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No Way Home (A Science Fiction Anthology)
Lucas Bale | 2015
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I received [No Way Home] from author [Harry Manners] in exchange for a honest review. This collection of short stories with the theme of being stranded, in one way or another, was a thought provoking read.

[To Sing of Chaos and Eternal Night] by [Lucas Bale] took me a few days to get past the beginning. The concept of a soldier who has lost all being and is just thought sent to robotic bodies and told to fight the enemy was interesting. As I stated, unfortunately, it was a slow start but the ending was worth the read.

[XE, or People Are Strange] by [S. Elliot Brandis]gave a new meaning to getting away from it all. The main character, Bradley, volunteers to be put in a shuttle to find a new habitable plant. His mission is one way and he is to send a signal back to Earth if it is a safe place. Apparently, though, he is not the first, or only, person on the new planet. I really liked the twist in this story.

[Grist] by [J.S. Collyer] is a futuristic view where one entity has taken control and all others are forced to work for them, often underground. Wyatt was not born into this so he remembers fresh air and sun. He wants to escape and be free again. Just daring to think this way can be deadly and he must know who to trust. The question this story had me asking was what is life worth?

[Merely A Madness] by [S.W. Fairbrother] was one I was really excited to see in this collection because I had read [The Secret Dead] and loved it. [Merely A Madness] did not disappoint in anyway. Earth has become a hostile place but most people have escaped off planet. Hannah loves old earth and Mullen sets up a holiday because he aims to please. This would be like current day people going to a wild west ranch, real but not too real. Things go horribly wrong and Mullen must make a hard choice. This story was one of my favorites by far.

[Revolver] by [Michael Patrick Hicks] was the most overtly political and also one of the most enjoyable. The concept of reality TV and politics preying on the unfortunates is so scary because it is not far from our current reality. I really loved the statement made in this one.

[The Happy Place] by [Harry Manners] was a story of a dream gone horribly wrong. Michael has always dreamed of going to the stars and with his wife this dream becomes a reality as he is chosen to colonize Mars. Years later he realizes his dream may be a nightmare as he begins to lose everything he loves. The only thing that keeps him going is 'the Happy Place', a virtual reality of his memories from Earth, but keeping this secret from those he loves may cost him even more. This is the third work I have read from [Harry Manners] and I love how he handles loneliness and making hard decisions. His characters are always deeper than they first appear.

[Renata] by [Nadine Matheson] is a futuristic spy story wrapped in a mob hit with political intrigue. Yes, I enjoyed this one as well. Kaoru is an assassin who gets his assignments from his brother. His latest target is in the past. This is the assignment that may just kill him.

[Cold Witness] by [A.S. Sinclair] was a mental thriller. John Marshall is sent to check out an abandoned military complex that he is told little about. When he arrives there he hears rumors of strange things involving the final project at the base. Upon arrival he begins hallucinating and his memories begin to meld with others. The question of what is reality is constant throughout.

All the stories were well written and enjoyable. I also liked how each author wrote an "Afterword" that explained a little of how they came up with the concept they did. I recommend this to any fan of futuristic and science fiction.
  
Skyscraper (2018)
Skyscraper (2018)
2018 | Action
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (1 more)
House of Mirrors fight scene
Unfulfilled promise of premises set up (0 more)
The Rock saves it from mediocrity
I have come to respect Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as a charismatic actor that gives his all in whatever motion picture he is in. He can make bad films seem fun (like the recent RAMPAGE) or elevate good action films to great action films (I'm looking at you FAST & FURIOUS franchise). So, I was was open to checking out the "Die Hard meets Towering Inferno" summer popcorn flick SKYSCRAPER for I was expecting a "B" movie with some outrageous stunts, common-sense defying decision making and a plot by a bad guy that is way too complex all wrapped around Johnson's charisma.

And...that's pretty much what I got.

Skyscraper tells the story of a...ahem...Skyscraper. The "tallest building ever" (are there any other kind in these kinds of films?). The Rock plays a Security consultant who has been brought in to assess the safety and security systems of this building and when he says "I've been all over these systems and know them like the back of my hand", you know that knowledge will come in handy - and it does when the bad guys come to get the McGuffin,

What is a McGuffin you ask? That is Alfred Hitchock's term for the thing that is propelling the plot forward. It doesn't really matter what the McGuffin is, it just needs to be something that one person has and other people are willing to lie cheat, scheme and kill for. In this case it is a flashdrive with sensitive information on it, but it could easily have been "the codes" to some secret device, "tech" that makes the world better (or can generate large sums of money, a treasure of cash or jewels or the latest innovation in dolphin training...you get the idea.

So...the bad guys are after the McGuffin, the Rock is after the bad guys because accidentally trapped in the burning high rise (did I mention that the bad guys started the high rise on fire?) is the Rock's family. This gives our hero "stakes" in this game, so he'll do ANYTHING to save his family.

All pretty predictable, but with the Rock's charm and charisma, it doesn't seem quite so silly. Neve Campbell is back on-screen (where has she been?) as his wife, who (of course) is a kick-ass former Navy Doctor (you know those skills are gonna come in handy). The rest of the cast is pretty forgettable, except, perhaps, Hannah Quinlavan as the main bad guy's henchmen who is indestructible (until, of course, she isn't).

The big disappointment for me in this film is the unfulfilled promise of a few of the premises set up by Writer and Director Rawson Marshall Thurber (CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE). For example, The Rock's character suffers a trauma in the pre-opening credits scene, losing the lower half of a leg (I'm not spoiling anything here, it is in the previews). Exploring his PTSD or the limitations of his handicap would have been interesting, but aside for a couple of grunts...nothing. Another interesting premise is the inside of the building has "it's own eco-system" and you see a lavish forest somewhere in between floors 150-175 (did I mention that this is a really tall building) but they don't really use this set and set it on fire quickly. Finally, they do set up a "house of mirrors" early on that is paid off rather nicely in the end, the highlight in the film for me.

All-in-all a rather mediocre afternoon at the movies. The promise and execution of the premise were not "so bad it's good" nor were they "good" they were just..."fair"...fortunately, you had the Rock to save the day - and the film - yet again.

Letter Grade: B- (I'm probably being generous, but I really liked The Rock in this)

6 (out of 10) stars and you can take that to the Bank(OfMarquis)
  
Memoirs of a Geisha
Memoirs of a Geisha
Arthur Golden | 1997 | Fiction & Poetry, History & Politics, Romance
9
8.0 (43 Ratings)
Book Rating
Memoirs of a Geisha is a historical fiction book published on September 27th 1997. Told in the first person Viewpoint of Geisha Sayuri (Original name Chiyo), It follows her journey from her childhood in a fishing village on the coast of Japan, forcibly taken to a Hanamachi in Gion Kyoto and raised to become a Geisha before experiencing the horrors of WW2 and being a Geisha during the hard work of rebuilding after a harrowing defeat.

My opinion of the book is one of both curiosity and interest. Japan is one of those countries where its history and culture is both unusual and mysterious. The book gives a brief glimpse into the hidden world of the Geisha which are a prominent spot in Japanese culture but are relatively unknown world wide. I believe that the story of Sayuri is one of personal travel and evolution. Since we see Sayuri';s experience as a child before becoming a Geisha, experiencing the horror of war and eventually finding love with the Chairman.

Arthur Golden was born on December 6th 1956 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. When he was eight years old his parents divorced with his father dying five years later. He spent most of his childhood living in lookout mountain, Georgia before graduating from the Baylor school in Chattanooga in 1974. After earning a degree in Fine art (Specifically Japanese art), an M. A. in Japanese history, Golden spent a summer at the Peking University in Beijing and spent some time working in Tokyo. When he returned to the states he earned an M. A. in English at Boston University. Golden married Trudi Legge and they went on to have two children Hays and Tess.

After getting the initial idea for Memoirs of a Geisha Golden spent six years over the story rewriting it at least three times, changing the view point until settling on the viewpoint of Sayuri. Golden had spent time interviewing several Geisha including Mineko Iwasaki (who ended up suing Golden when the Japanese version of the book came out for breach of contract.....the case was settled out of court in 2003) all of whom provided information about the world of the Geisha. After its release Memoirs of a Geisha spent two years on the New York Times bestseller list, its sold more than four million copies in English alone and has been translated into thirty-two languages around the world. In 2005 the book was made into a movie garnering three academy awards.

My opinion of Arthur Golden is very small and somewhat limited.......I believe he is a fantastic writer and very knowledgeable about Japanese history and art....Much more so than I am but hearing he faced being sued because of citing who his sources were when he was contracted not to has put something of a dampener on his character in my eyes.

Memoirs of a Geisha was released as a Movie on December 9th 2005 under director Rob Marshall and Produced by Steven Spielberg's production Company Amblin Entertainment and Spyglass Entertainment. With its production from pre- to post-production taking place mainly in California US, with a few spots filmed in Kyoto Japan. The movie received mixed reviews in the western world and received somewhat negative reviews in Japan due to its mixed casting of Chinese and Japanese actors and actresses and its relationship to history. Despite the chaos they won three Academy Awards (Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography and Best Costume Design), a Golden Globe (Best Original Score), A national Board of review (Best Supporting Actress), a satellite award (Outstanding screenplay) and three BAFTA's (Cinematography, Costume design and the Anthony Asquith award for Achievement in film music).

Whilst I quite like the movie I definitely feel that if more effort was put into tying more of both Japanese and Geisha history was some how tied into the movie. As well as using more Japanese Actors and actresses in the roles......despite that I believe the actors and actresses did a very good job in brining the script to life and keep a layer of mystery and fluidity to their roles.

And there you have it a book for all the ages, its definitely under the banner of AWESOME!!!.
  
Santa Claus Bank Robbery: A True Crime Saga in Texas
Santa Claus Bank Robbery: A True Crime Saga in Texas
Tui Snider | 2019 | Crime, History & Politics, Mystery
9
9.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
I don't normally read a lot of non-fiction, but there was something about Tui Snider's true crime novel Santa Claus Bank Robbery that really drew me in. Maybe it was the fact that I love to imagine how things were back in the day or maybe it was the mystery of the blonde woman that I wanted to know. Whatever it was, I am thrilled that I had the chance to read Santa Claus Bank Robbery.

Tui Snider opens her novel with a chapter that talks about how she first heard of this crazy bank heist. She gives information behind the history of bank robberies in Texas. Snider then goes into details about the key players that were apart of the bank robbery in the next chapter. It isn't long before you're thrown into the action of what happened that fateful day in Cisco, Texas when at least four men - Marshall Ratliff, Henry Helms, Robert Hill, and Lewis Davis - decided to rob the First National Bank on December 23, 1927 with Ratliff dressed in a Santa Claus suit. It's a wonder more people didn't die considering back then anyone off the street could get a gun and shoot at criminals! Snider doesn't just end her book when the bank robbery ended. She also writes about what happened to the bank robbers after they were apprehended as well as what happened to some of the other people who were involved whether they were hostages, bystanders, or vigilantes.

It's very obvious that Tui Snider had done extensive research before writing Santa Claus Bank Robbery. Snider even includes a diagram that shows where everyone was standing when the bank robbery occurred! She includes names of many of the key players (witnesses, accessories, bystanders, etc) which can sometimes be a bit daunting to remember. I had to go back to previous chapters to find out who was who sometimes. The names of people get easier to remember further into the book though. I loved that photos from Newspapers around that time were also included in Santa Claus Bank Robbery.

It was nice to read Tui Snider's commentary on the events whilst reading through the chapters of Santa Claus Bank Robbery. I felt as if Snider was right beside me giving me her opinion on the events of the book. I do agree with her on who she thinks the mysterious blonde woman was. After reading Tui Snider's book, I'm definitely with Snider. I'm also left wondering, along with the author, why A.C. Greene left out major details and gave pseudonyms to some people in his book The Santa Claus Bank Robbery published in 1972 (not to be confused with Tui Snider's book Santa Claus Bank Robbery) but not to others. That's also a great mystery that I hope one day Snider can find out because it seemed like it was driving her crazy wondering Greene did that (ha!).

One more touch that I really appreciated from Tui Snider in her book Santa Claus Bank Robbery was the fact that at the end, she includes appendices for places of interest, staying in touch with her, and further reading. I really enjoyed the places of interest section which lists the address and websites of places mentioned in the book. After reading Santa Claus Bank Robbery, I'm hankering to check these places out!

Trigger warnings for Santa Claus Bank Robbery include murder, death, and violence. It is a true crime book after all!

Overall, Santa Claus Bank Robbery is a highly fascinating novel full of action and mystery that holds your attention from the very first page. So much research went into the writing of this book, and it really shows. After reading this novel, I have become fascinated with this case. I would definitely recommend Santa Claus Bank Robbery by Tui Snider to those aged 16+ who love true crime, mystery, or just a well written book in general. This is one of those books that you won't be able to put down even when you have to!
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(A special thank you to Tui Snider for providing me with a paperback copy of Santa Claus Bank Robbery in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.)