TRANS-SCRIBE

Tuesday, 5 May 2020

Britfield & The Lost Crown by C.R. Stewart - Book Review

'Tom has spent most of his life locked behind the cruel walls of Weatherly Orphanage, but when he learns that his parents might be still alive, Tom knows he must do what he can to find them. He can't leave Weatherly without his best friend Sarah, so armed with a single clue to his past, BRITFIELD, the two make a daring escape.'

The description for Britfield & The Lost Crown, along with the dramatic front cover, made it feel like this was going to be an exciting and vast adventure, filled with intrigue and danger. The book started that way, with the daring escape from Weatherly Orphanage being one of the best parts of the book, but once this part of the book was out of the way it did begin to slow down a little.

The lead character, Tom, has grown up in different orphanages his whole life, and only has vague memories of his life before and his parents. He's grown up in one abuse home after another, being treated like a prisoner, he and his fellow orphans used as free labour in sweatshop conditions. He's had to grow up fast, and has missed out on a lot of the things that most children get to have.

When he's suspected of being behind the theft of a book from the evil orphanage owners home (something that he admittedly did do), he's told that he has two days to give them information on every breaking of the rules that has ever happened. He's asked to betray every other child in Weatherly's, and his reward is information about his parents; whom he'd assumed died years before.

Tom, being a good person, knows that he can't betray his friends, even if it means that he can get his family back; so a plot is hatched to break him and his best friend Sarah out of the place. The planning of the escape, the pandemonium that ensues because of it, and the breaking out of Weatherly's were my favourite part. The kids were clever, they'd plotted out an elaborate and complex plan that sounded like it could really work; and of course, like any good plan there were things that went wrong along the way that threw obstacles in our heroes way. It was so much fun to read, and despite knowing that Tom and Sarah must escape, there was still a sense of tension.

Once Tom and Sarah manage to leave the orphanage they engage in a chase across England, being followed by a detective who's written to be the greatest police officer in the country, Gowerstone. Gowerstone is brought in to find the missing children by the orphanage owners, but then doesn't seem to be working for them. He is able to take charge of multiple forces across the country, in Cambridge, London, and Canterbury, and seems to be answerable only to the Prime Minister. He seems to know each step the kids are going to make before even the reader, and has access to all kinds of info that he's a walking supercomputer.

Gowerstone was the first part of the book that threw me. It seemed like C.R. Stewart wanted some kind of super special police officer/secret agent type tracking down the kids, but never really gives too much of an explanation for it. How were the orphanage owners able to get him on the case, yet he be working in an official capacity? I'd understand them calling him in if her were a private detective, but he's very clearly working for the police. It's also never explained how he's able to command so many different branches of the police, and has apparently unlimited resources, including firearms squads, to find two runaways.

The strangeness of Gowerstone made me begin to suspect that the author wasn't hugely familiar with the workings of British police forces, and this began to spill out into other parts of the book too. Every location that Tom and Sarah visit is almost overly described, but in a very clinical way. The author gives almost map-like directions when they travel around London, telling us which streets they take and in sequence, giving us historical facts about when certain buildings on those streets were built. Canterbury is broken down into which parts of the city were built in which century, but the smaller details about what the streets were like were glossed over.

There were a few other things, such as people describing travelling through London with 'blocks', and saying that London Underground tickets would cost £2.50 each really threw me out. It came as no surprise to learn at the end of the book that C.R. Stewart was not a British native, and lived in the US. They seemed to want to set their story in England and include these famous, historical location, and they clearly did a lot of research about these places; unfortunately it often came across as a little cold and distant. I wanted to see these places through the eyes of the two children, not with a breakdown of the historical info the author researched.

I wish I could say these were the only issues I found with the book, but once the kids left the orphanage I began to enjoy the story less and less. Okay, stealing the Hot Air Balloon was fun, and an interesting and unique form of cross-country escape, but the two of them didn't really feel in too much danger. This was largely because most of the people they came across helped them, gave them food, gave them clothing, helped them escape the police, did things for free for them. Either everyone in Britain are super nice people who help children (trust me, we're not) or Tom and Sarah have some kind of pheromones that makes everyone do things for them. It began to get a little ridiculous if I'm being honest.

I know I seem like I've criticised the book a lot, and that's just because it wasn't to my particular tastes; you might feel differently. As a book intended for kids I'm sure that a lot of the things that brought me out of the narrative or bugged me won't be an issue to children in the target audience. As it is, the book is a fun little adventure story, it has some mild peril that won't traumatise child readers, and has lots of nice people in it helping the heroes. If that's the kind of thing you're looking for for your own children, this book will definitely keep them entertained.

Buy Now On Amazon

Friday, 1 May 2020

Auxiliary: London 2039 by Jon Richter - Book Review

'London is quiet in 2039--thanks to the machines. People stay indoors, communicating through high-tech glasses and gorging on simulated reality while 3D printers and scuttling robots cater to their every whim. Mammoth corporations wage war for dominance in a world where human augmentation blurs the line between flesh and steel. And at the centre of it all lurks The Imagination Machine: the hyper-advanced, omnipresent AI that drives our cars, flies our planes, cooks our food, and plans our lives. Servile, patient, tireless ... TIM has everything humanity requires. Everything except a soul.

'Through this silicon jungle prowls Carl Dremmler, police detective--one of the few professions better suited to meat than machine. His latest case: a grisly murder seemingly perpetrated by the victim's boyfriend. Dremmler's boss wants a quick end to the case, but the tech-wary detective can't help but believe the accused's bizarre story: that his robotic arm committed the heinous crime, not him. An advanced prosthetic, controlled by a chip in his skull. A chip controlled by TIM.

'Dremmler smells blood: the seeds of a conspiracy that could burn London to ash unless he exposes the truth. His investigation pits him against desperate criminals, scheming businesswomen, deadly automatons--and the nightmares of his own past. And when Dremmler finds himself questioning even TIM's inscrutable motives, he's forced to stare into the blank soul of the machine.'

My previous experience with reading work by Jon Richter was one of his horror anthology book, Jon Richter's Disturbing Works Volume Two, and whilst I really enjoyed his short stories and saw that he was able to craft really good tales in multiple styles, I had no idea how his work would be as a full novel. Thankfully, it seems like Jon Richter is able to turn his hand to mystery thriller as well as he is horror.

The future of Auxiliary: London 2039 is something of a nightmare if I'm being honest. It's not a typical dystopia, or an apocalypse, but it's a future where humanity seems to be stunted, with no room for growth. It's a future where people rarely leave their homes, living their lives inside small, boxlike apartments. Most jobs are being performed by robots, people have what they want delivered to them, they have machines cook for them, they get entertainment on demand, they even have robots for sex. Everything a person needs to get by is provided to them, as long as they don't want total freedom.

Whilst some people might see this as the ideal future, there are some in the world of Auxiliary: London 2039 who don't. One of these is Carl Dremmler, our protagonist. He's one of the lucky people, his job is still deemed to be necessary, and as such he's one of the few humans who actually works. He's a police detective. It sounds exciting, but from very early on it's clear that crime isn't really something that happens all too much anymore, and Dremmler is lucky if he has anything mildly exciting to actually do.

Things take a surprising turn for our hero, however, when he's called to a crime scene where a man has murdered his girlfriend, but is claiming that his robotic arm came alive on its own and did it. Dremmler is very quick to explain to the audience that such a thing would be impossible, and gives us all sorts of reasons why it just couldn't possibly happen. He even goes into an interview with the suspect and tells him he must be lying because his explanation just couldn't happen. It's like someone claiming a unicorn stabbed their wife; it just couldn't be.

Despite how much Dremmler hates the world around him, hates the reliance on technology, hates that he has nothing to do, hates that he has sex with a machine, he still can't believe that the technology could be evil. At least at first.

Over the course of the book Dremmler begins to collect evidence that suggests that there's a lot more going on than first appears. He has to go against the wishes of his boss to do it, but he begins to find a bigger picture, one that suggests the unhackable computers that control human life might not be completely safe, and that their might even be a huge conspiracy behind it all.

I don't want to say too much more about the plot specifics, as a large part of any mystery is seeing the pieces come together, and trying to figure out the answer for yourself. What I will say, however, is that the story never makes any huge jumps that don't make sense. Some mystery stories seem to reach a point where the clues peter out, where the protagonists can only move forwards thanks to something that happens outside of their control that sets them onto a new path. Here, Dremmler makes all of the important things happen. He finds the small clues, he spots the things in the background, he makes the connections that drive the story forward.

Dremmler is a good detective. He's a bit burned out, he's started to hate his job and his personal life is a flaming wreck, but he's damn good at what he does when things hit the fan. He could have an easy solve on his hands, he could say that the boyfriend killed the victim because of course the technology couldn't be at fault, but he doesn't; even when following the clues makes things worse for him. Despite appearing to not care at the start of the book we see that the truth matters to him, and that he'll put getting the answers before his own safety and security. He's a good man, and a good protagonist.

Whilst we don't get many other characters over the course of the book, thanks in large part to most of the population living inside their small boxes, those we do meet are all interesting and unique. There's also a lot of variation on gender in the book, which was a pleasant surprise. It seems that in the future society that Jon Richter has made society isn't stuck in its thinking of only two genders. The binary seems to be well and truly broken, even if there only seems to be mention of male, female, and neuts, gender neutral people that have their own unique sets of pronouns. This was an interesting part of the book for me, and I'd have liked to have seen a little more about this, possibly expanding and exploring to see if there were more than these three genders, as gender is a spectrum after all, but I understand that this would perhaps have taken a little time and focus away from the main story.

Auxiliary: London 2039 is an interesting and engaging mystery story, set in a strange future world. It takes the ideas of the reliance on technology and explores how this could shape and change society in negative ways, without it being something apocalyptic or horrific. Not only will fans of science fiction enjoy it, but anyone who likes a good mystery story.

Buy Now On Amazon

Wednesday, 29 April 2020

We Summon The Darkness – Film Review

Originally published on Set The Tape

There seems to be a slew of media set during the 1980s right now. Things like IT or Stranger Things being prominent examples. Whilst a lot of this stems from nostalgia, especially as those who grew up in or were born in the 80s are taking over film and television production, sometimes it can feel like thing are being made in that era just so movie makers can cram the backgrounds full of things from their childhood. We Summon The Darkness, on the other hand, actually seems to have a good reason to be set during the 80s, and doesn’t just cram 80s references down people’s throats.

The United States was being swept by a moral panic during the 80s, one that would go on to be known as the ‘Satanic Panic’, where some conservative and religious people blamed the moral decay of the youth on the influence of heavy metal music. This was the time when music had hidden messages that turned teenagers into worshippers of Satan, especially if you played their records backwards, if the claims of the morally outraged were to be believed. We Summon The Darkness not only uses this as a backdrop for its story, but makes it the heart of everything that happens.

Three teenage girls, Alexis (Alexandra Daddario), Val (Maddie Hasson), and Bev (Amy Forsyth) begin the film driving to a heavy metal concert, and we get some time at the beginning of the film getting to know them. They seem like pretty normal girls, excited to go and see one of their favourite bands live. Along the way they meet a group of guys, and the six teens seem to hit it off; so much so that the girls take the guys back to Alexis’ parents house after the concert.

This is where the film takes something of a shift, however, and the girls that you were probably expecting to be the victims of the piece turn into coldblooded killers. The shift is actually quite scary, and the moment that Alexis and Val switch off their nice girl act is very creepy. They were so convincing as nice, fun-loving young women that their change to villains becomes such a dramatic moment. It really shows off the acting ability of both Daddario and Hasson, as they play two completely different people in the latter half of the film.

The girls plan to murder the three boys and make it look like a ritual killing, in order to draw more people to God and the church, should be fairly simple on the surface, yet seems to go wrong at every point. There’s almost an element of farce, as one problem happens after another to derail the scheme. Whilst these moments border on the ridiculous, the film never quite makes that step over the line into dark comedy; a move that I was expecting as Johnny Knoxville is a part of the cast.

I was expecting the film to become comedic at some point because of Knoxville, as everything I’d seen him involved in before had been humerus in some way. Both Knoxville and director Marc Meyers subverted this expectation quite nicely, and Knoxville was actually very good in a serious role.

We Summon The Darkness doesn’t really do a whole lot new with its plot, and wasn’t a film that set my world on fire, but it did have good production values, a well written script with some great dialogue and believable character interaction, and a cast that genuinely impressed. I can think of a lot worse ways to spend an hour and a half.

Buy Now On Amazon

Tuesday, 28 April 2020

Looking Glass by Christina Henry - Book Review

Originally published on Set The Tape

I’ve seen Christina Henry books numerous times before, books like The Mermaid and The Girl In Red, but never picked any up to read. I knew that she took existing stories like Peter Pan, or old fairy tales and put new and interesting twists on them, something that I’d seen her do with short stories in anthology collections like Hex Life or Cursed: An Anthology of Dark Fairytales, where I was impressed with her work. As such, when the chance to read her latest book came along I jumped at it, eager to see more.

Looking Glass isn’t quite what I was first expecting, however, as it’s not a novel in the traditional sense. Instead, the book has four connected short stories that act as both sequel and prequel to her books Alice and Red Queen, Henry’s version of Lewis Carroll’s classic Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland.

The first section of the book, titles ‘Lovely Creature’ follows Elizabeth Hargreaves, a young girl getting ready to celebrate Giving Day, a special occasion where the children of the richer inhabitants of The City meet the City Fathers and receive a small gift from them. What turns this normal day unusual for her is when her appearance seems to spark a secret that her parents are keeping from her when her mother looks as her and says she looks like Alice.

Over the course of the story we learn that Elizabeth is in fact the younger sister of Alice, who was sent away to the city asylum following her magical adventures. Elizabeth seems to be something of a replacement for the Hargreaves’ banished Alice, and we learn that the asylum burnt down and all inside believed dead. But all this is kept hidden from Elizabeth. Unfortunately, she has a lot of her sister in her and is determined to find out who this mysterious Alice is, even if it leads her down a dark and magical path of her own.

Following this, in ‘Girl In Amber’ we learn that Alice is in fact alive, having escaped the fire in the Asylum along with her companion Hatcher, and that the two of them have fled the city to find a new life for themselves. Despite Alice’s magic and Hatcher’s ability to turn into a wolf it’s not easy for them out in the wilds, and the two of them soon become separated in a vast snowstorm. On her own once again Alice manages to find her way into a strange and almost mystical house after following a young boy. However, she discovers horrors inside that will require her to not just use her magical abilities, but to push them to new limits.

‘When I First Came To Town’ is the part of the book that acts as a prequel to the entire series, jumping back through the years to explore Hatcher’s past. We get to see the gruff and grizzled man when he was still a teen, trying to earn his way out of poverty by fighting in back room boxing matches.

When the legendary fighter The Grinder is looking to compete against a new challenger Hatcher is given the opportunity to challenge him. A win against The Grinder will make him rich and famous, but a defeat could cripple him for life at the very least. Determined to win, Hatcher begins to train for the fight, a journey that will introduce him to a number of important figures, including Rabbit, and Cheshire.

The final section, ‘The Mercy Seat’, sees a more confident and powerful Alice and Hatcher as they continue their journey towards a new home, looking for a place to raise their coming child in peace. Along the way, however, the two of them must pass through the mysterious and deadly Village of the Pure, where anyone with magic meets a deadly fate.

The four stories presented in Looking Glass can all be read as stand alone pieces, and work well that way, but they do all connect, making one bigger story. Whilst I was at first unsure of how this would work I found that it actually read very well, and Henry was able to weave a story that was able to cover several narratives without feeling too bloated or boring. If anything it felt a lot snappier and easier to read thanks to this format.

Each section is also very different in tone, with one being quite trippy and psychedelic, which seems appropriate for an Alice story, whilst another felt more like a dark horror story. My favourite was definitely the section that delved into Hatcher though, as I loved seeing the progression of the character, and how other elements of the world were worked into it.

A very interesting and fun take on the Alice characters, one that proves to be a good followup to Henry’s other books, as well as an intriguing and engaging introduction to the world for readers like myself who have not read her other books.

Buy Now On Amazon

Monday, 27 April 2020

Zu: Warriors From The Magic Mountain – Blu-ray Review

Originally published on Set The Tape

Zu: Warriors From The Magic Mountain was advertised as ‘the film that inspired John Carpenter’s Big Trouble In Little China‘ and on that sentence alone I was sold on watching it, knowing nothing else about it going in.

Luckily, the new Blu-ray release from Eureka Entertainment comes with a handy booklet that gives those who lack knowledge of the film some important background information on both the making of the movie, and the impact that it had on the Hong Kong film industry. Though not hugely in-depth, as there are are whole books written about the impact that Zu: Warriors From The Magic Mountain had, it does make you aware of just how groundbreaking the film was, and how what could otherwise be overlooked as a fun and over-the-top fantasy movie changed an entire industry.

Zu: Warriors From The Magic Mountain was released in 1983, and is a supernatural wuxia fantasy film. Wuxia roughly translates to martial heroes, and is a genre of Chinese fiction centred around martial artists, usually in ancient China. Whilst Hong Kong cinema was producing plenty of martial arts movies at the time, which were finding a lot of popularity in the west, the use of the supernatural was almost unheard of, something that helped Zu: Warriors From The Magic Mountain immediately stand out from the rest of the crowd. The film was something of a revival of a genre that hadn’t been used for decades, and it made other filmmakers take note and realise that they could embrace the ghosts, demons, and ancient gods that made up the world of Zu.

The film centres on a young soldier, Dik Ming Kei (Yuen Biao), who deserts his post amidst a war that’s immediately made clear to the viewers is pointless and somewhat stupid, where normal people are being turned against friends and neighbours. Dik Ming Kei seeks shelter in the mountain Zu, where he stumbles across a tomb inhabited by monstrous vampires. Luckily for him he is rescued from certain death by the mystical warrior Master Ding Yan (Adam Cheng).

Impressed by Ding Yan’s abilities, and wanting to stay away from the war, Dik Ming Kei follows after the mystical master, begging him to take him on as an apprentice. Deeper in the mountains the two of them stumble across a demon-hunting monk and his apprentice, Yat Jan (Mang Hoi). The four of them are soon set upon by a demon cult, who then summon an ancient blood devil to earth.

With their masters poisoned by the evil of the blood devil, and only a handful of days to find a pair of legendary swords that can banish it back to the underworld, Dik Ming Kei and Yat Jan set out in a journey that will take them to a Celestial Fort, the top of magical mountains, and into the very bowels of the underworld itself.

There’s not much more that I want to say about the plot of the film, or much about the journeys that the characters go on as it would spoil a lot of the surprises and fun that seems to often come out of nowhere. Plus, its a little hard to accurately describe everything that happens in the film as it feels a bit like a fever dream half the time. Characters suddenly appear, magic that you’ve never seen before happens, mystical beings help or hinder the heroes, and there’s almost never an explanation for any of it.

Admittedly, this is a big part of the charm of the film, and more than once I was struggling to know what was happening, but loving the experience. The special effects are very cheesy, the wire-work is super obvious as they don’t try to hide any of the equipment, and the action is so over-the-top it borders on comical; but this made the film so much fun.

The Blu-ray is also packed with special features, including an original trailer that will make you glad trailers aren’t made the same way anymore, and some interviews with some of the key cast members. The new release also comes with an in-depth interview with director Tsui Hark that was filmed in 2020 for this new release, which gives a lot of insight into the movie. One of the more interesting things included, however, is an alternate version of the film made for European cinemas, titled Zu: Time Warrior, which changes the character played by Yuen Biao into a modern-day college student who’s transported to ancient China.

Thanks to a dense and complex narrative, over-the-top action that you’ll want to watch again and show others, a host of special features including an alternate cut and full-length commentary, there’s a lot in the Zu: Warriors From The Magic Mountain release to keep you entertained for hours. Whether you’re an aficionado of the genre, or a relative newcomer, it’s something that you’re sure to be happy to have in your film collection.

Buy Now On Amazon

Friday, 24 April 2020

Emberhawk by Jamie Foley - Book Review

'A starving trapper.

'Merciless drought withers Kira's ranch, leaving her family hungry—and desperate enough to cross the border into the forbidden forest to trap wild game. But the forest is infested with tree-scorpions and giant cats that wield elemental invisibility, and they're hungry, too. When Kira mistakes one elemental creature for another, she ends up with the last thing she wants in her trap: an enemy soldier.

'An invisible spy.

'Ryon can't afford to be a prisoner of war. If the Malaano Empire extracts his secrets, the rumours of war will be confirmed—and the tribes stand little chance against the Empire unless they can put aside generations of bad blood for the sake of a Tribal Alliance. When Ryon's escape leaves Kira injured and her livelihood in flames, Ryon must choose between aiding her… or returning to his chieftess with vital information. But can he survive the trek when an elemental pursues him for his rejected heritage?

'A sacrificial princess.

'Imperial Princess Vylia is given a powerful ancient stone as her wavesinger trials approach. But is the stone's whispering voice from the water goddess, or a masquerading elemental the creator god imprisoned millennia ago? When Vylia's diplomatic mission to the tribal lands erupts in fiery revenge, she, Kira, and Ryon must work together to survive—or become pawns in the battle of the gods.'

I have to be honest, I wasn't sure what to think of Emberhawk when I first started the book. The begin with, the book opens with a glossary of terms that explains the strange words in the book and a little about the history of the world it takes place in. This is something that is normally a big turn off for me, as I don't want to have to learn a load of phrases before I've even started to read anything. So, I skipped this and jumped straight into the story; and you know, I didn't feel like I was struggling with anything for having not read it.

The story is set in the world of Alani, a place where ancient elemental beings have passed into legend and have become worshipped as gods. Thanks to centuries of conflict, and mistrust, nations sit on the verge of conflict, with all sides setting secret plans into motion.

Kiralau, or Kira for short, lives on a farmstead on the border between the Malaano Empire and the lands of the Tribal Alliance, and her family is struggling to survive the harsh summer, in part because her older brothers and father have been drafted into the Imperial military. Kira begins to journey into the forests of the Tribal Alliance in order to trap animals just to keep the family surviving. Unfortunately, these traps seem to have caught the attention of a scout from the Tribal Alliance, Ryon. When Kira mistakes Ryon's elemental abilities for a Trace Cat, she shoots him with an arrow, injuring the young man and allowing him to be captured.

When Ryon escapes from Imperial forces and Kira is injured chasing after him the two of them begin a dangerous trek through the dangerous forests of the Tribal Alliance in order for them both to return home. But as they learn more about each other and become closer during their journey, they also learn that there are darker forces at work int he world, forces that wish to plunge their countries into war.

Because of the world of Emberhawk seemed to take inspiration from non-western culture and mythology, and because of the cast of characters made up of people of colour, I began the book thinking that it reminded me somewhat of Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi. I adored that book so much, and I think because of that I may have begun to think of Emberhawk somewhat negatively, expecting something similar that wouldn't be as good quality. I couldn't have been more wrong.

Before I knew it I'd been dragged into the story of Ryon and Kira, and begun to care about what happened to them on their journey. They weren't heroes setting out on a quest to change the world, or trying to do something that could save millions; they were just two people who didn't really like each other, trying to survive in a hostile place.

They became engaging, and it was sometimes a lot of fun to see two characters not completely different almost forcing themselves to not like each other. Kira hated Ryon because he was 'an enemy spy' who she assumed would turn on her at the drop of a hat, and Ryon didn't trust Kira because she'd shot him and kept accusing him of being a villain. Both characters weren't exactly in the wrong for thinking these things, as this is what circumstances led them to believe, but as they came to know each other more, began to see that they were actually both good people, people who didn't want war and conflict and just wanted to protect their families, they of course grow close.

This being a Young Adult fantasy book it was almost guaranteed that Kira and Ryon would develop feelings for each other. It's something that writers seem to feel needs to happen. In some cases this can feel forced, coming almost out of nowhere as two enemies fall madly in love almost overnight (again, I'm looking at you Children of Blood and Bone) but this wasn't the case here. Jamie Foley doesn't force the romance down the readers throat, and the evolution from begrudging respect, to friendship, and eventually romantic feelings between the leads feels very natural. It also helped that the romance was never given centre stage over their journey, and the bigger story that the two of them found themselves involved in.

I don't want to give too much away about the big confrontation that happens towards the end of the book, but it was what won me over completely and give the book an easy five stars on Goodreads. During the final act the book really embraces its fantasy setting, and gives readers a big, explosive fight in a visually stunning set piece, with big mythical monsters thrown into the mix too. It showed me that this wasn't just a small story about two people falling in love, but was also the start of a fantasy epic that would continue on into another book.

Emberhawk is a book that drew me in and made me fall in love with the characters without realising it. It made me concentrate on Kira and Ryon and their journey that I didn't expect anything bigger or grander to happen, and when it did I was so pleasantly surprised. I became invested in the world and the story that Jamie Foley was telling to the point where I'm eager to read the next book, even if Kira and Ryon don't end up returning. One of the better fantasy books that I've read in a while, and an instant favourite.

Buy Now On Amazon

Thursday, 23 April 2020

Deck of Omens by Christine Lynn Herman - Book Review

'Though the Beast is seemingly subdued for now, a new threat looms in Four Paths: a corruption seeping from the Gray into the forest. And with the other Founders preoccupied by their tangled alliances and fraying relationships, only May Hawthorne seems to realise the danger. But saving the town she loves means seeking aid from the person her family despises most--her and Justin's father.

'May's father isn't the only newcomer in town--Isaac Sullivan's older brother has also returned, seeking forgiveness for the role he played in Isaac's troubled past. But Isaac isn't ready to let go of his family's history, especially when that history might hold the key that he and Violet Saunders need to destroy the Gray and the monster within it.

'Harper Carlisle isn't ready to forgive, either. Two devastating betrayals have left her isolated from her family and uncertain who to trust. As the corruption becomes impossible to ignore, Harper must learn to control her newfound powers in order to protect Four Paths. But the only people who can help her do that are the ones who have hurt her the most.

'With the veil between the Gray and the town growing ever thinner, all of the Founder descendants must put their grievances with one another aside to stop the corruption and kill the Beast once and for all. But maybe the monster they truly need to slay has never been the Beast... '

Deck of Omens returns readers to the town of Four Paths for the conclusion to Christine Lynn Herman's creepy Devouring Grey series. I was a little surprised when reading this book that it was to be the last one, as it seems that more and more often Young Adult books that get a sequel tend to go on for several books at least. Not only is that not the case here, but thanks to Deck of Omens picking up almost exactly where the first book left off, it feels like this is the second half to one singular story that was spread across two books.

This feeling is helped by the fact that there's a much bigger sense of pace in Deck of Omens. The first book felt like a slow burn story, one where Christine Lynn Herman not only slowly introduced readers to the principal characters, but teased out the nature of Four Paths, the Grey, and the Beast, in order to build tension. With all of this already being put into place for the sequel the author was able to hit the ground running, and things happen much quicker. When read in conjunction with the first book it does seem like The Devouring Grey was merely the introduction, whilst Deck of Omens is the real story that was being built up to.

Despite only taking place a few weeks after the events of the first book the characters have undergone some big changes for Deck of Omens. Violet has gone from someone on the back foot, not knowing what's going on and being forced to react, to a confident and outgoing young woman. She's come into her powers and actually seems to enjoy her new abilities and new role in the world, even if it came during a dark period in her life. She's fought through her grief and her loss and emerged as a very strong person. This is something that not only makes her a much more useful and competent fighter but someone with a level of emotional maturity that not all of the teens have.

Isaac also makes some big changes over the course of this book, becoming someone completely different to who he was in the first book. In The Devouring Grey he was presented as an angry young man, someone with a past that haunts them. Yes, he has a deeper, caring side that rarely comes out, but he's very much presented as something of a 'bad boy'. In Deck of Omens we get to learn so much more about him and his past, and especially the traumatic events that led to him being such a damaged person. Thanks to some help from Violet, however, and the return of his older brother, Isaac gets the chance to grow and evolve into one of the more interesting and complex characters in the whole book. He goes from being something of a 'side-kick' tagging along behind Justin to a more interesting and engaging character, one who outshines the 'golden boy' of Four Paths.

Violet and Isaac definitely stand out amongst the cast of characters as the most interesting, and the ones with the most growth, but the rest of the cast also improve over their introduction in the first book, perhaps with the exception of Justin. Despite some heroic moments towards the end of the book Justin doesn't really seem to do much or add anything to the story, and I don't think the book would have lost much without his inclusion.

The plot of Deck of Omens was greatly improved over the first book, and went in some interesting directions that I wasn't expecting. There are some things that happen right towards the end that I doubt anyone could have predicted. Shifting the narrative from an evil demon trying to break free from its prison into a story about a corruption, a disease like presence, makes it more interesting. It's not a stereotypical 'bad guy' who wants to do evil because they're bad, but a force of nature that can't be predicted or anticipated, something that can't be bargained with. It seems to elevate the stakes and makes the threat feel more real and impactful. The fact that they're having to battle some kind of infection whilst the world is struggling with a global pandemic might have added something to the book too, as suddenly a strange and deadly disease feels like a much more believable threat.

Deck of Omens proved to be a marked improvement over The Devouring Grey. Whilst there was nothing wrong with the first book, the sequel builds upon the world in new and interesting ways. The characters evolve and become more interesting. And Christine Lynn Herman explores the past of Four Paths in unpredicatable and interesting ways. The book will challenge the expectations you have from the first book, it'll make you think certain things but then pull the rug out from under you. An engaging and exciting conclusion to a great story.

Buy Now On Amazon

Wednesday, 22 April 2020

Gears of War: Bloodlines by Jason M. Hough - Book Review

'In the aftermath of Settlement 2's destruction, Kait Diaz reels from the near loss of a close friend amid utter defeat at the hands of the Swarm. To move forward, she must choose either to walk the Outsider path of her mother, or rise to her beckoning duty as a Gear, as her father did. As Kait grapples with her circumstance, an unexpected ally illuminates secrets from the past that offer a new perspective. Over four decades before, the two superpowers of Sera - the Coalition of Ordered Governments, and the Union of Independent Republics - wage a bitter, worldwide conflict known as the Pendulum Wars. For nearly a century, the two have fought to wrest control over Sera's most precious energy resource: Imulsion.

'On the 79th year of the Pendulum Wars, Gabriel Diaz is a decorated Lieutenant Colonel serving the Coalition, assigned to Vectes Naval Base - a fortress that's seen little action despite its close proximity to UIR territory. The island's relative quiet is disturbed when a COG special forces team known as Ghost Squad arrive with a mysterious mission to the nearby island of Knifespire: an unforgiving rock of seemingly no strategic value. When the Ghosts send out a distress call, it's up to Gabe to evacuate them - and what he discovers on Knifespire could change the very course of the Pendulum Wars. There, the Battle of Gatka Ridge will define Gabe's legacy, and shape the future of his daughter, Kait Diaz. '

Last years Gears of War: Ascendance was a book that very firmly made it's place on my top ten for the year, thanks to not just going and filling in gaps in the Gears of War timeline, but thanks to author Jason M. Hough writing incredibly engaging characters and scenarios that kept me gripped throughout. And this year it looks like he's done it again with Gears of War: Bloodlines, a novel that not only slots into the events of Gears of War 5, but also sets up some of the characters that will be appearing in the upcoming Gears Tactics.

Picking up moments following the deployment of the Hammer of Dawn super weapon at the end of the first act of the game, readers get to actually see the rescue of the injured James Fenix and the heroes desperate escape from Settlement Two. Yes, we know the main characters survive these events because we see them in the game, but it's still exciting to see just how they managed to get to safety. It's a testament to how much energy that Hough manages to put into these scenes that they still feel tense and exciting despite knowing the outcome.

The main story takes place within this 'gap' in the game's narrative, during the few months following the Gears' defeat at Settlement Two and Kait's eventual trip to her uncle's Riftworm Outpost. This is a time where Kait is still battling with her role in the world now, where she agrees that people need to come together and join as one if they want to survive the Swarm, but still doesn't know if she can be a part of that. We see a Kait who is wrestling with the choice of whether or not to join the COG, especially after the revelation of JD's involvement in a government ordered shooting of civilians.

This was something that the game seemed to gloss over during their 'three months later' time jump. Kait had gone from learning an awful truth about not just one of her friends, but the government that wants her to join them, to being one of their soldiers. Obviously this was done in the game so that the main story and the action could continue, but it always felt like something was missing. This decision is the central focus of Gears of War: Bloodlines, and it's thanks to her father that Kait manages to decide on her course of action.

During an extensive flashback section, courtesy of a top secret file given to Kait by the older but still awesome Colonel Hoffman, we get to jump backwards in time to the Pendulum Wars, where Gabriel Diaz is stationed at Vectes Naval base in a quiet island chain far away from the front lines of the war. When this quiet posting is disrupted by a special forces unit and their secretive mission, Gabriel is forced into action against impossible circumstances.

The flashback to Gabriel and his mission is a pretty large section of the book, and it doesn't jump back and forward with the present, meaning that you can really get your teeth into it without breaks in the action. Unlike the rest of the book, where we know certain characters are going to live, this section has a less certain outcome, where any character other than Gabriel is a potential death. Because of this, the flashback drew me in a lot more, and managed to keep me guessing as to what might happen next.

Not only do we get to know Gabriel more, which is sure to be useful for the new Gears: Tactics game, but we get a great insight into who Kait is through him. The things she learns through this report change the way that she views her dad, a man she thought she knew well. It also makes her reconsider her own position on joining the COG or not, especially after seeing the Swarm destroy more outsider camps. Having Kait make her decision based even in part on her fathers legacy is a great choice. It gives her more depth, rather than it just being her making a tactical decision.

Gears of War: Bloodlines adds more to the Gears of War 5 story, it gives more depth to Kait's character, and it expands the world further, both during current events and with things that happened in the past. A brilliant addition to the Gears of War universe.

Buy Now On Amazon

Tuesday, 21 April 2020

Pokémon: The First Movie – 20th Anniversary

Originally Published on Set The Tape

Pokémon: The First Movie had its original release in Japan on 18th July 1998. It opened in the UK on 14th April 2000.

When I saw that Pokémon: The First Movie was turning 20 I jumped at the chance to write a piece about it – then was immediately disturbed by the prospect that it was turning 20. There’s something about beloved franchises from your youth hitting big milestones that really hammer home how old you’re getting. The Pokémon franchise itself celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2017 and I had complicated feelings about it then too.

I can still remember Christmas morning in 1999, when I was still just 12 years old, and opening up a present that contained a brand new lime green Gameboy Colour and a copy of Pokémon Blue. The TV show had been airing in the UK for a few months and the trading card game was taking playgrounds by storm, so the anticipation for the game was huge. I’d even bought a walk-through guide months before and would page through it again and again learning everything I could about the game.

Fast forward a few months and the big event of 2000 happened: the first Pokémon movie hit UK cinemas. I vividly remember going to watch it more than once, getting different people to take me so that I could try and get as many of the free trading cards that came with the tickets as I could. Boy were those good days.

The film itself loosely fits into the animated series, something that the subsequent 18 or so films would do, and followed Ash (Veronica Taylor), Misty (Rachael Lillis), and Brock (Eric Stuart) as they receive a mysterious summons to attend a event on a mysterious island, where they can challenge the worlds greatest Pokémon trainer.

Arriving on the island along with several other strong trainers, and Team Rocket, they discover that this mysterious trainer is in fact Mewtwo, a powerful Pokémon created in a lab from the genetic material of the mythical Pokémon Mew. Mewtwo refuses to be a slave fighting for humans, however, and sets out to create a new world of powerful Pokémon cloned from the trainers’ originals. With the trainers’ Pokémon desperately battling their own, more powerful clones, Mew arrives on the island and the ultimate Pokémon battle begins.

The plot of the film is actually quite different from the original Japanese version, with Mewtwo’s motivations being changed quite drastically in the English dub. In the original he was trying to earn his place in the world, as he felt he did not have one due to his clone origins. In the western version Mewtwo is altered into a much more antagonistic figure, one that has almost villainous aims.

Whilst this change upset some, fans at the time found it to be very entertaining, and thanks to the first part of the film being dedicated to showing Mewtwo’s origins it felt like a believable motivation. You get to see him born in a lab, made by scientists who don’t care about his thoughts or feelings, even after learning that he’s a sentient being capable of complex thought and feelings. After this, he’s used by the leader of Team Rocket and made into a weapon used against their enemies, or to further their criminal goals. This part of the film even expanded upon some small scenes that featured in episodes of the animated series, where Mewtwo had be teased to build up excitement for the film.

Despite being a film about strange monsters and the people who use them to fight in competition with each other Pokémon: The First Movie is more a film that tells a story about destiny. Are you fated to a single path in life purely because of how you came into the world? A quote from the film that is often shared online, usually with people being shocked about where it came from thanks to the depth it shows, sums this up well: “The circumstances of one’s birth is irrelevant, it is what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are”.

The film even takes the bold move of sending the message that fighting is wrong (which seems to go against the entire core of the Pokémon franchise), and tries to foster a message of togetherness and peace:

“We do have a lot in common. The same Earth, the same air, the same sky. Maybe if we started looking at what’s the same instead of what’s different… well, who knows.” – Meowth

These deeper messages are something that stuck with the kids who watched the movie when it first came out, and the film’s attempt to be something more than just a bigger and longer episode of the show is why it’s the most successful Pokémon film. It briefly held the record for highest-grossing opening for an animated film in the US, and is still the most financially successful animé of all time outside of Japan.

Pokémon: The First Movie might not be a film that will set your world on fire, and if you’re not a fan of the franchise, or it’s not something from your childhood you might even get bored watching it. But if you grew up with Pokémon, if it was a part of your youth and meant something to you then it’ll mean something to you now too.

Buy Now On Amazon