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David McK (3721 KP) rated Batman: The Long Halloween in Books
Jan 30, 2019
Of all the Superhero's around, I personally think that Batman has the best Rogue's gallery of villains: Superman, for instance, has Lex Luthor And (to a lesser extent) General Zod, while Spiderman has, what, Green Goblin? Dr Octopus? Venom?
Batman, on the other hand (and purely off the top of my head): The Joker. The Penguin. Poison Ivy. The Riddler. Catwoman (on/off as a villain). Scarecrow. Bane. And Two-Face.
Admittedly, some of those characters are now more famous than they used to be before due to the various Batman films, with the last four (And the first) mentioned in my list all appearing in the more-recent Christopher Nolan 'Dark Knight' series of Batman films. Of that trilogy, the second movie concerned itself principally with two main villains: The Joker, and Harvey Dent (aka Two-Face) and, in particular, the circumstances that led District Attorney Dent to become Two-Face.
Those circumstances are also the subject of this graphic novel, which also has a foreword/introduction by the director and writer of 'The Dark Knight', Christopher Nolan and David Goyer, in which they acknowledge the huge debt their movie owes to this novel.
This is also commonly cited as one of the better Batman stories, and is set during the early days of Batman's crusade against criminality in Gotham - there's no Robin here, nor Oracle (well, there is, but only as a baby), for instance.
As such, it makes a good intro (IMO) into the Batman mythos, not far behind the futuristic The Dark Knight Returns or the early-set Year One.
Batman, on the other hand (and purely off the top of my head): The Joker. The Penguin. Poison Ivy. The Riddler. Catwoman (on/off as a villain). Scarecrow. Bane. And Two-Face.
Admittedly, some of those characters are now more famous than they used to be before due to the various Batman films, with the last four (And the first) mentioned in my list all appearing in the more-recent Christopher Nolan 'Dark Knight' series of Batman films. Of that trilogy, the second movie concerned itself principally with two main villains: The Joker, and Harvey Dent (aka Two-Face) and, in particular, the circumstances that led District Attorney Dent to become Two-Face.
Those circumstances are also the subject of this graphic novel, which also has a foreword/introduction by the director and writer of 'The Dark Knight', Christopher Nolan and David Goyer, in which they acknowledge the huge debt their movie owes to this novel.
This is also commonly cited as one of the better Batman stories, and is set during the early days of Batman's crusade against criminality in Gotham - there's no Robin here, nor Oracle (well, there is, but only as a baby), for instance.
As such, it makes a good intro (IMO) into the Batman mythos, not far behind the futuristic The Dark Knight Returns or the early-set Year One.
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Sundered (Nevermore book #1) in Books
Jul 19, 2019
Contains spoilers, click to show
Author Warning: This book has a cliffhanger. Proceed with caution as you may fall off the edge screaming for more.
My name is Mara and I want desperately to become a mother. All of my dreams were dashed when the world was promised hope but instead became a place of danger, death . . . and monsters.
Living in a rural part of Canada, I thought life with my adoring husband was finally moving in the right direction. We had an idyllic home, friends, and plans for a future together.
The only thing missing, was the child we both so desperately wanted.
Hope came in the form of a single medical miracle. Yet the drug was not as it seemed and instead of healing, it beget a world of monsters.
Now we must find the will and strength to survive with only each other to hold onto.
But a deadly secret threatens our love and very survival .
So I'm new to Shannon Meyer and I really enjoyed this book it's the first in a trilogy and it kept me interested from the fist word to the last!
It's a spin on the zombie apocalypse and yes one that is quite obvious. What I like about this book is the connection you see between the nevermore's.
The only thing I kinda was annoyed by was the author warning of a cliff hanger. It wasn't what I was expecting in a cliff hanger I mean it was quite obvious what she was going to have to do!
⭐⭐⭐⭐
My name is Mara and I want desperately to become a mother. All of my dreams were dashed when the world was promised hope but instead became a place of danger, death . . . and monsters.
Living in a rural part of Canada, I thought life with my adoring husband was finally moving in the right direction. We had an idyllic home, friends, and plans for a future together.
The only thing missing, was the child we both so desperately wanted.
Hope came in the form of a single medical miracle. Yet the drug was not as it seemed and instead of healing, it beget a world of monsters.
Now we must find the will and strength to survive with only each other to hold onto.
But a deadly secret threatens our love and very survival .
So I'm new to Shannon Meyer and I really enjoyed this book it's the first in a trilogy and it kept me interested from the fist word to the last!
It's a spin on the zombie apocalypse and yes one that is quite obvious. What I like about this book is the connection you see between the nevermore's.
The only thing I kinda was annoyed by was the author warning of a cliff hanger. It wasn't what I was expecting in a cliff hanger I mean it was quite obvious what she was going to have to do!
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Merissa (13816 KP) rated Reaper (Birds of a Feather #5) in Books
Dec 19, 2018
Reaper (Birds of a Feather #5) by Lena North
Reaper is the fifth and final book in the Birds of a Feather series, and it goes out with a bang! Annie is spying on Wilder's ranch, with something to tell them, and not sure of her reception or the reaction once she does. It feels strange for her to mingle amongst people she feels like she already knows, and yet doesn't. Olly is his usual taciturn self, and yet Annie breaks through his barriers easy enough. Things don't go easy for the two of them though, and the whole gang gets involved to keep Annie safe until Olly retrieves his head out of his butt!
What a finale. Seriously, it was fantastic. I love Olly, I have done all the way through this series, but I will admit to enjoying seeing him make a fool of himself. I wasn't too impressed with some of his behaviour though, and was glad he was made to see the error of his ways.
So many characters, so many stories. I can't say out of all of them which are my favourites! Lena North has done an amazing job of making each of these characters and situations completely different, and yet maintaining the overall storyline. I wasn't sure at the beginning if I would like these as much as I did The Dreughan Trilogy. I can now confirm that yes, I did - absolutely!
For a fantastic coming-of-age story, then I can definitely recommend this whole series, and basically anything written by Lena North too!
* Verified Purchase ~ July 2018. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
What a finale. Seriously, it was fantastic. I love Olly, I have done all the way through this series, but I will admit to enjoying seeing him make a fool of himself. I wasn't too impressed with some of his behaviour though, and was glad he was made to see the error of his ways.
So many characters, so many stories. I can't say out of all of them which are my favourites! Lena North has done an amazing job of making each of these characters and situations completely different, and yet maintaining the overall storyline. I wasn't sure at the beginning if I would like these as much as I did The Dreughan Trilogy. I can now confirm that yes, I did - absolutely!
For a fantastic coming-of-age story, then I can definitely recommend this whole series, and basically anything written by Lena North too!
* Verified Purchase ~ July 2018. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
The Bandersnatch (199 KP) rated The Magicians' Guild (Black Magician Trilogy, #1) in Books
Nov 7, 2019
The Magicians Guild is the first of the Black Magician Trilogy and was published in 2001, Followed by The Novice (2002) and The Black Magician (2003). The story starts with a young Slum Dweller named Sonea as she discovers her magical potential after throwing a stone through a magical barrier. Going in the run Sonea has to deal with both the magicians guild after her and the growing chaos that is her loosing control of her power. After being found by Lord Rothen and helped achieve control, Sonea must face a difficult trial for both entrance to the Guild and Mentorship between Rothen and the sinister looking Fergun.
Canavan stated on her website that the initial inspiration which ended up being part of the first chapter came form her watching a documentary of the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona where a report about the government taking the host cities homeless and sending them to other cities/towns. Later that night she saw herself and several others being herded out of a city...by magicians hence the first chapter.
Now when I first found the book I was in a Waterstones (Well known British bookstore) mindlessly looking....wasn't even expecting to buy a book and I came across The Magicians Guild. Finding the blurb interesting I bought it and after reading it I fell in love and I ended up rushing to buy the other two books. Hearing the influence of the first chapter reminded me of the influence Susanne Collins the writer of the Hunger games series had of flicking through channels and hearing two different news posts.
Canavan stated on her website that the initial inspiration which ended up being part of the first chapter came form her watching a documentary of the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona where a report about the government taking the host cities homeless and sending them to other cities/towns. Later that night she saw herself and several others being herded out of a city...by magicians hence the first chapter.
Now when I first found the book I was in a Waterstones (Well known British bookstore) mindlessly looking....wasn't even expecting to buy a book and I came across The Magicians Guild. Finding the blurb interesting I bought it and after reading it I fell in love and I ended up rushing to buy the other two books. Hearing the influence of the first chapter reminded me of the influence Susanne Collins the writer of the Hunger games series had of flicking through channels and hearing two different news posts.
Merissa (13816 KP) rated Dark One's Mistress (Dark One's Trilogy #1) in Books
Nov 13, 2019
DARK ONE'S MISTRESS is the first book in the Dark One's Trilogy, and we start with Clara being in the wrong place at the wrong time. She lives in a village called Everdark and rumours abound that the Great Lord has died, and his heir now rules. If this is the case, then a new mistress will be called upon. Clara is one of those taken and she does everything she can to avoid being the one chosen, but to no avail.
This is a slow-paced book, with plenty of interaction between Lucias and Clara as he tries to prove to her that he is a man of his word, and he won't do anything before she is ready. She, of course, doesn't believe him and spends the first part of the book constantly trying to escape.
Interwoven with that is the constant threat of Lucias' mother and her barbarian bodyguard who want to kill Lucias because of who his father was. Trust me, that actually becomes acceptable the more you learn about the father.
I loved the attitudes of both Lucias and Clara and found it definitely to be a case of if you love someone, set them free. Clara is not a doormat, but is definitely set in her ways and has trouble seeing things from different perspectives.
Due to the emphasis on Lucias and Clara, I did feel that I missed out on some of the other characters. There were also questions raised to which I received no answers. However, this did not infringe upon my enjoyment of this book, and I have no hesitation in recommending it.
This is a slow-paced book, with plenty of interaction between Lucias and Clara as he tries to prove to her that he is a man of his word, and he won't do anything before she is ready. She, of course, doesn't believe him and spends the first part of the book constantly trying to escape.
Interwoven with that is the constant threat of Lucias' mother and her barbarian bodyguard who want to kill Lucias because of who his father was. Trust me, that actually becomes acceptable the more you learn about the father.
I loved the attitudes of both Lucias and Clara and found it definitely to be a case of if you love someone, set them free. Clara is not a doormat, but is definitely set in her ways and has trouble seeing things from different perspectives.
Due to the emphasis on Lucias and Clara, I did feel that I missed out on some of the other characters. There were also questions raised to which I received no answers. However, this did not infringe upon my enjoyment of this book, and I have no hesitation in recommending it.
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011) in Movies
Nov 20, 2019
Drunk Johnny Part 4
This one is good, just not as good as the trilogy, it does return Jack Sparrow and his adventures to get more drunk, im kidding. But actually its true. So is Will Turner in it, nope, is Elizabeth Swan in it, nope, is Davy Jones in it, nope. So who's in this Barbossa of course he is. I like Barbossa he's a good anti-hero. So who's the villian this time, Blackbread played by the excellent Ian McShane, so how is he in this film, well he's good. Just I miss Bill Nighy as Davy Jones he was excellent in the role and as the charcter he had a arc that was in two films. Blackbread is okay as a villian just not the same.
The Plot: The checkered past of Capt. Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) catches up to him when he encounters Angelica (Penélope Cruz), a beautiful pirate that Jack once loved then left. Angelica forces him to accompany her to the Queen Anne's Revenge, the ship of the notorious Blackbeard (Ian McShane). Accompanied by a zombie crew, the trio sets sail to find the legendary Fountain of Youth. However, Jack's rival, Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), also seeks the fountain, as does a ship from Spain.
Ahh so this time its Jack Sparrow's adventure to the fountian of youth. A plus is that Keith Richards is back playing Jack Sparrow's father, wait did we need that? Probley not, but we got it anyways.
So you watch this film, yes if you like the other ones, you'll like this one. Just dont watch the 5th one.
The Plot: The checkered past of Capt. Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) catches up to him when he encounters Angelica (Penélope Cruz), a beautiful pirate that Jack once loved then left. Angelica forces him to accompany her to the Queen Anne's Revenge, the ship of the notorious Blackbeard (Ian McShane). Accompanied by a zombie crew, the trio sets sail to find the legendary Fountain of Youth. However, Jack's rival, Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), also seeks the fountain, as does a ship from Spain.
Ahh so this time its Jack Sparrow's adventure to the fountian of youth. A plus is that Keith Richards is back playing Jack Sparrow's father, wait did we need that? Probley not, but we got it anyways.
So you watch this film, yes if you like the other ones, you'll like this one. Just dont watch the 5th one.
Ross (3284 KP) rated Dispel Illusion in Books
Jan 3, 2020
A consistent end to the trilogy
The D&D time-travel series comes to and end with this third book. Here the action is split between a timeline in the 90s following the first two books, with a future narrative of Nick's adult life in the 2000s and 2010s, and finishing up with a retelling of the events of the first book, from "future Nick's" PoV.
I still have issues with the science, multiverse and time-travel execution here as with the first books, but appreciate the way the story was woven together. Some of Lawrence's fantasy books have the different timeline feature and once again he expertly weaves them together so the overall story emerges at a good pace.
At one point, I thought the book was going to go down the Bill & Ted route as a cop-out ("in the future we will come back to this point and leave this key here and voila here it is") but this was actually quite well handled and wasn't the cop-out I feared.
The book benefits from a more stretched timeline as we see significant events from Nick's adult life, rather than dwelling on his teenage years solely. Likewise there is more of a focus on the D&D, which was somewhat lacking in book 2, and with key learnings from that featuring in the real world storyline.
Overall, I think I enjoyed this series, but I have my hang-ups about time-travel and multiverse theories in general. A good bit of escapism, if a little heavy on the pretend science at times.
I still have issues with the science, multiverse and time-travel execution here as with the first books, but appreciate the way the story was woven together. Some of Lawrence's fantasy books have the different timeline feature and once again he expertly weaves them together so the overall story emerges at a good pace.
At one point, I thought the book was going to go down the Bill & Ted route as a cop-out ("in the future we will come back to this point and leave this key here and voila here it is") but this was actually quite well handled and wasn't the cop-out I feared.
The book benefits from a more stretched timeline as we see significant events from Nick's adult life, rather than dwelling on his teenage years solely. Likewise there is more of a focus on the D&D, which was somewhat lacking in book 2, and with key learnings from that featuring in the real world storyline.
Overall, I think I enjoyed this series, but I have my hang-ups about time-travel and multiverse theories in general. A good bit of escapism, if a little heavy on the pretend science at times.
Ross (3284 KP) rated God of Broken Things in Books
Aug 1, 2019
Excellent conclusion to the duology
* I received an advance copy of this book from the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review *
The second and final book in the short series (for once an author who is willing to restrict his series to two books rather than padding out to a trilogy with a low quality middle book!) continues Edrin Walker's fight for his life. Where in the first book the coward found himself accidentally returning to the city where he was banished from, and thrown into a conspiracy to destroy the city, here he is more of a willing participant.
The scarrabus (the mind-controlling parasite race) are rife in the city and Walker starts to uncover their plot. Events see him sent to hold off a fast approaching army, where he once again battles with mind-controlled mages and warriors.
The action is thick and fast in this book, and while there are some metaphysical sections, and some epic sections of exposition it keeps the reader engaged throughout.
Walker is a likeable, though thoroughly detestable selfish coward who sometimes ends up doing the right things, if not for the right reason. His magic power of mind-control is used more here than in the first book (where I felt it had been a little neglected for fear of being a Mary Sue), but not over-used and at times it wonderfully helps the story move along while his body can't allow him to be in the thick of the action.
There are twists and conflict galore in this brilliant gritty conclusion to a great story with some really strong, original characters.
The second and final book in the short series (for once an author who is willing to restrict his series to two books rather than padding out to a trilogy with a low quality middle book!) continues Edrin Walker's fight for his life. Where in the first book the coward found himself accidentally returning to the city where he was banished from, and thrown into a conspiracy to destroy the city, here he is more of a willing participant.
The scarrabus (the mind-controlling parasite race) are rife in the city and Walker starts to uncover their plot. Events see him sent to hold off a fast approaching army, where he once again battles with mind-controlled mages and warriors.
The action is thick and fast in this book, and while there are some metaphysical sections, and some epic sections of exposition it keeps the reader engaged throughout.
Walker is a likeable, though thoroughly detestable selfish coward who sometimes ends up doing the right things, if not for the right reason. His magic power of mind-control is used more here than in the first book (where I felt it had been a little neglected for fear of being a Mary Sue), but not over-used and at times it wonderfully helps the story move along while his body can't allow him to be in the thick of the action.
There are twists and conflict galore in this brilliant gritty conclusion to a great story with some really strong, original characters.
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) in Movies
Aug 5, 2019
The X-Men film we deserve
After a line of underwhelming X-Men feature films, Day of Future Past is an absolute belter, and compliments the excellent First Class as a sequel.
After becoming familiar with the characters throughout the X-Men and X2, it broke my heart when the third film failed to deliver the goods, as it seems like we wouldn't see a lot of the same actors again, especially after First Class introduced all new faces for some familiar characters.
When it was announced that DOFP would include both casts, I was so genuinely excited.
And rightly so.
This is the FOX-X-men equivalent of Infinity War. All of these characters coming together to stop a threat that fans have wanted to see on the big screen since day one - The Sentinels.
The bleak future painted is truly horrifying, as mutants are on the edge of extinction after being hunted down.
Throw is a little time travel to stop this future from ever coming to pass, and we are set with Wolverine in the 70s, with the cast of First Class.
It's a great move, and makes for a really fun setting, with high stakes to boot.
The action is plentiful and thrilling (especially the future-set fight near the end - hard to watch at times), and it's a real throwback to hear the original score from the original trilogy.
It ticks all the boxes as it plays on nostalgia, whilst giving us something new simultaneously.
It's a real treat for X-Men fans, and was for a short while, my favourite entry in the franchise (then Logan came along...)
After becoming familiar with the characters throughout the X-Men and X2, it broke my heart when the third film failed to deliver the goods, as it seems like we wouldn't see a lot of the same actors again, especially after First Class introduced all new faces for some familiar characters.
When it was announced that DOFP would include both casts, I was so genuinely excited.
And rightly so.
This is the FOX-X-men equivalent of Infinity War. All of these characters coming together to stop a threat that fans have wanted to see on the big screen since day one - The Sentinels.
The bleak future painted is truly horrifying, as mutants are on the edge of extinction after being hunted down.
Throw is a little time travel to stop this future from ever coming to pass, and we are set with Wolverine in the 70s, with the cast of First Class.
It's a great move, and makes for a really fun setting, with high stakes to boot.
The action is plentiful and thrilling (especially the future-set fight near the end - hard to watch at times), and it's a real throwback to hear the original score from the original trilogy.
It ticks all the boxes as it plays on nostalgia, whilst giving us something new simultaneously.
It's a real treat for X-Men fans, and was for a short while, my favourite entry in the franchise (then Logan came along...)
The Devil, The Witch and The Whore (The Deal #1)
8.0
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“Leave the forest alone. Whatever's out there, just let it be. Don't make it angry.” When a...
Horror suspense violence supernatural