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!

Optical Osmosis and Snark, Pacific Rim Review, Cassa News, and Major Ninja News!

I am being highlighted by Jo over at The Murphey Saga today, and I’m a bit nervous because I have NO IDEA what she’s going to say! Visit her today and hope we are both pleasantly surprised.

Optical Osmosis

Today I welcome long-time friend and critique partner, Jeffrey Beesler. His third book, Optical Osmosis, is out now, and he’s here to tell you about it. And snark. You’ll see!

Hey, Alex! Thanks for having me on the blog today. It’s been a sizzling summer so far for me, both in terms of the weather and in writing. I’m already having a much better July than last year, and I think that’s because I just released Optical Osmosis, my dark sci-fi, available at the links listed below as well as the Apple Store, which I always have a hard time finding a link for.

You might think that in a dark sci-fi story, there might not be any room for humor, or snark. Not so! I have a character, Serenity Fleace, a retired psychic who happens to be friends with the main character, Greg Gnops. Serenity won’t hold her tongue back. For instance, during a dinner scene, Serenity gets into full-on snark attack mode with the story’s antagonist, Flint Kyles, calling him a pathetic little man. When Flint claims he’s not little, Serenity says his argument would probably be a truthful statement in any situation not requiring a bed.

There’s another scene involving Serenity that might not be quite so snarky, but is still my favorite involving her. When Greg arrives at her door to check on her, she’s going through a beauty regiment that includes a facial. Naturally, he points out that he didn’t think of her as the kind of woman who was into her looks. She answers this by saying she won a beauty prize pack by accidentally dialing a radio station holding a contest, rather than her intended number. Silly Serenity.

I don’t know if it would be fair of me to say Serenity’s among my favorite characters from the book. I guess even the author can have a personal bias as a reader of the work, too. I do think she’s quite memorable, though. I certainly hope you get the chance to meet her in Optical Osmosis!

Find Jeffrey here - Blog, Twitter, and Facebook

Purchase Optical Osmosis: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords

Cover Reveals

Cloaked in Fur by TF Walsh
Available August 5, 2013 from Crimson Romance

As a moonwulf, Daciana never expected to fall in love with a human. Hell, she never imagined that she’d abandon her pack, endanger everyone around her, and break the worst rule possible. But she did…

Add to Goodreads HERE

Courage (Mark of Nexus #2) by Carrie Butler
Available October 15, 2013

Rena Collins never thought she’d long for the past—back when affection from Wallace, her freakishly strong boyfriend, was the most dangerous aspect of her life. But now that the human-altering organization known as ERA has gone on the offensive, nothing is safe. Her bloodline is exposed, her relationships torn apart, and just when it seems like things can’t get any worse, ERA ups the ante…

Add to Goodreads HERE

Ninja News

Sean McLachlan’s book, The Quintessence of Absence, is now free! See his site for details.

Jade Hart had an exciting announcement – “Black Firefly have opened their doors to all authors--self-published veterans or brand new--to help with Editing, Cover Art, Formatting, Proofreading, Marketing, Promotion, even Beta Reading. We can do it all, or just pick and choose what services you need.”

Writers4Writers is today and we are supporting Brinda Berry and Catherine Stine.

Hildie McQueen’s latest, Big Sky Blue, is available today. Congratulations, Hildie!


Patsy Collins has a story, Swept Away, in the anthology Came as Me, Left as We. And she was celebrating it on her anniversary, a real life ‘came as me, left as we’ – how awesome is that?

Available now - Christine Rains’ next installment in the 13th Floor Series, The Ghost!

Chiharo Black lives with six supernatural tenants in a haunted building's mysterious thirteenth floor. Of course, no one knows she's there except the cats. Being a ghost can be a bit frustrating and lonely, but it isn't as bad as her mother made it out to be…

And Thursday night I suffered through most of SyFy’s Sharknado just for you!! Expect a play-by-play similar to the one for Sharktopus on Wednesday. Bring popcorn.

Cassa News!!!

CassaStorm now has several awesome reviews on Goodreads, including an amazing review from Nancy S. Thompson and a really special review from Charity Bradford. Thank you, ladies!!!

Melanie Schulz had the most unique review of CassaStar on her site, and it ended with this: “Alex- all I’ve got to say is you better be a hell of a guitar player, because your writing skills blew me away.” Crap, I’m in trouble – I’m a mediocre guitar player at best!!!

Movie Review

Pacific Rim
Wow! It’s like an anime brought to life.
It’s del Toro, so it’s quirky. Certainly not a perfect movie, although at times it was perfectly giddy.
It took a while to get into the flow of the film. But around the halfway point, and especially when the robots and monsters brawl, the movie turns jaw-dropping. (The special effects are out of this world.) By the end I was invested in the characters to the point I even got misty-eyed. (Yes, I cry over monster movies – don’t you?)
The cast is great, especially Idris Elba and Charlie Day. And Ron Perlman!
For the ladies, there is a strong female lead. Rinko Kikuchi’s character is smart and tough.
And for the guys, this film will bring out the twelve year old in you!
Highly recommended.

Any questions for Jeffrey? Picking up Optical Osmosis? What about one of the other new releases? See Pacific Rim or another movie this past weekend? And are you ready for a play-by-play of Sharknado?

Be sure to visit Jo Murphey!