Crawlers wasn’t a purchase. It was a gift from a friend who no doubt figured it would be right up my alley. And, I have to say, when I heard the premise I was very intrigued. After a secret government project goes awry, killing the group of scientists researching weaponized nanotechnology, an unusual decision is made. Rather than being shut down, the project is packed into a satellite and fired off into Earth’s orbit. There, the research continues, far enough away to present no danger to the human population. That is until the satellite comes crashing down to Earth and the experiment, a nanotechnological nightmare possessed of a hive mind, sets its sights on the quaint town of Quiebra, California…
Although it is at heart an SF tale, Crawlers is decidedly dark, dark enough to neatly skirt both the scifi and horror genres. The opening chapter detailing a lone scientist’s attempts to hide from his fearsome experiment run amok is as chilling as it gets. And Shirley’s description of the co-opted life forms, some human, some not, crawling and staggering their way through cemeteries and darkened roadways on their unusually distended limbs is extremely disturbing. A nice blend of scifi and horror that has the makings of a terrific book –
Unfortunately undermined by the characters who people it. Aside from Stanner, the Air Force operative who spearheads the efforts to stop the infestation before it spreads beyond the town, it’s hard to buy into any of the Quierba’s inhabitants. The kids speak in slang that may have been representative of the way teens talked five years ago but just sounds awkwardly outdated now. I’ve honestly never heard the term “hella” as in “hella-cool” outside of an episode of South Park. An argument between siblings that amounts to little more than the two of them calling each other “dumbass” reads like what an adult imagines two arguing teens would sound like. I’m reminded of a guy I knew who wrote a script in which his teenage protagonist cried “Cowabunga!” after injuring herself. Really.
Language aside, one of my biggest issue with Crawlers is the reaction – or lack thereof – on the part of the townspeople when some REALLY WEIRD shit starts to go down. Teens Adair and Cal seem more concerned about the possibility that their folks will be getting a divorce than the fact that mom and dad have taken to acting like robots, spewing indecipherable gobbledygook and staring quietly into space for extended periods. Elderly acquaintances and wheelchair-bound neighbors are suddenly traipsing around town, scrambling up onto rooftops to set up their new-fangled satellite dishes – but no one seems to bat an eyelash. Sure, Adair has a strange feeling that something is up (having your housecat run down by a zombie marine will do that to you). So does her buddy Waylon, a conspiracy nut whose obsession with trying to uncover the alien angle in all this is played for humor but grows quickly tiresome. But no one really reacts until it’s much too late.
Which is too bad because, like I said, Crawlers offers a great premise and some really effective scares. Unfortunately, the characters are so darned annoying that it’s hard to establish any sort of connection with them, much less sympathize with them when they’re about to get pulled apart like Thanksgiving turkeys. Still, Shirley’s abilities as a horror writer are on full display here and, even though they feel lost in this offering, they’ve certainly convinced me to try my luck with him on another title.
Today’s entry is dedicated to birthday gal Jade and Skye’s parent’s celebrating their 35th wedding anniversary.
Today’s video: Laying down the ground fog for Whispers. Either wait until the embedded video eventually works…or you can simply click on the link –
Mailbag:
Trish writes: “Have you considered getting a nav for your car?”
Answer: I did, but Fondy insisted I wouldn’t need one. How very wrong she was.
David writes: “I was wondering if there is any chance that the Ori, or something they did, will ever effect Atlantis?”
Answer: Definitely no plans to introduce the Ori into Atlantis.
Squeakiep writes: “You’ve been careful not to photograph or mention Joe Flanigan during this part of the filmng season. Hoping everything is OK and that he still works on SGA.”
Answer: I think so. I’m pretty sure I see him around.
Eri writes: “Got a question about how you write the script. How do you plan for commercial breaks on it? Do you specifically think of somewhat suspenseful times where it would be good?”
Answer: Every episode is made up of a tease and five acts. The tease and the first four acts all end on suspense beats that, yes, we write toward.
Narelle from Aus writes: “ Any chance we could get a post one day of some excerpts of comments that don’t make it through moderation?”
Answer: To be honest, most of the posts that don’t make it through moderation are spam. The handful I do screen for content won’t be published because I’d sooner not reward obnoxious behavior.
Narelle also writes: “Has the amount of fanfic so easily accessible online made writing for you more difficult?”
Answer: Not at all. Creatively so far as we’re concerned, it doesn’t exist.
GenericWhiteGuy writes: “I know it is just a way to move the plot forward, but have the writers ever discussed exactly what “life signs” are being detected or how this theoretically works?”
Answer: We’ve had lively discussions about this in the writers’ room. The life detector detects, well, life signs (heart beats, heat sigs, etc.) but can’t detect identities or other specifics (ie. “Hey, it’s McKay on level four dancing the jitterbug with koala!”)
Tiger’s Eyes writes: “I know that people with pets all have to make their own decisions regarding how they’re going to approach major health problems, and maybe after getting a lot of advice you and Fondy have decided that Jelly is better off without hip surgery.”
Answer: We want to do what’s best for her and our vet (and a specialist who examined her) suggested we try the treatment before opting for the surgery. It goes without saying – surgery can be risky, especially for older pugs.
Erin writes: “re: the wraith ‘gift of life’. when u realise that the gift is really just recycling life energy from one human to another human thru a wraith…”
Answer: Good point.
Dee writes: “…my friend and I had an interesting discussion on The Ark of Truth, she believes the way it was written implies that Daniel & Vala’s were a couple, I saw no such thing, were there hints there I missed or was she just seeing things because that’s what all D/V shippers were hoping for?”
Answer: They weren’t a couple.
Kdvb1 writes: “Hmmmm….I think hamburger is much different than chocolate. {but I would argue that you CAN sustain life with chocolate!} And, would be very sustainable to life…even if a steak would taste better.”
Answer: Yeah, the hamburger/steak analogy was not a good one, especially since, I believe in Condemned, the wraith pretty much says that they can eat food for pleasure, but it doesn’t sustain them
Lisa Gabi Marie writes: “ I am going to Las Vegas next week, do you have any suggestions of places to eat?”
Answer: The Wynn has some great restaurants. Also, the Cheesecake Factory at the Caesar’s Forum Mall has some killer corn tamales.
Mrs.B108 writes: “Will there be any acts of heartbreaking betrayal this season?”
Answer: Quite possibly, yes.
AV Eddy writes: “Did you hear in the new A&E version of The Andromeda Strain they went into a whole explanation about spatial wormholes and people/aliens traveling through them? I was like, “Well, yeah! Everyone knows that!” If you didn’t see it, I suggest not bothering. I was disappointed. Great actors and cool story that petered out badly, IMHO.”
Answer: Uh, yeah, question about that. f you were sending a plea for help back to the past to help combat a virus, wouldn’t it make more sense to send a straightforward video rundown of the problem rather than a cryptic, encrypted communication accompanied by a lethal strain of the very virus you’ve had no luck in stopping? Yes? No?
Morjana writes: “According to TV Guide, you are quoted as saying, “This is the year we’re going to pursue romance.”
Answer: Yeah, sounds like something I might have said.
Hey, pursue romance all you’d like on SGA, I just hope you don’t ever catch it!
Love the fog… I’d love to have that machine at work sometime, just to add to the ambience.
Thank you Mr. Mallozzi for decating your post to my Parents.
Skye
Have you ever considered getting little wheels for Jelly – to keep her weight off her hips?
ALAS!!!
You watched the remake of Andromeda Strain without reading the book first??? The plot had more holes in it than Pennsylvania’s roads!!! They BUTCHERED Crichton’s brilliant book (not his best, but still infinitely preferable to the messy remake!!!
>i/i<
I’d pay good money to see that.
alternatively: The McKay/Koala shippers are going mad now!
And/Or: Will we be seeing any Jitterbug action in Season Six?
Dagnabbit, thought I had the coding right …
(ie. “Hey, it’s McKay on level four dancing the jitterbug with koala!”)
And then insert my clever and witty remarks.
What? Yes, they are.
Are too.
Are too.
I did read Crawlers, barely. I started over 3 weeks ago, after finishing Android’s Dream. Made it through the first, opening chapter, then put it down. Oh, it was moderately creepy, with Burgess’ doomed attempts to evade detection. Perhaps it was the realization that government officials were watching, and elected to take make no attempt to save him, that detracted from my enjoyment of the setup.
But then as I finished off another book, and came back to Crawlers, I found it harder and harder to keep reading. The book kept ending up on a shelf as I’d pick up a magazine or another of my backlogged books to work through instead. Mr. Shirley’s writing style wasn’t that bad, though I agree with you on the dialogue issues. But really, I just found it…boring. The unerlying premise was just not intriguing enough to hold me to the book. Perhaps I can blame Stargate, with its presentations of nanites and replicator stories. I don’t know. But even now, I simply can’t work up the energy to bother with a more detailed revue. You’ve said just about all worth saying. This is the first book since I’ve joined in the BotM club that really, really felt like a chore to complete. I do look forward to checking out the next three selections though, having picked them up from my local bookstore of choice today. Thank you for the mailbag, and now off to check out the video…
So, I had a random thought last night. We know that Michael’s been messing around with his own biology and he’s made himself so that he doesn’t need to feed. But I wonder, could there possibly have been some in-between stage in the experimenting (maybe even done on another wraith), which would leave the wraith without the need to feed, but still with the capability? And if they did have this ability, would it be possible that, if the wraith fed on a human, that maybe the energy or whatever that they took from the human had nowhere to go, so that it would need to give it back or it might cause harm to the wraith itself, instead of helping it. Of course, if Michael did perform such an experiment and this was the result, he would have written that particular option off as useless and went for the full removal of the feeding mechanism. Anyway, like I said, random thoughts. Completely pointless. Just wonder if you might think such a thing was a possibility?
Also, you’ve inspired me to make a new blog on wordpress. And hopefully to blog with some regularity. Since I don’t have that much going on to write about, I decided I might use it to discuss stuff I’ve watched/read recently, possibly focusing on slightly obscure things that many people may not have seen. (Which among other things now means that clicking on my name here will actually lead somewhere.) I also put up a link to your blog here. Hope you don’t mind.
“We’ve had lively discussions about this in the writers’ room. The life detector detects, well, life signs (heart beats, heat sigs, etc.) but can’t detect identities or other specifics (ie. “Hey, it’s McKay on level four dancing the jitterbug with koala!”)”
Daedalus enters orbit: “Lieutenant, scan for dancing.”
Hi, Joe.
Regarding Romance…is that the name of Teyla’s son?
🙂
Morjana
First of all, thank you for the birthday dedication. It was a great topper to an other wise iffy birthday. Good gifts/lots of drama.
And about Andromeda Strain. As i was in Canada last week and had barely any channels in the land of no internet called my grandmothers house and was quite excited about being able to watch it. I thought it wasn’t all that bad. Its no worse than the movies that we get from the sci fi channels (which I love by the way! If you haven’t seen Shark Attack 3: Megalodon with John Barrowman then you haven’t lived 😉 ) But best part for me is Tom McBeath was in it.
Speaking of him, he was always one of my favourite guest stars on SG-1. I loved Maybourne. So I was wondering, who is your favourite recurring character on either show?
Your answers are as charming as usual. I just love your way of putting things!
The navigational devices are the rave here in New Hampshire. Most of the men I know don’t leave home without it. However, I don’t know too many women who have it in their cars.
So…“This is the year we’re going to pursue romance.”
That should make for some interesting chatter on the various fan forums – especially if the romance is between regular characters. (Teyla/Sheppard? McKay/Keller?) Get ready for the barrage of opinions once the episode(s) air…but I’m sure you know that 🙂 Can’t wait.
As for Andromeda Strain – I’d seen the 1971 movie, which I really liked. And I found the first half of this movie pretty suspenseful as they tried to decipher what made the virus tick. Then the story quickly devolved into a convoluted mess. Made me wish I had those 4 hours back.
No comment on Crawlers itself (since I didn’t read it), but being a middle and high school substitute teacher, I can say that teens do, in fact, love the word ‘dumbass’. Teens of a certain ilk, anyway. That said, the only time I ever hear the word ‘hella’ is when that Gwen Stefani song comes on.
[ I’ve honestly never heard the term “hella” as in “hella-cool” outside of an episode of South Park. ]
Not that it makes Crawlers less dated, but “hella” and “heckka” are still used by kids in Northern California (esp the SF Bay Area) all the time — have been since before I was a kid.
Random question re: Woolsey next season. I’m a fan of Robert Picardo’s and really enjoyed all the times they put his fabulous singing voice to use on ST: Voyager. Any chance we might see a nod to his singing talents on Atlantis? Perhaps one of the team catching him unawares singing (quietly) in his office some time?
Hey, Joe, haven’t been able to read your blog for awhile, my internet router kicked it for quite a bit, so I was without internet for about a month, I think? Anyway, read your response to Lisa Gabi Marie’s questions, have you ever tried Envy? I believe it’s at the Renaissance Hotel, off of the Strip. Bit pricey, but SO good. Went last year with my aunt, grandma, sister and cousin when we went to go see Phantom of the Opera.
Are you sure you are using the right “type” of glucosamine? The stuff is awesome, but there are two types. Writing from memory, Glucosamine Sulfate(???) is absorbed by the body while the other type is mostly passed through. A few minutes doing google searches should clear this up…
Great stuff, a friend of the family put her dog on it after they recommended putting it down. Within days a dog that could not stand up was walking around. All of this got me taking it because of a chronic condition I have with my cervical spine (my discs are desicating). From being in bed most of the time with horrible headaches I can function and I am almost back to normal. (I am one of the biggest sceptics out there, but if I see results in animals that can not be influenced by warm fuzzy thoughts, I had to give it a try)
Best,
Alfred
I’ve been assigned the incompetent trainee, and then told I’m not allowed to bang my head against the wall. That hardly seems fair. Today I made her cry before noon. Me!
I know that has nothing to do with anything, but seriously, I’m going to go crazy. She wouldn’t look at me with any less comprehension if I was speaking Klingon. I bet she doesn’t even know what a Klingon is. I guarantee you she doesn’t know what a Wraith is!
As a native Californian I can attest (unfortunately) that the slang phrase hella is alive and well. Especially in the valley, i.e. San Jose and Santa Clara. It drives me completely bonkers.
Joe;
I know in the past you said that you don’t photograph the actors for your blog when they ask you not to. In prior seasons I’ve seen pictures you’ve taken of Joe Flanigan, but none this year. This season I’ve seen pic’s of The good doctors Mckay and Beckett and Major lorne, but none with Sheppard. Is that because he has asked not to be photographed or is it to keep us in suspense as to something planned to happen in season five? Also I’ve noticed all the other principle characters at your events in pictures and such, but no Joe F. Does he ever make it to your events, the shows events, etc., or is he unable to because his family lives in Calif. and he spends the down time with them? Do all the other principal characters live near the shooting of the show or are they like Joe F. spread out across the country.
As always thanks and have a great night, Nicole
No romance, please. I can’t stomach anymore Keller/Ronon/McKay. Yecch!
I’ve noticed that the Sci-Fi channel has started to air ads for their other shows that are premiering in July. Have they mentioned when they’ll be airing promos for Atlantis?
Pursuing romance? I’ll go for it if it’s like David Jansen pursuing the One Armed Man in “The Fugitive”. (Oh, I could have gone with a Harrison Ford reference, but I went old school. Knowing that scored me bonus points with my government teacher back in high school.) I’m one of the rare girls who doesn’t like kissing in my violence.
@Morjana…I weep to think that parents have probably named their children “Romance”.
@GenericWhiteGuy…There’s water on my monitor because of you. Don’t be funny while I’m drinking. 😉
My sisters & I have a theory about Todd and his wicked sense of humour: We think he got *polluted* by sucking out Sheppard. Think that’s possible?… that a Wraith could possibly pick up traits from an extremely strong personality they imbibe?
Hi Joe,
It’s been a long time since I’ve posted, and I’ve been trying to catch up in between studying for finals and all. That groud fog is amazing – I wish could buy one for home. Or Halloween. Or to make my own Iron Chef show. Or for video projects.
And talking of video projects – I can see how hard cutting those extra minutes out of Whispers must have been. I have a 30 minute video for an economics class that has to get cut down to about 25 minutes, and I am agonizing over what to cut. A humorous moment? A small plot development that doesn’t have a large effect on the story? A couple seconds of dialogue that is uneccessary? Anyways, I thought you would have some experience in these types of things, and I was wondering what you might suggest, or give some insight on how you decide what to cut.
And out of curiousity, you say you write for cliffhangers at the end of acts and such. Is there anything from the network or studio that says something like Act 2 has to be 7 minutes, or do they give you leeway with it?
~Rich
So I’m going to Ottawa for a family reunion at the end of June. Have you ever been there, and if you have do you have any recommendations for places to eat, things to see, etc.?
As for the romance that is going to be pursued, is this something that’s going to exist in one or two episodes or is this an over arching longer term thing that’s planned?
I just want to know how heavily I’m meant to emotionally invest in the McKay/Koala ship and whether it’s going to eucalyptus leaves and roses or whether he’s a love em and leave em marsupial kind of guy?
I’m torn. One one hand I think they’ll make a cute couple, but on the other hand I really hope the SPCA rappel down from helicopters and rescue the koala. Because some love is wrong.
Hi Joe!
Maybe a better idea is cows to Wraith are like cotton
candy to humans? Tasty, but doesn’t satisfy at all and leaves crud on the teeth?
I thought the answer of what to send back in time was better answered in the former BOTM book, Timescape. I didn’t understand either why someone from the future would send back a very deadly virus. My hub and I thought the producers were either making a Crichton movie or a movie about the foodchain. This animals eats this animal which eats this animal which eats… They sort of made vultures look bad too, which saddens me because they do a valuable (if not gross) service.
Also, it wouldn’t be too hard to discover whether the logo was a logo or not. I hear there’s a new-fangled invention called the Internet.
Sorry to hear Jelly’s hips are so bad. 🙁 That sucks.
Maybe the Team can discover a life signs detector that can detect McKays, levels, dancing, koalas, and even when The Hair(TM) is especially rakish?
*slinks off to work on an SGA wallpaper*
eddy 🙂
Lisa Gabi Marie writes: “ I am going to Las Vegas next week, do you have any suggestions of places to eat?”
Lisa — I just got back from a few days in Vegas and I’d add to Joe’s recommendations:
1. If you like red meat, try Top Chef’s Tom Collichio’s CraftSteak in the MGM. The food is great and the Kobe/Wagyu beef is so rich 1 steak can easily feed 2 people.
2. Mario Battalia’s B & B restaurant in the Venetian for Italian. The pasta tasting menu is always good.
3. Table 10 in the new Pallazzo hotel’s shopping area. Great rotisserie meat and poultry.
4. If you like buffets, the Wynn or the Bellagio are the best.
Have a great time.
LibKat
My Pittsburgh Penguins stay alive in 3 overtimes! What are your thoughts on hockey? Like or dislike.
Linda Gagne
Your answers are as charming as usual. I just love your way of putting things!
The navigational devices are the rave here in New Hampshire. Most of the men I know don’t leave home without it. However, I don’t know too many women who have it in their cars.
Hey Linda,
NH eh! In what town do you live? I’m originally from Nashua and went to HS with a lot of Gagne’s… wonder if we knew eash other? Know any Marquis’?
Cheers,
Patricia
Here’s hoping the treatment for Jelly kicks in. We love them like kids. It’s hard to see them uncomfortable.
Thanks for answering my questions. I’ll leave you alone now 🙂
Have a good night.
Hey,
Wasn’t sure if you’d missed it last time, but did they finish filming the midseason two-parter already? If it was a normal episode I would guess that they had, but since its a two-parter I thought I might ask. Looks like me and Christle were both having problems with routers, I’m glad mine didn’t last as long.
Hey Joe,
Quick question…I have been having an SG-1 marathon the last few weeks and happened to be watching ‘Prodigy’.
Elisabeth Rosen is such a great actress and did a fantastic job in both ‘Prodigy’ and ‘Proving Ground’!! I know its a long shot but any chance that she and “Hailey” may find their way to Atlantis???
The first 4 seasons have had very little interaction between McKay and Teyla and McKay and Ronon (3 seasons for Ronon). Are there any plans to rectify this in season 5?
okay Mr Mallozzi that fog is just plain creepy
Thanks for the video. Would love to have had that fog machine back when I was in LARP. That would have been fun. 🙂
So when you do get lost do you pull in somewhere and ask directions or do you just keep driving and hope you find where you are trying to get to? I know some would rather drive around for an extra hour than stop and admit not knowing what they were doing.
That IS a good point. I wonder…what if some Wraiths are able to “suck out” more than just lifeforce, but also their victim’s thoughts and memories and stuff, and so that, when and if they perform the gift of life on somebody, that somebody would then act all schizophrenic because he/she received the “soul” of another person? Wouldn’t that be a cool idea?
Wouldn’t it? I’ll offer it to you for free. Honest.
In the meantime…Season 5 is rockin’! Hopefully I’ll be saying that about both SG1 and SGA’s Season 5’s when the latter airs, but for now, let’s talk about the former. Watched 3 more episodes today:
Ascension: Again, I’m not interested in one-off romances, but I think this worked thanks to the Ancients angle. Oh wait, we’re not supposed to know at this point that they’re the Ancients right? Sneaky. Anyway, the music here is phenomenal, and it has been this way most of this season so far. I loved how you guys managed to tease out that girly-girl Sam we saw early on in the series, with her self-doubt of her own sanity, and spazzing when Jack and Teal’c show up at the door with pizza and Star Wars (“It’s Colonel O’Neil! Uh…disappear!”). Speaking of which, Jack was in top form here, comedy wise (“Have fun”. “Thank you”. “Have a pizza!…And fun”).
When I first watched this episode years ago, Sean Patrick Flanery’s performance was less-than-satisfying, being all wooden and stiff. Of course, now that I’m wiser, I see the method behind the lack-of-madness. Of course he’d be stilted and awkward and near-emotionless at the beginning; he hasn’t felt that way for thousands of years! Paying closer attention this time, I see him gradually loosening up as the episode progressed. So kudos to him! Overall, a great episode.
The Fifth Man: Yet another great episode, though the weakest of Season 5 so far (of the first 5 I’ve seen) by a very small margin. Col. Q is really starting to grate, but in a good way. The fact that Danny remembered the Quantum Mirror was very nice. Overall though, the best parts are at the end, when “Tyler” sacrifices himself, and then reacts with surprise when SG1 rescues him anyway. The moment when he says “But…I’m not one of your people” and Jack goes “Could’ve fooled me”, with the music rising to that crescendo actually made me pretty emotional. The CGI was surprisingly good too. Overall, wonderful episode, though the middle was a tad slow.
Red Sky: My God, Jack was AWESOME here. It was like an 1-man comedy troop when he spoke to the Asgard high council. His banter with Daniel was also a delight; his happiness at finally being right about something Science-y equally so. The anger he showed when Brother Jackass went all Osama Bin Laden on them was a sight to see, and I actually wanted him to fire. But, good guys are good guys, I guess. The score, again, was just heavenly, and the good guy K’Tau leader was a great, likable character. Overall, another wonderful episode.
Hello again Mr M!
Greetings from Sun Soaked Tipperary!
Am really enjoying “In the Garden of Iden”, and am looking forward to posting some thoughts later on for the review. When are you guys getting a break ie Summer Hiatus? Is it soon? It seems to be all work work work at the mo! Also, have you bumped into the Sanctuary Crew at work, since they are on the same lot?
Talk soon!
Shirt’n’Tie
Have gotten about three quarters the way through Crawlers. I am finding it a quick read (mostly because I’m skimming). I like the idea behind the story, with nanobots run wild, but have to admit I’m not particularly enamoured of the characters.
In some ways, I think this novel suffers a bit from the syndrome that so many horror films seem to, in that the whole town is sleepwalking into a desperate situation. Strange things are happening, people are behaving oddly, and, despite the fact that everybody seems to know everyone else well enough to know they’re behaving oddly, nobody is thinking, “Well, you know, this doesn’t look too good. Maybe I’ll go visit Aunt Mary for a few days over in the next county.”
I don’t have a problem with the jargon used by the teenagers, but I am kind of frustrated with Adair’s blinkers — she spends much of the first part of the novel more interested in why Wayland isn’t making any moves on her than in why her mother is suddenly behaving in a completely odd manner. Contrary to popular Hollywood belief, I think there is more to life for teenage girls than boys.
This question came up between my wife and I a few nights ago.
Have you or any of the other writers ever discussed writing an episode that took place around Halloween?
I think this would be a cool idea. However, I do realize that the track record of both SG-1 and Atlantis seems to show that you all avoid writing about holidays and the such.
Question (and forgive me if this has been answered previously):
Are all ‘life forces’ created equal? What if a Wraith who had just fed returned the life force to someone other than the person from whom he extracted it?
Also, have you read Elizabeth Moon’s “Remnant Population”? Amazing book.
I couldn’t get into Crawlers so I have no comment except that, written differently, it had great potential to be a really funny horror book.
There’s that fog again.
Papaver rhoeas Shirley Poppy
Can’t figger this one out at all.
Answer: They weren’t a couple. Amen.
new A&E version of The Andromeda Strain
Absolutely sucked. Read the book.
Looking for Sci-Fi Channel to start doing their part and advertising NEW SGA!! just a lil over a month and the website isn’t even retooled yet to bye Sam and hello Keller. ‘course, neither is MGM’s site. I’m assuming the s5 promo pix are done? I seem to recall DH saying so.
(insert many colorful expletives) downsizing & layoffs.
DD
Wait didn’t see this
My sisters & I have a theory about Todd and his wicked sense of humour: We think he got *polluted* by sucking out Sheppard.
Oh that’s priceless. Add disobeying orders, Wraith football & carnivals, and I can just see the two of them golfing and boarding (surf, skate or snow). And having messy hair.
DD
Hi Joe,
Do you watch Sci fi movies & if so what one is your favourite?
What is your favourite comic book character, if you have one?
Thanks for getting me back into reading! I am loving it! I am trying to get the books that you recommend & those on the side bar too! I am reading Day of the Triffids at the moment!
Take Care & happiness always!
Cathie
Call me delusional, because I could have sworn that what I remember following after Vala was crying in Daniel’s room made them a couple until they figured out how to get out of the time loop. Teal’c’s comments to her at the end only helped to confirm that idea in my mind.
Tell me you were just making fun, please.
Slian
So, if you do pursue romance, what will you do when you catch it? Drag it screaming to the broom closet, throw a blanket over it and whack it a few times with a fire extinguisher until it quits whimpering and crawls off to die in the sewer?
(and then it could mutate into a Skiffy Original Movie Monster. Yay.)
Cool vid!
I’ve always wanted one of those fog making machines. A mini one could come in very handy to impress friends and co-workers. Working late? Dim the lights and fog the floor of your cubicle farm… (heh)
Crazymom your post just made me snort chocolate milk out my nose. Hope you don’t have her all week. Try handing her a stack of paper from the photocopy room, and a box of envelopes, then have her fold and stuff a piece of blank paper into each envelope while you go for lunch. Have her phone you when she’s done. 🙂
– Nika
So there’s a koala in Atlantis? Does it have a jacket with an Australian flag? I’ve noticed a few people leave comments about the lack of those jackets, maybe if we knew they were taken for the koala all would be fine.
Well, I couldn’t get Crawlers but I’d like to pose a question for discussion if that’s ok. I think particularly with scifi books it can be easy to move away from characters and detail the technology, society and the plot around those elements, but how important do people feel characters are in scifi books? What types of scifi have people read where characters haven’t been easy to relate to, and were any of the books good despite that.
I find I’m very big on character-driven stories. I like to see how the characters will react to situations, how situations will for around characters and the relationships that are developed. Sometimes it can be complicated in scifi, particularly “hard” scifi which deals a lot with other features.
Just some food for thought, I guess, but I’d be interested to hear what others think.
Hey Joe! I think you are a hella good writer! Also, you have a hella good blog. And your doggies are hella cute.
Ok. I’ll stop now. It’s out of my system. 😉
@Tim Gaffney: HA!!! I wished you “Good Luck” and it worked! Oh, you’re welcome. And… GOOD LUCK with game six! 😀 Go Penguins!
@crazymom: If the inept trainee makes you go crazy, wouldn’t that be a little redundant? 😉 Would we then have to refer to you as CRAZY crazymom? 😀 You made her cry? Is that like me making someone cry? Other than my 7 year old who hates it when I tell her no Skittles before dinner, I just don’t make people cry. *sigh* You have my sympathy. I say bang your head against the wall anyway. That isn’t fair that they said you can’t do that anymore.
@genericwhiteguy: Oh please. Don’t be ridiculous. They would never be dancing the jitterbug. It would obviously be the lambada: the Forbidden Dance.
I’m with Jadzia, can we see Woolsey sing? and Oberoth?? 😀
Who cares about Joe getting photographed? speaking of which, are we going to get to see more of someone OTHER than Shep save the day in season 5? yeah yeah, he’s the hero of the story, but it’s nice to see others besides him and McKay save the day, like Radek in Quarantine, or Ronon and Teyla in Tabula Rasa 😀 Who will be saving the day in season 5?
Romance in season 5? yes! I was wondering about Amelia and Lorne in Quarantine 😉 I’m good with any romance, even if it’s not my favorite pairing… because unless there’s some miracle scene between Weir/McKay, I know not gonna get any this season 🙁 Romance doesn’t mean McKay talking about some woman’s body, does it?
About the lifesigns detectors, what about the little chips that SG members have embedded in their skin to make it easier to beam them, do those transmit who the actual person is?
Haven’t read Crawlers so I can’t comment other than to say that anywhere youthful colloquialisms are used usually tends to make an author seem to have tried TOO hard, also they are never the same universally, I mean round my neck of the woods everything is spoken in text speak and internet slang, it seems to be the only way kids can get away with swearing is by using the acronyms, so it’d probably be way over my head cuz I wouldn’t have a clue what hella is but in Cornwall we use Heller to indicate someone who is known as a hell raiser, see what I mean? I also find many people asking for “britspeak” when writing their fanfics, is there not a kinda universal thesaurus that includes international colloquiallisms? maybe we should get one going.
For the old hip/joint thing, I’m using Glucosamine with Chondroitin as recommended by my GP but then I have osteo-arthritis and my GP tells me I have the knees of a 80 year old, wish the bugger’d take ’em back and give me my originals!
I’ve been trying to watch the new Andromeda Strain but honestly the first one was the better version and sorry to say I haven’t read the book either. *hangs head in shame*
Oh well, back to cutting the grass in between rain showers.
Hi Joe, I was rewatching Sunday, and I was wondering if Teyla’s crush on expidition will revisited or if due to the pregnancy and Kanaan the idea will be thrown away.
This looks like a book right up my alley. Right now I’m finishing “In the Company of Others” by Julie E. Czerneda, started reading Neil Gaiman’s “Sandman” vol 1 and have been glancing through “Omnivores Dilemma” by Michael Pollan–this one is fascinating. Eating: everything to do with… C O R N. These are a few excerpts:
National Eating Disorder—what shall we have for dinner?
For me the absurdity of the situation became inescapable in the fall of 2002, when one of the most ancient and venerable staples of human life abruptly disappeared from the American dinner table. I’m talking of course about bread. Virtually overnight, Americans changed the way the way they ate. A collective spasm of what can only be described as carbophobia seized the country, supplanting an era of national lipophobia dating to the Carter administration….
….Some philosophers have argued that the very open-endedness of human appetite is responsible for both our savagery and civility, since a creature that could conceive of eating anything (including, notably, other humans) stands in particular need of ethical rules, manners, and ritual. We are not only
what we eat, but how we eat, too.
Nor would such a culture be shocked to discover that there are other countries, such as Italy and France, that decide their dinner questions on the basis of such quaint and unscientific criteria as pleasure
and tradition, eat all manner of “unhealthy” foods, and, lo and behold, wind up actually healthier and happier in their eating than we are.
…
And so we find ourselves where we do, confronting in the supermarket or at the dinner table the dilemmas of omnivorousness, some of them ancient and others never before imagined. The organic apple or the conventional? And if the organic, the local one or the imported? The wild fish or the farmed? The transfats or the butter or the “not butter”? Shall I
be a carnivore or a vegetarian? And if a vegetarian, a lacto-vegetarian or a vegan? Like the hunter- gatherer picking a novel mushroom off the forest
floor and consulting his sense memory to determine its edibility,we pick up the package in the super- market and, no longer so confident of our senses, scrutinize the label, scratching our heads over the meaning of phrases like “heart healthy,”“no transfats,” “cage-free,” or “range-fed.”
…Reversing the chronological order, I start with the industrial food chain, since that is the one that today involves and concerns us the most. It is also by far the biggest and longest. Since monoculture is the hallmark of the industrial food chain, this section
focuses on a single plant: “Zea mays”, the giant tropical grass we call corn, which has become the keystone species of the industrial food chain,
and so in turn of the modern diet.
Wraith Diet: humans Hmmmmm…wonder if they’ll ever consider growing corn instead….
Thank you for responding to my many posts. Your answer was very helpful.
🙂
WK
Hey Joe, it’s been a while since posted anything… Anyway, i’ve just been rewatching Trio and I have a question; what were the Genii mining on that planet or will we find out in season 5?
>>>> Slian Martreb
Call me delusional, because I could have sworn that what I remember following after Vala was crying in Daniel’s room made them a couple until they figured out how to get out of the time loop. Teal’c’s comments to her at the end only helped to confirm that idea in my mind.
Tell me you were just making fun, please.<<<<<<<<<<<<
GEEZ!!!! In the Time LOOP and in the time loop only! NOT after! What I’d call it is not polite, but it starts with “pity” and ends with … well, it isn’t romantic. Why must shippers see what is not there? Daniel doesn’t really seem to like Vala, he’s barely civil to her. If that’s a couple, that’s freakin’ dysfunctional.
Okay, back to SGA now. Has romance been beaten into a grease stain yet?
Amz said: “I think particularly with scifi books it can be easy to move away from characters and detail the technology, society and the plot around those elements, but how important do people feel characters are in scifi books? What types of scifi have people read where characters haven’t been easy to relate to, and were any of the books good despite that.”
I think it depends a lot on what people are looking for from the story. I know that sometimes I am willing to overlook problems with characterization if I feel the science aspect is sufficiently interesting. An example of this, for me, would be Robert L. Forward’s Dragon’s Egg. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel, but it was because of the ideas behind the story and their implications rather than the characters involved.
From my own personal reading experience, I find hard science fiction novels in particular tend to focus more on the science/physics/future world-building aspects and not so much on the characters. The stories often seem, to me, to be constructed around ideas and events, and the characters are stuck in as a kind of authorial mouthpiece. If the idea around which the story has been constructed is good enough (see Dragon’s Egg), then, for me, it can still result in an entertaining (and informative) read.
I also think this becomes more complicated when one factors in that different readers will have different levels of expectation for what defines good characterization. I mean, what strikes me as a rather stereotypical portrayal of a teenage girl might very well strike another reader as real and thoroughly convincing. A lot depends on the reader’s own personal experiences — it’s easier to relate to characters with whom we can empathize to some degree. For example, I find it hard to empathize with women characters that strike me as being present in the novel solely to make the men around her look good (Oh, look, he saved her. Again. And isn’t she lucky that he’s noticed how attractive/smart/competent she is, and wants to marry her). But I’m also prejudiced in that so many books and movies have portrayed women in this way that I now tend to go in expecting any female characters to suffer from this affliction. Someone less jaundiced may have a completely different, and possibly more realistic, view of those female characters, and conclude that they’ve been portrayed in a realistic and 3-dimensional manner.
Just my opinion, of course. 🙂
Do you plan on reading The Host By Stephenie Meyer or any of the Twilight Books by Stephenie Meyer?
Well, I hoped and prayed and even crossed my fingers and toes…yes, I’m that flexible…but after verification that you really uttered that “romance” comment I have to say I’m not looking forward to season 5 nearly as much as before.
I guess Atlantis really is turning into a docked Love Boat after all with Keller, the relationship crutch, as our Cruise Director. And here I was hoping she’d find INTERGALACTIC LOVE with an open airlock.
Sorry, but I’m really disappointed. I honestly thought all this romance on the high seas stuff was a joke.
I am so glad Thornyrose wasn’t able to get thru the book like me. It did not have the umph to grab me from the beginning. I almost felt bad not finishing it. I never give up on books so I am not going to say that I won’t finish it but it is not one of my must read. The only other book that felt like that to me was THE TERROR by Dan Simmons but I will finish that book it just won’t be in one sitting. I have heard nothing but good things on THE TERROR so I remain dedicated to finishing that book hopefully by the end of the year.
I am sorry Joe that I can not really discuss the book but from what I did read I can say that the characters felt one dimenisional and truly flat. There was no build up to wanting to know the characters and I guess that is where it lost me. As for the word “hella” I can say with much embarassment that even at my age I am still using that word…and yes a lot of Californians use that word.
I will say that I have now received all three of next BOTM and I am scheduling them into my other must reads for this month.
And I also went out and bought Old Man’s War and the sequel as well as some other books that have been talked about here. So much for my goal of not buying any more books this summer.
-Did anyone catch that “are you my mommy?” on last weeks Doctor Who? I almost fell out of my chair laughing and trying to explain it to my sister who has just now started watching the first series even though she watched all of series three. I must say the Donna Noble is by far my favorite companion and that is not because I love Catherine Tate (aka Lauren Cooper). I am not happy with what they are going to do by the end of series four but I can’t wait for this weeks episode.
I had decided not to read Crawlers due to the “horror” label and after reading the comments, do not regret decision.
Apolgies for not jumping in for the Scalzi discussion as I “lost” the book. I just moved and it was put away very nicely so I could retrieve it to read for book report day, but, sigh…I put it away too nicely. Finally found it – late. The Android’s Dream was a wonderful trip into a kinda believeable fantasy world. Politics being what it is – it is the “spin and marketing” applied to concepts. It was in many ways like some of our Star Gate destinations to observe the customs and “politics.” Very enjoyable and easy read, once I got it back into my hands.
One statement I would make about words used. For example, the setting of The Android’s Dream is in our contemporary consciousness so the colorful language is part and parcel of the time. Going back to The Blade Itself, the “period/timefrme” just seemed awkward. I think I’ve established I am not a prude so it was not the language just the meshing of it with the assumed time period.
But even that stated, the next Abercrombie selection Before They are Hanged arrived; I need to discover how things evolved. Dang, the cliff hanger books now.
Someone stated prior – about cliff hanger books. I, too, have to admit that is it a bit of a downer to discover at book’s end that – it really ain’t over. But, I guess we of the Stargate fandom should be used to the, “….to be continued.” Which is good because we have something to look forward to – or are eager to discover what happened.
Am enjoying the Garden of Iden.
Sure wish I had your ability to read books quickly – I think you need to have a “Reader’s Seminar/Panel” at your next convention to teach us how to do it.
Or, Joe Mallozzi’s on-line academy!
Hi Joe,
Do we have a name for Teyla’s baby boy? How bout RonJon? (after her two bestest friends) Or Johron? Maybe Teygon? (after her father). What episode will he make his first appearance? I have a lab with hip problems–not fun since her absolute favorite thing in the whole world is a “WALK.” Her whole body wiggles and her face lights up–we just can’t go very far anymore. Love her anyway.
Mr. M…
Have you ever eaten at The Herbfarm (near Seattle, Washington)?
http://www.theherbfarm.com/
I heard about this place years ago and – since I’ll never get a chance to eat there – bought their cookbook (which is my herb bible now). Was experimenting with one of their recipes this morning (Mmmmmm!! Fresh eggs, fresh herbs and creamy cheese….oh, and our first strawberries from the garden! Yum!!), and – believe it or not – I thought of you.
If you have eaten at The Herbfarm, how was the experience?
das
I’m reminded of a guy I knew who wrote a script in which his teenage protagonist cried “Cowabunga!” after injuring herself. Really.
Oh. My.
I’m fairly certain no one has said that since the craze over the last (“live action”) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie died down. Actually, has anyone really said that since the 80’s?
The book sounds…kind of a like a movie Sci-Fi would show on at about 3am. I have certainly watched enough of those to recognize their prerequisite type of storyline. Yikes. I guess it’s ok, maybe then, that I didn’t get the chance to read it.
How much dry ice did the Whispers set go through?
Ack! There is goes with the winks again. Sorry, bad coding!
I got through the first chapter of Crawlers and stopped, I got so freaked out. I am not much of a horror fan but the summary you posted about the book intrigued me. Alas, I am too much of a chicken. I figure if I get scared watching certain episodes of Atlantis and actually screamed while watching Doctor Who’s Blink; I’d never make it through the book.
I thought the first part of the show was great and was totally sucked in. Then when it turns out that the satellite was from the future, because we, the past, had a “resource” they needed I got annoyed. That fact that the future would send back a sample of a deadly strain to the past in the hopes we’d stop strip mining the bottom of the ocean seemed a little far fetched.
I agree with you, Mr. Mallozzi, it would make more sense to send back a useful message rather then cryptic less then helpful number and logo. i don’t know, how about, “Hey this is the future. We’d really appreciate it if you’d not kill off this particular bacterium as one day it will be the only thing to kill of this deadly virus we’ve all got here. Thanks”.
The ending of the movie defiantly fell flat for me. Although I did like the debris falling tunnel with the deadly pool of radioactive stuff at the bottom, and slick pipes that just had to be claimed at the end.
Shana
Yay for another fog video! 😛
Great answers as always Joe. 🙂
TO ALI (regarding Dr Who): Yeah Saturdays eppy was very very good, it creeped me out no end! And just what the hell is going on with that River Song character and the Doctor?
Cherish4 (also counting the shadows!).
fsmn36 – yeah, the coding drives me nuts – esp. when winkies show up where I don’t want them!! Arrghhh! Wish we could edit – like, after I read my post, I thought, “why didn’t I say ‘dined’ instead of ‘eaten’?” ‘Dined’ just sounds better, but then again, that’s just me being anal… 😛
das
Hmm. This is sad that I would explain a movie that fell so short of the original message and brilliance of the novel, but I have been thinking a lot about this:
If you were sending a plea for help back to the past to help combat a virus, wouldn’t it make more sense to send a straightforward video rundown of the problem rather than a cryptic, encrypted communication accompanied by a lethal strain of the very virus you’ve had no luck in stopping?
You can’t just send a message because the President would probably just think that it was a scam coming from his environmentalist opponents, and not give it a second glance. By sending the virus back, they hoped to show that vent-mining was a bad idea… how could their message be ignored once so many people died?
But that movie had such awful plot holes and just generally bad planning and oh I could go on and on about the awfulness of it… but I will settle for once again recommending that anyone who saw this movie and ended up confused or angry (or liked it, for that matter) read the book!!!
Cowabunga, how hilariously innappropriate. I do remember falling prey to de-evolution of language as a child in favor of 1) Surfer-dude-speak of the late 80s as well as 2) The wishy washy unfocused mind-speak of Dawson’s Creek (and other following teen soaps).
Dear Joe,
Back again after lurking for a couple of weeks. I have finished giving and grading my finals and tomorrow is the last day of school for the Class of 2008 in Miami-Dade County’s Braddock High School. Thursday is graduation day.
Thanks again for the blog (the rant on the devolution of language is something near and dear to my heart…one of my pet peeves, especially when I get a paper that has things like “I went 2 da stor n freaked cuz my bff wuz kissin my bf” in it). The video is great – I always love when you post behind the scenes stuff.
I’m curioius: in “Search and Rescue” are Lorne and McKay close enough for conversation? I would ask about John and Ronon, but the drawings you’ve posted on this blog makes it look like John is unconscious. I won’t ask what the conversation might be about; I’ll be content to fantasize about that until July, but I would appreciate that one question…
Thanks again!
MA
I chuckled when I read the supposed quote from you, Mr. M, because to me it does not sound at all like something you would say. And when I saw your response, I laughed at what I thought was sarcasm and confirmation of my instinct. However, others think you were confirming you had indeed made that comment. Before too many people get crazy over this, would you please answer this question: Did you say anything even remotely close to “This is the year we’re going to pursue romance”?
Christin wrote:
Gospel singer Romance Watson can be seen here.
Anne Teldy
Hmmm, thunder, lightning, sideways rain, tornado watch…good thing this is my laptop that is about to go in the trash, or I’d have to unplug everything (the battery doesn’t work anymore). Spock is hiding under the table because the rain is making too much noise on the skylight. Radar, who is mostly deaf, is sleeping contently on the sofa. He used to be afraid of storms back when he could actually hear the rain and thunder. All of this reminds me that “The Eye” and “The Storm” are two of my most favorite Atlantis episodes ever, although I pretty much consider them one episode. Counting down to that premiere in July!
Hey Joe…I just realised that I’ve been reading your blog for over a month now!
I have a couple of questions today:
1) Have you ever read any of John Marsden’s books?
2) Have you read any of the books from the Gate Keepers series?
3) What is your favourite Stargate fan site?…Gateworld?
I’m feeling much better today, although I am extremely tired! The meds I have to take for pain, muscle relaxants and some other pill starting with a P (too long to trpe), combined make me very drowsy.
Thankfully there was rain today and the moose blood and fur was somewhat washed away (see previous posts).
I second the request for Sci Fi, MGM, et al to update their websites. We’re a month away; what’s the deal? Also, let’s see some S5 promo shots, for crying out loud!
Read David’s new interview at MGM. (And wow, is that a hot picture of him!) Gotta say Joe, the love triangle thing does not appeal to me at all. It’s just not an aspect I’m interested in, and I think it won’t do any good for Keller, either. I can hear the screaming now!
Hi Joe!
I’ve had a question in my mind for a few days and want to throw it into the cybersea.
Are there file folders (on a computer or in a file drawer) with basic info on each character or do you writers keep it all in your head and refer back to eps as needed or do you do something else?
As fans, we make it a point to remember all the fine, wonderful details of our fave characters, but I don’t expect every writer to know the details of every other writer’s shows.
Something I forgot to include in my brief positive review of The Android’s Dream. The visual I got in my head of Robin’s mother was very disturbing. It was made even more so because I can believe that some weirdo out there would actually be sexually interested in a human/sheep hybrid. I was extra sad because she wasn’t bred to be anything but a (insert appropriate crude prostitute wording). She couldn’t walk properly due to her limb proportions. She was probably in pain. She had no rights and no say in what happened to her. Goodness knows what went on in her mind. It made me sad. 🙁 But in a good way, because John Scalzi was such a good writer. 🙂
eddy
It goes without saying – surgery can be risky, especially for older pugs.
Yes indeed – for older anything or anyone, really. My wheelchair-bound great-aunt would be helped by hip surgery, but the docs have too many concerns about her ability to make it safely through the operation. I completely understand your dilemma, and like others have said, hope that the glucosamine will be of benefit.
This may be old news to you (and maybe over-the-counter meds are regulated in Canada), but many supplements have been found to vary so much in quality that a decent dose of one brand could be merely placebo-strength in another brand. I recall reading about a year ago that one of the US’s most frequented (and most expensive) nutritional-supplement stores was one of the most lamentably uneven in the dosage concentration of its products and their overall quality of ingredients. Germany is the one country I know of that regulates non-prescription meds and keeps up with quality control for dietary supplements.
Bottom line: I hope things go as well as possible for Jelly. Hugs (better yet, scratches in her favorite places) for her.
First, read an abridged version of the first chapter for Crawlers on the net. It left me intrigued and I was considering it for some summer reading. I’m not a big scifi reader but love classic SK horror. Now after reading your review, I’m not so sure. Overlooking all the things you didn’t like about the book, is it worth reading? I seem to be picturing a cross between, The Invasion of the Body Snatchers with John Carpenter’s The Thing with a little Micheal Crichton nanotechnology. Second, watched your video. Nice fog. Looks toxic, especially with most of the crew wearing gas masks.
Hi Joe,
Will we hear and/or see Teyla sing any lullabyes to her son this season?
Hope all is well,
Camy