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Rises The Night (The Gardella Vampire Hunters, #2)
10.0
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Book
The second installment in award-winning, New York Timesbestselling author Colleen Gleason's...
The Foreign Correspondent
Book
From Alan Furst, whom The New York Times calls “America’s preeminent spy novelist,” comes an...
Darkest Night (First edition)
4.3
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Tabletop Game
Darkest Night, by designer Jeremy Lennert, is a fully-cooperative board game for one to four players...
The Bringer of Wrath (The King & Alpha #2)
8.0
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Shifter and Vampire True Mates story. Alek’s older brother, Justice—the Alpha Zenith—was...
MM Paranormal Romance Vampires Shifters
David McK (3764 KP) rated Death to the Emperor (Macro and Cato #21) in Books
Apr 10, 2023
The Year 2001.
I wondered into a local branch of Eason's, and saw Under the Eagle on offer, sold for an introductory price (which I can't even remember), and with a blurb that sounded interesting. That, and a quote from the king of historical action-adventure fiction Bernard Cornwell that 'I really don't need this kind of competition ... a great read'.
Jump forward just over 20 years, and we're now onto book #20 in the series, and back in the Roman province of Brittania after the intervening books have had us all over the Roman Empire.
The series has also lost the 'Eagle' that was always included somewhere in the earlier titles (Under the Eagle, The Eagle's Conquest, The Eagle and the Wolves etc), with that word last used in the title in entry # 7 (The Eagle in the Sand).
That's not all that has changed: Cato is no longer the scared young man he had been in the first entries; Macro no longer the seasoned Centurion. Now, Macro is retired from active service whilst Cato - who now has a family of his own - has risen in rank above that that Macro ever reached but is still firm friends with the latter.
We've now also reached a pivotal moment in Roman Britain history, with the Boudicean revolt just about to kick off (as it does here) and as the Romans finally capture and raze the Druid stronghold of Mona.
Those two events form the backbone of this novel, with Cato involved in the attack on Mona whilst Macro is charged with the defence of Camulodunum (Colchester) and in charge of the Roman Reserves there whilst the main army is away on campaign, just after the Governor of Britain has further alienated their Icenian allies.
As with all of the Simon Scarrow books I've read, the history is worn lightly enough to make an enjoyable read: this is not a dry, stuffy retelling of events but rather uses the real historical events as the backbone for the story being built around it.
This, I have to say, is also the first in the series that I can remember ending in a definite cliffhanger ...
(I might have to go back and re-read the previous now)
I wondered into a local branch of Eason's, and saw Under the Eagle on offer, sold for an introductory price (which I can't even remember), and with a blurb that sounded interesting. That, and a quote from the king of historical action-adventure fiction Bernard Cornwell that 'I really don't need this kind of competition ... a great read'.
Jump forward just over 20 years, and we're now onto book #20 in the series, and back in the Roman province of Brittania after the intervening books have had us all over the Roman Empire.
The series has also lost the 'Eagle' that was always included somewhere in the earlier titles (Under the Eagle, The Eagle's Conquest, The Eagle and the Wolves etc), with that word last used in the title in entry # 7 (The Eagle in the Sand).
That's not all that has changed: Cato is no longer the scared young man he had been in the first entries; Macro no longer the seasoned Centurion. Now, Macro is retired from active service whilst Cato - who now has a family of his own - has risen in rank above that that Macro ever reached but is still firm friends with the latter.
We've now also reached a pivotal moment in Roman Britain history, with the Boudicean revolt just about to kick off (as it does here) and as the Romans finally capture and raze the Druid stronghold of Mona.
Those two events form the backbone of this novel, with Cato involved in the attack on Mona whilst Macro is charged with the defence of Camulodunum (Colchester) and in charge of the Roman Reserves there whilst the main army is away on campaign, just after the Governor of Britain has further alienated their Icenian allies.
As with all of the Simon Scarrow books I've read, the history is worn lightly enough to make an enjoyable read: this is not a dry, stuffy retelling of events but rather uses the real historical events as the backbone for the story being built around it.
This, I have to say, is also the first in the series that I can remember ending in a definite cliffhanger ...
(I might have to go back and re-read the previous now)
Starkiller_Prime (39 KP) rated Star Wars: The Clone Wars in TV
Oct 18, 2022
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
(7 Seasons)
2008-2020
Star Wars: The Clone Wars the TV show first aired on Cartoon Network in 2008. The series aired following the release of a movie by the same title. The series bridges a gap from the prequel movies Episode II: Attack of the Clones and Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. The amazing storytelling and digital animation reignited the imagination and love of thousands of Star Wars fans as well as newcomers. While the release of episodes wasn’t in chronological order later seasons; such as, Seasons 2 and 3, fill some of the story arcs already told.
The series expands on the conflict known as the Clone Wars towards the very stages of Revenge of the Sith. The series has been an all time favorite for much of the Star Wars fan base. The series was able to use multiple story arcs that answered long awaited questions from the prequel trilogy; such as, the identity of the Jedi who commissioned the clone army and the origins of Order 66.
The Clone Wars introduces new characters as well as established ones with a focus on further expanding the Star Wars Universe.
The series has major character developments for Anakin Skywalker, Asajj Ventress, Ahsoka Tano, and many more. One of the major criticisms of the prequels was the overall writing of the characters but this show further expands them and while the series is not a straight character study in most cases the characters grew with the audiences. The tone of the show shifted as the seasons progressed and as a enormous Star Wars fan I can safely say it was something that aged well. While the first few seasons where more childish once you get to season 4 a clear tone change begins to prevail.
I greatly recommend to anyone who is a Star Wars fan or new to the fan base to give the series a watch but to ensure you watch the original and prequel trilogies first to truly grasp the world building aspect and undertone.
(7 Seasons)
2008-2020
Star Wars: The Clone Wars the TV show first aired on Cartoon Network in 2008. The series aired following the release of a movie by the same title. The series bridges a gap from the prequel movies Episode II: Attack of the Clones and Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. The amazing storytelling and digital animation reignited the imagination and love of thousands of Star Wars fans as well as newcomers. While the release of episodes wasn’t in chronological order later seasons; such as, Seasons 2 and 3, fill some of the story arcs already told.
The series expands on the conflict known as the Clone Wars towards the very stages of Revenge of the Sith. The series has been an all time favorite for much of the Star Wars fan base. The series was able to use multiple story arcs that answered long awaited questions from the prequel trilogy; such as, the identity of the Jedi who commissioned the clone army and the origins of Order 66.
The Clone Wars introduces new characters as well as established ones with a focus on further expanding the Star Wars Universe.
The series has major character developments for Anakin Skywalker, Asajj Ventress, Ahsoka Tano, and many more. One of the major criticisms of the prequels was the overall writing of the characters but this show further expands them and while the series is not a straight character study in most cases the characters grew with the audiences. The tone of the show shifted as the seasons progressed and as a enormous Star Wars fan I can safely say it was something that aged well. While the first few seasons where more childish once you get to season 4 a clear tone change begins to prevail.
I greatly recommend to anyone who is a Star Wars fan or new to the fan base to give the series a watch but to ensure you watch the original and prequel trilogies first to truly grasp the world building aspect and undertone.
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated All Quiet on the Western Front (2022) in Movies
Feb 2, 2023
Shows The Futility and Bleakness of War
War is hell. And if you don’t think it is check out the 2022 German film version of the classic novel ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT about a young German’s experience towards the end of World War I. It is a bleak, grim view of war told unflinchingly and drives home the point of the pointlessness of war (especially the trench warfare of WWI). It is bravura filmmaking that deserves to be mentioned with the great war films of all time.
And the book is even bleaker.
Directed by Edward Berger, ALL QUIET follows young Felix Kammerer (Paul Baumer) as he joyfully joins the German army to fight the French. Quickly, Felix learns of the cost of war and the grim reality of trench warfare.
Berger has a strong view of all of this and his Direction and Camerawork are squarely focused on young Felix and his continued attempts to stay alive amidst the fighting. Berger handles the action - and the acting - strongly and the Cinematography of this film by James Friend aides in the bleakness and futility of the conflict, showering the combatants in muted blues and grays and covering them all in mud. Berger does not hold back on the horrors of war (without going to “gorey”) and delivers a moody, bleak and important film.
Baumer plays Felix with an innocent sincerity that gives way to resolute abandonment of hope as the bleakness of the affair drags on. His futility is, then, juxtaposed against German envoy Matthias Erzberger (Daniel Bruhl) who is trying to negotiate a surrender with the French. The building frustration of both men are clearly shown growing as the film elapses.
And that is another strong suit about this film - it shows the situations, the hopelessness and negativity of war without having to “tell” or comment about it. The pictures are all one needs to know.
An anti-war film of the highest order, ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT is a must see - the best adaptation of this classic novel ever.
Letter Grade: A
9 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
And the book is even bleaker.
Directed by Edward Berger, ALL QUIET follows young Felix Kammerer (Paul Baumer) as he joyfully joins the German army to fight the French. Quickly, Felix learns of the cost of war and the grim reality of trench warfare.
Berger has a strong view of all of this and his Direction and Camerawork are squarely focused on young Felix and his continued attempts to stay alive amidst the fighting. Berger handles the action - and the acting - strongly and the Cinematography of this film by James Friend aides in the bleakness and futility of the conflict, showering the combatants in muted blues and grays and covering them all in mud. Berger does not hold back on the horrors of war (without going to “gorey”) and delivers a moody, bleak and important film.
Baumer plays Felix with an innocent sincerity that gives way to resolute abandonment of hope as the bleakness of the affair drags on. His futility is, then, juxtaposed against German envoy Matthias Erzberger (Daniel Bruhl) who is trying to negotiate a surrender with the French. The building frustration of both men are clearly shown growing as the film elapses.
And that is another strong suit about this film - it shows the situations, the hopelessness and negativity of war without having to “tell” or comment about it. The pictures are all one needs to know.
An anti-war film of the highest order, ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT is a must see - the best adaptation of this classic novel ever.
Letter Grade: A
9 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
Sim 299 (I Am Sleepless #1)
8.0
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The planet Ethos is at war with a savage enemy known as the Splicers. Their only successful defense...
Young Adult Science Fiction Dystopian Mystery
Lee (2222 KP) rated The Kid Who Would Be King (2019) in Movies
Feb 18, 2019
We've had plenty of spins on the legend of King Arthur over the years. Probably the most enjoyable for me was BBC show 'Merlin', which ran for 5 seasons between 2008 and 2012, focusing on the early life of the famous sorcerer and King Arthur. Probably the worst take on it all was Guy Ritchie's god awful 'Legend Of The Sword' back in 2017. Joe Cornish, writer/director of the brilliant 2011 movie 'Attack The Block', follows that movie with a fresh spin of his own in 'The Kid Who Would Be King'.
For those of us who are unfamiliar with the legend of Arthur, or who had it's memory tarnished by Mr Guy Ritchie, it's recapped for us here in a nice little animated sequence right at the start of the movie. It tells how the evil Morgana was banished to the underworld, vowing to return once more when the world is again divided and at its weakest.
We then join Alex (played by Louis Serkis, son of Andy Serkis), a 12 year old schoolboy living with his mother. He's having some trouble with bullies at school, made worse by his attempts to stand up to them as they terrorise his friend Bedders. One night, while fleeing from bullies Lance and Kay, he stumbles into a building site where he discovers a sword set in stone. He manages to pull it free and takes it home in his backpack, where he and Bedders determine that the sword is in fact the legendary Excalibur.
The next day a mysterious new boy joins them at school. Turns out, he is in fact Merlin, taking the form of a younger boy. He informs Alex and Bedders that they must form a team of knights in order to prepare for the imminent return of Morgana and her army of dead soldiers. They have just 4 days, with her arrival taking place during an upcoming solar eclipse. If they cannot stop her, then she will enslave the Earths inhabitants.
Alex believes that his father is key to all of this, and that he is in fact descended from Arthur, so he decides to go on a quest to Tintagel, the last place that he saw his father. Alex leaves a note for his mum - "Gone on quest to save Britain, don’t worry!” and begins 'knighting' Bedders, and eventually bullies Lance and Kay, as only those that have been knighted are able to see and fight the dead soldiers that come at night.
Their journey takes them via coach, through a portal at Stone Henge, and on a trek across the English countryside where they stop to allow Merlin time to provide them with the sword training they need in order to stand any chance of defeating Morgana. Merlin regularly changes his form, switching between young boy, an owl and his true elderly self (played by Patrick Stewart). In the form of a boy, Merlin is a little bit wacky, performing his magic with a series of clicking hand movements, something which became very annoying for me after the first few times. I get that this is a story about kids banding together and overcoming evil, but part of me just wishes that Merlin had stayed in his adult form of Patrick Stewart as I really wasn't so keen on the younger version at all.
It's also around this time, for a fairly lengthy period in the middle, that I felt the movie slowed and struggled a little. Thankfully though, things improved considerably for the final act, pulling everything together and delivering a hugely enjoyable finale. As the solar eclipse plunges their school into darkness, an army of armour clad school children battle the flame engulfed skeletal warriors and attempt to defeat the dragon-like Morgana. It's the kind of movie you'd love to watch as a child - no adults, just the kids rising up and overpowering evil. In fact, my daughter enjoyed this a lot more than I did, offering up her own 4.5 rating, so there you go!
I would have liked a little more from the great Patrick Stewart, and Rebecca Ferguson as Morgana isn't quite evil enough for me, but overall this is a really fun family movie and that's largely down to it's young stars, who are all fantastic. As shown in Attack the Block, Joe Cornish has a real skill for blending the ordinary with the fantastical and empowering his young characters with the traits of a hero or a leader.
For those of us who are unfamiliar with the legend of Arthur, or who had it's memory tarnished by Mr Guy Ritchie, it's recapped for us here in a nice little animated sequence right at the start of the movie. It tells how the evil Morgana was banished to the underworld, vowing to return once more when the world is again divided and at its weakest.
We then join Alex (played by Louis Serkis, son of Andy Serkis), a 12 year old schoolboy living with his mother. He's having some trouble with bullies at school, made worse by his attempts to stand up to them as they terrorise his friend Bedders. One night, while fleeing from bullies Lance and Kay, he stumbles into a building site where he discovers a sword set in stone. He manages to pull it free and takes it home in his backpack, where he and Bedders determine that the sword is in fact the legendary Excalibur.
The next day a mysterious new boy joins them at school. Turns out, he is in fact Merlin, taking the form of a younger boy. He informs Alex and Bedders that they must form a team of knights in order to prepare for the imminent return of Morgana and her army of dead soldiers. They have just 4 days, with her arrival taking place during an upcoming solar eclipse. If they cannot stop her, then she will enslave the Earths inhabitants.
Alex believes that his father is key to all of this, and that he is in fact descended from Arthur, so he decides to go on a quest to Tintagel, the last place that he saw his father. Alex leaves a note for his mum - "Gone on quest to save Britain, don’t worry!” and begins 'knighting' Bedders, and eventually bullies Lance and Kay, as only those that have been knighted are able to see and fight the dead soldiers that come at night.
Their journey takes them via coach, through a portal at Stone Henge, and on a trek across the English countryside where they stop to allow Merlin time to provide them with the sword training they need in order to stand any chance of defeating Morgana. Merlin regularly changes his form, switching between young boy, an owl and his true elderly self (played by Patrick Stewart). In the form of a boy, Merlin is a little bit wacky, performing his magic with a series of clicking hand movements, something which became very annoying for me after the first few times. I get that this is a story about kids banding together and overcoming evil, but part of me just wishes that Merlin had stayed in his adult form of Patrick Stewart as I really wasn't so keen on the younger version at all.
It's also around this time, for a fairly lengthy period in the middle, that I felt the movie slowed and struggled a little. Thankfully though, things improved considerably for the final act, pulling everything together and delivering a hugely enjoyable finale. As the solar eclipse plunges their school into darkness, an army of armour clad school children battle the flame engulfed skeletal warriors and attempt to defeat the dragon-like Morgana. It's the kind of movie you'd love to watch as a child - no adults, just the kids rising up and overpowering evil. In fact, my daughter enjoyed this a lot more than I did, offering up her own 4.5 rating, so there you go!
I would have liked a little more from the great Patrick Stewart, and Rebecca Ferguson as Morgana isn't quite evil enough for me, but overall this is a really fun family movie and that's largely down to it's young stars, who are all fantastic. As shown in Attack the Block, Joe Cornish has a real skill for blending the ordinary with the fantastical and empowering his young characters with the traits of a hero or a leader.
Alice (12 KP) rated The Copper Promise (The Copper Cat, #1) in Books
Jul 3, 2018
The Copper Promise was one of those books that I stumbled upon on Friday a fortnight ago, I picked up the kindle sample – a grand total of 5 chapters – and sat there and devoured it. By Saturday evening I was in possession of a paperback and by Sunday I was over 100 pages in; I read between 50-80 pages per day and finished it on Thursday 17th November – a whole 5 days after purchase.
I’m a rare 5 star reviewer and a book has to tick every single tiny little box for me to even consider going past 4 stars. I’ve also never picked up a sample and ordered a book within 24 hours, I usually sit and think about it for a while but The Copper Promise was one of those books. I was about 70 pages in to The Copper Promise when I bought its sequels The Iron Ghost and The Silver Tide. This never happens – ever.
From the get go, Jen Williams’ characters and world building was on point. The story follows what will eventually become The Black Feather Three – Wydrin of Crosshaven, Sir Sebastian Carverson of Ynnsmouth and Lord Aaron Frith of The Blackwood:-
Wydrin of Crosshaven is a foul-mouthed, crass, violently aggressive and sarcastic pirate-cum-sell-sword and she’s AMAZING!
Sir Sebastian Carverson of Ynnsmouth is a disgraced Knight of Ynnsmouth, sword-sworn to the god-peak Isu turned sell-sword for hire with a heart of gold.
And last but certainly not least Lord Aaron Frith of Blackwood, last surviving heir of the The Blackwood, tortured soul (and I mean this in the literal sense) and one confused man with a neat newly acquired trick.
∞
Frith has hired Wydrin and Sebastian and a weird little fella called Gallo to take him to The Citadel as a means to exact revenge on the people who gravely injured him and murdered his family. Gallo goes on ahead as he’s impatient and things go a little belly-up for him; Frith, Wydrin and Sebastian go to the Citadel, go exploring in the creepy castle and see Gallo who they assumed was dead, the trio of adventurers unknowingly unleash a god in the form of a dragon which in turn unleashes several far-ranging ramifications – Frith absorbs a lot of magic and knowledge, Sebastian almost dies because of Gallo’s betrayal but pulls through because of a mystic connection he forges at death’s door and The Copper Cat goes about her business.
This Citadel invasion and ultimate unleashing of a long-believed dead god sets the story up nicely for its onward and upward momentum. Frith absorbs the power he was searching for in the lake hidden at the bottom of the Citadel and becomes a force to be reckoned with (eventually) but not only do they release a dragon they also release her brood army – neat green and golden dragon-hybrid things with a connection to both Y’Ruen (the dragon) and Sebastian – cue his nightmares.
The book as a debut was stunningly well written with characters that were neatly rounded off with few cliffhangers and a nicely written flow and mixture of present and past tense. The characters (particularly Wydrin) were superb and I couldn’t get enough of her utter crassness and her unrelenting torment of Frith – brilliantly written.
∞
I really liked the fact that Jen Williams also gave us chapters from the point of view of the brood army as they traverse Ede destroying any and everything. She shows us the stark contrast of them being a number (The Thirty-Third) and of them becoming a unique being (Ephemeral) with their own thoughts and feelings – some remained purely numbers but a large amount of them became individuals and “broke” from the brood.
There have been some mixed reviews on this book but my opinion is this book was amazing. An outstanding read of amusing proportions where plenty of banter, adventure, magic and mayhem abound. Although the ending closes off some individual story arcs it also opens the door to many more which continue in the next book – my overall feeling towards The Copper Promise was along the lines of “Please don’t leave me!” and “Oh dear god I need more. Right now.”
As mentioned above I bought the next two instalments and I’m 150 pages through the second one and it is just as good as the first one! I can’t wait to see where this story goes!
I’m a rare 5 star reviewer and a book has to tick every single tiny little box for me to even consider going past 4 stars. I’ve also never picked up a sample and ordered a book within 24 hours, I usually sit and think about it for a while but The Copper Promise was one of those books. I was about 70 pages in to The Copper Promise when I bought its sequels The Iron Ghost and The Silver Tide. This never happens – ever.
From the get go, Jen Williams’ characters and world building was on point. The story follows what will eventually become The Black Feather Three – Wydrin of Crosshaven, Sir Sebastian Carverson of Ynnsmouth and Lord Aaron Frith of The Blackwood:-
Wydrin of Crosshaven is a foul-mouthed, crass, violently aggressive and sarcastic pirate-cum-sell-sword and she’s AMAZING!
Sir Sebastian Carverson of Ynnsmouth is a disgraced Knight of Ynnsmouth, sword-sworn to the god-peak Isu turned sell-sword for hire with a heart of gold.
And last but certainly not least Lord Aaron Frith of Blackwood, last surviving heir of the The Blackwood, tortured soul (and I mean this in the literal sense) and one confused man with a neat newly acquired trick.
∞
Frith has hired Wydrin and Sebastian and a weird little fella called Gallo to take him to The Citadel as a means to exact revenge on the people who gravely injured him and murdered his family. Gallo goes on ahead as he’s impatient and things go a little belly-up for him; Frith, Wydrin and Sebastian go to the Citadel, go exploring in the creepy castle and see Gallo who they assumed was dead, the trio of adventurers unknowingly unleash a god in the form of a dragon which in turn unleashes several far-ranging ramifications – Frith absorbs a lot of magic and knowledge, Sebastian almost dies because of Gallo’s betrayal but pulls through because of a mystic connection he forges at death’s door and The Copper Cat goes about her business.
This Citadel invasion and ultimate unleashing of a long-believed dead god sets the story up nicely for its onward and upward momentum. Frith absorbs the power he was searching for in the lake hidden at the bottom of the Citadel and becomes a force to be reckoned with (eventually) but not only do they release a dragon they also release her brood army – neat green and golden dragon-hybrid things with a connection to both Y’Ruen (the dragon) and Sebastian – cue his nightmares.
The book as a debut was stunningly well written with characters that were neatly rounded off with few cliffhangers and a nicely written flow and mixture of present and past tense. The characters (particularly Wydrin) were superb and I couldn’t get enough of her utter crassness and her unrelenting torment of Frith – brilliantly written.
∞
I really liked the fact that Jen Williams also gave us chapters from the point of view of the brood army as they traverse Ede destroying any and everything. She shows us the stark contrast of them being a number (The Thirty-Third) and of them becoming a unique being (Ephemeral) with their own thoughts and feelings – some remained purely numbers but a large amount of them became individuals and “broke” from the brood.
There have been some mixed reviews on this book but my opinion is this book was amazing. An outstanding read of amusing proportions where plenty of banter, adventure, magic and mayhem abound. Although the ending closes off some individual story arcs it also opens the door to many more which continue in the next book – my overall feeling towards The Copper Promise was along the lines of “Please don’t leave me!” and “Oh dear god I need more. Right now.”
As mentioned above I bought the next two instalments and I’m 150 pages through the second one and it is just as good as the first one! I can’t wait to see where this story goes!