FRANKENSTEIN!!!!:O

Well clearly by the caption of this blog I am excited for this book. Frankenstein was my favorite stories as a id and now I get to read the real book! This book was written back in the 1800ds. You may think this book would be boring , and it might be! I don't honestly know because I have never read the book! But, my prediction is that this book is going to be everything I have in my mind and maybe more. I expect a lot of story about Dr Frankenstein in the beginning and then more about the monster breaking free and rampaging through the town. From what I remember the monster has human feelings and he wants to fit in.. its a tragedy as far as I am concerned. But, the bottom line is that this book should be AMAZING!! and I hope the world form it.

Documentaries...

During the past week we have been watching the documentary "Roger and Me" by Micheal Moore. This is about the closure of the GM plant in Flint. It put 30000 people out of jobs, and the owner Roger Smith moved the plant to Mexico because of cheap labor. Micheal is outraged and goes to find Roger and talk him into coming to the ever rotting Flint to see his handy work. He travels all over trying to find Roger and cant seem to talk to him when he finally gets to he says no. That's it. This documentary is a work of editing.. not so much the truth. Although everything in the documentary happened. It happened at different times. The film was not in chronological order. I believe that a true documentary displays the whole truth, all the facts. In the right order. I did like this film was entertaining and all but I do not believe it fit documentary order.

ENG3U - Book Talks

For the past few days we have been presenting and listening to our classmates Book Talks. We each had to do a 3 minute presentation on our ISU novel, what we thought of it, a little about the author. I personally thought the class did very well. Some were well prepared. Some not so much, but there wasn't one presentation that had no interesting information that got me interested in reading the book. People did very well in being creative fro ma game show host, to overheads, posters, question, and some just plain reading. All in all it was done very well.

Some helpful criticism for the class would be. Finish your book before you present it. Don't reveal the dramatic ending to the class. It defeats the purpose of reading the book. Speak clearly and pr enunciate everything. Make eye contact and don't read from a sheet all the time. I hope I was a help.

For my presentation I thougth I did alright. I was a little long winded, and I couldn't get what I wanted to say in that short amount of time out. With the seminar it should be much better. A lot more planned out and presented with more confidence and order. I kinda jumped around during my presentation and I have to stop that. That is my goal for my seminar is to teach people effectively and have a little fun with it.

Wizards First rule- Book talk.

I plan on making every single person in the room interested in this book. Sounds ridiculous, but that's my goal. I have many tactics to make this happen. this book has action, fantasy, romance, mystery, EVERYTHING! That is my main point. I will tell the tale of Richard Cypher and his loss of his father then move into the story with the events growing in energy and detail. then POW! The deciding moment will come. I also plan on leaving them wanting to hear more which will accomplish my goal.
Then I will move on to Terry Goodkind and his other works. A little about him and background on his life. Then I will finish the presentation with a question. I have an idea of what the question will ask but not exactly how I will say it yet. Any way those are my plans for the upcoming book talk.

Forest Gump

The other night my father was hogging the Tv so I sat down and watched what he had on thinking that he would fall asleep then I could steal the remote back.:) He was watching Forest Gump. I had seen a little of it before when I was younger and didn't take interest in it. we watched about half of it and then my dad fell asleep like he always does. I didn't reach for the remote. It is a very good movie. to hear all the things this man did and to see them happen was quite something. Like how he made the smiley face logo and the $%it happens slogan for the bumper sticker, and how he owned the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company. eh met JFK and fought in Vietnam. This mans best friend was a guy with no legs! I thought the movie was really good like 7 stars out of 5. If you have not seen Forest Gump. Please take the time and watch it soon!!

ISU problems or issues :S

This ISU project has been going quite smooth for me. I haven't had many issues or problems about finding information on "Wizards First Rule" or Terry Goodkind. I was familiar with Terry Goodkind from before the project had started. I read "Wizard's First Rule" earlier this year. Terry Goodkind caught me as an intriguing author and so I did some research for personal gain. Turns out it aided me later in life. Using my knowledge of him and Wizards First rule I was able to find a theme for my essay relatively easy. Also, I had no problems with my poster . The book talk is coming up next week. I am not worried about that. Presenting has always been something i am able to do. Talking in front of people has been a trait I'm glad I have. Also, I'm going on to become a teacher if all goes to plan. this means that talking in front of people will be a part of my everyday life. So this is something right up my alley. Teaching people about something. In this case, the wonder that is Terry Goodkind's "Wizard's First Rule"
One thing I am a little nervous about is the actual writing of my Essay. I have good ideas and I know what I want to say I just can't put it on the paper. To solve this I will be editing my Essay multiple times. including a couple of times from my parents and friends. This should tell me exactly what I have to do to make this essay everything I know it can be.

!!!Ms Hillier- Reminder!!!

Today my post isn't a blog. This is more of a reminder for Ms Hillier than a blog. Today I will be commenting on multiple people's blogs instead, because I accidentally did this weeks topic last week. :S So look for my comments on your blogs!!!!!!

WizardsFirst Rule -Essay Topics

We have to write an essay on a theme for our ISU novel and when searching for one I found a couple possible themes and topics. The one I'm focusing on right now for being my essay topic is "any boundary can be overcome if you put your mind to it". If you have read Wizards first rule then you know exactly what I'm talking about. If you have not, let me explain briefly. In this book Richard, The Seeker of Truth, is put up against uncountable odds and impossible challenges. This only motivates him more. Just when you think that the story is going to end right then and there and Richard is going to die he does the unimaginable! In the beginning you read about a magical barrier separating Westland from the Midlands. It is made of underworld so if you go near it you could be sucked into the underworld for all eternity. Richard is faced with the task of getting through it. Kahlan had already gone through the barrier. But she had seven Wizards give their lives and their life energy to get her through without being killed. Richard only has one wizard and he needs him for after they get through the barrier. He's left with no where to go. Then he remembers Zedd saying that George Cypher had been through the veil( barrier) to receive the Book of Counted Shadows... so Richard realizes that not only did he cross once..but twice! Once to get there and another to get back. Reasoning sets in and Richard declares there is a trail leading through the barrier somewhere. They do some research and find out the barrier is weakest at a place called Kings Port. They successfully make it through the barrier but not before running into heart hounds and other dangers. Wonder what heart hounds are? Well I guess you will have to read the book then. :P
This is only one example and a physical one at that. Richard is faced with many mental and emotional barriers as well. From having to not care for Kahlan because her power will consume him if he does, to killing people. This story is filled with life messages and I found a couple others that I might touch on in my Essay. Like, Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. ( I know this is cliched! I'm working on changing it...don't harass me for it) This allows Richard to kill Darken Rahl and save the world from his evil ways. Or, pay heed to your friends because you never know when you are going to need them. Chase saves Richards behind a few times in this book and in one specific case risks his own life to save Richard from the heart hounds. This book is not only a fantastic fantasy action novel but a book with messages to be heard. I hope I brought up some things for you to think about!

The Lottery Ticket- Another short story

In class we read the short story "The Lottery Ticket". this story did not catch my eye. When I read it I never really got into it. There wasn't apart that grabbed my attention and kept me reading, I found myself being bored. Also, parts of it were really confusing, I re-read them and still didn't get it. The dialog, I thought, could be improved to make more sence. This story wasn't my favorite... but I'm sure there are better ones to come.

The Cask of Amontillado

In class we read the chilling tale of The Cask of Amontillado, by Edgar Allen Poe. Without reading the short story you can tell what kind of genre and atmosphere are contained in the story by simply looking at the authors name. Edgar always wrote in the horror genre using creepy and gloomy atmospheres to emphasise the events of the story and give the reader goosebumps. An example would be in the Cask of Amontillado when he takes Fortunato down to the catacmobs(graveyard under a house/palace) and tricks a drunk Fortunato into climbing in to a wall. (A.K.A Fortunato's tomb)Montressor locked him in and sealed the doorway with bricks! how much more creepy deos it get!

Even though the story was written back in the early 1800's, it still gives me the creeps, but in a good way. Edgar Allen Poe was a writer that caught my attention on grade 8 when my teacher read to us The Raven. The Raven is such a powerful poem, his writing technique threw me off guard, giving the raven a voice that slowly drove the man insane, and really gave me goosebumps, and interest. After I heard that story I asked him if I could borrow the book he was reading from to read for myself, that piqued my interest in Edgar and all of his works. I've never heard of The cask of Amontillado because when I did my research for various projects I was always searching his poems, not short stories. Now I have a whole new field to look up and I'm looking forward to reading many many more of his works.

(The picture at the top is of Montressor (left) sealing Fortunato(right) into his tomb for all of eternity)

Wizards First Rule- Darken Rahl ( Caution :SPOILER!!)

In my last post I said I would be talking about the villain in Wizards First Rule. Darken Rahl. He is a character that will be stuck into your head for a very long time. The way his description is laid out for you in the book is creative and effective. Richard has been talking to Kahlan and has found out all of the horrible things that Darken Rahl has done to people. For example, he learns information about the people by cutting their stomach open and reading the entrails. Coincidentally that was how George Cypher was found, dead, with his insides spilt all over the floor. Richard has been searching for the man who killed his father since he died and now he knows who it is. Logically he asks Kahlan his name. She replied... Darken Rahl.

Richard is determined to search out and find this horrible man. He starts by learning as much as he can about him. He learns that he is the master of the land D'Hara. He can use both additive and subtractive magic. He is a tyrant to his people, and most importantly. He wants to kill Richard.

His description portrays him as a snake like character, but with charm. He has long white hair that's straighter than an arrow, hes tall and muscular, but with a lean build. His features are flawless except for a scar he has running form his middle down past his groin and down his leg. that scar was caused by the First Wizard...Zedd. During the war, Zedd was putting up the barrier when Darken Rahl's father, Panis Rahl, tried to stop him. Zedd sent Wizards fire through the barrier and it engulfed Panis. alternately Darken was with Panis when he tried to stop Zedd. A splash of Wizards Fire caught darken at the hip and it ran down his leg. Creating the scar he has today.

Darken Rahl wanted nothing more than to rule the world. He doesn't use armies or bombs, but he uses magic. The magic of the Box's or Orden. These boxes will give the person who opens it supreme power and enough power to control all the lands. To do this though, he needs to know the instructions. For if he opens the wrong box, he will die. These instructions were in an ancient book that was stolen from the Wizards keep long ago and has been lost for many a century. This book is The Book of Counted Shadows . Darken Rahl has figured out that George Cypher had stolen the book and has it in Westland. He went there and when George wouldn't talk, he killed him and read his entrails so he could find out the instructions. His entrails told him that Richard knew the book.

Darken Rahl obtained all three boxes and had lured Richard to his palace. Richard using the Wizards First rule ,"people will believe anything they want to believe is true",tricked Darken Rahl into believing that the box he told him to open was the correct box. As soon as the torrent of sand that was engulfing Darken Rahl started to increase, Richard ran after Kahlan who had left in the midst of things. The room was empty except for Darken Rahl being taken into the underworld and Zedd. Darken Rahl looked down and screamed "WHO IS THAT BOY! HOW COULD HE HAVE DONE THIS!!!" . Zedd simply replied...

**CAUTION IF YOU DO NOT WANT THIS BOOK TO BE RUINED BEYOND BELIEF DO NOT READ THE NEXT THING I AM ABOUT TO WRITE! This was the point in the book where I set it down and said wooooooooooooow...and then re-read the part because it was sooo EPIC!**

Zedd simply replied... he is your son, the son of my daughter, which you raped. Darken Rahl just stared back as he was engulfed by the underworld.

NOW....that you are informed on this fact that changes the whole story line. I'd like to hear what you have to say about Darken Rahl. What do you think of him? I personally think he is the most horrid man I have ever read about. He rapes women because he can without consequence, he killed people for no apparent reason he's destroyed thousands upon thousands of peoples lives and he continued to do it right up until the end. But that's just my opinion. Lets hear yours

Wizards First Rule. Opinion Time!

I read Wizards First Rule a while back and now I am on the 5th book of the series. The books haven't disappointed me yet and I don't think they will start anytime soon. they are full of action and intriguing problems. The problems are so in depth that some of them from the first book are only being solved now in the 5th book. Wizards First Rule might be the best book I've ever read.

In the first 3 chapters you meet 2 major characters and a lot about them. I really enjoy books that have been strategically planned out and detailed, yet brief introductions of characters. I don't like books that take a whole chapter talking about the attributes of one person. Introduction, then action. That s how I like my books to start. This one did that very well. It combined the action with the introduction. You learn about Richard while he's walking through the forest looking for a special plant, and then out of the blue, a giant red mass flies out of the boundary.(the wall of the underworld put up to part the midlands from Westland) Later on you find out the red beast is a dragon, and the dragon plays a very key role in the first book and a minor one in the second. These characters are ones that will leave an impression on you forever.

The other main character you meet is Kahlan. We first meet Kahlan as she is running through the forest away from four men who seem to be hunting her. Richard leaps in to action and chases her down a side path to cut her off and save her from these men. At that moment I wondered very much who this mystery girl was and how she would fit into the story. Would she become a major role or would she simply be someone he saves? I was constantly asking myself questions and that kept me reading. That kept me interested. This is the kind of book I like. A lot of action, and characters that you can relate to and really get to know. You meet more characters in these chapters like Chase. Richard best friend and barrier patrol. He becomes a large part in the first book but dies out in the next few. I haven't seen him yet in the 5th book. You also hear mention of Richard's brother Michael, and Richards old friend Zedd.

I have a lot more to say about Wizards first rule. You haven't even met the villain yet. Darken Rahl. Hes an interesting figure. I will be posting every week. According to Ms. Hillier that is. Keep Tabs on my blog. There is a lot more to come!

Wizards First Rule- In the Beginning!

THERE WAS LIGHT!!! No , but seriously. In the beginning of "Wizards First Rule" you are thrust into the world of Westland. Westland is a land with no magic, that is blocked off to the Midlands, which has magic, by the barrier. The barrier was made by the wizards of old to keep magic out of Westland and to ultimately stop the war going on between the Midlands and D'Hara. D'Hara is the third land of the New World. (see map attached to this blog) It was barricaded in the ancient war with a boundary between the Midlands and D'Hara. Now back to the story.now that you know a little more about the lands, we will return to Westland where the story begins.

We start out meeting this woods guide named Richard Cypher. Richard lives in the town of Hartland with his father George Cypher.His best friend named Zedd is a could reader . Yeah, Richard doesn't know what it is either, but Zedd can see things in the clouds by standing on his cloud rock.

Richard was guiding a group of nobles through the forest. When he returned home his father had been murdered. He was now left with his brother Micheal. Micheal was in politics and was soon to be promoted to head councilor of Westland. Richard had very little keepsakes to remind him of his father, George Cypher. he had but a few objects. he had a plant that his father found on his journeys. George Cypher was a merchant who went from land to land looking for herbs and remedies to help his people. One time he found a very special plant that had no name, it was special to him because when he got home he put it in a pot and told Richard that it was very dangerous and shouldn't be touched. it was from near the boundary. When his father had been killed he had just returned from a journey near the boundary. Richard thought this plant would be connected to his fathers death somehow so he pursued George's killers through searching for the plant.

Other than the plant Richard was given one other thing. Knowledge. Not just any knowledge but the knowledge of an ancient book. George Cypher had crossed the Barrier at one point in his life and brought back a book of great magic. "The Book of Counted Shadows" This book was forced on Richard to be read and memorized. Every day George made Richard read and recite the book until he knew it inside and out, every page, every word. when Richard finally had the book memorized they decided to destroy it. They made a huge bonfire and tossed the book in. As father and son stood there, they watched as shadows and colours raced out of the fire in all directions. Plumes of smoke disappeared and replaces with spinning colours and harsh moans and screams. they both backed up as the torrent of colour got so bright they could not see. With a ear pounding thud the fire went out as the shock wave
knocked them over. They lay there on the ground in shock. Richard knew that he had just seen magic for the first time. Little did he know that magic would soon become an enormous part of his life.

There is so much more to this story that will blow your mind. i really hope you are enjoying my blog so far. I know there is lots more to come..well mainly because I'd like to pass English this year and because I want to share this amazing book with you all.


-Tyler V

Getting Started - Terry Goodkind

Here is my first blog to get you started with Terry Goodkind.
In the sword of Truth series there is 11 books. The first is called Wizards First Rule. Terry Goodkind is a fantasy writer, but not the kind of fantasy where there's fairies and other dumb things like that. Hes more or less like J.R.R Tolkien and the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Or Christopher Paolini and the Eragon trilogy. Only better.
Those books are amazing and I've read both trilogies but they don't come close to these books. And the best part... there are 11 books! The story just evolves and evolves. At this moment I am about to finish the 4th book, and its just getting started.
If you liked Eragon or The lord of the Rings, I highly suggest you read the Sword of Truth novels. They will blow your mind!
One thing that jumps out at you are the characters. If you thought Frodo or Saphira had a distinct character... wait until you meet Richard, Khalan and Zedd. Plus, there are many more unforgettable characters in the series that you meet and learn to love throughout the books. Just when you thought one thing is solved something unimaginable happens. Its a thrilling series that will keep you reading long into the night.

I hope that gets you started to thinking about reading this series. I guarantee you wont be disappointed with these books