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Awix (3310 KP) rated Break of Dark in Books

Aug 2, 2019

Break of Dark

Robert Westall | 1982 | Horror, Science Fiction/Fantasy

9.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

I must have been 12 or 13 when I first read this, and back then part of the fun came from the sense that these actually felt like adult stories, for all the book is advertised as being basically YA fiction: quite apart from the substantial quantities of profanity and sex, many the characters aren't typical YA identification figures: middle-aged seaside policemen, earnest young vicars, suburban couples, and so on. These are still hugely readable and satisfying stories even now many decades later.

But what are they about? Well, there are two stories of ghosts (a haunted Wellington bomber during the second world war, and a rather stranger tale of an unwitting medium), two of very atypical alien visitations (a cautionary tale of a young hitch-hiker, and a blackly comic one concerning a spate of peculiar crimes in a small resort town), and one of an inner-city vicar who stumbles onto something very creepy in the crypt of his church. All of them are engagingly and skilfully written, and immaculately paced. Good reads for all ages.

Kudos

Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Hercules (2014) in Movies

Aug 6, 2019

Hercules (2014)

2014 | Action, Sci-Fi

6.2

(9 Ratings)

Movie Rating

Dwayne “no longer the Rock” Johnson shares his acting skills with the world again.

Action star, sure; drama star, not so much.

In this graphic novel adaptation Hercules is made out to be a questionable

demi-god. With a spectacular retelling of his legendary labors, the story begins

showing Hercules as a sword-for-hire. His band of mercenaries helps him use the fame

to intimidate enemies and garner business.

Haunted by his past, the loss of Alcmene and 3 children, Hercules is offered his

weight in gold to save a kingdom from a tyrant.

Hercules sets off on his quest, hoping soon to be done with it all and retire on a

remote island to live out his days.

This star studded cast lends some great acting skill, Johnson withstanding, to the

big screen. The action will entertain, and the humor will grant a chuckle.

I found the story compelling, but I also feel like humor and the main actor were

Worth seeing but probably better suited for an at-home viewing.