Check it Out! Competition to win Celine Kiernan's Into the Grey
One of our favoritest authors in the whole wide world, Celine Kiernan, has a new novel coming out this month! Which means we’re going to have to interview her again soon (*hinthint* Celine). Into the Grey is a YA novel about a boy who is losing his twin brother to a ghost: ‘The scream was awful – a horrible desolate cry…the child led my unresisting brother up the path and further into the tangled garden. Out of my sight’. My name is Patrick Finnerty. I am fifteen and I’m losing my brother. A ghost is stealing him away. I know how crazy that sounds. But my brother, my twin, is going to die; I’m watching him die. No one else can see what’s happening. What can I do? The answers seem to lie within the memory of a dream – between this world and the next. Within The Grey. But I don’t want to go into The Grey. I don’t want to. I’ve seen what it’s like! In honor of the upcoming release, Celine is hosting a competition to win a copy of the book! You should head over to her blog and check things out. All she is asking for is a simple, up to 200 word, description of what it would be like to be a ghost! Sounds positively spooky. So go to it! For a recap of how much we love Celine and how wonderful she is, please feel free to check out our Interviews with her over here: The Skiffy and Fanty Show #28a: An Interview w/ Celine Kiernan The Skiffy and Fanty Show #28b — An Interview w/ Celine Kiernan (part two)
SFFTV: The 9 Lives (Episode 5) of Teen Wolf (Episode 7)
A week late and a few dollars short, here is the review for last week’s episodes of Teen Wolf and The 9 Lives of Chloe King. Both were a pretty big improvement over the previous week, but Teen Wolf still suffers from weak acting out of its main character, and 9 Lives still suffers from including were-cats. Spoilers Ahead!
SFFTV: The 9 Lives (episodes 3 & 4) of Teen Wolf (episodes 5 & 6)
You’ll have to excuse me, I’m having a skeptical day. Both episodes of both of these shows are getting a little obvious. It makes me wonder if ABC Family and MTV are under the assumption that all its viewers are ignoramuses (ok, yah, I probably should have realized this sooner.. I mean… look at their other programming). This is a distinct possibility, but it’s a bit condescending. I generally don’t like being brow beaten by clever story lines, because it means that they’re not all that clever to start with, but then again, maybe it’s because these are fantasy shows designed for people who don’t like fantasy. I’ll have to consider this possibility before I watch next week. Spoilers Ahead!
SFFTV: The 9 Lives (Episode 2) of Teen Wolf (Episode 4)
You’ll have to excuse us, we’re going through some growing pains and trying to figure out how much space we actually want to dedicate to tv. So that means you get two quick reviews in one post! How exciting is that? We’ll be grouping similar programs so it shouldn’t be too jarring. A mashup of The 9 Lives of Chloe King and Teen Wolf really does make sense, if you think about it (but don’t think about it too long or you’ll get a headache). This week’s episodes have almost changed my mind about which show is better. They’re both working off a standard Romeo & Juliet, puberty analogy, storyline about kids with claws, and aimed at a teen audience, so this is a valid comparison to make. Teen Wolf *might* actually be better. I know, I know, I was all kinds of slamming Teen Wolf when I reviewed the first episode of 9 Lives, but it’s really growing on me. Perhaps that will change over time, but head to head it’s a tough call. Spoilers Ahead!
SFFTV: Teen Wolf Episode 1.3: Pack Mentality
Yes, I realize this is a week late and episode 1.4 actually aired last night, but give me a break! This is a teen urban fantasy and I’m a 33 year old mother of two. Not exactly the target demographic! In fact, I actually have to check myself when I start thinking how hot the actors are – then I rush to IMDB and make sure they’re over 18. Yes, I know that’s a little bit sad, but the guy playing Derek really is hot. I also realize I haven’t done recaps of the first two episodes. Well, get over it. When I finally start doing Sanctuary reviews, I’m not going to go back and review the first 3 seasons of it for you either! For now, you’ll just have to content yourself with episode three and on. You people can be so demanding, I swear. What I have to admit is that now that I’ve finally watched episode 1.3 (I watched the first two a couple of weeks ago, but UGHed my way through them), Teen Wolf is a surprisingly good (but definitely not great) show. The writing is generally intelligent, most of the acting is bordering on good, and the story is moderately interesting. I’m still reeling over the fact that this is NOT my childhood Teen Wolf, but I might actually be able to get over that if they stay consistent. This week on Teen Wolf, we get to see why teens should DEFINITELY NEVER EVER make out with each other. Spoilers ahead!
Question of the Week: Which science fiction novel would you start middle school kids on and why?
Since our latest episode is a little on the dark side, we thought it would be a good idea to have a happier question for you all to think about. We’ve also brought in a friend to sweeten the deal: Shaun The hard thing about choosing books for middle school kids is that a great deal of books for their age group that are fantastic in nature are actually fantasies, rather than science fiction. There isn’t enough science fiction written explicitly for their age group, let alone for the two groups around them (children’s lit and young adult). If we were talking high school, the doors would be wide open for all kinds of stuff, from John Scalzi’s Old Man’s War to Tobias Buckell’s Xenowealth novels (Crystal Rain, Ragamuffin, and Sly Mongoose). But because this group is a young group, content is a big issue. I have no doubt that they can handle more adult material than we’d like to think, but they are still younglings. With that in mind, I would have to pick The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. The novel may not be meant for middle school kids, but it’s hilarious, fun, and all kinds of weird. Whether they’ll get all the jokes is irrelevant, because the characters are funny enough on their own. The big question, of course, is whether Adams is a good gateway into the SF genre as a whole. I don’t think I can say… Jen Honestly. I have no idea! I started reading science fiction earlier than middle school, but I think the same books are appropriate. However, they’re a little outdated. To be honest, though I haven’t even read the series yet, I would start with The Hunger Games. I’ve always been of the opinion that to get a kid interested in something for the first time, you have to play to their interests. Not only is The Hunger Games a new series of books, it is also being made into a series of movies. Double win to a teenager (especially if that hot guy from Beastly and I Am Number Four is in it, then you’ll get every girl in America reading the series). I see no reason to throw them straight into the complexities of Ender’s Game or something by Heinlein. I started with Ray Bradbury and Madeleine L’Engle (although I was never a big L’Engle fan) and these are still great authors to begin a science fiction journey with, but to snag a kid so late in the game (yes, I’m calling middle school late) – appealling to them on a less “literary” level might be a good way to go. Patrick Hester Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card. I think the story is accessible to kids because it’s about kids, their relationships and a lot of themes involved with growing up that they’ll relate to. Plus, the kids are the smartest people in the story (for the most part), which I think they’ll like too. So, what do you think would be a good SF book to start middle school kids on? Let us know in the comments!
