Tag: Analysis
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Between Tradecraft and Thrills: The Brilliance Trilogy
Previously, I discussed Gregg Hurwitz’s Orphan X series and how the protagonist’s poor tradecraft set up superior scenes. The series demonstrates that you don’t need perfect tradecraft to create a superior story. However, if you throw authenticity out the window altogether, you won’t have a believable story. Case in point: Marcus Sakey’s Brilliance trilogy. In…
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Between Tradecraft and Thrills: Orphan X
New York Times bestseller Gregg Hurwitz blew into the writing scene with his debut Minutes to Burn. With his Timothy Rackley series, Hurwitz hit his stride, solidifying his position as a top-shelf thriller author. In his latest series, Orphan X, he has reached new heights, producing a magnificent blend of pulse-pounding action, complex characterisation, powerful imagery,…
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Comic Analysis: Batman: White Knight
What if the Joker became the hero and Batman is a villain? It sounds like an awesome concept, but in the hands of Sean Murphy and Matt Hollingsworth, it is merely a superhero story without heroes. (Unmarked spoilers ahead!) Batman: White Knight opens with a scene familiar to Batman fans. The Joker is fleeing the scene…
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Appendix N: Robert E Howard, Masculinity and Morality
Robert E Howard stands astride the world of American literature as a forgotten titan. With hundreds of stories and poems to his name, he built a bibliography that dwarfs any ten modern writers by the age of thirty. He wrote in a vast array of genres, from Westerns to spicy romances, light-hearted humourous tales to…
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Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Harem
Saenai Heroine no Sodatekata is an anime all otaku can resonate with. Season 1 follows the ups and downs of a high school indie game development group, with a mix of humour, harem hijinks and character interplay. Season 2 exchanges the humour for drama, with interpersonal tension and conflict threatening to tear the group apart.…
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The Dark Tower Movie Won’t Come Close to the Dark Tower Novels
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjwfqXTebIY&w=560&h=315] Watching the Dark Tower movie trailer, I understood immediately that Hollywood had once again taken a beloved franchise and warped it into something barely recognisable. Part of these changes are necessary. Adapting a novel into a movie requires requires the filmmakers to make massive changes to fit the new medium. It is a…