Tagged: masq2

Books that Should be Made into Movies (Part One)

Hollywood has gone through a bit of a creative dry spell lately, what with all of its remakes of earlier movies and book adaptations.  The Hunger Games, Harry Potter, The Lightning Thief…what next?  Well, I have a few suggestions of my own.

1.  Genghis: Birth of an Empire by Conn Iggulden

I am actually shocked that some ambitious Hollywood director hasn’t picked up the rights to Conn Iggulden’s bestselling Genghis series.  There have been other movies about Genghis Khan, most notably the one where Omar Sharif was Genghis, but I have a feeling that Conn Iggulden’s version is much more accurate.  If an ambitious director with a large budget (I’m thinking along the lines of James Cameron) was to secure the rights to the series, it would not only be more historically accurate, it would appeal to the masses.  The tale of the khan’s second son who unites the entire Mongol nation and goes on to conquer the largest empire ever is your classic underdog story, which people love.  Oh, and of course it will have lots of battle scenes, which are very popular among theater-going audiences. Continue reading

A Plea for Diversity in Fantasy

Fantasy has been quite stagnant of late, and frankly, I’m sick of it.  I am sick to death of heroes gallivanting around swinging swords in quasi-Medieval European worlds to defeat the evil king.  Can fantasy writers quit ripping off Tolkein and try to write something different for a change?  Now don’t get me wrong, fantasy is one of my favourite genres, but it’s time for a change, especially in YA fiction.  Here I’ve compiled a list of fantasy writers’ greatest offenses.

1.  Enough already with the vampires, werewolves, fairies, angels and [insert half-something here].

Every genre goes through its trends and fantasy is no different.  But sooner or later these trends have to end.  Except, the fantasy genre in general seems to have no intention of letting go of the usual fantasy creatures.  The funny thing is that most of these creatures come from familiar Western mythology.  Would it really be so bad to include a few oni, Wendigos or even a Nandi bear?  Would it kill fantasy writers to step a little further outside their own culture?  Probably not.  Oh, and calling fairies, “faeries”, or hinting that creatures are familiar fantasy creatures without actually calling them that don’t count. Continue reading

Why are Zombies so Scary?

Since I do not feel like writing a book review today, I want to try some therapy write an article about why zombies are so scary.  They’re just walking hunks of dead meat, right?  Wrong.  Zombies, particularly in YA fiction, represent so much of what we as humans fear and I hope I can explore why they scare me us so much.  Warning: these pictures are not for the faint of heart.

1.  They are basically designed to kill/infect us.

In most new zombie tales, zombies are able to sense and track us humans.  Whether they are slow or fast, they pursue us with a single-minded determination that’s unmatched anywhere and because they lack any coherent thoughts, the only thing on their minds is food.  And guess what: we are their only (or sometimes main) source of food.  Therefore, they will do anything to get at us.  Their predatory instinct is, in my opinion, what makes them so terrifying.  Unlike most human villains in fiction, they lack redeeming qualities like mercy, so there is no chance of escaping from them once they have you cornered. Continue reading

I Hate History

“I hate history.”

Can you imagine my shock when my little sister said those three words to me?  I come from a very academic family, after all.  My father is the resident expert on the 20th century, my mother loves Medieval European history and I am obsessed with anything Roman and Egyptian.  For my little sister to hate history was like a fish hating water; it didn’t make any sense.  Alas, school had robbed her of all desire to have anything to do with history.

But I am a patient person.  I had a plan to change her mind. Continue reading

Why is The Hunger Games so Popular?

Since it was announced that The Hunger Games would be made into a movie, the series has become even more popular than before.  I don’t know about you, but ever since I wrote my piece on the allusions to the Roman Empire in The Hunger Games, I’ve been thinking about the series quite a bit.  And with the movie release only yesterday, I have decided to examine the reasons behind the Hunger Games phenomenon.

1.  Katniss is more of a unisex narrator.

Stephenie Meyers’ Twilight series was (and still is) popular, but it will never reach the popularity level of JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series.  Other than the quality of writing, the main difference is the target audience.  Twilight appeals to women, both young and old, but that means it’s only targeting 50% of the population at most.  This is because Bella Swan is a very helpless, extremely feminine protagonist that every girl wants to be.  Harry Potter, on the other hand, appeals to far more than just 50% of the population because he is a boy, but he is not so overly masculine as to turn away girls.

Do you see what I’m getting at here?  Generally speaking, protagonists must be written almost as if they are unisex if they are to achieve a high level of popularity.  Katniss is a female protagonist, but she is far from a damsel in distress and her point of view is not so overtly feminine that it turns off male readers.  And that simple fact is what contributes to the series’ immense popularity. Continue reading