SFgate,Op-Ed: George W. Bush Is Dead To Me

"What a difference a handful of years makes. Now, overseas, we are a joke. A threat. A toxin. We are considered reckless and arrogant and ignorant, dangerous not just to the rest of the world but to the overall health of the planet. No one anywhere understands how a man like Bush can be the leader of the Free World."
Mark Morford is a fine writer. This column hits the nail square, and I like a guy who shares my tastes in diversions..equal parts Astroglide and Scotch.

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Patterns

My Next Tattoo Template 
The plan is the mounting plate in small of back, cables running to various plug-ins across body. Hopefully an exercise in negative space!
Firestarter 
This wire cluster powered a gas pump at the now defunct Hercules Service Station
Hot Tin Roof  
Who Loves Architecture? A cool roofline in the Westloop Plaza.
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Atrocity Exhibition, Happy Birthday USA

"a few bad apples"
Ex-soldier charged with rape of Iraqi woman, killing of family It remains to be seen if the "other soldiers" will be indicted, or will this "disturbed" individual swing by his lonesome.
Some cool precedents:The Rape of Okinawa
Kosovo!
No Rape here, just murder
What was that boat doing getting in the way of the Submarine? In "fairness" to the military the NUCLEAR sub that collided with the civilian boat was also being driven by a civilian. When do I get my turn, Daddy?
Take heart, it is not just us!
The Rape sword cuts both ways, so says our fearless, Viagra poppin', sex tourista Rush. The poor GOP, picked on for a few worthless civilians.
Women are scarce, how about we do our fellow soldiers? Wait--that can't happen here..Can it?
This happened during WWII? The "Great Generation"...I don't believe it!
What? We have troops in Manila? Where the hell is that?
Alright. I can do research for pages, this a rant--spurred by readers who say my blog is milquetoast. My point here: We as a people have a long way to go. A society is measured by its compassion, even in times of pre-emptive war.
We have punished servicemen and cops that break the public trust, but not nearly as often as we have covered it up. We need not take pages from the bad guys book and give them to lawyers to read and rewrite--Rendition is the result.
While our emails/bank records/phone calls are apparently public property held by the NSA, our government retreats into secrecy. We should have nothing to hide. We need to be proud of what we stand for, and what we do. We need to move to the light, unblinking, unflinching. No one made up the "Ugly American", we did it ourselves.
Last One: The Geneva Suggestion Problem.
Wake up.

Security Uber Alles

UPDATE 7/5/6 Judge Stops Sonar Use during these exercises! A Ray of Hope...
It is one thing to endure the myriad indignities of post 9/11 life in the United States, and another to completely lose our minds. You might think I am talking about the Homeland Security Budget, or perhaps the human toll of the Iraq War(never mind the cost), but you would be wrong.
Perhaps you know me personally and think I'm ranting about faux airport security and the confiscation of Medal of Honor pins from veterans, but you would be wrong. Perhaps it is the phone tapping? The bank monitoring? The surveillance and harassment of protesters? Nope.Deliberate Whale beaching by the Department of Defense. More incidental than deliberate, to be fair. The Navy is aware, and a separate federal commission confirmed, that excess sonar use spooks whales, causing them to beach themselves in large numbers.
An exemption to the restraint on sonar use has been granted in the name of "National Security".
It is like not signing the Land Mine Ban. Not following the Kyoto protocols. Hell, ignoring the Geneva Convention and destroying the version of America I want to be a citizen of--the one on the right side.
All of these decisions are the result of succumbing to fear, and the citizens acceptance of it.
The corollary here is faith based science: where science says one thing, the science is deleted, have faith in the government. Yes, scientists have had there results altered for the "good of the country", for what are facts if not inconvenient?
this refers to the removal of Sonar as a possible cause in whale beaching from a report.

Justice Served

Stephen Caracappa and Louis Eppolito were convicted in April of involvement in eight murders on behalf of the Mafia between 1986 and 1990.
Relevant Links:
Indictment
NYT Article"
BBC (where I read it first)

That is real life.
They charges have been dropped.

Public "trust" shattered, the image of the police tarnished.
8 murders, 4 years, committed by police detectives.

The charges have been dropped.
A clear message has been sent: The Mafia can do whatever they want.
When are the Sopranos on again?

MONEY TALKS.

How many times do you have to see Serpico to get it?

Let me make it personal: here in Kansas they caught the guy who stole my stereo, holding my stereo. I got a letter: we are not going to prosecute, but I was free to hire a lawyer and seek damages.

A clear message was sent: violate my property, steal my things, we do not care.

Fsck the World, We are the Children of God

This is our planet, given to us, right? Do what we want.. "let them have dominion over the fish of the sea" is the quote I believe, which is interpreted as carte blanche to
strip mine, pave, drop and test "soul killers", for all eternity.
More sport fishing "fun".

Great hammerhead shark sets litter record from PhysOrg.com

A great hammerhead shark caught off the Gulf Coast of Florida last month was reportedly pregnant with 55 "pups" -- setting a record.
[...]

Do click the link(s).

Superman Returns

(image by Trevor)
Review coming soon..
[09:04:47] no blog on superman, how was it?
[09:06:30] check blog again
[09:06:37] hit refresh
[09:07:24] ok
[09:08:22] but to answer: i felt funny. good, bad, derivative, bloated, polished, plotless, silly, serious, Superman as Christ raising the dead father
[09:08:37] so not quite finished digesting.
[09:08:44] ok
[09:08:55] (sounds like another viewing will be in order)
[09:09:02] it was no Batman Begins
[09:09:03] yeah
[09:09:13] It was no King Kong
[09:10:18] but King Kong had the closest feeling..you know the character and the story and this is a more polished amped up version who's message has been dated: we know it was not beauty that killed the beast.
[09:10:37] wow..there is my review!
[09:10:44] lol

Stevie Wonder - Superstition Sesame St

Sesame Street, Muppet Show, Zoom, the Electric Company--all great TV..

Terror Tractor

PJ's Pub in Aggieville June 23rd
Terror Tractor
Dryline
Unmerciful
Torn Apart
A good music night, bad picture taking night.
Missed the first band, Torn Apart, I was drinking some at the T-Star..
Unmerciful had a nice wall of sound to warm up my ears..
By the time Dryline started I realized that my funny shiny black rubber disco shirt was not the post modern hoot I thought it would be..
Place was full of serious tattoos, piercings and black. The lighting was dim, camera was saying things like "focus it yourself" and "how about some flash?"

My subject, Terror Tractor had the benefit of playing last. I had dropped my camera (damn scotch) and exhausted the batteries before they played their first track. I did capture them setting up...Those shots are even weaker than these hottie shots..
I left when the moshing got rough during the Tractor set, the boys were rockin' the house down.

This last pic is a hardbody who should have felt as out of place as I did, but she didn't care..
Less scotch next show will net y'all some good shots. Stay tuned.

Little Fish

A wonderful, independent Australian film. Cate Blanchett, Sam Neill and Hugo Weaving are the names we know, rounded out by a talented bunch o' aussies.
When I saw Jackie Chan Supercop, one of the best parts of that movie was the glimpses of rural China, not on a movie set. This movie caught some terrific everyday Australian vibe in a similar fashion. Subtle influences from the Pacific Rim, different foods, drink, and, dare I say it?Sport.
Heroin is the same all over.As much as I might dream of a society that accepts the Pursuit of Oblivion, the cold facts today, yesterday and tomorrow do not bode well for those caught in the dope web. This drug becomes the center of the world, a black hole with deep, personal gravity.
The neat part is that by the time the survival reflex/humanity/"will to live" kicks in one's life has spiraled so far down the climb out becomes the sentence.
Cate has nearly done her time in a video store and wants to put her life back together.
Her history, and her family's history are revealed slowly, while the tension mounts and forces circle. Sam Neill is terrific as a minor--but still Lord--druglord. He gets little screentime, but the sketches of the Sopranos trope twisted are remarkable.
This is not your geek friend's Agent Smith either.
This is no "New World", or "Requiem", but it is a fine film, highly recommended for the set that does not need a car crash or fart joke to enjoy a movie.

Conjure Bad Mouth

Conjure is the name of the band Kip Hanrahan put together for the texts of the Writer/Poet Ishmael Reed. This is the third record with Reed and Hanrahan remaining as the constants--oh wait--the other constant is the absolute genius on display!
I saw Ishmael speak at a library in Cambridge when his book "Japanese By Spring" (yes, read it!) was published. During the Q & A afterwards, I had the task of rescuing him from earnest white college students asking about how he could possibly understand the black perspective of--well you get the picture--so I asked when he was going to do another Conjure record.
It was great to see him smile, apparently he likes the project(s), but at that time there were no plans. Well, it has been a decade and it is here.
Smokin' funk/Latin/gospel/rock it hit the landscape and disappeared.
The iPod Generation apparently can't be bothered with modern adult music.
The topical tracks are killer...Literally. My Republican friends (I know, right?) will not be spinning this record more than once. Who would have guessed Bruce Springsteen and Ishmael Reed would have so much in common?
Regardless of political themes, the music here is absolutely the finest avant world jazz funk poetry being made today. That being said, if I hadn't been waiting for this record I would have missed it. The music world is insular, jazz music moreso, and that is a shame. Everyone has a soundtrack to their life--iPod, Muzak, streaming game themes and ringtones--and yet the music we here is like poetry--outside of our daily experience.
Nate (grad student) once said to me, "who reads poetry?" My reply? "academics, until they get a job".
Find this CD, it may change your life...

Fast and Furious 3: Tokyo Drift

This is not your older brother's "Grease".
Some similarities:
Fast cars
Hot women
Good soundtrack
High school setting <--played by people too old to pass as college students
Improbable story
Some differences:
Cars skid to win
The hot women are Asian
Not a musical, no singing along, even in the land of Karaoke.
Well. The skidding was cool. The women were hot.
Really hot. Is that reason enough to go to the movies?
Probably. I didn't even mind the audience cell phone usage, it fit the movie and the demographic: "american idiot".

Nacho Libre

Masks. Beans. Nun. Comedy. You pick up the pieces, you connect the dots. I will be hanging up my Star Trek uniform this Halloween...
More Jack than any of us may care to see in a movie without a single explosion. I wish I could say there weren't any fart jokes but...Well, you know what they say about wishes.
This movie had a small, gentle feel to it, and a foreshortened training montage. Probably not one to see more than once, but it does has some intricate flourishes--a trayful of delightful food art salads--mixed in with the barest of plots.
I picture the room where they pitch the idea..."Friar is closet wrestler, good looking Nun catalyzes the dream, hilarity ensues". Studio greenlights, then the fleshing out of scenes starts. Various scenes are designed and fleshed out in detail then assembled. Jack Black comes in and his energy suffuses the piece.
The bigger than life humble friar feels constrained by this good natured movie, even if his flatulence is not.
Enjoy the tidy corners and gentle spirit...
Recommended (even though I don't much like comedy)

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

Research turned up this cool project under the same name.
Here is a another, this one apparently a comic book!
A movie for movie buffs that appreciate a little fun. I'd call it unsophisticated fun but let's face it--the megaplexii are replete with "films" that fit that description, and this does not have even one fart joke. Which is not to say there is no slapstick, physical comedy..Entwined with a Byzantine plot they (fourth wall style) dare you to figure out while cautioning you not to blurt.
This film stars a couple of fine actors, and a bevy of fine fillies in supporting roles. Kilmer and Downey chew the screen as a team, affected and effective, taking turns with snappy and smarmy pseudo noir dialogue.
Not without misstep--and a certain period indie fee--this kinder(Lock Stock) gentler(Snatch, Limey) action comedy deserves better than it did at the Box. I may be expecting too much from an audience in a country that thinks eating KFC is forced on 'em.
So...How will I make it...Lottery tickets, lawsuit, or patenting that last fine dump?
recommended.

Perplexed

Excerpted from Florida Today article:

"Those men's names were removed from the information released to FLORIDA TODAY under the Freedom of Information Act. Patrick spokeswoman Lt. Col. Maria Carl said the other men were not part of the inspection team."

My first reading told my brain that the "men's names were removed...Under FIA guidelines". So much for freedom of information!

Of course the subject shift in the sentence, from the "men's names" to the "information released" caused my confusion...

Gist of the article was sex was used to improve inspection results. A shorter route to good results might have been to follow the "Star Wars Space Laser Defense Shield" initiative and not require oversight or inspection.

Most terrorists are using guided missiles(sure), but we will have it ready(sure) for China once we have paid for China's ascension(money well spent!) through Wal-Mart dollars.

Speaking of money well spent how about that war? I think the "War on Drugs" is still ahead in total waste of lives and dollars and resources, but the War on Terror aka the Invasion of Iraq is catching up fast!

666

Review in 3 Hours...
Here we go, quickly: trailer spoiled 2 scenes, thanks! Cell phone lights? Well, let's say I discussed luminosity with 3 fellow theatregoers. Success rate on mentioning that their screens were "distracting"...0%. Rude is as rude does.
"The Omen" was pretty darn good. Modern day politics and CGI thrown in the mix of dread. A proper reviewer would compare and contrast the new and the old..Like comparing "Doom" to "Doom 3" I suppose..
Worth seeing for the "Manchurian Candidate", "Damien" and of course Mia Farrow was superb. Less apocalyptic in scale than I had imagined. A few good scares, most of the imagery worked...And the audience was nervous. Might have been the soundtrack atmospheric. I do think much of the audience was too young for this film, it is a mature intellectual piece, not a "Texas Chainsaw" nubiles in tank tops and daisy's facing peril gorefest..
Recommended.

New Music

Zavoloka-AGF Nature Never Produces the Same Beat Twice Serendipity struck. AGF + Co where just hittin' the "pound my woofers" section of this treat when Gabe called about <"The Omen" screening tonight. Gabe is a man that appreciates bass. Even through his phone. Yes, I held the phone to the room. What's wrong with me, right?
This record is terrific alinear techno. Beat driven (natch) sans 4 x 4 dance beat. Spastic, quirky, sample based...Liberal use of 'roll' and stutter. More analysis as the record reveals itself over time. Follow a couple links if you want..
Artist Site
Use this in a Sentence
Buy It

X-Men 3 - The Last Strand<--hehe

No, not a typo, but a reference to the DNA that floats across our screen...The debt to the "Fight Club" opening sequence already as common a tool as "Bullet Time".
First a little about the presentation and what I call pro-active viewing. Went to the first matinee on the first day--discounting the midnight show of course--and after the trailers, the feature.
Without sound.
Now, the movie opens in toned flashback so..Was it intentional? The guy shouting behind me knew better. Sound was restored, but at such a low volume even the mutant nonsense was unintelligible. The guy next to me said that was so the explosions would sound louder. I called bullshit and my sister and I left--another show was just starting down the hall in the gorgeously overdone megaplex.
Ah, much better.
I call the dialogue nonsense because it is comic-book. Knowing this, accepting this before I bought the ticket, made it just fine. Is this the last one? Well, who really knows. I mean there was an "Alien Resurrection" after all.
Let's not forget what the trailer reveals either: Jean Grey blasting foot thick blast doors with her mind.
Oh, and wait, how about the winged boy reveal from the trailer?
Yes, this review is about the trailer because A) we have no choice but to see trailers in the theatre, and 2) trailers are now showing every damn bit of the movie. I don't have to bring up the "Castaway" trailer that showed Tom Hanks knocking on his honey's door after surviving do I?
When will this stop?
Christ, watch the "Big Lebowski" trailer again and see how it is done.
"The Omen" teaser we saw in front of "Akeelah" was superb. The full length trailer in front of X-3 was spoiler laden. Get with the program, please.
I don't have to suggest you see this film, you already have. Right?

Akeelah & the Bee

I must be going soft.
Yet another uplifting story of "triumph against all odds" has moved to sing its praises in this formulaic film. Sure, I could try to hide behind phrases like "charisma rules the day", and I could be referring to Laurence Fishburne, Angela Bassett or even the unknown prodigy Dakot--oops Keke Palmer...But that would leave out a host of fine actors that populate this disarming and charming film.
I wish I could say I wasn't the only one spelling along in the audience, but it was just me and my sister in the theatre and she doesn't spell.
She enjoyed the movie nearly as much as I, but the knowing what was coming at every turn spoiled it (somewhat) for her. Thank goodness I have Sammy Jenkins disease and watch films from the perspective of a bright but naive child...that doesn't remember "Coach Carter" or those darn Titans.
I could take the critical path and say things like "Angela Bassett is too beautiful to play the role" but that means we might not see her again if Hollywood waits for a film worthy of her beauty.
Another tack (aye matey) I could take would be noting that the best of the best of these spellers were minorities, Dillon, Javier, and Akeelah, and launch into a tirade against against the latest xenophobic immigration policy but that would sour the reading by my short sighted, no history knowing, (who made THE bomb they defend us using if not illegal German scientists?) conservative readers.
Bill Cosby would be proud of the Fishburne character who rails against the abuse of the English language..The lack of respect and decorum in these twisted times..And the movie shows us why he is right.<--deconstruct that Derrida! If I did that though it would belie Fishburne's exhortation in an earlier film: "Wake Up!"<--10 points if you name that film in comments.
See it. Love it. Play some speed Scrabble.
Remember, and take note, of all the ramifications of this comparison: the inner city is the new Sparta.

The Da Vinci Code

"God uses us all." So says Doc Ock.
"I never had much use for a real father, real Father.." Said Ishmael Reed.
Walking out with a group that enjoyed the movie --in a packed theatre-- I pondered the merit of critics aloud. Internally I sank into a dark murk of self loathing and self pity.
There was a time when codes, symbols and logic and math were clear to me..And that is gone, I have lived myself stupid. My brain has atrophied..And when faced with even middlebrow stuff like this I feel like I have squandered my time here.
Books pile up around me, I read them, try to pass on what I learn--where does that all go? The nostaglia pit beckons, the hard stuff is hard in a world where getting by is neither a challenge nor a celebration.
Amassing wealth, living comfortably--the last challenge I had was a jazz album. Music is a language and religion is a faith/tool/weapon/crutch/lie--you pick. This movie nags at the mind, opens a hole that is the past, that is scholarship and research and devotion, and--apparently--self flagellation.
The Pope is nervous. Entire countries are boycotting and the critics are savaging this earnest and religious film. In spite of the Pope (as effective as the critics, apparently) and the Cannes audience, and the LA Times, and the Baltimore Sun, and the New York Times this movie had a top 50 of all time opening.
Ron Howard directed. He also directed "Apollo 13", which also starred Tom Hanks. Audrey Tatou (she'll always be "Amelie" to me)starred opposite Mr Hanks. The critics seem to hate his hair. It looks in the style of academics to me--and, lo and behold--he plays an academic!
Magneto does a great job as does Leon the Professional. Sure, there is some truth to the criticisms leveled. It is wordy, idea-laden, exposition heavy--but the room full of believers enjoyed it without streaming from the doors into the church buses in tears like they did after "the Passion". There were no picketers like at the "Last Temptation of Christ"--yes, even in this ID believing, science hating, state.
Go see it and decide for yourself, IM Pei's scar on Paris demands the big screen!

Crevalle-Jack

This fish (a 40lb specimen)was used as bait to catch a 750lb Hammerhead Shark that was neither edible, nor off the coast of a crowded beach. The shark was caught for sport, photographed and buried.
I cannot think of a cooler example of resource management. Keep fishing!

Natural City

"the Korean Bladerunner"
that was 23 years ago...
Starring: Ji-tae Yu, Jae-un Lee, and Chang Yun. Did I mention this was Korean?
Directed by: Byung-chun Min.
I loved this movie. Let's see: cyborgs, holosuits, dystopia, in a cg universe of guns swords and ducts, what more could I ask for?
My initial criticism of "Bladerunner"-yes, I saw it in the theatre way back when-was that it was a bare treatment of the fantastic novel and not worthy. God I was a critical bastard! Well, I went back a couple times because even though I was disappointed it was terrific Science Fiction. I have since seen it probably 2 dozen times.
Natural City borrows heavily from Ridley Scott's masterpiece, and adds touches from the best Sci-Fi films since. There is a ton of Ghost in the Shell here, some Fifth Element, some Matrix. The intersection of love and machines is at the heart of this, served with self destruction and melancholy and all the discontent the modern world creates.
So I ask again: what more could a po' boy ask for?

New World

I absolutely loved this film.
One of the trends I have noticed about my viewing habits is that I am more inclined to watch movies, rather than plots, actors, or politics. All of those items are components of most movies, but take a look at this short list of recent favorites:
Ultraviolet 130% - Visual Style over paper thin vampire mumbo jumbo plot.
2046 - At least the third version of Won Kar Wai's one movie, "love is an exquisite trap", and the most ephemeral, all tropes and angles and master cinematography.
Silent Hill - Horror is always about atmosphere, but this, of course, is not horror.
What Reviewers are saying:
DVD Verdict
Rolling Stone
Roger Ebert
It was refreshing to finish a movie about such a politicized event in US History without the battle lines being drawn in my living room. My Bush supportin' buddy was entertained without being offended by the "lefty bias of Hollywood".
The reviews I included above were all positive. You are aware that the movie was in theatres for about two weeks--and never went wide. Many reviewers were negative..mocking years of work by many very talented people from their comfortable armchairs. I just don't get it.

Next Gen = Blu Ray

Well, I have thrown my hat in the ring. Blu Ray will be my chosen format once it becomes available. I have pre-ordered Ultraviolet--the first next gen movie.
Blu Ray playback is supposed to be part of the PS3 package. I already have a 360, but I am guessing it won't play HD DVD.
The deliberate crippling of both of these formats is truly the deepest argument against Capitalism--except for maybe Coal Mines or Haliburton. Ok, on that scale making consumers dance to adulterated content doesn't even register, but still. The crippling is a pre-emptive strike against copying. It will be even less effective than the current pre-emptive strike against the world the USA has embarked on. We are an uncivilized, single(but unofficial)language speaking, xenophobic bunch of Wal-Mart shoppers and YOU are either with us or against us and if you are against us you automatically drop out of the protected status of "human being".
Oops. This got political again.
Keep Watching Movies. Stop Making Sense. Plan for Retirement. Click the button for your FREE iPod!

Tully Project 7

Neck and Shoulder

New Music Thursday

Received a nice package from PBE: 1 12" LP, 1 3" MiniCD, 1 2CD set, and 3 CD's. I'll fill reviews in as I digest the music. Stay Tuned!
A Guy Called Gerald: To All Things What They Need
Lizzy Mercier Descloux: Zulu Rock
AGF: delayONmyPILLOW <--yes, I'll take my own Picture :)
Otomo Yoshihide Bill Laswell Yoshida Tatsuya: Episome
Japanese Guitarist(Otomo), Laswell on Bass, and a Yoshida on drums. It is hard jazz--power and feedback and precision. Truly sweet guitar feedback and neck bending. Bass all chunky bottom fuzz..Drums skitter and smash through and around..Apparently there are some vocals later on... This is the stuff to see live! This was compiled from in-studio improvisations(or so I've been led to believe).
Machine Drum: Mergerz & Acquisitionz
A two disc set of Machine Drum remixes!!! So one of the kings of rhythm glitch gets the treatment from a variety of like minded..very infectious sub 120bpm electronica. "Just what the doctor ordered.." Nice to hear samples sampled, music turned inward, the laptop an appropriated instrument for navelgazing. 2 discs?! Blip blip treble splash.
A 12in Sire recording of the Talking Heads classic, Once In A Lifetime. Magnificent!

Mission Impossible 3

Let me review this in a word: "evanescent".
As we crossed the parking lot on the way out of the theatre..."That was action packed and completely ridiculous!"
"Yeah, I liked it too-"
"So what was with the scene with the-"
"That scene was for the ladies."
"All four of them that weren't dragged along with their husbands?"
"Those would be the ones."
If I were to fix anything it would be the soundtrack. The "Mission Impossible Theme" has a ton of possibilities beyond the "James Bond" retro big band version..
Great job by Capote, he had me believing he was Tom Cruise playing Hoffman when he was doing the "disguised" scene.
You know, part of me thinks this might make a good TV Show.

The World Before

The last completed novel in the Wess'har Wars Cycle. "The Matriarch" is the next book, due in October of this year. The author has signed a contract for 3 more books..
This series was presented to me as a trilogy. That being said, this third book does tie up a lot of loose ends, but it clearly leaves an opening for the next story arc. By the end of this book we had a very complete picture of 4 different alien species..And a pretty bleak picture of our own! I am afraid calling human beings "xenophobic" seems dated and simplistic and yet, here we are..In the country where science carries less weight than opinion and "you are either with us or against us". We need to get a little Isenj genetic memory so we can actually learn from the past!
There was a point towards the end of this book when I put the book down because I didn't want it to end that way. Well, of course I had fallen for the red herring...But that speaks volumes about the investment I made in these characters. I am certainly looking forward to the next book, and the movie!

Crossing the Line

Book 2 in the Wess'har Wars Cycle by Karen Traviss. This picks up right where the first book leaves off. As is usual in the second book of a series characters are redrawn and then progress. Some of the "identity markers" are heavyhanded in the beginning,but once again I believe that is so readers that missed the first book could keep up.
There is an escalation into the peering into the dark soul of man through the eyes of outsiders.
I certainly wish the view wasn't as close to mine!
I have long suspected that humanity is on the very bottom rung of the ladder to civilization. This book exposes the arrogance of architecture, the collector mentality, and the evils of uncontrolled population growth. Mix a little "Silent Spring" and a Vegan diet into an off-world colony, top with immortal warriors and pheromonically dominant matriarchs.
Serve with a slice of sincerity and an unblinking approach to the barbarism of man.

City of Pearl

First book of the Wess'har War Cycle byKaren Traviss. It is also her first book. This one was nominated for a PKD Award and a Locus Award. Series are an interesting part of the SF world. Corollary concept to the series is "universe"--a setting or history that spans several works that may only be tangentially related. Larry Niven had one, Frederick Pohl, Asimov and of course, Frank Herbert. Heck, even Harlan Ellison overlapped fictional places and events.
These series are like HBO series...Fans patiently (some moreso than others) for the next installment.
I can't wait for the movie version of this work. The novel deals with ecology, biology and capitalism and personal choice. This is well written space opera, pages burn quickly in a matter of fact style, with alien concepts and tropes being explained thoroughly. Perhaps too..I remember part of "Dune" was getting lost in the names, relationships, devices...And rereading.
After "City of Pearl" I didn't want to read it I wanted to read the next one!