Teen Cafe’

I recently finished the fourth book in the seven book series, Incarnations of Immortality, and boy was it a good one. The great thing about the series is the variety of the books. While I think On a Pale Horse had the best character and the most interesting Incarnation (Death), Bearing an Hourglass was very fun to read and be able to travel though time, and With a Tangled Skein was the first to explore the life after being an Incarnation. Wielding a Red Sword, however built on what made the first three great and eliminated what didn’t. This character has quite a life before being an Incarnation, making the first portion of the book quite interesting, not just a few chapters of “let’s get to the good part.” The Incarnation of Mars does not interact with the other Incarnations, so this is the first book to focus on him.

Once again, the story explains more of the relations of the characters, such as Mym, the character who plays Mars, being the source of Time’s Sning, and Orlene’s Father. It has become obvious that all of the Incarnations relate and form one large, if not jumbled, family tree.

My favorite part of the story however, is the great battle fought in Hell. I do not want to spoil the ending, but it is quite great and the confrontations with Satan are getting more severe with higher stakes every time, and this one has the life of all of Earth hanging in the balance. Once again, Piers Anthony creates a great book to the series, and I sure cannot wait to read the next one.

If you are going to get into skateboarding, or are just going to get a new deck or a new pair of bearings, I have some hints for you. First off all, get a good deck from a brand like Element, they are more expensive than other decks but are extremely worth it! The look of the underneath of the deck is totally preference, but what is really important is the size of the deck. Make sure your deck is about as wide as your foot is long, with a little extra. Most skate stores will sell you a deck with all the essentials, so trucks, wheels, and bearings are not important at first. Later on the road, you should try to get Destructo trucks, and while wheels are a matter of preference, 52 mm wheels are a nice in-between number for wheel size. For bearings, the ones you get with the board should be good, but if you ever care to upgrade, Lucky 7’s or Ryan Sheckler’s are probably the best out there and will make you go quite a bit faster.

One of the most important parts of the skating equipment is to get skating shoes. Emerica, Vans, and Fallen all are quality shoes and are great choices. If you plan on doing any tricks or want to go anywhere with some sort of speed, shoes are a must as they help you grip the board as well as the ground while doing tricks or pushing yourself. I would also recommend finding a friend who has skated for a while, as having someone to help you while learning to ride your skateboard is a tremendous help.

One last warning to anyone who is considering skateboarding, while your board may look very cool when first bought, be prepared to lose that. The wheels will become dirty and discolored, the deck will become carved, and the nose and tail (front and back, respectively) will start to fall apart as the deck gets used. So just be prepared for it and make sure you warn your parents that this will happen so they can be prepared for this too.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

I recently watched a movie remake of one of my favorite books, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. The book, written by C.S. Lewis, is the first of a seven book series called The Chronicles of Narnia. The books in the series were short, some 200 pages each but still full of quirky humor and funny characters. This movie is based on the first story, and while the later ones are better, it still is a great book and a great movie.

The story successfully follows the book to a tee. Since the book was so short, nothing had to be cut from it to fit in the timeframe of the movie. The majority of the movie was shot in New Zealand, as was Lord of the Rings, which made for some amazing scenes. All of Narnia is depicted in such a gorgeous manner and everything looks exactly like you would expect it to.

The actors fit the characters from the book as well, and make the movie all the better. They all fit into their roles quite nicely, and make a very convincing group. The battle is truly of epic proportions and the variety of monsters and animals make for quite an interesting battle scene.

The movie appeals to a very large audience. If you have watched or read Harry Potter, you will probably enjoy this movie. If you have read the Narnia books and enjoyed them, this is an absolute must see. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe contains similarities to both the Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings movies, giving it the best elements of both movies. Then, add a great storyline written by C.S. Lewis, and you have yourself a fantastic movie. The DVD comes with quite a slew of special features, including interesting facts about the world of Narnia. The director really did an amazing job at recreating the book, and I am impressed.

Special Effects: 8.5/10

Acting: 9/10

Story: 9.5/10

Trueness to the book: 10/10

Scene Beauty: 9.5/10

Pros: Great storyline, Scenes and setting are gorgeous, Very true to the book, Is similar to both Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings

Cons: Not the best book in the series, Many other recreations of this book out there

Overall: 9.5/10