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The Elephant Mountains
Scott Ely | 2011
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This book is set in New Orleans and the surrounding areas, which is near where I am from, so I was intrigued by the book. The post-apocalyptic story line is reminiscent of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, but on a grander scale. The language, the culture, the people -- all are true to the New Orleans area.
Right away I was struck by the simplistic nature of the writing. This is Scott Ely's first book in the Young Adult genre, which I could easily guess from what the writing lacked. One major thing that bothered me throughout the book was Ely's habit of "telling" instead of "showing." He repeatedly made statements in the book like this: "She went on to tell him that their house was close by, on high ground, and they thought they could live upstairs." (page 38) Why couldn't Ely have written this out in dialogue. This kind of writing is littered throughout the text, and it left me feeling like I had been shorted a proper book. At a little over 200 pages in length, this book was too short for my expectations. I normally love dystopia, but this one was disappointing.
The main character Stephen was a likable character, but he seemed to be both extremely lucky and a kind of talisman for death. I understand that the conditions of the area that Stephen was traveling through were extremely dangerous with very limited resources, but did just about every single person that Stephen came across have to die? That strikes me as overkill, pardon the pun.
I also did not understand the ending. If there really was as much flooding as the radio continuously announced, then Stephen would have needed to travel much further than he did to find dry ground.
I gave the book three stars because I really liked the premise of the book, though it fell short of my expectations.
  
NOS4A2
NOS4A2
Joe Hill | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry, Horror, Science Fiction/Fantasy
9
8.5 (23 Ratings)
Book Rating
Wonderfully detailed, amazing world and story. (0 more)
Not unique to Joe Hill, feels more like a book by his father (0 more)
Just Because Review
While I imagine a few already know this it is important to note that Joe Hill is Stephen King's son, which is actually what made me interested in his work. This book reflects the works of Stephen King so much that I almost thought he was the actual author. It is very clear that this book resides in the same universe as Stephen King's works. It mentions things like the Pennywise Circus and True Knot (Doctor Sleep). It also reminded me of Christine and multiple people in the book have "a touch of the shinning" and if readers pay attention they may notice elements from Dreamcatcher and Finders Keepers as well.

As a child, Vic discovers a bike that gives her the ability to cross the Shorter Way Bridge to locate lost things, so long as they are in a fixed position. The bad thing about this is that using the ability has its cost and the price she must pay is the risk of losing part of her mind each time she goes across. One day after fighting with her mother she takes off across the bridge looking for trouble and finds just that in Charles Manx. Luckily she manages to escape but Charles Manx will forever hold a grudge against her and she will see him again after she is an adult and has convinced herself that the Shorter Way Bridge was just a fantasy from a delusional mind.

I highly recommend this book. The only reason why it did not get a 5 out of 5 was that while the story was original the world felt to firmly set in the Stephen King universe and I am not sure if that was intentional or if it was just a by-product of the household that Joe Hill grew up in.

For more reviews check out Night Reader on Smashbomb.com or Night Reader Reviews on Facebook
  
Richard Herring's Leicester Square Theatre Podcast
10
8.6 (5 Ratings)
Podcast Rating
Emergency questions (0 more)
Quality depends on the guests (0 more)
Superb silliness but at times insightful
RHLSTP is like an unregulated Jonathan Ross, if Jonathan Ross spent a lot less time on researching his guests and made fumbling attempts to ask them about their work before resorting to emergency questions, all to hilarious consequences.
The guests range from big name stars from off of the telly (Steve Coogan, Stephen Fry) to young up and coming comedians (John Robins, Nish Kumar).
All guests get the same cheeky tone from Herring and there is no sycophancy present at all.


Herring's repertoire of emergency questions (have you ever seen a big-foot, would you rather have a hand made of ham or an armpit that dispensed sun cream) help keep a consistent tone and sometimes lead to surprising answers (eg when asked "What is it like being Stephen Fry?" the answer led to an admission of attempted suicide).
  
Don't Breathe (2016)
Don't Breathe (2016)
2016 | Crime, Horror, Thriller
Tension is insane (0 more)
A couple of clichés (0 more)
Scared the sh*t out of me
Director: Fede Alvarez
Writers: Fede Alvarez, Rodo Sayagues
Stars: Stephen Lang, Jane Levy and Dylan Minnette

What's it about?
Alex is a young carer for his father who has resorted to burglary to pay his way. He and his two friends decide to hit the house of a blind man who is sitting on a potential $300k so they can give up crime for good. What they get however is a deadly surprise.

Is it scary?
Gripping, tense and suspenseful. Stephen Lang is on top form.

What were the best bits?
If you ever want to see a man embody a murderous animal then this is for you.The way in which Silence is used to build tension is fantastic. The sense of dread for these helplessly out matched burglars is terrifying. All I'll say is "the pitch black scene"

How does it compare to other horrors?
It's right up there with the best