They might not be raindrops on roses or whiskers on kittens, but that doesn’t mean that we love them any less. Welcome back to My Favorite Things, a weekly column where we gab about the greatest in geek. This week, we’re got quite an assortment. There’s not one, but two top notch speculative books, a podcast perfect for sci-fi fans, a well-crafted animated special, and great new pieces for fans of geek fashion. Also, a warm welcome to our new columnist, Merrin, to My Favorite Things!
Read on for more!
Tez’s Favorite Thing is… Rolling in the Deep!
Climb aboard the SS Atargatis for a fantastic journey exploring the Mariana Trench. But beware of what lies beneath the surface…
The scientists want to research what’s below, but are forced to share the ship with a TV crew filming a pseudo-scientific documentary about possible sea monsters. The network has also sent along professional mermaids to swim in the shadows on camera.
Don’t get too attached, though. We’re warned upfront: no one returns home.
Mira Grant’s Rolling the Deep is a killer adventure at sea — and below. The large cast of characters and their department are sometimes hard to keep track of, though my favorites are David and Jessica.
And good news, everyone! Into the Drowning Deep, a companion novel, will be published in November, so there’s more “aquatic horror” to anticipate.
Merrin’s Favorite Thing is… EOS 10!
I’ve only really gotten into podcasts in the last several years or so, and it took me even longer than that to discover the wealth of really interesting fictional podcasts that are or were being produced. One of my favorites that I’ve listened to so far is sadly no longer in production, but is still and always worth a listen. EOS 10 is an intergalactic space station, home to a many splendored mix of aliens and humans and their new (human) doctor: Ryan Dalias. The podcast follows his acclimatization to his new role, his somewhat tumultuous relationship with his boss, Dr. Urvidian, the station AI who may or may not be in love with him, and a hypochondriac patient named Levi who won’t stop taking off his pants. This podcast manages to mix an interesting cast of characters with some lovely voice acting and some laugh-out-loud shenanigans.
What I’ve loved most about it since listening to it the first time is how much I enjoy re-listening to it, which I’ve done a couple of times. It’s two seasons long, 18 episodes that are about a half hour a piece, so not a huge time commitment. You can catch it on iTunes or via SoundCloud at their website!
Shara’s Favorite Thing is… Geek Fashion!
I’ve always been a fan of Her Universe fashion, but some things are just cuter than others. This exclusive t-shirt makes me wish I’d been able to attend WonderCon, because how adorable is Baby Groot? I may not be a hugger by nature, and sure, maybe wearing this in public would lead to some uninvited public displays of affection, but this shirt is so-stinking-CUTE. I’d wear it around the house just to force my husband to give me extra hugs!
And if that’s not enough, Her Universe founder Ashley Eckstein is featuring some of her own favorite Star Wars gear on her own website: gorgeous accessories made by Loungefly and Love and Madness. Erika geeked out in December over Love and Madness’ fabulous wrap-around bracelets, and now I’m coveting one something fierce. And that Mandalorian handbag from Loungefly? Someone just needs to hide my credit cards, and make me forget my password to my Pay Pal account, because I want to go to shopping!
Betsy’s Favorite Thing is… A Green and Ancient Light!
Frederic S. Durbin’s A Green and Ancient Light is not for everyone. It will no doubt read as slow and over-detailed to some, though not in the way of Tolkien’s expositions on the lives of hobbits. It is both fully grounded and entirely fantastic. It takes place on many borders, as the best faerie stories do — on the edge of the town and the wood, on the threshold of manhood, at the intersection of humanity and war, at the doorway to another world and entangled in a centuries-old puzzle that may or may not be best to solve. It contains everything you find in the green and ancient light of an established forest canopy: adventure, life, peace, and comfort — but also danger, death, and the menace of things beyond sight or understanding. It was a beautiful read: atmospheric, timeless, place-less and just a little bit perfect.
Janicu’s Favorite Thing is… The Gruffalo!
This month’s favorite thing comes from courtesy of Netflix and my fried brain. I was in need something short and sweet, and I found the 28 minute long animation, The Gruffalo. Based on the children’s book, a mother squirrel comforts her two children by telling them a story. She begins, “A mouse took a stroll through the deep, dark wood.” A fox, an owl, and a snake see the mouse, but he escapes being eaten by telling them he’s meeting a Gruffalo, and makes up a fearsome creature that frightens them off. The mouse continues on, and in a surprise twist, he meets a Gruffalo. Everything about this charmed me: the fairy-tale allusions, the beautiful animation, the accents in the creatures’ voices. There was also a juxtaposition between wonder and danger that was really interesting. There’s a scene in a field of puffy white dandelions with the mouse following a butterfly, and later a scene where the mouse crosses a pond while flies, crickets, and fish are eaten around him. The mouse is walking through the beautiful woods, but there’s death all around. This balance of sweet and dark was lovely: it didn’t shy away from how nature worked, while still making me feel warm fuzzies at the end! I of course had to watch the sequel The Gruffalo’s Child, which I am happy to say was just as good, if not better. I would recommend watching these in order to get the full impact of the sequel.
Any thoughts on the selections above? Let me know in the comments.
Tez, I really enjoyed Rolling in the Deep, though I would have liked it a little longer, I think. I’m excited to hear there’s a companion novella planned! And what about that artwork? Glorious cover. That’s what pushed me to order it, even when it was pricey!
Betsy, have you read Durbin’s Dragonfly? I picked it up in some weird little bookshop and then was progressively weirded out by the book. I still don’t really know how I feel about it.
Rolling in the Deep was a lot of fun, but like Lane, I wish it’d been a bit longer too: more time to flesh out the characters and the world. Very glad to hear there’s a companion novel coming out!
[…] NOTE: I first published this on Speculative Chic. […]