The Heroic Journey

The Hero's Journey is a well-known concept to novelists and really anyone creating a story. For this weeks read I decided to peek in Warbreaker, written by Brandon Sanderson. This book in the simplest terms is pretty amazing, it got a great concept and great characters and the writing is wonderful. I found myself unable to put this book down and was very happy at this find.

I haven't made it all the way through the novel as I'm writing this but from what I can decern, Siri would be the main player here. She follows pretty closely, so far, to the typical pattern. The poor girl stands out like a sore thumb in her small town and is suddenly sent aw.ay to the colorful kingdom of Halledean, at first she's scared and wishes to return home and refuse this forced call, but as she arrives and witness the city she decides to take up her duty and crosses the final threshold to her fate. Siri is a pretty headstrong character her can't keep her emotions in check most of the time and I love her for it. Another character that I've grown to love is the Returned Lightsong, he's witty and funny and just an enjoyable character throughout what I've read.

Warbreaker is pretty different from other novels I've and that makes it very appealing to read something totally new and enchanting.

New Weird

Horror and weird definitely go hand in hand. I read of a bit of Borne and its a very interesting novel that from the very beginning has a weird feel. The author's way of writing emphasizes the weird and sort of makes the novel feel a bit off. Weird can be defined as anything vastly different from our current understanding, foreign is different. In the world of the Novel, this is nearly all they've known and have grown used to this weird world full of basically biotech.

Many movies and novels coming out in the horror genre could be placed under the new weird category. Themes are going that directions as the foreign are a horror tactic. A few classified 'weird' movies would one from a few years again called "The Boy." A very misdirected movie that I quite enjoyed, it was captivating and a very weird air and story.

J Horror

Japenese horror has a very specific feel to it and almost always has a sort of cryptic moral meaning underlying its entirety. Whether it be a novel or a film the characteristics are similar. A moral lesson is taught throughout the story's main points. A Wild Sheep Chase is a pretty interesting read, with unnamed characters and A jaded protagonist it reaches many levels of creepy and weird. The way horror is portrayed in the west very different. I feel as though there aren't as many moral settings for the viewer to take from. The settings of the stories are vastly different, there is an obvious cultural difference.

There is a manga by Junji Ito named Gyo that is awesome and super weird and just a little terrifying. I can't even thing of how to describe this piece of work, more of less there are weird sets of technology created by a near mad scientist that has flailing tubes and envelopes dead bodies, animals and humans. Its gruesome and gross but as a horror fan it is an interesting read. I had first saw the book in Barnes and Noble's and I HAD to get it and its one of my favorite manga and I try to get other people to borrow my book and read it! The style for one is freaky and interesting and similar to how I draw sometimes, so kindred artists ha! 

Interview With The Vampire Response

The relationships in Interview with a Vampire are very interesting and very different compared to those in other vampire books. For one there is an obvious relation between the two main male characters, which I feel like it isn't seen as often in novels from then. Also the awkwardness of the young female vampire's character interactions with much older than her. It is very weird to experience these knowing she has a young girls body but the mind of an adult. It's a tad harrowing.

I had of course seen the movie before reading some of the book, I saw the movie when I was pretty young and I can slightly recall that my mom had a copy of the book and I had considered reading it but just never did. The movie quickly became one of my favorites as someone who loves the supernatural, my love OF COURSE started with vampires, I feel like most people are acquainted with vampires first, at least for me. Now my interest is focused on werewolves but that's another time. The style of the movie was enjoyable and actually quite believable, to me at least.

Frankenstein Response

During my reading of the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, thoughts of how Victor as a person, of how very terrible he is and doesn't prove able to handle his own creations was prevalent. For someone who defied society he reacted the very same. A few themes stood out to me from the reading, the feel of darkness, Isolation, and madness.

For starters with madness, I honestly feel like the madness is defiantly within Victor, the notion of being able to create life and able to experience it even though he frightens away from his own creation. He then has the notion to destroy this creation who has gained human senses of the world, feelings and experiences of nature and society. There is also a sense of madness with the monster in the sense of him being furious towards his creator who wouldn’t even take responsibility. As well as him killing those close to Victor in an outrage against him.

 Another being Isolation and darkness which I feel go a little hand in hand. The monster is subjected to Isolation as he flees Victor and any members of society and he is left alone with himself. This is a sense of physical and emotional isolation that plagues the 'Monster.' Here is where he begins learning of societal nature as he wanders and awaits victor.