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Mortal Engines (2018)
Mortal Engines (2018)
2018 | Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Cyberpunk sci-fi movie that should really have been a series, set in the far future centuries after the cataclysmic sixty-minute war and where there are now two main kinds of settlements: the 'traditional' (here, viewed - at least initially - by the main protaganist as barbaric) and mobile: giant cities (London is one) powered by some form of locomotion, who pursue a philosophy of Municipal Darwinism ie hunt down and consume smaller cities to provide supplies and materials.

The problem, however, is that this movie just tries to pack too much into its runtime; too much if the action from the source book on which it is based, with the result that the characters never really seem to develop all that much and, in some cases, are given short shrift (which is why I feel a series would have been better).

Good effect, though.
  
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Ross (3284 KP) rated Tell Me Lies in Books

Jan 28, 2020  
Tell Me Lies
Tell Me Lies
Ed James | 2020 | Crime
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
A change in style for James
I received a free advance copy of this book from the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Ed James' new series takes place in Seattle rather than the UK-based series he has penned to date. There is also a change in subject, focusing on child abductions rather than the standard "murrdurr" fayre.
Special Agent Max Carter is tasked with tracking down a senator's abducted children. With the clock ticking, we see the action from the abductor's PoV as well as Carter's and the father's. The senator finds himself trying to help the abductor of his children to uncover a government conspiracy in which he may have been involved. The mix of different perspectives allows the story to flow with a good pace, with different angles of the emerging story adding up for the reader in way they wouldn't yet do for the characters. In the middle of the book the investigation did start to feel a little samey (both the FBI agents and the abductor/senator teams going through the same leads one after the other), but this didn't last long.
The change in location sadly comes with a change in writing style and this was a downside for me. I like James' flowing narrative and the American tone and style were quite jarring. I would say more American than genuine American authors. However once I accepted this it did not spoil my enjoyment of the book as a whole.
The ending of the story was mostly satisfying but with some loose ends that I hope to see addressed in subsequent books.
A departure for James' readers but worth the trip, and a good book for fans of Harlan Coben and David Baldacci.