We all know the aphorism: If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all. The problem is that this week’s post would minuscule, or even absent entirely were I to adhere to that admonition.
I did not have high hopes for Andrew Offutt and Richard Lyon’s Demon in the Mirror. So I suppose at the very least I wasn’t disappointed. I should probably start with the good aspects I found. The treasure hunt set-up allowed for a sequence of vignettes or short stories. The authors took advantage of this format to stretch creativity. (To the breaking point, if you ask me, but I am trying to start with the positives.) A few exciting S&S escapades did result. And as the narrative wound on, it did grow on me somewhat.
That is about as far as I can honestly praise this one, I’m afraid. I did not find Red Faux-nya to be a credible action heroine. The prurient, leering descriptions of ersatz Valeria, (Tania, the voluptuous, red-headed captain of the pirate ship Vixen (natch)) exceeded the general genre norms and bordered on soft-core pornography. And as much as I admired the novelties the authors invented and the sheer creativity involved, the resultant concepts frequently defied credibility. The storm riding chapter nearly led me to abandon the book. But I persevered. For you Dear Reader. Look, I’ve read (and even enjoyed) a lot of subpar material, but this one did not work for me. Maybe it will for you. I won’t judge. I understand that this is the first book of a trilogy. I won’t be picking up the sequels. Not a recommend.
Continuing on as a nattering nabob of negativity, I come to Thor: Love and Thunder. Happily for me it was on television, so I didn’t have to pay for it. Thus endeth the positives.
Look, Thor: Ragnarok is a favorite of mine. It chugged along as an engaging action piece. Over this core, Taika Waititi overlaid a welcome helping of humor. And to this, he added a judicious sprinkling of whimsy, such as Jeff Goldblum’s performance, and the Waititi voiced rock alien. It worked. Unfortunately, the lesson Waititi appeared to take from Ragnarok was that its success was due to the humor and whimsy. So he produced a comedy with few good laughs and an overabundance of whimsy. The rock alien’s role expands far beyond its deserts and wears out its welcome. Russel Crowe takes over from Goldblum. But as game as Crowe is, the entire concept is played entirely for laughs and lacks the undertone of menace that is required to sell the scene. So much whimsy inevitably descends into inanity. The whole thing quickly becomes silly. It is pointless, ridiculous froth; not fun at all. The essential action story core is almost entirely absent. Which is too bad. The grim origin story of the God Butcher is effecting, and the pathos of Jane Foster’s facing terminal cancer is moving. But these elements are at odds with the ‘tween cartoon atmosphere of the film and Waititi doesn’t seem much interested in them. He is more concerned with stuffing the flick with sight gags. The thing is a mess, as close to an objectively bad piece of entertainment as an inherently subjective matter can be. Not even low expectations could save it.
I wish I could have offered something more positive this week, but such was the hand I was dealt.
On a happier note, both MBW and the HA had birthdays this week. MBW’s birthday dinner was fine and the HA thoroughly enjoyed her birthday party. The after party at my place with wings, beer, and leftover pizza worked well for me. And my recently published story remains available to read in Swords and Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 9. Add to that a new story nearing publication in just under a month. More on that later.