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Phil Leader (619 KP) rated Tails and Fixers in Books
Nov 26, 2019
This is an intriguing and interesting story that mixes a few ingredients together into a standard science fiction concept. The result is an engaging and moving story of survival and love.
The main protagonist is Floyd, an ex-military pilot. He is dying from kidney failure until he is given a lifeline - there is a new medical technique that can regenerate his kidneys using his own stem cells, but it will only work if he is put into 'hibernation' for 50 years. And oh, if you accept we will also be sending you on a 50 year trip to another solar system which has been broadcasting radio signals.
The book starts with Floyd waking at his destination and taking a crash course in the language of the alien planet's inhabitants. That is if there is anyone to speak to as 8 years before he arrived an asteroid struck the planet and left the surface desolated. Floyd must find if there any survivors and provide any assistance he can.
From the asteroid impact on, nothing goes to plan and Floyd must use his ingenuity just to survive himself, aided only by the ship's computer and whatever stores Earth thought to provide him with (the lack of beer being his main concern). Fortunately Floyd is very practical and able to improvise solutions to a number of problems as he struggles to survive in the hostile environment.
Once he has established a base he makes contact with the survivors of the asteroid impact, living in an underground bunker. There are humanoids with tails and also a genetically engineered slave race that do all the practical work - the Fixers.
Although they appear to be at least physically like Floyd their society is very alien indeed. Floyd immediately questions how their civilisation works and talks to a number of aliens - some he likes, others he dislikes enormously. Floyd must work out if he fits in and if so how.
The book certainly didn't go as I thought it would. Just as it seems the normal path will be followed in the narrative Kaluza takes a sharp turn and throws everything up in the air and sees how they land. This makes it an interesting read and stops it becoming bogged down in one mode or another. I found the end particularly - and unexpectedly - moving and it made a very suitable ending to what had gone before.
This is the best kind of science fiction. It uses the concept of the alien world to throw sharp relief on our understanding of subjects such as philosophy, genetics, engineering and sociology. There are some clever ideas (I particularly liked the way we got to see the results of Floyd's work beyond the end the novel in a very ingenious flash-forward sequence). The love story is well told and keeps the story balanced between the sometimes heavier going in the more profound themes without being too overworked.
Overall a book I enjoyed and wanted to keep coming back to. I will have to pick up another of the author's books sometime as he clearly has great ideas.
The main protagonist is Floyd, an ex-military pilot. He is dying from kidney failure until he is given a lifeline - there is a new medical technique that can regenerate his kidneys using his own stem cells, but it will only work if he is put into 'hibernation' for 50 years. And oh, if you accept we will also be sending you on a 50 year trip to another solar system which has been broadcasting radio signals.
The book starts with Floyd waking at his destination and taking a crash course in the language of the alien planet's inhabitants. That is if there is anyone to speak to as 8 years before he arrived an asteroid struck the planet and left the surface desolated. Floyd must find if there any survivors and provide any assistance he can.
From the asteroid impact on, nothing goes to plan and Floyd must use his ingenuity just to survive himself, aided only by the ship's computer and whatever stores Earth thought to provide him with (the lack of beer being his main concern). Fortunately Floyd is very practical and able to improvise solutions to a number of problems as he struggles to survive in the hostile environment.
Once he has established a base he makes contact with the survivors of the asteroid impact, living in an underground bunker. There are humanoids with tails and also a genetically engineered slave race that do all the practical work - the Fixers.
Although they appear to be at least physically like Floyd their society is very alien indeed. Floyd immediately questions how their civilisation works and talks to a number of aliens - some he likes, others he dislikes enormously. Floyd must work out if he fits in and if so how.
The book certainly didn't go as I thought it would. Just as it seems the normal path will be followed in the narrative Kaluza takes a sharp turn and throws everything up in the air and sees how they land. This makes it an interesting read and stops it becoming bogged down in one mode or another. I found the end particularly - and unexpectedly - moving and it made a very suitable ending to what had gone before.
This is the best kind of science fiction. It uses the concept of the alien world to throw sharp relief on our understanding of subjects such as philosophy, genetics, engineering and sociology. There are some clever ideas (I particularly liked the way we got to see the results of Floyd's work beyond the end the novel in a very ingenious flash-forward sequence). The love story is well told and keeps the story balanced between the sometimes heavier going in the more profound themes without being too overworked.
Overall a book I enjoyed and wanted to keep coming back to. I will have to pick up another of the author's books sometime as he clearly has great ideas.
Bob Mann (459 KP) rated The Accountant (2016) in Movies
Sep 29, 2021
Rain Man with a Kalashnikov.
(Another Bob the Movie Man Showcase Theatre).
The scene: studio execs in a board room in Warner Brothers. Greg Silverman, head of Creative Development walks into the room full of his most creative guys and slams a script by Bill Dubuque onto the table.
Silverman: “Affleck needs a real zinger of a film to follow his Batman work and this is it… but we we need a really riveting title… something to grab everyone’s attention and get them begging to pay their ticket money to see. Hit me!”
Creative 1: “The Autist?”
Silverman: “Like your thinking…. good Oscar associations… but perhaps a tad non-PC.”
Creative 2: “Under the Skin?”
Silverman: “Been done. Besides, don’t want everyone thinking they’re going to see THAT much of Johansson again”
A grey looking financial director, sitting in the corner: “Er… sir… I’ve got an idea….”
=====
So… it’s not the most PR-friendly title in the world, but it is a whole lot more interesting than it sounds. Ben Affleck plays the titular accountant (who may or may not be called Christian Wolff) – a sort of evil Jack Reacher of the financial world: off-the-grid behind multiple aliases and with financial fingers in more murky pies around the world than seems tasteful.
Not only is he a mathematical genius with the numbers, but is also extremely handy with his fists and an arsenal of high powered weaponry he keeps in his executive trailer home… ready to up-roots and disappear at any time.
Supported over the phone by a mysterious ‘Pepper-Potts-style’ personal assistant, who appears more machine than person, Affleck is guided from job to job, dropping in the occasional “normal” job to keep the authorities off his tail. One of these is for a bio-technology company headed up by Lamar Black (John Lithgow) who brings him in – against the wishes of his FD and long term friend Ed Chilton (Andy Umberger) – since all appears not quite right in the books. Junior accountant Dana Cummings (Anna “Pitch Perfect” Kendrick) is the young lady who has seen the discrepancy but can’t track it down in the labyrinthine accounts.
This so called ‘safe’ job lands both him and Dana in extreme danger as person or persons unknown, fronted by a hired ‘heavy’ played by Jon Bernthal, try to prevent some dodgy activities coming to the surface.
As a parallel thread, the head of the Treasury Department’s Crime Enforcement Division, Ray King (J.K. Simmons, “Whiplash”) strong-arms (for no readily apparent reason) analyst Marybeth Medina (an impressive Cynthia Addai-Robinson) into pursuing Wolff. With a keen intellect and a strong incentive she begins to close in.
Directed by Gavin O’ Connor, this – for me – is a frustratingly inconsistent film. When it flies, it really flies well, both at an action level and at a dramatic level. The flashback scenes to Wolff’s childhood are well done, showing how the autistic and needy youngster who needed compassion, quiet and understanding got the exact opposite from his militaristic father (Robert C Treveiler) to ‘jolt him out of’ his condition. It is easy to understand how he turned out the way he did.
On the flip side, the plot progression almost deliberately shines a spotlight on some questions (no spoilers) that if you ask them you immediately see the answers, resulting in most of the rest of the plot falling into place without shock or surprise. There was only one genuine twist for me, right at the end of the film, that I didn’t see coming.
The script by Bill Dubuque (“The Judge”) delivers some really nice scenes between Affleck and Kendrick, some smart (and genuinely funny) one-liners and one of the best abruptly ended speeches since Samuel L. Jackson’s in “Deep Blue Sea”. However, the whole Treasury Investigation story-line (however good it is to see J.K. Simmons act) is somewhat superfluous to the whole thing and just doesn’t work.
Kendrick and Affleck have good chemistry, with Affleck trying desperately to breathe some likeability into what is a pretty cold and calculating character. It’s hard though to empathise with someone who – albeit indirectly – is the source of such misery around the world through drugs, terrorism, dictatorships and God-knows what else. Kendrick plays kooky and naive really well, but she really ought to get some protocols sorted out around letting people into her apartment: she really doesn’t seem to learn!
It’s a nice idea and entertaining to watch, but the delivery is flawed.
The scene: studio execs in a board room in Warner Brothers. Greg Silverman, head of Creative Development walks into the room full of his most creative guys and slams a script by Bill Dubuque onto the table.
Silverman: “Affleck needs a real zinger of a film to follow his Batman work and this is it… but we we need a really riveting title… something to grab everyone’s attention and get them begging to pay their ticket money to see. Hit me!”
Creative 1: “The Autist?”
Silverman: “Like your thinking…. good Oscar associations… but perhaps a tad non-PC.”
Creative 2: “Under the Skin?”
Silverman: “Been done. Besides, don’t want everyone thinking they’re going to see THAT much of Johansson again”
A grey looking financial director, sitting in the corner: “Er… sir… I’ve got an idea….”
=====
So… it’s not the most PR-friendly title in the world, but it is a whole lot more interesting than it sounds. Ben Affleck plays the titular accountant (who may or may not be called Christian Wolff) – a sort of evil Jack Reacher of the financial world: off-the-grid behind multiple aliases and with financial fingers in more murky pies around the world than seems tasteful.
Not only is he a mathematical genius with the numbers, but is also extremely handy with his fists and an arsenal of high powered weaponry he keeps in his executive trailer home… ready to up-roots and disappear at any time.
Supported over the phone by a mysterious ‘Pepper-Potts-style’ personal assistant, who appears more machine than person, Affleck is guided from job to job, dropping in the occasional “normal” job to keep the authorities off his tail. One of these is for a bio-technology company headed up by Lamar Black (John Lithgow) who brings him in – against the wishes of his FD and long term friend Ed Chilton (Andy Umberger) – since all appears not quite right in the books. Junior accountant Dana Cummings (Anna “Pitch Perfect” Kendrick) is the young lady who has seen the discrepancy but can’t track it down in the labyrinthine accounts.
This so called ‘safe’ job lands both him and Dana in extreme danger as person or persons unknown, fronted by a hired ‘heavy’ played by Jon Bernthal, try to prevent some dodgy activities coming to the surface.
As a parallel thread, the head of the Treasury Department’s Crime Enforcement Division, Ray King (J.K. Simmons, “Whiplash”) strong-arms (for no readily apparent reason) analyst Marybeth Medina (an impressive Cynthia Addai-Robinson) into pursuing Wolff. With a keen intellect and a strong incentive she begins to close in.
Directed by Gavin O’ Connor, this – for me – is a frustratingly inconsistent film. When it flies, it really flies well, both at an action level and at a dramatic level. The flashback scenes to Wolff’s childhood are well done, showing how the autistic and needy youngster who needed compassion, quiet and understanding got the exact opposite from his militaristic father (Robert C Treveiler) to ‘jolt him out of’ his condition. It is easy to understand how he turned out the way he did.
On the flip side, the plot progression almost deliberately shines a spotlight on some questions (no spoilers) that if you ask them you immediately see the answers, resulting in most of the rest of the plot falling into place without shock or surprise. There was only one genuine twist for me, right at the end of the film, that I didn’t see coming.
The script by Bill Dubuque (“The Judge”) delivers some really nice scenes between Affleck and Kendrick, some smart (and genuinely funny) one-liners and one of the best abruptly ended speeches since Samuel L. Jackson’s in “Deep Blue Sea”. However, the whole Treasury Investigation story-line (however good it is to see J.K. Simmons act) is somewhat superfluous to the whole thing and just doesn’t work.
Kendrick and Affleck have good chemistry, with Affleck trying desperately to breathe some likeability into what is a pretty cold and calculating character. It’s hard though to empathise with someone who – albeit indirectly – is the source of such misery around the world through drugs, terrorism, dictatorships and God-knows what else. Kendrick plays kooky and naive really well, but she really ought to get some protocols sorted out around letting people into her apartment: she really doesn’t seem to learn!
It’s a nice idea and entertaining to watch, but the delivery is flawed.
Merissa (13725 KP) rated Fire (The Knights of Av'lor #3) in Books
Dec 4, 2017
Fire (The Knights of Av'lor #3) by Sam Rook
Fire is the outstanding final instalment in The Knights of Av'lor series. Kate has just returned to Av'lor and has been betrayed by Garrent. He has ensnared her daughter with a necklace that controls her, and taken her to Earth. There, he tells the rest of the Knights that Av'lor has fallen, and because he has destroyed the gate, they have no way of knowing the truth or returning home. The rest of the story is how Kate, Lan, and the rest try to find a way back to Earth, to find Rachel, to stop Garrent, and hopefully return peace to their lives.
My word, I could gush about this book/series for hours!!! There is so much I could write, but I've stopped myself because I don't want to ruin it for anyone else. This #Fantasy series has a bit of everything for me - love, wit, danger, sorrow, heartbreak - it's all here. The author pulls you into their world and makes you feel. You feel their sorrow, their desperation, their determination. And when it seems like everything is about to fall down around their ears, you feel their pain. It's simply amazing.
Books one and two both ended with a cliffhanger that had me gasping. This one doesn't, but I sort of wish it had. Don't get me wrong, I hate series when they end abruptly and you are left hanging. You don't get that with this book, but it also feels completely wrapped up, and I don't know if I'm ready to let go of this world and its characters yet.
I would just like to add that I re-read Hope before I read Gate. And this time I re-read both of them before I started Fire. I wasn't bored with the re-reads, I didn't skip parts. I was as enthralled and intrigued as I was the first time I read them. I really can't recommend these books highly enough. They are excellently written, with no editing or grammatical errors that spoilt my reading flow. If you want a fantasy that will take you to worlds beyond your own, then I can definitely recommend this series.
* Verified Purchase ~ November 2017 *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
My word, I could gush about this book/series for hours!!! There is so much I could write, but I've stopped myself because I don't want to ruin it for anyone else. This #Fantasy series has a bit of everything for me - love, wit, danger, sorrow, heartbreak - it's all here. The author pulls you into their world and makes you feel. You feel their sorrow, their desperation, their determination. And when it seems like everything is about to fall down around their ears, you feel their pain. It's simply amazing.
Books one and two both ended with a cliffhanger that had me gasping. This one doesn't, but I sort of wish it had. Don't get me wrong, I hate series when they end abruptly and you are left hanging. You don't get that with this book, but it also feels completely wrapped up, and I don't know if I'm ready to let go of this world and its characters yet.
I would just like to add that I re-read Hope before I read Gate. And this time I re-read both of them before I started Fire. I wasn't bored with the re-reads, I didn't skip parts. I was as enthralled and intrigued as I was the first time I read them. I really can't recommend these books highly enough. They are excellently written, with no editing or grammatical errors that spoilt my reading flow. If you want a fantasy that will take you to worlds beyond your own, then I can definitely recommend this series.
* Verified Purchase ~ November 2017 *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jesters_folly (230 KP) rated Color Out of Space (2019) in Movies
Nov 10, 2020
Contains spoilers, click to show
Color out of Space Is a film based on a H.P. Lovecraft staring Nicholas Cage so you know it's going to be weird.
So, tell me if you've heard this one before. A meteor lands on an isolated farm and the farmer and his family have to fight off what it brought with it. If this sound familiar then that because it's been used so often it's become a common Sci-Fi trope but, all tropes have to come from somewhere and the works of Lovecraft have interwoven themselves into many modern works. I mention this because, as well as it's main premise, there are a lot of familiar scenes and concepts. You see creatures that remind you of the 'Thing' and transformations reminiscent of the original 'Quatermass Experiment' as well as creepy kids and a well but you have to remember that Color out of Space is most likely the source material and not the other way round (The Thing it's self is filled with Lovecraftian ideas even though it's based on a story by different author.)
As the films title hints, the actual creature is a color (or Colour if you're English) which is a strange concept in its self and the effects it has on the world around it only unfold slowly but, like in the other films I've mentioned, they end in horror (and body horror).
The theme of colour, even in it's strange use here, leads to the film being pretty in parts and as the film goes on the landscape takes on eerie life of it's own very much like the Martian weed taking over London in 'War of the Worlds'.
The film it's self is odd, you keep expecting the main family to be one of those stereotypical dysfunctional family's but, every time they seem to falling apart they pull together and, even their decent into madness doesn't pull them apart. The whole thing is made even strange by Nicholas Cage who is his usual, over the top self; Throwing tantrums and monologing to people who aren't really there, although, I'm happy to say his performance is not as OTT as it was in 'Mandy' where he went full Cage (which was great for that film but Color out of space is slightly more subdued, slightly but not much.)
There is blood but most of the horror either happens off screen or is just implied and even the monsters are just there just to be seen, although they do have a point to the story.
Color out of Space is a good but slightly strange cosmic horror with Nicholas Cage being as strange as usual aided in his strangeness by Madeleine Arthur, playing his daughter, Lavinia. with the exception of Tommy Chong's Ezra the rest of the cast play it mostly straight.
So, tell me if you've heard this one before. A meteor lands on an isolated farm and the farmer and his family have to fight off what it brought with it. If this sound familiar then that because it's been used so often it's become a common Sci-Fi trope but, all tropes have to come from somewhere and the works of Lovecraft have interwoven themselves into many modern works. I mention this because, as well as it's main premise, there are a lot of familiar scenes and concepts. You see creatures that remind you of the 'Thing' and transformations reminiscent of the original 'Quatermass Experiment' as well as creepy kids and a well but you have to remember that Color out of Space is most likely the source material and not the other way round (The Thing it's self is filled with Lovecraftian ideas even though it's based on a story by different author.)
As the films title hints, the actual creature is a color (or Colour if you're English) which is a strange concept in its self and the effects it has on the world around it only unfold slowly but, like in the other films I've mentioned, they end in horror (and body horror).
The theme of colour, even in it's strange use here, leads to the film being pretty in parts and as the film goes on the landscape takes on eerie life of it's own very much like the Martian weed taking over London in 'War of the Worlds'.
The film it's self is odd, you keep expecting the main family to be one of those stereotypical dysfunctional family's but, every time they seem to falling apart they pull together and, even their decent into madness doesn't pull them apart. The whole thing is made even strange by Nicholas Cage who is his usual, over the top self; Throwing tantrums and monologing to people who aren't really there, although, I'm happy to say his performance is not as OTT as it was in 'Mandy' where he went full Cage (which was great for that film but Color out of space is slightly more subdued, slightly but not much.)
There is blood but most of the horror either happens off screen or is just implied and even the monsters are just there just to be seen, although they do have a point to the story.
Color out of Space is a good but slightly strange cosmic horror with Nicholas Cage being as strange as usual aided in his strangeness by Madeleine Arthur, playing his daughter, Lavinia. with the exception of Tommy Chong's Ezra the rest of the cast play it mostly straight.
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