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Star trek strange new worlds
Star trek strange new worlds
2022 | Sci-Fi
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
TV Show Rating
This, I feel, is a strong contender to be the best of the recent Star Trek shows.

It's just a pity that so few have seen it, locked away behind yet another streaming subscription paywall.

This goes back to the original, story-of-the-week, style of Star Trek storytelling (although there is a plot arc running throughout in that Captain Pike knows of his fate), with Ethan Peck reprising his role as Spock from whaterver-season-it-was (3?) of Star Trek: Discovery, as does Anson Mount as Captain Pike and Rebecca Romijin as Number One.

As it is so heavily serialised, some of the episodes are better than others: the standout one, for me, being the penultimate episode which borrows heavily from Alien(s) and Predator!
  
Connor's Gambit
Connor's Gambit
Z Gottlieb | 2019
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Connor’s Gambit by Z. Gottlieb is the first book I’ve received to review that’s in audible format, so this is quite a new experience for me, just like it’s the lead character Brad Johnson’s first adventure with aliens. And what a trip this is!

After Brad sees an alien spaceship and it seems no one else did, he begins to doubt his sanity. But when his suspicions are confirmed and his wife, Shinny, reveals who and what she really is, his life not only changes forever, but so does everything he thought he knew about his life and the universe which surrounds him — aliens do exist — he should know, he’s married to one! And, boy, does the plot thicken after that.

In Z. Gottlieb’s fun world there were times that the space technology seemed so realistic I was wondering if the author had some sort of NASA experience. From alien creature descriptions, their lifestyles and their amazing high-tech technology, to Brad’s awakening and newfound belief in UFOs, and his acceptance to jump right in and help, whilst learning on the job; this book has a lot to offer any self-respecting science fiction fan and space cadet!

A few of my favourite things? There’s so many to choose from. I loved Brad (obviously!). Then there’s the scary Neslins, the Aneplè, the battle cruiser Zuonopy and all its features and Brad and Shinny’s son, Dane with his talking dragon Yeshawliq. I need a talking dragon, can you make one out of a 3D printer for me please?

The narrator’s voice was different to what I expected at first, however, Charlie Thurston pulled me into the action and kept me hooked right through to the satisfying end, which is slightly left open for more, whilst at the same time it’s also a fully completed standalone story with major plot threads all tied up nicely. I’m so pleased to have discovered Z. Gottleib’s space world and I cannot wait to read or even listen to the next instalment. I’m sure it will definitely be worth the wait!

Z. Gottlieb has captured the essence of space travel, alien life and the rules of their universe spectacularly. I really enjoy my time (all 13 hours of it) listening to this space opera, and the fact that I was listening (instead of reading) really made me feel like I was there, thrown in deep with the characters and their stories, part of their crew!
  
Paul (2011)
Paul (2011)
2011 | Comedy, International, Sci-Fi
9
7.7 (27 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Can you think of a better vacation than going to the San Diego Comic-Con, then hopping into an RV with your best friend to travel around America checking out various UFO hot spots? If you answered “Heck No!” then you would get along just fine with Klingon-speaking best friends from the UK, Graeme Willy (Simon Pegg) and Clive Gollings (Nick Frost).

That’s how the movie Paul begins, at one of the greatest conventions, San Diego Comic Con. Then Graeme and Clive are off on their cross country adventure during which they meet all sorts of interesting people including Paul (voiced by Seth Rogen), an alien whose ship crash landed on Earth 60 years ago and, until his recent escape, had been a “guest” at a secret military base. After some fainting, wetting pants and fears about probing have been addressed, Graeme and Clive agree to help Paul get to where he can meet his mothership and go home.

At this point the movie goes from funny to really funny and as the three of them get to know each other better, Graeme and Clive soon realize that Paul is just a everyday guy like them (well except for the whole alien thing). They also meet Bible-thumper Ruth (Kristen Wiig) whom they accidentally kidnap, causing her shotgun-toting father to chase after them. Of course there are government agents also looking for them and the movie even throws in a few high speed chases. To round out the road trip there’s even a fight at a biker bar (Star Wars fans will love the band playing inside). Will they achieve their goal and send Paul home? Will there be probing? Klaatu barada nikto?

The special effects that went into creating Paul and his realistic interactions with the human cast were amazing, however the humorous soul that Seth Rogen breathed into Paul made the character truly out of this world. Not since Mork and Gordon Shumway (ALF) has an alien made me laugh so hard. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost were their usual extremely funny dynamic-duo selves. The movie is loaded with well-placed humorous references to sci-fi movies and shows, a well-balanced amount of action and great character interactions with an unbelievable supporting cast that includes Jason Bateman, Jane Lynch and Bill Hader just to name a few. This movie is not only one that I want to see again in the theatre but one that I also want to own.
  
Everyone's a Aliebn When Ur a Aliebn Too: A Book
Everyone's a Aliebn When Ur a Aliebn Too: A Book
Jomny Sun | 2017 | Comics & Graphic Novels, Science Fiction/Fantasy
10
10.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Originally reviewed on http://www.frommybookshelf.com

I have never heard of Jomny Sun, nor his twitter feed, @jonnysun, and after having read everyone's a aliebn when ur a aliebn too, I feel like I've been missing out on something fairly amazing. everyone's a aliebn opens with the alien Jomny being dropped off on Earth, to study the planet and what it means to be an earthling. Never feeling like a part of his people, Jomny at first feels lost on Earth, but as he learns what it means to be an earthling thru his encounters with a varied cast of characters, he actually discovers what it means to be human instead, and begins to finally feel like he has found his place in the universe.

This is one of those rare treats of a book for me that reminds me how you can be fooled by a book, and in a beautiful way. Remarkably told thru the sparsest of illustrations and text, everyone's a aliebn when ur a aliebn too has an emotional impact I was not expecting. The illustrations and text are so basic, I initially thought I was just reading a cute little story about an alien on Earth and his misadventures, but what Jonathan Sun provides is actually a guide to the ups and downs of all human emotion, and it is surprisingly powerful. I enjoyed it so much that I immediately flipped back to the beginning as soon as I finished and read the whole thing again. I think this would be a perfect book for anyone who is having a hard time finding their place in the world; if Jomny can do it, any of us can.
  
His Majesty's Dragon
His Majesty's Dragon
Naomi Novik | 2006 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
8.8 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
Set during the Napoleonic War, British officer and gentleman Captain William Laurence has his life turned upside down after seizing a rare dragon egg from a captured French vessel. Led by an unwavering sense of duty and a growing affection for his new dragonet, Temeraire, he must leave behind everything he knows to join the mysterious and disreputable Aerial Corps.

Naomi Novik knows her stuff. This book is chock full of amazing worldbuilding. Her mastery of naval maneuvers, English society, and the history of the Napoleonic wars is immersive in its completeness. She wastes no time coddling the reader with infodumps or explanations, although the drawback is that it is occasionally so detailed and alien to me that my eyes would glaze over and slide completely past a paragraph filled with information about where Napoleon's forces were and what they were doing.


Laurence himself gets flack as a character for being stiff and "unprogressive", but I feel this is somewhat unwarranted. He's compelling precisely because he exhibits a mindset that would be entirely normal for a man of his station in his time, and slowly has to adjust everything he thinks about class, gender, and duty. His stiffness and reserve can seem alien at times, but we empathize completely with his love of the bright and lovely Temeraire.


This book does have some pacing problems. It is slow in places, particularly during their training and Loch Laggan, and in others cuts chapters far too early, leaving one feeling a bit of whiplash as the next chapter starts up.


Still, the premise is amazing, the dragons are glorious, and I spent an entire night reading this book cover to cover. If you like Bloody Jack, or wondered what How To Train Your Dragon would look like if it were set during the Napoleonic war, you'll definitely enjoy this one.