MOVIE REVIEW: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2

The Other Half and I have seen all of the Harry Potter movies, and I have read all the books. The final installment in the movie franchise is Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2, which was also released in 3-D. I wasn't that enamored with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 but since I had read the books I knew that more than 2/3rds of the action in the book was going to happen in Part 2. We decided to splurge for the 3-D since it was the last time we would be seeing a Harry Potter movie in the theaters plus it was garnering rave reviews from most critics (96% on Rottentomatoes.com). 

Surprisingly, the last movie in the Harry Potter series is also the shortest in the series, coming in at a zippy 130 minutes. Also, another surprise about this installment is that it is basically a war movie. There are two competing armies, a large one on behalf of the Death Eaters and Lord Voldemort and a small one on behalf of Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, called Dumbledore's Army. This movie is so different from the early Potter films which were filmed with the hijinks of school children and featured games of Quidditch.

For the last two movies we have been following the quest of Harry, Ron and Hermione as they chase down magical objects called Horcruxes, which contain the soul of Voldemort. If the horcruxes are destroyed, Voldemort will cease to exist. We think that there are six horcruxes, but one of my major quibbles with the the movie adaptation is that it doesn't really do a very good job of keeping the audience on track on how much progress is made on destroying all of the horcruxes.

Another aspect of the story is that when the audience discovers that Harry Potter must die (spoiler alert) we also see that he has the Resurrection Stone, but Harry drops the stone to the ground instead of carrying it with him to his death. It's unclear to the audience (or at least, me) why Harry couldn't just use the stone to die and then be resurrected and the movie doesn't do a good job of answering that question either.

There are several things that the film does do very well. I did think the 3-D effects were used sparingly but very effectively. Alan Rickman, as always, is excellent as Snape, although some have complained about the nature of his character's demise. My favorite character has always been Hermione, and Emma Watson plays her well. Daniel Radcliffe has most definitely grown into the leading role of Harry Potter. Rupert Grint has also grown, and is no longer cringe-worthy.

Overall, the final movie in the series works well as an action film and also has an excellent pay off for those of us who either read all the book or saw all the movies (or both). It is doubtful we will see a more successful adaptation of successful fantasy novels into successful fantasy films in my lifetime.

Title: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2.
Director: David Yates.
Running Time: 2 hours, 10 minutes.
MPAA Rating: R for language and some sexual content.
Release Date: July 15, 2011.
Viewing Date: July 17, 2011.

Plot: A.
Acting: A-.
Visuals: A.
Impact: A+.

Overall Grade: (4.0/4.0)

A Dance With Dragons Arrives!

Slow blogging today as my 1,016-page copy of George R.R. Martin's A Dance with Dragons has arrived at my door!

Most preliminary reviews say that it is hella awesome, more like Book 3 (A Storm of Swords) instead of like Book 4 (A Feast for Crows) which was published 6 years ago and widely panned.

BOOK REVIEW: The Steel Remains by Richard K. Morgan

Richard Morgan has made quite a name for himself with his science fiction novels, winning several prestigious awards for his books Altered Carbon (2003 Phillip K. Dick Award) and Thirteen/Black Man (2008 Arthur C. Clarke Award). 

I have greatly enjoyed reading his Takeshi Kovacs novels, Altered Carbon, Broken Angels and Woken Furies.

The Steel Remains is Morgan's first fantasy novel, and it is pretty terrific. It is the first book in a series that is now to be called A Land Fit for Heroes. There are three main characters, Ringil Eskiath, Egar Dragonbane, and Archeth Indamaninarmal. Ringil is a war hero, the no longer young scion of one of the most important families in the city-state of Ishlin-ichan and a talented swordsman with a famous blade called Ravensfriend forged by aliens. Ringil also happens to be openly gay, which is not accepted culturally or legally. As a gay reader of the book, I was thrilled by this aspect of the character and the book. It is a huge credit to Morgan that he decided to make the most important character in the book, gay, and as a straight author included remarkably well-written (and explicit) sex scenes between this gay character and other men. This aspect of the book has been remarked upon (not often favorably) by mostly straight reviewers. The fact is that explicit sex scenes have been a part of all of Morgan's books that I have read and enjoyed, but as a gay reader I have grown accustomed to reading past those paragraphs. I completely applaud Morgan for creating a lasting (and compelling) work of fiction which will affirm gay readers of fantasy.

Egar Dragonbane and Archeth Indamaninarmal are the other two main characters that complete the trio of veteran warriors who get point-of-view chapters in The Steel Remains. Egar is a huge, muscular "savage from the North" who is well-known for killing (not one, but two) dragons. Archeth is a Kiriath-human "half-breed" who is over two centuries old but who was left behind when the aliens left the world. Archeth is also a lesbian, giving The Steel Remains not one but two main characters who are sexual minorities.

Unfortunately, although the reader might expect the story to be built around this heroic trio, it really is centered around Ringil, and although we get some, we don't get a full understanding of Egar's and Archeth's character. This is fine with me, because Ringil is pretty interesting and compelling a character as created by Morgan. Ringil does have some similarities to Takeshi Kovacs in that they are both extremely adept at meting out violence and they both seem to enjoy bravely picking fights against more powerful foes. They are also not exactly sweetness and light to be around, and have a generally jaundiced view of the world.

The plot of The Steel Remains is not as intricate as Morgan's science fiction masterpieces, but what Morgan does well is provide the setting, background and atmosphere of his novels which make them a fascinating and enthralling place to spend hours of your time. The basic outline of the plot here is what happens after Ringil is asked by his mother to find a cousin who has been sold into slavery and discovers that the criminal elements of the city have been employing an incredibly powerful ghost-like figure called a Dwenda. Ringil, of course, can not resist following the trail of clues to find his cousin regardless of how far afield it takes him or how dangerous the path is.

The Steel Remains  is highly recommended, especially for gay readers or fans of adult fantastical novels.

Title: The Steel Remains.

Author: Richard K. Morgan.

Length: 432 pages.

Publisher: Del Rey.

Published: January 20, 2009.

OVERALL GRADE: A (4.0/4.0).

PLOT: A-.

IMAGERY: A.

IMPACT: A+.

WRITING: A.

BOOK REVIEW: George R.R. Martin's A Storm of Swords

Which book in the epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire written by George R.R. Martin is the best? Many would argue that the third entry in the series, A Storm of Swords, is the most likely candidate. There is no question that it is the largest of the four books published to date; in fact, in England it was published in two volumes (Steel and Snow and Blood and Gold).

At Amazon.com  A Storm of Swords has 822 reviews, with an average of 4.50365 (90.07%) with 76.6% of reviews selecting the top 5 star review. The book preceding A Storm of Swords is A Clash of Kings and it has a slightly higher average review of 4.50857 (90.17%) but they are less numerous (700) and has a lower percentage of 5-star reviews (71.6%). The first book in the series, A Game of Thrones, is the most well-known, naturally, since it was published first. It has by far the most number of reviews, 1,840 with an average of 4.38587 with 71% being 5-star reviews. The fourth book, A Feast for Crows, is the least popular book of the series so far and most harshly reviewed (an average score of 3.206557 based on 915 reviews). The fifth, A Dance with Dragons, will be released on July 12, 2011.

I would generally agree with the crowd at Amazon.com that A Storm of Swords is the best book of the first four in the A Song of Ice and Fire series that I have read so far.

The book's impact is not just based on it's length, though, as in most things, size does matter. There are so many important, stunning and horrifying plot twists which affect the characters we have grown to love and hate that several times I had to re-read sections of the book because I was reading so quickly to find out what was going to happen I realized I had missed an important event that had happened.

In this third book in the series the story that began in A Game of Thrones has progressed in surprising directions. It is almost impossible to review this volume without giving away important plot developments which a first-time reader should really experience unspoiled. I can say that the structure of the book follows the form of the previous entries in the series, with point-of-view chapters from various characters following one another seamlessly to reveal the overall storyline. There are POV chapters from Lannisters (Jaime, Tyrion and Cersei), Starks (Catelyn, Sansa, Arya and Bran) and their associates (Daavos Seaworth, Samwell Tarly, Jon Snow). Daenerys Targaeryen also returns and makes progress towards establishing herself as a true Queen of Westeros far away in the East.

The main storylines (internecine political conflict in King's Landing, Jon's foray beyond The Wall to learn the truth about the wildlings, Daenerys' quest for an Army and a crown, the impact of the War of Five Kings on Westeros' citizens as experienced by several of our main characters) are told with expert deftness and intriguing suspense. You literally do not know who will survive or perish, even if they have a chapter named after them (hint!).

Some say that Martin is trying to dethrone J.R.R. Tolkien as the universally acknowledged king of fantasy, and it may be true. Others say that Martin may actually have higher aims such as joining Shakespeare in the canon of literature. I'll leave it up to future readers to decide, but the decision of whether or not to invest the time and energy to read these books should be an easy one for anyone who delights in the pleasure of fiction itself.

Title: A Storm of Swords.

Author: George R.R. Martin

Length: 1008 pages.

Publisher: Bantam.

Date: May 28, 2002.

OVERALL GRADE: A+/A (4.167/4.0).

PLOT: A+.

IMAGERY: A.

IMPACT: A+.

WRITING: A.

HBO's Game Of Thrones Renewed For Season 2!

Excellent news! HB0 has announced they have renewed their new fantasy series Game of Thrones for a second season. Game of Thrones is an adaptation of George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series, which is a planned 7-book fantasy series in set in the fictional land of Westeros where seasons can last years and civilization is basically at the Bronze Age of medieval times.

The plan is for each season of the HBO show to be based on each of the books. The first book in the series is called A Game of Thrones (click to see MadProfessah review). The second book (which is even better than the first) is called A Clash of Kings (click to see MadProfessah review) and immediately follows the events of the first book.

Overall, I have been very impressed with HBO's television adaptation of George R.R. Martin's work, for the most part. The books depict the fight for control of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros between members of several major houses. Martin analyzes many topics in thee very long books, among them the nature of gender in a feudal society, the irrationality of hereditary government, and especially the meanings of political power in a society where everyone carries a sword and "might makes right" is a generally accepted ethos.

The TV series has done an excellent job of animating these concepts by actually improving on Martin's plotting by adding scenes and interactions between characters which do not appear in the original text.
What the TV series has not done well is depict people of color. There is an important subplot in the series which involves action on a far-away continent (across the Narrow Sea from Westeros) called Essos where the Dothraki people like. The Dothraki are a war-like, nomadic people who have "copper skin and almond eyes." In the books, Martin is able to fully explain their specific cultural traditions and motivate their harsh and violent actions. In the HBO series the head of the Dothraki Khal Drogo is portrayed by a massively buff Jason Momoa who speaks in a  rough guttural tongue. The Dothraki are depicted as wild-eyed savages for the most part, without the  descriptive context the book supplies them. This is unfortunate, because the chapters of the books which involve the Dothraki and the blonde refugee from Westeros named Daenerys Targaryen who becomes their Queen (Khaleesi) are some of the best sections of the story. Martin won a Hugo award for a novella about Daenerys.

In the series there are some epic scenes involving Daenerys, the Dothraki and her dragon eggs which, if depicted badly, could ruin the entire series for me. Daenerys and the Dothraki are incredibly important characters, and it is disturbing that, so far, they have not been depicted as effectively as the other, predominantly white, characters. It's no coincidence that the upcoming fifth book is called, A Dance with Dragons. Hopefully, the series will make that far.

BOOK REVIEW: George R.R. Martin's A Clash Of Kings

A Clash of Kings is the sequel to A Game of Thrones (see MadProfessah's review) in George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire award-winning fantasy series. The first book has been adapted to the source material for HBO's first season of its televised adaptation called Game of Thrones (which debuted Sunday April 17th.)

A Clash of Kings is an astonishing achievement. It is a gigantic book, chock full of battles, betrayals and brutalities. The main plot of the story is "The War of the Five Kings." With King Robert Barratheon dead, there are five men claiming the Iron Throne: Joffrey Baratheon, the teenaged son of his Queen, the evil Cersei Lannister; Renly Baratheon, Robert's handsome younger brother; Stannis Baratheon, Robert's stern older brother; Robb Stark, son of Lord Eddard Stark of Winterfell and self-proclaimed King of the North; and Balon Greyjoy, who has declared himself King of the Iron Islands.

The story in A Clash of Kings follows immediately the events at the end of  A Game of Thrones. Events are told from the perspectives of each of several characters, both familiar and new. Many of our favorites from the first book, such as Tyrion Lannister, Jon Snow, Arya Stark, Daenerys Targaryen and Catelyn Stark return with chapters of their own. Of course, there are also chapters told from the perspective of new characters such as Davos Seaworth (who is in the employ of Stannis Baratheon) and Theon Greyjoy (son of Balon Greyjoy who grew up with the Stark children at Winterfell). Additionally, Arya's sister Sansa Stark has some chapters devoted to her perspective as well which make her a far less annoying character than she appeared to be in the first book.

Martin is pretty ruthless with the fates of his characters. One never knows who will survive, even if they are a character who has a chapter named after them. This feature of the book greatly increases the level of suspense for the reader and the emotional impact of the story on the reader.

Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire is truly one of the great masterpieces of speculative fiction, a sprawling, messy, detailed work of art which will delight and despair readers for decades.

Title: A Clash of Kings.
Author: George R.R. Martin

Length: 784 pages.

Publisher: Bantam.

Date: May 28, 2002.

OVERALL GRADE: A (4.0/4.0). 

PLOT: A+.

IMAGERY: A.

IMPACT: A.

WRITING: A-.

WATCH: Trailer for Final Harry Potter film

Looks like the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 will be ending with a  bang, not a whimper. Part 1 was a bit slow (see MadProfessah review). Part 2 looks like it will be more closely following the book, which was pretty amazing.

HBO's Game Of Thrones: Episode 1

HBO's new television series, Game of Thrones, an adaptation of George R.R. Martin's A Game of Thrones debuted last night. Having read the book (see review) so I eagerly watched the first episode. My first reaction is that the producers have done a very faithful job of adapting the text.

The casting is interesting. Particularly good(looking) are Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Jaime Lannister, Richard Madden as Robb Stark and Kit Harington as Jon Snow. There are very important female roles, namely Catelyn Stark (Michelle Fairey), Cersei Lancaster (Lena Headey) and Deanerys Taegeryen (Emilia Clarke) and the jury is out whether the actresses are up to the parts.

The depiction of the geography and setting of the story, i.e. the continent of Westeros is impressive. Winterfell, the Wall, and the shots of the Iron Throne demonstrate a brilliant approach to art direction and reflect the prodigious budget for the series, estimate at nearly $60 million.

I most definitely intend to tune in to every episode, and expect Game of Thrones to hold my attention until Season 4 of True Blood begins this summer.

BOOK REVIEW: George R.R. Martin's A Game Of Thrones

Thanks to a friend on GoodReads.com, I was convinced to ask for A Game of Thrones for Chrismuhkwanzukkah, and received it. I had heard about the series A Song if Ice and Fire and was aware that HBO is going to start airing a miniseries called Game of Thrones in April 2011.

Variety reports that there are over 4.5 million copies of the first four books in the series in print and it has recently been announced that the fifth book A Dance with Dragons will be released on July 12, 2011. Many fans of the series are pretty bitter because the fourth book in the series, A Feast for Crows was released in November 2005 and they have been eagerly awaiting new material for well over 5 years. And the entire series is said to consist of seven books.

It all started with the first book, A Game of Thrones, and this idea of political intrigue surrounding who will rule the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros is a central theme of the book and the series. The setting is one akin to medieval Europe with very little technology beyond the Bronze Age, although magic plays a limited role and one of the most important features is that seasons can last for years. In A Game of Thrones summer has lasted for nearly a decade, but the longer-lived people realize that this may augur an equally long bitter winter. The phrase "Winter is Coming" is a common catch phrase of the people of the North, and reveals their pessimism (some would say stoicism) about the future.

Martin has embarked upon an incredibly ambitious,m sprawling work of high fantasy. He tells his story in discrete chapters with the names and point of view of a single character. This can result in  major events of the story being revealed multiple times, from differing viewpoints or sometimes an important development for one character is revealed from a casual remark made by another. It's a compelling device, and it requires close attention by the reader. These are generally gigantic books (on the order of 900 pages) with literally dozens and dozens of characters with complex and complicated familial and familiar ties.

A Game of Thrones sets the stage for the entire series by introducing our two main protagonists: a set of families and rivals called the Starks (of the North) and the Lannisters (of the South). The Starks are dark-haired, simple and stoic while the Lannisters and blonde, green-eyed, wealthy and ruthless. In the beginning it is clear the reader is intended to identify with the Starks, as we are first introduced to the entire family: Lord Eddard Stark, his wife Catelyn Stark and their five children (Robb, Sansa, Arya, Bran and Rickon) as well as Eddard's bastard son, John Snow. The Lannisters primarily consist of Lord Tywin Lannister and his three children (Jaime, Cersei and Tyrion). Cersei is married to Eddard Stark's best friend King Robert Baratheon and has borne him three children while carrying out an adulterous and incestuous affair with her brother Jamie. Tyrion is a deformed dwarf more commonly known as the Imp.

As a Black, gay reader one of the most noticeable aspects of the books is the treatment of gender and regulation of sexuality. Homosexuality is barely mentioned, but the expectation of each gender are rigidly defined. The morals of the time strongly condemn all sex outside of marriage, although they only barely look askance as abortion/contraception (there is a special tea women can take soon after having sex which is supposed to prevent them from getting pregnant). Women are basically property of their husbands, and daughters are just there to be married off while her "maidenhood" (or virginity) is intact in order to seal connections between  Lords and prominent families, which are called Houses. There are a dizzying array of various Houses, the most prominent for our purposes are House Stark and House Lannister, each with their own castle, Winterfell and Casterly Rock, respectively.

Martin hooks you into caring for the main characters early on and the plot twists and turns which delight and horrify. Just because the Starks are our putative heroes does not mean that everything will end "happily ever after." Plus, for most readers, there are so many named characters that almost any reader can find at least one (if not more) that they can identify with and root for.

I don;t want to give away or discuss the details of the plot, but suffice it to say that you will not be disappointed if you take the time to visit Westeros and watch the Game of Thrones from the comfort of your home, reveling in Martin's imagination.

Title: A Game of Thrones
Author: George R.R. Martin
Length: 720 pages.
Publisher: Bantam.
Date: May 28, 2002.

OVERALL GRADE: A (3.917/4.0).

PLOT: A+.
IMAGERY: A.
IMPACT: A-.
WRITING: A-.

TOR.COM's Top 10 Sci-Fi/Fantasy Books of the Decade

Tor.com has been running a poll of the best science fiction/fantasy books published between 2000-2010 (not really a decade) and now the results of the Top 10 are out:

1. Old Man’s War by John Scalzi - 295 votes
2. American Gods by Neil Gaiman - 270 votes
3. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss - 231 votes
4. Blindsight by Peter Watts - 221 votes
5. Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey - 194 votes
6. A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin - 179 votes
7. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke - 167 votes
8. Anathem by Neal Stephenson - 141 votes
9. Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson - 125 votes
10. Perdido Street Station by China Mieville - 124 votes

Of these Top 10, the only ones I have not read is #4, #5 and #9. I actually tried reading Blindsight but could not get past the first chapter or so. I've only recently heard of Mistborn and Kushiel's Dart. They are both high fantasy novels. Since I generally prefer science fiction, they will be lower on my list to be read in the future. Currently, I'm in the middle of reading the Saga of the Pliocene War series by Julian May and looking forward to reading The Wise Man's Fear by Rothfuss in the next few weeks.

You can click on the highlighted titles to see my reviews of those books; I am still working on reviews for American Gods and A Storm of Swords.

I am pleased to see that so many books that I have liked on this list but I strongly disagree with the Top choice (I would probably place Rothfuss' book there if I was restricted to this list of 10). I'm also very surprised not to see any books by Peter F. Hamilton or Alastair Reynolds

2011 Nebula Awards Nominees Announced

The list of nominees for the 2011 Nebula Awards have been released. I'm always interested in who is up for Best Novel.

• The Native Star, M.K. Hobson (Spectra)
• The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, N.K. Jemisin (Orbit UK; Orbit US)
• Shades of Milk and Honey, Mary Robinette Kowal (Tor)
• Echo, Jack McDevitt (Ace)
• Who Fears Death, Nnedi Okorafor (DAW)
• Blackout/All Clear, Connie Willis (Spectra)

I have read The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, but was not impressed. Connie Willis wrote one of my favorite books of all-time, Doomsday Book, which won both the Hugo and Nebula Awards. Blackout/All Clear is something of a sequel to that book, and I have just begun Blackout.