Readers Rambling: The Fork, the Witch, and the Worm by Christopher Paolini

The Inheritance Cycle series was a big part of my childhood, so I was super pumped when I learned that Christopher Paolini was coming out with a collection of all new short stories set in the world of Alagaesia!

TV Show Review: Carmen Sandiego

Title: Carmen Sandiego
Genre: Action, Adventure

General Setup: Carmen Sandiego is a thief who steals from other theifs. She uses her morally ambiguous actions to preserve culture and fight back against the evil organization that raised her.

Characters: Based on a learning geography game for younger audiences, Carmen Sandiego is a red-coated theif who commits capers in the far corners of the world, in all sorts of geographical locations. The show gives her a backstory, as well as a bit of a moral compass (stealing hurts people, especially when you're willing to steal lives). By the end of the show the viewer is pretty well acquainted with Carmen and her crew, as well as the villains she fights against. I do wish some more background was given to Zach and Ivy, Carmen's on the scene back-up, as well as Player, their 'man behind the screen.' But I suppose those are problems to be conquered in a 2nd season.

Plot: Within the main plot of the show are several subplots to keep things interesting. Inspector Chase Devineau is always hot on Carmen's heels, but one or two steps behind, adding another element to the main plot. Most of the episodes are fairly self-contained and episodic, with Carmen bouncing around the globe to put a stop to VILE's evil deeds. However, the episodes do continue to build on one another to the climax.

Ending: Throughout the show different threads were brought in, leading up to the climax. This gave the story a feeling of cohesion, which I appreciated. Most of the show is pretty predictable, but there was one major twist that caught me by surprise. While the show ends at a good spot for the story arc, there is still territory to explore for the future. But time will tell.

Things to Watch For: The show is pretty clean, but Carmen's actions can be a little morally ambiguous, similar to Robin Hood.

Sights and Sounds: The animation for the show is extremely well done. It is done in a geometric, cell-shaded style with a fascinating color palette. The sound track was really successful as well, setting the mood for the show and the various geographical locations. However, I wasn't terribly impressed by the echoing sing-song way they handled the catchphrase, "Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?" While I appreciated the title drop and reference to the games, I felt it was a little strange and out of place.

Length: 9 episodes

Where to Watch: Netflix