As a kid, very briefly, I collected porcelain. That collection lasted about ten minutes because 1) the tight little flower designs were too fussy for my refined 6 year old taste and 2) I was a klutz. Angela Rossi has solved the problem of fussy little flower designs. With her company, Beat Up Creations, she turns thrown out and forgotten plates into the sort of awesome display pieces I’d love to hang on my wal
How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe
You know that conversation you had at Denny’s at 3AM in college? Maybe it was a Village Inn. Definitely not an IHOP because IHOP doesn’t have the right atmosphere for those sorts of world moving conversations that happen at 3AM. It takes just the right ratio of greasy table to crappy food to bad attitude waitress to facilitate this kind of discussion. And IHOP’s Belgian waffles are too good to be part of that equation. They’re universe displacing, those things.
This book is like that conversation. Only not stupid.
True Blood: She’s Not There
Why does everyone insist on treating Awesome Pam like crap? Don’t they know she’s awesome? Listen up, Alan Ball. Awesome Pam needs her own storyline. She’s not just Eric’s appendage. I’m happy to trade a character for her. Take Sam out of the picture. Or maybe Arlene. Whoever, just give me more Awesome Pam. Awesome Pam and Cersei Lannister should have their own cross-over spinoff mini-series. It could be called “Sneers”.
Falling Skies: Series Premiere
The most heartbreaking thing I saw in Falling Skies was a pile of abandoned books. Tom pulled A Tale of Two Cities and 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea from the pile, briefly weighed them, then cast one aside. Personally, I would have picked 20,000 Leagues, but whatever. A Tale of Two Cities has more in common with Falling Skies, what with the multiple protagonists and the revolution and all. I can already see Tom filling the Charles Darnay Role while Colin Cunningham’s character, John Pope, fills the role of Sydney Carton. Tom’s choice says that Falling Skies isn’t going to be about the fantastic; it’s going to be about revolution.
eBooks: The Search for Artemis
I love it when I finish a book, and feel compelled to ask the author when the next one in the series is due out. After I finished The Search For Artemis that was the first thing I asked author P.D. Griffith. This is a perfect summer read for kids and fans of young adult fiction.
Game of Thrones: Fire and Blood
I think Game Of Thrones is one of the “gateways” to fantasy for people who aren’t fans of the genre. It features a slow, gradual inclusion of the fantastic — in this case, the year-long seasons, a glimpse of the Others, one undead wight in Castle Black and the dragons hatching at the end. Show a newcomer Lord of the Rings and they might be turned off by the immersion in Elves, Wizards, Dwarves and Orcs. Even the use of language might turn them away. In Thrones, people talk plainly, deal with real issues and the politics of their time. Other elements of the genre slowly work their way in, and in the case of the TV series, it can be doled out a rate that’s easy enough for a novice to wrap his imagination around.
Outcasts: Episode 1
I liked Outcasts, but I’m disappointed about Jamie Bamber. Disappointed that he’s already been offed and disappointed that he didn’t get his shirt off all the way. It’s not like his shirtless torso isn’t there on the interwebs to be browsed whenever, but there’s something about hot shirtless torso in its natural habitat on the TV machine.
Green Lantern: A Reenactment of My Middle School Life
Green Lantern was stupid like it was written by 12 year olds in the 1990s. And not even clever 12 year olds with big imaginations who understood adversity. Stupid like Johnny, my middle school nemesis and perfect-haired surfer hero to the 8th grade, wrote it. I can tell because Hal Jordan’s only fault is that he’s so awesome and the villain is a weak, ugly genius.
Game of Thrones: Baelor
When you play the Game of Thrones, you win or you die. Honestly, did you think Ned could be saved? This is not a fantasy series based on romanticized notions of chivalry, and in writing the books, Martin took many tropes and turned them on their collective ears. As I said, no one is safe, but I need to emphasize something else: bad things do happen to good people.
