The Outsider

This was my first Stephen King novel, a whopping 576 pages (ambitious much?).  I was already familiar with King's work in other media (I watched The Shining late in life), but I obviously had no clue about the author in his element. I've been somewhat curious for a while, but I either did not have an opportunity or, as is usually the case, was distracted by something else.

Thus when this little number fell into my lap, I prioritized it on my reading list. And I'm proud to say I devoured this monster in three days.

I find it fascinating reading one book immediately after another with different authors. It's like interviewing a variety of people; some will be colorfully expressive, others tightly precise and the rest flowing in between. Now more than any other time, I've been noticing the voice in the books I'm reading.

Except for this book.

When I said I devoured, it probably was more like inhaling. Unlike all the others I've read, I didn't get a feel for the voice. Rather than an interview, this was more like watching a show. I didn't see words; I was watching the plot unfold. I can see the inside of the Andersons' house, the baseball field where Maitland was arrested. I know the unique pitches and tones of the characters' voices so well that if I actually heard one, I could immediately match it to a name and face. At least that's the experience, which is exactly what this novel is -- an experience. Suffice it to say I have no clue about King's voice. I couldn't even keep notes on particular quotes or passages that I found remarkable.

Except for one:

"Holly paused, looking down at her hands. The nails were unpolished, but quite neat; she had quit chewing them, just as she had quit smoking. Broken herself of the habit. She sometimes thought that her pilgrimage to something at least approximating mental stability (if not genuine mental health) had been marked by the ritual casting off of bad habits. It had been hard to let them go. They were friends."

This was the only passage that made me pause to whip out my little notebook and scribble it quickly so as not to lose the reading momentum I was in. I love this passage with every fiber of my being. It illuminates a character while pointedly speaking to my bad habits making me so enviously in awe of the skill it takes to thread simple words into an elegantly powerful description. The last line really gets me.

On top of that, he managed to trick me too. Up until probably a little past the halfway point of the story, I was convinced I was watching a riveting but normal crime episode like those found in Criminal Minds or CSI. I had completely forgotten there are supernatural elements in King's works. He really had me going for so long that even the hints toward the supernatural were largely ignored then viewed skeptically before being accepted completely. All of it done as smooth as butter.

If Megan Miranda's talent and hard work can clearly be discerned from All the Missing Girls, then you can just feel all that and King's experience in The Outsider, the work of a veteran writer.

Bonus: the supernatural wasn't heavy yet he still managed to creep me the hell out.

Battle of Azeroth: A Crisis of Lore

Normally I'd be writing about The Lost Island by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child for this post, but the controversy surrounding the direction that World of Warcraft's lore is taking regarding the Horde faction piqued my interest a bit. Apparently it's been quite the talk among fans, but for the most part it seems like they're not taking it too well.

While I don't have a strong opinion about it, I do have some thoughts particularly because the subject concerns storytelling.

I started playing WoW in the middle of Cataclysm. Prior to this, I was not a gamer in any sense. Even after all these years developing my off-and-on playing style, I wouldn't consider myself a very adept gamer. But I enjoy playing WoW because it's one of our activities, and it's special to us.

That said, I've always been too busy trying to figure out what the hell I'm doing to pay a lot of attention to the storyline. There are two factions with several races between them. Each have some kind of back story, which for some can get more elaborate with time. And then there's the world villains, meaning different expansions as well as all the myriad of side stories and characters I can't possibly remember.

I still have trouble strafing with my characters. Following the story of an entire world while playing was very low on my priorities.

Still, I recently found myself kind of curious about WoW's history, especially with a lot of the trailers, cut scenes and yes, even the movie. For some reason, it only occurred to me now that it kind of pays to follow even a little bit of the story even if its just to understand why characters behave in a certain way or the reasons for their decisions.

Which brings me back to the controversy where many fans are upset and confused about Sylvanas' (current leader of the Horde) decision to burn the Teldrassil tree causing the thousands of innocents' deaths despite already winning the battle. The Horde faction is not inherently "the bad guys" in spite of its members' general appearance. Just like the Alliance has done some morally questionable things, actions by the Horde were not always truly malicious. A good amount of people can sympathize with where they were coming from. Good and evil has never been cut and dry.

The Horde believe in fighting with honor above almost anything else. Thus to many, there seems to be no rhyme or reason to the Teldrassil tree burning decision other than the banshee losing her damn mind.

Which is obviously very true judging solely by the cinematic unveiling Sylanas as the perpetrator behind Teldrassil. She lost everything the day she became a banshee -- it was clear in the flashback she had -- this definitely goes for her mind, heart and soul. She is the physical embodiment of vengeance, anguish and chaos.

It's a pity really.

What happened to her...having her lead the Horde...Teldrassil...the upcoming war...the next Sylvanas probably...

Mostly though it's really a pity that now it kind of feels like the good and evil lines have been set. Of course we still don't know how it all ends, but at this moment in time, there seems to be very little that can redeem Sylvanas and make the Horde's actions seem less evil. When people follow a story, they usually emotionally invest in the main characters -- they root for them despite their flaws (for many it's because of them). Understandably then, it's a difficult position to be in for those who have been following the Horde storyline, especially players who have been doing it for years. There's not much to root for in "the bad guys".