Categories
Books Television Tie-in Merchandise

Aunt Marie’s Book of Lore; More Grimm Goodness On the Way

On November 8, Aunt Marie’s Book of Lore is going to be available. You can get it now of course, but if you do, you won’t actually get it; it’ll be a pre-order.

Grimm: Aunt Marie's Book of Lore

Billed as “the real book of monsters,” it seems to me to be a clever little tie-in with the series that the more die-hard fans will get a kick out of. I love the idea of it, and I hope it lives up to the description that I’ve quoted below.

THE REAL BOOK OF MONSTERS, WEAPONS AND POTIONS AS SEEN IN THE SHOW!

This in-universe book explores the monsters, weapons and potions in Grimm with detailed pictures and descriptions. The book is Aunt Marie’s recording of the supernatural creatures she and her fellow Grimms have to defeat!

Inspired by the classic Grimm Brothers’ fairy tales, Grimm is a cop-drama with a twist! A detective discovers he has the ability to see supernatural beings, including a reformed ‘Big Bad Wolf’ and the witch-like Hexebiester, along with many others.

And holy crap. Somebody thinks they’re going to like it…

Aunt Marie's Book of Lore Amazon rank (Nov 3, 2013)
Screencap: November 3, 2013

So there you go. Just one more thing to spend money on if you like Grimm.

Titan Books; November 8, 2013; 128 Page 11×8 Inch Paperback

You can find this book at most online book stores.

Categories
Books Television Tie-in Merchandise

Comic or Graphic Novel? You Tell Me. Grimm, Volume 1

Honest to God, I don’t really know the difference between comics and graphic novels, since neither are something I usually read. However, this is Grimm, and God knows I’ve about become obsessed with this show. Whatever it is, it has 112 pages.

See? Here are some screenshots of the interior. Beware, these screenshots could contain spoilers, so keep that in mind!

grimm-vol1-1
grimm-vol1-2
grimm-vol1-3

Comic or graphic novel? Is there really a difference? I’m all for someone enlightening me on this issue.

Grimm Volume 1

Grimm, Volume 1

Never-before-told stories, set in the world of the acclaimed NBC series, Grimm, by the show creators themselves! Homicide Detective Nick Burkhardt, joined by his mother Kelly, Hank, and Monroe, uncover family secrets long buried during their adventure in Europe. Hunted by Verrat soldiers, their quest to destroy the Coins of Zakynthos reveals dark secrets and promises death for a member of the cast!

From the sample pages on Amazon, it sounds like there’s going to be a lot of Nick’s kicking-ass mom in this book, and of course, a revisit of the Coins of Zakynthos myth from season 1 and season 2.

Available on November 19.

Categories
Television

Isn’t It Odd How We Come to Watch Certain Shows?

I had never heard of Sleepy Hollow, mainly because my life has been full of other things this last year and I haven’t had time to keep looking for new shows to take up my valuable—but in short supply—time, when I came across a reference to it somewhere online. I don’t even remember where, but I was intrigued enough to do a Google search and discover the show was a new series that had only aired 2 episodes at the time.

Sleepy Hollow

Woo hoo, I thought. Something shiny and pretty … then I watched the trailer and wow, I loved it. I bought the 1st episode on the spot. Then I remembered that some channels like to put their episodes online early enough to make it worth watching right on the website, so I took a look and found that FOX is one of those channels. Both episodes were already available.

At FOX: http://www.fox.com/sleepy-hollow/full-episodes

I tried watching episode 2, Blood Moon, at FOX, just to see if it would be acceptable quality and it was okay. Or maybe “meh” is a better term for it, but it was good enough. But when I went to watch the 3rd episode a week later, something was wrong with the site. I waited a day, because I wasn’t in a hurry, but even though it came back up and the video played, I decided I liked the show enough to pick it up at Amazon. :)

It’s a lovely show. Creepy and exciting, and the cast and characters are a talented bunch.

There’s even a little website for the secret map: http://welcometosleepyhollow.com/.

Here’s what the show is about, in as few words as possible. (Quotes from FOX.)

…mystery-adventure drama…

In this modern-day twist on Washington Irving’s classic…

Ichabod Crane is resurrected and pulled two and a half centuries through time…

…Lt. Abbie Mills … the two embark on a mission to stop the evil that has awoken along with Ichabod and that now is seeping into this once-sleepy town.

…Lives are in the balance, including that of Ichabod’s late wife, Katrina, who is trapped in a mysterious netherworld…

Shorter is better, sometimes. :)

Categories
Books Television

The Grimm Books Are Now a Series

The upcoming Grimm books…

On November 5th, the first of the Grimm books will be available. I have no idea how these stories will fall in with the canon of the series, but it should be a lot of fun to find out.

Grimm: The Icy Touch Grimm: The Chopping Block

So yeah, as I suspected, but not as I’d hoped, the cover image of The Icy Touch hasn’t changed much. They managed to get the title on there now, but I had to post a largish image just so it could be seen.

But, while grabbing  the image, I noticed there’s a second book on the way.

Like the former cover for The Icy Touch, the cover image for The Chopping Block seems to be a place holder. I guess when it’s finally published, they’ll add the title in the spot where “Book 2” now resides.

The Icy Touch (Grimm, Book #1)

Back in the 19th century a Wesen and a Grimm fight to the death. The Grimm wins, but the Wesen’s son escapes and vows revenge. In the present day, Captain Renard sends Nick and Hank to investigate an international crime cartel named Le Touche Givre (The Icy Touch). They discover this deadly gang is run by Wesen, and is involved in various illegal activities, including forced prostitution and drug pushing. As they close in on the gang, Nick begins to realize that their charismatic and dangerous leader is just as intent on tracking him down…

From the publisher: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/226806/grimm-the-icy-touch-by-john-shirley/

The Chopping Block (Grimm, Book #2)

A cache of bones is found in a shallow grave in local woods… Meanwhile missing persons cases in Portland seem to be on the increase. As more bones are discovered, Portland homicide Detective Nick Burkhardt and his partner Hank Griffin investigate – but there seems to be no connection between the victims… A brand-new original story set in the Grimm universe.

From the publisher: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/226807/grimm-the-chopping-block-by-john-passarella/

Categories
Books Science Fiction

The Breakers Series: Books 1-3 Bundle, a 99¢ Bargain

I’m not usually on the lookout for cheap books because I tend to be a reader who wants now whatever it is I want to read and waiting for a bargain isn’t in my nature.

That’s not to say I never run across bargains though, and today I did.

The Breakers Series: Books 1-3

So what’s it about?

In the Breakers series, humanity faces not one apocalypse, but two: first a lethal pandemic, then a war against those who made the virus. This collection includes the first three books and is over 1000 pages (350,000 words) of post-apocalyptic survival.

See the little screencap (11/3/13)? Apparently a lot of people like this set. :)

Breakers Series, books 1-3 bundle Screencap of ratings at Amazon

Including Breakers, Meltdown, & Knifepoint, this bundle isn’t the complete Breakers set, but it definitely will give you a good start on the series. I personally haven’t read these books, but I have started reading The Cutting Room, which is a serial (now complete) by the same author, Edward W. Robertson.

Categories
Books

Zombies Are So Passé, But an Apocalypse Makes It All Better: This Plague of Days (The Zombie Apocalypse Serial)

I’m not a big fan of serialized fiction. I love series, but series and serials aren’t remotely the same when done correctly. However, this one has caught my attention, with its creepy cover and interesting description. The cover doesn’t say zombies to me, but it certainly does right by the apocalypse. Regardless, I love the atmospheric covers. The autistic character is a big draw too, since I enjoy characters who are a bit out of the ordinary. If there’d been only one book here, I’m not sure I would have picked it up yet but it looks like the story is going to be worth it.

This Plague of Days, Season 1 This Plague of Days, Season 2

Links:

This Plague of Days Season One (The Zombie Apocalypse Serial)

This Plague of Days, Season Two (The Zombie Apocalypse Serial)

Jaimie Spencer is a strange autistic boy caught in a fight for survival as the Sutr-X virus spreads across the United States. While governments lie to their citizens to quarantine victims and isolate cities, the inexorable mind virus brings civilization as we know it to an end. Sutr-X sweeps away all we knew, but the plague doesn’t stop there. As the virus mutates to become Sutr-Z, Britain falls as the zombies rise.

The war for the future has begun and the greater numbers are on the side of the infected. Terrorists created the plague and made ordinary civilians into rabid bio-weapons. The Ungrateful Living and the rabid cannibals all share one thing in common: they are just like you.

Categories
Television

Grimm is Back for Another Season

And boy am I happy to see it. I love this show entirely too much. But really, who doesn’t love a fun show like Grimm? (If you hate it, I’m definitely not talking to you. Don’t rain on my parade, please.)

Grimm

Amazon’s got the show all ready to go and that’s where I picked up the season 3 premiere (The Ungrateful Dead) last night. I know, I know, I shouldn’t have been able to wait so long to watch it, but the truth is I was using it as a reward to get something done and I couldn’t seem to get done. It took me days to finish, when I’d planned to be done Saturday afternoon so I could watch Grimm ASAP.

I suggest you go ahead and buy the season pass. It’s cheaper and you know you’ll want to watch all the episodes. However, if you want them real cheap, just go to the NBC website and you can watch them there. I’ve watched shows at the NBC site before and it’s not bad. Might try out the new Dracula tomorrow night over there before I commit to buying a season of it. :)

Watch at:

NBC’s website: http://www.nbc.com/grimm/video/

Categories
Books Television

A List of the Stargate Atlantis Legacy Series Books; Because It’s Finally Over

Stargate Atlantis: The Legacy Series: Inheritors
It’s done. The end. The Legacy series is over.* And I’m a few months late with this post. Oops. Here’s all the books in the series, for those who might be interested.

  1. Homecoming by Jo Graham & Melissa Scott
  2. The Lost by Jo Graham & Amy Griswold
  3. Allegiance  by Melissa Scott & Amy Griswold
  4. The Furies by Jo Graham
  5. Secrets by Melissa Scott & Jo Graham
  6. Inheritors by Melissa Scott, Jo Graham, & Amy Griswold

One reviewer wasn’t that pleased with the way the series turned out. I wouldn’t know. I gave up reading after Homecoming because I don’t like reading series in progress. The series came back to mind recently though, after I received a notice from Fandemonium that some out of print books in the Stargate Atlantis series were now available—books I meant to pick up but just hadn’t gotten around to it. Anyway, back to the unhappy reviewer.

…while it’s not the unedited dreck which I usually give one star, it was a colossal disappointment. Especially considering the strong start in Homecoming. Since I’ve already detailed much of how, in my opinion, the series went off the rails in my reviews for The Furies and Secrets, I’ll try not to reiterate too much. It’s somewhat difficult, however, because many of the faults in this final volume originated elsewhere.

It made me want to go back and dig up the other reviews mentioned, but then I came to my senses. If I pick the rest of these books up now, I don’t want to be aware of any glaring issues before I read them. I’d rather not ask for trouble if I can help it.

*Apparently, it’s not really over after all. But I’ll save that for another post.

Categories
Television

Teen Wolf: Time to Rewatch the First Half of Season 3

Teen Wolf

Just an observation, now that the first half of Teen Wolf’s third season is over: the tone of the show wasn’t only darker but lacked a lot of the themes that ran through the first two seasons. Of course, talking about the murder of children (even though they’re teens, they’re still kids) every single episode made it tough to have much fun with it.

I still enjoyed the show, although I’d love to see a few lighter episodes once the season resumes in like … five … months, but it was impossible not to notice that the series has really changed. Allison was barely there. Issac, whom I do adore, had more scenes but less to do. Boyd, poor fellow, was hardly there at all, and of course we all know what happened to poor Erica. The villains annoyed me. Kali, I hated. She was probably the best villain just because every time she came on screen I kept hoping she would finally die and that was even before I found out just how big a role she played in certain key deaths/maimings.

I enjoyed Cora though but I still don’t feel like I know how she didn’t die in the Hale house fire, so I feel like I either missed something the first time through–not impossible–or it wasn’t explained very well. And one scene I remember that makes me long for her to come back for at least a couple short episodes was the Issac & Derrick scene where Issac shows a bit of romantic interest in Cora. That would be lovely to see followed up. Not likely to happen, I know, especially with all the Allison and Issac vibes going on–which I’m not much of a fan of, TBH, because it makes no sense that Allison wouldn’t want to be with Scott if she’s reconciled herself with her anti-werewolf sentiment from season 2. If not, why in the world would she be interested in Issac? Just doesn’t make any sense to me.

It’s time to rewatch the season though to make sure I didn’t miss anything or that I’m not looking at the half-season as a whole and not remembering the lighter moments. Plus, it’s always fun to rewatch the good shows. :)

Categories
News

Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Reviews Coming Soon

As an avid fan of reading, I’ve decided to start including more science fiction and fantasy book reviews on the site. If you want to submit your book for review, feel free to use the contact page to send me a blurb and I’ll tell you if I’m interested. If you send me the book attached, do not send it in a zip file. I won’t risk opening it.

I get a lot of books through netgalley and from publishers, but not SF/F books. Any time I can, I’d rather deal directly with authors if possible, because it’s easier to go back to emails if I decide I want to review a book later that I wasn’t sure about to start with. I’m also not one to post reviews if I hate a book, simply because there’s no way I’ll finish it if I don’t like it. That’s just the way I read.

My tastes in SF/F fiction run to pulp and entertainment, although I occasionally enjoy high-minded fiction. I’d much rather be entertained, and I have high tolerance for typos and grammar foibles–I want a good story. Give me that and I’m forgiving of the rest…

I’m opening this to both industry/traditionally published books and independently published books for the time being. We’ll see how it goes.