Categories
Books

Grimm Has a Book on the Way: The Icy Touch

Lookie what I just found! Grimm: The Icy Touch by John Shirley has a November 5, 2013 publication date.

Now this is something I’ve been waiting for and didn’t even realize it.

As a huge fan of Grimm, seeing that they’ve moved to media tie-in books excites me for the future of this series and the universe it has created. Especially after that season 2 finale on Tuesday (May 21) that’s still currently available to watch on the Grimm video page at NBC.com.

Portland homicide Detective Nick Burkhardt discovers he is descended from an elite line of criminal profilers known as “Grimms”, charged with keeping balance between humanity and the mythological creatures of the world.

The book can be bought at most online books stores.

I’m assuming the book is going to get a better description at some point and possibly a better cover that actually makes use of the title…

Then again, television media tie-in novels aren’t known for their fantastic covers and mostly use stock images of the cast.

The book’s cover does say “Book 1” which could indicate a possible series of books are already planned and that this isn’t just a one-off release.

On top of that, I’m not sure it’s realistic to hope for it, but I would love to see Amazon make a deal with the owners of Grimm for their new Kindle Worlds program. I know I’d try my hand at it! I adore the show, have written some (inappropriate) fan fiction that I’d never be able to use in that way, but I’d certainly be willing to give a shot to a more plausible, sticks-to-the-known-canon, story. In fact, I have one in progress that I abandoned at about the 5,000 word mark about a year ago that I’d probably revisit.

Categories
Television

As Season 2 Nears its End, Grimm is still my favorite show. But…

Hank GriffinI’m worried about Hank. His role feels incomplete, extraneous. Not integral to the show any longer. The thing is, I don’t want to lose Hank, but if they don’t find a way to make him truly part of the series, he has no place on the show.

That’s after watching this week’s episode on NBC.com, The Waking Dead, which aired on 5/14/13. (Aside: the video starts right off, so if you hate that don’t follow the link.) With the season finale coming up, Hank Griffin seems like a character worth worrying over. Maybe if he weren’t so supportive of Nick, there could be some animosity develop between them related to the Wesen world. Or he could side more clearly with Captain Renard in a situation where Nick has to go against them both.

I don’t know … there are thousands of possibilities that would bring Hank back into a significant role within Grimm. As it is, he’s not even the sidekick, or at best, a sidekick half the time when no one else is around. I don’t want Hank to do something foolish, but I don’t think that would be necessary. Nick has already had run-ins with Wesen that have made him make questionable decisions. Hank obviously believes in the law, or he couldn’t be where he’s at, so the idea that there could come a time when Nick makes a decision that could put a major rift between him and Hank is very real. That would make for some excellent story too.

But the show’s writers seem determined to keep Hank in a marginalized role.

So I’m going to worry about Hank and his fate until after the season finale airs on 5/21/13, or until season 3 starts. Maybe both.

Categories
Fantasy Reviews Television

Hemlock Grove, a Netflix Original Series Let-down

The Monster Is Within

In the shadows of a rusted Pennsylvania steel town, the mangled body of a teenage girl is discovered. As they hunt for a monster among them, rumors mount and many of the eccentric residents become suspects, from the newly arrived gypsy family to the wealthy Godfrey clan. In the twisted world of Hemlock Grove, everyone hides a dark secret. From director Eli Roth (“Hostel”) comes a chilling supernatural series based on Brian McGreevy’s novel.

Series is at Netflix.

Although I watched every last episode of the season 1 available on Netflix, I had mixed feelings about the series, not the least of which involved some serious reservations about the ending.

The moment went kind of like this: you mean I watched all that for all this?

I gave the series three stars because even though I didn’t love it, if a season 2 makes it to Netflix, I’ll watch at least the first couple of episodes to see where they’re going next.

Still, by the end, I felt like I was watching horror moreso than paranormal or fantasy, which was more what I expected when I started watching.

I wonder what the book was like? I saw a movie tie-in edition with a new cover on Amazon tonight.

At once a riveting mystery and a fascinating revelation of the grotesque and the darkness in us all, Hemlock Grove has the architecture and energy to become a classic in its own right—and Brian McGreevy the talent and ambition to enthrall us for years to come.

But does Hemlock Grove have “the architecture and energy to become a classic in its own right?” I wouldn’t say that…. Not if the book doesn’t add something that an almost 10 hour series didn’t have.

Not at all.

Disagreement welcome if you have comments about the book or series. :)

Categories
Fantasy News Television

Merlin Returns with The Darkest Hour Part 1

Merlin returned to Syfy with the The Darkest Hour Part 1 which aired on Friday night. Part 2 airs this coming Friday and promises more awesomeness from a TV I’ve missed.

merlin-darkest-hour

The family was thrilled to see Merlin and Arthur again too, although I did have to explain early on that a year had passed in TV time between the last episode of season 3 and the first episode of season 4. Gwen and Gaius discuss Uther’s condition early on in The Darkest Hour and use the opportunity to fill us in on where things stand, but for young ones I don’t think the passage of time was as easy to pick up on because that conversation was really the only time it was mentioned.

Morgana is back with a vengeance in this season opening episode. She splits open the veil between the living and dead and unleashes a terror on Camelot that puts everyone at risk. She’s also made aware of a threat to her future, but I won’t spoil it with detail. Suffice to say, Morgana is as much a threat as ever to Camelot and her resolve to flat out destroy them all only seems to be growing.

I look forward to next week’s episode, The Darkest Hour Part 2.

The Darkest Hour Part 2 airs Friday, January 13.

Categories
Fantasy News Television

Grimm’s Future Not So Grim

grimm According to TV By the Numbers’ recent article on the topic of cancellation and renewal predictions, Grimm’s fate is looking good. That’s good news for this fan, because Grimm just happens to be one of my favorites to come out of the 2011 season of new shows.

Grimm is a paranormal fantasy series about a homicide police detective who finds out he’s a Grimm, descended from a long line of Grimms able to pick out a variety of mythological creatures and tell them apart from regular humans. The show makes for an interesting combination of police procedural and fantasy series, setting it apart from the equally fantastic Once Upon a Time, also a fairy-tale based fantasy TV series from 2011.

Will There Be a Second Season of Grimm?

NBC hasn’t had many hits lately, or at least nothing I’m still watching except for Chuck, which is in its final season. I tried Prime Suspect, because I am a fan of crime and mystery TV (probably one reason I like Grimm so much) but the show was dark, depressing, and generally unlikeable and has already been canceled. Why does this matter? Because Grimm is one of the few new shows doing well on NBC. That’s excellent news for the future of the show and greatly increases the chance of renewal for a second season of Grimm! :)

Categories
Television

Warehouse 13 Episodes

Warehouse 13 is a sci-fi fantasy TV show that I like for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is the interesting dynamic between the lead characters, Myka and Pete. Warehouse 13 Emily Lake - from syfy.com They seem much more like brother and sister than colleagues, and while the possibility of romance isn’t zero, there would have to be some changes between them before it would be believable. Warehouse 13 tends to focus on the overall mythology of the series, while giving us the occasional glimpse of character.

Here’s the complete list of episodes for Warehouse 13, from season 1 to the unaired, not yet available season 4.

Warehouse 13 Season 1 Episode List

  1. Warehouse 13 Pilot
  2. Resonance
  3. Magnetism
  4. Claudia
  5. Elements
  6. Burnout
  7. Implosion
  8. Duped
  9. Regrets
  10. Breakdown
  11. Nevermore
  12. MacPherson

Warehouse 13 Season 2 Episode List

  1. Time Will Tell
  2. Mild Mannered
  3. Beyond Our Control
  4. Age Before Beauty
  5. 13.1
  6. Around the Bend
  7. For the Team
  8. Merge with Caution
  9. Vendetta
  10. Where or When
  11. Buried
  12. Reset
  13. Secret Santa (not currently available on the Warehouse 13 season 2 DVD set)

Warehouse 13 Season 3 Episode List

  1. The New Guy
  2. Trials
  3. Love Sick
  4. Queen For a Day
  5. 3…2…1…
  6. Don’t Hate the Player
  7. Past Imperfect
  8. The 40th Floor
  9. Shadows
  10. Insatiable
  11. Emily Lake/Stand
  12. The Greatest Gift

Warehouse 13 Season 4 Episode List

Not here yet! Will update when available.

Categories
Television

Warehouse 13 DVDs

Warehouse 13 is a fun sci-fi fantasy television series from Syfy about a couple of secret service agents who were transferred to a government run warehouse for mysterious artifacts and scientific devices that have been imbued with supernatural powers. Myka and Pete work together to collect these artifacts and devices and lock them away for the safety of the world.

Buy Warehouse 13 DVDs

If you want to buy any of the Warehouse 13 DVDs, the links below will take you to specific pages on this site for those DVDs and there you’ll find links where you can buy them. I’m also including a link below for your convenience because this is a good show and it’s definitely worth adding these DVDs to your TV show collections or memorabilia collections.

Warehouse 13 Season 1 DVD

The Warehouse 13 Season 1 DVD box set includes all 12 episodes of the season: the pilot episode, Resonance, Magnetism, Claudia, Elements, Burnout, Implosion, Duped, Regrets, Breakdown, Nevermore, MacPherson. I liked the introduction of Claudia in season 1, but sometimes found her a bit annoying. Myka and Pete are fun characters, although I wish they had a bit more depth.

Warehouse 13 Season 2 DVD

In the Warehouse 13 Season 2 DVD box set, there are 12 episodes: Time Will Tell, Mild Mannered, Beyond Our Control, Age Before Beauty, 13.1, Around the Bend, For the Team, Merge with Caution, Vendetta, Where or When, Buried, Reset. Season 2 introduced H.G. Wells as a character in several episodes, which I actually enjoyed a lot. Claudia grows on me in this season, and by the end, I quit thinking of her as someone I’d rather see less of. Missing in the season 2 DVD set is the Christmas episode Secret Santa.

Warehouse 13 Season 3 DVD

The Warehouse Season 3 DVD box set has 3 discs and all the episodes that aired as part of season three, along with some bonus features. The bonus features include a DVD-exclusive chapter of the Warehouse 13 animated web series “Of Monsters and Men.”

Link:

Warehouse 13 Season 3 DVD Set

(Affiliate link! If you buy through this link, I might earn a commission, but you don’t pay extra. Thank you for supporting this site!)

Categories
Fantasy Television

Merlin Season 3 DVD

The Merlin Season 3 DVD is finally available! It will be released on January 17, in a 5 disc set that contains the complete third season of episodes of this fantastical medieval TV series.

As an avid fan of Merlin, I encourage anyone who enjoys magic and fantasy TV shows to give Merlin a try. Adventure episodes are laced with humor and romance and delve into issues of trust and betrayal. I enjoy watching each episode, and season 3 has some really great episodes to further the story of Merlin, Arthur, Morgana, Guinevere, and Uther.

The Merlin Season 3 DVD Set

Syfy is about to begin airing season 4 of Merlin, where the adventure will continue with even more episodes.

About Season 3 of Merlin

Season 3 deepens the story, with several darker episodes, but there’s still that light-hearted, hope-filled feeling you get when you watch the show. Although I have an idea where things are going with Arthur, Merlin, and the rest, I can’t seem to quit hoping for a different turn of events!

This is the Region 1 set, for the U.S. and Canada.

Colin Morgan is Merlin, Bradley James is Arthur, Anthony Head is Uther (Arthur’s father, the King), Katie McGrath is Morgana, and Richard Wilson is Gauis.

Categories
Fantasy News Television

Merlin Returns to Syfy with New Episodes Friday January 6

The Darkest Hour opens the new season of Merlin on Syfy on Friday, January 6.

In The Darkest Hour, Arthur and his loyal knights, including Lancelot, are forced to protect the kingdom when Morgana summons the mighty Callieach.

Merlin Season 3 DVDI’m looking forward to the return of a fantasy TV series I thoroughly enjoy. Slightly hokey, but completely charming, Merlin is a take on the coming of age of Arthur through the eyes of Merlin, a sorcerer in hiding in a land where magic is forbidden and using magic brings with it a death sentence.

The Merlin Season 3 DVD will be available January 17 so fans can add it to their collection of Merlin memorabilia.

Looking at the episode list for the new season gives me a lot of pleasure because it’s apparent there are some good episodes coming up. I’ve included the titles below, but not the descriptions, so no one reading this is spoiled for the upcoming season of Merlin.

Merlin Episodes Coming in Season 4

  • The Darkest Hour Parts 1 & 2
  • The Wicked Day
  • Aithusa
  • His Father’s Son
  • A Servant of Two Masters
  • The Secret Sharer
  • Lamia
  • Lancelot du Lac
  • A Herald of the New Age
  • The Hunter’s Heart
  • The Sword in the Stone Parts 1 & 2

Merlin stars Colin Morgan as Merlin, Bradley James as Arthur, Angel Coulby as Guinevere, Katie McGrath as Morgana,  and Anthony Head as King Uther Pendragon.

Categories
Books Fantasy Television Tie-in Merchandise

Warehouse 13: A Touch of Fever

Warehouse 13 - A Touch of FeverI think it’s apparent I’m a fan of TV series tie-in novels for television shows I like. Today, I came across the first tie-in novel for Warehouse 13, a show I’ve been watching since it premiered on Syfy a few years ago. The book was published in June 2011 and I’m not sure how I missed seeing it then (oh, yeah, I do, but I’ll save you the drama… It’s not nearly as interesting as Warehouse 13 :)

If you’re a Warehouse 13 fan who also enjoys reading, you’ll want to buy A Touch of Fever.

Warehouse 13: A Touch of Fever is a story from Greg Cox based on the Syfy series Warehouse 13. In it, an epidemic of mysterious illnesses and reports of a psychic healer have Warehouse/Secret Service agents Pete Lattimer and Myka Bering leading a dangerous investigation that gets Pete infected with a deadly disease. Myka, Artie, and Claudia have to find a pair of cursed gloves, stop a madman from unleashing a plague, and save Pete!

This is an official tie-in novel written by Greg Cox (New York Times bestselling author) and published by Pocket Books for Syfy’s Warehouse 13 television series.

Warehouse 13 houses historical and ancient artifacts that have supernatural/paranormal properties. Warehouse 13 is a top-secret facility in South Dakota where the most innocent seeming artifact can be deadly.

The book is available as a mass market paperback or as an ebook compatible with a variety of ebook readers.

Book Details

  • Warehouse 13 Media Tie-in
  • Characters: Pete Lattimer, Myka Bering, Artie, Claudia, others
  • Pocket Books, June 2011
  • Mass Market Paperback, 320 pages
  • ISBN-10: 0743491734
  • ISBN-13: 9780743491730