My Thoughts On. . .

The Book of Flora

Time marches on. One hundred and forty-four years have now passed for our heroines following in the footsteps of the Unnamed midwife. Flora is growing old and content at Bambrich island, a place she felt was safe enough to settle and live out her days.

But to get there?

Ah, it’s been a long, long journey. We discover what happened to Nowhere; to Jeff City; to Ommun and many other settlements like them who tried to rebuild a part of themselves in the aftermath of a devastating plague, only to fall to an army the likes of which hasn’t existed since the end of the old world.

And why is it marching?

Now that’s another story, bringing a fitting end to the Midwife chronicles.

The thing that struck me about this series is that, sometimes, the end of an era brings changes we don’t expect. Strange and frightening changes. But wondrous nonetheless.

That’s how the author, Meg Elison rounds her story off. Life finds a way . . . if we only let it.

Shazam

Our story revolves around fourteen year old Billy Batson (Asher Angel), a boy abandoned by his mother when he was a little boy, and someone who has been brought up in one foster home after another ever since. The reason? He constantly runs away, having never given up searching for his mom.

Given one last chance, Billy is placed in a “family” home with foster parents who have successfully raised a wackily weird host of other children. Just the right fit you might think.

Yes and no.

Billy is adamant he’s not going to cave in and feel like he belongs. But when he stands up to bullies at school who target his foster-brother, Freddie – who walks with a brace – Billy is summoned to appear before a dying master magician who is looking for a champion to take on the mantle of his power.

The thing is, Billy knows he’s not a champion. That seems to make an impression on the wizard who transfers his power into him with the magic word – Shazam!

Whenever he says that word, Billy becomes the champion he could be. A towering, muscle-rippling hero who is super strong, agile and fast, and can fly and shoot lightning bolts from his fingertips.

The twist? He may look like a grown man, but he’s still a fourteen year old boy inside.

And therein resides the recipe for a fast paced and I must say, charmingly funny film that is way better than I thought it would be. The balance between slapstick and action; childlike glee and menacing terror is just right. Probably because Billy’s back-story of the continued search for his mother is a credible thread holding everything together.

That vulnerability, the insecurities and stigma that come with being abandoned leak over into his development from loner school kid into a real life hero who has to learn by trial and error exactly what his abilities allow him to do. Of course, Freddie’s there to help him, and the two mess about as teenagers would do, just as much as actually applying themselves to testing Billy/Shazam’s limits.

It's great fun, engaging and downright entertaining. And it never seems to go too far. When has the learning curve of grow up ever been so magical?

This Week's Reviews

Black City Demon

Having barely escaped with his life after helping defeat an attempted coup in the land of Feirie, you’d be forgiven for thinking Nick Medea might seize the opportunity to take a well-earned break.

Oh, if only being the Guardian of the Gate between realms was ever that easy.

Not only is it necessary for Nick to increase his efforts – balancing the investigation of paranormal events during the upheaval caused by a gang warfare laced prohibition, against warding off repeated incursions from the Wyld – but, it seems, he also has to contend with a full-on attack from an incubuslike creature founded on the mortal plane that’s set its sights on subverting all life on both sides of the Gate.

Who could this illusive monster be? Why is it so determined to strike at supposedly undefeatable foes? And how do these events tie into a horrific spate of murders committed more than thirty years previously?

One thing’s for sure, life’s never dull for Nick and the gang who once again get caught in the middle of a titanic battle that threatens the very fabric of reality.

Hold onto your hats. This is urban fantasy at its best, where fact, fiction and dark humor are plausibly woven together in a way that’ll guarantee you’ll want to take a second look at those shadows lurking in the corner.

Superb stuff, and tremendously good fun!

When They See Us

This miniseries is based on the events of the 1989 Central Park jogger case and explores the repercussions in the lives of 5 young boys – Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana and Korey Wise – and their families when they are arrested, brutalized and subsequently imprisoned for a crime they did not commit.

The true assailant was eventually identified in 2002 after coming forward. DNA and corroborating evidenced proved that person to be the true offender. Alas for the five boys, they had already served lengthy prison sentences and were looked on as pariahs by many in their communities until the state withdrew all charges against them, removed them from the sex offender registry, and awarding them considerable damages

A happy ending, do you think?

Far from it.

What’s particularly powerful about this show is the way it captures the essence of the time. Those boys were innocent. The cops knew it, and yet, they went out of their way to secure a conviction at all costs. Systematic racism. Psychological and physical abuse amounting to torture. Bending – and in many cases, simply breaking – the rules and due process. And don’t forget, we’re talking about boys between 14 and 16 years old. Not only were they innocent, but one, Korey Wise, wasn’t even there in Central Park.

And once they were in the system, it got worse. Parents were unable to visit their sons because they were incarcerated hundreds of miles from home. And in Korey’s case – he couldn’t apply for parole as that would mean admitting to a crime he never committed and accepting he did wrong. A terrible injustice. I don’t mind admitting I was spitting bricks through many parts of the show.

Because that’s the thing.

This wasn’t just a show. “When They See Us” is merely a frank portrayal of the true life discrimination suffered by five boys who last a major part of their young adult lives because of a corrupt and unfair system. No amount of compensation can ever redress the balance.

But people can. The question is: will we?

My Thought's On. . .

The Girl Who Could Move S**t With Her Mind

They say . . . “First impressions count”.

In this case, that maxim hits the nail on the head. How? As soon as I saw the title of this book, I knew I’d love it. I mean, anyone who uses that as a title for their book has to have a great sense of humor. MY kind of humor.

And I was right.

Teagan Frost is a girl on a mission. Literally. She works for a clandestine government team. A team so secret that they’ll deny any knowledge of her at the drop of a hat if she screws up. Not a good thing when you’re the only person with psychokinetic abilities in the world and a queue of drooling scientists with top security clearance are itching for you to fail so they can dissect you.

When a body turns up at the site of Teagan’s last job, murdered in such a way that it’s obvious someone with paranormal abilities must be involved, plastic fingered gloves point the blame her way and scalpels get sharpened.

Fortunately, she gets twenty-four hours to prove her innocence. But will it be enough? Teagan’s boss wants rid of her. The rest of the team hate her. A squad of black-ops goons think she’s nothing but a freak that needs locking up and experimenting on. And someone’s obviously out to ensure she fails.

Just the recipe for a nice little whodunit. One presented with an aperitif of disaster-in-the-making, with a side salad of action all the way. It’s irreverent, down and dirty, underhand, and guaranteed to please the mischief-maker in all of us.

An insanely imaginative peek into a twisted mind.

The Boys

Continuing the “first impressions count” theme. . . .

I adored this series! There you go. My thoughts in brief, expressed from the heart.

Adapted from the Dynamite comic book series of the same name, The Boys follows the life of Hughie Campbell. A mild-mannered, down-to-earth young man, Hughie is madly in love with the girl of his dreams, Robin . . . up to the moment she’s obliterated by a superhero who literally runs right through her, that is.

Hughie is traumatized, until Billy Butcher crosses his path. Butcher despises all “Supers” and wants to wipe the lot of them out. Even so, he has eyes for one in particular; Homelander, the charismatic leader of the most popular of the super heroes – The Seven, who are sponsored by the mega rich, ultra powerful Vought International corporation.

As the show goes on to reveal, the Seven aren’t all that special. In fact, most are out and out self-serving scumbags who don’t give a toss about the populace at large . . . unless it can improve their ratings, that is.

Butcher knows this, and leads his vigilantes on a desperate crusade to expose the “supers” for what they really are, while fulfilling his own personal vendetta.

What I particularly liked about this series is that it’s a great judge of human nature. If people did somehow become blessed with powers in real life, THIS is what they’d be like. Oh, they’d start off wanting to do good, but with multi-billion dollar corporations and social media gurus plotting their every move, they’d end up emotionally wrecked trash monsters.

A lot of outrageous things happen in the series. (Ass-murder being a prime example) A truly explosive moment, I guarantee. And it’s awesome. Bad behavior. Even worse language. Sexual exploitation.  One of the most timely – tongue-in-cheek- exposes I’ve seen in a long time.

Even better, there’s one hellova twist at the end that sets up series 2 quite nicely, thank you very much. And I for one can’t wait J