The Traitor Baru Cormorant Book Review

by The Wanderer

Author: Seth Dickinson
Publisher: Tor Books
Genre: Hard Fantasy
Series: Masquerade Book One
Pages: 400

As a savant with calculations and numbers, Baru Cormorant's only wish is to rise through the ranks of the powerful Empire of Masks to save her childhood home, Taranoke, from being completed assimilated. Her first test is as Imperial Accountant to Aurdwynn, one of the Masquerade's most profitable provinces and also one of it's most dangerous. She must navigate treachery and violence and still be willing to pay the price if she is to save her home.

Assassin's Fate Book Review

by The Wanderer 

Author: Robin Hobb
Publisher: Del Rey
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Series: Fitz and the Fool Book Three
Pages: 864

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(Spoilers for the Farseer Trilogy, Liveship Traders Trilogy, Tawny Man Trilogy, Rain Wild Chronicles, Fool's Assassin, and Fool's Quest are below).

Believing his daughter to be dead, Fitz, the Fool, and a small group of allies have traveled to the Elderling city of Kelsingra as the first destination on their longer journey to Clerres. Once they reach their destination, they plan on killing all the Servants. Unbeknownst to Fitz, Bee is still alive and also heading to Clerres where she can be raised as the next "Servant Controlled" white prophet.

Fool's Assassin Book Review

by The Wanderer 

Author: Robin Hobb
Publisher: Del Rey
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Series: Fitz and the Fool Book One
Pages: 706

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(Spoilers for the Farseer Trilogy, Liveship Traders Trilogy, Tawny Man Trilogy, and the Rain Wild Chronicles are below).

At 47 years of age, FitzChivalry Farseer is finally living the life he's always wanted to live. Married to the love of his life Molly, and retired to peace and quiet at his stepmother's home of Withywoods, Fitz spends his days embracing the ordinary and non-political life of being a Farseer. But over the next thirteen years, Fitz will be unable to escape his past, and when it finally catches up with him, the consequences will be dire.

Your Name Film Review

by The Wanderer

Director: Makoto Shinkai
Cast: Ryunosuke Kamiki, Mone Kamishiraishi
MPAA Rating: PG
Length: 107 Minutes

Your name is ...

Mitsuha a high school girl from rural Itomori Japan, and Taki a high school boy from Tokyo, begin to intermittently switch bodies when they fall asleep at night and begin to dream.

The Emperor's Soul Book Review

by The Wanderer

Author: Brandon Sanderson
Publisher: Tachyon Publications
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Series: Cosmere (Elantris World - Sel) Standalone
Pages: 175

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It was boldness, it was contrast, it was subtlety

Shai is a master forger, a person who can rewrite the history of objects in the world of Sel. Getting caught stealing the moon scepter of the Rose Empire has landed Shai a death sentence, but she now has the chance to save her life. She must build a new soul for the Emperor Ashravan in ninety days.

Watchmen Comic Review

by The World Weary  

Authors: Alan Moore
Illustrators: Dave Gibbons

Publisher: DC

Genre: Graphic Novel

Series: Watchmen

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A Stronger Loving World

 

Watchmen is the single greatest achievement in the comic book medium of all time. The brilliantly layered story, told through the eyes of the characters, news articles and books, and the fictional comic Tales of the Black Freighter is stirringly relevant. Alan Moore’s writing is astoundingly beautiful, and his ability to capture the voices of humanity makes the book breathe life into a tale that begins as a simple murder mystery, but becomes an unflinching and morally ambiguous discussion of our species’ self destructive nature. Dave Gibbon’s art perfectly blends with the narrative to create powerful, iconic imagery that makes almost every panel totally unforgettable. If you ever read one comic, read this one, as it is not only the greatest superhero story ever told,  but also one of the greatest pieces of literature of the twentieth century.

When Superman rose to fame in the 1930’s, I’m sure many Americans wondered what it would be like to don a costume and roam their towns and cities looking for wrongs to right. The idea must have been wondrously intoxicating, as it most assuredly is today. But what if? Alan Moore tackles that question with eloquent grace in his limited series Watchmen. Yet, there are many other questions that Watchmen asks, and each one has a relevant and totally morally ambiguous answer that might just leave you asking questions of your own like, “How much evil does it take to move someone to do good?”

All-Star Superman Comic Review

by The World Weary

Authors: Grant Morrison

Illustrators: Frank Quitely

Publisher: DC

Genre: Superhero

Series: Superman

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The All Star

(This article contains spoilers for The Death of Superman).

All Star Superman is the single greatest Superman story ever told. With rich characters, fantastic storytelling, truly beautiful art, and a strong emotional core, this is the best experience I’ve ever personally had reading comics.

Superman has died before. In 1992 DC Comics ran the Death of Superman arc, where the Man of Steel was bested by the demonic Doomsday. Naturally, it turns out Superman wasn’t dead, but instead in a coma like state. He was awakened and promptly returned to being the end all badass. Where some might find that arc lacking emotional impact, those who read All Star Superman will find the opposite.

Grave of the Fireflies Film Review

by The Wanderer

Director: Isao Takahata

Cast: Tsutomu Tatsumi, Ayano Shiraishi, Yoshiko Shinohara, Akemi Yamaguchi

MPAA Rating: No Rating

Length: 89 minutes

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Why Must Fireflies Die So Young?

If you remember watching Bambi’s mother getting shot and the feelings that came with that – the holding of your breath, the pangs in your heart, the tears in your eyes – well loop those feelings for an hour and half and that’s basically what you feel like when you watch Grave of the Fireflies.

Requiem for a Dream, Schindler’s List, and only a few other films in the history of filmmaking could be considered as depressing as this movie.  The story, based off real life events, follows two orphaned children in Japan during the final months of World War 2.  Even though viewers will know how the film ends 60 seconds into watching it, Grave of the Fireflies will still devastate you.

The Conjuring Film Review

by The World Weary

Director: James Wan

Cast: Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, Ron Livingston, Lili Taylor

Series: The Conjuring

MPAA Rating: R

Length: 112 Minutes

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The Power of Good Filmmaking Compels You!

There are many fine horror films that could be counted among the scariest ever made. The Shining, The Exorcist, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, etc. However, no one would name anything that has come out in the past decade (or perhaps even longer) as the scariest. Sure there have been fine films, like The Woman and Stoker, but these films weren’t necessarily scary. That has changed now. Like a rising tide, The Conjuring has become the surprise horror smash of the decade.

The Empire Strikes Back Film Review

by The World Weary

Director: Irvin Kershner
Cast: Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, James Earl Jones, Billy Dee Williams, Peter Mayhew, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Frank Oz
Series: Star Wars
MPAA Rating: PG
Length: 129 Minutes

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The Greatest Space Opera Ever

This review is of the 2004 DVD Re-Release, which includes re-touched footage and added sequences from the 1997 Special Edition (a.k.a. Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back). However, while reviewing the film I actively ignored the Special Edition add-ons, and this review will be based on the original footage as well as my memories of the original cut of the film. In a specially marked section I will discuss the Special Edition footage, which includes a few spoilers for The Empire Strikes Back.


The Empire Strikes Back is one of those rare sequels that is as good as, or better than the original. While I love the first Star Wars film for the sheer wonder and joy it can evoke in a person, The Empire Strikes Back is a Perfect 10 for a different reason. This is just an amazingly made film, that takes the stakes, characters, and universe of the original and builds and improves on them in every way.

This is a far darker film than Star Wars (1977), yet at the same time, it feels just as hopeful and wonderful. This is, like its predecessor, one of the greatest sci-fi films ever made, and  a classic that shall ride eternal on the roads of Valhalla, shiny and chrome.

Star Wars (1977) Film Review

by The World Weary

Director: George Lucas
Cast: Mark Hamill, Alec Guiness, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Peter Mayhew, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, James Earl Jones
Series: Star Wars
MPAA Rating: PG
Length: 123 Minutes

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Pure Hope

This review is of the 2004 DVD Re-Release, which includes re-touched footage and added sequences from the 1997 Special Edition (a.k.a. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope). However, while reviewing the film I actively ignored the Special Edition add-ons, and this review will be based on the original footage as well as my memories of the original cut of the film. In a specially marked section I will discuss the Special Edition footage, which includes a few spoilers for Star Wars and Return of the Jedi.

What a film.

The perfect marriage of inexperience, hope, the perfect cast, and passion. Really, this isn't just a cultural milestone, or another nerdy franchise, this is a powerfully good film.
Centuries from now, I can see this film still being important, and its legacy will probably never fade. This is one of the most joyous adventures ever committed to celluloid. This is the greatest science fiction story ever told.

This is Star Wars.

Infinite Jest Book Review

by The Wanderer

Author: David Foster Wallace
Publisher: Brown
Genre: Literary Science Fiction, Humor
Series: Standalone
Pages: 1,087

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This is one of the most challenging works of fiction out there, and that includes books outside the fantasy and science fiction realm. It’s a rewarding read to the people who are willing to brave the immense length and post modern diatribes that come with it.

If you pick up Infinite Jest you will either love this book or hate it. This book isn’t for everyone. Taking a look at the Amazon reviews, you can see the masses would agree with that statement as the two highest star ratings are one and five. Personally, I believe this is a brilliant story – especially at the conceptual level. For ye brave souls who pick up this book, get ready to be sucked into endless conversation with those who have read it, and get ready for some blank stares from people who haven’t read it and are wondering why anyone would spend their time reading a book like this. In my personal opinion Infinite Jest is brilliant, simply put.

Slaughterhouse-Five Book Review

by The Wanderer

Author: Kurt Vonnegut
Publisher: Delacorte
Genre: Literary Science Fiction, Humor
Series: Standalone
Pages: 215

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Slaughterhouse-Five has spawned a number of classic phrases and expressions such as “poo-tee-weet,” an expression said by birds in the novel that has come to represent the lack of intelligent dialogue that could ever be said about war.   “So it goes,” is another Vonnegut phrase that is associated with this book, as that expression is used after every single death, whether it be physical or metaphorical, in the novel.

Besides its cultural impact, Slaughterhouse-Five contains profound wisdom and haunting real-life experiences that give readers insight to the horrors of war.  The book also combines two genres that seemingly have nothing to do with one another (science fiction and autobiography) in a way that has a profound emotional impact on readers.  Slaughterhouse-Five is not just a great science fiction book, it is one of the greatest books ever written.

The Hobbit Book Review

by The Wanderer

Author: J.R.R. Tolkien
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Genre: Middle Grade, Epic Fantasy
Series: Lord of the Rings Prequel
Pages: 310

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Why even bother writing a review for a book like the Hobbit?  Its reputation as a classic is set in stone, and its author, J.R.R. Tolkien, is now considered to be the father of modern fantasy, which is due in large part to this book.  The only answer that came to my mind was, why not?

Before there was The Lord of the Rings, readers were introduced to The Hobbit, a story about an unseemly and simple creature that becomes a great hero.  In a lot of regards The Hobbit is a children’s story with adult values.  But it’s so much more; it’s the introduction to a beautifully real world called Middle Earth which is brought to life through Tolkien’s descriptive prose, and his detailed histories of the land’s different cultures and people.

Published over a decade before The Lord of the Rings, this is truly the book that started it all.  Although not everything about The Hobbit is perfect, overall the story has aged well.  Due to its immeasurable contributions to the genre this is a book that cannot be scored anything less than perfect.

The Fall of Hyperion Book Review

by The Wanderer

Author: Dan Simmons
Publisher: DoubleDay
Genre: Space Opera
Series: Hyperion Cantos Book Two
Pages: 528

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(Spoilers for Hyperion are below).

A must read if you’ve just finished Hyperion, and were like “wait, that’s the ending?” The Fall of Hyperion provides the conclusion to that narrative, but in a completely new format.  Gone is the Chaucer inspired structure from the last book, and instead a more traditional approach to storytelling is used.

Hyperion Book Review

by The Wanderer

Author: Dan Simmons
Publisher: DoubleDay
Genre: Space Opera
Series: Hyperion Cantos Book One
Pages: 492

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Hyperion is a modern sci-fi classic that kicks off author Dan Simmons’s Hyperion Cantos a four book saga that focuses on a mysterious planet called Hyperion.  The saga is broken into two distinct sections, so when you do read Hyperion you should also get The Fall of Hyperion because that is the same part of one continuous story.  The last two books form a continuous story of their own, but are set nearly 300 years in the future.

The Amber Spyglass Book Review

by The Wanderer

Author: Philip Pullman
Publisher: Scholastic
Genre: Young Adult, Steampunk
Series: His Dark Materials Book Three

Pages: 518

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(Spoilers for The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife are below).

Philip Pullman concludes the His Dark Materials Trilogy with the Amber Spyglass, and what an ending to the trilogy this book is.  Pullman continues to prove he has guts as a storyteller, not only with his philosophical statements, but also with the way the plot the resolves itself at the end.  More importantly the book is like riding an emotional whirlwind, as plot threads resolve in unexpected ways, readers will find it nearly difficult not to be entranced by everything this book throws at them.

Reading the Amber Spyglass makes you forget that this is a book for children.  Various literary critics and literary award committees seem to have forgotten that the book was for children, too.  The Amber Spyglass would win the 2001 Whitbread Book of the Year Award (A British book award that is an equivalent to the American Pulitzer), becoming the first children’s book to ever accomplish this feat.

Exceeding all of my personal expectations for this book, Pullman delivers a beautiful, deeply meaningful conclusion to his trilogy.  The plots all resolve, many in unexpected ways, and they provide a catharsis of emotion that neither of the previous books had been able to match.  Simply put the Amber Spyglass is perfection in children’s fantasy.

Titus Groan Book Review

by The Wanderer

Author: Mervyn Peake
Publisher: Overlook Press
Genre: Literary Fantasy
Series: Gormenghast Book One
Pages: 496

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On a bleak night in the castle Gormenghast, Titus Groan the future 77th Earl is born. On that same night a kitchen boy named Steerpike makes his daring escape from his monotonous employment.  It’s these two events that slowly bring about change to the stagnant life Gormenghast’s residents and servants.

A Storm of Swords Book Review

by The Wanderer

Author: George R. R. Martin
Publisher: Bantam

Genre: Epic Fantasy
Series: A Song of Ice and Fire Book Three
Pages: 924

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The Lord of the Rings may be the series that is the father of modern fantasy, but A Song of Ice and Fire is the series that is preparing the genre's future.  The well developed characters in this series begin to get even more complex and ambiguous in this third installment. Martin leaves his readers with many questions and ambiguities in the previous two books of this series, and this volume seems to not only continue the trend but also ups the stakes and consequences of the decisions made by all of the characters.

If there were one word to describe this book I think it would have to be traumatizing, and I’ve never used that word to ever describe a book.  The drama, tension, and suspense of this series increases tenfold, a feat many thought would be impossible after A Game of Thrones, but once again the author proves the world wrong.  In my less than humble opinion, A Storm of Swords is the single greatest volume from a fantasy series written thus far.

A Game of Thrones Book Review

by The Wanderer

Author: George R. R. Martin

Publisher: Bantam
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Series: A Song of Ice and Fire Book One
Pages: 674

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George R.R. Martin’s opening book to his highly acclaimed A Song of Ice and Fire Series is deserving of the hype: this is the greatest fantasy series currently in existence.  Unpredictable story-lines, emotionally deep characters, large fantastical landscapes, and complex political situations and power structures help Martin not only honor  J.R.R. Tolkien before him, but also enable him to shine new light on the fantasy genre. 

Now the basis for HBO’s hit show Game of Thrones, the popularity of Martin’s fantasy series continues to grow and attract a wider audience not only for his own series but for the fantasy genre, too.  A Game of Thrones is fantasy story-telling perfection.