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Wizard's Brew
Chris Fox | 1998
4
4.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Comic fantasy that reminded me slightly of the great Terry Pratchett (writen in that vein), but not quite as good as his.

Set in an alternative medieval period, in the reign of Uther Pendragon (who is one of the characters in the book): in this case, Uther (and not Arthur) is the 'Once and Future King'. Unfortunately, the book also states that the author is working on a sequel: if he did, I never saw any sign of it in any of the bookshops, with the ending of this book leaving plenty (too much?) open to be included in that sequel.
  
King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword (2017)
King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword (2017)
2017 | Action, Drama
Lots of people told me not to bother with King Arthur Legend of the Sword. I'm glad I did see it though, it definitely wasn't as disappointing as the naysayers would have had me believe. Admittedly I don't think it quite knew what sort of film it was. There were some fantastic funny lines, some good fantasy moments, and what (to me) looked like a lot of good "historic" drama. I didn't know until the day before that David Beckham was in it, while he might not be the best actors ever, that man has a good astonished look.
  
The Winter King
The Winter King
Bernard Cornwell | 1995 | Fiction & Poetry, History & Politics
9
7.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Gritty and authentic take on the Arthurian Legends (3 more)
Feels like a true historical tale
Interesting characters
Gripping first part to a trilogy worth getting into
The goriness might not be to everyone's tastes (0 more)
I would definitely recommend this Novel – the first book in the Warlord Trilogy. It retells the mythical story of King Arthur but in such a gritty and credibly realistic way, that it feels like a historical epic.
This story is told from the perspective of Derfel, a young soldier and loyal follower and friend of Arthur. There are many intriguing and complex characters that are woven into the tale. The battles are quite grisly, and things can be quite brutal at times, but I guess it would have been living and fighting through the dark ages.
As a Lord of the Rings fan, this is my next favourite ‘fantasy’ trilogy. If you liked ‘The Vikings’ or ‘The Last Kingdoms’ series on TV, I would highly recommend that you give this trilogy a read.
  
40x40

Fred (860 KP) rated Aquaman (2018) in Movies

Feb 20, 2019  
Aquaman (2018)
Aquaman (2018)
2018 | Action, Sci-Fi
The best DCEU film so far
It still astonishes me that DC can make such good (or at least decent) TV shows, while they can't do movies too well. So, when I watched Aquaman last night, I was highly surprised. It's a good film. It's a very good film. It's easily the best film in the DCEU so far. Taking a page from Marvel, Aquaman is a fun film, full of action & great characters. Yes, who would think that Aquaman would be the most interesting DC character in the DCEU? I give credit to Jason Momoa. He's funny, sexy (at least that's what my fiance says) & he kicks ass. The story borrows from the tale of King Arthur, and doesn't hide this fact. The movie is full of actors from other superhero films & they all play their parts well. I do wish the film was fleshed out more, but this is a film, not a series. It would have been nice to see the different "fish-people" tribes, instead of just having them as opponents on the battlefield. But I can overlook that because the battle was just intense. Great special-effects throughout as well. If I had one complaint, it would be the film ends suddenly. The battle is over & it's like everyone just stops & says "Arthur (Aquaman) is king! YAY!" and that's it.
  
The Queens Lady
The Queens Lady
Joanna Hickson | 2022 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Queens Lady is the second in the Queens of the Tower series, and picks up the Joan Vaux story where it left off in the last book. She’s now Lady Joan Guildford, and is Lady in Waiting to Queen Elizabeth, the wife of Henry VII. It’s a privileged position and means that Joan is at Court when Prince Arthur dies and Prince Henry is named as heir. Joan acts as something of a go between with the King and Queen, but King Henry is a serious, dour man - and this isn’t improved when the Queen dies shortly after her son.

Joan no longer has a place at court, and her husband falls out of favour when his enemies gain considerable influence with the King.

It was really interesting to learn about the inner workings of the English court and the precarious line that courtiers had to tread. Joan also gave some insight into some significant historical events: the Field of the Cloth of Gold in France, Princess Margaret’s marriage to King James, the arrival of Catherine of Aragon, and accompanying Princess Mary to Paris when she marries King Louis.

I’m an absolute sucker for historical fiction, and I loved the details and the very human, realistic style this book was written in. And I really liked Joan.

The ravens are a constant - after all, Joan is the Lady of the Ravens. Bu they’re not as central to the storyline this time.

I don’t know whether this will just be a duology, or if there’s more to come, but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Highly recommended.