Time for another one of these because the week was hectic, the news is depressing, and I want a weekend of relaxing. So here are three things that I’ve particular enjoyed as of late:
The Proteus Operation, book
I picked up James P. Hogan’s 1985 novel at a used bookstore while looking to pick up a copy of Inherit The Stars. The blurb’s description of the book as taking place in an alternate reality where the Nazis won the Second World War and now it’s up to a team to try and go back in time to stop Hitler was fun enough to get my attention. It doesn’t take long for the book’s premise to escalate (the Nazis winning was a result of an earlier set of time travelers from further in the future going further in the past to install Hitler). It’s odd and full of science-fiction time-travel nonsense; I’m so curious to see where the story goes.
Hoppers, movie
There’s a chaotic energy fueling this movie that you don’t usually see in Pixar movies. The story of a young woman inhabiting a robot beaver to try and rally the woodland animals to protect a treasured glade from a mayor wanting to build an overpass could be fairly rote or saccharine, but protagonist Mabel’s frenetic energy and the wackiness of said woodland animals make Hoppers feel delightfully refreshing. It’s a movie with just enough logic to get you from one scene to another while finding as much room for madcap along the way. And just so very fun.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, video game
I finally started this game a couple weeks ago and cannot get enough of it. It’s got all the trappings of a JRPG, except made by a French company and with a Belle Époque aesthetic. It feels like a Final Fantasy that never was, complete with an inventive spin on turn-based combat and moments of humor and heart amidst an otherwise grim story. I have the feeling I’m coming towards the end of the game but, man, I don’t want this game to end. That said, it’s what I’m off to do once I hit post on this entry.
Essays, Not Rants! 