Book Review: Plan for Chaos

I had been going about my life thinking that I had read all of John Wyndham's books (The Chrysalids, The Day of the Triffids, The Midwich Cuckoos, etc.) but after recently getting a library card in Auckland I came across a book of his I'd never even heard about before: Plan for Chaos.  Seeing as his books have been some of my favourites, I immediately took it out and put it at the top of my reading list.

To be honest I was a tad bit disappointed.  Unlike all of his other novels, which deal with something a little supernatural (or at least different), this one was pretty ordinary - though not realistic really.  The basic plot is that a bunch of identically looking women are turning up dead of apparent suicides.  The catch, the main character's fiancee looks exactly like these women.  So he goes on a search to find out what is going on and realizes that not only does his fiancee (who is also his cousin - yes, a little strange on that count) have several doubles, but that so does he.

Soon he is kidnapped by the doubles and their reason for being and their purpose and conection is revealed.  But to put it bluntly, I was not convinced.  I don't like revealing details, but it does involve a plot for worldwide domination and cloning (though, this probably was a very advanced thing to write about in the 50s).

This was not a page turner for me, by any means. The style seemed very different than his other novels, though for a brief bit at the beginning it had a film noir kind of feel to it - a nice detective story.

Seeing as this book was first published in 2009 (he died in 1969) and he had been working on it at the same time as one of his first novels (The Day of the Triffids) I would think it a safe assumption that he never intended this to be published at all.  Though I definitely prefer his other books, it was interesting to see this one, though I'm not going to go so far as to recommend it.

Book Review: Blonde Bombshell

Now, I'm sure that after I put "Blonde Bombshell" as a tag, I'll get a lot of visitors that weren't expected a book review. Ha!

Recently I finished my second book by Tom Holt (the first being Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Sausages). You may notice that the one thing both titles have in common are that they are a bit on the silly side. That is a good indication of what's inside the books. The best label I could put on Blonde Bombshell is that it's a sci-fi comedy. No doubt this is following in the footsteps of Douglas Adams (side note, I saw his grave today) and of Futurama. It's an odd little book, which has a distinctive British feel to it (don't ask me what that is, if you know what I'm talking about, you'll understand) even though none of it is set in England.

The basic plot is that a smart bomb (read that literally) has been sent to destroy earth after the first attempt failed. This bomb then creates a probe which takes on a human form (or dirter, as the bomb initially calls them - think Earth=dirt and then it makes sense) and tries to blend in as a human in order to find out what happened to the first bomb. Strangely enough, things happen to the probe and it starts to become... well, human. We then follow an ensemble group of characters (some of which are definitely not werewolves) in the quest to stop the destruction of the planet against unknown (or are they?) forces. I won't reveal much, but if you liked those two things I mentioned above, you'll surely like this.

There is a lot of "foreshadowing" that is fairly obvious, but that's part of the fun of the book. Things are suggested, but often not fully explained until later. It's like the reader is having a nice "in-joke" with the author. Definitely worth checking out and in the future, I'm going to try to find more of his books to read.

That's all for now. It's late and I'm tired.

Movie Review: The Hunger Games

Imagine a world where teenagers are forced to fight to the death. Now imagine that fight is a hugely popular reality TV show. You'd probably get something resembling The Hunger Games, which could also be described as what you'd get if The Truman Show and Gladiator had a baby (how many of you are imagining a baby that looks somewhere in between Jim Carrey and Russell Crowe - not a pretty thought). But seriously, the result is pretty good.

The basic premise is that Katniss Everdene (Jennifer Lawrence) volunteers to be a "tribute" and fight to the death once her sister is selected. We then follow her journey towards participating in this ritual (which apparently is because of and in order to stop outbreaks of violence in what is definitely a modern-day version of Rome) and her relationships with the other tributes and those who are helping her get ready (Woody Harrelson, Lenny Kravitz and the not so helpful Elizabeth Banks, though we can't blame that on her, that's just the character). You do the math though, there can only be one victor. Oh, did I forget to mention she just happens to be almost as good as Legolas with a bow and arrow. That surely will come in handy.

If I were basing my verdict of this movie solely on the premise, I'd give it pretty good marks. I mean, this is one messed up society. The scary part being how it doesn't seem to be too many steps away from what we have now. There is a huge emphasis (but not overwhelmingly so) on how good a show the whole thing is. It tells, but it doesn't preach.

But I don't base my judgments on premise alone (see here for probably my biggest disappointment). The execution (pun half intended) was also quite good. You get a good sense of what these kids are going through at times and that helps with understanding. It's not just a bunch of fighting (there's not actually all that much of it, really). You also get to see how those who control the "arena" (actually a big wilderness area) really do show a sense of detachment. They don't see these children as living things, just a pieces on a chessboard (a really, REALLY high-tech chessboard).

When I first saw the trailer for this movie I was hooked instantly (well, not Cloverfield hooked, but how often does that happen?). It was only recently that I had my doubts when I saw the massive marketing machine behind the movie. But I didn't let the teen target audience deter me from going and I'm glad I did. Certainly this is a way better movie for teens than Twilight (ugh, preview for the last one beforehand). Katniss is certainly a worthy hero and I can't imagine anyone not rooting for her.

The movie is based on the book (first of a trilogy, so guess where the movie's going...) by Suzanne Collins (who was recently featured in the Observer for this particular book). Guess what just jumped onto my reading list?

A lot has been said about this movie and there are definitely high expectations for it. I'd suggest you go give it a try. Even if it's not your thing, I think movies like this will make you think. Hopefully you'll see a little bit of our world in there. Will this happen? Probably not, but it does make one wonder what path we're on and what our current obsessions will lead to.

Watch the trailer (sorry, YouTube won't let me embed this).


Note: Last week I saw two movies that I'm hoping to put reviews up for soon, but it may take a few days. Also, a book review coming and some other stuff (if there's time).

Movie Review: Cube

Ok, so despite having the day completely off and having a lot of things to post about (I watched so many movies this week I'm not sure I could remember them), I didn't get to posting until I needed to get to bed. So unfortunately this is going to be a bit short.

I had never heard of Cube until my sister told me about it and lent me a copy to watch (as with many great things I talk about on here, my sister is once again the source). I was actually pretty excited to watch what some would call a horror movie.

Cube starts with us meeting several people (it ends up that we see 7 in total) who awake to find themselves in cubed rooms of different colours. They find each other and try to find a way out of this cubed prison. There is a small catch though: some of the rooms are booby trapped. Using skills they all have, they work together to try to find a way out.

You can bet that things don't go exactly as planned and some gory things happen. I'll be honest about the gore: it's not that bad. Yes there are some gross things, but there is definitely much worse out there. So if you're looking for gore, look elsewhere.

Where Cube is brilliant is the way in which the characters act. The whole situation is absurd, but they do what they can to try to get out. We are never told why they are in the cube, who made the cube, or anything else. All we know is that they need to get out.

What makes the movie even better is that, not only was it made in Canada, but it was also filmed on a single fourteen by fourteen foot set (with different coloured panels to show the different rooms). Very low budget but very scary nonetheless.

For anyone who wants a psychological thriller I would definitely suggest Cube. I give it a 3.25/4.

I saw some other good movies this week so perhaps I'll find the time to fit in reviews later in the week...

Movie Review: Paycheck

I find it fitting that my last post was about a Philip K. Dick novel and this next post (after a one week layoff) is about a movie based on a Philip K. Dick story.

Paycheck, starring Ben Affleck and Uma Thurman, tells the story of a reverse engineer (Affleck) who has his memory erased after each big job. We first see him copying a monitor that projects out towards the viewer. He is quickly offered a very big job for a very big sum of money ($92 million). When his memory is erased three years later he is told he forfeited his payment and he is given a new set of personal belongings. It is through these items that he tries to figure out what went on.

Compared to other Dick stories turned movies (granted I have only seen a few) this one has the same feel (I felt like I was watching Totall Recall at points) of a person who is unsure of what the truth is. Unfortunately we are given information as to what is really going on and who is behind everything. This lack of suspense truly hurts the movie and degrades the quality of the film. The acting is not that great either, but what can you expect with Ben Affleck? The movie also features Aaron Eckhart and Paul Giamatti.

The one thing that stands out is the premise. This movies shows the world as we know it but with a few minor adjustments here and there (the memory wiping for one and the computer monitors for another). It is fully believable (well, some of the science is questionable, but keep in mind that Dick died before I was even born - 1982 for those of you who don't know me well) and the human reactions are what are most interesting.

If you're a Sci-Fi fan (or just a fan of Philip K. Dick), then I would definitely recommend this movie. If you hate Sci-Fi and action chases then I would not recommend watching this movie - you're not missing anything important. I give this movie a 2.75/4: good for fans, but nothing special.

Book Review: Time Out of Joint

So I bet many of you are wondering what this book is. It's not exactly a well known book. The author, Philip K. Dick, may not be that well known to all of you either. Well, not exactly. Philip K. Dick is the author behind such movies as Blade Runner, Total Recall, Minority Report and Screamers. He has written some great Science Fiction books (it was actually the release of another movie based on his books - one point in the problem of the day for anyone who emails me the name of that movie - that got me interested in him again) and I've read a few of them.

Time Out of Joint follows the story of Ragle Gumm. He lives an ordinary life in 1959 (the year the book was written). He is a longstanding winner of a newspaper contest and lives with his sister, his brother-in-law and his nephew. But something's not quite right. The book traces Gumm as he tries to figure out what exactly is going on.

So how good is the story? Well, I thought it was well written and kept me wanting to come back for more. Dick doesn't focus on big details. He writes as if from the perspective of the regular people and explains things in ways that makes sense to them. About halfway through the book we start to get clues as to what is going on (I won't give it away in this review, so don't worry).
These clues give us just enough information to keep us wanting more.

As far as being a Science Fiction book this one is great (though keep in mind, I'm not talking Star Wars or Star Trek Sci-Fi, but real Sci-Fi, like Dark City). I give this book a 3.5/4. There are some things that could change, but is a believable story and tells the tale of a chilling situation. If you like Sci-Fi books, I definitely recommend this (and other Dick stories, which will no doubt be reviewed in the future in this place).

Movie Review: Dark City

This past weekend I watched Dark City and I was rather impressed. If you're a fan of Sci-Fi movies, this is definitely a must see.

The movie starts with a short introduction before we meet John Murdoch who awakes in a dingy hotel bathtub with no recollection of how he got there. He quickly learns that he is the suspect in several murders. The movie is basically one big manhunt for him, with an added twist: there is a group of strange creatures (called The Strangers) who can do powerful things with their minds. As the movie continues John discovers more and more about what is reality and what is really going on.

Though not big on special effects (the ones that are in the movie seem a little hokey), the plot will keep you thinking. If you've ever seen The Outer Limits, this is definitely something you might find on that show (though I have only ever seen the newer series).

Starring Rufus Sewell as John Murdoch and backed up by Kiefer Sutherland, John Hurt and Jennifer Connelly (of Labyrnth fame). The acting is believable and it's nice to see an actor who is not a superstar in a major role.

All in all, I think this is one of those movies that didn't recieve as much attention as it's quality would suggest. I give this movie 4.5/5, but just as a warning, if you don't like Sci-Fi, this movie really isn't for you.