Night Watch - Terry Pratchett

I am currently working my way through the Discworld. This one, I had not read before, which is always fun, because I tend to forget till I am several pages in whether or not I have read any given Discworld book.

I love Sam Vimes as a character. I love that he changes and grows through the books, while at the same time retaining this core of Vimesness. This book is great because we get to see Vimes meet his own younger self. And how many of us would love that opportunity? Go back and tell your own young self everything you've learnt since then. Of course, he doesn't. He can't. Because that would change things. But it is still good fun to watch.

This book also gives us a look at Ankh-Morpork before the time of Vetinari, which we are more familiar with. And that's fun too. Especially since we get to meet a young Vetinari, and get a feel for what it is that drives him and turns him into who he becomes.

I'm not sure this would be a good gateway Discworld book. They do generally stand alone well, but I think a lot of the joy of this one are the little nods to the long time readers who will spot the references or beginnings of things that are tropes in the other Watch books.

And did anyone else notice the Les Mis thing going on? I didn't imagine that, right? There was a Les Mis thing going on there?

I'd recommend this to people who have read the other Watch books and enjoyed them. But if you're new to the Disc, this may not be the best place to start.

The Neverending Story.

OK, I know this movie is as old as time, (or at least the 80s), but it is such a classic. A whole generation of kids traumatised by That Thing With the Horse!

Fact is, I absolutely loved this film as a kid. Unashamedly. I loved the whole 'geeky bookish kid gets his revenge on the bullies' thing, I loved the dragon, I loved the magic and the adventure. And then I watched it as an adult, and all I could think is "The book is so much better".



You've all read the book right? It's sprawling, and coherent in a way the movie doesn't quite achieve. And the movie does that very 80s revenge thing with the shoutiness and the cheering, and the self-congratulatory stuff. And the dragon has FUR, which he doesn't in the book, and as a dragonny soul, that kind of bugs me.

And oh my but how po-faced is that little empress lass?

But I think the thing that bugs me the most is that the movie leaves out the bit of the story from which the book GETS ITS TITLE. The actual reason for it being called "The Neverending Story"? Not in the movie.

But you know, there is still a part of me that is 8 and loves it. It's kind of strange to re-encounter something you adored as a child, and the adult part of your brain that has a masters in narrative theory is seeing all the plotholes and flaws, while the 8 year old part of your brain is clapping gleefully as the dragon soars through the sky.

And there is something to be said for that.

The Scarlet Letter

I should probably emphasise that when I say "review", what I really mean is something like "random rambling thoughts and opinions". So, you know. Don't take me too seriously. ;) Mostly, it's a way of keeping track of what I am watching and reading.

In any case, my first finished book of 2011 is:

The Scarlet Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne

You know, I am really not sure what I think of this book. It was... very much not what I expected. I expected it to be her story, I guess, and in many ways instead of that, it is the story of her men. The one to whom she was married, and the one with whom she committed the adultery the symbol of which is the scarlet letter of the title. (Did you follow that sentence? Good.)

Hester herself is not very well rounded as a character. We get a vague sense of who she is, but mostly she seems to be a foil for Chillingworth's revenge and Dimmesdale's slide into anguish and guilt.

Having said that, once I'd gotten over the fact that the book I thought was about a woman is actually about the two men in her life, I did actually quite enjoy it. The puritanism is practically a character in its own right, pervading all the motives and decisions the characters make. And, oh my, but do I want Pearl's (Hester's misbegotten daughter) story! Someone must have written it? If not, I am tempted to do so. Brought up all strange and fey, and then mysteriously disappearing. Her fate is hinted at, but never revealed, and I (typically for me) think she's probably the most interesting character in the whole book.

Recommended if you like classics. If you don't, generally, you're probably not going to enjoy this. Hawthorne's language is of his time, and sometimes detaches you from the story. But it is interesting. And I did catch myself hitting the "Give me the next installment" button a lot. (You all know about DailyLit, right?) All in all, worth the read.



Books: 1 out of 100

The Fly

It is the beginning of the year, and as usual, I have a million good intentions, with no idea whether any of them will end up sticking. In any case, I plan to write reviews of all (or at least many) of the movies I watch, and the books I read. Many of the movies are likely to be classics, as I am working through several lists of the "movies you must see" variety for my 101 things in 1001 days project. Aiming at 100 this year. We'll see how that goes.

Today's offering?

The Fly

There will be spoilers. I sort of expect most people reading this will have seen it at some stage, but just in case. I don't think they're terribly important spoilers - it's not like this movie depends on twists - but nevertheless.

OK, so, classic eighties horror, starring the always delectable Jeff Goldblum (What? Like I'm the only one who crushes on him?) and ever magnificent Geena Davis.

Here's the thing, though. Me? I am not such a fan of horror. I watched this pretty much because it's on the list. And I find myself underwhelmed. Sure, it's ikky. There is plenty of ick. Regurgitating acid melting flesh and general gross flyness (Jeff did not look his best). But even with my very limited understanding of science, I could see that this movie has big gaping plot holes. Like, why can't Geena's doctors figure out when she conceived (pre or post fly DNA, that is)? Mine are pretty specific about it. I guess she didn't want to wait for a twelve week scan, but still.

And that computer that answers questions like it's Google? Dude. Seriously? *shakes head*

That being said, I guess from a Jekyll and Hyde crossed with Hunchback point of view, it's pretty standard horrific stuff. Not entirely sure why it's SUCH a classic. I didn't find it particularly scary, so much as just gross (I have a very low grossness tolerance - most people probably wouldn't be so easily squicked). Still, I guess if you're a fan of this sort of thing there has to be a reason it's so well known. And Jeff and Geena are both wonderful as always.

On my scale of Oh Gods No to Wonder and Delight, it gets a solid Meh.


Movies: 1 out of 100