Book Review Up: The Man Who Loved Books Too Much by Allison Hoover Bartlett
Another review up. This one you all have to read. I mean it. It’s one of the most amazing books I’ve read in a while. Check out my review here. Enjoy!
Curse Them All: Should You Use Them?
I have been reading an action-packed, violent book called Kell’s Legend by Andy Remic recently and the author’s style has brought me to this post. Those who are familiar with Remic are probably used to his unflinching desire to inject curse words liberally into his prose; they are also probably used to his rather detailed levels of violence, too. None of these things are necessarily bad, but they do make one think about the problem of cursing in fiction–or anything, for that matter. The problem with saying “you should only do this when” is that such a phrase is inherently arbitrary. The reality is that people have varying degrees of tolerance for foul language, including myself. For example: I typically have no issue with the f-word, s-word, b-word, crap, ass, and g-damn; however, I do have a problem with the n-word and the c-word, and more so with the latter than the former. Let me clarify before someone jumps down my throat. I can see when using the n-word might be necessary, particularly if you are trying to tell a certain kind of story about, perhaps, the civil rights movement in the United States or the Apartheid era of South Africa; it makes perfect sense that the n-word would show up in such instances. Outside of that, however, I see no use for it. The c-word, though, is, for me, pretty much intolerable; I can’t stand the word for too many reasons to count, and there have been times when its use has forced me to stop reading. That’s my personal opinion. Mine is not the only one, and no one answer is any more correct than another. To illustrate this point, I asked folks on my Twitter account to respond to the question: Do you tolerate cursing in the books you read? Where are your limits, if any? Here are some of their responses (with some minor editing): Dhympna: Yeah, I like cursing. I sometimes get annoyed by writers who use too many colloquial expressions. I get more annoyed by authors using particular vernacular and slang too much than actual cursing. In all fairness, I do tend to curse like a sailor, which is why it does not bother me. Kaolin Fire: No limits so long as the story’s interesting and it’s relevant. Whatever. GothixHalo: As long as the writing is good and the character development isn’t horrible, cursing isn’t a flaw. Using it as a replacement for good writing skills is a crime, though. Having to use curse words instead of competent words is pitiful. mspuma: I only respect cursing if it seems realistic. Overuse of cursing in writing is just an old shock value trick. Cussing in and of itself doesn’t offend me. They’re just words. But like any emphasized phraze/cliche, it loses its punch with repetition. Keeping all of these views in mind, it is important to note that there is no true answer to the question of cursing. What matters most is your personal taste. The market is not so black and white to make the claim for any particular level of restraint appropriate or right. In fact, because the market is so varied, it is only logical to assume that using curse words should be based on personal taste rather than anything else. Andy Remic, for example, has no qualms about using curses, and he has a market of readers who enjoy that. Other writers avoid curses entirely; they have a market two (and likely some overlap). Some people can’t stand Remic, I’m sure, and others love him; Remic, I imagine, loves himself quite a lot. Remic’s personal taste is clear: he likes to use curse words in his fiction. And he got published doing it. That is not to say that you shouldn’t demonstrate some restraint. Writing dialogue is not easy to do and having dialogue that is essentially a whole stream of f-words, s-words, and b-words will seem trite or perhaps unnecessarily vulgar. It all really depends on your audience. I often look at cursing as a combination of style and necessity; if the cursing is there only to be shocking or impedes the flow of the prose, then I’m out. What about you? Where are your limits on the matter of cursing in fiction, as writers or readers?
Quickie Movie Reviews (2009): Volume Six
Apparently I’ve been forgetting to toss in the “value” feature. So, it’s back in this batch. There are a whole mess of Miyazaki films here, in case anyone is interested. Otherwise, there are a few other interesting films to consider. So here goes: The Good German (George Clooney, Cate Blanchett, Tobey Maquire)A stylistically nostalgic film that chronicles an American journalist’s attempts to solve the murder of a deceptive young corporal that nobody else seems interested in. His journey takes him through an intricate web of relationships that draw him to a Russian commander, a presumed-dead member of Hitler’s SS, and an ex-lover with her own deceptive agenda.Pros: The Good German does an amazing job of capturing the film styles of pre-color (and post-silent) films, not only in its visuals, but also in its plot and characters. I was also surprised that Clooney and Blanchett so easily pulled off their non-English moments while on the screen. Clooney is particularly strong here.Cons: The plot could have used some thickening to make it fit together better. Perhaps this was part of Soderbergh’s design in engaging with a nostalgic film past, but it can be a little jarring if you’re not used to the style. Tobey Maguire is not at his best in this one (thankfully his role is rather small).Rating: 3/5Value: $4.75 Ultraviolet (Milla Jovovich)Based on the comic book series, this attempt at high-concept science fiction thrusts us into a future world where “pure” humans have waged a largely successful campaign to exterminate the infected hemophages. Violet, a hemophage, steals a human weapon only to discover that it is actually a boy with a mysterious origin.Pros: The concept here is actually quite brilliant. This is a world in which weapons can be hidden is strange dimensional “pockets” on the body and where germophobia has been taken to its logical extreme. There are a lot of great science fiction concepts in this film.Cons: The first ten minutes or so are wasted on a monologue explaining to us who the main character is. For a movie that is supposed to be rather action-packed, this is not only a drain, but exceedingly annoying. The visuals also are lacking. Whether they were going for a certain “video game” style or not, it looks amateur at best and downright awful at the worst. It’s a waste of a perfectly good concept to reduce it to fouled up visuals.Rating: 2/5Value: $3.00 Whisper of the Heart (Hayao Miyazaki)Shizuku is a junior high student going through the trials and tribulations of self-discovery. During her summer vacation, she notices an ordinary-looking cat riding the train and decides to investigate. Soon she meets Seiji, a boy who is determined to follow his dreams, and soon sets out on her own journey to follow her dreams of writing, weaving a tale of magic and intrigue, using characters made familiar in The Cat Returns.Pros: Some brilliant characterization here. Unlike other animated films I have seen, this one does not skimp on making all of its characters completely three-dimensional. One of the most interesting things about this movie is how it ties into The Cat Returns; you get the sense that The Cat Returns is more an extension of the Shizuku’s imagination and stories, a metanarrative, if you will; this adds some brilliant depth to a film about talking cats and other silliness. There’s a lot of charm here.Cons: The story tends to drag. This is not “typical” Miyazaki. There isn’t a lot of magic and weirdness here, but more an in-depth, emotional journey through the world of Shizuku. It’s a beautiful story, but somewhat difficult to get into if you don’t go into it with the right mindset.Rating: 3/5Value: $5.25 My Neighbor Totoro (Hayao Miyazaki)A unique story about a family split up by an unexpected illness and two sisters who discover the world of the mysterious Totoro. The Totoro come in all shapes in sizes, but all of them are furry, and all of them cannot be seen by adults. This heartwarming tale is a clever mixture of family drama and Alice in Wonderland style oddness.Pros: The visuals in this are quite unique, not because this is a Miyazaki film, but because the design of the settings and characters are memorable in every way. I especially loved the detail of the cat/bus thing. My Neighbor Totoro is also quite cute and powerful for a film meant for kids. I think there’s something that had to be said about the ways that Miyazaki manages to take complicated subjects and make them work for a very young audience.Cons: The ending feels very much incomplete. I won’t ruin the plot or what is incomplete, but just note that this doesn’t end in concrete fashion. There are still some unanswered questions. Other problems are that this one can drag just a little in the beginning, which seems typical of Miyazaki.Rating: 3/5Value: $6.50 Kiki’s Delivery Service (Hayao Miyazaki)Kiki, a thirteen-year-old witch, heads out into the wide world in order to fulfill tradition and spend one year training away from home. With Jiji, a talking black cat, and her mother’s broom, she sets up a magical delivery service in a seaside town. A cute tale about a young girl discovering herself, Kiki’s Delivery Service is a fantastic film by one of the greatest animation directors of all time.Pros: A cute story with brilliant animation (as expected) and wonderful characters. I got a kick out of Jiji and wish there had been more of him. While not my favorite of Miyazaki’s, this is certainly memorable and enjoyable. If you have kids, this is definitely one they should see. Don’t forget to watch the end credits, because there’s loads of cute stuff there.Cons: The ending is somewhat un-fulfilling, if not incomplete. There is a resolution, but it didn’t meet what I had expected by the end. Beyond that, though, it’s hard not to love this one.Rating: 4/5Value: $9.50
Brain Freeze: Where to next?
I’ve come to a standstill on this blog. That’s not to say I don’t have anything else to say, just that I’m not sure where to go next. Having now finished the cyberpunk series, I’ve hit a point where I can offer nothing more on punk literature, primarily because I do not know enough about the other movements. Steampunk is something I’ve yet to spend considerable time reading, and all the newer punks (dieselpunk, biopunk, greenpunk, etc.) are either too new to have grown into established subgenres or unfamiliar to me. I also suspect that going on a long tear on capitalism in science fiction, particularly the critique of it, would be of little interest to all of you reading this blog. I do not want to come off as the radical Marxist science fiction guy, because I am not a Marxist by any stretch of the imagination. I simply see between the lines and readily admit that capitalism is like any other system: flawed and easily manipulated by people with “agendas.” But, I like capitalism; when regulated, it is one of the best economic models in existence. Unfortunately, this is getting away from the point of this post. In the course of writing the cyberpunk series, however, I found myself becoming remarkably out of the loop in the SF/F community. I used to have a good idea about the goings on, but it seems that has changed, or I simply find those things that are going on to be rather trite or meaningless. So, this is where I ask all of you a few questions: what are you interested in? What do you want my opinion on, or what do you feel is a pressing issue that needs addressing? Where do you think or want me to go next? I value your opinions and thoughts, which is why I am asking. Yes, this seems like I’m fishing for blogging ideas from all of you, but it is also to help me get a grasp on things that I otherwise would be unable to address. Graduate school and teaching, being what they are, does not lend one excessive amounts of free time for external research. That means, right now, I am focused on my studies, on what I intend to write about for my masters thesis, rather than on what is outside of that narrow world. I’d like you all to inject a bit of chaos into that mix (good chaos; I think I’ve had plenty of bad chaos lately, what with sick animals, broken computers, and all manner of teaching problems filling up the gaps). Push me in new directions. Leave a comment!
Book Review Up: Last Days by Brian Evenson
This is a twisted one, but really entertaining. My review can be found here, as usual. If you like the twisted and macabre, then this is a book for you!
Talk Like a Pirate Day: Fast Ships, Black Sails!
Avast! Today be Talk Like a Pirate Day, a day o’ rejoicin’ an’ rum drinkin’ for all pirates everywhere. On such a day we be needin’ to set sail on the high seas to spread the word o’ somethin’ tha pulls us all together with it’s piratey goodness! Cap’in’s Ann and Jeff Vandermeer’s anthology Fast Ships, Black Sails, published by the fine sailors at Night Shade Books and smuggled to all th’ corners o’ the earth by Amazon. The tome, fer those wi’ the cunning t’read it, is packed like a barrel o’salt pork ready fer a month at sea wi’ tales o’ our fine people set in fantastical an’ science fictional places.Fast Ships, Black Sails is penned by a fine collection o’ landlubberly scribes like Kage Baker, an’ Elizabeth Bear. Fine tellers o’ tales they be, some o’ the best! Inside this tome ye can find:“Raising Anchor” – Ann & Jeff VanderMeer“Boojum” – Elizabeth Bear and Sarah Monette“Araminta, or, The Wreck of the Amphidrake” – Naomi Novik“Avast, Abaft!” – Howard Waldrop“I Begyn as I Mean to Go On” – Kage Baker“Castor on Troubled Waters” – Rhys Hughes“Elegy for Gabrielle, Patron Saint of Healers, Whores and Righteous Thieves” – Kelly Barnhill“Skillet and Saber” – Justin Howe“The Nymph’s Child” – Carrie Vaughn“68˚06’N, 31˚40’W” – Conrad Williams“Pirate Solutions” – Katherine Sparrow“We Sleep on a Thousand Waves” – Brendan Connell“Pirates of the Suara Sea” – David Freer & Eric Flint“Voyage of the Iguana” – Steve Aylett“Iron Face” – Michael Moorcock“A Cold Day in Hell” – Paul Batteiger“Captain Blackheart Wentworth” – Rachel Swirsky“The Whale Below” – Jayme Lynn Blaschke“Beyond the Sea Gate of the Scholar-Pirates of Sarskoe” – Garth Nix Fine tales, to be sure, from fine scribes, new an’ old. If yer in a piratey mood, pillage yeself some dubloons and buy it. Night Shade Books has some mighty fine tales fer sale, an’ they’re a small press, so buyin’ their tomes helps them keep their ship afloat! So, matey, find yeself a bookseller and hand over those dubloons, or ye might find yerself walkin’ the plank! Arr! (Thank to Capt’n Bourneville fer translatin’ me landlubber speak into th’ true tongue!)