‘No Return’ Review

 
I received this book as part of a Goodreads Giveaway at the end of 2012, and I'm glad to say it continues the trend of high quality fares available from this site. Brett Battles 'No Return' is an excellent mystery/thriller story which is partly about the navy covering up the death of a US Fighter Pilot but also partly about one man's return back home for the first time since childhood. At its heart is a strong, surprisingly affecting tale about facing up to the consequences of your actions, something lead character Wes has been hiding from for fifteen years. This is something I'm glad of because the 'high octane' blurb on the back didn't sell itself to me nearly as much as the close-nit story Brett Battles story deserves.

The Naked God Review

This is it, this is the grand finale to one of the longest trilogies I've ever embarked on, a grand space opera that aims to both epic in scale and incredibly personal at the same time. It's a laudable aim and this book probably comes closest to achieving Peter F. Hamilton's laudable goal. The scale of this adventure increases once again, branching out into other constellations and star systems and even other universes but at the same time focus shifts from these cosmic matters and onto the individual choices and actions of our protagonists.

Nintendo Virtual Console - 50 Hz matters MORE than you Think

A few days ago Nintendo surprised us all with some great announcements and the news that their virtual console for the Wii U was up and running with 1 game available for just 30 pence. Balloon Fight is a fun little diversion, and for 30p well worth your effort.

However it is marred by one thing for all European (and I assume Autralian and everywhere else that uses the PAL system), the game runs at 50hz. Surprisingly, this actually is a bigger deal than it sounds.

Please, watch this video, read the article, and then click on this link: https://www.change.org/petitions/nintendo-of-japan-nintendo-europe-release-future-wii-u-virtual-console-games-in-europe-australia-in-60hz-2 to tell Nintendo that they can't get away with selling damaged goods.

The Neutronium Alchemist Review

‘The Neutronium Alchemist’ demonstrates many things; drama, action, wit, intelligence but most of all it boasts staying power. I read and enjoyed ‘The Reality Dysfunction’ although I commented on how bloated it felt; incorporating many plot threads that went nowhere or weren’t developed upon. It’s a description I stand by, the first book in this trilogy could have been a much tighter more condense read, however those extra chapters weren’t just fat. Slowly but surely Peter F. Hamilton has been placing all the pieces on the board for an enormous free for all which ‘The Neutronium Alchemist’ boasts freely.

The Reality Dysfunction Review

Be warned: ‘The Reality Dysfunction’ is a long book. Over 1225 pages in fact, and even then it gives only the first chapter of a truly epic story that spans multiple solar systems, species and planes of existence. If I had to sum up Peter Hamilton's achievements here in one word I would simply use 'epic'.

‘A Sincere Warning About the Entity in your Home…’ Review

'A Since Warning about the entity in your home' is a short read, just long enough to properly draw you in to its twisted little world but still short enough to be comfortably devoured in one sitting. Written in the form of a letter, sent to the owner of a new property from the unknown previous tenant, writer Jason Arnopp slowly and gradually reveals a disturbing tale. It’s purpose is simple; to present the properties new incumbent with the facts of the situation and let them know of the extreme measures that will be necessary for them to escape a suitably grisly fate.

Hammer & The Blade Review

Normally I wouldn’t force myself to write a review for a book like Egil and Nix, but I received it as a Goodreads giveaway and so feel obliged to sum up my thoughts on this excellent little freebie. It’s a perfectly fine book, enjoyable and great in moments (as the titular Egil would no doubt appreciate) but with glaring flaws in others. All in all though this is a good romp through a new fantasy world, one that the author Paul S Kemp describes with just enough details to tantalise without going beyond what’s important to the plot.

Dreamfall: The Longest Journey Review

Although this 2006 adventure game wears its 1999 point-and-click predecessor ‘The Longest Journey’ proudly, I think it’s important to remember that they are fundamentally very different beasts with separate goals and intentions. The point and click gameplay is gone, replaced with a rather bland walk and touch mechanic. The main character April Ryan is gone, relegated to a supporting role, although in her place we have a brand new intriguing heroine. The full bodied adventure in which the main character discovers herself in a fulfilling journey that culminates with the saving of the world is replaced by something much darker, more twisted and spiritual. Thankfully they have retained the brilliantly paced storytelling, superb voice acting and multiple interwoven intricately plotted threads that drag you through a narrative heavy game that offers little besides its heart and soul.

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

In any media there’s always a battle between artistry and functionality.

Pandora's Tower

Billed as the third in a trilogy of Japanese RPGS imported to Europe in the last year (or the fourth as some adverts decided to include Skyward Sword…. Which is just wrong, wrong, wrong) Pandora’s Tower is certainly the oddball of the group.

Introducing Distant Spires

So far i've used this blog to promote my experiences, mainly with Big Finish, but of all thing's i've enjoyed and thought noteworthy. On the internet exposure is everything so i've just been reiterating aloud my love of these products to give them a little more shelf life.

Now however, briefly, i'm going to talk about my own work:

http://www.distantspires.com/ is a website I have prepared in collaboration with another author (Glen Delaney) in order to publish audiobook short stories. This summer we intend to release a collection (Monsters) which will feature six original short stories. The website should go live today and a short audio trailer for all six stories has just gone live on youtube and soundcloud.

We intend to sell these for download over the internet at a very cheap, reasonable price. This isn't specifically a profit organising website, we aim just to cover the cost of putting them online but if you do purchase them it will allow us to write, record and publish more over the coming years.

Please, check the website out and enjoy. And follow our website specific blog http://www.distantspires.blogspot.com/.

The Last Story

It feels a little unfair to constantly compare ‘Last Story’ to ‘Xenoblade Chronicles’ which was without a doubt the seminal RPG of the Wii last year. The games have a lot in common; but boast fundamentally different goals. Whilst ‘Xenoblade’ told a story epic on scope and depth, ‘Last Story’ contents itself with a much smaller, more personal setting, yet one that boasts just as many shocking revelations as it’s predecessor.

Nightwish - Imaginaerum

No review... Not right now, can't form enough words.

I listened to this in a car journey with my girlfriend, arguing about the bass levels throughout. Was kind of happy, kind of ambivilent, the road noise made some of the trickier vocals hard to make out...

This album cant be done like that. It needs your time, your respect, your patience. It's not a typical album, a body of music you can pick up and play. It's a high concept peice. It's an 'experience'. I've relistened to it alone, trying to appreciate it more carefully and the results was a thousand times better.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

The Natural History of Fear

During my run of Big Finish’s Bernice Summerfield in 2010 I said once before that I struggled to review their main range of Doctor Who stories. This is because more than any other series the format of Doctor Who is so variable, so flexible, that pinning a consistent style in it is impossible. Doctor Who is unique in that though there are some stories I prefer over others, I struggle to call many of them truly ‘bad’, just ‘different’. Every other series I can try to judge what they’ve achieved compared to what I thought they were meant to, but the intention of Doctor Who varies so wildly from one moment to the next that this becomes almost impossible. The Natural History of fear represents this, and so much more. More than anything else it is ‘different’. In truth the reason you are seeing this review is because it is not, in any sense of the word, a traditional Doctor Who Story.

The Longest Journey

The Longest Journey, released over a decade ago in 1999, is an old game now. The Developer Funcom has moved on to larger action adventure titles and large MMORPGs but in many ways ‘The Longest Journey’ is still as relevant now as it was when released. Sure it looks dated, with PS1 level graphics, and despite a talented vocal group the dialogue is stilted compared with some of the more dramatic modern games released today, but there’s no denying this is an adventure with a heart and soul eager to be unleashed.