The Manhunt Begins

I admit that I didn't expect it, but the premiere of Prison Break's second season blew me away. An episode that tied all loose ends, kept you at the edge of your seat throughout, built a basis for the entire season and, as expected from all great episodes, shocked you in the last minute. Don't read below this line if you don't appreciate spoilers.
The former prisoners, and now fugitives, run like they've never run before in their lives. While Bellick's dogs are behind them, this time Michael's enemies are far more dangerous than police force simpletons. For the first time, he receives attention from the real bad guys who manage to decifer his tattoo...a bit. This allows them to apply pressure even though Michael is one step ahead. I am a bit bothered, however, at how fast agent Mahone was able to find the graveyard or how he assumed that Michael must have thrown evidence in the river below his apartment. Anyway, in the end, the party manages to blend with the crowd and escape. Which direction will they go next? Considering that Michael's plans no longer require anyone other than his brother, we can expect some conflict, especially since Westmoreland's money is involved. I am sure though, that Michael will cross paths again with Dr. Tancredi who I was very glad to see survive her attempted suicide. Michael and Sara's story is one that could either end happilly or tragically and I hope they give some emphasis on it in the course of the season
In the meantime, Veronica is really at the end of the puzzle. Having found Steadman alive, she thinks everything is over. Steadman's warnings about the prison-like nature of his habitat do not sway her. She sees through his lies that there's no signal to make a phone call here. She calls the police and asks for help. She keeps reassuring Steadman that everything will be ok while waiting. When help finally comes, Lincoln chooses this most dramatic and fateful moment to call Veronica. She is not finished urging him to give himself up and reassuring him that everything's over, when it becomes clear she's been fooled. The help that arrived is no other than Steadman's keepers. Lincoln hears the gunshot that ends Veronica's life and is devastated. The episode ends with a scene of Michael, in a most formal suit now, removing his handcuffs...

Autumn Dragons Alive

For fans of the Dragonlance books, this isn't the optimal turn of events. Nevertheless, the announcement that the first book of the series, "Dragons Of Autumn Twilight" becomes an animation movie is certainly exciting. I, too, would wish these books were turned into normal movies. The success of Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy has shown that it can be done. The Dragonlance series is, with a slight exaggeration, almost as popular and so, the audience is guaranteed. We can hope for the future.
The animation can turn out to be really good of course. Considering that we have the perfect casting of Kiefer Sutherland as the voice of Raistlin Majere, a character that deserves his popularity, things are pretty positive for the start. As the film will be released next year, a lot should change but we'll be here waiting. Meanwhile, you can read the books; they're a lot of fun.

A New Myth For The Guardian

It should no longer matter to Blind Guardian fans that their new releases take more than 4 years to see the light of day. Their perfectionism and commitment into delivering something unique pay off and the wait is more than worth it. Their previous album, "A Night At The Opera", received a lot of criticism but mainly, in my opinion, from short-sighted sources. It was a brilliant album whose only fault was that it was over the top. Indeed, it was the complexity and the elaborate production that was the reason of most criticism.
"A Twist In The Myth" is the next logical step. Retaining the new, progressive elements of "A Night At The Opera" but also recruiting a couple of their old-style dynamics that made them so popular, the new Blind Guardian offering will satisfy just about everyone who listens to this kind of music. What kind of music? Well...it is definitely a heavy metal album, but it's been a long time since we could compare Guardian with anyone else. The production is reasonably less ambitious than "ANATO", but the band's inspiration (even though there's no "And Then There Was Silence" here) is still phenomenal after all those years. Oh, and one last thing...Thomen's absence behind the drums is not felt at all! The german bards did it again.

Jordan Collier's Gospel

What summer has been lacking for a very long time was a good tv series. I'm pretty sure, though, that USA Network's "The 4400" did not go unnoticed by most of you. Indeed, the series is very near the ending of its third season so I will assume you know what it's about and move on with reviewing the latest episode.
Jordan Collier is back and he is very much alive, despite being shot and killed at the end of the second season. This is bad news for Isabelle because it ruins her wedding and she remembers that as a baby, she had given a vision to Collier that ultimately lead to his death. But where has Jordan Collier been all this time? He claims that he has been alive for hundreds of years and he has seen the future. Alana helps him remember and she is shocked by a glimpse of his visions. The 4400 and the rest of the world welcome Jordan Collier as a messiah and he does not deny the title. He seems confident and with a clear mission. Returning to the 4400 center, he resumes the leadership he was violently forced to abandon and his first job is to deal with Isabelle. He names her for what she is : the enemy of the 4400. Her protests about being free to choose are lost on Collier. He asks her to leave and never return.
So far in the season we had to suffer Isabelle as the most powerful character but also the most immature and prone to evil. Despite her claims about having a choice, she had already made her choice when she helped Ryland build his anti-4400 army. Finally, there is now someone able to oppose her. Of course, the future humanity's agenda is still unclear and the parameters are now numerous. We cannot be sure of much because the "good" guys could be responsible for the catastrophe as much as Isabelle. For now, let's wait to enjoy the confrontation that is sure to come.

Freakish Economists

The title and the hype can certainly be misleading, but that doesn't mean a popular book can't be enjoyable. If you ignore the facts that the economy, in the most common meaning, is never mentioned and that the whole thing reads like a shrine to Levitt, then "Freakonomics" will keep you some good company.
Although the writers (mainly Levitt I guess) try to present this as a book with no unifying theme, it is really about how the methods used by economists can bring results in different areas of our lives. Of course, there is no grand analysis and nothing that intimately connects the few chapters/examples of this theme. This lack of complexity and the addressing of familiar topics do explain the book's great sales.
Some specifics about what the book covers are incentives and their role on people's decisions, and statistical analysis. You will contemplate on the different kind of incentives people may have (moral, social, economic) and which are the strongest in a given situation. A smart thing to do when you want to predict the crowd's behaviour. You will also see how statistical analysis can be a detective's best friend when the investigation is about teachers cheating or sumo-fight frauds.
It may be that some of the content borders on the trivial, but Levitt's casual and witty writing style makes you forget about it. Clearly, this is not a life-changing book, but it deals with an interesting topic in a not challenging way and that can only be fun.

Everything Lost In One Image

The above is a sample of a very nicely done image that contains most of the info we have gathered in those amazing two "Lost" seasons. Get it over here. Be warned, it is over 4 MB in size!

Troy 5000 AD

I doubt you can find many novels that are as detailed, dense and inspired in science fiction as Dan Simmons' Hyperion ones. His next attempt was the duet "Ilium" and "Olympos". The first thing that amazes you is that once again Simmons' imagination is over the top. "Ilium" starts with the same verses as Homer's "Iliad" but the person who recites them is one Thomas Hockenberry, a scholar of the "Iliad" from the 21st century. And his relationship with the Muse is nothing like Homer's. You go on, astonished to find out that Hockenberry is living the legendary Trojan War, and his job is to report to the Muse everything that is going on and how, if at all, it differs with Homer's text. Yes, the Gods, the heroes, and everything else is in place. Thomas Hockenberry has no idea how he was brought there, but it soon becomes clear that the "Gods" owe their supernatural power to advanced technology.
Meanwhile, sentient machines of earthly origin embark from Jupiter to investigate strange quantum anomalies that are emanating from Mars. These AIs were created by humanity millenia ago, but they still are obsessed with everything human. Named "moravecs", after the robotics researcher Hans Moravec, the two machines contemplate on what it is to be human and analyze the texts of Shakespeare and Proust on their journey. But what is happening on Earth?
Things are even weirder here. Humanity has been dumbed down despite the advanced technology they are using. Noone knows how to read, or do anything else since everything is provided by machine servitors. Societies have no structure, there is no government, and the concept of family has been forgotten. Everything has been arranged so by the post-humans, a population of genetically advanced humans who have disappeared and left only their rules behind.
How all of this connects in a coherent way is something that only Dan Simmons could pull through. However, as I said, he does go over the top. There are some things that could be left out, like wandering dinosaurs. Yes, it's not implausible considering the age and technology described but I think it hurts the overall picture.

As we turn to "Olympos", a lot has happened. Hockenberry, sick of being a pawn for the Gods, takes matters into his own hands. As a result, the war takes a new turn when Greeks and Trojans ally against the Gods themselves. The moravecs find out that this war is taking place on a terraformed Mars and it is the source of the anomalies they were sent to investigate. The entities posing as Gods must be stopped before the anomalies become a threat for the universe.
As if the Trojan War wasn't enough, characters from Shakespeare's "The Tempest" , come to life, much like the greek Gods. Their roles are less of a mystery and more of a literary challenge. A challenge of sorts, also, is Simmons' detailed descriptions of future technologies that are up to date with the latest advancements in physics.
The final verdict on this very ambitious fantasy creation is not an all-together positive one like it was for "Hyperion". You will, of course, be amazed at the complexity and imagination of the writing. Despite its wild and fun character, it requires some level of literature and even science involvement from the reader. This will tend to be annoying for some but it can also be something to spark interest for these things. But there are other flaws to consider. The plotlines come to be extremely complex and their resolvement is not entirely satisfying. It makes you think that it would require one or two more books to do this right. Finally, even though Simmons tries to be subtle about it, his religious convictions come out more strongly here than in "Hyperion". Hard to avoid this, considering how closely related fiction and religion are.

Two Deaths For The Road

SPOILERS AHEAD!

As the second season of "Lost" comes to a close, extraordinary events take place that will change the picture for the third season, much like the hatch's contents did for the second. It is hard to tell what it will be like, but one thing is sure : it will be violent.
This episode was a wealth of information and shockers. Michael returns and he claims the Others are miserable, poorly armed and waiting to be owned by the fully equipped survivors. Kate should open her damned mouth about the disguises she has discovered at this point, but the hope for revenge is clouding everyone's thoughts. Ana Lucia tries to resolve her guilt over the murder(s) that made her a failure as a cop and a daughter. In the process, she assists Christian Sheppard (Jack's father) locate his daughter in Sydney. I'm sure Jack would like to know this, but by the episode's end it's clear it won't happen. Ana Lucia figures out that killing Henry will make her demons go away. Getting a gun from Sawyer to accomplish this is no small task, but Ana Lucia's resolve is strong. She seduces him and gets to steal the gun after sex. It's a big clue to how psychologically messed up she is. In the end though, she finds herself unable to do it. Still, she doesn't think much when Michael asks for the gun to do it himself. I believe his speech about the Others being animals and killers is genuine, and Ana Lucia is convinced. This is when things get wild : Michael says "I'm sorry", shoots Ana Lucia who dies with a depressing expression of surprise, and an unlucky Libby who walks in the scene while picking stuff for a picnic with Hurley. The episode ends with Michael opening the door to Henry's prison and shooting his own arm.
It's obvious at this point that the Others have blackmailed Michael to help them free Henry and possibly be a mole at the survivors' camp in exchange for his son. Despite the fact that a father will do anything for his son, Michael's actions are terrible and his deception will not last long. I doubt his character will continue much into the third season. Libby's death is the most frustrating event of the season. She is the only character we have had no flashback from, and the teaser from Hurley's episode was a promise for interesting plots that are now hanging in the air. I hope these issues will be resolved in some flashback before the season ends. Three more episodes to go, and the writers promise a finale that will top the one of first season. It seems "Lost" will keep people at the edge of their seats for quite some time.