Book Review: Hickory Dickory Dock (Agatha Christie) Poirot

I must say that, as previous Agatha Christies novels I am not enjoying that much. Again, Poirot is almost absent only appearing just for the sake of it. This all mystery was interesting. A post ww2 story where global world is opening up. We've got ourselves a home where all sort of people live, american, french, indians, africans and English of course.

The mystery itself was not really interesting. So, several stuff are missing from the house and Poirot learns from it after his secretary makes a mistake writing a letter. One thing goes to another and Poirot goes investigate that (boring?).

A murder happens a day later and another one a couple of days after. But from that moment on, Poirot is almost absent only appearing to "solve" the case. Nothing that the inspector and residents couldn't figure it out themselves.

One interesting stuff is the mentality of residents. You've got several people with different background and in that regard Agatha can really shine. Even one boy/man that openly criticizes the way Poirot works as... "The old Way" - It seems he was wrong.

Also the women behave different comparing with the girls written in the 20's or 30's. It seems the times are changing... I will continue because even the worst Christie novel is not the worst book I've read. So maybe this 2 stars will equal a 3 stars novel I read sometime. Regarding those authors I read the much I compare between them. I also do that with 40K or Fantasy novels. I can compare between them.

5 star rating has that problem. A 10 would be better but alas, that's what we have.

Book Review: The Devil Next Door (Tim Curran)

 

Tim curran is one of the most disgusting, demonic, perverted, tabooless you can imagine - and I like him. I've read 5 novels by him and not all are the same vein. Some are more horror-lovecraftian thing and then others are just - "See how perverted, disgusted humans can be" -> Biohazard had some pretty awful images.

This one is identical in some ways. Humans are disgusting and capable of the most unimaginable things. One might say that yeah Nazi were awful but were they the worst? Probably not. There are a lot of awful ways to kill people and the Inquisition really put that working. There are other more sadistic ways if you want to imagine and all of them someone tried before. So, yeah nazis killed millions but in the same war the Japanese were way worst - the tests they did were very disgusting. Okay , probably a topic for another day.

We are talking about this one.

-> If you hate or are disgusted reading about rape, don't read this novel.
-> If you hate or are disgusted reading about fecces, don't read this novel.
-> If you hate or are disgusted reading about blood, don't read this novel.
-> If you hate or are disgusted reading about incest, cannibalism, juvenile porn, infanticide - yeah don't read this novel.
-> IF this don't upset you - well, first of all, you may go some specialist because something is wrong with you :)

Now, what I am saying is that each page is filled with something of the above. The story goes from page one to the last really fast forward even if the story takes place in 24/48h spam.

In this story we follow two main characters Macy (an underage girl) and Louis a 30/40 year old guy. Then each other chapter we follow a different character just to enrich our tale of story and a global vision (only local).

As I said it's very graphic, gore and exploitation. If you got arouse in some scenes- probably you are not alone - don't worry :)

I am going to put some scenes - I am going to put in spoilers but not because they are spoilers but somewhat graphic.

." She did not see him or the hands that pressed him down on her, but she felt his penis as it slid along her inner thigh like an engorged snake, pushing higher and higher, sliding into her as she shuddered and kicked and called out the name of the only man she thought would protect her..."

"She squatted by te boy's head, running fingers along the inside of his skull, getting the last bits of buttery-soft gray matter that had been missed. Like her sister, she was naked, streaked with grime and and filth from head to toe, her flesh cicatrized in patterns of welts and rising scars 

Another interesting point is the all Killer Ape theory the writer here talks about

- Love is a romanticized adaption of the breeding / brooding impulse

- Materialism is simply an expression of the animal instinct to covet

- Nationalism our flag-waving patriotism, nothing more than the ancient animal drive to maintain and defend a territory and war nothing but an overblown, exaggeration of territorial impulse to raid, kill to take what belongs to another and make it your own.

Why everything happend we don't know. It's never truly explain the meaning and reason for all. Some theories and such.

Book Review: 13th Legion (Gav Thorpe) Last Chancers 1 - Black Library

 

I've read this book and I enjoy it.

If you've read Sven Hassell or Leo Kessler then you know you are going on a treat.

In this story we follow in the first perspective of Lt Kage of the 13th Penal Legion of the Last Chancers.

First of all let me tell you that the book it's a compilation of several short stories plus one novella.

You can easily read one short story and then another without losing much - although the novella (the last story) I supposed it must be read with the conjunction you've read all other stories because there are some instances they talk about them.

So, this is a penal legion that goes from warzone to warzone, killing the enemies of mankind and being killed. In each story we get to know about Kage, Schaeffer (The colonel and the only one who is not a prisioner) and plus a dozen other characters. Some are just background to be killed while others we get to know a little better and transition from story to story.

It's very interesting to see Kage struggle between a sadistic boss and keeping all penal legionnaires in rein. It's also interesting to see Kage struggle to try to escape, while doing his duty and trying to amend his own sins.

Penal Legions were used in WW2 either by Germans and Russians. They are cannon fodder and forlorn hope. They exist to die and redeem themselves in the name of the Emperor (in the novel - not reality). It was also interesting some political debates - even in the last story - when they are invading a citadel full of heretics and the heretics thing the Imperium surrounding their city are the heretics and Kage, Schaeffer and a Inquisitor debate the meaning of "traitor" and so on.

The only part I didn't enjoy was the epilogue. I understand the reason - after all Gav Thorpe had to write more stories BUT it wasn't that well executed.

As a grimdark fanboy I would give this a try as I said to anyone who enjoys novels focus on war and action. I would like to add that this is a good entry point for 40K because it doesn't dwell on lore.

I will read the next two in the couple of months ahead.

TV Series Review: 3% - Brazilian Thriller TV Series

First of all I would like to add that I just finish the fourth season. So basically I ended the show. If they even try to make a fifth season I will not watch it (edit: the fourth will be the last season).

This show is a bit odd. It began in an interesting foot and fell all communist by the end.

So lets begin with the first season. Basically all young teens of 20 years would go into the process to have a chance to be part of an elite - the 3% and go to a place called Maralto. That place supposedly is a perfect green place whereas the remaining area of Brazil is called Continente and it's a desert wasteland.

First of all - nothing is given in the first season to the fourth what happened to the rest of the world. Is everything a wasteland? We don't know. Which part of Brazil is desert? All except Maralto? We don't know. Basically it's a city in the mainland (Continente) and island (Maralto) - Maralto is Portuguese for HighSea.

Second, how Continente survives? Nothing exists, all desert wasteland - unfortunately there isn't much info on this.

So, as I said, the first season was good. First we've got those youngsters trials and how they deal with the challenges. Some crack, some changed for good, some didn't change at all. It was really interesting. What I learn is that this was a Meritocracy kind of system. The good go to the island and the bad... remain in provery. Some of these contestants are infiltrators from something called the Cause. They want to disrupt and destroy the Maralto.

The second season our infiltrator Michelle went to Maralto and starts embracing that place. She is also searching for her brother. Three other characters come to high importance called Joana & Fernando plus Rafael (all main characters of the first season). Rafael was also a infiltrator but we never learn in 1 season ( this is what I recalled). The two other were rejected and are recruited to that Cause (Causa). By the end of season 2 Michelle learns that everything is not what is seems and Maralto never began by being like that and even that Maralto had a bomb exploded in the Continente and fry everything electronic provoking the chaos. This was 100 years prior.

In the third season, Michelle have left the maralto and funded a safe-haven called Concha were everyone is welcome. Fernando died (did the main character want to leave?) and Joana goes there to see how can Concha help in the struggle of Maralto. After a sandstorm and saboatege a concha can't support so many people so she.... makes a selection! She was tottally against going against it but she did it anyway... Is this a preview of evil people turning against themselves?

The fourth season Maralto & Concha want to make truce  but the new leader of Maralto (Michelle brother) but they hall have hidden agendas. Maralto wants Concha to be a puppet of Maralto and Concha leaders want to destroy Maralto has Maralto destroyed the Continente. 

Spoiler Warning...

It ends with Michelle and her brother dead. It ends with Maralto and Concha being destroyed and all living in proverty BUT as they say - they are free and will leave together. So communism prevail over meritocracy and fascism (later) but they all leave in poor conditions. No longer 0% has a chance to be better because, if you don't have goals why run? If you don't have objectives why move?

This is absurd to the point where I cannot even phantom understand what was the purposse. They were going one way and then chance because Bolsonaro mayhaps? I notice the changes in politics in the 3 season. 

Of course there are lesbians, trans, and even the founding couple was not a couple but a trio. All of these only happened after season 3 (end of 2) 

I don't care about these things to be honest. What I care is a story. After 33 episodes of 45m each I wanted more and they failed. The second, third and fourth season could have been make in half the episodes because a new plot arises identical of the last and the effect "I was from the cause all along" or something like that it's boring, predictable and makes you wonder if they really wanted to make a 2,3 or 4 season.

Veredict

Is it good? Only the first season. You don't need the remaining seasons.
Is it important to the genre? It's important that it was a Brazilian show. They can really try. It
Is it woke? No it is not. Maybe in couple of instances but it's not. The third & fourth season is blantanly a communist propaganda. Let us be all equal - Poor but are free and going to die eventually.

Most characters are boring and change all the time their opinions. Marco Álvares(Rafael Lozano) was probably my favorite character - or even her mother. Everyone else was boring, gutless and make poor choices.  Joana was the worst.

Should you watch it?

If you are brazilian you should. One of the greastest series you've made and avaiable to all world. Should you expect something different from a Telenovela? No. It's a telenovela in tv series format. 

Book Review: The Hollow (Agatha Christie)

 

Here it is an interesting tale of Poirot. First of all, Poirot is in from page 100 or so.

(If you watch the tv series it's a bit different but they followed the script most of time...)

Lady Lucy is a really interesting character. She is what I think a noblewoman was in the the turn of the century. Without any purpose and everything that was out of ordinary excited her... She was throughout the novel quite happy and content to see someone died.

Gerda Christow is a dedicated wife, although Christie goes to great tales to tell us she is very stupid and dumb - I wonder why Christie did that. Maybe she didn't like those kind of women - subvert to men.

Henrietta is the girl on the block - independent and artistic. Here is the kind of girl that Mr Christie really appreciates - she went great lengths for her.

Edward is the nobleman that lives from his family gains. David is the new communist kind of thing against the empire (although we never see him much... interesting in the tv series he doesn't even appear). Mauge is odd girl... the substitute girl.

The butler, cooks and housemistress are what you think of them. Either talkative and know it all or quite feudal.

All in all it was a solid novel. A good explanation, not the most lengthy but interesting characters. They were the fruit of the 40's.

Anime Review: Japan Sinks (2020)

Here we go... So another netflix anime that could have been great but its sucks. Woke

a) So the main characters (2 of them at least) are POC - Probably a requirement for funding the anime. It's not the first and will not be the last - but it's the first I can remember that it's the main character.

b) Man are of course animals.

In terms of animation is bad to be honest. Specially the action scenes.

This all show was really bad.

Book Review - Commissar (Andy Hoare) Black Library

 

After reading this novel in only 3 days I don't think this was a very solid read.

First of all it went the same way other Commissar novels go. We expect them to be brutal and here we have a character that thinks he is hard when he must but overall he didn't even had to execute anyone.

Most of characters besides Flint, Kohlz (which to me felt like Jurgen) and Vahn all other characters were poorly developed.

I thought this would give more insight on Vostroyan, Penal Facilities or even on Penal Legion and it gave nothing at all. The only thing I learn is that Vostroyan mentality reminds me of Chinese from the 3 Century or so. So, even if he is a criminal just because he is your more "important" cousin in hierarchy of your family you can't do anything? Bah

The all colonel stuff and history was smelled a thousand leagues away.
The ending was a bit fast and unfortunately I didn't get the all "the convicts that fought for you are going to fight under the commissar" in just one line or so. Bah...

All in all, not that good. Sorry. Both fifteen Hours and Deathworld are way better. 

Book Review: Children of the Dust - Louise Lawrence

 This novel was a fast read.

It remind me a movie I watched couple of months ago called Threads. A nice movie of the 80's. It was a wake up call regarding nuclear war. It was set in a city and the impeding doom that follow a nuclear war and the trials afterwards. Very disconcerting to be honest.

Regarding this novel it was divided in three parts. Each one follow a different character but they were all connected. The first part dealt with the nuclear war and the weeks/months that followed. It was very interesting and even more was a concept of one particular character - the only one that went to part 2 and 3 but never the main character.

The concept was - after a nuclear war a nuclear winter will follow and most society will died. How much ? We don't know. I remember reading that only 5% of the population would survive the nuclear war, fallout and nuclear winter BUT other novels put that number a bit lower or higher.

- It doesn't matter the number to be honest. What matters is that this novel introduced something - a person who right from the beginning was more intuitively more keen to adapt. This was very interesting.

The second part deals with the years that follow and how some groups survived underneath in bunkers. But the politics of the surviving members (this part deals with 20 years or so) and the difference between the under-dwellers and the outsiders. A group leaves and meets some survivors and the deformed mutants afterwards.

The third part and to me not that good - a solid 4 to 5 stars drop to 3. After fifty years a new kind of breed appear - the mutants are no longer deformed per se (like two heads) but change due to nature. Unfortunately besides that view of mutants vs humans which were blamed for the nukes (even this were the descendants). Then the mutants evolved and now had psychic powers and such and were pure communists... never asking and always sharing. They even go that far to say that's evolution.

I've read that his novel had ". It contains graphic violence, profane language, and descriptions of sexual activity, for which it was banned from many school libraries." Where? Sexual activity? My god lol there is none. Graphic violence? What in descriptions or because she killed children? I can accept that but profane language? LOL yeah right.

(Regarding the communist part it doesn't bother - Home Sapiens - are not that capable of communism - but who knows if our evolution Homo Superior can have a life were sharing and non-violence is the way to go.. I hope it was now but alas...)

I only thing that the evolution was too fast. Radiation and the lack of ozone layer would transition to a new "breed" of humans in only 50 years? I don't know and I hope I never found out. 

Heart of Iron IV - Strangest World War 2

Instead of one great war there were several.

So lets start by telling which factions were in place

Pact of Rome

-> Italiy

-> Hungary 

-> Austria

-> Italian Burundi

Axis

-> Germany

-> Yugoslavia

-> Greece

-> Japan

-> Menkukkuo

-> Shanshi

-> Ximbei Sa Ma

-> Manchunko

-> Rwanda

Allies

-> United Kingdom

-> France

-> Sweden

-> Switzerland

-> Denmark

-> The Netherlands

-> Yuguslovia Federation

-> Malasya British

-> Dominion of Canada

-> Doninion of India

-> China

-> Mexico 

-> Australia

Comintern

-> Sinkiang, 

-> Mongolia

-> URSS

Stand Alone Countries

United Kingdoms of Portugal and Brazil (Me) UKPB

USA (& Philipines)

So what were the wars?

UKPB & Axis VS Pact of Rome  (The only I am in - but after defeating them I will go against the Allies)

Axis VS Allies

Pact of Rome VS Allies

Comintern VS Allies

USA VS Allies

Very messing