A Book Review: Leviathan by David Lynn Golemon (Event Group Thrillers #4)

Here is an exercise. Let your power of imagination roam free, then try to spin an entertaining yarn, about 300 pages in length, by joining the dots (any that you can spot) between 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and The Count of Monte Cristo. Pretty hard, right? Such a feat, however, presents a small difficulty if you are David Lynn Colemon, the author of Leviathan, which is the 4^th installment in a series of Sci-fi thriller novels called “Event Group Thrillers”.

What is Event Group? From the inventive mind of David Lynn Colemon comes Event Group (or Department 5656), it is a fictitious, secret organization in the US government. With its base sitting in the bowels of Neveda, Event Group recruits the best and the brightest individuals in the country, at its front line stands the most brilliant people from multiple disciplines, such as science, philosophy, archeology and military. Colonel Jack Collins leads this dream team, together they dedicate their lives to uncovering the hidden truth behind the mythical and legendary events around the world, events that changed the human history.

If my description for Event Group interests you, then feel free to continue reading my book review on Leviathan. I don't think Event Group Thrillers is a widely known series, so if you enjoy this type of thrillers then may you discover a hidden gem in your honorable quest at expanding your reading world.

Synopsis:

Ships around the world are disappearing without a trace, and major seaports are sustaining waves after waves of terrible assaults. The attacks froze the global network of marine transport. Meanwhile, the identity of the assailant remains shrouded in mystery. The United Nations, driven to frenzy by the economic repercussions from this new threat, can do little but staring helplessly on as this stealthy enemy suffocates the world at its throat.

Enters Event Group, the secret ace in the hand of the US government. Led by Colonel Jack Collins, Event Group dug into history and unveiled a most astonishing discovery - Jules Verne's novel has come to life, and behind the series of ruthless attacks lies a mad genius whose vengeful wrath, can only be matched by Edmond Dantes himself.

From the deep fathom of the ocean rises a cold vengeance; its name is Leviathan, and it will spare no one on earth. Who can stop the dooming march of this mighty beast?

My thoughts on this book:

Leviathan is my first adventure with Event Group and I find it a pleasant surprise. This thriller novel exhibits a strong inclination to sci-fi, and it tells a very creative story. The greatest strength of this book, in my opinion, is its characterization. More than a handful of thrillers suffer from a problem, where the story features a cookie cutter, stereotypical antagonist who is weak and lacks a convincing motive. Leviathan, on the other hand, thrives on the story's fascinating antagonist. David Lynn Golemon did an excellent job at characterizing the antagonist, who is one of those fascinating characters that pushes the boundary between good and bad. In this book, Golemon explored the antagonist in depth and then presented the other side of the argument. How did Golemon achieve this level of deep characterization? Leviathan began with a prologue 50 pages in length, it established the background and the history of the antagonist. This is a somewhat unusual style for narrating a story, but it is also very effective at drilling an impression for the antagonist, marrow deep, into a reader's mind.

The second virtue for Leviathan is its fast-paced, suspense filled narratives. There is not a single dull moment in this book. The plot is not overly complex, but it still packs a bag of twists that will surprise you. It suffices to say, Levithan is a very entertaining thriller and it is the kind of book that will keep you reading late into the night. Having praised this novel, I do think this book is not without a weakness; it overpopulated the story with too many characters. The overabundance of characters made it difficult to follow the story. Especially in the first 30% of the book. Other than the story's protagonist, Jack Collins, and the antagonist (who I will not name here), it took a while for the side characters to sink into my brain. I think this is because some of the side characters are not distinctive, they are too similar to each other. However, upon reaching the halfway point, I developed a firm grasp of who is who in the story, then I encountered little difficulty to track the plot. From there, the story moved as a rolling boulder down a hill, all the way to the end.

Reading Leviathan was a blast, a very entertaining experience for me. I like the story's originality, and I admire Golemon's wonderful creativity. Yes, this book may not be perfect because it has too many characters. But its fascinating antagonist, combined with a story moving at an unrelenting pace, easily outshine its minor flaw. It is very unfortunate my local library only collects 7 out of 11 novels in this series, and book 1 is missing on its shelf so I will not be able to read the first adventure in this series. Luckily, as with most thriller novels, the books in this series are telling stand alone stories, so reading them out of order will not have a disastrous effect should I continue to the next installment. In the meantime, I highly recommend Leviathan to fans of science fiction and thrillers. Especially to those readers who are fond of books written by authors such as James Rollins, Jules Vernes, and Tom Clancy.

Until the next time, happy reading!

A Book Review: Eric by Terry Pratchett (Discworld #9)

Ever heard of the motif, “made a pact with the devil?” Exemplified by the German legend, Faust, this motif is ingrained into the western culture. Today, we use this motif in our everyday conversations. Especially when we are describing a person who gained quick gratifications at the expense of suffering negative consequences. In Eric, the 4^th tale featuring the inept wizard Rincewind, Terry Pratchett parodied the legend of Faust; and with a flare from Dante's Inferno, he weaved a short and magical Discworld adventure that also comes with a touch of wisdom.

Synopsis:

Eric Thursley, 13 years old, a resident of Ankh Morkpork and a demonologist, dreams of 3 things: 1) Become the ruler of the world, 2) Meet the most beautiful woman who ever lived, and 3) To live for ever.

This ambitious young man will stop at nothing to turn his dreams into a reality, even if it means summoning a demon to do his bidding. With a sword in the hand and the chanting of spells, Eric summoned a demon in a puff of smoke. Seconds later, on the floor of his mother's house lays a man-looking demon clothed in a red robe and wearing a pointy hat. The “demon” woke up and told Eric that he is not a demon, that his name is Rincewind, the wizard of precarious magical ability from The Unseen University.

“The demon is lying”, thought Eric. As a proof that the demon is being deceitful, Eric demanded Rincewind to snap his fingers and make things happen. To Rincewind's horror, however, he discovered that snapping his fingers really does work magic. How? Eric's parrot explained, because Rincewind is summoned as a demon, so he is bound to the conditions of being a demon. This supernatural job's package, the parrot said, comes with the power to wield magic and the terms to fulfilling his summoner's wishes.

Eric is ecstatic beyond himself. With Rincewind's aid, Eric's dream can finally come true! But what did they say? Be careful what you wish for. This is especially true if you are relying on Rincewind to granting you wishes. 

My thoughts on this book:

Eric breaks into the massive Discworld library with its texts accompanied by beautiful illustrations, painted by artist Josh Kirby. Some readers may feel that the illustrations are distracting, but I like the illustrations in this book, because it fully captures the colorful, vibrant, and eccentric tone of Discworld. In other words, Josh Kirby's illustrations added much luster to Eric.

The next item on my table of discussion, is the story itself. Counting to 160 pages, Eric is probably the shortest novel in the series. This novel feels like an epilogue to the cliffhanger that ended Sourcery. This book is funny, Terry Pratchett packed a fistful of jokes on its pages that will make a reader smiles a toothy grin. Furthermore, fans of classics will appreciate the numerous references to The Divine Comedy and Odyssey.

However, when I was reading this book, I couldn't help but feel that Eric is perhaps the weakest Discworld novel in the series. Why? As I have mentioned in my previous reviews for Discworld books, such as The Color of Magic and The Light Fantastic, randomness is a DNA of Discworld stories (especially the earlier installments). I consider myself a person who normally appreciates the use of randomness and its humorous effects. However, overusing this type of storytelling device can make a story very difficult to follow. In the case of Eric, too many pieces and threads are flying around in this book, and one struggles to make sense of the story. When I was reading this book, I often revisited the previous pages because the story confused me. Yes, Eric is funny, and its story moved at a fast pace; but Rincewind's 4^th adventure, the shortest in Discworld, is also the hardest to follow.

I am no longer religious (and from what I know, neither was Sir Terry), but a theme from Eric jumped out and grabbed my interest, and that was the theme about hell. In Eric, Sir Terry poked fun at the traditional conception, borrowed from the Greeks, that hell is a place of fire and brimstone. But how can you suffer and feel the pains from fire and torture, if you are dead and no longer have flesh and nerve endings? Look, I don't think Sir Terry meant to pursue this line of inquiry seriously, it was more just for humor. Because obviously, those who believe in hell will come up with their own interpretations about what hell is like, to make the existence of hell seem more plausible. For an example, in C.S. Lewis' book, The Great Divorce, he suggested that hell is the seeking of loneliness, where one resents the Christian god and is horrified at the fact that he can see heaven, but he is not worthy to go there. The question to Lewis' interpretation of hell, then, is what if you actually PREFER to be left alone? If Lewis is correct, then for those who prefer solitude, hell is not hell but an amazing paradise! Ok, one might counter argue, and say that such a person is not aware the loneliness of hell is causing him great suffering. Sure, but the same can be said about a person in heaven, that he/she is unaware that the amazing delights (whatever it may be) that he/she is experiencing in heaven are in fact, great sufferings, when viewed from the perspective of a person in "hell". This way, we arrive at a most mind-blowing conclusion, that no one in the afterlife (if there is one), be it in heaven or in hell, will ever know, for sure, if his/her eternal experience is joy or suffering! It is subjective to personal preferences! This also means, you might think you have arrived in heaven because you find the experience of the place delightful and it matches what your religion taught you about heaven, but you can never sure you are in heaven, because another person with a different religious belief and personal preference, at the opposite realm, might look upon your self-perceived, joyful experience and see it as being nothing short of indescribable suffering of hell and you are just not aware of it!

At this point, those who believe in hell will obviously come up with further explanations, which in my experience, provides a response but in the process usually leads to two more questions. It is an never ending Q&A, where the questions always grow exponentially upon the delivery of every attempted answer! Ok wait, how did I get here? My intention, is not to open up a theological can of worm on the subject of hell. No, I am reviewing a book so let me get back to it. Either way, I just want to mention, that in Eric, Terry Pratchett suggested, what makes hell insufferable is boredom (haven't you heard the saying, bored as hell?). Now, that is a very interesting suggestion, even though I think Sir Terry was aiming more at creating humor than providing a serious, theological thought about hell. And here I will close my review after this detour into a discussion about hell.

I do like Eric. I love Josh Kirby's beautiful illustrations, and I appreciated the numerous references to Dante's Inferno and Odyssey. Eric's story is funny, and it has an interesting theme. Yet, I think Eric is the weakest novel in Discworld's magical achieve. Too many pieces are floating around in the story, making Eric's adventure quite difficult to follow. Having said this, a true fan of Discworld will probably gobble up this book as another delightful installment in the series, as I have done.

A Book Review: Sourcery by Terry Pratchett (Discworld #5)

In the 3^rd adventure featuring Rincewind, an inept wizard on Discworld, Terry Pratchett invited his readers on an mis-adventure of magic, magic, and more magic! This book, is called Sourcery (No, I have not misspelled Sorcery, this book IS called Sourcery). This is one of the earlier Discworld books, and like The Color of Magic and The Light Fantastic, Sourcery is a light, and fun parody of the sword and sorcery genre.

Synopsis:

Once upon a time, A and B entered a profound discussion about the truth to everything. Their discussion became the turning point for the lives of all sentient species in existence. Below is a record for their mind-blowing exchange of dialogues:

A: “They say, like father, like son.”

B: “Ok, but who is “they”? Who said this?”

A: “Ah ha, now you are thinking critically and asking the right question. Never let the search for truth end, abruptly, at an assumption. Instead, one should trace BACK to the source, use the first principle, and always ask “where did this come from?”.

B” “Hmm, by your own admission, we should never settle an answer on an assumption; this should also apply to the epistemic method you have outlined here, right? So tell me, why do you assume that “going backward”, is the only way to find the source? What if, we can also find the source by going forward?”

A: “All right, you got me there. Inconsistencies are plaguing my epistemology. I admit defeat! Come to think of it, you may be onto something there when you suggested, that perhaps we can also locate the source by going forward.”

Continue....

A: “In a galaxy not so far away, there is this place called Discworld. As its name suggests, this world is as flat as a disc (a scientifically proven fact). On Discworld, magic is a reality. Now, some people are going to ask, what is the source, the ground, for the existence of Discworld's magic? It's a bit complicated. Basically, the source of Discworld's magic can be found by the reversing the first principle. In other words, the answer to the question about the source, does not lie always in regression, but sometimes, in progression.”

Continue...

A: “Once upon a time, an eighth son gave birth to an eighth son, who became a wizard. That wizard went on and had seven sons. When he had the eighth son (that is a wizard squared, mind you!), the son became a sourcerer – the source of magic. This is known as the theory of sourcery. By the way, this is all mathematics, really.”

Continue...

A: “Furthermore, the theory of sourcerry is supported by an irrefutable evidence, because the sourcerer went on and almost destroyed the Disc, an event witnessed by many. A very nice gentleman called Terry Pratchett recorded this history in a book that he wrote, it is called Sourcerry. Actually, why don't you go and read it?”

My thoughts on this book:

In my opinion, Terry Pratchett was the best satirist since Jonathan Swift. However, if you are like me, who have read the latter installments in Discworld and then coming back to read his earlier works, then one cannot help but notice, that in a book such as Sourcery, Sir Terry's prowess as a satirist was not yet evident. In fact, I would say that in Sourcery, the 5^th installment in Discworld, Sir Terry had yet to scratch the surface of what he was going to do with this series latter on, one that would go on and become a most powerful satirist fantasy series beloved by millions of readers.

In other words, like the earlier stories featuring the cowardly wizard Rincewind, Sourcery is a straight parody of the Sword and Sorcery genre. In this book, Terry Pratchett poked fun at the fantasy literature by parodying the genre's tropes. In Sourcery, Sir Terry cast his story with a pool of eccentric, but vibrant characters; an inept wizard, a skinny barbarian hero who consults a manual before he acts, a damsel who is actually an ass-kicking barbarian warrior, and a sentient luggage who walks on hundreds of little legs. With colorful, and picturesque portrayals Terry Pratchett depicted these characters. Every one of them grows into memorable characters. In Sourcery, Terry Pratchett showed the readers, why he was among the best authors when it came to writing a character and describing things. This is especially evident from his characterization of the luggage, who is by far, my favorite character in this book. As an example, in this book there is a scene where the luggage fell in love with the alleged damsel. It walked alongside her protectively, but was kicked aside. It then turned around with a shocked and a hurtful “look” on it. Ok, the luggage doesn't have a face, and it doesn't speak, so how did Sir Terry communicate the luggage's shock and hurt over its unrequited love? Read the book, and I think you will come to appreciate the genius of Terry Pratchett's writing as much as I do.

One cannot help but feel, that reading some Discworld novels is a bit like watching Monty Python movies. Sir Terry's literary works can be very random at times, and some Discworld novels, some books more than the others, have pieces that appear randomly without being a part of the story. For an example, I think The Color of Magic may confuse a new comer to the Disc. Sourcery, the first 2/3 of it at least, on the other hand, tells its story in a manner more cohesive than in The Color of Magic and The Light Fantastic. However, the last 50 pages in this book became a bit blurry for me, I struggled to make sense of the ending, because as this novel moved closer and closer to its end, too many random things were popping up and I couldn't understand how it fitted into the story. This, is my main criticism about this book.

Despite coming out of Rincewind's third adventure and being slightly dazed by its ending, I had a fun time reading Sourcery. I love the characters in this book, and the story put a smile on my face. As I mentioned earlier, Sourcery is an early work in the series, and it had yet to scratch the surface of Discworld. But it is a humorous novel nevertheless, and it also serves as an excellent introduction to the series. I will recommend this novel, but one should read this book after The Color of Magic and The Light Fantastic.    

A Book Review: War Hawk by James Rollins and Grant Blackwood (Tucker Wayne #2)

  An age of technological revolution is descending upon us. Machines are coming online and replacing humans. Meanwhile, everything we are saying and doing, are being recorded on the internet and visible to anyone with the correct tools and the access. In today's world, taking over a whole country is a matter of punching in a few commands on a computer terminal. In the mean time, governments around the world are accelerating the pace to privatize, outsourcing works to commercial corporations, including applications that are paramount to national security, such as law enforcement, intelligence, and the military. However, corporations exist for monetary gains. So at this rate, will Philip K. Dick's dystopian vision come true, where megacorporations emerge in the near future, possessing too much power and use it for self-serving purposes?

This pressing question sets the theme for James Rollin's new thriller novel, War Hawk, the second installment in a spin-off series of Sigma Force, featuring retired US Army Ranger Tucker Wayne, and his trusty, canine brother, Kane.

Synopsis:

What is democracy?

Former Army Ranger, Tucker, and his war dog, Kane, are about to undertake a dark voyage and expose a conspiracy that will alter the foundation of democracy in America. Their journey began during a scenic tour to the Yellow Stone, when Tucker was contacted by Jane Sabatello, a former army colleague in need of his help. A ruthless assassin, said a distressed Jane, will stop at nothing to kill her and her son.

Tucker is determined to help Jane. Together with Kane, Tucker must uncover a hidden link, starting from the murder of a young idealist and leading back to a powerful group in association with the US government. Now, a former solider and his loyal war dog are stepping into the shadowed ruins of a southern plantation, to unveil a mystery from World War II, a mystery tracing back to the father of computer, Alan Turing.

My thoughts on this book:

If you are seeking some good thriller novels, I will point you to James Rollins and his Sigma Force series. And I tell you, War Hawk is among the top books in Sigma Force universe.

War Hawk is the second book in a spin-off series of Sigma Force, and it features Tucker, and his war dog, Kane. James Rollins first introduced Tucker and Kane in Bloodline, and the duo was warmly received by readers and fans. Rollins felt that he has more stories to tell about these two characters, leading to this spin-off series, which began with The Kill Switch.

I have read every single book that belongs to Sigma Force's franchise. I like all of them, because every Sigma Force story is a cross between history, science fiction, mystery and action. Rollins cleverly mixes facts and fictions, and bringing into Sigma Force stories a touch of Issac Assimov, a taste of Dan Brown, and moving with the actions of Indiana Jones. War Hawk, however, differs slightly from other Sigma Force books because it is more believable. What do I mean? Most Sigma Force novels traversed into the realm of science fiction, where the stories are often based on conjectures of a scientific theory, or a technology yet to be invented. In other words, while other Sigma Force novels can intrigue a reader with scientific possibilities, and thrill a reader with mysteries, yet one cannot help but feel that, a gap exists between the scenarios from those books and the reality.

War Hawk, on the other hand, is a different book. Rollins based this story on the existing technology, and creating a scenario that could take place in the reality. I mean, let's examine a few elements in this book and see if they already exist in our world: 1) Military UAV, checked. 2) Corporate greed, checked, 3) Developing artificial intelligence, checked. This book thrilled me, not only because it tells a story full of suspense, but because of its realism. As I was reading this book, it sent a shiver down my spine because I recognized, that the scenario in War Hawk may not be far-fetched.  

This book has an interesting premise, but its most attractive quality is the characterization. Tucker, a battle scarred ex-soldier struggling with PTSD, plays the role of the protagonist. Rollins penned Tucker's character as a decent man, who genuinely tries to do the right thing, while seeking refuge from his horrid memories of wars. Tucker is accompanied by his loyal war dog, Kane, who (arguably) stole the show in this book. Apparently, war dogs and their handlers can form very deep bonds with each other. James Rollins captured, movingly, the deep friendship between Tucker and Kane. Speaking of which, Kane shares the centre stage of the story as a main protagonist next to Tucker. But Kane is a dog, how does one characterize an animal who cannot speak? Rollins, being a master storyteller, has an ingenious solution where he told certain parts of the story from Kane's perspective, and it worked brilliantly!

It suffices to say, Kane is easily my favorite character in the book and I am very fond of him. And Rollins never shied away from putting Kane in situations of real danger. When I was reading this book, my heart raced whenever Kane charged into perils and stared at death in the face. Reading War Hawk, was a nail biting adventure. This novel's characterization, however, is not flawless. In my opinion, the weakness arrived when the book introduced its antagonist. Yes, the book gave the bad guy a believable motive. Yet, I couldn't help but felt a lot of wasted potentials in this character, because Rollins did not explore the antagonist properly. Instead, the story lightly brushed over the bad guy's background and history.

War Hawk blasts its way into the archive of Sigma Force with a touch of realism and it is doused in a healthy coat of action and suspense. This thrilling story, thought provoking and nerve-wracking, has a nice undertone to it, and it will make you think about some problems in our world, such as corporate greed. When I returned this book to the library, I could not help but wonder when Tucker and Kane will return for their next adventure. Hopefully, the wait won't be too long. Meanwhile, I highly recommend War Hawk to my fellow readers, especially to those who are fond of reading thrillers.

Until the next time, happy reading!

A movie review: Kubo and the Two Strings

“If you must blink, do it now.”

Have you seen a movie called Kubo and the Two Strings? If you answer this question with a “no”, then go see it now! And if you decide to watch this movie, then make sure you take the advice above; blink before the movie starts, because once this stunning film starts to unfold on the silver screen, you will not want to miss a single frame of it.

Kubo and the Two Strings, is a stop-motion, fantasy action film produced by Laika. This beautiful, hand-crafted movie won numerous praises from both audiences and critics alike, scoring 96% on Rotten Tomatoes and 84% on Metacritic. But sadly, not many people are aware of this movie (probably due to poor marketing?), and it is not getting the attention it deserves at the box office.

Synopsis:

In a small, seashore village of Japan lived an one-eyed boy and his mother. The boy, named Kubo, made a modest living out of basking with his shamisen and telling stories of wonder and adventure, at the village's market.

Kubo's quiet life turned upside down, when he summoned, accidently, a terrible foe from the past. Now, gods and monsters seek to exact vengeance upon Kubo, chasing him to the end of the earth. Kubo does not understand what fuels his foe's bloodthirsty vendetta, only that it has something to do with his remaining eye. Outmatched by such a powerful nemesis, Kubo's only hope, is to find a suit of magical armor once belonged to his father, who was the greatest Samurai warrior in Japan.

My thoughts about this movie:

Lavished in storytelling and bursting to life with stunning pictures, Kubo and the Two Strings is entering my list for favorite animated movies of all time!

Kubo and the Two Strings opened its terrific story with a breathtaking scene. From there, this movie enchanted me with its striking images and a very memorable story. This movie's cinematography, lit the silver screen with beautiful lighting and rich coloring, while ear-pleasing soundtracks accompanied the telling of a timeless story. The result? This film fully captured the mythical atmosphere of medieval Japan, and brought Kubo's world vividly to life. After the movie I discovered, that Laika hand-crafted Kubo and the Two Strings. Yes, hand-crafted! The production team built puppets, models of buildings, and every other objects in this movie. Then they meticulously moved the objects, by hand, shot the individual frame painstakingly, and finally combined every frame together to make a 90 minutes long movie. This revelation shocked me, the first time I set my eyes on this film, I thought Kubo and the Two Strings was rendered by CGI. Never in a million years had I guessed that such a beautiful movie was hand-crafted by a team of very dedicated, passionate artists.

In a day and age where most Hollywood studios are busy pumping out waves of sequels for superhero movies, Kubo and the Two Strings is really standing out as a rare gem. Why? This movie actually tells an original story! This is a movie that paces itself  and tells its story properly. And it narrates such a moving tale that is also a powerful metaphor. Kubo and the Two Strings may be a melancholic story. After the movie, you may leave the cinema with an aftertaste of bitter and sweet, where the corner of your eye glistens with a small drop of moist. Yet, you will remember this story, because Kubo's tale is ultimately a beautiful metaphor about mortality and grief. That is why, a week has passed since I left the cinema, but Kubo's story still lingers on my mind. It is an unforgettable journey. A sad, but beautiful tale. And I believe people of all ages can find something they can take away after seeing this film.

Having heaped praises on this movie, I must say Kubo and the Two Strings is not without its flaws. If there is one thing I must criticize about this masterpiece, then it is its humor. This movie attempted some humorous reliefs through its dialogues. Perhaps, the occasional humor was for balancing against the melancholy at the vein of Kubo's story. However, I thought the humor didn't execute well in this movie, and the jokes just didn't hit the funny tone. Instead of tickling your funny bone, the humors in this movie often came across cliched and off beat. Fortunately, only a few humorous reliefs are in this movie, so it is not a big deal.

Laika produced a masterpiece. Kubo and the Two Strings is simply, one of the best movies this genre has to offer in recent years. This movie really is a labor of love! It is a complete mystery why, this beautifully crafted film, is failing to pull a large audience. I hope this movie will perform well at the box office, so this studio and its talented artists can make more movies of quality this high. I strongly recommend Kubo and the Two Strings. Should you decide to watch this movie, then I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did.

P.S.

Kubo and the Two Strings is rated PG. So is this movie suitable for children? Personally, I think this movie may be too much to handle for a child under the age of 10. How? Without loitering into the spoiler territory, let me just say two characters from this movie looked very spooky. Furthermore, as I have mentioned earlier, Kubo's story is melancholy. I think certain moments in the story could upset little children. For the older kids, however, the main theme behind Kubo's story, about one's mortality, may have some educational benefit.

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.