Supernatural Season 9, Episode 8: A Rock and a Hard Place

South Dakota and a woman leaving and closing a diner for the night – taking a package of food she leaves for the homeless person outside. A genuinely good person – oh she’s so dead. Yes, something stalks her. In her fear she drops her keys (including their nifty taser attachment) and scrabbles after them under her car. When she hears footsteps approaching she pulls herself all the way under to hide – only to have her pursuer life the car off her and be consumed in blue fire. The fire also reaches out and covers her as well.

She’s surprisingly unburned – but she is alive. The figure picks her up and drops her down a hole in the ground – it looks like a bunker or an oubliette, with a metal lid.

At the Winchester cave, Sam is zonked from lack of sleep, and apparently so is Kevin, both of them researching some way to reverse the spell that locked the angels out of heaven and getting them out of everyone’s hair. Dean is naturally worried about Sam having no energy given the whole mortally wounded and possessed by an angel thing. Worrying interrupted by a call from Sheriff Mills – Jodie Mills (Last seen in season 8 but she’s been around for a while). She has a case for them – 4 missing people and one eye witness reporting someone lifting an SUV. Definitely spooky shenanigans.

4 victims with evidence of super strength at each scene; and they all belonged to the same church group. After checking to make sure Jodie’s ok with getting involved after her last near-death experienced from Crowley’s magic (she is – the more she knows the safer she is), Sam presents an angel theory – super strength and all churchy folk could be harvesting vessels after all. And Dean breaks Jodie’s bubble – nah, angels = bad thing. They should probably make pamphlets “Why Angels Are Dicks.”

They talk to the witness (the homeless man the woman, Honour, gave food to) but the blue fire doesn’t sound like angelic white light. So time to investigate the only connection – the church and its perky representative. They find out all the victims were part of a members only abstinence group – yes, Sam and Dean join that as well. Dean is just thrilled, but Sam thinks maybe the monster is stalking virgins (Dean, again, jumps to dragons which is a nice ongoing theme). She returns with a virginity pledge which, of course, Dean snarks that it’s a bit too late for that; so he has to become a born again virgin. Which I’m sure is cheating somewhere along the line.

To the first meeting, led by Suzy; and Sam has to remind Dean to bow his head during the silent prayer. Suzy deftly prevents Tammy inflicting awful poetry on the group by making Sam and Dean tell them why they’re seeking to re-virginise. Sam, truthfully, tells them every relationship he’s had has ended badly (understatement). Dean’s explanation sounds more like he’s reading a bad erotic novel. Thankfully it ends and Dean is sure he recognises Suzie from somewhere. Sam listens to malicious gossip from Tammy about the missing Honour while Dean offers to escort Suzie home to get some books (what with people disappearing and all). And yes, Dean is hoping to have sex with the chastity counsellor.

Tempt the Stars (Cassandra Palmer #6) by Karen Chance

 

When we last left Cassie two years ago, she was on the verge of death until Pritkin gave her the energy so desperately needed, thus sacrificing his freedom.  I am sure that many fans of this series screamed in frustration at this point, I know I did.  Tempt the Stars doesn't begin quite where Hunt the Moon left off.  It's now been a week since Pritkin disappeared and Cassie is determined to do whatever he has to to bring him back from his fathers clutches - even if she has to go to hell.

Tempts the Stars is filled with all of the elements that fans have come to love about the series.  Cassandra continues to be filled with spunky agency and though at times it is seriously annoying because she jumps headfirst into situations without thinking them through, one cannot help but to route for her. It is only when we consider how little Cassandra knows about the office of Pythia, her mother and even latent powers that one realises that she been left absolutely defenseless despite the power she has. Yes, I know that this is yet another trope in urban fantasy, but Cassie's never say die attitude keeps the story moving without being bogged down in self pity.  It helps that in the end, Cassie accepts who she is and is thankful.

For all of her inept bumbling, Cassie continues to be a strong protagonist.  Chance avoids falling into the trap of simply turning her into a weapon as a way to express strength, which is far too common in urban fantasy today.  Cassie's goal is to save Pritkin which in many ways is a change in gender roles because not only is not waiting to be saved, Cassie is actively trying to save the big strong man. I love that though Cassie has her moments of modesty, she is not above whining about not being able to masturbate in the shower because of sensitive vampire hearing.  

Review: Trapped by Kevin Hearne, Book 5 in the Iron Druid Chronicles

 12 years have passed since Tricked, and Atticus has finally finished training Granuaile all she needs to know to become a druid. The final step is to connect with Gaia and tattoo her with the Celtic knots that tie druids to the Earth, a process that should take several months.

Unfortunately, the only place this can be done is Europe. Not normally a problem, but druids don’t normally have long standing grudges with Olympic gods. Through their machinations, Europe is largely off limits to plane shifting, with only one place Atticus can travel to – the very foot of Mount Olympus, right under the gaze of Bacchus who very much wants him dead.

And the Olympians aren’t the only ones plotting. Dark elves and vampires are hunting Atticus for reasons unknown and even one of the Tuatha de Danaan is sending hit squads and spreading information about him. As word of him being alive gets out, more of his old grudges surface and he finds himself, again on many people’s hit lists and enmeshed in many schemes.

If that wasn’t enough – Loki has been freed. God of chaos, of trickery, of flame – he’s immensely powerful and terrifyingly unpredictable. The first shots of Ragnarok have been fired, Hel’s armies are marching and the Norse call on Attics to fulfil his obligation to them

All told, it’s quite a busy time for Atticus.

I feel, before I fall into full fanpoodling goodness, I should begin this with a caveat. I am a mythology geek. I love mythology. I love the obscure deities from a plethora of pantheons. I love the old legends and myths. I love even the rare and unusual tales that are lurking in the Celtic, Norse and Greek lore that rarely see the light of day.

As such the story telling, the info dumping, the random encounters and references, the sudden insights and all of that wonderful drawing on lore and history and ancient stories all pull me in and make me a very very very happy geek. Especially how it does use not just the major figures from the pantheons, but even the more obscure characters that are not well known today – it shows an incredible amount of research and knowledge of someone who has really delved into not just aspects of these old myths, but someone who has embraced them in their entirety.

To me, this makes for an excellent world. It makes for a world that is rich and full and has massive possibility. It means I can gleefully devour the book in seconds and grin over every little hint and every little story and character I recognise.

It also means that if you’re not a mythology buff or mythology isn’t a major interest of yours, you may find these moments drag a little and aren’t for you. To me, I loved them but I can see how it could be a matter of taste.

Even with the stories, the book is well paced with a lot going on to keep it exciting. Atticus has to try and find a way to bind Granuaile to the earth but has to do so in the teeth of a plot that involves vampires, dark elves, Tuatha de Danaan and Olympians. Trying to keep the various factions at bay long enough to get peace is a constant battle that requires many interruptions, desperate fights and lots of cunning. If that weren’t enough, we have some extra epic and excitement provided by Atticus’s commitment to the Norse and the threat that Loki, scarily powerful and terrifyingly unpredictable, presents yet another exciting force in the world. This book is very much one of being bombarded and being manipulated. Atticus and Granuaile stand in the middle of many plots and have many obligations and ties on them pulling them different ways. Not just the Norse, but Leif the vampire is pulling his own puppet strings, Brighit and the Morrigan are duelling over the leadership of the Tuatha de Danaan and there are machinations by unknown hands we don’t even know yet. And everything they do sets off a chain reaction in this crowded world – they manage to make Bacchus and Faunus back off, but in doing so risk offending both Olympian pantheons as well, is just one example. The sheer richness of the world means there are constant domino effects and real consequences to exerting any kind of power and influence in the world.