by Jane | Nov 8, 2018 | Television
In April 2017 I gave a lukewarm review to the Netflix series 3%, but now that I have seen the second season I am liking it much better. Season 2 occurs about a year after Season 1 and focuses mostly on the Cause and how they plan to stop the upcoming Process. (If you haven’t seen it or read the first review, the Process is a procedure whereby 20-year-olds can compete and hopefully be chosen to leave their miserable lives in the Inland to live in the utopic society of the Offshore.)
The plot involves Cause members both Offshore and Inland working together, most of whom we’ve seen before, and through flashbacks we get to see what happened to them in the intervening year. As befits this series, there are many surprises, betrayals, and deaths to keep the viewer interested. I won’t give away the ending, but I will say it’s one of those which could end the series or pave the way to something new.
After finishing the second season, I did something I never do – I rewatched the entire first season. I did this mainly because I remembered how intriguing the Process itself was and wanted to experience it again. Of course, it also reminded me of what happened with each character and why they were in their current situation at the beginning of Season 2.
I don’t often change my opinion of a show this much. One of the things I said originally was that I didn’t like the acting. Now I believe it was just the dubbing I found annoying. The concept and plot are really quite good. If you get a chance, watch 3% and join me in hoping there’s a Season 3.
by Jane | Oct 30, 2018 | Books
Flashmob by Christopher Fransworth tells the story of John Smith, a bodyguard with a twist. He’s psychic. Not only can he read minds, he can put simple thoughts into people’s heads. This skill can help him get out of danger by, for instance, convincing his attacker he had been shot in the leg or has a punctured lung. With his attacker disabled, Smith can make good his escape.
Smith gets into trouble after he foils an attack on a former client while attending her wedding. Using his telepathy, he finds out about an online site called Downvote developed to manipulate people, specifically to attack someone who rises to the top of the online list of hated individuals. His investigation takes him all over the world looking for Downvote’s mastermind, Godwin, who is trying to kill him.
Not a book I would normally classify as “alternative fiction,” Flashmob is more of a thriller, with both fantastical and futuristic elements. The fantastical elements are, of course, Smith’s mental abilities, the futuristic the program behind the scenes at Downvote. This is an excellent book, particularly if you are drawn more to the thriller genre. The “alternative” elements are fun, though perhaps not enough to satisfy true “alternative” fans.
by Jane | Oct 22, 2018 | Books
The King’s Justice is a book of two novellas by Stephen Donaldson. The first novella, “The King’s Justice,” tells of a stranger known only as “Black,” who comes to a village looking to solve a series of strange events and find the person or thing responsible. Possessing magical abilities, Black is able to gain cooperation from the villagers, who just want to be left alone. It is a mystery well-handled, filled with magic and danger.
The second novella is entitled “The Auger’s Gambit.” Told in first person, this is the tale of Gordian, a court hieronomer who continues to see disaster in his prophesies about the island nation he calls home. He serves Queen Inimica Phlegathon DeVry, who seems to be courting disaster by pitting her Barons against each other. But through history lessons from the queen’s daughter, Gordion learns enough to develop a theory and try to come up with a solution. “The Auger’s Gambit” is a lot of fun. It’s another mystery, though not as dark as “The King’s Justice,” making a good pairing for this book.
Pick up The King’s Justice and enjoy both stories. I certainly did!
by Jane | Oct 12, 2018 | Books
Black Helicopters by Caitlin R. Kiernan is a confusing story of a dystopian Earth, in which accounts are given in several voices ranging over different periods spanning almost 200 years. There are two factions, X and Y, some evil creatures emerging from a bay in Maine, and two albino twin sisters at the middle of this tale. There is also a vague reference to psychological experiments done to these women, along with others.
Kiernan does weave a sense of unease throughout this book, but I am the type of person who likes to know at least the essence of what’s going on before the last page. In Black Helicopters, it’s not even clear what has happened to the Earth by the last page, let alone the main characters. Perhaps that was the author’s intent, but it’s just not my style. For that reason, I cannot recommend this book.
