Currently… Playing:
Dungeon Defenders
Listening to:
Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds
Watching:
Smallville: Season 10
Reading:
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline Hey look, a Paypal button.
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The Blue Nowhere
This is one of Jane’s books that she recommended I read. She really likes her crime thrillers, wheras I am more of a fantasy/science fiction fan. Still, I’m always willing to give new things a try (even if it is just to say I don’t like them). Basic premise is this: One gifted computer expert likes to break into people’s lives through their computers, then use the information on there to get close enough to stab them through the heart. Another gifted computer expert who is serving jail time, and is also an old acquaintance of the first hacker, is brought in to work with the Police to stop the murderous rampage. There were lots of nice twists and unexpected turns, it really felt at times that I was reading a movie rather than a book; Not a movie script, but an actual movie. The pacing was swift, the action scenes tight and very Hollywood. Phate, at one point actually says that he “touches himself at night”. That, for me, was the comedy highlight, no matter how unintended. All the more funny when you find out the identity of his accomplice at the end…
The Vanished Man
Now, I’ve only read two of Deaver’s books, but do they all follow a pretty similar theme? A killer surfaces with a knowledge of a profession not usually associated with murder, then the Police draft in someone in that trade to help with their investigations. Do they all follow that trend? Saying that, I totally loved Kara – the young apprentice magician that the Police brought in to help with tracking the killer. Not as awesome as Lyra from His Dark Materials, but almost. This book was also full of unusual twists, red herrings, surprise revelations and had me second- and third-guessing what was actually going on. A Deaver trademark, I take it.
I don’t think I’m looking forward to reading any more Jeffery Deaver books. The two I have read, while being entertaining, were virtually identical in structure. Sure, 99% of the ideas, settings, themes and characters were different, but it just felt as if he’s found his rhythm, realised it sells books, and has settled into it. Jane does have more by him, so if I ever run out of books to read then I’ll give them a try, if only to find out they are formulaic. I hope they’re not.
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Darkly Dreaming Dexter
This first book naturally sets up the basic premise: Dexter is a forensic scientist who works for the Police, and in his spare time he kills those killers who slip through the Police’s net. Despite this, he is immensely lovable, partly thanks to the brilliant portrayal by Michael C. Hall in the TV series which I had seen before I read any of the books. I love the alliteration that is present in all three books. Dexter drearily does Devilish deeds daily, Iain is interested immensely. The whole thing is written from Dexter’s viewpoint, and thanks to the sterling writing at times you really feel like a passenger inside his head – but it sure is crowded in there. Sure, the ending is a bit vague, but having the second book to hand made things bearable. Maybe not one to read if you’re going to stop at just reading this first one.
Dearly Devoted Dexter
Technically speaking, as Jane bought me the Omnibus of the first three books for Christmas, I should just have the image of that rather than the front covers of the three individual titles, but hey, it looks nicer this way, don’t you think? The unintentionally comedic side of Dexter comes out in this one, when he somehow ends up agreeing to marry Rita, which is very funny. This part of the series also features a hugely imaginative killer: he tortures his prey in front of a mirror, so they can see what he is doing to them and they often end up with vital parts of their anatomy missing, such as hands, arms, feet, genitals, tongues, lips, noses, even eye-lids – and he keeps his victims alive much longer than is naturally possible under the circumstances. He’s really fucking evil, but it’s totally delicious to read.
Dexter In The Dark
Now this is where the tone of the series shifts. And, for the first time, we read from someone else’s perspective – or, more accurately, something else’s. This book introduces the concept that The Dark Passenger that resides inside Dexter is not a part of him – it is a primal conciousness, a force of nature originating from the beginnings of time – which seeks out violent individuals and feeds off their murderous intents. It’s a bold move away from the first two books, going from being based in reality to embracing the supernatural, but I think it works, and as such, this is my favourite Dexter book.
I’m a big fan of the Dexter TV show but due to us not having FX and me not being overly adept at torrenting things, I’ve only seen the first two seasons. I’ll get around to watching them at some point, even if it is as late as when they are all out on DVD in this region. I didn’t really want to go on about the TV series too much here, but I will say this: Don’t think that the TV series and the books are the same, they are not. They merely feature the same premise, and there is much branching off. Watch the TV series, read the books, they are both excellent. Consume all you can of Dexter.
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The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse
Take the successful late ’80′s cartoon/live action film Who Framed Roger Rabbit, replace “Cartoons” with “Fairy Tales”, and there you have it: The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse. Quite an entertaining read, this. It takes everything you think you know about Little Boy Blue, for example, then eschews it with modern sensibilities. Thinking about it, how much can you know about a fictional Nursery Rhyme character in the first place? That’s why it’s so good, actually, as it takes these blank slates (who are, juxtapostionally also quite well-known), expands them into real people with real desires, with real emotions, with real personality, and embroils them in a good, old fashioned Detective mystery.
The Witches of Chiswick
Now, imagine The Terminator, but with the twist that the future can somehow change the past. At points, it seems Mr. Schwarzenegger actually makes an appearance as the “muscle-bound Germanic with huge firearms”. It’s an interesting idea, that history is not as we know it. That lights powered by electricity and craft capable of space travel existing in the Victorian age is (or was?) being kept hidden by a cabal of Witches (yes, of Chiswick), and is only discovered in the far future when someone stumbles upon a painting of said age where someone is depicted wearing a digital wrist-watch… It’s one of the better concepts I’ve ever encountered involving time-travel. Mr. Rankin weaves a complex tale, but it all (mostly) makes sense in the end.
And I can’t not mention Barry the Talking Time Travelling Sprout. There. Mentioned.
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The Better Mousetrap
Take what you know about monsters of myth and creatures of legend. Now, let this story and Mr. Holt expand that to a modern setting. We all know Dragons love gold, but did you know they also have inbuilt, organic modems that scour the internet for the latest exchange rates, to see just exactly how valuable their hoard is? That’s not the only great thing about this book. The hero has a magic door which he can put up against any surface, not simply to make a way through to the other side of the surface, but it can traverse time and space. And he uses this magnificent tool to help Insurance Companies save money. Genius. Even though I, as a first-time reader of one of Mr. Holt’s books, felt I was coming in mid-way through a party, it did not detract from the story. Part of an ongoing tale, but stand-alone. Very good.
Wish You Were Here
A magical lake, which grants your greatest desire when you bathe in it. In order for you to realise your greatest desire, you must go on an adventure. A lake guarded by an ancient, mystical, mischievous being capable of shape-shifting, who also acts as a guide through your adventure. There’s an awful lot of repetition in this book, which I did not enjoy. Having four protagonists that each have (for the most part, until nearer the end) separate adventures which are carefully structured to be identical by the guide made me feel I was reading the same thing over and over again, only with a slightly different outcome. It was an enjoyable read, but by no means my favourite Tom Holt book.
Djinn Rummy
Now this one really fired my creative synapses. By the end of the book, I longed to sketch and draw the Djinn and the many other mystical beasts myself, so expertly brought to life in my mind by the authors descriptive words. I didn’t think a genie would actually allow anyone to wish for an unlimited amount of wishes, but apparently everyone thinks that, which is why if anyone did wish for unlimited amounts of wishes, it would be granted. I’ve never encountered a Genie so fleshed out as Kayaguchiya Integrated Circuits III (shortened to Kiss, but only by his friends), in fact, the whole universe that Mr. Holt has created for his books is incredibly detailed, and as such, believable.
I most definitely recommend that any fans of fantasy fiction pick up Djinn Rummy and The Better Mousetrap, they are so full of wondrous ideas and are generally great stories.
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A Snowball in Hell
by Christopher Brookmyre
Great read, this one. Although the characters have been developed in previous books, this is very stand-alone, it mattered not that I didn’t know the full history between Angelique, Zal and Simon. The villain of the piece, Simon Darcourt (or maybe even the Author himself?), has a lot of derogative things to say about the cult of “celebrity”, and how some people are famous simply for being famous – I found this highly amusing as a social commentary. It shows just how easy it would be to kidnap a stupid celebrity, tricking them into thinking they’re doing something for charity (which will so boost their publicity), and it culminates with a game of “I’m a Celebrity and I’m Never Getting Out of Here”, in which the viewers must vote to decide which celebrity dies. It’s the kind of thing everyone would want to watch, but not admit to watching. It’s fascinating stuff.
The Road
by Cormac McCarthy
Well. I’ve never read anything like this before. Even compared to post-apocalyptic films, I’ve never seen or read of a bad future quite so terribly bad. There’s quite literally nothing left apart from the road and the odd cache of supplies here and there, which the man and the boy scavenge and make use of. Yes, the main characters are simply called “Man” and “Boy”, but over the course of their struggles their character shines through, their determination to survive is evident. I didn’t realise there was a film version of this until I took the book to Southampton to read on the train and Katie noticed it and asked “is that the book of the film with that guy from Lord Of The Rings in it?”. I’ll probably give it a watch when it lands in front of me. I must admit, most of the flowery prose was lost on me, but nevertheless – I did enjoy this grim struggle of a book.
Jasmyn
by Alex Bell
I found this book absolutely enchanting, the fantasy element felt totally natural – it was an original and very modern fairy tale. That Swan Knights, Ice Princesses and miniature faery horses sit perfectly well with Jasmyn fretting about spending too much money on car rental and restaurants is a triumph. I really felt for her and Ben when that revelation was dropped. The Jasmyn character was totally believable, and reading through her viewpoint really helped us understand the full range of emotions she felt while she was coming to terms with love lost, love stolen, and love reunited. The whole book goes to show how love and rage can cloud someone’s judgement, but spur them on into brave, life-changing decisions. I will endeavour to read Ms. Bells other work.
Life of Pi
by Yann Martel
I had a dream not long after finishing this book, involving being confronted by a Bengal Tiger and going blind. It was the first time I’ve ever dreamed of a book – indicative of the Author’s skill at conjuring up images with his words? It was slow to start, I felt, although the background did go a long way to setting the scene on how a young boy could survive that long on a raft with only God and a Tiger for company. The real crux is this: Which was the real story? Which did the boy invent to keep himself from going insane? I preferred the story with the animals, but I suspect it was not the real one.
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Oh, hi.
It’s Book Week this week on Waves, which basically means I’m posting a load of stuff about books I have read. I have been meaning to write up my thoughts on them in a while, so why not make some kind of half-arsed feature out of it? I wonder if, in the future, I note my feelings towards the books I read in a timely fashion, or I save them all for another Book Week. Time will tell.
Random Fury Book Week will last all week, there will be one post every day which will cover 2-4 books each, then my final post on Sunday will be all about my favourite book of all time. Can you guess what it is?
I’m not going to be going through the plot of all the books in detail like a classical style review, just offering up my thoughts on them. I’ll assume you’ve read them so won’t explain, for example, in great detail what a Dæmon is when I’m writing about the His Dark Materials trilogy.
If you have any comments or questions, then feel free to leave a comment, or alternatively you could post a message in the Book Thread on the RF forum.
Enjoy!
We went bowling yesterday to celebrate Lewis’ Birthday.
He is now 8 years old.
It was great fun, even though I am rubbish and didn’t win.
I would like to join some kind of bowling team, if they’d have me.
(Did I mention I am rubbish at bowling?)
My God I used to love this game. Years ago it was one of the only games I ever bothered to play on the PC, mainly because our PC was rubbish and this had low required specifications. But my God, I never thought I’d see an Xbox 360 version. Shame I can’t afford it right now, I spent my last 400 points on Chime last week. 1,200 points may seem a bit steep, but you’re getting Darwinia and Multiwinia, both fully customised for playing with control pads and playing multiplayer over Xbox Live – It’s a bargain, to be honest!
I wrote a review of it for Poopgang, when Poopgang had it’s own multimedia review type site, all those years ago. I used to be pretty keen on writing reviews for stuff. Look, here’s a reference to me writing this review, back in 2005! I will now reproduce it, untouched and in it’s original form for you to totally blow apart.
Darwinia
Format – PC
Developer – Introversion
Publisher – Introversion
Release – April 2005
 Ah, the nostalgia A decade of up time has resulted in thousands upon thousands of generations being created, but it also unwittingly led to the creation and evolution of corrupted processes. These spread like cancer throughout the Darwinians universe, claiming the Darwinians spirits for itself, fuelling its thirst for knowledge, power and control. Upon seeing the detrimental effect it was having on the universe, Sepulveda cut the virus off at several points, impeding its progress so it would not consume everything. And this is where you come in, hired by Dr Sepulveda to help save the digital universe.
 The Task Manager You begin with the creation of squads; a 3 man unit, armed with lasers, and ready to fight the red Viral Infection to the death. Destroying a virus releases a digital soul, which is then collected by another unit, the engineer. The engineer takes the souls to an abstract building called an incubator which then converts them into Darwinians. It’s from here that research becomes important, because part of the progress you make in the game is through the updated abilities of the units you can create. Research a bit, and the initial three man squad will eventually become a six strong squad, raising their chances of survival and their killing efficiency. You can also improve the range or your weapons, research new ones after obtaining research items, or improve the Task Manager to allow the creation of more units. This process is then repeated over and over until the day is saved, and although it can become quite tiresome and repetitive, the appearance of new enemies and the opening up of new areas is always an intriguing and exciting event.
 Please, save them! But saying that, there’s one specific part of the game the pictures really can’t relay, and that’s the audio. It not only stands out from the crowd, but head and shoulders above the crowd, by using it’s aural output not just as a background necessity, but to provide a living and breathing world for your little pixilated men. It’s really something when, in the situations where hundreds Darwinians voices are being played at the same time, each one has it’s own frequency, it’s own unique pitch and tempo. This simply is as much an audio masterpiece as a visual one.
I had been following Darwinia closely in the run up to its release, yet in terms of game play, knew very little about. Playing it for the first time was a truly joyous occasion, and being instantly hooked on something nowadays is a rarity. Simple, yet fun to play, it’s a game every PC gamer should at least consider owning, no matter what genre you usually plump for. Calling it a Real Time Strategy adaptation of Rez would be too simple, and too insulting to Darwinia, as it quite clearly carves its own niche in videogame history. [8]
A demo is available for free download on the Official Darwinia website: http://www.darwinia.co.uk/
Ooh, that Edge style 8 I put in there makes me cringe, even now. Still, this has given me an excellent idea for how to celebrate my upcoming 5th Anniversary of blogging! Stay tuned.
1 – I cleaned up cat sick.
2 – I did some gardening.
3 – I discovered Chime.
4 – I finished Onechanbara.
5 – I updated the About me page.
Continue reading Stuff what I did this week
 Some of the Achievements in Onechanbara are a bit tricky, to say the least. Here are my tips.
First of all, practice Saki’s Cool Combo. If you can get all 9 hits off then that’s enough to kill any Blood Mist Zombies you need to. You never need to learn Aya’s tricky and lengthy Cool Combos. It can be a bit tricky at first, but stick at it. Use Practice Mode and hit X when the timing bar is in the blue section underneath the main bar. I found it very useful to use the big swooshing X as a cue to hit the X button again.
I had an issue with “Hit and Run”… Until I realised that hitting the left and right triggers not only made the bike skid left and right, it also stalled the hit counter from resetting – very useful for maintaining a high enough hit combo for the quest.
To get the “Cool Master” achievement you have to maintain a 95% Cool Combo hit-rate for an entire level. That’s insane. Luckily, I found a tip that made it much easier. Select Chapter 15, choose Saki. Run past all enemies until you get to the cage fight with the two big orange zombies. Run behind them and press B twice to rush and grab at them, then hit X a second later to unleash damage. Repeat until they are dead and the stage is cleared. This counts as a cool combo for some reason, as upon returning to the main menu it’ll tell you that you just unlocked “Cool Master LV1″. Repeat twice more for G’s.
I had issues with “Rampaging Baneful Blood” for a while, until I realised that you had to fill the splatter gauge on the final hit of the Cool Combo, not, as I interpreted it, fill the splatter gauge with any part of the Cool Combo – I figured that you don’t go into Rampage until you’ve finished the combo, so that’d work. Once you’ve mastered Saki’s Cool Combo, get the Splatter Control Bracelet from the Blood Mist Zombie in Chapter 4, in the Underground Parking area. The Splatter Control Bracelet, once levelled up to LV3 (just by collecting yellow orbs, this even works if you are already fully powered up), stops you from gaining any further splatter.
Then, find a Blood Mist Zombie in a later chapter, one that you cannot kill with Saki’s 9 hit Cool Combo (you don’t want it to die, you see). Now, hit it randomly until the splatter gauge is softly pulsing red. Equip the Splatter Control Bracelet, now unleash that Cool Combo. When Saki leaps into the air to deliver the final downward stab (it is useful to note that she will not do this leaping stab unless you have performed the Cool Combo correctly), press Back and unequip the Splatter Control Bracelet. This final hit should take you into Rampage 2, and earn you a “Rampaging Baneful Blood LV1″. Now, like most other quests, do this two more times.
I’m stuck, only needing “Swift and Beautiful Death LV3″ out of all the quests… It’s my own fault, I never kept note of which bosses I had defeated quickly, and which I had used to get things like the “Clear Sight” quest. I’ll get it eventually.
I still have two difficulties to do – I heard this game was a slog, but damn. Hurry up, I want to play Bayonetta!
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