Spencer's Bookcase

Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians

Title: Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians

Author: Brandon Sanderson

Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy

Pages: 308

Synopsis:

On his thirteenth birthday, foster child Alcatraz Smedry gets a bag of sand in the mail-his only inheritance from his father and mother. He soon learns that this is no ordinary bag of sand. It is quickly stolen by the cult of evil Librarians who are taking over the world by spreading misinformation and suppressing truth. Alcatraz must stop them, using the only weapon he has: an incredible talent for breaking things.

(from Goodreads)

My Thoughts:

Reading this book was a lot of fun and made for a very quick read. This book was fun from beginning to end, the characters were great. And surprisingly there was a lot of world-building in this book. I find that I have very little to really criticize about it. The jokes were really good, and the plot was lively and very entertaining.

If you are looking for a quick fun book to read with plenty of laughs, enjoyable plot, and characters this is a good choice. I really enjoyed this book and I hope you do too!

Rating:

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Title: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Author: Robert Louis Stevenson

Genre: Mystery, Drama, Psychological Thriller

Pages: 144

Synopsis:

It is about a London lawyer named John Gabriel Utterson who investigates strange occurrences between his old friend, Dr Henry Jekyll, and the evil Edward Hyde.

(from Goodreads)

My Thoughts:

What can I say? This is a classic story and for good reason. It’s a well-written, well-paced story that explores the duality of human nature: Are we good or are we bad people? In a very creative and effective way. It also helps that the story isn’t too long and is a quick read and pretty easy to get through.

My only issue with the story is that it’s kind of obvious how this was going to end. It was just so predictable. Maybe it’s just because of how much exposure we are to the story since this book is very iconic and famous.

Other than that this is a real classic and if you are looking for another quick read, this is a great choice to read.

Rating:

The Time Machine

Title: The Time Machine

Author: H.G. Wells

Genre: Science-Fiction

Pages: 91

Synopsis:

When a Victorian scientist propels himself in the year 802,701 AD, he is initially delighted to find that suffering has been replaced by beauty, contentment and peace. Entranced at first by the Eloi, an elfin species descended from man, he soon realises that this beautiful people are simply remnants of a once-great culture – now weak and childishly afraid of the dark. They have every reason to be afraid: in deep tunnels beneath their paradise lurks another race descended from humanity – the sinister Morlocks. And when the scientist’s time machine vanishes, it becomes clear he must search these tunnels if he is ever to return to his own era.

(from Goodreads)

My Thoughts:

This book set the groundwork for a lot of time traveling and other science-fiction novels. Which is a remarkable achievement! However as I read it, I wasn’t actually blown away by it. The book was ok but I just didn’t love it.

I did like the possible idea of where the human race could end up in the future and the possible fate of humanity. One on the surface and one underground. I did like the premise of the book and it was interesting how the first novel of Time Travel is to go to the future, rather than go to the past (we’ve seen too many of those stories tbh). The book was also pretty quick to get through.

However, this book just doesn’t blow me away. My perception of it also may be worse than it is because of the oversaturation of time travel in science fiction. It feels like time travel is just everywhere after all! Again the book is ok, but I don’t love it. If you are looking for a short book on Time Travel there are worse stories to read.

Rating:

Torchwood: Aliens Among Us, Part 2

Title: Torchwood Aliens Among Us Part 2

Written By: Christopher Cooper, Mac Rogers, Janine H Jones, Tim Foley

Series: Aliens Among Us #2

Genre: Science Fiction

Synopsis:

Big Finish picks up the events after Miracle Day with Torchwood: Aliens Among Us…

Captain Jack and Gwen Cooper have restarted Torchwood. But it’s in a very different Cardiff. Something terrible’s happened to the city. With every day getting darker, will Torchwood need to adopt a whole new approach?

5.5 Love Rat by Christopher Cooper

Captain Jack Harkness is dead, and that’s the simplest thing that’s happened to him in the last few days. Even the manner of his death is surprisingly complex, especially when it turns out that he hasn’t come back alone.

While Torchwood try and cope with a new mayor and a terrorist cell, they also have to deal with what, at first, looks to be a plague, and then turns out to be something far, far worse.

5.6 A Kill to a View by Mac Rogers

Ritz Towers is a luxury tower block so exclusive not even aliens can get a place there. Mr Colchester has somehow secured a flat at the Ritz. With the streets increasingly troubled, his husband feels safe there. The problem is that Ritz Towers is anything but safe.

For a start, the building has more tenants than it has flats. Then there are the endless dinner parties. The whole new definition of upwardly mobile. And finally, there is the very mysterious caretaker.

5.7 Zero Hour by Janine H Jones

Welcome to Deliverables. Thanks to us, Cardiff is enjoying an economic miracle. We have created thousands of jobs. We have wiped out homelessness.

More importantly, there are so many benefits to you. Deliverables will deliver your post, your packages, your meals. We are Deliverables, and we never stop.

Deliverables – we always know where to find you. Deliverables – put your life in our hands.

5.8 The Empty Hand by Tim Foley

An innocent refugee has been shot point-blank on the streets of Cardiff. It causes an upsurge in terrorist attacks.

An innocent refugee has been shot point-blank on the streets of Cardiff by a policeman. It’s a catalyst for protests in the streets.

An innocent refugee has been shot point-blank on the streets of Cardiff by Sergeant Andy Davidson. It’s the end of Torchwood as we know it.

(from Goodreads)

My Thoughts:

Torchwood Aliens Among Us continues to be good in this part. As it was able to keep up the quality of the previous part while still looking forward to what comes next!

The first episode Love Rat felt like a remake of the worst episode of Torchwood “Day One” (which was the second episode in the entire series). I wasn’t quite sure why they would try to remake the worst episode in the entire series, but it ended up working quite well. We got plenty of Jack in this episode (which is always welcome), and the idea of alien sewer rats carrying sexual parasites sounds so much like Torchwood that it didn’t even surprise me. The only problem I had with this episode was I found the solution to the problem seemed a little too easy to me. (I don’t want to give too many spoilers. I’m sorry!)

The second episode A Kill to a View was the episode that I was the most interested in. As they brought back the main antagonist of the first season Bilis Manger back to Torchwood again played by the same actor in the TV series Murray Melvin. He put on just as good a performance as he did when we saw him in Season One. I just love how this part has so many callbacks to the first season, now that I think about it. The cool thing about this episode is that they still manage to keep the mystery of Bilis Manger alive, as we still don’t know what his true agenda is. In this story, he’s more of an envoy of what’s to come later on in this season. Maybe it’s just because of the nostalgia of the earlier days of Torchwood I have, but this was probably my favourite episode in this entire part. It was a great callback to early Torchwood, and it gave a lot of character development to Mr. Colchester (who is probably my favourite character in this entire season). The action in this episode was also really well done. My only complaint about this episode is how they sidelined Jack in this episode. I felt that was an odd choice given the history between Jack and Bilis is from Season One.

The third episode Zero Hour is one of those episodes that raises awareness about real-life issues. Zero Hour tackles the issue of Worker’s Exploitation, the gig economy, and how desperate people can be just to have a job to support themselves and their families. This episode was also the episode where I really started liking Tyler Steele. The problem I had with Tyler Steele is for most of this season his only role was to set up the plot for the episode. This episode by putting him as the main character allowed this character to grow and through this episode, I finally learned to like this character. If you just hate Tyler you probably are not going to like this episode.

The final episode The Empty Hand is another episode about real-life issues. This episode tackles police brutality and racism. This episode is focused on Sergeant Andy Davidson. This is great, as we never really had a Torchwood episode focused on Andy. Andy has been a part of the show since the very first episode, but I always felt that something was lacking with his character in the tv series. He was there sure, but for most of the time on the tv show, he was just there. By focusing on his character we got some real character development for this character. After he gets accused of killing an immigrant, he begins to have an identity crisis. He always believed that he was a good man and tries to do his job to support his community. The accusation has shaken him to his core, but the thing is he has no memory of doing the killing. He questions himself: Is he a real racist killer? Or is there a much stranger explanation going on? (Since this is Torchwood, I’ll let you guess which one is it). Regardless the episode really does a good job raising awareness about police brutality and racism. This episode really aged well especially with Black Lives Matter still making the news raising awareness of police brutality and the need to defund the police. There is also a lot of story going on, and I do like how the whole team is involved in this episode. And it leaves a big cliffhanger for an interesting part 3! The only problem I have with this episode was I didn’t get Jack Harkness’s plan at all in this episode. It just seemed unlike him and a little convoluted.

Overall, Torchwood Aliens Among Us Part 2 maintains the quality from Part 1 very well! I like how we finally have a recurring villain in Ro-Jedda (I mentioned her in my part 1 review here). One of the problems I had with the TV series was the lack of a recurring villain for the series, and we finally get a good recurring villain in this character! The episodes were great and gave great character development to a lot of the important characters in this series. My only complaint about this part was how they sidelined Jack for most of this part, Jack is my favourite character and is one of the main reasons to continue to be invested in Torchwood. Having him sidelined rubs off on me the wrong way. Regardless, Torchwood Aliens Among Us continues to be good and I can’t wait to listen to Part 3!

Rating:

Candide

Title: Candide

Author: Voltaire

Genre: Philosophical Fiction, Satire

Pages: 115

Synopsis:

Candide is the story of a gentle man who, though pummeled and slapped in every direction by fate, clings desperately to the belief that he lives in “the best of all possible worlds.” On the surface a witty, bantering tale, this eighteenth-century classic is actually a savage, satiric thrust at the philosophical optimism that proclaims that all disaster and human suffering is part of a benevolent cosmic plan. Fast, funny, often outrageous, the French philosopher’s immortal narrative takes Candide around the world to discover that — contrary to the teachings of his distinguished tutor Dr. Pangloss — all is not always for the best.

(from Goodreads)

My Thoughts:

This is my first reread of this year. I remember reading this back in High School as a result of the Philosophy class, I took. I did like it back then, but when I reread it now my opinion on this book has really changed.

I did like that there was some Philosophical Discussion going on in this book, as I am very into Philosophy. This book is satirizing Philosopher Gottfried Leibniz’s optimistic belief in God’s benevolence and the belief of “all is for the best in the best of all possible worlds”. I also did like some of the historical references in the book such as the Seven Years’ War and the 1755 Lisbon Earthquake. I also will admit I did laugh at some parts of the book.

However, as a story, this is very flawed. All the characters are one-dimensional and there is no real character development, as all the characters remain the same from beginning to end. Our main character Candide is so optimistic it’s naive. I was annoyed by his idiocy and lack of commonsense. There was this one scene where a pirate kept raising the price of taking Candide across the Ocean, and Candide just keeps agreeing to pay the pirate more, even though Candide could just find someone else to take him across the Ocean. The pirate ends up stealing quite a bit of his money. Candide just keeps getting cheated on and he never gets wiser from those experiences.

The plot is very quick as it just goes from plot point to plot point with no breathing room. Within mere sentences, the whole situation changes! There isn’t a whole lot explained either, leaving many gaps in this story. I also felt that Voltaire made his point by the halfway point of this novel, but he just kept going on and on about the same thing throughout the entire novel. As the misfortunes that plague Candide got repetitive really quickly.

Fortunately, this book is very short and is endurable, and can easily be read in less than a day. However, after this re-read, I am not likely am going to reread this again.

Rating:

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

Title: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

Author: Douglas Adams

Series: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

Genre: Comedy, Science-Fiction

Pages: 184

Synopsis:

Don’t panic! Too late…

Arthur Dent is already having a really bad day, even before Earth gets demolished to make way for a new hyperspace bypass. After that things get much worse.

With just a towel, a small yellow fish and a book, he has to navigate through a very hostile universe in the company of a gang of unreliable alien oddballs. Luckily the fish is quite good at languages.

(from Goodreads)

My Thoughts:

I’ve been reading a lot of not so uplifting books so far this year. I’ve read about a man who got possessed by ghosts who tried to kill his family, a book about an electromagnetic pulse attack, and a book about a shipwreck. So I’ve decided to finally read something a little more fun, and I found it in this book. This book is probably the funniest read I’ve had so far this year. Which is a good thing!

This book is very witty with its jokes, and I like how Douglas Adams did a very good job on universe building in a 184-page book. All the characters are good, and everyone was humourous. Arthur Dent and Henry Prefect were my personal favourites and in my opinion the best-developed characters in this story.

Interestingly enough the book can be quite deep about the human condition and even raises existentialist questions about existence such as: What is the meaning of life? And it approaches it in a way that is fun and hilarious.

The book is really funny and it makes a good read. If there is one good reason to read this book, it’s because it’s hilarious.

Rating:

Torchwood: Aliens Among Us, Part 1

Title: Torchwood: Aliens Among Us Part 1

Written By: James Gross, Juno Dawson and A.K. Benedict

Series: Alien Among Us #1

Genre: Science Fiction

Synopsis:

Big Finish picks up the events after Miracle Day with Torchwood: Aliens Among Us. Captain Jack and Gwen Cooper have restarted Torchwood. But it’s in a very different Cardiff. Something terrible’s happened to the city. With every day getting darker, will Torchwood need to adopt a whole new approach?

5.1 Changes Everything (by James Goss) – Tyler Steele has washed up in Cardiff looking for a fresh start. A disgraced journalist, he’s looking into the Red Doors movement – are they really behind the terrorist attacks on immigrants? Who is stirring up the racism and hatred in the city, and what does outsourcing contractor 3Sol have to do with it? Tyler finds out that Torchwood – a secret organisation that everyone thought long gone – is back in business. Tyler realises that this is the second chance he’s been looking for, and he’ll do anything to be a part of it.

5.2 Aliens & Sex & Chips & Gravy (by James Goss) – Has Cardiff really been invaded by aliens? Tyler thinks he’s found a lead – the daughter of the mysterious Ro-Jedda is getting married and has booked a private party. If Torchwood can infiltrate it, there’s a chance they’ll end up closer to the truth. Free bar, canapes, and the chance to find out what’s really going on. What could possibly go wrong? Soon Torchwood are on the run for their lives, and learning more than they ever wanted to about alien life.

5.3 Orr (by Juno Dawson) – Vincent Parry is the most successful property developer in Cardiff. A while ago he made an agreement with the mysterious Ro-Jedda, and it is an arrangement he has come to bitterly regret. Something has to be done – but it’s going to cost him everything he loves. With time running out for Cardiff, Torchwood encounter an alien who knows them only too well.

5.4 Superiority Complex (by AK Benedict) – Poverty and homelessness are on the rise in Cardiff. The streets are full of the desperate and the dispossessed. So, of course, it’s the right time to open a 7-star luxury, all-inclusive hotel. And, naturally, the hotel is for aliens only. As the humans stand outside the gates and look hungrily in, there’s one thing that makes them smile. Someone is murdering the guests.

(from Goodreads)

My Thoughts:

Torchwood Aliens Among Us is the closest thing we have to a fifth season of Torchwood. One of the coolest things about this series is that they actually got the same actors from the TV series to come back to their roles. Over 6 years after the tv series ended!

I really enjoyed the episodes of Part 1 of Aliens Among Us. The first episode “Changes Everything” (which is a reference to the first-ever episode of Torchwood: Everything Changes) does a really good job reintroducing Torchwood and our two main characters of Captain Jack Harkness and Gwen Cooper. While also introducing two promising characters in Tyler and Mr. Colchester. By the third episode, Mr. Colchester has become one of my favourite characters in the entire Torchwood series. The first episode in this series was completely flawless and has become one of my personal favourite episodes.

The second episode of the series really does show the dynamic between Gwen Cooper and Mr. Colchester as they try to investigate the aliens that have invaded Cardiff. And the twist ending at the end of the episode blew my mind as I was not expecting it (sorry no spoilers here)! The only real problem I had with this episode was that a lot of things that happened in this episode has to be told to us rather than shown. Showing what happened is a lot better than telling us. It would have helped establish the threat of the Red Doors Movement and to show us things that tie directly into the series story arc.

The third episode of the series introduces a character that will be essential to the rest of the series: Orr. Orr is a genetically-engineered sexual psycho-morph that can shapeshift into whatever the person they’re with desires the most. It had a really good story as Torchwood has to save Orr from being killed by the Sorvix. The episode also introduces the main antagonist (I think?) of the series in Ro-Jedda, the leader of the Alien race that’s occupying Cardiff. And they do a really good job establishing Ro-Jedda as a threat to our heroes. The episode establishes both character’s personalities and shows the threat the Sorvix is. The only criticism I have of this episode is that I felt that they didn’t give enough time to some of its scenes but other than that a really good episode.

The final episode of part 1 had a really cool idea. So a 7-Star luxury, all-inclusive hotel was built, built for aliens only. The story does a good job of exploring the inwards of an alien hotel. Our heroes in this story have to investigate what’s happening in the hotel after murders were taking place inside the hotel, and our heroes have to blend in with the weirdness that’s going on in the hotel. All the main cast members shine in this episode and it was really cool getting to see the chemistry between all the members of the team in this episode.

Overall, while it isn’t perfect as there were parts where they should have followed the rule of “show, don’t tell”. As it would have helped improve the scenes a bit and give some development for our antagonists in this part. This may just be because I watched the tv show, but I also really wished this was on TV. I really need Torchwood to return to TV! This was a very enjoyable series and was very fun to listen to. This season is off to a great start and I can’t wait to review the next part of it!

Rating:

What I’m Watching Right Now – February 2021

So in addition to spending a lot of my free time reading books, building decks, and playing magic, I also watch a fair amount of tv to entertain myself. So I want to do a post about what tv shows I’m watching right now. So let’s get right to it!

The Office (Season 5): Right now I’m watching The Office Season 5. The Office continues to be such a great show and I am enjoying every minute of this show!

Brooklyn-Nine Nine (Season 3): This show about a squad of detectives in the NYPD continues to impress me on how hilarious this show really is.

I am also trying to finish watching the show Father Ted, which is a really good sitcom about three priests and their housekeeper as they go on misadventures.

Right now I’m kind of going through a phase of watching a lot of comedy, almost like a renaissance of sorts. I guess I need some laughter as we go through these dark times together.

Am I watching any Anime right now?

Why, yes actually. Right now I decided to finally watch Naruto!

I’m only on the fourth episode of this series and I am already loving it! Kakeshi is already my favourite character in this series. I know there is a lot of episodes to watch so I hope it remains good (I plan to skip the filler episodes for now)!

I hope to one day do a review of these series for my blog (Naruto it might take a while since there are a lot of episodes to watch and my time is precious). I hope you enjoy this post and see you all next time!

The Two Atlantics: The Shipwreck of the S.S. Atlantic

Book: The Two Atlantics: The Shipwreck of the SS Atlantic

Author: Keith A. Hatchard

Publisher: Nimbus Publishing

Genre: History

Pages: 144

Synopsis:

This intriguing story about the famous 1873 shipwreck at Prospect, Nova Scotia, details the incredible ordeal surrounding the wreck of the White Star liner Atlantic. Out of a total of 957 passengers and crew, 535 people died, making this shipwreck one of the worst marine disasters of the 19th century.

(from Goodreads)

My Thoughts:

Now it won’t be very often that I will review History Books on this blog, but when I do it’s on a topic that interests me. The Two Atlantics: The Shipwreck of the S.S. Atlantic is one of those books. This book covers an event that happened in 1873, which at the time was the biggest civilian maritime disaster in the North Atlantic Ocean until the sinking of another ship 25 years later.

The book does an excellent job describing and showing us what happened before the ship sailed, during its voyage, the shipwreck, and its aftermath. It talks quite a bit about the passengers, the crew, and the captain giving these people backstories, and this book does an excellent job in letting many people’s stories be told. The book overall was really well written and most importantly informative about the events behind this maritime disaster. Also, the book contains very helpful Appendices giving you, even more, information and context as to what happened during this maritime disaster.

I do have some criticism of this book however, there were one-two pages where my eyes did glaze over. As the information in those two pages didn’t interest me. While telling many people’s stories was an important part of this book, there were a lot of people to keep track of in this book. And at times I had to look back at some of the previous pages just to remember who’s who.

If you are looking for a quick history book to learn about a Maritime Disaster, you can’t go wrong reading this book.

Rating:

One Second After

Title: One Second After

Author: William R. Forstchen

Series: The John Matherson Trilogy

Genre: Post-Apocalyptic Novel

Pages: 511

Synopsis:

John Matherson is a retired Colonel and war veteran, who is now a professor of history at the Montreat Christian College at Black Mountain, North Carolina. He is the widowed father of two daughters, Jennifer and Elizabeth. On the second Tuesday of May at 4:50 pm, all the phone lines and electrical appliances all go dead. Within hours, John Matherson suspects that there is an electromagnetic pulse (emp) attack on the United States. With the electromagnetic pulse attack, the United States has been thrown back into the 19th century and the whole town enters into a battle for survival. John Matherson enters into a struggle to save his family and his small town from the elements and other threats.

My Thoughts:

This book’s biggest strength here is its premise. It has an awesome premise that intrigued me. As the threat of an EMP attack is a real possibility with devastating circumstances.

The other major strength that this book has is its main character, John Matherson. Unlike the other books that I’ve read so far, this blog has multiple points of view, this is not one of those books. The only perspective we have in this entire book is our main character. And in books like this getting your main protagonist right is crucial. John Matherson is smart, a family man, knows how to defend himself. However he also does have some flaws: he’s overprotective of his family, and he’s addicted to Cigarettes. As this person smokes cigarettes almost any chance he gets! He also has to learn to become a leader during this crisis.

The book was also very readable as I was able to get through it pretty quickly.

However, I have several issues with this book. This book really needs to be reminded: “Show, don’t tell.” As quite a few of the action scenes happen off-screen. And we just get an explanation of what happened from one of the characters in the novel. Most of the action scenes just get explained through expository dialogue. For example, there was a riot that happened on the town’s borders between refugees and the people defending the town. And we don’t get to see this happen! It’s just explained to us what happened through conversation! I would have been interested in seeing the entire scene! It would have helped make the book better! Another example is that in the “Battle Scene” near the end of the book between a group of cannibals and the town. A lot of the important characters all die off-screen! We only get mostly an explanation on what happened! If they shown us the battle and the characters dying, it could have really developed quite a few of the characters in this novel!

Another issue I have is most of the major scenes are all just meetings and speeches that go on just a little too long. Why not show us the plague that is wiping people out or conflicts between the townspeople more or even the hordes of refugees trying to storm the town’s gate?

While I do think the main character John Matherson is one of the very few assets in this book. The rest of the characters I found were pretty weak. As almost none of the characters have any personality or opinions of their own. Everyone just seems to agree with our main character! It would have helped build conflict in this story if there was some disagreement between the characters.

My final criticism of this book was the romance part of this book. So in this book, our main character falls for this woman named Makala Turner, who is a supervising nurse who is stranded in Black Mountain. The romance in this book is so weak. As we don’t know anything about Makala until over halfway through this book. And just like a lot of the other parts of this book, their romance is explained rather than shown. You can honestly remove the entire romance subplot from this book and still keep the same plot, as it added nothing to the story.

I was honestly disappointed by this book. I like post-apocalyptic fiction such as On the Beaches by Nevil Shute, but this book doesn’t even come close to being as good as On the Beaches were. While the premise and the story are good, the poor writing and characters are enough to make me unlikely to read this again.

Rating: