The Ricochet Reviewer: Books, Movies, and Comics

by Robert Jordan Still trying to deny that he is the Dragon Reborn, the being who is destined to save the world by destroying it, Rand and his friends Mat and Perrin join a troop of soldiers to recover the stolen Horn of Valere, a powerful artifact that has the ability to call dead heroes back from the grave.  Meanwhile, Egwene and Nynaeve begin Aes Sedai training with unexpected results.  This 700+ page novel is far too long for its own good.  Robert Jordan clearly loves the world he has created, but he goes on at such length that it bogs down the story.  Robert Jordan Part of the length is due to Jordan's commitment to keeping his large cast in play even when they have little to do.  Moiraine and her bodyguard warder Lan appear to be investigating something of great import, only to vanish from the narrative about midway through the novel.  I suppose their import will be revealed in a later book, but that lack of closure weakens this book.  A characte...

Director: Thomas Kail Writers: Lin-Manuel Miranda, based on the book by Ron Chernow Stars: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Leslie Odom, Jr., Phillipa Soo, Renee Elise Goldsberry, Christopher Jackson, Daveed Diggs, Anthony Ramos This powerful Broadway musical provides an exciting, explosive account of Alexander Hamilton’s battle to transcend his outsider status as a low born bastard from the West Indies and gain the respect and power in America that will ultimately grant him access to “the room where it happens,” the place where policy is made and the course of the nation is set.  This filmed record of the stage production, assembled from two performances, showcases the energy of the performers.  In addition to the quality of the play, it is astonishing just to witness the complex interplay of music, rap, and choreography in long unbroken takes.  Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote both the music and the book and made the bold choice to cast it almost exclusively with people of color.  This...

Author: Gerry Conway Artist: Riots Andru Inkers: Frank Giacoia & Dave Hunt Peter is confronted by what seems to be a ghost from his past. The devoted nephew heads for the hospital to see Aunt May, who has been hospitalized (again) due to the shock of seeing “Gwen” on her perpetually weak heart. Another of our players enters the story. In no time at all, he’s up to his old tricks… …which provides just the right diversion for Peter, who has been sleeping on hospital benches as Aunt May recovers. After their battle ends inconclusively and the Scorpion escapes, Peter returns to the hospital, only to be met with some devastating news. I'm pretty lukewarm on this one; Conway seems to be coasting on old ideas.

by Armistead Maupin In the shadow of the AIDS epidemic, several members of Armistead Maupin’s extensive cast of characters take to the woods.  Armistead Maupin DeDe and D’orothea head for Wimminwood, a lesbian music and arts festival, DeDe’s stepfather Booter goes to the ultra rich, conservative all-male Bohemian Grove, and Michael and Brian wait out the results of an AIDS test in a secluded cabin.  As usual, zany developments and coincidences provide a lot of fun, but it is Maupin’s gift of characterization that gives this book its heart.  Long time favorites like Mrs. Madrigal get short shrift and Mary Anne continues to be unlikeable, but new characters like southern refugee Thack and the plus size model Wren pick up the slack. "From One Side to the Other" (French) "Other Half" (Dutch) "In the Bosom of Nature" (German) "Redwood Forest: The Story of Mary Ann Singleton" (Japanese)

by Armistead Maupin Armistead Maupin seems unable to make a plot work without relying on the most outrageous coincidences and chance meetings.  Armistead Maupin So why do I enjoy this series so much?  I think it’s because he so successfully communicates his love for his characters to me, so that I am actually looking forward to each unexpected encounter and unforeseeable event that turns everyone’s lives upside down.  Maybe Maupin’s style of story construction is a natural outgrowth of developing as a writer in the gay subculture of San Francisco.  San Francisco is a large city that probably often felt like a small community, so why shouldn’t the rest of the world be that way, too?  Wouldn’t it be nice if it were? "28 Barbary Lane" (Italian) "Babycakes" (French) "Tolliver's Travels" (German) "Rusk with Mice" (Dutch)