Favorite Novels

Ever since I was really young, I've always loved to read. Therefore, I thought it might be appropriate to make a list of my favorite novels. Well, some of them at least, listing all the novels that I love would take way too long and you'd probably be bored. Anyway, before you scroll down, there are some rules I applied to myself when composing this list that I thought you should know. They are as follows:

-No Non-Fiction. There are certain novels on this list that involve real-life figures or events, but these are all fictionalized, straight up non-fiction is out.

-One work per author. This was done in order to insure that the list possessed some degree of variety.

- No Graphic Novels. I thought about including a few, but I'll save them for an eventual post on my favorite comics.

And now, without further ado, I give you; my favorite novels:

The Deptford Trilogy  (Fifth Business, The Manticore, World of Wonders) by Robertson Davies

If I had to pick my favorite literary trilogy than there's a pretty huge chance that I'd pick The Deptford Trilogy. In this masterpiece, Robertson Davies tells the tale of a group of people whose lives were all changed by something as seemingly insignificant as a thrown snowball. From this humble beginning, Davies weaves an intricate tale filled with twists and turns and populated with unforgettable characters. An excellent read which I revisit regularly.

Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart

I've already written in detail about this novel set in an ancient China that never was (but should have been), so for now, I'll just say that Bridge of Birds is one of the greatest works of fantasy I've ever read. The fact that it doesn't seem to be more well-known is a crying shame.

Flashman and the Redskins by George MacDonald Fraser

It wasn't easy choosing which novel should represent MacDonald Fraser on this list, but for now, I'll go with Flashman and the Redskins. In this, the longest novel in the series, the Victorian Era's greatest scoundrel is still stuck in the US following events of its predecessor, Flash for Freedom. If its well-researched, thrilling historical fiction you want and if you can stomach spending time with a deplorable yet fascinating protagonists, than George MacDonald Fraser is the author for you.

Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy

Perhaps more than any other work on this list, Blood Meridian has an epic feel to it. When I first read it, I felt as if I was reading the western/horror genre equivalent to The Iliad or The Odyssey. Be warned though, that Blood Meridian is not for the squeamish; it features both scenes of horrifying violence as well as one of the most terrifying creations in all literature: Judge Holden. However, if you can handle those things, I definitely recommend giving this masterpiece a try.

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stephenson

Basically, the perfect adventure novel. Sure, there are no significant female characters, but other than that, Treasure Island is pretty much flawless. Plus, it features the best pirate in fiction; Long John Silver. This book has been a favorite of mine since I was a kid and will remain one, no matter how old I get and if that ever changes, you may present me with the black spot, matey.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by John Le Carré

The greatest spy in literature is a gray, middle-aged man, whom you probably wouldn't look at twice if you saw him on the street. Although George Smiley had been introduced in some of Le Carré's earlier work, it was in Tinker Tailor... that the character really comes into his own. In this novel, Smiley is called out of retirement to track down a mole inside the Circus (British spy-department), Le Carré's skill at portraying the world of the secret agent with its secrets and lies are pretty much unsurpassed. When you're done with the novel, be sure to check out both the 1970's mini-series with Alec Guinness and the 2011 movie with Gary Oldman.

The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester

One of the best science-fiction novels I've read; The Stars My Destination is Bester's take on the classical revenge-story in general and Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo in particular. Set in the 25th Century in which people have learned to teleport (or "Jaunt" as its called here) themselves, the book focuses on Gully Foyle, a man who is left to die and becomes obsessed with the thought of avenging himself on the ship that abandoned him. Aside from being a great read filled with memorable characters and ideas, The Stars My Destination is also the tale of a man who fulfills his long dormant potential and becomes truly great, but for all the wrong reasons. Any fan of Science-Fiction should participate in Gully Foyle's odyssey at least once in their life.

The First Man in Rome by Colleen McCullough

I recently learned that Colleen McCullough passed away and so, as a small tribute, I thought I'd include the first book in her Masters of Rome series here. The first three books in this series, the ones that focus on Sulla and Marius are among the greatest works of historical fiction that I've read and should be required reading for anyone with an interest in ancient Rome.

Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes

Last but not least, here's one of the great classics. You know what? I honestly can't think of anything to say here. I mean, its Don Quixote, its one of the founding works of western literature, that's all that needs to be said, right? Let's just say that Don Quixote is one of those masterpieces that deserves its reputation and leave it at that.

Well, there you have it dear reader; nine of my favorite novels. I hope I've made you interested in checking at least one of them. Oh, and I'd be very interested in knowing what your favorites are, feel free to mention them in the comments.

Berlin: City of Stone and City of Smoke

City of Stone and City of Smoke are the first two volumes in the Berlin trilogy, written and drawn by Jason Lutes. I borrowed the first volume at my local library recently and was so taken with it that I immediately ordered the second one.

It's 1928 and Germany is still recovering from its defeat in the Great War. Unemployment and poverty is sky-high and on the streets of Berlin, violent clashes between communists and national-socialists are a frequent occurrence. The days of the Weimar Republic are counted and the city, not to mention the rest of the nation, is about to change forever.

The two central characters of Berlin are Kurt Severing, a journalist with leftist leanings (though his political involvement is limited to writing articles) and Marthe Müller, a country-girl who has come to Berlin to study at the art-school. The majority of the action in the two volumes are seen through the eyes of these two, who meet when the story begins and will soon form a relationship. Lutes surrounds Kurt and Marthe with a huge cast of characters, including art-students, communists, entertainers and others and its a testament to Lutes' strength as a writer that each character in the comic comes across as a believable and recognizable human being.

On the art-side of things, Berlin is very good as well. Lutes does an excellent job at making the time-period comes to life and portrays both squalid poverty as well as the excesses of the nightclubs, with aplomb. He's also very good at facial expressions, to prove my point I present a scene from the second volume, in which a visiting African-American jazz band happens upon a poster meant to portray them. The look on their faces says more than a thousand words:

I strongly recommend Berlin to anyone who has either an interest in the time-period or just want to enjoy a truly great work of sequential art. My only real complaint (if it even counts as one) is that now I will have to wait for a long time until the final volume comes out. Still, as the saying goes; He who waits for something good can never wait too long.

Villain Songs

It's been awhile since I wrote something about villains, so I figured that it would be fun to dedicate my first post of the year to that very subject. In any media featuring musical numbers, the ones sung by the villain tend to be the most memorable. Below are some of my favorite villain songs, in random order.

No post like this is complete without at least one song performed by a Disney-villain and this one is my personal favorite. Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame, may have been a kiddyfied adaptation of Hugo's book, but it was still a pretty dark movie, as evidenced by the Hellfire sequence.In it, the hypocritical and corrupt Judge Claude Frollo, sings about his lust for Esmeralda and how, if he can't have her, he'll kill her (you know, for kids). Probably the darkest scene in a Disney-movie and definitely the best one in the entire movie. I miss you, Tony Jay.

For a show which frequently has its characters bursting into song, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic has been quite stingy with songs for its villains. Out of the major villains, the only one to get a her own song is Chrysalis, the Changeling-Queen (yes. I know that Discord got a song in season 4, but he wasn't really a villain in that episode, just a dick), This Day is divided into two parts, the first has Chrysalis - disguised as Princess Cadance - singing about her evil plans while Twilight Sparkle and the real Cadance rush to stop her. In the second part, Chrysalis, now in her true form, gloats over the invasion of Canterlot by her army. Taking both parts as a whole this is a great song, easily one of my favorites in the show. Plus, I find Chrysalis' evil laughter at the end to be absolutely adorable.

I'm not really familiar with Mefistofele, Arrigo Boito's Opera-adaption of the Faust legend, but this is a great song. It's pretty much the titular character singing about how he's going to destroy/corrupt God's creation and the joy he gets from doing that. It's pretty much the perfect song for the Devil (or one of the Devil's minions) to sing.

Like many children who grew up in the 90's, I was a huge fan of Pokemon, at least for awhile. However, I had no idea until recently that a Pokemon musical existed. Now, I haven't seen the musical (I think the entire thing is available on YouTube, for those who are interested), so I can't vouch for its quality. That said, It Will All be Mine is pretty awesome. The song has Giovanni singing about how he's going to take over the World and destroy all who oppose him. You know, typical villain-stuff. What I like the most about this song is how triumphant it sounds. Giovanni is so excited about this whole world-domination thing that it becomes infectious. One almost wants the guy to come out at the top in the end.

Unlike the other songs in this post, this one is not sung by a villain, but about him. The Rains of Castamere tells the story of how a young Tywin Lannister put down the Reyne-Tarbeck rebellion. Without mentioning his name, the song pretty much tells you a very important thing about Tywin; That he's a ruthless bastard whose wrath you'd best not incur. Of course, you already knew that, right?

To round out the list, here's another opera-villain; Namely, Claggart from Benjamin Britten's adaption of Herman Melville's novella, Billy Budd. Claggart's aria is one of those songs that opens itself up to different interpretations. Why does Claggart want to destroy Billy? Well, the most obvious answer is that its because he represents evil and Billy represents good. However, one can also view Claggart as a repressed/latent homosexual who can't deal with the fact that he's attracted to another guy. Regardless, this is a great, chilling song, possibly my favorite and the perfect song to end this list with.