Decision at Thunder Rift: Book One of The Saga of the Gray Death Legion
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THE EPIC FIRST NOVEL OF THE LEGENDARY SCIENCE FICTION SERIES... Thirty meters tall, seventy tons...
David McK (3801 KP) rated Odyssey (Stephen Fry's Greek myths #4) in Books
Mar 9, 2025
Indeed, I was surprised at how late into the tale it was before it stated focusing on Odysseus and his epic (10 years) trip to get home to Ithica and his wife Penelope!
Said legendary journey is what I was expecting the novel (retelling) to be about: I was unaware that it also concerned what happened to Menaleus (amongst other Greek victors) or to his Trojan captive Cassandra - fated to never have her prophesies believed but always to become true - amongst others.
I was also unaware, prior to reading/listening (I did both, switching back and forth), that the Latin name for Odysseus was Ulysses, or that - shall we say - Odysseus could be a randy old so-and-so ...
Looking forward to the forthcoming Christopher Nolan movie, now, to see how much is changed!
The Final Draw
7.0
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This epic conclusion to the KINGDOM KEEPERS INHERITANCE trilogy will keep you on the edge of your...
David McK (3801 KP) rated Dune: The Graphic Novel, part 1 in Books
Mar 6, 2022
My only frame of reference is the 2021 movie.
Oh, I knew the basics prior to that: Spice, the giant worms, space politics, but beyond that ... ?
Released in the wake of that movie, this is - apparently (or so the authors say) - a straight visual retelling (as much as is possible) of Frank Herbert 1965 epic, rather than putting their own stamp on it.
Never having read that original, I'm in no position to say whether it is or not.
What I will say, however (if it is) then so is the 2021 movie, although there are distinct visual differences between the two mediums.
This also ends in a different place, slightly earlier than the movie, with Paul and Jessica alone in the desert and before their run-in with the Fremen.
So, yes, engaging if dragging slightly in parts and well set-up for the release of Part 2 in Autumn 2022 ...
David McK (3801 KP) rated Silk Road (Epic Adventure #1) in Books
Jun 29, 2025
I'm glad I did.
Set (initially) in the Holy Land not long after the Third Crusade, this follows Templar Knight Josseran Sarrazini as he is tasked with accompanying the Domincan Friar William as an envoy to the Mongols, just as their previous Khan dies necessitating a journey along the Silk Road of the title towards the Mongolian capital Xanadu - further than either have ever travelled before, and with new experiences for both - and just as a civil war is about to break out amongst the Mongolian nation itself over who will be next Khan.
I may read some more of Falconers's 'Epic Adventure' series in the future.
The Mirror King (The Orphan Queen, #2)
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In this stunning conclusion to the Orphan Queen duology, New York Times bestselling coauthor of My...
The Girl from Portofino (Girls from the Italian Resistance #2)
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In 1970 Gina Bianchi returns to Portofino to attend her father’s funeral, accompanied by her...
Historical Fiction Women's Fiction World War II
Daughters of War
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France, 1944. Â Deep in the river valley of the Dordogne, in an old stone cottage on the edge of...
Historical fiction World War 2 France The Resistance
David McK (3801 KP) rated The Loki Sword (Fireborn #3) in Books
Sep 18, 2022
I don't know why that is; it's just one of those things.
However, I'll still read these novels, just not be in as much of a rush to do so as with the others.
This is the third in his FireBorn series (after both The Last Berserker: An action-packed Viking adventure and The Saxon Wolf: A Viking epic of berserkers and battle) and is also, for my money, the best of those three novels. That may be because of the nature of this - a band of travellers setting out on a quest, leading to a battle and a return home, with the author himself admitting the influence of the works of JRR Tolkien on this particular entry.
The Loki Sword (Fireborn #3)
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An ancient blade, fit for the gods but tainted with a deadly curse. Bjarki Bloodhand has finally...