Current Film Reviews- The Goldfinch

     Hey, an Ansel Elgort feature that is being released in theaters.  Despite having now designated myself as his nemesis (which would mean something if he was aware of my existence), I didn't know whether or not to review this film. That is, until its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it was scorched by critics. I knew the book was controversial when it won a Pulitzer, but even that didn't prepare me for the savaging this film got. And then and there, I decided to do this review. I'll say this: it didn't disappoint.

    Based on Donna Tartt's 2013 Pulitzer Prize winning novel of the same name, The Goldfinch tells the story of the life of Theodore Decker (Oakes Fegley  as a child; Ansel Elgort as an adult), who survives a terrorist attack on MoMA, which takes the life of his mother (Hailey Wist). However, as he stumbles through the wreckage, he comes across the mortally wounded Welty Blackwell (Robert Joy), who entrusts him with Carel Fabritus' 1654 painting The Goldfinch. Decker keeps the painting with him, as he journeys through life. From staying with family friend Samantha Barbour (Nicole Kidman) and her family, including his best friend Andy (Ryan Foust), and apprenticing with Backwell's partner James Hobart (Jeffrey Wright) as well as meeting Blackwell's niece Pippa (Aimee Laurence as a child; Ashleigh Cummings as an adult) before his deadbeat father (Luke Wilson, being very Luke Wilson-y) drags him to Las Vegas, where he befriends Ukranian expatriate Boris (Finn Wolfhard as a child, Aneurin Barnard as an adult). Through it all, he still has the painting, seemingly.

       This is going to be a very negative review,  but I'm obliged to at least point out things that work. There are some flashes where young Theo and his friends are having fun or enjoying each other's company which work and are actually mildly interesting. There's a shot here and there that kind of works. Occasionally, it gets bizarrely melodramatic, or overly serious enough to be unintentionally funny.

     The film this most reminded me of was M. Night Shyamalan's The Happening. Stiff acting all around; pretentious, absurd themes and dialogue; weird, out-of-place cartoon characters in otherwise stern serious work. This feels like a very bad late period Shyamalan movie (ironically, his own movie this year is actually better), and all the flaws that entails. It's a shame, because the director, John Crowley, did Brooklyn , which has the bright lighting, but had a charm and warmth to it, that this film severely needs. It takes itself way too seriously, with its themes of terrorism, abuse, the value of art, antiques, family but it never focuses on one theme long enough for any of it to matter or for it to have a coherent message. Like I said, sometimes, it's untentionally funny sometimes, it gets so melodramatic and offbeat. Bigger than that, though, is that the film is just boring. There is no narrative structure to it, so it's very hard to tell when it's going to end, and it just keeps going. It just goes on with dull acting and painfully boring dialogue. I almost fell asleep watching this a couple times. It crosses the threshold into terrible with its crushing length. 2 and a half hours! Virtually nothing happens in this, and it takes that long to tell this story.

     If I hadn't gotten a literal headache watching Godzilla:King of Monsters, this probably would be the worst movie I've seen this year. I struggle to find things that really work about this film. I considered just getting up and walking out, I was so un-invested in this film. It is simply terrible, and I can't think of any reason to see it. Even if the accidental humor intrigues you, it is so few and far between to really make this worth 2 and half hours, and it's mostly tedium in between. I was worried that I wouldn't have enough to write this before I saw the film. Now, I think I have too much, because there might be stuff I've forgotten!

   Anyway, thanks for reading, and join me on the 28th, for the start of my annual horror review, beginning with the 1958 version of The Fly.

Masterpiece of Horror Theatre- American Psycho

       Bret Eaton Ellis' American Psycho was released in 1991, towards the end of the 80's culturally in the US (with the collapse of the USSR and the election of Bill Clinton on the horizon). Having explored the culture of dissatisfied teens in Less than Zero and The Rules of Attraction, American Psycho explored the "yuppie" subculture of wealthy young people on Wall Street, through the lens of Patrick Bateman, secretly a psychotic murderer, and would explore the excesses of consumerism and capitalism. The book was ... controversial after its publication, with some taking issue with Bateman's misogyny and the violence. The controversy didn't deter Hollywood, with producer Edward R. Pressman buying the rights with Johnny Depp in mind for the lead in 1992. After Stuart Gordon fell through, David Cronenberg was attached to direct, with a script by Ellis himself.  Eventually, this fell apart due Ellis' dissatisfaction with where Cronenberg wanted to take the film. The film went around, at one point being considered for a TV series for NBC, before eventually ending up with another Canadian director Mary Harron (known for her film on Valerie Solarias, I Shot Andy Warhol (if you wanted to know who she was)), working from a script she wrote with frequent collaborator Guinevere Turner. Controversy still followed the film, due to the book's reputation and especially due to the Columbine massacre. Many tried to stop the film's production through various means, and many fashion labels and some artists (including Whitney Houston) refused to have their products shown. Christian Bale (ironically the stepson of famed feminist Gloria Steinem, a staunch critic of the book and the production, who would later urge Leonardo DiCaprio when he was attached to back out) was given the lead, with Willem Defoe, Reese Witherspoon, and Jared Leto in supporting roles. Emerging Canadian film company Lionsgate would purchase the film, though pushing for Edward Norton or Leonardo DiCaprio in the lead. Harron briefly left when Lionsgate replaced Bale with DiCaprio, and Oliver Stone replaced her. However, when this fell apart both Harron and Bale returned. Bale primarily channeled Tom Cruise in the role (ironically, given Cruise was a minor character in the book), and studied the book extensively to prepare for the role.  Released in Sundance to polarized reactions, it would receive positive reviews and good box office. Ellis was decided ... mixed on the film, let's just say.

      In 1987, Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) lives a very meticulous life as a Wall Street investment banker. He has an extensive morning routine to keep his face fresh, he has what we in our modern era might call a playlist of 80's pop to listen to, and he dines with his fiancee Evelyn (Reese Witherspoon) and their vapid friends, including Paul Allen (Jared Leto, and yes, that name is a bit of an odd choice). This all hides his nature as a sociopath and murderer. When Allen displays a better business card than his, Bateman takes out his rage by killing a homeless man (the late Reg E. Cathey) and his dog. Bateman then lures Allen to his apartment, where he lectures Allen on Huey Lewis and the News, before axe-murdering him. This sends Bateman on a spiral, as he is interviewed by police detective Donald Kimball (Willem Defoe)

       I think that this film walks a very fine line. Its various observations, in any other hands, would've seemed too preachy or obvious, and might've come off too comedic to be truly satirical (if that makes any sense). However, director Harron manages to make it obvious, but natural enough that the viewer can believe what the characters are saying, and also glean the messages at hand. How Bateman's feels alienated by a world as meaningless and cold as 1980's Wall Street, and that just fuels his own rage. Christian Bale is a true standout, giving, I think, a better performance than even his turn as Batman in Christopher Nolan's trilogy. He captures both Bateman's yuppie outer self talking to his peers, and him as a depraved individual indulging in his murderous delusions, as well as his mental decline.  I read that Ellis' biggest complaint was that the unreliable narrator aspect of the book wasn't conveyed properly. I disagree. If anything, the unreliable narrator was the best part, keeping the viewer in the dark as to whether Bateman is just imaging the increasingly out there moments that happen to him. The contrast between the very ornate places Bateman inhabits and the very gory violence he inflicts cements the film's themes.

    I felt that some parts were left unresolved or unexplained. Like the character of Kimball sort of disappears at the end, and Allen is implied to be still alive. Or the fact that Bateman is mistaken for various other people. Maybe these are better explained in the book, but they feel like they don't go anywhere or really fit within the film.

      I had wanted to read the book before doing this review, since I had seen the film before, and had hoped to get a new perspective on it. Life got in the way of that, however. That said, this is a true modern classic of the genre, a satirical piece that takes on the culture of the Reagan era and all its truly emotionless, money-driven culture, and holds specific relevance today, if you catch my meaning. A definite watch for fans and non-fans alike.

Tomorrow, I close out this year, in honor of its remake, with Dario Argento's Suspiria.

Current Film Reviews: American Animals

           There are two reasons I haven't done any reviews in the past two months. One is simply I was busy with finals and the like at school, and immediately after, I went on vacation. So, with all that, I couldn't really write anything. Another major factor is that I couldn't really find anything to say about certain films. I considered Deadpool as a potential candidate, but I realized that detailing the plot would involve big spoilers. I considered Upgrade, but I couldn't quite muster much material for a full review, nor did Hotel Artemis. So, given it's been two months, I'll just do a review of a film I saw a couple days ago, that I don't have much material for, and might be out of theaters at this point.

           This film is based on the real life 2004 robbery of rare books at Transylvania University in Kentucky, done in a docudrama style, with the real participants interviewed along with a dramatization of the events.  Spencer Reinhard (Barry Keoghan) and Warren Lipka (Evan Peters) decide to abandon their hum-drum lives and commit a robbery of the rare books collection at their university in Kentucky, which includes the original folios of John James Audubon's Birds of America (estimated at $12 million) as well as other rare books. After Warren secures a buyer in the Netherlands, they recruit acquaintances Chas Allen (Blake Jenner) and Eric Borsuk to help, planning an elaborate heist to extract the books and gain the money. However, they find that committing a robbery is far easier in the movies, than it is in real life.

          I thought of two films watching this: Richard Linklater's Bernie and I, Tonya. The former because of its docudrama style (though this, unlike Bernie, uses mostly the real participants in interviews), and dark themes, and I, Tonya due to its focus on unreliable narrators and uncertain events. Both work to make a very fractured narrative, and not in a bad way. It helps builds to the unstable nature of the robbery itself, and how people tend to recall minor events differently, when compared to more intense one. The film is concise, with everything inside building to some sort of theme or contributing to the plot. Everything always builds the plot, or deals with the theme. The interviews help give more insight into the minds of the characters, and helps make this event more real. Going off that, it also deconstructs heist movies, as their plans for the heist slowly go awry thanks to different factors, and their overestimation of their capacity. Thus, it goes horribly wrong during their final heist. It gets hard to watch.

     The first half drags a little. I understand that it builds up, but it sort of drops us into the action, with no real exposition, other than the interviews. It never really establishes itself in a satisfactory manner, and thus, the build-up feels off constantly. It manages to re-adjust itself once they begin to actually plan the heist, but it should probably have been a bit longer. The interview/dramatization ratio decreases towards the second half. Whilst this allows us to absorb the magnitude of their failure, I honestly would've liked some commentary on what actually happened during it.

     Like I said, not much material I could gain from this. Overall, though, this is a recommendation. It's probably out of theaters, but if it's still playing or coming on DVD or home video, I'd say seek this out for fans of Indie films or heist films or true crime. 

    Next time, I will delve into Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, and something a little different.

Current Film Review- Ready Player One

      In a sense, I've been preparing for this very review for over a year. I read the book in order to fully immerse myself into this particular mythos, and to adequately critique this particular work on the basis of adaptation. Now, I wasn't really a fan of the book (and about a year after reading, I've forgotten large swathes of it), but even after finishing it, I did see the potential for a decent film adaptation. Yeah, the book was pretty mediocre, but Steven Spielberg has taken mediocre books, (like, say, an airport novel about a shark attacking a beach town or a technothriller about an amusement park filled with genetically engineered dinosaurs), and turned them into some of the greatest thrillers ever made. So, despite my own misgivings on the source material, I did see the potential in this particular film. Now having seen it, it definitely is not among Spielberg's best, but it is still overall fun and enjoyable on itself, and despite myself, I had a good time watching it.

        Based on Ernest Cline's novel of the same name( which is the "Holy Grail of Pop Culture", whatever that means), the book is set 37 years in the future. The world is in shambles after a series of named (though unspecified) incidents, and most people decide to retreat into a large video game system called "OASIS", where people, in their avatar forms, live their lives effectively online, using some sort of VR system mixed with motion sensors, it seems. However, most people spend their time in one particular pursuit. The architect of this system, James Halliday (Mark Rylance), has strategically placed three easter eggs (in the form of keys), throughout the OASIS, and whoever can locate and use these three keys can gain his fortune of 500 billion dollars and control over the OASIS itself. Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan), aka Parzival (after the knight who discovered the Holy Grail) is one of those so-called "Gunters", who hunt down clues, using Hallidays disturbingly large collection of 80's trivia and memorabilia to help find these clues. He is joined by his friends Aech (I'd give the name of the person who plays Aech here, but it's kind of a spoiler, so I won't), Daito (Win Morisaki), and Sho (Phillip Zhao). During the race challenge for the first key, he also meets Artemis (Olivia Cooke), who he begins to have affection for. Parzival's luck changes when he looks closer at the original clue for the first key, and manages to win his way into becoming the first person to win the key. This prompts a frenzy as the search restarts after being moribund for so long. However, Parzival's success also attracts the attention of IOI, a large tech corporation of some kind, led by Nolan Sorrento (Ben Mendelsohn), who keeps a series of indentured servants called "Sixers" around to help find the keys, to give IOI control over the OASIS, whereupon they'll turn it into a massive ad space. Now, as Parzival, Artemis, and co. try to find the other keys, they also must prevent IOI from gaining them first, thus attaining complete control over OASIS.

       First and foremost, this film looks gorgeous. For a fully CGI world, it just pops out, especially in terms of color. It is very bright and distinct, managing to pump a lot of detail into various shots. It is incredibly pleasant to look at, and manages to invokes the feel of what the OASIS is meant to be. In effect, a large scale CGI MMORPG.  Even during the various action scenes, the film largely remains coherent in terms of visuals. Speaking of action, it is a lot of fun to watch, and sometimes very creative, especially during the climax. I was honestly enthralled and absorbed by a lot of these action scenes. I also thought the film managed to fix some of the issues I had with the book (some, I used there, as I'll explain later.) The plot feels a lot less flabby and directionless, and the characters are much more fleshed out, or at the very least, somewhat compelling or interesting in some way. The story also does actually use its setting to deploy some commentary.  It's not particularly deep or revelatory, but its presence is an immediate upgrade from the book, where the implications of its various parts isn't really considered to any significant degree. I also got a better sense of the dystopia that was there, even if, like in the book, it isn't explained very well. It also removes a lot of the more problematic elements of the book, and makes the main character a lot less of an unsufferable know-it-all(probably my biggest problems with the book)

     Like I said, the film fixes several of the books problem, but a couple remain. The exposition at beginning was very reminiscent of the exposition, and much like that, it doesn't work. It feels like a case of  "tell, not show". The dialogue also got a little cringy at times, especially during Parzival's and Arthemis' relationship, or some of Sorrento's interactions. The interworkings of this future, the OASIS, and IOI aren't explained very well, and I got confused sometimes trying to figure it out. The references, like in the book, got a little bit on my nerves. Some works, like Kim Newman's Anno Dracula series or Alan Moore's League of Extraordinary Gentlemen , manage to integrate references in such a way that either drives the plot, or is just interesting salad dressing. The references in this and its source material just feel gratuitous and even a tad absurd. I'll give the film version, Spielberg changes a lot of them, and some of them are decent enough tributes to friends of his (Robert Zemeckis and Stanley Kubrick among them). Overall, though, it still feels a bit pander-ish, and it weakens the film's ability to stand on its merits.

      Despite the flaws of the film (which are more apparent once you've seen it), I enjoyed this picture. Unlike the slog of a book it came from, this managed to invoke a sense of fun and excitement, and I was invested. It was (ironically) a fun retreat, where I could just sit and enjoy what's happenng on the screen. It certainly did make a better film than it did a book. If you like the book, you may enjoy this, though bear in mind, a lot has been changed, especially in terms of plot. If you hated the book, you might either appreciate the changes, or still dislike it, because the basic structure is still present. If you've never read it, I think it will make enough sense for you to follow it, though even I, someone who has read the book, got lost at times, so don't feel bad if you do. 

Masterpiece of Horror Theatre- Lifeforce

    Before I talk about this film, I need to discuss the production company behind it, Cannon Films. Founded as a studio for low-budget independent films in 1967 (note that term carried a lot less prestige to it back then), it was bought by Israeli cousins Menachem Golan and Yeram Globus in 1979, who expanded the company's purview, churning low-budget blockbusters at a very fast rate during the 80's (some good, some successful, most neither). They are notable for the Death Wish series starring Charles Bronson,for introducing Chuck Norris as an action star, and for producing the fourth Superman film (the one with Nuclear Man). There is a fascinating documentary, Electric Boogalo (named for one of its most famous features, Breakin' II: Electric Boogalo), that details the insanity produced at Cannon, both on and off screen, that is, as of this writing, available on Netflix. In 1980, they managed to obtain the rights to Colin Wilson's 1976 novel The Space Vampires. The book was one of Wilson's riffs on Lovecraftian horror, one of a trilogy of sorts on the topic after Lovecraft's de facto estate executor August Derelith challenged Wilson (who had been critical of the late writer) to write a Lovecraftian novel. After years of trying to get the film made, they finally found a director when they signed Tobe Hopper on for three pictures in 1984. Hopper had recently come off  directing Poltergeist with producer Stephen Spielberg, but there was a massive controversy over who actually directed most of the film (most observers said that Spielberg had taken over directing duties from Hopper). Having little interest in Hollywood, Hopper signed on with Cannon, who, at least with big name directors, allowed them a degree of leeway with their works (hence, why John Cassavetes and Norman Mailer were among the directors who did films for them). Cannon had hoped this would be their breakout hit, pouring $25 million, higher than their usual. They also had the name changed to Lifeforce , as Space Vampires was too similar to the low-budget fare they normally produced. The screenplay was written by Dan O'Bannon, co-writer of Alien, and Don Jakoby who wrote... uh, Blue Thunder, the story to the Philadelphia Experiment, Death Wish 3, Double Team (that 90's movie with Dennis Rodman and Jean-Claude Van Damme.), and a bunch of other films you've never heard of. Though, theirs was the last of 8 drafts, and Hopper changed elements of it, including adding Halley's Comet (which was about to make its appearance on Earth in 1986), and moving the time setting accordingly (from the late 21st Century to the present). Hopper's 128 minute final cut was shopped down to 116 minutes for international audiences and 108 minutes for US audiences. The film opened to negative reviews and disappointing box office, but had a minor cult following, and a 67% on Rotten Tomatoes.

       The international shuttle Churchill (powered by a NERVA engine, which, as a space nerd, was a nice detail) is exploring Halley's Comet during its sojourn towards Earth, when it comes across a strange object that is 2 miles in length, that is orbiting the comet. The crew go inside the object, where they find thousands of strange bat-like creatures seemingly dead, before heading to a crystal room, where three humanoid creatures (Matilda May, Chris Jagger, and Bill Malin) are seeming in stasis. However, when they return, mission control is unable to make contact with the crew. The Columbia (which may or may not be the real life space shuttle) is sent to intercept the ship, and find the three humanoid creatures intact, but the crew seemingly dead. They are transferred to the European Space Research Center in London, where they are kept under the supervision of Dr. Hans Fallada (Frank Finlay) and Col. Colin Caine (Peter Firth). However, during the examination, the female humanoid comes to life, and escapes, sucking a strange substance (which Dr. Fallada calls the Lifeforce) from some of the guards. During the autopsy of one of those guards, he briefly comes back to life, and sucks the lifeforce from one of the morticians. When isolated, the guard disintegrates, showing that the vampires need a steady stream of this to stay alive. At the same time, the survivor of the Churchill mission , American Col. Tom Carlsen (Steve Railsback) lands in Texas in an escape pod, and is brought to London to brief on the situation. We learn that the crew gradually died as they transported the humanoids back, leaving him, and forcing him to flee. With the female vampire on the loose, Caine and Carlsen must find the vampire, and prevent them from killing more people.

     The first thing that popped out about this film was the score. Henry Mancini (famous for composing the score for Breakfast at Tiffany's and the theme to The Pink Panther) managed to create a score that evokes the mood for every scene. It helps set the mood for the film, and gives more emotion to it. Plus, it works in its own right. Look up the trailer for this film, and you get the idea for how intense this score is. The production design is also well-done. The alien ship around Halley is distinct and memorable in appearance. Some of the visuals and scares are very evocative. The plot has that sort of urgency that makes sci-fi B-Movies very enjoyable. Hopper said that he had wanted to make a "70 mm Hammer Film", and the largest influence I can see is the Quatermass series. As a fan of that series (Quatermass and the Pit is one of my favorite horror films), I appreciated how much this movie set out to emulate it, not only in the more methodical way the protagonists approach the problem, but the large scale disaster event which feels big and dangerous, even to the viewer at home. It also has the Gothic feel of many of Hammer's other films, which sets it apart from other science fiction horror films. It feels like a large-scale science fiction film, that just happens to have vampires in it.

     Like I said, this film was cut down, and it shows. There are plot holes on occasion, and it gets confusing, with characters occasionally appearing or disappearing from the film. The Lifeforce and space vampire also feel underexplained as concepts. There is enough there that the plot could be understood, but I felt a little more could've clarified certain scenes (including the ending). It also suffers from "middle syndrome", where it drags a little towards the middle of the film. Granted, not that much, but enough that it felt a little boring.

     Earlier this year, I watched a film called Life. It was a simple creature feature, but seemed to think itself as more thoughtful explorative film about extraterrestrial life. I felt then and now that film could've done what this film had done. This is a B-movie, and it knows that it's a B-Movie. Instead of running away from that, however, it embraces that label, and takes full advantage of its wonky premise. That's what makes it such an enjoyable film. It is campy enough that you are aware of its absurdity, but not so campy that you can't take it seriously. Thus, I highly recommend it to anyone wanting an enjoyable experience. It is also a legitimately good science fiction film, so if you like science fiction (and it's not really that scary, so you don't need to be a horror fan), this would be an interesting (if not good) watch.

   Next time, I continue with Hopper's three movie deal with Cannon with his remake of Invaders from Mars.

Film Review: The Jungle Book

      A very common complaint about the modern film industry is that everything is derivative. Most of the big blockbusters are either adaptations of popular superhero comics, young adult novels, novels in general, or are outright remakes. Whilst not necessarily invalid, this doesn't mean that any of these films are bad by any measure. Most of the Marvel films have garnered mostly critical acclaim, for instance. And the recent crop of Disney live-action reimaginings have seen some positive reviews. Given Disney's recent live action offerings (John Carter, The Lone Ranger, Tomorrowland), perhaps that's a bit of relief to the House of the Mouse. Especially the critical and financial success of today's subject, The Jungle Book. The success of this, and other recent live action remakes, has ensured that other Disney animated films are remade. Relatively recent ones too, like Mulan or Aladdin. But, is this truly as good as the critics say. Let's take a look.

    A remake of the 1967 Disney animated film (which is, in turn, very loosely based off the first three in the 1894 collection of stories of the same name by Rudyard Kipling), The Jungle Book revolves around Mowgli (Neel Sethi), a feral child raised in the jungles of India by a pack of wolves, led by Akela (Giancarlo Esposito) and Raksha (Lupita Nyong'o). During the dry season, a "Peace Rock" is revealed in a dried river, which is an indication of a truce amongst the animals. Basically, during this period, carnivores can't eat herbivores. However, during this truce, the ruthless tiger Shere Khan (Idris Elba), learns of Mowgli's existence. Given his hatred of humans, Shere Khan demands that Mowgli be turned over to him, or else. Mowgli decides, in order to protect the wolves, to leave, and his mentor, the black panther Bagheera (Ben Kingsley) accompanies him to the man village. Mowgli is reluctant to go to the man village, given his upbringing by wolves. However, Shere Khan ambushes Mowgli, and separates him from Bagheera. Mowgli wanders the jungle, encountering colorful characters, the sloth bear Baloo (Bill Murray) (who doesn't at all look like a sloth bear, a very small thing that bothered me through the film), the Gigantopithecus King Louie (Christopher Walken), and the python Kaa (Scarlett Johansson). Can Mowgli evade Shere Khan, or can he control the power of man's red flower (and apologizes if that song's stuck in your head for the next week) to defeat Shere Khan.

       First, the film looks very impressive. Very distinct and colorful. The talking animals feel real, not just computer constructs. The jungle also looks very lively, and very real. While I do often complain about the use of 3-D in films, I did think this looked very impressive in 3-D, and if you wanted to watch it, I do recommend watching it in 3-D, because it does enhance the look of the film. Most of the actors do fine. Neel Sethi wasn't great, but I'll give him a pass, because he's only ten, and I'd feel like a jerk for criticizing his performance. Ben Kingsley and Idris Elba do fine in their respective roles (Kingsley sounding very similar to Bagheera's original voice actor) . Bill Murray was perfect casting as Baloo, and he is, of course, very entertaining to watch. And Christopher Walken as King Louie was hilarious. He's supposed to menacing, but with Walken's signature voice, and him randomly breaking into the chorus and second verse of  "I Wanna Be Like You", it was frankly hard to take him seriously (also, insert Donald Trump joke here). He's not bad, by any means, and when he chases after Mowgli at the end of the scene. I just cracked up during his appearance. It was entertaining to watch.

     A few odd, superfluous choices bothered me through this film. Like I said, Baloo is supposed to be a sloth bear, as he was in the novel and the film. However, this is what he looked like in the film:

Source: http://morungexpress.com/the-jungle-book-trailer-mowgli-is-back-with-his-army-of-wild/

And here's what a sloth bear actually looks like:

Source:http://wildlifesos.org/indian-sloth-bears/

  That relatively minor thing bothered me. King Louie being a Gigantopithecus also was unnecessary. India and Sumatra are not that far away, You could just had an Orangutan wash up there after a storm or something like that. Having him be a prehistoric ape seems excessive. Also, he and Kaa were just devices to explain important plot points. Otherwise, they serve no real purpose in the story. The rendition of "I Wanna Be Like You", like I said, comes out of nowhere. They sing "Bear Necessities", of course, but it made more sense in the scene it was in. While they are trying to take the animated version, and make a more serious version, they also bring in elements from the Kipling stories. The Wolves play a larger role, as they did in the story, the Law of the Jungle poem is recited, the monkeys are called "Bandar-Logs"(and they butcher the pronunciation of it) and several minor characters from the book make cameos. This doesn't come off as a way to balance the two, since most of the rest of the film is derived from the 1967 film. If you're going to remake the 1967 film, you could just take elements from that. Don't randomly place stuff from the novel, and do nothing with those, because none of those additions really add to film. Finally, the ending completely misses the point of the story, both the book and the Disney film. I won't spoil it, but you've seen or read any variation of this story, you get the general message of it. However, the ending just completely botches it, and misses the whole point.

    If you were looking for a film version, which is very close to the Kipling stories, like I was, you will sadly be disappoint. Just for some recommendations in that case, animator Chuck Jones (who was a very prominent animator in the Golden Age Looney Tunes shorts, and later directed How the Grinch Stole Christmas) did an animated TV special based on Mowgli's Brothers in 1976, which is considered one of the closest adaptation of the story ever made (Sadly, he was never able to adapt the other two stories.) If you enjoyed the Disney version, it isn't a musical, and it is more intense, so you might not enjoy it as much, though you might like the Bear Necessities rendition. Some might enjoy just the visual and the action sequences, so I'd recommend it. Overall, this was okay. Can't really muster any strong emotions about it. It wasn't nearly as good as the original. In fact, just watch the original. It has all the classic songs, and the decent animation. Yeah, it hasn't held up particularly well, but it is much better than this. However, this wasn't bad. Just, not really interesting or new. Hopefully, the Warner Bros version coming out next year will provide a more interesting retelling of this story.  

Book Review: A Kim Jong-Il Production by Paul Fischer

    This was originally going to be a review of Fred Hoyle's The Black Cloud, but my workload has prevented me from finishing that work at the moment. When I do finish, I will make sure to post a review of it. For now, here is a review of a book I read in one go a few months ago. When you think of North Korea, you most likely think of the lunacy and caricature of its ruler, Kim Jong Un. However, beyond this, there is still a nation of people suffering under a complete totalitarian regime, which controls every aspect of their lives, with little hope of escape. Beyond the pompous absurdity, there is a real horror that presides over the regime. And much of that is the result of the ruling Kim dynasty. Their grip on the entire country is so absolute, it bends to their will completely. Believe it or not, though, there was a time, when the leadership was interested in creating a good image of itself (As opposed to today, where the Dear Leader does what he wants), and the best way to do that was film. Exporting quality films could show that North Korea wasn't nearly as bad as people assumed. However,  the North Korea "film industry" was a mere machine to produce propaganda films venerating the Kims and the whole Jurche ideology, with very little artistic value.  Kim Jong-Il, the son of the original Dear Leader, Kim Sung-Il, and a huge movie buff, wanted to change that. He wanted to show that North Korea could make great, popular films, and those would help popularize North Korea among the world community. And he had a plan to do just that. A Kim Jong-Il Production, written by journalist Paul Fischer, details the story of a filmmaker and his actress wife, who are both kidnapped by Kim, and forced to serve as the filmmakers of the Hermit Kingdom. And we will take a look at it now.

(Note: I do not know Korean or how the Korean name system works, so I might refer to some people incorrectly. My sincerest apologizes if I do.)

    Shin Sang-Ok was one of the most acclaimed directors in South Korea during the 50's and 60's. His wife, Choi Eun-hee was one of the biggest stars in the country. The two of them had a whirlwind romance, despite Choi being married, and they were one of the most famous couples in South Korea, being personal friends of the South Korean dictator Park Chung hee, and his wife, Yuk Young-soo, among other.  Shin was overly dedicated to the art of filmmaking, and he and Choi had their own studio. Choi also ran her own acting school to teach a new generation of South Korean Thespians. However, this was soon to end, as Shin had an affair with another actress, whom he impregnated. Choi divorced him, and he also ran afoul with government censorship, which ultimately led to a shutdown of his studio in 1978. Meanwhile, Choi struggled to maintain her school, which led to her accepting an offer from Hong Kong, which would have helped her school. And she ends up getting kidnapped. After a long boat ride, she eventually finds herself in North Korea (a country she had fled during the Korean War), and has a face to face encounter with Kim Jong-Il, the son of the founder, Kim Sung-Il, who keeps her as a prisoner. Meanwhile Shin investigates his ex-wife disappearance in Hong Kong, but is himself captured. He is tossed around the infamous North Korean prison system, kept alive for mysterious reasons. Finally, in 1982, he is reunited with his wife, and Kim Jong-Il himself comes to explain their presence. He wants to project the glory of North Korea to the entire world, but he needs some actual good films, not just state propaganda. He hopes to utilize the talents of Shin in order to make those films. Kim makes Shin a cultural official, and he and Choi once again make movies. Of the films made in North Korea, the most notable and well-known is 1985's Pulgasari, a pseudo-Kaiju film, revolving around a mythical creature who is called upon to kill an oppressive warlord by a village under his rule....only to himself oppress the villagers himself. (Subtle....)Despite being directly under the thumb of the son of the Dear Leader, the two still plot their escape. They eventually carry it out while in a film festival in Vienna. They slip past their North Korean detail, and drive to the American embassy, where they ask for asylum. While Jong continued to rise through the ranks to eventually succeed his father following the latter's death in 1994, Shin and Choi spend time in the US, getting reacquainted with some of their South Korean friends and family (including their children). Shin tried to start a career in Hollywood, directing, among other things, the third 3 Ninjas film (remember that franchise? Yeah, me neither), and a Romanian co-produced remake of Pulgasari called The Legend of Galgameth, before finally coming back to South Korea to dispel rumors that they had willingly defected to the North. They remained there, until Shin's death in 2006.Choi Eun-Hee is still alive, and living in Seoul, where the book concludes.

      This book was very well researched. The writer derived most of his information from Shin and Choi Korean language memoirs, but, as he details in the afterword, Fischer went out of his way to really verify the story, and make sure that every word is accurate, at least to the extent that he could. And frankly, the story is quite hard to believe at points. The North Korean state really is as absurd and extreme as the news often states. However, there were many horrors that many don't know about. Shin and Choi's kidnapping? That was actually very common, and not just from South Korea. They would kidnap people from Japan, Hong Kong, and even as far away as Jordan. They didn't target them, but just kidnap them at random, and try to train them as spies. They also had this massive drug dealing empire to help fund the government. North Korea also had an extensive prison system, where the tiniest offences could lead to not only you, but your entire extended family. It really does hammer in the horror of the regime. Equally disturbing and absurd is the life of Kim Jong-Il, who would often hold absurd and bizarre parties, but still had enough power to force people to play along. Among the examples of his power was killing an actress whom he had an affair with, after she eloped with someone else and tricking the actor who played Godzilla (the guy in the suit) to star in Pulgasari.  An entire mythology has been concocted about the Kims, ensuring that the population is under their complete influence, in an almost religious fashion....

       As this is a non-fiction work, I don't really want to criticize the story, as it likely happened as described. It's hard to criticize reality, after all. That said, the writer could have added more detail to actual films that Shin made in North Korea. Pulgasari is covered in some detail, as it was the most well known (and worst) film out of this period, given it was smuggled to Japan shortly after its release. However, more detail on the rest of the films would have given a better impression of Shin's North Korean films. He also never puts up any other accounts beside Shin and Choi's. It would've been nice to see the perspective of the two from others who knew them, even if most of them are deceased at this point, and it's hard to find such perspective.

    I suppose this book has some new found relevance in the world, with the whole controversy with The Interview and the Sony Hacking last year. Reading such an account does provide a nice look into the North Korean government's feelings on the film medium itself, and why a harmless James Franco-Seth Rogan comedy could send them in such a frenzied state. They realized that film is a powerful medium, which has the ability to influence the way people view reality. Really, that's something most people realize now. So, if you want to read an extraordinary account of surviving in the Hermit Kingdom, or just want something to past the team, I suggest giving it a read. 

Book Review: Voyage by Stephen Baxter

        Often, I.... You know what, long intros are somewhat hard to write. Largely because I really want to get into the meat of a piece, but you get bogged down by writing a captivating opening. So, here's the jist: I have a vested interest in Alternate history and in Space and Space exploration, and this book combines them. Alright, got that? Great: let's begin.
        The year is 1985. The Ares I is launching from Cape Canaveral, towards its ultimate destination. As you could probably tell by the name of the craft, it is heading towards the Red Planet itself, Mars. They plan to reach Mars, by first doing  Venus fly-by, which would give a gravitational assist to slingshot themselves to the Red Planet. Then, reminiscent of Apollo, they will detatch a manned capsule down into the Mangala Valles. The mission would proceed from March, 1985, and will arrive on the Mangala Valles on March, 22nd, 1986. So, how did such a mission occur? Kennedy was not killed in Dallas, but rather crippled. Hence, he lives to see the Apollo 11 landings. Following Nixon's call to the astronauts, Kennedy also calls, and proceeds to dedicate the US to a Mars mission. Nixon, browbeaten into accepting this, decides to make that the agenda for the post-Apollo space program, as opposed to Skylab or the Shuttles. The book alternates between the mission and the events leading up to it. The main astronauts are Phil Stone, a former X-15 test pilot; Ralph Gershon, an African American Air Force pilot who had flown missions in Cambodia in the early 70's; and our protagonist, Natalie York, a geologist who is the first female astronaut in the program (remember, there is no shuttle here.) These characters gain the primary focus through the mission portions. However, there is also the preceding part before the mission, which takes up a majority of the book. Whilst the three astronauts are given focus at this point, particularly how they became the astronauts, it has a larger cast of characters. There is Joe Muldoon, a Buzz Aldrin analog (actually replacing Aldrin as the second man on the Moon), who is a major figure in the mission, and eventually its head. Gregory Dana, a mission specialist who tries to propose a radical, somewhat infeasible plan to reach Mars, going against what is considered the main and most viable option of a NERVA  nuclear rocket. This puts Dana in conflict with NASA mission architect Hans Udet, who, incidently, had run the Nazi prison camp that Dana was imprisoned in during World War II (Udet is a parallel to Werhner von Braun and Arthur Rudolf) There is his son Jim, who is an astronaut himself, and eventually tests the NERVA rocket, Apollo-N (with disastrous consequence ). There is Bert Seger, a senior manager at NASA, who manages the political side of the mission, meeting and planning the mission. There is JK Lee, an engineer who works at struggling contractor Columbia, who was give the responsibility to build the Mars Excursion Module, or MEM for the mission. Finally, there are the three astronauts. In particular, it deals with Natalie York, her conflicting attitudes towards Mars, her struggles to become an astronaut, and her frustrated love life with both Mike Conlig, dedicated NERVA engineer, and married astronaut Ben Priest.  All of these characters work to make the manned Mars mission a viable and safe opportunity. However, there will be triumphs and tragedies on the road to Mars.
   First and foremost, this books was very well-researched. It has little nods to various other Mars missions, but also gives its own interpretation of what a Mars mission in the 80's would be like, and how it would play out. There is a lot of details about how the mission would work, what the craft would look like, what are its perimeters, what the astronauts do, how they deal with failures, what they will do when they reach Venus, and how they will actually land on Mars. It also has engineering specs on every aspect of the mission, which makes sense, given that Baxter is a trained engineer.I can't tell you how much of it is accurate, but it seems plausible to a layman like me.  It also looks at the ramifications of this. For instance, whilst we get a Mars mission, many of the unmanned programs of the 1970's, like Viking, Voyager, and Pioneer, were canned to save money. We know less about the solar system in 1986, than we did in real life. In fact, we know less about Mars, as neither the later Mariners nor Viking missions were able to reach it and study it. It also has a (superficial) effect on politics. Ted Kennedy takes Walter Mondale's place in politics (both as Carter's vice president and as the failed 1984 candidate). There is also the implications of NERVA, and how characters interact with that. In particular, there is the upmost confidence in NERVA as the method to Mars, and Gregory Dana trying to change that. There is also the 70's anti-nuclear hysteria, which targets NERVA. (I think Three Mile Island was mentioned once in reference to this.) The latter proves prophetic, as the first NERVA test, Apollo-N, ends up failing, with the astronauts and even some of the engineers (including Mike Conlig) dying of radiation poisoning. They end up using Dana's plan (both as a viable alternative, and respect to Gregory, as Jim was one of the astronauts on Apollo-N) of a Venus flyby to send the craft to Mars. Besides that, the characters are well done (in particular is York's conflict on whether she should abandon a solid academic career to become an astronaut), it is very captivating to read, particularly the mission segments, and it is not just a wish fullfillment piece. It actually deals with the good and the bad of a Mars mission after Apollo, and how it might have turned out if Nixon had decided to go to Mars. It is great that we reached Mars earlier, but was it really worth losing the knowledge of Voyager and Viking?
     A few minor gripes with the book can be considered nitpicks. There is a lot of swearing in this. Most sentence seems to have "Goddamn" or a "Jesus Christ" I know it is supposed to be realistic, but I don't think people swear that much in real life. The engineering details, whilst consistent and precise, tends to get rather dense at times, and occasionally interrupts the story. The story also drags occasionally, especially towards the end. Once again, these are nitpicks.
      Overall, I rather liked the book, and I hope to read more of Stephen Baxter in the future. In particular, Proxima sounds interesting. I'd recommend it to those who like Kim Stanley Robinson/ Robert L. Forward style hard sci-fi, or Apollo history buffs, who would like to see what the Apollo Application Program would have brought. If you are a more casual reader, it works as a interesting piece on an alternate space program, but it has a lot  of engineering packed inside. If you can handle that, I think you could enjoy it. Thanks for reading.

Book review: The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson

  If there is one thing history has taught us,it would be that it is good to be a white European.  White Europeans are often those with power and are the ones who are treated rather well. As a consequence of this, those who do not fit into the Caucasoid mold, and who do not follow the ideals of a Greco-Roman christian society are subjected to oppression, conversion, destitution, and at times, outright annihilation. Whilst non-white empires have thrived and prospered, even with more powerful entities slowly consumed their neighbors, generally speaking, most of the world's historically powerful nations have been centered within Europe, and have had a largely Caucasian in origin. The Roman Empire, the French Empire, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, and  most notably, the British Empire, which was once dubbed "The empire where the sun never set." Even the current primary superpower, the United States of America, whilst not in Europe, has its roots primarily in European philosophies, and a majority population, that could trace its origin to Europe. As a result of this balance of power, a significant amount of world culture is influenced by Greco-Roman culture, and the even more significant amount not centered in Europe is viewed within the lens of a European perspective. Nations not in Europe have constitutions and governments based off Enlightenment ideals from European philosophers. Those countries have architecture that can trace its origin to Medieval and Renaissance architecture. Even old traditions are redefined using European terminology. If there is a point I am attempting to convey here, it's that Christian Europe has been VERY influential in world history. However, here's some fruit for thought; What if Europe was removed as a influence in world history? What if the great empires of Europe never rose, and colonized the world, and not spread their ideals throughout it? What civilizations would take its place? What cultural forces would come to influence world society? This concept forms the central premise of Kim Stanley Robinson's alternate history The Years of Rice and Salt. In this anthology, the Bubonic Plague, as opposed to killing approximately 30-40% of European population, kills 99.9% of all of Europeans. This leaves Western civilization vanquished permanently. As a result, new cultures and civilizations slowly rise to take Europe's place in world history, creating and influencing cultures, and molding the world through their lens. The primary focus of the novel is one the two main cultures that come to dominate this world (as they were the most powerful nations in the world at the time of the plagues); China and the Islamic world. There is also a strong focus on Indian and Iroquois countries. All of these countries come together to forge a world very foreign, yet strangely familiar to our own, with some historical events paralleling our own histories, others very different. To add a bit of continuity for each story in the novel, Robinson decides to deploy the device of Buddhist style reincarnation. At the end of each story, the characters enter Bardo (the Tibetan Buddhist version of Purgatory), and is reincarnated in a different age, and for the most part, a different culture. You can keep track of which characters reincarnate into whom, by the first letters of their names. The main characters in each story have names starting with B, P, I, K, and Z. This provides an interesting framing device, though at times, the scenes set within the Bardo can be somewhat tedious and inconsequential. As this is an anthology, it contains multiple stories (each by the same author), and I will go through each story individually, and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of these tales. So, let's stop beating the bush, and dive right in (Note: this will contain spoilers for the overall direction of the novel):

     The first tale, Awake to Emptiness, is set in multiple places, but starts in 14th century Hungary. Bold and Psin, two scouts in Timur-I Leng's (A Mongol Turk infamous for attempting to restore Genghis Khan's empire, and largely being unrepentantingly brutal in his conquests) army, discover a village completely wiped out by the plague. Realizing the danger, Timur turns his army around, and orders the two soldiers executed to prevent the spread of plague. However, they escape, just a lightning bolt hits Timur's tent, killing him. Bold proceeds to aimlessly wonder the ruins of Eastern Europe on horse back, encountering only one local, whom (despite Bold being a polygot) he is unable to communicate with. He wounds up in the Black Sea (one particularly interesting scene sees Bold in Athens, and viewing the last offerings in the Parthenon.) Here, he is finally found by Arab slave traders, who capture him, and eventually sell him to the fleet of legendary historical Chinese explorer Zheng He. Here, he befriends a young African slave named Kyu, who is rendered a eunuch by the eunuch crew (due to their embitterment over their forced state). They stop in Sri Lanka, and eventually come to China, where they are sold to a restaurateur, and kept as kitchen slaves. Whilst Bold is surprisingly content with this, Kyu, who resents the Chinese for chopping off his genitals, has some very specials plans, particularly for the Emperor in Nanjing, the ruler of the Ming Dynasty. To enhance the tone of the story, much of it is written in the style of the famous 16th century Chinese epic, Journey to the West, with the narrative occasionally giving way to poetic verses throughout. This is an interesting artistic choice, and a welcome one, although it does get somewhat distracting. The first part of this story, Bold wandering the East European wastelands, is quite captivating in the feelings of isolation for Bold, and the destitution showed in the ruins of the European villages. The aforementioned scene of Bold looking into the Parthenon, and viewing the final prayers in it is quite powerful in its melancholy. Similarly, the second part, whilst not as interesting, is still notable in its constant references to Chinese culture and Chinese history, which in and of itself is quite interesting, and having to look up certain references is always a good indicator of an excellent story. The book is littered with these sorts of minor references to cultures. It helps give authenticity to the setting of the story. Storywise, the second part is still solid, and is still very interesting to read, particularly Kyu's quest for vengence, and how Bold is dragged into it, reluctantly.
     The second story, The Haj in the Heart, shifts the setting to 15th century Mughal India. A young Hindu women named Kokila poisons her husband's brother and father, after the former impregnated her friend, Bistami, and for the two's overall corruption as heads of their village. For her crime, she is executed, and her next life is that of a Tiger. As a tiger named Kya, she saves and befriends a young Persian Sufi named Bistami. Despite Bistami's pleas, the villagers kill Kya.  After several years pass, Bistami travels to Agra, where he becomes a prominent figure in the court of Emperor Akbar. He becomes a personal friend of the Emperor, but many in Akbar's court aren't very fond of Bistami. Eventually, the Emperor also comes to distrust Bistami. Consequently, Bistami is sent on a hajj to Mecca, where he studies with other Persian Sufis. However, he grows to detest life in Mecca, and with the Mughals slowly extending in to Mecca, he joins a group of Sufis leaving Mecca. He travels to Africa, and eventually ends up on a caravan travelling through Al-Andulus (Spain). The caravan is ruled by a sultan, Mawji Darya and his beautiful wife, Katima, who has unorthodox views regarding the Qu'ran and gender roles. The caravan eventually settles in the ruins of a Frank town, and they build a city on it. Bistami comes to largely agree with the views Katima espouses. However, after the sultan dies, and Katima becomes ruler, certain people become restive. I think you could cut out the first two parts of this story, and you'd still be read this without confusion. I'm not saying the first two parts are bad. They do contain good plots, which have a lot of drama. Bistami features in the second part.They just don't hold much significance for the main story. Other than that, another good tale. Its insights into the nature of Islam, the ideas expressed in the Qu'ran, and the two's relation to women's rights, are quite fascinating to read, even to those who aren't familiar with the holy tenants of Islam.

     Our third narrative, Ocean Continents, shifts the focus back to 15th century China, at least initially. The Wanli Emperor, fed up with Japanese pirates invading Chinese shores, and concerned with the potential threat of Tokugawa Ieyasu and his rule over a unified Japan, decides that its time to, quote, "return this bastard child of Chinese culture to its rightful place under the Dragon throne."To this end, he assembles a fleet under the control of a former pirate-turned-admiral from Vietnam named Admiral Kheim. On this fleet is a doctor named I-Chin. Whilst sailing to a port owned by an daimyo (feudal lord) allied with the Chinese, Kheim's fleet is blown off course, and set adrift in the Dahai (the Pacific Ocean). After spending weeks out at sea, hoping that ocean currents would bring them back to China, they come across a mysterious land, and a mysterious people. They live amongst these people, and eventually teach a young local girl (whom they name Butterfly), Chinese. They learn that the people living in the area call themselves the Miwok. However, they soon learn that they brought smallpox to the Miwok, and, having grown to care for them, decide to leave, bringing Butterfly with them. However, what new discoveries, or threat, await them on their continued journey. The landscape of California and the people of the Americas are described in ways only Chinese people not completely familiar with the Americas would describe them. At one point, one character even speculates that they have in fact landed in Europe, and the Miwok are the inhabitants reduced to a more primitive civilization by the plague. I greatly admired the way the Chinese sailors, after learning that they have spread smallpox to the Miwok, magnanimously decide to leave, in contrast to the first European explorers and settlers. The final part of the story (which I will not spoil), is very action-packed, and tense, and there is a very tragic death near the end of the story.
    The Alchemist is set in 17th century Samarkand, in what is now Uzbekistan. An alchemist named Khalid Al-Samarqandi has been caught trying to trick the local khan (leader) into thinking he had transmuted lead into gold. The Khan punishes him by chopping off his right hand. This sends him into a deep depression, and in this morose state, he demands that his alchemy texts be destroyed. However, his son-in-law Bahram and their friend Iwang (a Tibetan Buddhist mathematician) convince him to test the claims of the authors in these texts. They first disprove alchemy altogether, and proceed to make a myriad of scientific discoveries, from gravity, to the speed of sound, to the fact that sound needs a medium, to the composition of white light, to microbes, to Jupiter's four moons. These experiments are supplemented by various Indian, Persian, and Chinese texts from caravans. However, the Khan's top advisor seeks to use these developments for military applications, especially with the looming threat of Qing China overhead. This is probably my favorite story, largely because the scientific discoveries are very recognizable to someone somewhat fluent in scientific history. However, they are still stated in terms as if they were new discoveries, allowing for the excitement to resonate. Also, it has the most interesting characters of the piece. Not saying the other characters in this book are not good, but I feel that this story has the most relatable characters.
           Warp and Weft is set deep in North America (called Yingzhou here) around 17th-18th centuries. The High Council of the Hodenosaunee League are meeting to elect the new leader of the Confederation. They are unanimously in favor of a foreigner named Fromwest, whom they rescued from torture in the west. He is elected, and during the celebration, he narrates to them his story. Of how he was originally named Busho, and born in a far-away land called Hokkaido . About how he became what is called a "ronin," or "samurai without a master." About how China invaded and annexed his homeland, forcing him into exile. And finally, how he believes the Hodenosaunee system of government and interpersonal relationships are exemplar, and needs to prove an example to the world. And finally, how he intends on protecting the League from incursions from Chinese to the West, and Muslims to the East. I feel this story is the weakest, not because it is poorly written, but it is too short. The concept of a samurai training native Americans against invaders is fascinating. However, Robinson doesn't go far enough with the concept as much as he could have. However, there is still that central concept that is still quite fascinating, with Fromwest teaching the Iroquois how to protect themselves with guns, and how they were to form a great nation.
    Widow Kang brings us back to China, now ruled by the Manchu Qing Dynasty. A recent widow, the eponymous Kang Tongbi and her irate youngest son befriend a Buddhist monk, Bao Ssu and his son. Kang feels particularly close to Bao, taking care of his son on occasion. However, tragedy strikes, as  Kang's son has his queqe cut off. The queqe is a symbol of Manchu dominance over the native Han people. Bao is accused of cutting the queqe, and is executed for his crime. Kang falls into a deep depression, and begins to have symptoms like sleepwalking. Her son brings in a Persian scholar named Ibrahim ibn Hasan to help her. Together, they go through hyponotic sessions where they remember their past lives. Eventually, the two begin to fall in love, with Ibrahim moving to China, and continuing his study of History, and Kang beginning to write poetry. However, this lays in a backdrop of increasing tensions between the Hui (Muslim) and Han, and the ruling Manchu rulers. This story is quite heavy in historiographical detail. There is a lot on the nature of history, the way history works, the direction of history. The views expressed are described as being Marxist in nature. It is quite heavy. If you can decipher the details, one can come to enjoy the story, and hell, one might be able to learn a thing or two about the nature of history.
    The Age of Great Progress is set in several places, but begins in 18th Century Ottoman Empire. There, the Sultan's doctor, Ismail, has been heavily involved in the activities of the Sultan (at one point, visiting a harem full of rare European women). However, the Ottomans have come under siege from the technologically advanced Travancore League. Originating in Southern India, they have amassed such political influence, that they have driven the Mughals from Northern India, and defeated the Persians. They have utilized air ballons and iron ships in their conquest. They lay siege on Constantinople, and have captured Ismail. However, little did they realize that Ismail had correspondents with a Buddhist doctor and abbess named Bhakta. With her help, he is realized, and allowed to come to Travancore. There, he encounters a society which values scientific knowledge and technological expertise, which the monestary Bhakta resides in openly embrace. He eagerly joins them. Eventually, his work gets him a meeting with the Kerala of Travancore, an enlightened despot of sorts, who seeks to spread liberal and scientific ideals, and wishes Ismail to join him. The description of a non-European industrial revolution is done well-enough, and has a degree of uniqueness, in that the society comes to embrace science and technology, and seeks to use their gifts for spreading good, not for imperial desires. The characters are well defined, and the monestary is very captivating.
    The War of the Asuras is set in the 20th century, between China, Himalayas, and India. Eventually, tensions between China and the Islamic world would rise, and eventually, blow in the form of Muslim riots in China, which, in 1914, would lead to a war between an alliance of Islamic states (called Dar al-Islam, which refers to any state where Islam is practiced regularly), and an alliance of China, the Houdensee League, and the Travancore league. It revolves around three soldiers in the Chinese army: Kuo, Bai, and Iwa. They are good friends, often discussing the news from the front, and the nature of a war that has been going on for so long that nobody remembers how it began. One day, a artillery shell is set off in their encampment, killing Kuo. Despite this setback, Bai and Iwa trudge on, travelling with the army through the Himalayas to connect the Chinese and Indians to drive the Muslims out. All the while, the two wonder whether they are truly alive, or they are in the war-torn bardo. The question of whether one is truly alive, especially in the face of war, is one that is rarely explored, at least in my experience. The way that the characters question their reality, and whether they are in the realm of the living, or the dead, brings a Dickisian dimension. There are also some pretty cool scenes, like a scene of the top of Mount Everest being blown off, so that K2 is the highest peak in the world!
    Nsara is set after the war, in what would've been Northern France, but starts in Switzerland (known in this world as the Alpine Emirates). A young women named Budur lives with her father at his harem. Living with her is her scientist aunt, Idelba, who had been studying with her husband before his death. Her research was in the fields of atomic physics, and, in particular, radiation. She greatly misses her work, and one day, escapes from the harem. Budur follows her, and, after Idelba initial reluctance, accompanies her to Nsara. There, Idelba continues her work in radiation, whilst Budur meets various figures of intrigue in this city. She has a growing interest in history and archaeology. However, following the Chinese victory in the war, the Muslim world has been increasingly falling into disarray, and rebellion, which might reach Nsara one day. Meanwhile, Idelba's research has uncovered a deadly secret, which would be disastrous if it falls into the wrong hands.  The descriptions of Budur's travel through Nsara, and the interesting, outspoken characters she encounters is the best thing about the story. The way Robinson writes these scenarios is very compelling, and makes you want to read more. The description of protons and electrons as "Yin-Yang particles" was amusing. The examination of history is lesser, and more accessible in this story than in "Widow Kang." There are parts where I had trouble deciphering what was happening, but it was good. I would've been fine if this was the conclusion. However, we still have one story to go.
     The First Years brings this story to a close in China. Here, a young man named Bao Xinhua is caught up in a revolution by his friend Kung Jinao, against the military government ruling China since the war. After Kung is killed, Bao moves to Fungzang (a city roughly where San Francisco is), where he settles down and teaches history to future generations. That's really it to the story. It's not bad, but it really doesn't finish off the book well. It could of worked better if this story and the story before it were switched around. However, it's not a bad story, and it does keep your interests well enough.
    Overall, I find that this novel has become one of my personal favorites. Yes, it has minor flaws in the individual stories, but what Kim Stanley Robinson does in this novel is to give an ambitious modern history, one not influenced by traditional European thinking. This lens allows us to view cultures like China, India, or Islam from their point of view, not the European view. It shows hat these cultures are as much, if not more inclined towards progressive ideals than Western culture. Overall, I highly recommend this novel to anyone interested in history, or wants to see other cultures.