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Little Princess Coloring Book!

Education and Games

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~~> An enchanting, sparkling and interactive experience fit for Royalty ~~> 150+ beautiful...

Karate Girl vs. School Bully

Games and Entertainment

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~~> Poor Sophie has been bullied for too long! She’s got to learn to stand up to the school bully!...

Phil Leader (619 KP) rated Explorations: First Contact (Explorations #2) in Books

Nov 13, 2019

Science Fiction has always been at home with the short story. The science fiction magazines from the mid 20th Century onwards was frequently the only way of writers to get their work published. As a bonus the concept of science fiction - taking an idea and seeing where it goes - is a really nice fit for short stories.

This collection is more than just a selection of tales from up and coming science fiction writers; all the stories are set in the same universe and are in some way on the theme of first contact. The introduction sets this up, with a damaged alien ship discovered on the moon. It is able to transmit details of nearby inhabited star systems - and a terrible warning about a dangerous foe - before it shuts down. Mankind learns all it can from the message and the wreckage before setting out for the stars.

Each story then follows the fate of the mission to one of the star systems. This is the point where any similarity in stories ends as each writer brings their own style and ideas for their contribution (although there are some neat nods to the other stories now and again). The result is a satisfying mix of different ideas but all within a consistant whole.

That's not to say that every story hit the spot for me, but that's inevitable given the range of authors here, but every story was interesting to read. There are also the occasional one that felt a little rushed, the idea either too big for a short story, or too many ideas vying for the limited word count. But these are minor niggles and the standard of all the stories is very high.

Overall a really good collection showcasing the talents of current science fiction writers. If you like interesting ideas and gripping stories about aliens and space exploration you won't be disappointed.

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JT (287 KP) rated Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes (2014) in Movies

Mar 3, 2020

Exciting action (1 more)

Tension and drama

Enjoyable summer blockbuster

No question that this sequel went straight into my top ten films for 2014. Exceptionally shot with astounding special effects in part thanks to performance capture king Andy Serkis this is a film that delivers.

Ten years on and with the epidemic wiping out most of the world’s population humans are very much becoming the minority species. A small band of immune survivors still hold out hope that there are others out there and look to make contact with anyone who might be listening.

The apes have now settled deep in the San Francisco forests building their own fully functioning civilisation led by chimpanzee Caesar. What makes this film rise above (sorry) the first is much of the attention focuses on the apes and deep-rooted character development.

Caser is supported by fellow performance-capture actor Toby Kebbell who plays Koba. An ape with a chip on his shoulder after years of being tested on. His dislike for the human race is made obvious to his best friend.

Their simmering relationship is one of the highlights of the film as they battle they decide whether to stay hidden in peace or go to war. With James Franco gone (albeit making a cameo via archived footage), the human-ape relationship is centred on Malcolm (Jason Clarke) and Caeser, who are bonded by a begrudging truce for peace.

It’s a film that soaks up tension extremely well. Grand battle sequences are cut between emotional and compelling moments interlocked by a very well written script.

The technical aspects of the film are simply stunning and the large set-pieces make for cataclysmic viewing. Caeser’s army arriving on horseback in a show of force to their human foes is captivating. As is the vertigo wincing finale and attack on the human stronghold.

This is was everything a summer blockbuster should be and is most certainly a template to follow.