Books

Wayward by Chuck Wendig

April 12, 2023 GuillermoLeave a comment

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Like with its predecessor, I trudged through the pages of Wayward. It’s not that the book is unenjoyable, but I’m older now and these books are heavy! Also, my eyesight isn’t what it used to be (thanks COVID (and, I guess, old age)). I did “hack” my way through the pages, though, by also listening to the audiobook – something I highly recommend as the narrators are AMAZING!

I re-read Wanderers before jumping into this book to refresh my memory of the world Wendig constructed, and I began to wonder if Wayward was even necessary. The first book’s open-ending does give wiggle room for the sequel, but I like the aspect of letting the audience make their own conclusion. However, I did like the idea of that motherfucking rockgod extraordinaire, Pete Corley.

Wayward does answer some questions left open at the end of Wanderers:

What happens after an AI goes rogue, causes an apocalyptic pandemic, and grooms its handpicked survivors into worshiping it?
Where’s Ed Creel? Is ARM/Creel Coalition still a threat to Ouray?
What will happen to Shana’s baby?
Is Matthew Bird’s wife still out there?
But more importantly – where the fuck is Pete Corley?!

Goddamnit, Chuck, tell me! Just don’t make me cry!*

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Books

Wanderers by Chuck Wendig

March 10, 2023March 10, 2023 Guillermo1 Comment

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I first read Wanderers in 2019, the year of its release. At the time, I felt that maybe Chuck Wendig might have gone over the top with his description of right-wing militia types. Sure, they’re stoked in paranoia and racism in real life, but would they really try to overthrow the government during a pandemic?^* Despite all the things that happened in the years leading up to that summer, 2019-me was still full of naivete.

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Television

The Stand

May 17, 2021May 16, 2021 GuillermoLeave a comment

Let’s talk about The Stand, shall we?

I am not a Stephen King aficionado. And while I love the movies based on his works, I am not even his #1 fan. I have read a few short stories, a couple of his Kindle singles, a novella, and an amazing audiobook narrated by Michael C. Hall.¹ In fact, the only novel-length book I’ve read by Stephen King was his post-apocalyptic book, The Stand.

My first encounter with story came from the 1994 miniseries which aired on ABC. It starred Gary Sinise, Molly Ringwald, and a whole bunch of actors that I’d see on TV and movies throughout my adolescent years. While it didn’t have the best production value – it was a made-for-TV miniseries, after all – it still captivated my 11-year-old imagination. It became my gold standard for post-apocalyptic tales, especially those revolving around pandemics that wipe out humanity.

I didn’t read the book until 2009, when I found a copy at a used bookstore. This copy was a 1980, mass-market paperback which mirrored the 1978 hardcover; the only difference between the books – other than the obvious – were the date changes. In the 1978 edition, the apocalypse happed in 1980; in the paperback, the apocalypse was moved to 1985. For those not in-the-know, the 1978 edition was meant to be a much larger work; Doubleday had warned King that a book of such size would be too much for the market to bear. It wasn’t until 1990 that King’s original vision for the book came to fruition.

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Work

Sound Boarding

June 18, 2018 GuillermoLeave a comment

Ever feel stuck? Like you’re filled with so much motivation to create something that your brain is bursting at the seems? That your physical body goes through the motions because your mind is sussing things out. Building worlds. Building ideas. Handcrafting lyrics and paragraphs like verses. Testing out waters with other friends to see what they think. Wondering if you have it in you to go through with a plan for a change. Feeling that if your promotion doesn’t go through, then maybe it’s time to build a side hustle that could, one day, be a full time job.

That’s where I am at the moment. I’m revisiting writing. I picked up Chuck Wendig’s Damn Fine Story yesterday at Barnes and Noble in hopes to get the old motor running again. I dedicated the year on reading poetry again (not exclusively, but I have been paying more attention to the genre); I finished Sabrina Benaim’s Depression & Other Magic Tricks today. The book’s an inspiration. (More on that later.)

Aside from writing, there’s, well, more writing. I’m working on an idea inspired by those Eat This, Not That book series. Except, rather saving you calories, I’m aiming something more popular culture. Unsure how that come to fruition right now, but I’m still mapping that out. Then there’s the sudden urge to record my voice and blast that off into the world (no idea why I want that).

I don’t know. I just feel stuck. And it’s not a fun feeling.

Books

Star Wars: Aftermath by Chuck Wendig

February 18, 2018 GuillermoLeave a comment

I tried reading Chuck Wendig’s Aftermath after it was added to the library’s collection some years ago. It didn’t work out too well. It was an awkward time in my life. The few books I read before Disney rebooted the Expanded Universe (now known as the Legends series) were still fresh in my mind. I wanted a universe where Sith zombies existed. Chuck Wendig’s book just didn’t cut it.

Now that I have a few Disney-verse Star Wars novels under my belt, I felt ready to give Wendig’s novel another chance. And while it’s not my favorite of my collection, it’s definitely worth the read.

The second Death Star facility has been destroyed. Rumors of Emperor Palpatine’s and his enforcer’s, Darth Vader, death have spread across the galaxy, reaching as far as the outer rim planets. In an effort to recover from their crumbling empire, several Imperials are conducting a meeting on the planet of Akiva. When New Republic hero Wedge Antilles uncovers their meeting, he sends a message to the New Republic before getting captured. But it’s too late, on the planet’s surface, Norra Wexley has intercepted the message and bands together with her son, a Zabrak bounty hunter, and an Imperial defector to save Wedge Antilles and take down these last remnants of the Empire.

That summary doesn’t do any justice to the storytelling prowess Chuck Wendig possesses. The story has its gripping moments that left me on the edge of my seat, but it also contain a few pitfalls that made me wish Wendig had focused on one of the other stories presented in his “interlude” chapters—namely the Han Solo & Chewbacca story. But it held my attention even as the interludes broke it—I’m guessing that was planned by the author as a pacing mechanism? Perhaps the repetition of imagery leads to bigger things in the second and third books of the Aftermath trilogy.

I loved how Wendig uses a diverse cast of characters, helping break the homo-normative and all-white cast that the sci-fi genre tends to keep. Not to mention, I loved Mister Bones, the revamped, reprogrammed B1 Battle Droid that acts as Temmin’s bodyguard and best friend.

This tale is definitely something to consider before re-watching The Force Awakens for the umpteenth time. You won’t be disappointed.

I’m currently racing through a monster of a book before AMC releases the series. Hopefully I’ll get through it after all the hiccups I’ve had with the pacing. After that’s over with, I’ll get back to updating the few readers here about what I’m doing with my life.

In the meantime, know that I’m brainstorming two writing project—I’ve mentioned one already. And until next time, keep on huntin’.

Doldrums

Final Thoughts on Star Wars

January 5, 2017 GuillermoLeave a comment

Part of the reason I’m having trouble enjoying the new Star Wars movies is the information they hold back. The Force Awakens tugs at the audiences’ curiosity by presenting the mystery of Rey’s past. I understand J.J. Abrams’s love for the mystery box, but the original films didn’t hold that much mystery.

Each question placed before the audience was answered within the same scene. These droids? Well, they obvious work for this woman. This woman? Well, we now know this is Princess Leia who, despite her protests, is part of the rebel alliance. Luke’s history, while mysterious for a moment, is revealed not too far into the movie. His father was a Jedi who fought alongside Obi-Wan in the Clone Wars. And if you argue that Darth Vader’s big reveal in Empire is proof of the mystery box, then you don’t know jack.*

Both in The Force Awakens and Rogue One we’re given minimal backstory about key elements in the movie. For instance, where the heck did the First Order get financing for the Starkiller? Also, what the heck is the First Order? And in Rogue One, we’re introduced to Galen Erso and Orson Krennic. These men are at odds, but we’re only given a glimpse to their past.

And it’s about this time where it hits me. Rogue One: Catalyst, a prequel novel to the film goes further into detail. Where as Bloodline, which I’m currently reading, focuses on what I’m assuming is Leia’s last days as a senator. It might even answer the question on why she and Han couldn’t make things work out. I haven’t read them yet, but I’m sure that the Aftermath trilogy written by Chuck Wendig will give me some inkling how the Empire slowly turned into the First Order.

While the original expanded universe was supplemental fodder for Star Wars geeks like me to jerk off to (I’ve only read the two books that dealt with zombies), these new novels are actually important to the films. You can go without reading them, sure, but don’t you want to know how Leia got to be general? Maybe, just maybe, learn why C-3PO’s arm is now red?† We need answers, man!