Sunday Morning Always Comes

I hate getting old. It's not the daily shock of seeing yet more grey in my beard and hair, or those lines around the eyes that are refusing to leave. It's not the general feeling of still being 17 inside my skull, while outside the body is slipping and sliding like a harp seal down a Jello slide into my mid forties. No, it's none of that.

It's having one glass of wine and still having a fucking hangover.

Since David was hooting about finding Crackdown on the cheap for the 360, I went out to find meself a similar deal. Sadly, the best I could find was Killer 7.



So I hied myself home, put the horses and coach into the stables, and fired up the steam necessary to run my PS2. And lo! Was I not met with something that can only be described as weird. As in very. As in fucking.

Here, you doth play an assassin with seven different personalities--thus, the 'Killer 7'. You access your personalities by changing channels on an old TV set. You level up by converting the blood of your enemies, who are these green, giggling monsters called 'Heaven Smiles'. You receive hints from a guy in a red bondage suit who drops out of the ceiling. And there's a guy who walks around holding a mask who talks about his toilet.

Of course, it's Japanese. And it's glorious, like some fevered dream shared by Burroughs and Tarantino after a dinner of peyote and Diet Coke.

After that, I stumbled onto the couch with that accursed Evil Glass Of Imminent Hangover. And still happy in my ignorance of what the dawn would bring, I did read this:



It's been pointed out that with the current Doctor Who fiction being aimed at a much younger set, there is a void for the more adult tone seen in the BBC paperback and Virgin line. That void is being filled with the Torchwood novels. This one--by the ever dependable Dan Abnett--is what some people may call a 'cracking' tale. It also shows that Gwen Cooper is a big old slag, but one I'd still not throw out of bed for being such.

If you enjoy Torchwood, then chances are you'll enjoy this. Abnett captures the characters very well (but even he doesn't seem to know what to do with Toshiko and Ianto, but then who does?). And if you're a pop culture junkie, there are about six and a half pounds of cool references here. You may need a trowel.

Just like a I need an aspirin...