Welshrogue

A 911 call which is hung up after only one word draws Brynn McKenzie, a county sheriff’s deputy out to a desolate Lake to check on the occupants of a lakeside house. What she finds insides causes her to flee for her life, and thus starting a frightening game of cat and mouse in the Milwaukee countryside.

The first two thirds of The Bodies Left Behind is very similar in style and content to books written by Chuck Logan. The location et al all seem to be very similar. Of course, this being a Jeffery Deaver book, the last third throws everything on its head in a big way. Very likable characters in McKenzie and Hart draws the reader in to the relationships that develop.

While I did feel the slight pull of disappointment at the end of the book due to one characters end, the book on the whole was very enjoyable, exceedingly well written and the first two thirds successfully lulled me into forgetting who was writing the book and therefore what was obviously going to occur!

A worthy addition to the collection and hopefully not the last we see of Brynn McKenzie!

Commander Gray Pierce and Sigma are forced to deal with two separate but deadly threats after an apparently homeless man is shot in front of him.  One threat looks to simply destry Sigma while the other looks to destroy  more of the world. Perhaps the only help available may be a boy who is  descended from the Greek Oracles of Delphi.

The Last Oracle builds on the previous four Sigma books. The action is  plenty and varied with sometimes three or four different plot lines and  tales being told at the same time. The action scenes are always something  the James Rollins does well and this book is no exception. There were  moments when the pace seemed to suddenly drop but mostly the book kept up  a high paced charge towards the end.

There are a couple of authors who now write similar books to James  Rollins, Matthew Reilly with his Jack West series of books being probably  the most similar with action piled on top of historical and mystical  events.

For a book that is so full of action, there is some emotionally stirring  scenes towards the end of the tale but never to the point of overload. It  is a very well balanced book, a fast read and a novel that I enjoyed a lot!

An al Qaeda leader is being hunted by a group of rich men and decides to  turn the tables on them while taking aim at the supreme leader of the United States. Standing in his way is Jake Grafton and his right hand man, Tommy Carmellini who must try to outwit their enemy before they outwits, and kills them.

Following on from The Traitor, Grafton and Carmellini continue to look for and kill Abu Qasim, perhaps the most deadly of foes. Jake Grafton has been in 13 (I may be wrong) books and so as a character is pretty well settled. He is a lot old than when he made his debut in Flight Of The Intruder but can still be as ruthless as before. Tommy Carmellini has only been in a few books and his character, told through the first person as compared to the rest of the books third person narrative, is still developing.

Stephen Coonts has a very smooth style of writing that doesn’t cause the reader to re-read a passage for clarification. While there are times, often called for by the plot, for violence, the majority of Coonts books are real plot with converstation that sets up the ending. There are no crazy scenarios with exploding volcanoes or underwater bases. It is realistic fiction, believable and incredibly enjoyable. The Assassin is no exception. A great book, fun and enjoyable!

The fourth in the Terminator series, but the first to show the world after Judgement Day. John Conner and the resistance are struggling to fight the machines as the war rages on. There is no end in sight and the machines keep making new models. Could humans really be defeated?

This movie feels like a combination of several different types of media, Movies – Mad Max, TV Shows – Battlestar Galactica, Books – War Of The Worlds.  It seems to take a little from each and make something different out of it.

Christian Bale is John Conner, or at least John Conner pretending to be Christian Bale. I found it hard to discern between Conner and previous Bale roles such as Batman, same voice, same man of action. I wonder how Batman would fare against the machines? Same Worthington is excellent as Marcus Wright although at times he reminded me of Helo from BSG. I have to admit it, Moon Bloodgood is stunning, even shot, covered in blood and dirt, she really is the real deal! Look forward to seeing her in many more movies! Anton Yelchin is just as good but no where near as stunning. Considering the last time we say Mr Yelchin (who looks about 10) on the screen he was having problems saying Vulcan on Star Trek, I never once confused him with Kyle Reese!

There is lots of actions, multiple explosions, enough to satisfy any Michael Bay fan anyway! Sometimes the shaky cam spoils the fight scenes but overall some excellent cinematography. Good special effects although I found a couple that were on Marcus Wright just made me think of The Dark Knight, you’ll know what I am talking about when you see them.

What I did find irritating and downright annoying more than once was the apparent need to reference the previous movies either by the classic lines of “Come with me if you want to live” and “I’ll be back” to the use of a Guns and Roses song which also featured in Terminator 2. They took you out of the movie and spoiled the moment several times. There was no need to do this other than to humour fans of the previous movie.

I had seen a lot of reviews that were pretty negative about the movie and hoped that it would be better than that. It was, but it wasn’t perfect by any means. Its an OK movie with a hollywood ending that spoils things a bit by being obvious. If violent machine vs human is your thing, pass the popcorn!

In the year 2043 the United States that is split in two. One half ruled by Islam, the other Christianity. Both struggling to survive and both under attack from within and without.  Rakkim Epps, a muslim shadow warrior must travel from the Islamic Republic in the north west of the country south and east to to stop a warlord from finding and using a weapon from many years before.

The second book in the triolgy, Sins of the Assassin doesn’t waste much time letting the reader catch up on the first book, Prayers for the Assassin, and to be honest it doesn’t need to. The back story is filled in as the plot progresses. The main character, Rakkim, is very enjoyable to read. He is as quick to think as he is to kill, and yet, he isn’t just a
weapon. The other characters are also fun although not to the same extent with the exception of Leo, who perhaps adds some needed levity.

The furture is not a shiny one with clean streets and happy children, far from it, but Sins of the Assassin makes it seem like an interesting place all the same. A very good followup to the first book!

A Army criminal investigator is called in to investigate an apparent rape and murder. It becomes more complicated when it is discovered that the victim is the daughter of a high placed general who is looking to go into politics.

Based on the excellent book of the same by Nelson DeMille, The Generals Daughter is a tight military drama where the obvious answers aren’t usually the right ones. John Travolta plays Paul Brennan and pretty much acts it as with all other roles he takes, ie, I am John Travolta and today I will be playing a military investigator. It can be annoying but once you get over that he is John Travolta rather than the actual role he isn’t too bad, although his accent is a bit grating.

The generals daughter is a good movie for several reasons. It has excellent source material. It has a solid cast, and it doesn’t forget its a tense military drama.

Mysterious earthquakes are destroying oil facilities around the world as Dirk Pitt gets involved in the kidnapping of an oil exploration team.

I remember a time when a Clive Cussler book was unputdownable, exciting, and always enjoyable. Those times have moved on and instead what you have is a slow, average sort of a tale. Yes it still has Dirk Pitt but its lost the magic of the early books. Part of the problem is that Dirk Pitt now has a son and daughter, who detract from the main story and still have an air of ‘look what we just made up’ about them, their whole introduction being more than a little silly and unbelievable.

I can understand the idea behind Dirk Pitt with kids. After all, Clive Cussler is now writing books with his son, Dirk, and there is a kind of symmetry about it but it just doesn’t work if the kids suddenly appear. If they had been slowly introduced over time, this wouldn’t have been a problem but the whole surprise appearance at the end of a book a few novels ago was just a little too fantastic to be taken seriously.

Another part of the problem is that it feels like the main characters have aged and rather than out adventuring, should be wearing Depends and drinking prune juice. Rather than letting the legacy of Dirk Pitt fade into mediocrity, I hope that he will be retired and a new fresh faced exciting character will take over. The world of Dirk Pitt has been crafted and with NUMA all setup, all it needs is someone else to take over the torch to keep the flame of excitement alight.

Disappointing book considering its a Cussler, otherwise its an OK novel.

Everyones favourite wiseass ex cop and now Anti Terrorist task force member, John Corey is back and this time trying to avoid the US being bombed by fellow Americans.

DeMille’s previous book, Night Fall, had one of the most breathtaking endings I have ever read in a book. It truly was amazing and shocking and one that I thought about for a long time afterwards. Wild Fire begins a year after those events. Once again, John Corey is accompanied by his beautiful and intelligent wife, Kate who still have to put up with all the sarcastic comments that Corey seems to endlessly produce.

The plot is great although did remind me of another DeMille book, The Talbot Odyssey. Some very enjoyable characters appear and each one is believable as the plot develops. The content of the plot is frightening but while it may have some roots in the truth, doesn’t really ring true. It doesn’t matter because, due in part to the plot and in part to Corey’s wise cracks, you enjoy this book for what it is, a thriller of the highest pedigree.

I loved this book, and to be honest, there have been very few, if any, Nelson DeMille books that I didn’t feel this way. A great style of writing that can fill up the pages without boring the reader with un-needed or useless information. Can’t wait for the next one!

As Russia looks to invade the middle east, the ultimate weapon for the opposing American forces isn’t on the battlefield, it orbits many miles high above it. A space station with a powerful radar, but is it enough to stop Russia winning the war?

With the grand scope of the action, the book feels more like a Larry Bond than a Dale Brown. The plot builds slowly but the final third moves along rapidly. The main characters are fleshed out enough for the story but no more, almost to the point where the reader doesn’t care enough about the story lines involving them.

Its pretty obvious that the plot has been lifted from Ronald Reagan’s ‘Star Wars’ idea of the 80s. Its work successfully as one of the main areas of the story, albeit with perhaps too much terminology at times.

A good book, perhaps not of of Dale Browns best but certainly enjoyable!