Monday, November 14, 2011
American Gods
So I'm reading Neil Gaiman's American Gods. It's a pretty interesting read that follows ex-con Shadow, as he attempts to adapt to life after jail. He immediately gets caught up in a struggle between the old gods, myths, and beliefs (Odin, Horus, leprechauns, and Easter) and the new (TV, Internet, Wealth, and Fast Food). All of these are manifestations of what humans believe in, and they only exist because humans believe in them. The overall theme is the degradation of our society and how new technologies are taking over our beliefs and that humans are leaving important core beliefs behind. The most interesting aspect of the book is being introduced to all the Gods, especially the less known ones from African and Native American cultures. The only thing that I don't like so far is that Gaiman seems to introduce new story lines that don't seem to have any place in the overall plot and they are just forgotten on the way side. I will wait and see if they get resolved by the end, but as of now only a few have.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Warning Against Technology
So last week I brought up the question on whether or not our society is becoming too dependent on technology. The only person to comment said that she thought it isn't something to worry about. However, I feel that it is something that should concern us greatly. Reading I, Robot, and just taking a step back and looking at society from afar, makes it very apparent how easy it is to fall under the spell of technology without even noticing.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
I, Robot!
I've been looking for this book forever. And not the one based off the movie with Will Smith, but the one that the movie is based off of. This book really brings to light the all too common topic of human and machine relationships. Though well before it's time, I believe it really captures the questions that we as humans need to answer before further progress in robotics and AI. Right now I'm about half way through, and I think its a lot better than the movie and I enjoyed the movie a lot. I wanna finish it before I go into anymore detail, but I do want to leave you guys with some questions. Since it is a classic (considered one of Isaac Asimov's best, so one of the best sci/fi's of all time) I'm a little curious as to who has read it before and obviously what they thought about it. Also, I wanna know, whether or not you've read it before, what your ideas are on the increase of technology and where it might be leading us. I think I, Robot is a prime example of how sci/fi fantasy books can have important messages as well as being entertaining.
Monday, October 3, 2011
A Review of the Characters
There are plenty of characters in this series, just like any good fantasy series. However, Weeks doesn't overwhelm the reader with countless characters with similar names. He keeps it easy for the reader to follow and not get them mixed up. I will go through each of the characters I feel are important to the series so far. WARNING POTENTIAL SPOILERS
Kip
Kip is easily the most likable characters in the series. He's 15, cowardly, fat, socially awkward, and completely naive. These normally aren't the descriptive words you give to the story's hero, which makes Kip all the more interesting. He grew up with a single mother, who was constantly too high or drunk to give him any sort of parental support. This is the main contributor to his low self-esteem. He constantly berates himself for disappointing everyone in his life, especially his mom. Even though he knows how poor of a mother she is, he still can't help but love her. Her death early in the book only complicates his feelings for her. It's a very real representation of of a troubled household. The great part about Kip though, and you probably could have expected this, is that he learns how to overcome these feelings of lowliness, and really become his own person.
Now Kip would be a pretty regular person if he didn't happen to be the long-lost, bastard son of the Prism. The Prism (Gavin Guile) is the religious head of the Chromeria, which is the dominant force of the Seven Satrapies. This makes him the most powerful person (magically, politically, and militarily) in the entire realm, and lowly Kip is his son. This realization has profound effects for both but right now I'll just focus on Kip. For him this is a huge opportunity. He struggles to accept that he is the child of someone as important, powerful, confident, and intelligent as Gavin. Kip doesn't see himself as having any of these qualities. However, he is able to use this as inspiration when he's in dangerous and tight spots. At first he idolizes Gavin, seeing him as some untouchable, perfect being, but then he learns to see him as a father, and instead of feeling that his qualities are unattainable, he sees them as qualities that he wants to replicate. Gavin is really the catalyst that jump starts Kip's life into one of a brave hero, and away from the lowly, self-conscious boy he grows up as.
Gavin Guile
Aside from possibly Kip, Gavin is the most important person in the series so far. As I said before he is the Prism and has immense power. He gained power through a deadly, and horrific war with his brother, Dazen. This war tore apart the Satrapies, pitting friends against friend, brother against brother. By the end he is the victor by title only because of the path of destruction left in its wake. He is constantly haunted by this throughout the series. Gavin uses this power to fulfill his "great purposes". These haven't been completely revealed by the end of the book, but the reader is led to believe that each purpose completed will somehow redeem his past actions by bettering some else's life. Though he is the leader of the Chromeria, he puts his own agenda ahead of the realm's, especially when they contradict, however, he tries as much as possible for the two agendas to be compatible. He wants to rectify his past at almost any cost. To further complicate his situation he has to deal with enemies within the Chromeria and the Satrapies, that attempt to use his newly found son, Kip and ex-fiance, Karris against him.
The biggest surprise, and I think Weeks' most well thought out part of the book, is that Gavin actually isn't Gavin. He is in fact Dazen masquerading as Gavin. During the last battle Dazen defeats and captures Gavin, but instead of taking over as Dazen, he takes on Gavin's identity because he realizes that the realm needs Gavin, the rightful Prism, and not Dazen, the rebel Prism. Most of the Satrapies backed Gavin and not Dazen, so he tries to do the greater good. The best part is that only a handful people know Gavin's true identity. He is able to completely assume Gavin's life with almost no problems. When the reader learns about the real Dazen he finds out that the Dazen portrayed through others' stories of him is completely off. The way other characters describe him he is a callous, evil, and power-hungry tyrant, but in fact he is the caring and benign person that Gavin is described as. The way in which Weeks covers any loose ends with this plot point is exciting to read and experience.
Dazen Guile
Dazen so far is not a very important character in this particular book, but I feel that he will end up being one in the rest of the series. As I said before Dazen is actually Gavin, and he is held captive by his brother. Everyone thinks he is dead, but in actuality he is kept in solitary confinement in a small cell beneath the Prism's citadel. He spends the whole book attempting to escape his prison cell. Throughout the chapters spent on him, the reader finds out that he is border line insane. His brother has lied about everything happening on the outside. He is tormented by these lies and can do nothing to learn the truth. At the end of the book, Dazen finally succeeds in escaping, only to find out that he is not in a single prison cell, but in a series of prison cells, each one leading to another. It just adds to his demoralizing and hopeless situation.
Now Dazen wasn't very important to this book's plot, but he will make a major contribution to the series. He is the brother of the Prism, he was the Prism heir apparent at one time, and almost none of the characters know he is still alive. To me, he has all the ingredients to make a major impact in the story.
Karris
Karris was the love interest of the younger Guile brothers. She was originally betrothed to Dazen, but Gavin, showing his superiority, took her as his lover before they got married. Karris was fell from public grace and the marriage was canceled. Dazen eventually is charged with murdering her entire family. She fell for Gavin, and was engaged to him during Dazen's rebellion. This lasted until the war was over and Dazen, now assuming Gavin's identity, canceled it in order keep himself safe, knowing that she would be one of the few people to tell the difference between them. Again she feels humiliated. Afterward she dedicates her life to becoming a Blackguard, the elite warrior squad in charge of protecting the Prism and other high officials in the Chromeria. This keeps her far enough away from Gavin to let her heal from the broken relationship, but not far enough to completely forget it. Throughout the book she struggles with this healing process, especially once their storylines bring them back together. During the book she is captured by the blasphemous rebels and finds out that her thought-to-be-dead, older brother is the driving force behind the movement. This even further complicates her relationship with Gavin because it forces her to choose between him and her family.
Corvan Danavis
Corvan is a world renown general that fought for Dazen during the war. He was the only reason Dazen's much smaller and ill-equipped forces stood a chance. He is one of the few people who knows the truth about the Guile brothers, and spends his life after the war in hiding to protect himself and his daughter Liv. He knows about Kip as well, before Gavin ever finds out, and mentors him during his childhood. Kip sees him as one of the only honest and true people in his life. Once the conflict in the book breaks out Gavin (Dazen) once again enlists in his help as general. Corvan will continue to help Gavin throughout the series but I feel he will be much more cautious and hesitant to do so in the future because his daughter live joined the rebels.
Liv Danavis
Liv grew up as friends with Kip. When she turned fifteen her father sent her to the Chromeria to train as a drafter. She is introduced a few years into her education and in debt to her patron. She joins Kip and Gavin to escape her patron but gets herself involved with much bigger problems. When she reunites with Kip she sees him as just a friend, while Kip is very attracted to her. She makes it seem like she doesn't notice, but she is very perceptible and I feel its more she just doesn't want to complicate things by bringing it up. But by the end I think she is beginning to fall for Kip because she joins the rebels in order to save Kip's life. This puts her at odds with her true feelings, but with Weeks I could see this changing. People change and so do their perceptions on important issues, especially when they are surrounded by the ideas constantly. I think the outcome of the new war will hinge a lot on where Liv finally decides to side.
Gavin Guile
Aside from possibly Kip, Gavin is the most important person in the series so far. As I said before he is the Prism and has immense power. He gained power through a deadly, and horrific war with his brother, Dazen. This war tore apart the Satrapies, pitting friends against friend, brother against brother. By the end he is the victor by title only because of the path of destruction left in its wake. He is constantly haunted by this throughout the series. Gavin uses this power to fulfill his "great purposes". These haven't been completely revealed by the end of the book, but the reader is led to believe that each purpose completed will somehow redeem his past actions by bettering some else's life. Though he is the leader of the Chromeria, he puts his own agenda ahead of the realm's, especially when they contradict, however, he tries as much as possible for the two agendas to be compatible. He wants to rectify his past at almost any cost. To further complicate his situation he has to deal with enemies within the Chromeria and the Satrapies, that attempt to use his newly found son, Kip and ex-fiance, Karris against him.
The biggest surprise, and I think Weeks' most well thought out part of the book, is that Gavin actually isn't Gavin. He is in fact Dazen masquerading as Gavin. During the last battle Dazen defeats and captures Gavin, but instead of taking over as Dazen, he takes on Gavin's identity because he realizes that the realm needs Gavin, the rightful Prism, and not Dazen, the rebel Prism. Most of the Satrapies backed Gavin and not Dazen, so he tries to do the greater good. The best part is that only a handful people know Gavin's true identity. He is able to completely assume Gavin's life with almost no problems. When the reader learns about the real Dazen he finds out that the Dazen portrayed through others' stories of him is completely off. The way other characters describe him he is a callous, evil, and power-hungry tyrant, but in fact he is the caring and benign person that Gavin is described as. The way in which Weeks covers any loose ends with this plot point is exciting to read and experience.
Dazen Guile
Dazen so far is not a very important character in this particular book, but I feel that he will end up being one in the rest of the series. As I said before Dazen is actually Gavin, and he is held captive by his brother. Everyone thinks he is dead, but in actuality he is kept in solitary confinement in a small cell beneath the Prism's citadel. He spends the whole book attempting to escape his prison cell. Throughout the chapters spent on him, the reader finds out that he is border line insane. His brother has lied about everything happening on the outside. He is tormented by these lies and can do nothing to learn the truth. At the end of the book, Dazen finally succeeds in escaping, only to find out that he is not in a single prison cell, but in a series of prison cells, each one leading to another. It just adds to his demoralizing and hopeless situation.
Now Dazen wasn't very important to this book's plot, but he will make a major contribution to the series. He is the brother of the Prism, he was the Prism heir apparent at one time, and almost none of the characters know he is still alive. To me, he has all the ingredients to make a major impact in the story.
Karris
Karris was the love interest of the younger Guile brothers. She was originally betrothed to Dazen, but Gavin, showing his superiority, took her as his lover before they got married. Karris was fell from public grace and the marriage was canceled. Dazen eventually is charged with murdering her entire family. She fell for Gavin, and was engaged to him during Dazen's rebellion. This lasted until the war was over and Dazen, now assuming Gavin's identity, canceled it in order keep himself safe, knowing that she would be one of the few people to tell the difference between them. Again she feels humiliated. Afterward she dedicates her life to becoming a Blackguard, the elite warrior squad in charge of protecting the Prism and other high officials in the Chromeria. This keeps her far enough away from Gavin to let her heal from the broken relationship, but not far enough to completely forget it. Throughout the book she struggles with this healing process, especially once their storylines bring them back together. During the book she is captured by the blasphemous rebels and finds out that her thought-to-be-dead, older brother is the driving force behind the movement. This even further complicates her relationship with Gavin because it forces her to choose between him and her family.
Corvan Danavis
Corvan is a world renown general that fought for Dazen during the war. He was the only reason Dazen's much smaller and ill-equipped forces stood a chance. He is one of the few people who knows the truth about the Guile brothers, and spends his life after the war in hiding to protect himself and his daughter Liv. He knows about Kip as well, before Gavin ever finds out, and mentors him during his childhood. Kip sees him as one of the only honest and true people in his life. Once the conflict in the book breaks out Gavin (Dazen) once again enlists in his help as general. Corvan will continue to help Gavin throughout the series but I feel he will be much more cautious and hesitant to do so in the future because his daughter live joined the rebels.
Liv Danavis
Liv grew up as friends with Kip. When she turned fifteen her father sent her to the Chromeria to train as a drafter. She is introduced a few years into her education and in debt to her patron. She joins Kip and Gavin to escape her patron but gets herself involved with much bigger problems. When she reunites with Kip she sees him as just a friend, while Kip is very attracted to her. She makes it seem like she doesn't notice, but she is very perceptible and I feel its more she just doesn't want to complicate things by bringing it up. But by the end I think she is beginning to fall for Kip because she joins the rebels in order to save Kip's life. This puts her at odds with her true feelings, but with Weeks I could see this changing. People change and so do their perceptions on important issues, especially when they are surrounded by the ideas constantly. I think the outcome of the new war will hinge a lot on where Liv finally decides to side.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
The Black Prism
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| From google images |
Finally, I'm back on here. Its taken me awhile, but I've finally finished The Black Prism by Brent Weeks. He wrote the Night Angel's Trilogy as well. The Black Prism is the first book in the Lightbringer Series. To start off, the best part of this book is the magic. For me it was unique and separate from most other forms of magic in fantasy books. The magic is light based, meaning the magic users (drafters) need light to perform magic. Each drafter has at least one color of the visible spectrum that they can convert into matter. Weeks includes ultra-violet and infra red as well. Each color has its own characteristics that go with it: green = wild, red = angry, blue = logical, etc. which effect how the drafter acts and thinks. The entire story hinges on the magic, because there is a strict religious hierarchy within the drafters, but not everyone agrees with the status quo. Interestingly enough, as of now, there is no "great" struggle between good and evil. Both sides of the conflict, from their own perspectives, are convincing enough to make the conflict about the grey areas of morals and ethics, and not a black and white, right and wrong struggle. This is one of the aspects that attracts me to Weeks as a fantasy writer. He also did this in the Night Angel's Trilogy. Overall, I thought it was a great read and I'm eagerly awaiting the next installment. Don't worry I'll be back on here to go a little more in depth with the characters and plot. I'll try to keep the spoilers to a minimum, so just to be careful it would be good to read it first before visiting again.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
My name is Dan and welcome to my blog. It's my first one so bear with me. One of my favorite hobbies is reading sci-fi/fantasy books. I've always got one, sometimes two or three, sitting by my bedside. My goal for this blog is to review and critique the books that I'm currently reading. I'll most likely keep it to one book at a time, though to make this easier to follow.
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