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Phil Leader (619 KP) rated The Long Earth in Books
Nov 20, 2019
Step Day. A day that changed the world. A day when the designs for a strange device went viral. Relatively simple to make with a few electronic components and a potato, this small device allowed most people to move sideways into a parallel dimension... and from there they could keep going exploring multiple copies of Earth, each different and all of them untouched and available for colonisation by the population of the overcrowded, overdeveloped and worn out original.
Joshua Valiente is an orphan who discovers that he doesn't actually need a box to move dimensions - to Step - he is a natural, like a few others before him that have already discovered what becomes known as the Long Earth and have kept it to themselves. Big business isn't slow to take advantage, particularly the huge, powerful and shadowy Black Corporation, whose distributed super computer Lobsang claims to be the reincarnation of a Tibetan mechanic. Together Joshua and Lobsang will discover a few of the secrets of the Long Earth, as well as witnessing the worst it brings out in humanity.
With this central idea, Pratchett and Baxter tell the tales of various people affected by the events of Step Day in very different ways. As with the rest of humanity, the narrative is restless, keen to both rush out and see how far along the Long Earth it can travel and to watch how it turns the Earth we all know on its head. This is a book of wonders, a little like Gulliver's Travels in finding interesting variations to explore.
Those expecting the usual slew of jokes, gags, footnotes and humorous characters that typify his Discworld novels will be disappointed. There are light touches to the situations and characters that betray his hand but this is straight science fiction by two great authors who between them manage to convey the huge scale of thousands - millions - of Earths while still being able to tell the story from a human perspective.
Joshua Valiente is an orphan who discovers that he doesn't actually need a box to move dimensions - to Step - he is a natural, like a few others before him that have already discovered what becomes known as the Long Earth and have kept it to themselves. Big business isn't slow to take advantage, particularly the huge, powerful and shadowy Black Corporation, whose distributed super computer Lobsang claims to be the reincarnation of a Tibetan mechanic. Together Joshua and Lobsang will discover a few of the secrets of the Long Earth, as well as witnessing the worst it brings out in humanity.
With this central idea, Pratchett and Baxter tell the tales of various people affected by the events of Step Day in very different ways. As with the rest of humanity, the narrative is restless, keen to both rush out and see how far along the Long Earth it can travel and to watch how it turns the Earth we all know on its head. This is a book of wonders, a little like Gulliver's Travels in finding interesting variations to explore.
Those expecting the usual slew of jokes, gags, footnotes and humorous characters that typify his Discworld novels will be disappointed. There are light touches to the situations and characters that betray his hand but this is straight science fiction by two great authors who between them manage to convey the huge scale of thousands - millions - of Earths while still being able to tell the story from a human perspective.
Sir Curtly Ambrose: Time to Talk
Richie Benaud, Curtly Ambrose, Richard Sydenham and Steve Waugh
Book
Sir Curtly Ambrose is one of the most famous cricket players of all time. He is also notorious for...
MM
Misfit's Manifesto
Book
A self-defined misfit makes a powerful case for not fitting in - for recognizing the beauty, and...
Anonymous Chat Rooms -Anonypal
Social Networking and Entertainment
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Meet & chat to real friends with anonymous identity. No worry about privacy problems, no chat...
One Two Three
8.0
Rate It
Book
From Laurie Frankel, the New York Times bestselling author of This Is How It Always Is, a Reese's...
Dr. Panda School
Education and Games
App
Are you ready for class? CREATE YOUR OWN STORIES! Let your imagination run wild in Dr. Panda...
AccorHotels hotel booking
Travel and Productivity
App
New for iPhones and iPad! All AccorHotels group applications (ibis, Novotel, Raffles, Fairmont,...
noel (2 KP) rated King Kong Lives (1986) in Movies
Sep 22, 2017
If Only King Kong Had Died
Contains spoilers, click to show
Just when you thought King Kong died when he was shot off the Empire State Building he is resurrected courtesy of open heart surgery conducted by Linda Hamilton. However, he is still going to die unless he receives a blood transfusion. Fortunately, Lady Kong is discovered in Borneo. Job done? Of course not. These films are terrible adverts for the human race as the sole reaction to discovering such beautiful beasts such as Mr and Mrs Kong is to try and kill them with a barrage of absolutely terrible special effects.
Only someone with a heart of ice would fail to be moved when Kong picks up the missus and carries her out of the holding facility a la An Officer and a Gentleman. I don't know why the producers didn't go for an outsize Marine Airman's formal attire and throw in the strains of Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes - only they will be able to tell you why they didn't.
This will be quite possibly the most enjoyable bad movie you will ever see. Ultimately, like with all the Kong movies it is tinged with sadness as we all know what happens to the big fella in the end - open heart surgery and blood transfusions not withstanding of course. Don't be surprised if you hear the patter of really massive feet at the end in what is an unintentionally hilarious yet genuinely uplifting finale.
Only someone with a heart of ice would fail to be moved when Kong picks up the missus and carries her out of the holding facility a la An Officer and a Gentleman. I don't know why the producers didn't go for an outsize Marine Airman's formal attire and throw in the strains of Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes - only they will be able to tell you why they didn't.
This will be quite possibly the most enjoyable bad movie you will ever see. Ultimately, like with all the Kong movies it is tinged with sadness as we all know what happens to the big fella in the end - open heart surgery and blood transfusions not withstanding of course. Don't be surprised if you hear the patter of really massive feet at the end in what is an unintentionally hilarious yet genuinely uplifting finale.
Molly J (Cover To Cover Cafe) (106 KP) rated Trust Me: A Novel in Books
Feb 27, 2019
Have you ever read a book that left you in a complete and utter mind frozen state? On that you just sit and stare into space, wondering how could an author be that brilliant? Yea, that's me after reading TRUST ME. I mean, my God. I hadn't even heard of this author before but I sure am adding her to my ever growing list of autobuy authors, for sure.
Mercer's character was completely realistic. Her thoughts, pain of her own tragedy, confusion and passion to uncover the truth for her book about "Baby Boston", all became my own. I felt myself becoming her, wanting to write down my own thoughts on Ashlyn, the mother on trial and accused of murdering her own baby. I mean, seriously? I was like Ashlyn should have been named Casey Anthony. What mother could harm their precious child? Trust me (no pun intended!), when I tell you I wouldn't!
Reading this novel left me feeling like I just got off the most intense, most twisted, most emotional rollercoaster ride ever (and that is saying something because I've NEVER been on a coaster before!). I felt like I would just begin to piece it all together and Ryan, with masterful skill, would throw something else into the mix. Magnificent! This novel is my top read of 2019 so far. It's brilliantly chiseled into a 5 star read that I will not soon forget. Psychological mind blowing thrills at it's finest, that's a fact!
*I purchased this for my own collection. All opinions, negative or positive, are my own.*
Mercer's character was completely realistic. Her thoughts, pain of her own tragedy, confusion and passion to uncover the truth for her book about "Baby Boston", all became my own. I felt myself becoming her, wanting to write down my own thoughts on Ashlyn, the mother on trial and accused of murdering her own baby. I mean, seriously? I was like Ashlyn should have been named Casey Anthony. What mother could harm their precious child? Trust me (no pun intended!), when I tell you I wouldn't!
Reading this novel left me feeling like I just got off the most intense, most twisted, most emotional rollercoaster ride ever (and that is saying something because I've NEVER been on a coaster before!). I felt like I would just begin to piece it all together and Ryan, with masterful skill, would throw something else into the mix. Magnificent! This novel is my top read of 2019 so far. It's brilliantly chiseled into a 5 star read that I will not soon forget. Psychological mind blowing thrills at it's finest, that's a fact!
*I purchased this for my own collection. All opinions, negative or positive, are my own.*
Veronica Pena (690 KP) rated Nobody's Fool (2018) in Movies
Feb 9, 2020 (Updated Feb 9, 2020)
This move was profoundly bad. I don't know if there are any other words to it, it was horrendous. There were definitely some funny parts but it was more because Tiffany Haddish was making a fool of herself and less because the jokes were actually funny.
I know that Tyler Perry is revolutionary and whatever, but the more of his movies you watch, the more it's just blatantly obvious how much they are all the same. I love that he writes and produces and directs, I think that's great, but when all his characters are the same, especially his women, it just gets tiresome. This idea that Missi Pyle's character is supposed to be this hardworking, self-made, independent woman who does everything a man does when she's trying to decide between Charlie and Frank, it just felt fake, and it made her so unlikeable and unrelatable. I don't know a single woman who would play those men the way that she did. And Amber Riley's character? She was a horrible friend. If I saw my friend acting the way Danica was, I would tell her to get it together and stop being so rude to Frank.
I think the best performance in this movie was Mechad Brooks - I think he was funny and his jokes landed. But other than that, it was just bad. That cameo from Chris Rock too? Unnecessary. The plot was just incoherent, the acting was bad, the character development was bad, it was all bad.
I know that Tyler Perry is revolutionary and whatever, but the more of his movies you watch, the more it's just blatantly obvious how much they are all the same. I love that he writes and produces and directs, I think that's great, but when all his characters are the same, especially his women, it just gets tiresome. This idea that Missi Pyle's character is supposed to be this hardworking, self-made, independent woman who does everything a man does when she's trying to decide between Charlie and Frank, it just felt fake, and it made her so unlikeable and unrelatable. I don't know a single woman who would play those men the way that she did. And Amber Riley's character? She was a horrible friend. If I saw my friend acting the way Danica was, I would tell her to get it together and stop being so rude to Frank.
I think the best performance in this movie was Mechad Brooks - I think he was funny and his jokes landed. But other than that, it was just bad. That cameo from Chris Rock too? Unnecessary. The plot was just incoherent, the acting was bad, the character development was bad, it was all bad.