Thoughts on the "Willow" series on Disney+

So I've really, really wanted to like the "Willow" series on Disney+. I enjoyed the movie Willow for what it was: an adventure movie that hasn't aged well visually but is very much a classic Lucasfilm offering. The movie was a trope-laden romp of two-dimensional characters fighting a classic good vs evil battle with hokey magic and contrived feel-goods thrown in.

In short, it's perfect to transition to Disney.

So I really have to wonder how Disney is fucking this up so badly.

The series, set 17 years later (yes, the alumni cast look like twice the amount of time has passed... poor souls), moves to the next generation. Sorsha, now queen of Tir Asleen, apparently married Madmartigan and had a couple of kids: a son named Arik (after Madmartigan's jackass friend) and a daughter named Kit. Madmartigan is nowhere to be seen (due to Val Kilmer's struggles with cancer) and that's used as a trope for mopey teen angst. There's also Jade, a young apprentice knight who is also the love interest for Princess Kit, Prince Grayson (who is supposed to marry Kit but seems more interested in...), and Dove/Brunhilde/Elora Danan.

Yes, Elora Danan the baby from the film. Elora's grown into a kitchen cook whose identity was hidden for reasons and... you know, I'm not getting into these details.

There's also some dude named Boorman who is the snarky badass. Oh, and Willow is in it as an afterthought.

There's a lot of commentary I've seen online about people having issue with the cast being too "woke" (whatever that means). I honestly think the cast is the strongest part of this show. I like the actors and think the do right by what they've got.

The problem with "Willow" the series lies with the direction and the writing.

The direction is, frankly, shit. I'm not sure if it's a matter of cost-cutting for effects or what, but there's weird cut-aways from moments that ought to have some kind of climactic scene, such as the abduction of Prince Arik by the sinister villains. There's a lot of choppiness that's a bit jarring to watch, such as Elora Danan in a bleak, dark forest that's suddenly a sunlight clearing for no apparent reason.

Oh and there's the writing. I mean, I get the show doesn't want to have Willow himself be too badass, but the writing seems to go out-of-its-way to minimize the titular character as much as possible, both in ability and screen time.

The story is, at best, uneven. The pacing is painful. I feel like I'm watching something that's using the initial budget for "Xena: Warrior Princess" (like early in the show budget) for something that can clearly afford better.

Stubbornness will probably have me watch the rest of the series, but I have a deep dread that it's not going to improve, and that makes me sad. Willow was a shallow film that was ripe for reimagining and improvement. Disney could have explored the backstory of the movie in great and interesting ways. Instead, they're serving up bland, dialed-in plot and chopping direction with attempts at snarky dialog that come across as banal whining. The cast have shown they have the chops to do better. I hope the show hits a point where they let the cast demonstrate it.

Wednesday - the Netflix kind

I was utterly exhausted after a crazy day at work when I decided to fire up "Wednesday", the Netflix horror-comedy-mystery series on Netflix.

I wasn't expecting much, to be honest. Damn was I surprised!

I didn't think anyone could take the mantle from Christina Ricci (who, conveniently, also stars in the show) but Jenna Ortega owns that dark crown now.

Damn. Just... damn! I can't wait to see the next season (and I'm sure there will be another).

Review: "The Martyr" by Anthony Ryan

I read this book months back and never commented. Well, I have a pie in the oven for Thanksgiving festivities, so I figure I'll ramble here.

"The Martyr" is a sequel to "The Pariah", by Anthony Ryan. It's one of his fantasy series that's got that more epic feel to it.

Alwyn the Scribe continues in the holy army of Evadine, the Martyr Arisen. Alwyn, a cynical, former bandit, is bound by Evadine by emotions and magic as he follows her on her holy quest to prevent the dark powers of the Malecite from rising and bringing a Second Scourge to the lands.

As with "The Pariah", I found "The Martyr" to be a fun read. There's a bit of character building, both with Alwyn and those around him, and a glimpse into the wider world Alwyn lives in. Ryan indulges in his penchant for shadowy magics and malignant powers that linger beyond death, as well as mysterious and ageless mentor figures who pop in from time-to-time. Alwyn himself goes through his usual rough go of life, with everyone seeming to want to try to curse or kill him when they're not following him in battle. And there's a lot of battle. And treachery. And politics.

"The Martyr" was a good sequel to the series and I enjoyed it more than "Tower Lord" as a sequel to "Blood Song". I'm hoping the next book keeps staying good and doesn't stray into "Queen of Fire" territory.

I'll be sure to read it either way.

Thoughts on "Age of Ash" by Daniel Abraham

After having read "The Dagger and the Coin" series by Daniel Abraham, I was intrigued enough to seek out his new series: "The Kithmar Trilogy".

The price for even the ebook on Amazon seemed a bit nuts, but I found a hardback copy that wasn't too expensive. And I took my time to read it.

"Age of Ash" is set in the wealthy city of Kithmar, a major power in the world. The story centers around two young women who are part of a minority group in a destitute neighborhood of Kithmar. The duo, Alys and Sammish, are thieves, among other professions. THey do what needs doing to get coin for food and shelter.

When Alys's brother is murdered, Alys is determined to find out who killed him and why. Her investigations take her on a journey into secret societies of Kithmar, with strange magics, and some demented shit going on with the city's ruler. Sammish, for her part, is in it to help out Alys, with whom she has an unrequited (and, apparently unknown) crush.

The two women find themselves mixing things up with the weird magics and learn some dangerous secrets, changing their lives.

Overall, I have to say I enjoyed the book. It had a kind of plodding pace that was irritating at times, but Abraham goes for the slow-paced stories, and I know that from "The Coin and the Dagger". The characters were interesting, though they all got on my nerves more than once. The antagonist (villain? I'm not sure) is seriously fucked up. Abraham gets kudos for the wrongness of that.

I'm honestly not sure where the next book will go. I'm hoping the pacing is a bit faster in subsequent novels. And I'd frankly love a better payoff than "The Coin and the Dagger" gave, but I'll take what I can get.

I guess I'll keep an eye out for book two, whenever that is.

It's three months 'till Xmas

Yup. Three months. Xmas cards and decorations have been available in some stores since August. In one case, I saw a store carrying some in July.

Truly the world has gone mad.

Happy Autumnal Equinox

So begins the Fall.

Muahahahahaha!

Thoughts on "The Dagger and the Coin" series by Daniel Abrams

I finished book five of "The Dagger and the Coin", a fantasy series written by Daniel Abraham. Yes, the Daniel Abraham who is one of the two writers who make up the pseudonym of James S.A. Corey, who wrote "The Expanse" series.

With "The Expanse" done, I was hungry for a series. All my favorite authors are... not cranking the stuff out... and Abraham was recommended to me.

I got "The Dragon's Path", book one of his "The Dagger and the Coin" series and quite enjoyed it. I think I was a third of the way in when I got the other four books: "The King's Blood", "The Tyrant's Law", "The Widow's House", and "The Spider's War".

The series is written in a style similar to "The Expanse" or the "Song of Ice and Fire" books (remember those?). Each chapter is told from the point-of-view of a character.

The main characters are:

• Cithrin bel Sarcour, an orphan half-breed child raised by the great bank. Turns out she's got a genius for banking and a wild, impulsive, inclination for risks.
• Marcus Wester, a bleak-mannered and aging mercenary captain whose wife and daughter were burned alive before him. He's killed kings and doesn't have a lot of patience for shit.
• Geder Pallinko, a somewhat-nerdy nobleman who is thrust into power. A shame he's also a bit of a sociopath, a tyrant, and a mass-murderer.
• Kit, a master actor with quite the secret in his past.
• Clara Kalliam, the wife of Baron Dawson Kalliam and a woman who goes through all kinds of hell to save her family and her homeland.

All told, I found the series to be a fun read. Abraham created a fascinating world. Once ruled by dragons, the human race were bred as slaves. Multiple ofshoot races were bred for specific purposes and after the dragons fell, the various races of humanity inherited the world and get along about as well as you'd expect. I like the protagonists of the series. They're engaging, flawed, but not so much so that I didn't want to read about what they were going through. While I personally loathed Geder Pallinko, his character arc was fascinating. Abraham did a marvelous job of showing how we're all heroes in our personal narratives. Especially delusional sociopaths.

The politics were well-written and while the racial stuff got a bit heavy-handed at times, it rang quite true. Disturbingly-so given the times we're in.

There were a few cons. I thought some of the "war is hell" narratives dragged on a bit too long. I could have done without the dragons. I find it odd to say that for a fantasy series, but the whole dragon thing felt a bit shoehorned in and didn't really flow well with the plot, to my mind. And that's kind of funny given the dragons are kind of central, though in a removed way. The series does conclude, but the conclusion feels rushed, a bit overly-contrived, and oddly-abrupt. Lots of threads were left hanging, making me wonder if he's planning a sequel series.

If he writes it, I'll read it.