Nate Intolubbe

Author of the Cases of Inspector Marshall

Category: Literature Page 1 of 3

Dr. Jekyll: Misunderstood, for the Wrong Reasons

I am returning to blog writing. While there is no theme for this month, I do have several posts planned out for the time being. This week, I am looking at a literary figure who many are aware of, without fully knowing him.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson, has a unique place in literature. On its own, reading it without any cultural knowledge, the twist is pretty good. Yet, so many references to it in pop culture have spoiled the ending, to the point that people often miss its true meaning.

Even so, per my usual policy: ***SPOILERS AHEAD***

Pretty much everyone knows that Hyde is Jekyll’s alter ego, the result of a potion the latter developed. The doctor is a calm, collected man; his other half, a violent ruffian more beastlike in demeanor.

This is where misinterpretations kick in, which I would argue is largely because many don’t read the book after it is widely spoiled.

In many adaptations and summaries, Dr. Jekyll is portrayed as the good side, with Mr. Hyde as evil. That is an intuitive angle on it, given literature’s common motif of good and evil as a dichotomy, usually between the protagonist and antagonist. In this mental model, Jekyll is the hero and Hyde the villain.

The original text, however, clues otherwise. The doctor’s letter in the final chapter gives a full rundown of his perspective (as the novel up to that point follows a different character, Utterson). It starts with Jekyll needing to drink the potion to become Hyde. Over time, he transforms into Hyde during sleep and eventually while awake. He needs the potion to turn back into Jekyll, which eventually wears off as he reverts to his wild persona.

During this time, his “evil half” attacks people and even murders someone. Jekyll tries to stop chugging the madman juice, but gives in, and continues a downward sprial. He runs out and permanently becomes Hyde, who eventually kills them both, a rare instance of double suicide.

What we can interpret from this is that Hyde is evil…

…and so is Jekyll, for causing it all.

The common interpretation is wrong. Jekyll (whose name literally means, “I kill”) is just as much the villain as Hyde. They are not benevolent and malevolent halves of a man, but two halves of an already evil person. His struggle is not between good and wickedness, but his desire to harm, and his fear of being caught.

If a guard knows that a prisoner is waiting to assault people, and willingly springs him from jail, he is accessory and accomplice to every crime he commits. Same is true for a client who hires a hitman. Because good people don’t give the wicked a free pass to hurt others.

The dichotomy in this story is one of civility and brutality; of supposed human intellect versus animalistic behavior. Jekyll is evil within the confines of societal upbringing, Hyde is evil when the leash comes off and a person can run wild.

This leads to a major point in the final chapter, where the doctor gives his explanation. When supply is running low, and he needs the potion to become himself again, Jekyll desperately tries to recreate the formula. One component, a salt, is not mixing as it previously had; he realizes that the salt he made the original potion with had an impurity he could not replicate. A direct parallel to how his intentions were never pure.

The potion largely removes inhibitions, revealing parts of him that civilization makes him hide (hence, “Hyde”). By all means, one could argue that Hyde is more of the doctor’s true self than Jekyll is.

Which could explain why the transformation back became more difficult. It could be symbolic of addiction, and it could also represent his subconscious desires overpowering his “rational” mind. The lock on the cage growing weaker every time it opens.

The influence of this concept reaches to today. The Incredible Hulk, an icon of Marvel Comics, takes inspiration from the novel. And, possibly added to the common modern perception. Bruce Banner is the genuinely good-hearted scientist that Jekyll is mischaracterized as, and the Hulk’s great size led to many adaptations making Hyde a similar huge creature (whereas in Stevenson’s book, the wild half is smaller than the doctor; not an ogre, rather a particularly bold goblin).

Through all of this, a reading of the book based on its true text is largely different from the common understanding. The way it has aged over the years has little to do with its contents (as the text holds relevance in the modern day), and more with how people are exposed to the story with misconceptions attached to it.

After over a century of publication, it still continues to teach.

When Genres Collide: World War Z

Today is the anniversary of the release of my first novel, The Cases of Inspector Marshall, Volume I. A thanks to all who have helped with their feedback, reading, and time are more than called for; I appreciate all of your support.

Volume II is in production, and mostly complete. Keep an eye out for a release this summer.

With that, I am diving into another case study on blending genre: World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks. The book, not the Brad Pitt movie. We do not speak of that, unless in jest.

*****SPOILER FREE*****

A war epic, told like a documentary. A series of interviews with people across the world, giving their account of the zombie apocalypse and humanity’s narrow victory. A large-scale simulation that tackles the enormous and pressing question of:

What would happen if a zombie plague were real?

Despite the wide scope, the novel does a great job in giving detailed and nuances perspectives. Each interview narrows in on a couple topics, fleshing each one out. A puzzle piece with intricate artwork, filling out the full picture.

The dialogue reads like a journalist conducting an interview, giving it an organic flow that augments the immersion. It adds a unique take on the zombie phenomenon, which usually goes for themes of rugged survivalism and heavy in-the-moment tension. These are people with hindsight, who look back with pride at their successes and guilt at their failures, trying to consolidate what they went through. In a sense, the journalist is like a therapist for the trauma that the war inflicted them with.

The zombie genre, like the epic, is largely a tale of humanity. One faces a choice when besieged by the embodiments of death, of ruin, of a reversion to the mind of a wild animal; for zombies often represent the fear not only of death, but losing everything about who we are. We can choose to stand and fight; to create fraudulent solutions; to develop technology to save lives; to isolate and break down social order; to calculate a cold-hearted plan of sacrifice and strategy. Some rise to the challenge, and others become as much a threat as the living dead themselves.

Staring down the idea of no longer existing shows someone who they really are.

The zombie apocalypse is relatively new to the field of human literature, as juxtaposed to the ancient storytelling form of the epic (though the Epic of Gilgamesh, one of the oldest surviving works of all time, does have zombies in it). The title “Oral History” brings up the Homeric oral tradition, which itself includes a tale of war (The Iliad) and the quest to recover from it (The Odyssey).

The people of WWZ have had their Iliad, and this is their Odyssey to return to “normal” life. Other epics, like those of Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, deal with similar themes, as these authors (WWI veterans) used their works to capture the emotions of their generations. Young people who fought in trenches, besieged by tanks, mines, and mortars, who returned home and had to change to “normal” life. And, ultimately, these stories conclude that life will not be normal again, and people most now navigate a new and unfamiliar world.

And what are battles against zombies, orcs, or minotaurs, but analogies for the erasure of humanity? Not only dehumanization of the enemy, but the risk of oneself falling to that?

Brooks elegantly addresses these age-old questions, and framing it like a documentary feeds into the reflective nature of the attempt to answer them.

Plot: 4/4

Characters: 4/4

World-building: 4/4

Details: 4/4

Misc.: 4/4

Total: 20/20

The people of the book better hope that the surviving zombies do not have their own Aeneid.

*****SPOILER REVIEW*****

Paul Redeker is easily one of the most interesting figures in this novel. To concoct a plan so indifferent, emotionless, borderline inhuman, all in the intent of saving humanity, is a great paradox of literature. Whereas the zombies are the savage expression of the loss of humanity, he is the equal and opposite reaction in the form of cold-hearted reasoning.

In a hypothetical case, if your foot had a lethal infection that could rapidly spread, and someone like Paul Redeker were your doctor, he would rip your foot off with his bare hands. Unflinching, unsmiling, unemotional; it is what is necessary to save the whole, no matter the seemingly small cost of the foot, or the pain it brings the rest of you. And all of this, a metaphor for the Redeker Plan. Such a strong contrast with the rest of the book.

I’ll wrap this post up with some of the smaller details I liked that helped give the novel a level all its own, realistic considerations of the zombie apocalypse that people may not have considered.

I liked how tidal zones are extremely dangerous, with zombies being perpetually trapped in the undertow, further creating a worldwide sense of being surrounded. The specialized zombie-killing bullet, designed to lodge into and cook the dead brain, so it does not exit the body and risk infecting fellow soldiers; ingenious. The description of the overrun French Catacombs, and the people who braved it to clear it up, is the stuff of nightmares. The role of the dachshunds in the war brings some charm, and demonstrates how fresh the events are in people’s minds; one of the canine veterans, while old, is still alive. The unknown fate of North Korea adds into the theme of information, indicating that even all of these interviews from a multitude of angles can still have blind spots.

World War Z is easily one of the best zombie stories ever made. It knows when to think big, and it knows when to zoom in. It is a worthy tale in the great search to learn about ourselves.

When Genres Collide: Priest

Continuing my set of reviews based on blended genres, I will go over Priest by Matthew Colville, the first of the Ratcatchers series.

*****SPOILER FREE*****

Priest is self-described as a fantasy hardboiled, combining mystery with the realm of magic and monsters. Suffice to say, I have a soft spot for such a hybrid work (having written one of an expected trilogy of such books).

But rather than following an actual detective, this novel’s protagonist is referenced in its title: Heden, a priest. Not in a “Friar Tuck” sense, as he derives considerable spellcasting power from the deity he worships; for readers less aware of how priest/clerics work as magicians in fantasy, you can think of the concept being similar to Moses causing miracles by the power of God.

Heden’s superior in the clergy sends him to a castle in the middle of the forest, which an evil army is readying to attack. Their protectors, the Green Order of knights, are not helping in this desperate hour, and it is Heden’s task to investigate why.

Our hero does fit the “hardboiled” archetype with his cynicism, a heart toughened with experience with violence and corruption. Yet instead of being a veteran against bootlegging gangsters, he has been in wars against orc-like enemies. His past is gradually shown, which helps inform him as he continues his search. It puts the storytelling tropes of its foregenre, mystery, into the setting dynamic of its backgenre, fantasy, in a way that shows the author’s informed knowledge of both.

The genres blend quite well; the greatest joy, challenge, and pitfall of fantasy is the world-building, while for mystery, it is the building of suspense and intrigue. Heden’s lack of knowledge of the Green Order is a prime example of them coming together. He learns the lore as is relevant (in line with good fantasy), and new information shows that there is more going on than previously believed (in line with good mystery). In other words, the common world-building advice of “don’t infodump” comes in quite handy.

If you like one of these genres, the other, or both, Priest will have plenty of intrigue and magic-packed battles to offer. Written by a fellow Dungeon Master of the Dungeons and Dragons playerbase, I can only imagine what Colville’s game sessions are like.

Plot: 4/4

Characters: 3/4

World-building: 3/4

Details: 3/4

Misc.: 4/4

Total: 17/20

Looking forward to the sequel.

*****SPOILER REVIEW*****

Any story that starts with a person’s head blowing up immediately has my attention. Not only does it establish the stakes, it creates the tone of crime and retribution classic to the ‘detective’ story. And, the scene demonstrates Heden’s magic capabilities.

His journey to Ollghum Keep has its own symbolisms, how he can never blend in, and always makes enemies where he goes. This is a good fusion of the hardboiled detective (always looking over his shoulder for the people around him) and the fantasy adventurer (being a stranger in every town outside of home). This hangs a strong sense of loneliness about him, amplifying the threats around him, and giving uncertainty of who to trust.

I also like how even Heden has things he hides, even outright lying, creating a sense that the reader cannot fully trust him either. The truth about his job and who he serves makes the reveal at the end all the more striking.

His duel with the knight is one of my favorite scenes in the novel. A great way to utilize fantasy’s play on the supernatural, while setting up the suspicious atmosphere in the forest. And the fight itself had its own clever moves.

Ultimately, the stakes show how well the genres mix. There is an evil army out to attack innocent people, as often happens in fantasy; but unlike the backgenre, the hero does not have to defeat the ‘dark lord’ or destroy an ancient relic, rather has to discover the puzzle pieces behind the Green Order’s inaction (true to its foregenre, solving a crime).

Overall, the novel is a great start to the series, and is executed well.

Villains Month: The Mass of Evil

Continuing on with October’s look into villains, we now observe the types of antagonists that split away from the individual human.

A group with wicked intent; a force of nature out to get the hero; a concept, as an abstract will of malevolence. All of these serve to make the hero seem much smaller than the threat they face. A bold move, as the author is sacrificing much of an antagonist’s personality for grandeur. High risk, high reward.

The Party from George Orwell’s 1984 is a prime example. There are individuals within, all who carry names and responsibilities, yet they are defined by the whole they serve. The erasure of their identity plays a double role as a way to broaden the threat beyond any one of them, while being a source of commentary on collectivism. It cements how dictatorships require the loss of self to keep people in line.

This is further emphasized with the byline, “Big Brother is Watching You.” The face on the poster is of a person, but the root of the meaning is in the cameras and monitors always surveying citizens. It takes the personal and depersonalizes it, the Party doing upon itself as it does unto others.

This also applies to hive-mind villains too, or anything that attacks as a group (like hordes of demons, or swarms of zombies). It takes the human trait of social cohesion, shows it in a darker light, all while beating us at our own game. Whether loss of identity or life, losing to society or external threats, collective antagonists portray an evil uniquely their own.

There is debate over whether or nor the wild can be villainous, if it’s merely the natural world taking its course. Even then, ‘antagonist’ is more than appropriate in Person vs Nature stories, considering it is the oldest form of conflict. Living things in a continuous struggle to stay alive, going to whatever lengths are necessary. There is never truly a winner in the game of survival, merely those who haven’t lost yet.

Stories of natural disasters are common, as are tales of vicious animals. In many of these cases, emphasizing the wild aspect lends into the unpredictability, thus making it more threatening. A good example is Life of Pi, where the eponymous hero not only has to maneuver the middle of the Pacific Ocean on a life raft, but also having to do so with an actual tiger aboard. Braving the elements, while showing an element of bravery in the face of an apex predator.

Personification of these can work if done right–though it bleeds to a hybrid of Person vs Person, so maintaining the role of nature is essentially to making it work. Too far to that side takes away from the raw destructive force of the wild, which is meant to be inhuman to show the stark contrast from us.

Yet what happens to the opposite extreme, where there is no personality to the antagonist at all? And no, I’m not talking about the Twilight villains. I mean intangible evil–fighting a very concept.

The NeverEnding Story provides a great example of an abstract protagonist. ‘The Nothing,’ an exemplification of the decline of imagination. It wants nothing, it makes no demands, it has no goals. It consumes indiscriminately. Rather than being personified, it is itself a personification, destruction incarnate.

Its lack of a body means it cannot be fought, injured, or killed. This adds into the helpless state of Atreyu, a child juxtaposed against a foe infinitely larger than him. This effectively establishes The Nothing’s threat, while beefing up the stakes as it erodes the very fictional world it takes place in.

But in the end, all fictional villains are but conceptual and intangible figures to us. We fight against abstract ideas every time we attribute one to an antagonist, creating our own battle against evil. And we learn a little more about the darker side of life each time.

The hero’s greatest teacher is not their mentor. It’s their villain. Because they put the protagonist’s actions, character, and values to the test. A well-written clash will end with the hero questioning them all, seeing enough reflected in their foe to gain the self-reflection that the enemy lacks.

What are some of your favorite examples of Person vs Society, vs Nature, or vs Concept? Of the three, which do you prefer?

Villains Month: The Nature of Evil

October is upon us. The time of autumn, of scary stories, of costume. Last year, I covered the horror genre, so this time around will look at the role of villains in literature.

Many claim that the antagonist can make or break the story, because conflict is the heart of storytelling, and villains are the blood vessels that carry it out. The main body of literature needs this circulation to survive, and a weakly made villain is akin to an internal bleeding of a plot.

Antagonists are not limited to people, appearing as collectives (person vs society), an animal or force of the wild (person vs nature), or a character’s own mind (person vs self), with a multitude of alternatives. All stem from one fundamental fact of life: a lot of things are trying to kill us. Or, at least there are plenty of obstacles we face while trying to accomplish our goals. In a sense, storytelling gives us a means to cope with this and assess why this happens.

Philosophers, psychologists, and many others have tried to understand the mind behind crime. What drives people to ignore social bonds and kill, steal, assault. Literature has been at the forefront of this discussion, and every fictional villain (no matter how poorly written) adds something to the dialogue.

Greed is a common motivation for many villains, as it is common in real life; yet in stories, this is often considered a weak reason. Too easy to think of and rationalize, an overly simplified answer to a complex question.

Sadism appears frequently too, given the role it plays in many psychologies of serial killers. Like with greed, it may not do well enough on its own, but could be more compelling if paired with other factors.

Compare Walter White from Breaking Bad. He turns to meth-selling and organized crime primarily for money, but the money is to pay for his cancer treatments. Mixing in greed with survival instinct (arguably, the most understandable motive for most people) adds layers of depth behind his motivations. This then makes his Shakespearean tragic fall more impactful.

Also consider many renditions of the Sheriff of Nottingham. The figure does enjoy taking money from commoners, and displays sadistic tendencies in many adaptations. Yet the underlying reason behind it is a man who secured a position of power at a time with limited social mobility, doing whatever he can to maintain his station. It is not entirely about the coin or even the ability to harm others, but the desire to use authority before he loses it.

And the motivations become more complex when you add in reasons that do not seem villainous. Love. Family legacy. Duty.

Irony is one of the few things that will remain eternally beautiful. People die, then rot. Flowers wilt. Art fades and cracks. Even mountains erode, and rivers dry. But irony will never lose its appeal.

I say this, because the best villains have a touch of irony in their nature. Something typically good is used for evil purposes, or a usual herolike figure is the antagonist. The reversal of expectations has us realize that wickedness is not always as straightforward as believed.

Ideas viewed as noble turn vile. Someone we should trust betrays that integrity. All of this warns us not only of the snakes in the rosebush, but that our own perception of morality may not be as pure-hearted as thought.

The trash heap of history is full of people who believed they were doing the right thing. Claiming oneself to be too good to commit evil is the slickest path to villainy, and most have no clue they walk it.

Literature allows these types of discussions. The mirror to see our own flaws, warning us to correct them before it is too late.

What are some interesting villain motives you have read? What makes an antagonist stand out above others?

Note: all works and characters are the property of their respective owners. Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for fair use for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, research, commentary, and or parody. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.

Sequel September: Where do Sequels Go Wrong?

To close out this month’s topic, I will go over traits common in poorly done sequels, and how to avoid them.

Some people say that a second book or movie cannot be better than the first. Some go further to say that the sequel is never better than the original.

Of course, this is demonstrably untrue, and subject to a lot of confirmation bias. The Empire Strikes Back is better than A New Hope. Angels and Demons is better than The Da Vinci Code. The Odyssey is better than The Iliad. Captain America: The Winter Soldier is better than The First Avenger. Spider Man 2 is better than the first of the Raimi films. Series like The Inheritance Cycle improve with each installment.

The reason why is tied to why sequels often fail: these works were intended to be part of a series. They were written with future installments in mind.

Many works are not meant to have sequels. They conclude their plot and character arcs to the point that creating new ones can be tricky. They are meant to be self-contained, a whole story, with little need to expand.

And, additionally, some works don’t leave enough loose ends to warrant writing a full new story.

For context: the movie Open Season deals with a bear raised among humans struggling to adapt to the wild, while fleeing from hunters. It has a good degree of heart, while creating decent comedy and mixing in legitimate threats.

Its sequel is about rescuing a dachshund from a pet camp.

I shit you not.

This is one main reason why later installments fail: adding on to the original is not necessary. Other causes stem from patterns that break my rules on sequel writing (at least, not in justifiable rule breakage):

  • A sequel should maintain a critical balance, one part honoring the traits that made the original good, and the other part creating a new story with its own identity.
  • A sequel should demonstrate the reasonable consequences of what happened in the previous installment.
  • A sequel should reinforce the messages and spirit of the original, while also expanding it and showing new challenges.
  • A sequel should learn from the shortcomings of their predecessors, so that the following works and the series itself improve.
  • The first three rules can be broken if doing so improves the work. (The fourth rule cannot be broken with this justification; refusing to improve the work cannot improve the work, that’s a paradox.)

Works that become too distant from the benefits from the original, such as Batman Forever and Batman and Robin. Works that try too hard to be the original, that they do not become their own story, like many direct-to-video Disney sequels. Works that do not show the realistic consequences of what came before, like Jurassic Park 2. All bad sequels break the fourth rule by their very nature.

Rules in writing literature are almost always flexible, and function more like guidelines (as a wise undead pirate once said something along the lines of). But never. Ever. Break the fourth rule.

Speaking of Pirates of the Caribbean, there are additional instances of stories that mess with characters the audience holds dear. Like, how Jack Sparrow experienced decline after each movie. By Dead Men Tell No Tales, he’s practically undergone character development in the opposite direction, a parody of himself.

As Sun Tzu did not quite say, “Know your characters, know yourself, and you need not fear the reviews of a thousand critics.” (Beyond a thousand, though, you are on your own.)

Other factors in this are reader/audience expectations. Legend of Korra was a great series that followed up ATLA very well. But some people wanted it to be exactly like its predecessor, which caused them to be disappointed when it decided to, you know. Tell its own story.

Sequels can be as good as the original. Sequels can even do better. But, they often do not, because people sometimes forget the main reason they are written in the first place: to continue the story in a satisfying way.

What are the best or worst sequels you’ve encountered? What aspects made them succeed or suck?

Note: all works and characters are the property of their respective owners. Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for fair use for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, research, commentary, and or parody. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.

Sequel September: Huckleberry Finn

So far, I have shared examples of a sequel that mostly lives up to the original, and another that was worse. This week, I will go over a third scenario: where the follow-up surpasses its predecessor. This takes us to a legend who put American literature on the map: Mark Twain.

The book of Tom Sawyer is an adventure novel about the shenanigans of its titular character and his friends. There isn’t much of a deeper meaning, nor is there meant to be. It’s an overall fun read.

Huckleberry Finn provides a story with a better adventure, a more likable protagonist in the picaresque style, and a greater deal of meaning. Remember my four principles of sequel writing? Refresher:

  • A sequel should maintain a critical balance, one part honoring the traits that made the original good, and the other part creating a new story with its own identity.
  • A sequel should demonstrate the reasonable consequences of what happened in the previous installment.
  • A sequel should reinforce the messages and spirit of the original, while also expanding it and showing new challenges.
  • A sequel should learn from the shortcomings of their predecessors, so that the following works and the series itself improve.

And now, the fifth rule: The first three rules can be broken if doing so improves the work. (The fourth rule cannot be broken with this justification; refusing to improve the work cannot improve the work, that’s a paradox.)

If the author believes that a subsequent installment should not carry on the spirit of the original, or mimic the traits of its predecessor, then it does not have to. For instance, if a different direction or message is desired, or if the work is meant to stand more independently.

Which leads us to Huck Finn. A story with a different protagonist. Meant to engage in a larger number of subject matters, such as alcoholism, neglect, bloody feuds, and slavery. The carefree spirit of Tom Sawyer would not be appropriate, nor would honoring the traits of romanticism, nor would reinforcing the message (or lack thereof).

This is what differentiates the two. Huck Finn is so much of a u-turn of the original, it actively works against it. Especially with Tom Sawyer’s behavior at the ending, showing how his romanticized views of the world are childish at best, and impeding sense and goodness at worst. The first book is meant to show an idyllic view of the Antebellum South, and the sequel is meant to slap you out of the daydream and scream, “No, this place and time sucks!”

Great literature knows how to subvert the expected. In this case, the book subverts its own predecessor, a ballsy move. A sequel going against the original should have a good reason for doing so – and Huck Finn did. Making a stronger story, with higher quality character development and meaning.

The eponymous character learns the foolish ways of the adult world, and how easy it is to trick people (like with the preacher), pulling off cons that put Tom’s stunt with the fence to shame. He witnesses violence that disillusions the games of playing pirates and robbers, finding the grim reality behind it in a way that the murder in the first book does not cover. He undergoes internal conflict about his friendship with Jim, and the prejudices of the time, juxtaposed with Tom’s terrible companionship.

Some say this sequel ruined the original in its portrayal of Tom Sawyer, and to that I say: the character was not a good-hearted person even in his own novel. He let his aunt believe he drowned, putting her through torment as a prank. His book only seems favorable to him because it is from his perspective, and changing the focus to Huck shows the outside view of how he really is.

Tom Sawyer is a good book, Huck Finn is better. This duology serves as an exemplary case of the fourth and fifth principles.

Tom SawyerHuckleberry Finn
Plot:3/44/4
Characters:2/43/4
World-building3/43/4
Details:3/43/4
Misc:4/44/4
Total:15/2017/20

Which of these novels do you prefer? Are there other cases you can think of where the sequel was better than its predecessor?

Note: all works and characters are the property of their respective owners. Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for fair use for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, research, commentary, and or parody. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.

Sequel September: Star Wars

With everything from Legend of Korra in mind, we continue with our September dive into the art of the sequel. Next on the list: Star Wars.

This franchise has had more ups and downs than the tidal cycle. The original trilogy, The Clone Wars and Mandalorian shows, many of the video games, and several books have had strong positive feedback. On the other hand, the prequels, sequels, other books, and a certain holiday special that shall not be named (lest we summon the Force-Ghosts of Life Day Past, Present, and Future) faced negativity.

For the sake of this post, I will restrict this analysis to the nine main movies, of the prequels, originals, and sequels. For, they are most relevant to this subject.

I would say that the prequels and sequels are the equal but opposite reactions to the other; what one trilogy did poorly, the other did a one-eighty for, and vice versa. Sometimes, the reversal is for the better; other times, it creates something equivalently bad albeit from a different direction.

Which brings me to the fourth principle of sequel writing: subsequent installments should learn from the shortcomings of their predecessors, so that the series itself improves.

Or, as a wise man once said: “R2, we need to be going up, not down.”

Speaking of prequels memes, that’s the next point on this. Meme-ability, and memorability. The dialogue in that trilogy is cringey and cheesy, but it sticks in the mind, with many quotes being iconic from a comedic perspective.

Compare to the sequel trilogy, whose dialogue was adequate, but mostly forgettable. It is like pouring a truckload of concrete on a dumpster fire; you extinguish it, but now the dumpster has a concrete brick filling it up and making it unusable.

Then, there is the matter of the short versus long term storytelling. The prequels had lower quality films, but the overarching plot is well done and even is a haunting statement on how easily tyranny arises. The sequels had mostly better movies, but the story across installments was disjointed and inconsistent. Many positive qualities of these trilogies carry a major caveat.

The prequel protagonist, Anakin Skywalker, is whiny, annoying, and rarely behaves in a manner befitting the man who becomes the iconic Darth Vader. Yet, his skills are more realistic, where he loses against more skilled opponents, and has to train to use the Force and a lightsaber. And, he has a more definitive arc around his relationship with Jedi principles and those close to him.

Rey has no unlikable personality traits (though that could simply be a byproduct of having minimal personality traits), making her more agreeable on-screen. Yet the way she becomes an instant expert in Jedi skills with no training is a drawback, because she is robbed of character growth. A hero needs to not begin their journey at full power, so we can see them develop their capabilities alongside their mentality and learn from mistakes.

In other words, one protagonist is largely unlikable and an embarrassment to the franchise, but has clear character traits and a cohesive story. The other is more amiable, but is not a full enough character to invest in, and lacks development.

So, how do the recent films stack up with my other rules of sequel-writing? As listed below:

  1. A sequel should maintain a critical balance, one part honoring the traits that made the original good, and the other part creating a new story with its own identity.
  2. A sequel should demonstrate the reasonable consequences of what happened in the previous installment.
  3. A sequel should reinforce the messages and spirit of the original, while also expanding it and showing new challenges.

The Force Awakens did these to an extent. It went back to basics, telling a story similar in structure to A New Hope. Some of the characters did have their own identity (Kylo Ren and Finn), giving enough promise. The events leading up to it (reestablishment of the Republic, the First Order a reactionary attempt to reestablish the Empire, the collapse of the New Jedi Order) all were plausible consequences. It kept the spirit of A New Hope, of people fighting for liberty against the rising Snoke.

The Last Jedi then promptly attached all that potential to cinder blocks and tossed it into the river. Finn was sidelined (which his actor, John Boyega, has called out), which got worse as the trilogy progressed. Luke attempting to kill his own nephew, when the younger version of himself was willing to take lightning to redeem his father, is an unreasonable u-turn of character. The new challenge of Snoke was eliminated without any development. There are many ways that this film undid the bricks they had laid down in its predecessor, not just halting the house’s construction but tumbling it all down on their heads.

And, The Rise of Skywalker suffered as it tried to overcompensate for all this. The writing was as rushed as its plot. Palpatine’s return was unearned (but, at least they finally gave Rey character development as she struggled with the legacy she inherited). Ben Solo’s arc was rounded out well, but the other characters (Finn, Rose, Poe) were left behind.

Changing writers and directors played into the inconsistency of the series. It changed direction more times than a compass surrounded by super magnets.

But then, is the sequel trilogy not a microcosm for the Star Wars franchise itself? What is The Force Awakens but the promising start of the originals? What is The Last Jedi but a disappointing butchery of this potential like the prequels? What is The Rise of Skywalker but the sequels trying to repair the damage done, at its own expense, while still failing?

We can all learn from what the Star Wars film progression has done. A case study of how the inverse of something bad is not always good, and how learning from your mistakes should not mean forgetting the parts of your errors that did have truth in them.

And now, my ratings:

The Force AwakensThe Last JediThe Rise of Skywalker
Plot:322
Character:312
World-building:312
Details:323
Misc:303
Total:15/206/2012/20

For an average of 11/20.

What are your thoughts on the Star Wars sequels? Do they have redeeming characteristics that you enjoy?

Note: all works and characters are the property of their respective owners. Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for fair use for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, research, commentary, and or parody. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.

Sequel September: Legend of Korra

I am currently over halfway through writing the second volume of the Cases of Inspector Marshall series. And, I have decided to return to writing blog posts. Within the past few months, I have taken many considerations in crafting the follow-up to my own story, and have been developing my ideas on sequels too.

And with the recent additions of Avatar: The Last Airbender (herein, ATLA) and sequel series The Legend of Korra (herein TLOK) to Netflix, I saw fit to give my thoughts on these shows and how they apply to this discussion.

For background, I did not watch either show as a kid. I watched ATLA in May over the course of five days, and TLOK in August within three days. Prior to then, the only exposure to these series was the first few episodes of ATLA while in college, and various posts/videos on social media. My opinions are not rooted in childhood nostalgia, but my own impressions as an adult and author.

There will be a general non-spoiler review below, then a spoiler one further down.

ATLA has long been praised as one of the best family-friendly shows out there, and I certainly agree. The story, richness of the characters, animation, choreography of the fights, approaches to philosophy; it astounded me.

And, I can then imagine how the creators would have felt trying to create to make a follow-up to that with TLOK. They must have realized that they could never make something like that again, partially from the quality, but also by making a new story that didn’t ripoff the original source material.

So they did the best thing they could do, a stroke of creative genius.

They made something completely different.

And it worked.

I was amazed with TLOK. Not to say that it lacks flaws, but like with ATLA, I’m willing to accept some of its shortcomings because of how good everything else is. I daresay, it is one of the best possible sequels they could have made.

Which brings me to the first major point on sequel writing: there is a critical balance, one part honoring the traits that made the original good, and the other part creating a new story with its own identity.

I am by no means comparing my own work to these series; rather, this is a principle I caught on to that helps me with my second volume. Drift too far from the original, and you lose the ability to create smart parallels and legacies, and the result feels like it does not adequately expand the story. Yet if you get too caught up in the past, you only create a cheap copy of the original, and are not creating a new story at all.

And there’s already too much direct-to-video sequels, bad/unnecessary remakes, and contrived fanfiction out there. Don’t fall to their level.

Yet TLOK for the most part maintains this balance. No surprise; it’s the Avatar’s job. It’s not afraid to be different. It’s not afraid to create parallels with the original, while also showing some features in a new light (if not downright subverting them). And, it’s not afraid to expand on what ATLA started.

Which brings me to the second major principle of sequel writing: it demonstrates the reasonable consequences of what happened in the previous installment.

The steampunk/gaslamp setting is visually appealing, and it makes sense. If the world nations are at peace, of course technology is going to advance. Benders of different elements coming together, infrastructure from the Hundred Year War; an industrial society is the natural progression not just from the political situation, but also the gathering of ideas and resources.

Hence, the conflicts fit the scene. Different extreme ideologies clamor for power in times of great change, all working to determine the course of the future. And it is Avatar Korra’s job to ensure that all works for the better.

The structure across seasons works to its advantage. Rather than one major threat across the entirety of the show, and most of the major villains being related to each other, TLOK provides a variety of evils to face. It demonstrates the Avatar’s constant need to quell new threats as they emerge (as the Sith say, “Peace is a lie”), and prevents it from becoming stale.

And as in its predecessor, the series is able to create a kid-appropriate story, but does not insult the intelligence of its viewers, rather supplements it.

Before I move into spoiler territory, I will give my ratings for both shows:

Avatar: The Last Airbender

Plot: 4/4

Characters: 4/4

World-building: 4/4

Details: 4/4

Misc: 4/4

Total: 20/20

The Legend of Korra

Plot: 3/4

Characters: 4/4

World-building: 4/4

Details: 4/4

Misc: 4/4

Total: 19/20

And now: **********SPOILERS**********

(Ye’ve been warned.)

I like how Korra has a nigh opposite personality to Aang, and that their development is the same path from reverse angles. Aang, the wise soul who learned to be strong, despite not wanting to be Avatar; and Korra, the natural warrior who gained wisdom as she boldly charged into being Avatar. True balance, and a fantastic use of a sequel’s advantage of hindsight.

I like how the Team Avatar has realistic implications of them being older. Whereas ATLA gave us a group of friends traveling the world together, the main characters in TLOK have a greater independence from the gang. They have jobs and responsibilities that prevent them from always being near each other, just like adult friendships, yet they retain their affection.

A common criticism of TLOK is the love triangle early on. I usually do not abide the trope myself, but I let it slide for this show because they did it right. It does not overbear the main story, and it demonstrates the emotional impact it has on the people involved. The look on Bolin’s face when he had the flowers? Mako’s own conflicting emotions, not wanting to hurt anybody’s feelings while ultimately losing them both? Asami not accepting being someone’s second choice? All understandable, and in summary a condemnation of love triangle behavior.

So, that particular criticism is unfair. Especially since ATLA had a worse-written love triangle with Sokka, Yue, and Hahn.

The villains in TLOK are well done. Each of them has a core concept they pursue, with understandable and even noble intentions. There’s nothing wrong with wanting non-benders to not be second-class citizens, seeking peace between humans and spirits, protecting against tyranny, or saving one’s country from mayhem.

Yet it is their methods, the means that contradict the very ends they desire, that makes them villainous. Being so consumed with ideology, that one loses sight of and betrays their original intent. Wanting equality, but dividing people through violence; supporting spirits, while forcing them to become dark; seeking freedom, but imprisoning an entire nation; battling for unity, through coercion and persecuting people by ethnicity. And the fact that they all show a darker version of something positive and heroic from ATLA creates another brilliant parallel that only a sequel can accomplish.

Another strange recurrence is that the third episode of each show was when I thought, “Oh yeah, this series is going to be amazing.” And I wasn’t wrong.

For TLOK, I am referencing Amon revealing his powers. Removing a person’s bending was how the first show ended the Hundred Year War, so seeing that weaponized against the heroes had me realize that the series was willing to honor something from the past while being different.

Me, I love when tropes are flipped on their heads; the light turned to dark, the heroic turned villainous, good falling to evil. I admire that so much, I made “corruption” an element in my book’s magic system. Which is why I love TLOK, for it is not afraid to show a realistically negative side of something in its predecessor.

The first time I heard of airbenders, my initial response was: “Why don’t they ever fight by taking the air from someone’s lungs?” I asked this to someone in college, who replied that the Air Nomads have a pacifist philosophy. I asked this again to someone at work last year, who said that, and added that TLOK has a villain who does just that.

An evil airbender? When the hero of the first series was an Air Nomad, who usually has peaceful ways? Demonstrating how Air Nomad philosophy can be used for evil ends? Zaheer using airbending to asphyxiate the Earth Queen and send the Earth Kingdom into anarchy? All great storytelling elements.

And the same applies to Unalaq becoming a dark Avatar, or Kuvira using Toph’s metalbending and Zuko’s legacy of a peaceful Fire Nation to advance herself. The writers were willing to go there, and that’s what makes the show legendary.

And, TLOK does the vice versa of what I mentioned above regarding trope subversion, things once seen as villainous being heroic (and so on). For instance, Mako being a heroic firebender (though his actions are not always good). Lightningbending used to fuel power plants, and war balloons from the Fire Nation assisting the protagonists.

And this adds into the third major point of sequel writing: it reinforces the messages and spirit of the original, while also expanding it and showing new challenges. The redemption of the Fire Nation is intact, and it has been reformed to a positive force in the world. And building off another takeaway, it shows the long-term effects of how much change can happen when people are willing to see other perspectives.

And the way this is challenged is also a darker version of it; each major villain has a secondary villain of opposing ideology, a hammer and anvil smacking together, with the innocent caught in between the clash. Many perspectives are seen, leading to conflict, while Korra and the others have to learn from their enemies to find the best path.

Some fans of either show try to make it a competition between the series, but I strive to discover the conversation between them. ATLA was a tough act to follow, and for them to create a sequel roughly equivalent to the predecessor’s quality is a feat of artistic skill.

What are your favorite parallels between these shows? What have they taught you on developing sequels?

Note: all works and characters are the property of their respective owners. Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for fair use for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, research, commentary, and or parody. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.

Sci-Fi, If I May: The Conflict

May reaches its conclusion, as does this observation of science fiction.

If characters are the steering wheel for a story, determining where it goes, then conflict is the engine, pushing everything forward. The engine cares not where it goes, continuing on regardless of direction (unless flying off a cliff or into a building), and it is up to the characters to decide what that direction is.

Science fiction presents unique opportunities for conflict, in both action scenes and grand scale. No other genre can have dogfights between spaceships blasting lasers at each other, or an army of robots out to annihilate humanity.

Lightsaber battles are always a joy, and the clash of people against machinery can be legendary, yet there is a common concept underlying many sci-fights:

The future of humanity.

At least, in reference to the grand scale conflicts usually at play in the genre.

It is fitting that the goal of science itself is the primary concern of science fiction. Discovery for the sake of knowledge and the betterment of people – and, in the case of the literature, the implications and application.

Sometimes, the future of humanity faces threats from the outside. Alien, Ender’s Game, Independence Day, and many other stories deal with extraterrestrials invading Earth to enslave or destroy its inhabitants. These works involve themes of imperialism, and the frightening possibilities that advanced technology bring to that.

Even with humans being the protagonists in those scenarios, it still brings up complex moral questions. If the roles were reversed, where earthlings had that technology and found other planets, humans would likely do the exact same thing. Since the inability to learn from history is a fairly common trait, the future could very much resemble the past, amplified by advancement.

And this leads into stories where the conflict is the doing of humans themselves. Clashes against AI like Terminator and The Matrix reveal that we could lead to our own undoing by creating the wrong technology at the wrong time, or without certain failsafes. Others like Star Wars (as the name implies) demonstrates people constantly cycling themselves in warfare, and weapons such as the Death Star echo the horror of the atomic bomb.

In other words, striving for a future by emulating the worst parts of the past puts the present in jeopardy. Progress is not inherently wrong, and should be encouraged on morality as much as knowledge. The latter without the former is arguably not progress at all.

And that is the heart of conflict in science fiction: simulating what could be, to guide us on what can go wrong. A sort of trial run, where we do not have to learn the negative possibilities the hard way.

The genre reaches this type of philosophy in ways that others cannot, because it creates these timelines and worlds where the ideas can be addressed. Historical fiction can show what worked from the past to bring us here, and is valuable as a result, a sort of journal on where we have been; yet sci-fi is like conflict itself, about the forward movement, and we the characters of reality steer where the future goes.

Life seldom grants second chances, so looking ahead through literature could be the next best thing.

What are some of your favorite conflicts in sci-fi? What philosophical questions from the genre have stuck with you over the years?

Note: all works and characters are the property of their respective owners. Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for fair use for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, research, commentary, and or parody. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.

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