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Sarah (7798 KP) rated Police (Harry Hole #10) (Oslo Sequence #8) in Books

Sep 5, 2020

A gripping thriller

I've really messed up the reading order of the Harry Hole books. I first read this 5 years ago, and it was only earlier this year that I read the following sequel book 11 (The Thirst) and then after that the previous book 9 Phantom. Aside from my idiocy at messing up the order of these books, I really enjoyed reading this again now i finally understand better what's going on thanks to Phantom.

This is a thrilling read. I could barely put it down and just wanted to get to the end to find out how it all ended (as I couldn't remember from the first time round). The plot is complicated but not so far-fetched that it gets ridiculous and there's lots of twists and turns to keep you hooked. I like the Harry in this book a lot more than in previous books, although there is still some of the old good character we know and love still there. After reading so many of Jo Nesbo's books recently I've noticed he really does like his tropes and cliffhangers a lot and this can get a bit predictable after a while. However this is still one of the best books in the series - definitely on par with The Snowman.

Kudos

Erika (17788 KP) Sep 6, 2020

I wish the Hole series had ended with this book, it was one of my favorites... I got The Thirst and read a spoiler and it ticked me off so much, I never read it because I was so pissed off at Harry. Ridiculous because he's fictitious, but still.

Kudos

Sarah (7798 KP) Sep 7, 2020

I have to admit I don't think The Thirst was terrible, but I know what you mean. Have you read the synopsis for the following book Knife? I haven't until now and that sounds like it's ruined everything!

Kudos

David McK (3372 KP) rated Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker in Books

May 22, 2020

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

Rae Carson | 2020 | Science Fiction/Fantasy

8.0

(2 Ratings)

Book Rating

Novelisation of the final entry in 'The Skywalker Saga', that seeks to add context and rationale behind some of the decisions made in that movie.

And, for the most part, it works.

It's just a pity that the film needed this added to it …

It's here we learn that Palpatine (in the movie) is a failing clone body inhabited by the spirit of the 'original' Palpatine, and that Lando's daughter was kidnapped and raised by The First Order (giving greater context to his decision at the end of the movie to go off with Jannah). We also get a bit more insight into Rey (and her 'Dark Rey' vision) although, bafflingly, there's still no explanation of how she can be so powerful in the Force.

The biggest problem, to me, with the sequel trilogy is that it is clear there was no guiding hand, making The Rise of Skywalker feel like a massive retcon after Rian Johnson through out all of the good work in The Force Awakens with his The Last Jedi - even a hint that Palpatine had been pulling the strings the entire time in either of those two earlier movies would have helped somewhat! It's here that Rae Carson attempts to tie the narrative into a coherent whole, with mixed results.

Kudos

Awix (3310 KP) rated Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth (1992) in Movies

May 27, 2020 (Updated Aug 2, 2020)

Second Hellraiser sequel and the first no-two-ways-about-it lousy one. Chief bondage demon Pinhead has been stripped of the limitations constraining his unpleasant recreational activities, which he likes, but also turned into a piece of interior decoration, which he doesn't. He endeavours to get himself released while a plucky young journalist tries to figure out why people keep turning up skinned or lacerated by flying chains.

A Hellraiser movie made with an American sensibility and for a mainstream American audience - one almost gets the sense the writers think they're making a Nightmare on Elm Street movie. The first half, with Pinhead stuck in a pillar, is not too bad, but they have to let him out eventually at which point the film's IQ and sense of restraint both vanish. Too much lazy gore and silly action (rubbish Cenobites wandering around New York City fighting the police). Doug Bradley just about saves the movie from being completely worthless, as he manages to chew the scenery even while being part of it; Terry Farrell was better in Star Trek. The occasional interesting idea or image but the film's main achievement is making the first two look better than they actually are.

Kudos

David McK (3372 KP) rated Camelot in Books

Jun 1, 2020

Camelot

Giles Kristian | 2020 | Fiction & Poetry

9.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

"Camelot!"
"Camelot!"
"It's only a model"
"Shhh"

…

"On second thoughts, let's not go there. 'Tis a silly place"

With that out of the way, this is a sequel - or, as the author (Giles Kristian) himself puts it - more of a companion piece to his earlier (and originally conceived as being standalone) novel Lancelot, although I feel that he REALLY should have stuck with his original name for the novel: Galahad.

Calling it Camelot, to me, does the novel a bit of a disservice, with that location not really a key factor in the story. What is, however, is the central character (and first person narrator) of Galahad himself: Lancelot's son, raised by Christian monks following his fathers death in the climax of the previous, who (here) is not as pure and devout and, well, 'holy' as he is otherwise sometimes depicted, and who is still haunted by his legacy.

Various other characters from Arthurian legend themselves make an appearance, most notably (on the character front) Gawain, Merlin and Iselle whilst (on the 'Quest'/story front) we have a reimagining of The Green Knight, and the Search for The Holy Grail.

Like "Lancelot" before it, this is well worth a read.