A Man Betrayed, J. V. Jones, Warner Aspect Trade Paperback, $12.99/$16.25 Canada, 504 pgs.
This is the second book in “The Book Of Words,” series, the first book being “The Baker’s Boy.” This book continues the story of Jack, the aforementioned baker’s boy, Melliandra, headstrong daughter of a nobleman, Prince Kylock the demented who benefits from his father’s untimely death, and the knight Tawl, oathbroken and destitute. Before I get carried away let me tell you the final book is out now so it would be an opportune time to get involved with this series.
This is a big series with a big story to tell. Frankly, fantasy trilogies are a dime a dozen (actually, at about $60 a throw, a dozen trilogies would cost about $720 in hardcover). All trilogies, it seems, have cover art by the same artists depicting the same scenes of juvenile questing and they all disappoint to a varying degree. This is what I had in mind when I approached the first book. In fact, it sat on my desk for quite some time. I’m sorry I waited.
J. V. Jones is an excellent author and while she may very well be a single shot artist, the single shot is well worth following. This is a tale of depth, of many characters who constantly surprise, of treachery and wickedness wrapped in good intentions and self preservation. This is the story of people caught in the decision point of history, all playing a reluctant part and all having a say in what the future might be. This is, and a rare thing indeed it is, a story worth following. Jones uses a pacing style where every chapter moves to follow a different character, whose story may or may not reflect on the character in the previous chapter. This is a time-worn device to break action up into palatable segments and sometimes it is transparent. In this case we are actually sorry to leave each character, wanting to know how things turn out but then immediately enraptured by the new set of circumstances. And there are many characters worth following, which brings me to another point concerning how Jones manages to really construct her characters as fully developed individuals.
This is really a wonderful book and a wonderful series. Jones has done a masterful job of pacing, plotting and story construction. That she is also a first published author just makes it all the more amazing.
The Prophecy, Dimension, Rated R, 97 min., Starring Christopher Walken, Elias Koteas, Virginia Madsen, Eric Stoltz, Directed by Gregory Widen, Music by David C. Williams, Written by Gregory Widen.
This is a film that contains some truly amazing scenes, superb acting--even in the supporting roles, and a story that is tautly told and perfectly directed.
This is the story of the second war of heaven; the war fought between the angels and initiated by the creation of man and man’s soul. Eric Stoltz plays Simon, an angel searching for the black soul which will make or break mankind. Elias Koteas plays a failed priest turned cop who gets sucked into the whole affair and Christopher Walken plays Gabriel who is also looking for the soul but for different reasons.
Widen uses an almost transparent direction so we are, almost wholly, unaware that we are watching a film. The feel is that we are watching reality unfold before us. Widen also wrote the screenplay so if you ever want to see how vision should be translated watch this film. Widen creates some wonderful scenes involving the angels to make them come alive as beings without using hokey effects. The conclusion of the film is taut and full of action and suspense. I won’t spoil it but will let you know that it involves a dead woman, Satan, a convertible, American Indians and a school teacher.
This is a wonderful genre film that each and every one of you should go out and rent, if not for the pure vision and the plain enjoyment then for the support that Widen needs as both Director and writer. We need him to produce more work.
Traveling With The Dead, Barbara Hambly, Del Rey Hardcover, $22/$31 Canada, 343 pgs.
This is pretty much the first Hambly I’ve read. I know she has a huge following and has produced a pile of books and that she is treasured amongst the hordes of vampires, especially in the Toronto area. This particular book uses many of the characters and settings in her previous work but you don’t have to have read them in order to understand what’s going on here. In fact, reading this book may make you want to work backwards.
This is basically the story of the wife of one Dr. James Asher who sets out to find her missing husband by enlisting the aid of a London vampire, thus the title. The story is really her story and how she gets along with the old master. Certainly her husband’s tale is interspersed so we are kept apprised of what he is doing but the focus is really mostly on her. Strange if you think about it since the action which drives the tale does not focus on her at all. Still, Hambly writes in a very easy reading style and the pacing is so smooth that the pages turn enjoyably and it is not until much later that we realize we have been misdirected. A fun read.
Mars Attacks: War Dogs Of The Golden Horde, Ray W. Murill, Del Rey Hardcover, $18/$25 Canada, 281 pgs.
In 1962 the Topps Chewing Gum company released a set of trading cards that rocked the country. The cards depicted an invasion of Earth from Mars. The shock came with the often graphic depiction of atrocities committed by the invading aliens. The cards were quickly pulled from shelves. Now, more than 35 years later, they’re back, with a movie directed by Tim Burton and a line of novels. This is one of those novels. It is the second one of the novels and unfortunately reads just like a book based on trading cards. Murill should be good at this sort of thing, having done tie-in writing before for Batman, the Executioner and Doc Savage. The writing is really stale, the action juvenile and the plotting, well, card like. Hopefully the series will die right here.
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here to return to the beginning.
More, more, I have an insatiable appetite for reviews. Take me back to the review page so I can read more.
Gadzooks, Spartacus, I want to know how to conquer the Roman Empire too! Show me how you've constructed this magical web-like place which so confounds your enemies.
Helio is Latin for sun, ain't it? Well, Carpe Noctum, show me where I can find more of this Helio stuff.
Hey! Yeah, you! The one slinking off. Did you send me mail yet?
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