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tapestry100 (306 KP) rated American Gods in Books
Sep 18, 2017
There's not much I could probably add to the discussion about American Gods that hasn't already been said, but I can say that I loved this story. I had been meaning to get around to reading this, and when the show finally starting running on Starz, I thought now is as good a time as any. I'm surprised by how different the show is from the book; I can understand the updates to technology in the show as the book is over 15 years old and tech has evolved in that time, but in addition to that, there are some significant changes to how the show is being altered, and to be honest, there's a part of me that likes the show better than the book, but Gaiman's story is still marvelous. I'm very interested to see how the show will play out, especially given the story arc and character changes.
I'm wildly interested in reading Anansi Boys, but I'll be taking a short break in between the two books. I don't want to get overloaded on gods!
A note on the full cast reading of the 10th Anniversary Edition
I decided to listen to the book on my work commute, and I'm not going to lie, I loved the cast reading. They various narrators handled each of their characters perfectly and were totally believable. I'm really hoping that the audio of Anansi Boys is handled just as well.
I'm wildly interested in reading Anansi Boys, but I'll be taking a short break in between the two books. I don't want to get overloaded on gods!
A note on the full cast reading of the 10th Anniversary Edition
I decided to listen to the book on my work commute, and I'm not going to lie, I loved the cast reading. They various narrators handled each of their characters perfectly and were totally believable. I'm really hoping that the audio of Anansi Boys is handled just as well.
Christine A. (965 KP) rated Restricted Fantasies in Books
Dec 9, 2018
A Black Mirror-style sci-fi short story collection
I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.
As I read the description, "A Black Mirror-style sci-fi short story collection about the perils of our virtual reality future - and whether we're already living in it.", I was intrigued. For those that don't know "Black Mirror" is a British TV show that is available on Netflix. "Black Mirror" is a contemporary reworking of "The Twilight Zone" and is described by Netflix as a "sci-fi anthology series explores a twisted, high-tech near-future where humanity's greatest innovations and darkest instincts collide."
Describing "Restricted Fantasies" by Kevin Kneupper as being written in Black Mirror-style is an actuate description. Each stand-alone story in both features its own cast of unique characters. As with "Black Mirror", this is not a collection to sit and read straight through. The stories make you think and mess with your mind. They need to be digested, thought through, and processed.
I do not want to discuss any of the individual stories as I do not want to mention any spoilers. With many of the stories I needed a few hours, if not days, to process. I highly recommend "Restricted Fantasies" to anyone who can read it and process it. I would not recommend reading it in one sitting.
As I read the description, "A Black Mirror-style sci-fi short story collection about the perils of our virtual reality future - and whether we're already living in it.", I was intrigued. For those that don't know "Black Mirror" is a British TV show that is available on Netflix. "Black Mirror" is a contemporary reworking of "The Twilight Zone" and is described by Netflix as a "sci-fi anthology series explores a twisted, high-tech near-future where humanity's greatest innovations and darkest instincts collide."
Describing "Restricted Fantasies" by Kevin Kneupper as being written in Black Mirror-style is an actuate description. Each stand-alone story in both features its own cast of unique characters. As with "Black Mirror", this is not a collection to sit and read straight through. The stories make you think and mess with your mind. They need to be digested, thought through, and processed.
I do not want to discuss any of the individual stories as I do not want to mention any spoilers. With many of the stories I needed a few hours, if not days, to process. I highly recommend "Restricted Fantasies" to anyone who can read it and process it. I would not recommend reading it in one sitting.
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Camino Winds in Books
Aug 20, 2020
This was a typical Grisham quick read. It builds on the first book, but focuses mainly on Bruce. We see little of Mercer, a main character in book one, which was unfortunate. But Bruce is a blustery star, who can easily dominate both in his life and a novel. He has a huge group of friends, literary and "normal" alike. One is Nelson Kerr, a former lawyer with a big firm in San Francisco. He ratted out a client, a defense contractor who was illegally selling high-tech military stuff to the "bad guys." Nelson settled his case and fled to the island after a divorce. He's been working on another book and we learn quickly that his work may have gotten him killed.
It's easy to feel the storm and its tension through Grisham's picturesque writing. Leo hits quickly and the devastation that follows is bad. The post-hurricane feeling on a nearly abandoned Camino Island seems oddly aligned to the pandemic--at least when I read this in May--or it's easy to read that sense into everything I read.
Still, despite the hurricane and the murder and other various killings, this is actually a fun read. Grisham gives us an engaging mystery, and I love his "good versus evil" formula. It always works so well for him and this is one of his breezier presentations. While there isn't much depth, it's a fast read with interesting characters and a snappy mystery. 3.5 stars.
It's easy to feel the storm and its tension through Grisham's picturesque writing. Leo hits quickly and the devastation that follows is bad. The post-hurricane feeling on a nearly abandoned Camino Island seems oddly aligned to the pandemic--at least when I read this in May--or it's easy to read that sense into everything I read.
Still, despite the hurricane and the murder and other various killings, this is actually a fun read. Grisham gives us an engaging mystery, and I love his "good versus evil" formula. It always works so well for him and this is one of his breezier presentations. While there isn't much depth, it's a fast read with interesting characters and a snappy mystery. 3.5 stars.
Sassy Brit (97 KP) rated The Dark Net in Books
Jun 5, 2019
The Dark Net by Benjamin Percy is a complex story in which the horror is the realisation that it could happen to all of us, and weโd be unable to stop it!
Thereโs a large cast of characters at the beginning, which I have to admit you could easily lose track of, and itโs not everyoneโs preferred writing style, but you just know thereโs a reason these people are mentioned straight up and that they are all going to meet somewhere along the storyline to make sense of it all. As I read this it was like I had a movie playing out in my mind. We see shots of a dodgy run server group in one scene. Next we meet Hannah with a high-tech prosthetic that restores her sight, but canโt understand why she can now see shadows surrounding certain people. Then thereโs Lala a technophobic journalist, (Hannahโs auntie ), Mike the gun hoarder who sees things that canโt possibly be there, Derek a genius hacker and, to top it all, a virus spreading through the net that had a very old-school, Shaun Hutson, evil, demonic force feel to it. Who can stop this evil presence from getting out of control and fight back?
Dark, creepy, urban-techno horror with an old-school, supernatural feel that I particularly enjoyed. What would we all do if the devil got inside our homes, schools, offices through our computers? Whoโd save us? Not our anti-virus protection, thatโs for sure!
Thereโs a large cast of characters at the beginning, which I have to admit you could easily lose track of, and itโs not everyoneโs preferred writing style, but you just know thereโs a reason these people are mentioned straight up and that they are all going to meet somewhere along the storyline to make sense of it all. As I read this it was like I had a movie playing out in my mind. We see shots of a dodgy run server group in one scene. Next we meet Hannah with a high-tech prosthetic that restores her sight, but canโt understand why she can now see shadows surrounding certain people. Then thereโs Lala a technophobic journalist, (Hannahโs auntie ), Mike the gun hoarder who sees things that canโt possibly be there, Derek a genius hacker and, to top it all, a virus spreading through the net that had a very old-school, Shaun Hutson, evil, demonic force feel to it. Who can stop this evil presence from getting out of control and fight back?
Dark, creepy, urban-techno horror with an old-school, supernatural feel that I particularly enjoyed. What would we all do if the devil got inside our homes, schools, offices through our computers? Whoโd save us? Not our anti-virus protection, thatโs for sure!
JT (287 KP) rated Angel Has Fallen (2019) in Movies
Mar 10, 2020
The Fallen franchise has always been an enjoyable romp. It hasnโt taken itself too seriously โ at least not until this third instalment. Gerard Butler returns as secret service agent Mike Banning, this time shadowing Morgan Freemanโs President Trumbull who has worked his way up from Speaker of the House (Olympus Has Fallen) to Vice President (London Has Fallen) to his seat in Oval Office.
Banning is a broken-down mess of migraines and pills, currently on the verge of collapse. When the Presidentโs fishing trip is rudely interrupted by a flock (not sure what the terminology is) of high tech exploding drones, Banning is framed for the assassination attempt and must go on the run to clear his name.
Itโs a meat and potatoes kind of action flick. You always know where you stand when it comes to the plot and there is nothing complex to make you lose track of what is going on.
The action is over the top and at times executed lazily. With a $40m budget, you would have expected something a little bit slicker. Danny Huston is OK as the not-to-be-trusted old friend who ultimately goes bad, but his performance is easily forgotten.
Unlike the previous two films, there are no lame quips or one-liners (except for a rather humorous mid credits scene). Instead, the writers try and give us something with a little more emotion to it, tugging on the heartstrings when Banning Snr (Nick Nolte) is introduced โexplosivelyโ into the fray.
Banning is a broken-down mess of migraines and pills, currently on the verge of collapse. When the Presidentโs fishing trip is rudely interrupted by a flock (not sure what the terminology is) of high tech exploding drones, Banning is framed for the assassination attempt and must go on the run to clear his name.
Itโs a meat and potatoes kind of action flick. You always know where you stand when it comes to the plot and there is nothing complex to make you lose track of what is going on.
The action is over the top and at times executed lazily. With a $40m budget, you would have expected something a little bit slicker. Danny Huston is OK as the not-to-be-trusted old friend who ultimately goes bad, but his performance is easily forgotten.
Unlike the previous two films, there are no lame quips or one-liners (except for a rather humorous mid credits scene). Instead, the writers try and give us something with a little more emotion to it, tugging on the heartstrings when Banning Snr (Nick Nolte) is introduced โexplosivelyโ into the fray.
Ed O'Brien recommended What's Going On by Marvin Gaye in Music (curated)
LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated Chappie (2015) in Movies
Sep 19, 2020 (Updated Sep 19, 2020)
"๐ ๐จ๐ถ๐ฆ๐ด๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ด๐ฆ ๐ด๐ค๐ช๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ช๐ด๐ต ๐จ๐ถ๐บ๐ด ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ ๐ธ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฌ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐.๐. ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ ๐จ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ค๐ข๐ช๐ฏ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ด๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ ๐๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ณ๐จ๐บ ๐ข ๐ต๐ณ๐บ." - Trevor Moore, ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ต๐ฐ๐ณ๐บ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐๐ถ๐ณ ๐๐ช๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ด
Much better than ๐๐ช๐ด๐ต๐ณ๐ช๐ค๐ต 9 even though it's essentially the same movie for the chief purpose that this is cleaner, more fun, and ditches the sloppy gimmick and failed heavy-handed metaphor. Those last 30 minutes are godly, just totally bananas trashy cyberpunk action glory - not only the best thing Blomkamp has ever done but some of the most fun a sci-fi movie has had in the 2010s. But otherwise a movie about robot cop Sharlto Copley hanging around Die Antwood who teach him how to be gangsta but he accidentally discovers consciousness while a deranged Hugh Jackman desperately wants to let his monster mech loose on the city should be a lot more entertaining than this was. Still sports impeccable graphics and design as always with Neill, and you know what this isn't deep on any level nor does it have a single talking point about the militarization of the police department or A.I. or big tech corporations - fine, whatever. But there's almost zero violence for the hour + twenty-five minute stretch in the middle of this where it becomes this trite, sickly sweet family drama? I mean you're practically poised to fashion this nuanced, ultraviolent story dissecting how A.I. reacts to trauma but instead they're reading bedtime stories to the thing? Still vibrant and ridiculous though, enjoyed the hell out of it - I ain't picky. Plus points for letting all these actors use their natural accents.
Much better than ๐๐ช๐ด๐ต๐ณ๐ช๐ค๐ต 9 even though it's essentially the same movie for the chief purpose that this is cleaner, more fun, and ditches the sloppy gimmick and failed heavy-handed metaphor. Those last 30 minutes are godly, just totally bananas trashy cyberpunk action glory - not only the best thing Blomkamp has ever done but some of the most fun a sci-fi movie has had in the 2010s. But otherwise a movie about robot cop Sharlto Copley hanging around Die Antwood who teach him how to be gangsta but he accidentally discovers consciousness while a deranged Hugh Jackman desperately wants to let his monster mech loose on the city should be a lot more entertaining than this was. Still sports impeccable graphics and design as always with Neill, and you know what this isn't deep on any level nor does it have a single talking point about the militarization of the police department or A.I. or big tech corporations - fine, whatever. But there's almost zero violence for the hour + twenty-five minute stretch in the middle of this where it becomes this trite, sickly sweet family drama? I mean you're practically poised to fashion this nuanced, ultraviolent story dissecting how A.I. reacts to trauma but instead they're reading bedtime stories to the thing? Still vibrant and ridiculous though, enjoyed the hell out of it - I ain't picky. Plus points for letting all these actors use their natural accents.
LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated The Fate of the Furious (2017) in Movies
Sep 20, 2020
*Director's cut*
A thick protein shake of testosterone, motor oil, concrete, government tech, sweat, and smashed metal - features enough hilariously inflated machismo and mic drop one-liners to fuel at least fifty blockbusters. Obviously when going from James Wan to any other director you're going to see a downtick in visual quality, but Gray still makes this thing a gorgeous splashpad of obvious color signifiers to look at - with some of the most clean vehicle action you'll ever see. I'll always defend an unlimited number of these sequels no matter how little story there is, but it was a genuinely ballsy move to make Dom one of the villains (alongside a ripper Theron) - to which I'll convince every Diesel detractor to look at because this showcases how passionate and committed he is towards this character, every act of betrayal is played like it's physically tearing him apart from the inside. Another thing I love about this series post-fourth-one is how it features some of the coolest action superstars partaking in scenes of prolonged emotion that most other actioners would probably toss aside. Definitely the funniest installment but wtf happened to Luda here? The dude is usually charming but he sleepwalks through every scene in this one. Every gripe I do have is relatively minor considering this has sequences of a giant wrecking ball tearing through vehicles, The Rock and Statham beating their way through an entire prison, and an all-timer setpiece where dozens of cars start driving themselves tearing through the city.
A thick protein shake of testosterone, motor oil, concrete, government tech, sweat, and smashed metal - features enough hilariously inflated machismo and mic drop one-liners to fuel at least fifty blockbusters. Obviously when going from James Wan to any other director you're going to see a downtick in visual quality, but Gray still makes this thing a gorgeous splashpad of obvious color signifiers to look at - with some of the most clean vehicle action you'll ever see. I'll always defend an unlimited number of these sequels no matter how little story there is, but it was a genuinely ballsy move to make Dom one of the villains (alongside a ripper Theron) - to which I'll convince every Diesel detractor to look at because this showcases how passionate and committed he is towards this character, every act of betrayal is played like it's physically tearing him apart from the inside. Another thing I love about this series post-fourth-one is how it features some of the coolest action superstars partaking in scenes of prolonged emotion that most other actioners would probably toss aside. Definitely the funniest installment but wtf happened to Luda here? The dude is usually charming but he sleepwalks through every scene in this one. Every gripe I do have is relatively minor considering this has sequences of a giant wrecking ball tearing through vehicles, The Rock and Statham beating their way through an entire prison, and an all-timer setpiece where dozens of cars start driving themselves tearing through the city.
Jesters_folly (230 KP) rated Tea for God in Video Games
Sep 21, 2019
Tea for God is rouguelite, dungeon crawling shooter for PC VR that uses procedural generation and impossible spaces to create the game map as you play.
In โTea for Godโ you are on a quest to pay respects to the late โGod Emperorโ who was killed by robots. To get to him you must travel through his high-tech palace which is, unfortunately still infested with the killer robots
The game uses VR room mapping and does not come with a โteleportโ option like a lot of other VR games which means that you physically have to walk around to move in game. This is where the Procedural generation comes in to play, the game knows the size of your play area and will generate the game map to fit. The use of impossible spaces means that a corridor can spiral around and you can find yourself in an area that couldnโt exist in normal reality which means that the game is easily playable in a small area. I only have a small area myself and have never walked into anything (except maybe the odd cat).
The controls are simple, to move you walk and you use the controls to shoot and pick up items. The game play is entering, there are a number of different robots of different sizes and weapon capabilities and they could be hiding around any corner.
The game is currently listed as being pre Alfa so should only get better. Tea for God is currently only available from the creators site ( https://void-room.itch.io/tea-for-god).
In โTea for Godโ you are on a quest to pay respects to the late โGod Emperorโ who was killed by robots. To get to him you must travel through his high-tech palace which is, unfortunately still infested with the killer robots
The game uses VR room mapping and does not come with a โteleportโ option like a lot of other VR games which means that you physically have to walk around to move in game. This is where the Procedural generation comes in to play, the game knows the size of your play area and will generate the game map to fit. The use of impossible spaces means that a corridor can spiral around and you can find yourself in an area that couldnโt exist in normal reality which means that the game is easily playable in a small area. I only have a small area myself and have never walked into anything (except maybe the odd cat).
The controls are simple, to move you walk and you use the controls to shoot and pick up items. The game play is entering, there are a number of different robots of different sizes and weapon capabilities and they could be hiding around any corner.
The game is currently listed as being pre Alfa so should only get better. Tea for God is currently only available from the creators site ( https://void-room.itch.io/tea-for-god).
Merissa (11805 KP) rated His Rockstar Dom in Books
Nov 14, 2023
HIS ROCKSTAR DOM is a standalone novella that tells of a well-established rock band, Glitter Kinks, and the musicians that make it up. Most of them are okay (or more than okay) but Sal is causing them BIG problems. Braylin was hired as a guitar tech. Also plays guitar and is a lifelong fan of the band and the lead singer, Zen.
What I loved about this was the communication! It's there - on every page! A couple of misunderstandings are quickly dealt with by talking it out. Wow, consider that! Zen knows what he wants out of the relationship, and Braylin is completely innocent but prepared to be guided by Zen. Zen listens and is prepared to take things slowly, going at Bray's pace. Oh, man! Be still, my beating heart. It was just perfect. The relationship between them was natural and unforced and I loved every word.
It wasn't just the dynamics of Zen and Bray though, it was between Bray and the whole band, the whole on-tour group. They melded and made it perfect.
I love Morticia Knight's books and this is no different. If I had one complaint, it would be that I didn't want it to end!
Hot - Innocent - Perfect! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED by me.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Nov 14, 2023
What I loved about this was the communication! It's there - on every page! A couple of misunderstandings are quickly dealt with by talking it out. Wow, consider that! Zen knows what he wants out of the relationship, and Braylin is completely innocent but prepared to be guided by Zen. Zen listens and is prepared to take things slowly, going at Bray's pace. Oh, man! Be still, my beating heart. It was just perfect. The relationship between them was natural and unforced and I loved every word.
It wasn't just the dynamics of Zen and Bray though, it was between Bray and the whole band, the whole on-tour group. They melded and made it perfect.
I love Morticia Knight's books and this is no different. If I had one complaint, it would be that I didn't want it to end!
Hot - Innocent - Perfect! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED by me.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Nov 14, 2023
Liliannar (58 KP) May 25, 2018