Some thoughts, some links

  • I keep meaning to give Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight series a try. Given Liz Hand’s review of the most recent book, however — “Reader, I hurled.” — maybe that’s not such a good idea. Gwenda Bond has more.
  • And then I read this in Ansible, where Meyer is quoted as saying of her recent adult novel The Host:

    It’s science fiction because it’s about aliens, so there’s no other way to categorize it. And I like science fiction. But this doesn’t feel to me like science fiction; once you get past the basic premise, it’s just about being human.

    Which I realize is just the same old sop to the “I don’t usually read science fiction” crowd, but it still doesn’t make any sense. You know what we call stories that aren’t in some way about being human? Bad stories.

  • Going back to Gwenda Bond for a second… In her post, she brings up the ’90s British vampire show Ultraviolet. It’s been awhile since I’ve seen an episode, but there’s something that always sort of bugged me a little about the show. They played up the science of vampirism, realism instead of magic, and I think they offered a passable enough reason for why vampires don’t show up on video cameras. (A modern update of why they don’t reflect in mirrors.) But that never explained why their clothing didn’t show up.
  • TV Squad reports that fifteen percent of the world watched the Olympics opening ceremonies. Count me among the world’s other eighty-five percent. Is it wrong that I don’t care at all about the Olympics?
  • Can we please ban the term “staycation” from the modern lexicon now? I’m just saying.
  • Have you seen The Guild yet? I think Felicia Day may be my new favorite person in the whole world.
  • Speaking of Felicia Day (sort of), here’s a fan project I find equal parts endearing and ridiculous: cataloging the books in Dr. Horrible’s apartment
  • And speaking of Dr. Horrible’s apartment…

2 thoughts on “Some thoughts, some links”

  1. * I was reading the jacket for The Host earlier today and had a similar thought: “Ok there’s bodysnatcher aliens but otherwise this doesn’t sound like sci-fi”. I’m currently reading the Iain M. Banks “Culture” series and I figured the shock from “super sci-fi” to “just barely sci-fi” would be too great.

    * I think I care more about the fact that China may have cheated than the actual Olympics. That and the clip of the weight-lifter destroying his elbow. Gross, but I can’t help but look.

  2. I read a review of The Host when it first came out, although I can’t remember where (and digging in the likeliest places hasn’t produced it again). It was not kind. I’m actually disappointed to hear that the Twilight YA series may be just as bad, or worse.

    At some point, I need to get back to Banks’ Consider Phlebas — before I completely forget the few hundred pages of it I’ve read so far.

    I really have been paying attention to the Olympics not at all. (Well, not beyond the photos I’ve been posting here. Seriously, doesn’t it seem like George W. Bush is like this close to calling for a kegger and wet t-shirt contest?)

Comments are closed.