately linked with religion (no prize for guessing Ms Frohock's religion), specifically Christianity. This makes it very different from the usual high fantasy. As a non-religious person, it was surprising for me to find the system quite acceptable and that it somehow still works quite well in this series.

Interactions between the characters were well written. Miss Forhock has created distinctive and vivid characters - she does a fantastic job describing the inner worlds of characters' minds. However, some of the writing for action sequence do come across as jagged, impatient, lacking in rhythm.

My other complaint is the length of the novel. While it isn't exactly short, readers are left with a lot of unanswered questions (Can't the people have their own children? Where's the Gods of the other religions if there is only 1 heaven (Christian-centrism??)?) which could be attributed to either lack of comprehensive world-building, or this being the first book in a series.

Personally I feel the author could have provided more information about the world to draw the reader into the story. The cliff-hanger could also be more distinct to attract sustained readership.

Overall, it was still highly commendable for a debut effort.



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French Films & Gaspard Ulliel

My love affair with French films started out with the lovely and passionate La Princesse de Montpensier (The Princess of Montpensier).

Through that amazing periodic piece film, I fell headlong in love with the extraordinarily beautiful and dashing Gaspard Ulliel:

My obsession led me to a viewing spree of Gaspard Ulliel's works, and in the process discovered the astoundingly adventurous and creative French film industry. My favourites aside from La Princesse de Montpensier have been the moving Les Choristes and utterly charming A Very Long Engagement (in which Ulliel's parts were amazing but far too brief)

This fantastic scene from A Very Long Engagement played a crucial part telling the love story of Mathilde and Manech, but this image showcases mindblowing cinematography which earned the film an Oscar nomination for Best Cinematography:

Justified (Timothy Olyphant)

You bet I'm glad Mags aint gotten Raylan dead with that poison-laced moonshine cup.

After 15 hours straight of Justified (around 1.5 seasons), I am beginning to talk like one 'o those hillbillies. heh

I also see that the major attraction of the show is Timothy Olyphant, who plays the title character of 'Marshal Raylan Givens'. Now Raylan is one truly unique character. He's charismatic, has deceptively laid-back mannerisms and doesn't give one inch when it comes to doing justice.

Timothy Olyphant simply defines the character, the hallmark of a truly great actor: making a character his very own and attracts the audience's love and devotion in spite of all the character's faults. Dexter, House and Don Draper had it, and Raylan had officially joined the serial-nominated-for-emmy club this year.

(Technically this isn't true since this is the first year he's nominated, but im predicting many, many more nominations to come)

The fact is, Timothy/Raylan just grows on you. He's not the typical handsome actor, but he's got style and charisma.

Such beautiful eyes. Sculpted features framed by salt-and-pepper whiskers and side burns, the perfect example of a man in his prime.

True Blood Season 4, Episode 5

True Blood has often been aptly described as 'slow-burn', largely due to the crawling storylines and utterly boring storylines revolving auxiliary characters.

Fortunately, this season has been proving its reputation wrong, with minor storylines winding down and all characters coalescing towards the vampires-witches showdown.

It also meant more time for Eric and Sookie's amazing on-screen chemistry.

This particular scene from the episode was seared on my mind the instant I saw it.

Eric and Sookie, holding each other passionately, hoping to find solace and security.

Brandon Sanderson's Review of The Wise Man's Fear

Brandon Sanderson and Patrick Rothfuss are both my favourite authors, and it was very interesting for me to hear Brandon Sanderson's comments on The Wise Man's Fear, a book that he has been anticipating as well. There's so many things I like about Patrick Rothfuss' writing, but only Brandon Sanderson has the literary talents to do the commentary justice.

Side note: I am waiting to have the time to read The Wise Man's Fear. Wow the name of the wind was 250,000 words, and that took me well over a day. It was pretty exhausting to read. The Wise Man's Fear is in fact nearly 400,000 words long

(:

Review of THE WISE MAN'S FEAR by Patrick Rothfuss

In case you haven't heard, today is the release day of the long-awaited sequel to The Name of the Wind, a delightful debut fantasy novel by Patrick Rothfuss. I've had the privilege of reading the book, so I thought I'd post a heads-up here for those of you who read my blog, along with a review. (Of sorts.) Also, a reminder, I did an interview with Pat (and he kind of interviewed me back) for Amazon. You can read it at this link.

PART ONE: A REVIEW OF THE WISE MAN'S FEAR

All right, so the review of Wise Man's Fear will focus on one question: Is it as good as the first?

The answer is . . . yes, and I feel that it's quite a bit better. (That is saying a lot.)

There's the review. I figure that those of you reading this blog will either:

Have read Name of the Wind and liked it, so that review should be more than enough for you.
Have read Name of the Wind and didn't like it. If so, I respect your opinion, even though you're obviously a crazy person.
Haven't yet read Name of the Wind, so giving you an extensive review of the second book would really just be a big confusing spoiler.
PART TWO: GO BUY IT

This is a very, very good book. If you liked the first, might I suggest that you go out and purchase yourself a copy this week? Pat may not mention it himself, but first-week sales are very helpful in giving a book good momentum. It will determine how long the book stays on shelves, how good its placement is in weeks to come, and how aggressively the sequel will be ordered by bookstores.

As I always state for my own books, if you're not a hardcover buyer, don't feel guilty not going out to get it—as authors, we like you to consume books as you prefer to consume them. Library, hardcover, ebook, paperback . . . your call. However, if you ARE intending to read Wise Man's Fear in hardcover, buying it early rather than late is always a nice sign for the author. Also, I've got a selfish reason for wanting Pat to sell well. I'd very much like to have a nice, friendly rivalry going with the chap. The Way of Kings hit #7 on the New York Times list. If Pat can hit in the top five with this book, it will give me something to shoot for.

(Honestly, I'm hoping he hits #1. It's well within the realm of possibility for this book, and he deserves it. It will help the entire genre if this book sells well, as it will prove that big epic fantasy books by newer authors are still viable, and will also prove that excellence will be rewarded by the readership.)

PART THREE: A LONGER REVIEW (KIND OF)

Okay, so, I'm off on a tangent again. Let's bring this back into focus. I'm going to assume that some of you haven't read Name of the Wind yet. I often suggest it to people; it's become—alongside Tigana, Eye of the World, and Dragonsbane—one of my top recommendations for fantasy readers. Often, however, people ask why they should read the book. Why do I recommend it?

Because it's awesome.

Why is it awesome?

This often stops me. Why IS Pat's writing awesome?

Well, the books have an absolutely wonderful magic system. One part science, one part historical pseudoscience, one part magical wonder. It's the type of magic system that I'm always delighted to read, and ranks among my favorites in fantasy literature. But that alone doesn't describe why the books are awesome.

In many ways, Name of the Wind is like an old, familiar coat. A young man orphaned at a young age. Time spent on the streets living as a thief and a street rat. A wizards' school. Those who have not liked the book have often complained about the familiar tropes. What I love about how Pat uses these tropes, however, is the realism he strives to impart.

I view this story like a Batman Begins-type realism reboot of many classic fantasy tropes. We get to hear the legends of Kvothe, then read the truth, and make the connections of how things spiraled from realistic to fantastic. The way Pat does this is genius. In some places, you can barely pick out the tropes he is using—after one sequence in Wise Man's Fear, I found myself laughing uproariously as I realized the mythological foundation for the sequence. There are familiar tropes, but they're taken and made so new and fresh that you have to peer through several layers of silk to see them for what they are. In other cases, there is delightful originality.

Those things, however, also fail to describe why the books are awesome.

Kvothe is a very compelling hero, very classical in that he's widely accomplished yet marred by a single dominating flaw. (In this case, his temper.) He is witty, charming, and so wonderfully capable that he's a delight to read about. (Particularly following much of the current fiction I've read, which seems to take the utmost pains to make certain I don't like anyone I'm reading about.) He's noble, yet brash, and is clever, but inexperienced. (Which makes him dense on occasion.) He lives.

But even that is not what truly makes these books awesome.

In the end, I think that if I distill why I've loved these books so much more than others, it's because of this: They're beautiful. Wise Man's Fear is a BEAUTIFUL book to read. Masterful prose, a sense of cohesion to the storytelling, a wonderful sense of pacing . . . None of that is the reason for the awesomeness any more than a single dab of paint is the reason why a Monet is a thing of wonder. But if you step back to look and digest the piece as a whole—not thinking too much about the parts—you are left with a sense of awe.

There is a beauty to Pat's writing that defies description. Perhaps if Kvothe were here, he could write an appropriate song that would capture it.

Brandon

p.s. As this is of note to many of those in my audience, I feel that I should mention that this book contains a fair bit more sex than the previous volume did. Pat avoids graphic details, but there are events in the latter half of the book that some readers may find discomforting.

Review of Iron Crowned - Richelle Mead

Iron Crowned by Richelle Mead

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I was a big, big fan of the Dark Swan series. I loved the idea of Eugenie getting lured away by Dorian, and Richelle Mead daring to take on the sensitive issue of rape in the previous book, Thorn Queen.

After reading this book, eugenie markham just shot straight to the top of my most disliked heroine characters list(from urban fantasies/romances).

eugenie Markham is one flawed lady.

Honestly, she's unbelievably selfish, shortsighted and delusional, not to mention a closet nymphomaniac.

I think Richelle Mead made a really bad decision keeping the love triangle alive and kicking, particularly since it makes little sense to break them up, bring them back, and repeat.

The novel's overall pace is very quick, it doesn't bog you down with things you do not want to read about. The writing style, as with all Richelle Mead's narratives, are simple and straight to the point. Sometimes it works when you have got strong, well written characters like Georgina Kincaid to move the storyline along, but I think this book failed in this aspect.

Yes, Eugenie is super tough, but she's so emotionally unstable its probably best if she's committed to an institution (okay this is probably taking it too far. but you catch my drift).

This installment took the storyline in a darn awkward direction.

The way Richelle Mead ended the book is not a cliffhanger. It is the general direction for the next 10 (?) books, or so. The only way I see this cliffhanger resolved is a storyline extending decades into the future.

Overall, a disappointing addition to Ms Richelle Mead's resume. But then since I didn't like the vampire academy series (except for the first book) either, I would say Ms Mead's works are probably not my cup of tea any more.



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Review of Dreams of a Dark Warrior - Kresley Cole

Dreams of a Dark Warrior by Kresley Cole

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Honestly, the best book I have read so far this year.

Such well crafted and vivid characters. Kresley cole had whetted our appetite with hints of this story every since the first book of the IAD series, a Hunger Like No Other. It has taken 11 books for her to finally get the story out. And boy, she doesn't disappoint.

This story features a hero darker than that from any of her previous books. This follows the recent trend of paranormal romance books featuring dark, haunted and scarred heroes. Notably from the Black Dagger Brotherhood, Larissa Ione's Demonica, etc etc.

But I daresay that Kresley Cole did better in this book than any of the other authors have managed in crafting a believable romance between a heroine and the dark, dark hero.

Dreams of a Dark Warrior narrates the 'thousand year' romance between the antagonistically immature Regin, and Berserker reincarnate Declan Chase/Aidan the Fierce. Regin is one spunky character capable of uttering the most inappropriate comments that greatly lightens the mood of the book. She's the strong, arrogant and utterly fearless female warrior that can only be one of Kresley Cole's creations.

Kresley Cole was very brave to add such a dark intensity to Regin and Chase's interactions (people who has read the book will understand what I am talking about). Many people would probably Chase's treatment of Regin a turnoff, but in this case, I think it worked very well because it helps to emphasize Chase's internal struggles later on. It was these scenes that left me cringing with horror and heartache and sympathy all at the same time.

This is one powerful romance. In the course of one book, one manages to feel sorrow, joy, pain, humor, sympathy. Most importantly, the romance was believable, as both Regin and Chase fit together so well. I perceive no age problems, and their love is made genuine by the thousand year experience. In my opinion, Kresley Cole's best work so far yet.

A must read for all paranormal romance fans.



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Spartacus: Gods of the Arena Pt2

3 words.

OH,

My

GOD.

I am rarely ever shocked by sex or violence in movies or TV shows anymore. This is probably a fact well known by a few friends. I have gained the ability to remain very detached from a piece of entertainment while critically analyzing whatever adult elements it may contain.

But Starz Network's Spartacus just redefined the shock value of American cable television.

Simply said, Spartacus is softcore porn with extremely well written scripts and thought-out plots. The only thing separating Spartacus from porn is probably close up scenes of the genitals during intercourse. But even then, Spartacus pushes the envelop by showing frontal nudity of both female and male extras.

A friend of mine recently observed that Spartacus caters very well to the tastes of both straight and gay viewers. Personally I have never realised the part about the gay viewers. But now that she has mentioned it, it does make a lot of sense. Very honestly speaking, EVERYTHING happens on this show.

In fact, EVERYTHING happened on the latest episode, the 2nd episode of the prequel season to the original Spartacus. Let me see what happened during the episode. Well we have the camera focusing on men in loincloths training under the sun (and swinging their swords around, both literally and metaphorically speaking), a pair of gay gladiators making out, an important Roman fondling a male gladiator to ensure his 'qualifications' at the upcoming (gladiatorial) games he is organising, then the male gladiator (a slave) was forced to have sex with the wife (another slave) of his best friend (another gladiator) for the said Roman's entertainment. OMG.

And in the final scenes we have the threesome of Batiatus and his wife AND GAIA. Watching 3 middle-aged people getting it on is not usually this disturbing. But if you consider the 3 are Lucy Lawless (Xena), John Hannah (the punkish bro from The Mummy) and Jaime Murray (always the slutty woman on cable), 3 well known and respectable actors, it's VERY DISTURBING. I hereby vote this scene for the WORST sex scene of both seasons. I don't understand why the ending scenes of both episodes this season is a sex scene involving Gaia and Batiatus' wife. It is getting old (pun intended).

It is also true that these shock factors are what makes Spartacus, well Spartacus. It is so unique and braver than even True Blood. Anyway I would like to end this post on the note that Season 2 is really very enjoyable.

Dustin Clare's Gannicus? Yummy (: ->

Book Review: The Name of the Wind

What a fantastically written debut fantasy novel!

Despite being an author's debut, The Name of the Wind is definitely one of the finest fantasy works I have the fortune to encounter.

This is book 1 of the trilogy titled, The Kingkiller Chronicles, a series that is actually a biography of Kvothe, a person who will eventually become one of the most famous magicians in that world, a person who people will come to see as 'the Arcanist', 'the Bloodless, and 'The Kingkiller'.

I loved this book's pace, the world, and the main character. Most of Kvothe's history as retold in the first person narrative in this book revolves around his journey from childhood to becoming a student at the University, the leading institution of all major areas of study in the world. In some ways, this book is a throwback to Harry Potter and The Black Magician trilogy by Trudi Canavan. In other ways, it has a much darker and grittier tone than either of the preceding series.

I absolutely love this kind of coming to age novels, particularly with the main character learning magic in an institution. It is similar enough to the reader's own experiences with the education system so that he can identify with some of the events narrated in the book, yet different enough due to the magical element present. His learning journey and interaction with fellow students are so deliciously recounted that the reader feels completely immersed in the world. (BTW, this was something i felt missing from Tavi's story in The Codex Alera. The emphasize on armed conflicts in that series made it feel more like a war story)

Another great aspect of The Name of the Wind is the writer's humor. If you check out his blog posts, you can find plenty of the same wry humor. Reading it brought back the same happy feeling The Elenium had inspired, and what Harry Dresden manages to achieve sometimes in its better moments. The main character, Kvothe is mightily smart. It is a joy to read his witty remarks and how he manages to maneuver out of tight spots.

Rothfuss defines himself by creating a character that is genuinely brillant and flawed at the same time. Kvothe is not perfect. Despite his intelligence, it is apparent from the story that he is extremely reckless and prideful. While courage and pride could be applauded in characters, Kvothe possesses too much of both that he repeatedly gets into trouble. Yet, you can't help but love the character for all his flaws.

Fortunately, while the first book was published in 2006, the next book is already scheduled to be published in March. yay! Lets hope that book3 wouldn't take as long as the 2nd book did (: