Issues with Vampire Diaries

I am dense.

After my post on the news that L. J. Smith’s Vampire Diaries is coming to television, I got a lot of comments on the casting.  One of the issues brought up is why the main character Elena was not cast as a blonde for the TV show.  I was puzzled because I thought blondes were the it girls in Hollywood too.

But then I realized this:

Elena, Vampire Diaries

Bella, Twilight

Mystery solved.

Another thing that irritates me is much of the material on Vampire Diaries outright saying that it is another version of Twilight. (TVsquad, beyond hollywood).   The producers are on riding Twilight’s cape but I am still irritated.

L. J. Smith published the books in 1991.  It seems that Meyer only had the dream in 2003 and the first book was published in 2005.  Moreover, most pretty-pretty vampire stories are just watered-down versions of Anne Rice’s vampire tales.  Twilight is more of a blanched vegetable version.

I remember a young person writing on a forum that she’d read Meyer’s series and asking, in sum, if there were any other stories with a  vampire mythos.

Part of me thinks this is (very) funny but it’s a little sad too.  She’s missing out a lot. Fans could go a long time and not run out of vamp books to read.

I may break down and find a time line of pretty-pretty vampires in books.

Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz

Cover of Odd Thomas

My sister urged me to read Dean Koontz’s Odd Thomas. I have read Watchers and other books by Koontz and had seen Odd on bookshelves but I had not read it. I couldn’t place. Friends and reviews used terms like “quirky” “charming” “sweet” but told me it’s about a thriller about a possible shooting. The blurb on the back didn’t help, “Odd sees dead people but then he does something about it.” Humph.

But I started reading it and now I understand why I couldn’t place it. Odd Thomas himself is innocent in that he has a good heart and an uncompromising sense of right and wrong, though he attributes his conscience to his girl friend Stormy. Odd does his best to think well of people and he risks himself repeatedly to find justice for the murdered dead. So, the quirky, charming, feel-good part is true.

The thriller part is true too. Odd can see ghosts and help them leave, usually by exposing their murderer. He can’t talk to them though. This time, he must hope his psychic abilities come through because he finds himself hunting down a very live mass murderer.

I liked Odd’s girlfriend and his boss – the manager of a diner. He spends as much time discussing his job as a fry cook at the diner as he does on the supernatural events that surrounds him.

It’s worth reading, though a bit rough in places.

Pan’s Labyrith (2006)

Cover of Pan’s Labyrinth

Have there been more alien and beautiful fairyland creatures on screen?   In Guillermo Del Toro’s vision, they are fascinating, dangerous, and very far from human.

At the beginning of the Franco dictatorship, a young girl Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) struggles with a difficult family situation.  She is chosen by the fairies to complete a quest.

There is debate whether the ending of the film is happy or sad. I feel that it is both and gains some power from that.

Baquero is excellent but the cook Mercedes (Maribel Verdú) is also good and I think that the humanity of the film largely comes from her performance.

The Faun (Doug Jones performed the body) is a big part of what created the magical, alien feel to the movie.  I could happily watch the scenes of him spliced together.

Ofelia’s vicious stepfather (Sergi López) is pure villain which I think is a bit unusual.  I suppose I expected him to be clever or charming or something. He has zero redeeming qualities.  None.

The violence is heart-sickening and I couldn’t watch some of it.  Nevertheless, I prefer film violence to be unpleasant rather than the kind that is pure spectacle.

The film was a difficult viewing but it’s artfully made I do recommend it.

The Gammage Cup

I just finished Carol Kendall’s The Gammage Cup which I’ve seen on lots of fantasy lists.  This was my second attempt to read it: I finished it and I’m glad of it.

The difficulty I had with it is that it begins as pure whimsy like Winnie the Pooh or Paddington Bear and then veers into a satire.  I have difficulty with satire because I feel that often becomes mean-spirited.  But Kendall has written the satirical parts with a generous spirit.

The story is of a small folk called the Minnipins who have settled in a fertile and beautiful mountain valley.  The only person in recorded history who has left the valley is Fooley who traveled in a balloon to the outside world.  The Minnipins have built their culture around the items that Fooley returned with (think Galaxy Quest).

Five misfits in the village of Slipper-on-the-Water have become aware that there is trouble lurking beyond their peaceful valley.

Of course no one sensible believes them.   For instance, among the five,  one has painted her door scarlet instead of the usual green.  They have other dangerous foibles:  one composes poetry; one digs holes looking for buried treasure;  and one wears an orange sashes in public!  The inexorable ostracism that these five undergo is a bit painful to read because they are so pitiable.

To me, this was an important passage:

“What I mean is,” she went on, “well, I don’t think it’s doors or cloaks or…or orange sashes. It’s us. What I mean is, it’s no matter what color we paint our doors or what kind of clothes we wear, we’re…well, we’re these colors inside us. Instead of being green inside, you see, like other folk. So I don’t think maybe it would do any good if we just changed our outside color. We would still be…be orange or scarlet inside, and well, we would do orange and scarlet things all the time“

I think everyone feels a little orange-sashy from time to time, and this situation should resonant. The magic was suitable to the story and the world-building was delightful. Perhaps I would have enjoyed Gammage Cup as a child but I know that I appreciate it as an adult.

Apparently, she wrote several sequels. I think I’ll add her name to my TBR list.

Another take:  John C. Wright

Sea Princess Azuri links

As I’ve mentioned before, I really like Erica Reis’ Sea Princess Azuri comic.  It’s super cute but it’s less popular than it should be.  (She’s now Erica Leigh Currey.)

Here’s her deviant art page (Solipherus).  Lots of color pictures of merfolk.

Her personal website.  Blog, portfolio, etc.  Much pretty Princess Azuri stuff.

Erica’s LiveJournal blog.

Wikipedia entry.

Madman – bit of info on both volumes.

Some less than favorable reviews from MangaLife and MangaPunk.  They didn’t like the narrative which is missing the point. Azuri and friends are just really, really adorable.

Prince Rabbit by A. A. Milne

Also “The Princess Who Could Not Laugh.”

I loved this book as a kid but couldn’t remember the name.  I searched lists of books by A. A. Milne but didn’t recognize the title because I was looking for ”fairy tales’ something.

The charming illustrations were done by Mary Shepard who also illustrated the Mary Poppins books.

Prince Rabbit is about a talking rabbit who competes for a throne with a human nobleman.  Prince Rabbit is very quick-witted which helps him succeed in the tests.

For instance, one of the tests is to answer what seven times six is.

Prince Rabbit knows the King is trying to fix the contest and make his human opponent win.  The other man says the answer is 54.

Prince Rabbit’s turn is next. He says:

Your Majesty, there are several possible answers to this extraordinarily novel conundrum.  At first sight the obvious solution would appear to be ‘forty-two.’ The objection to this solution is that it lacks originality.  I have long felt that a progressive country such as ours might well strike out a new line in the matter.  Let us agree that in the future seven sixes are ‘fifty-four.’

But I liked “The Princess Who Could Not Laugh” even better.  For one thing, it had a girl character.

The king in this story loves jokes but his daughter never laughs and he becomes determined to find a way to change her.  He offers her hand in marriage and half the kingdom to any man who can make her laugh.

The chief suitors/contestants are Count Hippo and Count Rollo.  The Princess favors Rollo, especially since Hippo just wants the kingdom.  But neither of them can make her laugh despite some funny jokes.

In rereading it, I found a passage that I really liked.  It’s a bit sentimental but, well, why not?

Nothing is so pleasant as to tell a funny story to somebody whom you love, to watch the smile coming on her face, and to hear her sudden laughter, and then to linger with her, your laughter catching new life from hers, in happy enjoyment of the joke.

Emperor Mage by Tamora Pierce

Image via Wikipedia

Daine is a shapeshifter and animal speaker who becomes mixed up in the affairs of the immortals.  She would have been one of my heroines if I had known about her when I was young.

In this 3rd book of the series, Daine, the animal speaker, goes as part of a delegation from Tortal to the magnificent kingdom of Cathak. There she attempts to heal the sick birds of the emperor and befriends urban animals.

Cathak is a place of wonders both natural and magical.  She finds Orzone, the emperor, to be sympathetic in his love of his birds.  Unfortunately, there is a darkness to the land, not the least of which is the strange old woman with powerful magic who periodically visits her.

Not my favorite book in the series due to the way Daine combats the villains but still very good.

Ill Met by Moonlit by Sarah A. Hoyt

Cover of Ill Met by Moonlight

Enchantments, sword fights, great sartorial descriptions, lovers sundered, and bloody death.

William Shakespeare, a middle school teacher,  returns home to find his wife Nan and his baby daughter Susannah missing.  He investigates and finds their disappearance has something to do with the People under the Hill.  In other words, Shakespeare faces off against the fairies.

As I mentioned before, this book has a slow build up, so that Hoyt can establish the setting.  I personally could have used the fireworks starting a little earlier but then, that may be a flaw in myself.

However, once the story proper starts, it was thoroughly absorbing. The descriptions of the fairy kingdom alone were delightful.  Then there was a cracker-jack plot, based on one of Shakespeare’s plays.  Then, there was the charm of picking out all the famous lines from the plays, and figuring out which character had its double in Shakespeare’s plays.  It was a treat to pick out the familiar bits.

There were several good romances.  The love story of Will and Nan was my favorite but they were all touching.

I adored this book, and I plan to track down more of Hoyt’s titles.

Watching and Reading Update

I’m super busy today, so here’s what I’m entertaining myself with.

Books

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowlings.  I’m on chapter 10 and I’m being entertained.  It’s so big to carry around that I’m neglecting it a little.

Forever Odd by Dean Koontz. I haven’t actually started this one.  The last one was emotionally intense and I’m a little reluctant to start this one.

This Place Has No Atmosphere by Paula Danziger. I think I read the first chapter?  It’s a fluffy SF, so I should be able to finish it quickly once I start.

Ill Met By Moonlight by Sarah A. Hoyt.  I have had this in my TBR pile for several years.  It’s about Shakespeare and Fairies, and should be just perfect but I had a lot of trouble with it.

I showed it to my sister and told her how I was stuck.  She said that I should at least try to get past page 17.  I hadn’t realized how little I’d read.  In an instance of great irony, the author introduces the good stuff on page 18.  I’m on chapter 7 17 now and enjoying it very, very much.

Movies

Ultra Maniac. Anime. 7 volumes.  The final volume is due in this week.  It’s an OK magical girl story.  Sometimes the animation falters badly and some of the plots are boring.  The manga by Wataru Yoshizumi is  much better.

The Big Lebowski (1998).  I’ve seen it years ago and I wanted to see something funny.  It keeps getting bumped down my queue.  It’s due this week.

Iron Man (2008).  I ordered this to watch with friends but it’s not that high on my queue.

Kino’s Journey. Anime. 3 volumes.  I’ve just finished the first volume – this is amazing.  The artwork is delightful, the sound effects, the music, and the stories are first rate.  Animation for grownups (as opposed to anime made for kids, teens or the lascivious).

Vampire Diaries on TV

Cover via Amazon

I’m excited!  I just learned that L. J. Smith’s Vampire Diaries might coming to CW.  Smith’s series has been compared to Stephenie Meyer’s but I think her series are more fun.  They are just as romantic but a little more grounded.

Vampire Diaries is the story told in 4 books of Elena who is pursued by two vampire brothers.

Rachel Thomas quotes Variety on the casting:

Variety reports that former Lost star Ian Somerhalder has snagged the role of Damon. Nina Dobrev (Degrassi: The Next Generation) has been cast to play Elena and Paul Wesley (Everwood) joins the cast as the 200-year-old Stefan. Dawson’s Creek mastermind Kevin Williamson will be the executive producer for the series.

Nina Dobrev to be Elena.

Ian Somerhalder to be Damon

Paul Wesley to be Stefan.

I’ve read several of her series but the Night World series is my favorite, especially Spellbinder (scroll down a bit).

A snazzy fan blog for the TV version of Vampire Diaries .