11.22.63 (book)

I love Stephen King's writing style. His prose is vivid and gripping. I haven't read many of his books, however (about 5?), for a couple of reasons: he often writes supernatural horror which I'm not expressly into, and he tends to use extremely foul language, which I'm also not into.

However, when I heard that he was going to write a novel based around time travel, I couldn't help but to put it at the top of my wish list (time travel is probably the most fascinating fiction topic for me).

11.22.63 (the title of this book is the date that John Kennedy was assassinated) did not disappoint. It was, in a word, fantastic!

My review here doesn't contain anything that you wouldn't find on a dust jacket so read on with confidence (I never post spoilers, just in case you want to read it as well).

11.22.63 is about a high school English teacher that (essentially) stumbles upon what he calls a "rabbit hole": a portal to the past. 1958 to be exact. Stepping through this rift in time will take him back to the same day, the same moment, every time. He could go back for a month and return to the future, and when he went through the portal again, it would be to the exact moment as the first time he went. Each time is the first time.

So what do you do with that? Can you actually change the past then? Would you want to? You'll have to read the book yourself to find out the answers to those questions. But let me assure you that King takes a unique perspective on time travel (something that is hard to find in modern fiction). The tale of this English teacher and the incredibly difficult task he has set himself to is gripping and full of adventure.

I love to read but I can only name a handful books that have pulled me in so deep that I couldn't put it down. Angels and Demons by Dan Brown, Pathfinder and The Worthing Saga by Orson Scott Card, and Jumper by Stephen Gould are among these great novels that make me want to neglect the rest of my life just to read a few more pages. 11.22.63 fits right in.

I haven't decided if I will put it on my top 10 favorite books yet, but if I don't, it's close.

If you're looking for a story with heart-pumping adventure and the excitement of possibility, written by an author with impeccable world-painting and story-telling technique, then 11.22.63 is a must read.

The downside? As is typical with King, there is a bit of language. A bit more than I would have liked but no more than expected.

Also, I'll just put this out there on the off chance that someone actually reads my blog: something VERY uncanny, scary almost, happened to me (based on this novel) on the day I finished reading it. I can't tell you what it was without totally giving away the book. You need to read the full book, all the way to the last page, and then ask me about it. If you're half way through the book, then you'll know what I mean when I say I experienced a "harmonic" of my own.

My Rating: 5/5

My Recommendation: This is a must-read. Put it at the top of your list. You'll love it.

Time Travelers Never Die (book)

I haven't written a review in quite some time (almost three years). Truth be told I forgot I had this blog. :)

Yesterday I finished the book, Time Travelers Never Die, by Jack McDevitt. If you know me, you know I love stories about Time Travel. This novel, by an author I'd never read before, was extremely fun and enjoyable.

I'm not going to pretend that it was a masterpiece of literary genius, but it was a story I couldn't put down once it began. As always, no spoilers, so read on.

The book read, at times, like a travelogue that didn't advance the plot. Even so, I found those sequences interesting due to the nature of where (or when?) they were traveling.

The time travel theory was pretty solid and stayed consistent throughout the book--something difficult to find in fiction. The author found a creative, if not trivial, way around paradoxes that I had never thought of before. Perhaps it was a plot device, but it worked.

If I had to point out one main flaw in the book, I would say that it was extraordinarily predictable. Throughout about 60 percent of the book, I already knew what would happen next, or down the road. Some things were plainly (and painfully) obvious. The main characters didn't seem to be able to figure out how to solve problems they were encountered with until chapters (or even half the book) after I had already figured it out.

Don't get me wrong. It may sound like I'm being nothing but negative about this novel. In spite of the predictability I found it extremely enjoyable to read. It was, as I said, a very fun story. It was not overly nail-biting or suspenseful but it was an adventure that I didn't want to end.

The final few pages were a bit confusing, and there's one major point that was so confusing that I actually went back to re-read the chapter. It didn't help. Still, it wasn't enough to ruin the book for me. It left me wondering a bit, but did not affect the overall story.

One thing that struck me about the book after I had finished it was how clean it was. Hardly any bad language (if any), and no sexual content. Just an overall fun adventure through time with a few small mysteries mixed in. I enjoyed this book, and the author, enough that as soon as I put it down, I went to the computer and bought another book by the same author.

As it turns out, the author is 81 years old and has written many novels (and won many awards). His newest book (which sounded very interesting) turned out to be book 6 in a series. So I went and ordered book 1 of the series: A Talent for War (Time Travelers Never Die is a stand-alone novel and not related to this 6 book series). I'm excited to find a new author to read and hope this next book of his will be just as good.

My Rating: 4.2/5

My Recommendation: Read this book if you enjoy time travel stories. It was well thought-out and well executed. I didn't give it a 5 only because, while I loved this book, I can't say it's on my top list of best books ever. I just can't bring myself to categorize it with other great books that I've given a 5 to. This is likely due to some sections that seemed a bit slow in travelogue style. But don't let that sway you. It is fun and WORTH READING! :) Enjoy.

Invasive Procedures (book)

After reading Empire, I was hesitant to read another OSC card so soon. But I'm glad I did. I actually "read" this one in the form of an unabridged audio book. I'm putting that out there but I must acknowledge the possibility that I enjoyed this book so much simply because the reader was excellent (I've noticed that some audio book readers are better than others and enjoyment of the book can, unfortunately, be solely based upon that).

Invasive Procedures took place on our real, present, everyday world, but touched upon unlikely (science fiction) ideas. This is right up my alley. Any of you that know my taste in fiction, know that I really want to be able to believe that what I'm reading (or watching) could, on some level, actually happen. This novel did not take place in a distant future or in an alternate reality. The main character was just as mystified by the fantastical events taking place as you or I would be had we actually experienced what he did in real life. I really like that in story telling.

This novel dealt with advanced medicine, a crazy doctor wanting to change the world, and bio-chemical warfare. Very cool stuff.

I can't say that the story itself was extremely original, but it was mostly original.

Also, I did find a few times in which OSC would leave the reader hanging, as if he didn't want us to know the answer to some of his riddles, but to me they were obvious. Then, when the actual riddle is revealed (hypothetical example: THIS is what he was REALLY doing with the vaccine!!!!), I was like... DUH! Wasn't that obvious?

I've been realizing this more and more lately as I read fiction. I wonder if it's because I'm a writer as well. I can sometimes see right through the writer's plot devices.

Another plus for Invasive Procedures was that it grabbed me from the beginning. That's always a good thing.

My Rating: 4/5

My Recommendation: If you want a good relaxing read, pick it up. Relax out in a hammock under a palm tree. You'll enjoy it.

Stargate: SG-1 Season Two & Three (TV Show)

What can I say about this show? It's amazing. And any sane person would love it. I just finished the third season. I think I actually watched about 10 episodes just today (called in sick to work). No I didn't call in sick just so I could watch Stargate. I was actually sick. But when you're sick, sometimes there's nothing better to do than to watch TV. And Stargate fit my craving.

This show is innovative, creative, and captivating. While very episodic, there are serialistic elements to it. Some form of story line continues throughout the show. But even though it doesn't follow the movie-like serials like Lost or Heroes, it is right up there with the best shows ever created, in my opinion. I would easily put it up there with Lost, Heroes, and probably even ABOVE Smallville.

Third best show ever? Quite possibly. Do yourself a favor: rewatch the original movie, then pick up season 1, it picks up right from where the movie left off.

My Rating: 5/5
My Recommendation: SSEEEEEE IIIIITTTTTT!!!!

Speed Racer (movie)

There are NO spoilers in this review. Read with confidence.

What can I say about this film… In three letters: WOW.

A rich and vibrant color scheme and gripping fast-paced story line only start to explain what’s in store for you with this movie. It was exciting, heart-pumping, and featured strange, yet fantastic, cinematography and use of innovative CGI integration.

Watching Speed Racer excited the kid in me without making me feel like I was watching a kid movie. Most ideas portrayed here may have been brought off as cheesy in any other movie, but the Wachowski Brothers, creaters of the Matrix and this film, somehow made it all work in the world they were portraying.

This is not just a racing movie. The story runs deep at every scene, nothing shallow or one-dimensional at all. And the characters are all very well written, intricate, original and developed thoroughly. I felt like they were real people, not just someone on the page of a script. Though based in a fantastical reality with almost other-worldly dialogue and pace, it works. It seems real. It’s believable somehow, in spite of its obviously outrageous stunts.

I felt that the visual aspect of Speed Racer was far more creative than in the Wachowski Brothers previous works. It was superb to the point that I spent half the movie wondering what the next scene or perspective would look like rather than what would happen next. This film wins the Visually Creative award in my book—it simply takes CGI to the next level. There was never a dull scene in which the camera would just rest on someone talking. Instead, the camera would spin as he talked, or the background would change colors or turn into a flashback. In three words, the special effects and cinematography were FAN-TAS-TIC.

There was even some good old fashion kung fu in this movie. I love kung fu (when done well) in movies. Too many films these days try to implement crazy new fighting styles, but I love to see the straight stuff. I especially liked the fight scene done in the snow. Very cool stuff, and fun use of snowfall special FX while fighting. Well played, guys.

There was also an interesting mixture of technologies and decorative styles that left it ambiguous as to when it was taking place. The cars, buildings, and a lot of the technology seemed to be from the future but men in 50s clothing used Tommy Guns and some homes had 70s print wallpaper. But don’t get me wrong, I actually liked this about the movie. Somehow it all fit into the style of the film and helped me fall into the world they had created.

I loved the race courses. They were over-the-top and something out of an unrealistic video game. But as I’ve said before, it somehow worked in the context of the film. Usually I am a fanatic for wanting realism in my movies. I always seem to find things that make me say “yeah right.” But even though some things, like the race courses, were out of this world unrealistic, the thought never crossed my mind while watching it. On the contrary, as I saw the new courses throughout the movie, I smiled at how awesome they were.

If I had to complain about one thing it would be Spritle, the kid brother of the kid brother, that has a pet monkey. The monkey was cute, and the boy wasn’t SO terribly annoying that it ruined the movie for me (usually), but some of the boy’s lines and scenes were in fact cheesy. Leave it to a kid to take a genuinely great movie and ruin a few scenes. As a matter of fact, the only time I felt that I wanted the movie to hurry along were the times that he was on the screen.

Another fantastic and unexpected thing about this movie is that the themes were very adult. Much of the story line had to do with corporations, big business, sneaky takeovers, monopolies and stock market conspiracies. I would have expected from the previews that this was only a racing movie. Far from it. The stories went much further.

When I watch my favorite TV shows (Heroes, Lost), I find myself wishing it would never end. I felt similar watching this movie. When I was only 40 minutes into the film I was sad that so much had already passed. I wanted it to go on and on.

Ever seen someone do a jump kick, round-house 360…. with a car? It’s pretty dang cool. There was some pretty awesome Car-Kung-Fu in this movie and it was super creative and original.

Now, to be fair, I have never seen the original tv show (cartoon?) that this movie was based on. But I’m thinking that this is a good thing. I had nothing to compare the movie to, no pre-judged bias for the film. It was all fresh, new, and original for me. Having said that, I am now excited to go watch a couple episodes of the original series just to learn more about what the movie was trying to accomplish.

In the end, I can’t say enough about the visual aspect of the film. The vibrant colors and fantastically creative cinematography put this movie right at the top of my list. The Wachowski Brothers are in fact, geniuses.

This movie kept me riveted to the end. A nail-biting, heart-stopping, gripping, final climax, coupled with stunning visuals and creative scene work, completed this more-than-well-made film.

My Rating: 5/5 (or 6/5 if that’s possible)

My Recommendation: GET. THIS. MOVIE. It’s MORE than amazing. See it, watch it, rinse and repeat.