Hello, my darling readers! A while ago I shared my reviews on the Southern Reach trilogy by Jeff VanderMeer. Well, I was originally inspired to pick up the books because a friend told me about this very adaptation. So let’s see how it holds up in comparison!
The Plot:
An expedition is about to enter the shimmer. It’s a mysterious area nobody can seem to figure out. Filled with both plant and animal mutations the shimmer hadn’t been friendly to past expeditions. Will this one be different?
Book vs. Movie:
Okay, those of you who already checked out my book review know that I didn’t love it. I really appreciate the idea that is behind the story but the execution drove me nuts.
The novel is narrated by the biologist and we don’t know how much of a reliable narrator she is (and never really find out). The book keeps raising question after question without answering any of them. It’s quite obscure and VanderMeer tried hard to keep it all feeling mysterious right ’till the end.
Hello, my darling readers! So, I recently got into book subscription boxes and this is the very first novel I got in one of them! I have a bunch of reviews coming up, all about the books I got in these boxes. Today, I want to talk about Jade City by Fonda Lee, a story very different from what you might be used to!
Green-Bone clans used to consist of honorable men and women who used their Jade amplified powers to protect the island of Kekon. Nowadays those clans resemble crime syndicates – of course, they are at war with each other…
The Rating:
I really wanted to like this book. The premise got me really excited but I had a hard time getting into the story. I don’t even know why! The idea is quite unique and due to the Asian vibes, it is really different from any other book I’ve read so far.
The worldbuilding is interesting enough and I liked the whole Jade thing. It took me some time, however, to fully understand how the system is supposed to work and to tell all the people apart.
Hello, dear readers! You have no idea how I excited I got when I had first heard about Good Omens. David Tennant? Michael Sheen? Demon and Angel? Apocalypse? Neil Gaiman? YES PLEASE! This time, I got a little swept away and watch the entire show twice before finally picking up the book. Let’s take a closer look at both!
The Plot:
The angel Aziraphale and the demon Crowley haven been friends since – well – the beginning of time. When the apocalypse looms ahead they try to prevent the end of the world. Unfortunately, they aren’t the brightest candles on the cake…
Book vs. TV Show:
As usual, I’ll kick off with my thoughts on the novel. Written by legends Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, there was no way this could not turn out well. My expectations were pretty high but the book fulfilled almost all of them. I didn’t love it quite as much as I had expected but was certainly a good read. The idea behind the story is brilliant and hilarious. The execution in terms of Azira and Crowley is almost perfect as well. I’m not too sure about some of the other characters like Newt and Anathema, but I’m willing to ignore that. All in all the book was a lot of fun and contained some interesting bits of information, but I’m don’t think I’d read it a second time.
So, how did the show hold up in comparison? I may be a little biased here as I am a huge David Tennant fan, but the show is seriously amazing.
Hello, my darling readers! Today I have a special book vs. movie for you. I finally had time to check out Ready Player One, one of 2018’s biggest films and based on the 2011 New York Times bestseller by Ernest Cline!
The Plot:
It’s 2045. Life on earth sucks. That’s why most people spend every free minute they have in the OASIS, a virtual reality entertainment space. It was created by James Halliday who hid several easter eggs in the game. The person who manages to find all the easter eggs will inherit his fortune. The race begins when Wade Watts stumbles onto the first clue…
Book vs. Movie:
So, book first. I didn’t really know what to expect when I plunged into this 80’s themed hell of a ride. Ernest Cline managed to come up with a book that’s both refreshingly unique and full of nostalgia. His vision of the OASIS is fascinating but also a little disconcerting as it seems really plausible. While I am too young to have experienced the 80’s I have a fondness for films like E.T. or Back to the Future. Shows like Stranger Things that bring back that vibe are right down my alley, so this book hit the perfect spot for me.
The Easter Eggs/riddles Cline came up with are smart and interesting. I learned a great deal about 80’s pop culture while reading this book! The hunt was fascinating and was rooting for our hero so hard. I couldn’t put the book because I wanted to know badly whether he would win or not.
Being a bit of a geek myself, you can tell how much fondness Cline has for this area and how much fun he had creating his nerd-utopia. Maybe that’s why I enjoyed his novel so much!
I already knew the film would be very different, as there was stuff you just can’t translate to the screen too well. Looking at the egg hunt, it was evident that there would be changes. However, I did not expect the film to be the way it turned out. For example, they changed one of the first tasks to a The Shining haunted house maze kind of thing. While I loved The Shining, it was released in 1980, so it’s not something I’d think of as representing the 80’s.
As is often the case with this kind of thing (see the first Percy Jackson movie) challenges have time to unfold in the book while in the adaptation things seem far too easy as otherwise, the film would be way too long or the audience would lose interest. I hate it when this happens especially because the riddles where so well-done in the book!
What was the biggest letdown with the film for me was the lack of retro-vibe. While the book gave me all the 80’s the movie didn’t strike me as particularly 80’s looking. Honestly, hadn’t I known that it’s set in that time I probably wouldn’t have noticed despite the many references going on. Of course, this has a great deal to do with obtaining rights, but it still irked me.
One thing I’ll grant the adaptation, however, is that it’s visually stunning. The OASIS looked impressive and the CGI-team really deserves some praise for that.
In general, the film seemed like one of the light flicks you might pick for a movie night where you don’t want to have to think about the movie too much. You’ll watch it, enjoy it, never think about it again.
The book is every nerd’s fantasy. It’s smart, it’s intriguing and you won’t be able to put it down. The film, on the other hand, was a bit a shallow letdown. I wouldn’t have missed much had I skipped the adaptation.
Did you prefer the book or the movie? Let me know in the comments!
Hey guys! Today I want to talk about one of Netflix’ most anticipated and successful releases of 2019: The Umbrella Academy. Not only does the show give us a lot of material to take a look at, but I also checked out the comic book series it is based on.
The Plot:
After 43 women around the world give birth at the same moment in 1889 without being pregnant before, 7 of those babies are adopted by an eccentric billionaire. All of them exhibit certain powers that are not to be messed with. In the present day the estranged sibling have to come together once more not just for their adoptive father’s funeral, but to save the world…
Comics vs. Series:
First things first. Let’s talk about the comics. I picked up The Apocalypse Suite which was the first Umbrella Academy comic series and Dallas, which was #2. I usually don’t read comics as they are a super-fast read but rather expensive at the same time. However, The Umbrella Academy was available at my library so I was excited to give it a go.
What did I like? The artwork was beautifully done and the idea behind the story is both unusual and fascinating. When it comes to the execution, however, I am not that thrilled. both comic books had rather confusing and irritating storylines. I’m still not sure I fully understood all that went down. Apart from the fact that the stories didn’t make all that much sense, they also lacked depth. I’m not sure if I had that feeling because I’m simply not used to reading comic books, but I had hoped for more. My favorite thing about both books was that in Dallas, #5 gets a dog (who is absolutely adorable). If that doesn’t tell you all about the stories…
Hey guys! A Series of Unfortunate Events concluded on Netflix with its third and final season. The last four books in Lemony Snicket’s thirteen-part children’s novel series.
The Plot:
Trying to escape from their latest bit of trouble, the youngest Beaudelaire child gets kidnapped by Count Olaf. Klaus and Violet have to investigate VFD to save their sister, but what has a sugar bowl to do with all of that?
Book vs. Series:
Season 3 adapts four Lemony Snicket books: The Slippery Slope, The Grim Grotto, The Penultimate Peril and The End. Although I enjoyed the book series, I was glad that it was over. We are talking about 13 books here, so I reached a point where I got a little sick of the whole story. Don’t get me wrong, the books were taking an interesting turn, and were just as smart and intricate as the other installments.
However, with these books, we reach a point where I desperately wanted to know how the riddle is to be solved. Well, what we get is more beating around the bush, more obscure moments.
Also, the end was not quite what I had expected or wanted from the series. To be fair, it was the end the book series need to have, so I can’t be pissed about that. I did in-depth reviews, for each book. So if you want more discussion on that front make sure to check those out!
The Punk Theory 