The Legend of Merlin
You know how it feels when you finish reading a book and you’re sad that it’s finished, because you want to stay in that world? That’s how I felt the first time I finished reading Mary Stewart’s Merlin trilogy back … Continued
First Impressions of ‘The Acolyte’
As a dedicated Star Wars fan, I eagerly watched the first episode of The Acolyte. Despite its promising premise and diverse cast, the episode fell short with clichéd tropes, unrealistic scenes, and uninspired characters. It hasn’t captured me like The Mandalorian did, but I’ll keep watching in hopes it improves.
A story that grabbed me
The book “Hope’s Folly” by Linnea Sinclair, is a science fiction love story set against a backdrop of political upheaval and looming war. The narrative follows Admiral Philip Guthrie, a rebel trying to oppose the tyrannical Tage while dealing with personal and physical challenges, including a romance with assassin-turned-rebel Rya Bennton. The story combines intense character development, political intrigue, and subtle humor, enhanced by realistic sensory details and rich secondary characters.
A question of identity
I’ve had a hard time coming up with anything in particular to write about this week, but there are a few things I noticed. Nicola Sturgeon has been forced to resign as the Scottish First Minister, not least because of … Continued
The trouble with labels
You’ve heard the old cliché ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’? We all have. And sometimes we judge books based on preconceived notions of what we’ll find when we open the covers. I suppose everybody agrees that books need … Continued
Horses and space ships – woohoo
When we talk about Science Fiction – at least when I do – I immediately think of space ships. Having established (for me) that given, SF seems to be a comfortable home for just about anything else. Romance, shape-shifters like … Continued
An Imperial Family in Space
Lady Felicia Sorensen, a brilliant microengineering student, finds herself pressured to date Emperor Victor Sinclair, for he has fallen madly in love with her! Despite being showered with extravagant gowns and attention, she longs for a fascinating life as a … Continued
Reader expectations – a mixed blessing
Last week I talked about covers and their importance in selling a book. I shied away from discussing the elements used in a cover except to mention that romance covers using images displaying a heap of ripped abs and powerful … Continued
Day 9: Bamberg
Bamberg has so many historically significant buildings it has been designated as a UNESCO world heritage site. Unlike towns like Frankfurt and Nuremberg, it wasn’t bombed flat in the war. So there was some honour between the combatants. Unlike the … Continued
The Hobbit – how to turn a kid’s book into a block buster movie
I watched The Hobbit the other day. It’s old history, I know, but that’s how it is at my place. Anyway, having watched the movie (part 1) I re-read the book for the first time in many years. It was … Continued