This Week's Review of. . .
A Discovery of Witches
It begins
with absence and desire.
It begins
with blood and fear.
It begins
with a discovery of witches.
What
those words mean remains a mystery as you journey ever deeper through a
cleverly constructed world of intrigue and wonder. One where vampires prowl the
shadows through the centuries, daemons influence the outcome of history, and
witches hide away in plain sight.
Always
with us – always separate, the creatures hold to an uneasy, millennia old
covenant that teeters on the brink of collapse. And the discovery of a long
lost text by a young witch who has shunned her heritage threatens to trigger a
war the likes of which will change mankind forever. . .
I have to
say, having seen only several episodes of the TV series, I purchased the books.
A wise choice, for the depth of background history and foundation added by the
creator’s original ideas are spellbinding. It’s superbly written too, and
details the struggle of two people falling in love against centuries of
tradition prohibiting any form of dalliance with “the enemy.”
In a
nutshell – THIS is a quality work you’ll quickly become immersed in.
Outstanding!
The Alienist
The Alienist is an
American period drama television series based on the novel of the same name by
Caleb Carr. The series stars Daniel Brühl (Dr. Laszlo Kreizler), Luke Evans (John Moore), and Dakota Fanning (Sara Howard), as an ad hoc team assembled in mid-1890s New York
City to investigate a serial killer who is murdering street children. The
series incorporates fact with fiction by including characters that are
historical figures, such as Theodore Roosevelt, who held the post of
police commissioner from 1895 to 1897.
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When a series of gruesome murders of boy
prostitutes grips New York City, newly appointed police
commissioner Roosevelt calls upon Dr. Laszlo Kreizler – a criminal
psychologist and John Moore a newspaper illustrator – to conduct the
investigation in secret. Joining them is Sara Howard, the first woman to work
for the police department as secretary to the commissioner, as well as the
Jewish twin brothers, detective sergeants Marcus and Lucius Isaacson.
Needless to say, the team meets stiff opposition from the
majority of officers within the NYPD, primarily from Captain Connor and the
recently retired Chief Byrnes, both of whom are more committed to protecting
the reputations of New York's high society than they are to finding the architects
behind the crimes.
Overall, I found the Alienist to be a rather entertaining,
breathtakingly gruesome murder–mystery possessing a
brooding intensity and a complex narrative. The contrast between the exaggerated gentility with which the
denizens of 1890s America address one another and the casual savagery of their
everyday existence worked wonders. The actors certainly do their jobs too: Daniel Brühl portrays a haunted, painfully introverted
and aloof man with an irritating arrogance that demeans the brilliance of his
insights. Luke Evans is equally annoying, displaying the foibles of his
character superbly, while retaining a loyalty to his friends that put the rest
to shame. But it’s Dakota Fanning who shines in my opinion. She’s patient,
sharp, strong and brave, while displaying a vulnerability that helps you
appreciate the uphill struggle women must have faced to get themselves
recognized in a man’s world. The cheapness of life is revealed in all its
glory, along with the corruption that ate away at the soul of a burgeoning
city.
Excellent stuff, spoilt
only by the last 15 minutes or so. I won’t ruin it for you by revealing why
here, but I felt a fabulous series and surefire winner fell at the very last
hurdle because of its lackluster ending. “Anticlimax” doesn’t describe the
injustice.
