Book Review: The Dog Stars by Peter Heller (post apocalyptic)

I read this book in under four hours. I woke up at 6h30 started reading , then pause a bit around 8h00 to 9h00 and continue until 11h00.

366 pages in under 4h. That's amazing I would say. IT helps that the way it's written is very accessible and fast paced it does not help the way it was written \ chosen. Allow me to explain, this was written like a memoir of some sort where our main protagonist Hig is trying to survive an apocalpyse that killed 99% of the world population. It was a flu kind of disease and then some blood issue. Flu thing you would think - influenced by covid? Well, no as this book was written in 2011. IT was probably influenced of the Avian influenza that has been around for a number of years in our collected mind.

So, as I was saying, you've got this man (Hig) that is trying to live his live in this post apocalyptic scenario where humanity has perish. He is accompanied by a dog and another man called Bangley which is a survivalist (guess he stroke gold).

The first half of the book, the book is divided in several "books", is more about some backstory and is day to day life while flying the plane around his "base". We also meet the "families" which are a bunch of Mennonites (you have to search what it means, not going to tell you, this is what I most enjoy on books, the discover of new things). The second part of story comes after one pivotal incident - that may shocked people - and he starts investigating what exist behind is place. In there he finds a woman called Cima (35+/-) and her pop.

Not going to delve much more on the plot but suffice to say - and this my opinion on the book - it's... MEH!. I have seen it done better and worse, and this falls on the worse, just because on how it's written. You've got a phrase of 10 lines, you've got lines than end with "and." and other non-written rules. I mean I kind of understand as this how would it felt to be a talking memoir BUT it's written and so it felt weird and please don't get me started on the dialogue - what a bunch of... feces. It's bad, it's weird, it's confusion. Was the author trying to emulate José Saramago? He wrote a book , well worst than that as that one don't have any punctuation. This had but not to my enjoyment.

So having said that, I cannot remove the idea I read 366 pages in 4H but I cannot give more than 50/100. Again meh.

PS: Buy Coca-Cola. Wonder if he made a deal to say Coca-Cola a bunch of times.

PS2: Lividian Publication edition with the artwork of Vaillancourt is very good. It enhanced my enjoyment or else I would have given 40. I will sell it as it's not one of the most beautiful they made and it's not to my liking.

Book Review: The Ice Ghost by Kathleen O'Neal Gear

The Ice Ghost by Kathleen O'Neal Gear
My rating: 48 of 100 stars

Pages : 288p

Year : 2022

Genre : Post Apocalyptic

Series : Rewilding Reports, #2/3

I am going to rate this 48 out of 100.

First of all, it drags a lot on the treking in the caves and not that much development. IT suffers from being the middle book.

So, this story follows the previous novel , but several moons (months) have passed. The peace between SeaLion & Rust are gone and Rust has almost destroyed Sealion. Of 100 something there are now only 20. After a brief parley Torgon (of Rust) asks for Quiller to guide him to Lynx and in return they won't kill the remaining Sealions. She a accepts and their journey starts. Meanwhile we've got glimpses of Lynx living with the supposedly last Jermen alive but slowing dying (don't know why since he is still around 1000 years in the future).

I am not going to spoil everything but after meeting they then travel again to a caves where a old woman (another Jermen) lives. Stuff happen and the book end.

First of all, my main problem and to me it was too much was the pov. There are three pov now instead of two. We've got now Rabbitear and each chapter is around 3 to 5 pages. Each one is 1st person perspective and so at some point it just blends and got me confuse a lot... who am I reading now? This was disconcerting.

Then the plot is just as I've said middle book. You've got a couple semi answers and more questions let's hope book 3 wraps it up. I am going to read this month. It was to be one per month but to be honest I Want this to be over. We understand now a bit.. Scientists developed something that give birth to something that lives in the water and a ice age appear. (what are the giants that they talk about?) . Scientists (don't know why Jermen comes from that) battle and some development creatures that can adapt to cold. Basically Denisovans and neatherdals (the two branches before our current evolutionary state). Basically they are redoing the past and in x thousand years they will again change to current homo sapiens (who the heck know that would happen). This idea is basically focus on the theory that evolution is scripted go to a-b-c and so on.. but is it? That's why we've you've got all of this branches... Well let's see how Kathleen grabs us on book 3.

Overall, I didn't enjoy as much this.

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Book Review: MALORIE by MALERMAN JOSH

MALORIE by MALERMAN JOSH
My rating: 33 of 100

Pages : 299

Year : 2020

Genre : Apocalyptic Fiction

Series :  Bird Box (Finish)

It took me 2 days to read the novel, that's something. I've watch Birdie Box when it was released and then I've watch the other movie set in Barcelona. When I saw both books at sale I bought them. First I Want to learn more about the setting and I thought it brought something new. The second novel, this one was not Barcelona but a sequel of the first one which intrigue me. I thought the story was told...

I started and almost immediately I didn't enjoy it. So they were in a safe haven (somewhat) and chaos erupts and most are killed. Both Malorie and her two children escape and settle in another place. Time jump several years and now they are both 16. So knowing that she was a mother at teenager I bet she is around 30's.

Most of their life , and most of their book is about Malorie shielding the boy and girl (Tom & Olympia). After an encounter with someone who is making a census they learn that Malorie's parents may be alive so they travel to that place either on foot or by a newly built train.

Most of these book is bad to be honest, unless you forget about the first one and the apocalpytic world they are living. This book is quick guide on how not be a over protecting parent, realizing they will not be always x years and that with time if you control them too much the chains will be broken. Most of the novel is Malorie telling them not remove the blindfolds whilst Tom trying to escape her grip. Olympia just exists , sometimes siding with one or the other.

Now for the spoilers part... So, as you know there are these beings that make people crazy and committing crimes and then suicide , right? On Barcelona they delve more and making people that have seen this monsters to be completly ravening crazy but not to the point of suicide. Here we've got something else.. It seems you can look at them and not being crazy at all, even more revealing in the last 10 pages or so, Olympia (didn't really understand about Tom) could and see these monsters without any drawbacks whatsoever. So why did she let the monsters killed all the people on first haven and then on the following 10 years , why didn't she told anything? I know she is over protecting and such BUT...

End of spoilers

So , as a post apocalyptic novel I would rate this bad. On a book that enhances my experience with Bird Box I would rate this bad. IF you just want a story focus on characters that are focus on being over protective to the limit due to her own fears then probably this is a book for you - but I am kidding. It's not that interesting. 33/100

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Book Review: The Ice Lion by Kathleen O'Neal Gear

The Ice Lion by Kathleen O'Neal Gear
My rating: 68 of 100 stars

Pages : 304

Year : 2021

Genre : Post Apocalpytic Fiction

Series : Rewilding Reports #1

 

First book of 2024. As I write this novel I am happy that I finished. This is clearly YA Sci-Fi on which I will be reading another one this month and you can definitely understand why is YA. It's way to simple, the page read goes up effortlessly and I ended up reading a novel in one day if you count only hours. I also read 60 pages of Neal Asher's Departure. So, branding everything sci-fi is just idiotic. There's a reason this is YA and that's hard sci-fi. Here , although alien world, was really easy to get into. You get the meaning of some stuff as you go along and you never really feel lost. On the other hand, neal asher, if you don't understand a word (and you won't ) you feel confused and hoping for a more clear water.

This novel has been on my mind for some mind. With only 300 pages I knew it would be fairly easy read and something to begin the year with. I've been reading several of Gear's novels (both her's and her husband) and although this is the first YA it has their characteristics. If you've read the people of the north America in a post apocalyptic wasteland of ice and cold, then you got it. This tale is told in around 50 chapters, alternate between Lynx and Quiller. Both are 16 and childhood's friends. The problem? Quiller loves Lynx and Lynx chooses another girl to marry but on the wedding night she ends up killed by some lions (ice lions?). Branded as a coward , but not wanting him to be dead or outcast they send him on a mystical quest . There he finds a Doctor Arike which he thinks it's one of the lost Jemen. On the other hand we follow Quiller as she tries to survive this new world without him but being a SIMP. Yeah I know it's usually a male but in this case it's her. Even knowing that he would never choose her, she goes at great lengths to protect him like a mother protects his son. Some dialogues, and actions are pretty YA that makes my black hearth cry thinking that writers a) think people behave like this or b) they are right and people do act like this. Don't know which is more depressing...

Courage isn't the province of the brave Lynx. It's the virtue of the terrified. IT's what happens when you have no option left.

One of the most inters testing aspects is the worldbuilding. There are some interesting stuff here like who are these pseudo-indians (we already know who they , after all in the end they provide some spoilers) and what happened to the world. What is Zyme? What are the Ice Giants etc. There are so much to be found and I want to do it. I will read it. But my enthusiasm dwindle a little to be honest. The market is not me. The market is a 12/16 year olds.

Oh and before I forget, although it's a frozen landscape, rarely they talk about it and how it affects them. It sure as everyone living through it like it's a winter in Portugal. It bothers a little but very bearable. Another thing that upsets me was where the action took place. My god, they travel miles or days yet they always find someone they are looking at. For a frozen landscape with a thousand survivors they sure are all in the same 10 feet.

Another thing that upset me was the length.. This could easily be a duology of two 400 pages book. it ended awkwardly and the justification like they did for another novel "people nowadays want smaller books". Who said it? Probably the publishers and writers since they will sell more. People don't want to pay thrice for a book that could be one or two. I will give this book a 7 out of 10.

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Book Review: Wool by Hugh Howey

Wool by Hugh Howey
My rating: 8 of 10 stars

Pages : 576

Year : 2012

Genre : Post Apocalpytic \ Dystopia

Series : Wool 1/3

What a long book. It felt longer than it is.

I've read the first two parts , when they were released online, more than 10 years ago. Much more.

Then I forgot about it - or did I?

Then the TV Series came out and I remember reading it and enjoying and asking myself, why didn't I continued? Well, I was poor and had no money. There was no paperbook and I don't read eBooks (I read this because it was around 40 pages and I was at worked.

First of all, I read this after the TV Series so my vision of the characters was the same. First of all, there are some changes hat were a bit odd, first of all Robert Sims, who the heck is he?

Bernard motives are quite different, well , not different but mysterious in the series. In the books he says all the time. George Wilkins is quite inexistent in the novel (there are some references but quite sporadic). The TV Series focus a lot on Julliete & Holston , on the book there isn't any kind of it. there is some connection but it's quite over part 100 pages. Sims is quite insistent and he isn't part of Judiciary. Walker is a man in the novels, here they genderswap. Also the all relation between Lukas & Juliette

There are some stuff that don't exist in the book (in the first one at least - Flamekeepers, the Syndrome.

First of all, bear in mind that all the TV Series are basically first 227 pages of the novel. The remaining are probably 2 season (or part of it).

So, after talking so much, what's this book about?

We've got this people living in Silos, and Silos is what you expect from our normal silos but now imagine 10 or 20 times as the biggest one where 10,000 people can live all together. They live, unaware there is a world outside, well, they know there is a world outside but it's diseased and everyone that is sent out dies within minutes. So, what do we have here is a several stories all connected (you can read as one big story). The first part, we start accompanying a sheriff of the silo as he voluntarily wants to go outside. It's a dead sentence but he wants to follow his wife. He thinks people in the top are keeping them in the blind and not telling everything. The second part we've got a quite interesting introduction of Juliette the main character of the novel per se plus the deputy of the sheriff & mayor as they travel from top to bottom to grab Juliette which is going to be next Sheriff at the recommendation of the previous one. You get glimpses of power struggle between the Mayor and Bernard from IT.

The third part is the story of Juliette and a bit of mystery as she is trying to investigate why the Mayor and deputy died(killed themselves) plus discovering what the previous sheriff was on.

The biggest part is the fourth part (the one that is not part of the TVseries) , so some SPOILERS AHEAD

This part deals with Juliette now outside, not cleaning, but went into another desert Silo. You get more of Bernard & Lukas (which is shadowing Bernard) and getting to know the history of Silo and the reason behind all the mystery. And I Thought it was good. I didn't enjoy that much of civil war, kind of bland , boring and I bet the vast majority of TV Series 2 Season will be focus on this, although here was a bit overshadow by Lukas and Juliette and Solo.

I enjoy it, but my complain was that the pacing was a bit on the slow pace. Again the all fightning and other characters were there to what?

Enfin... I will read the 2 and 3 novel without any doubt. I think the second will be the sequel whilst the third will be a prequel of some sorts and that interest me.

Now, one question remains and it comes to this... They try to give free rein in some silos and they went dark and kill themselves, civil wars and so on. Other silos that kept silence and hush stuff prosper... so , is it okay to limit freedom for the greater good or freedom is top priority even if in the end we end up killing one another? Is a good question this book presides and no matter your answer, it's not the correct one. Because there isn't one. It's like politics, Left Leaning or Right Leaning? Which is better? Communism or Fascism or Democracy or any other form of government. All have some good points, some more than others, and have weak points. It's quite interesting debate. You may lean to one or the other and that's okay I guess, but in the end which one is perfect? Is there any form of government that is perfect? Cool questions..

Well overall, the book is good and very interesting. My main problem was the all length. I am going to provide some spoilers, but if you watch the movie

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Book Review: Run by Blake Crouch

Run by Blake Crouch
My rating: 8 of 10 stars

Pages : 331 pages

Year :  2011

Genre : Dystopia, Post-Apocalpytic 

Series : Solo

This book is nothing new , nothing that hasn't been done before. It has no reason to be as interesting and compelling as it is.

We've got a half the world that has gone mad and a family that was on brink of being torn apart that has to get together to be alive. Basically that's it. So what's good about this?

Well, in the beginning there is a lot of stuff the family has to overcome, a almost broke marriage (with his wife already jumping the fence and being "honest" about it), a daughter that is in rebel phase and a boy who have seen some lights in the sky in the night everything went to shit.

I think that this is the most important part of the novel, even with all the mayhem going around. Blake Crouch makes this family-centred story. Although there was some stuff I didn't enjoy. First of all was the mother, she is annoying as shit, always demanding, always incorrect with the her husband even if herself was not being correct during the marriage (Although we are told by the author that his mainly HIS fault). She even goes, BE A MAN! (because as a woman she is incapable (?) of handling shit when things get really though? You know nowadays, society talks about toxic masculinity. Everything that resembles a male think is seen as everything less than evil. BUT when things got desperate, and you are not eating in days - that's when the wife say " BE A MAN!". I think I see that happening to all of those feminists that think they are better than men (Btw, I a strong believer, to each is own, each has his own role, nobody should be superior to another).

So, should you read this? Yes. If you want character driven book with strong family values overcoming odds (or not - not going to spoil) then yes. There will be blood, death but "family" friendly with no rapes or such. It seems the bad guys only want to kill you! This book reminds me of other novels like The Road (although that was very depressing). It remind of Tim Curran own novel that deal with the transformation of society (although that was one of the most gross books I've read - and one of my favourite)

My only complains was the plot itself or lack of it. 8 out of 10. Nothing is really why stuff happened or how far it went. OH well

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Book Review: Vampire Hunter D Volume 10: Dark Nocturne by Hideyuki Kikuchi

Vampire Hunter D Volume 10: Dark Nocturne by Hideyuki Kikuchi
My rating: 6 of 10 stars

Pages : 204

Year :  1992

Genre : Post Apocalyptic, Horror, Weird Western

Series Vampire Hunter D (10th novel)

This was a very interesting novel, although not my favourite. The reason was the format (for both reasons). First of all, as you know, if you are reading 10 novel, you know that each story before is individual and no connection between them (very few exceptions). You could read any novel and don't lose anything in terms of character development or story wise because as you all know, there isn't any. D, the main protagonist, exists and is in all the books but the really story and character development is done by characters you will never see again, since they will change with each book. You know as much as in the first book and as this one. OK, probably the first do tell about the world and a bit about D but , apart from the first novel, that's it. Stagnation. What's the purpose of D? Being a vampire hunter killing nobles (vampires). But okay, so what's next? what's the big goal behind? You don't know. Who is he? It's hinted by other characters that he may be the son of D... and every time is cut off. (D being Dracula , the noblest of vampires, the king of vampires. Does he exist at all? We don't know because apart from , what two mentions in the last 10 novels, nothing is know). How is the world? Well , we also don't know. We know that Nobles conquered earth and have been there for 10,000 years and now, or for some time being dwindling. Why? Well, we don't know again. Probably is D since he easily dispatch noble after noble for 10,000 years lol. If killed one noble a year that's 10,000 nobles. OH well, I digress. Yes, my main problem and my love is the world. There is a capital where things are evolved and the rest of the world is called the Frontier (rather strange but whatever) unfortunately, apart from small villages we never saw or understand what the capital is/was.

So, this novels, au contraire of all others, are basically three short stories. A new thing he tried and to me didn't work as much as the novel. Usually the other characters are more developed, there are more battles and worldbuilding kind of exist, here, since it's a short format nothing is really given....

But then why am I reading this? Do I even enjoy it? To be honest I am bit of bored by it. I am feeling a bit bored by everything. Since is translated sometimes it's clunky. This was written almost for doing anime movies, with beautiful backgrounds, beautiful main character, flashy battles and unto the monster of next week. I really hope next novels improved. I Have more 20 to read LOL. I am not going to read one per month liked I wanted... Probably next one in November.

Oh about this novel, three stories one by an ancient monsters that sing people to died.. it was a bit of strange tale, I hoped for more and it was very convoluted. The second one was boring beyond belief - although I Saw something I saw in the second novel. Finally D is killed (I am kidding of course, he can't die. Even with arrow on his heart) and the third was the better one. Two ancient monsters who are destined to be enemies due to their masters (Who have long been dead). One doesn't want to fight but is compelled while the other transforms and forgets what she did in that time. Only D can save the day. 6/10 

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Book Review: The Ice Schooner by Michael Moorcock

The Ice Schooner by Michael Moorcock
Pages 207

Year 1969

Rating 8

Really enjoy the novel. This one is quite old from Moorcock (1969). In terms of rating I would say 8/10. Moorcock is one of those writers that politically is not one I tend to agree but in terms of writing and characters so far they are great. To be honest I only read around 5/6 of his and so far they've been good. I like is chaotic side of things. This story is set in the future and the wet dream of political activists happened and earth is ball of ice. People have been living in eight cities in Mato Grosso (it's in Brazil).

Here we follow Konrad Arflane, a former captain of one of those cities but now turn a solitary man. As he travels through the ice he finds and helps a lord from another city. As he helps him arrive to his city he is tasked by him to take the best ship in the eight cities to a fable city of New York where they think their goddess has her court.

First of all, have you read moby dick? or master and commander? you going to need since there is a lot of talk about ships with names of stuff unknown to me plus the all whaling with harpoons. The story is epic and you could see another writer (or if written probably 30 years later) to have 400 or 500 pages instead of the current 207. It's fast pace and to be honest If I had a complain it would be this fast pace sometimes made the timeframe a bit wonky - like several months have pass and so probably the interaction of characters probably would be important to understand why x character is so deeply in love with Y or respects Z. But, alas, it's not horrible.

So, what did I not enjoy? first of all, it was the romance stuff. Some people would complain about Konrad but to them I would say, grow up. But yes, my problem would be the believability of it. Second it was ending , well not the ending but the last 8 or 9 pages where the full explanation my first explanation was "was this it? "okay".

It was a nice philosophical story about tradition vs progression, about history. If Moby Dick he wanted to kill the whale here is about fable new york.

Advisable if you wish to start reading Moorcock. But if you are starting please read Elric. Interesting that this novel along with The Black Corridor & The Distant Suns are all part of "Sailing to Utopia" series but although some themes connect this stories, you can read them at any order since they are not connected at all.

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Book Review: One by Conrad Williams

One by Conrad Williams

Pages 363

Published 2009

Why I continue to do this.. I wanted to read this one because I wanted some zombies and some action and what I got was a boring pointless book...
In this novel we follow Jane (a man, not a woman) as he tries to return to London to get to his son and ex-wife after a apocalyptic event. What even you may ask? Well we don't know and will never know... the only hint is in the acknowledgements he thanks some Drº for explaining what Gamma Ray bursts are, so I deduce a gamma ray burst , well burst into earth? From what I know, is that Gamma Ray Bursts could vaporize earth OR just burn everything it touched. So basically all life. The question is it globally? Or only affect the side the gamma ray strikes? And what the dimension? Will envelop all earth, only a couple of klms or what. I will not pretend I understand so I accept this story premise.. (although it was never really explain OR even talked about).

So this guy was under water, several hundreds meters below on north scotland and when he came up, nothing lived. So he decides to go Scotland and travel to London to check on his boy.
He meets a bunch of people, some not that important, others will be. This is the first half of the book. The second half is ten years in the future where he and some other people are trying to survive and decide what to do... and thus comes the "Raft".

So, the man is obessesed with the child , which is normal but when the writing is putting on paper the chapters he mix the stories. It's confusing to say the least. It's like now he is on "present" now on "past", now he is only thinking of past whilst on present etc. Tho be honest this is a problem throughout the book. This disconcerted immensely.

The second part of the novel, the ten years after start and we are not even aware that is 10 years in the future. After a couple of chapters or pages I don't know, then someone says oh, it has been 10 years. WHAT? The last page of the first "book" doesn't hint for anytihng of that. He had just arrive to london. What did he do? We don't know. What happened throughout those 10 years? Well screw you. Not going to tell you. It doesn't matter... you just have to believe the writer is not important.

And the ending is good Paulo? well darn if I Am going tell you because well it's just is. Going to spoil a bit so...

As expected the boy is not alive and he can't cope really well with it, nevertheless he hook up with Becky which he encountered early and they live together along 4000 other people in makeshift community... because people don't care one for the other.. it's so badly development that I Didn't understand what was happening with those communities. And the ending? What a heck man? Ok, so for ten years they were in london, no connection nicles, nada... and now out of the bat, let's go Europe (france) why? Why thinking that France is a better place than UK? I don't understand...
The all story with his son and then it felt empty. To be honest I didn't want to be alive because that would be even worse but you have to have somekind of closure but no.. we get an open hallucinogetic kind of ending...

What about the fucking skinners? WTHAT A FUCK ARE THEY? Are they zombies? Or something that is not zombies but also not living but due to gamma ray you didn't really explain, created this beings that kidnap pregnant women? how are they created? How do they function , etc, no, no explanation for you...

Another thing that I find strange is how are these people alive? HOW? So gamma ray kills 99%. I don't buy it but ok. If the author says mines are safe, then subways are safe therefore at least a half a million would be underground or in some protective thing... but now, ten years later in London there 5000. OKay another thing that doesn't add up, if people were instant killed by this thing that boiled people, it should have boiled the trees, grass, food , I don't know about fires but okay, lets say it's 300 degrees so, how can after 10 years they are still alive? OK they talk about having low food but I highly doubt it if they don't plant , 10 years would be way past the expiration date of most things, if they were boiled. And then the Tiger... WHAT? How was that the tiger survive in the first place ? Well fuck it. I want a tiger in my book.

Overall.. I am disappointed. IT read fast, don't get me wrong, but I expected more. It's like the Road but less... It's not bleaker. It's okay book, like a an sunday afternoon movie. Unfortunately it felt flat in what I expected. Probably others will love it or not... As you can see the rating is now 3.44 so it's not universally loved 4/10

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Book Review: A Moon Full Of Stars - Jon Mollison

I finished this novel in three days.

It was nothing really amazing, it was not awful. It serve its purpose.

Basically this is a post apocalyptic novel set in a time that villages are being built and mutants roam the land. Here we follow Rome & Warsaw (hmmm) as they are hunting and as they are returning they see fire and their own people being killed and taken prisoner by mutated beings. So, this two, not so friends go on a quest to save their village. The one thing I would say it's positive is the interaction between those two people, looking at each others flaws and strengths and banding together to deal with new threat. We get to see a bit of the world, not that much, and then off to moon where they find a advanced civilization of surviving humans with psychic powers but everything else really lacking. Basically the human being was supplanted by society and individual needs supressed.

I thought that from this moment on was a bit lacking, sometimes really rushed and the conclusion even more rushed. The author really went overboard with the present putting he ribbon and everything else really tidy and neat. Basically deus ex-machina with new powers and kaput. The novel ended. This should have been more 50 or 100 pages explaining the trials, going as much as putting difficulties where there were barely none...

Book Review: Omega; The Last Days Of The World

Omega; The Last Days Of The World by Camille Flammarion
My rating: 3 of 10 stars

I really don't know what to say... Let us sleep and perchance dream... and maybe a review will come.

First Part of the Novel
After sleeping on it I must say that this book will be an hard book to review. It tries to be several things at the same time. It's a scientific novel veiled by SF/Pseudohistory/philosophy/theological elements. It tries so hard to teach us that fails because of it...

At times I thought I was in:


Now the plot... Well again it's hard... The first half of the book is a serie of conferences between the great geniuses of earth as they try to discern the impact of a comet on earth. Several people have opinions and you listened to them all. And it's boring as hell. Why? Because it's full of information useless and it doesnt go anywhere.

The first chapter of this novel introduce us to the grim reality that is going to befall on earth. The comet, thirty times bigger than earth will collide with Earth and everyone will die. The comet itself is made of Carbonic-oxide.

I am no astrophysics or astronomer but I do know if that collided on earth it didn't matter what it was made off. Earth would be destroyed. But after several attempts to discern that we will die of asphyxiation or heat or cold or whatever it happens... page upon page of this:

"The hydrogen and the oxygen, combining with the carbon of the comet, will take fire. The temperature of the air will be raised several hundred degrees; woods, habitations, edifices, cities, villages, will all be rapidly consumed ; the sea, the lakes and the rivers will begin to boil ; men and animals, enveloped in the hot breath of the comet, will die asphyxiated before burned..."

"If it collided with Jupiter it would raise the temperature of that globe to such a point as to restore to it its lost light, and to make it for a time a sun again, so that the earth would be lighted by two suns, Jupiter becoming a sort of minor night-sun, far brighter
than the moon, and shining by its own light of a ruby-red or garnet color, revolving about the earth in twelve years. A nocturnal sun!"

So they thought that Jupiter was a sun... interesting.

And what was said was the absolute true: "Unfortunately, I must admit that the calculations of the astronomers are in this case, as usual, entirely correct." (The writer was an Astronomer)

Blah blah...

"We believe,that we may fearlessly accept the above estimate of 24cubic klm,as a basis of calculation;and as this figure is contained 4,166,666 times in 100,000,000,which represents the volume of the continents, we are authorized to infer that under the sole action of forces now in operation, provided no other movements of the soil occur,the dry land will totally disappear within a period of 4 milion years."

The all book is like this... tedious information... It's a new genre... it's call scientific fiction. It's harder than Hard SF... sorry the pun but that's it... It's tedious as hell.. page upon page of endless information.

After 110 pages of scientific debate of what would happen if a comet hit the earth we turn into theological debates and now the narrator tells us in a 20 page thesis "Everytime the church said that the end was near... it wasn't" ....
To say this book is apocalpytic fiction is to say I am Cristiano Ronaldo.. We are both portuguese so... --- after reading 150 pages I say:

STRIKE US OH MIGHTY COMET AND END MY PAIN!!!



"Then later statistics of the comet's victims were obtained, it was
found that the number of the dead was one-fortieth of the
population of Europe." - If a comet of that size had it earth, earth would be destroyed. Complete obliterated. Imagine something larger than the moon impacting on Earth. Goodnight everyone... But on this case....

"Scarcely a half hour had passed before people began to issue from their cellars, feeling again the joy of living, and recovering gradually from their apathy. Even before one had really begun to take any account of the fires which were still raging, notwithstanding the deluge or rain, the scream of the newsboy was heard in the hardly awakened streets."

This novel is full of entries like this...

Medical statistics, subtracting from the general total the normal mean, based upon a death-rate of twenty for every one thousand inhabitants, that is, 492 per day, or 15,252 for the month, which represents the number of those who would have died independently of the comet, ascribed to the latter the difference between these two numbers, namely, 222,633..."


But not all things are bad. At times it has some good prose or images...

"This apparent decrease in brilliancy was chiefly due to contrast, for when the eye, less dazzled, had become accustomed to this new light, it seemed almost as intense as the former, but of a sickly, lurid, sepulchral hue. Never before had the earth been bathed in such a light, which at first seemed to be colorless, emitting lightning flashes from its pale and wan depths"





Second Part of the Novel

After the first part of the novel was concluded we came to the pseudohistorical novel of Earth. From the time of the comet forward until the end of earth, galaxy and the universe...

It begins with a feminism propaganda (it was a guy who wrote the book... even with a name like Camille :) )

Now this book has turn into a feminism propaganda...

"Under the inspiration of a woman of spirit, a league was formed of the mothers of Europe, for the purpose of educating their children, especially their daughters, to a horror of the barbarities of war. So the women deprive man of sex.

"For about five years there was scarcely a single marriage or union. Every citizen was a soldier, in France, in Germany,in Italy, in Spain, in every nation of Europe. The women held their ground ; they felt that truth was their side, but their firmness would deliver humanity from
the slavery which oppressed it, and that they could not
fail of victory."

Of course man stop ... war!

And then the writer says that the future is Socialism

"It was this state of affairs which led to the great social revolution of the international socialists, of which mention was made at the beginning of this book, and to others which followed it."

"All philosophy, all religion, was founded upon the progress of astronomy."

"Humanity had tended towards unity, one race, one language,
one general government, one religion. There were
no more state religions ; only the voice of an enlightened
conscience, and in this unity former anthropological differences
had disappeared."

So this is his perfect view of the world? I think future looks boring as hell...

The evolution of mankind continues with the raise of a seven sense (electric) and eight sense (Psychic).

The last forty pages is a philosophical debate about the meaning of life and the ending of earth.... Oh.. and she destroy my beautiful city of lisbon engulfed by the Sea.

"The earth,an extinct sun, has cooled more rapidly than the sun.Jupiter,so immense, is still in its youth.The moon, smaller than Mars,has reached the more advanced stages of astral life,perhaps even has reached its end. Mars, smaller than the earth, is more advanced than the earth and less so than the moon. Our planet, in its turn,must die before Jupiter,and this,also,must take place before the sun becomes extinct."

The last chapter (about 10 pages) is resumed by All is Dust. Everything is energy and so nothing really perish. Not a person, planet or a sun. Everything is transformed. I guess Flammarions interest on life after death was a dominant theme.

"And all these things possessed nothing of the earth, whose very memory had passed away like a shadow. And these universes passed away in their turn. But infinite space remained, peopled with worlds, and stars, and souls, and suns ; and time went on forever.
For there can be neither end nor beginning."


Final Thoughts
This book is not for everyone. Heck it wasn't for me but I had to finish what I started. This book is an ode. Mainly an ode to science but also for Woman, Socialism and Evolution. In the end is an Ode to Mankind and reading the last couple of pages is an Ode to Life.

"It is sweet to live. Love atones for every loss ; in its joys all else is forgotten. Ineffable music of the heart, thy divine melody fill the soul with an ecstasy of infinite happiness ! What illustrious historians have celebrated the heroes of the world's progress, the glories of war, the conquests of mind and of spirit ! Yet after so many centuries of labor and struggle, there remained only two palpitating hearts, the kisses of two lovers. All had perished except love ; and love, the supreme sentiment, endured, shining like an inextinguishable beacon over the immense ocean of the vanished ages."

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TV Series: Daybreak (2019)

Can you mix Ferris Bueller; The Warriors & Mad Max? Apparently you can. And the son/daughter would be Daybreak. 

If you dislike flashbacks, political commentary and or millennial you will not probably like this.

True be told some of the jokes were not for me and as the episodes went forward I stop caring and enjoying the show and I did. Watch it two days.

There is cringe like Batwoman, Superwoman and other crappy shows but this you could take it as a comedy and critic at the same time.

Basically the world went kaput and all adults died... no reason, no explanation (well they think it was due to HPV Vaccination) only kids survive. I was read a book that the same thing happened but only young people before menstruation and such lived. Okay I can dig that.

We follow Josh as he tries to survive the apocalyptic world throughout multiple gangs, basically the school jokey, musical groups, gardening and such. He is on a quest to save Sam (his love) while he meets Angelica a 12 year girl who is a genius pyromaniac gangster wannabe and Wesley black gay samurai wannabe. We meet a lot of other people who help or hinder him. Not all episodes are solely focus on Josh but also on other characters. There are a lot of flashbacks. Episode 8 is completely flashback while 9 is probably half of it.

Some adults (two that we know) don't turn into zombies - one is Principal Burr (Ferris Bueller) and Ms Crumble. But why? We don't know. 

OF course there were things that bothered... All that crap about different types of genders; that scary consent app, the all nut allergies agenda and of course woman power over men. Oh not to forget the all white over black. All the don't call woman bad names BUT woman could call man names with impunity.

Overall a nice trip but most people will not enjoy it.

Interesting the "good" group is mostly non-white (except the white savior and his ex-new-girlfriend (?)

Nice Ending. Let us see what the second season will bring.

The Society (2018) Netflix Original SJW Socialism Crap

Another SJW Crap.

IT all went nice until the end of the second episode. In the third episode we've got ourselves the SJW crap that has been plaguing movies and TV Series.

Basically this story is about a group of schoolboys who are alone in a city, cutoff from everything and we don't know jack about anything. Basically a Lord of the Flies situation.

So the first two episodes we get introduced to all characters which was good and fine. In the last couple of minutes of the second episode some guys start pillaging after some blackout. In the beginning of the third episode the woman stand together and say they say they must do something because of all male testosterone running wild. There is anyone to tell them NO so how long for someone to be rape? Honestly? Oh my fucking god. Where art thou to punish this sinful Eve's? And Adams.

Afterwards the football boys (who basically are the though guys in the town (200 inhabitants) they start talking about, what about trying socialism? Haha

From this moment on I couldn't take this seriously. Oh the majority of the bad people are of course white. We all know that if you are white you are al(l)t-right haha

And then we've got a deaf gay character - we all know he suffers a lot - and the authors really try to make us sympathize with him.

Black homeless guy who probably is the nicest "goodest" character of the show with a nice interracial.

Rich people of course are the bad guys.

All of these in the first 15 minutes of the third episode.

The football boys all talk about raping the main girl because she is the root of the socialism problem. Comedy. Pure comedy.

Woman: I hate all men
Men: I hate them too. My dad suck. Maybe I will suck too. I just don't know it yet...
OH MY GOD!

I stop writing because it become a bit better by the end but it's not good. Too cliche, too sjw at times. Too nowadays (2019) to-be socialist america.

Book Review: Planet in Peril by John Christopher

Planet in Peril by John Christopher
My rating: 2 of 10 stars

Review to come... I can't advice to anyone. Sorry. Other Christopher novels I read are a thousand times better than this one... one week of my life to read 159 pages. That's how hard it was to me... painful but I finish...

Second edit:
What can I say about this book? It's worthless in my opinion. I read three more books of the author and nothing compares to it. Maybe it's because this was one of the first he written, I don't know. The book itself doesn't have a good flowing. Things just happened in the backstage. Most of them without the direct influence of the main character.

A cientist is going to substitute another cientist of have dissapear. That scientist is on something that could change the power balance of some nation. With the help of a female scientst he is embroiled into turmoil as A, B and C factions wants to enlist him.

The ending is quite bad as the rest of the plot. I think it was one of the most uninteresting books I had the displeasure to read. And believe me this don't happened very often. Usually I find some redeeming part of a book but this one... meh. I don't want to think anymore of it.

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Review: The Kraken Wakes - John Wyndham

The Kraken Wakes by John Wyndham
My rating: 8 of 10 stars

These year I am trying to hear some stories to maximize my time. I am not in favour of either ebooks and audiobooks. The first is know to all, the second in my opinion, since I am doing something else at the same time, it usually doesn't capture my attention as a book, so it can be a bit frustating. But, in this case, I really enjoy hearing this short novel.


It all begins, as a couple of reporters on vacation, start seeing some objects are falling on the sea. After some investigation it seems a lot of objects have fallen but all on deep waters. After some ships are sunk a nuke sea war start to develop.

The first act of retaliation this begins start sunking several ships. At this time most western civilization dealock in the cold war, start throwing guilt to each side. Most people believe that this things that are happening are the works of communists.

The second wave of retaliation start as this beings start kidnaping people from the earth. Again a response from humankind. The third and final wave, the aliens start melting the ice caps rising the water several meters. As a human sonic weapon start to kill the aliens, humankind starts to rebuilt their new world, with less habitants and less non-flooded areas.

The main characters are just there. But they are neither interesting or development. The main purpose of this tale is indeed, the plot itself.

In the end we get this incertain of what expects humankind. Its strange that along the book people are not convice of alien begins but as acts of communists. The second interesting bit is that the aliens went into the deep sea, so I think that both species could co-existed but humankind is not an Good species, xenophobic atittutes is what most writers of sff portrait humankind. If we can't tolerate someone with different skin, religion or sexual preferences, how can we tolerate a different species altogether?

Good Wyndham tale. Very good, indeed. In the vein of Triffids but imagine War of the Worlds a bit more updated.

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Review: Proper Gauge - Wool 2 - Hugh Howey

Proper Gauge by Hugh Howey
My rating: 8 of 10 stars

This is the second novella that gave birth to Wool. In this book we follow Mayor Jahns and Deputy Mames as they travel downards into the bowels of the silo so they can interview a candidate to sheriff position.

Along the way we see those two characters developed much more than the first novella and we see how the Silo works and lives. For what I gathered it has more than 140 floors that took them two days from up to botton.

It was also interesting to meet our new character. She is a mechanic and rather enthusiastic girl who sees engineering as her group. I say this because, for what the author describes us is that there isn't that much mingling between the floors which adds a little more to the realistic feeling of a apocalyptic fiction where everyone knows his place for the system to work.

The ending was not at all predictable. I was like that emoticon :O --- yeah. That was me. I am going to read the next novella in the near future. Top notch Herr Hugh Howey.

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Review: Wool - Hugh Howey

Wool by Hugh Howey
My rating: 6 of 10 stars

This short novella was a nice introducing to Wool series but I don't get the vibe other people got. Maybe I read too many apocalpytic fiction stories to be dazzled.

So the remnants of the human population lives in a Silo after some unknown event led them there. They've got some view to the outside world that needs to be clean from time to time. But anyone who goes there will die due to the radiation. So criminals are sent to the wastes, but before they must clean the window. If you are committed to death why waste time cleaning a window? That question was quite good and made me interested throughout the tale 'cause our main character dwells upon it a long time.

So, you've got several questions pending:
1) Why are people living in Silos?
2) Is it safe to dwell outside?
3) Are any more silos?
4) Why people clean the windows if they are sentence to death (this one was partially resolved).
5) Why the revolutions every twenty years and the purging

So far, I am interesting in reading the rest of the series.


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Movie Review: The Purge 2013

I've noticed this movie before 2016 but really never try watching it. But I am on a Movie Spree so I try watching both The Purge and it's first sequel. The Third book is not yet avaiable.

This book deals with something that totally interested me. Supposedly, after a wave of unemployment & crime the government  (New Founding Fathers) decree that per one night (From 6PM to 6AM every type of crime would be allowed - there would be no punishement at all.  No rules be
sides two (no level 10 government  could be killed and no weapons higher than level 4 (What does that mean?)

This is a awesome premise. Now at 2020, the crime is almost non-existent and unemployment is at 1%... Methinks if this would work at all BUT it's their premise so lets go with it.

We follow a James Sandin (Ethan Hawke) as he congratulates himself that he has sold much of the top surveillance of his neighborhood. He arrives at home and go to dinner with his young son Charlie (Max Burkholder), teenager daughter Zoey (Adelaide Kane) and wife Mary Sandin (Lena Headey). Then as the 6PM start to approach they lock the house. Basically slabs of metal on the doors and windows.

Oh Yeah. 

They have some cameras and see some of their neighbors roaming the steets killing each other. At the same time, the young son sees a man (Edwin Hodge) bleed on his porch and let him in and his daughters boyfriends says that he wants to talk to her father so he could accept him.

As soon as the boy sees the girlfriends father he start shooting and the man shot back mortally wounding the boy. At the same time the lights go out as they start to hunt for the man inside their house with them.

A man with a mask (Rhys Wakefield) appears on the porch and says that they should give them the homeless pig so they could purge or else they will purge everyone inside the house. 

Afterwards it's a bloodbath inside his house as the mask men and women make their way inside their house.  They are unexpectly saved by their neighbors which in turn say they are going to kill them all because they deslike them since they enrich with their money. 

The film doesn't end as I imagined. More Spoilers ahead.

I would open the door to this guy... he is so friendly..........

Basically after James decided to save the homeless pig (sorry man) he is shot and killed by the man in the mask as the rest of their family is being threated by their neighbours the homeless pig saved them. The movies ends with the 6:00 AM that ends the Purge.

So, what did I Think about it?

This is a good movie to watch, there's no denying that but it felt in some parts bland. First they could have dwell more on the reason of the national day Purge. They could have dwell more on the consequences and the reasons for it. It seem in the end that the Purge is basically a free jail card to anyone who want to commit murder (because he is a psycopath). Most people supported the Purge but they don't go out purging it... Then I know this is set on the dark but the visual expect is lacking there. Some scenes are really poor because of it...

Review: The Death Cure (Third on Maze Runner Trilogy)

The Death Cure by James Dashner
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Reading Time 27 to 31 January 2015

Finally I am done with this series. I did not enjoy the second book and neither did I enjoy the third but in my humble opinion is better than the second.

If I was a new reader I would read the first and stopped there. It would be full of holes but it would be way better than the way Herr Dashner handle the second (which was as pointless as a lifeguard in a pool of Olympic swimmers).

Some spoilers Ahead
After leaving the Scorch Trials the boys and girls are saved by WICKED and they are given a choice to have their memories return. Minho, Newt and Thomas are against it. The first two because they don't trust WICKED but Thomas was just scare of what he would find about him. So, with the help of Brenda and Jorge they escape to Denver where they find that there are people trying to overthrow Wicked. Btw, Newt has the flare and he is capture by some people that take him to some flare haven.

They try and succeeded to save Newt but this guy doesn't want to be saved because he feels his mind failing away. He had previously asked Thomas to kill him if the Flare destroyed his humanity.

As they return to Denver they are capture by the same group that is trying to destroy WICKED. Btw, didn't I say Alby is back? Yeah, he is... and he is not that bad after all.
Well, then Denver is destroyed by the Cranks roaming about and Newt is there. Thomas kills Newt and hides it from Minho and the rest of the gang. Afterwards Thomas infiltrates WICKED facilities where ratman (the one leading WICKED) says that the third and final stage is set. It's simple - they are going to do a brain surgery on Thomas brain, of course he would die, but a cure would be found. Of course Thomas likes his head and declines the plan but this is WICKED and they say nah nah.

Oh, BTW, Wicked had already being busy kidnapping a bunch of immune to restart the trials.

The Right Arm (the guys that hate WICKED) arrive and begin to destroy WICKED failing to see revelant that 500 immune were there to begin with. Thomas and his gang (all of them, even Teresa) try to save them from the maze and escape the blasts. Teresa saves Thomas from some falling ceiling dying in the process (which help the love triangle). With 200 immune they escape to a isolate place starting civilization anew. The Epilogue - we are told that WICKED had two plans: The first was trying to have a cure by putting a bunch of immune and cranks together in a maze or trials and the second was that even if society should die herself out, the immune would survive and repopulate the world.

- Well, there are some problems here.

We know that the plague was released after the Solar flares to control population by some government. OKAY - I get that but why release a virus who had no cure? It's ridiculous.

Why Thomas has a need to know more but refuses to have his memories back? Everyone says he is one of the culprit behind the maze. How? Ignorance is bliss it seems...

Teresa a character that easily could have been a main character in the third book has few that twenty lines and then dies. She is completely in love with Thomas and he to her. In the second book she "betrays" him because she loves him so much and don't want him to be dead. In the second and third book he doesn't understood that and falls in love with Brenda - What a douche/idiot.

Newt had the flare but had no indications the years he was in the maze. He escapes WICKED after learning that he had the flare and a couple of days afterwards he is a full growth Crank. Absurd the timetable.

Ratman is another good example of this.

Why everyone forgets that THOMAS was the one who created the Maze and put all his current friends there (with the exception of Teresa)!!!!

There are so many things that went wrong and could have been so great.

I have some better endings....
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Thomas returns to WICKED where he sacrifices to save humankind - since he was a mass-murderer anyway - Yeah - He created the Maze and the trials!!!
- If a mass-murdered has amnesia - He is guilty or not guilty??
If you liked the ending of this novel - you just saved a Hitler.
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The Right Arm who starts exploding the maze, where 500 people are trapped - are not the good guys. They are anarchic nihilist bunch who hates the government(WICKED). So, Thomas, helps WICKED!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The governments of the world - start seeing the problems with the cranks and start shooting people with the flare - that way the control the disease. WICKED with the HELP of immunes start investigating in a cure - you can map a guy brain without killing them.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My Favorite.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Right Arm was working with WICKED and send Thomas on purpose back because the escape was another trial and Brenda was leading Thomas throughout those trials, yet again. They make Thomas kill his best friend and hate his love life.

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Review: The Scorch Trials (Second on Maze Runner Trilogy)

The Scorch Trials by James Dashner
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Reading time: 12 to 21 January 2015

Thank Wicked for finishing this book.

My review:
Honestly? What a heck was this book all about? I read it, because, I enjoyed the first and I wanted to know where was Dashner was going with this. Why the Maze? Why the Patterns so important to figure out a cure for the Flare (Crazeness...)? Why the two groups? Why females with one male and vice versa? And so on... There were a lot of questions I wanted sorted out. But, in this book I Got none. This book gave no explanation whatsoever unless you count as an answer "All will be revealed in due time..."

If the third book is going to give some answers, I don't know, I expect them so - probably you will not be needing to read book two. Just go right ahead from the first to the third.

Spoilers Ahead!!!

What happenened here, that was so darn important?
- You've got Brenda and Jose, some people they meet in trials - Cranks
- Also Aris from the other group is now a main character - and a psycher
- Same important characters are alive, like Minho, Newt, Frypan - they didn't died or evolved - just stay there.
- So, after being "saved" in the last book, they are being held in some dormitories, waiting for someone. There, They tell them, that they must travel a desert and so the group of gladers, including Aris and excluding Teresa, travel a desert full of dangerous things and people to arrive to a a safe heaven - fighting cranks, the other all-female group, and arrive to the safe heaven just to be confronted by some mechanical beasts, and leave the premises. In the end of the book they find themselves, yet again, in the same place where they started.

This book gave no hindsight, besides stating the obvious that what they are doing is very important for human race and for that they must die. It was also interesting how the writer portrayed so "well" the male leading character. After being betrayed, stabbed, beaten and mocked the main character still goes to Teresa (even if the writer says that Thomas can never trust her again). I think Thomas is a piece of crap of a friend. Minho and Newt never, doubted him, never betrayed him but when they were fighting in the end, Thomas escaped to a pod leaving Newt and Minho alone. So, he hates Teresa, but hides with her nevertheless. You are a crapy friend Thomas, and only think with your male organ...

I also think, the writer tries to give so much suspense to each plot ending with "tan tan" but most of the times are just plain absurd... Sorry.

I probably will be reading the third book, but just for ending this Saga. I don't know where the writer is going with this...


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