Outlander Is A Fun Marvel Of A Book

Okay, I know I'm 20 years late with this, but my friend Dessi just gave me book one of Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series, and it sort of blew me away. Halfway through the first book, I was grateful this was part of a series because I didn't want to let these characters go. Sure, it's chock filled with archetypes (the cliched rugged hero Scotsman who can fight like Erol Flynn; the crunchy salt of the earth highlanders; and the ideal woman, smart, beautiful, English prim, but able to kill and heal with equal proficiency), but damned if Gabaldon's writing doesn't bring a refreshing breath of air into some stale tropes.

Claire is an English nurse who's survived WWII and takes a holiday in Scotland with her estranged husband who worked for British Intelligence during the war. By way of a druid ritual, she finds herself suddenly 200 years back in time, when being English north of England was about the worst thing you could do.  Jamie is a Scottish outlaw, wanted by the English, most notably a Dragoon captain that turns out to be Claire's husband's ancestor. This twisty-turnie love story is filled with adventure, death, and a whole lot of love.

Star Spangled Hit

Holy Cow! Holy Cow! Holy Cow! Leave it to Marvel to have two of the best movies this summer. I didn't think any movie would soon match X-Men First Class, much less in the same season, but along comes Captain America to complete the salt and pepper set. I finally got around to seeing it after being stuck on a gorgeous Italian vineyard opening weekend, and I can't praise this movie enough. It has heart, it has action, it has a brilliant script, and the acting was superb to the point of being sublime.

At first I was apprehensive about Chris Evans starring in the title role, having been underwhelmed by his Johnny Storm in the Fantastic Four films, but he fits into the skin of Steve Rogers effortlessly. The entire cast from Hugo Weaving to Tommy Lee Jones hits it out of the park in classic Babe Ruth fashion. Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter is as endearing and stunning as women come, and the chemistry between her and Chris had a classic vibe like that of the films from the 1930s and '40s.

The sets were a good cross between true period pieces and updated versions of an old '40s serial, which as some of you might not know included a run of Captain America movies during World War Two. The mini bomber planes alone were reminiscent of the era, having been in stories of the day including the animated Superman Shorts from Fleischer Studios.

One of the most entertaining movies of the summer. There's something in it for everyone, even your date guys. Do yourself a favor and see it on the big screen. I rate this movie $13 out of the $13.50 I paid to see it. 

Edward Lazellari is the winner of Playboy's 1999 Short Fiction Contest and the author of fantasy novels Awakenings and The Lost Prince, from Tor Books.

Bookgasm's Mark Rose Gives Awakenings A Solid Review

 "I’m definitely looking forward to the next book to find out what becomes of these characters."

                                                                        -- Mark Rose,
                                                                                 Bookgasm.com

Review: Like Its Protagonist, All Men of Genius Gets An 'A'

The last steam punk novel I read was The Difference Engine, and that was over 10 years ago. I liked it well enough, but the genre didn't catch on with me. I think had I read All Men Of Genius by Lev AC Rosen, though, steam punk would have been more consistent fare in my literary diet. This sideways retelling of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night is a fun, witty tale, with characters you wish you could befriend and drink with at a dingy London pub. 

Rosen's devotion to character does not detract from the main tenant of steam punk, the revisualization of a more scientifically advanced Victorian world. His England is wondrously detailed, original, and still maintains an element of mystery. If I have one criticism, it's that I want to know even more about the parts of this world that were not mentioned in the story. The school of science where the lion's share of the action takes place is architecturally well thought out. (I've never been to London, but feel as though the place as described must exist in some form or another.) The comradery and competition within the school is spiritually reminiscent of Harry Potter's Hogwarts, only with the eccentric students pursuing scientific discovery instead of magic spells. Alliances are made early on between the students, with Violet and her friend Jack falling in with a noble crowd suggestive of Gryffindor. 

I don't want to go into much detail about the story itself because this is really a journey best discovered by letting it unfold. The short of it is that the protagonist, a young woman who's been denied the opportunity to study science due to her sex, is actually one of the great scientific minds of her age. Sufficed to say, she doesn't take "no" from the school's admission board very well and concocts a scheme to get her education anyway, at the risk of massive reprisal. Violet is a heroine you can't help but root for. Despite her unorthodox methods of getting into the school, and the doubts and tribulation that come along with her plan, Rosen never loses the beauty of Violet's innocence despite her intellect, and keeps her true to herself. You just want to jump into the pages and help Violet and the gang in their adventure. 

I would love to see this book as a movie or television series. Violet, as a character that uses her mind and promotes the benefits of study and education, would make an excellent and entertaining heroine for girls (and boys) to aspire to be like. Maybe Spielberg or J.J. Abrams will pick up All Men of Genius and be inspired to make it happen.

Edward Lazellari is the winner of Playboy's 1999 Short Fiction Contest and the author of fantasy novels Awakenings and The Lost Prince, from Tor Books.

Peter David Reflects On Transformers 3, DC's Reboot, The Ailing Comic Industry, And How To Turn Things Around In Fictional Frontiers Interview

Having worked in the industry, I can tell you that many of writer  Peter David's ideas in his Fictional Frontiers interview on how to improve comic book sales and accessibility to new fans are right on the mark.

In addition to his views, I would add that they've gotten ridiculously expensive relative to their costs in previous generations, and that, that may be a factor in alienating new readers. From a kid's perspective, who wants to pay $4.00 for a periodical that will be read in 15 minutes when you can save up for a new video game? Comics were the publishing industry’s way of turning a cheap profit. It started by using up newsprint left over from pulp books back in the 1930s, and were a huge source of income because the margins were good. The price of a comic book remained 10 cents from the 1930s until 1962, when it escalated to 12 cents, and then 15 cents in 1969 For the next 10 years until 1980, it increased in increments of only 5 cents every few years.  Industry dynamics changed when they introduced more expensive Mando stock--a white, high-quality newsprint and the glossy Baxter stock paper in the 1980s.  Although good sales supported the change to better paper and printing when they had artists of Brian Bolland's (Camelot 3000) or Frank Miller's (Dark Knight) caliber, it simply wasn't worth the money for the other mediocre fare they put out. (Typical of the marketing mentality, they thought the quality of the paper would sell the books.) From 2000 to 2010, the average book saw a 100% increase in price with no real new inovation to justify the added cost. The last time I entered a comic shop, prices on monthly issues were north of $3.99, and I wondered how this business model could possibly succeed. I wondered if they had hit a wall on cost cutting. In the 1990s they got rid of colorists and in the aughts they got rid of letterers. If you go up the food chain that means inkers are next and eventually they will have computer programs that will draw the stories as well. But will any of it matter if they don't get books into new hands? Virtually gone is the return market (paper stands, convenience stores), where kids were first exposed to comic books, in favor of direct sales where you have to make an effort to find the stores.

Beyond gimmicks and reboots, in the end, the editor is key. If you hire good editors--like Ralph Macchio at Marvel (Miller's Daredevil, Simonson's THOR)--you end up with books people want to buy regardless of the gimmick (and sometimes in spite of it.) Based on his views in the interview, Peter David would also be a great comics editor. He's a successful writer, and unlike many creative types, he thinks like a businessman. Peter quoted Neil Gaiman in saying that comics blend other art forms to create a new one. Words by themselves are novels and pictures by themselves are art, but put them together and you have comic books. Similarly, a comic book editor needs to wear two or three hats to be a successful creator of books. In addition to recognizing good ideas and good writing they also have to know good sequential storytelling and draftsmanship, and they have to have some business instinct.

Speaking of good editors, Bob Greenberger was mentioned in the interview, and I had the pleasure of meeting Bob when he was at DC in the 1980s. He gave me excellent and practical advice about my work and what I needed to do to get into the field. At the time, I was a Joe Kubert school student with delusions of grandeur who thought he knew it all. (I just described most art-school students.) Bob was a class act who knew enough to humor the young and gave them advice they needed without ever discouraging them. Bob, if you read this, I'm saying thanks and letting you know it is never a wasted effort. Eventually we grow up and it all clicks.

Listen to the Peter David interview by Sohaib Awan at Fictional Frontiers and get the 311 on life the universe and everything else.

Graeme's Fantasy "Thoroughly Enjoys" AWAKENINGS

Graeme Flory says of AWAKENINGS: "A thoroughly entertaining read with a cast that you can really get behind and root for."

Read the entire review on his blog at Graeme's Fantasy Book Review.

Publishers Weekly Gives "Awakenings" A Good Review

"This solid debut will appeal to fantasy fans looking for familiar bones under a modern skin." --

The Damage Done

(Author: Hilary Davidson; Mystery; Forge books; Hardcover $24.99)

I usually read for a short while before starting on my own writings because I find that it knocks loose the vocabulary in my brain. In that regard, The Damage Done, by first-time novelist Hilary Davidson, presented me with a slight problem... I kept blowing off my schedule to read just one more chapter of this gripping mystery.

After living in Spain for several months, Lily Moore, a travel writer and atypical Manhattanite, comes home to the lower east side to manage the burial of her recently deceased sister Claudia. The only problem is, the woman in the morgue is not her sister. Lily is a refreshing mix of Carrie Bradshaw (sans the puns) and Olivia Benson, set upon a path of intrigue and danger by the actions of her heroin-addicted younger sister. An old fiancé reminiscent of Mr. Big and trying to rekindle their flame, Lily's gay best friend Jessie, the colorful tenants of her lower east-side tenement, a pair of wizened NYPD detectives, and the players surrounding her sister's debauched life round out the playbill on this snappy mystery.

Because this is a mystery, and since I hate it when reviewers reveal elements in my own stories that I had wished the reader to discover on their own, I'll refrain from going into details about the plot. But I will say that Davidson's attention to detail and character are impressive. Her NYPD detectives do not come off as incompetent or buffoonish in order to make the heroine look smarter, and even characters that appear archetypal at first prove to have deeper dimensions as the author scratches at their surface one chapter at a time. Davidson's plot moves along at an eight-minute-mile pace with crisp dialogue and efficient prose. I can see this as a movie and found myself even casting parts as I read. A strong debut by a freshman novelist.

This Emerald Lacks Luster

I love Green Lantern, but did not love this movie. The problem was the mediocre story. The best thing I can say about this film is that it was not as bad as most of the reviews I’ve read. That may be because I went in with low expectations and was pleased to find the story coherent and the special effects nondistracting. This movie should do well in rentals and on cable.

It’s a testament to Ryan Reynolds’ (Hal Jordan) ability and charisma that he brought some humanity to this woodenly written role. Though I was never happy about his casting, I have to admit after seeing the film, he made a decent GL and probably kept the movie from getting boring. Blake Lively was pleasantly perfect as Carol Ferris, GL’s boss and love interest. I think she struck a good cord between the character as written in the comics, and a realistic modern business woman. Based on her turn in this film, I hope she gets more movie roles.

Of Special note is Mark Strong as Sinestro. He's clearly been set up to be the baddie in the sequel, but his excellent stage presence and strong performance made it abundantly clear that this film lacked a good villain. It would be great if Warner realized what they did wrong in this movie and tried again with a better story. It was not lack of interest in this character that was the problem with Green Lantern. I'd like to make a comparison with Star Trek The Motion Picture. That film had similar problems to GL in that it too lacked a cohesive villain and had a mediocre story. But, although panned by the critics and fans, it was followed up by an amazingly good movie (The Wrath of Kahn) with a kick-ass baddie. Sinsetro can be Hal Jordan's Kahn Nonnian Singh if a sequel were to happen.

There’s really not that much more to say. The story had a ho-hum effect on its audience. Much like Super 8, this movie brought nothing new to its genre. What makes it especially tragic is that Iron-man showed how to take a second-tier character and turn it into a first-rate movie. DC used to be known as the company that could make successful movie and TV properties out of its characters. It seems to be stumbling while Marvel’s running away with the ball. Let’s see how Zach Snyder’s Superman fares in 2012.

I rate this film $7.50 out of the $13.50 I paid to see it. If you can catch a matinee for half price, it’s worth the time.

X-Men: First Rate

I went into the theater with low expectations for this movie and was blown out of my seat. X-men: First Class ranks among the best of the superhero genre movies, in the company of Dark Knight, Spiderman 2, and Superman.  It also distinguishes itself as the textbook example of what a prequel should be. I rate it at 120% entertainment value relative to other films in this series.
The story is set in the 1960s, and emulates perfectly the look and tone of the Sean Connery Bond films of that era. Kevin Bacon, as Sebastian Shaw, is surprisingly brilliant as the villain, and could hold company with Goldfinger and Blofeld and probably come out on top. No self-respecting world-dominating megalomaniac would be caught dead without a loyal familiar to stroke his ego, and this part is played beautifully by January Jones as Emma Frost (the White Queen) who is the cinematic mashing of Pussy Galore and Blofeld's Persian white kitty. In truth, this movie is very much a spy thriller in the 007 vein with super humans added in to optimum effect.
The story was expertly written, and Matthew Vaughn's direction was perfect; there was not a moment when the film lost momentum or pulled you out of the narrative. James McAvoy as Charles Xavier (Professor X) and Michael Fassbender as Magneto portrayed an effortless friendship between the two men reminiscent of the chemistry between Kirk and Spock. By the end of the movie, you believed their relationship would span decades. More importantly, you believed why, despite being on opposite sides with regards to their methods, Magneto would never kill Charles Xavier. Watch this film and afterwards put on the first X-Men movie... it's a perfect fit. "First Class" sets up the earlier films in the series in a way we all wished "Revenge of The Sith" would have set up Episode IV: "A New Hope."
The only sad part to having seen X-Men: First Class is that it came so early in the summer, nothing else is likely to match it for entertainment value and quality. This is a well-made, entertaining movie, so run, don't walk, to the theater. I rate this film $13.50 out of the the $13.50 to paid to see it. There isn't a better deal in town.

Edward Lazellari is the winner of Playboy's 1999 Short Fiction Contest and the author of fantasy novels Awakenings and The Lost Prince, from Tor Books.