Author Archives: James - Page 11
Horrible Histories the Movie – Rotten Romans [Review]
The pre-preview Q&A before Horrible Histories the Movie (photo: James Kemp) I went to see Horrible Histories the Movie with my children Lucy and Alexander on Sunday morning at the BFI riverside. They had a preview screening of Horrible Histories the Movie as a combo of their monthly kids shows and also as part of the London Comedy Film Festival (LoCo). Ahead of the screening we had a short Q&A with Caroline Norris (producer & writer), Sarah Hadland and Sebastian Croft (Atti). Horrible Histories the Movie The subtitle to Horrible Histories the Movie is Rotten Romans because the core story is the interaction between Orla (a young celt, played by Amelia Jones) and Atti (a young Roman, played by Sebastian Croft). This story is set in the backdrop of Boudica's revolt against the Romans, see the synopsis below for non-spoilered…
Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman [Review]
Michael Sheen and David Tennant as the stars of Good Omens (image: Amazon) I recently watched the Amazon Prime show Good Omens and then went back and re-read my ancient paperback copy from about 1991. I've missed Terry Pratchett, but I've been fortunate enough to see Neil Gaiman a couple of times recently, and I've got some of his books signed. Although Neil would probably be the first to remark than perhaps the unsigned ones are Good Omens on TV As a long time fan of a book, I've read Good Omens several times, I always worry about film and TV adaptions. However I had no worries about this one as Neil Gaiman was directly involved as a producer. I had a lot of confidence because it isn't his first opera. American Gods has been spectacularly faithful to the book,…
Lost Solace by Karl Drinkwater [Book Review]
Lost Solace by Karl Drinkwater My rating: 5 of 5 stars Excellent space opera, great feel and a thrilling read. The whole story takes place in a very short space and yet so much is conveyed about the main character and the universe that she inhabits. There's a very real feel to it, and at the same time a weirdness from the setting. But weird in a good way. Lost Solace Lost Solace refers to the ship that Opal, the protagonist, is looking for. Sometimes spaceships just disappear. Sometimes they come back. When they come back they're full of secrets and treasure that can make you rich. But they aren't safe. Opal has hacked an AI driven spaceship. She's using it to help her board and explore a Lost Ship, in the hope that it is the Solace, or that…
Anne Wheeler [author interview]
Anne Wheeler is the author of the awesome Asrian Skies series. I did an author interview with her for the release of the third in the series Shattered Honor. (See my reviews of the second, Unbroken Fire, and third Shattered Honor.) Asrian Skies is a fairly hard sci-fi story with a female lead and a set of complex characters, to the point where some of us find the bad guy strangely relatable #TeamChase. Anne Wheeler Interview Describe your writing process, what, where, when and how please? I work full time, so you can find me in the evenings (usually after my son’s bedtime) flopped on the couch typing on my laptop. And that’s basically all I do—sit down and type. When I started writing, I didn’t know that plotting or pre-planning was a thing, and even though I’ve tried outlining,…
Shattered Honor by Anne Wheeler [Book Review]
This post is part of a blog tour for the release of Shattered Honor, Anne Wheeler's latest book, which is reviewed below. You can pre-order it at There's also an opportunity to win a copy via the Rafflecopter giveaway Shattered Honor - Book Review Shattered Honor by Anne Wheeler My rating: 5 of 5 stars Shattered Honor is way more than space opera, there's a whole world of complex interactions, conflicting emotions and obstacles. That's what made it so enjoyable for me. None of these people are cardboard cut-outs following well worn trope laden paths. They're all bespoke characters lovingly put together in a richly constructed and internally consistent universe. That's what makes it great. The characters are very real. There's more than one thing going on at a time with them and the way Katryn fights off her romantic…