Peter Kazmaier

I have had some difficulty classifying The Halcyon Dislocation as Science Fiction or as Fantasy. On the one hand the University of Halcyon, consistent with a Science Fiction story, comes from a time and technological culture that’s slightly in advance of our own, yet when the people of the university are dislocated to a new world, they encounter inhabitants which are much more reminiscent of The Lord of the Rings than they are of Star Trek. Consistent with this ambiguity I characterize The Halcyon Dislocation as SciFi/Fantasy on my Facebook page.

I asked a friend of mine who is an avid reader of both genres “What is the difference between Fantasy and Science Fiction?” He answered: “Science Fiction talks about things that could happen. Fantasy does not. That’s why I like Science Fiction better.” So is this really the essential difference between Science Fiction and Fantasy? (continue reading…)

I belong to a movie watching group and one of their discussion threads covers the member’s favorite movies of all time. When I read through the lists of the other contributors, I realized how different my tastes were and I thought I ought to generate my own list. Many of my selections are older movies.

So how did I arrive at the order? I generally evaluate a movie (as I do books) by how often I’m willing to watch it. If I watch a movie many times, the movie (or movie series) will make it to the top of my list.

So what are my top 20 movies or movie series in reverse order? (continue reading…)

I just finished Robert Jordan’s The Eye of the World , the first book in his Wheel of Time series. I must say I enjoyed reading it very much.

"The Pattern presents a crisis, and at the same time a way to surmount it. If I didn’t know it was impossible, I could almost believe the Creator is taking a hand." ~Moiraine the Aes Sedai

Now I never did figure out why, in this book the Creator would not take a hand. But still this was an exciting read and also it put me into an environment and mindset that is alien to me. (continue reading…)

Not everyone is happy in Hobbiton! It seems Peter Jackson and New Line Cinema had a falling out over the distribution of the proceeds from The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Wingnut Films apparently has had a long standing lawsuit requesting an audit from New Line. See [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6173178.stm]. Fans are up in arms about the threat to The Hobbit and have filled out a petition in protest.

I would love to see a version of The Hobbit that is consistent with the quality and characterization of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. If this has really comes down to money then I blame both sides for not compromising. I blame Peter Jackson because he has made plenty of money from LOTR. Jackson says in his open letter:

(continue reading…)

Christopher Tolkien, the son of J. R. R. Tolkien, has completed a book that talks about the descendents of Hurin (Hurin was also called Thalion) and their role in aid of the elves in the epic battle against Morgoth. I am hoping that C. Tolkien will bring to this tale what The Lord of the Rings brought to the last five pages of The Silmarillion – wonderful characters, detailed scenery, and a historical landscape that brings this struggle between good and evil into vivid relief. This new book should be available next spring.
The original citation came from Peter Scott’s blog. Many thanks to Carolyne Sidey for drawing my attention to this news.

It has been many years since I first read The Silmarillion by J. R. R. Tolkien (edited by Christopher Tolkien). I remember my keen disappointment after the glories of The Lord of the Rings (LOTR). I suppose my expectations were too high, but still, because of the disappointment I did not have the heart to re-read it until now. To my surprise I found the second reading so much more delightful than the first.  (continue reading…)