Meme: Our Life According to the Books We Read

Alec and I found this interesting and challenging meme over at Grasping for the Wind. We talked about it and decided to post our answers. We both surprised each other and hopefully we will surprise you. And of course, we followed the rules:
" Using only books you have read this year (2009), cleverly answer these questions. Try not to repeat a book title."


Alec

Describe Yourself: Best Served Cold

How do you feel: The Darkness that Comes Before

Describe where you currently live: The Dreaming Void

If you could go anywhere, where would you go: Hyperion

Your favorite form of transport: Starship Troopers

Your best friend is: Kushiel's Dart

What's the weather like: Hiroshima Diary

Favourite time of day: When True Night Falls

What is life to you: By Blood Alone

Your fear: Second Discourse Upon the Origins and Foundations of Inequality Among Men

What is the best advice you have to give: Wizard's First Rule (lol)

Thought for the Day: The Rise and Fall of the British Aristocracy

How I would like to die: Altered Carbon

My soul's present condition: The Judging Eye

Michael

Describe Yourself: Best Served Cold

How do you feel: The Angel's Game

Describe where you currently live: Nights of Villjamur

If you could go anywhere, where would you go: The Sword-Edged Blonde

Your favorite form of transport: The Affinity Bridge

Your best friend is: The Painted Man

You and your friends are: Mistborn: The Final Empire

What's the weather like: Flood

Favourite time of day: Midnight Never Come

If your life was a: Gardens of the Moon

What is life to you: The Red Wolf Conspiracy

Your fear: Terror

What is the best advice you have to give: Getting old is a Disaster

Thought for the Day: Acacia

How I would like to die: The Graveyard Book

My soul's present condition: A Madness of Angels

Animated Movie "9" Falls Short

Last night, thanks to the generous folks over at Tor, my girlfriend and I were able to sneak into the screening “9”, by Shane Acker. Heralded as the future of animation, I couldn’t help but notice that the applause when the movie started was distinctly louder than when it ended. My sense of trepidation and excitement bled away within the first fifteen minutes to be replaced by annoyance towards the disjointed story line and shallow characters. While both stylistically and metaphorically “9” is indeed a masterpiece, the overall experience leaves one somewhere between annoyed and confused.

As a longtime fan of speculative fiction, I consider myself a master of the ability to suspend disbelief. Indeed, when I review a book the first question I ask myself is: “How hard did I have to work to believe the story?” A skillful storyteller makes the process painless and enjoyable, allowing you to immerse yourself in a wonderful new world, which in the case of 9 is a meticulously crafted post-apocalyptic dystopia. The process applies equally to movies, where the cinematography parallels written world building and character construction parallels acting. Sadly, it is in the latter that 9 fell short.

(anatomy of stitchpunk)

From a technical point of view, “9” painted itself into a corner as far as character construction and depth goes. Indeed, when each doll is intended to represent a specific and unique aspect of the human soul, it is rightfully difficult, if not impossible, to pull off complex characters. The stellar cast of voice actors did an admirable job, but there always seemed to be a certain disconnect between voice and visual. Then again, the stitchpunk beings (Shane Acker’s term) were hardly constructed to express the full range and subtleties of human emotion.

Generally, the movie would have benefited from an addition twenty of so minutes of backstory—preferably before the extinction of humanity—to fill a number of logical gaps, and to heighten the contrast between past and present. More backstory might also have helped explain the sudden leap between the mechanical and the organic; a rushed and distinctly jarring shift in focus that is my main source of disappointment in the movie. All in all, similar to Spirits of the Past for those of you familiar with Japanese anime, there are just too many loose ends and unanswered questions, even though the animation itself is indeed visionary.

(our end)

Ironically, I recommend seeing this on the big screen, or at the very least on Blue Ray, because that is how it was meant to be experienced. Plain old television just won’t capture the rich, textured detail and stunning animation. Experiencing a post apocalyptic dystopia from the point of view of the small stitchpunk beings is what makes the movie unique and memorable, an ultimately, well worth your time. Don’t let my nitpicking dissuade you from seeing what is sure to become an instant classic – I know I will be holding on to my movie photobook!

(team effort)

Screening and Review: "9", by Tim Burton

Thanks to the generous folks at Tor, I will be attending the screening of the movie "9" tonight in Union Square, NYC. Michael has blogged about the 9 trailer and the amazing cast, and I have avidly followed news of the animated movie for a while now. So, stay tuned for my review, which I will post here shortly after the early screening:

A new era in animated storytelling begins on 9.9.09. Visionary filmmakers Tim Burton (The Corpse Bride, Charlie and The Chocolate Factory) and Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted, Nightwatch) join forces to produce wunderkind director Shane Acker’s distinctively original and thrilling tale. 9 stars Elijah Wood, John C. Reilly, Jennifer Connelly, Martin Landau, Christopher Plummer and Crispin Glover and features the music of Danny Elfman. When 9 (The Lord of the Ring’s Elijah Wood) first comes to life, he finds himself in a post-apocalyptic world. All humans are gone, and it is only by chance that he discovers a small community of others like him taking refuge from fearsome machines that roam the earth intent on their extinction. Despite being the neophyte of the group, 9 convinces the others that hiding will do them no good. They must take the offensive if they are to survive, and they must discover why the machines want to destroy them in the first place. As they’ll soon come to learn, the very future of civilization may depend on them.

EDIT: My review of 9 is up, and I added some of the moviebook art. It really is beautiful.

The Butcher's Bill: August Reads

Alec's Reads

This has been a heavily fantasy series centric month for me, but all in all of very high quality. Some old, some new, and a trashy science fiction book or two thrown in for kicks. Sadly, my to be read pile boasts few science fiction books, but I am working on that problem; I am still looking for military science fiction, so if you have any suggestions please leave a comment.

Gardens of the Moon (1999), by Steven Erikson. [US][UK] - 688 pages.

Deadhouse Gates (2000), by Steven Erikson. [US][UK] - 608 pages.

Black Sun Rising (1991), by C. S. Friedman. [US][UK] - 496 pages.

When True Night Falls (1993), by C. S. Friedman. [US][UK] - 560 pages.

Crown of Shadows (1995), by C. S. Friedman. [US][UK] - 525 pages.

The Witches of Karres (1966), James H. Schmitz. [US][UK] - 400 pages.

The Blade Itself (2006), by Joe Abercrombie. [US][UK] - 448 pages.

Before They Are Hanged (2007), by Joe Abercrombie. [US][UK] - 448 pages.

Last Argument of Kings (2008), by Joe Abercrombie. [US][UK] - 639 pages.

Death's Head: Day of the Damned (2009), by David Gunn. [US][UK] - 368 pages.

Best Served Cold (2009), by Joe Abercrombie. [US][UK] - 560 pages.

Alec's Stats

Average Pages Per Day: 192.

Average Publication Date: 1998.

Average Books Per Day: 0.33.

SF v F ratio: 2 / 9.

Children Saved from Flaming Car Wrecks: 17

Michael's Reads

Compared to Alec my list is very short. In August I returned to work after holiday and there has not much time left for reading. I finished three books and bought four books. That means only one more book for my TBR pile.

Human Nature: Pax Britannia Series (2008), by Jonathan Green. [US][UK] - 320 pages.

Bloodheir (2008), by Brian Ruckley. [US][UK] - 528 pages.

The Angel's Game (2008), by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. [US][UK] - 441 pages.

Michael's Stats

Average Pages Per Day: 42.23.

Average Publication Date: 2008.

Average Books Per Day: 0.09.