The Wild Blog in the West

As I stated in my The Crimson Petal and the White review , I will be reviewing neo-Victorian novels that were written within the past 10 to 15 years.  I am interested in learning: (1) what aspects of the Victorian Era they incorporate; (2) what "modern" elements they bring; (3) what works and does not work; (4) how well they conform to expectations of "what will sell"; and (5) whether it's a good story. John Harwood's The Seance  (2008) was never a big best seller like The Crimson Petal and the White , but it was well received.  It is quiet in all of the ways that  Crimson is flashy, never trying to be about a big idea or a shocking premise.  Yet it still manages to be bittersweet and effective. The Seance is characterized as a "horror" novel, but I never read it as such.  Instead, I saw it as a novel interested in the supernatural, and in certain fads of that time period.  It uses that angle to explore the hopes and fears of the main charac...

Needless to say, this post contains a few spoilers. By now, Game of Thrones  the HBO series has completed its portrayal of the third -- and arguably the best -- book of the  A Song of Ice and Fire series, A Storm of Swords .  It even dipped into A Feast for Crows and A Dance With Dragons  story lines. As both a reader and a viewer, I can now sit back and make a measured assessment of each medium's strength and weakness.  Whereas before, I did a post comparing the book characters to their show versions, here I will look at which medium does a better job portraying important story moments. 1.  Ned Stark's Death Setting the Scene: Eddard "Ned" Stark, Hand of King Robert and primary POV of A Game of Thrones , has accused Queen Cersei of conceiving her children (including heir-to-the-throne Joffrey) through incest.  He is then locked up and informed that if he repents his claim, his only punishment will be banishment to the Wall.  Fear...

For my first look at introverts in the media, I decided to go with the popular stage musical,  Wicked . Wicked  is, of course, the retelling of The Wizard of Oz  from the point of view of the Wicked Witch of the West, with the intent of making her sympathetic.  It began as a novel called Wicked: the Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire, published in 1995.  Eight years later,  Wicked  premiered as a musical in San Francisco, with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz.  While the musical made several changes, the basic elements remained the same: the story was about Elphaba, a misunderstood misfit born with green skin. The Plot There be spoilers ahead! Elphaba's mother was the wife of the Munchkins' governor.  After the governor went away, her mother had an affair with a mysterious man, and out of that affair came Elphaba.  Scarred by her daughter's appearance, Elphaba's mother ate milk-flowers so that...

Coming soon to this blog: a feature where I examine certain media for how they treat introverts. Much like my Movie Musicals and Unpopular Opinions , I hope that this will be recurring.  Each time, I intend to look at a character (or an individual if the media involves real people), what that person does, how prominent that person is, and how other people view that person.  I think it offers a great opportunity to truly see how introverted people fare in the media, rather than fall back on assumptions or stereotypes. And though I don't exactly have a degree in behavioral science, I am going to try and do this in a structured manner.  First thing's first: Define "Introvert" Merriam-Webster defines an introvert as "one whose personality is characterized by introversion; a reserved or shy person."  Introversion is "the state or tendency toward being wholly or predominantly concerned with and interested in one's own mental life." By...