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RəX Regent (349 KP) rated Big Hero 6 (2014) in Movies
Feb 20, 2019
Based on a short lived and obscure Marvel comic book series of the same name, Big Hero 6 was an attempt by Disney to develop a Disney feature from their newly acquired catalogue of Marvel properties after Disney's Marvel buy-out in 2010.
Popular though this movie is, I find it to be a little slow, plodding, patronising and trying too hard to evoke an emotional reaction from its audience. Focusing on Hiro, an orphan who's older brother is also killed in an accident, he ends up creating a team of superheroes from a group of geeks and his late brother's medical robot, B-Max.
Big Hero 6 was an attempt at blending Disney's brand of sentimental animation with that of Pixar's more imaginative stylised family action, The Incredibles springs to mind, along with Marvel's more family friendly action romps which make up the Avenger's franchise.
The result? Well, not so good. Entertaining? Sort of. Interesting? Okay if not derivative and what about innovative? No.
The 3-D was deep but also flat and uninteresting as was the story and the plodding pacing. The ideas were there but the execution was weak, with 2-D characters to make up a confused team. Was it supposed to be the X-Men or The Avengers? I believe that the Comic book the team was started not by Hiro but by an X-Man in the source material and the tone did lean towards X-Men: First Class (2010) at times, but overall, I found this to tick all the boxes in order to meet the expectation of fans of both superhero and Disney films.
As Hiro and B-Max fly across the city of San Fransokyo, I thought that I was watching How To Train Your Dragon (2010)! This borrows too much and offers too little to impress me and it was a shame as the notion of Disney producing an action hero movie is interesting but the results are nothing short of disappointing.
Popular though this movie is, I find it to be a little slow, plodding, patronising and trying too hard to evoke an emotional reaction from its audience. Focusing on Hiro, an orphan who's older brother is also killed in an accident, he ends up creating a team of superheroes from a group of geeks and his late brother's medical robot, B-Max.
Big Hero 6 was an attempt at blending Disney's brand of sentimental animation with that of Pixar's more imaginative stylised family action, The Incredibles springs to mind, along with Marvel's more family friendly action romps which make up the Avenger's franchise.
The result? Well, not so good. Entertaining? Sort of. Interesting? Okay if not derivative and what about innovative? No.
The 3-D was deep but also flat and uninteresting as was the story and the plodding pacing. The ideas were there but the execution was weak, with 2-D characters to make up a confused team. Was it supposed to be the X-Men or The Avengers? I believe that the Comic book the team was started not by Hiro but by an X-Man in the source material and the tone did lean towards X-Men: First Class (2010) at times, but overall, I found this to tick all the boxes in order to meet the expectation of fans of both superhero and Disney films.
As Hiro and B-Max fly across the city of San Fransokyo, I thought that I was watching How To Train Your Dragon (2010)! This borrows too much and offers too little to impress me and it was a shame as the notion of Disney producing an action hero movie is interesting but the results are nothing short of disappointing.
Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated Mission: Impossible 2 (2000) in Movies
Jun 4, 2019
Short of Average
When you spend two hours on a movie like Mission: Impossible 2, you can’t help but wonder, “Did they make this just to piss me off?” I knew the answer was no, but I was pissed nonetheless. In the franchise’s first sequel, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is back at it trying to recover a deadly virus from a rogue agent.
Acting: 8
Beginning: 9
Characters: 8
Cinematography/Visuals: 3
I wish I could have been in the editing room when they were working on this movie. Everytime director John Woo would mention anything about slow mo, I would send an electric shock down his spine. Enough already. You can slow the camera down, great! It doesn’t add to the value of the action. The John Wick movies are a perfect example of that. He cuts through guys with efficiency and speed. And you know what else? He does it without the damn doves! M:I 2 is a visual mess.
Conflict: 8
Genre: 3
When I think of great actions movies, this ain’t it. Not even close. It had flashes, but falls well short of being even average.
Memorability: 5
Pace: 6
Plot: 5
This movie breaks two major rules of filmmaking by having: 1. A love relationship that develops way too quickly and 2. A plot that advances based on sheer coincidence. You can’t be clever with screenwriting and take shortcuts at the same time, good writing just doesn’t work that way. At best, the story is mediocre.
Resolution: 7
Overall: 62
Mission: Impossible 2 reminds me of those cheesy action movies of old that you knew would be bad, but you suffered through it because you just wanted to see stuff blow up. Actually, it’s worse than that because it actually attempts to be a good movie and, in the process, takes itself way too seriously. Flashes of greatness, but moreso just a flash in the pan.
Acting: 8
Beginning: 9
Characters: 8
Cinematography/Visuals: 3
I wish I could have been in the editing room when they were working on this movie. Everytime director John Woo would mention anything about slow mo, I would send an electric shock down his spine. Enough already. You can slow the camera down, great! It doesn’t add to the value of the action. The John Wick movies are a perfect example of that. He cuts through guys with efficiency and speed. And you know what else? He does it without the damn doves! M:I 2 is a visual mess.
Conflict: 8
Genre: 3
When I think of great actions movies, this ain’t it. Not even close. It had flashes, but falls well short of being even average.
Memorability: 5
Pace: 6
Plot: 5
This movie breaks two major rules of filmmaking by having: 1. A love relationship that develops way too quickly and 2. A plot that advances based on sheer coincidence. You can’t be clever with screenwriting and take shortcuts at the same time, good writing just doesn’t work that way. At best, the story is mediocre.
Resolution: 7
Overall: 62
Mission: Impossible 2 reminds me of those cheesy action movies of old that you knew would be bad, but you suffered through it because you just wanted to see stuff blow up. Actually, it’s worse than that because it actually attempts to be a good movie and, in the process, takes itself way too seriously. Flashes of greatness, but moreso just a flash in the pan.
Midge (525 KP) rated The Billionaire's Sham Girlfriend in Books
Dec 17, 2018
Sweet and wonderful (2 more)
Full of sexy chemistry
Very likeable main characters
A Delightful, Sexy Must Read!
I absolutely adored this wonderful, sweet little romance from the very beginning.
Gregor Beaumont likes racing fast cars and seducing fast women. His late grandfather wanted to make sure Gregor and his two playboy brothers settle down and he had the brilliant idea of buying up a huge share of the brothers’ engine company and using that as an incentive for each brother to find Mrs Right. Settle down or lose the company to a competitor. Gregor has other ideas. He wants a charming but desperate girl to pretend to be his girlfriend. No problem, unless things start to get complicated.
Enter Kara Alerby. Gregor comes into her theatre wanting to hire her to act the part of his adoring girlfriend and offering lots of money that would really help her realise her dream of creating a school for gifted children. She can resist his smiles, his charisma, his beautiful blue eyes and his kiss-me mouth if it means she’ll get her school. She only needs to remember that it’s all a pretence.
When Gregor's love of racing puts his life in jeopardy, Kara isn’t ready to watch another person die in front of her as her father did. Gregor isn’t about to stop doing the one thing that makes life worth living. The two are on a collision course, one that could break them apart forever if they don’t change directions.
Although Gregor has a very public, playboy image, I loved the sexy chemistry between Kara and him whenever they were together and they were both very likeable characters. Kara is bright, ambitious and caring and very much knows her own mind. Gregor is gorgeous, mischievous and soulful. The story was sweet and captivating to the end and loads of fun to read if a little too short.
I would wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone.
Thank you to NetGalley, Relay Publishing and the author for a copy of this book.
Gregor Beaumont likes racing fast cars and seducing fast women. His late grandfather wanted to make sure Gregor and his two playboy brothers settle down and he had the brilliant idea of buying up a huge share of the brothers’ engine company and using that as an incentive for each brother to find Mrs Right. Settle down or lose the company to a competitor. Gregor has other ideas. He wants a charming but desperate girl to pretend to be his girlfriend. No problem, unless things start to get complicated.
Enter Kara Alerby. Gregor comes into her theatre wanting to hire her to act the part of his adoring girlfriend and offering lots of money that would really help her realise her dream of creating a school for gifted children. She can resist his smiles, his charisma, his beautiful blue eyes and his kiss-me mouth if it means she’ll get her school. She only needs to remember that it’s all a pretence.
When Gregor's love of racing puts his life in jeopardy, Kara isn’t ready to watch another person die in front of her as her father did. Gregor isn’t about to stop doing the one thing that makes life worth living. The two are on a collision course, one that could break them apart forever if they don’t change directions.
Although Gregor has a very public, playboy image, I loved the sexy chemistry between Kara and him whenever they were together and they were both very likeable characters. Kara is bright, ambitious and caring and very much knows her own mind. Gregor is gorgeous, mischievous and soulful. The story was sweet and captivating to the end and loads of fun to read if a little too short.
I would wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone.
Thank you to NetGalley, Relay Publishing and the author for a copy of this book.
Roald Dahl's Marvellous Medicine
Book
Most people know Roald Dahl as a famous write of children's books and adult short stories, but few...
A1
Arri: 100 Years
Book
As its centenary year gets underway, ARRI looks back at its rich history, assesses the values and...
Janeeny (200 KP) rated Monster, She Wrote in Books
Jul 8, 2020
I received an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.
I loved the concept behind this book, as a fan of gothic horror, and a lover of information, I was looking forward to getting a lot out of this.
The book is divided into eight parts, each focusing on a certain type of Horror or ‘Weird’ fiction. Within each part is a short introduction to each author and their works. Followed by a recommended reading list of the authors works, and other similar authors works.
As I said, in principle this book sounded great. Unfortunately it fell a bit short for me. It was full of some great facts, and I did come away learning something, but just as I was really getting my teeth into an interesting story or fact about an author, they moved onto the next thing. leaving me hanging!
Another note of discord for me was some of the references. Despite the fact there are a number of British authors featured, it didn’t feel like the book was aimed at an international audience. There were quite a few references to TV shows, magazines, and other authors that never quite made it over the pond. Unfortunately at times it just felt like I was involved in a conversation riddled with private jokes that I would never really ‘get’.
It’s not all bad though, as there were some nice illustrations within the book. My ARC hadn’t been formatted properly yet for me to get the most out of the illustrations, but from what I can see they’ll add a nice little touch to it. Plus, If this has done anything it has peaked my interest. I now want to find out more about a few authors and their works, and I have a few more books on my TBR list.
In summary, it is really a good book if you like just little titbits of information and a recommended reads list. If you want more in depth information, avoid.
I loved the concept behind this book, as a fan of gothic horror, and a lover of information, I was looking forward to getting a lot out of this.
The book is divided into eight parts, each focusing on a certain type of Horror or ‘Weird’ fiction. Within each part is a short introduction to each author and their works. Followed by a recommended reading list of the authors works, and other similar authors works.
As I said, in principle this book sounded great. Unfortunately it fell a bit short for me. It was full of some great facts, and I did come away learning something, but just as I was really getting my teeth into an interesting story or fact about an author, they moved onto the next thing. leaving me hanging!
Another note of discord for me was some of the references. Despite the fact there are a number of British authors featured, it didn’t feel like the book was aimed at an international audience. There were quite a few references to TV shows, magazines, and other authors that never quite made it over the pond. Unfortunately at times it just felt like I was involved in a conversation riddled with private jokes that I would never really ‘get’.
It’s not all bad though, as there were some nice illustrations within the book. My ARC hadn’t been formatted properly yet for me to get the most out of the illustrations, but from what I can see they’ll add a nice little touch to it. Plus, If this has done anything it has peaked my interest. I now want to find out more about a few authors and their works, and I have a few more books on my TBR list.
In summary, it is really a good book if you like just little titbits of information and a recommended reads list. If you want more in depth information, avoid.
Gareth von Kallenbach (977 KP) rated Klang in Video Games
Jun 19, 2019
Klang is a Rhythm/Platformer game and it’s the debut of the developer studio called Tinimations. The environments, visuals, story and gameplay aspects were done by one person named Tom-Ivar Arntzen while the music was done by the EDM composer bLiNd.
The Story:
The premise here is very simple. You assume the role of a tuneblade-wielding elite rave warrior called Klang who wants to free himself from the shackles of a Zeus-like figure named Soundlord Sonus. And so the game begins. There is barely any Story here and it isn’t the focus of the game and it doesn’t contribute to the game whatsoever and if the story is removed entirely, you will barely notice any difference. So if you are the type who plays a game for the story in it or a game that is accompanied by a good premise, then this game isn’t for you. The game focuses mostly on its gameplay aspects.
The Visuals:
The visuals of the game look very beautiful with its Tron-inspired aesthetics. Klang’s design is colorful and stylish. The environment looked gorgeous with all the vibrant neon colors popping out on the screen while you’re playing but on rare occasions, they can be distracting and a bit too much when there are so many things happening at once.
The Sound:
This is one of those games that are worth buying a quality headset or a subwoofer for because the sound design is excellent and the composer bLiNd did a marvelous job with it. Listening to the music with a normal headset or your TV’s sound system doesn’t do it justice. And the way the music and the beat sync with what’s on screen are perfect. The soundtrack is most definitely the best aspect of the game.
The gameplay:
The game mechanics tries to blend rhythm game mechanics and platform game mechanics into one game. That means instead of only pressing buttons that appears on the screen like you normally do in Rhythm games, you also have to traverse the levels by jumping and sliding while pressing the buttons in order to get through the stage.
The controls are fairly simple. Like most 2D games, you use the left thumbstick to move the character left and right and you use the Right thumbstick in one of the eight directions when the icon that looks like a slice of Pizza appears on the screen in one of those eight directions to deflect the incoming attacks. And you use LT to jump and RT to slide throughout the levels.
While blending those game mechanics works very well on most stages, they can also be overwhelming and frustrating at times. For instance, there is a place where you have to dodge lasers by jumping between 5 platforms that falls when the lasers make contact with them (They come back up after a few seconds) so you will have to jump left and right fast and all that combined with rhythm gameplay. It gets very confusing because there are so many things happening at once on the screen and you don’t know whether you should focus on deflecting the attacks or focus on the lasers. One mistake and you are dead so that made it a bit frustrating and annoying instead of challenging. There is a thin line between a game that put your skills to the test and a game that simply frustrates you to cover its flaws.
Unfortunately, I felt like this is the latter because the game itself is very short and if I hadn’t died in the game over 300 times, it would have lasted me an hour. So I felt like the difficulty spike was there just to mask the game’s short length which brings me to the final point in the review.
Difficulty, Length and Replay Value:
The game has three difficulty levels. Easy, Normal and Nightcore Mode. The higher the difficulty, the higher rank you can achieve when you finish a stage. On Easy mode, B Rank is the max possible rank, Normal mode, S Rank is the max possible rank and on Nightcore Mode, SSS Rank is the max possible rank. Also the higher the difficulty, the faster the game music sounds, and the faster the button prompts on screen moves
I started the game on Normal mode it took me 3 hours and 311 deaths to finish. Once you finish the game for the first time, you unlock the hardest mode in the game which is called NightCore mode where everything moves so fast and that includes the music.
In terms of Replay Value, there isn’t much to do after you finish all the stages except for collecting Pirate Tokens which are the in-game collectables that allow you to unlock the game’s Soundtrack in a special level where you can hear them without replaying the other levels just to hear that awesome track.
And you can also replay the game on Nightcore mode if you want to get the highest rank possible in the game. And if you are the Achievement Hunter type then you will find that getting all the achievements will be very time consuming. For instance, there is an achievement that requires you not to die even once throughout the whole game and that is excruciatingly difficult. So, if you are a completionist, then the game will last you for quite a while.
But if you are not, then you won’t find much to do here after you finish its short story mode because it doesn’t have much to offer after that.
Conclusion:
Klang is a great game but its short amount of content and sometimes overwhelmingly difficult levels can put you off. So for that, I give Klang 4/5. Great concept but if the gameplay was more fun and rewarding, and it had more content and unlockables, it would have been a superb game. And I give the developer Tom-Ivar Arntzen SSS for effort and for trying to innovate and do something new with the genre and I am definitely interested to see what he is going to do next.
http://sknr.net/2016/09/23/klang/
The Story:
The premise here is very simple. You assume the role of a tuneblade-wielding elite rave warrior called Klang who wants to free himself from the shackles of a Zeus-like figure named Soundlord Sonus. And so the game begins. There is barely any Story here and it isn’t the focus of the game and it doesn’t contribute to the game whatsoever and if the story is removed entirely, you will barely notice any difference. So if you are the type who plays a game for the story in it or a game that is accompanied by a good premise, then this game isn’t for you. The game focuses mostly on its gameplay aspects.
The Visuals:
The visuals of the game look very beautiful with its Tron-inspired aesthetics. Klang’s design is colorful and stylish. The environment looked gorgeous with all the vibrant neon colors popping out on the screen while you’re playing but on rare occasions, they can be distracting and a bit too much when there are so many things happening at once.
The Sound:
This is one of those games that are worth buying a quality headset or a subwoofer for because the sound design is excellent and the composer bLiNd did a marvelous job with it. Listening to the music with a normal headset or your TV’s sound system doesn’t do it justice. And the way the music and the beat sync with what’s on screen are perfect. The soundtrack is most definitely the best aspect of the game.
The gameplay:
The game mechanics tries to blend rhythm game mechanics and platform game mechanics into one game. That means instead of only pressing buttons that appears on the screen like you normally do in Rhythm games, you also have to traverse the levels by jumping and sliding while pressing the buttons in order to get through the stage.
The controls are fairly simple. Like most 2D games, you use the left thumbstick to move the character left and right and you use the Right thumbstick in one of the eight directions when the icon that looks like a slice of Pizza appears on the screen in one of those eight directions to deflect the incoming attacks. And you use LT to jump and RT to slide throughout the levels.
While blending those game mechanics works very well on most stages, they can also be overwhelming and frustrating at times. For instance, there is a place where you have to dodge lasers by jumping between 5 platforms that falls when the lasers make contact with them (They come back up after a few seconds) so you will have to jump left and right fast and all that combined with rhythm gameplay. It gets very confusing because there are so many things happening at once on the screen and you don’t know whether you should focus on deflecting the attacks or focus on the lasers. One mistake and you are dead so that made it a bit frustrating and annoying instead of challenging. There is a thin line between a game that put your skills to the test and a game that simply frustrates you to cover its flaws.
Unfortunately, I felt like this is the latter because the game itself is very short and if I hadn’t died in the game over 300 times, it would have lasted me an hour. So I felt like the difficulty spike was there just to mask the game’s short length which brings me to the final point in the review.
Difficulty, Length and Replay Value:
The game has three difficulty levels. Easy, Normal and Nightcore Mode. The higher the difficulty, the higher rank you can achieve when you finish a stage. On Easy mode, B Rank is the max possible rank, Normal mode, S Rank is the max possible rank and on Nightcore Mode, SSS Rank is the max possible rank. Also the higher the difficulty, the faster the game music sounds, and the faster the button prompts on screen moves
I started the game on Normal mode it took me 3 hours and 311 deaths to finish. Once you finish the game for the first time, you unlock the hardest mode in the game which is called NightCore mode where everything moves so fast and that includes the music.
In terms of Replay Value, there isn’t much to do after you finish all the stages except for collecting Pirate Tokens which are the in-game collectables that allow you to unlock the game’s Soundtrack in a special level where you can hear them without replaying the other levels just to hear that awesome track.
And you can also replay the game on Nightcore mode if you want to get the highest rank possible in the game. And if you are the Achievement Hunter type then you will find that getting all the achievements will be very time consuming. For instance, there is an achievement that requires you not to die even once throughout the whole game and that is excruciatingly difficult. So, if you are a completionist, then the game will last you for quite a while.
But if you are not, then you won’t find much to do here after you finish its short story mode because it doesn’t have much to offer after that.
Conclusion:
Klang is a great game but its short amount of content and sometimes overwhelmingly difficult levels can put you off. So for that, I give Klang 4/5. Great concept but if the gameplay was more fun and rewarding, and it had more content and unlockables, it would have been a superb game. And I give the developer Tom-Ivar Arntzen SSS for effort and for trying to innovate and do something new with the genre and I am definitely interested to see what he is going to do next.
http://sknr.net/2016/09/23/klang/
LilyLovesIndie (123 KP) rated The Hobbit in Books
Nov 5, 2018
See the latest version of this review over on Ramble Media http://www.ramblemedia.com/?p=19585
Wow, am I glad that watching the film made me want to reread this timeless classic! I first read this as an eleven year old at school, trying to prove a point to a teacher that a child could read a book like this. I succeeded in reading it, thought the fantasy great, but remembered very little of the story or the fact there was another epic adventure waiting to be told by the much praised JRR Tolkien.
How I have missed out! The story follows a very plain, and at times fussy, Mr Baggins of Bagend, a Hobbit of Hobbiton, in the 'reasonable West', as he takes an adventure, in the company of 'dwarves' to save their long forsaken home. The company encounter many trials and tribulations along the way, from angry goblins, to giant spiders, to meddlesome elves and even Smaug the Terrible, but they triumph over them all.
Honestly, I cannot give praise enough for the book, and many have done so before in, what I am sure, will be better expressed reviews and accolades of praise, so I will aim to keep this short and sweet, picking up on key, outstanding features that bowled me over. The first thing I have to raise is the characterisation. The 'cast' of assembled characters, from the main company of the dwarves, to the helpers and and those that hinder them along their journey, are all thoroughly well explained by the creative use of authorial voice in the narration of events. Mr Baggins is, although a little fussy at times, an incredibly likable character, as I'm sure most hobbits are, who's funny outbursts and ideas make him the comedy relief at tense times. He is also, without a doubt, the brains and drive behind the adventure, once Gandalf has left, and proves that anyone, no matter how small can be a hero - a great quality to see in a major character who is less 'normal' than most as too often it's the popular, stereotypical heroes that dominate literature! Thorin and his company of bedraggled dwarves are a barrel of laughs at times (no pun intended!) and are all well developed in what is a relatively short story.
And that, I suppose, is the best feature of this book, for me at least! The development of plot, characters, scenery and everything else you could possibly wish to know about anyone involved in a story (eg background history etc) is all given to you in abundance, but they never overpower each other, they are instead woven intricately together in a brand of storytelling that belongs in oral tradition, not in words on a page. It is clear, especially after reading the foreword, that the Hobbit originated as a story to be told, not read, and incredibly, that makes it all the more readable as it hooks you in a way few books ever will. It aims to drag you, however reluctantly or willingly, into the adventure and take you away from your own little, safe, hobbit hole across the Shire and the Wild, and everywhere else they travel, with you feeling completely immersed as the final member of the company, but one who goes as unnoticed by the others as if you were wearing Bilbo's ring. However, the extremely clever thing that Tolkien does, and of this I am supremely envious of as I wish I could do this in my own writing, is that even though you feel so well informed, you still want to know more about them, and for the creative among us, we want to fill those gaps with our own imagination! Very rarely do I come across an author who manages to inform, excite, engage, and engender creativity in such a way in under 300 pages.
Finally, I guess I have to give credit to the wonderful drawings accompanying the text. Beautifully drawn, incredibly supportive of your own imaginative process, yet strangely, not limiting in letting you continue to let your imagination wander. The are a wonderful addition to the book, and I say that as someone who doesn't think a real book should have pictures, and add a greater accessibility to all of the new experiences you encounter as you travel through the story to the Lonely Mountain at the end.
And so, I draw my ramblings to a close, however there is plenty more to be said, that will be left unsaid, partly due to my desire to go and read Lord of the Rings for the first time as a result of reading The Hobbit. I can only conclude with the highest praise for this story, and the highest level of recommendation to anyone who has not yet read it, or those like me that think because they read it as a child it counts. This is a book that should, and deserves, to be read over and over again, and one of those occasions should be reading it aloud to a child, as that, is the only way to truly experience the wonderful story weaved by a master storyteller.
Wow, am I glad that watching the film made me want to reread this timeless classic! I first read this as an eleven year old at school, trying to prove a point to a teacher that a child could read a book like this. I succeeded in reading it, thought the fantasy great, but remembered very little of the story or the fact there was another epic adventure waiting to be told by the much praised JRR Tolkien.
How I have missed out! The story follows a very plain, and at times fussy, Mr Baggins of Bagend, a Hobbit of Hobbiton, in the 'reasonable West', as he takes an adventure, in the company of 'dwarves' to save their long forsaken home. The company encounter many trials and tribulations along the way, from angry goblins, to giant spiders, to meddlesome elves and even Smaug the Terrible, but they triumph over them all.
Honestly, I cannot give praise enough for the book, and many have done so before in, what I am sure, will be better expressed reviews and accolades of praise, so I will aim to keep this short and sweet, picking up on key, outstanding features that bowled me over. The first thing I have to raise is the characterisation. The 'cast' of assembled characters, from the main company of the dwarves, to the helpers and and those that hinder them along their journey, are all thoroughly well explained by the creative use of authorial voice in the narration of events. Mr Baggins is, although a little fussy at times, an incredibly likable character, as I'm sure most hobbits are, who's funny outbursts and ideas make him the comedy relief at tense times. He is also, without a doubt, the brains and drive behind the adventure, once Gandalf has left, and proves that anyone, no matter how small can be a hero - a great quality to see in a major character who is less 'normal' than most as too often it's the popular, stereotypical heroes that dominate literature! Thorin and his company of bedraggled dwarves are a barrel of laughs at times (no pun intended!) and are all well developed in what is a relatively short story.
And that, I suppose, is the best feature of this book, for me at least! The development of plot, characters, scenery and everything else you could possibly wish to know about anyone involved in a story (eg background history etc) is all given to you in abundance, but they never overpower each other, they are instead woven intricately together in a brand of storytelling that belongs in oral tradition, not in words on a page. It is clear, especially after reading the foreword, that the Hobbit originated as a story to be told, not read, and incredibly, that makes it all the more readable as it hooks you in a way few books ever will. It aims to drag you, however reluctantly or willingly, into the adventure and take you away from your own little, safe, hobbit hole across the Shire and the Wild, and everywhere else they travel, with you feeling completely immersed as the final member of the company, but one who goes as unnoticed by the others as if you were wearing Bilbo's ring. However, the extremely clever thing that Tolkien does, and of this I am supremely envious of as I wish I could do this in my own writing, is that even though you feel so well informed, you still want to know more about them, and for the creative among us, we want to fill those gaps with our own imagination! Very rarely do I come across an author who manages to inform, excite, engage, and engender creativity in such a way in under 300 pages.
Finally, I guess I have to give credit to the wonderful drawings accompanying the text. Beautifully drawn, incredibly supportive of your own imaginative process, yet strangely, not limiting in letting you continue to let your imagination wander. The are a wonderful addition to the book, and I say that as someone who doesn't think a real book should have pictures, and add a greater accessibility to all of the new experiences you encounter as you travel through the story to the Lonely Mountain at the end.
And so, I draw my ramblings to a close, however there is plenty more to be said, that will be left unsaid, partly due to my desire to go and read Lord of the Rings for the first time as a result of reading The Hobbit. I can only conclude with the highest praise for this story, and the highest level of recommendation to anyone who has not yet read it, or those like me that think because they read it as a child it counts. This is a book that should, and deserves, to be read over and over again, and one of those occasions should be reading it aloud to a child, as that, is the only way to truly experience the wonderful story weaved by a master storyteller.
Hazel (2934 KP) rated Unseen: No. 7 in Books
Jan 12, 2018
I haven't read any previous novels with these characters so didn't know any background to them but it didn't seem to matter to me as Karin was adept at shedding light on history but not too much that the story became confusing and bogged down which can happen.
I found it to be an exciting story that, unfortunately, is very plausible in this day and age (wow, I sound like my mum!) and it kept me interested throughout. The descriptions of places, people, situations, injuries, etc were vivid and, I felt, accurate enough to enable me to develop detailed pictures in my mind as I was reading which made it all the more real.
Some of my thoughts on the main characters:
Lena - I didn't like her at first but once the character started to develop I found myself on her side and defending her like she was a real person.
Sara - annoying but likeable in a strange way. She came across to me as quite a hard and unforgiving person but I think I warmed to her in the end.
Will - my favourite loved him - a very complex character that I want to know more about. A tough exterior with a very soft centre and a good heart; brave and fearless and someone you would want on your side.
There was one negative that I found and it was that I thought the chapters were way too long - I hate stopping midway through a chapter but if you only have a short amount of time to get a few pages read, you have to with this book which I found quite frustrating.
Overall though, I enjoyed it so much I will be reading more and would definitely recommend to people who love a fast paced crime thriller.
I found it to be an exciting story that, unfortunately, is very plausible in this day and age (wow, I sound like my mum!) and it kept me interested throughout. The descriptions of places, people, situations, injuries, etc were vivid and, I felt, accurate enough to enable me to develop detailed pictures in my mind as I was reading which made it all the more real.
Some of my thoughts on the main characters:
Lena - I didn't like her at first but once the character started to develop I found myself on her side and defending her like she was a real person.
Sara - annoying but likeable in a strange way. She came across to me as quite a hard and unforgiving person but I think I warmed to her in the end.
Will - my favourite loved him - a very complex character that I want to know more about. A tough exterior with a very soft centre and a good heart; brave and fearless and someone you would want on your side.
There was one negative that I found and it was that I thought the chapters were way too long - I hate stopping midway through a chapter but if you only have a short amount of time to get a few pages read, you have to with this book which I found quite frustrating.
Overall though, I enjoyed it so much I will be reading more and would definitely recommend to people who love a fast paced crime thriller.
Bubblesreview (110 KP) rated The Chalk Man in Books
Feb 11, 2019
Unique plot (2 more)
Unique presentation
Full of twist and turns
Thriller/crime
This book has been presented in a way that I've never seen before. The story is told in 1986 and in the present (as in the book) 2016. Instead of chapters labelled 1, 2, 3, 4 and so on, theyre labelled 1986, 2016, 1986, 2016 and so on through the whole book. It's hard to explain but very unique and clever at the same time.
The story itself was very complex. There is many main characters who are all very likeable characters, each in their own unique way. And of course there are some not very nice and repelling characters. And some grusomely descriptive incidents.
The book starts off powerful and kept me intrigued from page 1. As I got about a quarter of the way through, my interest started weaning down slightly but the author soon recaptured me! I felt it was up and down through most of the book and then the last few chapters just exploded and really made the book. Everything is not always as it may seen.
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I was also shocked to find out that this is C.J.Tudors 1st novel. If you didn't know this before reading it, it would be practically impossible to tell that it was a debut. I've read debuts before and never have they been as gripping, complexed and well written as The Chalk Man was.
At the end of the book there is a short prologue for the authors new book soon to be released this year, 'The Taking of Annie Thorne' I can definitely say I'll be purchasing it.
.
The only downside to this is that I personally felt there wasn't enough thrill for a thriller. Which to be honest, it doesn't actually need anyway because it's so well written and presented.
The story itself was very complex. There is many main characters who are all very likeable characters, each in their own unique way. And of course there are some not very nice and repelling characters. And some grusomely descriptive incidents.
The book starts off powerful and kept me intrigued from page 1. As I got about a quarter of the way through, my interest started weaning down slightly but the author soon recaptured me! I felt it was up and down through most of the book and then the last few chapters just exploded and really made the book. Everything is not always as it may seen.
.
I was also shocked to find out that this is C.J.Tudors 1st novel. If you didn't know this before reading it, it would be practically impossible to tell that it was a debut. I've read debuts before and never have they been as gripping, complexed and well written as The Chalk Man was.
At the end of the book there is a short prologue for the authors new book soon to be released this year, 'The Taking of Annie Thorne' I can definitely say I'll be purchasing it.
.
The only downside to this is that I personally felt there wasn't enough thrill for a thriller. Which to be honest, it doesn't actually need anyway because it's so well written and presented.