I saw the first trailer for the new Star Wars film that comes out next year and I am pleasantly surprised with how it looks so far. Because Disney rebooted the entire Expanded Universe, we do not know what to expect, but because I am such a devout Star Wars fan my mind is overflowing with different theories about what might happen. For example, I have a few theories about this mysterious new villain. Because Disney rebooted the entire Expanded Universe, we do not know whether or not the Sith truly died with Vader and the Emperor. I believe like The Force Unleashed, either Vader or the Emperor could have had a secret apprentice that survived the Battle of Endor. I heard rumors that the Inquisitor from Rebels may have some connection to this villain, so maybe he was trained by the Inquisitor. Another theory revolves around Darth Maul, whose ultimate fate remains a mystery as a result of the Son of Dathomir comics. Sure, Sidious killed Maul’s apprentice and destroyed his power base, but over fifty years have passed since then so that would be plenty of time for Darth Maul to train a new apprentice and rebuild his power base. This one of many theories I have in mind and I am looking forward to hearing more information about this film.
Monthly Archives: November 2014
BARNES AND NOBLE REVIEW: THE YOUNG GUARDIANS SERIES
Both of my books received the following review on Barnes and Noble last night:
There is a young college man who has written 2 books and is now on the 3rd book. A trilogy and maybe the start of a series? At first I thought only adventure stories as I began to read, but it has a depth of problems faced and overcome. It is not just the fight of good and evil. It deals with problems that many people face. Loss of family members, finding a new primary group. Putting the past behind, to strive for a worthwhile future. And that’s only in the first book. As the main characters continue they are met with humor as well as adventure by adding in new characters. Added in are struggles with self in not being more of whatever might have been possible in the past. Learning to be a stronger person with faced limitations. What depth of hidden human understanding it is! Just in a group of teenagers binding together to fight a common evil foe. I am looking forward to reading Grady Brown’s future books. I believe these stories from a highly imaginative new writer could be the start of something for movies or TV series once they are on the market with a large following. Even though the main characters are young , these could be for several generations to enjoy. I am not a teen or young adult. As a senior citizen I am looking forward to older people ( except for the evil ones) to be introduced.
CREATURE: ALIENS
For as long as I can remember, I have always been fascinated by the concept of life on other worlds. When one thinks about how vast the universe is, it would be impossible for us to be completely and utterly alone amongst the stars. The problem is that there might be some civilizations that are so advanced that they would consider us too primitive to be of any interest. Still, I often wonder what would it take to get the attention of other civilizations out there. What does our planet have that would interest them? I plan on including alien life in my future works, including the fourth volume and one of my planned spin-offs because something will happen that will give aliens something of interest. I can imagine that the aftermath of the upcoming third volume would be sufficient enough to grab the attention of interstellar civilizations, but I will not go into the details until the fourth volume is released three years from now. Among the aliens that will appear in the future are an extraterrestrial superhero team who was affected on a personal level by the events that transpire in volume three. I will keep you all updated on further developments.
FILM REVIEW: THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY PART 1
I went to see Part 1 of Mockingjay today and I was in for a twist. Unlike Hunger Games or Catching Fire, Mockingjay does not revolve around games where people fight to the death. Instead, it focuses on the immediate aftermath of Catching Fire and the beginning of all-out war. The ending reminds me of Ramsay Snow from Game of Thrones, but that is all I will say about the ending. I would recommend this film to anyone who is seeking an intense story about science fiction and resisting the iron fist of tyranny.
AMAZON REVIEW: THE YOUNG GUARDIANS AND THE GENESIS SPELL
The first volume of my series, The Young Guardians and the Genesis Spell, received the following review on Amazon:
“Grady’s books invite us into the mind of a science fiction lover. The characters are many and purposefully defined. Grady is a talented young man who obviously loves what he does. With time and experience his writing will mature and I expect to see his books around for a long time to come. Keep writing, Grady P. Brown! I am impressed by his bio and with what he has accomplished. I am still working through the second book. I love the descriptions of the characters and their traits rated on a numerical scale. Very inventive, and actually quite helpful.”
WRITING UPDATE: EDITING PROGRESS AND VOLUME FOUR
I have good news about the status of my upcoming third volume. As of today, I am on the 18th chapter, which means I am more than halfway done. I am eager to begin publication next month if the editing process is completed on time. Also, I have an idea of what the cover illustration will look like, but that information will remain classified until the publication process begins. In regards to my fourth volume, I am entering the epic battle I had been dying to write for weeks. During this conflict, I decided to give some of the characters’ powers upgrades, which would improve their performance in crime fighting to a satisfactory degree. In my opinion, even though it is only the beginning of the story, this mysterious foe will put up as much of a fight as Cyber Shadow did in my first volume. However, even though this minor enemy is that powerful, the future conflicts in the fourth volume will be infinitely more demanding and will result in the deaths of some of the characters. I will keep you updated on any further developments.
FILM REVIEW: INTERSTELLAR
The minute I watched the trailer for Interstellar, I knew I had to see this film. I have always liked the idea that one day Earth will become so uninhabitable that humanity would be forced to find another home amongst the stars. After watching the film, I realized that the story was infinitely more complicated than its trailers and synopsis implied. Not only does Interstellar depict ideas such as deep space travel, wormholes, and life on other worlds, but it also demonstrated other aspects of science fiction that are very rarely explored. I enjoyed the human emotions that were depicted as mankind fought to find a way to survive oblivion. In addition, I would recommend this film to anyone who is searching for a richly science fiction story that would take you from the theatre to the great unknown.
SUPERPOWER: SUPER SPEED
One of the superhuman abilities I have always been fascinated by is superhuman speed. I have seen many variations of this power in several works of fiction. Some speedsters are fast enough to catch a bullet, some can run at Mach 1, and a rare few can outrun the flow of time itself. I often imagined what it would be like to be fast enough to be in several places at once, which would make my schedule a whole lot simpler. However, despite the apparent benefits one can gain from moving so fast, there are a few drawbacks to this power. First of all, when you are moving at such high speeds, your mind could have difficulty catching up. Second, your movements could be so fast that you won’t see an incoming obstacle until you already hit it. Third, because of your increased speed, you would be creating such intense friction with your movements that you would risk incinerating your body in the blink of an eye. Finally, because your movements have been enhanced, your metabolism is equally amplified, which means you would have to constantly eat just to stay alive just like a shrew or hummingbird does in real life. Still, despite the danger of the super-charged metabolism, I like the idea of being able to eat all of my favorite foods as much as I want and never gain an ounce. In my upcoming third book, one of the new characters will have this ability as her primary power and she will have a very personal impact on one of the main characters.
COMIKAZE AFTERPARTY!!!
Last week, I attended a Comikaze Afterparty in Hollywood that was hosted by my good friends the Winner Twins, authors of The Strand Prophecy. I was glad that I was invited by the Twins and once I entered the event, I felt an overwhelming sense of kinship that I had not experienced since Wondercon. There were dozens of people who were into the same things I was: science fiction, fantasy, superheroes, anime/manga, etc. Also, there were at least three other people who had autism, so it felt great to interact with others who share my condition, which made me feel less alone. While at the party, I talked with the other guests about everything from Star Wars, anime/manga, and how they knew the Winner Twins. I was definitely among my people and I could have talked about those subjects all night. Finally, I was able to talk to people who understand what the heck I am talking about.
FILM REVIEW: BIG HERO 6
I went to see the Disney animated film Big Hero 6 today and I must say that it exceeded my expectations. I liked how it kind of had a anime/manga feel combined with the Marvel superhero vibe and Disney magic. Apart from the intense science fiction and coming of age themes, I was glad that Disney included a scene in which the heroes come to understand the difference between justice and revenge, which is something every superhero has to face. I highly recommend this film to anyone who is searching for a superhero story to is suitable for the whole family. Now that Marvel is owned by Disney, I hope Disney has many more Marvel/Disney films like Big Hero 6 on the way. I hope they are planning a sequel sometime soon. In addition, stay after the credits because a special person will make an appearance that makes any Marvel film complete.
Grady P Brown - Author 