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Frozen Prospects (Guadel Chronicles #1)
8.0
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The invitation to join the secretive Guadel should have been the fulfillment of dreams Va'del didn't...
Epic Fantasy Young Adult
Doctor Who: Once Upon a Timelord
6.0
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Eisner Award-Winner Dan Slott’s Doctor Who Comics debut sees Martha Jones spin three sensational...
Isabel Smith (34 KP) rated Wicked River: a novel in Books
Jun 24, 2018
A true fight for survival...
My, oh my! What a breathtaking, multifaceted joyride of a novel! Containing elements of the horror, action, mystery, psychological suspense, adventure, coming-of-age, and even romance genres, Jenny Milchman’s latest novel Wicked River is a true genre-blending powerhouse.
The story is told from the point of view of three different individuals: the newlywed Natalie, her ambitious niece Mia, and a primitive outdoorsman named Kurt. Natalie and her husband, Doug, experience a honeymoon from hell when their exciting backcountry trek through the beautiful, vast Adirondack Park in New York morphs into a sinister fight for survival. When her aunt Natalie and new uncle Doug are gone longer than expected, Mia notices right away and suspects something is amiss. She’s young, but she’s got good instincts because her aunt and uncle are indeed in grave danger – they face the triple threat of being lost in the treacherous wilderness, running out of food and water, and being hunted by the madman named Kurt who lives amongst the woods. Blood is shed, allegiances are tested, and the body count is on the rise as multiple missing persons investigations and an epic search and rescue operation are launched.
There is a little something for everyone in Wicked River. I loved everything about it. Jenny Milchman has a knack for using the right metaphor at the right time to create such vivid imagery it feels as if the reader is alongside the characters in the picturesque yet hazardous Adirondack region. This is the first novel I’ve read by her, but she is now on my radar and I will have to catch up on her other works as well as keep a lookout for upcoming projects.
The story is told from the point of view of three different individuals: the newlywed Natalie, her ambitious niece Mia, and a primitive outdoorsman named Kurt. Natalie and her husband, Doug, experience a honeymoon from hell when their exciting backcountry trek through the beautiful, vast Adirondack Park in New York morphs into a sinister fight for survival. When her aunt Natalie and new uncle Doug are gone longer than expected, Mia notices right away and suspects something is amiss. She’s young, but she’s got good instincts because her aunt and uncle are indeed in grave danger – they face the triple threat of being lost in the treacherous wilderness, running out of food and water, and being hunted by the madman named Kurt who lives amongst the woods. Blood is shed, allegiances are tested, and the body count is on the rise as multiple missing persons investigations and an epic search and rescue operation are launched.
There is a little something for everyone in Wicked River. I loved everything about it. Jenny Milchman has a knack for using the right metaphor at the right time to create such vivid imagery it feels as if the reader is alongside the characters in the picturesque yet hazardous Adirondack region. This is the first novel I’ve read by her, but she is now on my radar and I will have to catch up on her other works as well as keep a lookout for upcoming projects.
Sheridan (209 KP) rated Minecraft in Video Games
Sep 11, 2018
Create your own world (2 more)
Relaxing and fun
Lots of Mods to expand your play
Bought for my daughter, played by me.
I told my partner time and time again, we shouldn't buy this game, because it doesn't end and I'll play it all the time lol I wasn't wrong. I really do adore this game it's a lot of fun, especially in Survival Mode. There's so much to explore and the aquatic part is breathtaking. So far I've got two houses and an underwater monument base and I don't see it stopping there. I will eventually build a house in each biome, I think. The terrible graphics holds its own nostalgic charm for me and it's mostly easy to play. Brewing and Enchanting is a lot of work and there are so many steps I feel like I've always got to have Google open on my phone to figure out how to do it. Using experience points to mend and enchant is super annoying because the more advanced your item the most xp points you use to fix it. I currently have an awesome iron pick with several good enchantments on it but I can't use it because otherwise it will break and it costs 33 xp to fix. Another annoying point that gets me is some things that are drops are useless to the player (magma rock, zombie flesh for example) it would be nice to have some use for these items at some point. My 8 yr old can only play in creative mode or on peaceful in survival otherwise she continuously dies and gets super frustrated with it so unless your kids are seasoned xbox gamers I probably wouldn't start them on this. Personally, apart from a few annoying features I love the game. It's creative, relaxing and fun.
Gareth von Kallenbach (977 KP) rated The Road (2009) in Movies
Aug 8, 2019
“The Road” takes us on the post-apocalyptic story of the man, played by Viggo Morganson and the boy (Kodi Smit-McPhee), a father and son doing their best to get along in a world which is no longer suitable for humanity. Constantly teaching his son survival skills and doing his best not to focus on his lost love the man attempts to explain the essence of humanity to his boy who has never known a better world. Add in the ever-present threat of cannibals and you have the film adaptation of this best selling book.
The echoed use of color takes the viewer directly into the unnamed devastation that riddles the world of our two heroes. Moreover, the small sounds from the creeks of not quite abandoned buildings to the harrowing screams of cannibal victims make the world of “the Road” wholly engrossing. Maybe that is the problem.
Riddled with themes of devastation, survival, faith, and family, “The Road” is a piece of cinema significantly different from anything else. With all that said I am not sure this was a horrific and arduous journey one needs to go through.
After I first saw it I didn’t like “The Road”, and I couldn’t figure out who would want to watch this film. Too mature for many audiences and appearing to lack the complication to appeal to intellectual film crowd, it took a few days for me to develop the merit of the film. Now, I can’t stop thinking about the string of moments presented as powerful small scenes that compose “The Road” even though I wish I could.
If you have read the book, then “The Road” delivers a vivid understanding of the story, but before paying to see the film I ask you, is that a story you really want to experience on screen?
The echoed use of color takes the viewer directly into the unnamed devastation that riddles the world of our two heroes. Moreover, the small sounds from the creeks of not quite abandoned buildings to the harrowing screams of cannibal victims make the world of “the Road” wholly engrossing. Maybe that is the problem.
Riddled with themes of devastation, survival, faith, and family, “The Road” is a piece of cinema significantly different from anything else. With all that said I am not sure this was a horrific and arduous journey one needs to go through.
After I first saw it I didn’t like “The Road”, and I couldn’t figure out who would want to watch this film. Too mature for many audiences and appearing to lack the complication to appeal to intellectual film crowd, it took a few days for me to develop the merit of the film. Now, I can’t stop thinking about the string of moments presented as powerful small scenes that compose “The Road” even though I wish I could.
If you have read the book, then “The Road” delivers a vivid understanding of the story, but before paying to see the film I ask you, is that a story you really want to experience on screen?
Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated Alpha (2018) in Movies
Apr 7, 2020
My Unpopular Opinion
Set in prehistoric times, a young man has to survive on his own after getting injured during a hunt. In the process of trying to stay alive, he ends up befriending a lone wolf. I was hoping to like this movie a lot more, but it seemed to drag in too many spots for me.
Acting: 10
Beginning: 10
Characters: 3
Keda (Kodi Smit-McPhee) wasn’t really cutting it for me as far as characters go. When you’re talking about one person to carry a movie, I was hoping for someone with a bit more charisma. The wolf was a cute addition, but the combo wasn’t quite enough to make me care more about the story.
Cinematography/Visuals: 8
Conflict: 4
There wasn’t a whole lot of action going on, at least not enough to keep me entertained. Yes, it’s a story around survival and that concept itself should be riveting enough, but, sadly, it wasn’t. There was too much of nothing happening for too long of stretches. I kept waiting for things to develop and, by the time I started to feel fireworks, it ended being a small fizzle.
Entertainment Value: 8
Memorability: 3
Pace: 3
Pretty slow as far as survival movies go. I kept waiting for it to pick up and, while it had a few shining moments here and there, it was pretty tame for the most part. Y’all, I tried, I really did. Just wasn’t working for me.
Plot: 6
Resolution: 8
Overall: 63
Don’t take my opinion as God when it comes to Alpha. There are plenty out there that adore this movie. Unfortunately, I wasn’t one of them. It’s way too slow and uninteresting for me to recommend.
Acting: 10
Beginning: 10
Characters: 3
Keda (Kodi Smit-McPhee) wasn’t really cutting it for me as far as characters go. When you’re talking about one person to carry a movie, I was hoping for someone with a bit more charisma. The wolf was a cute addition, but the combo wasn’t quite enough to make me care more about the story.
Cinematography/Visuals: 8
Conflict: 4
There wasn’t a whole lot of action going on, at least not enough to keep me entertained. Yes, it’s a story around survival and that concept itself should be riveting enough, but, sadly, it wasn’t. There was too much of nothing happening for too long of stretches. I kept waiting for things to develop and, by the time I started to feel fireworks, it ended being a small fizzle.
Entertainment Value: 8
Memorability: 3
Pace: 3
Pretty slow as far as survival movies go. I kept waiting for it to pick up and, while it had a few shining moments here and there, it was pretty tame for the most part. Y’all, I tried, I really did. Just wasn’t working for me.
Plot: 6
Resolution: 8
Overall: 63
Don’t take my opinion as God when it comes to Alpha. There are plenty out there that adore this movie. Unfortunately, I wasn’t one of them. It’s way too slow and uninteresting for me to recommend.
Royal Babies: A History 1066-2013
Book
Babies are born every day, but only once or twice in a lifetime, a child arrives who will inherit...
Fintech Innovation: From Robo-Advisors to Goal Based Investing and Gamification
Book
A survival guide for the FinTech era of banking FinTech Innovation examines the rise of financial...
Girl in the Woods: A Memoir
Book
Girl in the Woods is Aspen Matis's exhilarating true-life adventure of hiking from Mexico to...
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated the Xbox One version of Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs in Video Games
Nov 14, 2020
Scary and Spooky
Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs- is a terrorfying, horrorfying, spooky, scary, creepy game.
The game features several interlocking storylines. Some take place in the past, some in the present, and some are overtly real while some may be imagined. Set in London on New Year's Eve, 1899, the game's protagonist is Oswald Mandus, a wealthy industrialist and butcher who is implied to be the great grand-nephew of Daniel, the protagonist of Amnesia: The Dark Descent.
The game is a survival horror game played from a first-person perspective.
Players explore the environments using a lantern, with diary entries and notes providing information on the lost memory of the title character. While the core of the game remains the same between the two, some elements of The Dark Descent have been removed for A Machine for Pigs, while new elements have been added, one reason being to provide a fresh gameplay experience to players of The Dark Descent.
Most of the puzzles are based on physically interacting with the environment because of this change. The sanity mechanic of the first game has been removed, meaning that the darkness and looking at the creatures no longer cause any drawbacks. Health lost when Mandus is injured, will regenerate after a certain period of time; thereby eliminating the need to find vials of laudanum to restore health as in The Dark Descent.
The game's level design has been touted as "significantly different" from that of The Dark Descent, with larger areas and outdoor environments included. AI was also adjusted to ensure players are unable to predict enemy behavior based on their experiences with the original game.
Its a excellent survival game.
The game features several interlocking storylines. Some take place in the past, some in the present, and some are overtly real while some may be imagined. Set in London on New Year's Eve, 1899, the game's protagonist is Oswald Mandus, a wealthy industrialist and butcher who is implied to be the great grand-nephew of Daniel, the protagonist of Amnesia: The Dark Descent.
The game is a survival horror game played from a first-person perspective.
Players explore the environments using a lantern, with diary entries and notes providing information on the lost memory of the title character. While the core of the game remains the same between the two, some elements of The Dark Descent have been removed for A Machine for Pigs, while new elements have been added, one reason being to provide a fresh gameplay experience to players of The Dark Descent.
Most of the puzzles are based on physically interacting with the environment because of this change. The sanity mechanic of the first game has been removed, meaning that the darkness and looking at the creatures no longer cause any drawbacks. Health lost when Mandus is injured, will regenerate after a certain period of time; thereby eliminating the need to find vials of laudanum to restore health as in The Dark Descent.
The game's level design has been touted as "significantly different" from that of The Dark Descent, with larger areas and outdoor environments included. AI was also adjusted to ensure players are unable to predict enemy behavior based on their experiences with the original game.
Its a excellent survival game.