Snow Storm in Castlebridge, Wexford. (2nd March 2018)

The Beast from the East and Storm Emma causing havoc in Wexford.

So, I was out and about in Castlebridge on Friday 2nd March 2018 and took these photos during our trek. 

(Reading Rooms, Castlebridge, Wexford. Photo copyright (c) John Ryan)

(R741 towards Gorey from Castlebridge, Wexford. Photo copyright (c) John Ryan)

(Porter House, Castlebridge, Wexford. Photo copyright (c) John Ryan)

(Michael Sinnott Drive, looking towards Glasganny Road,Castlebridge, Wexford. Photo copyright (c) John Ryan)

(Garden of Remembrance, Castlebridge, Wexford. Photo copyright (c) John Ryan)

(Freddies Post Office, Castlebridge, Wexford. Photo copyright (c) John Ryan)

(Cottage, Glasganny Road, Castlebridge, Wexford. Photo copyright (c) John Ryan)

(Trekking into Castlebridge, Wexford. Photo copyright (c) John Ryan)

(If you like the photos, please don't be stealing them. Contact me by email for terms of use and high-res versions.) 

John the Captain Ryan

Ender's Game, War of Gifts (book review)

This is a graphic novel based on the Ender series of novels by Orson Scott Card. This is Book 2 in my 52-weeks, 52-books challenge.

I have already written a review of Ender in Exile and there was also a movie based on Ender's Game made in 2013 staring heavyweights Harrison Ford and Ben Kingsley. I enjoyed the movie but it was received poorly by the public, yet it grossed over €110 million in the box office so there seems to be some discrepancy there!. The books are very enjoyable even though the author - IMHO - is an ass and a homophobe. Much has been written about him and there was an organised boycott of the movie by many LGBT groups (who happen to be fans of science-fiction) 

But, I'll blog more about that later. To concentrate on this novel, I'm sorry to say it is a very pale comparison to either the movie or any of the popular books written about Ender Wiggins. This publication includes 4 stories (previously published in separate comics) based on events in the books;

Recruiting Valentine - a short ditty about how Peter, Enders brother recruited their sister Valentine to manipulate people. This is a poor story that doesn't even come close to explaining the complex relationship between all three siblings and/or how dangerous the oldest brother Peter actually is.   

War of Gifts - This story is a lot more interesting, following how a recruit - Zeck - gets to battle school and his struggle with his faith (beaten into him by his zealous father). In Battle school nobody is allowed to practice their faith in a public manner. This story is a lot more interesting, I don't remember it in any of the books (but there has been quite a few) but dips it's toe into the World of today - celebrating Christmas without any secular references, a challenge in schools all the time. In this story there is an interesting social question being asked - a recurring theme in all of Orson Scott Card's work - and it sits well in the middle of this novel. It reminds us of the struggle that people with strong faith have in the World of today and also the evil side of the zealots. Even though Zeck isn't a perfect student, in fact he is dreadful as his vow to never hurt anyone goes against everything the school is drilling into the students, Graff the head of the school refuses to send him home to be beaten by his father. 

Mazer in Prison - this tells us of how Admiral Mazer Rackam was sent on a very long space journey - in real time it takes decades but due to space-time-travel is only five years for him. This allowed the International Fleet to keep him on-ice as an asset to fight against the Formics in the future. Hyrum Graff (a lieutenant with many masters) had been tasked with the responsibility of finding a fleet commander with the same traits as Mazer. Mazer was eventually coerced into helping but managed to convince the I.F. to allow Graff full autonomy at the school to find a proper replacement for him. This story is really good and helps summarise the relationship and work that Graff and Mazer are doing (and why). This part if the story is interspersed throughout so it's good to see it all together, one advantage of a comic is to extract a part of the story and make it more coherent and understandable.

League War - tells the story at the end of Ender's Game just after the genocide of the Formics by Ender (and his army). We get a further look into the psyche of Enders siblings and how manipulative his older brother Peter is. It explores how the graduates of command school will now return to an Earth that is on the brink of World-Civil-War. All the graduates including Ender will be in huge demand to lead the nations of Earth to final victory. With the use of the newsnets Peter (aka Locke) and Valentine (aka Demosthenes) publish several essays to first start war and then create a tentative peace. Peter manipulates Valentine into taking part, he enjoys the politiking, Valentine hates it but can't complain about the eventual outcome. But, it's a small window into Peter's World and the best story in this anthology. It could have gone a little further to bait the readers interest into reading the novels.  

   

Over all, this graphic novel is poor. Without prior knowledge and understanding of the Ender universe these 4 separate stories would mean nothing. These comics could have done a really good job of introducing new (and younger) readers to the Ender universe but fail. Whilst I've been a huge fan of Marvel for years these comics are a pale comparison to the novels, they bring nothing exciting and the art work is poor. The best page of artwork is the cover of Mazer in Prison, the rest is forgettable. In this case just stick with the books and avoid any of the comics. This graphic novel only earns a rating of 4 out of 10 planets, one of the worst reviews I've ever given.

John The Captain Ryan

What if it's us by Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera (Book Review)

A fun story of Ben and Arthur, will they, won't they? A classic story of a doomed romance, or is it. Maybe, just maybe this is "the one". The first book in my 52 weeks, 52 books challenge of 2019.

What if it's us charts the adventure of two young men, Arthur who is only in New York for the summer but believes in Broadway miracles and dreams of playing the leading roll in his own fantastical musical in a magical universe of romance. He is a die-hard romantic that believes in "the one". An exciting new universe awaits him.

Ben, a NY native has just broken up with his boyfriend and thinks that very same universe can mind it's own business. Whilst visiting the post office to send a box of stuff back to his ex both he and Ben meet.

They don't exchange address, phone numbers, emails or even names but both want to meet the other again, so, the chase begins. How to connect ... and then after several do-overs can they even make this work.  

What if it's us is written by two fantastic authors, heavyweights in the LGBT young adult fiction genre; 

Becky Albertalli the amazing mind behind Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda and sequel Leah on the Off Beat with the massive successful movie Love, Simon being released in 2018. 

And Adam Silvera, author of They Both Die at the End, History is all you Left me, (which got a 10 out of 10 planets review from me) and More Happy than not.

I can imagine it's exciting but difficult to write a book with another person, but these two worked really well together, I presume that each author had a main character each and this works really well, giving a different feel and language to each one. Rather like the other huge success I read a couple of years ago Will Grayson, Will Grayson written by John Green & David Levithan (two other heavyweights in the genre).

The chase is really fun and gives an opportunity to delve into the lives of both characters, we meet their friends and families; their respective friends helping them to connect with each other and support their new found ... perhaps doomed ... relationship. I really liked Ben's story, rocked from a messy break-up with a good friend (never date a friend) their mutual friends are caught in the middle, to make matters worse Ben and his ex are attending summer school together, so they can't get away from each other. Worse still, Ben doesn't tell Arthur he sees his ex every day so this is hanging over his head all the time. Ben's story is very realistic and charts the stormy path one must travel getting over a break-up with a good friend; navigating and defining a new relationship with that friend and other mutual friends. It's a real mess in a real World.    

The other main character Arthur is also interesting, working as a gopher in his mothers law firm for the summer so his future is very uncertain. He won't be staying in New York, so is there any point in even trying to meet someone and build a romance. Most would think it's doomed to fail but not Arthur, he believes in a magical universe of love and romance and the Broadway musical so he is going to create his own musical with himself, of course, being one of the main characters. Whilst a little cliched ... wow the  gay boy loves musicals ... it does allow the reader to enter the mindset of Arthur and hope that maybe there will be a happy ending, just like in Broadway.

As they grow closer, have several do-over first dates after 3 nightmare attempts where everything went wrong both boys start questioning will it work, are they both in the same place, are they even compatible. Ben struggles with school work and Arthur sails through. Ben has no solid plans for university (he probably won't get in anyway) and Arthur has his Ivy League education planned. Ben hasn't got over his break-up and wants to make amends with his friends, Arthur is leaving New York after the summer (which they refuse to discuss) so will all these things making it impossible for Ben and Arthur to have a meaningful romance ... you'll have to read it to find out !!!

With great news that What if it's us will be made into a movie - Read more here - this is bound to be another huge success, although may not reach the heights of Love, Simon which grossed over €40 million. I really liked the book, it's well written by two artists who really understand the lives of young LGBT people and help us struggle with them through their fledgling romance. Neither is the book leaning on common tropes of homophobia, coming-out or a story of young LGBT people not being loved and supported by their family and friends and for this reason alone I love the book. Instead we have a normal teenage rom-com, the only difference being the two characters are gay, otherwise it's normal, well, because it is.

The only negative I can say about the book is the nagging suspicion as you are reading it that there will be a silly superfluous Disney-esque solution to the ending and this clouded my enjoyment of the story. Don't worry, I'm not going to spoil the ending, that's all I'm saying. it's still a good read and I'll give it an 8 out of 10 planets.

John The Captain Ryan.