Review of Hotel Transylvania

I know it's a cartoon, but it has vampires, Frankenstein, and the invisible man, how could we possibly resist?  Count Dracula builds a hotel - a retreat if you will where monsters can be safe from the threat that human pose to their existence. He builds this hotel to honour a promise to his dead wife to keep their daughter Mavis safe.  For 118 years he watches over Mavis and runs his hotel until she decides that she wants to see the real world.  Count Dracula is not at all pleased and even builds a fake town and fills it with zombies to convince Mavis that the real world is a dangerous place and that humans will suck her toes.

Both Mavis and the Count return to Hotel Transylvania, where the count his happy until her realises that a human has found his way to the hotel. Johnathon is the very first human to enter the premises and his very existence put the reputation of the hotel in danger. The Count dresses him up and asserts that he is Frankenstein's cousin.  That's right, Johnathon is introduced as being related to Frankenstein's left hand.  Even with the disguise, Johnathon's ideas make him a threat to the count and this only increases when it becomes clear that Mavis has feelings for him.  Somehow, the count must rid his hotel and keep his daughter safe from the human.

Essentially, Hotel Transylvania is the story of an over protective father, willing to do anything to keep his daughter safe - by safe, I of course mean under his control.  What is good about this is that Mavis does not stop asserting her desire to see the world.  Mavis knows what she wants out of life and is determined to get it.  For all of her inexperience, she knows that there has to be more to life than the stories her father has told her and when Johnathon tells her about the places he has been, she becomes determined to leave the hotel.

Johnathon is the sole representation of humanity in this movie and of course he is White, male, straight, cisgender and able bodied.   Nothing represents humanity like a White guy.  Now, where have I seen humanity represented as completely White before? Ah yes, The Bee movie. Complete erasure in the media, let alone cartoons, is an everyday occurrence but when it comes to cartoons, because they are targeted at children, we are not supposed to ruin their innocence and actively critique them. Heaven forbid that little White kids grow up to learn about their privilege and kids of colour learn that their erasure is wrong.  Nope, that would be a critical discussion and everyone knows that active and engaged thought is not a habit we want kids to pick up. After all, their innocence is at stake.

Fangs for the Fantasy Episode 90

This week we discuss the new series of American Horror Story and the major twist direction the series have taken. We also discuss the Walking Dead and the way this season has massively improved over the last season and discuss the way that Rick has changed. We look at the Vampire Diaries and how Damon has changed. We also look at Haven, Grimm, 666 Park Avenue and Once Upon a Time

Our book of the week is Holidays from Hell, by Kim Harrison, Lynsay Sands, Vicki Pettersson and Marjorie Liu.

22/10-29/10:Grave Dance by Kalayna Price

29/10-5/11: Dark Descendant by Jenna Black
5/11-12/11: Runelight by Joanne Harris

12/11-19/11: Her Own Devices by Shelly Adina
 

We will discuss each book on the latter date – so on the 29th October, we will discuss Grave Dance by Kalayna Price

 

The Walking Dead the Musical

The following is from the same folks who brought us the Hipster Disney Princess musical.

Be careful, once you have seen, you cannot unsee.

Review: Holidays are Hell: Anthology by Kim Harrison, Marjorie Liu, Lynsay Sands and Vicki Pettersson

 Like all anthologies review, we’re going to look at the stories in this separately and then consider the book as a whole.

Two Ghosts for Sister Rachel by Kim Harrison

This story follows Rachel Morgan from the Hollows series, as a teenager before she joined the IS. This is the moment, mentioned in the book, when the young Rachel accidentally summons the ghost Pierce  when trying to summon her father and with him manages to foil a crime for the IS. This is where Rachel’s path is set where, still recovering from her illness, she begins to see what she wants to do and why.

I had read this book in a book of short stories so already knew the plot. I think this is one of those anthology stories that perfectly hits the balance between having something for readers familiar with the series while, at the same time, providing enough information to get new readers interested in the world.

The world was presented ideally without overwhelming excess knowledge, just enough to keep people informed and understanding what’s happening and why it matters. It can be hard in any kind of fantasy short story to get across a sense of the world and all the relevant information without infodumping huge chunks of world building on people. I think here you can see what the Hollows is about, get a brief introduction to the main character and still have a story that is fun and engaging. Had I read this book first, I would have picked up the Hollows

For people who have read the story, well as I said in the review of In The Woods, there’s nothing here you need to know. You don’t need to read this to learn everything about the Hollows and it doesn’t tell you anything you don’t already know. But it does add  emphasis and depth, I think Rachel becomes a much more understandable character – especially her reckless behaviour and need for challenge and need for validation – when you see this snap shot of what her life used to be like. It doesn’t develop the character per se, but it adds an extra shading – it adds some “why” to the “what”.

Six by Marjorie Liu

Six is a Chinese secret agent, raised from childhood to be the best of the best and to hunt down and defeat terrorists and other threats to the nation. She is skilled, competent and dedicated but completely unprepared for a world of necromancers and Jiangshi vampires. She has to run with a strange foreigner who has powers she doesn’t understand or trust to try and eliminate a threat that was far larger than she imagined – and one that means she cannot trust any of her usual resources. While running with him she re-analyses her life and what she wants from it – and finds there is more to her existence than duty and service.

It is nice to see a story that didn’t follows the same myths and legends of the west we’re so used to – the Jiangshi are a very different creature and a story set in China – without trying to exotify the country. I liked the characters, who were Asian, and I liked the setting as pretty original and, above all, I liked the story. It was fast paced, action packed and didn’t spend pages after pages dwelling on internal monologue and world building. It was quickly, concisely presented and that was it, we were into the action, the world unfolding as it was needed. Even the romance was presented in a relatively brief, concise fashion – not rushed or hurried or abrupt, but without excessive rumination and monologues that is so common.

As a short story it was tight, self-contained, precise. I don’t think this is part of any world of the authors, but it did show off a very clear, well paced and fun writing style.

Run, Run, Rudolph by Lynsay Sands

After being caught up in an accidental science experiment, Jill finds herself hunted by a scientist, a former colleague of her brother’s, who is determined to examine her and find out exactly what she is and what she can do.  She runs through the town during the Christmas parade, trying to find the man who seems to always be able to find her – aided by her long term crush, Nick who has an awful lot dumped on him awfully quickly. They run a cat and mouse through the city, while trying to keep their Christmas celebrations – and their first date – alive.

Unlike many short stories in anthologies, this story doesn’t seem to be part of a world or ongoing series, rather being a short story in its own right. And, I have to say, I wasn’t enamoured of this story and won’t seek out more.

The relationship isn’t awful, since it rests on 6 months experience rather than being a love at first sight - but the story and, especially, the paranormal elements of it just fall flat for me. She’s running here there and everywhere to escape someone trying to kidnap her - but she takes time to go to a Christmas parade and go to a Christmas party? And she shapeshifts constantly in what seems mainly to be a ploy for her to get naked again and again.

And him? She suddenly reveals 1) she likes him, 2) she’s being chased by a violent kidnapper and 3) she’s a shapeshifter in about 10 minutes and he completely takes it in his stride. It’s like she just told him she dislikes chocolate – a little surprising, perhaps, but in a second he adapt and joins in the stalker-hide-and-seek. Will someone please call the police – and no, the whole “he will expose us” doesn’t make sense because what he’s saying makes no sense. For that matter, he managed to get in a science lab? He tries to abduct people on the street and doesn’t see why a room full of nice people would object to him talking about slicing bits off someone! How can a man that divorced from reality even walk down the street without being stopped, let alone work in a major science laboratory?

Also, one line about everyone laughing because they think a guy is gay is not great and pretty immature. Struggling, desperately, to maintain it through the story is just ridiculous. Are these characters teenagers or the adult shop owners and scientists they’re supposed to be?

Frankly, it felt beyond contrived, the characters were ridiculous and it wasn’t much fun to read.

The Harvest by Vicki Pettersson

Zoe Archer has given up her place as the Light’s Sagittarius and has been reduced from powerful super-hero to mortal. It’s a drastic come down for her, but just because she is human now doesn’t mean she can rest. She became mortal to protect her daughter and now her granddaughter needs her help, to get the baby out of the hands of the Shadow Agents and their leader, the insidious Tulpa and into safe, hidden hands. That means reconnecting with the agents of the Light she has ignored for 6 months, including her ex-lover Warren, and returning to the Tulpa – to his home, to his side and to his bed, which she infiltrated 16 years before for the sake of the Light. She has to save her granddaughter, and prove that a human mind still has surprising power.

I have read the whole of the Zodiac series which made this short story a much better book for me. If you hadn’t read it, I think you’d probably be lost. There are just so many concepts and so many abstracts in this series that I don’t think it lends itself to short stories without lots of info-dumping or lots of concepts only half explained.

The same goes for choosing Zoe as a protagonist was an awkward choice- while she’s not a main character, who she is, what she’s doing and why is all really tied up in the series protagonist, I’m not sure how much impact anything in here would have on someone without the back knowledge. I can’t see this story drawing you into the series because there’s just too much to absorb.

As someone who has read the books it didn’t add anything in particular except further cement the my dislike of characters I already disliked. With an extra bonus of portraying Warren, a man we’re supposed to see, at least partially, as a force for good or Light, merrily slaughtering Mexican immigrants. It would have sat better if he were just hunting rogue agents, but the way it was presented is hard to see outside the context of persecuting immigrants.

In all, I wouldn’t say it was a bad story per se and, as someone who read the books, it added some interesting concepts to the strong themes of human imagination and malleable reality that the main series has established – but I wouldn’t call it a must read for people who have read the series, nor would it have pulled me to the Zodiac series if I hadn’t.

On the whole I think this book had one good story, one decent story, one fairly poor story and one pretty dreadful story.

The Misfits Season Two, Episode Three

Alisha is walking and she gets the sense that someone is falling her.  She increases her speed but still continues to hear sounds.  A man grabs her from behind and tries to steal her bag and her necklace. The mysterious masked man takes her hand and helps her to stand.  This shocks Alisha because due to her power, no one should be able to touch her without wanting to sleep with her. 

Shaun meets the misfits at an area where people seemed to have been dropping garbage. Nathan asks him if he takes the job seriously. Shaun says sarcastically that he is committed to their rehabilitation and leaves for a coffee and a danish.  Inside a fridge, Nathan finds a beer, opens it and passes it to Kelly.  Nathan asks Kelly what she is doing later and when she says that she is going to get her tattoo fixed up, he decides that he wants to with her.  Alisha asks Simon if he knows why the masked man led them to the flat and she is disappointed when he cannot give her a certain answer.

Simon, Nathan and Kelly go to a tattoo parlor and Nathan is disgusted with the picture of a tattooed penis on a wall. Kelly jokes and tells Simon to get one and he says that he has a phobia of needles.  Nathan asks, "whose cock is this ... and why he would do something like this?"  Vince, the tattooist says that each one means something to him.  Nathan then goes back to looking at the images as Vince asks Kelly out.  When Nathan sees a rose on the wall, he asks Kelly if it would look gay on him and then pauses when he realises that Vince has this tattoo on his neck.  "I mean it would look gay on me just because I've got a beautiful face, but you would get away with it with your face. I'm not saying your ugly; you've looking the mirror, no offense man," Nathan says as an attempt to explain his hateful comment.  Once again, Misfits has decided to include casual homophobia as the punchline of a joke, as though people aren't harmed everyday by this sort of thing.  I know that some will say that this is just Nathan, but if you are going include homophobia, you need to have someone actively calling it out - especially on a show which has no GLBT characters.  Vince takes a deep breath and says none taken, as he aims his ink gun at Nathan and Nathan flinches.  After they leave the parlor, Nathan asks Simon for a drink and when Kelly assumes he meant to ask her, Nathan makes it clear that this is more of a boys night. "I'm talking some quality man time, beer, football, maybe some wrestling," Nathan says.

Alisha is in the same area where she was almost mugged standing around, clearly looking for the masked man who saved her.  Nathan has taken Simon back to the community center. Simon is confused because the plan was for them to go to a bar.  Nathan encourages Simon to make himself comfortable and when Simon does sit, Nathan invades his personal space.  Nathan then decides to put some music on and it's George Michael's, Careless Whispers. A man walks by Alisha and she calls him a wanker and to make sure she gets his attention, she calls him an ugly rat face fuck. When her would be attacker threatens her with a slap, Alisha starts to run screaming, "come on and save me then." She doesn't get far because she falls down a flight of stairs knocking herself unconscious, as the mystery man peers down at her from the top of the stairs. I kind of liked this as a good punishment for spunky agency though I didn't like the threat of a slap for some name calling.

Curtis goes to see Nikki, the girl whose flat the Misfits broke into in the last episode. Nikki is not happy to see him and points out that one of his friends shit on her bed and wiped his ass on her pajamas. Curtis says that they got the wrong flat and that Nathan is not right in the head.  Curtis then says to Nikki that he feels like he knows her.  Nikki then left up her skirt and says, "pull my knickers up when you are done."  Curtis is not impressed and calls her a bitch and says that they are done.

The mysterious stranger takes Alisha somewhere, while back at the community center, Nathan asks Simon to tell him about his first sexual experience. Simon's eyes goes large and Nathan asks if he wants to know about his. Nathan then proceeds to talk about a family camping trip where he got jerked off for the first tme.  As he is describing what happened, he puts his hand on Simon's leg and then leans in to kiss him. Simon jumps up asking what he is doing and Nathan says that it's okay and promises to be gentle. Naathan then tries to take off Simon's trousers saying that they don't have to fight and he just wants to see it (by it, he of course means Simon's penis).  Simon pushes him away and runs, as Nathan calls out that they don't have to go all of the way, they can just cuddle.  Even as I watch this, I know damn well that some magic is making Nathan behave this way and this proves the degree to which the writers are willing to use homophobia as just a joke. Furthermore, this whole set of circumstances frames people who are attracted to the people of the same sex as predatory. Gee, how original is that.

Alisha opens her eyes as the lights come on in room that she is in. Everything has a very industrial feel to it.  She sees the suit hanging from a rack, a countdown clock on the wall, and pictures of all of the Misfits. When she hears water running, she moves towards it with trepidation. The man in the shower turns around and it's Simon.  Alisha is picking up her clothes on the floor and he asks her how's her head. Alisha is confused and asks when he started running around and jumping off buildings and Simon replies, "ever since I traveled back from the future." WHOA! I say again WHOA!  That's a huge plot twist. Alisha asks how this works and he says, "there's the Simon that you know and there's the future Simon - me."  Alisha points out how different he is and Simon says, "a lot happens between now and then."  This new Simon is so self assured; it's like a completely different person. There's clearly chemistry between the two of them.  Alisha grabs her things to leave and Simon calls out, "no matter what happens, you cannot tell Simon I'm him. You can't tell Curtis, not any of them. It could change everything. Promise me you won't tell." Alisha does not answer.

The next day, the present day Simon is telling Kelly that Nathan kissed him and tried to take his pants off.  Kelly believes that Simon is "taking the piss."  Simon replies, "He said he wanted to do some dry humping. I left very quickly." On the roof, Nathan is writing a love letter to Simon when Kelly kicks him saying, "what have I told you about dicking around with Simon."  Nathan says that he loves Simon and that Simon is like a big handsome shark. When Kelly is still upset Nathan asks, "Do my feelings for him offend you? Well, I'm sorry cause they're true. I can't hide it any longer." Nathan then thinks, "I never felt like this about anyone, he completes me," which Kelly picks up with her ability to read minds. Kelly points out that this is a line from Jerry Maguire and Simon admits that he watched the move 4 times last night. "It's like he's Tom and I'm Renee and someone else is the ugly specky kid," Nathan says.  When Kelly asks him if he is trying to say that he's gay, Nathan answers, "gay, straight retarded, why do we have to put labels on everything?" Kelly says that they need labels so people know what's going on and asks if this is why the two of them aren't together. Nathan says it's like Simon is what has been missing from his life and maybe this is why he was always so mean to him. Kelly walks away in absolute disgust. This entire scene is nothing but appropriation.

Simon is sitting by himself eating a sandwich, when Alisha approaches him. She brings him a drink which shocks Simon, as he's used to Alisha pretty much ignoring him. Alisha asks Simon if he thinks about the future and what's going to happen to them. Simon replies, "all of the time, we need to be ready. One day someone is going to find out about us and everything will change." Alisha says that she knows that he has looked out for them - what with killing the second probation worker and all. Alisha actually thanks Simon.  Once again, Misfits disgusts me.  Simon stalked this woman relentlessly, took pictures of her while she slept etc,. Alisha had no way of knowing this but the writers did when they put those words into her mouth.  Simon does not trust what Alisha is saying and asks why she is being so nice to him. Alisha says that she can be nice sometimes, with almost tears in her eyes. "Look, if I've ever been a bitch to you I'm sorry, Alisha says." Simon replies that he never thought that she was a bitch and believes that sometimes it's difficult for beautiful girls, because people don't see past their looks. A tear rolls down Alisha's face and she says that she should go.

Inside the community center, Kelly and Simon are getting changed and Nathan stands directly behind Simon with a card.  Nathan hands Simon the card, leans in and says, "we'll take this slowly and when you're ready to develop the physical side of our relationship let me know."  On Nathan's shoulder, Kelly notices a tattoo of a heart with Simon's name. Simon says thanks and Nathan touches his face and replies, "it's just so hard, when you're so cute and I'm so horny and there's only a couple of inches of fabric separating our genitals."  Simon looks petrified and Kelly asks Simon if he knows about Nathan's tattoo. Okay, so not only is being gay a moment of comic relief, they have turned Nathan into the predatory gay man yet again.  This is a trope and ridiculously homophobic.  I feel as though I cannot call this episode out enough.

Fangs for the Fantasy Book of the Week

 

Every week on the Fangs for the Fantasy podcast (archives here) we read a book and discuss it on the show. The review for the book of the week always goes up on 3:00pm (EST) on a Monday (Monday’s book review).

To give people a chance to read along with us, every Monday we’re also going to include a list of our planned books of the week for the next few shows, so people can get the books, read them and join in the conversation.

15/10-22/10: Holidays are Hell (Anthology)
22/10-29/10:Grave Dance by Kalayna Price

29/10-5/11: Dark Descendant by Jenna Black
5/11-12/11: Runelight by Joanne Harris

12/11-19/11: Her Own Devices by Shelly Adina
 

We will discuss each book on the latter date – so on the 29th October, we will discuss Grave Dance by Kalayna Price

We will post a new list every Monday with any changes or new books.

The Walking Dead, Season Three, Episode Two: Sick

This episode opens were the last one left off.  Darryl is ordering the prisoners out of hiding and Maggie and Rick are trying to save Hershel. One prisoner holds a gun on Darryl. T.Dog opens the freezer and kills the guard inside. The prisoners don't know what to make of the situation and Rick's group does not have time to explain because of Hershel's injury.

As the group races through the hall, Darryl shoot a zombie to keep the way clear.  The prisoners walk slowly out of the room in pursuit of Rick all carrying pipes and one a gun as a weapon. By the time they get Hershel on a bed, he looks pale.  Somehow Carol has started to act as a medic and when Glen suggests cauterizing the wound, Carol says that the shock will kill Hershel and that they need to let it heal on its own.  Darryl confronts the prisoners and tells them that they have been pardoned and are free to go.  The prisoners want to know why a group of civilians are breaking into a prison and a stand off has begun.  Glenn goes to follow and Rick instructs him to stay by Hershel's side because Maggie is going to need him.

The prisoners want to know why they don't take Hershel to the hospital and reveal that they have been locked in the cafeteria for ten months.  They say that one guard looked out for them and locked them up and gave them a gun for protection. Rick reveals that society has completely broken down. The prisoners start to worry about their families and Rick tells them that half the population has been wiped out and when they doubt him, he says, see for yourself.  The prisoners head out and see the dead bodies in the yard and say that they never thought they would be so happy to see the fences.  One asks if its a disease and Rick says that they're all infected because everyone who dies comes back as a zombie.  One prisoner asks where they came from and where they're headed and Rick says Atlanta and are not headed anywhere for now.  Tomas suggests that they separate but Rick makes it clear that they are not going to be bossed around and that they took the prison and set the prisoners free.  The agreement is that Rick will take out a cell block for them, if they agree to share the food and stay away from their people.  At this point, we are fifteen minutes into the series and we have not been given names for any of the prisoners.  It's also interesting how the prison population matches prison population demographics, but that is not the case with the survivors.

They have managed to get the bleeding to slow down for Hershel.  Lori says that they could use some bandages, gauze, pain killers and antibiotics.  She and Carol are convinced that they will get through this.

Rick goes back to the cafeteria to check out the food supply and of course they are far more stocked up than the prisoners let on.  The prisoners try to tell Rick that he can only have a little, but Rick reminds them that they agreed to.  Maggie hugs Glenn and says that it was stupid of them to let Hershel go because they could have cleared the whole cell block with just the five of them.  Maggie is worried about what will happen if he does wake up, because they spend a lot of time running and now he be able to walk. Glenn tries to reassure Maggie and says that they have been through so much already.This incident makes Hershel the first disabled person on the show.

When Maggie checks on Beth, she is ripping Hershel's pants and Maggie says that there's a good chance he may not wake up.  Beth is not pleased but Maggie does not want her to get her hopes too high because they are not equipped to deal with this.  Beth say that they have Carol but once again, the ever so grounded Maggie says that Hershel only taught her a few things. When Rick learns that Hershel's position is not good, he instructs Glenn to put his cuffs on Hershel because he is not taking any chances.  Lori pulls Rick aside and she is worried about the living conditions but he says that his only option is to kill the prisoner.  Lori admits to being a shitty wife and says that she knows he is not a killer and does not have any malice in his heart. Lori instructs Rick to do what he has to do, to keep the group safe and to do it with a clear conscience.The last time he followed that advice Lori did not react well.

The prisoners want to know why they shouldn't shoot guns and Darryl says that the noise brings attention to them. Rick instructs the prisoners to only take head shots, but they are not impressed by the instructions.

Glenn handcuffs Hershel just as a Maggie is walking in.  Carol assures Maggie that this is just a precaution and Maggie asks for a moment alone with her father. Maggie holds Hershel's hand with tears in her eyes and tells him that he doesn't have to fight anymore.  "If you're worried about me and Beth, don't worry about us, we'll take care of each other.  Go ahead Dad, it's okay, be peaceful. You don't have to fight. If it's time to go, it's okay. I just want to thank you for everything." Maggie then kisses Hershel.  This is a powerfully acted scene and really brings a sense of exactly what the survivors are going through.