strange and random happenstance

The thing about David Tennant is you usually think of him as "the good guy." He was THE DOCTOR! Yes, there's the rare psychopath thrown in there, hello Kilgrave! But by and large he's the one bringing the baddies to justice, from killers of children to killers of song, and yes, I'm talking about Broadchurch and Blackpool. So it's interesting when he slips into the role of someone so evil and vile as Dennis Nilsen, the Scottish serial killer and necrophile who murdered at least a dozen young men in the late seventies and early eighties. He literally became Dennis Nilsen. It was beyond eerie. His flat affect, his casual way of discussing murder, everything came together to be the performance of a lifetime so much so that after the first few scenes you had to be remembered that this was David Tennant and NOT Dennis Nilsen. In fact there's one little trick they use in this adaptation that I usually disapprove of but which works to stunning effect here. I'm a stickler for shows that rely on old news footage thus breaking the forth wall. My problem is is that it usually doesn't work. It feels too out of place. Better to replace the footage with scenes you recreate. At first that is what I thought they were doing here. I literally thought the news footage was recreated to have David Tennant as Dennis Nilsen. It wasn't. This blew me away. David had nailed his performance so perfectly from appearance to body language that I couldn't tell the difference between scenes shot for this show and actual footage of Nilsen from the time of his arrest and trial. It's lucky I had the second season of Staged to binge after this three part series so that I could get the image of David Tennant as a serial killer out of my mind. But it's not just Tennant who shines, Jason Watkins, known for his rather deliciously over-the-top characters, many villainous, he's played over the years here brings in a wonderfully subtle performance as Brian Masters, whose book, Killing for Company, this miniseries is based on. The scenes between him and Tennant in the prison where they're having one on one conversations is the heart of this show. Watkins is able to show detachment when he needs to but also subtle disgust, of the level that will keep the channels open to Nilsen but not strip him fully of his humanity. Take it from me, who has watched a LOT of shows about serial killers over the years, this is one you don't want to miss.  

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: And the Emmy Goes To, Blackpool, Brian Masters, Broadchurch, David Tennant, Dennis Nilsen, Des, Jason Watkins, Kilgrave, Killing for Company, Necrophilia, News Footage, Serial Killer, Sundance, The Doctor

Timeline by Michael Crichton
Published by: Alfred A. Knopf
Publication Date: November 16th, 1999
Format: Hardcover, 444 Pages
Rating: ★★
To Buy (different edition than one reviewed)

Robert Doniger and his company ITC make components for MRI machines. Or at least that's what everyone thinks. ITC though has a vast portfolio of different investments, one of them is an archaeological site in the south of France on the Dordogne River. The site is lead by Professor Edward Johnston and his team; André Marek, a man who wishes he lived in the period he studies, Chris Hughes, who is like a son to Johnston and specializes in studying mills, Kate Erickson, an architect student who has transferred to the study of history, and David Stern, their resident geek. The site is thrown into uproar when a representative from ITC comes to do the yearly inspection of the site and makes references to things that the researchers themselves don't even know about. Johnston demands an audience with Doniger and returns with the representative to New Mexico.

Days go by and Professor Johnston isn't in communication with his team when in the ruins of the monastery they find a note from him saying that he is in 1357 and needs help. Everyone thinks it's a joke until all the tests prove that it is legit. Marek contacts ITC to question them about this development and he is told to pack his bags and pick three other team members, they are to be on a plane to New Mexico in the next hour. With Chris, Kate, and David all onboard, they are let into the big secret that ITC has been carefully guarding. ITC has developed time travel, of a sort. Really it's traveling to different times in parallel dimensions, but that is how they knew so much about the site in southern France, they'd been there when the castles weren't ruins; and due to a little accident, Professor Johnston is there now and has no way back. ITC thought it prudent to send back the only people who know the site and know what the Professor would be doing, aka his team. ITC convinces them to go on this rescue mission, but they cleverly omit the dangers and risks that the team will face and the fact that not everyone might come back alive or at all.

By 1999 I was a true Michael Crichton junky. I had powered through his whole back catalog and aside from a few blips here and there I adored every single volume. Sadly, having read all his books I could do nothing but re-read my favorites while waiting for the next book to come out. And when Timeline came out in November of 1999 I didn't see it for what it was; the beginning of the end. While two of his future books would come to be my most hated of all Crichton's books, Timeline was the one that started the slide in quality. By all accounts I should have loved this book. It's time travel, it's knights, it's amazing new technology, it's a snooze. I remember struggling through this book. Over a month after I had bought it as I unwrapped my Christmas presents I asked my parents to be excused from going to the relatives for our traditional holiday festivities. I was damned if I would waste more time on this book so I resolved to power through it all Christmas day so that at the end of it I could revel in my new books and move on. I curled up on my couch and before my parents even got home I had finally finished Timeline. And in 2004 before the movie came out I struggled through it again. And now, despite my history with this book, I braved it's pages once more and can say that yes, it doesn't improve. Even a decade didn't improve it one little bit, aside from reaffirming my desire to never be transported via beams or lasers. In fact, I think I found Timeline even more annoying this time around.

The overall problem with this book is that it hinges on a faulty premise. There is NO REASON for the grad students to rescue their professor. What's in it for them? Up until his disappearance into the past he's had a total of about two lines and we're supposed to believe that these four students are willing to sacrifice their lives for him? Why? Is he really that awesome? Chris, who views him as a father figure might have some reason, and he's the most hesitant! But other then that there is NO REASON. Stern made the right choice. Stay behind, survive. But the lack of character development isn't just in Professor Johnston, though he is the most obvious. None of the characters are developed in any tangible way. They are astonishingly ignorant and two dimensional, so much so that I have no idea how they even got into grad school. Here's the evil English warlord, here's the female grad student who can be independent, but when a man rescues her she'll swoon and think about marriage and happily ever afters. There is no depth, no development, no reason to root for these characters and hope they make it back to their own time.

The two dimensionality extends into the worldbuilding, as in, here's a cookie cutter Medieval World, go play in it. For all the trash talk of Disney and immersive experiences, I gotta say, I think Disney would do a better job then Doniger and ITC. Disney would at least have a PROPER MAP! I mean, I thought that I had misremembered and that my compass disorientation was because I wasn't paying attention to the included map, but I was wrong! It's the book, not me! At one point the Green Chapel is in the woods to the east about two miles, later it's only a quarter mile to the north? Geographic orientation be damned! Plus how are they getting so easily across the river when there aren't that many boats? Plus all the knights and lords are so basic you can't tell one apart from the other. Plus which castle is which? Their names are bandied about and switched so much that not only is this novel really really flat, but also confusing as hell. It's just adding problems one on top of the other for readers, plus, plus, plus. Plus for the first hundred or so pages, it just made my head hurt.

Re-reading this book after so long I realized it's like a really bad episode of Doctor Who without The Doctor; but not cool like "Blink" but lame like "Love and Monsters." Oh, and give him the worst companions ever, lets say Mickey, Adric, and Peri. So, it's Mickey, Adric, and Peri wandering around and killing people left and right and getting no closer to saving The Doctor because their combined stupidity is so staggering you are blown away. But even if The Doctor wasn't present look at the name of the show, Doctor Who! He is the driving force, much like Professor Johnston should be but isn't. Yes, this book came out in 1999, but the thing is time travel and science fiction already had set expectations for a narrative that had nothing to do with re-launching Doctor Who. The readers of this genre are smart and savvy. We expect the best out of a book we're expending our time on. The thing that struck me most is that this is really time travel for dummies. It's like The Da Vinci Code, written with the masses in mind, not bothering with those readers who might actually have an intellect.

Which brings me to the fact that I am capable of independent thought and therefore I will now poke holes in Crichton's theory of time travel. Can we really call it time travel? He even says it's more like space travel, because you are not going back along your own timeline, but you're crossing over into a parallel dimension that is almost but not quite the same. Which means we get into a paradox of parallel universes. How do they know that they can effect their timeline? If they aren't in their universe how can they A) be sure it's historically accurate and B) get the note from the professor. To tackle A, let's look at the mill. Chris is surprised to see the mill has four not three wheels as he thought. What if the difference between our universe and the one they go to is just that there's one more water wheel? Chris, hard as it may be to believe, might be right. As for B, how exactly did the professor know they were going to find his note for help? He's in another freakin' universe! The fact is small differences in dimensions would really add up which in turn makes the book not add up. Yes, I am probably over thinking this, but I just want it to be better, to be so much more, not Medieval Dan Brown! But I think I have proven beyond a doubt that re-reading Timeline can't magically change what's written.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Archeology, Castles, Christmas, Crichton Celebration, Dan Brown, Disney, Doctor Who, France, Knights, Medieval, Michael Crichton, Paradox, The Da Vinci Code, The Doctor, Time Travel, Timeline, Worldbuilding

Paradox Lost by George Mann
Published by: BBC Books
Publication Date: June 23rd, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 256 Pages
Rating: ★★★★
To Buy (different edition than one reviewed)

Rory, Amy and The Doctor have once again ended up where they didn't intend to go. They have landed in London in 2789, not the Rambalian Cluster. There there is a team dragging a thousand year old automaton out of the Thames. An automaton that recognizes The Doctor and gives him a warning that The Squall, a dangerous race of monsters that feed off psychic energy and destroy whole planets, are coming. Using his sonic screwdriver, The Doctor finds that he must go back to 1910 to fend off the invasion of The Squall. But seeing as the tear in time needed to bring about the Earth's destruction has two ends, he sends Amy and Rory to look for a Proffesor Gradius, who started the damage here in 2789. 

Working the case from both ends Rory and Amy get the help of Professor Gradius's assistant, an automaton that Amy affectionately names Arven, while The Doctor teams up with the only man in Edwardian London who seems concerned about the rash of recent unexplained deaths, a Professor Angelchrist. Their timelines going the consistency of noodle soup, one might wonder if all this wouldn't have happened if they had left well enough alone. But The Doctor and Amy aren't ones to let mysteries remain unsolved and monsters left undefeated.

Now I'm not saying I'm the biggest Doctor Who fan out there. I mean, I haven't watched every single episode, after all some episodes are lost.... But besides all the DVD sets and VHS tapes, posters, gadgets, and scarves, I do have several bookshelves filled to capacity just with Doctor Who books to give you an idea of how my addiction has spread over the years. You can see my old Tom Baker paperbacks sharing shelf space with the newer line of books with the 9th, 10th, and 11th Doctor, as well as some Torchwood books thrown in for good measure. There's also the infamous set of books released for the fiftieth anniversary last year. Why infamous? Because while they look darn pretty sitting there on my shelf, some of the books selected are pure dreck. Taking all eleven doctors, the average star rating was less then 2.5. The psychic toll it took on me to actually finish those books was painful and almost made me not want to pick up another Doctor Who book ever again.

Needless to say the experiment of last year has left me with one clear talent, and that's to distinguish a good Doctor Who book. You read enough of the bad you get to know the good, and Paradox Lost is good. One clear reason it works is that George understands the show. While he does little things that make a fangirl sqwee, like referencing past regenerations and putting in the "in" jokes, it's the bigger things he really nails. Meaning George gets the characters voices as depicted by the actors. It's not just that I am allowing a certain suspension of disbelief in order to enjoy the book, oh no, while you are reading it you can see the action unfolding before you just as if it was an actual episode. There is Amy Pond, there is Rory, and there is 11, Matt Smith in all his goofy glory. George nailed these characters! The dialogue, the description of their actions, the book whizzed by as fast as if it was a forty minute episode instead of a two-hundred page book.

What really makes the story work though is that George uses Rory as our entre into the action. If in recent years there is one companion who is universally loved and who everyone wanted to stay, it has to be Rory, hands down. I spent much time thinking of ways in how the show could just ditch Amy and have Rory be the main companion. Alas, that wasn't to be. But because Rory is so loved and relatable he makes the perfect conduit for us, the readers. By seeing the action of the story through his eyes we become a part of the story in a way that I don't think the show is ever able to do.

We see Rory's world, Amy and The Doctor, in a clearer way that totally just expands on what we know from the show. Plus, unlike Amy and The Doctor, Rory actually is more of an everyman, he has fears, he has loves, and danger and daring do aren't just a way to spend the afternoon! George counters Rory's POV with that of Angelchrist. Thus balancing the more knowledgeable with the more naive. Angelchrist is the character to relate to if you knew nothing about Doctor Who. He's there to ask the questions that the trio wouldn't ask as well as to be the link to the current time period, aka 1910. The switching between the two makes the story stay fresh but also provides different insights, resulting in a well balanced book.

But as I have been working my way through George's oeuvre, I can not forget to mention that yes, indeed, this book ties into his greater universe. Angelchrist himself has shown up in the Newbury and Hobbes books as well as the short stories. In fact in the short stories there are a few nudges and winks to this very book and the adventures that Angelchrist shared with The Doctor. Not to mention a certain Arven.... But what I really liked was a subtler reference, the blink and you miss it because it's only mentioned twice.... What you might be saying is this reference? It's a reference to where Arven was made... a certain company that may have been up to some truly nasty things with an "Affinty Bridge." Yes George's work stands on it's own. Yes you will enjoy it whatever you pick up, but for the fans in it for the long haul... well, there's just so much more to find! George knows how to thank his long suffering fans (I mean seriously, get me The Revenant Express now, it's painful waiting).

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 2 comments  

Labels: Amy Pond, Angelchrist, Doctor Who, Edwardian England, George Mann, Matt Smith, Newbury and Hobbes, Paradox Lost, Rory, The Affinity Bridge, The Doctor, The Revenant Express, Torchwood

Fear of the Dark by Trevor Baxendale
Published by: BBC Books
Publication Date: January 6th, 2003
Format: Paperback, 320 Pages
Rating: ★★★
To Buy

The Doctor and his companions, Tegan and Nyssa, are aboard the TARDIS when a malign influence infiltrates Nyssa's dreams. The fact that there is something that could breech the protections of the TARDIS worries The Doctor and he decides they must track this evil to its source. Arriving on the small moon of the benighted Akoshemon, the travelers stumble upon a mining operation masquerading as an archaeological dig. Stoker and her men are hoping to get a jump on the mining Consortium that is pushing honest pirates out of work. Thanks to a hot tip this planet could be Stoker's biggest payday ever, making her and her team millionaires if the Lexium deposits turn out to be as wealthy as supposed. Yet one of her team, Vega Jaal, who comes from a sensitive race of miners, feels that something dangerous is lurking in the depths of the moon and that they should abandon their mission. Nyssa and The Doctor also feel the danger, but there appears to be no way to convince Stoker of the danger.

Then the first death happens. Then they find the door. There is a subterranean lab that appears to have been used for studying suspended animation. But the next two deaths force one of Stoker's team, Bunny, to go behind her back and issue a distress beacon. Of course the only chance of rescue they have is from the Consortium, the very last people Stoker wants to see. They could override her claim on the Lexium find. Yet when they do arrive, it's the Captain that has a bigger effect on Stoker. It's her lost love, Lawrence. As the death toll mounts and the dangers increase, there appears to be a darkness, "the" darkness, that is manipulating events and people to it's own end. Could the destruction that reigned down on Akoshemon happen to the rest of the universe if The Doctor doesn't succeed?

Fear of the Dark is dark in name and dark in nature. This book is so dark that if you're looking for a good time with The Doctor, well, stay well clear. Now this isn't a criticism of the book, far from it, the story and the emotions that play throughout are interesting, terrifying, gut wrenching, and tearful. This book is packed with an emotional punch. Yet like how Houdini died (he didn't have time to prepare for the blows) if you aren't prepared for the depths this book will take you to, well, it will be a rough ride. It mines the depths of human despair, suffering, and loss. I kid you not that death upon death is in your future if you pick this book up. The fact that Baxendale made you care for each character before then killing them shows what a good job he did, that sadistic bastard. At one point I was hopeful that someone other then our core three whose fates weren't in Baxendale's hands would survive... but no. There is no hope. There is no chance of survival. The Doctor's success might save the entire galaxy... but not those he meets on this desolate moon. No chance. No chance at all. Why, you might be asking am I telling you this? Because it was the false hope being ripped out from under me that undid me the most, emotionally. You need to prepare yourself for this book. So you are now hopefully prepared.

As for the 5th Doctor... I've always had such a warm spot for him, and Baxendale captures him and his companions perfectly. What's even more perfect is that this is after Adric's death. Yes Adric, I do hate you so, I'm smiling as I think about your death. Blue star my ass. Ok, back to The Doctor and his companions that are still living... for some reason I must have blocked out Time-Flight (which I'm sure my friend Paul would complement me on) because I didn't realize that Tegan was away from the TARDIS for a year before rejoining The Doctor and Nyssa. Which does play into the story kind of significantly. Which makes me wonder, yet again, who would read these books but die hard fans? I mean, yes, the story does a nice job of kind of explaining what was going on with Tegan and what happened, but even I was a little confused. Now someone who'd never seen any of this series? Well, they'd be lost. But on the plus side, they wouldn't be hearing Tegan's voice in their head during her dialogue in the book, which isn't as annoying by the way as hearing Peri's voice in your head, just fyi. While I'm still dwelling on The Doctor I would like to also compliment Baxendale on creating a book that has not just captured THIS Doctor, but a basic Doctor core. I could just as easily see this story staring 11 and the Ponds.

As for things I really liked, well, Baxendale takes us straight into the action. There is no lenghty set-up. We see The Doctor working among Stoker's team and get flashbacks to how they all met much later on. I can't tell you how refreshing this was. Usually it's tons of time going about explaining that it's just "Doctor" and that he just dropped by and everyone is suspicious until they finally see he's there to help. Instead, bam, he's there, he's helping, he's trusted. Short track to success, switch things up. Two big thumbs up. Of course, the fact that each of the three sections of the book could have used severe editing and seriously, they typos were appalling... plus the depressive nature of the book, well, it did cost the book a star. But way to bring your "A" game Baxendale. And now... for the monster. The writers of Lost should have taken note, this is how you make an unsubstantial monster terrifying. Seriously, The Dark would have that smoke monster pissing himself. Of course, no monster is perfect and his little substantial minion kind of took away a bit of the mystique of this malign nothingness... but no book is perfect, but this is a huge step up from the previous book. Faith restored in this series... onto 6 and Peri...

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Doctor Who Book Challenge, Fear of the Dark, Lost, Mining, Nyssa, Peri, TARDIS, Tegan, The 11th Doctor, The 5th Doctor, The 6th Doctor, The Dark, The Doctor, Time-Flight, Trevor Baxendale

So, I don't think that I can forgo mentioning the biggest geek news of the year... meaning that we now have a 12th Doctor (or is he the 13th? I guess we'll have to wait for the 50th Anniversary special to see if they are renumbering the Doctors with the introduction of John Hurt). While there was tons of hoopla, aka, worldwide simulcast broadcast, I actually decided to just wait till after the announcement and watch the web go ape shit crazy. That, and I don't think my nerves could have taken the countdown, I'll probably watch it later, so the suspense is less suspenseful. As I was talking with one of my friends yesterday, we were commenting on how cool it would be if we just learned who the new Doctor was say, at the end of this years Christmas special at the time of the regeneration. But sadly, we live in an age of spoilers and telephoto lenses, and well, as the bookies showed, news had gotten out that Peter Capaldi was the odds on favorite with 5 to 6 odds, meaning that, yes, he had been seen and they had to make the announcement on some random Sunday in August... well, I guess less random to use stateside because it is the bank holiday weekend... but still, it didn't have the holiday hoopla that Smith's announcement had.

Now to my impressions... so, they actually chose a "someone"! This is a little surprising to me. And not just a someone, but a someone familiar to Doctor Who, in that he had a role in the abysmally laden in Latin jokes Donna episode 'The Fires of Pompeii' as well as a staring turn in Torchwood: Children of Earth... so in other words, upon looking in the mirror for the first time, if he doesn't say "hang on a minute, this face looks familiar" I will be greatly disappointed. As to my opinions of Peter Capaldi... well... here are the ways in which I will accept Peter Capaldi as The Doctor. He HAS to use his Scottish accent. There's no getting around this fact. He is Scottish, and I don't want him doing a David Tennant and using an English accent. His Scottish accent is a must. Secondly, the evil goaty beard and moustache he's been seen sporting lately, keep it. Makes him look more like The Doctor in my mind, though I have a feeling that I won't get my wish if you look at the first official photo above. Finally, he must publicly apologize for breaking Geraldine's heart on Vicar of Dibley (the one sad note in perhaps the best episode of tv of all time). Yes, I know it's a tv show, but he hurt Geraldine and yes, I know she ended up with Richard Armitage and all was well in the end, but still, would an apology be too much to ask? I liked him in The Hour so I'll give him a chance... but take note on the Scottish accent, he used it in The Hour, so I reiterate a must.

As to all the disappointed people... the people saying, oh, he's not a she, or a minority, or young... well, actually, the older actor gives me faith that they will realize that kids aren't the main fan base for the show and are going to placate us older fans. The fact that he's a he... while making The Doctor a woman might have been cool, it might have looked too much like stunt casting and gimmicky. Also as to the, it's not Benedict Cumberbatch argument.. well, he would have never done it, and well, Peter Capaldi originated the role of Islington in Neverwhere, which is a role Benedict just took on in the new radio production... so it's like we're getting the older Benedict, if that makes sense. In the end though, I'll have to wait and see. I thought Tennant would be awful, I was wrong. I really really really hated the idea of Matt Smith and he's turned out to be, possibly, my favorite Doctor. Also a lot will depend on the rest of the cast, who his companion will be, what the dynamic between them is, because if there's one thing I can state, it's that anything is better then the limpid chemistry of Matt Smith and Jenna-Louise Coleman. How did that go so wrong?

Psst... come back in October for even more Doctor Who...

Posted by Miss Eliza at 5:28 PM 0 comments  

Labels: 12th Doctor, Benedict Cumberbatch, David Tennant, Doctor Who, Jenna-Louise Coleman, John Hurt, Matt Smith, Neverwhere, Peter Capaldi, Scottish, The Doctor, The Hour, Torchwood, Vicar of Dibley

Unnatural Death (Lord Peter Wimsey Book 3) by Dorothy L. Sayers
Published by: Harper Torch
Publication Date: 1927
Format: Paperback, 264 Pages
Rating: ★★
To Buy

One night at dinner Lord Peter and Detective-Inspector Parker are talking and a man at a nearby table overhears them and tells them his sad life story. He was a well placed Doctor but after the death of an elderly Cancer patient his insistence that it was murder, not natural, resulted in his ostracization and his having to leave the small town and try to reestablish himself in London. The Doctor gives no names, but Lord Peter is so intrigued, that he sets off to solve this "crime." Because Lord Peter is sure there is a crime. The only problem is means and motive... but he's sure once he starts poking around he'll find something.

The problem is, that while there where indeed odd goings on in Leahampton, the deceased, Miss Agatha Dawson, died quite awhile back and will or no will, the only person who would inherit was a great-niece, Miss Mary Whittaker. So why would she kill her "Auntie" if she was guaranteed to inherit? Once Lord Peter starts to intervene, secreting an old lady, Miss Climpson in Leahampton as his agent on the ground, the bodies start to pile up. If the murderer of Miss Dawson had left well enough alone they would have gotten away with murder because their was no proof. The ever growing stack of bodies is all the proof Lord Peter and Detective-Inspector Parker needed to know that their suppositions were right. Can they catch a killer before Lord Peter's conscience gets the better of him?

Holy time jump Batman! I have to say, that was my first reaction to Unnatural Death. This book starts out with an odd little biographical note that brought confusion galore to me and I had to go look up online to see if I was really reading book three. The thing is the note is written from the future date of 1935 by a Paul Austin Delagardie, a relative of Lord Peter's we've never met... yet. In actuality, the book was written in 1927 and takes place in that year. So why was I forced to read all this weird spoilerish information about who Lord Peter marries (though I have always known that) and has a child with and that Parker would eventually succeed in wooing Peter's sister Mary? Gathering from some reviews online, this might be an addition to the book... again, I ask why? As one review I read said "I can't imagine why Sayers would include it in this book since it makes reference to any number of events in the lives of Lord Peter and his friends and family that haven't happened yet." So shame on you Dorothy L. Sayers, I shall now send River Song to beat the shit out of you for trying to mess with the linear narrative of Lord Peter's life.

Now I will get to the actual plot, not the preface of the book. Spinster Sleuths. Or spinsters that are sleuths and occasionally murderers. Apparently this book was originally titled The Singular Case of the Three Spinsters which I think captures the themes in the book far better then Unnatural Death. The question is... who came up with the first spinster who decided to put aside the knitting and start asking some rather pointed questions. I was going back and forth between Sayers and Christie, I mean, this book came prior to Miss Marple, but Miss Marple was based on another character of Chirstie's that came out prior to this book... looking into it, apparently it's neither! Apparently it was an American author named Mary Roberts Rinehart with her book The Circular Staircase. So there goes my theory of rivalling writers. But it's nice to give the spinsters some love. Or at least, other writers giving the spinsters some love. Sayers seems to kind of hold them in contempt and as a punching bag and views their lifestyle as a little too "outre" and she drops one too many hints of lesbianism. Which, I'm guessing she's against. Sayers has pretty well established her racist card in earlier volumes, so her being a homophobe wouldn't really surprise me.

As for the method of death. Anyone who is anyone will figure out that an undetectable injection that kills has to be an air embolism. I mean, they use this constantly as a trope in fiction. Apparently this was Sayers idea, at least my googling hasn't proved otherwise. Yet critics weren't too kind about this new method of murder. "In Unnatural Death, she had invented a murder method that is appropriately dramatic and cunningly ingenious, the injection of an air-bubble with a hypodermic, but not only, in fact, would it require the use of an instrument so large as to be farcical, but Miss Sayers has her bubble put into an artery not a vein. No wonder afterwards she pledged herself 'strictly in future to seeing I never write a book which I know to be careless'." So, the question is, if this was so unpopular with critics then (and with me now) how did it ever become a trope? Sigh... sometimes I will never understand books.

Yet the nail in the coffin for this book is the fact that everything hinges on obscure British law... didn't I say I hate this? Didn't Dorothy get my memo I sent back with The Doctor? So what that the Law of Property Act of 1925 changed certain inheritances? I DON'T CARE! Yes, it's interesting, mildly, that some law passed by the government would spur a murderer to act, but... really, is it really that interesting? No! But then again, apparently I'm just having many issues with Dorothy L. Sayers that will never be resolved. Why have stupid quotes from books that no one has ever or will ever read at the beginning of each chapter? They don't even relate to the subject material at all! Also, writing it as three parts? Was this supposed to be that "epic" of a story that parts were needed? Still, there's a little bit of irony I love. Lord Peter says, "it isn't really difficult to write books. Especially if you either write a rotten story in good English or a good story in rotten English, which is as far as most people seem to get nowadays." The thing is, Dorothy L. Sayers... neither can be said of you. It's a rotten story in rotten English, I guess it is more difficult to write books then you thing. Well, I guess that's pretty obvious by now.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 3 comments  

Labels: Dorothy L. Sayers, Golden Summer, Inheritance, Lord Peter Wimsey, Mary Roberts Rinehart, Miss Climpson, Miss Marple, River Song, Spinsters, The Circular Staircase, The Doctor, Unnatural Death

Ok, so apparently every baddie in time and space is decending on the Pandorica which is under Stonehenge, aka "Underhenge", because it's been built to trap The Doctor, which I kind of saw coming. But you've got to give it to Steven Moffat, he's told to bring in the baddies, he does it in style. Every baddy EVER, from Torchwood to Sarah Jane, they are all there. There are Weevils in their jumpers in Underhenge! It kind of warms the cockles of my heart. But really, with all these Romans and Rory's reappearance, because of course he had to reappear, because otherwise, I would be hunting down Steven Moffat across all of time and space myself, nothing, and I repeat, nothing, compares to River Song convincing some faux Romans that she's Cleopatra, despite Cleopatra being dead in Rome. Well... maybe her defacing the oldest cliff face in existence to get The Doctors attention. But with all two parters, we'll have to see... you can't get much bigger of an ending than this, I mean every baddy ever? Plus, Amy's kind of dead, Rory's kind of made of Plastic and The Doctor is in a giant puzzle box... well it can only go up right?

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Cleopatra, Doctor Who, River Song, Sarah Jane Adventures, Steven Moffat, Stonehenge, The Doctor, Torchwood, Underhenge, Weevils

In the "diversion" episode before the final, like such memorable episodes as Blink and Turn Left, we get an episode that is not your usual fare. Amy is trapped in a half materialized TARDIS while The Doctor poses as a lodger to get close to the weird things that are going in the area, ie, the weird things that are messing with the TARDIS.  Plus we get the fabulous guest star, James Corden of Gavin and Stacey fame. We have your basic lovebirds who can't commit side story all the while The Doctor is showing his oddities more then ever. Because, have we ever really scene The Doctor in a more "normal" setting? He has his own room! He showers! Plus there's the cooking, the cleaning, the football and the reference of the Archbishop of Canterbury! While yes, the love story is beyond sweet and it's their love that saves the Earth, it's The Doctor that makes this episode shine, especially when he thinks that learning to cook in the 17th century was probably recent enough!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 2 comments  

Labels: Blink, Doctor Who, Gavin and Stacey, James Corden, TARDIS, The Doctor, The Lodger, Turn Left

And Steven Moffat killed Rory! I get to like him, I mean really like him and then that's it!?! Me and Steven may have to have words. Plus not only that, in order to kind of "spare" Amy so that she can stay happy and perky and make The Doctor even more sad with more burdens to bare, he can remember him and she can't. Cause apparently Rory was part of Amy's timeline... but then why could River remember those who were part of her timeline that got sucked in... hmmm...The scene where he's getting Amy to hold onto the memory of Rory is heartbreaking. I think The Doctor even liked Rory, unlike the 9th and Mickey (but could you blame him?) But I did feel that the whole, he's still alive as long as you can remember him was a bit Thursday Next trying to maintain her memory of Landen while he's been a) eliminate from ever existing and b) Aornis Hades working her voodoo so that Thursday will forget, which really made book three hard to get through and confusing. But props also have to be given to the set people, omg, this was just an amazing episode from a production standpoint, I never once questioned anything. Everything fit so perfectly with what an underground civilization would look like and no crappy CGI, all amazing! I want to go to there. I also love Nasreen, for her zeal, her love of science, and her man, and the fact that she did it all with her hair looking crappy, she never once thought about it. Now she would be a kick ass companion.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 2:45 AM 2 comments  

Labels: Amy Pond, Aornis Hades, Doctor Who, Landen, Mickey, Nasreen, Rory, Steven Moffat, The 9th Doctor, The Doctor, Thursday Next

Yes, I know it's Jane Austen month, but Doctor Who stops for no man... er woman, and also now I really wish there was a Jane Austen episode of Doctor Who, get on that Seven Moffat! This was a daring episode of Doctor Who, if just for the risk of having a very waddling and very pregnant companion, and another with a pony tail to rival any of the great 80s Metal bands. But the truth lies in that this episode is not as it seems, which would make sense with a villain capable of manipulating dreams, but it is the twist in the end that makes it sheer brilliance and makes you want to watch the whole episode all over again instantly. On the surface this appears to be just an elaborate excuse to make Amy choose between the two men in her life. Should she choose The Doctor, all flash and swagger and adventure, or Rory, the perfect lifemate. If the pregnancy reality were reality, you could see how Amy would be bored and how Rory would be happy. Then again, if the TARDIS is the reality then they're all about to die... so which to choose? The fact that Amy chooses the TARDIS in the end, not because of The Doctor, but because she can't live in a world without Rory is heartbreaking and perfect. The Doctor might show her the universe, but it's Rory who she wants by her side forever.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Amy Pond, Doctor Who, Dream Lord, Rory, Steven Moffat, TARDIS, Tawdry Quirk Shop, The Doctor

One year ago to the minute (thanks to handy dandy scheduling) I posted my first post, my alpha if you would.... But a year, now that's a long time to stick with something. I'm not doubting my own staying power but yours! For a year you've all been listening to me ramble and rant from books to the BBC, lately a lot about Gene Hunt and The Doctor, but through it all you've been here. To that I saw huzzah! Followed by, would you like some prizes? It's been such a wonderful time meeting and talking to you all that I feel a reward is in order. So, as the year mark denotes... this is going to be big! It will also be ever expanding... well, I'm sure there's some point I'll prolly cut it off, time will run out, but till that time, oh yes!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 2:16 PM 88 comments  

Labels: Amazon, Beautiful Creatures, Gene Hunt, Giveaway, Mega Horde, Mockingjay, The Doctor, The Princess Bride, The Reckoning, Win

So, where we last left off in this two parter... Amy was turning to stone and the angels were surrounding them. Of course, despite time being able to be re-written, they survive, but obviously not all of them. Iain Glen, that fabulous actor, had a nice big target on him since day one that said, really big actor here, I will die or be the bad guy, and I was right, he died, cause I don't think the angels have sidekicks. Though in fact everyone but River, The Doctor and Amy died, so again, very similar to River's previous story. All in all the second half of this story made me just feel that this could have been an amazing and tight one shot episode that they dragged out to two parts so that they could make full use of the angels return and Alex Kingston. But the truth is, by bringing them back and giving them a voice the angels weren't as scary. And when we finally learned that the big crack is a giant time eraser, if you fall in, it will be like you never were... well, that's not too creepy and having the angels scared of that... eh. Giving something that is so terrifying fear, it makes them less terrifying. Of course, this should logically make me more scared of the crack, because we should fear things that scary creatures fear... but it's a crack! I'll have to see how it plays out, but the crack, while intriguing, doesn't have me all fussed.

What does have me fussed? Well River! We now know she is/was a criminal for killing the greatest man she's ever known. Now, her being a criminal does not come as a surprise at all, criminal genius her, like Moriarty to The Doctor's Holmes. But now of course, my mind is whirring, like out of control. The Doctor fears River because she knows his future, as it turns out he knows hers, and not just her future, but her death. So what if it's vice versa as well? What if the entire time River has known the Doctor she knows how her dies? Not only that, what if she killed him? Now I'm not saying evil, I kill you in the name of... I'm saying she had to kill him for some reason, and perhaps his 13th regeneration... so she's his final death. She did seem very sad about it. At least we have her reappearance when the Pandoricum opens to look forward to!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 2:00 PM 3 comments  

Labels: Alex Kingston, Amy Pond, Iain Glen, Moriarty, Pandoricum, River Song, Sherlock Holmes, The 11th Doctor, The 13th Doctor, The Doctor, The Weeping Angels

I gotta say it. I might have been wrong. I think Matt Smith will work as The Doctor. "The Eleventh Hour" was funny, engaging, just that little bit scary, but in the end, though it wasn't David Tennant, it was Doctor Who. I don't think it will ever happen again for me, that emotional connection that I felt with David Tennant, that empathy, where his pain was my pain. But my favorite tv show has not been ruined, so I'm breathing a sigh of relief, as I think any Whovian out there is, the consensus seems to be good. Unlike most regenerations, at the time of his death The Doctor didn't have a companion, so therefore, whoever is the new companion will view this Doctor as the only Doctor. A clever concept, so we don't have to sit through the whole, it's me but not me shtick one more. But added to this is a little girl who, due to The Doctor and his miscalculation of time, ends up waiting for The Doctor a little longer than 5 minutes... a girl, who might know The Doctor better than he does, cause while he's been himself for a short time, to Amy, he's been The Doctor practically all her life. Amy, a feisty red head who won't take shit from The Doctor, after all, she's been stood up a few times by him already. As is the case with all Doctor Who Earth episodes, the world will end if a monster isn't stopped, this time a Prisoner whose guards are trying to find him. Of course the Earth is saved and Amy runs off with the Doctor, even if it's the night before her wedding.

Of course, me being me, I must find fault. Problems... looks like we're lumbered with yet another stupid boyfriend/fiance. Didn't they learn after ass face Mickey? Who knows... maybe he will be better, more like Rhys on Torchwood and less like ass face. Don't really like the new Tardis, it's hard to feel the space, it's too jumbled. The new sonic screwdriver... it looks ugly , green and vice like. But the negatives are far less than the positives, could change once those overused metal heads the Cybermen and Daleks show back up. The new opening credits, love the theremin being back. Great how Amy being a cop turned out, also addressing the "overtly sexy" criticism at the same time. Loved the scene where Amelia cooks for him. And I loved the preview of whats to come, River Song floating to the Tardis! All in all, a solid start, in fact more solid than David Tennant ever had, so we'll have to see if they can keep this up now won't we?

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 3 comments  

Labels: Amy Pond, Cybermen, Daleks, Doctor Who, Matt Smith, River Song, The 11th Doctor, The Doctor, The Eleventh Hour, Torchwood

As sure as the sun rises and sets there is sure to be another interpretation of Sherlock Holmes. With the recent big screen adaptation out today I thought it might be time for some pontification on that most memorable of detectives. While I thoroughly enjoyed Robert Downey Junior as Holmes with a cast rounded out by some wonderful BBC staples, I could always use another hit... though not the same kind as Holmes himself. I'm eagerly awaiting what, in the terms of geekdom, might be the most anticipated of collaborations. Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss are joining forces (yes that's me squealing in the background) to bring a new twist to Holmes. Sure they have been more recently tied up with Doctor Who, but that doesn't mean this will be anything like The Doctor... how about Moffat's Jekyll reimagining? Even if it is supposedly set in modern times, with Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman and Rupert Graves we have a cast that I am certain to love. The three 90 minute films are in production now and I just could only wish for a Tardis to jump on into the future to catch an episode. But the real question is, how does Steven Moffat have the time? With writing the new Tin Tin movie, being the new show-runner for Doctor Who and now this!?! Sheer multitasking genius!

All this talks of the new Holmeses leads me to a very important thought... who really is the definitive Holmes? Basil Rathbone or Jeremy Brett... how do they stack up against each other. And are we to factor in parodies? Because then we have Michael Caine facing Peter Cook! Also what if we factor in Holmes' history and take into account Ian Richardson on Murder Rooms (which if you haven't watched, you really must)? The truth is, each actor brings something unique and different to the role and that one can not be compared to another or even to how we view Holmes in our minds. Of course, this being me, I do have a favorite... from a love of Egyptology and being in love with the star at an impressionable age, Nicholas Rowe as Holmes in The Young Sherlock Holmes will always be my favorite. He does not detract from the original, but adds a new layer of awesomeness. I'm sorry Elizabeth had to die... but I did like you saying my name over and over even if you did cause me to have an unnatural fear of pastries.

The history of Holmes is fascinating in and of itself. Doyle never wrote the Deerstalker, that was an invention of the Illustrator. And when Doyle had Holmes killed off, he was brought back to life by mass consensus. There are societies and spin offs and scholars and every manner of devotion possible, it's no wonder there are so many adaptations!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 3 comments  

Labels: Arthur Conan Doyle, Doctor Who, Ian Richardson, Jeremy Brett, Mark Gatiss, Martin Freeman, Nicholas Rowe, Robert Downey Junior, Sherlock Holmes, Steven Moffat, The Doctor, The Young Sherlock Holmes

Well another year has just been gonged in by the toll of a bell, or the clicking of a clock, or the hum of a cell phone, or perhaps you have trained a rooster to crow at midnight versus dawn. But whichever way you look at it 2009 is over and I say huzzah! 2009 was the crappiest, most horrid year of my life and I can honestly say thank you to every last reader of this blog for being a part of my life this past year, you have helped me more than you will ever know. So 2010... feels good, feels like I'm not starting out the year with pneumonia, feels like I have nothing left too loose and a new decade is just what I needed. There will be books and blogs and wonderful things. There will be weddings and babies and marvelous signs of life, and a new era of Doctor Who... so while I'd love to stay and chat some more, there's a Master that needs stopping and a Doctor that's dying, and I have to go prepare myself! Happy New Year one and all!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 7 comments  

Labels: 2009, 2010, Babies, Doctor Who, Happy New Year, Pneumonia, The Doctor, The Master, Weddings

You'd think that Russell T. Davies would really have tried to write the best possible ending for David Tennant... well, you'd think that... but if part one is anything to go by, I'm not sure that he can pull it all together. For those who watched it last night, or for those who will be watching it shortly stateside (it airs tonight), I will be very interested to see what you think. I was thoroughly unimpressed. There were moments when it was perfect, but these were fleeting and we were left with something that was just too much.

Coming up in the next paragraph, as River Song would say: "Spoilers!"

As the narrator's voice comes up, we learn that it is the last days of the human race... but The Doctor is not there, he has been delaying meeting the Ood and by the time he arrives, it might be too late, the nightmares that people can't remember are of The Master, he is returning. But Donna's grandfather, Wilf, is on Earth and he remembers that which others cannot, he is also seeing visiosn of a lady telling him what is to come. Wilf sends out a reconnaissance mission of randy geriatrics and they discover The Doctor moments after he lands and has had his first encounter with The Master. The Doctor unburdens himself to Wilf as Wilf begs to get Donna back to what she was... but that's not possible, she'll have to make due with her new fiance and just getting by. The Doctor and The Master have yet another showdown and then mysterious forces, controlled by an eccentric daughter dotting billionaire, capture The Master and all hell breaks loose due to the technology that the billionaire, Joshua Naismith, scavenged from the ruins of Torchwood. As part one reaches it's climax, as one viewer commented, was the whole episode just written for the one groan inducing joke about the "Master Race?"

This episode just had too much of Russell T. Davies trying to be the biggest and best sci-fi show there is. And you know what? Taking bites and pieces from every other show and badly integrating it into your own do not a successful hour of television make. I have several big gripes, the main one being, Russell apparently thinks Doctor Who is now Heroes. First off, Heroes had maybe one good season and is facing cancellation on a daily basis, so why'd he think it was a good idea to emulate it? The narration is a little nod, but when did The Master go all mutant x on us? The episode is more like some really lame origins comic for how The Master was reborn and developed superhuman powers... even if he wasn't really human to begin with. He can now FLY! And shoot lightning out of his hands! How Awesome... wait... I mean LAME! I love that they obviously didn't reign John Simm in at all, he's brilliantly over the top and ravenous to boot, plus the blonde hair, loving it! But his performance is what makes The Master work, not the special effects and flying and lasers, it's his terrifying screams of "Dinner Time" and his lament about the sound of drums and his interaction with David Tennant that ground this high flying baddie.

Then I have guest star gripes... mainly due to the fact that they hired some of my most hated British character actors ever. Joshua Naismith is none other than David Harewood, Friar Tuck from season three of Robin Hood, otherwise known to me as the reason Robin Hood was shuffled into a quick cancellation grave due to his overacting and overbearing attitude to all of Robin Hood's men. Superiority complex much? Plus, he's more than just a little creepy with his daughter, who can't act at all, don't believe, watch the Confidential. But more importantly, Addams, played by Sinead Keenan. Sinead is most known for being George's girlfriend, and also a doctor, on Being Human. There's something about her that I just hate. I have a nickname, it's Piggy. Yes it might be mean, but she can't act and the only hope I have for season two of Being Human is that she dies during the transformation the first time she wolfs out. Her appearance on Doctor Who was not a welcome surprise.

But what got me most of all is that this was so timely. It was of our time! Doctor Who usually strives for ambiguity and has their own heads of state or vague references to presidents and leaders elect. But not this time. It was Barack Obama this and Barack Obama that. It not only took you out of the world of Doctor Who, but it also lacked credulity. When was the last time a President did a big speech about how they're magically going to fix the economy on Christmas? As Russell said, they took a risk with this and they hoped that the recession would still be around. Personally I think you took a risk of destroying the fabric of the show. Where Torchwood could conceivably do this better than Doctor Who, they didn't throw out political names left and right when the children of the earth were at stack, so why did Davies do it now?

Overall this episode displays one thing... it's good we're getting ride of Russell T. Davies. He has a love of bringing villains back again and again, and a tendency to make "specials" bloated and unwieldy, and in the long run, boring. Though I will say this, he has surrounded himself with the talent that tried to make the best of a bad script, and occasionally they succeeded. John Simm gave some of his best as a hungry hoodie in the wasteland and the scene where David Tennant told Wilf he was going to die, I don't think David had to act those tears, it is heart wrenching. So for a few scenes it was worth it, but as to the finale... I hope Russell delivers, I really hope that this underwhelming first chapter was a way to lower our expectations in order to then blow us away... but I have a feeling it wasn't. Also on a final note... true Doctor Who fans know that the Timelords and The Doctor have never seen eye to eye and that they're kind of bureaucratic baddies, we did not need to be told this Russell, plus, when the scene ends up looking eerily similar to the galactic senate scenes in the Star Wars prequels, you better hope you didn't jump the shark like Lucas did.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 4:12 PM 3 comments  

Labels: Barack Obama, Being Human, David Tennant, Doctor Who, Donna, George Lucas, Heroes, Hoodie, Robin Hood, Russell T. Davies, Star Wars, The Doctor, The Master, Timelords, Torchwood, Wilf

So tomorrow's the day! Yes, it's Christmas you say! Well... yes it is, but more importantly... Doctor Who! The penultimate episode of the 10th Doctor. Ah, such a great, yet bittersweet, Christmas gift... if only I didn't have to wait till the first for part two.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Christmas, Doctor Who, The 10th Doctor, The Doctor

The countdown till the end of time starts... one week to go, so lets see what the Doctor was up to in the meantime. In the third, and by far strongest season of The Sarah Jane Adventures, we get a lot of heartbreak and a little bit of doctoring. The second season saw Maria leaving us and Rani joining the cast. While at first I wasn't sure how I'd react, more because of my love of Maria's dad Alan, than any attachment I had to Maria, I have to say, with this season Rani proved herself. Also, now that K-9 is a regular... perfect! Almost any show can be improved by a tin dog! So now onto the overall breakdown of the season by episode.

Prisoner of the Judoon: Perfectly showcases the downfall of Sarah Jane... it's a show made up of all the left over bites of Doctor Who and Torchwood. Of course the Judoon were awesome on Doctor Who, but making a random one run around and then grounding the three kids from space travel... lame. Plus the whole Sarah Jane possession and then Rani's parents almost finding out made this a really stupid opening episode.

The Mad Woman in the Attic: Heartrending tale about the possible what ifs in Rani's life. If only this was the season premiere. It deals heavily with the secrets that Sarah Jane has the kids keep and how sometimes they need to tell someone. Plus it's nice having not really evil aliens every once in awhile. Also a scary abandoned fair ground is always good.

The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith: They got Nigel Havers to be the coolest finance, and oh the twist is awesome. Even if it weren't for The Doctor, this would have been a great episode. Of course, I am getting sick of the stock Sarah Jane villain, The Trickster... but what can you do, at least he's original to this show! Also notice the place where the wedding is? By chance it's where Rhys and Gwen got married on Torchwood... see what I said about reusing the same places!

The Eternity Trap: Best episode of this season. It's a scary ghost story AND an alien story in one. Plus we've seen Professor Rivers before... love continuity. I did have a fit that for no reason they though pictures of The Cavaliers were possible... cause photography has been around since the 1600s in Russell T. Davies' world. Also for other sci-fi freaks... the main ghost, that's Zod from Smallville, aka Callum Blue!

Mona's Lisa's Revenge: Interesting theory about art sharing paint and what else that might entail. Also I was worried about how this would tie in with the previous Whovian Mona Lisa Tale (City of Death) but it's ok, it would work. Though what is up with Mona's accent?!? It's like bad horrid cockney of the worst sort. Did they think it was funny?

The Gift: The Slytheen are back... again...sure they have another name, but I'm totally bored with them. The mini one is still totally cute in a bite your hand off sort of way, but other than that... What is cool though is they were voiced by Simon Callow and Miriam Margolyes! Also learning that Mr. Smith hates K-9, priceless.

Overall a strong third season which will hopefully lead to a forth series pickup. The beginning and the ending were a little lack luster, but the middle episodes where worthy of The Doctor himself. Also a random aside, the little intro to each episode... get ride of it... when Clyde looks at the audience, it makes me want to hunt him down and hurt him.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:10 AM 1 comments  

Labels: Alan, Callum Blue, City of Death, Doctor Who, Judoon, K-9, Maria, Mona Lisa, Nigel Havers, Rani, Sarah Jane Adventures, Sarah Jane Smith, Slytheen, Smallville, The Doctor, Torchwood