Shadow Hunters: I think I'm hooked

Alright, I'll try to proceed with this post without giving away an potential spoilers for those of you who haven't (and possibly have no intention of) reading the books. I say potential, because the show is changing enough of the details that what I think I know about what will happen may not come to pass. And I like that. If I wanted an exact copy of the books, I'd just read them again. However, if you haven't seen the second episode you may want to go watch that first.

Back to the point. In my first post about Shadowhunters I talked about how I was cautiously hopeful. The first episode seemed rough, but not without potential. The second episode is better. Partly because they've been able to move past most of the exposition required for viewers to get a sense of the world and can now move into the actual plot and characters.

Isabelle is kind of a bitch and I love it. She's sexy, confident and unapologetic.  

The Beautifully Bitchy Isabelle.  
Source: http://www.projectfreetvonlinenow.com/

Getting some interesting vibes from Alec. Want more Bane. Simon is not as boring as I'd expected. Clary is likable though I feel like she should be freaking out just a bit more. She's a bit too calm and that makes me feel like a coward. I know if I were in her position I'd at least do a bit more yelling and sticking fingers in my ears. It feels like she's just accepting things far too quickly. There's no adjustment period.

I definitely want to see more character development. Let's take a little time and get to know our heroes. I'm all about action and keeping the plot moving forward, but I also like to give audiences more credit than some networks give them. This kind of show attracts the type of viewer (or at least I hope it does) that wants more than just drama piled on with ridiculous drama (think Reality shows). We want the drama and the story that goes with it and a large part of that story are the characters. Help me care about them. I'm almost there I just need a little bit more.

On that note can we take a moment to talk about Hodge?

Hodge of the Burning Circle Scar.
Source: https://abcfapps.blob.core.windows.net/

First off, he's much younger and more attractive than I was expecting. That giant circle scar/tattoo on his neck was something else and this was the first time I realized that the other Circle members had the same mark. I'm interested to see where the writers are going with this.

Lastly, Silent Brothers. I knew what they looked like, however, it was still super uncomfortable to actually see it. Kind of like how it was worse seeing Joffrey die from poison than it was reading about it. So much worse. As stated above, I'm a bit of a coward so anything even smelling of scary is potential nightmare material. Eyes and mouths sewn together are just creepy enough to give me chills.

Super Creepy Silent Brother.    
Source: http://images.tvfanatic.com

More Super Creepy Silent Brothers.
Source: http://s.sidereel.com/

Long story short: I'm hooked. I finished the second episode wanting to watch the next one. Netflix has spoiled me and I'm not used to having to wait a week before the next episode. Anyone else anxiously awaiting more Shadowhunters?

Source: http://images.tvfanatic.com

Book Review: Pandorax, by C.Z. Dunn

Afficionados of the Warhammer 40,000 franchise have coined a term: "bolter porn."

This phrase is used to describe most of the novels published by Black Library, Games Workshop's literary division. It indicates that a book possesses little to no intellectual reading value, instead consisting primarily of lurid descriptions of large-scale mayhem and carnage as carried out, typically, by the setting's iconic Space Marines and their spiky-armored opponents, the unironically-named Chaos Space Marines, as well as other colorful factions that occupy the planet-wide battlefields of the 41st millennium.

Space Marines, also known as the Adeptus Astartes, are cloistered chapters of towering, genetically-convoluted super-soldiers that thematically resemble medieval knightly orders, ascetic monk brotherhoods, mythical figures such as the Norse einherjar, and other classical warrior archetypes.

A "bolter" is the Space Marine's standard-issue weapon: A .75-caliber fully-automatic cinderblock-sized machine gun that fires self-propelled explosive ammunition.

The total ubiquity of this insanely destructive weapon, as well as other standard Space Marine affects such as chainswords (as in, swords that are chainsaws), says a lot about the tone of Warhammer 40,000, or simply "40k", a sci-fantasy tabletop miniatures game that has spawned a multitude of novels and other spinoffs, it's tagline: "In the Grim Darkness of the Far Future, there is Only War."

A lot of bolter porn is kind of awful.

Christian Z. Dunn's novel Pandorax, which was released in the UK in 2013 and North America in 2014, is bolter porn. But, it's not awful at all.

In fact, it's pretty great.

Grab a drink (I recommend the blood of heretics or tears of the damned), hit the jump, and I'll tell you all about it.

Shadowhunters: First thoughts

Spoilers for the first episode ahead. You have been warned.

Whenever I watch a pilot episode for any show I always keep in mind that this is a shows first shy (or sometimes overly ambitious) step into what is hoped will be a wildly successful series. So, with that mindset I dove into Shadowhunters with an open mind. I'm not sure how much of my opinions are colored by the fact that I've read the books, but I left the pilot feeling hopeful.

Did it have flaws? Yes. Did it feel rushed and disjointed? Yes. Did the characters feel wooden and awkward? A bit. Was I surprised by any of this? Not at all. Most show pilots I've watched (and there are a lot of them) start this way.

Overall, I felt it did an okay job of introducing the world and the main players. We got a quick glimpse at each characters' personality and quirks. I'm still on the fence about Clary's mom actually wanting to explain everything to her, but it's likely a small change that won't have a lasting effect. Speaking of changes, I might be one of the few people who doesn't mind when a TV show or movie drift away from the source material. This hasn't always been the case. I used to get rather bent out of shape over even minor changes to the original. Then I grew up, started a Masters program in screen writing, and realized there are so many reasons for these changes. Also, I learned to love the differences. It was like seeing something new in a familiar setting.

I'm interested in the thoughts of those of you who haven't read the books? Were you able to follow along? Did you grasp the basic idea of the show? Did you get lost halfway through and change the channel?