Vicky Cristina Barcelona / Woody Allen

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

category: romance, director & writer:

Woody Allen

original copyright 2008

watched in August 2012

Agamedes' opinion: 5 out of 10, watchable but only if there's nothing else

Woody Allen: loathe him or... well, loathe him.

According to the blurb, parts of this are, "so ferociously funny." Well, no. The video shop has it marked as, "drama". Not really.

There are these two young women. One is ditsy, unsettled, promiscuous and, naturally, blonde. The boring, unadventurous one is, naturally, brunette. And by "naturally" I mean "cliched". The hair itself may have been from a bottle.

They spend a couple of months in Barcelona. And in some other Spanish city. There are some interesting backdrops, with no real feel for being there.

Interesting point: In all of Barcelona there are only two Spaniards, both artists. Everyone else -- everyone in camera range, everyone who gets a speaking or even nodding part -- is American. A fine example of how travel can narrow the mind.

There is also no atmosphere. No excitement. Do you imagine Barcelona to be a vibrant city? A noisy, exciting city, a full-of-life sort of place, bustling with hot-blooded Mediterranean machismo? Well... not in this movie's sanitised version of Barcelona...

No matter where they go, no matter where they eat -- there is no background noise. No traffic. No conversation. No signs of other life. The characters may as well have never left the Hollywood studio.

Finally, the movie ends. It does not "conclude", it simply "ends".

The two Spanish artists are left to their mutually destructive ways. The blonde tart goes off on her self-destructive way. The boring brunette accepts that her life is and ever will be, boring. Nothing has changed.

Perhaps there are lessons to be learnt. Perhaps the characters note those lessons. They then continue, having ignored all possibilities of learning from the lessons.

A couple of American chicks get screwed in Barcelona. Then put it all behind them. The end.

..o0o..

These reviews are provided by Agamedes Consulting. For an independent and thoughtful review of your processes, problems or documents, email nickleth at gmail dot com.

PissWeakly: the Index

A Hat Full of Sky / Terry Pratchett

A Hat Full of Sky

Terry Pratchett

category: fantasy, humour, subadult

published 2004

read in August 2012

rated 8 out of 10, really quite good

note: Review written on a tablet PC, with limited knowledge of how to edit!

... then updated on a "real" PC !

A "young adult" book... Which means that anyone can enjoy it. And I did.

There is a very strong message running through this book: Be good, be nice. And, perhaps, Be yourself.

Can a book be "good" when the author hammers the reader with such a strong message?

Well, yes.

In Broken Angels, Richard Morgan provides a message to the reader. A warning, as much as a message. The message made me think. Which is not such a bad thing.

Pratchett's message is less subtle but more positive. Delivered with humour rather than violence. Both messages are -- in my opinion -- worth delivering. Both messages add depth to the story... something beyond the basic characters and plot. Each message targets its book's intended audience.

Okay, Pratchett does go a little over the top, occasionally. Not (necessarily) with the message. With the fairytale mysticism behind the story. All part of the fairytale story :-)

Abandon cynicism. Enjoy the book. Pratchett at his breakneck and humorous best.

..o0o..

These reviews are provided by Agamedes Consulting.  For an independent and thoughtful review of your processes, problems or documents, email nickleth at gmail dot com.

PissWeakly: the Index

Evening's Empire / David Herter

Evening's Empire

category: fantasy, author:

David Herter

original copyright 2002

read in August 2012

Agamedes' opinion: 6 out of 10, read to pass the time

I quite enjoyed this book. I'm just not sure what to make of it...

The local library has classified it as "horror". Okay, I can see why: mysterious small town, mysterious villagers, mysterious deaths and disappearances. But that's about it. There is no actual horror.

The book's blurb calls this a "fantasy". I could live with that. Though mysterious cities built by alien creatures usually imply science fiction. Except that there's no real science. Unless you count the central theme of cheese-making.

And it's that cheese theme that really has me confused! I kept expecting it to mean something! Or perhaps it does... The aliens are mistaken for rats.

Does this sound just a bit confusing? Well... it is. Especially when you throw in a Jules Verne opera, a river under the ocean, Captain Nemo, very peculiar villagers, the Anti-Cheese League...

Perhaps there are just too many ideas?

Full marks for building the mood. Full marks for a faithful following of traditional scary novels. Then the scary ending... just fades away.

Okay, it's fun. I enjoyed it. I liked the characters: the good ones, not the weird ones! The good characters acted for the general good; I like that. Just not sure what to make of the whole book! Perhaps it's too far out of my usual genre.

..o0o..

These reviews are provided by Agamedes Consulting. For an independent and thoughtful review of your processes, problems or documents, email nickleth at gmail dot com.

PissWeakly: the Index

Awakening / Lara Morgan

Awakening

category: fantasy, author:

Lara Morgan

book 1 of The Saranthium Twins
original copyright 2008

read in August 2012

Agamedes' opinion: 7 out of 10, well worth reading

I like the idea that "serpents"... dragons... are an intelligent race sharing a world with humans. Living within the terms of an agreement, for each race to support the other. The two races work together but do not share any common understandings.

Other than that -- Awakening is a reasonably standard fantasy-with-dragons. I like the characters, enough to want to read more. The story itself hangs together well, with some excitement but little suspense. Which is fine by me: I rather like a book where characters have a fair chance of living past the end.

In reading the book I went through two distinct phases -- and it may well have been the book, rather than me. First, it is a developing story of two people -- the Twins -- and their journeys from an "ordinary" life to the life of fantasy hero and heroine. An interesting world, with several distinct (human) cultures.

Half way through the book I slowly began to feel the effect of the trilogy...

The book -- or my reading -- shifted, from, Will they win? to, How far will this book get them on the way to winning? That is, the feeling grew that this really is, book one of a trilogy. Not just the first book of a series of three.

Sure enough, the book ends with cliff-hangers.

Yet there is also a satisfactory ending!

The main characters are scattered, some are unaccounted for. Yet the ones that we care about, are safe. Clearly, that is safe -- for now. Which is what I like to see.

This book is the opening scene of a war. It ends, with the heroes resting between battles. Yes, there will be more. But for now, we are safe at home. With some mysteries resolved and others yet to settle. No conclusion, but a satisfying point at which to take a break.

Okay, I'd rather have a complete story. But Awakening is good enough to read on its own. And good enough to have me hoping to read the next instalment...

With an added bonus: The author is from Western Australia, from my part of the world!

There are several good fantasy writers in Australia. Morgan is now one of them. Enjoyable, imaginative, entertaining. If the next book is as good, I will be happy. If it is even better -- then I will be very, very pleased!  And then...

I searched the web... It would seem that book 2 is published but no longer available in Australia. Book 3 is still being written -- in German, for the German market!  Ah well, it's tough in the world of writing.

Good luck, hope it all works out -- and I'll keep an eye out for a copy of Saranthium 2 and -- eventually -- three.

..o0o..

These reviews are provided by Agamedes Consulting. For an independent and thoughtful review of your processes, problems or documents, email nickleth at gmail dot com.

PissWeakly: the Index

Scottish Highlands & Islands / Rob Humphreys & Donald Reid

The Rough Guide to Scottish Highlands & Islands

category: travel, commentary, authors:

Rob Humphreys, Donald Reid

of the Rough Guide series
original copyright 2006

read in August 2012

Agamedes' opinion: 6 out of 10, read to pass the time

A thorough and worthy travel guide... but... outdated by the Internet.

It's nice to have some ideas about a place before you visit. To know what to look for... to know what other people found interesting. Whether or not you follow the suggestions depends on your own approach to travel. It's still nice to have the ideas.

Rough Guides give you ideas of history, sights... and food, drink and accommodation. Just like a lot of other travel guide series. Limited by the knowledge, expertise and bias of the authors. With luck the "bias" is consistent, so you can select a guide to suit your own bias. Details may get out-of-date very quickly, especially prices. Still, a good guide book is better than nothing. This Rough Guide is quite good.

Except that the Internet has all this and more... and is constantly being updated. And mobile communication is constantly improving.

I'm browsing a library copy of the Rough Guide. A worthwhile exercise. While we are away, we will use the Internet. And the latest tourist publications from wherever we visit. And our own observations, to spot places that interest us. The relatively heavy and possibly dated guide books will stay at home.

Mind you, one of the Internet sites that we may use -- while travelling -- is www.roughguides.com. The book is okay. The website may be a more current version of the book...

..o0o..

These reviews are provided by Agamedes Consulting. For an independent and thoughtful review of your processes, problems or documents, email nickleth at gmail dot com.

PissWeakly: the Index

Divergence / Tony Ballantyne

Divergence

category: science fiction, author:

Tony Ballantyne

book 3 of recursion, capacity...
original copyright 2007

read in August 2012

Agamedes' opinion: 5 out of 10, readable but only if there's nothing else

For a while I thought, Okay, this is not such a bad book. The author's name was familiar but I could not remember what else I had read.

Then I met Judy.

Oh yes... Judy of the multiple copies. Judy the weird. Judy the pointless.

Judy from the just as ridiculous Capacity.

Divergence begins with a group of people on a spaceship. Traders. Just beginning their trading careers. So far, so good. Room -- I thought -- for some interesting developments.

Then the "plot" stumbles downhill.

Everything that happens is driven by the super-AI which rules the universe. Or, perhaps, by the super-AI which was created by the first super-AI and which then rejected its creator. Why? Neither AI knows.

Or, perhaps, every action is driven by the super-AI which is built into the universe. Which may be God. Which acts to ensure that each and every human will live in an anthill which is exactly the same as every other anthill... or something. I'm not sure what happens to the animals... Perhaps they are all killed so that each and every human can have a very small fur coat.

So the "plot" is a series of actions which is forced onto the human characters. No free will. No excitement.

So, who cares?! The characters are also boring. It's nice that most of them survive to the end of the book. Although, in the Divergence universe, they may well reappear, as good as new, in a processing space. Or in a robot body. Ho hum.

To be positive... This is traditional hard science fiction: solid scientific ideas, cardboard characters, pre-primary plotting.

Easy to read. Totally unsatisfying.
===

25oct16: 

I started to read this book again. Had a vague memory that I had read it -- and not enjoyed it -- before. Thought, it doesn't matter, my opinions do change.

My opinions have changed.

My original review begins, " Okay, this is not such a bad book." This time: It's rubbish. Right from the start.

A quick check of my original review. Now I've stopped reading.

..o0o..

These reviews are provided by Agamedes Consulting. For an independent and thoughtful review of your processes, problems or documents, email nickleth at gmail dot com.

PissWeakly: the Index