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David McK (3832 KP) rated The Old Guard (2020) in Movies
Jul 14, 2020 (Updated Apr 11, 2021)
Netflix's newest (at the time of writing) action-adventure, starring Charlize Theron as the leader of a group of immortals (whose immortality can come and go at any point) that have been alive for centuries, if not (in her case) for millennia. Think a less Scottish Highlander, and with the immortals working together rather than trying to chop each others heads off.
Apparently based on a relatively-new comic series, you can also tell that this is a straight-to-TV affair, with it not *quite* having the budget or flair of a Hollywood film. It's also unclear just what happens if any of these immortals lose a limb - does it grow back?
Anyway, the driving force behind this is the discovery of a new immortal, just after the other's last mission goes sideways, with Big Pharma - in a plot development that will surprise no one - now out to see if they can extract the secret of their immortality from the group (who don't know it themselves).
Also definitely set up for a sequel: if it is half as good as this one, I'll be watching.
Apparently based on a relatively-new comic series, you can also tell that this is a straight-to-TV affair, with it not *quite* having the budget or flair of a Hollywood film. It's also unclear just what happens if any of these immortals lose a limb - does it grow back?
Anyway, the driving force behind this is the discovery of a new immortal, just after the other's last mission goes sideways, with Big Pharma - in a plot development that will surprise no one - now out to see if they can extract the secret of their immortality from the group (who don't know it themselves).
Also definitely set up for a sequel: if it is half as good as this one, I'll be watching.
Daoism and Anarchism: Critiques of State Autonomy in Ancient and Modern China
Book
This volume in the Contemporary Anarchist Studies series focuses on anti-statist critiques in...
David McK (3832 KP) rated Star Trek Beyond (2016) in Movies
Mar 6, 2021
Space ... the Final frontier ...
The latest (at the time of reviewing) Star Trek film - from 5 years ago, so 2016 - this is the third film to be set in the so-called Kelvin Universe (after 'Star Trek' and 'Star Trek: Into Darkness'), still starring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, John Cho and (the late) Anton Yelchin as Kirk, Spock, 'Bones' McCoy, Lt Uhura, Scotty, Sulu and Chekov respectively.
This time around, Idris Elba plays the baddie role as a character who later proves to have a surprising link with The Federation, with the film also apparently including 50 new alien species as it was released in the year of the 50th anniversary of the TV series.
And therein lies part of the problem: that was hardly broadcast at all - indeed, I feel that they missed a major trick in not broadcasting that fact at all!
While the loose outline of the plot deals with ageing, and with a farewell given to Ambassador Spock, this is perfectly serviceable but not as good as the original film in the Kelvin trilogy (IMO).
This time around, Idris Elba plays the baddie role as a character who later proves to have a surprising link with The Federation, with the film also apparently including 50 new alien species as it was released in the year of the 50th anniversary of the TV series.
And therein lies part of the problem: that was hardly broadcast at all - indeed, I feel that they missed a major trick in not broadcasting that fact at all!
While the loose outline of the plot deals with ageing, and with a farewell given to Ambassador Spock, this is perfectly serviceable but not as good as the original film in the Kelvin trilogy (IMO).
Merissa (14056 KP) rated All That Glitters (Sol #1) in Books
May 8, 2021
In the first Science Fiction by Erin Kellison I have read, we have a wedding, politics, love, betrayal and goodness knows what else!
Mica left Sol five years ago to follow her dream, although this did mean leaving her lover behind. Simon had his own plans for Mica and himself that he never told her, pride and circumstance getting in the way. Things go well for Mica, but not so good for Simon. It is due to these circumstances that Simon shoots down Mica's craft, not knowing that she is the pilot. Choices have to be made by Mica and Simon - will they ever be able to trust each other, and be together, again?
This novella packs a punch as you have pretty much everything you could wish for. You get a back story, plot, and possible future. You learn about their political system, about the different categories of planets, and the different people who live on them. With plenty of action and adventure, this is a delightful first story in the Sol Sisters series. Definitely recommended by me.
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Mica left Sol five years ago to follow her dream, although this did mean leaving her lover behind. Simon had his own plans for Mica and himself that he never told her, pride and circumstance getting in the way. Things go well for Mica, but not so good for Simon. It is due to these circumstances that Simon shoots down Mica's craft, not knowing that she is the pilot. Choices have to be made by Mica and Simon - will they ever be able to trust each other, and be together, again?
This novella packs a punch as you have pretty much everything you could wish for. You get a back story, plot, and possible future. You learn about their political system, about the different categories of planets, and the different people who live on them. With plenty of action and adventure, this is a delightful first story in the Sol Sisters series. Definitely recommended by me.
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Joe Goodhart (27 KP) rated Faction Paradox: Of the City of the Saved... (Faction Paradox, #2) in Books
Nov 30, 2020
I didn't finish the book, but as you can only either list your books as "Want-To Read", "Currently Reading" or "Read", I went with the latter choice, as it was the only that seemed to fit even remotely. So, my review..
I try to keep an open mind for most things - meeting new people, going to see a movie or checking out a new TV series, or even when starting a new book. This book came highly recommended, the highest recommendation coming from Faction Paradox creator, Lawrence Miles. So, without even cracking the book open, it already had high expectations thrust upon it.
After five attempts at reading it, I gave up tonight! The book bored me unbelievably! Things got to be so bad that I used to help me to get to sleep the last 2 re-reading attempts.
I felt there was just too much going on, with a difficult to really get a feel for *any* of the characters in the first quarter I trudged through. After devouring Miles' FP debut novel, 'This Town Will Not Let Us Go', I thought this would be just as good; sadly, not so much.
I try to keep an open mind for most things - meeting new people, going to see a movie or checking out a new TV series, or even when starting a new book. This book came highly recommended, the highest recommendation coming from Faction Paradox creator, Lawrence Miles. So, without even cracking the book open, it already had high expectations thrust upon it.
After five attempts at reading it, I gave up tonight! The book bored me unbelievably! Things got to be so bad that I used to help me to get to sleep the last 2 re-reading attempts.
I felt there was just too much going on, with a difficult to really get a feel for *any* of the characters in the first quarter I trudged through. After devouring Miles' FP debut novel, 'This Town Will Not Let Us Go', I thought this would be just as good; sadly, not so much.
Caught in the Crossfire (PROTEKT #3)
8.0
Rate It
Book
Book three in the PROTEKT series Musician Bastien Desmarais is thrust into danger, but he’ll...
4 stars male/male multi partners military dudes darker
Merissa (14056 KP) rated The Blue Veil (Seven Deadly Veils #1.5) in Books
Feb 26, 2024
THE BLUE VEIL is a novella that sits between the first and second books in the Seven Deadly Veils series and we meet up with Miranda and Remare once again. One of Valadon's paintings has gone missing and Remare wants to find it before Valadon returns home.
This was a brilliant novella, with everything you could wish for... there are attacks by Rogues, steam enough to fill a sauna, and delving into the underworld of illegal auctions. It was also full of emotion and I devoured every word.
I am looking forward to reading the next book and hope for a HEA for Miranda and Remare! I also want one for Valadon, as he's not a bad guy, just infatuated with Miranda when it's clear he's not the one for her. Definitely recommended but I would suggest you start with Book One first, as it details instances that you will need to know about.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Feb 13, 2024
This was a brilliant novella, with everything you could wish for... there are attacks by Rogues, steam enough to fill a sauna, and delving into the underworld of illegal auctions. It was also full of emotion and I devoured every word.
I am looking forward to reading the next book and hope for a HEA for Miranda and Remare! I also want one for Valadon, as he's not a bad guy, just infatuated with Miranda when it's clear he's not the one for her. Definitely recommended but I would suggest you start with Book One first, as it details instances that you will need to know about.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Feb 13, 2024
My Professor Sweetheart (Sweetheart Escapes)
10.0
Rate It
Book
Jamie What is fun? Sure, I go out occasionally with my best friend and I have my MMA fights, but...
Contemporary MM Romance
Merissa (14056 KP) rated Stalkers: True Stories of Deadly Obsessions (Dark Webs True Crime #3) in Books
Oct 9, 2020
Stalkers is the third book in the Dark Webs series and, trust me, it beggars belief. It reads like it is straight out of Hollywood, the scene of the first telling of stalker behaviour. In here, we have two stories from America and two from the U.K. They are all horrible in their own way and yet show how easy it is, if you are that way inclined, to become a stalker.
The book itself is well-written with each story almost have a fiction-like quality to it. There are facts and figures, police reports, and verdicts given though, just to prove this actually happened. They will all twist your mind but the Craigslist one is just unbelievable! I felt sorry for all the 'victims' in this book but, mostly, I feel sorry for 'Mark'.
This is the first book by this author I have read but it will not be the last. If you like #TrueCrime then this is one I definitely recommend you don't miss.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
The book itself is well-written with each story almost have a fiction-like quality to it. There are facts and figures, police reports, and verdicts given though, just to prove this actually happened. They will all twist your mind but the Craigslist one is just unbelievable! I felt sorry for all the 'victims' in this book but, mostly, I feel sorry for 'Mark'.
This is the first book by this author I have read but it will not be the last. If you like #TrueCrime then this is one I definitely recommend you don't miss.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Sarah (7800 KP) rated Beyond Broadhall in Books
Aug 24, 2020
A fitting sequel
I was that excited to read this book that I’ve read and finished it across the space of 2 evenings, and that was purely because I made myself put it down on the first evening!
Like the first book, i struggled to put this down. It’s full of humour and heartwarming relationships, whilst Craig Pelling again tries to repair his damaged and broken life. I actually nearly shed a tear or two on more than one occasion. After the ending of the first book there’s really only a limited number of ways this sequel can pan out and this is the only real negative - unlike the first book which shocked me with how it ended, Beyond Broadhall is a tad predictable. That said, it’s the journey that matters in this book. Not everything pans out the way you’d expect and the entertainment stems from the investment you have in Craig. He really is a lovable and endearing character. I will admit that the ending of this book is making a tad cheesy and overly sweet and schmaltzy, but it’s nice to read how it turns out for Craig in the end. It’s been a while since I’ve enjoyed reading a book series as much as this one!
Like the first book, i struggled to put this down. It’s full of humour and heartwarming relationships, whilst Craig Pelling again tries to repair his damaged and broken life. I actually nearly shed a tear or two on more than one occasion. After the ending of the first book there’s really only a limited number of ways this sequel can pan out and this is the only real negative - unlike the first book which shocked me with how it ended, Beyond Broadhall is a tad predictable. That said, it’s the journey that matters in this book. Not everything pans out the way you’d expect and the entertainment stems from the investment you have in Craig. He really is a lovable and endearing character. I will admit that the ending of this book is making a tad cheesy and overly sweet and schmaltzy, but it’s nice to read how it turns out for Craig in the end. It’s been a while since I’ve enjoyed reading a book series as much as this one!