Life of Pi is, after Sense & Sensibility and Brokeback Mountain, more proof of cinema artist Ang Lee’s curiosity, humanity, and versatility: the film, full of expressive faces, and the strange wonders of nature, imagination, and life, recounts the story an Indian professor in Canada tells to a Canadian writer who has lived in India, an encounter of survivor and writer recommended by the professor’s uncle; and the tale hardly could be more unique and yet it is difficult to think of who would not find it entertaining.
A review of The Greatest Ever Chess Strategies by Sam Collins
In the principal chapters (entitled respectively ‘Pawns’, ‘Bishops’, ‘Material’ and ‘Dynamic Factors’) Collins focuses on a select few interrelated topics, rather than aiming for an all-embracing but possibly superficial comprehensiveness. And he writes about a topic only when he has something new or interesting to say about it, or when the strategic idea is little known or (in his view) underappreciated.
A review of Opposition und Schwesterfelder By Marcel Duchamp and Vitali Halberstadt
Though much fewer positions are presented in the next section – just the four, in fact: three studies and the ending of the game Lasker-Reichhelm (1901) – it is the meaty heart of the book. For 114 pages or so the authors discuss and analyse this quartet, showing how one can derive coordinate squares for the two kings from a situation of simple opposition. To follow their arguments, you hardly need a set and board, since there are usually two diagrams to a page, about 200 diagrams altogether.
A review of Eminent Victorian Chess Players Ten Biographies By Tim Harding
We learn much about these men (they are all men, as it happens), as an instance about the exact nature of Evans’ historic contribution to nautical safety (the good captain invented the coloured lights system for ships travelling at night, as well as the celebrated gambit in the Italian Game), though as Harding readily acknowledges, there is much that remains unknown to this day.
A review of Ring of Stars by Richard Sanford
The climatic end builds along the way to a conclusion that suggests a follow on story is in the works. Many readers that like high technology and worry about the future of America and their own lives and retirement will find this a fun trip into story land in more ways than one.
A review of The Tapestry of Spirit by Erik Paul Rocklin
The journey is allegorical for anyone’s life. The magic is one of facing the consequences of choice and the weight given to emotion and commitment to ones goals. What makes this journey special are the many characters that the boy meets on the way.
A review of Recapture by Erica Olsen
Because of her curation work for archaeology museums, many of her tales feature the study of archaeology although many tend to feature the tedious nature of cleaning artifacts rather than the careful study of a site.
A review of Imaginings: Selected Stories by Dean Warren
Overall, this collection of short stories is quite imaginative and explores many different scientific areas of interest. The stories play with the effect on humanity. They explore changes to our bodies, minds, civilization, relationships and offer looks at different cultures.
A review of Whitstable by Stephen Volk
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There’s so much more in this novella, which has the depth and characterization of a novel. As a story it really finishes before the end, but aficionados of Cushing’s films, including Stephen Volk, and I, clearly didn’t want to stop.
A review of Demon Inhibitions by Gary Starta
Underlying the whole tale is a question about the rights of individuals and the prejudice people may have about certain groups. It also shows how prejudice is often a result of our preconceived ideas about how people within a certain group behave without really going out and finding out the truth.