A Book Review: The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett (Discworld #2)

The genesis for Discworld, The Color of Magic, ended at a cliffhanger, leaving readers peering at the last page of the book and pondering what is coming next. In The Light Fantastic, Terry Pratchett concluded the misadventure of Rincewind and Twoflower. This also means, The Color of Magic and The Light Fantastic should be read together, back to back, as one book. Like its predecessor, The Light Fantastic is a straight parody of the Sword and Sorcery genre, and its story comes packed with wicked humor and eccentric characters that will tickle your funny bone.

Synopsis:

A red comet appeared in the sky, and it is heading to a collision course against Discworld!

But don't panic!

All hope is not lost, yet. Everyone knows that in a story like this, there is always a hero who can save the world. This story is no exception:

“I tell you, a man called Rincewind can save Discworld from a total annihilation. “

“Ok, so who is Rincewind?”

“He is a wizard.”

“A wizard? Like Gandalf and Dumbledore? A mighty wizard who can throw fireballs and conjure stuff? Things are looking better already!”

“Umm, well, actually... Rincewind is kind of inept. He can't really sling any spell or magic at all, and he failed all of his wizardry classes at The Unseen University.”

“I see. But we are in a fantasy story, where an inept hero can become very powerful after tapping into his inner strength, learning ancient magic, and discovering mighty weapons in a dungeon... stuff like that. It is called character development! So, tell me, where is Rincewind?”

“Where is Rincewind? Ok, this is a bit tricky. You know, the scientists say the world is actually a flat disc, right? You see, if a world is flat then it also has an edge. If you are standing too close to its edge, then you might fall over it. And the last time Rincewind was seen, he was busy falling over the edge of the world. “

“You gotta be kidding me!”

“Yeah...come to think of it, start to panic!”

My thoughts on this book:

Fans of Robert E. Howard and Lovecraftian horror, rejoice! The Light Fantastic parodied, numerous times, elements from the works of H.P. Lovecraft and Conan the Cimmerian. Fans of Lovecraft can easily spot, and appreciate the references to Cthulhu, Necronomicon, and tentacled monsters from another dimension. Along the way, Sir Terry introduced a new character to Discworld, Cohen the Barbarian, who is arguably the funniest parody in the book. Cohen, is a wiry old man of small statue. A legendary hero 87 years young, Cohen is a parody of the archetypical barbarian hero. Cohen speaks funny because all his teeth have fallen out, and his back constantly gives out whenever he swings a sword. Cohen entered Discworld as a memorable character, his involvements in the story brought a lot of smiles on my face, and I am hoping to read more about Cohen in the later Discworld books.

Aside from Cohen the Barbarian, I also became very fond of another character, the Luggage. Yes, indeed, Twoflower's luggage, a seemingly sentient, wooden casket that walks on hundreds of small legs, is actually a character. I think the Luggage stole the show in this book. Scenes that featured the Luggage usually made me giggle and laugh. I can't wait to read the next Discworld adventure featuring Rincewind and the Luggage.

When it comes to storytelling, The Light Fantastic told its story more cohesively than in its predecessor. Mind you, there are still moments in this book that appeared random and out of place. There are still places, where you can't help but feel that the story has a piece here, a piece there, and it doesn't really connect together. But as a whole, the story in The Light Fantastic is a lot easier to follow than in The Color of Magic, and what started off as a parody of a sword and sorcery adventure reached, surprisingly, a moving conclusion.

The second outing for Rincewind and Twoflower proved itself to be a fun and delightful read. The Light Fantastic, together with The Color of Magic, not only marked the beginning of a most well known series in the fantasy genre, but these two books also serve as an excellent introduction to Sir Terry's wonderfully imagined Discworld. For those who are seeking a good way to tackle the massive Discworld library, I highly recommend The Color of Magic and The Light Fantastic as the entry point to the series.

A Movie Review: The Jungle Book - 3D Blu Ray

Directed by Jon Favreau, The Jungle Book, a live action remake of the Disney cartoon, sprints across the dark forest of Hollywood blockbusters to greet audiences both young and old. The general public heaped praises on this film. It was a huge success at the box office. This movie hit the cinemas earlier this year, but I missed it because I was not aware of its existence. Luckily, the production company released Jungle Book Blu Ray discs in Australia this past week, and I was able to snatch a copy and view this movie in all of its 3D glory!

It has been a long time since I wrote my last movie review. This is because I simply don't have the time for writing movie reviews anymore. Meanwhile, in 2016, I have yet to see a movie that really impressed me. This does not mean I no longer watch movies. No, watching a movie is still my favorite activity on a Friday night. It is just that these days, Hollywood blockbusters are arriving in waves after waves of superhero movies, and personally I am getting a bit tired of it.

In this regard, the live action version of The Jungle Book really breathed refreshment into the movie market. After watching this movie in 3D, I can say Jungle Book is going to be my favorite movie of this year, and the joys I derived from watching this film compelled me to write a review for it.

Synopsis:

Deep in the heart of the jungle lives a little boy called Mowgli, who dwells among a pack of wolves that raised him since babyhood. Mowgli knows he is not a wolf. He is a man cub. But Mowgli's heart belongs to the jungle because that is where his friends and family are at.

Mowgli leads a cheerful life with his animal friends and wolf family until a savage tiger, Shere Kahn, forced Mowgli to flee from home. In his exile, Mowgli made friend with a free spirited bear called Baloo. Together with his new bear friend, and the panther Bagheera, Mowgli began a journey of self discovery in order to find his place in the jungle.

My thoughts on this movie:

I love this movie!

Not every movie is worth buying on Blu Ray. But if you are only going to buy one Blu Ray movie this year, then I recommend you buy Jungle Book 3D Blu Ray. Yes, in 3D. The Jungle Book is an excellent movie and I think it warrants multiple viewings. Look, studios are releasing a lot of movies in 3D these days. Sometimes 3D conversions are completely unnecessary. However, like Gravity and Avatar, The Jungle Book should be seen in 3D. It deserves to be seen in 3D. I will talk about the 3D effect later. Firstly, let me discuss the plotting, characterizations, and the cinematography of this film.

Jon Favreau is a good director. He directed Iron Man and Chef, and both films are sitting on my list of favorite movies. In The Jungle Book, Favreau stayed faithful to the original book and the Disney cartoon. There are some alterations to the story, but I think these alterations added excitements and energy to Mowgli's adventure and they are good additions. The Jungle Book's storytelling is easy to follow, engaging, and tightly paced. Not a dull moment exists in this movie. From its opening scene until the credit rolls, Jungle Book remained a fast-paced and fun movie. When I was watching The Jungle Book, its 106 minutes feature length disappeared as if it was only 10 minutes. This is when you know a movie is good.

The child actor who played Mowgli did a superb job at portraying the role. He acted and looked exactly like the depiction of Mowgli from Kipling's books and the Disney cartoon. Furthermore, the CGI in this movie really impressed me. Most supporting characters in The Jungle Book, are animals. It would have been very difficult to breath personalities into these animals characters, because for all we know, animals can't speak. However, thanks to the modern technology, the film maker was able to portray Mowgli's animal friends and foes, in jaw dropping details. In this movie, it was almost impossible to tell that the animals characters are products of CGI. In short, the team behind the CGI in The Jungle Book deserves a round of applause, because the special effects are stunning. The CGI depicts the animals characters vividly. The portrayals felt real, authentic, and not forced. In summary, the top-notched voice acting, coupled with the stunning CGI, delivered these animal characters in an unforgettable performance.

The Jungle Book is a beautiful movie. Set in the jungle environment, the cinematography is brushed with a strong color of yellow and green. The scenes arrived on the screen like a train of beautiful paintings. The visuals are stunning and the colorful contrasts are striking. For an example, a most visually arresting scene made its way to the screen, when Mowgli and Bagheera were walking in front of a waterfall. I think the waterfall scene was the most visually striking scene in the movie.

A review on the Blu Ray's stats:

Visual:

Next I will talk about the stats for this Blu Ray disc. Firstly, this Blu Ray presents the movie in 1.85:1 aspect ratio. What does this mean? Ok, have you ever noticed that when you are watching a Blu Ray (or a DVD) on your TV, two black bars, one at the top and the other at the bottom, are running across your screen? This is 2.39:1 or 2.40:1 aspect ratio (A.K.A the letter box). A lot of Hollywood action movies are shot in letter box format, because it supposedly provides the audience with a “wider” view of the pictures. In this regard, 1.85:1 aspect ratio means those two black bars do no exist on the screen. In other words, a movie presenting its pictures in 1.85:1 aspect ratio will fill the whole TV screen. 1.85:1 ratio works brilliantly for The Jungle Book, the pictures are lush, detailed, and the color contrast is crisp and sharp. The Jungle Book Blu Ray is a demo worthy disc, it is the kind of disc you would show your friends and family in order to convince them to upgrade from DVD to Blu Ray.

Audio:

So the visuals for this Blu Ray are stunning, but what about the quality of its audio? The Jungle Book Blu Ray brings the sound of the wild forest into your living room with Dolby 7.1 surround audio. I do not have 7.1 surround sound system, I only have a Sony soundbar. But even on my soundbar, the dialogues are crisp and clear, and the sound effect is magnificent and impressive. When the movie's iconic scene finally arrived, with Mowgli and Baloo singing my favorite soundtrack, “The Bare Necessities”, I couldn't help but sing along, loudly and happily, in my living room as well! I wonder if my neighbor thought I was having a karaoke night instead of a movie night!

3D:

I am saving the best for the last – the discussion on the 3D effects of this Blu Ray. I mentioned earlier, it is worth getting this movie on a 3D Blu Ray disc. Hollywood have produced legions of post-converted 3D movies. Sadly, about 60% of the time, the 3D effects are lame and useless (Yes, I am staring at you, Civil War!). But The Jungle Book... seeing this movie in 3D is a whole new experience. This movie deserves to be seen in 3D and I am basing my recommendation after examining the 4 pillars of 3D cinematography. These are: 1) Before the screen, 2) Behind the screen, 3) Brightness, and 4) Ghosting.

Let me begin by talking about “Before the screen” effects of Jungle Book 3D. What is “Before the screen”? This is when objects appear to pop out/protrude from the TV screen. I don't know about you, but I love it when things pop out from the screen during a 3D movie. Some people say pop out shots are gimmicky, but I love the pop out effects. In my mind, things protruding from the screen is the hallmark for a 3D movie, isn't it? For whatever reason, directors don't seem to shoot a lot of pop out scenes in 3D cinematography, and Jungle Book is not an exception. This movie only has a handful of pop out scenes. Having said this, in this movie, when objects do appear to pop out from the screen, they look amazing!

Another defining aspect of a 3D movie is its “behind the screen” effect. This effect gives the pictures depth, giving the visuals another dimension as if you can look into the screen. The Jungle Book utilized, masterfully, the behind the screen effect into its 3D cinematography. It blended perfectly into the setting of this movie, which is in the jungle. When I was watching this movie, it felt as if I could stare into the bowels of the deep jungle, the ruined temple, and be thrilled by the labyrinth of tree branches. The Jungle Book 3D mastered its behind the scene effect, and it submerged me in a powerful atmosphere of adventure and mystery.

Putting on a pair of dorky looking goggles put a lot of people off 3D movies. One of the major complaints about 3D googles, is that it dims the pictures. But as I watched more and more 3D Blu Rays, I discovered that a lot of times, the brightness of the picture is determined by the movie's cinematography style. For an example, watching Godzilla 3D Blu Ray at home was like exploring in a dark place where the sun doesn't shine, in a bad way. Why? Because the cinematography of that movie is too dark. When you put on the 3D googles, it just dims the picture's brightness even further. With The Jungle Book 3D, however, you don't have this problem. Most of the movie is set in the day time and the pictures are very bright. Several scenes did take place at night or in a cave, but because the color contrasts are so vibrant, it brighten the pictures as well.

One problem that plagues 3D movies, is an (unwanted) effect called “ghosting”. This happens when the edges of a shape appear blurry, with double lines. For an example, my Godzilla 3D Blu Ray, again, suffers from severe ghosting problem. Ghosting usually appears when a scene features a dark area. At times, ghosting can be reduced by increasing the brightness on your TV screen, or switching the dominant eye on your 3D google from the right eye to the left, or vice versa. I am happy to report that I did not experience any ghosting on The Jungle Book 3D Blu Ray. None! The edges of shapes and characters were sharp and crisp from the beginning of the movie to the end, with crystal clear quality. This Blu Ray is certainly one of the best 3D discs out there on the market.

To buy, or not to buy?

These days, the movie world is flooded with exhaustive waves of super hero movies. It is getting a bit tiring and repetitive. Then The Jungle Book came along. This movie, features a cast of very talented actors and actresses. Then capitalizing on state of the art technology, this movie delivered a refreshing, unforgettable performance using a classic tale. This is a fine tale that explores the intricate relationship between us, homo sapiens, with other creatures who live alongside our species on this beautiful planet. I think this movie is worth watching, multiple times. For those with a 3D TV sitting at home, The Jungle Book 3D Blu Ray deserves a spot in your home cinema collection.

A Book Review: The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett (Discworld #1)

Discworld, a fantastic plane of existence. It is shaped as a disc, resting on the shoulders of 4 elephants standing on the shell of a giant star turtle. This weird, but wonderful creation came from the imaginative mind of fantasy author Terry Pratchett. For more than 30 years, Sir Terry was pumping out volumes after volumes of wondrous novels set in Discworld, telling stories about eccentric characters and marvelous adventures. This series, 41 volumes in total, is a phenomenal success! After it was translated into 37 languages and sold 80 million copies, Dscworld has captured the hearts of millions of readers with its wicked humor and profound insight into our own world. But where did it all begin?

I have read about 20 Discworld novels. But strangely enough, I have never read the first installment in the series. In fact, I have been navigating through my own Discworld adventure in a funny order. Why? This is because Discworld's library divides itself into sub-series, and I am tackling Discworld according to sub-series instead of following the chronological order. Some sub-series focused on certain characters, while other sub-series featured specific themes. For your reference, the sub-series in Discworld are: Rincewind series, Death Series, The Witches series, The City Watch series, Tiffany Aching series, The Industrial Revolution series, and The Ancient Civilization series.

Nevertheless, the time has finally arrived for me to start reading Rincewind series. The beginning of Rincewind's adventure, published in 1986 and titled The Color of Magic, also happens to be the genesis for Discworld.

Synopsis:

Welcome! Welcome to a living, breathing world of dragons, barbarian heroes, magic swords, wizards, and... a tourist?

Yes, indeed, with the arrival of a creaking ship at Ankh Morpork's shady port comes Discworld's first tourist - a man of a small statue. His name is Twoflower and he possesses a magical luggage that walks on hundreds of little legs!

Twoflower set his foot on Anhk Morpork's cobbled street, then he hired a failed wizard, Rincewind, to be his tour guide. Together, this duo (or trio, if you consider the luggage with a hundred legs as a being) set out on an stupendous expedition of sight seeing from the heart of Ankh Morpork all the way to the edge of the world...

My thoughts on this book:

As a veteran of Discworld, while I was reading The Color of Magic, the first thing that screamed for my attention, was the major difference between this book to other Discworld novels. What do I mean by this? Ok, Discworld novels are renowned not just for the abundant humors, but also for Sir Terry's philosophical, and often insightful reflections about our own world. The Color of Magic, however, lacks Discworld's hallmark of philosophical introspections. While this book is still bursting with flavors of humor that will tickle your funny bone, but it does not have any philosophical element (none that I can spot, at least).

In other words, The Color of Magic is a straight parody of pulp literature and it is very funny! If you are like me, a fan of pulp writers such as Robert E. Howard and H.P. Lovecraft, then you can't help but spotting and appreciating the glaring references to Conan the Cimmerian, Necronomicon, and Cthulhu. For me, reading The Color of Magic was fun. This book put a smirk on my face when its story revealed Hrun, a muscle bound, barbarian hero who is essentially, a parody of Conan. And I smiled toothy grins at the numerous parodies of the classical Lovecraftian horror.

In the process of writing this book review, I browsed through some reviews for The Color of Magic. Some readers mentioned that they thought the book's narrative is a bit random and difficult to follow. I share this sentiment too. Randomness has always been in the DNA of Discworld, reading these books sometimes feel like watching a Monty Python movie. The randomness is usually more apparent in the beginning of a Discworld book, where the story has a piece here and a piece there, and the narrative usually pieces itself together after one quarter into the book. In The Color of Magic, this feeling of randomness is even more apparent and persistent. This also means, the narrative in The Color of Magic is not very coherent. And some readers might find Discworld's maiden journey really difficult to follow. If The Color of Magic utterly confuses you, then don't worry, because you are not the only one who feels this way. Having said this, do not form an opinion about Discworld based on this book, because Sir Terry's style kept evolving as the series went on, and a lot of latter Discworld novels are nothing but pure gold.

It is not uncommon to hear a reader say, that despite having an interest in reading Discworld, but he/she feels overwhelmed by the series' sheer size and don't know where to start. If this is you, then I recommend The Color of Magic as an entry point. Yes, while The Color of Magic lacks Sir Terry's philosophical insights that made Discworld novels so good; but this book, as a first installment to a series, established the ground works for Discworld. The Color of Magic is a light, humorous introduction to Discworld, and it is an enjoyable read that can give a new comer to the series some general understanding about Discworld's culture, people, geography, and cities. Now that I have read The Color of Magic, I think my own adventure in Discworld could have been more exciting, if I had started the series at The Color of Magic instead of at Small Gods. But that no longer matters. The important thing is this, if you are a new comer to Discworld series, then I highly recommend starting it at The Color of Magic.

A Book Review: Book of the Dead by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

Ancient Egypt, a land of wonders and mysteries. Since a time immemorial, our culture always had a deep fascination with all things related to this ancient civilization. Lying at the root of our fascination with ancient Egypt, I think, is our propensity to be curious. We are naturally attracted to mysteries from our surroundings, and we like asking questions and finding answers. In this manner, Ancient Egypt, with its intriguing hieroglyphics, powerful dynasties, and mystifying custom/beliefs, leaves an irresistible scent of mystery that appeals to our curious nature. In arts and entertainment, our attraction to ancient Egypt has manifested in legions of sci-fi horror books, TV series, and movies about Egyptian artifacts, mythologies, mummies and pyramids. This also means, if done right, things from ancient Egypt can provide a perfect background for establishing a mystery/crime thriller.

Two master storytellers, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, explored the opportunity of flavoring their thriller novel with tastes of ancient Egypt. The result is a novel called Book of the Dead, the concluding chapter to a trilogy that began in Brimstone. And this book ended the bitter duel between agent Pendergast and his brother, Diogneses, in a most spectacular fashion.

Synopsis:

“Priceless jewels stolen from New York Museum of Natural History!”

While newspaper headline is heralding this shocking news, agent Pendergast is rotting in a maximum security prison after being framed for a series of murders, murders that were committed by his psychotic brother, Diogenes. Is this spelling the conclusion for Pendergast, the most formidable detective in history?

It was a normal working day at the museum; things were still settling down after the jewelery theft, when a strange package suddenly arrived in the hands of a museum employee. To the museum's dismay, it seems the thief has returned the collection of their priceless jewels, in pulverized form!

Who would do such a thing? Why steal priceless diamonds only to ground it to dust?

The looming mystery behind the theft, compounded with the permanent loss of these priceless jewels, are threatening to put a big dent on the museum's reputation. The museum's directors were desperate, they needed to pull off something quickly, something significant, to recover the institution’s name. Something like reopening the Tomb of Senef, a tomb has been collecting dust in the museum's basement since 1930 due to... bizarre circumstances. Yes, come to think of it, a grand reopening for this astounding, Egyptian tomb would surely seize New York's attention, and restoring the museum's damaged reputation to its former glory.

The museum assembled a team of scholars and engineers, and set them on a project to preparing the tomb for an exhibition. The team's leader is Dr. Nora Kelly, and her team has 6 weeks to fashion an exhibition so memorable that will leave an unforgettable memory on the minds of New Yorkers. Well, they are about to get what they are wishing for - A series of grotesque, mysterious murders began to spawn at the museum, echoing an ancient curse associated with the tomb. The fiasco, and its mysterious nature, sends a chill down everyone's spine. But it also popularized the tomb's upcoming, grand opening as the sounding of a gong. A lot of people, famous people, powerful people, are eager to attend the opening ceremony. But little do they know, the murders and the curse, are nothing but the prologue to a mind shattering nightmare...

My thoughts on this book:

Book of the Dead is a fast-paced thriller and a worthy addition to the series. Is it better than its predecessor, Dance of Death? No, while Book of the Dead is a good novel, but I do have a criticism about this book and I will discuss it later. For now, I would like to focus on discussing the strengths of this book.

Firstly, Book of the Dead tells a deeply atmospheric story. By combining plot devices such as a murder mystery, an Egyptian tomb, and an ancient curse, the author(s) blended these elements perfectly into the background of the story, which is set in a labyrinthine museum. Every chapter in this book beget in me a sense of lurking fear. The story created an edgy, tense feeling, that some abomination could be hiding in the dark corners and shadowy recesses of the museum, at any given moment, unleashing horror and striking at the characters. It was thrilling, dangerous, at the same time mystifying. Book of the Dead is surely among the most atmospheric installment in the series yet, and I love this book for it.

Major characters in this series, from D'Agosta, Laura Hayward, Bill Smithback, Nora Kelly, Constance Greene, and Viola Maskene, appeared in Book of the Dead. Each character takes on a key role in the story. This book is as much a story about Pendergast and Diogenes, as it is about these supporting characters. The story consists of multiple subplots, each one featuring a side character. These side stories not only mounted mystery to the story, but they also fleshed out each character's emotion and inner self. It was great character building. By the end of this book, it concluded the story between Pendergast and Diogenes, but it also resolved every single subplot that has been introduced into the series since Brimstone. In other words, as the concluding chapter to a trilogy, Book of the Dead left no stone unturned, and it does provide a satisfying conclusion.

All of this goes to say that I really like Book of the Dead, but I do have a criticism about this book – the ending felt anti climatic. Without loitering into the spoiler territory, let me just say that, the story reached its climax at about 90% into the book. Yes, the story's apex was amazing, it was full of mind numbing horrors, adrenaline rushing actions, and taut with an edgy tension. The story's apex was everything you can ever ask for in a thriller of this type! However, after the book's climax, instead of ending the story and tying up the loose ends with an epilogue, it dragged on for another one hundred pages. Sure, the last one hundred pages in this book tied the story up neatly. But it felt flat and unnecessary when compared against the first 90% of the book.

The anticlimactic ending may be a drawback, but it does not dim the luster that is emanating from this book. For the most part, Book of the Dead is on par with The Cabinet of Curiosities, which is arguably the best book in this series. Furthermore, it puts a satisfying full stop to the epic clash between Pendergast and Diogenes, and what a spectacular ending it is! When I rested this book back on my shelf, I couldn't help but wondering what the future holds for Pendergast, D'Agosta, and Constance. I am definitely planning to continue with this series in the near future. In the meantime, I confidently report that Book of the Dead is about as good as a thriller novel can be . If you are an enthusiast for the thriller genre, then go forth and read this series, and make sure you start from Relic. You will not regret opening its first page!

A Book Review: Dance of Death by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

  The best detective fictions are those stories where, a formidable detective clashes against an equally brilliant villain; Sherlock Holmes danced with Moriarty in a deadly battle of wits, and Mcguyver engaged Murdoc in a duel of intellects. In a mind-blowing detective story, the unstoppable meets the unmovable on a collision course, where the confrontation explodes into a supernova of mystery, thrills, and suspense, captivating audiences in an entrancing story that the mind cannot forget.

So where is the arch nemesis for Special Agent A.X.L. Pendergast of the FBI? In Dance of Death, the 6^th novel in a series of best-selling thrillers, author(s) Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child finally revealed a most dangerous and brilliant villain. This time, agent Pederast has finally met his match.

Synopsis:

Agent Pendergast of the FBI is missing in action and presumed dead. Pendergast's close friend, Vincient D'Agosta, is mourning for the loss of this formidable detective and his dear friend. Meanwhile, Pendergast's ward, Constance Greene, summoned D'Agosta to a meeting. She passed on to D'Agosta a letter, hand-written by Pendergast many months before his supposed demise. This secretive letter revealed to D'Agosta the shocking truth about Pendergast's brother, Diogenes, a genius who is also criminally insane.

D'Agosta stared, dumfounded, into the letter. He gradually came to grasp with the true horror behind his friend's last words – it is a dire warning that Dioegenes is about to execute a perfect crime. The letter leaves only one clue; Dioegenes may commit this crime on the 28^th of January. The question is, without Pendergast's deductive prowess to guide him, can Vincent D'Agosta stop Diogenes?

Meanwhile, in New York City, a university professor suddenly spiraled into insanity during a lecture. With his own bare hands, the maddenbing professor clawed his own face apart, then dropped dead on the floor. Could there be a link, connecting the professor's strange death to Diogenes' malicious plan? Yet, this is but the beginning to a series of bizarre, grotesque murders sprawling on New York's city streets. It is as if Death is encircling everyday citizens in a dance of approaching doom, a dance of death...

My thoughts on this book:

Bravo! I tip my hat to Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. Dance of Death proves itself to be another star, shining brightly in the constellation of the thriller genre. This novel does not stand alone as a self contained story. It is a sequel, the second book in a trilogy that began with Brimstone and it features the seismic duel between Pendergast and his brother, Diogenese.

A handful of trilogies suffer from the middle book syndrome, but along comes Dance of Death, a rare instance where the second book in a trilogy surpasses its predecessor in every aspect; from plotting, characterization, to its pacing. It is extremely difficult to find faults in this novel, because there is none. Its writings, energetic and vibrant, created an atmospheric story while allowing readers to easily visualize the scenes in their minds.

The series' favorite characters, such as Vincient D'Agosta, Laura Hayward, Bill Smithback, Nora Kelly, and Margo Green, all returned in Dance of Death and taking on important roles in the story. Furthermore, this book further explored two characters whom I found very interesting: Viola Masklene and Constance Greene. These two characters are relatively new to the series, they arrived on the scene with personal histories shrouded in mystery, but I can see they will be playing vital roles in the future books. I was particularly fond of the friendship between Vincient D'Agosta and Perdergast, which is much like the friendship between Sherlock Holmes and Watson. In some ways, one can almost say that D'Agosta, like Watson, is a sidekick. However, this book gave plenty of opportunities for D'Agosta to shine and be his own man. And he did! It suffices to say, in Dance of Death, D'Agosta broke the mold of being a sidekick, and he was the key to Pendergast's endeavor at stopping his brother.

When it comes to characterizing the main hero and the villain, Dance of Death excelled in this department. In this novel, Diogenes is a frightening villain. He is smart, ruthless, dangerous, and driven by a maddening hatred against his brother. Without spoiling the story, let me just say that in this novel, one feels that Diogenes has an edge over Pendergast. This also means, in Dance of Death, a reader can really feel a sense of danger not only for Pendergast, but for his friends too. This is the kind of book where an unexpected twist can punch you hard on the face at the moment when a surprise is least expected. That's what made this book so good!

One would have expected that, a thriller would lack the elements of mystery and suspense if the identity of the villain is already revealed, right? In Dance of Death, this is certainly not the case. This novel smells and tastes of powerful suspense and mystery. I think we can all agree that, it is no small feat to mount suspense and mystery in a book where the identify of the villain is revealed earlier in the book. So how did they do it? Basically, in Dance of Death, multiple sub plots run side by side. You have an overarching, main plot, and it focuses on the struggle between Pendergast and his brother. Meanwhile, every sub plot features a side character, and it represents a mystery, a piece in an intriguing puzzle that Pendergast must put together in order to stop Diogenes.

For a reader, the connection between each sub plot to the main plot does not appear to be obvious. But as the story progressed, the author(s) gradually revealed the answers to these mysteries, and I was very impressed by the clever way the narratives in this book pieces together its story. For an example, the sub plot that intrigued me the most, was the mystery surrounding Diogenes' deep hatred for Perdergast. Why do these two brothers hate each other so much? What was their history? This sub plot introduced a new supporting character, Eli Glinn, but it also gave us some insights into Pendergast's character, his inner thoughts and emotions. I enjoyed reading this part of the book, and although this novel never revealed the answer to this mystery, but it ended in a cliffhanger and it galvanized me. It provided a solution to the epidemics caused by Diogenes, but it also leaves plentiful of mystery and excitement, leading nicely into a sequel.

I have read 6 novels featuring the adventures of Agent Pendergast, every one of them is a blast, and Dance of Death is no exception. Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, these two authors know how to spin a good yarn. I recommend this series to fans of thrillers, mystery, and detective fictions. Having said this, do not start this series with Dance of Death. As I have mentioned earlier, while this novel is good, but it is the middle of a trilogy. I recommend starting this series from its beginning, with a book called Relic.

Until the next time, happy reading.

A Book Review: Skin Game by Jim Butcher (The Dresden Files #15)

Hells bells! The Dresden Files series just keeps getting better and better! In Skin Game, the 15^th installment in the series, Jim Butcher cranked up the firepower of his mad authoring skills and gave us a ripping yarn. But before I start to ranting about how good this book is, let me first establish some context. 

What is The Dresden Files?

The Dresden Files is a series of urban fantasy novels. The story is set in Chicago, it tastes strongly of neo noir, and these books feature the saga of Harry Dresden, a wizard PI who makes a living out of solving paranormal crimes with his otherworldly powers. In other words, when things go bump in the middle of the night, don't panic, steady your trembling hand, then pick up a phone and call Harry, his number is on the phone book!

So here you go, if you are craving for stories similar to Buffy The Vampire Slayer, or if you ever want to read stories about wizards, detectives, ghosts, vampires, werewolves, faeries and magics galore, then The Dresden Files books could be right up your alley.

Right, now that I have given an introduction to The Dresden Files, let me begin to share my thoughts about Skin Game. Hopefully you will enjoy reading my review, and find it useful in your own honorable quest at expanding your reading world.

Synopsis:

Peter Parker may say that with great power comes great responsibilities. For Harry Dresden, however, with great power comes great slavery.

What happened to this man? Ok, the curious case of Harry Dresden went like this:

Harry Dresden spent the most of his career as Chicago's only professional wizard. While wizardry hasn't induced Harry's bank account with obesity, but it has certainly created a lifestyle for Harry as adrenaline-rushing as hanging on the bonnet of a racing Lamborghini, then flying down the road at 180 miles per hour.

Two years ago, Harry made a bargain with the Queen of Air and Darkness in exchange for the power to rescue his daughter from vampires. As Harry's business concluded, he had to fulfill his part of the bargain by taking on the mantle of the Winter Knight.

Winter Knight? Sounds cool and heroic, right? How bad can it get? Let's fast forward the time by two years. Harry is now a powerful wizard and the Winter Knight, double whammy! But Mab, who is Harry's new boss, is not really one of the good guys, and as the power of winter surges through Harry's body, it gradually erodes away Harry's self control, and turning him into a monster. Simply putting it, Harry is the kind of guy who is willing to die for doing the right thing, but his new job tied his hands behind his back, and he is often forced into doing stuff against his will.

Things got even worse, when Mab traded Harry's skills to pay off one of her debts. This time, Harry must help a group of supernatural villains and breaking into a high security vault. Harry takes two major issues against this job; 1) Harry doesn't like helping the bad buys, and 2) This group is led by Nicodemus, a dangerous demon who is also Harry's most despised enemy. But if Harry refuses this job then his new boss promises to bring upon him a very painful and slow death, leaving Harry with no other choice but to play a game of heist, Ocean's Eleven style...

My thoughts on this book:

The first thing I am going to say, is that when I read the climax of this book, I screamed: “Polka will never die!”. It was like a war cry! And I am grateful my neighbors did not call the men in white coats. Huh? What on earth am I talking about? I am going to keep my lips sealed, read Skin Game for yourself and experience a phenomenon, one that will make you giggle like a mad man and feeling a gush of satisfaction, as the words in this book's ending reach your eyes.

I hope the above paragraph has fueled your interest in The Dresden Files. Or alternatively, if you are still in the early stage of exploring Harry Dresden's world (say, at book 3 to 6), and you feel worn down and irritated by the repetitiveness of those books, then I encourage you to stay vigilant and read on. This series gets better and better as it goes along, you will see. The last 5 installments in this series have been good, but the quality of Skin Game is in a different league. This is not just a “good” The Dresden Files novel. No, Skin Game is an excellent The Dresden Files novel.

Since Changes, Jim Butcher revamped the series. Instead of following the typical story structure where Harry was given a case to investigate, in the last 4 books, each one has a unique theme/plot of its own. i.e. the theme in Changes was about Harry rescuing his daughter, Ghost Story was about Harry's experience at being a ghost, where Cold Days provided a conclusion to the story that began in Changes, but also revealed information that melted every book in this series into one major story.

So what is the theme in Skin Game? This book is basically a heist story with magical swords, angels, demons, faeries, underworld mafias, and mythological gods. Skin Game is like Ocean's Eleven meets Brothers Grimm, and it packs a Herculean punch of urban fantasy. One thing I have come to appreciate more and more about this series, particularly in Skin Game, is the richness of folklore and mythology in this series. Jim Butcher weaved folklore and mythology, brilliantly, into the fabrics of his story. The generous use of folklore and mythology, coupled with a story set in modern day Chicago, and the submersion of the story in neo noir, bring into existence an urban fantasy world that is both atmospheric and immersive for a reader.

The story itself moves at a very fast pace. The writings are crisp and energetic, and Jim Butcher's prose provided vivid and picturesque descriptions to every scene in this book. The story itself comes packed with surprises and tension, it will draw you in and keeping you turning the pages. Furthermore, Skin Game also answered a few questions that were trailing in the wake of Cold Days. For examples, what happened to Molly after Cold Days? Will there be a new Knight of the Cross? Will Harry ever be a father to his daughter? The good news is, Skin Game answered most of those questions, but Jim Butcher also cleverly left crumbs on the path to build up an epic, two-books conclusion which will (hopefully) arrive on our bookshelves in the very near future.

This also means, this series' past favorites, characters such as Michael Carpenter and Waldo Butters, returned in this book to play major roles in the story. Without spoiling the story, let me just say if you like Michael and Waldo, then you are in for a treat! For me, both Michael and Waldo have been my favorite characters in this entire series, and I was more than joyous to greet these two colorful characters upon their return. Speaking of characterization, Jim Butcher developed Harry's character steeply in Skin Game. I was especially fond of the heart warming story about Harry' relationship with his daughter. Meanwhile, Harry's ongoing struggle, against the side effects from being a Winter Knight, painted another layer to his character, and making him even more humane. When it comes to characterization, from heroes to villains, Skin Game casts a group of vibrant, memorable characters as the they bring you, the reader, an unforgettable adventure.

Sadly, Skin Game is the latest installment in The Dresden File series. This means, upon finishing this book, you will join me (and many other readers) in the painful wait for the sequels. Words on the street is that Jim Butcher is planning to conclude Harry's saga in two more books, and he is still in the process of writing them. So far, Butcher has yet to reveal any information about the sequels' release date(s), but with the way this series has been developing, I'd wager the next two books will be nothing short of amazing in quality. In the meantime, if you have not read The Dresden Files, then I would highly recommend picking up this series. If on the other hand, you have already stepped into Harry's wonderful and magical world, then continue reading the series, because the latter installments in this series are about the best books you can get in this genre.

A Book Review: Cold Days by Jim Butcher (The Dresden Files #14)

I have had a love and hate relationship with The Dresden Files novels. This urban fantasy series, featuring the spell slinging, ass kicking, wizard PI Harry Dresden, have spanned over the length of 15 books and it is still ongoing. Some Dresden Files novels completely blew my mind with their sheer brilliance, but on the other hand, my thought about some other Dresden Files novels, especially the earlier installments, is a “meh” at the best.

It suffices to say that not all books in this series are the same quality, but I'd say as the series goes on, these books are getting better and better. By the time the series hits its 14^th installment, Cold Days, the story tingles and burns as a finely aged Scotch.

Synopsis:

Harry Dresden, Chicago city's only wizard PI, is a specialist of many otherworldly skills. Harry just added another competency to his list of ever growing supernatural talents – resurrection.

What? Other than shooting columns of fire from his fingertips, Harry has also acquired the power to bring dead people back to life? Well, not quite... You see, one year ago Harry died in an assassination. Just as Harry was resting in peace, and thinking that death was kinda cool, he suddenly woke up in a winter wonderland. Apparently 12 months have gone by since Harry died, and Mab, the Queen of Air and Darkness, brought Harry back to life and made him an offer he cannot refuse. Basically, Harry has no choice but to take on the mantle of Winter Knight and become a servant to Mab.

Mab wasted no time at cashing in the benefit from her latest weapon. She immediately charged Harry with his first mission. After all, Mab has plotted, long and hard, at snaring Harry into her service and now she is finally ripping the reward from her hard works. What is Harry's first assignment? Would it surprise you if I reveal the mission involves assassinating someone? I guess not, because Harry's new boss is supposedly one of the bad guys. But does this mean Harry has joined the dark side?

Questions, and more questions, let's hope answers will be revealed, as Chicago embraces its cold days.

My thoughts about this book:

Cold Days is an excellent addition to The Dresden Files series. This book did two things to the series that made Harry Dresden's compelling saga even better than before. Firstly, Cold Days wrapped up the “sub-series” that began in Changes in a spectacular fashion. By the time the story reached this book's end, it answered many questions and tied up a handful of sub-plots that began in Changes. Yet, this is not all; this book also revealed a major plot point that basically glued all previous 13 Dresden Files novels into one, cohesive story. Meanwhile, Cold Days also dropped hints at a bigger storm yet to hit Harry's world and it will leave you edging to read the next book. So, if you are a veteran to the wonderful world of Harry Dresden, then Cold Days should be sitting on your list of must read books.

Cold Days also provided a much welcomed change to its settings. Before Cold Days, a handful of installments were overloaded with stories about vampires. It got stale and repetitive. A wind of change is finally uplifting this series as Cold Days is dropping us back in the middle of a century old conflict between the winter and summer faeries. I, for one, really liked the settings in this book, because it shed lights into the hearts of many characters, both old and new, good and evil. I was particularly fond of the parts where the story focused on the uneasy, boss and servant relationship between Harry and Mab.

The Dresden Files is a very successful series. Even if you have only read one book in this series, I'd wager that you would find the characters memorable and likable. Furthermore, set in Chicago, this series comes with a strong neo-noir flavor that many people found highly attractive. This series' true strength, however, lies in Jim Butcher's ability to tell better and better stories as the series goes on. That's right! The later installments in this series are so much better than the earlier ones, especially when it comes to storytelling. Let me give you an example; in the earlier installments, Harry frequently found himself outgunned by monsters who were way stronger than him. How did he get out of these tight spots? He reached into his 'inner strength” and suddenly (and miraculously) found some power that helped him won the fights. When Jim Butcher used this “finding inner strength” plot device in the first 2 books, it was tolerable. However, when Butcher began to duplicate this deus-ex machina plot device, too many times, to get his hero out of tight spots, then it soon became old and cliched. It almost felt like the story was cheating you. In the latter installments in this series, however, Butcher slayed the monstrous head of cliche that was budding in these books, when he began to let Harry's nemesis, those whose powers were way above his league, to beat him bloody and senseless. In latter books, when Harry got himself into tight spots, his get out of jail cards were either his wits, or his friends. This change of storytelling added twists and surprises to the stories, but it also shrouded our heroes in a real sense of danger. 

In Cold Days, Jim Butcher took his storytelling up a notch, because this time, not only does this relentless story move at a lightning fast pace, but the plot itself is utterly unpredictable. Just as when you think Harry has got everything under control, a surprise would suddenly seize the story in the next paragraph, then doing a plot 180. Up to date, I think Cold Days tells the most compelling story in all of Harry's sagas. Reading this book brought me lots of fun, and it entertained me from the moment I cracked open its first page until closing off its last.

Simply put, Cold Days is an excellent addition to The Dresden Files series. This book is smoking good! So good that I would rank it as the second best in the whole series after Dead Beat - Why? Because Polka will never die! (what on earth am I talking about? Read Dead Beat and find out for yourself). Cold Days scores big on characterization and its twisted plot would blow your cranium right off your skull with a gusto of surprises. If you have already ventured into the dark and strange world of Harry Dresden, then keep at it; good stuff, golden stuff, awaits for you. If you have yet to step into the daring, magical life of Chicago's only wizard PI, then do your imagination a favor, trek to a library or a bookstore near you and grab a copy of Storm Front, the book that started the tale of Harry Dresden.