Chronicles of Shannara Review, RiffTrax’s Latest News, Fantasy Movie Trivia, Movie and Television News, and Ninja News!

The Chronicles of Shannara Review

Keep in mind, this is from someone who read these books as a teen and treasured them. Your perception of the show will vary according to how well you know the source material.

The series begins with the Ellcrys tree, which has held back the demon world for centuries, dying, and a band of people trying to find the magic to stop its death. The series begins with the second book in the original Shannara trilogy and no secret that Shannara is Earth far in the future. (Not sure why they didn’t begin with the first book. And it’s not until subsequent books that we learn this is actually Earth.)

I was terrified when I heard MTV was doing a series based on my favorite series. MTV? Really? But so far, after watching the first episode, I’m happy to say I’m enjoying it.

The main plot points of the show are accurate. They are following The Elf Stones of Shannara. However, the details have been altered to fit the younger, MTV demographic. The show contains a thousand times more angst that the entire series put together, but that’s to be expected.

The first episode moved at a breakneck speed. It sprinted forward over many scenes, probably just to bring the main characters altogether at the end. Now, maybe that’s the only way the MTV crowd can handle it, but I do hope they slow down and focus more on character development and at a leisurely pace. (Because at the current pace, they’ll burn through all the books in the first season.)

The casting choices overall are strong, especially Allanon. He plays the part well, and the actor even looks like the character on the original book. Will, the half-elf, is also well represented. He’s sweet, goofy, and very naïve. I also liked the inclusion of John Rhys-Davies in the cast. Can’t have an epic fantasy without him, can we?

For a television show, the special effects and makeup are both top notch. MTV certainly poured some money into the series.

The show is promising and not the train wreck I was dreading. If they can slow the pace a bit, it will be great. (The next couple episodes are available already online, but I’d rather wait and watch them on my HDTV. The next day of course, because 10:00 pm is my bedtime.)

And hopefully it will encourage people to read the books, because they are awesome!

Latest RiffTracks News

Some cool things happening with RiffTrax!

There is now a RiffTrax app! Available for both iOS and Andriod, this app will automatically sync RiffTrax ‘Just the Joke’ commentaries.
Just hit play on your phone or tablet and the app listens for the movie and automatically syncs everything, and keeps it synced. It will work with your TV, computer, DVDs, Blu-rays, Netflix, Amazon Video and other streams. The beta app is completely FREE, AND has all six Star Wars movies pre-loaded into it for FREE for you to try out! (That will be the ONLY way I can watch those prequels ever again!)

The Best of RiffTrax Live will be rebroadcasting two of its movies. Starship Troopers is on January 14 and The Room is on January 28. If you’ve never seen RiffTrax on the big screen, now is the time to catch it.

There is also a RiffWiki! Everything RiffTrax, including MST3K. With information, features, essential Riffs, and more.

And don’t forget, every Monday, there is a new MST3K title available.

Geek News

There are nine speculative fiction series debuting this month, including:
Legends of Tomorrow is the next DC series, taking a few characters from The Flash and Arrow, adding some new ones, and mixing them together for a superhero team. Premiers January 21.
The much anticipated X-Files miniseries premiers January 24, and creator Chris Carter promises we’ll get everything we loved about the original series.


Season six of Game of Thrones starts on April 24 – mark your calendars now.

JoBlo featured a list of Top Ten Greatest Movie Teasers of All Time. (And yes, I have seen all of the movies, more than once!)

TNT nixed the live-action Teen Titans series. (Damn you TNT!)

And Netflix announced season two of DareDevil will begin on March 18, and they released a trailer for the critically acclaimed show:

Ninja News

The winner of the IWSG Anthology Contest, L.G. Keltner, is a guest today at the Insecure Writer’s Support Group with some awesome information and tips about anthologies.


Our very own Anti-A to Z Spokesperson, Gary at Klahanie, actually promote the IWSG last week! Of course, that might be because he thinks it stands for I Was Seeking Gary…

Cloaked by T.F. Walsh is out now.
The second book comes out in March and the third in May.



Book Goodies now allows authors fill out an interview form that is posted on their site, and afterwards, books can be added. My interview is HERE.

The Lost and Found: Valentine’s Edition blogfest takes place February 1. For details and to sign up, go HERE.



Version Sacrifice results, featuring the song Dead Souls:
Nine Inch Nails – 10
Joy Division – 10
My vote for NIN gave us a tie!

Movie Trivia – Fantasy!

All of these ‘fantasy’ movies (two with horror elements) take place mostly in a forest. Name the movie from the cryptic description.

1 – The first in a series that should’ve been seven films, the adventure begins in the snowy winter woods. 2005
2 – A trip to this forest turned out to be a game to feed an ancient beast. 2011
3 – This fable involved a tower and naïve young woman who wants to explore the world. 2010
4 – This epic tale has man joining a dozen others to battle a mysterious enemy that descends from a mountain lair. 1999
5 – The first of three films has an unlikely hero setting off with a group of dwarves. 2012

Answers Monday!


Anyone else watching the Chronicles of Shannara? Ready for some RiffTrax fun? Any January series catch your attention? Think the new X-Files will be a good as promised? Want to submit to some anthologies? And do you know any of the trivia…?
And found out this morning David Bowie died. How sad!

MI: Rogue Nation Review, Movie News, Battle of the Banned, Question of the Month, New Releases, and Ninja News!

Movie Review

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation
I’ve seen three great films this summer – and now I can add this one.
The movie is entertaining from start to finish.
It’s funny with great action sequences and a compelling storyline. I’d say this is my second favorite entry in the series, right behind Ghost Protocol.
There is a great balance of characters. Renner brings swagger to his role, and Pegg brings the humor. (Along with some of the best lines in the film.) Add in Rhames with his old school attitude plus Cruise, and it’s a great combination.
Best way to describe the direction the franchise has taken with the last few films – James Bond meets Fast and Furious, with high tech gadgets and crazy, over the top action sequences.
Highly recommended!

Movie News

According to JoBlo, Games of Thrones will last for at least eight seasons.

Also on JoBlo – coming soon, a Nosferatu remake:
Director Robert Eggers, who won the directing prize at Sundance for THE WITCH, is tackling a remake of F.W. Murnau's silent classic, NOSFERATU, for Studio 8. The production company is best known for the indies BEGINNERS and AIN'T THEM BODIES SAINTS. There is no word on how direct of a remake this version of the story will be but the untitled film is described as a visceral adaptation.
NOSFERATU has been remade previously by Werner Herzog with Klaus Kinski in the lead as well as a "true story" version titled SHADOW OF THE VAMPIRE with Willem Dafoe as NOSFERATU actor Max Shrek and John Malkovich as Murnau. The striking make-up design of Shrek's Count Orlof has inspired numerous vampire characters, especially Stephen King's creature in SALEM'S LOT.

And last week, SyFy’s makeup competition show, Face Off, started a new season!

Ninja News

The Geek Twins shared some great news - About.com has asked me to head up their brand new Superman site. It's going to be your one stop shop for the biggest superman news and information. Way to go, guys!

Madilyn Quinn at Novel Brews posted a large list of Flash Fiction and Drabble challenges and weekly contests – check it out!

Melissa Maygrove posted an excellent to do list for self-publishers – check it out HERE

Roland Yeomans posted about Lester Dent’s Secret to Master Plots. (He wrote over a hundred and fifty Doc Savage novels.)

Samantha Redstreake Geary announced this epic project:
Join us on a journey through Uncharted, a visionary reimagining of Greek mythology and ancient history, where the mystery behind the world’s most extraordinary discovery comes to life through the collaborative efforts of graphic designer, Koke Núñez Gómez, recording artist, Aeralie Brighton, and author Samantha Redstreake Geary, under the influence of Immediate Music & Imperativa Records‘ This Is Epic Music Vol. 1.
Fans will have the opportunity to WIN signed copies of This Is Epic Music Vol. 1! Be the first to answer our contest questions correctly and we’ll send you a signed album via co-founder & president of Immediate Music, award-winning composer, Yoav Goren.
3 Chapters + 3 Contest Questions = 3 chances to WIN signed albums

New Releases

Athletic Antics by Joanne Faries

She stood, frozen, at the edge of the diving board. At an early age, Joanne Faries demonstrated absolutely no athletic ability. In Athletic Antics, her latest humorous memoir, the author describes riding her bicycle into the back of a car; climbing trees and sliding (not on purpose) down them scraping every inch of her body; plus surviving the duress of junior high field hockey, lacrosse, and volleyball.

Find Athletic Antics on Amazon

Veritas, Shadow of the Rose: Book Two by M.L. Chesley

Cosmic Seasoning by L.G. Keltner

Free on Smashwords

Battle of the Banned

I am participating in Shady Del Knight’s Battle of the Banned. (Yes, Banned, not Band.) It takes place the first Monday of every month.

The Sweet’s songs have been covered multiple times, probably more than just about any other band. I decided to select 1973’s Ballroom Blitz and see what I could find. I knew Krokus had recorded it, and I found two other bands I liked. So today, you get three versions! You know the drill – pick your favorite.

Krokus from The Blitz:


The Offspring from their demo tape:


Nuclear Assault from Out of Order:

Question of the Month

Hosted by Michael at A Life Examined.

“If your parent or child committed a major crime, would you turn them in?”

It would depend on the crime. I wouldn’t turn my father in for jaywalking. Or speeding.

But if that person killed someone, yes, I’d be morally obligated to turn them in.

Did you catch Mission Impossible this weekend? Think we need another Nosferatu movie? Watching Face Off? Any news or new releases that catch your attention? Which version of Ballroom Blitz is your favorite? And what would you do if someone you loved committed a major crime…?

Don’t forget – Wednesday is Insecure Writer’s Support Group post day!

Mad Max Fury Road Review and Blood Boobs and Carnage Blogfest! Plus Nightcrawler and Pompeii Reviews, Dragon News, and Ninja News

Mad Max Fury Road Movie Review

This is one of the most visually stunning films I have ever seen.
You do not go to this film for the deep, complex storyline. You go because this is Road Warrior times a hundred.
Fury Road is a ballet of vehicular manslaughter of the highest order ever put on film. I’m not sure I even breathed during the final thirty minutes. And it’s impressive how little CGI was used. Those car chases are all real.
The world building is amazing and done in a unique manner – they just dump you in the middle of the ride and you learn as you go.

The art direction and cinematography is beyond breathtaking. Every frame is filled with bizarre and surreal imagery that will stick with you for a long time.
Charlize Theron is the real star. She’s the heart of the story. Tom Hardy’s Max is just along for the hellish ride. But he is perfect as Max – distant and just wanting to survive.
All performances are batshit crazy, which fits the film perfectly.
Highly recommended!

Dragon News

I received word from my publisher last Friday - Dragon of the Stars is under consideration for the Philip K. Dick Award! It won’t win, but I am so stoked to know my book was selected and is being read by the judges.

My publisher also sent copies of the program guide for Treklanta. It’s exciting to know that Dragon is appearing in so many science fiction convention guides.

Movie reviews

Nightcrawler
Fascinating movie. It’s like spending two hours with the best used car salesman in the world.
The performances are great. I’m just not sure how I feel about the movie. How do I root for a sociopath?
It’s worth watching for the great directing and acting, but you might want to take a shower afterwards.

Pompeii
This is a film with great special effects but a flat and lame story. They struggled to build a decent story just to showcase the volcano erupting.
Kiefer Sutherland is horribly miscast. His acting is hammy and over the top, and the character is very one-dimensional.
This film is a step up for Emily Browning after Sucker Punch but a huge step down for Game of Thrones actor Kit Harington.

Ninja News

Pat Hatt had a great time with his You Rock award!

Nigel Mitchell posted an excellent piece about book reviews – the do’s and don’t’s.

Operation Underground Railroad is a nonprofit group that works to help rescue some of the 2 million children trafficked as sex slaves around the world. Donna K. Weaver has started a fundraiser for OUR -
We've created a donation campaign called Authors United Against Child Slavery. We're offering people books in exchange for donating money to the campaign--a $20 donation gets a book (paper, ebook, audiobook)--depends upon what authors can donate. Obviously, what we need are books, and that's where I'm hoping you can help. All donations go directly to O.U.R. Our goal is $2,000. That means 100 books.
Sign Up Link - Authors United Against Child Slavery Campaign

Out Now –

Precipice, Backworlds Book 6 by M. Pax
Find it on Amazon, iBookstore, Barnes and Noble, and Kobo

The Mission by Lexa Cain

SF Women A to Z – A Reader’s Guide by Sandra Ulbrich Almazan

Blood, Boobs, and Carnage Blogfest!

Hosted by me and Heather Gardner.

Today, post about a movie, television show, book, or all three that falls into the category of Blood, Boobs, and Carnage. (Or just Blood and Carnage or other mixture.) It can be any genre that fits the bill – fantasy, science fiction, action, adventure, western, thriller, etc. Post the badge and visit other participants.

My selections are…

Movie – Conan the Barbarian
Camp classic, it contains everything you’d want in a Conan movie, including a ridiculously pumped Arnold.

Television – Game of Thrones
No other show better exemplifies blood, boobs, and carnage than this. However, in between all that is an incredibly compelling series.

Book – Books of Blood by Clive Barker
If you like your blood mixed with boobs, Barker has a creepy way of mingling sexuality with violence.






Visit other participants below!

Anyone else see Fury Road? Or Nightcrawler or Pompeii? Anyone attend Treklanta? Picked up those books? And what do you consider blood, boobs, and carnage material? 

I am easing back and taking some time off later in the week for a while.

Guardians and Other Geek Gifts, Star Wars Holiday Special, Merry Christmas from Mini-Alex, Battle of the Bands, New Book Releases, and Ninja News

I have a guest post at MJ Joachim’s Writing Tips – Juggling For Writers. Want some tips on how to juggle it all? (And they don’t involve tennis balls or clones!)

I’m also posting today at the IWSG site - Where to Find a Great Book Cover Artist. Some great samples and lots of links, so check it out.

Last Minute Geek Gifts

We watched Guardians of the Galaxy DVD in 3D this past week – such an awesome movie! (If you haven’t seen it, just buy the disc.)


Since Dancing Groots are nowhere to be found right now, I thought I’d give you some last minute alternatives.

From Stylin Online - a Guardians of the Galaxy Star Lord Blaster.

From Pop Vinyl - Pop! Marvel: Guardians of the Galaxy Rocket.

Think Geek had a ton of gift ideas, including hundreds of Star Trek items.
Including this Borg Fridge, ready to assimilate your beverages.

Think Geek also had a long list of Star Wars gifts.
How about a Han Solo in Carbonite Shower Curtain?

Maybe Dr. Who is your thing instead.
Want to play some Dr. Who Yahtzee?

Fantasy isn’t forgotten at Think Geek either – they even have Game of Thrones gifts.
Can I interest you in a Game of Thrones Dragon Egg Canister? (Sorry, dragon not included.)

The Star Wars Holiday Special

Lucas would prefer this remained buried, but the RiffTrax guys dug up an old VCR tape, complete with bad commercials from this 1978 ‘special.’

And it is ‘special,’ as it provides serious competition to Manos: The Hands of Fate and Plane 9 From Outer Space for the worst movie ever made.

You get Chewbacca’s family, Art Carney, Bea Arthur, Jefferson Starship, and the stars of Star Wars. The main storyline is trying to get Chewbacca home to his family for Life Day, but there is so much padding and strange elements, you’ll soon forget the movie has any meaning. The film goes from too childish for kids to really risqué with Diahann Carroll as a singing holographic prostitute.

The 1978 commercials are just as horrific.

Download it at RiffTrax and watch it – if you dare…

Ninja News

We need IWSG co-hosts!
If you can co-host in January, let me know – we need two more.
And if you could co-host in February or March, leave a comment as well.
Thanks!

I was honored to find Dragon of the Stars on Beauty in Ruins’ list of most anticipated science fiction books of 2015 – top pick for April. Thanks, Bob!

LG Keltner is celebrating her third blogging anniversary on January 9 with a Snarky blogfest! See her site for details.

New Releases

People of Foxwick and Their Neighbors
By Cherie Reich
Find it on Amazon, iTunes, and other sites.

Vitamins and Death
By Medeia Sharif
Deidra Battle wants nothing more than to be invisible…
Purchase from Prism Books or Amazon

Hope for Her (Hope Series Book #2)
By Sydney Aaliyah Michelle
Find it on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and others.

2084
By Melanie Schulz
Find it on Amazon

Battle of the Bands

Welcome to Battle of the Bands! Founded by Stephen T McCarthy and Faraway Eyes. You know the routine – pick your favorite.

Since it’s Christmas, you’re getting Christmas music – Muppet style!
Here are two very different versions of Jingle Bells from our felt-covered friends.

Merry Christmas!

With the holidays coming, I will not be posting again until January 5. I will be lurking, although the week of Christmas, probably not much.

I make no secret that I am a born-again Christian, and Christmas is the celebration of the birth of my Lord and Savior. I will spend the holidays with family and friends, grateful for the precious gift God gave us.

Mini-Alex and friends would like to wish you a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy New Year, and holiday greetings to all!

Any of those geek gifts fit someone on your list? (Or do you want it for yourself?) Ever watched the Star Wars Holiday Special? Can you help co-host the IWSG? See any good books? Which version of the song is your favorite? And what are your plans for the holidays?

Don’t forget to visit MJ Joachim’s Writing Tips and the IWSG site!

The Big Idea, Cursing, and a Ton of News

I have the honor of a guest post at Sommer’s Tell Great Stories today! It’s all about the BIG IDEA. She is an awesome writer and motivator, so stop by after you’re done here…

The Movie 411 Awards are now open for voting!!! I’m up for two awards, but my buddies Cinemarvellous, Melissa, iZombie, and MsMariah are also up for awards and need your vote. Nebular’s Cinemarvellous is in the running for three awards including GOLD. I don’t care if you vote for me but please vote for my awesome buddies!!!

I was also asked to contribute an article to The Specusphere, an online magazine for Australian writers. It’s called The Long Road to a Surprise Best Seller, describing how CassaStar became an Amazon Best Seller a year after its release. Actually, it’s more of my best guess!! Anyway, I was really honored that they featured my article.

Fantasy Nibbles reviewed CassaStar this weekend and I couldn't be more pleased with the review! Thanks so much.

Some awesome new books:

Ground Rules by Cate Masters came out last week.

Marta Szemik’s Two Halves also came out last week. It’s available at Amazon



Congratulations, ladies!!

Other cool happenings:

Jamie’s Mithril Wisdom just celebrated two years of blogging.

MaineWords is holding a 200 followers giveaway.

My buddy TS at The Non Review just celebrated two years of blogging and is almost to 300 followers.

Jen at Unedited is competing in the My Heroine Tournament as Hermione and she needs our help to win the fight!

And Reid Kemper is hosting a Blog Swap Blogfest.

Jenna at Meandering in a Field of Words gave me the Great Comments Award.
I have so many awesome buddies who always comment! But I decided to limit it to five who stop by here every single time:
Nancy Thompson
Suze at Analog Breakfast
Laila Knight
Robyn at Life by Chocolate
Christopher at Socially Awkward

Recent posts by David Powers King and Michael Offutt tackled cussing in books. I thought that would make a good topic for a CassaFacts post.

I don’t mind cussing in books if it fits the story and the characters. I recently read The Lies of Locke Lamora and there was a fair amount of language – but the characters were low-life thieves, and as the story progressed and they became more wordly, the cussing decreased. So it fit.

Another example is Game of Thrones. There’s some cussing but it fits. Now Spartacus… that is SO over the top! I’m not sure why they even bother with proper sentences.

So, how much cussing is in CassaStar and CassaFire? Well, how much cussing do you see on my blog? In my books, it’s probably even less. And here’s why:

I write science fiction space opera. Like Star Wars. Now, how much cussing is there in Star Wars? It just doesn’t fit my genre.

While I don’t mind reading it, I could never write something that was curse-word heavy. It would just bother me, as I do feel my writing is a reflection of me.

I think back to the books I read when I was younger. Adult fantasy and science fiction rarely had anything inappropriate in the content, so I was allowed to read it when I was a child. My passion for reading came from books such as The Sword of Shannara. I wanted my books to be appropriate for young people as well. I wanted a kid who loves Star Wars to be able to read CassaStar as well.

And finally, while I’ve read plenty of books that used cussing excessively, I have never read a book and thought “You know, if the author had just dropped the F-bomb a few times, it might’ve been a good story.”

So I ask you guys – did I make the right decision with my books?

Now, go check out my guest post at Tell Great Stories and vote for the The Movie 411 Awards!