Top 10 Tuesday – My Bookish Bucket List
Hosted by: The Broke and the Bookish
I found this through a post by In Libris Veritas and thought it sounded like fun, so you get a little bonus update today. Now, several things that were on my list have already been checked off – Meet Tamora Pierce, Jonathan Maberry, Dan Wells, Seanan McGuire, and Mary Robinette Kowal. Have a piece of my jewelry worn at the Hugo Awards (Thank you Mary Robinette Kowal!). Have an industry professional critique some of my writing (thank you Stephanie Burgis!) Have some of the aforementioned do signings at my bookstore.
But, I’m greedy, so there are plenty more.
1. Get published.
This has been a goal since I was… eight maybe? I was writing Murder on the U.S.S. Something-or-other. I’ve forgotten the exact title, but I was writing in pencil in a composition notebook and I felt very professional. Sadly, that book was never finished because I discovered that I’m not very good at writing mysteries. But the dream of actually creating a book that other people could hold in their hands started then.
2. Be a guest on the SF Squeecast.
This has to come after #1 because all the people on the SF Squeecast are industry professionals. And sadly, bookseller doesn’t count. The Squeecast is one of my favorite podcasts, right up there with Writing Excuses and Welcome to Night Vale. The Squeecast is “a Two-time Hugo Award winning monthly podcast in which a group of Science Fiction and Fantasy professionals squee about things SFnal, in a neverending panel discussion of vague positivity.”
I like things. I like talking. I like all of the regular contributors. Now I just need to become a SF&F professional. Soon.
3. Get an Angelmaker tattoo.
I am obsessed with this book. And therefore I am obsessed with bees. I have bee earrings, a bee nose ring, bee stationary, and an entire board devoted to Angelmaker and bees over on Pinterest. The book has been out for two years and I’ve wanted the tattoo since I read it. So, one of these days, I’ll actually get around to calling Aaron at Aerochild and setting up and appointment. The tattoo will be of a clockwork bee. It’s going to be awesome, and I’ll post a picture once I actually get it done.
LonCon 3
4. Go to Worldcon.
Worldcon is where they give out the Hugo Awards. Now that a piece of my jewelry has gone I would like me to go too. And, there just seems to be so many opportunities to meet authors. I think it would be pretty awesome. The problems with getting me to Worldcon are thus: 1) it’s Worldcon, which means it can take place anywhere in the world. This year, it’s going to be in London. I can’t really swing that. However, next year, it’s going to be in Washington. That’s doable. On the other hand, 2) it’s always veeery close to DragonCon, if not the exact same weekend. That’s a huge investment in terms of financial outlay and time off work. But, someday I’ll get there.
I am going to the World Fantasy Convention this year in D.C. So that’s awesome.
5. Have Jonathan Maberry do a book signing at Little Professor.
So, the problem with this is that we have a teeny, tiny budget for publicity. By which I mean, we have what I’m willing to shell out of my own pocket. So, it’s highly unlikely that his publisher will send him to us. And he doesn’t really make it to Alabama much on his own. He does get to DragonCon every year though, so I get to see him and say hi, which is lovely. I’ve mostly stopped gushing. Mostly.
On the other hand, I did get Dan Wells and Mary Robinette Kowal to come through the magic of… I don’t know. Them being really, really nice I guess. Mary brought herself and Dan managed to squeeze us into his Hollow City tour. So, you never know.
6. I want to grow my blog.
Which mostly means I need to get a regular update schedule and stick to it. I’m bad at that sort of thing, but I owe it to my readers to do this thing right or knock it off.
7. I want Jonathan Maberry to make a tee shirt for his Cafepress store that says “Joe Ledger is my imaginary boyfriend.”
I’ve been asking for this for years now. He always laughs and says, “Soon.” I think he thinks I’m crazy. I’m comfortable with that though.
8. Have the biggest and best Star Wars Reads Day in the city.
I did a Star Wars Reads event at the Homewood Library last year and it went really well. But I didn’t have any stormtroopers. I want stormtroopers this year! And maybe a Darth Vader. Or, at least, I’d like to have my Amidala costume finished. One of my friends is actually in the 501st Legion, but he’s not going to be able to make it. So, I just need to make sure my request for costumers gets in before Barnes & Noble and Pottery Barn this year!
9. I want to someday attend a convention as a professional.
This should probably be up with the Squeecast entry, but I’d really like to eventually be on the other side of the mic at conventions. I like to talk. I like to talk to people. And, I don’t get stage fright, which is handy. Maybe someday.
Gail Carriger, From the Sword and Laser website
Nick Harkaway
Photo from the author’s website
10. I’d like to meet Gail Carriger and Nick Harkaway.
These are the two authors I devote the most time and energy to that I haven’t met yet. I’m (mostly) capable of not embarrassing myself in front of authors these days. At least, I am if I know I’m about to meet them. I can take some deep breaths and relax into the awesomeness of the moment. So, I think I’d be safe. I’d manage to say something nonsensical and then we’d be done. Now I just have to figure out how to get to somewhere that said authors will be. For Gail that seems to mean the west coast. And for Mr. Harkaway, I guess I’ll have to go to England. Darn.
Mockingjay – Part 1
I’m going to start from a fairly unpopular position. I don’t love this book so far. I’m 134 pages in and… I’ve been stuck there for a couple of weeks. That’s part of why I decided to do a read-a-long here, because then I have to finish. Let me go on to say that I know the big bad terrible thing that happens. And yes, that is almost definitely coloring my perception of the earlier chapters. I won’t spoil what that thing is yet, just in case there is someone reading this that’s only as far along as I am. (I’m not sure why there would be, but better safe than sorry.)
Overall, I still don’t much like Katniss and so it’s hard to find passion for her story. I like the side characters that I’m given, but they usually die, so it’s hard to let that fondness carry me through very far. We’re getting lots more of Gale, but I don’t much like him either. The little we’ve seen of him in books 1 and 2 didn’t leave a very favorable impression on me. But I’ve never been a huge fan of angry young men. I’m more of a fan of the shy geeks. The angry boys always seem to lash out at people who don’t deserve it (see Gale’s interaction with Madge in the first book).
I read Part 1 a few weeks ago, so it isn’t crystal clear in my mind anymore. I’m not going to try to do a chapter by chapter breakdown, just discuss some things that stood out to me.
Finnick seems excessively broken. Yes, he got the hell shocked out of him and yes, he’s worried about Annie, but I’m not sure that any of that makes sense with the level of impairment we’re shown. At first he sleeps all the time, but later, when he’s actually up moving around he seems actively crazy. I don’t really get that. Are we assuming that the electricity did that? Or that he finally just broke under too much strain?
I’m excessively pleased that Katniss finds the cat still alive in District 12. I’m pretty sure if something happens to the cat, that will be my breaking point. I will throw the book across the room. I’ve done it before. Bad things happening to animals is not ok. I can get over it if it’s really important for the plot or character development (Dan Wells and Tamora Pierce, I’m looking at you!). But if it’s just another thing to pile onto a character – nope, nope, nope. So, Buttercup better die a happy kitty of old age.
I don’t trust anyone in this book except Prim. And maybe Peeta. Peeta’s actions, seemingly on behalf of the Capitol make sense; he’s still trying to save Katniss, just like she’s still trying to save him. But Gale, Coin, anyone else in District 13? I don’t trust them at all. Gale has a cause. That’s dangerous. Causes let you overlook people.
Nothing about District 13 seems good, or healthy. They torture Katniss’s prep team, essentially for being different. How do they expect kidnap victims to automatically learn all the rules and understand how to abide by them? I don’t really think that they do. I think that the torment the prep team underwent was a type of revenge on the Capitol. Which also bothers me, because District 13 hasn’t really lived under the yoke of the Capitol all this time. They’ve been in hiding. I’m also deeply uncomfortable with a society where your schedule is tattooed on your arm every day and the consequences of deviating from that schedule are harsh.
I’d rather take my chances in the District 12 of the first book, thanks.
And yes, it’s easy for me to say that. I’ve never been on the brink of starvation. I’ve always had enough to eat. It wasn’t always very good food and it certainly wasn’t always healthy, but it was always there. It’s easy for me to say I’d take hunger over despotism, but I suspect that I would be in with the prep team before too long under Coin’s government. I don’t see Coin as much better than President Snow at the moment. They both want to use Katniss or destroy her.
And let’s talk about Katniss… She has a great moment when they’re at the hospital in District 8, but for most of time she’s still emotionally flat. Some of that could be due to shock, I suppose, except that it’s been true for all three books. I don’t know if she’s intentionally blank so she can serve as a cipher for the reader, or if she’s just not very well written, but I still can’t connect with her.
Things are about to get very dramatic in Part 2 and I’ll try to go back to the format of reviewing individual chapters as I read them. What were your thoughts on the early portions of Mockingjay? Did you love it? Am I missing something? Let me know in the comments.
Spring Break – Mockingjay Read
I know I went missing for a week and I’m sorry. I’ve been sick and sleepy. And then there was Titanfall. So, that happened. But! It is now Spring Break! I get one of those because I work at a school now. It’s awesome! And goes a long way to making up for the kid who was chewing on my library one day. That was weird.
So, in honor of Spring Break I am going to fling myself back into a dystopic world of danger, devistation, and betrayal, which is kind of what I assume all the beaches are like this time of year.
All this week, starting later today, I will be posting my thoughts on Mockingjay. So, if you haven’t read it, you might want to ignore me until I’m done because I will be spoiling the heck out of this thing.
Here’s a quick update of what I’ve been doing, book-wise. I ordered all of the currently available Atomic Robo trades, so I’ve got those to go through. I’m hoarding them just a little bit because they’re so awesome.
I also picked up Mur Lafferty’s Shambling Guides series. I finished The Shambling Guide to New York on Thursday and dove straight into The Ghost Train to New Orleans, which I’m also enjoying. The basic premise is that an out of work travel book editor ends up working for a startup, supernatural publishing agency. The goal is to write travel books or the people you don’t think are real. Where can you get brains in New York? Is it safe for a demon to attend Mardi Gras? There is no Buffy the Vampire Slayer in this world. Instead, there’s Public Works. After all, the sewers are the easiest and safest way for obvious non-humans to move about the city. So, it makes sense that Public Works would be aware of them. I find the books engaging and just a little bit silly in the right sort of way. Mur has sampled from several mythological traditions, which my inner folklore enthusiast appreciates. Who doesn’t love the idea of meeting one of Freya’s cats in Jackson Square or working down the hall from a Welsh death goddess?
On the audiobook side, I’m listening to The Unknown Ajax by Georgette Heyer. I was in the mood for more Regency after I finished my Stephanie Barron books, so I picked this one up from Audible. It’s much more like a Jane Austen novel than a Stephanie Barron or Mary Robinette Kowal book so far. The unknown heir has been recalled to the ancestral homeplace throwing the family into an uproar. The patriarch is a despot, the males of the family are variously flawed, and the only one with any sense seems to be the feisty granddaughter. Enter the heir, grandson of the house by way of a disagreeable union between a gentleman and a weaver’s daughter. Major Darrracott is cut from an entirely different cloth than the rest of his family and he and the old man are soon at odds. We’ve just started to explore the possibility of some smuggling, so things may head in a more action-packed direction soon. I’ll report back when I’m finished.
Feeling Flat – The Reading Equivalent of Writer’s Block
I’m having one of those periods in my reading life where almost nothing is satisfying the itch I’ve got. I don’t know what I want to read, therefore, I can’t find a book that makes me happy.
I’ve tried Regency intrigue – Jane and the Ghosts of Netley by Stephanie Barron
I’m listening to the audiobook. The protagonist of this series, of which this volume is the seventh, is Jane Austen, herself. Jane finds herself mixed up in uncovering a diabolical web of murder, arson, and treason in the height of the Peninsular war. Lord Harold Trowbridge, the man Jane loves, as well as an agent for the Crown, has asked for her help. The woman he suspects of being at the center of this web is an old inamorata, and therefore the matter must be handled with some delicacy.
It is, like all the other books I’ve tried in this series, exceptionally well written. Jane seems very fleshed out and real and there are just enough little Austonian references to please a devoted fan.
I’ve tried Victorian dragons – The Tropic of Serpents: A Memoir by Lady Trent by Marie Brennan
This is the sequel to A Natural History of Dragons and very enjoyable. I did not get it on audio this time because I regretted missing out on the illustrations with the first book. (I have since gone back and purchased a hardcopy of A Natural History for my shelf.) In this volume, Isabella (still Mrs. Camherst) is off on an expedition to Eriga (equivalent to Africa) to study the dragons of the southern climes. The scandal of the trip (attended by a wayward daughter of the aristocracy and a lowly scholar) is the last of her concerns. Politics can be as dangerous as a dragon, and Isabella and her party have dropped into a nest of fighting kings, ambassadors, and warlords.
Tied to that, is the fact that someone has stolen all the notes they have made on the properties, preservation, and synthesis of dragonbone. The discovery of usable dragonbone could bypass the need for Erigan iron, but would set off a massacre of dragons like nothing the world has ever seen. Isabella is in a very precarious position, indeed.
I tried semi-absurd urban fantasy – Doppelgangster by Laura Resnick
Esther is a nice Jewish girl who acts on Broadway when she can get a part and works at an Italian restaurant when she needs to make ends meet. Except, the restaurant is a known mob hangout. And Esther has a few secrets of an otherworldly nature. You see, it all started when the headline actress in the show Esther was in got kidnapped by a power crazed magician. Over the course of that adventure (Disappearing Nightly) Esther met Max (a semi-immortal wizard working on the light side of the force) and the decidedly handsome Detective Lopez, who might become her boyfriend if she can stay out of supernatural trouble long enough to convince him that there’s nothing strange about her.
Unfortunately, a mobster at the restaurant sees his perfect double and then is assassinated while Esther is trying to serve his dinner. Suddenly, Lopez’s boss suspects her of accessory to murder, she’s got to worry about whoever did the hit thinking she saw something, and the very real possibility that if she and Max can’t put a stop to the murders a devastating turf war is going to erupt in Little Italy.
I’ve also read comics. Atomic Robo and the Dogs of War was quite good, as was Batgirl #2: Knightfall Descends. I haven’t read a Bat-title in… close to a decade maybe? I think the last one I read was Gotham by Gaslight, which is a Victorian-era reimagining of Batman. It’s not steampunk as such, because the rest of the world stays the same. Carriages, not dirigibles are the main mode of transportation. Steam has not revolutionized the world (more than it already did). Batman just has some awesome gadgets. Because he’s Batman and that’s what he does.
I’ve never read a Batgirl-centric book before, but I was really impressed by Gail Simone’s first trade for Red Sonja that I picked up her Batgirl. The timeline is a bit compressed from what I’m familiar with in the Bat-verse, but I’m enjoying the stories. She’s not afraid to let Batgirl actually be Barbara Gordon and Barbara is vulnerable and human in a way that I don’t think we ever really see Batman being. Batman puts on a Bruce Wayne suit more than Bruce dresses up like a bat. Barbara, on the other hand, didn’t put on the mask because of a great tragedy in her past, or a wrong she had to right. She (at least in the New 53 continuity) grabbed it because it was expedient when she needed to save someone.
This is a Barbara who was shot by the Joker, but never became Oracle. She got the use of her legs back thanks to some experimental surgery and now she’s trying to get back into the suit. And it’s tough. She’s finally had that life altering trauma and it takes a lot to come back from that. But she’s strong. I really appreciate that about her. She’s strong, but Gail isn’t afraid to show us her weak moments too. She feels the hits, she feels the anxiety. And that’s part of why we love her.
All of these books are fantastic in their own way, but none of them are filling up the little part of my soul that yearns for stories. It seems to want something particular right now and I just don’t know what it is. If you’ve got any recommendations, leave them in the comments!
What to Read #11 – Atomic Robo
First, a couple of announcements.
1) I commissioned a Medusa sketch from Danielle over on Tumblr. Isn’t she beautiful???
2) I went to the doctor today about an ongoing issue. I’m fine, but I need to dramatically cut down on sweets, all caffeine (including chocolate), alcohol, and, oddly enough, mints. This is going to lead to me being tired and cranky much of the time. If you’re actually within my physical sphere of influence… sorry!
3) Thanks to a recommendation from my friend, Catherine, I’ve signed up for 750words.com. It’s a site devoted to helping you meet your writing goals. I really like it so far, so I thought I’d share.
Ok, enough of that. Onto my recommendation for today; Atomic Robo and the Fightin’ Scientists of Tesladyne by the awesome team of Brian Clevinger, Scott Wegener, Ronda Pattison, and Jeff Powell.
I found this book thanks to the radiant (and only occasionally homicidal) Seanan McGuire and the SF Squeecast. SF Squeecast, if you don’t already know, is billed as “a never-ending panel discussion of vague positivity.” In previous seasons each panalist would bring something to squee about. They’ve changed the format a little bit recently and are aiming to focus more on the panel discussion aspect. This show has been wonderful for my list of media I want to consume.
The SF Squeecast is where I first heard about Alex Bledsoe, the tv show Lost Girl, reminded myself that I wanted to watch Mockingbird Lane, and so many more things. The last two episodes have focused on the Hugo Award nominations. Episode 33, An Alien Invasion in Tight Pants, was all about comics and this is where Seanan introduced me to Atomic Robo. (She is recommending the latest volume for Hugo consideration, but I’m discussing the first volume from 2009.)
The premise of Atomic Robo is that Nikola Tesla made a fully AI powered robot named, appropriately enough, Atomic Robo. After Tesla’s death, Atomic Robo goes on to found the company, Tesladyne, to manage Tesla’s many inventions and ideas. Along the way, Atomic Robo becomes something of a Nick Fury-esque character. He, and eventually, the Fightin’ Scientists of Tesladyne get hired to deal with the strange and mysterious. From secret Nazi bunkers run by mad scientists, to crazed magicians, or mobile pyramids; Atomic Robo can deal with it all. With (usually) minimal structural damage to the surrounding countryside.
The book is humorous in the best way, while still acknowledging the plight of the unaging hero. Atomic Robo is in his 80’s by the present. He’s seen friends, enemies, and even his creator all fade away. That’s a tough place to be for anyone. But, the story never dips into melodrama. The trades are collections of single issue comics, and Vol. 1 has a few complete story arcs, as well as setting up a few things that I expect to stretch on for several books, if not the whole series. I’ve already got Vol. 2 and I plan to order the rest when I get to work today.
Read Your Video Games
I mentioned on Twitter the other day that I was working on a list of video game to book correspondences. This is not meant to be a definitive list, just that these are things that occurred to me. I’m skipping the super obvious ones that have their own books attached like HALO or The Walking Dead. Those are pretty obvious and you’re probably already aware of them if you’re a gamer. So, without further ado, here is my list:
Thief is the granddaddy of all stealth games. I haven’t actually had the chance to play the newest installment yet, but I’ll probably be terrible at it. I’m not very good at stealth unless it’s Skyrim and that’s mostly because they make it impossible to get caught unless you’re a moron. But, with all the previews and reviews that I’ve seen made me think of one book series immediately; Scott Lynch’s Gentlemen Bastards series. And yes, this is slightly mean, but the ten-year gap between 2004’s Thief: Deadly Shadows and 2014’s Thief was slightly reminiscent of the gap between books 2 and 3 in Lynch’s series, but Republic of Thieves is here now, so it’s all good. (And please don’t go harass authors about their publication schedule. They’re doing the best they can!)
In a similar stealth vein, there’s Dishonored. This game, like Thief, is set in a semi-steampunk world. The protagonist, Corvo, used to be the Empress’s bodyguard until she was murdered and he was framed for it. Now, a loyalist underground has helped him escape from prison and has set him on the path to get vengeance and track down the rightful heir to the throne. The two books that this reminded me of the most were Low Town by Daniel Polansky and The Affinity Bridge by George Mann.
Low Town is set in an epic fantasy-style city underworld, which is pretty much where Corvo lives, at least, in the portions of Dishonored I’ve played so far (I just started it this week). Affinity Bridge is a slightly less obvious fit since it’s set in the more traditional steampunk setting of the Victorian era. However, on common theme in all three is that in addition to any political shenanigans going on, each city is also facing a plague that may or may not tie into the central issue. Affinity Bridge also has a female co-protagonist, which I appreciated. I’ll play games, or read books with solo male protagonists, but I do prefer a female protagonist.
I know I said I wouldn’t do anything that had its own book connected to it, but I lied. Fables: Wolf Among Us is, of course, based on the Fables graphic novels by Bill Willingham. So, if you want the actual source material, that’s the place to go. But, if what you’re attracted to is the concept of fairy tales blending into the modern world than you cannot go wrong with Indexing by Seanan McGuire. Bigby Wolf is the Big Bad Wolf turned P.I. in Fables whereas Indexing is more Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. meets the Brothers Grimm, but they’re both about fairy tale characters trying to make it in the real world and the people who have to clean up after them. (Once again, Indexing has a female protagonist, which makes me happy.)
Ok, bear with me on this one. Borderlands is about a little hellhole of a planet and a treasure hunt. Gone Away World takes place on Earth both before and after an apocalypse of both epic proportions and completely insane results. On the surface, there isn’t a whole lot to connect them, but under that there is a sensibility that, I think, is shared. I can’t exactly explain it, but I’d say if the insanity of vault hunters, Mad Moxxie, and random crazy enemies roaming the desert is your sort of thing, you should definitely give Gone Away World a read. There are mimes, wars, martial arts, and the toxic ooze that is left over after the Go Away War that endangers all life on Earth. It’s pretty amazing.
Mass Effect… What can I say about Mass Effect? Ending of the trilogy aside, it’s been amazingly formative on my gaming career. Mass Effect was the first AAA game I ever completed. (Penny Arcade’s On the Rain-slick Precipice of Darkness was the first game I ever finished at all.) Mass Effect is the ultimate heroe’s journey, and actually maps fairly well onto epic fantasy, but I like to stay at least vaguely in the same genre, so we turn to space books! I played with femShep (who saw that coming?), so it’s not surprising that both my book recommendations have female protagonists. I also just don’t read that much space opera, so there’s also that. The first series that springs to mind is David Weber’s Honor Harrington series. Honor is a fleet captain who continually has to take on enemies that she and her ship aren’t really equipped to handle. Like Shepherd, this doesn’t always make her terribly popular with the higher-ups. But Honor has a strong sense of duty and morality that carries her through, even in the face of certain destruction. If you played Shepherd as a renegade, this narrative might not appeal to you as much.
The next book that springs to mind is John Scalzi’s Ghost Brigades (the second in his Old Man’s War series). I picked this one rather than Old Man’s War, because the protagonist, Jared, is part of the Ghost Brigades, the super-
elite of the CDF military. He’s the closest thing to a Spector (Shepherd’s extra-legal status) that I’ve encountered. He doesn’t act alone the way Shepherd does, but he’s the best of the best.
The third book that I thought of is a more tenuous connection, but also a perennial favorite; Friday by Robert Heinlein. Friday isn’t a soldier, as such, although she’s done some time as a merc. She is, instead, a courier, which means she has to do a little bit of everything in order to make sure her package gets delivered. As such, she’s soldier, assassin, hacker, spy; whatever it takes. (Although, I’m pretty sure she can dance better than Shepherd can.)
The Banner Saga is a turn-based strategy game that’s set in a Viking-inspired fantasy setting. There are friendly giants and monsters from the darkness. It was a Kickstarted game that came out fairly recently. And it’s kind of crazy beautiful. The art style is pretty heavily influenced by the Rankin and Bass animation on things like The Hobbit. I read surprisingly little Viking fiction, but I immediately thought of Eaters of the Dead by Michael Crichton. This is the work that The 13th Warrior was based on. There’s nothing better for Vikings facing unspeakable horror.
This is getting pretty long, so I’ll end it there. I’ve got more, so if you’re interested, let me know and I’ll do a second post. Are there any video game to other media associations that you’ve made? Books? TV shows and movies? Music? Let me know!
In Which I Have Not Finished Mockingjay
photo from telegraph.co.uk
As you may have guessed from the title, I have not finished Mockingjay yet. It’s all Penguin’s fault! First on Wednesday our awesome paperback rep, Betty, brought me Half-Off Ragnarok (just a reminder, it comes out tomorrow!) by Seanan McGuire and I HAD to read that. Seanan is one of my favorite writers that I lived without for far too long. Heck, I even went to a convention that wasn’t in my fandom just to see her last year! Then, on Thursday I went to the store for my book club meeting and our hardcover rep, Dave, had sent me an ARC of the next Aunt Dimity book, Aunt Dimity and the Wishing Well. I’ve been a 
fan of Nancy Atherton’s for over half my life. So, you see, I HAD to read that too (I’ll post a review a little closer to the pub date, which is April 17). And then that brings us up to today, so I just haven’t had a chance to finish Mockingjay, but I’ll get to it tomorrow night I expect.
Here are a few other things that are on my To-Read pile:
Red Sonja Vol 1: Queen of Plagues by Gail Simone
I’ve actually never read a Red Sonja comic before, something about the chainmail bikini always put me off a little, but I was (and still am) a huge fan of the movie, Red Sonja, with Brigitte Neilsen. It’s terrible, but I love it. It starred a red-haired, sword wielding, warrior princess, what’s not to love? Ok, so it’s cheesier than a large pizza, but I never cared. I think I saw it when I was eight or so and I was mesmerised. (Other movies to do this to me: Labyrinth, Bedknobs & Broomsticks, and Clue.) So, when I found out that Gail Simone was taking over Red Sonja, I got very excited. I don’t make it to the comic store very often these days, so I waited for the trade to come out. Simone has also got Legends of Red Sonja running right now with guest authors like Tamora Pierce and Meljean Brook! I’m too impatient to wait for trades on those, so I’m picking up the single issues when I get a chance.
The Glass Sentence by S.E. Grove (On Sale June 12)
This is an ARC I got from Carol, one of my Penguin reps, (again with the Penguins!) a bit ago. (Full disclosure; we have three Penguin reps and they ALL send me books! It’s amazing. Also, they have the best design department. Sorry all my other publishers, but it’s true.) This is an alt history where the history is very altered, in fact, it’s broken. Our protagonist lives in 1891 in Boston. However, the rest of the world is NOT in 1891. South America is known as Late Pategonia, Britain has not yet heard of Shakespeare, Canada is full of woolly mammoths, and most of Southeast Asia seems to have skipped ahead.
Around the turn of the 19th century time… shattered. The different land masses were cast adrift from one another in time, although they stayed (mostly) anchored in space. Only very brave explorers and cartologer risked travel between the ages. Sophia’s uncle, Shadrack, is the most famous cartologer in Boston and her parents were explorers. Maybe they still are, but they’re lost somewhere in another age.
When Shadrack is kidnapped, Sophia is the only one willing to go after him. She’s facing danger from the different ages, of course, but she’s also facing danger from the government at home as new restrictive and xenophobic laws are being passed to restrict travel. If she leaves, she may never be able to come home again.
Book Review: Half-Off Ragnarok
Tamora Pierce
Jonathan Maberry
Dan Wells
Nancy Atherton
Seanan McGuire
Mary Robinette Kowal would be on the list, but she gave me some manuscripts for my birthday, so I’m pretty set for a couple of books. (Best birthday EVER!)
So, when my Penguin rep brought me an ARC of Seanan’s Half-Off Ragnarok on Wednesday there was much bouncing, squeeing, and general rejoicing. The book itself comes out on Tuesday, as in this Tuesday, March 4. So you can have it very, very soon. And you absolutely should go out and get it. It’s made of sunshine and rainbows!Unless you’re afraid of snakes. And then… take a Xanax and read it anyway?
This is the third book in the InCryptid series, which focuses on the Prices, a family of cryptobiologists, and their quest to understand and preserve the Cryptids of North America. The first two books (Discount Armageddon and Midnight Blue-Light Special) focus on Verity Price, the oldest of the Price girls as she works with the Cryptids of New York and tries, with moderate success to protect them from the Covenant of St. George, a quasi-religious order with aspirations of eleminating all Cryptids from the face of the earth.
Half-Off Ragnarok leaves Verity to some much deserved rest off-screen and moves on to her brother, Alex, who has taken a position as a visiting herpetologist at the Columbus zoo. Of course, being a Price, his presence there isn’t quite so simple. First, he’s under an assumed name. Second, he’s actually there to do a research project on a tiny Cryptid known as a frikken, a feathered frog. Third, he’s running a basilisk breeding program in the back of the zoo’s reptile house. Oh, and his assistant is a lesser Gorgon. You know, with snakes for hair and a penchant for petrifying people when she forgets her glasses. (You may have guessed one of the MANY reasons I love this book, what with my site name and all.)
All of this is totally manageable. Granted, it makes it a touch hard to date when you have to cancel dinner reservations because a mythological creature attacked you earlier that day. And intimacy can be difficult when you have to explain the brass knuckles, guns, knives, and vials of cockatrice antivenin you might have stashed about your person. Which is why Alex’s relationship with the zoo’s other visiting zookeeper, Shelby Tanner, is on the verge of self-destructing.
And then, one of the assistant zookeepers is petrified. As in turned to stone. As in dead. Alex is sure that neither his assistant, nor his breeding pair of basilisks had anything to do with the death, but how likely is it that there are three sets of Cryptids around the zoo with petrifying powers?
Pretty likely, as Alex discovers when he’s attacked in his own back yard.
Alex and Shelby get drawn closer together at the same time that they are pulled further into danger as the petrifier’s body count rises. This was a delightful book all the way through. Seanan is, herself, a trained herpetologist, and her love or the reptiles shines through. Also, there is an awesome animal called a Church Griffin (cross a Maine Coon cat with a raven) named Crow who I want to wrap up and bring home. The Aeslin mice that featured prominently in the first two books have their own part to play here too. Hail! Hail the subplot of the mice! Hail! (The anthropologist in me desperately wants to interview a colony of Aeslin mice as soon as possible!)
Alex is sweet, funny, and just clueless enough to be adorable. Shelby is Australian, enough said. Added to that are more glimpses of the family as we see Sarah again as well as Alex’s maternal Grandparents. I probably would never have survived a Price childhood, not being the best at the physical side of… anything really, but I’m pretty sure the family reunions would totally make up for it!
Who should buy this book? Anyone who wants to have fun! Who should not buy this book? Anyone with a pathological fear of snakes. Or fun.
I Watched The Hunger Games
First, I want to thank everyone who is following me. I just hit 100 followers, so that’s awesome. (If any of you are spambots, please don’t tell me!)
Second, I’m sorry this is late. I took a really long, unexpected nap yesterday, so I managed to achieve very little. So, apologies having been extended, here are my thoughts:
As before SO MANY SPOILERS!!!!
-I actually liked Katniss when I couldn’t hear her internal monologue, when I could see the emotions rather than just being told that she had them. There were plenty of times where I said, “Oh, I know what she’s thinking there!” because I read the book. What was interesting is that when I compared my thoughts with those of my boy-nugget (who has seen the movie, but not read the book) we often disagreed about what she was thinking. The best example of this is the moment on the train on the way to the Capitol when Katniss sees Peeta and Haymitch talking in the dining car. My reading of that moment was something along the lines of, “Peeta is getting advice and will have the advantage, I need to get in there.” His read was more, “Ok, this is real and I need to follow Peeta’s example and start taking things seriously.” His Katniss comes across as more naive and gentler than my Katniss, who is working the angles and looking for an advantage.
-Gale is way more likable in the movie. Part of this is because they’ve cut Madge out of the movie, so we don’t see Gale get angry and bitter at a girl who has nothing to do with the system he’s raging against. We also get shots of Gale reacting to the games, rather than just seeing what Katniss thinks he’s feeling. So, he becomes a more sympathetic character. It also helps that the scene of the Reaping with Prim is so much more powerful and you’ve got Gale stepping in to protect this little girl that you’re heart is breaking for.
I still don’t much care about the romantic subplot, but I get why Katniss cares about him more now.
-Peeta is ok, but I’m not strongly attached to him in the film any more than I was in the book. He seems sweet? That’s about all I’ve got.
-The fashion was a disappointment. I still like Effie’s costumes, but everything else was… eh. The 1930’s-1940’s feel of District 12 was nice. I thought that was well done, and the Reaping gave me a very WWII vibe, which I’m assuming was intentional.
The Capitol costumes were much of a muchness. There was lots of orange, pink, and turquioise, but that’s about all I got. The pink dogs were an ok touch, but not as outre as I think they were supposed to be. We’ve already got extreme pet grooming here, so dying a dog pink to match an outfit wasn’t that big of a deal.
Seneca and President Snow were somewhat distinct since they were wearing reds and purples. They were also never framed next to a large group. The facial hair helped make him specific. I’m not sure how I feel about him actually being visible, since he never appears in the book. He almost comes across as sympathetic, when compared to President Snow at least. He thinks he’s putting on a show, he doesn’t really understand the rest of the political situation.
-Moving the riot in District 11 up to this film was an interesting choice. I don’t like it that much because I love the bond that forms between Katniss and the District when they send her the bread. It makes me sad that we lose that. I also think the wedding in Catching Fire doesn’t work as well when we already know that Katniss can’t do anything to make President Snow happy. The rebellion is too big before the first games are even over. (Again, this is stuff that didn’t bother the boy-nugget because he doesn’t know anything about what happens in the books.) I also don’t see why they would send them to District 11 on the victory tour (which I know they do because I’ve seen some of that scene in the trailer) if the District has already started rebelling.
-Making the pin a secret between Katniss and Cinna is interesting, I guess. I still like the connection between Madge, her mother, Katniss’s mother, and Haymitch that we’ve lost now.
-The time in the arena is compressed, which is fine. Rue’s death is so much worse since Katniss gets to think she’s made it in time. It’s kinder in the book that she got there just too late. That scene was, unsurprisingly, touching. I actually started crying in the very beginning of the movie when Katniss sings the song to Prim because I knew what was coming. Amanda Stenberg was fantastic. I just want to hug her.
– The rock camoflauge is pretty terrible. It’s impossible to take seriously, but I was braced for it, so I didn’t laugh.
– Peeta doesn’t lose his leg? What? Because… that’s a pretty big difference. Then again, his artificial leg never really comes up in Catching Fire, so, ok I guess.
-BUT! Peeta being basically healed when the games are over take some of the intensity out of that last confrontation between them. He doesn’t have his failing health to hold over Katniss to try to get her to kill him. He’s fine, so we don’t have Katniss’s breakdown in the hovercraft afterward, so that A) puts their romance on shakier ground for me (again, the boy-nugget didn’t feel that way. He thought it was totally fair that everyone bought the love story as presented.) B) I legitimately don’t know how Katniss feels about Peeta at the end of the movie. I’m pretty sure she thinks he’s a perfectly acceptable person. I’m sure she would now be sad if he died, but I don’t know that he matters to her. I don’t see her automatically including him in any escape plans as things stand now. I know, at the end of the book, that she cares. She may not be in love with him, but she cares about him. Even the blocking is more ambiguous. The interview picture I have up here – they’re sitting in separate chairs, which are specifically designed so that they can’t get any closer to each other. In the book they’re on a loveseat and Katniss curls up with her head on Peeta’s shoulder. There is emotional and physical distance between them.
Even the moment on the train is diffused in the movie. In the book Peeta actually realizes that Katniss isn’t in love with him and he’s torn apart, but he’s still willing to fake it in front of the cameras. In the movie, you get Katniss saying she wants to forget and Peeta saying that he doesn’t. That’s it.
Yes, my boy-nugget is probably right, I’m seeing a lack there because I know how it was written, but I think that I would still find it subdued.
-That being said, the emotion as a whole works so much better in the movie. Suzanne Collins never really convinces me about any of the emotions outside of Rue’s death and the freakout in the hovercraft at the end. Everything else feels dry and removed. The movie makes me feel so much more.
Ultimately, I think I have to give the edge to the movie. It’s actually better than the book. (The only other movie I have said this about was Sense and Sensibility.)
My Thoughts on Catching Fire
Well… I was not entirely prepared for the end of this book. But, I’ll get to that in order.
I’m going to do this as sort of a giant stream of consciousness babble, much like my chapter notations for The Hunger Games. There will be spoilers. Oh so many spoilers! So please, don’t read this if you haven’t read Catching Fire yet. Or at least seen the movie (which, I haven’t since I just finished the book five minutes ago).
First of all, I’m sort of surprised how long it takes for the book to get to the Quarter Quell and we’re well over halfway before the Games actually begin. I had previous knowledge that seriously, spoilers!
Image from http://nastassjaloots.blogspot.com/
Peeta survived into Mockingjay, but I didn’t know anything about how, so I was pretty interested in how that was going to happen, since I knew they both went into the arena. I also knew (because who hasn’t seen those stills) that the arena involved water, which I’m assuming was a big ‘F*#k You’ from the Capitol to the Girl on Fire.
The love triangle that’s kind of there, but not really there? Yeah, I’m not feeling it. And, to an extent, neither is Susanne Collins apparently, because at the start of the book Peeta and Katniss haven’t really spoken for six months. Gale has kissed her once and then they’ve barely seen each other either. So, we just get more internal angst from Katniss.
Gale seems to be defined by his absence. He’s barely in Book 1, since Katniss is in the Capitol and then the arena. We don’t actually see their reunion, since The Hunger Games ends just as they get back to District 12. Then, in Catching Fire, Gale has to work in the mines, so we have Katniss telling us that they hunt on Sundays, but we still don’t see them interacting much.
Katniss goes through a longish bout of intense self loathing and I just… it seems kind of out of character for her. She doesn’t really seem that introspective, but maybe I’m just annoyed. It’s a sort of strange emotional note from a relatively unemotional character. And maybe that’s coming from the fact that Katniss’s emotions are told to us, but not really shown to us. And maybe I think that because I’ve been doing writing workshops. But, I’m told she has all these emotions, but I don’t feel them with her.
Ok, the situation in District 11 is really upsetting. I love what Peeta tries to do with donating part of their pension to Rue and Thresh’s families. Katniss’s speech is touching, and the salute from the District is really moving. And then the Peacekeepers (can we just call them Stormtroopers? They even wear white!) step in and it becomes unutterably terrible. We’ve seen a brief clip of the old man being dragged off in the trailer and it played through my head while I was reading this. Then I flashed back to other scenes from other movies where an old man stood up to a tyrant. The Avengers is really the only place I can think of where that actually works out ok.
Plutarch showing Katniss the mockingjay watch. It bothered me a little bit that it took Katniss so long to figure out that a) the mockingjay was a sign of rebellion, b) she is the mockingjay, c) Plutarch showing her the watch means that he is (theoretically) on her side.
The new Peacekeeper Thread arrives and, apparently, puts things back the way they used to be before Katniss can remember. Gale’s whipping is pretty bad, but maybe I’ve just watched/read enough historical stories. I’m horrified, but not surprised. And it was easy to think, “At least he isn’t being hung.”
President Snow is menacing and horrible. He smells like blood and roses, which sounds like something from Seanan McGuire’s Indexing. I have a guess on the blood, but the roses seem kind of strange. Maybe he likes them because they have thorns.
Bonnie and Twill and District 13. I don’t really know how to feel about them. I wish them luck, but I kind of doubt they’ll make it. I know District 13 is real though, that pesky foreknowledge again.
The wedding dresses were sort of interesting, both because of the gorgeous dress from the trailer and also because that was the only part of The Hunger Games trilogy that I’d read before. Last year, for Banned Book Week, I participated in a read-a-thon at the Desert Island Supply Co. here in Birmingham. We were shooting for 36 solid hours of reading. I don’t think they got that, but I came in in the evening and read from Catching Fire. I started right around the end of Chapter 11 when Katniss is having to deal with the fence. So it was fun to cycle back around to that.
The announcement of the Quarter Quell and the victors becoming tributes again wasn’t a surprise. I did go back and check the back of the book though. It doesn’t mention anything about that. I wonder what it was like to read this when it first came out and not know that Katniss was going back into the arena?
Peeta as the motivational and organizational force behind getting them all in shape is strange, but he’s assuming a leadership role, that makes sense. He’s the one with the charisma. Katniss has the guts and the stubbornness, but Peeta is the one everyone listens to.
I kind of love that Haymitch also outsmarted them in his Games. But maybe it explains why District 12 gets ignored and overlooked. The Capitol has kind of hated them for twenty-five years.
The chariot ride – “We star-crossed lovers from District 12, who suffered so much and enjoyed so little the rewards of our victory, do not seek the fan’s favor, grace them with our smiles, or catch their kisses. we are unforgiving.
And I love it. Getting to be myself at last.” Yeah. Katniss doesn’t like to forgive much of anything. I’m glad she managed to patch things up with her mom some before she had to go back to the Capitol. Although, I do wonder if the ‘no goodbyes’ rule was sent down by Snow or just something Thread thought up.
I’m so glad that Thesh and Rue’s families are ok! I was really worried that the extra shots in District 11 were for them.
Huh, Haymitch is in the elevator here. Interesting change.
And now Katniss is mad at Peeta again because he teased her. For the love of everything, woman, WTF? Seriously? You can’t take some teasing? Yes, Joanna was naked in the elevator because she likes to shock people. But you know Peeta would never do anything mean spirited (he’s kind of unbelievable that way). So, you know he’s not being mean when he teases you, so why are you so bent out of shape? To the point where you don’t even want to be friends anymore? (Although, that passes pretty quickly).
Katniss’s trick with the dummy during her exhibition for the Gamekeepers just struck me as childish. Although, that and Peeta’s painting do seem to make Effie check in with reality for a brief moment.
BTW: the dress weighs 25 lbs
The wedding dress is one of the places I feel like the movie design really excelled. And, of course, the transition into the mockingjay is great. Dangerous, but great. I don’t think that the medieval-style gown that Susanne Collins described would have played well on screen. I happen to really like that style of dress, but it would have come off as costumey in the wrong way I think. Katniss trying to be Galadriel instead of being a strong, beautiful woman of Panem. (That being said, what is up with the jumpsuit during the Reaping scene? Jumpsuits are not cute. Maybe they were trying to work the arena outfit in somewhere, since they’re not actually using it in the movie?)
Baby?!? I did a spit-take on that one. Was not expecting Peeta to go there.
I’m curious if the tributes holding hands will be in the movie. I could see it being cut, but it’s a great scene.
Ok, now we’re getting to the Games themselves and it’s mostly a long list of agony:
Cinna
Mags
Peeta and the morphling
Wiress
Also played Donald Sutherland’s kid in a different movie.
Thank you, Finnick for retrieving the arrows after the monkeys. That made me happy.
The evil clock is kind of brilliant, but it seems designed to kill the tributes really quickly. I’m wondering what the original plan for the arena was, because it seems like that’s too much work to revamp in only the year since Kantiss rocked the boat.
Once again, Katniss is super suspicious of everything. Even I figured out that Joanna was removing her tracker, not betraying her. If Joanna had wanted her dead she would have hit Katniss with the pointy end of the ax.
The forcefield, the explosions, the hovercraft – once again, the end of the book is going really fast.
I’m absolutely on board for her plan to kill everyone before the Capitol can torture them. (I also had controversial views on Beloved when we read it in college.)
And again, we have the crazy anger. Haymitch betrayed her. Everyone was using her. Blah, blah, blah. Ok, yes, Peeta was captured and that’s terrible. No one told her the plan because, well, she wouldn’t have gone with it. I get that. It’s not really a Harry Potter situation here, where he has a destiny and knows about it, has accepted it, and should have been kept in the loop because it would have kept more people safe. Katniss isn’t prepared to be the symbol of the rebellion. She hasn’t worked in secret for it for years. She’s just a girl who got lucky and became a symbol. A very rash girl.
I’m not saying she doesn’t have the right to feel betrayed. She’s got the right to feel anything she wants to. But I find it mildly disappointing that that’s what she goes with. And then she tries to die out of spite, which I kind of respect.
Then Gale shows up. Mrs. Everdeen and Prim are safe, everything else in District 12 is gone. The End.
WTF? Again. That’s an ending alright. I hate cliff hangers, have I mentioned that? I get really anxious. Fortunately, A) I know a bit about Book 3, so I’m not freaking out, and B) it’s in the car, so if I didn’t I could dive right in. I’m not going to, because it’s midnight and I’ve got work at 8:00 in the morning, but I could if I needed to. Again, what must it have been like to read this right after it came out? With at least a year to go until Mockingjay came out? I’m pretty sure I would have gone nuts, and I’m not even sure I like the books.
And that’s the thing. I’m committed. I have to know what happens, but I still don’t really like Katniss, especially after the Pit-of-Despair thing going on at the end of this book. I like Peeta better, but he’s a little too good. Honestly, I’m attached to Fennick, Joanna, and Beetee almost as much as I am Katniss and Peeta.
I don’t particularly care about Gale, to be honest. And Prim is more a symbol than a person.
I’m sad about Madge, and Greasy Sal, and everyone else from District 12. The old man from District 11. Cinna, and the friendly tributes who died in the arena. But I’m still just not that attached to Katniss herself.
Expect my thoughts on Mockingjay later this week.
Medusa's Library 