The Ninth Rain by Jen Williams
I knew very little about this book before starting reading it, apart from watching a few reviews on YouTube, all of which gave a mixed view of what to expect. One such reviewer who gave a negative review claimed it was all worldbuilding and no substance. I couldn't disagree more! Obviously every reader has the right to their own opinions. However, what I feel this reviewer didn't understand is that this novels world is almost as much a mystery to it's inhabitants as it is to us, it's readers. You therefore journey with them on their discovery. While in other fantasy novels the world is confidentiality understood by it's cast, the confidence isn't there here, so there is a lot of uncertainty occuring. I feel therefore the problem this particular reviewer had was less to do with too much worldbuilding, and far more to do with how this worldbuilding was exposited. For me, this departure was what drew me in!
Book Review: Spellslinger by Sebastian de Castell
They say not to judge a book by its cover, and there is absolute truth to that statement. However, I often find myself attracted to books solely because of their covers, but I'm not sure that is what they mean. The marketing departments for Publishing companies put a lot of effort into crafting the perfect cover for a book just to get someone to select it. That is the whole purpose, I guess. Anyway, the entire goal of this rambling introduction is to say that such a book was chosen solely by me due to its cover was Spellslinger by Sebastian de Castell.
Actually, that is a slight mistruth, as it wasn't Spellslinger that first attracted my attention, but one of its follow-ups, though it was so long ago now I have forgotten which one. As it played out, I gradually bought the books in this series over time, presumably as they came on offer for kindle. Last week I lost patience waiting for the first book to become available at a lower price, and so thought, "Sod It!" and went ahead and purchased book No. 1.
There is something in De Castell's simplistic writing style that reminded me of reading Trudi Canavan's Kyralia Series. I would definitely recommend this book to fan's of her work; please don't think me saying they use simplistic language is casting shade on either of these authors; that is not my intention. While some authors write fantastic prose, some have their focus elsewhere. In de Castell's case, I would say he is far more interested in developing compelling and engaging characters and subverting expectations than how flowery his writing is, and that is right up my street.
The book starts by focusing on Kellen, Panahsi, Nephania and Tennat. Initially, I thought these characters fit the spaces taken up by Harry, Ron, Hermione and Malfoy in their respective series. While this is almost the case in the first chapter (Nephania is more implicitly the love interest than Hermione ever was.), things drastically change almost immediately. The change in the expected dynamic of these four is what threw me and left me guessing as to what would happen next, pretty much right until the end of the book. To be honest, even beyond, I am assuming at least one of those named characters return significantly to become a more prominent player in the later books. Still, at this stage, I cannot fathom how they will manage this.
As well as the terrific characterisation, the world-building is incredible in this book; de Castell explained enough for your imagination to fill in a lot of the blanks while building a complex social infrastructure that leaves you salivating for more exploration of the world and its various cultures. Of which, bar one specific character, perhaps two if you include animals as cultures, we have only met one of these cultures so far. So, I am looking forward to exploring the others we were tantalisingly given a glimpse of in this book; come future instalments.
Well worth escaping into this world.
Book Review: The Girl With the Loudiong Voice by Abi Daré
This year, I decided to sign up for a book subscription service that would send me a mystery book every month. Though I read a lot, I can often read similar works. This fact is fine; the important thing about reading is that you read. I wanted to challenge myself. I wanted to broaden my horizons and read stuff I perhaps usually would not.
So, my first book in the subscription arrived, and it was Abi Daré’s Girl With The Louding Voice.
This book is a debut novel. It follows Adunni, a 14-year-old girl growing up in Nigeria. Her greatest dream is to get an education and impact this world. But, sadly, her world has different plans.
What makes this book unique is just how natural Adunni is. You root for her to get her dreams and cry with her when her path moves her further and further away from those dreams. I lost count of the times I wanted to jump through the page and throttle those doing her wrong, all while shaking some of the naivety out of our protagonist. But then, it is just that naivety that causes you to fall in love with her and root for her even more.
Though, as I say, I just wanted to throttle some of the people in this book, it is incredible how Daré makes it abundantly clear that the real antagonist is not any of the characters (don’t get me wrong, a lot of the characters in this book are evil little creatures, for sure!) but the world which allows what happens to happen. Though she doesn’t make you sympathise with these characters completely, you can see what brought them to do what they do. But that is precisely the point. Life isn’t right and wrong, good and evil; while there are bad people in this world, they rarely start out that way, which is great to see reflected in this novel.
I want to say more, but I fear if I do I may spoil it for those who are yet to embark journeying with Adunni, and I thoroughly recommend you do!
A Darker Shade Of Magic by V.E Schwab
As has been said by numerous other reviewers I am sure, the world building in this book is exquisite! I don't think I've seen the multiple world's idea done quite as well as I have here. It's certainly the most thought out and crafted, and would be hard to beat.
Both the main characters were will defined and their relationship is one I could definitely believe.
The one draw back is the plot reliance on the mcguffin. By the end it definitely had a feel of the Ring from Lord of the Rings, and ultimately I felt it was this that held the book back from being really great.
I look forward to continuing in this world with this charactera in the future.
Maximum Ride (The Movie)
Ok, I want to make it clear from the outset that I do realise that being a man in his mid thirties I am not necessarily the target audience for a movie like Maximum Ride, but a number of years ago I did read the first 3 books in the James Patterson books on which this movie is based and they hold a place in my heart. I had always thought that bringing it to the screen could really work. Unfortunately, like a lot of movies based on James Patterson novels, it didn't.
The very concept is cinematic in scope. Telling the story of six young people who have been genetically altered in various ways, but most notably they all have wings, and the ability to fly. I books are adrenaline packed tales with the twists and turns good expect from a JP thriller. So why doesn't it work in this movie?
I think the main issue we have here is one of pacing verses character development and exposition , and how you achieve these things differently in the different mediums. In book form you have the luxury of developing characters and exposition over time, and plot can be used to achieve this. Whether you are writing in first or third person, you have the luxury of being able to effectively mind read. The reader knows what motivates a character because you literally read it on the page, and you can explain things read easier too. Doing these things is trickier on screen. You need to take some time and explore who the people are and build the world around them. Sadly this movie didn't do this. So when the action movie in you were still trying to get your head around the concept, especially as is only in this moment when you come to know that your protagonists have wings! (This was a moment I was thinking was going to be awe inspiring, but sadly was highly underwhelming.)
Of course you don't want to be explaining everything to your viewers, by but you do want to be explaining enough that they can are effectively on the same page as you, whereas the movie felt like you were always one step behind the production team.
I feel essentially the team behind this film assumed that everybody watching the movie would be someone who's read the whole series of nine books, and their knows everything they need to know, and knows it inside out. That is a big mistake to make in any adaptation. The whole purpose of a movie adaptation of a book is, yes of course, please the already existing fans, but it's also to bring along New ones two. If the Harry Potter films assumed that you understood the rules of the wizarding world before you watched the films, they wouldn't be as beloved as they are.
I still hold to the belief that the Maximum Ride books could be turned into something really special on screen, but they need to be given to the right pair of hands, ones that understand the story and how to successfully bring these characters to life in order to set them on their adventure.
One day I hope that happens.
The Wolf Chronicles By Dorothy Hearst
PROMISE OF THE WOLVES
PROMISE OF THE WOLVES
I stumbled across the QuickBooks of this title in my local library a couple of years ago, but ended up not having the time to listen to it all. When I got my kindle, I decided to look it up on Amazon. I am so glad I did, though it has taken me another year to read it, it was absolutely worth the wait. I'm really excited about continuing on to book two, but given it's already past midnight that may have to wait until morning - morning cannot come soon enough!
SECRETS OF THE WOLVES
Wow! This series of books has been an awesome surprise find so far. There are twists and turns in every chapter, and it just keeps getting richer and fuller as the world Hearst has created gets more fleshed out. I almost don't want to start the final book in the trilogy, as I know it will take me from that world soon!
SPIRIT OF THE WOLVES
I was worried while reading this book that it might not conclude in a way that was fitting. I need not have worried, though the ending was not at all what I'd expected, it was definitely what the tale deserved. I am certain that I'll be contemplating its consequences and message for years to come! Bravo Dorothy Hearst, you did your work proud!
Lost Boy by Christina Henry
I must confess, I was reluctant to start reading this book. The Peter Pan market has been saturated and diluted of late. However, I’ve always been intrigued by the original JM Barrie tale, and was entranced by the cover art. I’m so glad I decided to read it! While far darker in tone that the original, it is fitting for what the book actually is, and for me, answers a lot of questions I have had since a child in a very satisfying way!
The Christmasaurus by Tom Fletcher
I don't know why I read this book in August but I did! Doing this didn't feel wrong somehow, as it was still wonderfully magical! Yet, remarkably human too...
Peter Rabbit (2018)
As is probably the case with most Britons of the last century, I was brought up reading the books of Beatrix Potter. So, when I first saw the trailer above my heart sank. My initial reaction was to cry sacrilege. Things would only get worse as I read reports that it was making fun of people with allergies, and heard the review from Mark Kermode. So I vowed never to see this film.
But I had a problem, one that would kibosh any chance of me not seeing this film. I have a three-year-old goddaughter, a goddaughter who had never been to the cinema before - a goddaughter obsessed with Peter Rabbit... How could I say no when she asked me to accompany her and her mother to see it!
Of course, I had to go...
And you know what... I was wrong! I'll readily admit that now. What I wanted from a Peter Rabbit film was similar to what we got from the Paddington films (though saying this, at the time of writing this review, I have yet to see Paddington 2) by this I mean, I wanted a movie that captured what was special about the books, but brought something new to the table, and that is exactly what I got.
I think the problem here was bad marketing. all the trailers showed were the goofier elements of the film, but the film also captures the spirit of the books, while modernising it at the same time. The way they did this was by setting the film after the books - something else not communicated by the trailer. This, for me at least quashes any issues I may have had with James Cordon voicing Peter, for Peter is now more of a teenager than a young rabbit, so it makes sense.
For me, Peter rabbit managed to take some of the best elements of the Beatrix Potter books, Paddington films, and even elements of the original Babe movie and created a delightful little picture that was well worth my time. I think it is a shame it got such a bad press, as I believe it deserves more credit that it has been given. Afterall, my goddaughter sat there entranced pretty much the whole of the way through - and that in itself is n mean feat!
Your Name (Kim No Na Wa) 2016: Review
I am a huge anime fan, but I don't often get to see anime movies until they have been released for quite a while. This was definitely the case when it Comes to "Kim No Na Wa", or to give it's english speaking title "Your Name. I first heard about the movie through film critic Mark Kermode who had raved about the film for quite some time. I don't know about you, but hearing so much praise for a movie, even if it is only from a single source can put a dampener on your viewing of that movie - sometimes you are let down because either the person raving about it has an inflated view of the movie or they look for different things in a movie than you do, so your perception of the film will be different. Equally, though the movie might be as good as they said, because they have gone on, and on - and on - about it, you go into the viewing biased one way or the other. I must admit I did go into viewing this film worried this may happen. Thankfully it didn't
Following the well trodden body-swap trope used regularly in the teen movies of Hollywood (such movies as Freaky Friday, 13 Going On 30 come to mind) Your Name manages to bring something new to the table. Often with these films, the two people who swap bodies know each other somehow - such as being mother and daughter in both Freaky Friday movies. In this film the protagonists have no idea who or even where they are when they swap. This adds an intriguing dimension given that initially they have to find these things out before they can start discovering the main question of why it is happening. The other marked difference is that the swap only happens while they are asleep - therefore they also have an impact on the others life, with immediate impact on the other person. Meaning they have to work out how to live without making changes to many changes the others life while they are there.
From the way the trailers play out, it can be easy to invisinge this movie to be romantic in nature, and while there are indeed elements of this in the film, I would say anyone seeing it for that reason maybe slightly disappointed as it is to my mind far more of a film about discovery than anything romance.
It would therefore be wrong of me to say much more than that. This is wonderfully directed movie by Makoto Shinkai, who manages to capture the same beauty as his previous masterpiece 5 Centimeters Per Second, all while bringing something unique to the table.
A movie is only as good as it's ending, and I can certainly say that this movie has one of the most satisfying open ended endings going. It really is a movie one should, and must see!
Xpand Laces Review
There are a lot of normally two-handed tasks that over time I have learned how to achieve by using only my one working hand, but very occasionally there comes a task which I find completely impossible to achieve with one hand. One such job is tying shoelaces. Sure, there are quite a few one-handed techniques for accomplishing the task out there, but if you take a closer look most of them are only achievable if you have strength in either your other arm (ie taking the "one-handed" term literally, and is only useful for amputees.) or in both of your legs.
Added to this the need to buy certain shoes in order to put a raise on the left shoe (ie shoes with flat soles which can easily be sliced off.) which rarely come with fastening that is easier and securer than laces, I'm pretty much screwed.
Therefore, over the last few years, I have been trying out various so-called "no tie" shoelaces.
Greeper Laces
I started out trying Greeper Laces, these looked good as they appear like normal laces. The problem was that the device that replaces the actual tying of the laces is only really designed for ease of unlacing, as opposed to lacing and unlacing., though I could just about make my shoes tight by contorting my fingers, I could never really get them tight enough.
The other issue was that to fit the laces, you needed to cut the laces at the bottom and secure them with a knot, and a clip to cover them ( as seen in video below.
This not only means once you've secured them you are stuck with the choices you have made, but you also need to get someone to do it for you. (and then explain how to tie them.) So I was quickly looking for a replacement.
Hickies
It is hard to describe exactly what Hickies are, so please watch this video
On paper, these looked perfect, no tying, plus I could easily fit them myself. But unfortunately, I found these didn't live up to expectations. Before I explain why I should add the caveat that of course these were not designed with AFO's in mind, and therefore they can be forgiven somewhat for the first issue, which was they were not as adaptable as I would have hoped. I'd have to link two or more together to get my left shoe lose enough. However, my biggest gripe is that after about 3 months they would begin to snap, and this would be on my right foot, where there would be no extra strain. Though the pack you bought would have some spares, you would quickly run out - and at around £15 a pack, they are not cheap!
QuickShoeLace
I was recommended QuickShoeLace by my cousin who works as an Occupational Therapists, but yet again they looked great in theory. One thing I came to realise with all these products was, though they had thought about the fastening of the show, the other thing they should have put more thought into is the securing at the opposite end. Much like the Greeper Laces, QuickShoeLace secured itself by way of a knot at the bottom. The annoying and frustrating thing, however, is that as it came out of the tin, this shoelace had almost the perfect stopper. Unfortunately, as with the Greeper, you have to cut to size, therefore making that stopper irrelevant. If they had somehow engineered a proper stopper this could very well have been a contender.
There was one other aspect that ruled this one out. Again, I must repeat the previous caveat I made about Hickies, they were not designed to get around AFO's. However, there is a general issue with all elastic based laces and that is they often have too tight a fit. When you are dealing with getting over something cumbersome like an AFO, you want something that is adjustable, so the shoe can be easily put on, but then can easily stay on as well. The QuickShoeLace did allow for this, except that the ring, which isn't something you can tighten, would slip off because the lace wasn't taught enough. Infact this would occur in both shoes, and usually at the most inopportune time.
Xpand Shoelaces
So we finally come to the Xpand Shoelaces. These laces are probably the closest thing you could get to proper laces. They are threaded exactly the same way as normal laces, the only difference being that instead of needing to be tied, they have a clasp which holds both ends in place at the top. It is up to you whether you have the lace ends discreetly hidden inside, or hanged down on the outside. Like the QuickShoeLace you do have to trim them to fit, they do recommend wearing them tied for the first few days to make sure of the fit but this wasn't an option for me. I must admit giving the issues I had with the previous laces this did worry me, but actually, I needn't have been. As, Xpand allow you to have them extended slightly, so if I found them initially to lose, it wouldn't have been too hard adjusting them. Saying this, as I got the fit right pretty much the first time I haven't yet tested how easy it is to unfasten these laces.
If like me, you do choose to have the fastening on the outside, because the lace is looped around, it isn't noticeable that you are wearing anything unusual unless someone looks closely, which for me is huge. The biggest thing, however, is that they have thought through every little detail, including creating tabs which you can place on the end of the laces once they have been trimmed down, enabling longevity and decent appearance.
At the moment the only downsides I can currently see are, firstly, not being able to fit them myself, and having to ask a friend to accomplish this for me. Secondly, at £9-10 they are not as cheap as normal laces, but then again none are - and these are pretty much the cheapest you will find. Therefore I recommend these to any person with similar impairments to mine. You can buy these off Amazon below.
Anime TV Review: ReLife
I would suspect that for the majority of us the idea of returning to our teenage years would be our idea of a nightmare, and probably given the chance we would decline. But that is exactly what the protagonist of ReLife - a twenty-seven-year old NEET (Not in Employment, Education or Training.) called Arata Kaizaki is offered. Effectively having dropped out of society Kaizaki instead jumps at the chance, and is soon re-entering school as a seventeen-year-old.
I am relatively new to anime TV, the other series I’ve seriously watched are Fairy Tail, both iterations of Fullmetal Alchemist and Death Note. The reason I am stating this is because it became obvious watching this series that there are a couple of cultural differences between western and Japanese cultures that are perhaps important to grasp when watching ReLife. For instance at one point I got a little confused when Kaizaki said that he’d been at school a month, but it was May 1st. (Japanese school years apparently start in April.) Then of course there’s the fact that doing well I’m class goes hand-in-hand with popularity - this, of course I had picked up watching early episodes of Death Note, but it is still something important to register when watching ReLife.
The first two thirds of ReLife simply play around with the conceit of the initial idea of a twenty-seven year returning to High School. Looking the part, but with the mind, knowledge and experience of an adult. Such as the awkwardness of interacting with High School girls and the like. But it is in the last third where is gets interesting. At this point the events occurring at the High School start to uncover things in Kaizaki’s past which empower him to not only deal with what went on, but how to support the teenagers around him that have now become his friends.
The fact this change happens so late in the proceedings frustrates me, as it is at this point that I feel the series hits its stride, it’s got through the set up and is now running with it. It just ends too soon.
As many anime series it is based upon a Manga. In this case it is based on the first 100 chapters of a manga that I believe is still going on. I’m unsure how many chapters have now be published, but it is evident there is far more story to tell. We are going to have four more episodes in 2018, but I personally feel there is way more mileage here, so wonder not only why they are not carrying it on further, but also how on Earth they are going to wrap it up so quickly without shortchanging all of the characters. I will wait and see what they pull off before making my final judgement, but I must confess to being apprehensive.
Overall ReLife is a thoroughly enjoyable and thought provoking series, I just hope it gets the send off it deserves.