Buffy: Between the Lines gets video, Scott Sigler gets read

Buffy: Between the Lines – now on YouTube!
In a great twist of fanfic begetting it’s own loyal and dedicated fans, some fans of Buffy: Between the Lines have posted videos on YouTube. B:BtL is an audiodrama with no pictures, but great dialogue, effects and mood-aplenty. Now fans have added their own images. The results are pretty amazing and go to show that if you produce high-quality work you will garner devoted and talented fans.

Background Download
Remember, some time ago, I told you about how you could download Scott Sigler’s book ‘Infected’ free from the web? I did the download thing and started to read. It was gripping, suspenseful and leaden with horrors-to-come. And then my PC crashed. Despite many hours, swearing and sweating the PC refused to respond to my tech-charms and so, with some regret, I had to take it to the repair shop. This is a hard pill to swallow for a geek. I was lucky that in the meantime the Orbis books arrived, so I was able to still enjoy some high-quality reading courtesy of P J Haarsma. I loved ‘Virus on Orbis 1’ (as you will see in my review).

PC: Dead, not Infected
The bad news came back from the repair shop. PC, RIP (no, it wasn't a virus). Hard drive – could possibly be revived and so it was, but minus ‘Infected’. I could have gone to Scott Sigler’s website and waited for the chapters to be uploaded but that would mean waiting! I ordered the book and it arrived at the weekend. I put it off as long as possible but I picked it up on Sunday evening. Yikes, where did the time go? 100 pages gone in a flash. On Monday I have to get some work done. But there’s only 100 pages left and it’s so good and I’ve got to know what happens next and is he really going to do that and that doesn’t sound very hopeful for her and…well, it was for purely practical reasons that I decided to finish reading. Plus, I had to know how it would end!

Was it any good, then?
Do you like horror books? Do you enjoy a bit of self-mutilation? Is the intelligent use of science your thing? Are books that race you along, page after page, of any interest to you? Have I asked enough questions? If you answered yes to any of these then you will love ‘Infected’. I’ve read quite a number of horror books (I have even read Stephen King’s ‘Tommyknockers’ all the way to the end, which deserves some sort of prize). I loved ‘Infected’. It didn’t waste my time. It’s a goodly size (and the cover is great), but you don’t have to wade through words to get to the action. There’s lots of description (maybe more than your stomach needs in places!) and the pacing is great. As someone who has often been told that editing is the key (too many words, dear) it’s been another revelation. And I loved the way the critters communicated, very well done and added a great depth.

What about the triangles, then?
Well, to find out about them, you need to read the book. Or maybe you should go to Mr Sigler’s website and download one of his podcasts and give yourself a sneak peak of the action. Or pick up the first chapter podcast free from Podio. For someone who is a self-proclaimed techtard (not my word!) he has been a prolific podcaster (which surely uses technology of some description). I’m just not sure why he was at a Web 2.0 conference today, if he doesn’t get technology – I think he’s holding out on us and really does understand. Maybe he just finds it easier to let other people do all the tech work….

Joss' Whedon's Journal?
Time management. Gotta get some. Now, I gotta go.