Truths, Half Truths and Little White Lies
Book
'No life can really be all black, right? Even during the darkest times, what got me through that...
Posthuman Personhood
Book
Posthuman Personhood takes up the ethical challenge posed by Francis Fukuyama's work, Our Posthuman...
Slaughterhouse-Five
8.0
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Book
Kurt Vonnegut's absurdist classic Slaughterhouse-Five introduces us to Billy Pilgrim, a man who...
When the Lamps Went Out: Reporting the Great War, 1914-1918
Book
"The lamps are going out all over Europe; we shall not see them lit again in our life-time". (Sir...
Something Coming Through
Book
The aliens are here. And they want to help. The extraordinary new project from one of the country's...
Jazz and Palm Wine
Dominic Thomas and Emmanuel Dongala
Book
Jazz, aliens, and witchcraft collide in this collection of short stories by renowned author Emmanuel...
Warlord of Mars: Dejah Thoris Omnibus: Vol. 1
Carlos Rafael, Marcio Fiorito, Arvid Nelson and Robert Place Napton
Book
Dejah Thoris, the Martian heroine of Edgar Rice Burroughs' classic Barsoom novels, strikes out on...
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated A Quiet Place: Part II (2021) in Movies
Jun 7, 2021
The younger actors are fantastic, especial Millicent Simmonds. She essentially takes the lead this time around, and the film is richer for it. The narrative isn't too different to be honest, but it does expand on the general lore of the series and flirts a little with how the apocalypse came to be, something I wanted to see for sure.
With this sequel comes a bigger budget, and it certainly shows. The aliens look great, and the action is more abundant and chaotic. This is also a slight criticism - the set pieces are well done and entertaining, but it does mean that the quiet intensity of the first movie is pushed to the wayside a little. It's still there, but sits out more than I would have liked.
It's hard to say whether Part II is a superior film to it's predecessor or not, but as a pair of films, they make for a fantastic double viewing. I'm excited to see what comes next.
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Kraken Wakes in Books
Sep 5, 2019 (Updated Sep 13, 2019)
Despite Wyndham's very reserved style, it's difficult to read The Kraken Wakes now and not interpret it as a novel about climate change: there is the predictable inability to agree on what to do about the crisis to begin with (many key players refuse to admit there is even a problem) and when the invaders make their final move (they melt the icecaps, causing rises in sea level and widespread flooding) the response of world governments leaves a lot to be desired. Many vivid sequences; the tone feels peculiarly light in parts, but the final third of the book is very powerful (though let down a bit by a somewhat bungled conclusion - the original, considerably more accomplished but much darker ending was changed at a late stage). Not one of Wyndham's strongest novels, but still one many authors would have been proud to write.