Search
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated Universe: Awakening (Terra Nova #1) in Books
Nov 27, 2019
In the far future an advanced society of post-humans launch an audacious exploration project - DEUS - to probe the edges of the universe. The mission is a success but one of the two pilots involved fails to return and the other - his brother Ja'el - retreats into a self-induced coma to avoid facing up to what happened. Despite this the mission is regarded as a success and propels Science Minister Odessa to the pinnacle of political power.
Fast forward 100 years. The probes sent out by DEUS have gone dark one by one, sending potentially troubling data before they do so. Ja'el is showing signs of improvement to his counsellor Auberon. With the real danger that the perceived success of DEUS - the basis of her power - may unravel Odessa brings Auberon under her control to manage Ja'el's recovery.
The rest of the book follows Auberon's (and his assigned Guardians, Mich'ael and Gab'riel) as they realise that there may be a personal motive in Odessa's desire to see Ja'el rehabilited, and that they may be 'surplus to requirements' once he is.
Overttun aims high with this book; there are a lot of concepts around not only technology but future society and political attitudes. There is also a subplot around the more advanced ruling class and the far more numerous worker humans which is used to good effect to highlight social injustices of all kinds. On whole the premise is delivered well, although there are a few lengthy exposition passages, particularly early in the book, which do spoil the flow and are probably not actually required.
What is striking is the character development. All the main characters learn some lessons along the way, Auberon in particular discovering that far from being a meek and unassuming mid-rank civil servant is capable of far more, both mentally and physically, than he ever thought possible. His metaphorical awakening mirrors nicely Ja'el's rather more literal awakening.
As the first part of an intended series of books, this volume necessarily does a lot of work setting up the characters and situations and leaves a lot of threads hanging to be picked up later but there is closure around the main plots and character arcs within this part of the story.
Although this is going to be labelled as a science fiction novel because of the post-human, technological and space exploration aspects at its heart it is a political thriller. Given this and that it is chock full of interesting ideas it bears careful reading without any preconceived expectations. But above all this is an interesting read following a set of well-designed characters in a fully developed world.
With its length and depth this is not a light read but the writing style is straighforward and clear whilst still being fully descriptive and immersive which makes it a pleasure to pick it up and see what Auberon and associates will do next.
The characters and the world they inhabit are something the author is clearly proud of - and he is right to be. This first instalment bodes well for the rest of the series.
Fast forward 100 years. The probes sent out by DEUS have gone dark one by one, sending potentially troubling data before they do so. Ja'el is showing signs of improvement to his counsellor Auberon. With the real danger that the perceived success of DEUS - the basis of her power - may unravel Odessa brings Auberon under her control to manage Ja'el's recovery.
The rest of the book follows Auberon's (and his assigned Guardians, Mich'ael and Gab'riel) as they realise that there may be a personal motive in Odessa's desire to see Ja'el rehabilited, and that they may be 'surplus to requirements' once he is.
Overttun aims high with this book; there are a lot of concepts around not only technology but future society and political attitudes. There is also a subplot around the more advanced ruling class and the far more numerous worker humans which is used to good effect to highlight social injustices of all kinds. On whole the premise is delivered well, although there are a few lengthy exposition passages, particularly early in the book, which do spoil the flow and are probably not actually required.
What is striking is the character development. All the main characters learn some lessons along the way, Auberon in particular discovering that far from being a meek and unassuming mid-rank civil servant is capable of far more, both mentally and physically, than he ever thought possible. His metaphorical awakening mirrors nicely Ja'el's rather more literal awakening.
As the first part of an intended series of books, this volume necessarily does a lot of work setting up the characters and situations and leaves a lot of threads hanging to be picked up later but there is closure around the main plots and character arcs within this part of the story.
Although this is going to be labelled as a science fiction novel because of the post-human, technological and space exploration aspects at its heart it is a political thriller. Given this and that it is chock full of interesting ideas it bears careful reading without any preconceived expectations. But above all this is an interesting read following a set of well-designed characters in a fully developed world.
With its length and depth this is not a light read but the writing style is straighforward and clear whilst still being fully descriptive and immersive which makes it a pleasure to pick it up and see what Auberon and associates will do next.
The characters and the world they inhabit are something the author is clearly proud of - and he is right to be. This first instalment bodes well for the rest of the series.
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Targets (1968) in Movies
Jun 18, 2020
Targeting Frankenstein: A Horror Icon
Targets- is a very suspenseful film that stars a old boris Karloff. His performance in this film is different. Usually he is type-cast in a horror movie. Targets is not the cast, its a more serious role for Karloff and I liked it alot. He is dramatic in Targets. It was Karloff's last appearance in a marjor american film, before he passed away in 1968.
The plot: After unhinged Vietnam vet Bobby Thompson (Tim O'Kelly) kills his wife and mother, he goes on a brutal shooting spree. Starting at an oil refinery, he evades the police and continues his murderous outing at a drive-in movie theater, where Byron Orlock (Boris Karloff), a retiring horror film icon, is making a promotional appearance. Before long, Orlock, a symbol of fantastical old-fashioned scares, faces off against Thompson, a remorseless psychopath rooted in a harsh modern reality.
Even Karloff's charcter is a retired horror film actor, so he can never get away from the horror genre/type-casting.
In the film's finale at a drive-in theater, Orlok – the old-fashioned, traditional screen monster who always obeyed the rules – confronts the new, realistic, nihilistic late-1960s "monster" in the shape of a clean-cut, unassuming multiple murderer.
Bogdanovich got the chance to make Targets because Boris Karloff owed studio head Roger Corman two days' work. Corman told Bogdanovich he could make any film he liked provided he used Karloff and stayed under budget. In addition, Bogdanovich had to use clips from Corman's Napoleonic-era thriller The Terror in the movie. The clips from The Terror feature Jack Nicholson and Boris Karloff. A brief clip of Howard Hawks' 1931 film The Criminal Code featuring Karloff was also used.
American International Pictures offered to release, but Bogdanovich wanted to try to see if the film could get a deal with a major studio. It was seen by Robert Evans of Paramount who bought it for $150,000, giving Corman an instant profit on the movie before it was even released.
Although the film was written and production photography completed in late 1967, it was released after the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert F. Kennedy in early 1968 and thus had some topical relevance to then-current events. Nevertheless, it was not very successful at the box office.
Quentin Tarantino later called it "the most political movie Corman ever made since The Intruder. And forty years later it’s still one of the strongest cries for gun control in American cinema. The film isn’t a thriller with a social commentary buried inside of it (the normal Corman model), it’s a social commentary with a thriller buried inside of it... It was one of the most powerful films of 1968 and one of the greatest directorial debuts of all time. And I believe the best film ever produced by Roger Corman.
Its a excellent mystery suspenseful thrilling starring Boris Karloff, last appearance in a marjor american film, before he passed away in 1968. A great film to end your career on.
The plot: After unhinged Vietnam vet Bobby Thompson (Tim O'Kelly) kills his wife and mother, he goes on a brutal shooting spree. Starting at an oil refinery, he evades the police and continues his murderous outing at a drive-in movie theater, where Byron Orlock (Boris Karloff), a retiring horror film icon, is making a promotional appearance. Before long, Orlock, a symbol of fantastical old-fashioned scares, faces off against Thompson, a remorseless psychopath rooted in a harsh modern reality.
Even Karloff's charcter is a retired horror film actor, so he can never get away from the horror genre/type-casting.
In the film's finale at a drive-in theater, Orlok – the old-fashioned, traditional screen monster who always obeyed the rules – confronts the new, realistic, nihilistic late-1960s "monster" in the shape of a clean-cut, unassuming multiple murderer.
Bogdanovich got the chance to make Targets because Boris Karloff owed studio head Roger Corman two days' work. Corman told Bogdanovich he could make any film he liked provided he used Karloff and stayed under budget. In addition, Bogdanovich had to use clips from Corman's Napoleonic-era thriller The Terror in the movie. The clips from The Terror feature Jack Nicholson and Boris Karloff. A brief clip of Howard Hawks' 1931 film The Criminal Code featuring Karloff was also used.
American International Pictures offered to release, but Bogdanovich wanted to try to see if the film could get a deal with a major studio. It was seen by Robert Evans of Paramount who bought it for $150,000, giving Corman an instant profit on the movie before it was even released.
Although the film was written and production photography completed in late 1967, it was released after the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert F. Kennedy in early 1968 and thus had some topical relevance to then-current events. Nevertheless, it was not very successful at the box office.
Quentin Tarantino later called it "the most political movie Corman ever made since The Intruder. And forty years later it’s still one of the strongest cries for gun control in American cinema. The film isn’t a thriller with a social commentary buried inside of it (the normal Corman model), it’s a social commentary with a thriller buried inside of it... It was one of the most powerful films of 1968 and one of the greatest directorial debuts of all time. And I believe the best film ever produced by Roger Corman.
Its a excellent mystery suspenseful thrilling starring Boris Karloff, last appearance in a marjor american film, before he passed away in 1968. A great film to end your career on.
Jessi Bone (48 KP) rated Raging Falcon in Books
Mar 21, 2019
Don't loose your place
Stephen Perkins introduces us with another gripping tale of political intrigue, magic, and physiological thriller. This is my second book written by Stephen Perkins and to be honest I did not believe he had another great one in him but he completely surprised me with this story. He takes you and enveloping tale in the world that has been changed and destroyed and what is left is a dystonia society focused on the sustainability of all and where magic reigns. It starts its tale in 2063 in a prison where an old Jim Keogh telling his prison guards about his dad and telling them the truth behind the history they believe they know. Mr. Perkins unique writing style pulls you into the story where you have to pay attention and take your time or you will miss definitely miss something important; it is definitely a book you can read more than once and find things you did not see the first time or even the last time. You will complete all the three hundred and sixty-two pages and not even realized you have read so many the way he pulls you in and you experience exactly what the characters are and you have that feeling like you have been truly their and experienced as they have experienced. The way he ties all the events together in his writing makes you wonder if he knows something about the geopolitical environment that no one else knows. Perhaps that is the point the wonder behind his ideas that make you want to continue to see where the story goes.
Adam Colclough (3 KP) rated Harry's Game in Books
Mar 6, 2018
Dangerous Games
London at the height of the IRA’s campaign on the British mainland and a government minister is assassinated, orders are send down from the highest level that retaliatory action must be taken. Gerald Seymour’s ground breaking 1975 novel tells the story of the resulting operation, in which a British agent is sent undercover in Republican Belfast.
For the most part thrillers are the literary equivalent of Danish pastry, enjoyable but not made to last. A few, and ‘Harry’s Game’ is one, are more substantial fare, food for the mind that may give you indigestion.
On one level it is a book in the tradition established by Frederick Forsythe, fiction played out as fact allowing the author to draw on his journalistic background. Seymour goes beyond this by creating characters who aren’t simply stock heroes and villains. Instead they are human beings engaged in a struggle that is squalid and futile rather than heroic and purposeful.
This combines to give a grimly believable picture of daily life in Northern Ireland at a time when a single word or action out of place could have deadly consequences. He also writes well about the machinations behind the scenes on both sides, with the British political and military establishment struggling to fight an undeclared war they don’t understand; and the IRA high command masking the brutality of their actions behind misty eyed romanticism.
Brutal, believable and still relevant more than forty years after it was first published this is a novel that is very much worth reading, even if doing so can be unsettling.
For the most part thrillers are the literary equivalent of Danish pastry, enjoyable but not made to last. A few, and ‘Harry’s Game’ is one, are more substantial fare, food for the mind that may give you indigestion.
On one level it is a book in the tradition established by Frederick Forsythe, fiction played out as fact allowing the author to draw on his journalistic background. Seymour goes beyond this by creating characters who aren’t simply stock heroes and villains. Instead they are human beings engaged in a struggle that is squalid and futile rather than heroic and purposeful.
This combines to give a grimly believable picture of daily life in Northern Ireland at a time when a single word or action out of place could have deadly consequences. He also writes well about the machinations behind the scenes on both sides, with the British political and military establishment struggling to fight an undeclared war they don’t understand; and the IRA high command masking the brutality of their actions behind misty eyed romanticism.
Brutal, believable and still relevant more than forty years after it was first published this is a novel that is very much worth reading, even if doing so can be unsettling.
Love Wins: The Lovers and Lawyers Who Fought the Landmark Case for Marriage Equality
Jim Obergefell and Debbie Cenziper
Book
Twenty-one years ago when Jim Obergefell walked into a bar in Cincinnatti and sat down next to John...
Munich: A Novel
6.5
Rate It
Book
September 1938. Hitler is determined to start a war. Chamberlain is desperate to preserve the...
Thriller politics
The Girl Who Lived Twice
7.0
Rate It
Book
The sixth in the Millennium series featuring THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO - more than 100 million...
The Antiquarian
7.0
Rate It
Book
A Los Angeles Times Best of Summer pick An Amazon Best Book of the Month (Mystery, Thriller &...
The Girl In The Rearview Mirror
5.0
Rate It
Book
The young nanny for a prominent political family gets drawn into a web of deadly lies—including...
Darren (1599 KP) rated Thirteen Days (2000) in Movies
Aug 26, 2019
Verdict: History Lesson
Story: Thirteen Days starts like a normal day in the Kennedy administration, his assistant Kenny O’Donnell (Costner) joins the President John F Kennedy (Greenwood), his brother Robert F Kennedy (Culp) and advisers from every side for an emergency meeting.
The meeting is called to discuss the appearance of nuclear warheads in Cuba, believing Russia are moving to a closer position which could destroy large parts of America in minutes. What follows in Kenny trying to help JFK make the smartest decision, despite how many different people are advising with multiply options, all leading to one of the most intense stand offs in military history.
Thoughts on Thirteen Days
Characters – Kenny O’Donnell is the assistant advisor to the President, he gives him advice which would see him make decisions which would support the image of the President and the country instead of agree with the fast track answers which would see America go to war, he is the man that people turn to if they are not prepared to challenge the President’s decisions. President John F Kennedy is the man in the middle of the situation, the man that needs to make the final decision after taking on all the advice from his experts, he wants to remain in control of the situation to the best of his ability. Robert F Kennedy is one of the men advising his brother, he knows how John thinks and knows how the help him make the right decisions to remain calm and in control. We do have plenty of different advisors who are trying to offer a plan to what could make this stand off end quicker.
Performances – Kevin Costner is always entertaining to watch in a political movie, this is no different as he plays the pivot to everything going on. Bruce Greenwood as the President is great to watch through the film, with the whole cast looking like they would have been the people they are playing.
Story – The story here follows the events around the Cuba Mission Crisis, from the point of view of the Americans. This does break down to be a political thriller that does keep us on edge as we see all the potential ideas that were thrown out which could have seen the world in a different place if different outcomes had been used, while this is a 2 hour story, we only focus on the different ideas, which is interesting to see. Each person could have their own agenda which could show the mindset of the public during the events. We could have more intense moments, but it just doesn’t really do that much more, which doesn’t display just how dangerous the event could have been.
History – This is a big historical moment and it does show how the people in power were put on panic station when the events started to unfold.
Settings – The film uses the political settings for the most part, which does show us just how the people stayed together through the events of the crisis.
Scene of the Movie – Putting the Admiral in his place.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – We could have had more intense sequences.
Final Thoughts – This is an interesting look at one of the biggest stand offs in modern history, we do see how it could have gone very differently and how everything unfolded.
Overall: Interesting look at history.
Story: Thirteen Days starts like a normal day in the Kennedy administration, his assistant Kenny O’Donnell (Costner) joins the President John F Kennedy (Greenwood), his brother Robert F Kennedy (Culp) and advisers from every side for an emergency meeting.
The meeting is called to discuss the appearance of nuclear warheads in Cuba, believing Russia are moving to a closer position which could destroy large parts of America in minutes. What follows in Kenny trying to help JFK make the smartest decision, despite how many different people are advising with multiply options, all leading to one of the most intense stand offs in military history.
Thoughts on Thirteen Days
Characters – Kenny O’Donnell is the assistant advisor to the President, he gives him advice which would see him make decisions which would support the image of the President and the country instead of agree with the fast track answers which would see America go to war, he is the man that people turn to if they are not prepared to challenge the President’s decisions. President John F Kennedy is the man in the middle of the situation, the man that needs to make the final decision after taking on all the advice from his experts, he wants to remain in control of the situation to the best of his ability. Robert F Kennedy is one of the men advising his brother, he knows how John thinks and knows how the help him make the right decisions to remain calm and in control. We do have plenty of different advisors who are trying to offer a plan to what could make this stand off end quicker.
Performances – Kevin Costner is always entertaining to watch in a political movie, this is no different as he plays the pivot to everything going on. Bruce Greenwood as the President is great to watch through the film, with the whole cast looking like they would have been the people they are playing.
Story – The story here follows the events around the Cuba Mission Crisis, from the point of view of the Americans. This does break down to be a political thriller that does keep us on edge as we see all the potential ideas that were thrown out which could have seen the world in a different place if different outcomes had been used, while this is a 2 hour story, we only focus on the different ideas, which is interesting to see. Each person could have their own agenda which could show the mindset of the public during the events. We could have more intense moments, but it just doesn’t really do that much more, which doesn’t display just how dangerous the event could have been.
History – This is a big historical moment and it does show how the people in power were put on panic station when the events started to unfold.
Settings – The film uses the political settings for the most part, which does show us just how the people stayed together through the events of the crisis.
Scene of the Movie – Putting the Admiral in his place.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – We could have had more intense sequences.
Final Thoughts – This is an interesting look at one of the biggest stand offs in modern history, we do see how it could have gone very differently and how everything unfolded.
Overall: Interesting look at history.