Monday, June 30, 2008

Eragon, Eldest, Brisingr, and what?

Fantasy-Fiction fanatic alert!

I just had read that The Inheritance Trilogy by Christopher Paolini will change to The Inheritance Cycle, because according toEarly in 2007 he realized that the plot and characters demanded more space than could fit in one volume and that a fourth book would be necessary to give each story element the attention it deserved.” Really? I say, really? Is this for Paolini and the Publisher’s attempt to rake money from the huge fan base Paolini has made so far (that includes me) or is it just of the lame excuse that Book 3 would never measure up to Paolini’s ever-changing creativity considering his age or what. I know that some of lit people say that Paolini’s style is a typical teenage write-up and deserves no more than an international publication. I agree to some degree that his early works are amateurish and pretty much far to what Lewis and many other great writers had done, but, heck, I love the story and I love Alagaesia, Eragon and Sapphira. I can no longer wait come September 20. It’s barely three months before it’s out in the market. I can’t wait to have it now. Visit the site http://alagaesia.com/ for pre-orders. The third book, and not the last one, is titled Brisingr.

Whatyathink?


Saturday, June 28, 2008

Whatever

I don't know but it seems that I had lost the will to blog and to read blogs. Maybe because I'm already tired with the habitual tasks I do every single day of my life. Maybe because the subconscious says blogging is over this time around. Or maybe because life's daily portions had to go to each separate and most important things that need attention.

I have been very busy for the months of May and June, despite the fact that I am a useless nursing grad for a couple of months now. The fact alone that I am part of the third world's unemployment rate is CRAZY and to go penniless in the city is like suicide. My dad had a serious case of mycordial infarct or heart attack (really serious that he has to be under intensive care) after suffering from stroke. 'Twas one hell of a roller coaster ride for me and the entire family. 'Twas a strange deviance from normal living, and we know that doing the unusual is completely uncomfortable. No matter how inconvenient, though, lessons are learned, invaluable experiences gained, characters built. But, you see, I'm still here and am happy. Contentment and a sort of inner peace is a thing altogether that I am most surprised about. I am fed by the grace of my siblings, generous, that is, that I can still purge myself like I'm working. At that and everything I Thank God.

So maybe after the rain has passed, stress is over, and things back to what they have been before. Maybe blogging is one thing too.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian


I knew I wasn’t suppose to watch the movie and any movie at these times considering that times are hard (No, I don’t mean about the rice shortage, the ongoing US visa retrogression, etc). It was brutally hard for me and the entire family to cope with the recent myocardial infarct my dad had suffered and had caused profound emotional and financial pseudo-decapitation. And to temporarily get away from the thought of it through watching a movie is like a guilty pleasure. You know, it feels good, but it seems not right. It took me three hours to actually make up my mind and get my butt onto the theater seat. I have been waiting for this movie for ages since The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. This is like Ethiopia brought into the silver screen. And so I stayed for more than a couple of hours, regressing into childhood, and just stayed focused to what and how the movie is going. It’s like being in Narnia.


I must admit that just like most movies adopted from the book, there are revisions that break and make the avid reader’s heart – casting, the story plot, the song and the kissing (yeah, yeah the kissing – it’s not in the book, you see, but it’s good to be there. I am utterly clueless that the last part would shatter my heart (on top of the recent happenings) and make me feel like almost busted. The Call by Regina Spektra ended the flick with a terrible sense of loss (the thought that love is over for both Susan and Prince Caspian, the fact that I won’t be seeing Peter and Susan in the next installation, and just the thought that it’s over) and nostalgia. It took me days to get over it. I am, however, happy with their choice of Ben Barnes, he may not be the one that Lewis described as the prince, but he’s got justice to what he did. And, yes, the animation is amazing plus superb musical score. Noteworthy, however, is the typical war-and-hero story that controlled the scenes, it is no extraordinary movie, I must say. There is something lacking in the movie that I just can’t recognize. Over all, no matter what, I should confess it’s a movie I like and would never get bored watching it again and again. Just like Stardust, Harry Potter and the classic The Never-Ending Story, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian has somewhat achieved the pinnacle of what I call perfect fantasy movie.


It is a dream and a fantasy translated into life, after all.


But, hey, reality knocks me down and says, back to the real world, man. It’s no more Narnia!