How is that February almost over already? It’s been a month of much rain for many of us in the UK, but it has shown a few slight hints of sun here and there, so hopefully spring is not too far away!
The writing has still been somewhat lean. As you can imagine, starting and learning a new job is a tiring business! That said, more ideas have started crashing around in my overly full mind, so I’m going to have to do something about that. I’ve also felt the pull to return to my assorted works in progress, so I think a full-fledged return to writing is not too far away now.
Circular Motion by Alex Foster
Continuing my alphabet reading challenge, Circular Motion slipped in for the letter C. Another sci-fi tale, this one caught my eye. It tells a cautionary tale of the problems caused by sub-orbital travel, leading to the Earth spinning faster. This, in turn, leads to shortened days and, as the rotation worsens, so too do the environmental impacts. It started out as a promising premise. It’s told from the perspectives of 2 or 3 main characters, and this is where the book fell short for me. The characters weren’t overly engaging, and the fact that their stories ended up intertwined, for me, felt forced with a disappointing lack of payoff in the end.
The Dead Zone by Stephen King
The Dead Zone occupied the letter D on my reading challenge. I watched the film just last year, though I’m sorry to say, it’s yet another Stephen King book I’ve yet to read. And it did not disappoint. The story was familiar enough thanks to the film, and yet so much more. It was filled with King’s trademark deep, rich descriptive narrative, vibrant world-building and vital characters. Though the film was fantastic, the sense of humanity and emotion that runs through the novel is even deeper. It made for a fantastic read, and has shown me the need to catch up on the remaining omissions in my Stephen King reading.
Eragon by Christopher Paolini
Eragon represents another novel that managed to pass me by, despite having seen the film many years ago. It also represented another novel that pleasantly surprised me. To begin with, I wasn’t sure I would like the lead character, Eragon. He was obnoxious and whiny. He bordered on entitled and irritating. But as the story developed, it proved to be an important part of his character. As events gained pace, and he found himself thrust into an unexpected position of importance and reverence, he grew as a person and became so much the better for it. And the character of Saphira the dragon was fantastic. I’ll definitely be reading the rest of the series.
Small Prophets
I wasn’t too sure what to expect going into this one, but I’m glad I watched it. I’ve not actually seen Mackenzie Crook’s previous big series, The Detectorists, so I might need to go back to that. Small Prophets follows Michael, a man whose wife disappeared without a trace, as he tries to live his life. He works an unfulfilling job, visits his eccentric dad in a care home, and seems to actively annoy his neighbour. When his dad suggests he try to “create” homunculi, beings that can answer any question, Michael embarks on a bizarre mission to locate his wife. It’s a mad and yet uplifting comedy, and I can’t wait to see what season two brings.
Curfew
Based on a novel, Curfew is set in a dystopian version of the UK. Men must wear ankle tags and are bound by curfews between 7am and 7pm to protect women following a spate of serious crimes. When a woman is murdered during curfew hours, and only days before the curfew bill is set to be considered for renewal, the police must scramble to solve the case. If the perpetrator is male, the curfew is not working. If it’s a woman, then it calls into question the merits of putting all men under curfew. And this dilemma hangs heavily over the entire series. It led to a tense atmosphere throughout.
The conclusion left a lot to be desired. The crime was solved with a predictably tense finale, but nothing really felt resolved. The renewal of the curfew bill is not mentioned again, which felt like the entire series was built upon. It felt like the sense of jeopardy it had built was undone by leaving that final part unresolved. It made for a disappointing end to what had been an entertaining enough series up to that point.
NOS4A2
I read the book this series is based on last year, and it immediately cemented itself as a favourite. So when I saw that there were two seasons of a series based on the book, I had to give it a go. Zachary Quinto played the role of the supernatural villain, Charlie Manx, perfectly. And Ashleigh Cummings as protagonist Vic McQueen is an incredible presence, too. Yes, there were some deviations from the novel, which is to be expected when condensing a chunky 180,000-word tome into two made-for-TV series. They’ve made Vic older, and certain elements have been cut or condensed for the screen, but it stays true to the story, and I feel the casting really works. Special nods to Jahkara Smith as Maggie Leigh and especially to Ólafur Darri Ólafsson as Bing Partridge. A fantastic adaptation.
How to Train Your Dragon
I have been a bit sceptical of late about live-action remakes of iconic animated favourites. Don’t get me wrong, with advances in special effects and CGI, they can look incredible. The animals in The Lion King remake really were impressive, but they lacked the charm of their animated predecessors. So I wasn’t sure what to expect with this one. Toothless, especially, is filled with charm. His animated form is an incredible exercise in expressions and non-verbal communication. I needn’t have been worried, as this was fantastic. It stays close to the source material and is filled with all of the charm and humour of the original animated film.
Seeing that there is a follow-up in the works, I’m keen to see where they go with it.
ARC Raiders
ARC Raiders is – on paper – not my usual kind of game. It’s a PvP extraction looter with a short time frame. You head to the surface across a series of different maps, each with different characteristics. You have 25 minutes to dodge and destroy robotic ARCs, search for high-value loot and blueprints, and befriend, betray or battle other players, while ticking off a series of missions. There’s little to no story to speak of, and if you die topside, you lose all your loot and gear.
Normally, I’d find this sort of game frustrating, and yet, I love this one. It’s phenomenally addictive, with satisfying gameplay loops and the potential for hilarious mishaps.
I still haven’t committed words to the page this month, but I can feel my creative side waking up ever more. Ideas continue to grow, and my desire to actually sit and write is growing, too. I know it’s probably sounding a bit repetitive, but the increase in job satisfaction at work, combined with a self-imposed writing break, is actually a good thing for me, and I am certain it will be good for my writing in the long run.
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Steven Smith 