Desert Star is a crime novel written by Michael Connelly which marks a welcome return of Harry Bosch and Renee Ballard.
Bosch has been retired from the Los Angelos Police Department for a while now, but he still follows up on a few cases he was unable to close. Ballard has continued to stay on with the department and is in charge of a revived cold case unit. She wants to close a long unsolved murder of a teen-ager who is the sister of a city councilman who championed the return of the unit. She wants to recruit Bosch, but there is a rift to mend. Meanwhile, Bosch has been haunted for many years by the unsolved murder of a family of four. He knows who was behind it, but he was unable to gather the evidence. Ballard’s invitation gives him a chance to bring justice that has eluded the victims’ family for far too long. Bosch also has to learn to work with a team and tolerate the politics that has often hindered his efforts to take more killers off the board. Also, Bosch has a medical condition hanging over his head, but even that is going to have a hard time keeping him from his relentless pursuit for justice.
Connelly is consistently quite good, but this particular novel is one of the better ones. Bosch is still as uncompromising as ever but for the right reasons. The sometimes-complicated friendship with Ballard is compelling. There are some threads that seem a little far-fetched, but my joy at some new cases for Bosch and Ballard overshadowed those concerns. With Bosch’s health in some peril, I do feel that I better get as much enjoyment as I can if Connelly decides to make some radically tragic decisions regarding his most popular protagonist.
The story does take a few unexpected brutal turns on the road to the resolution. It was a worthwhile treat to revisit LA as seen through the writings of Michael Connelly and the eyes of Harry Bosch.
The trail of fictional murders and detectives will next lead me back to the world created by J.A. Jance as she reveals the Blessing of the Lost Girls.
Sight is a pretty good biopic about renowned eye surgeon, Dr. Ming Wang. Andrew Hyatt directed the film as well as co-wrote it with John Duigan and Buzz McLaughlin. Terry Chen stars as Ming Wang with Greg Kinnear taking on the role of his business partner, Dr. Misha Bartnovsky. Fionnula Flanagan also stars as a nun who brings in a young girl who lost her sight at the hands of a wicked stepmother. The film is based on an autobiography written by Ming Wang and is likely quite compelling.
Dr. Wang had grown up during a period of time in China when there was a violent uprising against the Communist government. He had a thriving practice in Nashville, Tennesse after he earned his medical degree and worked alongside Dr. Bartnovsky. As Ming tries to help a young girl from India regain her sight, he struggles to put his painful childhood memories to rest. He is haunted by the memory of a young girl with whom he was friends who was torn from him by the dissidents, never to see her again. Ming is dedicated, but the dark memories are often on the verge of overwhelming him. It will take a young girl’s courage and sense of hope for him to develop a perspective that propels him to rediscover the drive to continue his mission to help as many people as possible out of their darkness.
Angel Studios produced this, and it is a pretty solid film. It is quite interesting and inspiring as intended. I also appreciated some exposure to some of the history and culture of China. The performances were quite compelling. Ming has a younger brother who is a bit of a mooch, and it’s not quite explained what happened there. The brother is a likeable mooch, but he feels like a bit of a loose thread as far as the story goes.
Angel Studios does a much better job of sharing their religious beliefs or biases without a lot of clunky or unrealistic dialogue. The producers and writers were smart to not have all of the challenges resolved in a perfect, glorious manner which would feel just a little too contrived. The ending is still heart-warming and seems to fulfill the message that the movie was trying to convey.
The film doesn’t drift into anything too incredulous. The book is still likely much better. The major purpose of this film seems to have been fulfilled quite effectively.
Basically, Angel Studios released a film that is not necessarily flawless, but it is still better than many Christian or faith-based films that have been produced in recent years.
M.L. Stedman’s novel, The Light Between Oceans, is one of those with quite a bit of acclaim, and now that I have read it, it does seem to be well-earned.
The story takes the reader to Australia just after the end of the First World War where we meet a former soldier named Tom Sherbourne. Tom takes a rather lonely job as a lighthouse keeper, but he has met a woman named Isabel and fallen in love. The two of them move out to some desolate coastline so Tom can take on his new duties. They have married and attempt to have a family, however each of the three pregnancies end tragically. Some years into this endeavor, a boat has washed ashore with a dead man and an infant girl who is very much alive. Tom and Isabel take her in and decide to raise the girl as their own, however the girl has a very brief past life, and a mother of her own who misses her very deeply. The fantasies of this family collide with the reality of this little girl’s origin, and it gets even messier from there.
This is one of those stories where there is not really a clear villain. No one has any evil intentions. The only real resolution is going to require what would seem to be an impossible amount of forgiveness from more than one character.
Stedman does a pretty decent job of setting the scene. She is apparently Australian, so she would likely know how to depict the setting. The characters are interesting and complex, and sometimes loyalties shift a bit throughout the story. It is definitely one of those novels where any book club is likely going to contain some pretty lively discussions on morality and forgiveness.
Stedman has a pretty decent if unremarkable prose style. She just constructed a pretty fascinating scenario and populated it with characters who are multi-faceted.
There is some reliance on a pretty unlikely set of coincidences that were at times difficult to suspend my disbelief, but I understand why so many fiction writers dop that. If I was writing my own novel, I am sure some critic would fairly be able to point that out in my hypothetical work.
Overall, I would recommend any habitual reader to slip this into their nightstand stack and actually get to it.
Next up, I will be returning to Los Angeles as depicted by crime fiction writer Michael Connelly. Former LAPD detective Harry Bosch has a chance to solve a case that has haunted him for years. He and Renee Ballard join forces to close some cold cases in Desert Star.
The Sontarans vs. Rutans saga continues with another enjoyable audio drama from Big Finish Productions. This time, the Doctor Who range pits the Sixth Doctor against the Sontarans again in Born to Die by Tiegan Byrne. Colin Baker is back behind the mic and is joined by India Fisher reprising her role as Charlotte Pollard. Jon Culshaw, Christopher Ryan, and Dan Starkey make up the guest past portraying various Sontarans.
This is the Big Finish era where Charley is keeping the rather peculiar secret that she has already traveled with the Doctor in his future. The TARDIS has brought them to the planet of Taxodon where they come across a Sontaran who dies under mysterious circumstances. The Doctor has a chance of prove their innocence, but he discovers that a race is in captivity due to the Sontarans experimenting with their natural ability to camouflage. He also finds another experiment which appears to be at the behest of the Rutans, and not every Sontaran may be as he appears.
This has been an interesting little mini-series. Colin Baker is quite engaging as usual. India Fisher still sounds great as Charley Pollard even though she is over twenty years older than when she started playing the role. The story is pretty good as well. Byrne is at least a competent writer who knows how to run with an interesting idea. It was kind of fun to hear the Doctor paired with a Sontaran who is acting in a kind of Watson-esque role.
The episode itself isn’t necessarily a stand-out, but the performances and the overall idea of examining some aspects of the endless war between the Sontarans and the Rutans does make it worthy of collecting and revisiting from time to time.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga manages to not be one of those mistaken decisions to continue a cinematic franchise further than necessary even though it is a fifth film in a series. George Miller directs this film as he has all of the previous ones. He has co-written this script with Nico Lathouris. This film is a prequel to the famous Mad Max series of films that had previously starred Mel Gibson. Tom Hardy took on the role in 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road. In that film, Charlize Theron portrayed Furiosa, a girl who was once abducted from an idyllic home in the midst of a dystopic wasteland following a nuclear catastrophe.
This latest film takes the audience back to Furiosa’s early years and then up to the point where she is encountered by Mad Max and audiences in the last installment. Anya Taylor-Joy has taken over the role and is joined by Chris Hemsworth, who plays the main antagonist known as Dr. Dementus. Other members of the grimy cast include Tom Burke, Lachy Hulme, Angus Sampson, and Nathan Jones.
Furiosa is abducted by a group of marauders who answer to a warlord named Dr. Dementus. Her mother, who made a valiant and bloody attempt to rescue her, is murdered leaving Furiosa in captivity for several years. She is able to make her escape sometime after being bargained off to another warlord known as Immortan Joe. She has grown to a very dangerous and cunning woman who wants to return to her home known as the Green Place. Furiosa has some unfinished business with Dementus. There will be a lot of wrecked vehicles and gruesome deaths before that business is concluded.
First of all, the stunt work is truly first rate. Movie goers are not used to seeing Hemsworth in a villainous role; however, he really delivers an impressive performance here. Taylor-Joy does pretty well here, but I sometimes felt that the make-up crew really had a hard time making her look as grimy as the others. She just does not look hardened enough even after she matures throughout the movie for me to buy into some of the fight scenes. Taylor-Joy is a pretty good actress, and she by no means sinks the ship here, but I am not sure she really was the best option for this particular role. The overall world created and realized by Miller does help considerably in not making that casting decision too much of a distraction. Taylor-Joy is of course a beautiful actress, but there is something a little more distinctive about her looks that sets her apart from many of her colleagues. I have seen enough of her in other films to acknowledge that she is talented and interesting enough to hold my attention. Her casting for this role is a bit of a head scratcher for me, but it’s not a major irritation.
The film does sometimes feel a little too long, but some of that was due to not being all that clear as to the timeline. I had some trouble keeping up with the passage of time in the story. It was a little jarring when Furiosa revealed the amount of time that had passed toward the end of the film, but I will not give too much away there.
As mentioned before, Hemsworth really went for the jugular with his part. Dementus more than lives up to his moniker, but there were interesting moments of something resembling humanity as some of his history is exposed.
George Miller has created a crazy cinematic world and manages to still write a pretty compelling script. I think his exploration of the collapse of society and just utter moral decay is pretty fascinating. The cinematography was great as well. The characters were weird and far-fetched, but they could be rather chilling as well.
The film does have a few questionable elements, but most of it still works. I think most real fans of George Miller and this particular franchise are going to have some legitimate reasons to enjoy it.
Big Finish Productions returns to Tom Baker’s era Doctor Who with the audio drama release Storm of the Sea Devils, which turns out to be quite enjoyable, which is not surprising with this version of the Time Lord. Nicholas Briggs returns to the director’s seat. There are actually two stories in this audio set. Baker is joined by Christopher Naylor as Harry Sullivan, who was originally portrayed by the late Ian Marter. Eleanor Crooks is a recent addition to the TARDIS crew in this range as Naomi Cross.
Storm of the Sea Devils is written by David K Barnes. The guest cast includes Tracy Wiles, Silas Carson. Nicholas Briggs, and Satnam Bhogal. Although some previous audio dramas have included Harry Sullivan and Naomi Cross, this one actually sets up their meeting. For Harry, he also is reunited with the Fourth Doctor. He is supposed to be in holiday in Calcutta, but Naomi Cross intercepts him and wants him to look into the sudden cancellation of a new hotel’s opening. There have also been sightings of strange figures that appear familiar to UNIT. The Doctor is also on hand conducting his own investigations. There is a mysterious prisoner at the hotel, and its continued internment may have dire consequences for the human race.
The fact that Tom Baker is in the lead is already going to give this story a huge advantage, but the episode does get even better than that. The Sea Devils are an interesting adversary because, like the Silurians, they are part of a civilization that thrived on Earth well before the humans came along. The Sea Devils are not necessarily driven by the most evil of motivations, but they are still dangerous, especially when one of their number is in captivity. Naomi Cross is becoming one of the better creations by Big Finish as a companion to the Time Lord. Crooks has an interesting voice and is developing some nice chemistry with Harry. There is also a fantastic scene with just her and the Doctor in which the Doctor uses a bit of subterfuge to convince the Sea Devils that not all humans operate out of a sense of fear or bigotry. That was really well written and of course performed brilliantly by the pair.
I have to say that Naylor is doing quite well capturing the essence of Ian Marter’s portrayal of Harry Sullivan. I am a little ambivalent about Harry’s presence in the television series, but the writers for Big Finish make him more interesting as a character.
Storm of the Sea Devils does a great job of blending some of the traditions of the Fourth Doctor’s era with something fresh, most notably the inclusion of Naomi Cross.
Then we get to Worlds Beyond written by Robert Khan and Tom Salinsky. The guest cast is comprised of Anthony Howell, Amaka Okafor, Oscar Pearce, and David Shaw-Parker.
Naomi Cross gets her first trip in the TARDIS with Harry Sullivan and the Doctor. They find themselves in a resort world where the holidays are custom-made after a brain scan. The Doctor has a stimulating chess match with Alan Turing while his companions find other diversions. Since they are traveling in the TARDIS, this idyllic getaway has a terrifying secret, and the Doctor will have to fight for his mind to keep it from being fed upon by a dangerous alien presence.
This story is pretty good as well, but not quite as engaging as the first one. The cast, as usual, are up to the job. The Doctor encountering historical figures is almost always a delight. Of course, when that Doctor is played by Tom Baker, one is not quite certain how the entertainment will be enhanced, but it never becomes a disappointment. This one may take another play for me to grasp some elements of the plot better. Still, it’s a solid contribution for the range, but it’s not just that uniquely memorable.
The release as a whole is well worth the time. The sound effects are beautifully realized, but one is always able to predict that when Big Finish puts something out. Crooks is likely going to turn out to be one of my favorite casting decisions. I have heard some other Naomi Cross episodes and have grown to like her more with each episode. It is great to have Harry Sullivan continue to be represented, even with the original actor no longer able to step to the mic.
Storm of the Sea Devils is likely to be a favorite of mine of the 2024 Big Finish releases.
Shadows Have Offended is a pretty mediocre entry into the catalog of Star Trek: The Next Generation novel range. The writer responsible for this fairly disappointment reading experience is Cassandra Rose Clarke.
While the Enterprise is having to take some prominent guests to Betazed for some cultural ceremony, an away team comprised of Commander Riker, Dr. Crusher, and Lt, Commander Data are sent to a planet called Kota to assist after the commanding officer of a science station is killed in a storm. There is also a strange affliction affecting the crew there, and even the android Data is not immune to the effects. Captain Picard is having to contend with the overly amorous mother of Counselor Deanna Troi. The ceremony is interrupted by the theft of some cultural Betazoid artifacts. Lt Worf and Counselor Troi start the investigation while Picard copes with the panic of the crowd.
I know that I shouldn’t set the bar all that high for a Star Trek novel, but this one was just a little too bland for my liking. Part of my disdain is likely due to it taking place in the seventh season of the television series where the producers through it would be a good idea to have Troi and Worf engage in some kind of romantic relationship. It just seemed like such a stupid idea back then, and Clarke does little to make it more palatable.
Anyway, I suppose some Star Trek novel readers may find some reason to appreciate this effort from Clarke, and it’s probably not the worst in the series, but it certainly is on the lower rung of quality. If one must read it, keep the expectations low.
`Next up, I will be looking for the source of The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman.
Dead of Winter is a pretty decent thriller written by the prolific Darcy Coates. Coates often writes supernatural story, but this story doesn’t fall into that territory. It does get pretty gruesome and far-fetched, but I ended up enjoying the ride that was meant to terrify me. I don’t really get terrified that easily by a book, but I can still appreciate the attempt.
The story is told from the point of view from a young woman named Christa, who has joined her boyfriend on a winter vacation to the Rocky Mountains where they plan to stay in a luxurious lodge with other guests. The bus breaks down, and a wicked storm is on the way. The passengers make their way to small, abandoned cabin where they plan to wait out the storm. The situation gets more dire when the tour guide is killed and then beheaded. As the days and nights start to pass, the group is rapidly shrinking as the heads are left on display outside the cabin being punished by an unrelenting, violent snowstorm. Christa has reason to start believing that the group was not gathered at random, and there is a more precise motive than just some random bloodthirsty psycho satisfying a dark compulsion.
This is the second novel in a row I have read with the too familiar plot of a small group of people trapped in a tight, claustrophobic locale with a seemingly crazed killer stalking them. Coates does a pretty good job with a very common plotline. The motivation behind these killings is a bit far-fetched, but Christa is a compelling enough heroine for me to forgive that.
The revelations are pretty well placed. Coates has a pretty engaging prose style as well. The characters are pretty interesting for the most part. Coates apparently doesn’t mind leaving a couple of loose threads when she ends a story.
This is my first time reading a novel from this author, and she already has a pretty significant catalogue. I am sure it will not be too long before I try another one.
It has been a while since I have indulged in a Star Trek novel, so I think I will make a return trip to the twenty-fourth century and visit with Captain Picard’s crew aboard the Starship Enterprise. Next up, Shadows Have Offender by Cassandra Rose Clarke.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is the latest in a franchise that actually has managed to stay reasonably solid for the past few years. The Planet of the Apes brand was rebooted in 2011, and this installment continues the story after the main protagonist’s death.
Wes Ball serves as director of the script that was written by Josh Friedman. The film is based on characters created by Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver. Pierre Boulle wrote the original novel in 1963. The cast includes Owen Teague, Freya Allan, Kevin Durand, Peter Macon, and William H. Macy.
Caesar has died and is remembered by many of the intelligent apes with reverence. Some of his teachings have been maligned and distorted creating a society of some pretty dictatorial and ruthless apes. The protagonist in this one is a young ape named Noa. He seems a pretty amiable sort of simian with friends and family. His father is the leader of the village. Life is pretty good for Noa and his clan.
Well, that life takes a pretty startling turn when his village is raided. Noa manages to escape the clutches of another tribe under the leadership of a tyrannical ape named Proximus, but his tribe has been abducted. He allies himself with another lone, sagacious ape named Raka as he tries to locate his loved ones. They are joined by what they think is a mute human woman they initially name Nova. Nova, however, turns out to be more gifted and intelligent than they realize and certainly isn’t a mute.
Nova is on a quest of her own, and her allegiance to her newfound companions come into question at times. Noa learns some uncomfortable aspects of the history between humans and the apes, and he will have a big fight on his hands to reclaim his tribe and rebuild their homes.
Obviously, the big draw is the visual effects, and the execution here is first-rate. The scenery is quite majestic at times. I know that a heavy reliance on CGI is sometimes a contentious issue among movie fans, but this effort was first class. The performances were quite good. I was not familiar with much of the main cast, but they were well selected. William H. Macy was the only one I could recognize on sight, and as usual, he was quite good.
Freya Allan was also quite compelling as the somewhat dubious Nova. The relationship between Nova and Noa gets a little complicated, and I do not mean in the romantic sense. Fortunately, nothing that weird goes on in this film.
There are times when the movie drags a bit. It’s a bit on the longer side, and it feels like it sometimes. When the pace picks back up, the time is worth it.
Overall, the filmmakers did a pretty good job. There are some moments that are quite moving. I grew to like and sympathize with the heroes. The story does bring up some intriguing questions if there were two species with competing intelligence and motivations and what that would look like.
There are apparently plans to produce another trilogy and this film does the job as far as making me intrigued enough to catch the next one.
An Unwanted Guest is a thriller that has one of my favorite scenarios in that a small group of people is stuck in a remote location with a murderer in their midst. Shari Lapena first had this published in 2018 and has written several novels since then.
The setting is a luxurious inn in the Catskill Mountains where a group of guests who apparently do not know each other gather to escape the mundaneness of their daily lives. There is a troubled married couple, a traumatized war journalist, and a defense attorney with an unusual past. That is just the beginning. A young woman is found dead at the bottom of the staircase. The inn loses power during the height of a snowstorm, so help from the police is not forthcoming. Then, a second body is found. The group has to wonder if there is someone else in the inn secretly or if one of them is a murderer.
As much as I love this sort of mystery, Lapena really proves how overdone it could really get. She isn’t a terrible writer, but there is not much that makes it stand out. None of the cast of characters was uniquely interesting. When the investigator finally is able to get there, she is not that compelling.
Much of the motivations behind the killings rely on some unlikely coincidences.
Lapena is another one of these current female writers being compared to Agatha Christie. Christie had considerably more skill in her plotting. I don’t mind today’s author paying some homage to the Queen of Crime, but Lapena seems to try a little too hard here. I could not muster much sympathy for any of the characters, even the victims. I just found the novel to be a little bland.
In spite of some misgivings about this particular novel, I will likely give Lapena another chance down the road. She is not a hopelessly awful writer, but she seems a little too attached to the formula. Still, Lapena is a bestselling author, so my criticism may be in the minority. I just found the mediocrity of this literary contribution to be mildly soul crushing.
Ironically, my next read is going to once again have a group of people isolated on a snowy mountain with a killer lurking in the forest. I will see if Darcy Coates can do a better job with Dead of Winter.
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