Cover Snark: Who is this woman?

Kim Harrison is easily one of my favourite authors in the urban fantasy genre.  There are elements in The Hollows series that honestly do get on my nerves like the way that Ivy's bisexuality is handled, Pierce (honestly, who really likes Pierce) and of course the ever popular use of fantastic prejudice.  There is also only so much of Tink's panties I can take without wanting to flip the page.  That said, when Ever After, the latest book in the series comes out next January, I will be locking myself in a room alone until it's finished.  Harrison recently took to twitter to unveil the latest cover to fans.

 

As covers go, I have certainly seen worse but it made me wonder if the publishing company and the cover artist has read a single book in this series.  Who is this blonde woman with lightening shooting from her hands?  It's certainly not Rachel. From the first book Rachel has been described as having a mop of frizzy red hair and she wears a ring to hide her freckles.  I have no idea who this woman on the cover is.  Did Harrison suddenly change who the protagonist is?  Did Rachel decide to dye her hair?  What's up?  Perhaps what we are looking at is Ceri on the cover.  

Alphas Season Two Episode Five: Gaslight

 

This episode begins with a Adam identifying the body of his sister Maggie in the morgue.  As the morgue tech escorts him out, the lights go wonky and a slight clearly female groan can be heard.  When the Adam asks about this, the morgue tech grabs the Adam's arm and says that they have to get back to the office, while in the  morgue two men stand over Maggie's body.  Maggie begins to call out for him and the morgue techs attempt to hold Adam back.  Adam uses what I assume to be his alpha abilities to crawl up the wall and across the ceiling to get to his sister, but before he can save her, she is dragged away.  As Adam is being forced from the room, we get another shot of Maggie and this time she appears to be well and truly dead.

Back at the office, Nina enters and sees Gary asleep on the couch.  Rosen explains by saying that "Gary is working through some issues."  It seems that Rosen felt it would be better for Nina to get her bearings with no one else around. Nina quickly asserts that she is ready to get back to work and to stop pushing but Rosen has other plans.  It seems that they have traced Stanton Parish's family fortune to a charity which is making donations to a senator. Rosen wants Nina to have a little chat with the senator. It seems for Rosen that Nina's issue isn't the fact that she pushes people but that she isn't doing it at his command.  Can there be anymore doubt that there is nothing moral about this man?  Keep in mind that Nina just tried to kill herself but for Rosen that is unimportant because he has his sights on bringing and end to Parish's efforts.

The next day, Hicks is skyping with his son Tyler and attempting to teach him how to throw a baseball.  He is excited that Tyler will be visiting next week, until Hicks is informed that the visit is cancelled.  His ex wife gets on the line and tells Hicks of their plans to go to San Fransico instead. Hicks offers to travel to Nevada but his ex says, "I'll just let you know when it's a good time."  Clearly she plans to break the relationship between Hicks and his son.  His ex ends the conversation and Bill appears to offer Hicks is sympathies. Because Cameron spent quite a few years drunk, he feels that he is not in a position to make any demands on them.  

Hicks notices that Bill has a pretty massive bruise over his eyebrow, but Bill says that it is a present from his wife.  Hicks doesn't believe it for one moment and this forces Bill to admit that he regularly attends the fight club. 

Nina is busy helping Gary get read to attend a tomb stone unveiling for Anna. Gary is not at all happy to be wearing a tie and says that they remind him of nooses, but Nina tells him that this is what men wear to such events.  Gary says that Dr. Rosen believes that this will be cathartic but he doesn't believe he will find closure from words written on a stone. Gary is further upset that the words on the stone aren't even Anna's words. 

When he looks up, Gary sees Rachel standing in the doorway and comments that he is wearing the suit that she bought for him.  Rachel tells him that he looks great and admits that she didn't buy the suit.  Gary goes on to say that Rachel is a criminal but not in jail.  Nina seconds this and adds that Dr. Rosen says that the alphas need her but that Rachel is not part of her team.  When Rachel tries to apologise Nina refuses to listen.  I am really glad that they have included some repercussions for Rachel's actions because what she did to Nina was assault. 

The tape of Adam has been revealed and Rosen, Bill and Hicks head off to investigate.  On their way out, they run into Kat who is holding a pillow.  It seems that Rosen plans on running a sleep study on her for the purposes of recovering her memory. 

In the bathroom of a hotel, Nina confronts the senator and asks her what she did in return for the financing from Stanton's charity, but the senator is unable to tell her because her memory has been erased. 

Rosen goes to see Adam and learns that Maggie was doing drugs before she died.  He is worried that Adam's feelings are strong and suggests sending him to a clinic where he can get the support that he needs to deal with his grief. Rosen tells him that Bill and Cameron will escort him to the clinic as soon as his paperwork is completed.  Rosen then heads downstairs and hands Hicks and Bill Adam's paperwork before leaving because he has some business to attend to. 

As Adam is headed downstairs in the elevator the lights flicker and he hears his sister's voice begging him for help again. Adam attacks the hospital orderly who is with him saying that he has to get out of there.  When the elevator opens on the ground door, the orderly is lying on the ground with blood streaming out of his head. When Hicks looks up, he sees Adam crawling up the elevator shaft. 

Review: Dragon Wytch (Otherworld Series #4) by Yasmine Galenorn

 Camille D’Artigo is the protagonist in this book, facing the every growing and worrying effects of the war against Shadow Wing and the civil war in Otherworld – a war that is now affecting their family as well as bringing chaos to the Otherworld, allowing all kinds of monsters to break through the portals and wreak havoc on an unsuspecting Earth.

Now she has a unicorn gifting her with an artefact of legend of immense power that may be one of their best hopes against Shadow Wing – except it’s been lost and it’ll work just as well for their enemies as against them.

And there’s a new spirit seal to find – and this one is being hunted by a lethal and cunning Rakshasa, far more dangerous than any of the other demons they have had to face. Added to that, Morgaine is back and the ancient, power-hungry sorceress has her own plans involving Titania, the long defunct Seelie queen

To complicate all of that – Smokey, the ancient and mighty dragon, is demanding her attention as well, as per their agreement. But Smokey wants into her heart and not just her bed – which is difficult with her current lovers to take into account.

My only major complaint with this book – in fact the series in general, is its poor pacing and the easily distracted protagonists. I think this book is especially bad for it. There’s one moment in particular that stands out. They are trying to find the Pixie with the Black Unicorn’s horn before anyone else, since this is an artefact with massive, incredible power. It simply cannot fall into the wrong hands. Menolly, after working at the bar, gets a lead on the horn (and it turns out to be true) so she goes home and…

… watches Jerry Springer with Delilah, waiting for Camille to get up rather than waking her. When she does get up (early because something else entirely interrupts her) she, Delilah and Menolly start weeding the garden. No, really – the horn could right now be heading into demon hands but they’re doing some gardening. Then they have breakfast. Then Iris regales them with a tale from when she was a House Sprite in Finland. Then Camille potty trains their pet gargoyle. And I am sat there reading this book and restraining the urge to yell at it because the world is supposed to be on the brink of collapse, demons are supposed to be invading, civil war is breaking out in Otherland, the world is in Serious Peril so some urgency may be required.

An additional problem with that is it makes me less happy with the variety of plots. We have a lot of different threads in this book – we have the Rakshasa and his minions looking for the spirit seal, we have the Unicorn and the horn, we have the problem of the Cryptos and the unguarded portals, we have Morgaine and Titania, we have Camille with Smokey as well as big insights into Camille’s past. All of these plot lines add to the overall story and are wonderful threads of the plot that really go together well. And individually I like each one. They really add to the richness of the world and the much greater sense of the coming battle – but because the pacing is already slowed down by random domesticity it makes me less patient with anything that might stop the main plot line actually moving forwards.

Warehouse 13: Season 2, Episode 5: No Pain No Gain

We begin with a standard artefact collection with Myka and Claudia dressing up as Geishas  in order to intercept a sale. Nice, simple snatch and grab, interrupted by a phone call from Myka’s sister Tracy – she’s pregnant.

This brings Myka much glee that she shares with the team (Artie’s still grumpy) before going on another ping hunt – this time a hockey player has super healing and super strength in Canada. Questioning the players doesn’t get them anywhere. But checking the X-Ray of the player’s (Mike’s) arm Myka (she who overachieves and has a ridiculous number of qualifications to the point of parody) realises that this isn’t the arm of Mike, as she just shook hands with him. Tim to go steal the real records – and Pete, alas, doesn’t get chance to drive the Zamboni.

Examining Mike’s real records they find that his bones are broken – not just his arm, but his knee and his ribs. But the Artefact has caused his muscles to grow around the breaks to support them. Without them, the injuries he’s sustained should probably prevent him walking, let alone playing professional hockey. They break into the locker room but, again, none of his items can be gooed, there’s no Artefact. They do hear him having an argument in the shower, though, with a player who doesn’t understand what’s making Mike so strong. Pete breaks it up, but sees that in the showers he isn’t strong and he’s in pain – he consults with Myka on the idea that someone is using the Artefact on him, he’s not using one.

They confront the owner who is less than amused by Myka’s tactless accusations (is it just me, or is Myka becoming better academically but becoming more socially inept?) and points out he has several players injured – players who are better. So if he was doing anything he’d do it to them. They’re surprised Mike isn’t one of the best players – turns out he’s only great in home games.

So they cast their eyes on the rink and since he isn’t as good in practice, to the fans. Of course finding one fan among thousands is difficult so they arrange a trap – setting up a competition where a fan can win a dinner with him and arranging for him to fake a severe injury.

Mike and Myka continue to develop a very Rom Com attraction (as Pete points out and mocks and decides he’s the “Sassy best friend”. Do not get me started on the falsetto and the finger snaps) which means they kiss before the game – and end up on the kiss cam.

Pete starts searching people surreptitiously during the match to try and find the Artefact. One fan is notably Not Happy by Mike kissing Myka. When Mike is hurt, Myka suddenly has painful stomach cramps and staggers to the bathroom and calls Pete. He arrives to find Myka very very very heavily pregnant.

They contact Artie and he decides it’s probably a wish fulfilment Artefact (Myka angrily points out she didn’t wish for this and just because her little sister is pregnant doesn’t mean she wants to be. Which is good – we also play up the “hormonal pregnant lady” schtick, which is not) and someone has wished it on Myka.

Pete thinks and realises it was his wish. When searching people’s bags he saw a small boy and wondered if he’d ever have a kid because who would share his life. Then he realised someone did share his life and… Myka became pregnant. He thinks back to what he was touching – a key chain in a woman’s bag.

Grimm: Season 2, Episode 2: The Kiss

 "If a man of pure heart were to fall in love with her, that would bring her back to life.”

As of last week, the Mauvais Dentes leaped on Nick – he managed to avoid a killing strike and punched it, giving him chance to reach for his gun. The Mauvais Dentes runs and hides in the large, dark lumber mill and he, Nick and Nick’s mother all play cat and mouse through the shadows (running across the mangled bodies of the FBI agents in the process). Until Nick and the Mauvais Dentes  run into each other, Nick loses his gun and we get the epic fight scene – and either Mauvais Dentes have been seriously over-egged as “village killers” or Grimms are super-duper dangerous because they’re pretty even. Then Mummy Grimm shows up and they take times pounding it gloriously from both sides. Mummy Grimm holds him at knife point to asks questions (and gives far too much away in the processes) but the Mauvais Dentes breaks free – but gets a knife in the neck in the process which eventually kills him (after some dramatic staggering).

Mummy Grimm takes a nice fat roll of money off the Mauvais Dentes body and wants to find out who sent him – but Nick is running out the door, he has to get to Juliet

At the hospital, Rosalie and Eddie are worried, they have the potion for Juliet that will stop her degradation but Nick isn’t there – he only arrives within minutes of potion needing to be remade. They quickly run to Juliette’s room, a nurse protests but Mummy Grimm is there and she’s having none of it (oh I hope this character hangs around). The doctor also tries to stop Nick giving Juliette the eye-drops and runs straight into Mummy Grimm who sends him scurrying off to find security (damn I hope she hangs around).

Leaving the hospital Nick gets a call to a murder from Hank – at the lumber mill – 3 dead bodies including 2 FBI. Nick asks Eddie and Rosalie to give his mother a lift home (which is hilariously awkward). When they arrive, Rosalie makes a point of explaining to Mummy Grimm that Nick trusted Eddie enough to have him Wolge to Juliette so she could understand the full truth. Mummy Grimm says she doesn’t understand the relationship between Rosalie, Eddie and Nick – but maybe she doesn’t have to. Rosalie decides it’s hugging time, which Mummy Grimm endures – I don’t think she’s a hugger.

Review of Pulse Beneath the Sanguine Moon by Shannon Francisco

Every once and awhile, despite our best intentions, we come across a book that for various reasons, we simply cannot finish and unfortunately, Pulse falls into this category.  I kept waiting for the book to go somewhere, but it seemed irrevocably lost in the inane.  There was absolutely no sense of pacing, or any indication that it would ever verge away from insipid blather into a real plot.

The characters all presumably had to be at least 21, as they were legally drinking in a bar, but they spoke like they were 14.  I could tell that Francisco was going for edgy and slightly counter culture, but the writing fell flat time and time again. It further didn't help that Francisco introduced us to a plethora of characters, which quickly became hard to follow because there was  little characterization, which made all them all sort of morph into one.  We got tiny details about individual characters but they were nonsensical facts, which told you absolutely nothing about who they really were. Some of the relationships were explained with flashbacks, but the transition was clumsy and poorly written.

The main character, Skylar Roth, is one of the most irritating protagonists that I have come across in a long time. Much of her time seems to be spent either angsting about her ex boyfriend, or her current boyfriend Alekz.  I am going to stop for a second to ask what the point is of taking an ordinary name like Alex and spelling it differently is?  It's still going to be Alex.  Skylar and Alexz of course have their own relationship angst, when she discovers him levitating one day.  She then spends the next twenty-four hours obsessing, calling and texting him. She is extremely insecure about any woman who could possibly find Alexz attractive because other women are the competition. It is absolutely impossible for Skylar to have faith in Alekz's fidelity and she rumbles instead about girls needing to hop off her boyfriend's junk.

Sinbad, Season 1, Episode 7

 Team Evil staged a complete coup last week, with the Emir killed and Akbari and Taryn now in control of Basra. Through Taryn’s magic, she sent a distress call to Sinbad, apparently from his grandmother- and he returns, armed with Cook’s knife and accompanied by his friends, to the city.

Akbari, with Taryn urging him on, changes the grandiose plans the Emir had for the city, burning his planning model. Sinbad and his friends watch as centres of knowledge and learning are sacked inclusing the House of Wisdom, the books and scrolls burned and the academics arrested.

Taryn tells one professor that the places of learning were built on dark temples, in the hope of burying them. She is looking for them – including the Gateway to the Shadows, under the House of Wisdom. She continues to wave the reward of having Sinbad in front of Akbari to make him agree to her plans even when he has his doubts. She summons a big shadowy nasty-thing with a rock she finds under the House of Wisdom – which she uses to consume the old master of the House

Sinbad is drawn to protect an academic before the guards can hurt him – he starts losing the fight until Gunnar intercedes, reminding us again what a powerful warrior Gunnar is if he can step past his conscience. He demands Sinbad stick to the plan – find his family and leave the city – and not be distracted.

The academic they saved tells them the Emir is dead, that the old magic is returning and that scientists and scholars are now the enemy. This worries Anwar since his father is Professor of Wisdom and not safe. Anwar and Rina go to find Anwar’s family to bring them to the Providence.

Walking through Basra, the bustling, busy city we once saw is now near deserted, it’s quiet, the markets abandoned and many things destroyed in haste.

At Sinbad’s home he finds it deserted, just a scarf of his grandmothers which, when he touches it, his grandmother can feel it even in Taryn’s prison. Unfortunately so can Taryn. There’s also the shadowy symbol from the rock painted on the wall. Grandmother and Taryn duel with words, but she can’t escape Taryn’s magical prison.

Next step is for Sinbad to see his friend in the guards, Tazeem – and here there are lots of people, a huge number of guards. He tells him his mother is safe – but that his grandmother is prison of Akbari and he will execute her before he becomes Emir – an hour before nightfall. Sinbad begs Tazeem to get him into the palace.

Falling Skies, Season 2, Episode 10: A More Perfect Union

 Last week, Tom managed to effectively end the democracy of the remaining US government in, what, 3 days? I am impressed. Though, I suppose, to be fair we have to admit that the forces of democracy were doing a very good job of screwing themselves.

So we open with the coup. And General Bressler is making it clear that he’s doing this because he thinks the whole tactic of “let’s hide and pretend the aliens aren’t there” is not the wisest of military strategies. Tom, however, has principles (apparently. Last week I seem to recall him ignoring the civilian authorities and urging Bressler to do the same. That was different. Somehow) and doesn’t want a new US built on a military coup (hey, just a reminder guys, ALIENS. Nation building is a pipe dream when your species is near extinction). Tom, Weaver, Hal et al get themselves locked up again, this time by the military. Honestly, in the middle of a military coup and you piss of the civilian government and the military. Impressive.

But there’s another proximity alarm before people can be locked up. There’s chaos and screaming because the lunch hall is full of Skitters (and no-one is firing?)! Of course, it’s the rebels – including Ben and Red Eye. Tom tells Bressler to order his men to lower their weapons – which he doesn’t do. So Tom stands between the Skitters and Bressler – as does Ann and Lourdes. Followed by Weaver and the entire 2^nd Massachusetts.

Time for some diplomacy in a side office with Bressler, Tom, Weaver, Prestly, some extras and, of course, Red Eye and his little glow-in-the-dark translator, Ben. Time for an info-dump. The Ustheni (Overlords) are incredibly intelligent creatures that don’t need computers or the like – and one of them can have vast influence and control because of it. The Ovelord the 2^nd Massachusetts captured was in charge of all military operations in the Eastern US and probably should have been killed. They also don’t share information with anyone but other Overlords because they work through Harnessed species which can’t, entirely, be trusted – which means if you kill this Overlord, all military operations in the area falls apart since they don’t keep back ups.

This isn’t just a great big “damn guys, you screwed up,” because they have a second crack at the Overlord. He’s going to inspect the creation of a big big big weapon at a place that, coincidentally, has nice, sneaky caves under it, ideal for an assassination. Except the Harnessed Skitters don’t have the weapons (they had Mechs before…) and their harnesses will be detected anyway… the humans, however.

Bressler doesn’t believe it and refuses to send any troops – and wants everyone back in their cages. But Weaver points out the 2^nd Massachusetts can do it – and it’s not like Bressler wants them around being a nuisance anyway. So Bressler agrees – and when they’re gone he talks to his sergeant about hitting the Rebel Skitters.