Reviews for July 2023

Updated on Saturday, July 29, 2023

Spoilers!

Books

Invasive

Review:Books:Invasive

Losely a sequel to Zeroes (same universe, different lead character), Invasive is a thriller about saving the world from genetically modified killer ants. It's a very competent beach read kind of book, keeps the pace moving along briskly and gets the job done. His Miriam Black series is much better (and darker) and I am on the cusp of dipping into Wayward, the sequel to the rather good Wanderers.

Killing Moon

Review:Books:Killing Moon

I thought I was done with Harry Hole at the end of Book 12, but he's surprisingly back and with an ending that strongly hints at more. This time Harry is forced to solve a crime outside the Norwegian police by some hand waving circumstances in Los Angeles. The main plot is another very nasty killer with many red herrings along the way. This series is my favorite Scandinavian Noir and it's a very solid installment but start at the beginning if you're new to it. There is a lot of history with many of these characters.

The Starless Crown

Review:Books:The Starless Crown

I really struggled to finish this book, to the point it backed up my reading and had me turning to Netflix for several months. It's a pity because the concept is great, a fantasy quest in a distinctly Sci Fi milieu, and many of the scenes are phenomenal. Maybe it will make a great movie or TV series one day. But the actual mechanics of the prose are leaden and tropey. Not a series that I'm planning to continue.

Movies

Blackberry

I watched Blackberry expecting to find out something interesting about the history of the famous business accessory, or maybe the phone version of the outstanding Halt and Catch Fire. Nope. Apparently they built it with swearing and then once people fell in love with the iPhone the company died. Nothing to add here.

Discontinued

Funny movie about our particular version of reality getting shut down. I like that the reason for the simulation is inconsequential, see this.

Fast X

This is one of those irritating moves that doesn't really end and just sets up the next chapter. It's also an exercise in too much CGI, some of it unforgivably bad. Beyond that I don't remember much, and I don't know much about cars so the fact he's in a Spaghetti Chiron Ghia means nothing to me. Some of the earlier installments were OK. I've watched between 3 and 12 of them.

To Catch a Killer

Review:Movies:To Catch a Killer

To Catch a Killer is a competent, adult police thriller set in Baltimore. It doesn't have any particular angle or seeming reason to exist in today's cinematic landscape. It's just a well made gift that arrived for no reason. Lucky rent.

Music

Don't Delete the Kisses

Low key but can't stop going back to this by Wolf Alice.

TV

The Days

Review:TV:The Days

The Days tells the story of the immediate aftermath of the Fukushima Daiichi disaster. A nuclear catastrophe is always pretty gripping and I was pretty gripped. They clearly didn't have the budget to compete with HBO's Chernobyl though, and seem to have gone for a daytime Emmy instead. The special effects were not that great, and some of the acting was more horrific than the meltdown. There is one nuclear advisor who emotes surprise like a Tasered fish and you wonder if AI actors might be a blessing in some cases.

(All images included with ITHCWY reviews are the property of their respective owners and are used to illustrate reviews only.)

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(Published to the Fediverse as: Reviews for July 2023 #reviews #jonesbo #jamesrollins #chuckwendig #video Reviews for July 2023 )

Book reviews for March 2022

Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters by Steven Pinker

Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters by Steven Pinker

4/5

 

Zeroes by Chuck Wendig

Zeroes by Chuck Wendig

2/5

 

Escape from Yokai Land (Laundry Files, #7.5) by Charles Stross

Escape from Yokai Land (Laundry Files, #7.5) by Charles Stross

3/5

 

The Apollo Murders by Chris Hadfield

The Apollo Murders by Chris Hadfield

4/5

 

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Book reviews for October 2020

Thunderbird (Miriam Black, #4) by Chuck Wendig

Thunderbird (Miriam Black, #4) by Chuck Wendig

4/5

 

Blue Remembered Earth (Poseidon's Children, #1) by Alastair Reynolds

Blue Remembered Earth (Poseidon's Children, #1) by Alastair Reynolds

3/5

 

To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini

To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini

4/5

 

Hella by David Gerrold

Hella by David Gerrold

3/5

 

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Book reviews for September 2020

Wanderers by Chuck Wendig

Wanderers by Chuck Wendig

4/5

 

Fair Warning (Jack McEvoy #3) by Michael Connelly

Fair Warning (Jack McEvoy #3) by Michael Connelly

3/5

 

The Scarecrow (Jack McEvoy, #2, Harry Bosch Universe, #19) by Michael Connelly

The Scarecrow (Jack McEvoy, #2, Harry Bosch Universe, #19) by Michael Connelly

4/5

 

The Poet (Jack McEvoy, #1; Harry Bosch Universe, #5) by Michael Connelly

The Poet (Jack McEvoy, #1; Harry Bosch Universe, #5) by Michael Connelly

4/5

 

Strange Weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami

Strange Weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami

4/5

 

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Book reviews for July 2020

The Long Sunset (The Academy) by Jack McDevitt

The Long Sunset (The Academy) by Jack McDevitt

3/5

 

Near Dark (Scot Harvath #19) by Brad Thor

Near Dark (Scot Harvath #19) by Brad Thor

3/5

 

The Night Fire (Renée Ballard, #3; Harry Bosch Universe, #32) by Michael Connelly

The Night Fire (Renée Ballard, #3; Harry Bosch Universe, #32) by Michael Connelly

3/5

 

The Cormorant (Miriam Black, #3) by Chuck Wendig

The Cormorant (Miriam Black, #3) by Chuck Wendig

4/5

 

Mockingbird (Miriam Black, #2) by Chuck Wendig

Mockingbird (Miriam Black, #2) by Chuck Wendig

4/5

 

Nothing Is Wrong and Here Is Why by Alexandra Petri

Nothing Is Wrong and Here Is Why by Alexandra Petri

3/5

 

Network Effect (The Murderbot Diaries, #5) by Martha Wells

Network Effect (The Murderbot Diaries, #5) by Martha Wells

4/5

 

Exit Strategy (The Murderbot Diaries, #4) by Martha Wells

Exit Strategy (The Murderbot Diaries, #4) by Martha Wells

4/5

 

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Book reviews for September 2019

Blowback (Scot Harvath, #4) by Brad Thor

Blowback (Scot Harvath, #4) by Brad Thor

3/5

 

Takedown (Scot Harvath, #5) by Brad Thor

Takedown (Scot Harvath, #5) by Brad Thor

3/5

 

How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States by Daniel Immerwahr

How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States by Daniel Immerwahr

5/5

 

My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

3/5

 

Blackbirds (Miriam Black, #1) by Chuck Wendig

Blackbirds (Miriam Black, #1) by Chuck Wendig

4/5

 

The Lager Queen of Minnesota by J. Ryan Stradal

The Lager Queen of Minnesota by J. Ryan Stradal

3/5

 

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