transmission no language, just sound

263

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

So I finally got round to seeing this.
After reading the book of the film I was expecting this to be a bloated beast but was pleasantly surprised when I realized that nearly all the exposition and subplots were cut out. Comparing it to the book they've even edited down a bunch of the big set pieces. Which has had the effect of making the film move really quickly.
Yes the dialogue is atrocious. Yes all subtlety is lost. Yes the acting is mince (well mostly). Yes this film is a lot of fun to watch.
It's no masterpiece. It's probably the third or fourth best Star Wars film (with a big gap between the top two and the rest). I'll be quite happy to buy it on DVD, whereas I only got Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones for completeness' sake.
The main thing about this film is that when it does things right you can see how the prequel trilogy could have worked really well and when it does things badly you can see why it failed.
It's an action packed adventure film with great battle sequences, lightsaber fights and some nice touches linking it with the original trilogy. If you can suffer the non-action scenes without Ian McDiarmid in them then you'll enjoy the film. Just don't expect anything meaningful out of it.
My verdict? Unless you're a pretty rabid Star Wars fan, you'd be better off waiting for the DVD.

262

The Family Trade

This is the highly enjoyable first volume of Stross' fantasy epic The Merchant Princes. Which, if Stross himself is to be believed, was intended to be a fat trilogy, but after the publisher decided they wanted to print slimmer books, will now stretch to ten or twelve volumes!
The book follows Miriam Beckstein, a tech journalist, as she discovers that she is a high ranking member of a clan of 'world walkers' and thrust into a world of intrigue, politics and cold-blooded murder.
As with all multi-volume fantasy series my recommendation is to wait until the whole thing is out to read unless you want to suffer from extreme frustration (curse you Robert Jordan!). If you can't wait, well it's a damn good read.

Rating: A

261

In Your Dreams

This is the sequel to The Portable Door. It's OK.

Rating: C

260

The Serpent Mage

Second of the 'Songs of Earth and Power' series finds the protagonist, Michael Perrin, back on Earth and discovering he has more power and more responsibility than he ever thought responsible.
Compared to the first of the duology this feels more bitty, and some of the characters are decidely wooden. It's still enjoyable though, if not the book that it could have been.
A must read for those who've read The Infinity Concerto, otherwise a relatively lifeless and predictable piece of fantasy.

Rating: C

259

The Infinity Concerto

The first book of a fantasy duology by reknowned Science Fiction author Bear.
It tells the story of a sixteen year old called Michael Perrin. Perrin is bequested a key and directions after the death of his friend, Arno Waltiri. Using the key and following the directions he finds himself in the Realm, legendary home of the Sidhe.
This is an enjoyable fantasy novel, even if the lead character is a bit whiny at times. Strong points include some of the invention in the later parts of the book and the interesting way poetry is used.
Well worth a read if you like your fantasy novels.

Rating: B