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Awaken your inner Jedi with Star Wars™: Jedi Challenges, a smartphone-powered Star Wars™...
BookwormMama14 (18 KP) rated The Illusionist's Apprentice in Books
Jan 2, 2019
An incredible story brimming with suspense, illusion, questions, romance, sacrifice, and redemption. Spanning the course of Wren's life, we jump around quite a bit as her story and character unfolds, but it is easy to follow. We also get to see the world through a few different viewpoints which helps to draw your heart into the world of vaudeville.
LOVE - LOVE - LOVE Elliot. He is protective and gentle, yet firm and carries a strength that Wren needs, although she denies it. Wren is such an incredible person. I fell in love with her from chapter one. With her eccentric style and lifestyle, a performer, giving the public the illusion of grandeur...when in reality, her lifestyle is quite simple. A woman with a past that tears at her soul, longing for freedom, but not knowing where to turn. When Agent Elliot Matthews bullies his way on to her stage, her life takes a dramatic turn and the impossible becomes possible.
Wren struggles to forgive herself for something in her past that she has been led to believe is her fault. We follow her on a journey of realization that forgiveness is not just an illusion, but something very real. That it penetrates the very heart and soul of who we are. It shapes and molds us. And that we can be free if we choose to be. But if we spend too long believing in an illusion, it will distort our view of reality.
So, embrace the truth. Let Papa God open your eyes to see yourself as He created you. To see your gifts, your strengths, and the forgiveness that He has poured out on you. Take a step back in time to the Jazz Age. Step into the world of Harry Houdini and Wren Lockhart in the center of vaudeville. Let them dazzle you with a story of truth, forgiveness...and illusion.
I received a complimentary copy of The Illusionist's Apprentice through BookLook Bloggers and NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.
Review originally published at http://www.bookwormmama.org
LOVE - LOVE - LOVE Elliot. He is protective and gentle, yet firm and carries a strength that Wren needs, although she denies it. Wren is such an incredible person. I fell in love with her from chapter one. With her eccentric style and lifestyle, a performer, giving the public the illusion of grandeur...when in reality, her lifestyle is quite simple. A woman with a past that tears at her soul, longing for freedom, but not knowing where to turn. When Agent Elliot Matthews bullies his way on to her stage, her life takes a dramatic turn and the impossible becomes possible.
Wren struggles to forgive herself for something in her past that she has been led to believe is her fault. We follow her on a journey of realization that forgiveness is not just an illusion, but something very real. That it penetrates the very heart and soul of who we are. It shapes and molds us. And that we can be free if we choose to be. But if we spend too long believing in an illusion, it will distort our view of reality.
So, embrace the truth. Let Papa God open your eyes to see yourself as He created you. To see your gifts, your strengths, and the forgiveness that He has poured out on you. Take a step back in time to the Jazz Age. Step into the world of Harry Houdini and Wren Lockhart in the center of vaudeville. Let them dazzle you with a story of truth, forgiveness...and illusion.
I received a complimentary copy of The Illusionist's Apprentice through BookLook Bloggers and NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.
Review originally published at http://www.bookwormmama.org
Sarah (7798 KP) rated Black Mirror: Bandersnatch (2018) in Movies
Dec 28, 2018 (Updated Dec 28, 2018)
A brilliant concept
Black Mirror is one of those series that is very divisive, people either seem to love it or hate it. I absolutely adore it. I love the bleak, technology driven alternate reality based stories, it’s fascinating and a worrying insight into what our future could become. I only found out yesterday that they were releasing this feature length standalone on Netflix, and when I found out it was a ‘choose your own ending’ type story, I couldn’t have been more excited. And it really does not disappoint.
The choose your own adventure style is flawless. I was worried it’d be clunky, slow or disrupt the flow of the scene, but it really is immaculate. The scene carries on while you choose, and choosing is simple, although you do have to be quite quick. It starts off with a few innocuous choices but then soon descends into ones that are a lot darker, and in some cases a lot funnier too. When you get to whatever ending you’ve reached, it allows you to go back and change some of your choices to see how the outcome would’ve differed, exactly like you’d do if you were reading a choose your ending Goosebumps book - flicking back and choosing a different option. On watching some of the alternate options, I soon realised some of the ones I’d picked were the best choices!
The plot itself is interesting and relevant, and also very meta as the story goes along, which for me really helped involve me as a watcher. There are some very bleak, gruesome and funny moments in this, which is really exactly what you’d expect from Charlie Brooker and even gets you questioning your own reality. Fionn Whitehead is great as Stefan, after this and Dunkirk he’s sure to do well. My only negative is that the story seemed to unfold very slowly in parts, but this could have all been down to the choices I made.
This is a fantastic concept for Black Mirror, and I’d love to see it used in other parts of the series. Albeit very sparingly, as it is something that could get old quite quickly if overused. But for Bandersnatch, it was a delight to watch, and take part.
The choose your own adventure style is flawless. I was worried it’d be clunky, slow or disrupt the flow of the scene, but it really is immaculate. The scene carries on while you choose, and choosing is simple, although you do have to be quite quick. It starts off with a few innocuous choices but then soon descends into ones that are a lot darker, and in some cases a lot funnier too. When you get to whatever ending you’ve reached, it allows you to go back and change some of your choices to see how the outcome would’ve differed, exactly like you’d do if you were reading a choose your ending Goosebumps book - flicking back and choosing a different option. On watching some of the alternate options, I soon realised some of the ones I’d picked were the best choices!
The plot itself is interesting and relevant, and also very meta as the story goes along, which for me really helped involve me as a watcher. There are some very bleak, gruesome and funny moments in this, which is really exactly what you’d expect from Charlie Brooker and even gets you questioning your own reality. Fionn Whitehead is great as Stefan, after this and Dunkirk he’s sure to do well. My only negative is that the story seemed to unfold very slowly in parts, but this could have all been down to the choices I made.
This is a fantastic concept for Black Mirror, and I’d love to see it used in other parts of the series. Albeit very sparingly, as it is something that could get old quite quickly if overused. But for Bandersnatch, it was a delight to watch, and take part.
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated Hunt for the Troll in Books
Nov 14, 2019
Get ready to immerse yourself in the world of virtual reality gaming and tech startups. The unnamed narrator, a computer genius, is bored after being made moderately rich after starting a company. When his business partner tells him about a new opportunity he agrees to meet but his partner doesn't show. Taking a stop-gap job at a gaming company he starts to get used to his new life when he dreams about the Troll, a dream that may be all too real.
Deciding to pursue the Troll to find out who he really is involves digging into the past and future of Silicon Valley and draws both wanted and unwanted attention. Who is the Troll and what exactly does he want? And more the point, how can he be found?
The narrative for the books runs very much like a somewhat noir detective novel, but without the fedora (although there is a femme fatale and it does rain...) rather than a techo thriller. The main character is very much the sort of person who relishes a new challenge and embraces the search rather more enthusiatically than his work, even though that work involves spending all day in a virtual reality online game.
The plot progresses at pace with interesting characters appearing to cast light and shadows on various aspects of life at the cutting edge of computer technology. There are coincidences that help move the plot along but a lot of the time the reader will be as frustrated as the narrator that the Troll is proving so elusive. There are sub-plots as well and by the end everything has worked itself out to a satisfying conclusion.
It wasn't entirely without flaw for me; I didn't find the narrator particularly sympathetic or easy to identify with as he has a certain selfishness, self-indulgence and lack of empathy but I suppose that is part of his make up as a fundamental part of tech start ups. Some of the other character motivations are a little opaque too.
But these were minor points and didn't detract from what is ultimately an enjoyable and interesting read and definitely shows foresight on where the computer industry is headed right now.
Deciding to pursue the Troll to find out who he really is involves digging into the past and future of Silicon Valley and draws both wanted and unwanted attention. Who is the Troll and what exactly does he want? And more the point, how can he be found?
The narrative for the books runs very much like a somewhat noir detective novel, but without the fedora (although there is a femme fatale and it does rain...) rather than a techo thriller. The main character is very much the sort of person who relishes a new challenge and embraces the search rather more enthusiatically than his work, even though that work involves spending all day in a virtual reality online game.
The plot progresses at pace with interesting characters appearing to cast light and shadows on various aspects of life at the cutting edge of computer technology. There are coincidences that help move the plot along but a lot of the time the reader will be as frustrated as the narrator that the Troll is proving so elusive. There are sub-plots as well and by the end everything has worked itself out to a satisfying conclusion.
It wasn't entirely without flaw for me; I didn't find the narrator particularly sympathetic or easy to identify with as he has a certain selfishness, self-indulgence and lack of empathy but I suppose that is part of his make up as a fundamental part of tech start ups. Some of the other character motivations are a little opaque too.
But these were minor points and didn't detract from what is ultimately an enjoyable and interesting read and definitely shows foresight on where the computer industry is headed right now.
Kirk Bage (1775 KP) rated Black Mirror - Season 1 in TV
Mar 3, 2020
The National Anthem - 7.5
Yes, it’s the one that got it all started; the one with the Prime Minister and the pig. A very clever, if repulsive, episode that explores the power of media and the notion that men in power will do anything to protect their image. As the maiden voyage of Black Mirror, we find that the writing, acting and production values are very strong. There is also a nice multi-layering on display that allows you to debate what this morality tale is actually all about.
Fifteen Million Merits - 7
Before Get Out made him a star, Daniel Kaluuya shows a lot of promise in this pure satire on riding the gravy train and the fast fix provided by reality shows and the dangling carrot of fame and fortune. The rich have their penthouses while the rest of us exist in a hamster wheel of repetition and unattainable dreams. Even the seed of anger and rebellion becomes the focus of “entertainment” in an amusing, but slightly weaker ending than most.
The Entire History of You - 9
A very strong idea, beautifully / horrifically realised, in one of my personal favourites to date. Implant technology allows us to record every moment of our waking lives and replay them through our own eyes or on a screen. The benefits of security, lost keys and legal issues are explored, before the episode descends into a personal nightmare as a brilliant Toby Kebbell begins to suspect his wife, future Dr. Who Jodie Whittaker, of having an affair; proceding then to be obsessed by the minute details of both their recorded “memories”. An exploration of paranoia and close relationships, whilst questioning the morality of privacy, and the role being able to lie to a loved one might have as a positive, not a negative. The genius of it is watching Kebbell lose his mind completely whilst never knowing until the end if his doubts have any validity at all. A technology it is terrifyingly possible to imagine as a reality – and a solution that exists with mobile phones and social media already: you can always opt out, even if that is painful.
Yes, it’s the one that got it all started; the one with the Prime Minister and the pig. A very clever, if repulsive, episode that explores the power of media and the notion that men in power will do anything to protect their image. As the maiden voyage of Black Mirror, we find that the writing, acting and production values are very strong. There is also a nice multi-layering on display that allows you to debate what this morality tale is actually all about.
Fifteen Million Merits - 7
Before Get Out made him a star, Daniel Kaluuya shows a lot of promise in this pure satire on riding the gravy train and the fast fix provided by reality shows and the dangling carrot of fame and fortune. The rich have their penthouses while the rest of us exist in a hamster wheel of repetition and unattainable dreams. Even the seed of anger and rebellion becomes the focus of “entertainment” in an amusing, but slightly weaker ending than most.
The Entire History of You - 9
A very strong idea, beautifully / horrifically realised, in one of my personal favourites to date. Implant technology allows us to record every moment of our waking lives and replay them through our own eyes or on a screen. The benefits of security, lost keys and legal issues are explored, before the episode descends into a personal nightmare as a brilliant Toby Kebbell begins to suspect his wife, future Dr. Who Jodie Whittaker, of having an affair; proceding then to be obsessed by the minute details of both their recorded “memories”. An exploration of paranoia and close relationships, whilst questioning the morality of privacy, and the role being able to lie to a loved one might have as a positive, not a negative. The genius of it is watching Kebbell lose his mind completely whilst never knowing until the end if his doubts have any validity at all. A technology it is terrifyingly possible to imagine as a reality – and a solution that exists with mobile phones and social media already: you can always opt out, even if that is painful.
Child Exploitation and Trafficking: Examining Global Enforcement and Supply Chain Challenges and U.S. Responses
Virginia M. Kendall, T. Markus Funk and Richard A. Posner
Book
Each year, more than two million children around the world fall victim to commercial sexual and...
