http://blogcritics.org/ A sinister cabal of superior bloggers on music, books, film, popular culture, politics, and technology - updated continuously. en Copyright 2005-2007 by the authors Thu, 10 Mar 2005 20:32:55 EST http://backend.userland.com/rss Blogcritics.org custom software http://blogcritics.org/ Phillip WinnSunday, August 26, 2007, marks the switch of all Blogcritics.org article feeds from full-content to short-content. This is the result of several converging factors, and is unfortunately a permanent decision (as permanent as any decision can be on the web, that is). We are aware of all of the reasons that this is a Bad Idea, and we are aware that some of you will be quite upset about having to click on something to read the free content, and we're sorry. Unfortunately, despite great effort, full-content feeds are not currently economically viable. 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Administration0@blogcritics.org Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/03/10/203255.php Eoghann IrvingThe Ships of Air is the second book in Martha Wells trilogy The Fall if Ile-Rien and over all I'd say its the weaker of the first two books (the third is not yet out at the time of writing).Presumably the title refers to the air-ships which the Gardier use in their attacks on Ile-Rien and its allies. However, its still not clear to me what relevance that title has to what actually happens in this book.That's really the heart of my criticism. This book is every bit as well written as the previous one. The characters are both complex and compelling but very little that happens in this book really seems to forward the plot. We spend an awful lot of time wandering around a cruise ship discussing things with characters who never appear again.Perhaps the endless fantasy sagas so common these days have made me cynical, but this book smells of padding. Its artful and entertaining padding, but I'm left with a sneaking suspicion that the story could have been told in two books rather than three.But lets not give the wrong impression. This is a good book. It's fast paced, well written and Wells continues to excel at characterization. Particularly good is the halting romance between Tremaine and Ilias. It's also nice to have the Gardier fleshed out. They are no longer faceless and implacable villains. Instead they have human emotions and may well be being manipulated themselves.I'm still definitely looking forward to the conclusion of this trilogy, I'm just not quite as blown away by this one as I hoped to be. Books26547@blogcritics.org Thu, 10 Mar 2005 20:32:55 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/03/05/110504.php Eoghann IrvingThis may be one of the strongest episodes of the series so far. Tense from beginning to end and leaving me with far more questions than I had to start with. Several of the ongoing sub-plots get some air time, although once again Apollo doesn't get any real attention.The overall feel of the show is of growing paranoia and the unhealthy effect this is bound to have on everybody as it drags out. The actual motivation for the Cylons manipulations are not at all clear so far though. If they wanted to play games with the humans, why almost wipe them out? Where did their belief system come from? Do they consider themselves more human than humans now? If so, where do the old-fashioned centurions fit into that scheme of things.On top of all that we have a whole new set of questions. Why did this Cylon claim he could see the future? Why did the President see him in her dreams? Just what the hell is going on?I like that the characters in this series are allowed to show a depth of feelings and a range of emotions. They aren't simply one thing all the time. But I am starting to want to see what the fleet is actually doing. It was fascinating to watch Starbuck, never the most stable of characters, slip slowly over the edge and then at the end, come round to view her prisoner as equally as human as she.At first I wasn't at all sure about the whole "the cylons look human" thing. It just seemed like a way to save money. But actually the series has really embraced this new concept and it may well become the best thing about the whole show if they continue to develop it in this fashion.Oh and one final thing. So they will find Kobol and from there they will find earth huh? Video26332@blogcritics.org Sat, 5 Mar 2005 11:05:04 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/02/27/184120.php Eoghann IrvingThis was the first book of Martha Wells that I read, and I think it's still my favorite, though Death of the Necromancer and City of Bones are both close challengers for that title.Set in the Celestial Empire, a country where almost everything is governed by study of the Infinite and its relationship with the world, the story focuses on Maskelle an exiled priestess and Voice of the Adversary who is called back to help remove the corruption which has somehow entered the Wheel of the Infinite, distorting the sacred patterns. She is assisted in this by the swordsman Rian, a lordless bodyguard from a distant and barbarous land.The plot line for this book could be considered predictable "save the world" fantasy, but its not the plot that really matters that much here. It's the characters and the world.Once again Martha Wells builds up a unique world and fills it with vivid characters. Both the badly flawed Maskelle and the loyal but impatient Rian are complex people placed in difficult positions. Wells handily balances the need to fill out this world she has created with the importance of stay to the story and not cluttering it with needless details. In the end the reader still doesn't know exactly how the magic of the Infinite really works or just how the Celestial Empire functions, but we don't need to. The broad strokes we are given color in life in the Empire enough for us to be able to feel its richness.The end result is a book that is a pleasure to read. Books26077@blogcritics.org Sun, 27 Feb 2005 18:41:20 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/02/18/192526.php Eoghann IrvingThe frantic pace of the new Battlestar Galactica series comes to a sudden and abrupt halt in Litmus. Unlike previous episodes, this is definitely not an action oriented story. The focus here is overwhelmingly on two characters and on the paranoia that builds after it is revealed that Cylons can take a human form.Conceptually its a great episode tackling subjects that are ripe for development. Unfortunately it doesn't quite work out as planned. There is something wrong with the pacing of the whole episode. Whereas previous episodes of the show have built on what has come before, almost everything in this one is developed too quickly and without adequate exploration.It would have been much better to have had the information about the Cylons new forms be released a couple of episodes ago and let that slowly fester in the minds of the survivors instead of rushing it all within the space of one episode. Similarly the power an influence of the independent board of inquiry simply came out of nowhere and its own level of paranoia is not explored at all. It would have worked much better if we'd built slowly to this over a few episodes.Other elements in the show work much better however. Edward James Olmos is truly brilliant as Adama in yet another understated yet authoritative performance. His scenes are the highlight of the show, particularly when he faces up to the inquiry.Also strong is the relationship between Boomer and Tyroll and how they interact. The script does a good job of shading in the gray areas particularly when you consider that Boomer is a Cylon.Another plus is the potential for future conflict that this story creates. Adama has weakened his own credibility by first creating and then ending the inquiry. The level of paranoia amongst the civilian population can only grow as time passes. With elections due in the not too distant future, that raises all sorts of interesting possibilities. Video25688@blogcritics.org Fri, 18 Feb 2005 19:25:26 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/02/12/151556.php Eoghann IrvingStargate: SG-1 has been coasting for some time now offering us stand alone, go nowhere episodes or re-hashes of previous stories. It has been relying on the significant charisma of its central cast and the fondness which the audience has built up for the characters they portrayed.With Full Alert, SG-1 finally kicks itself back into high gear. This isn't the greatest SG-1 episode every by any means, but it feels like what's happening matters again.Not only does the story pull together the threads of a long-running conspiracy and tangle them all up in a new fashion but it manages to convince you that there is a real danger involved.Yes, we know they aren't going to destroy the world. Well, unless its a parallel universe. But for 45 minutes they had me contemplating the potential for a major shift in the Stargate world. That the shift never happened is irrelevant. With episodic television like SG-1, change almost never happens. It's all about creating a compelling illusion that this time it might. And the episode managed that.At this point in its life-span, SG-1 will probably never reach the creative highs it did in some of the earlier seasons, but at least for this week they aren't coasting any more. Video25424@blogcritics.org Sat, 12 Feb 2005 15:15:56 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/02/10/181733.php Eoghann IrvingWith The Wizard Hunters Martha Wells returns to the world of Ile-Rien in the ominously titled series The Fall of Ile-Rien. Where our last visit to this world had a definite Victorian feel and a Sherlock Holmes detective twist to it, this time out Wells calls on echoes of World War II and the bombing of London.Martha Wells is a master at creating worlds and evoking atmosphere. She does it twice over here, first in re-inventing or perhaps updating Ile-Rien and then again when she takes us to an entirely different world. She strikes a deft balance between giving the worlds depth and believability and not reciting endless irrelevant history at us.This is primarily an action adventure story and our protagonists are thrown into various precarious positions, but Wells doesn't ignore character building. Tremaine is a wonderfully engaging heroine who manages to be both capable and vulnerable at the same time.The biggest weakness is also an essential part of the plot. The enemy race in the story, the Gardier, are very thin on background and characterization. This is inevitable however given that none of our protagonists know anything about them. But it does make them seem rather shallow.All in all though, I'd strongly recommend this book. By the end I couldn't wait for a chance to read the second in the series The Ships of Air. Books25360@blogcritics.org Thu, 10 Feb 2005 18:17:33 EST