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Kurt Vile recommended Tusk by The Dead C in Music (curated)
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated The Hitman's Bodyguard (2017) in Movies
Sep 25, 2019
Michael Bryce is a triple A rated executive protection agent. Well... he was, up until he lost one of his high profile clients. Now he's living in the less than luxurious life, with less than A rated clients. What he needs is to get his reputation back, and when his ex appears asking for his help, he could get more than his reputation back.
It's just another job, until he see's who he's supposed to be protecting. Darius Kincaid. Master assassin.
Kincaid needs to get to The Hague to testify against Vladislav Dukhovich, merciless dictator of Belarus. With all the other witnesses dying he's Interpol's last hope. But with Kincaid and Bryce both thinking they know the best way to survive the trip, will they both get there in one piece?
Honestly, I love all the trailers for this film, but this one has the song in it. There's just something catchy about Samuel L. Jackson singing along with a bunch of nuns.
Anyway, to the film. Straight off the bat I'm going to say I loved it. Award winner? Nope. Dramatic master piece? Nope. Hilarious? Abso-motherf***ing-lutely. Reynolds and Jackson play really well off each other all the way through, but for me, the highlight was Salma Hayek. She really was an unexpected gem.
I read views of this online and it made me a little mad... some people just need to lighten up. Some films are just made to be entertaining, and this one had the bases covered... excessive mindless violence, car chases, romance, singing nuns... you couldn't really ask for more... apart from maybe more nudity of Ryan Reynolds. (Just me? Never mind then)
Probably the most entertaining Unlimited screening I've seen, and I think everyone else agreed. I haven't been in a cinema where that many people have been laughing out loud. I honestly think that is a great achievement in a film.
I'll be buying this one on DVD when it comes out, I think everyone should, it'll really brighten up your day and help you relieve some stress... if like me you enjoy seeing random things getting destroyed. (Only on screen, not in real-life, no need to panic!) Possibly not for those of you who don't like swearing though, as Samuel L. Jackson does get to use swearing like punctuation... and the writers were clearly fond of excessive commas.
It's just another job, until he see's who he's supposed to be protecting. Darius Kincaid. Master assassin.
Kincaid needs to get to The Hague to testify against Vladislav Dukhovich, merciless dictator of Belarus. With all the other witnesses dying he's Interpol's last hope. But with Kincaid and Bryce both thinking they know the best way to survive the trip, will they both get there in one piece?
Honestly, I love all the trailers for this film, but this one has the song in it. There's just something catchy about Samuel L. Jackson singing along with a bunch of nuns.
Anyway, to the film. Straight off the bat I'm going to say I loved it. Award winner? Nope. Dramatic master piece? Nope. Hilarious? Abso-motherf***ing-lutely. Reynolds and Jackson play really well off each other all the way through, but for me, the highlight was Salma Hayek. She really was an unexpected gem.
I read views of this online and it made me a little mad... some people just need to lighten up. Some films are just made to be entertaining, and this one had the bases covered... excessive mindless violence, car chases, romance, singing nuns... you couldn't really ask for more... apart from maybe more nudity of Ryan Reynolds. (Just me? Never mind then)
Probably the most entertaining Unlimited screening I've seen, and I think everyone else agreed. I haven't been in a cinema where that many people have been laughing out loud. I honestly think that is a great achievement in a film.
I'll be buying this one on DVD when it comes out, I think everyone should, it'll really brighten up your day and help you relieve some stress... if like me you enjoy seeing random things getting destroyed. (Only on screen, not in real-life, no need to panic!) Possibly not for those of you who don't like swearing though, as Samuel L. Jackson does get to use swearing like punctuation... and the writers were clearly fond of excessive commas.
Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated Amélie (2001) in Movies
Sep 30, 2019
Beautiful Movie With a Beautiful Ending
You watch a film like Amelie and you leave thinking, “Some directors just have it figured out more than others.” This movie is pure genius from start to finish, one of my all-time faves for a number of reasons. In this story, Amelie seeks to change the world and make it a better place by helping the people around her.
Acting: 10
While I don’t know many of these actors since this a French film, I was impressed by the multitude of brilliant performances. Audrey Tautou shines as main character Amelie, carrying with her a sincere innocence that is hard not to gravitate towards. From the smaller roles, like Amelie’s parents, to the more pivotal roles, every actor/actress impressed me to no end.
Beginning: 10
Characters: 10
The movie revolves around Amelie’s sensational character. You are captivated by her from her very first moments on screen as a young child. She leads an interesting life that revolves around a number of interesting people. I know I’m being vague, but this is one of those films that’s best experienced when you know very little about it.
Cinematography/Visuals: 10
Conflict: 10
Entertainment Value: 10
Memorability: 10
A classic film is one that breaks the mold giving you something that you won’t find anywhere else. That is very much the case in Amelie as it carries a style all its own. The film is interwoven with grainy flashbacks that are uniquely done in unforgettable fashion. It is hard not to be captivated by these scenes as they unfold. I also appreciate how it dives into the challenges that shy introverts face on a daily basis.
Pace: 10
Plot: 10
Great story with enough diversions to keep you entertained throughout. It is such a simple idea, but is pulled off with complex characters and stories-within-stories. It’s almost disappointing when it ends.
Resolution: 10
Concludes just as it should. It gives you the ending that you hope for without overstaying its welcome. A nice bow on a beautiful present.
Overall: 100
We watch movies for an escape, to be captivated by something better than our own mundane lives. Amelie is magical from beginning to end and the greatest movie I never knew existed until recently. To put it simply, it is damn-near perfect.
Acting: 10
While I don’t know many of these actors since this a French film, I was impressed by the multitude of brilliant performances. Audrey Tautou shines as main character Amelie, carrying with her a sincere innocence that is hard not to gravitate towards. From the smaller roles, like Amelie’s parents, to the more pivotal roles, every actor/actress impressed me to no end.
Beginning: 10
Characters: 10
The movie revolves around Amelie’s sensational character. You are captivated by her from her very first moments on screen as a young child. She leads an interesting life that revolves around a number of interesting people. I know I’m being vague, but this is one of those films that’s best experienced when you know very little about it.
Cinematography/Visuals: 10
Conflict: 10
Entertainment Value: 10
Memorability: 10
A classic film is one that breaks the mold giving you something that you won’t find anywhere else. That is very much the case in Amelie as it carries a style all its own. The film is interwoven with grainy flashbacks that are uniquely done in unforgettable fashion. It is hard not to be captivated by these scenes as they unfold. I also appreciate how it dives into the challenges that shy introverts face on a daily basis.
Pace: 10
Plot: 10
Great story with enough diversions to keep you entertained throughout. It is such a simple idea, but is pulled off with complex characters and stories-within-stories. It’s almost disappointing when it ends.
Resolution: 10
Concludes just as it should. It gives you the ending that you hope for without overstaying its welcome. A nice bow on a beautiful present.
Overall: 100
We watch movies for an escape, to be captivated by something better than our own mundane lives. Amelie is magical from beginning to end and the greatest movie I never knew existed until recently. To put it simply, it is damn-near perfect.
Planner Pro - Daily Calendar & Personal Organizer
Productivity
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Designed for those people who’re looking for a full-featured app to manage daily life better....
Sarah (7800 KP) rated the PlayStation 4 version of The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan in Video Games
May 29, 2020
A thrilling play
Games like this dont appeal to everyone. It's not full of action, beating people up or a massive open world full of free play. It also doesnt drag on for 40+ hours. However for people like me who struggle with those type of games, Man of Medan is a breath of fresh air.
I'd previously played and rather enjoyed Until Dawn, and I'm pleased to say this follows much in the same vein although it's probably a much shorter story. Graphically this is very impressive looking and like Until Dawn, they've thrown in yet another recognisable face (this time it's Shawn Ashmore aka Bobby from X-Men). The characters look amazing and the setting too. The story too is a good and interesting one, although it does feel a little similar to other stories (like Ghost Ship) and may be a tad predictable. We worked out what was going on well before the third act. That said, I still found it to be absolutely terrifying. Playing a game like this is a lot scarier than watching any horror film!
The gameplay works really well. The fact that you can play this with friends, either online or couch co-op, adds another fun dimension to it all. The decision making also means that there are so many different endings and outcomes (I believe there's over 60 possible ways for the characters to die) that the replayability is surprisingly better than you'd expect. Admittedly it would probably get a bit tedious trying to uncover absolutely everything and all possible outcomes, but playing a few times over is still enjoyable.
The only downsides are the lag and load issues. Most likely due to the decision making process and actions, there is a noticeable lag in some of the cut scenes and movements which is bearable but can noticeably affect the smooth running of the game. There's also the characters themselves. They look great, but they're very cliched and have very little personality or interest too them. And the script is a little cheesy at times which only further impacts with a slight dislike of the characters. Part of me actually wanted to kill them all off...
Overall a great story and an interesting game to play, if you're looking for something a little different.
I'd previously played and rather enjoyed Until Dawn, and I'm pleased to say this follows much in the same vein although it's probably a much shorter story. Graphically this is very impressive looking and like Until Dawn, they've thrown in yet another recognisable face (this time it's Shawn Ashmore aka Bobby from X-Men). The characters look amazing and the setting too. The story too is a good and interesting one, although it does feel a little similar to other stories (like Ghost Ship) and may be a tad predictable. We worked out what was going on well before the third act. That said, I still found it to be absolutely terrifying. Playing a game like this is a lot scarier than watching any horror film!
The gameplay works really well. The fact that you can play this with friends, either online or couch co-op, adds another fun dimension to it all. The decision making also means that there are so many different endings and outcomes (I believe there's over 60 possible ways for the characters to die) that the replayability is surprisingly better than you'd expect. Admittedly it would probably get a bit tedious trying to uncover absolutely everything and all possible outcomes, but playing a few times over is still enjoyable.
The only downsides are the lag and load issues. Most likely due to the decision making process and actions, there is a noticeable lag in some of the cut scenes and movements which is bearable but can noticeably affect the smooth running of the game. There's also the characters themselves. They look great, but they're very cliched and have very little personality or interest too them. And the script is a little cheesy at times which only further impacts with a slight dislike of the characters. Part of me actually wanted to kill them all off...
Overall a great story and an interesting game to play, if you're looking for something a little different.
Flitsmeister
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Flitsmeister saves you money on fines, warns you of traffic jams and prevents accidents. Over...
The Rebels of Ireland (The Dublin Saga, #2)
Book
The Princes of Ireland, the first volume of Edward Rutherfurd’s magisterial epic of Irish history,...
Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated Bread & Tulips (2001) in Movies
Nov 17, 2021
Pacing not quite enough to save this movie
When a woman is left behind at a rest stop during a family vacation, she uses the opportunity to settle into the town a become a local.
Acting: 10
Licia Maglietta is magnificent as main star Rosalba. She holds her own in a number of different scenes throughout and really is the standout of the movie. I was impressed with a number of the other performances as well, but Bread and Tulips wouldn’t have had nearly the same amount of quality without her.
Beginning: 10
Characters: 1
Cinematography/Visuals: 1
One of the areas in which the film grossly suffers. There isn’t much that stands out in my memory about how this film was shot other than it being just plain…meh. It shoots like a monotonous mess making it hard for you to really want to commit your attention and time. Scenes are extremely basic with no real pop.
Conflict: 4
Entertainment Value: 5
While Bread and Tulips has its moments, it really was more of a background movie for me. The effort is solid in a few spots, but the movie ultimately just dragged and had me counting down to the resolution. Ultimately it never really succeeded in holding my attention.
Memorability: 6
With a handful of solid moments, nothing really jumped out here as overly memorable for me. It is memorable in the sense of having a unique concept, but it never fringes on impactful. I was hoping for more meat and I got scraps instead.
Pace: 7
The film does drag in spots where it should be moving a bit more quickly. However, it moves pretty evenly through the story for the most part. Could there have been a handful of parts that were cut out? Sure. Overall, though, the pace is pretty fluid.
Plot: 5
Resolution: 4
After all was said and done, the ending was just ok. I was hoping for some kind of surprise to redeem the movie, but it went pretty much how I expected it to go. Not impressed.
Overall: 53
A lot of people enjoyed Bread and Tulips if we go by what Rotten Tomatoes is saying. Unfortunately, I was not one of those people. The story overall is very underwhelming. I am absolutely ok with never seeing this one again.
Acting: 10
Licia Maglietta is magnificent as main star Rosalba. She holds her own in a number of different scenes throughout and really is the standout of the movie. I was impressed with a number of the other performances as well, but Bread and Tulips wouldn’t have had nearly the same amount of quality without her.
Beginning: 10
Characters: 1
Cinematography/Visuals: 1
One of the areas in which the film grossly suffers. There isn’t much that stands out in my memory about how this film was shot other than it being just plain…meh. It shoots like a monotonous mess making it hard for you to really want to commit your attention and time. Scenes are extremely basic with no real pop.
Conflict: 4
Entertainment Value: 5
While Bread and Tulips has its moments, it really was more of a background movie for me. The effort is solid in a few spots, but the movie ultimately just dragged and had me counting down to the resolution. Ultimately it never really succeeded in holding my attention.
Memorability: 6
With a handful of solid moments, nothing really jumped out here as overly memorable for me. It is memorable in the sense of having a unique concept, but it never fringes on impactful. I was hoping for more meat and I got scraps instead.
Pace: 7
The film does drag in spots where it should be moving a bit more quickly. However, it moves pretty evenly through the story for the most part. Could there have been a handful of parts that were cut out? Sure. Overall, though, the pace is pretty fluid.
Plot: 5
Resolution: 4
After all was said and done, the ending was just ok. I was hoping for some kind of surprise to redeem the movie, but it went pretty much how I expected it to go. Not impressed.
Overall: 53
A lot of people enjoyed Bread and Tulips if we go by what Rotten Tomatoes is saying. Unfortunately, I was not one of those people. The story overall is very underwhelming. I am absolutely ok with never seeing this one again.
Like a Lily Among the Thorns
6.0
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There are those who are born into loving families and then there are the less fortunate who must...
Climate Fiction Speculative Fiction Fantasy
Mandy and G.D. Burkhead (26 KP) rated Banewreaker in Books
May 20, 2018
Shelf Life – Banewreaker Will Make You Feel Bad for Sauron
Contains spoilers, click to show
Very few fantasy fans can get away with admitting that they aren’t all that big into sweeping, high epic fantasy à la Lord of the Rings or the Pern stories or everything that Terry Brooks writes. Many non-fantasy fans, however, can point to these tales as examples of why they aren’t into fantasy. Like it or not, it’s hard not to see the latter group’s point, as a lot of high fantasy is riddled with confusing terminology, rehashed stories, and genre clichés. This is not to say that these stories are bad, per sé, just that they can easily turn off readers who aren’t in the right kind of crowd.
Banewreaker, the first book in Jacqueline Carey’s two-part volume The Sundering, will probably not change any opinions in this respect, then, as it’s sweeping high fantasy to the core. This, as it turns out, is both its greatest strength and its greatest weakness.
There are some reviews out there that laud Banewreaker as a masterful examination of subjective viewpoints in an epic fantasy turned into a human tragedy by a simple change of perspective. And they are absolutely correct.
There are other reviews, however, that call the book out as a heap of all of the stalest fantasy clichés piled one atop the other in a confusing and pretentious jumble with a shellacking of purple prose for good measure. And they are also absolutely correct.
Let me explain.
For starters, it would be inaccurate to say that this story is full of clichés. This story is clichés. This story is every familiar and used-up trope you would expect from a high fantasy, all of those details that have been done to death in thousands of other versions until almost nothing that happens seems original anymore.
This is what’s going to turn off a lot of people. But the thing is, Banewreaker has to be this way. It wants the reader to look at all of the things that they’ve come to expect from a fantasy epic and then, by shifting the narrative focus, realize that all of these beloved tropes are actually, when you think about it, tragic as hell.
In other words, it’s Lord of the Rings from Sauron’s point of view.
It’s not a riff, though. It’s not goofy like most of the stuff I go in for. It takes its subject just as seriously as the stories that it’s mirroring, and this is what makes the whole story ultimately so gripping and so moving.
The story starts out like many stories of this magnitude, with exposition stretching back to the Dawn of This Particular Creation. In this case, we have a protogenos world god named Uru-Alat who died and gave rise to seven smaller godlike beings called Shapers. First comes Haomane, who becomes the Lord of Thought and sets himself up as head honcho for this ensuing pantheon. Second is Arahila, the Basically a Love Goddess; and third is Satoris, whose purview was “the quickening of the flesh,” which is high fantasy speak for sexy times. Four more Shapers come after this who, for the sake of brevity, we’ll be glossing over.
To summarize the important godly exposition, the Seven Shapers set about shaping the world to the surprise of no one. Haomane creates elves (here called Ellyl, but if you’ve ever even looked at a fantasy, you know that they’re the elves here), Arahila creates humans, and Satoris doesn’t create anything because he’s busy hanging out with dragons and learning their wisdom. Satoris grants his fleshy quickening to the humans but not the elves, because Haomane didn’t want his elves to do that. Then Haomane decides he doesn’t want the humans to do that either, but Satoris refuses to take the gift away again. Conflict escalates, god wars ensue, and the world splits into two continents, with Satoris ostracized from his brethren on one and the remaining Shapers on the other. By the time the dust has settled, Satoris is scarred and burned pitch black, living in a mostly dead land thanks to Haomane’s wrath, but with a dagger in his possession that is the only weapon capable of killing any of the Shapers.
The story itself picks up thousands of years later, with Satoris as the Satan/Sauron stand-in living in a forbidding land surrounded by classically evil things like trolls, giant spiders, and insane people. Since Haomane is the head god, the rest of the world believes Satoris to be a terrible figure of evil and betrayal, while Satoris’s few allies know him as a pitiable and misunderstood figure who only ever wanted to honor his word and do right by his own sense of morality rather than the dictates of his elder brother god king.
From here the plot becomes the typical Army of Good vs. Army of Evil adventure, but with the protagonistic focus on Satoris and his allies. His trolls we see not as a mindless horde but as a simple, honorable people who happily serve their lord because he happily serves them right back. The mad individuals inhabiting his fortress are castaways from normal society with nowhere else to go. And the giant spiders just happen to live there and be bigger than normal, with no sinister intentions beyond that.
And just like that, by actually showing us the home life of the ultimate in evil fantasy tropes, we see how easily one side’s view of evil is another’s view of good. In doing so, Banewreaker becomes perhaps the first sweeping fantasy epic with no real bad guy, just two sides of an unfortunate conflict. Both sides have their likeable characters, both sides seem from their view to be in the right, and pretty soon you, as the reader, will stop cheering for either one, because whenever one person that you like succeeds it means that another person whom you also like is failing.
In fact, the closest thing that this story has to a clearly-labeled “evil” character is the sorceress Lilias, and even then, she’s not evil so much as a woman who has done some bad things for completely understandable reasons. Lilias, in fact, is one of the most pitiful characters in this whole saga of pitiable characters, with her fears and attachments closely mirroring those of most readers, only amplified by her immortality and magical powers. She is afraid of dying. She wants to be more in the grand scheme of things than just another man’s wife or another country’s momentary ruler, both of which would just be tiny moments in a long history. She likes her youth. She likes having pretty things and pretty people around her. And from her interactions with her dragon mentor and apparently only friend, Calandor, we see that she is also capable of intense affection and even love just as she is capable of indulging in self-centered self-interest that, if not particularly a good trait, is also one that she is not alone in possessing.
Banewreaker, then, is a story with a large cast of characters but very few actual heroes or innocents as well as very few outright villains, which is exactly what it sets out to be. Those who love it and those who hate it both seem to blame this quality in particular for their feelings. The biggest complaint leveled against it (that I have read, anyway) is that the people we should be rooting for do not deserve our sympathy, while the people we should be rooting against are more misguided and unwilling to see things in another light than deserving of our scorn.
This is true. But if it’s a flaw, it’s an intentional one. And if it makes you feel like you shouldn’t be cheering for either side at all in this conflict, that’s the point. This is a story of clichés, yes, but it has something that it needs to say about these clichés and, in doing so, about the subjective and impossibly nebulous quality of morality in general.
In short, here again is another fantasy story about the Forces of Good wiping out an entire nation dedicated to their “evil” enemy. And as the story points out, even if you believe in that cause, you’re still wiping out an entire nation of people. No way is there not a downside to that. Seeing things in a black-and-white morality just means crushing a whole lot of important shades of gray underfoot.
Whether or not you like Banewreaker, then, depends in large part upon how much you realize that Carey as an author is being self-aware. As someone who read and still hasn’t stopped being awed over her Kushiel series, I can’t claim complete objectivity in this area, because I came to Banewreaker already in love with her. I can say, however, that unless you have an intense and searing aversion to ornate and sweeping style, this book is worth any fantasy-lover’s time – especially if you’ve ever felt a pang of empathy for all of the poor villainous mooks that fantasy heroes tend to mow down without a thought because they were the wrong kind of ugly.
Banewreaker, the first book in Jacqueline Carey’s two-part volume The Sundering, will probably not change any opinions in this respect, then, as it’s sweeping high fantasy to the core. This, as it turns out, is both its greatest strength and its greatest weakness.
There are some reviews out there that laud Banewreaker as a masterful examination of subjective viewpoints in an epic fantasy turned into a human tragedy by a simple change of perspective. And they are absolutely correct.
There are other reviews, however, that call the book out as a heap of all of the stalest fantasy clichés piled one atop the other in a confusing and pretentious jumble with a shellacking of purple prose for good measure. And they are also absolutely correct.
Let me explain.
For starters, it would be inaccurate to say that this story is full of clichés. This story is clichés. This story is every familiar and used-up trope you would expect from a high fantasy, all of those details that have been done to death in thousands of other versions until almost nothing that happens seems original anymore.
This is what’s going to turn off a lot of people. But the thing is, Banewreaker has to be this way. It wants the reader to look at all of the things that they’ve come to expect from a fantasy epic and then, by shifting the narrative focus, realize that all of these beloved tropes are actually, when you think about it, tragic as hell.
In other words, it’s Lord of the Rings from Sauron’s point of view.
It’s not a riff, though. It’s not goofy like most of the stuff I go in for. It takes its subject just as seriously as the stories that it’s mirroring, and this is what makes the whole story ultimately so gripping and so moving.
The story starts out like many stories of this magnitude, with exposition stretching back to the Dawn of This Particular Creation. In this case, we have a protogenos world god named Uru-Alat who died and gave rise to seven smaller godlike beings called Shapers. First comes Haomane, who becomes the Lord of Thought and sets himself up as head honcho for this ensuing pantheon. Second is Arahila, the Basically a Love Goddess; and third is Satoris, whose purview was “the quickening of the flesh,” which is high fantasy speak for sexy times. Four more Shapers come after this who, for the sake of brevity, we’ll be glossing over.
To summarize the important godly exposition, the Seven Shapers set about shaping the world to the surprise of no one. Haomane creates elves (here called Ellyl, but if you’ve ever even looked at a fantasy, you know that they’re the elves here), Arahila creates humans, and Satoris doesn’t create anything because he’s busy hanging out with dragons and learning their wisdom. Satoris grants his fleshy quickening to the humans but not the elves, because Haomane didn’t want his elves to do that. Then Haomane decides he doesn’t want the humans to do that either, but Satoris refuses to take the gift away again. Conflict escalates, god wars ensue, and the world splits into two continents, with Satoris ostracized from his brethren on one and the remaining Shapers on the other. By the time the dust has settled, Satoris is scarred and burned pitch black, living in a mostly dead land thanks to Haomane’s wrath, but with a dagger in his possession that is the only weapon capable of killing any of the Shapers.
The story itself picks up thousands of years later, with Satoris as the Satan/Sauron stand-in living in a forbidding land surrounded by classically evil things like trolls, giant spiders, and insane people. Since Haomane is the head god, the rest of the world believes Satoris to be a terrible figure of evil and betrayal, while Satoris’s few allies know him as a pitiable and misunderstood figure who only ever wanted to honor his word and do right by his own sense of morality rather than the dictates of his elder brother god king.
From here the plot becomes the typical Army of Good vs. Army of Evil adventure, but with the protagonistic focus on Satoris and his allies. His trolls we see not as a mindless horde but as a simple, honorable people who happily serve their lord because he happily serves them right back. The mad individuals inhabiting his fortress are castaways from normal society with nowhere else to go. And the giant spiders just happen to live there and be bigger than normal, with no sinister intentions beyond that.
And just like that, by actually showing us the home life of the ultimate in evil fantasy tropes, we see how easily one side’s view of evil is another’s view of good. In doing so, Banewreaker becomes perhaps the first sweeping fantasy epic with no real bad guy, just two sides of an unfortunate conflict. Both sides have their likeable characters, both sides seem from their view to be in the right, and pretty soon you, as the reader, will stop cheering for either one, because whenever one person that you like succeeds it means that another person whom you also like is failing.
In fact, the closest thing that this story has to a clearly-labeled “evil” character is the sorceress Lilias, and even then, she’s not evil so much as a woman who has done some bad things for completely understandable reasons. Lilias, in fact, is one of the most pitiful characters in this whole saga of pitiable characters, with her fears and attachments closely mirroring those of most readers, only amplified by her immortality and magical powers. She is afraid of dying. She wants to be more in the grand scheme of things than just another man’s wife or another country’s momentary ruler, both of which would just be tiny moments in a long history. She likes her youth. She likes having pretty things and pretty people around her. And from her interactions with her dragon mentor and apparently only friend, Calandor, we see that she is also capable of intense affection and even love just as she is capable of indulging in self-centered self-interest that, if not particularly a good trait, is also one that she is not alone in possessing.
Banewreaker, then, is a story with a large cast of characters but very few actual heroes or innocents as well as very few outright villains, which is exactly what it sets out to be. Those who love it and those who hate it both seem to blame this quality in particular for their feelings. The biggest complaint leveled against it (that I have read, anyway) is that the people we should be rooting for do not deserve our sympathy, while the people we should be rooting against are more misguided and unwilling to see things in another light than deserving of our scorn.
This is true. But if it’s a flaw, it’s an intentional one. And if it makes you feel like you shouldn’t be cheering for either side at all in this conflict, that’s the point. This is a story of clichés, yes, but it has something that it needs to say about these clichés and, in doing so, about the subjective and impossibly nebulous quality of morality in general.
In short, here again is another fantasy story about the Forces of Good wiping out an entire nation dedicated to their “evil” enemy. And as the story points out, even if you believe in that cause, you’re still wiping out an entire nation of people. No way is there not a downside to that. Seeing things in a black-and-white morality just means crushing a whole lot of important shades of gray underfoot.
Whether or not you like Banewreaker, then, depends in large part upon how much you realize that Carey as an author is being self-aware. As someone who read and still hasn’t stopped being awed over her Kushiel series, I can’t claim complete objectivity in this area, because I came to Banewreaker already in love with her. I can say, however, that unless you have an intense and searing aversion to ornate and sweeping style, this book is worth any fantasy-lover’s time – especially if you’ve ever felt a pang of empathy for all of the poor villainous mooks that fantasy heroes tend to mow down without a thought because they were the wrong kind of ugly.