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March 16, 2014: My February Reading List – Capsule Reviews!

Books I read last month…

Star Road - Matthew Costello and Rick Hautala

A former rebel leader, now working for the World Council, is tasked with traveling to a distant world and offering his former cohorts clemency and, hopefully, an end to their protracted rebellion. To get there, however, he must ride the mysterious Star Road.

I was really looking forward to checking this one out, especially after reading this in the synopsis: “His fellow passengers on Star Road Vehicle-66 are a suspicious group, all with their own hidden reasons for traversing the star road.” I was expecting an intriguing cast of colorful characters, each with a hidden agenda that would keep me guessing. Instead, I got some fairly straightforward personalities and not much in the way of engaging secrets. Some promising ideas here and a great extended action sequence involving alien reptilian predators, but ultimately undermined by stock characters and an oddly clipped narrative style.

American Gods - Neil Gaiman

Shadow, our protagonist, is released from prison early so that he can attend his wife’s funeral. On his way back home, he is approached by the enigmatic Mr. Wednesday who offers him a job working for him. And so begins Neil Gaiman’s head-spinning masterpiece about life, death, faith, and deific survival. An epic narrative that twists and turns, confounds and surprises. To quote my second grade teacher Mrs. Vowels: “It’s time to put your thinking caps on!”

NOS4A2 - Joe Hill

I’ve read Joe Hill’s work in the past and enjoyed it, but have never really LOVED any of his books- until this one. With N0S4A2, Hill finally comes into his own with an unsettling story about missing kids, a dark fantasy land, and a creepy yet surprisingly nuanced villain. A standout read.

Life After Life - Kate Atkinson

Heralded for being incredibly inventive, this book opens with a scene as hoary as time travel fiction itself (the old “If I could go back in time and kill Hitler” chestnut) and ends with a scene that, quite frankly, doesn’t make a lick of sense. But, in between, you have a very well-written and engaging book that isn’t quite as clever or original as many critics would have us believe – unless, of course, you never saw Run, Lola, Run which uses the exact same convention.

The Lives of Tao - Wesley Chu

An ordinary schlub is enlisted by an alien parasite in a civil war against a merciless enemy.

A fun read and one I would have enjoyed a lot more had I not got stuck on one egregious logic lapse early on. The bad guys are incredibly powerful, yet can’t be bothered to fork over twenty bucks and do a license plate check on our hero’s abandoned car and thereby learn his identity. Of course, their doing so would have meant their discovering his whereabouts early in the narrative, which would have deep-sixed the majority of the story involving Tao’s secret agent training, his roommate, his job, and love life. Amusing if you’re not too analytical a reader.

Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood & the Prison of Belief - Lawrence Wright

A history of scientology and its frighteningly far reach. Terrifying.

Hang Wire - Adam Christopher

Our sleepwalking protagonist’s somnambulist sorties appear to coincide with a rash of recent murders. Is Ted Hall responsible? Or does the serial killer’s true identity lie within the ranks of the circus rolling through town? The answer may not surprise you, but it confused and frustrated me. Very weird – and not necessarily in a good way. Though fast paced, at times it reads as if it the entire novel was written in one furiously inspired sitting.

The Echo - Jame Smythe

A sequel to The Explorer, a novel that started strong before devolving into silliness, The Echo offers an equally promising start before essentially covering familiar territory. It feels more like a re-do than an actual sequel – but, having said that, it IS superior to the original.

A Tale for the Time Being - Ruth Ozeki

Interesting discussions of time, life, and death in this novel about a woman in Canada who finds the diary of a young Japanese girl when it washes ashore one day. My biggest issue with this book is that the writings of the young Nao don’t read like the voice of a 16 year old Japanese girl. They read more like what a 50-something year old North American writer would think a 16 year old Japanese girl would sound like. Young Nao is impossibly erudite and profound throughout but then, at one point, expresses a desire to visit Tokyo Disneyland so that she can shake hands with Mickey-chan because they are kindred spirits. Also, the late foray into meta-supernatural territory feels like a misstep.

Warlock: The Complete Collection - Jim Starlin

Adam Warlock’s swan song is one of my favorite single issue comic books, so when I came across this at my local shop, I had to pick it up. Jim Starlin’s complete run on the celestial hero has a definite 70′s vibe, at times trippingly delightful, and at times cringingly silly (I’ve got two words for you: Space Shark!). Recommended if you’re a fan.

Love Minus Eighty - Will macintosh

After running down and killing a jogger, the guilt-ridden driver takes to visiting his “deceased” victim at a cryogenic dating facility where dead women are kept in stasis for future resurrection, provided a prospective suitor is willing to foot the bill for the pricey process.

Provocative and smart, it’s a novel chalk full of moral and ethical complexity. Eventually, however, the fascinating premise is stretched a little too long and thin.

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Published on March 16, 2014 17:24

March 15, 2014: Writer? Producer? Llama Farmer? What’s next for me? YOU decide!

Today’s bizarre exchange with my Japanese girlfriend:

“Even elves need to do peepee, just like everyone else.”

“No, he just wanted sausage. Currywurst.”

Well, I am on a creative roll. In the past three days, I’ve delivered a draft of that Southern Gothic script, wrote the “alternate” draft, got 10 pages into that wildly over-the-top SF actioner (If Tarantino produced scifi, this would be it!), came up with two disturbingly memorable teasers for the two new scripts Paul and I are about to write – PLUS beat out rough outlines for both, AND put together a four page pitch for how I would translate “that book” to television. I’d like to chalk it up to discipline or being well rested or maybe even the inspiration offered by my accelerated reading pace, but I have a feeling much of the credit goes to the Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve 9 Year Old Bourbon I picked up last week. On the one hand, I’m very pleased with my creative output and the fact that, when we hit L.A. in April, I’ll do so armed with a half dozen pilots. On the other hand, if none of these pilots have sold by this time in September, I’ll be less than pleased and may actually have to start considering alternate career options. A few of the ones I have in mind, in no particular order:

1. Professional Magic the Gathering touring gamer: But I’ll have to learn how to play first. It looks like a cross between Gin Rummy and Dungeons and Dragons. Am I close?

2. Llama farmer: What more is there to say?

3: CNN pundit: Probably the easiest to achieve since the position doesn’t require any actual qualifications.

4: NFL cornerback: Given the fact that I’ll be competing with men half my age, I’d have to temper expectations of actually winning a starting position. Unless, of course, I try out for the Philadelphia Eagles.

5: Amateur masseuse practice client: Sacrificing my body for a worthy cause.

6: Mystery drinker: Sort of like “mystery shoppers” except instead of being paid to shop and critique retailers, I’ll be paid to drink and critique bartenders.

7: Assistant to whatever YOU do: I’m going to need you to put in a good word.

This list is a word in progress, so feel free to offer suggestions.

Lulu and I, out for a nice steak.

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Published on March 15, 2014 20:52

March 14, 2014: A Truly Offal dinner!

But I mean that in the most positive way possible. In fact, Campagnola Roma’s recent Quinto Quarto: No Guts, No Glory dinner was perhaps the best offal dinner I’ve had.

There were actually TWO offal dinners happening in Vancouver that night and, while I was greatly tempted by the 7:00 p.m. seating at the other place, I elected to attend the Roma feast, despite the 8 o’ clock kickoff, because the menu appealed more. Crispy pig ears? Lamb neck? I’m in!

Also “in” for the feastly festivities on this night was our friend, let’s call her Agent 17, but you know her here on this blog as kathode, two other Katherines, and Akemi who enthusiastically committed to the dinner after misreading a menu item as Peking Duck instead of Pekin Duck.

The night in pictures…

K2 armed with her superior camera

Agent 17 with her better-than-my-iPhone camera

Let the eating begin…

Course #1: Crispy pig ears and geoduck with lemon aioli and green tomato chutney.

The thought of eating a pig’s ear and geoduck (elephant trunk clam) may be off-putting to some but those willing to venture into uncharted culinary territory were well-rewarded here. It was Akemi’s first time having geoduck and she ended up zeroing in and helping herself to the pieces on my plate. The accompanying tomato chutney was good, but the lemon aioli was unbelievable. In fact, after our plates were cleared, we refused to let them take the aioli, keeping it for the subsequent courses. My only quibble was the uneven preparation of the ear. Some was crispy, some less so, but it was all very tasty nevertheless. Despite Akemi’s warnings, I admittedly overdid it on the ears.

Course #2: Pekin (not Peking!) Duck three ways – spicy duck feet, duck heart tartare alla putanesca, and duck gizzard fritters.

The tartare was a hit, gorgeous flavors perfectly complimented by the smoky beer accompaniment. Everyone liked the gizzard fritters – but, let’s be real. It’s deep fried something. Of course they’ll like it! Not much love for the duck feet that most found too lacking in meat. Mainly skin and bones and not worth the effort for many of my table mates, but I liked the flavors and bold spiciness.

Course #3: Roasted lamb kidneys with pine nuts, fennel, and tarragon.

Next to the promised plums in the pork crackling dessert, this was the only menu item that gave me pause. As much as I love my nose to tail dining, I’ve never been a big fan of kidneys that, I’ve found, have always possessed a certain…funkiness. But, surprisingly, this version was actually quite nice.

Course #4: Pacifica octopus with fregola, black pudding sausage, and peas.

This plate was the big winner among my table mates. The octopus was perfectly tender, the sausage savory with a hint of sweet. Plenty of raves for the couscous lookalike fregola, a Sardinian oven-toasted pasta.

I’m not a huge beer guy, but I thoroughly enjoyed the ones we were served, compliments of the R&B Brewing Co.

Course #5: Braised lamb neck.

I had a feeling this would be my favorite plate of the night and – guess what? It was! Akin to an ultra-tender, slow-braised short rib.

Roasted bone marrow, drippings, with grilled black kale and celeriac.

Accompanying the lamb neck were these delectable-looking marrow bones. After the ladies helped themselves, I ended up with the biggest piece – which, unfortunately, wasn’t cooked through, so this one was a miss for me.

Course #6: White chocolate caramelized crackling with plums, black cherry pana cotta with honeycomb and crystallized mint leaves, strawberry custard and meringue.

And foie gras and mission fig soft serve ice cream.

Probably the best dessert I’ve had at one of these events. Yes, better than the brain pana cotta that one time and the blood-chocolate ice cream the other. I could take or leave the cracklings but, overall, very nicely done. And the soft serve! Who would have thought a foie gras ice cream would actually be good?! Well, me. But it was great to have my suspicions deliciously confirmed.

And, when all was said done (and eaten), we were ready for bad.

A fabulous meal! Apparently, another blog semi-regular was also in attendance (Nicole) and, even though she recognized me, she was too shy to approach and say hi. I’ll admit, I can look pretty fearsome when I’m eating but next time, Nicole, stop on by and introduce yourself. Just don’t put your fingers near my mouth.

You’ve been warned.

Thanks to Agent 17 for some of the pics!

Tagged: Campagnola Roma, Quinto Quarto

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Published on March 14, 2014 19:49

March 13, 2014: Genre News! SF, Fantasy, television, and literature!

I received the following news link from about two dozen sources today: Syfy network shifts away from broad dramas and B-movies to its genre roots as it attempts to find the next “The Walking Dead” or “Game of Thrones.”

Apparently, SyFy is looking to produce a space opera, the SF equivalent of The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones. Presumably, a serialized show with intriguing characters and relationships, twists and turns, surprises galore. Maybe, oh, off the top of my head, something like…

THIS?

Excerpt from the March 13th, 2014 article: “The network shifts away from broad dramas and B-moves to its genre roots as it attempts to find the next “The Walking Dead” or “Game of Thrones”.

Excerpt from the Dark Matter series overview: “What Game of Thrones did for the fantasy genre and The Walking Dead did for the horror genre, we want to do for the scifi genre…”

How perfect! I’ll have my people call your people (phone calls or names, depending on how things pan out).

In other SF t.v.-related developments, it looks like Frederik Pohl’s Gateway maybe be headed to a t.v. (or, knowing many of you, laptop/computer) near you: EOne & De Laurentiis Co. To Adapt Frederik Pohl’s Sci-Fi Classic … A great book with plenty of t.v. potential – so much so, in fact, that it’s been on my radar for years now. As recently as December, I was pitching a production company that it would make a great television series.

“A great idea for a series. An asteroid is discovered near Venus that contains thousands of ancient alien ships. Each ship is good for one return trip to a pre-programmed destination, and the crews don’t know where they are going or for how long until they get there. Sometimes they return with amazing stories and new technology, sometimes they return as lumps of molten metal, or don’t return at all.” (http://momentumbooks.com.au/blog/ten-science-fiction-books-that-would-make-great-tv-series/).

This follows the news that, back in February, FreemantleMedia acquired the film & television rights to Neil Gaiman’s American Gods. This one would be much trickier to adapt but, like Gateway, has enormous potential in the right hands – and with the right creative vision.

Also this morning, I received this link: http://www.gateworld.net/news/2014/03/stargates-legacy-a-video-introduction/ to an article and first instalment of a Gateworld column by longtime Stargate fan Adam Barnard. In it, he discusses what the franchise has meant to him and his plans to spotlight three personally meaningful episodes from each of the Stargate shows: SG-1, Atlantis, and Universe. According to Adam: “” I will examine three episodes from each of the three Stargate series — SG-1, Atlantis, and Universe — that I found to be specifically noteworthy. Not because they were the most entertaining or flashiest, but because they were unique, thought provoking, inspiring, or communicative of a theme or idea that resonated with me.” Interesting, no? So, which three episodes of each series left a lasting impression on you? How has Stargate influenced your lives? Head on over to Gateworld and weigh in with your thoughts…

Speaking of Gateworld, I’ve received oodles of emails (I do like the sound of that. Say it. ”Oodles of emails”!) directing me to this story on Gateworld: BOOM! Unfilmed Stargate: Extinction Movie Script May Be A Comic Series

Alas, nothing much for me to say here outside of: 1. Sounds like a terrific idea, 2. BOOM! Studios produces awesome titles, 3. Ultimately, the decision or whether Stargate continues to live on as the television franchise we all love, or is rebooted for the big screen, is MGM’s to make.

Finally, recent releases, and upcoming releases, from some of the authors who have kindly taken the time to come chat with us in the past:

The Compleat Crow by Brian Lumley

To many thousands of readers world-wide Titus Crow is the psychic sleuth–the cosmic voyager and investigator–of Brian Lumley’s Cthulhu Mythos novels, from The Burrowers Beneath to Elysia. But before The Burrowers and Crow’s Transition, his exploits were chronicled in a series of short stories and novellas uncollected in the USA except in limited editions. Now these stories can be told again. From Inception which tells of Crow’s origins, to The Black Recalled, a tale of vengeance from beyond the grave, here in one volume, from the best-selling author of the epic Necroscope series, is The Complete Crow.

The author visited us to discuss his novel, Necroscope: November 16, 2008: Author Brian Lumley Answers Your Questions

The End is Nigh edited by John Joseph Adams

Edited by acclaimed anthologist John Joseph Adams and bestselling author Hugh Howey, THE APOCALYPSE TRIPTYCH is a series of three anthologies of apocalyptic fiction. THE END IS NIGH focuses on life before the apocalypse. THE END IS NOW turns its attention to life during the apocalypse. And THE END HAS COME focuses on life after the apocalypse.

Visited us to discuss The Living Dead zombie anthology: February 5, 2009: Editor J.J. Adams Answers Your Questions

The Time Traveler’s Almanac edited by Ann VanderMeer and Jeff VanderMeer – Available March 18th

The Time Traveler’s Almanac is the largest and most definitive collection of time travel stories ever assembled. Gathered into one volume by intrepid chrononauts and world-renowned anthologists Ann and Jeff VanderMeer, this book compiles more than a century’s worth of literary travels into the past and the future that will serve to reacquaint readers with beloved classics of the time travel genre and introduce them to thrilling contemporary innovations.

Author Jeff VanderMeer visited with us to discuss his novel City of Saints and Madmen: January 29, 2009: Author Jeff Vandermeer Sweeps In – Like A Mini-Hurricane!

He also has this novel out:

Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer

Area X has been cut off from the rest of the continent for decades. Nature has reclaimed the last vestiges of human civilization. The first expedition returned with reports of a pristine, Edenic landscape; all the members of the second expedition committed suicide; the third expedition died in a hail of gunfire as its members turned on one another; the members of the eleventh expedition returned as shadows of their former selves, and within months of their return, all had died of aggressive cancer.

This is the twelfth expedition. Their group is made up of four women: an anthropologist; a surveyor; a psychologist, the de facto leader; and our narrator, a biologist. Their mission is to map the terrain and collect specimens; to record all their observations, scientific and otherwise, of their surroundings and of one another; and, above all, to avoid being contaminated by Area X itself.

They arrive expecting the unexpected, and Area X delivers—they discover a massive topographic anomaly and life forms that surpass understanding—but it’s the surprises that came across the border with them, and the secrets the expedition members are keeping from one another, that change everything.

Which happens to be our April Book of the Month Club pick (as if you didn’t know!).

Working God’s Mischief (Instrumentalities of the Night) By Glen Cook

Arnhand, Castauriga, and Navaya lost their kings. The Grail Empire lost its empress. The Church lost its Patriarch, though he lives on as a fugitive. The Night lost Kharoulke the Windwalker, an emperor amongst the most primal and terrible gods. The Night goes on, in dread. The world goes on, in dread. The ice builds and slides southward.

New kings come. A new empress will rule. Another rump polishes the Patriarchal Throne. But there is something new under the sun. The oldest and fiercest of the Instrumentalities has been destroyed–by a mortal. There is no new Windwalker, nor will there ever be.

The world, battered by savage change, limps toward its destiny. And the ice is coming.

Author Glen Cook visited with us to discuss his novel The Black Company: October 7, 2008: Author Glen Cook Answers Your Questions

Labyrinth of Stars (A Hunter Kiss novel) by Marjorie M. Liu

After the Aetar nearly kill Maxine’s unborn child, and a betrayal within her own ranks leaves Maxine’s husband, Grant, poisoned and dying, Maxine is forced to attack a race of beings that possesses almost unlimited power. Doing so will require she make a deal with the devil—the devil that lives inside her—risking both her sanity and her soul as she slowly transforms into something more than human.

But even that might not be enough to save Grant, because the very thing that Maxine is becoming is destined to destroy the world.

Author Marjorie M. Liu visited with us to discuss her novel The Iron Hunt: January 17, 2011: The Iron Hunt, by Marjorie M. Liu

Her Husband’s Hands and Other Stories by Adam-Troy Castro

A utopia where the most privileged get to do whatever they want to do with their lives, indulging their slightest whims via the bodies whose wombs they occupy; a soldier’s wife tries to love a husband who is little more than backup memory; a society in which the citizens all make merry for nine remarkable days, and on the tenth get a taste of hell; the last ragged survivors of an expedition to a savage backwater world hunt down an infamous war criminal; a divorcing couple confront their myriad troubles to gain resolution, reason, respect – but not without sacrifice. Introducing these stories (and more) from Adam-Troy Castro, whose short fiction has been nominated for two Hugos, three Stokers, and eight Nebulas.

Author Adam Troy-Castro visited with us to discuss his novel Emissaries from the Dead: November 15, 2009: Author Adam-Troy Castro Answers Your Questions!

Like a Mighty Army by David Weber

For centuries, the world of Safehold, last redoubt of the human race, lay under the unchallenged rule of the Church of God Awaiting. The Church permitted nothing new—no new inventions, no new understandings of the world. What no one knew was that the Church was an elaborate fraud—a high-tech system established by a rebel faction of Safehold’s founders, meant to keep humanity hidden from the powerful alien race that had destroyed old Earth.

Then awoke Merlyn Athrawes, cybernetic avatar of a warrior a thousand years dead, felled in the war in which Earth was lost. Monk, warrior, counselor to princes and kings, Merlyn has one purpose: to restart the history of the too-long-hidden human race.

And now the fight is thoroughly underway. The island empire of Charis has declared its independence from the Church, and with Merlyn’s help has vaulted forward into a new age of steam-powered efficiency. Fending off the wounded Church, Charis has drawn more and more of the countries of Safehold to the cause of independence and self-determination. But at a heavy cost in bloodshed and loss—a cost felt by nobody more keenly that Merlyn Athrawes.

The wounded Church is regrouping. Its armies and resources are vast. The fight for humanity’s future isn’t over, and won’t be over soon…

Author David Weber visited with us to discuss his novel On Basilisk Station: January 17, 2009: Author David Weber Answers Yours Questions

If there’s anyone I’ve missed, let me know!

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Published on March 13, 2014 17:28

March 12, 2014: Akemi, polls, and personality quizzes!

Whoa. Akemi’s turning into quite the cutting critic. The other day, when I asked her if she wanted to watch an episode of Modern Family, she offered the following genuinely apologetic response: “Sorry, but I feeling like laughing tonight. Can we watch Curb [Your Enthusiasm] instead?”

Also, yesterday, she crushed my entrepreneurial spirit. We were out shopping and, at the check-out, I started rooting through my pockets for loose change.

“You should get a change purse,”she suggested.

A change purse? Really? What’s next? Crocs or maybe a shawl for those chilly nights. I informed her there was no way I would walk around with a change purse. Hell, I couldn’t imagine any man walking around with a change purse. I DID, however, concede the practicality. And then, it hit me. An alternative to guys who won’t carry a change purse but don’t want a bunch of loose change weighing down their pockets. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you..the change hat. Yes, a hat with a special pouch where you can keep your loose change – and still maintain your manliness!

“That’s a terrible idea,”she said.

You watch. One of these days, someone is going to put out a line of hat purses and make millions!

Speaking of Akemi, she’s busily plugging away on her youtube channel. Check out her recipe for (my favorite!) soboro:

)

And more: Peasnatch Akemi

Have you voted for our May Book of the Month Club pick? No? What’re you waiting for?

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Published on March 12, 2014 16:16

March 11, 2014: Notes on those white board notes!

MFB writes: “Since I like this kind of stuff I thought I’d share some boards that I’ve collected from writers’ rooms of other shows and one movie.

http://imgur.com/a/tD2bJ?#0

About the Breaking Bad boards: The stories were spun and broken to cards in the room. Then the cards were taken off of the board and photocopied and the photocopies were used as outlines to write the scripts from. (I found it odd that there wasn’t any deviation from the board to the outline.)

Joe, it would be much appreciated if you could post pictures of boards from any episode but in particular a board from “Wormhole X-treme!” would be great. It is one of my favorites and includes a cameo from one of my favorite writers(guess who?). It would also go nicely with my script of that episode.”

Great stuff, MFB. And thanks for the link. Unfortunately, I don’t have photographs of any of the stories we put up on the white board. Right after we’d finish breaking, I would copy everything to my laptop and work off that word document, filling it in as I built my outlines. I do know, however, that Martin Gero used to snap a photo of his white board breakdowns and work off those. I don’t know if he kept any of the pics for posterity’s sake (or “prosperity’s sake” as one of my former girlfriends used to say), but you could ask him over at: https://twitter.com/martingero

As for the various photos (history of the Stargate writers’ room whiteboard – see yesterday’s blog entry), I offer you the following insights:

1. CARL DIGGING IN: The writers’ room was also the defacto screening room, impromptu meeting room, and lunch room. Pictured here, our mischievous fellow Executive Producer/Writer about to dig into his bag of take-out. Behind him, on the white board, initial work on the episode that would become Millers Crossing.

2. SNACKING: Over the course of my time on Stargate, I would occasionally receive gifts in the mail from fans. Here, I sample a sweet treat compliments of longtime blog reader Carolina who, in addition to tasty dessert, also sent along some canned duck! Behind me, the breakdown of Miller’s Crossing is complete. And, as usual, we would always include a little note for the cleaning crew: DO NOT ERASE!

3. THE RED IMP: This little goblin compliments of artist (and former in-house digital and playback supervisor Krista McLean). She put it up on a far corner of the white board and there it remained for over a season – until my writing partner, Paul, eventually got creeped out and erased it.

4. SURVIVOR STARGATE STYLE: Martin Gero pitched out an idea for the episode that would eventually become Trio. In his basic premise, McKay and…someone ended up trapped for the entirety of the episode. But who? Should we trap him with Carter? Or Keller? Or maybe both Carter and Keller. After much discussion, we decided to put it to a Survivor style vote. Each writer scribbled their anonymous picks on a piece of paper. Martin each one in turn and let the democratic process decide!

5. FOXY LOXY WITH FLOPPY SOCKSIES: Every time I would upload a photo from the writers’ room to this blog, I would be extra careful to ensure I never unintentionally revealed spoilers for the upcoming season. In this case, I decided to go the opposite route and “unwittingly” intentionally post the breakdown of a fictitious episode in which every act ends with our heroes facing certain death…only to come back after commercial where we reveal it was all a simulation designed to train them for the REAL mission. After a string of successive fakeouts, the team is finally ready to head out on the mission…which will have to wait until Part II. I was surprised that a couple of eagle-eyed fans were actually able to decipher my scrawl and offer a clear translation of the story. Even more surprised that a couple of fans actually said: “This would make a great episode!”

6. THE BW SPECIAL: Placeholder titles are always a pain in the ass. They ranged from all-encompassingly general to annoyingly specific. In this case, we all knew what a BW (Brad Wright) Special promised: a strange scenario, cool SF elements, and great character moments. The rest invariably wrote itself.

7. ATLANTIS 5: After production had ended on a season and the cast and crew had left, the writer-producers would assemble and start preparing for next year. There was nothing more frightening than a blank white board, so one of us made the effort to get us started.

8. CARL’S GHOST OF CHRISTMAS PAST STORY: It seemed that half of the scripts Carl Binder wrote for the show were ghost-related. Either our heroes were seeing ghosts or dealing with ghosts or becoming ghosts themselves or some variation thereof. So we thought it only appropriate that we assign him the special Stargate Christmas episode.

9. PREPPING SEASON 5: Martin Gero goes through some ancient documents from the storage closet. On the white board behind him are the seeds to some season 5 story ideas, some of which made the cut (Joe’s Ronon/Tyre story became Broken Ties) while others did not (my Wages of Fear story would have rocked…if I had actually been successful in coming up with five acts and a tease).

10. SHHHHHH: The secrecy of the writers’ room. In response to the network’s request for a “Green episode”, Martin Gero comes up with Snow Globe – which would later be renamed Brainstorm.

11. SQUIGGLE GUY: I honestly don’t remember. I want to say it was our artist’s rendition of the unintentionally hilarious Pepto Bismal monster from Ephiphany, but the timeline doesn’t match up.

12. AU SEASON 6: Ah, what might have been. I offered insight into these potential stories here: September 30, 2008: An AU Season 6!, including Alan McCullough’s infamous Hamster Ball pitch.

13. DOSTOYEVSKY IN THE ROOM: The breakdown for SGU’s Crime and Punishment which would later be renamed Justice.

14. 12 12 12: Heated debates on the logic of proposed SF, particularly time travel-related pitches would always involve diagrams. This was, I believe, a rather straightforward explanation of the time travel logic grounding Twin Destinies.

15. CARL AND…?: I honestly don’t recall. What were we discussing here? Ship to ship transmissions? Gravity wells? Oreos?

16. SPACE FLOWERS: Well, that’s definitely Destiny. Not sure what the deal was with the space flowers. Perhaps some drawings to inspire us for the episode Faith?

17. PURSUIT: Pretty obvious, huh? Alien vessels/drones pursue Destiny, forcing it to fly through a nearby star to lose them.

18. IT WAS ALL A DREAM: A gag, sure, but we’ve done plenty of variations (Home, The Real World, Remnants) to name but a few.

19. INCURSION: The rough beats to the Incursion two-parter that was originally envisioned as a one-parter.

20. DESTINY VS. THE SPACE DOLPHINS: Ah, the space dolphins. A riff on the whales we introduced back on Stargate: Atlantis. In a later episode, First Strike, it was suggested Atlantis abandon the planet, leaving it to be destroyed. Robert Cooper objected to this solution on the grounds that we had gone through all the trouble of establishing and saving those whales, only to abandon them. I suggested a compromise where, as Atlantis rises up off the planets surface, we see the whales sprout wings and fly off for safer skies. Martin Gero dubbed them Whangels. Alas, they didn’t make the cut.

21. ELVEN FOOT: I believe this is one of those cases where we misheard the actual title, but the mistaken title was simply too good to dismiss.

22. POST-LUNCH MALAISE: A typical post-lunch scene includes a sleepy Lawren Bancroft-Wilson, my hot sauces, and remnants of lunch. Behind Lawren, the breakdown of an episode involving Amanda Perry.

23. YOU’RE GUESS IS AS GOOD AS MINE: Ship to ship communications? Gravity wells? Oreos?

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Published on March 11, 2014 17:13

March 10, 2014: A brief history of the Stargate writers’ room whiteboard, February 2007 – September 2009!

Tagged: SGA, SGU, Stargate, Stargate Universe, Stargate: Atlantis

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Published on March 10, 2014 16:11

March 9, 2014: Vote for our May Book of the Month Club selection!

Here are the nominees:

THE MEMORY OF SKY (Robert Reed) Paperback, 624 pages.

Diamond is an odd little boy, a seemingly fragile child—who proves to be anything but. An epic story begins when he steps into the world his parents have so carefully kept him from, a world where gigantic trees each house thousands of humans and another human species, the papio, rule its far edges. Does Diamond hold the promise to remake one species and, perhaps, change all of the Creation?

THE INTERESTINGS (Meg Wolitzer) Paperback, 400 pages.

The summer that Nixon resigns, six teenagers at a summer camp for the arts become inseparable. Decades later the bond remains powerful, but so much else has changed. In The Interestings, Wolitzer follows these characters from the height of youth through middle age, as their talents, fortunes, and degrees of satisfaction diverge.

The kind of creativity that is rewarded at age fifteen is not always enough to propel someone through life at age thirty; not everyone can sustain, in adulthood, what seemed so special in adolescence. Jules Jacobson, an aspiring comic actress, eventually resigns herself to a more practical occupation and lifestyle. Her friend Jonah, a gifted musician, stops playing the guitar and becomes an engineer. But Ethan and Ash, Jules’s now-married best friends, become shockingly successful—true to their initial artistic dreams, with the wealth and access that allow those dreams to keep expanding. The friendships endure and even prosper, but also underscore the differences in their fates, in what their talents have become and the shapes their lives have taken.

THE WEIRDNESS (Jeremy P. Bushnell) Paperback, 288 pages.

What do you do when you wake up hung over and late for work only to find a stranger on your couch? And what if that stranger turns out to be an Adversarial Manifestation who has already brewed you a fresh cup of fair-trade coffee? If you’re Billy Ridgeway, you take the coffee.

Lucifer explains that Billy must retrieve the Neko of Infinite Equilibrium, a cat-shaped statue with magical powers, before the most powerful warlock in the eastern United States can use it to burn the world to a cinder. In exchange, Billy’s novel will be published for a five-figure advance.

Traffic may be in the way of Billy’s getaway car, he may lose his job at the Greek deli, his girlfriend may break up with him, and it’s likely he’ll have to battle his greatest literary rival with his fists… but one way or another, he is determined to become a published author and save the universe.

Along the way, Billy learns about courage, friendship, and love, while considering some important questions: Why do people have pets? Who would store seafood in a warehouse in Chelsea? And where do those bananas in bodegas come from, anyway?

THE RICH AND THE DEAD (Liv Spector) Paperback, 320 pages.

Welcome to Star Island, where Miami’s wealthiest residents lead private lives behind the tall gates of their sprawling mansions. It’s a blissful escape from the hot and dirty city—or it was, until New Year’s Day 2015, when twelve of the most powerful people in the world were found murdered in the basement of a Star Island mansion.

The massacre shocked the nation and destroyed the life of investigator Lila Day. Her hunt for the Star Island killer consumed her. But the case went unsolved, resulting in her dismissal from the Miami PD.

Now, three years later, life hands Lila an unexpected second chance: reclusive billionaire Teddy Hawkins approaches Lila and asks her to solve the case. But how do you investigate a crime when all the leads have long ago gone cold? The answer, Teddy tells her, is to solve the case before it happens. He’s going to send Lila back in time.

With nothing left to lose, an incredulous Lila travels back to 2014, determined to find the Star Island killer once and for all. But as she goes undercover among the members of Miami’s high society, she finds herself caring for—and falling for—people who are destined to die that fateful night. Now she must either say good-bye or risk altering the future forever.

BLACK MOON (Kenneth Calhoun) Paperback, 290 pages.

Insomnia has claimed everyone Biggs knows. Even his beloved wife, Carolyn, has succumbed to the telltale red-rimmed eyes, slurred speech and cloudy mind before disappearing into the quickly collapsing world. Yet Biggs can still sleep, and dream, so he sets out to find her.

He ventures out into a world ransacked by mass confusion and desperation, where he meets others struggling against the tide of sleeplessness. Chase and his buddy Jordan are devising a scheme to live off their drug-store lootings; Lila is a high school student wandering the streets in an owl mask, no longer safe with her insomniac parents; Felicia abandons the sanctuary of a sleep research center to try to protect her family and perhaps reunite with Chase, an ex-boyfriend. All around, sleep has become an infinitely precious commodity. Money can’t buy it, no drug can touch it, and there are those who would kill to have it. However, Biggs persists in his quest for Carolyn, finding a resolve and inner strength that he never knew he had.

Cast your vote! The poll closes next Saturday.

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Published on March 09, 2014 21:34

February, 2014: Vote for our May Book of the Month Club selection!