Steampunk

Stoke the boiler and raise the pressure, because today we're talking Steampunk.

In case you're not familiar with the genre, it's a blend of Fantasy and Sci-Fi with occasional horror elements thrown in for good measure. Most often, it's set in the 19^th century, in either Victorian England or the Wild West, but there are plenty of exceptions.

As far as I know, there are no rules stating that Steampunk has to be set in our world, albeit an alternative version thereof, but it seems to be rarer for Steampunk to be set in original worlds.

Like it's sister, Cyberpunk, the most important elements in Steampunk seem to be a dystopian world, amazing technology and people finding their place amidst it all. Unlike Cyberpunk however, in Steampunk more power equals greater size. The concept of miniaturization is rare in these worlds. Then add goggles, brass gears, top hats and corsets and you get a fun and evocative genre.

Steampunk has two cousins, Dieselpunk (1930's to 1950's style technology) and Clockpunk (Renaissance) that can be so similar as to make the three almost indistinguishable, but they are without a doubt separate.

The reason for today's post, is that I started reading this genre again, and I started with Shelley Adina's charming Lady of Devices.

Lady of Devices was a fun read. It's humorous and innocent, and felt altogether too short, even though it clocks in at 258 pages. So far it seems there are six books in the series, but since I've not read them I won't comment further. The story takes place on a very personal level, with the main character Claire Trevelyan in constant focus. If you're looking for an easy to read intro to Steampunk, this is a good alternative.

I followed up Lady of Devices with Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan. This book is not just Steampunk but also Biopunk. In essence it's World War I, with Germany and her allies in war-walkers and other mechanical vehicles against Britain and her allies and their bio engineered war machines. I loved the contrast, and Westerfeld's sheer ingenuity and inventiveness is amazing. It's no wonder this book is number two on Goodreads list of best Steampunk novels. My one complaint is that the war itself, the catalyst for the events as it may be, is fairly marginal. A great read in any case.

Currently I'm on Cherie Priest's Boneshaker. I haven't gotten very far, but I'm already hooked. Grime, mystery, zombies and airships. What's not to love? Priest writes with great style and seems to have a good grip on her characters. Final verdict pending, but so far very good!

That's all for today, so put on your goggles, charge our lightning gun and I'll see you next week. Have a great one!

Sniper Elite 3

A few days ago I was delighted to discover that Steam had Sniper Elite 3 (SE3) on a 70% discount. Being a huge fan of Sniper Elite v2, I had wanted this game since it's release. Naturally I snatched it up immediately. Although I haven't quite finished it yet, I feel comfortable talking about it. Mind you, this is not really a “proper” review, just an impression based on having played six missions out of eight.

My first reaction when I heard that SE3 is set in North Africa was “why?”. Then I quickly realized the genius of it. The African part of WWII is pretty underrepresented in gaming. And since SE1 and 2 are firmly placed in the European theater, this brings a welcome change of scenery.

And what a scenery it is. Lush oases, and cliffs worn down by millennia of wind and sun baked sand, create a gorgeous backdrop for the intense mayhem this game provides.

The night time levels are equally atmospheric with the added pleasure of hearing the jackals baying and howling in the distance as you're sneaking up on an unsuspecting guard.

The game play is solid, much like the earlier iterations of the franchise. Basically my one complaint is that large parts of the game seems to be designed for stealth play with silent take-downs instead of, you know, sniping. Like the title suggests. But it's really a miniscule complaint to be honest. You don't have to be all sneaky if you don't want to. But if you do go in loud and proud, you'd better be prepared to handle a complete bullet storm. There are lots of enemies in each level and they can reduce you to a bloody mess in seconds if they get the drop on you. The AI is competent enough to make you careful, and they have no qualms about flanking you. But sometimes it's just so satisfying to take up an elevated position and rain bloody death on you enemies.

In several places you have to fight vehicles, from half-tracks to tanks, and it can be a truly heart pounding experience to sneak up on a tank that can kill you in one shot. Like wise enemy snipers are well hidden and I for one really enjoy a good sniper fight.

So, if you liked Sniper Elite v2 or you're just looking for a fun action filled game, you can certainly do worse than Sniper Elite 3. In fact, if you like shooters, you probably want to check this out.

That's it for me for this week, check in again next Monday for more Eccentric Spheres. Until then, have a great week!

Good, Bad and Horrible pt. 2

Hello and welcome back to another session of Eccentric Spheres.

Today we're continuing our dark journey in the land of horror cuisine. No use in going on about it, so here are this weeks entries.

Our entrée is Sinister (2012)

Though headed by none less than Ethan Hawke, this is a pretty standard horror film. It has a slightly different angle on things, which is nice, but you can figure the whole thing out half way through if you pay attention. This film brings nothing new to the table, but it does it's thing pretty well. No actual complaints, but it's not a film I'd watch twice.

You can certainly do worse than Sinister.

The main course on our ghoulish menu is The Final (2010).

What we have here is a revenge horror. That's nothing new in itself, but it has guts (no pun intended) and it dares to go where it needs to. My biggest gripe is that since the victims sort of deserve what they're getting, the “Oh my God, I have to rescue them before it's too late” scenes become pretty confusing for the viewer. The Final has gotten people really talking, which is nice, and I certainly did enjoy it.

Well worth watching, but only with lowered expectations.

For dessert this evening, we have I Sell the Dead (2008)

If you like macabre humor and the Victorian era, this is a must see. The hilarious tale of a pair of 19^th century grave robbers had me from the first scene, and I was really sad that it ended so soon. It may be only 85 minutes, but every one of those minutes was gold. Great actors, marvelous scenery and interesting and funny plot twists makes this a really good movie. We even get to enjoy Angus Scrimm, the Tall Man from the Phantasm series, in a small role.

Really worth watching!

If you're still hungry, I have to recommend this wonderful three part documentary about horror films by Mark Gatiss. It's passionate, informative and has some great interviews with horror legends from both sides of the camera. A real treat for fans of the genre.

I hope you are satisfied with today's feast, and that you will come back.

Until next week, take it easy.

Good, Bad and Horrible pt.1

Some time ago I decided to become more active in watching horror movies again. I've been slacking lately, and figured it was past due to take in some new scares.

But where to begin? Studios are pumping out tons of new films every year. Luckily there are lots of list on IMDB that catalog peoples favorites. So, I headed over there and made myself a list of films that sounded interesting.

Now, there are a few problems with horror movies. First off, they almost always have lousy ratings whether they are good or not. That's because they tend to be rated like regular films, not genre specific horror. That can easily bring the score down, which in turn makes it difficult to tell the good from the awful.

Secondly, everyone's tastes are different, which became very clear to me with this project. A movie I hated got lots of praise (Absentia), while one that I loved (Session 9) was frowned upon.

Thirdly, synopses often lie, at least by omission, while posters can be extremely misleading. This makes it truly difficult to judge before hand if a movie is for you. The only option is to take the plunge, and plunge I did.

What follows it the first of a series of posts about this journey of mine into horror I haven't seen before. I'm not looking to review these films as such, just write up a short opinion on each, with a watch it / don't watch it attached. For more information, follow the IMDB links.

Here we go!

First up is Alyce a.k.a. Alyce Kills (2011).

This movie is pretty surreal at times, and it feels like the director tried a bit too hard to be artistic. But at least he tried! All in all it was entertaining, I had no problem sitting through it. The acting was adequate, and the gory effects likewise.

I'd say it's worth watching on a slow night.

Next is Livid (2011).

At first I was a bit confused as to where this film was going, but at least it knew. This is a very surreal film, with some gorgeous visuals, at least when you can see them, since many scenes are quite dark. In many ways it's one of the most Silent Hill like movies I've seen outside that franchise. I really liked Livid, but be advised that it's in french, so if that's not your cup of tea, stay away.

A dark fairytale nightmare well worth it for horror fans.

We continue with Absentia (2011).

This is one bad movie. Disjointed, choppy and full of unnecessary scenes. It seems to me that creator Mike Flanagan had all the tools but failed to build something with it. He was so aware that to show the monster is to loose the tension, that we never really see anything. What's supposed to be a shocking moment near the end, is practically impossible to even make out. The acting is wooden and the soundtrack is awful. At several points it makes it hard to hear what the characters are saying. To top it off, Absentia is brimming with cliches. What little there is to enjoy, is overshadowed and drowned by a script better suited for a drama.

Avoid this film.

The final entry this time, is Session 9 (2001).

Here we have good actors engaged in an interesting psychological journey. I truly enjoyed this film on several levels. It's not only bursting with atmosphere, but it keeps up the pace extremely well. It gives you plenty of clues but cleverly uses some of those clues as red herrings. If you watch with only one eye you'll most likely lose the point. Not the greatest ending but at least Session 9 avoids most mental hospital cliches.

Well worth watching!

So there we have it. More movie opinions next time! Until then, have a great week.