Voyage of the Star Wolf- A Review

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I just finished reading David Gerrold’s “Voyage of the Star Wolf”, a book that has somehow managed to end up as a “classic”. In an odd situation, I think this is actually the third time I have read it, but I had to re-read it again to realize that.

Let me explain-

At some point in the 90′s, I took this book out from the local library, read the first couple chapters, got bored, and returned it.

At least, that’s what I remembered happening. However, as I read the book, I was overcome with a sense of deja-vu and found myself knowing the story and even the lines and situations before they happened. Which means one of two things:

  1. I actually did finish it that first time, but forgot that I’d finished it.
  2. I read and finished it sometime during the intervening years, but it was so forgettable I forgot that I finished it.

I suspect the answer is #2, but it could be #1, either way, the key there is that this is a light and easily forgettable book. (It’s not a long read, so this probably contributes to that feeling.)

This book was written around the time Gerrold was the Script Editor for the first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and it really really shows. The book itself is basically Gerrold’s critique of ST:TNG, and reads like Gerrold basically showing the creators of the show “how it should have been done” from his point of view.

The plot runs like this- A determined young first officer working under an older Captain (who uses the line “Make it so”, and talks about being honest with your crew, and other getting along stuff) aboard the LS-1197 (a destroyer-class vessel, I think) finds his world turned upside down when the Morthans (read: Klingons) attack a big convoy they’re guarding and leaves the Captain dead (who freezes up in REAL combat, so much for getting along!). The ship is then put under the command of the Star Wolf, a REAL military Captain who tells him what the first Captain taught him was crap, and teaches him the way real military people do things. They then kick Morthan butt and get revenge.

Yep, really subtle, isn’t it?

A character literally ends a chapter with the line:

“For some reason, I have the feeling that this is not going to be a happy enterprise.”

However, the great irony is that once the military transformation is done, the crew does indeed act exactly like the ST:TNG crew for the most part. (They even have a Morthan security officer named Brik, who is Worf, but more competent.)  Including a female character (the one who utters the line above) who does things that in ST:TNG would be fine, but aboard a real military ship would get her court martialed in a second, and totally gets away with it. (So much for “realistic” military Sci-Fi.)

Not that it matters much, as the characters aren’t the stars of this book anyways.

What do I mean?

Here’s a hint- you have to read FOUR chapters before a character name even appears. (And it’s a background character we never meet again!)  In the meantime, you’ve read two chapters about the setting, and one chapter detailing the ship itself in exquisite detail. These are the real stars of the book (the setting, the ship, and the kinda detailed way ships work and fight), and the characters are more organic components of story that interact with the ship and setting.

Which might be fine if those were interesting, but they really aren’t anything special. It’s generic Starship sci-fi following the Star Trek paradigm while trying desperately to claim it’s not Star Trek. It’s not hardcore enough to be real military sci-fi, and not romantic enough to be space adventure, it just kinda wallows somewhere in the middle and doesn’t quite work as either.

Lest someone reads this who thinks of it as a military sci-fi story, I’ll remind you of the following- when they come across a derelict ship that they believe it a trap that will blow up and kill them all- what do they do? Not only do they decide to send in a boarding party (which is somewhat reasonable, there’s valuable stuff on board), but their “brilliant” Captain Star Wolf actually docks the two ships together, despite having a bay full of shuttles he could send to check the other ship out without putting the entire crew in mortal danger.

Ooops.

I doubt the first captain would have made that mistake, but he wasn’t hardcore military enough and actually cared about his crew.

Rob



This post is from my blog at robynpaterson.com.


The ePublishing Scammers come out to play…

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Author David Gaughran has posted an article over on his blog warning about the growing minefield of people out there looking to sell overpriced services to self-publishing authors under the pretense of being real publishing houses. The sad thing is that the real publishing houses have smelled money and are now also trying to get into the game!

Most of this is being done by Author’s Solutions, a modern Vanity Press company David gives these stats about:

1. 150,000 customers have only published 190,000 books, meaning there’s very little repeat business – esp. when you factor in all the authors publishing multiple titles right off the bat. For comparison, the average Smashwords author has published over four titles with them.

2. The average Author Solutions customer spends $5,000 publishing their book, and only sells 150 copies.

3. Only one-third of Author Solutions’ income comes from book sales royalties. Two thirds comes from author services – their whole model is based on making money from you, not with you.

These are leeches preying on people’s hope and dreams, and not giving anywhere near back what they take. Note #2, how they charge $5000 on average to “help” you get your book ready to market. Do you know how much most self-pubbed authors pay reputable services for editing and a cover? $300-$500 for the whole package! (It can get up around $1000 if you want more extensive work done and you hire a high-end artist for the cover.) And actually, many pay ZERO dollars if they have friends and family who can help them do it, since the actual publishing side is free for eBooks (and costs around $40 to set up Print-on-Demand services through Amazon or Lulu).

And no matter how much you pay to whom, you still have to do all your own marketing!

All for average sales of 150 copies. (Lifetime.)

So do your homework.

Real publishers ask for ZERO money upfront, because they pay you to publish your work, not the other way around.

Reputable editors and services don’t charge you thousands of dollars to get your book ready.

Read the linked article, ask around, explore your options, and beware the traps! For there are many, and you will get screwed if you pick the wrong one!

Rob



This post is from my blog at robynpaterson.com.


Marvel’s (White) Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

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So, ABC finally made the obvious official- there is a new TV series set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe called Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. For which you can watch the first trailer below…

Looks amazing, doesn’t it? Gonna be a heck of a show, and I’m seriously looking forward to it. But, there is something that bothered me about it, and I think I can demonstrate with the official cast picture…

marvels-agents-of-shield-cast

Look, I’m not someone who thinks every cast needs to be equally male and female, nor am I someone who believes that every cast should look like it was designed to appeal to every cultural/ethnic group. I always believe what’s more important is the characters, and they should be whatever the creators want them to be, political correctness be damned.

That said, that cast couldn’t be a bunch of whiter people if we sent them to Harvard and dipped them in yogurt! Even the token Asian chick (who is supposed to be the team’s “tough guy”, good luck with that) is one of the whitest and most caucasian looking Asians they could possibly find. (And if you’ve seen other pictures of Ming Na Wen, they’re working hard on the make-up end to made her as un-ethnic as possible.) This cast looks like it was for the SHIELD TV series of 1963, not 2013! Did the execs at ABC not get the memo? Or, did they borrow the casting director from the CW?

Also, is there a factory churning out clones of Nicolas Brendon (Xander from Buffy:TVS)? Because the lead male there could show up at his house for dinner and Brendon’s family wouldn’t even notice! (They’d probably just assume it’s his identical twin brother dropping by to say hello.)

Now, I’m not sure who’s responsible for this, whether it’s the Whedons (the show is done by Josh, his brother and his sister-in-law (who’s Asian)), or whether it’s the execs at ABC. I lean towards the execs at ABC- it is the middle-America Disney channel now, so they are targeting that demographic. But really, a whole show about white people running around and the only major black character in the pilot is a street thug with superpowers? Well, I guess that does fit in with the ABC mindset nicely.

I really would have liked to see a person of color as Coulson’s second in command (or anywhere else on the team!), especially since the Marvel movies are about a group of superpowered white people saving the world again and again. This show could really have been a chance to balance that off a little, and show that the Marvel Cinematic Universe isn’t just inhabited by white people saving the day.

But apparently, it is.

Rob



This post is from my blog at robynpaterson.com.


Fan-Translated Manga I’m Reading at the Moment

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One of the great things about the Internet is that many things which aren’t considered considered commercially viable are distributed online by people who have a passion for them. This can be people sharing recipes, fansubbing their favorite TV shows from other countries, or fan-translations of Manga.

There are a couple Manga that I really enjoy which don’t have a strong enough English fanbase to actually publish for profit, but which fans have translated for fun. All of these titles can be around on sites like Mangafox or Manga Reader.

Black Joke- An action manga about the enforcers who work for a Casino in the future, and the dirty jobs they have to do. I wasn’t sure about this one at first, since it’s a bit odd and gory, but the more I read it the more attached to it I became. Now it’s one of my favorites, although it is definitely not for everyone!  (Rated Hard R)Black Joke 1: Odor at MangaFox.me

 

One-Punch Man- A superhero-action-comedy about a Superman-level superhero who can literally defeat any opponent in one punch, and how incredibly boring this makes his life. It’s a Japanese take on American superheroes, kind’ve like The Tick, but with more gore and nice art. (The whole thing seems to be an art experiment by the creator.) It’s gaining quite a following in American fan circles.Onepunch-Man 1: 1st Punch [One Punch] at MangaFox.me

 

Gamble Fish- Tomu Shirasagi is a young gambler who travels to the ShishiDo Academy (Japan’s most elite prep school) with the stated goal of making $100 million through gambling and betting with the school’s students. But the school and Tomu both have dark secrets, and these spiral out of control in a series of ever-escalating “games” based around a combination of wits, bravery and deception. It starts serious, gets more than a little over-the-top and silly, but is always fun an interesting.Gamble Fish 1: Truth and Lies at MangaFox.me

Killer Stall- In this action Korean Manhua, Choo is an elite killer for an organized crime outfit who decides to start a new life because he falls in love. You can probably guess how well that works out. A well told tale of gangsters and assassins.

Killer Stall 2: The Legend of Dan-Gun at MangaFox.me

Liar Game- A young woman is drawn into a game of deception called the Liar Game. Similar to the manga Death Note, but based around psychological warfare and deception. It was on a break for a while, but new ones have come out recently. Not a breezy read, but worth the effort to follow.

Liar Game 18: Revival Round at MangaFox.me

Robot Keiji- Oldschool (like 1970′s oldschool) manga about an old police detective who is assigned a new partner- a robot. Surprisingly serious and dark, it has an edge to it that newer manga tend to lack. The characters are a little cartoony, but the story and presentation really draw you in. I didn’t think I’d like it and read it on a whim, now I really want to read more!

Robot Keiji 1 at MangaFox.me

Heroes of the Spring and Autumn- In this Chinese Manhua (comic), a Chinese prince is attacked by a group of mysterious martial artists and receives a head injury that leaves him with amnesia. However, that’s just the core story of an epic conspiracy surrounding the end of the Qin dynasty. Not a great comic, but nice art and a very different approach to storytelling.

Heroes of the Spring and Autumn 1 at MangaFox.me

 



This post is from my blog at robynpaterson.com.


Feeling a Little Evil? – Method to the Madness has been Unleashed!

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The long-awaited handbook that belongs on the shelf of every world conquerer has finally been released upon the world!

Want to know the in’s and out’s of supervillain fashion? It’s in there!

Want to know about care and feeding of your minions? It’s in there!

Want to know how to decorate that new lair just right? It’s in there!

Want to know about how a real supervillain handles a public relations crisis? It’s in there! (And I should know, I wrote it!)

The world’s 24 worst villains were asked to provide their best tips and advice, and now these secrets will be shared with you!  Each copy been scanned for nanotech zombie plagues and hypnotic commands to bark like a dog, and found to be completely safe! (And if not- you won’t remember anyway!)

So, shamble on over to Amazon, Smashwords or visit the kind folks at Five Rivers Publishing and grab your copy today! (Remember- The early bird who hesitates gets wormed!)



This post is from my blog at robynpaterson.com.


Shinobi: Heart Under Blade Review

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I finally got around to seeing Shinobi: Heart Under Blade, after many years of almost seeing it but getting distracted by other things. I just re-joined Netflix, and am using it to catch up on movies that I haven’t seen for one reason or another but want to, such as this one.

In short, I found it pretty dissappointing.

The premise is interesting enough- the Warring States period has come to an end and the Tokugawa Shogunate decides that these superpowered ninja it’s been using as weapons are now a liability which could be used against the Shogun. Since there are two clans, Kouga and Iga, they tell each clan to have their best people try to kill each other as a “contest”, which is simply a way of getting rid of the strong so the Shogunate can then wipe out the rest of the clan members with minimal resistance.

All in all, a good premise to stage a bunch of ninja fights around, and this might be why the novel version called The Kouga Ninja Scrolls has been made into a manga and anime as well.

To add to the drama, the core story is about the second-in-commands of the two clans who have fallen in love with each other in a Romeo and Juliet situation and now have to lead the two ninja squads trying to kill each other.

Again, a well-used premise with built-in emotional conflict that should make for a strong story.

So, with this in mind, why didn’t I like it?

There are a couple reasons. First, this film version is actually pretty dull. The fights would be neat if I hadn’t actually watched Naruto, but having seen Naruto (which the film seems to be trying hard to present itself in the style of), I’m more interested in the story and characters. This is a problem, since the film is trying too hard to be deep and artsy and really skimps on the characters and keeps the story dead simple to the point of being actually dull. Most of the film is pretty images and our two lead moping around because they know they’ll have to kill each other eventually. (Oh, my life sucks…So sad….)

Second, the ending just kinda sucks. The leads do stupid things for stupid reasons, and then it sorta works out by chance although there is no logical reason it should have. The director also plays very fast and loose with the concept of simultaneous action in a way which I didn’t like and find slightly dishonest. (Or at least illogical.)

Third, and this is just a personal thing, it seemed to be trying to go out of its way to present several of my favorite historical characters Yagyu Munenori, Yagyu Jubei and Hattori Hanzo as complete dicks. I suspect this is on purpose, since these men are all presented in romanticised historical fiction as being heavily connected with the Ninja clans they’re trying to kill in this story. I think the author was trying to put a different spin on them, which is reasonable, but as these are some of my favorite historical people, I also have a right not to like it. (Imagine if someone did a pirate movie that had someone playing Captain Jack Sparrow in it, except now he’s a cruel drunken rapist who acts nothing like Captain Jack Sparrow from the other films. How you’d feel about that is about how I feel about this portrayal of those characters.)

I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised, I tried reading the manga adaptation called Basilisk a few years back and didn’t care for that much either. (It was a messy collection of weird sex and violence scenes.) Still, it’s another film off my list that I wanted to check out. Here’s hoping the next one’s better!

Rob



This post is from my blog at robynpaterson.com.


A Neat Trick for Finding and Getting Rid of Passive Verbs in MS Word

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I was hunting for a good site today to give advice on Passive vs. Active verbs to another writer and came across this little nugget. The article it’s from is good, but this part is gold! Serious kudos to the author!

“MS-Word has a great and quick method to finding those “to Be” verbs.

The “Reading Highlight” feature is one of the most useful tools in the MS-Word arsenal, but the RH is an especially neat way to check your writing for passive voice use.

What Reading Highlight does is perform a search, but instead of taking you to the next instance of your search terms, it highlights all instances throughout the text.

To use Reading Highlight,

  1. –select a highlight color from the “Home” tab, then hit CTRL-F to bring up a search window.
  2. –Enter your search term or phrase, click the “Reading Highlight” drop-down, and select “Highlight All”.
  3. –Click “Close” and watch your highlights appear.
  4. –To remove the highlighting, re-open the search box, click the “Reading Highlight” drop-down, and select “Clear Highlighting”.
  5. –Again, click “Close” and the highlighting will be gone.

How do you use this to find passive sentences and those “Here is”, “There are”, and “It is” beginning phrases?

Well, we know most passive statements use the verb “to be” in some form or another. So we want to search for “be” in all its variants: is, was, are, am, were, etc.

Open the search dialog (CTRL-F),

  1. –type “be” as your search term, and click the “More” button.
  2. –Put a check in the box next to “Find all word forms”, click the “Reading Highlight” button and select “Highlight All”, and click “Close”.
  3. –Now, every permutation of “to be” will be highlighted.
  4. –Not all of them are going to be passive — or too passive, anyway — but many will.
  5. –Rewrite all those sentences to have more active verbs.

Using “to Be” verbs for anything other than linking verbs or helping verbs is a bad habit.

Any habit learned can be unlearned.”

via To Be, or Not To Be: Getting Rid of those Pesky “to Be” Verbs | Recipes for Writing.

I tried it myself on the work I’m editing. I had it hunt for “be” and “have” verbs (which also tend to be passive) and highlight each type it found. In a 91,000 word document I found roughly 2000 BE verbs and 1000 HAVE verbs. Not all of them are full words, though, and for the length of the document that isn’t bad.

Still, it’s a new tool in my editor’s toolbox I intend to make great use of!

Rob



This post is from my blog at robynpaterson.com.


Choudenshi Bioman- The First English Dubbed Sentai Series

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Contrary to popular belief, the first Sentai completely dubbed into English wasn’t Zyuranger (Power Rangers Season 1, in 1993), it was 1984′s Bioman! A Filipino TV network dubbed the whole series in English in 1987, and released it to some success on the local TV stations. Now a kind Youtuber has put up the whole series for you to check out!

Bioman is the story of 5 young people (isn’t it always?) who become the agents of the Biorobo and are given superpowers to fight against the evil Doctor Man and his minions.

It was a big hit in it’s time in Japan, The Philipines, and France (where it was a megahit dubbed in French) and if you watch it, it’s not hard to understand why. It did many things differently than the Sentai series that would come before it and the ones that would come after it as well. It is unique, and just plain fun to watch.

A few examples of what made it different-

  • The Biomen’s mentor was also the mecha they piloted into battle, but it didn’t directly communicate with them, that was all done through Peebo, a C-3PO type robot that was clearly the inspiration for Alpha 5 in Power Rangers. (In fact, the first unaired version of what would become Power Rangers was in fact Bioman dubbed in English by Haim Saban! However the suits wanted American actors, not Asian ones on the screen, so he came up with the Power Rangers we know today.)
  • The Biorobo was limited by the ability of it’s human pilots/partners, and as they got stronger so did it. There are actually training episodes of them trying to get stronger so that they can handle the mecha’s more high-performance abilities.
  • The mecha fights themselves are shot so that the mecha have a weight to them and seem big, unlike most shows where the mecha are shot like the guys in suits they are.
  • Doctor Man (I love that name!) had just a few lieutenants, and a few Beastnoids (monsters), and couldn’t make more. So the same bad guys kept coming back, and they had a chance to become characters in their own right.
  • Instead of a new monster each week, there was a new giant robot instead, piloted by one of the bad guy lieutenants.
  • The plots were generally fun and interesting, and rarely boring. They really tried to mix the stories up, and not just go for the same old thing.
  • The English dub is in Phillipino English, and done in a straight but playful way with odd dialect-isms that really add to it’s entertainment value. (They were dubbing it for kids, but not stupid kids.) My personal favorite is the bad guy’s “FOR THE MAN!” salute, which brings a smile to my face every time I hear it. (For those who were born after 1990, “The Man” was 1970′s street slang to refer to white authority figures.)

I actually get bored of Sentai series really quick (they’re too damn repetitive), yet for some reason I can watch Bioman with a big smile, even though it wasn’t part of my childhood. It’s just pure entertainment on a level which isn’t stupid or condescending, but pitched just right for any audience.

For the Man!

Rob

 



This post is from my blog at robynpaterson.com.


Killing the Sacred Cows of Publishing: Writing Fast

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Dean Wesley Smith wrote a good piece on his blog about writing speed, quality, and productivity. I definitely recommend reading it if you have the time.

Writing Slow Equals Writing Better is a complete myth, a nasty sacred cow of publishing that hurts and stops writers who believe it.

— The truth is that no two writers work the same and no book is the same as the previous book or the next book.

— The truth is that writing fast is nothing more than spending more time every day writing.

— The truth is that there should be no rule about speed relating to quality.

— The truth is there should be no rule that lumps all writers into one big class. There should only be your way of writing.

via Killing the Sacred Cows of Publishing: Writing Fast |.