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King of the North (Fire Born #4)
King of the North (Fire Born #4)
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I'm never really sure what to make of Angus Donald's 'Fire born' series.

Of which this is the fourth.

Personally, I think I've always preferred his Outlaw Chronicles, followed by the Holcroft Blood trilogy, with these Viking-era bringing up the rear.

Having said that, it is what it is.

In this particular entry, Bjarki and his sister Tor end up involved in the little-known (and semi-legendary) Battle of Bravellir, initially on opposite sides of the Shield Wall.

I have to say, it's a battle that I have never heard of before ...

Anyway, the result is an OK read, but (as previously stated, and for my money) the characters and history are just not as interesting as those in the Outlaw Chronicles or in the Holcroft Blood series.

I'll still probably read any future entries, though.
  
CA
Catalyst: A Tessa Avery story
Lucy Roy | 2022
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
126 of 230
Kindle
Catalyst: A Tessa Avery story
By Lucy Roy
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A god who wants to fix a world he considers broken. A goddess who wants to destroy him before he gets the chance. What happens when evil begins to take on shades of gray?

***Spoilers ahead for the Tessa Avery series***

Catalyst is the thrilling story of a villain whose desire to right his own wrongs ultimately leads to his own destruction. This should be read after completing books 1-3 of the Tessa Avery trilogy.

I absolutely loved the Tessa Avery series those books were just so good so this little novella from Chaos’s point of view was really enjoyable. He started out with intentions to change his creation and somewhere along the way he lost the way and almost destroyed it.
  
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David McK (3369 KP) rated Batman Begins (2005) in Movies

Jun 9, 2019 (Updated Jul 16, 2024)  
Batman Begins (2005)
Batman Begins (2005)
2005 | Action, Mystery, Sci-Fi
The first - and, for my money, the best - of the Christopher Nolan Dark Knight trilogy starring Christian Bale, taking Bruce Wayne back to his early days as Batman (and, indeed, keeping him out of costume for the entirety of the first hour).

This is largely set in a more realistic depiction of Gotham than any of the previous big-screen outings for the character, showing the evolution of the suit and with the Batmobile replaced by the tank-like Tumbler. It also - perhaps wisely, in order to keep the focus on Bruce Wayne/Batman - does not involve any of his more famous foes: instead of the Joker, or Penguin, or Riddler, the main villain(s) here - while still drawn from Bat lore - are more than likely to be less familiar to the average viewer.
  
Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
2019 | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
John Williams Score. (0 more)
Asks more questions than it answers. (3 more)
Fails to recover from the damages of The Last Jedi.
No sense to the narrative.
Some acting is appalling.
Goodbye, Star Wars.
Almost six months from its release, I finally sat down and treated myself to Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker. Ever since Disney took over the Star Wars brand, I've been sceptical of their intentions with the property, and so far I've been massively disappointed. I enjoyed the Mandalorian, and still believe Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is easily as good as the original trilogy. Controversial, I know. But the newest trilogy has dropped my interest in Star Wars altogether, as they've so far been bogged down by awful writing, humongous plot holes, and the butchering of beloved characters to make way for wooden new ones. The Force Awakens was a step in the right direction, but the nostalgia factor was what drew me in. Eight years on, it hasn't aged well at all. The Last Jedi became my Stopping point in the Galaxy far, far away. Yes it has flair and popped visually, but the story was an insult to all the fans who had cherished Star Wars back in the days of the Original trilogy. After countless rewrites, multiple directors, and suspicions of actors within feeling disheartened with the over arc of their characters (looking at you, John Boyega), The Rise of Skywalker is finally here to cap of Disney's first trilogy.

What a disaster.

The Rise of Skywalker is an incoherent, messy and boring experience to chug through. Time and time again throughout the two and a half hours, I face palmed in absolute cringe and embarrassment at what Disney have done to this once celebrated franchise. The film feels rushed, on edge to get to the next destination for the newest plot point, without explaining or finishing the previous one, pointing even more towards those rewritten scripts. The film feels like multiple entries, crammed into one sprawling narrative that can't be resolved in the time given, this is especially the case with characters like Poe and Finn, who's arcs have been destroyed to make way for Rey, and that is the biggest issue. Rey has been written as the central moving force of this trilogy, but she never undergoes any development. Sure, she learns a few things about herself in this film, and challenges the idea of who she is for a brief moment, but she’s been made the perfect Jedi without trying. Its poor and lazy writing, and fans have began to feel an agenda is presenting itself. Whilst the women feel strong, wise, intelligent, the men are all morons, blundering their way through the story and often bickering with each other. Its an observation as a critic and fan, and its made me loath almost every character introduced since The Force Awakens. It became clear how little I cared about anything that was happening when a moment of embrace for the three main heroes once the final act ended. It should feel emotional, impactful, but it feels hollow, even forced. Much like most of the decision making of the film itself.

This brings me neatly onto the content of the film, if you can make any sense of it. If this is supposed to end the Skywalker saga once and for all, why add ridiculous plot threads and more pointless characters,that add no weight or purpose to the narrative? The ending is cut so quickly after the anti-climatic ending, that we don’t even have an idea of any characters finishing point. This is just one example of how badly things have spiralled into a mish mash of ideas from different writers and directors. If The Last Jedi was the franchise jumping into a well, this film is trying it's best to climb out. The two previous entries at least connected, but this feels a stand alone chapter, with no context or reason for what happens, and what does happen makes you scratch your head all the more.

I feel sorry for the hardcore fanbase, it genuinely feels like a slap in the face to history George Lucas has created. Once you lose the interest of your core audience, I feel its time to cut your losses. And yet again, another franchise has seen its demise. It feels like a symptomatic failure that the entertainment industry still don’t understand. You can buy any brand you want, but you can’t buy the fans love. Whatever direction Star Wars goes into next, I will not be tuning in.