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 (: