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Awix (3310 KP) rated The Quatermass Conclusion (1979) in Movies

Feb 10, 2018 (Updated Feb 10, 2018)  
The Quatermass Conclusion (1979)
The Quatermass Conclusion (1979)
1979 | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
6
7.0 (2 Ratings)
Movie Rating
We're all doomed, I tell you, DOOMED!
Big-screen version of Nigel Kneale's ultra-depressing finale to his series of Quatermass TV shows and films. Kneale was only in his fifties when he wrote this, which is odd because it feels very much like an old man's wail of anguish when faced with a world he no longer feels he belongs to or even recognises. Set in the near future - one very much informed by the social unrest and generational tensions that were present in the UK when it was made - this is the story of a collapsing civilisation presented with a new threat: a hostile alien presence, which originally visited Earth five thousand years ago, has returned, basically intent on chowing down on young people (this was clearly an influence on the later Torchwood series Children of Earth). Ageing boffin Bernard Quatermass must find a solution, if he can.

It's not uncommon for SF to be not so much about predicting the future as complaining about the present, but what makes this version of Quatermass unusual is it's told primarily from the perspective of old people - there are a couple of younger sympathetic characters, but even they are thirty-five-going-on-sixty in their attitudes, and most of the younger people are depicted as either feckless wasters or violent psychopaths. (The generation gap is explained by alien influences being at work.)

Reasonably lavish, bearing in mind its TV origins, and quite successful on its own terms - but as its main intention seems to be to drive the viewer to despair, it's not especially easy to like.
  
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Phil Leader (619 KP) rated Heroes or Theives (Steps of Power #2) in Books

Nov 14, 2019  
Heroes or Theives (Steps of Power #2)
Heroes or Theives (Steps of Power #2)
J.J. Sherwood | 2016 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The second book of Sherwood's epic fantasy series picks up the threads from the first, Kings or Pawns, and follows various characters in the aftermath of Saebellus' victory. Some of these are familiar, such as the defeated general Jikun, others are less so and some are completely new.

Once again the story doesn't follow the usual fantasy template. Where in the first book Saebellus was depicted as the main enemy and villain of the piece here shades of grey are cast on his character and his actions. Jikun himself is struggling to come to terms with his situation and is seemingly willing to risk everything to have some sort of revenge. Selemar is playing a risky political game, trying to invoke unrest whilst also acting as the head of the corrupt council.

Sherwood performs a tricky balancing act well, with so many stories to move forward that are only tangentially connected but each is handled effectively and told with an eye to both detail and character that keeps the reader involved in each of the plot threads.

As with the previous book there is a fair amount of political intrigue, although most is away from the claustrophobic council but is just as deadly for whoever is going to be on the losing side. The characters are constantly developing and the new characters introduced are perfectly judged and naturally intertwine with the story as it moves forward.

With this second work continuing in the excellent style of the first this series is a must read for any lover of fantasy.

Content rating: Some sexual references and language and some violence