Book Review: The Last American Vampire by Seth Grahame-Smith

   

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While I promise to steer away from major plot points and try to keep things vague in reviews some of what I write might be considered vaguely spolierish.  So if you prefer to read a book with no prior knowledge then I would advise not read my reviews.

The Last American Vampire  is the both the sequel and prequel to Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Slayer.   While it does pick up after the events of the first book it also goes back in history to explain the origins of Henry, the vampire protagonist.  We get both his human history and his vampire origins and their relation to one of the earliest European settlements in North America.  It also moves forward in time, giving an alternative history of the United States, with the occasional stopover in the UK and Europe.

The story is fast paced - I think I read it in less than a week.  There is lots of excitement and violence.  Henry also seems to have a habit of running into and either befriending or making an enemy of many historical figures through out the course of the book.  Well, white and male historical figures.

And here's where we come to what really bothered me about the book.  Now it has been years since I read Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Slayer but I do recall that it had mainly white male characters and I wasn't too bothered.  The book was the story of the friendship between a man and a vampire.  However, this is the story of the United States.  Yes it's an alternate history, but it's still a history.  Where the hell were all the women and people of color who helped shape and build a nation?

There is literally only one female historical character who is a major player in the story.  And I am being really generous in saying so as she gets very little in the way of characterization.  What little we are given about her motivations makes her sound more like a one note stereotype of a traditional female character and less like a flesh and blood being.

And, okay, sure.  Henry is around four hundred years old.  His views on race and gender might be a bit antiquated.  And yet, he specifically mentions women's suffrage as something he supports and takes action to punish those who lynched an African American man.  So, if he believes women are good enough to vote and people of color deserve justice - well why are all his friends white males?

I am not kidding when I say over a dozen white and male historical figures are a part of this story.  But female and persons of color?  In some cases they only get a mention in the footnotes, if at all.

I know, I know, it's just a silly book.  And it is silly.  And I like silly.  I just think an "alternate history" where the white male vampire is the protector and savior of the United States is pretty much what we get when we whitewash history.  Except for the "vampire" part.  It's an okay read but I was really hoping for something more subversive. 

Top Ten Reasons Why there should be more Angent Carter

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 I was going to do a "Final thoughts" type thing analyzing the rest of what I hope is just season one of Agent Carter ( I can't find anything that confirms or denies a season two, anyone know anything more solid?) but then I decided I'd rather think about season 2. Spoilers (for season 1) ahead.

1. Agent Carter, Herself

Because TV needs more women like Carter.  And so does Marvel, well they need to start putting them in films and shows more. Not that I don't love Black Widow and Agent Hill, but they don't even get to have a conversation with each other.

2. Moving On

I'm not that bothered that season one was so much about getting out of Cap's shadow but now that Carter has let go of Cap, can the show do it too? Carter has always been her own woman and never the shrieking violet needing saving and she deserves to be seen as the hero she is.  Even if she's not in need of validation, I kind of am.

3. Agent Sousa

While I'm not shipping Carter/Sousa (Carusa?) yet I definitely want to see more of Enver Gjokaj as Sousa.  Plus they have to write the "Stark gives Sousa a new prosthetic and wackiness ensues episode."  They've already teased it!

4. Jarvis

He's already Carter's faithful retainer and it's always funny when he and Carter go "Full British."  Also, we've still got a lot of unsolved mysteries about Jarvis that I'd like to see revealed.  Perhaps his past comes back to haunt him and Carter helps him . . .

5. History/film buff Easter eggs

Considering my occasionally spotty knowledge of modern pop culture it's nice not to have to go to Google just to get the joke.

6. That Radio Show

So, I was reading that if Agent Carter does continue they are talking about doing a podcast of 15 minute episodes of the Captain America radio serial.  I know I said it's good that Carter is out of the shadow of Cap, but to have him not be there at all would be a bit strange.  The serial would be a nice way of keeping him there but out of the way.  Also, if they need someone I'm pretty sure I was born to write a 1940s style superhero radio serial.  Just sayin'.

7. Dotty

Because I'd like to find out if she's Moriarty or  Darth Vader.

8. More female characters

While there were females in season one, Carter wasn't really close with anyone.  (Admittedly they made it clear why she was wary about getting close with civilians.) Carter just revealed herself to her new roommate Angie, so that's a good step.  But I'd also love another female in the office.  Perhaps someone Carter mentors.  We can always skip ahead a few years and have Carter in a more senior position.

9. Witty repartee

Raised on a steady diet of Thin Man Films and screwball comedies I'm a total sucker for fast and funny dialog.  


10. Better Marketing

You know how sometimes there's a great product but they don't know how to market it?  I think that's what Agent Carter is suffering from.  There was the whole "Her hero" stuff and then referring to Agent Carter as a "Female weapon"?  Seriously, who is writing this crap?  If you want to draw in your target audience calling your lead a "tool" isn't helping.

I actually could add a few more things there but will leave it at that, for now.  Most of all I think at least 12 eps for the next season would be a good idea. 

An Epic Journey

I read once that socks are the short stories of the knitting world.  If I were to name a literary metaphor for this sweater I would pick an epic poem.  Specifically the Odyssey because I felt like I might never finish.

Initially I thought I wouldn't have enough yarn for this sweater at all.  But I found an extra skein and breathed a sigh of relief.  Until I got near the end.  I ran out of yarn halfway through the button band.  But I wasn't going to be defeated, oh no.  I would finish this baby.  Here were the options:

A) Probably the easiest:  Find yarn in my stash of the same weight as the yarn I used for the rest of the sweater and knit a new button band from it.  It wouldn't be gray like the rest of the sweater but it would be a finished sweater.  Except, I didn't want a gray sweater with a different color button band, I just wanted a gray sweater.

B) Possibly easy: Track down another skein of the yarn.  It wouldn't even need to be the same dye lot - I could just reknit the button band from the new skein and if the dye lot was noticeably different I could live with it.  Except even if they still make that color it will involve buying yarn and you know you can't just buy one skein.  Well I can't. I'm trying to use up my stash, not make it bigger.

C) The hardest: Rip out and re knit sections of the sweater shorter to reclaim enough yarn to finish the button band and for the making up.  Of course, this is what I chose to do.  I ended up re-knitting both sleeves (just the arms, not the cuffs) and having to claim a little yarn from the body as well.  It worked out, the sleeves probably would have been too long as they were and I discovered I bound off wrong on the fronts.  Sometimes doing things the hard way does pay dividends.

While the actual knitting turned out to be a longer journey than expected, the buttons were a miracle.  I've no idea if I picked them up with the intention of using them with this yarn but I found buttons of the perfect size and color in the button box and I had enough of them.  And we know that never happens.  I'm always one short or they are the wrong size or color.

 So was it worth it?  Yes! I love this sweater and wear it almost daily.  I'd much rather go the extra mile and rip and reknit to get something I want, love, and wear all the time.  Sure, completing a project is good, but a finished object that gets used and loved is so much better.  This is why I also rip out or give away sweaters when I no longer use them.  I don't like the idea of something that took hours of my life hiding in a drawer or trunk when it can be out in the world being useful.  Even if it takes me more hours to make it that way or someone else is wearing it now.

The pattern is the "Trimmed with Roses" cardigan from A Stitch in Time Volume 2.  I skipped the color work be cause I wanted something plain. The yarn is Dale Garn Baby Ull.  I would recommend both the pattern and the yarn.  Ravelry link.

Can Vintage fashion improve your body image?

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I found this article via Trashy Diva and while it's mostly stuff I already know, it got me thinking.

I may have mentioned that before I started dressing "vintage style" I was having some body issues.  Nothing too bad.  I mean, we're not talking needing therapy, but I was really feeling bad about my body.  The main problem was clothing.  Not much fit and what fit didn't fit right.  It made my body look worse than it actually was.  High waisted pants were a revelation to me.  I no longer had to yank my pants up every two steps or wear a belt that cut off circulation.  I found clothing that actually was physically comfortable to wear and bonus - looked better than modern stuff I'd been trying to pull off for years.  A failure which I once blamed on my body.

But that's just basic stuff, right?  Dress to suit your figure.  What this article got me thinking about was that maybe all the time I spend looking at old media helped too.  Yes, I'm looking for fashion inspiration but am I not also reminding myself that the fashionable body has changed and will change again?  That whatever body type is "in" will always only be a reflection of a small portion of the female population? 

And it makes sense, doesn't it?  All we hear about is how our media consumption can have a impact on how we view ourselves and the world.  That's why there is a campaign for real beauty, right?  Sure I am exposed to plenty of modern media but I would say a good portion of what I consume is historical in nature.  Now I am not saying historical media was more inclusive or body positive because it wasn't.  But when you have a general idea of how body shapes fall in and out of fashion it's easier to reject the current ideal.  Bodies go in and out of style just like clothes.  Better to focus on what lasts, right?

Is it possible that seeing all kinds of body types, even idealized versions, may have helped me feel more comfortable about my body?  I will never have the "ideal body" of 2015 (or 1915 for that matter) and I know that.  Funny thing is, it doesn't really bother me anymore.

Agent Carter: Thoughts on the Show So Far

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Caution: Minor spoilers ahead.

I have been anticipating Agent Carter ever since I heard about the show.  I've also been worried.  Let's face it - the women superheroes still don't get their due in live action media.  I'm not saying Marvel has completely let down it's female heroes - but they sure as hell took their sweet time about giving us a female lead in any of their films and shows.  Someday I hope to live in a world where a female superhero movie is considered bankable.

First of all, I want to make it clear I will not be nitpicking the historical inaccuracies here.  Yes it's the 1940s but it's the 1940s in the Marvel Universe.  This is comic book science fiction and shouldn't be held to the same standard as a traditional period piece or something "based on a true story." 

But moving on.  We have our star.  The woman on whose shoulders the weight of the show rests.  So to speak.  And Atwell does a fine job.  She brings Carter to us as a whole person.  A woman who is strong, smart, and capable.  But also human.  She cries.  She makes mistakes.  She never wishes she were a man.  She may have moments of doubt but she still believes in herself and is rightly pissed that her co-workers don't.  She is keenly aware of what is expected of her as a woman and resents it with every fiber of her being.  She seems to be a wonderful combo of two of my favorite childhood heroes: Nancy Drew and Emma Peel.

Swap the gun for a magnifying glass and it's Nancy Drew.

We have our co-star: Jarvis.  Who actually points out Carter doesn't have to carry the weight of the world alone and indeed Jarvis (James D'Arcy) helps her carry the show quite well without stealing it from her. It's clear she's the hero and he really only wants to be allowed to provide her with support. They seem to be hinting there's a lot more to Jarvis than we've seen so far and I'm interested to find out what it is.  

We also have Carter's female friends.  Civilians,  so she can't really talk about her SSR work with them.  And we lose one of them right off.  Still, I like Angie (Lyndsy Fonseca) and hope that Carter learns to how to balance personal and professional so she can have female friends.  That said, I'm also suspicious of the new tenant.  Is she really a ballet dancer?

As the story progresses I want to get a better picture of the men in Carter's office.  I want to see more of who they are and why they treat her as they do.   Are they really completely unaware of her capabilities?   Do they view her as taking the place of a better qualified man?  Do they see it as a waste to let her in on work that might advance her career when they figure she will probably just retire when she marries?  Perhaps all three?  Will she ever earn their respect or will she have to continue to manipulate and work outside the system to make any difference?

There are great moments through out the show.  When the lone male co-worker who seems to have some respect for Carter defends her she thanks him and tells him not to do it ever again.  Carter doesn't want to be defended.  She doesn't need a hero, she is her own hero.  She was there before Captain America ever existed.  (Am I the only one irritated by the promos that identify Cap as Carter's Hero?) 

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Another moment is where Carter tells Jarvis she used to have a sense of purpose.  It's a thing which all soldiers face after any war.  To have to return to civilian life and do something ordinary.  She once helped win a war.  She had seniority and respect.  Now she's filing and answering phones.  It's hard on soldiers but can you even imagine how much harder it was on women like Carter?  Women who would have probably married or worked in a shop but because of the war were called into the service of their country?  Who found the opportunity to be someone they never imagined or perhaps imagined but never thought possible.  And then the war is over and where are they?  They are asked yet again to do their patriotic duty and to give their jobs back to the men.  Possibly not even being able to tell anyone about what they did during the war - not because they didn't want to but because their government required them to keep secrets that wouldn't become public knowledge until decades later.  Their silence leaving people to assume that they were no more than a secretary.  Or no more than Captain America's girlfriend.

I also love the radio show.  It's ties in quite well with the underlying themes of perception and assumption.  It's a good reminder when most people look at Peggy Carter they don't see an Agent.  Not only because of her (assumed) history with Cap but because of her gender and looks. Which can be frustrating for her but also an asset at times.

I think it's not at all surprising when Stark asks for her help Carter jumps at the chance.  She's bored and wants to do something important again. Stark is part of a good time in Carter's life.  Oh yes, it was the war but she had purpose then.  Carter is also under the impression that Stark respects her - something that her male coworkers don't.  Of course if Stark really did respect Carter, then wouldn't he have told her the whole truth?  Whatever that might be?

I'm impressed so far and have high hopes for the rest of Agent Carter.  I also hope other Marvel (and DC for that matter) women finally get their due in quality shows and movies.