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ClareR (6054 KP) rated The Ministry of Time in Books
Jun 4, 2024
This book is everything I love about reading. I read to escape (mainly, but not solely!), and so science fiction/ fantasy has always appealed to me. Now I’ve discovered speculative fiction, and it seems to be like both of these things wrapped up in a package with a label saying: “This Seems Plausible”.
The Ministry of Time is a clever book - it uses time travel and science fiction, with a touch of history that actually happened, and mixes it up with a hefty dose of romance, thriller and literary fiction. It doesn’t sound like it will work, but I’m here to say that it really DOES!
Ok, so a quick, yet vague, synopsis: the British Government has come into possession of a device that can go back in time and find particular people in the past. It’s been decided that the people they take are all in life-threatening situations. Those plucked from their time are placed with a “Bridge”; someone who will facilitate their integration into modern society.
The main pair is that of Graham Gore, a Polar explorer from the Erebus expedition, and his Bridge, a woman whose mother escaped the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. Not an easy adjustment for a Victorian man. This Bridge is the narrator.
Graham Gore adjusts quickly to modern life, but is modern life willing to accept him? And what affect does it have on him and his fellow time travellers, to be so out of time?
There was so much to think about whilst reading this - I was completely immersed, and it ended FAR too quickly!
The Ministry of Time is a clever book - it uses time travel and science fiction, with a touch of history that actually happened, and mixes it up with a hefty dose of romance, thriller and literary fiction. It doesn’t sound like it will work, but I’m here to say that it really DOES!
Ok, so a quick, yet vague, synopsis: the British Government has come into possession of a device that can go back in time and find particular people in the past. It’s been decided that the people they take are all in life-threatening situations. Those plucked from their time are placed with a “Bridge”; someone who will facilitate their integration into modern society.
The main pair is that of Graham Gore, a Polar explorer from the Erebus expedition, and his Bridge, a woman whose mother escaped the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. Not an easy adjustment for a Victorian man. This Bridge is the narrator.
Graham Gore adjusts quickly to modern life, but is modern life willing to accept him? And what affect does it have on him and his fellow time travellers, to be so out of time?
There was so much to think about whilst reading this - I was completely immersed, and it ended FAR too quickly!
Nicole Hadley (380 KP) rated The Lost History of Stars in Books
Jun 16, 2018
The Lost History of Stars by Dave Boling is a powerful and shocking story about a family during The Second Anglo-Boer War during the early part of the 20th century in Africa. It's a historical fiction story that is inspired by true events. The Lost History of Stars is a story of desperation and hope.
The main character, Lettie, who is a thirteen year old Dutch-Africkaner girl comes from a poor farming family. She endures the loss of her home with her mother and two younger siblings when the scorched earth policy employed by the British during the Boer War burns their farm and forces them to leave in a wagon. Their African maid, Bina, tries to stay with the family, but is given no choice by the soldiers but to return to her people.
Lettie and her family are sent to a concentration camp where the conditions are awful. Her father, older brother, uncles, and grandfather are sent to fight the British with guerrilla tactics. Lettie worries and wonders about Bina and her family. Often Lettie remembers the songs and wisdom Bina shared during her childhood and the history of stars that Grandpa shared with her at night under the sparkling sky.
The story is told from Lettie's point of view. The reader learns of her experience in the concentration camp. Lettie attempt to find the good in small moments. Her more treasured possession is her English dictionary, which she reads for comfort to pass time.
The story switches between the present and past. This allows the reader to understand life before the war and during the war. It give the reader background information to understand the family dynamics.
The main character, Lettie, who is a thirteen year old Dutch-Africkaner girl comes from a poor farming family. She endures the loss of her home with her mother and two younger siblings when the scorched earth policy employed by the British during the Boer War burns their farm and forces them to leave in a wagon. Their African maid, Bina, tries to stay with the family, but is given no choice by the soldiers but to return to her people.
Lettie and her family are sent to a concentration camp where the conditions are awful. Her father, older brother, uncles, and grandfather are sent to fight the British with guerrilla tactics. Lettie worries and wonders about Bina and her family. Often Lettie remembers the songs and wisdom Bina shared during her childhood and the history of stars that Grandpa shared with her at night under the sparkling sky.
The story is told from Lettie's point of view. The reader learns of her experience in the concentration camp. Lettie attempt to find the good in small moments. Her more treasured possession is her English dictionary, which she reads for comfort to pass time.
The story switches between the present and past. This allows the reader to understand life before the war and during the war. It give the reader background information to understand the family dynamics.
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) in Movies
Nov 19, 2019 (Updated Nov 20, 2019)
Drunk Johnny Part 1
Yo-Ho, what do you get when you based you movie off of a disney ride, a great movie. Yes you read the correctly, this movie is based off of the ride at disney. So how does a 20-30 minute ride turn into a 2h and 20min movie, well you expand it. Expand it and make it have a great plot, good charcters, a great villian and a drunking Johnny Depp or Johnny Depp playing pirate Keith Richards.
The Plot: Capt. Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) arrives at Port Royal in the Caribbean without a ship or crew. His timing is inopportune, however, because later that evening the town is besieged by a pirate ship. The pirates kidnap the governor's daughter, Elizabeth (Keira Knightley), who's in possession of a valuable coin that is linked to a curse that has transformed the pirates into the undead. A gallant blacksmith (Orlando Bloom) in love with Elizabeth allies with Sparrow in pursuit of the pirates.
It was also significant in being the first film released under the Walt Disney Pictures banner to be rated PG-13 by the MPAA.
The film spun off four sequels, with the latest sequel released in 2017. The first two were back-to-back sequels in 2006 and 2007, Dead Man's Chest and At World's End, respectively. The third sequel, On Stranger Tides, was released in 2011. The fourth sequel, Dead Men Tell No Tales, was slated to begin production in October 2014 for a summer 2016 release, but was eventually delayed to May 2017. It was directed by Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg. While none of the sequels matched the critical acclaim of the first film, they were still box office successes nevertheless.
It is a classic movie, it has comedy, action, adventure and most importanly pirates.
The Plot: Capt. Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) arrives at Port Royal in the Caribbean without a ship or crew. His timing is inopportune, however, because later that evening the town is besieged by a pirate ship. The pirates kidnap the governor's daughter, Elizabeth (Keira Knightley), who's in possession of a valuable coin that is linked to a curse that has transformed the pirates into the undead. A gallant blacksmith (Orlando Bloom) in love with Elizabeth allies with Sparrow in pursuit of the pirates.
It was also significant in being the first film released under the Walt Disney Pictures banner to be rated PG-13 by the MPAA.
The film spun off four sequels, with the latest sequel released in 2017. The first two were back-to-back sequels in 2006 and 2007, Dead Man's Chest and At World's End, respectively. The third sequel, On Stranger Tides, was released in 2011. The fourth sequel, Dead Men Tell No Tales, was slated to begin production in October 2014 for a summer 2016 release, but was eventually delayed to May 2017. It was directed by Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg. While none of the sequels matched the critical acclaim of the first film, they were still box office successes nevertheless.
It is a classic movie, it has comedy, action, adventure and most importanly pirates.
With Paulus at Stalingrad
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Charlie Cobra Reviews (1840 KP) rated Sirius The Jaeger in TV
Jul 5, 2020
Search For The Ark - 8/10
Sirius The Jaeger is a supernatural action thriller anime written by Keigo Koyanagi and directed by Masahiro Ando and produced by P.A. Works. Original character designs by Kinu Nishimura, with Mai Matsuura and Souichirou Sako adapting the designs for animation and music by Masaru Yokoyama.
Under the guise of the "V Shipping Company", a group of vampire hunters called "Jaegers", follow a group of vampires from China to Japan in 1930. Among the Jaegers, is a werewolf named Yuliy, whose home village was destroyed by vampires. Both sides battle over possession of holy relic known only as, "The Ark of Sirius". Which if acquired could have the potential to give power of a God.
This series was great. As some of the more pickier critics point out, it's hard to say if something is "classic" or cliche, but I for one really liked and enjoyed this show. The characters were pretty unique and I was very interested in both the group dynamic and the overall story arc and where it was going. The animation was very fluid, lots of energy in the fight scenes and good choreography. I really liked the progression of the main character and feel it makes up for him being kind of sad and mopey, especially in the beginning. Things do change towards the end when it becomes less about the group but it had a pretty satisfying ending and was more emotional than I thought it would be. I give it a 8/10 and recommend it for anyone who likes vampires or vampire anime.
Under the guise of the "V Shipping Company", a group of vampire hunters called "Jaegers", follow a group of vampires from China to Japan in 1930. Among the Jaegers, is a werewolf named Yuliy, whose home village was destroyed by vampires. Both sides battle over possession of holy relic known only as, "The Ark of Sirius". Which if acquired could have the potential to give power of a God.
This series was great. As some of the more pickier critics point out, it's hard to say if something is "classic" or cliche, but I for one really liked and enjoyed this show. The characters were pretty unique and I was very interested in both the group dynamic and the overall story arc and where it was going. The animation was very fluid, lots of energy in the fight scenes and good choreography. I really liked the progression of the main character and feel it makes up for him being kind of sad and mopey, especially in the beginning. Things do change towards the end when it becomes less about the group but it had a pretty satisfying ending and was more emotional than I thought it would be. I give it a 8/10 and recommend it for anyone who likes vampires or vampire anime.
ClareR (6054 KP) rated Wakenhyrst in Books
Apr 5, 2021
Wakenhyrst had me gripped from the first page - well, technically I listened to it, so lets say in the first five minutes.
There’s an underlying feeling of menace and claustrophobia running through this. Partly because of the restraints on Maud because of the fact that she’s female, young and upper class in the Edwardian period; partly because of the ever-present Fen and the mysterious atmosphere surrounding it; partly because we know from the first chapter what is going to happen - and we are heading to that end.
Themes of obsession, superstition and madness run throughout, and it’s not just the uneducated working class fenland men and women who are preoccupied with witchcraft and demonic possession.
Maud’s father Edmund, is translating and researching the book of Alice Pyett, a woman who lived four hundred years before the book is set. She was supposed to have heard the voice of God, but if you ask me, she longed for chastity because she had had a ridiculous amount of children and needed a break.
The deeper Edmund gets in to the translation, the stranger his diary entries become. ANd when he stumbles across a painting in the graveyard of his church, his behaviour becomes even more unhinged. To be honest, the descriptions were such that I thought I was seeing the demons along with him!
This book has been sat on my kindle for quite a while now, and I decided to use my Audible credit and listen to it - which was a cracking idea. The narrator, Juanita McMahon, really brings this story to life - and makes it all the more haunting.
This isn’t a ghost story, at least it didn’t seem like one all the way through, but it certainly gave me the chills! I loved it. If you like a chilling, gothic tale, this will suit you down to the ground.
There’s an underlying feeling of menace and claustrophobia running through this. Partly because of the restraints on Maud because of the fact that she’s female, young and upper class in the Edwardian period; partly because of the ever-present Fen and the mysterious atmosphere surrounding it; partly because we know from the first chapter what is going to happen - and we are heading to that end.
Themes of obsession, superstition and madness run throughout, and it’s not just the uneducated working class fenland men and women who are preoccupied with witchcraft and demonic possession.
Maud’s father Edmund, is translating and researching the book of Alice Pyett, a woman who lived four hundred years before the book is set. She was supposed to have heard the voice of God, but if you ask me, she longed for chastity because she had had a ridiculous amount of children and needed a break.
The deeper Edmund gets in to the translation, the stranger his diary entries become. ANd when he stumbles across a painting in the graveyard of his church, his behaviour becomes even more unhinged. To be honest, the descriptions were such that I thought I was seeing the demons along with him!
This book has been sat on my kindle for quite a while now, and I decided to use my Audible credit and listen to it - which was a cracking idea. The narrator, Juanita McMahon, really brings this story to life - and makes it all the more haunting.
This isn’t a ghost story, at least it didn’t seem like one all the way through, but it certainly gave me the chills! I loved it. If you like a chilling, gothic tale, this will suit you down to the ground.
Eleanor Luhar (47 KP) rated All Our Yesterdays in Books
Jun 24, 2019
Okay, the plot of this book is kind of complicated and my summary probably won't do it justice, but here goes:
Em and Finn have been held prisoners in their cells for months. The doctor puts them through horrific interrogations on a regular basis, trying to determine the location of some documents he believes to be in the possession of Finn and Em.
Em is obsessed with the drain in the centre of her cell, positive that it has some kind of important meaning. Eventually, she manages to unscrew it, and discovers something incredibly unexpected; a note from herself.
With the the help of Mike Connor, a guard that other versions of themselves had convinced to help them in the past, Em and Finn escape their cells and make their way to Cassandra. Before the doctor can stop them, they switch on the machine and are transported four years into the past.
This is written from two different perspectives; Em's, and Marina's. Through each girl's story, we discover the truth about the doctor, Cassandra, and the death of Nate, the brother of Marina's childhood love's brother.
I know this all sounds really complicated, and sometimes it does get that way, but it is written so well. Em looks at Marina like she's a different person, which I suppose she is, really. The relationships between each version of Marina/Em and the two different boys is so unique to this book. I suppose it's a regular love triangle, but at the same time, it's not.
I really liked this book. It's not quite made it's way to my favourites list due to the fact that there were times where I got a little bit lost. But it definitely deserves 4.5 stars, because it is such an gripping, unique book. I'm so glad I read this.
BookMarked
Em and Finn have been held prisoners in their cells for months. The doctor puts them through horrific interrogations on a regular basis, trying to determine the location of some documents he believes to be in the possession of Finn and Em.
Em is obsessed with the drain in the centre of her cell, positive that it has some kind of important meaning. Eventually, she manages to unscrew it, and discovers something incredibly unexpected; a note from herself.
With the the help of Mike Connor, a guard that other versions of themselves had convinced to help them in the past, Em and Finn escape their cells and make their way to Cassandra. Before the doctor can stop them, they switch on the machine and are transported four years into the past.
This is written from two different perspectives; Em's, and Marina's. Through each girl's story, we discover the truth about the doctor, Cassandra, and the death of Nate, the brother of Marina's childhood love's brother.
I know this all sounds really complicated, and sometimes it does get that way, but it is written so well. Em looks at Marina like she's a different person, which I suppose she is, really. The relationships between each version of Marina/Em and the two different boys is so unique to this book. I suppose it's a regular love triangle, but at the same time, it's not.
I really liked this book. It's not quite made it's way to my favourites list due to the fact that there were times where I got a little bit lost. But it definitely deserves 4.5 stars, because it is such an gripping, unique book. I'm so glad I read this.
BookMarked