Potter and other stories

[lucylovebiscuit]

I just finished the last Harry Potter book.

I am 95% satisfied with the outcome. There were a couple of things that didn't get resolved, and one scene that I didn't really like, as I felt that it was a too convenient, deus ex machina solution, but for the most part, the story ended the way that I thought it should

Comments

[stephen_c]

To each his (or her) own. I still love them. I bought a copy of The Young Ones' Every Stoopid Episode and still find it amusing. It was definite Rabelaisian humor, but talking hamsters, one actor playing an entire family and Vyvyan whacking himself senseless with a cricket bat is good stuff.

[lucylovebiscuit]

I still have my favorite scenes, but I just found that overall, I enjoyed the memory of the program more than actually watching it again.

Perhaps I will try again one day, but skip directly to my favorite scenes.

[zesty_pinto]

I miss "Mork and Mindy." Star Trek never caught on for me, though I do agree that some things just aren't as fun when you go back on them. I remember getting the same sensation when I was watching Robotech and I felt terrible because it was so bad!

[theory_of_chaos]

I admit to still loving TNG, although there are a lot of rocky episodes, particularly in the early years before Roddenberry kicked off (honestly, there were times he was his own show's worst enemy). I admit to being shocked, on watching it as a grown-up, at just how indecisive the crew could be (really, there's a Borg cube floating off the bow, and they go to the CONFERENCE ROOM?), and how unwilling to draw moral lines in the sand with anyone except themselves. There are some episodes in there, like Darmok and The Inner Light, that hold up as flat out great sci-fi for me, but as a body of work it's not the unimpeachable masterpiece some people imagine.

If you've never watched Deep Space Nine, you might find it more interesting from an ethics standpoint, because they have the balls to delve into some of the messier problems of capitalism and war and religion the other series so shied away from. If you're looking for better acting, though, you're not likely to find it.

[lucylovebiscuit]

I've been told that the later, post-Roddenberry years are better. And I do like how the show ended. So maybe I will give it another go, skipping forward quite a bit. But not for a while...I need to take a "break".

[runewise]

Darmok and Jilad at Tenagra!

You know, I rather like the cut of your jib.. as far as your Star Trek tastes go, anyway. I found DS9 to be just better story, all around.. they dealt with all of the stuff that Roddenberry didn't want to touch.

And then there's that whole Sisko as Moses subplot.

Temba - his arms wide!

[theory_of_chaos]

The way DS9 built its final seasons into a giant war story arc really impressed me, especially the severely ramping-up tension of those final 6-7 episodes. It really managed to convey how a whole corner of the galaxy was going through a kind of total revolution both politically and socially. I never did like it when Avery Brooks got all bellow-y and hysterical, and I still prefer TNG overall, but DS9 reflected a definite maturation on the part of the writers; in that they were willing to try out some ideas with less easy moral solutions and even have some self-mocking fun like they did in The Magnificent Ferengi and Who Mourns for Morn?, which still makes me laugh every time.

Ms. Lovebiscuit - sorry we're hijacking your LJ for this minor geekout.

[baronmind]

I was going to comment that it seemed odd to put Harry Potter right next to Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead -- until I realized that those are probably my two favorite books after Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, so perhaps I shouldn't be throwing stones.

You might check out Jack of All Trades on Netflix; it's not a terribly complex show, but it's hard to get much more light-hearted and fun than that.

[lucylovebiscuit]

Thanks for the recommendation...I'll definitely give it a look.

I've decided that life is too short to waste on negativity and nihilism, so I really try to surround myself with fun, shiny things. It's better that way, see?

[baronmind]

I too loved The Young Ones, and now own the DVD set. I have a theory as to why they are so different from how I remembered them-- THEY ARE! MTV cut the heck out of the episodes to allow for commercials, and the DVDs are as originally intended.

If you enjoyed The Good Life, you may also like To The Manor Born (also available via Netflix).

~~Leslie

[piraticalbob]

I've read some of Donaldson's works in the past, mainly the Thomas Covenant sets, although I haven't read the latest efforts in that series. Donaldson has a wonderful "gradual interview" on his website in which he answers questions from readers; the interview by now is itself book length. Donaldson does seem unable to create anything other than deeply flawed protagonists, and his habit of using obscure or antiquated vocabulary can be irritating. Doesn't do humor well, either.