Karsa Orlong

Guardians of the Galaxy. I've enjoyed some of the Marvel films so far but never really loved any of them, until now. If only the Star Wars prequels had contained half as much character, heart, and fun as GotG! Marvellous

He seems like a really decent bloke. When we were queuing outside he walked past and was saying hello to everyone then, before Threshold came on stage, he came out and jumped over the barrier into the audience and was shaking hands with people and having a chat, then he did the same again at the end. He also had his dad and his son up on the balcony, who he pointed out - much to the son's embarrassment The band just seemed genuinely excited and happy to be back in their hometown Damian's a big guy, though, so I'm glad he didn't land on top of me

Shogun by James Clavell 1975 - Hodder & Stoughton ebook - 1,136 pages From Amazon: This is James Clavell's tour-de-force; an epic saga of one Pilot-Major John Blackthorne, and his integration into the struggles and strife of feudal Japan. Both entertaining and incisive, SHOGUN is a stunningly dramatic re-creation of a very different world. Thoughts: And, finally, it's done. Phew! Took me the best part of two weeks to read but I can't say I ever reached a stage where I didn't want to read it, which I find sometimes happens with doorstoppers: is it done yet? Look at all those shiny books I've yet to read - can I read one of them instead? Nope, that didn't happen, so I obviously enjoyed it very much. Shogun is set around 1600 and is the story of John Blackthorne, English pilot of a Dutch trader/warship, the sole survivor of a fleet which navigated around South America and across the Pacific and then, in the teeth of a storm, finds itself seeking shelter in a bay along the shore of Japan. Blackthorne was based on William Adams, who was supposedly the first Briton to reach Japan when his ship was wrecked there. The opening of the book (and when I say opening, in a book this length that means the first three or four hundred pages . . . ) is quite harrowing but, I found, also riveting, as Blackthorne and his shipmates are taken captive by the Japanese, who are quickly shown to be vicious, ruthless, merciless, and no doubt a whole load of other 'lesses' that I can't think of at the moment. Add to this the fact that Portuguese traders had long since made it to Japan, and that Jesuit priests have been converting many Japanese to their religion, and it becomes a story not just about a clash of cultures but also Catholics vs Protestants. Gradually the true heart of the book begins to unfold, as Blackthorne starts to learn the Japanese ways, the language, the rituals, and Bushido - the Way of the Warrior or, rather, the Samurai's code. The cast of characters expands rapidly and Clavell tells the story from every side, from Toranaga the Daimyo to Alvito, the Jesuit priest and enemy of Blackthorne, and Mariko, the young woman who sets about learning of Blackthorne's 'barbarian' ways, translating for him (Portuguese being the common language) and teaching him Japanese, plus a whole host of other characters too numerous to mention. There's a story of forbidden love which, I must admit, I didn't find wholly convincing, and a whole hell of a lot of political manoeuvring, alliances made, plots hatched, and backs stabbed. There's plenty of excitement, including one extended escape scene and another involving ninjas, and lots of introspection, too. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. It felt like there was always something happening to keep my attention. But I did have a few issues with it. Like practically all books this length (even my favourites) it's too long for its own good. The omniscient narration style flits from character to character without a section break - you'll be deep inside one character's thoughts and motivations only to find your suddenly reading about someone completely different, not sure where the change occurred. And it can be repetitive, with characters re-stating opinions and motivations multiple times - although I suppose Clavell might have though the reader could forget what the character had said 700 pages ago And I must admit, at times, I did forget who was on whose side and why they were doing that to this person etc etc. It's kind of incongruous: it's a very easy read that's not half as complex as it thinks it is, and yet it confuses simply because the world it creates is so different to any I've read about before. Ultimately, I think its real achievement is in the way it coaxes the reader to understand and appreciate a different culture at the same pace as its main protagonist. Its an absorbing book that encourages you to dive into its world of honour and sacrifice and samurai and geishas. Recommended. 8/10

Could try these: http://www.jinni.com/ http://www.tastekid.com/like/movies

1,010 pages into Shogun. It's going on a bit

Threshold - Surface to Stage, Wounded Land, Extinct Instinct and Psychedelicatessen Lunatic Soul - Walking On A Flashlight

Great review, Ian I must re-read them myself at some point.

So I probably shouldn't tell you that the Kindle edition of The Mangle Street Murders is down to 99p again at the moment . . .

920 pages into Shogun

The Flash 1x06 Agents of SHIELD 2x08

Wow, well done! I think I'll be around my usual mid-80s mark, which I'm happy with considering I've read over a dozen of my 'mighty tomes' (those over 700 pages ) so far this year, plus the one I'm reading at the moment. Next year I'm not going to bother counting at all, though.

Went to see Threshold at Islington Academy the other night and they were bloody brilliant! We were right at the front and the atmosphere was great. Damian the singer kept jumping into the crowd, which was funny Haven't enjoyed a gig that much for a long time They had two support bands: The Silent Wedding and Overtures. Both of them were decent, although Overtures amused me because their singer kept demanding that the crowd boo them and their (new) bass player looked like Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory. I kept hoping he'd walk over to the drummer and say 'You're in my spot'

How to Train Your Dragon 2

Yeah, I liked the way they did it

Could you return the hardback? A lot of hassle, though, I suppose

The gale tore at him and he felt its bite deep within and he knew that if they did not make a landfall in three days they would all be dead. Shogun by James Clavell

Re Stephen King's Revival, can those who bought it at the higher price not return it for a refund? And then buy it again at the lower price? I was just looking at my Kindle content on Amazon and the books I have bought since the beginning of November all have the option to 'return for refund'

Currently 480 pages into Shogun. Only another 700 pages to go . . .