THE Prisoner - A NOVEL

PENGUIN BOOKS

Written by Thomas M. Disch

Copyright Carlton International Media Limited, 1967, 2001 All rights reserved

Thomas M. Disch's The Prisoner is a novelization of the TV series The Prisoner, starring Patrick McGoohan. The book and TV series also inspired the TV update, The Prisoner, starring Ian McKellen and Jim Caviezel. The novelization is about a former retired British secret agent who is gassed and kidnapped from a train - and then brought to and detained in a place called The Village. The powers that be use psychological methods on the secret agent in order to convince him to reveal his secrets.

As much as I liked the original TV series, Disch's novelization is much more European in feeling compared to what I remember of the TV series as far as the narrative and characterization is concerned. While the lack of names in the TV series was acceptable, while reading the novelization, the lack of names was more of an irritating nuisance to me as you never really connect with anybody - especially with the main character in the beginning. You really want to know the real name of Number 6, so you can relate to him. The characters in The Village are more relatable as people in doing their professions, instead of as real characters. Granted you get to know the characters by their Numbers, but the characters happy acceptance of being numbers instead of as people with their own names is a little irritating. The ordered society of The Village is a little too Orwellian, especially when they reveal the films of Number 6's previous interrogations, which Number 6 is naturally upset about when he sees them. Number 6's liaisons with his girlfriend is interesting because you are never really sure if she really was his girlfriend - or was she a plant to gain his secrets. It would be too bad if she was a plant, as I fell in love with her.

Since the main character is known as Number 6, it was quite a nod to the reader that the character received his designation number 6 in Chapter 6 of the novelization.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

ANGEL - AFTER THE FALL - VOLUME ONE

IDW

Plotted by Joss Whedon and Brian Lynch

Scripted by Brian Lynch

Illustrated by Franco Urru

Angel created by Joss Whedon and David Greenwalt

Angel is copyright 2008 by Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All rights reserved. Copyright 2008 Idea and Design Works, LLC. The IDW logo is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. All rights reserved.

In the graphic novel Angel - After the Fall - Volume One, writers Joss Whedon and Brian Lynch continues Wheedon's TV show Angel after the show's final season, Season Five. The city of Los Angeles has been sent to Hell by the demonic law firm Wolfram & Hart. Angel has lost his vampire powers as a result, although he has become friends with a dragon - who likes dropping off his cars. While Angel continues to try to help people, Angel's team has been scattered - and not all of his team have fared well at all.

With Angel being produced as a series of graphic novels, instead of as a TV show, creator Joss Whedon, writer Brian Lynch, and illustrator Franco Urru are able to expand on Angel's world in ways that were not possible with the limited budget of a TV show. There are more crowds of exotic demons, monsters, crowds in general, as well as dinosaurs. As Los Angeles has become hell for some time since the start of the graphic novel, the normal native humans in Los Angeles appear to have accepted what has happened to their home. Many of the surviving humans are fighting for their own survival, including a surviving cop in an arena. Gangs of demons are at war in this hell realm competing for control of Los Angeles.

While generally you can tell who all the major characters were from the show through the artwork, there were a couple of minor characters that I had no idea who they were until I read the Original Proposal that is at the end of the book. Even then, I can not tell which character is which as they were originally such minor characters and these characters look pretty much alike. I like what they have done with Wesley, although I do not really like the fact that he still has a job with Wolfram & Hart. You can tell the evil law firm Wolfram and Hart still has plans for Wesley and Angel. I am not too crazy about what has happened to Gunn, but I am looking forward to what they will do with Gunn in future graphic novels as there is potential for good storytelling to be done with him now. There is also an art and sketch gallery, as well as the script with the author's notes, at the end of the book.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

STAR TREK - THE LOST ERA- SERPENTS AMONG THE RUINS

POCKET BOOKS

Written by David R. George III

Copyright 2003 by Paramount Pictures. All rights reserved.



In Serpents Among the Ruins, the legendary Tomad Incident - in which thousands were killed - is finally told. Flight tests conducted for a prototype starship, the U.S.S. Universe with it's new engines, ends tragically in disaster close to the border space of the Romulan Star Empire. When the news of the observed disaster reaches the Romulans, the Romulans believe that the Federation is developing weapons of mass destruction to be used against them. As a military buildup ensues on all sides, which includes the Klingons - who want to regain the glory of their Empire - Captain John Harriman of the U.S.S. Enterprise confronts an old Romulan enemy aboard the Romulan flagship Tomad.

This is an older John Harriman of the Enterprise than the one who was shown in the movie Star Trek: Generations.  Harriman is not the insecure bumbler that he was in the movie, but a mature experienced individual who is quite at home on the Enterprise B  - and is also an almost burned-out Captain approaching the end of his career. The diplomats deal with the tense strategic negotiations between the three major powers in order to prevent another Federation/Romulan war and having the Klingons fighting for peace. Harriman, in what is basically his final mission, is sent on a classified mission by Starfleet Special Operations - which includes a young Elias Vaughn. Harriman and Vaughn are snuck aboard the Romulan Flagship Tomad, commanded by Harriman's old enemy Admiral Aventeer Vokar, deep in Romulan space - while Harriman leaves Demora Sulu in command of the Enterprise as they rotate the personal in the outposts monitoring the Romulan Neutral Zone. Vokar's desire for vengeance against his old enemy Harriman makes Harrison's mission extremely dangerous as they perform sabatouge on Vokar's ship Tomad. This mission is also sad as Harriman must undertake the mission while his father Admiral Harriman was critically injured during the U.S.S. Universe disaster. You wish that Harriman and his father the Admiral would reconcile with each other after the Admiral's injury as Admiral Harriman has been disappointed with him ever since the events of Star Trek: Generations and the book Star Trek - The Captain's Daughter. It is also sad when Vaughn is forced to kill for the first time.

This book is basically the flash point where several parts of the Star Trek universe changes after the events in the book, at least in the Star Trek literature.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

STAR WARS - THE NEW JEDI ORDER - REBEL DREAM

A Del Rey Book

Written by Aaron Allston

Copyright 2002 by Lucasfilm Ltd. All rights reserved.

In Rebel Dream - the first of the Enemy Lines duology, written by Aaron Allston, and part of the New Jedi Order series - the surviving New Republic Advisory Council blackmails General Wedge Antilles into setting up a defense on the planet Borleias as a delaying tactic after the Yuuzhan Vong's invasion of Coruscant. Meanwhile, Han and Leia Solo travel to various worlds to instigate a rebellion against the New Republic's policies toward the Yuuzhan Vong war - and Luke Skywalker sneaks onto Coruscant with a team amidst the Yuuzhan Vong.

It is interesting that several key figures from the Star Wars universe form a group to set up independent resistance cells from the New Republic to fight the Vong. almost like a new rebellion bringing the story back to the beginning. Almost like the New Jedi Order series reinvented the Star Wars series. Meanwhile refugee documentarian Wolam Tser and his assistant Tam Elgrin arrive on Borleias - unbeknowance to everyone that survivor of Coruscant Tam Elgrin is secretly under control by former Kuati senator Viqi Shesh to be a spy for the Yuuzhan Vong. As a videographer, I could appreciate Wolam Tser wanting to document the rebellion and getting the rebels personal stories.

Wedge uses strategic planning as well as blackmailing the Advisory Council to get the resources he needs - including the use of the SuperStar Destroyer Lusankya in the space Battle for Borleais. This results in the lack of the Lusankya's mystique for me as the Lusankya is used just as a destroyer - instead of as the mysterious stronghold of the Empire as the Lusankya used to be.

Jaina Solo being used as a diversionary Trickster Goddess against the Yuuzhan Vong is both a good diversion and a disturbing idea for me, as it also separates her from the rest of the forces on Borleias to make the diversion against the Vong work. Of course the New Republic forces resent her special treatment, especially since they are unaware of her real mission of being a diversionary tactic for the Vong. This adds more to her isolation because the war has been taking away Jaina's loved ones - such as Chewbacca and her brother Anakin.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.