Media: August
Jan. 1st, 2012 01:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jtniehof(Yes, this is the first post of an end-of-year flood on this topic.)
Mars trilogy, Dance With Dragons, Spy's Guide to Santa Fe, Vorkosigan Companion, The Big Over Easy, Shades of Grey, Buffy Season 2, Pacte des Loups, Kimi Kiss manga, Tenjo Tenge manga 1 and 2, Ranma Season 3, R-15, and Metroid Prime 2, behind the cut.
Red Mars, Green Mars, Blue Mars (Kim Stanley Robinson) (reread): The trilogy is much better on a reread, but I'm still hard pressed to make a judgement. Like the Silmarillion, these books span centuries and much is summarized. (Contrast Foundation, which tells a long story by skipping through time but with immediate narration for the times it does cover.) It's a little tedious to wade through scores of pages with characters arguing forms of government, economic policy, etc. etc., although I still find it interesting. If you like that aspect of Moon is a Harsh Mistress you'll be fine (although the political conclusions are very different.) Overall, I keep coming back to the sense of place that pervades the entire series. Because of these books, Mars is somewhere concrete. If you have the stomach to read other peoples' 3am solve-the-world's-problems talkathons, I think these are worth digging into. The end result has a unique dream-like majesty.
A Dance With Dragons (George R. R. Martin): A mass of interwoven plots, but a faster read than Feast for Crows. I suspect (hope?) Martin has broken through the deadlock that held up both Feast and Dance. As I say about so many series, this book is more of the same: more political maneuvering and grand schemes, more blood on the deck, more unsettling mistreatment of women. I noticed the last a lot more in this volume. Either it was there all along and the HBO series sensitized me, or Martin's been portraying more as time goes on. Lots of electrons have been spilled on this topic; I'll just reiterate that it's there (word choice in the narration can't be handwaved as "realism") and it's starting to detract from an otherwise fine series.
A Spy's Guide to Santa Fe and Albuquerque (E. B. Held): A few tales of northern New Mexico espionage, mostly Cold War. Although the underlying events are interesting, I can't recommend the presentation. Most stories are obfuscated by frequent switches between real name and code name for the same person. Worse, the author inserts his own opinions in matters that don't pertain to the stories. He feels the need to share his belief that Vietnam and the invasion of Iraq were good ideas. He dismisses concerns over the quality of the evidence used to convict the Rosenbergs by reference to communications which were not declassified until long after their execution, and thus not presented in court. Finally, he seems awfully hard on Wen Ho Lee, in ways that do not match what I've read about the case. I disagree with him on these issues, but would mind far less if he stuck to the stories at hand and presented a solid case for his opinions there.
The Vorkosigan Companion: The bulk of the text is a glossary which doesn't lend itself to a readthrough. Some of the upfront essays were better than others; some went over ground covered in other essays. There is little to make this volume stand out. For serious Miles fans, it's the equivalent of spending an evening jawing about the characters--diverting, but wouldn't you rather read another Miles book? Or talk about them with your friends?
The Big Over Easy (Jasper Fforde): The first Nursery Crimes book returns to more of the fun that characterized Eyre Affair. Most of its eccentricities flow from the main premise: people who don't realize they're nursery rhyme characters, yet keep falling into these strangely familiar patterns. I enjoyed it far more than the randomness of the later Thursday Next books. Eyre Affair is still a better book, and a better introduction to Fforde.
Shades of Grey (Jasper Fforde): As with Over Easy, Fforde brings less randomness to the world of this new series. The world-building is still inadequate: the color/pseudocolor distinction is too vague for its plot importance. I was also annoyed by "look how clever I am to have this coded way to discuss race and class." (As subtle as Pleasantville.) Tone whiplash hits at the end, going from semi-farce to Very Serious. I enjoyed the detached, semi-comedy of most of the book; I don't know if I'll enjoy the rest of the series, but I did care about the characters and their plight at the end.
Buffy season 2: The Great Angst begins. I had forgotten both how long it takes to get to the angsty bits and just how severe it was; worse than season six in intensity (although not in duration.) The climax holds on for a good long time, so it's very obvious Buffy's making a conscious choice. This is the point where the show turns from doing the Right Thing to doing the necessary thing.
Pacte des Loups: I've been meaning to watch this for years, and it lives up to the hype. It's a long movie, packed full end-to-end. (Somewhat like the Nolan Batmans in that regard.) Starting as supernatural thriller, it metamorphoses through a little pure action into political intrigue. For once, the reveal doesn't cheapen the mystery.
Kimi Kiss (vol. 1-5): Eschewing the traditional harem approach, Kimi Kiss gives each girl one volume and punches the reset switch at the end. There's no overall plot, just watching the guy and a girl get together over and over. Less monotonous, and cuter, than it sounds. As is frequently the problem with this sort of thing, though, the characters have no life outside of each other and the reader doesn't get a chance to connect with any of them.
Tenjo Tenge (vol. 1-2): I'm glad Viz is putting out these two-in-one, uncensored releases. The manga doesn't just ramp up the sex and violence relative to the anime, it brings deeper characterization and a fuller story. It's not new for a fighting series to ask what it means to be strong, but Tenjo Tenge makes one care about the characters' diverse answers.
Ranma 1/2 season 3: Somewhere in this season I crossed into episodes I had never seen. A mixed bag: although not as funny as seasons 1 and 2, it's still amusing and the repetition never gets stale. I enjoy sitting down to join the gang for another round of antics, as long as I remember not to expect any progression in plot or growth of character. I am becoming more of an Ukyo fan. She gets so little screen time that including her in an episode at all is like character development....
R-15: I didn't make it through the second episode. The main character attends a school for gifted students due to his talent for writing dirty novels. The premise is an obvious excuse for fanservice, except with giant censor bars obscuring half the screen. Maybe this is a buy-the-DVD ploy? Beyond that, there didn't seem to be much plot, I want to slap all the characters, and the last straw came when one female character tried to get the main character to assault another female character. In her sleep. Pass!
Metroid Prime 2: I had a lot more fun with 2 than with 1. It's slightly more polished, the difficulty rampup was more consistent, and the final boss wasn't so OBNOXIOUSLY NEVER-ENDING. Although the alternate-world premise has been done to death, this incarnation was fresh and ever-variable. A few irritating puzzle bosses gave very little time to figure out the trick before dying, and where even knowing the trick still required some serious controller-fu. That's more room for improvement than fundamental problem, though.
Mars trilogy, Dance With Dragons, Spy's Guide to Santa Fe, Vorkosigan Companion, The Big Over Easy, Shades of Grey, Buffy Season 2, Pacte des Loups, Kimi Kiss manga, Tenjo Tenge manga 1 and 2, Ranma Season 3, R-15, and Metroid Prime 2, behind the cut.
Red Mars, Green Mars, Blue Mars (Kim Stanley Robinson) (reread): The trilogy is much better on a reread, but I'm still hard pressed to make a judgement. Like the Silmarillion, these books span centuries and much is summarized. (Contrast Foundation, which tells a long story by skipping through time but with immediate narration for the times it does cover.) It's a little tedious to wade through scores of pages with characters arguing forms of government, economic policy, etc. etc., although I still find it interesting. If you like that aspect of Moon is a Harsh Mistress you'll be fine (although the political conclusions are very different.) Overall, I keep coming back to the sense of place that pervades the entire series. Because of these books, Mars is somewhere concrete. If you have the stomach to read other peoples' 3am solve-the-world's-problems talkathons, I think these are worth digging into. The end result has a unique dream-like majesty.
A Dance With Dragons (George R. R. Martin): A mass of interwoven plots, but a faster read than Feast for Crows. I suspect (hope?) Martin has broken through the deadlock that held up both Feast and Dance. As I say about so many series, this book is more of the same: more political maneuvering and grand schemes, more blood on the deck, more unsettling mistreatment of women. I noticed the last a lot more in this volume. Either it was there all along and the HBO series sensitized me, or Martin's been portraying more as time goes on. Lots of electrons have been spilled on this topic; I'll just reiterate that it's there (word choice in the narration can't be handwaved as "realism") and it's starting to detract from an otherwise fine series.
A Spy's Guide to Santa Fe and Albuquerque (E. B. Held): A few tales of northern New Mexico espionage, mostly Cold War. Although the underlying events are interesting, I can't recommend the presentation. Most stories are obfuscated by frequent switches between real name and code name for the same person. Worse, the author inserts his own opinions in matters that don't pertain to the stories. He feels the need to share his belief that Vietnam and the invasion of Iraq were good ideas. He dismisses concerns over the quality of the evidence used to convict the Rosenbergs by reference to communications which were not declassified until long after their execution, and thus not presented in court. Finally, he seems awfully hard on Wen Ho Lee, in ways that do not match what I've read about the case. I disagree with him on these issues, but would mind far less if he stuck to the stories at hand and presented a solid case for his opinions there.
The Vorkosigan Companion: The bulk of the text is a glossary which doesn't lend itself to a readthrough. Some of the upfront essays were better than others; some went over ground covered in other essays. There is little to make this volume stand out. For serious Miles fans, it's the equivalent of spending an evening jawing about the characters--diverting, but wouldn't you rather read another Miles book? Or talk about them with your friends?
The Big Over Easy (Jasper Fforde): The first Nursery Crimes book returns to more of the fun that characterized Eyre Affair. Most of its eccentricities flow from the main premise: people who don't realize they're nursery rhyme characters, yet keep falling into these strangely familiar patterns. I enjoyed it far more than the randomness of the later Thursday Next books. Eyre Affair is still a better book, and a better introduction to Fforde.
Shades of Grey (Jasper Fforde): As with Over Easy, Fforde brings less randomness to the world of this new series. The world-building is still inadequate: the color/pseudocolor distinction is too vague for its plot importance. I was also annoyed by "look how clever I am to have this coded way to discuss race and class." (As subtle as Pleasantville.) Tone whiplash hits at the end, going from semi-farce to Very Serious. I enjoyed the detached, semi-comedy of most of the book; I don't know if I'll enjoy the rest of the series, but I did care about the characters and their plight at the end.
Buffy season 2: The Great Angst begins. I had forgotten both how long it takes to get to the angsty bits and just how severe it was; worse than season six in intensity (although not in duration.) The climax holds on for a good long time, so it's very obvious Buffy's making a conscious choice. This is the point where the show turns from doing the Right Thing to doing the necessary thing.
Pacte des Loups: I've been meaning to watch this for years, and it lives up to the hype. It's a long movie, packed full end-to-end. (Somewhat like the Nolan Batmans in that regard.) Starting as supernatural thriller, it metamorphoses through a little pure action into political intrigue. For once, the reveal doesn't cheapen the mystery.
Kimi Kiss (vol. 1-5): Eschewing the traditional harem approach, Kimi Kiss gives each girl one volume and punches the reset switch at the end. There's no overall plot, just watching the guy and a girl get together over and over. Less monotonous, and cuter, than it sounds. As is frequently the problem with this sort of thing, though, the characters have no life outside of each other and the reader doesn't get a chance to connect with any of them.
Tenjo Tenge (vol. 1-2): I'm glad Viz is putting out these two-in-one, uncensored releases. The manga doesn't just ramp up the sex and violence relative to the anime, it brings deeper characterization and a fuller story. It's not new for a fighting series to ask what it means to be strong, but Tenjo Tenge makes one care about the characters' diverse answers.
Ranma 1/2 season 3: Somewhere in this season I crossed into episodes I had never seen. A mixed bag: although not as funny as seasons 1 and 2, it's still amusing and the repetition never gets stale. I enjoy sitting down to join the gang for another round of antics, as long as I remember not to expect any progression in plot or growth of character. I am becoming more of an Ukyo fan. She gets so little screen time that including her in an episode at all is like character development....
R-15: I didn't make it through the second episode. The main character attends a school for gifted students due to his talent for writing dirty novels. The premise is an obvious excuse for fanservice, except with giant censor bars obscuring half the screen. Maybe this is a buy-the-DVD ploy? Beyond that, there didn't seem to be much plot, I want to slap all the characters, and the last straw came when one female character tried to get the main character to assault another female character. In her sleep. Pass!
Metroid Prime 2: I had a lot more fun with 2 than with 1. It's slightly more polished, the difficulty rampup was more consistent, and the final boss wasn't so OBNOXIOUSLY NEVER-ENDING. Although the alternate-world premise has been done to death, this incarnation was fresh and ever-variable. A few irritating puzzle bosses gave very little time to figure out the trick before dying, and where even knowing the trick still required some serious controller-fu. That's more room for improvement than fundamental problem, though.