Review: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I had started this book years ago and could not male it through to the end. That was long before the movies came out. I ended up revisiting this book after a "blind date with a library book" in which the book was wrapped in paper with a short blurb on the cover so I decided to give it another go.

Just the beginning reminded me why I had put it down in the first place, it just was a lot of mean people and young kids as main characters, not really my cup of tea

I forced myself to press through and by the time that Hogwarts comes around it does luckily pick up. Overall tough I must say that 3.5 is the most that I can award it. The ideas are original but not necessarily ones that I like. The audience is very obviously the middle grade reading crow 11-17ish. The chants and songs are original but also annoying, not really anything I would want to be repeated. The ideas are what pushes me through this book.

I do like the mystery woven throughout but wish there was less immature squabbling between the characters to get through to rally get to the meat of the story. Even on the "good" side there is a lot of wishes to carry out harm and even death to other barely known characters, which seems a bit extreme to me for this age.

I have repeatedly heard that this series does get better with each book, so one day in the future I will find myself int he 2nd book, because I do feel that this series ha potential if it can get more lively. Lots of great ideas here though.

View all my reviews

Oz: The Great & Powerful

Having wanted to see this one for quite some time, I was very happy to finally find the time to watch it last night.  I am a huge James Franco fan and it had some other fantastic actresses and voice actors as well.  The cinematography/CGI was beautifully done and I give the highest of honors to it.  The movie started out so beautifully and when OZ gets to Oz initially you feel like he may have made a wrong turn and ended up in Wonderland...  Unfortunately by the time he gets to the Emerald City things start to get weird.

Oz The Great and Powerful is about the Tale of Oz from the Wizard's point of view and is a prequel to he Wizard of Oz, and Return to Oz.  It was released in 2013 and directed by Sam Raimi.  The film is based on the Oz novels of L. Frank Baum and is supposed to be set at a time-frame 20 years previous to the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz.  Oscar Diggs (otherwise known as Oz) is a struggling traveling magician who arrives in the Land of Oz in a similar fashion as Dorothy (by way of tornado) while riding in a hot air balloon.  Oscar finds himself recruited to restore order to Oz and in the middle of a three-way fight with powerful witches Theodora, Evanora & Glinda.

Despite mixed reviews it was considered a box office success with a general theatrical release date of March 8, 2013.  It grossed $493 million worldwide, $234 million in the US & Canada.  Oz is supposed to be dated in teh year 1905 (placing it 20 years before the original film The Wizard of Oz).

There are quite a few instances of paying homage to the original film in this one.  Such as the starting out of the film in Sepia and then fading into color once Oscar arrives in Oz.  Cameo appearances of characters in Kansas that are also characters in Oz.  Annie (when in Kansas) informs Oscar that she has been proposed to by a man name John Gale...  Possible relation to Dorothy Gale.  The rest you will have to view for yourself as they may present themselves as spoilers if you do not know the story.



There is quite an all-star cast in this movie as well to include

Oscar Diggs/Wizard of Oz: James Franco (Spider-Man franchise, 127 Hours, General Hospital)
Theodora: Mila Kunis (That 70s Show, Black Swan, Family Guy, Ted, Friends With Benefits)
Evanora: Rachel Weisz (Mummy franchise, Constantine, Constant Gardener, Agora)
Glina/Annie: Michelle Williams (My Week With Marilyn, Shutter Island, Dawson's Creek)
Frank/Finley: Zach Braff (Scrubs, The Last Kiss, Garden State, Chicken Little)
Also featuring Bill Cobbs, Joey King and Tony Cox)

The original Wizard of Oz was put out by MGM in 1939 as they had bought the rights to it first.  Walt Disney had always dreamed of working on an Oz film and later acquired rights to the remaining books of Oz, which lead him to start working on  The Rainbow Road to Oz with his Mousketeers.  Unfortunately he didn't like the way that it was going and didn't feel that it was worth of the Oz story and it wasn't until after his death that Return to Oz was released becoming a cult classic.

Initially Robert Downey, Jr was sought after as the role of Oz but once Sam Raimi was hired on and discovered the disinterest in the film by Downey they decided to look to Johnny Depp.  Depp declined due to his working on the Lone Ranger at the time and it wasn't until 5 months before filming began that James Franco was signed on for a 7 million dollar deal.  Franco & Raimi had previously worked together on the Spiderman franchise.  Art Director Robert Stromberg (Avatar, Alice in Wonderland) went with an art deco approach to the emerald city.  (This explains why the opening feels like Wonderland).  There were many artistic stipulation placed on this production to include the ruby slippers, the color of green of the original witches skin as well as the mole on her chin,  and they could not use a yellow brick swirl for Munchkinland.  This led to the green of the wicked witch being significantly darker, it has a special name but it could be a spoiler.

On March 7th, 2013, a sequel was confirmed.  Mila Kunis stated that all acting talent had already signed on for a sequel.  Sam Raimi was already made it known that a sequel would be directed by someone other than himself.  The sequel would reportedly NOT contain Dorothy and it was stated that 20 years between the prequel and the original allow for a lot to happen.

Overall I have to say that I give this film 3.5 out of 5 stars.  It was good, but not fantastic.  As I previously stated, it started out SO well with the lead up to Oz and then things started to get weird, there was a weird kind of love triangle interest int he beginning of meeting both witch sisters which was kind of left hanging in the air.  The movement of the witches was very irritating to me during battles, they were very jerky and much too fast and strange feeling.  Glinda didn't have the feel of being as good as you wanted her to be, I felt like she was more on par with the Wicked Glinda which was ok, but not expected.  Overall the story was really good when it flowed consistently, with the background of how the Wicked Witch came to be and with the Wizard of Oz.  However there were some seriously choppy parts that felt like things had been cut or taken out and then never smoothed over to make the movie flow as one.  I loved the use of the brain as opposed to magic and the belief in something to make something come to pass.  I also loved the costuming in the movies, some very awesome takes on witchy dresses and Oscar look svery dapper throughout in his suits.  It was a great backdrop as to how the Wizard became what we saw in the Wizard of Oz.  The scenes were very beautiful but the weird jerkiness and some of the witch battles that had some really tacky feeling CGI as well as choppy parts leave me with a 3.5 for this movie.  If you are a lover of Oz though it is definitely worth the watch...  but maybe not more than once.

If you would like to view the movie website you can go here: Oz The Great and Powerful

Stone of Tears: Sword of Truth Series Review

Stone of Tears: Sword of Truth Series Review

Now that I am on to the 2nd book in Terry Goodkind's Sword Of Truth Series, it is hard not to be completely sucked into his world.  This was released in 1995 a mere year after the original book was released.  It has been revered as having one of the greatest heroine war scenes of it's genre. 









This book: Stone of Tears continues to follow along the journeys of Richard And Kahlan, not forgetting about Zedd and Rachel who were some of our story tellers from the first book.  We are also introduced to many other returning characters as well as a plethora of brand new characters and brand
new beliefs.  We also see things from a "Sister's perspective" We learn some new war tactics, and we travel to new places and are introduced to "The Old World."  We get to know Adie a bit more and learn to have love and compassion for a creature previously thought to be a horror.  There are so many new cultures and beliefs in this book.

My overall review of the book is that it was a great follow on to the Wizard's First Rule.  We pick right back up from where we left off.  Our main characters are understandably shaken up after the events from the first book but are positive and in good spirits at the opening of this book.  I was again sucking into Terry Goodkind's world and had a hard time leaving it.  I once again found myself on a couple of occasions speed reading to get to pique moments in the story.  I felt sorrow and happiness along with the characters who are brought back to life.  I spent a lot of time in philosophical thought of events and beliefs within this book and in real life.  My only negative thing that I can really say about the Stone of Tears in and of itself is that towards the end when the titled object comes majorly into play it felt a little rushed and quickly over after so much lead up.  I felt like perhaps it could have gone more in depth, but the story was wrapping up rather quickly.  At least Goodkind had the good sense to slow down a bit when it came time to the actual closing of this novel and the opening for the next novel.  

Richard and Kahlan must put their feelings for one another to a test that could break them forever.  Richard must learn to really be who he is and accept himself for who he must be to fulfill prophecy or else the world as they know it will come to a dark end.  Can Kahlan and Richard both grow up in ways that could tear them apart?  Can Richard save the world from the darkness of the Keeper and the underworld?  Check out the book to read and see what happens next in their journey.






In the event that you forgot the Wizard's First Rule as we enter into this book it was: "People are stupid; given proper motivation, almost anyone will believe almost anything. Because people are stupid, they will believe a lie because they want to believe it's true, or because they are afraid it might be true. People's heads are full of knowledge, facts, and beliefs, and most of it is false, yet they think it all true. People are stupid; they can only rarely tell the difference between a lie and the truth, and yet they are confident they can, and so are all the easier to fool"

The wizard's Second rule is introduced to us in this novel which is: The greatest harm can result from the best intentions. —Chapter 63, p. 634, U.S. hardcover edition "It sounds a paradox, but kindness and good intentions can be an insidious path to destruction. Sometimes doing what seems right is wrong, and can cause harm. The only counter to it is knowledge, wisdom, forethought, and understanding the First Rule. Even then, that is not always enough. [...] Violation can cause anything from discomfort, to disaster, to death."









Enjoy this amazing story and be on the lookout for my review on the 3rd book of the series, coming soon!

In case you missed my book review on the first book in the series, Wizard's First Rule, be sure to check out: Wizard's First Rule Review.

Wizard's First Rule: Sword Of Truth Series Book Review

When Terry Goodkind decided to finally add to the amazing world and story of Richard and Kahlan from his Sword of Truth series I was so overcome with glee.  His last book was recently released and I had not read the Sword of Truth series in about 7 years.  Although the basis of the story will never leave my mind, I wanted to have all of the little details brought to the forefront, I wanted to be sucked back into the epic world that Goodkind created with the life adventure he takes you on in this series and then add to it the 2 recent books.

With that being said I have started over with book 1: Wizard's First Rule...  Now before I get too far ahead of myself I want to give you some background knowledge on what a truly gifted writer Terry Goodkind is.
Terry Goodkind wrote Wizard's First Rule in 1994.  He was previously a painter and had no interest in writing due to being dyslexic.  He has been influenced greatly by the objectivism in the books written by Ayn Rand (Atlas Shrugged).  This is apparent in many of his novels.  Wizard's First Rule was the first novel that Terry Goodkind has ever written and it was auctioned off to the record price of $275,000.  The most money ever paid at that time for a first time author fantasy novel.  

Now back to the book Wizard's First Rule.   The first time that I read this book in 2006, or 2007 I remember speeding through the first three books in the series, I was SO into them in fact that for Christmas I got the remaining 8 books and was thrilled and didn't need anything else.  I can't even tell you what else I got for Christmas, because this ruled my mind at the time.  I have since shared this book with so many people.  To date, not a one who has taken the chance to pick this series up has been disappointed and everyone I know has always felt like they have been connected with this world. 

The Sword of Truth starts out introducing you to Richard Cypher, the woodsman and guide.  He is in a distraught state of mind as his father was killed violently with no real clue as to who the killer may have been.  While out in the woods clearing his mind and on a constant search to clues for the killer he spots Kahlan Amnell on a mountain pass being followed by 4 men.  He decides that she appears to be in danger and due to his huge heart he goes after her to try to help.  From the very first chapter Goodkind sucks you in with his incredible attention to detail and with giving you the feeling that you are actually there watching and taking part in the adventure.  He does an amazing job of telling the story from the point of view of almost every character that has any sort of significant role at all.  He makes you feel like you are in that person's mind.  From man to woman from child to elder, wizard to Seeker to Confessor, from "good" guy to "bad" guy.  He makes you really CARE about his characters throughout the story.  He humanizes them all.  He does not present a formidable foe without showing you glimpses into what made them who they are.  Richard as a man is able to objectively look at situations and people from more than one side by the end of the story to really show the entirety of things. 

The title Wizard's First Rule actually comes from the first rule of being a wizard as taught by Richard's mentor and friend the wizard Zedd:
"Wizard's First Rule: people are stupid." Richard and Kahlan frowned even more. "People are stupid; given proper motivation, almost anyone will believe almost anything. Because people are stupid, they will believe a lie because they want to believe it's true, or because they are afraid it might be true. People's heads are full of knowledge, facts, and beliefs, and most of it is false, yet they think it all true. People are stupid; they can only rarely tell the difference between a lie and the truth, and yet they are confident they can, and so are all the easier to fool.
"Because of Wizards First Rule, the old wizards created Confessors, and Seekers, as a means of helping find the truth, when the truth is important enough. Darken Rahl knows the Wizard's Rules. He is using the first one. People need an enemy to feel a sense of purpose. It's easy to lead people when they have a sense of purpose. Sense of purpose is more important by far than the truth. In fact, truth has no bearing in this. Darken Rahl is providing them with an enemy, other than himself, a sense of purpose. People are stupid; they want to believe, so they do."
—Chapter 36, p.560, U.S. paperback edition
*The truth in this philosophy can be applied in every day in watching the news and what is reported and the way that people react to it.  

This and all of Terry Goodkind's books go beyond just the simple art of story telling.  They are also philosophical and make you think.  You find yourself looking forward to the next time that you can be in the world of the series no matter how bleak things may be.  I at times would get to anxious for what was to come that I would find myself momentarily skipping through some of the descriptions to see what was about to happen to one of the many beloved characters.   This book does a wonderful job showing that everyone is good or bad in their own way.  And that we are all humans working towards the purpose that seems to be right in our own eyes based on our own world views and our culture and values.  We all have different backstories and no two purposes are exactly the same.  Although some may lead us on a path together or may make us seem more "right" or "wrong" to someone else. 

I realized that no, I have not given a very detailed explanation of this book and I do that on purpose.  Wizard's First Rule is your initial glimpse into this atmosphere and this world and this way of thinking and living and the fantasy.  So many small parts within the story constantly play upon one another and adapt and grow into a much larger picture in this and in the following books.  It is for that reason that I merely invite you in to explore for yourself.  I do not want to ruin the start of your journey for you.  Within you will see through the eyes of  Richard Cypher, a TRUE seeker, Kahlan Amnell the Mother Confessor, Zeddicus Z'ul Zorander a wizard of the first order, Darken Rahl, a powerful wizard with a powerful agenda and much vengeance in his heart, Rachel, a Princess's plaything.  These are merely the characters whose eyes we see through and dosn't even come close to covering the many unforgettable characters that you will meet along the way.  Take a chance and dive into this amazing world, or revisit it if you have been away for too long like I have.  I can guarantee that you won't regret the time spent there. 

 Terry Goodkind's Official Site