Author Archive
Is Pattison Too Old for Any New Twilight Films?
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While we may all look at Robert Pattison who plays Edward in the Twilight Films as a young hunk, it is obvious that the actor has a few thoughts on whether he should be considering any future reprises of his most famous role to date. The net is abuzz with the notion, put forth by the actor himself, that if Stephanie Meyers should decide to write a sequel to the current Twilight series that features the character, he just may have gained too many years to pass as the ageless one.
While there has yet been no firm word from the author that she will indeed write another story that features the character, it is known that Meyer has been toying with the idea of a new series that will at some point include the characters from Twilight as a sort of guest in the story. So – if those books were to themselves be featured in a movie, Pattison feels that he will have aged too much since his first appearance in 2008 to feel ageless.
When asked at a recent Berlin Book Festival what he thought of the possability of Meyer writing some additional books that would feature Edward he indicated he was curious to see what she would write, but that he felt that by the time they would hit the screen he would not be the right one to portray a character who is never supposed to age. Sigh – I guess we will just have to find ourselves a new hunk to moon over!
Best Fantasy Books: Blood Rock by Anthony Francis
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Title: Blood Rock
Author: Anthony Francis
Release: July 2011
Pages: 298
Genre: Urban Vampire
Dakota Frost is a skindancer- meaning she is someone who can make her magical tattoos dance out of her body to act and protect her. It is a handy ability to have in the Atlanta that she inhabits, filled with vampires, werekin of all kinds and so much more. She needs it sometimes just to stay alive and in this second installment in the series we find she has to get pretty creative with those magical tattoos. I jumped into this book without reading the first in the series and had no trouble but I have to admit that now I want to go back and read the first one. His world is just that good.
Dakota is one tough cookie, she can do all kinds of martial arts and kills when she has to without much regret. But I love the fact that we also see the soft side to her when she decides to adopt a little weretiger that is a foundling. The love between the two is obvious and Anthony Francis handles this part of the story with such grace that it makes the character all the more fascinating. When you add in that Atlanta seems to be having problems with magical graffiti that is killing vampires, that Dakota’s relationship with the law in the form of the local police seems to be getting rocky despite her family history of both a Dad and Uncle on the force and she is finding herself dating a vampire – well life is complicated for this gal.
The scenes of her and vampire Calaphase on a date are like nothing I have ever read. Her protective instincts when little Cinnamon is threatened are amazing. But the best scenes by far are when she needs to pull out those tattoos to protect either herself or someone else. Anthony Frances is careful to make his explanations seem within the realm of possibility without going into so much detail we lose the thread of the story. It is just plain intelligent writing of a carefully thought-out world with a dynamic and intelligent woman at the center it.
How she manages to find out who and what exactly is creating these deadly living pieces of graffiti – so like her own tattoos and yet so much more deadly – and why they are killing the vampires of Atlanta is just one part of a great story that will have you sitting up late at night to just read a little further. I know that is what I did, and couldn’t stop reading even if it was 3AM. The story telling in Blood Rock is addictive and the characters are all fascinating.
Young Adult Vampire Books: More Sookie Stackhouse!
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What could be better than more stories featuring our favorite vampire fan – Sookie Stackhouse! Sure, we have all read the original series and loved it, watched the television show and are now impatiently awaiting the return of the show for its fifth season. But did you know there are stories about Sookie out there that are not part of the regular series? Did you know there are Sookie Stackhouse stories plotted by Alan Ball and written by some great writers who know a thing or two about fangs?
Well it is true and we have two volumes of untold stories from the denizens of Bon Temps just here for your pleasure, as they certainly have been mine. They are called True Blood: All Together Now and True Blood: Tainted Love. You just know Alan Ball must have come up with those titles, they are such a great reflection of the puns of numerous song titles as episode titles he has had for the show.
In addition, I have unearthed a little fun book for all true blue fans,The Fangbangers Guide. I thought it would be a fun book to have along with Charlaine’s recent companion book A Touch of Dead that I reviewed earlier. And finally- an interesting take on our gal Sookie and all her friends in William Irwin’s True Blood and Philosophy. It has always hit me that True Blood has a lot to say beyond just the fangs – and this is a great look at some concepts that even Anne Rice has said drew her to the world of Bon Temps where vampires live and kill in the open.
True Blood and Philosophy by William Irwin
This is part of an ongoing series that explores aspects of pop culture through the lens of philosophy and social structures. Sounds heavy but actually it is really interesting reading. He takes a look at such subjects as how werewolves struggle with self identity, the nature of vampire politics and how Sookie portrays the many questions we have about the metaphysical side of mind reading.
I found it particularly interesting that he looks at MaryAnn in the light of how sacrificial rituals and religions work. You will find yourself seeing all the citizens of Bon Temp in a new light after reading this book. This is the perfect book for this time between seasons to get a little more of the old True Blood fever and viewpoints to ponder.
A Taste of True Blood: The Fangbanger’s Guide by Leah Wilson (editor) and others
This book was written upon the conclusion of the second season and looks at all the ways that the television show has created a dialogue for the fans and the writers. In fact, some of the essays in here are written by the show writers and look at things like political influences on the show, the role of sexuality in the portrayal of vampires, and then there are the just plain fun stories like Jonna Rubin’s “SOOKEH! Bee-ill! and the Downfall of William T. Compton”.
While it is true that much has happened since season two ended, most of this is just a great look at all the wonderful characters in the show and how the fans just as much as the writers have come together to make the show as great as it is. The heart and soul of True Blood are its fans, and this book shows it with flying colors. A Taste of True Blood is a must for anyone who claims to be a true believer of the show.
True Blood Volume 1: All Together Now by Alan Ball, David Tischman, Mariah Huehner and David Messina
This is a graphic novel of the comic books, and before you let that stop you-check it out. The art is just perfect for this set of stories. The premise is a good one; Sookie and company are trapped at Merlotte’s by some kind of sorcery that makes them feel and reveal the little and big secrets they have kept out of shame. It is a great setup to get to know many of these characters better by seeing some old stories of their lives, and deaths, before they came to Bon Temps.
The additional bonus is the art – with many wonderful illustrations of each character you are going to want to mentally frame for future daydreaming. Alan Ball’s touch is all over this – so don’t expect it to feel like the books, this is truly a child of the television show. But that said, it has all of the great touches that Ball brings to the show and brings all of us closer to Sookie, Bill, Eric, Sam, Tara, Jason and Lafayette then we have ever been before.
Truly, Madly, Deadly: The Unofficial True Blood Companion by Becca Wilcott
This is truly a work of fan appreciation for the show. If you love True Blood the show and would like to know more about the actors, who they are and even what they did before this show this is the place to find it all out. The biographies of all the principle characters are here at your fingertips, along with some pretty cool interviews, an episode guide to the first two seasons (this was written between seasons two and three) and some really fun behind the scenes stuff that all fans crave. Like many books on this show, there are discussions of the themes that sit beneath the writing on the show, including its exploration of the identity of sexuality. I particularly liked the fact that Wilcott has included a great overview of the many ways that vampires have been historically shown in both film and television. A great companion book to the show and you don’t need to warm up your laptop to look any of it up!
Well, there are probably tons more of great books about True Blood, and I may yet do an overview of the books I discover along the way. In the meantime, this should hold us all until the show starts again in June.
So for all the Sookie Stackhouse fans out there – just pour yourself a cup of joe and sit back and read up on our favorite vampire companion, with these fun books that explore all the aspects of living and sometimes even breathing in Bon Temps.
