By Alex Zhang iWRITE Youth Club Member & Published Author There once was a boy called Alex, Who thought writing was a chore. It was tiring, frustrating, hopeless, And most of all, it was a bore. He hated it with a passion, He thought it was a waste of time. Why think of really good poems, When you struggle even to rhyme? But one day, everything changed. His parents had had enough. They said, “Fool, silly, enter this thing!” So Alex wrote down a poem with a huff. Alex entered that contest, And forgot about it for a while, But then one day he got an email, And what was inside made him smile. It said, “We’d love to feature you, Alex, your poem is great! If you ever want to join us, Send an email; don’t hesitate.” Of course, that’s not what it said, But he had won himself a name. Alex joined this wonderful group, And he was never again the same. He actually liked writing now, As he wrote and he wrote with delight. And so, my gracious audience, Ends the magical tale of iWrite. A Beginner’s Guide to Dungeons and Dragons, Written by a Semi-Beginner to Dungeons and Dragons4/25/2018
By Annie Jones iWRITE Youth Club Junior Officer & Published Author
By Alyssa Reid iWRITE Youth Club Secretary & Published Author Director: Roar Uthaug With: Alicia Vikander, Dominic West, Walton Goggins, Daniel Wu, Kristin Scott Thomas, Derek Jacobi, Nick Frost, Hannah John-Kamen, Antonio Aakeel, Alexandre Willaume, Tamer Burjaq, Adrian Collins, Kennan Arrison. Release Date: Mar 16, 2018 This review contains spoilers. The thing about video games, I’ve learned, is that it’s always about making sure everything that can go wrong will go wrong. And it is with this mentality that the screenwriters composed the 2018 action film entitled Tomb Raider.
It’s a rather enticing name, if I do say so myself—even if, by the time the credits roll, little has been stolen except a few lives. And, to be fair, that was stolen by the tomb itself. Alicia Vikander is the woman behind a strong, female lead; she’s exactly what audiences came to see. Of course, as Laura, she is more agile and clever than those above her, as protagonists are; however, amid her stubbornness and bravery, she refrains from any choice quips about her gender. She allows Laura Croft to be defined by her own actions, and some lead to her finding herself trapped inside a coffin-enclosed mystery that her father once tried to lock shut. On a more technical note, the cinematography was beautiful. Sweeping shots follow Laura as she dashes across Hong Kong docs; a shaky camera dashes through a sinking ship with her; and a steady hand walks across the tomb room with the characters. In a world where so many aspects of life are captured by screens, the storytelling through a film must be immersive; and immersive this is. The CGI is coupled expertly with this; terrifying waves crash over the Endurance, the ship. Although the shots from guns can arguably look cartoonish and fake, it’s not something that has a high level of complaint for me. There is also the element of coloring: Laura and her father’s memories all consist of similar hues: normally grayish tones with highlights of pink and green. It creates a faded look, but one that is reminiscent nonetheless. The film was written expertly. Croft, a broke orphan and enthusiastic boxer, seems to have a way of getting in trouble—as seen when she joins a “fox-and-hound” bike race (where herself, as the fox, has to outbike many other competitors as green paint attached to her bike marks her trail) and ends up running into a police car. And so begins the story of how Laura Croft ends up thrust into a world far more ancient than anything she believes exists and more mysterious than her father’s unfortunate disappearance. “I’ll be back before you know I’m gone,” her father can be heard saying in Laura’s memories. They have a universal symbol; the kissing of two fingers before outstretching them to the other. The film blends both faith and fantasy; blends religion and reality. Mathias Vogel, the “bad guy” ready to leave a myth-torn island, just wants to get the tomb of the privately infamous Queen Himiko so he can leave it, and Laura is with him; they both know there is no supernatural substance when regarding the myth of the Queen who was so demonic she killed people by touching them, who was so cruel that every story of her rein “ended in rivers of blood.” Her tomb is real, and that is it. And even the finding of her father, the great Richard Croft, who firmly believes the Queen is alive and trapped in her coffin, does not sway Laura. “Ladies first,” Vogel tells her when the tomb entrance is opened. And so Laura goes down into a cave that legend says she should never come back out of. They make their way through various challenges where various crew members are lost along the way. And they wait. The tomb is opened. Nothing happens, until it does. The means for the end of the world lies in a cavern designed to keep people in, but Vogel, holding the key to all of that destruction, has other plans. Laura chases after him, the man who now walks towards leading the demise of the world. She’ll fight for this. Perhaps, in the end, it is no mystery that the girl who was an expert with the bow would grow up to save hundreds from an imprisonment camp with that same weapon; that she would fight to the death for the man she thought was probably dead; that she would end up saving the world with little more than her own hands. Despite her dislike of the supernatural and, for her, unbelievable, her story slots in nicely with other hero-like tales. She was a nobody, thrust into a world far different than the one she once knew, and now, she has to fight to know what she never could have imagined. This is why, I believe, we enter theatres of all kinds: to learn something. Perhaps we learn the importance of family, or strength, or bravery; perhaps we learn that, no matter our pasts, we all have a greater responsibility to those who may never appreciate us or may never care. Perhaps some of us go to reaffirm the belief that myths are myths; but some of us learn that myths, no matter the amount of truth in them, affect us in ways we never could have believed, either: in fights, in bike rides, in adventures far beyond our wildest imaginations. And perhaps, in the end of it all, Laura Croft becomes something of a myth herself. At the February iWRITE meeting, Club Advisor Phuong had mentioned about a Hindu mythology book releasing in March. The first of a triad under the label of Riordan Reads, Aru Shah and the End of Time was a book I wanted to read as soon as I heard its title. As soon as I got home, I told my mom about it and the book arrived as my surprise birthday gift! I couldn’t resist but binge-read this 340-page novel over the weekend, enjoying it with samosas and hot chocolate.
Aru Shah and the End of Time is a beautifully woven story. The Indian-ness of its details, like the enchanted vahanas, the animal vehicles of the Gods, and the American sass and attitude of Aru’s commentary blend together to make a stunning story, a book that will never be forgotten! The biting sadness at the realization that Aru had a mother that never seemed to truly love her, her helplessness at being called a liar for her entire life, and the pure, innocent thoughts of Aru in the most perilous of times are just one figment of what makes this book fabulous. Aru Shah is a girl who can stretch the truth a bit. One day, she finds out that she is a direct descendant of the Hindu mythical heroes, the Pandava brothers. Her soul-sister of sorts, Mini Kapoor, a Filipino-Indian-American girl also has this revelation and the two join hands in a quest to save the world from the Sleeper, a demon whose evil army is asleep (hence the name). He wants to take over the heavens so Boo (Subala the Wise, Aru and Mini’s companion, who ended up in pigeon form – don’t ask how) and the Heavenly Council need true heroes to defeat the menace. Read to find out if Aru will save the world, or if we are all fated to fall into eternal slumber. This Riordan Reads book is my favorite book of all time! This story of a quest with two Pandava sisters from other misters as protagonists is a book you won’t forget and its carefully crafted characters with their complex personalities are individuals you will want to meet! This is the best book ever! 10/10 and an amazing read for anyone! -Eshaan Mani iWRITE Youth Club Member & Published Poet/Author “Rebel of the Sands” is a 2017 book by Alwyn Hamilton that made the Tayshas list, a premier list in Texas for YA novels. This was a very enjoyable read that explored an interesting mythos that held its own with classics like “Star Wars” and other space operas. The setting follows tomboy Amani, who never really fit into her poverty-stricken dust town, and was drawn to adventure, mainly by guns (a major part of the desert world’s lifestyle). The setting is unique, while still pulling from beloved stories like “Dune” and old Westerns, with a very Saharan/Arabic influence thrown in. When Amani meets a fugitive boy named Jin, they run off in search of Jin’s friends leading a rebellion against the sultan of the land. I won’t spoil much, but their travels do lead them on some harrowing expeditions, magical places, and teaches them a little about love, too. To sum it up, this is a mix-up of Arabic Mythology, gunslinging Westerns, love, the search for acceptance, and much more. Despite covering a relatively “cookie cutter” plot design of adventure, the book executes it flawlessly, with some added twists to keep you guessing, making for a completely original storyline. It’s a great transition from more preteen reads to proper YA fiction. With the added promise of additions to series, I can’t wait for more works by Hamilton to continue the story and find out what happens to Amani and Jin next! 4.5-5 stars -Kurt Kauffman VP of the iWRITE Youth Club 6-time published short story author |