A Game of Shows

Does having a TV show adaptation ruin a book series?

Around April of last year, my friend’s dad introduced me to “Game of thrones”. I binge watched the entire four seasons in an unhealthy two week period (Keep in mind there are ten episodes a season at an hour and some change each). Ever since then I have become very interested in the “Game of thrones” universe. Now that I had watched every episode multiple times I felt that I had a void in me, and especially after hearing about the multiple delays the final season was having. So I decided to turn to the books

As I started reading more and more, I began to remember what I was reading from when I watched the show. Then something very bad happened. I began to remember what I had watched before I would read it. This sapped the suspense out of every chapter, and left me feeling bored. What was the point of reading if i knew what was already going to happen? Still though I trucked on until I got to a very interesting chapter. There was a huge battle raging and I was lazily reading about ten words a minute as my TV played the 2017 College national championship in the background. I had already seen this particular battle in the show, so I knew who would win, how they’d win and who would live or die (So I thought) . As I was nearing the end of the chapter I was getting ready for the “surprise” attack that was supposed to come that flipped the tide of the battle, But it never came. I was bewildered. I had been so utterly confident that I had barely read. I turned off the game and re read the sequence to find that nothing had changed. The show had saved three major characters when the books had deemed it necessary for them to die. Suddenly I realized that just because I have seen the show, does not mean I knew what was about to happen. This realization fueled my appetite for the book. Every chapter it seemed had its own differences from the show, Needless to say I became re-interested in my reading.

Initially I was extremely bored thinking I knew exactly what was going to happen. But after I started to appreciate the differences from the show I realized that just like Jon Snow “I knew nothing”. Many people may assume that watching the show before reading the books is detrimental to your experience, but I would have to disagree. I found that when I had the most fun reading was when I was shocked by something that I expected to go a certain way but didn’t. In a strange way watching the show allowed me to be even more surprised. I think it’s funny how universal the idea is that you need to read before you watch, and how everyone just assumes that is the best way to do it. In the end I believe everyone should try watching the show before reading at least once if not every time for the simple reason that nothing entertains people more than being utterly wrong.

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Where Do Fantasy Authors Get Their Inspiration?

Summary

As I was reading The Horus heresy “a galaxy in flames” I felt a lot of connections to both other works of literature and to ideals that are plucked from today’s society. This book is based in a fictional future around the 40th millennium and is part of a series that covers the fall of the great general Horus and his attempted coup against his father the emperor of mankind.While at a first glance the two seem very different, I believe this book takes the majority of it’s story from the Bible.

“I believe this book takes the majority of it’s story from the Bible.”

Characters

In the story of the Horus Heresy, there are many characters that share similarities to people from the Bible. The Emperor can be most easily related to God, and he even is referred to as a living god many times throughout the story. Horus can be related to Jesus since he is the son of the emperor just as Jesus was the son of god. To further relate Horus to Jesus, Horus was created using the Emperors genes just as Jesus was “Created” from God. Abbadon was once Horus’s most trusted friend, but he eventually was corrupted by chaos and eventually led Horus down the path to becoming evil. This is very similar to the story of Lucifer and how he corrupted others onto his path. These are just a few of the plethora of characters that hold similarity to those in the bible.

Quotes From the Bible

In the Book The Horus heresy “a galaxy in flames” there are direct quotes taken from the bible. An example of this is when Garviel Loken (the main character) responds to a question with “I seek only combat and righteousness for I know all other things will be given as well” This is almost a direct quote from the bible from Matt 6:33 “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”. Another example of quotes being taken from the bible comes from when Horus say’s “On this day of judgement I will account for every ill word spoken against me or my legion, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” This quote is extremely similar to Matthew 12:36 “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”. These quotes are two out of literal dozens that come directly from the Bible, Proving that The book gets it’s inspiration from the Bible.

“Proving that The book gets it’s inspiration from the Bible.”

Themes Taken From the Bible

The Book certainly has a theme of betrayal and corruption as the entire plot focuses around General Horus’s attempted overthrow of his fathers galactic empire. But as I looked to the earlier section of the book, I found myself being reminded of the Bible. In the beginning Horus and The Emperor (His father) fought side by side claiming new lands for the human empire. The Emperor then tells Horus that he has to lead the armies of humanity while the Emperor stays home on earth and guides Horus through psychic powers. This sounds very similar to the idea of Jesus Christ being sent down from heaven by God to lead humanity. Another theme taken from the bible is the idea of a great fall. Just as Lucifer been corrupted and rebelled against god with his angels, Horus became corrupted by chaos, and led a campaign to earth to fight the emperor for the right to rule the galaxy.

Conclusion

In conclusion I believe that The Horus heresy “A galaxy in flames” got a lot of inspiration from the Bible, almost to the point of plagiarism. Despite how negative my writing may seem, I really believe that getting inspiration from the Bible is a great idea. The Bible is the number one selling book  of all  time so borrowing a few quotes and characters is fine. The Bible is one of the most fascinating pieces of literature ever written with twists and turns and random acts of god that no one could have seen coming, and the book reflects this. There are many plot twists and descriptive scenes that keep you gripped. While I cannot condone plagiarism, if you have to rip off something, it might as well be the best selling book ever.

Citations

Workshop, Games . The Horus heresy “A galaxy in flames”. Edinborough: Games Workshop, 2015. Print.

New International Version. [Colorado Springs]: Biblica, 2011. BibleGateway.com. Web. Mar. 2011.

New age technology and how it affects us

Technology in the coming years is going to affect our minds in a positive way. After I visited the virtual reality exhibit at the mall, I realized how much power technology has to enhance our minds. Modern technology brings an enormous amount of imagination to our lives, and in that, they are creating a new world for us. When I tried out the virtual reality goggles, it felt as if I was thrown into an entirely new world. They played me a video of a roller coaster, and it felt as if I was physically sitting in the front row, going around the sharp turns and loops. Previous to experiencing it, I thought I would be seeing some 3-D video that seemed life-like, but when I put the goggles on, it felt as if my entire body was transported into that place.

As we age, I believe technology, such as VR goggles are going to keep our minds strong. It will continue to keep our brain thinking, processing and experiencing new things.

As we age, I believe technology, such as VR goggles are going to keep our minds strong. It will continue to keep our brain thinking, processing and experiencing new things. Our minds in the future are going to become power houses: with the ability to create vivid dreams and imaginations; all by using these ‘up and coming’ technological products and tools. By the time we are older, the technology will be advancing at such a rapid pace,
that the things that it will be able to do are unimaginable.

How ten minutes of reading can turn you into an avid reader

Ten minutes of reading a day may be all it takes to turn you to an avid reader. The human brain acts very similarly to a muscle, the more you train it the stronger it gets. Sadly in today’s day and age everything seems to be angled towards relaxing your brain and letting you activate what is essentially an autopilot. According to an article published in the New York Times “The brain, it seems, does not make much of a distinction between reading about an experience and encountering it in real life” This means that when you read, your brain thinks what you are reading is actually happening. This process allows your brain to create new neural pathways and to re activate old ones. Essentially meaning that reading lets your brain grow and self repair.

“The human brain acts very similarly to a muscle, the more you train it the stronger it gets.”

But how does just ten minutes of reading give your brain enough time to go through the processes of healing and growing? The trick can be comparable to watching a movie preview. When you’re sitting watching a preview, your brain naturally will try to figure out the plot and what is going to happen in the movie. Many times this entices the viewer into thinking about and eventually seeing the movie. The Ten minutes of reading strategy acts in a very similar way, allowing just enough time for your brain to “get into” the world of your book before the timer goes off. This will hopefully leave you hungry for more and encourage you to read later. In an article published by a school teacher he stated “When I ask them what made the biggest difference they tell me that the 10 minutes made them into readers.” This clearly shows from a first hand experience that (at least for kids) ten minutes of mandatory reading a day can be a huge contributor to your reading skills.

In the same article there is an entire section about how this strategy will only work if you have a good book. This cannot be understated because the entire theory of Ten minutes of reading hinges on the fact that you become interested in your book in the ten minutes. If you have absolutely no interest in your book, there is no known method that will make you like it. This method relies on the given that you will like your book. The teacher states that the single most important part of this idea is to have a good library.

Many of my classmates were weary about the idea of ten minutes of reading, and how much good it could actually do. So, over thanksgiving break I challenged myself to read ten minutes a day, and surprisingly I found myself reading progressively more and more until the point where on Sunday I had read an hour and a half simply because I wanted to. In the end of my small “study” I realized that the ten minutes of reading was simply a stepping stone to allow you to advance into reading more and more on your own. In a twist of irony, the end goal of reading “Just ten minutes a day” is to read way more than just ten minutes a day.

Times, The NY. “Your Brain On Fiction.” The New York Times. N.p., 17 Mar. 2012. Web. 15 Nov. 1026.

 

Why You Shouldn’t feel Bad about switching Books

When choosing a book it is extremely important to not only read information on the book, but to look up information on the book online. I chose the book “Just after sunset” by Steven King on the assumption that it would be a page turning thriller. It wound up being a collection of short stories that i found very boring. After completing the first two short stories I decided to change my book to something more interesting. I chose to switch to a book called “Death Cloud” that peaked my interest more. This new book really connected with me and i find myself getting lost in it frequently. What I took away from the whole experience is that sometimes you have to accept that you made the wrong choice in a book and go back to get another. There is no shame in returning a book early but there is pain in attempting to chug through a book you have no interest in.

How an English assignment changed how I see the World

How did an English assignment change how I thought about life?

After completing an assignment in my senior English class, my perspective on life changed. The assignment was simple, Present to the class five things you know and five things you want to know. In the beginning I had thought all i’d need to do was fill in the blanks and get a good grade. I asked myself, what are five things I want to know, and I eventually found myself wanting to know the purpose of life. Before the assignment, I wasn’t even ready to answer such a deep question The purpose of life? I was just worried about making it to class on time. Its a frightening thought to have when you realize you don’t know why you’re alive, On top of being only seven months away from going off to college to spend four years and thousands of dollars learning.

What I learned.

This assignment opened up a window for me to peer into my future and it allowed me to realize that life is all about learning new things and meeting new people. I realized that there’s no set purpose for anyone. You have to make your own story by learning new things and passing on what you know to others.