Thursday, May 9, 2024

My father and I just finished Wish by Victoria Harris

My father and I just finished Wish by Victoria Harris.

A quaint yet poignant Fantasy steeped in the author's own rather unique take on Irish lore, it teaches the lesson that even in the face of grief and betrayal one must shine bright with inner sparkle, because otherwise the darkness will - very literally in this case - win. Oh, and a certain spiny familiar has an attitude problem.

A new Lord of the Rings movie: The Hunt of Gollum

To quote the Washington Post: 

A new Lord of the Rings movie was announced by Warner Bros. on Thursday, marking a cinematic return to the Oscar-winning film franchise based on the novels by J.R.R. Tolkien. The new film, the first of two that will explore previously untold stories in the universe, will see Lord of the Rings trilogy filmmaker Peter Jackson back at the helm, along with Andy Serkis, who still star in and direct the first of these films, “The Hunt for Gollum.”

“Yesssss, Precious. The time has come once more to venture into the unknown with my dear friends,” Serkis said in a statement, playing off the slithery, CGI-rendered Gollum character that he performed to much acclaim in the original film trilogy. Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav first announced the new films during an earnings call Thursday, with “The Hunt for Gollum” tentatively scheduled to release in 2026. The film’s script is still being written.

My reaction? Given the travesty of movies they made for The Hobbit, I have some concerns. Still, to quote Bilbo Baggins, "where there is life there is hope" and this is Peter Jackson's chance to redeem himself in a major way as Aragorn and Gandalf traversed much of Middle-earth to find Gollum. Of course, the real question is whether Ian McKellen and Viggo Mortensen will reprise their old characters. This could, as ever with the works of the great J.R.R. Tolkien, be a cinematic masterpiece in the making.

Friday, May 3, 2024

I have started Destiny, book three of Elizabeth Haydon's Symphony of Ages

I have started Destiny, book three of Elizabeth Haydon's Symphony of Ages.

It is time to hunt the F'dor and all those born and controlled by its black flames. Black flames which threaten Past, Present, and Future as now Rhapsody the Singer, Achmed the Snake, and Sergeant-Major Gunthor are past the help of Meridion the Time Editor. The Three must stand, survive, and save the world from nothing less than unending, timeless oblivion. Prophecies have declared they can, prophetic visions the price of failure. The attack comes from all sides. Will the many ambitions and secrets of be the Cymrians overcome? How many steps into apocalypse can the world endure? Will a love that began on a lost island in the distant Past finally be permitted to burn bright as Daystar Clarion for all to see? Only Time will tell. Let the harmony continue.