Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

The last movie promised that number seven would also be a decent movie and it did not disappoint. Though I liked Half-Blood Prince better, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 definitely makes it to the top half of my list of Harry Potter movies.

Although it was long, it was interesting the entire movie. I was wondering if they would end this first installment with Ron's return to the group but it went much farther than I anticipated. This means that the battle at Hogwarts in the next movie is going to take quite a while, which I am perfectly okay with.

Most all of the characters performed admirably. There are not any parts that I can think of that had an obvious lack of talent. The movie was hilarious all the way through. However there were some minor mistakes and two larger flaws which place Half-Blood Prince over this one.

Minor flaws: Bill's scar was not what I expected. I thought it would be much larger and/or cover a much larger area of his face. Though he played his part well, I did not particularly like the man chosen to play Xenophilia Lovegood. I think it could have been more violent. Of the unforgiveable curses I only saw the Avada Kedavra even used and that only indirectly.

Slightly bigger flaws: The camera work at some points was disorienting, specifically when the snatchers are chasing the trio through the woods towards the end of the film. The much talked about nudity scene I felt was interjected specifically so that the audience could see Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe naked and was not only completely unnecessary but out of place. The specific details of that scene do not even happen in the book at all and if they had wanted to put it in then they characters could have at least been clothed. Like I said, it was apparent that they put it in because they wanted to and I don't feel that it enhanced the emotion of that moment even a morsel. It actually somewhat bothers me that they would purposely insert such a scene in a movie that they know many children will watch (and that is probably precisely why they did it).

I loved the character they chose for Bathilda Bagshot.

I am convinced that the next movie will probably be the best of the lot because it will have all my favorite parts of the seventh book. Looking forward to it.

Iliad

Robert Fagles' translation of the Iliad deserves an A.

I began reading this book for my Greek History class but I have always wanted to read it anyway. I am glad that the teacher led me to this translation because rather than being stilted and archaic, it is pure poetry.

Every line and section is written as it might have been sung thousands of years ago. Several small sections have become my favorite poems and the book as a whole is one long poem.

A good book makes you look forward to reading more. Luckily, I have the Robert Fagles' translation of the Odyssey on order from Amazon and I can't wait to read it.

Characters

Trojans: I generally dislike many of the Trojans. The glaring exceptions are Andromache and Hector, both of whom I love. I love Andromache because she is the perfect example of a loving, faithful wife. Her emotions feel real and her scenes, though few, are captivating. Hector is not the best warrior, but he is the best Trojan. In modern days he is often seen as a family man, which of course he is. However, none of these are the reasons I respect and like Hector. I like Hector because he knows that the entire Trojan kingdom rests on his back and that responsibility drives him to be a hardened leader who knows that he can not possibly win, but fights for it anyway. Whether the gods are with him or not, Hector knows he must always press on.

Greeks: I like Achilles because he knows he is the best and so does everyone else. He does not disappoint. He has the love of the gods and his refusal to fight is justified because he is powerful enough to say that it is. Having said that, I think he is petty and this undercuts his heroism. Diomedes shines for me brighter than anyone else. Diomedes feels he needs to prove that he can be a good warrior and he succeeds. Athena is with Diomedes and the man is ambitious enough to attack the gods (he harms both Aphrodite and Ares, his own father). Diomedes steps in to fill the hole left by the absence of Achilles. Odysseus does not shine too much in this book but he does have his moments and I do like him. He is best friends with Diomedes and although he is more of a strategist that a warrior, he doesn't pass by opportunities to protect his friends and fight for the Greeks. Two examples of this are when he goes with Diomedes to attack the Trojan camp during the night and another example when Diomedes is wounded and Odysseus stands alone against a horde until Ajax comes to relieve him. I am also a big fan of Patroclus because he loves Achilles enough to know his duty and not fight, though he wants to badly. Yet at the same time he pushes those boundaries and helps the sick men in the camps despite Achilles' ban on giving aid. His spirit quickly leads to his death and I wish we could have gotten to know him better.

Olympians: On my hate list are Apollo and Aphrodite, who support the Trojans. I do not like Aphrodite because she just constantly whines. She is technically responsible for the entire war yet she does not assume this responsibility and kind of pops in and out of the battle to conveniently save people who deserve to die. When she is wounded by Diomedes she comes crying to Zeus. She is pathetic. Apollo is strong and wise and he also fights for the Trojans. What I do not like about Apollo is that he seems to fight for himself, not the Trojans. He aids Hector and others, but only when it suits him and at no risk to himself. This seems cowardly even though he has great power. The only god that I love is Athena. Hera is okay, especially towards the middle of the book, but Athena is constantly in good standing. Athena loves warriors and she only loves the best. From the beginning Athena is drawn to Diomedes which made me like both of them even more. Athena often fights with Diomedes and allows him godlike abilities such as seeing gods and harming gods. Athena does not back down from a fight. She has a confrontation with Apollo directly, later in the book, and Apollo backs down though he is stronger. Athena commands respect and divinity.

I would recommend this book to anybody. I promise they will love it. If they open their minds to the possibility that the gods are actually real and this is the true, perfectly accurate history of Greece then it becomes even more exhilarating. One warning is that many people die and it is often described in graphic terms.

Jonathan Stroud Book Signing

Last night I had the fantastic opportunity to meet Jonathan Stroud, a British children's fantasy author. I first picked up his most famous work, The Bartimaeus Trilogy, in high school and I have been a fan ever since. Since he lives in England, this was quite a rare treat.

Jonathan started off by talking about his early writing career and showing us pictures of covers from different areas of the world. This was very interesting. I wish I could have gotten pictures but I didn't. Before launching into the Q & A session he read to us from his newest book The Ring of Solomon. It promises to be just as entertaining as the original three.



Most of the fans there were able to ask at least one question. There were only about 20 or so of us. After that we got in line to get our books signed. I not only had a copy of the new book but the other three as well in hardback and paperback. Now they are all signed and I am happy :)

Way of Kings Review (Spoiler Free)

The Way of King's is author Brandon Sanderson's attempt at epic fantasy. Before I critique the novel, let me say that it well deserves its grade as an A- book and ranks above a few of the other novels he has put out (all of which are fantastic by the way). So don't let the 1001 pages or any negative feedback put you off.

I will not talk about the writing because it is similar to that of his other books and in no way exceeds or falls short of them. Therefore I will only focus on plot line and things of that nature.

Pace: In a book this large it is impossible to completely avoid the feeling that a particular section or chapter is dragging. This will always happen at one point or another with a book of this size. I actually had this problem less with Way of Kings than I have with other books with a comparable length. Most of the time Brandon is pretty good about decided when he needs to switch viewpoints again and visit a character he has neglected for a while. This book actually reminds me a lot of The Great Hunt (The second book of The Wheel of Time series) in which the author must juggle more than a few viewpoints.

Characterization: This is the bulk of my negative comments about the book. Although Dalinar and Kaladin are well-developed (as well as all the minor characters on the Shattered Plains), Jasnah, Shallan, and the other characters in the west are not. In Shallan's case we do know quite a bit about her past, but it is . . . well, boring. For me Shallan did not get interesting until her encounter towards the end of the novel. Although I love reading about Kaladin's past (especially his brother Tien) I felt like putting in SO MUCH of it was cheating the reader. I realize Brandon has a clear view of what he wants to do but I would rather he work those large chunks into the chapters as smaller chunks or comments or memories over a longer period of time to give the reader the sense that he is actually getting to know Kaladin better rather than just reading Kaladin's history.

Magic: As always, Brandon has an interesting magic system quite different than anything he has written before. I suppose that is his trademark: to invent a new and unique magic system for each of his books. Way of Kings is no exception. I felt like he handled it perfectly. A little over explanation of surgebindings in fight scenes, but overall well done.

Climax and Ending: The climax was perfectly placed and well developed and supported by what the reader has come to know. The ending was not rushed yet not dragged out either and it made for the perfect transition into the second book when it comes out. The mini-climax and ending for the Jasnah/Shallan story thread was much too rushed but it had to happen that way because of Brandon's neglect concerning that storyline.

Best/Worst: As far as characters go Dalinar, Kaladin, then Adolin top the list for me. Kasbal and Shallan are solidly at the bottom. The pace of unfurling the magic system with Kaladin and Dalinar was perfect. Elokhar, though he is meant to be a weak character, is too weak in my opinion. Hoid (explained below).

Things to look forward to: A Jasnah viewpoint in future books would be great because she comes across as a potentially interesting character but she didn't really get a chance to shine here. I would also like an ardent viewpoint at some point in the series so that the reader can more fully explore the Devotaries and the Vorin religion.

Hoid: Brandon has the tendency to talk down to his reader at times. He realizes that not all of his readers can figure out everything by themselves, but it still bothers me when he has to directly come out and say things. Hoid in this book is a great example of that. I would rather continue to read vague hints and clues at the cosmere and Hoid but this book gives him nearly two full chapters worth of material. I don't know how I feel about this. I would rather be forced to figure it out on my own at roughly the same pace as Brandon has been laying it out thus far. A pace increase was required eventually, but this was too far of a leap.