Books and space stations
Sep. 8th, 2003 11:03 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenakReal Life struck again, and will continue to do so till December, which probably will mean less postings. However, I managed to get some fannish things in between. First of all, I read Tad Williams' novel The War of the Flowers, which reminded me again why he's one of my favourite fantasy authors. (Incidentally, it's a one-volume effort, which for the saga-addicted Mr. Williams is a rarity.) He takes up stock motifs and topics of the genre and twists them into fascinating new realms. His Memory, Sorrow and Thorn trilogy is on one level one long argument with Tolkien, as ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
rozk once said, and on another simply a wonderful epic fantasy saga. (Which by the by also reverses or plays with not just the big issues but some of the more annoying smaller gender-related clichés - such as the virginal heroine, while the hero before landing in her arms by the end of the tale is allowed several adventures with sirens; whereas in the Memory, Sorrow and Thorn trilogy, it's the other way around.)
In the case of The War of the Flowers, the old and familiar topic he tackles is the Fairie realm, and the motif is the changeling child. Considering Neil Gaiman also used this very creatively in the Sandman saga, I had high expectations, and they were met. Williams' take on the Fairie and its inhabitants is as not-nice as it gets; they're compelling, but decidedly not cute. Best of all for yours truly, there is class warfare. What? You think goblins, ogres and sprites should be content to be ruled by aristocratic fairies? Bring on the revolution, I say.
I also managed to (re-)watch some more DS9 episodes. The fourth season starts with a change which was quite controversial at the time: the addition of Worf to the crew, and, since this needed to be justified as something other than a rating ploy, the falling out between Federation and Klingons. I remember having mixed feelings about the later at the time, only mollified when the Klingons became allies again. (TNG developing the Klingons from the one-dimensional enemies of TOS lore to a fascinating culture had been dear to me.) The former worked for me from the time I saw The Way of the Warrior onwards. It was a great season opener, and showcased everyone at their best, not just Worf.
My favourite bit of dialogue:
Garak (about root beer which Quark had just let him test): It's vile.
Quark: I know. Cloying, bubbly and sweet.
Garak: Like the Federation.
Quark: And you know what the worst part is? After a while, you get used to it. You even want it.
Garak: It's insidious.
Quark: Just like the Federation.
Plus there were sparks between Dax and Worf basically from the first time she sized him up. Which was alright with me. The Worf/Troi pairing of TNG's last season had definitely not worked for me, whereas Dax and Worf actually had things in common and were promising to be a challenge for each other.
The Visitor remains one of my favourite Trek episodes. As I mentioned in an earlier entry, it's pretty much a cliché not just in Star Trek but in most TV shows that people don't get along with their parents. If a relative of a regular shows up, you can be pretty sure an adversarial relationship exists; if it's a father (or a mother, thinking of Lwaxana), you can be sure of it. DS9 valiantly jumped into the breach and defends harmonious parent-child relationships single-handedly by showcasing one for seven years, between Benjamin Sisko, single father, and his son Jake, both regulars. Of course, if two people get along it's more difficult to get dramatic potential out of it. But a) there is so much conflict on DS9 anyway that one doesn't need father/son issues besides, and b) an episode like The Visitor shows it's possible to get drama out of it anyway. There is a touch of Arthur Miller here in the tale of Jake Sisko, literally haunted throughout his entire life by his father and his perceived failure to save him, and both Ciroc Lofton and later the superb Tony Todd as the adult Jake have a lot to do with making this episode as good as it is. Avery Brooks doesn't get to show up more often than Hamlet Senior's ghost, but makes the most of it; each of the father-son reunions had me misty-eyed, and Brooks' is excellent at conveying Sisko's dawning horror when he realises that Jake is basically throwing his life away for love of him.
(Sidenote: and I also like that the actors and the directors are not afraid of playing the relationship between the Siskos as physically affectionate - in this episode as well as throughout the entire show. They're not afraid of touching each other, hugging and kissing.)
Hippocratic Oath, with its emphasis on the Bashir/O'Brien relationship, shows how Bashir has changed since the first episodes of the show. His disagreement with O'Brien ever the treatment of Jem'Hadar (i.e. enemy) soldiers isn't some eager young puppy's know-it-all-mistake; it's a different philosophical/ethical stand, and the episode refuses to pass judgement as to whether Bashir or O'Brien are correct. That's my favourite Trek show. No easy answers.
rozk once said, and on another simply a wonderful epic fantasy saga. (Which by the by also reverses or plays with not just the big issues but some of the more annoying smaller gender-related clichés - such as the virginal heroine, while the hero before landing in her arms by the end of the tale is allowed several adventures with sirens; whereas in the Memory, Sorrow and Thorn trilogy, it's the other way around.) In the case of The War of the Flowers, the old and familiar topic he tackles is the Fairie realm, and the motif is the changeling child. Considering Neil Gaiman also used this very creatively in the Sandman saga, I had high expectations, and they were met. Williams' take on the Fairie and its inhabitants is as not-nice as it gets; they're compelling, but decidedly not cute. Best of all for yours truly, there is class warfare. What? You think goblins, ogres and sprites should be content to be ruled by aristocratic fairies? Bring on the revolution, I say.
I also managed to (re-)watch some more DS9 episodes. The fourth season starts with a change which was quite controversial at the time: the addition of Worf to the crew, and, since this needed to be justified as something other than a rating ploy, the falling out between Federation and Klingons. I remember having mixed feelings about the later at the time, only mollified when the Klingons became allies again. (TNG developing the Klingons from the one-dimensional enemies of TOS lore to a fascinating culture had been dear to me.) The former worked for me from the time I saw The Way of the Warrior onwards. It was a great season opener, and showcased everyone at their best, not just Worf.
My favourite bit of dialogue:
Garak (about root beer which Quark had just let him test): It's vile.
Quark: I know. Cloying, bubbly and sweet.
Garak: Like the Federation.
Quark: And you know what the worst part is? After a while, you get used to it. You even want it.
Garak: It's insidious.
Quark: Just like the Federation.
Plus there were sparks between Dax and Worf basically from the first time she sized him up. Which was alright with me. The Worf/Troi pairing of TNG's last season had definitely not worked for me, whereas Dax and Worf actually had things in common and were promising to be a challenge for each other.
The Visitor remains one of my favourite Trek episodes. As I mentioned in an earlier entry, it's pretty much a cliché not just in Star Trek but in most TV shows that people don't get along with their parents. If a relative of a regular shows up, you can be pretty sure an adversarial relationship exists; if it's a father (or a mother, thinking of Lwaxana), you can be sure of it. DS9 valiantly jumped into the breach and defends harmonious parent-child relationships single-handedly by showcasing one for seven years, between Benjamin Sisko, single father, and his son Jake, both regulars. Of course, if two people get along it's more difficult to get dramatic potential out of it. But a) there is so much conflict on DS9 anyway that one doesn't need father/son issues besides, and b) an episode like The Visitor shows it's possible to get drama out of it anyway. There is a touch of Arthur Miller here in the tale of Jake Sisko, literally haunted throughout his entire life by his father and his perceived failure to save him, and both Ciroc Lofton and later the superb Tony Todd as the adult Jake have a lot to do with making this episode as good as it is. Avery Brooks doesn't get to show up more often than Hamlet Senior's ghost, but makes the most of it; each of the father-son reunions had me misty-eyed, and Brooks' is excellent at conveying Sisko's dawning horror when he realises that Jake is basically throwing his life away for love of him.
(Sidenote: and I also like that the actors and the directors are not afraid of playing the relationship between the Siskos as physically affectionate - in this episode as well as throughout the entire show. They're not afraid of touching each other, hugging and kissing.)
Hippocratic Oath, with its emphasis on the Bashir/O'Brien relationship, shows how Bashir has changed since the first episodes of the show. His disagreement with O'Brien ever the treatment of Jem'Hadar (i.e. enemy) soldiers isn't some eager young puppy's know-it-all-mistake; it's a different philosophical/ethical stand, and the episode refuses to pass judgement as to whether Bashir or O'Brien are correct. That's my favourite Trek show. No easy answers.
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no subject
Date: 2003-09-08 05:02 am (UTC)Incidentally, it's a one-volume effort, which for the saga-addicted Mr. Williams is a rarity.
I love the author's note in the front of the second volume of Otherland where he apologises for the cliffhanger at the end of the first book, noting that it's all one story but if he waited until he'd finished the whole thing before publication his family would starve and they'd have to use modified circus tents for covers *g*.
no subject
Date: 2003-09-08 05:49 am (UTC)When is your next birthday? Or, how about this one: tell them they simply have to buy new books for you to read, otherwise you'll spend way too much time on the internet.
no subject
Date: 2003-09-08 11:17 am (UTC)Hrm, never thought about it that way when I was reading it (although that was maybe 6 years ago). I don't remember much of it, but I do remember liking how the "princess" character got to have her own adventures instead of merely being rescued, and liking how I actually greatly disliked Simon in the first book and watching him grow into a very good character by the end. The one quibble I have with the books is that I missed the grand saving of the world climax both times I read it -_-;;.
Argument with Tolkien
Date: 2003-09-08 11:39 am (UTC)As opposed to Elves going to the West because they decided their time has passed and making room for humans voluntarily, here you have Sithi persecuted and driven into exile (and this is the original cause for both Ineluki's actions and the Norns).
And of course:
I do remember liking how the "princess" character got to have her own adventures instead of merely being rescued
Precisely. Miriamele has her own storyarc, and she (as well as the other female characters of the trilogy) is no remote figure on a pedestal. Plus as I mentioned, she, not Simon, is the one to loose her virginity, which is certainly breaking with genre convention. The fact that she does so to a scumbag (and not because of rape but because of manipulation and loneliness), and then realises this does not change her or bind her, is an additional realistic touch.
heh!
Date: 2003-09-08 01:55 pm (UTC)Any more spin-offs planned, Mr. Whedon? "I'm working on Buffy: Deep Space Nine. It will be dark and badly received."
LOL
Date: 2003-09-08 08:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-09-08 06:26 pm (UTC)Sigh. Do you write out these analyses beforehand and post, or are you able to think this clearly on the fly? Can't agree with you more in every way. (Well, I'd never thought of MS&T as a dialogue with Tolkien - that's very clever.)
You might be interested in this, www.tvshowsondvd.com has an article in its news archives from Sept. 7 about the delay in release.
no subject
Date: 2003-09-08 06:28 pm (UTC)Thanks!
Date: 2003-09-08 09:37 pm (UTC)Analysis: I blame the professor who coached me through my doctorate. It left marks in my mind.*g*
*DS9DVDshabenwillabernichtleistenkann*
Date: 2003-10-16 03:42 pm (UTC)Re: *DS9DVDshabenwillabernichtleistenkann*
Date: 2003-10-16 10:04 pm (UTC)