Do you know how long I searched for a gif or a video clip of just the Fifth Doctor saying to the Tenth Doctor "You're... a fan!" from "Time Crash?" Apparently, people like the Master's Beard joke more (nothing wrong with that - but when I'm trying to find something else... *sigh* Oh well).
One of the big draws about Gallifrey One is meeting the stars of "Doctor Who." Before I even got on the plane for Los Angeles, I was a bit nervous about how I was going to comport myself in front of these famous people, who I admire so much. I certainly wanted to meet them, but I didn't want to get tongue-tied and make a complete ass of myself. I'd heard plenty of stories from fans at Gally who just struck up semi-normal conversations with these actors and even kept in contact with them afterward. Then there's me thinking "Pfft - right! I could never do that!"
I made it to LobbyCon and was definitely feeling starstruck when I spied Frazer Hines and Nicholas Briggs across the way that first night. But I had the good fortune to fall in with some new Gally friends - Sara and Sarah from Texas (I need to find them on Facebook or Twitter or something) - and they coaxed me into asking Nicholas Briggs for a photograph, which he was only too happy to do!
I posted this on my first Gally recap - but I'm posting it again. It's that cool!
Oh, and of course, my infamous antics (at least, I felt like they were antics. Anyone watching probably wouldn't have noticed) trying to corner Frazer Hines for a photograph. Getting Frazer's autograph was easy, even though was babbled like a nutty fangirl the entire time (Glenn can attest to this - that's why he got pictures of it. Actually, I'm glad he did). There were so many times I'd see Frazer in the hall and try to talk to him, but he always had somebody else cornering him (I got to talk to Deborah Watling after the interview she did with Frazer on Sunday because of this, though. And I regret not getting her autograph too. She is like the sweetest, sweetest version of your grandmother, but with a hint of mischief in her eye. So wonderful). Finally - FINALLY - on the last night, Mel pretty much dared me to go out there and ask Frazer for a picture. And I'm damn glad she did because I would never have had the guts to do it without someone playing wingman - and Mel was a fantastic wingman (wing-lady).
Look how insanely giddy I am! I had to run back into the hotel before I squee'd so much that I embarrassed myself. I mean, more than I already had
Here's a roundup of the autographs and pictures I got with the various guests -
The Dalek's a celebrity, right?
with Dan Starkey (Strax) before he even got his coffee.
Mel, Shaun and I found Neve McIntosh (Madame Vastra) - Love her!
Ian McNiece (Winston Churchill)
Also - Autographs!
Mark Strickson (Turlough) - This was a special treat for me because, well, Turlough's awesome!
I was so excited to get Frazer Hines' autograph that I had to run up to the lobby and tweet about it.
I had not initially planned to get Peter Purves' autograph, but as the con went on, I realized that I really needed to meet Steven - he was one of my favorites from the First Doctor's era.
Freema Agyeman - she was such a treat to talk to.
Sylvester McCoy - love this guy.
(These are all going up on my wall as soon as I can find decent picture frames)
It's funny, but every time I met Doctor Who actors at Gally, the only thing I could think of to say is that I loved their work on the show. Which was very much true! Jamie is one of my very favorite companions of the Classic series, as is Turlough (I maintain that if Tegan had left earlier on in the Fifth Doctor's run, the Doctor and Turlough would have made an awesome team on their own). Steven Taylor is another gem of Classic Who and I love Freema Agyeman as Martha Jones (as well as in some of the other things she's been in). The point is that I wish I could have thought of something much more profound to say than simply "I love your work!" But I quickly found out that often, that was the best thing you could say to these actors.
This really hit me on Saturday night during the Classic Companion Panel (plus the Valeyard, but he's loveable anyway). The first of two Freema Agyeman interviews was scheduled for that night in the main ballroom and they were encouraging people to pick one or the other so everyone had a chance to see Freema. I had decided to go see Freema on Sunday morning so I could see the Classic Companion Panel (actually, it was called Legends and Lore in the program guide). Mel kept talking about wanting to see Turlough (Mark Strickson) and Glenn and Shaun couldn't figure that out until Mel and I spelled it out for them. So, we all went to that on Saturday. We talked about it on one of our Gally Updates (I think it was Gally Update 3), but I can talk about it here.
The "Legends and Lore" panel - I can't get over how awesome this panel was.
All of the panelists were fantastic. There were so many great stories from all of them about being on Doctor Who and their work since then - can I remember them all? Of course not! (note to self - bring a notebook next year!) But the feeling in the room was one of genuine love and admiration, both from the fans and from the actors to the fans. I think it was Mark Strickson who talked about how amazed he was that so many people would come see a panel of people talking about a show that they did thirty, forty, fifty years ago when they could have gone to see Freema Agyeman (i.e. - someone more modern) downstairs. The rest of them more or less agreed that they didn't think there would be so many people in the room - and it filled up fairly well. A running theme throughout the entire panel was that, it might have been an embarrassment at one point to admit you'd been in "Doctor Who," but the fans made it all worth it.
Michael Jayston (who played the Valeyard in "Trial of a Time Lord") said that something that impressed him about "Doctor Who" fans was that we are in love with the stories.
Deborah Watling (who played Victoria Waterfield in the Troughton era) was absolutely lovely. She told a story about writing her autobiography and how that was one of the hardest things she's done. She spoke her time on "Doctor Who" with such fondness and love - even when Frazer Hines was teasing her a little bit (you could tell that those two are the best of best friends - more on that in a bit). Speaking of Frazer - he and Mark Strickson both talked about coming back to do Big Finish and they both gave a little performance as Jamie and Turlough, which made the crowd go nuts. It was great - at first, they both were acting like they were dragging in the morning and tired and whatever and once it was time to be the character - they both became their characters. I mean, it's one thing to meet these actors and know who they played back-in-the-day, but to actually hear the characters' voices coming out of their mouths and realizing - "Holy crap, that's Jamie!" or "Holy crap, that's Turlough!" - it was so cool!
But the best part of the entire panel (and I could have listened to all of them go on and on for hours) was at the end when they were wrapping up. And I talked about this on the podcast, but it still stuns me that this happened and that I was even there to see it - all of us fans stood up as one entity and gave these actors a standing ovation. It wasn't just one person here, one person there - ALL of us stood and applauded. And if that wasn't enough, the panelists stood up together as well and gave us, the fans, a standing ovation right back. Shaun later said that he saw Deborah Watling tear up a bit at the reaction. Make no mistake - it was a powerful moment.
Something I love about British actors - and I didn't quite realize this until the end of Gally - is how genuinely humble they are. I don't think this happens with "mainstream" American actors because of this disgustingly ridiculous celebrity culture we have. The actors I got to talk to at Gally were so gracious and so easy to speak with (once I got over my "ZOMG - IT'S YOU!" fangirl nuttiness). Even Freema Agyeman, who's been in "Doctor Who" more recently and has other shows she's been in that are running now, was so sweet and gracious and genuinely touched that I loved the things she's done (I saw her in Law and Order: UK and thoroughly enjoyed it. Which, I don't even watch the Law and Order series in America). None of them seemed like, say, Mark Sheppard (who had a panel Sunday afternoon) who had this air about him of "Yeah, I know I'm amazing and I know you all worship me. Bow down before me, peasants!" (and then all the slobbering fangirls did exactly that, which earned a massive eye roll from me). Even when they were onstage - they were just there to entertain their fans and share in the love and joy of this little show that didn't seem like much at the time, but has expanded to include everyone who falls in love with it.
You know, people give me grief over my interest - nay, obsession - with science fiction and fantasy, particularly "Doctor Who" (let's face it - how many people choose to spend a weekend a convention - any kind of fan convention? With the possible exception of San Diego ComicCon, which has been taken over by the industry as a glorified advertising campaign and the media pretending to respect geekdom for a week and makes my bullshit detector goes haywire). But these moments are what make it all worth it. It's the best kept secret in the world - whether you're a Whovian or whatever makes you SQUEE! - you know what it's like to love and love deeply. The Not-We (for lack of a better term) may have their socially accepted interests and know how to be calm and cool for the in-laws and the boss and the rest of the world, but very few of them will ever get to experience a love for something that only they get.
(Did I just piss some people off with that line? Good. After all the crap I've taken from some of you, I feel justified).
And that seems like a good place to leave this recap for now. I think all I have left to talk about is the Dealer's Room and my sentimental-type reaction to the convention as a whole. Bring tissues.
Our "Deck of Cards" Cosplay Photo - Ace, Two, Three, Four, Five (me!),
Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Jack, Romana as the Queen, Master as the King
One thing that has eternally impressed me in all my "from afar" observations of Gallifrey One is the cosplayers. Actually, any cosplay from any fandom has my undying respect because it takes talent to put together a costume. Most of my cosplay was purchased with some add-ons, the exception of which is the skirt, which I made from scratch from some awesome fabric I found from Mom's Craft in Delta, Utah (Mom's a small Mom-and-Pop craft store in my hometown that nevertheless has a fantastic variety of stuff there you're not going to find in chain stores, so I wanted to give them a plug). Ever since I discovered that Femme!Doctor cosplay was A Thing, I wanted to try my hand at it. And I wound up with a really great Femme!Five outfit that I'm quite pleased with. I bought the tan coat from an online clearance sale (which was a tremendous case of serendipity that I found out about that at all) and added red trim (partly by machine and partly by hand and I had the sore fingers to prove it). As I said in my previous Gally recap, I bought the hat from Wal-Mart and replaced the hatband. The sweater was from a group purchase on LiveJournal (there was no way I was going to find or make anything comparable). The celery was from FreckledCrafts on Etsy and I wore red socks and white Not-Converse low-tops that I bought at Payless.
What I loved about cosplaying was that people recognized how much effort I put into my costume. I'm not a particularly crafty person (though I enjoy cross-stitching from time to time), so this was a big deal for me. Some people go all out and have four or five costumes they wear over the course of a weekend. And, of course, there's this -
A Dalek cosplay made of cardboard and Styrofoam.
There's a twelve-year-old kid walking around in that thing.
And this -
Clockwork Droid cosplay - also had a kid inside it. And it moved just like a clockwork droid
that I actually though it was a robot.
And these -
Not a Femme!Four - but a Fourth Doctor's Scarf Dress. Completely knitted. I have nothing more to say.
Cat Nun with a Gun. Very realistic makeup.
Snowman cosplay. It was cool to see costumes of characters from a Doctor Who
episode that only came out two months ago
Impossible Astronaut with River inside. I wish I got a better picture of this, though.
These were on display with the Eighth Doctor's console, but they were costumes in the Masquerade - I'd actually seen the Adipose roaming around during the con.
While I was in my cosplay, I wanted to find some of the Fifth Doctor's companions. Sadly, I didn't find many (I found more on Sunday when I wasn't in costume), but I did run into a Peri and a Tegan in the Cosplay Hall (and Tegan was actually from Australia, which I thought was fabulous!)
Sadly, my regeneration showed up and took Peri away :(
But really, anyone who can make a Sixth Doctor coat has my eternal respect. I was surprised to find so many people with that coat, really.
And, really, if you're going to be photographed as Six, what other pose are you going to do?
Also - my friend Lizz cosplayed as Femme!Ten (and she did a fantastic job!). So, of course, a Time Crash picture must be taken (I love our faces in this) -
"You mostly went hands-free, didn't you?"
No Fifth Doctor tribute would be complete without an appearance from the Master. There were quite a few different incarnations of the Master wandering around the Marriott, but I found a particularly good Ainley!Master.
I'm smiling like a dope and the Master looks ready to cause trouble.
The Fifth Doctor's era summed up in one cosplay photo.
Just to round out my gallery of cosplayers -
As well as being a fantastic Eight, John was a top-notch panelist on the "Trial of a Time Lord" discussion panel.
These two were behind me in line for Sylvester McCoy's autograph. This was not an opportunity to pass up!
Anyone who can pull off a Leela costume deserves heaps of praise.
The plushie was a nice touch and I told her as much.
I loved finding fellow Fives!
There were so many kids dressed up at Gally, but I was a little hesitant to take pictures of them because I know parents are iffy about pictures displayed of their kids on the internet. But I figure this one was okay since you can't see their faces. There was an absolute adorable nurse!Rory and a little Amelia in her nightgown and red Wellies that I didn't get.
This was a nice behind-the-scenes snapshot of the Cosplay Hall. It was organized chaos back there, but so worth it.
There weren't many Threes. I suspect there will be more next year since Katy Manning has been confirmed.
This one made my inner twelve-year-old go nuts! I was a huge Sailor Moon fan back in the day and I'm super-excited that there will be a new reboot this summer. There was a time I would not admit to this, but I've since grown up.
So there.
I'm always amazed at the amount of detail that goes into these things. But no more surprised at the amount of hooped skirts and corsets that made an appearance. Holy cow. (I liked my sweater, thank you very much).
I think that was the extent of my cosplay pictures, but it is by no means a complete sampling (that's a strange phrase, but there you go). Keep an eye out for other pictures on Twitter and Facebook and blogs because there were so, so, SO many great cosplays. I don't know if I'll make another one, but it was so much fun to be stopped in the hallway for pictures and to get compliments for my handiwork - and to compliment other people on their creativity as well. If you can manage a cosplay, do it!
Cosplaying as Femme!Five and stepping out of the TARDIS. Gallifrey One - I have arrived.
I started a blog post an hour after I got home from the airport yesterday - and it just kept going and going and going and it was then I realized that I needed to split this up.
What can I honestly say about Gallifrey One? Well, I started crying during the Traveling the Vortex "Say Goodbye to Gallifrey" update podcast. Now, if you don't know, I'm a sentimental dope by nature and cry easily at various things. And, apparently, I can now add the ending of a fantastic convention to the list of things that make me cry (it's a long list). But, I'm going to save the sentimentality for my third (or fourth - depending on how long I go with this) Gallifrey One recap post. For now, I want to hit some of the highlights of my weekend -
(I'm purposely not telling everything that happened because I talked about a lot of this on Traveling the Vortex. To be sure, there will be some repetition. But if you want to get a more complete picture, go listen to the TtV Gally Updates: LobbyCon, Day 1, Day 2, Day 3)
The Classic Companions Panel. I predict that this will be the most understated panel of The 24 Hours of Gallifrey One.
But no less powerful. And I need a better camera.
Gallifrey One is sheer joy packed into one weekend. The best instance of this happened Saturday night during the panel with the Classic Who companions plus Michael Jayston (who played the Valeyard - but we love him anyway). We talked about that panel on the podcast, but it was a powerful moment - several powerful moments, really. But it was at the end when the audience gave the stars a standing ovation - for being there to be the companions and give us this show that we all love so very, very, very much. But then, the stars all stood up as well and applauded us, the fans, for being loyal and coming to see them. There was a lot of love and admiration and friendship in that room. And it makes sense the more I think of it. Doctor Who is the little show that could. It came into some pretty heavy opposition back in the day - I can't imagine working on a show that you enjoyed doing, but the Powers That Be were bound and determined to get you off the air. Even the public seemed to write you off at the time and the fans more or less had to go underground (so to speak). But here it is in 2013 and there is a room full of people who've been coming to see you, ask for your autograph, shake your hand - and are even dressing up as your character - how amazing is that? As a fan, I was humbled by these stars' attitudes towards us. We all have a deep love for this show - even while we're being silly with Paradox Apples and Tiki Daleks and Sylvester McCoy popping the bubble-wrap on a Zoe cosplay (I didn't see that firsthand for myself, but I heard about it and from what I did see of Sylvester over the course of the weekend, I am not surprised).
- The live director's commentary of "Dinosaurs on a Spaceship" with Saul Metzstein - This was an episode that I didn't really like at first, but I think I have some new perspective on it since then and this commentary certainly helped. He even acknowledged that some fans were upset about the Doctor seeming to kill someone What was funny was when Metzstein was talking about CGI vs. puppets and he dared us to find the puppet pterodon chasing the Doctor, Rory and Brian in the hydro-engines (the whole sequence went like this: "That's pretend... that's pretend... pretend... pretend... pretend... PUPPET!" We all laughed).
- Freema Agyeman on Sunday morning - So wonderful, so happy to be there, so amazed that so many people showed up for her second panel. And props to the audience for asking smart questions. I can't remember exactly what they asked, but I just remembered thinking that Doctor Who fans ask some really great questions of the guests (unlike some of the cringeworthy stuff that makes it into the Comic Con YouTube videos - guys, you're making us look bad!)
- The North American premiere of "Galaxy 4: Airlock" - I mentioned this on Twitter, but I loved watching an actual episode of Doctor Who with a huge room full of Whovians. There was a smaller viewing room showing Doctor Who throughout the weekend, but it seemed silly to sit in a room watching TV while the convention was going on (sort of a strange thought, but there you are). But the Galaxy 4 showing was different. It was in the main ballroom immediately after Opening Ceremonies, first of all. Plus, this was one of the lost episodes that was found last... April, I want to say (nope, sorry - it was a year ago last November), so that makes it an even bigger deal. I had seen a reconstruction of Galaxy 4 once. I liked it well-enough (for a recon, anyway) but seeing it as an actual episode was great! In this one short part, Vicki kicks ass, the Doctor snarks and Steven gets captured by a bunch of Amazon-type warrior women (oh, I feel so sorry for Steven). Maybe now that an episode exists, someone will make a better recon of it. But if not, it was still cool to be part of the audience that got to see it at Gallifrey.
This was the line for Gallifrey 101, which is a panel for newcomers to the con. It went out the door and wound around the driveway of the hotel. Just to give you an idea of how many people were there (LineCon - I'm telling you!)
- I got in the autograph line for Sylvester McCoy pretty early on Saturday, so I was one of the first to see him. But before the line officially opened, I met a lady who was at the convention with her 10- or 11-year-old nephew. I was so impressed with this kid (and his aunt, let's be honest) - his favorite Doctor is McCoy and he was pleased as punch to meet him. I talked with his aunt for a little bit, just that I was impressed that her nephew liked one of the Classic Doctors so much. The kid had started with the new series, but he'd branched out into Classic Who and latched onto Seven. And Sylvester was so cool with this kid Really, I enjoyed talking to a lot of people when I was in line for various things. Over and over, the Gallifrey One organizers kept asking for patience with the lines and whatnot, but I did not mind waiting at all. Mostly because I could talk to people about Doctor Who and we were all on the same page. We could talk about our favorites, our not-so-favorites and just have some wonderful conversation. It's was like LobbyCon, but with less booze (maybe we should call it LineCon or something).
My First Photo Bomb - Nicholas Briggs was such a great guy
- Speaking of LobbyCon - THAT was a new experience. It took me a while to warm up to the idea, but I was content to sit in the lobby and just watch everyone else interact for a little while. I wore my Fifth Doctor hat on the plane because I didn't want it to get smashed in my luggage and I ended up keeping it on through LobbyCon and that became probably the best idea I had the entire weekend. People came up to compliment me on it and ask where I got it/how I made it (bought a light straw Panama hat at Wal-Mart and made a new hatband with fabric from Spoonflower, if you're curious). It was a great icebreaker! I got to talk with so many people - and I got a picture with Nicholas Briggs while he was eating dinner more or less on a dare. I met Sara and Sarah from Texas earlier and told them I wanted to get pictures with the guests, but I was still a bit too chicken to do it on my own. Later when they were in the bar, they got me to come over and helped me get the picture. Nick was a great guy to do it too. He didn't act like I was bugging him at all - plus, I wanted to tell him how much I loved Big Finish as well as his work as the voice of the Daleks and he seemed genuinely touched that I would say something so nice (even though I'm sure he'd heard it before - but it's good to hear that people love you for your work, no matter how many times you hear it).
Sara and Sarah from Texas. I met them at LobbyCon and they were so great!
I need to find them on Facebook or something.
- I've got to talk about the time I spent with Shaun and Glenn and Mel. First off, I met up with Shaun and Mel at LobbyCon and it was seriously like meeting friends I'd known for years, even though this was the first time we'd ever met in person. Plus, they had the Traveling the Vortex ribbons and I directly credit them with helping me get a ton of ribbons that first night (it helps to have friends who make ribbons ^_^ - I'll make my own next year, don't worry). Then I snagged Glenn before the opening Radio Free Skaro panel. Really, it was great of them to let me tag along (and even record podcasts with them - THAT was fun!) and we all just ran around photo-bombing people and taking each other's pictures and having a grand old time (and came thisclose to getting an interview for the podcast with... somebody and I don't want to say who in case something else works out. But I was really bummed that we couldn't get it to work out because I was over the moon when Shaun and Mel came back saying they wanted me in the interview too). I said that Gallifrey One is like a big family reunion, but I feel like the Vortex Boys (and the Vortex Girls, as we now seem to be shaping up to become) are like my immediate family within the larger, crazier Whovian clan. Now we just need Keith and Sarah to come next year!
Farewell to Mel and Shaun. Glenn left before we could get a group photo - but NEXT YEAR!
I have a very packed week with work and stuff and while I have so much more to talk about, it will have to wait until tomorrow (or the next day). Stay tuned for further Gally recaps! (including autographs and cosplaying and the Dealer's Room and whatever else I can dig up in my brain)
Tomorrow, I leave for Gallifrey One. I'm pretty stoked about this. I've wanted to go since I caught all the antics of the convention two years ago on the internet (helped that Peter Davison was there that year and there was TONS of stuff posted online - not the least of which was this awesome video). I've written about how I felt that I was part of the event, even from the comfort of home - yet I still wanted to go someday.
I am not a traveler by nature. I would actually be a horrible traveling companion for the Doctor. In my entire life, I have only been on four trips that required me to board an airplane. It's not a fear or anxiety or anything - I'm just a homebody. And I like to drive myself places (but I wouldn't be caught dead driving in California. Actually, if I ever drove in California, I would end up dead). So, even a simple direct flight from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles is a big deal for me. And I'm going by myself, which makes this an even bigger deal.
But I think it's going to be worth it. I have heard nothing but positive things about Gallifrey One - everyone there is your best friend, they get awesome guests and panels for the convention, you're all there for the same reason, the hotel is fantastic, etc. Yes, there are going to be hiccups (an event this big - I would be surprised if there weren't), but I'm hoping for a good experience (I don't have many needs or expectations, really).
I have every good intention of keeping notes of what goes on so I can come back and regale you all with my tales of adventure and whimsy. Barring that, I can guarantee there will be pictures on Twitter and Instagram. Keep an eye out for the #Gally1 hashtag - there will definitely be posts from others as well.
I hope I can help bring people from home into the experience as well. That's how I got all gung-ho for attending Gallifrey One myself. I saw how much fun people had and how amazing it was and I wanted to see it in person. Which I will in about 19 hours, more or less (registration starts at 6:00 tomorrow - and then there's Lobby Con, which is going to be a strange new experience - sort of like the Doctor and his companions landing on an alien planet). I'm sure once I get there and get all settled in, I won't want to leave!
It remains to be seen if I'll make it to Gallifrey One 2014. Funds and time and other considerations have to be taken into account. But for this year at least, I'm off to Gallifrey, baby!
(And it's going to be wonderful to get out of this sub-freezing weather. Ugh. Winter has certainly outstayed it's welcome).
Holy crap! 2013 - HOW I LOVE YOU!! Not only is a new Sailor Moon anime reboot slated to be released this summer, there is also news of a brand new Powerpuff Girls special coming to Cartoon Network!
This is like middle school all over again! Minus the snotty bitches gossiping about me and the awkward puberty issues and the idiotic teachers... you know, this is nothing like middle school. That was a horrible comparison.
The Newbery and Caldecott and all those other nebulous book awards were announced today. Here's the list if you're interested. Me, I took one hard, long and intense look at the list... and I didn't recognize a-one of those titles. Recognized a few authors, but I had never seen any of those titles in my life. And bear in mind - I work for the library. I read books for fun. Not only have I never heard of these books before today, I've never even seen the covers! And I work at the library!
I have a love/hate relationship with these national book awards (there are so many different medals and so many categories it's hard to keep track of all of them). My first real exposure to a Newbery winner was in fourth grade when my teacher read "The Giver" by Lois Lowry to the class. To this day, that book is on my personal list of Greatest Books In All Of Our Lifetimes and Beyond (along with "To Kill a Mockingbird" and "Pride and Prejudice" - it's a short list so far). But after "The Giver"... there were never any other books with shiny medals on them that I wanted to read of my own free will and choice. Even when "Holes" came out, I only read that one because they made a movie of it. And I only read "The Graveyard Book" because Neil Gaiman wrote it. Didn't give a crap that it had a big medal on the cover. Same with Caldecott. I read "The Polar Express" because my aunt gave me the book for Christmas, but I was never that impressed by what the American Library Association thought I ought to be impressed by.
You want my honest-to-goodness assessment of national book awards? This has been in place since I was ten and I haven't seen any real reason to change my opinion since (with very, very, very few exceptions) - these awards are given by this nameless, faceless committee based out of New York or Chicago or Los Angeles or New Orleans or some other exotic city I've only seen on TV. None of these people give a steaming pile of cow manure what some little farm girl from the Utah sticks likes to read.
I'm not the only one who sees this, either. The "Death By Newbery Medal" trope wouldn't exist if regular people flocked to these books (I find the quotes section of that page particularly damning).
I'm not here to whine that nobody ever pays attention to me and why am I ignored and there should be a special medal for books about kids like me (thus creating a shortage of gold-leafing to print medal stickers on). I am certainly capable of finding books that appeal to me and my situation. I just wonder if these awards are more for the people giving them out and less for the people that the books are intended for. If I - with all my bookish tendencies and voracious appetite for reading - rarely give a fig for the winners of these awards, what about the kid who hates reading, period? The same thing happens with the Oscars and all those other "fictitious" award shows - they aren't for the larger audiences, they're more for the select few that get to pick them and then pat themselves on the back for selecting things that the so-called "great unwashed" will never understand (to which I ask, if these are things that normal people won't understand, why must we promote this stuff?)
Another thing: Teachers often give assignments to read Newbery winners and write book reports on them. And I've had moms haul their ten-year-old boys who love video games and running around outside into the library and ask me for a Newbery book that has action and adventure and none of that touchy-feely-girly crap (this was an actual reader's advisory request I had posed to me by an actual mother and her son - except the mom asked a bit nicer than that). Thank goodness "The Graveyard Book" won that one year or there wouldn't be a darn thing to give to kids like that (and even then, there's a chance that the kid won't like the fantasy aspect of it). Personally, I'd rather a kid choose to read "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" and love it than have to read "Dead End in Norvelt" and completely hate it.
Speaking of "Diary of a Wimpy Kid," the first time I read that book I remember thinking "If Mo Willems can win a Caldecott Honor for 'Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus,' why can't a book about a snarky middle-schooler drawing comics of his family and friends in his diary JOURNAL get a nod?" Of course, Greg snarking on the Newbery Medal itself probably doesn't endear him to the nominating committee (probably for the best, now that I think of it. Would probably ruin a perfectly good book series).
And that brings me to the Honor awards. Honestly, I think the Honor books are better than the books are actually win the medals. "Princess Academy" comes to mind, as does "Charlotte's Web." I've heard tell (from second- and third-hand sources, so who knows how reliable this is, but it sounds legit) that the Honor books are the ones that individual committee members really, really, really LOVE, but they can't get the rest of the committee to agree, so the actual winner is really a compromise (the committee has to be unanimous on the winner or it doesn't become the winner). So, really, the Honor books are the best and the Winner is a cheap compromise.
Look, I don't want to dog on these award winners. Earning any kind of recognition like this takes talent and hard work and I don't want to take that away from anyone. But I do have issues with the book becoming the focus rather than the reader. I became a librarian because I love to read and I want to help kids and adults love reading as well. I do have a make judgments about the books I read - everyone does, not just librarians even though that's a large part of our jobs. But those judgments are in the interest of helping people find something they'll love to read (and if I enjoy something along the way, that's just icing on the cake). If I ever become overly-focused on the book rather than the reader who may or may not love the book, feel free to drum me out of the service.
Title: A Memory of Light Authors: Robert Jordan, Brandon Sanderson Publisher: Tor Release Date: January 8, 2013
Synopsis (via Goodreads) -
Since 1990, when Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time® burst on the world with its first book, The Eye of the World, readers have been anticipating the final scenes of this extraordinary saga, which has sold over forty million copies in over thirty languages.
When Robert Jordan died in 2007, all feared that these concluding scenes would never be written. But working from notes and partials left by Jordan, established fantasy writer Brandon Sanderson stepped in to complete the masterwork. With The Gathering Storm (Book 12) and Towers of Midnight (Book 13) behind him, both of which were # 1 New York Times hardcover bestsellers, Sanderson now re-creates the vision that Robert Jordan left behind.
Edited by Jordan’s widow, who edited all of Jordan’s books, A Memory of Light will delight, enthrall, and deeply satisfy all of Jordan’s legions of readers.
The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow. Let the Dragon ride again on the winds of time.
My Review:
Oh hey - I've got that cover image on two blog posts in a row. There aren't rules against that, are there?
Funny story - Two weeks ago when I was fangirl-gushing and keysmashing over "A Memory of Light" on Facebook and Twitter, a friend asked me if I was going to write up a review. I said "Absolutely!" And then two seconds later, my brain caught up with my mouth and I thought "How in the Seven Hells am I going to do that?"
(oh crap, now I'm getting "A Song of Ice and Fire" into my "Wheel of Time" discussion. Wrong doorstopper fantasy series, dear!)
It's really hard to discuss "A Memory of Light" without getting in all the particulars of the entire "Wheel of Time" series. And while I am a fan, I realize that my readers (all five of you) probably don't want to sit through a blow-by-blow description of what happens and why (and if you do want something like that, may I point you in the direction of the lovely and talented Leigh Butler and the Wheel of Time Re-Read).
My non-spoiler review is: I was satisfied. I now want to read the entire series from beginning to end, just for the feeling of having done it. Not everyone will love this (or has loved it), but I do. And poo on them that don't *raspberry*
(I may be a legal adult, but deep down I'm still seven).
Okay, now I'm giving the big fat SPOILER warning. You know me - I gush and I rant and I weep and I keysmash. Beyond this point I have no filters, so proceed with caution.
One more thing, though - while I was re-reading the Wheel of Time last year, I also discovered The Piano Guys. And somehow, the two have become connected in my head. In fact, if HBO or whoever decided to do a TV miniseries of The Wheel of Time, my vote would be for The Piano Guys to do the music (probably wouldn't happen, but I can dream). I even think of their rendition of "Rolling in the Deep" as the theme for the Dragon Reborn (the character, not the book). So, it would give me much joy and squee if you listened to it as you read my review - just because I'm strange like that.
To be honest, I have no illusions that passive readers will pick this book up on its own. When I tell people the series is 14 books long, they look at me like I'm batcrap insane (I mean, moreso than they usually do) and there is no way in frozen hell that they are going to read this series. And that's perfectly fine. It's not for you. This ending is purely for the fans (at least, the people who cared enough to stick around this long).
But this is what I will say - I was satisfied. This series has spent 14 books and 20 years building up to the Last Battle and the (presumptive) end of the world and that's exactly what we got (except the world didn't quite end the way it was advertised - spoilers!) If you don't know, the last three books - The Gathering Storm, Towers of Midnight and A Memory of Light - were initially meant to be one ginormous novel. After Robert Jordan passed away and Brandon Sanderson was asked to complete the series, Sanderson decided that in order to do the ending justice, it needed to be split into three books. So, you really have to think of these last three books as part of a bigger picture - which is why Mat's and Perrin's storylines in "Towers of Midnight" are so far behind Rand's and Egwene's in "The Gathering Storm." But everyone's caught up to each other by the time they start gathering for the Great-Big-Hairy Showdown at the Fields of Merrilor and the Last Battle.
Just to illustrate just how Great-Big-Hairy this whole showdown is - the chapter entitled "The Last Battle" was nearly 200 pages. That's one chapter, kidlets. One. Chapter. Two. Hundred. Pages. That's the climax (more or less - it gets wrapped up in the concluding chapters). But you know what? I think it's fitting. I know people whine and complain about how long the books in this series are and maybe I'm showing my complete and abject weirdness by saying this, but I like books that are long and involved and take me forever to read (except I read "A Memory of Light" in a little over twelve hours, so much for that theory), especially if I like being in that fictional world. And the Wheel of Time world is so intricate and detailed that I feel like I'm actually there - or that this is a place where I could go. That's one of the ways I know I've read a wonderful book - I don't want to leave, even though I know I have to go do dishes
The narrative during the Last Battle jumps from character to character so we get to peek in on what the other characters are doing in their various locations. I feel like they all got fairly equal representation, with two glaring exceptions. Nynaeve and Moiraine are the two female channelers Rand asks to come with him to the Dark One's prison because those are the two he feels like he can trust the most to help him use Callandor. I, for one, was looking forward to these two having to work together because they both had been at each other's throats since book 1 (except for the time Moiraine spent being not-dead - long story) and Nynaeve is easily my favorite Aes Sedai (hell, she's my favorite, period, end of story). And... there wasn't much narrative given to their involvement in sealing away the Dark One (erm... again). Moiraine did lend her voice to getting all the monarchs to quit squabbling because HELLO, IDIOTS! LAST BATTLE, END OF THE WORLD HERE! COULD YOU QUIT THROWING YOUR STUPID TWO-YEAR-OLD FITS AND GIVE THE DRAGON REBORN A LITTLE HELP HERE?? so, I'm more forgiving of any slight (perceived or otherwise) on her part. Nynaeve... well... not so much. I realize there was a ton to deal with elsewhere and it can't be easy to keep track of it all, but... she kind of felt M.I.A. for a while there.
Let me talk about what I did like!
Mat. Mat getting to be Big Time General In Charge of the battles. Which is funny, because it took me a loooooong time to hold any kind of love in my heart for Mat Cauthon (I always had a thing for Perrin - more on that later). But for a guy who spent a good deal of the series trying to get out of fighting in the war, he didn't do so bad. And he even threw some smarmy verbal swipes at the Seanchan bastards, which is never a bad thing.
Speaking of the bug-helmeted Bizarro World - how about Egwene dropping the hammer on Tuon over that whole enslaving women who can channel thing? That Egwene once escaped Seanchan captivity was a big enough shakedown of the Empress's world (may she be infested with the fleas of a thousand camels), but that Egwene ALSO (and ABOUT DAMN TIME, I might add) let slip that women who could control damane had the ability to channel as well, thus (hopefully) shaking the Seanchan's faith in the one thing that keeps their civilization together. Do I think that would totally take down Seanchan overnight? Hell no. Do I think Seanchan will break down eventually. Yes, indeed. And this was the beginning of it.
(I am fully aware that some Seanchan learned of the ability to channel in sul'dam before Egwene went toe-to-toe with Tuon. I was just happy that it was Egwene who got to lay it out for the Empress, may the bird of paradise fly up her nose).
While we've got Mat and Egwene (and others, but mostly those two) running battle tactics and stuff in the real world, my favoritest dear friend Perrin gets to kick ass and take names in the dream world of Tel'aran'rhiod. You know, I've had a soft spot for Perrin since book 1 that's never really gone away. And if there is one thing that kind of miffs me about the internet fandom it's that Perrin never seems a get a fair shake from them and that annoys me. But I'm not going to lay the smackdown on anyone for not liking my favorite characters - just making an observation. If there is one littel complaint I have about the Wheel of Time series, it's that Perrin didn't get a whole lot of moments to shine in the middle books. But his big moments in "Towers of Midnight" and "A Memory of Light" make up for it and that makes me happy. Taking out Slayer (who turns out to be one of the Forsaken - which we more or less already knew) in the dream world with just himself and Gaul (and then Gaul gets left behind, which might make him a bit more badass) - yeah, that was just cool.
And I can't gush about Perrin without giving mad props to his wife, who deserves glowing praise in her own right. At first, I thought Faile would just be relegated to tactical support while the main characters saved the day (and I couldn't really find fault with that, seeing as she wasn't exactly part of the first wave of Emond Fielders who started this whole thing and deserved most of the action - but still!) But then her supply train accidentally ends up Traveling out to the Blight and we all go Oh. Shit. And given how bad Perrin broke down was Faile was simply captured, I didn't see things turning out good for my top Superboy if Faile actually died (I was prepared to chuck the book out the window if that happened, by the way). But no! Faile - who brought in the cavalry in the Two Rivers and who weaseled her way into the circle of that one-chick-who-tried-to-steal-Cairhien-from-Rand-and-I-can't-be-bothered-to-remember-her-name and who kept it together during her Shaido captivity - Faile gets out of the Blight, oh and she had the Horn of Valere which was needed to call the Heroes of the Age of Legends to the Last Battle - almost forgot that little detail! (Actually, I thought it was a nice callback to have Faile deliver the Horn of Valere to the Last Battle, seeing as she was first introduced as a Hunter for the Horn clear back in "The Dragon Reborn").
There's a lot more I could go on and on about (Bela's death - HOW COULD YOU? - Olver sounding the Horn, Egwene becoming the Flame of Tar Valon) - but really, this boils down to a fantastic conclusion to a wonderful story. I wish more people would give it a chance, even pushing through the so-called "slow parts" in the middle books. The build-up is worth the time and emotion and energy you invest in the story and there is no reason to be disappointed (though I guess I've spoiled everything if you've read this far. Oops). I think I'll re-read the whole series this year, just to see what it feels like to read everything from teh beginning through to the end - and even imagine what happens after Our Heroes ride off into the sunset.
After all, there are no endings to the Wheel of Time. This is just an ending.
Tomorrow, January 8, is the day that A Memory of Light will be released. This is the last book of The Wheel of Time series by the late Robert Jordan (and was finished by Brandon Sanderson, who is an amazing author in his own right). And, United States Postal Service willing, I will have my copy in hand tomorrow and will probably have a tough time concentrating on anything else (apologies in advance, anyone who tries to engage me in regular conversation tomorrow - I may be standing in front of you, but I won't be mentally present).
This is kind of a big deal for me. And, it turns out, for a lot of people, but it was only recently that I discovered how big of a following The Wheel of Time series had. A few weeks ago, Leigh Butler (she of the Wheel of Time re-read) posted her spoiler-free review of A Memory of Light. In the comments, many of the long-time, hardcore fans went on at length how they’ve been with the Wheel of Time series for over 20 years. My relationship hasn’t been quite that long (hell, I’m only 27 - I was reading “Little House on the Prairie” 20 year ago!), neither did I get into the WoT internet fandom until recently, but Wheel of Time has been substantive in my life. I guess I always kept this one thing to myself - it was something I loved and I didn't want other people messing around with it. The Wheel of Time is quite special to me, mostly because of the circumstances in which I discovered it. And when I re-read the series last year in anticipation of the fourteenth and final (holy crap!) installment - a lot of those tender memories came bubbling to the surface.
What is The Wheel of Time, you ask? Well... heh... um... here - this is an official promotional video that the Tor Books put out that includes a bare-bones summary of the story. Much better than I could, anyway -
The Wheel of Time came to me at an interesting point of my life. Telling this story involves me admitting something that people who've known me my whole life know, but newer friends and associates don't typically find out about me because I never talk about it. When I was seventeen, I moved with my family to a new town and a new school. Honestly, it was the best thing that could have happened to me, even though I was unsure about it at the time. My parents gave me the option to stay where I was, but it was my decision to go. And I'm very glad that I did. This high school was drastically smaller, but the students were much more accepting and friendly than I had ever believed possible. I think I made much better friends in that short year than I did in twelve years at my old school. Also, considering how small West Desert was, they had a school library For The Ages. As a fantasy nut, I felt like I’d died and gone to heaven. I was very familiar with Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings, but West Desert High School’s library had Terry Brooks’ Shannara series and Brian Jacques’ Redwall and Diane Duane’s “Young Wizards” and, of course, Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time.
So, out in West Desert, there's not a whole lot to do. There are no movie theaters or shopping malls - hell, we don't even have a gas station. There's school and church and sports and farm chores and whatever other fun you make for yourself - which is what I did before I moved (we lived on a farm two miles out of town, which may have been my saving grace in my growing-up years). I guess I shouldn't be surprised that a bunch of farm kids from the sticks were reading books because that's what I always did. But the concept that these were kids from school doing this was new and quite exciting to me.
At first, I was a little unsure of how much of my geeky side I should show to my new schoolmates. After all, my geekiness got me into some uncomfortable and downright embarrassing situations before (most of which, I now realize, happened because the people around me were jackasses and looking for any reason to beat me down - there's more to the story than that, but not for this venue). But imagine my surprise when my fellow seniors were passing around The Eye of the World (which is the first WoT book) and saying "This is awesome, everyone should read this!"
By this time, basketball season was in full swing. Something you need to know is that West Desert High is really far away from most of the schools in the state (people from Salt Lake think it’s the edge of creation and give me the funniest looks when I tell them where I’m from). As a way of saving the school district gas money, the girls and boys teams would take road trips together and play the same schools the same night. We’d all be on the bus together and some of our parents would follow the bus to the games. And those trips were LOOOOOONG. One school we played was on the other side of the freaking state (West Desert was near the Utah-Nevada line; our farthest opponent was East Carbon, which was closer to Colorado). Some of the kids got up the usual “making out in the back of the bus” hijinks (typical teenager stuff) Me? I read. And so did some of my friends. And the ones who were further along in the story discussed the Wheel of Time (with me pointedly ignoring them because I didn’t want to be spoiled).
The one that really hooked me was The Dragon Reborn, mostly because I’m kind of oblivious to a lot of things and I had no idea that Rand was the Chosen One that everybody went on and on about (I don’t know what I thought, really. Maybe I figured the Superboys were just supposed to help find the Dragon Reborn and go on Spirited Adventures while doing so. To be fair, my Powers of Literary Deduction were in their infancy at this stage in life). THEN - came the Epic and Torturous Waiting for Mike to Finish Reading The Shadow Rising All-Freaking-Ready!!!1!!!ELEVENTY!! I think I bugged the poor guy so much about it that he stopped reading partway through and let me read it first (sign of a true friend, there).
By this time, track and field season was upon us all. During one of our track meets (and I can’t even remember where this was), I snuck off to a nearby Barnes and Noble and bought “The Fires of Heaven” because I didn’t want to have to wait for that one. Lord of Chaos and ACrown of Swords soon joined my collection.
Then - came the part I hate. Because I was heading off to college and it was either study and do well in school or read Wheel of Time. Like any dutiful academic, I chose the former (much to my deep regret). All during my college years there would be periods where I’d try to pick up the series where I left off, but something else would take me away - school or work, another fandom, social life (blech, social life, I spit in your eye. Why do I need to date, anyway? Boys are stupid). Even so, I remember where I was when I heard the news that Robert Jordan had passed away. And even though it had been some years since I’d picked up a Wheel of Time book, I still felt a keen attachment to the story and its creator and I was heartbroken by the news. Even some years later when I finished Knife of Dreams, I felt an overwhelming sense of grief when I realized that was the last volume to be solely written by Mr. Jordan.
A year or so ago, I was finishing up my Master’s Degree and working at the library. An audiobook copy of The Eye of the World checked in. I looked at it, realized that I was veeery close to the end of my academic career and I would soon have some extra free time to do what I'd resolved to do since my freshman year of college. I checked it out and re-read (well, listened to) what I had read all those years ago in high school and finished up what was available. The series was just as wonderful and brilliant as I remembered (yes, there were some low points, but what series doesn't have those?). It reminded me of my last year of high school, which was a pure and unadulterated joy. It seemed fitting that I was getting back into this world - which had been like a warm and comforting friend as my teenage years were coming to a close - just as my adult life was close to taking off. I later discovered Leigh Butler’s aforementioned Re-read and found all kinds of new ideas and opinions about the series - some I agreed with, some I’d never thought of before, some I didn't care to hear again. But also, I found that I wasn't the only one who loved this story.
Fandoms come and go. Book series start and finish. But I remember all of them with joy and fondness (probably more fondness than the people I’ve lost touch with). The Wheel of Time is special because I found it just as I was experiencing a new phase of my life, so it will always be associated with that. I’m excited to find out how things turn out for Rand, Mat, Perrin, Egwene, Nynaeve and the rest (there are so many wonderful characters, but I will always have a love for the original core cast). I may not have been with the series since the beginning, but it still has made an impression on me. Whether good or bad, joy or tears, it’s been a fantastic ride from start to finish and top to bottom.
