Book Review: Cujo

So, I first started reading Stephen King in the Summer of 2009, when I read his infamous book It. I definitely intend to review that book sometime, because it was amazing. But for now I'm going to review one of his earlier works, Cujo.

I'll try to do this without any spoliers.

On a surface level, the book is about a good, loveable dog named Cujo who gets rabies, and then goes berserk and starts killing people. The central focus is on a mother and her toddler son whose car breaks down on a sweltering summer day in the middle of the country and completely isolated, while Cujo prowls around, attacks the car, tries to get in and kill them. This is the 70's, so this is before the time of cell phones, and they are left utterly helpless, no one knowing where they are. They are trapped and time is running out as they bake in the sun, and have no sustainable amount of food or water.

But what the book is really about (like all good books) is human relationships. The intensity of the book, along with the tragedies it shows, really give the reader (at least it gave me) a feeling of appreciation and gratitude for the relationships I have in my own life. People die, someone has an affair, another is trying to escape an abusive relationship, a father is trying to hold his career together in the face of scandal so he can support his family, and a mother and daughter are just trying to survive and hang on to each other while they pray to God that someone finds them. King interweaves all these stories and makes them connect, and the result of all these stressful situations you are reading about is one nerve-wracking book that is at times hard to read (because you hate to feel the pain the characters are all going through) , but is also a page-turner at the same time. You have to know how it all turns out, if these people will ever find relief, ever be saved from the horrible situations they find themselves in.

It is also a very sobering book. Because it shows just exactly how things can fall apart, and how everything can go to hell. And then what...? How exactly do you deal with that? And the aftermath...?

I've only read two of Stephen King's books (It and Cujo) but I have to say one of the things I really love about his writing is his complete lack of inhibition. The man just does not seem to censor himself much at all - and by that I'm not talking about using profanity, but he just lets out exactly what he thinks. The characters think and do exactly what would come natural to them - and those are sometimes very shocking things that "normal people" might not think about...(but what's "normal" anyway, right?) His own narrating voice is the same - at times shocking, at times hilarious and sarcastic, at times utterly sincere and moving. I think it's that freedom he gives himself that is the key factor in what ends up being a really good book. In being unrestrained as a writer, those nuggets of gold come to the surface. Sure, you can edit yourself later if you want - but I think that's a great lesson for all writers out there. Don't be too self-restraining when you're writing - just let it come out - and come what may.

Since the 10 scale is a good one and allows for more wiggle room than a 5 scale, I think I'll steal my friend Neal's grading system at  English Major versus the World and give it 8/10 stars. It's a good read.

Movie Review: Wrath of the Titans

My Rating: 3/5 stars (being generous because I liked parts of it).

So I meant to go see The Avengers the other night, but instead saw Wrath of the Titans due to it having been in the theatre long enough to probably be making an exit soon, and I still wanted to see it on the big screen. Plus, The Avengers crowd was huuuuuuuuuuuge, and I couldn't get in to see the 3D IMAX like I wanted because of conflicting scheduling. So, Wrath of the Titans was a happy substitute.

I really do appreciate a great film, but I don't think I'm much of a film snob. I can enjoy a good, dumb movie for the sake of being entertained (but if it's dumb, I at least better be entertained!!)  Sure, not TOO dumb...I do prefer there to be some semblance of plot/motive/character development and resolution...

Anyway, Wrath of the Titans, like it's predecessor re-make, Clash of the Titans, was just another "dumb" Greek myth themed action movie. Speaking of Clash of the Titans, I actually preferred the story of the original more than that of the re-make, and was sorely disappointed with Clash of the Titans re-make because I was expecting to see a better story, instead of what was mostly just an action movie with under-developed characters.....but that being said, I at least knew what I was in for this time in seeing Wrath of the Titans. I was not to expect much depth, and this was to mainly be pure action and special effects entertainment.

And this proved to be right.

But! I was surprised by some interesting and unexpected character development! And this actually made me enjoy Wrath of the Titans a good deal more than the Clash of the Titans re-make.

The movie essentially has two themes - the bonds between brothers (in this case, Zeus, Poseidon and Hades and also Perseus and Ares who were half-brothers) and the bonds between fathers and sons (Cronos and his divine children, Zeus and his sons Ares and Perseus, and Perseus and his son Helius). While not exploring these themes too deeply to distract from the fast-paced action, they engage them enough to give some texture to the characters and make things a bit more intriguing. You also have an older Perseus finally coming to terms with who he is - the son of a God. That's an interesting piece of development as well.

The other thing I liked about the movie was the epic scale of it all. Gods turn to ash and die. Titans come to life and destroy - and you get to see exactly what is so titanic about the Titans. They are really fun to watch. Big, bad, elemental forces that are near unstoppable except...by Gods.

It's interesting to think about how the Greek Gods are the offspring of a Titan like Cronos (shown above)...how Cronos tried to devour his children, and is this uncontrollable elemental force of power, rage and destruction...yet his children are beautiful, ordered Gods who behave in a civilized way for the most part...are subject to human passions, yet capable of fighting them and containing them. It's intriguing to think of the metaphor contained in the ancient myths of these divine, civilized Gods fighting to contain the elemental power of the Titans. It seems to say something about civilization as well as human beings in general.

Anyway - as a "dumb" movie, part of me would be tempted to give it 2.5 out of 5 stars, but because I personally was entertained and the movie pleasantly surprised me, I think I'll give it 3 out of 5 stars, which in my book is an average, enjoyable movie for the purposes of entertainment. And the special effects really make it fun to watch on the big screen.

I still think there's room for a third installment, considering the possibilities left open at the ending. But I won't spoil it for you. It's still in theatres if you're interested!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

This will be a short post for the moment because I got guests coming today and things to do, but Happy Cinco de Mayo!

I don't really know much about the history of the day, so I wikied it:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinco_de_mayo

Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for "fifth of May") is a celebration held on May 5. It is celebrated nationwide in the United States and regionally in Mexico, primarily in the state of Puebla,^[1][2][3][4] where the holiday is called El Día de la Batalla de Puebla (English: The Day of the Battle of Puebla).^[5][6][7] The date is observed in the United States as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride,^[8] and to commemorate the cause of freedom and democracy during the first years of the American Civil War.^[9][10] In the state of Puebla, the date is observed to commemorate the Mexican army's unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, under the leadership of General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín.^[2][11] Contrary to widespread popular belief, Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico's Independence Day—the most important national patriotic holiday in Mexico—which is actually celebrated on September 16.^[2][12]

Yeah, I thought I heard it was Mexican Independence Day too....but it's not! All I ever really knew about it was that it was a day to have some good chips and dip and fiesta music. I always love a reason to celebrate. So remember the battle of Puebla, and have a good day!

The Sad Tale of Coriantumr, the Last Jaredite King

At church recently, I was reading something in the Book of Mormon about repentence. I try to pay attention to the thoughts that may pop into my mind when I am reading the scriptures, because I know that's how you open yourself up to guidance from the Holy Ghost. I try to listen to those thoughts and follow them where they lead me. At church, I especially try to listen, because I feel like perhaps the Spirit may be more abundant there, and perhaps I might be in a better place to be influenced by it, if I am receptive.

I was in Alma 13, and it was talking about King Melchizedek (in the Bible), and how he preached repentence to his people:

17 Now this Melchizedek was a king over the land of Salem; and his people had waxed strong in iniquity and abomination; yea, they had all gone astray; they were full of all manner of wickedness;

 18 But Melchizedek having exercised mighty faith, and received the office of the high priesthood according to the ^aholy order of God, did preach repentance unto his people. And behold, they did repent; and Melchizedek did establish peace in the land in his days; therefore he was called the prince of peace, for he was the king of Salem...

And then it continues:

 27 And now, my brethren, I ^awish from the inmost part of my heart, yea, with great ^banxiety even unto pain, that ye would hearken unto my words, and cast off your sins, and not ^cprocrastinate the day of your repentance;

 28 But that ye would humble yourselves before the Lord, and call on his holy name, and ^awatch and pray continually, that ye may not be ^btempted above that which ye can bear, and thus be ^cled by the Holy Spirit, becoming humble, ^dmeek, submissive, patient, full of love and all long-suffering;

 29 ^aHaving faith on the Lord; having a hope that ye shall receive eternal life; having the ^blove of God always in your hearts, that ye may be lifted up at the last day and enter into his ^crest.

 30 And may the Lord grant unto you repentance, that ye may not bring down his wrath upon you, that ye may not be ^abound down by the chains of ^bhell, that ye may not suffer the second ^cdeath.

I really think that's strong imagery, "the chains of hell"...how sins and the things of our lower nature really are like chains that need to be broken.

So all this talk about repentence and not procrastinating the day of your repentence reminded me of Coriantumr, the last Jaredite king. For those of you who don't know, the Book of Mormon talks about a number of civilizations in the ancient Americas, and labels one of them as "the Jaredites". Eventually, the Jaredite civilization became utterly consumed in both wickedness and civil war. The Jaredite king at the time was one Coriantumr, and he fought to preserve his kingdom against those who were trying to take his throne. From Ether 13:

19 And it came to pass that the sons of Coriantumr fought much and bled much.

 20 And in the second year the word of the Lord came to Ether, that he should go and ^aprophesy unto ^bCoriantumr that, if he would repent, and all his household, the Lord would give unto him his kingdom and spare the people—

 21 Otherwise they should be destroyed, and all his household save it were himself. And he should only live to see the fulfilling of the prophecies which had been spoken concerning ^aanother people receiving the land for their inheritance; and Coriantumr should receive a burial by them; and every soul should be destroyed save it were ^bCoriantumr.

 22 And it came to pass that Coriantumr repented not, neither his household, neither the people; and the wars ceased not; and they sought to ^akill Ether, but he fled from before them and hid again in the cavity of the rock.

And so the wars went on. And on. And on. And on and on and on. You gotta hand it to Coriantumr, he was a real trooper! He endured so much strife and bloodshed and disruption. But there was no peace for him. No peace in the sense that the wars were continuing and tearing the civilization apart, and no peace in the spiritual sense as well. It all could have been so much easier, if he had but repented of his sins. But he ignored the warnings and procrastinated his repentence. He apparently thought it wasn't important enough to repent, that he could do things on his own, that he didn't need God. It was his pride. But he suffered, through it all. And in the end, it was too late. The prophecies began to be fulfilled. From Ether 15:

1 And it came to pass when Coriantumr had recovered of his wounds, he began to remember the ^awords which Ether had spoken unto him.

 2 He saw that there had been slain by the sword already nearly ^atwo millions of his people, and he began to sorrow in his heart; yea, there had been slain two millions of mighty men, and also their wives and their children.

 3 He began to repent of the evil which he had done; he began to remember the words which had been spoken by the mouth of all the prophets, and he saw them that they were fulfilled thus far, every whit; and his soul ^amourned and refused to be ^bcomforted.

He attempted to make peace with the challenger to his throne, but the challenger would not have peace unless Coriantumr submitted himself to him so he could kill him with his own hands, because the challenger was after Coriantumr for more than his throne, but also for personal revenge. And so even though Coriantumr sorrowed for his sins, the gears were already in motion for the destruction of the Jaredite civilization. I don't know if Coriantumr repented or not, or if he attempted to repent at that time. I don't know the status of what his personal salvation would have been. But the fate of the Jaredites was sealed. They gathered together all the men, women and children, every last person of their nation, for a period of four years, to gather their last remaining strength...and this lead to an apocalyptic last battle, in which the prophecy was fulfilled. Coriantumr had won the war - but he was the only Jaredite left standing. Because everyone, friend or foe - every last one of them but him - had died.

That's a pretty dark story, wouldn't you say?

But it sure gives you cause to think about the consequences of sin. It is, of course, an extreme example of the consequences of procrastinating repentence and delving further and further into wickedness...but even though it's an extreme example, it's also a relatable one - because we all procrastinate our repentence. We are all, in a sense, Coriantumr. The modern prophet Spencer W. Kimball made big point about the idea of repentence, about how it ultimately should not be a cause for sadness and grief - but for joy. Because in repenting, you cast away your sins and turn to a loving God who will forgive you, embrace you and heal you. And as your continue to repent, you find joy and peace in it, because you improve upon yourself, and because the Lord continues to forgive you, bless you and uplift you. And because as you purify yourself, you become filled with his light. You draw closer to him, and he draws closer and closer to you. And for that reason, Kimball said sincere repentence ought to be a daily routine - considering how weak, forgetful and imperfect we mortals all are. Wise words.

I've never gotten to the point of repenting on a daily basis. But I have to say, I can't deny that's a noble goal. And I can say that I've personally tasted God's forgiveness before, in that I knew through spiritual manifestation that he had forgiven me. And I've got to say, it was the most uplifting, purifying and joyous feeling. When the scriptures talk about being spiritually "reborn" - it really, truly does feel like that. It's incredible. All of that was a long time ago, but I haven't forgotten it, because it was so remarkable....and being the imperfect soul I am, I know it certainly couldn't hurt to try and revisit that type of experience.  

News, Plans and Books

Well, my baby boy Christopher was born in November! In  few days, he'll be exactly 6 months old. He's such a cutie. =)

It's been a long time since I posted. Needless to say, I've been busy, but I'm going to try and get the blog up and going again.

So, brief update in terms of my personal life:  my son was born, we moved into a newly built house, I celebrated my third anniversary with my wife, and have been continuing my school while working. Tentatively planning on going to Russia this summer to visit my wife's family in Yekaterinburg. I've been to Yekaterinburg once (to propose to her) and it'd be great to go back again to a country that is near and dear to my heart.

I also finally finished up The Belgariad. The Belgariad is a series of novels written by David Eddings. Kind of a weird story how I came to read these books. One night while lying in bed, I was thinking of possible names for books. "Magician's Gambit" was one that popped into my mind. Shortly thereafter, I was in a book store. For some kind of weird reason, I was about to walk past the fantasy aisle but felt compelled in an unusual way to stop and go down it. So I did. I just walked all the way down it and turned to literally the first book I saw. It was called "Pawn of Prophecy." I opened it up, and I was interested to see that it had many of the same themes that I was interested in when it came to my own ideas of writing fantasy. I saw that it was part of a series, and that one of the names of the books in that series was "Magician's Gambit". It's not an incredibly inventive name, I suppose, but I thought it was an interesting coincidence. Interesting enough that I decided to buy "Pawn of Prophecy" and start reading the series. I had always wanted to pick up a fantasy book at random that I had never heard of and start reading it anyway. But also, at the time, I had prayed for help with my writing. I felt like it was possible this could be an answer. It was just interesting how I had stopped in my tracks and felt drawn to retrieve that book, and that the first book I instantly saw and grabbed contained the name in it that I had thought of. What were the chances?

The Belgariad is a series of 5 novels, each between 300-400 pages. They chronicle the coming of age story of Garion - an obscure boy who is destined to be the "Child of Light" to challenge the Dark God Torak to battle to decide the fate of the universe. There are two prophecies that exist, one that fortells a victory for the Child of Light, and one that fortells a victory for the Dark God - and this eventual battle is to decide which prophecy will become reality. Of course, the battle doesn't take place until the fifth and final book. The rest of the series details Garion's growth into a young man and the pursuit of the Orb of Aldur (Aldur being a "good God", one of the divine brothers of Torak) and how this Orb is an essential weapon in defeating Torak. It has some Lord of the Rings type moments in there, and also an interesting theology for the world that feels biblical a lot of times.

Anyway, the series has some great characters and great character development over the course of the 5 books. I really enjoyed them. It continues on in a series of 5 called The Mallorean. I'm looking forward to it, but for now I'm reading Terry Goodkind's Soul of the Fire, part of his Sword of Truth series. It's 788 pages, so far I'm on page 286. I gotta say that I've enjoyed others of his books in the series more than I hve this one, up to this point in the book. But Goodkind is a good writer, and it's still a good book and is engaging - even with its ridiculous chickens that are the incarntion of evil. That gave me a good laugh.