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Content by Ian Tapley
Reviewer Rank: 83
Helpful Votes: 1333
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Reviews Written by
Ian Tapley "thefragrantwookiee"
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
An interesting debut from an author I hope to see more of., 11 Jun 2008
This is a collection of eleven short stories from across the fantasy, science fiction and horror genres, each written with unusual insight and wit.
One thing that I greatly enjoyed with this book is the fact that the Introduction features a short breakdown of the themes and inspirations for each of the stories, giving a delightful little window into the author's mind.
Although all the stories make for interesting and/or amusing reading, a couple deserve a special mention. The first being 'The Happily Ever After', in which we see the later adventures of Little Red Riding Hood. What I enjoyed most about this story was the fact that Rowe manages to perfectly capture the tone of the old cautionary fairy tales.
The other stand-out story is called 'Harry', in which a nervous man focuses all of his anxiety into the form of a werewolf which hunts him for three nights every month, but which leaves him free of fear the rest of the time.
Although there are a few disappointing elements to the book (such as the one that actually is about zombies), the biggest disappointment here is the fact that some of the stories could easily work as novels but here they end just when you're desperate to read more.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
The FSFH Book Review says:, 23 May 2008
The author was kind enough to send me a review copy of his book, for which I am very grateful.
This book revolves around Gregory Henry Case an American physicist working at Oxford University. Straight away we see a maturation of the author's skills since his previous book, 'King Without An Empire', as Case's character is slowly built up in the first few chapters, creating a strong and believable protagonist. A man too introverted to maintain a connection to other people, Case's world is turned upside down when he discovers his own aged body from the future. He soon finds himself in Everyman's Way, a sort of psuedo-fantastical interstellar community, and becomes involved in the royal politics therein.
As I say, this book is a clear step up from the previous one, but once again, I just didn't enjoy it much. I believe the fact I didn't enjoy it stems from the dual facts that mend-bending explorations of other planes of consciousness aren't really my thing and the fact that at times I simply didn't have a bloody clue what was going on.
Whilst the prose is far more structured than 'King Without An Empire', the author still has a tendency to make confusing leaps in both plotline and logic. The book also isn't the easiest flowing one either, seeing as how it took me an entire month to read it's 218 pages.
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King Without an Empire
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by Paul Collins
Edition: Paperback |
| Price: £12.50 |
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| Availability: Usually dispatched within 9 to 13 days |
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
The FSFH Book Review says:, 23 May 2008
The author generously sent me a free review copy of this book all the way across the Atlantic. I'm therefore saddened and feel a little guilty to say that I absolutely hated it.
There seems to be three or four separate stories going on simultaneously in this book, with the author switching between them seemingly at random, although they all feature the media mogul Michael Bassett. In one Bassett, troubled by the death of his girlfriend, decides to fund an expedition to Alpha Centauri. In another a mysterious race of callous but physcially perfect beings run a totalitarian regime which is disrupted by Nazi scientists fleeing the loss of WWII. Yet another has Bassett exploring strange planes of consciousness using hallucinagenic drugs and a device called the Star Chamber. There is also another in which a liquid-based alien attempts to make telepathic contact with Bassett.
Individually these stories may well have made for fascinating reads, but together they become confused and confusing, giving the book a fractured story structure. As someone who enjoys a strong narrative flow, I found this very difficult.
I really liked some of the ideas Collins introduces, particularly the concept of the liquid alien who is actually an autonomous organ of a life-form that covers an entire ocean planet. However, just when an idea would get me intrigued, Collins takes the book off in a completely unrelated tangent.
A couple of other things that I found irritating were the constant repetition, the self-contradiction (for example, at one point Bassett's girlfriend is described as 'good-looking' and then in the next paragraph; 'She was no beauty, but was average looking') and the way in which the author gives a page-long biography of each character introduced, as soon as they're introduced. This latter means that of the important characters there is little to be discovered later on and of the unimportant characters there is far more information than is needed to move the story along.
All these factors combined to make this one of the least enjoyable books I've ever read. However, whilst reading it I looked at other online reviews and they were largely quite positive, so I wonder if there was just something I was missing that these other reviewers saw.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Too limited., 30 April 2008
Fun:
THE STORY:
You play as Skarrin, a Viking warrior blessed by the goddess Feyja as her champion. Freyja's nemesis Hel has unleashed the monstrous Legion on Midgard (the human realm) in the hopes of overthrowing Asgard (the realm of the gods). So, the goddess asks one thing of you... kill the lot of them! But to do that you'll have to free the other Vikings to fight at your side.
WHAT'S GOOD:
This game looks great, with nice (albeit not terriby diverse) scenery and good character sprites. In fact, it's biggest selling point is how impressive the gory and graphic killing moves look (I'm a particular fan of hamstringing giants and then sawing their throats out!). I also very much enjoyed the bits where you have to stealthily sneak around a Legion camp, picking off the unsuspecting guards one by one. So, if you're looking for a bit of sword and axe based violence, then you'll probably like this game.
WHAT'S BAD:
Sadly, this game fails to make the most of it's more promising aspects. The supposed RPG element is little more than a series of go-and-fetch missions. The strategy element is almost nonexistant, except that you can make a (usually) 50/50 choice of which shaman to call in your dragons against. The ability to buy new combos seemed great at first, but you'll soon find that in the heat of battle, trying to use those combos will just give some irritating grunt the opportunity to bosh you from behind. Which brings me to the game's most irritating element; the fact that in the thick of battle Skarrin will gleefully slash at empty air whilst surrounded by enemies, because his target-aquisition is god awful. Speaking of gods, the biggest disappointment for me was the fact that the promised Norse mythology never really shows up. There's Hel and Freyja, but that's about it unless you count the dragons, which are all but superfluous anyway.
OVERALL:
This game fails to live up to both expectations and it's own aspirations. The gameplay basically adds up to 'go there, hack, slash and repeat'. As for the story, it completely fails to make the most of Norse mythology, which is one of the world's most interesting, and ultimately the game could've been called 'Generic Sword-Bearing Warrior: The Battle For Psuedo-Fantastical Realm'.
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
"Aren't you a little fat for a Stormtrooper?", 12 April 2008
You'll probably already know that 'Blue Harvest' is the original Star Wars recast with the familiar faces of Quahog.
It begins with a subtle dig at The Simpsons. When the TV is not available Peter sits down to tell the family a story (a la Homer), declining to expand on the details of Meg's birth, Peter instead tells the story of Star Wars.
Then begins a string of gags and parodies ranging from Tom Baker's Doctor Who materialising in the swirling lights of hyperspace to Meg's brief cameo as the garbage pit monster.
It's all as funny as you'd expect from Family Guy but my one major gripe was that, at 45 minutes long, you really don't get much viewing for your money.
Nevertheless, I look forward to the promised sequel; 'Something, something, dark side.'
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Shorn of the Dead., 9 April 2008
The title of this film fits it very nicely; it's a black comedy about sheep.
The story is basically that a farm dabbling in the genetic manipulation of sheep finds itself besieged by an army of flesh-hungry wool bundles. Caught in the middle are a sheep-phobic, a farm manager and an eco-warrior.
Now, sheep aren't scary, but this film may well convince you otherwise as a combination of clever direction and the skill of WETA Workshop (famous for their work on Lord of the Rings) creates monsters out of these otherwise harmless creatures.
The 'Lord of the Rings' connection goes further, however, as this film is strongly influenced by the work of New Zealand's own Peter Jackson, specifically the film 'Braindead'.
Basically, if you like low-budget gorefests and appreciate a bit of dark ironic humour then you can't help but love 'Black Sheep'.
Plus, you'll never look at a sheep again without wondering whether a hunger for human flesh lurks behind that vacant gaze!
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Stardust [2007]
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| Dvd ~ Michelle Pfeiffer |
| Price: £5.98 |
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| Availability: In stock |
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
So much more than I was expecting., 1 Mar 2008
In the aftermath of 'Lord of the Rings' and with Pottermania still ongoing, fantasy films seem to be springing up all over the shop. So it was that I chose to avoid 'Stardust' in the cinema, thinking it just another Hollywood trend cash-in.
On impulse I bought the DVD and found myself blown away by what I saw.
Based on the novel by the brilliant author Neil Gaiman, we are presented with a fantasy adventure which has the perfect mix of action, wonder, horror, comedy and romance.
Young Tristan Thorn decides to enter the mysterious realm of Stormholt in order to recover a fallen star for the object of his desire. However, the star turns out to be a beautiful young woman and Tristan's life becomes far more complicated. Also hunting the star are two princes, vying for the throne of Stormholt, and a trio of witches who have a very unpleasant fate planned for the star, Yvaine.
This film is never bogged down by overblown special effects (there are no CGI armies or monsters) and is instead floated by some brilliant performances by a veritable 'Who's who' of British acting talent (including the likes of Peter O'Toole, Ian McKellen, Rupert Everett and even Ricky Gervais). Not to mention the transatlantic talents of Claire Danes, Michelle Pfeiffer and Robert DeNiro.
Ultimately, it was the romantic in me that made me fall in love with this film as it's central love story is endlessly compelling.
If you need cheering up and want to see a grand adventure with a happy ending, you need look no further.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
Big, dumb and the most entertaining thing in the cinema in 2007., 17 Dec 2007
Do you like intelligent science fiction which deals with deep human issues using it's sci-fi trappings as a lens?
If yes, then go away and watch something else.
Do you like the idea of giant robots turning into cars and smashing the living you-know-what out of each other?
If yes, then here's your dreams come true!
Throughout 'Transformers' your brain will constantly come up with questions that begin with "Hang on..." or "Wait a minute...". I urge you to just disengage your intellect, ignore the plot holes and enjoy.
Be it Shia LeBeouf's wise-cracking geek or Bumblebee's music-based comic moments, there is nothing about this film that isn't enjoyable.
Worth a specific mention are this film's incredible special effects. Action scenes are what Director Michael Bay does best (let's face it, he's rubbish at doing emotional gravitas) and here we're treated to explosions, stunt driving and all-out gunfights.
Then there's the Transformers themselves... which are amazing. I can't describe to you how cool they look, all I can say is that after seeing this film you will be constantly disappointed that the cars you see don't suddenly leap up and transform.
I was hooked (and grinning like a 6yr old) from the moment, five minutes in, that I first heard that distinctive transformers sound.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Explore the future., 17 Dec 2007
Fun:
The most important thing you need to know about this game is that it's an in-depth RPG. Some have played it expecting an action shooter and been disappointed because they've missed the point.
The second most important thing to know is that this game is freaking awesome!
If you've played BioWare's other hugely successful RPG 'Knights of the Old Republic' then you'll begin to understand what this game is about. However, gone is the turn-based real-time combat and in it's place is 3rd person shooting using pistols, assault rifles, shotguns and sniper rifles.
The character interaction has also received a much needed polish and now your character actually speaks and you'll be constantly amused by what they actually say when you click the relevant conversation option (it's more intuitive than simply repeating what the option says).
Also the light side/dark side element isn't as prevalent. Yes, you do get Paragon or Renegade points based on your actions but, unlike the Star Wars galaxy, starting down the dark path doesn't dominate your destiny. So sweet-talk some people and separate others from their brains, whatever takes your fancy!
The story here is that a rogue servant of the pan-galactic Citadel Council, Saren, is seeking ancient technology in the hopes of unleashing some sort of cataclysm against all sentient life. Why? How? Well, that's for you to find out. You can either got straight after Saren piecing together clues from specific worlds, or you can take your time and explore the galaxy a bit. It is the wealth of side-quests that endeared this game to me so much. You can take your planetary rover, the Mako, for a joyride to survey valuable minerals on some uncharted world or you can tentatively board a drifting spacecraft in search of it's missing crew.
The designers have created a great range of alien races to meet and interact with (and, in a couple of notable cases, sleep with!). The complexity of the background story makes this game fantastically immersive as you feel the pressure of making Humanity's mark in the largely galactic community.
The game isn't without flaws, however. Blasting Geth troopers does get a bit repetative and you can find yourself having to sit throught unskipable dialogue which you've heard once already if you press the wrong button. Also, very rocky planets make some really difficult and annoying expeditions in the Mako.
So, not perfect, but what is? What we have here is the most involving, well-written and playable sci-fi RPG that I've ever played.
PS - Ask for additional payment from the Consort when the time comes (you'll understand when you get there).
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
The FSFH Book Review says:, 24 Nov 2007
THE STORY:
After nearly two decades the Death Star is nearing completion. This book tells the stories of some of the individuals who lived and worked on the station and what happened to them when it met it's fiery end at Luke Skywalker's hands.
WHAT'S GOOD:
Here we get to see the Imperial perspective of 'A New Hope' and of particular interest are the thoughts of moviedom's greatest villain, Darth Vader.
WHAT'S BAD:
Pretty much everything else. There have been dozens of stories about the Death Star, it's construction, the capture of it's plans and it's demise. This book was the perfect opportunity to tie them all together into a definitive history of the Star Wars galaxy's greatest weapon, much the same way A. C. Crispin pulled together all the threads of Han Solo's past in the Han Solo Trilogy. That opportunity is not only missed, it is studiously avoided. Instead of drawing on the wealth of existing background story, Reaves and Perry use it as a chance to create another bunch of mundane nobodies, much as they did with the MedStar Duology. The authors (one of whom I usually like and one of whom I don't) don't even bother to develop the preexisting character that they do use. We learn nothing new of Grand Moff Tarkin or Admiral Motti, except that they're ambitious and they're on the Death Star. In fact the only significant thing about any of the characters featured is that their boring lives take place on the Death Star. Basically a waste; of it's potential and of my time/money.
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