The Walking Dead: More Darryl Please...

I'm somewhat enjoying the ultra-slow peeks into the lives of the survivors of the prison--because how else could they do it really? They need to draw you in and focus on a couple of characters at a time--just to torture us. That's okay. Character development in service of my anticipation isn't a bad thing. A couple of issues, however:

1. What's with the lack of Darryl? The little bit that they showed between Beth and Darryl was unremarkable. But that's just me; I love Darryl. I want to know more about what's going on in his head, besides the fact that he wants to sit down and is sad.

2. Why did no one have a rendezvous point planned? They obviously had a plan to load the bus in case of emergency, but no set points to meet up anywhere. That would have been helpful. Hey, they planned enough to bring formula for Judith, but not to have a Plan B?

3. Are you telling me that the Terminus people only just now showed up to discover the prison, as it's imploding? Realistically they could have shown up a day or a month earlier.

The whole thing with Maggie and Glenn--I feel bad for them, but her freak-out was kind of boring. I'm not sure what to say about Tara yet--she was in shock in the cage after her girlfirend got shot by Lizzie--but Tara seems to have lost all her bravado (rightly so)... wasn't she a cop before the zombies? She seems a little whiny despite her trauma. I know, I always think characters should be stronger than they are. I did enjoy the episode despite my minor questions/complaints.

And what is it with Lizzie? She is seriously deranged; and yet perhaps this is just the new world they all live in. Only the deranged survive. Those poor bunnies! At least they could have used them for food; what a waste! And poor Judith too--almost happily smothered by Lizzie, even as zombies approached to get her sister. Freaky!!

As for Carol reappearing, not surprising. You had to know she survived. It's fascinating she shows up with Tyreese and he doesn't know she was the one who killed his girlfriend. Great plot twist. And of course Judith is alive! I never thought for a moment that she was dead; it's also ironic that Carol, the one who was exiled by Rick, will be the one who saves his baby daughter. Perhaps she will raise Judith to be a killing machine like Lizzie, only to meet Rick years later!

The Walking Dead: Season 4 Episode 9: After

I've been anxiously waiting for The Walking Dead to return after its midseason hiatus, and Episode 9 of Season 4, entitled After, premiered last Sunday. I must admit I am a late-comer to this series as well; my 13-year-old son turned me on to it (after I realized he was watching it). I downloaded every episode I couldn't watch online or on-demand, and now I am hooked. I was never a big fan of zombies, but they are all the rage now, and thus the drama and writing has vastly improved. The character development that is stretched out over so many episodes is gripping; I am on the edge of my seat to learn much more about Darryl and Mishone, my two favorite characters. Last Sunday, Episode 9 cast a glimpse into the lives of the group after their prison safe-haven was destroyed, beloved Hershel was murdered by the abominable Governor, and baby Judith was presumed eaten by zombies by Carl and Rick, who has been almost beaten to death.

I must admit I was kind of angry throughout this episode that we only saw Rick and Carl; mostly Carl, who was acting like a preteen prick. I mean really, do preteen boys still get that angry and blame their dads during a zombie apocalypse? Don't you think he would just pull it together? Perhaps it was realistic the way it was. Surely these kids' development has been skewed by death and destruction. I'm concerned that Carl is going to go the way of Wesley on Star Trek the Next Generation: First he was cute, and then he was annoying and all the die-hard fans hated his guts. There is some tricky writing to be done to make Carl come through this series as a likeable or love-to-hate character; at least one that lasts. Of course on this show, it's conceivable that no one is meant to last.

Mishone's previous life and her inner battle was also showcased on this episode; I was happy to see her decide to pursue love instead of loneliness after all hell broke loose. Sure, she had a mini-breakdown and at first went back to her old ways of dragging zombie pets behind her, but then she turned it around and went back to join Rick and Carl. Thank God, because that boy needs some help! I was also grateful that the writers did not overlook the fact that Hershel's head was going to be growling and snapping; thank goodness they had Mishone take care of that. I am heartbroken over the death of Hershel. Whereas I was cheering when Dale got devoured on Hershel's farm in Season 2 (Dale was so annoying), I am truly saddened at Hershel's passing as you are when a favorite character--flawed yet endearing--will never be enjoyed again.

Grave Sight Series, Harper Connelly by Charlaine Harris

Quite coincidentally, I discovered Charlaine Harris first with her Grave Sight/Harper Connelly series. If you like supernatural realistic fiction (which I obviously do) the four-book mystery series contains four compelling and suspenseful mysteries which Harper Connelly and her step-brother Tolliver must solve using Harper's uncanny sixth sense which she acquired when struck by lightning: She is able to find dead bodies. Despite the morbid topic, Harper and Tolliver are down-to-earth and likeable survivors of a not broken but blown-up home (their respective parents were druggies and dragged the kids down with them). Harper's acquisition of her dead-body sense allowed them to, when they aged our of the foster care system, reunite and start a business of finding missing persons (who are dead) and performing graveside gigs to announce causes of death (when it was in question). Throughout the series, two underlying mysteries emerge: Will Harper ever find the body of her sister, Cameron, who disappeared when she was a teenager? And will Harper and Tolliver ever realize (SPOILER ALERT) they are in love with each other? Each book is a self-contained mystery and perpetuates the storyline of the underlying mysteries as well.

This series is comfort food to me: I have read each of these books several times. My favorite of the series is Ice Cold Grave (the third book) when (SPOILER ALERT) Tolliver and Harper finally consummate their love in a passionate confession in a lakeside cabin during an ice storm. Great to read during your own blizzard! Unlike in the Sookie Stackhouse series, this book is the only one where you're going to find a half-decent sex scene.

True Blood: The Books, The Series

My favorite Sookie Stackhouse book:
Dead to the World when Eric and Sookie
first get together!

I discovered Sookie Stackhouse quite accidentally by discovering Charlaine Harris's lesser known heroine, Harper Connelly, from the Grave Sight series. I read Grave Sight in one day, ordered and read Grave Surprise the next day, and then Ice Cold Grave the following day. I was so hungry for the next book (which wasn't available yet) that I clicked on Charlaine Harris and discovered Sookie Stackhouse. Again, I was off and running. I read the entire series of books in about a week (up until then it was only 9 books) and have been ferociously devouring every new edition since then. It wasn't until I finished book 9 (Dead and Gone) in that week that I realized that HBO had been producing the show True Blood, based on the first book (Dead Until Dark) already for over a year. Well that was it; I had to order HBO and watch the series. And in this case, most uncommonly, the series was even better than the books.

This is not a rare opinion; the show is spectacularly popular. I'm impressed with the director's and writers' efforts to not only incorporate essential elements of each book (and the overall series) into each season, but then they also spectacularly enhance and ignite every theme and event in the books into something more. The character of Eric changes dramatically in the series; I like him much more on tv. However, his and Sookie's romance was downplayed last season--it was over like a FLIT of a candle. I wonder if they will bring that passion back into her life, even though she now with Alcide Herveaux (which never happens in the books). If on schedule with the plot of the books, the fairies should be coming back in force this season with Sookie's great-grandfather, but we shall see what other plot twists and characters they may bring in and change as well.

I love the True Blood series; I love the hot sex scenes (of course); I adore Anna Paquin who is the perfect Sookie. I'm glad they didn't kill off Lafayette in this first season (as he was in the first book), as he is a core character and a well-deserved heart of the show; Charlaine Harris really missed the boat to develop that character in her books. Not to be completely superlative, but Stephen Moyer is the perfect Bill and is who I imagined Bill to be when I read the first 9 books when I was oblivious to the HBO show. I question whether the show's writers will have the creative willpower and grit to keep with the true heart of the storyline in the books (now that I've read all 12 of them) and (SPOILER ALERT) never reunite Sookie and Bill as a true couple. Eric becomes her true vampire love in the last few books, although they will never quite make it. It will be interesting to see and I look forward to the new season; I will be writing about new episodes every week.

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Okay, so I'm coming late to the Outlander series, but here it is. In 1945 Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is visiting Scotland on her wedding anniversary with her husband Frank, as Scotland was where they were married. Despite being apart for 6 years during the war, they appear to have a loving and comfortable relationship. The ghost of an ancient Highlander appears underneath their window one night--who it is is revealed by the author in her interviews... but what it means remains to be seen. (I will have to get through the whole series to find out apparently.) After witnessing an ancient pagan rite in a mini-Stonehenge, Claire revisits the site on her own. Upon walking through a particular spot in particular stone, she finds herself plunged into a sort of vortex, and then suddenly in 1743 Scotland, in the middle of a skirmish between English Redcoats and Scottish cattle thieves. From that moment, her life is in chaos.

Claire is mistaken for a prostitute, suspected of being both an English spy and a witch, forced into marriage to a ruggedly handsome (and younger) outlaw Highlander named Jamie Fraser, and quite unrealistically avoids rape in every instance (although there was quite a bit of trying). Claire's adventure is compelling and keeps you engaged, despite the many ridiculous escapes from imprisonment she manages. Again, with my love of of series books, I have moved onto the second book, Dragonfly in Amber (review to come). I loved the hot and sweet romance between Claire and Jamie, and was not surprised at all (SPOILER ALERT) she chose to stay with him rather than return through the vortex to Frank. The attachment Claire feels for Frank is not developed at all in the first book, and I'm waiting for more explanation in the second. Although there is a lot of sex in this book as well, none is more graphic than a mild romance novel. It's warranted, because after all, what else did you do for fun in the Highlands in 1743? Highly recommended historical fiction with fantastic elements of time travel and ghosts. *SPOILER ALERT: The ghost who sees Frank (who looks like the dreaded Black Jack Randall who tormented Jamie) and Claire just before they make love? Of course it's Jamie... What will that mean?*

City of Dark Magic by Magnus Flyte

City of Dark Magic (Penguin Books, 2012)by the fictional ghost writer Magnus Flyte (aka Meg Howrey and Christina Lynch) is a fun read. Despite the blurb by Conan O'Brien on the cover that reads, "This deliciously madcap novel has it all: murder in Prague, time travel, a misanthropic Beethoven, tantric sec, and a dwarf with an attitude," I found the reviews mixed; mine is as well. I enjoyed the book; I cannot finish a book unless I enjoy it at least a bit. It has all the elements of books I enjoy: humor in the writing, suspense to keep me going, a sexually free female main character (or otherwise frequent sex scenes), mystery and history together, and even some fantastic elements (ghosts, time travel, magic... any of these will do). The writing wasn't particularly beautiful (which is also a favorite part of reading for me) and the pace of the book lagged in spots, but it kept me ensconced in the mystery nevertheless. Essentially Sarah, a Beethoven expert and musicologist, is drawn to Prague to curate a Beethoven exhibit for a royal museum, as well as to solve the so-called suicide of her brilliant mentor, Professor Sherbatsky. Drawn into the dark history of Prague, ancient time traveling drugs, and yes, a dwarf with an attitude, Sarah manages to not only curate the exhibit, but have anonymous sex in a bathroom and, yes, eventually solve the mystery. I enjoy academics drawn into becoming detectives, but I especially commend the authors for creating an attractive and brilliant female character who is not afraid to admit she enjoys sex on a regular basis, no matter who it is with. However, for my tastes, and despite other reviewers who commented on the "overkill" on the sex scenes, in my opinion this book is pretty tame in that department.

I was even spurred on to read the second book, City of Lost Dreams, which takes the plot into even more fantastic realms of time travel and alchemically induced eternal life (with extra vague yet demonic portals included). It attempts to make it a key point for the reader to root for the romance of the young Prince Lobkowicz and Sarah, but for me it was a foregone conclusion. Closure was provided with more information about Nico and his mysterious long past, as well as interesting plot about child-prodigy Pollina, with some more time-travel-induced intercedence from Beethoven himself. Both books recommended for a light reading.