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A Circle of Firelight
Book
The execution is for the most part charming and clever, with lively dialogue, easy pacing, and...
The Afghanistan Papers
Book
The groundbreaking investigative story of how three successive presidents and their military...
Mekkin B. (122 KP) rated The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms in Books
Sep 9, 2017
Worldbuilding (1 more)
Thoughtful and Engaging Characters
Tight, compelling story set in an amazing fantasy world
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms has the kind of engaging plot and clear prose that makes it easy to get lost in. Jemisin's debut novel crafts a complex world that fans of traditional fantasy will love, while still being incredibly fresh and thoughtful. The worldbuilding engages in the complexities of colonialism and cultural difference in a way that makes the world feel alive and thrumming with conflict.
Yeine is a compelling protagonist and Nahadoth, her romantic interest, is sexy, dark, and tortured (like all good love interests should be.) It's 410 pages of pure fantasy fun.
The only nitpick I have is that I wish there was more of it. Seriously. The advice to writers is to start as late in the story as possible, but I wish more time had been spent building up Yeine's world and her relationship with her mother (who's death is pivotal to the plot), and with her own Kingdom of Darre. Instead the reader enters the story with Yeine already making her way to the city of Sky. This, for me, lessened the emotional impact of later reveals.
Yeine is a compelling protagonist and Nahadoth, her romantic interest, is sexy, dark, and tortured (like all good love interests should be.) It's 410 pages of pure fantasy fun.
The only nitpick I have is that I wish there was more of it. Seriously. The advice to writers is to start as late in the story as possible, but I wish more time had been spent building up Yeine's world and her relationship with her mother (who's death is pivotal to the plot), and with her own Kingdom of Darre. Instead the reader enters the story with Yeine already making her way to the city of Sky. This, for me, lessened the emotional impact of later reveals.
Jim LeBaron (69 KP) rated The Quacks of Quedlinburg in Tabletop Games
Mar 12, 2019
Good Replay Value (2 more)
Easy to teach
Great game play
This is my favorite new game of 2019. I taught this to many groups at my local gaming conference and most of them loved it as well.
What are some of the things I loved?
A balanced press your luck component: If you press your luck too far you pay a price but that price isn't as steep as it is in other games
Catch up mechanism: Falling behind? No problem, Quacks helps you out until you are a little more caught up.
Replay Value: Each reagent has 4 variants so each game can be a little different. There are also two sided player boards. One for a beginner's game and one for the advanced game.
Simultaneous play: Players get to decide at the same time what they are going to do so you don't spend as much time waiting on others.
No Take That: From what I have seen there is no direct conflict between players, some people like that in a game some don't so I thought I'd list it.
What are some of the things I loved?
A balanced press your luck component: If you press your luck too far you pay a price but that price isn't as steep as it is in other games
Catch up mechanism: Falling behind? No problem, Quacks helps you out until you are a little more caught up.
Replay Value: Each reagent has 4 variants so each game can be a little different. There are also two sided player boards. One for a beginner's game and one for the advanced game.
Simultaneous play: Players get to decide at the same time what they are going to do so you don't spend as much time waiting on others.
No Take That: From what I have seen there is no direct conflict between players, some people like that in a game some don't so I thought I'd list it.
Mayhawke (97 KP) rated 12 Monkeys (1995) in Movies
Feb 9, 2018
I'll have a Monkey on the rocks, with a twist...
The time is the future; The world has been ravaged by a bio-engineered plague,and the powers-that-be have decided it's time to do something about it.
Their decision? Put the half-nelson on a poor, unhappy convict (Willis) and tell him he's going back in time to hunt down the source, and kill the lunatic that released the bug before he can do it, thus changing history. Armed with just the knowledge that he's looking for a group called 'The 12 Monkeys', he is dispatched, only to find himself in an unforseen conflict with the local law and a Section 8.
Great performance from Willis, but it was while watching this film that I realised that Brad Pitt is actually more than a pretty face.
One of the best twists in the end of a tale I have ever seen.
This is definitley one of my desert island films, so I'm not really good at objectivity when discussing it but if you like slighty off-the-wall film entertainment I'd say this is a must.
Their decision? Put the half-nelson on a poor, unhappy convict (Willis) and tell him he's going back in time to hunt down the source, and kill the lunatic that released the bug before he can do it, thus changing history. Armed with just the knowledge that he's looking for a group called 'The 12 Monkeys', he is dispatched, only to find himself in an unforseen conflict with the local law and a Section 8.
Great performance from Willis, but it was while watching this film that I realised that Brad Pitt is actually more than a pretty face.
One of the best twists in the end of a tale I have ever seen.
This is definitley one of my desert island films, so I'm not really good at objectivity when discussing it but if you like slighty off-the-wall film entertainment I'd say this is a must.
Fleeing a tragic accident, Ruby Proulx crosses from Canada to Old Orchard, Maine. She’s run there to meet her mother’s side of the family for the first time. They are about to reopen the family home as a resort for spiritualists, and the summer of 1898 will be make or break for them. But when her past catches up to her and a murder threatens her new home, will Ruby be able to solve any problems?
While I am not a fan of paranormal cozies (because I don’t believe in the things they are based on), I still found this a very fun debut. The characters are charming, and I fell in love with them. Even though the murder comes a little late, I still found Ruby’s introduction to Old Orchard fun, and there is plenty of conflict early on. When the murder does happen, the pace picks up and leads us to a logical conclusion.
NOTE: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/09/book-review-whispers-beyond-veil-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
While I am not a fan of paranormal cozies (because I don’t believe in the things they are based on), I still found this a very fun debut. The characters are charming, and I fell in love with them. Even though the murder comes a little late, I still found Ruby’s introduction to Old Orchard fun, and there is plenty of conflict early on. When the murder does happen, the pace picks up and leads us to a logical conclusion.
NOTE: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/09/book-review-whispers-beyond-veil-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Terminator: Dark Fate (2019) in Movies
Oct 25, 2019 (Updated Oct 25, 2019)
Expectations for this sixth Terminator movie were so low that even with a breathe-on-it-and-it-collapses plot, this is an startlingly effective sequel. A young girl finds herself the target of an assassination machine from the future, but a cyborg soldier has also been sent back to protect her. But this is not the first time round the time loop, and survivors from a previous version of this story find themselves drawn into the conflict...
So, yes, the plot only just manages to hold together, and the film is saddled with a leadenly reductionist message to put across - but it smartly identifies the one reproducible element of Terminator 2 that was really distinctive (Sarah Connor's transformation into an unhinged bad-ass) and plays that for all it's worth, accompanying it with some cracking action and fight sequences. Arnie doesn't show up until quite late on, but is so effective when he does it really unbalances the film (he plays the comedy inherent in his role as a Terminator who's been living undercover in suburbia for decades with great aplomb). Still not exactly brilliant, but streets ahead of the ones with Christian Bale and Jason Clarke.
So, yes, the plot only just manages to hold together, and the film is saddled with a leadenly reductionist message to put across - but it smartly identifies the one reproducible element of Terminator 2 that was really distinctive (Sarah Connor's transformation into an unhinged bad-ass) and plays that for all it's worth, accompanying it with some cracking action and fight sequences. Arnie doesn't show up until quite late on, but is so effective when he does it really unbalances the film (he plays the comedy inherent in his role as a Terminator who's been living undercover in suburbia for decades with great aplomb). Still not exactly brilliant, but streets ahead of the ones with Christian Bale and Jason Clarke.
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated The Long War in Books
Nov 20, 2019
Taking up the story a generation after the events in The Long Earth, this book investigates the impact of human expansion on the races that already inhabit the stepwise worlds, in particular the Trolls and Beagles.
As with human colonisation throughout history, mankind has embraced the Long Earth and made the assumption that it is 'theirs' to do with as they want. And as history shows, this usually doesn't end well for the existing natives.
This then is an exploration of this in the context of the Long Earth, the potential for conflict arising from both mankind and the other sentient races and raising questions about how to co-exist. The title is a little misleading as there is no war as such, but it does set the tone.
As with the first book, the main interest in this is with the investigation of the different Earths that can be conceived, and how sentient races could be very different from us not only physically but also in their social norms, philosophy and ambitions.
This didn't measure up to the first book but it's not a bad sequel by any means
As with human colonisation throughout history, mankind has embraced the Long Earth and made the assumption that it is 'theirs' to do with as they want. And as history shows, this usually doesn't end well for the existing natives.
This then is an exploration of this in the context of the Long Earth, the potential for conflict arising from both mankind and the other sentient races and raising questions about how to co-exist. The title is a little misleading as there is no war as such, but it does set the tone.
As with the first book, the main interest in this is with the investigation of the different Earths that can be conceived, and how sentient races could be very different from us not only physically but also in their social norms, philosophy and ambitions.
This didn't measure up to the first book but it's not a bad sequel by any means
The Last Summer of the Water Strider
Book
A captivating 1970s-set novel that is both a coming-of-age and an End-of-an-Age story: about love,...
Yitzhak Rabin: Soldier, Leader, Statesman
Book
An insider's perspective on the life and influence of Israel's first native-born prime minister, his...