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AT (1676 KP) rated Dragon Drive, Vol. 1 in Books
Apr 24, 2020
Dragon Drive seems like it will be a cute manga series. A high school boy that's not good at anything tries his hand at a high-tech virtual reality game that allows the player to ride and interact with a dragon partner during battles with other players. He gets paired up with a pathetically scrawny dragon, and has to figure out how to make it fight. The interaction with his dragon is pretty funny since everyone else seems to have huge, powerful dragons. The fact that there were several battles in volume one seemed a little repetitive, but the cute dragon made up for it.
Hazel (1853 KP) rated Nirvana (Nirvana #1) in Books
Dec 7, 2018
<i>This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review </i>
Imagine a world without any bees. That is the world that J. R. Stewart conjures up in this new dystopian series, <i>Nirvana</i>. Twenty years from now, the bees have become extinct. There are no more trees, flowers, fruits or vegetables; and more animals have become extinct as a result. Young adult, Larissa, is living in a world that seems unimaginable, but not only is she dealing with this new way of life, she is also grieving the loss of her husband, Andrew.
Andrew was a scientist, an occupation that earned himself and Larissa a place in the Barracks where he could continue with his important research. They both believed they were lucky to receive this opportunity, but then Andrew went out on a mission and never came back. No matter how hard people try to convince her, Larissa cannot accept that her husband is dead, especially as she has seen him in <i>Nirvana</i> – a virtual reality world. As she struggles to piece together what is real and what is not, secrets are being uncovered that blur the lines between reality and the cybernetic domain.
<i>Nirvana </i>is an interesting concept. Firstly, the issue with the extinction of the bees is a very real concern for scientists at the moment. If bees were to die out there would be no pollination of the vital plants that humans use daily. Humanity would be faced with a future not unlike Larissa’s. Secondly, with the advance in computer technology, virtual reality has become a popular phenomenon in contemporary society, and with more expansion it is likely that something similar to Nirvana will be produced.
As a story, however, nothing exciting really happened. There was no major build up to the ending. Characters were suspected of hiding the truth from the very beginning and therefore it was no surprise when certain facts came to light later in the novel. <i>Nirvana</i> is also a very short first installment of the series, which does not give the story much chance to develop at an adequate pace, thus it is difficult to get our heads around the virtual reality concept that Stewart writes about.
Despite these misgivings there is the chance that the following novels in this series will become more thrilling as the truth begins to unravel about Andrew’s disappearance or death.
Imagine a world without any bees. That is the world that J. R. Stewart conjures up in this new dystopian series, <i>Nirvana</i>. Twenty years from now, the bees have become extinct. There are no more trees, flowers, fruits or vegetables; and more animals have become extinct as a result. Young adult, Larissa, is living in a world that seems unimaginable, but not only is she dealing with this new way of life, she is also grieving the loss of her husband, Andrew.
Andrew was a scientist, an occupation that earned himself and Larissa a place in the Barracks where he could continue with his important research. They both believed they were lucky to receive this opportunity, but then Andrew went out on a mission and never came back. No matter how hard people try to convince her, Larissa cannot accept that her husband is dead, especially as she has seen him in <i>Nirvana</i> – a virtual reality world. As she struggles to piece together what is real and what is not, secrets are being uncovered that blur the lines between reality and the cybernetic domain.
<i>Nirvana </i>is an interesting concept. Firstly, the issue with the extinction of the bees is a very real concern for scientists at the moment. If bees were to die out there would be no pollination of the vital plants that humans use daily. Humanity would be faced with a future not unlike Larissa’s. Secondly, with the advance in computer technology, virtual reality has become a popular phenomenon in contemporary society, and with more expansion it is likely that something similar to Nirvana will be produced.
As a story, however, nothing exciting really happened. There was no major build up to the ending. Characters were suspected of hiding the truth from the very beginning and therefore it was no surprise when certain facts came to light later in the novel. <i>Nirvana</i> is also a very short first installment of the series, which does not give the story much chance to develop at an adequate pace, thus it is difficult to get our heads around the virtual reality concept that Stewart writes about.
Despite these misgivings there is the chance that the following novels in this series will become more thrilling as the truth begins to unravel about Andrew’s disappearance or death.
Susan (45 KP) rated Ready Player One in Books
Jun 29, 2017
80s nostalgia! Brought back a lot of memories of my old Atari (2 more)
Well written with so much depth to all characters
Found myself "there" in the book, a rare and wonderful occurrence
One of the best books I've ever read!
Contains spoilers, click to show
I really stepped outside my usual genres with this one. Recommended to me by a friend, I decided to give it a chance. I was instantly hooked and could not stop reading it. Like the people in the book who lived in a virtual reality, I too found myself totally immersed in this book. I could see, feel, smell, touch and taste the world created by Ernest Cline.
Dean (6921 KP) rated Ghost Machine (2009) in Movies
Sep 21, 2018
A decent low budget indie flick made in Northern Ireland. It has some well known faces like Rachael Taylor (Transformers) and a great location, an old disused prison which genuinely looks creepy. The film has a nice idea, a virtual reality battle simulation used by the army is borrowed for a gaming session. The only problem that as well as mapping the old prison to play in the game it also picks up a ghost with revenge in mind. Considering the budget the effects are ok. It reminded me a bit of Stay alive and more recently Gamer. Overall a good effort on a low budget, the DVD has a 30 minute making of as well!
Darkwriter1408 (8 KP) rated Ready Player One (2018) in Movies
Jun 12, 2019
Good storyline, good twist, mediocre cgi
So, as much as I loved watching this film and found myself enthralled into the story behind it. I found the visual effects somewhat lacking. Not reaching a high enough expectation for this kind of movie.
A movie based preliminarily around virtual reality the visual effects should be muh better and it is let down by this. That being said, the twists in the story and the way the characters are brought together. Brought this was very intuitive and clever. It showed good dynamic and gave the watcher someone to root for.
A movie based preliminarily around virtual reality the visual effects should be muh better and it is let down by this. That being said, the twists in the story and the way the characters are brought together. Brought this was very intuitive and clever. It showed good dynamic and gave the watcher someone to root for.
Dean (6921 KP) rated The Cell (2000) in Movies
Feb 16, 2018
Finally watched this at long last hearing it was a good film for a while now. It's very unique and very stylish. It starts off similar to The silence of the lambs, with a serial killer on the loose who is getting bolder which each new victim. They track him down but he has a seizure and with the latest victim still missing they need to find her quick! Using a sort of virtual reality programme J.Lo must enter his mind to find the answers.
A very good film, if quite weird during the dream scenes but these also look excellent, very surreal and elaborate. You will enjoy this if you like serial killer films, horrors and the just plain weird!
A very good film, if quite weird during the dream scenes but these also look excellent, very surreal and elaborate. You will enjoy this if you like serial killer films, horrors and the just plain weird!
Nicholas Cage recommended A Clockwork Orange (1971) in Movies (curated)
Ghost (30 KP) rated Sword Art Online: 1: Aincrad in Books
Jun 30, 2017
An epic adventure into the world of Virtual Reality gaming
This is the first instalment of the Sword Art Online series, originally written in Japanese but translated into English in the form of a light novel. The first book introduces you to the world and some of the players, the plots, side plots and the different factions that form. Most players team up to the defeat the game, but the main character decides to go it alone. Thousands of players die, thousands are still trapped but once the game has been completed you might be fooled into thinking that this is the end. This is not the case, so far I have read 17 of the books in the main series and a few other side stories. This is an epic world and an epic story.
Relatable Main Character (1 more)
Quick Listen
Fun Futuristic Story
I listened to Warcross on Audible instead of reading it, so I am reviewing based on that:
Warcross is an extremely fun, fast paced book with a lot of action. I immediately felt connected with Emika Chen as I can remember being so poor I was living off ramen trying to figure out how to make more money. As I understood more about Warcross the game, I couldn't help but wonder how close we are to this type of technology. I also couldn't help but think of how similar this is to Ready Player One in the sense that it is all virtual reality. The added hacker aspect was pretty intriguing, however. It also loosely reminded me of 50 Shade of Grey, minus the sex scenes. The relationship between Emika and Hideo, the billionaire, seems unrealistic.
Warcross is an extremely fun, fast paced book with a lot of action. I immediately felt connected with Emika Chen as I can remember being so poor I was living off ramen trying to figure out how to make more money. As I understood more about Warcross the game, I couldn't help but wonder how close we are to this type of technology. I also couldn't help but think of how similar this is to Ready Player One in the sense that it is all virtual reality. The added hacker aspect was pretty intriguing, however. It also loosely reminded me of 50 Shade of Grey, minus the sex scenes. The relationship between Emika and Hideo, the billionaire, seems unrealistic.
Asiza Tait (139 KP) rated Ready Player One in Books
Apr 12, 2019
Writing is excellent (2 more)
Full of well developed characters
Very believable
If I had been a teenager in the 80s I’m sure I would be absolutely loved the constant references to familiar games, but the 90s was my decade so a great deal went straight over my head. That said the future envisioned by the author is compelling and if I may say, utterly frightening. To not have any future in the real world and to only live in a virtual reality is my worst nightmare come to life. I enjoy playing games but having it BE my life is a step too far. The level of despair I could feel in the book was fascinating. The characters and plot were well developed, believable and realistic. By the time I put this book down, though satisfied with the ending I was relieved to get back to the real world.