09/13/09
Poltergeist (Kat Richardson)
Harper questions a few more participants. Who are also dicks. She meets with Ben, who demonstrates all the different ways that someone can fake a séance, including the basic table rapping methods, and something called a “hook” which allows better and more subtle manipulations of the table (and also leaves bruising on the arm consistent with what was on Mark’s arm).
The group is informed of Mark’s death, but decides to proceed with their séance, resulting in a rocking haunting scene involving people being chased by a table, and a brooch of Cara (the lineage faker) appearing and being thrown at her. The group blame the force and malice of the poltergeist more on the idea that Mark's ghost is present, rather than on Celia, or themselves. They feel that it is their fault for focusing on Mark's death, rather than their own work.
Cara admits that she and Mark were having an affair, and that she suspects that she left the brooch at his place. Harper speaks with one of the grad students, who gets indignant with her, but is eventually mollified when she explains that she honestly needs his help, and isn’t trying to suggest that he’s an idiot or irrelevant.
Sep 13, 2009
Sep 12, 2009
09-12-09 Readings
09/12/09
Poltergeist (Kat Richardson)
Harper investigates Mark’s death further, and interviews all the participants in Tuckman’s study. Most of them are absolute dicks, who feel superior to everyone, or are actively hiding something. All have a strange yellow thread around them in the Grey (the ghostly otherworld), which causes strange poltergeist phenomena around them, from small objects moving to the poltergeist actively playing with one participant’s children.
There is a minor subplot introduced that one of the participants, Cara, is lying about being the grand-niece of a previous mayor of Seattle.
Harper also speaks with Ben Danziger about ways to fake a séance (once again, an interesting bit of research here...actually a cool scene), and his wife, Mara, about why she can’t see the Grey through the glass in the observation booth. There is further minor subplot introduced regarding the interactions between the Danziger's 2 year old son, Brian, and the ghost that lives in their home, Albert. I really, really hate the kid. But I'm not a big fan of children in general.
Poltergeist (Kat Richardson)
Harper investigates Mark’s death further, and interviews all the participants in Tuckman’s study. Most of them are absolute dicks, who feel superior to everyone, or are actively hiding something. All have a strange yellow thread around them in the Grey (the ghostly otherworld), which causes strange poltergeist phenomena around them, from small objects moving to the poltergeist actively playing with one participant’s children.
There is a minor subplot introduced that one of the participants, Cara, is lying about being the grand-niece of a previous mayor of Seattle.
Harper also speaks with Ben Danziger about ways to fake a séance (once again, an interesting bit of research here...actually a cool scene), and his wife, Mara, about why she can’t see the Grey through the glass in the observation booth. There is further minor subplot introduced regarding the interactions between the Danziger's 2 year old son, Brian, and the ghost that lives in their home, Albert. I really, really hate the kid. But I'm not a big fan of children in general.
Sep 11, 2009
09-11-09 Readings
09/11/09
Poltergeist (Kat Richardson)
Read quite a bit. Harper examines the room and, along with Quinton, her technologically adept, if somewhat mysterious, friend investigate how Tuckman was able to produce the poltergeist phenomena. Quite a few nifty technical details here. Quinton’s actually a nifty character, who is sort of a renegade electrical engineer who can MacGyver various bits of technology together on very basic principles (he rigged up Harper’s security system in the first book to page her whenever someone enters her office). Unfortunately she finds that she can’t view the Grey, the Twilight-like ghost realm, from inside the control booth for the room, so her ability to perceive what’s going on out there is limited.
Harper finally gets to view a session...and shit goes crazy as the table dances around the room, chases the participants, and at one point spins on one leg so fast it draws up smoke from the floor. One of the normal participants in the sessions, Mark, didn’t attend, so Harper goes to check him out, but finds the police at his apartment. Apparently Mark got tossed into a wall and crushed to death. Suspicious much?
While looking into that, Harper is contacted by her vampire friend, Cameron, who wants her to go to the morgue for him and check on a body he killed...and make sure it didn’t come back from the dead. Turns out the old man had a heart attack while Cameron was...doing something nonspecific. Well, it does turn out that he’s just dead, so all’s well there.
Poltergeist (Kat Richardson)
Read quite a bit. Harper examines the room and, along with Quinton, her technologically adept, if somewhat mysterious, friend investigate how Tuckman was able to produce the poltergeist phenomena. Quite a few nifty technical details here. Quinton’s actually a nifty character, who is sort of a renegade electrical engineer who can MacGyver various bits of technology together on very basic principles (he rigged up Harper’s security system in the first book to page her whenever someone enters her office). Unfortunately she finds that she can’t view the Grey, the Twilight-like ghost realm, from inside the control booth for the room, so her ability to perceive what’s going on out there is limited.
Harper finally gets to view a session...and shit goes crazy as the table dances around the room, chases the participants, and at one point spins on one leg so fast it draws up smoke from the floor. One of the normal participants in the sessions, Mark, didn’t attend, so Harper goes to check him out, but finds the police at his apartment. Apparently Mark got tossed into a wall and crushed to death. Suspicious much?
While looking into that, Harper is contacted by her vampire friend, Cameron, who wants her to go to the morgue for him and check on a body he killed...and make sure it didn’t come back from the dead. Turns out the old man had a heart attack while Cameron was...doing something nonspecific. Well, it does turn out that he’s just dead, so all’s well there.
Sep 10, 2009
09-10-09 Readings
09/10/09
Poltergeist (Kat Richardson)
Only read a few pages today. Harper investigates the room and finds a strange knot of Grey energy under the table
Poltergeist (Kat Richardson)
Only read a few pages today. Harper investigates the room and finds a strange knot of Grey energy under the table
09-09-09 Readings
09/09/09
Poltergeist (Kat Richardson)
Only read a few pages before bed today. Standard exposition opening introducing the character of Harper Blaine (main), and the Danzigers, Mara and Ben (supporting). Introduced the case at hand: A Dr. Tuckman at the university of Seattle is trying to recreate the infamous Phillips poltergeist experiment. His group has created a ghost called Celia Falwell, and are experiencing good PK activity. However, the results are becoming more powerful, and Tuckman suspects foul play. He asks Harper to investigate, but she calls him on being a sleazeball, and he admits finally that he has a ringer in the group in order to "encourage" further development.
Geist: The Sin-Eaters (White Wolf)
Finished off the Manifestations section and started getting into the Ceremonies. I'm really digging the way this game is put together, and the powers are wonderfully thematic. While I was a bit skeptical about their breadth and power level at first, they seem to nicely model pretty much everything ever expressed in a haunting or ghost story. The ceremonies are a bit odd, but are a nice addition to the game, and are designed much in the same way as Werewolf Rites. My enthusiasm grows.
Poltergeist (Kat Richardson)
Only read a few pages before bed today. Standard exposition opening introducing the character of Harper Blaine (main), and the Danzigers, Mara and Ben (supporting). Introduced the case at hand: A Dr. Tuckman at the university of Seattle is trying to recreate the infamous Phillips poltergeist experiment. His group has created a ghost called Celia Falwell, and are experiencing good PK activity. However, the results are becoming more powerful, and Tuckman suspects foul play. He asks Harper to investigate, but she calls him on being a sleazeball, and he admits finally that he has a ringer in the group in order to "encourage" further development.
Geist: The Sin-Eaters (White Wolf)
Finished off the Manifestations section and started getting into the Ceremonies. I'm really digging the way this game is put together, and the powers are wonderfully thematic. While I was a bit skeptical about their breadth and power level at first, they seem to nicely model pretty much everything ever expressed in a haunting or ghost story. The ceremonies are a bit odd, but are a nice addition to the game, and are designed much in the same way as Werewolf Rites. My enthusiasm grows.
Current Books
Richardson, Kat. Poltergeist. New York: Roc Fantasy, 2007.
-Date Started: September 8, 2009
Hartley, Jess, et al. Geist: The Sin-Eaters. Atlanta: White Wolf Publishing, 2009.
-Date Started: September 1, 2009
-Date Started: September 8, 2009
Hartley, Jess, et al. Geist: The Sin-Eaters. Atlanta: White Wolf Publishing, 2009.
-Date Started: September 1, 2009
Sep 9, 2009
The 8 Rules
This blog is predicated upon 8 basic rules that I intend to follow. I have a large personal library at home, which is where I intend to start. Where I finish? Who knows.
Rules and Resolutions
1) I will not read any books I have read previously, except for purposes of research.
2) I will cite novels and fiction in MLA, and non-fiction in APA.
3) I will take notes to summarize what has been read each day in no less than 250 words per book.
4) I will note the date that I start a novel, and the date at which I finish it.
5) Everything print document I read will be noted be it novel, magazine, academic resources, catalogue, and newspaper.
6) I will take a photograph of each book and post it when I start a review, regardless of how bizarre or embarrassing the title will be.
7) I will try to answer all my readers’ questions on a given novel, as I read it.
8) This blog is one big spoiler.
Rules and Resolutions
1) I will not read any books I have read previously, except for purposes of research.
2) I will cite novels and fiction in MLA, and non-fiction in APA.
3) I will take notes to summarize what has been read each day in no less than 250 words per book.
4) I will note the date that I start a novel, and the date at which I finish it.
5) Everything print document I read will be noted be it novel, magazine, academic resources, catalogue, and newspaper.
6) I will take a photograph of each book and post it when I start a review, regardless of how bizarre or embarrassing the title will be.
7) I will try to answer all my readers’ questions on a given novel, as I read it.
8) This blog is one big spoiler.
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