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David McK (3832 KP) rated The Aeronaut's Windlass in Books

Dec 20, 2023  
The Aeronaut's Windlass
The Aeronaut's Windlass
Jim Butcher | 2016 | Fiction & Poetry
6
8.6 (10 Ratings)
Book Rating
The first book in Jim Butcher's new series: Cinder Spires series, if I'm honest I was a little unsure what to make of this at the start: it's not 'traditional' fantasy (that would be his 'Codex Alera' series); nor is it the urban fantasy (his - still ongoing - 'Dresden Files' series).

Rather, this is probably best described as Steampunk, which is a genre I previously had little exploration in, and which Google defines as:

"...a subgenre of science fiction and sometimes fantasy that incorporates technology and aesthetic designs inspired by 19th-century industrial steam-powered machinery.".

Reading that description, this definitely fits right into that bracket!

To my mind, it also falls more towards the fantasy aspect of Steampunk: after all, we have a new magic system, airships, the ability to communicate with animals (cats), and monsters from the ground all within the pages of this story even if (for my money), it never quite gripped me as much as a Harry Dresden book.
  
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David McK (3832 KP) rated Mission impossible dead reckoning part one (2023) in Movies

Aug 19, 2023 (Updated Jun 1, 2025)  
Mission impossible dead reckoning part one (2023)
Mission impossible dead reckoning part one (2023)
2023 | Action
8
8.5 (8 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning, Part 1

Long winded title.

It's also the 7th entry (of a definite 8, possibly more) in what-has-become Tom Cruise's signature franchise, which has now been running for nearly 30 years (27 years as of 2023, to be precise).

And I was initially shocked by how old Cruise looked during the opening scenes of this - no longer the fresh baby-faced figure of the early entries!

Anyway, this particular entry goes more into the realms of science-fiction than any of the previous instalments have, with Ethan Hunt and co searching for a way to stop the rogue AI known only as The Entity.

Personally, I found this to get a bit muddled in the middle - with one surprising death that I wasn't expecting (and that left a bit of a sour taste) - although it all leads to a barn-buster of a final act.

Personally, I still feel that Rogue Nation is the one to beat.