Pestilence
Book
They came to earth—Pestilence, War, Famine, Death—four horsemen riding their screaming steeds,...
Strife: Legacy of the Eternals
Tabletop Game
Once more, conflict rages across the world of Aerim. You are one of the Eternals, a group of...
Dust
Book
Kenya, 2007. Odidi Oganda, running for his life, is gunned down in the streets of Nairobi. His...
Mission to Mars: My Vision for Space Exploration
Book
Can astronauts reach Mars by 2035? Absolutely, says Buzz Aldrin, one of the first men to walk on the...
Suswatibasu (1701 KP) rated Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders in Books
Jan 3, 2018
Vincent Bugliosi is methodical in his descriptions leading up to the end of the trial, relaying information as if solving a puzzle. And in many ways the Manson riddle is truly a mystery. Why would such a crime receive so much notoriety when mass murders have claimed far greater lives? Bugliosi discusses his own argument in the case in great detail, the fact that Manson had only to influence others around him to carry out the act that he himself did not commit. Does this make him equally culpable? In Bugliosi's mind - absolutely.
At the end, we hear his own assertions, Manson's links to other cult phenomena such as Satanism, Latter Day Saints, and even Scientology, in which Manson was said to be greatly influenced by. Riveting read for those who don't want the sensationalism and just the straight facts.
Boom's Blues: Music, Journalism, and Friendship in Wartime
Book
Boom's Blues stands as both a remarkable biography of J. Frank G.Boom (1920-1953) and a recovery of...
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated The Wrath of Siren (The Truth Teller #2) in Books
Nov 29, 2019
The evil druid Siren has unleashed his Troll army and is laying the other realm to waste leaving the elves and dwarves to make a last desperate stand. But what they really need is the Truth Teller, will she ignore the warnings and come to help?
This second book in the series carried on Chambers' tale to entice younger readers into reading fantasy stories. This installment is a little darker in tone, as might be expected as war sweeps across the land, but as usual there are touches of humour to lighten the tone. Charlotte's usage of neologisms and idioms to her bemused companions from the other world are always good ('It's doing my head in' and 'this is well creepy' for example). Plus we have the bonus of Elderfield seeing our world (and the chaos that ensues).
Siren makes a fairly convincing opponent, suitable nasty without becoming too pantomime. He's nasty work but not irrational, simply wanting to take over his world and if that involves a little death and destruction so much the better.
The tone is probably a shade darker than the first book, simply because there is a war rather than an individual journey and so a lot more people are threatened. But this is still firmly on the light side of fantasy with nothing particularly distressing.
My only negative point (and the only thing stopping this getting 5 stars) is that Siren's defeat is never really explained, it just happens. This is disappointing only from the point of view that it would perhaps have been nice to have a bit of closure. It has to be said that classic fantasy has its fair share of 'with one bound the heroes win against the odds' endings - look at The Lord of the Rings or The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. In the end the story is what matters, not what is in the end of the story and this is still a fantastic read.
Once again Chambers has set out to produce a modern day introduction to fantasy for young adult eyes and once again he has achieved this and in spades. Very much looking forward to the next book in the series.
The Patient
Book
The Silent Patient by way of Stephen King: Parker, a young, overconfident psychiatrist new to his...
The Yield: Kafka's Atheological Reformation
Book
The Yield is a once-in-a-generation reinterpretation of the oeuvre of Franz Kafka. At the same time,...