Adventure

August 10, 2022 by acackler Leave a Comment

The Finisher – Audiobook Review

Author: David Baldacci
Published by: Scholastic Press
Audiobook published by: Scholastic
Narrated by: Nicola Barber
Publish date: March 4th, 2014
Genre: Fantasy
Audience: Young Adult
Rating: Four Stars

This is another hard one to rate. There were so many things about the writing style and the meandering plot that bothered me – a lot. But at the end of the day, I NEED to know what happens next!

First things first, let me advise anyone interested in reading The Finisher that even though it’s marketed as YA, it feels more like middle grade with crossover appeal for YA. Part of it is probably due to the narrator, who has the voice of an adorable little girl. She talked like an adult woman voicing characters on a toddler show.

But it’s not just the audio that makes it lean younger. It’s in the way simple things are explained in extreme detail, and how none of that detail feels tangible. Vega eats a lot of food during the course of the novel, but I honestly have no idea what she ate. The dinner experience is laid out minute by minute, but the food itself is always referred to as “a delicious meal.”

Her job at the Stacks is to finish beautiful items to be sold. Okay, sure. But do I really need a step by step job description of how to paint a ceramic dog? Not really.

These things aren’t inherently bad. They’re well written and it’s fine. But it’s definitely more at home in a middle grade book. I’m only pointing this out so that any potential readers can be sure to choose a book they’re sure they’ll like. If you enjoy some middle grade stuff in your reading list, then this one is probably a perfect fit for you. But if you have little patience for books written for tweens, then you may want to give this one a pass.

But withhold judgement for just a second, because I definitely fall into that second category. I never read middle grade for fun (with only a few very rare exceptions). And I listened to this whole book and plan to start book 2 shortly. I already know this won’t be a re-read for me, but I NEED TO KNOW what the heck is going on!!!!

The Finisher is available in libraries and bookstores everywhere. Read more reviews on Goodreads.

Pros

World Building and Mystery

As always, let’s start with the pros. As I’ve mentioned before, I NEED TO KNOW what’s going on. I need the answers to multiple burning questions The Finisher has brought up. What is Wormwood? It can’t be just a village. What the heck is the deal with the mysterious Stacks? (The Stacks is the factory where Vega works). The upper floors don’t seem to follow any kind of logic, either realistic or fantastical. Random events and characters occur there and never reappear, and I need to know how and why all of these things fit together.

What in the heck is an Event? I got some half answers about that in book one, and insinuations that we will get answers to that later on in the series. There are two characters with magical abilities, and I can’t get a grasp on the rules governing those abilities. What ARE the abilities and how do they work? What are their limits? What are their potential? How do the different abilities fit together? Where do all the magical objects come from? What in the heck is going on with the shooting stars????

You’d think all of these unanswered questions would be a con. Trust me, there are many, many more than the ones I’ve listed here. But they’re not. They’re page turners. I need to know. I am so so so interested in this amazing world building. I’m so invested in it that I’m a little terrified that I’m going to be let down later in the series. But there’s so much potential here that I can’t stop reading now. I NEED TO KNOW.

Beasts

The other major pro here is the roster of beasts. If Baldacci is a bit unimaginative about food details, he certainly makes up for it in the fantasy creature department. I listened to this book, so don’t even ask me to spell all those creature names. But the sensory details were spot on here. I could really picture them and was genuinely terrified of a couple. But in a good way.

The world building and the mystery development are by far my biggest pros. And the fact that I have so many cons (see below) means that they are MAJOR pros. Because those two things alone are keeping me reading.

Cons

My oh my, where to begin? Let’s start small.

Vocab

I’m sure a lot of people enjoy it, but I absolutely despise it when authors make up new words for everyday objects. Especially when it’s unnecessary and unimaginative. That’s one thing that The Finisher has in spades. Dumb, simplistic names for objects that already had perfectly good names.

The fact that the people in the book aren’t called people – but Wugmorts – I’m iffy on that one. Maybe they aren’t actually people. Maybe there’s a purpose for that. I’ll hold off judgement there. But it felt silly to me when the adult characters called other people wugs. It felt like they were humoring a child by using their slang.

I was constantly irritated that boy, girl, man, and woman were substituted with male and female. I mean, it’s fine. But when you find yourself using words like malehandled (instead of manhandled), you’ve gone too far.

A dog is a dog, not a canine. I mean, yes canine is an actual word. But what the heck is so wrong with dog?

And why change “day” to light? They kept the word night, but not day. So we got lights and nights. Instead of years, we have sessions. And what exactly is a sliver? Is it a minute or a second? Because it seemed to change throughout the course of the book.

And why “the first section of light” instead of morning? “the fourth section of light” instead of evening? It’s so cumbersome and unnecessary.

Children are “youngs.” Babies are “very youngs.” (really brought out the big guns for that one…)

And what do you guess a stickbowl is? Go on, guess.

You’ll never guess. It’s a pipe. For smoking. Stick plus bowl. Stickbowl.

Poor Delf

If I spelled that wrong, I apologize. Audiobook listeners know how to pronounce everything, but readers know how to spell everything, lol.

This con is specific to the audiobook and the narrator. It drove me crazy the way the narrator voiced Delf. Early in the book, he had a stutter. Fine. But why in the crap did he sound like he had an IQ of 25 for the entire book? He sounded like a mentally handicapped character on SNL. That is to say, stereotypical – and not in a good way.

The Food

I’ve mentioned the food details already, but I’ll get specific here. Vega eats quite frequently, but it’s the most generic, boring food. This is a pet peeve of mine in fantasy, where the characters eat meat bread and cheese only.

Not ham/chicken/roast/duck — but meat.

Not rye/sourdough/crusty/whole grain — but bread

Not cheddar/swiss/blue/aged/hard/soft — but cheese.

Oh, and one boiled egg that another character stole and swallowed whole without chewing.

GAG. Hurk!!! Gross. Can you imagine an entire boiled egg sliding down your throat in one lump?

Okay, back to the meat, bread, and cheese bit. Those were the only three food words we got. I think once we got the word “greens.”

Food is such a big deal in human culture. It’s a daily occurrence, and often an event in literature. The same was true in The Finisher. Meals were events — turning points in the plot or respites from the action. When Vega and John ate at Morogon’s house, it was a big deal. When Vega had dinner with Delf, it was a big deal.

So why was the biggest opportunity for sensory details ignored?

Is it just me? It’s probably just me. Either way I’m totally letting it influence my rating.

Oh my god, his name is Delph. I just saw it written on the Goodreads page! Lol! I knew I couldn’t be spelling that right.

Why all the Hate?

Why did everyone hate Vega? I couldn’t understand it. It seemed like 90% of the people — sorry, Wugs in Wormwood hated her guts. They constantly harassed her for no reason. Stole her food. Beat her up. Taunted her and teased her. Why? Just to give her as many antagonists as possible? I couldn’t understand it. I still don’t.

Plot

Here’s the big one, though oddly enough it’s the one I’m most ready to forgive.

The plot was a mess. It meandered from one unexplained event to the next. Nothing pushed, and consequences were few and far between. Vega got a map, drew it on her skin and burned the map. Later she redrew the map onto new parchment. What was the point of having it all over her skin?

She got an important book full of valuable information, so she immediately buried it somewhere and forgot about it. All that to keep it safe and secret. Well, later she dug it up and hid it at her house. Why not do that in the first place?

The events at Stacks were so random, and they only seemed to happen so that Vega could get an overpowered magical object.

In all this, I never wanted to know “what happens next!” That was never why I turned the page, and that’s a failure of the plot arc – or lack thereof.

Conclusion

But the fact remains that I did keep turning the page. I wanted answers for all the questions mentioned above. I still want those answers. So I’m going to check out book two next.

Except I think I’m going to get the ebook, not the audiobook again. That way I can skim over bits if I want to and get my answers a bit faster.

What did you think of The Finisher? Let me know in the comments below. And don’t forget to check out my other reviews before you go!

May 17, 2021 by acackler Leave a Comment

Be a Man – Chaos Walking

The hubs and I watched Chaos Walking over the weekend. I had never heard of the book it’s based on, The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness, but after seeing a trailer for this movie several months ago. I looked into it. Needless to say, I added the book to my to-do list immediately, and I plan to purchase and devour it as soon as my current reads are finished. I was fascinated by Todd Hewitt’s idea of what it meant to be a man.

The movie was only okay, unfortunately. Since I haven’t read it yet, I can’t say if it was true to the book or not. But I can say it felt incredibly rushed. Knowing it was based on an epic sci fi novel, the most likely problem was that they tried to cram what should have been a series into a two hour movie.

I mean, after what they did for Good Omens, Game of Thrones, and His Dark Materials, clearly it’s possible to do these stories justice. Even MCU is jumping on board the streaming/binge train with their latest spate of limited series.

Movies are great. But sometimes they simply aren’t the right vehicle. (I can’t wait until someone wises up and does Harry Potter justice).

But despite the rushed quality, something specific did catch and hold my attention: Todd Hewitt’s vulnerability.

A Man’s World

So if you haven’t seen/read this story (or at least read the blurb or watched a trailer), the basic premise is that on a new colony planet, everyone’s thoughts are on display. You can see what people picture in their minds and hear what they’re thinking, creating a cloud of “noise” around their head. And on this planet there are only men, until one day a shuttle with a single female survivor arrives and sends the entire community into chaos.

Our main characters are Todd, who lives on the planet, and the new arrival Viola. Todd grew up with the noise and has spent his entire life trying to control his thoughts.

Viola doesn’t have noise.

This creates a situation entirely unique in most box office genres: You have a male and female main characters, and the male character is the vulnerable one.

The idea of a vulnerable male character is no shocker in this day and age. Society is thankfully wising up to the fact that men have emotions and needs the same as anyone else. We get plenty of that in women’s fiction, contemporary fiction, etc. But in sci fi, action, adventure, fantasy, explosions, excitement, and romance? This softer side of the male ego is a breath of fresh air. Especially since Todd is a manly man. He’s not effeminate, soft, timid, or hesitant. And yet he is vulnerable.

Get it, Todd.

What do I mean by manly man? He works hard at the farm. He defends himself from assholes in town. He steals and lies. These are all the makings of a pseudo-rebellious teen.

But he also stands up and fights when someone needs help (the someone in question being Viola). He hops on his horse and follows her, despite the fact that he’s being shot at.

When it’s time to eat, he strips off his clothes like it’s nothing and walks into a lake to wrestle some unknown aquatic beast with his bare hands and a knife. Not even his thoughts betrayed fear or concern when facing what was clearly a formidible oponent.

But he was hungry. So off come the pants, and into the water he goes.

Also, bravo to everyone involved for having male nudity only. I mean, Holland’s ass is the true gift here, but it sure is nice to have a change of pace on this issue. Usually it’s the chick who automatically gets to strip.

Ahem. Okay, back to the issue at hand. Later, when one of the native Spackle people attack him, he doesn’t scream and cower, he fights back. Not only does he fight back, he overpowers the giant creature and begins beating the shit out of it. Talk about a man’s man. He only stops when Viola begs him to let the creature go.

Can I just take a minute and say: Damn, Tom Holland. Fantastic actor, and fit as hell. Look at that terrifying face. Even his wrist tendons are on edge. It’s hard to believe that’s our friendly neighborhood Spiderman.

And don’t forget that time when he needed to fix something really high up. Yup, he fucking went for it.

A Man’s Man

So what happens when you take this tough as nails, take-no-shit, manly character, and put his innermost thoughts on display constantly?

You get vulnerability in a character that would normally hide his “weaknesses” at all costs. And the viewers/readers never get to see it.

I felt so bad for this poor kid. He had no privacy, not even in his own mind. He meets the first girl he’s ever known, and he can’t even imagine kissing her without being horrified and embarrassed. She tells him her name, and then gets to listen as he repeats her name over and over in his own mind. Every stray thought about her and about himself is on display, and he just has to deal.

And we get to hear his struggles to be strong. “Be a man. Be a man. Be a man.” What boy hasn’t heard this line before? Hasn’t said this to himself in times of stress?

Even when Todd loses someone particularly heartbreaking, he sees his own sadness as a weakness. He silences his thoughts about what he has lost and tells himself yet again to “be a man.” He begins repeating his own name in his head in order to hide from Viola that he cares enough about something to be sad when it’s gone.

But he can’t help it, of course. None of us could. And during the whole scene, my heart just broke for this poor kid who thinks he has to hide his grief.

And Viola just takes his hand and tells him, “You’re a good man, Todd Hewitt.”

Maybe Next Time…

So considering how amazing Todd’s characterization was, I was super disappointed in the movie itself. With its poor reception, this gorgeous image of a strong, manly, vulnerable character won’t get much visibility. But it’s certainly a step in the right direction. And if the book is as good as the movie hints, then at least there I can hope to see Todd’s characterization even more rounded out. I’ll report back after I’ve read it. 😉

April 11, 2021 by acackler Leave a Comment

Rose

We’ve recently begun rewatching Doctor Who with our eldest son, who is finally old enough to appreciate it. And so of course, because he’s watching it for the first time, it feels like I get to fall in love with the characters for the first time, too. And first on the block is my all time favorite: Rose

Maybe it’s because she was the first (and the first cut is always the deepest), but Rose was always my favorite companion (followed closely by Donna, but that’s another post for another day).

Rose Characterization

She is adventurous, outgoing, and fearless. She loves a laugh and is unfailingly compassionate. And as the Doctor said himself, she always asks the right question. While the doctor is busy gushing over some fantastically impossible circumstance or technological problem (basically missing the forest for the trees), Rose always hits the nail on the head with a simple question:

“Why’s it so hot in here?”

“Why does everyone have a TV in this neighborhood?”

“I was attacked by a pencil scribble? Maybe it’s a mistake? You scribble over something when you want to get rid of it, like a drawing. Like a child’s drawing.”

Everyone Else

And of course each new companion comes with a whole slew of side characters attached, and Rose’s were by far my favorite.

Mickey’s characterization was irritating at first, very clingy and basically useless. But his character arc, especially during season 2 was satisfying.

Jackie is my favorite side character of all of them. She’s so obnoxious, but lovable. I especially enjoyed her relationship with the Doctor. The look on his face when he realized Jackie was on board the TARDIS was pure gold.

Jackie’s characterization was so well done. She was loudmouthed, and vain, and fairly ridiculous most of the time. But she loved her daughter with her whole being. And she gave several very powerful speeches, the kind that give you chills.

Oh, I know that [you were looking for the Doctor]. I worked that out. Cause it’s never me, is it? Let me tell you something about those who get left behind. Because it’s hard. And that’s what you become. Hard. But if there’s one thing that I’ve learned, it’s that I will never let her down. And I’ll protect them both until the end of my life. So whatever you want, I’m warning you: back off.
S02E10 Love and Monsters

The Woman You Love

Many people, specifically those who see romance as a cheap device to lure in the most base audience, saw the romance angle between the Doctor and Rose as – well, a cheap device. But as a romance lover, I can say the relationship between them was natural, inevitable, and understated. And yes, I will go into exhaustive detail on the reasons why.

So what?

First of all, what’s so wrong with romance? You want sci fi to tell human stories in a fantastical setting, but leave out the love? It’s the most human thing in the world. And yes, yes, I know the Doctor isn’t human, but for god’s sake you know what I mean. He’s allowed to have every other human emotion out there – anger, humor, happiness, sadness, platonic love – but not romantic love? How depressing. Plus it’s not like it was being hammered into us by constantly bringing it up, so y’all need to chill.

Okay, now that I’ve aired out my defensiveness, I can get onto the real stuff.

Characterization

The screen writers did the romance on purpose. It wasn’t something that just happened because the actors had good chemistry. It wasn’t done to scrabble for a larger female audience. Their characterizations called for it.

We didn’t realize at the time (or at least, new fans of Doctor Who probably didn’t), but the 9th Doctor was fresh from the Time War when he met Rose. He was war hardened, depressed, and full of regret. And here was Rose, a fresh faced, innocent adventurer who reminded him of what he loved most: experiencing everything life had to offer.

And that’s exactly what they did together. So it makes sense that he’d start getting the warm and fuzzies.

And he was the dashing, brilliant, capable-of-anything, show-me-the-universe Doctor. What woman wouldn’t fall in love with that? (Well, Donna I guess. But again, another post, another time.)

On Purpose

But aside from the basic building blocks of two characters with great chemistry, the writers dropped hint after hint that this romance was on purpose.

In S01E06 Dalek, the Dalek in question referred to Rose as “the woman you love.”

In S01E13 The Parting of the Ways, did he really have to kiss her to draw the heart of the TARDIS out of her? I personally don’t think so. In my head, he kissed her because he knew saving her would kill him, and this was his last chance.

And of course in S02E01, there was all kinds of kissing and looking – though it was all done by Cassandra while she inhabited their bodies.

But all of this could be explained away. The romance was done with such a light touch that all of it could be circumspect. It was the Dalek who said the Doctor loved Rose. What the hell does a Dalek know? And maybe the Doctor really did have to suck the heart of the TARDIS out of her mouth.

No. Not to you.

But during S02E03 School Reunion, they basically say it out loud.

Rose: “This is really seeing the future. You just leave us behind. Is that what you’re gonna do to me?”

Doctor: “No. Not to you.

Rose: “But Sarah Jane. You were that close with her once. But now you never even mention her. Why not?”

Doctor: “I don’t age. I regenerate. But humans decay. You wither and you die. Imagine watching that happen to someone who you…”

But he can’t say it. He can’t finish the sentence. Because he knows there’s nothing to be done about it.

“You can spend the rest of your life with me. But I can’t spend the rest of mine with you. I have to live on. Alone.”

“Alone” is really a big theme for Doctor Who.

When It’s Over

And when he inevitably does lose Rose, his hearts are truly broken. As far as I can remember, it’s the only time we see the doctor cry. I’m currently on episode 2 of season three with new companion, Martha. Every episode, he still mentions Rose, wishes out loud that she was there, and even thinks he sees her in a crowded dance hall.

Me too, Doctor. I miss her, too.

Okay, well I’ve put way too much time into this, and I’m not entirely sure what the point even was. But there you go, all my wordy thoughts on Rose’s relationship with the Doctor.