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Vampire Hunter Survival Game: Post Apocalypse

Games and Entertainment

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App

Sheriff jack survive the first wave of the zombies horde and managed to reach city hospital in...

Battle Copters

Games and Entertainment

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Compete in the most ACTION PACKED multiplayer airborne battles, with easy controls and AWESOME...

ClareR (6256 KP) rated My Name is Monster in Books

Jul 30, 2020 (Updated Jul 30, 2020)

My Name is Monster

Katie Hale | 2019 | Dystopia, Fiction & Poetry, Science Fiction/Fantasy

8.3

(3 Ratings)

Book Rating

My Name is Monster is a book that really took me by surprise. It’s far more thoughtful and gentle than a lot of other post-apocalyptic books that I’ve read before. I kept expecting something terrible to happen - but it becomes apparent that the terrible thing has already happened.

After a series of wars, both sides have unleashed a sickness that has wiped out the population, and the survivors of that have died of starvation. Monster is a survivor. She had sheltered in the Arctic Seed Vault where she had been working. When she emerges, she is alone. She takes a boat and makes for the Scottish coast. When she washes up on a beach, shipwrecked, she walks towards the only place she really wants to see - home.

She starts to build a solitary life, resigned to living alone. And then one day she finds a child. She names her Monster, and renames herself Mother.

This is a story that made me think about the role of society, and what happens to an individual when there IS no society. It also showed what it means to be a mother: that it isn’t always the ones who give birth who are the mothers. Often it can be the things that a person DOES that makes them a mother. It also shows that one doesn’t have to have lots of possessions to be content. Contentment can be achieved through work or relationships.

There was a point quite early on, where I wondered whether this was the book for me, but I’m glad that I kept on reading. It’s the little things in this book that are actually the big things: the actions of an individual and love.

This was a really enjoyable, satisfying read. Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my copy of this book.

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Ollie SB (2282 KP) rated A Bat out of Hell: The Musical in Dominion Theatre (London, United Kingdom) in Shows

Aug 14, 2020

The Music (1 more)

The Cast

The story is... weird (0 more)

A Story Out of Hell, Music Out of Heaven

I watched this a few years ago at the Dominion Theatre in London, and will hopefully be seeing it again in January (fingers crossed). I am by no means a massive theatre fan, but I was drawn to this show because of my love for Meat Loaf (the artist not the food). My mum got me and my sister hooked on his music from a young age and it was my sister that convinced me to see this show - I'm glad that she did...

Written by Jim Steinman, who also wrote the original album 'Bat Out of Hell' (one of the greatest albums ever btw) this show tells the story of... well it's kinda confusing... basically, two 18 year olds that fall in love, even though the parents forbid it... but the characters are all stuck at age 18 and never age... and it's set in some post-apocalyptic, dystopian future... yeah like I said, confusing. But as I said, I didn't really see this show for the story, it was the music that carried me through this show.

The story is... okay, but the music is brilliant. It offers a slightly different take on classics such as 'Bat Out of Hell', 'Paradise by the Dashboard Lights' and 'Heaven Can Wait' amongst others. The songs really help you to understand the story a bit better, and are performed brilliantly by the cast.

Overall I would say this show is probably perfect for fans of Meat Loaf, but perhaps lacking in story for avid theatre goers. For someone like me who isn't that invested in theatre culture, but appreciates the music, this show was perfect.