Author Archives: James - Page 44
Zombie Stories Breaking my Suspension of Disbelief
I've been reading zombie stories recently and enjoying them, Max Brooks World War Z for a second time and Frank Tayell's Surviving the Evacuation series (1-3 so far). However, there are a number of things though that I find it hard to keep my disbelief suspended in. Zombie Stories So I completely understand that zombie stories aren't about the hard science, or even about zombies. They're underlying tales of the human struggle with death. We also like the post apocalyptic survival thing. Who doesn't think they could break the rules and survive when society breaks down? It's a cool escapist fantasy, and there are hordes of zombie movies and books out there that pander to it. Zombie Pandemic English: The Spanish Influenza. Chart showing mortality from the 1918 influenza pandemic in the US and Europe. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Pandemics happen.…
MJX X300C Quadcopter Drone [Product Review]
I was sent a free drone for review earlier this year, an MJX X300C Quadcopter Drone. It was a pretty cool toy, and I was looking forward to having fun with it. MJX X300C Quadcopter Drone While the battery was charging, which took about forty minutes, I read the instruction manual. There were a lot of pictures in it, which was just as well. The manual was clearly written in another language and then translated into English by a non-native speaker. It was rather unreadable, although I persevered. In the end I found some better instructions on the internet. I started off testing it a little indoors. I got it paired with my mobile phone. I had to download a version of the app from the manufacturer website as the version in the android store didn't work. I was a little nervous…
Chieftans by Bob Forrest-Webb [Book Review]
Chieftains by Bob Forrest-Webb My rating: 3 of 5 stars Chieftans is a speculative fiction piece on the Cold War going hot in 1985. It was written in the early 1980s and hasn't dated well. Like Game of Thrones everyone dies, but in less interesting and more predictable ways. Chieftans - review There are good points to Chieftans. For the most part the characters are believable and likeable. Bob Forrest-Webb clearly has done his research, and understands British Army soldiers and officers. That aspect of the book was excellent. One of things that didn't quite work for me though was that the book was clearly researched/written about four or five years before it was set (it was first published in 1982). This means that some of the kit wasn't deployed, or had its name/designation changed on deployment. There was also…
A.M. Griffin [Author Interview]
The Guicai Talisman by Griffin After a bit of a break I have another author interview with Griffin, a prolific author. She is promoting her most recent book The Guicai Talisman (The Undercity Chronicles of Babylonia Jones, ). As well as urban fantasy Griffin also writes romance. You can see all Griffin's work on her website. Griffin - the interview Do you write for a living, or do you also do other work? I have a full-time job that I love and I write part-time. Sometimes I think that I’d want to write full-time, but then it would turn into something that I had to do instead of something that I love to do. So for now I have no desire to write full-time. How did you get into being a professional writer, and how much effort did it take to…
Bolsover Castle Under Siege
English: Bolsover Castle, 17th century Model of Bolsover Castle, as it may have looked in the late 1600's. License on Flickr (2011-02-18): (Photo credit: Wikipedia) I spent the weekend laying siege to Bolsover Castle as part of the 17th century Army of Parliament. It was a lot of fun, and quite a busy couple of days. The best bit though was definitely seeing lots of old friends again. Bolsover Castle event Shortly after the battle of Marston Moor in July 1644 Bolsover Castle was attacked by the Army of Parliament under Major General Crawford. We were re-enacting that over the weekend. With a mixed group of the Fairfax Battalia and the Sealed Knot we put on a creditable show. There were three regiments present (about a company's worth of soldiers in each). The Earl of Newcastle's regiment from the…