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ClareR (5686 KP) rated Record of a Spaceborn Few in Books
Jul 26, 2018
"From the ground, we stand. From our ships, we live. By the stars, we hope..."
The lives of five people and their friends and family are followed on board one of the ships of the Exodus fleet. These are the descendants of those who escaped a dying Earth, not knowing if what they were doing would result in their deaths anyway. It didn't.
I loved reading about these people: they illustrated the different kinds of lives they had, and how they were regarded in the wider universe.
Becky Chambers books are so descriptive without being boring: I felt as though I was walking the corridors and sitting in the 'hexes' with the families. All three of these Wayfarers novels have had that personal feel to them, and this is something that has really appealed to me and kept me coming back for more. I can't wait to see where Chambers goes next. Whether she continues with the Wayfarers or not, I'll definitely read them!
I loved reading about these people: they illustrated the different kinds of lives they had, and how they were regarded in the wider universe.
Becky Chambers books are so descriptive without being boring: I felt as though I was walking the corridors and sitting in the 'hexes' with the families. All three of these Wayfarers novels have had that personal feel to them, and this is something that has really appealed to me and kept me coming back for more. I can't wait to see where Chambers goes next. Whether she continues with the Wayfarers or not, I'll definitely read them!
ClareR (5686 KP) rated Walking to Aldebaran in Books
Jul 19, 2019
Walking to Aldebaran is an absolute corker of a novella. I loved it - if you enjoy science fiction, it’s a no-brainer, but this story is more than that. It’s about the slow (or fast! Err, you need to read it) descent into insanity of a man stranded alone inside a planet/ wormhole/ crypt! The main character, Gary Rendell, gets separated from his fellow crew members when they disembark from their ship to explore a strange planet-sized ‘rock’. It’s creepy, startling and SO WELL WRITTEN! You can’t help but like Gary - whether you should or not is another matter entirely!
How Adrian Tchaikovsky manages to cram so much in to 140 pages will be why he’s the writer that I want to read (and why I’m not the writer 🤷🏼♀️). Oh, and I did like what was done with the names - Gary’s name will become clearer nearer the end of the story!
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this fab book!
How Adrian Tchaikovsky manages to cram so much in to 140 pages will be why he’s the writer that I want to read (and why I’m not the writer 🤷🏼♀️). Oh, and I did like what was done with the names - Gary’s name will become clearer nearer the end of the story!
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this fab book!
Logan (76 KP) rated Spy Killer in Books
Jan 14, 2019
This review covers the audio book version.
My first audio book with sound effects! That was exciting. The numerous fist fights, gunfire exchanges, and characters walking through doors really came to life as I listened to this. The music between chapters was pretty fun too.
Unfortunately, the voice acting (and some of the writing itself) struck me as terribly racist and offensive. The characters all fit into neat little stereotypes. There's nothing deep or challenging about any aspect of the story. All that said, it was kind of fun to listen to and laugh at, much as Kurt Reed (not sure if it's just this story or all L. Ron Hubbard stuff, but if you hear a character's first name, expect the last name to be dropped as well) laughs off basically everything that goes wrong. That might be the only truly positive thing I took away from it. Heroes laugh in the face of adversity. Cool. I'll keep that in mind.
My first audio book with sound effects! That was exciting. The numerous fist fights, gunfire exchanges, and characters walking through doors really came to life as I listened to this. The music between chapters was pretty fun too.
Unfortunately, the voice acting (and some of the writing itself) struck me as terribly racist and offensive. The characters all fit into neat little stereotypes. There's nothing deep or challenging about any aspect of the story. All that said, it was kind of fun to listen to and laugh at, much as Kurt Reed (not sure if it's just this story or all L. Ron Hubbard stuff, but if you hear a character's first name, expect the last name to be dropped as well) laughs off basically everything that goes wrong. That might be the only truly positive thing I took away from it. Heroes laugh in the face of adversity. Cool. I'll keep that in mind.
Erika (17788 KP) rated Witness for the Prosecution in TV
Jan 20, 2019 (Updated Jan 20, 2019)
Do not compare this to the original.
Watching the original Witness for the Prosecution (1957), I remember being genuinely shocked by that twist, because it came out of nowhere.This film just didn't build the story up to
This adaptation is alright, it's nothing to write home about. There were too many shots of Toby Jones walking through allies or in his dungeon-like office. I felt like this went on too long, and the added length didn't necessarily add anything to the story.
I feel like with a lot of these modern adaptations of Christie's novels, they're tending to insert sex scenes when they're genuinely aren't needed and just slow up the story. It actually makes it hard for me to suggest the new adaptations to my mother, who hates when Christie's work is altered in that particular way.
Skip this one, and watch the original film with Tyrone Powers and Marlene Dietrich.
This adaptation is alright, it's nothing to write home about. There were too many shots of Toby Jones walking through allies or in his dungeon-like office. I felt like this went on too long, and the added length didn't necessarily add anything to the story.
I feel like with a lot of these modern adaptations of Christie's novels, they're tending to insert sex scenes when they're genuinely aren't needed and just slow up the story. It actually makes it hard for me to suggest the new adaptations to my mother, who hates when Christie's work is altered in that particular way.
Skip this one, and watch the original film with Tyrone Powers and Marlene Dietrich.
saheffernan (157 KP) rated How We Became Wicked in Books
Nov 9, 2019
If you want a spooky book recommendation this is it. I got thriller, Halloween vibes from this book from the start. A disease has consumed most of the world leaving behind 3 types of people. The wicked, the true and the vexed. The wicked are something a little like zombies in the book their described like children with no impulse control and a want to kill. Astrid, a vexed young girl curious about the world & the only other young person in her community Henry is who we mostly follow throughout the story as they try to figure out what's beyond their world of Goldsport. I can say that I definitely didn't see the twist coming. It was a good book with a decent storyline maybe a bit lacking here and there mostly of how the disease came about. Quick read with a Walking Dead world full of wicked people and survival feel.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Worzel Gummidge in TV
Jan 3, 2020
Writer-director-actor-everything Mackenzie Crook's new take on the famous scarecrow draws much more from the original books than the first TV series with Jon Pertwee forty years ago. It certainly sounds like the stuff of classic children's literature: two children visiting the countryside discover Worzel Gummidge, a walking, talking scarecrow.
What makes it special is that, firstly, it is genuinely very funny, with strong performances from all concerned, and, secondly, when it's not trying to be funny, it is actually quite eerie: as the Unthanks' soundtrack played and the scarecrows of Albion stirred into awkward life, I felt a genuine shiver down my spine. It's not quite folk horror for kids, but there is a mystical atmosphere to the whole thing which suits the story extremely well. All of this is handled with a surprising but very welcome lightness of touch. One of the best things I saw on TV in 2019 (not that this is necessarily saying much).
What makes it special is that, firstly, it is genuinely very funny, with strong performances from all concerned, and, secondly, when it's not trying to be funny, it is actually quite eerie: as the Unthanks' soundtrack played and the scarecrows of Albion stirred into awkward life, I felt a genuine shiver down my spine. It's not quite folk horror for kids, but there is a mystical atmosphere to the whole thing which suits the story extremely well. All of this is handled with a surprising but very welcome lightness of touch. One of the best things I saw on TV in 2019 (not that this is necessarily saying much).
Fantastic for the price
I gave this a go as my wife was looking for something that she could listen to when she was walking the dog. When it came I was amazed by just how many functions it has. Aside from the mp3 and video capabilities, it also has photos, ebooks, pedometer, fm radio, stop watch, alarm and lots more. I was a little perturbed to find that I could not Bluetooth songs to it, only connect it by Bluetooth to headphones. It comes with all the necessary cables and instruction. It also comes with a strap on armband so you can easily slip the mp3 player into it, which makes it ideal for those people who want to jog or run whilst listening to music. A great item for a great price (£34.99 on Amazon)
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