Archive for the 'Books' Category
Brisingr 11 Mar 2010
Eragon got some stick because the plot so closely mirrored Star Wars and both of the previous books have taken their fair share of flack about the lack of originality.
I’ve enjoyed the series, though the books are a little childish, but Paolini was only young when he started writing them (and is still only 26) [...]
Queste 20 Feb 2010
I obviously forgot to put up a review for this book. This is the fourth book in the Septimus Heap series I’ve read (you can find links to the reviews of the others on the Reading page). My memory of it is rather vague as I read it some time ago, but from [...]
What Just Happened?: Bitter Hollywood Tales From The Front Line 31 Aug 2009
Art Linson has produced a lot of movies, starting back in the 70s, and his hits include Car Wash, The Untouchables, Heat and Fight Club amongst others, as well a number of films that won’t appear in anyone’s top ten favourites, for good reason. It gives him a wealth of experience of draw on, [...]
Starclimber 23 Aug 2009
This is the third book in the Airborn series, I’ve read and reviewed the previous two (Airborn and Skybreaker) and was a big fan of them, partly because of my romantic obsession with airships. Much was my disappointment when I found out that airships were abandoned in favour of a space elevator in this [...]
The Art of Intrusion 8 Aug 2009
This isn’t the first hacker book I’ve reviewed. Unlike Hacker’s Tales, this one had much more technical detail, which is fairly interesting, and gives a much better insight into hackers mentality. It drives home that while they’re technically competent, they redefine the words patience and persistence. Having said that, some of the [...]
Artemis Fowl and the Time Paradox 10 Jul 2009
I’m a fan of the Artemis Fowl series and up until now they’ve always been good, funny, entertaining and inventive stories, but this one feels like a book too far. The books are normally fast paced, but this feels like Colfer took a deep breath and then attempted to tell the entire story before [...]
As Used on the Famous Nelson Mandela: Underground Adventures in the Arms and Torture Trade 8 Jul 2009
Mark Thomas, for those who don’t know, is a comedian and activist (amongst other things), I’m a bit of a fan. He used to have a TV show (The Mark Thomas Comedy Product) on Channel 4 which had the audience flipping between outrage and laughter, a style not dissimilar to Michael Moore. He [...]
The Temporal Void 4 Jul 2009
This is the second in the Void trilogy by Hamilton, I’ve previously reviewed the first book, The Dreaming Void. Again this book is split between the story outside the void, where factions of human civilization fight to stop or allow the voyage into the void, something only humans can enter. Alongside are several [...]
Tunnels 4 May 2009
I picked up Tunnels because it was another one of those books being touted as the ‘next Harry Potter.’ Let me start by saying it isn’t. It may have been ‘discovered’ by Barry Cunningham, the same man who saw the potential in Harry Potter and the authors may have a lucrative movie deal, [...]
Digital Fortress 4 May 2009
I’ve read a few of Dan Brown’s books now, after enjoying The Da Vinci Code and they’ve been something of a disappointment. The Da Vinci Code is the pinnacle of his book series, which started with Digital Fortress. That this is his first work shows. While the ideas aren’t bad, some of [...]