So is this an episode of The Secret Circle or Dance Time? It seems that there is a lot of dancing happenin in this episode, and I don’t mean just at the high school! But there is plenty of other fun things to watch as Cassie spends more time with her new BFF Diana doing fun stuff like setting your dress on fire. Well, okay that was accidental and I thought very real to decide to use this amazing power to do something as mundane as change the color of your dress. If that wasn’t a teenage girl moment, I don’t know what was!
Glad to see Jake wondering through this episode, heck I am happy to see him at any time filling up the screen. But he does seem to wonder past Cassie’s place at odd times, such as when Faye is breaking into Cassie’s to steal something so she can get that black magic boogie-woogie going. And he does appear in Cassie’s dreams, but then he appears in mine too, so what does that mean?
Poor Adam, meanwhile can’t seem to get even a bit of friendly affection from Cassie, even though he is more than willing to do stuff like head down to municipal hall to help her to get the dirt on her Dad. It is too spooky that the clubhouse is Dad’s old residence! I am sure Adam would rather be drinking beer with the boys! Especially since Cassie doesn’t even thank him by saying she will go to the dance with him. That is totally petty high school girl actions, Cassie!
And speaking of hunky guys, Lee seems to still be around and willing to hang with Fae and help her out. A fraud he may be, but he is our fraud, so I guess we will keep him! He does seem to know an awful lot that Faye needs to know, like knowing that the key to her regaining her mojo is through Cassie’s Book of Shadows. How does he know this stuff? And what is this need to unzip Faye’s dress to rub some weird necklace all over her to activate her magic? I gotta remember that one!
Meanwhile, back at the dance sparks are flying and Adam is putting the pout on and Ethan is even there – looking quite dashing for the town drunk I might add. I love the sweet emotional talk Cassie and Ethan have about her Dad, more chances to show off those hidden drunken emotions for Ethan!
Well of course all hell has to break loose once Faye has her way. Witches are writhing on the floor, Faye is feeling caught up in the moment and before you know it, giant icycles are dropping onto the dance floor! Man – things get crazy here really fast!
But in the end there is plenty of smooching as Adam finally gets his wish with Cassie. But of course, that can only last so long before Jake shows up. And how can Adam hope to compete with the sizzling hotness of Jake? Sigh.
We’ve been faithful and we have waited, sometimes patiently. For those of us who have awaited the successive unfolding of each book, the news that George R.R. Martin has made the decision to give us all an early birthday present in the form of his latest installment for the Song of Ice and Fire series is beyond wonderful. We are ecstatic, we are in heaven with the new taste of the next book and we are happy that he can control it because it is available on his website, even as you are reading this now.
Yes, Martin can sometimes take quite some time between books, but heck he is one busy guy! Between books he is always on the go, working on the production of RPGs based on his worlds, putting together anthologies that win big awards and so much more. So it is no wonder that once you get hooked on a series the likes of Song of Ice and Fire, it is almost impossible to be patient for each new book to come out.
If you haven’t actually tried the series, you might want to check it out. It is already seen as a classic fantasy series, and with the television show that is based on the first book doing gangbusters, you just might want to read through the books as well. They are filled with amazing characters, wonderful magic and so much more. You can find out about each book in the series as well as be able to order them directly through this website (we thank you) by simply clicking on our Game of Thrones books link right here. Enjoy!
As if there aren’t enough versions of Stieg Larsson’s amazing Millennium Trilogy that begins with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, DC Comics has just announced that they will be developing a six-book graphic novel mini-series based on the books. But the good news is that the estate is very much behind this decision and is actually working pretty closely with the writer and artist who will be adapting the stories.
In a recent interview in the British newspaper The Guardian, DC Entertainment Co-Editor Dan DiDio said that he felt that the “intricate characters and stories” in the book were a perfect fit for the visual medium of the graphic novel. DiDio said that DC ‘s creative team will be a “perfect match… where we can bring Lisbeth Salander to life in entirely new, visually compelling ways”.
The writer for the creative team that will be tackling the project is Denise Mina, who is a compelling and award winning author of tough and heroic tales. Her stint recently on Hellblazer led her to collaboration with celebrated illustrator Leonard Manco for that series. Manco will be returning as her collaborator on the Millennium Trilogy as well.
Mina spoke of her talks with the Larsson estate and also of her desire to make some small changes to the approach to Lisbeth Salander’s handling of sexual abuse. The topic is a big part of the character’s development and Mina has handled these types of characters before. She feels that Larsson didn’t delve enough into how Lisbeth handled the sexual abuse in her past and Mina is looking forward to exploring that more thoroughly in her adaptation.
It is always interesting to see what kind of differences you have in a writer’s approach when an adaptation is taken on of well defined characters. In this case, since a man was writing a story where the main character is a sexually abused young woman, to have someone like Mina look at the character from a woman’s point of view is bound to bring some new attitude to it. I was a big fan of the books when they first came out. I even re-read them as I watched the original films when they came out on Netflix. The American film adaptations were interesting, but missing some of the darkness of the country that was so well handled in the original films, IMHO (as if I ever had one). So it will be interesting to see another interpretation, this time from a Scottish writer, of these iconic stories. We will let you know if we can find some art as the project progresses.
Charlaine Harris is someone who is known more for her southern barmaid heroine Sookie Stackhouse than for being a comic book writer. In fact, although she has never even considered doing a graphic novel before, she just signed a deal with Ace Books to do a trilogy that will bypass the traditional book format and be released as a set of graphic novels.
In a recent interview with USAToday the author of the best-selling paranormal series that features the vampires and werewolves of a southern small-town looks to be returning to that small town setting in Cemetery Girl. She admits that although she has had the concept of the story, where a teen girl with amnesia is the center of a mystery tale as she grows up alone living among the cemetery stones of a graveyard, for a long while she did not at first conceive of it as a graphic novel. When another fantasy writer Christopher Golden suggested the concept was perfect for a graphic novel, she knew he was right and they decided to work on it together. With the addition of comic book artist Don Kramer, the team was complete.
Harris says that this story will have more mystery elements to it, as the readers learn along with the young girl just who she is and why she is living in a cemetery. (Hmmm- sure look like a good place for vampires! Do you think they will be part of the story?) Right now, the project is just getting under way, with plans to have the first book of the trilogy ready for a 2013 release date.
This month we are spotlighting a wonderful series of books by fantasy writer Diana Rowland. They all take place in the South, not far from New Orleans, and I found that the feel of the deep south with its traditions of voodoo and old world magic are a big part of the feel of these books.
Her main character, Kara is a fragile and yet tough woman who has managed to find her way in the world mostly by kicking down her own fears and by finding her strength in herself. It is an enormously attractive trait for a central women figure in a book and I found myself rooting for her to succeed almost out loud as I read the series.
If you love strong women in your books, if you love an unusual take on the concept of vampires, demons and the paranormal, then you will love this series. Rowland takes us to new places and new lands, while leaving us firmly rooted here in the Deep South of an America that has come to realize that it takes more than raw power to survive. Sometimes it takes cunning as well.
Book 1: Mark of the Demon
Beaulac Louisiana has its share of paranormal creatures, including demons, but they aren’t as much trouble for Homicide Detective Kara Gillian as they are for other cops. That is because she is a Summoner of Demons, which comes in very handy when the mysterious serial killer they call the Symbol Man returns to the town after a three year hiatus. But the traces of arcane power found on a victim’s body points to his return, and with it he brings a nightmare the town had hoped was gone forever.
Kara’s special abilities to see and deal with a world most don’t even know exists make her uniquely qualified to stop the Symbol Man from killing again. She doesn’t always reveal this strange second sight, but the few who are close to her in time come to know and understand her unique strength in the world where demons are more than just creatures from your nightmares.
But this time it may not be enough as she finds herself summoning a creature she may not be able to control. Violent, dangerous and ultimately sensual beyond belief, he is a lord in his world and a power to reckon with in ours. But Kara must find a way to stop the killing as well as discover why a demonic lord of unreal beauty is haunting her dreams and invading her life. And then there is that FBI agent that seems to be always a few steps away. Why does he shake her up so much, and how is it he seems to understand her almost by instinct? Is he really what he seems and how does this agent fit into her world? Could she finally be taking on more than she can handle?
Book 2: Blood of the Demon
With the strange case of the Symbol Man finally taken care of and Demon Lord Rhyzkahl seemingly banished from her dreams, Detective Kara Gillian may finally breathe a sigh of relief and return to a normal life. That is, if she was capable of having a life that resembles normal to anyone. But then, as we soon discover, she has never really had any kind of a normal life even as a child, so why should that change now?
Kara has decided to use her arcane abilities to summon the life essence of her beloved aunt so she can return it to her body. To do so however, she must enlist the aid of the Demon Lord, and that will involve bringing him, and all his terrible sensual beauty, back into her life again. Even if she denies that this is what she is doing, or how much she wants it.
But that irritatingly stubborn FBI agent Ryan Kristoff seems to be not only in her life, but in some way involved in the demon world as well. Even his fellow agent Zack can’t tell her what it is that makes Ryan so familiar with the demon world. As she begins her investigation into several local deaths, clues that show a relationship to the world of the demon kind begin to link the deaths in ways she had not anticipated, or liked. The links lead her to political corruption of the human variety just as the Demon Lord complicates matters by asking her to practice her summoning arts on his behalf. It is an offer she will have a hard time turning down, even if it is a dangerous decision. But then, Kara has become good at making dangerous decisions lately.
Book 3: Secrets of the Demon
Kara returns in this third book in the series working alongside FBI partners Ryan and Zack in the Supernatural Task Force, but something isn’t right. She knows they must be on this special force with her for a reason, but they aren’t about to tell her what that reason is. One thing she knows for certain, it isn’t because they have her ability to deal with the demon world; they are obviously human. Or are they? Somehow she is beginning to have her doubts, and isn’t entirely sure how she feels about it.
Meanwhile, Kara has pledged her word to the Demon Lord and he holds it to her, leading to some very odd and yet interesting full moons together. Beyond the deeper understanding of just who and what the Demon Lord is, he has also proven himself by saving the life of her partner. But now she owes him, and that is never a good thing, because a Demon Lord will always expect a favor in return. And just to make matters a little more complicated, there are a string of murders to solve, tied together by the usual money and sex along with rock and roll and…mud! They would be easier to solve is she knew she could trust her agents, but she isn’t even sure if she knows what they are, let alone who.
Book 4: Sins of the Demon
We return once again to Louisiana,as Kara continues her struggle to solve unusual crimes along with her fellow agents in the Supernatural Task Force. Of course, this wouldn’t have anything to do with her arcane ability to summon demons, would it? She begins to see that the ones we call demons are more like us then you would think, and have their own struggles in their world. And then there is the relationship with the demon lord, may put a bit of a crimp in her plans, but nothing she can’t deal with. Or so she tries to convince herself every time she calls him to her.
Meantime, it appears that someone is trying to make her look even more dangerous than she is, as people who have caused her pain in the past begin to drop like flies, and no one knows why. Things look more suspicious with each new body they find, and Kara is getting no closer to the truth. It is time for her to prove her innocence to both humans and demons, but first she must determine for herself just how innocent she really is. She follows her dreams, and they take her to answers she may wish she had never discovered. The task becomes a matter of life and death as she works to save her own life in a battle against time and hell itself in a conclusion that will shock you and leave you breathless for the next battle.
Coming Soon
I am sure you will be as taken by these books as I was. This is a talented writer who knows how to pull you into her stories and then pull the rug out from under you just as you get too complacent in thinking you know everything. Stay tuned as we continue to explore her storytelling with a look at her Zombie series next week and then our interview with Diana the following week. We will conclude the month with Diana jumping in with her own guest post. I can’t wait! See you then!
Desperate Souls is one episode that had a lot packed into it. There is more than one desperate soul here, one we see right away when the Dark Knight tells Mr. Gold that this is what he is. It all begins with the back-story on Mr. Gold/Rumpelstiltskin, which is a good one for explaining so much about this character. Being able to see him as an ordinary, if not exactly strong-willed but caring father said so much about what he was to become. Of course, it also gives us a great explanation for his killing of The Dark One, and how that killing changed him forever. There is a hint of some real world tragedy here, if you connect the scenes of the children being taken away with what we read and hear about in many parts of the world today regarding child soldiers. Bravo to writer Jane Espenson (she also penned “That Still Small Voice” about Jiminy Cricket) for this wonderful piece of character writing.
I was surprised to see that the election in Storybrooke was dealt with so quickly this episode; I expected plenty of drama and power-manipulation to be revealed. Although the fire could be counted as a manipulation on Gold’s part, and pretty much par for the course when it comes to how we have come to see him. As Emma comments in the story, if she wants to show Henry that good can win, then she had to win that election. Of course, Emma in the end had to win it, otherwise where is her power to do any good? That is if she has any with this election, which does remain to be seen.
But in the end, this really was an episode about Gold, and I for one truly enjoyed it. For my money- any time Robert Carlyle (Mr. Gold) shows up on the screen, you know this is going to be good! He just keeps getting better and better!
Well I thought they might be taking Cassie in a different direction after the break, and it seems I was both right and wrong. Yes, we know Cassie is dark now, you couldn’t miss that in this episode. But on the other hand, I was expecting tons of new developments and the beginnings of big new stories, and somehow this didn’t feel that way. Well, except for that Adam choking bit-pretty much the guy deserves it just for being a dweeb, and I know that you all agree with me!
And I guess we haven’t seen the last of Jake, which is more than okay with me. Sure thought we did when I last saw him on that boat heading out last season. But I would swear that was Jake hovering outside Cassie’s window. Looks like Cassie gets her wish! Me too!
And hey if I could get someone the likes of Grey Damon to come by some night to give my power a bit of a boost, I guess I would be doing what Faye sure looked like she was considering. Well, after she trashed the dude’s place, that is. Not a bad consolation prize for a woman who is constantly getting pissed if others have power and she doesn’t. Could it be she says that a little too much?
I loved the way they had good old Grandma Kate sniffing around at first. She can make all the noise she wants to about coming out to see Diana because she was concerned – but it was sure soon enough revealed that what she really is there for is to find out if the rumors about Cassie were right. I guess word gets around fast when you find your dark side. Too bad Kate wanted to do a bit more than bring out the welcome wagon, a whole lot more in fact. Good thing Cassie can breathe under earth! But wait- you mean Kate really did want to kill her (gasp!) Oh my!
But then, we are all so worried about Cassie turning to the dark side – (just embrace the light Cassie!)
