Xenocide (Full Analysis)

Xenocide really picked up in the last half.  There were a ton of things going on, but they were clear-cut enough to not get confusing.

Orson Scott Card's philosophical arc raised exponentially over the course of the first three books of the Ender Quartet.  Xenocide almost screamed its themes.  I really liked how it was done, although the endless dialogue was a little risky.  It didn't perturb me as much as it felt it should.  My general rule is no more than five lines of dialogue per character (and a max of twelve or so) before I need to get to the plot-moving description.  (Granted, I'm extremely brief.)

By the end I was perfectly fine with the mix of Chinese and Portugese societies.  I see now that the religious themes worked better from a character on Path than possibly anywhere else.

The oddities of the book started to pack on at the end.  The whole "faster-than-light travel" solution seemed a little like a deus ex machina (especially funny with Jane being said to be possibly a god), yet it was pretty brilliantly done, so I'll let it slide.  The book gets a 4/5.  The Child of the Mind will come eventually.

Top Ten Movie Countdown Blogfest

I've been negligent with my bloghops, but figured "why not do this one?"



So, here's my list of top ten favorite movies:

1.   Whisper of the Heart  

2.   Kiki's Delivery Service

3.   Princess Mononoke

4.   Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

5.   The Cat Returns

6.   My Neighbor Totoro

7.   Castle in the Sky

8.   Rocky IV

9.   Gulliver's Travels

10.   The Eagle

Marrowsucker

I apologize in advance for the short length and low quality of this flash fic, but nevertheless enjoy.   

     Martha dropped her bagette and screamed.  An oozing serpent slithered across her kitchen floor, drawn out of thin air.  She tried to turn and run, but her eyes were affixed to some jewel-like projection on the creature's face, or at least what should have been its face, and her body wouldn't cooperate.  A slit opened beneath the gem as it stuck out from it a long grey projection, dripping with red saliva.  Or blood.  It could have been either or both.
     The monster rammed right into Martha's leg, sending shooting pains up her abdomen as the tongue penetrated deep through her skin.  She felt her marrow being syphoned out.  The pain was so sharp she almost couldn't feel the bone splintering.  Martha fell to the side.
     The serpent plunged his tongue in and out of Martha's crippling form.  She hollered and cried until all sound and tears had faded.  Her final breath came at last, a plea for death fulfilled.

Knights of MicroFiction---Fitfully Serene

From Imagine Today: "Knights of MicroFiction are back for March.  If you want to join us, just sign up on the linky list [on Imagine Today] and post your piece by 11:59 p.m. [today].  This month's promt, in honor of the coming of Spring is: In around 100 words use the words "blossom" and "green" and describe a Spring scene from either the real world or a made up world.  If you want an additional challenge, include the title of Jess's newly released novel, From the Ashes."

Here's my take, written as a poem:

Fitfully Serene

Yellow darling daffodils

Mark the path to my stream

Bulging with newly melted ice

Pulsing

Fitfully serene

 

White bright blossoms

Dot the branches of my tree

Budding with annual glory

Captivating

Fitfully serene

 

Green show-stopping shrubs

Line up in my garden

Growing from the ashes of my late beloved

Mourning

Yet fitfully serene

How I'm Going To Write My A to Z Challenge Posts

Yeah, it's a little bit of a cop out.  It's technically about writing, even if by a different definition than these posts usually go by.  I had to do it sometime, and I'm coming off of 154 minutes of trigonometry homework (twelve "establishing identities") and I still have another identity to establish, so I figure I have enough of an excuse.





My Monday posts are going to be standard flash fiction.  It could be from any genre and will always be a stand-alone.

Tuesday posts will remain literary criticism posts.

My Wednesday posts are to be flash fiction pieces from continuing thread-lines.  That means Troll Hunter, the last Fifteen post (hopefully I can finish that off at last), Snail Mail, and Zento adventures.  I may begin another one, although I'll try to wrap up the first three before I do so.

Thurday will remain "Writing Post Day".

Fridays will be "Fantasy Fridays".  Each post will be a fantasy flash fiction.

Finally, my Saturday posts will be speculative fiction.  Therefore, I shall call them "Specualtive Saturdays".  They'll probably be horror or sci-fi more than anything else.  Perhaps I'll throw in an alternate history or romance at some point.