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Dean (6925 KP) rated Wonder Woman 1984 (2020) in Movies
Aug 29, 2021
Not a great villian (1 more)
Story is not as good as the first film
Not Wonderful, but good
So finally available on Sky Cinema, missed this at the cinema due to lock down. I had high hopes after the first film was excellent and more like some of the better Marvel films. Often DC struggle to match them.
This was a fun film, I enjoyed the '84 setting there are a few good action scenes. Also Kristen Wiig had a fun character.
However it's a little way short of the first film. The villain wasn't that interesting, with a weak show down and the overall story wasn't as interesting. Some of the Sfx weren't up to the standard of the first film either. So not bad as an action film but not on a level with the original film.
This was a fun film, I enjoyed the '84 setting there are a few good action scenes. Also Kristen Wiig had a fun character.
However it's a little way short of the first film. The villain wasn't that interesting, with a weak show down and the overall story wasn't as interesting. Some of the Sfx weren't up to the standard of the first film either. So not bad as an action film but not on a level with the original film.
Racing the Moon's Shadow with Concorde 001: 2015
Book
This is the unique story of observing a total solar eclipse for no less than 74 consecutive minutes....
David McK (3369 KP) rated The Last Hero (Discworld, #27; Rincewind #7) in Books
Jan 28, 2019
<i>Fable (noun): a story about supernatural or extraordinary persons or incidents; legend: the fables of gods and heroes.
[from http://dictionary.reference.com]</i>;
This short story by Terry Pratchett ticks all those boxes with the blurb on my edition reading:
"He's been a legend in his own lifetime.
He can remember the great days of high adventure.
He can remember when a hero didn't have to worry about fences and lawyers and civilisation.
He can remember when people didn't tell you off for killing dragons.
But he can't alwyas remember, these days, where he put his teeth ...
He's not really happy about that bit.
.... He's going to climb the highest mountain in the Discworld and meet his gods. He doesn't like the way they let men grow old and die ... "
What ensues is, by the standards of Discworld novels, perhaps a return to the earlier novels that featured the gods (and Cohen the Barbarian) more prominently than the more recent. Also involved prominently in this story are the Wiz(z)ard Rincewind, Captain Carrot and Leonard of Quirm, with that latter character given more of a role than in the few previous he has been in (excepting, maybe, Jingo).
This is also unusual in that it is an illustrated story: whereas I've always found illustrations to be inferior to imagination when it comes to visualising events and characters, it does add an extra layer to this story - particularly where it concerns Leonard's creations.
[from http://dictionary.reference.com]</i>;
This short story by Terry Pratchett ticks all those boxes with the blurb on my edition reading:
"He's been a legend in his own lifetime.
He can remember the great days of high adventure.
He can remember when a hero didn't have to worry about fences and lawyers and civilisation.
He can remember when people didn't tell you off for killing dragons.
But he can't alwyas remember, these days, where he put his teeth ...
He's not really happy about that bit.
.... He's going to climb the highest mountain in the Discworld and meet his gods. He doesn't like the way they let men grow old and die ... "
What ensues is, by the standards of Discworld novels, perhaps a return to the earlier novels that featured the gods (and Cohen the Barbarian) more prominently than the more recent. Also involved prominently in this story are the Wiz(z)ard Rincewind, Captain Carrot and Leonard of Quirm, with that latter character given more of a role than in the few previous he has been in (excepting, maybe, Jingo).
This is also unusual in that it is an illustrated story: whereas I've always found illustrations to be inferior to imagination when it comes to visualising events and characters, it does add an extra layer to this story - particularly where it concerns Leonard's creations.
Louise (64 KP) rated I'll Be Home for Christmas in Books
Jul 2, 2018
I specifically left this book till December to get me into the Christmas spirit.
I love reading short story collections, it’s a great way to find new YA authors and sample their writing.
‘I’ll be home for Christmas’ is a collaboration of UKYA authors and their stories of young adults and what ‘HOME’ means to them. I loved that this book has several genres including science fiction, Horror and Contemporary with such diverse characters. We have refugees, race and sexuality being explored and there was something for everyone to enjoy. I obviously had my favourites in this book and it was surprising that it was the horror, it was so intense and atmospheric and definitely got my pulse racing and that was Claws by Thomas Becker. There was not one story that I disliked in this book and after each story was finished I was left wanting more. I will definitely be purchasing my own copy of this book. There are 15 short stories/poems in this book including a competition winner.
This book is heartwarming and heart wrenching at the same time and definitely recommend reading.
Stripes teamed up with the charity Crises for this book to raise awareness of the hardships young people are facing today. This book is definitely impactful and made me think of the people who are less fortunate and homeless, £1 from every sale is donated to the charity.
*I received a E-copy of this book from Netgalley and Stripes in exchange for an honest opinion.*
I love reading short story collections, it’s a great way to find new YA authors and sample their writing.
‘I’ll be home for Christmas’ is a collaboration of UKYA authors and their stories of young adults and what ‘HOME’ means to them. I loved that this book has several genres including science fiction, Horror and Contemporary with such diverse characters. We have refugees, race and sexuality being explored and there was something for everyone to enjoy. I obviously had my favourites in this book and it was surprising that it was the horror, it was so intense and atmospheric and definitely got my pulse racing and that was Claws by Thomas Becker. There was not one story that I disliked in this book and after each story was finished I was left wanting more. I will definitely be purchasing my own copy of this book. There are 15 short stories/poems in this book including a competition winner.
This book is heartwarming and heart wrenching at the same time and definitely recommend reading.
Stripes teamed up with the charity Crises for this book to raise awareness of the hardships young people are facing today. This book is definitely impactful and made me think of the people who are less fortunate and homeless, £1 from every sale is donated to the charity.
*I received a E-copy of this book from Netgalley and Stripes in exchange for an honest opinion.*
Fishguard and Rosslare Railways and Harbours Company: A History
Book
At the height of its existence, the Fishguard & Rosslare Railways & Harbours Company owned a total...
Kyera (8 KP) rated A Wild and Unremarkable Thing in Books
Feb 1, 2018
A Wild and Unremarkable Thing had a very interesting premise that blended fantasy aspects like dragons, with Greek mythology and medieval lore. I love history and mythology, so this book immediately called to me. Unfortunately, it didn't entirely live up to my expectations for it although I did still enjoy my read. I believe that the biggest reason why it stumbled for me is how short the book is. At 238 pages, the author did not have enough time to adequately flesh out the plotline and characters leaving the story feeling rushed and the supporting characters unexplored.
The book is written through alternating points of view, which was a nice way to delve deeper into the character's psyche despite the short text. The main character is Cody, a girl who was born Cayda but has been forced by her father to train and lie her entire life with the hopes that she will slay a Fire Scale. She accepts the pain and commitment because the most important thing is to be able to provide for her family, especially her sisters. I wish that we had been able to get to know the sisters more so that we could form that bond with them and the book would have had more emotional weight.
The other two main characters were Penn and Wolfe. Penn was certainly the most interesting aspect of the story and I enjoyed seeing things from his perspective. Wolfe, on the other hand, was not a character that I related to or enjoyed reading. It was nice however to see things from his perspective as it offered a completely different life experience to view the hunt through.
The book also fell prey to the trope of insta-love, which I believe was also the fault of the story being so short. There was not adequate time to explore the relationship or infatuation between two characters before it seemed as if they were suddenly in love. It almost felt as if chapters of the story were missing because the development of bonds between characters or the plot would jump forward without sufficient explanation. The ending of the book felt incredibly rushed and I wish that it had been given the longer, more detailed conclusion that it deserved.
As a casual reader, I found that I enjoyed the overall story and the weaving of Greek mythology into the plot. Unfortunately, critically there were a number of different aspects that detracted from my enjoyment of the book or drew me out of the story. Despite that, I felt that the author's writing was well done and hope that she can bring more detail to her books in the future.
The book is written through alternating points of view, which was a nice way to delve deeper into the character's psyche despite the short text. The main character is Cody, a girl who was born Cayda but has been forced by her father to train and lie her entire life with the hopes that she will slay a Fire Scale. She accepts the pain and commitment because the most important thing is to be able to provide for her family, especially her sisters. I wish that we had been able to get to know the sisters more so that we could form that bond with them and the book would have had more emotional weight.
The other two main characters were Penn and Wolfe. Penn was certainly the most interesting aspect of the story and I enjoyed seeing things from his perspective. Wolfe, on the other hand, was not a character that I related to or enjoyed reading. It was nice however to see things from his perspective as it offered a completely different life experience to view the hunt through.
The book also fell prey to the trope of insta-love, which I believe was also the fault of the story being so short. There was not adequate time to explore the relationship or infatuation between two characters before it seemed as if they were suddenly in love. It almost felt as if chapters of the story were missing because the development of bonds between characters or the plot would jump forward without sufficient explanation. The ending of the book felt incredibly rushed and I wish that it had been given the longer, more detailed conclusion that it deserved.
As a casual reader, I found that I enjoyed the overall story and the weaving of Greek mythology into the plot. Unfortunately, critically there were a number of different aspects that detracted from my enjoyment of the book or drew me out of the story. Despite that, I felt that the author's writing was well done and hope that she can bring more detail to her books in the future.
The Complete Stories
Book
A Russian author, playwright, and physician, Anton Chekhov is widely considered one of the best...
Debbiereadsbook (1166 KP) rated Mirror Image in Books
Feb 13, 2024
Not really for me.
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
This is a short story collection, with tales of reaping what you sow. Of being held accountable for your actions, whether recent or a long time ago.
I think what I struggled the most with was this: the whole book is 85 pages, and there are 24 stories in this collection. So they are VERY short, some only a page or two. And I wanted to get my teeth into them a little more, but couldn't.
Each story is well written, from various points of view. Some are aacrier than others but I read them all. I didn't find myself with a favourite, though. I didn't see any spelling or editing errors to spoil my reading.
It really was just the SHORTNESS of all the stories, that I struggled with. I was just getting into them, and boof! All finished.
What I wanted to know, was where did the mirror come from? How did it come to be in everyone's presence?
I am curious to read something else by this author. Something longer and deeper. I tried to read another short collection some time ago, but didn't get very far with that one and it was only coming to write this review that I clicked it was the same author. So reading a longer book, will tell me one of two things: I like this author, but only their longer work; or this author is not for me. Time will tell.
I did finish the collection, and was suitably cringed at some of them, so:
3 good, but maybe not for me, stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
This is a short story collection, with tales of reaping what you sow. Of being held accountable for your actions, whether recent or a long time ago.
I think what I struggled the most with was this: the whole book is 85 pages, and there are 24 stories in this collection. So they are VERY short, some only a page or two. And I wanted to get my teeth into them a little more, but couldn't.
Each story is well written, from various points of view. Some are aacrier than others but I read them all. I didn't find myself with a favourite, though. I didn't see any spelling or editing errors to spoil my reading.
It really was just the SHORTNESS of all the stories, that I struggled with. I was just getting into them, and boof! All finished.
What I wanted to know, was where did the mirror come from? How did it come to be in everyone's presence?
I am curious to read something else by this author. Something longer and deeper. I tried to read another short collection some time ago, but didn't get very far with that one and it was only coming to write this review that I clicked it was the same author. So reading a longer book, will tell me one of two things: I like this author, but only their longer work; or this author is not for me. Time will tell.
I did finish the collection, and was suitably cringed at some of them, so:
3 good, but maybe not for me, stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
Fred (860 KP) rated What Remains Of Edith Finch in Video Games
May 11, 2019
Walking simulator worth playing
Been waiting a long time for this game to be cheap enough so I'd get to see it. And this month, it's free for Playstation Plus subscribers. Well, I'm happy I got to play it because it's one of those games that really touches you. Gets inside you & leaves you feeling blue, happy, mad, hurt & thinking about life itself. The game puts you in the body of Edie Jr. of the Finch family, returning to her family's home, where she grew up. She wanders around, finding diaries of her family & reading them. While she reads them, you get to play their stories, finding how each of them dies. Most of them, not so peacefully,
The game is short. Only 2 hours or maybe 3, if you take your time looking around at the beautifully rendered world, which I did. The story is well written. Each member's story can hit you differently. The hardest one is where you play as an infant. I won't spoil it, but when it ended, the sound of a frog came through my controller. It was like getting kicked in the chest.
My only complaints are the short game time & the slow speed of your walking.
I highly recommend this game & if you're a PS:Plus subscriber, you'd be crazy not to try it now.
The game is short. Only 2 hours or maybe 3, if you take your time looking around at the beautifully rendered world, which I did. The story is well written. Each member's story can hit you differently. The hardest one is where you play as an infant. I won't spoil it, but when it ended, the sound of a frog came through my controller. It was like getting kicked in the chest.
My only complaints are the short game time & the slow speed of your walking.
I highly recommend this game & if you're a PS:Plus subscriber, you'd be crazy not to try it now.
Smith of Wootton Major
J.R.R. Tolkien and Verlyn Flieger
Book
A charming new pocket edition of one of Tolkien's major pieces of short fiction, and his only...