Karsa Orlong

Anyone else watching this marvellous series? I have come to two conclusions whilst watching: 1 - Penguins are mad 2 - Killer whales are evil My favourite bit from the series so far: Also, this one. It's amazing but also quite harrowing:

If only

I could be wrong, but I think Lund is actually warming to Strange. Loved the conversation in the car ("Why didn't you tell me?" / "You were too busy being jealous" ) and the "Unless you invite me in for cake" line. So this is what they do: they make you like him then, given Lund's history with partners, he'll be dead before the end of the series. Either that or he'll turn out to be the killer, especially now we know he's got a military history

You're not wrong there! I liked the Donald Sutherland remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers (and the later remakes as well), but I still love the original 1956 version the best. I remember the first time I saw it, late at night on BBC 2. This was in the days when tv used to shut down overnight (imagine that!). At the end, the announcer said "I hope you're feeling sleepy now" oslt - nooooo, I can't go to sleep after watching that!

Ugh, I hate it! I love the original. The 1976 remake was hilariously bad. The Peter Jackson remake has special effects and that's about it. It's an hour too long and drenched in schmaltz. Give me Fay Wray and stop-motion effects any day! Same goes for the old Universal monster movies - you can't beat the original Lugosi/Karloff/Chaney Dracula, Frankenstein, Wolfman movies, imo

Downward to the Earth by Robert Silverberg A little gem courtesy of the SF Gateway releases. This one is about a man who returns to a world that was colonised by humans but then turned back over to the indigenous species. He is dealing with guilt brought about by events that occurred during his tenure on the planet some years before, and sets out on a journey into the depths of a previously unexplored area, seeking his redemption. I liked this book a lot. It's well written, the characters are engaging and the alien ecology is intriguing, although the final twist is fairly obvious from quite early on. This was my first Silverberg novel, and I'll definitely be reading some more. 7/10 The Sisters Brothers by Patrick DeWitt A Western, set in the time of the Gold Rush, that was nominated for this year's Booker Prize, The Sisters Brothers tells the story of the, um, Sisters brothers, Charlie and Eli, who are hired killers sent to California to hunt down a man who has broken a contract. I loved this book. DeWitt's writing style is quite stark. There's a lot of laugh-out-loud humour in the relationship between the brothers, and the characters jump off the page. Even the supporting characters are so well written you can almost see, hear and - it has to be said - smell them. There's a sense of danger in their journey, and no real telling who is going to make it to the end alive. The whole book has a real Coen Brothers feel to it. Brilliant. 9/10 Grave Peril by Jim Butcher Butcher's third Dresden Files novel sees Harry trying to find out why ghosts are turning nasty, and getting himself involved in a feud with the vampire council. I thought it was another engaging read but, whereas the first two books were just a bit fun, I got the definite sense that Butcher was trying to kick things up a notch in this one. That's not to say it's deep and meaningful - it's not - but it's definitely darker than the first two novels, and bad things happen to good people. The ending was scary and tense, and set up what I can only imagine is going to be a humdinger of an ongoing story. Oh, and the vampires are evil, which is how it should be. Looking forward to Summer Knight. 8/10 The Bones of Avalon by Phil Rickman This wasn't at all what I expected. For some reason - based on a friend's recommendation - I was thinking it would be some kind of Da Vinci Code type thriller, I don't know why. In reality, it's a historical novel set in Glastonbury in 1560, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth - and it's fantastic. There's a touch of the paranormal about it, with ghosts, sacrifices and myth and legend woven throughout the story, which centres around John Dee, Elizabeth's astronomer/astrologer, who is branded a conjurer and eyed with suspicion by most. Based on fact, Dee is sent to Glastonbury to find the missing bones of King Arthur, and is drawn into a web of murder, suspicion and intrigue, and a battle between beliefs in the wake of Henry VIII's severing of and Queen Mary's restoration of England's Roman Catholicism. I thought this was a terrific read, full of atmosphere and a sense of foreboding. Where it might have got bogged down in relaying historical fact, Rickman manages to keep it moving at pace, and its 500-odd pages raced by. My only problem with it is that I found Rickman's writing style occasionally, and deliberately, a little obtuse, meaning that I sometimes wasn't sure which character was talking or doing a particular thing. It's a small niggle. You always feel how precarious Dee's position is, and the ending is truly tense. I'm a big fan of C J Sansom's books but, with him getting so much attention, there's a danger this novel might get overlooked, which would be a shame. I'll be seeking out more of Phil Rickman's books in the future. 8/10

I finished Phil Rickman's The Bones of Avalon, and I'm now reading Anne McCaffrey's Dragonflight

I honestly can't think of one remake I've seen that was better than the original - not just classic English language movies, but the seemingly inevitable reworkings of foreign language films. They even do it with tv series (like The Killing). Personally, I think they should leave well enough alone and try and come up with some new ideas of their own. Oh hang on, I've thought of one. Just one. Casino Royale.

Gaaagh! I recently bought The Winter King, the first of Bernard Cornwell's King Arthur novels, for Kindle for £1.99. I just went to look for the sequels and all three Kindle editions of his Arthur books have disappeared I suspect there must be problems with them, which is why TWK was going cheap and why they've now been withdrawn - which makes me very wary that the first of his Alfred the Great novels, The Last Kingdom, is now £1.99 as well!

So shocked about Gary Speed. R.I.P. Gary

Anne McCaffrey has died at the age of 85: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/nov/23/anne-mccaffrey-pern-dies-85?newsfeed=true RIP Anne

Thanks everyone for the suggestions - I got her The Forgotten Garden in the end - and she hasn't read it yet, she's still reading Phillipa Gregory! Anyway, I'm now plundering the suggestions in here again for one of her Christmas prezzies Edit: The Rosamunde Pilcher one looks like exactly the sort of book she likes, thanks

Right then, they're going on the list. Thanks Pickle

I haven't! This is my first one, but I was straight on Amazon this morning looking at the Merrily Watkins ones. Didn't buy any but I know I will ... Would you recommend them? I am enjoying the Dresden Files a lot, thanks - from what I've heard they start to get really good from now on

I finished Grave Peril, which was good and had a particularly great ending, setting up - I'm guessing - a potentially exciting ongoing plot >> This morning I started Phil Rickman's The Bones of Avalon, which I'm already enjoying

You'd think so, looking at the shelves in Waterstones, wouldn't you? I'm all for long books (I'm a Steven Erikson fan, after all ), but I do like fantasy authors who don't feel it's necessary to write doorstoppers, trilogies or multi-book series. Guy Gavriel Kay does this very successfully, and I think his books are all the better for it - so do the likes of Neil Gaiman, Dan Simmons, Tim Powers etc. I think, in some cases, it's down to the publishers seeing the potential income from trilogies/series - it's all about the money.

I have, yes. I think I'm in the minority in that I found it a bit of a chore to read. I loved the first book, but the other two didn't really do it for me. I think she could have told the story in two books, but I guess it's the old contractual obligation and publishers knowing they're onto a good thing. After I'd finished that trilogy I started on the Liveship Traders books and have still only read the first one. They're still sitting on the shelf, taunting me Like I say, though, I know I'm in the minority - I'm sure you'll love it!

Hey Star, nice review! I'd highly recommend watching the film version(s) of this book. The original Swedish version (Let the Right One In) is best, but the remake (Let Me In) is surprisingly good as well

It's baaaaaack! Much shorter season this time, only ten episodes, but after just two I could already sense it was much tighter and more focused. Great start. We're being spoiled with two seasons in one year. Best thing I've watched on tv this year by a mile (apart from Frozen Planet, maybe!) Liking the new jumper, too

I thought Wembley was a total failure and made the dances look more amateurish than usual. They can talk about the atmosphere all they like, but it didn't work on tv. I hope they don't do it again, but it seems inevitable. Have to admit I'm kind of disappointed that Russell has gone. In previous years I couldn't wait to see the backs of people like Widdicombe and Sergeant, but Russell's been great fun, and at least he tried, unlike the other two I mentioned.

I finished The Sisters Brothers, which was a great read, and then started the third Dresden Files book, Grave Peril.

I definitely agree with part of this VF. I too thought It was a bit of a mess, but it was mainly the latter stages that grated with me. The book goes on for 200 pages too long. But that, I think, is symptomatic of some of King's works - he just doesn't know how to finish them. I also agree that gore can't replace atmosphere. I'd be interested to know which of his books you've read. I read most of his work, up to and including Misery, and then kind of fell out of love with him. But his earlier books, like Salem's Lot, The Shining, The Dead Zone, Cujo, The Stand, Firestarter the aforementioned Misery - they are all fantastic reads, and for me show why he became so popular, and why I used to like his books so much. So, how are you getting on with Royal Assassin, Andrea?

Every time Van Helsing opened his mouth, for starters All that business where he was saying "I know what's going on, but I'm not going to tell you" No, you're right, some serious editing in the second half of the story would've worked wonders for me. I was going to ask what you think of Royal Assassin - but I should ask you that in your own thread!

. One of my faves

I watched the second episode. Really not sure about it. I'll give it another couple of episodes to see if it improves.