All of creation suffers, young ones. Only in accepting our own mortality can we make a difference. Only in bearing the burden of our failures can we find the strength to go on. Only in detachment from glory, or honour, or jealousy... from life itself can we hope to spare others from grief.
We are Doom Eagles. And we are dead already.
This year has been the most horrific I can remember. From Covid to politics worldwide to state of our world - to the PC/Cancel culture, the Woke Brigade or/and the Cancel Culture. The BLM instead of All Lives Matter. To non descrimantion but instead we've got man-descrimantion - or as they call them white cis men whom they view worst than the plague (although most of them are cis-men). Enfin - This has been a bad year for movies and tv series that don't stop pandering to this fringe elite that demand stuff unless they cancel and then this same companies and shows "Go Broke and then Go Broke".
I Really hope for a better 2021 but to be perfectly honest - It will not.
I don't know if this is fruit of our time, where everyone want to appease everyone out there, or this are just his personal beliefs but If I wanted to know his personal beliefs and opinions I would read his autobiographic stuff or wikipedia...
Although I am reading this novel because I enjoy 40K universe; I enjoy Horror & Zombies (and their variants).
Black Library has been releasing some novels where the authors feel that they can put nowadays politics in them - and Black Library is enable them after all. Games Workshop is another company with this. I don't mind you writing about colour characters or lgbt characters WHEN they are indeed characters and not footnotes so you can proudly boast in Twitter "Yeah my book as a LGBT POC character.. Don't cancel me".
Page 37 of Hardback book
"Sirens wailed throughout Meagre. Proctors marched the streets, a veritable army of bastards, bellowing through loudhailers and herding the scared populace like cattle. Curfew had been ordered. Citizens ran for their domiciles with the fervour of rats fleeing fire. Mothers clutched babes to their chests. Weak and fearful men looked to their own safety. Families huddle close, desperate to stay together. The churn of humanity ploughed ahead in a nervous mob, obeying the blaring of the horns, willingly ignorant of the false protection the proctors offered." - This is narrator opinion, not some of the characters...
There are other instances and I may be reading more than it is BUT alas, that's what felt to me - And in the end that's what matter.
Overall, the book is a mess, the characters moving around - a lot more characters than a 240 novel should have. At times I was confused who was who. He could have focused on Cristo and Morgravia but besides these there were other characters that focus on other characters. In the end I couldn't connect to any of the characters.
So, the all amnesia trope is here and in the end we get some information I needed but I really thought that there was more stuff that miss me - maybe Nick wrote a short story of some sorts connected to this? I don't know...
Overall I couldn't enjoy the novel.
It will not be my last Nick Kyme story but I am disappointed nevertheless. My reading time is limited as any of us - and I never once dropped a Black Library novel (and I've read 150+) and have all them - more than 600 books (in paper). But maybe I must rethink my focus and if I don't enjoy one drop it as I do in non-BLack Library novel.
After watching 10 minutes I thought to myself... well here we go, this is Home Alone French Version... Then the story move ona bit and I thought - DAMN THIS IS HOME ALONE (with grandpa) vs SantaClaus... And it seems it is BUT this was first....
So it's more the other way around.
We've got a very smart kid who makes traps and such and then he is attacked by a Santa Claus. With his skills he tries to defend his home and his almost blind child. Whereas Home Alone is comedy this one is terror and even death happens..
It's very interesting - I cannot compare with Home Alone because it's a comedy and it serves it's purposes like this one.
Kadaver (Cadaver) it's a Nordic movie that deals with end of the world. Basically after several nuclear explosions there isn't kind of food. There we meet a couple and their child as they try to live in this apocalyptic world.
After the initial introduction we see a car that says that a fair is happening in a nearby hotel and food will be offered.
As people eat they are introduced to a realistic play. Basically something happens and the actors all go different ways and you must follow the one/ones you want. It's an interactive theatre... They also give hints not to take to seriously because everything is acting..
But then as night progress strange things start happening and their new goal is staying alive and finally making some difficult decisions to be alive in this post apocalyptic world.
As you know this last years have been a bit slow in terms of reading. The anime has been growing strong and the books suffer for it. Since August I've read 20 books.
Let us see
I've made with the exception of First and Only a review. Must make one , probably today.
My favorite of the bunch were:
SpiderLight - AdrianTchaikovsky
The Devil Next Door - Tim Curran
13 Legion - Gav Thorpe
First and Only - Dan Abnett
Dispatch - Bentley Little
It's a bit frustating at times reading a bit slow. Not as slow as in the last 5 years but still... I am buying more than can read and wish I could read a bit faster. MY goal would be 2 books per week... but next year I will try to read 54(one per week) if possible 81 (x1.5 per week)...
This is only possible because I am working at home so my mental capability it's a bit better... I hope once I return to work at the office I can continue with this volumes.
Oh, regarding boardgames - As soon as I move home I will try to play a bit more... can't promise but yeah...
It's true that I enjoy the first season although it was nothing spectacular to be perfectly clear. It has is flaws, I could give it 5 out of 10 for the firste season.
The second season was a mistake... they had cancelled but no, they had to bring back. Some characters come from last season so I thought... a continuation? No... They use the same people from different characters. It seems the third season will be the same.
Basically we've got a group of teams that killed another teen 5 years ago. For some reason they decide to go back and dispose the body. Since it's winter they stay in a communal house with some wannabes-hippies.
From he first episode someone dies. When the flashback focus a lot on one person - that person would die. It was almost mathematical. With each episode you've got more depth on the characters and the reason they were in that house OR the reason for hating the person they killed.
This is woke - but it's not woke trash. Some episodes more than others. One interesting theme was a lesbian and one gay married because they love to be together BUT THEY ARE NOT ATTRACTED TO ONE ANOTHER... weird as shit.
Almost from the beginning, the man are of course toxic and the only man that has a good quality from the teens it's a black guy and from the other group is a gay. All white heterosexual guys are trash.
Enfin, what can we do... Very stupid ending. Predictable to be honest. Don't watch. Skip this.
Well, this was a fast read (to me) only a 4 sips and that was it. What to tell abou this...
In this story we follow Alessandra (the countess thief) as she is in her new quest to steal a mummy. Yeah.
After the first 40 or 50 pages this novel turns more mystery focus and only at some parts (very brief) it has something akin to Lovecraftian horror. I have to mention that the last 40 pages of the book are the real Lovecraftian lore (although a bit underachieve to be honest).
Of course there are mentions of the boardgames all over the place... be that be Silver Twilight Lodge; O'Bannon; same places in Arkham and several characters. The only one that really had any impact was Muldoon. (The police officer).
If you didn't play any kind of boardgames like Arkham Horror; Elder Sign, Eldritch Horror; New Arkham Horror 3edition; Arkham Horror LCG or Mansion of Madness (in all of these games the characters are the same - I cannot confirm in 100% for Mansion since it's the only one I didn't play) you will not be at lost. They don't focus heavily on those but give us hints to us that play like the beforementioned Muldoon; Harvey; Daisy Walker and small others that appear also in Lovecraft like Armitage.
It was not fast paced, bear in mind that this is more on board with Arkham Horror 3dition OR more LCG because Eldritch you go all over the world; Mansion of Madness it's always inside a mansion(or adjacents parts) and Elder Sign it's just a lite version with no plot. Just dice rolling.
Overall I enjoy it and will buy the next ones; to new people it would be a good read; but it's not the best lovecraftian horror story more... Whodunit? It's the term I believe for this..
This was a good year in terms of music. I found that my genre is changing from more melodic symphonic black metal to atmospheric black metal.
I've been hearing a lot more music in bandcamp and purchase a lot of albuns... and even physical albuns that I know many people don't do it. Some of my discoveries and top 5 were
Downfall of Nur (This is a band from Argentina) with only one Full-Lenght (I purchase the physical album but I still have not receive it); they also have a collaboration with Selvans (that's where I discover them). In terms of music is really beautiful- there isn't any flaw in the music throughout the album. I know the voice will put some people off but I really love them. In terms of lyrics - well they made me search about a ancient kindgom; they made me look into the history of Sardinia, their language and really other stuff. Perfect!
Btw; Downfall of Nur is Antonio Sanna - one man band (the vocalist is Dany Tee (it's important because....)
Because of Downfall of Nur I met Los Males Del Mundo. They only have an EP but what an EP it is. So good. They are looking for a place to record their stuff. They should do a kickstarter or indiego.
Then I met Selvans. This is more orchesta focus with a lot of instruments and they are ex-draugr. I really enjoy that band as well. It has some folk elements but every CD it's a bit different. I bought two Selvans/Downfall of Nur plus Faunalia. My goal is to buy them all but my money is not ulimited. I do have them via bandcamp but I also want cd format.
But I am not totally away from pure black metal, althought most bands are really bland but one come atop of everyone else. Don't know why they only published two EP's. Want a CD but they don't have.The band it's called Nimbifer
the last one I am going to mention with a video it's Begotten. A canadia black metal band with some depressive vocals that really made me want to cry. IT's damn perfect. Their first music from the the cd A waning Silhouette it's really good. Damn perfect. When Covid hit I thought this music really expresse the feelings most people were felling (although the cd it's from 2018). It's a shame I don't have the lyrics...
Fun fact: I bought all three cds from them and each time they reply with a small paper thanking me - in portuguese! How cool is that?
Honourable mention goes to Creatures with the cd Le Noir Village. Very different. The music isn't really pure black metal, the voices are very varied with at least 6/7 vocals. Then each music is a tale on it's own. I love the CD I bought The lyrics remind me of Cradle of Filth. Complex and do tell stories.
Svrn - Atmospheric Black Metal with hints of Depressive. This CD compiles their earlier work (8 ep's or cds I believe). They are Ukrainian and sing in their native language. (one man band)
Хмарь - This ones are from Russia and sing a Atmospheric Post Black Metal. Expect screams. (unknown composition of band)
Marunata - He hails from France and it's very good. As the previous band it sings in a atmospheric post black metal. It's very cool (one man band)
Clouds Collide it's another post black metal band with blackgaze.
Nemus hailing from Germany the sound it's atmospheric black metal. It hints at post in of the cd's but my favorite it's more black metal than post. (one man band)
Abstract Void this band goes from atmospheric blackgaze with some hints of 80's. It's very different from what I normally hear.(one man band)
Imber Luminis depressive black metal in it's best. Another one band man.
There are other but this are the top... I Want to say something that I found out this year... most new band, this post or atmospheric depressive metal bands are usually one band man. They are very personal lyrics and music. And I really seem to enjoy each day that passes even more. Every night I hear at least one hour of new music when I go to bed. Most of these bands were found that like this... Bandcamp really change my way of listening music (and founding out new music).
I found these videos online, if any of the artists don't want them please do so.. I don't know if they are legal but I believe so.
I know we are in November but I didn't have that much time to write more reviews.
I really enjoy this movie. I am rally far-fetching the horror genre but this is not horror. It's a fantasy, post-apocalpytic world with comedy and romance. If I had to give one single genre - adventure.
This movie was made before Covid but since it was not possible to go to the cinemas they delayed and now it's out.
It's very interesting to be honest - I didn't expect such a good movie to be honest. This is a story of our world that was wipe out (almost completely) by mutated cold blood animals. In this story we follow a young man who is good for nothing and it's living in a silo with a bunch of other survivors. He is the only one who really don't fit. One day after several communications with his past girlfriend (via radio) he decides to leave the silo and go to the other silo several miles away (70 I believe). But earth is not a good place. Nobody lives outside the silos or bunkers because death is always lurking. Giant monsters are everywhere. But still the boy goes... after a while he encounters a monster but is saved by a dog; afterwards falls into a pit but is rescue by a man and a child who teach him a lot about living above world.
Most movie is this travel and the lessons he learns. Nothing is what it's seems to be. It's very interesting to see the main character grown.
The actions scenes are really good. The monsters are really well designed and behave like they normally due but times 1000x. Some are not aggressive but others are. It's like nature.The characters are very interesting as well. All of them are not cardboard versions of stereotypes.
Advisable to anyone if you enjoy comedy, romance or adventure movies. There are monsters - thus the horror BUT probably to me because I have a bit of phobia of insects.
Well, I bought this book and started reading right away. The reason is that I enjoy lovecraftian tales and since this was based on Cthulhu Wars I started to read and thought that this makes no sense being labed as Cthulhu Wars.
Cthulhu Wars is a game where 2 or more players battle for victory. Each faction has it's own weakness and strengths. I knew this could not be done since it would be impossible to make a book on Cthulhu perspective or other any other Old Ones... Well it could be done via the cultists but it would be hard. What I found was 9 tales, each one with 3/5 pages. Each page focused on one Faction available in Cthulhu Wars (interesting none was about Cthulhu). Each one is non-connected to the other.
In the other tale takes almost 300 pages and we follow three survivors in a post-apocalytic environment where several Old Ones come to be... Unfortunately the author doesn't spent that much time in this focusing on our 3 protagonists. There are a couple of chapters dedicated to other beings (including Wendigo). But what disappoint me it was the lack of connection between the novel and Cthulhu Wars. There was no battles between old ones (although there were a couple of pages where we see some cultists fighting other faction.
But that was it...
I wrote this in when I was at 250 pages or so but in the last 40 pages there are some action between two Old Ones (Cthulhu vs Ithaqua) but it's so brief and just a note that it was insufficient for me.
It's a book that can be read very fast no doubt about it but bear in mind that it doesn't do justice to the Cthulhu Wars franchise. I would prefer a Planet Apocalpyse novel since it would be better suited because since the world is burning and daemons are appearing there are survivors and they are fighting. Novels could be written by it. Let us see...
AS most Japanese movies this was odd... A group of teens, 12, who guess it?, join together in an abandonment hospital. There they are committed to kill themselves in a group effort. Either they all die or none die.
We've got different archetypes of characters, like the ruffian, the intelectual, the goth, the popular etc.. They all have one thing in common, either by one reason or another want to die.
Thus it begins this adventure, but it's soon cut off when they found a 13 element apparently dead in a bed. Then this tale turns to mystery and see the situation that unfolds before their meeting.
We also learn a bit about each one, well only a couple or else the movie would have 3 hours.
Overall it was very emotional, less horror, to be honest I don't see any horror elements but it's catalogued like that.
It was interesting to see, how people who in the outside might look like a normal person then twhen confronted with the upending doom they back down.
What di you learn with this? Even a life of pain is worth living. Advisable to any Japanese movie lover. If it's your first don't start here
You're next it's a story where a family goes to dinner in a isolated house. Meanwhile they start to being hunted by a man or men and there is no logic on why. One of the tenants, a young girl starts using tactics that surprises everyone else. It seems she is a survivalist and so she really can kill people left and right.
There are some twists in the end that makes this journey worth it. The ending was quite good to be honest. One of the best I saw in October.
The only sex/boob thing that happened was right in the beginning when a couple is having sex. Again that trope of Wrong Turn.
This is a polish slasher and it's very poor. I cannot phrase that in any other way.
The basic plot it's a bunch of kids who are taken into a no technology camp and they must survive a couple of days without internet and electronic devices.
A group of boys and girls go and make camp in the night. Sex happens - why not right? And the first person is killed. Afterwards it's person after person being killed until there is only one left - which is survivalist (Why?) but the monsters are not dead as well. The monsters are two brothers who caught a rock and got transformed into freaks of nature who don't speak and are not monsters.
The story itself it's in subpar and to be honest on par of other tales from Hollywood so there's that. But the monsters are really not that interesting and the all champion female it's unbelievable.
Most gang died because they acted stupidly.
Don't waste your time.
Not even that good boobs to be honest so... (there's like two second worth of boobs).
Note: As a movie that comes from poland and since poland has some strange laws - the gay character here was interesting but it was "cut" short. Haha
The nazis in the end it's crap. The director had to be Woke ? Woke in Poland? Can't people make movies without preaching their own opinions and thoughts on politics? I mean this is a slasher! I want blood and boobs.
First of all, if you haven't seen the first series I have to say two things:
-> Why the heck not?
-> Don't worry, these are not that connect with the exception of one character who is telling the tale and she appears in the first and last episode.
Is this better than the first? Nope.
The story is told within another story and it's a story about a manor which is haunted. We don't understand the reason until half the series and then it's just boring.
In this tale we follow a person (Dani) who is hired to educated two children (Flora & Miles) who have lost their parents. From this moment on we see a bunch of disparate characters.
We've got the house governess (Grose) who is a bit dreamy and never eats. You've got the Gardener (Jamie) which is a bit mysterious and rebel. The cook (Owen) who has some family problems - he is also very attach to Grose. Then in other timelines, because there are several of them you've got Jessel (former educator)and Peter who is the the liaison between Henry (The uncle of the children) and the house people.
This tale it's a bit confusing at times because there are several flashbacks but as you watch more and more you learn that they are not flashbacks at all but pockets in time travel and such.
It's interesting and daunting to watch in one go BUT at the same time it's not that good to be honest. I didn't care about the all the timelines and they felt wrong. One thing is telling a tale within a tale with flashbacks to give meaning and such - another it's making pocket universes and even time travel.
It's boring and not that well achieved. Comparing this to the previous series it's just wrong. The first season it has some terror this it's just some jump scares - from the first time you've see Mrs Grose you know she is a ghost.
Now good things - My God Flora acting it's just good. So young but she's got a future.
The all lesbian stuff it's just absurd. So, Dani it's gay; we know she's got some demons inside her - so what's the daemon? Well, she was close friend to a boy and afterwards they choose to get married (SHE SAID YES) but as the preparations unfold she tries to broke off telling her boyfriend that she is a lesbian - he leaves the car upset (of course, who wouldn't) and it's killed by a truck!
So, she has some doubts but even so accepts to marry him but then says - who sorry. I am gay. FUCK OFF. You get no sympathy from me.
Okay, in the first tale we've also got a lesbian but her part it's well conceived. This one it's not.
So if you haven't watch the first please do. If you want a ghost story, with time travel then watch this. The ending it's very odd to be honest...
Btw, this is by Mike Flanagan which is one of my favourite horror directors with movies like the Haunting of Hill House, Gerald Game, Doctor' Sleep, Ouija, Before I awake, Oculus.. He sure likes Carla Gugino.
Enfin, so in the end I would advise watching the first one. Then if you really want watch this as well BUT bear in mind they are not connected Unless you say Carla was in both of them. The other thing it's that it's connected to other tales from other horror writer from the olde days like Henry James.
Well, comparing with the last four (2,3,4,5) this was the best.
Why? More nudity, more back story, more nudity, more plot twist, more nudity...
In this story we follow a group of friends as they go to the a hotel deep in the forest. This hotel is going to be inherit by one of the friends from a late relative he knew nothing about. Since he had a mental breakdown and lost every penny he had this was a gift from the heavens.
Well, it seems he is a distant relative of the hillybillies and they have a plot where he would fit right in.
This was not the most bloodiest or gruesome tale but sure was the nudiest.
This tales follows always the same plot, in the beginning we are introduced to some characters and nudity follows - then they die. It's just that. I've watch in the IMDB and most of these women only do this parts of getting naked, showing boobs and they disappear in obscurity. I wonder this is what Hollywood constantly talks about in tv series and movies - a moviestar wannabe went to Hollywood shows boobs and disappears - while others become more famous most are just a pair of boobs. (which we all like to see right?)
Only acting stuff worth of mention by this actress - well this and the scene on game of thrones, where again she shows the twins...
I don't mean to disrespect anyone. I respect this scenes because they are vital to the horror genre. Horror without nudity it's like eating fried potatos without salt - you can do it but it's not the same.
