This is where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper (Novel)

Judd Altman has recently found out his wife is having an affair with his boss. Add on that news with the fact he is heading home to deal with the death of his father. The Altman family is a pretty dysfunctional tribe and their interactions as they get strong-armed into sitting shiva for seven days is pretty hysterical. His sister, Wendy, wrangles two kids while her workaholic husband spends most of his time on the phone. His oldest brother, Paul, runs the family business. Paul’s wife, Annie, is trying to conceive but having a hard time. And Judd’s youngest brother, Philip, the black sheep in the family, a womanizing bonehead, brings home an older woman named Tracey whom he wants to marry. Then there’s his mother, a famous psychologist who is way more open about sex and relationships than Judd finds comfortable. A lot of things happen during this time as a family, incapable of mourning, waits out their duty. While I really enjoyed this book, and could relate to Judd’s wish to fall in love and be a father, I have to say the characters’ shallowness started to get to me. It’s always funny but when I reached the end of the story I felt cold. Judd never comes across as making up his mind what he should do. No one really grows up or makes any major discover. Maybe that’s the point but I would have enjoyed the book more if when we reached the end I could stand next to Judd and his siblings and applaud their transformations. Instead it’s clear they’re all going to continue to make mistakes and be the shallow people they always were. Grade: B

X-Men: God Loves Man Kills by Chris Claremont (Comic)

This was the inspiration for the really great X-Men film X2. The comic deals with a Reverend William Stryker who believes all mutants are evil and should be eliminated. He kidnaps Professor X and brainwashes him to kill all the mutants on Earth. To stop him the X-men join forces with Magneto. This is now a famous story and you can see how it would have really shaken up the X-men universe with its themes of religion being used to go after a minority. I highly recommend it. Grade: A-

Green Lantern: Revenge of the Green Lanterns (Comic)

Geoff Johns continues to write Hal Jordan’s redemption. Here he must rescue the very same crew of Green Lanterns that he defeated when he was Parallax. Without going into too many details, this is a very enjoyable comic. The art work from Ivan Reis and Marc Campos is great. The volume collects issues 10 through 13. Grade: B+

Crown of Swords by Robert Jordan (Novel) [Revisited]

At last the consistent narrative push that kept this series going falters some. I’m not declaring this a bad book, not at all. It’s a very good seventh book to the Wheel of Time. But this is the one that left me feeling like Mr. Jordan was starting to stall and stretch out the development of the story so to begin a building point to a satisfying ending that is still far out there. He had such a handle on these characters and this world but it is here that I wonder if he’d bitten off more than he could chew, at least without the story slowing down. Rand al’Thor takes a romantic interest in Min while planning his attack on the Foresaken Sammael. Eqwene al’Vere continues her role as the Amyrlin Seat in a section with Aes Sedai politics that kind of meanders. Elayne Trakand and Nynaeve al’Meara struggle to find the Bowl of the Winds in Ebou Dar and must reluctantly ask for Mat Cauthon’s help. When I finished the book I just felt it was too long, especially the events with Eqwene. The best part of the book deals with Mat and his adventure in Edou Dar. Still to think how ambitious this story is and where it is leading, it’s an incredible achievement. I can’t really complain too badly with a book that’s only slightly less entertaining than the ones before it. When it comes to the fantasy genre this saga is still a special one worth celebrating. Grade: B+

The BFG By Roald Dahl (Novel)

I loved this book when I was a kid and now that I’m a father I thought I’d read it aloud to my son. He’s too young to understand it but I just couldn’t wait to rediscover it. When he’s old enough I can’t wait to read it again. It’s the story of Sophie, an orphan, who is stolen from her bed by a Big Friendly Giant. Together they will work to save the world from all the non-friendly, human-bean eating giants that bully the BFG for collecting dreams and choosing to only eat Snozzcumbers. Only Dahl could write a book about giants that eat people and make it kid friendly. I’ve recently read that Spielberg is directing a film adaptation of this story which is great news. It’ll be interesting to see what they add and change from the book to make it the kind of film audiences today would enjoy. If done well, and with Spielberg this is highly possible, it should be a visual splendor. Grade: A-

League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Vol. 1

When I think of this comic book, it’s the disastrous film adaptation starring Sean Connery (in sadly his last film) that comes to mind. The film was so blah that I avoided reading the comic, even though I knew it was completely different and written by one of the greatest comic writers of all-time: Alan Moore. In many ways I’m glad I waited because time allowed me to expunge the funk that was the film. Reading this wonderful story about Victorian literary characters brought together by the mysterious Mr. M to protect the English Empire was so refreshing. You have their leader Mina Murray (Dracula) followed by Allan Quatermain (King Solomon’s Mines), Captain Nemo (20,000 Leagues Under the Sea), Hawley Griffin (The Invisible Man) and Dr. Jekyll (Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde). I loved how the characters come together and how they’re uniquely defined characters that pop off the page. If the film makers would have just stuck to this story they would have had a much more entertaining film. This is certainly a great read and the bonus short story at the end is about as beautifully weird and exciting as anything I’ve read. Do not miss out on this brilliantly conceived adventure comic. Grade: A

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)

To conclude this new Middle Earth trilogy, Peter Jackson went all out and in many ways overwhelms his audience with battle sequences. Once the fighting starts it’s none stop (which is probably why they changed the title from There and Back Again to the more war themed title). You have the elves fighting the dwarfs and then the elves and dwarfs fighting the orcs and then the humans fighting more orcs and trolls and throughout all the swordplay and axe swings the result is a coherent story where our beloved Bilbo Baggins witnesses the tragedy of war. If this was a stand-alone story I’d have issues with it but as a concluding chapter it’s very satisfying. My emotional heart strings were challenged and in the closing minutes I really was moved by the experience. In some way, because of how the last trilogy ended and then ended and kept on ending, I was more satisfied with this film, crazy as that might sound. The one major flaw in the film, and it’s an obvious problem that I’m certain bugged Peter Jackson to lose some sleep, is with the character of Thorin, who becomes seduced by gold. His sudden change of heart is awkward and while I applaud the wonderful vision that helps break his fever, it’s paper thin in its believability. I would have discarded a few annoying Alfrid scenes for more dramatic confrontations between Thorin and Bilbo. Regardless of this, as grand fantasy adventures go this is one of the best. Grade: A-