Tyson Adams's Blog, page 53
February 14, 2017
Finding something to read
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Tagged: Cartoon, Cartoons, Comics, Humor, Humour, Kindle, Pics, Reading, Right What You No, Tyson Adams
February 13, 2017
Book review: Rick and Morty Volume 4 by Kyle Starks
Rick and Morty, Volume 4 by Kyle Starks
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
“If I’m being to vague, I’m talking about your penis here.”
Are you missing Rick and Morty? Can you believe it has been 1 year, 4 months, and 9 days since the cliffhanger of Season 2? Can you believe we still have a month to wait for Season 3?
Well this collection of short adventures will tide you over. So many of these stories feel like lost episodes that we missed out on. It’s a Ricklicious fix. Rick and Morty fans will enjoy this collection no end.
I received a digital copy of this collection ahead of release in exchange for an honest review, focussed on science.
Tagged: Book review, Book reviews, Comic, Comics, Kyle Starks, Reading, Rick and Morty, Ricklicious, Right What You No, TV shows, Tyson Adams, Wub a lub a dub dub
February 10, 2017
Book Reviews: Nine Princes in Amber by Roger Zelazny
Nine Princes in Amber by Roger Zelazny
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I’m confused: are gods meant to wear flowing robes or leggings and cloaks?
Corwin awakes in a hospital after a car crash. Not everything is on the up and up, as the staff are keeping him overly sedated and aside from a lack of memory he appears to be healthy. He sets out on a quest to find out how he ended up in hospital and why all roads lead to Amber, whatever that is.
The Amber Chronicles by Roger Zelazny is a series that kept popping up in recommendations of awesome fantasy. So I found a copy of the first in the Corwin cycle to see what the fuss was about. Quite frankly, I’m still trying to figure out whether I understand what the fuss was about.
On the one hand this tale of gods roaming parallel worlds and fighting for the throne of the empire (Amber) has a lot of interesting and novel fantasy elements. On the other hand things just tend to happen without much in the way of tension. We are presented with the tyrant who has usurped the throne via a “hero” who sounds just as bad. This novel raises so many conflicting aspects that you could almost mistake it for a first draft of something that will be great. Maybe.
I’m not sure I’ll read any more of the series despite how interesting the fantasy world on offer is.
Tagged: Amber, Amber Chronicles, Book review, Book reviews, Corwin cycle, Nine Princes in Amber, Reading, Right What You No, Roger Zelazny, Tyson Adams
February 5, 2017
The Reading Channel
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Tagged: Blank screen, Cartoon, Glasbergen, Humor, Humour, Pics, Randy Glasbergen, Reading, Reading channel, Right What You No, Tyson Adams
February 1, 2017
Book Review: Slipping by Lauren Beukes
Slipping: Stories, Essays, & Other Writing by Lauren Beukes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Could zombies be a viable replacement for slave labour? Asking for a certain electronics company. And most clothing manufacturers.
Slipping is an interesting collection of writing from the brain of Lauren Beukes. From enhanced athletes to bored ghosts, these stories display Lauren’s spec-fic interests. There are also a few essays at the end of the collection, one of which explains the personal inspiration behind The Shining Girls; an essay well worth reading.
I met Lauren at a writers’ festival where she was running a workshop on, surprise surprise, writing. I really enjoyed reading the aforementioned The Shining Girls as it was a highly enjoyable mix of crime and spec-fic. So I was looking forward to reading this collection. As with any collection of previously published works, there are highs and lows. For me the highs outweighed the lows, with Slipping, The Green, and Ghost Girl being amongst my favourites. I think the strengths of this collection come from the South African cultural influence to Lauren’s writing, which gives far more grittiness to the bleak sci-fi stories than you usually see.
If you’re a spec-fic fan, or a fan of Lauren’s writing – and how could you not be? – then you will find some compelling stories in this collection.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
Tagged: Book review, Book reviews, Lauren Beukes, Netgalley, Reading, Reviews, Right What You No, Sci-fi, science fiction, Short stories, Short story collection, Spec-fic, Speculative Fiction, The Shining Girls, Tyson Adams
January 31, 2017
Book Review: Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs
Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Is the correct term for the abduction of shapeshifters werenapping?
Our favourite coyote is back, the rest of her pack less so. Some mad fool has decided to abduct Adam and the rest of the Tri-Cities werewolves. They also come after Mercy and all of her friends. That’s one way to invite yourself to be dinner I suppose.
Halfway through the novel I was reminded why I’ve been enjoying the Mercy Thompson series so much. Patricia Briggs sets a plot in motion but doesn’t follow the standard path you would expect. Without spoiling things, we get more plot and a different endpoint than you were initially expecting. Most authors would set that initial plot in motion and try to make the ride enjoyable. Briggs makes the ride to the shops enjoyable but also changes the destination for somewhere with ocean views.
Tagged: Book review, Frost Burned, Mercy Thompson, Mercy Thompson series, Patricia Briggs, Reading, Right What You No, Tri-city werewolves, Tyson Adams, Werecoyote, Werewolf, Werewolves
January 22, 2017
Hipster Kindle
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Tagged: Amazon, Cartoon, Gerbil with a jetpack, Hipster, Humor, Humour, Kindle, Pic, Right What You No, Tyson Adams
January 19, 2017
Book vs Movie: A Clockwork Orange – What’s the Difference?
Time for some ultra-violence with this month’s instalment of CineFix’s What’s the Difference?
I can’t remember if I read the book or watched the movie first. A Clockwork Orange was a novel in my parents’ collection of novels, which is why I turned out so well. I do remember the novel wasn’t as easy to consume as the movie, mainly because you can interpret spoken language more easily than understanding the lexicon employed in Burgess’ written words.
This may be a somewhat shocking statement, but I’m not much of a fan of Stanley Kubrick’s films. I always found them somewhat bland, as though there were a lot of empty space on the screen. As such, there are parts of the film I find to be bordering on dull, and others that strike me as weird and hammy (such as the scene with Alex’s parol officer). Meanwhile, the book managed to be entertaining and yet critical of youth culture whilst discussing free will.
It is ironic that I would enjoy a book that is critical of “kids these days”. But the fact that it was written in 1962 only further proves my point that complaining about the younger generation has been a popular pastime for old people since the invention of young people. Oh, and free will probably doesn’t exist.
Tagged: A Clockwork Orange, Anthony Burgess, Book adaptation, Book adaptations, Book to film, Book to movie, Book vs Movie, CineFix, Kids these days., Right What You No, Stanley Kubrick, Tyson Adams, What's the difference
January 15, 2017
Book review: River Marked by Patricia Briggs
River Marked by Patricia Briggs
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
There are times when you really need a bigger boat.
Mercy and Adam have decided to get married and go on a honeymoon. Of course, everyone else has plans on their time, including a few odd jobs they could do. Such as figure out why so many people are disappearing near the river… At least Mercy isn’t repairing cars on her honeymoon.
In River Marked we have some reveals about Mercy’s real father. This hints at things to come as well as explaining why she seems to have been attracting trouble. As always, Patricia Briggs has progressed the series and characters, filling in the gaps in a natural and satisfying way. We never get all the answers, but Briggs is revealing them without it feeling like she has been obstinately hiding details or making them up on the fly.
Tagged: Book review, Book reviews, Mercy Thompson, Mercy Thompson series, Patricia Briggs, Reading, Right What You No, River Marked, Tyson Adams, Werecoyote, Werewolf, Werewolves
January 12, 2017
Your Story
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Tagged: Australian Writers' Centre, Memes, People suck, Pics, Right What You No, Tyson Adams, Writing advice, Your stories, Your story
