tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355744252011-12-06T10:45:54.711ZJohn Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.comBlogger1501100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-5795526186411113552011-12-06T10:31:00.002Z2011-12-06T10:45:54.746Z

Two motifs feature in October's reading, and neither of them were intended at the start of the month. The first is steampunk - all five novels either are steampunk (or are considered to be so by one genre editor/critic or another), or are related (the Harrison is listed by Wikipedia as "proto-steampunk"). I'd already borrowed The Anubis Gates and bought The Difference Engine - after reading

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-77093583270066623612011-11-06T08:18:00.002Z2011-11-06T08:35:03.848Z

Infernal Devices, KW JeterSpotted in a bookshop and bought on impulse. A kindly small press has reissued this and Jeter's Morlock Night (more anon) with pretty new covers, introductions and learned afterwords; I'd previously read Morlock Night some 15+ years ago, so went for this one first as I knew it only by reputation.Timid George Dower inherits his watchmaker father's workshop, but lacks his

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-53557420807239096302011-11-06T05:52:00.002Z2011-11-06T06:07:47.972Z

Finally! I've found a title that doesn't involve Hotel California!That's what The God Complex is, though, isn't it? DW's answer to Hotel California. Other thoughts on the episode follow.Wouldya look at that - just four episodes ago (in the comments) I was saying we needed a scene of the Doctor psychologically breaking his companion (cf The Curse of Fenric) to round out this year's collection

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-77553074292378411482011-11-02T10:46:00.002Z2011-11-02T10:57:49.805Z

You know the drill.--------------------Veteran, Gavin SmithSFFANZ review book. Not my usual cuppa, but I certainly didn't feel that I'd made a terrible mistake in taking it.Under the Mountain, Maurice GeeI suppose I can claim this as part of the extremely slow NZ writer familiarisation programme. This is the seminal NZ kids' SF novel; a brother and sister on holiday are (must not say groomed,

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-2034758449168472062011-11-01T03:58:00.001Z2011-11-01T04:01:21.992Z

Thanks, IT helpdesk! By unexpectedly junking my LAN account and taking a week to create a new one for me, you've afforded me some time at home to catch up on my blogging! And so, after the mayhem and shenannigans of the last few weeks, I can at last return my attention to The Blog Readers Who Waited.As with last year's DW, my favourite episodes of the run seem to be clustered in the final third

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-40220353255982307292011-09-26T05:52:00.002Z2011-09-26T05:59:06.752Z

A strange and sensitive boy who's scared about what he's keeping in the closet seeks acceptance from his father. No, I can't see any kind of subtext in this episode at all...To say that Night Terrors is an improvement on Let's Kill Hitler would be a gross understatement. Night Terrors is pretty comfortably the best episode of DW so far this year.(Pause on that thought. We're nine episodes into

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-82313812056756546642011-09-24T06:26:00.003Z2011-09-24T06:41:11.564Z

All right, enough procrastination - Let's Talk Hitler. Now that I've seen Night Terrors and as we drift further into Series 2011 Part Two, I'm feeling more positive about the show and so more able to take on the write-up for this episode. Having had a week and a half to mull it over helps too. Readers are thus spared my initial response to Let's Kill Hitler, although if you're interested, my

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-15977247159765235052011-09-15T12:07:00.003Z2011-09-16T11:51:23.097Z

It's Speak Out With Your Geek Out week, a Net-wide movement intended to bolster representation of and positivity towards all forms of geekiness. A kind of "Reclaim the Information Superhighway", if you will.I've signed up to this, and it turns out that as part of that - what, you mean I'm expected to make some sort of hard commitment here?! - I have to blog about some aspect of my geek

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-35721592613266406842011-09-06T11:48:00.005Z2011-09-06T12:05:19.425Z

I've let the book reviews slide again, and I probably ought to do something about that before the next block of Who episodes comes along. Here's a quick run-down of books read in May and June.--------------------Mistress Masham's Repose, TH WhiteHighly recommended by a fan friend, this book - nominally for children, but written in a pretty high style that I would imagine younger readers would

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-26765227650433891912011-07-15T10:36:00.003Z2011-07-15T10:52:52.271Z

I don't know if anyone else noticed it (either consciously or, as I did, in a way that fermented in my mind for a couple of weeks and then burst out fully formed one fine morning), but there was a bit of a theme running through the demi-season. Not an intentional theme, perhaps, but definitely there. Consider this: The Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon, The Doctor's Wife and The Rebel Flesh

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-43600248160875886692011-07-14T12:44:00.002Z2011-07-14T12:53:22.093Z

What does A Good Man Goes to War have to offer, exactly? A handful of set pieces, a big fight, a bit of exposition... not much more than that. I will say that I liked the set pieces. I want to start this review on a positive note, or as positive as it can be, so let's admire the set pieces.These almost came on like mini-pilots for new spin-off series - the Napoleonic Wars in space with

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-73587470664536414012011-07-13T12:08:00.002Z2011-07-13T12:19:46.026Z

As I write this, I still have yet to see a single minute of Life on Mars or Ashes to Ashes, so the only other work of Matthew Graham that I can compare against The Rebel Flesh/The Almost People is his previous Who episode, Fear Her. (This year's story is an improvement.) However, knowing as I do that his two hit series are homages to the Sweeney-esque cop shows of the '70s and '80s, I believe

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-26719904767514360302011-07-08T10:00:00.002Z2011-07-08T10:08:43.267Z

And so to The Doctor's Wife. Atmospheric, witty in a slightly grim way, more than a touch of melodrama (dare I say Grand Guignol?) about it. There was no particular theme that I noticed, and the story itself was pretty straightforward - in fact, I'd say the episode didn't present so much a story as a platform for some character interaction, some zingy dialogue and the broad elaboration of a

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-77230389955958583222011-07-01T12:20:00.001Z2011-07-01T12:24:14.623Z

We're about five years late for the pirate craze, aren't we?A lot of other viewers have pointed out the Moffatiness of The Curse of the Black Spot. It's not one of Steven Moffat's episodes, and yet it is extremely Moffaty. The "monster" is a bit of technology gone wrong (and specifically a bit of medical technology, as in The Empty Child), it uses mirrors as portals to menace characters in the

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-84859431719722638902011-07-01T10:57:00.005Z2011-07-01T11:16:58.222Z

Thoughts on the Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon two-parter. Not a bad couple of episodes - the Wouldn't It Look Cool If tumour is still in evidence, probably inoperable by now (qv episode 7); and perhaps Moffat is playing the I'll Explain Later card just a leeeetle too much; but it has a clear and coherent theme, that of conspiracy theories, so at least there's something clear and coherent

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-26562256022159804072011-06-26T11:37:00.006Z2011-07-15T07:13:55.757Z

So, I'm moderately busy these days. I'm working full time (although still as a temp), I've mugginsed myself onto three (count 'em!) SF-related committees, I'm contributing a regular column plus irregular other items to the Wellington Phoenix SF group's monthly circular, and book reviews (typically one a month) to the SFFANZ website. Then there's the weekly evening fixtures.These are my freshest

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-48987483052919343172011-06-20T10:43:00.003Z2011-06-21T06:03:26.547Z

It's the right season for it, out here in NZ.So anyway, I suppose the last thing I ought to do before I start posting about the new series of Who is blog about A Christmas Carol. On the face of it, this was a rich and engaging story with some nice lines and moments and at least one extremely well examined supporting character. Great work from Michael Gambon, and Katherine Jenkins turned out to

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-50389479694856403622011-06-12T07:19:00.001Z2011-06-12T07:20:36.296Z

Secrets of the Fire Sea, Stephen HuntMore rollicking steampunk adventure mash-up action from Stephen Hunt. I didn't think this one quite reached the giddy heights of the previous one, The Rise of the Iron Moon, but it's still a good 'un. Commodore Black is back, of course, accompanied by Jackals' finest consulting detective, who suffers from the unwanted visitations of a foul old badger-headed

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-91395604076134960962011-04-19T11:09:00.002Z2011-04-19T11:19:25.870Z

Mostly non-fiction this month. Quicker reads and better received than February's books. Then again, two of them are Who-related, so I've kind of stacked the odds there.Up Till Now, William Shatner with David FisherAutobiography of the Shatman with openly credited ghost writer. (Well, what it looks like is that Shatner may have dictated the text into a recorder, and Fisher might then have typed

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-28015104368888421102011-04-17T10:21:00.002Z2011-04-17T10:29:01.708Z

Only three books this month - one review copy, one birthday book and one borrowed.The Fallen Blade, Jon Courtenay GrimwoodA review book! Yes folks, I'm back on the review train, writing up the occasional Hachette NZ release (that's Orbit books to UK readers) for the SFFANZ website. Write-up for this one can be found here. Short version: it's Supernatural Romance Othello. But I liked it

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-9339044680489295662011-04-10T11:13:00.001Z2011-04-10T11:16:24.734Z

The Affinity Bridge, George MannThe Osiris Ritual, George MannWell, now we're into January and the first of the Christmas books. These are the first two Newbury and Hobbes novels, part of a series of steampunk detective/adventure stories that I've been eyeing up for a while now.In The Affinity Bridge, secret agent Sir Maurice Newbury and his assistant Miss Amelia Hobbes investigate the

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-20726633610269912552011-04-09T00:20:00.003Z2011-04-09T00:31:22.475Z

Well, it's been a few months since I blogged, and the reasons for this are many and predictable: work, other interests, things 'n' stuff, you know. With a new series of Doctor Who on the way, now looks like a good time to get those backlogged book blogs out of the way.I've actually been keeping track of my reading since November and writing the occasional paragraph here and there, so this

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-64917134487017354212010-12-01T12:24:00.002Z2010-12-01T12:27:23.077Z

I just want it noted that while I've been virtuously turning in at the sort of time normal people turn in, Jo has been pulling insanely late nights. 4am! I ask you! Just wanted that on the record, folks. On with the bookage.This month's books have all come from Wellington Central Library, of which I am now a member. Moo hoo, ha ha.New Model Army, Adam RobertsThe narrator of this latest

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-44267311489213115202010-11-07T07:53:00.002Z2010-11-07T09:25:45.922Z

Why, it's nearly summer!Doctor Who - The Myth Makers, Donald CottonThe Iliad, DW remix, told in the style of a 1920s English socialite - yes, Donald "Whodehouse" Cotton is back. A compare-and-contrast between this and The Gunfighters, below, offers one or two interesting points. This book suits Cotton's overall style better, largely because no one expects the characters in a story set in

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-55284175837219010382010-10-31T03:34:00.004Z2010-12-01T08:42:02.390Z

What? Busy. Shush, you.Doctor Who - The Reign of Terror, Ian MarterLet us not think of it as "DW does the French Revolution" - as has been said before, Who's writers and producers didn't waste a whole lot of time on accuracy in their historical stories, even in the show's earliest days as a semi-educational drama serial, whereas they did (knowingly or not) spend a fair bit of time mimicking

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-55594074884217155672010-09-14T10:44:00.003Z2010-10-31T08:03:43.387Z

Right again, Flanders and Swann! You're getting good at this meteorology lark.It's all kicked off this last couple of weeks - I've finally found a recruitment agency who's got me some (temporary) work, and I've volunteered myself as a columnist for our SF group's monthly 'zine. Currently still in the time management adjustment zone. The book blogs are likely to get shorter from here on in.The

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-48478433389542214762010-08-03T06:18:00.002Z2010-08-03T06:29:37.044Z

Is it shining? No, it's not. Here's the monthly book blog.Jack of Fables, vols 4, 5 & 6, Bill Willingham & Matthew SturgesMore Fables spin-offery. It passes the time.The Seven Per Cent Solution, Nicholas MeyerSome while ago, Jo and I rented the film based on this book, and we agreed it was excellent. The one-line plot summary – Sherlock Holmes Meets Sigmund Freud! - might suggest the worst,

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-88291021767498397242010-07-26T11:45:00.004Z2010-07-26T12:01:02.561Z

Well now, that's better.And what's more, most of it made some kind of sense.I see a couple of non sequiturs (or nons sequitur? or is it the same in singular and plural?) around the Pandorica. Last week it was an inescapable prison; this week it doesn't merely hold its prisoner in stasis (which makes perfectly good sense), but actually exudes some sort of healing radiation that allows Amy, the

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-16616451028272009402010-07-20T11:54:00.004Z2010-07-26T11:25:32.973Z

No, on second thoughts, take the money.I have to say, The Pandorica Opens has not filled me with the love of Who and wowed me back into the Radiophonic Age. It has not sent me spinning off into space like a straight six into the pavilion. It strikes me that there's about five minutes of real plot in here, cushioned in forty minutes of set pieces and heavy vamping.(Some may say that that's what

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-60180213512237280112010-07-13T09:46:00.003Z2010-07-14T11:17:41.428Z

Obvious choice of title this week. It's either that or very obscure Bowie references.So, The Lodger. Another good episode, I think. It may basically just be 45 minutes of Matt Smith being wacky, but this isn't the worst thing in the world (he's still the most right thing about this series). Can't do that every week, obviously, so it's as well that they work it for all it's worth while they

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-33247631546817788372010-07-06T10:46:00.005Z2010-07-06T11:06:29.881Z

I'm not sure if I'd give Vincent and the Doctor a perfect 10, but it's pretty close. It's at least a high 9. At this point in a decidedly variable series of DW, it's very welcome.I've only seen four real criticisms raised about the episode, and can only see the same four myself:- Everybody except the museum curator – even Vincent himself – pronounces his name “van Goff”.I suppose old linguistic

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-77355788158776443852010-07-04T09:43:00.006Z2010-07-04T09:59:30.452Z

Feeling deliciously smug today, having picked up the New Who episode Turn Left on DVD for the pittance of ten bucks. That's definitely less than it would have cost me to buy in the UK, never mind to get it shipped out here, so thanks very much, The Warehouse. Weekly Who blog to follow - here's the monthly book write-up.Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea, Guy DelisleAutobiographical comic book

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-55738740640963753912010-06-28T03:03:00.004Z2010-06-30T12:42:35.770Z

Across the land, storm clouds gather and terrible omens are reported. Brave men weep and women wail and rend their garments, and possibly vice versa. Horses whinny and dogs howl, unable to understand or express any more than that something is amiss.The Doctor has just learned that Malohkeh, the Silurian scientist, has spent centuries abducting human children from the surface world and

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-63256261501428651902010-06-24T03:43:00.003Z2010-06-25T02:31:00.835Z

The Hungry Earth is an episode that borrows widely and quite heavily from the Jon Pertwee era of Old Who, but only in superficial ways. There are little images and echoes, but none of the social or political awareness that the Pertwee era was soaked in, and – of most relevance – none of the subtext and debate one might expect of a sequel to The Silurians. I know that some of this will crop up

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-22944986999350708322010-06-15T06:29:00.002Z2010-06-20T06:04:21.738Z

(Alternative title: You're the Doctor of my Dreams. But I worried that readers wouldn't get the reference to “Henry Kissinger”.)I enjoyed Amy's Choice less than I was expecting to, based on reports from the UK. It's a concept with huge potential, but the execution felt too pat in places, particularly the ending, and the Dream Lord just ended up feeling corny.I think it's in the delivery as much

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-50930649243246509812010-06-08T09:28:00.002Z2010-06-20T06:04:21.738Z

Astute viewers may notice some similarities between The Vampires of Venice and Toby Whithouse's previous Who script, School Reunion – voracious monsters disguised as humans; the low-key confrontation between the Doctor and the monsters' enigmatic spokesperson; the façade of a prestigious school; the companion's boyfriend playing lemon. By and large it all works well again, freshened up with a

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-58834244950191828492010-06-03T10:06:00.003Z2010-06-26T11:49:24.337Z

Funnily enough, June's line would have suited May better, as it's just rained and never stopped.It may appear to the untrained eye that I've read more books this past month, but don't be fooled! All I've really done is read a bunch of comic books instead of one novel. Once again, Project X and blogging about Who have taken up the spare time I would otherwise put aside for reading. For the

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-21352185139274035732010-06-02T06:13:00.002Z2010-06-20T06:04:21.739Z

Dear UK readers – thanks to the kindly souls who keeping sticking chunks of the episodes up on Y**t*b*, I've seen the episode you'll have seen this week, and I'm itching to discuss a scene that, quite frankly, has given me conniptions. No, not that scene. But restraint must prevail – this blog will review the new series of Doctor Who according to NZ's broadcast schedule, and we can't spoiler

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-26056624753695994582010-05-26T09:12:00.002Z2010-06-20T06:04:21.739Z

Damn it, Mr Moffat, you're giving the younger viewers mixed signals with your Weeping Angels! First you tell 'em to keep watching - now you tell 'em that staring at a Weeping Angel on a telly screen is the worst thing they can do! There'll be interdenominational purges in the playground, I can just see it.I think the new series has just about clicked for me now. The new theme arrangement

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-25004039715609610682010-05-17T12:22:00.004Z2010-07-26T11:26:47.605Z

Before we start dismantling Victory of the Daleks, let me just say that I'm going to give it 5 out of 10. It's bright and brash enough to be superficially entertaining, it has a couple of nice comedy moments and a decent supporting cast, and it's pacy. Right then. Bring in the power tools.A lot of this episode has been built on reconstituted video product – grab bags full of war film

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-47067931710441710092010-05-10T12:07:00.003Z2010-06-20T06:04:21.740Z

Quite apart from the whole business of “forgetting the last five years”, it's tempting to interpret The Beast Below as a comment on a certain type of post-2005 DW story. You've got your big, impressive idea, visual moments and one-liners huddled together inside, but no engine. The answer – so obvious! - is to take whatever's lurking below the surface, that big quasi-magical lump of emotion and

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-61613896110373528062010-05-07T11:00:00.007Z2010-06-26T11:55:05.933Z

He's back, and it's on Prime! So it appears we're going to be able to watch the new series of Doctor Who a mere four weeks behind UK transmission, and not the months we'd feared, which is nice. What's less nice is having to watch it on a commercial TV station. This is, of course, something else we're going to have to get used to – it's that or we wait a year for the library to get the DVDs in

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-19833855726340396812010-05-04T03:47:00.003Z2010-06-26T13:48:42.639Z

At last, an accurate post title! Although they're autumn showers in our case... but anyway...As I write this, the UK is tilting towards a general election with a difference – for pretty much the first time in living memory, there are more than two possible outcomes! Even from the second hand coverage here in NZ, the panic in the red and blue camps has come across loud and clear. Shit, they're

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-68226069280116182282010-04-08T02:18:00.003Z2010-06-20T06:30:26.812Z

The Code of the Woosters, PG WodehousePicked up cheap second-hand, as was The Inimitable Jeeves (further down). Having gone through the PG Wodehouse phase along with the Agatha Christie phase at school and then sold all the books on, I've since decided that I'd quite like to own some Wodehouse again, but only a choice few titles. It is (gasp, whisper it) possible to have too much PGW – he did

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-89301601783770312212010-03-15T10:39:00.003Z2010-06-20T06:14:22.484Z

How to raise awareness of non-US/UK concerns in SF:1. The right way.2. The wrong way.This week's not entirely startling newsflash: SF Fandom Erupts In Outrage! Coffee and popcorn recommended.

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-27330964065084830132010-03-02T02:04:00.003Z2010-06-20T06:06:14.537Z

...aren't in evidence in pleasant, sunny Lower Hutt. Book reviews ahoy.A Mysterious Affair of Style, Gilbert AdairAnd Then There Was No One, Gilbert AdairLibrary books. The second and third parts of Adair's trilogy of whodunnits starring Evadne Mount (qv The Act of Roger Murgatroyd, two months ago). Book two is much like the first, a knowing but fairly straight pastiche of the Christie murder

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-79484712520389361592010-02-05T02:02:00.005Z2010-06-26T13:45:03.739Z

January's been a solid month of Christmas books, with one exception noted below. Thanks to everyone whose online gift vouchers contributed to this jamboree.Oulipo: A Primer of Potential Literature, various (ed & trans Warren Motte)Turned out to be a translated selection of essays from La litterature potentielle and Atlas de litterature potentielle, which is what I was hoping for. A kind of

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-44732117536546934642010-01-24T05:56:00.005Z2010-06-26T13:43:05.036Z

A quick final farewell to 2009. Above all else, this was the year we emigrated to New Zealand, and so far it all seems to be going well. Our stuff finally arrived last week, which helps. 2009 was also the year in which I came third in the Fan Artist category of the annual Nova Awards - Yeah! Third place! Woo-ha!Keeping a full record of my reading over the year certainly has helped me to

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-37740506371280384942010-01-10T10:12:00.005Z2010-06-26T13:41:24.358Z

Through means I am not at liberty to divulge (but you know who you are, and thank you), we have now seen The End of Time, David Tennant's two-part last-ever story as the Doctor. (Although this isn't our last-ever David Tennant story, as we've yet to see The Waters of Mars, thoughts on which will materialise as and when.)This is it, the Big One, the finale of all finales. Whatever we all thought

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-68655947823686369592010-01-02T04:57:00.004Z2010-06-26T13:37:58.251Z

A final look back at 2009 may follow later. For now, here's the usual monthly book blog.The City & the City, China MievilleLibrary book. A murder mystery spread across two cities that happen to occupy the same physical space. At first it seems as though we're expected to infer some fantastic reason for the separation of Beszel and Ul Qoma, notwithstanding the real world references – people and

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-17529961285504365912009-12-21T05:51:00.002Z2010-06-20T06:14:22.485Z

So, hordes of music fans have organised themselves and made Killing In The Name Of this year's Christmas #1 as a protest against TV talent show hit singles. When they said "Download", you said "How many times?" It's been I-don't-know-how-many years since I bought a chart single or album, and I wouldn't say it bothers me enormously what's at #1 in any given week, but still, I quite like this bit

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-4553381297265939392009-12-01T07:27:00.005Z2010-06-26T13:33:24.119Z

The district around Lower Hutt's main rail and bus interchange is, amusingly, called Waterloo. On one side of the tracks is a full complement of local shops (and this, no word of a lie, is Trafalgar Square). On the other, just a couple of minutes' walk up the road from the railway station and well supplied by a brace of corner shops, is the semi-detached bungalow we now call home. It has all

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-78534663562106168152009-11-02T00:24:00.005Z2010-08-03T06:30:14.904Z

A much reduced intake of books this past couple of months, owing to the general frenzy of activity around our emigration to New Zealand. It's nearly upon us! This time next week we'll be there! It's a safe bet that the ratio of personal ramblings to book reviews on this blog will increase once we've migrated, but for now, here's another post of plain old literature.The Murder of Roger Ackroyd,

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-78416493224299876722009-08-30T22:47:00.008Z2010-08-03T06:30:14.906Z

The Hollow, Agatha ChristieIf Dead Man's Folly is the Christie auto-parody, this is the inside-out Christie. Agatha Christie's Poirot, first inversion. Of all the second-tier Christies, this is probably the one that most deserves to make it onto my top list. Oh, and Gudgeon - Best Butler Ever.After the Funeral, Agatha ChristiePretty good post-war Poirot. There are those who say that

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-72376441963876642342009-08-01T22:39:00.010Z2010-06-20T06:14:22.488Z

Eat your heart out, Stephanie Meyer!(An idea for the next book/film deal, perhaps?)She tried, but could not forget his lustrous beak or the wild, alien stare of his gigantic eyes. Where had they come from, these strange new sensations that seized her, seized her with sudden force like his powerful tentacles? She tried to keep her head above the water of her feelings, but knew she was drowning.

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-43430202874399999922009-07-27T20:29:00.005Z2010-08-03T06:30:14.907Z

It's been a, ho ho, Herculean month in the ongoing Poirothon:The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding, and a Selection of Entrees, Agatha ChristieSo easy to forget this anthology, but I think it's more deserving of attention than, say, Murder in the Mews. The stories are of that long-short towards novella length that suits Christie so well, two more stories than in Mews (and fewer cop-outs too) and

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-3891709487184962972009-06-29T22:18:00.004Z2010-08-03T06:30:14.908Z

Lord Edgware Dies, Agatha ChristieDammit, James Blunt's been at it again! First I find him in Richard III, and now here he is on the guest list to Sir Montagu Corner's dinner party. Damn your fictional antics, Blunt!Another high second-ranker. It's extremely easy to guess the identity and method of the killer - even more so than in Three Act Tragedy - and working out the motive is only a

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-87442182738574882882009-05-31T13:53:00.005Z2010-08-03T06:30:14.908Z

Notes & Counter Notes: Writings on the Theatre, Eugene Ionesco (translator Donald Watson)A collection not only of Ionesco's own writings, but which also includes a famous (in its day) exchange of letters and articles between Ionesco and his critics. This is a highlight of the book and a valuable piece of commentary on Ionesco's theatre. It's nice to read it in the original English - in the

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-42040414863014341422009-05-17T19:15:00.003Z2010-06-26T13:04:28.419Z

Yes, it's Eurovision time again. "I don't know where some of those shots were taken, but that's not the Moscow I'm staying in," said Graham Norton over the opening sequence - damn right, I've seen Moscow, it's a concrete hell. Personally I'm amazed they found a bit of Moscow with trees in it for their half-time vox pops. Overall we think Norton measured up well as a replacement for Terry Wogan

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-88005709194712741962009-05-03T16:40:00.005Z2010-06-26T13:01:34.155Z

An Utterly Impartial History of Britain, or 2000 Years of Upper Class Idiots in Charge, John O'FarrellA humorous write-up of British history, it seemed a natural choice of read after The Decline and Fall of Practically Everybody. I wouldn't put it quite in that league, though. Much of the text is either valuably informative or (more rarely) dryly witty, but there's also a large helping of the

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-37293861971264880572009-04-15T22:27:00.004Z2010-06-26T13:00:09.580Z

TV SF specials a-plenty this Easter. And yet "special" wasn't really the word, in the end.Doctor Who - Planet of the DeadAt last, an episode of New Who in which you can actually see a double-decker bus being driven through the hole in the story. I'm assuming that was deliberate on the scriptwriters' part. Best to give the benefit of the doubt.The actual base plot - space locusts create

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-82457154535206385832009-04-06T20:28:00.005Z2010-06-26T12:53:43.348Z

Stories and Remarks, Raymond Queneau (trans Marc Lowenthal)Birthday present to self. I hadn't even realised this book had been translated into English - a pleasant surprise. This replaces the French copy - increasingly I feel I'm kidding myself by keeping hold of any books in French when it's so much effort now to read them. So now I plan to keep hold of the originals only when I feel there's

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-62902449795711237582009-03-15T00:12:00.007Z2010-06-26T12:50:49.123Z

As She Climbed Across the Table, Jonathan LethemA professor of anthropology loses his physicist girlfriend to a tiny experimental bubble universe. By which I don't mean that she's involved in a lab accident, but that she falls in love with it and leaves him for it. It's not every day you read the story of a love triangle between a man, a woman and a quantum phenomenon. This is only a short

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-46938288970787776832009-03-10T19:29:00.004Z2010-06-26T12:47:13.856Z

Hey kids, do you like violence? Want to see me stick nine inch nails through each of my eyelids? Zack Snyder does. Zack Snyder sure does love his gore. This is largely the reason why Watchmen is the best film I never want to see again.Let's see if I can pull a coherent review out of the assembled thoughts that follow. Ware ye big, floppy, luminous blue spoilers.Positives first. This is

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-36537335524808953212009-03-04T21:13:00.002Z2010-06-20T06:40:13.463Z

Who fires the firemen?Who bins the binmen?Who milks the milkmen?Who walks the walkmen?Who stays the stamen?Who frenches the Frenchmen?Who marks the marksmen?Who airs the airmen?Who heads the headsmen?Who anchors the anchormen?Who hies the hymen?Who bonds the bondsmen?Who moons the Moon-men?Who cycles the cyclamen?Who lays the laymen?Who owes the omen?Who sees the semen?Well, Bill Clinton's dry

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-83117632912318111222009-03-03T21:36:00.003Z2010-06-26T12:33:43.923Z

Well, thank the low ratings that Demons is finished. We missed the middle of the series but tuned in for the final episode, just so that I could see how accurately I'd predicted its plot based solely on the first episode. Not too far off, as it turned out. Grief, but this really was a shabby series, though. Forty minutes of what I assume was supposed to be character interaction from the

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-85980009908689882162009-03-03T20:21:00.006Z2010-06-26T12:30:38.593Z

The rest of Air, Geoff RymanA multiple-award-winning and wonderful novel about a huge technological advance - the Internet delivered telepathically right into your head! - and its affect on a mountainside community in a small developing country. The book's strengths lie in examining the clash between a non-Western worldview and technology that's geared entirely towards a Western worldview - and

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-54623153660271119752009-02-01T23:48:00.005Z2010-06-26T12:28:01.834Z

This seems to be an easier way of doing things than occasionally blogging about every fifth book I read and then trying to remember them all at the end of the year. Of course, it does depend on me blogging at least once a month, and - with any luck - this year's blogging (and possibly reading) will be completely disrupted by us moving out to New Zealand, so we'll just have to see how it goes.The

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-80573077653021772512009-01-27T00:54:00.005Z2010-06-26T12:25:27.579Z

Having previously done the top 1000 "must hear" albums and the top 1000 "must see" films, the Guardian have now produced their list of 1000 novels "everyone must read".Yes, they couldn't bring themselves to dare to say "best books" in the thing itself, but note that the words are embedded in the URL. Hmm. Meanwhile a capstone article from the series editor protests that they didn't want to

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-5124521944489274582009-01-06T21:13:00.005Z2010-06-26T12:15:36.761Z

Tsk tsk, three months since my last blogging. And now we're in 2009, the year when - if all goes according to plan - we'll be emigrating to New Zealand, which isn't likely to make the blogging any more frequent.No review of the year this time, since I haven't been keeping track of books, films etc as much as I could have, but there is time to look back at some of the last fortnight's

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-72588240627395438642008-10-14T19:46:00.003Z2010-06-20T06:41:34.157Z

In the UK once more and, alas, back to work. Along my morning walk, just outside the office's rear gate, some hefty beast has laid the biggest pile of dung I've ever seen. I thought it was a dead dog at first sight. It's seriously hard to imagine any of the usual local wildlife leaving it. A lesser and more pretentious man than myself might draw some sort of metaphor out of this, but I'll

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-61461577700021324162008-10-07T04:07:00.004Z2010-06-20T06:41:34.157Z

Much fun was had in Wellington, which is still the preferred destination once we start the emigration process in earnest. To be honest, I'm cheap and can be won over with a sufficiently large second hand bookshop and a nice inexpensive sushi bar, both of which Wellington offers. It also houses Te Papa, NZ's national museum, as well as some very nice looking suburbs, Weta's new visitor facility

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-52285918388360603362008-10-01T06:56:00.005Z2010-06-20T06:41:34.158Z

Ah, braindump at last. We've arrived in Wellington, city of wind and (intermittent) rain, home to the cheapest Internet facilities since Waitomo. Thoughts on the holiday so far follow.AucklandThere's not much to be said about Auckland except that it's a city. Admittedly we only saw the central, most typically urban part of it, but general impressions are of blandness. Many non-Aucklanders seem

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-90399195431832789622008-09-25T09:34:00.004Z2010-06-26T12:00:45.746Z

So, here we are in New Zealand, for 16 solid days of campervanning holiday! Providence has played a surprisingly large part in this holiday, from the discovery after we'd booked it of a jobs fair in Auckland this Saturday and a Mikelangelo gig in Dunedin two days before we fly back, both of which fit neatly into our itinerary, to the half-price taxi fare from home to the bus station, which came

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-13572421015745027842008-07-09T19:59:00.004Z2010-06-25T12:02:14.657Z

Well, that turned out a bit limp. The least of the DW finales to my mind, and not even especially good by the standards of this series. I'm leaning towards giving The Stolen Earth and Journey's End 5 out of 10 - the only thing that might persuade me to rate it higher than the Sontaran two-parter is that this one had more redeeming scenes and lines of dialogue. 5.5 would put it on a par with

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-53951695617999733102008-07-02T22:07:00.004Z2010-06-25T11:57:06.608Z

Did the Earth move for you?I'm still undecided about The Stolen Earth. On the one hand, RTD's just piled on as many returning characters as he can, together with the Daleks and Davros, and a handful of thrown-away references from earlier in the series, in the belief that this will magically resolve itself into a story. Perhaps next week it will. On the other hand, after four years' practice

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-24015330631228114132008-06-22T19:17:00.003Z2010-06-25T11:52:45.779Z

Well, the Darkness are coming. Billie Piper said so.When word got out that this episode would show what would have happened if the Doctor had died before meeting Donna, there were a number of things that I could see it doing, and I hoped it would do at least some of them. It met and exceeded my hopes.They say (and the trailer confirms) that the season finale will be stuffed to bursting with

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-46796531200713600512008-06-22T16:23:00.004Z2010-06-25T11:51:51.296Z

Must have been while you were stealing my voice, you freaky alien parasite, you.Better late than never - my thoughts on Midnight. Review of Turn Left to follow later.It's easy to complain (as more than enough people already do) that modern telly, and notably modern Who, is too reliant on expensive computer effects. As if you could pull off a series of modern Who without recourse to any kind of

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-11572059630975367922008-06-09T21:55:00.004Z2010-06-25T11:48:16.143Z

Now there's a two-parter thoroughly rescued by its second part - at last, the first high 9/borderline 10 of the season. Those plot details were a little easy to work out after all (mmm, smuggy-smug-smug) but the execution was first rate. Particularly good was the sub-story around Donna's virtual world, which could have carried an episode on its own.Amusingly, this side of the episode seemed to

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-60126348974823244702008-06-04T20:52:00.004Z2010-06-25T11:45:39.662Z

I'm saving "Carried away by a moonlight shadow" for next week, chiz chiz.So, the annual Moffat story comes around, and sure enough it's better than the rest of this year's offerings so far, but still... only a high 8 from me. As ever, subject to re-evaluation after the second part next week. It's not that it did anything badly, it's that it didn't do enough of it.Consider the Empty Child two

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-75870453771320878342008-05-25T20:20:00.003Z2010-06-25T11:42:45.446Z

Well, there went Eurovision again. As ever, the presenters were bad, although (with the possible exception of the Serbian Bradley Walsh in the green room) not as bad as last year's. As ever, the previous year's winner informed the style of several of this year's contenders, but consider what that means: 2006, Lordi win, 2007, lots of attempted goth rock knock-offs; 2007, a bland ballad wins,

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-34516253222934992862008-05-19T19:49:00.007Z2010-06-25T11:40:23.286Z

Ah, I knew I'd be able to come up with a song lyric title eventually.So, The Wasp and the Unicorn. I'd place this one below Planet of the Ood but slightly above The Doctor's Daughter, somewhere around a 7. (In view of which I'm going to fix Daughter at a 7, but I'm also going to re-evaluate The Fires of Pompeii from an 8 to a 7, because I think it's more or less on a par with both these

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-56885077794795624302008-05-17T13:57:00.006Z2010-06-25T11:37:23.123Z

The Skoda has taken to jumping around as though it were demonically possessed over the last couple of weeks. We half expect it at any minute to turn its radiator grille through 180 degrees and spew split pea anti-freeze all over us (possibly while growling "Your Toyota sucks cogs in hell!"). It's kind of on-off, but no fix has lasted more than a few days, and we're getting tired of spending

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-51462007396926122172008-05-14T22:13:00.004Z2010-06-20T06:34:47.532Z

Not bad. I might give that one a 7 or an 8.The big thing for me about The Doctor's Daughter is that, whereas the Sontaran two-parter was the sort of thing a fan might think a Who story ought to look like, this actually was an old-style Who story. It felt a lot like mid-to-late Tom Baker. A mysterious set-up, a few clues and the big revelation in a tower that's pretty obviously a spaceship.

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-53219946403274698482008-05-12T22:08:00.005Z2010-06-20T11:04:57.244Z

So, the Fforde Ffiesta is behind us. An entire bank holiday weekend of fannishness and unstrenuous activity dedicated to the work of Jasper Fforde. The Lovely Jo has now blogged about this, but I might yet be able to add something on the subject.We had in fact done this once before, in 2005, but back then it was called the Fforde Ffestival and it only lasted one day. It felt similar in some

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-75297274232476808402008-05-06T22:58:00.003Z2010-06-25T11:27:05.478Z

Well, The Poison Sky certainly fulfilled the promise of last week's episode: a Who story that ambled its way out through the saloon bar doors of the 5 Out Of 10.Readers who were here last year or who've checked out my blog since may think I'm just being mean to Helen Raynor. Then again, it's possible those readers watched this episode as well.I mean... yes, it's nice to see an actual Sontaran

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-35800912980323921962008-04-29T12:00:00.005Z2010-06-25T11:25:07.846Z

Work and spare-time pressures continue, and will do until after next weekend. Here, while the opportunity presents itself, is a round-up of the first four episodes of the new series of Doctor Who; weekly reviewing should resume in May.Partners in Crime6 out of 10. A low 6, maybe 5.5. It's become standard for a season opener, particularly one that introduces (or rather, in this case,

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-90174171618625751892008-03-30T22:31:00.009Z2010-06-25T11:08:28.415Z

The Lost RoomDVD rental. Excellent, excellent series. A lovely little six-part story about a cop who comes into possession of the key for a motel room in which reality broke down. His daughter vanishes into it, and as he tries to get her back he runs up against the various collectors, underground cabals and quasi-religious groups obsessed with the room and the now-magical everyday objects that

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-31311398925061560132008-03-01T17:37:00.007Z2010-06-25T11:03:36.379Z

Television watchings:Dancing On IceObviously. It's looking ever more likely that the final will be a showdown between Chris Fountain and Suzanne Shaw, for truly theirs are the mightiest ice-dancing chops, but you couldn't pick either out as the obvious winner. To this we've added a further uncharacteristic dose of reality TV in the form of Masterchef, which ended this week, and you certainly

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-88826876332232052052008-02-04T22:03:00.002Z2010-06-25T10:55:57.766Z

Tellyvizzyon:TorchwoodReally quite good so far. Surprisingly good! Good enough even to be worth rating on the Doctor Who scale out of 10! "WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO THE MAGIC OF TORCHWOOD??!?!" Ahem. The key change is that this year, the show has a sense of humour. Makes all the difference. The first series wouldn't have been half as bad if it hadn't been so bloody po-faced. And most

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-1834544178822721972008-01-13T23:08:00.002Z2010-06-25T10:47:31.562Z

This is the week the TV viewing starts up again - new Torchwood on Wednesday, and tonight, Dancing on Ice. That new title sequence is too much, and the opening piece... has no one on the production team seen This Is Spinal Tap? Some might have doubted it was possible for this show to get any camper, but they've pulled out all the stops and made it happen. But anyway, more ice dancing fun ahoy

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-50702949891800593402008-01-09T23:15:00.001Z2010-06-22T13:16:18.192Z

Blimey, I'm married! Ha ha ha ha ha, ha ha ha ha ha! Yes, that'd have to be the defining feature of 2007 - that this was the year I got married. Also the year my radiant wife The Lovely Jo did in the Punto, and we had to get an older, sturdier car instead. Alas, the Punto, that so valiantly drove us through two-foot-high floodwaters for the sake of a party not more than three months before.

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-71690071892857557722008-01-01T22:40:00.001Z2010-06-22T13:10:05.256Z

Let the belated blogs continue. (Even a week and a half off work hasn't allowed enough time to catch up on the backlog of material...) There are four fantasy films we've seen post-wedding that I think merit some online waffling, and I propose to start with the most recent, and the most tenuous.TransformersI'm cheating slightly by including this one, having seen it with work colleagues earlier

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-76138553775812966012008-01-01T00:24:00.002Z2010-06-22T13:06:15.540Z

Belatedly, thoughts about the Christmas Who. It had much to recommend it, although it did also contain a generous helping of cheese. Funny Thing #1 - they gave this one an extra ten minutes' run time, pretty much all of which can be accounted for by gratuitous slo-mo and Kylie Minogue's Cheesy Stardust. Funny Thing #2 - the Doctor can't take Mr Copper with him at the end because "I travel

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-28806039963406106242007-12-05T11:37:00.004Z2010-06-22T13:04:53.920Z

So it's come to this - I only have the time to blog when I'm off work... But here I am, enjoying a week off with Barry Norman's pickled onions in my hand. Not a euphemism. He lays them himself, you know - puts on a film, settles down in his nest, and fires them out. Buk-gawk! The worse the film, the spicier the picklin'. What's Barry Norman got to do with pickled onions, you ask? I don't

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-66506158504523981782007-10-08T16:02:00.001Z2010-06-22T12:58:17.066Z

Finding myself locked in the flat by The Lovely Jo (she's so possessive), I suddenly have enough time to blog. The wedding and the honeymoon went past so quickly, but not as quickly the last four weeks of work, not to mention the busy weekends, and I just haven't had a chance. But here I am at last. The Lovely Jo has already blogged/is blogging about the wedding, so rather than cover the same

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-83351519159681236022007-08-14T22:51:00.001Z2010-06-22T12:55:13.223Z

Five Go Mad In Scotland! We had a nice long weekend in Glasgow, staying with some friends and popping over to Edinburgh on Saturday for a spot of culture at the Fringe. Sunday was spent inspecting the scenery around the Loch Lomond area, and very nice it was too. We drank, we stayed up late and chatted.I broke the no-more-than-one-offal-a-day rule on Saturday by having black pudding in the

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-67146225928428893632007-07-25T22:30:00.003Z2010-06-22T12:48:16.269Z

1. Jekyll. Ah, now I see - the show got so far ahead of itself so that we could have not one but two flashback episodes. Still going well, but where will it all end? The sons, of course, are named after (Henry) Jekyll and (Edward) Hyde, and the trailer seems to suggest some capital may be made of this. Eh well. Be interesting to see how they wrap up the question of Dr Jackman's origin.2.

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-33759306979819851992007-07-16T22:32:00.001Z2010-06-22T12:45:27.198Z

"She was all right as a one-off, but I wouldn't want her for a whole series." - The Lovely Jo, talking about Catherine Tate shortly after watching Doctor Who Christmas episode The Runaway Bride.Alas, alas. Last week was awash with badness. Not only is Catherine Tate the new Who companion, not only did PM Gordon Brown react to a failed act of terrorism with a gross appeal to flag-waving jingoism

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35574425.post-59414842968673645212007-07-01T23:17:00.002Z2010-06-22T12:39:55.805Z

Ohhhh, so nearly. I know The Lovely Jo and a number of our friends just didn't like Last of the Time Lords at all, but I thought it was doing pretty well.I liked that it started one year on from last week - showed that the Doctor wasn't just going to pull it out of a hat then and there, gave some scale to the proceedings, allowed for lovely throwaway lines about burning Japan and so on that gave

John Toonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16211705422326119054noreply@blogger.com4