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Humans first knew the era of survival. Then they knew the era of work. Now they live in the era of...
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Ivana A. | Diary of Difference (1171 KP) rated Cryptofauna in Books
Aug 3, 2020
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<img src="https://i0.wp.com/diaryofdifference.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Book-Review-Banner-57.png?resize=768%2C432&ssl=1"/>;
Cryptofauna by Patrick Canning is definitely a read that will certainly stay in your memory, for how unique and random it is.
<b><i>Synopsis</i></b>
Jim is a janitor at an insane asylum and one day, he decides to commit a suicide at his workplace. But before he can do the deed, a mysterious resident at work equips him with a dog and a bag of ash, and throws him into a secret game known as Cryptofauna.
Cryptofauna is played by Operators, people with special abilities, who battle one another to influence important events around the world. To become an Operator, Jim must successfully pass a couple of exams, including surviving the Pacific Ocean, surviving some weird monks, and ultimately, passing the exam that proves his mind and soul are ready as well.
On top of this, there is his enemy as well, another Operator, who is forever his rival until the game ends.
This is how Cryptofauna works, in case you are curious. The image was sent to me by the author:
<img src="https://i2.wp.com/diaryofdifference.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/How-To-Play.jpg?resize=768%2C994&ssl=1"/>;
<b><i>My Thoughts:</i></b>
From the synopsis, I expected this book to be unique. However, I never expected to enter such a creative and random world. The events are all so random, the characters too. It is all very random and chaotic in a very interesting way. I am still struggling to decide whether I love this chaos or not.
This book is amazing in terms of creativity and world building.
The author is quite good at creating something new in a place where everything already exists. Patrick Canning managed to create a whole new reality within our real world. A place where Cryptofauna exists as a game and a way of life, and I was glad I entered that world.
There were times I felt very confused on what is happening. I had to re-read chapters and scenes, which resulted in average reading experience. I liked Jim as a character, and I loved how he slowly develops throughout the book and finds his true purpose in his life. As a person that was about to commit suicide, I felt he learned a valuable lesson to not give up. However I felt that the other characters had more liveliness in them (no pun intended, given the fact he wanted to kill himself). I actually loved the evil guy more. He had a recklessness about him that I found intriguing.
Overall, I did enjoy the creativity and the idea of the game itself. However, I felt very lost and confused at certain times, which made my experience less enjoyable. I still recommend it to you, if the synopsis intrigues you and you enjoy stories about good battling evil.
Thank you to the author, Patrick Canning, for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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<img src="https://i0.wp.com/diaryofdifference.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Book-Review-Banner-57.png?resize=768%2C432&ssl=1"/>;
Cryptofauna by Patrick Canning is definitely a read that will certainly stay in your memory, for how unique and random it is.
<b><i>Synopsis</i></b>
Jim is a janitor at an insane asylum and one day, he decides to commit a suicide at his workplace. But before he can do the deed, a mysterious resident at work equips him with a dog and a bag of ash, and throws him into a secret game known as Cryptofauna.
Cryptofauna is played by Operators, people with special abilities, who battle one another to influence important events around the world. To become an Operator, Jim must successfully pass a couple of exams, including surviving the Pacific Ocean, surviving some weird monks, and ultimately, passing the exam that proves his mind and soul are ready as well.
On top of this, there is his enemy as well, another Operator, who is forever his rival until the game ends.
This is how Cryptofauna works, in case you are curious. The image was sent to me by the author:
<img src="https://i2.wp.com/diaryofdifference.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/How-To-Play.jpg?resize=768%2C994&ssl=1"/>;
<b><i>My Thoughts:</i></b>
From the synopsis, I expected this book to be unique. However, I never expected to enter such a creative and random world. The events are all so random, the characters too. It is all very random and chaotic in a very interesting way. I am still struggling to decide whether I love this chaos or not.
This book is amazing in terms of creativity and world building.
The author is quite good at creating something new in a place where everything already exists. Patrick Canning managed to create a whole new reality within our real world. A place where Cryptofauna exists as a game and a way of life, and I was glad I entered that world.
There were times I felt very confused on what is happening. I had to re-read chapters and scenes, which resulted in average reading experience. I liked Jim as a character, and I loved how he slowly develops throughout the book and finds his true purpose in his life. As a person that was about to commit suicide, I felt he learned a valuable lesson to not give up. However I felt that the other characters had more liveliness in them (no pun intended, given the fact he wanted to kill himself). I actually loved the evil guy more. He had a recklessness about him that I found intriguing.
Overall, I did enjoy the creativity and the idea of the game itself. However, I felt very lost and confused at certain times, which made my experience less enjoyable. I still recommend it to you, if the synopsis intrigues you and you enjoy stories about good battling evil.
Thank you to the author, Patrick Canning, for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Nimian Legends : BrightRidge HD
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FANTASY ADVENTURE IN A BEAUTIFUL OPEN WORLD WILDERNESS Run, swim and fly through glistening...
Darren (1599 KP) rated The Runner (2015) in Movies
Jul 25, 2019
Story: The Runner starts as Louisiana is dealing with the effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, politician Colin Pryce (Cage) wants to supporting his state who are not getting supported after the spill which is take jobs from the good people. His fight gets national attention as he starts to fight for the people whose lives are being destroyed.
When it is made public that Colin has had an affair behind his wife Deborah’s (Nielsen) back the state turns on him forcing him to resign and come back stronger as he continues to fight for the people of Louisiana he could make a comeback unlike anyone in the political world.
Thoughts on The Runner
Story – This is a very political drama story 101 job we have one man who was great for the people lose his role for affair and goes through tough tests before looking to make the comeback, you have nothing overly interesting going on here in what is a standard political drama.
Thriller – While this is more drama based you are kept wondering how Colin can bring his career back around by continuing to do the right thing.
Characters/Performance – Colin is based on a real person who does want to do the right thing for the people but isn’t the most morale correct when it comes to his personal life, this makes him an easy target in a political story. we do have other characters who are all part of the decision-making process that Colin goes through but none really make an impact. When you look at the performances they are all average without being any of the actor’s high points.
Settings – The settings are all real to the Louisiana as we see the different levels of working classes all dealing with the same problem after the BP oil spill but none of the locations come off feeling memorable.
Final Thoughts – Grab your text books and you will see how to make this movie with ease adding nothing special within the film.
Overall: Not the best, not the worst just forgettable.Story: The Runner starts as Louisiana is dealing with the effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, politician Colin Pryce (Cage) wants to supporting his state who are not getting supported after the spill which is take jobs from the good people. His fight gets national attention as he starts to fight for the people whose lives are being destroyed.
When it is made public that Colin has had an affair behind his wife Deborah’s (Nielsen) back the state turns on him forcing him to resign and come back stronger as he continues to fight for the people of Louisiana he could make a comeback unlike anyone in the political world.
Thoughts on The Runner
Story – This is a very political drama story 101 job we have one man who was great for the people lose his role for affair and goes through tough tests before looking to make the comeback, you have nothing overly interesting going on here in what is a standard political drama.
Thriller – While this is more drama based you are kept wondering how Colin can bring his career back around by continuing to do the right thing.
Characters/Performance – Colin is based on a real person who does want to do the right thing for the people but isn’t the most morale correct when it comes to his personal life, this makes him an easy target in a political story. we do have other characters who are all part of the decision-making process that Colin goes through but none really make an impact. When you look at the performances they are all average without being any of the actor’s high points.
Settings – The settings are all real to the Louisiana as we see the different levels of working classes all dealing with the same problem after the BP oil spill but none of the locations come off feeling memorable.
Final Thoughts – Grab your text books and you will see how to make this movie with ease adding nothing special within the film.
Overall: Not the best, not the worst just forgettable.
When it is made public that Colin has had an affair behind his wife Deborah’s (Nielsen) back the state turns on him forcing him to resign and come back stronger as he continues to fight for the people of Louisiana he could make a comeback unlike anyone in the political world.
Thoughts on The Runner
Story – This is a very political drama story 101 job we have one man who was great for the people lose his role for affair and goes through tough tests before looking to make the comeback, you have nothing overly interesting going on here in what is a standard political drama.
Thriller – While this is more drama based you are kept wondering how Colin can bring his career back around by continuing to do the right thing.
Characters/Performance – Colin is based on a real person who does want to do the right thing for the people but isn’t the most morale correct when it comes to his personal life, this makes him an easy target in a political story. we do have other characters who are all part of the decision-making process that Colin goes through but none really make an impact. When you look at the performances they are all average without being any of the actor’s high points.
Settings – The settings are all real to the Louisiana as we see the different levels of working classes all dealing with the same problem after the BP oil spill but none of the locations come off feeling memorable.
Final Thoughts – Grab your text books and you will see how to make this movie with ease adding nothing special within the film.
Overall: Not the best, not the worst just forgettable.Story: The Runner starts as Louisiana is dealing with the effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, politician Colin Pryce (Cage) wants to supporting his state who are not getting supported after the spill which is take jobs from the good people. His fight gets national attention as he starts to fight for the people whose lives are being destroyed.
When it is made public that Colin has had an affair behind his wife Deborah’s (Nielsen) back the state turns on him forcing him to resign and come back stronger as he continues to fight for the people of Louisiana he could make a comeback unlike anyone in the political world.
Thoughts on The Runner
Story – This is a very political drama story 101 job we have one man who was great for the people lose his role for affair and goes through tough tests before looking to make the comeback, you have nothing overly interesting going on here in what is a standard political drama.
Thriller – While this is more drama based you are kept wondering how Colin can bring his career back around by continuing to do the right thing.
Characters/Performance – Colin is based on a real person who does want to do the right thing for the people but isn’t the most morale correct when it comes to his personal life, this makes him an easy target in a political story. we do have other characters who are all part of the decision-making process that Colin goes through but none really make an impact. When you look at the performances they are all average without being any of the actor’s high points.
Settings – The settings are all real to the Louisiana as we see the different levels of working classes all dealing with the same problem after the BP oil spill but none of the locations come off feeling memorable.
Final Thoughts – Grab your text books and you will see how to make this movie with ease adding nothing special within the film.
Overall: Not the best, not the worst just forgettable.
Bong Mines Entertainment (15 KP) rated Z for Zodiac - Single by Mxlcxlm in Music
Jun 17, 2019
Mxlcxlm Z is an up-and-coming rapper based in Denver, Colorado. Not too long ago, he released a freestyle lyric video for his “Z for Zodiac” single.
“I hope this video sparks some new found interest in raw hip-hop/bars again by inspiring folks with the creativity and the depth of thought. I hope it makes people want to rewind it and dissect the lyrics, catching things on listen #5 or #10 that they didn’t notice on the initial listens. Also, I hope a few of the bars about the Zodiac (the real ones, not the ‘clever’ ones) inspire people to pursue their own interest into the Houses of the Zodiac and their connection to religious texts/doctrine/allegories. Finally, I hope this song gives people a small but intriguing-enough look into my life and that they realize that I truly do rhyme about what’s going on in my real life, what my heart feels, and about real situations that often don’t get talked about enough.” – Mxlcxlm Z
The audiovisual video features Mxlcxlm Z rapping 116 witty bars based on the 12 houses of the horoscope.
This is the first no cut video the rapper has ever edited which proved to be a challenge. But overall, he was able to bring to fruition the vision he saw in his head.
‘Z for Zodiac’ contains an introspective storyline, lyrical rap vocals, and lush instrumentation flavored with a hip-hop aroma.
“My favorite bars in the song, partly because of the double entendre but mostly because of the reality, is when I say, ‘Jonny died I tried to act like that sh*t didn’t bother me. I do this sh*t for him (hymn) like when the choir sing’. Another of my favorites is the bar referring to mama Sarah, when I say, ‘Tried coping with sobriety, performed lobotomy with an acid tab and a pile of weed’. Which means that, though I attempted to deal with my problems in a sober way, I was able to help treat my mental illnesses with LSD and cannabis.” – Mxlcxlm Z
Mxlcxlm Z’s studies in metaphysics, the occult, and astrology heavily influence the way he views the world. Of course, those beliefs find their way into his music.
When he lost his brother Jonny and grandmother Sarah, he fell into a major depression.
Because of his experience with loss, he is thankful for the nieces and nephew he has from his sister who once thought she might not ever have children.
“I speak briefly [in this song] on my upbringing, my sister dealing with miscarriages, and how she’s since been blessed with 3 kids. Dealing with depression at a young age, I feel like it was the Creator/God that saved me.” – Mxlcxlm Z
https://www.bongminesentertainment.com/mxlcxlm-z-z-for-zodiac/
“I hope this video sparks some new found interest in raw hip-hop/bars again by inspiring folks with the creativity and the depth of thought. I hope it makes people want to rewind it and dissect the lyrics, catching things on listen #5 or #10 that they didn’t notice on the initial listens. Also, I hope a few of the bars about the Zodiac (the real ones, not the ‘clever’ ones) inspire people to pursue their own interest into the Houses of the Zodiac and their connection to religious texts/doctrine/allegories. Finally, I hope this song gives people a small but intriguing-enough look into my life and that they realize that I truly do rhyme about what’s going on in my real life, what my heart feels, and about real situations that often don’t get talked about enough.” – Mxlcxlm Z
The audiovisual video features Mxlcxlm Z rapping 116 witty bars based on the 12 houses of the horoscope.
This is the first no cut video the rapper has ever edited which proved to be a challenge. But overall, he was able to bring to fruition the vision he saw in his head.
‘Z for Zodiac’ contains an introspective storyline, lyrical rap vocals, and lush instrumentation flavored with a hip-hop aroma.
“My favorite bars in the song, partly because of the double entendre but mostly because of the reality, is when I say, ‘Jonny died I tried to act like that sh*t didn’t bother me. I do this sh*t for him (hymn) like when the choir sing’. Another of my favorites is the bar referring to mama Sarah, when I say, ‘Tried coping with sobriety, performed lobotomy with an acid tab and a pile of weed’. Which means that, though I attempted to deal with my problems in a sober way, I was able to help treat my mental illnesses with LSD and cannabis.” – Mxlcxlm Z
Mxlcxlm Z’s studies in metaphysics, the occult, and astrology heavily influence the way he views the world. Of course, those beliefs find their way into his music.
When he lost his brother Jonny and grandmother Sarah, he fell into a major depression.
Because of his experience with loss, he is thankful for the nieces and nephew he has from his sister who once thought she might not ever have children.
“I speak briefly [in this song] on my upbringing, my sister dealing with miscarriages, and how she’s since been blessed with 3 kids. Dealing with depression at a young age, I feel like it was the Creator/God that saved me.” – Mxlcxlm Z
https://www.bongminesentertainment.com/mxlcxlm-z-z-for-zodiac/
Lucky Time Slots: Vegas Casino
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*Casino slots fans - it’s time to get lucky with Lucky Time Slots!* Step into this huge online...
Art Set - Pro Edition
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The Pro version of the hit 'Art Set' app is here! The original Art Set made it to number one...
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KICK OFF AN ALL-NEW SEASON WITH OUR BIGGEST UPDATE EVER, INCLUDING COMPETITIVE TOURNAMENTS, PLAYER...
Ross (3284 KP) rated The Occultist in Books
Feb 12, 2019 (Updated Feb 14, 2019)
Far from original LitRPG but a whole lot of fun
** Thanks to Portal Books and the author for giving me the chance to read this in advance of its release **
The LitRPG genre (the best-known example being Ready Player One) is something of a narrow one. There are only a few levers to pull: the main character's real life scenario, the game mechanics, the main character's chosen "class" in-game and the conflicts therein.
The Occultist looks to mix this up a bit with the main character choosing a less traditional class, of occultist - that is, he learns the ability to summon a variety of demons and spells/abilities to use with them. This would mark The Occultist out from the crowd, if it weren't for Awaken Online already having done almost the exact same. In AO, Jason chooses a dark class and summons zombies, skeletons etc, and a large part of the early stages of this book really bear a very close resemblance to AO. We have the main character's problems at home, leading him to want to escape into the game, and to find a way to make money from his gaming hobby. The chosen in-game path is almost identical. There is an extremely strong, popular player that he wants to compete with.
From early on, I was thinking this book was a rip-off of AO. But the second half of the book is really where the book marks itself apart from AO. Whereas that book's action was focused on large scale strategy in battles, here we are scurrying around in the background picking players off one by one and there are some truly excellent action sequences, where the abilities and spells learned and the demons at Damien's disposal are used to some really creative effects. Damien looks to get some revenge on his nemesis and also to try and "level up" quickly (again, a key component of LitRPG books), and tries to pick off players as they battle other players, or take on perilous dungeons.
A lot of LitRPG books have had a very immersive gaming element, at times it was more like reading a more traditional fantasy book but where the main character was more clear what he was doing and what skills/abilities he was using. Here you are always aware the character is in a game: he "equips" clothes rather than getting dressed, there is no need for eating or sleeping, what can and can't be done, what you get from killing another character etc is so much more in line with games than in other books. This again marked it out from other books, and gave it a very different feel.
Another major selling point of The Occultist is that it doesn't mess around with time dilation (game time running at a much faster rate than real time). I don't see why so many of the other books in this genre feel the need to build this in, as it is then hard to keep it consistent, and doesn't really feel right or necessary at any time.
Also, Damien's real world troubles take more focus than in other books, as he struggles to find somewhere to live and is on the run.
While the book manages to stick to its own rules (what can and can't be done etc), there is one moment where the main character manages to do something he shouldn't be able to do (his spells have a cool down period before they can be used again and at least once this isn't observed), which was slightly frustrating given how hard the author had tried to plan out the action in line with the people involved and their skills and strengths.
My only real gripe with the book is the title of the game/series - Saga Online, which sounds less like an exciting new MMORPG, and more like the web portal for booking a pensioners' cruise!
In summary, not an original idea (but hard to have such a thing in this genre) but a superbly well told, exciting and fun read. I heartily recommend this to anyone who likes fantasy books, games like the Witcher or just anyone looking for some real fun escapism.
The LitRPG genre (the best-known example being Ready Player One) is something of a narrow one. There are only a few levers to pull: the main character's real life scenario, the game mechanics, the main character's chosen "class" in-game and the conflicts therein.
The Occultist looks to mix this up a bit with the main character choosing a less traditional class, of occultist - that is, he learns the ability to summon a variety of demons and spells/abilities to use with them. This would mark The Occultist out from the crowd, if it weren't for Awaken Online already having done almost the exact same. In AO, Jason chooses a dark class and summons zombies, skeletons etc, and a large part of the early stages of this book really bear a very close resemblance to AO. We have the main character's problems at home, leading him to want to escape into the game, and to find a way to make money from his gaming hobby. The chosen in-game path is almost identical. There is an extremely strong, popular player that he wants to compete with.
From early on, I was thinking this book was a rip-off of AO. But the second half of the book is really where the book marks itself apart from AO. Whereas that book's action was focused on large scale strategy in battles, here we are scurrying around in the background picking players off one by one and there are some truly excellent action sequences, where the abilities and spells learned and the demons at Damien's disposal are used to some really creative effects. Damien looks to get some revenge on his nemesis and also to try and "level up" quickly (again, a key component of LitRPG books), and tries to pick off players as they battle other players, or take on perilous dungeons.
A lot of LitRPG books have had a very immersive gaming element, at times it was more like reading a more traditional fantasy book but where the main character was more clear what he was doing and what skills/abilities he was using. Here you are always aware the character is in a game: he "equips" clothes rather than getting dressed, there is no need for eating or sleeping, what can and can't be done, what you get from killing another character etc is so much more in line with games than in other books. This again marked it out from other books, and gave it a very different feel.
Another major selling point of The Occultist is that it doesn't mess around with time dilation (game time running at a much faster rate than real time). I don't see why so many of the other books in this genre feel the need to build this in, as it is then hard to keep it consistent, and doesn't really feel right or necessary at any time.
Also, Damien's real world troubles take more focus than in other books, as he struggles to find somewhere to live and is on the run.
While the book manages to stick to its own rules (what can and can't be done etc), there is one moment where the main character manages to do something he shouldn't be able to do (his spells have a cool down period before they can be used again and at least once this isn't observed), which was slightly frustrating given how hard the author had tried to plan out the action in line with the people involved and their skills and strengths.
My only real gripe with the book is the title of the game/series - Saga Online, which sounds less like an exciting new MMORPG, and more like the web portal for booking a pensioners' cruise!
In summary, not an original idea (but hard to have such a thing in this genre) but a superbly well told, exciting and fun read. I heartily recommend this to anyone who likes fantasy books, games like the Witcher or just anyone looking for some real fun escapism.
FC Barcelona Fantasy Manager 2017-Top soccer game
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The new edition of the free football live game from FC BARCELONA FANTASY MANAGER 2017 will bring the...