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David McK (3251 KP) rated No Free Lunch (Hal Spacejock #4) in Books
Jan 27, 2023
No Free Lunch.
The fourth in Simon Haynes Hal Spacejock series (following A Robot Named Clunk, Second Course and Just Desserts), and the first where Harriet Walsh (from the author's other 'Peace Force' series) cross-overs with Hal.
As I knew that 'going in', I read the first three Hal Spacejock novels before the four Harriet Walsh novels (Peace Force, Alpha Minor, Sierra Bravo and Foxtrot Hotel) before reading this.
Which, unfortunately, proved to be a mistake as I spent a good portion of this novel - well over the first half! - wondering where Harriet's 'sister' Alice or even some of the other characters (with the notable exception of Bernie) had gone, or even why they weren't mentioned at all!
I only found out later that, whilst set beforehand, the Peace Force novels were actually prequels, written later than this one but set before (think like the Star Wars prequels, compared to the original trilogy).
Once I got past that, uhhh, 'disassociation' - once the action primarily moved off the planet of Dismolle to the neighbouring planet Forzen, things did pick up a tad, with Hal and Harriet (and a hint of romance between them) both getting caught up in a murder mystery whilst investigating the disappearance of a wealthy citizen of that planet.
I don't want to give anything away, but I could definitely see elements of the later seasons of Stargate SG-1 here. If you know, you know!
So, yeah, all-in-all, a pleasant enough read but not one that, for me, matched the earlier novels in the series or even the Peace Force novels.
I'll still probably read more of these.
The fourth in Simon Haynes Hal Spacejock series (following A Robot Named Clunk, Second Course and Just Desserts), and the first where Harriet Walsh (from the author's other 'Peace Force' series) cross-overs with Hal.
As I knew that 'going in', I read the first three Hal Spacejock novels before the four Harriet Walsh novels (Peace Force, Alpha Minor, Sierra Bravo and Foxtrot Hotel) before reading this.
Which, unfortunately, proved to be a mistake as I spent a good portion of this novel - well over the first half! - wondering where Harriet's 'sister' Alice or even some of the other characters (with the notable exception of Bernie) had gone, or even why they weren't mentioned at all!
I only found out later that, whilst set beforehand, the Peace Force novels were actually prequels, written later than this one but set before (think like the Star Wars prequels, compared to the original trilogy).
Once I got past that, uhhh, 'disassociation' - once the action primarily moved off the planet of Dismolle to the neighbouring planet Forzen, things did pick up a tad, with Hal and Harriet (and a hint of romance between them) both getting caught up in a murder mystery whilst investigating the disappearance of a wealthy citizen of that planet.
I don't want to give anything away, but I could definitely see elements of the later seasons of Stargate SG-1 here. If you know, you know!
So, yeah, all-in-all, a pleasant enough read but not one that, for me, matched the earlier novels in the series or even the Peace Force novels.
I'll still probably read more of these.
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Cheats for GTA provides simple quick and easy access to every cheat code for every Grand Theft Auto...
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2103 KP) rated Fatal Fascinator in Books
Jan 4, 2023
Deadly Wedding of the Year
Cousins Scarlett and Viv have agreed to create the hats for the wedding of the season. Scarlett is mainly excited because it means they’ve scored an invitation, and the wedding is taking place in a castle in the country. Even their friend Andre is there as the wedding photographer. But joy turns to tragedy when Scarlett finds the dead body of the groom in the library. With no one allowed to leave while the police investigate, Scarlett can’t help but poked around. Will she figure out what happened?
Since author Jenn McKinlay is so busy writing, we don’t get quite as many entries in this series as in some of her others. That makes it nice to get to revisit these characters again. A few of the regulars have cameos than a real part, but it was still nice to see everyone and see how they are continuing to grow. The book is filled with suspects, but I never had a hard time keeping them all straight. The story was always moving forward, and the plot had a few nice surprises on the way to the climax. The pages just flew by. Meanwhile, there were plenty of moments that made me laugh or grin, including some pun wars, which I always enjoy. Whether you are a fan of the series or just checking it out, you’ll enjoy this book.
Since author Jenn McKinlay is so busy writing, we don’t get quite as many entries in this series as in some of her others. That makes it nice to get to revisit these characters again. A few of the regulars have cameos than a real part, but it was still nice to see everyone and see how they are continuing to grow. The book is filled with suspects, but I never had a hard time keeping them all straight. The story was always moving forward, and the plot had a few nice surprises on the way to the climax. The pages just flew by. Meanwhile, there were plenty of moments that made me laugh or grin, including some pun wars, which I always enjoy. Whether you are a fan of the series or just checking it out, you’ll enjoy this book.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Starcrash (1979) in Movies
Apr 25, 2019
Frankly astounding Star Wars rip-off featuring the likes of Christopher Plummer, Caroline Munro, and David Hasselhoff; none of them talk about it much these days, funnily enough. The plot concerns an oddly familiar mixture of inter-galactic royalty, space smugglers, evil space stations, vaguely-explained mysticism and laser-sword fights; none of it makes a great deal of sense, naturally.
Much to enjoy here, obviously: my favourite bit is possibly Elle the robot sheriff, who is basically a hillbilly with a bucket on his head, although Zarth Arn and his Doom Planet are also highly entertaining. Impossible to take remotely seriously, of course, but in a sensible world you would say the same thing about many film and TV series which people take very seriously indeed. When asked why he made this film, Christopher Plummer explained it was because the studio was in Rome - 'I'll do porno, as long as it's in Rome,' he said. I suppose making Starcrash was a reasonable silver medal if there was no porno available.
Much to enjoy here, obviously: my favourite bit is possibly Elle the robot sheriff, who is basically a hillbilly with a bucket on his head, although Zarth Arn and his Doom Planet are also highly entertaining. Impossible to take remotely seriously, of course, but in a sensible world you would say the same thing about many film and TV series which people take very seriously indeed. When asked why he made this film, Christopher Plummer explained it was because the studio was in Rome - 'I'll do porno, as long as it's in Rome,' he said. I suppose making Starcrash was a reasonable silver medal if there was no porno available.
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
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In this timely addition to the Ohio Short Histories of Africa series, Pamela Scully takes us from...
The Adventures of Basil and Moebius: Volume 4: The Fate of All Fools
Ryan Schifrin and Richard Lee Byers
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This is it -- the culmination of dozens upon dozens of hair-raising, pulse-pounding, globe-trotting...
David McK (3251 KP) rated Death to the French in Books
Jul 26, 2021
A name that is probably more familiar - perhaps even all but synonymous - with his most famous literary creation, Horatio Hornblower.
Hornblower, however, is not the only of his creations that has their adventures set during the Napoleonic Wars: Rifleman Dodd is another.
He's also one that I was totally unfamiliar with, or with the fact that this creation (and story) inspired Bernard Cornwell's still-ongoing 'Sharpe' series - it's very easy, reading this, to see the similarities between the two creations!
This is set in Spain, round about the times of the Lines of Torres Vedras (1810 or thereabouts, I think), with Rifleman Dodd cut off from his company during a retreat and forced to spend several months behind enemy (French) lines as he tries to make his was back to his own company, sometimes with the (dubious) aid of Spanish (or was it Portuguese? ) Guerilla's and other times entirely on his own.
This also doesn't shy away from the full horrors of the war, with several of the passages and chapters told from the French point of view.
Hornblower, however, is not the only of his creations that has their adventures set during the Napoleonic Wars: Rifleman Dodd is another.
He's also one that I was totally unfamiliar with, or with the fact that this creation (and story) inspired Bernard Cornwell's still-ongoing 'Sharpe' series - it's very easy, reading this, to see the similarities between the two creations!
This is set in Spain, round about the times of the Lines of Torres Vedras (1810 or thereabouts, I think), with Rifleman Dodd cut off from his company during a retreat and forced to spend several months behind enemy (French) lines as he tries to make his was back to his own company, sometimes with the (dubious) aid of Spanish (or was it Portuguese? ) Guerilla's and other times entirely on his own.
This also doesn't shy away from the full horrors of the war, with several of the passages and chapters told from the French point of view.
Erika (17788 KP) rated The Mandalorian - Season 2 in TV
Dec 19, 2020
Better than the first season (1 more)
Less filler episodes
This season was considerably better than the first. I decided to do a spoiler - free review. There were introductions of a lot of Clone Wars/Rebels characters, all of which I really liked. There was also the return of an original trilogy character that was teased in the first season. They've also included some EU content, which is now canon, and referred to Operation Cinder.
We've also finally gotten the Child's name, so that ridiculousness of 'Baby Yoda' can go away now, please.
I had issues with how they presented a very well-known, central character, introduced into the series. I think that they should have used the voice of the original character and cast someone who is younger and looks extremely similar to the elder actor. I hope that if they continue showing this central character, that they consider casting the actor (cough cough, he's already got a Disney contract) to play the correctly-aged character, rather than a slightly-shoddy digital version over some rando actor.
We've also finally gotten the Child's name, so that ridiculousness of 'Baby Yoda' can go away now, please.
I had issues with how they presented a very well-known, central character, introduced into the series. I think that they should have used the voice of the original character and cast someone who is younger and looks extremely similar to the elder actor. I hope that if they continue showing this central character, that they consider casting the actor (cough cough, he's already got a Disney contract) to play the correctly-aged character, rather than a slightly-shoddy digital version over some rando actor.
David McK (3251 KP) rated Sharpe's Company (1994) in Movies
Oct 10, 2021 (Updated Oct 10, 2021)
Back when this was first shown on TV (it's a TV movie) in the mod 90s, this was based on what-was-then on of the mid entries in Cornwell's long-running series.
I say what was then, as there have since been more novels set before, during or even after The Napoleonic Wars, which provided the background for these movies.
This - both novel and movie - is the one that starts with the siege of Ciudad Rodrigo and ends with that of Badajoz, with (Sean Beans) Captain Richard Sharpe 'pushed aside' in the intervening period by those who can afford to buy his commission. This is also the one with the mad, twitching Obadiah Hakeswill (portrayed here by Pete Postlethwaite), who isn't so much a danger to Sharpe himself as he is too his men - Patrick Harper included - and who has a history with Sharpe.
I've said it before, and I'm sure I'll say it again: I so wish they had a proper budget for these movies!
I say what was then, as there have since been more novels set before, during or even after The Napoleonic Wars, which provided the background for these movies.
This - both novel and movie - is the one that starts with the siege of Ciudad Rodrigo and ends with that of Badajoz, with (Sean Beans) Captain Richard Sharpe 'pushed aside' in the intervening period by those who can afford to buy his commission. This is also the one with the mad, twitching Obadiah Hakeswill (portrayed here by Pete Postlethwaite), who isn't so much a danger to Sharpe himself as he is too his men - Patrick Harper included - and who has a history with Sharpe.
I've said it before, and I'm sure I'll say it again: I so wish they had a proper budget for these movies!