Comments (0) Via The Book Swede: It appears WoT is to be finished despite Mr. Jordans sad demise. By a Brandon Anderson. God luck to him, eh? But really, let’s hope he does it well. I really loved the first couple of books, and despite the their sluggish pace and endlessly repeating characterization I still have a soft spot for them.
And so Robert Jordan have left us as well. Even though I’m one o his readers that think the Wheel of Time lost it after book 3 or so, I’ll happily give him a good number of credits, and I was waiting for the last installment.
Here’s to hoping there’s notes and knowledge enough for a ghostwriter to get on with it.
Warning: Here be spoilers.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Introduction
I thought I’d offer some thought after having finished the last Harry Potter installation, The Deathly Hallows. Let me start off by taking my hat off to Ms. Rowling. Se has managed something remarkable, and in my book, having this kind of hysteria ’round a book in an age of TV and computers is certainly a good thing.
Let me also make it straight: I have really enjoyed the series. But it is easier to criticize, so if you think I’m being loop-handed in the rest of this post, please keep this paragraph in mind.
And while I’m at it: I know this is a children’s book. It is far too easy to judge it by grownup standards. I’ll try to limit my moaning about plot-devices accordingly, shall I?
The prediction game
So how did my predictions go? Fairly well I think, I nailed many general plot facts but missed their connections and or their setting. But, as I didn’t bother to write them down, you’ll just have to take my word for it (or ask Red-Eyed Jenna, I believe I discussed it with her at some point).
The Snape Question: Nailed it. Snape was good and killed the big D on order. I guessed one of the reasons would be to act as an insider for Harry, but that never happended. He also loved Lily Potter.
Snape’s death: Got it. However, I thought he deserved a big bang instead of a whimper, so I though he would play a crucial part in the last battle. I was, unfortunately, wrong there. I did predict a death-bed confession, which I’ll claim a Nostradamus-point for.
Dumbledore: Dead, yes.
Harry’s (non-) death: Nailed. I think there was three alternatives: (1) he dies; (2) he lives by some semi-cooked plot device; or (3) he looses his magical powers and becomes a muggle. But being a children’s boook I assume #2 would be the actual solution.
Horcruxes: I predicted Harry would be a Horcrux. Hm… Semi-right I guess.
Dating: Harry+Ginny and Ron+Hermione. Yes.
The redemption of Malfoy: Half-miss. I predicted his redemption, but though he would actively choose to “come over” to the right side. I still think that would have been better.
The characters
Here’s some notes on what I thought about the characters and their treatment through the book.
Harry: No big surprise. A little bit more mature, and it felt natural. Good.
Hermione: Surprisingly quiet. Unfortunately so. More of a side-kick this book. I had really thought her superior knowledge would be a major part in the last battle.
Ron: A terribly quick maturation, eh? And seriously, the chapter where he leaves H&H was completely out of place. -1 for plotting that one.
Snape: Ouch. Next to Harry and Dumbledore the most instrumental man in Voldermorts defeat. And one of the best characters. And the saddest. And bravest. And what do he get in the last book? Nothing. Damn shame if you ask me.
Luna: No surprises there.
Neville: Yet another quick maturation? However, Neville-the-freedom-fighter is a brilliant concept, so I’m buying it happily.
Ginny: Gone. Reduced to sidekick. Bleeding shame. The coolest girl in school, and the deadliest hexer on the block, dispatched to the shadows mooping over Harry? Sorry, I don’t believe it.
Bits ‘n pieces
Tying it all together is a massive job, and all in all I fairly happy with the end result. Harry did reach some sort of conclusion even though he should have paid a grater price (according to classical heroism).
The epilogue is terrible. What a waste of space. I’m actually sad I read it at all. There’s nothing to prepare the reader for a Harry, Ron, Hermione at age 37, with kids. No character development, no background. I understand the sentiment, but it could have been done other ways, leaving more place to tie up things we really want to know in immediate connection to the story.
Snape… I missed him. When he entered, it was too little too late. And having him go out in a whimper was… Sad. Which perhaps was the point, in which case: fair enough.
I realize there must be a new puzzle (ie. the Hallows), but really: We could have used the time it took to tell about those plot devices to fix up loose ends and deepen some of the characters.
The deaths. Did anyone die? I didn’t notice. Really. See the paragraph above, since none of the characters had been developed fully in the book, their demise went by unnoticed. Save perhaps Hedwig. Instead of snuffing one of the big names she kills a lot of middle-men. Well… *shrug*
Conclusion
Damn good stuff all in all. I’m happy I decided to read the series in the first place, it has been a pleasant journey. Can’t compare with Pullman or Stroud, but it is certainly money and time well spent.
My book library have been updated. First, the latest installment of Steven Erikson’s epic fantasy series, The Bonehunters. I am, as I suspect many others, slightly in awe of Erikson. Extremely complex. Extremely well written. Extremely good stuff.
The second update is the classic The Design of Everyday Things, by Donald A. Norman. This is really good stuff, and anyone aspiring to design software, be it GUI or API’s, really, really should read it. I picked it up after reading an interview with Ken Arnold over at Artima.com:
Taste is a very personal thing. There is no textbook. When people ask me about books on object design, the books I hand them have nothing to do with object design per se. I commonly recommend The Design of Everyday Things, by Donald Norman. This book promotes focusing on usability in the design of doors, teapots, and faucets – everyday things. If you do that for objects, you’ll have the idea.
Oh yes, Ken Arnold as in:
State is hell.
Or:
Every program has at least one bug and can be shortened by at least one instruction — from which, by induction, it is evident that every program can be reduced to one instruction that does not work.
Sooo, Gaimans Stardust is becoming a movie. Wheee!
But, they show the trailer on Yahoo Movies only. Booo!
But what kind of retarded moron of inbread stupid som-of-a-manager put it on Yahoo Movies, the worst movie site ever to be created?! I mean, mixing Flash and ActiveX (?) to embed Windows Media Player? What a great idea!! NOT!
Let’s see, I’ve got a Windo$e XP at work. Will it work? No, because I need to use MS Interfuck Exploder, and funny enough M$ has fucked it up, so I can’t install Flash on it. Morons. Firefox I have got flash on, but lo’ and behold, the ass-licker incompetent bloody visual basic scripters have made it impossible. Idiots.
Linux+Firefox, no. Linux+Opera, no. Windows+IE7, no (because of flash install). Windows+Opera, no, Windows+Firefox, no.
And I don’t have a Mac at hand. Coffe cup IQ bloody amateurs.
After much wailing and gnashing of teeth I finally figred out how to paste the source link of the embedded stream stright into Linux+Firefox and get my MPlayer plugin to fix it. *sigh*
Seems hyped ehough. They seem to have added a lot more action than what I remember from the book. That’s fair enough in my mind, as long as the Gaiman style and pace survives. Stardust is a remarkable book, much thanks to the same said pace and it lovely fairytale-for-grownups groove.
So here’s to hope. Despite the morons at Yahoo+Paramount.
The CD’s
Nothing too exciting here. I’ve been slightly in love with Alanis since Jagged Little Pill. And the Cooper album is surprisingly good. If you’re one of those that believes Alice was only good in the seventies, you should give it a chance. Birgit+Verdi is a classic to have, let’s not forget she did not only sing Wagner, shall we?
The DVD’s
The Caballé docmentary was very good. I would have wished for more un-intrrupted music though, but it does show without a doubt what an amazing singer she was (and, I’ve no doubt, still is). And what a lovely lady. And what a diva. I love her!
Dream Theater. Live in Tokyo is good. I had it only on VHS before. Live Time, well… I expected the Once in a Live Time album, but on DVD. Of course it isn’t. Hum.. I’m rather dissapointed I’m afraid. I’l give it a chance though.
And PoS, BE. I know very many thinks BE the album is pretty amazing, but I don’t perticulary agree. If nothing else because I did actually see it live, and the album never really could be compared to the full thing. This though, is damn good stuff.
The Books
This list I’m quite proud of. And slightly amazed of. It struck me the other night, that the range of topics and styles is quite… Amazing. Otherwise I haven’t got too much to say yet. I certainly haven’t had time to read any of it through. But I’m looking forward to it. Very much.
I should say something about Richard Miller, but that a topic for several posts in itself only. Let’s just say I’m now the proud owner of his magnum opus.
Popper, Epicurus, Diamond and Kurzweil. Nice quartet, don’t you think?
I expect I’ll have things to say about The Design of Everyday Things, at least I’m very much looking foward to reading it.
Of course, Gaiman / Zulli’s temptation goes and in hand with Cooper’s. Looks slightly trivial, but… Damn, its Gaiman and Cooper. At the same time! What can go wrong?!
Via Pharyngula: “Most Significant SF & Fantasy Books of the Last 50 Years“. Here’s my list, boldface for what I’ve read, “+” for those I though very good indeed, “-” for those I whish I hadn’t read, and italics for those I’m wanting to read.
The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien +
The Foundation Trilogy, Isaac Asimov +
Dune, Frank Herbert +
Stranger in a Strange Land, Robert A. Heinlein +
A Wizard of Earthsea, Ursula K. Le Guin +
Neuromancer, William Gibson
Childhood’s End, Arthur C. Clarke
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Philip K. Dick
The Mists of Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley -
Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury
The Book of the New Sun, Gene Wolfe +
A Canticle for Leibowitz, Walter M. Miller, Jr.
The Caves of Steel, Isaac Asimov
Children of the Atom, Wilmar Shiras
Cities in Flight, James Blish
The Colour of Magic, Terry Pratchett
Dangerous Visions, edited by Harlan Ellison
Deathbird Stories, Harlan Ellison
The Demolished Man, Alfred Bester
Dhalgren, Samuel R. Delany -
Dragonflight, Anne McCaffrey
Ender’s Game, Orson Scott Card +
The First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, Stephen R. Donaldson +
The Forever War, Joe Haldeman
Gateway, Frederik Pohl
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, J.K. Rowling
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams +
I Am Legend, Richard Matheson
Interview with the Vampire, Anne Rice
The Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula K. Le Guin
Little, Big, John Crowley
Lord of Light, Roger Zelazny
The Man in the High Castle, Philip K. Dick
Mission of Gravity, Hal Clement
More Than Human, Theodore Sturgeon
The Rediscovery of Man, Cordwainer Smith
On the Beach, Nevil Shute
Rendezvous with Rama, Arthur C. Clarke +
Ringworld, Larry Niven +
Rogue Moon, Algis Budrys
The Silmarillion, J.R.R. Tolkien
Slaughterhouse-5, Kurt Vonnegut
Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson
Stand on Zanzibar, John Brunner
The Stars My Destination, Alfred Bester
Starship Troopers, Robert A. Heinlein
Stormbringer, Michael Moorcock +
The Sword of Shannara, Terry Brooks -
Timescape, Gregory Benford
To Your Scattered Bodies Go, Philip Jose Farmer
Not too bad I guess, but you’ll notice I’m sorely lacking in the field of Dick, Ellison, Bester, Farmer etc. I’ll have to remedy that. Otherwise it’s a fairly good list as such lists go, I can agree to books that I thought was terrible, like “The Sword of Shannara” (I guess I should just by happy Eddings isn’t in it at least), as they have had an impact even though I perhaps don’t think it was necessarily a good one. There are some missing books though.
And hey, Donaldson is in. That counts as a major plus in my book.
Panorama Theme by Themocracy
