Book Review: The Eternals Vol. 1 by Jack Kirby

The Eternals Volume 1 written and drawn by Jack Kirby

Humanity discovers it is not alone on Earth. In pre-historic times, the Celestials came to the Earth and created three races of men. First are the Eternals, an undying people who have superhuman powers and have been mistaken through the ages by mere mortals as gods like in the Greek pantheon. Second are those mere mortals, humans who live and die and have rather normal lives. Third are the Deviants, a genetically unstable people who become more and more monstrous with each generation. They have been mistaken for devils and other horrors from folk lore. The Celestials are returning to check up on their work, forcing the Eternals out of hiding on the surface world and the Deviants out of hiding from the underwater cities (the main one seemingly being the lost city of Atlantis). Typically the Eternals and the Deviants fight each other, but will they have to unite against a common enemy, their creators?

The storytelling is a bit choppy, jumping from one plot line to another. The imaginative homes of the Eternals and the Deviants are fun to see. The characters are not that interesting and seem a bit overpowered. For example, Sersi (she claims Homer spelled her name wrong) can rearrange the atoms of any being, thus she can make men into pigs at will. Somehow she has a hard time fighting the Deviants. The story didn't get to the big confrontation between the earthlings and the Celestials but I am not interested enough to continue on. Maybe the movie will be better.

Not recommended--there's a lot of creative ideas here but they don't gel together as a convincing whole.

Book Review: Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells

Fugitive Telemetry: The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells

Murderbot gets involved in a murder investigation on Preservation Station, the space hub over the independent world that Murderbot's sponsor calls home. Murderbot is initially uninterested in participating in the investigation but the station's law enforcers have only dealt with smugglers, drunk-and-disorderlies, and those types of criminals. Murder is more or less unknown on Preservation Station. Murderbot (as you might guess from its name) has dealt with a lot of accidental and deliberate killings. But working with humans is so stressful and uncomfortable! A job is a job and Murderbot is offered a contract and hard currency cards, so it joins the investigation.

This book is another fun outing with an interesting mystery and some good action sequences. The final battle ends with a whimper, which I found disappointing. Otherwise, it's an enjoyable, quick read.

Recommended.

Thomas Isaac Log Cabin and Firehouse Museum, Ellicott City, Maryland

During our Star Wars visit to Old Ellicott City, we visited two of the historic sites that are only open on the weekends in warmer months. 

Our first stop was the Thomas Isaac Log Cabin, right near where we parked. As we walked by, I noticed the open door and dragged the boys in with me.

Thomas Isaac Log Cabin

The cabin was built in 1780s on Merryman Street closer to downtown (which isn't very far at all). The cabin has one room downstair and a smaller attic space. The room was kitchen, living room, and master bedroom; upstairs was the children's room.

Master bed and fireplace/kitchen

The docent told us about the master bed which has a rope frame and a hay-stuffed mattress. "Sleep tight" comes from having to tighten the ropes that would sag over time; "and don't let the bed bugs bite" comes from the hay which often had pests.

Entertainment back in the day

The cabin was not built by Thomas Isaac. He bought it in 1858. The Isaac family lived there till they sold it in 1933. Afterward, the cabin was used as a meeting place for the local African-American community. It was the predecessor to the Saint Luke A.M.E. Church nearby. In the 1980s, the cabin was taken apart and put back together at its current location on the corner of Main Street and Ellicott Mills Drive.

Back of the cabin

Tiber River behind the new location of the cabin

Further down Main Street is The Firehouse Museum. This is another one-room museum (which my kids like) that's at the intersection of Main Street and Church Road. 

The Firehouse Museum

Volunteers built this structure in 1889 to house the firefighting equipment for the town. It's full of equipment from various eras.

An assortment of nozzles and other tools of the trade

The hose cart pictured below was hand-drawn and in use from 1892 to 1923. After its retirement, Edward Hilton stored it and would bring it out for parades down Main Street. When the building was reopened as a museum in 1991, the cart came back home.

Two-wheeled hose cart

This small bell came from the B&O Railroad Company. It was originally on a locomotive and was donated to the fire company in 1894. They used it as a fire signal for two years. The noise from Main Street would sometimes drown it out, so the fire department acquired a larger bell. This bell then became a school bell until 1925. Then it was donated to Saint Luke's A.M.E. Church where it served until the opening of the museum. The church donated it back to the museum!

Locomotive bell and yoke

This bell took over from the smaller bell on July 4, 1896. It was cast in Baltimore and became known as "Big Bell." It was much louder and effectively called volunteers to the firehouse when an emergency arose. In the 1930s, it moved twice with the firehouse up the street to larger buildings (the final building is now the home of the Wine Bin). It stayed there until the museum was opened.

Big Bell

I was glad to take in a little history along with the fun of the Star Wars scavenger hunt.

Movie Review: Les Miserables (2012)

Les Miserables (2012) directed by Tom Hooper

In this big screen adaptation of the hit stage musical based on the classic Victor Hugo novel, Hugh Jackman stars as the wronged convict Jean Valjean. He is just finishing a nineteen-year sentence of hard labor for stealing a loaf of bread because his sister's boy was starving. Nineteenth-century French law has no room for mercy, an attitude personified by Javert (Russell Crowe), the law enforcer who keeps his eye on the paroled Jean Valjean. Valjean returns to a life of crime when he steals a bunch of house silver from a clergyman who has taken him in. When the local police catch Valjean and take him back to the church, the clergyman does not press charges. Rather, he says Valjean was supposed to take two silver candlesticks as well, whispering to Valjean that he is buying Valjean's freedom so that he can become an honest man. Valjean fulfills the trust, though he assumes a new identity. In eight years he has turned into a wealthy businessman and mayor of a small town. One of his employees is wrongfully fired without his knowledge and she turns to a life of ill repute in order to send money to support her daughter. She accuses Valjean of abandoning her; Valjean pledges to find the daughter and raise her as his own. At the same time, Javert shows up and thinks he recognizes Valjean. He is dissuaded when a message comes from Paris that Valjean has been captured there. The real Valjean heads to Paris to save an innocent man from his fate, then escapes to help the daughter. And that's only the first third of the story!

The story has a lot of resonant themes. The need to temper justice with mercy is a perennial problem and makes for very good drama. The need for honesty and kindness, and the damage from the absence of those two virtues, creates tense conflicts and hard situations for the characters. It's hard to go wrong with the story from a novel that's been popular since its publication over 150 years ago.

The musical does not have any catchy tunes (except maybe "Master of the House") but that's because of the more somber tone of the whole story. The music and songs fit very well and the cast delivers them well. Crowe and Jackman give fine performances though the standout is Anne Hathaway as Fantine, the single mother who drops into misery at the beginning. The story wends its way through post-Revolution and post-Napoleonic French history but viewers don't need to know much about history to appreciate the great drama that unfolds.

Highly recommended.

Also, it was discussed a while back on, you guessed it, A Good Story is Hard to Find Podcast #117.

Book Review: Avatar: The Last Airbender: Imbalance Part Three by F. E. Hicks et al.

Avatar: The Last Airbender: Imbalance Part Three written by Faith Erin Hicks and art by Peter Wartman

Read my review of volume one here. and volume two here.

Avatar Aang faces a big decision: Should he take away Liling's bending powers just as he did to the Fire Lord? Liling is the leader of the pro-bender movement in Cranefish Town and has upped her ambition to driving all the non-benders out of the city. The Fire Lord was trying to take over the world; Liling is trying to take over a small town. Would his act be commensurate with Liling's crimes? The question becomes very urgent when Liling's bender daughter breaks her out of prison. Liling's next move is bound to be trouble. How bad will it be? Can the Avatar find a peaceful solution to the bender-versus-non-bender problem?

Interestingly the action falters a little bit at the end of this story but the moral complexity is given a lot of attention and care. Different characters have different perspectives on the value and legitimacy of the solution. The ending respects the optimism of the series and makes me want to read more of the Hicks's work in the Avatar universe.

Recommended.

Cute Kid Pix May 2021

More pictures that didn't make their own post...

My youngest's Cub Scout pack had a "trash the trash" day at a local river walk. We had fun picking up junk, which happily wasn't very much.

Ready for action

I found another geocache near the library, An Easy P&G for Laurel. "P&G" stands for "Park and Grab." The cache hider placed it with the help of grandchildren. The spot was a bit obvious for experienced cachers. It was still fun.

It's in there somewhere

In celebration of May the Fourth (be with you), I bought some Mandalorian tea. The Child Green Tea is not actually made from the Child, even though he is green.

They were on sale!

My wife and I got our second shot of Covid vaccine in Easton, Maryland, which is a bit of a drive from home. We had lunch across the street from the courthouse. The lawn has a bunch of statues and memorials.

The courthouse

Talbot Boys statue

Frederick Douglass

20th century war memorials

Vietnam Memorial

I caught two of the kids reading together, though of course they deny it now.

PvZ graphic novel goodness!

HoCo Pirate Treasure Hunt May 2021

To see previous pirate adventures, go here.

The May 2021 Howard County Pirate Adventures was called the Dread Doubloons of Dickinson. The adventure started at Dickinson Pool, which wasn't open when we came early Saturday morning. I guess swim meet season doesn't start until June?

Point of origin

We followed the map along the local streets passing a house marked for looting. The house is barely visible but the wagon wheel on the map was obvious to me. I pointed it out to my fellow pirates but it took them a while to spot even the wheel.

I guess the wheel does blend in

Our other companions on the walk were the Brood X cicadas who were out in full force. They grossed out the kids and the adults. 

Is it the eyes? The wings? The legs? All of the above?

The bugs come out in the Mid-Atlantic area every seventeen years. They molt a lot and spend a month or so before they go back under for the next seventeen years. 

Molting

Shells left behind in a tree

Climbing the tree

We continued our pirate hunt, finding the first clue at a playground. The kids were more interested in playing than in decrypting the clue.

On the corner is the clue!

Further along the trail we saw a bit of the Middle Patuxent River.

The river

The marker for the clue

The trail to the clue

The next clue was by an abandoned fort. We helped to reconstruct it after getting the next clue.

Checking the fort size

Adding a stick

A nearby drainage pond has a cage that was labeled "Kraken Cage" on the map.

Not safe to sail here

The clue nearby the cage was very easy to spot.

Beads on the tree!

The final clue was hidden in a circle just past a bridge over the drainage stream.

Checking for trolls

Naturally, the circle had two ways to go around with a helpful warning for visitors.

Go right!

The final clue had a mermaid ribbon (which is sort of piratey, right?). With that, we had the code to unlock the chest.

Bee-free side of the circle

The treasure chest

We read the note inside the treasure chest, signed the note, and took some booty.

Reading a message from the captain

On the way back to the car, we stopped at another playground and saw some sidewalk chalk graffiti meant for us.

Yes, you will!