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David McK (3557 KP) rated The Grimoire of the Lamb (The Iron Druid Chronicles, #0.4) in Books
Jan 28, 2019
Released after book #5 in Kevin Hearne's 'Iron Druid Chronicles' (i.e. after [b:Trapped|8428140|Trapped|Michael Northrop|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1395769555s/8428140.jpg|13291342]), this is actually somewhat unusual in that it does not take place after or during the events of the previous but before those of the next: i.e. this is NOT book 5.5.
Rather, this joins both [b:Clan Rathskeller|10324651|Clan Rathskeller (The Iron Druid Chronicles, #0.5)|Kevin Hearne|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1323223194s/10324651.jpg|15227090] and [b:Kaibab Unbound|11950840|Kaibab Unbound (The Iron Druid Chronicles , #0.6)|Kevin Hearne|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1323225105s/11950840.jpg|16912742] in being set before the first novel (i.e. before [b:Hounded|18404329|Hounded|David Rosenfelt|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1382758931s/18404329.jpg|26038191]), set even before either of those two novels. As such, there's no Granuaile (sp?) in this one, with Atticus still living in Tempe and still in charge of his shop. Indeed, it's an item in that shop - the Grimoire of the title - that acts as the catalyst for this tale, which sees Atticus (and Oberon!) traveling to Egypt when said item is stolen from him for nefarious purposes.
Rather, this joins both [b:Clan Rathskeller|10324651|Clan Rathskeller (The Iron Druid Chronicles, #0.5)|Kevin Hearne|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1323223194s/10324651.jpg|15227090] and [b:Kaibab Unbound|11950840|Kaibab Unbound (The Iron Druid Chronicles , #0.6)|Kevin Hearne|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1323225105s/11950840.jpg|16912742] in being set before the first novel (i.e. before [b:Hounded|18404329|Hounded|David Rosenfelt|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1382758931s/18404329.jpg|26038191]), set even before either of those two novels. As such, there's no Granuaile (sp?) in this one, with Atticus still living in Tempe and still in charge of his shop. Indeed, it's an item in that shop - the Grimoire of the title - that acts as the catalyst for this tale, which sees Atticus (and Oberon!) traveling to Egypt when said item is stolen from him for nefarious purposes.
David McK (3557 KP) rated The King's Assassin (The Outlaw Chronicles, #7) in Books
Jan 30, 2019
This, I believe, is the penultimate entry in [a: Angus Donald|584064|Angus Donald|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]'s 'Outlaw' series of novels dealing with the legend of Robin Hood.
If I'm honest, I also have to say that I read the title as meaning 'an assassin belonging to a King' rather than what proves to be the actual meaning: a (failed) attempt to assassinate the King (who, at this stage, is John).
As before, this is presented as the elderly Alan a Dale (now in a monastery as he has been since the opening of [b: Outlaw|17333533|Outlaw|Ted Dekker|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1364009572s/17333533.jpg|24064806], and by this stage dictating rather than writing himself) recalling his earlier life in the company of Robin and his men.
The main 'hook' of this particular entry in the series is the events leading up to the signing of Magna Carta, with King John proving to be an unpopular and failing ruler, especially compared to his older brother Richard ('the Lionheart'), and with Robin instrumental in bringing about the famous document.
If I'm honest, I also have to say that I read the title as meaning 'an assassin belonging to a King' rather than what proves to be the actual meaning: a (failed) attempt to assassinate the King (who, at this stage, is John).
As before, this is presented as the elderly Alan a Dale (now in a monastery as he has been since the opening of [b: Outlaw|17333533|Outlaw|Ted Dekker|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1364009572s/17333533.jpg|24064806], and by this stage dictating rather than writing himself) recalling his earlier life in the company of Robin and his men.
The main 'hook' of this particular entry in the series is the events leading up to the signing of Magna Carta, with King John proving to be an unpopular and failing ruler, especially compared to his older brother Richard ('the Lionheart'), and with Robin instrumental in bringing about the famous document.
Deborah (162 KP) rated Remarkable Creatures in Books
Dec 21, 2018
I've only read one of Chevalier's previous novels and there I found her style to be extremely readable. The same is very much true of Remarkable Creatures - a title which can emcompass the fossils and the women, Mary Anning and Elizabeth Philpott, who find and are fascinated by them.
I suspect that most of us at one point or another have had some interest or curiousity about fossils. I admit that mine was ovbiously never a very indepth curiousity as I had never heard of any of the characters in the novel (with the obvious exception of the passing reference to Jane Austen of course!) but all the characters were real, historical figures as Chevalier explains at the end of the book.
Chevalier has evidently researched her fossils and her characters extensively for this novel, which I found impressive. The novel though it not at all dry! It was intriguing to see how the characters tried to reconcile the evidence of the fossils with that of conventional religious belief and how difficult it was for these two women to make any sort of recognised impact on the male-dominated scientific world.
I suspect that most of us at one point or another have had some interest or curiousity about fossils. I admit that mine was ovbiously never a very indepth curiousity as I had never heard of any of the characters in the novel (with the obvious exception of the passing reference to Jane Austen of course!) but all the characters were real, historical figures as Chevalier explains at the end of the book.
Chevalier has evidently researched her fossils and her characters extensively for this novel, which I found impressive. The novel though it not at all dry! It was intriguing to see how the characters tried to reconcile the evidence of the fossils with that of conventional religious belief and how difficult it was for these two women to make any sort of recognised impact on the male-dominated scientific world.
Hazel (2934 KP) rated Close to Home in Books
Dec 29, 2019
Absorbing
This is the first in a series of novels starring DI Adam Fawley and his team and what a start to the series this is. I actually missed this first time round and was only reminded I had it when I was sent book 4!
Packed with fantastic characters not all of which are particularly likeable but all of whom are well developed and with interesting stories to tell in their own right. The story line is a difficult one to read being that of child abduction and exploitation however this is not written in a gratuitous way but with care and attention although not is all as it seems and so begins DI Fawley's task of unravelling just what has happened to young Daisy.
This is a fast paced, gripping and absorbing story that had me reading it in quick time in order to discover the secrets and lies contained within the twists and turns of this excellent book and I highly recommend this to those of you who love a great police procedural.
Thank you to Penguin Books (UK) and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.
Packed with fantastic characters not all of which are particularly likeable but all of whom are well developed and with interesting stories to tell in their own right. The story line is a difficult one to read being that of child abduction and exploitation however this is not written in a gratuitous way but with care and attention although not is all as it seems and so begins DI Fawley's task of unravelling just what has happened to young Daisy.
This is a fast paced, gripping and absorbing story that had me reading it in quick time in order to discover the secrets and lies contained within the twists and turns of this excellent book and I highly recommend this to those of you who love a great police procedural.
Thank you to Penguin Books (UK) and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.
Grumpy Goblin (123 KP) rated The Boys Volume 4: We Gotta Go Now in Books
Jul 23, 2019
Great story (2 more)
Brilliantly controversial
Great spin on normal superhero novels.
Bad quality paper (2 more)
The drawing style had changed slightly
Dynamite Entertainment was plugged straight on the spine meaning it is the only volume that doesn't fit in with the rest.
Great Story, shame the quality of the book itself has gone down.
I actually really enjoyed this story and feel it takes a deeper look into the psyche of some of the main characters. It kept me gripped right until the end and left me excited to read the next volume.
What I didn't like (and this may seem a little anal), is that Dynamite Entertainment had taken over the franchise at this point and had to make this statement by not only slapping their name on the front, which is fine. But also slap bang on the spine. This means that when this particular volume is sat nicely between 3 & 6 (which don't seem to have it) it sticks out like a sore thumb.
I also didn't like the fact the paper used was much cheaper than the usual and made it feel much cheaper.
What I didn't like (and this may seem a little anal), is that Dynamite Entertainment had taken over the franchise at this point and had to make this statement by not only slapping their name on the front, which is fine. But also slap bang on the spine. This means that when this particular volume is sat nicely between 3 & 6 (which don't seem to have it) it sticks out like a sore thumb.
I also didn't like the fact the paper used was much cheaper than the usual and made it feel much cheaper.
Andrea D (21 KP) rated Bird Box (2018) in Movies
Jan 19, 2019
The sense of fear (1 more)
Acting
An excellent adaption of one of my favourite books.
As a fan of the original Birdbox novel I was quite excited to see it on the not so big screen at Netflix. I was concerned of course that they wouldn't do it justice but that fear was absolutely unjustified. Everyone acting in this movie did an excellent job of getting across the tension including in fact especially the child actors.
The book for me did bring across the terror and urgency better but this was a very good adaption of the novel which stuck quite truly to the storyline.
I was pleased to see that they didn't reveal certain things as that would have done the whole story a huge disservice and I did indeed have a little weep at the ending much as I did with the book.
I'm very happy to see it done so well and look forward to future adaptions of my favourite novels with a little less trepidation than I did before. The only reason it got 9 stars and not 10 is because I personally preferred the book but this is entirely my own bias.
The book for me did bring across the terror and urgency better but this was a very good adaption of the novel which stuck quite truly to the storyline.
I was pleased to see that they didn't reveal certain things as that would have done the whole story a huge disservice and I did indeed have a little weep at the ending much as I did with the book.
I'm very happy to see it done so well and look forward to future adaptions of my favourite novels with a little less trepidation than I did before. The only reason it got 9 stars and not 10 is because I personally preferred the book but this is entirely my own bias.
David McK (3557 KP) rated The Dark Tower (2017) in Movies
Jul 7, 2019
Well, that was nothing at all like I expected.
I've read the first book in Stephen King's Dark Tower series, and (honestly) hadn't really thought it was all that great or understood what all the fuss was about - for my money, David Gemmell did a far better job in his Jon Shannow trilogy of novels.
Having said that, I recognise that Gemmell's name may not have quite the same resonance, the same 'pull' as Stephen King.
I wanted to see this when it came in the cinema, and now haven't watched it on Netflix, honestly? I'm glad I didn't waste my money.
Having only read the first book in Stephen King's series, I can't say how true (or otherwese) this is to the novel(s), but I've always thought the best book and movie adaptations compliment each other: watching (or reading) one, say, would make you want to hunt out the other. This was far from the ideal: only an hour and a half long, but felling MUCH longer, I found this to be slow, plodding, and lacking any real originality or flair or excitement.
One to avoid!
I've read the first book in Stephen King's Dark Tower series, and (honestly) hadn't really thought it was all that great or understood what all the fuss was about - for my money, David Gemmell did a far better job in his Jon Shannow trilogy of novels.
Having said that, I recognise that Gemmell's name may not have quite the same resonance, the same 'pull' as Stephen King.
I wanted to see this when it came in the cinema, and now haven't watched it on Netflix, honestly? I'm glad I didn't waste my money.
Having only read the first book in Stephen King's series, I can't say how true (or otherwese) this is to the novel(s), but I've always thought the best book and movie adaptations compliment each other: watching (or reading) one, say, would make you want to hunt out the other. This was far from the ideal: only an hour and a half long, but felling MUCH longer, I found this to be slow, plodding, and lacking any real originality or flair or excitement.
One to avoid!
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated Dragonsinger (Pern: Harper Hall, #2) in Books
Nov 12, 2019
Dragonsinger is the second of the Harper Hall books and continues the story of singer Menolly as she becomes an established and accomplished harper on the world of Pern.
As usual with the Pern novels the way that ordinary life fits together is well described and the characters McCaffrey uses here are very well developed and incredibly three dimensional. It's a world that almost seems close enough to touch.
As with Dragonsong, having a book that does not focus on the rarified world of the dragonriders is refreshing showing a different take on the world, even if it is still a position of privilege in one of the most respected professions on the world.
However for me this does suffer the same weakness of the other books that are in essence a periphery to the dragon-centric stories: they don't move the overall story arc forward and as such are a pleasant enough read but ultimately not as satisfying as some of the other books. And anyone who finds characters being relentlessly talented and nice to each other grating won't appreciate a lot of the story. Still a good read though.
As usual with the Pern novels the way that ordinary life fits together is well described and the characters McCaffrey uses here are very well developed and incredibly three dimensional. It's a world that almost seems close enough to touch.
As with Dragonsong, having a book that does not focus on the rarified world of the dragonriders is refreshing showing a different take on the world, even if it is still a position of privilege in one of the most respected professions on the world.
However for me this does suffer the same weakness of the other books that are in essence a periphery to the dragon-centric stories: they don't move the overall story arc forward and as such are a pleasant enough read but ultimately not as satisfying as some of the other books. And anyone who finds characters being relentlessly talented and nice to each other grating won't appreciate a lot of the story. Still a good read though.
Fantabulously Disappointing
Having seen trailers for this film quite a while ago I had high hopes for Birds Of Prey. Unfortunately, this is one of those movies that cram packs all the decent and semi decent action sequences into 3-4 minute trailers to try and entice people into watching. So sad.
While Suicide Squad had left me feeling rather lukewarm, there were enough good points in it so that I hadn't left the cinema feeling like I'd completely wasted my money. Birds Of Prey on the other hand... My God!
It seemed more akin to a comic book version of Thelma And Louise (with a couple more tag alongs thrown in to try and simulate the girl power vibe) than anything vaguely resembling how Harley had been portrayed in Suicide Squad- or in the graphic novels for that matter.
It truly is a shame as I think Margot Robbie is quite good an actress, but I think when she'd been handed this script by her agent she should have just chucked it in the bin without a second thought.
While Suicide Squad had left me feeling rather lukewarm, there were enough good points in it so that I hadn't left the cinema feeling like I'd completely wasted my money. Birds Of Prey on the other hand... My God!
It seemed more akin to a comic book version of Thelma And Louise (with a couple more tag alongs thrown in to try and simulate the girl power vibe) than anything vaguely resembling how Harley had been portrayed in Suicide Squad- or in the graphic novels for that matter.
It truly is a shame as I think Margot Robbie is quite good an actress, but I think when she'd been handed this script by her agent she should have just chucked it in the bin without a second thought.
Sensitivemuse (246 KP) rated The Silent Patient in Books
Jul 29, 2019
Bland and dry
I don’t quite understand what the whole hype is with this book.
It did go off to a good start and kept me interested in the story, but then it started taking a rather bland and dry turn. It started focusing on Theo’s obsession with Alicia and although it builds up to what happens to be a really good twist at the end, I didn’t think it was a great read.
Theo is just so unlikable and boring. There was nothing about him that really made the story stand out, he started getting annoying afterwards and as mentioned before, it wasn’t until literally the last few pages where the story blows up.
Yet as the plot progressed, you’re left wondering with what was going to happen next and it’s slowly drawn out and wasn’t grabbing my interest at all. The pace was slow, the plot was rather flat and coupled with an uninteresting main character definitely left the story lacking.
There seems to be a lot of positive reviews on this, but it’s just not for me. There’s much better suspense novels out there that held my interest more than this one.
It did go off to a good start and kept me interested in the story, but then it started taking a rather bland and dry turn. It started focusing on Theo’s obsession with Alicia and although it builds up to what happens to be a really good twist at the end, I didn’t think it was a great read.
Theo is just so unlikable and boring. There was nothing about him that really made the story stand out, he started getting annoying afterwards and as mentioned before, it wasn’t until literally the last few pages where the story blows up.
Yet as the plot progressed, you’re left wondering with what was going to happen next and it’s slowly drawn out and wasn’t grabbing my interest at all. The pace was slow, the plot was rather flat and coupled with an uninteresting main character definitely left the story lacking.
There seems to be a lot of positive reviews on this, but it’s just not for me. There’s much better suspense novels out there that held my interest more than this one.