Invader Zim

Title: Invader Zim

Broadcasting Station: Nickelodeon

Status: Concluded

Synopsis (from Wikipedia): The series is about an extraterrestrial named Zim from the planet Irk, and his ongoing mission to conquer and destroy Earth. His various attempts to subjugate and destroy the human race are invariably undermined by some combination of his own ineptitude, his malfunctioning robot servant GIR, and paranormal investigator Dib, one of very few humans attentive enough to be aware of Zim's identity.

STEPH SAID

Rating: 

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This series has grown to become a cult phenomenon, loved by kids and adults alike. I learned about it through the many shirts, backpacks, jewelry, etc. with GIR in them. I had heard the series was amazing, so I decided to give it a try.

When it comes to Invader Zim the whole is not greater than the sum of its parts. This series has amazing parts. It has great, funny characters. My favorite part of the show, and why I kept watching the series, was the characters. Zim is a stupid alien that can’t succeed at conquering humanity. He is so pitiful, that I was really cheering for him, wanting him to doom us all. GIR is a defective robot that loves pigs, bacon, tacos, tv shows, cupcakes and monkeys. He is Zim’s sidekick, but instead of help, all Zim gets from him are setbacks. He is the funniest of them all! I love when he goes on his screaming or singing rants. Like the time he kept singing the Doom song for six months straight. Dib, at first, is the only human that knows Zim is an alien, and tries, unsuccessfully, to expose him. He is the only that see Zim’s real reson for being on Earth, and the only one that cares. Eventually Dib’s sister Gaz, finds out about Zim being an alien. She doesn’t care; she is better occupied eating pizza and obsessively playing video games. No kidding, she once saved her life, and another time her brother’s, thanks to her videogame knowledge. I love her because she is super smart, super tough, knows how to hold a grudge and get revenge, and she is still hilarious while she’s at it.

The series also has funny jokes; dark comedy. I love, for example, how it portrays humans as clueless of the alien invasion.

The background story is great and hilarious. Zim destroyed his home planet, Irk, during Operation Impending Doom, a campaign to conquer every planet in the galaxy. As a consequence he is exiled. But when he discovers the Almighty Tallest are preparing for Operation Impending Doom II, he escapes and manages to arrive to the Convention, where invaders are sent to different planets. The Almighty Tallest, not wanting Zim involved in this operation, send him away on a fake mission to a distant planet on the other side of the Galaxy: Earth. From the beginning we know about Zim’s ineptitude, being him the destroyer of his own planet.

But on the downsize Invader Zim is gross and disgusting. Which is the only problem I have with this series, and why I didn’t gave it five stars. Maybe it’s me, because other people love this show, so I’ll give some examples and you be the judge of that. Once, Zim started acquiring other people’s organs. He became so fat he looked like he was going to explode; every time he opened his mouth you could see a bunch of organs on his throat. One time he was talking and part of an intestine fell out of his mouth while part was inside, so he had to suck it all in. Another example: Zim once had a huge pimple. And when I say huge I mean, bigger than him. The thing is that it exploded and everyone was covered in pus.

These are unrelated moments in different episodes. There are many like those: stand-alone moments. But also in every episode you can see either dirty walls, extremely greasy food, sweaty guys or a nasty pig promoting pizza, among others. Making some episodes difficult to watch, no matter how great the characters or the story were.

Overall, I really like it, but don’t love it. Would I watch it again? Some episodes, not the whole series. Would I recommend it to others? Yes, unless they don’t like gross scenarios like the ones I’ve presented.

The Magician's Nephew (By Steph)

Title: The Magician's Nephew (The Chronicles of Narnia #6)

Author: C.S. Lewis

Year of Publication: 1955

Official Fan Page

Synopsis: When Digory and Polly are tricked by Digory's peculiar Uncle Andrew into becoming part of an experiment, they set off on the adventure of a lifetime. What happens to the children when they touch Uncle Andrew's magic rings is far beyond anything even the old magician could have imagined.

Hurtled into the Wood between the Worlds, the children soon find that they can enter many worlds through the mysterious pools there. In one world they encounter the evil Queen Jadis, who wreaks havoc in the streets of London when she is accidentally brought back with them. When they finally manage to pull her out of London, unintentionally taking along Uncle Andrew and a coachman with his horse, they find themselves in what will come to be known as the land of Narnia.

STEPH SAID

Rating:

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Reading The Chronicles of Narnia in the chronological order is a bit weird, I don’t know why. Before reading this book I hadn’t read or watched anything that had to do with Narnia. I hadn’t watched any of the movies because I wanted to wait until I had read the books. I did knew little details about The Lion, the Witch and The Wardrobe --which I learned when watching the movie trailer--  but that was it. Apparently that was more than enough knowledge about the story; it took the element of surprise from reading this book. For example, I wasn’t surprised when I read about Aslan or the magical creatures because I already knew about them, so the kids were scared but I knew the animals weren’t going to harm them.

Overall it was a good book, though I din’t enjoyed it as much as I thought. Then again, I had to keep reminding myself I was reading a children’s book not a YA novel. Since it’s a story that children and adults love alike, I thought it was going to be something like Harry Potter: timeless, magical, epic, with depth. And it was, but to a lesser degree; like it was sugar coated. Nothing extremely bad, risky or evil happened. The kids didn’t have to make impossible decisions and it had a fairytale feeling to it, like everything was going to be alright at the end.

Being a prequel, it reads as an explanatory essay. It feels, from the beginning of the story, that everything is leading up to the creation of Narnia. C.S. Lewis wrote every detail of this book, so it would fit with what was written in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, not the other way around.  I mean, that’s how I felt it. Of course the series is called The Chronicles of Narnia; therefore, the creation of Narnia should be the main event. Beside this event, the book didn’t have a great deep story. Just what was needed to explain the setting of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.

I did like to learn about the creation of Narnia. Let me tell you, a great picture was painted in my mind. I loved how it was created through music, and how everything that was planted at that moment would germinate. And even though it may not sound like it, I did also liked the happy ending. I loved that Digory was tested, that he needed to earn Aslan’s help. That gave an edge to the fairytale feeling. Everything was going to be ok, but it wasn’t going to be as easy as saying some magic word and voilà. I also love how Lewis explained the power of The Wardrobe, and how it was created.

What would’ve made this book amazing is the exploration of other worlds. In the Wood between the Worlds (literally a forest that connect worlds) there were an infinite number of ponds, each pond leading to a new world. Digory and Polly only “discovered” two worlds: Charn and Narnia. He had infinite possibilities and Lewis decided to go with just two. It would’ve been wonderful to meet new worlds and new creatures within them.

Even after finishing this book, many questions were left unanswered; questions that would arise later as I read the next books of the series. What happened to the king and queen of Narnia? And why were adults chosen as rulers? (In Prince Caspian is established that a young human must be ruler of Narnia) Where did the people from Calormen came from? (The children of the king and queen were married to dryads and nayades, therefore there were no true humans) How and why did Queen Jadis put Narnia in an infinite winter? What happened with the apple tree that was planted in Narnia at the end of this book? Why would Aslan give Jadis, an evil intruder, any power at all? (In The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe Jadis says that a traitor’s blood belongs to her as stipulated in the rules of the beginning of the world) More importantly, where did Aslan came from? Who gave him his powers?

I still haven’t finished the whole series. I hope these questions are answered by the time I finish.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Online Story)

Title: Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Online Story)

Author: Jeff Kinney

Year of Publication: 2003 

Official Site: Wimpy Kid

Read it here: Funbrain

Synopsis: Greg Heffley is thrust into middle school, where undersized weaklings share the hallways with kids who are taller, meaner, and already shaving.

STEPH SAID

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Ever since the first movie came out I have been intrigued by this series. I didn’t actually put it in my to-read list, because I thought it was going to be a book for kids, since it says “wimpy kid” on its cover. Then, I read somewhere that the books were based on the online story and, since it is free on the internet, I decided to give it a try. If I liked it I would read the books, if I didn’t, I would’ve just read one story instead of seven (of course, at that time I didn’t knew the online story has more than one thousand pages!).

I was hooked from the beginning. This story has that "je ne sais quoi" that just makes you want to read more and more. It definitely reads like a 12 years old’s journal. He complains about his mother being unfair, about his parents preferring his baby brother, his punishments, his deals with bullies, the girls he likes, and much more. It is so real; it is a story most people will relate too, it will definitely make you re-live your younger years, especially if you have siblings. But, what makes it so irresistible is actually the wimpy tone in which is written. It is such light reading that I couldn’t get tired of reading about a boy complaining about his big brother, even when it was for the hundredth time; besides most of the anecdotes are hilarious. Also, the cartoons improved my enjoinment of the story. Sometimes he’d tell a story and I would giggle because I could see it in my mind, but then I’d see the doddle and I would definitely laugh out loud. For example, once he’s telling the story of the first time he wanted to call the girl of his dreams: Piper. To avoid his big brother Rodrick’s mockery, he went to his parents’ room, took the phone and hid under a blanket on the floor. He was about to dial when his father entered the room.

At this point I was already laughing, but when I saw the doodle that followed it, I couldn’t contain myself. I threw the laptop aside and laugh out loud until I didn’t had any air left in my lungs. 

One thing I didn’t liked about the story is how Greg manipulates, uses and takes advantage of his “best friend” Rowley. Of course, Rowley is dumb enough to fall for it almost every time. Also, Greg is doing what he is used to, because he is with Rowley the way Rodrick is with him.

I already noted that it has more than one thousand pages but don’t get scared. First, there are few lines in each page, and the letters are big because it’s shaped to look like hadwriting. Second, it has many many doodles. And thirdly the story is so easy to read, the pages will fly by. At the end you’ll keep wanting more. I know I still do. So now I will read the books and hope Kenney write a hundred more.

*Images in this post are property of Jeff Kinney and Funbrain.com

Incarceron

Title: Incarceron

Author: Catherine Fisher

Year of Publication: 2011

Official Page

Synopsis: Incarceron is a prison so vast that it contains not only cells and corridors, but metal forests, dilapidated cities, and wilderness. It has been sealed for centuries, and only one man has ever escaped. Finn has always been a prisoner here. Although he has no memory of his childhood, he is sure he came from Outside. His link to the Outside, his chance to break free, is Claudia, the warden's daughter, herself determined to escape an arranged marriage. They are up against impossible odds, but one thing looms above all: Incarceron itself is alive.

Ell SAID

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Review:

The book has a good pacing and a good beginning, but, if you read intently (as you obviously should) you might spot a bit of a spoiler that, once found, destroys the hope of future discovery, which means you won't be excited when you find that out. I really liked it, though I didn't enjoy it as much as I could have because I found it a bit predictable and the narration is mostly boring. Also, some of the characters act out of character at some points, which I found a bit sad, considering the characters are pretty cool.

Now, the book is sweet, but the three points I mentioned above kinda damage the experience a lot, but there's also the way she describes things leaves an empty feeling that a deeper narration would have turned into a rich story. Overall, it's good, not extremely good, definitely a one-time book.