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Phil Leader (619 KP) rated Beyond the Red Mountains in Books

Nov 8, 2019

Beyond the Red Mountains

Greg Johnson | 2014 | Science Fiction/Fantasy

7.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

Kelvin has lived all his life in the city of Triopolis, a peaceful place between the mountains and the sea. After all there are no other towns or civilisations on the planet, not since the Dark Days when everything changed.

Kelvin's first clue that all might not be as he has been taught when he discovers an old book warning about a mysterious figure called Luther who seems to have been carefully erased from the history of Triopolis. And it is clear that he is not the only one who is aware of secrets.

Elizabeth is the princess of Westville, the centre of a civilisation that has conquered every other city in the world - there are not many. She is locked in a loveless and arranged marriage but is determined to find some way out.

When fate brings Kelvin and Elizabeth together they realise there is a lot more going on than the elders of either city would have them believe. Before long they are on the run, desperately trying to save themselves and their cities from dark forces. They have allies and enemies, but telling one from the other is only half the battle...

Beyond the Red Mountains is a fantasy novel that is of epic proportions but avoids all the tropes and cliches of 'epic' fantasy. There isn't really a great quest, there isn't a dark lord threatening all of existence. All of the characters seem very real and all have their own reasons for their actions, whether these are with or against the main protagonists.

There are many twists and turns and the story doesn't let itself get too bogged down in long conversations or descriptions, letting the story unfold to reveal the narrative and the history. Not every decision Kelvin and Elizabeth make is the right one, but it is always made with the best intentions. The characterisation really does stand out, with a lot of care taken to make the characters believable. I was particularly struck by one of the characters who are opposed to Kelvin and Elizabeth but the reader ends up feeling enormous sympathy for.

There is a (perhaps inevitable) romantic connection between Kelvin and Elizabeth but this is well played and unfolds very realistically and is never overplayed or overstated. Some of the keepers of ancient wisdom they meet are perhaps a little to forthcoming about forbidden knowledge but this means the story doesn't slow but can take the next step so this can be forgiven.

The prose is very simple, clearly aimed at a young adult audience, although some of the themes and scenes are perhaps not for the very young end of the spectrum. As an introduction to lengthy fantasy tales this works very well though. The ending is a real cliff hanger and definitely makes me want to read the sequel.

There were a few more spelling mistakes and incorrect (or plain missing) words in the eBook version I read but this wasn't really a problem, it was always clear what was intended.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wanted to tackle a human-scale epic fantasy novel with a difference, one that cared about all of its characters, even the ones nominally pitched against the 'heroes'.

Kudos

The Boy Who Drew Monsters

Keith Donohue

7.0 (2 Ratings) Rate It

Book

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Stolen Child comes a hypnotic literary horror...

Cynthia Armistead (17 KP) rated The Trade of Queens (The Merchant Princes, #6) in Books

Mar 1, 2018

Wait - is this the end of Merchant Princes series? But what happens NEXT?! I want MORE! Stross! You can't do this to me!

Anyway, my one and only complaint about this book is that it's been too long since I read the other five, and that isn't Stross' fault. Or maybe it is, in a backwards sense, but only in that it takes longer for him to write than for me to read. If I'd stuck to my guns about not starting any series until it was finished, I'd be fine, but then I'd hardly have anything at all to read, would I? It's just that this particular series is full of intricate plotting and many characters, and I really could have used some sort of serious online reference for this world.

Some plot threads were tied up, and a few new ones were introduced. I'll could understand this book as a resting point for Stross, but not a stopping point! While most series would have lost my interest after six books, this one hasn't. He really is that good.

That said, some of the post-9/11 mania is a little dated, and it is good to be past that. I imagine he's glad to be done writing it, too. I wish our society were completely done with the erosion of civil rights caused by it, too.

Kudos

EPIC Adventures - Kids Stories

Book and Education

(0 Ratings) Rate It

App

What if we could inspire our children to find the EPIC in the everyday? Opening their eyes to...

LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Sonic the Hedgehog (2020) in Movies

Feb 14, 2020

Sonic the Hedgehog (2020)

2020 | Action, Adventure, Animation

7.2

(50 Ratings)

Movie Rating Watch

I'm pretty sure everyone will be going into Sonic the Hedgehog expecting the worse. I definitely did, but by the end, I found myself grinning from ear to ear.

When Sonic accidentally creates a coast wide blackout, he finds himself the subject of a government manhunt, lead by the criminally insane Dr. Robotnik, and employs the help of Montana Sheriff Tom Wachowski, to help him escape Earth.
The film serves as an introduction to Sonic, shying away (although not completely) from the wider game universe, and concentrating on the titular character, and the human characters he meets along the way.
The relationship formed between Sonic and Tom (James Marsden) is sweet, and pretty convincing.
The dialogue between the two is full of quips and jokes, and honestly, a fair few of them don't land too well. Combine this with the odd fart joke, and I had to remind myself that this is a film aimed at kids (who were all laughing, so mission accomplished), and there's just enough funny to buy into their friendship. Thank goodness then for Jim Carrey. I have a deep rooted live for Jim Carrey, growing up with films such as Ace Ventura and The Mask, and it's absolutely joyous to see him having a blast playing Robotnik. He's genuinely menacing, and pretty damn funny throughout, perfect casting when it comes to capturing the not-to-serious attitude of the games.

The plot is ok, there's not a huge amount going on, and it seems fairly throw away, but the characters and visuals are enough to carry the film to a satisfying degree.
Sonic looks great, a far cry from what we saw in the original trailer, and the cartoony look of him, and Robitnik's machines work suprisingly well with the real world setting.

Sonic the Hedgehog is a genuinely good time, don't take it too seriously, and I'm sure you'll have a blast too. With the passable Rampage, and the great Detective Pikachu, could it be that Hollywood is slowly starting to crack video game movies?? Let's hope so!