Star Wars on Trial

So in the interest of full disclosure, let me say this: I'm a Star Wars fan. No, fan is not strong enough. "Geek," perhaps. I own all six movies. No, that's not strong enough either. I"m one of the suckers who kept buying the progressive edits on the original trilogy that George Lucas kept ramming down our throats. I've played at least a dozen Star Wars themed computer games and still think one of them, Knights of the Old Republic, contains a fantastic story. I owned dozens of the novels.

And yet, in spite of my fandom, I have to admit a great deal of frustration with Mr. Lucas. While the original trilogy inspired me, while the books built on the foundation of his creation, he really wrecked things up with the prequel trilogies. Far too many plotholes. Far too many missed opportunities. Far too many clunky scenes, horrible dialogue exchanges, and wooden acting. Unfortunately, my love affair with the series has waned a bit in recent years.

Some of you may know this already. About six months ago, I had some fun by creating a series of campaign commercials around the plotholes. If you haven't watched them, click the link. It'll waste maybe only ten minutes of your life. Twelve tops.

Anyway, even though I may not be as rabid of a fan as I once was, I still swing through the sci-fi section of Barnes and Noble every time I'm there to see what's new. And one time, I spotted this book: Star Wars on Trial. Needless to say, I was interested. I flipped through it for a few moments before putting it back. Maybe I'd get to read it someday.

Thanks to my mother-in-law and Christmas, someday finally came.

Basically, two men (David Brin for the prosecution and Matthew Woodring Stover for the defense) put Star Wars on trial (hence the title). Eight charges were brought against the movie franchise:

1. The politics of Star Wars are anti-democratic and elitist.
2. While claiming mythic significance, Star Wars portrays no admirable religious or ethical beliefs.
3. Star Wars novels are poor substitutes for real science fiction and are driving real SF off the shelves.
4. Science fiction filmmaking has been reduced by Star Wars to poorly written special effects extravaganzas.
5. Star Wars has dumbed down the perception of science fiction in the popular imagination.
6. Star Wars pretends to be science fiction but is reall fantasy.
7. Women in Star Wars are portrayed as fundamentally weak.
8. The plot holes and logical gaps in Star Wars make it ill-suited for an intelligent viewer.

For each charge, the prosecution submitted an essay, followed by a bit of cross-examination by the defense. Then reverse the pattern with an essay from the defense and cross-examination by the prosecutor.

I don't get into essays all that much, but this was a pleasure to read. The people who wrote them took them seriously. Or as seriously as the subject matter warranted. Many excellent points were raised by both sides and I did some serious thinking about the series from which I've derived so much pleasure. There were some interesting alternate takes on what the series is all about. Perhaps the most interesting thing that came up is that one of the biggest villains in the series is not Darth Sidious or Darth Vader. It's Yoda. The prosecution labels him a "nasty green oven mitt" and the kicker is, nobody leaps to his defense.

After looking over what everyone had to say, my opinion is that the prosecution pasted the defense. Brin's side put together some very persuasive arguments, many of which the defense conceded with a "Yeah, but so what?" counterargument. The screwy thing is is that even though he was definitely behind on points, Stover managed to squeak in a victory with his closing arguments. It's not a clean win, but it's still a win.

If nothing else, this book has helped me make something of a resolution. I know, mid-March isn't exactly the time to do that normally, but just go with it. I've noticed that my reading patterns for the past few years have been stuck in the same two "ghettos," namely Star Wars books and Christian fiction.

Not that I'm knocking either. I'm not planning on giving up the latter. The fact that I'm posting this in the middle of a blog tour should tell you that. But I am going to try to stretch my legs a little. Time for me to read some classic sci-fi. Research Nebula-award winning books and see what they're about. Expand my pallette.

It may take a while. I've always got a stack of books to read. Shuffling in some new stuff might not happen immediately. But there you go. If you're a Star Wars fan or want to read some interesting takes on both Star Wars trilogy, then this is a great book for you.

CSFF Blog Tour: Hunter Brown and the Secret of the Shadow Day One

This one's going to be a little rough. I wanted to like this one, I really, really did.

Hunter Brown and the Secret of the Shadow is a young adult Christian fantasy book that centers around a young man named ... well, you guessed it, Hunter Brown. Hunter seems like your typical "geek" outcast at school, only he's drawn into an adventure when he's given a mysterious book. The book transports him to a place called Solandria, where he joins up with a group called the Codebearers. The Codebearers are fighting the evil forces of a being named Sceleris, personified by an evil wizard named Venator. Can the Codebearers defeat the evil Shadow and will Hunter ever make it home?

Okay, now that the plot is out of the way, let's discuss why this book really didn't do it for me.

For starters, there's the fact that it's young adult fiction. Let's face reality. I'm twice the target age as the intended readers, so while I could enjoy the tale, it didn't really grab me. Maybe this would be good in the "right hands," so to speak, but those hands don't belong to me.

Second, there were craft issues that drove me up the wall. For example, the Miller brothers kept using improper speech tags all the time. We had people "smiling" their words, or so on and so forth. I've heard it many, many times before: when writing dialogue, only use "said" or "asked" and not much else. Every time I hit an improper speech tag, it jarred me a bit. There were point of view problems as well, where Hunter suddenly knew what was happening in another person's head.

Now by saying that, you may think I'm judging the Miller brothers harshly. Maybe I am. But I say these things as someone who has committed these writing craft sins in the past. Maybe the rules are a little more lax when it comes to YA fiction, I don't know.

And thirdly, the book was too preachy. The allegory was paper thin and easy to see through and that made it less enjoyable for me. Again, maybe this is something that works for YA fiction, but it didn't really do much for me.

Again, this might all be because I'm an adult reading a book intended for readers half my age. I've had this problem before (see my review from a six months ago about Twilight). Maybe if I pass it on to a young adult, said young adult will get more out of it. I have no idea.

And maybe it's just me. Tell you what. Go check out what the other tourists have to say:

Brandon Barr
Keanan Brand
Melissa Carswell
Valerie Comer
Amy Cruson
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Shane Deal
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Karina Fabian
Marcus Goodyear
Todd Michael Greene
Katie Hart
Ryan Heart
Timothy Hicks
Jason Isbell
Cris Jesse
Jason Joyner
Carol Keen
Mike Lynch
Magma
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Nissa
Wade Ogletree
John W. Otte
Steve Rice
Crista Richey
Chawna Schroeder
James Somers
Rachel Starr Thomson
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Fred Warren
Phyllis Wheeler
Jill Williamson

Watchmen

After watching Watchmen earlier this afternoon, I'm pretty sure that Alan Moore is right.

For those of you who don't understand, Alan Moore is the writer who created Watchmen, an absolutely phenomenal graphic novel that turns just about every superhero convention on its ear. Gritty, wild, and extremely well written, Watchmen is densely packed with plot, time-bending scenes, and such a rich story and characters that it's a true work of art. And Moore firmly believes that no one should have tried to adapt his story for the big screen.

Given how incredible the source material is, the movie version came in with a considerable handicap. They tried to cover as much as they could in the opening credits, but really, that's not good enough. I seriously wonder if someone who hasn't read the graphic novel could really follow the plot the way the movie told it.

But it's not just the source material that handicapped the movie. Zack Snyder, while called a "visionary director" in the commericals, was in over his head, I think. He often tried to simply dump parts of the graphic novel into the movie, stuff that should have been adapted instead. For example, some of the lengthy narration that went on. I was okay with the inclusion of Rorschach's journal as a voice over, but when Doctor Manhatten started doing voice overs as well, it just detracted.

But the times that Snyder tried to adapt the material, he did it in a ham-fisted way. For example, Laurie's conversation with Doctor Manhatten on Mars. In the original, this is a great scene, with the conversation slowly teasing out a major revelation from Laurie. In the movie, it's just dumped in with a magical zap.

And while artistic license is a thing that can and should be exercised, the few times the writers of the screenplay used it, I think they weakened the story. For example, the ending and the lack of the squid (if you don't understand, go read the graphic novel. It's worth it). What the writers came up with instead would have caused more problems than it would have solved. It's hard to go into here without revealing spoilers. Another example: how Walter Kovacs truly became Rorschach. It was a lot more clever and powerful in the graphic novel. In the movie, it was just needlessly gross.

Which brings me to another gripe. It seems that Snyder decided to just amp up the sex and violence to the nth degree. Now there is a lot of violence and some sex in the source material, but in the graphic novel, it's more the hint of the true violence, and the sex happens, by and large, off screen, so to speak. Not in Snyder's version. Bursting entrails, graphic sex scenes, it was way over the top and, I thought, unnecessary.

There were definitely some bright spots to the movie. Jackie Earle Haley's portrayal of the pscyhopathic Rorschach was spot on and great. He was awesome. And a lot of the fight scenes were well choreographed. But someone really needs to take away Zack Snyder's slow-motion button. He can have it back after he makes a full movie without it.

So should you see it? Hard to say. I wasn't impressed. Maybe you will be.

What if Starbucks Marketed Like a Church?

A friend of mine found this and posted it to his Facebook account. Interesting food for thought.

Validation

Just a fun little movie for your Tuesday. I found this one through the "Best of YouTube" podcast. Doesn't matter. I liked it.

The Infinite Day

This one took me a while to read. Not surprising since Chris Walley's The Infinte Day weighs in at a whopping 576 pages. It was a hefty book to work through.

The story picks up where The Dark Foundations left off. Commander Merral D'Avanos is heading off to the Dominion to rescue the thirty hostages kidnaped by the Margrave Lezaroth. That's a troubling prospect since that means they'll need to travel through Below Space, a realm of grayness where evil lurks around every corner.

But that's not the only problem they're facing. Another group has left the planet Farholme and is headed toward Ancient Earth. And none of them are friendly toward Merral and what he's trying to accomplish. What kind of impact will they have at the heart of the Assembly?

And then there's the Dominion itself. Lord-emperor Nezhuala is preparing his forces to invade the Assembly. What plans does he have for God's people and what, exactly, is the Blade of Night supposed to do?

If you're a regular reader of my blog (one of the two or three), you know that I was a bit ambivalent toward the first book in this series but I absolutely loved the second. So I was quite anxious to get my hands on this book and see how the series wrapped up. On the whole, I was satisfied with the book but it wasn't the best of the three.

Part of the problem were a few story choices that Walley made throughout. Call it "Monday morning quarterbacking," if you will (I'd love to find out what Vero would make of that phrase), but as I read, I kept trying to guess what Walley was going to do. There were a few times when what I guessed seemed a lot more fun and interesting. It's not that I think what Walley came up with is "wrong," but they weren't choices I would have made. It's a personal thing.

There were a few points when Walley also made some craft choices that bugged me. Toward the end, he popped into "narrator mode" and spoke directly to the reader. He did this toward the end of the book and, seeing as he hadn't done it before then or in either of the other two books, it was a bit jarring. It might have been better to fold the information into the story somehow.

I also had a theological problem with the way the conflict with the Dominion ultimately ended. I wish I could go into detail, but if I do, I'll basically drop a massive spoiler right here. Not gonna do it. Let's just say that it seems like Walley was saying that humanity pulled a trigger that only God should have had access to. I hope that's ambiguous enough.

All of this is not to say that I didn't enjoy this book. I really, really did. It was great to see how Walley created this futuristic world. What was really cool for me was the fact that he did so using post-millennial theology as a basis for his story. Seeing as so much eschatological fiction is based on dispensational premillennialism, this was a breath of fresh air. And, I have to say, his depiction of the rapture was so, so right. So right.

The last thing I have to say is this: I still do not understand why this series is classed as "fantasy." It's so not. It's science fiction, through and through. Sure, there are fantastical elements to it (such as the Below Space manifestations and Nezhuala's powers), but those simply added color to the story.

Whatever. Not important, I suppose. What does matter is that this is a great series. If you're a fan of Christian speculative fiction, you'll want to read the whole thing.

Theological Doink Doink

You know, I was really worried when I saw that tonight's episode of Law and Order was going to revolve around some sort of Christian belief. Law and Order hasn't always been friendly toward the faith or Christian values.

But watching a case revolve around dispensational premillennialism? Maybe it's just me, but I liked it.

CSFF Blog Tour: Cyndere's Midnight Day Three

You know, as phenomenal as Jeffrey Overstreet's Cyndere's Midnight is, I've got nothing today. Not a single thing. Well, that's not true. I've got a few ideas rattling around in the far recesses of my brain about how Auralia's colors seem to have a shalom-producing effect on the inhabitants of the Expanse (and I'm deliberately using the Hebrew word for peace here for a reason). The problem is, my mind's a bit scattered right now and I can't get those thoughts to sit still for long enough to put them into any coherent order.

So I'll just ask you, dear reader, a question: have you bought these books yet? And if not, why not? Go. Do so now.

Brandon Barr
Keanan Brand
Rachel Briard
Valerie Comer
Amy Cruson
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Shane Deal
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Karina Fabian
Andrea Graham
Todd Michael Greene
Katie Hart
Timothy Hicks
Jason Isbell
Jason Joyner
Kait
Carol Keen
Magma
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Eve Nielsen
Nissa
Wade Ogletree
John W. Otte
John Ottinger
Steve Rice
Crista Richey
Alice M. Roelke
Chawna Schroeder
James Somers
Rachel Starr Thomson
Robert Treskillard
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Fred Warren
Jill Williamson

CSFF Blog Tour: Cyndere's Midnight Day Two

One of the reasons why I was looking forward to reading Cyndere's Midnight by Jeffrey Overstreet was because I wanted more data to work with on one of the enduring mysteries in the series, namely the identity of the Keeper. If you were around my blog a year ago when we toured Auralia's Colors and you have a phenomenal memory, you might remember that I originally believed that the Keeper was some sort of Christ-figure. Then our wonderful blog tour overlord Rebecca Miller said that Overstreet has said to hold off on identifying the Keeper as a God figure.

This has left me a little puzzled, because to be honest, that identification became a bit more solid. More than that, though. After reading through Auralia's Colors before reading Cyndere's Midnight, I'm beginning to wonder if the Keeper isn't supposed to be the Father and Auralia is supposed to be the Christ figure. Given Auralia's role (limited though it may be) in Cyndere's Midnight, and especially given the way that the ale boy interacts with her memory, that seems more and more likely.

But I'm still tripped up over what Rebecca Miller said. So I've come up with a whacky alternate theory: Auralia isn't Christ. The Keeper isn't God. Instead, the Keeper is the Church. Auralia is a "generic Christian." And the Expanse and its denizens are the unsaved world.

The Keeper is seen as a horrific monster by the denizens of the Expanse. And let's be honest, the Church is seen that way by many non-Christians. Auralia is sent in to confront House Abascar and its lack of color and vibrancy, much the same way that we Christians are sent in to do the same for our friends and neighbors who don't have a relationship with Christ.

Part of the reason why I wonder about this is because there's something missing so far in these books, and that's a codified religion that is an obvious parallel to Christianity and/or Judaism. As such, it's hard to really make everything fit.

Not that that's a complaint. I tend to overthink stuff like this. You don't have to agree with my new, silly theory. But you can bet I'll be waiting for Cal-raven's Ladder to see what further brushstrokes are added to the theological portrait.

Go and see what the other tourists have to say this month:

Brandon Barr
Keanan Brand
Rachel Briard
Valerie Comer
Amy Cruson
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Shane Deal
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Karina Fabian
Andrea Graham
Todd Michael Greene
Katie Hart
Timothy Hicks
Jason Isbell
Jason Joyner
Kait
Carol Keen
Magma
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Eve Nielsen
Nissa
Wade Ogletree
John W. Otte
John Ottinger
Steve Rice
Crista Richey
Alice M. Roelke
Chawna Schroeder
James Somers
Rachel Starr Thomson
Robert Treskillard
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Fred Warren
Jill Williamson

CSFF Blog Tour: Cyndere's Midnight Day One

I've been looking forward to this one for a while now. After reading Auralia's Colors a little over a year ago, I've been looking forward to heading back to the Expanse. And with Jeffrey Overstreet's latest book, Cyndere's Midnight, we get to go back to that fascinating realm.

The story picks up a few months after the first book leaves off. The survivors of House Abascar are clinging to existence in the Blackstone Caves. But the story itself focuses around the House Bel Amica. Cyndere, the "crown princess" for that house, and her consort, Deuneroi, have big plans for the beastmen of former House Cent Regus. But Deuneroi, on a trip to the ruins of Abascar, gets killed.

This sends Cyndere into a tailspin. She eventually retreats to an old Bel Amican fortress called Tilianpurth. Her family and friends believe it's to find some healing. In reality, it's to carry on her dreams.

This brings her into contact with Jordam, a Cent Regus beastman with a difference: he's met Auralia. He's seen her colors. And as a result, he's changing. This causes him a great deal of strife, for he's in a pack with three of his brothers. One of them, Mordafey, has big plans for himself and the rest of the Cent Regus, one that could topple everything Cyndere is working for and threatens to destroy House Abascar a second time.

There wasn't as much mystery in this book, but that's okay. For me, the description of the Cent Regus beastmen and their history was fascinating, especially when the Four Brothers entered the ruins. Overstreet's prose continues to shine through this story and when I was done, I was ready for the next book in the series.

I'm once again a little puzzled by the theology surrounding Auralia and the Keeper, but I'll get into that tomorrow.

You definitely will enjoy this book. Make sure you pick it up soon.

Brandon Barr
Keanan Brand
Rachel Briard
Valerie Comer
Amy Cruson
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Shane Deal
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Karina Fabian
Andrea Graham
Todd Michael Greene
Katie Hart
Timothy Hicks
Jason Isbell
Jason Joyner
Kait
Carol Keen
Magma
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Eve Nielsen
Nissa
Wade Ogletree
John W. Otte
John Ottinger
Steve Rice
Crista Richey
Alice M. Roelke
Chawna Schroeder
James Somers
Rachel Starr Thomson
Robert Treskillard
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Fred Warren
Jill Williamson

Dollhouse

So I've always been late to the party.

For example: I had heard interesting things about Firefly when it actually aired but I never bothered to watch it. Then a few months ago, I found the entire series on DVD and watched it all in a week. And then I spent a few months kicking myself because I had missed it.

Another example: Pushing Daisies. I heard good reviews and my wife insisted I had to watch it. I didn't, not at first. Then I eventually started watching and loving what I saw. Just in time for it to be cancelled.

So when I heard about Dollhouse, I was bound and determined not to miss out on a show, especially one created by Joss Whedon (see my first example above and, while we're at it, Dr. Horrible's Sing-along Blog). I didn't get a chance to watch it until just now.

For those unfamiliar with the show and its concept, Echo is an "active," an agent for an underground and illegal organization. They send out the actives after programming them with skills, personalities, and memories for various "engagements." Sometimes they're basically escorts. Other times, they're assassins. In the premiere, Echo acted as a negotiator/profiler to help recover a kidnaped little girl.

But there are flies in the ointment. First of all, there is an FBI agent determined to track down the organization and shut it down. And apparently, there's an "active" named Alpha who's a loose cannon.

After watching the premiere, my initial reaction is a bit of skepticism. The concept of this organization is a little hard to swallow. The FBI agent's superior made a good point: if all you want is an escort or an assassin, why go through all the trouble to hire one that's been programmed the way Echo and her compatriots are? I'm hoping that this question will get answered in more detail in future episodes, but let's just say that my suspended disbelief rattled its cage a few times.

I'm also worried about how well Eliza Dushku will fare in this role. It's hard to say after watching her switch into three personalities in one episode (a guy's perfect date, the negotiator, and the "blank" Echo). If Echo really is going to become different people each episode, that's going to take a lot of talent. This whole show is going to hang on Dushku's ability; if she can't pull it off, things might flounder.

There were bright spots. Echo's handler, Boyd Langton (played by Harry Lennix), will be interesting to watch. From what I gather, Langton was a cop who somehow wound up working at the Dollhouse. He had obvious problems with Echo's "engagement" this week; I'm expecting further conflict between him and his superiors.

I'm also thinking that exploring the Alpha subplot will be a blast as well.

Whatever the case, I'm looking forward to watching this one from the beginning. Hopefully it will live up to my expectations. And hopefully it'll be a good, long ride.

Escape from City 17

I've mentioned before on my blog that I'm a video game fan. Love 'em, love 'em, love 'em. One of the best first-person shooters I've played is Half-Life 2 and its attendant episodes. Personally, I'm looking forward to Half-Life 2 Episode 3, since they seem to be promising that we'll be able to play with the Portal gun. If that sentence made no sense to you, sorry.

So today, I logged on to Steam and I saw an ad for a video series that some Half-Life fans had put together. I now present it to you. Just to warn you, there is some violence and language issues.

Normally I'm not a fan of fanfic. But if all of it was this great in terms of quality, well, I would have to change my opinion.

The Shack

So I keep hearing about this book, this controversial book about a man who meets God out in a shack. Some people love it. Some people despise it. And to be honest, I had a hard time bringing myself to care about this controversy. I mean, let's face it. Literary brouhahas come and go pretty quickly. How often do people really argue about The DaVinci Code anymore?

But then some of my congregation members started asking me about it. And then my organist bought me a copy for Christmas. And I realized that, in spite of my ambivalence, I would have to read Wm. Paul Young's The Shack.

And so here I am, having just finished this book about a man named Mack who was in desperate need of healing. His daughter was killed by a serial killer and Mack becomes withdrawn and wrapped in The Great Sadness. And then he receives an odd invitation. He's asked to return to the shack where his daughter died. The note is signed by "Papa," the nickname his wife has for God.

And so Mack heads out to the shack, where he encounters God. And God is interested in healing Mack and teaching him more about Him.

Now I can understand why some people might be upset about Young's book. His portrayal of God is a bit unusual. I'll admit I was a bit perplexed by his Holy Spirit, especially her name, Sarayu. But even that was explained. And yes, Young's attitude toward organized religion is pretty obvious and that might rankle those of us who are part of the organization.

But really, I didn't see anything all that shocking. Sure, if you wanted to use this as a theological textbook, there might be problems. If you gave someone this book as the be-all and end-all of learning what it means to be a follower of Christ, they would receive a skewed impression. And sure, you can take stuff out of context and create big scary theological monsters, but really, it boils down to one man's ruminations on God and faith. Keeping it within that context makes it a thought-provoking read.

That doesn't mean that I'm all ga-ga over it. It was an average book, and one that had craft problems. The opening foreword was a massive info dump, stuff that should have been worked into the rest of the text. Young resorts to a lot of telling instead of showing. And most maddening to me is his constant need to both capitalize and italicize The Great Sadness. You can tell that this began life as a self-published book and in this case, that's not good.

So I guess I don't get what the big deal is about. Sure, it gave me a few interesting insights on God that will hopefully help my faith grow. And in the end, that's not too bad.

New in Town

This afternoon, I went to see New In Town, the romantic comedy set in New Ulm, Minnesota. It follows the story of Lucy Hill, a corporate executive from a food company based in Miami who is sent to New Ulm in the middle of winter. Her job is to downsize a factory and automate it. It's a typical fish-out-of-water story, complete with hunky Ted Mitchell (played by Harry Connick Jr.) as the local union rep who gets under Lucy's skin.

I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised by how Lucy was portrayed. I mean, I thought it was nothing short of a miracle that the director was able to get a clay golem animated by an ancient kaballistic spell to act with such an emotional range.

Wait, that was Renee Zellweger? Oh. Well, that changes things.

All kidding aside, this was a horrible movie. Let's start positive. There were two bright spots, and they were Siobhan Fallon and a surprisingly rotund J.K. Simmons. Their characters were great (even if Fallon's Blanche was a ridiculous stereotype; more on that in a moment).

But we can't remain positive forever or for even very long with this movie. For starters, there's Zellweger's Lucy, a shrieking harridan of a character with absolutely no redeeming or endearing qualities. I get that she's supposed to be a corporate shark. I do. But there wasn't a trace of human warmth in her for most of the movie. That's probably why she didn't like Minnesota so much. Someone that cold blooded would risk death if they set foot in our state.

Which brings me to my biggest beef with this movie. Was this really supposed to be set in New Ulm? I get it, filming in Minnesota can be a bit expensive. I recently read an article that said that Minnesota hasn't kept up with surrounding states when it comes to giving breaks to movie makers. So it makes fiscal sense for Hollywood to head up to Winnipeg. But you'd think that they'd send some people to get a feel for what the real New Ulm is like.

Apparently not, though. The movie's New Ulm is ridiculous. It's portrayed as a dinky little town with a single main drag, a community where if the yogurt plant closes, everything will go down the tubes. Everyone wears flannel. TVs only get shows from the '50s. And everyone speaks with the stereotypical Minnesota accent, doncha know?

Small problem: that's not even close to the real New Ulm. I have family in New Ulm. I've been there a number of times. Where was Dr. Martin Luther College? Where was the statue of Hermann the German? And why, in a town founded primarily by German immigrants, does most everyone speak with a Norweigian accent that most Minnesotans only bust out to tell Ole and Lena jokes? Simply put, the New Ulm in the movie is nothing like the real one, which is odd since this movie is supposedly based on a real story.

What's more disturbing to me is that Hollywood seems to assume that a trip to a small town in southern Minnesota (not northern, you imbeciles!) wouldn't just be a trip across country, it'd also be a voyage back in time. The movie is riddled with stereotypes (Fallon's Blanche one of them), hollow characters that lack depth.

The real tragedy of this movie is that there are so many missed opportunities. It's pretty clear that Ted Mitchell's daughter Bobbie isn't too keen on Lucy when she first arrives. Why not explore that tension a bit? It was obvious that Flo, the town's diner's waitress, really doesn't like Lucy, yet she only appears twice. Given that the run time is only 97 minutes, they had some wiggle room to develop some of these dead ends.

Some might consider this movie a love letter from Hollywood to small town America. If that's what it's supposed to be, the message delivered is actually the title of another movie out right now: he's just not that into you.

The Wrestler

I usually am not an "Oscar" sucker. I'll go see the movies I want to see and if they wind up getting an Oscar nod, great! I think this is the first time that I've ever gone and seen a film because of its award ceremony buzz.

That isn't to say that I wouldn't have gone to see The Wrestler unless it hadn't generated such buzz. I know I've admitted to this before, but I am a professional wrestling fan. So I would have wanted to go see this anyway. But when I found out that the critics were falling in love with this performance, when talk of Oscars started floating around, I realized I had to go see this. And so I patiently waited for this film to make it to the Twin Cities so I could.

I'm glad I went and saw it. While the story's end was telegraphed from about a third of the way in, it was still heart warming and wrenching to watch as Randy "The Ram" Robinson tries to cope with a life outside the ring. He still wrestles against much younger men. He attends signings where his fellow wrestlers are in wheelchairs and wearing catheters. And he desperately seeks out contact with someone, anyone, who will accept him as Randy and not "The Ram."

I recently read an article by a critic that focused on that aspect of the film, how so many of the characters are looking for simple connections between each other, connections that would affirm their identities. It's also the story of a man who clings to something for too long, so long that it consumes him and becomes his identity.

But for me, what really stood out was how desperately professional wrestling needs to upgrade the way they treat the wrestlers. Especially the big names. Especially the biggest company of them all.

Another reviewer said that as he watched this movie, he said that the "ghosts" of deceased wrestlers like Eddie Guerrera and Chris Benoit came to watch with him. I thought he was being a bit melodramatic until I was sitting in the theater and Eddie came and sat down next to me as well.

Lets face it. Professional wrestling is a cruel business. While the stories and feuds are "fake" and scripted, while the moves are done with safety in mind, it's still a dangerous sport where people can get injured and even killed because of what happens to them in the ring. What's truly sad is that there are probably plenty of men like "The Ram," men who tried to make their fortune in the ring, got a little taste of fame and money, and then lost it all and are now trying to deal with the consequences of their lifestyle. It's a shame that they don't have a better system set up to help them.

So should you go see the movie? If you're a wrestling fan, definitely. If you're curious about the hype, do so. It's definitely worth it.

The Future of Publishing?

This past weekend, TIME magazine published a thought-provoking article about modern book publishing. I offer it as food for thought.

It's not entirely surprising what it says. I've heard that the publishing industry has been hurting lately. But it certainly does make me wonder what the industry will look like a decade from now.

Perhaps we'll see more companies like this one.

CSFF Blog Tour: The Book of Names Day Three

One of the central themes of The Book of Names centers around the idea of names, oddly enough. It's not just the titular object that I'm talking about. Briggs seems to base some of his book's idea on the ancient idea that names carry power.

This is actually an idea that pops up in the Bible. Remember Exodus 3? God shows up in a burning bush and tells Moses to head back to Egypt. Before he goes, though, Moses has a question for God: "Suppose I do go and tell the Israelites that You sent me. What if they ask me what Your name is? What should I tell them?" God's answer is the cryptic "I Am Who I Am."

One of the reasons why God might have answered that way is because of what the ancient Egyptians believed. Names have power. If you knew a person's true name, you had power over them. For example, the goddess Isis once gained power over Ra, the supreme god, by learning his true name. It's entirely possible that Moses, with his Egyptian education, asked God what His name was as a back-up position. If he knew God's true name, he could try to control Him.

That's why God replies with the enigmatic "I Am Who I Am" (which is even more cryptic in the original Hebrew; the grammar is a bit vague). He lets Moses know that He can't be controlled by human beings. He's no genie in a bottle.

This idea of names being a part of us reminded me of something I often say when I perform baptisms. All of us are born with a true name, one that describes us fully. That name is "Sinner." But because of what Jesus Christ did on the cross, God can and will change our names to "Christian." Our new name becomes a part of us and changes our destiny.

Anyway, there we go. A little sermonic rambling for your Wednesday. Go see what the other tourists have to say:

Sally Apokedak
Brandon Barr
Keanan Brand
Rachel Briard
Valerie Comer
Frank Creed
Amy Cruson
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Shane Deal
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Karina Fabian
Andrea Graham
Todd Michael Greene
Timothy Hicks
Joleen Howell
Jason Isbell
Cris Jesse
Jason Joyner
Carol Keen
Magma
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Mirtika
Eve Nielsen
Nissa
Steve Rice
Crista Richey
Alice M. Roelke
Chawna Schroeder
James Somers
Rachel Starr Thomson
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Jason Waguespac
Phyllis Wheeler
Timothy Wise

CSFF Blog Tour: The Book of Names Day Two

While I enjoyed The Book of Names once I got into it, there was one thing that kept me a bit uncomfortably almost to the very end. Simply put, Briggs's foundation for his story seems to be a sort of blend between Christianity and Norse mythology. I can't be sure since I've never really studied Norse mythology, but what little I know seems to suggest a connection. For example, Cruedwyn Creed's sword was apparently enchanted by Loki. And many of the mythic names that crop up in the story seem to have a Norse flavor to them.

This disturbed me a little at first. Should we really be blending our faith with pagan beliefs?

But then I realized that I was being a little hypocritical. One of my favorite C.S. Lewis books is Til We Have Faces. For those of you unfamiliar with that tale, Lewis retells the story of Psyche and Cupid with a decidedly Christian twist. Once I realized that, I set my trepidation aside and my enjoyment for the book went up.

I remember a few years ago, fellow Blog tourist Mirtika once challenged us to take one of Aesop's fables (about foxes, if I remember correctly) and then locate Bible verses dealing with foxes to come up with the seeds of a story's plot. I'm afraid I didn't participate that time, but I did purchase a few books on mythology at the time, intending to mine them for ideas. I didn't follow through on that either, but reading The Book of Names made my eyes wander to the shelves and think, "That might not be a bad idea after all."

There is one caveat in all of this. It's my belief that we have to be careful when using mythology as a foundation for our stories that we don't allow the myths to overshadow or twist our Christian beliefs. I say this because there was one thing in The Book of Names that made me a bit confused. In this book, the Christ-analogue seems to be named Aion. There were a few times where Briggs mentions that Aion has come and will come to Karac Tor a total of nine times. Needless to say, that made me a bit confused. But I suppose it may work differently in alternate realities.

Whatever. I'm thinking I might need to start pulling down those mythology books soon. Who's with me?

Before you do, though, make sure that you go and visit the other blogs on the tour and see what the other tourists have to say:

Sally Apokedak
Brandon Barr
Keanan Brand
Rachel Briard
Valerie Comer
Frank Creed
Amy Cruson
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Shane Deal
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Karina Fabian
Andrea Graham
Todd Michael Greene
Timothy Hicks
Joleen Howell
Jason Isbell
Cris Jesse
Jason Joyner
Carol Keen
Magma
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Mirtika
Eve Nielsen
Nissa
Steve Rice
Crista Richey
Alice M. Roelke
Chawna Schroeder
James Somers
Rachel Starr Thomson
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Jason Waguespac
Phyllis Wheeler
Timothy Wise

CSFF Blog Tour: The Book of Names Day One

This month, we're considering The Book of Names by D. Barkley Briggs, a Young Adult fantasy series.

It's the story of the Barlow brothers. They've recently moved to a small farm in Missouri with their professor father. The transition is a difficult one, but Hadyn and Ewan, the two older brothers, discover a strange runestone, one that transports them to a place called Karac Tor. They're told that they could be heroes summoned to help a troubled land. For a mighty sorceress is stealing the names of young people in attempt to unleash a great evil. Will Hadyn and Ewan be able to find their way home again, or will they be consumed by the ever growing evil?

It took me a while to get into this book. I don't know why that is, but once I did, it was worth it. Briggs crafts a rich world with a fascinating spiritual hierarchy (the Whites, the Blacks, and the Grays). His characters are fun to follow, especially as Hadyn and Ewan learn that they have special abilities in Karac Tor.

Personally, my favorite character is Cruedwyn Creed, a swashbuckling warrior with a rather interesting blade. He always kept me laughing to the very end.

It's definitely worth a read. I know I'm looking forward to the next book in the series, Corus the Champion.

Go and check out what the rest of the tourists have to say:

Sally Apokedak
Brandon Barr
Keanan Brand
Rachel Briard
Valerie Comer
Frank Creed
Amy Cruson
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Shane Deal
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Karina Fabian
Andrea Graham
Todd Michael Greene
Timothy Hicks
Joleen Howell
Jason Isbell
Cris Jesse
Jason Joyner
Carol Keen
Magma
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Mirtika
Eve Nielsen
Nissa
Steve Rice
Crista Richey
Alice M. Roelke
Chawna Schroeder
James Somers
Rachel Starr Thomson
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Jason Waguespac
Phyllis Wheeler
Timothy Wise

Star Wars (as retold by someone who hasn't seen it)

Oh my word.

Adam

Jill tracked down a copy of this book for me and brought it home. I'm really glad she did.

Adam by Ted Dekker is a rollicking thriller. FBI profiler Daniel Clark is on the track of a serial killer known only as "Eve." Eve is a careful individual who has killed fifteen women. Clark is desperate to stop him. He's obsessed with Eve, to the point that he drove away his wife, Heather.

Then it would appear that Daniel has caught a break: they think they've found Eve's hideout and they might be able to save his sixteenth victim. Only things go awry when Eve shoots and kills Daniel.

Luckily for Daniel, his new partner, Dr. Lori Ames, is able to bring him back. And now Daniel is even more determined to stop him, especially when he learns that Heather's life is on the line.

This was a rollicking good read and I pretty much devoured it over the past couple of days. Like many of Dekker's latest books, it seems to be a little light on spirituality, but that changes in the last quarter of the book.

I'll just add this one last thought: the book that Father Seymour suggests to Heather Clark toward the end of the book, Hostage to the Devil is indeed a real book. I've read it. It scared me half to death, so much so that I could only read four or five pages at a time and in the middle of the day. Fair warning.

Saving Charlie

Maybe it's that I read this two years too late. More likely, it's just not that good of a book. But I can sum up Saving Charlie in three words: junk food fiction.

Remember how good Heroes used to be? The mystery, the twists, the turns? The plot that was obviously ripped off from Watchmen? When I started reading Saving Charlie, I was hoping that I would be transported back to the realm of Heroes Season One, when things were good, when poor Hiro Nakamura traveled back in time to save a sweet waitress with an incredible memory named Charlie. Instead, I found a bland, cookie cutter story with no twists and little to enjoy.

The problem with the book is that Aury Wallington stuck slavishly to what we already knew about Hiro and Charlie: Sylar (called Brain Man in this book) kills her at her job, so Hiro tries to go back one day to save her, only to wind up going back six months. He sets out to save her, only he falls in love with her and she with him. And then it turns out she's destined to die.

Those who have read my blog know I'm averse to posting spoilers, but here's the kicker: if you saw the episodes with Charlie in the first season, you know the entire plot of this book! There are no surprises, nothing that made me go, "Whoa!" There's little conflict, little confusion, and very little to enjoy.

Here's what I think: Wallington missed a prime opportunity to add to the Heroes canon. Hiro spent six months in Odessa, Texas, waiting to save the woman he loved. Are we to really believe that Hiro would just sit in a hotel room and do nothing? It would have been a lot cooler if Hiro would have found adventure in Odessa with the woman he comes to love.

Just imagine it: there's some sort of crime in Odessa, one that Hiro is blamed for by Lloyd, a cop who yearns for Charlie's affection. Hiro needs to use his powers and convince Charlie to use her phenomenal memory to track down the real culprit because if he doesn't, he'll wind up in jail and he won't be able to meet his destiny.

Wouldn't that have been fun? A new Hiro story! Instead, all we get is predictable plots with the barest flickers of humor.

One reviewer on Amazon summed it up best: It's not Saving Charlie. It's really about saving your money and your time. Don't bother.

Bender's Game

While Isaiah was sleeping, I watched the latest addition to Futurama, namely Bender's Game.

In this latest installment, a dark matter fuel shortage is hitting the world and Professor Farnsworth knows a way to stop the evil Mom. But nothing is ever as simple as it seems.

It was a fun ride. I have to admit, the weird fantasy storyline seemed a bit forced on, like they had half a plot and decided to glom on something at the end, but hey, it's a show that features one-eyed sewer mutants, alcoholic robots, and (my personal favorite) lobster aliens who somehow become doctors.

What really has me a little irked, though, is the lack of continuity between the three new movies. I'll try to keep spoilers to a minimum here.

So at the end of the series, it appeared as though Fry and Leela were finally going to be together. At least, that seems to be what they were building up to, especially given the last few moments of the show. And then "Bender's Big Score" came out and everything was forgotten. Leela is all hot for Lars and she shows little interest in Fry. Well, until the end.

While the anomaly from the end of "Bender's Big Score" does feature prominently in "Beast with a Billion Backs," little else carries through. Fry suddenly forgets about Leela completely to go out with some weird bimbo (I forget her name). Given the way the first movie ended, that seemed a bit off to me.

And now, in this movie, there's no mention of Fry and Leela's disfunctional romance. No mention of Amy or Kiff. To put it bluntly, I expected better continuity.

That's not to say that this wasn't a fun ride. It was. But a little more effort to blend all the stories together (or, at the very least, explain away these relational hiccups) would have been appreciated.

Star Wars Omnibus: Tales of the Jedi Volume 2

About a month ago, I reviewed some Star Wars novels and said that I much prefered reading about the time before the prequels and original trilogy. I may have to revise my opinion a bit, especially since I've finished reading Star Wars Omnibus: Tales of the Jedi Volume 2.

You'd think this would be good. It tells the stories of the ancient Jedi Knights, set approximately 4,000 years before the original Star Wars trilogy. It fills in backstory for the Old Republic, with the Jedi fighting the evil followers of Sith magic. But there are problems.

Some of the problems can't be helped. These stories were written before George Lucas revealed a lot about the way Jedi are supposed to live. For example, one of the main characters, Nomi Sunrider, was married and had a child before she became a Jedi. Two other Jedi are married to each other. And there is plenty of references to other Jedi getting married and having children. Needless to say, I'm curious to see how the folks at LucasFilm will retcon all of this to preserve the continuity in the Expanded Universe.

But more importantly, there's a lot lacking in these stories. Simple craft is one thing that is really missing. The storytellers seemed content to just "tell" us everything in boxes rather than "show" us. That's an odd choice, if you think about it, since this is a visual medium and it should have been pretty easy to show us instead of bludgeon us with the blunt end of the plot.

The story is lacking as well. This volume centers around the reborn Sith, personified in Exar Kun. I had built Exar Kun up in my mind as a titanic figure, darkness incarnate. He doesn't come across that way. He's just a guy who feels like following the Dark Side for no discernable reason.

Not only that, but I really question the whole "Krath" subplot as well. Are we to seriously believe that a five-planet star system ruled by spoiled youth who dabble in Sith magic is a viable threat to the Jedi and the Republic?

The art is a toss up. I didn't really like it, but at the same time, the rough drawings really gave the stories an ancient feel to it. You could tell that this was the "history" of Star Wars, moreso than the Knights of the Old Republic games.

Speaking of which, I couldn't help but draw comparisons to that, especially the first one. If Exar Kun is such a bad guy, why wasn't he more sinister, like Darth Revan or Darth Malak?

There was one bright spot in this book, and that was the final story, "Redemption." I liked the art better and the story flowed better as well. If the whole book was like that, I would have loved it. As it is, it's just okay.

Star Wars vs. Star Trek

And while I may have made the campaign commercials, I am not in any way responsible for this one. I wish I was though.

Cinematic Titanic

So every Christmas, my brother-in-law supplies me with geeky gifts, usually from Comic Con. Autographed photos, drawings, and so on. Well, you can imagine my consternation when I opened a DVD of "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians" performed by some group called "Cinematic Titanic."

Really? Someone else dared riff on this? Let me explain why this upset me: one of my holiday traditions is to break out one of two Mystery Science Theater 3000 episodes. This year, it was "Santa Claus," a Mexican kids' movie that featured a fight to death between Santa and the devil. Seriously. It's so great.

The other is "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians." So how could some other group dare transgress such a great episode?

I didn't realize that this was done by Joel Hodgson along with four other MST3K veterans. Tonight I broke it out and decided to see how they updated it.

It was okay. Part of the problem is I've seen the MST3K version so often, I "heard" the jokes from that a split second before they made the new ones. It was still very funny.

The only gripe I have is that I didn't totally understand the format of the show. I guess the cast was in some sort of compound to make some sort of time capsule thingy. Why? No idea. I mean, in a show like this, the premise backstory isn't all that important, but it would have been nice to know exactly why these five people are being forced to watch bad movies.

So I guess I have something new to watch for. It'll be fun to see some "new" bad movie riffs!

Plastic Jesus

I don't know why I got this exactly. Long story. Moving on. Let's talk Plastic Jesus by Eric Sandras.

Sandras's thesis is that far too many Christians are stuck in what he terms "spiritual suburbia." It's pretty on the outside, hollow in the inside. We settle for less than what God intends, often ignoring our calling and getting too involved in things that seem helpful and holy, but ultimately don't bring us closer to God.

It was an interesting read, full of many insightful stories and ideas. It's a good "afflicting the comfortable" type of book, holding a mirror up to contemporary Christian society and urging them to search for a deeper relationship with God.

My one complaint is that while Sandras identifies many problems, he doesn't offer many solutions. He makes a few suggestions how to change one's faith but nothing that seems to go too deep. That's not exactly helpful, especially with a book like this. A reader might see how hollow their faith is but then have little to no idea how to "fix" things. Given how short the book is, Sandras probably could have included a little more material.

Ice

Imagine my delight at finding another Christian science fiction book at my local library. It's rare to find books like that, so finding Ice by Shane Johnson was a treat.

At least it was until I started reading it.

I didn't care for this book at all. To put it bluntly, it's an altar call wrapped in a science fiction story, one that really didn't work for me.

The premise itself is interesting: Johnson creates a counterfactual history where the Apollo program was extended to Apollo 20. On this fictional Apollo 19, two astronauts are sent to the lunar south pole, only to have the lander malfunction and strand them there. As their supplies run low, the two astronauts head out into the darkness to see what they can see. And that's when they make a discovery that could easily set the whole world on its ear.

I won't say much more than that. I will, however, explain some of my frustration with a sort of running commentary.

The initial crisis, namely the malfunctioning lander, comes pretty early in the story (hence why I said that it happens; it's not much of a spoiler). It helps kick things off, but it made me worry. Johnson engages in some heavy-handed preaching in his book and it starts when the lander's engine won't fire. One of the stranded astronauts is a Christian and the other isn't, so naturally, the Christian starts witnessing to the non-Christian. And I grew worried because I feared that the entire book would turn into one long altar call set on the moon between two doomed men. It didn't, but I'll explain why I worried about this in a little bit.

My second real frustration came when Johnson created a scene where NASA scientists conclude that the best explanation for why the engine didn't fire was because it was Lunar Module #13. Seriously. That's the explanation they come up with and there's nothing better offered. This might be Monday morning quarterbacking, but it might have satisfied me more if Johnson came up with a better reason. Maybe something broke that the astronauts can't fix. I don't know, but the mysterious break-down and nonsensical partial explanation just didn't work.

So off the astronauts go, deep into the lunar darkness, and I braced myself for more heavy handed preaching. That didn't happen, thankfully, as the two astronauts made their startling discovery (I won't say what it is in case you want to read this for yourself).

Shortly thereafter, I was able to predict what the rest of the book was going to be. And the sad thing is, I nailed it. Perfectly. I was able to predict every single last turn (except for one). And that really annoyed me.

To add to my frustration, Johnson threw in a weird time bending plot line that made absolutely no sense whatsoever. I mean, he had to do it to get some of his information across, but as I was reaidng it, I kept thinking, "No way. No way. No way." My disbelief refused to remain suspended and kept rattling in its cage.

By the time the book wrapped up (with more heavy handed preaching and some well nigh nonsensical speculation about the antedeluvial world and allegorical interpretation of some Biblical stories that came completely out of left field), I was glad I didn't spend any money on this book.

Now maybe some people will enjoy this. I didn't. While Johnson clearly knows his stuff about NASA and the Apollo program, that didn't excuse what I thought was a poorly crafted story, especially since it's clear that Johnson didn't think through who his target audience was going to be.

That's what I think a lot of Christian ficiton suffers from. When I was in the Seminary, one of the things we were told about preaching was that we should always keep our audience in mind. Who is going to hear our sermons? What are they like? How educated are they? How many will be Christian? What sort of temptations will they be going through? That sort of thing.

Johnson apparently believed that his book would be read by non-Christians, hence the lengthy preachy passages about accepting Christ and coming to faith. But really, how many non-Christians do you know who will go and pick up a Christian book out of the blue? The only reason why they would is if it was either recommended to them by a Christian friend or if the book itself generates enough buzz.

In other words, Johnson's main problem was that he was preaching to the choir. I'd be willing to bet that most of the people who pick up his book are already Christians. So the altar call business is wasted space. By and large, his audience will already know that stuff. That's part of the reason why I appreciate Christian novels that understand that their readers are already Christians and try to focus on issues and ideas that Christians might struggle with.

I seem to have gone off on a tangent here. Sorry. To sum up, not a good book. Skip it unless you're really curious.

Coruscant Nights

The other day I was at the library and I spotted these two Star Wars novels on the shelf in the sci-fi section. And I figured, "Why not?" So I left with Jedi Twilight and Street of Shadows.

To be perfectly honest, I'm not entirely sure what I think of these two books. I suspect that author Michael Reaves was hoping to create a sort of Star Wars noir novel, given the series name and the cover design. And in some ways, he succeeds. Both stories are grimy and dark.

They follow the adventures of Jedi Knight Jax Pavan shortly after Order 66 brought the Jedi crashing down. In the first book, Jax joins the hunt for a missing droid, one that contains information that a group that calls itself Whiplash needs to hurt the Empire. In the second, Jax is contracted to find the killer of a Caamasi artist while dodging a bounty hunter who is bound and determined to capture him.

The books were okay. Reaves did a good job of capturing the feel of what downlevel Coruscant must be like. He creates some new alien species that were interesting to watch. And he pulled in some characters from the Extended Universe and utilized them well.

My one major gripe about these books is that Reaves has fallen prey to a problem that has afflicted many Star Wars authors. He can't capture Darth Vader. The Dark Lord of the Sith shows up in both books and I had a hard time believing I was really reading about the Emperor's right hand man. Let me put it to you this way: in the second book, Darth Vader laughs. Twice. It wasn't with joy or amusement, but can you picture Darth Vader laughing? Me neither.

Unfortunately, these books do continue a mental trend for me, a growing dissatisfaction with Star Wars novels in general. I think the reason why is because of how deep and wide the Extended Universe has become.

Allow me to elaborate. I jumped onto the Star Wars novel bandwagon back when Timothy Zahn published the first three novels way back when. Zahn was able to capture my imagination because these were new stories about characters I loved. And those three books were it as far as Star Wars was concerned. Nobody else was telling new stories.

Now look at how things have grown. There are who knows how many dozens of novels, both for adults and children. There are the numerous graphic novels. There are the video games. There are the prequels and the new Clone Wars TV show. In short, there's too much information to keep straight. The Star Wars franchise is beginning to collapse under its own weight.

That's not to say that there aren't faint glimmers of hope. I, for one, have been enjoying the Star Wars Legacy graphic novels, but that's mostly because they're set a hundred years into the future. In other words, everything I know is pretty much gone (with a few minor exceptions). The characters and situations are new yet familiar at the same time.

The same is true for the forays into Star Wars's dense backstory. I had a fun time reading the Darth Bane novel a while back. And the reason why is because, while there were connections with other parts of the EU, it wasn't overwhelming.

So what's the solution? I would almost suggest that Star Wars should lay fallow for a while. Let the fans digest what's out there and wait for a bit more. Let us get hungry again. But then, I doubt George Lucas would ever stumble across this site to take my advice.

Still, a guy can dream, can't he?

The Late Night JengaJam

I've blogged about this before, but it always bears repeating. I listen to one podcast faithfully and religiously, namely The Late Night JengaJam, hosted by the ever incredible J. G. "Jengaship" Edathil and the lovely and talented Lauren (a.k.a. OboeCrazy). He always comes up with the most interesting guests from all walks of life. And tomorrow night, his guest is none other than ... well, me.

This is the second time I've been a guest on the JengaJam. I had a great (if rambling) time. Jengaship invited me on this week to help promote our congregation's podcast, but I'm sure that the topic won't be limited to simply that.

I'd like to invite anyone who passes through my little corner of the Internet to join us tomorrow night, starting at 10:30 PM EST (9:30 CST). Bring your questions, comments, whatever.

There are three ways you can participate, if you so wish:

1) Via the Internet. Tomorrow night, you can head on over to the Talkshoe website, the service that Jengaship uses to both broadcast and record his show. Head on over here and you can log and listen in. You can also participate in the Jengajam chat room, which can be pretty wild sometimes.

2) Via your phone. Talkshoe also allows people to listen in and participate over their phone. All you have to do is call this number: (724) 444-7444. Then enter the show ID number: 6478, #. You can listen in. Jengaship is also pretty good about bringing people into the conversation so they can ask questions.

3) Download it later. While you'll miss out on the fun of the chat room and you won't be able to ask any questions, you can always find the Jengajam on iTunes and download it for future consumption.

And if you need any further reason to listen in, just consider the title that Jengaship has given tomorrow night's episode: "Sermon on the iPod." Sheer awesomeness.