The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness

(Alternate title: Stop hurting me Mr Ness I keep having physical and embarrassing reactions in public.

The Ask and the Answer is the sequel to The Knife of Never Letting Go, and second in the Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness.

The Knife of Never Letting Go made my heart so sad I cried on public transport. The Ask and The Answer made me so upset and angry I audibly gasped on a plane. Thanks, Mr Ness.

The first book was brutal, unafraid and unforgiving – themes of war, misogyny, murder and genocide – all of the characters and events were incredibly cruel, realistic and well thought out.

The Ask and the Answer lives up to all these amazing points – in fact it’s possibly a hell of a lot better, because it amps this whole thing up by a good 3000%.

Mild spoilers from here on out if you have yet to read The Knife of Never Letting Go – you have been warned!

This book completely and utterly lays out realistic reactions to war and terrorism – the idea of no rights or wrongs, but only two sides who are willing to kill and die to win and for what they consider the greater good.

This is shown in the two main antagonists that Todd and Viola deal with separately; the Mayor and Mistress Coyle. Prentiss and Mistress Coyle were portrayed as two sides of the same coin and I thoroughly enjoy not knowing what the fuck is going on because then my frustrations are on the same level as Viola and Todd’s.

The Mayor is such a great villain – always having a next move to fuck with everyone, and motives beyond not caring. He’s twisted, power hungry and incredibly intelligent – which always makes for somebody formidable and terrifying. He messes with Todd so damn much and it’s honestly painful to watch – especially when Todd goes into a total emotional shut down, because it is much easier to do that than fight.

The way the Mayor manipulates Todd and Viola against each other because he knows they are each others biggest weakness – especially Todd.

Todd and Viola’s relationship has grown into something so beautiful – they adore each other so much, they’d do anything for each other and they will always forgive each other. They seem to completely understand the enormity of the situation they’re in and what they fought through together – enough to know they need each other. Their relationship is so beautiful and tragic and it’s made me fear for them.

Another thing that Patrick Ness nails, time and time again, is emotions. They’re so raw and real and unharnessed, and it’s incredible, especially with the addition of the Noise. Noise is so amazing, like last time, with different fonts to show things, with the ideas of Noise being images, of colours, of being fuzzy and grey with boredom or red and large with fury. It’s wonderful, imaginative and just so incredible!

Overall, this book is just incredible. It is such a good sequel to The Knife of Never Letting Go, living up and excelling at all the things that made the first book great. Where most sequels fail, The Ask and The Answer absolutely shines. And I cannot recommend this series more.

Fare thee well,

Fran

Spoilers below to express my feelings on certain events.

 

• I WANTED DAVY TO JOIN TODD AND HAVE A WHOLE CRISIS WITH HIS DAD and instead he got shot and I cried. Fuck you Mayor.
• Viola’s torture scene was terrifying.
• The BANDS THEY USED FOR CATTLE ARE HORRIFIC AND WHEN HE STARTED BRANDED WOMEN I WAS SHAKING IN ANGER
• I was terrified the talking horse would die and I would have another Manchee incident on my hands.
• I can’t believe they captured the fucking Mayor and then had to release him because there’s a new Spackle War. And that Todd is now an enemy. Aaaargh!

Hamlet at the Barbican Theatre

I was one of the incredibly lucky and fortunate souls to manage to get hold of tickets to see Hamlet at the Barbican Theatre, staring none other than the very popular Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock, Star Trek Into Darkness, The Imitation Game). It was a long, cold morning of frantic scoping, but I managed it, and was able to secure two second row seats to this show. And after what felt like an eternity of waiting, on September 10th 2015, I put on a fancy playsuit, grabbed my tickets and headed up to Moorgate for the show.

First off, I want to sing some praises for the Barbican Centre; it’s absolutely stunning. The actual center itself boasts gorgeous architecture in a residential area, sporting a cinema, an exhibition, a cocktail bar and many other wonderful services – including their theatre. The grounds are absolutely beautiful, a vast concrete sprawl facing a river with water features and small brick pods for people to sit by, as well as the many circular tables and chairs if those didn’t take your fancy. Even the toilets were beautiful, one floor hosting private cubical with your own sink and mirror. When the toilets are impressive, you feel good for wearing the black dressy playsuit.

Cocktails are absolutely delicious – and two for one as well! So my friend and I were very impressed. We also happened to be friends with the bar tender, a complete coincidence, who then told us the Barbican have plans to extend their bar – to make it a feature all of it’s own, not just a bar for those waiting between screenings or intervals. It’s ambitious, but with the quality of the care and the extremely good prices, and the delicious original cocktails with twists on the classics, I can see it happening.

Then 19:00 struck and it was time to take our seats for the showing of Hamlet. Excited at this point, did not cover how I felt; this was only amped up when I saw the beautiful theatre we were sitting in. Rows upon rows of comfortable, armchair-esq seats (that didn’t fold down!? What!? Amazing. Classy as hell.) in this gorgeously structured theatre, the dim lights adding a real ambiance to the room. Coupled with the large, reflective black shutters that kept the stage a mystery from the anticipating audience, this felt incredibly special and stunning.

Then, the lights dimmed, the shutters opened, and the show began.

Forgive me for the lack of photos; it was, very reasonably so, a performance in which you could not film or take photos – which, I am entirely unsure why Benedict was criticised for this. It’s a complete standard in every show I have gone to that phones be switched off and no recording equipment be used to film or take photographs. It’s genuinely beyond me why he faced such a backlash for asking for such a basic rule to be respected, for theatre, fellow audience members and the cast alike.

This show was without a doubt one of the greatest things I ever saw in my life.

The sets alone were absolutely beautiful. The opening scene was so magnificently displayed, with a grand beautiful hall covered in lush flowers, owls (faux, I hope.) hanging from the chandelier, with a long table decorated in stunning furs (again, hopefully faux) and antlers and cutlery. It was absolutely stunning and took my breath away the moment I saw it. From there, the sets only get better; all scene changes are masterfully executed by the cast, who help carry off and on extra props and displays without a single hiccup, every movement feeling so natural that it doesn’t even compute your scene has changed until you are there. It’s breath-taking, especially in the moments where Hamlet has his monologues, with lighting projecting an ice cold, dark exterior on the bright, rich colours of his estate home.

The second acts set was just as impressive, acting as both a literal scene of burial and chaos, and acting as a visual guide to the wreckage of characters minds, covered in filth and calamity. These visuals, combined with the sound effects and musical notes, make for a stunning, enthralling appearance. It’s just so clear that endless amount of thought of effort put into the set design that was put into every scene change, every detail, intended to draw you in and solidify your place in this story.

The cast were all outstanding. Ciarán Hinds (Mance Raydar from Game of Thrones) played the villainous Uncle Claudius, nailing the monologues and absolutely hitting that perfect role of a guilty man trying to manipulate all those around him to his agendas. Siân Brooke was an outstanding Ophelia, perfectly reflecting a young girl in the midst of a whirl-wind romance who struggles to balance the affection of her father to the wants of her heart. Her descent from a happy young woman with a love for her camera, to a stammering, scared grief stricken person is genuinely heart-wrenching to watch. Anastasia Hille put on a wonderful role as Hamlet’s mother, a woman simply trying to reconcile her world after the loss of her husband, who is stricken with worry at her sons mental downfall and playing the perfect balance of grief, anger and maternal love.

The starring role, played by Benedict Cumberbatch, was absolutely magnificent. He nailed every single line with stunning clarity, perfectly portraying a young man who is suffering from such a huge loss that he is irrational, that he is undoubtedly losing his mind, claiming to see his fathers ghost who is demanding revenge on his murderous uncle. He plays the part incredibly well, interacting so greatly with other cast members, nailing all his lines with the correct emotions. His Hamlet was absolutely hilarious at points, dripping with the sarcasm and boisterousness of a young man who truly feels he is righteous, with nothing to lose, acting completely out of line towards older authority figures and troubling his friends. He also nails grief, pulling right at your heart with his talk of woe and how much he misses the father he idolised, how much he resents his mother from moving on so quickly, the person who she has chosen to move on with – it aids to us understanding his irrational, loud and shocking actions he takes on later. He was absolutely fantastic in this role and I find little fault with him.

To top off what was one of the most beautiful, enriching shows I have ever seen, it ended on a message, addressed by Benedict on behalf of the cast – a long, moving and genuine speech about the refugee crisis currently happening in Europe, with thousands of people, families, drowning so they can escape from the war and corruption of their own homes. He read a line of an amazing poem, and begged for the help of the audience, to help donate what they could to the cause of giving aid to every person who needs it. It was a wonderful thing to do and I was very touched by it – and given the amount of people I saw flooding to the collection people, I wasn’t the only one.

Some other notes before I finish this off; the gift shop is hilarious, and does have a wide range of gifts and goodies to take home to remember your evening, including some fantastic adaptations, talking skulls and even jewellery. I picked up a copy of William Shakespeare’s Star Wars: Verily, A New Hope by Ian Doescher for my own easily tickled amusement.

In conclusion: getting to see Hamlet at the Barbican was an endless delight and an experience I won’t forget soon. Set in a stunning theatre, with incredible direction, set design, lighting, sound and cast, it was an unbelievable delight to sit in the audience, so close to the front, and know I was part of something special. I laughed, I got emotional and I cheered loudly and profusely at the end of it. It’s an evening that made me incredibly happy and I cannot thank everyone involved enough for such a wonderful night.

Fare thee well,

Fran.

Why “Until Dawn” is my Game of the Year

(I know, we’re only in September. I also know Fallout 4 is due out this year but I’ve never played a Fallout game –  don’t.I’ll get there. – and I want to be honest about my 2015 choice and realistically, this’ll probably be it!)

Until Dawn is a Playstation 4 exclusive, developed by Supermassive Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. It’s an interactive survival horror game in which you have the potential for multiple endings, deaths and carnage all caused by even the smallest, most insignificant seeming decisions, playing largely on the Butterfly Effect.

The story features eight teenagers who go back to a lodge up in the Blackwood Mountains for their yearly get away, this year in memory to two friends who vanished on the mountain the previous year. However, they soon learn they’re not alone on the mountain and their vacation takes a sinister turn – and it’s up to you to play out who will survive until dawn.

When I first heard about Until Dawn while browsing the “Coming Soon” section of the Game website, I was absolutely stoked. I’ve been playing horror games since I was really young, beginning in the seaside arcades on House of the Dead machines. Done correctly, the horror genre of video gaming makes for a lot of fun, with really terrifying stories, scares and a lot of laughing at yourself (after you’re done crying and mashing the pause button at intervals. Just me? Oh.)

In the past year I’ve also fallen deeply in love with multiple choice games – the Telltale Games have always been a source of great enjoyment for me, with their graphics, amazing story telling and original spin-off ideas of much loved series and stories. The decision making aspect always added something really enjoyable for me, the idea I could choose my fate and help my characters survive and thrive in these often unforgiving worlds.

So when I heard there was a survival horror game with incredible graphics, staring real actors using motion capture, in which it was multiple choice, I was already sold. I couldn’t wait. The trailer looked like it jumped right out of an R.L. Stine book I read as a kid, Truth or Dare, from his young adult series of books Fear Street. It was a book I loved, and was really scared of, as a child, so I knew immediately I would love Until Dawn.

I had the usual fears as the release date came closer; what if it wasn’t that good? What if they reached too far and hyped it up only to have it be terrible? What if I’m so let down by this game that I’ve genuinely been so psyched for?

These fears were proved unwarranted a good ten minutes into the game.

First off, I want to talk about the graphics and how visually stunning they are. The motion capture technique they’ve used is honestly so incredible; the characters looked beyond vivid and real. Their eyes are astounding, without trying to sound too much like I’m wooing them, and even hair textures and skin are given such huge amounts of detail – it’s genuinely impressive as hell. My only slight gripe is the mouths – this is something that’s been brought up by other players on YouTube and in a few reviews, that the mouth movements are a little bit odd. And I do have to agree, however I don’t think it takes away from any part of the game, or from the sheer impressiveness of the graphics and scenes. It’s all so beautifully laid out and I don’t have any real complaints.

I want to take a moment to talk about the cinematography too; a lot of reviews said the game had clunky angles and that it brought down the game for them. Maybe I’m just used to awkward angles in games, maybe I’m just a giant dork who’s played too many older video games, but I thought the angles of the game really amped up the fear factor for me. A lot of the time you genuinely can’t see what’s up ahead, and there is this constant feeling of oppression, of being watched and followed and not knowing what the hell is around the corner. It reminded me of a media studies segement I read about the opening scenes of the movie adaptation of Steven King’s The Shining – the reason the kid on the bike in the opening is so unnerving is because the camera follows, and there’s this constant fear of not knowing what’s coming next. I genuinely got that with Until Dawn, and whether it was intentional or not, it really added to that tension and fear I craved from the game.

The story is also critiqued by reviewers, saying the last half is far-fetched and silly – I have to strongly disagree. Until Dawn gave me a supernatural twist I genuinely did not see coming, also because I haven’t had this particular supernatural monster be involved in anything I’ve watched, read, or played since about 2006, when Supernatural had an episode on it. I’ve had a fear of that particular thing since that time, so almost 10 years going now – so seeing it, here was just icing on the “I love being terrified by video games” cake I was gobbling down.

I also love the way the story is done – I was so apprehensive about the whole Native American thing when I first noticed it, because a lot of media tends to fall captive to certain tropes and stereotypes and being incredibly misinformative. After I finished the game, I did some research and the people who did the research for this game, did an incredible job. It was looked into very thoroughly, researched and properly executed so that the creature, the mountain and the everythings, all fit really nicely together without having to force any generics or tropes. It’s really great and I’m beyond happy about it.

One thing I will say about the story, is that it’s pretty short – don’t get me wrong, it’s a pretty good length and it’s a game you will want to play multiple times to see what endings you get and what events you can cause; but it also can be a pain. With the multiple choice stuff, also comes stats that affect the characters personality (their braveness, funniness, honesty etc.) and also stats on how they relate to other characters. With the story being pretty short, there isn’t much chance for certain characters to develop relationships, be they aggressive ones or loving ones. I’d have loved more of a chance to have these people interact a little more.

The multiple choice/butterfly effect controls are also great. It literally does keep to it’s promise that every decision, even tiny and indecisive, totally changes an outcome later – changes if someone lives or if someone dies. It’s a lot of stress, but it’s really well executed. Every decision you make and how it effects you later gets logged in a little selection to show you how and why it’s changed your outcome. I would say I’d have liked a little more of that, because some of it is just literally having the same events, but with another person in the background. But hey. There’s still a tonne of opportunity and it is interesting to see how certain decisions completely save your ass, or fuck you over later.

My final thing is the speech and writing of the characters. My God, almost all of them are the most awful teenage people in the world. Like, one character is an absolute angel and was my priority of the game to keep alive – but the rest are kind of jerks. They argue, cheat on their spouses and are just so mean to each other. The writing also feels so much like it’s plucked straight out of a cheesy 90’s American horror, with lines such as “Oh, I’m sorry, I couldn’t hear you over your sluttiness.” – it’s so bad. But it made me enjoy the game even more – I liked that it was so cheesy, and generic, it sucked me in to all the tensions and expectations of horror I’ve come to love over the years. Combined with the atmosphere, the setting and the absolute terror of the game, it’s really a joy to watch these characters develop, to watch them try and survive until dawn.

In conclusion; Until Dawn is a hell of a lot of fun. It’s cheesy writing combined with the incredible atmosphere’s, scenery and wonderfully timed scares makes for a genuinely terrifying, edge of your seat horror game with a lot of investment in what happens to the characters. The story is genuinely well researched and executed, with two huge plot twists I did not see coming that involved a really original supernatural element. Despite the main playthrough being rather short, it’s fun, it’s decent and the replay value is undeniable.

Game of the Year.

PS;

This is how close I sat when I first started Until Dawn.

This is where I usually ended up after about two hours.

Enjoy.

February Wrap Up! A Dance with Dragons, Ask the Passengers and Throne of Glass.

Good day friends!

You’re in for a triple book review thing today. I’m sure you’re all super duper pleased.

I’ll go in order of when I read and finished them, so we begin with;

A Dance with Dragons – Part 2: After the Feast

I gave this book a 5/5 stars on Goodreads, which is always good for any book I suppose.
I don’t know who of you saw my gem of a post from about a week and some ago, but I finished this at 2am on a work night. And I lost my damn mind.

This particular book is the penultimate volume before the seventh and final volume in this series. It’s starting to really hurry things along, but in the best way; all the build up is starting to come to some serious climaxes that I am beyond excited to read about. Every twist and turn going on right now is leading to some really gripping stuff, which is where my only problem lies;

I CAN’T WAIT FOR THE NEXT BOOK. The statements claiming the book won’t be ready until 2016/17 just makes my blood boil.

I care so much about everyone and everything, and certain cliffhangers about certain beloved characters of mine are literally tearing me apart.

I sat up at 2am crying and staring at this goddamn book, because it’s ruining my life.

I really loved this book. I’ve really fallen for the A Song of Ice and Fire series in a way I thought I never would. I was never really into medieval fantasy books, with wars and politics etc. But honestly this series has opened up a whole new world of fiction I want to get into with this sort of genre! It’s raised all the bars for me and it’s just a great series. Don’t be intimidated by the length – it’s all very much worth it and I feel really pleased with myself for getting through it, but really damn sad it’s coming to an end so soon.

Ask The Passengers by A. S. King

Have you ever read a book that you’ve just felt you’ve related with so strongly, that you’re a better and more fulfilled person for having read it?

This book did that for me.

Ask the Passengers is a young adult, stand-alone book about a girl named Astrid, who feels isolated and confused about her life and her sexuality. She feels like she can’t give her love to the people around her, so she lies on the picnic table in her back garden and sends that love to the passengers in the planes overhead.

This book is genuinely amazing.I read it all in one sitting, mostly because I just couldn’t put it down. Astrid as a main character is so bold, and I relate to her pretty damn well in a lot of the aspects about feeling isolated and shut out from your peers. The writing just flows so well and it’s just such an easy but enjoyable read.

Also I won’t spoil too much because I feel like the book will be better if I don’t tell you, but I adored how Astrid’s love did more for the passengers than she could ever believe.

The sexuality storyline is also handled really well – the homophobia isn’t just outright, small-town bigotry, it’s also small, like in little words or gestures people who think they’re being super inclusive use when really they just make it worse. Astrid’s confusion also isn’t based on “oh my god but I can’t be gay because it’s wrong” – it’s rooted in “I’m not entirely sure if I am or if I am not and I don’t want to come out without knowing”.

Astrid is an awesome lead character and there are some great, if incredibly frustrating moments with the supporting cast too.

I gave this book a solid 5/5 on my Goodreads, and I have nothing but praises.

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas.

I purchased Throne of Glass after hearing nothing but high praises from the YouTube community. It is the first in a three book series, four if you include the collection of novella’s that connect to the series.

The story follows that of the greatest assassins in the country, Celaena Sardothian. The novel opens with her begins in a death camp, where although most die within months, she has survived an entire year. She’s presented with an offer from the Prince; compete as his Champion in his fathers tournament, and she has a chance to win her freedom, by means of serving as the King’s personal assassin.

I did enjoy this book. I read it pretty damn quickly and ordered the two sequel novels, Crown of Midnight and Heir of Fire because I have a genuine love for this story, the characters and where the tale is going.

I had a few issues with this book, one being Celaena’s character and particularly her relationship with others. I totally loved that she cared about how she looked and had multiple interests, and that she knew she was attractive and could use that to a lot of advantages in her line of work; what I don’t love is the fact she’s so self conscious of how she looks in front of the Prince (son to a man she despises because he’s overthrowing countries and wiping out cultures) because he happens to be handsome. She also spends a lot of time blushing over him pretty much instantly, and I way, way would have preferred if she hated him. I would have loved it if she was cold and hateful to him and didn’t have a damn feeling for him but hate – and then they built on that. I really wanted more build up for that.

I also feel like the way Celaena sees other women, is really troubling and really off-putting. It made me roll my eyes a lot. So, I could have dealt with “Hey, I know I was raised outside of what these other women are expected to be like. I am different from them, and in a way I am superior because they are in this rich peoples game.” – but that’s not how it comes across. She openly claims to dislike other women because the are “ninnies”, and it’s not a dislike that stems from wishing she had their ignorance because it’s bliss – it’s an outright write off of all the women around her. There’s also a scene where she goes to an event all dressed up, and she smiles pleasantly at all the men – and then smirks at all the women? As if she’s lording that she looks better than them over them – and that comes across as the very behavior she claims to despise. These moments are few and far between but when they came, they made me cringe a lot.

I feel like overall, this book could have been a good 100 pages longer – I wanted more. There’s so many questions they seem to gloss over and things that are hurried along when really, this is such an epic read. It’s set in this gorgeous world, of magic and assassins and corrupt politicians and it’s absolutely amazing and way too short for it’s own good. I’m hoping that this is something that changes with the two sequel novels.

Overall though, this book gets a solid 4/5 from me. I did really love the story, I loved the characters so much and in spite of the unnecessary and groan inducing lady hate from time to time, it did consist of some very strong female characters. The voice of Celaena is funny and graceful and tragic, and I fell very much in love with Prince Dorian and Chaol. I’m looking forward to seeing where this series goes and I am highly anticipating getting Crown of Midnight in the mail! (Heir of Fire came first. Damnit.)

Also mad shout out to the cover designers! These covers are gorgeous and flawless, and the backs of the books even look good and ah, perfection.

And there we go! I know it’s only three books for February but to be fair, I did finish A Dance with Dragons Part 1 in the first week, then tore through Part 2 and these two! So I am very pleased with myself.

I’ll have two more blog posts up shortly; one will be my TBR for March, and the other will be a general life update.

Fare thee well,

Fran!