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Ripple Effect by David Gerrold & Ctein (2024, Patreon)

I read the excerpt “Bubble and Squeak” from the collection G is for Gerrold. Here’s the thing: it’s the best part of the book, talking about a relationship between two characters and what happens. Do look it up! The format of the book overall is one of rotating perspectives following a large cast of characters. This is a disaster book, and at first it reminded me of Lucifer’s Hammer by Niven & Pournelle, but that book gets to the “what next” stage after a disaster. Ripple goes into great detail about a cataclysmic earthquake/tsunami but stops as the disaster ends.

One of the reasons I wanted to write about this book, though, is that it’s the first one that I have read through Patreon support. They were releasing monthly chapters but I ‘cheated’ and waited a couple of months until the entire set was published as I found out about the book fairly late. They offered a full download for anyone who was a $7/month payer, so I joined for a month and downloaded the book. It’s a no-frills PDF, and there are a few typos, but it’s a really good value going right to the authors!

Patreon support: thumbs-up

The book as a whole: read the short story unless you are a Gerrold completist.

Gen V S2 (Amazon Prime, 2025)

If you didn’t watch Season 1, you really should go back and watch it. The “Previously on” won’t give the full flavor of what you need.

After having watched S2, I think it is ESSENTIAL for those who are watching The Boys to watch before the final season comes out. It’s still coarse and with graphic violence but the hero’s journey the main (and even peripheral) characters take is interesting TV.

I am impressed that the creators and writers (and actors) have made the show as compelling as it is. The movement of the characters from crass a-hole college students to nascent heroes is probably the weakest link for the show, but I am now very interested to see what happens when The Boys airs.

Original Short Take for Season 1 (November 3, 2024):

This is a spinoff in “The Boys” universe. For best effect watched between S3 and S4. I watched it after. There’s an S2 planned. It is worth watching if you like the main show. It’s coarse and graphic at times but there is some serious commentary and satire in there as well. I assume S2 will come out before S5 of the main show and since I am caught up I will be able to watch everything as it comes out, whenever that ends up being.

The Old Guard 1 & 2 (Netflix, 2020 & 2025)

I caught up on some TV this weekend, including a movie I’d had on “My List” for some time. I liked it, so I also watched the sequel that just came out this year. The basic setup follows some beings that don’t stay dead that act as basically the Immortal A-Team.

I didn’t realize that this was based on a five-issue Image comics series by Greg Rucka. (I need to go find it.) I just have one thing to say….

Charlize Theron. Wow. She is now 50 and she just might be the most incredible action star there is. There is not a lot of plot or backstory in the first movie–just go with it. The second movie fills it out some, but it suffers from being an obvious “middle movie”–here’s hoping there is an Old Guard 3!

I always have a quibble about something in the way that a movie might set up its universe and rules, and my quibble about this franchise is that I wanted just 1 minute on how they pay for/get supplies for all the weapons (and especially cars) they go through. They’re not shown stealing much, and as immortals it would be easy enough to have a throwaway line like “the power of compound interest” that would still at least acknowledge it!

However, even I wouldn’t let something like materiel get in the way of a couple of good popcorn flicks. At the slow rate that I go through My List, I hope the next movie in this series pops up when I’m ready for it.