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Suswatibasu (1702 KP) rated The Man in the High Castle in Books

Sep 15, 2017

Classic dystopian novel about the US and if the Germans had won the war

Philip K. Dick is the godfather of Science Fiction, especially creating alternative realities and dystopian futures. In this case, he puts the point what would the world look like if Hitler had won the Second World War?

In this version, citizens of Jewish origin begin to be hunted down alongside those with ethnic minorities, except for the Japanese, given their support during the war. Amid this turmoil, is a mysterious and controversial book floating around, that explains what America would look like if they had won.

This is a bit of mind trip as a result, and it does end rather abruptly. However, the writing is gripping and you're desperate to find out how the man in the high castle connects to the story.

Kudos

Awix (3310 KP) rated The Body Stealers (Invasion of the Body Stealers) (1969) in Movies

Mar 16, 2019 (Updated Mar 16, 2019)

British sci-fi emanating from a weird dimension deep below the bottom of the barrel. When parachutists start vanishing into thin air mid-drop, the authorities call in rugged investigator and borderline sex pest Bob Megan (Patrick Allen). It turns out aliens from Outer Space are responsible!

One of those films where you quickly become pleasantly surprised when something isn't cheesy, inept, or horribly inappropriate; the kind of movie which gives science fiction a bad name (fans of the genre will doubtless recognise the alien spaceship from a more prominent appearance in another film). Various fairly capable actors find themselves adrift in a sea of uproarious nonsense; Neil Connery proves once again that, limited though his range may be, big brother Sean got all the acting ability in the family. Kind of fun to watch if you like bad movies.

Kudos

Awix (3310 KP) rated The Avengers in TV

Mar 4, 2018 (Updated Mar 4, 2018)

The Avengers

1961 | Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Thriller

7.2

(32 Ratings)

TV Show Rating

Iconic British cult adventure series. Very few shows change as much as The Avengers did over its seven season run; what started off as a gritty thriller about Ian Hendry's crime-busting doctor gradually transformed first into virtual science fiction (the Diana Rigg episodes feature mind-swapping machines, killer robots and a brain-controlling alien plant) and then a much more whimsical fantasy show for its final year or so.

Many of the early episodes are quite hard work now, but the two seasons where Macnee is paired with Diana Rigg are classic TV, and the sometimes-maligned final season with Linda Thorson also contains many neglected gems (the episode with the murderous clowns, for instance). Even when the show is not quite firing on all cylinders, there is always Patrick Macnee's inimitable performance as Steed to enjoy.

Kudos

Cyn Armistead (14 KP) rated The Nightmare Stacks: A Laundry Files Novel in Books

Feb 23, 2018

Another fun entry in the Laundry Files series, this one is narrated by Dr. Schwartz, from the previous novel. Poor Alex is trying to come to grips with his sudden career change and living life as a PHANG (vampire, to the rest of us). He has also fallen into social interactions with an actual female person, which is vastly unusual in his life. In fact, having a social life is rather foreign.

There are a fair number of cringe-worthy scenes, if you (like me) are embarrassed when anyone else is. Of course, this is a comedy/horror/science fiction/fantasy series, so there are the requisite horrid things in the plot. If you've gotten this far in the series, I shouldn't need to warn you about that. I really wouldn't choose this volume as an entry point if I were you.

Kudos

Phil Leader (619 KP) rated Powersat (The Grand Tour #1) in Books

Nov 25, 2019

Powersat (The Grand Tour #1)

Ben Bova | 2005 | Fiction & Poetry, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Thriller

6.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

Dan Randolph has a dream - cheap power for all delivered via a series of orbital sun-powered 'Powersats' that will beam their energy down to Earth. However this is a huge project and there are any number of things that can go wrong. Dan will need to summon all his resources as a businessman and format astronaut to ensure his brainchild has a future.

This is a pretty solid start to the Grand Tour series of books, which seek to show the reader every corner of the solar system together with a gripping story. The science is accurate and plot is certainly gripping.

However this is a fairly workmanlike book, feeling a lot like Bova was writing with gritted teeth to actually get it finished. As a result it is a good but not great work of fiction.