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Book Review: Warbreaker

Charles Martin — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 13:21:31 +0000

By Charles Martin

September 11, 2009

Although there is a sufficient number of titles to grant “fantasy” a section separate from science fiction in most bookstores, they are still grouped together. The irony is, in most cases, a fantasy novel has to incorporate many features of science fiction to create a new world or environment.

Whether it be a new flora, fauna, world, technology or form of magic, it is common to reuse one or more of these devices from other authors, but put it together in a, supposedly, “unique” way. Sometimes this succeeds; sometimes the author’s work is merely a derivative of either Tolkien or Asimov.

In Warbreaker, Sanderson succeeds. The primary form of magic comes from the ability to gain “Breaths” (the most common corollary in our mythology that comes to mind is “soul”) and then put them to use. This proceeds to pour the foundation for the entire story and world. It is the basis of two religions within two kingdoms at odds with each other and in danger of going to war. The disagreement is based partly on the morality of using these Breaths (souls of other individuals, dead or alive) for any purpose.

The second issue creating tension is the worship of the Returned, men or women who come back from the dead (granted due to a great deed they performed in their previous life), are treated as gods and must make use of Breaths to stay alive (I know, kinda ironic, but what else do you have when there is a physical presence considered a god and it can be killed?). This story pushes against the boundaries of what we human-beings would consider as “gods”, and, thus, a new world is born in the hands of Sanderson.

The impetus for the events in Warbreaker is that a treaty is forcing the daughter of the king of Idris, Vivenna, (whose nation separated from Hallandren in opposition to worship of Returned and use of Breath) to prepare her entire life to marry the God-King of Hallandren (where the gods live in seclusion from the world at its capital, T’Telis, and only interact with their own priest/guardians and the worshipful petitioners). Events conspire to send Siri, the youngest sister of Vivenna, in her place. This creates sufficient confusion in both kingdoms and causes factions on both sides to question the motives of the king’s decision.

Brandon Sanderson intertwines the storylines of three primary characters: Siri, Vivenna, and Lightsong, one of the gods of Hallandren, who is consistently the most lazy of the gods, at least until Siri arrives to fulfill the treaty of Idris. The most significant factor in all of this is Breath, which manages to grant the bearer the ability to see perfect tones and colors, hear perfect notes and sounds, and produce an aura of brighter color wherever they travel. Most importantly, it grants the ability to be an Awakener, an individual who uses the Breath to bring to life something that was, at one point in time alive, but is now dead, such as cloth (cotton), sticks (living trees), and human bodies (who are now dead, but are turned into a “Lifeless“), all of which perform duties based on Commands.

What I loved the most about this book was not the imagery and magical world, but the verbal interaction between characters. Sanderson has a true talent in bringing alive discussions in a way that makes it seem so real. I honestly laughed out loud at the following quote from Lightsong who conjured up a mental image he’d rather forget: “Make a note to have my imagination flogged for its insolence in showing me that particular sight.” This truly made me realize that Sanderson could expand on this world, already quite full of beautiful landscapes and imaginative magic, by providing lifelike, funny, heartwarming, characters to dwell within.

Overall, it is a vibrant story with a very rich other-worldly feel without duplicating a bunch of common tropes in fantasy. As I read Warbreaker, I yearned for it to be made into a movie where it would be quite the visual treat. However, as I, personally, am a stickler for spelling/grammar, I was disappointed at how many mistakes made it into the final version, but this did not detract from the story (some I’ve read in the past such as the later titles in the Wheel of Time series where the editors seem to get lazy could be rather frustrating). Brandon, find better proofreaders.

On the subject of the late Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series and his recent demise, Brandon Sanderson is an excellent choice for completing Jordan’s work and he has an eye for detail and originality that should be a real treat when we see his first entry, The Gathering Storm, hit the bookshelves in November. I look forward to more of Sanderson’s works as it appears that we’ve not seen the last of the world introduced in Warbreaker.

Order your copy of Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson today.

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Growing Up with Science Fiction in the 1940s

Daniel Dessinger — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 10:57:31 +0000

By Daniel Dessinger

September 3, 2009

When I was a kid, I bought my first science-fiction magazine at the age of thirteen. All older science-fiction fans remember when they bought their first magazine, and we were all about the same age – twelve, thirteen, maybe fourteen. In the 1930s and 1940s we were all pretty much alike as well. We wore knickers, sat down to a chicken dinner every Sunday, and spent Saturday afternoons at the movie theater where we saw two features, three or four cartoons, and got a free candy bar – all for a dime.

Nobody had a television set, though every family had a radio. Our parents tuned in to Lux Radio Theater and Fibber McGee and Molly but most of us kids listened to Lights Out! and Inner Sanctum and Jack Armstrong, the All-American Boy. We made model airplanes out of balsa wood and tissue paper and rubber bands, telephones out of string and two tin cans, and occasionally we tinkered with crystal sets.

Most of us were skinny, wore glasses, were not very adept socially, and were usually sent out to left field – way out – when the Phys Ed class divided us up into baseball teams.

As writer Joanna Russ put it many years later, young science-fiction fans were “… nervous, shy, pleasant boys, sensitive, intelligent, and very awkward with people. They also talk too much.” It was an accurate description (And yes, almost all of us were boys – though with the passage of time girls became welcome).

When we discovered science fiction, we were consumed by it. We haunted the library for books by Verne and Wells and read and re-read the cheap Grossett & Dunlap editions of Edgar Rice Burroughs that we were given for our birthdays or at Christmas. But the real epiphany came when we discovered the magazines with their fascinating covers of aliens, rocket ships, and distant planets. We read them under the tree in the backyard on sunny days, curled up on the couch on rainy afternoons, and under the covers at night.

Our neighborhood friends looked at us with contempt (an excellent reason to search for science-fiction pen pals who might live halfway across the continent – or maybe half a dozen blocks away), our parents fretted that we read too much and played too little, and our teachers were indignant that we were obviously addicted to that “trash” when we should be reading the classics.

We loved science fiction, and we wanted other people to love it as much as we did. We were dazzled by the wild ideas and the lurid artwork, we thought it was great literature (in some instances we were right), and we proselytized for it shamelessly. Almost all of us published amateur magazines – “fanzines” – devoted to it, some of us grew up to write our own science-fiction stories and others became editors or publishers of it. We went to conventions and watched them grow from a few hundred participants to the thousands, from a single convention during a year to an average of one per week.

When actor William Shatner – the beloved “Captain Kirk” of the original “Star Trek” series – stared into the camera on Saturday Night Live and told us to “get a life”, we had to smile even in the face of betrayal. We already had a life. And to a large extent, it was one to which Captain Kirk, Luke Skywalker, the Grey Lensman, Michael Valentine Smit, and John Carter of Mars – all heroes of the science-fiction universe – had contributed an enormous amount.

* This has been an excerpt from Frank M. Robinson’s collector’s coffee table book: Science Fiction of the 20th Century : An Illustrated History. Pick up your copy on Amazon today!

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Follow Up: Warehouse 13

Jenni Hammitt — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 15:32:44 +0000

By Jenni Hammitt

August 25, 2009

I had my reservations about this show, but I was hopeful it would only get better. I had concerns about the female lead, and the stories moving a little slow. So far, the show has met my expectations, but there are a few rough patches.
The show has picked up the pace. I do like the new take they are taking on this premise (well premises seeing how it is three shows jumbled into one: Friday the Thirteenth the series, Poltergeist the Legacy, and X-Files respectively).

The Good:

Myka is not nearly as shrill as she was in the pilot. She is still grating and annoying at times, but I can let that slide for now.
They aren’t trying to make Pete another Mulder. They are keeping his intuition down to a more subtle art.
It has some classic lines. It brings the sarcasm and snark on occasion.

The Bad:

Are they really already jumping the shark with the addition of Claudia? I mean yes it is nice to have someone to interact and sass Artie, but I’m a little scared this will get old fast. I’m just saying if she magically ages mid episode or between seasons (like the baby on Family Ties) I’m done.

The writing…is well lacking. It has potential. As I mentioned before, it has moments of brilliance. However, the stories and the dialogue would be a death sentence if it weren’t for the leads. Their chemistry saves it time and time again. I’m all for smart dialogue written shows, but this writing is missing the mark.

The whole Claudia thing bugs me because I think they are under using Leena. I get that may be for a reason, but at the moment it is just annoying.

Where is the ferret? I’m sorry this might be lame, but I miss the ferret. That was one of the things that helped me to decide if I was going to keep watching the show. I’m not saying it needs to be a huge part of the show, but seriously bring back the ferret.
Either make Artie a geek or a technophobe. I’m just asking for a little consistency.

The Verdict:

It is show I am interested in following, despite my inability to remember to set it up on my DVR (thank goodness for Video on Demand on U-Verse). It keeps me interested enough to tolerate the little things that annoy me. Lets give it until the end of the season before determining its fate.

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Syfy? Really?

Jenni Hammitt — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 11:30:20 +0000

By Jenni Hammitt

July 24, 2009

Sometimes re-branding is a good idea. When correctly implemented and the proper changes are made, it can make a huge difference. However, sometimes you just have to wonder what the company was thinking. The Sci-fi Channel’s morph to being Syfy is one of those “what were they thinking moments.”

Okay Sci-fi/Syfy, I get that you are trying to reinvent yourself as not being geeky, but other than they name change and some spiffy new promos you aren’t making this work. I can’t see where this is getting any better. A visit from my father exposed me to pretty non stop viewing of the channel, and I’m not seeing the positive change.

Sure you have a few glimmer of hopes here and there, like when you show the ORIGINAL Crow movie, or Pirates of the Caribbean. Still, that isn’t enough. I’m sorry but your recent, “Syfy Original” Sand Serpents was awful. The made of TV movie was just more of the low budget cheesy to the point of being hilarious. Come on I like looking at Jason Gedrick, but you need more than that to make a good movie.

Honestly, this movie was awful. It was like they were walking around the prop warehouse, saw the sand worms from Dune and wondered how they could reuse them. They ripped off the premise of Tremors, assembled the cast that did not pull off the special ops thing at all, threw in the Taliban for good measure, and it was like a train wreck. I kept waiting for Fred Ward, Kevin Bacon, the dad from Family Ties and Reba McIntyre to bust in and save the day. I seriously called the order in which the “team” members were picked off within five minutes of the movie’s start.

Then there are the series. I do like Eureka and Warehouse 13 is growing on me. I loved you for showing all the episodes of Moonlight. That being said…what is oing on with the rest of your series. I loved Amanda Tapping as Sam on the original Stargate, but Sanctuary gives me a head ache. You drug out Battlestar Galactica for too long, and are trying to stretch it out further with Caprica. Stargate Universe…wow don’t get me started. Okay folks, the whole Stargate shtick is about the cheese/geek factor. Trying to make it new hot and sexy isn’t going to make it better. I loved Lou Diamond Phillips in Young Guns, but I have been disappointed in all his recent work. Ming-Na has never been one of my favorites. The computer geek from Moonlight is on it, but that isn’t enough to fix it.

Syfy, if you are really trying to make your network more watched…you need to step up. Just changing your name is not enough.

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Warehouse 13: Does it Work?

Jenni Hammitt — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 11:40:22 +0000

By Jenni Hammitt

July 13, 2009

The Sci-fi Channel…wait. My bad… “The Syfy Channel” has another show with potential on its hands. Despite their totally lame “renaming/rebranding” campaign, I will have to give them credit for Warehouse 13. The pilot was a little slow going, but I think the show could be decent once it gains some momentum.

An Interesting Mix

The show is very Friday the Thirteenth the Series meets the X-Files with a splash of Poltergeist the Legacy. I love all three of these shows, and I actually still watch the rereuns regularly. Yes the little creepy sci-fi drama geek in me did a little gig as I watched the pilot. Basically, two secret service agents are reassigned to this strange warehouse in the middle of nowhere. The unassuming warehouse is a storage facility for “cursed/supernatural/magical goods.” They are charged with protecting the items and searching out and collecting items that are still in “circulation.” Of course they are a little skeptical at first, but as they embark on their first case, they begin to warm towards the new assignment.

The Characters

The two agents Pete Lattimer and Myka Bering are very reminiscent of Mulder and Scully. Lattimer is the believer and Myka is the skeptic. However, Lattimer is not nearly “the truth is out there” as Mulder, and Myka is way more OCD than Scully.

Actually, I thought that was one of the poor points of the show. There were times where I wanted to just stop watching because the Myka character was annoying. She is less grating and more human by the end of the pilot, so I am hoping she becomes more likeable in future episodes. Lattimer is definitely more like a mix of Ryan from Friday the 13th and Nick from Poltergeist the Legacy with a touch of Mulder, but the relationship between the two agents has that Mulder/Scully dynamic in small doses.

The agent’s “Jack” is Artie. Artie has been with the warehouse for years. He was also reluctant about his assignment, but now is their resident expert. Their new “boss” (aka Skinner meets Derek Rayne) is the mysterious Mrs. Frederic . It should be very interesting to learn more about her. There is also an employee at the bed and breakfast Myka and Lattimer call home named Leena. She seems to know all about the items and the warehouse, but we do not know much more about her.

The Grade

The writing is okay. I mean it isn’t bad, but it isn’t particularly strong. I love the ferret, but I hope she gets him a bigger cage. Come on the wishing tea kettle having a ferret pop out is pretty classic. Oh and am I the only one who had Ghostbuster flash backs with the little “neutralizer boxes?” I swear I was waiting for Artie to say never to cross the streams. It has its share of good snarky fun and sarcastic lines, so I will be keeping an eye on this one.

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Summer Show to Watch: Eureka

Jenni Hammitt — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 18:29:48 +0000

By Jenni Hammitt

July 6, 2009

I’ll be the first to admit that I only causally watch the Sci-fi Channel’s Eureka. I never thought it was a bad show, but it just sort of happened. Before I had a DVR, I was never home when it was on. Then when I got my DVR, I kept forgetting to record it. Really I hadn’t given the show much more thought, but now I am thinking it will be one of the fun light hearted shows of the summer.

After my Father’s Day plans went completely down the drain, I found myself with no real plans. I ended up using the Eureka marathon as my background noise as I did some work from home. By the end of the marathon, I can say this may be something I will be adding to my DVR list.

Season 4 launches this summer, and I am interested to see how it goes. Eureka’s premise is that there is a town where the government puts the brightest minds to flourish. Their Sheriff Jack Carter is my favorite type of sci-fi character. He is the snarky and sardonic guy that reminds me of the early seasons of Farscape. Actually, it reminds me a lot of the character dynamics from Farscape. He’s the “normal” guy. Where John was the human among aliens, Jack is the normal guy in a town filled with scientists and innovators. Come on, he lives in a bomb shelter house run by a computer named S.A.R.A.H. How classic is that.

It is a sci-fi show, so if you are anti-sci-fi, this isn’t your show. However, it isn’t near as heavy as typical sc-fi shows. Yes there is always a crisis du jour, some type of extreme geekiness, and technospeak, but the lightheartedness is what wins my heart. So many shows have too much “emotional baggage.” A good show is going to get you with some emotional hook. It can be you relate to a character. It makes you happy. Maybe you are sucked in by the storyline. I like Eureka because it isn’t overly dramatic. My emotional involvement is along the lines of “Chuck.” It just makes me happy.

Now, my one concern with the show is the whole “Jack always knows how to save the day.” Now I get that he is the sheriff. Plus I also agree that he usually gets quite a bit of help and input from the resident geniuses. Still, I know there is that chance that might get old ala Stargate with “Dumb Jack” to the rescue. However, I’m hopeful that season four will be a nice little distraction.

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