Off Topic: What is Pottermore?

Harry Potter author J.K Rowling has a new website up called Pottermore.

The site itself is under construction with a tantalizing "Coming Soon" tag on it.

Will Pottermore be a new series of tales in the universe of Harry Potter, a set of tales told from a different perspective, or a story about owls? 

I was a late comer to the Harry Potter phenomenon, being introduced to the movies, which as they progressed got darker and more interesting to me and gave me the motivation to go back and read the books.  J.K. Rowling provided an intensely entertaining tale and I certainly look forward to what I hope is more stories in the same universe from this talented author.

P.S. Ginny is my favorite. 

LINK: Pottermore.com

Off Topic Review: X-Men: First Class

 The comparison between the characters and philosophies of Professor Xavier and Magneto and the two most iconic leaders of the American civil rights movement, Martin Luther King and Malcom X may be obvious but it is this relationship that is at the heart of the X-Men created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.

Entertainment appearing in its myriad of forms can serve multiple purposes, at its best it serves to both to provide an enjoyable entertainment experience and at the save time contains, lessons, morals or universal truths. 

James McAvoy as Charles Xavier and Michael Fassbender as Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto are a tour de force in this film.    The young Xavier's mutant pick up lines were hilarious, and I think the film conveyed a certain sense of naivete that Xavier brought to his view of the relationship between Mutants and homo-sapiens. Fassbender's portrayal of Magneto was powerful and the Nazi hunting scenes reminded me of Spielberg's Munich. 

For Star Wars fans the inevitable fall of Erik Lehnsherr to become Magneto is evocative of the tragedy of Anakin Skywalker and his fall to become Darth Vader.  While they may want to be "good" the tragic events that these characters experience in their lives leave emotional scars and an internal darkness that is difficult if not impossible to resist.  

The breaking of the Xavier and Magneto friendship while tragic, serves to set up one to two potential sequel movies where we could see them as enemies and then re-connecting as allies before another eventual break into enemies before the events of the first X-Men movie.  If sequels are made of First Class they must keep the focus on McAvoy and Fassbender as their respective characters otherwise, the magic of this film will be lost.

First Class is a fairly long and drawn out movie at 2 hours and 12 minutes, and other then a certain cameo the movie seemed to drag during the recruiting scenes. 

On the negative side, Kevin Bacon as Sebastian Shaw didn't really work for me, I can't help but seeing him as Kevin Bacon and not the character he is trying to portray.  He wasn't bad, it just took me out of the film.  Some of the supporting mutants I could have done without.  I hated Angel Salvadore. I liked the inclusion of Cyclops' brother and the acting was fine, Lucas Till as Havok looked to modern,  like the modern Hollywood High School student who could appear in one of the Twilight movies. 

Jennifer Lawrence as Raven/Mystique may not be the best actress in the world, but I think she served a pivotal role in the film between Professor X and Magneto, as well as tying this prequel to the other X-Men films.  Raven's aborted relationship with Beast and the foreshadowing of who the baby daddy for  Nightcrawler was pretty cool.

The biggest takeaway I have from the movie is that I wish we had even more of the Xavier-Magneto relationship shown, I couldn't get enough of their scenes, which were the strongest of the film.

Before hearing initial reviews I had little hope that this film would be much good based on the recent trend of the X-Men movie franchise, however Director Matthew Vaughn deserves credit for making one of the better comic book movies in recent memory. 

Whether or not you are a fan of comics or the other X-Men movies, this one is well worth the price of admission.

Off Topic: Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows 2 Trailer: Harry is a Right Ornery Git

This is just to awesome not to share.



I was a late comer to the Harry Potter phenomenon.  I saw the movies before I read any of the books, an while I liked the first few movies as the tone has gotten darker an more mature I have found myself really getting into the story.  Ginny is awesome.  I can't wait to see Mrs. Weasley in action.

Off Topic: So Um...Where Do I Sign Up For One Of Those Shiny Browncoats?

2002 saw the debut of a short lived, but long loved SciFi series by Buffy The Vampire Slayer series creator Joss Whedon.  Firefly is not a perfect show, but it wasn't trying to be, and that is why it is great.

I honestly do not remember if I caught any episodes of the series when it originally aired, but I have been waiting for the price to be right to purchase the show on Blu Ray because I figured I would probably like it.  Thanks to sheer laziness and the wonders of modern technology, with Netflix Instant Streaming, I have been able to catch up and watch all 14 episodes of the series this past week.

While most of commentary I have seen regarding the show focuses on the obvious hybridization of science fiction and western motifs.  That is only the setting, the real backbone of the series is the a mixture of the frontier experience and the losing side of a civil war.  Its all about life on the fringes of society, job to job living, and trying to make the best out of bad situations. The use of a western/frontier vernacular and Chinese profanity gave the universe of Firefly some added texture, and is just a fun and folksy way to speak.

Captain Malcolm Reynolds (Mal) provides the moral backbone of the show.  The scoundrel with a good heart, is hardly a new character.  The obvious comparison for Scifi fans in Han Solo.  Nathan Fillion (currently the star of Castle) absolutely chews up scenery in this show.  Mal's brand of cocksure comedy, mixed intense personally loyalty and a past that haunts him makes for a very compelling lead character.  It is no wonder this show has garner such an intense following. 

I found some of the other characters in the show a bit hit and miss.  Inara and Book I liked, but I think as a function of the series being cancelled we never got to fully explore the mysteries behind these characters.  Zoe served the role as loyal co-pilot well, and as a tough female she was a good character.  But on the whole I found Zoe a little boring.  Perhaps with her own sub-plot or episode we would have explored her more and given her added depth, but there just didn't seem to be as many layers there as with some characters.

River and Simon I thought were both played well by their actors, though River was the better character.  Simon seemed a bit cookie cutter for me, the socially awkward supporting actor that you see in many shows.  River was just so off kilter that it was fun, you never knew were they were going to go with her next.

Wash and Kaylee I both put in the fun character category.  The episode "War Stories" really let Wash shine as a character.  But for the most part he provides some pretty good comic relief and sarcasm through the series.  Kaylee is like the Mary Ann,  she has that girl next door look.  I was taken aback to see how Kaylee joined the crew, that was a fun surprise and makes you think the character is not as innocent as she sometimes acted.  Another point about Kaylee, is that while not a perfect fit, I think that this is in the spirit of how Jaina Solo could be portrayed on the screen. 

Which brings me to my second favorite character on the show.  Jayne Cobb.  Jayne isn't a good person and he is not particularly intelligent, but he is pretty complex and lots of fun.  If the show had continued I think we would have seen evolution of Jayne's character.  I think on the whole he was misguided as opposed to evil.  For whatever reason, he all his instincts were wrong, but there was a little nugget of redeemability in his character that we got glimpses of. 

My favorite episodes occur back to back in the series, episode 6: Our Mrs. Reynolds and episode 7: Jaynestown. Christina Hendricks of Mad Men fame guest stars as Mrs. Reynolds, and the most evilly seductive con-woman in all the Verse. In Jaynestown we see Jayne embrace, reject and try to come to terms with fame and hero worship.  Jaynestown may be one of the most enjoyable single episodes of a TV series I have seen in recent memory. 

It really is to bad that the show was cancelled.  It seems like this was a show that was 5 years to early in the making.  The growth of social networking and the further interconnectedness of geek culture that his has fostered would have provided a much more fertile ground for the show.  I think if the pilot were sold today, with the growth of cable network original series, that Firefly would have found a home and would be a very successful show.

The good news is that I still have the Serenity movie to look forward to watching, the bad news is that after that there is no more new Firefly for this latecomer to the Brownshirt bandwagon. 

Take my love, take my land
Take me where I cannot stand
I don't care, I'm still free
You can't take the sky from me
Take me out to the black
Tell them I ain't comin' back
Burn the land and boil the sea
You can't take the sky from me
There's no place I can be
Since I found Serenity
But you can't take the sky from me...

Off Topic: George Lucas' American Graffiti Coming to Blu Ray

Star Wars fans may also be fans of George Lucas' other works.  One of his early films is coming to Blu Ray this Spring.  On May 31st American Graffiti will be re-released on Blu Ray.  


You can Pre-Order it on Amazon right now. 



SOURCE:  HIGH DEF DISC NEWS

Off Topic Review: Transformers: Exodus by Alex Irvine

Transformers: Exodus written by Alex Irvine was released June 22, 2010 and in effect serves as a prequel novel to the events that take place in the Transformers movies.  It also ties into the Transformers: War for Cybertron video game released at the same time.

The story follows the relationship between Optimus Prime and Megatron before they become the characters we know them as later on.  Optimus Prime begins his life as Orion Pax a data clerk in the Cybertronian city of Iacon.  Pax's intelligence and curiosity bring him t the attention of the Archivist and overseer of the Hall of Records, Alpha Trion. 

Megatron on the other hand begins his life as a nameless gladiator, fighting for his life in the lowly pits of Kaon.  Megatron is very different in the beginning of the book then he is at the end, but the seeds of meglomaniacal villain that he will become are there. 

The tale of Optimus Prime and Megatron's relationship is interesting and to me echos the Xavier-Magneto relationship from the X-Men franchise with Prime in the Xavier role and Megatron in the Magneto role.  Reading the story you know that the split between the two is inevitable, and you also get the sense that Megatron is being less than honest with Prime about his ideas and intentions.

One of the more curious and interesting characters in the story is Starscream.  I am a fan of the '80s Generation 1 Transformers series.  So my conception of Starscream is the whiny, bumbling usurper.  There is a certain nobility, though misguided to Irvine's portrayal of Starscream.  There is also more skill and cunning then the character is often given.  This was my favorite character in the book.

For my fellow Star Wars fans, all the talk of Ion cannons and vibroblades will make you feel at home.  

My biggest issue with the book is that at times the pacing seems off.  While it makes sense to use in universe terms for the passage of time "cycles," this often left me wondering especially in the first half of the book just how much time was passing.  It seems like the Megatron-Pax relationship before their falling out as well as the surrounding revolutionary events where happening to quickly.  Some of this may be explained by the difference in how a robotic mind would interpret and analyze data, theoretically quicker then we organics, but on the whole, this seemed a little off to me. 

On the whole it was nice that the books had throwbacks to the various TV incarnations as well as the movies, and other media.  The Matrix of Leadership brings me right back to the 1986 cartoon movie and its epic awesomeness. 

I am a total child of the '80s, I had all the Transformers toys and watched the cartoon all the time.  But I only occasionally watched Beast Wars, and haven't read any of the other novels or Transformers comics.  I have seen the new Transformers live action movies, so it is from the perspective of a fairly casual fan that I view this book.  In the end reading this book brought me back to the '80s and in my head inspite of the recent movies, I can't help seeing my favorite Autobots and Decepticons in their Generation 1 forms. 

Transformers: Exodus is an entertaining and interesting read that gives you a different look at the origin of the Autobots and Decepticons as well as their opposing Leaders.

Thanks to Transformers Wiki TFWIKI for reference and images.

Thanks to Alex Irvine for the autographed copy of Transformer: Exodus.  You can follow Alex Irvine on his website and on Twitter.

Off Topic: Do Authors Need Publishers Anymore?

The website Business Insider published a story by Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry about independently published author Amanda Hocking who is very successful selling books on Amazon.com.

And she shouldn't. She gets to keep 70% of her book sales -- and she sells around 100,000 copies per month. By comparison, it's usually thought that it takes a few tens of thousands of copies sold in the first week to be a New York Times bestselling writer.
The comparison isn't entirely fair, because Hocking sells her books for $3, and some $.99. But that's the point: by lowering the prices, she can make more on volume, especially impulse buys. Meanwhile e-books cost nothing to print, you don't have to worry about print volumes, shelf space, inventory, etc. And did we mention the writer keeps 70%?

This raises any number of interesting points about the publishing industry and what direction its going to take in the future.  From the price of e-books, to the price of regularly published books, to the issue of what route is better for an author to take, being published by a publishing house are trying to go the independent route, and how exactly should an independent author market their e-books.

Ms. Hocking is apparently very aware of some of the attention she is getting recently and has a very good post on her blog regarding the perils of publishing whether you are an independent author or not.

Traditional publishing and indie publishing aren't all that different, and I don't think people realize that. Some books and authors are best sellers, but most aren't. It may be easier to self-publish than it is to traditionally publish, but in all honesty, it's harder to be a best seller self-publishing than it is with a house.

I don't think people really grasp how much work I do. I think there is this very big misconception that I was like, "Hey, paranormal is pretty hot right now," and then I spent a weekend smashing out some words, threw it up online, and woke up the next day with a million dollars in my bank account.

This is literally years of work you're seeing. And hours and hours of work each day. The amount of time and energy I put into marketing is exhausting. I am continuously overwhelmed by the amount of work I have to do that isn't writing a book. I hardly have time to write anymore, which sucks and terrifies me.

All of this brings me to the question, if you are an author, do you need a publisher anymore? Are you better off going independent and taking the chances with your own marketing and writing abilities will carry you to success?

It will be interesting to see if we see any large number of successfully published authors cross over and self-publish going forwards.  Quality work will find an audience in our new social media world and it seems like as social media, electronic books and the internet continues to evolve we will see an increase in this trend. 



LINKS:

BUSINESS INSIDER 
AMANDA HOCKING'S BLOG
AMAZON.COM AMANDA HOCKING PAGE

My Collection Update: Transformers Exodus by Alex Irvine.

One of the coolest features of following authors and publishers through the use of social media is stumbling upon the occassional contest/giveaway.  I had the good fortune recently of seeing author Alex Irvine, who I began following after learning that he would be penning a Star Wars novel about Nomi Sunrider.  The Nomi Sunrider book, which can't have the main characters name for legal reason is going to be a hardcover, scheduled for release tentatively in September of 2012.

Recently Mr. Irvine held a giveaway in which he gave a couple lucky fans autographed copies of his Transformers novel, Transformers Exodus.  Published in 2010 by Del Rey/Ballantine Books.

Publisher's Summary:

For twenty-five years the colossal battle between Megatron and Optimus Prime has captivated Transformers fans around the world. Yet the full story of the conflict between the two most famous Transformers—everything that happened before Optimus and Megatron arrived on planet Earth—has always been a mystery . . . until now. Here, for the first time told in its entirety, is the thrilling saga of Optimus and Megatron before they were enemies, before they even knew each other.

“Freedom is every Cybertronian’s right!” After Megatron utters these immortal words, the caste-bound planet of Cybertron is rocked to its foundations. Megatron, an undefeated gladiator thug, gives voice to the unspoken longings of the oppressed masses—and opens the mind of an insignificant data clerk to possibilities previously unthinkable.
Long before becoming the honorable Optimus Prime, Orion Pax is a mere office underling, an unlikely candidate to answer an outlaw’s call to revolution. But Orion is determined to meet this defiant enemy of all that Cybertron stands for, no matter what he has to do, or how many laws he has to break.

What happens between Orion Pax and Megatron forever changes the destiny of all Transformers. This gripping, action-packed novel reveals all the loyalties and treacheries, trust and betrayals, deadly violence and shining ideals, as well as the pivotal roles played by other characters, including Starscream, Sentinel Prime, Omega Supreme, and one of the thirteen original Primes, the last link to Cybertron’s glorious Golden Age.

Discover how meek disciple Orion Pax becomes the fearless leader Optimus Prime; follow the tantalizing clues about the lost Matrix of Leadership and the lore surrounding it; find out why the two allies fighting a corrupt regime suddenly turn on each other, and what triggers their epic war. Transformers: Exodus provides everything fans ever wanted to know about one of the fiercest rivalries of all time.

Look for an Off Topic Review of Transformers: Exodus in the coming weeks on LightsaberRattling.com.

You can follow author Alex Irvine on Twitter at:  @alexirvine and on his website . 

You can purchase Transformers: Exodus on Amazon in Hardcover or Paperback.

Off Topic Review: Ephemera: Dark Stories from the mind of Paul S. Kemp

I wasn't sure what to expect when I downloaded Paul S. Kemp's Ephemera collection, but since I enjoyed his Star Wars novel Crosscurrent and the excerpts from Deceived, I decided to give this bargain priced collection a shot.

After reading Kemp's Star Wars works as well as this collection it's clear to see why Ephemera is the #1 E-Book at Drive Thru Horror, and why the publishing team at Del Ray and Lucasfilm was so quick to throw more work Kemp's way.

Ephemera presents a very dark series of tales, these eclectic stories show Kemp's flexibility and skills as a story teller.  At 129 pages it provides a quick read with some very memorable characters and some unfortunate results.  If there is one theme present through this milieu of fantasy and horror, its the idea of flawed/damaged characters struggling with choices and their consequences. 

Ephemera contains 6 short stories: The Signal, One Thousand and One Words, Marlboro Man, Confession, The Spinner, Stillborn, and The Sixth Floor.  Of these stories only Confession, The Spinner, and Stillborn are related because they are all set in Kemp's fictional world of New Dineen.  Though that is basically their only connection as far as I can tell.

From the Amazon Product description: 

Multiple NY Times bestselling author Paul S. Kemp has collected seven of his best fantasy short stories into this compelling volume of dark imagination. Ephemera is a wonderful introduction to the work of one of today's popular fantasists.

Ephemera explores the fantastic through the eyes of a private detective who hunts the occult in 1930s NYC, a demonologist who may or may not be mad, a witch on the run from religious fanatics who want her unborn baby, a maimed talespinner on a doomed boat, and many others.

Each story contains a brief introduction by the author.

A quick description and thoughts on each of the stories: 

The Signal

Abe Gustafsson is the brawn side of a brain and brawn Occult Investigations firm, unfortunately the his partner is recently deceased and a old love interest walks into Abe's office with a mystery only he can solve.

This story reads like a classic 1930s PI story, Kemp's use of characters, language and descriptions immediately make you feel immersed in this classic genre, I could practically see myself sitting in the smoke filled black and white office.  The twist is the horror element that is added to the story and makes it both creepy and very interesting and certainly makes you think twice about visiting a certain NYC landmark. 

One Thousand and One Words

Jack Cole is a maimed WWII veteran war photographer working as a free lance newspaper photographer in Boston.  Jack is hot on the tail of a mysteries Boston Brahmin Howard Doyle. Doyle is a bit like The Great Gatsby's Jay Gatsby, uber wealthy and mysterious.  Except unknown to Jack, Howard Doyle has a dark secret and his own agenda for agreeing to be interviewed by Jack. 

This story contains one of my favorite few lines from the collection:

I had been trying to get a picture of Howard Doyle since the day I bought my Polaroid.  He was as rich as God and as mysterious as Lucifer.  Everyone wanted to know more about him and wild speculations filled the society pages.  Or at least they had before the end of the world had become front page news.

 The story ends on a cliff hanger, but is very satisfying and creepy.  The cat is not the only thing that curiosity killed. 

Marlboro Man

Marlboro Man is the story of a fallen angel turned serial killer Uriel, and his misadventures in a world where God is AWOL.  For Uriel "killing is a need, a drive, like eating.  You can't blame an angel for eating, right?"

I was blown away by this story, I am a huge fan of religious imagery and themes in literature, television and movies, and Marlboro Man provides a very fun dark spin on angels.  What would Dexter by like as an angel?  Probably a lot like Uriel.

Confession

Sorcery, demons, religious conversion and a bit of a Fight Club twist, provide this tale of Malkiir Zhorne an interesting look into New Dineen.

As Paul S. Kemp says in his prologue to the story; "To date, I've only revealed bits of New Dineen in various short stories."  New Dineen may not be as expansive as Tolkien's Middle Earth or Lucas' Star Wars Universe, but if Confession and the other two stories in this collection are any gauge, its a large and dark world filled with strange magic and some very ill behaved individuals.

The Spinner

Set in New Dineen, The Spinner tells a tale about Zhayim, a former pirate who is missing his left hand and right thumb and has become a "Spinner" a storyteller on sea faring vessels to appease the god of the Sea.

As Kemp describes the story it "explores the boundaries of faith in the world of New Dineen, what it can do, and what it cannot."  In New Dineen, the mind and faith have very strong impacts on the world, but what is real and what is imagined?  The Spinner provides some answers but ends with more questions and is up to the readers interpretation. 

Stillborn

Stillborn is a difficult read because it contains some very real life violence on the other hand it is a wonderfully crafted story.  Emsha is a Sister in the Sisterhood of the Goddess, but to most people in New Dineen she is a witch.  The autocratic government lead by The High Theocrat and his Inquistors' run a merciless regime that is in conflict with rebels.  With war all around her, Emsha is faced with choices that parallel many we have seen with Jedi in the Star Wars EU, all actions have consequences and how far is Emsha willing to go?

The Sixth Floor

If you like zombies, this short story is a fun heart pounding ride.  I really hope to avoid the Zombie Apocalypse its going to suck. 

Conclusion on Ephemera

Ephemera proves that Paul S. Kemp is a very good story teller, with a twisted mind and some rather evil creations.  So naturally this collection left me wanting more.   It is well worth a read an a great introduction into this Author's non-Star Wars works. 

LINKS TO EPHEMERA AND PAUL S. KEMP

Ephemera is available for download at Drive Thru Horror, currently on sale for $0.99. 
Ephemera is also available for download for the Amazon Kindle for $2.99
To follow author Paul S. Kemp on Twitter @Paulskemp and on the Web http://paulskemp.com/