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Ross (3284 KP) rated The Court of Broken Knives in Books
Aug 7, 2018
Finally, well executed, gritty literary fantasy
I had skimmed some reviews of this book after seeing glowing recommendations of it in different facebook groups. I was warned the tone of the narrative was off-putting and very different to the genre. I have read a few authors who try and put a more literary, almost poetic slant on the narrative in fantasy books and I always found it a bit flowery and took me out of the story.
Not so here. I'll admit the tone took me a couple of chapters to get to grips with, but I am so glad I stuck with it. The lyrical poetry contained within the narrative is so good that it adds to the story being told, it puts some emotion into the storytelling, something that is so sorely lacking from many books in third-person narrative.
Descriptions of people, places, feelings, events take on a whole new level of tangibility so rarely felt in fantasy fiction (without going down the Stephen King route of describing everything, and avoiding the Robert Jordan horse/riding dress description pratfalls).
The only place this becomes an issue is at times in the action scenes. On occasion I had to re-read a passage to work out what had actually happened - while I enjoyed the words I had struggled to pick up on what had occurred.
The story itself is not overly elaborate and unfolds before you with little warning. It felt like a natural, flowing journey than a series of events loosely tied together. We have the gritty mercenary company en route to unleash hell on the Empire, the great priestess of the God of living and dying (who has to sacrifice someone every few days to ensure life and death continue to operate properly) and we have the political manoeuvrings of the high lords within the Empirical council. This is all weaved together in the first third of the book to an excellent, surprising conclusion (in what many authors would have filled a whole book with ad nauseum), with the remainder of the book being a journey through wild country while everyone double-crosses everyone else.
This is of the grim-dark sub-genre, which basically means everyone is a bit of a shit, and bad things happen to nice people. There are no heroes here. There are characters you come to rout for (or despise) but you know it is wrong to do so as they are all so nasty and flawed in so many ways, like humanity itself.
Don't be expecting a happy ending!
Not so here. I'll admit the tone took me a couple of chapters to get to grips with, but I am so glad I stuck with it. The lyrical poetry contained within the narrative is so good that it adds to the story being told, it puts some emotion into the storytelling, something that is so sorely lacking from many books in third-person narrative.
Descriptions of people, places, feelings, events take on a whole new level of tangibility so rarely felt in fantasy fiction (without going down the Stephen King route of describing everything, and avoiding the Robert Jordan horse/riding dress description pratfalls).
The only place this becomes an issue is at times in the action scenes. On occasion I had to re-read a passage to work out what had actually happened - while I enjoyed the words I had struggled to pick up on what had occurred.
The story itself is not overly elaborate and unfolds before you with little warning. It felt like a natural, flowing journey than a series of events loosely tied together. We have the gritty mercenary company en route to unleash hell on the Empire, the great priestess of the God of living and dying (who has to sacrifice someone every few days to ensure life and death continue to operate properly) and we have the political manoeuvrings of the high lords within the Empirical council. This is all weaved together in the first third of the book to an excellent, surprising conclusion (in what many authors would have filled a whole book with ad nauseum), with the remainder of the book being a journey through wild country while everyone double-crosses everyone else.
This is of the grim-dark sub-genre, which basically means everyone is a bit of a shit, and bad things happen to nice people. There are no heroes here. There are characters you come to rout for (or despise) but you know it is wrong to do so as they are all so nasty and flawed in so many ways, like humanity itself.
Don't be expecting a happy ending!
Dean (6926 KP) rated Friday the 13th (2009) in Movies
Oct 25, 2017
Good cast (1 more)
Has the core ingredients to keep fans happy
A great update on a classic series
A very good "re-imaging" NOT a re-make! I can't believe how many people have said it's a remake, Jason wasn't in the first one hello! Rant over.
Comparing it to the original series of films this has a flash back of the ending of the first, for those who haven't seen it shame on you, and has more in common with the 2nd and 3rd installments. I actually enjoyed it, it gives the fans of the original films an updated version of what they loved about the films. There are plenty of inventive death scenes, sex, drugs and boozing with plenty of gorgeous girls in it. I thought it had a bit too much stoner behaviour, which seem to dumb down the film a bit. It has a slick visual style similar to the recent Texas chainsaw remakes, same director, as well as the same style of old gritty locations and sets. Overall a cool update for anyone who was a fan of the original films and better than nearly all of the previous films apart from the first which is a cult classic at least. Definitely one for slasher fans.
Comparing it to the original series of films this has a flash back of the ending of the first, for those who haven't seen it shame on you, and has more in common with the 2nd and 3rd installments. I actually enjoyed it, it gives the fans of the original films an updated version of what they loved about the films. There are plenty of inventive death scenes, sex, drugs and boozing with plenty of gorgeous girls in it. I thought it had a bit too much stoner behaviour, which seem to dumb down the film a bit. It has a slick visual style similar to the recent Texas chainsaw remakes, same director, as well as the same style of old gritty locations and sets. Overall a cool update for anyone who was a fan of the original films and better than nearly all of the previous films apart from the first which is a cult classic at least. Definitely one for slasher fans.
tapestry100 (306 KP) rated The Great Divide in Books
Jul 26, 2017
A dark and gritty near future dystopia where a mysterious plague has fallen on mankind, where the slightest contact of bare flesh will cause immediate death for one of those being touched, but there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason as to who lives or dies. On top of that, the survivor also then carries around in their head the persona of the person they killed. This can sometimes cause madness in the survivor, but some can coexist with their new passenger. Of course, with no physical skin-to-skin contact possible, sex is off-limits but brothels survive, with watching, no touching, rules in place. Isolation becomes the means of survival, but with that isolation also comes the end of the human race. That is, until two unlikely allies possibly discover the cause of the plague, and possibly a means to undo it.
The Great Divide is definitely not for the lighthearted. This is a very grim look at humanity and what happens when all means of physical contact is stripped away. It is a violent, sexualized dystopia that Ben Fisher and Adam Markiewicz give us, but it is still a story about the resilience of the human spirit.
The Great Divide is definitely not for the lighthearted. This is a very grim look at humanity and what happens when all means of physical contact is stripped away. It is a violent, sexualized dystopia that Ben Fisher and Adam Markiewicz give us, but it is still a story about the resilience of the human spirit.
Still gritty (1 more)
More involved plot and exploration of the Misery
Superb follow-up
* I received an advance copy of this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review *
The sequel to the highly praised Blackwing sees Ryhalt Galharrow trying to move on from losing the love of his life and investigating the theft of a magical artefact from a heavily protected vault.
For the first few chapters this book felt like a Captain Vimes Discworld novel (in a good way) with the humour toned down a little. We were exploring the pre-industrial city and investigating a crime that could have dire consequences for the safety of the city.
The book spends significantly more time in the city than in the Misery (the strange, twisting wasteland) than was the case for the first book, which gives it a very different feel. Plotting and intrigue abound as an evil sorcerer's plot to achieve ultimate power starts to unfold.
The book felt slightly less dark than the first, and has quite a different feel to it than Blackwing, but is still absolutely superb. The flowing prose and cracking dialogue make this a true page-turner and one of the best fantasy books I have read in quite some time.
The sequel to the highly praised Blackwing sees Ryhalt Galharrow trying to move on from losing the love of his life and investigating the theft of a magical artefact from a heavily protected vault.
For the first few chapters this book felt like a Captain Vimes Discworld novel (in a good way) with the humour toned down a little. We were exploring the pre-industrial city and investigating a crime that could have dire consequences for the safety of the city.
The book spends significantly more time in the city than in the Misery (the strange, twisting wasteland) than was the case for the first book, which gives it a very different feel. Plotting and intrigue abound as an evil sorcerer's plot to achieve ultimate power starts to unfold.
The book felt slightly less dark than the first, and has quite a different feel to it than Blackwing, but is still absolutely superb. The flowing prose and cracking dialogue make this a true page-turner and one of the best fantasy books I have read in quite some time.
ClareR (5726 KP) rated Gallowstree Lane (Collins and Griffiths #3) in Books
Feb 11, 2019
Fans of The Wire or Broadchurch will love this.
I didn't realise until after I'd finished this, that it was actually the third in the series - not that it made any difference whatsoever to my enjoyment!
It's a really well told, gritty police procedural, heavy on the character building. In fact I became very attached to these characters: the struggling single parent WPC; the teenaged boys who had become involved in drug dealing; the officer involved with a big operation; the DC investigating a murder. I didn't like the big drug dealer though (which I think was the whole point. He was a man devoid of conscience).
The mothers in this really resonated with me: women trying to do their best , one working long hours and sacrificing time with her baby to be able to provide for him in a job she loves; the other, a woman who risks losing her son to drug dealing and violence. Both women backed into impossible-to-get-out-of corners.
I really, really enjoyed this book, and I'll be buying the first two in the series to read and catch up!!
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole and to the author, Kate London, for reading along with us!
It's a really well told, gritty police procedural, heavy on the character building. In fact I became very attached to these characters: the struggling single parent WPC; the teenaged boys who had become involved in drug dealing; the officer involved with a big operation; the DC investigating a murder. I didn't like the big drug dealer though (which I think was the whole point. He was a man devoid of conscience).
The mothers in this really resonated with me: women trying to do their best , one working long hours and sacrificing time with her baby to be able to provide for him in a job she loves; the other, a woman who risks losing her son to drug dealing and violence. Both women backed into impossible-to-get-out-of corners.
I really, really enjoyed this book, and I'll be buying the first two in the series to read and catch up!!
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole and to the author, Kate London, for reading along with us!
Sarah (7798 KP) rated Bad Times at the El Royale (2018) in Movies
Oct 18, 2018
Promising but fails to deliver
I had really high hopes for this film, but sadly I really struggled to like it.
The major issue with this film is that virtually every scene is far too long and drawn out, which means it gets dull and boring very quickly. They could have cut a lot of dialogue and unnecessary actions out of most scenes without having it impact on the overall plot. The run time of the entire film could've been reduced by well over 30 minutes, making the whole thing a lot more enjoyable and brief.
It's a shame really as if it wasn't so drawn out, the film would've actually been quite good. The plot was interesting, dark and gritty although not as funny as I'd hoped, and there are some great actors in this. Admittedly some of their performances weren't as impressive as I'd hoped - both Jeff Bridges and Chris Hemsworth were okay, but neither put in the stellar performance I'd been expecting. Cynthia Erivo was very good and has a stunning voice, but I do think the singing was very overused. The stand out performance for me was Lewis Pullman, his character Miles was both adorable and slightly disturbing, and he made the end of this film a lot more worthwhile.
The major issue with this film is that virtually every scene is far too long and drawn out, which means it gets dull and boring very quickly. They could have cut a lot of dialogue and unnecessary actions out of most scenes without having it impact on the overall plot. The run time of the entire film could've been reduced by well over 30 minutes, making the whole thing a lot more enjoyable and brief.
It's a shame really as if it wasn't so drawn out, the film would've actually been quite good. The plot was interesting, dark and gritty although not as funny as I'd hoped, and there are some great actors in this. Admittedly some of their performances weren't as impressive as I'd hoped - both Jeff Bridges and Chris Hemsworth were okay, but neither put in the stellar performance I'd been expecting. Cynthia Erivo was very good and has a stunning voice, but I do think the singing was very overused. The stand out performance for me was Lewis Pullman, his character Miles was both adorable and slightly disturbing, and he made the end of this film a lot more worthwhile.
Dianne Robbins (1738 KP) rated Unmentionable: The Victorian Lady's Guide to Sex, Marriage, and Manners in Books
Oct 31, 2018 (Updated Oct 31, 2018)
Such glorious fun!
I love this author's writing style. It isn't a recitation of dry facts as some historical nonfiction books can be. She really takes you into the daily rituals associated with fashion, hygiene, sex, marriage, and manners by immersing you in the culture as a virtual time traveler visiting the Victorian era. It brushes away the romance of the time period and gets you into the nitty-gritty, down-and-dirty history but in a fun and frivolous way as she takes you into her confidence and shares the secrets of the past. It's a delightful romp written with light sarcasm that brought tears from laughter into my eyes. I highly recommend this book and this author. She has written another book on the history of child-rearing called Ungovernable: The Victorian Parent's Guide to Raising Flawless Children (Hardcover), which will be available April 16, 2019. Though I don't have children, I'm tempted to buy this book because the other was so much fun.
Oh, and if you like this book, you might also enjoy The Dirt on Clean: An Unsanitized History by Katherine Ashenburg.
Oh, and if you like this book, you might also enjoy The Dirt on Clean: An Unsanitized History by Katherine Ashenburg.
Jake (52 KP) rated Words of Radiance: Book Two of The Stormlight Archive in Books
Jul 25, 2019
No spoilers below.
4 stars: Super long, sometimes details about dumb stuff where I wish I had more details about other stuff
4 stars: sometimes hard to imagine some of the scenery.
4 stars: Interludes? what the heck?
5 stars: every 80-100 pages has some sweet art that helps you visualize things
5 stars: incredible world and intriguing story and characters
5 stars: good ups and downs - mix of excitement, sadness, awesomeness, character fails and character growth
1 star (kind of joking but not really): 3rd book isn't out yet!! Plus I have to buy some Arcanum Unbounded to read book 2.5? NO WAY. I'm saving up for the 3rd book haha
overall rating: 5 stars
I would like my wife to read these but the stories are just so dang LONG. I bet if all 3 books were released in an abridged format that I'd re-read them (and get her to read them for once) and it would be so fun to get down to the nitty gritty without going through 1000+ pages per book (although some people are in to that). In this case, I didn't mind it too much, as the writing is well done and the story is awesome. Kaladin is my bro!
4 stars: Super long, sometimes details about dumb stuff where I wish I had more details about other stuff
4 stars: sometimes hard to imagine some of the scenery.
4 stars: Interludes? what the heck?
5 stars: every 80-100 pages has some sweet art that helps you visualize things
5 stars: incredible world and intriguing story and characters
5 stars: good ups and downs - mix of excitement, sadness, awesomeness, character fails and character growth
1 star (kind of joking but not really): 3rd book isn't out yet!! Plus I have to buy some Arcanum Unbounded to read book 2.5? NO WAY. I'm saving up for the 3rd book haha
overall rating: 5 stars
I would like my wife to read these but the stories are just so dang LONG. I bet if all 3 books were released in an abridged format that I'd re-read them (and get her to read them for once) and it would be so fun to get down to the nitty gritty without going through 1000+ pages per book (although some people are in to that). In this case, I didn't mind it too much, as the writing is well done and the story is awesome. Kaladin is my bro!
Eleanor (1463 KP) rated Long Bright River in Books
Dec 15, 2019
A Tale of Two Sisters
An engaging story of two sisters whose lives take very different paths. I loved the writing in this book and felt I was drawn into seeing the run-down Philadelphia neighborhood this book is set in.
Less a thriller and more a very character-driven tale of Michaela (Mickey,) a cop and her complicated relationship to her drug-addicted sister. When women start turning up dead on Mickey’s patch her concern for her sister intensifies. The book switches between the present day with Mickey’s search for a killer and her sister in a neighborhood suspicious of police and the tale of their growing-up in less than ideal circumstances.
Part police procedural/mystery/thriller I wouldn’t pick this book up if that’s what you are really craving as this isn’t done in a particularly satisfying way with what felt like a slightly rushed resolution after a slow-burn start to this aspect. I would, however, recommend picking it up if you fancy a gritty emotional look into the world of a neighborhood ravaged by drugs and the strong family ties that persevere.
Many thanks to the publisher, author and Netgalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review.
Less a thriller and more a very character-driven tale of Michaela (Mickey,) a cop and her complicated relationship to her drug-addicted sister. When women start turning up dead on Mickey’s patch her concern for her sister intensifies. The book switches between the present day with Mickey’s search for a killer and her sister in a neighborhood suspicious of police and the tale of their growing-up in less than ideal circumstances.
Part police procedural/mystery/thriller I wouldn’t pick this book up if that’s what you are really craving as this isn’t done in a particularly satisfying way with what felt like a slightly rushed resolution after a slow-burn start to this aspect. I would, however, recommend picking it up if you fancy a gritty emotional look into the world of a neighborhood ravaged by drugs and the strong family ties that persevere.
Many thanks to the publisher, author and Netgalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review.
Business Intelligence Guidebook: From Data Integration to Analytics
Book
Between the high-level concepts of business intelligence and the nitty-gritty instructions for using...