Fantasy & SciFi Lovin' Reviews

Waiting on Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (SQT) — Wed, 15 May 2013 04:59:00 +0000

Waiting on Wednesday is a blog meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine to highlight upcoming books.

This week's WoW selection is:

The Falconer by Elizabeth May

Release Date: (UK publication September 19, 2013; US publication approx May, 2014)
Publisher: Gollancz (UK); Chronicle (US)
Pages: 368

Heiress. Debutant. Murderer. A new generation of heroines has arrived.

Edinburgh, Scotland, 1844

18-year-old Lady Aileana Kameron, the only daughter of the Marquess of Douglas, was destined to a life carefully planned around Edinburgh’s social events – right up until a faery kills her mother.

Now it’s the 1844 winter season. Between a seeming endless number of parties, Aileana slaughters faeries in secret. Armed with modified percussion pistols and explosives, every night she sheds her aristocratic facade and goes hunting. She’s determined to track down the faery who murdered her mother, and to destroy any who prey on humans in the city’s many dark alleyways.

But she never even considered that she might become attracted to one. To the magnetic Kiaran MacKay, the faery who trained her to kill his own kind. Nor is she at all prepared for the revelation he’s going to bring. Because Midwinter is approaching, and with it an eclipse that has the ability to unlock a Fae prison and begin the Wild Hunt.

A battle looms, and Aileana is going to have to decide how much she’s willing to lose – and just how far she’ll go to avenge her mother’s murder.

I hesitated at first to list this title because of the uncertain US release date-- but I love the description too much not to share. I hope I don't actually have to wait a year to read this!

Marvel's "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." -- Trailer 1

noreply@blogger.com (SQT) — Wed, 15 May 2013 01:40:00 +0000

Yay for the return of Agent Coulson!

TV: Doctor Who 2009 Specials

noreply@blogger.com (William Silvia) — Mon, 13 May 2013 06:38:00 +0000

By “Journey’s End”, it had been announced that both Russell T. Davies and David Tennant were leaving Doctor Who. But nobody (apart from them and Stephen Moffat) knew what form that was going to take. What the public did know was that “Journey’s End” had a happy ending in which the Doctor survived and dropped all of his companions off on Earth and alternate Earth. Would the Doctor take on a new companion at the last minute intended for his next incarnation?

Not so much. Instead, the story took a page from “The Deadly Assassin”’s book and gave the Doctor some time on his own. Some who count companions would argue that that this “season” has as many as five companions. I would say that that’s completely ridiculous unless you’re going to count every guest star in every episode as a companion. Only Wilf arguably counts as a companion, and he’s pretty much Earthbound throughout his tenure in Doctor Who, even if you count his appearance in the 1960s.

I call these the “2009 Specials”, but actually, of the 5 specials, only 3 of them were actually in 2009. This period started on December 25, 2008 and continued until January 1st, 2010, so forgive me if I extend 2009 by seven days for the sake of simplicity. These specials are “The Next Doctor”, “Planet of the Dead”, “Waters of Mars” and “The End of Time”. They were aired on Christmas, Easter, November, Christmas, and New Years, respectively (the end of time was aired in two parts). And they were not very good.

“The Next Doctor” is definitely my favorite of the bunch, my primary complaints being that it had too much time to slow the pacing down (each of the specials is fifteen minutes longer than the average episode, save “The End of Time Part 2”, which is thirty) and that it would have worked better with a seasoned companion for the Doctor to work off of. The premise is no less functional than the average episode, save the fact that the entire special was a trick set up by Russell T. Davies to trick the audience into thinking that the Doctor was regenerating into David Morrissey.

The premise of “The Next Doctor” is a Cybermen invasion of Victorian England. It features a steampunk interpretation of the TARDIS (a hot air balloon) and of a giant mech created by the Cybermen. The titular “Next Doctor” is a man who, following a traumatic break with reality, had thirty seasons of Doctor Who downloaded into his brain in a single day, and that’s never meant to happen. Convinced he was the Doctor, he built a TARDIS (in this case, “Tethered Aerial Release Developed In Style”), took on a companion (Rosita) and fought the Cybermen. There are plenty of things to nit-pick about this episode, sure, but ultimately it’s an average episode of Doctor Who that’s main fault was trying to be an extra long special.

“Planet of the Dead”, the Easter special, is thoroughly forgettable. The story features a wormhole, a cat burglar, stingray monsters that the Doctor doesn’t care about as long as they don’t get to Earth, and is filmed in Dubai because there are no deserts with better politics to give the BBC’s business to. Christina is the standout element of the episode, but as the Doctor’s not in the mood to travel with a companion, she’s left behind and forgotten, removing all trace of this special except for a psychic’s premonition of someone knocking four times. This leads to a lot of people knocking and banging on things for the rest of 2009.

The November special, “The Waters of Mars”, is by far the most popular of these stories in my experience. It’s an interesting story, and probably the worst thing about it is the way that the next special lops off the better part of the ending, leaving the worse part of it to be the part that sticks. That “worse part” is the idea that there are absolutely no consequences to deciding you’re going to disregard the laws of time because the people who usually guard them are dead. The Doctor realizes that this idea is going a bit too far at the end, but as I mentioned, the next special throws that part out the window.

The story proper of “Mars” is the Doctor being trapped into what this era refers to as a “fixed point”, an event that is so entrenched in time that the fabric of the universe would be warped if something actually managed to change it (which is supposed to be impossible, especially since a Time Lord’s deepest instinct is to keep all time travelers far away from them). The last time the Doctor found himself at a fixed point, he ended up causing the eruption of Mount Vesuvius and the destruction of Pompeii. Needless to say, he’s not eager to repeat the experience, yet for some reason he stays and interferes.

In the midst of this, a parasitic outbreak is threatening the crew. Interestingly, the idea of “the potential of infection outweighs the need of the survivors” is never brought up, though at least the crew of scientists on Mars do their best to isolate the source of the infection and ensure that nobody infected has a chance of escape. I imagine there’d be a lot less drama if Captain Brooke had simply declared escape to be out of the question thirty minutes into the episode.

The episode ends with an Ood telling him “something bad is going to happen”, which leads us into the next episode. “The End of Time” is a story that is so dramatic that it didn’t bother me the first time, when everything was a mystery, but subsequent viewings have shown it to be less than a quality story.

The Master was believed to be killed, but unbeknownst to the Doctor he became a disembodied consciousness. He goes on to possess Eric Roberts, and wait, actually, that’s a better TV movie than this one. It does provide some kind of precedent for this sort of event, however, as the Master survived in the form of a ring with Gallifreyan writing on it. Here is where I would normally comment on the technology and how clever or stupid various characters were in relation to its use, however, it’s treated as a magic artifact that requires a magic ritual in order to conjure up a new John Simm. The ritual is interrupted, which results in the Master being able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, shoot lightning from his hands, become a spooky and/or comical skeleton for brief periods of time, and become a speed eater for reasons that may or may not have been entirely the result of a directing mistake.

By bringing the Master back to the series so quickly, several problems are brought to light. One is the fact that every time John Simm is on screen, he’s knocking four times. Really, the titles for “The End of Time Part 1” and “Part 2”, and “The Sound of Drums” and “Last of the Time Lords” could have been switched with their respective alternates and nobody would have noticed. If you didn’t like John Simm’s Master because he’s so over the top, you’ll hate him here, where the most over acted scene of “The Sound of Drums” doesn’t hold a candle to the most subtle scene he appears in here. If you liked him in the “Sound of Drums” two-parter... again, the most over the top scene of that story is more subtle than his most subtle scene here. If you didn’t like the Doctor wanting to travel the universe with one of the most notorious mass murderers in all of time and space, well, at least that idea has less screen time here than Bernard Cribbins gathering everybody old enough to have bought tickets to his first Doctor Who appearance together to scour London for the Doctor, because a mysterious person who may or may not have been either Susan or Romana said that he may return.

On top of that, this story gives us Rassilon reduced from a wise immortal to a raving lunatic (as are most of the Time Lords by this point), and the Doctor convinced that his regeneration (which takes ages) is going to mean the end of the world. I defend this scene by saying it’s a nod to the arrogance and the Superman complex that the Tenth Doctor has developed, and that radiation poisoning isn’t instant... but those are shallow defenses of a scene where the failsafe of a nuclear device is “if somebody else enters, the person about to die may leave”. The Doctor is right to complain about that scene- the only reason such a device could possibly exist in this movie is if it’s placed there specifically for the purpose of forcing him to regenerate. Even though it gives him time to take several trips in the TARDIS to visit all of his friends. It’s a shame the Doctor doesn’t have the ability to force lethal amounts of radiation into his shoe or something.

Altogether, this “season” is almost definitely the least entertaining and least intelligent thing that Russell T. Davies has contributed to this universe. The sole purpose these specials exist is to foreshadow and then follow through with David Tennant’s regeneration, which to me translates as a sacrifice of five hours of pointless, largely forgettable television that is completely driven by plot convenience, for the sake of “Journey’s End” having a happy ending. It’s doubly a shame when you realize that Dalek stories in the past have had about a 50% chance of getting rid of either a Doctor or a companion. It would have been fitting for Davros’s first on-screen appearance in decades, ending a Dalek-heavy run of the show, would give Davros his first victory over the Doctor. “Journey’s End” could have been the “Logopolis” of the new series, completely skipping the need for these specials. Both the episode and the show would have been better for them, and maybe fans of this era wouldn’t have quite so much to defend.

Waiting on Wednesday- "Apocalypse Cow" by Michael Logan

noreply@blogger.com (SQT) — Wed, 08 May 2013 04:59:00 +0000

Waiting on Wednesday is a blog meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine to highlight upcoming titles.

This week's WoW selection is:

Apocalypse Cow by Michael Logan
Publisher: St. Martin Griffin
Date: May 21, 2013
Pages: 352

If you think you've seen it all -- WORLD WAR Z, THE WALKING DEAD-- you haven't seen anything like this. From the twisted brain of Michael Logan comes Apocalypse Cow, a story about three unlikely heroes who must save Britain . . . from a rampaging horde of ZOMBIE COWS!

Forget the cud. They want blood.

It began with a cow that just wouldn't die. It would become an epidemic that transformed Britain's livestock into sneezing, slavering, flesh-craving four-legged zombies.

And if that wasn't bad enough, the fate of the nation seems to rest on the shoulders of three unlikely heroes: an abattoir worker whose love life is non-existent thanks to the stench of death that clings to him, a teenage vegan with eczema and a weird crush on his maths teacher, and an inept journalist who wouldn't recognize a scoop if she tripped over one.

As the nation descends into chaos, can they pool their resources, unlock a cure, and save the world?

Three losers.
Overwhelming odds.
One outcome . . .

Yup, we're screwed.

Oh my god. Zombie cows? And that title- I'd pick this for the name alone.

"Ender's Game" Trailer

noreply@blogger.com (SQT) — Tue, 07 May 2013 20:48:00 +0000

Pepper Potts: Heroine of Iron Man 3

noreply@blogger.com (William Silvia) — Mon, 06 May 2013 08:09:00 +0000

Every once in a while, a trailer will convince somebody to watch a film they otherwise wouldn’t have seen. The premise sounded boring, but the trailer promises action. The name was lame, but it actually looks pretty cool when you see some clips. Or in this case, the Iron Man films were all mediocre films with some comedy, uninteresting action and an intentionally unlikable protagonist, that finally decided to put out an honest to god action flick.

I’m not what you’d call a big “action movie” person. I’ve never seen a James Bond movie, nor a Bruce Willis movie that wasn’t an M. Night Shyamalan drama. When I watch action films, it’s generally for the Sci-Fi aspects, like Terminator, or because they’re more martial art films than what’s generally considered to be action. There are even some action films that seem like they would be interesting to me, yet I can’t bring myself to get excited for them. Something about seeing yet another gunfight or explosion, yet another vehicle chase, does for my interest in a movie what brussels sprouts hitting the intestinal tract does for a romantic mood. If more action movie trailers looked like Iron Man 3, I’d call myself a fan.

Superhero movies have largely been considered their own genre. This is because at the heart of what is essentially a Sci-Fi/action genre, there’s so much drama that it’s often hard to invest oneself in these movies. A lot of emotions that are either set up to be resolved in the third or fourth sequel, or simply resolve over the action scenes, in which case, why not use some of that down time for the sake of the action scenes? Add that to the fact that they often follow the same formula, re-telling origin stories that lost their fresh and exciting flavor well before they developed the technology to put many of them onscreen. It’s often not until several installments that the film makers are confident enough in the ability of the audience to watch the film without being told decades-old stories with new visuals that they feel free to tell their own story.

While Iron Man 3 is largely about a familiar Iron Man villain, Iron Man 3 is anything but a rehash. Everything about this movie is fabricated especially for this movie’s universe; this is almost the way Christopher Nolan would adapt the character, though not quite. That’s likely to be the largest complaint from fans about this film, and I could easily write an entirely separate review of this film from the perspective of a comic fan, but as somebody whose favorite thing about Iron Man has always been the 1960s’ cartoon theme song, I could easily separate this from the quality of the film itself.

Central to this film is the role that Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) plays. First and foremost, she’s a female character in a comic book movie. I suppose that had to be said, and when you look at Carol Ferris, Mary Jane Watson, and Batman’s girls of the week, that sets a certain expectation. Pepper starts off the film by rejecting the intellectual (and implied physical) advances of a newly attractive man from her past. She then has an argument with her husband, and when he concedes fault, she tones it down to look at his point of view. She comes up with a plan to seek safer ground- not because she’s a coward, but because she’s traditionally been the most sensible person in the series- and Tony disagrees with her. Again, this isn’t because he’s entirely masculine and arrogant, but because he has genuine concerns about his ability to protect his non-superpowered wife in a different location.

Their entire relationship is based on this: Tony and Pepper recognize one another’s strengths and weaknesses. Pepper doesn’t allow Tony to get away with things because he’s her man or some other tripe, she doesn’t believe he has any ability to resist her demands. She just recognizes that he’s human, and has a tendency to make certain types of mistake, which she will forgive him, scold him or correct him for, depending on the situation. When he fails to prevent an attack from an unexpected angle, Tony is also quick to recognize the flaw in his plan and the value in hers, and makes no attempt to take credit for it.

Pepper is taken prisoner, yes, but so are both of our male leads, which gives us about 4 instances of male Damsels in Distress and 1 of Pepper. Iron Man is more successful at freeing himself than Pepper is, but he’s notably no more successful at freeing her. Or saving her. At all, in any way, despite really wanting to. “But Damsels in Distress dying to further the male hero’s story is nothing new” I hear you saying. And you’d be absolutely correct. But just because the male hero fails to save his wife doesn’t mean that she dies. And just because he fails to save himself doesn’t mean that he dies, either.

Pepper Potts is a true inspiration for me as a storyteller. She proves that a male character can be written with a standard by-the-numbers plot without the female character suffering for it. She goes through suffering, yes- the same amount of suffering as the superhero that she chose to spend her life with. But she doesn’t suffer as a character. Assuming that she did not become a female Human Torch in the comics, if you can’t get behind her in this film, you are simply not going to be pleased. It might have been nice to see some growth for this character, but for a secondary character who has found success in her career and love life and falls in the moral and logical right far more often than not, it would have been hard to include any that wouldn’t have distracted from the intended plot.

And the intended plot is nothing to sneer at. As I said, they took this franchise and released a serious action film of the sort that could make me look entirely differently at action films. A large part of this is that Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark spends a large portion of his time out of his Iron Man armor, doing things like thinking and having human emotions. He’s still the semi-lovable dick that we’ve been with through the past three films (the argument could be made that this is Iron Man 4, following The Avengers), but he’s grown as a person. There are references to Tony’s womanizing days from the first film, and it’s pretty clear that he doesn’t miss that lifestyle in the slightest.

When it does come time to pull out the CGI suits, this film pulls out all of the stops. There were concerns by some fans over whether this franchise would include Iron Man’s true strength: adaptability. Well, not only does Iron Man prove he’s adaptable out of his armor, but we see somewhere between twenty and forty suits of armor, including the fan favorite Hulkbuster armor. They’re clearly not as useful when he’s not at the helm, but they make the climax something awesome to behold.

Iron Man 3 may well be on its way to becoming my favorite superhero film of all time. It has all of the elements that many superhero films lack (many of those elements being the role Pepper Potts plays in both this film and the franchise) and all of the best elements of many such films. I did use the scenes with the child sidekick to refill my drink and empty my bladder, but even these scenes weren’t as bad as many shoe-horned in child sidekicks are, and in fact seemed like they were intended to be parodies of such scenes. One thing’s for certain: this is not the last time I’ll be watching this film.

"The 5th Wave" by Rick Yancey-- Books Like This Are Why I Still Read YA Fiction

noreply@blogger.com (SQT) — Fri, 03 May 2013 13:39:00 +0000

~Synopsis

After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.

Now, it's the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth's last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie's only hope for rescuing her brother--or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.

Stories about alien invasions never get old. In fact, I'd argue that the more technologically savvy we get the more fearful we become because we know that an advanced civilization could devastate us with one well placed attack-- something that is explored in Rick Yancey's multi-layered new book.

Cassiopeia (Cassie), the heroine of The 5th Wave, might have her namesake immortalized in the stars but her name is the only romantic thing about space in the bleak, solitary world in which she is trying to survive following a cataclysmic alien invasion. The aliens attack in waves that obliterate the world's population and 16-year-old Cassie knows her chances of survival aren't any better than the billions of people who have already been killed. But she made a promise to her brother Sam that they would be reunited and family is something that has become incredibly rare in the few short months since the first attack.

Cassie is my kind of girl. Her life is divided into two parts and she is, predictably, a different person following the alien apocalypse. She instinctively knew, when the ship first appeared in the sky, that they weren't a benevolent presence and the same fierce intelligence that guided her through the early days is what keeps her going in her quest to find Sam. She's not the type of girl who suffers fools easily. Her father's childlike acceptance of the invasion and naive hope generally infuriates her and it's not surprising that Sam's fate ends up in her hands.

"The 5th Wave" spends more of its time exploring the emotional and physical impact of the invasion rather than delve into the minutiae of an alien civilization. In fact we don't know what the aliens look like throughout most of the book. Yancy does a masterful job of taking plot elements that we've seen before in other works of dystopian fiction and tweaking them so that we don't know which characters are the villains and which ones are the good guys. You'll see comparisons to "Ender's Game," "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" and even "The Stand"-- and in some ways they're all apt. Yancey takes a multitude of end-of-the-world scenarios, including an Ebola epidemic to engineered tidal waves, and fuses them with a not-so-standard alien invasion that is a marvel of interweaving story lines.

My favorite aspect of "The 5th Wave" has to be that it is nothing like the angsty YA fiction that you usually find on the shelf these days. Cassie does sometimes brood about Ben, the boy she had a crush on in her former life; and there is Evan Walker, the mysterious boy who saves her life. But there isn't the typical does-he or doesn't-he-like-me moments in "The 5th Wave" because everyone is trying too hard to survive and trust doesn't come easy enough for relationships to form quickly. Yancey also spends some time pondering the impact of loneliness and isolation and how tough-minded one must be to survive chronic aloneness. Cassie copes by keeping a journal and it serves as a window into her mind and what drives her to keep going when the temptation to give up looms large.

The only thing that keeps me from giving "The 5th Wave" a 5-star review is a fairly extended interlude in Cassie's travels that bring her and Evan Walker together. It's interesting in some ways but Evan's character is a little bit hovering and reminiscent of Edward Cullen ("Twilight"); though Cassie is no Bella (thankfully). And yet that interlude does allow Yancey to break away from Cassie's story for a little bit to focus on Sam and the mysterious military base he's been taken to, along with all the other children, for safekeeping. At that point the narrative takes on a more ominous vibe as Yancey explores the ease in which children can be manipulated to accept, and do, almost anything.

Overall I really liked "The 5th Wave." It's the kind of book that encourages me to keep picking up YA fiction because it explores dark themes without pummeling the reader with explicit violence or sexuality while still maintaining an elegant and intricate plot. Yancey doesn't dumb the story down to meet a YA criteria-- quite the opposite. Cassie is clever and real and a great leading lady- one I believe we may see again (I certainly hope so). There is enough of a reveal to get a sense of what the alien invaders are in "The 5th Wave," but the fate of the last human survivors is largely unknown. There is a hint at a love triangle of sorts, but Yancey doesn't overplay that particular plot point. Basically, there is a lot of story yet to be told and I'm more than willing to back and see how it all works out.

4 out of 5 stars.

Waiting on Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (SQT) — Wed, 01 May 2013 04:59:00 +0000

Waiting on Wednesday is a blog meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine to spotlight upcoming books.

This week's WoW selection is:

Antigoddess by Kendare Blake
Publisher: Tor Teen
Date: September 10, 2013
Pages: 352

Old Gods never die…

Or so Athena thought. But then the feathers started sprouting beneath her skin, invading her lungs like a strange cancer, and Hermes showed up with a fever eating away his flesh. So much for living a quiet eternity in perpetual health.

Desperately seeking the cause of their slow, miserable deaths, Athena and Hermes travel the world, gathering allies and discovering enemies both new and old. Their search leads them to Cassandra—an ordinary girl who was once an extraordinary prophetess, protected and loved by a god.

These days, Cassandra doesn’t involve herself in the business of gods—in fact, she doesn’t even know they exist. But she could be the key in a war that is only just beginning.

Because Hera, the queen of the gods, has aligned herself with other of the ancient Olympians, who are killing off rivals in an attempt to prolong their own lives. But these anti-gods have become corrupted in their desperation to survive, horrific caricatures of their former glory. Athena will need every advantage she can get, because immortals don’t just flicker out.

Every one of them dies in their own way. Some choke on feathers. Others become monsters. All of them rage against their last breath.

The Goddess War is about to begin.

I'm mostly intrigued with this title because Kendare Blake has come out with some cool books over the last couple of years (Anna Dressed in Blood, Girl of Nightmares) and I'm really interested to see what she does with Greek Myth. "Antigoddess," like her other books, sounds like it's going to have a strong dark side too.

Giveaway: "London Falling" by Paul Cornell

noreply@blogger.com (SQT) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 07:00:00 +0000

Courtesy of Tor Books I have a copy of London Falling by Paul Cornell to offer for giveaway.

Police officers Quill, Costain, Sefton, and Ross know the worst of London—or they think they do. While investigating a mobster's mysterious death, they come into contact with a strange artifact and accidentally develop the Sight. Suddenly they can see the true evil haunting London’s streets.

Armed with police instincts and procedures, the four officers take on the otherworldly creatures secretly prowling London. Football lore and the tragic history of a Tudor queen become entwined in their pursuit of an age-old witch with a penchant for child sacrifice. But when London’s monsters become aware of their meddling, the officers must decide what they are willing to sacrifice to clean up their city.

(The only reason I'm giving this away is because I have an ARC copy for my own greedy self...)

Just add your information to the form below to enter (all information is guaranteed confidential and will be discarded once the contest ends) and I will randomly pick one winner by Tuesday May 7th. No multiple entries please-- all multiple entries will be discarded. Open everywhere.

Good luck!

TV: Doctor Who Series 4

noreply@blogger.com (William Silvia) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 07:00:00 +0000

In 2008, Doctor Who reached its fourth season under the leadership of Russell T. Davies. This was his final full length season, one written as a testament to the past three years. Catherine Tate reprised her role as Donna Noble, a middle aged woman with an attitude that had a place in the universe far beyond the obvious. While the general strengths and weaknesses inherent to Davies' run on Doctor Who are present, I would consider this to be the overall best season from 2005 to the present.

Donna Noble is a different kind of companion for new Who. She has no romantic interest in the Doctor, nor does she look up to him as a hero or a teacher. In fact, she's the kind of person week who has trouble being respectful to her boss. Donna stands with the Doctor as an equal and a friend. She also struggles with self-fulfilling self esteem issues: she treats every one the way she feels about herself, and gets crap back from life at the same time. Apart from her grandfather, the Doctor is probably the first person in Donna's life to treat her as though she's important, which is what sparks her character growth and ultimately makes the manner in which she leaves the TARDIS so devastating.

I've found that the best way to look at a season's strengths in this era is by the way each episode ties in to the finale. Series 4 is littered with several themes: Donna is important, she has no faith in herself, and something terrible is going to happen to her. There are also a few references to something invisible on Donna's back, referencing the penultimate story of this season in a Doctor Who version of "It's a Wonderful Life". And finally, almost every episode of this season features a missing world, or a moon. Sometimes it’s just an off-hand reference (running into a scholar who is looking for the Lost Moon of Poosh in “Midnight”) and sometimes it’s the catalyst of an episode (the disappearance of Adipose 4 in “Partners in Crime”).

As for more subtle connections between episodes, this season has more companions than ever. Two companions who would appear in future episodes feature in this season: newcomer River Song, and returning actor Bernard Cribbins reprises his role from Voyage of the Damned as Wilfred Mott, Donna’s grandfather. Billie Piper as Rose Tyler has several short cameos throughout the season, and Freema Agyeman appears as guest star in several episodes as Martha Jones. Finally, in “The Doctor’s Daughter”, the Doctor, Donna and Martha are joined by Jenny, a genetically modified clone of the Doctor played by Georgia Moffett, the daughter of Fifth Doctor Peter Davison (formerly Moffett) and future wife of David Tennant. I think future head writer Steven Moffat took notes on this relationship when planning Series 6.

This all leads up to the two-parter “The Stolen Earth” and “Journey’s End”, arguably my favorite Doctor Who story to date. This isn’t the most imaginative or thought-provoking episode, but Doctor Who doesn’t always need that. “Journey’s End” is about a long-time DW fanboy writing a special about his favorite villains doing their best to destroy the Doctor and his favorite people. Rose and Jackie Tyler, Mickey Smith, Jack Harkness, Sarah Jane Smith, Martha Jones and Donna Noble stand beside the Doctor as he faces off against Dalek creator Davros, while Wilf, Ianto Jones and Gwen Cooper from Torchwood, and Mr. Smith and Luke from Sarah Jane Adventures defend against the Daleks at home. K-9 and the Doctor’s hand from “Christmas Invasion” help deal with the crises at the end of the episode as well. "Journey’s End" wasn’t the last thing Russell T. Davies did for Doctor Who, but it was the end of the journey. Most of these individuals would continue to appear- Torchwood would run for two more seasons and each of the Doctor Who companions would appear in Davies’ final episode, but the end of Series 4 is the end of an era, and with a conclusion like this it’s only right that it’s the final complete season that he wrote for the show.

Barring "Journey’s End", Series 4 doesn’t have as many of my favorite moments as the earlier seasons did, but there’s also a lot less reasons to be squeamish of this season. I’d gladly take a few “Sontaran Strategem”’s in place of the combination of “Fear Her” and “The Impossible Planet”, or “The Doctor’s Daughter” in place of “Evolution of the Daleks”. That, and I just can’t help from watching the three episodes at the end of the season literally any time.

For a fair review, I need to admit that there are some faults here. Davros’s appearance is completely out of the blue. Despite the fact that 2005-2008 features more Daleks than any similar time period since 1975, there was never so much as a hint of his existence (unless you count the Doctor’s crack in “Evolution of the Daleks”). There really was never so much as a hint that Daleks had anything to do with anything that was going on, which makes the fact that the entire season leads up to them feel slightly off. On top of that, Donna starts off as a pretty annoying companion until she spends some time with the Doctor, and Rose and River’s reactions to Donna all but scream “ZOMG WATCH THE FINALE DONNA WON’T BE HERE NEXT SEASON!” Still, overall I feel these are rather minor drawbacks for such a solid season.

Kickstarter: Showing Support For the Sci-Fi Reviewer Community

noreply@blogger.com (William Silvia) — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 04:38:00 +0000

I normally don't take it upon myself to post much other than reviews here. I usually let SQT and Jim post about the outside world while I do what I joined to do: Tell you what I think of books, comics, movies, and occasionally TV shows. However, I am the resident Whovian here, so this falls to me, and I think it's worth bringing to your attention.

Philip Sandifer is the host of TARDIS Eruditorium, a site that looks at Doctor Who with more depth and intensity than I ever considered looking at a TV show with. While we don't always see eye to eye on what makes good fiction, the fact that he opens my eyes wide enough to look into his is enough reason for me to keep reading.

Sandifer is currently hosting (is that the right word) a Kickstarter project. This was originally intended to fund an improved version of his first independent book, and has gone on to set up other projects for Sandifer to work on. While it's certainly past the point of needing further donations, I think some viewers might want to see such a project evolve. I certainly do, if only because I like to see these projects succeed, as I intend to go forward with projects that share some similarities with his in my own time. If you are a fan of Doctor Who, it's worth noting that the Ebook versions of his books offered as incentive for donating are below retail Amazon price, so that's worth a glance if nothing else.

For the sake of disclosure, I still haven't decided if I'm going to donate to this or not, largely because I don't like spending more than $3 for a book, and because if I let myself I would buy the $250 tier, and I just can't afford to let myself do that.

As of posting this, the project has 16 days to go. I'm curious as to what will result of this, and if the followership of this blog has any strong feelings one way or another.

Here's the video for the Kickstarter project:

Waiting on Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (SQT) — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 04:59:00 +0000

Waiting on Wednesday is a blog meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine to highlight upcoming books.

This week's WoW selection is:

Truly, Madly, Deadly by Hannah Jayne

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Date: July 16, 2013
Pages: 304

Sawyer Dodd has it all. She's a star track athlete, choir soloist, and A-student. And her boyfriend is the handsome all-star Kevin Anderson. But behind the medals, prom pictures, and perfect smiles, Sawyer finds herself trapped in a controlling, abusive relationship with Kevin. When he dies in a drunk-driving accident, Sawyer is secretly relieved. She's free. Until she opens her locker and finds a mysterious letter signed by "an admirer" and printed with two simple words: "You're welcome."

This just sounds too creepy good to pass up!

"Thor: Dark World" Trailer

noreply@blogger.com (SQT) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 13:48:00 +0000

TV: Doctor Who Series 3

noreply@blogger.com (William Silvia) — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 07:00:00 +0000

A look at Series 3 of new Doctor Who requires a look at one off the major questions of the new era:

is the Tenth Doctor a coward? The obvious answer to this is of course not. Every version of the Doctor has risked life and limb for the sake of both those he knows about and complete strangers. But a look at this season reveals a startling amount of evidence to the contrary: rather than fight a foe he can clearly dispatch, he puts the lives of a town at risk with his attempt to wait for the enemy to die on its own. Rather than attempt to defeat a clearly murderous group of enemies, he gives in to the idea that they are replacing the minds of bystanders with copies of their own and simply aims to make those copies less murderous. And of course the most questioned point of the season, when the Doctor attempts a Luke Skywalker style redemption plot with an unrepentant murderer of hundreds of millions- trillions if you take into account the classic show.

Ultimately, the Doctor's willingness to risk the health of the many for the sake of the few indicates an important change in this season: rather than goodness or determination, this season's Doctor is characterized by tiredness. He's weary of the wrath and the destruction. His statement that "I lose it all and they always survive" is more than a line for the "Daleks in Manhattan"- in certain ways it's the thesis that this season is based on. The Doctor is trying to get as far from the ruthlessness that characterized Sylvester McCoy's tenure as possible, though as "Family of Blood" indicates, it's never far from him.

At the end of Series 2, the Doctor saw his companion and lover off into a parallel universe as two armies invaded the Earth: one an alternate version of a force that was defeated in that era of time, and the other a force left over from a fleet that the Doctor had made great sacrifices to defeat. The aftermath of this leads into the series 3 opener, “Runaway Bride”, in which the Doctor faces and destroys another ancient enemy of his people, with a ruthlessness that resulted in the titular bride- next season's companion- becoming cautious enough of the Doctor to decline his offer to travel with him. This apparently struck a chord with the Doctor- as I described above, he spends the remainder of the season taking ridiculous risks to avoid doing so again.

This season, even more than the last, is a regeneration. The Doctor has a new companion, who hasn't seen the things that Rose has and reacts to them differently. In that regard this season follows many of the same patterns that Series 1 did, except with a Doctor newly confronted by a close personal loss rather than massive trauma. Rather than the Post Traumatic Dress Disorder he experienced in the past, it seems this Doctors psychological state can be more closely defined by clinical Depression. His response to his loss is to cling to everything from his old life: the Daleks, the Master, and even a world in which the Time Lords caused the extinction of the Racknos.

The season plot is pretty subtle compared to what we've seen before. Rather than setting the season up with enemies for a brawl at the end, Series 3 sets up ideals such as forgiveness (leading to the Master spending a year keeping the Doctor from telling him “I forgive you”), and technology that informs the finale, in the form of screwdrivers and fob watches. With some of the themes I discussed in the first paragraph, this is rather bittersweet- an ambitious idea mired in its own concepts.

Martha is both the most intelligent and the wisest companion new Who has had yet, which is probably why she’s made one of the biggest marks of any one-season companion. That, or maybe the fact that she’s a sassy black girl and the best dresser that would travel with Tennant’s Doctor. As a medical doctor, it’s not surprising that she has traits of the 8th Doctor’s companion Grace Holloway- being kissed by the Doctor, having an episode where he’s half human (“Family of Blood”), and falling in love with him (although she denies it at first). Still, watching Martha interact with her family and the Doctor is a blast; she really has a full life waiting for her back home and you can see that every time the TARDIS stops by the 21st century.

The only downside to Martha is that the stories she’s in could really give a shit about her. If you ignore the fact that “Gridlock” and “The Shakespeare Code” carry elements of “End of the World” (as Martha mentions, “ever heard the word ‘rebound’?”) and that she contributes a line at the end of the latter, the only stories that really involve Martha are the two-parters. It’s these episodes that prove her worth as an invaluable companion, however, as in each she fights for the Doctor’s cause- without his help- for weeks or months on end, without exactly being the most popular person around, and passed with shining colors. “Human Nature” and “Last of the Time Lords”, despite both having their problems, really shine in the companion department.

That’s the key to this season, I think. Really great scenes, really great moments; but the episodes as a whole are too flawed to really call great. I love this season for a lot of reasons, but I can’t call it a good one. It’s a season that you have to watch for the characters and for the great moments, but you can’t pay too much attention to the plot or it gets a little disturbing. I still recommend this season, but only if you fall in love with the characters in “Smith and Jones”.

Harrison Ford Flips Out on Jimmy Kimmel

noreply@blogger.com (SQT) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 05:38:00 +0000

Something funny...

H/T Bill Silvia

Books Received

noreply@blogger.com (SQT) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 05:06:00 +0000

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

The Passage meets Ender's Game in an epic new series from award-winning author Rick Yancey.

After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.

Now, it's the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth's last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie's only hope for rescuing her brother—or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.

Faeryland: The Secret World of the Hidden Ones by John Matthews

The author of Abrams’ How to See Faeries (with Brian Froud) opens the land of faerie to all readers. The book provides a broad overview of faeries, including a Who’s Who of Faeries; Good Faeries vs. Bad Faeries; Faerie Courts; Faerie Spells; and Faerie Sightings. Faeries of the British Isles as well as those of Scandinavia, Germany, North America, and even the Asian, Arabic, and African worlds are discussed. Matt Dangler and other contemporary fantasy artists bring the land of faerie to life alongside such fine artists as William Blake, Henry Fuseli, and J. M. W. Turner.Faeryland contains an envelope of faerie photos to use as postcards; an invitation from Puck to a Faerie Ball; a 19th-century faerie pull-out map (currently housed in the Library of Congress!) and more.

Can You See What I See?: Out of This World: Picture Puzzles to Search and Solve by Walter Wick

Walter Wick's new search-and-find adventure in the NEW YORK TIMES bestselling series!

OUT OF THIS WORLD, the ninth title in this search-and-find series, follows two characters from two separate, very different worlds--until their worlds collide! In the end, we learn that these two worlds really aren't that different at all. They both come from the same place: a child's playroom! Walter Wick's fantastic photographs bring the princess and the robot worlds together through a series of search-and-find activities.

Amazing photographs accompany a terrific search-and-find game by Walter Wick, the creator of the NEW YORK TIMES bestselling Can You See What I See? series and the photographer of the internationally successful I Spy series.

Deep Down by Deborah Coates

Now that she's solved her sister's murder, Hallie Michaels has left the army and isn't sure what to do next. Her relationship with deputy Boyd Davies is tentative, there's still distance between her and her father, and she needs a job. The good news is, she hasn't seen a ghost in weeks.

All that changes when she gets a call asking her to help an elderly neighbor who is being stalked by black dogs, creatures from the underworld that are harbingers of death. When a black dog appears, Hallie learns, a reaper is sure to follow. And if the dark visions she's suddenly receiving are any indication, it looks like the reaper is now following her.

Meanwhile, strange events herald the arrival of ghosts from Boyd's past, ghosts the young deputy isn't ready to face. Refusing Hallie's help, Boyd takes off to deal with the problem on his own, only to find that he's facing something much larger and more frightening than he'd imagined.

Stalked by a reaper and plagued by dark visions, Hallie finds she must face her fears and travel into Death's own realm to save those she most loves.

Archvillain #3: Yesterday Again by Barry Lyga

YESTERDAY AGAIN is the third book in critically acclaimed author Barry Lyga's Archvillain series!

Kyle Camden, a.k.a. the Azure Avenger, unintentional Bouring archvillain, has a foolproof plan to finally prove that Mighty Mike, unintentional town superhero, is an alien. Kyle's going back in time to the night Mike Mighty showed up on Earth and video tape his arrival. Yet he decides to use the time machine just as something evil has been unleashed on Bouring during the Annual Time Capsule Burial. But Kyle can fix it when he's back, right?

Kyle accidentally overshoots his intended destination, landing in 1987, and burns out his time machine. Things get even stranger when he accidentally befriends his dad at age twelve, meets Sheriff Monroe (his archnemesis in present time) as a teenager, and discovers William Lundergaard lurking around. But Lundergaard isn't any younger. How did he end up in 1987 and why? Kyle better figure it out fast. Because if he doesn't get back to the present immediately, well, there might not be a present anymore!

Trinity Rising (Wild Hunt) by Elspeth Cooper

This sequel to Songs of the Earth by Elspeth Cooper continues the story of a young man who has been sentenced to death, and then exiled, for his magical abilities.

As Gair struggles with grief over the loss of the only home he had known, and his beloved, he is walking into a conflict that's greater and more deadly than he or his mentor ever anticipated. A storm of unrest is spreading across the land and they are going to be caught up in it—at a moment when Gair's hold on his magic, his greatest defense and most valuable tool, is starting to slip….

Dreams and Shadows: A Novel by C. Robert Cargill

Screenwriter and acclaimed film critic C. Robert Cargill makes his fiction debut with Dreams and Shadows, taking beloved fantasy tropes, giving them a twist, and turning out a wonderful, witty, and wry take on clash between the fairy world and our own.

Something is missing from Ewan and Colby’s lives. Residing in the corners of their memories is their time in Limestone Kingdom, a realm filled with magic and mystery, a world where only some may travel amongst the menagerie of mystical souls and sinister demons.

Cargill offers well-crafted characters and an absorbing, intricate plot that will appeal to fans of Neil Gaiman and Lev Grossman. Dreams and Shadows pulls you into an extraordinary universe of darkness that exposes the magic and monsters in our world, and in ourselves.

Deep Dive #1: Cephalox the Cyber Squid by Adam Blade

A brand-new underwater adventure from Adam Blade, author of the Beast Quest series!

Max's home, the floating city of Aquora, is attacked by Cephelox the Cyber Squid and his father is carried away by the Robobeast. Max and his robodog, Rivet, set off on a rescue mission. Along the way, they meet Lia, a princess of an ancient race of Merryns who live underwater. The Merryn's magic powers are fading because the evil Professor has stolen four pieces of a skull that is the source of their abilities. It is up to Max and Lia to retrieve these items and save Max's father before it is too late.

Shattered Pillars (Eternal Sky) by Elizabeth Bear

The Shattered Pillars is the second book of Bear’s The Eternal Sky trilogy and the sequel to Range of Ghosts. Set in a world drawn from our own great Asian Steppes, this saga of magic, politics and war sets Re-Temur, the exiled heir to the great Khagan and his friend Sarmarkar, a Wizard of Tsarepheth, against dark forces determined to conquer all the great Empires along the Celedon Road.

Elizabeth Bear is an astonishing writer, whose prose draws you into strange and wonderful worlds, and makes you care deeply about the people and the stories she tells. The world of The Eternal Sky is broadly and deeply created—her award-nominated novella, "Bone and Jewel Creatures" is also set there.

The Garden of Stones (Echoes of Empire) by Mark T. Barnes

An uneasy peace has existed since the fall of the Awakened Empire centuries ago. Now the hybrid Avān share the land with the people they once conquered: the star-born humans; the spectral, undead Nomads; and what remains of the Elemental Masters.

With the Empress-in-Shadows an estranged ghost, it is the ancient dynasties of the Great Houses and the Hundred Families that rule. But now civil war threatens to draw all of Shrīan into a vicious struggle sparked by one man’s lust for power, and his drive to cheat death.

Visions have foretold that Corajidin, dying ruler of House Erebus, will not only survive, but rise to rule his people. The wily nobleman seeks to make his destiny certain — by plundering the ruins of his civilization’s past for the arcane science needed to ensure his survival, and by mercilessly eliminating his rivals. But mercenary warrior-mage Indris, scion of the rival House Näsarat, stands most powerfully in the usurper’s bloody path. For it is Indris who reluctantly accepts the task of finding a missing man, the only one able to steer the teetering nation towards peace.

Rebel Angels (Lady Lazarus) by Michelle Lang

Magda Lazarus has twice come back from the dead to fight the Nazis’ devastating conquest of Poland. To prevent the Holocaust her sister has seen in terrible visions, Magda will need the Heaven Sapphire, a gem powerful enough to defeat even the demon Asmodel. With the future of all Europe in the balance, Magda and her husband, the fallen angel Raziel, begin a perilous journey to the Caucasus, the resting place of the fabled stone.

Surrounded by Germans, Russians, and mistrustful Azerbaijani tribesmen, Magda must summon all her magic to withstand the predations of the deadly supernatural foes. But more dangerous yet is the power of the Sapphire itself, which could stop Hitler…or destroy Magda.

Sovereign (The Books of Mortals) by Ted Dekker and Tosca Lee

Nine years after Rom Sebastian was thrust into the most unlikely of circumstances as hero and bearer of an unimaginable secret, the alliance of his followers is in disarray. An epic battle with The Order has left them scattered and deeply divided both in strategy and resolve in their struggle to become truly alive and free.

Only 49 truly alive followers remain loyal to Rom. This meager band must fight for survival as The Order is focused on their total annihilation. Misunderstood and dispised, their journey will be one of desperation against a new, more intensely evil Order. As the hand of this evil is raised to strike and destroy them they must rely on their faith in the abiding power of love to overcome all and lead them to sovereigncy.

SOVEREIGN wonderfuly continues the new testament allegory that was introduced in FORBIDDEN and continued in MORTAL.

The Stone Thrower by Adam Marek

At the core of Adam Marek’s much-anticipated second short story collection is a single, unifying theme: a parent’s instinct to protect a vulnerable child. Whether set amid unnerving visions of the near-future or grounded in the domestic here and now, these stories demonstrate that, sometimes, only outright surrealism can do justice to the merciless strangeness of reality and that only the fantastically illogical can steel us against what ordinary life threatens. Marek has blended futuristic technology, sinister traditions, and scientifically grounded superpowers into a menagerie where the absurd and the mundane are not merely bedfellows, but interbreed. In these vignettes, absurdism, surrealism, and fantasy bleed into one, causing the reader to take huge imaginative leaps while still keeping one foot firmly in reality. This strange and startling fictional world is accompanied by bonus BackLit materials which include an introduction and overview of Marek’s stories.

Kitty Rocks the House (Kitty Norville) by Carrie Vaughn

On the heels of Kitty’s return from London, a new werewolf shows up in Denver, one who threatens to split the pack by challenging Kitty’s authority at every turn. The timing could not be worse; Kitty needs all the allies she can muster to go against the ancient vampire, Roman, if she’s to have any hope of defeating his Long Game. But there’s more to this intruder than there seems, and Kitty must uncover the truth, fast. Meanwhile, Cormac pursues an unknown entity wreaking havoc across Denver; and a vampire from the Order of St. Lazaurus tempts Rick with the means to transform his life forever.

The Gate Thief (Mither Mages) by Orson Scott Card

In this sequel to The Lost Gate, bestselling author Orson Scott Card continues his fantastic tale of the Mages of Westil who live in exile on Earth in The Gate Thief.

Here on Earth, Danny North is still in high school, yet he holds in his heart and mind all the stolen outselves of thirteen centuries of gatemages. The Families still want to kill him if they can't control him…and they can't control him. He is far too powerful.

And on Westil, Wad is now nearly powerless—he lost everything to Danny in their struggle. Even if he can survive the revenge of his enemies, he still must somehow make peace with the Gatemage Daniel North.

For when Danny took that power from Loki, he also took the responsibility for the Great Gates. And when he comes face-to-face with the mages who call themselves Bel and Ishtoreth, he will come to understand just why Loki closed the gates all those centuries ago.

The Mad Scientist's Guide to World Domination: Original Short Fiction for the Modern Evil Genius Edited by John Joseph Adams

From Victor Frankenstein to Lex Luthor, from Dr. Moreau to Dr. Doom, readers have long been fascinated by insane plans for world domination and the madmen who devise them. Typically, we see these villains through the eyes of good guys. This anthology, however, explores the world of mad scientists and evil geniuses—from their own wonderfully twisted point of view.

An all-star roster of bestselling authors—including Diana Gabaldon, Daniel Wilson, Austin Grossman, Naomi Novik, and Seanan McGuire…twenty-two great storytellers all told—have produced a fabulous assortment of stories guaranteed to provide readers with hour after hour of high-octane entertainment born of the most megalomaniacal mayhem imaginable.

Everybody loves villains. They’re bad; they always stir the pot; they’re much more fun than the good guys, even if we want to see the good guys win. Their fiendish schemes, maniacal laughter, and limitless ambition are legendary, but what lies behind those crazy eyes and wicked grins? How—and why—do they commit these nefarious deeds? And why are they so set on taking over the world?

If you’ve ever asked yourself any of these questions, you’re in luck: It’s finally time for the madmen’s side of the story.

Energized by Edward M. Lerner

No one expected the oil to last forever. How right they were….

A geopolitical miscalculation tainted the world’s major oil fields with radioactivity and plunged the Middle East into chaos. Any oil that remains usable is more prized than ever. No one can build solar farms, wind farms, and electric cars quickly enough to cope. The few countries still able to export oil and natural gas—Russia chief among them—have a stranglehold on the world economy.

And then, from the darkness of space, came Phoebe. Rather than divert the onrushing asteroid, America captured it in Earth orbit.

Solar power satellites—cheaply mass-produced in orbit with resources mined from the new moon to beam vast amounts of power to the ground—offer America its last, best hope of avoiding servitude and economic ruin.

As though building miles-across structures in space isn’t challenging enough, special interests, from technophobes to eco-extremists to radio astronomers, want to stop the project. And the remaining petro powers will do anything to protect their newfound dominance of world affairs.

NASA engineer Marcus Judson is determined to make the powersat demonstration project a success. And he will—even though nothing in his job description mentions combating an international cabal, or going into space to do it.

Hellhole Awakening (The Hellhole Trilogy) by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson

In this exhiliarting sequel to Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson's Hellhole, the stakes on planet Hallholme have been raised to new heights.

After declaring his independence from the corrupt Constellation, rebel General Adolphus knows the crackdown is coming. Now he needs to pull together the struggling Hellhole colony, the ever-expanding shadow-Xayan settlement, and his connections with the other Deep Zone worlds. Even then, he doubts his desperate measures will be enough.

Diadem Michella Duchenet has collected a huge space fleet led by Commodore Escobar Hallholme, son of the hero who originally defeated Adolphus. They expect resistance from the General's rebels, but who could possibly stand up to such a mighty fleet?

Adolphus knows he’s running out of time, but he still has some hope—the shadow-Xayans have banded together to defend their sacred planet with "telemancy," but can they discover new powers to protect all the stored alien lives on the already devastated world? And when all hope seems lost, the awakened Xayans reveal information hidden even from their own followers—the existence of a bigger threat that makes even the Constellation fleet seem insignificant.

Disaster has come for General Adolphus and Hellhole…and this time there is no escape.

Blood's Pride (Shattered Kingdoms) by Evie Manieri

Evie Manieri's Blood's Pride is the first book of The Shattered Kingdoms, an engaging, action-packed, and “highly imaginative” (Kirkus Reviews) series of fantasy novels with epic scope and “the perfect mix of romance, family ties, betrayals, and agonizing dilemmas” (RT Book Reviews).

Rising from their sea-torn ships like vengeful, pale phantoms, the Norlanders laid waste to the Shadar under cover of darkness. They forced the once-peaceful fisher folk into slavery and forged an alliance with their former trading partners, the desert-dwelling Nomas tribe, cutting off any hope of salvation.

Now, two decades after the invasion, a rebellion gathers strength in the dark corridors of the city. A small faction of Shadari have hired the Mongrel, an infamous mercenary, to aid their fledgling uprising—but with her own shadowy ties to the region, she is a frighteningly volatile ally. Has she really come to lead a revolution, or for a more sinister purpose all her own?

Fall of Night: The Morganville Vampires by Rachel Caine

Thanks to its unique combination of human and vampire residents, Morganville, Texas, is a small college town with big time problems. When student Claire Danvers gets the chance to experience life on the outside, she takes it. But Morganville isn’t the only town with vampire trouble

Claire never thought she’d get to leave Morganville, but she can’t pass up the chance to finally attend her dream school, MIT. After all, getting to invent anti-vamp devices with Professor Anderson—a Morganville exile herself—sounds like a dream come trueuntil Claire realizes that there are sinister forces in play, and she’s not the only one with a vampire-related agenda.

Without her friends Shane, Eve and Michael, surviving a killer schedule may be hardbut with them, it might turn out to be impossible.

The Executioner's Heart by George Mann

It’s normal for Inspector Bainbridge to be called to the scene of a crime, but this is the third murder in quick succession, each with the victim’s chest cracked open and their heart torn out. Bainbridge suspects there’s a symbolic reason for the stolen hearts, so he sends for special agent Sir Maurice Newbury and his determined assistant Miss Veronica Hobbes.

Unfortunately, neither of them are in much shape to take the case. Veronica is busy trying to find some way to alleviate the mysterious forces hounding her family. Newbury's been retained by a private client: Edward, Prince of Wales, who's concerned that his mother is losing her grip on the nation.

Eventually, though, it is determined that someone has hired a mercenary known as the Executioner to kill current and former agents of the Queen. The Executioner—French, beautiful, and covered in tattoos, her flesh inlaid with precious metals—is famed throughout Europe, with legends going back for years. Something is keeping her in a form of living stasis, but her heart is damaged, leaving her an emotionless shell, inexplicably driven to collect her victims’ hearts as trophies.

Why is Veronica acting the way she is? Why has she stopped trusting Bainbridge? What does the Prince of Walesreally want? These are just some of the mysteries that Newbury and Hobbes will confront on the way to unearthing the secret of the Executioner’s Heart.

The Omega Project by Steve Alten

On the brink of a disaster that could end all human life on earth, tech genius Robert Eisenbraun joins a team of scientists in Antarctica on a mission to Jupiter’s moon Europa to mine a rare ore that would provide for Earth’s long-term energy needs. But as he and the rest of the team train under the ice shelf in preparation for the long journey, trouble erupts, and before they embark Eisenbraun is the odd man out, put into cold sleep against his will….

When Robert wakes, he finds the ship deserted and not functional. He escapes to the surface of an Earth terribly changed. The plan has gone horribly wrong, but as he adapts to a hostile environment, he realizes that there is still a way to accomplish what his mission had set out to achieve. But he also discovers that he faces a new adversary of the most unlikely sort. For now, his own survival and that of the woman whose love has sustained him in his darkest hours depend on the defeat of a technological colossus partly of his own making. Confronting a foe that knows him almost as well as he knows himself, he faces the prospect of depending on resources that he has reason to believe will be available on one particular night of a full moon, a night foretold by a myseterious unseen ally to be a pivotal moment for the fate of the earth. The game has changed, and Earth’s future depends on him and him alone.

Stepping Stone / Love Machine: Crosstown to Oblivion by Walter Mosley

Walter Mosley's talent knows no bounds. Stepping Stone and The Love Machine are two complete short novels in which Mosley entertainingly explores life's cosmic questions. From life's meaning to the nature of good and evil, these tales take us on speculative journeys beyond the reality we have come to know. In each tale someone in our world today is given insight into these long pondered mysteries. But how would the world really receive the answers?

Homeland by Cory Doctorow

In Cory Doctorow’s wildly successful Little Brother, young Marcus Yallow was arbitrarily detained and brutalized by the government in the wake of a terrorist attack on San Francisco—an experience that led him to become a leader of the whole movement of technologically clued-in teenagers, fighting back against the tyrannical security state.

A few years later, California's economy collapses, but Marcus’s hacktivist past lands him a job as webmaster for a crusading politician who promises reform. Soon his former nemesis Masha emerges from the political underground to gift him with a thumbdrive containing a Wikileaks-style cable-dump of hard evidence of corporate and governmental perfidy. It’s incendiary stuff—and if Masha goes missing, Marcus is supposed to release it to the world. Then Marcus sees Masha being kidnapped by the same government agents who detained and tortured Marcus years earlier.

Marcus can leak the archive Masha gave him—but he can’t admit to being the leaker, because that will cost his employer the election. He’s surrounded by friends who remember what he did a few years ago and regard him as a hacker hero. He can’t even attend a demonstration without being dragged onstage and handed a mike. He’s not at all sure that just dumping the archive onto the Internet, before he’s gone through its millions of words, is the right thing to do.

Meanwhile, people are beginning to shadow him, people who look like they’re used to inflicting pain until they get the answers they want.

Fast-moving, passionate, and as current as next week, Homeland is every bit the equal of Little Brother—a paean to activism, to courage, to the drive to make the world a better place.

The Shape Stealer by Lee Carroll

Jewelry designer Garet James is the Watchtower—the last in a long line of powerful women sworn to protect the world from evil. Although she had once defeated evil in New York City, her pursuit of her true love, the 400-year-old vampire Will Hughes, has now unleashed an age-old evil onto the modern world, and the entire planet is at risk.

Marduk, the ageless descendant of a demonic Babylonian deity, is now loose in Paris. He has joined forces with the villainous John Dee in a plan to destroy the world’s economy and plunge the entire world into chaos.

To fight this threat, Garet enlists the help of a modern-day band of knights who are dedicated to preserving the sanctity of the timeline. As she and her allies face this threat, new challenges arise in the form of a rival faction of knights who will stop at nothing to bring about the destruction of everything Garet holds dear.

Infestation by Timothy J. Bradley

A contemporary take on the classic creature-feature genre. INFESTATION is a thrilling, fast-paced story that will leave your skin crawling.

When Andy Greenwood is sent to the Reclamation School for Boys he expects the lousy food, mean drill sergeant instructors, and brutal bullies. What he doesn't expect is an infestation of weirdly large and aggressive ants, or the itching welts all over the staff and students. Even odder, Andy learns that kids never leave the school when they're supposed to. They just seem to get stuck there indefinitely.

Following a ground-splitting earthquake, however, things quickly go from bad to horrifying. The school is overrun by monstrous bugs, and Andy himself comes face to face with mutant ants the size of humans, equipped with pinchers that can cut steel. Trapped in a cinderblock institutional building in the New Mexico desert, miles from civilization, Andy must figure out a way to save himself and the surviving boys from this nightmare.

Firebrand (Rebel Angels) by Gillian Philip

At the end of the sixteenth century, religious upheaval brings fear, superstition, and doubt to the lives of mortals. Yet unbeknownst to them, another world lies just beyond the Veil: the realm of the Sithe, a fierce and beautiful people for whom a full-mortal life is but the blink of an eye. The Veil protects and hides their world…but it is fraying at the edges, and not all think it should be repaired.

Discarded by his mother and ignored by his father, sixteen-year-old Seth MacGregor has grown up half wild in his father’s fortress, with only his idolized older brother, Conal, for family. When Conal quarrels with the Sithe queen and is forced into exile in the full-mortal world, Seth volunteers to go with him.

But life beyond the Veil is even more dangerous than they expected, and Seth and Conal soon find themselves embroiled in a witch-hunt—in which they are the quarry. Trapped between the queen’s machinations at home and the superstitious violence of the otherworld, Seth must act before both of them are fed to the witch-hunters’ fires…

Brimming with intrigue and rebellion, Firebrand is the first book in the Rebel Angels series by Gillian Philip, the Carnegie Medal–nominated author of Crossing the Line and multi-award-nominated Bad Faith.

"Man of Steel" Trailer

noreply@blogger.com (SQT) — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 13:29:00 +0000

Another one you've probably seen-- but oh boy, does this look good!

"Star Trek: Into Darkness" Trailer

noreply@blogger.com (SQT) — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 05:07:00 +0000

You've probably already seen this-- but if you haven't, enjoy! I can't wait until this comes out.

Waiting on Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (SQT) — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 04:59:00 +0000

Waiting on Wednesday is a blog meme hosted by Jill over atBreaking the Spine to spotlight upcoming books.

This week's WoW selection is:

The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker

Publisher: Harper Collins
Date: April 23, 2013
Pages: 496

In The Golem and the Jinni, a chance meeting between mythical beings takes readers on a dazzling journey through cultures in turn-of-the-century New York.

Chava is a golem, a creature made of clay, brought to life to by a disgraced rabbi who dabbles in dark Kabbalistic magic and dies at sea on the voyage from Poland. Chava is unmoored and adrift as the ship arrives in New York harbor in 1899.

Ahmad is a jinni, a being of fire born in the ancient Syrian desert, trapped in an old copper flask, and released in New York City, though still not entirely free.

Ahmad and Chava become unlikely friends and soul mates with a mystical connection. Marvelous and compulsively readable, Helene Wecker's debut novel The Golem and the Jinni weaves strands of Yiddish and Middle Eastern literature, historical fiction and magical fable, into a wondrously inventive and unforgettable tale.

If the early reviews are any indication this is going to be a very good book. I'm intrigued by Wecker's use of Jewish and Arab folklore and I think it'll be a nice change from the current crop of dystopian/vampire/werewolf fiction that seems to be everywhere these days.

"Catching Fire" Trailer

noreply@blogger.com (SQT) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 13:44:00 +0000

TV: Doctor Who Series 2

noreply@blogger.com (William Silvia) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 07:00:00 +0000

The second season of new Doctor Who is remarkable primarily for its introduction of a new actor to play the role. This isn’t the first time this has been done- David Tennant isn’t called the Tenth Doctor for nothing. But this Doctor... is different. Perhaps it’s the writing, perhaps it’s the incredibly charismatic and talented actor- I like to think it’s some blend of the two. Because during David Tennant’s tenure, it’s like something clicked in the collective consciousnesses of fans. Fans of the zany and often sarcastic humor of the Fourth Doctor, the cunning of the Seventh, the confidence of the First, the humanity of the Eight, the passion of the Ninth, and more found themselves a common champion in the Tenth Doctor. It doesn’t help that, by far, he was the most likely to sweep millions of fan girls off their feet.

I say this because, looking at the season at the whole, this fact is going to be very important when I compare these stories to the reactions this season engenders. The fact that David Tennant was the first person in thirty seven years to replace Tom Baker in Doctor Who Magazine’s “Favourite Doctor” poll stands as a direct opposite to the fact that a large number of fans consider Episode 10 of this season to be the worst episode in the history of Doctor Who- a conclusion that I, so far, heartily agree with.Of the thirteen episodes in this season, I find the majority of the first half of the episode to be largely forgettable, while the majority of the second half have some serious writing weaknesses. Simple things like unbelievable plots (such as spaceships powered by love) make squeamish subjects like Rose Tyler playing Damsel in Distress all that more difficult to swallow.

I’ve talked about the Doctor’s effect on this season, now it’s time to talk about Rose’s. Starting in Series 1, Rose began a transformation, from a flaky teen girl who would pick up any guy she found cute into a woman who started to dig into herself and find her hidden strength, through her admiration of a man who defined rough around the edges. When that man transforms into a more likable and more attractive man who shares the same memories with her, her feelings toward him move toward their obvious conclusion: she falls in love with him.

This would be nothing big, if not for the fact that Rose has been as much of a positive influence on the Doctor as he has been on her. The Doctor’s been suffering from the traumas of a massive war (and believe me, head writer Russell T. Davies is not about to let us forget about the war that the reincarnated show is based on), and his companion has slowly been acclimating him to the idea of dealing with a person- or indeed, people.

You can see this in many ways. Whereas the Ninth Doctor had no interest in social interaction beyond a single companion, much as he had been used to during the century prior to the Time War (or longer, but that’s a discussion for another day), the Tenth Doctor was a fairly friendly individual. There’s more to his social interaction, which I’ll discuss later, but that’s not part of this season. What is part of this season is that the Doctor spent the vast majority of the prior season bitching about the idea of spending time with more than one person at a time, until he cooled down after spending time with Captain Jack (arguably the most charismatic person in the revived series). This season shows the benefits of that, as the Doctor becomes more friendly with Mickey (Rose’s on/off boyfriend) and Jackie (Rose’s mother), and meets with a former companion.

Other than that, the Doctor spends much of his time enjoying Rose’s company and saving her. Rose has grown from effectively a waste of space on the TARDIS to someone who genuinely attempts to pull her weight. Still, she’s not quite the hero that we would see in next season’s companion, which makes her Damsel in Distress moments believable. Whether what I’ve described justifies the Doctor’s speech describing her as the one thing he believes in is a different story, and viewer mileage may vary. Still, the greatest thing about this season is the chemistry between leads Billie Piper and David Tennant. You can really believe that these two are having the time of their lives, and care for one another at the same time.

Do I recommend this season? Yes, and no. Several of the episodes in the first half, and the two parters in the middle and end of the season are both plot-relevant and generally pretty good episodes, featuring such events as the Episode 3 return of Sarah Jane Smith (who would go on to star in The Sarah Jane Adventures), the Episode 5 return of the Cybermen to the show, and the Episode 13 confrontation between two of the show’s oldest and most deadly villain factions. The others aren’t as good. I wouldn’t say to downright avoid them, but they’re not essential and not top-of-the-line entertainment. The main reason to watch these episodes is for the Doctor, and occasionally Rose, so you can make your own judgment as to whether you’d like to watch these. The only episode that I recommend outright avoiding is Episode 10, “Love and Monsters”, an episode low on the Doctor, low on action, low on comedy, low on drama... and probably higher on forced blow jobs than any other episode in family television history.

It's Elementary- Watson Doesn't Need to Be a Man

noreply@blogger.com (SQT) — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 17:08:00 +0000

I'm a bit obsessed with Sherlock Holmes. I haven't read any Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in awhile so my memory is sketchy when it comes to any pure recollection of the Holmes canon. But given the tweaking the stories have seen thanks to so many recent adaptations I don't feel too ashamed to admit that I cannot currently approach the most popular versions of Sherlock Holmes being broadcast today from a purist's point of view. And truthfully, I don't think I have to.

The recent resurgence of all things Sherlock Holmes probably started with the 2009 movie starring Robert Downey Jr. It wasn't the best example of all things Holmes thanks to a fairly confusing script and overly long run time, but Downey reminded us that Sherlock is fascinating and that when it comes to the buddy-film genre there aren't many pairings as good as Holmes and Watson.

In 2010 the BBC released an updated version of the story with Sherlock, starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Holmes and Martin Freeman as Watson. Set in modern-day London this version of Sherlock Holmes is exceptionally entertaining. Cuberbatch portrays Holmes in an icy, sometimes superior manner. His personality has been characterized as "Aspergerish" and he is possibly the most socially inept Holmes of the current incarnations-- though that's open to debate. The tweaks to the classic Holmes story are varied. Obviously the modern day setting is going to necessitate changes in everything from technology to language. When Watson writes of Holmes' exploits he posts them on a blog rather than any print publication. The basic nature of the relationship between Holmes and Watson doesn't really change. Holmes, the eccentric loner who finds an unlikely friend in Watson, is trying at the best of times but his intellect overshadows his flaws and Watson is his steady, able foil.

The success of the BBC's "Sherlock" set the stage for a U.S. version of the iconic character but the producers of the U.S. incarnation had a bit of dilemma when developing the show-- the producers of the BBC version were very frank about the fact that they would be closely scrutinizing the U.S. version for copyright infringement.

~ From The Independent
Sue Vertue, Sherlock Executive Producer at Hartswood Films, said: "We understand that CBS are doing their own version of an updated Sherlock Holmes. It's interesting, as they approached us a while back about remaking our show. At the time, they made great assurances about their integrity, so we have to assume that their modernised Sherlock Holmes doesn't resemble ours in any way, as that would be extremely worrying." She added: "We are very proud of our show and like any proud parent, will protect the interest and wellbeing of our offspring."

That's interesting to me on so many levels. On the one hand I can understand the desire to protect one's property. But Sherlock isn't exactly a new creation and the character has been depicted many times over the years. That said- the BBC version of "Sherlock," as far as I know, was the first to put Holmes in the 21st Century.

CBS decided to answer the BBC's concerns by making a critical change to their adaptation- they made Watson a woman and cast Lucy Liu in the part.

I didn't know about potential copyright issues when I first heard that the U.S. version was going air under the title of Elementary and was a little skeptical when I heard that Watson was going to be a woman. I was also unfamiliar with Jonny Lee Miller, who was cast as Holmes, but I had loved every version of Sherlock I have come across and knew I was going to have to check it out. And I'm so glad I did.

There will likely be people who disagree with me, but I feel as if casting a woman in the role of Watson has brought new depth to the iconic story. First- it must be mentioned that CBS has been adamant in insisting that Watson and Holmes will never, ever be romantically linked. If there has been any one thing that inhibits people from checking out this new show it's the thought that the Holmes and Watson dynamic will change because of the gender opposite pairing. Though I must admit to some confusion over the misgivings as so many people seem very forgiving of the frequent misunderstanding (on the show) that Holmes and Watson are a homosexual couple on "Sherlock." But that's another topic of discussion.

Watson's entry into Holmes' life is also different than previous incarnations-- again most likely due to fears of copyright infringement. She is hired as Holmes' sober companion by Sherlock's father. Her job is initially to keep Holmes sober after his release from rehab but she soon becomes intrigued by his job as a detective consultant to the NYPD. This particular device works surprisingly well (I was very dubious about it at first) because it gives Watson permission to dig into Sherlock's personal life and, to the degree that anyone would be able, to manage his behavior.

Liu's Watson, like all the others, is a doctor. She's no longer a practicing doctor but her knowledge, insight and intelligence are appealing to Sherlock and he quickly realizes that her presence makes him better at his job. Liu is a stoic Watson who is frequently befuddled by Sherlock's eccentricities. Miller's Sherlock initially comes off as difficult and anti-social, as we'd expect, but there's something in his portrayal that conveys a certain vulnerability- and I have absolutely fallen in love with this Holmes and Watson pairing because of the way they relate to each other. Liu has to walk a fine line to be seen as a partner and not someone who is mothering Holmes and she does it well. But if there's one thing I like about this Watson is that she doesn't come off as worshipful of Holmes-- as I feel is sometimes the case with Freeman's portrayal of the character in the BBC version. There's a solid respect for Holmes' intellect, but also a frank acknowledgment of his weaknesses. And when Holmes does display his characteristic misogyny, she's the first one to call him out on it.

There's a lot more I could add to this post about Liu's Watson and comparisons between the BBC version, but I fear I could go on all day. Suffice it to say that I would recommend "Elementary" to those of you who haven't yet watched the show. CBS is taking a slow approach to introducing some critical characters; we haven't yet met Moriarty or Irene Adler- though Miss Husdon did recently show up in the form of a gorgeous transgender woman (how's that for a tweak?) It should also be mentioned that Inspector Gregson is now Captain Gregson of the NYPD and is portrayed by the excellent Aidan Quinn.

I expect I'll be revisiting this topic after the arrival of Irene Adler (who, it has recently been revealed, will be played by Natalie Dormer from "Game of Thrones") so I can compare the portrayal of the character in this show and the BBC version. Adler is a very sexualized character in "Sherlock"-- but her particular episode is also my favorite to date. I expect the CBS version to be very different, by necessity, and I can't wait to see how it plays out.

To be continued...

Waiting on Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (SQT) — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 04:59:00 +0000

Waiting on Wednesday is a blog meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine to spotlight upcoming books.

This week's WoW selection is:

3:59 by Gretchen McNeil
Publisher: Balzer & Bray

Publication Date: September 17, 2013
Pages: 400

Josie Byrne's life is spiraling out of control. Her parents are divorcing, her boyfriend Nick has grown distant, and her physics teacher has it in for her. When she's betrayed by the two people she trusts most, Josie thinks things can't get worse.

Until she starts having dreams about a girl named Jo. Every night at the same time—3:59 a.m.

Jo's life is everything Josie wants: she's popular, her parents are happily married, and Nick adores her. It all seems real, but they're just dreams, right? Josie thinks so, until she wakes one night to a shadowy image of herself in the bedroom mirror – Jo.

Josie and Jo realize that they are doppelgängers living in parallel universes that overlap every twelve hours at exactly 3:59. Fascinated by Jo's perfect world, Josie jumps at the chance to jump through the portal and switch places for a day.

But Jo’s world is far from perfect. Not only is Nick not Jo's boyfriend, he hates her. Jo's mom is missing, possibly insane. And at night, shadowy creatures feed on human flesh.

By the end of the day, Josie is desperate to return to her own life. But there’s a problem: Jo has sealed the portal, trapping Josie in this dangerous world. Can she figure out a way home before it’s too late?

This sounds so creepy good. Just in time for my birthday. :)

Orbit Books is Calling This the "Best Book Trailer You'll Ever See..."

noreply@blogger.com (SQT) — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 15:48:00 +0000

I'm not sure it's the "best," but the book looks pretty good. Black Feathers by Joseph D'Lacey

Black Feathers is a modern fantasy set in two epochs: the Black Dawn, a time of environmental apocalypse, and generations into the future in its aftermath, the Bright Day.

In each era, a child undertakes a perilous journey to find a dark messiah known as The Crowman. In their hands lies the fate of the planet as they attempt to discover whether The Crowman is our saviour… or the final incarnation of evil.

In Theatres: Evil Dead (NSFW)

noreply@blogger.com (William Silvia) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 07:41:00 +0000

I’ve never been somebody to form an early opinion of a film. I’ve often found myself watching a film with people who condemn it early on, telling them “you don’t know it’s like yet, it’s too early to say that”. Evil Dead is a movie that proves the validity of that consideration. It is one of the worst movies I have ever had the displeasure to watch- for about 30 minutes.

This screenplay was written by three people, and it’s not too difficult to see that. It’s clear that writer-director Fede Alvarez has some understanding of horror. It’s also apparent that that without the horror, it’s like the film has left its thinking cap off. We open up with some obviously green screened shots of a woman walking through fog. The lighting is obviously new, but I can deal with that- it looks kind of like The Woman in Black, minus the fact that in this scene she’s essentially just walking in front of a blur. The woman gets attacked by what looks and acts like a redneck family, and we next see her strapped to a wooden pole in a cabin, with a group of people standing around her and a Necronomicon with the word “motherfucker” written across the page.

After a dramatic scene where the woman is doused in gasoline while pleading for her life, she transforms into a Deadite, spewing threats and indicating that a large portion of her vocabulary is the word “fuck”. They really weren’t making an effort to make me like the movie at this point, shortly after I had been subjected to some of the worst trailers I had ever been subjected to at a movie theatre (plus Iron Man, which was good, and Carrie, which was bearable). For the record, if anybody invites me to see Scary MoVie, they’re going to wish that they hadn’t. I don’t mind swearing in a movie, particularly from Deadites, but there’s such a thing as too much. After the last Rob Zombie movie I watched, I pretty much reached my limit for fucks and rednecks being in the same scene together.

From there, the movie proper starts. We get a group of characters who are too busy being full of themselves to be likable, one decently likable guy who nobody else in the film seems to be able to stand, and the latter guy’s girlfriend, who has so little character that when she disappears from the film for about twenty minutes, nobody notices and you kind of forget about her until the Deadites start tormenting her. Essentially, the semi-likable guy has a junkie sister named Mia who is quitting cold turkey, for the second time. Their friends, guy-who-acts-like-a-dick-to-main and nurse-who-thinks-she-is-infallible, are intent to make sure she follows through this time, and to make sure she stays there even after she breaks and becomes desperate for a fix.

The two siblings own the cabin that the group is staying at, having inherited it from their mother (there’s no mention of the father, so this must be a Disney feature). Apparently they never knew there was a basement there, however, as they’re shocked when the dog discovers it. The group goes down and discover that it’s been broken into, and some sort of ritual involving the slaughter of a dozen or so small animals (and hanging them from the ceiling) went on here in their absence. One of the guys takes the Necronomicon from the basement, sees notes in red ink (blood doesn’t dry that way) saying to neither write nor read the words listed on that page, and immediately goes about copying the text down while reading it out loud. Because fuck you, that’s why.

Here we reach the build-up portion of the film: Mia experiences paranormal occurrences and everybody blames it on withdrawal. The tree rape scene, infamous for its execution and sadism, is replaced with black goo that crawls out of a Deadite’s mouth, up Mia’s leg, and under her skirt. Scary things start to pop in here, starting with the “rushing from a distance” shots in the original movie, coming to a head around the time Mia tries to boil herself alive in the shower. From there, the Deadites start appearing and the movie finds its footing, each new thing exemplifying an image bearded-guy had seen in the Necronomicon. Over time, this genius comes to realize that the newly psychotic behavior of their friends, apparently passed along through contact with blood, is the result of demonic possession, not the psychosis that claimed David and Mia’s mother.

I’m not going any farther into the plot, other than to say that some things were fairly predictable from the first two films and some things were complete surprises. It was gruesome, especially if body modification horror is effective on you. The jump scares are kept within reasonable limits, and are generally genuinely scary ones. The gore is kept pretty reasonable- Just by guessing, I would say about 1-10% of it was CGI, and the rest practical. In any case, it looked good, if no more realistic than the gore of an early ‘80s film.

I’d say the makeup was this film’s real stand out feature, and with 75 times the budget of the original it would have been a shame if it wasn’t an improvement over the lackluster makeup of the 1981 original. If one thing makes this film awesome, though, it’s the makeup. The makeup team for this movie needs to be in the next Hellraiser movie (unless it’s another Revelation).

By no means is this movie realistically- medically, physically, even religiously I’m certain. But if you can get behind this movie, you won’t care. Any Evil Dead or possession based movie takes some liberties in this area. It’s not the scariest movie you ever saw, but when it comes to the body horror, I find this to be the scariest movie I’ve seen in a long time. That’s enough for me to recommend this movie. Just start the movie a half hour in.