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David McK (3369 KP) rated The Last Command (Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy, #3) in Books
Nov 21, 2021
The final part of Timothy Zahn's 'Heir to the Empire' trilogy, which I first read way back in the early to mid 1990s ('94, '95, thereabouts).
So we're talking before the Prequel trilogy, never mind the Sequel trilogy. Before even the 'Special Editions' of the original movies.
And, talking of the Sequel Trilogy: I'm of the opinion that these would have been a better basis for those films than the disjointed mess we eventually got: there's a clear overall arc to the plot here, it doesn't disrespect the core characters (Han, Luke, Leia) while also does both deepen and expand upon the original trilogy, and introduces certain characters and locations that later made their way into the mainline movies: Coruscant? Grand Admiral Thrawn? The Noghri? All have their first appearances in these novels. I'm still waiting for Mara Jade to make her live-action debut, though ...
That's not to say that changes would have been needed: The Clone Wars mentioned here, for example, here has the Clones as the villains of the piece, and makes absolutely no reference to the Droid armies of the Trade Federation (understandably, as - remember - this was released way before 1999s 'The Phantom Menace').
All in all, this is a strong trilogy of novels that laid the groundwork for what would later become known as the Expanded Universe- later renamed as Legends - and of which parts are now being cherry-picked to fit into the main story lines following Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm back in (roughly) 2012 or so.
So we're talking before the Prequel trilogy, never mind the Sequel trilogy. Before even the 'Special Editions' of the original movies.
And, talking of the Sequel Trilogy: I'm of the opinion that these would have been a better basis for those films than the disjointed mess we eventually got: there's a clear overall arc to the plot here, it doesn't disrespect the core characters (Han, Luke, Leia) while also does both deepen and expand upon the original trilogy, and introduces certain characters and locations that later made their way into the mainline movies: Coruscant? Grand Admiral Thrawn? The Noghri? All have their first appearances in these novels. I'm still waiting for Mara Jade to make her live-action debut, though ...
That's not to say that changes would have been needed: The Clone Wars mentioned here, for example, here has the Clones as the villains of the piece, and makes absolutely no reference to the Droid armies of the Trade Federation (understandably, as - remember - this was released way before 1999s 'The Phantom Menace').
All in all, this is a strong trilogy of novels that laid the groundwork for what would later become known as the Expanded Universe- later renamed as Legends - and of which parts are now being cherry-picked to fit into the main story lines following Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm back in (roughly) 2012 or so.
David McK (3369 KP) rated Thrawn Ascendancy Book II: Greater Good in Books
Sep 4, 2022
Timothy Zahn and Grand Admiral Thrawn go way back.
Back to the early 90s, when Zahn first introduced the character in Heir to the Empire, and 'kickstarted' the old Star Wars Expanded Universe (EU), now known as Star Wars: Legends.
Thrawn is one of the few characters (so far) mined from said EU and carried over the the Disney era of Star Wars, which is no surprise giving his popularity.
What may be slightly surprising, however, is (IMO) just how 'different' this version of the character feels: not better nor worse, just different. In the case of this novel (part 2 of a trilogy, after Chaos Rising but before Lesser Evil, what is also surprising is just how loosely connected to the rest of the Star Wars sandbox universe this is - I mean this as in there are no Jedi or Sith, no lightsabres, no Old Republic, no Seperatists, no Empire and no Rebellion.
Indeed, as before, the very opening sentence of the novel makes that clear: "A long time ago, beyond a galaxy far far away ..."
The Star Wars 'sandbox', of course, is more than big enough to accommodate such a departure, with those who have read part one of the trilogy knowing more of what to expect: Thrawn's tactical genius but political blindness, a few 'large scale' space battles and individuals in the Chiss family to which Thrawn belongs seeking to undermine him whilst other shadowy figures also have their own design for the Chiss Ascendency ...
Back to the early 90s, when Zahn first introduced the character in Heir to the Empire, and 'kickstarted' the old Star Wars Expanded Universe (EU), now known as Star Wars: Legends.
Thrawn is one of the few characters (so far) mined from said EU and carried over the the Disney era of Star Wars, which is no surprise giving his popularity.
What may be slightly surprising, however, is (IMO) just how 'different' this version of the character feels: not better nor worse, just different. In the case of this novel (part 2 of a trilogy, after Chaos Rising but before Lesser Evil, what is also surprising is just how loosely connected to the rest of the Star Wars sandbox universe this is - I mean this as in there are no Jedi or Sith, no lightsabres, no Old Republic, no Seperatists, no Empire and no Rebellion.
Indeed, as before, the very opening sentence of the novel makes that clear: "A long time ago, beyond a galaxy far far away ..."
The Star Wars 'sandbox', of course, is more than big enough to accommodate such a departure, with those who have read part one of the trilogy knowing more of what to expect: Thrawn's tactical genius but political blindness, a few 'large scale' space battles and individuals in the Chiss family to which Thrawn belongs seeking to undermine him whilst other shadowy figures also have their own design for the Chiss Ascendency ...
Merissa (11950 KP) rated Ariadne Unraveled: A Mythic Retelling in Books
Jul 6, 2021 (Updated Jul 17, 2023)
ARIADNE UNRAVELED is a retelling that involves Ariadne (obviously), plus Dionysus, Theseus, Artemis, and so many more.
The story takes various myths and legends and weaves them into one epic story that features betrayal, transformation, friendship, loyalty, and love. Instead of the usual Athenian telling of the Minotaur, we hear from the Minoans themselves. We learn how their women knew things about their own bodies that others didn't. We see how the Minoans were a magical, intelligent race that made mistakes just like any other. And woven through is Dionysus as he feels his way and figures out just who he is.
Wow! Just... wow! What a story. So intricate and rich in detail, I was totally immersed in Ariadne's story. I loved hearing about her - both the big picture and also the small, intimate details that made her life. And, yes, I know this is myth, but with how it has been written, I could see myself there and it all seemed real. There were even tears shed at some points, it was that good! The pacing is perfect and the writing style is smooth.
This is the first book by this author I have read, but I can guarantee you it won't be the last. Absolutely brilliant and highly recommended by me.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jul 6, 2021
The story takes various myths and legends and weaves them into one epic story that features betrayal, transformation, friendship, loyalty, and love. Instead of the usual Athenian telling of the Minotaur, we hear from the Minoans themselves. We learn how their women knew things about their own bodies that others didn't. We see how the Minoans were a magical, intelligent race that made mistakes just like any other. And woven through is Dionysus as he feels his way and figures out just who he is.
Wow! Just... wow! What a story. So intricate and rich in detail, I was totally immersed in Ariadne's story. I loved hearing about her - both the big picture and also the small, intimate details that made her life. And, yes, I know this is myth, but with how it has been written, I could see myself there and it all seemed real. There were even tears shed at some points, it was that good! The pacing is perfect and the writing style is smooth.
This is the first book by this author I have read, but I can guarantee you it won't be the last. Absolutely brilliant and highly recommended by me.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jul 6, 2021
Darren (1599 KP) rated House of 1000 Corpses (2003) in Movies
Nov 23, 2019
Verdict: This Really Is Messy
Story: House of 1000 Corpses starts when four friends Jerry (Hardwick), Mary (Jostyn), Bill (Wilson) and Denise (Daniels) go on tour of at Captain Spaulding (Haig) house of horrors and learning about mysterious tree, they go off in search in a storm, picking up a hitchhiker Baby Firefly (Moon), they find a place to stay, right around when the news is reporting about missing teenagers.
The four friends find themselves being the latest victims of the Firefly family with Otis (Moseley) willing to do anything to get his pleasure for pain, their only hope is that Denise’s father comes looking for them after they didn’t arrive at his house the night before.
Thoughts on House of 1000 Corpses
Characters – Captain Spaulding is the one that has his own house of horrors that he encourages tourists to look around, he knows the legends of the area, which is why he knows how to get the curiosity of the people to want to go in search for the legends about his house. Otis is the leader of the firefly house, he will talk the most, do the most torturous treatment of their victims. Baby Firefly is the one that brings people back to the house, the youngest member of the family that is just getting started in her ways compared to the rest. Mother Firefly is always looking for a younger man to play with before they murder.
Performances – Sid Haig does bring his character to life to be one of the very few highlights in this film, while Bill Moseley knows that he needed to make this character over the top, while the victims are generic performances, they are fine, but the rest of the cast struggles to work with the awful material.
Story – The story here follows four friends that find themselves being the latest victims of the sadistic firefly family that like to torture, mutuality and kill their victims. The biggest problem with this story is that we cut away way too many times, it always looks like we are going into watch a torture filled horror story, which isn’t everyone cup of tea, but if we had stuck to this idea, we could have had a good story. The problems involve countless city away scenes of just random footage of violence happening to people, rather than having any context towards them. This story is mess and never makes you care about the victims, while not making the villains people you want to see either, making most shots of the film hard to care about.
Horror – The horror in the film is meant to be focused on the different levels of violence that could be given to the victims, it is more for shock than making any sense.
Settings – The film is mostly set in the one house/ranch like environment where the family can do what they want without anybody coming to disturb them.
Special Effects – The effects are used to show the violence, though most gets covered over with random slips of something else happening.
Scene of the Movie – Captain Spaulding’s tour.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The random cut clips that make no sense.
Final Thoughts – This is a truly messy horror that misses on every mark, leaving it look and feeling like something you would forget within a hour of finishing it.
Overall: Poor and messy.
Story: House of 1000 Corpses starts when four friends Jerry (Hardwick), Mary (Jostyn), Bill (Wilson) and Denise (Daniels) go on tour of at Captain Spaulding (Haig) house of horrors and learning about mysterious tree, they go off in search in a storm, picking up a hitchhiker Baby Firefly (Moon), they find a place to stay, right around when the news is reporting about missing teenagers.
The four friends find themselves being the latest victims of the Firefly family with Otis (Moseley) willing to do anything to get his pleasure for pain, their only hope is that Denise’s father comes looking for them after they didn’t arrive at his house the night before.
Thoughts on House of 1000 Corpses
Characters – Captain Spaulding is the one that has his own house of horrors that he encourages tourists to look around, he knows the legends of the area, which is why he knows how to get the curiosity of the people to want to go in search for the legends about his house. Otis is the leader of the firefly house, he will talk the most, do the most torturous treatment of their victims. Baby Firefly is the one that brings people back to the house, the youngest member of the family that is just getting started in her ways compared to the rest. Mother Firefly is always looking for a younger man to play with before they murder.
Performances – Sid Haig does bring his character to life to be one of the very few highlights in this film, while Bill Moseley knows that he needed to make this character over the top, while the victims are generic performances, they are fine, but the rest of the cast struggles to work with the awful material.
Story – The story here follows four friends that find themselves being the latest victims of the sadistic firefly family that like to torture, mutuality and kill their victims. The biggest problem with this story is that we cut away way too many times, it always looks like we are going into watch a torture filled horror story, which isn’t everyone cup of tea, but if we had stuck to this idea, we could have had a good story. The problems involve countless city away scenes of just random footage of violence happening to people, rather than having any context towards them. This story is mess and never makes you care about the victims, while not making the villains people you want to see either, making most shots of the film hard to care about.
Horror – The horror in the film is meant to be focused on the different levels of violence that could be given to the victims, it is more for shock than making any sense.
Settings – The film is mostly set in the one house/ranch like environment where the family can do what they want without anybody coming to disturb them.
Special Effects – The effects are used to show the violence, though most gets covered over with random slips of something else happening.
Scene of the Movie – Captain Spaulding’s tour.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The random cut clips that make no sense.
Final Thoughts – This is a truly messy horror that misses on every mark, leaving it look and feeling like something you would forget within a hour of finishing it.
Overall: Poor and messy.
NBA JAM by EA SPORTS™ for iPad
Games
App
Read on for important info below! BOOMSHAKALAKA!!!! Jam with a friend in Local Multiplayer and...
Highway Prado Racing Game!
Games
App
Drive 4x4 Prado fast from cockpit's view through the endless highway traffic and realistic city....
Jared Harper (8 KP) rated the PlayStation 4 version of Apex Legends in Video Games
Mar 14, 2019
Apex legends is the first person shooter battle Royale game I've been waiting for. It's not the first, but it's the best in my opinion. Graphics are beautiful and smooth. Movement is quick and fluid with the ability to climb anything and to slide down any slope at a decent speed. Gun fights are always interesting because of each fighters unique but fair abilities. Gun drops are good and most games you have decent loot. Only complaint I have is to buff some of the weaker guns to keep up with the R301 and wingman combo that most people seem to want. Snipers could use some more love especially, as every shot has bullet drop, it would be useful to do more damage since the difficulty of hitting the target is higher than in games without bullet drop. Back to the positives, playing with randoms can be achieved because of the fantastic ping system! No mic? No problem you can communicate just about anything by pinging a location and choosing an option. Storm is rarely deadly, but keeps the fight going at a good rate. However, sometimes when there's a few people left we have a huge circle, and I'd like to see an algorithm that speeds up the circle when there's that few people. Other than a few negatives I LOVE this game and if you haven't played it, you should.
Playing for the Hoops: The George McCluskey Story
Aidan Donaldson and Joe Bradley
Book
How did George McCluskey become one of Celtic F.C.'s most memorable football players? What binds the...
Steven Gerrard, Michael Owen and Me.: Mike Yates Tells His Story
Book
This is a football autobiography with an exciting and refreshing difference. Mike Yates tells his...