Book Review: A Game of Thrones puts the Epic in Epic Fantasy

Hi everyone. I’ve been reading a book that has been entertaining, but long. Now it is finished. That book is the story A Game of Thrones

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Story:

Enter the world of Westeros, a land with a heavy medieval culture and seven kingdoms are ruled by a monarch who sits on the Iron Throne. After years of not seeing each other Lord Eddard “Ned” Stark is visited by his old friend Robert Baratheon, the King of Westeros, and is made the new Hand of the King. Reluctantly Ned follows Robert to King’s Landing with his daughters Arya and Sansa. On the way Ned starts to uncover facts that led to the death of the past Hand, Jon Arryn. As he searches for answers he uncovers a secret that could plunge all Westeros into chaos and war.

Online friends have told me that George R. R. Martin is the new king of fantasy, and it’s easy to see why with A Game of Thrones. Significantly more toned down than the HBO series the book focuses more on the politics of the world than on magic and monsters. Martin is an imaginative writer who brings you into the wondrous, and oft times, violent world of Westeros. Westeros is not a place where gallant princes and fair maidens dance with each other at the ball until midnight, or legions of orcs are trying to wipe out the kingdoms of men. The real threat comes from within, from the people themselves. The characters are well rounded, there is some serious development for many characters and you don’t have to worry about the pages being filled with clichés. In other words, no elves, no centaurs, no guiding wizard companion and counsellor. Magic is in Westeros, but it's very subtle to the point where if you blink you'll miss it. Martin steps away from many of the stereotypes of fantasy and makes Westeros seem like a place that could exist in reality. A gritty yet engrossing tale of the food and fashion of the dark ages. Also has magic and dragons and sex (sadly) and stuff. If you want a serious upgrade in fantasy worldbuilding you should pick up this book. The multiple characters the story follows helps to show the epicness of this world and once you start reading you won’t want to put this book down.
Martin does an incredible job of developing his characters. Cersei is so evil she makes the Evil Queen seem as gentle as a lamb. Sansa starts out as a silly love-struck girl lost in ideas of what stories paint the world to be, but as the book progresses she gets a serious wake up call that the world is often cold and cruel, and doing the right thing can get you killed. The Dothraki people that Daenerys Targaryan ends up with are seen as animals by many people, but as she spends time with them she sees a human side to them. Martin has said that when it comes to doing his female characters he thinks of them as people, and his writing proves it. The characters feel fleshed out and real with shortcomings and faults that many people have. More impressive is the immense political system Martin has created for Westeros. Most people in fantasy just have the king do everything when it comes to politics. In Westeros the king has a council that helps him govern and rule the land. Each man has a certain job  that they do when it comes to ruling the land. One's in charge of the treasury, the other rumors that abound in the land, etc. This suggests the king doesn't hold absolute power in this world. It makes a nice and well needed change from the stereotypes that have engulfed modern fantasy.  

Caution:

People swear, a couple of times f-bomb someone. Jaime and Cersei Lannister have incestuous sex with each other. Daenerys Targaryan's wedding night has too much detail. Characters are raped. Tyrion mentions sleeping with whores, and one instance has too much detail. Privates are mentioned. Sometimes it takes paragraphs, but other times you have to skip pages to avoid it. Not a book for younger readers. Battles break out and people die, sometimes in a gory way, more so than in The Lord of the Rings or The Inheritance Cycle. If this book were adapted into a movie the content could go beyond a PG-13 rating into NC 17. 

Lessons:

Sometimes we are our own worst enemy. Sometimes doing the right thing means going against the popular opinion. Family can be a source of strength and comfort. Our choices define who we are.

Review of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Yesterday I was going to try and do a blog post on one of my favorite Christmas stories. However I never got around to it. This post may be more to your liking because I saw another of the movies I wanted to see this year. Today I'm reviewing The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug!

I think many of you will be familiar with the story of The Hobbit, but the story in this film if you weren't clued in by its predecessor defers from the book. As I said on Twitter I daresay this is better than the book. We get to see more of other parts of Middle-Earth that were mentioned briefly in the book like Gandalf going to Dol Guldur to face the Necromancer. However there were also changes to the story that were in the book. However I will not say how so I don't ruin anything for you. I don't consider the Gandalf sentence ruining it because if you read the book you know that was mentioned, and you can tell he does that if you've seen the trailers.

The settings in this film are pretty amazing. I'd rather not say anything because I don't want to ruin anything for you. However I will say that getting lost in Mirkwood, according to the movie, is easier done than said. I know that seems odd to say, but when you see the movie you'll understand. I also enjoyed how they portrayed the Lonely Mountain and Erebor. If you have read your fantasy you know that dwarves are supposed to be expert builders. The mountain certainly goes above and beyond that expectation. However it also captures the feel of the emptiness and loneliness that I believe they were trying to give the dwarves.

I also enjoyed the styles they gave the different areas in the movie. Lake Town seemed like a place that one would expect to find in a people living under the hands (or wings) of a dragon: desperate. The people are clearly a shadow of the people of Dale and have had some attempt to reclaim that glory. However due to the few resources they have that is not entirely possible. The elves of Mirkwood forest also have a pretty cool design about them. If someone wanted to use a look that seemed both regal and wild about someone at the same time Peter Jackson and his design team accomplished it. The wood elves are dressed finely yet they are also capable of quick travel through the trees. Very nicely done.

All in all I really enjoyed this movie. I'm sorry if I seemed a little vague, but I didn't want to ruin the movie for anyone who has not seen it. If you haven't seen it and want to I would definitely recommend it.

Clash of Powers

Hi everyone. I was going to do a post on Titanoboa, but I decided that since I've missed a few days that I should share something a little more entertaining. This is a short story I wrote for my creative writing class. I did it while I was waiting for a meeting and didn't expect it to be good. However this got very positive feedback. Most people have said that they saw this as an excerpt from a longer book and they would've loved to have read more. I am considering trying to expand this into a book now. We'll have to wait and see. In the meantime, enjoy.

“You should’ve known better than to challenge me.”

            Malcolm glared at Horyct. This monster of a man had no idea just how strong he had become. Well soon he would update his information.

            “You should’ve known better than to destroy my home!” Malcolm retorted. The memory of that dark day burned deep into his mind. He had just been living his life along with his friends. Then Horyct showed up and began a spree of murder and terror. In a single day he had wiped out Malcolm’s town and his friends. Only he had been able to escape death.

            “What difference does it make whether I destroy a town or a planet? Eventually all things fade away. I was just hurrying things along.” Horyct said coldly, his green eyes devoid of emotion.

            “It makes a big difference to the people who call the places you destroy home! You have no right to decide when people should die or when towns should cease to exist! You may walk like a man Horyct, but deep down you’re a black-hearted demon!” Malcolm yelled. Without any warning he leapt at his foe, bringing his fist down on…the ground? The energy he released from his fists cracked the ground and left a shallow crater.

            “You have spirit, I admit.” Horyct said from behind him. “Impressive that you have awakened your gift. However that will not be enough to eliminate me. I have powers beyond any human-”

            “Zip it!” Malcolm yelled as he charged again. “You’re going down today!” Malcolm felt the power he had gained swell up in him. However there was only one way that he could unleash that power. Again he jumped into the air, ready to strike.

            Again his fists connected with the ground when he landed. Stone shards flew everywhere from the impact.

            “Have you really learned nothing from your travels? I cannot be defeated by such primitive methods. My powers of the night exceed anything your feeble mind can comprehend.” Horyct said, emerging from the shadows in front of him.

            Malcolm stood up. He had learned so much from his travels. He had gained a greater understanding of the world than he had back home. He had also learned that the old powers of legend still existed in everyone. Sadly many of those powers had become dormant. His had only awakened after he had trained with the priests.

            He had learned about Horyct and his fascination with the idea of natural selection. He wanted to know if the human race went extinct what would arise to take their place in life? To answer those questions he had gone to consorting with demons and monsters of the night. They had granted him powers over shadows and nightmares. He had become the avatar of everything the world regarded as evil.

            Malcolm on the other hand had walked down a different path. Ever since his home was destroyed he had sought out Horyct to make him pay for his crimes. That objective slowly changed to protecting others from suffering as he had suffered. That change of heart was what began to awaken his power from within. The priests of Evertime told him that the power only manifested its true potential when face with the certainty of defeat.

            “You can’t win.” Horyct gloated. “Soon the great extinction will occur and humanity will be wiped out. The time has come for them to step down and allow nature to create a better race.”

            “Like a demon race?” Malcolm said, building up the power within.

            “You may see them as nothing but demons. What I see is the truth. They have power. They have order. They have respect. What are humans? Savage, filthy, destructive parasites that live off the earth! They tear down and destroy everything they view as different. Even members of their own families! How does that sound like a higher race to you?”

            “Is that you felt when you left your home?”

            “I never had a home. I never had a family. Do you not understand? I am a clone, solely created so this pathetic species could survive! I was never regarded as a person, an individual. Just a tool to prevent extinction so the plague of humanity could continue.” Horyct snapped.

Pacing around the fiend continued, “Look at what they do! They do whatever it takes to satisfy their whims. If something unexpected comes along, they destroy it so they will not have to face the consequences! Everyone in the place where I came from had disbanded families and only select individuals were given the honor of having children. If you could call that an honor to create tools just to save a race that is slowly destroying itself. Well guess what? They can all go to the Deep Chasm for all I care! They deserve to be destroyed.”

            “And how does that make you better than them?” He was almost ready…

            A sharp pain to the head sent Malcolm across the room. How had Horyct struck without moving? What if he did move and he didn’t see it? He still felt the energy. His fists were burning, the power wanted to be released. All the people who were still living, still trying to survive this monster’s anger. He had to do it now. Horyct was moving now. Closer…closer…

            Malcolm struck.

Movies expanding universes?

This is about something that has been on my mind for a while. I've been thinking with book to film adaptations that maybe it would be better if they took a different approach. They just adapt the same story of the books and only give audiences what has already been done. I've been thinking maybe rather than adapt the same story it would probably be better to use films to create new stories for the worlds established in books. These last few months I have seen some movies that did just that. Here are a few examples.

These books give the back stories of some of the legends we've grown up with from our childhood, like the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus. However the time came when a movie was adapted from these books. This was the result:

It is definitely something to sit down and watch. This film didn't try to adapt the stories of all the books into one. Instead the film's plot takes place after the books have occurred, in the present day. I will spare you the details of what happens in the movie so if you still haven't seen it nothing gets ruined. I did some research and found out the author was involved in the making of this movie, and he was trying to make it a new story. I say he did a good job.

This book, also by the author of The Guardians of Childhood, is one I haven't been able to look into yet. However this book was also adapted into a great movie. In case you're wondering which one, here it is:

I would definitely recommend seeing this movie if you haven't already. From what I was able to find out online the book had a different story from the film, yet from what I found out it almost seems like the Leaf Men were still living out their lives when the events of the film unfold. Both Epic and Rise of the Guardians were well received, financially and critically. There's just one more movie I'd like to mention:

This movie is supposed to be the backstory of the all famous Wizard of Oz. From what I've heard it uses several elements mentioned in the books yet it still seems to be an original story expanding a well-established universe. I plan to see this film this weekend so I'll let you go now so you can work on whatever it is you plan to do. Thank you for your time.

Where I've been and future plans

Well I'd better let everyone know that I am still here in the mortal world. I've been on the road the last week with the addition of spending time with my family along the way. I will be continuing my education at Brigham Young University now. I will be shifting my focus and efforts to making sure I get really good grades in my class. However there will be at least five films coming out at the end of this year that I plan to see and then review here.

1. Ender's Game

2. Thor: The Dark World

3. Frozen

4. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

5. Walking with Dinosaurs: The 3D Movie
I know I've said I'd start posting short stories on this blog. I will try to do it at least this next week.

Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters review

Sea of Monsters. What exactly does that bring to your mind?

Seas infested with sea reptiles?

Krakens attacking ships?

Sea Serpents on the rampage? 

Well not exactly in this film. In this film adaptation of the second book of the Percy Jackson series Percy and his friends at Camp Half-Blood find themselves in a dire situation. The tree which gives Camp Half-Blood its protection has been poisoned and monsters are starting to invade the camp. The only thing that can reverse the poisoning is the legendary Golden Fleece which is located in the Sea of Monsters, which in the series is the ocean where heroes like Jason and Odysseus sailed during their quests. It has moved west like Olympus and the Underworld and is located in the part of the ocean we like to call the Bermuda Triangle. So that's why stuff gets lost in that ocean. They're eaten by monsters. Anyway Clarisse La Rue, daughter of Ares, is given the task of going to retrieve the fleece. Percy and his friends, however, decide to go along. Along the way they encounter many monsters of the myths and learn important lessons of trust, friendship, forgiveness, and of choosing our course in life. 

I think this film teaches a good lesson on believing in ourselves. Percy in this film is starting to doubt himself and wondering if he's really good enough. He's starting to attribute his success to luck. However as the film progresses he uses his skills to help his friends survive the dangers of the Sea of Monsters. Annabeth's past comes to life as they encounter Tyson who is the half-brother of Percy. She holds a grudge against Cyclopes because they took the life of a friend of hers years ago. Throughout the film her dislike for Tyson's race is evident. However eventually she learns to not hold Tyson accountable for the actions of others. Probably one of the biggest lessons in the film is that our paths are not set in stone. We can choose our destinies in life.

Admittedly I was furious with the first film. I didn't like how they went a different course from the books. However as I saw this movie I was calmer and I enjoyed it. They did work a little harder to be closer to the book this time than before. There were still plenty of differences from the book. For example they didn't encounter Circe, though she was mentioned. True I wish that the films have stuck closer to the books. However I don't think that I should condemn this movie because of how different from the book it was. If you insist that film adaptations have to be a hundred-percent the same as the book then you might not like this film. However if you want a good adventure to enjoy you might want to set sail on this quest.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Review of The Avengers

Well since I'm still getting back into the swing of things I figured I'd do a review on one of the movies I've seen recently. I've already tweeted that I've seen this film. However now I can actually share my thoughts on it.

Yep. That's right. One of the biggest superhero films as of yet. You have all probably seen this film already so I don't have to worry on spoilers. Loki returns and steals the Tesseract so he can lead an army of aliens to Earth and subject the planet to him. As a result Nick Fury calls on several superheroes whom S.H.I.E.L.D. had come into contact with like Iron Man, Captain America, and others to help stop Loki. Sadly the team finds themselves at odds with each other and Loki escapes not long after they capture him. However they learn to put aside their differences and work together to stop Loki and his armies. 

To say this film had no action and made you go to sleep would be a really big lie. Action starts almost right away and you're awake throughout the film. However good the action may be I try to look more at the story of a film. It was pretty clever to use several superhero films to lead up to this moment. I've been trying to think about what lessons we could take away from this movie. The best I could come up with is teamwork and friendship. Everyone here had to put aside differences to save the world. Tony Stark and Steve Rogers worked well when they had to get the engine of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s flying base, the Helicarrier, working again even though not too long beforehand they were at each other's throats. Nothing like a massive airship falling out of the sky to get priorities straight right? The Incredible Hulk was also able to put his anger and strength to good use by taking out a great deal of the invasion and making sure Loki didn't do any more damage. Thor also gave some good advice on his foolish choices of the past. If you think about it you can pick up on an anti-war theme. S.H.I.E.L.D. had been studying weapons of H.Y.D.R.A. as one way to protect the Earth. However he goes with what he thought was a better idea: A team working together to achieve the impossible. It is when we put aside our differences and work together for the common good that mountains are moved. 

The Legacy of Harry Potter

It has finally come to an end. One of the greatest fantasy tales of our time has been finished. For over a decade people across the globe have been following the adventures of the boy wizard known as Harry Potter. His story was the classic retelling of good versus evil, in a world that lies hidden from us.
The first film, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in the UK) is literally the film that started it all. It tells of how Harry Potter, an orphan living with his cruel aunt and uncle, learns that he is a wizard and is admitted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to learn more about magic. Here, he makes friends and enemies, and has to stop a dark wizard from obtaining an item of great power. I just loved this movie when it came out. After reading the book, I felt like that the people who made the movie took what I saw in my mind and brought it to the big screen. The effects were so incredible that I believed they were real.
The second film in the series brings Harry back to school after a terrible summer back home. However, Hogwarts is not the same as Harry remembers. Someone has opened a place of legend within the school, and students are mysteriously being petrified. With accusations coming from everyone, Harry must uncover an ancient mystery of the castle and stop the evil that lurks within the Chamber of Secrets. This movie built up from the first film, adding more to the magic of the series. The creatures in this movie looked so real it was like they were going to come off the screen and into the theater. Again, I was captured by the magic.
The third film in the series was clearly a big success. This film reveals more about Harry's past as a criminal escapes from the most secure prison in the wizarding world, Azkaban. The wizard-in-training (or in this case, studying) is believed to be this man's target, as his parents were betrayed by him. However, unbeknown to everyone, there lies a traitor among the friends. This film completely changed the landscape of Hogwarts. Hagrid's hut is moved to the bottom of a hill, the Whomping Willow is not so close to the school, and we get a glimpse of the town of Hogsmeade. Harry's hair is more messed up than in previous films, and students don't stay in their school uniforms all the time. The director also added stuff in from Mexican culture, like the eagle versus snake statues and the candy skulls in Honeydukes. My impression with this film was that they made it more realistic. This movie starts to move more into the darkness of J.K. Rowling's world. At Hogwarts the students are joined by the schools of Durmstrang Institute of Magical Learning and Beauxbaxton's Academy of Magic for the Triwizard Tournament, which has not taken place for a century. Each school is represented by a champion chosen by the mystical Goblet of Fire, but things go wrong when Harry is chosen as the Fourth Champion even though he is underage. While competing in the tournament, Harry and his friends must find out who put his name into the Goblet of Fire, and why. It was cool to see other magical schools in this world and the characters continue to feel like their literary sources. However, I was disappointed when they took the magical creatures out of the maze and just made it a bunch of creepy hedges. I was really looking forward to seeing the Sphinx. Still, I enjoyed the movie's story and how they brought the Triwizard tournament to life.
The fifth film in this series takes a more darker turn as it shows the imperfections of the Ministry of Magic. Harry is put at odds with the rest of the Wizarding World because Cornelius Fudge has been running a propaganda against Harry and Dumbledore because they claim that Voldemort has returned. What's more, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher refuses to teach them magic because she works for Fudge, and she tortures Harry and his friends for telling the truth. Harry and his friends band together with the other students of Hogwarts to teach themselves how to defend themselves and uncover the truth of why Voldemort tried to kill Harry all those years ago. This movie was kind of disappointing to me. It seemed to be more focused on the newspaper headlines than the actual story. The film doesn't really show the effect of the undermining Education Decrees, but it makes it perfectly clear that they usurp the school's power and authority to Umbridge. Harry's hair was also too short in this movie. Nevertheless, this movie is important to the series because it shows the true strength of Harry and his friends.
Quite literally the beginning of the end. This movie shows Harry and his friends continuing their education while Voldemort and his Death Eaters terrorize the Wizarding and Muggle worlds. While Harry's friends experience complications with their feelings to one another, Harry is determined to prove that his rival Draco Malfoy has become a Death Eater and is planning something terrible. Dumbledore shows Harry memories of a boy known as Tom Riddle, who eventually became Voldemort. Dumbledore is determined to get all memories pertaining to him as they could hold the key to the downfall of Voldemort. I can see that they really tried in this movie to have a perfect equilibrium of romance and action in this movie, but they didn't quite make it. The movie felt like it leaned more towards the romance than the action. Still, they should get an A for effort (or A for Acceptable, as grades at Hogwarts go).
One of the most eagerly awaited movies yet. This movie was the part of the finale to the epic tale. In this film, Harry, Ron, and Hermoine have to leave their families behind to find the horcruxes, which are keeping Voldemort alive. Unfortunately they have no idea what these items are, because they could be anything. Another complication arrives when they realize that they have no way to destroy the horcruxes because every spell they cast does nothing. Meanwhile Voldemort has taken over the Wizarding World, and has made Harry the Number 1 Undersirable (basically the World's Most Wanted). Old faces return in this movie and the race for the fate of the world does not look good. I was glad when they split the movie up into two parts because that meant that they weren't going to try to cram everything into one movie. They did a good job in this movie with bringing the book to life. The Anti-Muggle move felt depressing like it should've and the acting felt real. I was pleased with the results of this film.
We have come to the end of this tale. This film is the conclusion to one of the greatest series ever told. Harry and his friends are continuing their quest for the horcruxes, but have to return to Hogwarts as Voldemort is on his way there. One of the biggest battles of the millennium begins as Death Eaters and the people of Hogwarts clash to decide the fate of the world. I don't want to reveal too much because the movie only came out today, but I will say that the battle is epic and not one you want to miss.
I went to the midnight premiere of this movie, and the lines were extremely long. There were crowds outside just waiting to get inside, and the inside was packed tighter than a can of sardines! I saw that several people had dressed up as characters from the movies. I saw several Bellatrixes, a couple of Fawkes (through they looked more like yellow chickens), a Hedwig, a Dobby, Hermoine, Harry, Draco, Umbridge, Mad-Eye, even Voldemort! It was incredible at how much of a fandom the series had. I probably would've dressed up as Harry if I had time, but I didn't. I just had to grab a stick to use as a wand. It was so good to be able to be there as soon as the movie came into theaters. Now I doubt anyone knows what's going to happen. I think it is clear that the world will always love Harry Potter.
My overall impression with this series is amazing. This was one of the biggest projects I think any movie company has ever taken. They managed to adapt every book in a series and turn them into films which have done incredible at theaters. Most companies wouldn't have gone the lengths Warner Bros. did to bring every book to life. They succeeded to create an epic series that many people across the world have grown up on. I don't think any movie collection would be complete without the Harry Potter series. Of course, it's sad to know that there won't be any more films in this series. Oh well. That means that now we can look for the next epic series to follow. I'm sure that many people will be content with this series, but should someone attempt to do a reboot, they have their work cut out for them. I don't think that such a project will ever happen, but only time will tell.