A Conjuring of Light
9.6
Rate It
Book
The precarious equilibrium among the four Londons has reached its breaking point. Once brimming with...
magic alternate worlds
The Bookman Histories
Book
Containing all three Bookman History novels: "The Bookman Camera Obscura"; "The Great Game"; "The...
Convergence Zero Hour: Book 2
Tony Bedard, Cliff Richards and Kieth Giffen
Book
The past and present of every alternate DC Universe collide here in literally the biggest story in...
Gender and Rock
Book
The first book of its kind, Gender & Rock introduces readers to how gender operates in multiple...
David McK (3369 KP) rated I Am Legend (2007) in Movies
Apr 4, 2021
The sole survivor of the Zombie Apocalypse in New York City.
This is actually the third movie to be based on the classic Richard Matheson novel, taking liberties (like the previous two both do as well) with that source material - there is a very different ending here (even in the alternate cut!) than that novel originally had.
It also, for large parts, an acting masterclass by the former Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, as he is onscreen alone for large swathes of the movie - only really sharing the screen in the flashback portions to the pre-pandemic time (hmm .... sound familiar? I'm writing this in 2021), when scientists believe they have found a genetic cure for cancer.
But, oh Sam ...
(I'll deliberately leave that obscure)
Dublin Flight Information + Flight Tracker (DUB)
Travel and Navigation
App
Flight tracker premium. #1 airport app For Dublin and every airport (2500+) you get: +Live Arrival...
Block Fortress: War
Games and Entertainment
App
Welcome to the Blockverse: an alternate and blocky dimension, home to a diverse collection of alien...
Rumpelstiltskin
4.0
Rate It
Tabletop Game
Description from the publisher: In Rumpelstiltskin, you and a friend take the roles of fey folk...
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds
7.8
Rate It
Video Game
In this game Buffy discovers that Ethan Rayne is at the center of a great struggle with the First,...
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated Bloodrush (The Scarlet Star Trilogy #1) in Books
Nov 8, 2019
It is set in an alternate universe where much is familiar but some things are very different.
It is a western, mostly set in an frontier town in Wyoming with the usual cast of restless townspeople, lone prospectors and ruthless land owners.
It is a fantasy involving faeries and magick
Yet in Galley's capable hands these elements are moulded into a seamless and thrilling story. All the different aspects fit together neatly and consistently producing a terrific platform for the characters and plot.
The main character is 13 year old Tonmerion Hark (known as Merion), son of the Prime Lord (think Prime Minister) of an alternate version of Victorian Britain. When his father is murdered by assailants unknown he is sent to his last remaining relative - an aunt living in Wyoming. Travelling with him is is best friend, a faerie called Rhin who is a fugitive from the rest of the Fae. Desperate to get back to London to find his father's killer and rescue his inheritance, Merion is instead drawn into conflict and underhand dealings in the small town of Fell Falls where is aunt is the undertaker.
The alternate universe is particularly striking. Very nearly everything is familiar but with important differences. The biggest of these is clearly that creatures such as the Fae exist (even if few people have ever seen one) but other changes include the natives of America, the Shohari, not being quite human and a lot of clever differences in London that really make it clear what kind of world Merion inhabits. The magick is also well thought out with a lot of thought and imagination given to its mechanics and its implications.
Galley's writing is a joy. It is clear and concise yet conveys the scene to the reader with impressive ease. The hot sun and gritty sand of the desert feel very real indeed. The characters are very well described and a great deal of care has been taken to express them. These are not cardboard cliches, which would have been easy. Merion is the hero but at heart is still a 13 year old boy, a boy who is impetuous and complains how life is unfair. All through the book there is a subtle undercurrent of wry humour.
What this whole book reminded me of - both in the writing and in the almost but not quite like our world setting - was a slightly darker Terry Pratchett. That is not an exaggeration, This book really is up there with the very best Discworld books in terms of story and inventiveness. It is darker in tone than anything Pratchett would write and not quite as laugh out loud funny in places but it is damn close.
The story itself unfolds at a fast pace - which is good because there is a lot to get through with several plots running intertwined through the narrative and sparking off each other as they twist and turn through every reveal. The final showdown is suitably climactic and the prose as well as the magick crackles off the page in a breathless rush towards the final chapter.
I do like to balance my reviews with maybe some small point that counts against the book but I really can't think of one for Bloodrush. It simply is a magnificent piece of work. You may not have known you wanted a alternate reality fantasy western but once you have read this you will wonder where the next one is coming from.
Very very highly recommended and the 5 star rating was easy to give.
Rated: Strong language so not for the youngest of young adults