From the Gallery of My Mind

1 Book, 1 Film

The Book:
"The Pegasus Secret"
Right off the start, I have to say that I personally feel this book isn't very good. If you haven't read it yet, don't bother. It doesn't introduce anything new. My first impression is that this is bad imitation of the best seller, "The Da Vinci Code." Now, you might say that it didn't introduce anything new either, but I argue that it did. It is one of the first examples of its kind, constructing a thrilling story around an important symbol from a specific historical period. What's also new is Dan Brown's writing style. I find it impossible to be bored while reading his books.

"The Pegasus Secret," however, was disappointing partly because of the way the author, Gregg Loomis, writes. Let's assume that, since I'm reading one of his novels for the first time, it might take a while for me to get used to his approach. But when looking at the structure of the plot or the story, it feels as if there is something lacking. The story starts with a very dramatic event, but then, as if the author losses interest in his writing, the story starts to unfold very slowly, with few important events taking place afterwards. Another issue is the characters. The main character is a middle-aged American male, similar to the one in "The Da Vinci Code," who is enthusiastic about solving a puzzle. So there is nothing new there. I will say that Loomis has created a leading character who offers enough reason to continue the journey through the book, and constructed other strong characters as well. But, in the end, it didn't give me the excitement it promised in the beginning.

The Film:
"Quantum of Solace"
As a James Bond fan, I must admit that this film was way better than the previous one: "Casino Royal." It is dynamic, with the excitement always being there. The film starts with a chase scene where we see the bad guys pursuing Bond. It's packed with energy, and the editing is so quick that it sometimes is hard to focus and understand what's going on. With this film, we see a new face of Bond, a man who is ruthless and doesn't hesitate to kill. This aspect of the character has always been there, but never so bold, and Bond comes across almost like a serial killer: no romance, and no place for human emotion. He simply does what he has to do, and that's it. In previous Bond films, there was always a lover whom Bond would try to keep out of trouble in a humanly way, by showing his emotions, or at least by saying that he was sorry. But here he acts as if he doesn't even care. Well, of course, this is just my personal opinion and you are completely free to think the opposite.

I fare you well for now…

Alev Değim (COMD/IV)
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