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Wild Life
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New novel from the Guardian Not the Booker shortlisted author of 'Real Monsters'. '...as...
The Emperor's Soul
9.5
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When Shai is caught replacing the Moon Scepter with her nearly flawless forgery, she must bargain...
Cosmere
Rob Zombie recommended Island of Lost Souls (1933) in Movies (curated)
David McK (3587 KP) rated The Truth (Discworld, #25; Industrial Revolution, #2) in Books
Sep 11, 2022
The Truth shall set you Fret!
<2022 update>
Still as good as ever!
<original review below>
So, over the weekend I watched a BBC documentary about the late, great, Sir Terry Pratchett (Terry Pratchett: Back in Black) as part of which they brought up the fact that his earliest job had been as a reporter for his local paper (and saw his first corpse a few hours later, work experience meaning something in those days ...) .
Experience that shows in this novel.
The second of the so-called Industrial Revolutions (after Moving Pictures) sub-series of the Discworld novels, this is - IMO - the first to really get into the meat of said revolution, and concerns itself with Ankh-Morporks first newspaper, alongside a plot to depose the Patrician - a character, I feel, who (whilst mostly in the background in the earlier novels) comes more to the fore in this, as do the likes of Foul Ol' Ron, Coffin Henry, The Duck Man and Gaspode
Of course, it wouldn't be a Pratchett novel without a generous portion of puns running alongside the satire, parody and memorable characters (such as, say, Otto von Chriek: the vampire with a thing for flash photography ...)
Still as good as ever!
<original review below>
So, over the weekend I watched a BBC documentary about the late, great, Sir Terry Pratchett (Terry Pratchett: Back in Black) as part of which they brought up the fact that his earliest job had been as a reporter for his local paper (and saw his first corpse a few hours later, work experience meaning something in those days ...) .
Experience that shows in this novel.
The second of the so-called Industrial Revolutions (after Moving Pictures) sub-series of the Discworld novels, this is - IMO - the first to really get into the meat of said revolution, and concerns itself with Ankh-Morporks first newspaper, alongside a plot to depose the Patrician - a character, I feel, who (whilst mostly in the background in the earlier novels) comes more to the fore in this, as do the likes of Foul Ol' Ron, Coffin Henry, The Duck Man and Gaspode
Of course, it wouldn't be a Pratchett novel without a generous portion of puns running alongside the satire, parody and memorable characters (such as, say, Otto von Chriek: the vampire with a thing for flash photography ...)
Darren (1599 KP) rated Iron Man 2 (2010) in Movies
Oct 24, 2019
Characters – Tony Stark revealed his identity at the end of the last movie, he has become even more famous as the man that ended conflict in the world, the government want control over the suit and worry that other parts of the world could develop their own version of the suit. He must deal with his own mortality when the one thing keeping him alive, is making him sick. He will also need to fight for his father’s mistakes, pushing his closest friends away. Pepper Potts has been given a promotion by Tony, to CEO, she already runs his affairs, she is now running his company, while trying to control him during his self-destruction. Rhodey is still in his role in the military, he is still challenging Tony, but gets to use his own suit the correct way, for guiding the military. Natasha goes undercover in Stark’s company, she is a member of SHIELD where she uses her skills in combat to keep Tony out of trouble. Justin Hammer is a rival inventor still trying to get ahead of Tony in the weapons business, he has been working on his own Iron Man suit, without much success, he hires Ivan to build him a suit. Ivan Vanko has built his own weaponised suit, he is the son of a rival of Tony’ father, which sees him want to take revenge on Tony for his father’s action, becoming whiplash, the one man that has created a suit that could rival Iron Man.
Performances – Robert Downey Jr is still great to watch, he keeps the charisma required for his role, while bringing an emotional factor which is needed for where his character goes in this film. Gwyneth Paltrow does have a bigger role here and brings us a much stronger performance with her character. Don Cheadle is an improvement on Terrence Howard, bringing Rhodey to life more. Scarlett Johansson has the perfect look for this character which is only first jumping into the franchise. Sam Rockwell as another inventor arms dealer who is filled with the swagger required. Mickey Rourke as the villain has good motives he does everything he can even if he character does grumble a lot.
Story – The story follows up the beginning of Iron Man dealing with the idea that the military would want control of the equipment and the rest of the world will be playing catch up, with their own versions of the Iron Man suit. This is a strong world building exercise to the Iron Man universe, we get to see how SHIELD are operating in the shadows watching over the potential threats. We have a villain that is competition and another one that is out for personal revenge. We up the stakes in this one, Tony does have to deal with his own problems by needing to improve the suit and we get to set up the position of who is one the good side with teases of the eventual Avengers team up.
Action/Sci-Fi – The action in this film relies on a couple of big scenes, we have the racing introduction, the mid-life crisis sequence and the showdown, each has their own way to make an impact. The sci-fi side of the film continues to show the technology advances that Tony is dealing with.
Settings – The film uses the settings more for the action with one of the most iconic action sequences in the franchise, we continue to see Tony’s lab which tends to get destroyed a lot too.
Special Effects – The special effects in the film make each fight, drone or Iron Man suit look realistic through the film which is what needed for the film.
Scene of the Movie – Monte Carlo entrance.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – There is a small pacing issue.
Final Thoughts – This is a fun sequel that continues to build the universe we know now, Tony still needs to learn about his place and how to handle the suit which is important and shows the past could come back to haunt you.
Overall: Fun sequel.
Performances – Robert Downey Jr is still great to watch, he keeps the charisma required for his role, while bringing an emotional factor which is needed for where his character goes in this film. Gwyneth Paltrow does have a bigger role here and brings us a much stronger performance with her character. Don Cheadle is an improvement on Terrence Howard, bringing Rhodey to life more. Scarlett Johansson has the perfect look for this character which is only first jumping into the franchise. Sam Rockwell as another inventor arms dealer who is filled with the swagger required. Mickey Rourke as the villain has good motives he does everything he can even if he character does grumble a lot.
Story – The story follows up the beginning of Iron Man dealing with the idea that the military would want control of the equipment and the rest of the world will be playing catch up, with their own versions of the Iron Man suit. This is a strong world building exercise to the Iron Man universe, we get to see how SHIELD are operating in the shadows watching over the potential threats. We have a villain that is competition and another one that is out for personal revenge. We up the stakes in this one, Tony does have to deal with his own problems by needing to improve the suit and we get to set up the position of who is one the good side with teases of the eventual Avengers team up.
Action/Sci-Fi – The action in this film relies on a couple of big scenes, we have the racing introduction, the mid-life crisis sequence and the showdown, each has their own way to make an impact. The sci-fi side of the film continues to show the technology advances that Tony is dealing with.
Settings – The film uses the settings more for the action with one of the most iconic action sequences in the franchise, we continue to see Tony’s lab which tends to get destroyed a lot too.
Special Effects – The special effects in the film make each fight, drone or Iron Man suit look realistic through the film which is what needed for the film.
Scene of the Movie – Monte Carlo entrance.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – There is a small pacing issue.
Final Thoughts – This is a fun sequel that continues to build the universe we know now, Tony still needs to learn about his place and how to handle the suit which is important and shows the past could come back to haunt you.
Overall: Fun sequel.
On the day Winnie Johnson has to close her bakery due to a huge rent increase, she inherits an antique ambulance. She decides to use it to reopen her bakery as a mobile business, rushing her desserts to those in need. But when her neighbor is murdered, it puts a definite damper on her plans. Who would kill an elderly man?
The mystery aspect takes a back seat at times to getting the new business up and running, but I find the concept of this business absolutely brilliant. I’m wondering why no one hasn’t tried this in real life. The mystery does reach a logical conclusion that wraps things up. The characters are strong, and I’m looking forward to seeing where relationships go in future books. Rush out and get this debut.
NOTE: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/06/book-review-eclair-and-present-danger.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
The mystery aspect takes a back seat at times to getting the new business up and running, but I find the concept of this business absolutely brilliant. I’m wondering why no one hasn’t tried this in real life. The mystery does reach a logical conclusion that wraps things up. The characters are strong, and I’m looking forward to seeing where relationships go in future books. Rush out and get this debut.
NOTE: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/06/book-review-eclair-and-present-danger.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Career of Evil
9.3
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When a mysterious package is delivered to Robin Ellacott, she is horrified to discover that it...
AJaneClark (3975 KP) rated Pucked Off (Pucked #5) in Books
May 30, 2020
Pucked Off is the story of the sweet and haunted Lance and sports physio Poppy. Lance met Poppy when he was at his lowest, recovering not only from a sports injury playing ice hockey, but also when he was struggling to recover from the emotional abuse that seemed to follow him through his life.
Whilst this is predominantly part of a comical and erotic driven romance series, there is something sweet about this edition to the series. It allows this kind genuine man, surrounded by his "family" of ice hockey players and their partners,getting the girl of his dreams, a girl who will nurture and support him even on his darkest days. But will it be smooth running? Will it be a happy ending?
Helena Hunting again demonstrates her sense of humour and wickedness with Pucked Off, leaving the reader in stitches whilst their heart melts. Really enjoyed this story and couldn't think of a cuter pair!
Whilst this is predominantly part of a comical and erotic driven romance series, there is something sweet about this edition to the series. It allows this kind genuine man, surrounded by his "family" of ice hockey players and their partners,getting the girl of his dreams, a girl who will nurture and support him even on his darkest days. But will it be smooth running? Will it be a happy ending?
Helena Hunting again demonstrates her sense of humour and wickedness with Pucked Off, leaving the reader in stitches whilst their heart melts. Really enjoyed this story and couldn't think of a cuter pair!
The Bluebird and the Dead Lake: The Classic Account of How Donald Campbell Broke the World Land Speed Record
John Pearson and Richard Williams
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In 1964, in Australia's remote outback, on the dazzling saltpan of Lake Eyre, Donald Campbell set...
Secrets In Shadows (Shadow Creek #1)
8.0
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Wolf shifter Rex Vanderbilt has lived a life of luxury and privilege. That changes one fateful night...
M_M Paranormal Romance