Sleepy Hollow

I'll admit it. I love fantasy TV shows.

Buffy: RIP.... you paved the way and set the bar so high....

Dollhouse... you were awesome and gone too soon....

Ahem.

Apparently, the masses are starting to give fantasy a bit more of a go. Yeah, Supernatural has been on for forever (a few seasons too many, but with the eye candy, we don't complain too much). And yes there are (too many) vampire and the like shows out there, but what about original fantasy?

NBC has Grimm (excellent show!)
ABC has Once Upon a Time and soon the Wonderland spin off.

Enter Fox with Sleepy Hollow! (Mondays)

I was ready to not like this show. I was sure we would have contrived polts, repetitive fish-out-ofwater jokes, magic as plot spackle, and really, the Rip Van Winkle addition to the Headless Horseman story? Why? Plus, could the show have enough story to last a whole season?

I'm glad to report that I was wrong.

Yeah, the show is a bit silly and the acting can be a bit hamfisted at times (it is the pilot afterall), but on the whole the writers have done a decent job of making the characters likeable (if not wholy beliveable... that will come later with character development one hopes) and of making the story make as much sense as a story featuring a Rip Van Winkle meets National Treasure sort of scenario with a shaggy haired hero who must stop the coming apocalypse by defeating a headless zombie who can somehow still hear people. There are also witches and the hint that George Washington wasn't just fighting for our freedom from British taxation and tyranny.

I wouldn't say it was a rollicking good time, but it was fun. The saving grace is that the cast seems to know how crazy it all sounds and the influx of humor. Go ahead, watch the preview. If you don't crack a smile, then skip the show... I have a feeling the humor and the occasional tension fraught deep in the dark forest scenes will be what carries this show forward.





I also have to point out that Crane is played by Tom Mison (a British relatively unknown)is pretty darn hunky.

The Patience Stone

The Patience Stone by Atiq Rahimi



I got this book because I saw a preview for the upcoming movie. A wise person once said that books and the movies adapted from them are like comparing apples with apple pie, but it has been a while since I did a side by side comparison so I figured why not.

This review will focus solely on the book.

I had a hard time reading this book. It is short... very short and the writing style is crisp and unfettered with too many details. In fact, it is downright sparse in terms of details which is part of its charm. And still, it was hard to read because the subject matter is hard to face.

I'm a middle class liberal minded American woman fiercely loved by my partner and supported by my family.
I have nothing besides gender and motherhood in common with the protagonist of this book.

Which is why I felt I must read it.

I was prepared to be dismayed. I was prepared to be bothered. I was prepared to be taught a leson.

I wasn't prepared to have all three things happen so smoothly.

Rahimi has a beautiful grasp of poetry. Even though the novel is translated, it flows like water... it doesn't stop, it waits for no one, it pushes through blockages of judgement and wariness.

This book moved me beyond my expectations.

Set in one single room and told from an almost God-like place of indifference, we see the final days of a man's life as his wife cares for him. But it is not his story, it is hers. It is her voice that breaks the silence and tells us of her life... it is her plight and her history that carry the story forward. It is her body that suffers as he dies and her torrent of words that can not be silenced in the almost silent room.

By being sparse on the details, Rahimi draws our attention to what really matters: her story in her own words.

The ending was shocking and yet unavoidable. The writing was exquisite and the plot, though limited by its own contrivances, moved along and took me on a journey of discovery.

I highly recommend this book.

Nefertiti

Nefertiti



If you love Egypt history, if you are interested in the battle between monotheism and polytheism that shaped the infrastructure and the social customs of ancient Egypt.... well, this book probably isn't for you.

If you are moderately interested in those sort of things in the peripheral, but like a story with a very clear "good guy" and "bad guy" that is loosely based on a few scattered archaeological finds... this book might be just what you want to read!

In short, this book is what I would typically call Lit Fluff... except that it is rather too long for such a designation. It is, however, a relatively quick read for its girth because the writing, while a tad prolific, isn't weighty.

In short, Nefertiti is the story of, you guessed it, Nefertiti as shown through her rival and sister Muty. There is a rise to power, some actions taken because of hubris, karmic retribution, and a whole lot of Muty sighing in frustration as Nefertiti is a horrible person who does horrible short sighted things.

I'm not sure if the characters lack depth because the author is basing them off some very skimpy historical data or if the author was just lacking imagination, but the end result is a forgettable book about what could have been unforgettable characters.

My advice? If you happen to ge the book for free or cheap at a used book store and you have a plane ride in your future, why not. Otherwise, there are more compelling better written books out there.

But that's just me.