a journal of the conquest, war, famine, and death year

Read [on the way back home (and during the following jet-lagged nights)] the Ninth Rain and its sequel the Bitter Twins, by Jen Williams, for which she won twice a British Fantasy Award. I am twice as surprised given that it is quite a poor series, with a simplistic approach to its world building, a dreary time-line  repeating the all-too-common pattern of a very few individuals saving the planet from a recurrent alien invasion, and bickering about mundane issues like clothes or food while facing an alien invasion. The only thing I appreciated was the character of Vintage (!), both vignerone and femme savante. But I particularly disliked the mix of fantasy (kingdoms and a mostly primitive society) and science-fiction (spaceships, magic-driven trains). The cliffhanging final chapter of the Ninth Rain was rather predictable and the inconsistency in the character psychology a major flaw. The second volume is even poorer, with new major elements of the world being suddenly revealed, more bickering/whining, and even less consistency… I had also brought west the massive Les Furtifs by Alain Damasio, which I bought in De Gaulle airport months ago. But I just could not finish it, due to both the pretentious if clever style and the charicaturesque depiction of rebels within a highly numeric capitalistic society.

Came home to solve electrical problems (by calling the right company!), harvest the very first harvest of potatoes [a small basket amounting to more than my yearly consumption], and clean the garden to try to reduce the population of mosquitoes that exploded this (wet) summer. Due to the hot weather, cooked very little, having instead all sorts of salads, including a refreshing radish marinade vaguely inspired by Murakami.

Watched the (short) second season of D.P., a Korean series on the pursuit of deserters from the Korean Army (during their military service). Rather a serialised movie since the story sketches over the six episodes, quite dark in its depiction of hazing within the troops and cover-ups by the hierarchy. Despite strongly unrealistic situations, as e.g. at the end, I rather enjoyed it, in part because of its criticism of the Korean institutions, stronger than in other series.

a journal of the conquest, war, famine, and death year

Read at last the (disappointing) last tome of Christelle Dabos’ The Mirror Visitor, The Storm of Echoes, as I find the unravelling of the story unbearably slow and poorly constructed, contrasting with the earlier volumes where the universe building was central to the appeal of the series. Here it is collapsing, literally and figuratively. Without risking spoilers, I can only point out to the vagueness of the endless hesitations of the central character between multiverses. One volume too many imho! Also read a series of two novella, Our Lady of Endless Worlds, by Lina Rather, a very light story of a Catholic nun convent travelling on a spaceship. Nothing as enticing as Becky Chambers’ Wayfarers, but enjoyable as train read! At last, went through Murder as a Fine Art, by David Morell, which botches a poor murder enquiry out of the true story behing De Quincey’s essay, featuring the writer and his daughter in a lukewarm pot of wikipediesque infodump and anachronous attitudes. (Could you imagine Victorian strangers discussing the average waist sizes of men and women?!)

Watched the third season of the Witcher, which is also the last season with Henry Cavill. This short season felt sluggish and soapy, although somehow in tune with the book(s). It seemed as if the characters had lost some of their ambiguity, esp. Yennyfer, and hence of their appeal. The final show still had some appeal thanks to its time loop construction. I also had a look at the prequel, Blood Origin, which proved a mistake, as it is terrible (apart from the Icelandic landscapes!).

a journal of the plague, sword, and famine year

Read over the last week of 2022 and in the plane to India, three books by Katherine Addison, The Goblin Emperor and both volumes of The Cemeteries of Amalo. While the steampunk side is very light, the universe is rather well-conceived and the stories compelling, esp. the duology that follows a priest able to connect with recently deceased people, towards seeking murderers or scone recipes. Too much introspection and self-pity, too many descriptions of itineraries in an imaginary city, unnecessarily complicated names, but pleasant nonetheless, with a fascination with (imaginary) teas and tea-houses. I also read All the Horses of Iceland, which turned out to be an historical novel on an early Icelander’s trip to Mongolia and his bringing home the ancestors of the famed horses of Iceland. Very well-written and full of historical tidbits.

While visiting Ivan Vautier’s restaurant in Caen with a scallop menu was a continuation of a family (almost) tradition, I cooked very little over the period except for making my own garam masala from spices I bought in India. Put to use in weekly fish curries. I also tried to bake dosa (ದೋಸೆ), this very thin rice-flour crêpe ubiquitous in South India, but it ended up closer to a galette!

Watched most of The Good Detective, a rather conventional Korean TV series (meaning the same police stations, endless shots of police stations from outside, post-work dinner parties, intricate blackmail situations, widespread corruption, massive conflicts of interest, as in series earlier watched). But enough originality to keep me interested. And second-watched Belfast in the plane to India, a black-and-white film by Kenneth Branagh, focusing on a Protestant family during “The Troubles” and sounding (!) rather engaging, if possibly soppy (as sound was off).

International Women’ Day: EU solidarity [reposted]

EP President Roberta Metsola said: ‘‘I want to start by commending the incredibly brave women of Ukraine who are fighting, forced to shelter their loved ones in bunkers, giving birth in metro stations and leading on the frontline. It is a testament to their courage, strength and resilience even in the worst circumstances.’’

Women’s Rights and Gender Equality Committee Chair Robert Biedroń (S&D, PL), declared: ‘‘A few days ago, in the very heart of Europe, Russia launched a brutal war on Ukraine, entirely in breach of international agreements, human rights and our values. I condemn this aggression that has led to the senseless deaths of many Ukrainian soldiers (20% of whom are women) and civilians. Over a million refugees have crossed the border now, mostly women (some of them pregnant) and children. We need to ensure proper assistance is provided to them.’’

French Minister Delegate for Gender Equality, Diversity and Equal Opportunities Élisabeth Moreno, added: ‘‘I salute the courage and determination of the Ukrainian people, of these women and men who are facing a wave of unanimously condemned violence. Let us remember that women and girls are always the first victims of crises. Despite this, they are excluded from strategic discussions and exchanges on security and peace.’’

The Prime Minister of Iceland Katrín Jakobsdóttir declared: ”We must put pressure on Russia to immediately stop this war. Our thoughts are with the people of Ukraine. Gender equality should always be on our agenda, even on times like these. The world would be more peaceful with more women in the lead, I have no doubt about that.”

Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, Chair of the Verkhovna Rada’s Committee for Ukraine’s integration into the EU, made the following statement: ‘‘I would have loved to join you today to discuss gender equality but I will talk about war. Thousands of women with children are trying to relocate to a safer place. Some have difficulties accessing basic products like baby food, while others are giving birth in shelters. Elderly people are sometimes left alone at home with no access to medicine or food. I urge your governments to declare a no-fly zone over Ukraine, to provide massive military support and to engage right now in providing humanitarian corridors for women, children and elderly people. Please do stand with Ukraine and help us preserve ourselves and the values we are standing for.’’

Mission implausible

I watched two movies with the same starting point, namely an old man being forced to take care of an unknown girl, despite his lack of fatherhood experience and no initial inclination to do so, while later defying odds and surviving together… One is News of the World (absurdly translated as The Mission in French, hence my poor pun) with Tom Hanks and (fabulous!) Helena Zengel, the other is Midnight Sky, with the improved French title of Midnight in the Universe, with George Clooney and Caoilinn Springall. The first one is a (modern) Western, set in Texas right after the Civil War and sometimes presented as a modern (and over-washed) version of Ford’s The Searchers, while the second one is an ecological science-fiction film, set in 2049, as the Earth is collapsing under an unspecified but all encompassing disaster. The first is passable if implausible, the second one is a disaster at all levels.

In News of the World Tom Hanks is again doing his Jimmy Stewart impersonation, always doing the “right” thing even when this is rather implausible. The fact that no-one seems to care that a stranger goes away with a young girl may be plausible in the late 1800’s Texas, although I am surprised none of the very few women in the story, one of them the girl’s own aunt, does even object. On the other hand, the motive for the compulsory gun duel sounds very weak if darker than the rest of the story (and is there any chance a shotgun cartridge filled by coins (of the right diameter!) can fly true to its target?!) The choice of depicting Kiowa Indians as silent spectres walking away may be artistically motivated but it does not carry much weight, just like Hank in the movie is not making much progress in denunciation of slavery and genocide, besides keeping his own decency.

In Midnight Sky, George Clooney is a grumpy old scientist stuck in a Far North observatory, in terminal phase of a blood disease and who is gradually revealed as having always failed on the personal relation side. [Anyone wondering at the scientific pertinence of the presence of a most traditional observatory [incl. manual orienteering] at this latitude? Although I found that Canada has recently set an observatory on Ellesmere Island, Nunavut.] As Earth is collapsing under deadly radiation, Clooney finds himself alone until he discovers a little girl conveniently left behind during the evacuation of the station. As a space ship is returning to Earth, unaware of the disaster, the pair sets on an impossible mission to reach a better communication station. first on a snowmobile, then on foot!, with no goggles and a woolen hat in a snow storm!, just to make sure we can recognise Clooney!, while the disaster that see the pair stranded with only their clothes on a frozen tundra makes no sense. For instance, falling into Arctic water has a very low survival probability, esp. for a a sick and old man. And the part taking place on the very-low-tech space ship is light-years away from anything remotely realistic. Ending up (spoiler!) with the ship turning back to this habitable moon of Jupiter as if this would make any difference… Have a safe trip!