Book Review: "Affliction"

Book Review

"Affliction" - Laurell K Hamilton

Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter #22

SPOILER FREE

I started reading this series back at the start of 2011. I never caught up with the series until the spring of 2012, so there wasn't much of a gap for me between books 20 and 21. But i bought #21 on the day of release and read it not long after that, meaning that i had a year gap between that and this. This was good because it gave me time to get excited about it. As the year went on, i kept up to date with Hamilton's blog and the hints she dropped on the lead up to this. I remember the sad morning at the start of the year, reading that Edward wasn't going to be in this one and the overly happy evening i had a couple of weeks later when she changed her mind.

Of course, like most series i read, i tend to speculate about what might happen and what i want to see happen. This was no different. From the scribbled notes i made when the plot was released, i pondered whether Hamilton had been watching too many zombie movies leading up to this. But it was a nice change, using zombies. Anita's natural ability is with zombies but we rarely see them in the series. So having a book based around it, i thought would be fun. 

And it was. In was an interesting element to add in. It moved at a steady pace. It was nice to meet Micah's family and see their reaction to him and his lifestyle. We learn a wee bit more about Micah's Coalition. It was more focused on the police work though, which i liked. I miss that. The past handful of books have been focused on relationships and sex with the crime element still there but pushed to the side. Having that switched was great. Some of the minor characters got a little more pagetime (eg. Dev) which was good too (though on the same point, when was the last time we saw Richard? I honestly can't remember!) 

But having a plot and sticking to it throughout most of the book made a huge difference. I actually can't remember much of the plots since book 10. Not a good sign. But it has balanced out over the past couple of books and this book is the result of that. And Edward was in this one which adds an extra star, plot or no plot (guess who my favourite character is??)

I am looking forward to where Hamilton will go next. She has good ideas, but the main thing (in my opinion) is keeping the balance which she has in this book. And on a final point: WHEN WILL WE SEE OLAF AGAIN !!! hehe 

Podcast Review: "Welcome To Night Vale"

This review is a little different. Why? Because i'm reviewing a podcast.

Being on tumblr has opened up a lot more fandoms to me and the latest is the podcast "Welcome To Night Vale" created by Joseph Fink and Jeffery Cranor. It is produced by commonplace books. 

Set in a fictional desert town, Welcome To Night Vale is a local community radio show presented by Night Vale resident Cecil Baldwin. Each episode is loaded with local gossip, news and events.

So what makes it stand out? I mean, i don't listen to radio shows about what goes on in my city and i live here! Well, Night Vale isn't exactly a normal town, what with the Sheriff's Secret Police, A Vague,Yet Menacing Government Agency, The Hooded Figures, the Angels and a floating cat called Khoshekh, among other things. Many people have compared it to the likes of the Twilight Zone. It's strange. You don't know whats around the corner and yet the citizens of Night Vale accept all this as part of their everyday lives.

Each episode has one main story with a load of other small ones around it. Some little stories build up over weeks until they come to a climax. The weather section of each episode is just music, but its good music and different from what i normally listen to which is good for me. 

Being a podcast means that we don't actually know what the place and the people look like. Cecil is described as being "Not short or tall, fat or thin. With hair, a nose and eyes". This allows the listener to make you their own minds about what they are hearing, which has lead to some amazing fan art. Everyone has their own image of Cecil. And of Carlos, the scientist (who Cecil has a total crush on!). 

It's a fun podcast and i look forward to the 1st and the 15th of every month now for the new episodes  If i haven't convinced you to give it a go yet, look at some of the fan art and read a couple of quotes from the show. And then listen to the pilot. It's strange, yes. It's doesn't make much sense at first, yes. But, by the end of the second episode  you will be hooked, randomly yelling "ALL HAIL THE GLOW CLOUD!!" while singing along to "The Bus Is Late" by Satellite High and drawing eyes everywhere. After that point, you belong to Night Vale.

A final word of warning: 

DO NOT APPROACH THE DOG PARK!!