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Phil Leader (619 KP) rated Silverthorn in Books

Nov 25, 2019

Silverthorn

Raymond E. Feist | 2013 | Fiction & Poetry

9.2

(5 Ratings)

Book Rating

When Princess Anita is poisoned, Prince Arutha needs to find the antidote but to avoid suspicion must do so secretly. Assembling a small band of his most trusted companions he heads off to search out Silverthorn, the only known cure for the poison.

Magician was a sprawling epic fantasy tale, spun out of role playing sessions with its own self contained story. In itself it is impressive but in coming up with the sequal (and the third book to make them a trilogy) Feist really shows his flair for story telling. This book is a self-contained quest in its own right but also part of a bigger whole, a feature that would result in a very long series of books.

And what a story it is. Again influenced by the Friday night role playing sessions our heroes are a varied band, each with their own strengths, who must use all their skill and abilities to discover and return the antidote. But what they discover on the way reveals a much more powerful threat to the Kingdom of the Isles.

The characters are strong and likeable, the set pieces enthralling and well written. Okay so it's not stunningly original relying on a lot fantasy tropes and owing a huge debt to Tolkien but it is rarely derivative, always taking its own path so this doesn't detract from it in the end.

This trilogy of Magician, Silverthorn and A Darkness At Sethanon form an almost perfect epic fantasy trilogy that for my money is just as essential as The Lord Of The Rings for fantasy buffs.

Kudos

Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Onward (2020) in Movies

Feb 23, 2020

Onward (2020)

2020 | Adventure, Animation, Comedy

8.2

(49 Ratings)

Movie Rating Watch

The magicians at PIXAR have returned with the new animated film “Onward”. The film stars Chris Pratt as Barley and Tom Holland as his younger brother Ian. The two brothers live with their mother Laurel (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), following the loss of their father before Ian was even born.

This has resulted in Ian being unsure of himself as on his 16th Birthday he still lacks confidence, cannot drive, and is embarrassed by his over the top brother.

The fact that both Ian and Barley are Elves who live in a modern world filled with mythical creatures is what makes this such an interesting premise.

When a gift is revealed that will be able to give Ian and Barley a chance to temporarily reunite with their father to give them both the closure they seek, the duo are forced to take on an epic adventure in a race against time.

Naturally the impulsive Barley and the cautious Ian must overcome many obstacles both physical and emotional along the way as they bond and face a myriad of creatures in a race against time to complete their quest.

The film is an enjoyable enough tale and the cast is very strong. The biggest Issue I had is that the plot is fairly linear and may not have enough twists and variation to sustain an older audience during the full run time.

Thankfully there is some amazing animation to go with the great cast and the abundance of Medieval gags in a modern setting make this one that the entire family could enjoy and hopefully will start a new franchise for the studio.
4 stars out of 5