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David McK (3562 KP) rated Conquest (Making of England, #1) in Books
Jan 30, 2019
A fictionalised retelling of the life story of Hereward of Bourne (also known as Hereward the Wake): an Anglo-Saxon who lead the resistance against William the Conqueror following his victory against Harold at Senlac Ridge, in what would become known as the Battle of Hastings.
While it is a name I had heard before, I have to say it's not a story that I was familiar with (unlike that of, say, Robin Hood or King Arthur) - this, however, I actually found to be rather a dry read.
While it is a name I had heard before, I have to say it's not a story that I was familiar with (unlike that of, say, Robin Hood or King Arthur) - this, however, I actually found to be rather a dry read.
Ross (3284 KP) rated Resistance in Books
Sep 20, 2018
Contains spoilers, click to show
A dystopian sci-fi tale in which people ("elementals") are split into 4 classes (air - artistic types, water - scientific types, fire - law-enforcing types, and earth - working class grunts) with a strict set of rules and beliefs to be followed. Any attempt to betray these rules would result in swift punishment by the peacekeepers.
Anaiya, one such peacekeeper, is tasked with finding and infiltrating a group of rebels who have started painting the word "resistance" on walls. In order to infiltrate them, she has to undergo a new untested treatment that tries to change her class from fire to air. Thereafter the tale is a pretty standard one of intrigue, plotting and red herrings.
For me the ideas behind the world were interesting, but not very well explained or explored early on. I realise with a book like this any attempt to do so would jar with the atmosphere it is trying to get at, but there are ways to deliver the information needed.
The storyline was pretty much paper-thin and sacrificed in order to have some lengthy, overly descriptive poetic narrative (for example at least 6 pages of the book is devoted to blow by blow accounts of pool matches). The supposed revelation at the end was such an obvious anti-climax as to be ridiculous. I took it to be a symbol of how Anaiya's treatment warped her judgement of who the main suspect is, but it was delivered as a big revelation.
The use of technology in sci-fi always annoys me - new tech that is not described and overly used, with a ridiculous name (a wristplate that can immediately tell you what substances are in your blood as well as heart rate etc, and also be used to download music, play music, communicate, pay for things etc etc).
Similarly, the plot to reveal the head of the resistance hinged on the use of some new technology invented by a member of the resistance itself. This was so flimsy as to be laughable. Also, the fact that a heavy-handed police force like the peacekeepers would look for such tenuous proof of the leadership of the resistance before acting is just plain wrong. The first few chapters, and some of the conversations Anaiya has after her change, serve to show how heavy-handed they are, and any hint of someone's involvement in such treasonous activity would result in swift action.
Overall, the book is atmospheric and interesting but quite badly executed.
And the word "trajectory" is massively overused and at times wrongly used.
Anaiya, one such peacekeeper, is tasked with finding and infiltrating a group of rebels who have started painting the word "resistance" on walls. In order to infiltrate them, she has to undergo a new untested treatment that tries to change her class from fire to air. Thereafter the tale is a pretty standard one of intrigue, plotting and red herrings.
For me the ideas behind the world were interesting, but not very well explained or explored early on. I realise with a book like this any attempt to do so would jar with the atmosphere it is trying to get at, but there are ways to deliver the information needed.
The storyline was pretty much paper-thin and sacrificed in order to have some lengthy, overly descriptive poetic narrative (for example at least 6 pages of the book is devoted to blow by blow accounts of pool matches). The supposed revelation at the end was such an obvious anti-climax as to be ridiculous. I took it to be a symbol of how Anaiya's treatment warped her judgement of who the main suspect is, but it was delivered as a big revelation.
The use of technology in sci-fi always annoys me - new tech that is not described and overly used, with a ridiculous name (a wristplate that can immediately tell you what substances are in your blood as well as heart rate etc, and also be used to download music, play music, communicate, pay for things etc etc).
Similarly, the plot to reveal the head of the resistance hinged on the use of some new technology invented by a member of the resistance itself. This was so flimsy as to be laughable. Also, the fact that a heavy-handed police force like the peacekeepers would look for such tenuous proof of the leadership of the resistance before acting is just plain wrong. The first few chapters, and some of the conversations Anaiya has after her change, serve to show how heavy-handed they are, and any hint of someone's involvement in such treasonous activity would result in swift action.
Overall, the book is atmospheric and interesting but quite badly executed.
And the word "trajectory" is massively overused and at times wrongly used.
Pat Healy recommended Army of Shadows (L'Armée des ombres) (1969) in Movies (curated)
Rhubarbio (27 KP) rated Coup in Tabletop Games
May 25, 2019
No longevity (1 more)
Boring if you can't think on your feet.
Coup, along with other bluffing games such as the Resistance, have been very popular games for groups, as they do not require much of an introduction and people can play a game pretty quickly. Whilst I appreciate people may love this game, it does have flaws. Unlike Resistance, each player plays the game solo and therefore cannot hide behind the logic of others. This game requires you to input at every step of the way and, if you're trying to bluff, you must always stay ahead and remember how other people have played, which can be uncomfortable and lead to player elimination. For those who are not too quick with their responses or have a poor poker face, this game is frustrating and will lead to elimination...which in turn is not great for the remaining players as this reduces the staying power of the game. Whilst I enjoyed playing this game a handful of times, none of my friends want to play it any more. We prefer the Resistance:Avalon for our bluffing fix.
Stuart Cooper recommended Ashes and Diamonds (1958) in Movies (curated)
Entertainment Editor (1988 KP) shared own list
Nov 27, 2017
Taylor Swift clapped back, Kendrick Lamar went back to basics, Lorde threw a high-concept party and more:
Songs of Experience by U2
9.0
Rate It
Album Watch
U2 return with their hotly anticipated new studio album ‘Songs of Experience’. The Island...
pop
American Dream by LCD Soundsystem
8.6
Rate It
Album Watch
American Dream is the fourth studio album by LCD Soundsystem, released on September 1, 2017, by DFA...
and 46 other items
Erika (17789 KP) rated Star Wars: Captain Phasma in Books
Sep 28, 2019
This graphic novel was published during the hype leading up to TLJ. Of course, Phasma's part ended up being anti-climactic and trash.
This picks up right after TFA, and Phasma's quest to hunt down the First Order officer that gave information to the Resistance so they could blow up Starkiller. Obviously, it was Phasma that did it, but she's on a quest to pin it on someone else.
Other than demonstrating Phasma's ruthlessness, there was no real additional information given about her character.
This picks up right after TFA, and Phasma's quest to hunt down the First Order officer that gave information to the Resistance so they could blow up Starkiller. Obviously, it was Phasma that did it, but she's on a quest to pin it on someone else.
Other than demonstrating Phasma's ruthlessness, there was no real additional information given about her character.
Sawyer (231 KP) rated The Man in the High Castle - Season 1 in TV
Dec 19, 2017
All the thrills and twists and turns of a good spy story (1 more)
Lots of Awesome Easter eggs and references for history Buffs
The man in the High Castle is a beautifully crafted story of an alternate 1960s timeline where the axis won worldWar 2 now America has been split in the middle by the Germans and Japanese incorporating their culture and beliefs into everyday life the story follows a few different individuals who's lives are changed forever when they come across and watch propaganda films that show a very different outcome of World War 2 these films inspire hope and are quickly becoming the strongest weapon in the resistance Arsenal
Erika (17789 KP) rated The Missing Matisse: A Memoir in Books
Mar 26, 2020
I've been trying to finish this book for months. Today, I realized that I didn't actually care what happened, so I stopped reading.
It started slow, then got slightly more interesting once WWI started. HOWEVER, I picked up this book because I thought it was going to be more about the artists at the time.
The description of the book is very misleading, if you want to read a mildly interesting memoir about a kid who participated in the French Resistance and was "related" to Matisse. Honestly, bringing up the uncertainty of who this dude's biological father was a side note and didn't make sense.
It started slow, then got slightly more interesting once WWI started. HOWEVER, I picked up this book because I thought it was going to be more about the artists at the time.
The description of the book is very misleading, if you want to read a mildly interesting memoir about a kid who participated in the French Resistance and was "related" to Matisse. Honestly, bringing up the uncertainty of who this dude's biological father was a side note and didn't make sense.
Akward (448 KP) rated Secret Hitler in Tabletop Games
Jul 20, 2018
Simplicity (1 more)
Theme
Social Deduction at It's Finest
If you are a veteran of social deduction games, Secret Hitler is probably not for you. It is just barely more complicated than The Resistance, and there are games with far more complicated mechanics than it. But Secret Hitler is a great introduction to social deduction. The mechanics can be picked up easily, and it still has enough variety to be interesting.
If you regularly have a group of 6-10 players, I highly recommend this game.
If you regularly have a group of 6-10 players, I highly recommend this game.