sholio | Random fan stuff

Book rec: Midnight Riot by Ben Aaronovitch. I think I've found a new series to love. :D I've been looking for ages for something else that hits me the same way Dresden Files does, and I think I've figured out what it was that wasn't working for me in so much of the urban fantasy I've been reading -- it's either hyper-serious, gritty and dark, or so silly that it verges on parody. Midnight Riot hit the exact right balance of funny/absurd and serious for my tastes, plus I really loved the cast of characters, and the world-building (and sense of place) is absolutely first-rate. Peter Grant is a rookie cop in London who discovers that he has a talent for magic, which leads to the subsequent discovery that there is a branch of the London police force that handles magic-related crimes, which he is now a part of, whether he wants to be or not. Aside from the fact that it was a little disconcerting reading a book in which the protagonist is named Peter while concurrently fanning on White Collar like a mad fanning thing, I had a blast with the book and I've just ordered the sequel, Moon Over Soho, from Amazon. If you're looking for something generally Dresden Files-like, I strongly recommend!

fkficfest/

fkficfest has just started posting stories. Somewhere in the mix, there's one by me (and one for me, too!).

I posted my official stepping-down notice over at

sga_genficathon. I've been reluctant to admit that I've wandered pretty far afield from SGA these days, but I think it's become increasingly obvious from the content of my journal that this is, in fact, the case. I still consider SGA a "home" fandom for me, and I suspect that I'll continue to wander in and out of it over the years (like I do with ST:TOS and a couple of others), but I don't think I'll be participating in any more SGA fic exchanges/challenges/etc. in the near future -- the inspiration is no longer there. It's been a good long run, though.

This entry is also posted at http://friendshipper.dreamwidth.org/358529.html with

comments.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I loved Midnight Riot! Great book, witty and likable protagonist, interesting world... definitely a keeper for me.

It's interesting that you feel it is the same general kind of book as the Dresden books, or that it has the same kind of appeal; I did not like Dresden Files at all. I managed to finish the first book through sheer willpower, but was sadly unable to understand why so many people I know love the series...

In its defense, Dresden Files got a lot better starting around book 3 or 4. I started reading it with book 3 and I think I probably would have bounced off the first book just as hard as a lot of people seem to have done.

... which isn't to say that I'm trying to convert you, just that I can see where you're coming from. *g* Actually, in a lot of ways Midnight Riot makes me think of the good bits of the Dresdenverse with a lot of the things that bother me about it (more so in the early books) "fixed"; it's like Dresden 2.0 for a new decade.

... but still indisputably its own thing. I think one of the things I loved most about Midnight Riot is that it wasn't just about Peter and Nightingale, but about their whole world -- the ghosts and river spirits, Peter's friends and co-workers on the force, London itself ... the whole universe they inhabit. I'm looking forward to getting the second book. :D

Yay, book rec! I'm in desperate need of things to read, as old favorites (not Dresden files) have lost their savor while others make me want to throttle all the characters.

I'm sad to hear about the genficathon, but I totally get where you're coming from. As much as I still love SGA and the fandom, the fires of inspiration no longer burn as hot as they used to. I'm pretty sure that if I ever manage to finish my current chapter fic, it could very well be the last SGA chapter fic I write (possibly even last chapter fanfic I write, actually).

I definitely recommend this series, at least on the basis of the first book. The general style (witty, funny, with likable characters and a dark undertone) reminds me a lot of the Dresdenverse, but it's definitely its own thing, too.

Regarding SGA and the genficathon ... yeah. I think I've been reluctant to talk about my loss of interest in the show/fandom on my journal because I'm worried about disappointing people -- I know how depressing it is to see other people in your fandom drift off for new, shinier pastures -- but I think I can't really deny to myself that I'm pretty much out of the fandom at this point. I still have a lot of warm feelings for it, and I expect that I'll continue to wander back into SGA fandom every so often (there are already a couple of fandoms that I do that for -- well, heck, I just wrote a story for Forever Knight, and I first watched that show when I was a teenager!), but I guess that I can't really see any point in forcing myself to remain in a fandom when it's not really where my heart is. That feels too much like work. *g* My last couple of SGA fanfics were really a struggle to write, and if I'm going to work that hard, I'd like to have an original story to show for it at the end, y'know? Fandom is where I go to play.

My last couple of SGA fanfics were really a struggle to write, and if I'm going to work that hard, I'd like to have an original story to show for it at the end, y'know? Fandom is where I go to play.

Yes, this, exactly. This has been a major issue with me and fanfiction in general as of late. I still enjoy it, but I don't want to put so much effort into something that, basically, is just candy, because it takes time and energy that I would rather devote to the original stuff.

Yeah. That's actually what's stopped me from writing novel-length fanfic in my last couple of fandoms. I had a novel-length idea that I wanted to write for Avatar, and a couple more for Highlander, but I want to save that level of work and writing intensity for my original fiction. I'm trying to stick to shorter stories -- the kind where I can go from inspiration to finished story in just a few days. Unless a novel-length story idea really gets its teeth into me, I suppose ... I can't rule out the possibility that I might write something like that again, but for right now, it's just not something that I really want to be doing.

I really enjoyed Midnight Riot. But then, I already admitted to just loving books set in London (or England), especially Urban Fantasy. The more detailed and more the person talks about/writes about the city - the happier I am :) I've gotten the 2nd book - but haven't read it yet.

Yeah, I think for me in general, a strong sense of place is one of the things that draws me to a book (also a movie or a TV show). I absolutely love books that are obviously written with a deep knowledge of, and affection for, wherever it is that they're set, and these books totally have that in spades! :D

Your stories will be missed, but I definitely understand. :D

Thank you! :) I think there's a pretty good chance that I'll wander back into the fandom at some point in the future - I seem to revisit old fandoms a lot - but it's definitely not an active fandom for me right now.

I loved Midnight Riot! It felt sort of like the Dresden Files crossed with Hot Fuzz. I plan on picking up the sequel at work, after I finish the new Dresden book. [which I don't technically own yet, since it's strict on sale and we can't sell it until the 26th, but I have it in my hands. :)]

I'm not certain I'll be doing the genficathon next year myself -- I signed up almost on reflex this year, and I did eventually have fun with it, but for the longest time, there just wasn't anything there. Maybe I'll just marathon my favorite episodes around the time signups come up again, and see where it takes me.

Ha, Dresden Files crossed with Hot Fuzz is a great way to describe that book. :D

I just got my shipping notice for Ghost Story, so it's winging its way to me across the country! *bounces*

I got all confused there thinking that "Midnight Riot" was a sequel, and then I realised that it just has a different title in the US! It was called "Rivers of London" in the UK and has this fabulous cover that is a kind of descriptive map of London with little drawings of buildings and handwritten comments everywhere like 'Oliver Cromwell was disinterred and hung here', 'Peter Pan country', 'most teenage pregnancy'. It reminded me a bit of "Neverwhere" in some respects, but then I haven't read the Dresden Files. And I didn't know there actually was a sequel - I shall look out for that now too.

Ha, yeah, I had no idea it had a different cover/title in the UK until I went looking for the sequel and thought for a minute that there was a third book - but no, just the first one under a different title! And I like the UK title/cover a whole lot better, all the more so now that you've explained the cover a bit (I could get a general idea of it on Amazon, but that sounds really cool!). I think it fits the book better. The one they gave it here is very generic urban fantasy.

I spent a good few minutes just examining the cover before I even started reading the book! I discovered the other day it is actually from a series called The Island by an artist called Stephen Walter - if you go here (http://www.stephenwalter.co.uk/projects.php) and scroll down it has the London set with details that you can zoom in on (I like this one (http://www.stephenwalter.co.uk/the_island/island34a.php) of Westminster, 'one of the homes of the expensive family', heh).

I thought the US cover was a bit generic as well - I don't know why publishers insist on changing things like that for different countries.

Random fan stuff

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject