Zero Dark Thirty Movie Review and more

Three Reviews:

Zero Dark Thirty (Movie, 2012) 5/5 Stars

No Easy Day by Mark Owen (Book, 2012) 5/5 Stars

The Finish: The Killing of Osama Bin Laden by Mark Bowden (Book, 2012) 5/5 Stars


Movie trailer for Zero Dark Thirty




I cheered when I learned Osama Bin Laden was killed by Seal Team 6 on May 1, 2011. I’ve wanted that evil man dead ever since I learned he was behind the 9/11 tragedy. Fuck Al Qaeda, and all the deluded jihadists who think terrorism is the way to change the world for the better. Terrorism is not the answer.

When I heard there was going to be a big Hollywood movie I knew I was going to watch it. I also knew I was going to read some books about the hunt for Bin Laden. I think it’s therapy for me, closure for the horror that was 9/11, one of the worst days of my life. Those of you too young to remember what happened, may not feel the same way, and I think that’s fine. I hope you aren’t traumatized like I was.




I’m not going to forget what al Qaeda did on September 11, 2001. I’m not going to forget United Flight 93, which crashed in Pennsylvania because the passengers fought back. They saved the Capitol building in Washington D.C., or possibly the White House. The terrorists responsible deserve to die or spend the rest of their lives in a very uncomfortable prison.

I've now read two books about this topic, The Finish: The Killing of Osama Bin Laden by Mark Bowden, author of Black Hawk Down, which is more of a historical account with high-level interviews and tons of fascinating information, and No Easy Day by Mark Owen, the Navy Seal who was there on the raid. I learned from those books, and from terrorism expert Peter Bergen's online articles that the info that led to Bin Laden was not gained from torture. I do not support torture, though I can’t say I’m unhappy about certain terrorists suffering. Still, torture is wrong.

The facts are that torture did NOT give us the info that led to the killing of Bin Laden. The movie, Zero Dark Thirty, hints that torture helped get the info, which is wrong, but it lets the audience draw their own conclusions. If you want to know the truth, read those books I’ve mentioned and the forthcoming one from terrorism expert, Peter Bergen. I might read it, as I don’t know yet if I can close this chapter of my life. I want to close it.

I personally felt that the movie makers (Kathryn Bigelow--director, and Mark Boal--the screenwriter) were indicting the use of torture, not glorifying or justifying it. They will not come out and give their opinions to the press, but I think they do not agree with torture. They just didn’t want to make their position clear in the movie. The movie is not partisan. Both the right and the left can appreciate and enjoy this movie. It's a little slow for some people, but I found it fascinating from beginning to end.

Now, I believe the people who freaked out about the torture shown in Zero Dark Thirty missed the point. The writer/director are putting the abuses by the United States government on the record. Forever.

The U.S. should not have used “enhanced interrogation techniques” because torture does not produce good intelligence, and it’s morally wrong. The FBI model of interrogation is far superior to the CIA method used in the wake of 9/11, and documented in Zero Dark Thirty. Read up on the subject if you want to learn more. Draw your own conclusions.

I personally think the movie was great. One of the best of the year for sure and worthy of the Best Picture Oscar nomination. I'm glad I read the books first though, but Zero Dark Thirty is an exceptional film and presents the spirit of what happened, if not the exact details as I’ve learned them.

It’s a thriller, combined with a CIA procedural, and Jessica Chastain, playing the CIA analyst, “Maya,” was incredible. Extreme dedication and tenacity can accomplish anything. Sometimes you piss people off along the way of getting the job done, like she did in real life. I applaud the real Maya, and all the people who worked on finding Bin Laden. The two books give a lot more information about specific details regarding her that did not make it into the movie. Read them for more.



I hope Jessica Chastain wins an Oscar for her performance, and she was nominated for Best Actress. She’s my new favorite actor. I first saw her in auteur director Terrence Malick’s movie, Tree of Life (2011) where she stars alongside Brad Pitt. It’s a bizarre and beautiful movie. Worth a watch, but in Zero Dark Thirty, Chastain provides the thread that spans the TEN YEAR hunt. See her also in director Guillermo del Toro’s horror film, Mama coming in early 2013.

The U.S. intelligence and military people kicked ass, and though it took a long time, they tracked that piece of trash Bin Laden to his hideout and killed him. The Seal Team would have captured him if he surrendered, but he did not surrender, and presented a threat to our soldiers, so they shot him. In the eye. Then in the chest a few times when he was twitching on the ground in his room with two of his wives standing over him.
 
Read Mark Owen's book (Amazon link here) to learn more about the raid, but the movie shows it in almost real time what the soldiers were doing. I highly recommend the Navy Seal account, but Mark Bowden’s book has some details that really complement the first hand account.





My quick review of No Easy Day by former Navy Seal, Mark Owen is simply this: it’s a great book. It should have been written. Mark Owen (not his real name of course) fought for the U.S. Constitution for over a decade, which guarantees his rights to have written the book, which does not include any classified information. To those who revealed his real name and put his life at risk: shame on you, Fox News. Mark Owen is not a fan of Barack Obama. You idiots went after a guy on your own team. Did you even read the book before you decided to out him? Morons. I guess I should not be surprised.

So, No Easy Day chronicles Mark Owen’s life as a Navy Seal. This is his autobiography, and most of the book is about his experiences leading up to his last mission. I found it all incredibly moving and a tribute to the U.S. military, as he intended. The Navy Seals, and all their support are true heroes. The chopper pilot who saved the mission is the biggest hero of all. He gets shorted in the movie, but not the books.




My review of The Finish: The Killing of Osama Bin Laden by Mark Bowden: It’s an amazing book (Amazon link here). I became a fan of Mark Bowden after reading Black Hawk Down, which describes the tragic events in Somalia where a mission went wrong in 1993. Bowden is a fabulous journalist and writer. This is a very fair account of what happened during the ten years leading up to the raid in Abbottabad, Pakistan. This book divulges a lot more information than No Easy Day, but it’s all unclassified, which amazes me. There is far more sensitive information in The Finish than No Easy Day. I wonder if I should really know what I know about our intelligence services. Let’s just say that super computers and game changing tactics wiped out al Qaeda in Iraq, and helped find Bin Laden.

The analyst, “Maya,” and a whole heck of a lot of other people helped bring Bin Laden down. As an aside, I learned that the real Maya was given an award and a monetary bonus for her incredible work, but she was refused a promotion. That is serious bullshit. Unless she’s so good at the level she’s at, and that’s why they didn’t promote her, but from what I’ve read, her bosses don’t like her attitude or whatever. I don’t know all the facts, but it seems totally wrong to me. Promote her. That woman knows how to get things done. The speech that Maya makes in Zero Dark Thirty to her boss, and is hinted at in the books, will blow you away. I want to watch the movie again just for that.

I felt a lot of closure watching Zero Dark Thirty, and reading these two books, regarding the trauma of the 9/11 attacks I still carry around in my head. Learning so many of the details helped me deal with the horrors I remember.

The movie and the books also hold up a mirror to what the U.S. and our allies have done to combat terrorism, and a lot of it is not good. Torture was the wrong way to go. The movies and books also show the true evil of al Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden, a mass murderer and coward of epic proportions.

Go see Zero Dark Thirty and judge for yourself. See the movie, then read some books.

Here’s a pure movie review I agree with:
Movie Review http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/entertainment2/55586120-223/cia-bin-laden-maya.html.csp#comments

This is a well written and balanced article about the movie, written by Andrew O’Hehir.
http://www.salon.com/2012/12/29/the_zero_dark_thirty_debate_isnt_really_about_torture/

Thank you for reading,

Paul Genesse
Author and Editor

Let the Right One In

Review of "Let the Right One In" (book and movie) and; "Let Me In" (movie) and; "Let the Old Dreams Die" (short story)


Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist (English translator: Ebba Segerberg 2008)

I read an incredible and gripping vampire novel, one of the best books I've ever read in the genre, Let the Right One In, the international bestseller by Swedish author John Ajvide Lindquvist. Five out of five stars.
Amazon Link:

Before I read the novel, I watched both the Swedish and American versions of the movie, and then had to read the book to learn more about the fascinating characters. I was captivated and obsessed after watching the movies, both in the same night. I rented them from Blockbuster Video on Blu-ray, and they are available for purchase on Amazon as DVDs, On-Demand or Blu-ray.

The translator (Ebba Segerberg) did a fantastic job and I highly recommend this to Stephen King fans and vampire fans. Overall, the book is in the same vein as the Anne Rice vampire novels, but with a great new spin that I shall not spoil here. Lindqvist has a fresh take on the vampire mythos, but gives many nods to the traditions of the modern genre. It's a horror novel, and it is quite gory and scary at times, but in reality. There is also a fair amount about pedophilia, and murder. Few of the characters are at all likable, but they are fascinating. Lindqvist is a master at characterization, and this book truly about finding great love. Yes, it's romantic. I swear!

Let The Right One In (Swedish movie 2008)


The story is set in Sweden in 1981, and is about a 12 year old boy, Oskar, who is bullied and has some serious psychological issues. Oskar has a tough life and often fantasizes about killing his tormentors. He's going down a dark life path when a strange girl moves in next door. Her name is Eli. She does not go to school and appears to live with her father, and has absolutely no problem wearing a t-shirt and no shoes in the bitterly cold winter night. Makes you wonder what sort of person is immune to cold. Is she a little girl at all, or something more sinister?

Swedish movie trailer (English subtitles). Five Stars


Let the Right One In (Swedish movie 2008) here.

Eli and Oskar become friends and the story goes from there. The novel has a lot more than the movies, as it has several other story threads from many different characters. It's really a milieu story, showing a lot about the world and the people who live in the Stockholm suburb of Blackberg. There are some really dark and depressing characters, especially Hakan, who appears to be Eli's father. He's a very sick man.

I blasted through the novel and read it in only a few days. It scared the crap out of me a couple of times and Let the Right One in is an instant classic. It's easy to understand why they made two films (Swedish and an English version) from this novel.

The ending of the book was good, but the movies did it even better. I'm glad I had seen the movies first and I think seeing the movies first is the better idea, as the book is always better, so you won't be disappointed in the movies, as they do leave out a bunch.

The ending was not my favorite, because I think Lindqvist wasn't sure what to do. The fantastic news is that he wrote an epilogue to the epilogue! He put out a short story collection with the epilogue to Let the Right One In, called Let the Old Dreams Die. That is the title of the story about what happens to the characters in the novel. It's a brilliant short story and fills in the gaps and explains what happened. I loved it. The short story gave me chills and I've been thinking about it for days. If you do read the book and enjoy it, you must, must, MUST, read the short story: Let the Old Dreams Die. It was a little slow, but masterfully done and you will love the ending. The most important questions are answered.

Let The Old Dreams Die by John Ajvide Lindqvist


Amazon Link for the book: here
I give the short story four and half out of five stars.




The American movie is also great, though I liked the Swedish one better, Both were awesome, don't get me wrong. Both should be viewed. The Swedish one is slower, more contemplative, and the characters more likable, I think, especially Oskar. Consider watching the Swedish one first, as it's more pure and closer to the source material. The screenplay for the American version is terrific, though, and the actors top notch. The American version is faster, scarier, has more Hollywood effects, and you can tell you're watching a Hollywood horror movie.

Chloe Moretz in Let Me In (2010)

The American version, Let Me In (2010) stars Chloe Moretz (she was in Kick Ass) and Kodi Smit-McPhee. These young actors deliver astonishing performances. View it on IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1228987/

Here's the movie trailer for the American version. Four and half out of five stars.

THE FREE SAMURAI SERIAL NOVEL: THE DROWNING EMPIRE

Okay everyone, here's the introduction to the SAMURAI SERIAL NOVEL I'm co-writing: "THE DROWNING EMPIRE" with my fellow "Writer Nerd Game Night" friends (we play once a month). It's basically Legend of the Five Rings fan fiction based on a samurai role-playing campaign I'm playing in with Larry Correia, our New York Times Bestselling author and Incredible Game Master. This is such a great story and Larry is sharing it free every Friday on his blog.

Legend of the Five Rings is an incredible role-playing game. Check it out. Please.

The details . . .

The players/co-authors:

Patrick Tracy--playing Moto Subotai of the Unicorn Clan, swordsman, archer, horseman, and poet--Subo is the best friend of my character Akodo Toranaka, and official hostage of the Akodo family--watched over of course by Toranaka.

Me, Paul Genesse, playing Akodo Toranaka--top graduate of the Golden Plains Dojo, a man dedicated to all tenets of Bushido, a swordsman and tactician, destined to be a great Lion Clan general and follow in his father's footsteps someday . . . unless the Fortunes are cruel and his Secret Enemy (not in the group mind you, takes their revenge).

Steve Diamond--playing Ikoma Uso of the Lion Clan . . . "Nothing to see here, I'm only a bard," Uso says (yeah right!) as he kicks everyone's ass with his giant sword, a "no-dachi." Uso has the help of one of his twisted ancestors, who haunts more than his dreams. Read Uso's intro to the campaign on the link below.

Yoritomo Oki of the Mantis Clan, who is a lecherous and greedy drunken sailor with a gambling problem who is also the best archer of his generation, played with gusto by Tony Battaglino.

The lumbering oaf of a warrior, Suzume Shintaro of the lowly Sparrow clan who is the most honorable and gullible samurai (with a huge bladed spear!) and wannabe historian you'll ever meet, played by with quiet panache by Zachary Hill,

Lastly, Tamori Isao of the Dragon Clan, a half-mad shugenja (wizard-priest) who speaks with the spirits far too often, and is haunted by the death of his mother, killed by a terrible tsunami. Isao is played by Brad Torgersen, whose fiction in this serial novel will blow you away.

All of the player/authors, and especially the game master, are excellent writers, and this is going to be a fun ride, as the samurai heroes try to save the Emerald Empire from certain destruction.

Larry Correia has created an epic storyline and we've already written over 100,000 words in what we're calling, THE DROWNING EMPIRE. "Fear the water . . ."

Read the introduction here on Larry's blog.

And here's a sample of the first entry I wrote. Toranaka is 17 years old when this begins.

First Entry in The Journal of Akodo Toranaka of the Lion Clan, son of Akodo Goro, former General of the 1st Akodo Army and Commander of the 4^th Imperial Legion, now Master Sensei of The Golden Plains Dojo

Year 1189, 12th day of the Month of the Dragon in the Seventeenth Year of the reign of Her Holiness, The Daughter of Heaven, Empress of Rokugan, Hantei Hoketuhime

The “Village” of Tsuma in the Crane Lands

The first day of the Topaz Championship, the most prestigious Coming of Age Ceremony in all of the Emerald Empire, has gone well. Much honor has been gained for the Lion Clan. With superior tactics and good fortune I placed second in the Grand Melee; fifth in the horse archery competition; and was almost assassinated by a sloppy poisoner in a tea house called The Laughing Carp.

To die in a tea house of all places, and one with a particularly mocking name, and from such a weak attack, would have forever stained my clan and the Akodo family name. After study in the Golden Plains Dojo for seven years and striving to be the best in all my studies, to die with chopsticks in my hand not a sword would be a cruel and unjust fate that would surely condemn me to return in the next life as common peasant.

For only five golden koku—the tiny amount of coin that would scantly feed five peasant families for a year—a lowly serving girl put poison in my bowl of rice and fish. She was given this poison by an unknown veiled woman, who appeared to be somewhat young. If Ikoma Uso had not noticed the subtle scent poison, I might have been severely sickened for the rest of the competition or even died.

Uso saved my life and I shall never forget this. My Lion Brother, esteemed Uso had just defeated me in the Grand Melee with a strong attack, but there are no bad feelings between us. I was honored to lose to him and see him declared the winner of the melee. He was too fast for me and struck me down when only the two of us out of thirty-two competitors were left. I think of him as a stalwart friend and ally, and Ikoma Uso is a very honorable Lion, though I have not yet understood some of his odd mannerisms. Regardless, his lineage is beyond reproach, and Uso-san’s deceased father, Ikoma Katsu of the Legendary Paper Lanterns would be very proud of him.

Time is short, and I have little time to write more now, as the competition continues again soon, but I must record a few more thoughts on this day and what is to come.

First, I believe that divine forces have put me together with five individuals who my fate is irrevocably entwined with. A feeling in my heart and three events lead me to this conclusion. 1. We five met at a checkpoint outside Tsuma where many roads converged—an auspicious meeting place. We arrived there from different starting points, but arrived at the same time, and were then allowed through together. 2. A mysterious elderly monk spoke to us from beside a stream at the roadside and told about our futures as if he had knowledge that only a divine being would have. This monk disappeared from view once we had passed and there is no explanation for his miraculous disappearance. 3. We six were all assigned to the same place for room and board (except my Sparrow Clan friend Shintaro-san who had no place arranged in advance), though there were several other tea houses where we competitors of the Topaz Championship could have been sent.

These events may not seem to be much evidence for divine providence and the hands of the Fates intervening, but right from the beginning I felt a kinship with these men, as if each of them were soldiers in the same company, soldiers who would fight at my side in the times ahead.

Ikoma Uso, a Lion Clan bard and I became friends during our short ride together into Tsuma. We are Lion, and therefore Pride Brothers, but I felt like I already knew him. I suspect we served together in a Lion Army in a past life. I do not know, but I am glad to know him now, or perhaps again.

My ward, Moto Subatai, a Unicorn Clan bushi my father has entrusted in my care is not as uncouth as many of his uncultured brethren, and has conducted himself with much honor. He was selected to attend the Topaz Championship for his skill, and he has a sharp mind, despite his upbringing on the steppes. He is an accomplished horseman and won the horse combat competition with grand flair. He is also the only swordsman who stood against the great warrior Akodo Tetsuro for so long in the Grand Melee. Moto Subatai is the hostage of my Clan, and I do hope I will not have to take his life if his kin in the Unicorn Clan do not follow the terms of the treaty they signed after they were utterly defeated in the Battle of the Rich Frog. I hope he will become my brother and we can put the rancor between the Lion and Unicorn clan behind us, and form an alliance that will save Rokugan when next we are attacked.

Tamori Isao, a Dragon Clan Shugenja is the strangest of my new friends, but he is Dragon and has been too long in the thin air of the mountains communing with the spirits. Still, he did well in the Grand Melee, though he was not allowed to use the Kami and bring their power to bear. He is the most puzzling of all of my friends, but I am not worthy to question the Fates that brought him into my company and his survival to the end was no accident.

Yoritomo Oki, a Mantis clan archer who trained in the Tsuruchi archer school is one of the deadliest archers of his age that I’ve ever seen. Though I can see him chafing at the rigid path set before him by his clan, and indulging in too much sake as he perhaps wishes he were raiding Gaijin ships, I recognize his skill with a bow. Men like him are needed if Rokugan will survive the next war. Perhaps his sake will allow him to forget the faces of the men he will kill.

Suzeme Shintaro, a Sparrow clan bushi is a simple man, more familiar with yoking his horse to a plow than fighting the best young warriors from all the clans, but he is strong and deft with his bladed spear. He will be deadly once he is trained properly with its use, and when he is allowed to do more training in a dojo and less work in the fields, which is far beneath his samurai status. Men like Shintaro have held the flanks of Lion Clan armies for centuries, and if not for the honor of the minor clans like his, and their refusal to break and run during countless battles, the glory of the Lion would be much diminished, though the histories rarely praise the minor clans for their service.

The alliances between the clans have always saved the Empire, and though I am a young man, I know we Rokugani are far stronger as allies than we are as divided foes, fighting to the death when the true enemy lives beyond our borders.

Today an alliance was formed. These young men, none with more than my seventeen years, trusted me in the Grand Melee and followed my orders in battle, enacting a strategy that saw all of us to the final eight, narrowed down from thirty-two. They allowed me to serve as their commander, and I was honored greatly by their trust, and for allowing me to use the training I have studied for the past seven years. I hope that when I return to the Lion Clan Lands after the Topaz Championship, I will worthy of my new position of Gunso, which I earned after graduating from the Golden Plains Dojo at the head of my class. I hope that the fifty men I will command will be as strong a company as my five new friends.

The gong has sounded, and I am being called now to attend the next competition, but I must write the words I spoke to my friends the night before at the tea ceremony I invited them to. We shared the samurai tea I brought from home, and I was inspired by new friends to speak the last words the Great Teacher Shinsei spoke to the founder of the Akodo clan two thousand years ago:

“No path is so narrow that a man must walk it alone. Be one with your brothers, and stand by them. In their strength, you will find your own.”

Ten Questions

I was tagged by awesome author, Bryan Young, who sent me these ten questions.


1) What is the working title of your next book?

Medusa’s Daughter, Book 1 in the Medusa’s Curse trilogy.


2) Where did the idea come from for the book?

I’ve always been fascinated in the Medusa myth, in which the god Poseidon is supposed to have raped Medusa, and then the goddess Athena curses vain Medusa (her own priestess!) with the power of the gorgon. I decided to spin the story in my own way, taking a more realistic approach, similar to what author Mary Renault did. Renault is the J.R.R. Tolkien of historical fantasies set in ancient Greece and I’m a huge fan. Medusa’s Daughter is quite a bit different though, as I didn’t write in the first person like Renault, nor did I take out all the supernatural magic. A Medusa story has to have magic.

3) What genre does your book fall under?

Mainstream or fantasy, depending on how it’s marketed.

4) What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

Medusa: Angelina Jolie or Kate Beckinsale



Nerissa (Medusa’s Daughter): Jessica Alba or Alexis Bledel

Nikandros (Nerissa’s love interest): Jake Gyllenhaal or Liam Hemsworth




5) What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Medusa’s daughter has inherited her mother’s terrible curse and longs to escape her lonely life on the shattered island where her mother and aunts have been exiled, but when a mysterious sailor washes ashore she falls in love, then discovers there might be a way for the curse to be broken, she must look into the eyes of her true love, but if he’s not, she will kill the only man she ever loved.

6) Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

It will be represented by an agency if all goes according to plan.

7) How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

One year, but I shelved the first draft to work on other projects, and dabbled with it off and on for six years, not touching it for years at a time. Finally, it’s almost ready as of January 2013. I’ve got about 60 pages left to rewrite at this time. During those six years I worked full-time as a cardiac nurse at a big hospital, wrote and published three novels in my Iron Dragon series, wrote a dozen short stories, and served as the editor of the first four volumes in the Crimson Pact anthology series, which is made up of eighty-something stories, and clocks in at over half a million words. Medusa’s Daughter is finally my main focus again.

8) What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

New York Times’ bestseller, The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (2012), which is set partially during the Trojan War, and is told in the point of view of Patroclus, the companion of Achilles.



9) Who or what inspired you to write this book?

Medusa, the evil gorgon who haunts my dreams.

10) What else about the book might pique the reader's interest?

I visited Greece in 2006 to do some research, and have read a lot on the subject over the past years, fiction and non-fiction. I’ve tried my best to imagine what it was actually like to live in ancient Greece, and create realistic characters and a compelling story. The main reason is to read about Prince Nikandros, and of course Nerissa, who has one of the most diabolical mothers of all time.


Read the opening chapter of the current draft of Medusa’s Daughter here,  or view the first novel in his Iron Dragon series here, here.

Check out author Bryan Young's website here.

Movie Review of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Movie Review
4.5 out of 5 stars
(Minor spoilers present)

I just watched a midnight showing of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. I saw the 2D with my wife, Tammy, as she worried the 3D might give her a headache. I’ll see the 3D tomorrow night and will amend this post with my thoughts comparing the two.

The movie was awesome and I loved it. Fans of the book will really enjoy the experience, as it portrays those iconic scenes in the book brilliantly. Nothing is rushed, and little is left out. Casual fans who don’t love fantasy or who haven’t read the book may find it too long with too much exposition and back-story. The movie clocks in at 2 hours and 40 minutes, and the first hour was mostly set-up. It felt like I was watching the director’s cut, though there are 26 minutes that will be added when the director’s cut comes out, and I do look forward to that. The 2D version was a little blurry in some scenes when the camera panned quickly, but I bet in the 3D version with 48 frames per second that problem will go away.

Fellowship of the Ring (the movie), was better than The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, as a film, and part of that comes from the actual storyline. The Lord of the Rings has a lot more gravitas than The Hobbit, which is why the filmmakers made the three Lord of the Rings films first. The other point is that the characters were more compelling in Lord of the Rings than in The Hobbit, in some ways. Just think about Aragorn, Arwen, Eowyn, Boromir and of course the four awesome Hobbits. There are almost no female characters in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, aside from Lady Galadriel, and that is a problem with the book in general. Still, it’s a pretty fascinating story, despite all the negatives and the nearly identical structure to The Lord of the Rings.

In this movie we have 13 dwarves, and Gandalf, for the most part, on-screen all the time. I love the dwarves, but with so many characters it’s nearly impossible to adequately characterize each of them. I read that Peter Jackson agonized about doing this movie because of all the dwarves. As a writer, I totally understand why this is tough, and can only imagine how difficult it is/was for the filmmakers.

The movie book by Jude Fisher, A Visual Companion to The Hobbit I purchased really did a wonderful job describing the individual dwarves, and I think it helped me as I watched the film, as some dwarves faded into the background on the screen. Tolkien did a pretty poor job of characterizing most of them in the book, aside from Thorin Oakenshield and maybe Balin, but Peter Jackson and company did much better to be sure. I love the book and have read it roughly ten times, but it’s only 300 pages long, and you can only do so much with that sort of page count.

I loved that director Peter Jackson took the time to establish the history of the Lonely Mountain, and to show Bilbo Baggins struggling to decide if he should go on the adventure. The scenes at Bag End are priceless and should entertain almost anyone. The parts that were so much fun in the book are right there on the screen, even some of the songs. The scene where the dwarves sing about the Lonely Mountain is also quite emotionally moving, and it was the first time I got a little teary-eyed during the movie.

The movie opens with old Bilbo, played by Sir Ian Holm, writing his book, “There And Back Again” about his adventures, and we get to see Frodo, played by a very young looking Elijah Wood (digitally made to look younger), as they prepare for Bilbo’s eleventy-first birthday party—right out of Fellowship of the Ring. It was pure magic, especially if you’re a big fan of The Lord of the Rings movies as you watch these scenes. Then we get to hear Bilbo speaking about the dwarves and the Lonely Mountain, called Erebor, which has been taken over by the dragon, Smaug. Those scenes were tremendous, seeing the mountain and the town of Dale burned and destroyed.

Now we get a scene right out of the book, using much of the same dialogue from Professor Tolkien. Gandalf arrives and hopes to find Bilbo still excited about exploring the world as he was as a little hobbit. Gandalf is surprised he is not, but goes ahead with his plan, as he is an extremely good judge of character, and knows how to motivate Men, Dwarves, Elves, and even reluctant Hobbits.

The next scenes with the dwarves arriving were magic, and the filmmakers did a great job by not having Thorin Oakenshield arrive until after the silliness was over. Thorin is a serious character and this change from the book, having him arrive later, was perfectly done. When I recently re-read the book, I figured this change would happen.

Overall, Jackson and his team kept to the novel, and let us ease into Middle-earth again. After the Bag End scenes are concluded the long journey truly begins. Certain details were changed regarding the scene with the trolls, but I thought it was great and hilarious. Doing the scene exactly as Tolkien wrote it would have been too silly, and Bilbo takes the main role instead of Gandalf, regarding distracting the trolls. Purists still have the book, but what works on the page doesn’t always work on the big screen.

The next segment was injected with tension, and I won’t spoil it here, but suffice it to say, I enjoyed it very much.

Rivendell was awesome, and so beautiful. Elrond, Galadriel, Saruman and Gandalf have a meeting and it felt like going home to me. Radagast the Brown was mentioned in that meeting, and if I were to choose my least favorite part of the movie, it would be a scene with Radagast where he can’t remember why he’s just traveled hundreds and hundreds of miles. Duh. When Gandalf gave him a toke of Halfling leaf to calm him down I was disappointed even more. The whole beginning of the scene was a little too much for me. I did like all the other scenes with Radagast, though, and liked Saruman’s comment about him.

After Rivendell, the dwarves travel into the mountains, and there’s a rather incredible scene with some stone giants. The scene was mentioned in The Hobbit, but it didn’t feel necessary. It was pretty awesome, if unexplained. I think it could have been left out and probably should have been.

The scenes with the goblins were incredible, and exciting. The dwarves are such great warriors and those were some exciting action scenes. The goblin king was a little too funny for my tastes, but I enjoyed him nonetheless.

Bilbo meeting Gollum was amazing, and the filmmakers changed the way Bilbo finds the One Ring. It worked really well and was not so random as it was in the book. I liked the change. The scene with Bilbo and Gollum is probably the best part of the whole film. Riddles in the Dark was perfect and riveting. Andy Serkis out did himself as Gollum and was better here than in Lord of the Rings. I read the technology for capturing Gollum has gotten better, which explains part of it.

The last part of the movie follows the book, but was amped up about ten notches. The dwarves are chased by the wargs and orcs. With nowhere left to run, they are forced to take refuge in the trees, just like in the book. However, unlike the book, Bilbo manages to climb the tree all by himself, then it gets really thrilling, and scary.

I’m not going to describe the finale here, but suffice it to say, it’s way more exciting than in the novel. There’s danger and drama, and redemption. Bilbo shows his character, and we get a solid ending with a view of what is to come. The movie ended right where I thought it would end, aside from the final teaser. Thank you Mr. Jackson.

This movie, and the teaser scene at the very end whet my appetite for the next film, The Desolation of Smaug, coming December 2013.

I’ll add more to this post later, and plan on writing about Radagast, Dol Guldur, the Morghul knife, the ending, the prologue, the battle where Thorin got his name, Azog the pale orc (who I read was not CGI, but played by an actor in prosthetics), and more, but for now I’ll sum a few things up.

Overall, I loved the movie. It didn’t have as much heart as Fellowship of the Ring, but that was to be expected if you know both stories. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is a great tale, but this part of the book (and this first of three movies) is full of set-up for what is to come. The next two films will be more action packed to be sure, and I think each movie will be better than the one before it. I think this could have been done in two movies as originally planned, but with three movies we’ll get to see a lot of great stuff, and there won’t be that rushed feeling that would have come had only two movies been released. The roughly three hours of extra footage we’re going to get because of the three movies is fine with me. More time in Middle-earth is most welcome, though the casual movie go-er might not feel the same way.

The book, The Hobbit, made me become a fantasy writer myself, but it’s not as spectacular as Lord of the Rings, either the books or the movies. It needed to be embellished and filled out a bit, expanded just as Tolkien expanded the story when he wrote Lord of the Rings. Remember, Tolkien didn’t know the Lord of the Rings story when he wrote The Hobbit back in the 1930’s, but later in life he came up with some missing pieces.

Some of those missing pieces were used by the filmmakers. They took material from the appendices of Return of the King and created a more exciting story, tying together certain villains and events. You should read the appendix about the dwarves “Durin’s Folk” right now if you haven’t. It’s amazing and is in the Return of the King book. Also there’s information in Unfinished Tales, a collection of stories published after J.R.R. Tolkien’s death by his son, Christopher Tolkien. There’s a chapter in Unfinished Tales about “The Quest for Erebor” that is quite fascinating. I recently reread it again, and now own the actual book.

This film could have been stripped down, but I prefer my fantasy movies rich and layered. The writing team of Peter Jackson, Phillippa Boyens, Fran Walsh, and Guillermo del Toro did a fantastic job adapting the novel into a film, or rather three films. This movie is a must see for all fans of the books, and the Lord of the Rings movies. I believe the three films will be triumphant when they’re all out, and I’m excited about having the next two films to look forward to over the next couple of years.

The long wait for the first Hobbit movie is over, and I’m so thankful it was finally made.

Paul Genesse
Author of The Iron Dragon Series, (which features a lot of dwarves--however not Tolkien's variety, and dragons, but definitely no Hobbits).

JUST AS GOOD AS THE FIRST ONE, MORE PLEASE!

Review: of Blue Skies from Pain by Stina Leicht (no spoilers)

“And Blue Skies from Pain,” a book of the Fey and the Fallen, the sequel to Stina Leicht’s fantastic novel “of Blood and Honey,” is just as good as the first one. It started right where book 1 left off, though it does have a fascinating prologue featuring Father Murray, and covers an event that weighs heavily into this book. We get to see a mission from when Father Murray was a young man, just starting out in his order, and it involves the ongoing war the Catholic Church is fighting against the fallen angels.

Father Murray does have some point of view chapters, but the main character is once again, Liam, the former IRA wheelman and half-mortal shape-shifting fey, who has a fondness for punk music, and is quite the outcast in 1970’s Belfast, Ireland during the time of “Troubles.” This series is mostly about Liam, and he has grown quite a bit since his downward spiral in book 1, but he’s still haunted (literally) and can’t face the major loss he suffered less than a year before. He’s got a ways to go before he finds peace (and dare I say, enlightenment). I did love how the novel ended for him. There is some closure and resolution, but we want to see more.

So, the main thrust of the plot (set up in book 1) is Father Murray trying to convince his superiors that the fey are actually not fallen angels, and the Church should stop killing them indiscriminately, as they have for countless years. Liam agrees to be a test subject and prove that he, and the fey, are not demons. Of course it all goes horribly wrong, and the IRA is not very excited about Liam refusing to work for them anymore as a get-away-car driver.

The main characters are always in danger and keep getting put in situations that make you want to squirm. They get beat up a lot, and Leicht is particularly hard on her characters. “And Blue Skies from Pain” is not as dark as the first book in some respects, but the characters keep getting captured and roughed up. I think that the “getting captured” event has been a little overused in the first two books, but it always seems plausible. I’m just hoping Leicht has some other tricks up her sleeve for the next book, and I’m with an imagination like hers I believe she will come up with even more fiendish ways to make the characters suffer.

This novel did expand and go into more detail regarding the fey, Liam’s people, and touched on the fallen angel war, but there is a lot of ground left to cover. I’m very much looking forward to the next book, and think it might be the juiciest one yet, as the first two have set up a great conflict and established some awesome characters and world-building.
Some of the most notable things in “And Blue Skies from Pain” involve the new secondary characters. I’m very much hoping the American combat nuns will return, (yes, combat nuns) and that the black haired girl, who might be a selkie, will be back.

I’m a big fan of Stina Leicht’s work and very much enjoy her characters, and the fascinating world she’s created. Her vision is how I think dark urban fantasy should be done, not too much spoon-feeding of the readers, and not too much exposition about supernatural things, but with completely believable characters in tough situations.

View it on Amazon.com, or view my review of book 1.

FIVE STARS, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Paul Genesse

Review of Monster Hunter Legion by Larry Correia

Monster Hunter Legion by New York Times Bestselling author Larry Correia is a really fun book. I read it quickly and enjoyed every minute. I’ve loved the Monster Hunter series so much and this fourth book was the next step in the ongoing evolution of the story, and the main character, Owen Zastava Pitt, also known as “Z.” He’s the Chosen One, and he’s finally accepting what that means for him and his family. Nothing is easy for Owen, but then if it were, the books would not be half as compelling. Z is by far, my favorite monster hunting accountant of all time.

The danger and excitement are off the hook for most of this novel, but Legion doesn’t start out as fast-paced as some of the other Monster Hunter books. In the opening scenes my favorite monster hunting company, Monster Hunter International (MHI: Proudly killing monsters since 1895!), is in Las Vegas, Nevada attending the very first monster hunter convention, where industry professionals from all over the world gather to talk shop and hang out. What could possibly go wrong?

Well, there are of course the rival companies at each other’s throats (literally and figuratively), and of course there is the Monster Control Bureau (the MCB), who are always at odds with the private companies, and then there is Special Task Force Unicorn, STFU. The leader of STFU, a very pale man who calls himself Stricken, is a very scary dude and he is now in charge and has decided to shape events and lay the groundwork for the implementation of a secret program called Nemesis. If his plans kill, maim, or otherwise destroy the monster hunting companies of the world in the process, then so be it. Stricken does not care about collateral damage. Fans will remember Stricken from the last novel, Monster Hunter Alpha, and the events of that book come into play in a big way.

In Legion, the worldwide spike in monster infestations is finally explained, though we still don’t know what or who exactly is driving the monsters to come out of hibernation, or why they are leaving their planes of existence to attack ours. That will be revealed in the next novel, I’m sure. Regardless, the plot of this novel is the culmination of all the other monster hunter books, and if you haven’t read them, start reading. This one won’t make as much sense to those who haven’t read the previous ones for sure, and if you’re a new fan, it’s a good time to begin, as you’ll be able to read four awesome books without having to wait that long for the next one, or by the time you finish these, the next one will be out.

The series is building to such a fever pitch and my favorite characters were all represented well in this novel: Julie, wife of Owen and a deadeye sniper; Holly the former stripper turned monster hunter; Milo the genius inventor explosives guru; Skippy the orc helicopter pilot; Ed the Orc Swordfighter; Tanya, Trailer Park Elf Princess; Earl Harbinger werewolf KING, and of course Agent Franks of the MCB. He was referred to as a “National Treasure” in Legion, and I’ve heard there will be a novel from his point of view in the future. I can’t wait for that, and think he is an extremely fascinating character.

Larry Correia is a superb character writer, and action-sequence writer, but what I love best about this series is the mix of humor and drama. It’s fast-paced action with a comedic vibe that comes out at just the right moments.

I wrote out some of my favorite lines, which end the chapters:

Chapter 2
“I said I was going back to bed, not back to sleep.” Julie grabbed a handful of my shirt and pulled me along. “Sleep is for quitters.”

Chapter 6
“Chicken theft? That's totally going on his next evaluation.”

Chapter 12
“Welcome to the smart team, Tanya . . . Now give me my marker back. You have to earn your own dry-erase marker.”

Those are some fun lines, and you get the idea about how cool this book series is. I’d also like to mention one of the most unique names for a character ever: Management. Also, there is a scene that portrays the best use of a live chicken to fix a broken helicopter ever written.

Monster Hunter Legion is the most ambitious and high-concept of all the books in the series, and fans will love the crazy ride and the break-neck ending. I’m really looking forward to the next one, Monster Hunter Nemesis.

View on Amazon: Monster Hunter Legion by Larry Correia
Highly Recommended, Five Stars

Paul Genesse
Author of the Iron Dragon Series, Editor of The Crimson Pact Series