Category Archives: TV and Film

Sekrit Project Unveiled!

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I’m extremely pleased to announce that Jim Frenkel of Tor Books has bought the first three books in my next ecofantasy series. We haven’t quite settled on a title for the series yet, but the first book’s working title is CHILD OF STORMS and it takes place on Stormwrack, the same world as my story “Among the Silvering Herd,” which features adventuress Gale Feliachild and a handsome young sailor named Garland Parrish.

The first book is tentatively scheduled for release next year. I’m revising it right now.

In Tuesday Tor news, my Buffy rewatch this week is “A Very Unhappy Birthday, Take One.” Tor.com, as I’ve mentioned, also has the first chapter of Blue Magic up, if you want a peek. (The giveaway of five copies of Indigo Springs and Blue Magic ARCs ended Friday, I’m afraid, but I think you can safely expect other opportunities to win copies.)

Telewitterings

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Sherlock was one of the most exciting new discoveries of last year, TV-wise, for me. I was heartily sorry there were only three, but I consoled myself that at least they were doing a good job. And yes, I share the widespread fan conclusion that “The Blind Banker” was weaker than the other two. I enjoyed it all the same.

So I was very disappointed when the second and third episodes of series two turned out to be so much mush. Mush filled with little chopped cranberries and walnuts of goodness, admittedly, but mush nonetheless.

The things I love in Sherlock are all those bristly and wonderful Holmes/Watson scenes, where they have the giggles together, when they’re fighting, when John’s putting up with Eccentricities.

I love the captioned detection scenes. The sequence where Sherlock goes over the body of the pink lady and we get to see his chain of observations and conclusions? Amazing!

What I don’t like so much–and it’s been part of the whole thing from the beginning–are the mano a villain bluff scenes. The bits where the bad guy is all “Who are you, Sherlock Holmes? I can outbluff you, nah nah nah.” They don’t work, and the big one in “The Reichenbach Fall” particularly didn’t work.

Stick to the mysteries, writer guys, is what I say, and the Sherlock/John action. Let us form our own conclusions about the characters, okay?

Telewitterings, high fiber and spoiler free

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We trimmed Once Upon a Time from the to-watch list a few weeks ago; much as I adore Lana Parilla and Giancarlo Esposito, it was time to accept that the quality of the writing and the overall schtick didn’t make it worth the time.

Ringer met the same fate this week, as that had devolved into laughing uproariously every time Ioan Gruffyd looked pole-axed (which occurs at least six times per episode) but otherwise tuning out.

Four episodes into S1 of The Killing, the verdict seems to wow, be not much is happening, and boy is it grim! Things need to pick up in some way or we won’t make it to S2, which starts soon. Yawn, yawn, Michelle Forbes is gorgeous, yawn some more.

Merlin: “Lancelot du Lac” was a total copout, and on one of my favorite stories. I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised or disappointed.

So what am I enjoying? Smash. The River’s been uneven but mostly good cheesy fun, and I’m counting the days to the premiere of Game of Thrones.

Telewitterings

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I am just in the process of tying up our Intrawebs to legally download S2 of Sherlock. I would have done so anyway ( because all Hail the Cumberbatch! and all that) but I’m especially desperate because the current TV season has been full of just-barely-okay, conspicuously lacking in fantastic. Prime Suspect, with Maria Bello, was the best new show we were watching, and it has apparently gotten the axe. Pan Am had many virtues, by which I mean a girl-heavy cast including a fantastic Nancy Drew-a-like and Christina Ricci. And its S1 arc came to an okay conclusion… but now I hear it’s on the roof too.

We just gave up on Once Upon a Time, and I’m not sure either of us could tell you exactly why we’re still watching The Mentalist and Downton Abbey. Well, the latter, I think, is over. We haven’t watched the last one yet. Glee and Ringer are often fun–but I was deeply distressed by the most recent Glee!–and that leaves Castle, Revenge and Merlin as the most consistently enjoyable of the network shows. Not a lot of depth there, you know?

So we’re rewatching Boston Legal, racking up House episodes on the DVR for when things get really desperate, downloading Cumberbatch, and counting the days until Game of Thrones S2.

Oh, wait. I am loving Smash. Yay, Smash! And The River‘s got some cheesy goodness too.