Monday, April 27, 2009

Expanded Blogging

Trying out linked blogging accounts. Signed up for an account at TypePad to see if it would be possible to get a bit more spread out with this blog.

UPDATE

In retrospect, it's not what I thought it would be. Switching back to the old template

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Gotta Love Those Rabbits

My co-worker, Gary, and I have come up with a new phrase pertaining to our ability to pull off the impossible while fixing huge messes at work. That phrase is "pull a rabbit out of your ass." Because, really. Pulling a live rabbit out of that particular cavity would be far more miraculous than simply extracting one from a hat.

If a problem was particularly difficult, you'd say something to the effect of, "Well, I was able to pull out a couple of rabbits." And if it's been a rough day? "Where were you, man? We could've used a few more ass-rabbits."

All of this is a roundabout way of providing context to my Quote of the Day. Because if I just posted it in its regular spot, it wouldn't make a damn bit of sense.

Ahem.

"Desperate times call for ass-rabbits."

Instead of "desperate measures", you see. I might get that copyrighted.

Saturday, April 4, 2009

Good 'n' Evil

Sarah recommended A Spell for Chameleon, one of the Xanth books by Piers Anthony. I'd looked at the title before, when I was into fantasy, but it always seemed too silly. Strangely, now that my tastes have matured, I appreciate silly. I mean. A blanket tree? The Gap Chasm? "Oh no, earthquake! Oh, wait, no. It's just the invisible giant." This is gold.

I've enjoyed seeing Bink progress from naive villager to a more seasoned traveller. The only problem is he is still a bit of a goody-two-shoes. He's a good guy. I get that. He's selfless and loyal. Okay, commendable. That doesn't make him interesting, though. Chameleon is more intriguing, and she spends one-third of her existence as a beautiful airhead. She's a good person, as well. She's loyal to a greater cause, and she keeps public welfare firmly in mind. However, she is also shrewd and clever (in her ugly phase, at least). She's tricksy, precious, oh yes, very tricksy.

But so far, Trent is the star of the show. The Evil Magician, who was exiled twenty years ago as a traitor and usurper of the throne, is by far my favorite character. For a villain, he is quite honorable. He learned long ago that loyalty to his followers would be reciprocated. Moreover, if he made his word his bond, he could trust the same from his men. Though he is accused of being a loathesome despot, he exhibits none of that behavior.

The title of Magician means he has a great power. His particular power is that of Transformation. He can turn any living creature, be it plant or animal, into any other living creature. This became his MO. Any man who opposed him was transformed into something that could not oppose him. That's properly villainous, isn't it? He makes no defense or excuse for his actions. He considered it necessary toward his cause. And yet, when in danger of being devoured by a sea serpent, he is reluctant to transform it, if even temporarily. It is merely doing what comes natural, he reasons, and it is not right for man to come into its demesne and impose his will.

So he is a man of ethics. But he's still right dastardly, wot? He wants to take control of the throne and rule Xanth. And yet, he shows concern for Xanth. He worries that insulation from the outside world will result only in stagnation and the ultimate fall of Xanth. His quest for domination can just as easily become a mission to depose a failing government and to save a land from a king who has lost much of his power and all of his sense. All that separates him from the role of Hero is the limit of action he is willing to take. Will he commit any atrocity to succeed? No. He demonstrates a mindset that the end does not justify the means. But will he go beyond the Heroic "comfort zone". He willingly--even amusedly--accepts the mantle of Villain, as it suits his ultimate purpose as Savior.

This isn't a defense, nor is it a treatise to propose Trent's inherent goodness. He is an antagonist, make no mistake of that. Though allying himself with Bink and Chameleon, he plainly states that, at any future meeting, all bets are off, and if they hinder him, he will dispose of them as he has countless others.

This is just to show that Trent is, by far, the most complex and interesting character in the novel. Though he is the villain, he is incredibly sympathetic. Or maybe, it's not in spite of his supposed villainy, but because of it.

Sometimes, it's the bad guy that makes the story so good.