Book Log 17/2016 - Ann Aguirre: Endgame - Sirantha Jax #6

I almost didn't want to start reading this because I knew it was the final Jax novel and I've loved the series so much I didn't really want it to end. Jax started off in the first book as a bit of a wild child, blessed (or cursed) with the talent to navigate a ship through Grimspace - a talent that is not only addictive, but likely to cause burnout at an early age. Jax was living it up while she could. Now, six books later, she's developed a sense of responsibility, had the early death sentence removed, courtesy of nanites, and paired up with March, telepathic pilot and seasoned mercenary - though they've been separated by circumstances as March tries to raise his dead sister's child in relative peace.

Now at last it all comes together. Jax promised that she'd try and end the slavery on La'hengrin, occupied by foreign conquerors - humans - and that means liberating the whole planet together with La'hengrin native Loras, formerly of March's crew, and Vel, insectoid bounty hunter who started out as Jax's enemy and has become her friend. More than a friend if Jax is honest. Vel has been there for her when March has not, and they have developed a special bond, one that March has difficulty getting his head around.

Jax is in the middle of a revolution. One person's freedom fighter is another person's terrorist and Jax, Vel and Loras wage a revolutionary war against the planet's oppressors. March and his nephew are dragged into it, much against March's will. Though this is a blow by blow account of a terrorist civil war it's also a study of changing relationships as Jax, Vel and March dance a three-step with a satisfactory conclusion.

As I said at the beginning, I almost didn't want to start this book, but I'm so glad that I did. It provides a fitting end to Jax's story arc.

Movie of the Week: Batman V Superman - Dawn of Justice

What can I say? This movie has received auch a lot of hype coupled with abuse, that it's difficult to take it at face value. There was a lot wrong with it, but overall I wasn't bored and it worked on some levels. It wasn't as bad as I feared, but it was certainly not as good as I'd hoped. Unfortuantely it was a mishmas of a mashup.

Yes, it covered the making of Batman yet again as the Wayne parents were killed in an alley and young Master Bruce, traumatised by bats, was left in the care of Alfred, this time played by the delightful Jeremy Irons (bonus), who is hardly the typical butler. Ben Affleck makes a surprisingly decent Batman, though I still can't take to Henry Cavill as Superman, but then I'm of the Christopher Reeve generation and no one will ever better that.

Despite the fact that it's Batman versus Superman, there's only one actual fight and the rest is Lex Luthor playing the psychology game, making sure that the two of them are ready to fight each other. It all starts to improve when Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) turns up

There are one or two weird things going on. Clarke and Lois are obviously in a physical relationship, and she's well aware of his 'secret.' Re the imbalance between human physiology and the Kryptonian physiology, I'm not quite sure how Lois has survived nights of passion. Read Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex by Larry Niven for more speculation about Superman's sex life.

So if I've read this movie right, its the set-up for the Justice League movie