C.T. Phipps's Blog, page 22

The Last of Us 1×06 “Kin” review

    THE LAST OF US 1×06 “KIN” is another powerful episode of the series as well as a pretty good adaptation of the events of the game. I have a few minor complaints but am overall impressed with the way they’ve managed to stay faithful for the most part with only a few rare exceptions. Indeed, I’m actually sorry they’ve sped through most of the game’s plot as it seems like they could have stretched it out to two seasons with the way things seem to be going at a breakneck pace.

    This epi...

The Brotherhood of the Beast review

    THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE BEAST is another audiobook drama created by the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society. While they’ve been doing many adaptations of Lovecraft’s actual work, they’ve also done a number of pastiches as well with this being the second Chaosium-adapted module after MASKS OF NYARLATHOTEP. I am really interested in these and hope they’ll continue to do them. I would also be interested in them adapting some other Mythos authors. I think this format is perfect for, say, Bri...

THE LAST OF US 1x05 "Endure and Survive" review

    THE LAST OF US 1x05 "Endure and Survive" is back into the adventures of Ellie and company. I complained about the changes to the past two episodes, but I'm pleased to say this episode gets back into fidelity to the game and is all the stronger for it. I'm a big fan of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey are fantastic casting but they're getting pushed out of what is an already note-perfect story.

    The premise is Joel and Ellie have found themselves on the run f...

The Color out of Space (2019) review

"It was just a color...but it burns."

    I regret making my Beginner's Guide to HP Lovecraft before seeing this movie because it definitely deserves to be mentioned among the "good" adaptations of Howard Phillip's work. I mean, it's still pretty campy in certain places but that's actually not a bad thing as he was a Pulp writer and his flurid prose as well as over-the-top elements are a feature not a bug. 

    I feel like the most memorable of his works ala Re-animator and Dagon benefit from goin...

Miskatonic (2021) review

    MISKATONIC by Mark Sable is an indie comic book I stumbled upon by accident. Lovecraft has a somewhat sketchy history with adaptations of his work to comic books with Alan Moore's Providence and a few others that had issues to say the least. However, there was something about the cover that lured me in. They say you can't judge a book by its cover but that is frequently the deciding factor in a purchase, and I was immediately drawn in by the fantastic depiction of agent Miranda Keller on the...

Tales of Supervillainy: Cindy's Seven is now available on audiobook!

Hey folks,

I'm pleased to say that TALES OF SUPERVILLAINY: CINDY'S SEVEN is now available for purchase on Audible! I've been waiting a long time for this book's release and am extremely happy about it finally being out.

Cindy Wakowski a.k.a. Red Riding Hood is the second-most feared villain in Falconcrest City. Unfortunately, she soon discovers that is only because she's considered Merciless: The Supervillainy without Mercy's favorite henchwoman. Determined to prove herself every bit her boyfriend...

The Last of Us 1x04 "Please Hold To My Hand" review

    THE LAST OF US 1x04 "PLEASE HOLD TO MY HAND" has a hard act to follow up on with the events of the previous episode being critically acclaimed. I also admit to some degree of regret that we don't get to have Ellie interact with Bill nor some of the stunning set pieces from the game like the upside down shooting against a horde of Infected. Indeed, the lack of Infected is something I'm beginning to notice in this series. It's not that they don't exist but they occupy a much smaller role overa...

Wrath of N'Kai (Arkham Horror #1) by Josh Reynolds

     WRATH OF N'KAI by Josh Reynolds is a licensed game tie-in novel, specifically for Arkham Horror. I don't play Arkham Horror but a friend of mine does and it basically seems to be a board game version of Chaosiums' Call of Cthulhu, except published by Fantasy Flight Games. I have an interesting relationship with game tie-in fiction. Basically, it's what made me the reader I am today.

    I was a fanatical consumer of Dungeons and Dragons fiction from around thirteen to nineteen with perhaps ...

Dead Space (2023) review

    DEAD SPACE (2023) is a remake of the classic 2008 video game. It is a welcome revival of a franchise that briefly was on top of the world with animated movies, comics, and multiple sequels before crashing into a spectacular inferno with the incredibly ill-received Dead Space 3. The premise is simple: in the far future, humanity discovers a series of dark mystical artifacts called Markers that drive people insane before transforming them into horrible zombie-like monsters.

    Dead Space is so...

The Last of Us 1x03 "Long, Long Time" review

    THE LAST OF US 1x03 "LONG, LONG TIME" is the first large divergence from the games. Basically, while the episode has some decent Ellie and Joel time, it is primarily about acquaintances Bill and Frank that just so happen to be a married couple. In the games, Frank is a character who died before we ever meet Bill and what we learn about him was that he was something of a manipulative sociopath. We also get some great Bill and Ellie interaction that is some of my favorite parts of the game.

I m...