Random Reviews: The Martian

I am not normally someone who gets bent out of shape by movie adaptions.  I understand that movies and novels are different mediums and that sometime changes need to be made to the way the story gets told.  I also don’t sweat it too much if the movie sucks.  After all, the book will always be there regardless of what sins against cinema the movie commits. So the fact that the first thing I though when I heard that they were making a movie out of Andy Weir’s The Martian was, “I hope they don’t screw this up”, is a sign of how much I love this book.

The Martian has an incredibly simple premise.  Astronaut Mark Watney is accidentally left behind on Mars when he is injured and believed killed during a dust storm that causes the Ares 3 mission to be scrubbed.  With no way to contact Earth, and no hope of rescue before his supplies run out, Mark Watney must find a way to survive on a planet that cannot support human life.  It is basically Robinson Crusoe on Mars.

So if the premise is so simple, why do I like it so much?  Well, first off the science is exceptionally good.  No work of fiction will every be 100% scientifically accurate, but Andy Weir obviously worked very hard to make everything as plausible as possible.  In an interview he had with Adam Savage (worth a view BTW), he talked about how he had even worked out the launch date where the distance between Mars and Earth would be favorable for a mission where the astronauts would be on Mars over the Thanksgiving holiday for plot reasons.  Please note that Andy Weir never actually mentions the launch date in the novel, he just wanted the novel to be as accurate as possible.

When you are calculating orbital mechanics and trajectories for interplanetary travel just to make your novel more accurate, well you sir are a steely-eyed missile man.

With all of this focus on scientific accuracy, you might figure that it is a dry read.  That is where you are wrong.  Knowing that we would be alone with our protagonist for the majority of the novel, Andy Weir makes sure Mark Watney is an enjoyable person to spend time with.  Smart, inventive, and possessing a sarcastic wit, there would be no one I would rather be trapped on Mars with.  OK, maybe a sexy starlet, but I am sure I would survive longer with Watney to work through problems as they arose.

As for the challenges Watney has to overcome, Andy Weir does a great job of making them appear insurmountable before showing us how the protagonist overcomes them.  In the interview with Adam Savage linked to above, he mentions how he wanted all of Watney’s problems to be a “cascade failure”.  In other words, almost every issue Watney faces is either a result of the initial dust storm that stranded him there or the result of something he had to do since then to survive.  This is not the story of someone with incredibly bad luck; it is the story of someone forced to overcome incredible odds.

I know this review is a bit of a love fest, but I can’t help it.  The Martian is easily my favorite book of the century so far.

Now I just hope they don’t screw up the movie.

Random Reviews: The King Raven Trilogy

The King Raven Trilogy retells the story of Robin Hood, but with a difference.  Instead of the more familiar setting of Nottingham during the 12th century, the King Raven books are set in Wales during the 11th century.  Rather than lovable outlaws, Robin Hood and his merry men are recast as Welsh insurrectionist fighting against Norman rule.

It may seem a bit odd to remove some of the most recognizable aspects of the Robin Hood myth until you realize that many of these things are relatively recent additions to the myth.  The oldest stories make no mention of the crusades or King Richard.  In fact, the only mention of a king is “good King Edward”, although it declines to specify which one.

This ambiguity is why Stephen Lawhead decides to set his series during the rule of King William the Red.   The Norman have already conquered Britain at this point, and are expanding into Wales.  Historically, Welsh insurrectionists armed with longbows and using guerilla tactics were able to keep the Normans from completely conquering their lands.  This conflict provides fertile ground for storytelling.

Each book in the trilogy explores this conflict from different angles:

Hood

Hood first introduces the reader to Bran ap Brychan.  Bran is the feckless heir to the throne of Elfael.  He fails to join the delegation riding with his father to swear fealty to King William because he is too busy trying to seduce a young noblewoman from a nearby kingdom named Mérian.  This proves serendipitous as his father’s company is murdered en route.  Bran avoids death, but his lands are taken and he becomes an outlaw.

Most of Hood follows Bran’s transformation from a brutish and callow youth into the man who will become known as the Raven King, or Rhi Bran y Hud.  It is not an easy path, and I was impressed by how much Lawhead was able to make me sympathize with Bran’s plight.

Hood is also the novel that is furthest from the traditional Robin Hood myth.  Only a few of the traditional characters like Mérian, Iwan (Little John) and Friar Aethelfrith (Tuck) make appearances.  It remains a compelling story though, and by the end of it certain familiar elements begin to appear.

3 1/2 out of 5 stars.

Scarlet

This is my favorite book in the trilogy.  It begins in medias res, primarily told from the perspective of Will Scatlocke, also known as Scarlet.  Scatlocke is in prison waiting to be hung for his association with Rhi Bran y Hud. 

Will is being allowed to dictate his life story to a monk in the hopes that he will give the Sherriff the information he needs to capture the infamous bandit.  Will is playing for time, giving away enough to stay alive, but hopefully not enough to prove useful.

The interplay between Will and the monk Odo, as well as the lovably roguish nature of Will Scatlocke himself, really make this novel shine.

5 out of 5 stars.

Tuck

Tuck somehow brings the King Raven Trilogy, closer to traditional Robin Hood myth and manages to expand upon the mythology.  Lawhead has been carefully building throughout the series so far.  A delicate balancing act, but one that Lawhead handles ably.

Not surprisingly, the book also focuses on Friar Tuck and the pivotal role he plays among the Grellon (Merry Men).  Friar Tuck is believably portrayed as a man of deep faith, advocating peace over force of arms several times.  He does this because it is right, not because it is easy. 

My only complaint about Tuck is that it did not have more scenes with Will Scatlocke in it.

4 out of 5 stars.

Random Reviews: Corsair

I recently picked up Richard Baker’s new Forgotten Realms novel Corsair.  It is the sequel to Swordmage, and continues the adventures of Geran Hulmaster.

I enjoyed Swordmage a lot when it came out, even though it suffered from being the first 4E Forgotten Realms novel.  As a result, it felt like it spent a lot of time providing exposition for things like the Spellplague, spellscars, and changelands that were at best tangentially connected to the plot.

On the other hand, Swordmage did a very good job at fleshing out Hulburg and its environs.  The book got me to care about the town and its inhabitants.  It also seemed to be a great playable environment for D&D, and I am seriously considering starting a campaign there sometime soon.

Corsair picks up several months after the events of Swordmage,  Geran Hulmaster is still in Hulburg, helping the city recover after the events of the first novel.  Unfortunately for Geran, he has managed to pick up many enemies over the years.  This means his presence in Hulburg is more dangerous to the city than helpful.  Kind of like Luke Skywalker being part of the rebel strike force on Endor brought unwanted attention to them.

The most obvious problem facing Hulburg are pirates threatening the shipping routes.  In true player character fashion, Geran decides the best course of action is to gather the party together, commandeer a ship, and confront the problem head on.  What Geran doesn’t realize is that there are a number of much more insidious plots directed against both him and the city.

The villains are probably the best part of Corsair.  Most novels give you one major villain, possibly with a henchman to help them out.  Corsair is teaming with fully-realized bad guys, all of whom have their own goals and motivations.  The villains make alliances of convenience to accomplish their goals, but each one seems to consider himself the mastermind and the other villains mere pawns.    

This leads to a great deal of overlapping plots and dastardly deeds.  Just like Swordmage provided a great campaign setting, Corsair provides a great example for DM’s on how to layer threats against the PC’s in a believable manner.  Even better, this layered approach to villainy allows the PC’s to take out the occasional big bad without completely derailing the campaign.

So I heartily recommend Corsair, especially if you are GM.  It is not only an entertaining read, but a great inspiration for your tabletop game.  Plus it has pirates.

Amazon.com has my number

I majored in English Literature in college.  Considering I work with computers for a living, that usually surprises people.  Nevertheless, I remain a voracious reader, devouring an eclectic mix of genres, including everything from literary classics to comic books to science fiction & fantasy.

So I shouldn't have been surprised to see Amazon.com recommended Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.   Well, perhaps I shouldn't have, but I was.  Mostly because it is hard for me to imagine this book even existing.

Self-described as "The Classic Regency Romance - Now with Ultraviolent Zombie Mayhem!", author Seth Grahame-Smith is attempting to seamlessly integrate the original text of Jane Austin's classic with brand new scenes involving the living dead.

I wish him the best of luck.  Pride and Prejudice was never a favorite of mine, probably because it could be summed up as "SWF ISO SWM ~ £10,000".  So I can see where a bit of zombie action could only help!

I can only assume that Amazon.com has gained a frightening insight into my mind from my various purchases over the years.  Or maybe they recommended it because I have Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog on my Amazon Wishlist?  You decide!

Universal buys the rights to Wheel of Time

Apparently Universal has bought the film rights to the Wheel of Time series.  Granted, just because the acquired the rights doesn't mean that they are going to option it, but with the popularity of fantasy novels being turned into movies right now, it may be a no-brainer to at least make the first one and see how it does.

If it is a success, they then have enough books to make movies for the next couple of decades.  Granted, they may have to recast a few times, but if James Bond can do it, why can't they?

I do have to admit it must seem like a daunting task to adapt these novels to any potential director and screenwriter.  But if the Lord of the Rings movies have taught me one thing, its never say never.  The right director with a proper love and respect for the source material might be able to make this into the biggest hit Universal has ever seen!

Or they could cast a Wayan's brother to play Mat.  It really is kind of a crapshoot.