I've read quite of few of the Tom Clancy books and have to admit that I do think he is a very good writer of political/military fiction. The latest book of his that I just finished reading was Teeth of the Tiger. Unfortunately, I also think its one of the weakest books in his Ryanverse series.
The premise behind the book is that Jack Ryan, in his last act as President, sets up a completely new black ops agency to protect America's interests. The new agency is so black that it doesn't show up at all in any government books which is managed by the new agency being privately funded and with no government oversight.
At the start of the book, the new agency is just intelligence gathering. The book itself deals with how the new agency finds and trains some field agents to act as assassins and covers their first mission to its successful conclusion (ie death of their designated target). Although this sounds like a promising idea, it falls flat for several reasons.
First, the new agency manages to find a new drug which can covertly kill people while making it look like the victim had a heart attack. The drug is so successful because it subsequently breaks down in the victims body so that even a skilled pathologist wouldn't find the drug unless said pathologist was specifically looking for the drug or was an alumni of the TV show CSI.
In other words, a successful mission is a dead victim with no-one the wiser. While this may sound great to real life field agents, the result is that the book just fizzles out at the end with the bad guy being dead and no real "bang" to the ending. It also doesn't help that the people who get assassinated are just middle men and not the real power behind the latest attack on the US which just serves to make the ending feel like the middle part of the story.
Clancy tries to get around this by having the last victim realise that he has been assassinated (after delivery of the drug) which leads to him pulling a knife on Jack Ryan Jr but the scene never really manages to build any tension. By that point, you know the guy is gonna be dead in 10 seconds and that Ryan Jr has about as much chance of dieing as I have of getting intimate with Megan Fox.
Which leads nicely into my second gripe. The main characters in this book are Jack Ryan Jr (son of Jack Ryan) as well as two brothers who just happen to be cousins of Jack Ryan Jr. The main cast are all exceptionally bright or skilled obviously which helps deflect any accusations of nepotism but really, you would have expected Clancy to branch out a bit further than the family of Jack Ryan. I mean, I know this is the Ryanverse and all but still...
All in all, a relatively disappointing entry from Tom Clancy. It was a good book and had a lot of the classic Tom Clancy elements. Unfortunately, the story just fizzled out at the end.
Showing posts with label Books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Books. Show all posts
Monday, June 15, 2009
Monday, June 1, 2009
Angels and Demons - the movie
As you know, I read the novel Angels and Demons last year and really enjoyed it so I was really looking forward to watching the movie. I went to see it last week and, despite what some of the film critics have said, I thought it was a good movie. I wasn't disappointed at all and I think Ron Howard has done a good job (again). I think the movie does a great job of capturing the spirit and suspense of the novel.
Also, can you believe that I had no idea Ewan McGregor was playing the part of the Camerlengo? I guess it goes to show the star power of Tom Hanks that all the promotional material shows and mentions Tom Hanks while Ewan McGregor, who is also a famous actor in his own right now, is completely ignored.
By the way, massive spoilers ahead so don't read on if you haven't watched the movie AND read the book yet.
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Other than being a testament to Ewan McGregors acting ability, now that I've seen the film, this statement does surprise me a bit. Although the Camerlengo is revealed to be the bad guy in the video at the end, the way he acts is consistent with how he has acted all along. He doesn't suddenly become a menacing figure. All that changes is that he now tells you his true feelings - but the style of delivery (ie the acting) is consistent with how the Camerlengo has acted all along.
Also, isn't the whole point of a plot twist to catch you by surprise? Granted, the best plot twist should have some clues so that when it happens, you go "ooh, that's why he did that earlier!" which the film didn't really have (or at least, I didn't spot them) but still. And this actually ties in with my main regret with the film (note I said regret and not disappointment).
The film version doesn't really take any time to explain why the Camerlengo became so radical. It's left to the audience to accept that the Camerlengo was a radical (even though he was a favourite of the Pope) simply because he was a radical and disagreed with the Popes view on the ideological implications of the God particle. Granted, there was a throwaway line in the film about how his parents died as a result of a bomb incident which led to the Pope adopting him (this was before the Pope became the Pope) - but as I said, it was a throwaway line in the film and its significance wasn't really touched upon (Yes, I am aware of Chekov's Gun - but I don't think it applies in this case as the significance doesn't really become clear at the end either).
The advantage of the novel in this respect is that it does explain the events that led to the Camerlengo snapping. It goes into a lot more detail about his strict mother ("Never break a promise to God" or something like that), about the impact to him as a result of the bombing (antimatter being a potentially huge bomb has implications to the Camerlengo) and critically, how he believed that the Pope had broken his vow of chastity (ie the Pope broke a promise to God) which was a critical moment in him becoming radical (or at least, that was my interpretation of it).
Of course, its possible to do this in a book but extremely hard to do well in a movie (you run the risk of bogging down the movie with details) hence why I said regret instead of disappointment. Overall, a definite thumbs up for this movie.
Also, can you believe that I had no idea Ewan McGregor was playing the part of the Camerlengo? I guess it goes to show the star power of Tom Hanks that all the promotional material shows and mentions Tom Hanks while Ewan McGregor, who is also a famous actor in his own right now, is completely ignored.
By the way, massive spoilers ahead so don't read on if you haven't watched the movie AND read the book yet.
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Still here? Good - hope you enjoyed the book and movie!
I had a friend who went to see this movie before I did. She hadn't read the book and was able to see the movie with a completely fresh mind. Her comment was that she really enjoyed it until she found out that the Camerlengo was the bad guy. At that point, she was so caught by surprise that she had difficulty adjusting to the new reality (or should that be new moviety?) particularly as he acts completely different (her words - not mine).Other than being a testament to Ewan McGregors acting ability, now that I've seen the film, this statement does surprise me a bit. Although the Camerlengo is revealed to be the bad guy in the video at the end, the way he acts is consistent with how he has acted all along. He doesn't suddenly become a menacing figure. All that changes is that he now tells you his true feelings - but the style of delivery (ie the acting) is consistent with how the Camerlengo has acted all along.
Also, isn't the whole point of a plot twist to catch you by surprise? Granted, the best plot twist should have some clues so that when it happens, you go "ooh, that's why he did that earlier!" which the film didn't really have (or at least, I didn't spot them) but still. And this actually ties in with my main regret with the film (note I said regret and not disappointment).
The film version doesn't really take any time to explain why the Camerlengo became so radical. It's left to the audience to accept that the Camerlengo was a radical (even though he was a favourite of the Pope) simply because he was a radical and disagreed with the Popes view on the ideological implications of the God particle. Granted, there was a throwaway line in the film about how his parents died as a result of a bomb incident which led to the Pope adopting him (this was before the Pope became the Pope) - but as I said, it was a throwaway line in the film and its significance wasn't really touched upon (Yes, I am aware of Chekov's Gun - but I don't think it applies in this case as the significance doesn't really become clear at the end either).
The advantage of the novel in this respect is that it does explain the events that led to the Camerlengo snapping. It goes into a lot more detail about his strict mother ("Never break a promise to God" or something like that), about the impact to him as a result of the bombing (antimatter being a potentially huge bomb has implications to the Camerlengo) and critically, how he believed that the Pope had broken his vow of chastity (ie the Pope broke a promise to God) which was a critical moment in him becoming radical (or at least, that was my interpretation of it).
Of course, its possible to do this in a book but extremely hard to do well in a movie (you run the risk of bogging down the movie with details) hence why I said regret instead of disappointment. Overall, a definite thumbs up for this movie.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Chart Throb
I recently finished reading Chart Throb by Ben Elton. This is the 3rd novel by Ben Elton that I've read and although it wasn't as good as his other stuff, its still a well written story and a brilliant parody of "reality" tv shows.
The story centres around Calvin Simms who is the creator and judge of Chart Throb. Chart Throb is a reality tv show focused on finding the next big pop star and Calvin is basically the mean and nasty judge on the panel (i.e. a parody of Simon Cowell). Calvin's wife wants to divorce him and take half his fortune but in a brilliant move by Calvin, he gets her to agree to a bet where she can name any ringer she likes and he will ensure that person wins the upcoming season of Chart Throb.
This starts a brilliant series of manipulations by Calvin to not only make sure that the ringer wins the show, but to do it in such a way that the viewing public is not aware of the manipulation (which would cause the ratings to plummet and hence his bet to be forfeit). I say "brilliant" but for Calvin, its all old hat as the show has never been about finding the next big pop star as Calvin repeatedly mentions throughout the book. What the show is actually about is finding a compelling and entertaining story to tell on tv - and nothing is more entertaining than watching a parade of mingers, blingers and clingers.
Mingers, blingers and clingers is the term that Calvin uses to pigeonhole the contestants. Mingers are contestants who are woeful in every sense of the word, blingers are people who are just there to show off and clingers are people who desperately want to be successful. The first thing you note is that an ability to sing never comes up when Calvin judges who will be contestants.
Ben Elton really lets his imagination run wild here in creating the various mingers, blingers and clingers. Equally brilliant are the various ways that Calvin manipulates things to ensure that he gets an entertaining mix of contestants while also making sure that the ringer wins. Obviously, I'm giving reality tv shows the benefit of the doubt here by assuming that the contents of the book are all a result of Ben's imagination!!
Despite the high praise though, the ending of the book is a bit anti-climactic. Having said that, I've been thinking about alternative endings and I really couldn't think of anything better. Ultimately, I guess the nature of the subject, and possbily how the story developed, limits how you can end the book. Although I have to give credit to Ben Elton for the way he ultimately ended the story (as I said, I couldn't think of anything better), it still felt anti-climactic and my impression at the moment I finished the novel was "oh, that's it?".
Still - a very worthy read if you have time and particularly if you like reality tv shows.
The story centres around Calvin Simms who is the creator and judge of Chart Throb. Chart Throb is a reality tv show focused on finding the next big pop star and Calvin is basically the mean and nasty judge on the panel (i.e. a parody of Simon Cowell). Calvin's wife wants to divorce him and take half his fortune but in a brilliant move by Calvin, he gets her to agree to a bet where she can name any ringer she likes and he will ensure that person wins the upcoming season of Chart Throb.
This starts a brilliant series of manipulations by Calvin to not only make sure that the ringer wins the show, but to do it in such a way that the viewing public is not aware of the manipulation (which would cause the ratings to plummet and hence his bet to be forfeit). I say "brilliant" but for Calvin, its all old hat as the show has never been about finding the next big pop star as Calvin repeatedly mentions throughout the book. What the show is actually about is finding a compelling and entertaining story to tell on tv - and nothing is more entertaining than watching a parade of mingers, blingers and clingers.
Mingers, blingers and clingers is the term that Calvin uses to pigeonhole the contestants. Mingers are contestants who are woeful in every sense of the word, blingers are people who are just there to show off and clingers are people who desperately want to be successful. The first thing you note is that an ability to sing never comes up when Calvin judges who will be contestants.
Ben Elton really lets his imagination run wild here in creating the various mingers, blingers and clingers. Equally brilliant are the various ways that Calvin manipulates things to ensure that he gets an entertaining mix of contestants while also making sure that the ringer wins. Obviously, I'm giving reality tv shows the benefit of the doubt here by assuming that the contents of the book are all a result of Ben's imagination!!
Despite the high praise though, the ending of the book is a bit anti-climactic. Having said that, I've been thinking about alternative endings and I really couldn't think of anything better. Ultimately, I guess the nature of the subject, and possbily how the story developed, limits how you can end the book. Although I have to give credit to Ben Elton for the way he ultimately ended the story (as I said, I couldn't think of anything better), it still felt anti-climactic and my impression at the moment I finished the novel was "oh, that's it?".
Still - a very worthy read if you have time and particularly if you like reality tv shows.
Monday, February 23, 2009
The Book Thief
I recently finished reading The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. The book is a New York Times bestseller, at least according to the book cover and wikipedia, and was purchased on a buy 1 get 1 half price deal when I was in the UK ages ago (yeah, its been sitting on my shelf that long).
It details the story of Liesel Meminger,a young girl in Nazi Germany, during World War II. The girl is abandoned by her mother (for reasons untold) and goes to live with foster parents in a small German town. Although she starts the book as an illiterate, she learns to read with the help of her foster father and via various clandestine methods (book thief, remember?), acquires several books to further her education. This love of books progresses until she finally realises the power inherent in words when she reads to the small German community during late night sojourns in bomb shelters. At this point in the narrative, everyone dies (pretty much).
What makes this book different is that it is written from the perspective of Death. Not Death as he is normally described but rather someone who is overworked due to the high number of deaths during World War II. It was this change of perspective that drew me to the book. Well, that plus the fact that it was at half price. :)
Although the book raises some interesting points, overall, I have to admit that I was bored. To be fair, this isn't a reflection of the book, which is extremely well written, but rather of my own reading style.
The problem is that the scope of the story is very much a slice in the life of Liesel Meminger. At times, the story is so slow it almost feels catatonic and the story doesn't really get much oomph until halfway through (when Max the Jew shows up and lives in the basement). The majority of the book is simply about how Liesel deals with daily life.
Again, I have to stress that I can recognise that the book is well written - the problem is that its just not my cup of tea. I generally much prefer to read high fantasy, sci-fi or thrillers - basically, escapist novels. Ultimately, I read books to escape from the dreary humdrum existence of my life - not to enter the even more dreary humdrum existence of someone elses even more depressing life.
I guess I should have known to avoid this book from the fact that it was a New York Times bestseller.
:)
It details the story of Liesel Meminger,a young girl in Nazi Germany, during World War II. The girl is abandoned by her mother (for reasons untold) and goes to live with foster parents in a small German town. Although she starts the book as an illiterate, she learns to read with the help of her foster father and via various clandestine methods (book thief, remember?), acquires several books to further her education. This love of books progresses until she finally realises the power inherent in words when she reads to the small German community during late night sojourns in bomb shelters. At this point in the narrative, everyone dies (pretty much).
What makes this book different is that it is written from the perspective of Death. Not Death as he is normally described but rather someone who is overworked due to the high number of deaths during World War II. It was this change of perspective that drew me to the book. Well, that plus the fact that it was at half price. :)
Although the book raises some interesting points, overall, I have to admit that I was bored. To be fair, this isn't a reflection of the book, which is extremely well written, but rather of my own reading style.
The problem is that the scope of the story is very much a slice in the life of Liesel Meminger. At times, the story is so slow it almost feels catatonic and the story doesn't really get much oomph until halfway through (when Max the Jew shows up and lives in the basement). The majority of the book is simply about how Liesel deals with daily life.
Again, I have to stress that I can recognise that the book is well written - the problem is that its just not my cup of tea. I generally much prefer to read high fantasy, sci-fi or thrillers - basically, escapist novels. Ultimately, I read books to escape from the dreary humdrum existence of my life - not to enter the even more dreary humdrum existence of someone elses even more depressing life.
I guess I should have known to avoid this book from the fact that it was a New York Times bestseller.
:)
Thursday, September 25, 2008
The God Delusion
I recently finished reading The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins. This book is brilliant and if you haven't read it, I definitely recommend it to you (if you do buy it, make sure you buy the paperback version with the additional foreword).
Basically, the book is non-fiction and details Dawkin's argument that there is no God (just in case it isn't obvious, Dawkins is an atheist). Furthermore, the belief in a personal God, ala Christianity, qualifies as a delusion (there is a great quote in the book "when one person suffers from a delusion it is called insanity. When many people suffer from a delusion it is called religion").
The first half of the book details his argument that there is no God. In my opinion, the first half of the book in itself merits purchase. His arguments are extremely well thought out and, despite some accusations to the contrary, do not consist of pure vitriol. The second half of the book talks about morality and particularly, the relationship between religion and morality. Unfortunately, there are a couple of areas in the second half of the book where it bogs down a bit. Overall though, he makes well thought out arguments (for the most part) in a highly entertaining and lucid manner.
Granted, the book in itself is not 100% convincing - there are a couple of arguments he makes which I'm not sure I fully agree with and there seem to be some assumptions which aren't fully explained. I guess this is due to the fact that there is a limit to how much you can convey in a book and still make it an interesting read. Nevertheless, this is one of those books which you find hard to put down after you pick it up and I cannot recommend it enough (regardless of whether you are an atheist, theist, agnostic or any of the other possiblities).
Full disclosure department - I consider myself an agnostic (and still do).
Basically, the book is non-fiction and details Dawkin's argument that there is no God (just in case it isn't obvious, Dawkins is an atheist). Furthermore, the belief in a personal God, ala Christianity, qualifies as a delusion (there is a great quote in the book "when one person suffers from a delusion it is called insanity. When many people suffer from a delusion it is called religion").
The first half of the book details his argument that there is no God. In my opinion, the first half of the book in itself merits purchase. His arguments are extremely well thought out and, despite some accusations to the contrary, do not consist of pure vitriol. The second half of the book talks about morality and particularly, the relationship between religion and morality. Unfortunately, there are a couple of areas in the second half of the book where it bogs down a bit. Overall though, he makes well thought out arguments (for the most part) in a highly entertaining and lucid manner.
Granted, the book in itself is not 100% convincing - there are a couple of arguments he makes which I'm not sure I fully agree with and there seem to be some assumptions which aren't fully explained. I guess this is due to the fact that there is a limit to how much you can convey in a book and still make it an interesting read. Nevertheless, this is one of those books which you find hard to put down after you pick it up and I cannot recommend it enough (regardless of whether you are an atheist, theist, agnostic or any of the other possiblities).
Full disclosure department - I consider myself an agnostic (and still do).
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Angels and Demons
I've just finished reading the novel Angels and Demons by Dan Brown. If the authors name seems familiar, its because Dan Brown was the guy who wrote The Da Vinci Code.
I had read The Da Vinci Code a while ago (before they even confirmed that it would be turned into a movie) and it was a great novel. A really gripping story and extremely well written. As a result of this, I decided to try out some of Dan Browns other novels. Angels and Demons, being Robert Langdon's (the hero of The Da Vinci Code) first adventure, was an obvious choice.
And I was not disappointed. Angels and Demons is another great novel from Dan Brown. I only started reading it several days ago and I've already finished. The book is extremely gripping and very hard to put down once you pick it up - I can't remember the last time I finished a novel so quickly (although it might have been The Da Vinci Code!).
In many ways, Angels and Demons is very similar to The Da Vinci Code. The story is again about the church and an ancient cult out to destroy the church. The writing is superb - revealing just a little bit more of the story in each chapter. Just enough to keep you on the edge of your seat and make you want to keep reading to find out what happens next.
All in all, an excellent read and a definite recommendation from yours truly.
I had read The Da Vinci Code a while ago (before they even confirmed that it would be turned into a movie) and it was a great novel. A really gripping story and extremely well written. As a result of this, I decided to try out some of Dan Browns other novels. Angels and Demons, being Robert Langdon's (the hero of The Da Vinci Code) first adventure, was an obvious choice.
And I was not disappointed. Angels and Demons is another great novel from Dan Brown. I only started reading it several days ago and I've already finished. The book is extremely gripping and very hard to put down once you pick it up - I can't remember the last time I finished a novel so quickly (although it might have been The Da Vinci Code!).
In many ways, Angels and Demons is very similar to The Da Vinci Code. The story is again about the church and an ancient cult out to destroy the church. The writing is superb - revealing just a little bit more of the story in each chapter. Just enough to keep you on the edge of your seat and make you want to keep reading to find out what happens next.
All in all, an excellent read and a definite recommendation from yours truly.
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