A Dragon for Williamβ β β β β
Julie Czerneda A welcome return to the world of A Turn of Light (though shorter!)
A Game of Thrones (Book)
George R.R. Martin I should have liked this book. I tend to enjoy big epic fantasy, but I just couldn't get into this one.
A Wizardβs Guide to Defensive Bakingβ β β β β
T. Kingfisher A fun and original take on the teenage wizard genre. With an immortal carnivorous sourdough starter named Bob.
Beauty and the Beast (2010 Tour)β β β ββ
San Diego, 2012 The simpler staging & costumes work well enough, but the big numbers suffer from the smaller cast.
Beauty and the Beast (3D Theatricals)β β β β β
Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center, 2016 An elaborate production by a local company with great performances from the leads, and a surprise understudy.
Chivalryβ β β β β
Neil Gaiman and Colleen Doran Beautifully drawn and illustrated, a charming tale of Arthurian legend brought into modern times.
Doctor Strangeβ β β β βSurrealism is the best part. Creative use of Escher gravity, portals, astral projection, time manipulation, incredibly detailed alterations to reality, and effects that make it all look incredible.
Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madnessβ β β ββNot as bad as I expected, but the alternate realities weren't as fun as the reality-bending in the first movie. And there was way too much reliance on the Idiot Ball.
Down Among the Sticks and Bonesβ β β β β
Seanan McGuire Creepy tale of twins transported to a world out of 1930s monster movies. Hangs together better than the first book.
Dungeons and Dragons (2000 Movie)β ββββSo bad that the group of friends I was with started heckling the movie, and the rest of the audience joined in.
Edward Scissorhandsβ β β β βThe film still holds up: the fairy tale music, the contrast between 'normal' suburbia and Edward's home, and the tension between appearances and heart.
Every Heart a Doorwayβ β β β β
Seanan McGuire A fast read with an intriguing concept that reverses multiple YA fantasy tropes.
Might and Magic IXIt's interesting and immersive, but some of the game and UI design choices make it really frustrating.
Night Watch (Discworld)β β β β β
Terry Pratchett Time travel, barricades and a mix of humor and darkness in a rebellion with good cops, bad cops and time monks.
Norse Mythologyβ β β β β
Neil Gaiman Entertaining, sometimes gruesome, sometimes funny and sometimes sad collection of stories about Odin, Thor, Loki and the other gods of Asgard.
Pebble and Wrenβ β β β β
Chris Hallbeck Hilarious and heartwarming tale of a girl and the monster who lives under her bed.
People of the Craterβ β β ββ
Andre Norton Standard fantasy rescue-the-princess adventure with sci-fi trappings, nodding vaguely toward Hollow Earth tropes.
Stardust (Movie)β β β β β Light-hearted fantasy adventure built around a love story, Stardust takes itself *just* a touch more seriously than The Princess Bride. Enjoyable on its own, and stays true to the heart of the book.
The Bardβs Tale (reboot)β β β ββWhile I liked the attitude and metatextual humor, it was annoyingly linear when compared to the original series.
The Bardβs Tale IVβ β β β β This is the game Might and Magic IX wanted to be. A classic party-based quest in an immersively detailed world. Only, you know, playable. Plus amazing music!
The Daughter of Odrenβ β β β β
Ursula K. Le Guin A small, stand-alone tale set in Earthsea, reminiscent of the folk tales glimpsed throughout the series. Betrayal, revenge, kindness, and power - and just living
The Gathering Storm (Wheel of Time Book 12)
Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson Events move rapidly toward the apocalypse foretold in book one, and Sanderson shows he was a good choice to finish Jordan's series.
The IllusionistFor the first hour I couldn't get past lead characters being colossally stupid, but the ending totally made up for it.
Tune in Tomorrowβ β β β β
Randee Dawn A fun romp through backstage theater, mystery, soap opera, mythology, fandom and screwball comedy romance tropes. (*whew!*)
Xanadu (Stage Musical)β ββββ
Segerstrom Center, 2009 The stage musical of Xanadu is a silly, self-aware parody that revels in its camp. I really liked about 10% of it. The rest, not so much.