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Book Review: The Outsider by Stephen King

By Amazon, Books & Authors, ReviewsNo Comments
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 How can a man be in two places at once? When a child is raped and murdered, this is a question Detective Ralph Anderson must find an answer to.

Terry Maitland is a pillar of the community and is accused. There’s eye witnesses placing him at the scene. His fingerprints and DNA evidence found on the victim’s body. But Terry has a airtight alibi.

The Outsider is a perfect investigatory and suspense novel, complete with King’s usual supernatural edge.

The plot is full of intrigue and written in a way that fills the readers head with theories and questions. It includes plenty of utterly gripping action scenes.

The Outsider is written in third person perspective. But it has some great transcripts of witness interviews and emails spattered throughout the beginning and middle sections of the book.

The pacing of The Outsider is quick and builds suspense brilliantly.

All of the characters feel completely real; all have different personalities, flaws and have different ways of handling the situations they find themselves in.

Characters include:

  • Ralph Anderson – The tall, logical and realistic Detective.
  • Jeanette Anderson – Ralph’s wife and confidant.
  • Terry Maitland – Suspect & English Teacher.
  • Marcy Maitland – Terry’s wife and mother to two children.
  • The Peterson Family – Frank is the child raped and murdered. The impact of the tragedy on the family is shown along with the subsequent tragedies that follow.
  • Yunel Sablo – Lieutenant in the Police Department, he assists in the investigation.
  • William Samuels – The District Attorney with unruly hair.
  • Howie Gold – Maitland’s Lawyer.
  • Alec Pelley – A retired state Police Detective who works for lawyers defending criminal cases.
  • Holly Gibney – A woman who runs a company called Finders Keepers. Holly mostly does repossessions, retrievals, bail-jumpers and finding of lost pets. But there’s a hidden depths to Holly including her past experience with the seemingly inexplicable. Holly is a character of mystery and one the reader will yearn to learn more about.
  • Jack Hoskins – A troubled Detective in the Police Department.
  • Claude Bolton – Claude is a recovered drug addict and former criminal. He works in a strip club as a Bouncer. He’s kept himself clean and out of trouble. But trouble could be finding him.
  • Lovie Bolton – Claude’s adorable old mum, even more vulnerable due to her COPD and oxygen requirement.

The Outsider is totally addictive, I couldn’t put it down and read it in a few sittings. The Outsider is available to buy on Amazon and at all good book shops.

Review soon,

Antony

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Tuesday 4 September 2018

Book Review: The Last Days of Magic by Mark Tompkins

By Amazon, Books & Authors, ReviewsNo Comments
the-last-days-of-magic-mark-tompkins-book-cover
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 If you like any sort of fantasy fiction then The Last Days of Magic by Mark Tompkins is a must read novel that you’ll love.

The Last Days of Magic is set in the past where Ireland is the last magical stronghold in the world.

But it is under threat. The Vatican is determined to wipe out all creatures and men with magic. All creatures and men with magic came from fallen angels mating with humans. The Vatican believes that this is against God’s will.

In Ireland you have the Morrigna (twins that wield the power of the triple Goddess and are born when Ireland is in a time of great need) Sidhe (faeries), Druids, Witches, Sorcerers and the formations. The formations are hostile creatures that live in the water around Ireland and have kept it protected from invading ships.

But a plot is underway for King Richard in England to conquer Ireland, supported by the Vatican.

The Last Days of Magic mixes mythology, magic and fantasy wonderfully. It’s a gripping story, with a wide range of compelling characters, that is easy to read, captivating and thoroughly enjoyable.

It’s a novel about how Ireland falls to the English and the Vatican and the parts played by the magnificent characters which includes:

  • Aisling & Anya – twins and aspects of the triple Goddess.
  • Liam – Aisling & Anya protector. His mother is Sidhe, his father human.
  • Brigid – High Priestess of the Order of Macha.
  • Conor – Aisling’s love interest.
  • Jordan – Marshal/Vatican Representative.
  • Najia – Jodan’s lover and a Witch.
  • Ty – A fascinating creature and character. Immune to all spells and enchantments.
  • Richard – King of England.
  • Isabeau – Queen of France and Grand High Sorciere of a Coven.

The Last Days of Magic is an average length novel and this meant it had some restrictions.

First character growth felt like sudden jumps. This was due to the time hopping required in the average length novel to cover the scope of what Tompkins wanted to cover.

Second that only snip its from the war between the Irish and English were written about. Again for the same reason: the large scope of the idea being fit into an average length novel.

Tompkins could have turned his idea for The Last Days of Magic into a series of novels. I would have bought, read, enjoyed and recommended them all – due to Tompkins well thought out plots, brilliant description, completely real characters and engaging writers voice.

The Last Days of Magic is available to buy on Amazon and at all good book shops.

Review soon,

Antony

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Sunday 26 August 2018

My Recent Media Absorption

By Amazon, Books & Authors, Games, Music & RadioNo Comments

They say that sharing is caring. So today I wanted to share with you my recent media absorption, which includes a book, three albums, two TV programmes and a game.

the-last-days-of-magic-mark-tompkins-book-cover
View on Amazon.co.uk
 The Last Days of Magic by Mark Tompkins
The Last Days of Magic mixes mythology, magic and fantasy wonderfully. Ireland is the last stronghold of magical beings. But it is under threat. From King Richard in England and the Vatican.

The Vatican is determined to wipe out all creatures and men with magic. All creatures and men with magic came from fallen angels mating with humans. The Vatican believes that this is against God’s will.

There’s a wide range of compelling characters, a gripping plot and it is an easy and enjoyable read. It is the perfect example of a great fantasy novel.

Percentage Complete: 95% I will write a review of this book when I’ve finished reading it.

jake-shears-jake-shears-album
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 Jake Shears by Jake Shears
The flamboyantly fabulous and drop-dead-gorgeous Jake Shears is back! Doing what he does best (apart from that ahem) – singing.

His self-titled album Jake Shears is packed with original and brilliant songs. I love Shears’ eccentricity and his unique view of life which he expresses in his music.

On Jake Shears there’s catchy tunes that stick in your head such as Good Friends and Sad Song Backwards to songs about sex such as S.O.B (sex on the brain) and Clothes Off. An album that I would highly recommend.

I have found my funeral song on Jake Shears. The exceptional ballet track Palace in the Sky. It gets you right here points to chest.

Percentage Complete: 100% I still have Jake Shears’ autobiography Boys Keep Swinging – A Memoir to read.

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DH00280-the-1975-album-cover DH00280 by The 1975
I love the upbeat, quirky and sometimes melodramatic music of The 1975.

Matt Healy’s (the lead singer) voice is hypnotic and high. DH00280 is a twenty-four track album of the band playing live at The 02 in London at the end of 2016.

I would love to see this band live. But in the meantime, at least I can play this album on repeat whenever I want.

I’m lucky that it’s a digital version and not a tape, otherwise I’d have probably wore it out by now.

Percentage Complete: 100% (Repeatedly.)

mf-matt-fishell-album-cover
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 M/F by Matt Fishel
Fishel’s music reflects the gay community and the Singer Songwriters’ experience of it.

All gay men will be able to identify with the lyrics. The music is pop-rock and Fishel’s voice is memorising. My favourite songs on this album include His ‘n’ His, Bored of Straight Boys, and The Gorgeous Ones.

I first heard about Fishel when he released his debut album Not Thinking Straight. This album was addictive and played constantly on repeat. Songs that have stayed with me from that album are: Radio-Friendly Pop Song, Behind Closed Doors, Alastair and the Football Song.

However I was less impressed with his second album Cover Boy. The only track I enjoyed on this album was a barely passable cover of Finally. Cover Boy was thankfully a shorter album than Not Thinking Straight.

M / F demonstrates Fishel’s return to the music of his that I yearn for and most relate to. A fantastic album and one that I would recommend.

Percentage Complete: 100% (On Repeat.)

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the-pyramid-code-netflix
The Pyramid Code

The Pyramid Code is a five part documentary examining how advanced the Ancient Egyptians were. Interviewing experts, using visual diagrams and models, along with analysis of available evidence to present the case that the Ancient Egyptians were probably more advanced scientifically, architecturally and spiritually than we are today.

A truly fascinating and informative documentary. It’ll make you question what you’ve previously been told and accepted as fact about the ancient Egyptians.

Percentage Complete: 75%

In-The-Flesh
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 In The Flesh
I recently discovered In The Flesh on the BBC iPlayer. It’s set after a zombie uprising in Britain. The authorities have found a treatment that reverts zombies back to fully cognitive functioning people. They refer to them as individuals affected by Partially Deceased Syndrome (PDS).

The story is set around the Walker family. Kieren Walker is a young man who is released from a Detention Centre back to the care of his family and in his zombie-hating community. He has his parents and Jem, his younger sister who is a member of the Human Volunteer Force (HVF). The HVF rose up to eliminate the zombies after the outbreak. This unique angle is very interesting for a zombie genre TV series.

I’m only a few episodes in. But I’ll say this: it’s a very deep and dark drama series.

Kieren has side effects to the medication including flashbacks to things he did as a zombie – including the killing and eating of people. Plus Kieren wasn’t alive at the time of the outbreak. He rose from his grave. So why did Kieren with seemingly all of his life ahead of him end up dead and buried so young?

Although it’s brilliant series, I will admit that I have had to take some breaks during watching due to the level of darkness. I’ve actually found it a bit traumatic to watch at times. I guess it’s good that it makes me feel something, even if it’s something that makes me feel uncomfortable.

Percentage Complete: 33%

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theme-hospital-game-cover Theme Hospital
I bought the original Theme Hospital for under a fiver, for something to play why I wait for the release of the reinvented Theme Hospital called Two Point Hospital.

I’m enjoying it and managed to complete half of the game with only getting the game over screen a few times.

Percentage Complete: 50%

Looking ahead there’s loads of media to look forward to. First I’ve got a shelf of books waiting to be read. In addition to that I’ve got:

  • A big update for The Universim towards the end of August
  • The release of Two Point Hospital towards the end of August.
  • A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships album by The 1975 in October.
  • Dr Who returns to the TV in the Autumn.
  • A possible album from former McFly band member Danny Jones. A couple of weeks ago Danny Jones released an awesome single called Is This Still Love,

What media are you absorbing and enjoying? Leave a comment below and let me know.

Blog soon,

Antony

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Saturday 11 August 2018

Book Review: It by Stephen King

By Amazon, Books & Authors, ReviewsNo Comments
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View on Amazon.co.uk
 In Derry a dark force has awoken, named It.

Seven children battled It twenty seven years before and almost beat it. This monster wakes every twenty seven years and murder, dismember and feed on children. It has the ability to change its form, to become the things that individual children fear and likes to take the form of Pennywise the clown.

Then following a big event were It reaches its peak of activity, then the monster sleeps. This cycle has been repeating since before records began, but nobody likes to talk about it or write about it. It’s like all the citizens of Derry have willful blindness.

It tells the story of Bill (Big Bill), Eddie, Richie, Bev, Ben, Stan and Mike. Their battle with It as children and their return to Derry as adults to face It again.

As adults will they have the same magic that they had as children to beat It? And this time, will they be able to finish what they started twenty seven years ago?

This book is way too long. It has 1,166 pages and the reader will find themselves counting down the pages. The plot is simple, most of the book is character development, rather than storytelling. Whole sections of this book could be cut without any interfering with the plot and would still have give the reader a good sense of each individual character. The description was overly wordy at times.

There are some iconic horror scenes that will stay with the reader long after they have read the book. These scenes would lend themselves brilliantly to film, which is why it is no surprise that it was recently made into a film.

Overall what made It mildly enjoyable was getting to know the characters. The plot lacked any captivating moments, twists or turns. This story could easily have been told in a standard novel size, rather than this massive book. Inadequate editing and seemingly no harsh cutting let this book down.

It is available to buy on Amazon and at all good book shops.

Review soon,

Antony

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I aim for posts on this blog to be informative, educational and entertaining. If you have found this post useful or enjoyable, please consider making a contribution by Paypal:


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Saturday 7 July 2018
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