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Why is classics are still relevant?

Revisado: 03-07-25

You can't beat a classic. Like good wine, they only get good with age. The testament that we are still talking about the Godfather is proof that this is a masterpiece and like all masterpieces, it will continue to withstand the passage of time. While I did not agree with some of the critiques and personal views of the film, I think it was great that these were discussed because they deeply reflect the cultural shift that has taken place since the even before the film was made, when it began in the head of a brilliant mind: Mario Puzo.
There are significant differences between the book and the first two films. It is true what they say: the book will always trump the movie. But very rarely, do the changes take away from the essence of the source material.
There has been a long discussion that art is subjective. While that may be true in some cases, one undeniable fact is that if the adaptation does not feel like the source material, then it becomes a Ship of Theseus paradox. Thankfully, this is not the case here. Even with the changes, the book and film trilogy feel the same.
We, as the audience and the readers, put our own interpretations into it. The way the book was written and the films were made, are in such a way that they serve as a mirror, that reflect our own stories. Hence, why we feel so deeply connected to the story and/or the characters.
As Al Pacino said in this book, the film was not meant to feel like a film, but more like a lived experience. It certainly does. And always will.
It is a story as old as time. Family, country, immigration, loyalty, culture and ultimately the finality of it all.

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Small Town, Big Hell

Revisado: 02-01-25

As with many fans of Stephen King, I was introduced to the author's works through the TV and film adaptations of his novels. Growing up, Stephen King was synonymous with a specific kind of horror - the strange, unexpected kind that seems mundane and boring at first but soon starts to unravel into something macabre and twisted. Most of the endings were strange and the characters of every adaptation almost Freudian. While most nowadays cannot wait to deconstruct classic genres and over analyze characters, I learned to enjoy these adaptations for what they were: bloody good horror. Of course, not all adaptations are made the same. Some were slow paced and filled with unnecessary characters that provided little to nothing to the plot. It wasn't until I was in high school, when I finally read the source material that I found the reason for this.
Stephen King's novel suffer from a lot of unnecessary characters and filler moments. This is not an indictment on the author. He is very meticulous. He wants to create a world the reader can be immersed and lost in. A world that seems too real to believe it is made up. Hence, why the myriad of characters that may appear in one chapter and never appear or be mentioned at all in the rest of the story. Modern adaptations who want to stay 'true' to King's work fail to see this obvious detail, and it becomes the obvious reason why miniseries like King's "The Shining", "Carrie", "The Stand" (2020s). among others fail to resonate with viewers as previous adaptations did.
Salem's Lot stands out from among the rest, both in the novel, and the first two adaptations (the 1970s miniseries and the 2000s) because none of the characters feel irrelevant or unnecessary. In my native language of Spanish there is an old saying "pueblo chico, infierno grande" which means: "little town, big hell." This is what sums up "Salem's Lot" perfectly. What began as an experiment by King to write a "what if Dracula came to the US in modern times" exploded into something big, and unparalleled.
In Bram Stoker's novel "Dracula", vampirism is treated as a disease. The scientific is mixed with the occult. Something similar happens here, except unlike Transylvania or London, where everyone knew or suspected of the Count's vampiric nature, the modern world has made everyone skeptic around the nature of evil. Thus, it makes easier for a vampire lord to spread his disease among the townsfolk of this insulated town. I can tell you that having lived in a town and then a big city with a small town mentality (albeit not one as small as the fictional Jerusalem's Lot), I could relate to the settings of the book. Small towns hide a lot of big secrets. People travel between towns and small cities to make a living, but something always drags them back. In other cases, it prevents the townsfolk from leaving.
The analogy of the vampire to explain old wounds and trauma is well done here. I enjoyed Barlow's sinister nature. Reading this book, I could clearly see Stoker's influence in King's novel. Barlow is far more ancient and methodical than Dracula, but, as some of the protagonists note, his ferocious and victorious nature have made him arrogant.
**Spoilers**
While both the 1970s and the early 2000s adaptations feature bittersweet endings to this odyssey, the novel offers no closure. While Barlow is destroyed and some of the vampires are as well, with Ben and Mark decidedly going on a hunting spree to end as many bloodsuckers as they can, there is no clear resolution. Their whole lives are now marked by this event. Even if they were to kill all of them, they will forever carry the ghost of Salem's Lot with them. There is no freedom from pain, only learning how to cope and survive in spite of it.

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An enticing romance and dark fairy tale

Revisado: 11-03-23

I found myself hooked from the get go. It is an enticing romance without being racy or over the top erotic. It does contain those erotic themes but without being graphic. The love triangle at the end also doesn't feel forced or makes you roll your eyes like so many do because they have become an over used cliche.
The characters are intriguing, the world building is good. Overall, the story is great. It is a modern and darker retelling of Beauty and the Beast with other fantasy themes.

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Aunque la jaula sea de oro...

Revisado: 09-16-23

Como bien dice el dicho, aunque la jaula sea de oro, no deja de ser jaula. Shakespeare escribió que el que tiene puesta la corona carga con una inmensa responsabilidad. Sin embargo, ser esposa de un soberano en tiempos de grandes cambios sociales y culturales es una carga aún más pesada.
Excelente libro con una excelente narración.

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Good fantasy

Revisado: 09-07-23

The most memorable moments in high fantasy is the world building. The real challenge here is to immerse yourself in it. If the author can pull that off then you know you have stumbled upon something good. Granted, most beginnings are slow and this novel isn't an exception to that rule, but it is nonetheless a worthwhile start to a new fantasy series I cannot wait to finish.
Although it has serious themes, it is not racy or gory for shock sake. Everything in this fantasy serves the plot and the characters are developed and interesting enough that made me fully engaged in the story, the mystery, the fights, and the lore of this series.
My only nitpick is with the narration. As I have already stated, I enjoyed this novel but the audio book fell short in terms of narration. It lacked emotion and at times depth.

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Excellent details but not what I expected

Revisado: 09-06-23

I did not struggle to finish this book and the audio book. I loved Dan Jones' first books which, like this one, were massive in scale. Hearing he was going back to his roots and releasing a massive study on the medieval era, focusing not just on England but much of Europe and delving a little beyond, got me excited. After finishing my other books in my to-be-read pile, I finally got to this one. It didn't disappoint at first. As usual, when dealing with this complicated era, you have to go back to the beginning. What came before. Why it led to this transformative period and what similarities can we found from this mysterious place called the past to now.
All of this, Dan Jones hit it off the park. But then he went on a diatribe of social commentary, transforming his subjects into something else than what they were seen as, and to some extent still are seen as in many regions, to criticize modern political movements who have hijacked them. Normally, I could care less. But in this case I do because it seems to have taken over the narrative at one point.
Dan Jones once said we gave to return to narrative history to engage and entertain audiences in order to spark interest in the past. However, all he has done here is downright lecture, condemn and criticize. Ironically, this isn't any different from the chroniclers and historians of the age he criticizes and points to their bias.
Perhaps Napoleon Bonaparte had it right when he said that history is a set of lies people, or in this case the experts, have agreed to. This by no means are lies. Dan Jones is a great historian who has done hard work investigating as much as he could the subjects of his work. However, the need to inform sometimes is overpowered by the need to lecture and deconstruct, leaving us with something that is half informative and half sermon.
I would still recommend this work, simply because of the information he provides which is really good and for newcomers to this era, it will prove as a good introduction but do take some of his assessment with a grain of salt. My last advice is also that after you finish this, to keep reading more and to expand your knowledge on this era.

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A necessary read

Revisado: 08-15-23

I have always been fascinated by this book in the bible. Unlike Revelations, it has a more hopeful message but it is no less prophetic.
I would have liked the performance to add more feeling to it but because I like the message, I can overlook it.

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A difficult personal journey

Revisado: 07-23-23

This was a but difficult to read in the end because there was more introspection than needed. But that's just my view. The book as a whole is good, and a ray of hope for everyone. Often we love to judge and say that those with the best intentions or those fooled by a lie with good intentions can't be redeemed (even if they open their hearts to religion and feel truly repentant). But this story as Abby Johnson's reminds us that this is simply untrue. We can find the light - but we have to repent. David committed terrible deeds, so did Solomon and other biblical figures. And let's not forget those social and religious crusaders outside of the holy books. They weren't born saints or fighters. They got turned into ones after coming face to face with horrors of their own creation or those they turned a blind eye to. This story is no different. She admits her faults, offers hope and pulls no punches regarding of how difficult a journey towards redemption and awareness is.
Abortion has become a difficult subject to talk about. Regardless of where you stand, you still have to read this, as well as those from other insiders that show us a different picture from what the media offers us.

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It's an emotional roller coaster

Revisado: 06-26-23

I loved it from start to finish. The author has been through a lot of soul searching. I suspect she still is. The narrator did an amazing job reflecting that. Some will critique the veracity of her tale or putting thoughts in people's heads. Both criticisms are understandable. But on the latter, you can pick any autobiography or non fiction book on current events and find the same. In Abby's defense, she talked to those she did this on to get a full picture of their (and hers) last struggles regarding her exit from Planned Parenthood and the subsequent court case.
I choose to believe Abby but as with many women, this is an extremely difficult topic (which she addresses from the start). She acknowledges how there's good and bad faith actors on both sides of the fence.

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Great dispelling but poor overview

Revisado: 04-06-23

This was a great dispelling of the so called dark ages but sadly the author's progressive self flagellation (making him no different than some of the doomsday cults and heresies from the 11-15th centuries in Western Europe) made this tedious at times. Take from it the essential: Focus on the facts vs fiction and ignore the self hating sermon.

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