Sign up
Search
Advanced search settings

Search only in certain items:

Search results
All (614)
Content
People
Apps
Books
Orbs
Movies
Music
Podcasts
Shows
Tabletop Games
Tech
TV
Video Games
YouTube Channels
Videos
40x40

Kristina (502 KP) rated Escaping From Houdini in Books

Dec 7, 2020  
Escaping From Houdini
Escaping From Houdini
Kerri Maniscalco | 2018 | Crime, Mystery, Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Have I mentioned how much I love Kerri?? I don't remember how I stumbled across her, but I do remember the reading "James Patterson Presents" caught my attention and gave me enough reason to give her a try - I'm so glad I did! From beginning to end I have loved this series. I'm a bit sad to see it finished, but I'm quite satisfied at the same time. Kerri includes both fact, ficion, and stretched truths in each of her books, which usually makes me curious as to how much is true, so I'm almost always conducting research afterward; I love a book that makes me eager to learn. Escaping From Houdini, while conducting the same mysterious murder-solving theme as the previous two books, focuses a bit more on the blossoming relationship between Audrey Rose and Thomas, which was a delight. While watching Audrey Rose struggle with illusion and truth, I found myself both irritated at her and understanding, for Mephistopheles cast a very convincing spell. Each encounter had me questioning how exactly things would end, in a romantic perspective. Throughout the book, while I filtered through suspects and had my own suspicions, the title made me the most curious - Houdini's name is in the title, but the main magician is Mephistopheles, so it had me questioning what Houdini's true role could be. Honestly, I'm not usually good at guessing correctly unless the author is horribly obvious about it, which Kerri most certainly is not, so I was surprised at who the killer was and the motive behind the murders. I very much look forward to more works by Kerri!
  
40x40

David McK (3663 KP) rated Magician in Books

Jul 24, 2022  
Magician
Magician
Raymond E. Feist | 1982 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
6
8.5 (8 Ratings)
Book Rating
The first novel (later broken into 2 parts?) in Raymond e feist's so-called Riftwar saga; this definitely falls under what I term as epic fantasy as it spans more than a decade, and all the political and personal changes that occur during that time of war, complete with ye olde 'person of unknown origin finding their place in the world'.

You know, the way a lot of fatnsy stories do? Think Luke Skywalker, from the back-planet of Tattoine, or Frodo Baggins from Bagend, to name but two.

Rags to riches, basically.

Anyway, perhaps the key protagonist of this is the keep boy Pug, who, over the course of the story - finds himself a native of two worlds - that's where the 'Rift' from Riftwar comes in, as a magical rift in space connects them - during a time of war between those two planes.

He's not the only protagonist; just the main one - there's also his childhood friend Tomas, the princes Arutha and Lyam, the princess Carline, the magician Kulgan - but Pug is, to my mind, the key character, with most of those other characters introduced through their relationship to him.

Others have commented on the writing style employed by Feist - it may seem 'basic', however that in itself is no bad thing (and, remember, this book is now decades old) as Feist gives you just enough information to envisage your own world. A bit more, perhaps, than the thumbnail sketches of Terry Pratchett (incidentally, one of my favourite authors), but nowhere near the level of detail that JRR Tolkien that could make The Lord of The Rings, well, a bit of a slog at times!
  
40x40

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2464 KP) rated The Magic Square in Books

Jul 16, 2021  
The Magic Square
The Magic Square
John Gaspard | 2020 | Mystery
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Who Made the Body Appear at the Magic Convention?
Eli Marks and his uncle, Harry, are out of town at a magic convention. They’ll be spending a lot of time in the dealer’s room so they can sell Harry’s new two-volume book about his time as a magician, but they are hoping to catch a few of the panels, and the evening sessions. The entire convention is surprised when famed mentalist Gerhardt performs the first night. However, Harry’s friend Abe is less than happy since he’s had a running feud with Gerhardt for years. That feud is public knowledge, so when Abe returns to his hotel room that night to find Gerhardt’s body in the bathroom, the police consider him a strong suspect. Can Eli figure out what is really going on?

I always forget how much I enjoy these books until I am sitting down reading a new one. It was great to slip back into Eli’s world. Since we are out of town, I did miss some of the series regulars, but it did give us more time to get to know the new characters, who are quite strong. The story moves forward at a steady pace, with clues sprinkled into the talk of magic. I did finger the culprit a little early, but I wasn’t completely certain until we reached the suspenseful climax, and I was having such a good time I didn’t really care. While there is talk about magic, we don’t get any illusions spoiled here, but it might inspire you to try to learn a little on your own. If you are a fan of these books, you’ll be glad you picked up this volume. If you haven’t met Eli yet, you’ll be hooked faster than you can say “Abracadabra.”
  
    MoBu - Adventure Begins

    MoBu - Adventure Begins

    Games and Entertainment

    (0 Ratings) Rate It

    App

    Meet MoBu, the laziest ape in the jungle, who has the appetite of 5 elephants. One day MoBu meets a...