Archive
Book Review: Fragment by Warren Fahy (Series, #1)
Summary:
When the floating reality tv show SeaLife receives a distress beacon coming from a remote island, it looks like their ratings are going to improve. Henders Island has not been visited since the 1700s, and the scientists aboard the Trident are excited at the possible new species they could find. Unfortunately, the species aren’t as benign as they thought.
Review:
This was recommended to me by a couple of friends who know I’m a huge Michael Crichton fan as a Crichton-esque reading experience. I can definitely say that this falls solidly in the hard, plausible scifi genre that has been so empty since Crichton’s passing.
Fahy takes the concept of an island splitting off from the rest of civilization and evolving separately and runs with it. The creatures he comes up with are fantastic and frightening yet simultaneously plausible, which is part of what makes the thrills so thrilling. Similar to Crichton, there are long passages of science explained at a level easily understandable by anyone with a high school diploma. Also, there are passages that at first seem unimportant but later are revealed to be connected and important.
The characterization is strong enough for a thriller of this sort, although that of the main characters could be a bit stronger. Everyone is easy to tell apart, however, and their motivations are clear, something that can be difficult to pull off at the fast pace of a thriller. In future writings, I do hope that Fahy’s main characters will be a bit more well-rounded, however.
The pacing is a bit bumpy with some passages that remove the previously built-up suspense. Although this was necessary to explain the science, it does seem that it could have been worked in more smoothly. The last quarter of the book, however, is paced perfectly with no interruptions and just the right amount of suspense.
One of the highlights of the book is definitely the inclusion of the reality tv show. It lends it a current real vibe. Things are recorded as they happen. The world sort of knows what’s going on, but not quite. The military has to get involved. Everything reads as very plausible and realistically connected to how the modern world actually works. Plus the scenes involving the reality tv producers are just good comic relief.
I absolutely plan on reading Fahy’s future works, and definitely recommend this to fans of Crichton style scifi.
4 out of 5 stars
Source: PaperBackSwap
Friday Fun! (Better World Books)
Hello my lovely readers! I hope your weeks have all been awesome. My week was fairly busy as per usual. I baked cookies, made pizza, had a movie marathon with a friend, and was finally forced to put my ac in thanks to the recent surge in temperature in Boston. My cat is shedding up a storm. She’s been loving up the extended brushing sessions she’s now getting. She’s also been showing an intense love for water and getting wet (by repeatedly trying to climb in the shower with me). She’s an odd duck, and I’m considering giving her a bath to help with the heat/shedding issue. I’ll let you know if I wind up torn to shreds.
I’m finally finishing up my spring cleaning I started during vacation. After bringing my weeded books to a local indie then posting to PaperBackSwap, I still had a few left-over. I was pleased to discover an awesome charity that pays for the shipping so you can donate books at no cost to you–Better World Books. Basically it’s an online bookstore that uses all their proceeds to benefit worldwide literacy and libraries. It helps them immensely when their stock is donated. I know most of my followers are big readers, so I highly encourage you to check them out if you’re weeding or adding to your shelves. Both activities help out with literacy, and that just makes for a better world all-around. (Hence the name of the bookstore, I imagine).
My weekend is going to consist of going to see Bridesmaids with a friend, some necessary clothes shopping, and a Team Unicorn gathering. Happy weekends all!
Movie Review: Them! (1954)
Summary:
When a small southwestern town sees a spate of sugar theft mixed with mysterious deaths, a scientist and his daughter are brought in to investigate. They soon discover that a new breed of giant ants have mutated from local nuclear testing and must fight against the odds to preserve the human dominance of earth.
Review:
I watch classic horror movies more for the lols than anything, but every once in a while, one manages to actually stand the test of time and still scare me.
Anyone who knows much about ants knows that they actually are rather awful creatures. They’re vicious, disturbingly strong for their size, and single-minded to the point of obsession. That’s the perfect recipe for a formidable opponent if they were any larger. Combine this with the very real threat of nuclear mutation, and you have the recipe for an ideal horror film.
Something the classic movies did better than today is establish a strong plot-line. The action is not constant. It is interspersed with scenes in which the characters attempt to figure out what is going on and determine what to do about it. This ups the tension for the inevitable “battle the monster” scenes that eventually play out.
Of course a strong idea and plot can still be undermined by outdated special effects. These effects, however, have truly stood the test of time. The ants look frightening, not comical. The scenes are shot in such a way that it all appears to be fairly real, particularly for the decade. When the sound effect given to the ants–a sort of high-pitched squealing–is added in, it becomes quite easy to suspend disbelief.
If you enjoy a good creature feature as well as an old movie periodically, you won’t regret your time spent watching Them!
5 out of 5 stars
Source: Netflix
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This work by Amanda Nevius is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Opinions of a Wolf 