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alobearDespite the fact that there is practically nothing constructive I can do at work at the moment, I appear to be quite behind on reviews.
Let me rectify that.
Transformation by Carol Berg:
First person narrative from the point of view of a slave bought by a selfish, vindictive prince in a fantasy setting. It's an interesting perspective and one that works well, though the conceit of the nobles of the society deliberately not learning to read or write seem a rather contrived way to give the slave access to private correspondence. However, that aside, there's lots of intrigue, very interesting inter-relationships, and a strong and sympathetic narrator. Ostensibly, the plot revolves around attempts to combat a rising threat from demons planning to take over the populace. On a deeper level, it's about honour, loyalty, loss, and discovering worth in unexpected people. The central relationship between prince and slave has a very effective arc, eventually leading to them both circumventing the prejudices inherent in their origins and stations in life, so that they can work together against a common enemy.
Netsuke by Mircea Veleanu:
This is a gorgeous, glossy book with many, many pictures of netsuke, along with text describing their origins and significance. The writing isn't of the best quality - it's a bit pedestrian and very dry - but the piccies more than make up for that, and they are the reason I bought the book. The text details various myths and historical stories that are depicted in netsuke, giving meaning to otherwise simply attractive objects, which is good. It's also giving me ideas of particular types of netsuke to seek out as additions to my collection. I particularly like Shiro the wonder dog and Fukurokuju, the god of longevity.
The Matter of Rules by L M Griffin:
When I went through all my various files and papers a few weeks ago, I discovered this fanfiction story, which I had liked enough to keep, so I decided to read it again. Then central relationship didn't ring quite as true as when I read it before (I think I've moved on from my fandom obsession to a certain extent, and so I'm less open to spurious pairings than I used to be) but it was still very well done, and the story itself was extremely enjoyable. The narrative is unfortunately marred by surface issues, particularly in the area of punctuation, but I've edited the whole story thoroughly now, so next time I read it, that won't be a problem any more. And I am going to keep hold of this story to read again in future.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead:
Many thanks to Corone, who supplied free tickets for this show, not once, but twice! It's probably my all-time favourite play, and the current production at the Haymarket is excellent. I had remembered how clever and funny it is, but had forgotten that it's also very sad, and the cast did full justice to all three aspects. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern themselves made a very appealing pair, portraying confusion and frustration (at their situation and often also each other) well, without jeopardising their claim to audience sympathy. I continually wanted to give them both a big hug and rescue them from their enforced limbo. Interestingly, while the play itself was obviously exactly the same, my two experiences of it (two weeks apart) were actually very different. It's amazing what a difference seat location makes - on my first trip, I was about half way back in the circle, giving an excellent overview of proceedings; on the second trip, I was in Row K of the stalls, much closer to the stage and looking up rather than down, which made me feel much more a part of the action in some ways. I also spent more time watching Rosencrantz and Guildenstern when they weren't directly part of the scene, since I was familiar enough with proceedings that I didn't need to focus on those who were speaking at any given moment. In short, I loved it on both occasions, and am almost tempted to go again...
The School of Night:
Last night, I went to see The School of Night for the fifth or sixth time. They are currently back to their standard improvisational comedy, after the run of improvised musicals from earlier in the year. I never cease to be amazed at their abilities, and thoroughly enjoyed last night's show, despite getting soaked on the way to the theatre and then suffering almost unbearable heat during the performance. There was a slight shift in the dynamic, since the guy who has always directed proceedings before was a member of the company this time around, with someone else doing directorial duties (last night's director seemed like he might have been on something - he couldn't keep still and seemed very on edge and twitchy). The funniest moment came from one of them actually struggling with one of the exercises. They were doing a scene where three of the four actors were restricted to using only one vowel. The guy who had "e" was obviously having difficulty and, rather than helping him out, the one who was unrestricted just made it harder for him - "Anything you want, I can provide for you. Anything at all. Just start naming things." When the "e" guy eventually came up with "trees", his compatriot didn't let him off the hook in the least. "Ah, trees! What trees do you know?" It was rather mean, but very funny. They ended by doing selected scenes from a supposedly lost Shakespeare play, which turned into a kind of sequel to Hamlet, appropriately enough considering I'd seen Rosencrantz and Guildenstern the night before. The evening as a whole wasn't consistently hilarious (as you would expect with improvised comedy), but it was consistently impressive and highly enjoyable overall.
Let me rectify that.
Transformation by Carol Berg:
First person narrative from the point of view of a slave bought by a selfish, vindictive prince in a fantasy setting. It's an interesting perspective and one that works well, though the conceit of the nobles of the society deliberately not learning to read or write seem a rather contrived way to give the slave access to private correspondence. However, that aside, there's lots of intrigue, very interesting inter-relationships, and a strong and sympathetic narrator. Ostensibly, the plot revolves around attempts to combat a rising threat from demons planning to take over the populace. On a deeper level, it's about honour, loyalty, loss, and discovering worth in unexpected people. The central relationship between prince and slave has a very effective arc, eventually leading to them both circumventing the prejudices inherent in their origins and stations in life, so that they can work together against a common enemy.
Netsuke by Mircea Veleanu:
This is a gorgeous, glossy book with many, many pictures of netsuke, along with text describing their origins and significance. The writing isn't of the best quality - it's a bit pedestrian and very dry - but the piccies more than make up for that, and they are the reason I bought the book. The text details various myths and historical stories that are depicted in netsuke, giving meaning to otherwise simply attractive objects, which is good. It's also giving me ideas of particular types of netsuke to seek out as additions to my collection. I particularly like Shiro the wonder dog and Fukurokuju, the god of longevity.
The Matter of Rules by L M Griffin:
When I went through all my various files and papers a few weeks ago, I discovered this fanfiction story, which I had liked enough to keep, so I decided to read it again. Then central relationship didn't ring quite as true as when I read it before (I think I've moved on from my fandom obsession to a certain extent, and so I'm less open to spurious pairings than I used to be) but it was still very well done, and the story itself was extremely enjoyable. The narrative is unfortunately marred by surface issues, particularly in the area of punctuation, but I've edited the whole story thoroughly now, so next time I read it, that won't be a problem any more. And I am going to keep hold of this story to read again in future.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead:
Many thanks to Corone, who supplied free tickets for this show, not once, but twice! It's probably my all-time favourite play, and the current production at the Haymarket is excellent. I had remembered how clever and funny it is, but had forgotten that it's also very sad, and the cast did full justice to all three aspects. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern themselves made a very appealing pair, portraying confusion and frustration (at their situation and often also each other) well, without jeopardising their claim to audience sympathy. I continually wanted to give them both a big hug and rescue them from their enforced limbo. Interestingly, while the play itself was obviously exactly the same, my two experiences of it (two weeks apart) were actually very different. It's amazing what a difference seat location makes - on my first trip, I was about half way back in the circle, giving an excellent overview of proceedings; on the second trip, I was in Row K of the stalls, much closer to the stage and looking up rather than down, which made me feel much more a part of the action in some ways. I also spent more time watching Rosencrantz and Guildenstern when they weren't directly part of the scene, since I was familiar enough with proceedings that I didn't need to focus on those who were speaking at any given moment. In short, I loved it on both occasions, and am almost tempted to go again...
The School of Night:
Last night, I went to see The School of Night for the fifth or sixth time. They are currently back to their standard improvisational comedy, after the run of improvised musicals from earlier in the year. I never cease to be amazed at their abilities, and thoroughly enjoyed last night's show, despite getting soaked on the way to the theatre and then suffering almost unbearable heat during the performance. There was a slight shift in the dynamic, since the guy who has always directed proceedings before was a member of the company this time around, with someone else doing directorial duties (last night's director seemed like he might have been on something - he couldn't keep still and seemed very on edge and twitchy). The funniest moment came from one of them actually struggling with one of the exercises. They were doing a scene where three of the four actors were restricted to using only one vowel. The guy who had "e" was obviously having difficulty and, rather than helping him out, the one who was unrestricted just made it harder for him - "Anything you want, I can provide for you. Anything at all. Just start naming things." When the "e" guy eventually came up with "trees", his compatriot didn't let him off the hook in the least. "Ah, trees! What trees do you know?" It was rather mean, but very funny. They ended by doing selected scenes from a supposedly lost Shakespeare play, which turned into a kind of sequel to Hamlet, appropriately enough considering I'd seen Rosencrantz and Guildenstern the night before. The evening as a whole wasn't consistently hilarious (as you would expect with improvised comedy), but it was consistently impressive and highly enjoyable overall.
