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[madripoor_rose]

Static Shock: episode 50: Wet And Wild. Hot Streak sabotages Aqua Maria's chance to be cured.

Leverage: omg awesome. And I have to look for screencaps because Nate's undercover suit was so very James Jesse FBI.

Just finished reading P.N. Elrod's latest Vampire Files Book, Dark Road Rising.

Comments

[flight_wo_wings]

Oh wow, Kroun's my favorite charact in that series! The new development he's been given sounds really interesting; I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for that. And the feeding Escott his blood...I never managed to find the early books in the series that covered Jack's turning, but if I understand the implied mechanics right, doesn't that mean Escott will become a vampire if he's ever fatally wounded? (I've always wondered what happens to people in this verse who drink vampire blood, then go on to die of old age...)

I like the idea of Bobbi going to Hollywood, given the number of times Elrod's mentioned how it's her Greatest Dream, but the idea of starting over with a new supporting cast is pretty worrisome. I'd almost rather Bobbi became a guest character, given how much the series relies on the setting as well. On the other hand, rebooting the series like that could open new doors for new plots...Hey, wasn't that gay character and his daughter sent to Hollywood or something? Maybe she'll bring him back.

[madripoor_rose]

Heh, cool!

It's the traditional vampire stuff for the Change, the vampire has to drink, and the person has to drink back. So they don't really know what effect taking Kroun's blood will have, and Kroun can't remember where he learned to do that.

I wouldn't mind setting a book or two in Hollywood and going back to Chicago, but I'd miss the other characters if it's permanant. Hell, she's barely scratched the backstory of Myrna the ghost, for one.

Yeah, Malone and Norrie went to California, but I doubt we'll see them back. It was kind of hypocritical of Jack to send him away....I kind of got the feeling the character was for token diversity, like Escott's girlfriend's retarded daughter that was mentioned a few times but never appeared.

[flight_wo_wings]

Where HAVE you been all my life? XD

I see...Well, let's just hope it doesn't turn Charles into some kind of blood thrall, like in Vampire: the Masquerade. I doubt he'd care for that at all.

Maybe it's a set up for Bobbie to get her own spin off series, like Tony from Blood Ties. Still haven't read his latest book; have you? Was it any good? Anyway, I think Bobbi has enough personality that she could carry her own series, and show business stories never really get old, in my opinion.

To be honest I found Jack's quick acceptance of Malone's sexuality a little anachronistic. Not saying I wanted him to be a raging homophobe; no doubt there were people back then who didn't mind. But it didn't really seem to mesh with how bothered he was by...I think it was dressmaker's effeminate mannerisms? I don't quite remember now. But it all just didn't seem to match up. I think Elrod was trying a little too hard to be political correct, which to be fair is probably something nearly all writers of historical fiction have to struggle with.

[madripoor_rose]

She's managed to avoid all of those gothic-emo vampire cliches, so I hope not.

I gave up on the Smoke And Shadow series early on, there was some almost fangirl-bashing in the inside jokes about the vampire detective show Tony was working on.

Historical fiction can be one hell of a trap for authors. You either end up making your hero a racist sexist pig to modern readers, or you end up with anachronism all over the place.

[flight_wo_wings]

Really? Where did you see bashing, if you don't mind my asking? I remember a few incidents with teenage girl fans, but nothing really stands out as bashing. It had been a while, though.

Turns out people weren't very nice before the Civil Rights movement. Who knew? XD That's actually one of the things I've been really enjoying about Steve Hockensmith -- thanks for reccing him, by the way! -- he doesn't pull his punches when it comes to race and gender issues. I'm reading The Black Dove, at the moment.

[madripoor_rose]

Oh, it's been years since I read it, and I sent my copy back to the used bookstore but it was something along the lines of Darkest Night fans being 'middle-aged overweight suburban housewives' with an unstated subtext of how stupid they were to lust after the actor Tony was pretty sure was also gay.

I hate to say it, but TH's jumped the shark for me, I found her latest Enchantment Emporium damn near unreadable.

Glad you're enjoying the Big Red and Old Red books! He does bring a certain air of realism to the series.

[flight_wo_wings]

I honestly don't remember that, but it fits with what I do remember of the series. I was probably too distracted with waiting for them to start making out. Yes, I was one of THOSE fans. XD; But I grew out of it quickly.

She was always just brain candy to me. You know, light and fluffy, no real substance. I liked the first Blood Ties book, but got tired of the series really quickly. I suppose I won't bother trying to lay hands on the new Smoke and... book after all.

They're great! The Old West isn't even my preferred setting, when it comes to historical fiction, but Hockensmith draws me in completely. And the mysteries themselves are fantastic.

Speaking of books, I have another superhero rec for you. Soon I Will Be Invincible, by Austin Grossman. Infamous supervillain Doctor Impossible breaks out of prison and attempts to take over the world for the twelfth time, only to find that someone apparently killed his archnemesis while his back was turned. Meanwhile, the world's greatest crime fighting team, which broke up years ago, has

[madripoor_rose]

Oh yes, I've read Soon I Will Be Invincible. You're right, it was trying a little too hard to be decontructionist and hipster-ironic in places, but good story, and Doctor Impossible was awesome.

[flight_wo_wings]

Ah, of course you've already read it. XD I should be asking you for superhero recs.

It was around the point Doctor Impossible went to that moving villain bar and was roughed up by one of the muscled types that I stopped paying attention to the deconstructionist aspects and just focused on the plot. The juxtaposition between that scene and the prison break was just -- heh -- impossible to accept. I know what Grossman was going for, but he was trying too hard to make his point. Also I don't really see what the point of Fatale's POV chapters were. She was an okay character, but she didn't really bring much to the story. Which was a shame, because I like cyborgs.