6 Impossible Things

Recent Reading

2012-02-23T13:18:00.000Z

The Kingdom of Gods by N. K. Jemisin
This is the final book in the Inheritance trilogy, set about a century after the first.

The narrator is Sieh, the trickster god of childhood who was a main character in The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms. He meets twins Shahar and Dekarta Arameri, descendants of his former captors, when they are just children. Sieh plays games with them, demonstrating both the playfulness of a child and the danger of a god with a grudge. The three forge an explosive bond of friendship and Sieh finds himself trapped in mortal form with little access to his magic. He is forced to grudgingly find a place for himself in the mortal world while his godly parents try to find a way to cure him.

I really enjoyed this book, it got into my head in quite a strong way. Now that I come to write this I find my recollections have gone a bit vague, but that is almost certainly due to the fact that I read it while I was ill and shouldn't be taken as a failing with the book itself. I remember being impressed at the expanded view of the universe, which had a lot more about the godsrealm and the unknowable Maelstrom. I also liked the way you could tell that society had moved on in the decades since the last book. The main thing I liked was the characterisation of Sieh. He was one of the most enjoyable characters in the first book, and being inside his head only made him more successful as a character.
The format is the same as the previous two books the choice of narrator is a significant change. The first two books were narrated by (mostly) human women, whereas Sieh male and the oldest godling (a god who isn't one of the Three creator-deities), even though he normally takes the form of a child. It is interesting to have a narrator who is a god and sees mortals and their world from a very different viewpoint. Sieh gives us the reader more information about the wider universe and the gods. Sieh is an interesting mix of holy and irreverent, behaving both a stroppy, mischievous child and a powerful god, even though he spends most of the book adapting to no longer really being either.
The central plot is about Sieh adapting to his unwelcome mortality, and his relationship with sister and brother, Shahar and Dekarta. There is also a mystery plot about a new type of magic and a rogue godling, but though that becomes incredibly important right at the end of the book I didn't feel it had as much impact as the more personal sections of the story. The relationships between Sieh and the twins are complex and interesting. His initial romance with Shahar is an impetuous, adolescent one. Though the feelings are genuine the situation is tinged with deceit as Shahar fulfills her role as her mother's pawn. Sieh's later relationship with Dekarta (the extraneous, misplaced spare to Shahar's heir) is more open, if sometimes a little obsessive.
There's a sense of grand scale that increases towards the end of the book. The Three (the first and most powerful gods) set aside their millennia-long quarrels to try their eldest child. An apocalyptic turn of events matches Sieh's own experience of mortality as he prematurely ages and faces the death.

I know I was on Book 2 of the Tales of Einarinn series, and I intend to finish it, but the waiting list at the library means that Book 3 is not available yet. On the other hand I got my boss to buy Chronicles of the Lescari Revolution (as there weren't any copies in the city), so this trilogy is right there on the shelf at work.

Irons in the Fire by Juliet E. McKenna

Lescar has seen centuries of civil war as generations of dukes use mercenaries and militias to fight among over the title of High King. While there is great distrust and even hatred among the six dukedoms, outsiders see only a mess to be ignored or exploited. Those who escape the country find there is little pride in being Lescari and can do little more than send money home to their beleagured families. Until a group of idealistic rebels, exiles, merchants and scholars join forces with skilled mercenaries and a powerful information broker to try and bring an end to the strife once and for all.

As someone with an interest in history this sort of story is very much up my street. Being set in a secondary world means there's no need to get bogged down in real world details (though I do like well-done primary world historical fantasies too), which are sure to be somehow controversial.* That said I know the author has a good grounding in history, and so the events in the story will be realistic and plausible within the early-modern-style setting, allowing me to happily get on with reading knowing I'm in good hands.
The cast of characters grows with the revolution, which starts as a hopeful, academic exercise and grows into a full conspiracy. The first set of characters, Tathrin and Aremil, are idealistic scholars, bound by the desire to do the best for their homeland. Then more worldly characters are brought in; rabble-rouser Reniack, information-broker Charoleia & mercenary brothers Sorgrad and Gren. These worldly characters change the plan to something more workable, though it requires greater sacrifices from all involved. We also see through the eyes of Litasse, a young Lescari Duchess, who knows only the privileged competitive viewpoint of the warring nobility. Failla, a young woman with a lot of secrets, is recruited to the cause, but only dreams of escaping. All the characters have their strengths and their flaws, be they physical or moral. There are a lot of people to keep track of but the plot never become muddled and the book doesn't feel crowded.
The conspiracy grows as merchants and mercenaries get into position, providing resources and manpower. Being a fantasy story magic has it's part to play, the tricky matter of communication over distances is solved by use of recently rediscovered Aetheric magic. This mental magic is not flashy, but it certainly is useful, allowing the conspirators to respond to changes as and when they happen.
This is very clearly a first novel. The players are introduced and the stage is set. There is plenty of action throughout, and the progress made means the pace never feels slow as the reader is kept abreast of all the important developments. The early stages of the revolution (not that it is yet called that) happen, but it is clear that there will be great difficulties ahead. I finished this book wanted to read more, and I'm glad that the next books are easily available to me.

* The more you learn about history the more you see how full of uncertainties it is. Also historians like a good argument, so there are few historical "facts" that some historian, somewhere won't argue with. If you don't believe me try googling the phantom time hypothesis.

Gloom Lord's Captive

2012-02-21T22:15:00.000Z

I'm very happy to announce that I've had another story published online.

Gloom Lord's Captive was published by The WiFiles this week.
Marsha is kidnapped by an amateur supervillain. How will she escape?

I wanted to write a story about a woman who's in one of those traditional female-character situations and manages to sort it out for herself.

Sewing

2012-02-12T12:00:00.000Z

I like sewing.

I'd mostly forgotten about it for years after I left school, but actually I'm not too bad at it. As with many things I suffer a bit from not being a naturally neat person, but that means I'm also pretty handy with an unpicker.
I'm out of practice, but I reckon I could probably still make an entire garment - thought it might be a slightly wobbly one. That said, I can't actually machine sew at the moment as my sewing machine keeps ingesting the thread.

If you look towards the top right of the page you'll see a blue moose. I made him a few years ago for my husband's birthday (a kind friend did the scarf as I'm not a kintter). He's adapted from an ornament pattern I bought online (there are not many fabric patterns for moose, let me tell you) and was made using a combination of machine and hand sewing, with advice from my mother.

Recently I've been doing some hand sewing:

Undead Ducky

Zombunny

They are my interpretation of designs from Zombie Felties by Nicola Tedman and Sarah Skeate.

I got the book from work initially, then my lovely husband bought me my very own copy for Christmas.

I also made a Socktopus for a colleague's birthday.

It is inspired by Nick Sharratt's book Octopus Socktopus.

Recent Reading

2012-02-07T21:46:00.004Z

The Broken Kingdoms by N. K. Jemisin

This sequel to The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms is set ten years later. I'll try to avoid major plot spoilers for the first book.
Oree Shoth is a blind artist who can see magic. She left her home country and lives in the city of Shadow, where the streets are vibrant with magic because of all the godlings (lesser gods) that live there. Oree charitably takes in a silent man she finds on the street, her new lodger seems to be totally mortal but he resurrects whenever he dies -something that happens quite often as he doesn't take any care. After Oree discovers the body of a murdered godling she must abandon the independent life she has crafted for herself to fins sanctuary with her former lover. She is kidnapped and dragged into a conspiracy against the powerful ruling family and the gods themselves.

Where The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms was all about the machinations of the world's ruling family and the three most powerful gods, Broken Kingdoms is set at street level. Oree is blind and scrapes a living in the city underneath the World Tree (which was created at the end of the last book) and has mundane concerns like rent, food, and whether she should contact her ex-lover.
The city of Shadow is physically underneath the palace featured in the first book. The bustling urban setting is very different to the luxurious palace of the ruling Arameri family. It's cosmopolitan and full of people from all over the world, many of them pilgrims. Since the previous book the godlings have once again entered the mortal realm again, but they're only allowed live in Shadow for fear that they will create chaos in the wider world. Oree's lover Madding is also a godling, and he provides insight into relations between mortals and godlings in this new world.
Despite her low social status Oree is not an ordinary protagonist, her sense of independence is very strong and she values her life as she has to work so hard for it. N. K. Jemisin has skillfully written a book from the point of view of a blind character, so most of what Oree witnesses is told through sound, movement, feel and smell. It doesn't detract from the description and adds a layer of interest to the plot and characterisation. As Oree can only 'see' magic any visuals mentioned are likely to be significant and vibrant and have a greater impact on the descriptions than they normally might.
The plot starts with Oree pulled into a murder investigation, then she is faced with increasing levels of danger as she discovers more about the secret history of the gods. She is kidnapped by a dangerous group of fanatics who seek to use her as a weapon, and she must find out more about her unusual powers and her family background. It's clear that there is more to Oree than she suspects, the mystery of her origin and the lunacy she has been pulled into really kept me reading. The implications of the plot are not as wide ranging as the first book, but plant the seeds for greater change to the world in the next volume.

The Double Shadow by Sally Gardner

Amaryllis Reuben does not act as a proper young lady should. When she is expelled from boarding school after running off for a night in London her father is at his wits end. Arnold Reuben, a very rich man obsessed with memories and the past, doesn't understand the woman his daughter is becoming and misses the affectionate little girl she used to be. Amaryllis is forced to spend her time with Ezra, the cook's son, and despite initial antagonism between them they become close. Events take a turn for the disastrous as Arnold Reuben's plans for his daughter go awry on her seventeenth birthday and several people from the house and estate disappear. As the Second World War changes everyone's lives and Ezra gets involved in a rescue mission to recover those who disappeared.

This young adult book is a fascinating read, combining a historical setting with strange, science fictional elements. There is a fairly large cast of characters, both adults and young people, most of whom live on or near the Warlock Hall estate owned by Arnold Reuben. As memories are a major part of the plot the characters are often described through flashbacks to their younger days, or else their attitudes towards the past. Arnold Reuben is both driven by his desire to live in the past, whereas shell-shocked solider Mr Pascoe is trapped by hallucinations of his hellish time at the Front. Main character Amaryllis initially appears to be a bit of a spoiled brat, but though she acts badly towards other characters it's clear that she's starved for affection. Ezra is much more likeable, a cook's son who is keen to learn and becomes a dedicated and brave agent in the Second World War.
There are various strong themes and images that repeat across the plot and the years in the book, tying parts of the story together and sometimes linking generations. The white tiger is an animal and an image that reoccurs regularly in different places. There's a character called Tommy who has a mouse that he carries around with him, I found this adorable as I personally think mice are very cute. It turns out that the mouse was a present from his father who also liked mice. Cinema (meaning both the films themselves and the building where people go to watch them) is very important to the book. Much of the plot revolves around the mysterious picture palace that Arnold Reuben has invented and the memory recordings he and his assistant Silas take. There were a few bits that made me think of Life on Mars by David Bowie, especially the first verse, though that association may only occur to me.
I intend to recommend this book to the members of the teenage reading group at work.

Why I Love Batman TAS

2012-01-31T11:03:00.001Z

For Christmas I was given the first 2 series of Batman: the Animated Series.
That's 20 hours of Batman cartoons.

I loved watching this series when I was younger. It was the main thing on Cartoon Network that wasn't all brightly coloured and wacky (well the Joker was, but you really weren't supposed to identity with him). It felt more grown up and intriguing than the other cartoons. I remember that a lot of the episodes had plots that felt serious, but were still entertaining. Looking back it amazes me that they weren't much more than 20 minutes long.

The series is, for me, the definitive version of Batman. It introduced me to Gotham, and for me the city will always be dark and Gothic and largely art deco.
When I think of the Joker it's not Jack Nicholson or Heath Ledger that first comes to mind, it's the pointy-haired Clown Prince of Crime voiced by Mark Hamill. I know more about Batman's rogue gallery than any other big name superhero. As well as being familiar with the reoccurring villains (Joker, Two-Face, Penguin, Poison Ivy, etc.) there were a few of the one-off characters that stick in my mind (like that woman who was stuck in the body of a little girl & the Mad Hatter guy).

Watching the DVDs again is an exercise in nostalgia. This theme tune is like an old friend.

My Favourite Fictional Bands

2012-01-27T19:00:00.001Z

Rock bands are cool.
At least they are until they do an incomprehensible musical experiment, or a truly dreadful cover version, or they split up, or they go on a godawful reality show to boost exposure.
So maybe the best rock bands are the ones that don't technically exist. They aren't trying to get your money, they probably won't create any real life controversy, and best of all they have the potential to be and do just about anything.
Plus it's very easy to ignore anything they've done that you don't like.

Here are 5 of my favourite bands that don't technically exist.

Dr Teeth and the Electric Mayhem

Probably the most extant band on this list as they do have physical form and participate in actual performances. As the house band on the Muppet Show they are also the longest-running and most successful band listed. In this role they have played back-up to a variety of real celebrities.

Members
Dr. Teeth - keyboards, pianos and vocals
Floyd Pepper - bass guitar, banjo, vibes and vocals
Zoot - saxophone, clarinet, flute and tuba
Janis - lead guitar, tambourine, trombone, trumpet and vocals
Animal - drums
(Plus various additional members with different instruments, most commonly Ralph on piano.)

From
The Muppet Show & various Muppet films.

Mystik Spiral

(but we're thinking of changing the name)

In the late nineties/early... um, are we really still calling that decade the noughties? Cos it sounds pretty silly, and it'll only sound worse by the time we're in the twenties.
Anyway, there was this great cartoon about an alternative (but not very alternative) girl called Daria. I may have identified with it fairly heavily.
Mystik Spiral were a grunge rock, garage band fronted by slacker Trent Lane, whose sister Jane was Daria's best friend The band were portrayed fairly negatively in the show and certainly didn't seem to be on the road to either commercial or musical success. Despite being useless at actually doing stuff, they did manage to get various gigs.

Members
Trent - lead singer and guitarist
Jesse - 2nd guitarist
Nick - bass guitarist
Max - drummer

From

Daria

The Band with Rocks In

The most successful band on the Discworld met in the waiting room of the Musicians Guild of Anhk Morpork. When Imp Y Celyn (who later changed his name to Buddy) needed a new instrument the group went to one of those Little Shops and Buddy found both a guitar and a literally enthralling new sound, Music With Rocks In.
Managed by CMOT Dibbler the band caused Music With Rocks In Fever to sweep Anhk Morpork and the other cities of the Plains, causing young people and wizards to do strange dances and wear leather robes with studs in. Soon the band were so big they had to run for their lives from mobs of screaming fans and angry cheese aficionados (Buddy claimed they were bigger than cheeses).

Members
Buddy - guitarist and vocals
Glod - horn "I can blow anything, me."
Lias - drummer
The Librarian - pianist

From
Discworld, specifically Soul Music the novel and animated TV series.

Wyld Stallyns

The music of Wyld Stallyns will be incredibly important in just under seven centuries, when it will form the basis of a utopian society, which has also developed time travel. Of course to our unenlightened viewpoint it sounds like the amateurish but enthusiastic strummings of a couple of young slackers. We will just have to trust Rufus (who does come from the future) when he says they get better.

Members
Bill S. Preston Esq. - (air)guitar and vocals
Ted "Theodore" Logan - (air)guitar and vocals
Princess Elizabeth - drums/keyboard (not sure which)
Princess Joanna - drums/keyboard (not sure which)

From
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure
Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures (The children's cartoon series which first introduced me to the characters and concept, but didn't really feature the Princesses.)

Yum Yum Sugary Snacks
The band was formed by degenerate slackers and werewolf twins Butix (Beauty) and Delix (Delicious) who aspire to rock stardom, but never got anywhere with it due to laziness, alcoholism and crippling stage fright. When their relentless, efficient cousin Dominil is tasked with helping them (in order to secure their votes for Clan politicking) the band not only starts practicing but actually get some gigs and publicity, despite many arguments. The band name was suggested by Dominil, based on exclamations the twins made when gorging on chocolate. Their biggest fan is probably Agrivex, an enthusiastic, teenage fire elemental from a neighbouring dimension.

Members
Beauty - guitar and vocals
Delicious - guitar and vocals
Pete - guitar
Adam - drums
Simon - bass
Hamil - keyboards
My thanks to @martinmillar1 for tweeting a full list of the band members.

From
Lonely Werewolf Girl and Curse of the Wolf Girl by Martin Millar

Recent Reading

2012-01-21T12:33:00.002Z

The Secret Diary of Miss Anne Lister
ed. Helena Whitbread

Anne Lister is a fascinating figure. Born in 1791 she was a single woman who inherited a house & modest estate near Halifax in Yorkshire. She kept a detailed journal for most of her life, recording her thoughts, feelings and all that happened in both her public and private life. Anne's diary is intriguing because large sections were written in a secret code that she referred to as 'crypt hand' and for a long time the contents of these passages were kept secret. These sections contained details of Anne's various relationships with other women. Her diaries were not only an account of life in the Regency period, but gave details of a rarely glimpsed world of lesbianism.

This book collects Anne's diaries from 1816 to 1824. During this time she lived at Shibden Hall with her unmarried aunt and uncle. Anne had a few lovers, and more infatuations, during this period. The main one was a woman who had married an older man for the security he provided, but still kept up a relationship with Anne and promised that they would be together when her husband died. It is clear that this arrangement caused Anne a lot of insecurity and unhappiness.
Anne was an independent sort of woman, in a time when such independence was unusual for women. She had clearly decided that she would never marry or be involved with men, but she did long for a partner and companion to share her life with. She was a woman who valued education and as well as learning languages and attending lectures she was an avid reader.
At times I found it hard to identify with Anne, a woman who held such different values and lived such a different life to my own. However there were times when her feelings are expressed so strongly it is difficult not to empathise with her. The passage that struck me most was where she described how writing her journal and reading books relieves her worries.

"O books! books! I owe you much. Ye are my spirit's oil without which, its own friction against itself would wear it out."
This is a sentiment I can very much agree with, even if I wouldn't put it that way.

I can very much understand the value of these diaries to Regency history, women's history and lesbian history. I have no particular interest in Regency England and know only bits and pieces about the period, but that didn't cause me much of a problem as this is someone writing about their life rather than their times, and the explanatory notes provided by the editor are helpful without being intrusive.

666 Charing Cross Road - Paul Magrs

Being a fan of the Brenda & Effie series I was interested to see what Paul Magrs newest book would be like. It's not a part of that series, but sounded like it covered similar themes.
The strength of the story is in the characters. They're mostly ordinary (or seemingly ordinary) people with mundane concerns who encounter the occult and must deal with it as best they can. Shelley and Jack are regular New Yorkers who get dragged into demonic business by their boyfriends. Liza appears to be an eccentric old bibliophile, but she knows more about spooky stuff than she lets one, not that this stops her from making some pretty catastrophic mistakes. Even the antagonist Daniel can be understood to an extent, thought he's not particularly likeable even before he gets possessed.
The writing style felt very similar to the later Brenda and Effie books. It's an informal style that has a lot of the characters thoughts and preoccupations laid out on the page. It means that you always know what emotional state the viewpoint character is in and feel close to them quite quickly, even if you don't agree with them. Some of the writing feels like it's telling rather than showing (which is generally a cardinal sin for a writer) but the way the points of view are done means that though you are being told one thing, you are also being shown something else.
666 Charing Cross Road is definitely more of a horror story than the Whitby-based books. The plot features a single major threat and plays out across a few months, with the character's lives being increasingly taken over (and lost) to the danger. In this way it felt more like a film than the more playful, complex Brenda and Effie series, which at times has the feel of an sketch show.
I enjoyed 666 Charing Cross Road and I'm keen to read more about these characters if further titles come out, though at the moment I still prefer Brenda and Effie.

Bookshelves

2012-01-19T18:25:00.002Z

We finally alphabetised our book shelves properly.
As we're both library workers we probably should have done it a while ago.

This is the clearer picture, though you can't see all of it.

This is the biggest room in our house.

This is just our fiction, I'd say about 95% of it is Science Fiction and Fantasy.
My husband also has two full-sized bookcases of RPG books as well, they're off to the right of this picture.

If we're ever rich we'll probably have floor and ceiling shelves installed, possibly with ladders on wheels.
Though if we really were rich we could probably buy a bigger house that already had such a room.

Recent Reading

2012-01-16T20:26:00.000Z

My Sister Lives on the Mantlepiece by Annabel Pitcher
This teenage book is powerful and engaging. I found myself utterly absorbed. I meant to read part of it during advert breaks, but I stopped paying attention to the television and finished the book instead.
It's told from the viewpoint of Jamie, a 10 year old whose older sister was killed in a terrorist attack 5 years earlier. Jamie's family are still suffering from bereavement, and he has grown up in an unhealthy environment. Although he doesn't really remember Rose (he was only 5 when she died) his parents expect him to share the family's grief and feel as strongly about her as he does about his surviving sister, Jasmine. The children are moved out of London by their alcoholic father after their mother leaves. However the move doesn't bring on the fresh start they need.

Jamie's viewpoint is one of innocence and ignorance, emotionally engaging and powerful. He doesn't know much better than his upbringing, and it's heartbreaking to see his misplaced optimism crushed. Jamie is clearly a loner and a bit odd, but though the reader knows this we cannot help but see things his way. The issue of racism against Muslims is a major part of the story (Rose was killed in a terrorist attack) as Jamie befriends the only Muslim girl in his new school and is terrified of his father's reaction. I found myself tensing up as the inevitable confrontation loomed.

Why I Loved 2011

2012-01-02T20:41:00.001Z

2011 has been a good year over all. Some nice highs and very few bad lows.
Here are a few of my highlights:

Attending Conventions - Me and my husband went to Easter Con and Fantasy Con, and in between those I went to Alt.Fiction. I had fun, met interesting people and got to spend time in a world that I would like to be more involved with. My goal when going to conventions in future is to try and push myself forward a bit more and meet/chat to more people.

First Publication - My short story Lupa di Roma was published in Title Goes Here Magazine, Web Edition 1.10 - October 2011. This made me very happy and proud. I have had another short story acceptance, there will be more about that later.

Twitter - After recommendations from a few different sources I decided to take the plunge and start using Twitter. I've had some great conversations and met (in a virtual sense at least) a lot of lovely people on Twitter. I can be found on Twitter as @ctjhill.

Apocalypse Girls - A few months ago I was invited to join The Girls' Guide to Surviving the Apocalypse. It's a fun blogging project about anything and everything to do with the apocalypse. Some great, creative women are contributing and I heartily recommend you check it out. We're also on Twitter as @ApocalypseGirls.

I'm hoping I can build on these successes this year. Plus I'm planning a few changes in my offline life, so I hope those go well.

Happy Christmas

2011-12-24T23:13:00.000Z

Happy Christmas!

(Or Happy whatever you are celebrating/doing this December).

Thank you for reading.

I've not been very good at blogging just recently, my apologies.
I intend to blog more in the new year. I'll try and keep up with what I'm reading, even if the posts aren't as long or rambly as they have been (I know how fascinating my rambling is).
As I have some time off work over Christmas and New Years I'll try and finish some of the half-done blog posts I've gpt saved up. And maybe I'll even start some of the ones I've been thinking about.

Recent Reading

2011-12-16T18:01:00.000Z

Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde
This is one of the weirdest and most inventive fictional worlds I have ever read. And I read a lot of fantasy.

In many respects the plot of Shades of Grey is a familiar one. Naive inhabitant of a seemingly-utopian rules-based society learns more about how things really work and his faith in 'the system' is shaken when he learns the Dreadful Truth. We've all seen/read this story before, but I'm sure that it's never been done quite like this.

Shades of Grey is set in a world where people can only see one colour -or none at all. Greys -whose vision is entirely monochrome- are the labouring classes. The rest of society is made up of Reds to Purples who vie for position in a society that is base on which colour you can see and how well you can see it.
As if this premise were not interesting enough, the book goes on to create a very strict society based on rules that sound like they were taken from a 1950s manual on being a Thoroughly Good Chap (and might have been as for all I know). T
hen there are the tantalising hints about the Previous (I assume this refers to us) who existed over 500 years earlier before the Something That Happened. It becomes clear that the people in this setting are physically different to us in various strange ways.

There are so many rules in this world, many of them strange, most of them absurd. Fforde's protagnist, a young Red called Eddie, is a bit of an ingenue who discovers the seedier side of his society when relocated to the fringes with his dad. His reaction to those who bend or break the Rules tells us a lot about him, and about the society that supposedly lives by them. All this worldbuilding is told through the character interactions and the plot events with Fforde's trademark wit, meaning that the exposition becomes fascinating and leaves you wanting more.

Scary Trains

2011-12-08T22:51:00.003Z

In my job I see a lot of book covers.
I know that, proverbially-speaking, people aren't supposed to judge a book by its cover, but the fact of the matter is that they do. So if you are in the business (or in my case, the service) of promoting books the cover is pretty important.
There are thousands of books in the library, many of those are fiction and -despite what people think- my job does not involve reading all/most of them. However it does involve making recommendations, often about books I have not (or don't particularly want to) read. Being able to look at a book and quickly get an idea of what it's like and who it might appeal to, is very useful. I also have to make displays of attractive and interesting-looking books that people will want to pick up and take away.
From a professional point of view I do have to judge books by their covers.

Recently I noticed a new book cover from the prolific James Patterson (a man who must keep an army of co-writers in his garage).

Here a man is being chased by a scary train, which may or may not be on fire.
I haven't yet had a chance to look at the book itself to check whether the front of this train is actually on fire, or just lit to look like it is (I'm guessing it's the latter).

That James Patterson cover made me flashback to 2009.

In 2009 the following 2 books were published within a couple of months of each other. I saw these covers every working day for the better part of six months.

It's not just me, is it?

ETA:
I discharged a copy of the Patterson book yesterday and found that the train is not on fire. It just has fiery front lights.
11/12/11

Why I Love Fantasy

2011-11-30T17:45:00.000Z

The main reason that I haven't done this post before is that it was so obvious I didn't think of it.

I have loved reading since before I can remember (according to my mother - obviously I don't remember). I love narratives and I think that informs my mindset and way of looking at things. I've loved fantasy fiction since I was a child.

I love imaginative ideas. I love things that are larger or weirder than real life. I love reading about the impossible, the new and the downright strange.

I'm quite excited that fantasy seems to be on the rise in television and film. I think we've reached a technological point where fantastical concepts can be conveyed on screen with more ease than ever before. I'm looking forward to what could get made in the next decade, and I hope we will see high quality storytelling as well as high quality visuals.

Fantasy has it's traditions as any genre does. It can be familiar or derivative, and it certainly has it's share of stereotypes, which are often all that outsiders see. Plenty of good fantasy subverts and plays with the established stereotypes, and a lot ignores them in favour of something completely different.

Escapism is part of the appeal, getting away from the grind of ordinary life -though that applies to a lot of realistic fiction too.
I enjoy a bit of escapism, but for me the appeal of fantasy is more than that.
It's the delight of letting your mind explore realms of the impossible and getting a glimpse at the power of human creativity. I love seeing the brilliant, crazy, hilarious, ridiculous, monstrous things that people can come up with.

I like fantasy that's wild, strange, powerful, fun, or even all of those things.

Great fantasy transports you, it makes you think, and it takes your breath away.

Recent Reading

2011-11-28T22:52:00.000Z

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N. K. Jemisin
This was an interesting and absorbing read.

This secondary world fantasy is set in a world where gods are trapped in human form and a powerful, tyrannical family uses them as weapons to rule the world. The story is told from the point of view of Yeine, a mixed-race woman who is summoned to the palace of her maternal grandfather after her mother's death. Despite having been a tribal leader in her supposedly-barbaric northern home Yeine is unprepared for the cruelty and scheming of her mother's family and their divine servants.
The book addresses an issue that has been around since ancient times (and is exemplified by the Iliad). How do you create characters that are powerful gods and yet are understandable to your readers? Jemisin's gods are trapped in human form as punishment after the Gods' War. They are massively powerful beings, but not only are they trapped in human form, they are slaves to the family who rule the world in the name of their enemy.
Yeine is not an ingenue, but she is understandably inexperienced and must keep herself safe in a dangerous new world, while trying to find out the truth about the life and death of her beloved but aloof mother. She was an easy character to identify with and her behaviour was understandable if not always particularly smart.

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
This excellent book won the Newberry Medal, and I'm not surprised.

The story is set in 1979 and is told from the point of view of a twelve year old girl called Miranda. At first Miranda is writing about her life to a mysterious correspondent. Miranda details her family relationships as they prepare for her mother to go on a TV game show. There's also a lot about Miranda's friends at school, her closest and oldest friend Sal has distanced himself from her for the first time since they were toddlers and Miranda must branch out and make new friends. The ordinary parts of the story work well because Miranda's voice is honest and opinionated and easy to understand and relate to.

Miranda starts receiving cryptic notes, and odd things happen. There's the Laughing Man, a tramp who lives under a mailbox and shouts out strange things. Someone steals the spare key to Miranda's apartment, but only takes a shoe. Miranda and some school friends get a job making sandwiches for Jimmy, the idiosyncratic sandwich shop owner. There's Marcus an odd, unsociable but brilliantly intelligent kid who discusses the mechanics of time travel with a baffled Miranda.

The mystery plotline initially reminded me of other young adult mysteries I've read, strange messages are a popular focal point for such books. As well as enjoying the character I found that the plot hooked me and reeled me in. It was soon apparent that this was a very different sort of mysteries to others I had read and along with Miranda I was desperate to find out the truth.
I shall be strongly recommending this story to any young people who want an interesting read.

Recent Reading

2011-11-23T22:13:00.000Z

City of Dreams & Nightmare by Ian Whates
I'd been aware of this book for a while and finally got round to reading it because I was going to see Ian Whates talk at a local event. Sometimes it can take me a while to read a book, even if I have seen it a few times, because there are so many other books. This is a very slight downside of working in a library.
Anyway...
The book is an urban fantasy (as may be obvious from the title), but one with science fictional sensibilities as well. It's set in Thaiburly, a city carved into a mountain. Tom is a street-nick from the City Below, a cavern underneath the main city through which flows the river Thaiss, it has the port and most of slums and gangs. At the start of the book Tom is climbing up the Rows that make up the rest of the city, with the conditions becoming more luxurious and wealthy the higher he goes. Most of the way up he witnesses something dreadful and flees back down. Once in the City Below he must travel back to familiar territory with Kat, a young woman with a dangerous past. The other main character is Tylus a slightly unfortunate member of the elite Kite Guard, who is sent down to the City Below on the trail of a street-nick lad who's been accused of murder. Though Tylus's time as a Kite Guard has been marred by errors and awkwardness he is inflated by what seems like a special promotion and his journey to the City Below gives him the opportunity to prove himself.

The setting is very well realised and the supernatural is clear from very early on. Although initially the book seems more like a fantasy there are definite science fictional elements, especially strange, advanced tech, that become more important as the plot progresses. I enjoyed the mysteries and suspense in the plot and found the characters engaging.
Having spoken to the author while I was reading I found I had extra insight into some of the final scenes, which was pretty cool and added extra depth to my reading experience.

There is No Dog by Meg Rosoff

This interesting teen book asks what if God were a selfish, lazy 16 year old boy? Bob got the job of God because no one else wanted it, Earth wasn't a glamourous project and no one really knew what to do with it. Bob had some really interesring ideas to start with, but then he kind of lost interest in the whole creation, well except for the pretty girls. And Bob has just noticed assistant zoo-keeper Lucy.
I've not read a Meg Rosoff book before -not sure why- so I don't know how it compares to her other work. I found the premise really interesting. The characters were mostly likeable, and those that weren't likeable were understandable. The interactions between the cast of characters, which seemed to increase throughout the book, worked well. The plot threads were set up one and came together by the end, and yet...
I found myself vaguely dissatisfied as I was reading. Something about the book didn't quite work for me. Possibly I had different expectations of it, though I couldn't tell you what they were. It was an OK read, but I found that the story soon became stuffed with characters and plot thread. I didn't quite know how the things would come together and I found that my bemusement kept me from properly immersing myself in the book.
I think this was a good, interesting idea and the bulk of the story was well done, but I didn't like it as much as I had thought I would. I would recommend this to the right person (my job requires giving recommendations for all sorts of books whether I've liked -or even read- them) but it's not a personal favourite.

The Girls' Guide to Surviving the Apocalypse

2011-11-19T17:08:00.001Z

I've been contributing a few blog posts over at a new (but already very popular) blog.

The Girls' Guide to Surviving the Apocalypse

There are all sorts of posts about who to have in your team, how to use gardening for long term survival, how to look good whilst you are surviving, which weapons you should choose and suggested music for the apocalypse.
There's all sorts of stuff covering all kinds of interests. You should go and have a look because some great ladies are contributing and it's growing all the time.

I've done 4 posts so far:
How to Destroy Humanity: A Guide for AIs - see how best a powerful AI can kill all the humans
Ancient Apocalypse: Zombies - you may be surprised to learn just how old the idea of the zompocalypse is.
Cutepocalypse: Undead Ducky - I follow instructions in a sewing book to create the cutest undead creature you ever did see.
Apocalypse Friends - ever wondered how each of the Friends characters would cope in the event of the Apocalypse? Well I did and the resulting post is pretty well thought out, if I do say so myself.

Downton Abbey from drama to soap

2011-11-13T22:48:00.003Z

Last year the first series of Downton Abbey saw a great, new character drama come to British television. It was the only reason I had for watching ITV (besides Back to the Future, Quantum Leap and Poirot - most of which are repeats anyway). I think the only reason I didn't blog about the first series at the time was because that was around the time my laptop stopped working.

The first series was a strong, character-based drama which really made us care for all those involved, even when they were at odds with each other. The programme, much like its Edwardian setting, was stately and reserved on the surface but full of interest and emotion underneath.

Though the series was framed by dramatic historical events, the sinking of the Titanic and the start of World War One,* it was most successful when it was about the characters. The most dramatic event of the first series (a socially inappropriate sexual encounter followed by a sudden death) was actually rather overblown and unintentionally got kinda funny -well I was weirdly amused by it anyway. As ridiculous as that plot seemed at first, it earned its place because the ongoing fallout led to plenty of great complications and interpersonal drama, which is the lifeblood of the programme.

Then we have the second series, which finished last week.

Being set during the First World War I suppose it had a fairly serious and dramatic backdrop to work against. A maid training to become a secretary and power plays between footmen and valets are not the things any programme set between 1914 and 1918 should be focusing on. A variety of war issues were introduced: the young men joining up; the older man being made to feel useless; the women pitching in to help; the young aristocrats rolling up their sleeves and mucking in even as the older ones try to shield their servants from conscription.

Unfortunately some of the character moments were somehow lacking and the plot, rather than being character-driven, seemed to rely upon a series of unlikely events. There were still very good performances and I felt the same about most of the characters, but events took a turn for the melodramatic and I found myself unable to take parts of it seriously. Below are some examples of the ridiculousness.

The unrequited love (which is unrequited on both sides, for no good reason) became a love triangle. This meant there were a lot of longing gazes and significant looks and people being awfully noble. Then the third part of the love triangle offered to back out, but she got killed off anyway so that the guy didn't have to make an ignoble decision, which was very unfair on her as she was the more deserving girl.

The middle sister (who is treated as though she is both ugly and socially inept, even though she isn't) starts helping with the war effort on a farm. After driving a tractor for what seems like a day (but is actually several weeks, or even months)* she ends up becoming friendly with the farmer and they kiss in the barn. Then she stops having to go to the farm and... well that's it. I think it was meant to show us that she can be likeable, but I never thought otherwise. All the mean stuff she did in the previous series was a direct result of her elder sister being bully.

A long-lost heir appeared. He was rescued from the Titanic and got amnesia and lived as a Canadian and got very badly burned in the war. Except it turns out he was probably a fake, and then he disappeared. And all this episode-long storyline goes to prove is that poor Edith (who is treated with nothing but pity by her family, for no real reason) is gullible, and that Julian Fellowes has been taking plotting advice from US soap operas.

The most cunning character (a man who managed to get invalided back to Blighty & put in charge of his former colleagues) spent all his savings on black market food, only to discover that the dodgy bloke he met in the pub had sold him substandard goods. It's like you can't even trust criminals! Seriously, this guy was the best schemer in the whole show, but apparently his IQ was damaged along with his hand. Incidentally he was keeping his black market stash in a shed with big windows.

The heir to the estate doesn't die in the war (though his much healthier-looking subordinate does die, of white makeup and coughing), but is paralysed and unable to have children, which leads to worry about the succession again. Until he miraculously recovers the ability to walk, which first manifests as he is heroically saving a dropped tea tray. He is improbably mostly recovered and able to walk quite well few months later. Though in fairness it might have been longer than that, it's hard to tell.*

There is an inappropriate and confusing near-miss dalliance between the lord and a maid. I'm not sure why this happened, except that her ladyship (who is normally loved by her husband) had been a bit stupid and self-involved just recently, presumably so that we wouldn't judge the lord too much for kissing a maid. Then the lord got very angry at his daughter for wanting to marry the chauffeur, even though she was conducting her socially-inconvenient relationship in the most reasonable and honorable way she could.

Don't get me wrong, there were some plotlines I really enjoyed and I'm looking forward to seeing continued next year. However I hope that next series, without having to go up against the First World War, the programme will go back to being a little more sensible.
Either that or they need to introduce a scandalous young cousin to be a Bright Young Thing and/or a flapper and have the roaring twenties invade the house in the form of ridiculous hats and people doing the Charleston. I can almost see the shocked disapproval on Maggie Smith's face, and I think that's the one of main things that kept me watching this series.

* Time in Downton moves very strangely.
The entirety of the First World war passes in about four episodes, meaning it's roughly a year per episode. A baby conceived part way through one episode, is big and thriving, despite greatly reduced circumstances, by the next episode. However the characters' relationships don't change in the time between episodes, and they seem to return to conversations they must have had months, or even a year ago. It must be the anti-Narnia because despite all the time that's passed it is never, ever winter.

Recent Reading

2011-11-06T15:33:00.000Z

The Swordsman's Oath by Juliet E. McKenna

This is the second book in the Tales of Einarinn and I continue to be impressed. My views on the first book The Thief's Gamble can be found in a post from early September.

Like the previous volume this book is told mostly from the viewpoint of one character, with the deeds of other characters in other places told in third person. The narrator character is Ryshad, a character who appeared in the previous book. I liked being able to see the same characters again from Ryshad's point of view, it gives them all more depth. It was also interesting to see Livak from the view point of a friend and lover, as I'd experienced many of the events of the previous book from inside her head.

The setting -already a realistic and detailed world- is expanded as the action moves from the main continent (which is akin to early-modern Europe) to the Aldabrashin Archipelago. The Archipelago has more of an Eastern feel, though it's different enough to our own world that it felt original, it was certainly different from other fantasy settings.
I also liked that parts of the book took place in a period long before current adventure. As a history fan I liked seeing the juxtaposition of two time periods, and I'm impressed by McKenna's craft that she was able to create and convincingly convey such a sense of history in an entirely fictional setting.

The plot took a few unexpected twists and turns (I certainly never expected the Aldabrashin section), but never did the sequence of events feel contrived - except where powerful characters were pulling strings, of course.

I've already ordered the next book, and I'm looking forward to reading that as well.

I've gotten a bit slow at writing reviews again, my apologies. I've got a few posts that I want to do and I will try and get them done before December arrives and buries me under Christmas-related stuff.

Summer Wars

2011-10-21T19:09:00.002+01:00

I wouldn't particularly describe myself as an anime fan.
I've watched and enjoyed a few anime series and films, and I like Studio Ghibli. I know many people who are far more interested in, and knowledgeable about, anime than me, so don't feel I can claim a 'fan' title.

So, as an interested not-quite-fan I just want to say that Summer Wars is absolutely amazing.
It really is an excellent film and I'm definitely putting it on my Christmas list.

Summer Wars

It's about Kenji, a high school maths genius who agrees to accompany Natsuki to her great-Grandmother's 90th birthday celebrations as a favour. Once in the busy bustle of her family's ancestral home he discovers that Natsuki has told everyone he is her fiance. Shy, good-natured Kenji goes along with it and finds himself overwhelemed but delighted by Natsuki's big, noisy family. Meanwhile there's trouble in Oz (the colourful cyber-world that stands in place of the internet within the setting of the film) as a dangerous hacker is causing mayhem on an international scale.

So much about this film was good. I liked the way Oz was designed and shown on screen, it was realistic and understandable as an online 'space' where people can completely design and fully use their own avatar. Showing a virtual world is something that can best be done in animation and it's clear the makes of this film knew exactly what they were going for. As a virtual platform that combines chat, gaming,shopping, learning and infrastructure it is a wonderfully varied and flexible setting for animators to design and work with. The action switches between the real-world Japanese setting and the bright, fantastical online world - where the consequences and stakes are high enough to be vital to the offline world as well.

The characters were great. Kenji and Natsuki and her big family all felt very realistic. I loved the stern but loving figure of the great-Grandmother, the aunts/cousins who were doing all the cooking and organising. I really felt for the characters, both those primarily involved in the plot and those on the periphery, who still had their own personalities and concerns. The family as a group felt big and warm and comfortable and I found that it reminded me of some of the best families in Diana Wynne Jones books.

The storyline was interesting and though some plot lines were foreseeable other bits were unexpected and the whole thing was full of emotion. The way it encompassed the massive and international down to the personal and intimate all in one story was excellent. There were a couple of times -during sad bits- when I was truly close to tears, but there was also plenty of warm humour. Then at the end I felt such a strong rush of emotions. It's good when you watch something like that.

I strongly recommend this film. Even if you don't think of yourself as an anime fan it's a wonderful piece of storytelling.

Various anime I've seen have convinced me that if the apocalypse involves either small, cute, fluffy creatures or big, gestalt monsters the Japanese will be the only nation prepared for it.

Recent Reading - Rivers of London

2011-10-19T17:29:00.001+01:00

Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch

Very much enjoyed this urban fantasy police procedural, I expected to as I've heard mostly good things about it.
Set in London (natch) this book is about Peter Grant, a young mixed-race police officer who takes a witness statement from a ghost while guarding a crime scene. This surprising incident leads to him being placed in a very specialist division of the Metropolitan Police force, which deals with the supernatural and consists of Peter and his superior officer Inspector Nightingale.

The book was an amusing and exciting read, it dealt with some pretty nasty killings and unpleasant magic and while certain plot points were as I expected there were twists that left me surprised and keen to read on.
I liked the modernised take on mythology with the various rivers that flow through London being personified, mostly by black women. The comparison between the white, country dwelling Father Thames and his streams and tributaries and the black, urban Mother Thames and her daughter-rivers was interesting. Like Mike Shevdon's Sixty One Nails this is an urban fantasy which includes the countryside and acknowledges its difference to the city without making it out to be scary.
I very much enjoyed this book, though I did find the scenes which involved rioting and fire eerily prescient.
Also the front cover with all that densely-packed writing was distracting and fascinating. I don't usually mention cover art much, but in case I was very impressed.

Why I Love Good Omens

2011-10-16T13:57:00.005+01:00

I was first given Good Omens for my 16th birthday.

My father says he first read Lord of the Rings when he was 21 and he has reread it regularly ever since then, I can think of several occasions from my when I saw him reading it.* That is what Good Omens is like for me. I have read and reread it so many times that the book is looking distinctly worn. Were it on the shelf at work I'm sure my boss would consider selling it and getting a better looking copy.

I love those moments that I read then immediately reread, sometimes numerous times, just to play the dialogue and expressions and reactions through in my mind until they're as clear as they can be, as though I'm actually watching or directing them. I pretty much only do this with dialogue between main characters, usually when there's humour behind the conversation. There are quite a lot of moments in Good Omens that I do this with, especially conversations between Crowley and Aziraphale. In fact I'd pretty much got a scene-by-scene of their entire drunken conversation in my head before I was in my twenties.

I suspect reading Good Omens is partly why I like Queen.
At 16 I still liked a lot of mainstream music (later working in a clothes shop, and influence from the heavier tastes of friends, would spark a growing appreciation of rock) but I was rarely passionate about music. I knew Dad liked Queen and had heard several of their songs, but we were not a very musical household and it had mostly been in the background. Good Omens was the first book I've read that had a soundtrack. The references to the Greatest Hits of Queen are often sarcastic and at first I thought that the authors didn't like the band. Then I realised that the lyric quotes and the jokes were a sign of appreciation. When I heard certain Queen songs I associated them with Good Omens and though I'm sure Queen would have been a part of my developing musical tastes anyway, I'm sure that association helped. When I hear that bit in 'Bohemian Rhapsody' I still often think of Crowley giving a strangled scream and punching his foot to the accelerator of the Bentley just as the song seems to explode.

Good Omens was in some ways my bridge from Pratchett to Gaiman.
When I first read Good Omens I'd read a lot of Discworld (though being a teenager -and a fairly innocent one- I didn't get all the jokes). I think I had read Neverwhere at that point and Neil Gaiman had been recommended to me by a friend from the Youth Theatre group I attended, as a good author who co-wrote with Terry Pratchett. I remember making a list of things to buy in town and borrow from the city library:
Never ware
Neil Gaiman
socks
I needed to buy some socks and I had never seen Neverwhere written down. I remember this because later that day my sister saw the note and assumed Neil Gaiman was a designer/brand of socks that I'd been warned against.
Initially I noticed all the Pratchetty bits of Good Omens -the footnotes, the way Death spoke, some of the description, characterisation and jokes, which chimed with what I'd been reading in Discworld. After a few years, during which I read Sandman, American Gods, Stardust and various short stories, I reread Good Omens and noticed the Gaiman-ness -the GK Chesterton references, the speculations about the nature of the divine/demonic, some of the description, characterisation and jokes.

I like that when rereading I still pick up on things I missed before. This doesn't happen every time but it happens enough that I'm still surprised and delighted. Some of it was jokes I didn't get at first due to still being young and innocent (the Coitus Interruptus Award for telemarketers was suddenly amusing - although I later wondered how they knew), others were references to things I hadn't experienced or didn't entirely get until they had a chance to sink in and become ingrained in my worldview.

These are all reasons why I love Good Omens and if you don't really know what I'm talking about I suggest you find a copy and find out. You won't regret it.

* I must say I do not have much love for Lord of the Rings, though I can appreciate its importance to the genre. My dad read The Hobbit to me when I was 8 and I remember enjoying that -though I don't seem to recall the ending, so I think we must have got interrupted. I tried to read LotR when I was 15 and got most of the way through Fellowship but at that point the films were coming out so it just easier to watch.

Recent Reading - Lud-in-the-Mist

2011-10-10T23:03:00.001+01:00

I honestly am reading, I'm just being slow to post about it again.

Lud-in-the-Mist by Hope Mirrlees

This picture bears almost no relation to the story.

I really enjoyed this fantasy written in the 1920s by one of those little known/recognised early female writers that need a higher profile than they have.
It really wasn't what I expected, not quite sure what I expected but I imagine my expectations were coloured by all the modern fantasy I read. The book was written before Tolkien set the stage for traditional fantasy tropes. So what do you call something that predates the traditional? I have no idea, and I'm not sure I'm knowledgeable enough to answer that, but it actually felt different to a lot of other books I've read.

The story is set in the country of Dorimare, which borders Fairyland. The capital Lud-in-the-Mist was ruled by a rational-minded mercantile upper class who relied on trade and put their faith in the law. As the fanciful and magical have no basis in law the upstanding citizens of Lud-in-the-Mist disregarded the neighbouring land, it's mischievous inhabitants, and dangerous exports. So when entrancing fairy fruit starts affecting the great and good of Lud-in-the-Mist it takes a man with a fanciful frame of mind to solve the problem.

The protagonist Nathanial Chanticleer is a rich older man, upstanding citizen and Mayor of the capital - a very different sort of hero to most fantasy novels. This is more a midlife crisis than a coming of age story, though that perhaps sounds uncharitable. It's made clear that though he seems like any other respectable Lud citizen, Nathaniel Chanticleer has always had a wistful, introspective side that doesn't fit with his peers.

The book has a rich descriptive style that you don't tend to get so much nowadays, and while there is a lot more telling (as opposed to showing) than I'm used to, it works fine in a period piece. The humour is mild and wry, the fantastical elements are mostly hinted at and are made mysterious rather than overt. I had expected to see more of fairyland, but the impact of magical encroachment into the tight-laced Lud society worked well.

There's a strong comparison between the country and the town. The country folk stuck to the old superstitions and, in this book, were proved to be right, while the townfolk consider themselves more sophisticated and enlightened. However it's made very clear that their insistence in dealing only in the rational and understandable blinkers them and leaves them unprepared for things outside their ken.
It also felt as though the fairy fruit, contraband magical food which is referred to only euphemistically, is an analogy for all sorts of disruptive influences within society. The most obvious parallel is with drugs, as the fruit must be smuggled into the country and distributed in secret. I'm sure that a reread would bring other themes to mind.

I enjoyed reading Lud-in-the-Mist as I was interested to see the kind of fantastical story written before Grandfather Tolkien, and because it worked well with my general enjoyment of fairytales and the mythic. The country of Dorimare -fictional though it may be- is rich in history and folklore and the references to traditional tales, songs and images felt very nostalgic even though they were inventions of the author.

Writing News

2011-10-09T14:19:00.000+01:00

My short story 'Lupa di Roma' has been published by Title Goes Here Magazine in their October Web Edition (1.10).
The web editions are free to read so I encourage you to go and have a look.

I am very happy about this, and also very pleased with the way the story was described in the editorial. I doubt any description I'd written would have sounded nearly as impressive.
Apparently I've written Mythpunk. I didn't mean to, but as the story is based on the Roman foundation legend I guess it fits the subgenre.

Doctor Who - The Wedding of River Song

2011-10-08T19:15:00.002+01:00

I finished this series of Doctor Who the same way I'd started it, watching in a hotel at a UK convention.
There were some definite differences in the circumstances, I was in Brighton not Birmingham. I was in the hotel lounge with about a dozen other people watching on a large TV, rather than watching with hundreds of people in a big room with a projector screen. Still the parallels framed my viewing of the series.

Emotional Response
Shiny and fun. Lots of CGI and world creation that reused material (Romans, Winston Churchill, pterodactyls, that beard) from the last few series and other Whoniverse shows. Obviously going for impressive visuals, which succeeded.

Amy & Rory are sweet again, and this time Rory's switch is turned to brave.
Rory doesn't get much of a character arc, he's a compassionate man who loves his wife and seems to get killed a lot. His characterisation can be described as: Rory Williams: Everyman Hero/Bumbling Coward [delete as appropriate to episode plot]. It's more a pendulum than an arc.

Blue head-in-a-box guy is amusing. If you're just a head in a box then it makes sense you'd be snarky.

And the robot tesselect thingy is the decoy, as was guessed by my colleague after 'Hitler' (the Flesh Doctor clearly being a red herring). This is good in terms of creating a happy ending, though it's not surprising or suspenseful.

I think we all knew what The Question would be. What's hiding in plain sight more than the title of the show?

Intellectual Response
What's happening now? I'm intrigued but this broken history (which actually feel more like an alternate world, because it clearly has it's own rules and processes and continuity) feels little tangential.
Broken time means all of history happens at once - kind illogical, shouldn't it be a palimpsest of time periods rather than an entire alternate world with all it's own stuff. But I shan't quibble too much on this point. Because...

It's taken a month (real time), goodness knows how many months (in-show time) and an alternate world (plot line) for me to discover that yes, Amy was actually very upset and pissed off that her baby was kidnapped.
I know such emotions should be a given, but in TV if a character doesn't display some emotional continuity (even if it's done subtly or in the background) then we can only assume that they don't care and neither should we. The way it was handled it seemed as though the team needed to give Amy a reason to dispatch the baddie and it suddenly occurred to them that maybe the whole baby-stealing thing had ticked her off a bit. If a TV show is going to hit the reset button fair enough, but don't do it three weeks in a row then suddenly expect the viewer to buy an emotion plot arc a month later simply because it's convenient again.
All I was asking for was a quick scene between Amy and Rory at a quiet moment, or even just a concerned/comforting line of dialogue to let us know that actually these characters are suffering. I can understand if they're resigned to let events take their course, but shouldn't we be able to tell that they're putting a brave face on it. I mean even if you want to all ignore the emotional characterisation (and I'm not sure why you would) from a plot POV the disappearance of Melody was supposed to be 'the farthest the Doctor will fall' or some such melodramatic gubbins. To have the cause of the Doctor's Great Fall routinely ignored by everyone later just leads to disappointment.

So I don't really get how the Silence (whoever they were) engineered both a psuedo-Time Lord (if that's what they did) and a fixed point in time (which is definitely what that was because we were told repeatedly). Also if the Doctor's death is a fixed point in time then surely if he doesn't actually die then it's not a fixed point in time?
Apparently a shape-shifting robot getting broken is in fact the event at the centre of that particular fixed point in time. Obviously we all knew that the Doctor would get out of it somehow, but this kind feels like cheating. All the timey-wimey stuff that was supposed to be a result of the Doctor's death and it actually happened because a very fancy robot got broken.

Questions
So what did River tell the tenth Doctor just before she died if she doesn't know his name? What's so special about his name anyway?

Why were Amy and River working with Madame Kovarian in weird-time world, they have every reason to hate her (assuming River knows who she is) and suspect her?

River was brain-washed/raised to be a psychopath, is that all just fixed now? Why?

And finally...
Why did the TARDIS go to Amy's house just before it exploded?
That was the one place/time it shouldn't have gone, River clearly didn't mean for it to go there, but she couldn't stop it. I'd assumed someone hijacked/hacked it somehow and it was all part of the Pandorica Opens/Big Bang stuff, but the whole thing seems to have been forgotten. Apparently the internetz have decided the TARDIS went there of it's own accord, but why would it go somewhere that would lead to it exploding?
I've been wondering this for over a year! I assumed it tied into the wider plot as it was the main question left over from last year, but it just seems to have been ignored.

FantasyCon 2011

2011-10-04T22:36:00.001+01:00

This was our first Fantasycon and second full convention. We went to all the days at Eastercon, but had to leave in the evenings to get the train home, meaning we missed out on some of the party atmosphere. This time we were staying in the con hotel, so had no excuse.

The weekend saw surprising and unseasonable heat. As a coastal town and famous tourist trap Brighton has a very definite season (I've been there off-season - at which point it's mostly just a town by the sea). Having a mini heatwave two weeks after the season ended clearly threw local businesses off. It also meant the the town was heaving with people over the weekend and most of the rooms at the hotel became uncomfortably warm.

We mostly went to panels and sat in the bar, or else wandered along the seafront and beach. We utterly failed to go to any readings, signings or launches. I think next time we go to a con we need to pay more attention to who is doing what and look into what books we might like to get.

Highlights:

Quiz - Our team ended up having the least points (despite receiving a comedy point for our ridiculous answers). It seemed that we mostly couldn't remember the answers until we heard them later, so we figured we'd be amusing instead. I mean Lanhkmar/Birmingham, Rand al'Thor/David - it's all basically the same, right? Best thing about the quiz, and it's real point, was that we met a couple of people who we ended up spending quite a bit of time with throughout the con. New, fun people to talk to are always good.

Trends in Fantasy Panel - This was a very interesting and largely amusing panel, and probably my favourite panel. The discussion mostly covered traditional/epic/secondary world fantasy with some mentions of paranormal, but little about urban fantasy. There was much discussion of how trends came about and whether they were a reaction against 80s tropes. The panel was moderated by Juliet E. McKenna, who is becoming a convention favourite of mine.

Rise of YA Panel - This discussion was interesting, especially considering my work with teenage readers. It was good to hear another library worker pipe up during the discussion. I agree with Stephen Deas's that the books have always existed, it's just the label and the market have been created by publishers/booksellers. I can kinda see why Sarah Pinborough thinks YA might be a barrier to kids reading adultbooks - personally I tend to refer to them as teenage books because that's what we call them at work. I think that's better as it means that as most kids want to read about characters older than themselves they'll probably move on to adult books of their own accord when they feel like they want to be treated as adults.

Comics Panel -Very interesting and I was glad that the issue of women in comics was brought up (and nicely explained) as it's a key topic just now. There was a woman in the audience who clearly loved superhero comics, but was nearing the edge of her tether in regards to how she was treated as a female superhero comic fan. My heart really went out to her, she clearly felt very strongly that her passion for something she loved was being sorely tested. I actually said something (which sounded far more eloquent in my head I'm sure) about superheroes being the main thing people think of when they think of comics, and also about the popularity webcomics. The answers were roughly what I expected, but it was nice to hear what professionals thought.

People - I met some great people. Several who I'd spoken to on Twitter before, some entirely new. It was just great to chat with people. I also found it incredibly interesting to hear authors/writers talk about their books and writing. I'm not used to talking about writing with people I don't know well.I'm usually pretty reserved about it, but clearly I'm missing a trick as it was great to just hear about it. Later, when I'd sobered up, it gave me plenty to think about.

The Girl with the Dragon Earring - My husband got me a great piece of jewellery that looks like a dragon twined round my ear, and it was the first time I'd worn it. I got plenty of compliments, comments and someone took a picture.If you can't wear an ear-wyrm (which is my name for it) to a fantasy convention where can you where one?

Lowlights:

Heat - it was so, so hot. I do not do well when I'm too hot. I'm like a microprocessor, I need a certain temperature to operate at a full efficiency.

Check-in - we had to queue for an hour to check in, meaning that I didn't go to a reading I'd meant to go to. It got to the point where I was quite excited just to be able to see into the lobby.

The Hotel Room - our hotel room was air-conditioner adjacent. Meaning that even if we turned ours off (not that we could given the heat) the unit just outside the window would hum us gently to sleep anyway.

Memories:

I remember dancing energetically to incredibly cheesy music, mostly from the 70s I think, at the con disco. All around writers and publishing people danced like mad things.

Me and a guy (didn't see his name badge) pointed Brian Aldiss towards the the reception & agreeing with him that the hotel was indeed built like a maze. The guy then said that the previous night he'd heard someone make a reference to God Complex, and that was how he could tell he was at an SF convention.

Post Con Post

2011-10-03T18:57:00.000+01:00

Just a very quick post to say that I had a great time at Fantasycon. It involved a lot of travelling and more sunshine than I am accustomed to in autumn (or indeed summer sometimes). There will be a more detailed post on that soon (hopefully by Wednesday).

I'm also going to write up the Doctor Who finale and Lud-in-the-Mist. I plan to get all this done by the end of the week, though goodness knows if that'll actually happen.

I guess what I'm saying is... Watch this Space.

Doctor Who - Closing Time

2011-09-27T13:27:00.002+01:00

This contains spoilers and I'm writing this on the assumption you've seen the episode.

I watched this with my mother-in-law who hasn't watched any recent Doctor Who. She said the show had changed a lot and then asked us if it was usually that trivial. All we could say was that it varied. Obviously this was (mostly) a light episode before next week.

It seems that the BBC had heard, but failed to understand, my lack-of-baby rant. Yes, there was a baby in this episode, but not the one who was abducted. Is this a sign once and for all that the Doctor has no intention of trying to find his friends' baby? Seems likely, especially as they don't seem too bothered about having her back. Well what parents don't want their unplanned infant to be raised by antagonist kidnappers?

Emotional Response
Oh look, a shop. Well the Doctor does love a shop, and also Rose was from a shop. When's someone going to point out the role shops have in all this, hmm? Also, why is a cyberman in a ladies' fitting room?

James Corden is funny as Craig, I don't know why people disliked him. Craig is a funny, likeable character and Corden is good at playing him. It was nice that he was nervous and overwhelmed about the baby, though you notice how TV mums never seem to be like that? The chemistry between the characters is very strong, Matt Smith is an actor who works well with others.
The Doctor speaks baby again and it's a lot of fun. I like that the baby named himself Stormaggedon, his attitude does explain that very judgmental way that babies look at you.

I was confused when the Doctor was working in the toy shop then seemed to know a woman in a clothes shop. Then I realised it was one big department store, that wasn't clear earlier, I thought it was mall. He makes a pretty good toyshop worker, though seriously how did he get a name badge saying Doctor?

Look it's Rory and Amy, do they live near here?
And now some kid seems to have been allowed to go autograph hunting in the middle of a shoot, not professional BBC. Oh, actually it seems Amy is now a perfume model on an ad campaign with a slogan that's weirdly meaningful to the characters (though in fairness it's not that weird for a perfume slogan, usually they just string words together). Well what young girl doesn't go around getting the autographs of perfume models? Rory and Amy fail to see the Doctor despite the little girl pointing in his direction. This whole bit is kinda surreal, and I don't even know what it's for. Seriously what's this bit about?

The Doctor keeps brooding every few scenes, rather spoiling the comedic tone. Obviously we need to remember that he is weighed down with concerns, though goodness knows what they are and why he isn't doing something about them.

Cybermen are not so impressive when there aren't many of them. Why do they want Craig as cyber-controller? I see no particular reason to choose him over any of the other homo sapiens they find. Also I must say there seems to be remarkably little of the sawing and cutting that there's been every other time cybermen convert people.
I was a bit confused that Craig didn't know about cybermen since they invaded the country (or London anyway) a few years ago. Then my husband pointed out that the universe got rewritten so that might not have happened.

So things are all wrapped up nicely, Craig's house is thoroughly cleaned (lucky sod) and the Doctor has a cool cowboy hat. Except there's these randomly staring kids in the street. Seriously what's up with these kids, were they in the toy shop earlier? Did their mothers not teach them it's rude to stare?

Turns out the staring children were a baffling link to the bit at the end.
More on that below.

Intellectual Response
Well that lady who was left on her own is clearly dead, also I suspect she's breaking some kind of lone working policy. Surely she should have checked the shop was empty before letting the other staff go?

Craig has a baby now, how long has it been since The Lodger? It's not easy keeping track in a time travelling show. Craig's worries over being a father are understandable as everyone seems to treat him like a large man-child. Sometimes bumbling dad characters can be a bit too ridiculous, it seems unfair that men should be generally painted as useless idiots (what if I want to be a useless idiot?). That said I find Craig endearing enough to pull it off.

The Doctor speaking baby reminds me of the first Mary Poppins sequel novel Mary Poppins Comes Back.
In the book the Bankses have another baby called Anabel and Mary Poppins can understand her. At first Anabel is very poetic and speaks of fire and wind, but Mary Poppins smiles indulgently and knows that it won't last -it never does. Later Annabel has forgotten all the grand stuff she said before and is only concerned with baby-stuff like sleeping and eating and being comfortable. I rather guessed that Stormaggedon would come to identify himself as Alfie by the end.

The Doctor's upcoming death is hanging over this episode, but I don't understand why. He's a time traveller why does he need to go to his death now? I thought the Doctor who was killed was a good 100 years older, surely he should have plenty of time left?

So the saving the day with love ending was cheesy as hell, but at least the Doctor tried to explain it away with techno-babble (in proper Sci-Fi TV the day is always saved by techno-babble). It still isn't as cheesy and dumb as everyone being cured by hugs and so I can forgive it.

The bit at the end
I'm doing this bit separately because it didn't feel like part of the episode. Those staring kids acting as witnesses and the creepy song had no part in what had just happened.

I think I'm supposed to be excited and intrigued by the bit at the end, but I'm just confused and kind of annoyed. My barrel full of questions have been routinely ignored for almost a month and now I'm just having information clumsily thrown at me. Information that just creates yet more questions. It's just a way of getting me to watch next week, and I was always going to watch next week (I mean possibly not on the day cos of Fantasy Con) because I want some bloody answers!
It's a reminder that there's only one episode to go and I need far too many answers for one episode to easily provide.

It just strikes me as bad storytelling to have created a lot of ongoing plot that is just left dangling and unimportant for weeks only to be (presumably) concluded in a big rush at the end, which will probably be disappointingly jumbled. I realise that the episodic nature of the show and the writing is probably the main reason for this, but the lack of continuity on something that should be so important to the characters just makes them seem a bit stupid.
The whole eyepatch lady thing from the first half of the series worked because it was a thread that ran through multiple episodes, it was something to look out for, something that kept us in intrigued. When some of the content of those earlier episodes was related to the unfolding plot you could see things coming together and that was fun. In this half of the series it seems like nothing is coming together, it's been stalled and has just been restarted. Overall the last three episodes -good as they were on their own- have felt like little more than filler and wasted opportunity.

Questions
I was going to sum up what I knew of the ongoing plot so far and try to slot the bit at the end into that. However thinking about it just makes me confused.
So instead I'm going to quote a song that sums up nicely:

Hey, what's going on?

Fantasy Con 2011

2011-09-26T22:21:00.002+01:00

I'm going to Fantasy Con this year for the first time.

I'm very much looking forward to it. I've met various friendly and interesting people on Twitter who will also be going, so if nothing else it'll be good to put faces to names. I'm hoping that as well as attending some interesting panels and events I'll be able to have some good conversations with other fantasy fans.
While Eastercon back in April was my first convention, this will be my first convention away from home. I'll have to pack my suitcase, bring snacks and take a long train journey, but it'll be nice to be staying right there where the action is.

I realise I haven't done a Why I Love post in a month. I could blame Doctor Who as I've been trying to post episode reviews each week before the next one is on TV. Really though I think I got excited and burned myself out. I came up with various posts and posted them all one after another without coming up with a long term plan. From October I'll try and post one at least once a month, but I don't think I'll manage it once a week. Obviously I need to go out there and find more stuff to love.

On Stranger Tides

2011-09-24T23:24:00.001+01:00

On Stranger Tides by Tim Powers

This is the third Tim Powers book I've read and I really enjoyed it, although perhaps not quite as much as the other two. It's the inspiration for the new Pirates of the Caribbean film -except that it isn't. Disney bought the rights after the first Pirates film as there were various similarities between the book and the film franchise. Though the film shares similar elements the plot won't be the same (I've not actually seen Pirates 4, but I feel pretty safe in saying this), and the characters certainly won't be. For a start here are no mermaids in this book.

John Chandagnac travels to the Caribbean to claim his rightful inheritance from a scheming uncle. On route the ship is taken by pirates -with help from fellow-passenger and deranged academic Benjamin Hurwood. John is forced to join the pirates or forfeit his life and so he is taken to the New Providence Island pirate settlement and renamed Jack Shandy. Jack ends up travelling with the fearsome Blackbeard, the sinister doctor Leo Friend, Hurwood and Hurwood's daughter Elizabeth to the Fountain of Youth.

The way that the supernatural occurred in the book reminded me of both The Anubis Gates and Declare. It was like Declare because there were powerful, spiritual beings in existence that knowledgeable humans had to work with - though in this book they were based on voodoo (or vodoun) rather than middle eastern mythology. It was like The Anubis Gates because it suggested that magic was inimical to technology and had gotten progressively weaker over time. I liked this because it felt as though all the books took place in the same world, and given the well-researched settings and characters, it all felt like secret history.

While there is a fair bit of darkness in all the Tim Powers books I've read I found some of the elements in On Stranger Tides a bit more unpleasant. I suspect it's because the one villain was entirely immoral and his plan involved a nasty, incestuous sexual element. Another villain had a plan that may have seemed romantic at first, but was simply sinister and unpleasant and probably would've become incestuous. The other villain was fearsome pirate Blackbeard, so that's quite a rogues gallery to be going on with.
This leads me to Elizabeth Hurwood, the main female character and a woman who seemed to have everyone after her for all the wrong reason. She was kept captive by her father throughout the book, her ability to act for herself obliterated by a restrictive diet designed to keep her weak. She was seen as a vessel for the lusts, schemes and magical power of many of the male characters. Jack, who is the hero and the one man who desires her without wanting to use her, loves her and wants to do right by her. This was probably the best deal the poor girl was going to get, though I felt that the strength of feeling between Elizabeth and Jack was based on little time sent together - though this is very often the way in fiction so I can't particularly fault Tim Powers for that.

Overall it was an excellent, intelligent book full of high seas adventure, suspense, thrills, intrigue, magic, nastiness and puppetry.

Related Stuff:
My review of Declare is in Hub Magazine and my less coherent ramblings can be found in an earlier blog post. I also have an earlier blog post about The Anubis Gates.

Doctor Who - God Complex

2011-09-19T13:22:00.003+01:00

There will be spoilers.

Emotional Response
So this was an intriguing episode, not really scary though, which I think was meant to be the idea.
The creepy hotel with the fears in rooms was a nice concept, and the mystery of what's going on and why certainly kept me watching. Tailoring each room for a different person makes a lot of sense, but as there's no room with my fear in I wasn't afraid. We knew there would be scary-thing behind each door, so none of it actually was scary.

The start was funny, especially Rory's "we're nice" and the Doctor's reaction to the chair leg.

The Doctor likes Rita cos she's smart, she's probably doomed. Though goodness knows it's funny that he fires Amy because Rita's smarter, Amy hasn't been too bright recently. Then he suggests Rita should come with him, she's SO doomed, she might as well be wearing a red shirt. Her death was sad and all, but so predictable that the emotion was lost.
It was sad that other characters kept dying too, but it was obviously going to be that kind of episode, so it wasn't that sad. I mean the Doctor said "No one else dies." At that point all the non-recurring characters were setting off the doom-o-meter. I can understand trying to tug on our heartstrings by killing the likeable characters, but if that's obviously going to happen we won't put much effort into liking them.

Plenty of that Who-staple running around corridors. Not sure how they kept finding each other and the dummy room again though.

The ending was kinda confusing, I didn't really get much idea of who built the place and locked the Minotaur up and how people got there. Also seems that if the Minotaur didn't want to feed off people it should have been able to just stop and die. I don't know. It was just 'oh look a spaceship, that was why mumblemumblemumble'.

I'm also not quite sure what's happening with Amy and Rory and the Doctor at the end. Obviously Rory's glad to get back to normal life, and he gets a great car, so win for him (also he hasn't died in ages, so really he's doing pretty well). Amy -who has been a bit of a flight risk when it comes to normality- is obviously a bit freaked by the Doctor leaving. Not sure about the Doctor, though. It feels like a build up to something (which it almost certainly is) but I don't get the internal reasons why.
I did like that their front door was TARDIS-coloured.

Intellectual Response
So Room 101 meets Greek Mythology - except there wasn't really enough Greek Mythology. I was waiting for references to Theseus, or Ariadne, or string, or something, but they didn't come so that was kinda distracting. I mean the whole hotel-is-a-labyrinth thing is fine and fits the theme, but I was expecting more (then again I suspect that's just me).
I'm glad they called the creature a Minotaur, rather than the Doctor coming up with some fancy alien name for it that means nothing to us (like with the Carrionites in the Shakespeare episode a few series ago). Of course it did look fairly alien and not much like a man with a bull head, but sometimes a silly alien word is just the Doctor showing off and the writers wanting to try and stick (loosely) to SF.

Rita was a great character and you can see why the Doctor liked her, I liked her and thought her presence was valuable - but so clearly dooming her to death (however dignified) meant I didn't want to invest in her. New Who has gotten a bit too comfortable in it's tropes and it really spoils the suspense.

The main creepiness wasn't the rooms but the way the people who were praising him started speaking. Creepy, death-culty zeal sends shivers down the spine. Not quite sure why fears or bad dreams (and which was it, because those aren't necessarily the same) are related to people's faith? I mean it seems as though there would be other ways to summon people's faith than scaring them, but possibly I missed something, or maybe it's a function of the broken holodeck.

If the TARDIS is supposed to translate alien languages how come only the Doctor can understand the minotaur? I mean the Doctor translates all the plot relevant stuff so I'm not sure I see the point in hiding it's speech. I guess it was a way of keeping the minotaur more animalistic.

The Doctor calling her Amy Williams at the end seems like he's giving up claim to her, which is a bit problematic. I guess it's because he calls her Pond normally and he's distancing himself. I can't see there being any ownership issues from Rory, he's not the sort.
I can see why the Doctor's distancing himself, we've had two episodes in a row showing the bad side of Amy's faith in him, but I have no idea what he intends to do next.

Amy mentions her daughter, which was a confusing surprise. So she acknowledges River (and Mels/Melody?) as her daughter, but doesn't have any actual concern about her. It's a bit bad really. I mean she doesn't ask the Doctor to look for her, just to see if he runs into her, like it's all a bit of a joke. After total silence on the subject this seems a bit flippant.

The episode was a good one, although I don't think it hit all the beats it was aiming for. I liked the idea thought didn't feel as moved as I would like. Found the end a bit confusing.

Questions
When are we getting back to whatever it is that we've been ignoring/forgetting about for the last few weeks?
I have loose plot threads going back a year and I'm becoming increasingly worried that there are too many gaps to fill. I like having standalone episodes, but ignoring great flapping loose ends and canyon-like gaps just makes the characters seem a bit stupid, especially when there's nothing stopping them investigating.

Doctor Who - The Girl Who Waited

2011-09-15T20:11:00.000+01:00

The preview of this episode looked intriguing and I was really hoping it would be good. Happily I was not disappointed.
This will be pretty spoilery, though this is very much a standalone episode so I won't be mentioning anything to do with ongoing plot threads.

Emotional response
This was a damn good episode!
The divergent time streams and resulting exploration of time paradox feels much more like sci-fi than usual.
Rory and Amy are finally doing stuff, not just wandering around reacting to stuff. Obviously there's some reacting, but there's also lots of doing and that's good.

Older Amy is pretty cool, you can tell she's Amy but with a hard and lonely life. Her swirly fighting at the end is just fun and great. She's tough and confident but in a totally different, more grounded, way to River. In fact it's hard to picture older Amy and River in the same scenes, they belong to different kinds of stories.
I felt so much for older Amy, life has generally been unfair and disappointing for her. The interactions between her and Rory (and to a lesser extent her and younger Amy) are so touching but also sad as she's obviously doomed.

Rory's care for unconscious younger Amy was lovely to see, so sweet. This is another time when Rory is great and they are an excellent couple.
Oh, the bit at the end when older Amy and Rory talk through the TARDIS door was so, so sad!
Probably good that younger Amy was (conveniently) unconscious for that.

Intellectual response
Finally an episode that feels more like SF than usual. Exploring the possibilities of time travel and paradoxes really uses the potential of Doctor Who.
I like that this episode explores the emotional impact of time paradox. Coming adrift in time, away from your loved ones, is an odd kind of separation with a wide variety of implications and repercussions.
The Doctor is conveniently removed from the bulk of the action due to a time traveller quarantine, and after the initial explanation acts as a remote adviser. This means there's even more space for interactions between Amy (both of them) and Rory. For the first time this series the two companions are allowed to take centre stage.

The white, white place with the white, white robots felt like some that would be designed by Apple. iParadox? Very institutional and shiny and uniform. Also appropriate as it's a place that provides endless distraction. It's good that we get to see the grimier backstage areas and the scary needle faces of the robots.

Older Amy has been abandoned by her friend and loses her husband, and so her confused, guarded-but-tender feelings for Rory when he finally shows up are absolutely understandable. Her desire to survive even if it means denying her younger self a better future, could be seen as selfish, but perhaps it also shows her fighting spirit. She hasn't survived the robots all this time only to be winked out of existence. It's sad because we know that will eventually be her fate (let's face it they weren't going to keep making Karen Gillan wear that make up).

Rory is excellent too. After the initial shock he is so understanding and accepting of older Amy, and no doubt feels horribly guilty that she was on her own so long. She's older now but she's still his wife and he still loves her. He refuses to choose between the Amys when given the choice, and continues to preserve both versions up to the last minute when the Doctor forces his hand.

Ah yes, the Doctor. I felt he was being particularly harsh when he described older Amy as not real. She was obviously real, she was a person with feelings and history and her own existence. I can understand the desire not to allow a time paradox into your time machine, that's just good sense (probably). However the Doctor didn't have to be so dismissive of her. I'm assuming he did it to force Rory's hand and make him accept the choice, still it didn't feel like something the normally life-affirming Doctor would say.

Questions
Um, nothing that I didn't cover with more passion last week.
Still no Melody concern, but this episode was so good I wasn't too worried about that.

Yes to Gay in YA

2011-09-13T23:24:00.000+01:00

Earlier today I found out about two YA authors who were told to change the sexuality of a character via Juliet E. McKenna's blog.

I read quite a few teen books for work as I help run a teenage reading group. In fact I was at a discussion and making recommendations only a few hours ago.
As I read the above posts I realised I could think of quite a few good books about homosexual teens. These were books that covered a variety of genres and explored relationships between friends, families and couples. Most of the books I can think of are American, so it isn't as though the US market for YA publishing is devoid of this kind of diversity.
As the article says the existing books need to increase their profiles so that agents and editors can see that haven't a gay character isn't toxic to sales or approval.

Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan

"There isn't really a gay scene or a straight scene in our town. They all got mixed up a while back, which I think is for the best! And whether your heart is strictly ballroom or bluegrass punk, the dance floors are open to whatever you have to offer. This is my town."

This is a book about relationships and high school romance, regardless of sexuality. Paul lives in a very accepting and open environment (one which the adults at work who read this book found a little unrealistic, although the teens didn't have a problem with the setting). Paul is best friends with a girl called Joni, however their friendship is under stress due to Joni's new boyfriend. Paul himself is trying to keep away from his ex, Kyle, and is falling for new boy Noah.
The only character who faces real problems because of sexuality is Tony, who comes from a different town and has religious parents. The group of friends help Tony to be more accepting of himself and do not understand the way his parents treat him. Tony's parents are portrayed fairly, they are worried parents who want to do the best for their son and Tony explains to his friends that their strictness is a sign of their love for him.
An enjoyable and mostly lighthearted read.

Ash by Malinda Lo

This fantasy book is a different take on the Cinderella story. Ash grew up near the wood and like her mother she is able to see the fairies who live among the trees. Ash ends up living as a servant in her stepmother's house in the city, but even then she is still able to contact the mysterious man from the woods who grants her wishes, for a price. She also meets Kaisa, the King's Huntress, a woman who inspires her to escape her dreary life and follow her desires.

This story is clearly inspired by the fairytale but is also very much it's own thing. The setting feels European, but a bit more modern than the traditional pseudo-Medieval fantasy world. The wish granting man from the woods is a far cry from any fairy godmother. He is cold and aloof and his wishes are only granted with a strict price. The death of Ash's parents and her attachment to her childhood home are strong factors in her story. Her uncertainty about what she wants from her life and her slow acceptance of love make Ash a more realistic figure than the normal Cinderella-type character.

Huntress by Malinda Lo

I read this back in July and mentioned it in an earlier post on this very blog. For my full review click here.
I believe it is the only book in this list that features mostly non-white characters. The setting is based on Chinese history and it seems safe to assume that all the human characters are south east Asian.
Technically it's a distant prequel to Ash, set in the same world- though I find it hard to understand how a society based on feudal Japan would turn into a society that feels like early-modern Europe. There are some details in common but the two books feel different enough that they could be standalone. I suspect the story involves aspects of fairytales, although to me it mostly felt like a quest fantasy with a well-written romance plot.

Hero by Perry Moore

Thom Creed is used to being an outsider, his father is a widely hated ex-superhero after his failure to prevent a disaster. Thom doesn't want to disappoint his father, who lives in disgrace and was also abandoned by his wife. However Thom is not only gay, he also has a superpower and wants to join the League that spurned his father. Thom secretly tries out as a superhero and joins a junior team and must try to keep all the different parts of his life from colliding.

This is a story that works very well as a piece of superhero fiction. It addresses both official, super-powered heroes and unpowered, unofficial vigilantes. There's all the mystery, secrecy, action and danger you would expect from a well plotted superhero story. Told from Thom's point of view the story addresses two different ways of living with a secret. Thom has both his sexuality and superpowers to worry about, as well as recurring family problems and dangerous superhero politics.

Recent Reading - an abundance of Quentins

2011-09-11T16:33:00.002+01:00

The Magicians by Lev Grossman
This novel takes a very adult look at children's fantasy tropes, especially the likes of Hogwarts and Narnia.
Quentin Coldwater is a gifted teenager who discovers a magical world after finding a dead body at his Princeton interview. Quentin passes a difficult and perplexing set of tests and gains admission to Brakebills, the only magical college in North America. The book not only charts Quentin's four years at Brakebills -including the friendships, romance, magical tests and dangers- but the period of aimlessness and wasted twentysomething years that come after.

There is little that's glamorous about Quentin or his life, and magic isn't shown as a panacea for human problems, in fact it may be the opposite. It's a very modern fantasy, but isn't an urban fantasy. It encompasses both primary and secondary worlds, but isn't quite defined by either. It's a very personal story and we see Quentin warts and all as he comes into adulthood. While there's little sensawunda, there is a fair bit of action, which takes place between descriptions of everyday life which are familiar in their mundanity, even if it is a magician's version of mundanity.
Grossman has managed to write a fantasy that responds to and engages with the magical thinking present in so much of the rest of the genre, and this makes it refreshingly different.

Entirely coincidentally the next book I read also starred a Quentin.

Paper Towns by John Green
This is another great book from the author of the excellent Looking for Alaska.
Quentin Jacobsen has always loved his neighbour Margo Roth Speigelman. They aren't really friends by the time they reach their final year of high school so he is surprised and excited the night she knocks on his window and takes him on a late night prank spree. Then Margo disappears on one of her trips, her parents say they won't let her come back home this time, and Quentin finds himself investigating the hidden life of Margo Roth Speigelman.

This is a great book by turns funny, insightful, intriguing and poignant. It includes poetry by Walt Whitman, crass humour, a sense of dread, and an exploration of how we relate to people. It's nice to see a book in which a girl who is the object of the main character's affection is shown to be both more and less than he expects her to be. Quentin realises that he put Margo on a pedestal and discovers that not only did he fail to understand her, but so did everyone who knew her. Everyone has their own version of Margo, and none of them can explain her. The book played with my expectations at every step and I honestly wasn't sure how it would end.
This is a great book and I would recommend John Green's books to any teens (or indeed adults) who want an interesting, entertaining and also meaningful read.

Doctor Who - Night Terrors

2011-09-07T14:06:00.003+01:00

This will contain spoilers.

Emotional response
Oh a scared child, well I can relate I'm still a scaredy cat.
Of course the Doctor will come and help -and not just leave while the mystery's half solved and a child is lost and still in danger! (My objection to the end of Day of the Moon started intellectually but over time it's migrated into the emotional too.)

Anyway... this looks suitably creepy and it's in a mundane and downbeat sort of setting. Reminds me of Fear Her -which I seemed to enjoy more than most (I quite liked the Isolus - I felt sorry for it)- but in darker way. That poor kid is so freaked out and the way he moves so hesitantly and carefully is good acting.
When you're a scared child you just want to curl up in a ball and remain motionless with your eyes screwed shut. Of course that's not so good from a televisual point of view.

The mansion is confusing change of scene, we totally guessed it was a dollshouse, obvious really.
Oh those dolls are so, so creepy! And you just knew they were going to move and be evil!

Mean landlord is really a lonely soul with only his dog for company. It's a misleading if comforting view of a bully.

Aargh! The scary dolls turn people into more scary dolls! There's no stopping the things! Of course the second it happens to Amy we know it's not permanent, so that's OK.

Some good lines and some funny scenes in the flat. Feel bad for the dad, a strange man shows up, at first is helpful, then won't leave. Then the mean landlord shows up and is threatening. Then he discovers his son isn't really theirs and his life with the kid has been a lie constructed by an alien cuckoo. Incidentally I totally said cuckoo way before the Doctor did, and figured that the kid didn't know what he was.

All better by the time mum comes home and everyone's having a jolly time in the kitchen. Though possibly the Doctor should have provided more info about the care and feeding of an alien child.

That was a creepy episode with a nice ending.

Intellectual response
Rory and Amy are unimpressed by location but they are on a planet in history, you'd think they could step outside their own perspectives a bit.

Daniel Mays and Matt Smith have good chemistry together, not surprising they're both good actors (Mays was best thing in Outcasts). The dad is clearly fearful of many things, including nasty bully landlord, an adult fear. Briefly thought maybe the kid was a somehow a younger version of the dad - oh no turns out kid's an alien. One of the main problems with Who is that that's pretty much always the answer. It can ruin the fantastical aspects of the show, whilst still being fairly poor SF as there's little exploration of the alien itself. The Doctor just says what it is and what it does and that's that. I think that's the tricky thing with having such a knowledgeable/powerful character.

Also there seem to be a fair few aliens just drifting about the universe looking for places to belong. I still like and feel bad for the little Isolus, but we don't even get to see what a Tenser(?) is, so really the Doctor might as well have said 'magic kid'.

The dollshouse thing was obvious after the wooden copper pan, and the point rather laboured by Rory and Amy refusing to open curtains or think about their location and the stuff they found there (that lantern was clearly oversized but there was no comment).
If you want to see a really good example of this kind of situation read The Magicians of Caprona by Diana Wynne Jones, I won't say more to avoid spoilers but it's very well done.
Not really sure what Rory and Amy are actually doing. I guess they're just there to run from the dolls, which are creepy enough on their own anyway. Also what happened to the old lady? I assume she ended up in the dollshouse, but then we don't see her. Is she a doll?

It was a creepy episode and provided decent enough chills and discomfort to contrast with familial scenes. The inclusion of other people besides the TARDIS crew and the family made it seem like a wider problem, though not as serious as in Fear Her. Not impressed by Rory and Amy though, they seemed fairly unconcerned by a mission to help a scared child - though given recent events I guess that's perfectly normal.

Questions
It feels like something's missing, what could it be?
Oh yeah. The baby!

Seriously these people lost their baby and they don't seem to give a damn. In a kid-based episode they seem unconcerned by anything other than their own safety. It's just cold.
In Fear Her Rose was all for investigating the disappearance of children that weren't related to her at all. However Amy and Rory seem content to forget they even had a kid (unplanned and unexpected though she might have been). I realise they know some of her backstory as River/Mels, but surely they also know that she had to die (possibly many times) to get to that point? And I realise logically-speaking that interfering with Melody's timeline could mess a lot of things up, but surely as a parent you would rail against that, sensible as it might be.

Of course we all know babies are a right pain on TV shows, they don't do anything dramatic, they don't have dialogue, they're unpredictable as performers and they take up a lot of time and attention. I suppose this is really a very convenient way of having your main characters have a child without actually having to worry about all that icky, boring, domestic, un-televisual child-rearing stuff. Possibly I'm being very cynical here, but I must say I'm hard pressed to find another reason.

I appreciate that finding Melody can't be the focus of every episode, Doctor Who is an adventure show and being too baby-focused would put people off, I get that. But shouldn't there at least be a scene where Amy and Rory comfort each other, or discuss their loss, or at least act as though they're aware they have a child? Their husband and wife chemistry was good, but so far their parental instincts are just dreadful.

Doctor Who - Let's Kill Hitler

2011-09-04T22:04:00.002+01:00

So a week behind I'll admit. I did do a Doctor Who related post about how I watch it, something which I think is worth mentioning in light of how I'm reviewing.

I think my main fear in the run up to the new Doctor Who episodes is that the amusingly-titled Let's Kill Hitler would just be a fun romp without answering any questions or progressing the ongoing arc.
Not that there's anything wrong with fun romps, they 'e obviously fun, but in a programme that's set up so much plot I find myself impatient for answers. The start of the series proved that the show has no problem halting plot for fun (as seen in that pirate episode) or leaving large plot holes between episodes (if anyone can tell me what actually happened between Impossible Astronaut and Day of the Moon I'd be fascinated to know).

As it turns out the episode was a fun romp full of plot relevant stuff, and many questions. This will contain spoilers, just warning you.

Emotional response
This was a fun episode.
It started with Rory & Amy contacting the Doctor via crop circle. A new character appeared, was given a hurried backstory that showed the early relationship of Amy and Rory. There was lots of running around, there were fun one liners, there was a shape-shifting robot/justice ship with a shrink ray! Posh people had their clothes stolen and ran out of a restaurant in their undies. Hitler was mocked, Rory punched out a Nazi, River was being cool! What more could we possibly want?
There was peril, the Doctor was killed (again, what is that about) but not for definite. We found out a lot more about River/Mels/Melody's story. It's all a plot, but who is plotting and why? Mystery and intrigue abound.

Intellectual response
This was fun and had some cool ideas, although it didn't entirely make sense and afterwards I find I still have many questions.
I liked that Rory and Amy are contacting the Doctor in order to get more information about their missing baby. Of course that got interrupted by the arrival of Mels, who I assumed would be River until she got out of the car -it was a very River-like entrance. (You can imagine how pleased I felt when she regenerated.) I liked Mels, I wouldn't be surprised if she were the only black kid in the village, I grew up in a rural village and there were less than 5 children at the village school who weren't white. Killing Hitler is a bit of a time travel fantasy, and also a rookie mistake, it's easy to see why this impulsive, trouble-prone girl has decided on this.

I liked the justice ship/robot, it was a neat idea. I also liked that those shooty death robots basically seemed to be antibodies. I'm hoping that in the future I can use this episode to explain my auto-immune condition and make it sound cooler. Of course it'll only work if someone has seen the episode, but I'm willing to give it a go.

Hitler was there but mostly as a background. He was more set dressing than a plot point or character. I suppose taking Hitler seriously immediately stops all the fun romping.

The Doctor turning up in a suit immediately reminded me of the last program I saw with Matt Smith in 1930s Berlin, of course that was Christopher and his Kind so I had to banish thoughts of loud, enthusiastic man-love.

Having River unaware of who she is and annoyed by everyone knowing more than she does is a nice turnaround to her enigmatic, knowing smile. IShe acted a bit immature, though she had been an irresponsible twentysomething just moments before. This also means that the Doctor/River relationship isn't going entirely in opposite temporal directions.
Well at least we now know why River doesn't regenerate in the library. Also interracial regeneration seems to be possible. There's still a chance Paterson Joseph fans.

Thing is, thing is... I don't know quite what's happening. It's all crazy and fun but I feel like I'm missing something. It didn't feel coherent as a story, more a set of fun things on which to hang some reveals.
One of the people I was watching with hasn't seen New Who, and commented that it must make more sense if you'd watched previous episodes. It was a good point, this was very much not a self-contained episode. It purported to give is answers, but really just raised more questions.
Lack of answers in TV is one of the things that has put me off series before, usually American series which do tend to do drag things out more. Then again this plot (or parts of it) has technically been going on for two series, so I think it's fair to say that it is being dragged out.

Questions
How does Mels know who Rory and Amy are? Has she seen them since she was a baby? She seems to have a lot of info as Mels, but not much as River? She must have regenerated again, right?
Why would a time travelling justice robot try to kill people before they've committed their crime? They aren't trying to prevent anything and they seem to have pretty accurate files, so surely they should know what time they're meant to strike?
Why was River created/brainwashed to kill the Doctor and how does that work?
Why aren't Amy and Rory a bit more curious about their daughter/best friend? Seriously, wasn't that why they initially contacted the Doctor? It seems as though whenever an issue about missing Melody comes up the answer is 'Oh well she's River, so it'll all be fine' and everyone just accepts that!

I have more questions, but I won't go on.

Overall it was a fun episode, but it was definitely one of those that didn't hold up to thinking.

Recent Reading

2011-09-04T13:48:00.000+01:00

OK I've left it a while between book blogging again. I got distracted by television blogging. This doesn't mean that television distracted me from reading -though that happens on occasion- it just means I that I have been writing TV blog posts more than books. Then again TV stuff needs to be done reasonably soon for it to feel current, whereas books can be re-read whenever so there's less time pressure. Of course this approach does mean I forget things I was going to say and the contents of the book aren't as fresh in my mind. I expect I've missed out various things I was going to say and apologise for that.

Having gone to a workshop run by Juliet E. McKenna at Alt-Fiction this year, and having found her to be interesting and intelligent, I thought it was high time I actually read one of her novels.
Though I read a lot of fantasy I sometimes find I go through long stretches of not reading much traditional/epic fantasy, partly out of a vague assumption that it will end up being a lot like all the epic fantasy I read as I teenager. This is a silly and unfair attitude to have and it's mostly an unconscious. I suspect it's my brain trying to steer away from things that will remind me too much of my own teen angst (which I discovered a couple of years ago can simply re-emerge from the depths of the mind like a sea beast you thought had died but actually had only gone into hiding). Of course I read partly to escape from teen angst and so I doubt that anything I read between the ages of 14 and 18 will actually hold any taint, and anyway it turns out the sea beast would much prefer to surprise me.

Goodness that got kinda personal there, anyway onto the books!

The Thief's Gamble by Juliet E. McKenna
As I expected this turned out to be an excellent and entertaining book. The world created was traditional in that it was pre-industrial and had magic, however it wasn't just the pseudo-medieval. McKenna obviously created the world of Einarin carefully and thoughtfully and I was happy to note that she had included various details -especially the new practice of enclosing fields (finally a use for all the Social & Economic GCSE History stuff)- that gave the world -or at least certain countries/regions- a fairly specific technology level.

The characters were engaging and varied, the main character (or at least the only first-person narrator) Livak was kinda amoral but also sensible and fun to be around. It is surprising how often authors forget that characters can be fun, obviously plots tend to bring about seriousness and danger and drama, but it's good to know that you're reading about someone who knows how to have a good time when things are going well. Other characters varied in likability, most benefited from being seen from other characters' point of views as well as their own making them far more rounded and three dimensional than they would have been had we just occupied their heads.

The plot was interesting and galloped along at a fair place. It (and the characters) roved around the continent, showing the reader various places that appear on the map at the beginning. A relative small act of revenge turns into involvement in part of a wizardly scheme, which becomes an intriguing and dangerous mystery, which leads us off the map entirely into a whole new area of peril.
Highly recommended. I have already ordered the next book and look forward to reading it.

Sixty One Nails by Mike Shevdon
I bought this Angry Robot in the dealer's room at Eastercon and only recently got round to reading it. Angry Robot put handy tips on the back of their books and on back of this one it said it would be enjoyed by those who liked Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, A Madness of Angels by Kate Griffin, and Tithe by Holly Black - I have read and enjoyed all these books, so it seemed like a good bet.

It's a British urban fantasy and as such is set in London, however there are scenes that take place outside of London in the rural Midlands (which is where I grew up). I liked this because urban fantasy has a tendency to ignore or be suspicious of the countryside (then again so do some urban people, so I guess it's not surprising) and English urban fantasy tends to forget that there are parts of England that are not the south east. This isn't a complaint so much as an observation, and if I've just missed out on the books that have bucked this trend I'd be happy to hear recommendations.

The book is about an ordinary Londoner who discovers the magical, secret world that he never knew existed. In this case it is a world of the Feyre (hence the Holly Black comparison) and Niall Petersen must try and survive in this strange world of magic and rules. Niall himself is an everyman figure, understandable and mostly likeable, although I didn't feel that he was particularly special. His companion and guide is Blackbird, a (very) mature lady who later transforms into a lovely young woman and love interest. I liked Blackbird and thought that her position of power and knowledge over Niall made sense, although (as with so, so many other books) I found that the romance part of the plot seemed rather accelerated considering the book takes place in under a week. However this is a personal preference and I didn't feel that the romance was unlikely or over-sentimental, things which I often find in books.
Although it was a familiar story Sixty One Nails was a good read that distinguished itself well. I particularly liked the fact that it's founded on a real event, proving that reality can be delightfully strange.

Head vs Heart - watching Doctor Who

2011-09-01T20:57:00.003+01:00

Before I write reviews of Doctor Who I would like to say a little about how I watch the programme.
I tend to find that the success of a New Who episode rests on how much it stirs my emotions and whether my intellect gets in the way whilst watching. Afterwards my intellect tends to kick in, thinking through the concepts and -often- picking holes. At this point how much I enjoyed the episode whilst watching becomes important, as I generally don't want to pick holes in stuff I enjoy.

There are two Russell T Davis episodes that are good examples of this head vs heart reaction.

'Midnight' was a great episode. The Doctor and a group of tourists are trapped in a confined space with a mysterious creature.
The show starts lighthearted but becomes tense and claustrophobic as the characters' emotions run wild. There's anger and fear manifesting in the growl of the mob, the Doctor starts as the voice of compassion but soon becomes the scapegoated outsider. The episode works so well because it's mostly emotional, there's little to think through because the threat is purposely intangible and mysterious. We never had a name, face or attributes for the creature, and that made it spooky because even the Doctor didn't know what it was, or what it wanted, or how to defeat it.

At the other end of the scale is 'New Earth'.
The Doctor and Rose visit a futuristic hospital run by nun-like cat nurses. Behind the scenes artificial lifeforms are infected with various diseases in order to research cures, however they become sentient and don't like how they're treated. There's some body-swapping by villain Cassandra and the Face of Bo is there for some reason.
There's a lot going on in this episode, plenty of running around and dealing with problems. There are some amusing moments and interesting ideas, although they don't stand out much for me. I liked how there were catwomen nurses (two things that are often sexualised) who were also nuns with wimples and stern demeanours.
Unfortunately the ending broke my suspension of disbelief so much that I wanted to shout at the screen. Maybe I did, I can't remember. All I know is that mixing together lots of medicine doesn't instantly cure multiple diseases -and even if it did, cures can't be spread by hugging!
In fact the scenes in which everyone is healed by hugs were so smaltzy and illogical and unrealistic that I found myself becoming annoyed.

During RTD's run on the programme there was foreshadowing, usually done through prophecy and hidden words, and the event episodes tended to be big and overblown with much emotional impact (if not always much logic). By contrast Stephen Moffat's complex arcs, timey-wimey machinations and plot spaghetti means that in order to follow events the audience needs to remember previous episodes (sometimes from over a year ago) and keep their thinking caps on. While I'm all for TV that makes you think I've found that engaging my intellect tends to mean that the less logical aspects of Doctor Who episodes are more obvious.

The Hour

2011-08-28T12:28:00.012+01:00

I have recently finished watching BBC2 drama The Hour and I must say I've enjoyed it.
Set in 1956 it follows the professional and personal lives of characters who are working on the new -and eponymous- news programme. My interest in 20th Century history has only increased in the last year and I thought it was good to see something that showed the early history of television journalism -that it was also gripping and had good characters was a major bonus.

Set around the Suez Crisis (when Britain and France collaborated with Israel to keep Egypt from gaining control of the Suez Canal) the programme examined how journalism -especially TV journalism- worked at a time when governmental and institutional controls were so strong. I hadn't previously known that TV news had a gag rule stating that they could not report on anything being discussed in Parliament for 2 weeks. When the possibility of going to war is the discussion then it seriously hampers a news programme to stay silent when newspapers and popular opinion are all over the topic.

The characters -and the actors that played them- were very good. The three main characters, Freddie, Bel and Hector, had excellent interactions and were great to watch.
Freddie and Bel are BBC reporters and have been best friends for years, the relationship between them is comfortable and trusting despite disagreements. Bel is given a job producing new news programme The Hour and she brings Freddie along despite his tendency to do his own thing and buck against authority. The host of the show is the upper class Hector, a charismatic man who makes a good anchor and who is also interested in the work. Hector and Bel start an affair and Bel finds herself in a tricky position both privately and professionally as all eyes are on her. Government man McCain snoops around the studio, determined that The Hour do nothing to make the Prime Minister look bad.

The supporting cast are also well done. From Isaac the eager junior reporter, and Cissy the bright young assistant to wry, worldly Lix and suspicious Government man McCain, all are characters who have their own aims and agendas. While these characters are not always the focus of the drama their actions and views colour the story as much as that of the three leads. No characters and no story exists and isolation, and tying both the big and small events not only to history, but to various individuals is a sign of the high quality of the writing.

As well as the personal and political stories there's also a conspiracy thriller plotline. Freddie's childhood friend, debutant Ruth Elms, comes to him in terror about the recent death of an academic, and then she apparently commits suicide. This personal tragedy sets Freddie investigating, and it turns out to be linked to something deeper and more dangerous. With Soviet spies, MI6 agents, and suspicious deaths the creeping sense of danger in these parts of the programme are skillfully done.
The darker moments are offset by more lighthearted character interactions and the day to day business of 1950s programme making, meaning the the tone of the show is varied without any plot thread feeling overblown or heavy-handed. This mixture of mood and tone, when done well, is the sign of a good drama series.

I heartily recommend The Hour and -for those in the UK - it is still available on BBC iPlayer.

Update
The internets tell me that there will be a second series. I'm quite excited now.

Why I Love The West Wing

2011-08-18T18:12:00.000+01:00

I was first introduced to The West Wing at university by my husband (he blogs about gaming and books at Citadel of Davegotsu).
The first time we watched the entire series it took us about nine months. The second time took us about three months, by that time we were working similar hours. It is unusual for us to spend so much time watching a non-SF series.

The series about a fictional US president, set mostly in the White House, ran from 1999 to 2006 and was created by Aaron Sorkin, who is a televisual maestro.
The West Wing was a great blend of drama and humour, an entertaining character-based series that was also about really important issues. The characters were engaging, the story lines were interesting, and the dialogue was regularly brilliant.

The plot lines could go from the lighthearted to the dramatic. Unsurprisingly there was a lot of content dealing with US politics, which managed to interesting even to a fairly unpolitical Brit like myself.
Aaron Sorkin is skilled at creating shows with characters and situations that you care about, even if you don't have a particular interest in the content. A good example of this is Sports Night, a program about a US sports show, something that an unsporty girl like me would normally never be interested in.

The characters and their interactions really made the show. The White House staff were shown to be extraordinary people -not only doing important and challenging jobs, but dealing with various personal problems in ways that only ever felt human and realistic.
I could list the great things about all the characters: Toby's dry sarcasm, Josh's determination, Charlie's loyalty, Leo's wisdom, CJ being one of the best female characters on television.
I think I'll stop myself there or else I'll go on all night.

President Bartlet was exactly the kind of president that many of us wanted America to have - he was smart and erudite, compassionate and liberal, and he really struggled with some of the serious issues he faced as President. He wasn't perfect, but he was likeable and you could respect him even if you didn't agree with all his choices.

One of the nice things about the series is that it is liked by many geeky types, but can also be recommended to people who aren't into SF.

I remember that the Sci-fi Society at my university had a Big Block of Cheese Day. The Chair (who was from Gloucestershire where they are very serious about cheese) brought in a block of cheese with a small US flag stuck in it. I can't remember if we asked any important questions, but I'm sure it was all done in the spirit of Andrew Jackson.

I would recommend the West Wing to anyone to who enjoys an intelligent TV drama.
Here's a link to the Wikiquotes page, it has great examples of the witty dialogue, but I must warn you it's pretty distracting.

Hub Magazine

2011-08-17T19:10:00.001+01:00

You might not know that I sometimes do reviews for Hub Magazine, probably because it's been a while and I haven't mentioned it here before.

Hub is a free online magazine that provides one piece of fiction, several reviews and some quality non-fiction with each issue. If you aren't already subscribed you should check it out.

My review of Declare by Tim Powers is in the current issue (No. 142). You can see my thoughts on his book The Anubis Gates on this very blog.

Previous reviews I've had in Hub:
Black Ships by Jo Graham - fantasy and mythology, these are 2 of my favourite things. Issue 66
Godspeaker: Empress by Karen Miller - fantasy story about a woman who rises from nothing in a harsh land. Issue 74
Franklyn - a strange, noirish film set partly in London and partly in an elaborate other world. Issue 82
Godspeaker: Riven Kingdom by Karen Miller - this sequel introduces new characters and sets up a clash of cultures. Issue 84
Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks - start of an action-packed fantasy trilogy. Issue 88

Recent Reading

2011-08-14T20:59:00.000+01:00

Oops. I've failed to keep up with blogging about what I'm reading. Is it OK if I say I spent the time reading?

I've mostly been reading teenage books, so I'll have plenty to say at the reading group meeting next week.

Matched by Ally Condie
This book tells a familiar story of a highly controlled future society that paints itself as a utopia, but is actually dystopian in its methods. Cassia lives in the Society, a place where all citizens are happy because they are carefully looked after until the age of 80, when they die. People are assigned their work, their food, and their spouses, all to make them as happy, healthy and productive as possible. Cassia starts to fall for a boy who is not her state-chosen Match, and she starts to see that perhaps the Society isn't always right.

The ideas presented were very familiar to me, although most dystopias masquerading as utopias aren't told through the eyes of a teenage girl. In fact this book would make a good introduction for teens to this genre of SF. Condie has made a credible world with methods of control, and the tech required to implement them, clear to see. There is a romance plot (I'm beginning to suspect that YA authors cannot sell books without them) and it is pretty well done, emotional without being too sentimental.
An enjoyable read, even if it was rather familiar.

Trial by Fire by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
In this sequel to Raised by Wolves we return to Bryn -the human girl raised in a werewolf pack. Now alpha of her own pack Bryn is facing more complications and threats from outside. An abused young werewolf arrives in her territory seeking asylum, but Bryn cannot take a wolf from another alpha.

Building on the world created in the first book, Barnes increases her supernatural repertoire from werewolves and those with knacks, to psychics who have a variety of mental powers. Full of tough decisions, schemes and werewolf politics the plot is engaging and intriguing.
Once again the romantic side of things is fairly undefined. Bryn is the one who moves the plot forward, Chase is mostly just there for her, although at least this book explains why he's so devoted to a girl who knows so little about him. Even so I found that Chase continued to be less developed than most of the other characters. The supporting cast continued to be well rounded and interesting, and the antagonists are more complex and human than the sinister figure from the first book.

Why I Love Stuart History

2011-08-07T11:22:00.001+01:00

One of the most famous -or infamous- English royal dynasties is the Tudors. They are certainly the only one to have their own sexy TV show made in the US.
The Tudors have some great characters. Henry VIII with his enjoyment of weddings and executions. Bloody Mary I, who has her very own cocktail. Feisty Elizabeth I who love her country more than any man!
There was also a financially responsible guy and some kids as well.

Now this is all well and good, but what I like is the family came after that.
The Stuart monarchs are an interesting lot who ruled over a fascinating period of British history.
In just four generations the monarch went from the most powerful person in the country to being a figure whose religion and choice of spouse had to conform with the constitutional will of the nation, with Civil War, execution, abolition and revolution along the way.

Things started well enough for James I (VI of Scotland) who was the first adult King of England since Henry VIII. James' father was blown up when he was just a child and his mother, Mary Queen of Scots, was imprisoned and then executed by her cousin Elizabeth I. Given this background it's unsurprising that he was paranoid, and the 1605 Gunpowder Plot couldn't have helped.
Other than being the monarch who instituted Bonfire Night (giving generations of Britons a reason to set off fireworks in November), James is probably most famous for commissioning the King James Bible. James greatly feared witchcraft and Macbeth -with it's scary witches and general Scottishness- was written to please him.
James was probably homosexual, and certainly enjoyed the close company of handsome men. Perhaps his most infamous 'favourite' was George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham. Buckingham was widely hated for rapidly becoming one of the most powerful men in the country, and for generally proving awful at any job he was given.

Charles I is best known for upsetting Parliament and being so principled and unbending that the country was ripped apart by Civil War, which ended with his execution. Unlike previous internal wars this was not a battle between competing factions over who should be king, but a conflict between the King and his subjects. At the outset no one had any intention of executing the King or abolishing the monarchy, but things just got crazy. Charles wouldn't give up on his beliefs, and his opponents realised that Charles Stuart would not surrender his power.
Charles married Catholic princess Henrietta Maria of France. The marriage was initially neglectful, but the couple bonded and eventually fell in love after Charles' friend Buckingham was assassinated by a disgruntled naval officer (he had it coming). During the Civil War Henrietta Maria first went to Europe to beg for aid, then returned to the dangers of war torn England and despite being heavily pregnant travelled around the country with Royalist forces.

After Charles I's execution no one really knew what to do next, no one had planned for that outcome. There followed years of uncertainty and governmental change, which many people unsurprisingly took as a sign of the end times. Religious and political radicalism ran rife. Parliamentarian general Oliver Cromwell became Lord Protector -he refused the title of King, even though that would have provided ongoing stability to his regime. Instead Cromwell tried to find a new way to govern the country, however he received much opposition and eventually ended up dissolving Parliaments and throwing opponents in prison -exactly the sort of thing that had made everyone so mad at Charles I. Cromwell held things together, mostly by resorting to military dictatorship whenever his latest idea for governing the country failed. On his death his son Richard inherited the title of Lord Protector, but didn't have his father's support and the government fall into chaos again.

Charles II was invited to reclaim his father's throne in the Restoration. Charles had fought a second Civil War to get the throne back after his father's execution, but had only been crowned in Scotland and had been beaten back into exile (with a brief stopover in an oak tree on the way).
Charles II is known as the Merry Monarch, and considering the number of mistresses and illegitimate children he had it's fair to say that he was no stranger to pleasure. He was also surprisingly loyal to his long-suffering wife Catherine of Braganza, refusing to divorce her even though she never had children.
Charles became popular when he stayed in London during the Great Plague and then helped firefighting efforts during the Great Fire of London. Unlike his father and brother Charles was good at getting on with people and though he faced various problems and plots he is mostly remembered as a charming, roguish figure.

James II came to the throne after the death of his brother Charles. As an open Catholic and a believer in absolute monarchy it was clear he wasn't going to get on well with a largely Protestant country that was still scarred from what happened last time a king got too big for his boots.
If a Catholic King was a worry then a Catholic succession was a nightmare. When the Queen gave birth to a son rumours were rife that the child wasn't truly the heir. One of the odder conspiracy theories states that a baby was smuggled into the birthing chamber in a warming pan.
Leading Protestants invited James' son-in-law, William of Orange, to invade -the country having learned the benefit of forward planning since the last time they needed a change of ruler. After a 4 year reign James II fled and despite some serious attempts to regain his throne he died exiled in France.
James II is pictured fleeing the country with the Royal Seals (not salt and pepper shakers). He threw them in the Thames as he fled and Parliament conveniently decided that this was tantamount to abdication.

Willam III (II of Orange) and Mary II were cousins and spouses (that's just how it goes in royal circles). After kicking out his father-in-law with his Dutch army William -who was third in line to the throne after his wife and sister-in-law- became King on equal terms with his wife Mary, they were the only co-monarchs in English history.
William and Mary were the first constitutional monarchs, ruling by the will of the nation. Many of the rules of British monarchy (especially those involving Catholics in succession) were laid down in law for their reign. William had to defend his reign from the Jacobites, who felt that the succession rightly lay with James II and his son. Mary gave William a lot of her authority, although she did rule well when he was away on military campaigns
Interestingly the History Mug has William and Mary separate, something which rarely happens in Monarch lists - though that might be because the handle got in the way. I have no idea why William is pictured upside down with rodents by his head, I'd be fascinated to know what that's about.

Anne finally became Queen when her brother-in-law/cousin William died. She had refused to speak to her sister Mary for years, resenting the fact that Mary had allowed William to leapfrog her place in the succession. Anne was the first monarch of Great Britain after the Kingdoms of England and Scotland were united.
Anne had many pregnancies and many miscarriages, her eldest child only lived to eleven. Succession caused Anne political as well as personal difficulties. Jacobite Tories wanted Anne to name her half brother James as heir, whereas the Whigs wanted her to pass the throne to her Protestant second cousin from Hanover. This was a period when the two party Parliamentary system first became entrenched in British politics.

Like the Tudors the Stuart's Royal dynasty ended with a childless Queen. The Hanoverians -known as the Georgians- came to the throne, although the exiled Jacobite Stuart line continued to cause them problems.

More Film Reviews

2011-08-02T22:06:00.002+01:00

No 'Why I Love' post yet. The next one involves finding my camera and taking some pictures, I should post it towards the end of the week.
In the meantime here are some more 300 word film reviews. I'm tempted to start writing similar quick reviews for films I see at the moment.

Down to You

Freddie Prince Jr, Julia Stiles, Selma Blair

It’s an old story: boy meets girl, they fall in love and then complications arise. Al and Imogen meet at college and the romance between them becomes serious. They swap stories, pick a song and meet each others parents. However a pregnancy scare and doubts on both sides create a rift. Eventually they split-up after she sleeps with someone else. Al cannot get over her and sinks into apathetic depression. He goes a little odd and even tries drinking shampoo before he gains the resolve to fight for what they had.

I met one person who really liked this film, but I know someone else who walked out of a cinema because of it, and I have to side with the latter. The film is an old story being done in a way that is too familiar to stand out. The novelty of having Henry ‘The Fonze’ Winkler in a supporting role soon wears thin. The cast of quirky, porn-making friends are not actually quirky or risqué enough to provide much interest, and as often happens they are simply there to react to the main characters. The romance is sweet and sentimental but neither lead actor is at their best here. The documentary-style monologues are meant to be different but serve little purpose with the characters telling the audience what they should be showing them. Al’s moping angst quickly becomes annoying and then draining. In one scene he is up-staged by an animated spider, and then attempts a weird kind of half-hearted suicide, possibly? Towards the end I was desperately waiting for someone to run through an airport, or a bus terminal, or something in a typical rom-com style climax. However there was only a disappointingly stationary and mediocre ending.

Hudson Hawk (1991)

Sandra Bernhart, Richard E. Grant, Andie MacDowell, Bruce Willis,

Cat-burglar Hudson Hawk wants to go straight but after his release from prison he’s persuaded to do one more job by his partner Tommy Five-Tone. The stolen item inexplicably reappears just before it's auctioned. Hudson gets pulled into the schemes of maniacal husband and wife team, the Mayflowers -villains whose ambition is second only to their ruthlessness. Hudson is forced to steal Da Vinci artefacts in order to complete the construction of a miraculous machine. With help from his partner and an attractive Vatican agent, Hudson must foil the Mayflowers’ nefarious schemes.

Da Vinci’s sketchbook, a secret Catholic agency and an eccentric British villain. Sounds familiar, but this film has little else in common with Dan Brown’s creation. Not only was it made 12 years earlier it has a very different tone; a blend of action, adventure and humour that fits well with many of Willis’s other films. There are bizarre characters and an outlandish plot with various twists and double-crosses. The comedy is irreverent and at times silly, Hudson calls the Roman Forum “rocks and shit,” and much of the violence is over the top in a way that is humorous but not graphic. All the characters have strange traits and idiosyncrasies; Hudson and Tommy sing to time their robberies and Andie MacDowell is a less than saintly nun. The villains are wacky, maniacal and amoral; the Mayflowers’ are utterly insane and Hudson is trailed by an unusual gang of candy-themed crooks. The film could almost spoof The Da Vinci Code but benefits from its lack of association with the controversial bestseller. There’s no grand conspiracy, religious theories or attempts to be historical in this film. It is a funny, fast-paced action comedy and that’s all it needs to be.

Weird Science (1985)

Anthony Michael Hall, Kelly LeBrock, Ilan Mitchell-Smith

Wyatt and Gary are introverted loners who fantasise about girls, parties and popularity, but lack the social confidence to act on these desires. Pygmalion-like, the boys create their perfect woman using a computer program. Enter Lisa, a British bombshell with reality-altering powers. Although created to improve the boys’ lives she doesn’t blindly obey them, as well as bringing fun she puts obstacles in their way to increase their confidence. The film is a wish-fulfilment overload that comes to a predictable conclusion.

The stereotypical teenage boy viewpoint may make this film harder to enjoy if you don’t happen to fall into that category. It remains faithful to its target audience and doesn’t try to be anything its not, which is mostly good but some may find this a little limiting. The main characters have various positive qualities, especially Wyatt who's shyer and more sympathetic as he's bullied by his dreadful older brother. Unfortunately both are drenched in immature comedy at times, and that makes them less likeable. Gary drunkenly imitating an old bluesman is horribly cringe-worthy, but it is the worst example. Once set up the premise could go almost anywhere, but despite some random, unexplained extras it doesn’t extend beyond the basic aims of Wyatt and Gary. The film is a product of its time from the impossible phenomena caused by a simple home PC (computers could do magic back then) to the dated style of Lisa’s clothes. Despite these failings the film is reasonably amusing and is enjoyable as a silly, light-hearted ‘80s teen flick. I suspect I didn't like this as much as people who saw it in their teens.

300 word reviews - 6 films

2011-07-27T21:38:00.000+01:00

I suddenly remembered I have various film reviews I wrote a few years ago. I was a student at the time and saw a lot more films than I do now -I was also more willing to spend time watching films I didn't particularly enjoy.
It was a good exercise in summarising as the aim was to write a synopsis in 100 words or less, and then a review in 200 words or less. Looking back I mostly succeeded to hit the word limit, although I have written more synopses than reviews. Here's a selection, and to prove that I'm not all sweetness and light I'm including some films I didn't get on with.

The Good

Drop Dead Fred (1991)

Pheobe Cates, Bridget Fonda, Rik Mayall

When Elizabeth’s marriage ends she moves in with her mother and starts seeing her childhood imaginary friend, Drop Dead Fred. Chaotic, unpredictable Fred is disappointed by the sensible doormat Elizabeth has become and tries to bring out the spirited little trickster she once was. Fred’s antics complicate Elizabeth’s life and although he tries to help her reunite with wayward husband Charley, she ends up taking pills to get rid of him. However Elizabeth’s problems are deeper than she knows and she must take a journey inside herself before she can take control of her life.

Rik Mayall’s manic, slapstick performance is perfect for over-the-top figment Fred, an outrageous character who often evokes laughter. The pranks he and young Elizabeth get up to seem surprising and absurd, but they fit perfectly with the defiant, childish attitude of the film. Bridget Fonda’s controlling, battleaxe mother is a fearsome, relentless figure and the reason Elizabeth lacks control in her adult life just as she did in her childhood. Most of the adults around her display a certain amount of cynicism and their relationships lack the playful openness she has with Fred. Elizabeth must rediscover her sense of fun and independence, and the film warns against taking the trappings of adulthood too seriously. The underlying message about the importance of the inner child is sincere, and even the unpredictable and riotous Fred can be serious when something so important is at stake. Though not a children’s film it has a zany childishness that pokes fun at many adult preoccupations. Twenty years after it was made the message still feels very relevant. The film is light-hearted, fun and very enjoyable.

Night Watch (2004)

Konstantin Khabersky, Dmitri Martynov, Mariya Povoshina, Galina Tyunina

Others, those born with powers beyond mere human scope, must choose to follow either the Light or the Dark. For centuries the two sides have battled but now, under an uneasy truce, each side must police the other to ensure the balance of power is kept. The Night Watch protects humanity from rogue Dark ones including unlicensed vampires and magic-users. Prophecy tells of a powerful Other who will tip the balance of power, but which side will they choose? Meanwhile a supernatural vortex looks set to destroy Moscow, and Night Watch agent Anton Gorodetsky gets his toughest assignment.

This Russian film is quite different to Hollywood productions, and unless you understand Russian it helps if you’re practiced with subtitles and are fully awake. However it’s a very good film, one that isn’t afraid to show many shades of grey, despite the deceptively black and white nature of the concept. It has all the action and suspense of a mainstream blockbuster, but with supernatural elements wonderfully blended into modern-day Moscow. The characterisation isn’t as full as in the books, but then it rarely is in film adaptations. Anton is a likeable character and human enough to overcome the unfamiliarity of his world. The film is gritty and dark at times, but there are light moments, including a boy consulting Buffy the Vampire Slayer when faced with his own vampire problems. The subtitles are impressive and even won a technical award; they’re not intrusive because they’re built into the visuals of the film. The effects are well done, the visuals are consistent and the action is violent but not over the top. A refreshingly innovative and fast-paced action film combined with gritty urban fantasy.

The Bad

The Dark Is Rising (2007)

Christopher Eccleston, Alexander Ludwig, Ian McShane

Will Stanton is the youngest son in a large American family living in England. He turns fourteen just before Christmas and starts seeing strange things around him. After being pursued by the sinister Rider he learns that he is one of the Old Ones; powerful, immortal beings that exist outside of time. Will is the Seeker and he must find the six Signs of Light hidden throughout time. However he only has five days before the Rider’s power peaks and the world is plunged into darkness. His adventures will reveal hidden power and family secrets.

This is a very predictable fantasy adventure film. Will is believable as a young teenager overshadowed by five older brothers and the Stanton family dynamic comes off well even though the older brothers are hard to distinguish. Eccleston is menacing as the Rider however the part isn’t a challenge relying as it does on looking evil rather than character motivation. The Old Ones are fairly stereotypical, however there is warmth between them. Camera work and slow motion are used to emphasise significant moments, but this happens so frequently that plot points utterly fail to be surprising. Although the supernatural elements are unsubtle they are visually successful, the CGI was rarely intrusive. The romantic subplot is unnecessary and obvious despite, or perhaps because of, attempts to make it mysterious. Brief references to the significance of Will’s father and his research are introduced then ignored. The film is very familiar and doesn’t do anything new or spectacular, anyone jaded by fantasy clichés should stay away. It is watchable and will be enjoyed by those who like a simple, heart-warming story. Sadly you can tell there were some genuinely good ideas behind this film - my advice is to read the book.

Passion of Mind (2000)

Demi Moore,

Marty/Marie is a woman who cannot tell her dreams from reality. She is both a single mother living in France with her two daughters and a high-flying New York literary agent, whenever she goes to sleep she switches persona. Unable to figure out which life is real she starts relationships with two men, one in New York and one in France. Both men want her to give up her dream life, and the romance that comes with it, but without knowing which is real she is reluctant to give up on either.

The premise has potential but the film didn’t ever live up to it. I could have been a thriller, SF, maybe even a Rom Com at a stretch, but it didn’t ever choose and so it ended up pointless and dull. The film might have been trying to make a point, but if so I couldn’t figure out what it was. Both of the woman’s lives seem solid and valid with few clues as to which one is real until the end when one is chosen. The concept has room for introspection, surrealism and psychological drama, none of which are actually present. It seemed to be an exercise in getting Demi Moore to play the same character in two different situations, which are almost entirely unconnected. She just goes to sleep on one set and wakes up on the other. Neither life is particularly compelling, and neither version of the character makes you root for her to be real. Even the revelation is disappointing, things get slightly odd and then that’s it. The resolution is fine, but not earth-shattering, and you are left with the feeling that the film was going somewhere but was too uncertain about actually getting there.

The Ugly

40 Days and 40 Nights (2002)

Josh Harnett, Shannyn Sossamon

Matt makes a 40-day celibacy vow after a bad break-up and a string of meaningless one night stands. His friends are sceptical and unbeknownst to him create a website and start taking bets on how long he can go without sexual pleasure. Meanwhile he makes a connection with Erica, the girl of his dreams, who is interested in him but a little put off by his vow. His mounting sexual frustration is not helped by the stunts of his friends and a conniving ex, not to mention the large number of surprisingly attractive young women he encounters.

I missed the first half hour of this film but the plot was easy to pick up. Matt’s near-identical friends are pathetically obsessed with his sex life and their amazement that he gives up masturbation shows just how much they prize that particular activity. The film is ridiculously phallocentric with most of the male characters behaving like sexually frustrated teenagers –they are apparently grownups. The female characters are little better, mostly coming off as either manipulative or slutty. The saving grace is the interaction between the two leads; their on-screen chemistry is endearing enough to make you care. The message -that people can connect without sex- is completely undermined by the massive emphasis all the characters place on sex. Even a priest and a nun get some action. I’m reliably informed that men can survive 40-day periods of abstinence without ill-effects. Matt’s reaction suggests that he has a serious medical problem, not that this is treated as unusual. What the film actually says is that while romance isn’t dead you’d better get your end in once in a while otherwise you’ll probably explode. Amusing if immature, you can’t take this seriously unless you’re over-sexed.

My Super Ex-Girlfriend (2006)

Eddie Izzard, Uma Thurman, Luke Wilson

An act of bravery gets Matt Saunders a date with the neurotic Jenny Johnson. Their relationship progresses when Matt discovers that Jenny is really superhero G Girl. However the heroine becomes obsessive and Matt realises he has feelings for his colleague Hannah. Breaking up is unbearable as G Girl uses increasingly violent and outlandish revenge tactics. Her arch-nemesis, the embittered Professor Bedlam, enlists Matt’s help in de-powering her. Various complications ensue but the resolution sees everyone getting more or less what they deserve.

There’s an assumption that rom-coms are primarily aimed at women, but this film belies that. The viewpoint character is male and although the lead female is powerful she’s also a clichéd, clingy, hormonal woman. The pervy friend and a totally gratuitous, supernatural breast-enlargement (which is actually in keeping with unacknowledged superhero tropes) keep this from being a chic-flick. The film is amusing if you are willing to accept the premise that women -especially powerful ones- are crazy and irrational, though if the gender roles were reversed it would be horrific. The superhero elements aren’t very inventive, G Girl’s powers are gimmicky and don’t provide as much of a twist as they could. In fact the SF elements are so bland and simplistic you’d be forgiven for missing them, although that may be a conscious attempt to keep the film mainstream despite its SF subject matter. Eddie Izzard’s portrayal of a super villain is amusingly quirky but very familiar, and frankly he can do better. The supporting cast are fairly thin and stereotypical but they serve their purpose and set up the jokes. The film is entertaining enough if you’re willing to ignore G-Girl’s personality, but don’t expect anything heroic.

Recent Reading

2011-07-27T16:26:00.001+01:00

King of Attolia by Megan Whelan Turner
The third and -I believe- final book in this series.
This volume is told mostly from the POV of Costis, a guardsman who punches his new King in the face for. His punishment is to be the King's personal guard -surely preferable to the torture or death that the Queen would have administered. At first Costis is constantly annoyed by the behaviour of this foreign interloper who has married his Queen and seems completely unsuited and uninterested in court life. However as the story progresses Costis sees new sides to the King and realises that he is not the idiot he seems.
If you have read the first 2 books it is very clear that Gen has become King almost as an afterthought (his plan was to marry the Queen -the rather surprising love of his life). However now that he is King he clearly has some sort of plan. There are several amusing bits, among all the intrigue and it was a good move having honorable, innocent Costis as the main viewpoint character. Any other character would have too much involvement to be a trustworthy, especially Gen.
I liked this book better than the 2nd one (The Queen of Attolia), which was darker and felt very different to the 1st (The Thief).

A Kiss in Time by Alex Finn
This is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty written for a teenage market. The story is told in 1st person POV by Talia, an 18th century princess in a small European country, and Jack a modern American teenager.
Talia is Sleeping Beauty and has grown up constantly supervised and warned against cursed spindles -she has also grown up rather spoiled. Jack is sent to Europe by his parents and resents the 'educational' trip that has been forced on him, as a result he also acts kinda spoiled. At first the characters are not particularly likeable, although it is clear that both are reacting against their circumstances.
There's some amusing clash of cultures moments when 18th century thinking meets the modern world. Talia's amazement with almost everything is an excellent counter to Jack's bored cynicism and being treated like an ordinary girl is exactly what Talia needs. As the reader learns more about them both Jack and Talia become more likeable. The main threat is provided by the wicked witch Malvolia who, despite the unfortunate name, is actually just a fairy who was treated very badly centuries before.
This is a nice story, a fairly quick and entertaining read. It uses the Sleeping Beauty fairytale as a starting point, but then become much more about the personalities of the two leads.

Alex Finn is also the author of Beastly, which was recently made into a film. I'm reliably informed by a member of the teenage reading group at work that the film is pretty different to the book.

Why I Love 39 by Queen

2011-07-26T11:29:00.001+01:00

This post is slightly later than I intended, I was being a bit useless at the weekend. This post is also not on the preliminary list of posts I came up with, but I don't care because this is an excellent song.

Queen have many excellent, well known songs. I don't really need to explain why I like Bohemian Rhapsody, or One Vision, or Killer Queen.

I walked down the aisle to Brian May's version of the wedding march from Flash Gordon and me and my husband had You're My Best Friend playing -among other songs- after the wedding ceremony.

The first time I heard 39 I didn't realise it was Queen because the song is sung -and written- by Brian May, and I often identify songs or bands by vocalist. I was listening on my ipod shuffle, which doesn't give you any song info.
The lyrics really struck me and I ended up listening to the song three times in order to get the whole thing, then once I was home I immediately looked it up.

In the year of thirty-nine
Assembled here the volunteers
In the days when lands were few
Here the ship sailed out into the blue and sunny morn
The sweetest sight ever seen
And the night followed day
And the story tellers say
That the score brave souls inside
For many a lonely day
Sailed across the milky seas
Ne'er looked back never feared never cried

Don't you hear my call
Though you're many years away
Don't you hear me calling you
Write your letters in the sand
For the day I'll take your hand
In the land that our grand-children knew

In the year of thirty-nine
Came a ship in from the blue
The volunteers came home that day
And they bring good news
Of a world so newly born
Though their hearts so heavily weigh
For the earth is old and grey
little darlin' well away
But my love this cannot be
Oh so many years have gone
Though i'm older but a year
Your mother's eyes from your eyes cry to me

Don't you hear my call
Though you're many years away
Don't you hear me calling you
Write your letters in the sand
For the day I'll take your hand
In the land that our grand-children knew

Don't you hear my call
Though you're many years away
Don't you hear me calling you
All your letters in the sand
Cannot heal me like your hand
For my life's still ahead, pity me.

'In the land that our grandchildren knew' was the lyric the really caught my attention. My initial thought was of time travel and it turns out that I was sort of right.

Although people thought that the song was about war (being in the year of '39 and all) or colonisation, it's quite clear that the song is actually about lost love and time dilation. It's actually beautiful in a sad way.
A brave astronaut helps find the new world his people so dearly need, but in doing that he loses the love of his life as she ages and (presumably) dies in the 'year' he's away. The last line is so full of emotion it's heart-breaking.

This song is the reason I learned about time dilation as I spoke to my husband about the song and he explained about how time dilation works and how it's to do with relativity. The faster and further a spaceship goes, the more time passes on the home planet. Like in Flight of the Navigator, which I saw various times as a child, although I've never seen the beginning.

It's not surprising that this is the subject matter as Brian May has a PhD in Astrophysics.

The song has folksy guitar and soaring background vocals, which reflect both the sad simplicity of lost love and the grand ideas of the SF setting.

I'm no music expert, and have done limited research into musical SF (although any suggestions in this area are appreciated), but I think this song doesn't get the attention it so clearly deserves.

Why I Love Greek Mythology

2011-07-16T23:23:00.003+01:00

When I was 6 (maybe 7) I was told the story of Hades and Persephone by a supply teacher at school. I remembered the story, though I'm sure the pronounciation of Persephone (per-sef-oh-nee) escaped me at the time.
It was like a fairy tale, but it explained something and the ending wasn't simply happy, there was compromise.

It later occurred to me that despite their popularity in children's literature Greek Mythology (like most other mythologies) is not especially child friendly. However, possibly because they were viewed as scholarly and academic, Classical myths managed to escape the bowdlerisation that fairy tales underwent. So when they're presented to children they are simply toned down not reworked.
Telling these same recognisable tales is quite a trick for a set of myths that involves kidnaps, killings, weird sexual/reproductive stuff and so, so many extramarital affairs.

I remember having a Usborne book of the Ancient World (I still have it and read it fondly while doing my Ancient History degree) and going back to the page about the Greek pantheon. There was just something fascinating about these figures that represented things, but were also very definite characters.

The interest grew, I read tonnes of Greek mythology books. As I got older the details got more graphic.
Aphrodite wasn't born from a Titan's blood falling into the sea, she appeared when a Titan's castrated genitals were thrown into the sea.

As a kid you accept that the Minotaur was the product of a woman and a bull. As a teenager you realise that's impossible, however you are intrigued to hear that Daedalus (Icarus' dad, who created both the wings and the labyrinth) actually fashioned a 'device' so that Queen Pasiphae (Pass-ih-fie-ee) could slake her unnatural lust for a bull,* whilst wearing some kind of cow disguise.
Now there's a mental image for you.

One of the great thing about Greek myths is that they are interesting stories, with interesting characters. Over 2000 years later there are still themes, emotions and motivations we can understand today. This is probably why the stories get retold and redone so many times, and in so many ways. I'll be the first to admit that I can get a bit pedantic about this particular subject (I usually try to do it for comic effect). But in all honesty Greek myths have been reshaped so many times, in so many ways -and that's just during the BC period- that they are actually fairly malleable, whilst still being a very recognisable set of tales.

At Eastercon Gideon Nisbet (lecturer in Classics) gave a talk and made the point that Classical themes tie very well with SF. He even drew a comparison between Classical Mythology and the comic book universes of DC and Marvel. There's a big cast of characters with a variety of back stories.
This struck a chord with me as I love Greek myth and my husband loves Marvel comics -and we've had discussions over which is more complicated. I maintain that without time travel, alternate/parallel universes, clones, and aliens Greek myth can't be as complicated. Though as I've said above mythology doesn't have canon and there's no editorial hand guiding, but equally there's no change in editor/writer to try and unmake previous tales.

Edited to add:
The text of Gideon's BSFA lecture is now available online for any that are interested.

* She did get hit by Eros' love arrow, I can't remember why just now.

Books wot I have read

2011-07-13T12:21:00.000+01:00

Huntress by Malinda Lo

This is set in same world as Lo's first book Ash (a take on a Cnderella story), but with very different feel. It is based on feudal Japan (as far as I can tell, it's not an area/time I'm very familiar with) rather than western fairy tale. The note at the beginning says it's set in the same world, but a long time before. The Wood and fairies are present in this book although -like the human society- feel very different.

3 teenagers Crown Prince Con, Sage-in-training Taisin, and Advisor's daughter Kaede, are sent north on the King's orders to meet with the Fairy Queen. The land has been suffering under ongoing winter, causing famine, vagrancy and rebellion. The small group (including guards) travel into the Wood where they face supernatural dangers. I felt that the quest part of the story worked well, though once the characters reach their destination I felt that the ending was a little rushed, especially considering all the foreshadowing there was.
It is a society -and a story- in which lesbianism is present throughout, and not really a big deal. Kaede is daughter of a royal adviser and so expected to make a political match. she has argued that she's only interested in girls, but her mother tells her she is being narrow-minded while her father ignores her objections.

Taisin sees visions and is adept at controlling energies, making her perfect sage material. When she has a vision that shows her schoolmate Kaede setting out across a lake she is shocked by the deep feelings she has towards this girl she doesn't really know. The quest part of the plot is made more poignant by the growing romance between the characters.

Embassytown by China Mieville

In this book a world is created then torn apart. In this respect it reminded me a bit of Perdido Street Station, which I found more unnerving (terrifying, giant moths) and in the end more melancholy. The major difference is that Embassytown is a far more fragile settlement, it's a human settlement that relies entirely on the cooperation and technology of the native alien Hosts (Ariekes). The story is told entirely in first person by Avice Benner Cho, a woman from Embassytown who was one of few inhabitants to leave and go out to other planets. The first part alternates between present events and flashbacks so that Avice and the world she grew up in are introduced to the reader.

Once we are familiar with Embassytown and how it works -its links with the Host aliens, its bubble of breathable air, its upper class of Ambassadors (fully identical, linked, doppels/twins)- a paradigm shift happens and everything goes to pot. The society that was built up faces a major catastrophe and descends into desperation and barbarism and war. The book is about the people who carry on trying to keep things running in the face of likely destruction. It's about how there will still be factions and politicking even in the face of disaster.

Why I Love The Fifth Element

2011-07-10T12:12:00.001+01:00

I'm doing this post slightly sooner than I intended as people have been discussing this on Facebook. Sorry folks, you are just going to have to wait for a ramble about history.

The Fifth Element
In case you haven't seen The Fifth Element, get thee to youtube (though the trailer does seem a bit spoilery and doesn't really show much of the humour that makes the film so good).

Alternatively you can read my plot synopsis:

In 2257 a planet-sized, evil entity threatens to exterminate life in the universe unless four ancient, elemental stones can be joined with the mysterious fifth element to create a secret weapon, long guarded by the Mondoshawan race. Taxi-driver and former military man Korben Dallas rescues and then falls for the beautiful but odd Leeloo. He becomes explosively embroiled in the machinations of an ancient priesthood, the government, an eccentric billionaire and alien mercenaries. It’s a race against time to save life in the universe and only Leeloo has the solution.

Written and directed by Luc Besson this is a comedic, SF action film with a plot that isn't simplistic, but is easy to follow. The comedy ranges from funny little touches to laugh out loud moments, and the stunts and action set-pieces are well done and full of firepower. There are some heavier, emotional moments, that can be quite touching, although no one watching will be in any doubt as to who is going to win the day.

The setting is brilliantly realised, with every scene packed full of little details in the scenery, props, costumes and effects, which add to the feel of a rich and realistic future world.

What's also great is that it's heavily industrialised, crowded future -where the ground of New York is lost in fog- but it isn't a dystopia. The world was clearly created with a sense of lighthearted fun, I suspect that the crew enjoyed putting their own stamp on this cool futuristic setting. The film itself makes it clear that humanity is far from perfect, that as a race we've done plenty of crappy things (war being chief among those), but yet the tone rarely dips below hopeful. It's one of the most optimistic yet familiar versions of the future you will seen on film.

Milla Jovovich's spirited portrayal of Leeloo is great to watch. I think it's fair to say that Milla Jovovich is an actress who gravitates to a certain type of role. In fact The Fifth Element is so ingrained in my consciousness that I now see her playing either Leeloo, or character-that-isn't-quite-Leeloo, though possibly that dichotomy will change once I've seen her play Milady in the upcoming Three Musketeers film?

Bruce Willis plays his familiar gruff yet sentimental man of action, but his peculiar, John-Paul Gautier designed costume reflects the playful and delightfully self-mocking tone of the film. Korben is the everyman, but (like John Mclaine) an everyman who knows how to shoot guns and blow stuff up!

Ian Holm plays a kindly priest of an ancient order. Committed to ensuring good triumphs he seems bumbling, but is actually fairly quick-witted. His good-naturedness collides with desperation and the scene where he very apologetically bashes someone over the head is a joy to watch. This film cemented Ian Holm as a kindly fellow in my head, and so it causes me no little confusion when he plays darker characters in other films.

Chris Tucker is unrecognisable and absolutely hilarious as wild, metrosexual* celebrity Ruby Rhod, despite the challenges of this over the top character he never lets his performance slide.

Gary Oldman is wonderfully bizarre and amoral as human bad guy Zorg. Oh, and that weird plastic thing on his head was apparently his idea.

This is an excellent film where the absurd, serious, violent and comedic sit comfortably side-by-side without any one feeling imposed or superficial. If you haven't seen this film you should. If you have, go watch it again.

* Particularly impressive considering the word Metrosexual hadn't even been invented at the time the film was made. Though I suspect it's a concept that's far more understandable to the French mindset than the US one.

Why I Love... Coming Soon

2011-07-09T12:55:00.000+01:00

Oops left it longer than intended to update here. Trying to post a couple of times a week.
My main excuse is that I've been reading a lot, so there will be a book update soon. I've also thinking about work stuff and the future (but not in a cool SF kinda way), it's all very dull and I shall speak of it no more. That's not want I have this blog for, so instead to happier things...

I'm planning on starting a new weekly series of posts entitled Why I Love [insert thing here], because it's nice to think about things you love and share them with others. And in these uncertain times it's good to say something positive.

I'm composing a couple of posts in my head already, and trying to stop them from becoming incoherent squeeing. It's probably best to explain why you like something, rather than just gushing about it.

Ideas so far:
Stuart History
The Fifth Element
Greek Mythology
Various Works of Diana Wynne Jones

Now I really should stop watching youtube videos and get on with housework.
I have a guest staying tonight and will be dog-sitting for my parents over the next few days.

Continued Reading

2011-06-28T23:28:00.002+01:00

Pretty Twisted by Gina Blaxill
This teenage book is a thriller told from the view points of two characters. Jono is a 16 year old who's having difficulty adjusting to sixth form college without his girlfriend Freya. Ros is a 14 year old who feels like her best friend is slipping away from her. They randomly become friends via instant messages. Events take a turn for the worse when Freya breaks up with Jono and then disappears
The book starts part way through the story -at a particularly dramatic point- to engage the reader's interest, before jumping back to the character introductions and the start of the plot. This means that the reader is curious to see what will happen, and also slightly suspicious of the characters.

The book mentions being careful who you meet online, and Ros shows how easy it can be for cyber friends to misrepresent themselves -even if her's is only a white lie. It also warns that young people need to be careful about who they meet in real life as well. There's a good portrayal of a relationship coming to an end and the silly things people do when they have a crush. Jono's inability/unwillingness to settle in at college is familiar, and Ros's uncertainty about her appearance is a common experience for teenage girls.
I will be recommending this strongly at the next Teenage Reading Group.

Fluffy by Lia Simone
This sweet little graphic novel was recommended by a colleague.
It's about a man called Michael who is Daddy to a very small bunny called Fluffy. Michael is unimpressed by his job, is an a relationship with Fluffy's rather clingy nursery teacher, and seems generally dissatisfied. A trip to visit family in Sicily leads to family drama and then a moment of clarity.
There are plenty of odd things in this book, initially the fact that a man is the (adoptive) father of a bunny. Large parts of the book are narrated by a dust mote. The art work is simple and charming. The content is a mixture of child-like, innocent wonder and grown up complications.

The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whelan Turner
This book was lent to me by a friend, it's the sequel to The Thief, lent to me previously by the same friend. I didn't mention it hear because I think I read it around the time my laptop wasn't working.
The books are set in a world based on Ancient Greece, which is why my friend thought I'd enjoy it. The updated from a technological point of view. There are guns, but they are rarely used as arrows are generally more available and reliable. There is a pantheon of various gods who embody features of the natural world and human life, there is a varied mythology around the gods and those humans who long ago interacted with them. The countries mentioned are coastal or mountainous and there are great olive plantations. There are various words that are Greek like megaron and amphora.

The Queen of Attolia was a good story, although it didn't feel quite as personal or contained as The Thief. The story takes place over quite a long period and involves characters who are monarchs, making it more political and complicated than the quest story in the first book. The resolution was not what I expected, and the romance plot line, which is underplayed until the end of the book, was very odd.
Still I'm looking forward to reading the next book, which is good as my friend lent me that one as well.

Alt.Fiction - Sunday Edition

2011-06-28T11:14:00.002+01:00

This year I went to Alt.Ficiton in Derby for the the secons time.
It was a 2 day event for the first time, which is good because I would have had to miss it otherwise. Sadly this year I was working on Saturday so I was only there on the Sunday. I got the impression that Saturday had perhaps been the better day, but I was glad to have gone all the same.

After getting up as early as I would to go to work and catching a bus then a train I arrived in Derby, where the sun blazed down in a very holiday-like way.
The first programme event I attended was Juliet E. McKenna's Workshop on making every word count. It was an interesting and fun workshop which was very interactive and got the participants to focus on use of words and ways to use language in order to raise questions and assumptions in a reader's mind.

The nicest thing about Alt.Fiction was catching up with various people I'd met last year and at Eastercon, especially Saxon, Emma, Charlotte, Sam and Tom. I had been hoping to catch up with a few more people but the heat became less holiday-ish and more boiling-you-alive-ish. This meant that my mental processes were particularly slow and when I saw people I knew on the other side of the bar I found it massively difficult to remember to get up and talk to them. Then by the end of the day the ratio of Alt.Fiction people to the general public had shifted in favour of the latter.

I went to 2 of the podcasts, run by the lovely Adele - another person I should have spoken to more. I am impressed by her commitment as she sat in a small, hot room for most of the day.
Although one benefit of the very hot little podcast room was that work yesterday didn't seem so hot. At least until the afternoon when the air was completely still and stifling, by then I just found excuses to stand in the coll storage closet.

Has Genre Conquered the Mainstream? was an excellent and thought-provoking discussion which covered various points. It seemed to suggest that genre may well have conquered (or at least infiltrated), but this is a fact little-known by both fans and -I suspect- the mainstream people (whoever they may be). I did make a comment, which I think started as I question but then changed as I was speaking (apparently this is not unusual for me). My experience in the library is that there are a lot of people who will read SF but who aren't geeky, or part of fandom and would be confused by the idea that they should be. I think sometimes fan-based events and publications can forget these people, but they are there.

Using Mythology in Your Writing was another excellent podcast, and well worth listening to. The discussion was very interesting and ranged from the popularity of Sumerian mythology, through Cthulhu mythos, to celebrity culture and conspiracy theories. I found it fascinating even though I was sitting on the floor and had to (very quietly) move every so often so that I could continue to feel my legs. There was a brief musical interlude provided by a marching band outside, from my floor level vantage point I couldn't see them, but I'm told they were Girl Guides. K. A. Laity valiantly tried to continue the podcast to the rhythm provided, but sadly the laughter of the audience caused the whole thing to stop until the band had gone on it's way.

The Publicising Yourself and Your Writing Panel was good. There was much discussion of Twitter and how to use it, which I found very informative as I am still getting used to Twitter and I'm not sure I'd been thinking about it in the right way. (I'm @ctjhill, by the way and I've just figured out how to put my Twitter feed at the side of this blog.) It seems Twitter is best when thought of as a conversation, which made so much sense I wasn't sure why I hadn't realised that before. Part way through the panel we heard the return of the marching band, who sounded as though they were launching an assault on the building and coming up the stairs.

Overall it was an excellent day. Even if I did end up missing my original train and losing an earring to the streets of Derby. Though if that hadn't happened I would have missed out on some fascinating conversation, and finally talking to someone else who has read all of both Vellum and Ink by Hal Duncan.

I really hope that whatever I'm doing next year I'll be able to come again, and hopefully for the full weekend.

Reading Groups

2011-06-24T21:52:00.000+01:00

Tomorrow is National Reading Group Day in the UK.
Reading Groups are a good thing.

Getting together and talking about books is fun. Reading groups can help you find all sorts of things you wouldn't have otherwise, it's great for people who want to broaden their reading experience. And if you find yourself with a book you don't care for, well even an unfinished book can be an experience. Besides the books that members don't agree on are often the ones that stimulate the most debate.

At the moment I belong to, and co-run, a teenage group at work.
This has led me to read a variety of books I might not have otherwise, and also made me appreciate (or at times become annoyed at) the teenage book market. There's a lot of good stuff out, and some absolutely brilliant authors (Sarah Dessen, Tabitha Suzuma & Jaclyn Moriarty, to name a few) - however there is a ridiculous quantity of paranormal romance, or books packaged to look like paranormal romance.
The teenage group is good because all the members read what they like, or what they come across, then recommend books and authors to the others, or sometimes warn them off.
This is nice way to run a group as it means there's no pressure to obtain and read a particular book and it allows people with different reading styles to meet and chat and expand their reading.

I sometimes think I'd like to join an adult group too, although I think I'd probably go for a genre specific one. Or one that deviates from the standard one-book-in-one-month format, as I have way too much to read as it is.

What I've Read

2011-06-18T20:49:00.001+01:00

I need to come up with catchier title for these posts.
You would think that as a library worker I would be able to come up with better words for book-related stuff. But I'm not at work just now, so hopefully, dear readers, you'll forgive my lack of cleverness.

Declare - Tim Powers
This WWII/Cold War supernatural, espionage thriller was excellent. I've only read two of his books but already I think I'm becoming a Tim Powers fan. I was very impressed by how well the story fit into the gaps between real events -admittedly I've mostly taken the author's word on this, but he seems like a writer who does his research. Declare was intriguing as at first I didn't know quite what was going on (much though I enjoyed The Anubis Gates I did guess a major plot point by the end of the second chapter). The supernatural elements unfolded far more slowly and were initially more subtle. It kept me reading as I wanted to know what was going on.
The book was only published in the UK last year, but was oublished in the US in 2001. The copy I read was an American version and I noticed that trousers were called 'pants', and pavements called 'sidewalks'. I'd be curious to look at a UK copy to see if that's changed.

I find the idea of UK to US translations odd, it's the same language just a different dialect. I've read plenty of US written and set books that didn't seem to be translated into English (UK). I've also read a US Harry Potter book which was entirely translated into English (US), that was very weird. Though possibly that was because Harry Potter is a children's series.

The Bloody Chamber - Angela Carter
This is my first Angela Carter. She is a writer I have heard loads about but somehow had never read before. This collection of short stories is based on several fairy tales. None are direct retellings. Some reflect the events of a particular tale, many just have the themes, while others are based on tales I couldn't identify. The stories all had women at the centre, told mostly from their point of view. There was much erotic and sexually-charged content mixed with the talking animals, metamorphoses and random magic that make up fairy tales.

The Bloody Chamber
By far the longest story, this eponymous tale tells of a young bride being brought to the castle of her older, widowed husband. The tale is full of description and the scene is set very thoroughly. The story itself felt a little contrived, though fairy tales often are, but the way it was told was excellent. Based on the Bluebeard story, with which I'm actually not very familiar.

The Courtship of Mr Lyon
A fairly faithful retelling of the Beauty and the Beast story, in which the Beast is especially lion-like. I liked the fact that Beauty is not simply the lovely, wonderful maiden that these tales often star. She almost forgets the Beast, dazzled by the high-life of London and a certain amount of careless self-interest.

The Tiger's Wife
This story is also based on Beauty and the Beast, and was far weirder than the previous one. Full of odd imagery it tells of a young woman lost in a card game by her father and sent to the mansion of a lord, who seems to be a tiger in a human disguise. There's also a valet who seems to be far better at pretending to be human, and a robotic maid.

Puss-in-Boots
A tale told by a cocky tomcat about the antics of himself and his roguish, human master. The young man falls in love with a cloistered young wife, and he and his resourceful cat plot to remove the husband. The amorality and cynicism of cats is made plain here, and I found it all too believable (seriously this terrifying advert has it spot on). A more grounded story than most of the others and the only one told from a male point of view.

The Erl-King
This vivid description of a strange woodland man/creature is powerful. The simple plot is not totally clear as this is mostly a descriptive piece. I'm not familiar with the character described.

The Snow Child
A strange, quick version of the Snow White story. The child or woman (not sure which) is in existance for only a short time and dies only to have her corpse violently defiled. I didn't really enjoy this story as much as the others.

The Lady of the House of Love
A Gothic story that combines some elements from Sleeping Beauty and Jack and the Beanstalk with vampire mythology. The female heir of Nosferatu lives isolated in her castle and plays Tarot throughout the night in a hopeless attempt to discover a cure for her vampirism. I felt as though the story also had resonant with The Lady of Shallot. I liked how the image of this long-lived, tragic, sensuous figure is subverted once the hero arrives and sees her only as a sickly, emaciated child. I liked the way this story was written. The glamour of vampires is something that needs subversion.

The Werewolf
A short and violent version of Red Riding Hood with a twist in the tale. Not sure who to sympathise with in this one.

In the Company of Wolves
A longer, closer version of Red Riding Hood, which seems a lot like the original version, or at least like the version told by Gilbert in Neil Gaiman's second Sandman volume, A Doll's House (I am a Sandman geek and can remember vast swathes of it very easily). In this version the young woman saves herself from the wolf and joins him on her own terms.

Wolf-Alice
A story about a feral child who can't be civilised by well-meaning nuns and is sent to live in the home of a sinister, ghostly/vampiric Duke. This is mostly a story about coming into self-awareness, and is interesting for that itself. The background presence of the supernatural, bloody Duke adds a strange dynamic to the story, a wait for an ending that ends up far more positive than expected. I think the mirror and name might have been a reference to Lewis Carroll, but it wasn't very clear.

The Unwritten: Dead Man's Knock - Mike Carey & Peter Gross
I'm very much enjoying this Vertigo comic book series, now in it's 3rd collected volume. My preference for graphic novels means that I have a bit of a wait between installments, but I am a patient individual.

The series follows Tom Taylor, son of world-famous author Wilson Taylor, and inspiration for his father's globally popular boy wizard Tommy Taylor. Grown-up Tom has been living off the cache of 'being' a much loved book character since his father's mysterious disappearance. At a convention a woman claims that Tom is a fraud, a boy bought from an Eastern European couple in order for Wilson Taylor to lend weight to his work. Then a lot of weird stuff starts happening.
This is a series that looks at fiction, at stories, at literature in a fascinating and sometimes mind-boggling way, and also tells a good story for itself. There are so many references to literature, especially where literature collides with real, geographical locations. There's been a lot of mystery and unanswered questions, now I feel like some answers have been given and the shape of the overall story is starting to appear.
This particular volume includes an ingeniously-done choose your own adventure section that has you flipping back and forth through the pages. Not since Alan Moore's Promethea have a read a comic in such an unorthodox manner (although nothing has yet beaten Promethea's figure of eight storytelling that had me turning the book right the way round, twice).

X-Men: First Class

2011-06-11T18:54:00.002+01:00

The best X-Men film since X2, although considering the train wreck that was Last Stand and the pile of meh that was Wolverine I'm probably damning it with faint praise.

X-Men: First Class is an entertaining film. A good superhero film that -for the most part- successfully balances it's ensemble cast. There's a despicable villain, but also moral greys among the current good guys. The sixties aesthetic gave it a distinctive style and allowed some fun in a film that covered some very serious issues.

The storyline felt rushed.
In the Stewart/McKellen version of events Magneto and Professor X were best friends. They shared a common dream and worked towards a better future for mutants, building a school -not to mention Cerebro- together. However this is a summer superhero flick and so things must be accomplished quickly, lest there be too long a gap between fight scenes and explosions.
The deep bond between the two future enemies -who don't even meet in the first third of the film- is established with alacrity and conveyed through a few touching moments and so much man-gaze that shipping is rendered irrelevant.
These are supposed to be two pillars of the mutant community, men who helped defined mutant identity in its formative stages. Their split in ideology tore that fledgling community in two. Their bond and the conflict that breaks it should have been epic. Here they know one another for a couple of months, have some fun working together, but then realise they have different ideals. Mutantkind as a whole seems largely uncaring.

The real long-lasting friendship in the film is that of Charles and Raven (Mystique). Although I again feel that their parting of the ways was underplayed.
Charles and Raven have a sibling-like relationship, at least from Charles' point of view. Raven jokes that she is Charles' only friend because he's rather geeky and very bad at chat-up lines (those women should have rolled their eyes - it might have worked in US, but the whole charming-English-accent thing doesn't work so well in the UK). However it is clear that Charles is everything to Raven -her saviour, protector, and probably only friend- since she was a child. Her insecurity about her mutation means that she has clung to him her whole life.Sadly rather than supporting her as a mutant (as future-Professor X would) Charles seems just as embarrassed about her true form as she is, something which is clearly very damaging to the poor girl. So it is not surprising that she feels jealous and resentful when he chats up women with mundane pretty-girl 'mutations'.
While her split from Charles isn't surprising (and not just because we know it's gonna happen) I felt that perhaps it needed more weight. Whatever their personal problems I didn't see why Raven didn't agree with Charle's ideals. Unfortunately it did kinda seem as though she went with Erik because she had a crush on him.

Sidebar:
I really like the idea that Raven lived in that mansion for a decade and no one but Charles knew. In fact I want to see a comic in which young-Charles Xavier and young-Raven Darkholme get up to all sorts of telepathic/shape-shifting hi-jinks. All the while keeping her presence a secret from Ma and Pa Xavier and the snooty, suspicious butler - though I imagine they might let a friendly gardener's boy/maid know. It'd be all sorts of fun!

Back to the film.

Magneto was handled well - especially after what they did with him in Last Stand. He has a vengeful Wolverine-like role early in the film, a loner not a team member. A more redemptive story would have him taking down Shaw, his organisation and all he stood for. The film-makers were short on in-story time and as Magneto had to go from lone killer who's unaware of other mutants to a mutant extremist leader it made sense for him to take control of an evil organisation that was already in place. Yes, it does mean he becomes the same as the man he hunted down. Not everyone rises above what was done to them, and it still makes Magneto fairly sympathetic as a villain.

Moira McTaggart was a good character, although I prefer the Scottish scientist of the comics, I suppose that in a film set during the Cold War an agent made sense too. I didn't like the Superman II-esque memory wiping kiss at the end- though at least memory wipes are actually one of Professor X's powers.
Firstly I don't think that she was a liability as she was totally on Charles' side against both Magneto and her own government. Judging her as such just because she isn't a mutant seems somewhat prejudiced.
Secondly, WTF! He stole her memory without her consent and disguised this act of betrayal as a romantic gesture, bastard! The kiss just seemed to be an attempt to make a nasty expediency seem romantic (same as in Superman II), and it wasn't as though Charles and Moira had romantic relationship earlier in the film, so the kiss just seemed kinda creepy in context.

I was surprised to see Beast played by Nicholas Hoult, he wasn't so identifiable on posters. I liked the character, but like McTaggart I felt he wasn't used well. His driving motivation was that he didn't like his weird feet. He had no problem with smarts or agility (which we didn't see much of), but was completely defined by his odd feet, which are frankly a very easy body part to hide. Shame and confusion about mutation is a very valid thing to explore, but if you are going to focus on appearance don't do it with a character whose physical mutation is minimal and normally unnoticeable.

There was some iffy stuff from a sexist/racist point of view.
I mean the film had Emma Frost, a character I cannot take seriously as her every appearance (even in children's cartoons) screams EYE CANDY so loud that my brain is deafened. Other female characters were also cast into eye candy role, some rose above it (McTaggart) some didn't (Angel).
The black guy gets vaporised first and the Latin girl goes bad. It's better than Last Stand's Brotherhood of Evil Minorities, but still the characters left at the end are all white (or blue, but previously white) and that seems a shame from a franchise that has such a diversity of characters to choose from.

Over all X-Men: First Class was an entertaining film, and I enjoyed watching it. It was more serious than superhero films tend to be, and perhaps gave the viewer more to think about. Many of the flaws I've identified are ones that are common to Hollywood films, and things that occurred to me after watching.
I would certainly recommend it to superhero film fans, and hopefully it's a sign of the X-Film Franchise getting back onto it's feet.

Doctor Who - A Good Man Goes to War

2011-06-07T11:15:00.004+01:00

This will contain some spoilers.
Also Blogger lost the first version of this post, so I'm writing bits of it hurriedly from memory.

The Doctor Who team are meanies. Big, rotten meanies!
In country where our series are short but complete they decided to borrow the US-style gap in the middle of the series, rather than the increased episode count.* Why cut a much loved series in half, unless it's to make an episode into an event? Are they just trying to top themselves?**

The episode was fast-paced and exciting with a lot going on -maybe too much at some points. It was obviously trying to be all epic, and while it mostly succeeded it was at time trying too hard.

Many new characters are introduced very quickly -I had to watch Confidential to find out what a lot of them were called. The character introduction montage was a lot like the Tenth Doctor's goodbye flit about -here are some characters, here's a quick sum-up of their situation- except that it covers a variety of new and interesting times and places. Will we ever see these settings again?
The sympathetic soldier-girl Lorna Bucket (whose role was made very obvious from the beginning) was good, and provided foreshadowing as presumably the Doctor will meet her as a child later on. The Victorian Silurian sleuth/adventurer (Madame Vastra) with her maid/lover was a lot of fun. The Sontaran nurse (Commander Strax) was mostly amusing. The blue, Buddha-looking black marketeer (Dorium) was funny and well done. Although one can't help but wonder why, if the Doctor has all these interesting contacts and acquaintances from all over space and time, does he only ever travel with humans, and mostly ones from the early 21st Century? Not that I have a problem with such people -obviously- but it seems like the TARDIS could have a bit more variety in it's crew.

Who (not just RTD) seems to like big set pieces with cameos by previously seen characters/creatures, and while it can be fun it can also feel a bit crowded as well.
Also, shouldn't those pirates be stuck on their hospital ship?

There were good bits:
I loved badass Roman Rory, mostly because you know that he's still lovely Rory underneath. It was really nice to see him with his daughter.
The appearance of the Doctor on the Demon's Run asteroid base, it was obvious but still fun. Those headless monks are clearly the best guys to disguise yourself as.
The baby turning to goo was horrible, and it was good that it was announced because springing that on people would have been nasty.
River explaining that all this happened because of the Doctor's reputation. I thought that his big shouty speech at Stonehenge would come back to haunt him, turns out it wasn't only a reason to put him in a box.

Not so good was River's rise high and fall hard line, which built up expectations that weren't fulfilled. Yes it all seemed good and triumphant until the trap was sprung, but we were clearly told it was a trap. Too much was going on and there didn't seem to be the emotional peaks and troughs needed to fulfill the expectations

So there were answers, but were they good ones?
The situation with Amy's pregnancy wasn't very surprising. It occurs to me that it was great way of having a pregnant character without any pesky stuff like morning sickness or a great big bump getting in the way of all that running.
I'd already suspected that Eyepatch lady (Kovarian) was in some way monitoring the pregnancy and obviously we all kinda knew that the girl in the spacesuit was probably Amy's baby. Though why the Doctor let an obviously very important little girl just slip away between episodes is beyond me. Especially as he'd earlier promised he'd help her, and there's been a big focus on the Doctor as a helper of children (Amelia Pond, the sad child on the Britain spaceship, I'm sure there are others).

The identity of River Song was rumoured on the internet. I don't know if that was a leak or just people figuring it out. I'll admit I didn't think that that necessarily was the case, guess I was wrong. I don't think it felt necessary for River's identity to be further tied to the Doctor and his companions, she was already a good intriguing character. This development does lead to interesting questions, but now River can't be revealed to have breezed into the Doctor's life from place/time unknown (as Captain Jack did).

Amused as everyone was by the title of the next episode, I can't help but feel that it doesn't seem like a continuation. I enjoy a fun, adventurous, timey-wimey episode as much as the next person, but it sounds like they'll make us wait all the longer for answers and I'm afraid of plot threads flapping loose and being unresolved. It happened in Life on Mars and I was fairly disappointed by that at the time.

There are still questions left unanswered:
Why did the TARDIS explode?
Who kills the Doctor? River seemed as surprised by that as everyone else.
What happens to spacesuit girl (River/Melody) after the Doctor, Amy and Rory surprisingly forget her to go gadding about with pirates? And actually how did she end up with the Silence in the first place?

Overall I enjoyed the episode, but it was slightly overshadowed by the knowledge that this will be the last Doctor Who fix in months. I think that the episode probably loses some appeal if you think too much about it so -for once- I'm trying to restrain myself from doing that.

* The whole mid-season break thing is actually one of the top 3 reasons I would not move to the US. I just cannot understand the point of it, other than being a good way for a programme to fail.

** When I say 'top' here I mean outdo, not kill. It occurred to me that that could be misread.

What I'm Reading

2011-06-01T18:31:00.001+01:00

The Adoration of Jenna Fox - Mary E. Pearson (contains spoilers)

This teenage book is soft sci-fi in that it's set in the future, but focuses almost entirely on the feeling and experiences of its 17 year old protagonist.
Jenna was in a terrible accident and has woken up from a year-long coma. She can't remember very much about who she was or what she was like. Why is she kept so isolated in the family's new home, and why does her own grandmother seem to hate her?

I felt like I knew what the big secret was from the outset, there were a lot of clues and foreshadowing in the text -though the cover kinda gave it away too. It wasn't actually cloning (my initial theory), but it was a similar sort of thing. A very advanced replica made from biotech, with the original mind (or part thereof) downloaded into it. Luckily, unlike other teenage books that have had a big but obvious secret (Fallen I'm looking at you), the big reveal comes halfway through, and there is plenty of subsequent exploration of what this means.

The author seemed to be exploring the ethical implications of advanced technology, especially in the arena of medicine and human biology. In some respects this book is about something that could become transhumanism, although the book didn't link to other SF ideas, and the epilogue suggests that things don't go that far. Though the wider concerns of such advances are mentioned, the focus is on what this miraculous process does to a family, and to the unwilling recipient of such a procedure.
Generally I found it to be an emotional and interesting book, which incorporated normal teenage themes and behaviours (rebellion against parents, not being a child anymore, becoming independent, identity issues) with a major crisis about how you define humanity.

One bit I liked is when Jenna's father explains that she's no less a human than a genetically modified tomato is a tomato. "But I'm not a tomato." I really hope that was intentional on the part of the author, cos it made me smile.

The Bride that Time Forgot - Paul Magrs (pronounced Mars)*
5th in excellent Brenda and Effie series.
If you haven't read this series you really should, it is weird and funny and very imaginative. The first in the series is Never the Bride.
Oddly enough it's kinda like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, if the hellmouth was in Whitby, Buffy was an old, not-quite-natural B&B owner, and the Scooby gang was made up of ladies of a certain age, a 30 year old gay man and a Goth receptionist. See how that sounds exactly the same?

The series works very well because it combines the wildly supernatural, spooky, and horrific with the practical and mundane. The whole series is based on horror and pulp themes, which come thick and fast in a delightful stew of the weird and wonderful. This is all confronted by our intrepid investigators, after a good cuppa, a natter and a hearty helping of fish and chips.

The characters really make these books. Brenda is the main character and the heart of the book. With her strange anatomy and centuries of bad memories, she really is a great invention. The kind of person you'd love to have as an aunt or next door neighbour. Effie is a less friendly but very familiar character, a slightly prickly and disapproving old woman. Like Granny Weatherwax, but with less obvious witchiness. There is a lot of warmth for and between the characters, and as we regularly see things from their point of view it is easy to understand them, even when they are at odds, as happens in this book.

This book riffs off pulp adventure stories, especially Rider Haggard's She books. It also takes an renewed look at human-vampire relationships (something which featured in earlier installments), but with none of your poncy angst-filled, pubescent vamps. In fact at one point a character bemoans the existence of scally vampires, proving that vampirism doesn't automatically equal a sense of style, or even an appreciation of the gothic. There's also a Dreadful Flap and some time-travel shenanigans. All in all it's good fun to read.

* I was told this by a friend, who has a friend who knows the author. Although I noticed that this advice was also included in the author's bio. I think he must be fed up of people mispronouncing his name.

Doctor Who - The Almost People

2011-05-29T13:50:00.001+01:00

This is definitely spoilery. I would advise watching the episode before reading this.

Last week's cliffhanger reveal was that the Doctor had his own Ganger, as the Humans and Gangers prepared for conflict.
This episode starts with the newly-formed Doctor-double spouting a confusion of old Who catchphrases, including a bit with Tom Baker's voice. That was a nice, fun touch. The scene quickly turns into an insane double act as the Doctors finish each others sentences and enjoy listening to their own thoughts. They are perhaps a bit too pleased with themselves, but it is very funny.
It's clear there is a greater connection, understanding and friendship between the Doctor and his ganger. Whether this is a Time Lord thing or whether it's because he's accepting of the Flesh doubles as exact copies isn't clear. Probably a bit of both as there does seem to be some kind of psychic feedback thing going on.

The other Gangers are understandably pissed off at their lot. Ganger-Jen is quite the rabble-rouser, declaring a Flesh uprising against the human oppressors. It seems that she has a stronger connection to the original Flesh than the others, carrying memories of previous deaths, which may explain how different she is to Human-Jen. While one can understand her sentiments here (especially after seeing the discarded Flesh pile she shows Rory) her methods are violent and she is the most devious and monstery character. Ganger-Cleaves is far more pragmatic, much like the original.
The Gangers keep switching from sympathetic to antagonistic, but I think what we are seeing now is their individual positions rather than having them act as a group. How very human.

Amy's attitude to the Doctor-double is one of suspicion and uncertainty, despite the Doctor's happy acceptance of him. Admittedly there are times when the Doctor-double acts a little more erratically, however it seems that could be part of his connection to the Flesh. The only visible difference is the shoes, but the audience can't see their feet, and as is proved towards the end of the episode shoes can be changed.

Rory's compassion is used as part of Ganger-Jen's schemes. I'm not quite sure why there was yet another Flesh double of Jen, or where she came from? It's clear that Ganger-Jen is more advanced in her abilities than the others (another thing that becomes monstery), but without knowing the rules I guess I can't really judge the limitations.

The humanity of the Gangers is proven in a holo-call to Jimmy's son.
The emphasis is on the similarities of the doubles. Cleaves can't conceal a password from her Ganger because they have the same mind. Ganger-Jimmy sees his son, excited on his fifth birthday, and realises he can't kill the lad's biological father.
Then we get rounds of heroism. Ganger-Jimmy saves the humans, but can't save Human-Jimmy, so that the Ganger must permanently take the place of the original . Later, in a nice reversal, a human sacrifices himself to save his Ganger. Then more Gangers sacrifice themselves to allow the others to get away, even though I'm not sure that was strictly necessary.

So despite several deaths most characters get away in one form or another.
It is proved that even close friends cannot identify the difference between Flesh and original.
A trip in the TARDIS makes the remaining Gangers human, gives Cleaves a cure for her brain clot, and allows a cowardly lion to find his courage... oh no, wait -that was something else.

Then it all gets weird.
The Doctor keeps telling Amy to breathe, and what did the Doctor-double mean about pushing? I feel eye-patch lady's involvement here. These are instructions that are only generally given in certain circumstances. Amy is giving birth, to a baby that doesn't seem to be there.
Turns out the Doctor was actively investigating the Flesh, and perhaps had more of a hand in the creation of his double than it seemed.
The Doctor echoes Rory's words from the 'Day of the Moon', declaring that he and Rory will never stop searching for her.
The shocking conclusion sees Amy turned into pancake batter as the Doctor disrupts the signal to the Flesh.
She wakes to see a familiar hatch with a familiar face. She is pregnant and in a birthing tube, and it turns out that's where she's been all along.

Bloody hell!

This was an exciting and well-executed episode, that only benefited from the double dose of Matt Smith. The twists pretty much all made sense, and the exploration of morality didn't have the simplicity or tweeness that Doctor Who can sometimes indulge in. Plus there are finally answers! I can't wait for the next episode!

Who's got the Screwdriver?

It's revealed that the two Doctors swapped shoes, and therefore identity. But we don't know when. What's odd is that both of them seemed to have screwdrivers, even though they hand it back and forth as though there's only one. Surely the Flesh can't duplicate a sonic screwdriver? Or is it a continuity error?

Death Becomes Him

The Doctor-double sacrifices himself, although the Doctor hints that it might not be truly the end. Amy already identified the potential of having a second Doctor, could he be the one who's killed in the US? (My husband reckons not as the murdered Doctor started to regenerate. We're presuming Flesh can't do that.) She also let slip some details about the invitations to the Doctor's final moments. At the time it seems that's she's saying it to the Doctor-double, but at the end it's clear that the Doctor knows something about it where the double doesn't.

There are still plenty of questions, but some answers are in sight.

What I'm Reading

2011-05-25T11:25:00.001+01:00

The Anubis Gates - Tim Powers
This was excellent and I really enjoyed it. It has time travel, sorcery, body-swapping, Egyptian mythology, and nineteenth century history. This is an excellently constructed time-travel fantasy, and reading it I find myself wishing there were more like it.
I found that the plot moved along at a fair pace and despite various complicated things happening it wasn't hard to follow. There were some plot twists that I guessed fairly quickly, including one of the main ones, though I suspect that it might have been due to my familiarity with time -travel stories. Even though it is mind-boggling time travel is one of those things I do tend to think about when I'm presented with it. In this case the events in the book manage to form a loop that seems free of paradox. I admire the planning and sleight-of-hand that must have taken.
I definitely recommend The Anubis Gates to any one who enjoys smart fantasy and/or well made time-travel stories.

Jack of Fables - Vol. 6, The Big Book of War
I've been reading Fables for a while although I didn't pay a lot of attention to spin-off series Jack of Fables, until The Great Fables Crossover. At that point it became clear that I had some back reading to catch up on. Now that I've got this graphic novel I'm all caught up and at some point I may read through the crossover and the preceding graphic novels again.

Midnight Never Come - Marie Brennan
Another Elizabethan fairy story. I was careful not to read this book straight after Sword of Albion, even though I've been waiting to read this one for a while. Comparisons are inevitable but these are two very different books, despite being set in the same period. Sword of Albion is very much a supernatural action/spy thriller, whereas Midnight Never Come is more political. The fairies in this are nowhere near as cold and threatening as the ones written by Mark Chadbourn. Brennan's fairies are very capable of cruelty and manipulation, but they are far more relatable than the Enemy.
The major theme of the book is the contrast between the fae court and the mortal court of Elizabeth I. The idea of a fairy court beneath London acting as a shadow or dark reflection of what happens above, is integral. The two main characters are a mortal and a fairy and we see both of their worlds in vivid detail.

Doctor Who - The Rebel Flesh

2011-05-22T12:54:00.002+01:00

Just to warn you, there will be spoilers.

The opening scene is an island monastery, in which safety-suited workers monitor a dangerous substance. One falls in and starts to disintegrate, this is treated fairly casually by all involved, including the melting guy. Moments later he reappears and complains. So far, so weird, which is what we want from Doctor Who really, isn't it?

A solar flare/storm knocks the TARDIS to the island. I'm not really sure why that happened, as the explanation -if there was one- was shouted over loud sound effects. While I can appreciate that loud FX and shouting lend a sense of urgency, I do like to hear the dialogue.

Rory is initially, and sensibly, hesitant to race into the unknown. Understandable as he seems to regularly come off practically dead from these adventures, through no fault of his own.

On the island acid is being pumped, again I'm not sure why, but that isn't particularly important. It's a factory of some kind and the workers deal with the dangerous acid by using 'gangers, doubles created from Flesh -a kind of primordial goo- and their downloaded consciousnesses. These (as we have seen) are expendable.
So far, so transhuman.

The Doctor's warnings of another solar storm are ignored by the boss, Cleaves, she's got a quota to fill. There's a power surge and everyone is knocked unconscious. They wake and reconvene, but things are no quite right. How long was everyone out? And where are the 'gangers?

The Doctor argues for reason and understanding as usual (well, they aren't Silence). Rory shows the compassion that no doubt led him to nursing. The Doctor investigates the Flesh, perhaps a little too closely considering it feels like it's scanning him back.
Predictably the situation escalates, and beings that should understand one another more than anyone else go to war.

Jennifer's 'ganger was obviously supposed to be a sympathetic character, one who showed the difficulty of being a double. Except she tries to attack Rory who has shown her nothing but kindness. Then she rallies the others to destroy the humans (even though it would make far more sense for the Cleaves-ganger to do so). Either Jennifer is a lot more bloodthirsty than she appeared, or these doubles are not as faithful to the originals as was suggested, which tips the argument towards them being monsters after all. Either the choice of sympathetic character was mishandled, or we were only meant to feel sorry for the 'gangers briefly.

"Always with the Rory!"
Very impressed by Rory this week, especially after Amy taking charge in previous weeks. Rory's initial caution is thrown to the wind when Jennifer is in danger, and he leaps heroically into action. This shows that Rory's isn't there to just worry about Amy, he genuinely cares for people. Basically he's a lovely bloke, and he doesn't deserve the Doctor's lack of concern.
Amy understandably goes after him, but she's not cautious at all, and of course he's foremost in her mind.

I liked the shot with the Doctor's smoking boots. The traditional use of that image is subverted by having him tiptoeing away in the background, a nice visual gag.

Eyepatch lady returns, but no words this time.
My only theory here is that Amy is (or will be) under some kind of observation. This observation I suspect will be psychically or temporally weird, possibly involving/affecting dreaming or memory. There's something clinical about eyepatch lady, but whether it ties into the mystery pregnancy* I'm not sure. Though really we've not been given enough info to figure out what's going on here.

The Doctor's 'ganger appears, not much of a surprise as it was heavily foreshadowed. Is he 11.5, or possibly Doctor Goo? (Sorry that was pretty bad.)
This development does lend credence to the two Doctors theory that's been kicking around since last series. I must say I don't trust the Doctor Who team not to be teasing us again. Perhaps the sheer number of unanswered questions is making me suspicious.

I enjoyed this episode, despite a few niggles, and I'm looking forward to the next one.

* The Doctor seems to be getting kinda obsessive over this pregnancy scan. It seems like a weird fixation to have. But perhaps unanswered questions get to him as much as they get to the viewers.

Avenue Q

2011-05-19T18:23:00.001+01:00

Yesterday I saw Avenue Q.
I didn't even know it existed until a couple of weeks ago when I found out about it online. Then a few days later I discovered it was showing near by. This was clearly the universe getting me to buy theatre tickets.

It's a musical set in downtown New York and features a cast of humans and hand puppets (of the Muppet-like variety). It's about a group of people (monsters, humans and badly behaved bears) who live on the eponymous avenue and face various challenges and personal complications that are part of life as an adult.
The style is very Sesame Street, the content is very adult - it includes swearing and puppet sex.

It was very funny! And pretty weird.
There were songs like 'If You Were Gay', 'Everyone's A Little Bit Racist' and 'Schadenfruede'.

The story itself is nothing groundbreaking, but the way it's done is great. The puppeteers are right there on the stage, sometimes voicing two different characters in a scene, but they are utterly ignored by the cast. Obviously this required a certain amount of disbelief suspension, but it wasn't difficult as it's the characters (rather than their operators/voice actors) that are the focus of attention. The organisation was impressive, I honestly thought there were more puppeteers than there actually were.

I recommend this if you are someone who is not put off by swearing, sex or Gary Coleman (well, not actually him, obviously).

Doctor Who - The Doctor's Wife

2011-05-15T13:19:00.004+01:00

The episode starts with a scared woman being held in place by relatives in order to have her soul sucked out and replaced. It seems slightly comical but is actually kinda dark, and so kicks off Neil Gaiman's much anticipated Doctor Who episode.

The Doctor gets mail, an unexpected distress call from an old friend, a good Time Lord.
The lightness of tone used in relation to Time Lords shows that this Doctor isn't shell-shocked or suffering from guilt as much as his 9th and 10th incarnations. We discover that Amy has already had some of the time war back story, meaning that we don't have to go through the explanation again. All good. Now the Doctor can refer to himself as the last Time Lord without looking all sadface.
"Basically, run" is used again by the Doctor, but this time his anger is on behalf of his own people rather than humanity.

The TARDIS leaves the universe and arrives on a soap bubble (another simple analogy that doesn't actually explain the timey-wimey, spacey-wacey stuff, but gives you an image to work with). There are 4 inhabitants, patchwork people Auntie and Uncle, an Ood called Nephew, and a crazy, bitey lady called Idris (not Niece). She looks like a typical Helena Bonham Carter character, quirky and slightly gothic. The soap bubble itself is a creepy entity called House who traps Time Lords and eats their TARDISes. (Is that the plural for TARDIS? I just don't know?)

Suranne Jones is excellent as the TARDIS shoved into human form. Finally a character who's even madder and more chronologically mixed up than the Doctor. She regularly says things that will be relevant later, meaning that the writing, and editing, are necessarily very internally consistent.
The title was clearly meant to tease us, because the Doctor Who team are dreadful teases. Although it makes sense because if there's any entity that is like the Doctor's wife, it's the TARDIS. Yes what we have here is the strange, but very deep and touching relationship between a man and his box. It turns out the TARDIS stole the Doctor as much as the other way round, and she's his equal even more than River is.

Amy and Rory are trapped in the empty shell of the TARDIS and tortured by House who has decided that, rather than eating this one, he'll use it to go back into the universe in search of more food. Again Amy and Rory work well together and continue to feel like a proper couple. That the memory of her wedding day is Amy's definition of Delight is just lovely.
The rare view of the TARDIS's corridors is disappointingly uniform, though I can understand it from a set building point of view. I really liked that we got to see the previous TARDIS control room, which is of course unfamiliar to Amy and Rory. It's a little visual joke that all new Who fans will appreciate.

This was a fun and smart episode that I really enjoyed, the hype was worth it.

Things to watch out for:

The TARDIS vanishes

This actually happened last week as well, but I forgot to write about it here. The TARDIS shouldn't just disappear on it's own, because last time that happened it was a pretty major and also very mysterious event. Last week there was no explanation for it, which may have been clumsy writing, at least this time its the main plot point. The fact that a TARDIS can effectively be possessed could be very relevant.

Did it for the crack

Did anyone notice that the universe looked kinda like a long, crooked, evil smile? Hmm, where can we have seen that before? We also discover that the destruction of a TARDIS creates a hole in the universe (hence the soap bubble), something familiar there too I'm sure.

"The only water in the forest is the river."

Should I be spelling that last word with a capital letter? The first episodes we meet River in are "Silence in the Library"/"Forest of the Dead" and I seem to remember a forest in "Flesh and Stone" too. Is this a theme, or am I just overthinking things?

They keep killing Rory

OK so it's only an illusion of his long-dead skeleton, but seriously something lethal seems to happen to Rory every week. I just feel bad for the poor guy, it's like he's Mr. Expendable.

What I'm Reading

2011-05-14T22:30:00.001+01:00

So the disappeared post confusingly reappeared the next day, causing me to suspect it is in fact a phantom post. I have tried to exorcise it and I think I've been successful. I certainly don't want a haunted blog.

Sword of Albion - Mark Chadbourn
This is a swashbuckling, supernatural Elizabethan spy story. Will Swyfte is England's greatest spy. He and his fellows work for Walsingham, supposedly fighting the Spanish, but in fact set against the shadowy Enemy. A malevolent force that has been terrorising the country for centuries.
The story is full of danger and intrigue, there's plenty of excitement and decent twists and turns along the way. Initially I thought it was a straightforward historical adventure with a sinisiter supernatural element - which I'm all for, historical fantasy is a favourite subgenre of mine. Towards the end I felt as though the story was going deeper, exploring the morality of what initially seemed to be a black and white conflict, and also examining how even monsters can be useful allies.
As well as the usual period touchstones (Dee the magician, the Spanish Armada, Christopher Marlowe, and of course Elizabeth herself) the story travels outside England to neighbouring Scotland and antagonistic Spain. I was pleased to see that we meet James VI of Scotland (later James I of England) before Elizabeth I ever appears - but I'm a sucker for Stuart history.
The alternative title is 'The Silver Skull', which makes sense as that's the central mcguffin. Then again if you are going to use 'Sword of Albion' - the rarely-used name for Walsingham's spies- you would use it for the British version.

Everything Beautiful - Simmone Howell
This teenage book is set in Australia (something that seems to confuse me as they use both US and UK slang) and is told from the point of view of Riley Rose. Riley is an overweight teenager who has been sent to the Spirit Ranch, a Christian holiday camp for kids. Riley has every intention of leaving before the week is over, and treats the place with suspicion and disdain. At the camp she meets Dylan, a paraplegic who feels similarly out of place. Together they raise a little hell and steal a dune buggy.
I like the character of Riley, she knows she's fat and doesn't take any crap about it. There's not even any suggestion of her losing weight, which I think is excellent. I can't be doing with people being all weight-obsessed, it's great to see a young woman with a healthy body image. She's smart-mouthed and prickly and you can understand why. She's initially an outsider, because she acts like one, but soon discovers that the Spirit Ranch is not just full of the socially awkward and the holier-than-thou.

I'm currently reading The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers, very much enjoying it.

Let's call this Plan B

2011-05-13T18:11:00.000+01:00

Blogger was having issues, so this will be the second time I've written this post in as many days. I hope you will charitably assume that the original one was full of insight and sparkling wit that I could easily have forgotten overnight.

It has occurred to me that, from the evidence provided in this blog, it looks as though I don't do that much reading. This would be an erroneous though understandable assumption. I actually read all the time.
I spend most of my lunch breaks reading, I usually read for a while before going to sleep, and if I could read on the bus without feeling ill I definitely would.
I think the problem is that I try to review books separately, giving each it's own post. Doing it that way means that I've usually moved on to the next book while trying to write a review, so whatever I'm writing about isn't at the forefront of mind.

I'm going to start writing short but regular book posts. These will have a list of what I am/have been reading and need only contain a couple of sentences on each book. Then if I do feel very expansive about a particular book I can do an individual post as well.

I'm planning to post the first by tomorrow at the latest.

Doctor Who - Curse of the Black Spot

2011-05-10T19:44:00.005+01:00

Pirates ahoy!
Thar be spoilers ahead.

After the complex shenanigans of previous weeks, we had a rip-roaring adventure on the high seas. A becalmed pirate ship with a creepy siren, picking the men off one by one. It seems that beeswax in the ears won't do the job this time.
It's OK though, because the TARDIS has appeared in the hold. The Doctor will soon get to the bottom of the mysterious glowing, green lady who enchants and disintegrates anyone with a cut or graze. Is she hungry for human blood? And how does she manage to appear inside sealed rooms?

Hugh Bonneville plays Captain Avery, gold-hungry pirate. A less lordly leader than his Downton role, but it all looked like good fun. We are told that Avery has committed atrocities, but don't see them as he is to be a sympathetic character

The episode is a monster mystery where the behaviour of the seemingly dangerous creature is deciphered in order to save the day. The Siren marks not just those who've lost blood, but those who are ill. She appears not just from the water, but from any reflective surface. The clues keep coming.
As soon as the captain's stowaway son is dematerialised you're pretty certain the Siren isn't actually killing people dead, because I doubt Who is going to become dark enough that an innocent child is all out murdered in front of us. Could it possibly be like series 1 episode 'Bad Wolf' where the apparent murders are actually relocations?
When the Siren is used to save Rory from drowning (how many times are they going to kill the poor guy? Seriously it's getting beyond a joke now) it becomes pretty certain that she is not the murderous creature she appears.

Why does the Siren transport people to an alien ship, what is her purpose?
Once they arrive in the sickbay there are definite echoes of 'The Doctor Dances'. The supposed malevolent force is in fact helpful, alien health tech that simply doesn't understand humans. What appeared to be hunger for blood was in fact a screening process, and apparent protectiveness of food was only protection of patients.
Luckily we get a new Who medical mystery where hugging is not the solution - it worked in 'The Doctor Dances' but was just awful in 'New Earth'.

It's nice to see Amy stepping up and taking action again, saving the menfolk from pirates. Her protectiveness of Rory is excellent, especially after his statement of commitment last week - I don't feel like I need to be concerned about their relationship anymore.
I also like that having a married couple on the TARDIS doesn't make things all soppy, because that's no how marriage tends to work. Amy's reaction when the Siren won't let her touch her husband felt wonderfully real.

Generally this was a fun adventure episode that worked well. The structure and solution felt familiar, but that's not really a weakness. However there were still links to the ongoing continuity.

Things to Watch Out For:

Scary eyepatch lady is back!

So far only Amy sees her, and tends not to remember. I cannot figure out what this is about. I can only assume -or perhaps hope- that she is tied into something that links up with the unresolved threads of last series.

Amy's questionable uterus.

Pregnant or not pregnant, there's a question. Eventually there will have to be a resolution, so I'm not sure I need reminders every episode. Also I'm not sure it's really on for the Doctor to scan his friends without their knowledge, it's not as though he's an MD (as far as I know).

Once and future death

Rory and Amy keep a pretty important secret from the Doctor, so I suppose that kinda balances out the covert pregnancy scans. Of course the whole spoilery death is likely to be as questionable as the pregnancy, unless Matt Smith's employment contract includes indentured servitude.

Pet Peeve*
I can understand not showing how to properly slit wrists or hotwire cars in TV and film. They aren't skills you want people to pick up easily.
I can also understand using a visual shorthand for long, boring processes. We don't want to see how many tests the CSIs run before they get the result. A quick lab work montage will do -although I can understand forensics professionals disliking this.

But why is useful and vital First Aid info constantly covered up like it's a terrible secret?
The fact that Rory suggests Amy could perform CPR because she's seen it on TV makes me suspicious of his nursing skills. Amy then performs a very TV version of CPR, and Rory is apparently revived by magical luck. It's not as though portraying a more accurate version of CPR would have marred the drama or ruined the timing. It just required slightly different positioning of the actors' head and hands

Amy was probably pumping air into Rory's stomach, because his head wasn't elevated so there's no reason his airway would be open. Put your chin on your chest and take a deep breath, then do it with your head tilted right back. That difference is very important when you can't breathe for yourself.
Alternatively the air was rushing straight out of Rory's fully open nostrils. If doing mouth-to-mouth you have to pinch the nostrils closed, or the air will take the path of least resistance and never get to the lungs.

* I don't know if people still use that term, but it fits here.

Thor

2011-05-08T17:44:00.004+01:00

I saw Thor yesterday evening.
This means that I did not watch Doctor Who, which is obviously very bad of me as the ratings are supposedly spiraling ever downwards. Of course I haven't actually had a TV panel box in over a year, so I'm well aware that what I watch doesn't actually count towards viewing figures anymore.
Unless I use Catch Up or On Demand or iPlayer, so I guess missing it on regular TV works out fine after all.

Thor combines magic and myth with (film) science. It's technically full of aliens and advanced tech, but it's all mythical and mystical. This is fine by me, I enjoy science fantasy. That's sci-fi with mythology, mysticalness and a sensawunda that feels fantastical. I read mostly fantasy, I watch a fair bit of sci-fi, if done well science fantasy can be the best of both.
Thor does it pretty well, largely due to the visual effects, which are nicely done. The first shots of Asgard, zooming through the lovely buildings to the central palace, are like a ramped up Rivendell. It's all more showy than Elrond's elf colony, but it's got that sense of a supernatural utopia full of beauty and luxury.
The Bifrost is also very well done. Rather than being literally a rainbow bridge people can walk across, it's shown as a magical/technological device that shoots people to other worlds, like a stargate with a less comfortable landing. The rainbow part is represented by the walkway, which constantly shimmers different colours. Even though it looks very plastic, like a bridge built of glowy perspex blocks, I still found it was an impressive sight.

Being a superhero film Thor combines science fantasy with a fair bit of action. There are plenty of fights against different enemies in different settings, so it still feels superhero-y even though the hero is different to the humans-with-extras that Marvel has sent to the screen so far.
The obligatory origin story is also an unusual one, being necessarily tied to existing mythology. I was impressed that there was no hiding/simplifying of difficult or odd-sounding words, like mjolnir and yggdrasil. Possibly I had set my expectations a little low here, as it turned out it was quite useful as I think I've been mispronouncing them in my head for a while. Relevant parts of the mythology (as convenient for comics/films) are explained, but the film is thankfully not exposition heavy.

There were some good funny moments. Mostly fish outta water laughs as Asgardian manners and princely superiority meet the modern world. It reminded me of the post-Ragnarok Thor comic book, where Asgard manifests in the desert near an American midwestern town, and the residents of both tentatively get to know their new neighbours.

The characters seemed mostly well done, even if they fall very neatly into superhero film roles, and I didn't expect any different. Personally I think Thor is better with a beard, he looks more rugged and manly than the clean-shaven comic book version who looks like he stepped onto the age from a L'Oreal ad. The portrayal of the thunder god as a spoiled, bullish prince is well done. Thor's change in character, to a person truly worthy of his powers, does not come in one moment or due to one act, it is a more subtle shifting of attitude and perception as Thor spends time among humans.

Loki is a bit of a puzzle. At first he seems reasonable and practical, but we all know there's more going on there. It's seems odd to me that the Earthly legends of the Asgardians have Loki's number, yet no one on Asgard seems aware of it. Where Thor is arrogant Loki is conniving, but his goals and plans seem muddled. There's sibling rivalry and Daddy issues aplenty in the royal family, which probably says something about Odin too. Loki's grab for power seems somewhat half-hearted, based on feelings of inadequacy and dislike of father-figures. He keeps his father and brother out of the way, but isn't ruthless enough to kill them himself, and his feelings towards Asgard and Jotunheim seem confused.

Natalie Portman is convincing as Jane Foster, astrophysicist. She's not just a pretty face in a lab coat (as female scientists can be in film and TV), in fact she never wears a lab coat. She's a woman who lives in a trailer in small town in the desert and spends her time with a sarcastic and uninterested research assistant, just to prove her theories. Her equipment, much of it self-made, and her notes are basically her entire life. We might not see Jane science things up much, but her passion is clear. Less clear are her feelings for Thor, the romance between them is very understated and I think neither Jane or Thor are quite aware of it until the end.

At the end of the film it became clear that myself and the people I was watching with were the geeky ones (even without one of our group having it written on his T-shirt). Everyone else in the screen filed out during the incredibly long credits but we faithfully waited to see yet another teaser for the eventual Avengers film.* Admittely I didn't recognise the dommy mcguffin, and had to get my Marvel expert to explain it.

Also:
One of the warriors 3 (or 4, does the female one count or not?) looks very much like Oliver Queen. Just give him a bigger moustache, a green outfit and some arrows.
The compound the feds built around the Hammer crater looks like a human-sized hamster run. I'm not sure what the purpose of it was, possibly it just kept the agents busy when they wanted some cheese.

Overall it was an enjoyable film with all the fun and fighting we've come to expect from Marvel films.

* Some of us needed the loo and could have done with shorter credits, but still we waited. I was quite amused to see the name Jor-El Morales roll across the screen. I don't know what he specifically does, but he's working in the right industry -even if not the right universe.

Doctor Who - The Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon

2011-05-01T17:19:00.001+01:00

For me the new series of Doctor Who began at Eastercon, watching on a big screen in a room with 600 people.
Watching with fellow fans is a fun experience. Just like going to the cinema, the experience is heightened by the reactions of others. This is especially true when those others are as appreciative (or probably more appreciative) as you are. Admittedly there was a guy with a rather large head sitting two rows ahead of me, but even that was not a major problem.

I should say that this post will be fairly spoilerrific, so if you haven't seen either of these episodes and you don't want to know what happens then stop reading now.

The Impossible Astronaut

Oh look, it's an impossible space-thingy title. Perhaps this was a clue that it's a two-parter, like David Tenant's Impossible Planet/Satan Pit. Of course I didn't realise I was watching a first part until the credits rolled. Surely that wasn't 45 minutes, it barely felt like half an hour! It is true that time flies when you're having fun.

The series opener was fun, I enjoyed it. Admittedly a week later I find I am having a little trouble remembering exactly what happened and -perhaps more importantly- why.
I know that one of the complaints levelled against RTD was that the episodes and plot arcs weren't clever enough, that there was a limited amount of build-up (presumably ignoring the phrase-of-week tatics employed with Bad Wolf and Doctor/Donna). Here Moffat unequivocably shows us that foreshadowing does not scare him. Except that thinking about the wider implications of this episode scares me slightly.

The first scene was all good, silly fun, with an angry Charles II storming down a corridor after the Doctor. Brilliant stuff! Although I was slightly disappointed that this meant the scenes in the BBC trailers were not part of a full episode set in Stuart England. I like Stuart England, Stuart England is cool.

Rory, Amy and River are summoned to America for a picnic. America is good, it's got lots of big, impressive scenery. However this picnic is interrupted, not by ants, but by an astronaut who kills the Doctor. This is alarming, but hopefully not too terrifying/scarring for the kids, because clearly all is not as it seems.
The Doctor's oblivious reappearance in a diner reveals that the murder takes place 200 years into the Doctor's own future - do you see how scary this amount of foreshadowing is! The amount of planning this requires (or seems to) is mind-boggling! It also suggest Time Lords don't age that fast, which makes sense as William Hartnell's Doctor must have been a good few hundred years old.

The death of the Doctor sets up an interesting dynamic among the TARDIS crew as River (who knows how these things work) must stop Rory and an emotional Amy from telling the Doctor what they witnessed. For once the Doctor is not the one with all the information, he doesn't have the biggest secrets, and -although he would understand it- there is a sense of collusion among the human characters.

Following what few clues they have the TARDIS sets off for 1969 and tracks down Canton Everett Delaware, the fourth witness of the Doctor's death, and the only one who seemed to have the slightest clue what's going on. A younger Canton (old/young Canton are played by father and son) is in the Oval Office, discussing mysterious phone calls received by President Nixon from a little girl scared by a spaceman.
The appearance of the Doctor in the midst of this serious, all-American thriller scene is hilarious. As is his request for Jammy Dodgers and a fez.

Amy's encounter with the mysterious alien in the White house loos is well done. The look and manner of the Silence is suitably scary, like greys but gribbly. I suspect that if I hadn't been in a room with 600 other people I might have been creeped out, but there's safety in numbers so the fear wasn't really present. The Silence are ingenious creatures, literally out of mind when out of sight, it's a superb defence mechanism.

The mysterious phone calls lead to Florida and a familiar-looking control room full of various kinds of alien tech. The team have further encounters with the Silence and discover the long-time nature of their presence, though only the audience is aware of the implications of the centuries-old tunnels.

Amy's pregnancy revelation is not only ridiculously timed, it was also clumsily introduced and smoke-screened.
Women on TV (especially recently married ones) are never ill for no reason, they are always pregnant. I suspect that this is in a BBC handbook somewhere! I've seen it so often that I feel like groaning whenever it happens. I suppose the fact that there was a married couple on the TARDIS meant that the kid issue would come up eventually, but I thought it might take a little longer. There are reasons for getting married that have nothing to do with procreation, or is that just me?

The ending, with Amy shooting the spaceman she believes caused/will cause the Doctor's death, is exciting. Amy has not always been a brilliant character, but in this episode she stands out as much as River when it comes to taking action.
When the visor goes up and she realises she has shot a little girl her look of horror is understandable. It's one hell of a cliffhanger.

Day of the Moon

3 months later.
We're thrown back into the action as Amy, Rory and River are hunted down by agent Canton. The scenes jump back and forth, it's fast-paced and exciting. Amy runs down a dusty, desert highway surrounded by massive, almost-martian, rock formations. It sure beats running down corridors in Cardiff.
Does this deadly hunt have anything to do with the five-bar gate tallies that cover their arms and faces? Even the ever-elegant River ruins her formal look with black arm-markings.
Meanwhile a beardy Doctor is held captive in one of those big military installations that Americans presumably build for holding aliens. A box is being built around the imprisoned Doctor, does this seem familiar to anyone else? Wherever there's a box it seems like he's inside it.

Canton brings in body bags containing Rory and Amy, luckily they're alive and the whole thing has been a ruse to create a space where the Silence cannot observe them. An invisible TARDIS is hidden inside, and the group use it to catch River, who has done her usual trick of throwing herself off something, secure in the expectation that she will be caught. Will we be seeing more of this?

We are finally given some explanation of what's been happening. The Doctor and his companions are aware of the Silence and how they operate, though we don't know how or why they know this. The tally marks are a way of tracking Silence encounters, and the Doctor gives each of his allies a nano neural transmitter/recorder which allows them to document encounters and leave themselves messages. All very smart and sensible.
Thus equipped the team split up to hunt for clues. The Doctor goes to tinker around with Apollo 11, which does not amuse NASA. Amy and Canton go to an orphanage to find out where the spacesuited girl came from.

We get no information about what happened after Amy shot the little girl. I can understand the instinct to keep things moving and not get bogged down with exposition, but the cliffhanger from the previous episode is never actually resolved. While there's plenty of Silence-based gaps in memory, it does seem a bit of a cop-out to completely ignore a cliffhanger.

The orphanage is really creepy. The warden has clearly been damaged by many memory drains, and is operating on Silence instructions without the slightest clue. He is a puppet man and you can't help but feel sorry for him.
Exploring upstairs, tally marks seem to materialise on Amy's arms and face. This is eerily reminiscent of the black writing that appeared on characters' skin in 'The Impossible Planet' and 'The Satan Pit'.
Amy finds the little girl's room in a bizarre and unexplained bit of dream-logic, that I'm not entirely convinced I didn't just imagine. (Did anyone else see that woman at the hatch that wasn't there later?)*
Amy is shocked to find a picture of herself with a baby among photos of the little girl. Her earlier revelation that she was mistaken when she thought she was pregnant seems like yet another smoke screen. Then the spacesuit girl arrives, so presumably Amy failed to shoot her. There are creepy echoes of 'The Empty Child'. You know the girl isn't going to say "Are you my mummy?" but that's certainly where my mind went.

Amy is captured by the Silence, and Canton learns that bullets injure them. Rory and River fetch President Nixon to get the Doctor released from NASA custody. Later Nixon appears from the black box the Doctor is supposed to be trapped in. Nixon-ex-machina is born.

The little girl escapes from her space suit and presumably flees. The suit turns out to be a mobile prison, enhanced by all sorts of alien tech. Clearly the girl is important somehow. There follows some days of planning and researching and setting stuff up, while an increasingly upset Rory listens to his wife's fearful voice over neural transmitter.

Eventually the Doctor sets things up so that the Silence end up ordering humanity to kill them every time the moon landing is broadcast. This cleverly uses the nature of the Silence against them. However it does rely entirely on the injured Silence captive saying something stupid before the moon landing happens. What if it had just sat there, y'know in silence, what would they have done then? For episodes that seem so well-planned and clever this does seem like a big dollop of dumb luck.

Amy is saved. River shoots a lot of Silence in a totally kick-arse way. Everyone gets away in the TARDIS. The little girl is apparently forgotten, even though she is yet another scared child that the Doctor said he would help.
The epilogue is clearly there to tease us. It was cool, but basically a massive tease.

This two-parter episode was very coupley - perhaps not surprising given Stephen Moffat is the man who wrote Coupling. I found that I felt bad for Rory and River, the other halves.

Rory -wearing rather wonderful serious, 60s specs- declares his commitment to Amy and his determination to not rest until she is safe. Then he is led to believe that in her last moments she is thinking of the Doctor, not him. I think I said "Poor Rory" about three times.
The Doctor brings up Rory's 2000 year wait for Amy when he was a plastic centurion. Rory remembers this, sort of. I have no idea how this works. I can't remember quite what happened with plastic/non-plastic Rory at the end of the last series. If anyone wants to explain it to me in the comments that would be helpful, there may be follow up questions.
The revelation that Amy was in fact talking about her husband is welcome, if a little contrived.

It's River I felt really bad for. At the end she gives the Doctor a passionate kiss, which understandably confuses him. He says that they've never done that before.
He shouldn't have told her, because now she knows that was their last kiss. It's confirmation that she's close to the day when he sees her and does not know her, the day she has been fearing throughout their relationship. And while it's all very well for us and Doctor, who have plenty of River Song encounters to come, she now knows she's coming to the end of their time together.
What we have just seen is, from her point of view, the death of their romance - and that's heartbreaking.

A lot of threads are set up in these episodes, many are left loose. Presumably they relate to the threads still left from the last series. It's fun and enjoyable, and the plot arc is all very clever (or it had better be, because a lot of expectation has been built up here), but is it too much?
Don't get me wrong. I'm really enjoying Who at the moment, and I enjoy a good plot arc. However I have the horrible feeling that I'm going to have to do research online to remember what's going on.

* Edited to Add:
I didn't imagine it! I rewatched part of the episode on BBC3 after posting. Also the Telegraph reviewer mentioned the eye-patch woman too. I think it was just that that bit seemed so random, even in comparison to everything else.

Illustrious - Eastercon 2011

2011-04-26T23:32:00.004+01:00

So here is the promised convention post, which I cannot wriggle out of as my husband has already said I'll be doing it on his blog (The Citadel of Davegotsu). This will be a long one, and probably fairly rambly.

We cunningly decided that as the con was taking place in the city where we live, we would save much money by going in each day on the train rather than paying for a hotel.
This was in many ways a good idea as it meant we could get our own food from home each day - I spent 3 days living on ham sandwiches and snacks, but it was inexpensive.
However it did mean leaving before 11pm each day or risk walking around the outside of the NEC, so less opportunity to hang around through the evening. Also it meant we had to cart everything we wanted in with us. So pros and cons (haha - that was totally unintentional), but I think future con attendance will not necessary be in Brum, so it'd be a moot point anyway.

Friday
Following the detailed instructions in Illustrious PR3 (made slightly redundant by conveniently placed signs) we made it to the hotel, registered, and went to first-timers meeting. This was useful and informative, and I discovered the meaning of various terms, including GAFFinate. I also learned that the con was in fact a mini Real Ale festival, which is impressive and all, but not so relevant if you're allergic to beer.

After first-timers there were 3 events all in one room - Opening Ceremony, Great Women in SF and Guests of Honour Panel.
We went to get food in the Fan Dining Room, only to discover small portions and an alarming shortness of burgers (I'm allergic to burgers as well, but even so I was surprised by the shortage - I mean we got there before everyone in the big queue). We decided to fend for ourselves in the coming days, which explains all the ham sandwiches.
In the evening we saw Saxon and Emma - who are fun people that I met at Alt.Fiction last year. They introduced us to further fun people Sam and Charlotte. We went to an interesting talk about writing groups, and my other half went to a science-y panel.

Saturday
Getting in on Saturday involved a walk outside in the sun. It was so warm outside that the air-conditioned hotel felt positively chilly.

The Mirror Universe panel was funny as panelists created mirror versions of audience suggestions.
The example was Paddington Bear, I don't know if the panelists were aware that it had already been done by a fella called Keillor Robertson in a small book called A Bear Called Euston.
My own suggestion was a Mirror Universe Royal Wedding, which seemed to result in an annual royal sacrifice, possibly decided by the public using a TV phone-in style voting system. And perhaps a race to Westminster Abbey in which the first (or perhaps last) there married the bride.

I bought various books from Angry Robot. I really should take those off my Amazon list, my birthday is in less than a week. Then we went to eat lunch by the lake. The hotel was lake-adjacent, but smelled faintly of sewage.

Another panel discussed whether Star Wars changed Science Fiction to Speculative Fiction. A variety of views raised, including those who did not like Star Wars, but I did not find my own view on the subject challenged.

After that there was the first episode of the new Doctor Who series. Luckily we were in the room just round the corner from the screening and joined the queue fairly early on. Said queue continued along the corridor, out of the sight of the door, then snaked back along the same corridor and past us, towards the lobby. It made moving along the corridor difficult. It also meant we were quite a way ahead of Paul Cornell, who you'd expect should have been nearer the door.
I'll talk about Doctor Who episode.

Sunday
After going in by bus and train (which meant less walking) we split along gender lines and I attended the Women In SF (v. Fantasy) panel. I was again impressed by Kari Sperring's wit, enthusiasm and eloquence. I must read some of her books. Freda Warrington's terrible statistics were suitably terrible. From looking at the general stock at work there are certainly plenty of gender-neutral/discieving author names. The panel gave me plenty to think about, and various things to look up and read.

The Diana Wynne Jones Memorial was a panel rather than the advertised reading. It wasn't quite as I expected. There was clearly much love for Diana's work, but there was some focus on class and gender - important topics, but not necessarily what I think of when reading her work. There were times when the literary criticism side of thing hi-jacked the conversation a bit. It was generally good -I was further impressed by Kari Sperring- and I found myself wanting to reread many of Diana's books, not sure when I will get chance. At the end I managed to buy Changeover, one of her novels I'd never tracked down before, and had a DWJ-based chat.

The New Wave of Post-RTD TV SF&F was cryptically named, but as my friend Saxon was on the panel we decided to attend. It turned out to be about TV. Post-Buffy British TV, especially Being Human, new Who, Misfits, Primeval, even Demons and Hex were mentioned. It was lively and entertaining, if a little meandering.

The BSFA Talk, subtitled Classics and SF, was fascinating. Given by Gideon Nisbet who lectures at the university (and indeed the department) I used to attend - from talking to him later I discovered he started working there just after I left.
He spoke about fandom and classics, about how it's now acceptable to be interested in SF in certain academic circles. About how looking at films and TV and books about ancient myth and history is not only allowed, but now a valid and expanding part of academia. This was fascinating and makes me think I should have been paying more attention to what's happening in Classics over the last 4 years. He examined the work of C. J. Cherryh, something else I may have to read.

After this there was a period of hanging in the bar and talking to people. Gideon and I spoke about the university a bit. He and Ros Kaveney told us about the illustrations of Edward Gorey, which form the visual basis of the Gloom card game. Then there was much discussion and speculation about A Game of Thrones in its televisual and literary forms. This was very exciting.
After that I ended up playing Martian Fluxx with some children and a parent. I did not win, but it was Fluxx, so that was hardly my fault.

We went to a book reading by Aliette de Bodard (whose stories I've read and enjoyed in Interzone) and Simon Morden. I certainly should find her novel, and perhaps read some of his short stories.

I got a bit dressed up for the Admiralty Ball, although it did mean changing in the loos, so I didn't doll myself up much (although I was smart enough to chose the loos with lights, as opposed to the goth-loos). I had a mask and parasol I almost never use, and a dress and girly shoes that I rarely use. It only occurred to me later that I had a suitably nautical -and far more comfortable- outfit I could have worn. It's unusual for me to get all dressed up and pirate is my fallback costume, so I'm sure there will be a later opportunity for that outfit.

The announcement of the Hugo Award nominations was exciting, even though we couldn't successfully link up with Seattle (unless Norwescon had in fact been taken over by aliens who communicated through audio feedback and blips). The Hugos are like the Oscars and so it was pretty cool to be there. Yet more books to read though. The nominations can be found here.

Monday
I had to be in early(ish) for a short one-on-one Writing Workshop. It was a little intense, but helpful and very positive. I feel fairly spurred on now.

Nuke from Obit: it's the Only Way to be Sure was a fun panel and one that came up with a wide variety of ideas for invading other planets, from the amusing to the scary.

After that I was at a panel on Self-Promotion. Some of the panelists seemed rather wary of it, which is reassuring because I honestly don't think that writers necessarily are brilliant at PR. I know some who are, and they are lucky sods, I suspect that writers are often fairly introverted.

The bulk of the afternoon was spent sitting at the bar talking to people, which was most enjoyable. I played Pirate Fluxx, which went on for a while. And once the 'Talk Like A Pirate' card had been played our throats did ache and our words be punctuated by periodical 'Aaargh!'s.

All in all a good first con and a fun time.
I suspect I've used the word interesting far too many times here, and now I'm tired. So I shall stop.

Eastercon 2011

2011-04-15T18:30:00.000+01:00

I'm going to my first ever convention next weekend!
I am quite excited, especially now they've posted the programme online.

I don't know many people who are going (besides my husband obviously), most of the familiar names on the membership list are acquaintances or authors.
I'm hoping I won't do any clinging-to-the-wall, which I can do if I'm not stern with myself. I've only been told good things, especially in respect to how friendly people are and how many interesting people you meet.

I expect I'll do a report afterward. I'm hoping I'll be a bit more fired up then. Lately I've felt a little like I'm idling and I think I need something fun and interesting to jolt me out of it.

2 Edwards and a Henry (and a mysterious big cat)

2011-04-12T21:05:00.002+01:00

Further English monarchs.

Pictures from my history mug, info mostly from David Starkey's book Crown and Country, although I've read other things as well.

Henry III
He became king at 9 years old, but ruled until he was 56, which is probably why he isn't drawn as a child. He was dominated by more forceful men throughout his reign. He let his in-laws and half-siblings run riot and the barons disliked him almost as much as they had his father (King John, the much hated king who signed the Magna Carta).

Of course the real question is, why does he have a leopard? Maybe it's a cheetah? Maybe it's a lynx? It's certainly not a house cat. Why is it there? Starkey doesn't mention it, but there must be a reason! Does anyone know?

Edward I
Known as the Hammer of the Scots (pictured without hammer, or Scots), Edward was a strong king who made himself incredibly popular with his people. He established regular parliaments as a good way of raising taxes for his various wars. These wars involved removing the Welsh princes, fighting the French, and taking the Stone of Scone from the Scots. He was pretty obsessed with conquering Scotland, hence the nickname. He didn't subdue the northern nation, but he did cause them a lot of grief.

Edward II
Edward lavished money and attention on his special favourites, who became figures of hate among the barons. Like his father Edward II tried to invade Scotland, but failed miserably. His wife Queen Isabella -fed up with marital neglect- eventually joined with her lover to seize the crown for her eldest son. Edward II was the first king to be deposed, after which he was locked away and quietly murdered. Poor guy.

Previous Monarch Posts:
Early Normans
Anarchy and early Plantagenets

Cyberabad Days

2011-04-04T12:24:00.003+01:00

This book is a sequel to BSFA-winner River of the Gods. I haven't actually read the previous book, but now I think I definitely should. Ian McDonald is an author I'd been thinking of reading for a while, but I'll admit I only read this book because my boss was commenting that it hadn't had many issues.

Cyberabad Days by Ian McDonald

The book is made up of seven stories, all set in India during or around the 2040s.

The stories capture the feel of the settings, from quiet, isolated villages, to bustling, noisy cities. I thought it felt pretty authentic and well-researched, although I'm far from an expert on India or its culture. The book is about futuristic changes in technology but it is always clear that these changes are rooted in a traditional society with a varied history. Indian words are used, but they are explained either within the story or in the context of their use. There is also a future vernacular that includes words like robotwallah and dataraja.

The contrast between the poverty of poorest and the luxury of the middle and upper classes is massive. I liked that McDonald took account of the fact that advances in technology can drastically widen the gap between rich and poor. In our own society the digitally poor are can get left behind, McDonald extrapolates this to create a massive divide.

There is a fairytale feel to some of the stories, especially The Dust Assassin, Little Goddess, and The Djinn's Wife. There is a sense of wonder to some of the technological changes that take place in the book, enhanced by the way connections are drawn between tech and mythology, between future and past.

The Stories

The first story is set against the background of the conflict(s) that break India into a variety of separate states. A young, robot-obsessed boy idolises the anime-influenced teens who control battle mechs.

A western boy in a gated development is introduced to an advanced VR evolution game and the real India beyond the walls by his friend Salim.

A sheltered heiress is used as a weapon in her family's war against a rival corporate family.

A young man gets virtual help in his quest to find a bride in a society where men outnumber women 4 to 1.

A little girl is chosen as a temple goddess until she becomes a woman. Temple life doesn't prepare her for finding her own place in the world.

A famous dancer falls in love with an artificial intelligence, but a relationship with a disembodied entity has its own problems.

A story of genetically engineered super-children and rapidly advancing computing technology.

Overthinking Terminator

2011-03-31T12:17:00.000+01:00

I recently saw Terminator Salvation for the first time. I think the main upside is that I feel much better about Terminator 3 now, despite it's failings Rise of the Machines did make sense as part of the franchise.

Terminator Salvation
This film does not make sense!
If you watch it don't think about it. I have already done that for you. The more I think about it the less sense it makes, this film disintegrates under the harsh glare of thinking.

Whilst watching my main thought was that it didn't feel right. I wasn't necessarily expecting roads paved with human bones, because frankly that's a bad material for road building. I was, however, expecting a desperate human resistance, living in crowded, squalid bunkers, clinging to existence and fighting back as best they could. I did not expect humans to have helicopters, submarines, a canyon, handheld Sony hacking tech, or a radio system that can broadcast over large areas.
Really the whole thing made me seriously doubt the effectiveness of Skynet. I would have expected more from an apocalypse-causing, all-powerful AI. I mean radio jamming tech has been around since WWII, and surely with access to all communications and weapons systems it could shoot anything unauthorised right out of the sky.
Also you'd think it would want to kill all humans (to borrow Bender's catchphrase). Instead it seems to kill some humans, trick other humans and collect yet more humans to take, alive, back to its base for no readily apparent reason. Seriously there were mass transport and containment systems for live humans, with no explanation! I felt like I was watching a Matrix prequel (maybe I was, who knows, Hollywood's daft enough to do that).

Christian Bale was not a convincing or likable John Connor, I actually found myself chuckling when machines jumped him. He said "I'll be back" and I felt like I should have smiled, but I didn't have it in me.
I think the best thing he did was start playing 'You Could be Mine' by Guns and Roses, which was the theme to Terminator 2 as well as being a good song.

There were some good bits. Anton Yelchin and Sam Worthington were good. Yelchin makes a very convincing Kyle Reese, and actually looks the part (unlike Bale). The scenes they share are really the emotional heart of the film, if it hadn't been for them I probably would have been cheering for the machines.
Even better Kyle Reese got to say the line, correctly!
"Come with me if you want to live." The bungling of that line was one of the main disappointments of Rise of the Machines.

All that aside, there is a gigantic crater at the centre of the plot, and I didn't notice until after I'd watched the film. Seriously no one involved with this film wants you to think about it. They wanted an action blockbuster in a sci-fi setting, and what they created was the idiot-child of the franchise.

John Connor is No. 2 on Skynet's hit list. No.1 is Kyle Reese.
As far as the Resistance is concerned Kyle Reese is just a teenage civilian in LA with aspirations to join the Resistance, why does Skynet want to kill him?

Well, due to time travel, he is John Connor's father.

Except the Resistance don't know that. Surely only John Connor and Katherine Brewster should know that.*
So how does Skynet know? I mean it didn't know anything about Sarah Connor except her name and city.

Um...? Uh...?

Also -as my husband pointed out- if Skynet does know that its enemy owes his existence to time travel then surely the only sensible thing to do is not to invent time travel in the first place. Right?

Except that it's possible that sending the Terminator back is the reason human technology advances to a point where they can invent Skynet.

So...
And then things start to get timey-wimey and frankly whether it's a loop or an alternative timeline (I favour the former myself) there is still no reason why Skynet should know who Kyle Reese even is, let alone what he looks like.

If you are going to watch this film just don't think about it.
There's no time travel here and so the filmmakers seemed to decide that meant they could ignore it. Not a good idea when the franchise relies upon time travel.

* I'm assuming that pregnant girl who John Connor hangs out with is supposed to be his wife and partner Katherine Brewster. I mean towards the end of the film he does refer to her as Kate. But really there's little to suggest she's anyone special, which is a shame as she was a major part of the third film and looked to be shaping up to being a promising character. But hey, I guess now she's his wife and soon to be mother of his children she doesn't get to be her own person anymore, right?

Frankenstein

2011-03-27T13:01:00.000+01:00

A few nights ago me and a friend went to see the National Theatre's version of Frankenstein. What was unusual was that instead of going down to London to see it on the stage, we saw it at a local cinema.
This broadcasting of plays in cinemas is a clever move on the part of the National Theatre. It makes plays accessible for a wider audience, including those who cannot easily travel and those who might not normally go to the theatre. I believe it is also being done with opera, which makes me think I might actually go and watch an opera, something I've never felt much urge to do before.

It was an interesting experience, sort of a hybrid of going to the theatre and the cinema, which is to be expected I suppose.
We were only just on time so ended up sitting right to the side, but that was fine because it was being projected onto a big 2D screen, so perspective and sight lines weren't the issue they can be at the theatre. Watching a filmed version allowed for things like close ups and overhead shots, but it also took away the audience's ability to notice things for themselves as your view was constantly led. It hadn't really occurred to me before, but this is a major difference between filmed and live performances.
The film included shots of the theatre audience taking their seats before the performance, which was nice as it recreated that thing where you look around at other people in the audience (well I do that in the theatre anyway, don't know about anyone else). You also heard the noise of the theatre audience, which merged with the sound of us in the cinema. At the end people clapped, which made sense in one way as that's what the theatre people were doing, but it was also a bit strange because there wasn't actually anyone there to clap for.

Frankenstein
Directed by Danny Boyle, starring Johnny Lee Miller (from Eli Stone) and Benedict Cumberbatch (from BBC's Sherlock). In this performance Miller played the creature and Cumberbatch played Victor Frankenstein, but the interesting thing about this play is that the two lead actors swap roles throughout the run.

The performance was very good. It is told from the creature's point of view and he is in almost every scene during the first part of the play. Escaping from some kind of artifical womb (no slabs here) we watch him learn to drag himself along, then crawl, then walk, all the while making unintelligible noises. It's eerily like watching a toddler in a grown man's body. The makeup made Miller look like he was covered in scars and stitches, especially some particularly bad scarring across his head. The first appearance of Frankenstein shows the scientist horrified by his creation and running away in terror, not a good start. Then the creature goes out into the world where he learns that he is feared before he learns to speak and read.
The actions switches to Victor Frankenstein only after his creation has tracked him down. The lonely monster makes a deal with his troubled creator, he asks only for a wife like him. The scientist, a reclusive character, once more leaves home and family to create life, however he is troubled by what he's dong and at the last reneges on his promise. Then the creature pursues Frankenstein to have his revenge.

I haven't read Shelley's original novel - although I expect I will do. From what I know of it the play is closer to the book than many of the film versions. In the films the monster often can't speak, but in the play he is allowed to be very articulate.

There were several things I liked about the production:

The blind man befriended and taught the monster, even after feeling his head to 'see' him. In a film version I saw a lonely blind man befriends the monster and says how bad it is to be alone and how they should be friends, but then rejects him after 'seeing' him. That seemed unfair.

The creature is the only one in the play to use a flaming torch, and he does it to burn down a human home. This seemed a nice reversal from the well-known film imagery.

Victor Frankenstein's social skills seem almost as bad as that of his creation, he is reclusive and doesn't seem to react to things as other people would. There is definitely something odd about the guy, even ignoring the whole creating monsters thing.

Frankenstein is initially as enamored with the idea of 'the bride' as the creature is. He seems to relish the idea of a second chance to make something flawless. I don't know whether he sees it as an intellectual challenge or something more. There's one bit where he pretty much measures up his fiancee, which is kinda creepy.

The scienstist's idea of creating life involves reanimating corpses with lightning. He doesn't seem to have given any thought to the normal way of doing it, as his wife points out. When he fears his creations will breed, it doesn't occur to him to simply make sure they can't. I suspect there are some pyschological, sexual issues at work.

Frankenstein projects his own worries and complexes about people onto the monster. The monster ignores them having his own very definite ideas about how people are.

By the end the creator and monster are pretty much the same. Both chasing each other, neither being able to stop or do anything else, both in a sense living for the other whilst also desiring their destruction.

The lighting rig. Suspended above stage and audience was a massive rig comprised of hundreds, if not thousands of bulbs. In the first scene these symbolise the lightning or electricity that brings the creature to life. They are also used to symbolise the stars. I though this was cool as I first heard about this production from the blog of author and lighting technician Kate Griffin.

I felt very sorry for the bride when creator and monster discussed her potential creation. The poor thing, had her destiny mapped out for her when she was nothing more than an idea, a wish and a fantasy. She would be made only to be a companion for the one that went before her. As I realised this I saw how very 'Eve made from Adam's side' it all is. She was the focus of two very flawed males and never got to achieve life at all. In the play she was paraded around to be looked at and admired but was then destroyed prior to her animation.
It also occurred to me that her identity is even less defined than that of the creature. She is commonly referred to as the Bride of Frankenstein, but that's erroneous, she's actually the Bride of Frankenstein's Monster. Her identity is entirely defined by her association to a creature who is also unnamed. She is two steps away from a name (as opposed to the Monster's single step) and the name is that of her creator and destroyer.

I see why people suspect Shelley was exploring feminist issues.

Diana Wynne Jones

2011-03-26T19:06:00.001Z

I was going to write about Frankenstein or Terminator tonight, but I've been saddened by some bad news.

Diana Wynne Jones - a woman I've described as my favourite author for about 10 years- died during the night.

She was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2009 and in summer 2010 ago announced that she had decided to stop treatment, so in some respects I knew this day was coming, that doesn't make it less sad.
I don't think I've felt like this about the death of someone I've never met before.

Neil Gaiman's sentiments on Twitter are lovely. They had been friends for years and it always kind of amazed me that two such brilliant and talented people were friends. I think that was the first time I realised that writers and creators had a whole community. Forget people who sleep with sportsmen and performers who fill themselves with booze and drugs, it's the writers I have always been interested in.
It turns out she somehow attracted these writery links. At university she was lectured by Tolkien and Lewis, and as a child she encounter both Arthur Ransome and Beatrix Potter. The former shouted about her being noisy and the latter smacked her for swinging on her garden gate. On her fan website I read an account she had written about going to 10 Downing Street and ending up having a conversation with Terry Pratchett, this is the sort of thing that sounds too good to be part of reality, yet somehow is!

I first read Charmed Lives, it was a paperback copy I bought second hand from Hay-on-Wye. I think I found it interesting, but it wasn't an immediate favourite. Then I read Castle in the Air which I got from the library, not realising it was a sequel. I really enjoyed that and soon Diana Wynne Jones books turned up on all my Christmas and Birthday lists.

What I loved was the other worlds ideas in Chrestomanci. As a child who loved to read and make up stories, and who tended towards the fantastic even before I understood the idea of genres, the other worlds idea was very powerful. I remember being a child and vaguely thinking you had to set stories in the past or, if you wanted something impossible but not necessary magical, the future. The idea of other worlds where one could have magic and technology and stuff that was entirely different (not alternate, or mirrored, or what-if, as you got on TV) was amazing.

I think that my growing interest in the work of Diana Wynne Jones was very important in my developing ideas about what I liked to read. I soon realised I was a fantasy fan - even if I didn't have the words, the concepts or the company to indulge my geeky side for a few years after that.
The imagination that can be displayed in fantasy is what I have always loved about the genre, and Diana Wynne Jones is a brilliant example of imagination. She didn't stick to a well-known or well-used formula as many in the genre do (although she does have her own patterns, but what writer doesn't?).

Reading Darklord of Derkholm was my introduction to traditional quest-based fantasy, and as the book so wonderfully and sensibly satirises it this may explain why I've never been that patient with sword and sorcery and Tolkienesque works.

Her books were not always easy, which impressive considering she wrote mostly for children and young adults. Characters wouldn't always be likable (but people aren't), things weren't what they seemed (which they sometimes aren't), and identity could be very fluid, if not downright baffling (which isn't unrealistic).
I remember finding Hexwood baffling the first time I read it, but my interest must have been piqued as I read it again and loved it. I remember not getting on with Witch Week that much, although that may have been partly caused by carsickness, but I never put it down and thinking back it was probably my introduction to the idea of alternative histories.

Diana Wynne Jones 1934 - 2011

She will be sorely missed.

Anarchy and early Plantagenets

2011-03-25T19:02:00.001Z

Returning to David Starkey's book Crown and Country and my history mug.
The first post on this topic can be found here.

Henry I's son was drowned in the sinking of the White Ship (not to be confused with the magical Arthurian Green Ship, which probably didn't exist) leaving the succession unclear. This is never a good thing.

A dysfunctional family

Stephen
The events of King Stephen's rule are dramatised in Pillars of the Earth, which I suspect may not be 100% historically accurate.
Stephen succeeded his uncle and spent most of his reign fighting his cousin Empress Matilda, who said she was her father's true heir. This civil war was known as the Anarchy, and England was split with different regions recognising different rulers. Matilda was almost crowned after a victory, which led to Stephen being held captive. However she upset the people of London by suggesting they should pay taxes and the like, so she had to go.* Stephen kept England but had to accept Matilda's son Henry as his heir.
The mug makes it look like they didn't get on.

Henry II
As his mother wished Henry inherited England from Stephen. He also inherited various parts of France from both of his parents, so once he'd expanded his territories he was an incredibly powerful ruler. His main flaw (besides having a truly terrible relationship with his sons) was angry rages. Courtiers knew not to pay any attention to him during these episodes when he was liable to say almost anything - well they normally didn't pay any attention. It seems that 'turbulent priest' business was simply an unfortunate oversight.
I don't know why he's vaulting a table on the mug, leapfrog was not mentioned by Starkey.
As Kate Beaton shows Thomas Becket and Henry II were actually great mates before the archbishopric came between them. So sad.
She's also drawn this excellent Plantagenet Family Portrait.

Richard I
Richard and two of his brothers -egged on by their mother- fought against their father. Henry II tried to split the empire between his 4 sons, which just led them to fight amongst themselves. Two died, leaving Richard as King. Richard spent about six months in England and the rest of his reign crusading, fighting over his other territories in France, and being held hostage. He is fondly remembered, probably because everyone hated his brother so much.

John
Historians say John was good at record keeping, which is nice for them but isn't necessarily a good quality in a king. In fact John appears to have been weak, paranoid, and widely disliked, especially among his barons. After the Robin Hood stuff he's most famous for signing the Magna Carta -on the mug he's looking at it in dismay. It's an important historical document that was signed by a ruler who didn't have the political capital to do otherwise.
I have seen his final resting place several times as he's buried in my hometown.

* Matilda was never actually crowned Queen but she was preparing for her coronation before she made herself truly unpopular by suggesting a tax hike. She was in charge for a few months (and technically ruled parts of the country for years), far longer than Lady Jane Grey, making her effectively the first female ruler of England. So how come she isn't on the mug (or most king lists), when Jane is? Possibly it's because she had her opponent locked in a castle, that's considered cheating.

Genre: Content vs. Tone

2011-03-16T13:14:00.003Z

A large part of my job (especially in the last couple of months) is processing new books.
Now non-fiction is easy enough to categorise. The Dewey Decimal system is largely sensible (even if there are odd bits I don't quite agree with) and the books come with numbers already decided.
Fiction however can be more of a minefield. Where I work we put all our fiction in alphabetical order by author's surname, this is nicely simple and lacking in controversy. However some libraries (and I think almost all bookshops) organise by genre as well, and here is where things get tricky.

I reviewed The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi last month. I think I made it pretty clear that it was Science Fiction. I also recommended it be bought for work as there was a waiting list on it. When the book arrived I noticed that the genre label provided by the distributor was Thriller, not Science Fiction. This got me thinking, as I have many times before, about how genre is decided.

I think one way of looking at the question is by examining content and tone.
Let us take a well-known example:
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger is a mainstream bestseller, but it isn't completely grounded in the possible. It's about a relationship between two people, one of whom has a genetic disorder that causes him to jump around in time.
Time travel = SF, surely?
Well yes, time travel is currently impossible thus putting it into the realm of SF. However there's no time machine, wormhole or time dilation, nothing scientific or technological. The book is about the relationship between the characters and the lives they lead given the unusual circumstances, in this respect it's a very grounded, realistic book.

It's important to note that huge numbers of people who read and enjoyed this book are not SF fans, and would probably say they do not like SF and would not read an SF book. Fair enough, people like what they like, but if they enjoyed The Time Traveler's Wife then surely they can't be against everything science fictional.
In these cases I think that the tone is the key. It doesn't feel like SF. It's written in a more mainstream/literary/romantic way, so people can read it without identifying it as SF, despite the major time travel element.

Going back to The Windup Girl.
If a book is an action-packed and absorbing political thriller set in an imagined future, is it Science Fiction or Thriller? It won a Locus, Hugo and Nebula, which would suggest SF, but I'm not aware that there are many awards for Thrillers.
In fact the Thriller label seems to be applied to a wide variety of books, so I'm not entirely sure how to easily describe it. I mean 'thrilling' is the obvious descriptor, but you have excitement and action in other genres, so that doesn't quite seem right. Besides what a person finds thrilling is very subjective. However I think it's safe to say that danger, excitement, a race-against-time, and plenty of peril are an important part of any Thriller, and The Windup Girl contains all those things.

So perhaps the next question is what is more likely to get taken off the shelf?
I suspect that the answer is a book labelled as a Thriller.

As I've just pointed out Thriller is actually quite a general genre, whereas sci-fi is not. So if you've a book that could be two genres you might as well put it under the less niche one.
I think this is why The Time Traveler's Wife is usually in general fiction, rather than SF. It'll find an audience in both, but there likely to be more people looking in the former.
This is also why I've left the Thriller label on The Windup Girl at work. Either way it's going to be filed under B for Bacigalupi -because that's what we do. Perhaps a few more people will pick it up if it has a little gun on the spine, rather than a little Saturn-like planet, but then again plenty of people won't look at either.
Besides, if someone picks it up expecting a modern, realistic thriller they'll probably notice the zeppelin and the mammoth (technically a megodont) on the front cover.

6 female characters who are not 'The Girl'.

2011-03-08T10:29:00.000Z

We've all seen The Girl.
She turns up in TV and film, is generally useless and makes you wonder why on earth she's there. Why didn't the other characters just leave her somewhere, their lives would surely be easier if they had.

The answer is that she is the token female character. She is there to provide romance (assuming male-only romance isn't an 'issue' plotline) and probably some sex appeal or something.
I also suspect that she's there to encourage women to watch traditionally male genres like action and sci-fi. Apparently women are more likely to watch explosions, aliens, chase scenes and robots if they are able to identify with a character - even if she is the most useless character.

Luckily there are plenty of capable female characters on screen and I'm going to look at some of those.
In no particular order...

1. Ellen Ripley - Alien films

Ripley is simply brilliant, she's who we all (male or female) hope we'd be if confronted by a terrifying alien lifeform. She survives and survives and never stops trying to do what's necessary, what's right, regardless of the cost to herself. In the third film she actually dies to save mankind, that's pretty serious stuff.
Even before the alien turns up Ripley was working on a spaceship (which is pretty cool) and proves her worth by being the only crew-member who understands what a quarantine is for. Like anyone else Ripley has a softer, more vulnerable side, but she doesn't let it define her. And when you're fighting for your life you simply can't think about stuff like that.
Part of her brilliance may come from the fact that she was originally imagined as a he. With few alterations Ridley Scott took a male character called Ripley and created an iconic female character.
So should really awesome female characters be written in male terms? Well no, not necessarily, that's very problematic for a whole variety of reasons. I think the point is to focus on the character (who they are, what they do, why they do it, etc.) rather than on their gender. After all gender roles and expectations are changeable, or they should be.

2. Susan Ivanova - Babylon 5

Ivanova is career military and has risen to second-in-command on the galaxy's most important space station. She could not have gotten to that position without being very good at what she does. She is comfortable with her male counterparts and is trusted and respected in her position of authority. Throughout the run of the program she proves herself in combat, in command and in diplomacy. Her strength of will is highlighted by the difficulties that form her backstory.
A nice thing about the portrayal of Ivanova is that she is not objectified or made to appear sexy/glamorous just because she's a woman. The costume designers on Babylon 5 realised that making a military uniform for the female form does not require tight fabric, missing buttons or short zips. This sensible, practical style makes sense for someone in her position, she's busy doing an important job, looking good is not a high priority. It also means that the scenes where Ivanova is shown in a feminine way are more meaningful.
Her personal life is very understated, the male characters have far more prominent romantic relationships. It is strongly suggested that she is in a relationship with a woman for a while, but the details are left private-no girl-on-girl titillation here. Her later lack of interest in a male admirer might be a sign of her sexuality, or could just show that Ivanova is not motivated by romance, she has other things to think about.

3. Ariadne - Inception

After Leonardo DiCaprio's character, Ellen Page's Ariadne has the most personality in Inception. In the first third she plays an important role as the voice of the audience, intelligently asking the questions for us. She is also Cobb's confidante, even if she forces her concerned involvement on him to an extent.
We know fairly little about Ariadne, but what we do know is that she was brought onto the crew not because she's dating someone on the team, not because she's pretty or sexy (although I'm sure she's both when she wants to be), and not because she needed rescue. Ariadne was recommended and recruited purely for her skills, she is there for (literally) cerebral reasons. She is no last minute addition, her role as Architect is integral to the plan and at no point does she mess it up. She proves to be smart, creative and as capable as any of the male characters. The fact she's female doesn't affect how the others treat her -except for Arthur's stolen kiss (presumably)- and no allowances or limitations are placed on her due to gender.
I also quite like the fact that she's named after a character from Greek myth. Unlike her mythical counterpart this Ariadne doesn't just know the secret of the Labyrinth, she created it.

4. Samantha Carter - Stargate

Astrophysicist, engineer, pilot and the world's leading Stargate expert: Samantha Carter has a pretty impressive CV. Carter's role as part of the SG-1 team requires combat skills and intellect. It also requires her to tread the line between military thinking (as favoured by her commanding officer) and a more scientific, academic approach (as used by her civilian teammate).
A lot of what I want to say about Carter I've already said about Ivanova. They have similar roles: military, intelligent, main woman in a male-dominated workplace. Carter is more of an academic and expeditionary, plus she's modern rather than futuristic. Again I like that Carter isn't made to be glamorous, it's not what she's there for.
Her list of skills is extensive, but Carter is also an excellent character. She is possibly the most important -and certainly the least stereotypical- member of the SG-1 team. Her personality and the way she interacts with people make her a likable character. Despite her many skills and achievements she never feels unrealistic as a person or unrelatable to the audience. Unassuming yet utterly capable Carter is not about to let anyone treat her differently because she's a woman. As shown in this excellent quote: "just because my reproductive organs are on the inside instead of the outside doesn’t mean I can’t handle whatever you can handle."
This makes me grin, because reproductive organs are relevant in so few situations and people need to realise that more.

5. Sydney Bristow - Alias <O>

Sydney Bristow is probably the best spy in the world (unless you're a Fables fan in which case Cindy still wins).
As the lead character in an intelligent spy thriller series we see many aspects of Sydney. She is almost a little too impressive, there isn't a discipline, skill or language she can't master. Luckily she isn't a super-awesome Mary-Sue figure, Sydney is flawed in various ways and it's these flaws that make us like her. When she's upset she cries, when she's cut she bleeds, but when someone threatens to torture her she escapes and foils their evil plans.
Admittedly she does use her sexuality a fair bit. In one respect being underestimated because you're a pretty and apparently flirty girl is a very useful advantage, as well as teaching all those guards a lesson in focusing on the job at hand. Also it's a sign that the intelligence community needs to hire more women -or gay men. The infamous lingerie scenes are what they are (I chose to watch those ironically) although at least there is humorous acknowledgment that looking sexy is not in fact a natural state of womanhood, it does require effort.
Alias was at its most interesting when there was a complex plot arc and Sydney was being pushed mentally, physically and emotionally. Luckily the bulk of the run was like that and Sydney was always an excellent lead character.

6. Sarah Connor (as played by Linda Hamilton) - Terminator films

Sarah Connor was a normal woman who worked as a waitress until a cyborg came from the future to kill her.
In this respect she's a little like Ripley, someone who is tested by a terrible ordeal and comes out the other side tougher and with a purpose. Admittedly in the first film she is mostly rescued by Kyle Reese, but she handles herself pretty well considering the circumstances. Her initial instincts are sensible and practical and unsurprisingly normal, but she's compassionate enough to worry about Reese even when she doubts his sanity. When she realises the truth she's quick to put her trust in the one person who can help her.
Between films (I haven't seen the TV series, so Lena Headey not entering into my thought process here) she goes from an everywoman in a terrifying situation to a powerful, determined and frankly rather scary warrior/protector figure.
One of the great things about Sarah Connor is that she starts out ordinary - she doesn't work on a spaceship, she isn't in the military, and she's not a spy. She didn't choose any of the crap she was landed with. She had a bad job that she wasn't very good at, she lived in a flat with a mate, her main interesting feature was that had a pet lizard. With no training, no contacts and while pregnant/with a small child in tow, she managed to forge a new life on the fringes of society, constantly moving, constantly vigilant and never far away from a massive weapons cache. She is woman who must never give up, no matter how hard it seems, because the future of humanity is at stake (again a little like Ripley).

Happy 100th International Women's Day!

Notes to a Future Self

2011-03-06T15:06:00.000Z

It was World Book Night last night, I went to the theatre.
It wasn't intentional, it just happened to be a good night to go out. I give (well, lend and sometimes sell) people books all the time, so though I think World Book Night is a good idea I didn't feel like getting involved personally.

Notes to a Future Self was written by Lucy Caldwell, who is also a novelist.
The play tells the story of Sophie, a 13 year old with terminal bone cancer. Sophie (full name Philosophy Rainbow) and her sister Calliope have been brought up in communes all over the world by their new-age mother Judy. When Sophie became ill Judy took her daughters back to Birmingham to stay with Daphne, her traditional, Christian mother.

It was a short performance only about an hour and twenty minutes. It was one that had the audience switching between laughter and sadness. There were funny moments and bits that made me want to cry throughout the performance. The play felt naturalistic and was very emotional, with both profanity and profundity.

The play is narrated by Sophie, who is like a ghost in her own life. The audience never sees the sick child in bed, because Sophie doesn't want us to see that. Instead we see a girl who enthusiastically describes her current life, her past experiences and who walks undetected into the private moments of her family as they come to terms with their new situation and the upcoming loss.
The 4 actresses are all on stage almost the entire time, each inhabiting their own part of the simple, minimalist set. A pattern is established, focusing on dinner at five. A ticking clock indicates the passage of time and the monotony of an existence which is made up of waiting. Repetitive dialogue establishes a refrain which is later broken down as Sophie deteriorates and the others must think of what is to come next.

Further info can be found here.