Book Review: We Are Legion (We Are Bob): Bobiverse, Book 1 by Dennis E. Taylor

One of the greatest things about science fiction is the ability to ask "what if" and then explore that question. While almost no one can actually see the future or accurately predict much of what will happen, it is still an interesting exercise that can change one's thinking and way of doing things.

We Are Legion (We Are Bob): Bobiverse, Book 1 is science fiction adventure written by Dennis E. Taylor. It's available in all formats: eBooks, Audiobooks, and those paper things your grandparents used to read.

Overview

Bob has recently sold his software company and is looking forward to his future when he is killed. Fortunately, he had signed up to have his head preserved thru cryogenics just before the accident (what a coincidence) so he wakes up centuries in the future and learns he will be the "brains" of a Von Neumann probe on a mission to explore the universe and find new inhabitable worlds. Other countries have their own probes ready to launch and the Earth faces the threat of a catastrophic war, so it is a race against time.

The Good

Characterizations. There aren't a lot of characters in this book, but the few there are all have unique personalities. I was especially impressed with how the author was able to differentiate the different Bobs who should all be identical but give them slight personality tweaks that made them each seem unique while still retaining essential parts of the original Bob. It was fine line to maneuver, but maneuver it the author did and did well.

Biases kept in check. Everyone has their biases. Everyone has their opinions. Some are better at keeping those opinions from unduly coloring their views of the world than others. The author did a good job of not forcing his political leanings or agenda down the readers' throats. The predictions he made and the reactions of the different parties in the story were all fairly logical and likely given the circumstances. No one group or philosophy seemed to be given undue praise or criticism.

Ray Porter. Ray Porter may just well be the greatest reader ever. He is able to convey so much emotion without every going overboard or sounding over dramatic. He also reads so well that you feel like he is talking to you and not reading to you. The man can do no wrong.

The Bad

Pace. The novel moves at a pretty decent pace most of the time, but there are times it drags, especially towards the beginning when the reader is still trying to figure out where this book is going.

Predictions. Most of this story takes place in the future, which requires quite a bit of speculating and predicting. The predictions the author makes are certainly possible, but seem fairly generic and unlikely given the course humanity has taken over the last six thousand years. It's a shame he didn't spend a little more time thinking about the future and coming up with something a bit more likely and original.

Geek References. I have to wonder if the author is actually a science fiction fan or a pop culture fan. The main characters constantly make references to scifi and geek culture (Star Trek, Star Wars, etc.) throughout the story, but the references are always the most well known ones. A true geek would have thrown in a few obscure references, because he couldn't have helped himself. There weren't any here.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

The predictions and "world of the future" the author creates is a pretty typical, common dystopia that most likely will never happen. It would be nice if the predictions had been a little more original or a little more based in facts and historic trends instead of generic, fear-mongering predictions that never seem to pan out. I also wish the scifi/pop culture references hadn't been so vanilla. This book just wasn't as creative and original as it could have and should have been. It was very predictable.

Overall

We Are Legion (We Are Bob): Bobiverse, Book 1 is an entertaining science fiction adventure about mankind's future and exploration of the galaxy using human minds transferred into computers aboard Von Neumann probes and lots of geek references. The overall plot was pretty predictable with no real surprises, but the Bobs (the main characters) were enjoyable and their development was really the focus of the story. I give it a solid 4.5 out of 5 eReaders.

     

Radio Drama Review - The Shadow: Partners of Peril

I'm huge fan of pulp fiction and old time radio dramas. It's really sad how little new material is produced from each of these genres. Recently, Audible released a new performance of an old classic.

The Shadow: Partners of Peril is a 2017 full-cast production of the original pulp fiction story from 1935. It's available as an Audiobook.

Overview

The Shadow is a mysterious figure who fights crime and has a network of informants to help. The very first Batman story, The Case of the Chemical Syndicate in Detective Comics 27 is nearly identical in plot to this story and many think Bill Finger, one of Batman's creators, was heavily inspired by it (or maybe blatantly stole it).

The Good

Performance and Production. Audible Studios did a great job to provide a fine cast and fitting music. Every part of this production was really well done.

Breakneck pace. Pulp fiction is known for it's breakneck pace, especially series like The Shadow and The Spider. This story begins with a murder and doesn't let off the throttle until the very end, several bodies later.

Fun. Pulp fiction and old-time radio have a real sense of fun, and this production captured it perfectly.

The Bad

Slightly Melodramatic Performances. The voice actors all added an air of melodrama to their performances, probably trying to evoke the 1930s or add a nostalgic air. Whatever their reason, it distracted from the seriousness of the story.

Typical Story Problems with Pulp Fiction. Pulp fiction was written very quickly which gave it a lot of fun energy and power, but it also resulted in some ludicrous story plots and twists. If you think very hard about the story, you'll see a quite a few problems. It moves quickly enough that it's easy to get lost in the action and ignore it.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I wish the actors and actresses had played their roles a little more straight and not so melodramatic. Old time radio was serious. The melodrama is a result of age, not a deliberate act.

Overall

The Shadow: Partners of Peril is a well-produced adaption of a classic Shadow story. The actors and producers perfectly capture the feel of pulp fiction and old-time radio. Fans will be overjoyed while modern audiences unfamiliar with those genres may find it dated, slow, and contrived. I give it 3.5 out of 5 microphones.

 

Movie Review: Ghost in the Shell (2017 live action film)

I've read a few manga and watched quite a bit of anime, but I've never read nor watched Ghost in the Shell. I'm aware it exists, but other than that I couldn't tell you much about it. So I went in with few expectations.

Ghost in the Shell is a 2017 trippy science fiction live action film based on the Japanese manga and anime adaption of the same name. It's rated PG-13 due to violence and appropriate for teens and up.

Overview

In the future, cybernetic enhancements to humans are all the rage. One company finally succeeds in transplanting a human brain into an android body. She joins a law enforcement group who investigates the murder of several people from a major corporation and attempts to hunt down the perpetrator and discover why he's targeting them.

The Good

Solid Science Fiction Flick. This is a solid story told in a fairly standard way. The characters are about as well developed as a typical, non-Star Trek scifi show. There is a mystery that is solved one clue at a time with action and a couple of twists thrown in at the appropriate times. If you like shows on SyFy channel, you'll probably love this.

Straightforward Story. Sometimes movies try really hard to be "visionary" or "revolutionary" by presenting the story in a very convoluted manner. The producers don't waste their time with that. This story is told in a very linear, straightforward fashion.

Didn't Overexplain World. One of the most common aspects of science fiction to get mocked is the author or director's need to explain the world to the reader or viewer as if it were a travelogue and to label things with overly descriptive names. Ghost in the Shell doesn't fall into this trap. Things happened, and the viewer is expected to be smart enough to figure out what's going on.

The Bad

Indifferent Characters. The characters were fine and had some development, and the casting choices were fitting, but none of them were very likable, compelling, or even hateable. They were little more than useful plot devices.

Lack of Originality. Something that really caught Western audiences' attentions when manga and anime hit the US during the Japanamation era was how different it was from American comics and animation. The style was unique, the subject matter contained so much never even touched on in Western comics or animation, and the way the stories were told was so fresh and different. Unfortunately, every time someone tries to adapt and anime or manga property into live action film, they follow the typical Hollywood formula instead of trying something completely new and original. (Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and 300 are two exceptions, and both were masterpieces.)

Visual Look. The visual look of this film is like every other space opera or dystopian future show currently on SyFy. It doesn't stand out or inspire.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I wish the filmmakers had realized that Ghost in the Shell was such a beloved cult classic because of how unique it was and looked when it came out and tried to create a movie just as unique in terms of storytelling and cinematography. This movie is shot like any other Hollywood film with a visual look and feel straight off the SyFy channel. There are definitely fans of that kind of film, but not in the kind of numbers needed to make this profitable and inspire a sequel.

Overall

Ghost in the Shell is a solid science fiction flick that looks like most of the current series on SyFy channel. It's entertaining, but nothing special. The characters aren't especially likable, the design and look of the film are pretty typical, and it wouldn't hurt my feelings to never see a sequel made. I give this film 3.5 out of 5 boxes of popcorn.

 

Book Review: Redshirts by John Scalzi

I've enjoyed a lot of books by John Scalzi, I love Star Trek, and I enjoy Wil Wheton's narration. But I don't like bad parodies or silly science fiction which this book seemed like it was. I downloaded the first four chapters as a free preview, but couldn't get thru them. It took me awhile to finally break down and buy the book, and it was mostly a leap of faith based on how much I enjoyed previous books by this author.

Redshirts is science fiction comedy written by John Scalzi. It's available in all formats: eBooks, Audiobooks, and those paper things your grandparents used to read.

Overview

This story is a very clever parody of Star Trek with the crew realizing they are controlled by a TV show and have to figure out how to break its hold or end up dying at the whims of the producers and writers.

The Good

Writing. Most stories by John Scalzi I've enjoyed. He always has a very original take on traditional stories. The prose is clean and crisp and moves at a great pace. The wit and personality of the author comes thru in the words no matter what the situation or genre be it space opera or crime thriller.

Characters. The main characters are basically extras from a bad scifi TV show, but the author has managed to give each one a personality and made me care about the fate of each one.

Pace. This book starts off a little slow, but after the first four chapters it moves quickly and never feels stagnant or rushed. 

Humor. This book is very funny, but with a more intellectual and understated sense of humor. There were a few scenes where I laughed out loud, but most of the time I just had an amused smile on my face.

Relationships. John Scalzi's other books have great characters, but this is the first one I've read that had great relationships. He really spent time on the interactions between characters and developing the characters thru their relationships with each other. The many sentimental moments really heightened the overall impact of the story and added real weight to the main conflict. The relationships are why I cared whether the characters succeeded in their big mission or not. 

Twists. This book definitely has some twists I didn't see coming, but none of them felt contrived or forced. The situation was so well set up that everything felt like it had to happen. And the twist at the very end (Chapter 24)  was quick but laugh out loud hilarious and so brave to pull off.

The Bad

Bad Star Trek Parody. The novel opens up with a bad parody of a mediocre episode of the original Star Trek. I understand that this is necessary to set up the story and the world, but it could have been more interesting. Also, Star Trek always took itself seriously and tried to be high literature, with the silliness being a result of small budgets, short shooting schedules, and the 1960s. It kind of annoys me when people exaggerate the silliness.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

The only thing I would change is to have a more interesting opening. The first few chapters are generic, bad science fiction and were hard to sit thru. I almost didn't buy this book after previewing the first two chapters they were so lame.

Overall

Redshirts is a hilariously entertaining science fiction comedy with a really unique twist on the old trope of breaking the fourth wall. After a slow start, it races to an exciting and unexpected finish. I give it a solid 4.5 out of 5 eReaders.

    

Book Review: Ramsey's Gold (Drake Ramsey Book 1) by Russell Blake

I'm a fan of jungle adventures like Indiana Jones, The Phantom, Tim Tyler's Luck, or DuckTales. And

Ramsey's Gold is a jungle treasure hunt adventure written by Russell Blake. It's available in all formats: eBooks, Audiobooks, and those paper things your grandparents used to read.

Overview

After receiving a strange inheritance of money and his father's journal from his aunt, Drake Ramsey decides to continue his father's quest for a lost Inca city and the gold it is reported to contain. On the way he meets up with an old friend of his father, a potential love interest, and a hardened adventurer who may or may not be on his side. And the Russians, a mysterious radioactive ore, and the CIA are thrown in for good measure.

The Good

Realistic Take on the Jungle Adventure. Most stories in this genre ignore the realities of traveling thru a remote jungle: the heat, the dangerous animals, the complete distancing from society, the fatigue, the dirt, etc. This book actually addressed those and made them an important feature of the story. That was a nice change.

Competent Writing and Story. The writing was very competent with a fairly solid story and storytelling.

Ray Porter. Ray Porter is one of my favorite voice talents. I will buy a book I know nothing about (like this one) just because he read it. He did a great job making each character feel and sound unique and told the story without ever getting in the way of it.

The Bad

Typical Troupes. The story is exactly what one would expect. The characters are your typical characters with typical motivations. The twists were pretty usual twists. The happy ending with a few "devastating" losses was exactly what I was expecting from the get go. Everything turned out exactly how I expected it to. The "shocking" revelations I've heard numerous times before. There really is no reason for this book to exist, because everything in it has been done before. This really felt like a textbook example of what this type of story should be bringing almost nothing new or original to the table. For a lot of people that might be a good thing, but I was a little disappointed. I have no desire to read the next two books in the series.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I wish there had been something unique about this book that made it stand out from the rest and made me excited to read the next book in the series.

Overall

Ramsey's Gold is an entertaining book that is competently written. It is a fairly standard adventure with all the twists, turns, surprises, and happy ending you'd expect. While it brings nothing new or unique to the table, those who just want to read another well-written jungle adventure like every other well-written jungle adventure will be very satisfied. I give it 4 out of 5 eReaders.

     

Movie Review: Disney's Beauty and the Beast (2017 live action film)

I remember going to the theater to watch Disney's animated version of Beauty and the Beast. I had loved The Little Mermaid, so I was really excited to see what they would do with this fairy tale. I was familiar with the story, because when I was little I watched an animated version of both The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast on television. (I think they were both Japanese cartoons from the 70s, but I'm not sure, because I've never been able to find either of them. If you are familiar with either, send me a message with more information.) I was completely enchanted and wondered if that film might just be better than Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. (It's not, but it come close.)

Disney's Beauty and the Beast is a 2017 live action adaption of the 1991 animated fairy tale. It's rated PG for a few frightening scenes but is appropriate for most audiences.

Overview

A young man is cursed for his cruelty to an enchantress in disguise. The entire castle is cursed. He must learn to love and find someone to love him to break the spell. In a nearby village, a young woman finds herself not fitting in and longs for something more. You'll never guess what happens next.

The Good

If It Ain't Broke. My biggest problems with the previous Disney live action adaptions (Maleficent, Cinderella, and The Jungle Book) is the omission of the music. The music is a key element to any Disney film and a large reason why the feature either succeeds or doesn't. All of the beloved songs from the 1991 animated version are here.

Changes. There is a video online called Everything Wrong With Beauty and the Beast (1991). The producers must have watched that video, because all of those problems were fixed. The set up, the backstory, the motivations, the development of the relationships all varied from the original and for the better. This version makes much more sense, answers a lot of questions, and fills in a lot of plot holes and inconsistencies.

Singing. I thought the music in the original was perfect. I was really scared about how it would be performed in this version. The previews and trailers hardly showed it, which made me even more nervous. (Look at the mess called Les Miserables and the poor casting choices butchering the songs.) But my fears were for naught. Every performance was excellent, different from the animated version, but still wonderful.

Casting. I admit, I raised more than one eyebrow at the casting choices, but everyone gave a great performance. I don't know that the filmmakers could have done a better job.

The Bad

Lack of Color. One of the many things I loved about the 1991 animated version was the beauty of the animation and backgrounds. They had such gorgeous color. And I've been to palaces in France, and they do have gorgeous color. Unfortunately, this movie chose to portray everything in very muted blue tones and dull gold tones.

Drags 2/3 of the way in. This version spends a little more time on relationships, motivations, and backstory. This helps to flesh out the story and solve many of the plot holes and other problems with the story of the animated version, but also slows the pacing down to the point I started glancing at my watch.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I wish the movie had been brighter and more colorful. Otherwise I wouldn't change a thing.

Overall

Disney's Beauty and the Beast is a masterpiece. It follows the animated version very closely, but makes important changes and additions to fix the story problems of the original and provide more believable motivation and backstory. The beloved songs are all here with three additional songs that, while not instant classics, are very enjoyable and add to the story. I give this film a solid 4.5 out of 5 boxes of popcorn.

 

Movie Review: Snowden

I remember when the story of Edward Snowden broke, I wasn't at all surprised. I guess I'm just cynical, but I assumed the government had been illegally spying on everyone and collecting information they had no right to possess for decades. What I was surprised at was how callous and flippant the government was in its response. There was no embarrassment or attempt to conceal what they were doing. They just smiled, said it was for everyone's good, and kept doing it.

Snowden is a 2016 historical thriller drama based on actual events. It's rated R for some harsh language and brief nudity and is appropriate for teenagers and up.

Overview

This film tells the story of Edward Snowden, an employee/consultant for the CIA and other US intelligence agencies, who discovered the US was spying on its citizens and the citizens of other countries without following legal search procedures and exposed it resulting in his exile to Russia.

The Good

Acting/Casting. This movie was really well cast with each actor and actress doing an excellent job of creating memorable characters that I found myself caring about either positively or negatively.

Storytelling. This movie presents its message very clearly in a very linear fashion. It begins with Snowden's loyalty and love of country and desire to serve and shows that love challenged by revelation after revelation. The explanations to cover up the apparent problems are clearly laid out and then clearly shown to be lies. The viewer understands what is going on in Snowden's mind and all the conflicts he is dealing with.

Not Heavy Handed. This subject would be very easy to take a heavy-handed approach with, but I didn't feel it was so biased it hurt the film. The filmakers' personal view that the military industrial complex and greed are the root of the corruption is very clear,  but I didn't feel they hit me over the head with it. They also didn't blame a single political party, but showed both parties were involved and guilty.

The Bad

Pacing. This movie was over two hours long, and it felt like it was over two hours long.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I wish I knew how much of this was actually true and how much was exaggerated or even invented.

Overall

Snowden is a well-told dramatization of actual events that affect everyone on this planet. The writing, acting, and storytelling were all excellent expressing a very clear message. While the story did drag in spots and the movie felt like it was over two hours long, I still give this film a solid 4.5 out of 5 boxes of popcorn.

 

Movie Review: The Boy and the Beast

I first heard about this film from a YouTube video review and was curious to watch it. I've been a fan of anime since I first saw Voltron as a wee youngster. Anime can be really engaging and unique, but it can also be very strange and derivative with the gems being few and far between. Having enjoyed many Japanese films and having been disappointed by many more, I was a little nervous which way this film would go.

The Boy and the Beast is a 2015 action, fantasy, anime film. It's rated PG-13 for language and a few intense fight scenes but is appropriate for most audiences.

Overview

A young boy's mother dies leaving him to the care of relatives. He runs away and follows a mysterious man to a world inhabited by anthropomorphic animals. The man he followed is actually a beast who is competing with a more popular beast to be the new lord of this world when the old one ascends to godhood. The beast trains the boy and the two develop a father-son relationship.

The Good

Exploration of Relationships. While this movie contains martial arts fight scenes and a plot about who will be the next leader, the story of the movie is about a young boy growing up and discovering a father figure in his sensei, and his sensei growing up discovering a son in his apprentice. The movie does an excellent and thorough job of exploring what it means to be a father and many of the dynamics that are involved in the father-son relationship. The young boy grows up and finds his real father and that relationship is explored and contrasted. I've never seen the subject handled so well, even in live action film or print.

Characters. The characters were all very likable, unique, and sufficiently developed. I found myself actually caring what happened to them.

Animation. The animation was suburb. It was very smooth with the characters' movements doing an excellent job conveying their emotions. You could follow the movie and understand what was going on even without the dialogue.

Art Direction. This film was gorgeous to watch from the background paintings to the character designs, to the colors, to the music. Even if the story had been awful, the visual would have been worth watching the movie for.

The Bad

Pacing. This movie is a Japanese movie and is evenly paced and slowly developed like a typical Japanese movie, so to a Western viewer it feels a little slow.

Predictability. There is conflict in the film and a question of who will be the next lord, but everything is resolved exactly how you think it will be with no real surprises or no real suspense. It did not affect the enjoyment of the film, but it was a missed opportunity.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I wouldn't not have minded if the story had moved a little bit quicker and had a few surprises. I did find myself checking the clock and actually watched the movie in two sittings, because I got a little stir crazy after the first half hour.

Overall

The Boy and the Beast is a beautifully animated, beautifully told story about the relationship between a father and a son. Being a Japanese film, it was a little slow by western standards, but the story, characters, animation, and fight scenes are so well done that it is very enjoyable to watch and leaves you with a good feeling at the end. I give it a solid 4 out of 5 boxes of popcorn.