Who Wants To Live Forever?

I've read a lot of books, quite a few of them featuring characters with blood-sucking, night-walking, never-aging immortal tendencies. Currently I am reading the fourth book in the “Mortal Instruments” series by Cassandra Clare. One of the characters is a teenage boy who has been turned into a Vampire, then, through drinking the blood of a remarkable personage, now has the ability to walk in the sun. They call him "daylighter" because of it. He can only live on blood now but isn't the homicidal type, so he's sneaking animal blood to get by. He's in denial, trying to live his life as much like a normal teenager as possible, including living with his mom who has no clue what’s going on with him, except the maternal instinct that keeps nagging at her that something ain't right with her baby boy. No, I'm not doing a book review. I just wanted to talk about this because as I was reading it, I started thinking of all the Vampires I've read about over the years.

Vampires have been portrayed a variety of ways in books and film. From Nosferatu (creepy as all get out, not sexy at all) to Victorian Vampire Lestat (sexy, in a refined kind of way) to Twilight's Edward Cullen (brooding, teenage, glittering, stalker’ish dream boat) to True Blood's Eric Northam (sexy, hunky, dark, dangerous and hilarious). By the way the last one is my favorite Vampire of all time! Partially because i love the character from the books and how they brought him to life on the TV show, and because the actor (Alexander Skarsgard) reminds me of my husband. Anyhow, in all these stories, Vampires--whether sexy or creepy--have held some kind of allure for the readers/viewers. When I was reading this book earlier I suddenly thought "Why? Why are we drawn to this mythical creature? What is the allure?" 

So I want to pose the question to you, my readers, "Who wants to live forever?" Really let’s think about it. "What are the pros and cons of being a Vampire?" Here's a few I came up with:


Pro:                                                                  Cons:
Immortality                                                        Everyone you know will die long before you.
Eternal Youth (they're not the same thing)           The not aging thing will freak people out!
Strength,                                                            Not knowing your own strength could be hazardous.
Agility                                                                Not so perfect sight, smell and hearing helps you zone out!
Heightened senses                                              Special powers can be more a nuisance than a gift.
Special powers (in some cases)                          Living eternally at night could get boring after a while.
"Sexy Vampire Mojo" (quote from the book :)    Being sexy all the time just seems like to much work!

Personally, I don't think living alone forever on the blood of others sounds like a whole lot of fun, it sounds downright depressing! I'd much rather be a Fairy. Give me some awesome wings, sprite-like powers, and mythical enchanting beauty; that's all I need. But I want to hear what you all think. So let’s hear you sound off below. To be a Vampire… Yay or Nay?

Well, I'm off to write more of "The Offspring" book two of the "Children of Cain" series. In case you didn't know, book one "The Forsaken" is now available in print and Kindle form at www.rjcraddock.com

You can also find it on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Below I've added a video of the song "Who Wants to Live Forever" and "Princes of the Universe" by Queen. Yes, I know they were both on the soundtrack for "The Highlander" film, which does involve immortals, but who are not Vampires. Now go forth and enjoy the video, enjoy my book, or just enjoy your life!

R.J. Craddock

   

Dark Shadows – Movie Review

Some of you out there may not know this but Tim Burton's film "Dark Shadows" is based off of the popular daytime soap opera. With Vampires, Witches, Warlocks, Werewolves, and other supernatural creatures, it was the phenomenon that ran on ABC-TV from 1966-1971.

With two Dark Shadow films, multiple tries at re-vamping (pun intended) the series, a score of fans and even a Dark Shadows Festival, the show's legend has lived on in various forms. I, myself, am an old fan of the soap opera and watched the re-runs on the Sci-Fi Channel in junior high. When I heard that Tim Burton was remaking "Dark Shadows" with Johnny Depp as Barnabas Collins, I was out of my mind with ecstasy. Burton and Depp are the perfect pair to tackle this project, and I knew they would do it justice. I have to admit if I had millions of dollars I might have done a "Dark Shadows" movie myself.

The show started with Victoria Winters, the outsider who comes to Collinwood, to be the new governess. She soon finds out that the Collins family has more than just skeletons in its closet. In the soap opera Barnabas Collins wasn't introduced to the cast until nine months into the show, becoming the first Vampire with a conscious in pop-culture history. However, in Burton's film version the story begins with Barnabas Collin's mortal life before he was cursed by Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green)--his jilted Witch lover--and transformed into a Vampire and entombed for two centuries. We jump a head in time to 1972 with Governess Victoria Winters, played by Bella Heathcote, on her way to Collinsport Maine. When she arrives at the old gothic-style Collinwood mansion she meets the Collins played by an all-star cast.

Michelle Pfeiffer plays her employer, and head of the Collins family, Elizabeth Collins Stoddard. The family's live-in-shrink, Dr. Julia Hoffman, is played by the very talented and always awesome Helena Bonham-Carter. The brother, Roger Collins, a drunken widower and negligent father, is played by Jonny Lee Miller (who was once married to Angelina Jolie just so you know). The Collins children are played by Chloë Grace Moretz (also seen in "Kick-Ass" and "Hugo") and Gulliver McGrath (also seen in "Hugo" and "Lincoln"). The family has plenty of personality all their own, but things get even stranger at Collinwood when Barnabas Collins is accidently released from his coffin. He returns to his home to find that Collinsport has changed considerably.

His family's fishing company is all but extinct and his family manor in shambles. Luckily, he has a hidden stash of wealth in the mansion and goes about trying to reconnect with his family and return the family business to its former glory. Only problem is his wicked Witch of an old flame is still alive and owns the rival fishing company and pretty much owns the town. What ensues is a hilarious farce of dark magic, Vampires, and 1970's culture. There's even a part where Barnabas kills a bunch of hippies (awesome)! I loved this movie and laughed out loud all the way through. However, they never explain exactly how Angelique Bouchard managed to live two hundred years. The film likewise does not explain where the modern day Collins descendants came from. In the beginning of the film, they portray Barnabas Collins as an only child; his parents both killed by one of the Witches' curses before he became a Vampire. These two plot holes bugged me a little but not enough to take away from my enjoyment of the film. I would recommend this movie to anyone who likes Tim Burton, Jonny Depp, supernatural beings, and has a dark sense of humor. You don't have to be an original "Dark Shadows" groupie to love the movie, but it doesn't hurt.

Below is a link to the movie trailer and a dark shadows fan site for you to check out as well. Now go forth, children of the night, and view this flick. Love it or hate it, I'd love to hear what you thought of it.

Till next time,
R.J. Craddock

http://www.collinwood.net/info/

The Host - Movie Review

While out on a movie night with my mom I saw "The Host", a film based off of the novel by Stephanie Meyer. After reading the "Twilight" saga I was all Stephanie- Meyered-out, so when "The Host" came out I couldn't have cared less. However, seeing the film has changed my mind. Perhaps Meyer's talent lies with Science Fiction instead of YA Paranormal Romance.

The movie begins with a voice over of Uncle Jeb (William Hurt) telling how wonderful the world is now that the human race has been taken over by alien parasites. Yeah, sure the world finally has peace but it's no longer our world. The Seekers of this Alien Race seek out the last of the Human resistance. Amongst these last remaining few is Melanie Stryder, played by (Saoirse Ronan) of course; she gets nabbed by The Seekers at the very beginning of the film. In her attempt to get away from them she tries to kill herself. However, The Seekers just take her near-lifeless-body and heal it with their advanced alien medicine. Now her body can play Host to another alien soul, called Wanderer or Wanda for short. But unlike other humans who give in to the invading souls and lose control of their bodies, Melanie refuses to give in and fights Wanda for control of herself. Especially, when Wanda is asked by The Seeker (Diane Kruger) to access Melanie's memories and finds the rest of the human resistance. Melanie will do anything to protect her boyfriend Jared Howe (Max Irons) and her little brother Jamie (Chandler Canterbury). Melanie plays on Wanda's sympathy and convinces her to help her protect the ones she loves.

Wanda escapes The Seekers at Melanie's directions and goes in search of Melanie's uncle Jeb, the one place she knows Jared and Jamie would go to be safe. What proceeds is an emotional journey for both alien and host. Wanda learns to care for humans and their spirits and Melanie learns to Love Wanda. I can't tell you how the rest of the movie goes, of course, but it is an interesting tale of survival and the human spirit. Also, this story has the classic YA love triangle but with a twist. Melanie still loves Jared who she met while she was on the run. On the other hand Wanda begins to have feelings for Ian O'Shea, (Jake Abel) one of the humans living in the cave-like refuge on Uncle Jeb's property in the desert. This is a conflict since Melanie won't let Wanda do anything about her feelings, but also can't stand to let Jared kiss her because he's also kissing Wanda. Confused yet?

Overall I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. I enjoyed all the casts' performances, even Saoirse Ronan whom I'm not particularly a fan. However, she felt like a good fit for this role of dual personages trapped in one body. I loved the location of the Human's cave hideout, not a bad place to live in a time of peace let alone during a global takeover. The ending was a little corny but not so much as to turn me off. Anyway, they kind of leave it open at the end for a sequel. I didn't know the book was part of a series but now that I do, I might end up reading this one after all. I'm still not a Stephanie Meyer enthusiast, and I'm most definitely not a Twihard (someone who is a die-hard "Twilight" fan). Still, I found this storyline far more to my liking than the melodrama that is "Twilight".

I'd give this film a three and a half star rating. Below you'll find "The Host" trailer and the cover art from the book. Now go forth and read the book or go see the film if you're interested. I thought it was fun. You might, too.

R.J. Craddock

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare - Book Review

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare - Book Review

A couple of years ago when I first began writing my book "The Forsaken" I was trying to explain the concept of my story to my sister--a former librarian and ex-Border's employee (so she's a book fanatic like me)--and she said it reminded her of these books about The Shadow Hunters. She couldn't remember what they were called, and I had no idea what she was talking about. Anyway, a year later I was at a Christmas party for my local chapter of The League of Utah Writers and I won a copy of "The Mortal Instruments, Book One: City of Bones" in a raffle. I was excited because I'd seen the cover at the bookstore and thought, "Ooohh! Nice Cover. I think I want to read that book." So, getting it for free was great. However, I was in the middle of three other series at the time and just put it on my bookshelf, saving it for another time; where it stayed untouched for two years. Then recently as I was designing the book cover for "The Forsaken", I was looking at some of my favorite books and came across "City of Bones." I decided to finally read it.

Now, I don't usually read much Young Adult novels because of three main factors: first, the story telling is watered-down for a younger audience, leaving it with very little atmosphere or description. Second, the conceptions of the stories (in Urban Fantasy and regular Fantasy at least) feel under developed because a younger audience apparently can't handle complex world building. Third, the characters and dialogue seem unrealistic because they exclude the natural sexuality of teenagers so it can be a YA book. I don't know about you, but I was a very hormonal, boy-crazy teenager, even though I was good girl. But nonetheless, those kinds of thoughts and feelings are natural at that age. However, I understand not wanting to include sex in these books, but all too often YA books seem to ignore sexuality all together which, to me, makes the characters seem unrealistic.

However, never fear Cassandra Clare has none of these issues in her book "City of Bones." As far as storytelling and description, Cassandra is awesome. I was not bored in the least; she gave great details at pivotal moments which really enhanced the mood of the book. The world building/concept of this series is amazing for a YA book, for any book really. "City of Bones" is rich in detail and unique mythology built off of biblical references and old legends. It's pure genius. Honestly, I was pleasantly surprised at how three dimensional her characters were, and appreciated the realistic sexual tension between them, while still maintaining a PG-13 vibe. The dialogue was great, giving each character their own individuality without seeming written or cliché. It even made me laugh out loud a few times.

Finally, someone has written a teenage heroine that doesn't annoy me! I love Clary Fray. She's got wit, sarcasms (one of my favorite things) personality and spunk. Like many books do, "City of Bones." has its own love triangle--well, it's really a love octagon--but unlike other YA books, I actually felt like this one made sense. I can totally understand why two guys would fight over Clary, she's irresistible. Also, I can see why she would be torn between her two male leads. She has the good boy next door in Simon, but he's got more to him than that with his own sarcasm and wit and an endearing sense of loyalty that every best friend should have. On the other hand we've got the bad boy, Jace who isn't just a stereo-type but has real depth and vulnerability, taking the edge off his cold, arrogant exterior making you want to know him better. Not to mention he's sexy as can be and the chemistry between him and Clary is electric and believable.

I have to admit that it took me until chapter five to really get into this book. Not because the story telling wasn't good, it was. Nowadays books are faster paced, like movies, where you start off the book with a life changing event. (inciting incident) The thing I've always preferred about books is that you can take your time to get to know a character, establish their background and hang on tight as their lives become a roller coaster ride. However, once I got to know the characters, I was hooked and stayed riveted until the very end. I have to hand it to the author for her subtle foreshadowing that gave hints of the outcome of the book yet left me completely unprepared for the twist at the end (you will be, too). All too often the ending of a book is less surprising and more predictable. Although I was a little mad about the ending, eventually I broke down and bought the next book because I was too invested in the characters not to read on. Overall I give this book a 5 star rating. The Mortal Instruments is my new favorite series from my new favorite author.

"The Mortal Interments: City of Bones" movie comes out in August 2013. I can't wait to see it. Below I included a music video of the song that I think should be Jace's theme song, or at least what Clary thinks of him. I can totally hear this song over the end credits of the movie. Also, I included the movie trailer itself. I hope you enjoy both the videos and go out and pick up this book. You will not be disappointed.

R.J. Craddock

Jace Wayland bad boy theme music:

City of Bones Trailer: