No Magic For Wong!!

Recently I watched the movie called Pontypool. It left me with the same feeling that most Zombie flicks do: a heightened sense of wonder. I immediately pressed it onto my sister and her hubby. She loves Zed films as much as I (almost); he on the other hand, can take or leave it. So I was extra thrilled when he said that it was pretty kewl. I am stressing now that you must watch this flim! Yes I realize I said FLIM… that happens on occasion, or maybe I am trying to keep you from understanding me. You will sooo get that after watching the movie.

Anyways, this is not a review. I swore that I would try like hell to keep from doing a lot of that. There are plen-T of wonderful blogs on the nets that have reviews far greater than anything I could pull outta my ass! This is a lament, because after being affected so greatly by the movie- I got the book.

Le-sigh…

Let me see what words I can use to describe the thought process I went under from cover to cover.

Excited. I figured if the book was as good as the movie I was in for a ride!

Surprised. After just the first few chapters I could tell that this was a different animal entirely.

Amused. I began to wonder what kind of movie it would have been if they had stuck with the book.

Suspicious. This book is taking a surreal turn.

Confused. Wha? Ok, I am still trying to keep up.

Disoriented. Who are you? What is this book I am reading?

Annoyed. Oh now you are just trying to shock folks.

Desperate. Is this story not gona end?

Incensed. You call THAT an ENDING??!!!

My brother-in-law once read a comic book so bad that he threw it out the car window and repeatedly drove over it. I have, on occasion, wanted to do the same to several books I have read. For example, ANYTHING Charlaine Harris has ever written does that to me. This book was not that bad, it had some pretty good zomblie things going on, but for a second- just a brief second I nearly threw it to the ground and said “Take THAT Higher Power!” Ok, you will understand that once you have read the book. I am assuming you will read it, I am not telling you not to. I need someone to read it to take the edge off. I need someone else to read it and say “No Evil, you are not crazy… this book makes little sense.”

Well I did need that… until I read the Afterward.

The author (I shit you not) actually APOLOGIZES to the reader. He goes on to explain why the movie he wrote was soooo different. And then he goes into this: “And so, now that I have been asked to write this afterword, I realize it has to be an apology, not for the book, which can't be helped, but for the fact that I was unfaithful to its first virtue: I have asked you to read it, and now, sitting here at the end, I am telling you that it might be a mistake that you did" (278). Genius, fucking genius. He MADE me LIKE what I just read. He made me FEEL like some insider, having read something that he “never intended” for folks to actually read! I am a sucker for this sorta thing. Now I can look at folks with disdain and say “YOU. You have NEVER read Pontypool Changes Everything?”

God Love you Tony Burgess… and yet Damn you in the same breath!