Change of plans and Walking Dead Episode 4

*First things first: I mixed up my calendar dates (smacks head in disgust) so my review for Dying Light, that according to the computer date book was supposed to be up today, will instead go up tomorrow. I apologize to everyone, especially Scott, for the delay.

*In absence of my review I have decided to go ahead and post the Walking Dead recap a day earlier than normal, but I promise that everything goes back to normal next week, or as close to normal as I ever get. So take a gander at the highlight video for episode 4, courtesy of AMC,  and let the discussion begin!

*contains spoilers*

Okay, so I have a few very important questions: Where did all those damn zombies come from?  Is part of the zombie virus that you will suddenly get mad ninja skills? And how did they manage to get past the elaborate and  highly advanced tin can system?

Don't get me wrong, I am completely hooked on this show. These lingering questions won't, in any way, prevent me from watching each and every week, but I would like to see a small bit of reality creep in. These folks need to get organized!!! 

The list should go like this: 

1. Weapons and tools

2. Tactical gear- military tanks are abandoned all over and they should be raiding that stuff as they find it.

3. Food- they also need some way to sustain a food source, like they have with the quarry.

4. Cars- hotwire some heavy duty trucks or something because the POS method will not work in the long term.

Once they have settled on a place to make camp a slid plan for defense should be worked out, like with barbed wire and 24/7 guard watching the perimeter. 

And yes, I realize that this is just a show and the zombie apocalypse is not right around the corner...but it does get frustrating to watch them make these mistakes over and over.

And now to the most shocking aspect from last nights episode...Amy. Didn't see that one coming! 

It's your turn. What "list" would you make to get the camp running more smoothly? Were you completely surprised by how the episode turned out? And what about the gang from the city? What do you think might happen to them?

The Walking Dead Episode 2: Guts

Okay, I had big plans to recap this show but I have discovered two very important things. The first, I am not very good at summarizing shows and this just furthers my belief that Jen and Betty are superstar blog goddesses. The second is that flu bugs suck and dreaming of the zombie apocalypse is not helping. Sad, I know. So here is my condensed Campbell soup version for this week.

I'm approaching this show differently than I would let's say a movie or book about zombies. Since the creators want us to tune in each week it needs to be about more than zombies, more than survivors, more than blood and guts. Episode 2 introduced a few new characters (some good and some not so good), showed a new hardness to Rick's story (he cut up a zombie and didn't even flinch...much), and reinforced my dislike of the partner and wife (she's weak and he is a cowardly family snatching jerk). It's making me nuts not to know how this virus started, they need to start dropping a few more clues, and I am having creepy dreams about these almost intelligent walkers (they know to pick up rocks and smash glass). I'd have to say that the overall tone for episode 2 was way more intense than the premiere and I was on the edge of my seat during most of the show, especially towards the end when they were walking among the zombies and trying to heist the truck so they could escape.

I do have a few questions for you though.

1. Would you have left that nasty racist up on the roof with no means for escape? If so, would you later confess to the equally unhinged brother?
   
   
2. Do you dislike the wife and partner as much as I do? Or are you more sympathetic to the stress and situation? I get that the situation is crazy and they couldn't exactly carry a comatose guy around while trying to escape a horde of flesh eating zombies, but something just feels off and the partner seems so self centered. I don't think he cares about the group as much as he lets on and can absolutely see him screwing them over. I think he wanted the wife for himself even before the outbreak.
   
   
3. How do you think Rick is going to react when he finds out?
   
   
4. What do you think caused this zombie outbreak? Any theories so far?
   
   
5. Tuning in next week? I am!!!

Check out these episode 2 highlights:



Don't forget to hop over to the official AMC Walking Dead website and take the survival test. I scored the rank of Father figure, which essentially means that I am smart, compassionate and not a total failure in stressful situations. Let me know your score! And if you get the chance, play the Atlanta Run game- I'm curious to see how that goes.

Guest post and contest with H.P. Mallory

*Sorry I'm late! First, I will have a post about episode 2 of Walking Dead tomorrow- I have the flu and am just too tired to type right now. 

Secondly, many thanks to H.P. Mallory for taking the time to give us a peek into her imagination and sharing some of her inspiration. My review of Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble will be up later this week. H.P. has also generously donated 1 e-book to two different winners and contest details are at the end of this post.

Lots of people always ask me where I get my ideas for my books, one of which is a paranormal romance (Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble) and the other is an Urban Fantasy (To Kill A Warlock). And, silly though this might sound, it’s sort of a tough question to answer. I don’t really know where I get my ideas. I mean, I’ve always loved anything that has to do with the paranormal—when I was a kid, my favorite books were always about ghosts. I look forward to the Twilight Zone marathon every year around Thanksgiving and I love love love those shows about real haunted houses. So, I guess it was a natural that I should want to write paranormal fiction.

I started writing about two years ago when I was living in Cambridge, England. Living abroad might have been the catalyst probing me to put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard as the case may be. England was such a magical place—not only in the incredibly old history but also in the weather—how dour and grey the sky can be and throw a crumbling old castle into the picture and you almost can’t help but write something gothic. While living in the UK, I started reading the Sookie Stackhouse series and got about halfway into the Anita Blake series before I couldn’t relate to Anita anymore and had to stop. I really loved both of those series and they might have had an impact on me in terms of the structure of my stories—writing in first person and creating a series narrative.

But, as for my story lines, I don’t know where they come from. I might hear a song on the radio that will make me think of a fun storyline or a memory might suddenly grab me, demanding to be included in my stories somehow. I guess it comes down to the fact that I’m constantly thinking about stories, about situations and scenes I can incorporate into my books. But, as to where I get my ideas? I don’t know. They just sort of arrive and refuse to leave!

H.P. Mallory
Author, Urban Fantasy & Paranormal Romance
www.hpmallory.com
www.urbanfantasyauthor.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/hpmallory
http://www.facebook.com/people/Hp-Mallory/10000124964376
































Contest details:
*Please leave a meaningful comment telling me your favorite TV/Movie witch OR tell me what serves as your inspiration for trying new things.
*One winner will get Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble, while the next winner will get How To Kill a Warlock.
*This contest ends November 21st.

What did you think about the Walking Dead?

Did anybody watch The Walking Dead last Sunday? Although I was completely over the endless commercials and non-stop hype, I (along with Flyboy because I'm not about to watch zombies by myself) did tune in for the premiere.

The opening was a little slow but that's to be expected when a show is trying to lay all the groundwork and backstory. Nobody is quite sure what started this outbreak but those that are bitten are quickly overcome. I was reminded a bit of Stephen King's The Stand- loads of information to sort through, gripping characters, untold depth and a core story that remains about humanity.

One aspect that interested me was the amount of time spent humanizing the zombies. They didn't all have empty, mindless eyes (which is totally scary) like you would expect of one that only wants to eat flesh and blood. These zombies seemed different to me. Morgan's wife is a 'walker' and she still comes back to the house they were staying in when she died, almost as if she remembers that her family is there waiting for her. You really felt sorry for her and I can understand the temptation to somehow try to spare/save her. The little boy, Duane, was so heartbreaking when he cried...and then you remember that he can wield a wicked mean shovel. He's a tough little guy that has seen the impossible.

I'm fascinated by this show and have high hopes for future episodes. Definitely tuning in this Sunday. What do you think about The Walking Dead? Any thoughts about episode 1? Which characters did you love/hate?