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My 2018 in Reading

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Well, if you haven’t had enough year-end review from me, are you in for a treat! Here’s my summation of my 2018 year in reading.

The first thing I notice when I look through my Goodreads for the year is that I’ve given an average of 3.9 stars, which was higher than I would have expected. Here’s my general approach to rating books on Goodreads:

1 star: Really, really didn’t like. This needs to be EARNED.

2 star: Didn’t like, but had some redeeming qualities. This is the standard “I didn’t like the book” score.

3 star: Like it. And I mean that – I have no regrets about reading a three star book, and I would assume that is probably close to my average rating. I liked it.

4 star: I really liked it. These are books that go above and beyond, that really made me enjoy them. They weren’t quite perfect, but close.

5 star: My personal perfection. I try to hand these out sparingly.

So, that being said, I was surprised my average was closer to four than to three. But as I’m looking through the list of books I read, I’m not as surprised. 2018 was a great year for books. Let’s break it down:

Series

Probably the highlight of the year was that I finally got around to reading two very famous and well-known series that I hadn’t read. The first was Harry Potter (maybe you’ve heard of it?) and the second was Wheel of Time.

As of this writing, I’m not quite done with Wheel of Time. I’ve got a few hundred pages left in the final book. But I will be done by the end of the year, and there will probably be a post about that as well. In short, I struggled mightily with the middle of this series, but it seems to have redeemed itself at the end. I believe its status as a classic is well-earned.

I’ve also written a series of posts on Harry Potter. Honestly, I wasn’t entirely certain I would like it. I didn’t really enjoy the movies much, and I generally do not read YA lit. That being said, I ended up really, really liking the series. I don’t have the fervor for it that so many seem to, but I thought it was really well done.

Nonfiction

One dramatic difference from previous years was that I didn’t read a lot of non-fiction this year. Part of this was intentional. Doing this review in previous years, I found I was reading almost entirely nonfiction, much of it fairly repetitive. This year I only read nonfiction I was really interested in that promised a fair amount of new learning. So while there weren’t many books, the ones I read I really liked.

Notable books:

Mastery by Robert Greene

The Warrior Ethos by Steven Pressfield

Story by Robert Mckee

Fantasy

Most of the year was taken up by Wheel of Time and Harry Potter, as already mentioned. Beyond that I listened to the First Law trilogy (great writing, incredible journey, but very mixed feelings) and started reading Way of Shadows.

Notable books:

Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks (so good)

Jade City by Fonda Lee (so good and so unique)

Sci-fi

I’ll admit that I didn’t read as much sci-fi this year, primarily because of the huge amount of fantasy I waded through. That being said, I did come across some absolutely fantastic books. Note that I’m not through with The Expanse books, but every single one I read has been amazing thus far.

Notable books:

Fluency by Jennifer Foehner Wells

The Expanse books: by James S.A. Corey

Graphic Novels

I’ve noticed this year that my preference has changed a little bit. I’ve gone from more the Marvel comics universe to desiring the depth of Graphic Novels. I’m hoping to get more into them in the next year. But the work I’ve enjoyed the most so far is Monstress by Marjorie Liu

And that’s that – I’m really looking forward to an awesome year of reading in 2019 – I’ve got so many books on my kindle to get through!

Deadpool 2

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Or why it has never been a better time to be a fan of superheroes

I went to go see Deadpool 2 on its opening day, and I was excited to see what they did with the sequel. Although this isn’t really a review post, I will say that I enjoyed the sequel more than the original. At the end of the day, this is Deadpool we’re talking about. If you enjoyed the first, you’ll probably enjoy the second as well.

Going to see Deadpool 2 made me think about just how fortunate those of us who love superhero films are in this day and age. And it’s not just about quantity, either. Truth be told, I’d actually rather there be a few less comic book films as blockbusters. Give me truly original content any day of the week.

No, what I’m thinking about is how we’ve gotten to a new stage in superhero movies. We’re past the point where we have to sit through a ton of origin stories (although I’m sure Marvel still has a few more in the bag). Now we get to see studios try new and interesting takes on superheroes in film. We’re not rebooting Spiderman for the fifteenth time – now, we’re making him grow up.

Right now, I’m specifically thinking of Logan, Infinity War, Black Panther, and Deadpool 2. Each of these movies is incredibly different from one another, but each one has done something new, interesting, and fantastic.

Perhaps this is best said by the Nerdwriter in his video on the subject. If you’re interested, it’s about Logan, and you can find it here: When superhero films get old

But to sum it up, I’d say this: Now that superhero films have become a staple of our culture, they can evolve and become something more. Whether the genre is being lovingly skewered by Deadpool or diversified by Black Panther, we’re seeing what happens when a genre reaches a place where it can push beyond its previous boundaries. In my opinion, this is the time when we’ll see the best films as a result.

Although I have to admit, I’m still really not sure about Ant-man and the Wasp.

Thoughts on Artificial Intelligence

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This week will see the launch of a new book, called Code of Vengeance. This book was really fun to write, and came out of a truly unique collaboration.

Let’s discuss the book first: Code of Vengeance follows a young woman as she encounters a robot in the somewhat near future (2050s) that seems to be far more than it appears. But the woman has secrets of her own. If you want the full description and get a peek at the cover, check out the page here: Code of Vengeance.

The book is a soft sci-fi action and adventure. Take some Batman, a hint of Minority Report, and add just a dash of conspiracy, and you’ve got a pretty good idea of what you’re in for. If you’re interested, please, check it out!

One of the reasons I enjoyed writing this book so much was because of the research I did regarding AI. The technology has been prevalent in the news lately, but researching this book gave me an excuse to dive deep on the subject. What I found was both terrifying and fascinating.

If I had to summarize, I’d say that AI has the potential to be the most life-altering invention we ever create. That’s why it’s fascinating. When we create it, AI will change everything we know about economics, employment, science, and more.

AI is terrifying for the same reasons. Ultimately, we will be creating something that is smarter than us by any measurement, and we lack the ability to predict what the consequences of that invention will be. It’s no exaggeration to say that true AI could save us all or kill us all, and we can’t predict with any certainty which way it will fall. It’s that very uncertainty that has people like Elon Musk worried.

All of this, of course, is fertile ground for fiction, and its certainly been done before. But I’m not sure it’s ever been written about in the rich world that’s going to be created. The reason for this is that Code of Vengeance is the first book I’ve ever written in what will become an enormous shared world with many other very smart, very talented writers.

This world is called The Inevitable, and eventually will be comprised of hundreds of works. But this book will be one of the first.

To give you an idea of how deep this world is, I once sat in a room with a group of other writers and we spent an entire day working our way through hundreds of years of future history – creating a lasting, believable world with incredible depth.

For those of you who are sci-fi fans, I hope you enjoy.

Ryan

Cancellation of The Expanse

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Like many fans, I was surprised and heartbroken to hear that SyFy decided not to renew The Expanse for a fourth season. If you read the blog frequently, you know that I’m a huge fan of the book series and was introduced to the universe by the TV show.

The initial reaction of fans was one of anger and disbelief. The show is highly rated by critics, and many fans saw the show as a return to high-concept television like the remake of Battlestar Galactica – the sort of show that makes the SyFy channel worth watching.

The cancellation has really made me think about the current state of media, and what follows are my random thoughts.

First, this has made me sad because it highlights how many challenges face good television – particularly in sci-if, where production budgets are often high. The Expanse wasn’t a cheap show to make, and although its critical score was sky-high, its viewership (at least first-run on SyFy), wasn’t that high. Economically, I suspect SyFy probably made the right choice, and it saddens me that’s true. I think competition is fantastic, and if it doesn’t make sense for networks to take chances on shows like The Expanse, we all lose.

Second, It reminded me that we truly live in a golden age of media. Count me among the many who have their fingers crossed that Netflix or Amazon picks the show up. Even a few years ago, a show’s cancellation was the final nail in the coffin. Today, that’s no longer the case. I love that we can even hope for a continuation of the show.

Finally, it comes as a reminder to me to be willing to financially support the media that we love. I know this sounds self-serving, coming from an author who wants people to buy my books, but I’m guilty of this as well. Up until a few years ago, I almost exclusively got all my books from the library and waited until everything was available on Netflix before watching. I’m getting better, but The Expanse reminded me that I’m definitely not perfect. For as much as I love the show, I’ve never paid a dime specifically to watch it. I don’t have cable, and I don’t subscribe to the SyFy app. I’ve waited for the series to come up on Prime Video and watch it then.

Hopefully, the show gets picked up by a streaming service. Until then, I will mourn the loss of a fantastic sci-fi show and enjoy the final season.

My Love Affair with BattleTech

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A small selection of my Battletech books

I’d be really curious how many people who read this post are already familiar with BattleTech.

For those who aren’t, here’s a very brief summary: BattleTech was originally designed as a board game in the 1980s, but then grew into a somewhat enormous universe. There have been over 100 novels written about the universe, video games, card games, and even an animated TV show. The world revolves primarily around combat between huge, 30-100 ton war machines.

I came to the world through the novels. In middle school I was looking for something new, and the images of giant machines fighting on the covers of trade paperbacks were enough to make me ask for one every time I visited a bookstore.

As a younger reader, I loved the books. They are filled with action, and were my sci-fi equivalent of candy. I remember a vacation when I packed one duffel bag full of clothes and another full of Battletech books. My parents actually got after me because we were driving through beautiful national parks and I had my face buried deep in my books.

However, as I’ve gotten older, I’ve occasionally gone back and reread a handful of the books. Every time I do, I discover something I was too young to realize before. Most recently, I’ve realized that the novels, in particular, have created a universe almost unparalleled outside of comic books. The universe spans hundreds of worlds, hundreds of years, and a cast of characters both loved and hated. There have been universe-altering events, much like the crossover events of Marvel comics.

The scope of what the universe accomplished, especially considering the fact that the books were written in the 90s, before shared universes were common, is terribly impressive. Even decades after the creation of Battletech, there are new games coming out (and yes, I play Mechwarrior Online and the brand new Battletech game. I love them both.), and there are fans who remain committed to the universe.

I think that what I love about this universe is that there are so many ways to fall in love. If you like tactical board games, there’s an entry point. If you love thoughtful, first person shooters, there’s an entry point. And if you simply enjoy stories where 100 ton machines duke it out with overpowered weapons, there’s a place for you, too.

Thoughts on Infinity War (Spoilers)

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So, to get started, I should probably issue the standard boilerplate: spoilers abound below, so proceed at your own risk.

Second, I’m going to avoid discussing whether or not the movie was “good.” I don’t find that discussion particularly interesting for many movies/books/music, etc. If you’re curious, watch yourself and form your own opinion. Art is too subjective, and what I like, you may really not.

Third, this is a pretty random collection of thoughts in my head – if you’re looking for an organized, coherent argument, this probably isn’t for you. 🙂

  • Marketing: I really hate that Kevin Feige believes that Infinity War stands on its own as a movie. I really don’t think it does, and because I’m not spending every day scavenging the internet for the latest Marvel rumors, I didn’t even know that Infinity War was filmed as two movies at the same time and was originally a Part 1/Part 2. Frankly, I left the theater bewildered and confused, and it was only after researching the internet back at home that I found out it’s just the first half of the story. I think my experience would have been a lot better if they simply would have put “Part 1” in the title.
  • Confusion: related to above, but still an interesting phenomenon which I think is fairly unique to comics universes. As the movie ends, we see a lot of our heroes die. If you’re a storyteller, you want this to have some punch, right? Spiderman dying right in Iron Man’s arms (If I believed it), should have sent me into tears (I’ll admit it, I can cry at a solid superhero death). Instead, I’m just like, “huh? Isn’t the next spiderman movie coming out in 2019?” Same with Black Panther. After the amazing performance at the box office, there’s no way there’s not going to be another Black Panther movie. As a viewer, I understand that. But instead of giving Panther’s death any weight, it just leaves me confused. I think this is unique to comics (particularly Marvel and DC, where death is generally nothing more inconvenient than hitting the pause button). I’ll admit, I’m not a huge fan of how death is treated in comics, but I think it really fails when brought to the big screen. Worse, when the characters are restored to life (as I assume – I suppose there are other paths forward, but that seems most likely to me), how are we as an audience supposed to react when characters die in future movies? Death is supposed to be one of the highest stakes we have as storytellers, and this practice of bringing characters back to life undermines those stakes.
  • Plot line balancing: I’ve written before how I think that it general it is much harder to pull off an ensemble movie than one focused on a single character. My greatest concern was that Infinity War would be buried under the weight of the number of stars and plot lines in the film. Here, I have to give both credit and caution. First, the credit – I think Marvel handled the enormity of their task as well as humanly possible. I was very impressed by how they handled the interactions, pacing, and complex story. I think it was brilliant to make Thanos the protagonist (some may disagree, but I’d argue he has the most complete story arc). The caution, and the downside, of course, is that we don’t see much in the way of character development in the film. Being as I’m considering this film to be part 1, that may change as the story finishes. However, as it stands, I would say this: while this movie is an incredible achievement in terms of bringing an ensemble cast together and tying up a decade of storytelling, I don’t think this movie, considered on its own, will be considered a classic. (regardless of how many billions it collects)
  • Movies approaching comics: I’ve actually been thinking this for the last few Marvel movies, but it seems to me that the MCU is becoming more and more like its comic origins. Infinity War felt like a double length issue, rather than a trade paperback the others more closely resemble. I’m curious to see how the next phase develops.

As you can clearly see above, my feelings on the movie are mixed. Nevertheless, I think everybody can acknowledge what an achievement Marvel has put together over the past decade.