David Gemmell, Author of Heroic Fantasy Novels, Died at Age 57

A little over two weeks ago, one of my favorite Fantasy authors went under the knife to have quadruple heart bypass surgery. I was worried, but it appeared that he would recover. Sadly, he died last Friday. The biography on the back of each of his novels hinted that Gemmell had livid a hard life, and it appears that his youth caught up with him.

Though I am a Fantasy fan, I had never read a novel by David Gemmell prior to 2001 when my friend Tom Wizniewski (hope I'm spelling that correctly) recommended the book Legend to me. Legend was the first of 30 novels Gemmell wrote over his career and the novel that defined the themes readers would become familiar with in his future works. Legend was published in 1984, I read it in 2001, and I expect that one-hundred-plus years from now Fantasy fans will still be opening it's pages.

According to the BBC article I read, notifying me of Gemmell's death, one of the things that made him so popular was the "Sense of Adventure" presented in his novels. I think that the focus on Gemmell's sense of adventure is a good one, but I don't think it captures the essence of a Gemmell novel. Gemmell could really spin a yarn. While authors like Robert Jordan seek to become Tolkien clones writing massive tomes about supposedly complex "worlds" with well developed mythology (these authors often only succeed at being derivative of past Fantasy masters), Gemmell sought to tell exciting tales. Gemmell was the Robert Howard or Edgar Rice Burroughs of his day. His stories were inventive and inspired by history, real history, and each page eagerly welcomed readers with action and conflict.

Returning to an earlier comment, what were these themes that Gemmell presented again and again in his fiction? Gemmell's writing usually featured three things. First, and I would argue foremost, Gemmell's novels were infused with his brand of Christianity. Gemmell's novels almost always have narratives discussing the nature of God and Justice in the world. Given that his novels take place in fantasy worlds similar, but different, from our own. The most frequently discussed theological principle in Gemmell's work was that of Just War Theory. It infuses his Drenai Stories (the Drenai are a society based on the ancient Greeks) with discussions of what role, if any, violence can play in the actions of people whose religion forbids murder etc. Typically, his protagonists are flawed heroes who embody this conflict.

The second major theme is Gemmell's constant adaptation of history and historical battles into wonderful Fantasy tales. Legend is an adaptation of the battle of Thermopylae, his Rigante stories mirror the struggles of the Highlanders and Irish with the English. Two of my favorite Gemmell books are his adaptation of the story of Alexander the Great. No one makes me want to open up my Thucydides more than Gemmell, if only to find out what events inspired his creations. He has even written alternate Arthurian and Robin Hood tales.

Gemmell's third theme is the one that finally caught up with him, age. Age and the toll it takes on the body are a constant discussion as Gemmell's stories often feature aging, or aged, heroes struggling against the forces of darkness. These were often the tales I found most inspiring, where the hero has the emotional heart to fight on but his physical heart is giving out.

Last year, Gemmell began what was to be a series of books adapting the Trojan War. The first book, Lord of the Silver Bow was exciting and I was looking forward to the rest (Shield of Thunder is due out in September in England). One of the things that I was most jazzed about was the opportunity to read, in a single author's voice, the entirity of the war. Homer begins in the middle in the Iliad and covers the very end in the Odyssey , the post-homerica covers some of the beginning and end, but there is no really satisfying holistic yarn. It looked like Gemmell was going to provide that yarn, sadly it looks as if the series will end abruptly.

Joker Has Been Cast for Next Batman Movie

According to "Bags n' Boards," the comic industry blog over at Variety, Heath Ledger has been cast as the Joker in the next Batman film. The second Batman film will have the same creative team as Batman Begins, Chris Nolan at the helm and David Goyer (of JSA fame) with co-screenwriting duties.

Tom McLean at "Bags n' Boards" has a decent discussion of the history of the Joker role as played by Cesar Romero, Jack Nicholson, and Mark Hamill. He even adds some speculation with how certain spoof trailers might show up on the internet with references to Ledger's performance in Brokeback Mountain. I, for one, seem to remember that Batman and Bane had a Brokeback moment and that the Joker's Brokeback moment was with Batgirl (Barbara Gordon) in Killing Joke, but that is just me.

As for my opinion regarding the casting, I think that it is a spot on selection. I never really liked Nicholson as the Joker. First, he was over the top Jack and not over the top Joker in his performance. Second, as much stage presence as Nicholson has, he wasn't angular or "striking" enough to play the Joker. His Joker looked like a silly clown. When the first Tim Burton Batman announced that Michael Keaton would star, I hoped that he would be the Joker. If you combine his character in Beetlejuice with his performance in Pacific Heights, I believe you capture the Joker's personality to a tee. Besides, Keaton's angular eye brows and curly hair almost make him look like the Joker without the makeup. For me the quintessential drawings of the Joker are the Bolland stuff from Killing Joke , he just seemed to capture the insanity perfectly.

I look forward to seeing what Ledger will do with the role. He has shown he can do action, and that he can act, but can he pull of sympathetically crazy? That's what I think Nicholson's Joker lacked, a sympathetic-ness to which the audience can be horrifically drawn. Goyer has a great knowledge of the DC Universe and has revitalized many of the historic characters (as a comic book writer) in his work in the JSA title. He has made silly villains seem ominous (Kobra anyone?), so I have high hopes for the next Batman movie.

Happy Birthday to The Shadow

July 31, 1930 was the first time the voice of The Shadow was heard on the radio. (hat tip to DisContent. Sunset Parker accurately informs us that today is the 76th birthday of the enigmatic voice on the radio, but inaccurately assumes that the Shadow's radio adventures began that same day. In actuality, the Shadow was only a radio host, like the crypt keeper, until September 26, 1937 when (based on the popularity of Walter B. Gibson's -- aka Maxwell Grant -- literary adventures of the Shadow) he was finally given his own radio show.

David Chute, film critic/pulp fan/blogger, has a great article which he wrote for the promotional materials to the Shadow movie.

One must remember when dealing with fictional heroes, in multiple media, that their origins/secret ID's can change. When did Bruce Wayne marry Selena Kyle and what is their daughter's name? Did the Kents take Superman straight home...or to Smallville Orphanage? Hmm...what does Gold Kryptonite do to Supes? Was Hal Jordan an alcoholic or not?

All questions with different answers, depending on the era and medium. Like the Shadow...did he have the power to cloud men's minds...or was he merely using magic tricks?

Fresno Born Agains Freaked Out by Carnival Barkerism

Today's USA Today has an article covering the reformatting of station KFYE-FM, a Fresno radio station, from religious Christian content to "Porn Radio." I don't even know why this is newsworthy, but I guess some people might get in an uproar or something. I'm sure that "Porn Radio" is counting on that uproar to up ratings. I'm figuring "Porn Radio" will keep its format about the length of a teenage boy's first sexual encounter.


In other news... The Hollywood Reporter gives a positive review to Talladega Nights!

The Internet as Network is Here

When NBC is releasing an internet only reality show, you know that the age of the internet as network has arrived. I have written a lot about how the future of programming, even syndication, is the internet. As more people have broadband connections and are stepping away from the TV for more interactive media, it becomes necessary for television networks to respond with more interactive content in the new medium. So far , for NBC this means Startommorrow.com.

Nice play on words that, isn't it. Star tommorrow...Start Tommorrow, looks like NBC is playing the Delphic Prophet on this one, or should I say Adephic profit?

I know there is a lot of discussion about "net neutrality" in the interweb, and I don't mean to start a ruckus, but if what advocates of NN desire happens content like this will disappear. Broadband content requires bandwidth capability, just ask Mark Cuban. The internet is going the way of the Radio and the Television and this means more content (not less like NN'ers fear), but it does possibly mean the end of the "indy" provider. Look, I saw Pump Up the Volume, I wish there was more indy radio, but there is no conspiracy to prevent you or me from getting content. Let's stop the fearmongering talk and discuss the real issue. Do we want the internet to be strictly an information and journalism forum? Do we want it be strictly an entertainment medium? Something in the middle? What do the consumers of the internet desire?

And don't show me that fact free Moby film. I hate propaganda rooted in future shock and fear-mongering. You can put that right next to your Intelligent Design films and Bush speeches regarding Global Warming. Hyperbole don't fly here.

Upcoming Fantasy Films

Gone are the days when Fantasy films are low budget affairs with titles like Yor or Beastmaster where the men are topless, as are the women, and the director's idea of special effects is the use of dry ice making water bubble. Recent years have seen Fantasy films make the transition from fringe to mainstream, similar to the transition that Thrillers made decades ago. Fantasy films have yet to have their Hitchcock, who was one of the directors who made the Thriller high art, but they have had some excellent films in the past few years.

What do I mean by no Hitchcock? What about Peter Jackson, M. Night Shyamalan, or (insert favorite director here)? What I mean is that no director has emerged with the large body of work that is consistently of high quality and that consistently features narrative devices unique to that director. I am still waiting for my fantasy auteur. Jackson or Shyamalan, or even Christopher Nolan or Chris Columbus (actually we can't leave out Zemekis, Lucas, or Spielberg either), might end up being that director, but only time and more movies will tell.

When it comes to the release of new Fantasy films, this year looks to be a great one. We have The Prestige, an adaptation of the Christopher Priest novel. I discussed the movie back in December, but as a reminder The Prestige stars Hugh Jackman, David Bowie, Scarlett Johansson (ugh!) and Christian Bale and is a mysterious tale set in Victorian England. I look forward to seeing how the film will translate the novel's story.

In the wake of the very disappointing SciFi Original version of A Wizard of Earthsea, Hiyao Miyazaki's son is directing a film based on the third and fourth novels in the Earthsea series by Ursula K. LeGuin. The film is called Gedo Senki, which can be transliterated (as opposed to translated) as "Ged's History of the War." The film will be showing at the upcoming Venice International Film Festival along with a lot of other exciting films. You can read a translation of the director's development blog here. The SciFi version lacked the "heart" of the books, but one hopes the younger Miyazaki will be able to bring in the sense of wonder that the SciFi Original lacked.

UPDATE:
LYT was surprised to learn that there were 6 Earthsea books and admitted to knowing about the trilogy. It is true, there are more than the original three books in the series. But it is also true that one can talk about the "Earthsea Trilogy." The original three books from a complete narrative, though the other books (written long after I read the original three as a child) add depth to the story.

For LYT's sake, and the sake of any other interested parties, here is a list of the Earthsea books.

The Earthsea Trilogy:
A Wizard of Earthsea -- Where a young wizard brings evil into the world and in battling evil becomes a man.
Tombs of Atuan -- Ged, no longer a child, searches for a powerful relic and need the aid of a young priestess in acquiring the great treasure.
The Farthest Shore -- Magic is leaving Earthsea and a great evil is overcoming the archipelego. Ged must once more face the product of his greatest failure.

Books written since 1990:
Tehanu -- Ged is dying, but he must find the strength to help a young girl to bring a brighter age to Earthsea. This book also reexamines the role of gender in the practice of magic.
Tales of Earthsea -- This collection of short stories adds great detail to the world of Earthsea.
The Other Wind -- Ged once more finds himself called to serve Earthsea when a man with the power to "mend" objects seeks to "mend" the death of his beloved wife.

Coming out in a limited release this weekend (at the Westside Pavilion in Los Angeles) is Beowulf and Grendel starring the much overworked Stellan Skarsgard. The movie reviewers on NPR this morning were enchanted by the geography, but horrified by the violence and gave the film a negative review. One wonders how a film about Beowulf could be an accurate translation without a good dose of violence, but that just goes to show the biases of the reviewers (and my own). I look forward to seeing the film and whether or not it succeeds in capturing the manly virtues of the epic hero. I enjoyed The Thirteenth Warrior and its "what if Beowulf happened in the real world and not in the land of myth" approach, but I eagerly await seeing a mythic telling of the epic.

Tarzan, Cthulhu, and Other Boardgames I'm Excited About

One of the terrors of being a person who enjoys games is the "new game season" where new products are announced and the desire to acquire takes over. This year is no different from years past and looks like it will be offering a large array of games to tempt my pocketbook. I already mentioned the upcoming Heroscape Marvel edition, which will be released around January with a cost of around $29.99, but there are some other games I am anticipating.

Tarzan Triumphant, by Troll Lord Games features one of my favorite characters from literature in what looks like will be either a good or a horrible game. No matter what, it doesn't look like a great game, but the milieu of the game will be sufficient to take my $39.99.

I am very much looking forward to the Dunwich Horror expansion to the Arkham Horror boardgame by Fantasy Flight Games. The Arkham Horror game innovatively combines RPG-lite boardgame (ala Talisman, Heroquest, Dungeon) with detective game (Clue, 221-B Baker St.) mechanics with a hint of horror. The game can be played solo, but is best when played with a group of fellow Lovecraft afficianadoes.

The soon to be released Marvel Heroes Game, not to be confused with the above Heroscape game, also by Fantasy Flight Games combines two of my favorite things, games and comic books.

A boardgame based on the television series Lost looks like it should be interesting. The designers claim that the game will mix elements of Talisman (an rpg-lite boardgame), Magic the Gathering (a strategy cardgame), Settlers of Catan (an excellent customizable "Euro-game"), and Chess. We'll see, but the game sounds promising. I only have two fears. First, it is based on a license and many licensed games suck. Though if you find a copy of TSR's All My Children let me know. Second, will the game's adaptation of the Lost environment sufficiently simulate the show and how will changes in the show affect future supplements?

Now I will just have to concentrate on actually experiencing the games and not just purchasing them.