The Walking Dead, Season 5, Episode 11: The Distance

Aaron is brought back to the barn where the gang has gathered where Aaron begins his pitch about how he lives in a totally cool place and he’d love them all to join because more people would be awesome. Rick punches him. Because Rick.

Michonne is not impressed, nor is Maggie. Rick searches Aaron’s stuff and finds a flare gun, pointing to him not being alone and, Aaron being conscious again, questions him about his fellows. Aaron rightly concludes it doesn’t matter what he says, Rick will assume he’s lying. Aaron tells them he has one companion and offers to drive them to the community. Rick still doesn’t trust him even as Aaron points out they’re in the most perfectly vulnerable position and if Aaron had a gang of people looking to ambush them, they’d be dead already

Michonne wants to follow it up even as Rick insists Aaron is lying. Michonne says it’s all well and good for rick to be that sure – but she isn’t. Maggie agrees. Rick warns of the danger – but Michonne hits back that passing up a place where they can live, including baby Judith, sounds pretty damn dangerous too. She also doesn’t ask – she makes it clear they need to check it out so that’s what they’re going to do, Glen seconds her. Rick sends Abraham and Rosita with them and organises the rest to spread out so the death trap isn’t so death-trappy; leaving himself with Aaron.

Who still thinks Rick is a good man.

Michonne and co walk and Glen says to shoot anyone they see – but Michonne questions this assumption that everyone is a risk. Though Glen does point out that they’re 5 people with guns, anyone approaching them isn’t friendly. And if they’re people like them, then they’re scary and on that note, glen doesn’t understand why the group would want people like them after what they’ve done. Michonne doesn’t agree at all – they saved a priest, a girl who joined the prisoner and “a crazy lady with a sword”.

As they talk, a man watches them

Back in the barn, Rick wants to feed crying Judith ground up acorns and Aaron offers a stash of apple sauce he brought (to prove they have apples). Rick is super paranoid and sure that Aaron wants to work a diabolical scheme involving poisoned babies and have brought apple sauce for just such an occasion! He forces Aaron to eat some of it despite his protests before feeding his baby.

This is a world that encourages caution. But this level of paranoia isn’t remotely reasonable.

Michonne fine an RV full of supplies and co run into a pack of Walkers  and it shows a lot that they all pull guns when they hear a noise – then put them away when it’s walkers. It’s like “oh just more silly zombies.” Rosita and Abraham kill them then have a moment together – with Abraham especially trying to rebuild their relationship after he lost it on Eugene.

Operation Arcana Anthology

Rules of Enchantment by David Klecha & Tobias S Buckell

The Damned One Hundred by Jonathan Maberry

Blood, Ash, Braids by Genevieve Valentine

Mercenary’s Honour by Elizabeth Moon

The Guns of the Waste by Django Wexler

The Graphology of Hemorrhage by Yoon Ha Lee

American Golem by Weston Ochse

Weapons in the Earth by Myke Cole

Heavy Sulfer by Ari Marmell

Steel Ships by Tanya Huff

Seal Skin by Carrie Vaughn

Pathfinder by T.C McCarthy

Bomber’s Moon by Simon R Green

In Skeleton Leaves by Seanan McGuire

Bone Eaters by Glen Cook

The Way Home by Linda Nagata

This anthology is connected by 2 things: soldiers and speculative fiction. Which is a pretty broad remit which I think is probably the main flaw of this book. It isn’t a major flaw because there is a lot of overlap in the speculative fiction fandom, but the bringing of high fantasy, sci-fi and urban fantasy together with such little connection doesn’t make it that coherent but I don’t think that’s especially needed; though some of the stories seem a bit out of place. I think it also helped that there are only 16 stories in this anthology – I’ve read a few lately that have a truly immense number of stories that tend to leave me thoroughly sick of the book before I’m half way through (and the fact I say “only” with 16 tells you how long they’ve been).

I’ll be honest, I kind of expected lots of action scenes and little in the way of plot – short stories and big epic fights don’t leave much room for anything else. Yes, I had low expectations (and a little semi-guilty expectation of shameless epicy action which, yes, I like, I admit it) and they were countered – a lot of these stories are surprisingly deep with either very original settings or fascinating conflicts.

In terms of original setting, I’m most impressed by In Skeleton Leaves by Seanan McGuire. A truly dark and downright disturbing retelling of Peter Pan and the Lost Boys war against the pirates. It’s dark, draws on some excellent elements of the Fisher King and is wonderfully thematic and dark and just plain eerie and slightly horrifying. It also has a fascinating retake on Wendy and Pan, turning them into titles – with male Wendys and female Pan being possible. It’s creepy and wonderful and shuddery-awesome

The Graphology of Hemorrhage by Yoon Ha Lee isn’t exactly an original setting per se – but the magic style of calligraphy presented is the most original concept in the book and related to, but utterly unlike anything I’ve read before. The art of written magic, of literature and culture and writing all underpinning magic which, in turn, comes at a terrible price for the caster is eerie and original and beautiful and, ultimately, tragic. The ending is desperately sad and bleak in its power. The wizard is a woman as well – and the characters are all East Asian.

I think Rules of Enchantment by David Klecha & Tobias S Buckell is probably the story I’d most want to see develop into a full novel and full series. Earth with portals opening up to a High Fantasy world with trolls and orcs invading Earth and human soldiers having to make alliances with elves and battle against the invaders. What I really like about it is the interesting way magic and technology meet – from helicopter gunships shooting trolls to using magic to give a military squad a more unified viewpoint and almost a hive mind. What I absolutely hate about this story, though, is it is written in the second person. This never ever ever ever works – I’ve never liked it. We follow one squad which includes a female soldier (who uses her mind bond to keep wandering-eyed men to focus) and it has a latino character as well.

The 100, Season 2, Episode 14: Bodyguard of Lies

Jaha and his happy pilgrimage towards a mythical city end up in the middle of a mine field. This is not the paradise they were looking for. Tragically, only extras are killed.

They decide to wait in the mine field all night until daylight shows them their footprints and a way out – but when dawn comes the sand has blown and moved, erasing their prints. But the sun does have a nice light display – they’ve found the city of light. This prompts Jaha to go all messianic on them – calling the mines a “test of faith”.

Uh-huh

Messiah Jaha leads them out of the wasteland. Next week he parts oceans and gets really pissy over cow statues.

But when they reach the top of the rise, they see light reflecting off the ground – no shiny city. But the light is reflecting on solar panels. Murphy has a fit of pique and breaks one and they’re surprised by a drone flying up from the panel array. Lead by Jaha, they follow it, watched by the drone’s camera

The drone flies over a lake, with a convenient boat left for them. Rather than shoddily convenient writing, Jaha calls this destiny.

Over to Mount Weather with evil president Cage looking the remnants of the 100 (or the 44 as they are now). Realising that they’re managing to hide because of sympathises, they decide to spread the knowledge that the 44 irradiated a level of the mountain and killed 10 soldiers. Cage isn’t worried about the army outside Mount Weather, confident the base’s defences will keep them safe behind the death fog

With that army, Clarke is fretting about their battle plans, waiting is letting her doubt a lot. Lexa advises against all the second guessing as it just wastes energy and she is an efficient robot. Clarke is especially worried about Bellamy while Lexa tells her hard truths about what it means to be a leader during a way, especially an inspiring one.

Clarke goes wandering and ends up talking to Octavia who knows there was something fishy about Clarke and Lexa surviving the missile hit. Clarke doesn’t deny anything and Octavia realises Clarke let all those people die – and was willing to let her die. Octavia isn’t impressed with Clarke deciding who is disposable and says “you would have fit right in on the council” which is both painful and accurate – and nicely runs on from Kane and Abbie’s realisations last episode. But Octavia will keep it secret

Urban Fantasy Award Voting! Part 2

The nominations are in for the Urban Fantasy Awards! These are the contenders for the GOLDEN FANGS awards - and the the DREAD FANPOODLE condemnation

Now it's time to place your votes! Who deserves our praise - or scorn?

The Dread Fanpoodles

Urban Fantasy Award Voting!

The nominations are in for the Urban Fantasy Awards! These are the contenders for the GOLDEN FANGS awards - and the the DREAD FANPOODLE condemnation

Now it's time to place your votes! Who deserves our praise - or scorn?

Golden Fangs!

Legacy (Require: Cookie Short) by Grace McDermott

Novellas are always tricky, especially for pre-established worlds, which is why I generally don’t like them. I often find it’s hard to make them pointful, it’s difficult to put something in such a short book that actually adds something meaningful to the overall world.

This is even more true for complicated world settings because you have so much to remind the reader of, so much relevant information to refresh, and little space in which to do it.

The Require: Cookie series seemed to be a particularly tall order. The world is huge, complicated, nuanced and requires a lot of concentration. I was dubious, I admit.

But it worked – it worked by not covering all the vastness of the world but by covering one, gritty, grim corner of it. It alludes to the hugeness of the System and the various supernatural beings out there, but all the reader need know is they exist, not the specific details of them. By resisting the urge to explain the fundamentals of the world it works. And it works because it’s a very personal story. This isn’t a story of the world, the setting, how anything works – this is the story of Rhys. We don’t need the details of the bigger picture – just that there is a bigger picture and that Rhys doesn’t fit in it.

Because Rhys‘s story is also a nice snap shot into the history of the world. If you’ve read the original story, we know about Agents, the enforcers, police and general facilitators of the System who generally make things works. But the Agents in that book are very modern in their outlook and feel; this is a nice insight into what came before and how the System updates itself and how it needs different agents/employees/enforcers as the world changes

If you haven’t read that book, it still works as we look at the updating of agents of the powers that be, as bewinged angels give way to dark and gritty Duskers who in turn fall back to the precise and robotic Agents. It works as a concept even without the excellent back story.

Forever, Season 1, Episode 16: Memories of Murder

We have a woman setting up to meet someone, putting in lots of effort – when her phone rings. She’s hidden it and quickly snatches it up and argues with the person on the other end who apparently keeps calling her. The door opens and she drops the phone and apologises to the person joining her

And we cut to a crime scene in a dump by the river and her murdered body. Jo and Hanson snark (her crime scenes are always in nice places, his always dumps). Jo notes the woman’s clothes and hair are very 70s. Hanson and Joe continue to snark – they should snark more often.

Over to Henry and Abraham and Abraham digging up a lot of sentimental stuff from his attic which he doesn’t value very much (like bronzed child booties) and, much more poignantly, Abigail’s cookbook; Abraham quickly pulls back his “junk” comments. This brings us to this week’s theme and Henry’s voice over – nostalgia, remembering or forgetting the past

To the morgue and examining 70s lady’s body and Henry gets all Henry-ish about her perfectly period she is – not only looking 70s but using genuine 70s products, some of which are discontinued or banned. He concludes, with the photographs, that she’s the object of someone’s obsessive fantasy

Jo fills in Reece so we can have a bit more snark (more snark!) and then Henry and Jo go off to interview the dead woman’s, Sarah, room mate. Jennifer mentions how Sarah had changed, becoming secretive and obsessed with one class, dropping the rest

To that course where there’s a lecture of sexual fantasies – led by Iona, Molly, professor Dawes; the dominatrix. Henry is full on I’m-going-to-be-professionaly-while-being-transparently-into-you.

They talk to her about Sarah and Molly tells them Sarah asked some advice about being in an unconventional roleplay relationship.

Lucas and Hanson examine the crime scene (and are actually kind of fun together) and get an address from some mail – so off Henry and Jo go and find a flat that’s a 70s time capsule. Complete with blood stain. There’s also an old polaroid, one actually from the 70s, of a woman who looks a lot like Sarah even wearing the same dress.

Time for some more Henry and Abraham moments – Abraham teasing Henry about his love life and a flashback to Henry and Abigail – but long after the war, when Abigail was no longer a young woman and Henry still looked young. Abigail was very self-conscious about what people would think seeing them together.

Back to the investigation and they find a video – an audition video – from Sarah to whoever was fantasising over her. Henry keeps pushing to have Molly involved which is kind of cute, especially with Jo being all knowing and indulgent over it. So consulting and flirting time and making the not particularly surprising conclusion that the fantasy is about recreating a memory – which has them analysing more details in the audition video and Henry’s mega-memory and experience suggesting a date and time.

Cover Review

Vision in Silver (The Others #3) by Anne Bishop

Sadly, I don’t like this on any level. If I didn’t know the book, it’s too uninformative - it’s just Meg’s face, it tells me nothing about the book, it’s topics, themes, or even genre.

And as someone who has read the books, this is probably how someone would paint Meg if they heard her physically described, but not if they read the book. Meg died her hair red in a clumsy botched attempt at a disguise - she didn’t got to a salon. I can’t imagine her wearing that much make up - and her expression, direct, confident and almost sexual seems very un-Megy. What is that expression anyway? It’s Meg physically but nothing like the character we’ve grown to know and love

Free Agent (Grimm Agency #1) by J.C. Nelson

Hip thrust! Wind blown hair! Casually held weapon! Jeans tight enough to be uncomfortable! Leather! Random swirly stuff in the background. It’s like a paint-by-the-numbers-Urban Fantasy cover!