The Jim Butcher Files: Dresden . Codex Alera . Cinder Spires & More

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

One thing that certainly gives the books some color, but which I just can't manage to accept (I don't remember if the TV series touched on this) is the problems wizards have around electronics... lights blow out, AC dies, sophisticated electronics crash, etc.

It's not that I have a logic problem about it--I mean, we're talking about wizards and magic--I just can't believe that the Wizard's Guild hasn't figured out how to cast some spell that prevents them from shorting out complex electronics everywhere they go, so they aren't forced to live like Druids in the modern world, or repelling all of their non-magic friends ("Get away from me! My cellphone hates you! Back off!").

And do I believe these most powerful beings would be content riding around in 50-year-old cars?

[carld]

Originally Posted by alansplace

i don't know, but here's an interesting post (i've no idea where it was posted or by whom) i stumbled on and saved as a text file back then:

SyFy (I still *blechh* at that name) has a bad history of scuttling successful and popular shows. They killed of Stargate SG-1, Stargate: Atlantis, Dresden Files, and now Eureka, when they were all still very popular. What I heard at the time was that Dresden Files was pulling in great numbers but the audience was skewing older and more female than what the network wanted. They were after the young male demographic at the expense of everything else.

Given their focus on wrestling I can really believe that this is true.

[alansplace]

Originally Posted by Nyssa

Exactly why I too am switching between a few series. It's just hard to stick to the plan at times.

Originally Posted by Nyssa

Great, now you've got me curious! Hmm.. Put it in spoilers w/ the caveat that it is to be discussed in it's own thread instead of this one?

and your curiosity is what caused me to disrupt my tbr queue to insert the re-reading of the entire dresden files series to date at the top of the queue. but alas, i already did that very same thing with the other wizard named harry and that wasn't your fault. "and so it goes"

[alansplace]

the dresden files is usually classified as being in the urban fantasy genre. i nominated storm front as a selection for october in the book club sticky thread. the theme for the month is horror. there were a few folks who took umberage with this nonination claiming that it is not "horror". the moderator (tom sharpe) said (after which it was thirded and became one of the finalists) this:

Publishers Weekly speaks of "the strangest characters and creatures—including gentleman gangster Johnny Marconi, his henchmen, a sexy female werewolf and Bob, the British-accented talking skull." Wikipedia speaks of one character "grappling with monster-sized scorpions." The book may indeed be a "mostly Fantasy Genre", but I think the werewolves, monsters, talking skulls, and supernatural elements more than qualify it for acceptance into this month's horror genre, so I will allow it. Members will have the final say with their votes.

i thought that maybe the participants here might like to discuss this in more detail than is appropriate in the thread from where the controversy stemmed.

i know, thirded is not really a word, sorry.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by carld

SyFy (I still *blechh* at that name) has a bad history of scuttling successful and popular shows. They killed of Stargate SG-1, Stargate: Atlantis, Dresden Files, and now Eureka, when they were all still very popular.

As was also pointed out elsewhere, Stargate: SG-1 ran for 10 years, and had run its course. Stargate: Atlantis and Eureka have run for 5 seasons each, nothing to sneeze at. And they gave us Galactica. All have achieved the critical mass for DVD sales and syndication into the future, the real cash-cow for TV shows, so you can't really blame Siffy for their cancellations.

You can make a case for Dresden, Stargate: Universe, Caprica and I'm sure a few others. Siffy has indeed proven that they don't have the cash to support many expensive SF shows, and make up for it with comparatively cheap reality shows, and wrestling (the cheapest science fiction there is).

[OneandonlyDoc]

Originally Posted by Steven Lyle Jordan

As was also pointed out elsewhere, Stargate: SG-1 ran for 10 years, and had run its course. Stargate: Atlantis and Eureka have run for 5 seasons each, nothing to sneeze at. And they gave us Galactica. All have achieved the critical mass for DVD sales and syndication into the future, the real cash-cow for TV shows, so you can't really blame Siffy for their cancellations.

You can make a case for Dresden, Stargate: Universe, Caprica and I'm sure a few others. Siffy has indeed proven that they don't have the cash to support many expensive SF shows, and make up for it with comparatively cheap reality shows, and wrestling (the cheapest science fiction there is).

They also pretty much cancel shows if they're even a little slow to start. Caprica, at the point it was cancelled, was just starting to get into the meat of its plot--and re-gather the audience that watched BSG.

I don't watch SyFy anymore--not really. Too much wrestling and non-science fiction/fantasy programming. I occasionally tune in for some Ghost Hunters/GHI and I try not to miss Haven, though I'm not completely heartbroken when I miss either.

The Dresden Files, as a television show, was an awful loss and I wish they'd continued it, too, but it seems that ship, like Firefly's, has sailed.

[alansplace]

Originally Posted by OneandonlyDoc

They also pretty much cancel shows if they're even a little slow to start. Caprica, at the point it was cancelled, was just starting to get into the meat of its plot--and re-gather the audience that watched BSG.

I don't watch SyFy anymore--not really. Too much wrestling and non-science fiction/fantasy programming. I occasionally tune in for some Ghost Hunters/GHI and I try not to miss Haven, though I'm not completely heartbroken when I miss either.

The Dresden Files, as a television show, was an awful loss and I wish they'd continued it, too, but it seems that ship, like Firefly's, has sailed.

well we've at least still got castle though the series that paul blackthorne was subsequently in (the gates), disappeared pretty quickly, as did nathan fillion's next series, drive.



"and so it goes..."

[OneandonlyDoc]

Originally Posted by alansplace

well we've at least still got castle though the series that paul blackthorne was subsequently in (the gates), disappeared pretty quickly, as did nathan fillion's next series, drive.



"and so it goes..."

Yes...we do have Castle, which is amazing in a lot of the right ways.



For that matter, so did Whedon's next offering, Dollhouse, which had a bunch of BSG alums on it. Jamie Bamber's on the UK version of Law and Order, though...too bad USA doesn't have the rights to show THAT one!

(I wish there was a smiley off-topic emoticon...)

[alansplace]

Originally Posted by OneandonlyDoc

Yes...we do have Castle, which is amazing in a lot of the right ways.



For that matter, so did Whedon's next offering, Dollhouse, which had a bunch of BSG alums on it. Jamie Bamber's on the UK version of Law and Order, though...too bad USA doesn't have the rights to show THAT one!

(I wish there was a smiley off-topic emoticon...)

ckuckle

[carld]

Originally Posted by Steven Lyle Jordan

As was also pointed out elsewhere, Stargate: SG-1 ran for 10 years, and had run its course. Stargate: Atlantis and Eureka have run for 5 seasons each, nothing to sneeze at. And they gave us Galactica. All have achieved the critical mass for DVD sales and syndication into the future, the real cash-cow for TV shows, so you can't really blame Siffy for their cancellations.

Oh, I can certainly blame SyFy. I never watched BSG, wasn't even slightly interested, so that's of no import to me at all.

While it's nice for DVD and syndication, that doesn't change the fact that each series, excepting possibly SG-1, was cancelled while the ratings were still very good, and Atlantis was cancelled even after making a considerable ratings gain from the season before. If our only measuring stick is hitting the 5-year mark then .... [insert smilie face throwing up his hands.]

[carld]

Originally Posted by OneandonlyDoc

I don't watch SyFy anymore--not really. Too much wrestling and non-science fiction/fantasy programming. I occasionally tune in for some Ghost Hunters/GHI and I try not to miss Haven, though I'm not completely heartbroken when I miss either.

I do like a number of SyFy shows. Eureka, Warehouse 13, Alphas, Being Human, and Haven, but I'd scrape my own eyes out before I'd watch wrestling. I used to watch Ghost Hunters but got tired of them almost catching a ghost on film. And the less said about SyFY movies the better.

I thought that Dresden Files improved considerably as the season went on, and its cancellation, while underhandedly blaming it on Paul Blackthorn, still rankles.

[tilia]

Originally Posted by alansplace

the dresden files is usually classified as being in the urban fantasy genre. i nominated storm front as a selection for october in the book club sticky thread. the theme for the month is horror. there were a few folks who took umberage with this nonination claiming that it is not "horror". the moderator (tom sharpe) said (after which it was thirded and became one of the finalists) this:



i thought that maybe the participants here might like to discuss this in more detail than is appropriate in the thread from where the controversy stemmed.

i know, thirded is not really a word, sorry.

I wouldn’t call it horror. It’s neither gory, nor scary enough for me. I’d call it urban fantasy or paranormal/supernatural. It’s a mystery, so paranormal mystery seems fitting. I got the impression that Harry is a kind of wizard detective, is there such a thing as detective fantasy?

But I’ve already admitted to have had a wandering mind while listening to the audio book, so don’t mind me. I may have missed things.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by carld

If our only measuring stick is hitting the 5-year mark then .... [insert smilie face throwing up his hands.]

I'm not saying it's good or right, mind you... just that these shows are produced by people who want to make money, and who know that once they've invested about 5 years of serious money into a show, they can then put it into syndication/DVDs and keep making money while spending no more on weekly show production, and a lesser amount on royalties to those smart enough to have included it into their contract.

That's the reality of TV, like it or not. You can't blame a bear for not being a fox. And when given an absence of foxes, ya gotta learn to deal with bears.

[Lizzie in Ma]

Originally Posted by Steven Lyle Jordan

As was also pointed out elsewhere, Stargate: SG-1 ran for 10 years, and had run its course. Stargate: Atlantis and Eureka have run for 5 seasons each, nothing to sneeze at. And they gave us Galactica. All have achieved the critical mass for DVD sales and syndication into the future, the real cash-cow for TV shows, so you can't really blame Siffy for their cancellations.

You can make a case for Dresden, Stargate: Universe, Caprica and I'm sure a few others. Siffy has indeed proven that they don't have the cash to support many expensive SF shows, and make up for it with comparatively cheap reality shows, and wrestling (the cheapest science fiction there is).

Stargate Universe didn't deserve the name. What a piece of gossa!
One of the shining traits of the SG world for me was it's family friendliness and we had been so looking forward to it. They blew that out of the water in the first 5 minutes. I couldn't find a single likable character in the entire series either.
Just my .02 though.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by Lizzie in Ma

Stargate Universe didn't deserve the name. What a piece of gossa!
One of the shining traits of the SG world for me was it's family friendliness and we had been so looking forward to it. They blew that out of the water in the first 5 minutes. I couldn't find a single likable character in the entire series either.

I always referred to it as Stargate: Galactica because of its so-obvious similarities: Military and non-military model/actors; cooped up on a journey not of their choosing and with no idea where they'll end up; the dank, dark ship and "documentary-style" sfx; hetero- and non-hetero-romances, plots and schemes, and oh. look... there's aliens chasing us now. I gave up on it quick, myself. Not every series is meant to last very long.