Vesper Flights
8.0
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Animals don't exist to teach us things, but that is what they have always done, and most of what...
David McK (3801 KP) rated The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes (Sherlock Holmes #9) in Books
May 12, 2024
The final entry in Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes canon, which - again - I experienced through a mixture of reading and listening to the Stephen Fry narrated Audible version, and which is also really once again a collection of short stories rather than a single over-arching narrative.
What is unique in this collection, though, is that some of the stories are presented as Holmes himself delivering the narrative, rather than Watson acting as the biographer.
I also noticed - perhaps reflecting the nature of the time in which they were written, and Doyle's own interests - that there are more of the, shall we say, supernatural elements in the case chosen ("The adventure of the Sussex Vampire" springs to mind, for example) although - in all cases - the supernatural elements are later debunked by Holmes himself.
As a whole? I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the company of Holmes and Watson.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2579 KP) rated The Maze in the Heart of the Castle in Books
Apr 3, 2026 (Updated Apr 3, 2026)
After reading The Tightrope Walker, I decided I had to track this book down. It is episodic in nature, and that works here, with each complication keeping me engaged. Colin is really the only character we see the entire way through, and we get to see him really grow. The story is an allegory for grieving, and it mostly works. I just felt like it stumbled at the end. Even so, I’m really glad I picked up the book.
David McK (3801 KP) rated Frank Herbert's Dune, the Graphic Novel book 3: The Prophet in Books
Apr 6, 2025
Which I'm well aware, due to the nature of the medium, leaves a lot out.
As such, it's interesting reading this (after having read the previous 2 entries in the same graphic novel series) to see how much is familiar, and how much is changed.
Oh, the basics are there right enough (in the movies), but there are several differences to the story: Paul Atriedes sister (only teased in Part 2), here, being the most prominent example.
Not having read the 'original' original, I can't say how much was changed for the move from print to graphic novel medium, but I do believe that the authors/artists/stencillers here did try to stick as close as possible to that story.
I can understand why it was slimmed down for the move to the big screen.
Hard Headed Woman
Book
No one but Hannah Johansson believes her father was murdered. Not even her mother. The doctors say...
Comedy Mystery
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Meet the Fockers (2004) in Movies
Mar 9, 2022
Barbara Streisand and Dustin Hoffman are welcome additions as the Focker parents, and their liberal lifestyle works at odds with Jack Byrne's uptight nature. It provides the bulk of the funny moments this time around.
The plot is essentially the same as the first film, just set in Miami, and as such follows a predictable beat, but it's a safe one that provides an easy watch, backed by some reliably pleasant Randy Newman music.
An inferior sequel then, but one that serves its purpose. An easy re-watch option for when you've been scrolling through Netflix for far too long.
The Mark of Fate ( The Marked book 3)
8.0
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War will be waged, lives will be lost… One step forward and two steps back. That’s what it...
David McK (3801 KP) rated The Loki Sword (Fireborn #3) in Books
Sep 18, 2022
I don't know why that is; it's just one of those things.
However, I'll still read these novels, just not be in as much of a rush to do so as with the others.
This is the third in his FireBorn series (after both The Last Berserker: An action-packed Viking adventure and The Saxon Wolf: A Viking epic of berserkers and battle) and is also, for my money, the best of those three novels. That may be because of the nature of this - a band of travellers setting out on a quest, leading to a battle and a return home, with the author himself admitting the influence of the works of JRR Tolkien on this particular entry.
The Accursed King (The Plantagenet Legacy #4)
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What happens when a king loses his prowess? The day Henry IV could finally declare he had vanquished...
Historical Fiction Plantagenet Dynasty Henry V Henry IV
Elektra
10.0
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The House of Atreus is cursed. A bloodline tainted by a generational cycle of violence and...
Greek Mythology Historical fiction Retellings Feminism Audiobook