Sign up
Search
Advanced search settings

Search only in certain items:

Search results
All (5000)
Content
People
Apps
Books
Orbs
Movies
Music
Podcasts
Shows
Tabletop Games
Tech
TV
Video Games
YouTube Channels
Videos
40x40

ClareR (5885 KP) rated The Last Hour in Books

Mar 28, 2018  
The Last Hour
The Last Hour
Harry Sidebottom | 2018 | Thriller
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
A Roman 24!!
That was one crazy ride from start to finish! The author has said that it's a historical take on 24 (the TV show with Jack Bauer/ Kiefer Sutherland), and he isn't wrong. But where I got fed up with the TV show, this kept my attention from start to finish. The attention to historical detail is so good (you can tell that the author is an academic - he knows how to do his research!), and sitting in my living room reading the book, I was transported to ancient Rome with all the sights and smells (my drains work just fine, thank you!).
The main character, Ballista is instantly likeable. A man with morals and honour, he discovers a plot to assassinate the Emperor that runs deep in the political and military world of Rome. He, and he alone, is the one to stop the assassination of his friend, the Emperor Gallienus. Rightly or wrongly, whether he agrees with the way that Gallienus runs the Empire or not, he is duty bound to save him - if only to save the lives of his wife and children.
I would love to be able to pick out and describe a favourite part of the book, but that comes well in to the second half (and I don't want to spoil the fun for anyone else!). I haven't read a book with quite so much action in a long time. There were some real 'heart in mouth' sections, and great character building (how Harry Sidebottom found the time and space to do that, well! I suppose that's why he writes and I don't!).
I will be on the look out for more of the authors books!
Thanks to The Pigeonhole for the chance to read this book!
  
40x40

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2357 KP) rated Murder Goes to Market in Books

Oct 16, 2020  
Murder Goes to Market
Murder Goes to Market
Daisy Bateman | 2020 | Mystery
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
To Market, to Market, to Find…A Corpse?
Claudia Simcoe has started her life again in the California coastal town of San Elmo Bay by opening a market where locals can sell their locally produced wares. Most of the offerings are food related, but she has learned that the bags and other items Lori Roth sells are just things she has bought over the internet. The morning after Claudia confronts Lori about this, she finds Lori’s dead body in the middle of the market. The police think Claudia is a great suspect, and they are keeping the market closed until they solve the case. With a double motive to learn the truth, Claudia begins her investigation. Can she figure out what really happened?

It took a bit of work to get into the book. The early chapters, while advancing the story, still fall a bit too much into exposition for me, and the third person narration kept me a little at bay. However, by the time I hit page 50, I was fully hooked. The mystery is complex with lots of puzzling things for Claudia to figure out, yet it all makes sense at the end. Claudia is a strong main character, and I enjoyed getting to know her. The rest of the cast still has some room to grow, but I did like what I saw here. Claudia can be sarcastic, and I loved that. Additionally, some lines in the narration made me laugh. I grew up in Sonoma County, the location of the fictional San Elmo Bay, and I really enjoyed spending time in a location I know in real life. This debut grew into a book I really enjoyed, and I can’t wait to visit the characters and location again.
  
40x40

Daniel Johnson (11 KP) rated Portal in Video Games

Sep 5, 2017  
Portal
Portal
2007 | Puzzle & Cards
9
8.9 (42 Ratings)
Video Game Rating Watch
Level design (3 more)
Character Design
Dialogue
Game mechanics
Relatively short story (0 more)
One of the smartest games around
Portal (2007) is one of the best video games around, and led to an even more successful sequel. The games premise is simple- you wake up in a testing room, with only an homicidal A.I to guide you through puzzles as you try and escape the testing facility. The twist comes in the dialogue, and the story that unfolds around you.
Your character doesn't speak, and her past and future are a mystery, which only adds to the intrigue the story incites.

The design is simple, a clean high-tech facility, equal parts simple and beautiful. You navigate through this world with use of a portal gun. Strategically placed, these portals can lead to your victory or your doom, and thus begins the most enjoyable 3D puzzle of the past 20 years.
Dialogue, as said, is a clear highlight, somehow balancing comedy and adventure perfectly, much akin to a Douglas Adams novel. It even manages to make G.L.A.D.O.S, a homicidal A.I, a genuinely endearing character, and one that is welcomed quickly, and missed once the game is complete.

Over all, it is clear why this game has so many devoted fans, and why we were all eager for more. This game, while simple has many levels, that make replaying and exploring a thrilling experience that you can have again and again and never get bored.
  
40x40

KittyMiku (138 KP) rated The Liar's Room in Books

Mar 24, 2019  
The Liar's Room
The Liar's Room
Simon Lelic | 2018 | Fiction & Poetry, Thriller
8
7.3 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
Definitely kept your interest (0 more)
Great read
The book had grabbed my attention within the first couple of pages. After all when a counselor starts the story out, you can't help but wonder what kind of trouble there might be in the next few pages. However, I had never expected the story to revolve around Susanna, who councils others. As it turned out, to watch her struggle with her past and the reason she is doing this in the first place was truly amazing. The Liar's Room had so many twists, turns and conflicted emotions, it was hard to not get wrapped up in the story at all. It was exceptional true when Susanna's daughters life's was at risk.
When you meet Adam, the antagonist, you can't help but wonder if he is familiar, as Susanna leaves you to believe, because he did something that she longs to forget or was in a situation that had caused her to run and start fresh. But as the story unfolds, you want to hate and feel sorry for him. As well as, root for Susanna but also find some of the things she had felt or thought to be distasteful and even disgusting. With everything she kept hidden from her new friends and her daughter you can't help but to wonder if you would do the same in her situation. Especially when it all comes back to her very own son.