Smorgasbord Fantasia

The Poppy War was a book that I never knew, I was craving for. I finished, nay I gobbled up this powerful, epic coming-of-age story set amidst a disastrous war that follows the destiny of this young girl from rural south in a kingdom ravaged by war, whose every step to success is drenched in blood and suffering - all this in just a few sittings. And as I finished it, my first thought was that this....was absolute magic. Such compelling heady stuff that it is hard is believe it's the debut work of  Rebecca F Kuang . Inspired heavily by the Sino-Japanese wars of early 1930's, the epic fantasy setting is that of the sprawling Nikan Empire where young Rin, a war orphan suffering misery and servitude in rural south, has just figured out that her only way out of this cruel life is an entry into the Military Academies - and not just any academy but the highest one called Sinegard that trains the scions of the actual Warlords of the various provinces of Nikan to become Military...

This was an unassuming little thriller that crept up on me, completely unannounced. and what a compulsive addictive thrill-ride it was - Passengers by John Marrs is my first book by the author and it certainly won't be the last. [ Indeed, another of his titles  The One apparently is being made into a ten-part Netflix series, I certainly want to check it out before it hits the screen!] Anyways - being closely linked to the whole AI phenomenon at work, the premise (And the delicious promise!) of this book got me hooked straight away. A world where driverless cars are norm on UK roads - and what can happen, if a Hacker gets access to the artificial intelligence servers to control the lives of the passengers within? All too plausible. With the whole debate around ethical AI gaining traction around the world, this was a very topical book, extremely cleverly executed as well.  John Marrs draws us in, reel by reel with the unexpected plot twists and cliffhanger chapter ...

I got wind of Laura Purcell through one of the blog reviews of her latest, The Poison Thread.  And so without much clue about what was on offer, I decided to take a plunge.  And boy, glad that I did. T he Silent Companions is one of the most best horror novels I have read this year. The best kind of horror are so well orchestrated so to catch you unawares. Silent Companion succeeds wildly at that - in creating a creepy, atmospheric, gothic victorian horror novel that checks all my boxes for a great chilling read. Highly recommended. So the central narrative is set in 1885 and revolves about Elsie Bainbridge, a middle-class English woman who has married into a richer family. Her means of climbing up the social ladder was to ensnare Rupert Bainbridge, an entitled English lord who owns a familial estate known as the Bridge, back in the serene countryside. However, even as the novel starts it becomes clear that Rupert is dead and its Elsie who has inherited the property ...

Jason Arnopp' s previous book The Last Days of Jack Sparks had me hooked and didn't let me off, till the last moment. It is one of those rare "horror" books that was well researched, grounded and realistically scary. So when I came to know, Jason's new one is due out later this year - I couldn't be more excited! So Ghoster might be a completely different ride, from his previous book. But that takes nothing away from the sheen, Jason's fierce talent in spinning up an engaging story that will have you hooked in within moments and being led down false hallways by shady untrustworthy narrators. Aww Gods, cannot wait for this one! (October 2019) Kate Collins has been ghosted. She was supposed to be moving in with her new boyfriend Scott, but all she finds after relocating to Brighton is an empty flat. Scott has vanished. His possessions have all disappeared. Except for his mobile phone. Kate knows she shouldn’t hack into Scott’s phone. She shouldn...

By now, I have become a convert at the cult of Jay Kristoff , the masterweaver of fantasy and sci-fi tales full of lyrical beauty, wickedly cool action adventures and heart-wrenching plot-twists that will keep you yearning for more, as he continues to churn out novels by the dozen [ I mean, does this guy even sleep? 'Hell no, Sleep is for the weak!'] This is my fifth book by Jay Kristoff and yes I see the repetitive patterns - young girl protagonist with a secret history behind her birth, growing up pangs like either a finishing school or the loyal friendships or hesitant first loves along with tons of ubercool world-building elements, that ever-present humor that can either have you rolling your eyes in the head or rolling on the floor in splits, cinematic action sequences unfolding in slo-mo and an unbelievable ending as tension levels mount beyond Mount Everest to erupt in a gut-wrenching reveal that will have you gasping, in disbelief and terror. LIFEL1K3 features...

So I caught the latest reboot of the Fast & Furious franchise, Hobbs and Shaw - a spin-off featuring two of the loveable rogues from the same, Dwayne "Rock" Johnson playing the ex federal agent Luke Hobbs and Jason Statham playing Deckard Shaw, British soldier turned mercenary. The plot of course is rubbish, as is in every other F&F movie - But this time, instead of Lettie (Michelle Rodriguez) there is Hattie (Vanessa Kirby) - yet another Shaw, who's a federal agent infected by a deadly virus. Which just happens to be the property of a mysterious group, frontlined by Black Superman, a man named Brixton - yet another soldier/agent modified by cyber-genetics into a one-man army (Idris Elba having a total blast on screen!). With Brixton planning to extract the virus from his sister and release it out into the whole world, the fate of the world rests in Deckard's hands. Can they stop this formidable foe in time? Remember the two faced each other off in the ...