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Phil Leader (619 KP) rated The Midwich Cuckoos in Books

Nov 20, 2019

The Midwich Cuckoos

John Wyndham | 1957 | Science Fiction/Fantasy

7.0

(2 Ratings)

Book Rating

The Midwich Cuckoos does what a lot of Wyndham's fiction does, taking a normal situation of a sleepy rural village then turning it upside down, showing how fragile our comfortable lives could be.

While one of his best known works, I wouldn't personally rank this as highly as say The Day Of The Triffids or The Kraken Wakes. Whereas I would recommend those to anyone, and as stories that mostly still stand up today, The Midwich Cuckoos plays a lot on themes such as Cold War paranoia to achieve much of its effect, and that has obviously diluted over the years.

It's still a good read and full of the usual Wyndham sense of humanity that grounds even the most far fetched of his stories. Perhaps not quite recommended, but worth picking up one day. It just hasn't stuck in my mind like other works, probably not a good sign for something designed to be thought provoking.

Kudos

Sunnysouthpaw (67 KP) rated They Both Die At The End in Books

Feb 4, 2020

They Both Die At The End

Adam Silvera | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry

9.0

(22 Ratings)

Book Rating

Good characters both the main and side.. (1 more)

Good themes that make you think about them long after the end.

'Insta-love' but I'll forgive it in this sense. (1 more)

The title isnt wrong :'(

Death-Cast was a clever idea but I'm glad it's not real

Gosh I'm trying to figure out what to say about this book. It's LGBTQIA+ Friendly which is a big plus for me (I want to find that more in literature.) Adam Silvera has a way of writing that I like, I want to check out more he's written. I am not a big fan of 'insta-love' but it was ok in this instance.
I like books that make you think about them and wonder about your own existence. I liked the themes of how interconnected humanity is. I'm glad death-cast isnt real, but it was a clever idea. I didnt expect that much going into it because I dont read a lot of young adult novels, I was pleasantly surprised.

Kudos

Kirk Bage (1775 KP) rated Miller's Crossing (1990) in Movies

Mar 3, 2020 (Updated Aug 6, 2020)

Miller's Crossing (1990)

1990 | Drama, Mystery

8.2

(5 Ratings)

Movie Rating

In a word: Style. Note, in the picture, how Gabriel Byrne’s posture in the chair reflects that of Micheal Corleone in The Godfather! Knowing Joel and Ethan Coen, that is not a mistake. This is a movie designed to the millimetre. The clothes, the furniture, the guns, the cars, everything is meticulously chosen, creating nothing less than a moving work of art. Even the language is poetry, using a vocabulary, largely invented, to highlight the rhythm of the wiseguy era that is entirely romanticized, but so perfectly consistent we wish it was history. It steals knowingly from the best in the genre at every turn, weaving a tale so nuanced and detailed that it demands several watches to truly mine every multi-layered meaning. In every way, a rich feast, about loyalty, weakness and humanity. The film on this list I am mostly likely to keep watching at the drop of… a hat!