Doctor Who: The Drosten's Curse, by: A.L. Kennedy

I don't even know where to begin with this one.  I finished it over a day ago but I am torn on how to review it.  I enjoyed it because it is another Doctor Who story.  Made even better because it is another Doctor story that stars the Fourth Doctor, whom I kind of adore.  My only issue with it is it was weird to follow.  Not hard to follow, just weird.  It had a very Douglas Adams feel to the way the story was told.  Not a bad thing, I love The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy but something about this book's style of story telling rubbed me funny. With that said I still enjoyed it. I still got to go on a new adventure with my beloved Fourth Doctor. I give it 3 stars.

There are some spoilers in the below.  Just a warning. 


There are quite a few characters to follow and the point of view changes frequently.  My favorites were of course The Doctor and Bryony.  She is the "companion" in this story and she is very likable.  She is a beautiful strong woman who doesn't just accept her fate.  She wants to be in control of her life, understand the world around her...oh and go on an adventure.  Although at the moment she is stuck in a dead end job with a horrible boss.  The other "companion" is Putta.  He is a clumsy, awkward, red head who is absolutely in love with Bryony but too shy to say anything.  He also happens to be an alien but a good guy not the one trying to destroy the world.  The Bah-Sokar is the big baddie.  It can control minds, create things out of nothing, and is perpetually hungry.  It isn't in control of its wants/needs which makes it so dangerous.  

It actually was quite a fun adventure.  A mind controlling alien who sucks the life out of people, how very terrifying.  I felt terrible for Mrs. Fetch.  She was completely at the creature's mercy but having her alive showed the creature meant well, it had learned love and happiness.  It gave her an extended life, riches and grandchildren that she never had.  Unfortunately it also took many of her memories...the ones that made her sad along with killing many many people at her golf resort because it was "hungry".  The Doctor is his usual know it all alien self.  He is witty and sarcastic and sometimes a bit rude but that is why we love him.  He sees the potential in Bryony , even in Putta although he is a bit harder on him.  He was written quite well.  I could hear the fourth doctor speaking when I read his lines.

The grandchildren to me are one of the creepiest manifestations.  Yes the mind control is scary and the ground "eating" people isn't fun but creepy kids are the worst.  They seem like normal mischievous twin children but when the form out of walls, grow from the ground and attack people in water, I just feel like that is a nightmare waiting to happen.  But even they aren't the creepiest of this kids.  The one that gave me the worst chills was Paul Cluny Junior, aka Zandor.  He became the Jewel at the Heart of the Universe...he became the controller of the Bah-Sokar and he was 1000% evil.  His seething hatred for everyone, including his parents was unnerving.  He wanted to destroy everything and bend the world to his whims.  There was nothing good about him.  

Of course the Doctor succeeds and is able to defeat this horrible human.  With the Doctor's help, The Bah-Sokar realizes it prefers love over hatred and dethrones this bad egg.  And the creature being a good "egg" now, restores everyone.  It was a very Disney ending.  "Just this once, everybody lives."  Well except Paul...he didn't get a second chance.  Bryony and Putta get a happily ever after and the Doctor gains some new friends.  I did like how the Bah-Sokar has been spreading its eggs across the Earth.  They will lie in dormant until another Julia Fetch can awaken them.  So to prevent another disaster The Doctor gives his new friends the mission of collecting them all.  Talk about an adventure...even if it is bound to the Earth. 

I received this book for free from Blogging for Books to give my honest review.

Oh, say it isn't so!!! I guess all GREAT things must come to an end...

So it was announced the other day that ANOTHER one of my fav shows is entering into its last season.  It isn't a fantasy, horror, or drama.  It is a science-y show.  It is MythBusters.  It is the show that kept my love of all things science alive.  I've watched it loyally since 2003 when it first aired.  I can't believe this will be it.  I will have to get my Myth fix in reruns!!! 

I've never been happier that I decided to buy tickets to their live show!  At least I'll get to see it LIVE before they are off the air.  I only hope...pray...that it doesn't get canceled like the Craig Ferguson show did because of "lack of interest".  How can you NOT be interested in Craig Ferguson...he's freaking hilarious!  Anyways, I'm crossing every appendage I have in hopes that the live show will go on here in NOLA. 

My point is this show ending makes me sad.  As knowledgeable as I am about all things science, I obviously don't know everything (yet).  I've learned so many things from this show.  Some of it is applicable in daily life and some isn't but I still KNOW it because of them. 

For instance, the way germs spread.  I think that episode scarred me.  Yea we all know sick people are walking petri dishes but to see it spread on everything, YUCK!  That even if a Myth is disproved, blowing things up is always the most fun.  It's not science unless you singe an eye brow....or arm hair...or any hair on your body for that matter.  Duck Tape can be used for ANYTHING, including making a f**king workable cannon!  Having a tattoo in and MRI will not rip your skin off (possible irritation but nothing will explode).  Watching Thermite burn is so cool...volatile but soooo cool.  You can't "bend" the trajectory of a bullet like in Wanted.  It would take a lot of mirrors to create a death-ray and although its really pretty it doesn't really work.  Buster is a really good sport.  And just so many other things it is impossible to list them all here. 

I hate that such a fun science-y show is leaving our airways.  But like I said all good things must come to an end.  I guess we all knew something was up when the build team was "let go" last year. And although I ADORE Kari, Grant and Tory...Jamie and Adam hold a special place in my little science heart (you know the part of my heart that likes to see things blown up, because reasons).  I can't wait to see what crazy Myths make up the final season but I am sad to know it is coming to an end.  Fourteen years is a good run for any show but I guess it is time to say farewell.  Seriously though, I feel like I am saying goodbye to my favorite science teacher(s), *le sigh*. 

"Remember kids, the only difference between screwing around and science 

is writing it down" ~ Adam Savage

The Leftovers - Season 2, Episode 2 - A Matter of Geography

Oh don't mind me, my brain is just leaking out of my ear.  Seriously...again?  At least I got one kind of answer, sort of...Again, its good...I'll still watch it but good GOD what is happening!?!?  I'm not going to review every episode but I had to do this one.

SPOILERS

So we flash back to our favorite f**ked up family and how they ended up in Miracle.  YAY!  I like explanations.  And while I knew Kevin was off his rocker, I didn't realize how off his rocker he was.  He went and dug up crazy lady and PURPOSEFULLY got pulled over with her rotting corpse in the back of his truck.  He of course is the luckiest mofo on the planet because not only did he not go to jail because they hated her anyways but when he told Nora about his semi-criminal act and she said okay no biggie, I love you.  What?!? 

Then she is offered a stupid amount of money to sell her home, over 3 mil, because multiple people "departed" there...morbid much.  They get to miracle where people are on waiting lists to get in and they just so happen to rent a house...ONLINE.  Alas, the house they rented burned to the ground...hmmm I wonder if it was by the crazy firefighter dude???  Nora goes all crazy white girl and buys a house for auction....for basically what she got for her house.  Kevin is acting like a nutter which shouldn't surprise me but geesh.

He's seeing "ghosts"...ya know Patti.  But she seems so real and she wants to be acknowledged.  He thinks he's going the route of his dad and just ignores it.  When she slams his head into their new stove, its concerning.  Is he hurting himself or is she real?!!?!?

So it looked like we weren't going to see what they did during the quake because it was fading to back as Kevin fell asleep.  And then BAM he is at at the reservoir.  How the f**k did he get there without Nora noticing?!?!  Why is he tied to a f**king cinder-block??? Did he try to kill himself???  So he just happens to appear at the reservoir when the teenagers disappeared during the earth quake.  And then crazy Patti just happens to appear to him at that point with an "uh oh".  Really?!?!  What is happening???

The preview for next week (or the rest of the season) looks intense.  Did I see preacher man in a stocks?!?!?!  Are they gonna kill him?  How did creepy dad get shot?  Did they find Kevin at the reservoir?  Why are the looney toons from New York showing up in Texas? 

This show is crazy but I have a feeling Kevin is important to whatever it is.  Possibly an epicenter or something.  He is a key, we just have to figure out to what. 

American Horror Story: Hotel - OMG!

I'm not even going to summarize it.  I'm just going to show you my reactions in gifs as the hour and a half premier progressed.  There is a SPOILER at the bottom, so don't read if you haven't watched it yet.

Yay, new season of AHS!!!!

And then it started...

 And yes I will watch the next one but this one may have scarred me.  I had sympathy butt hurt after that ONE scene.  I mean come on, it was a f**king metal unicorn horn...in the @$$hole!!!!!!!! Just...ow man...just ow... 

I only have more questions...that's so not fair!!!

So for some stupid reason I decided to keep watching The Leftovers.  It isn't a bad show but it is very dark.  By the end of last season I was still very WTF.  I had no idea what was going on but things got real weird, real fast.  So I figured Season 2 would still be weird but would answer some of the questions we all had.

The season opener gave me a migraine.  If you haven't watched it and still plan on watching it,
DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER!  You have been warned.  It came on Sunday...but I am being nice...
SPOILERS below.


So it started in 10,000BC or something (what?!?).  There was a cave woman.  I honest to God thought I started watching the wrong show.  So she's prego and has to tinkle, why do I need to know this?!!?!  Anyways she leaves her tribe in the cave and there is a flipping earthquake and they are all buried alive...well that sucks!  So b**ch goes into labor all alone and manages to birth the baby and not die, kudos cave chick.  Again, I am still like what am I watching?!!?!?  So she is starving and has to find food and gets bit by a snake (uh oh).  Her arm goes all gangrene and basically falls off and she dies with the infant clutched to her chest while laying near a water reserve, creek thing...jfc that's terrible!  Some other tribe lady finds the baby, gives dead mom a sad look and moves on.  Then we flash to present day Miracle, TX.  Ummmmm WTF?

Why am I in Miracle, TX?  Who are these new characters?!?!  What happened to the old characters?!?!?  What was with the flipping cave woman?!?!  What is happening?!?!  So apparently Miracle was the only place where people didn't "depart".  No one was "taken" so now its like a holy land.  Honestly, when they show the buses coming in with peeps and residents of the town selling "holy items" all I could think of was Fatima or Medjugorje.  Ya know, places where Mary appeared and then *BAM* its now a place where people pilgrimage from all over the world to be close to God or "healed" or whatever.  Don't get me wrong, I'd visit too out of sheer curiosity even if I wasn't a little religious. 

It all centers around this really sketch family.  The husband is a Fireman that burns down peoples houses (WTF?!?) and his daughter is rebelling a bit and almost a typical teen.  Mom seems normal, as is the brother and the whole fam goes to Baptist services.  Finally more than half way in, we get our preacher man (Christopher Eccleston) showing up in Miracle.  But he only has a small scene and he is shooshed by the current preacher from talking about the departure and his wife's "miracle" ...odd.  The sketch dad questions him like some interrogator...what is going on!?!?

So we are back at the house and sketch dad gets a pie left on the front porch and he's all suspicious that its poisoned or something (well if you didn't go around burning down people's houses maybe you wouldn't be so paranoid!).  He sees his new Neighbors (yay, its our "favorite" f**ked up family from Season 1).  So we have preacher man, along with Kevin, Nora, Jill & recently acquired baby randomly showing up in the same town in TX...can't be a coincidence...right?!?  (yes I know him and Nora are related but they aren't exactly BFFs) So sketch dad brings the possible POISONED pie to the new neighbors...(what a d**k!) and invites them for his B-day BBQ, odd.

BBQ is weird to say the least.  Kevin is awkward anyway and sketch dad is just not right so that's fun.  Apparently sketch dad was in prison for attempted murder and that's not an uncomfortable conversation, nope not at all.  So the kids in that home (boy and girl) are apparently twins.  Weird things always happen with twins.  I should know I am married to one and my BFFs are twins.

Anyway, twin girl has a seizure at the table and messes up the bday cake (yikes!)...poor baby.  So we end up with them eating the pie (pahahahaha, karma).  No one dies but shockingly enough even after the seizure they let girlfriend go off with her friends after dinner, hmmmm.  Sometime in the middle of the night we have an Earthquake (ahhh tying into the weirdo beginning).  Mom & dad realize baby girl never came home.  Dad and twin bro go to the reservoir, creek thing and find the friend's car....running...with the radio on...locked from the inside and EMPTY.  No trace of the three girls.  OMG the girls departed didn't they!?!?!?  The creek thing is dry and the fish are flopping...where the hell did all the water go?!?!  And roll credits.

I have more questions!  I have no answers!  I have a headache!  And I will keep watching because I apparently like to torture my brain.