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An East End Story
Book
One evening in the long hot summer of 1959, Alfred Gardner was walking home along Commercial Road....
Minecraft Construction Handbook - Updated Edition: An Official Minecraft Book from Mojang
Book
Minecraft is a multi-platform block-based gaming sensation available on Xbox, PlayStation, PC and...
Carrier Aviation in the 21st Century: Aircraft Carriers and Their Units in Detail
Book
The modern aircraft carrier is without doubt one of the most exciting and hazardous operating...
The Map Thief
Book
Beijing, China, 1421: It is a momentous time for the Ming Dynasty. Honoring the completion of the...
Merissa (12911 KP) rated Operation Pinpoint (Space Force Rejects, #1) in Books
Nov 2, 2022
It can be hot in space!
OPERATION PINPOINT is the first book in the Space Force Rejects series and we are introduced to a world where people live on Motherships and Space Force helps other species. Of course, help isn't always wanted and Dravos is one who definitely didn't want the humans' help. He has been imprisoned and tortured for the past five years, and now has a kill chip inserted in his brain stem. Ravenna has the code to set it off, but she is more interested in saving her lover, Yve, than blowing up an alien who hasn't harmed her. Plus, she feels a connection with him she's not prepared to admit to, just yet.
This was a great story, with wonderful world-building that helps you to see the ships, the commandos, the scientists, and the other species. Ravenna, for all she is a good commando, is also incredibly naïve, thinking Space Force only does good, not harming anyone or anything. Both Dravos and Ravenna have a lot of learning to do as their story intertwines.
The story moves along at a good pace, the relationship between Ravenna and Dravos deepening as it does. I did feel their declarations were a bit out of the blue, but that's probably just me. I did love how they were together, the protectiveness they felt towards each other shone through.
It ends with a HFN semi-cliffhanger that will definitely leave you wanting to return to this world. I have questions I need answers to, that involve Ravenna, Dravos, and Centra. I need more! A great start to a series that I definitely recommend and can't wait to read more.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
This was a great story, with wonderful world-building that helps you to see the ships, the commandos, the scientists, and the other species. Ravenna, for all she is a good commando, is also incredibly naïve, thinking Space Force only does good, not harming anyone or anything. Both Dravos and Ravenna have a lot of learning to do as their story intertwines.
The story moves along at a good pace, the relationship between Ravenna and Dravos deepening as it does. I did feel their declarations were a bit out of the blue, but that's probably just me. I did love how they were together, the protectiveness they felt towards each other shone through.
It ends with a HFN semi-cliffhanger that will definitely leave you wanting to return to this world. I have questions I need answers to, that involve Ravenna, Dravos, and Centra. I need more! A great start to a series that I definitely recommend and can't wait to read more.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Merissa (12911 KP) rated If I Were A Weapon (All These Gifts #1) in Books
Dec 29, 2021
IF I WERE A WEAPON is the first book in the All These Gifts series, and we find ourselves in an Earth of the not-too-distant future where alien ships crash-landed to Earth, killing or displacing the inhabitants. For those that survived, for the lucky majority, life continued as normal but, for some, their lives were irrevocably changed.
Deneve and Jolie are some that changed. Deneve has the ability to predict the future in certain circumstances, with the nanites ramping up until she acts to change whatever it was she saw. Jolie has the ability to play with fire. Both are hiding from people who might use them and neither wants anything long-term. When Deneve has a vision about Jolie being in danger though, she has to stay to make sure Jolie is safe, even though they don't know each other.
This was really well-written, with plenty of backstory and build-up to move the story along. Deneve and Jolie don't know each other, and their relationship reflects that, although it will change as the series progresses. For now, they share a kiss and that's it. For the most part, it is stilted formality between them, which somehow works and lets you see more into their personalities than if they had been best buds from the outset.
Set in Austin, Texas, you get a story rich in detail, where the differences between those that are 'normal' and those that are not are highlighted in simple and subtle ways. This is a series so don't expect to have all the answers given to you in book one, because you will surely be disappointed.
As for me, I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to continuing with the series to see where it takes me next. Absolutely recommended by me.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Deneve and Jolie are some that changed. Deneve has the ability to predict the future in certain circumstances, with the nanites ramping up until she acts to change whatever it was she saw. Jolie has the ability to play with fire. Both are hiding from people who might use them and neither wants anything long-term. When Deneve has a vision about Jolie being in danger though, she has to stay to make sure Jolie is safe, even though they don't know each other.
This was really well-written, with plenty of backstory and build-up to move the story along. Deneve and Jolie don't know each other, and their relationship reflects that, although it will change as the series progresses. For now, they share a kiss and that's it. For the most part, it is stilted formality between them, which somehow works and lets you see more into their personalities than if they had been best buds from the outset.
Set in Austin, Texas, you get a story rich in detail, where the differences between those that are 'normal' and those that are not are highlighted in simple and subtle ways. This is a series so don't expect to have all the answers given to you in book one, because you will surely be disappointed.
As for me, I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to continuing with the series to see where it takes me next. Absolutely recommended by me.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Lindsay (1760 KP) rated Saved by the Matchmaker (A Shanahan Match #2) in Books
Aug 28, 2024
Upon discovering this book, I was immediately drawn to its description. I have a penchant for history, especially when it's presented in a way that's not overly serious but still retains a hint of fiction. Having enjoyed the author's previous works, I was eager to delve into Saved by Matchmaker, fully anticipating the same level of personal enjoyment from her unique writing style that I've experienced before.
It is how it starts, and we meet a daughter named Enya, her father, and her brother. However, when Enya mentions that she is holding a secret that will harm her family's reputation, things get pulled into action when her brother rushes to meet the matchmaker named Bellemy.
We are also introduced to Sullivan O'Brien and his livelihood. Will Sullivan take his father's ultimatum and lose his life? Will I love Enya, and will they indeed find love with each other? Will Enya learn to trust Sullivan, or will she fall back when she compares her new husband to Brian? Will he overcome her trust issues and fall in love with Sullivan?
We see that Sullivan loves to free enslaved people, but will the enslaved person catch him captured? Enya seems to see and want to help her husband, or she has found an enslaved person while returning from New Orleans.
There was a fire that caused some boats to be lost. But will Sullivan save him and the enslaved person, or will he be lost to see when he daringly moves to have his boat floating away from other ships? Will he help save another boat so the fire does not spread, or was it someone who started fires? Was it an act of nature?
What does the matchmaker see in Enya? Why does he think Sullivan is a good match for Enya? There seems to be something Belmy sees in Enya, and she can see Sullivan as a match. Will it work? Belmy appears to have a knack for matchmaking to have them marry and fall in love.
It is how it starts, and we meet a daughter named Enya, her father, and her brother. However, when Enya mentions that she is holding a secret that will harm her family's reputation, things get pulled into action when her brother rushes to meet the matchmaker named Bellemy.
We are also introduced to Sullivan O'Brien and his livelihood. Will Sullivan take his father's ultimatum and lose his life? Will I love Enya, and will they indeed find love with each other? Will Enya learn to trust Sullivan, or will she fall back when she compares her new husband to Brian? Will he overcome her trust issues and fall in love with Sullivan?
We see that Sullivan loves to free enslaved people, but will the enslaved person catch him captured? Enya seems to see and want to help her husband, or she has found an enslaved person while returning from New Orleans.
There was a fire that caused some boats to be lost. But will Sullivan save him and the enslaved person, or will he be lost to see when he daringly moves to have his boat floating away from other ships? Will he help save another boat so the fire does not spread, or was it someone who started fires? Was it an act of nature?
What does the matchmaker see in Enya? Why does he think Sullivan is a good match for Enya? There seems to be something Belmy sees in Enya, and she can see Sullivan as a match. Will it work? Belmy appears to have a knack for matchmaking to have them marry and fall in love.
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Quests & Cannons in Tabletop Games
May 17, 2021
Fantasy Yarharrr! The isles have been borne and offer wondrous resources, but only for one o’ ye. Gather yer factions and fight for control and survival, or suffer a fate worse than death… which, in this case, is extinction! Okay, this is way less dramatic, but the stakes are high when bunnies, eagles, and piggies battle on the high seas for control of the islands and assurance of their race’s survival.
Quests & Cannons is a giant melting pot of mechanics rolled up into a cute little package with an interesting modular board with multiple setup options. In it, players take control of one of the aforementioned animal races and board their ships to claim islands and exploit their resources. The first player to amass 15 or 20 prosperity (VP) by the end of the game will reign victorious!
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a prototype copy of this game for the purposes of this review. These are preview copy components, and I do not know for sure if the final components will be any different from these shown. Also, it is not my intention to detail every rule in the game, as there are just too many. You are invited to download the rulebook, back the game through the Kickstarter campaign, or through any retailers stocking it after fulfillment. -T
There are so many steps to setup, and about a thousand bits and pieces, so I will save both your eyes and my fingers explaining. However, once setup, it should look somewhat similar to the photo below. Each player receives their own upgradeable ship board to track resources, action points, and other game-necessary components, along with a specific character and matching boat token.
On a turn, players will have three action points they may spend in any order on the following actions: Movement, Gather, Attack. Movement is one nautical hex in any direction per action point used, unless a player uses one of their sails. Sails add one hex to a movement and is spent for the rest of the round. The thing to keep in mind with movement is that different tiles affect movement in different ways, so luckily reference cards are included in the game. Once a ship discovers a new island, the player receives one coin and a Quest card in addition to flipping over the question mark Island Feature Tokens. These tokens show specific resources, which Quest cards require to be completed, at specific locations on the board.
Players can spend an action point to Gather resources from an island. Players are able to fill up their ships’ holds with as much of the resource as they wish, and it can be replaced with other resources on future turns.
Map Clues are cards that can be worked on during play, similar to Quest cards, and usually require an action point to be spent. These are special circumstances, and the action points are not available to be spent on every turn. Similar special circumstances include visits to Outposts, Trading Posts, and Starting Spaces. These spaces allow players to buy and sell items, and upgrade and repair ships.
The last option for action point spending is by attacking. A player may Attack another player when they share the same space on the board. The attacking player spends an action point to fire their cannons equipped on their ship. The ammo is tracked and represented by ammo dice. Once rolled, the attacker scores hull damage for every four pips rolled. If the ship takes as many or more hull damage than they have HP hearts, their ship sinks. Fortunately, this does not eliminate the player, but they lose many resources and coins, and will need to respawn at their starting location.
The player who earns 15 or 20 prosperity (depending on game mode) from attacking players, completing Quest and Map Clue cards, and possibly some other secret methods, will win Quests & Cannons and leads their race to eternal glory!
Components. Again, this is a prototype copy of the game, but I’ll tell you what, if the finished project comes with even slightly better components, it will be a monumental accomplishment. This is one of the highest-quality home-made prototypes I have ever received. I know most art and many items are final, but everything is on the table for upgrades, with a successful Kickstarter campaign. The colors are great, the art is fantastical and amazing, and it looks phenomenal on the table. I really enjoy the different characters with their unique special powers, and the double-layer ship player mats. Everything has its place and is organized beautifully. I am very excited to see the final product that Short Hop Games achieves!
This kind of game is really right up my alley: head-to-head combat (without player elimination), exploration, and pick-up-and-deliver. The only thing this is missing to be the perfect Travis game is a deck building element, but that certainly wouldn’t fit here. Quests & Cannons is chocked full of mechanics that, I believe, work really well together to provide a great game experience without adding a ton of complexity. The hexploration is strong, and the pick-up-and-deliver mechanic is tasty. All the mechanics, components, and artwork synergize so well that I am surprised this is a title from first-time designers and publisher.
What I like most is that though the rules are plentiful, once you get them down you have a wonderfully fun versatile game that can be played with many different group permutations and modes. The variety in setup options are endless, and the rulebook offers nine or ten different setups. The game also comes with lots of extra map bits, so any player could dream up several unique setup options at any time. The Quests are great, and the Loot cards (though I didn’t mention them in the overview) offer lots of ways to improve players’ strategies. With the abundance of upgrades available and unique special powers, this one is a big winner for me.
If you are in the market for something a little different, with a great theme and interesting combination of mechanics, then Quests & Cannons is certainly worth a look. I am very excited to follow the progress and the campaign for this one. I think backers will be receiving an incredible game with excellent components and tons of replayability. Now to challenge my wife so she can mop the poop deck with me.
Quests & Cannons is a giant melting pot of mechanics rolled up into a cute little package with an interesting modular board with multiple setup options. In it, players take control of one of the aforementioned animal races and board their ships to claim islands and exploit their resources. The first player to amass 15 or 20 prosperity (VP) by the end of the game will reign victorious!
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a prototype copy of this game for the purposes of this review. These are preview copy components, and I do not know for sure if the final components will be any different from these shown. Also, it is not my intention to detail every rule in the game, as there are just too many. You are invited to download the rulebook, back the game through the Kickstarter campaign, or through any retailers stocking it after fulfillment. -T
There are so many steps to setup, and about a thousand bits and pieces, so I will save both your eyes and my fingers explaining. However, once setup, it should look somewhat similar to the photo below. Each player receives their own upgradeable ship board to track resources, action points, and other game-necessary components, along with a specific character and matching boat token.
On a turn, players will have three action points they may spend in any order on the following actions: Movement, Gather, Attack. Movement is one nautical hex in any direction per action point used, unless a player uses one of their sails. Sails add one hex to a movement and is spent for the rest of the round. The thing to keep in mind with movement is that different tiles affect movement in different ways, so luckily reference cards are included in the game. Once a ship discovers a new island, the player receives one coin and a Quest card in addition to flipping over the question mark Island Feature Tokens. These tokens show specific resources, which Quest cards require to be completed, at specific locations on the board.
Players can spend an action point to Gather resources from an island. Players are able to fill up their ships’ holds with as much of the resource as they wish, and it can be replaced with other resources on future turns.
Map Clues are cards that can be worked on during play, similar to Quest cards, and usually require an action point to be spent. These are special circumstances, and the action points are not available to be spent on every turn. Similar special circumstances include visits to Outposts, Trading Posts, and Starting Spaces. These spaces allow players to buy and sell items, and upgrade and repair ships.
The last option for action point spending is by attacking. A player may Attack another player when they share the same space on the board. The attacking player spends an action point to fire their cannons equipped on their ship. The ammo is tracked and represented by ammo dice. Once rolled, the attacker scores hull damage for every four pips rolled. If the ship takes as many or more hull damage than they have HP hearts, their ship sinks. Fortunately, this does not eliminate the player, but they lose many resources and coins, and will need to respawn at their starting location.
The player who earns 15 or 20 prosperity (depending on game mode) from attacking players, completing Quest and Map Clue cards, and possibly some other secret methods, will win Quests & Cannons and leads their race to eternal glory!
Components. Again, this is a prototype copy of the game, but I’ll tell you what, if the finished project comes with even slightly better components, it will be a monumental accomplishment. This is one of the highest-quality home-made prototypes I have ever received. I know most art and many items are final, but everything is on the table for upgrades, with a successful Kickstarter campaign. The colors are great, the art is fantastical and amazing, and it looks phenomenal on the table. I really enjoy the different characters with their unique special powers, and the double-layer ship player mats. Everything has its place and is organized beautifully. I am very excited to see the final product that Short Hop Games achieves!
This kind of game is really right up my alley: head-to-head combat (without player elimination), exploration, and pick-up-and-deliver. The only thing this is missing to be the perfect Travis game is a deck building element, but that certainly wouldn’t fit here. Quests & Cannons is chocked full of mechanics that, I believe, work really well together to provide a great game experience without adding a ton of complexity. The hexploration is strong, and the pick-up-and-deliver mechanic is tasty. All the mechanics, components, and artwork synergize so well that I am surprised this is a title from first-time designers and publisher.
What I like most is that though the rules are plentiful, once you get them down you have a wonderfully fun versatile game that can be played with many different group permutations and modes. The variety in setup options are endless, and the rulebook offers nine or ten different setups. The game also comes with lots of extra map bits, so any player could dream up several unique setup options at any time. The Quests are great, and the Loot cards (though I didn’t mention them in the overview) offer lots of ways to improve players’ strategies. With the abundance of upgrades available and unique special powers, this one is a big winner for me.
If you are in the market for something a little different, with a great theme and interesting combination of mechanics, then Quests & Cannons is certainly worth a look. I am very excited to follow the progress and the campaign for this one. I think backers will be receiving an incredible game with excellent components and tons of replayability. Now to challenge my wife so she can mop the poop deck with me.
RəX Regent (349 KP) rated The Pirates! An Adventure With Scientists (2012) in Movies
Feb 19, 2019
Ardman Animation returned to the big screen in 2012 with this adaptation of the Children novel series, The Pirates!.
After building model sets in order to plan out a CGI animation similar to their 2011 Arthur Christmas, they quickly decided to return to their roots and this 3-D adventure was filmed as a stop-motion movie and is much the better for it.
The story itself, whilst following real life characters such as Queen Victoria and Charles Darwin, is pure, adulterated fiction, not quite from the school of Ridley Scott in which he claims to be making historical epics whilst taking liberties, I grant you, but still, I’m still having to explain to my 5 year old daughter that Queen Victoria was a super villain as portrayed here! We follow a crew of Pirates, lead by The Pirate Captain (Hugh Grant) as he attempts to win the converted pirate of the year but to no avail.
After an encounter with Charles Darwin (David Tennent), he learns that the ships “parrot”, Polly, is in fact a thought to be extinct Dodo and the pair along with his crew, return to England in order to win Scientist Of The Year as well. But Queen Victoria wants the bird, in order to eat it with other world leaders who gather to taste rarest cuisine.
My main issue with this film is that Victoria is presented a villain and this is now how my 5 year old daughter, who loves this film by the way, now looks upon as a baddie! But other than that this is a witty film built on wit. Every frame contains a joke of some kind, whether it be in the background, audible or part of the action.
Ardman’s style is unmistakable and quintessentially British and I suspect that whilst some international audiences will find this quaint, it will probably be lost on many.
But this is an underrated adventure, with lovable characters, villains and all told at a good pace.
Not something to be used for your history homework but still and enjoyable romp none the less.
After building model sets in order to plan out a CGI animation similar to their 2011 Arthur Christmas, they quickly decided to return to their roots and this 3-D adventure was filmed as a stop-motion movie and is much the better for it.
The story itself, whilst following real life characters such as Queen Victoria and Charles Darwin, is pure, adulterated fiction, not quite from the school of Ridley Scott in which he claims to be making historical epics whilst taking liberties, I grant you, but still, I’m still having to explain to my 5 year old daughter that Queen Victoria was a super villain as portrayed here! We follow a crew of Pirates, lead by The Pirate Captain (Hugh Grant) as he attempts to win the converted pirate of the year but to no avail.
After an encounter with Charles Darwin (David Tennent), he learns that the ships “parrot”, Polly, is in fact a thought to be extinct Dodo and the pair along with his crew, return to England in order to win Scientist Of The Year as well. But Queen Victoria wants the bird, in order to eat it with other world leaders who gather to taste rarest cuisine.
My main issue with this film is that Victoria is presented a villain and this is now how my 5 year old daughter, who loves this film by the way, now looks upon as a baddie! But other than that this is a witty film built on wit. Every frame contains a joke of some kind, whether it be in the background, audible or part of the action.
Ardman’s style is unmistakable and quintessentially British and I suspect that whilst some international audiences will find this quaint, it will probably be lost on many.
But this is an underrated adventure, with lovable characters, villains and all told at a good pace.
Not something to be used for your history homework but still and enjoyable romp none the less.
Darren (1599 KP) rated The 5th wave (2016) in Movies
Jun 20, 2019
Contains spoilers, click to show
Story: The 5th Wave starts as Cassie (Moretz) shows just how deadly she has become before flashing back before everything has changed when alien ships turned up above towns. The first wave of the attack was taking out all the electricity in the world. The second wave was flooding the Earth. The third wave was a deadlier version of the bird flu crippling the surviving number. The 4th wave is the ‘Others’ becoming humans taking out any other survivors and this is where Cassie gets separated from everyone.
With Cassie along we see how Sergeant Reznik (Bello) building a new defence against the Others which is most child soldiers from the remaining survivors. This brings us to the 5th Wave and that is saved for a twist in the film but it this the beginning of the next franchise of young adult stories.
The 5th Wave is the latest in what feels like an endless run of them which luckily is dying out now. This one stands out slightly more because it jumps straight into the battle between the humans and alien invaders instead of wasting too much time building up to this in a later film. I do think this would be a good addition to the genre if we hadn’t had too much rubbish before it.
Chloe is good in the leading role but the character isn’t written as strong as she could have been, while the known adult actors are clearly having the story arc to make them the villainous roles. the rest of the teens are or children are very basic never really getting time to make the impact with the Robinson struggling to make the true impact in his role. This would be an interesting addition to the world of teen young adult films but came too late into the flood of them.
Overall: I do feel this would have been a good addition to the young adult genre but I feel we won’t see the whole story now.
https://moviesreview101.com/2017/11/28/the-5th-wave-2016/
With Cassie along we see how Sergeant Reznik (Bello) building a new defence against the Others which is most child soldiers from the remaining survivors. This brings us to the 5th Wave and that is saved for a twist in the film but it this the beginning of the next franchise of young adult stories.
The 5th Wave is the latest in what feels like an endless run of them which luckily is dying out now. This one stands out slightly more because it jumps straight into the battle between the humans and alien invaders instead of wasting too much time building up to this in a later film. I do think this would be a good addition to the genre if we hadn’t had too much rubbish before it.
Chloe is good in the leading role but the character isn’t written as strong as she could have been, while the known adult actors are clearly having the story arc to make them the villainous roles. the rest of the teens are or children are very basic never really getting time to make the impact with the Robinson struggling to make the true impact in his role. This would be an interesting addition to the world of teen young adult films but came too late into the flood of them.
Overall: I do feel this would have been a good addition to the young adult genre but I feel we won’t see the whole story now.
https://moviesreview101.com/2017/11/28/the-5th-wave-2016/