Sweet Christmas! Thoughts on Luke Cage

Quite definitely contains spoilers. So don't read any further if that bothers you!!

The Netflix adaptations of the Marvel Universe go from strength to strength. Riding on the back of the success of Daredevil seasons 1 and 2, and the incredible Jessica Jones, there was a fair bit at stake with the Luke Cage series. But, all credit to them, they made a superb job.

We'd met Luke Cage as a key character in the Jessica Jones series, where his erratic romance with Jessica de-railed following the revelations that The Purple Man, Killgrave, had compelled Jess to kill Luke's wife. In that introduction we learned a few key aspects about Luke, namely he'd acquired his powers via some experiment, and that he was a remarkable principled and moral character. (The origin episode is superb, as is his retro- afro/ tiara/ yellow shirt).

Following his intro in JJ, Luke's left Hell's Kitchen and gone to Harlem. This is a cool dramatic move for two reasons: one it avoids excessive cross-over with Hell's Kitchen heroes such as Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and --I suppose--The Punisher. Secondly, there's few areas that typify Black American culture as Harlem. And this focus, this placing of the narrative against a backdrop of Black America is expertly done.

The plot follows a fairly predictable arc: we start with Luke being a reluctant hero in Harlem, trying to keep his head down to avoid attention and thus linkage with his custodial past. Then trouble finds him, and his mentor/ friend is killed, prompting him to declare 'war' against the first villain of the piece, Cottonmouth. He's a well written psychopath, whose origins emulate those of Fisk in Daredevil, and whose aspirations run parallel to his cousin's, (Mariah) who is a local politician. I liked Cottonmouth as villain--he has a charismatic style that you can't help be drawn towards, and even though you know Luke's power level totally outclasses him, he provides an effective foil for the first half of the season.

In the second half of the season we get to meet the key villain, Diamondback. Buffed with tech from Hammer corporation (the rival to Stark in Iron Man  2), the flamboyantly insane Diamondback is set on destroying Luke for what I thought was a smooth plot twist. Their ultimate clash, after a few well set build-ups, was excellent, and cleverly used flashbacks to their respective childhoods to add to the drama.

Luke Cage follows Daredevil in that respect, with the emphasis on the childhood experiences moulding the characters into heroes and villians. In Daredevil we had both Fisk and Murdoch having adverse childhoods, with poverty, violence and loss of fathers. In DD these similar origins produced two different characters, one a hero (albeit conflicted) and one a villain (with a strange ethical code hidden in him). In Luke Cage, we have the childhood link between Luke and Cottonmouth that draws them into conflict. The commonality of the preacher father figure is then evolved with Diamondback's religious quotes, and obsession with biblical verse and teachings. It was a slightly contrived touch, after all the Bible-quoting psycho villain paradox isn't exactly original, but with its tie-in to the past, I'll forgive it as a device. Naturally it is there to illustrate that Luke, evidently not religious or ever alluding to Bible teaching, is admirably moral throughout, whereas Diamondback is distinctly opposite.

Luke's character is nicely portrayed. His almost naïve heroism stands in opposition to the less mortally robust Jessica and Daredevil, and I look forward to the dynamics in the Defenders when it arrives. The strong female characters often tease Luke about his corny lines, and social awkwardness, and it really made me like Luke perhaps more than any other of the Marvel-Netflix heroes so far.

Three more things about the series really leapt out for me. The series felt far more a part of the MCU than the prior three series. The Avengers were referenced repeatedly, although clearly this series is set (as is DD1 and 2 and JJ) between Avengers 1-2 and Civil War, as there's no mention of Registration. The dude with the hammer, the big green guy, and even Captain America by name, are all mentioned. The use of Justin Hammer's tech is a great inclusion. The character of Claire provides a link between the other Netflix series (she's in all three, I think), and I seem to recall Patsy's voice on a radio show debating Luke's effects on Harlem. More than the other series it examines the nature and effect of a hero, and a vigilante, whose identity is not a secret. The awesome Misty Knight, and yes I did squee like a fan-boy, provides the gradually adapting face of authority, and Claire the proponent for vigilante-heroes. This conflict is exploited by Mariah in latter episodes, and the Judas rounds (using Avengers 1 fall-out alien debris tech) in the hands of the police a nod to the philosophical arguments from Civil War.

The second stand-out is the music. Just superb. Ideally chosen for the setting of Harlem, it mixes soul with rap with funk. The guest appearances by Method Man and Delfonics set the tone, and the soundtrack had some excellent songs from Issac Hayes, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Rakim, Wu Tang Clan, Gang Starr, and even Nina Simone and John Lee Hooker. Given that the soundtrack was such a big deal with Stranger Things, Netflix's huge success of the summer, and also Marvel Cinema's Guardians of the Galaxy, I think that we'll find that the soundtracks become significant features in these series.

My final love of the series was the representation of black American culture. Given the style of the series, a black superhero, it could have so easily gone wrong. I was expecting a portrayal of gangstas battling Luke with escalating tech, and some black stereotypes tossed in. But the portrayals in this series were some of the best I've seen since the Wire, with well rounded and intricate characters providing enough variety. Sure there were some slight stereotypes--Mariah, the Councillor, was
tricky to gel with for me, and Pops and Bobby Fish edged on the obvious--but generally the characters felt very alive and very vibrant to me. And the writing was saturated with pop culture references, whether the jokes about kung-fu films, Shaft, Different Strokes, Dr Seuss, The Warriors, or the answer to 'who you goin' to call?' being... well... Ghostbusters! And Diamondback's reminiscing about being the Son of a Preacher Man, with Dusty Springfield playing. Just little touches that lifted the entertainment level above Jessica Jones and DD for me.

So, hope you agree with me on these points, but if you don't then comment as to what you think of the series. Next up is Iron Fist, in March, which has the tricky task of maintaining the standard. And the Defenders... well that's going to be so cool, especially as Sigourney Weaver is on board!!

The Wise Man's Fear

It's taken me a while to get around to reading the second book in Pat Rothfuss's series. That's not because I didn't enjoy the first book, it's just it came to my attention on a wave of hype, and it didn't quite live up to it. There was. However, enough to make me buy the second whilst looking for my holiday read from a fab bookshop in York.

The story picks up in its two timelines fairly promptly. The contemporary narrative (in third person) has Kvothe, the legendary hero, hiding as an innkeeper and recounting the flashback to a scribe, the Chronicler. The sleepy village inn has just been rocked by a possessed mercenary being killed in the inn, and the locals are organising a funeral. The events in the present occur over a day (which presumably means the flashback narrative is being written by a scribe that can write twenty times faster than I can type). The motivation of the Chronicler, to record reliably the truth of the heroic deeds of the legendary Kvothe, is further driven by the fae, Bast, who wants to return Kvothe his mighty past. We wonder at Bast's motivation, whether driven by a concern about the ongoing war (which we are led to believe Kvothe has begun by killing a king) or some other reason connected to the Fae (whom we discover more about in book 2).

Noting the above, the meat of the book is in the flashback section. Book one was dominated by Kvothe's first year at the University, his on-off fascination with the mysterious Denna, his rivalry with the rich kid, Ambrose, and the ongoing desire to learn more about the Chandrian, the seven creatures that killed his parents. It culminated in a scrap with Ambrose in which Kvothe broke his rival's arm by 'naming' the wind, namely harnessing its power using magic.

Image from comicbook.com

Unlike book 1, which was dominated by the University, this book takes Kvothe out of the restrictions of academia, and to the lands in the east of the civilised lands. He takes a sort of 'gap year' after a trial draws negative attention to the University and his fees are hiked. Seeking a patron to fund his side-line as a  minstrel, he journeys to the city of Severen where he works for the Maer, a noble. This leads to a series events involving bandits, the Fae, training with a race of pseudo-samurai, and then performing a daring rescue. All of this bolsters his reputation, and finally leaves him with cash in his pocket and a kick-ass sword.

There were so many good things in this book. Kvothe is endearing and believable as a hero. He is moral, but not overly so. His cheekiness and charm bring forth images of the cocky protagonists of so many movies, yet inside he has a deep burning anger at what destroyed his life in the early parts of book 1. This bursts forth in a well written sequence later in the book where he slaughters a group of thieves. He's not above foolishness and arrogance, yet you forgive him those moments because ultimately you root for him throughout.

Kvothe meets Haliax by Brad Sutton art

Rothfuss excels in several areas for me: the intricacy of the magic system, and the detail of the foreign cultures. Of the former, the rationalisation of the various disciplines of magic studied at the University are beautifully done. The near scientific basis of 'sympathy' (manipulation of energy, linking objects thermodynamically), 'alchemy' (portrayed here as advanced chemistry) contrasts with 'sygaldry' (using runes, although in quite a engineering manufacturing artefacts type way) and 'naming' (following the Le Guin idea of everything having a 'true name' which conveys control over an entity or element). I love the idea that philosophical and ethical progress has matched these disciplines, and that they are discussed between characters as degree-level subjects would be in our world. It tickled me that the concepts they discuss I medicine in the book are far advanced from most pseudo-medieval fantasy worlds (the use of the term 'sepsis' for example). It all provides a very believable structure to the narrative.

The second salient point to me was the depth of Rothfuss's cultural creation. Hinting at his skill with the descriptions of the Court of the Maer, with its protocols and etiquette, he excels himself when Kvothe trains with the Adem. The richness in the way the Adem speak, perceive, believe, and regard other cultures is so well written that it made the book for me. I loved the concept of the Katan, even with the corny Kung-Fu names, and the indefinable Lethani ethos. I loved the tree with razor leaves, and the culture shocks Kvothe experienced, especially the idea of singing as 'whoring.' Just great.

Kvothe by Shillesque. shilesque.deviantart.com

The supporting characters grow as well as can be expected in a largely first-person narrative. The University ones are a little lack-lustre, with perhaps the exception of Elodin, and the curious Auri (who earned her own book). Denna, as I'll note below, irritated me yet was well drawn. Devi I liked and hope we can see more of her in book 3, although I suspect not.

The book isn't perfect. The pacing really struggles at times, and this may be a personal thing. Whereas I liked the period of training in Ademre, and the preceding period hunting bandits, I found the general flow of the book tricky. Certainly it was long, although not overly so, but there were periods of stagnation that really dragged the story. I'm all for the author enriching their world, but some parts of the book felt indulgent and in need of trimming.

Similarly, the structure is rather odd. The book seems to peak too early, the phase in Ademre and the rescue of the girls is the nearest we get to a finale. Then the book sort of ambles to a conclusion after this, with a fair bundle of hooks for the next book. I accept it is part of a series, yet other authors manage to create a story within their series that comes to a conclusion, that resolves some in-book themes, and that leave you feeling you’ve read a book not an instalment. George RR Martin doesn't, Steven Erikson and Scott Lynch do, and as I read more and more fantasy I'm erring to prefer the latter.

And finally, Denna. I see what Rothfuss is doing, showing the complexity of their relationship, the intricacy of a well written female character. But with two books of a thousand pages we don't seem to be advancing anywhere with her. We're left with the same frustrations as we had ending book one. I'm certain the next book will see her character finally hit the spot, and I wonder whether her abusive patron will be tied up with the actions of Kvothe in starting the war?

And of the third book… I hope Rothfuss doesn't do a Martin on us, and get side-tracked. I can't see how this series will be resolved in just one book, unless he either cranks up the pace, alters the balance of contemporary vs. flashback, or writes another series about Kvothe in the modern day.

We'll see. And I'm desperate to know what's behind the doors…

Darkness Rising 5 - Broken

It seems an age since book 4 was released, not least with all the major life changes that squeezed in last year. But with a New Year, and hopefully a period of stability, comes the next Installment in the Darkness Rising series.

Pencilled in for release next weekend, this is the new cover by the awesome Ceri Clark, whose work on all my covers have created a consistent and recognisable style.

The image on the cover is an interesting interpretation of a character. Originally I'd visualised having Vildor on this cover, as prior covers had Emelia, Hunor and Orla on them. The plan is to have Jem on book six. 

But after having written and lived with the series for five years now, I have such strong mental images of the characters that it gets increasingly difficult to represent them as I like. Admittedly I know the images are symbolic of, rather than replicas of, but I'd visualised Vildor as a sort of Tom Hiddleston character.

So this cover I've imagined as picturing one of the other key players- Kervin- whose tragic love of Emelia provides the key story arc in the series, and who grows to form a major part in the finale of the series.

And behind the bearded tracker, now cursed by Vildor's magic? The Wastes- a region of a North Artoria ravaged by the cataclysmic explosion of battling Prisms hundreds of years ago. And in the centre of which lurks Vildor and his demonic assistant, Blood.

So the 'blurb' ?

Beneath the veneer, beneath the beauty, there is always the coldness of stone.’ 

Tragedy has torn apart Emelia and her companions, a terrible betrayal instigated by the Darkmaster, Vildor. A devastated Jem struggles to control the fearful power of the crystals, becoming distant from his closest friends. Hunor and Orla are tested by a secret from the past, a revelation that will change everything between them. In the Dead City, Emelia begins a search for her past, a journey 

that will plunge her deeper into the darkness of Vildor and his twisted schemes. 

Desperate to seek aid in their battle against Vildor, the companions travel north to Belgo, capital of North Artoria. But everything is not what it seems in the palace, and danger lurks in every shadow, whether cast by friend or foe. 

Separated and alone, can Emelia, Jem and Hunor hope to prevail? Or will the evils of the present and the past overcome them at last?

Darkness Rising 5 – Broken is the fifth in the epic fantasy series that reviewers are calling  ‘epic and spellbinding.’ It is a must read for fantasy fans the world over.

Hope you'll check it out next weekend- or of you fancy starting the series it's available for free on Smashwords at   https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/392664 

Or chapter by chapter free on Wattpad at. http://w.tt/1BrRbjx