June 29, 1999 by David Wiesner

This week I thought I would write about a book that I've just finished writing an essay on for my masters course, another from the brilliant David Wiesner.

This is fantastic, it's satirical, it's Sci-Fi, it's fun!

Third grader Holly Evans launches an experiment into the sky to see how vegetables would grow different in an extra-terrestrial environment. This is a little more than her classmates are doing, simply trying to grow plants in paper cups. Just a little more.

A month or so later, giant vegetables begin appearing in the skies all over the country. This is where the real fun unfolds.

 Cucumbers circle Kalamazoo. Lima Beans loom over Levittown.

Artichokes advance on Anchorage. Parsnips pass by Providence.

I love the allusions being made to classic photos and vintage Sci-Fi films. 

And on it goes, until Holly starts to notice vegetables on the news that she didn't plant. How did they get there?

Then, people start making use of the vegetables, as industrious and commercial humans are, but even their uses are amusing. 

Finally, Holly has to conclude that the giant vegetables are not the result of her experiment. But where did they come from? And what happened to her own?

Well, you'll have to read it to find out! I love it! Wiesner's illustrations are so engaging and believable. He's a genius! 

4.5 Gold Stars

Find it on Goodreads

The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin

The latest selection for Bookclub was Ira Levin's The Stepford Wives. The way our bookclub works is we talk about the book, until discussion is exhausted, then, if one is available, we watch a film adaptation of the book we've just finished talking about. This usually opens up further discussion in what has been kept or changed from book to film.

In the case of The Stepford Wives, there were two film versions made nearly 30 years apart, so we watched them both. I thought for this post, I'd talk about the book and then the movies.

I quite liked the book, it was plain, straightforward and built a nice sense of mystery. Levin seems to very much like to leave a lot out, to keep you guess, so that things are never confirmed. It can be refreshing, with all the writing these days that feels like they have to spell everything out, because heaven forbid there be any un-answered questions! With out giving the ending away, I'll warn those who don't like that sort of thing, that the book ends abruptly on a fairly dramatic cliffhanger and the coda of sorts explains nothing. This way, the reader can apply their own interpretation.

I do think that part of the 'horror'/'thriller' aspect of the book would have been magnified back in the 70's when the book was written. At the height of the second wave feminist movement, the very idea that men could be doing something to their wives to make them hotter and enthusiastically subservient would have been more abhorrent back when women were struggling so hard just to be seen as equals. That said, while the initial shock might not be what it was, the more I find myself thinking about it the more I find the idea appalling.

Anyway, it's a good read for a bit of vintage thriller.

On to the movies!

The original film was made in 1975 only a few years after the book was first published. All in all, it's a fairly good adaptation of the book, being pretty spot on as long as you don't count the whole climax where they've taken liberties to fill in some of the blanks left by Levin or just make it simply more dramatic. It's not too bad, but not entirely the most enthralling movie ever.

The second movie came out in 2004 and is a (much) less accurate translation from book to film, BUT, it is by far more enjoyable! This movie had me laughing all the way through it's so well done! I don't even like Nicole Kidman, but this movie is good despite her. Bette Midler plays a fantastic Bobbie and her book titles are great fun. This movie is just plain fun. and has a much more satisfying resolution for those that need that sort of thing. Glen Close does a great job too, the Model Stepford Wife!

3.5 Silver Stars

Find it on Goodreads

Girl Parts by John M. Cusick

Are we becoming so connected that we’re missing the point? Do continuous and apparently limitless social, entertainment and informational possibilities presented by the internet make us disassociated? I have wondered this in the past. I have heard countless news reports of the depression that social networking has caused, some of which are littered with actual accounts of what depressed teens have done because of this. I have even felt this same depression, identifying that it was social media that was the cause of it.

This is a strange way to start a review. But these are the larger ideas that fuel Girl Parts. The opening (Chapter 0) starts with a particularly confronting example of what I was talking about, but that is just the catalyst.

The actual story centres around two boys, nearly 17, who are forced to see the school counsellor in the aftermath of the event at the beginning. One is wealthy and get’s almost everything he likes, and the other isn't and prefers to be left alone. The counsellor prescribes them both a type of therapy that is being trialled by a Japanese company. The wealthy boy’s father says yes immediately. The other’s investigates and decides that it is not for his son.

The therapy? A robot teenage girl who acts as a ‘companion’ (or girlfriend) but will only allow the boy to progress in their physical intimacy as their emotional relationship develops. If the boy tries something before the girl is ready, he will receive an electric shock.

What makes this book so interesting is the way that each of the characters sees the robots, including Rose, who is, herself, one of them.

This is a great read that poses a lot of questions that are all tidily wrapped up in a fascinating boy/girl drama with a twist. It is as much for female readers as it is for male, my only suggestion would be to make sure they are 14 or over. Definitely worth tacking down!

I Am Legend by Richard Matheson

This was a selection for bookclub that I found myself thinking, ok, I’d never have picked it up myself, but I’ll give it a go. Generally speaking, vampire books don’t excite me and I’d seen the most recent movie so I wasn’t over enthusiastic about reading the book.

However, I’ve now learned that whoever made the movie must have read the blurb on the back of the book, thought ‘Great premise, I’m going to make a movie now’ and gone and written something completely different and called it the same title as the book. Unfair to the book if you ask me. As far as adaptations go, the film is appalling. Sure, it’s watchable if you’re in the mood for putting up with Will Smith basking in his ‘Will Smith-ness’ for much of it, but the book is an entirely different experience.

Robert Neville lives alone, trying to survive the nightly attacks from a seemingly endless supply of vampires. Could he be the last living human on the planet? Routine stifles despair, but loneliness is unceasing.

For a book that in effect has one character, I Am Legend is mightily engaging. It knows when to use an action sequence to draw you in, or develop the emotional story to make you feel more. It knows when to skip forward or back in time so weeks, months, years, don’t feel at all tedious. And the ending (which I will not spoil for you) is fascinating and makes you think about all you’ve read and what you would feel in the same situation. Don’t believe the movie version; it’s ridiculous Hollywood slop compared to what (I think) Matheson was trying to say with his book.

If you like anything vaguely apocalyptical then you'll like this one. It’s an enjoyable read that might make you think too. Nice choice for bookclub, particularly if like us, you watch the film adaptations afterwards to discuss further. 

Lara Morgan's Rosie Black Blog Tour

The RosieBlack Chronicle’s second installment, Equinox, has just been released at the beginning of November. This fantastic series by the talented Lara Morgan is a great dystopian sci-fi adventure that has you gallivanting across the Australia of 500 years in the future and zipping up to Mars and back to uncover evil corporate cover-ups and save Rosie’s family. Using Lara’s own term, I’ve been one of her ‘Minions’ right from the start. These books are what I would call accessible sci-fi. By that I mean it doesn’t get bogged down in astrophysics (and why should it?) but saves room for all the action and adventure you would want! With a little bit of romance thrown in too.

This is a very special blog post: I’m very excited to be involved in Lara Morgan’s Rosie Black Blog Tour! I got the privilege to ask Lara some questions about Getting Published, a topic that’s very close to my heart, being that my aspirations lie in the very same sphere. Also, at the end I’ll let you know how you could win a set of books 1 and 2 of the Rosie Black Chronicles.
So it’s with great pleasure I welcome Lara to my blog.

What was your first published work and how did you go about getting it published?

My very first published work was a short story called Salt and it was published in the Australian Women’s Weekly because I won their short story competition in 2003. And that win was what really put me on the road to being a professional writer.  I only entered the competition because my sister made me. Basically she posted me the entry page and nagged me until I just did what she said. I guess I owe her eh? My first novel was published in 2008. It was the first in a fantasy trilogy called The Twins of Saranthium, the third and last installment of which I’m aiming to complete next year.

How did that experience lead you to Walker Books Australia for Rosie Black?

I guess after writing two very big adult books, I really wanted to try my hand at something quite different – which is how The Rosie Black Chronicles came to be. And at the time my publisher for the fantasy trilogy wasn’t looking for any new YA work so my agent went to some other publishers and Walker was one of them. I guess you can say the rest was history.

Sometimes people don't realise how much work is involved in publishing, particularly the editing process. How long did Equinox take to write compared to editing?

The actual writing of Equinox took about five months whereas the editing stretched to around six or seven. So yes, the editing was longer but I think that can be a good thing, especially when you’re working with editors who are super committed to making the book work. I actually kind of expect the editing to take longer because it’s really at that stage that other people are properly seeing it for the first time and as a writer you’re getting all this feedback which helps make it a better book. It just takes a long time sometimes to knock it all into shape!

What did the publishing process bring out in Rosie that surprised even you?

There’s not much Rosie can do that surprises me because we are joined so closely together – like peas and carrots, or white on rice – but what did surprise me is some of the plot turns that came out of the editorial sessions when I was working on Equinox. Obviously I can’t give away any of them because that would be spoilers, but it was fantastic to still be able to be surprised by plot possibilities after I thought I’d tied them all up.  

Do you have any advice for writers that are looking to get published?

Be prepared for the long haul. Getting published can take a long, long, long time from when you started. It took me ten years to get a book deal and I know we always hear about those so called ‘over night’ success, but it’s best not to believe in it. Save that belief for yourself and your work and stay committed to keep trying even after everyone around you has done that raised eyebrow thing that says you should give up. Obstinacy is a handy trait to cultivate for a writer. And so is finishing things. I always tell people to force yourself to finish that first draft, no matter how bad it is, because all writing is rewriting and most everything can be fixed in the edit. And enter short story competitions because you never know, you might win and that looks good on your CV when you’re trying to get an agent or publisher to read your work.

And finally, tell us how you feel when you look at your published books.

Everyone always expects me to be excited, but it’s more complicated than that. Satisfied, is a more apt description. It’s such a long time from when I’ve started the book to when I hold that paperback in my hand that it’s almost a relief that it’s finally done. Most authors understand this reaction but other people look slightly perplexed, like I’ve told them a joke where the punch line makes no sense. Which, to be fair, does sometimes happen to me because I cannot tell jokes. But, anyway that’s how I feel. It’s satisfying, a long deep sigh with the muttered words, ‘yes, that’s it, it’s done,’ as I put it on the shelf next to the others. Then I get back to the one I’m working on now, because for me the story is always most alive at the beginning when it’s just me and the computer and I’m off in another world. So must dash, Rosie and Pip are waiting in the wings for book three!

Ciao and thanks.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Right! So stamina is what I will need on the road to published-dom… Thanks for the heads up! I’m certainly glad you stuck with it, I can’t wait for the next instalment of Rosie Black!

Check out the trailers for the first two here:

Finally, as promised: a competition! With a very special thanks to Walker Books Australia

Win a set of The Rosie Black Chronicles Books 1 and 2!

The Competition has now closed.

This is how it will work: 

1. Ask Lara a question through the comments below, she will respond here while the tour is with me. (Be sure to include your name)

2. Like my blog on Facebook (so I can get in contact with you if you win).

3. Lara will pick her favourite question as the winner and I’ll post you the books.

Easy!

Thanks so much for joining me here in my humble little blog Lara, it's been great!

On Facebook you can find  Rosie HERE, and Lara HERE

Transformers: Dark of the Moon

I thought I'd do another 2 sentence review. Keep in mind I liked the first Transformers movie...



Because I'm not a heterosexual American male who is turned on by women, cars, guns, explosions, and the misguided sense of American patriotism when it's actually the whole world at stake, there was little left in this ridiculously long movie to enjoy.
'Over the top' is a massive understatement.

The Left Hand Of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin

I’m a little unsure where to start with this review, so much so I almost wasn’t going to write it.

This is not a reflection on the book, but, if anything, a reflection on the audio book. I used a long trip for work to listen to the book, because it was my selection for Bookclub and I wasn’t sure where I was going to find the time to read it in amongst all my work and uni reading.

In retrospect, I would have been better to make the time to simply read it.

The story itself, as I suspected it would be (being a giant fan of Ursula Le Guin’s other writing) was fantastic. It was so fully realised and well constructed that, as usual, I was easily caught up in it.

The story, that is.

The audio book was the worst one I have ever listened to. It was clearly a digital recording taken from cassette tapes that sounded muffled and fuzzy, as if I were listing to a radio play on a wireless in some by-gone era. But on top of that, the quality and volume of the voice changed dramatically, and frequently, sometimes mid sentence. Further, the reader was not altering her voice at all for character, or emotion, or dramatic effect, so it took me a while longer than usual to differentiate who was saying what and which characters were which. She did, however, pause for breath in the most odd places, not where one would naturally pause if they were reading (aloud or in your head) which again threw me off.

Leaving that aside, I’ll now talk about the genius who was betrayed by this recording.

As with her other titles that I have read, Le Guin has made a perfectly tangible world for the reader to discover. This time set on a planet called Gethen where androgynous humans have a very different way of life to any that we know. Each person is gender neutral (or hermaphroditic) for most of the time, yet for 2 days out of every lunar cycle they enter ‘kemmer’ where they assume either male or female sexual organs in order to mate. To quote the book: “the mother of several children may be the father of several more.”

In this way, Le Guin has created a society where gender politics have been removed completely. It makes for a very interesting reflection of the nature of social gender constructs and how heavily they affect the way we think about people. Superbly done, the story is seen through the eyes of an outsider, a human from future earth. This way we are able to process what we are being shown in a way similar to our own constructed reality, yet with the scientifically and politically neutral commentary of the emissary.

One thought that I did have as I was listening to it, and after I had finished, was that it lacked the subtle, understated poetics that her writing for young adults has. This might have been because of the audio book, but others at bookclub found it hard to get into and somewhat uneventful. I’ll admit it was slow in places, and it took me a while to understand what was going on because of all the names and politics and relationships etc, took a while to be explained. But for those that love character development and don’t need too much action, then I’m sure there’s something in it for you too.

In the end, I’m glad I have read it. Judging by the quotes and reviews I’ve read, The Left Hand of Darkness is at the centre of the adult Sci-Fi and Fantasy canon. Personally, I prefer her Young Adult fiction, but I enjoyed this one all the same.

Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve

The world is there to be consumed, right? If I can use it, I’ll take it and make it mine.

This is the basic idea behind the world of Philip Reeve’s Mortal Engines. Well, as I see it anyway. Reeve has taken the idea of the rich and powerful taking and consuming what they want, from whoever they want, and labelled it ‘Municipal Darwinism’. This ‘delightful’ idea is set in a post apocalyptic/dystopian world where engineers have placed their cities on wheels and which now roam the planet eating smaller towns and villages in order to make use of their consumables.

“It’s a town eat town world out there.”

A staggering idea, perfectly executed.

You can see it all happening, right before you on the page, right before us in the future. A world where city life means never setting a foot on the filthy, muddy earth like the savages in the few static towns and cities.

Throw into this world an adventure that involves a number of teenagers, murder, conspiracy, pirates, the fate of thousands of people, and a whole lot of ideological conflict and you’ve got one hell of a story!

I kept picturing the whole thing as if it was a Studio Ghibli animation, and that suited me just fine! I have seen that it’s on IMDB but I’m sure it’s not Studio Ghibli and it’s only “in development” so who knows when it will be turned into a movie, and what that will be like.

In any event, this is a brilliant book! And I can’t wait to read the rest of the series (when I find the time! There’s now 7 books all up!)

Super 8

Welcome to my inaugural “2 Sentence Review”. This type of review has come about because I (completely independently) came up with the idea to write Haiku Reviews, only to discover that I was not the first to have such a thought and so my brilliance would get lost amongst the myriad of other such review blogs. Then, watching Super 8, a new thought occurred to me. How about I sum up my thoughts in two sentences?

I haven’t had the heart to check the net to see if anyone else has done this, and frankly, I don’t care. My blog will not be dedicated to the 2 sentence reviews, they’ll just be there when I can succinctly sum up my thoughts. (Hooray! I hear my readers cheer… Lord knows I can waffle on…)

So, all introductions aside, on with the show:

Super 8

First it was boring.

Then it was silly (maybe if I was a kid again?).

The Fifth Element

Last night I took a trip down memory lane and watched The Fifth Element for the first time in what I thought was over a year, but then when I looked at my list, it is actually 19 days short of a year (yes, I’m that kind of nerd that has kept a record of every movie he’s watched since the beginning of 2003 when the idea occurred to me). It seems I watch it once a year just to remind myself of how fun it really is.

Anyway, loser-ish-ness aside, I thought I would write a bit of review of it because I love it so much.

Something that I noticed last night, that seems to have gone unnoticed by me in previous viewings, was that the costumes were done by Jean-Paul Gaultier. Then it hit me: This movie is so camp! It’s a great futuristic, sci-fi adventure that sees a scantily-clad Milla Jovovich running around and kicking butt in order to save the world. In other words: Too much fun!

There are some brilliantly edited sequences that are incredibly entertaining. To a certain degree, it pokes fun that the whole ‘stop the death of every living thing’ type of film, where Bruce Willis’ character is even asked specifically to “save the world.” Then to have the entire climax to the film be narrated ‘live on air’ by the ridiculously over the top Ruby Rhod (Chris Tucker) just leaves you smiling.

For a film that was made in 1997, it has held up against all the new developments in CGI etc. and is as entertaining now as it was at the time. Although now we can look back and laugh at Luke Perry’s top-billing casting for his 3 mins of screen time.

I even said last night that this is one that I need to replace with a blu-ray edition. It’s one I watch often enough to warrant a second buying, and the edition I own just won’t cut it anymore.

I know this review has said next to nothing, but really, if you haven’t seen it, you should. And if you have seen it, don’t you think it’s time to watch it again?

The Adjustment Bureau

The was not the movie I was expecting. The original trailer I saw made it out to be a non-stop action, heavily FX-ed sci-fi adventure. But, having said that, I would have been happy to watch such a movie. It had still made me excited to see it.

It was not that movie, however, and felt a lot more grounded and worth watching.

I felt like a bit of an idiot at the end when the credits started rolling and I was informed that it was based on a book by Philip K. Dick. “Oh…” I said to myself, “that’s why I liked it so much.” It’s moments like that that I think that I should have researched the movie a bit more before watching it. I generally really enjoy movies that are based on books by Philip K. Dick. Admittedly, I’ve never read any of his books which, I’m sure, is a huge oversight, but in my own defence, I find that there is too much YA fiction to read so I have to make do with movie adaptations of adult novels.

Anyway, back to the movie of the hour.

Firstly, a good third of the film passes before anything sci-fi/fantasy-ish happens, by which time you have a great sense of ‘real life’ as it has been constructed. Then, enter the mysterious agents of “The Adjustment Bureau.”

Even at this point, I was still expecting it to be typical Hollywood and get carried away with itself, but the whole thing was pleasantly restrained. I was engaged and lapping up the theory of how tiny events can change what happens in the future eagerly. How the Adjustment Bureau are there to keep people “on plan” by making you get a text at this time, or spill your coffee at that time etc.

Honestly, the resolution was a little weak, but without destroying the mystery of the Bureau, it’s probably the best that could happen.

It was a great movie!

This trailer gives a bit of a better sense of what the movie is actually like:

9

When I first heard about the movie ‘9’ I thought that it looked pretty cool. It looked like another kid’s movie that might be a bit different from the others out there, but essentially, a kid’s movie. I finally got around to watching it last night and I really, really enjoyed it!

It was not the childish fun and games I had thought it to be. From the very beginning I was enthralled by the animation. Its detail and complexity were stunning, managing to be dark, sinister and beautiful all at once. If nothing else, this film would keep you entertained visually from start to finish.

While I must admit, that the story line itself was fairly standard for children’s movies, the themes in it were more grown up. It brought to mind films like The Matrix and Terminator with the battle between human and machines being the driving force. In some regards, this one is even bleaker, as it begins after the death of the last human and even the machines have begun to fall silent.

The other aspect that made me feel it was slightly more mature than what first I perceived it to be, were the monsters ‘The Machine’ built for itself. One in particular was so delightfully creepy, it gave me shivers as I sat, slightly freaked out and disturbed, watching it. Even the ‘good guys’ (hessian or leather dolls held together with their own, unique fastening) had a fascinating warped quality to them. I don’t want to attribute it all to him, because he was only one of the producers and there were so many more people involved, but you could easily see patches of Tim Burton’s influence through the film.

If you like animated films, or even if you don’t but you like things that are slightly different or unusual, the go check out 9. There more than enough in it to enjoy.

Monsters

I went into this movie expecting something entirely different to what I got, and that doesn't mean I was disappointed.

The trailer led me to believe this was the next big action monster movie with lots of strange creatures and army troops fighting them. Almost as if this was a sequel to Cloverfield.

In reality, this was a thoughtful film, that was more about relationships than anything else. On top of exploring the complicated relationships of and between the two main characters, questions are raised about the relationship between humans and this "creatures". The everyday citizens of Mexico that this pair come across on their journey home are all grieving the loss of someone or something and even go so far as to say that the creatures won't bother you if you don't bother them and it's only when the Americans fly over and bomb them that the attacks happen and people lose their lives.

For a film called "Monsters" there are surprisingly few of them in it. Other than a seemingly constant news feed on every TV we pass playing what appears to be the same footage of a recent attack, we don't have an encounter with one at all for at least 45 minutes to an hour. I think if I had been expecting this lack of "action" then I would have enjoyed it much more as it too me 3/4 of the movie to work out that it wasn't the next Cloverfield, or Alien, I couldn't help feeling a little miffed. That said, the approach to the concept of how people would cope with the idea/presence of these creatures was well executed and By then end I had decided I loved the movie. This is very much the 'monster' movie for those who don't really enjoy mindless shooting at giant aliens. All in all it was a very refreshing addition the the monster movie genre.

Particularly when you think about how low budget this film was (comparatively) only spending around $200,000, shot with a crew of 2 entirely on location. It certainly didn't have that feel to it.

Both of the main actors, Whitney Able and Scoot McNairy, appear the be entirely new to the world of movies (according to their IMDb page at least) and both did a great job. I would be happy to see either of them again.

in summary, I give it 4 out of 5 and recommend it to anyone who likes the sound of an interesting, well thought out monster movie.

Triskellion by Will Peterson

Triskellion was really different to what I was expectiong, although I'm not sure what I had in mind. The cover speaks of buried bodies and secrets so I was thinking along the lines of a murder scandal or something. But what unfolded was far more interesting.

When Rachel and Adam are sent from their home in New York to spend the summer with their grandmother in the postcard village of Triskellion, things quickly turn darker and more threatening than either could have possibly guessed. This village has been hiding secrets for centuries and Rachel and Adam are compelled to discover them.

I did not want to stop reading this (although I was listing to it in my car on audio book, so I would want to stay in my car after I parked and finished the chapter then was quick to jump in again the next day). So I'd have to agree with those quotes which say it's a 'page turner'.

It may have been my dormant fascination with Celtic Paganism and how this aspect seeps slowly into the story like honey, but I loved it! Right from the start in was well written and engaging, eerie and exciting.

I have to hand it to Teresa Gallagher. When the audio book started and I heard her doing all the voices of the characters (as in: she put on a different voice for each character speaking) I cringed a bit. But it was much better than I thought it would be. when more characters got introduced, almost all of them had a distinct voice that suited them and before long it was almost as if it was a fully cast and dramatised reading of the book. I really enjoyed her rhythmic voice and her phrasing was well suited to the book.

This is the first Audio book I have listened to all the way through and it was a good one.

I look forward to reading the 2nd and 3rd books in this series!

The Knife Of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

Book One of the Chaos Walking Series

Wow!

Just, Wow!

I could not put this book down. It was extremely fast paced, a sprint from start to finish (for more than one reason).

And boy was it fascinating! In a New World where men can hear each other's thoughts (all of them, all of the time - hence 'Chaos Walking') it's incredible the way Ness explores the way this would affect how humans relate to each other, their varied reactions seem to distinguish the men from the boys. Because for his whole life, Todd has been taught that it was an alien germ that cause the 'Noise' and it was the same germ that killed all of the females of Prentisstown. So the aliens (natives) are to blame and were killed out during the war. But was that a lie?

How would you feel if you discovered that everything you thought you knew the world you lived in was a lie, and the consequences of that lie are a heavy price to pay...

This book is Amazing! I recommend it for anyone over 14 (there's a bit of language and death which might not be suitable for younger readers, but by age suggestion is just a guide too). Even if 'Fantasy' isn't your thing, this books has more of a 'colonial settlers' feel to it than magic etc. It's just got the extremely interesting 'Noise' aspect, which is almost a sociology experiment in novel format.

I LOVE THIS BOOK!