Ethan Parke Author Blog

 Sorry, I haven't blogged in a while, I was having trouble with my laptop, but it's functioning now. I don't have much time tonight, but it is clear, Lord of the Rings is my favorite story ever written. That said, one of the things that makes it awesome for me is, it is great on any holiday. It's great on Easter and Christmas because of the religious elements. It is great at Halloween because of the scary scenes. It is great on the Fourth of July because of Gandalf's fireworks. It can be great on your birthday because it begins on Bilbo and Frodo's. That's just a short thought. 

 I have said ever since I started these blogs, that Lord of the Rings is my favorite story ever written. My favorite battle in the Middle-Earth saga, was always the one that is often called the Battle of Helm's Deep. The more correct name for it, however, is the Battle of the Hornburg, because that is the name of the fortress. Helm's Deep was just the ravine where it was located.  The only thing I would have preferred in the movie was to have Eomer be there the whole battle, and aside from the Uruk-hai, have the wildmen of Dunland be there, like in the book. That problem is likely to be remedied in the upcoming anime film, Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim. That battle has inspired battles in my books, but like I always say, first you should read them. 

The reason Sauron did not immediately send his minions to The Shire, was he didn't know anything about it. That is the simplest explanation. But to make it longer, was because Hobbits and the people that lived in the nearby towns like Bree, were not much involved in the world, at least by that point in MIddle-Earth history. If it was somewhere more involved in the world, he would have sent orcs after it. That was how he found out about Isildur possessing it. Gollum spent all those years, hiding in the Misty Mountains, keeping to himself. The Hobbits seemed of little importance, so it was Gollum telling him it was there, that finally made him aware of it. It was just then when he was able to gather the Ringwraiths, and then send them to The Shire, which was why Frodo had to leave. It was why he is quest should not be generally known, because if he was Sauron would have found out. He never knew about the Fellowship, and when it scattered, Aragorn came out of the shadows, scaring him ...

When I saw the first John Wick movies coming out, I wasn't too excited about it. I thought it would just be an average crime thriller, but seeing Keanu Reeves fight in those movies was superb. Every time, they try doing something creative with the action sequences, or play with the cliches that work, by not letting you think when something will happen.  In Chapter 4, they did just what I described. There was a cool scene where John was fighting from a topographical shot, which is something you don't often see. One of my favorite cliches in fight sequences is stairs, and there was a really fun fight on them. There is a dual near the end, when you don't notice John violated one of the rules.  Case in point, the John Wick movies, do not have much in the way of story, but he is a likable, relatable character, and the action scenes are always outstanding. That is just like I try doing in my books, and if you are eager to read them, you know what to do.   

 I have already said this, but I will respect anything that shows deference to the world J.R.R. Tolkien created. I have not got around to watching The Rings of Power, and whatever they have planned for future movies and shows, I doubt anything will top the original books or Peter Jackson's films. I have written several blogs defending The Hobbit trilogy, and the last thing is this. The Battle of the Five Armies did not need an R-Rated Extended Cut. It was based on a children's book, even if it is a sophisticated one, and if Jackson wants to make R-Rated movies again, he should look beyond Tolkien. There was barely any gore, nobody swore, and there were no sex scenes, in that cut. The only thing they added was about ten more minutes to an intense battle that lasted forty-five minutes in the theatrical cut. But that's just my opinion. 

In addition to the dinosaurs, I was always determined to include dragons in my books. You have probably already, guessed that Smaug in The Hobbit, is my personal favorite. His armor is iron like tenfold shields, his teeth were like swords, his claws spear, his tail a thunderbolt, his wings were hurricane, and his breath was death. I used those terms in how I created the dragon, Diablo, in my first book, The Amulet War, aside from several species of dinosaurs.  Even if you didn't like The Hobbit movie trilogy, you can at least agree the build-up to Smaug's appearance was well made. Seeing him in the teaser trailer, I knew there was no way that would be the finished design. Bennedict Cumberbatch gave a chilling performance providing his voice, and motion-capture. The only issue is, though I did not have a problem with the Dwarves fighting with him, inside Erebor, I also think his attack on Laketown might have been a better climax, but I digress.  Lindsey Buroker, who is giving m...

I have not streamed the Disney Plus series, based on the 1988 underrated classic, Willow, but I will eventually. I heard a lot of people didn't like it, but I have liked movies and shows a lot of others dismissed. I am curious about how they will depict my favorite character in the movie, Madmartigan, with Val Kilmer's declining health. I will now talk about the influence it had on me.  The secondary villain, in the movie, General Kael, gave me an idea for a secret society of knights. They are called the Black Skulls, because they attach human skulls, painted black, to their helmets. The leader of the society's name will be a homage to the actor who played the character in Willow, the late Pat Roach. Like Kael he will ride a great black horse, with horns on his chanfron, wield a cool looking laser sword. I already introduced the mini men, the Seredy brothers, Max and Fritz in my last book. Scientists who developed serum that makes people small. They are now stuck that size ...