February 26, 2012

The Time has Come, Rowling said [breaking news musing]


On February 24, J.K. Rowling announced that she will be releasing a new book by the end of the year with publisher Little, Brown. Details on the work have been kept very quiet, down to the title and even the genre. All that is currently known is that this book will leave the world of Harry Potter and children's literature behind and capture an adult audience. Rowling wants to continue to break down boundaries:  “The freedom to explore new territory is a gift that Harry’s success has brought me." This gives me great hope for her first adult novel, the book the world has been waiting on for nearly five years. I'm very excited to see what other gems come out of this brilliant mind and I can't imagine Rowling would allow her work to be released into the world if it were a disappointment. Let's see what else she can do!

February 4, 2012

Battlestar Galactica [Review Time]

"There's a reason you separate military and the police. One fights the enemies of the state, the other serves and protects the people. When the military becomes both, then the enemies of the state tend to become the people."
A very solemn quotation to begin with, but since my theme is the irrefutable quality of Battlestar Galactica, it seems a fitting one. Still, for me much of the love for this series comes from the humour embedded within a dark situation, so make no mistake - the above quotation doesn't say everything there is to say about the series. That's my job :)

February 2, 2012

A Theme of Themesea. By Ursula Theme Le Guin. [Review Time]

Only in silence the word,
Only in dark the light,
Only in dying life:
Bright the hawk's flight on the empty sky.
Well isn't this just your graying literature prof's wet dream. A Wizard of Earthsea really gets in there with the themes and then hits you over the head with them, repeatedly. Let's see, we have lots of good stuff on identity, the power of language, arrogance, forces in opposition, balance, and the mentor/pupil relationship. Well done, Ursula Le Guin, you've really gotten a lot of shit packed in there, and you really milked it for all it was worth.