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The Kompromat Kill (Sean Richardson #2)
8.0
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Book
'They were preparing for decades - now it's time to take them down......' A DIPLOMAT VANISHES A...
Trivisa (2016)
Movie
In early 1997, mobsters Kwai Ching-hung, Yip Kwok-foon and Cheuk Tze-keung, whom have never met one...
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated The creator (2023) in Movies
Sep 28, 2023
Taken from the pages of today’s headlines; “The Creator” presents a fresh yet complicated look at A.I. and how it may play into the future.
Director Gareth Edwards presents a future where A.I. has evolved to be incorporated into all aspects of society ranging from medical to production and the military.
When a deadly attack hits Los Angeles, the United States declares war on A.I. units and not only bans them but looks to hunt down and eliminate all units worldwide.
This causes an issue with the Asian Block where A.I. units are manufactured and actively incorporated into society with zero prejudice or concerns.
Joshua (John David Washington), sits out the conflict in Asia content with his wife and the pending birth of their child. When a U.S. raid arrives it is revealed that Joshua is actually undercover for the military and his wife sees this as a betrayal and flees with her allies and A.I. units but is killed in the process.
Years later Joshua is recruited to take part in a raid to eliminate the person behind the A.I. and take out the new weapon they have reportedly constructed. Unwilling at first; Joshua is convinced by the possibility that his wife survived the attack.
During the raid, it is revealed that the weapon is a robotic child Joshua named Alphie (Madeline Yuna Voyles) and Joshua is forced to flee with Alphie and in doing so; has divided loyalties as his focus is to find his wife despite the U.S. forces in hot pursuit and destroying all the communities with A.I. they encounter.
While parts of the film do tend to run a bit long; the cast is top-rate and the film provides an interesting debate on A.I. and its use in society and does so with a solid amount of action in the process.
4 stars out of 5
Director Gareth Edwards presents a future where A.I. has evolved to be incorporated into all aspects of society ranging from medical to production and the military.
When a deadly attack hits Los Angeles, the United States declares war on A.I. units and not only bans them but looks to hunt down and eliminate all units worldwide.
This causes an issue with the Asian Block where A.I. units are manufactured and actively incorporated into society with zero prejudice or concerns.
Joshua (John David Washington), sits out the conflict in Asia content with his wife and the pending birth of their child. When a U.S. raid arrives it is revealed that Joshua is actually undercover for the military and his wife sees this as a betrayal and flees with her allies and A.I. units but is killed in the process.
Years later Joshua is recruited to take part in a raid to eliminate the person behind the A.I. and take out the new weapon they have reportedly constructed. Unwilling at first; Joshua is convinced by the possibility that his wife survived the attack.
During the raid, it is revealed that the weapon is a robotic child Joshua named Alphie (Madeline Yuna Voyles) and Joshua is forced to flee with Alphie and in doing so; has divided loyalties as his focus is to find his wife despite the U.S. forces in hot pursuit and destroying all the communities with A.I. they encounter.
While parts of the film do tend to run a bit long; the cast is top-rate and the film provides an interesting debate on A.I. and its use in society and does so with a solid amount of action in the process.
4 stars out of 5
Merissa (14102 KP) rated The Spirit of the Times in Books
Jul 27, 2026
THE SPIRIT OF THE TIMES is a historical story that takes you from Central Asia, along the Silk Road, and ends up in England. This is an area that I don't know very well, and I am always interested in learning more about.
Karia is a nomad, living in gers, and is a Nestorian Christian of the Turgut tribe. It begins with the wedding of her sister, Bacaq, to Sanmaq of the Danko tribe. The Danko tribe have converted to Islam, and therefore Bacaq has to too, or the wedding won't go ahead. Time moves on, and Bacaq is about to become a mother when Sanmaq does something terrible. This is the start of the pestilence, or so some believe. The years pass by, and we stay with Karia as she travels across lands she never dreamt of being in. All she wants to do is go back home, but knows this is something she may never do again.
Although the year is given at the beginning of each chapter, I did occasionally get lost as time sometimes skips ahead a few years. If I wasn't paying full attention, or couldn't remember what year the previous chapter had been, I got lost in the passage of time.
Karia remains the heart of the story throughout, with her steadfast loyalty and determination to do the right thing. Abi is headstrong and innocent, a delight most of the time. Abbot Bernard made me smile every time he was on the page, but Jonathan was neither here nor there.
This is a historical novel with a strong supernatural feel to it, alongside myth and folklore. I enjoyed it, but the supernatural aspect might not be for everyone.
** The same worded review will appear elsewhere. **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian
Jul 27, 2026
Karia is a nomad, living in gers, and is a Nestorian Christian of the Turgut tribe. It begins with the wedding of her sister, Bacaq, to Sanmaq of the Danko tribe. The Danko tribe have converted to Islam, and therefore Bacaq has to too, or the wedding won't go ahead. Time moves on, and Bacaq is about to become a mother when Sanmaq does something terrible. This is the start of the pestilence, or so some believe. The years pass by, and we stay with Karia as she travels across lands she never dreamt of being in. All she wants to do is go back home, but knows this is something she may never do again.
Although the year is given at the beginning of each chapter, I did occasionally get lost as time sometimes skips ahead a few years. If I wasn't paying full attention, or couldn't remember what year the previous chapter had been, I got lost in the passage of time.
Karia remains the heart of the story throughout, with her steadfast loyalty and determination to do the right thing. Abi is headstrong and innocent, a delight most of the time. Abbot Bernard made me smile every time he was on the page, but Jonathan was neither here nor there.
This is a historical novel with a strong supernatural feel to it, alongside myth and folklore. I enjoyed it, but the supernatural aspect might not be for everyone.
** The same worded review will appear elsewhere. **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian
Jul 27, 2026
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated The Tiger Warrior (Jack Howard #4) in Books
Nov 26, 2019
The Tiger Warrior follows archaeologist and adventurer Jack Howard as he follows a tantalising clue that perhaps some escaped Roman legionaries had found themselves pitched against the bodyguard of the First Emperor of China and one had taken refuge in the jungles of India.
This might sound far-fetched but Gibbins knows his archaeology and comes up with a plausible (if tenuous) story to make this work. The story is then taken up at the end of the 19th century in India when Howard's great great grandfather is part of the British Royal Engineers Corps trying to push roads - and hence British rule - into the jungle. He stumbles across an old temple that contains a secret.
The story roves around the the world showing us some incredible - but real - historic sites across Asia. Genuine books and records are quoted to back up the (modern day) Howard's quest to find out what happened - to both the Romans and his antecedant. Everything has very solid historical underpinnings with the more fantastic elements of the story cleverly weaved between them.
I did enjoy the book but it wasn't an unqualified success. There isn't really much menace, threat or drama in what happens to Jack Howard and his associates as they follow the past (told in a series of flashback chapters), uncovering clues one step at a time. Yes there are 'bad guys' but they seem quite ineffectual and the 'big boss' is in fact never seen at all but only mentioned in passing towards the end of the book. Judging by the notes from the author this is a very personal book - the character and story of Jack's ancestor in India is very much based on his own forebear - and this limits the scope for making the pieces fit into a pleasing whole.
That isn't to say I didn't enjoy reading it - as a subtle way of introducing surprising archaeological facts it works well (I didn't know that Ancient Rome traded with India but apparently so) and some of the set pieces are gripping to read. I will certainly be finding another Jack Howard book to read, but I suspect this was too personal a project for my first taste, which is s shame.
This might sound far-fetched but Gibbins knows his archaeology and comes up with a plausible (if tenuous) story to make this work. The story is then taken up at the end of the 19th century in India when Howard's great great grandfather is part of the British Royal Engineers Corps trying to push roads - and hence British rule - into the jungle. He stumbles across an old temple that contains a secret.
The story roves around the the world showing us some incredible - but real - historic sites across Asia. Genuine books and records are quoted to back up the (modern day) Howard's quest to find out what happened - to both the Romans and his antecedant. Everything has very solid historical underpinnings with the more fantastic elements of the story cleverly weaved between them.
I did enjoy the book but it wasn't an unqualified success. There isn't really much menace, threat or drama in what happens to Jack Howard and his associates as they follow the past (told in a series of flashback chapters), uncovering clues one step at a time. Yes there are 'bad guys' but they seem quite ineffectual and the 'big boss' is in fact never seen at all but only mentioned in passing towards the end of the book. Judging by the notes from the author this is a very personal book - the character and story of Jack's ancestor in India is very much based on his own forebear - and this limits the scope for making the pieces fit into a pleasing whole.
That isn't to say I didn't enjoy reading it - as a subtle way of introducing surprising archaeological facts it works well (I didn't know that Ancient Rome traded with India but apparently so) and some of the set pieces are gripping to read. I will certainly be finding another Jack Howard book to read, but I suspect this was too personal a project for my first taste, which is s shame.
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