Teaser Tuesday - Dragon Prince by Melanie Rawn

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just:
* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title and author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their To Be Read (TBR) Lists if they like your teasers!

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I've decided that in 2013, I'm going to spend some of my time rereading a few of my old favorites; books that I love so much that I just have to pull them out and reread them every few years.  They're comfy and familiar, like a pair of soft, warm slippers, and each time I read them they evoke that feeling, that sense of nostalgia, that makes me feel I'm reading them for the first time.

This week I've started one of my favorite fantasy novels.  Many people don't care for it, feeling that it is poorly written, plotted, and that the characters and themes are unoriginal.  I don't understand those people.  At all.  I love this story, I love the characters, and while it might not be perfect, it's pretty darn close in my mind.  For a good number of years, Prince Rohan - in spite of, or maybe because of, his flaws - was the perfect man in my eyes and definitely my first Book Crush.

So let's kick this off with a tease from the very first page of the book, shall we?  I'm not even going to apologize for breaking the two sentence rule.

The Tease:

"Prince Zehava squinted into the sunlight and smiled his satisfaction.  All the signs were good for the hunt today: claw marks on the cliffs, wing marks on the sand, and the close cropping of bittersweet plants along the canyon ridges.  But the prince's perceptions were more subtle and had no need of these obvious signs.  He could feel the presence of his prey all along his skin, scent it in the air, sense it in every nerve.  His admirers said he could tell when the time was ripe for the hunt simply by glancing at the sky.  His enemies said it was not surprising that he could sense such things, for he himself had been dragon-spawned."

 -Dragon Prince, by Melanie Rawn

What's your Tease?

Teaser Tuesday - Insurgent, by Veronica Roth

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just:
* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title and author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their To Be Read (TBR) Lists if they like your teasers!

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I'm about a quarter of the way through Lady of Ashes, by Christine Trent, but had to set that aside when a library e-book became available. Here we have a Tease from about halfway through Insurgent: 

The Tease:

"Blood is a strange color.  It's darker than you expect it to be."

 -Insurgent, by Veronica Roth

What's your Tease?

Teaser Tuesday - Gone, by Michael Grant

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just:
* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title and author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their To Be Read (TBR) Lists if they like your teasers!

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"Gone" is the first book in a series of Teen Fiction books written by Michael Grant, centered around the idea that in a single moment everyone over the age of fifteen disappears.  In this scene, Sam faces the moment that might result in his own disappearance.

The Tease:

"The face of their mother wavered.  The tender flesh seemed to break apart in jig-saw-puzzle pieces.  The gently smiling, pleading mouth melted, collapsed inward.  In its place a mouth ringed with needle-sharp teeth.  Eyes filled with green fire.
"I'll have you yet," the monster raged with sudden violence."

 -Gone, by Michael Grant

What's your Tease?

Welcome to Skyfall Day!!

Skyfall Day has FINALLY arrived!!

 

I'm going to go see this tomorrow - and I can barely WAIT!

What are your plans for this weekend?

Book Review - The Templar Legacy by Steve Berry

Cotton Malone Series, by Steve Berry
1. The Templar Legacy     06/09/2009     * * * *

From Goodreads:
"The ancient order of the Knights Templar possessed untold wealth and absolute power over kings and popes . . . until the Inquisition, when they were wiped from the face of the earth, their hidden riches lost. But now two forces vying for the treasure have learned that it is not at all what they thought it was-and its true nature could change the modern world.
Cotton Malone, one-time top operative for the U.S. Justice Department, is enjoying his quiet new life as an antiquarian book dealer in Copenhagen when an unexpected call to action reawakens his hair-trigger instincts-and plunges him back into the cloak-and-dagger world he thought he'd left behind.
It begins with a violent robbery attempt on Cotton's former supervisor, Stephanie Nelle, who's far from home on a mission that has nothing to do with national security. Armed with vital clues to a series of centuries-old puzzles scattered across Europe, she means to crack a mystery that has tantalized scholars and fortune-hunters through the ages by finding the legendary cache of wealth and forbidden knowledge thought to have been lost forever when the order of the Knights Templar was exterminated in the fourteenth century. But she's not alone. Competing for the historic prize-and desperate for the crucial information Stephanie possesses-is Raymond de Roquefort, a shadowy zealot with an army of assassins at his command.
Welcome or not, Cotton seeks to even the odds in the perilous race. But the more he learns about the ancient conspiracy surrounding the Knights Templar, the more he realizes that even more than lives are at stake. At the end of a lethal game of conquest, rife with intrigue, treachery, and craven lust for power, lies a shattering discovery that could rock the civilized world-and, in the wrong hands, bring it to its knees."

My Thoughts:
Cotton Malone is a retired CIA agent who has retired to Copenhagen to open a bookstore, and is, for the most part, living quite happily in his new home.  But that all changes when his old boss blows into town for a visit, and suddenly Malone finds himself swept up in a desperate chase across the city and eventually across Europe, as he deciphers secret clues to try to stop the plans of a crazy man who also happens to be the Grand Master of a new secret Templar cult. 

The pace moves at breakneck speed, for the most part, although as so often happens, there is a section in the middle that I felt got a little bogged down.  Full of murder and mayhem, blackmail, kidnapping, betrayal and seemingly impossible escapes, The Templar Legacy is quite good, considering that the first novel in a series usually leaves a bit to be desired.  Characterization is a bit weak, I suppose, as it's a little difficult to get to know a character while he's running for his life, but that's a small quibble and something that does get better as the series continues.  The subject matter feels impeccably researched, and the reader may accidentally find themselves learning quite a bit of early Christian and European history without even noticing.

Similar in tone to Dan Brown's Angels & Demons and The Da Vinci Code, but smarter, with a heavy dose of James Bond thrown into the mix, many will find this novel to be controversial in scope and subject matter in terms of religion and Christianity.  Nonetheless, I highly recommend The Templar Legacy.  It's a fast, fun, fact-filled, fascinating, and fulfilling novel.  If you like Dan Brown's novels, and aren't afraid of controversial ideas in your fiction novels, then I think you'll enjoy The Templar Legacy.

Have you read The Templar Legacy?  What did you think?  Did you find the ideas regarding Christianity too controversial?

Book Review - The Third Secret, by Steve Berry

The Third Secret, Steve Berry  10/18/2005  * * * *

From Goodreads:
"Explosive in both its pace and its revelations, The Third Secret is a remarkable international thriller. Bestselling author Steve Berry tackles some of the most controversial ideas of our time in a breakneck journey through the history of the Church and the future of religion.

Fatima, Portugal, 1917: The Virgin Mary appears to three peasant children, sharing with them three secrets, two of which are soon revealed to the world. The third secret is sealed away in the Vatican, read only by popes, and not disclosed until the year 2000. When revealed, its quizzical tone and anticlimactic nature leave many faithful wondering if the Church has truly unveiled all of the Virgin Mary’s words–or if a message far more important has been left in the shadows.

Vatican City, present day: Papal secretary Father Colin Michener is concerned for the Pope. Night after restless night, Pope Clement XV enters the Vatican’s Riserva, the special archive open only to popes, where the Church’s most clandestine and controversial documents are stored. Though unsure of the details, Michener knows that the Pope’s distress stems from the revelations of Fatima.

Equally concerned, but not out of any sense of compassion, is Alberto Cardinal Valendrea, the Vatican’s Secretary of State. Valendrea desperately covets the papacy, having narrowly lost out to Clement at the last conclave. Now the Pope’s interest in Fatima threatens to uncover a shocking ancient truth that Valendrea has kept to himself for many years.

When Pope Clement sends Michener to the Romanian highlands, then to a Bosnian holy site, in search of a priest–possibly one of the last people on Earth who knows Mary’s true message–a perilous set of events unfolds. Michener finds himself embroiled in murder, suspicion, suicide, deceit, and his forbidden passion for a beloved woman. In a desperate search for answers, he travels to Pope Clement’s birthplace in Germany, where he learns that the third secret of Fatima may dictate the very fate of the Church–a fate now lying in Michener’s own hands."

My Thoughts:
So, it's been awhile since I read this novel, but I still remember how much I liked reading it.  It isn't my favorite of Steve Berry's novels - I much prefer his Cotton Malone series - but reading The Third Secret was fascinating and enjoyable.  As usual Mr. Berry has done what I can only imagine was a massive amount of research, which makes the story feel complete and authentic, and also manages to be informative about the history and workings of the Vatican without ever feeling boring or educational.

Suspenseful and exciting, the story is full of political intrigue, action, murder, with a little of the supernatural thrown in for good measure.  The writing is solid and the pacing is good, though there is a bit in the middle where it bogged down a bit, for me at least.  But overall, even though this isn't my favorite of his novels, I do strongly recommend it as an enjoyable read.

Have you read The Third Secret by Steve Berry?  What did you think?

Movie Review - Resident Evil 5: Retribution

Resident Evil: Retribution (2012) * * * *
Director: Paul W.S. Anderson
Stars: Milla Jovovich, Sienna Guillory, Oded Fehr, Michelle Rodriguez

From IMDB:
"The Umbrella Corporation's deadly T-virus continues to ravage the Earth, transforming the global population into legions of the flesh eating Undead. The human race's last and only hope, Alice, awakens in the heart of Umbrella's most clandestine operations facility and unveils more of her mysterious past as she delves further into the complex."

My Thoughts:
Many people feel that by now, the Resident Evil franchise has run its' course and should be allowed to die a gruesome, bloody death, followed by a quick shot to the head to keep it from coming back to life as an undead reanimated mutant.

I am not one of those people.

I do not know why I like this series of movies so much, as I usually dislike horror films in general and blood and gore in specific.  But I love these movies, and I suppose most of the blame belongs to Milla Jovovich, who I adore.

However much I may have loved the first few films in the series, I have to honestly admit that RE5, while not bad, was not all that it could have been.  The beginning of the film recaps the story up to now quite nicely, beginning immediately where the previous film ended, and then, as so often happens, Alice wakes up in an Umbrella Corp cell, unsure of where she is or how much time has passed.  She soon learns that she is deep below the surface of the ocean in a secret testing facility where the Umbrella Corporation is continuing their testing of the T-virus.  A rescue team is on the way to extract her, but she must travel through the testing facility to meet them so they can escape to the surface.  Umbrella Corp has perfected the cloning technology that began with Alice, and have created clones of many of the people from Alice's past, who she encounters throughout her escape, and depending on the clone's programming/brainwashing, may be helpful or trying to kill her.  Add in the hundreds of infected mobs roaming the facility, and Alice has her work cut out for her.

Unfortunately, the plot is nearly non-existent.  Alice has to meet the extraction team and escape - that's it.  Along the way she fights mutants and infected that she's defeated before, in a variety of situations, and there is very little of anything that is new or fresh.  Basically this movie is all about getting Alice out of the impossible situation that she found herself in at the end of RE4, and moving her into position for the real story and action that is to come next.  The ending scenes of RE5 are truly amazing and horrifying as she learns just how close to extinction the human race has come, and I wish that most of RE5 had been cut and we had just been brought straight to the exciting part.  I hope they do end up making RE6, because THAT is where the story will get good again, but with so much wasted time and space in RE5, I don't know if that will ever happen.

Most of that probably didn't make much sense unless you've already seen the movie - Sorry for that.  I guess my point is that they wasted a lot of time getting her to where she needs to be next.  I just hope we get to someday see what happens after she got there, as the ending of the film is a giant cliff-hanger.

As usual, the film is visually compelling and stunning for the most part, although sometimes more gory than it really needs to be.  The fight scenes are pretty awesome, as is to be expected, and there are major scares around almost every corner.  I really wanted to be able to give Resident Evil: Retribution five stars, but it probably deserves less than three.  I'm splitting the difference at four stars due to some of the amazing visual moments in the film (watch for the underwater pyramid of undead, and the final shot in the film - both are stunning!).  Basically if you are a fan of the franchise you'll probably love the movie.  If you aren't already a fan you probably won't, and if you haven't seen any of the previous films then this may not be the best place to jump in for the first time.

So there's my opinion - What's yours?  Leave a comment and let me know what you thought of Resident Evil: Retribution, or if you are planning on seeing it.

Movie Review - The Bourne Legacy

The Bourne Legacy (2012) * * * *
Director: Tony Gilroy
Starring: Jeremy Renner, Rachel Weisz and Edward Norton

From IMDB:
"An expansion of the universe from Robert Ludlum's novels, centered on Aaron Cross, a new hero, who experiences life-or-death stakes which have been triggered by the events of the previous three films."

My Thoughts:
Over the last few years I have quite enjoyed the first three movies in the Bourne saga, partly because they are great action films, partly because of the "mystery/spy" elements, and partly because I'm one of those people who just really likes Matt Damon.

I do!

Stop laughing.

So when I began to hear rumors that a fourth Bourne film was in the works, and that it would NOT have Matt Damon in it, I was very disappointed and skeptical, and was literally mere seconds away from swearing a solemn vow to refuse to see The Bourne Legacy when I realized it was starring Jeremy Renner - who, as it happens, I like even more than Matt Damon.

Still I wasn't sure it would work.  It's a new agent, ok, I can handle that. It's good to mix things up a little, freshen up the story.   Then things started sound confusing - simultaneous timelines, different black ops agencies, and super-powers?  Say, whaaaaaat??

So, yeah. But it turns out that The Bourne Legacy is a REALLY good film.  Aaron Cross is an agent in a different program - the agents are treated with various drugs to increase their physical and mental abilities, and closely monitored and studied.  But when Jason Bourne and Pamela Landy blow the lid on Treadstone, the resulting investigations threaten other secret programs, and the head honchos begin cleaning house to cover their own asses - eliminating all their agents and researchers.  Cross manages to evade his own assassination attempt, and goes looking for the doctor who can get him more of the drugs that will help him maintain his mental acuity.  Unfortunately, she's also being targeted by the agency for knowing too much, so of course, they both go on the run to try to save their own lives.

Shakespeare it isn't - but what it is, is loads of fun.  Renner does a great job as Agent Cross, effectively portraying both the hardened agent and also the vulnerable not-so-bright soldier he used to be before the drugs opened his eyes to a whole new world that he is now terrified of losing.  I've always loved Rachel Weisz, and she's amazing in this role - brainy, frightened, hysterical at times, yet pulling it together to get the job done when it counts.

Of course in a movie like this there's lots of explosions and chase scene, and while some have complained that there were too many chase scenes or that some of them lasted too long.  I heartily disagree, but I will admit there was a brief moment where I thought, "Just escape already!" but then something awesome happened so it was all ok!

I think The Bourne Legacy lives up to it's predecessors and deserves 4 stars.  A little more character development might have bumped it up to five stars, but overall it's a great action film, and if you like the previous Bourne movies I believe you'll like this one as well.

I'm way late on this review, so most of you have probably seen it already - What did you think of The Bourne Legacy?  Leave me a comment and let me know if you agree with me, or if you think I'm all sorts of wrong about the film!

Movie Review - Total Recall

Total Recall (2012) * * * *
Director: Len Wiseman
Starring: Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale, Jessica Biel, Bryan Cranston

From IMDB:
"A factory worker, Douglas Quaid, begins to suspect that he is a spy after visiting Rekall - a company that provides its clients with implanted fake memories of a life they would like to have led - goes wrong and he finds himself on the run."

My Thoughts:
Total Recall is, as I'm sure everyone is aware, a remake of a 1990 film of the same name starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sharon Stone and Michael Ironside, and inspired by a short story written by Philip K. Dick.

In the original film, Douglas Quaid ends up on Mars and saves the red planet from a maniacal overlord.  It's campy and comedic as often as it is serious, and for its' time the technology was breathtakingly imaginative.

The remake however, goes a different way.  It's serious through and through, the technology is still awesomely inventive (a hand-phone? Yes PLEASE, sign me up!), but it's grittier and darker, and completely Earth-bound.  The special effects were very well done (I loved the "weightless" scene), and overall the movie is visually stunning.  Colin Farrell did a better acting job than I expected, and Kate Beckinsale shines (as she usually does - no surprise there) as Quaid's "fake" wife. 

My problems with the movie were that I had a really hard time suspending my disbelief throughout several sections of the film (Elevator through the Earth's core?), and that I kept comparing it to the original in my mind while watching it.  But overall I do think it was a good film, it was loads of fun, and told a fantastic spy/mystery story.

But I did kinda miss Mars a little bit.

Have you seen Total Recall yet?  What were YOUR thoughts about the film?

Book Review - The Seventh Scroll by Wilbur Smith

Ancient Egypt Series, by Wilbur Smith
1. River God: A Novel of Ancient Egypt (Have Not Read)
2. The Seventh Scroll  07/08/2012 * *
3. Warlock: A Novel of Ancient Egypt (Have Not Read)
4. The Quest (Have Not Read)

From Goodreads:

For 4,000 years, the lavish crypt of the Pharaoh Mamose has never been found...until the Seventh Scroll, a cryptic message written by he slave Taita, gives beautiful Egyptologist Royan Al Simma a tantalizing clue to its location.  

But this is a treasure cache others would kill to possess. Only one step ahead of assassins, Royan runs for her life and into the arms of the only man she can trust, Sir Nicholas Quenton-Harper-a daring man who will stake his fortune and his life to join her hunt for the king's tomb. Together, they will embark on a breathtaking journey to the most exotic locale on earth, where the greatest mystery of ancient Egypt, a chilling danger and an explosive passion are waiting.

Steeped in ancient mystery, drama and action, The Seventh Scroll is a masterpiece from a storyteller at the height of his powers.

My Thoughts:
I'm not even sure where I got this book from - I think it might have been out of a bag of books that my mom gave me.  I'd never heard of the author before, and didn't even realize it was part of a series until I looked it up on Goodreads when I was about halfway through the novel.  But even though The Seventh Scroll is actually the second book in a series, it works as a stand alone novel.

Mostly, I enjoyed The Seventh Scroll.  The character of Royan was entertaining to read and easy to relate to, for the most part.  Overall it's a decent story, and parts of it were fascinating.  Many other parts were boring, dull, poorly written, overly descriptive, super predictable, and a few were actually cringe-worthy.  And something that bothered me immensely, the POV changes randomly, sometimes even in the middle of a paragraph.  I love multiple Points of View, but I'm of the opinion that the POV change needs to happen at a chapter break, or at least a section break within a chapter.  But in The Seventh Scroll, the POV seems to change completely randomly, and didn't always makes sense to me.

As I read through the many reviews from other people, though, I almost wonder if I'm missing something.  Many others seem to love the author and this series, and rave on and on about how good it is.  I didn't hate The Seventh Scroll, but I didn't love it either.  It's a good read, and starts well, but the middle part of the novel loses momentum and never quite picks it back up again.  By the time I muddled through to the end I just wanted them to find the treasure and be done already.

I'm giving The Seventh Scroll two stars.  I feel vaguely bad about doing so, but I'm also not quite willing to go to three stars and say I liked it.  It was ok.  I probably won't try any of the rest of the series, even though the first book in the series, River God, seems to get rave reviews. But I think I'll pass, for now at least.

Have you read The Seventh Scroll by Wilbur Smith?  What did you think - am I way off base?

Movie Review - The Dark Knight Rises

The Dark Knight Rises (2012) * * * * *
Director: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Anne Hathaway, Morgan Freeman, Tom Hardy, Matthew Modine.

From IMDB:

"Eight years on, a new terrorist leader, Bane, overwhelms Gotham's finest, and the Dark Knight resurfaces to protect a city that has branded him an enemy."

My Thoughts:
I totally loved this movie.  I'm not even gonna try to be all critical and professional about it either.  It's an awesome movie, you must see it, and you must love it!

*sigh*

Ok, fine.  I suppose you don't "have" to "love" it.  But I am betting that if you are a fan of Nolan's take on Batman in general, as evidenced in "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight," then you probably will love "The Dark Knight Rises."

(Here there be spoilery things).

This third installment in Nolan's series felt to me like a perfect third and final movie in a trilogy.  The story is involved, and fantastically layered, providing answers to questions that we didn't know we had, and tying certain events back to previous points in the story.  (As an example, when the residents of Gotham's prison system are released, we see some familiar characters, who take an active role in the story as it unfolds).

The movie is long, and could have been made shorter with tighter editing, without sacrificing any actual plot content, but at the same time, it didn't feel like a long movie, to me at least. Several plot twists, and some truly great action scenes and character growth moments made this film a winner.

One of the things I really enjoyed was the way that Batman, who disappeared in disgrace at the end of The Dark Knight, is able to rehabilitate himself and his image.  During his 8 year absence, the city government and citizenry have grown and learned to care for themselves - the police, who were previously too terrified to fight against the mob and other criminals infecting Gotham's underbelly, are now all too willing to fight against the terrorists, and take back their city when given the chance, creating a situation where Gotham finally doesn't need its' Dark Knight any more, but instead has the symbolism of heroes to look up to and emulate.

But the bottom line is it is awesome and you should totally watch The Dark Knight Rises on the big screen.  I give it five stars, and even Bob enjoyed it.  Go see it as soon as possible! 

But when you do, take a moment to think about the victims and families involved in the shooting in Colorado.  My thoughts and best wishes go out to them, with the hope that someday, the true meaning of what Batman and all the other Super-Heroes stand for will be realized and understood by everyone, and events like that will no longer happen in our world.  As Bruce Wayne says, "Anyone can be Batman."  Let's try to remember that, because we can all be heroes in our own way.

Movie Review - Prometheus

Prometheus (2012) * * * * *
Director: Ridley Scott
Starring: Noomi Rapace, Logan Marshall-Green, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron

From IMDB:

"A team of explorers discover a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth, leading them on a journey to the darkest corners of the universe. There, they must fight a terrifying battle to save the future of the human race."

My Thoughts:
I'm sure that by now you've probably seen the movie Prometheus, or read about it online.  Even if you haven't seen it, you are most likely already aware of all the problems that have been noted by the many, many people who have seen the movie.

And really, there are lots of problems.  I freely admit that there are a lot of things that happen in the movie, that when you think about it, don't make any sense.  People make choices that are illogical.  The scientists ignore basic scientific protocols.  The guy with the nifty mapping probes gets lost.  Another guy decides to touch something that most people would run away from.  Why was the medical machine only programmed for one gender?

The list goes on and on.

The thing is, though, that for the most part, while you are actually watching the movie, you don't really notice all of that.  And the reason you don't really notice all of that is because the movie itself is so big, and huge, and awesome, and amazingly gorgeous, and freaky, and wonderful, and terrifying, all at the same time, that while you are caught up in the moment you don't really stop to think "Hey, how come no one has asked her why she's running around half naked and covered in blood?  Is this a common event that happens so often that no one around her gives it a second thought, or are her fellow crew members all just asshats?"  It isn't until after you leave the theater and start to think about the movie that you suddenly realize that there were things that didn't quite fit.

In my opinion, that's a good thing.  I loved Prometheus!  It's awesome and amazing!  It scared the crap out of me at least twice and Bob has the fingernail imprints in his arm to prove it.  And I loved the movie not because it's perfect, but because it's not.

People do stupid illogical things, like take their helmets off before they know if the air is safe to breathe.  People push buttons when they have no clue what those buttons do.  People panic and get lost even when they are holding a map.  Humans can be so passionate about something that they will do all sorts of stupid, dumb, illogical things while pursuing their passion.  It happens.

In addition to that, one of the things that I like best about the movie is the level of discussion and thought that has resulted from people watching the film.  This movie has made people think - not just about what's wrong with the movie, but with bigger things, like philosophy, and creation myths, and archetypal personality-types, the origin of the universe, relationships between a creator and its' creation, and what being human means.  Folks are writing articles and blog posts and tweets about this movie and how their perceptions of these concepts, and the resulting dialogue has been fascinating.  To me, at least.

But that's what I think a truly great movie should really do - make people think.  About stuff that doesn't even have anything to do with the actual story being told in the film.  Of course a movie should tell a good story, and this is where Prometheus falters slightly, but it more than makes up for its' missteps by taking people's mind and thoughts and hurtling them different directions and causing conversations about ideas.

That's why I give Prometheus five stars.  That's what I loved the most, and that's why I think everyone should see it, no matter whether or not you like Science-Fiction, or Horror, or Suspense-Thrillers.  Prometheus is all those things, and also so much more.

Have you seen Prometheus?  Do you agree or disagree with me?  Let's hear your thoughts in the comments!

Teaser Tuesday - The Seventh Scroll

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just:
* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title and author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their To Be Read (TBR) Lists if they like your teasers!

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Royan and her business partner Nicholas have traveled from England to Ethiopia in search of a lost Pharaoh's tomb written about in an ancient scroll. They have searched the Nile river for clues to the secret location, and have found carvings in a cliff wall that may lead them closer to their goal.  They've also been shot at, nearly died in an explosion, and kicked out of Ethiopa.  Now back in England, they plan to return and try to claim  the Pharaoh's treasure before the man who killed Royan's husband, Herr von Schiller, can steal it from them.

The Tease:

 "Von Schiller had gone ashen pale as he listened.  Sweat beaded upon his forehead, and his voice was hoarse and chesty as he asked, "A royal mummy?""

 -The Seventh Scroll, by Wilbur Smith

What's your Tease?

Teaser Tuesday - The Seventh Scroll

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just:
* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title and author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their To Be Read (TBR) Lists if they like your teasers!

----------

Royan and her new partner Nicholas have traveled from England to Ethiopia in search of a lost Pharaoh's tomb written about in an ancient scroll. They have searched the Nile river for clues to the secret location, and have found carvings in a cliff wall that may lead them closer to their goal.

The Tease:

 "Swimming on downwards, he found another niche, then another.  Four rows of niches, twenty-four feet below the surface.  His ears were popping and squeaking as the pressure squeezed the air out of his Eustachian tubes.  His eyes were wide open, but the waters below him were dark and turbid."

 -The Seventh Scroll, by Wilbur Smith

What's your Tease?

Book Review - The Desert of Souls

The Desert of Souls, Howard Andrew Jones 05/27/2012 * * * *

From Goodreads:

"The glittering tradition of sword-and-sorcery sweeps into the sands of ancient Arabia with the heart-stopping speed of a whirling dervish in this thrilling debut novel from new talent Howard Andrew Jones

In 8th century Baghdad, a stranger pleads with the vizier to safeguard the bejeweled tablet he carries, but he is murdered before he can explain. Charged with solving the puzzle, the scholar Dabir soon realizes that the tablet may unlock secrets hidden within the lost city of Ubar, the Atlantis of the sands. When the tablet is stolen from his care, Dabir and Captain Asim are sent after it, and into a life and death chase through the ancient Middle East.

Stopping the thieves—a cunning Greek spy and a fire wizard of the Magi—requires a desperate journey into the desert, but first Dabir and Asim must find the lost ruins of Ubar and contend with a mythic, sorcerous being that has traded wisdom for the souls of men since the dawn of time.  But against all these hazards there is one more that may be too great even for Dabir to overcome..."

My Thoughts:
I really enjoyed The Desert of Souls.  It's a solid sword & sorcery quest story, but the Middle Eastern setting makes it feel fresh, the characters are likable, and the setting is believable.

The story builds slowly at first, but is never boring, and I loved the growth of the friendship between the two main characters, Dabir the scholar and Asim the swordsman, as they race to save the city of Baghdad from destruction.  Complete with evil magicians, Djinn, and strange creatures, this fantasy tale has all the required elements and delivers a top-notch story.

There is one small issue, which I've seen others mention, and that is the first person point of view, which detracts from some of the tension that could have made the story more of a nail biter.  But as Asim is telling the story from the future, and references things that happen after this particular tale takes place, the reader reasonably believes that Dabir and Asim will survive to go on to those future adventures.  This is a minor issue though, in my opinion, as the story is so well crafted, and so enjoyable.

I highly recommend The Desert of Souls to anyone who likes fantasy in general, but the Middle Eastern setting really does makes this novel special, and I hope that the author returns to these characters in the future!  I think these two have many more adventures ahead of them, and I want to read them!

A quick word on the covers - I don't usually post multiple cover photos in a review, but these are both so fantastic I felt the need to feature them both.  The first is from the hardcover, and I think it conveys a wonderful sense of mystery and magic, but the second cover, from the paperback and e-book, feels more realistic as far as the actual story itself.

Have you read The Desert of Souls?  Leave a comment and let me know what YOU think! Which cover do YOU like better?

Teaser Tuesday - The Seventh Scroll

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just:
* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title and author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their To Be Read (TBR) Lists if they like your teasers!

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Over the weekend I posted a message to both Twitter and Facebook, asking my followers to vote on which book I should read next - either 2312 by Kim Stanley Robinson, or Blue Remembered Earth by Alastair Reynolds.  Then while I was waiting for people to vote I accidentally started reading The Seventh Scroll by Wilbur Smith instead...

Royan Al Simma is a beautiful, young Egyptologist who has just witnessed the murder of her husband, who was apparently killed for the information he possessed.  Together they had been translating a series of scrolls written by a slave nearly 4000 years ago which might lead to a fabulous treasure tomb.  Now the people who killed her husband are after her, trying to eliminate all information about the scrolls, and anyone who knows about them.

The Tease:

 "Holding the queen in her good hand she moved like a sleepwalker to her desk below the window.  Her PC was wrecked.  They had shattered the screen and hacked the mainframe with what must have been an axe.  She could tell at a glance that there was no information left on the hard drive; it was beyond repair."

 -The Seventh Scroll, by Wilbur Smith

What's your Tease?

Teaser Tuesday - The Desert of Souls

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just:
* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title and author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their To Be Read (TBR) Lists if they like your teasers!

----------

So far I'm really enjoying this book, it's very entertaining!  In this scene our heroes race after thieves who have kidnapped a girl and stolen some valuable - and potentially dangerous - items.  The thieves have already destroyed one of Asim's boats with magic while on the river, and he contemplates what should happen if they meet again on the ocean...

The Tease:

 "Sails shone like white wings here and there on the horizon, and I wondered if any of them might belong to the thieves, and if so, whether we might face a great flaming hand aboard this vessel. 
There would be no swimming ashore from here."

 -The Desert of Souls, by Howard Andrew Jones

What's your Tease?

Movie Review - The Avengers

Marvel's The Avengers (2012) * * * * *
Director: Joss Whedon
Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johnasson, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L Jackson, Gwyneth Paltrow, Clark Gregg

From IMDB:

"Nick Fury is (the) director of S.H.I.E.L.D, an international peace keeping agency. The agency is a who's who of Marvel Super Heroes, with Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow. When global security is threatened by Loki and his cohorts, Nick Fury and his team will need all their powers to save the world from disaster."

My Thoughts:
The short version is that I honestly think that Hollywood should just roll up the sidewalks and stop making superhero movies, because this is the best they've ever done, and I can't imagine that they will ever do a better superhero movie!

 Joss Whedon does an amazing job as director (and writer!) with this film, and it's full of comments, references, and humor that Whedon fans will instantly recognize.  I don't want to spoil anything, (but really if you haven't seen it stop waiting and go already!), so I'll try not to mention the plot too much.

To me it felt like the first half of the movie spent a lot of time dealing with the age old questions of "if this hero was in a fight with that hero, who would win.?"  When the Avengers are assembled by director Fury, there's a lot of time spent bickering and posturing, and initially the team doesn't want to work together, because they are not used to the concept of being a team.  Through a series of events orchestrated by Loki, and then later manipulated by Fury, the group of heroes pull together to fight against the overwhelming threat to Earth.  The second half of the film follows the epic battle as they use their own strengths, and weaknesses, to fight the enemy as a unit, instead of battling each other.

The film is fast paced with very few slow moments, and I hardly noticed that the movie was over two hours long, as it all flies by so fast.  The special effects are amazing, and overall the movie is just plain Fun!!  Even someone who isn't a fan of the Marvel comics or familiar with the characters back-stories can still enjoy the movie and follow the plot.

Bottom line - The Avengers is an awesomely fun film that anyone, young or old, can enjoy.  I can't even think of a single thing that I didn't love about it.  I'm giving it five stars, and even Bob thought it was a pretty good movie!  So if you haven't seen it yet go now.  And make sure you stay all the way to the very very end of the credits, there are two scenes you won't want to miss!

Have you seen The Avengers yet?  What did you think?  Leave a comment and let me know!

Teaser Tuesday - The Desert of Souls

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just:
* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title and author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their To Be Read (TBR) Lists if they like your teasers!

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Sorry this is late today, but, this week our Tease comes from a brand new book!  How new?  Well, it's not really new, just new to me, as I started it last night!  And I'm completely hooked!  In this scene, our hero is wandering the marketplace of ancient Bagdad when a wounded man stumbles into him and falls at his feet...

The Tease:

 "Before I could draw breath, four bold rogues rounded the corner and stopped short at the heels of the wounded man.  Three wore fine clothes shabbily treated, as if they liked the look of them but did not know their proper care.  More to the point, swords were in their hands."

 -The Desert of Souls, by Howard Andrew Jones

What's your Tease?

Teaser Tuesday - The Watchers of Ur: Cradle

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just:
* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title and author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their To Be Read (TBR) Lists if they like your teasers!

----------

I'm almost finished with "Cradle," and I am actually enjoying it more than I expected.  In this scene the remaining members of a pirate crew prepare a nasty surprise for an Imperial ship.

The Tease:

 "After a few minutes Sabbatino said via biolink, "Hey, guys.  What the hell is taking you so long?"
A moment later the equipment lift door rolled up to reveal Murphy and Alvarez wearing mischievous grins, guiding a maglev rack full of 120 centimeter torpedoes.
Sabbatino shook her head and laughed, "It's always about bigger with you guys.""

 -The Watchers of Ur: Cradle, by Lamonte M. Fowler

What's your Tease?