Dark Tower: Wizard and Glass

Greetings, Wizard and Glass is the fourth novel in Stephen King’s Dark Tower series. It continues on directly from the previous book, the Wastelands, and follows the small group of adventures who seek the Dark Tower in order to discover why the planets as well as time itself are crumbling. Wizard and Glass is easy to read but is different from the other novels as it focuses on its main character, a gunslinger named Roland when he was young. Gunslingers are an otherworldly type of knight with cowboy characteristics. The other main characters appeared in the story but didn’t have a major role apart from being involved in the beginning and the end of the book.

In terms of plot, the five heroes attempt to escape from their captor, Blaine the Mono, a highly intelligent and crazed train with a desire to outsmart his enemies with riddles. Eddie, one of the five, provides a joke that can’t be answered which causes Blaine to self-destruct due to his anger at being tricked. I know that is incredibly strange but it has been insane for a while and I get the feeling it will get weirder as time progresses. Nonetheless, the five discover that Blaine had brought them closer to the Dark Tower and into a land that resembles Kansas but is in fact a different world. A plague has killed all inhabitants and to pass the time one night Roland tells his companions his story about the girl he loved as well as what had happened between them.

Roland, a young teenager at this time at the age of fifteen was sent to a small land for safety with two of his friends, Alain and Cuthbert by all of their worried fathers.  They were ordered to evacuate their homes as war was about to commence between two rival factions, the Good Man also known as John Farson who claimed to establish democracy,  and the government or Affiliation  to which Roland pledged his allegiance. However during their time at the supposed loyal town, they discover a conspiracy that would destroy the Affiliation while helping the Good Man take control of the world. Roland also becomes trapped in an intimate situation with a woman named Susan who was bargained off to the old Mayor. This may not seem significant but it turns out to be an important plot strand that will have ramifications later on.

While it is a good novel, I get the impression that King won’t be able to answer the questions that revolve around the series. There certainly won’t be a sane or plausible conclusion the rate the adventure is going. I am still enjoying it after reading four of the seven books and hope that it continues its high quality plot and interesting characters, no matter how strange it gets. The ninth episode of the fourth series of the Adventures of Fletch and Roman is up at Warehouse 17.

Plot=8/10

Characters=9/10

Wording=8/10

Overall=8/10

Quote of the day

Give me that thing! Demolition runs in the family...

John Abruzzi

Prison Break

Mass Effect 3

Greetings, Mass Effect 3 is the final chapter in the story of the protagonist Commander Shepard. As you can imagine it was one of my most anticipated games as I loved the universe of Mass Effect, the well developed characters the likes of which are hard to find in any entertainment, a plot of huge proportions and hard choices that will test your morality. Therefore I was intrigued to see how it would end as the entire storyline was building up to this final confrontation since Mass Effect began back on the planet Eden Prime.

The plot begins with the consequences of the Mass Effect 2DLC Arrival in which Commander Shepard has to make the hard decision of destroying a Relay which would wipe out many colonies belonging to the Batarian race in order to prevent the Reapers from invading Citadel space. The delay worked but after the suicide mission of Mass Effect 2 Shepard is under house arrest while he is being judged by an Alliance court in Vancouver over the devastation caused by the explosion. As he explains what happens an emergency call from Alliance UK headquarters interrupts the meeting. In the transmission it is seen that London is under attack from the Reapers.

As the communication continues the building in which Shepard and his friend as well as ex-superior David Anderson is eradicated by the Reapers. They both survive and fight their way to the Normandy against Reaper ground forces, however Anderson doesn’t get in as he decides to set up the resistance on Earth. As Shepard is reinstated to his position of Spectre he attempts to rally the races of the galaxy against the threat of which he had warned against long ago but had gone unheeded. He encounters many problems such as a disunited fighting force and adversaries including Cerberus lead by the Illusive Man. Shepard must gather back his old and new friends to help stop the Reaper threat as it begins to conquer all known civilizations.

While I absolutely love Mass Effect I am beginning to worry about EA’s influence over BioWare. It is more than likely to blame for the excessive use of DLCs in which characters are being withheld such as Javik in the Day One DLC. I am under the impression EA is keeping parts of the game out in order for gamers to buy the DLC for a fuller experience. It also contains an online multiplayer campaign, something I believe is totally against the principals of the game. Mass Effect’s single player is the principal reason why people are playing it.

Now we come to the controversy over the ending, I won’t spoil it for you but many fans were so upset with it that they launched a campaign demanding it to be changed. Therefore BioWare released the free Extened Cut DLC to keep the gamers content. I recommend you get it is easier to swallow than what I have read about the original ending which sounded rushed and with little to no explanation of what happens. The last twenty minutes are so feel very different from the rest of the game and not in a good way but I was annoyed by something that occurred before the final conclusion. It really relies on your interpretation of what is the best ending. BioWare is losing its loyal fan base, their image is being tarnished due to some mistakes they have made recently and is resulting in senior personnel to leave the company. Many people including myself are becoming a little disillusioned over what is happening to BioWare. I have strong conflicting emotions over the conclusion, unable to understand how I feel about it.

However in the end, Mass Effect will be one of my favourite game series of all time. The last few minutes of the game do not reflect the incredible experience and enjoyment it has brought me through the years. The music by new composer Clint Mansell is incredibly emotional and suits the storyline very well, capturing the greatness of the universe and of my unique relationships with the characters. Therefore it deserves the title of Super Duper fantastic 100% the best, following its predecessors. Overall it is a beautiful masterpiece that I will remember fondly. The eighth episode of the Adventures of Fletch and Roman is up at Warehouse 17.

Plot=10/10

Characters=10/10

Graphics=10/10

Overall-10/10

Quote of the day

We fight, or we die. That's the plan!

Commander Shepard

Mass Effect 3