Tag: The Hobbit

The Bookshelf

On By BrandonLeave a comment

I have been remise in posting of late and deeply regret it. The holiday season is upon us and I’ve got a lot on my plate. I am trying to finalize my short story for a Weird Western anthology and continue writing my novel plus a few other projects. Enough about me…

Poe Book

Selected Poems and Tales by Edgar Allen Poe: This is a large Barnes and Noble edition with illustrations by Mark Summers and an introduction by Neil Gaiman. It probably comes as no surprise to you that I am a fan of Poe’s work. While I enjoy his stories I am fonder still of his verse. I believe that Annabel Lee was my introduction to Poe and the first story I read was The Cask of Amontillado. I was hooked after that. There is a reason that numerous movies and works have been inspired by the works of Poe. His writings worm their fiendish way inside of you and tether themselves with terror and dread. The Conqueror Worm indeed.

The Hobbit Book

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien: This edition is illustrated by Alan Lee. I doubt there isn’t a fantasist in the land that doesn’t have this book on their shelf. Bilbo Baggins and his dwarven companions take to an adventure that none will soon forget. The world that Tolkien creates is detailed, vast and wonderous. How could I not want to return back again and again. I eagerly await the coming second part of the recent Hobbit movie and you should too.

lord-of-the-rings book

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien: This is a massive paperback collection of all three volumes. I really need to attain a more sturdy edition and have my eye on one at Barnes and Noble, but for now, this is what I have. There is so much to say about the Lord of the Rings that I find myself at a loss to encapsulate it. Some would call this the father of the Fantasy genre and certainly it is one of the seeds if nothing else. The characters and action grab hold of your imagination and the world Tolkien has created swallows you whole. The quest to destroy the One Ring, searched for by the Dark Lord Sauron, and heal the land from the evil threatening to overtake it entirely. A quest led by a small hobbit named Frodo and his trusty friend Sam but that also involves, dwarves, elves, wizards and mighty creatures of magic. The recent movies made from these volumes are masterpieces and I recommend you watch them right away if you have not.

Hunchback Book

The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo: One of my most favorite books. The prose is often beautiful and always a joy to read. If you are used to reading modern novels only, it will take some getting used to reading with a bit more effort, but it is well worth it. I am still waiting for a film version that captures the novel’s heart and tempestuous nature. I modeled the main character in my current novel a bit after Quasimodo, so yeah, I’m a fan.

neuromancer_book

Neuromancer by William Gibson (20th Anniversary Edition): This book came out in 1984, fourteen years before the movie The Matrix. Mind blown. Gibson is often credited with birthing the cyberpunk genre. Gibson’s virtual reality has become our own. Any fan of science fiction will revel in the prose and stylings found in this book.

“Know how a ROM personality matrix works?”

“Sure, bro, it’s a firmware construct.”

“So I jack it into the bank I’m using, I can give it a sequential, real time memory?”

“Guess so,” said the construct.

“Okay, Dix. You are a ROM construct. Got me?”

“If you say so,” said the construct. “Who are you?”

“Case.”

What if?

On By BrandonLeave a comment

I ran into town for a quick scavenger session for machine parts for my friend Briar and ran across an article about unfinished films. People were voicing their opinions on what unfinished film they wish had actually happened. I have been thinking about that all night as I watched Briar fiddle with fixing the engine of the battering ram we call Big Bam. I thought I would share with you fine people at the castle a few of the films I wish had been finished.

The first one that came to my mind was Creature From the Black Lagoon. In 1992 John Carpenter was behind a remake of the classic Universal monster movie. I would have loved to see Carpenter’s take on the material and often think about what might have been. Carpenter ended up making Memoirs of an Invisible Man in 1992 with Chevy Chase. While Memoirs is a decent movie, I have a feeling that the Creature film would have been much better. It appears that a remake is happening in 2014 simply called Black Lagoon but I will always wonder about what might have been.

The next film would be King Conan by John Milius. Conan the Barbarian is a movie that somehow captured the unique feel of a Robert E. Howard story and Conan’s world. It does not follow Howard’s stories faithfully but the film oozes the attitude. I feel this is thanks to Milius. At the end of Conan the Barbarian we see Conan sitting on a throne and are teased with a continuation of the story. We never got to the next chapter. Instead, we have the lackluster Conan the Destroyer, the decent Red Sonja and a modern remake that should have been better. Now that Arnold Schwarzenegger is back into acting, I have heard we may actually see a King Conan movie. Here’s hoping that they use the Milius script and that Arnold can still pull it off. I have no doubt he and Milius would have made it work back when.

The last would be The Hobbit by Guillermo del Toro. By now I’m certain that we have all seen The Hobbit by Peter Jackson and I must say that it was grand. I think Jackson holds such a firm grasp on Tolkien’s work that we had little doubt he would knock it out of the park as he did Lord of the Rings. Still, I would love to imagine what del Toro would have done with the material. At least we got Pacific Rim out of it.

"Ready for my close up Mr. Carpenter."
“Ready for my close up Mr. Carpenter.”

Of Dwarves and Men

On By BrandonLeave a comment

I’m certain that most of you have seen the new Hobbit movie directed by Peter Jackson. I alas have not. I dearly wanted to but the holiday season and money woes collided to thwart me. In anticipation of the movie I looked for a high fantasy novel that would whet my appetite for dwarves, elves, magic, battle and blood and honor (I was waiting until after I watched The Hobbit move before rereading the book again). I found The Dwarves by Markus Heitz (translated by Sally-Ann Spencer from German).

The Dwarves

The Dwarves is the first of what looks to be a four book series that follows the blacksmith dwarf Tungdil as he journeys from being abandoned as a child and raised by a human wizard to contention of being king of the fourthling dwarves. All against a backdrop of the dreaded Perished Land encroaching on the realms of Girdlegard. The Perished Land is a land of death and decay filled with orcs, dark elves and every being slaughtered within the Land’s ever-increasing borders raised anew as a minion of the dark. All being led by the powerful mage Nudin the Knowledge Lusty, himself overcome by darkness.

Marcus has created a wonderful world and given a spotlight to a race usually reserved as the outlier to the true heroes. The Dwarves is a tale of high honor, adventure, sorrow, friendship, magic, courage and hope against all odds. The writing is very good and the pacing is excellent. I highly recommend the book and look forward to reading the further adventures of Tungdil and his friends.