Amy H. Sturgis's Blog, page 162

Who, Podcasts, and Birthdays

Thanks to everyone who's participated in my new Doctor Who poll. It's still open, if anyone else would like to take part!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 was even better on second viewing. Hurrah!


In personal news...

* The third of my three-part reading of Rachel Swirsky's Nebula Award-winning and Hugo Award-nominated novella The Lady Who Plucked Red Flowers Beneath The Queen's Window is now available here, on the latest episode of StarShipSofa.

* Later today (5pm London time) I'll be appearing live online with the amazing science fiction authors Connie Willis and Ted Chiang at the Holodeck Online Time Travel Workshop.


In other news...

Happy early birthday to two great gentlemen, arymetore and caster121 . May you have a wonderful day and many more! Happy early birthday also to a great lady, syrcleoftrees , with best wishes for today and always!

Happy early birthday also to the wonderful agentxpndble , a super lady and the mistress of two great websites, including CI5 Addict and...




May you have a fantastic day and year to come, my friend!



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"Live in each season as it passes: breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit."
– Henry David Thoreau

Deathly Hallows Part 2: You had me at "Hold the fort, Neville."

I'm suffering from something of an emotional hangover thanks to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2, so consider yourself warned...

FYI, my interview as a scholarly guest with WUTC FM (88.1 in Chattanooga, TN) on today's show about "Pottermania" is now up online here.

More to the point, I haven't loved all of the Harry Potter films, but Deathly Hallows, Part 2 gets two thumbs up from me. The scenes it had to do well, it did; and many more also stole my breath. The theater was packed (mostly with adults my age or thereabouts), and weeping was audible in all directions throughout the second half of the film.

A few of my first impressions:

Deal-Breaker Scenes

This film just had to deliver certain scenes in order to work for me. It did. Here are some of them...

* Neville vs. Nagini: This film was Neville's turn to shine, and he did. The fact that Gryffindor's sword came to him not only because he had need, but also because he was worthy, comes across clearly, and the way this particular moment was filmed - Neville destroying the final horcrux while saving the lives of Ron and Hermione - was epic. The one person in the theater who hadn't read the book (we could all identify her early on, I think) tried to gasp and shriek at the same time when it happened.

* The bodies in the makeshift morgue: The film needed to show how significant the death toll at Hogwarts had become, how dear a price already had been paid. It did. Ron sobbing over Fred's body was amazingly affecting, considering I was prepared for it. There's beautiful symmetry between Lupin and Tonks reaching out for one another when they realize Voldemort's breached the defenses and then, in death, laid out side by side, reaching out again, their fingertips touching.

* The forest scene, in which Harry communes with his parents and Sirius and Remus, was pitch perfect.

* I love the fact there were so many blink-and-you'd-miss-them cameos that gave the impression that the entire Hogwarts family had come together when it mattered most. I'm so glad we had glimpses of Slughorn and Trelawney and Cho Chang and Filch and so many others involved in the battle and/or its aftermath.

Deal-Breaker Lines

They all made it into the film: Snape's "Look at me," Molly's "Not my daughter, you bitch!" and Dumbledore's "Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?"

Pleasant Surprises

* Not even Michael Gambon could ruin the King's Cross Station scene. That's saying something.

* The Epilogue, which ranks as my least favorite part of the entire book series by far, actually worked. And it was blessedly short, too; it made its point and promptly ended.

At Last

* Snape and McGonagall at last had their moments, and they were glorious. Snape's final minutes with Voldemort, when he knew he was to die, were especially moving. Not only did he seem resigned; he almost seemed relieved. Oh dear, where are my tissues...

* The contrast between the real Snape (as shown through his memories in the Pensieve) and the public Snape was extremely powerful. Thank you, all The Powers That Be, for giving Alan Rickman the time and space to attack this with all of his considerable talent. (If some of the flashbacks with young Snape and Lily seemed like refugees from a lost Hallmark commercial, I'll let it slide. Adult Severus was SO GOOD I can't be bothered to care.)

Other

* Hogwarts really felt under seige, like a war zone, and the sense this was a "final stand" was beautifully and wrenchingly portrayed.

* The destruction of the physical building itself hit me harder than I was expecting. Seeing Hogwarts in ruins brought me up short.

* The Hermione/Ron relationship seemed natural and fitting. Their kiss, after the destruction of the horcrux in the Chamber of Secrets, was timed and executed well.

* I expected the Grey Lady would be left on the cutting room floor. I'm so glad she wasn't.

* Voldemort communicating to everyone at Hogwarts, issuing his threats, calling out Harry, was deliciously creepy.

* Beautiful visual touches:
-- Snape staring out at the Hogwarts grounds as the students march below in lockstep
-- McGonagall and Molly Weasley on the steps to Hogwarts, surrounded by the stone soldiers as they came to life in the school's defense
-- The shadow of Snape's body falling against the window as Nagini strikes him repeatedly
-- Narcissa and Draco walking resolutely away from Hogwarts, hand in hand, not once looking back, and Lucius running to catch up with them

No, it wasn't a perfect film. But, in my opinion, it was very well done. I hope you enjoyed it, too! If you've seen it, what did you think?



In other news...

* Dwight L. MacPherson's wonderful steampunk webcomic Sidewise is on sale for download. The first issue is free, and the second and third are $.99 each. Check it out and support a great webcomic.

* Happy birthday to knesinka_e , and happy early birthday to ithildyn , melissagay , and faramirgirl . May all of you enjoy many happy returns of the day!


McGonagall to Harry: "Do what you have to do. I'll secure the castle."
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2

"Of course it is happening inside your head"

Thanks to everyone who's participated in my new Doctor Who poll. It's still open, if anyone else would like to take part!

I'm being interviewed this afternoon by WUTC 88.1 FM, Chattanooga's NPR station, for a news story regarding the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows film. Good heavens, it's hard to believe this is the last in the series... My tissues are packed and ready.



And now, for news...

* My most recent "Looking Back on Genre History" segment, which discusses H.P. Lovecraft's non-fiction essays "Supernatural Horror in Literature," "Some Notes on Interplanetary Fiction," and "Notes on Writing Weird Fiction," is up today at StarShipSofa. This new show also includes the second of my three-part reading of Rachel Swirsky's Nebula Award-winning and Hugo Award-nominated novella The Lady Who Plucked Red Flowers Beneath The Queen's Window. All of this is available here, on the latest episode of the podcast.

* Today's TeeFury shirt is from Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog!

* I'm intrigued by the Con of Wrath documentary project.

* Librivox.org has some new unabridged audiobooks available for free download. Several are of interest to genre readers:
The Italian by Ann Radcliffe
The Witch of Salem by John R. Musick
The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley


"Tell me one thing," said Harry. "Is this real? Or has this been happening inside my head?"

Dumbledore beamed at him, and his voice sounded loud and strong in Harry's ears even though the bright mist was descending again, obscuring his figure.

"Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?"

- J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

A Doctor Who Poll!

Previously, I asked about your favorite Doctors of Doctor Who. (I've left the poll open, in case you want to change/add your answers.)

We're currently going back and (re)watching the DVDs for each of the Doctors from Doctor Who in chronological order. This leads me to a new question for my friends...


Which episodes/arcs are your favorites for each of the Doctors? (I'm not counting Eight/Paul McGann, because there's only one option for him, the television movie.) Thanks for sharing your picks! Please feel free to respond to as many/few of the Doctors as you wish.

View Poll: What are your favorite Doctor Who episodes/arcs for each Doctor?


Barbara: Well, maybe we're going to see a new side to the Doctor.

Ian: Yeah, well, he isn't getting any younger, is he? You know, it's the first time he's been asleep during a landing. Barbara, I've got an idea he's getting a bit...

The Doctor: Remember, I can hear what you're saying.

- Doctor Who, "The Rescue"

"as little bad as you can"

* My latest dramatic narration for StarShipSofa, which is the first of a three-part reading of Rachel Swirsky's Nebula Award-winning and Hugo Award-nominated novella The Lady Who Plucked Red Flowers Beneath The Queen's Window, is now available on the most recent episode of the podcast. Parts two and three will follow on successive Wednesdays. (The same episode includes an interview with me on the subject of time travel, in expectation of my appearance with the amazing science fiction authors Connie Willis and Ted Chiang on July 23 at the Holodeck Online Time Travel Lecture.)

In other news...

A new special collection from A Celebration of Women Writers: Pre-1923 Utopias and Science Fiction by Women: A Reading List of Online Editions. (Thanks to merrigold .)
From the latest issue of Apex Magazine: "The Top 10 Experimental Genre Books You've Never Heard Of."
The third edition of the Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, the definitive reference work in the field, will be released online later this year by the newly-formed ESF, Ltd, in association with Victor Gollancz, the SF & Fantasy imprint of the Orion Publishing Group, whose support will enable the text to be available free to all users. Read more here.
The Romance Relief auction on eBay for writer L.A. Banks should starts today. L.A. Banks has late stage adrenal cancer and donations to help are badly needed. (Thanks to marthawells .)


And a parting note...


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Today is the anniversary of the beheading of Sir Thomas More, so I'll let him have the final word:

"You must not abandon the ship in a storm because you cannot control the winds.... What you cannot turn to good, you must at least make as little bad as you can."
—Sir Thomas More, Utopia

Back from the Catacombs

I'm baaack! I had a wonderful experience, as expected, at Towson University with the good people from the Institute for Humane Studies.

Before I left Baltimore, I took a detour to spend some time at Westminster Hall and Burying Ground, where Edgar Allan Poe is buried. Thanks to the terrific staff there, I was able to get a personal tour of the cemetery and the remarkable catacombs beneath the church. (Thanks to Lu Ann Marshall and everyone at Westminster Hall!)

You can see my pictures from both the cemetery and catacombs here.

Here are a couple of favorites. One from the cemetery:



One from the catacombs:



The series Scariest Places on Earth once filmed a segment at Westminster. Here it is:



Happy early birthday wishes to lynn_maudlin , gods_lil_rocker , bouncybabylemur , divadiane1 , fungus_files , and sunshinedew . May each of you enjoy many happy returns of the day.

"Dear Mr. Poe,
You are my inspiration!
Thank-you."
- note left on the Poe Memorial at Westminster Cemetery, as seen on June 28, 2011

Mellark Bakery in The Hunger Games

As I've mentioned before, we live close to the abandoned mill town used as the setting for District 12 in the forthcoming film adaptation of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.

I thought some of you might be interested to see the before/after photos of the old company store, which serves in the films as the bakery owned by Peeta Mellark's father. As always, click for larger images...

The original old store:



Here it is after filming. You can see the new windows and the words "PASTRIES" and "CAKES" painted on the storefront to make it the Mellark bakery:



My full set of photos from the Henry River Mill Town, a.k.a. "District 12," is here.



"Close your eyes again," I order. He does, and his mouth, too, and completely disappears. Most of what I judge to be his body is actually under a layer of mud and plants. His face and arms are so artfully disguised as to be invisible. I kneel beside him. "I guess all those hours decorating cakes paid off."

Peeta smiles. "Yes, frosting. The final defense of the dying."

- from The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

"The Deathly Tweet" by Dwight L. MacPherson

Hey, you Lovecraft fans, I've got a treat for you! An exclusive treat!

One of the most fun and innovative voices in Lovecraftiana today is author, editor, and comic book/graphic novel creator Dwight L. MacPherson (of The Surreal Adventures of Edgar Allan Poo, Kid Houdini and the Silver-Dollar Misfits, Jim Reaper, and Sidewise, among other works). Soon readers will be able to enjoy his adaptation of Lovecraft's "He" in the forthcoming The Lovecraft Anthology: Volume II.

Today, because Dwight and his wonderful wife Rebecca are eldritch fantastic people, I have the delight of presenting an exclusive (and darkly clever) Lovecraftian short story by him for your reading dread enjoyment. Without further ado, here is...

The Deathly Tweet

By Dwight L. MacPherson
Copyright 2011 Dwight L. MacPherson

“I’ll kill every last one of them,” Tad said through muck-encrusted teeth. And by the gods… he meant it!

“Insular, self-absorbed hipsters… you think you’re better than me!” In his three years of using the social networking site Twitter, he had received a grand whopping total of five Retweets. Five! And those came before he really needed the support of all his friends. He shook his head slowly; a building heat throbbing in his temples. He scrolled down the list of his followers and those he followed as if attempting to memorize each name and location. He had been polite and faithful to Retweet the four thousand people he followed and the twenty-two who actually followed him back in that time, but, as a reward for his fidelity they had completely ignored him! He was certain they’d secretly clicked on his links and loathed his work, perhaps even laughed at it; they were unwilling to sully their paltry reputations by Retweeting substandard work. His work which he loved like a real father is meant to love his children.

They aren’t friends; they’re worthless meatbags who deserve to die! And die they surely will!    

In the early going, this snub merely irritated him. But once his webcomic “Squid Honies” went live, he expected the support of his friends. And what did he get in return? Nothing. Nada, nichts, rien, nill, zip. And when he Direct Messaged people he had supported through three years of unsuccessfully building a network to promote his work, they either blew him off or unfollowed—or both. One “friend” had even gone so far as to report him to Twitter!

The End

I Always Could Get the Hang of Fridays

Yesterday was a good day to be a genre fan.
** Entertainment Weekly published the first official pictures from The Hobbit.
** J.K. Rowling announced her Pottermore site, which is exciting not only because of the new content it promises, but also because of the new path it may help to forge for direct author-to-reader relations.

In other news, I've completed two more books in my Holmesian pastiche reading, both in that especially Gothic subgenre of Sherlock Holmes-meets-Jack the Ripper tales.
** The Mycroft Memoranda by Ray Walsh (1985)
Read my review.
** The Whitechapel Horrors by Edward B. Hanna (1992)
Read my review.
I recommend both highly, but if I had to choose one, I'd have to pick Walsh's, which may be my favorite pastiche novel thus far after Lyndsay Faye's Dust and Shadow (which I reviewed here).

Oh, and you Lovecraftians out there, I have a special suprise to share with you tomorrow. Very exciting stuff! So stay tuned. :)


"He was lying on the cobbles half-way across the yard with his handkerchief tied tightly around his left thigh and his gun still firmly clenched in his right fist. He was inching himself slowly along the ground using his right elbow and leg. What a fellow he is. Badly shocked by the fiend's eruption from what I had confidently told him would be a foolproof trap and disabled in an exchange of shots, he had, nonetheless, patched himself up and was attempting to come to my assistance. And he wonders why it is I take him with me on my investigations."
- Sherlock Holmes to Mycroft Holmes, speaking about John Watson
in The Mycroft Memoranda by Ray Walsh

Miscellany

Just a few quick items of interest for today...

* The home that inspired H.P. Lovecraft's story "The Shunned House" is for sale. And me without a spare million dollars! The realty page has some great interior photos, FYI. (None, of course, of the dreaded basement. *wink*) I have some additional photos of the house here in my photo tour of Lovecraftian Providence.

* Other Lovecraftian goodness (thanks to wellinghall !):
-- Lovecraftian lollipops
-- Chocolate Cthulhu idols
-- Lovecraftian maths

* Kudos to those who are finishing the grueling 1,000-mile bike ride retracing the "Trail of Tears." The "Remember The Removal" bike ride comes full circle later this week with the team's return to Tahlequah, Oklahoma: Remember the Removal.

* We have less than to days to wait until J.K. Rowling's "Pottermore" announcement!

* Happy birthday to the fantastic belleferret , and happy early birthday wishes to alex_beecroft , nurdbunny , lisa_marli , and graashoppa ! May all of you enjoy many happy returns of the day.


For dodger_winslow and the rest of you who share my warped sense of humor:


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