Fiasco: A History of Hollywood's Iconic Flops (James Parish)
A lightweight examination that follows Hollywood's history by tracing the flops, this book starts with Cleopatra up through (fairly modern) bombs like Battlefield Earth. Parish always keeps the book moving, so you never go too in-depth on any of the movies, but I like how you get a sense of the buisness changing as you go from movie to movie. Parish steers clear of movies that already have extensive post-mortems, so there's no Heaven's Gate or Bonfire of the Vanities on here; Instead, this is a nice, breezy starting place if you're interested in this genre (or want to see if you're interested in this genre, I guess).
Grade: B+
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Monday, March 26, 2012
"The World's Worst Weapons"
The World's Worst Weapons: From Exploding Guns to Malfuctioning Missles (Martin Dougherty)
Cousin of The World's Worst Cars, here's, well, you can guess from the title, right? I enjoyed this book a good bit - the sheer depth of weapons covered from throwing stars to nuclear howitzers kept it moving nicely. My one complaint is that there are some strange choices in here; Seeing the mighty Stuka included here is a bit strange, but what really takes the cake is the legendary AK-47 being inducted as one of the world's worst weapons. I know that this is just the author's opinion and that you can't subjectively say that it is wrong, but, it's wrong. Other than that, good book.
Grade: B
Cousin of The World's Worst Cars, here's, well, you can guess from the title, right? I enjoyed this book a good bit - the sheer depth of weapons covered from throwing stars to nuclear howitzers kept it moving nicely. My one complaint is that there are some strange choices in here; Seeing the mighty Stuka included here is a bit strange, but what really takes the cake is the legendary AK-47 being inducted as one of the world's worst weapons. I know that this is just the author's opinion and that you can't subjectively say that it is wrong, but, it's wrong. Other than that, good book.
Grade: B
Thursday, March 22, 2012
"The Brief History of the Dead"
The Brief History of the Dead: A Novel (Kevin Brockmeier)
This book is a big disappointment, in the same manner as "The City & The City" - the author has an interesting idea, which is unfortunately all the author has. In this case, the author has a city where the living dead are held - those who someone alive remembers - until they pass into true death when nobody left alive remembers them. And what does the author do with this idea? Nothing; We fart around watching people wander around the city, then we cut to another plot where a researcher at the south pole wanders around the south pole. I had to repress the urge to keep going "Yeah?" and "And?" while reading the book, then started skipping pages, then just quit reading it. I'm willing to forgive the fantastical setting (the author has a virus killing just about everyone in the world, even submarine crews, etc.) if there's a good story, but this is just meandering bullshit.
Grade: D-
This book is a big disappointment, in the same manner as "The City & The City" - the author has an interesting idea, which is unfortunately all the author has. In this case, the author has a city where the living dead are held - those who someone alive remembers - until they pass into true death when nobody left alive remembers them. And what does the author do with this idea? Nothing; We fart around watching people wander around the city, then we cut to another plot where a researcher at the south pole wanders around the south pole. I had to repress the urge to keep going "Yeah?" and "And?" while reading the book, then started skipping pages, then just quit reading it. I'm willing to forgive the fantastical setting (the author has a virus killing just about everyone in the world, even submarine crews, etc.) if there's a good story, but this is just meandering bullshit.
Grade: D-
Monday, March 19, 2012
"Mass Effect: Revelation"
Mass Effect: Revelation (Drew "Had to Look Up How to Spell This Last Name" Karpyshyn)
This is probably just about what you'd expect from a prequel novel to a series of space opera videogames: A serviceable plot, introductions to all the alien races and big themes of the universe, and a hook leading into the upcoming game. I don't want to say the book is breezy, considering it starts with a research base full of civilians getting massacred and ends on a note just as grim, so let's say it moves right along. Given all that, this is a good read for Mass Effect fans (even if you've played all the games), but without any commitment to the series, it's a bit of a tough sell given all the world-building going on.
Grade for N7s: B
Normal Civilian Grade: C-
This is probably just about what you'd expect from a prequel novel to a series of space opera videogames: A serviceable plot, introductions to all the alien races and big themes of the universe, and a hook leading into the upcoming game. I don't want to say the book is breezy, considering it starts with a research base full of civilians getting massacred and ends on a note just as grim, so let's say it moves right along. Given all that, this is a good read for Mass Effect fans (even if you've played all the games), but without any commitment to the series, it's a bit of a tough sell given all the world-building going on.
Grade for N7s: B
Normal Civilian Grade: C-
Friday, March 16, 2012
"Anatomy of a Buisness Failure"
Anatomy of a Business Failure: The Incredible Story of the Beloved, Multi-Million Dollar Apple Book Center (Sherry McGee)
Hey, remember the Apple Book Center? No? Me either, but here's a book by the founder examining her business and why it failed. This sounds boring, but this book is entertainingly bizarre - instead of a lot of facts and figures (although they are included), it tends towards being the author's stream of consciousness, which sometimes addresses her business and sometimes addresses (for example) the time the author was accosted by a customer who hated the in-store music or suggestions for what books to give teens to read. (My personal favorite part comes at the beginning of the book when the author writes, "Keep reading and see how it all panned out." Hey, what do you guys think happened to the store described in Anatomy of a Business Failure???????)
I kind of want to recommend this book just because it's so weird, but since I doubt anyone's going to get it, here for free is why the store failed:
1. Too much spent on advertising.
2. 9/11 was bad.
Grade: Weird
Hey, remember the Apple Book Center? No? Me either, but here's a book by the founder examining her business and why it failed. This sounds boring, but this book is entertainingly bizarre - instead of a lot of facts and figures (although they are included), it tends towards being the author's stream of consciousness, which sometimes addresses her business and sometimes addresses (for example) the time the author was accosted by a customer who hated the in-store music or suggestions for what books to give teens to read. (My personal favorite part comes at the beginning of the book when the author writes, "Keep reading and see how it all panned out." Hey, what do you guys think happened to the store described in Anatomy of a Business Failure???????)
I kind of want to recommend this book just because it's so weird, but since I doubt anyone's going to get it, here for free is why the store failed:
1. Too much spent on advertising.
2. 9/11 was bad.
Grade: Weird
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
"The Outcast Dead" (Horus Heresy series)
The Outcast Dead (Graham McNeil)
This was a disappointing book. The premise is gangbusters: An astropath - the psychics who can touch minds and are the only way of communicating faster than light over long distances - recieves a vision about the end of the Heresy, and a dirty dozen of space marines who were trapped on Earth when their legions went traitor have to bust him out of a Legio Custodes prison.
In execution, though, McNeil wastes a lot of time with two ancilliary plotlines that - spoiler alert - have fuck-all to do with the book's main plot. The result is that the book never really goes anywhere; Some shit happens, then it's over. It's a shame, too, because the early parts of the book exploring how the astropaths use shared psychic imagery when communicating (they can't send words, so they send visions) is really fascinating. The rest of the book, not so much. For Horus Heresy completionists only.
Grade: C
This was a disappointing book. The premise is gangbusters: An astropath - the psychics who can touch minds and are the only way of communicating faster than light over long distances - recieves a vision about the end of the Heresy, and a dirty dozen of space marines who were trapped on Earth when their legions went traitor have to bust him out of a Legio Custodes prison.
In execution, though, McNeil wastes a lot of time with two ancilliary plotlines that - spoiler alert - have fuck-all to do with the book's main plot. The result is that the book never really goes anywhere; Some shit happens, then it's over. It's a shame, too, because the early parts of the book exploring how the astropaths use shared psychic imagery when communicating (they can't send words, so they send visions) is really fascinating. The rest of the book, not so much. For Horus Heresy completionists only.
Grade: C
Monday, March 12, 2012
The Name of the Wind
The Name of the Wind
Patrick Rothfuss
Most people who know me know that I prefer Science Fiction more than Fantasy. This book came at the recommendation of a friend, but like everything I do, took me a while to actually sit down and read it.
I was pleasantly surprised that this was not a "typical" fantasy story, and in fact seemed to be more playing the traditional "Hero's Journey" method of fantasy storytelling extremely tongue-in-cheek; almost to be self-mocking, even though all the elements are there, tragic pasts, journey for revenge, etc.
The Name of the Wind is partially a "memoir" of the great hero Kvothe's great deeds that created his legendary status in the fantasy world he occupies. While most of the book takes place in the "past," the story of Kvothe growing up and learning magic (which, big points to Patrick Rothfuss for writing an original and new type of "magic" in fantasy stories), a small part of the story takes place in the "present," where we see the former hero Kvothe now in retirement and reminiscing about his adventures.
What follows is a very engaging story about the very first part of a hero's adventurous life, with all of the secrets of this fantasy world tantalizingly just out of reach. Normally this would annoy me because I would like at least some payoff, but Rothfuss's writing style instead makes you just crave to read more and more, and even after over 700 pages I am clamoring to get my hands on book 2 of this apparent 3 book story.
My only real complaint lies in characterization. Kvothe's adult hubris and pride are at least apparent, and his adolescent failings are on display, but he's kind of a perfect character otherwise, and at some points I wondered to myself if Rothfuss ever got accused of some slight mary-sueism. At least Kvothe never started yelling for 30 pages about why the Aturan Empire sucks because they have a social safety net or anything. As part of this complaint about characterization is probably my only real problem with the book, which is the adolescent romance between Kvothe and the heroine. The heroine, who, is characterized as charming, elusive, and beautiful, and only two of those are character traits. And, I found it difficult to find her charming when her character wasn't fleshed out all that much otherwise. She was more a character of her actions, most of which we found out about second-hand through Kvothe's own discovery of them.
Romance was annoying and bewildering as to why anyone would pine for it when I was an adolescent, and perhaps the whole Adults-reading-YA-Novels contributes to this idea that romances between 16-year-olds makes for compelling fiction, but their romance, such as it was stupid adolescents not being able to properly express feelings for one another seems more of an annoying drag on the story more than anything sweet or romantic. But was honestly the only sour spot I have with a book that is a compelling read otherwise.
Grade A-
Patrick Rothfuss
Most people who know me know that I prefer Science Fiction more than Fantasy. This book came at the recommendation of a friend, but like everything I do, took me a while to actually sit down and read it.
I was pleasantly surprised that this was not a "typical" fantasy story, and in fact seemed to be more playing the traditional "Hero's Journey" method of fantasy storytelling extremely tongue-in-cheek; almost to be self-mocking, even though all the elements are there, tragic pasts, journey for revenge, etc.
The Name of the Wind is partially a "memoir" of the great hero Kvothe's great deeds that created his legendary status in the fantasy world he occupies. While most of the book takes place in the "past," the story of Kvothe growing up and learning magic (which, big points to Patrick Rothfuss for writing an original and new type of "magic" in fantasy stories), a small part of the story takes place in the "present," where we see the former hero Kvothe now in retirement and reminiscing about his adventures.
What follows is a very engaging story about the very first part of a hero's adventurous life, with all of the secrets of this fantasy world tantalizingly just out of reach. Normally this would annoy me because I would like at least some payoff, but Rothfuss's writing style instead makes you just crave to read more and more, and even after over 700 pages I am clamoring to get my hands on book 2 of this apparent 3 book story.
My only real complaint lies in characterization. Kvothe's adult hubris and pride are at least apparent, and his adolescent failings are on display, but he's kind of a perfect character otherwise, and at some points I wondered to myself if Rothfuss ever got accused of some slight mary-sueism. At least Kvothe never started yelling for 30 pages about why the Aturan Empire sucks because they have a social safety net or anything. As part of this complaint about characterization is probably my only real problem with the book, which is the adolescent romance between Kvothe and the heroine. The heroine, who, is characterized as charming, elusive, and beautiful, and only two of those are character traits. And, I found it difficult to find her charming when her character wasn't fleshed out all that much otherwise. She was more a character of her actions, most of which we found out about second-hand through Kvothe's own discovery of them.
Romance was annoying and bewildering as to why anyone would pine for it when I was an adolescent, and perhaps the whole Adults-reading-YA-Novels contributes to this idea that romances between 16-year-olds makes for compelling fiction, but their romance, such as it was stupid adolescents not being able to properly express feelings for one another seems more of an annoying drag on the story more than anything sweet or romantic. But was honestly the only sour spot I have with a book that is a compelling read otherwise.
Grade A-
Friday, March 9, 2012
"Carthage Must Be Destroyed"
Carthage Must Be Destroyed: The Rise and Fall of an Ancient Civilization (Richard Miles)
Carthage - the Nicole Richie to Rome's Paris Hilton (I'm not dating myself with these refrences, am I?) - has never had a proper English-language history (that I'm aware of) up until now. Happily, this is an excellent history, easily pulling off the difficult trick of being a page-turner even though you know what and when the end of the story is going to be. I only have two small nits to pick, the first one being that the author opens with the sacking and total distruction of Carthage, which I thought was kind of pointless, since nerds like me who will read this book alread know what happens. The second is the author's obsession with Hercules, who he won't stop talking about (Hey, I know that's where Xena got her start, but we don't need to hear about the guy all the time). Otherwise, this is a great book, and you owe it to yourself to give it a read even if your only interest in Carthage is as an early nemesis for the roman republic.
Grade: A-
Carthage - the Nicole Richie to Rome's Paris Hilton (I'm not dating myself with these refrences, am I?) - has never had a proper English-language history (that I'm aware of) up until now. Happily, this is an excellent history, easily pulling off the difficult trick of being a page-turner even though you know what and when the end of the story is going to be. I only have two small nits to pick, the first one being that the author opens with the sacking and total distruction of Carthage, which I thought was kind of pointless, since nerds like me who will read this book alread know what happens. The second is the author's obsession with Hercules, who he won't stop talking about (Hey, I know that's where Xena got her start, but we don't need to hear about the guy all the time). Otherwise, this is a great book, and you owe it to yourself to give it a read even if your only interest in Carthage is as an early nemesis for the roman republic.
Grade: A-
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
"The Hundred Years"
The Hundred Years (Philip Guedalla)
A weird old history book (publication date 1936) covering the titular hundred years since the ascension of Queen Victoria. The book has an interesting structure where the author picks a year and then pops in on various places describing what's happening at the time. Unfortunately, I only made it about 93 pages into this book before bailing, when the author states that the Civil War was not inevitable. Frankly, I don't know where the hell the author got this idea, and disagreeing with this insane notion called everything else the author wrote into question. Shucks...
Grade: :/
A weird old history book (publication date 1936) covering the titular hundred years since the ascension of Queen Victoria. The book has an interesting structure where the author picks a year and then pops in on various places describing what's happening at the time. Unfortunately, I only made it about 93 pages into this book before bailing, when the author states that the Civil War was not inevitable. Frankly, I don't know where the hell the author got this idea, and disagreeing with this insane notion called everything else the author wrote into question. Shucks...
Grade: :/
Saturday, March 3, 2012
"The World's Worst Cars"
The World's Worst Cars (Craig Cheetham)
A pocket-sized little book about - well, you can probably guess from the title. 150 cars are inside, each one with a two-page writeup, consisting of a page of text and then a photo of the car with various wise-ass remarks. Since there's 150 cars, some of them aren't as bad as the others; You get weird curiosities like a car with a jet engine or the infamous "Amphicar" mixed in with some good cars that just had horrible build quality. (Luckily, probably the two ugliest vechiles in modern history - Europe's Fiat Multipla and America's Pontiac Aztek - don't escape the author's gaze.)
I found this book to be a enjoyable little larf. If you're a big car fan, you may want to excersize some caution; The author has a lot of English cars I'd never heard of (British Leyland keeps coming in for beatings), and some of the Amazon reviews are rather scathing. Niether one of these really matters to me, which ears this book a solid
Grade: B
A pocket-sized little book about - well, you can probably guess from the title. 150 cars are inside, each one with a two-page writeup, consisting of a page of text and then a photo of the car with various wise-ass remarks. Since there's 150 cars, some of them aren't as bad as the others; You get weird curiosities like a car with a jet engine or the infamous "Amphicar" mixed in with some good cars that just had horrible build quality. (Luckily, probably the two ugliest vechiles in modern history - Europe's Fiat Multipla and America's Pontiac Aztek - don't escape the author's gaze.)
I found this book to be a enjoyable little larf. If you're a big car fan, you may want to excersize some caution; The author has a lot of English cars I'd never heard of (British Leyland keeps coming in for beatings), and some of the Amazon reviews are rather scathing. Niether one of these really matters to me, which ears this book a solid
Grade: B
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