Rogue: Untouched by Alisa Kwitney - Book Review

 

'Mutant powers are a curse for Rogue, but two strangers will change her life forever, in this explosive superhero novel, the first title in the Marvel Heroines series

'Rogue’s life sucks: she lives alone in an abandoned cabin, works a terrible diner job and hides from everyone. When your first kiss almost kills a guy, it’s hard to trust anyone – even yourself. Then two people arrive in town who could change her life, and she finally gets a choice: follow a mysterious billionaire who says she’s scouting for gifted interns, or the handsome card shark with eerie red eyes. Except they’re not the only ones watching her… Rogue will have to trust in herself and accept the powers she’s suppressed, to decide her own fate – before someone else does.'

Let's be honest, the X-Men have some strange and often conflicting stories, and have been through so many tweaks, retcons, and re-tellings that trying to keep a cohesive understanding of the characters and the universe can be a bit of a challenge at times. As such, getting the chance to forget everything I've seen before and just taking some of the characters I know and love as they come in a brand new setting was a wonderful treat; and it also means that readers can come to Rogue: Untouched without any prior knowledge of the X-Men and still have a hell of a good time.

The book follows young Anna Marie, though she prefers just Marie, a nineteen-year-old living in a tiny apartment in an old plantation house, trying to work enough shifts at the small town's diner until she can get enough cash to head to New Orleans and try to make a fresh start. Marie dropped out of school when her boyfriend, the star footballer, fell into a coma after she kissed him, and she became the focus of local gossip and scorn. Having fallen out with her overly religious aunt, Marie feels like her life isn't going anywhere and just wants out.

Her life takes a dramatic turn, however, when a smooth talking Cajun named Remy show up in her diner one day. After upsetting a couple of the local bullies Remy is on the receiving end of a beat-down until Marie steps in and saves him. Unsure what to do, she takes the handsome stranger back to her place and fixes him up the best she can. Marie quickly finds herself attracted to the handsome gentleman, but won't let herself get too close. Determined to get him out of her apartment and out off her life she's shocked to discover that not only is he a mutant, but that he claims she is too.

Now Marie begins to explore her potentially dangerous new powers, whilst also balancing her life and the possibility of getting a scholarship from the impressive Borgia School, the owner of which has been coming into her diner lately. If this wasn't hard enough, Remy's on the run from some very dangerous people; and they may have tracked him back to Marie.

Rogue: Untouched definitely introduces readers to the world of mutants in a slow way, having them being something on the fringes of the story. Rather than dropping readers into a world filled with brightly costumed heroes they're shown a world much like our own. The mutants are something that 'regular' folk talk about in the abstract, 'how would you react to one', and 'should they be given rights' and it very clearly mirrors real world issues like racial equality, and queer rights. It's mostly background flavour at first, allowing us to get to know Marie before it introduces explosive powers and people who don't look human.

I think this was not only a very clever choice from Alisa Kwitney, but one that made the most sense. Whilst there are a lot of X-Men in the Marvel Universe mutants are still pretty rare, and most people would probably not be aware of knowing any. It's something that would be talked about, but that most people wouldn't have much first hand experience in. The book realises that, and very much crafts a world that feels like ours rather than one with brightly coloured heroes flying around.

It also means that for a good portion of the book we get to put our focus on Marie, and we get to know her really well. Even in comics where she's a focus I feel like I've not really gotten to know Rogue very well. She's often portrayed as an outgoing and confident woman, though one who uses that to hide her true feelings. There are occasional moments of insight into her, normally focused on her being unable to touch people and how that causes her pain, but that't about it. Here we get to know her as a real person. We get to learn about her past, her hopes and dreams for the future. We get to see what makes her tick, and it might be one of the best depictions of Rogue because of that.

But, she's not the only character to fill the pages, and readers get some other well known mutants showing up too. There are a handful that make smaller appearances towards the latter half of the book, and one who has a big connection to Rogue, but I'm not really going to talk about them too much so as not to spoil anything. What I will say is that these characters were a lot of fun, and whilst I suspected who one of them was the first time we saw them it was still a lot of fun waiting for that reveal, and seeing how they formed a relationship with Marie.

The one I will talk about, however, is Remy. Gambit is a character I've never really liked a whole lot if I'm being honest. There's a lot about him to like, his outfit looks cool, he's got awesome eyes, his power is neat, and he's got a lot of charm. But I think a lot of writers push a little too hard to make Gambit the 'cool' character, and this only makes me struggle to enjoy him. He becomes a caricature rather than a real person. Kwitney, however, removes a lot these expectations for the character. He's no longer being made into the 'cool' person on the team, as there is no team. Instead he's allowed a chance to breathe and be his own person.

The Gambit presented in this book has a lot of charm, sure, but he's not just spending all of his time flirting with Rogue and trying to get in her pants. He actually seems to care about her as a person, and treats her as more than just his latest conquest; a trap that some writers seem to fall into. Watching him and Marie get close, and form a very real friendship was such a fresh take on the two of them. I got to see him as someone gently introducing someone to their newly discovered powers, acting as a mentor. It's a dynamic I can't remember the two of them ever really having before, but it works so well here.

Alisa Kwitney has experience writing young adult books, and it really shows here. This isn't a story about a super heroine going off on an adventure and using her powers to take down a villain, it's the story of a young woman learning about herself, of discovering new things and learning to embrace who she is. The story works so well not because of the powers or the action, but because it's a story about people. Not only is this approach something that feels fresh and new to these characters, but it's one that I hope to see again with other comic book heroes.

Make sure to check back later today for an interview with Alisa Kwitney.

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Across the Tracks: Remembering Greenwood, Black Wall Street, and the Tulsa Race Massacre by Alverne Ball - Book Review

 

'One hundred years after the Tulsa Race Massacre, Across the Tracks is a celebration and memorial of Greenwood, Oklahoma

'In Across the Tracks: Remembering Greenwood, Black Wall Street, and the Tulsa Race Massacre, author Alverne Ball and illustrator Stacey Robinson have crafted a love letter to Greenwood, Oklahoma. Also known as Black Wall Street, Greenwood was a community whose importance is often overshadowed by the atrocious massacre that took place there in 1921.

'Across the Tracks introduces the reader to the businesses and townsfolk who flourished in this unprecedented time of prosperity for Black Americans. We learn about Greenwood and why it is essential to remember the great achievements of the community as well as the tragedy which nearly erased it. However, Ball is careful to recount the eventual recovery of Greenwood. With additional supplementary materials including a detailed preface, timeline, and historical essay, Across the Tracks offers a thorough examination of the rise, fall, and rebirth of Black Wall Street.'

I knew a little about the Tulsa Race Massacre before reading this book, I knew that it happened in a Black neighbourhood, that the white population came in and destroyed everything and killed hundreds, simply for the crime of being Black, but I never knew much more than that; and I knew that I was in a minority of people who knew about it, mainly due to my fascination with history, and those parts of it that are often overlooked. The fact that this isn't something that's more widely known, however, and that some people only found out that this event happened thanks to the Watchmen television series is absolutely appalling. Hopefully this book will help to further educate people about this awful event.

This book focuses on not just the events of the massacre, but the history of Greenwood, and helps to make it clear to readers just how amazing and rare this place was. Alverne Ball goes into the history of this town, they describe how O. W. Gurley ought the land in 1905, how he would go on to sell portions of it to Black families to allow them not only a place to live, but a place that was their own, that belonged to them. The book goes on to describe how the building of this community wasn't just important for the Black population, but how it became a pioneer of Black owned businesses, and how in a system that was supposed to keep Black people poor the citizens of Tulsa flourished.

The book hammers home how Greenwood not just beat the odds, but smashed them. It became a town that was in a lot of ways strides ahead of many others, and it's a story that's incredibly inspirational. Sadly, the reason that Greenwood is so infamous isn't because of how much its citizens achieved, but how much they were forced to endure. On the 31st of May 1921 a young Black man called Dick Rowland was arrested under suspicion of assaulting a white woman. This suspicion was all that was needed for the white population to justify a lynching, and this would be the beginning of the event that would make Greenwood infamous.

Trying to prevent the lynching the Black members of the community tried to disrupt the white men gathered around the courthouse, hoping to get hold of Rowland. Unfortunately, this resulted in a confrontation that would lead to the white mob being deputised, and unleashed against Greenwood. With armed gangs in the street, and planes dropping bombs on homes, Greenwood was destroyed, and over 300 people lost their lives.

The book doesn't sugarcoat these events. It shows the brutality of what went on, and makes it clear that the Black community were the victims of racial hatred, that Greenwood and its population was almost destroyed because of the prejudice that was rampant in America at the time. Despite this, the book manages to end on a note of hope, going on to show readers how the population rebuilt, and how they didn't let this event beat them. 

Across the Tracks shows the awfulness of what happened at Tulsa, the brutality that the Black population faced, yet managed to fight through. It shows an awful, ugly side of humanity, yet an amazingly beautiful one too. It shows that even when being held back people can still achieve amazing things, and that communities can come together to rebuild in the face of tragedy. The Tulsa Race Massacre should not be forgotten, it should not be something that people learn about for the first time as adults watching a comic book show. This should be something that people are taught in schools, it should be a lesson on how racism and discrimination are awful, destructive forces, and things that should never be repeated.

Sadly, I don't see this being a subject that schools will cover, and I think it will continue to be a well hidden secret of America's past; so it's down to books like this, to creators like Alverne Ball and Stacey Robinson to spread this story, to teach people about this dark moment from American history. I just sincerely hope that this book will be given that chance to educate, enlighten, and enrich.

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Elsa Bloodstone: Bequest - Cath Lauria Interview

 

After reading the new Marvel Heroines novel from Aconyte Books, Elsa Bloodstone: Bequest, I had a quick chat with author Cath Lauria about the book, and why Elsa Bloodstone is such a cool character. The full review of Elsa Bloodstone: Bequest can be found here.

Are you a big fan of comics, and how did you discover the character of Elsa Bloodstone?

I was a huge fan of comics in my teens and early twenties, then had to cut back as things like working a job and paying bills on time took over my life, ha. I started as an Uncanny X-Men fan, then branched out into other Marvel properties and some Top Cow. I didn’t become aware of Elsa Bloodstone as a character until the chance to pitch for her appeared. Then I became OBSESSED!

How did you get involved in writing for Elsa?

This is one of those “gritty determination” combined with “dumb luck” stories 😉 I got my foot through the door with Aconyte Publishing when I saw a chance to write in an anthology of theirs. I didn’t have any previous IP experience, but I’d published lots of genre fiction with small presses over the past decade, and my sample was good enough that they welcomed me on board. Then they made a deal with Marvel to produce novels, and I almost died because WHAT!? As soon as I saw the Marvel Heroines line, I knew I had to try for it. I looked over the list of potential Heroines and when I saw Elsa, I was hooked. I wrote a few pitches, this one got chosen, and then I dove in and wrote the heck out of it.

What is it about Elsa that appeals to you over the more recognisable, mainstream heroes in the Marvel Universe?

Part of the appeal of Elsa, for me, was the fact that she was a little less mainstream. A character with a lot of lore and history is, well, intimidating, and this was only my second attempt at IP, so I didn’t mind having that backstory cut down a bit. That said, Elsa is a fabulous character who SHOULD be more of a recognisable hero in the Marvel Universe, because she combines badassery and hilarity in a way few others do. She reminds me of some of my favourite urban fantasy heroines: highly competent, wise-cracking, with an exciting job that she carries off with style. How could I resist her?

Elsa Bloodstone in Marvel Comics.

The story has a few recognisable characters make appearances, or are mentioned in passing, were there any characters that you were tempted to include in the story but didn’t quite make the cut?

I really, really wanted to put the actual Tony Stark in this book instead of my girls just hitching rides on his jets. I toyed with the idea, I touched the edges of it, but in the end I didn’t do it because I didn’t write him into the first pitch, and he’s one of those big, complicated characters that you’ve got to tread lightly with in a project that’s not directly related to him. Same with Blade—how cool would that cameo have been? As it is, though, I love that I got to include a brief glimpse of Doctor Strange 😊

The book features a lot of different monsters, some that you’ve created just for the story, and a few that people will recognise from mythology. How did you go about choosing what creatures were going to make an appearance?

One of the most entertaining things about writing this book, for me, was figuring out the monsters. Partly my choices are based on location, like utilising a popobawa in Mombasa, while others took place in completely made-up locations and gave me the kick I needed to come up with my own monsters, like the oozing sentient radiation on Bloodstone Isle. Any Elsa Bloodstone story has to have interesting monsters, so this part of putting things together was basically like me being in a candy store going “Oooh, some of this, one of these, definitely some of that—and heck, sure, let’s throw in some dinosaurs!”

You’ve made the story feel very accessible, I myself have never actually read any comics featuring Elsa, but you made it really easy to get to know who she is, as well as a number of her supporting cast. Was it a challenge writing for an established character but making it easy for people who’ve never encountered her before to get along with the book?

I came from a place of discovering Elsa as I wrote this story, so for me, writing her in a way that was accessible was part of the process of writing her, period. This is the result I was hoping for, too—that she would be fun to read about without throwing too much information at the reader, while maybe making people interested in finding out more. Like, don’t we all want to know about Jeff the Land Shark, or the work Elsa did with Misty Knight? I hope so.

Cath's next book with Aconyte,
Arkham Horror: The Devourer Below

The story has a lot of action sequences in them, with Elsa fighting with a variety of weapons against a mixture of foes. How do you approach scenes like that, is it difficult to do?

I’m pretty lucky when it comes to the fight scenes, because I’ve got a long-running personal interest in fight choreography, and I know a number of people who are experts in knife- and gun-work. That’s not to say that the fight scenes are realistic for anyone who isn’t a superpowered badass like Elsa, but I had a lot of opportunity to talk things out and make sure it was all exciting and, at least, not completely physically impossible. 

Are there any other Marvel characters that you’d want to write for in the future?

Oh boy. Heck yeah, I would love to write more Marvel characters, including revisiting Elsa Bloodstone if that were in the cards. Never say never! And I’m actively pursuing a few different avenues with Aconyte when it comes to Marvel characters, so hopefully I’ll have good news to report there soon.

Your next book is ‘The Devourer Below’, a part of the Arkham Horror series, with Elsa Bloodstone dealing with monsters is it safe to say you’re a fan of horror? And if so, what is it about horror that appeals to you?

I started off as a real fan of thrillers, and thriller and horror are kissing cousins in genre writing. I love the suspense, I love the fear and the fight, and I love being able to work with creatures that exist in a world outside the character’s normal experience, and how wrong it feels when they start to infiltrate the character’s world. I think horror can be worked into almost any kind of story, but I’m enjoying tightening my focus and really delving into the horror realm.

What can people look forward from seeing from you going forward?

I hope that people can look forward to a lot! I’ve got several pitches in for novels in a couple of different IP properties, as well as some for anthologies. I’ve also got a few original novels in the works, and my romance pen name is writing faster than ever. I think there’s a lot on the horizon!

Anyone interested in seeing more of Cath's work can head over to her website to find more on her back catalogue.

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Elsa Bloodstone: Bequest by Cath Lauria - Book Reveiew

 

'Smart-mouthed monster hunter extraordinaire, Elsa Bloodstone isn’t easily fazed, but a shocking family revelation sends her down a bloody path, in this witty and action-soaked Marvel Heroines adventure

'Elsa Bloodstone just can’t catch a break. She’s barely finished shutting down a hive of ratmen when a special ops squad turns up guns blazing – and they’re shooting at her! It’s nothing a good grenade can’t sort out though. When Elsa returns home, she discovers an unexpected guest claiming to be her long-lost sister, seeking her own stolen Bloodstone shard. The Bloodstone is the secret to Elsa’s superhuman powers, and a shard in villainous hands is seriously bad news. Cue globetrotting adventures full of monster-smashing. But danger stays one step ahead of them as Elsa realises her sister isn’t quite what she seems, and an old enemy with a secret about her family’s past could overturn everything Elsa’s ever believed.'

Elsa Boodstone: Bequest was my first experience with the character of Elsa Bloodstone, and as such I had no idea what to expect from this book. Instead of the usual super hero fare readers get presented with a kick-ass action heroine fighting monsters and the creatures of the night in a story that feels more like Urban Fantasy than a Marvel story; and because of that it stands out as a truly unique and exciting addition the the Marvel Heroines line.

The story follows Elsa Bloodstone, daughter of the immortal monster hunter Ulysses Bloodstone. Thanks to her father's genes, and the powers of the mystical Bloodstone shard she wears around her neck, Elsa has gained superhuman powers of super strength and regeneration; allowing her to follow in her father's footsteps and fight the creatures of the night that haunt the Marvel Universe.

When dealing with what should have been a relatively easy case in Glasgow Elsa is attacked by a group of armed assailants after her Bloodstone shard. After defeating them and making her way back home to Boston Elsa learns that there's another person in the world with a Bloodstone shard, who's just had it stolen; and what's even more surprising, the person who just had their shard stolen is her sister, Mihaela. 

Despite not wanting anything to do with this sister she never even knew existed, and doesn't really like much, she agrees that it's dangerous for anyone to possess a piece of the Bloodstone, and sets out on a journey across the globe with Mihaela that will see the two of them seeking out their fathers hidden bases. Their journey will take them to New York, Mombasa, and the Arctic, and will see them having to confront a bevy of monsters, traps, and armed men as they fight to find out who's behind the theft.

From the very first moments of the book it's clear that this isn't going to be like most comic stories. There's no brightly costumed heroes, no villains with odd gimmicks. Instead we meet Elsa as she enters a Glasgow cemetery armed with a variety of weapons and a shovel as she tries to clear out an infestation of rat men. The book feels much more down to earth at time, which is odd considering Elsa jumps around the globe fighting monsters, but this certainly feels like a more street level story; and fans of characters like Blade or Jessica Jones will definitely find something to like here.

Elsa isn't really in this for the adventure, she doesn't really hang out with big name heroes, or fights flashy villains. Instead, she sees herself as more of a pest controller, going around killing monsters in the shadows, unseen and unthanked because it's the right thing to do. In a lot of ways she feels like a more moral hero that most, despite the fact that she kills a lot, because she's never in the public light, and has committed herself to a cause that will never see her showered in praise like people like Iron-Man or the Avengers.

That being said, Elsa isn't perfect, and at times she comes across as a bit of a bitch. And I loved it. Cath Luria manages to make Elsa into the kind of person you'd want at your back in a fight, but one who you might not get on with. She's catty and judgemental, and she's flawed. It makes her all the more relatable, and means that she gets a lot of opportunity to grow across the book; something that's really used in regards to her relationship with her new sister.

The sisters and the way they evolve with each other over the course of the book is one of the best parts of the story. It's nice to get to see how these two people who clearly hate each other and don't want to be friends at the start slowly come to respect each other, and even begin to care. Both of the characters come with a lot of baggage, and seeing them work through that is at times even better than the monster killing action. Mihaela's backstory is particularly interesting, and discovering her secrets across the narrative is a highlight.

The book is also packed with action, and instead of it just being flashy characters punching each other and throwing villains through buildings things have a much more realistic edge to them. Despite her enhanced strength Elsa has to rely on weapons to help her fight her foes, and it's great seeing her having to figure out the best methods of dispatching the strange monsters she comes across in the book. Elsa never feels overly powerful, and despite being able to do things that no human ever could she always feels just a rung or two under her foes, meaning that she really has to struggle to survive some of these encounters.

Cath Lauria has managed to craft an engaging super hero story that's made for people who have probably never picked up a comic before in their lives. Yes, some big named heroes get mentioned here and there, and a few recognisable names make an appearance, but this is a book that could easily exist outside of the Marvel Universe with a couple of tiny tweaks and still stand on it's own. It has great character focus, leads who are able to change and evolve, interesting monsters, and a plot that will go in directions that you'll not be expecting. Thanks to this book I've discovered an awesome new hero, one that I hope I get to see Lauria write again for one day.

Make sure to check back later today for an interview with author Cath Lauria!

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George by Alex Gino - Book Review

 

'When people look at George, they think they see a boy. But she knows she's not a boy. She knows she's a girl.

'George thinks she'll have to keep this a secret forever. Then her teacher announces that their class play is going to be Charlotte's Web. George really, really, REALLY wants to play Charlotte. But the teacher says she can't even try out for the part . . . because she's a boy.

'With the help of her best friend, Kelly, George comes up with a plan. Not just so she can be Charlotte -- but so everyone can know who she is, once and for all.'

I've had George sitting on my shelf for about five years. I picked it up as soon as I saw what the story was about because I knew it was a topic that was going to appeal to me, but just never found the time to actually read it (I feel bad that so many of the books I own have yet to be read but I'm working on it). I honestly don't know when I was going to read it, but when I heard someone gushing over how good they found the book on a podcast I knew I had to find the time; so I cleared aside a couple of hours and sat down with the book. And I didn't regret it at all.

George tells the story of a girl in the fourth grade called George. George has some issues to deal with though, a bully at school who likes to pick on her, her changing relationship with her teenage brother, and the fact that when people look at her they see a boy. You see, when she was born people thought that she was a boy, and ever since people have expected her to be one. They make her line up with the boys at school, she has to use the men's bathrooms, and people tell her that she's going to grow up to be a fine man. All of this causes her pain and distress.

However, when her class learns that they're going to be putting on a performance of Charlotte's Web George finds herself really wanting to play Charlotte. George feels a strong connection to the character, and with the help of her best friend Kelly she practices and practices the lines until she's perfect. Unfortunately, her teacher tells her that she can't be Charlotte because she's a boy. But George isn't a boy, she's a girl, and she just wants everyone to understand that so that she can be herself.

George tries to get her mother to understand, to see her for who she really is, but she doesn't seem to want to George. After coming out to her friend Kelly the two of them hatch a plan to show George's mum, and everyone else, who George really is, and decide that George is going to play Charlotte after all.

George wasn't an easy read at times. I don't mean that it was a complex book, if anything it was very easy to understand and I finished the whole thing in one sitting. It was the content that was sometimes hard to get through. George was a character that made my heart break more than once. Her desperation to be herself, for others to see who she really is and accept her, and her struggle to find the bravery to do so were some of the more emotional things I've read in a book in a long while.

There are more and more books dealing with trans character and the struggles they face, and whilst most are handled with a great degree of sensitivity you can always tell which ones are written by trans writers, because they're able to put so much more emotion and pathos into the book. Whilst Alex Gino isn't a binary trans woman, they do fall under the trans umbrella, and you can tell that they've put a lot of them-self into George. There are small moments, things that George says and does that reminded me of my own journey growing up trans and coming to terms with my situation. These are tiny things that cis authors could include sure, but I don't think they'd hit the same way they do here; there's something so true and honest to the trans experience in this book that makes it hit all the harder.

More than once I found myself fighting back tears as George has to listen to people tell her she has to do certain things because they see her as a boy, or when she wishes desperately to be able to change and be who she really is, or the horror she feels when she thinks about her oncoming puberty. These moments were hard to read for me. They made it clear the kind of pain that George, and other trans people, go through before they're able to come out.

The book also covers some of the different ways that people can handle learning someone is trans, from thinking it's just a 'different' kind of gay, to denying it all together, to being supportive. One of the moments that got me the most was when Kelly learns that George is really a girl, and after taking some time to process the information accepts her friend for who she is. When she uses the name that George has been holding inside herself all that time, Melissa, the sheer joy it bring to George is so overwhelmingly beautiful that I had to put the book down for a second.

Whilst I don't normally like spoiling books, or talking about their endings, I'm going to with this review, because I want people to know that this isn't a sad book. Things ultimately go well for George, and it ends on a note of hopefulness. She shows her mother who she really is by being Charlotte on stage, and her mother seems to accept her for who she is. But the best part is when Kelly takes her to the zoo for the day with her uncle. Kelly's uncle has never met George before, so Kelly tells her that she should go as who she really is. The two of them go through Kelly's clothes and George picks out an outfit, does her hair and make-up, and finally gets to see herself as the girl she knows she is.

It's during this part of the book that George's name changes to Melissa in the text. I don't even know if the first time I realised I'd read her real name was the first time it was used, and I didn't go back to check. In that moment I just realised that she was finally getting to be who she was, and it was so beautiful. After she gets to spend the day being herself Kelly falls asleep in the car on the way home, but Melissa doesn't; to quote the book 'Melissa didn't nod off for a moment. She couldn't. She was too busy remembering the best week of her life. So far.' The story end on such a wonderfully happy note that it made all those moments of heartbreak and pain before it all worthwhile, because I knew Melissa was going to be okay. And now I'm crying again thinking about this book.

George could have just been a story about a trans kid learning to come out and be themselves, but it was so much more than that. It was filled with so much heart and honesty that it became something beautiful. It might be written for children, but it's a book that people of all ages should read. With so many people attacking the trans community, fighting to take our rights and freedoms away from us people need to realise that we're just people. People who want to be who we are and live our lives in peace. George shows that. It shows the pain and suffering that trans people can feel when we're not able to be seen for who we are, and the sheer euphoria of something as simple as people treating us like human beings. 

Whether you're trans or not, whether you're the intended audience for this book or not, please do yourself a favour and read it. If you're on the fence about how you feel about trans people, if you're not sure about the topic give this book a chance, because it can show you a small part of our struggles, and how even the simple kindness of seeing us for who we really are can save a life.

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5 Musicals Based On Books

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

We all know about books being adapted into film or television, but one area that people sometimes forget that adaptations happen is on the stage. Plays and musicals are often inspired by books. Here are five that you might not be aware of…

Cats

One of the biggest musicals of all time, running for 21 years and 8,949 performances in London alone, it was adapted from a collection of poetry: Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot. Originally published in 1939, the book was written by Eliot during the 1930s, and contains a number of whimsical poems and illustrations.

Unlike other entries on this list, the book has no narrative through-line, and as such was a difficult project to adapt for Lloyd Webber. He originally began composing the songs that would be in the show during the 1970s as a songwriting exercise, to see if he could write music to predetermined lyrics.

He chose the book because it was a childhood favourite of his. He put on a show using these songs, called Practical Cats, at the 1980 Sydmonton Festival, and it was well received, resulting in Eliot’s widow giving him a number of unpublished poems, which would go on to be included in the final show.

The original London production of the final show received rave reviews, and many claim it changed the face of musical theatre. The show received dozens of awards, made Andrew Lloyd Webber a household name, and made ‘Memory’ one of the most well known and successful musical songs in history. In 2019, Cats was released as a live action film.

The King and I

The fifth musical written by Rodgers and Hammerstein, The King and I was incredibly well received, becoming the fourth longest running musical ever at the time. The show was based upon the book Anna and the King of Siam, a semi-fictionalised biographical novel by Margaret Landon, which took the personal accounts of Anna Leonowens, a British governess who travelled to Siam to teach the children of King Mongkut.

To begin with Rodgers and Hammerstein didn’t want to adapt the book into a play, having found the lack of structure and narrative through-line difficult to turn into a cohesive story.

However, the pair saw the 1946 film adaptation staring Irene Dunne and Rex Harrison, and changed their minds on the matter, and the stage show premiered on Broadway in 1951 and was a hit with both the public and the press.

The show received worldwide fame when it was adapted to film in 1956, starring Yul Brynner (reprising his stage role as the King) and Debora Kerr as Anna Leonowens. The film was a massive success, and won several Oscars. The play has had several revivals over the years, including one in the 70s where Brynner played the king again. The most recent revival, in 2015, starred Ken Watanabe as King Mongkut.

Les Miserables

Premiering in 1980, Les Miserables is considered one of the greatest musicals of all time, and has been produced in more than forty countries and twenty one languages. Based upon the 1862 novel of the same name by Victor Hugo, the story follows the journey of an escaped prisoner and group of young revolutionaries who attempt to overthrow the government in Paris.

Adapted from the (depending on which edition you have) several hundred page long book by Claude-Michel Schönberg, Alain Boublil, and Annie Chourau, the play was initially met with negative reception from critics.

Despite this, it received record ticket sales. Over time critical opinion changed, and Les Miserables would go on to be performed in the West End from 1985 to 2019, playing more than 13,000 performances.

Despite its shaky beginnings, the show has become one of the longest running musicals in history, and has had a number of tours, regional performances, and concerts. It was also made into a live action film in 2012 starring Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, and Russell Crowe.

Hamilton

Despite being based upon historic events, Hamilton is not simply based upon the life story of Alexander Hamilton, but the 2004 book Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow.

Lin-Manuel Miranda, the man behind the show, has said that he was inspired to write the show after reading the book whilst on holiday in Mexico, and many of the focal points of the story were covered in great detail in the book, with Chernow working as historical consultant on the early production in 2015.

In 2009 Miranda was invited to perform music from his show In The Heights at the White House, but chose to feature the first song from Hamilton. Despite receiving laughter during his performance he stuck with with his project, and it opened off Broadway in 2015. The musical was an instant hit, and had a multi-million dollar advance in ticket sales, making more than $30 million before the first show even opened.

Hamilton has gone on to have numerous sell-out performances, and has earned dozens of awards. In 2020 a filmed version of the stage show featuring the 2016 cast was released on Disney+, where it received even more praise from the public.

The Phantom of the Opera

Another hit show from Andrew Lloyd Webber, The Phantom of the Opera was adapted from the 1910 French Gothic Horror novel by Gaston Leroux.

Originally opening on the West End in 1986, starring Michael Crawford in the title role, the play won a number of awards and received critical acclaim. The show was an instant hit, and would go on to be one of the longest running musicals in history, continuing on from its original release until theatres shut down last year due to Covid-19.

Over that time it has had a number of productions around the world, including on Broadway, and touring productions, as well as a 25th anniversary stage performance at the Royal Albert Hall in 2011, which was transmitted live to cinemas around the world.

The Phantom of the Opera has become one of the most instantly recognisable musical shows of all time, and has even received a sequel show, Love Never Dies.

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Fear of Rain – Film Review

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

The trailer for Fear of Rain makes the new Castille Landon written and directed film look like a horror movie, but really it’s a tense, engaging, and constantly challenging thriller film that will have you second guessing everything you’re seeing right up to the final moments.

The film follows Rain (Madison Iseman), a teenage girl with schizophrenia. Opening with shocking images of her being chased through a dark forest by a mystery figure before being buried alive, we quickly learn that this was the latest episode, and she wakes in hospital. On the verge of being sent to an institution, her mother (Katherine Heigl) and father (Harry Connick Jr.) stress upon her the need to try to manage her symptoms the best she can.

Returning to school, Rain finds herself isolated and alone, her former friends having shunned her because of her mental illness. The only person who seems to want to give her any time of day is Caleb (Israel Broussard), a new student in the school. Unfortunately, Rain isn’t entirely sure that he’s real, and starts to think that this kind young man might be a figment of her mind. Things get further complicated for her when she sees her neighbour, her English teacher Mrs McConnell (Eugenie Bondurant), in her attic window with a small girl. Rain becomes convinced that her neighbour has kidnapped the girl, and is desperate to prove to everyone that it’s not another of her hallucinations.

Fear of Rain makes a lot of use of Rain’s mental health issues, and you’ll spend a good portion of the film questioning what you’re seeing. Rain has a checklist of things she goes through to try and figure out if things are real or not, and you’ll soon find yourself doing the same things; looking for clues to see if what we’re seeing is actually happening. This is one of the main ways that the film manages to keep the pressure on across the run time, and there are times where you’ll find what should be normal moments having an edge to them, as you’re desperately trying to figure out if it’s actually happening.

There are moments where I was yelling at Rain to do things a little differently, such as taking photos of what she was seeing to prove to people it was real, but considering the girl was struggling with her mental health so much it’s easy to forgive her not doing these things as she wasn’t thinking logically; plus it kept the mystery going for longer..

This isn’t just used to good effect with the whole plot around her neighbour, but with small things too. You’ll be looking at characters that Rain’s talking to and trying to see if other people are interacting with that character too. You’ll be looking for clues that answer your questions. There were times where I’d thought I’d figured things out, but then began to doubt them again, and you’ll go back and forth between thinking something’s real or not right up to the final moments of the film. It really does put you in Rain’s shoes.

Whilst I do suffer from some mental health issues I don’t have schizophrenia, and I don’t know anyone who does; so I can’t really speak to how well the film portrays or handles this issue. However, it seems to be at least trying to do good with it. It never tries to demonise Rain or her health issues, and the character of Caleb looks at her schizophrenia as just something that makes Rain who she is, that everyone is different and it’s not something to be ashamed of (a moment in the film where I said out loud that he better not be imaginary because such a sweet and wholesome boy needs to be real). There are always challenges when portraying mental health on film, especially when using it as an important plot point like this, something that drives the entire story, but Castille Landon at least seems to be trying to do the right thing here, and I think it’s one of the better depictions of mental health struggles I’ve seen on film.

A large part of that is down to the cast though. Madison Iseman is phenomenal in this film, and brings a level of energy to the role that it incredibly impressive for such a young actress. You can really feel the struggle that Rain is going through, her questioning what’s real, her fight to be seen as healthy, and the desperation to prove that she’s right about her neighbour. Some of the most powerful moments in the film are where she’s acting her heart out, and they hit hard. The same can be said for Katherine Heigl and Harry Connick JR., who excel as parents struggling to do the best for their daughter. You can see the desperation in them to keep her safe, to help her get better, but also how it’s wearing them to breaking point.

Fear of Rain kept me on the edge of my seat right up to the end. I was constantly questioning what I was watching, looking for small clues, and wishing I knew what was going on. Because of that, the superb acting from the cast, and the focus on the characters and their struggles over what could have been a very cliched plot, I’m struggling to think of any part of the film that I disliked. A hugely impressive film.

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Arks #1 – Comic Review

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

Arks is a new Kickstarter-funded independent comic that tells the story of two interplanetary explorers and engineers, Lilith and Joseph, and their attempts to settle on a new world.

One of the things that makes the story of Arks immediately stand out as different is the method of space travel used in this book. So many times in science fiction writers get around the issues of massive distance by having ships able to travel faster than light, or having their crews in suspended animation for long periods. Whilst these methods have become commonly accepted it also means that they’re a little boring, a little normal. R.J. Collins seems to have come up with something very different though.

In Arks people have managed to travel into deep space and terraform new worlds by sending small canisters filled with bacteria into deep space. These canisters fall into the primordial oceans of these worlds and begin the process of reshaping things, the genetic material in the bacteria recreating Earth flora and fauna, including two human ‘crew members’, who are recreated whole with their old memories. This is how we meet our protagonists, Joseph and Lilith.

Joseph was awoken before Lilith, however, and has been trying to survive on a somewhat hostile planet alone. He’s been surviving by capturing animals and crafting traps and weapons, but thanks to several injuries and allergic reactions isn’t doing too well. But when Lilith is recreated the two of them are reunited, and are able to set out to find help for Joseph deep in the forest.

The plot of Arks is more expanded on the Kickstarter, and hints at bigger things to come in the story as the two engineers make some startling discoveries regarding their new home. On its own, however, the first issue ignores the larger story and focuses instead on the characters, making sure that the reader gets a chance to know our leads before things expand further in future issues.

Collins lets the reader learn things slowly, revealing small parts of the backstory for the most part, before filling in a lot of the answers towards the end when the two are finally reunited. It’s a decent way of bringing readers in, and you spend the first half of the book wondering what’s going on before getting most of these answers. I liked that there was a sense of mystery, but that answers weren’t held back until later issues, as that would have impacted the enjoyment of issue one.

The book has some interesting art too, and it looks to have been created digitally, or at least coloured that way. It has a mixture of art where some of it looks very crisp and clear, whilst other parts have a much messier and busy feel to it. These parts usually differ between the more advanced technology we briefly see and the wildness of the planet and the animals that inhabit it, and it makes for a stark contrast between the two different worlds that we’re seeing.

There’s a lot of promise in Arks, and clearly a lot more that the creator wants to do with the project. Hopefully their Kickstarter continues to do well, and we’ll be able to see more of how this story unfolds as time goes on.

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Portal – Film Review

Originally published on Set The Tape 

Portal, also being called Doors in other countries, is a science fiction film that’s a bit different from your average movie. When mysterious portals start to appear across the Earth, causing people to disappear, people try to investigate this strange new phenomenon, and we get four seemingly unconnected stories showing us small parts of this larger mystery.

The film is split into four sections, each with its own set of characters, own director, and their own story to tell; though they all go towards the bigger story of these strange ‘doors’ that appear one day. As such, it’s a film that can sometimes feel a little disjointed, and it can be hard to connect to some of the characters, but it’s a film that I still enjoyed.

The first segment of the film, ‘Lockdown’, follows a group of four teens who are in school detention when things start to go wrong. Their phones begin to go crazy with incoming alerts and calls, and when their teacher leaves the room in a panic after getting a call on his own phone the kids are left to fend for themselves. A lockdown is soon announced, and the kids try to figure out what’s going on. They come out with multiple scenarios about what’s happening until they find this strange mass filling one of the halls, a mass that reacts to them, and seems to be communicating with one of them.

The second segment, ‘Knockers’, is set a few weeks after the first appearance of the doors, and we learn that governments around the world are trying to send groups into these portals to try and find some answers. These explorers, or Knockers as they’re called, only have a few minutes to get in, find some answers, and get out before psychosis affects them. We get to follow three knockers as they enter a door, and see the bizarre, mind altering things they find within.

The third part, ‘Lamaj’, is centred on a scientist living deep in the woods months into the mystery. Having been laughed out of academia the man has cobbled together his own equipment and has been trying to find a way of communicating with the door that he has hidden near his home. When it responds to him he calls in one of his former colleagues to help try and get some answers as to what’s going on.

The final segment of the film, kind of an epilogue, is an internet call between a scientist and a podcaster, the podcaster being someone we’ve gotten small parts of throughout the rest of the movie. When questioning the scientist as to what he thinks the doors are things start to get seriously bizarre.

Even though it has different directors for three parts, Jeff Desom, Saman Kesh, and Dugan O’Neal, the film feels very similar, and it looks and feels like one coherent piece. It has a very good visual quality to it, with some genuinely gorgeous shots (particularly in the ‘Knockers’ segment). The only part that feels really different is the final segment with the podcaster, and I’d say the film would have been fine without this section, even though it does add some more possible answers into the mix. It gives you small hints across its entire run time; little answers that when added together seem to spell out what’s really going on: you just have to be paying attention to see them. It’s a film that doesn’t want to spell everything out, and wants you to come to your own conclusions.

After watching the movie I had to go online to see if it was an original screenplay or if it was based on a book, as it reminded me of some of the more unusual and ‘trippy’ science fiction novels I’ve read. The structure of the story, the use of unspoken captions to deliver information, and the sheer oddness of the project felt more like a novel come to life than a film, and I really enjoyed that quality of it. But, it’s not an adaptation of anything, and is its own original thing, which if anything impressed me even more.

I can see why this will be a divisive film, because it is definitely not for everyone. It’s not a film you can put on and switch your mind off to because you need to be paying attention. It doesn’t tell a straight forward narrative, it does odd things, and it wants the audience to do some of the work. But in doing that it’s one of the more ambitious films I’ve seen in a while, one that I think could struggle to find an audience, but those who do like it will definitely be thinking about it long after it’s over.

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Aliens: Infiltrator by Weston Ochse - Book Review

 

'The official prequel to the huge new Alien video game from Cold Iron Studios, as a Weyland-Yutani scientist arrives at Pala Station and finds the researchers there courting disaster... of the Xenomorph kind.

'Dr. Timothy Hoenikker arrives on Pala Station, a Weyland-Yutani facility. Lured there by the promise of alien artefacts, instead he finds a warped bureaucracy and staff of misfits testing the effects of Xenomorph bio-materials on living creatures. Unbeknownst to the personnel, however, there is an infiltrator among them whose actions could spell disaster. Also on staff is Victor Rawlings, a former marine who gathers together other veterans to prepare for the worst. As the personnel receive a delivery of alien eggs, the experiments spin out of control, and only the former Colonial Marines can stand between the humans and certain death.'

Aliens: Infiltrator is billed as the prequel novel to the upcoming video game Aliens: Fire Team, but it's still very much a stand-alone adventure that's sure to satisfy any fan of the Alien franchise.

The story follows a few characters, but the main lead is Dr. Timothy Hoenikker, a xeno archaeologist for Weyland-Yutani, who's just been assigned to the remote Pala Station. Having been promised the opportunity to work with alien artefacts he's surprised to find that no such research is actually taking place on Pala, and is assigned to assist some of the other scientist with their biological experiments.

The other scientists at Pala Station are working with different alien organisms to try and create new defensive technology for the Colonial Marines; injecting this mutagenic black goo into various creatures to enhance their natural abilities. Already a dangerous enough, these experiments become even more hazardous when the station receives a shipment of Xenomorph eggs, and prisoners that are to be hosts to their deadly embryo's. Now Hoenikker faces the moral dilemma of having to engage in experiments that will result in the deaths of people, despite being for the greater good. Unfortunately, the deadly new versions of the Xenomorphs they create prove to be too hard to contain, and soon everyone of Pala Station finds themselves fighting for their lives.

Like many of the other entries in the Alien saga Aliens: Infiltrator sees the duplicitous Weyland-Yutani corporation wanting to use the Xenomorphs for their own ends. However, unlike most of the other stories that involves facilities where the Xeno's eventually break out, this book actually sees the scientists achieving some of their goals, and developing some pretty useful technology from the creatures. It makes the book feel different from similar stories, mainly because most of the times when the Xeno's are being experimented on they break out and cause chaos before anything can really be done with them.

In this book we actually see a somewhat competent lab, one where the scientists seem to understand the deadly nature of the alien creatures, and aren't trying to weaponize them. Instead of turning the Xenomorphs into biological weapons to be unleashed upon the battlefield they're trying to find ways to combat them; to protect people from them. These are things that I wouldn't be surprised to see appear in the upcoming game, things such as acid resistant armour, or pheromones that hide you from the creatures for a while. They're the kinds of things that work well in this story, and that I can also see being used as items in a game, allowing players to survive a bit longer, or going on frightening stealth missions. I'm not sure how much of the book is going to be tying into the game, but I hope that the things developed on Pala make an appearance.

Unfortunately, not everything developed on Pala Station is something that can be used for good. Using the strange mutagen (which is heavily hinted at to be the black goo from Prometheus and Alien: Covenant) the scientists at Pala are able to create some shocking new lifeforms; and not just Xenomorphs. This means that when things inevitably go wrong the people on Pala not only have to deal with enhanced versions of the Xenos, but other strange new creatures too. There's a degree of body horror involved in these new creatures too, which is no surprise given how closely the franchise is connected with body horror, but it's used in ways that feel new and more twisted than we've seen in other entries in the Titan Alien books.

The book isn't all about new alien creatures though, as there's a collection of really compelling characters for readers to get invested in. I've already mentioned Dr. Hoenikker, who we go through some interesting moral ups and downs with, but there's a lot more on offer too. There's Cruz, one of the scientists on Pala who used to be in the Colonial Marines. At first he's presented as a cold, almost sadistic man who enjoys hurting the creatures he's experimenting on; but over the course of the book we get to discover that he's a very damaged man, dealing with a lot of PTSD from his time in combat, and becomes a character who you're never sure how to feel about.

Similarly, there's also Rawling, another former Colonial Marine who's become something of 'friend' to everyone on Pala, making connections with people and doing little favours. This has led him into a position where he's able to go most everywhere on the station, able to chat with anyone and accrue good will and hidden items of contraband. He very much seems to be something of a future version of one of those people who collects weapons and supplies for what they see as an inveitable disaster, drawing up plans for what to do when the shit hits the fan. Whilst in most situations these kinds of people prove to be wrong, it makes Rawlings one of the people on Pala that you definitely want around when the Xenomorphs escape.

There are other interesting characters, who like those already mentioned tend to be quite complex, with evolving motivations and slowly revealed backstories. People such as Fairbanks, a man being blackmailed into corporate espionage, Dr. Kash, a medical scientist with some skeletons in her closet, and Etienne, a man who becomes so obsessed with his work that it seems to wear away at his mind. None of the human characters in Alien: Infiltrator ever felt dull. Everyone seemed to have complex motivations, and the central characters would have you questioning how you felt about them, and changing your opinions on them more than once. For a franchise that can sometimes fail to create compelling human characters this book really excelled.

Weston Ochse isn't just a writer who's able to create interesting characters though, he's also able to write some tense action and creepy horror. Considering that he's written military action horror in the past I can see why he was allowed to play in the Aliens sandbox, as he feels like a perfect fit for this kind of story. What could have been uninteresting or lacklustre scenes of people sneaking through dark hallways in the hands of another writer became tense moments where the reader is left constantly on the edge of their seat. There was never a moment where you feel bored, or where things seem to just be going through the motions. Ochse was able to take a formula we've seen before in this franchise and make it tense ans frightening and exciting all at the same time. 

Aliens: Infiltrator might get overlooked by some because of it's connection to the upcoming game; there may be some readers who might be reluctant to pick it up because they're not gamers, or because they're worried that the book won't satisfy on it's own. But this is a book that very much can. It stands on its own as a compelling read, one filled with interesting characters and nail-biting horror. If you've read any of the Alien books before, or watched any of the films and enjoyed them this book will definitely be one that you'll want to check out. A great addition to the franchise.

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