Review of Artful by Peter David

  As always there will be spoilers, so if you don't want any please don't read the review.

 I recently read the kindle version of Artful by Peter David. I've always liked his books, especially his Star Trek novels, so I knew this would be well written and entertaining. The book is written in the style of the original Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens and the reader should have read that novel before reading this one. There are many references back to the original Dickens novel and it would be a shame to miss them. The main difference between Dickens novel and David's humorous continuation is the addition of vampires.
  The basic premise is the story of the Artful Dodger after the end of Oliver Twist. Now, at the end of Oliver Twist it is implied that the Dodger is sent off to Australia, which was a prison colony at the time. In Artful, he avoids that fate and stays in England. The reader also discovers that Fagin, who was hung in the original novel, survives his fate also. This is due to the fact that he is a vampire.  Dodger meets up with several interesting characters including; the future queen of England, Van Helsing, Mr. Fang (a magistrate and vampire), and several lesser-known but important government officials.
  Mr. Fang and his vampires have a plan to rule England by turning the royal family into vampires. As the young princess has sneaked out to explore the city around her, the vampires close in to grab her and change her into one of them. All that stands between the vampires' plans of ruling England is the Artful Dodger.
  I enjoyed this book a lot. The writing was smart and entertaining. The characters were well-developed and likable. The plot was smart and tense enough to keep you turning pages the whole way through. If you liked books like Pride and Prejudice and zombies and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire hunter this is similar to that kind of blending of old literature and humor. I would recommend it.

Gen Con and Peter Davison the Fifth Doctor

Once every couple of years we make the trek up to Indy for Gen Con. That's at least four hours there and another four hours back; sometimes all in one day if people can't schedule to be off work. Now Gen Con is a pretty cool convention and has tons of things to do, but you had better come prepared to spend money. Most events cost money, on top of the $50 per day that you spend to get into the convention. However, if you are not there to play in every tournament you can get off without breaking the bank. If you are like me and my friends, then you spend most of your time in the exhibition hall. That's where the selling is going on. Companies from all over bring their best games to Gen Con. one of the nicest things that they do is let people demo the games right there. Mostly the brand new stuff and the very popular. It's really cool to test something like that before you shell over the $50-$75 for the game.

Aside from the games on sale, you will find sci-fi, fantasy, and anime dealers there with their wares. Collectibles, dvds, cds, costumes, and more are all on sale for your buying pleasure. It's a rare person that makes it through all the booths without buying something. I never make it. This year I was lucky enough to find several gifts that are stored away for Christmas. I'm sure I'm not the only one who gets Christmas shopping done at the con.

Gen Con also boasts media and insider guests of honor. This year the big names for the media were Peter Davison (the fifth doctor) and Walter Koenig (Star Trek). I will admit that the draw for me was Davison. I love Doctor Who and Peter Davison was one of my favorite doctors. I actually stood in line and got an autograph and picture with him. It was very exciting. The only problem was I was too shy to really talk to him at all. Besides he had a pretty long line of people waiting for their turn. I decided I would use this post to say some of the things I wanted to say to him.

A lot of people are kind of indifferent to Davison's doctor which I think is a real shame. To me he was one of the most memorable doctors. He's often ranked under Tom Baker with fans, but I liked him just as much and maybe even a little better. He was a slightly more serious Doctor, despite the celery on his lapel. While Baker talked his way out of situations by confusing his enemies and then out-thinking them; Davison often talked his way out of situations with honesty and heart. He was the best Doctor at being really good. I always felt like his Doctor really cared about and looked after his companions. He seemed like such a dad, always trying his best to keep tabs on the companions and keep them out of harm's way. He was very human and relatable. He was less crazy and funny than Tom Baker and that's what worked really well for him. I liked him because he was so different from Baker.

He has had a very nice career before and after Doctor Who. The two other shows he is probably best known for are All Things Great and Small and lately Law & Order: UK. Having spent just a few moments in his presence; he seemed to be a genuine, nice guy. Someone who really is thankful that he has played the roles he has and still has fans who want to come out and see him. He was unfailingly polite to everyone and was kind and smiled throughout his signing session. I was so thankful that I had a chance to see him in person. It was an absolute pleasure.