Search
Search results
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Xenohunters in Tabletop Games
Mar 22, 2021
What do you find absolutely terrifying? A great many things are on my list, and one of them happens to be the main theme for Xenohunters – heroes attempting to blow up a space station that has been overrun by hostile alien threats, but said aliens are adept at sneaking and can rise up just before you and deliver a deadly blow. I know I can’t be the only one shuddering at THAT thought. So when my friends over at Half-Monster Games contacted me about previewing their new game I knew I was in for one crazy ride.
In Xenohunters one player will act as the main alien force while the other players will divvy up the four hunter characters to oppose. The alien wins when the human threat is eliminated and the humans win once the alien threat is eliminated or once the space station has been blown up with a bomb and at least one human survivor leaving on the spaceship. Tensions run high and every being is on high alert. So let’s get into this! Pre-disclaimer: as this game has many delicate rules I will be giving a high-level overview of gameplay and more opinion on my plays at the end.
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a prototype copy of this game for the purposes of this review. These are preview copy components, and I do not know for sure if the final components will be any different from these shown. Also, it is not my intention to detail every rule in the game, as there are just too many. You are invited to download the rulebook, back the game through the Kickstarter campaign, or through any retailers stocking it after fulfillment. -T
To setup consult the rules until the table looks similar to what is shown below. Beware: this game does take up quite a bit of table real estate to plan accordingly and use “the big table.”
Xenohunters is played in rounds until one side has achieved their win condition, as explained above. The aliens, or “Xenos,” will take their turns first, and then the human squad is able to take theirs. Xenohunters offers a loose turn structure in that each character is allowed two or three actions to take, but the actions and the characters on each side may take turns and actions however they wish in any order they wish. So the Xenos could move Alien 1 (not the name given in the game), then activate something with Alien 2, and then two more actions with Alien 1 before Alien 2 completes their turn. And same goes for the human squad.
Much of the game revolves around movement within the space station, either visible or hidden. Players are able to use abilities, gain special cards, hatch alien eggs, move through the vents, block doorways, and bomb individual rooms on the path to victory. Once a human player is attacked and killed, they immediately switch sides and can be respawned as a Hybrid Spawn that belongs to the Xeno team. The remaining human players are now at a disadvantage toward satisfying their victory condition and have another alien hunting them down.
Play continues in this loose turn fashion until one side can claim victory and the game ends.
Components. Again, this is a rough prototype printed and assembled in house at Half-Monster Games, so it is possible that many of the components will look very different when finalized. That said, I truly enjoy the art style featured on many components, and though the game tone is very dark and brooding (not typically my style), the majority of component choices are well done and well suited for this style. I wish I could see a finalized version to truly comment on, but from what I was provided I believe the game will look amazing once complete.
Gameplay. This is where I wanted to spend most of my preview. This game reminds me of a cross between Escape from the Aliens in Outer Space, the wildly-popular (right? I don’t play it so I don’t really know) Among Us digital game, and most tabletop RPGs on the market. I make these comps because in the former, all movement is hidden until something bad happens. Here in Xenohunters movement is hybrid hidden and visible, but players should try to remain hidden as much as possible. The first game played did not value hidden movement as much and the Xenos won rather quickly by just barreling through the space station and unleashing hellish damage on the humans. In Among Us only the Impostor can travel through vents (right?) and here in Xenohunters only the aliens are able to use the vents initally; the humans will need a special item card in order to use the vents, and even then it is only one time.
Once a player meets on the same space as another player from the opposing team combat can begin. I comped RPGs as well, and combat in Xenohunters utilizes an Aim value that is like an AC of an opponent in that the die roll will need to meet or exceed the Aim value for the attacker or else no damage is dealt. Each Xeno and human has their own stats for Aim, Health, Carry, and Speed, which are all self-explanatory. Humans can use an action to Rummage at certain map locations in order to gain cards that are beneficial in combat, movement, additional actions, and even the coveted Bomb and Detonator cards. In this fashion I see influences from RPGs in Xenohunters.
So what do I think about the game? Well, I have never been great at hidden movement games, and while this one is not solely reliant on that one mechanic I am still bad at it. This does not at all diminish my enjoyment of the game, and I do quite like it. Xenohunters uses mechanics from other great games and employs them pretty well. Yes, the rules are always being improved, even from this point (I am using Rules v.0.9.6), but once this is complete I feel it will be an excellent game to have in one’s collection. I personally have zero games utilizing hidden movement mechanics, so this will certainly fill a niche in my collection that I have neglected.
I love the theme and premise of the game, and it seems ripe for expansions. I can see many new human characters that can be added, more maps and scenarios, and even more big bads being thrown in to increase the difficulty. I have no idea if these are planned at all, but Xenohunters is laying the groundwork for a bevvy of expansions that can be added. The artwork is great (though not final on all pieces), and I know Half-Monster Games is going to give it special treatment to make it really pop.
I am very much looking forward to monitoring the Kickstarter campaign for this one as I think it is an excellent concept and brings horror to the table without being overly graphic and gory. I will not be playing this with my son any time soon (he is four), but when he is old enough I will definitely be introducing him to Xenohunters. While I am not great at this game, I very much look forward to playing lots more and practicing my strategies so I can one day challenge Jack (the designer) at a convention… whenever those happen again.
In Xenohunters one player will act as the main alien force while the other players will divvy up the four hunter characters to oppose. The alien wins when the human threat is eliminated and the humans win once the alien threat is eliminated or once the space station has been blown up with a bomb and at least one human survivor leaving on the spaceship. Tensions run high and every being is on high alert. So let’s get into this! Pre-disclaimer: as this game has many delicate rules I will be giving a high-level overview of gameplay and more opinion on my plays at the end.
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a prototype copy of this game for the purposes of this review. These are preview copy components, and I do not know for sure if the final components will be any different from these shown. Also, it is not my intention to detail every rule in the game, as there are just too many. You are invited to download the rulebook, back the game through the Kickstarter campaign, or through any retailers stocking it after fulfillment. -T
To setup consult the rules until the table looks similar to what is shown below. Beware: this game does take up quite a bit of table real estate to plan accordingly and use “the big table.”
Xenohunters is played in rounds until one side has achieved their win condition, as explained above. The aliens, or “Xenos,” will take their turns first, and then the human squad is able to take theirs. Xenohunters offers a loose turn structure in that each character is allowed two or three actions to take, but the actions and the characters on each side may take turns and actions however they wish in any order they wish. So the Xenos could move Alien 1 (not the name given in the game), then activate something with Alien 2, and then two more actions with Alien 1 before Alien 2 completes their turn. And same goes for the human squad.
Much of the game revolves around movement within the space station, either visible or hidden. Players are able to use abilities, gain special cards, hatch alien eggs, move through the vents, block doorways, and bomb individual rooms on the path to victory. Once a human player is attacked and killed, they immediately switch sides and can be respawned as a Hybrid Spawn that belongs to the Xeno team. The remaining human players are now at a disadvantage toward satisfying their victory condition and have another alien hunting them down.
Play continues in this loose turn fashion until one side can claim victory and the game ends.
Components. Again, this is a rough prototype printed and assembled in house at Half-Monster Games, so it is possible that many of the components will look very different when finalized. That said, I truly enjoy the art style featured on many components, and though the game tone is very dark and brooding (not typically my style), the majority of component choices are well done and well suited for this style. I wish I could see a finalized version to truly comment on, but from what I was provided I believe the game will look amazing once complete.
Gameplay. This is where I wanted to spend most of my preview. This game reminds me of a cross between Escape from the Aliens in Outer Space, the wildly-popular (right? I don’t play it so I don’t really know) Among Us digital game, and most tabletop RPGs on the market. I make these comps because in the former, all movement is hidden until something bad happens. Here in Xenohunters movement is hybrid hidden and visible, but players should try to remain hidden as much as possible. The first game played did not value hidden movement as much and the Xenos won rather quickly by just barreling through the space station and unleashing hellish damage on the humans. In Among Us only the Impostor can travel through vents (right?) and here in Xenohunters only the aliens are able to use the vents initally; the humans will need a special item card in order to use the vents, and even then it is only one time.
Once a player meets on the same space as another player from the opposing team combat can begin. I comped RPGs as well, and combat in Xenohunters utilizes an Aim value that is like an AC of an opponent in that the die roll will need to meet or exceed the Aim value for the attacker or else no damage is dealt. Each Xeno and human has their own stats for Aim, Health, Carry, and Speed, which are all self-explanatory. Humans can use an action to Rummage at certain map locations in order to gain cards that are beneficial in combat, movement, additional actions, and even the coveted Bomb and Detonator cards. In this fashion I see influences from RPGs in Xenohunters.
So what do I think about the game? Well, I have never been great at hidden movement games, and while this one is not solely reliant on that one mechanic I am still bad at it. This does not at all diminish my enjoyment of the game, and I do quite like it. Xenohunters uses mechanics from other great games and employs them pretty well. Yes, the rules are always being improved, even from this point (I am using Rules v.0.9.6), but once this is complete I feel it will be an excellent game to have in one’s collection. I personally have zero games utilizing hidden movement mechanics, so this will certainly fill a niche in my collection that I have neglected.
I love the theme and premise of the game, and it seems ripe for expansions. I can see many new human characters that can be added, more maps and scenarios, and even more big bads being thrown in to increase the difficulty. I have no idea if these are planned at all, but Xenohunters is laying the groundwork for a bevvy of expansions that can be added. The artwork is great (though not final on all pieces), and I know Half-Monster Games is going to give it special treatment to make it really pop.
I am very much looking forward to monitoring the Kickstarter campaign for this one as I think it is an excellent concept and brings horror to the table without being overly graphic and gory. I will not be playing this with my son any time soon (he is four), but when he is old enough I will definitely be introducing him to Xenohunters. While I am not great at this game, I very much look forward to playing lots more and practicing my strategies so I can one day challenge Jack (the designer) at a convention… whenever those happen again.
Bong Mines Entertainment (15 KP) rated Suicidal Since 1995 by Ängie in Music
Jun 7, 2019
Ängie is an electric-pop singer from Stockholm, Sweden. Not too long ago, she released an explosive debut EP, entitled, “Suicidal Since 1995”.
Ängie – “Dope”
The 7-track project begins with the boomin’ lead single, “Dope”, produced by Canto. Everything about this song is dope, down to the title. Also, it’s hypnotizing frequency is so addictive that it has clocked well over a quarter of a million views on YouTube, and that’s within a month of its release.
The artist described “Dope” as a love song where she confuses love with the rush for music and drugs. In the music video, she performs among various vices including drugs, vehicles, and animals.
The second song, “Boss”, is a flirtatious ditty about foreplay in the back of a vehicle. It’s straight to the point, hot, and steamy. Also, it’s a remake of Lana Del Rey’s “You Can Be the Boss”, from the singer’s “Unreleased” album.
Not too long ago, we covered the third track, “Here For My Habits”, which is also the second single from Suicidal Since 1995.
“Here For My Habits”
On the song, Ängie talks about her sexual-invitation experiences with dealers from her past. She explains how some of them tried to hit on her, some even falling in love with her.
The fourth track, “We Run”, is a song about a drug-induced nighttime romance, perpetrated in the dark or secrecy. But when the sun comes up, the hypnotic-tranced lovers run for cover.
The fifth track, “2013”, speaks about living young, wild, and free. Also, lyrics of hiding from cops and papa indicates a certain level of paranoia due to probably smoking too much bomb weed and drinking alcoholic beverages. Then a deep thought sinks in, “18, I can’t believe where the time’s gone?”
The sixth track, “Coke Ain’t Brain”, takes the volume up another notch. The song speaks of someone being addicted to Mary Jane (marijuana) and now they’re trapped to a ball and chain with Charlie (cocaine) stuffed in their nose.
The seventh song, “Venus in Fur”, is laidback, trancey, with a backdrop made of fluffy pillows. When the singer sings, “I am tired, I am weary. I could sleep for a thousand years,” listeners might find themselves under her spell.
Overall, “Suicidal Since 1995” is a solid debut project worth listening to. It has replay value and we highly recommend adding it to your music library.
https://www.bongminesentertainment.com/angie-suicidal-since-1995/
Ängie – “Dope”
The 7-track project begins with the boomin’ lead single, “Dope”, produced by Canto. Everything about this song is dope, down to the title. Also, it’s hypnotizing frequency is so addictive that it has clocked well over a quarter of a million views on YouTube, and that’s within a month of its release.
The artist described “Dope” as a love song where she confuses love with the rush for music and drugs. In the music video, she performs among various vices including drugs, vehicles, and animals.
The second song, “Boss”, is a flirtatious ditty about foreplay in the back of a vehicle. It’s straight to the point, hot, and steamy. Also, it’s a remake of Lana Del Rey’s “You Can Be the Boss”, from the singer’s “Unreleased” album.
Not too long ago, we covered the third track, “Here For My Habits”, which is also the second single from Suicidal Since 1995.
“Here For My Habits”
On the song, Ängie talks about her sexual-invitation experiences with dealers from her past. She explains how some of them tried to hit on her, some even falling in love with her.
The fourth track, “We Run”, is a song about a drug-induced nighttime romance, perpetrated in the dark or secrecy. But when the sun comes up, the hypnotic-tranced lovers run for cover.
The fifth track, “2013”, speaks about living young, wild, and free. Also, lyrics of hiding from cops and papa indicates a certain level of paranoia due to probably smoking too much bomb weed and drinking alcoholic beverages. Then a deep thought sinks in, “18, I can’t believe where the time’s gone?”
The sixth track, “Coke Ain’t Brain”, takes the volume up another notch. The song speaks of someone being addicted to Mary Jane (marijuana) and now they’re trapped to a ball and chain with Charlie (cocaine) stuffed in their nose.
The seventh song, “Venus in Fur”, is laidback, trancey, with a backdrop made of fluffy pillows. When the singer sings, “I am tired, I am weary. I could sleep for a thousand years,” listeners might find themselves under her spell.
Overall, “Suicidal Since 1995” is a solid debut project worth listening to. It has replay value and we highly recommend adding it to your music library.
https://www.bongminesentertainment.com/angie-suicidal-since-1995/
Sensitivemuse (246 KP) rated The Other Woman in Books
Jul 26, 2018
Beware of Pammie
Holy. Mother. (yup I said it)
The moment I get into the first third of the book I had to keep going. I had to finish this book and see what will happen next. It was one thing after another and you were just waiting for who was going to snap first.
There’s a lot of tension and the mood is high strung. It’s like as if you’re near someone sensitive and you’re walking on eggshells. It’s that tense. The plot is quick and fast as you watch Emily put up with Pammie and her behavior. You feel angry towards Adam who seems to be a spineless dolt and just bows to Pammie’s whims little do you know there’s a bomb ready to drop at the very end and you just weren’t ready when it happens. It’s extremely well written and the revelation at the end is also well done. When it is revealed, you start to realize everything falls into place. It’s certainly an eye opener.
Character wise, I found it hard to like any of them. Pammie, well she’s not your favorite mother in law now is she? Adam isn’t any better. Emily would be 50/50 as there were times when I was rooting for her when she finally stuck up for herself. Then the cheering would be short lived because she’s reverts back to her needy whiny persona and she let’s Pammie and Adam walk all over her. She snaps but then cowers back later. It’s frustrating. I can’t stand James because of his behavior and what he tried to do. Okay, granted it was meant as a warning, but it’s a really strange messed up way of doing so. Emily behaves like this lovesick mooncalf around him it gets annoying. If you really wanted to be with him, you can always dump Adam. Stop mooning over James like he’s Adonis when you don’t have the galls to drop Adam like a hat. (He deserves it too, by the way)
Despite the character though, the book is still an enjoyable read as the plot gets better and better with each chapter read. What you think is obvious, isn’t and there’s a reason why everything was done. Now granted, it’s a very messed up way of doing so. But it still makes for great reading.
Greatly recommended. Certainly going to be one of my favorite reads of 2018.
PS: Every woman needs friends like Seb and Pippa.
The moment I get into the first third of the book I had to keep going. I had to finish this book and see what will happen next. It was one thing after another and you were just waiting for who was going to snap first.
There’s a lot of tension and the mood is high strung. It’s like as if you’re near someone sensitive and you’re walking on eggshells. It’s that tense. The plot is quick and fast as you watch Emily put up with Pammie and her behavior. You feel angry towards Adam who seems to be a spineless dolt and just bows to Pammie’s whims little do you know there’s a bomb ready to drop at the very end and you just weren’t ready when it happens. It’s extremely well written and the revelation at the end is also well done. When it is revealed, you start to realize everything falls into place. It’s certainly an eye opener.
Character wise, I found it hard to like any of them. Pammie, well she’s not your favorite mother in law now is she? Adam isn’t any better. Emily would be 50/50 as there were times when I was rooting for her when she finally stuck up for herself. Then the cheering would be short lived because she’s reverts back to her needy whiny persona and she let’s Pammie and Adam walk all over her. She snaps but then cowers back later. It’s frustrating. I can’t stand James because of his behavior and what he tried to do. Okay, granted it was meant as a warning, but it’s a really strange messed up way of doing so. Emily behaves like this lovesick mooncalf around him it gets annoying. If you really wanted to be with him, you can always dump Adam. Stop mooning over James like he’s Adonis when you don’t have the galls to drop Adam like a hat. (He deserves it too, by the way)
Despite the character though, the book is still an enjoyable read as the plot gets better and better with each chapter read. What you think is obvious, isn’t and there’s a reason why everything was done. Now granted, it’s a very messed up way of doing so. But it still makes for great reading.
Greatly recommended. Certainly going to be one of my favorite reads of 2018.
PS: Every woman needs friends like Seb and Pippa.
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated Chuck Steak in Books
Nov 11, 2019
Remember those action movies from the 80s and 90s? The ones where the chisel-jawed hero catches the bad guy via a convoluted and improbable plot, over the top action scenes and mass collateral damage? Chuck Steak doesn't just remember them. He IS them.
Maverick stop-at-nothing-even-if-it-causes-millions-of-dollars-of-damage-and-gets-me-suspended-again cop Chuck Steak (not the meat) has a new adversary. A bomb has been planted in his girlfriend and Chuck is being blackmailed into doing things he doesn't want to do, like be nice to his in-laws-to-be, become tolerant and accepting of minorities and work with a partner. He blunders through each increasingly ridiculous task, always managing it in unlikely ways, in the nick of time and causing maximum destruction in the process. But the mastermind behind the plan is always one step ahead. Has the apparently invincible Chuck Steak finally met his match?
First things first, this is in no way a serious book. As is fitting for the movie genre it is inspired by, everything is larger than life and twice as loud. There is however coherence to the plot (even though it does meander around for some gratuitous action scenes) and the twists, turns and red herrings thrown out in the final chapters as to who the villain is will certainly wrong foot many readers and in the end it does make some kind of sense.
There is also a subtext around acceptance of people who are different; Chuck and the police are portrayed very much as the intolerant knuckleheads of action movies, but his realisations that how he normally behaves could be grossly offensive provide some of the more striking moments of the book.
The prose is fast and loose, with flashbacks, changes of point of view and the occasional sub plot thrown in. The characterisation is bold, from the incredibly clichéd police captain to the more nuanced father in law. They bounce of each other in interesting ways and are each a key part of Chuck's journey. Some of the writing is a little cluttered and confused but that just adds to the feeling of this being a headlong rush to the final chapter.
80s and 90s action flicks were just 2 hours of pure escapist entertainment, never intended to be anything other than enormous fun. Chuck Steak captures the spirit of these well. An absolute riot to read.
Rated R for pretty much everything that makes things R rated
Maverick stop-at-nothing-even-if-it-causes-millions-of-dollars-of-damage-and-gets-me-suspended-again cop Chuck Steak (not the meat) has a new adversary. A bomb has been planted in his girlfriend and Chuck is being blackmailed into doing things he doesn't want to do, like be nice to his in-laws-to-be, become tolerant and accepting of minorities and work with a partner. He blunders through each increasingly ridiculous task, always managing it in unlikely ways, in the nick of time and causing maximum destruction in the process. But the mastermind behind the plan is always one step ahead. Has the apparently invincible Chuck Steak finally met his match?
First things first, this is in no way a serious book. As is fitting for the movie genre it is inspired by, everything is larger than life and twice as loud. There is however coherence to the plot (even though it does meander around for some gratuitous action scenes) and the twists, turns and red herrings thrown out in the final chapters as to who the villain is will certainly wrong foot many readers and in the end it does make some kind of sense.
There is also a subtext around acceptance of people who are different; Chuck and the police are portrayed very much as the intolerant knuckleheads of action movies, but his realisations that how he normally behaves could be grossly offensive provide some of the more striking moments of the book.
The prose is fast and loose, with flashbacks, changes of point of view and the occasional sub plot thrown in. The characterisation is bold, from the incredibly clichéd police captain to the more nuanced father in law. They bounce of each other in interesting ways and are each a key part of Chuck's journey. Some of the writing is a little cluttered and confused but that just adds to the feeling of this being a headlong rush to the final chapter.
80s and 90s action flicks were just 2 hours of pure escapist entertainment, never intended to be anything other than enormous fun. Chuck Steak captures the spirit of these well. An absolute riot to read.
Rated R for pretty much everything that makes things R rated
Noonday
Book
In Noonday, Pat Barker - the Man Booker-winning author of the definitive WWI trilogy, Regeneration -...
Charlie Cobra Reviews (1840 KP) rated Pet Sematary (2019) in Movies
Jul 7, 2020 (Updated Nov 1, 2020)
A Really Good Remake
Pet Semetary is a 2019 supernatural horror movie directed by Kevin Kolsch and Dennis Widmyer. The movie was written by Jeff Buhler with screen story by Matt Greenberg. It is a remake/reboot of the original 1989 film adaptation of the 1983 Stephen King novel. Starring Jason Clarke, Amy Seimetz, and John Lithgow.
Moving to the small town of Ludlow, Maine with his family: wife, Rachel (Amy Seimetz), children, Ellie (Jete Laurence) and Gage (Hugo & Lucas Lavoie), and Church, Ellie's cat, Louis Creed takes a job at the university's hospital. Ellie stumbles upon a procession of children, while exploring the nearby woods of their new home, who are taking a dead dog to a pet cemetery. Their neighbor, Jud Crandall (John Lithgow), finds Ellie climbing a large stack of branches forming a wall and warns Rachel and Ellie not to venture out alone as the woods can be dangerous.. The following day, Louis fails to save a student Victor Pascow (Obssa Ahmed) fatally injured from a car accident, and is left shaken. That night Louis meets Pascow in a vivid dream, where he is lead to the pet cemetery and warned not to "venture beyond". When Louis awakens he is disturbed to find his bed sheets and feet, muddy and dirty suggesting his "vision" could be more than just a bad dream.
As far as remakes go this one was really good. Especially for the horror genre. I mean I can't tell you how many remakes/reboots I've seen that just bomb and don't do the original justice. This one however seemed to keep the original in mind, while still making changes to keep it fresh and relatively different. That being said I do feel it was a bit over-hyped and didn't live up to certain expectations. To me it was a very creepy movie and had me wanting to cover my eyes in one part as memories from the original played back in my head. The sounds of the character Rachel's sister calling out to her got goosebumps on my forearms. Those parts were very unsettling to me but I didn't feel enough was "scary". I really enjoyed the twists and changes or differences from the original. They were welcome and kept it from being an exact replica and a copy of the original. As another critic stated, Jeffrey M. Anderson-Common Sense Media, the film was "...effectively unsettling, focusing on the characters and their understandable emotions rather than on overt gore and FX." I give it a 7/10.
Moving to the small town of Ludlow, Maine with his family: wife, Rachel (Amy Seimetz), children, Ellie (Jete Laurence) and Gage (Hugo & Lucas Lavoie), and Church, Ellie's cat, Louis Creed takes a job at the university's hospital. Ellie stumbles upon a procession of children, while exploring the nearby woods of their new home, who are taking a dead dog to a pet cemetery. Their neighbor, Jud Crandall (John Lithgow), finds Ellie climbing a large stack of branches forming a wall and warns Rachel and Ellie not to venture out alone as the woods can be dangerous.. The following day, Louis fails to save a student Victor Pascow (Obssa Ahmed) fatally injured from a car accident, and is left shaken. That night Louis meets Pascow in a vivid dream, where he is lead to the pet cemetery and warned not to "venture beyond". When Louis awakens he is disturbed to find his bed sheets and feet, muddy and dirty suggesting his "vision" could be more than just a bad dream.
As far as remakes go this one was really good. Especially for the horror genre. I mean I can't tell you how many remakes/reboots I've seen that just bomb and don't do the original justice. This one however seemed to keep the original in mind, while still making changes to keep it fresh and relatively different. That being said I do feel it was a bit over-hyped and didn't live up to certain expectations. To me it was a very creepy movie and had me wanting to cover my eyes in one part as memories from the original played back in my head. The sounds of the character Rachel's sister calling out to her got goosebumps on my forearms. Those parts were very unsettling to me but I didn't feel enough was "scary". I really enjoyed the twists and changes or differences from the original. They were welcome and kept it from being an exact replica and a copy of the original. As another critic stated, Jeffrey M. Anderson-Common Sense Media, the film was "...effectively unsettling, focusing on the characters and their understandable emotions rather than on overt gore and FX." I give it a 7/10.
BookInspector (124 KP) rated Playing Nice in Books
Nov 9, 2020
The protagonists in this story were Pete and Maddie, and the story is told from their perspectives. Pete is unemployed/freelance journalist, who loves being the main carer of his son – Theo. Pete is very sweet and a true people pleaser. Maddie is working in advertising and has difficulty finding her motherly instinct when it comes to Theo. We also have Miles and Lucy, the real Theo’s parents, that are truly strange. The only character I really liked was Pete, he is just so sweet and innocent man. I did not like Maddie, I think she is an absolute hypocrite. However, I have to admit, her input in this book was intriguing. The author is an absolute expert when it comes to creating psychopaths in his novels. Every single book has one, and they are really well developed and delivered. In this book it was Miles. I really have nothing good to say about him at all, except that he is a master of deceit and nastiness.
The plot of this novel started pretty slow. It was a pity to see Pete struggling so much, but when the cruel twists came through, my blood just boiled for all the injustice happening in this book. It was like an avalanche of bad news hitting Pete and Maddie, and all that made me sad, angry and kind of annoyed. The topics discussed in this book were premature babies, mental health issues, infidelity, controlling and psychopathic partners and their behaviour, the legal system in the UK, family courts, challenging of “stay at home dad” stigma, and many more. I really liked how the author released the important information in this novel, some of it was thrown in like a bomb, but other important details were shared slowly throughout the book.
I really like the writing style, it is very well researched, truly personal and a challenging read. The book is set in London, and I really enjoy learning about different boroughs. The chapters are pretty short, and the book is so riveting and emotionally absorbing, that the pages just flew by to me. I really liked the ending of this book, it is very surprising but extremely satisfying, to say the least. 🙂
So, to conclude, I strongly recommend this novel to everyone who loves a good psychological thriller. I would love to see this book made into a film. The characters are all so different, unique and intriguing, and the plot is exceptionally well crafted, filled with so many emotions, that it is really hard to read this book without feeling something (in my case it was anger and pity).
The plot of this novel started pretty slow. It was a pity to see Pete struggling so much, but when the cruel twists came through, my blood just boiled for all the injustice happening in this book. It was like an avalanche of bad news hitting Pete and Maddie, and all that made me sad, angry and kind of annoyed. The topics discussed in this book were premature babies, mental health issues, infidelity, controlling and psychopathic partners and their behaviour, the legal system in the UK, family courts, challenging of “stay at home dad” stigma, and many more. I really liked how the author released the important information in this novel, some of it was thrown in like a bomb, but other important details were shared slowly throughout the book.
I really like the writing style, it is very well researched, truly personal and a challenging read. The book is set in London, and I really enjoy learning about different boroughs. The chapters are pretty short, and the book is so riveting and emotionally absorbing, that the pages just flew by to me. I really liked the ending of this book, it is very surprising but extremely satisfying, to say the least. 🙂
So, to conclude, I strongly recommend this novel to everyone who loves a good psychological thriller. I would love to see this book made into a film. The characters are all so different, unique and intriguing, and the plot is exceptionally well crafted, filled with so many emotions, that it is really hard to read this book without feeling something (in my case it was anger and pity).
Style: Formal, serious.
Point of View: Third person – each chapter is either Nick Dunne or Amy Dunne, never both.
Difficulty Reading: I struggled with the first half of the book. Don’t get me wrong, I was excited to read it because the movie was bomb as f*ck. The movie had me sitting on my toes the entire time, but this book was such a drag. Once you get about halfway through, that’s when it gets good.
Promise: The book promises a thrilling crime mystery and it does deliver it. But it delivers it in a way that makes the book almost seem repetitive as he said, she said.
Quality: It was a well-written book, I’ll give the author that. But there was a lot of swearing – and I cuss like a sailor. That kind of took the appeal of the book down quite a few notches.
Insights: If I could change anything about the book: take some of the cuss words out – it’s way too much, make the first half of the book more gripping – you lose readers because it’s boring.
Ah-Ha Moment: When Nick Dunne realized that Amy Dunne was just f*cking with him, he knew it but couldn’t tell anyone because then it would seem like he was the one who set the whole thing up.
Another moment was when Amy Dunne killed her old friend. I was like ‘what are you doing woman’ the entire time I read it.
Favorite Quote: “A lot of people lacked that gift: knowing when to fuck off.” – I feel this is the best representation of who I am as a person and of people nowadays.
“Sleep is like a cat: It only comes to you if you ignore it.” – Any quote that talks about cats are always great.
What will you gain: An interesting but hard read. If you don’t have the time or patience, put this book down.
Aesthetics: The copy I bought had the cover poster for the movie and it was nice to imagine Nick Dunne as the man on the cover. The first page of the book was what drew me in, the whole staring at the back of Amy’s head and thinking of breaking it open to mush your hands with her brain just appeals to me in a way that’s hard to describe. (I promise I’m not a serial killer. Yet…) Then as I read more, I struggled until I hit the point of the plot doing a massive U-turn and actually becoming interesting.
“There’s a difference between really loving someone and loving the idea of her.”
Point of View: Third person – each chapter is either Nick Dunne or Amy Dunne, never both.
Difficulty Reading: I struggled with the first half of the book. Don’t get me wrong, I was excited to read it because the movie was bomb as f*ck. The movie had me sitting on my toes the entire time, but this book was such a drag. Once you get about halfway through, that’s when it gets good.
Promise: The book promises a thrilling crime mystery and it does deliver it. But it delivers it in a way that makes the book almost seem repetitive as he said, she said.
Quality: It was a well-written book, I’ll give the author that. But there was a lot of swearing – and I cuss like a sailor. That kind of took the appeal of the book down quite a few notches.
Insights: If I could change anything about the book: take some of the cuss words out – it’s way too much, make the first half of the book more gripping – you lose readers because it’s boring.
Ah-Ha Moment: When Nick Dunne realized that Amy Dunne was just f*cking with him, he knew it but couldn’t tell anyone because then it would seem like he was the one who set the whole thing up.
Another moment was when Amy Dunne killed her old friend. I was like ‘what are you doing woman’ the entire time I read it.
Favorite Quote: “A lot of people lacked that gift: knowing when to fuck off.” – I feel this is the best representation of who I am as a person and of people nowadays.
“Sleep is like a cat: It only comes to you if you ignore it.” – Any quote that talks about cats are always great.
What will you gain: An interesting but hard read. If you don’t have the time or patience, put this book down.
Aesthetics: The copy I bought had the cover poster for the movie and it was nice to imagine Nick Dunne as the man on the cover. The first page of the book was what drew me in, the whole staring at the back of Amy’s head and thinking of breaking it open to mush your hands with her brain just appeals to me in a way that’s hard to describe. (I promise I’m not a serial killer. Yet…) Then as I read more, I struggled until I hit the point of the plot doing a massive U-turn and actually becoming interesting.
“There’s a difference between really loving someone and loving the idea of her.”
Darren (1599 KP) rated Quatermass and the Pit (1967) in Movies
Oct 2, 2019 (Updated Oct 24, 2019)
Characters – Dr Mathew Roney is one of the team that is set to investigate the discovery, he takes and scientific approach to everything working with the historian to put the pieces together. Professor Bernard Quatermass brings the historical point of view to the table, wanting to study the discovery and using previous historical discoveries to help figure out the truth. Colonel Breen brings the military point of view often looking to use the quick answer over the smart answer. Barbara Judd is a reporter that is trying to put together a story for the public who believe this is an unexploded bomb.
Performances – The performances from the whole cast is great throughout, we believe the scientific figures, the military ones and the reporter looking for a story. the four main stars of the film know how to make the most of their scenes where their character needs to be the larger focus.
Story – The story follows an object being discovered in London while digger to make the underground larger, we follow how the investigation to learn what this could be from different perspectives which shows how this would be handled in real life. We do have twists which comes from the discoveries going on, but for the most part this keeps things simple, with an air of mystery about what could be happening around the object.
Horror/Mystery/Sci-Fi – The horror surrounding this movie comes from what could come from the object, it could bring horrific consequences, this plays into the mystery as we are left with the mystery behind what could be behind it. The sci-fi side of the film comes from the explanation to what could be behind the object and the potential of space being involved.
Settings – The film is set in London and the underground, this is always a tight compact location which will add to suspense and horror in anything.
Special Effects – This film was released in the 1960s, the special effects for the time were great, while we might look down on them now, it showed us just what was capable for the time.
Scene of the Movie – The final act which we are built up to nicely.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The fact they just look like grasshoppers and no one says this.
Final Thoughts – This is one of the best hammer horror mystery sci-fi horror films out there, it keeps you guessing before letting everything out in the final act instead of giving away too much too early.
Overall: Must watch Hammer Horror
Performances – The performances from the whole cast is great throughout, we believe the scientific figures, the military ones and the reporter looking for a story. the four main stars of the film know how to make the most of their scenes where their character needs to be the larger focus.
Story – The story follows an object being discovered in London while digger to make the underground larger, we follow how the investigation to learn what this could be from different perspectives which shows how this would be handled in real life. We do have twists which comes from the discoveries going on, but for the most part this keeps things simple, with an air of mystery about what could be happening around the object.
Horror/Mystery/Sci-Fi – The horror surrounding this movie comes from what could come from the object, it could bring horrific consequences, this plays into the mystery as we are left with the mystery behind what could be behind it. The sci-fi side of the film comes from the explanation to what could be behind the object and the potential of space being involved.
Settings – The film is set in London and the underground, this is always a tight compact location which will add to suspense and horror in anything.
Special Effects – This film was released in the 1960s, the special effects for the time were great, while we might look down on them now, it showed us just what was capable for the time.
Scene of the Movie – The final act which we are built up to nicely.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The fact they just look like grasshoppers and no one says this.
Final Thoughts – This is one of the best hammer horror mystery sci-fi horror films out there, it keeps you guessing before letting everything out in the final act instead of giving away too much too early.
Overall: Must watch Hammer Horror
Modern Combat 2: Black Pegasus HD
Games
6.0
Rate It
App
Modern Combat 3: Fallen Nation is coming this fall! Watch the exclusive trailer on YouTube :...