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Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem in Video Games
Oct 28, 2019 (Updated Oct 28, 2019)
Psychological Warfare
Contains spoilers, click to show
Eternal Darkness- why does no one talk about this game. It is amazing, its horrorfying, terroryfying, spooky, creepy, thrilling, chilling and so much more. Plus it came out only for the gamecube, which is huge because nintendo doesnt put out or release alot of horror games. This, luigi's mansion and Resident Evil 4 were the big horror games for the gamecube. Maybe more came out, but those 3 were the big ones. Lets talk about this game, shall we....
The narrative of the game's story switches between two phases. The main phase focuses on a series of chapters in which players take control of a new character each time. The other phase acts as an intermission. The game boasts twelve playable characters, split between four distinct locations, and from different periods of time.
The story features multiple paths that can be taken. This choice not only determines which of the game's three other antagonists are aligned to the plot, but it also has subtle effects on the gameplay in chapters and intermission periods. Some changes include slight differences in puzzles and items, but most changes revolve around enemy placement, which will determine how the player engages them. This can even have an effect on the relative difficulty of the game in certain situations. Red tinted enemies, for example, are tougher than their counterparts.
The other distinctive gameplay aspect comes from "Sanity Effects", the game's standout concept that Nintendo patented. Upon beginning the game's second chapter, players must keep watch on a Sanity meter – a green bar which decreases when the player is spotted by an enemy. As the bar becomes low, subtle changes to the environment and random unusual events begin to occur, which reflect the character's slackening grip on reality.
While minor effects include a skewed camera angle, heads of statues following the character, and unsettling noises, stronger effects include bleeding on walls and ceilings, entering a room that is unrealistic before finding that the character never left the previous room, the character suddenly dying, and fourth wall breaking effect such as "To Be Continued" promotions for a "sequel", and simulated errors and anomalies of the TV or GameCube. While the latter does not affect gameplay, they can be misconstrued by the player as being actual technical malfunctions.
Lets talk about the plot/story....
The story of Eternal Darkness takes place over four principal locations which the game skips back and forth between. They include an underground temple complex called the Forbidden City, in Persia; a Khmer temple in Angkor Thom, Cambodia; Oublié Cathedral in Amiens, France (not to be confused with Amiens Cathedral); and the Roivas Family Estate in Rhode Island, which also leads to an ancient underground city named Ehn'gha beneath the mansion. Each time a location is visited, it is done so in a different time period. Spanning from 26 BC to 2000 AD. Almost half of which take place in the 20th century. Each different era and character offers a different periodic and personal perspective on the location.
The chapters found in the game are not discovered in chronological order. Instead, to make the narrative more dramatic, each chapter jumps around the timeline of the plot. However, despite the overall story skipping back and forth through time, the chapters do follow chronological order within their respective locations. This is because each setting also has its own contained story.
This game is so good, its epic, im surprised that not of people know about this game and heard about this game.
I highly reccordmend playing this game.
Lastly shout out to @LeftSideCut for getting the hints/clues for this review.
The narrative of the game's story switches between two phases. The main phase focuses on a series of chapters in which players take control of a new character each time. The other phase acts as an intermission. The game boasts twelve playable characters, split between four distinct locations, and from different periods of time.
The story features multiple paths that can be taken. This choice not only determines which of the game's three other antagonists are aligned to the plot, but it also has subtle effects on the gameplay in chapters and intermission periods. Some changes include slight differences in puzzles and items, but most changes revolve around enemy placement, which will determine how the player engages them. This can even have an effect on the relative difficulty of the game in certain situations. Red tinted enemies, for example, are tougher than their counterparts.
The other distinctive gameplay aspect comes from "Sanity Effects", the game's standout concept that Nintendo patented. Upon beginning the game's second chapter, players must keep watch on a Sanity meter – a green bar which decreases when the player is spotted by an enemy. As the bar becomes low, subtle changes to the environment and random unusual events begin to occur, which reflect the character's slackening grip on reality.
While minor effects include a skewed camera angle, heads of statues following the character, and unsettling noises, stronger effects include bleeding on walls and ceilings, entering a room that is unrealistic before finding that the character never left the previous room, the character suddenly dying, and fourth wall breaking effect such as "To Be Continued" promotions for a "sequel", and simulated errors and anomalies of the TV or GameCube. While the latter does not affect gameplay, they can be misconstrued by the player as being actual technical malfunctions.
Lets talk about the plot/story....
The story of Eternal Darkness takes place over four principal locations which the game skips back and forth between. They include an underground temple complex called the Forbidden City, in Persia; a Khmer temple in Angkor Thom, Cambodia; Oublié Cathedral in Amiens, France (not to be confused with Amiens Cathedral); and the Roivas Family Estate in Rhode Island, which also leads to an ancient underground city named Ehn'gha beneath the mansion. Each time a location is visited, it is done so in a different time period. Spanning from 26 BC to 2000 AD. Almost half of which take place in the 20th century. Each different era and character offers a different periodic and personal perspective on the location.
The chapters found in the game are not discovered in chronological order. Instead, to make the narrative more dramatic, each chapter jumps around the timeline of the plot. However, despite the overall story skipping back and forth through time, the chapters do follow chronological order within their respective locations. This is because each setting also has its own contained story.
This game is so good, its epic, im surprised that not of people know about this game and heard about this game.
I highly reccordmend playing this game.
Lastly shout out to @LeftSideCut for getting the hints/clues for this review.
Darren (1599 KP) rated Bad Samaritan (2018) in Movies
Jul 25, 2019
Story: Bad Samaritan starts when two burglars Sean (Sheehan) and Derek (Olivero) are running an operation as valets who break into houses while people are eating their dinners. When they pick their latest victim Cale Erendreich (Tennant) with his flashy car, Sean leads the look through his house, finding all the goodies the pair want, before making a shocking discovery, Katie (Condon) chained up in an office.
Sean get caught between doing the right thing and helping the woman, only to find Cale is able to talk the police away and breaking back into the house, the woman is gone and now his has become a target for Cale.
Thoughts on Bad Samaritan
Characters – Cale Erendreich is rich man that isn’t afraid to show his flashy cars around town, he is rude to people that he sees beneath him and he has a woman locked up in an office at his house. He likes to correct people and after Sean breaks into his house, he becomes the latest target, showing us that Cale is doing what he thinks is the right thing. Sean Falco is the thief that gets more than he bargained for on his latest job, he end up getting caught in the middle of a game which will see him become the target for the killer, seeing his life start to fall apart around him, Sean shows us what it is like when somebody wants to make it and just how far they will go to clean up the mess left behind. Katie is the woman that is held captive that knows that she will be put in more danger if Sean does rescue her at the wrong time. Derek is Sean’s best friend who works with him to select who to rob only he could get in more trouble if he is ever caught.
Performances – David Tennant is fantastic in this leading role, he brings us a creepy psychopath figure that is completely calm, while being calculated in each scene. Robert Sheehan is strong as his character is put through a moral dilemma and he shows us the desperation he is going through. Kerry Condon does what she can in her role, it is harder for her to do as much because most of role is tied up. Carlito Olivera does everything asked of him without standing out in anyway.
Story – The story here follows a small-time thief that sees his latest job go crazy after the person he is robbing from turns out to have dark secret which sees his life get turned upside down. This story is an easy watch and does go against everything you would imagine it going, watching the cat-n-mouse style unfold is interesting to follow as see how each side tries to get the upper hand and slowly starts to learn what the other might know about. It does soon pan out and just become a bigger case which is fine if you would like to get to learn more about the opening sequence. We do get to see just how dangerous technology will be in the wrong hands.
Crime/Horror – The crime side of the film does show us Cale operates in this world, with the horror side of this coming from just how he can get away with anything if he knows how to.
Settings – The film is set in Portland which shows how difficult the life can be for people that are struggling to make ends meet.
Scene of the Movie – You talk too much.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – It has a problem when it comes to learning about Cale’s back story.
Final Thoughts – This is a crime horror that goes full-blown cat-n-mouse which does keep us guessing to just who will end up on top in this battle.
Overall: Interesting Cat-n-mouse chase.
Sean get caught between doing the right thing and helping the woman, only to find Cale is able to talk the police away and breaking back into the house, the woman is gone and now his has become a target for Cale.
Thoughts on Bad Samaritan
Characters – Cale Erendreich is rich man that isn’t afraid to show his flashy cars around town, he is rude to people that he sees beneath him and he has a woman locked up in an office at his house. He likes to correct people and after Sean breaks into his house, he becomes the latest target, showing us that Cale is doing what he thinks is the right thing. Sean Falco is the thief that gets more than he bargained for on his latest job, he end up getting caught in the middle of a game which will see him become the target for the killer, seeing his life start to fall apart around him, Sean shows us what it is like when somebody wants to make it and just how far they will go to clean up the mess left behind. Katie is the woman that is held captive that knows that she will be put in more danger if Sean does rescue her at the wrong time. Derek is Sean’s best friend who works with him to select who to rob only he could get in more trouble if he is ever caught.
Performances – David Tennant is fantastic in this leading role, he brings us a creepy psychopath figure that is completely calm, while being calculated in each scene. Robert Sheehan is strong as his character is put through a moral dilemma and he shows us the desperation he is going through. Kerry Condon does what she can in her role, it is harder for her to do as much because most of role is tied up. Carlito Olivera does everything asked of him without standing out in anyway.
Story – The story here follows a small-time thief that sees his latest job go crazy after the person he is robbing from turns out to have dark secret which sees his life get turned upside down. This story is an easy watch and does go against everything you would imagine it going, watching the cat-n-mouse style unfold is interesting to follow as see how each side tries to get the upper hand and slowly starts to learn what the other might know about. It does soon pan out and just become a bigger case which is fine if you would like to get to learn more about the opening sequence. We do get to see just how dangerous technology will be in the wrong hands.
Crime/Horror – The crime side of the film does show us Cale operates in this world, with the horror side of this coming from just how he can get away with anything if he knows how to.
Settings – The film is set in Portland which shows how difficult the life can be for people that are struggling to make ends meet.
Scene of the Movie – You talk too much.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – It has a problem when it comes to learning about Cale’s back story.
Final Thoughts – This is a crime horror that goes full-blown cat-n-mouse which does keep us guessing to just who will end up on top in this battle.
Overall: Interesting Cat-n-mouse chase.
Ivana A. | Diary of Difference (1171 KP) rated An Anonymous Girl in Books
Jan 25, 2019
An Anonymous Girl
Review can also be found on www.diaryofdifference.com
If someone offered you $500 to answer a few personal questions and stay anonymous, would you do it?
The makeup artist, Jessica Farris goes into a client’s house to do her job. Just the usual. And then she hears her teenage client mentioning the survey that gives you huge amounts of money for a few anonymous questions. When the teenager says she won’t be able to attend, and she is too lazy to let them know, Jessica decided to use this chance and go instead.
But what happens when after a few simple questions a woman starts telling her deepest secrets? And the money will increase, but so will the difficulty of the tasks she needs to do.
”It’s easy to judge other people’s choices.”
I was hyped about this book before I even started to read it. I read the synopsis, and it intrigued me from the very first moment. Of all the mysteries and thrillers, I have enjoyed the psychological the most. Something about how a twisted mind works triggers my pleasure senses. It’s creepy, but I wish you all get that feeling for a genre.
Right after the first chapter of the book I was satisfied, and happy. This book was all I needed right then, and it just kept getting better and better.
We get to meet Jessica and see how she thinks, follow her as she answers question after question, revealing secret after a secret. With each question, and each task, and each secret being revealed, the book kept becoming darker and darker, better and better.
It reminded me of the Harry Potter series, with the content getting darker after time. If you remember the first Harry Potter book, it is Children’s fiction, but the significantly darker compared to the first. Same happens with the movies as well.
I loved the questions that were asked on the survey – they are really meant to make you think through and try and give your answers.
Could you tell a lie without feeling guilt?
Have you ever deeply hurt someone you care about?
The relationship between the people in this book is twisted. It’s all about playing games. It’s all about the cat and mouse chase. As much as I loved it, it also annoyed me at times, as I wanted it to stop.
The twists, cliff hangers and unexpected moments were brilliant. Pure skill, I tell you that. I haven’t been so surprised, excited, thrilled at the same time by any book I’ve recently read.
And with such twisted moments, and thrills throughout the book, and chapters ending leaving you breathless, you would expect the most thrilling ending.
I did. I expected it.
And I was very disappointed. It ended… rather bland. Like a Sunday Roast without gravy.
”We all have reasons for our actions. Even if we hide the reason from those who think they know us best. Even if the reasons are so deeply buried we can’t recognise them ourselves.”
I have a hard time judging this book now, as it was all hype and thrill, until it stopped dead. Maybe the authors wanted to ensure that we experiences exactly this feeling – I am not sure. Maybe for such a twisted book, calmness is all it needs to end with. I’ll leave this judgement up to you, as you experience the book and its ending on your own.
At this time, I feel like giving it 4 stars, as the ending was the only things that bothered me. This book is still a gem, and deserves to be read by people that enjoy psychological thrillers.
Thank you to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for giving me a free copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review
If someone offered you $500 to answer a few personal questions and stay anonymous, would you do it?
The makeup artist, Jessica Farris goes into a client’s house to do her job. Just the usual. And then she hears her teenage client mentioning the survey that gives you huge amounts of money for a few anonymous questions. When the teenager says she won’t be able to attend, and she is too lazy to let them know, Jessica decided to use this chance and go instead.
But what happens when after a few simple questions a woman starts telling her deepest secrets? And the money will increase, but so will the difficulty of the tasks she needs to do.
”It’s easy to judge other people’s choices.”
I was hyped about this book before I even started to read it. I read the synopsis, and it intrigued me from the very first moment. Of all the mysteries and thrillers, I have enjoyed the psychological the most. Something about how a twisted mind works triggers my pleasure senses. It’s creepy, but I wish you all get that feeling for a genre.
Right after the first chapter of the book I was satisfied, and happy. This book was all I needed right then, and it just kept getting better and better.
We get to meet Jessica and see how she thinks, follow her as she answers question after question, revealing secret after a secret. With each question, and each task, and each secret being revealed, the book kept becoming darker and darker, better and better.
It reminded me of the Harry Potter series, with the content getting darker after time. If you remember the first Harry Potter book, it is Children’s fiction, but the significantly darker compared to the first. Same happens with the movies as well.
I loved the questions that were asked on the survey – they are really meant to make you think through and try and give your answers.
Could you tell a lie without feeling guilt?
Have you ever deeply hurt someone you care about?
The relationship between the people in this book is twisted. It’s all about playing games. It’s all about the cat and mouse chase. As much as I loved it, it also annoyed me at times, as I wanted it to stop.
The twists, cliff hangers and unexpected moments were brilliant. Pure skill, I tell you that. I haven’t been so surprised, excited, thrilled at the same time by any book I’ve recently read.
And with such twisted moments, and thrills throughout the book, and chapters ending leaving you breathless, you would expect the most thrilling ending.
I did. I expected it.
And I was very disappointed. It ended… rather bland. Like a Sunday Roast without gravy.
”We all have reasons for our actions. Even if we hide the reason from those who think they know us best. Even if the reasons are so deeply buried we can’t recognise them ourselves.”
I have a hard time judging this book now, as it was all hype and thrill, until it stopped dead. Maybe the authors wanted to ensure that we experiences exactly this feeling – I am not sure. Maybe for such a twisted book, calmness is all it needs to end with. I’ll leave this judgement up to you, as you experience the book and its ending on your own.
At this time, I feel like giving it 4 stars, as the ending was the only things that bothered me. This book is still a gem, and deserves to be read by people that enjoy psychological thrillers.
Thank you to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for giving me a free copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review
Darren (1599 KP) rated The Ring (2002) in Movies
Nov 7, 2019
Characters – Rachel is a single mother and reporter that starts investigating the mysterious death of her niece, this leads her to a VHS tape which puts her in the same seven day warning, forcing her to investigate the tape, she uses her connections and skills as a reporter to unlock this truth, while become more desperate after her son watches the same tape. Noah is the ex-partner and father to Aidan, he is still dating college students, which is why they no longer date, he is however an expect on video, which sees him being used to help break down the tape, which does including him watching it, he doesn’t come off like a nice guy, but we get the scene which shows why he is the way he is. Aidan is the son of the two, he seems to be the most grounded of the three, he is always prepared for the day, knowing that his mother will be late, only he watches the video making him one of the targets for the curse within the video. Richard is the adopted father of Samara, his love for the horses as seen his life destroyed even with his connection to Samara being the reason for the curse.
Performances – Naomi Watts in the leading role is great, she gets to show us just how difficult being a single mother can be, while trying to face a life and death situation with trying to find the answers. Martin Henderson is solid enough in his role which sees him being a bad father that could learn over this week. David Dorfman does give us a creepy kid performance, while Brian Cox in his limited screen time makes a big impact.
Story – The story here follows a reporter that is investigating the death of a family member that is connecting a video tape which will give any viewer seven days to live. This story is a remake of Ringu and does fall into one of my favourite sub-genres of horror, the ghostly haunting investigation one, which is looking to solve a mystery and isn’t afraid to give us a moment of hauntings to push everything in the right direction. It is strange that part of this film has dated with the technology advances which could see the VHS side of the film going over people’s heads, but away from that seeing just how everything is connected, with glimpses of the video appearing through the film needing to be solved by both the character and audience gives this an interesting element for the audience to get involved in.
Horror/Mystery – The horror comes from the horrific imagines we see on the tape, we also know early on what will happen to anybody that watches the tape, by seeing just how the first opening kill looks. The mystery comes from just what we are seeing in the tape, it is a host of clues which will unlock the truth.
Settings – The film shows us the settings through the tape, each one has a connection to everything going on and makes us want to know just what the connection is going to be.
Special Effects – The effects in the film are fantastic to watch, with one of the greatest effects scenes in the closing of the film which will shock and wonder how it was done.
Scene of the Movie – The Horse on the boat is a horrific scene to watch.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – VHS has dated out now.
Final Thoughts – This is one of the greatest horror remakes, it remains scary through the years along with giving us the time scale everything is going to be revealed.
Overall: Wonderful horror remake.
Performances – Naomi Watts in the leading role is great, she gets to show us just how difficult being a single mother can be, while trying to face a life and death situation with trying to find the answers. Martin Henderson is solid enough in his role which sees him being a bad father that could learn over this week. David Dorfman does give us a creepy kid performance, while Brian Cox in his limited screen time makes a big impact.
Story – The story here follows a reporter that is investigating the death of a family member that is connecting a video tape which will give any viewer seven days to live. This story is a remake of Ringu and does fall into one of my favourite sub-genres of horror, the ghostly haunting investigation one, which is looking to solve a mystery and isn’t afraid to give us a moment of hauntings to push everything in the right direction. It is strange that part of this film has dated with the technology advances which could see the VHS side of the film going over people’s heads, but away from that seeing just how everything is connected, with glimpses of the video appearing through the film needing to be solved by both the character and audience gives this an interesting element for the audience to get involved in.
Horror/Mystery – The horror comes from the horrific imagines we see on the tape, we also know early on what will happen to anybody that watches the tape, by seeing just how the first opening kill looks. The mystery comes from just what we are seeing in the tape, it is a host of clues which will unlock the truth.
Settings – The film shows us the settings through the tape, each one has a connection to everything going on and makes us want to know just what the connection is going to be.
Special Effects – The effects in the film are fantastic to watch, with one of the greatest effects scenes in the closing of the film which will shock and wonder how it was done.
Scene of the Movie – The Horse on the boat is a horrific scene to watch.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – VHS has dated out now.
Final Thoughts – This is one of the greatest horror remakes, it remains scary through the years along with giving us the time scale everything is going to be revealed.
Overall: Wonderful horror remake.
365Flicks (235 KP) rated Pandorica (2016) in Movies
Nov 20, 2019
Now that Chris and I have handed back the reigns of Another Damn Wrestling Show to its original hosts Matt, Joe and the other one. I no longer have to watch 12 hours of Wrestling each week so I decided to tackle my backlog of Movie reviews that some awesome very kind people have been sending. Today was the turn of Pandorica, a movie that to be fair had me at the trailer because its tells you everything without giving anything away. Best type of Trailer really (Yes that was a pop at Terminator Genisys).
I had no real expectations going into Pandorica and I came out of it very pleasantly surprised by Tom Paton’s Genre busting Futuristic Dystopian , Sci-Fi horror, Suspense, Action Filled tale of what happens when Humanity is De-Volved into its most basic instincts. Well I did say Genre Busting. One of the best things about this movie is that you really cant put it in any bracket (no matter how hard you try for the purpose of reviewing).
Set somewhere in the future we meet a small group of Natives from the Varosha tribe. Tribe leader Nus (Luke D’Silva) has brought his three bravest and best to take part in a Violent trial to determine who should be leader of the Tribe when Nus expires. As is always the way, the three in question have very differing personalities. Eiren (Jade Hobday) is as deadly as she is determined and somewhat sexy (think Milla Jovovich in Resident Evil, Keira Knightley in King Arthur, Rhona Mitra in Doomsday). She is up against the wreckless headstrong bad ass Ares (Marc Zammit) who believes he is the only man fit enough to lead, rounding off the trio is Thade (Adam Bond) a very loyal confidant to the tribe but its all a bit over his head. Once the trial begins everything really turns to shit as the 3 discover a strange woman being chased by band of Vicious Lunatics in creepy masks. They must band to together to stay alive, all the while trying to prove they are the best candidate for leader, Winner is left standing at daybreak… Hopefully.
It is hard for me to believe that this is Tom Paton’s first full length feature film. He has a very clear idea of what he is doing with getting the best out of his strong leading cast, the Cinematography in this movie is gorgeous at times showing Paton is well aware of his on location surroundings and can direct his movie as such to show us this. Sometimes just the swooping shots over the top of the trees keep make you pause to admire. He has taken a number of Genres mashed them up and made a solid as hell flick that not only stands on its own but also serves as what could potentially be a great intro to a new series of flicks hat breath new life into some of these Genres, especially the Dystopian World End-y ones in the same vein as Neil Marshalls Doomsday.
I don’t want to keep raving on too much because you guys should really see this flick. It is available on all good streaming sites and video on demand services and I guarantee you will get a kick out of it, even if only for the Bitchin as hell soundtrack. I wont lie the music alone sucks you right in. I really enjoyed the movie and can easily see a sequel in fact if you do enjoy the movie, I recommend you stick around till the end of the credits (No Spoilers).
I had no real expectations going into Pandorica and I came out of it very pleasantly surprised by Tom Paton’s Genre busting Futuristic Dystopian , Sci-Fi horror, Suspense, Action Filled tale of what happens when Humanity is De-Volved into its most basic instincts. Well I did say Genre Busting. One of the best things about this movie is that you really cant put it in any bracket (no matter how hard you try for the purpose of reviewing).
Set somewhere in the future we meet a small group of Natives from the Varosha tribe. Tribe leader Nus (Luke D’Silva) has brought his three bravest and best to take part in a Violent trial to determine who should be leader of the Tribe when Nus expires. As is always the way, the three in question have very differing personalities. Eiren (Jade Hobday) is as deadly as she is determined and somewhat sexy (think Milla Jovovich in Resident Evil, Keira Knightley in King Arthur, Rhona Mitra in Doomsday). She is up against the wreckless headstrong bad ass Ares (Marc Zammit) who believes he is the only man fit enough to lead, rounding off the trio is Thade (Adam Bond) a very loyal confidant to the tribe but its all a bit over his head. Once the trial begins everything really turns to shit as the 3 discover a strange woman being chased by band of Vicious Lunatics in creepy masks. They must band to together to stay alive, all the while trying to prove they are the best candidate for leader, Winner is left standing at daybreak… Hopefully.
It is hard for me to believe that this is Tom Paton’s first full length feature film. He has a very clear idea of what he is doing with getting the best out of his strong leading cast, the Cinematography in this movie is gorgeous at times showing Paton is well aware of his on location surroundings and can direct his movie as such to show us this. Sometimes just the swooping shots over the top of the trees keep make you pause to admire. He has taken a number of Genres mashed them up and made a solid as hell flick that not only stands on its own but also serves as what could potentially be a great intro to a new series of flicks hat breath new life into some of these Genres, especially the Dystopian World End-y ones in the same vein as Neil Marshalls Doomsday.
I don’t want to keep raving on too much because you guys should really see this flick. It is available on all good streaming sites and video on demand services and I guarantee you will get a kick out of it, even if only for the Bitchin as hell soundtrack. I wont lie the music alone sucks you right in. I really enjoyed the movie and can easily see a sequel in fact if you do enjoy the movie, I recommend you stick around till the end of the credits (No Spoilers).
Night Reader Reviews (683 KP) rated The Figment Wars: Through the Portals in Books
Jan 9, 2020
The Figment Wars: Through The Portals by David R. Lord is a book that I hope to see a sequel to in the coming years. In fact, the ending of the book suggests at least a sequel if not an entire series. I just wonder how such stories can continue without becoming too far fetched or simplified by the childrens stabilizes in this book, but without giving too much away I have to stop there.
Thomas and his little brother Isaac are visiting their cousin Emily at her house and they are not exactly having a good time. At Emilys house, the boys dont even have a TV to watch and they are extremely bored. Then one afternoon when Thomas goes to the woods behind the house to get Emily for lunch something amazing happens. The trees themselves bend and move, forming a portal that all three children fall into. The portal transports the children into the Realm of Imagination, a place where all the things humans imagine come to life.
https://nightreaderreviews.blogspot.com/2019/07/review-figment-wars-through-portals-by.html
https://www.austinmacauley.com/book/figment-wars-through-portals
Almost as soon as the children arrive they are attacked by Monsters but luckily they are saved by Heroes and are taken to the Library in the Impossible City. It is here that they meet Belactacus who believes that the children are Real and not just confused imaginary friends. Sadly the Council who is in charge of the portals that allow beings in the Realm of Imagination to go to the Realm of Reality is corrupted and the children are denied a portal back home. Shortly after this decision Monsters attack the Impossible City and even overwhelm the Heroes. Now the children must find a way to stop the corrupted council member from bringing all the Monsters from human imagination to life in the Realm of Reality, home of the humans.
What I liked best might not seem like much but for a story such as this one, it makes a big difference. I liked how not only was the idea of the Realm of Imagination a great concept but the creation of the Realm was well explained. Also, some of the main people in the Realm were explained to be the result of collective consciousness in humans such as the standard idea of a mother figure which was a very nice touch. What I didnt like was the budding relationship between Thomas and Emilys old imaginary friend. I actually thought it was a little creepy. At times I found myself hoping that she would be able to become real and then I thought that it would be way too much like Thomas having a relationship with his cousin.
This book falls solidly into the YA or young adult group of readers. I know this is a broad group ranging from middle school and older, but this book is actually really good and I saw nothing that would make in inappropriate for young readers. The only thing to be careful about is if an advanced reader in elementary school wanted to read this book. I dont know how well they would take to the idea that monsters such as the Boogeyman are real and just living in a different dimension so to speak. With all that being said I rate this book a 3 out of 4. Everything is extremely well thought out in this book. The idea of the Library and the collective consciousness of humans was amazing. The only reason why this book did not get a perfect rating is that I still felt like it was missing something that gave it that wonderful ability to really stand out, but few books have that.
Thomas and his little brother Isaac are visiting their cousin Emily at her house and they are not exactly having a good time. At Emilys house, the boys dont even have a TV to watch and they are extremely bored. Then one afternoon when Thomas goes to the woods behind the house to get Emily for lunch something amazing happens. The trees themselves bend and move, forming a portal that all three children fall into. The portal transports the children into the Realm of Imagination, a place where all the things humans imagine come to life.
https://nightreaderreviews.blogspot.com/2019/07/review-figment-wars-through-portals-by.html
https://www.austinmacauley.com/book/figment-wars-through-portals
Almost as soon as the children arrive they are attacked by Monsters but luckily they are saved by Heroes and are taken to the Library in the Impossible City. It is here that they meet Belactacus who believes that the children are Real and not just confused imaginary friends. Sadly the Council who is in charge of the portals that allow beings in the Realm of Imagination to go to the Realm of Reality is corrupted and the children are denied a portal back home. Shortly after this decision Monsters attack the Impossible City and even overwhelm the Heroes. Now the children must find a way to stop the corrupted council member from bringing all the Monsters from human imagination to life in the Realm of Reality, home of the humans.
What I liked best might not seem like much but for a story such as this one, it makes a big difference. I liked how not only was the idea of the Realm of Imagination a great concept but the creation of the Realm was well explained. Also, some of the main people in the Realm were explained to be the result of collective consciousness in humans such as the standard idea of a mother figure which was a very nice touch. What I didnt like was the budding relationship between Thomas and Emilys old imaginary friend. I actually thought it was a little creepy. At times I found myself hoping that she would be able to become real and then I thought that it would be way too much like Thomas having a relationship with his cousin.
This book falls solidly into the YA or young adult group of readers. I know this is a broad group ranging from middle school and older, but this book is actually really good and I saw nothing that would make in inappropriate for young readers. The only thing to be careful about is if an advanced reader in elementary school wanted to read this book. I dont know how well they would take to the idea that monsters such as the Boogeyman are real and just living in a different dimension so to speak. With all that being said I rate this book a 3 out of 4. Everything is extremely well thought out in this book. The idea of the Library and the collective consciousness of humans was amazing. The only reason why this book did not get a perfect rating is that I still felt like it was missing something that gave it that wonderful ability to really stand out, but few books have that.
Night Reader Reviews (683 KP) rated Ten Minutes On Mars in Books
Jan 10, 2020
Honest Review for Free Copy of Book
Ten Minutes on Mars by Jonathan Fisher is a small collection of eighteen short stories. Some, or rather, most of these stories are a bit on the twisted side so reader be warned. On a deeper level this book appears to explore the darker side of humanity and how we are monsters to each other and to animals.
Keeping with more of a horror theme this book starts off with a ghost in a graveyard although the ghost doesn't make another appearance until the end of the book. Readers are then taken on a hunting trip through the eyes of the prey. A truly scary experience. During the course of this book, the people who live in the cracks in the pavement or as it seemed to be the down and out or homeless are brought to light as well. Basically these are the people that the majority of society pretends don’t exist.
This journey takes readers to the far reaches of space abroad The Ascension. It is on The Ascension where tattoos can be used to control people and others are able to shapeshift. In our technologically advanced society, many wonder about what will happen when AI becomes so advanced that it sees itself as human or tries to take over. That is what happens in another one of the stories to a worker on another planet. Finally, readers see the lengths that a mother will go to in order to avenge a close friend and protect her own child. So sit back and relax as you are taken on a creepy trip deep into the monstrous world that we call humanity, in a town where monsters are normal.
What I liked best was that many of the stories overlapped with one another in some way. While they all take place in the same town the connections go deeper than just that. This book could almost read as each story being just a chapter instead of a stand-alone story. What I did not like was how often this book was confusing to me. I had to reread areas to clear up and be sure what I just read was correct. Some of the confusing points were just because of me misunderstanding the wording. On the other hand, some areas such as when it talks about a decapitated dolphin head being sentient and a vampire still confuse me.
The target readers for this book are adults and young adults. Specifically, those who like fantasy and horror should enjoy this book the most. There is cussing, murder, and the overall tone was not for children to read, even if it wasn’t that long. A high school student should be able to handle this book if they wanted to read it. I rate this book 2 out of 4. After reading this book a second time I might increase my score but for now, this is the best I can offer it. I found this book to be enjoyable yet at the same time, I did not really like it. On the surface I found some of the stories to be confusing or even pointless. When I looked deeper I found it had more depth about the nature of humans than I previously thought, although I do not know if this was the author’s intention.
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Keeping with more of a horror theme this book starts off with a ghost in a graveyard although the ghost doesn't make another appearance until the end of the book. Readers are then taken on a hunting trip through the eyes of the prey. A truly scary experience. During the course of this book, the people who live in the cracks in the pavement or as it seemed to be the down and out or homeless are brought to light as well. Basically these are the people that the majority of society pretends don’t exist.
This journey takes readers to the far reaches of space abroad The Ascension. It is on The Ascension where tattoos can be used to control people and others are able to shapeshift. In our technologically advanced society, many wonder about what will happen when AI becomes so advanced that it sees itself as human or tries to take over. That is what happens in another one of the stories to a worker on another planet. Finally, readers see the lengths that a mother will go to in order to avenge a close friend and protect her own child. So sit back and relax as you are taken on a creepy trip deep into the monstrous world that we call humanity, in a town where monsters are normal.
What I liked best was that many of the stories overlapped with one another in some way. While they all take place in the same town the connections go deeper than just that. This book could almost read as each story being just a chapter instead of a stand-alone story. What I did not like was how often this book was confusing to me. I had to reread areas to clear up and be sure what I just read was correct. Some of the confusing points were just because of me misunderstanding the wording. On the other hand, some areas such as when it talks about a decapitated dolphin head being sentient and a vampire still confuse me.
The target readers for this book are adults and young adults. Specifically, those who like fantasy and horror should enjoy this book the most. There is cussing, murder, and the overall tone was not for children to read, even if it wasn’t that long. A high school student should be able to handle this book if they wanted to read it. I rate this book 2 out of 4. After reading this book a second time I might increase my score but for now, this is the best I can offer it. I found this book to be enjoyable yet at the same time, I did not really like it. On the surface I found some of the stories to be confusing or even pointless. When I looked deeper I found it had more depth about the nature of humans than I previously thought, although I do not know if this was the author’s intention.
https://www.facebook.com/nightreaderreviews
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