I decided to post some retrospective thoughts.
Clive Barker's the Hellbound Heart
This marked my first introduction to the writing of Clive Barker. I had two expectations for this book, and neither was accomplished, yet it was still impressive. I had been expecting a detailed description and explanation of the Cenobites, which I partially recieved. There was some insight, but they were clearly different visions from those in Hellraiser. I had also been expecting an explanation for what the hell was up with that cricket eating hobo who transforms into a dragon in Hellraiser. However, he wasn't even in the book. Since that was not an awkward adaptation of the text, but was created for the film specifically, it makes even less ense to me now. Overall, it was well worth reading, though the differences seemed minor and thus it didn't really serve as further enlightenment, simply as a retelling. The best stuff was probably the Frank perspective portions, since they gave insight into the man who would call upon the Cenobites, and the means of his escape. I'm now very excited for the Scarlet Gospels - the forthcoming sequel novel. I love the Hellraiser films, but this is an official sequel from the mind of Clive Barker, and I will be fascinated to see how he continues from here.
J.R.R. Tolkien's the Children of Hurin
I was incredibly skeptical when I heard that they were releasing a "new" Tolien book. Suddenly my parents bought it for me and I had to feign pleasure. I am probably the only Tolkien fan who thinks that he is a bad writer. He is much like Frank Herbert. They have both created large, immersive worlds and interesting stories, but they are so focused on creating these worlds that the developing narrative falters. Anyway, I opened up the Children of Hurin and all my worst fears were confirmed. The first few pages are just a list of names and genealogies. However, if you make it through the first few Chapters as your protagonist Turin starts to grow up, the story gets better and better until it is ultimately a great story. Tolkien's characters are like those in Star Trek. They are just so damned noble. They all seem to be the pinnacle of human evolution. Turin, on the other hand, is deeply flawed, develops a hatred for the beloved elves and is a more realistic and flawed character. The story itself reminded me of several texts, however to name them would ruin several plot twists, so I will refrain. It was impressively transgressive, though. Again, I have always viewed Tolkien as one who reinforced traditional values. By the time the story ends, I was most impressed, and I highly recommend the Children of Hurin to any Tolkien fan.
R. Scott Bakker's the Prince of Nothing trilogy
This series was both frustrating and fascinating. Kellhus' character was constantly manipulating others. He was amorphous and adaptive. Nothing that he had was his alone - he was simply an assmblage of other people's needs and wants. He was like the Xenomorphs from the Alien films. Since they assume something of their host's nature within themselves, it is logical to assume that all of the Aliens' traits are stolen from other races, the acid blood, the tongue with teeth, etc. These must have all been taken from the hosts that the Queen takes and then passes down to her children. That was somewhat off topic, but I wanted to post my personal theory on the history of the Aliens. Back to the Prince of nothing. Kellhus was one of the protagonists, but there were two or three others of equal importance. The books were frustrating because you had to watch these other protagonists be hollowed out and manipulated by Kellhus. Besides that, the series was interesting because it was like the prelude to any other fantasy series. It was the rise of an empire, and the wars of conquest which will lead to the unified struggle against evil of other fantasy stories. Anyway, it was really good. Support Canadian literature.
JSRF: Jet Set Radio Future
I recently bought an Xbox. An original Xbox, not a 360. I feel like such a traitor to my beloved Sony. Anyway, I'll get over it. I bout the console specifically for three exclusive games. JSRF is one of them. It really was reminiscient of the first couple of Tony Hawks in the sheer fun of it. However, the trick focus was removed and replaced by a focus on action and platforming. The action element was in the enemies and bosses you need to fight. The platforming is a little more obscure. The graffiti points had to be found by leaping across rails and platforms to reach obscure locations. You then have to gather collectibles (graffit souls). I picked the game up for its sense of style, which was really prominent, but I was impressed by the gameplay as well.
I have other things to write about, but this post is stretching out quite a bit, so I'll do it later.
Clive Barker's the Hellbound Heart
This marked my first introduction to the writing of Clive Barker. I had two expectations for this book, and neither was accomplished, yet it was still impressive. I had been expecting a detailed description and explanation of the Cenobites, which I partially recieved. There was some insight, but they were clearly different visions from those in Hellraiser. I had also been expecting an explanation for what the hell was up with that cricket eating hobo who transforms into a dragon in Hellraiser. However, he wasn't even in the book. Since that was not an awkward adaptation of the text, but was created for the film specifically, it makes even less ense to me now. Overall, it was well worth reading, though the differences seemed minor and thus it didn't really serve as further enlightenment, simply as a retelling. The best stuff was probably the Frank perspective portions, since they gave insight into the man who would call upon the Cenobites, and the means of his escape. I'm now very excited for the Scarlet Gospels - the forthcoming sequel novel. I love the Hellraiser films, but this is an official sequel from the mind of Clive Barker, and I will be fascinated to see how he continues from here.
J.R.R. Tolkien's the Children of Hurin
I was incredibly skeptical when I heard that they were releasing a "new" Tolien book. Suddenly my parents bought it for me and I had to feign pleasure. I am probably the only Tolkien fan who thinks that he is a bad writer. He is much like Frank Herbert. They have both created large, immersive worlds and interesting stories, but they are so focused on creating these worlds that the developing narrative falters. Anyway, I opened up the Children of Hurin and all my worst fears were confirmed. The first few pages are just a list of names and genealogies. However, if you make it through the first few Chapters as your protagonist Turin starts to grow up, the story gets better and better until it is ultimately a great story. Tolkien's characters are like those in Star Trek. They are just so damned noble. They all seem to be the pinnacle of human evolution. Turin, on the other hand, is deeply flawed, develops a hatred for the beloved elves and is a more realistic and flawed character. The story itself reminded me of several texts, however to name them would ruin several plot twists, so I will refrain. It was impressively transgressive, though. Again, I have always viewed Tolkien as one who reinforced traditional values. By the time the story ends, I was most impressed, and I highly recommend the Children of Hurin to any Tolkien fan.
R. Scott Bakker's the Prince of Nothing trilogy
This series was both frustrating and fascinating. Kellhus' character was constantly manipulating others. He was amorphous and adaptive. Nothing that he had was his alone - he was simply an assmblage of other people's needs and wants. He was like the Xenomorphs from the Alien films. Since they assume something of their host's nature within themselves, it is logical to assume that all of the Aliens' traits are stolen from other races, the acid blood, the tongue with teeth, etc. These must have all been taken from the hosts that the Queen takes and then passes down to her children. That was somewhat off topic, but I wanted to post my personal theory on the history of the Aliens. Back to the Prince of nothing. Kellhus was one of the protagonists, but there were two or three others of equal importance. The books were frustrating because you had to watch these other protagonists be hollowed out and manipulated by Kellhus. Besides that, the series was interesting because it was like the prelude to any other fantasy series. It was the rise of an empire, and the wars of conquest which will lead to the unified struggle against evil of other fantasy stories. Anyway, it was really good. Support Canadian literature.
JSRF: Jet Set Radio Future
I recently bought an Xbox. An original Xbox, not a 360. I feel like such a traitor to my beloved Sony. Anyway, I'll get over it. I bout the console specifically for three exclusive games. JSRF is one of them. It really was reminiscient of the first couple of Tony Hawks in the sheer fun of it. However, the trick focus was removed and replaced by a focus on action and platforming. The action element was in the enemies and bosses you need to fight. The platforming is a little more obscure. The graffiti points had to be found by leaping across rails and platforms to reach obscure locations. You then have to gather collectibles (graffit souls). I picked the game up for its sense of style, which was really prominent, but I was impressed by the gameplay as well.
I have other things to write about, but this post is stretching out quite a bit, so I'll do it later.