Tuesday, November 16, 2004

I’m so rornery….

First off, over at the SFFWorld forums I help administrate, we are running an Interactive discussion with acclaimed Fantasy & Science Fiction author Matthew Woodring Stover [Iron Dawn, Jericho Moon, Heroes Die, Blade of Tyshalle, Traitor (Star Wars: New Jedi Order), Shatterpoint (A Clone Wars Novel), and the forthcoming novelization of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith]. We ran an interactive discussion with R.A. Salvatore (creator of the Forgotten Realms icon Drizzt Do'Urden, the best-selling DemonWars/Corona saga, and two Star Wars novels – the first New Jedi Order novel (Vector Prime) and the Episode II – Attack of the Clones novelization) in the past, which was very successful and garnered a very good response from our forum members. Mr. Salvatore seemed to enjoy it and he provided great feedback to all of the questions.

Second, How Dungeons Changed the World via Locus Magazine Online

Third, SFSite’s Mid-November issue went live today, which always helps to keep the month moving along. Rick Norwood liked The Incredibles, but not as much as I did, and Rick liked Team America about as much as I did. Parker and Stone delivered a very entertaining satirical musical with great songs like America – FUCK YEAH, I’m So Ronery and Pearl Harbor. My favorite line is probably from the Pearl Harbor song, either I miss you like Michael Bay missed the mark with Pearl Harbor or I need you like Ben Affleck needs acting school/He was terrible in that film.

Fourth, more rumors (via Comic Book Resources) of the proposed Green Lantern movie, and drum-roll…its Ben Browder of FarScape fame. Honestly, right now, I can’t know of a better choice. He helped carry FarScape to four seasons and one recent Mini-series. He’s proven he can work with SF material (if GL isn’t Science Fiction, I don’t know what comic book is), he has fit in with alien creatures that are part and parcel of some of the GL stories. Whether it’s the Kyle Rayner GL or the Hal Jordan GL, both have come across, at times, as a wiseass, a smartass and cocky (in-a-humorous manner), three characteristics that helped define Browder’s portrayal of Commander John Crichton on FarScape. So paint me one happy fanboy should this ever really happen, since a Green Lantern movie has been rumored for over 10 years. But hey, Spidey was in all sorts of development hell for about the same period of time, and that turned out ok, didn’t it?

Finished up Jonathan Strange the other day. There was a good story at the heart of the book, but the style didn’t entirely agree with me and utlimately decreased my overall enjoyment of the novel. I appreciate she wrote the novel in a specific style (19th Century English novel), but it was never a style I thoroughly enjoyed. I think she did a great job of building up a plausible magical England, and a history of magic in England, and a good job with the characters, but I would have been happier if the novel were trimmed a couple of hundred pages (it is almost 800 pages). I would probably give it 3.5 out of 5 stars. Will I read the sequel? Probably. Will I rush out to read it? Depends on what is on my reading plate at the time.

Speaking of rushing out to read a book…as soon as that was finished, I jumped into Tad WilliamsShadowmarch and I’m absolutely loving every bit of it. This is exactly what Epic Fantasy should be. This just may challenge Greg KeyesThe Charnel Prince for my favorite read of this year’s releases.

In sports news Barry Bonds was voted the NL MVP yesterday, the safe choice, and honestly, one that is a little tough to argue. However, for as good as he is, he comes across twice as arrogant on the field. The better choice would have been Adrian Beltre, the Dodgers would not have been in the playoffs without him, no questions about it. I personally would have gone with Pujols, probably the best offensive player in the game, and hey kids, he actually runs, instead of saunters, to first base.

Does anybody read this?

No comments: