Category: The Lord of the Rings/Rings of Power

Entertainment Update for August 2024

The Immortalists, Chloe Benjamin. How would you live your life if you knew the day you were going to die? The four Gold siblings have to deal with this scenario, as they visit a fortune-teller when they are quite young (7-13) on a whim. Though they claim not to take it too seriously, the knowledge follows them throughout their lives and affects them in ways they cannot fathom as kids.

The book is divided into four parts, one section for each of the Gold siblings: from Simon, the youngest (and the first to die at twenty of AIDS in 1982 San Francisco); to Klara, a magician who feels responsible for encouraging Simon to run away to that city; to Daniel whose idea it was to go to the fortune-teller in the first place; to Varya, the oldest and most skeptical, but who ends up living the longest and with the most serious consequences of all her losses.

The book engrossed me, and brought up questions of fate versus free will, of self-fulfilling prophecies, and how we deal with grief and loss. I, for one, would NOT want to know the date of my death if given the opportunity (this book goes a long way in convincing me of that, lol), but the siblings were kids when they found out and didn’t understand how profound such a revelation could be.

It’s an intriguing premise and I recommend it if you like literary books and family dynamic stories. Just be prepared for a lot of tragedy.

Binti Trilogy, Nnedi Okorafor. I was introduced to Nnedi Okorafor with her novel Who Fears Death? a few years ago, and I loved it. It was different than any fantasy I’d ever read, and that was when I discovered Afro-Futurism (science fiction/fantasy that is rooted in Black history and culture). Here’s a brief Amazon summary of the trilogy:

In her Hugo- and Nebula-winning novella, Nnedi Okorafor introduced us to Binti, a young Himba girl with the chance of a lifetime: to attend the prestigious Oomza University. Despite her family’s concerns, Binti’s talent for mathematics and her aptitude with astrolabes make her a prime candidate to undertake this interstellar journey.
 
But everything changes when the jellyfish-like Medusae attack Binti’s spaceship, leaving her the only survivor. Now, Binti must fend for herself, alone on a ship full of the beings who murdered her crew, with five days until she reaches her destination.
 
There is more to the history of the Medusae—and their war with the Khoush—than first meets the eye. If Binti is to survive this voyage and save the inhabitants of the unsuspecting planet that houses Oomza Uni, it will take all of her knowledge and talents to broker the peace.
 
But even if Binti achieves this remarkable feat, it’s not the end of her story. For this lone Himba woman, now bonded with a Medusa and forever changed by this bond, still must find a way to survive and thrive at Oomza University amid swirling interspecies biases. And eventually, she must return home to test the strength of the fragile peace she worked so hard to win.

The trilogy includes Binti, Binti: Home, and Binti: The Night Masquerade; the first two books are rather short novellas, and the third is closer to novel-length. The story drew me in right away with Binti’s unique cultural characteristics: Binti is good at “treeing”, which involves meditating through mental mathematics (!); she can also, through treeing, create energy currents through her fingers; she and her father are specialists in making “astrolabes,” which are like fancy futuristic cell phones that everyone carries around with them. The women of her tribe cover their flesh with a native red clay called otjize, and feel utterly naked without it. Binti journeys into space in a living spaceship called “First Fish.” There’s just some very cool world-building in these books.

Binti’s journey is ultimately a coming-of-age story, and an exploration of the adage that “you can never go home again.” All wrapped up in a science-fiction story that explores cultural prejudices and the futility of war. I loved it.

Beware the Nameless, by Zoraida Cordova. This is the second middle-grade book in Phase 3 of the High Republic and came out August 27th. I’ve only just begun reading it, but here’s a summary of the book from Amazon:

The fearsome Nihil continue to spread chaos inside the Occlusion Zone, aided by the mysterious creatures called the Nameless that feed on the Force itself. When the people of an embattled world plead for help with the Nihil threat, a team of both Republic Defense Coalition members and Jedi—including Ram Jomaram—is sent to their aid.

The team soon discovers that their ship contains four stowaways—Jedi younglings Kildo, TepTep, and Jamil, and Zenny Greylark, a senator’s daughter determined to find her sister. When a distress call comes in from a nearby planet, Jedi Master Adi-Li Carro agrees to take the stowaways to investigate. There, they will encounter a young Hutt on a mission, a stranger with mysterious motives, and the creatures they fear the most. . . .

I’ve always enjoyed the middle-grade books of the High Republic, but what I’m really waiting for is the second YA book, Tears of the Nameless, which features one of my favorite HR characters, Reath Silas. That one comes out on September 24th, and I’m looking forward to it.

D23: Skeleton Crew, Andor & Mandalorian & Grogu trailers. D23 gave us a few teaser trailers for some upcoming Star Wars content, the first of which will be Skeleton Crew, coming out on December 3rd. I think it will be fun, but probably not something I’ll rewatch on a regular basis. I do love Jude Law and am looking forward to seeing what he brings to the Star Wars universe.

It seems like we’ve been waiting forever for Andor Season Two, and it appears we’re finally getting it in 2025. I’ve been saving my Andor rewatch for just before Season 2 comes out, lol.

The Mandalorian and Grogu movie will apparently come out in 2026. I’ll be there with my popcorn.

Rings of Power Season Two trailer. I watched Season One of this series and really enjoyed it. I’m a fan of the books, as well as Peter Jackson’s movies, and the artistic choices of the show didn’t bother me a bit. I’m hoping to watch Season Two soon, but I’ve been having an issue with Amazon and need to get on the phone with them pronto, lol. I also need to rewatch Season One, as it’s been a while and I need a refresher.

Olympics obsession. This site is called Star Wars And Other Obsessions, and the Olympics this year turned out to be one of my surprising obsessions. I’ve never paid so much attention to the event as I have this time around; I think it’s because there were so many fascinating personalities coming out of it on social media.

My absolute favorite was Stephen Nedoroscik, or “Pommel Horse Guy.” A “specialist” on the USA men’s gymnastics team, his only event was pommel horse, and his routine won the team the bronze medal; he also won an individual bronze. Impressive enough, but it’s his humility and sweet nerd-boy personality that makes people love him. He’s become a social media star and will be on Dancing With The Stars next month (luckily it will be on Disney+ so I can check out his dance moves, lol.)

A couple of my Bad Batch Facebook groups likened him to Tech, and I can see that. Stephen is a mechanical engineering major who can solve a Rubik’s cube in 10 seconds and has those trademark goggles. But he smiles and laughs a lot more than our very serious clone, which is quite endearing.

Oh, and they likened Crosshair to this guy:

So many great performances, so many heart-warming stories. I just loved it. Bring on 2028!

What’s been entertaining you? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

My Entertainment Weekend Update

Hello friends, and happy weekend!

(Spoilery stuff ahead!)

This week’s episode of Andor was, as usual, fabulous. The situation in the prison becomes particularly tense, as it becomes clear Cassian is trying to find a way to escape. At the same time, something weird and mysterious happened on Level 2, and we eventually find out that the entire work crew was killed by their murderous electric floors. We only find out towards the end of the show that it was because the Imperials put a prisoner who was supposed to be done with their sentence back into the workforce on a different level. Clearly, no one’s getting out of there alive. Didn’t they realize that the prisoners would figure this out and become outraged? The answer is yes, they did, and no, they don’t care. Kino finally realizes he won’t win at the Empire’s game, and so finally answers Cassian’s question about guards. He will help Cassian with the escape, but I have a feeling he won’t survive it.

The Empire in this show is at its scariest, and we don’t need any Sith to prove that. Bix is tortured by Dedra with sounds. The sound of tortured and dying children, which of course is quite appalling. Dr. Gorst is the freaky sadist who administers the “procedure” and is quite proud of it. I suppose torturers have to be a bit deranged.

Speaking of deranged, Syril Karn seems to have lost whatever marbles he may have had in the first place, stalking Dedra and claiming they’re kindred spirits with red-rimmed, delusional eyes. I have no idea where his story arc is going, but I’m curious to find out. His mother is a peculiar kind of awful, and I kind of feel sorry for him.

And speaking of awful, Perrin continues to be a complete jerk while his wife strives to convince the Senate that they’re still relevant. It falls on deaf ears, of course. The Senate is a sickly thing at this point, corrupt and apathetic. Mon is realizing she will get nowhere in that direction. And she’s also realizing she may have to compromise some of her ideals by dealing with a wealthy thug for a loan to hide a large sum of money missing from her “charity.” I feel like Mon is being pushed into a corner and she’ll have some pretty difficult decisions to make. What is she willing to sacrifice for the Rebellion? Vel turns out to be her cousin, and I have a dreadful feeling she’ll be one of the casualties that will push Mon further toward the Rebel leader she’ll become. And Leida? I honestly don’t know what’s up with that girl. One day she’s a spoiled rich brat; other times, especially at Mon’s parties, she’s a nervous wreck. Is she spying on her mother? Time will tell what role she’ll have to play in the story. Honestly I don’t care what happens to Perrin, as long as he’s either unhappy or dead, lol. I really don’t like that guy.

I can’t wait for next week’s episode, which will undoubtedly be the prison break. And then there will only be two more episodes, which will probably take place on Farrix. I have a feeling Marva will not survive, and this will further push Cassian toward the Rebel leader he will become. This show is truly compelling Star Wars.

Other than watching Andor, I did a rewatch of The Rings of Power this past week, knowing the reveals of the Stranger and Sauron, and those scenes became particularly interesting. Halbrand is, of course, “Hot Sauron,” and the clues are there. I still think I love the Elrond/Durin storyline best, though, believe it or not. They just have this great chemistry. And even though Durin’s father seems like a jerk here, the truth is, he’s right. Once he’s gone and Durin starts to mine the mithril or whatever else he’s delving for, they unleash the Balrog. He wants to help Elrond (and his people, as well as himself and Disa personally), but he’ll end up dooming his own people.

Naturally, I have many questions at the end of Season One: What will Miriel do? (and do I detect a possible romance between her and Elendil? Or am I reading too much into it?) What will Sauron do next? Where is Isildur? (and whatever happened to his brother Anarion?) Is the Stranger really Gandalf? What’s in Rhun? I’ll have to wait a few long years for the answers to those questions.

Other than that, I’m waiting impatiently for the next High Republic novel, Convergence, out on Nov. 22nd, and reading The Obelisk Gate in the meantime.

I also downloaded onto my Kindle Walking in this World, by Julia Cameron, of The Artist’s Way fame. I’ve always liked her and her methods for helping people find their creativity. I just wanted a bit of inspiration as I try to get back into writing. I’m doing her “morning pages,” three pages of longhand writing, mostly stream-of-consciousness. She also prescribes “Artist Dates,” which is simply taking your inner artist out for some fun, which for me means a visit to the used bookstore, browsing an antique store or curiosity shop, going to a movie at the theater, etc. Just something that stimulates and/or delights your senses or the artist in you. She also recommends solitary walking, which I already love to do. I haven’t been doing enough of it lately, though. I think all of these things will be particularly therapeutic for me right now, as I deal with my mother’s recent death.

That’s it this week. What’s been entertaining you? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!