Galactica
by V.E. on July 3rd, 2008
filed under entertainment, wtf
… is a tease. Seriously. Revelations was a couple weeks back (I only got the chance to finish watching it today) and I’m impatiently waiting for the second half of the season to air…
*impatient toe tapping*
*annoyed pacing*
And then I find out that they’re not airing the second part until next year. Yes, I really do mean 2009.
I hate you, SciFi. I hate you for withholding this from Galactica fans, especially me.
*shakes fist at sky*
“Twilight” (book) review
by V.E. on July 3rd, 2008
filed under beauty, recap/review, writing
So, um… I just finished reading (well, “listening to” is more apt, as it was an audiobook) Twilight. And—I have to say this, though anyone who has already read the book will already know it—there was a lot of sparkling and beauty and perfection. About half way through, I was sort of like, “Come on, Bella, enough with the perfection in Edward’s face/eyes/body/character.” (Bella is the narrator.)
[1] I’m purposefully writing this review before I continue on to New Moon and Eclipse so that I don’t get them mixed up. [2] Also, it’s to pass the time until the fourth one (and, I’m told, final one, if you don’t count Midnight Sun, which is a retelling of Twilight from Edward’s perspective) comes out on August 2. That’s only a month away, but the hype surrounding the first three makes me wonder if I can wait long for its publication once I’ve finished the ones I have. [3] ALSO, I’m pretty sure that, if Twilight had flopped, it would be the only one and its end would’ve been The End, if you know what I mean. So, I want to take it on its own merits and weaknesses.
First, it’s totally “for girls.” That is, it goes on and on about how beautiful/amazing/exquisite Edward is in every possible way. …That is, Bella keeps looking at him and describing his perfection and cold (but perfect) skin and amazing (perfect) knowledge and (perfect) tolerance/patience—and did I mention perfection? She even says this near the end, that Edward can do anything and does everything he tries perfectly. And not in a mocking tone, either, though she’s somewhat irritated by the idea by that time. I was irritated much sooner than she was. Maybe it’s different when you’re sitting in the room with perfection, but I’m just reading about it and I frikin’ know already, thank you.
Second, it’s comparatively tame which—if you’re the mother of a tween—could be a good thing, I guess. I think the book was marketed as a young adult book, but it’s unclear because the cover isn’t all that revealing one way or the other. However, as I am not the mother of a tween, I want the sex! Not sex, if that’s too obvious, but something more for me to go on than Edward retreating every time Bella becomes passionate. And trust me, he does. Every time. It’s such a tease.
Third, the story is old. That’s not in and of itself a bad thing, since there are no new stories in the world, but there’s not enough changed for me to really enjoy the page turns, as it were. I mean, it feels old, and not in a good way. It’s predictable. Girl falls for boy; boy falls for girl. Yay. And, the not-so-new twist is that boy is vampire, so boy wants girl and girl’s blood. And, if that wasn’t enough, girl is chased by other vamps who want her just because boy wants her. That could be really exciting, but I wasn’t surprised by any of the… surprises.
Fourth, Meyers did two things my professors have told me over and over not to do when writing. That is, she added characters (most notably James) and sent the main characters on a trip—within the last 5 chapters. Those two things are a collective sign that the plot is weak. When the characters need a new face to create more tension, something is wrong. Or, if they can’t end the story in roughly the same (physical) place as when they started it, there’s something wrong. The latter doesn’t apply as much to travel stories or to stories in which the precedent is travel, but in this case… Bella arrives in Forks, Washington, right as the novel begins, and the story is in Forks. Technically, it ends there, too, but at the end the whole entourage heads down to Phoenix for a lovely ballet lesson and hospital visit. (I don’t want to completely give things away here, but just know that if you read it, you’ll know to what I’m referring.) I hope it’s not as bad as I’m making it sound, but…
I was disappointed in Twilight. After hearing that it was a great book, “You must read this book!”, and how amazing and clever the writing was, I read it and was… disappointed. I feel like I’m wearily scolding a bad child after I thought he was doing something worthwhile with his time but was instead out in the back smoking homemade cigarettes. It’s sorta pathetic. I mean, it’s not a bad book, per se, but it’s not a really great one, either. I’m reading (listening to, actually, via audiobook) the next one, New Moon, because I have a weakness for vampires, but otherwise… I don’t think I would bother.
PS: Edward sparkles. Literally. He literally sparkles in the sun. As if he wasn’t perfect enough without looking like a walking diamond. [facepalm]
