Musings on Rapalje's 'Hearts'

Genre: Celtic Folk

As the latest offering from the Celtic Folk band, Rapalje, Hearts manages to live up to the high standards that previous records have set.

The album opens with the familiar sound of the Manowar cover, 'Hearts of Steel'. This piece is probably one of my favourites performed by Rapalje as the raw sound combined with the lyrics makes for really powerful listening. The arrangement is something special from the driven fiddle, to the heart beat rhythm of the drum, to the entrance of the bagpipes. It's a real experience.

'Heart of Steel' with video from Bastaard.net

The other song that you're pretty much guaranteed to know, no matter your usual genre, is 'Fairytale of New York'. Proving that it's not just a Christmas song (*), and not just a duet, this is a slightly different, if authentic rendition of a well known mainstream piece. 

Although I love the two above, the highlight of the CD is probably 'Teddy O'Neill'. This love song is just so beautiful lyrically and I can't help but listen to it over and over. I also rather enjoy the unity that can be drawn between this and the earlier 'Spancil Hill'. Intentional or not, those two have become a pair in my mind.

The instrumental pieces take the form of 'The Butterfly-The Kid on the Mountain' and 'Busindre Reel'. Really pleased find 'The Butterfly' on here as that's a really fun piece to play (when I gave Aimee some basic whistle lessons she really enjoyed the first bit... until it gets a bit trickier!). Will be nice to chuck this recording at her next time I see her! As one would expect, it flows nicely into 'The Kid on the Mountain'. 'Busindre Reel' is a fast little bagpipe led piece and gives a nice contrast.

Okay, as I've spoken about all but one tune now (not what I intended). Guess I better mention the final track, 'The Sick Note'. I won't go into too much detail lest I ruin it but this one is a good fun little a cappella story detailing why a gentleman won't be going to work... Must try this on one of the uni lectures one day ;-)

Overall, I have high expectations from Rapalje and, with high expectations, comes a greater possibility of a fall. Putting this CD into the player for the first time was always going to be scary... just in case. However, as always, they've put out a great selection of folk style music that's both authentic sounding yet with their own signature sound. Brilliant as always.

If you would like to find out more about Rapalje then you can visit their website, where you can also order this CD. I'm not sure if you can get it on the UK Amazon but I think you can, and it will probably trickle through to iTunes soon.

(*) Anyone who knows me in real life will be thinking how I play Christmas songs all year round anyway. Talking of which, it's October now so we can certainly start getting excited, right?

This post is not for facebook

Reviews

It's no news really that, every now and then, I post a review of a CD or a gig or so on. These, to date, have been titled as such and can be found on the links at the top of my page.

However, particularly when talking about music, I feel that I'm talking as I would to a friend. Often I write reviews with a specific friend in mind either because I think they would like something or I know they're interested to hear my thoughts on that thing. I'm therefore uncomfortable to call them 'reviews' as such so you'll notice some new titling patterns. 

Book reviews will remain as reviews... when I get time to read that is!

I will be posting about my Castlefest CDs (late, I know!) over the next few weeks so, if you're interested keep an eye out for those... probably not going to cross post to facebook but should cross post to tumblr and twitter or you can always subscribe to receive email updates on the blog by popping your email address into the relevant box over on the right hand side.

Castlefest review: Sunday

For introduction post and Thursday round-up click here, for Friday click here, and for Saturday click here.

Time, or rather lack of it, has meant that this final part of the Castlefest review 'series' comes about a month after it actually occurred. As such, this section will be even more rubbish than normal but it's unfair on the great bands of the Sunday not to give them a moment. In addition, Sunday was very much a day of three bands for me, Rastaban, Rapalje, and Finvarra so I've already written about them at some point!

I arrived slightly late to Rastaban's set even with my determined powerwalk... the shuttle bus needs to arrive in earlier, for sure! I really don't know what to say without repeating things I've written in previous reviews. This band never ever disappoint. Even though I was alone and therefore way too shy to dance, and using my camera as an excuse not to, the vibes of this band just get into you and they really do ask for the audience to become involved. Seriously, I cannot stress enough, if you haven't already got this band's album, give it a go and even more importantly, get to one of their shows if at all possible.

Talking about using my camera as a shy-shield... I actually got some of my favourite photos from Rastaban's set. The energy onstage, combined with favourable lighting, really lent itself to some lovely images. Of course, more importantly, it lends itself to the creation of an all round immersive performance. 

Having ranted on about their performance (as usual) I should give a moment to the important bit: the music. The set list for this show was great and there were a fair few of my favourite pieces as well as a couple (if I remember correctly) of newer pieces which herald a continuation of the high quality output of this band. Waiting for CD number two ;-)

I was able to meet the band briefly after the show which was a good way to round things off, I think! Really nice people and they also kindly signed my scrapbook painting for me.

After that there was only one other band I planned to see. Okay, I had planned to see a few more on the Sunday but by this stage the fact that I had been surviving on coca-cola was starting to catch up with me! So onto one of my complete favourite bands both because of their music and the fact that they're such nice people: Rapalje.

Having last seen them at Glastonbury, on a tiny stage, with a tiny audience, it was really, really strange to see them on a festival stage with a huge crowd once again. Although the band is the same the whole atmosphere of the show changes, as with any performance, so it was actually a little strange in a sense.

Something that's really nice about Rapalje is that my mother is a huge fan too. Seriously, their set was the thing she was looking forward to all weekend (although I'm converting her to a couple of other groups too!). It's great to be able to share the music and the experience of seeing the group live with her and to have that interest in common. I was really pleased that they played Loch Lomond, which is haunting, as my mother hadn't heard it live before, and also brought out the flaming bagpipes, again, because that was the first time mother saw them. I know I'm not really talking much about the band (I've done that before) but it's because, for me, it's not just the music but the people I'm lucky enough to share it with!

The other thing about Rapalje, that I mentioned briefly, is that they are really, really nice people. Meeting them after the show - what can I say, I had another painting to be signed - they are delightful. We spent quite a long time talking to William, in particular, and to David which was lovely. However, the fact is the four of them are down to earth, talented people and yeah, a wonderful show, as always.

After Rapalje we explored the site a bit more and stumbled across another one of Finvarra's sets. Not going to go into detail as I've already written about them but I guess the fact that I originally intended to watch half their set and ended up watching two of them say says a lot about them as a band!

So that is the short, delayed, and badly written, summary of my festival!

I have a lot more  photos on my facebook page and the bonus is that you don't have to read my ramblings there ;-)

Book review - 'The Sense of Darkness' by Cinzia De Santis

Rating: 5/5 stars

Plot:

"Clara is a blind girl who lives in Sabana, a small village in Latin America, raised by her aunt Trinidad. Despite her handicap, Clara is adventurous, curious and very much in charge of her life. Thanks to her acute sense of smell, she becomes a renowned healer. Her world falls apart when members of a guerrilla gang bring to her home a wounded prisoner, Mauricio. While Clara struggles to understand the feelings he generates in her, Trinidad's past emerges after more than twenty years."

-from 'The Sense of Darkness' on Goodreads

Review:

There are writers who make their words the focus, crafting language, and there are storytellers for whom the words are secondary as they focus on telling a tale that really sucks the reader in. My goodness, Cinzia De Santis is such a storyteller. The simple yet elegant prose allows the reader to meander through the lives of the characters, becoming fully involved and invested in the narrative. There are also a couple of moments when the author does embellish her language somewhat, often for the scenes focusing on a character’s inner emotions. The contrast in style makes these moments beautiful and sometimes painfully profound.

As for the story itself, the weakest aspect, in my opinion, was the relationship between Clara and Mauricio. It seemed from the blurb, and the introduction, that this would be the key feature of the plot but, although important to the resolution, their relationship wasn’t fully developed. However, that wasn’t a big issue as, reading the novel itself, it seemed to me that this was in fact Trinidad’s story. I would have liked to have seen Clara’s reaction to Mauricio rooted in a little more logic but it really did not affect the story overall.

Although I’ve just commented on what I felt was a lack of development, it was the backstory of all the characters that really made this novel something special. Although, as I’ve said, I feel that this was Trinidad’s story more than anything else, every character has their own history, their own relationships and feelings and, for a few pages at least, we explore their lives. Cinza De Santis has focused on one family group yet expands to brush upon the lives of those surrounding them. In this fashion, the book seems to accurately reflect life as we all move in our little bubbles, sometimes blessed with a glimpse of another’s story.

Overall, this is a book that is honestly worth the time spent reading it, and one that I do not doubt I will re-read at a later date. It is written in an easy style that focuses on telling the story at hand and that story is beautiful in its own right. I believe that this is the author’s first English language novel and I look forward to many more to come.

I was lucky enough to win a copy of this book through Goodread’s First Reads and I am so pleased that I did. The blurb was enough to make me enter to win it, obviously, but would not have convinced me to buy it. Had I not been lucky I may well never have picked up this book and I would have missed out. I would urge you, if you’re tempted at all to give it a go.

The Sense of Darkness is available in both Kindle and Paperback format from Amazon.

Book review - 'The Death of Death' by K.N. Parker

Rating: 3/5 stars

Plot:

"Death guides usually have rather normal names like John, Mary, Harry, and Jessica. And even ones not quite so normal, like Bartholomew or Ambrosia. They also have the most interesting tales behind their deaths. But one particular death guide has a few problems: she cannot remember her name or the details of her demise, and thus has no story of her own. One fateful night, she meets a young girl that may change her death forever.

Inspired by and in the style of Children's tales of old, The Death of Death is a tragic, yet sweet little tale about loss and acceptance.

Suitable for ages 12 and up."

-from 'The Death of Death' on Goodreads

Review:

Okay, I'll admit it, I didn't really like this story to start with. The style didn't really catch me and therefore none of the earlier bits did either. I therefore put this book 'on hold' for quite a few weeks.

However, having nothing else at hand, I gave this another go, picking up from where I left off and really did enjoy it. I'm not sure if I just wasn't in the right mood for it when I first tried or whether chapter one doesn't appeal to me but if anyone else happens to be in the same position, press on.

What follows is a heart-warming story including miniature tales belonging to various characters, joined by overarching themes. It's certainly worth a read!

 

I've also put this book on my 'teaching English booklist'. While the recommendation says that the story is for ages 12 and up I would say that it's suitable for quite a bit younger. It does deal with slightly darker themes through its very nature but they are not dealt with in a particularly dark style.

I downloaded the kindle version while it was free from Amazon, although it is no longer on promotion.

Book review - 'Ring of Flowers' by Brian Andrews

Rating: 4/5 stars

Plot:

"In 1665, in the Derbyshire village of Eyam, the tailor, George Vicars orders a bolt of fabric from London to make a wedding dress for his betrothed daughter, Kathryn. To escape her fate of marrying the town's wealthiest and most odious bachelor, she elopes with her true love, farmhand Paul Foster. Kathryn's departure is fortuitous, because when the fabric is delivered, the parcel is infested with fleas carrying bubonic plague. First bitten and first to die, George Vicars' misfortune becomes the community's death sentence when the town Rector boldly imposes a quarantine on all Eyam residents. Months later, expecting a child, the newlyweds return home to find their world turned upside down. Once inside the township, they are forbidden to leave and Kathryn is forced to give birth in quarantine. Under the shadow plague, and against all odds, Will Foster's paternal ancestor is born . . . with a genetic mutation that will change the world 345 years later."

-from 'Ring of Flowers' on Goodreads

Review:

I've been reading quite a few short stories and novellas lately and, I'll be honest, they've not been all that impressive on the whole. Needless to say, I started 'Ring of Flowers' with a pretty low expectation. I am pleased to say that I underestimated it.

The first few paragraphs told me that this was going to be a good read, something that's pretty important when you only have a limited number of pages! The writing style was comfortable. The tone suggested the historical setting without being clumsy and it pretty much instantly drew you in, in that regard.

The characters themselves were surprisingly well developed in such a short space. It felt like each of the characters was a three dimensional real person. As opposed to being pawns playing out the storyline - a flaw I feel a lot of short story prequel things contain - they were real people living it.

The story was just right for the length. There were a couple of clear threads and it at no point felt rushed or drawn out.

Having written the above, I feel a bit bad only giving this piece four stars. I guess the fact is that, because it's a novella, it's hard to really get into it and for the story to have the 'wow factor' of a five star piece. It is well worth the read, however, and I'll certainly be looking at reading The Calypso Directive when I get a moment!

I downloaded this book for free on Amazon and it was worth it so go, download it now.

Book review - 'A Storm of Swords, I: Steel and Snow' by George R.R. Martin

This review is for the first part of the third book in a series and may therefore contain spoilers for the preceding books. For my review of book one please see 'A Game of Thrones' and for book two, 'A Clash of Kings'.

Rating: 5/5 stars

Plot:
"Winter approaches Westeros like an angry beast. The Seven Kingdoms are divided by revolt and blood feud. In the northern wastes, a horde of hungry, savage people steeped in the dark magic of the wilderness is poised to invade the Kingdom of the North where Robb Stark wears his new-forged crown. And Robb's defences are ranged against the South, the land of the cunning and cruel Lannisters, who have his younger sisters in their power. Throughout Westeros, the war for the Iron Throne rages more fiercely than ever, but if the Wall is breached, no king will live to claim it."

-from 'A Storm of Swords' on Goodreads

Review:

From the fickle, nothing to do with the book but matters anyway viewpoint, this book was more comfortable to read than the earlier two. Part of me wonders if my hands are just getting better at stretching around a tonne of pages but I know that it's that this instalment is shorter than the earlier parts due to the whole book being split... I'm still not complaining as anything that stops the cramps when reading is a good thing! I also got what I think is a newer cover and it's quite different to designs I had previously encountered, showing a photograph of a building on a cliff. I really, really dislike this cover design and feel that it's not really right for the style of book. I mean, it doesn't really matter but on some level the design does matter and yeah, I'll talk about the actual writing now, shall I?

Something that really struck me in this book is how my interest has changed course. To start with, the Night's Watch bits really didn't catch my imagination but, of course, they were leading up to this point. As the war wages on in the south sinister things are afoot the northern side of the wall and things were genuinely rather creepy at times.


I said, in my review of 'A Clash of Kings' that I was having some (negligible) issues with some of the point of views. Davos has really grown on me, probably because his situation was more human as opposed to military in this book and I found it easier to associate with. Theon's not here so no problems there. The two main new POVs in this novel (that I can think of off the top of my head!) are Jaime and Sam and, frankly, I loved both of them. Jaime was what one would expect of the character but allowed us to see behind the façade and also to see the development of him through the book. Sam was quite unexpected, for me, as he really allowed you to see the things that had previously been experienced through Jon's eyes from a totally different angle. 

The ending, as always, wasn't an ending at all. I mean, I guess you can justify it with this one as it's technically the first half of one book but seriously... the suspense at the end of these novels. I suppose that's part of the charm, the books aren't stories but chronicles of a 'history' and, like all histories, it isn't obviously episodic. 

I have a physical copy of this book but, as always, a kindle version is also available.

DVD Review - 'Von den Elben: deluxe edition' by Faun

This is a rather long, description of the contents of the DVD part of 'Von den Elben: Deluxe Edition', reviewed here. The aim of this is to help people to decide if it's worth buying the Deluxe Edition of the album when they already own the CD and therefore includes quite a lot of detail as to what is discussed in the documentary, although it doesn't tell the stories of contain a full explanation of events that are discussed.

Personally, I think it's well worth buying, even if you already own the CD and can be bought on their website.

The menu comes up basically all in English unsure if this is, at least partially because I’ve had English subs on or if it’s English for everyone. To set up subtitles, or to switch them off, go to ‘optionen’. From what I can tell, there’s only an option for English subs, not for German or other language subs. Also, just to annoy people, the subtitles don’t extend to the live clips of shows even though the introductions of the songs are included.

Main menu

The Acoustic Tour videos are Sao Roma, Subrali, NeAludj El, and Belle Dame Sans Merci. The Eden Tour videos are Lupercalia, Rosmarin, Da Que Deus. They include a lot more of the aesthetic of the Eden tour which is quite nice to experience although I think that the visual of the video does sometimes suffer because of the lighting/smoke/curtains etc., which are effective live, making a clear picture difficult. There are then two videos from the Festival Medieval, Andro and Jyansa, which, again, suffer visually because the lighting seems too strong for the camera. That said, the clips are lovely and are also of a high quality sound-wise. The Video Clip of Diese kalte Nacht explains itself really and is the music video of the song.

The documentary, 10 Years of Faun, is by far the highlight. The documentary ties together footage and photos of the band performing/traveling etc. with the members talking about their memories of the band’s life so far and their views on each other. I've split the sections into the chapters included in the DVD, written a few words as to what's included, and then written a more in detail summary of the things discussed. I've not said when you get every picture or live clip or whatever because that would be even more confusing. I've also lost all of the charm and humour that comes across when the band are talking but this is basically a list so here goes....

Book review - 'Dead Witch Walking' by Kim Harrison

 

Rating: 3/5 stars

Plot:
"Rachel Morgan is a white witch and runner working for Inderland Security, in an alternate world where a bioengineered virus wiped out a great deal of the world's human population – exposing the existence of the supernatural communities that had long lived alongside humanity.

For the last five years Rachel has been tracking down law-breaking Inderlanders in modern-day Cincinnati, but now she wants to leave and start her own agency. Her only problem is that no one quits the I.S.

Marked for death, Rachel will have to fend off fairy assassins and homicidal weres armed with an assortment of nasty curses. She's a dead witch walking unless she can appease her former employers by exposing the city's most prominent citizen as a drug lord. But making an enemy of the ambiguous Trent Kalamack is just as deadly as leaving the I.S."

-from 'Dead Witch Walking' on Goodreads

Review:

Three stars sounds like such a low score considering I actually enjoyed this book but I just can’t give it a higher score. That said, I did enjoy this book and I will be reading the rest of the series, or at least the next book. So basically, although I expect this review will critacise a lot of aspects of the novel, after all it’s very easy to give negative critique, give it a go because it is enjoyable.

So why three stars? I’m not sure that the author’s writing style quite ties in with my idea of a good read. The first couple of pages included so much unnecessary description of clothing that I was resigning myself for a difficult ride. After a while I got used to the over description, and it settled down, but it still noticed from time to time. Similarly, for all the world was really well developed with some great mythology, history, and cause and effect, the way this was presented felt clumsy. The narrator would explain events in great detail. Sure, they were things the reader needed to know, and the knowledge enhanced the story, but the presentation of this information felt a little odd. I mean, the narrator knew all this stuff, this stuff was, more often than not, known by almost everyone around her so why was she over explaining it all. I feel that it would have been more effective to weave this information in.

The characters all seemed to have potential. Rachel annoyed me at times with her immaturity and blindness to obvious goings on but I felt that she was a little less annoying by the end of the novel and it would be nice to see her character progress throughout the series. Other characters drifted in and out with little hints at a story but no real time to develop. Again, one presumes they get more ‘page time’ in the series, but I must admit that I found this casual introduction of characters for a short period a little frustrating. Even Trent, who has quite a large role really, seemed mysterious to the point of two dimensional although there were hints of his character coming through which could herald better things to come. I have to admit that Jenks was probably my favourite character in the end with his humorous quips and reasoned through behaviours.

All that said, I enjoyed this book. Why? The story itself was great. The main plot was quite simple Rachel leaves her job, is joined by the vampire Ivy and Pixy Jenks, and they set up their own company. Sadly, the cost of breaking her contract is her life so she spends most of her time avoiding assassins while trying to prove that a powerful and untouchable member of society is a major drug-dealer. Yeah, it sounds like a pretty futile situation when you put it like that. Indeed, it’s the fact that the odds are so obviously stacked against her that makes this book particularly interesting. There’s no clear idea that ‘good will prevail’ like in a lot of books and, throughout, you’re left wondering exactly what will happen and things do take unexpected turns. Alongside the main plot you have multiple subplots, or ideas, developing that will, presumably continue into the next books.

So, that’s why a potentially great book got three stars. Now, if the next instalment has an equally interesting plot it should be a lot better than this one, after all, the majority of major world building points have been introduced and explained and we’re, hopefully, going to be expanding upon the characters. Perhaps, the next instalment will have the good with none/less of the bad… it seems possible. Either way, I’m looking forward to finding out what happens next!

CD Review - 'Folk for the People' a benefit compilation for the victims of repression in Ukraine

So, a few weeks ago I threatened you with promised another review post centring around the Folk for the People folk compilation. In my last post on the subject, I focused on the cause behind the subject, the recent events in Ukraine, and poked you all into buying the thing. Now I'm going to mainly focus on the music. 

I don't normally review compilation CDs because, lets be honest, they are, by their very nature, a mush. How do you write an overarching review of something that is not consistent in performer/style/sometimes quality? Anyway, I'm going to give it a go because I want to give the CD as much airtime as I can on my blog. Don't expect this to be as coherent as normal and normal's not all that coherent, I know.

Folk for the People is a folk compilation in its broadest sense. From the slightly strange but eerily enticing tones of the opening track, 'Sonnet' by Aldona to the chaotic rocky sounds of 'Once upon a binge' by Sons of O'Flaherty, if you like any form of folk style or inspired music then you will be able to find something here.

There are some tracks from CDs that I've reviewed in their entirety, for example Cesair's 'Dies, Nox et Omnia' and Rastaban's 'Aurora'. There are some tracks that are from bands that I know well and some from bands/artists that I had not encountered. I rather think that this download is useful for a 'music taster'. There are a couple of musicians who I will probably buy CDs from, having heard this sample. Mind you, I swear that if I keep buying compilations then I'll end up with all of Sowulo's album without actually buying it in its own right!

I'm going to give up now. Without going through track by track I will not be able to do this download justice. Yes, there are a couple of tracks that aren't to my taste but that happens in any compilation and, when there are 35 tracks in total, it hardly damages the playability of the overall album. The fact that there are so many high quality tracks from greatly skilled artists means that it is well worth popping over to bandcamp and buying yourself a copy.

To listen to the album and, more importantly, to buy it click here. The bandcamp page also has information on the cause the money is going to if you scroll down below the track listing. You can also keep up to date with the goings on around the album and the donations being made by checking in on the facebook event page.

Book review - 'A Clash of Kings' by George R.R. Martin

This review is for the second book in a series and may therefore contain spoilers for the preceding book. You can read my review for 'A Game of Thrones', book one in the series, by clicking here.

Rating: 5/5 stars

Plot:

"Throughout Westeros the cold winds are rising.

From Dragonstone to Winterfell, chaos reigns as five pretenders to the Iron Throne prepare to stake their claims. As an omen of doom - a comet of blood and flame - cuts across the sky, brother plots against brother, and the dead rise to walk in the night. War is coming, and the price for glory is measured in blood.

A Clash of Kings, Book Two of A Song of Ice and Fire, continues the greatest fantasy epic of the modern age "

-from the back of my book as I couldn't find a decent synopsis on Goodreads

Review:

Well, I managed to finish this book a lot quicker than I did the previous one, although not loosing it might have helped there! That said, it's still quite a tome so you have to be pretty ready to commit to reading it... and to some serious hand cramp!

The book continues with the various plot strands from the previous novel and could easily have been part of the same book (although practically, thank goodness it isn't!). This is very much a continuation. Obviously, a few strands have come to a close but their knock on effects are clear. New strands are introduced with John Snow and the men of the Night's Watch going over the wall and new characters being introduced, ready to attempt to take the throne.

My greatest compliment regarding A Game of Thrones was how real it felt and this compliment has to extend to A Clash of Kings. The characters felt as though they were reacting in a realistic and understandable way even if it wasn't good or morally right. Everything, people, places, and items, had a history and a place in the world and this was clear in the detail even if that history wasn't fully disclosed. It feels like Martin is writing a true history but the method of telling it (through various POVs) makes it all the more emotive, hard hitting and interesting.

That said, I did find a couple of the POVs a little less exciting this time. Theon's point of view really did annoy me. As with all the other people, his narrative was true to his character and believable but as I just dislike his personality, even if I understand why he does and thinks the way he does, it's not easy to read from his POV. Similarly, I didn't really connect with Davos, probably because the things that interested the character, and the way he thought, was often quite different to how I, personally, think. I also really struggled with his sea-battle chapter which, although an amazing battle narrative and really hard hitting, felt a little to list like and military-brained for me... that kind of thing doesn't get my attention. However, it would be what Davos would be concentrating on at that time. That's the thing, yes, I struggled with some POVs this time but not because they're badly written but for the exact opposite reason!

I'm looking forward to reading the next book and seeing how the tale, and the characters, progress and develop. It seems like so many people are on their individual, yet interwoven, journeys and have travelled so far in the progress of this book (and the last one, of course) that it's exciting to see where they will end up. I also love the way that you can feel that Martin is really constructing the future events, things that may not happen for books yet, but setting those events up so that, when they do happen... well, he told you so!

I have a physical copy of this book and it's that annoying size that's uncomfortable to hold so I would buy the kindle version if you have that option.

Book review - 'Beyond the Wildlands' by Lana Axe

 

Rating: 1/5 stars

Plot:

"An elf of the Wildlands recounts his adventures in this fantasy short story.

Jhinn, an elf from the wooded area known as the Wildlands, has lived an adventurous life. A master with a bow, he has joined forces with a human army to rid the forest of savage trolls. During training, he falls in love with a female warrior named Aurelle who has taken up her axe in defense of their homeland. After the battle, the pair journey together to begin new lives, though Jhinn prefers a life of crime.

Follow along as they embark on an adventure full of excitement, greed, and tragedy"

-from 'Beyond the Wildlands' on Goodreads

Review:

I don't really know what I was expecting from 'Beyond the Wildlands'. I bought it because it seemed mildly interesting and was free from Amazon and I started to read it because it seemed short and relatively light in plot. 

First impressions weren't great. You know that message that English teachers drill into you when you take creative writing classes 'show don't tell'... well, it seemed that this story could have done with listening to that advice. The sentences are unbelievably short and repetitive in form which makes for quite a dull read, really. 

As for the plot. Well, there is a plot there and, in fact, reading it, this piece feels like a plot summary as opposed to an actual story. I think the plot could have been good but it just wasn't executed right at all. It felt as though you were rushing along without getting involved with anything that was happening. I know that this is a short story but I can't help but asking if this was the correct medium for the piece. I feel that this length would be about right to cover the first battle 'scene' (and the lead up to that event), certainly not the full life time that it attempts to cover!

All in all, perhaps the flaws could be put down to the fact that this is a short story not a novel. Perhaps, if the thing had been longer it would have been better expanded upon and explored but as it is, I felt nothing for the characters and had nothing invested in the plot. The style of the piece would stop me from trying anything by Axe again, and I certainly wouldn't spend money on her longer works which is a shame because they have received some positive reviews. Oh well. We can't all like the same authors!

I feel really bad but I can't really recommend this book at all. However, it's 18 pages long and free for kindle so there's not much to loose!

Seeing the musical 'Ghost'

Last night, a couple of days before the end of the tour, I finally managed to do something I had desperately wanted to do, see the musical Ghost.

Based on the film of the same name, the musical sees lovers Sam and Molly separated by a seemingly random robbery-shooting in which Sam is killed. While Molly attempts to come to terms with the loss, Sam remains trapped on Earth as a ghost, one of many who walk among us. However, when he discovers that he was in fact the target of the shooting, and that Molly is in danger, Sam attempts to communicate with her with the help of a (not so) phoney psychic, Oda Mae.

The show ran for, I think, just over a year in the West End but it was the Hungarian production that first caught my eye and prompted me to buy the soundtrack (Original cast CD) and I slowly but surely grew to love the songs and particularly their portrayal of the human aspects of love and loss. In fact, my mother and I have ended up in floods of tears while listening to that soundtrack in the kitchen but that's another story.

The UK tour production has some changes from the original production. No doubt there are other changes (as this is the first time I have seen the production, I'm not sure) but the most obvious are a few lyrical changes and a few song changes. "Ball of Wax" is changed to "You Gotta Let Go" and this change is positive, I think. The ghosts are more obviously attempting to help Sam come to terms with things and encouraging this. "I Can't Breathe" is now a reprise of "Unchained Melody", although I think it was to the same tune as "I Can't Breathe" but don't quote me on that. I don't understand what they were trying to do here. I don't see any weakness in the original lyrics and I certainly don't see the point of having the lyrics to "Unchained Melody" here. The other major change came in the form of "Life Turns on a Dime", mainly in Carl's part which was reminiscent of "Here Right Now". Personally, I feel that the original version is better with regards to Carl's characterisation but I don't think it matters, especially if you haven't seen/heard any other versions.

Anyway, moving onto the production itself and the cast. I must admit that during the first few scenes (and my mother said the same thing) I was cringing. It was not good. The cheesy New York accents really detracted from the performance, luckily they got weaker as the play went on, and you couldn't hear a word that was being said because the sound was fuzzy. Actually, that balance was out most of the time and you were lucky if you could hear the soloists over the chorus and/or band. Rebecca Trehearn (Molly) and Stewart Clarke (Sam) sounded positively out of tune during the first number but, to be fair, I think this was down to the tech team more than anything because there was dramatic improvement. By Sam's death the pair I had started to warm to the pair and I think you were more able to empathise and enjoy their stage time. I loved Trehearn's portrayal of the mourning Molly, in particular. Her body language was great.

I think the crowd's favourite had to be Wendy Mae Brown (Oda Mae Brown) who was simply wonderful. She oozed charisma and she owned the stage whenever she was on it. Of course, playing a larger than life character has to help with that but seriously, wow.

Because this 'review' is getting long and rambling enough as it is, I won't go into everyone's performance but the rest of the cast who played named character were excellent (David Robert's Carl was wonderfully nuanced and Stevie Hutchinson really impressed me as the Subway Ghost). The ensemble were also wonderful both vocally and with their dancing!

However, it was the tech that sold the show. As people who know me will know, I have a vision problem that makes projections very uncomfortable and that means that I can't see in 3D at all (along with other things). The projections were painful for me which is in no way the responsibility of anyone to do with the show... However, I could actually see some aspects of the projections partially in 3D which is truly wonderful. That says something about how perfect the design must have been. Similarly, a lot of the tricks and illusions used during the show were things that I knew how to do but even with that knowledge, which should make it easier to spot what's being done, they appeared flawless. To be fair, that part is complimenting both cast and tech but oh well, organisation. The best bit: the illusions and technology use was constant and amazing yet it always added to the show as a whole and never detracted.

I have to mention the sound once again because I really do feel that the actors have had a rough deal in this review because of things that were largely outside of their control. The general balance sounded out and certainly the volume was bizarre. Some songs were painfully loud without there being any reason (I know that sometimes one might want higher volumes to overload senses etc), and the vocals seemed distorted at times when they simply shouldn't have been. The chorus were great but if they were singing at the same time as a soloist there's no way you could hear that soloist. The band was also great but goodness did they overpower the singers. During the interval I heard a lot of people wondering what was going on because they hadn't been able to hear a lot of the words. What a shame.

Complaints about sound aside, perhaps it's the biggest compliment that despite this, everyone seemed to have a really good evening. And, if the amount of sniffing and smudged mascara eyes was anything to go by, the show really managed to connect with the audience even when the missed half the nuance of the script. Their enjoyment must have come mainly from the visual affects and the acting and isn't that the greatest compliment you can give?

Book review - 'A Game of Thrones' by George R.R. Martin

 

Rating: 5/5 stars

Plot:

"Long ago, in a time forgotten, a preternatural event threw the seasons out of balance. In a land where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime, trouble is brewing. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes to the north of Winterfell, sinister and supernatural forces are massing beyond the kingdom's protective Wall. At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the land they were born to. Sweeping from a land of brutal cold to a distant summertime kingdom of epicurean plenty, here is a tale of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and bastards, who come together in a time of grim omens.

Here an enigmatic band of warriors bear swords of no human metal; a tribe of fierce wildlings carry men off into madness; a cruel young dragon prince barters his sister to win back his throne; and a determined woman undertakes the most treacherous of journeys. Amid plots and counter-plots, tragedy and betrayal, victory and terror, the fate of the Starks, their allies, and their enemies hangs perilously in the balance, as each endeavors to win that deadliest of conflicts: the game of thrones."

-from 'A Game of Thrones' on Goodreads

Review:

If I told you that it took me about two years to read this book you’d probably wonder why I have still given it a five star rating. If I didn’t keep losing the darn novel I would probably have finished a lot quicker!

I’m not going to go into great detail in this review. The books are popular, partially due to the wonderful writing and partly because of the great television adaptation (of which I have only watched  a couple of episodes but found it relatively close to the book and rather impressive). Anyway, the point being, if you don’t know what they’re about by now, or you’ve not read them by now, then my review isn’t going to change anything.

The length of the novel, the seemingly constantly switching viewpoints, and the goodness-knows-how-many characters are the most risky aspects of this novel. When you’re juggling this many things there’s a chance that you’re going to sacrifice clarity for the sake of detail. Interestingly, at no point did I feel overwhelmed with information, or lost, so Martin must be a darn good juggler!

In fact, it is perhaps the number of threads that helps to make the novel so special. It feels real. The characters are realistic, understandably flawed with individual personalities. Their actions make sense within the constraints of their lives and they interact as one would imagine. The politics is complex and the reader works with the characters to attempt to understand the intrigues going on around them. In a very short time, the reader has invested so much in the novel, in the characters, that there is no way one could put this book down… or at least that’s how I feel!

I have a physical copy of this book and it's that annoying size that's uncomfortable to hold so I would buy the kindle version if you have that option.