strange and random happenstance

I've been a fan of Hayley Atwell's for what seems like forever, but looking at her credits it's been about twenty years starting with the Sally Lockhart films. But it was her portrayal of Agent Carter, giving us a non-superpowered kick-ass female lead in the male dominated Marvel universe that forever made me a fan. That and her hilarious lip-synch videos and self-deprecating social media presence. So I was aware of The Long Song since the day it first started filming back in 2018. And since the day later in 2018 that it aired in England. Nowadays with shows being shown almost simultaneously stateside thanks to premium cable channels and services like BritBox I kept waiting for The Long Song to finally air here. And I waited. And I waited. Seriously, Howards End with Hayley's portrayal of Margaret Schlegel ran on Starz and even re-aired TWICE on PBS and still I waited for The Long Song. Until finally it was announced as part of Masterpiece's 51st season in 2021. I would finally get to see the adaptation of Andrea Levy's book! And ironically, considering how long I waited to see this, I think 2021 was the perfect time for it to air. Right when America finally said enough and embraced Black Lives Matter on a scale it should have always been embraced. Though sadly since that time we've regressed, and it's more important than ever to look back and see the horrors of what we have done in the past and continue to do in the present. To know that this is our history. This happened and if certain people in power have their way it will happen again. To not flinch away from uncomfortable truths. And the truth of the matter is Hayley is nothing more than odious comic relief, as she should be in this setting. As she herself said "I play a heinous, vile old cow [as] Variety reviews my portrayal: 'an actor who typically radiates warmth, does a remarkable job of curdling the atmosphere of every room unlucky enough to have Caroline in it.'" And her partner in crime is Jack Lowden as the ambitious Robert Goodwin. If you've fallen for him as River Cartwright on Slow Horses, well, here you get to see his true acting chops, joining Hayley in camp odious and vile. I wish I could say I knew then that he'd be a star, but I so didn't. Because the real star of The Long Song is Tamara Lawrance as July. A slave who was taken away from her mother to be a plaything for Caroline. Who, despite everything, is a source of joy. Her life keeps beating her down again and again yet she is a "joyous survivor" as one reviewer said. And that's the heart of The Long Song, showing the horrors unflinchingly but celebrating the joy of surviving and creating a better world. Here's hoping we can rebuild and make a better world together.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Agent Carter, Andrea Levy, Black Lives Matter, Fifty-Five Years a Masterpiece, Hayley Atwell, Howards End, Jack Lowden, July, Marvel, Masterpiece, Sally Lockhart, Slavery, Slow Horses, Starz, Survivor, Tamara Lawrance, The Long Song

I grew up during the height of Hulkamania, and yes, I am purposely misapply the name to the Bill Bixby/Lou Ferrigno version of The Incredible Hulk even if it technically preceded the official start date of the Vince McMahon/Hulk Hogan propaganda machine by about a year. So Hulkamania, for me, meant that I was living a terrifying nightmare. The Incredible Hulk started the year before I was born and ended when I was three. Yet somehow I saw it. I have no fond memories of the show, watching a normal human turn into a giant green monster which I totally believed was real and was out to kill everyone was like watching my nightmares become real. In fact all my earliest nightmares involved superheroes who were evil, make of that what you will. Lou Ferrigno painted green with what was that, a wig, or did they just dye his hair green, was too much for me. To this day the opening credits are triggering. This has led to me never really liking the Hulk. I've seen none of the movies where Hulk stared, I've only seen the ones where he's a secondary character. Friends were like Ang Lee has made a Hulk film, you loved Sense and Sensibility so let's go! And that was a hard no from me. So yes, my decision to watch She-Hulk does seem like an odd one, because she's basically just sexy hulk, which to me is a total contradiction of everything I believe in. And also I'm not the biggest fan of Tatiana Maslany. I'm sorry, I just DO NOT get all the love for Orphan Black. I tried. I really did, but like the accents were too much of the comedic stereotype variety, and not in a good way, not that there's any way cultural stereotypes are good. And they're literally rebooting it, I just can not. And then the trailer for She-Hulk dropped. And oh my, the CGI fail was so hard it was ridiculous. Seriously, what was going on with her hair? Was she underwater? All this goes to show that I had no expectations of this show being in any way watchable so I was more than pleasantly surprised. I couldn't believe that She-Hulk became a show I looked forward to every week. She-Hulk!?! It's funny, it's irreverent, she smashes the forth wall and Daredevil! But what really sold me on it from that first night of watching was how Jennifer Walters was able to instantly control her ability to Hulk out because being a woman means you always are holding the rage in. This show was written for all the women out there who were like, nothing in the Marvel universe has spoken to me, it's too dark, it's too depressing, and it's not written for us. Which is why all the manbabies out there are freaking out over it. I'm sorry, but this show wasn't for you, it never was, it was for me, cheesy CGI that somehow fits the show's aesthetic and all. So in answer to the question posed by the finale title, "Whose Show Is This?" It's mine! Which means I get Wongers and Madisynn! Have any objection and I'll smash you!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Ang Lee, CGI, Comedy, Daredevil, Jennifer Walters, Lou Ferrigno, Madisynn, Marvel, MCU, Orphan Black, Sense and Sensibility, She-Hulk, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Tatiana Maslany, The Incredible Hulk, Wongers

Now while I am a big comic book fan I'm not really into the MCU. There are characters I like and characters I could do without. And I'm here with open arms for the X-Men. Just be nothing like the movies that have come before. Though Hugh Jackman is welcome back anytime. And I have a shocking confession, I have never watched nor plan to watch Avengers: Endgame. Which is problematic on many levels because that movie is so important to the building of Marvel's multiverse and the roll out of whatever phase we are now in. We're in Phase Four right? Right? So the truth of the matter is that the more entwined the universe is becoming the less likely I am to engage with it. The only movie I am actually looking forward to is Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3... Kind of. I have Chris Pratt issues, as we all should. But there is one show I COULD NOT miss, and that was Moon Knight. Why? Well, Egypt and Oscar Isaac! I adore all things to do with Egyptian mythology and I adore Oscar Isaac, so this show was a no-brainer. I had to watch it. But here was the most amazing and welcome discovery when I started watching it, it stands alone. You don't need to be versed in the MCU lore, you don't need any other experience with anything Marvel. It stands completely on it's own and is marvelous. Everything you need to know about the world is given to you in a way that fully explains it without it feeling too much like exposition or like it's talking down to you. In fact, my father who sometimes has a hard time following the more fantastical shows I watch understood and loved this show. The world is wonderfully complete and is believable. Egyptian Gods have avatars who act on their behalf and Oscar Isaac and his three personalities act on behalf of Khonshu. That's it. Throw in another human who wants to be the avatar for a rather problematic God and you have the conflict for the series. But the real conflict is two of Oscar Isaac's personalities. The main personality, Marc Spector, developed another identity to protect himself from childhood abuse at the hand of his mother. The Steven Grant personality is Oscar at his most dorky, a lovely British mama's boy who is very much Oscar channeling some serious Bruce Campbell awkward Ash Williams energy. As one review said, the chemistry between Oscar Isaac and Oscar Isaac is amazing. If he doesn't win an Emmy for this he was robbed. And are we in an Ethan Hawke Renaissance? Because his role as Harrow was again perfection. I literally can't think of another actor who could have had the presence to match Oscar, but Ethan does it perfectly. In fact, this is a near perfect series, even the music. Oh, I hope we get more, but if this is all, it was done so so right.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: And the Emmy Goes To, Ash Williams, Chris Pratt, Egypt, Ethan Hawke, Guardians of the Galaxy, Hugh Jackman, Khonshu, Marc Spector, Marvel, MCU, Moon Knight, Oscar Isaac, Steven Grant, The Evil Dead, X-Men

Well if you are really into crime or comic books this past year's swath of television adaptations has been for you. It seems like weekly Marvel is dropping another show on Disney+, and I don't just mean new episodes, but whole new shows. What have we had so far? Hawkeye, Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel, with She-Hulk and her horrible CGI still to come? And that's not even counting other comic book adaptations from The Boys to The Umbrella Academy to Locke and Key to Paper Girls. As for keeping up with criminal activities, what with so many British imports showing up on a plethora of streaming platforms, I feel like I've spent the last year adding and dropping services just so I could watch them all! And I've barely dented the surface with more being released every week! But I will say this, moody period crime and Roger Allam are all you really need to satisfy me. And yes, the moody period piece I'm talking about oddly is different from the Roger Allam one I am talking about. But one thing was certain about this years adaptations, some really knocked it out of the park and some barely made it to first base. There were a few shows I was dying to see, and well, was occasionally pleasantly surprised. But if there's one thing I know, I'll keep watching and judging adaptations for as long as they make them. And let's put it this way, Hollywood rarely has any original ideas, so adaptations will always be here! But are any of them prizeworthy? Well just have to watch and see...   

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Adaptation, And the Emmy Goes To, British, Comics, Crime, Emmy Award, Hawkeye, Locke and Key, Marvel, Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel, Mysteries, Paper Girls, Roger Allam, She-Hulk, Streaming, The Boys, The Umbrella Academy

Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron by Julia Quinn and Violet Charles
Published by: Avon
Publication Date: May 10th, 2022
Format: Paperback, 160 Pages
Rating: ★★
To Buy

Priscilla Butterworth's luck has never been the best. She was born in a small town the day before the pox arrived. She lost almost her entire family. Her mother and grandmother mercifully survived and then thrived turning the family coffin business into a hostelry. But everything went downhill one day when Priscilla was almost killed by a wild boar. A kindly older man saved her but sadly died in an attempt to vault over the boar to save himself. His two grandsons were devastated by the loss while Priscilla was soon to regret her survival as her mother was carted off to prison due to tax evasion. At least Priscilla had her grandmother she thought. She did try to always look on the bright side. But her grandmother had a secret, she was dying of consumption. Therefore she sent Priscilla to live with family, her brother's son's wife. This callous lady wanted nothing to due with Priscilla but decided she and her three daughters could do with a servant and so Priscilla was allowed to stay on. But one day when Priscilla was left behind to clean the house while her family vacationed Priscilla snuck out to see her mother in prison. And she couldn't just leave her there! What kind of daughter would she be? Therefore using a washerwoman's cart she breaks her mother out of prison. They might have nothing but each other but will that stop them? No it won't! They will become pirate queens and sail the high seas and make their fortune! Sadly, that future isn't to come. As they sit under the very tree where Priscilla was saved by that kindly older man from the boar her mother is killed by pigeons. While Priscilla has both her legs broken by a runaway cart. She drags herself and her mother's body back to her relatives and begs to be taken back in. They reluctantly accept and she pays for her keep by keeping bees. But she overhears a plan to do away with her so that the money wasted on Priscilla can go to new dresses. She comes up with an elaborate plan to sell the honey in Brighton but uses the trip to escape, but it's a dark and stormy night when she stumbles on the Baron's estate. And that is when her story and her happily ever after really start.

The origins of this book are both bitter and sweet, much like Priscilla Butterworth's story. Julia Quinn created this book with her younger sister Violet Charles, though Quinn is quick to point out that really, this is Violet's baby. Which makes it all the more sad that she didn't live to see it published, being killed in a car crash last year by a drunk driver along with her father, her beloved dog, and her husband, who died later from injuries sustained in the crash. Just the facts of this book's release have me tearing up. Miss Butterworth's story? Neither in sadness or mirth. Sadly. So who will like this book? Well, the Briderton fans, which are legion, because this book is not for the graphic novel aficionados. The main problem lies in the fact that I'm just not a fan of Violet Charles's artwork. I feel eyes should be where eyes should be and anatomy is important. If this artwork was to succeed the writing needed to be far crisper and over-the-top. Just look to Kate Beaton, she of Hark! A Vagrant fame. Kate Beaton's art is very rough and stylized and yet it just works. Her style and writing fit together like peanut butter and jelly or pastries and gooseberries as the case may be. Whereas Violet Charles's style is cartoonish, and not in a good way. Kind of like Adam Ellis, whose work is good but best in small doses. Or like that Sense and Sensibility graphic novel Marvel released a few years ago which missed the mark so badly and very much because of the art. And this disparity for who will like this book and who won't is problematic for me because I fall on the graphic novel end of the spectrum because I've only been a Bridgerton fan for a year and a graphic novel addict my entire life. I have favorite artists and creators I follow just for the look if not for the story as well. I have high expectations in art and this just didn't float my boat. And as for the story? I kind of wish it had stuck more to what we know the plot was from what Hyacinth and Lady Danbury have said. There needed to be more hills, more than one cliff, and Priscilla needed to be a little stupider and not so resilient. Personally, what I think would fix it would be annotations by Lady Danbury. That would be enough.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Adam Ellis, Graphic Novel, Hark a Vagrant, Hyacinth Bridgerton, Julia Quinn, Kate Beaton, Lady Danbury, Marvel, Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron, Pigeons, Priscilla Butterworth, Regency Romp, Violet Charles

I've been a fan of Hayley Atwell's for what seems like forever, but looking at her credits it's been about fifteen years starting with the Sally Lockhart films. But it was her portrayal of Agent Carter, giving us a non-superpowered kick-ass female lead in the male dominated Marvel universe that forever made me a fan. That and her hilarious lip-synch videos and self-deprecating social media presence. So I was aware of The Long Song since the day it first started filming back in 2018. And since the day later in 2018 that it aired in England. Nowadays with shows being shown almost simultaneously stateside thanks to premium cable channels and services like BritBox I kept waiting for The Long Song to finally air here. And I waited. And I waited. Seriously, Howards End with Hayley's portrayal of Margaret Schlegel ran on Starz and even re-aired TWICE on PBS and still I waited for The Long Song. Until finally it was announced as part of Masterpiece's 51st season. I would finally get to see the adaptation of Andrea Levy's book! And ironically, considering how long I waited to see this, I think now was the perfect time for it to air. Right when America finally said enough and embraced Black Lives Matter on a scale it should have always been embraced it's more important than ever to look back and see the horrors of what we have done in the past. To not flinch away from uncomfortable truths. And the truth of the matter is Hayley is nothing more than odious comic relief, as she should be in this setting. As she herself said "I play a heinous, vile old cow [as] Variety reviews my portrayal: 'an actor who typically radiates warmth, does a remarkable job of curdling the atmosphere of every room unlucky enough to have Caroline in it.'" The real star is Tamara Lawrance as July. A slave who was taken away from her mother to be a plaything for Caroline. Who, despite everything, is a source of joy. Her life keeps beating her down again and again yet she is a "joyous survivor" as one reviewer said. And that's the heart of The Long Song, showing the horrors unflinchingly but celebrating the joy of surviving and creating a better world.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Agent Carter, And the Emmy Goes To, Andrea Levy, Black Lives Matter, BritBox, Hayley Atwell, Howards End, July, Marvel, Masterpiece, PBS, Sally Lockhart, Slavery, Starz, Survivor, Tamara Lawrance, The Long Song

There's nothing nicer than a pleasant surprise and that's exactly what Stargirl turned out to be. Ever since the end of Smallville I haven't been a fan of the direction all the DC series have taken on the CW. I swear I tried to like them, but after I think only three episodes of Arrow I was done. That was it with me and DC. I declared myself a Marvel girl and moved on. That is until this most recent "Crisis on Infinite Earths." Yes, they lured me back in with bringing back Tom Welling! Damn you CW! But add to that Brandon Routh returning as Superman, Wil Wheaton as a doomsday protestor, Russell Tovey, Kevin Conroy as the bleakest Batman you could imagine, Ezra Miller, and Lucifer Morningstar himself, Tom Ellis, and I couldn't NOT watch! While the cameos were fantastic, the episodes were lackluster, reinforcing my opinion of the DC universe on the CW. Yet the Crisis Aftermath show hosted by Kevin Smith dissecting the episodes and seriously geeking out were wonderful. It was during this that I first heard of Stargirl. Geoff Johns, the creator of Stargirl, was on discussing his work on everything DC from Smallville to Doom Patrol. I was interested because he talked about how he turned a personal tragedy, the death of his sister Courtney on TWA Flight 800, into creating a new brand of superhero with Courtney Whitmore, AKA Stargirl. Now this could be something I could get into I said to myself. He might have also mentioned Luke Wilson... I'm hazy on that part. Mmm, Luke Wilson. Anyway when the show came around my DVR was ready and yet it took me a few weeks to finally bite the bullet. What if the CW let me down, again? Then oddly my rewatching of Upstairs, Downstairs forced my hand, how could I resist the chauffeur becoming the villain? I was delightfully surprised. This show reminds me of Smallville at it's best. It's earnest without being cloying. It's dark without being bleak. It's a light in the darkness that we're all facing right now. Even if I'm a little shaken that I'm now the age of the parents on this type of show, Stargirl is a show I'm very glad will be coming back to the small screen with a second season and MORE Joel McHale! Joel's the original Starman, FYI.        

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: And the Emmy Goes To, Courtney Whitmore, CW, DC, Geoff Johns, Joel McHale, Kevin Conroy, Kevin Smith, Luke Wilson, Marvel, Russell Tovey, Smallville, Stargirl, Tom Ellis, Tom Welling, Upstairs Downstairs, Wil Wheaton

Dragon Teeth by Michael Crichton
Published by: Harper
Publication Date: May 23rd, 2017
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Michael Crichton, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Jurassic Park, returns to the world of paleontology in this recently discovered novel—a thrilling adventure set in the Wild West during the golden age of fossil hunting.

The year is 1876. Warring Indian tribes still populate America’s western territories even as lawless gold-rush towns begin to mark the landscape. In much of the country it is still illegal to espouse evolution. Against this backdrop two monomaniacal paleontologists pillage the Wild West, hunting for dinosaur fossils, while surveilling, deceiving and sabotaging each other in a rivalry that will come to be known as the Bone Wars.

Into this treacherous territory plunges the arrogant and entitled William Johnson, a Yale student with more privilege than sense. Determined to survive a summer in the west to win a bet against his arch-rival, William has joined world-renowned paleontologist Othniel Charles Marsh on his latest expedition. But when the paranoid and secretive Marsh becomes convinced that William is spying for his nemesis, Edwin Drinker Cope, he abandons him in Cheyenne, Wyoming, a locus of crime and vice. William is forced to join forces with Cope and soon stumbles upon a discovery of historic proportions. With this extraordinary treasure, however, comes exceptional danger, and William’s newfound resilience will be tested in his struggle to protect his cache, which pits him against some of the West’s most notorious characters.

A page-turner that draws on both meticulously researched history and an exuberant imagination, Dragon Teeth is based on the rivalry between real-life paleontologists Cope and Marsh; in William Johnson readers will find an inspiring hero only Michael Crichton could have imagined. Perfectly paced and brilliantly plotted, this enormously winning adventure is destined to become another Crichton classic."

New Michael Crichton!!! Muppet arm flail!!!

The Only Child by Andrew Pyper
Published by: Simon and Schuster
Publication Date: May 23rd, 2017
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The #1 internationally bestselling author of The Demonologist radically reimagines the origins of gothic literature’s founding masterpieces—Frankenstein, Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and Dracula—in a contemporary novel driven by relentless suspense and surprising emotion. This is the story of a man who may be the world’s one real-life monster, and the only woman who has a chance of finding him.

As a forensic psychiatrist at New York’s leading institution of its kind, Dr. Lily Dominick has evaluated the mental states of some of the country’s most dangerous psychotics. But the strangely compelling client she interviewed today—a man with no name, accused of the most twisted crime—struck her as somehow different from the others, despite the two impossible claims he made.

First, that he is more than two hundred years old and personally inspired Mary Shelley, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Bram Stoker in creating the three novels of the nineteenth century that define the monstrous in the modern imagination. Second, that he’s Lily’s father. To discover the truth—behind her client, her mother’s death, herself—Dr. Dominick must embark on a journey that will threaten her career, her sanity, and ultimately her life.

Fusing the page-turning tension of a first-rate thriller with a provocative take on where thrillers come from, The Only Child will keep you up until its last unforgettable revelation."

For some reason I really like reimaginings of Dr. Jekyll... like A LOT. 

Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare
Published by: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Publication Date: May 23rd, 2017
Format: Hardcover, 720 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Sunny Los Angeles can be a dark place indeed in Cassandra Clare’s Lord of Shadows, the sequel to the #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling Lady Midnight. Lord of Shadows is a Shadowhunters novel.

Emma Carstairs has finally avenged her parents. She thought she’d be at peace. But she is anything but calm. Torn between her desire for her parabatai Julian and her desire to protect him from the brutal consequences of parabatai relationships, she has begun dating his brother, Mark. But Mark has spent the past five years trapped in Faerie; can he ever truly be a Shadowhunter again?

And the faerie courts are not silent. The Unseelie King is tired of the Cold Peace, and will no longer concede to the Shadowhunters’ demands. Caught between the demands of faerie and the laws of the Clave, Emma, Julian, and Mark must find a way to come together to defend everything they hold dear—before it’s too late."

Yes, I know, I hate this series... but it's like a car wreck... I just can't look away...

Rich People Problems by Kevin Kwan
Published by: Doubleday
Publication Date: May 23rd, 2017
Format: Hardcover, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Kevin Kwan, bestselling author of Crazy Rich Asians and China Rich Girlfriend, is back with an uproarious new novel of a family riven by fortune, an ex-wife driven psychotic with jealousy, a battle royal fought through couture gown sabotage, and the heir to one of Asia's greatest fortunes locked out of his inheritance.

When Nicholas Young hears that his grandmother, Su Yi, is on her deathbed, he rushes to be by her bedside—but he's not alone. The entire Shang-Young clan has convened from all corners of the globe to stake claim on their matriarch’s massive fortune. With each family member vying to inherit Tyersall Park—a trophy estate on 64 prime acres in the heart of Singapore—Nicholas’s childhood home turns into a hotbed of speculation and sabotage. As her relatives fight over heirlooms, Astrid Leong is at the center of her own storm, desperately in love with her old sweetheart Charlie Wu, but tormented by her ex-husband—a man hell bent on destroying Astrid’s reputation and relationship. Meanwhile Kitty Pong, married to China’s second richest man, billionaire Jack Bing, still feels second best next to her new step-daughter, famous fashionista Colette Bing. A sweeping novel that takes us from the elegantly appointed mansions of Manila to the secluded private islands in the Sulu Sea, from a kidnapping at Hong Kong’s most elite private school to a surprise marriage proposal at an Indian palace, caught on camera by the telephoto lenses of paparazzi, Kevin Kwan's hilarious, gloriously wicked new novel reveals the long-buried secrets of Asia's most privileged families and their rich people problems."

Crazy Rich Asians has been not picked in our book club hat so many times I am trying to jump start it now with the ARC request. As of the moment I'm typing this I still haven't started, but I will!

Jessica Jones: Uncaged! by Brian Michael Bendis
Published by: Marvel
Publication Date: May 23rd, 2017
Format: Paperback, 136 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"After a decade, Jessica Jones is back in her own solo series! A lot has changed in the Marvel Universe and there are many secrets hiding in the shadows - secrets only a special woman like Jessica Jones can hope to uncover. Alias Investigations is open for business, and of all the many mysteries to discover, her new case may be the most dangerous one! This blistering new series is filled with haunting revelations from Jessica's past, and answers to some of the biggest questions about the new Marvel NOW! universe! From Jessica Jones' original creators comes an all-new chapter in the world-famous private eye's ongoing adventures!"

Here's the thing... the Jessica Jones series, awesome, the comics... not so much. So with most people knowing the show and not the comics, I'm guessing this isn't going to be that well liked... Also why does Jessica look EXACTLY like Gina Bellman from Coupling? 

Sidney Chambers and the Persistence of Love by James Runcie
Published by: Bloomsbury USA
Publication Date: May 23rd, 2017
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The eagerly anticipated sixth installment in the Grantchester Mysteries series, now a major PBS television series as well. The sixth book in the James Runcie's much-loved Granchester Mystery series, which has been adapted for Masterpiece's Grantchester starring James Norton, sees full-time priest, part-time detective Sidney Chambers plunged back into sleuthing when he discovers a body in a bluebell wood. It is May 1971 and the Cambridgeshire countryside is bursting into summer. Attending to his paternal duties, Archdeacon Sidney Chambers is walking in the woods with his daughter Anna and their aging Labrador, Byron, when they stumble upon a body. Beside the dead man lies a basket of wild flowers, all poisonous. And so it is that Sidney is thrust into another murder investigation, entering a world of hippies, folk singers, and psychedelic plants, where love triangles and permissive behavior seem to hide something darker. Despite the tranquil appearance of the Diocese of Ely, there is much to keep Sidney and his old friend, Detective Inspector Geordie Keating, as busy as ever. An historic religious text vanishes from a Cambridge college; Sidney's former flame, Amanda Richmond, gets a whiff of art-world corruption; and his nephew disappears in the long, hot summer of 1976. Meanwhile, Sidney comes face to face with the divine mysteries of life and love while wrestling with earthly problems--from parish scandals and an alarmingly progressive new secretary to his own domestic misdemeanors, the challenges of parenthood and a great loss."

Yeah Sidney! I'm ALWAYS ready for more Sidney!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Andrew Pyper, Cassandra Clare, Dark Artifices, Dragon Teeth, Grantchester, James Runcie, Jekyll and Hyde, Jessica Jones, Kevin Kwan, Marvel, Michael Crichton, Rich People Problems, Sidney Chambers, The Only Child

My Not So Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella
Published by: The Dial Press
Publication Date: February 7th, 2017
Format: Hardcover, 448 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Part love story, part workplace drama, this sharply observed novel is a witty critique of the false judgments we make in a social-media-obsessed world. New York Times bestselling author Sophie Kinsella has written her most timely novel yet.

Everywhere Katie Brenner looks, someone else is living the life she longs for, particularly her boss, Demeter Farlowe. Demeter is brilliant and creative, lives with her perfect family in a posh townhouse, and wears the coolest clothes. Katie’s life, meanwhile, is a daily struggle—from her dismal rental to her oddball flatmates to the tense office politics she’s trying to negotiate. No wonder Katie takes refuge in not-quite-true Instagram posts, especially as she's desperate to make her dad proud.

Then, just as she’s finding her feet—not to mention a possible new romance—the worst happens. Demeter fires Katie. Shattered but determined to stay positive, Katie retreats to her family’s farm in Somerset to help them set up a vacation business. London has never seemed so far away—until Demeter unexpectedly turns up as a guest. Secrets are spilled and relationships rejiggered, and as the stakes for Katie’s future get higher, she must question her own assumptions about what makes for a truly meaningful life.

Sophie Kinsella is celebrated for her vibrant, relatable characters and her great storytelling gifts. Now she returns with all of the wit, warmth, and wisdom that are the hallmarks of her bestsellers to spin this fresh, modern story about presenting the perfect life when the reality is far from the truth."

I always love a non-Shopaholic Sophie Kinsella book!

The Bertie Project by Alexander McCall Smith
Published by: Anchor
Publication Date: February 7th, 2017
Format: Paperback, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Our beloved cast of characters are back, as are the joys and trials of life at 44 Scotland Street in this latest installment of Alexander McCall Smith’s delightfully charming series.

Bertie’s mother, Irene, returns from the Middle East to discover that, in her absence, her son has been exposed to the worst of evils—television shows, ice cream parlors, and even unsanctioned art at the National Portrait Gallery. Her wrath descends on Bertie’s long-suffering father, Stuart. But Stuart has found a reason to spend more time outside of the house and seems to have a new spring in his step. What does this mean for the residents of 44 Scotland Street?

The winds of change have come to the others as well. Angus undergoes a spiritual transformation after falling victim to an unexpected defenestration. Bruce has fallen in a rather different sense for a young woman who is determined to share with him her enthusiasm for extreme sports. Matthew and Elspeth have a falling out with their triplets’ au pair, while Big Lou continues to fall in love with her new role as a mother. And as Irene resumes work on what she calls her Bertie Project, reinstating Bertie’s Italian lessons, yoga classes, and psychotherapy, Bertie begins to hatch a project of his own—one that promises freedom."

You know, the months between this releasing in England and in the US is an excruciating wait! 

The Impossible Fortress by Jason Rekulak
Published by: Simon and Schuster
Publication Date: February 7th, 2017
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A dazzling debut novel—at once a charming romance and a moving coming-of-age story—about what happens when a fourteen-year-old boy pretends to seduce a girl to steal a copy of Playboy but then discovers she is his computer-loving soulmate.

Billy Marvin’s first love was a computer. Then he met Mary Zelinsky.

Do you remember your first love?

The Impossible Fortress begins with a magazine…The year is 1987 and Playboy has just published scandalous photographs of Vanna White, from the popular TV game show Wheel of Fortune. For three teenage boys—Billy, Alf, and Clark—who are desperately uneducated in the ways of women, the magazine is somewhat of a Holy Grail: priceless beyond measure and impossible to attain. So, they hatch a plan to steal it.

The heist will be fraught with peril: a locked building, intrepid police officers, rusty fire escapes, leaps across rooftops, electronic alarm systems, and a hyperactive Shih Tzu named Arnold Schwarzenegger. Failed attempt after failed attempt leads them to a genius master plan—they’ll swipe the security code to Zelinsky’s convenience store by seducing the owner’s daughter, Mary Zelinsky. It becomes Billy’s mission to befriend her and get the information by any means necessary. But Mary isn’t your average teenage girl. She’s a computer loving, expert coder, already strides ahead of Billy in ability, with a wry sense of humor and a hidden, big heart. But what starts as a game to win Mary’s affection leaves Billy with a gut-wrenching choice: deceive the girl who may well be his first love or break a promise to his best friends.

At its heart, The Impossible Fortress is a tender exploration of young love, true friends, and the confusing realities of male adolescence—with a dash of old school computer programming."

This sounds like such a cute coming of age story. Plus, the eighties are SO in right now!

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: Squirrel Meets World by Shannon and Dean Hale
Published by: Marvel Press
Publication Date: February 7th, 2017
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A 320-page Middle Grade Novel telling an original "tail" of Marvel's cute, quirky, and downright furry Super Heroine--Squirrel Girl!"

Um... Marvel... you might want to work on your description for this book... esp. because your description has the page count wrong. 

Fuku Fuku: Kitten Tales 2 by Konami Kanata
Published by: Vertical Comics
Publication Date: February 7th, 2017
Format: Paperback, 160 Pages
To Buy

I am ALWAYS up for a new Konami Kanata cat book. ALWAYS!

Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman
Published by: W. W. Norton and Company
Publication Date: February 7th, 2017
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Introducing an instant classic―master storyteller Neil Gaiman presents a dazzling version of the great Norse myths.

Neil Gaiman has long been inspired by ancient mythology in creating the fantastical realms of his fiction. Now he turns his attention back to the source, presenting a bravura rendition of the great northern tales.

In Norse Mythology, Gaiman stays true to the myths in envisioning the major Norse pantheon: Odin, the highest of the high, wise, daring, and cunning; Thor, Odin’s son, incredibly strong yet not the wisest of gods; and Loki―son of a giant―blood brother to Odin and a trickster and unsurpassable manipulator.

Gaiman fashions these primeval stories into a novelistic arc that begins with the genesis of the legendary nine worlds and delves into the exploits of deities, dwarfs, and giants. Once, when Thor’s hammer is stolen, Thor must disguise himself as a woman―difficult with his beard and huge appetite―to steal it back. More poignant is the tale in which the blood of Kvasir―the most sagacious of gods―is turned into a mead that infuses drinkers with poetry. The work culminates in Ragnarok, the twilight of the gods and rebirth of a new time and people.

Through Gaiman’s deft and witty prose emerge these gods with their fiercely competitive natures, their susceptibility to being duped and to duping others, and their tendency to let passion ignite their actions, making these long-ago myths breathe pungent life again."

OH look, it's the book that's been taunting me with an "I Wish" button on Netgalley for the last few months... but aside from that, I am SO HERE for this book! I really don't know my Norse mythology well at all, and that's where my genes are from...

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: 44 Scotland Street, Alexander McCall Smith, Cats, Dean Hale, Jason Rekulak, Konami Kanata, Marvel, Neil Gaiman, Norse Mythology, Shannon Hale, Sophie Kinsella, Squirrel Girl, The Impossible Fortress

Ghosts of Manhattan by George Mann
Published by: PYR
Publication Date: February 2010
Format: Paperback, 237 Pages
Rating: ★★★★★
To Buy

Gabriel Cross is leading a dual life. By outward appearances he is the playboy, always partying, always throwing around his cash, unconcerned by the world around him. But inside he is haunted by the war he fought in and almost died in. He will not let New York sink into a city on the brink with the cops being controlled by the mob. With the mob being controlled by the worst mobster of them all, the elusive Roman. Splitting his time between his lounge chair and the rooftops of the city, "The Ghost" as the newspapers have named Gabriel, will help his fellow citizens by getting to the bottom of who the Roman is. Yet his carefully constructed personas are about to crash around him when the songstress he loves, Celeste, gets embroiled in the Roman's dealings, and Gabriel himself exposes his identity to perhaps the only trustworthy cop in the city. What the cost of these risks are, only time will tell. But hopefully, with time, the Roman's reign will also fall.

I never thought I'd say this, but there comes a time when there are too many superheroes. This overkill, especially by Marvel, makes me inwardly groan that there is yet another Green Arrow spin-off, yet another franchise being launched off the back of an already successful franchise, Black Panther anyone? Or worse yet, a reboot of a film series that is only a few years old, The Fantastic Four or Spiderman, take your pick! Obviously I'm in the minority here as the movies and television shows keep getting the viewers but I have personally reached my saturation point, so much so that I might not even keep watching Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.. All this lead me to be a little leery of Ghosts of Manhattan. There was the part of me going, but it's not Victorian, but more important the part of me going, really, this book is "Introducing the World's First Steampunk Superhero," spare me.

So, despite my love of George's work I wasn't unbiased going into Ghosts of Manhattan, in fact George had a lot working against him with all my preconceived notions. And then I got a few chapters in and was hooked. The writing isn't as polished as George's other stories, but there's a rawness and immediacy that sinks it's claws in, much like a certain creature in this series second volume. The best way to describe this book is Batman meets The Great Gatsby with a little Bladerunner thrown in. Gabriel Cross has the vigilante stance as well as the violent past of Batman, but instead of emulating his "true" identity of Bruce Wayne, despite there being similarities; the 1920s lifestyle, the parties, the estate on Long Island, are all straight out of Jay Gatsby's biography. As for other comic book antecedents, there's a little Hell Boy thrown in as well. These twists and also just the demeanor of Gabriel give a story that could be full of tropes and cliches a spark of life that made a cold winter day just disappear.

The turning point for me was the introduction of the golems. I blame Terry Pratchett for my love of the golem myth, seriously, if you have not read Feet of Clay go do so now! There's just something so fascinating about golems. A figure made of clay and endowed with the spark of life but not intelligence, much like Frankenstein's monster it can be either good or evil depending on who gave it life and purpose. Not to mention the fact that they are indefatigable and nigh on undefeatable! Plus, if you think about it, they are basically automatons, which is a link back to George's other work and the scary creations in The Affinity Bridge. Which might be one reason I'm so fascinated by golems. There's something so modern about them, yet at the same time there is something so old, so historical, dating back to early Judisim. I just love that more authors are taking advantage of incorporating this myth into their narratives, golems were even used in an episode of Grimm recently.

The golems I think get at the crux of the matter as to why this book works. It's a fusing of the old and the new. Your run of the mill superhero is all about the present or the future, and of course the gadgets, with maybe the occasional need for and old relic, but that's a rare need. Here we have a superhero who is more Indiana Jones, more about the old and the new meeting and clashing and forging something no one thought possible. If the golems weren't enough to convince you of this then I bring into consideration the role The Metropolitan Museum of Art plays in the book. Not only is it the location of one of the most important scenes, as well as cringe worthy if you're in art lover, but the curator friend of Gabriel's, Arthur Wolfe, provides an entree into this older world. The relics and artwork The MET house create an important link between the here and now and the time when golems and Roman currency were more common occurrences.

This is the heart of the book, the way to make a superhero story that will actually engage me. Ghosts of Manhattan is something more. By not just being about a vigilante on a roof with his gadgets we get this other side, an old world past that hints at the supernatural and the dark arts. Before the modern era superstition and urban legends and fairy tales were so important. People didn't just listen to them as entertainment, there was truth in the tales. As time has progressed more and more people forget that perhaps, just maybe, even though we are ruled by technology and the microchip, that fairy tales can be true. The Ghost learns this the hard way and in doing so takes us on a ride that puts all other superheroes in the shade.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Agents of SHIELD, Batman, Feet of Clay, Gabriel Cross, George Mann, Ghosts of Manhattan, Grimm, Hell Boy, Mann Month, Marvel, New York, Superhero, Terry Pratchett, The Ghost, The Great Gatsby, The MET

Ghosts of Manhattan by George Mann
Published by: PYR
Publication Date: February 2010
Format: Paperback, 237 Pages
Rating: ★★★★★
To Buy

Gabriel Cross is leading a dual life. By outward appearances he is the playboy, always partying, always throwing around his cash, unconcerned by the world around him. But inside he is haunted by the war he fought in and almost died in. He will not let New York sink into a city on the brink with the cops being controlled by the mob. With the mob being controlled by the worst mobster of them all, the elusive Roman. Splitting his time between his lounge chair and the rooftops of the city, "The Ghost" as the newspapers have named Gabriel, will help his fellow citizens by getting to the bottom of who the Roman is. Yet his carefully constructed personas are about to crash around him when the songstress he loves, Celeste, gets embroiled in the Roman's dealings, and Gabriel himself exposes his identity to perhaps the only trustworthy cop in the city. What the cost of these risks are, only time will tell. But hopefully, with time, the Roman's reign will also fall.

I never thought I'd say this, but there comes a time when there are too many superheroes. This overkill, especially by Marvel, makes me inwardly groan that there is yet another Green Arrow spin-off, yet another franchise being launched off the back of an already successful franchise, Black Panther anyone? Or worse yet, a reboot of a film series that is only a few years old, The Fantastic Four or Spiderman, take your pick! Obviously I'm in the minority here as the movies and television shows keep getting the viewers but I have personally reached my saturation point, so much so that I might not even keep watching Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.. All this lead me to be a little leery of Ghosts of Manhattan. There was the part of me going, but it's not Victorian, but more important the part of me going, really, this book is "Introducing the World's First Steampunk Superhero," spare me.

So, despite my love of George's work I wasn't unbiased going into Ghosts of Manhattan, in fact George had a lot working against him with all my preconceived notions. And then I got a few chapters in and was hooked. The writing isn't as polished as George's other stories, but there's a rawness and immediacy that sinks it's claws in, much like a certain creature in this series second volume. The best way to describe this book is Batman meets The Great Gatsby with a little Bladerunner thrown in. Gabriel Cross has the vigilante stance as well as the violent past of Batman, but instead of emulating his "true" identity of Bruce Wayne, despite there being similarities; the 1920s lifestyle, the parties, the estate on Long Island, are all straight out of Jay Gatsby's biography. As for other comic book antecedents, there's a little Hell Boy thrown in as well. These twists and also just the demeanor of Gabriel give a story that could be full of tropes and cliches a spark of life that made a cold winter day just disappear.

The turning point for me was the introduction of the golems. I blame Terry Pratchett for my love of the golem myth, seriously, if you have not read Feet of Clay go do so now! There's just something so fascinating about golems. A figure made of clay and endowed with the spark of life but not intelligence, much like Frankenstein's monster it can be either good or evil depending on who gave it life and purpose. Not to mention the fact that they are indefatigable and nigh on undefeatable! Plus, if you think about it, they are basically automatons, which is a link back to George's other work and the scary creations in The Affinity Bridge. Which might be one reason I'm so fascinated by golems. There's something so modern about them, yet at the same time there is something so old, so historical, dating back to early Judisim. I just love that more authors are taking advantage of incorporating this myth into their narratives, golems were even used in an episode of Grimm recently.

The golems I think get at the crux of the matter as to why this book works. It's a fusing of the old and the new. Your run of the mill superhero is all about the present or the future, and of course the gadgets, with maybe the occasional need for and old relic, but that's a rare need. Here we have a superhero who is more Indiana Jones, more about the old and the new meeting and clashing and forging something no one thought possible. If the golems weren't enough to convince you of this then I bring into consideration the role The Metropolitan Museum of Art plays in the book. Not only is it the location of one of the most important scenes, as well as cringe worthy if you're in art lover, but the curator friend of Gabriel's, Arthur Wolfe, provides an entree into this older world. The relics and artwork The MET house create an important link between the here and now and the time when golems and Roman currency were more common occurrences.

This is the heart of the book, the way to make a superhero story that will actually engage me. Ghosts of Manhattan is something more. By not just being about a vigilante on a roof with his gadgets we get this other side, an old world past that hints at the supernatural and the dark arts. Before the modern era superstition and urban legends and fairy tales were so important. People didn't just listen to them as entertainment, there was truth in the tales. As time has progressed more and more people forget that perhaps, just maybe, even though we are ruled by technology and the microchip, that fairy tales can be true. The Ghost learns this the hard way and in doing so takes us on a ride that puts all other superheroes in the shade.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Agents of SHIELD, Batman, Feet of Clay, Gabriel Cross, George Mann, Ghosts of Manhattan, Grimm, Hell Boy, Mann Month, Marvel, New York, Superhero, Terry Pratchett, The Ghost, The Great Gatsby, The MET

Name: Scarlett Johansson

"Dream" Character Casting for the George Mann Newbury and Hobbes Miniseries: Veronica Hobbes

First Impression: My first impression of Scarlett was rather forgettable in Ghost World as the rather boring best friend. Though in all honesty, I don't really remember much about Ghost World at all, I watched it the day of my grandfather's funeral because I was too sick to go with a horrid inner ear infection, so perhaps I should maybe watch this movie again sometime?

Why they'd be the perfect actor for the Newbury and Hobbes Miniseries: Not only does Scarlett have the requisite beauty to play Veronica, as well as looking fabulous in historical costumes, but if her recent showing in The Avengers movies proves anything is that she can kick serious ass as well. In fact it was that most Steampunky and David Bowie-y of movies, The Prestige, that had me thinking that the dynamic duo of Newbury and Hobbes couldn't do better than Hugh Jackman and Scarlett Johansson... that was until I recast Hugh, sorry Hugh.

Lasting Impression: As the bored bewigged girl in Lost in Translation. In fact I think this is the first time a lot of people started to sit up and take notice of her. Not only did it revitalize Bill Murray's career, establish Sophia Coppola as more then just an art house director, but it really got the bigger offers coming in for Scarlett.

What else you've seen them in: Well, if you haven't seen The Avengers and Scarlett as Black Widow, well, I don't know what planet you've been living on. Before her becoming ubiquitous in the Marvel franchise, she did a lot more art house films with big name directors, from Sophia Coppola to Woody Allen, even a film with Brian De Palma. She's made a few missteps with a bad movie here and there, but for every The Island there is a Her, where people are protesting award category rules to allow her to be considered even though only her voice is in the movie.

Can't believe it's them: North!?! Literally her first movie role and something I remember seeing in the theatre! All I remember was watching this movie as a jaded high schooler and thinking, damn, this is shit. And you can hold me to that review.

Wish they hadn't: Have you seen Scoop? If you haven't I would avoid it like the plague. I remember the insanely wonderful press of the movie, it's Woody Allen, it's Scarlett Johansson, it's Hugh Jackman! It's putting me to sleep with how boring it is... oh look, she can swim. Yawn. If you want to see good Jackman and Johansson just watch The Prestige!

Bio: Scarlett, unlike a lot of celebrities, seems to not make much of a splash and was able to successfully transition from a child actor (though only in a few roles) to an adult actress without too many bumps in the road. She has a very distinct husky voice and usually garners critical acclaim for many of her movies while mixing them up with blockbusters that really pad the bank account. Oddly she was married to Ryan Reynolds for a few years, and I always thought it a bizarre pairing, an amazing actress who has played opposite heartthrobs like Colin Firth with the guy who played Berg on Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place, a show I really want on DVD for Nathan Fillion FYI. She's also stared in a few plays, again to rave reviews, and oddly released an album, seeing as I hadn't heard about that I'm guessing it wasn't released to rave reviews... She just had her first child, a daughter named Rose and has a lot more Marvel-ous movies coming soon!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Bill Murray, Colin Firth, Dream Casting, Ghost World, Hugh Jackman, Lost in Translation, Marvel, Nathan Fillion, Newbury and Hobbes, Scarlett Johansson, Scoop, The Avengers, The Prestige, Veronica Hobbes

City of Lost Souls (The Mortal Instruments Book 5) by Cassandra Clare
Published by: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Publication Date: May 8th, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 535 Pages
Rating: ★
To Buy

Jace is now bound to Sebastian. He has unwittingly turned to the dark side and is the center of a world wide manhunt. Yet the Clave think it's a simple kidnapping, little do they know that the two are bound together. One cannot be harmed without the other getting the same wounds. Therefore, if found, Sebastian cannot be killed if Jace is to live. The two want Clary to come and join them, which she secretly does, but only because she feels that by going with her brother and her true love that she can find some way of separating them and saving Jace. Clary is unprepared for the depths her brother will sink, but luckily her friends are willing to sink to equal depths in order to save her and Jace. Team Good is on the job, raising demons and summoning angels all to find a way to save Jace. Yet even if the separation succeeds can they find out Sebastian's plans and stop him before it's too late?

One thing that is really big right now is to have everything interconnected. Now, I don't mean everything as in EVERYTHING, but it's becoming so that book and television series are no longer independent. You can't just read or watch one thing without having to read and watch all this other stuff as well, from online exclusives to ebooks. Now more then ever it is about the whole universe a story inhabits. The worst perpetrator of these crimes against consumers is Marvel. The Marvel Universe is so interconnected that you literally have to watch everything to know what's going on. You can't just watch Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., oh no, you have to also go see the new Captain America movie because apparently the whole first season was building to the reveal in the movie, which someone could have warned me about.

I mean seriously, I got so lost between two episodes because I didn't have the time to go see Captain American: The Winter Soldier and everything on S.H.I.E.L.D hinged on that movie that I almost swore off Marvel then and there. And yes, I know Marvel has always had this interconnected universe, but these days it's getting out of hand, being more about forcing the consumer to want it all then just letting them stick to what they like, and FYI, I like Captain America in WWII, not in modern times, so there.

For series I love, I do want it all, but with the caveat, they can be connected not dependent. Thor and S.H.I.E.L.D. and Captain America and The Avengers, they can have jokes and characters crossing over all they want as long as I can enjoy each one individually. They must be separate and enjoyable on their own. Cassandra Clare has fallen prey to this trend and it's making me want to throttle her more then usual. After the third book in the Mortal Instruments series she had her first Infernal Devices book come out, Clockwork Angel. This series is set in the same world but in the 1800s, and due to some of her characters being immortal, well, those characters carry through, most notably Magnus Bane.

Flash forward to present day and the Mortal Instruments and book four, City of Fallen Angels, and references to Clockwork Angel pepper the text, liberally. I was kind of ok with it... at first. By the time this book, City of Lost Souls, was released another book in the Infernal Devices series had been published and Clare doubled down on the references. Now not only is her book lacking in plot, believable characters, and continuity, it is now at the point where tons of references are going over my head because I didn't read two of her other books. The thought of having to read more of her writing makes me want to scream. The fact that this book has a whole new level of things to infuriate me makes me wonder how I will ever finish this series.

But here's the nail in the coffin for me and Clare, she doesn't care about her writing so why should I? You might be wondering how I reached this opinion, well, it's right there on every page of her books if you look. Her writing is lazy. And by lazy I mean the writing feels like it was just vomited onto the page without anyone ever going back and checking for overuse of words (seriously, don't use the same phrase two sentences in a row), not to mention continuity, where windows randomly appear in windowless rooms (a common occurrence) and futons have bedposts.

Yet for me the issue this all ties back to is her plagiarist tendencies. A good author will create a unique and wonderful world that has originality and won't make you think that the book is half Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix half Buffy the Vampire Slayer season two. But even if the world did feel like that, a good author could make it their own with character development and dialogue. Instead Clare just relies on the words of other writers versus coming up with her own. I actually lost count as to how many direct lifts there were from Buffy. I knew from the end of the previous book that City of Lost Souls was shaping up to be very much Angelus wreaking havoc on Sunnydale, but seriously, this is how it ended? THE EXACT SAME WAY AS BUFFY!?! Look to the screencap as proof because you don't need to take my word for it!

Does assembling real work by others into a vague plotless book make you an author? I don't think so. It makes you a lazy bitch who is just churning these books out as fast as you can to rake in the cash probably only stopping to call your lawyer to see if a sentence is changed just the right infinitesimal amount so that you can't be sued. And it looks like Clare is going to keep on doing this... it's people like her that make me worry about the future of writing; lazy ass people who feel entitled to do whatever they want, damn the consequences.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 2 comments  

Labels: Agents of SHIELD, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Captain America, Cassandra Clare, City of Lost Souls, Clockwork Angel, Harry Potter, Infernal Devices, Magnus Bane, Marvel, Mortal Instruments, Plagiarism, Thor