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Picture of a movie: Contact
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Contact
1997
Astronomer Dr. Ellie Arroway has long been interested in contact to faraway lands, a love fostered in her childhood by her father, Ted Arroway (David Morse), who died when she was nine-years-old, leaving her orphaned. Her current work in monitoring for extraterrestrial life is based on that love and is in part an homage to her father. Ever since funding from the National Science Foundation (N.S.F.) was pulled on her work, which is referred to some, including her N.S.F. superior David Drumlin (Tom Skerritt), as more science fiction than science, Ellie, with a few of her rogue scientist colleagues, have looked for funding from where ever they could get it to continue their work. When Ellie and her colleagues hear chatter originating from the vicinity of the star Vega, Ellie feels vindicated. But that vindication is short lived when others, including politicians, the military, religious leaders, and other scientists, such as Drumlin, try to take over her work. When the messages received from space are decoded, the project takes on a whole new dimension, which strengthens for Ellie the quest for the truth. Thrown into the mix are the unknown person who has up until now funded most of Ellie's work and what his motivations are, and Palmer Joss (Matthew McConaughey), a renowned author and theologian, who despite their fundamental differences in outlook, is mutually attracted to Ellie, that attraction based in part on intellect and their common goal of wanting to know the truth.
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Picture of a book: The Hero of Ages
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The Hero of Ages
Brandon Sanderson
This is not a review. This is a story, a story about a man who opened the first pages of Mistborn: The Final Empire.Back in August 2016, there was a man who lived in emptiness. He was probably clinically depressed, but he would never know; he didn’t get himself checked. His heart didn’t ache, his smile was freely given, but he was never happy; he felt empty every day. Damages were added when he realized his hobbies didn’t interest him that much anymore, which resulted in reluctant social interaction with his friends. His insomnia was so acute that he couldn’t sleep without alcohol so he drowned in it every night. These symptoms were most likely the aftermath of cumulative mental damage afflicted by those closest to him. His best friend spread lies about him, his closest cousin stole tons of money from him, and then he lost his job and his then girlfriend dumped him. He was alone. He told himself, this can’t be it. There’s always a way to come back stronger. He decided to do something new; he decided to fully immerse himself in reading novels. There were countless choices out there and he didn’t know what to choose first, but on the 1st of September 2016, he dived into the mist and hope was born.He was completely addicted. By the end of the trilogy, reading fiction, especially fantasy, became a drug for him. Amazed by the five-year struggle, the characters in the book became incredibly real to him and he lived through every single event with them. He knew that the end of this trilogy was the beginning of what he hoped would be an everlasting adventure. He knew that he had become deeply entrenched by the power of words.This is not a review; this is a story. A story about a renewed man who closed the last page on The Hero of Ages as a different person from the one who first picked up the book. A story about me, rising out of the mist a better man. \ \ “I am, unfortunately, the Hero of Ages.”\ \ Picture: The Hero of Ages by breath-artI’ve read and reviewed more than 200 novels within the past two and a half years. I won’t lie; during that journey, I’ve read series that I think are better than this trilogy. However, when it comes to a matter of importance, this trilogy stands at the utmost top and there will never exist another that could change that situation for me. Finishing this trilogy watered the flower of hope in my garden. I found a lot of friends who have the same hobby as me, I found a new job, I found a new girlfriend who loves to read and understand my passions; I’m not empty anymore.Some readers will consider Brandon Sanderson a weak author who doesn’t deserve his success. Some will consider his books or characters to be poorly written. Some will envy Sanderson because he’s more successful than their favorite authors. All of these are views they have every right to hold; after all, we’re all entitled to our opinions. For me, he’s none of these things. Sometimes I wonder if I would have become the man I am today if I had picked a different series to start my literary adventure. Maybe I wouldn’t have fallen in love with fantasy novels so deeply; maybe all the blessings I mentioned before would not have aligned with my stars. However, that’s a question I can’t answer.I know that I haven’t talked about this concluding installment and what made the book superb. But thinking about it, when a book has managed to change the core of my lifestyle, I doubt I need to fully explain what made this trilogy amazing. Like I said, I won’t claim this trilogy is the best series out there, because it’s not. It’s one of my favorites but I’ve encountered plenty that are definitely better. However, nothing can change the fact that the Mistborn trilogy will always be the most important novels in my life. It sparked my love for reading fantasy novels; it’s an alpha in my endless journey to find omega. I haven’t met Sanderson and I don’t know if I ever will; he most likely won’t ever read these words and that’s okay. A reader and author are connected most of the time by a monetary relationship. I pay to read their story, and they need money to keep on making stories; I’m content with doing that. It’s time for me to put an end to this portion of my story; more adventure awaits. Brandon Sanderson, here are my closing sentences for you:No matter what anyone else says about you, your works are responsible for changing my life for the better. For that, no words will ever be enough to express my gratitude.This is not a review; this is a story. A story about me, and I’d like to thank Brandon Sanderson for sparking my love for reading novels. \ \ “You are, fortunately, my hero of ages.” - Petrik\ \ Picture: Mistborn trilogy by Marc Simonetti\ Series Review:\ Mistborn: The Final Empire: \ \ 5/5 stars\ \ The Well of Ascension: \ \ 5/5 stars\ \ The Hero of Ages: \ 5/5 stars\ Mistborn trilogy: \ 15/15 stars\ You can order the book from: Book Depository (Free shipping)You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions
Picture of a book: The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy: A Trilogy in Five Parts
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The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy: A Trilogy in Five Parts
Douglas Adams
* The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy* The Restaurant at the End of the Universe* Life, the Universe and Everything* So Long, and Thanks for all the Fish* Mostly HarmlessSuppose a good friend calmly told you over a round of drinks that the world was about to end? And suppose your friend went on to confess that he wasn't from around here at all, but rather from a small planet near Betelgeuse? And what if the world really did come to an end, but instead of being blown away, you found yourself hitching a ride on a spaceship with your buddy as a travelling companion?It happens to Arthur Dent.An ordinary guy from a small town in England, Arthur is one lucky sonofagun: his alien friend, Ford Prefect, is in fact a roving researcher for the universally bestselling Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy ... and expert at seeing the cosmos on 30 Altairian dollars a day. Ford lives by the Guide's seminal bit of advice: Don't Panic. Which comes in handy when their first ride--on the very same vessel that demolished Earth to make way for a hyperspacial freeway--ends disastrously (they are booted out of an airlock). with 30 seconds of air in their lungs and the odd of being picked up by another ship 2^276,709 to 1 against, the pair are scooped up by the only ship in the universe powered by the Infinite Improbability Drive.But this (and the idea that Bogart movies and McDonald's hamburgers now exist only in his mind) is just the beginning of the weird things Arthur will have to get used to. For, on his travels, he'll encounter Zaphod Beeblebrox, the two-headed, three-armed ex-President of the Galaxy; Trillian, a sexy spacecadet he once tried to pick up at a cocktail party, now Zaphod's girlfriend; Marvin, a chronically depressed robot; and Slartibartfast, the award-winning engineer who built the Earth and travels in a spaceship disguised as a bistro.Arthur's crazed wanderings will take him from the restaurant at the end of the Universe (where the main dish of the day introduces itself and the floor show is doomsday), to the planet Krikkit (locked in Slo-Time to punish its inhabitants for trying to end the Universe), to Earth (huh? wait! wasn't it destroyed?!) to the very offices of The Hitchhiker's Guide itself as he and his friends quest for the answer to the Question of Life, the Universe and Everything ... and search for a really good cup of tea.Ready or not, Arthur Dent is in for one hell of a ride!
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