G.X. Todd's Blog, page 3

Read Along: Women and Science Fiction

(A monthly Read Along book group for those who want to explore science fiction written by WOMEN. ALL CAPS.)

 

I recently did a panel event at the Women of the World festival in London with the title Do Women Dream of a Different Future: Women and Science Fiction and it didn’t take much research to find that women have always dreamt of a different future. Those of us who are writing within and around sci-fi today are standing on the shoulders of authors such as Ursula K. Le Guin, Margaret Atwood, Joanna Russ and Octavia Butler, and they have been dreaming for a long, long time already. It just feels like not everyone has been listening.

 

While checking out what is considered the “most famous works of science fiction”, I became increasingly disconcerted by the dominance of male authors on the lists. In one Top 50 I skimmed through, only four women made the cut. FOUR. What’s up with that?!

 

I was also aghast to realise that although I could reel off a whole stream of luminary male science fiction authors without really thinking about it, I began to stall after maybe seven women. It made me feel awful. As a woman, and as an author, I want to be shouting about women writers. I want to champion them, because it’s only when we all raise our voices together that we can be lifted up and given a fairer share of the spotlight. In another ten years, I hope to Christ we can have more than four women sci-fi authors in a Top 50 list.

 

With that in mind, for the rest of 2018, I will be reading science fiction written solely by women (and by “women” I mean anyone identifying as a woman), and I encourage you all to join me! It’ll be FUN. We’ll learn new things! We’ll have debates! Maybe we’ll find some new favourite authors! And during it all, we’ll be sharing the book and author love on social media so that everyone can enjoy it, too.

 

I’m predominantly a Twitter user, so I’ll be polling on there for what books to read each month (our first read starting from April 1st), but I will post updates on my Facebook page, too, if I can remember. The hashtag we’ll be using is #ReadWomenSF because I couldn’t think of anything better and sometimes being literal is the best option. It kind of sounds like an order, too, which I quite like. We’ll do a Twitter discussion on the last Monday of every month (so April 30th for our first one) to chat about the book and whatnot. And I’ll write a review and post it on here, too. Bam!

 

It’s a free-for-all Read Along, so you can read or not, skip a month or not, it’s totally up to you (I predict I’ll be reading alone some months, but that’s okay! I do all my reading alone anyhow). Just remember to use the hashtag or follow me (@gemtodd) so you can keep track of everything.

 

Books for April 2018

(Amazon links in titles. I’ve tried to pick books where there are cheaper buying options. Also worth asking your local library if they have copies.)

 

All Systems Red by Martha Wells

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In a corporate-dominated spacefaring future, planetary missions must be approved and supplied by the Company. Exploratory teams are accompanied by Company-supplied security androids, for their own safety.

But in a society where contracts are awarded to the lowest bidder, safety isn’t a primary concern.

On a distant planet, a team of scientists are conducting surface tests, shadowed by their Company-supplied ‘droid — a self-aware SecUnit that has hacked its own governor module, and refers to itself (though never out loud) as “Murderbot.” Scornful of humans, all it really wants is to be left alone long enough to figure out who it is.

But when a neighboring mission goes dark, it’s up to the scientists and their Murderbot to get to the truth.

 

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin

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THIS IS THE WAY THE WORLD ENDS. AGAIN.

Three terrible things happen in a single day.

Essun, masquerading as an ordinary schoolteacher in a quiet small town, comes home to find that her husband has brutally murdered their son and kidnapped their daughter. Mighty Sanze, the empire whose innovations have been civilization’s bedrock for a thousand years, collapses as its greatest city is destroyed by a madman’s vengeance. And worst of all, across the heartland of the world’s sole continent, a great red rift has been been torn which spews ash enough to darken the sky for years. Or centuries.

But this is the Stillness, a land long familiar with struggle, and where orogenes — those who wield the power of the earth as a weapon — are feared far more than the long cold night. Essun has remembered herself, and she will have her daughter back.

She does not care if the world falls apart around her. Essun will break it herself, if she must, to save her daughter.

 

Woman on the Edge of Time by Marge Piercy

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Often compared to Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale and Naomi Alderman’s The Power – Woman on the Edge of Time has been h ailed as a classic of speculative science fiction. Disturbing and forward thinking, Marge Piercy’s remarkable novel will speak to a new generation of readers.

After being unjustly committed to a mental institution, Connie Ramos is contacted by an envoy from the year 2137, who shows her a utopian future of sexual and racial equality and environmental harmony.

But Connie also bears witness to another potential outcome: a dystopian society of grotesque exploitation. One will become our world. And Connie herself may strike the decisive blow…

___________________________

So there we have it. We’ll stick to three titles to choose from this month. The Poll is open right now until Sunday 25th March (it’s my pinned tweet at @GemTodd). So go cast your votes (or comment below if you don’t use Twitter), and please, please share with your friends so we can get as many people as possible to read along and appreciate all things women and sci-fi! Cheers.

 

#ReadWomenSF

 

Build the Voices LEGO Competition

I am not good at keeping up to date with this blog, BUT two exciting things are going on at the moment. Firstly, DEFENDER was released in paperback on 10th August, and is waiting to be bought (like a lonely homeless kitten in need of a loving family) in your local Tesco, WHSmith Travel, Waterstone’s and all good bookshops and online retailers. There are some decent deals going at the moment too (£3.85 in Tesco and Buy One Get One Half Price in WHSmith and Waterstone’s). The paperback edition also comes with some nifty Extra Material in the back, and a sneak peek of HUNTED (the Voices Book 2).

Secondly, to celebrate the release of the paperback edition, the lovely folk at Headline are letting me run a LEGO themed competition. You simply have to build a LEGO piece inspired by DEFENDER (see below for my wonderful Marketer’s attempt at one) and you could win a LEGO Technic set (rrp £54.99) of the exact model of motorbike Pilgrim rides in the book! How bloody cool is that? Click HERE for all the competition details. (And you’re 100% encouraged to rope a kid in to help with it – just some random kid if you want, doesn’t matter whose. Just make sure to give them back afterwards.) It doesn’t have to be anything fancy (although I am secretly hoping for a miniature scale Hotel-Casino in the shape of a steamboat); I will be as impressed with cleverness or ingenuity than anything complex. Anyhow, have fun with it and go #BuildTheVoices.

 

 

 

Events Round-Up: January – March (*PICS*)

A round-up of a few of the events I’ve been going to over the past few months, from book launch parties to signings, reading groups, author panels, radio guest spots, and all that good stuff. (For upcoming events, please check out my Events page.)

January
Launch of Defender
Birmingham Waterstone’s

Thursday 12th January. I had a great interview from Blake Woodham (of Brum Radio) and around 100 friends, family and supporters came out in force. I couldn’t have asked for a better launch for Defender.

Saturday Live – BBC Radio 4
BBC Broadcasting House, London

Click here for the listen again option.

[image error]Richard Coles, Aasmah Mir, me, Nick Knowles, Martin Clunes, Della O’Sullivan

Birmingham Mobile Library Book Group
Library of Birmingham

The ever lovely Jackie Molloy invited me along to Birmingham Mobile Library’s book group. They even fed me cupcakes! Fantastic bunch of people.

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FEBRUARY
Amery Club, Willenhall –  Meet & Greet

A local book signing event that turned into a mini-reunion with these lovely lasses; I hadn’t seen most of them for more than fifteen years :O

[image error]Gina, Emma, me, Simone, Lisa and Jennie

MARCH
 An Interview with G X Todd – Reading Groups AGM


Stourbridge Library

It’s always a pleasure to spend time with book lovers, and you can’t get much bigger fans of books than reading group members. Annie and Luke (from Dudley Libraries) did their usual stirling job of looking after me.

[image error] – Blackpool Arts & Libraries Festival of Words
In Conversation with Kit de Waal (author of My Name is Leon) – Layton Library, Blackpool

An annual festival held in Blackpool to help improve literacy and educational achievement through working with exciting authors. The day was filled with book passion, enthusiasm, smiles and the love of reading. I had a brilliant time – I cannot recommend this festival enough.

Best of the rest

A mixed bag. I’ve even snuck in a few pictures off the library van where some of my long-standing borrowers first got their mitts on Defender.

Also, I have a new Facebook author page. If you haven’t visited yet, please do and give it a Like. Cheers.

 

5 in 1: Five Blog Posts from the DEFENDER Blog Tour (Jan 2017)

I wrote five very interesting posts for the DEFENDER Launch Blog Tour this January, so I thought I’d put handy links to each one I did. (I really thought this would only take me 30mins to do. NINETY MINUTES LATER…)

 

My Favourite TV Shows of 2016

(Hosted by my bro @girlvsbooks)

Highlights include me admitting I didn’t actually finish one series I list here, and how I barely watch any comedy. Oh, and that I can’t spell “stranger” for some reason.

 

The Best Immersive Videogames for Storytelling

(Hosted by fellow gamer and book lover Drew)

I’ve always been a gamer, all the way from my Mega Drive days. In this post, I talk about the games I’ve enjoyed most for their cinematic and wholly immersive storylines.

 

Five Places I’ve Visisted in America That Will Feature in The Voices Series

(Hosted by the lovely Hollie)

You guys are so lucky with this one because I include PICTURES, and also witty tales of when I had a sore butt and food poisoning. Good times.

 

Movies I Loved in 2016 (and what I’m pants-wettingly excited about seeing in 2017)

(Hosted by the ever supportive Janet Emson)

I LOVE FILMS. Anyone who knows me, knows I’m a bit of a nut for movies. I have a super elite Cineworld Unlimited cinema card (along with 1.2 million other people in the UK), so yeah. I’m the real deal. Honestly, if you even slightly like movies, you should read this. I’m an ace film critic.

 

My Top LEGO Builds for Kids of All Ages

(Hosted by the sweeet Maria)

Oh my, are you in for a treat. I had so much fun writing this post. Also taking pictures. And building LEGO. If you need a personal LEGO shopper, like Rhoda did the other day, don’t hesitate to contact me. My fee is competitive.

 

Ten Book I Read as a Kid That Turned me into a Book-Devouring Monster

(Hosted by my Twitter buddy Rhoda)

For the last day of the DEFENDER Launch Blog Tour, we go down memory lane. I utilise pictures again, because it’s fun, and generally wonder what the hell kind of kid I was to read such weird stuff. My poor, poor parents.

 

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed and want to buy my book, please click here.

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10 Books at 10 Ages

Age 13

The Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin

I read the whole Earthsea Trilogy (including Tehanu) when I was in secondary school. It really cemented my love of reading and, not only that, how much fantasy as a genre could transport me to new worlds. The imagination of Le Guin really fired my own and maybe helped seed the thought I could be a writer too someday.

Age 14

The Chrysalids by John Wyndham

I like a lot of Wyndham’s writing, but for me The Chrysalids is his finest work. It’s dystopian, clever and full of heart. I decided to re-read it as an adult. I was worried it wouldn’t live up to my lofty recollection (I used to read anything and everything back in my teenage years and seemed to love everything I read, even the trashy sci-fi paperbacks my library stocked). But I needn’t have worried. It was just as great the second time round.

Age 17

Intensity by Dean Koontz

I’m a massive fan of nearly all of Koontz’s early work (maybe don’t ask me about his more recent stuff), but this book is the my go-to Koontz. I’ve read it maybe five times and it’s a masterclass of suspense and drawn-out tension. I remember being breathless as I read, and got through it one sitting.

Age 17

Body Rides by Richard Laymon

Again, I was a massive fan of Laymon in my late teens and early twenties (and, now that I think about it, maybe that was the age group he was aiming at – most of his characters seem to inhabit that demographic). Laymon’s storytelling isn’t sophisticated or deep, but he sure does know how to entertain. I’ve always loved his dialogue, too. This book is one of his best.

Age 21

King Blood by Simon Clark

I met Simon for the first time this year at FantasyCon in Scarborough and he’s a lovely bloke! Lord knows where his dark, twisted imagination comes from, but I treasure it. This is his finest book for me. An expansive end of the world tale which any post-apocalyptic fan should read.

Age 22

Chasm by Stephen Laws

This is about a town that is sheared off from the rest of the world and is surrounded by an impassable chasm (hence the title). I still remember the name of the black stuff that lives in it and I haven’t read it for yeeeeears. The Vorla. Now that’s the sign of a great book. (Man, I hope I haven’t got that wrong now after being so cocky about remembering it *crushing doubt*.) It’s a survival story at its best. I recommend it to anyone who can find a copy.

Age 28

I Am Legend by Richard Matheson

I LOVE THIS BOOK. Again, I rate a lot of Matheson’s work, but this one is special. And it still has the most memorable and resounding final line in any book I’ve read. Ever.

Age 30

Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho

Don’t pay too much attention to the title – it isn’t as depressing as it sounds. Yes, it covers themes of suicide and mental illness, but it’s such a life-affirming experience. It’s another book that I always find myself going back to. It made me think and think and think, and any book that does that is worthy of countless recommendations.

Age 33

The Shining by Stephen King

Another master storyteller. I love King, and I love many of his books, but The Shining (a book I only read last year for the first time) is so full of chilling atmosphere, brilliant characterisation, perfect descriptions and a creeping horror that gets under your skin that it deserves ALL the accolades. I love the film, but I loved this even more.

Age 34

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

This book defies category. It’s about the death of religion and the machinations of the Gods (of all cultures) who want to resurrect their waning popularity in modern society. Gaiman makes it all look so easy, but the weaving of his tales is something everyone needs to immerse themselves in. Despite its size, this book is a dream to read. It’s trippy and funny and like nothing you’ll ever read again.

Signing, dating and Books of the Month

It’s December, which means, for the first time ever, my book is available across the UK to buy and read. It’s kind of a pre-release release, and guess what? It’s arrived in time for Christmas shopping! Wondering what to get Grandpa Joe? Get him DEFENDER, a rip-roaring adventure of daring-do and gung-ho action! Oh, what to get little Billy – he said he wanted the LEGO Millennium Falcon – well, save yourself £200 and get little Billy DEFENDER*, the tale of a young whippersnapper called Lacey who likes riding on motorbikes and seeing the world! Nana Edith? DEFENDER! A heartfelt story of finding your family against all the odds! You see where I’m going with this…

This pre-release edition of DEFENDER is being supplied from Goldsboro Books and is a limited edition run of only 700 copies. It’s signed and dated by me (by the time I got to the 500th book I could barely remember what my name was, never mind the sequential numbering of our date system – but I prevailed! Every book is signed perfectly because I practised my signature for approximately three hours the day before), and it has BLACK SPRAYED EDGES. Now, I can’t tell you how cool these look. They really do need to be seen in person – which means either buying the book or popping round my house to have a gander yourself. As I’m not yet willing to reveal my secret lair’s address, that just leaves the option of buying the book. Sorry. Now, you won’t be seeing this book with black sprayed edges ever again. Anywhere. Unless you get the black markers out. Once those 700 copies are gone, they’re gone. The official edition being released on January 12th is back to plain old white pages. However, the front cover remains cool as fuck, so don’t worry about that.

ANYWHO. Goldsboro. I was there this past Tuesday (29th November 2016) and the fine folk there gave me a swivelly chair (dangerous), a cup of coffee (imperative) and a nice desk to sign all those copies at. I had a lovely chat to Holly and Caitlin about our favourite reads and authors. It was a tad cold in there, I’m not going to lie, but if it had been warm, I’d have probably been autographing the books PC Plod within thirty minutes, so maybe the temperature was a deliberate thing. Who knows. I had a great time, and only got wrist cramp once, which I thought was good going. My bum was also gracing the same place Lee Child’s had the week before, so I was pretty happy all round. What’s even better than all that is finally being able to share my book with you, the reading public; something I’ve been waiting to do for sooooo long now. It’s all very exciting. I’ve had some pictures of the window display through, but I really can’t wait to see some photos of DEFENDER in the hands of readers. Here are some pics to keep you guys going in the interim. And thanks for reading.

Have you ordered a special Goldsboro Edition of DEFENDER? Please tweet me a picture to @gemtodd when it arrives – I’d love to see and share it!

*Books aren’t age restricted, but I would say DEFENDER isn’t suitable for young readers. Full disclaimer: there’s swearing and fairly graphic descriptions of violence. If I had to rate it, I’d go with a 14+ age rating.

Day 30: Walsall Mobile Library Service – Libraries make you feel you are never truly alone #30days30libraries

I thought it would be a good idea to re-share Polly’s blog series #30days30libraries from earlier this year in honour of the ongoing battle to save libraries. Friday saw many people demonstrating for our right to a public library service, and I urge you all to go check out #5thNovDemo on Twitter to see the passion and commitment so many people feel toward this issue.

In the meantime, have a read. Libraries and everything they do touch so many people’s lives for the better. To lose them is to lose not only a huge part of our cultural heritage, but a wondrous place filled with free learning for our next generations.

Polly Ho-Yen

It was the end of my library odyssey two days ago and I was in ‘Mobile 2,’ a mobile library van, affectionately named ‘Tango’. You can see why …

What the Walsall Mobile Library team accomplish is nothing short of outstanding.

This service take what public libraries offer to a whole new level. On wheels. 

Not only do they visit schools, sheltered accommodation, care homes and day centres but they offer a home library service to people who find it difficult to visit their local library, be it due to illness, a disability or their role as a carer.

This is truly a library for everyone.

I was invited to go for a drive aboard Mobile 2/Tango by the rather wonderful, unquestionably cool, G.X. Todd whose debut novel, ‘Defender’ will hit the shelves early next year. When she’s not writing brilliant dystopian fiction, Gemma drives one of the mobile library vans…

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Massive Round Up: I LOVE rating stuff

I’m going to blast through the last five weeks and do a round up of books, films and activities I’ve enjoyed (or not enjoyed) and rate them all. I handed in Book 2 of The Voices series to my publishers on 19th September, so I’ve spent at a good couple of weeks catching up on stuff. So, here we go.

FILMS

Kubo and the Two Strings

This is a stop-motion animated dream come true. It is so, so beautiful to watch, it’s a pleasure to simply sit back and bask in its visuals. The voice acting is top-notch, too, with the likes of Charlize Theron, Matthew McConohonoghey (or however you spell it) and little Rickon Stark doing the honours. The story, however, suffers a little from unexplained motivations – I’m still not sure if the Moon King wanted to kill Kubo, steal his eye and leave him on earth, or take him back up to the stars with him to join the family. Despite that, I’d recommend it anyways. The scene with the giant skeleton took 19months to film!

GXT Rating: 7.5/10

The Magnificent Seven

Anyone who knows me, knows I like guns, and, believe me, there are a hell of a lot of guns in this. Denzel Washington is as charismatic as ever. Chris Pratt does his usual cheeky jokester schtick (and looks mighty fine while doing it), but the rest of the cast is woefully under-utilised (most notably Ethan Hawke – who gets better and better the more he ages – and Byung-hun Lee, who I still can’t believe is forty-six). The problem with the film is there’s no heart. I didn’t care about any of them, or the village and its inhabitants they were supposed to helping. All the characters, except for Denzel’s, aren’t given enough screen time to flesh them out. It’s a shame. It could have been great.

GXT Rating: 6/10

The Girl with All the Gifts

Loved the book. Like, I mean, I loved it. However, I only liked the film. I wanted to be blown away by it – I’d seen Mike Carey talk at Fantasycon in September, which only heightened my sense of excitement – but, ultimately, it’s a cracking zombie flick, with a strong performance from newcomer Sennia Nanua (who plays the girl Melanie), and that’s it. It didn’t quite reach my massively lofty expectations.

GXT Rating: 7.5/10 (the book is a 9/10)

The Program

This is the movie about Lance Armstrong. Do you remember it? It’s not new. But Ben Foster is an actor who I think isn’t appreciated enough. I’d watch him in most anything. (I missed Hell or High Water at the cinema, but will be catching it as soon as it’s out on Bluray.) He’s brilliant in everything, including that World of Warcraft movie (which I still think was a ball). Ben has an uncanny resemblance to Lance in this movie, which can be quite disconcerting at times. There are a couple of scenes where he’s truly mesmerising – he needs to get recognised more for his acting, if you ask me. I might email Hollywood about it when I have time.

Overall, this movie missed the punch. As much as it depicts Lance Armstrong as an asshole (which, from the articles I’ve read since, he certainly seems to be), the story ends when his lies about blood doping come to light. I’d have liked to see more of the fallout.

GXT Rating: 6/10

The Little Prince (Netflix)

What a gem of a movie! Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. I’d recommend everyone watch this. I loved every minute of it. And Jeff Bridges voices one of the main characters, and if that’s not encouragement enough, you need to go get your noggin checked. I’ve had a fine month for stop-motion animated films.

GXT Rating: 8/10

Kung Fury

I can’t remember if this is on Amazon Prime or Netflix, and I’m classing it as a movie even though it’s only thirty minutes long. AND IT’S MENTAL. Absolutely off its tits. And it’s hilarious because of that. It plays with every 80s convention you can think of: video games, cheesy action flicks (from Beverley Hills Cop to Police Story to Red Sonja), kung-fu action stars, you name it. Did I say it was mental? If you fancy something completely off-the-wall and different, give it a go.

GXT Rating: 7/10

Westworld (1973)

I re-watched this in preparation for the TV series that’s airing on Sky Atlantic. And man, Yul Brynner. What a legend. I could watch/listen to him all day. This film has dated, but it’s still a great watch. I forgot how long they hold onto that light-hearted, comedy feel to the movie before it all goes to complete and utter shit. Really, the darkness doesn’t hit until the final fifteen minutes or so, which remain the best for me (probably because Mr Brynner dominates).

GXT Rating: 7/10

TV SHOWS

Daredevil (Series Two)

Yes, yes. I’m late to the party, I know. I’m seven episodes in and it has moments of brilliance (the stairwell fight scene, Frank Castle talking about his daughter as he slumps against a tombstone, bleeding), but so far I’m finding it ooookay. I’m enjoying enough to keep going with it, but I do find my remote control finger itching to fast forward through the less entertaining bits. And I still haven’t made my mind up about Elektra. Is she just an awful actress or is it the character I don’t like? MAYBE IT’S BOTH.

GXT Rating (so far): 7.5/10

Westworld (HBO)

One episode in and I’m intrigued enough to be excited about episode two. I found the pilot a slow burner, but it’s so lovely to look at, and the acting is so compelling (particularly Louis Herthum and Evan Rachel Wood), I find I don’t mind that so much. And those last fifteen minutes were brilliant. That final shot! Wow. Loved it. I like how they’re inverting the roles a little, too, and we’re seeing a lot of it play out from the replicants’ (robots?) point of view.

GXT Rating so far: 8/10

Hooten & the Lady

No. Just no. Everything I wanted this show to be (a real life Uncharted with dashes of Indiana Jones) and it fails in every respect. Stereotypical characters, awful dialogue, predictable set-ups. I admit I only watched one episode, and maybe it’s improved, but this girl ain’t going back for more. And it has Jimmy Olsen in it from Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman! Hahaha!

GXT Rating: 4/10

Inside Amy Schumer (Season Four)

Continues to be hit and miss for me, but the Liam Neeson sketch at his own funeral parlour was hilarious. As was the Tampo tampons advert. YouTube them!

GXT Rating (so far): 8/10

Wolf Creek

Withholding judgement as I’m only one episode it, but it definitely has potential. John Jarratt as Mick (the Head-on-a-Stick serial killer) is always a delight in this role.

GXT Rating (so far): 7.5/10

Stranger Things

Everything that needs to be said about this series has already been said. I loved every second of it. Millie Bobby Brown (who plays Eleven) was a revelation. Can’t wait for season two. Like I literally cannot wait.

GXT Rating: 9/10

BOOKS

(I realise this is a paltry list compared to everything else, but I don’t tend to read much when I’m heavily into doing edits/revisions. Books either make me feel crap about my writing (because the author whose book I’m reading is so much better than me), or I unintentionally start absorbing ideas from them. Either way, not good.)

The Last Days of Jack Sparks by Jason Arnopp

The best supernatural novel I’ve read for a long time. It’s clever, disturbing, and very well written. Everything you want in a read. Highly recommended (but not for the easily scared).

GXT Rating: 8.5/10

LEGO Set Builds

Batman: Gotham City Cycle Chase (76053)

I’m glad I built this one first because the bikes are great (especially Batman’s) and the Harley Quinn minifigure is ace, but all three bikes in these two sets follow the same build pattern and the two bikes from this set are the less complicated of the three (see review below).

GXT Rating: 7.5/10

Spider-Man: Ghost Rider Team-Up (76058)

Wow. The Ghost Rider bike in this set is AWESOME. They’ve done the flame effects so well and his minifigure head is epic. If I’d built this first, I’d have been slightly disappointed with Batman’s and Harley’s bikes, as they’re not as complex in their construction. Spider-Man and the Hobgoblin minifigures are cool, too, although I admittedly bought these sets for their motorbikes.

GXT Rating: 8.5/10

VIDEO GAMES (PS4)

Mad Max

If you love the world of Mad Max you really can’t go wrong with this game. It’s a sandbox set-up, so apart from having to unlock each area by working through the storyline missions, the whole beautifully brutal world is open to explore. The violence is wonderfully gory (I never get tired of harpooning a War Boy out of his car and then mowing him down, or performing a death move by jamming a chiv into someone’s neck or gut-shooting them with my sawn-off shotgun), which makes it definitely for adults only. My only complaint with this game, which so often happens with sandbox worlds, is the inevitable grind it becomes. You have to complete a certain number of side missions, etc., before you can continue, and a lot of them involve find and collect tasks. It’s a chore.

GXT Rating: 7.5/10 (almost an 8)

Child of Light (PSN)

I downloaded this (which took approximately six hours due to my crappy internet speed) because it cost me £3.99 in the PlayStation Store. It is a stunning game, graphically speaking, and its mechanics are really well done. I’m not a huge fan of turn-based fighting, but this does it very cleverly. For me, and this is a personal thing, I do eventually get tired of these types of fights. And you have to do them because otherwise your stats don’t improve. And you know what happens then? I die in an embarrassingly easy manner when I get to the compulsory boss battles at the end of each level. It’s frustrating.

GXT Rating: 7/10 (9/10 for graphics)

LEGO Dimensions

I bought this for my nieces. Okay, okay, I bought it for me, too. It’s an ingenious idea (I’ve played Disney Infinity so I’m familiar with the set-up) and LEGO know how to use product placement in the best way. What makes this stand out from the other similar systems on the market is its ability to integrate on-screen gameplay with real-life LEGO building. I loved this aspect of it. And being able to move little minifigures and their vehicles on and off the play field never gets old.

GXT Rating: 8.5/10

This blog post. Rating: 7.666recurring/10

The Haunting of Michael D Magee

Over the weekend I binge-watched around 120 paranormal YouTube videos posted by Michael D Magee. They amounted to approximately six hours of viewing. Why? Two reasons. 1) We’d recently asked Michael if he would be interested in being interviewed for a ThankBookFor Halloween podcast special*; and 2) because once I started to watch, I became more and more intrigued.

Magee claims to have been haunted by a number of entities (spirits/demons, etc.) since 2009. He has moved five times (by the last count) and the activity has always started again in his new home. The conclusion is that it’s not the houses that are haunted, it’s Magee himself. What sets Magee apart in his claims is that he has documented huge amounts of footage of this supernatural activity (please see the below clip for examples, and be sure to check how many views it’s had).

Magee has more than 70,000 YouTube followers, with thousands more on Twitter and Facebook. He’s well-known in paranormal circles as being one of the few investigators who have recorded some of the most fascinating and chin-scratching pieces of “evidence” in his field. Examples include recording visible apparitions (using Kinect software and filming in thermal and infrared spectrums), catching footage of items seemingly moving on their own, recording EVP sessions where the voices of the spirits haunting him can be heard answering his questions, and last, but not least, a session where an entity typed a message to him on the keyboard of his computer.

During my viewing, I read a lot of the YouTube comments (and I did watch all the videos, in chronological order), and Magee clearly has a huge amount of support from fans and believers. I admit to being freaked out a time or two myself, probably because I did the majority of watching after 10pm. I even slept with the lamp on for a short while on Saturday night. I also found myself wondering how the hell Magee did it. It’s all very clever.

Does that mean I believe what I saw in the videos? Do I believe Michael D. Magee is, in fact, haunted by spirits?

The answer is no. No, I do not. And I’ll explain why.

1. Commenters on YouTube have asked Magee to Live Stream some of the “hot spots” in his house. Live Streaming is extremely common these days and super easy to set-up. It also has the added bonus of Magee’s address remaining completely secret. Still, he hasn’t provided a single Live Stream session.

2. I am uncomfortable with the way some his evidence is presented. If it’s simply for documentation purposes, there should be no need to present clips with up to 20 seconds of suspenseful build-up before something occurs (a cupboard door swinging open or an orb floating across the screen). Magee also often ends a video with phrases like “I hope you enjoyed [the video]”. Enjoyed? Are we here to enjoy it, or are we here to be convinced that you’re telling the truth? Two very different motivations for watching.

3. It should also be stated that Magee, at the beginning of all this, was a Media and Film student at university. He obviously has a wide and comprehensive knowledge of editing, recording and special effects. Indeed, all of his clips are immaculately presented.

4. One of the earlier videos included footage of a shadowy figure walking across the screen only to approach the camera and cause electrical interference. In another earlier video, Magee documents a “demon” entering his bedroom window and trashing his room. These larger, dramatic events are the only amateurish videos Magee has presented so far, and since then he has stuck to offering smaller, more “credible” footage.

5. As I mentioned above, the video that shows an entity using Magee’s keyboard and computer to type out a message holds some concerns for me. For a few days, Magee waited for any activity to occur until, finally, the entity typed out a message that could have been interpreted as HELL, HELLO, or HELP. In the clip, we even hear the clicking of the keys. However, it is filmed like all his videos – from across the room, partially zoomed in. If Magee’s sole purpose for that video was to capture an entity typing on his computer, why not set the camera close enough so we can see the depression of the keys? Many people queried this (and also the lack of movement of the space bar even though spaces appear in the typed text) and, despite the success of the test (the entity did appear to communicate), Magee has never repeated it.

6. On more than one occasion Magee has been asked to set up cameras so that the entirety of a room be seen from all angles. Magee claims that the cost of buying extra camera equipment to do this is not possible on the wage he earns at his warehouse job. Let me make clear that he has more than one camera. Often, he has a camera in the living room as well as in the kitchen, and in his study, all running concurrently (he flips between shots in his videos). Therefore, at the very least, he owns two cameras. Therefore, why not film one room from all angles and put to rest the non-believers who believe he is off-screen, orchestrating some of this supernatural activity?

7. And most damning of all, despite continued suggestions by viewers that Magee invite an outside party to come into his home and verify some of his claims, he has always refused, stating that he values his privacy too much to allow strangers into his house. Admittedly, I would also be wary of giving my address out to someone in these circumstances, but until someone who is neutral and unbiased and preferably science-minded (and is not related to Magee) corroborates Magee’s findings and confirms them as valid evidence of a haunting, none of this is trustworthy and I’m not buying it. Sorry.

Saying all that, one of the key reasons for Magee’s popularity lies not only in his impeccable presentation of his footage and sound bites, but in his sincerity. He comes across as nothing but a nice, genuine, polite guy. I liked him. He even openly debunks some of his own evidence and he encourages his viewers to do the same. Question everything, he tells us. It’s very hard to believe this man could be duping us when his sincere expression and earnest explanations meet us at every turn.

I enjoyed watching Magee’s videos. I was entertained. And that’s the key word for me here. The haunting of Michael D Magee is pure entertainment. Until, that is, he decides to let someone in on his haunting who has absolutely nothing to gain from it.

 

*At the time of posting this blog, Mr Magee has yet to reply to our request for an interview.

Writers in Cars: Carpool with the nieces

My eldest niece, Isabelle, has been bugging me for ages, wanting to be in a YouTube video, so she and her sister, Scarlett, join me for today’s WiC’s carpool.

In this episode, we offer our film verdict on Finding Dory, buy two Mashem Finding Dory toys, play #SaturdayBookSave, and try and get my mom to say “phenomenon” (which she can’t pronounce). Oh, and I road-rage a tiny bit.