#TheLastOfUs #LeftBehind mini review

I played The Last Of Us: Left Behind on PS4 a while after playing the main story, which I was completely besotted with, on PS3.

Firstly, it looks completely stunning. It definitely still has that sheen that comes with most games that have been given the PS4 HD treatment, but the environments, lighting and facial animations are all beautifully detailed. The clickers in this seemed less scary - they're more obvious and seem to move in less varied predetermined patterns, making them more predictable. I also found that they were more inclined to bite your face off, even if you were crouched down, not moving and being completely silent. Only a small niggle.

The story is set after an event in The Last Of Us that leaves Joal gravely injured, and sees Ellie making tracks to retrieve medical supplies to sort him out. She must navigate an abandoned mall searching for supplies whilst avoiding or tackling a hostile group of humans. More often, the encounters with humans feel more tense than those with the infected. It was great fun when being searched for by the humans to lob in a glass bottle and watch as the infected rushed in to sort them out for you.

In parallel to this, we are also treated to flashbacks to a time before Ellie met Joel where she meets an old friend Riley. They too explore an abandoned shopping mall and encounter infected in what becomes a really touching and emotional story between two friends. Their decision at the end is particularly moving and the whole story is really compelling.

The gameplay is much the same as The Last Of Us, sneaking around, crafting items and weapons and focusing your hearing to stake out enemies. There are also some QTEs, which didn't always work great for me. I recall once where an infected grabbed Ellie's leg and I was prompted to press square to kick it off. This didn't work for me until about the 5th attempt which was frustrating, and takes away somewhat from the tension of the chase...

The story is fairly short, too which at the PSN price of £7.99 isn't great, but luckily I was able to grab this in the summer sale for just £2.49. It's a real bargain and is really worth it for fans of the original to expand on an already engrossing, engaging and emotional story.

Highly recommended, and if I had to score only those small gameplay niggles would bring it down. 8/10.

Penderyn Whiskey Tour - Wales

As an avid Whiskey fan in an entirely non pretentious capacity - moving toward the realm of amateur-connoisseur should there be such a thing. Whiskey is my tipple of choice and Penderyn is one I have tried before and enjoyed a lot. I was rather happy when a recent trip to Wales meant I could do the factory tour of Penderyn and sample myself a few more varieties. The admission is reasonable but cheaper if you book online in advance.

The only other distillery tour I've done before was the Jameson tour in Dublin, Ireland. Not for better or worse the Jameson tour feels more polished and rehearsed; there is a quality to it that makes it feel like a museum experience in a similar vein to that of touring the Cadbury factory in Bourneville. The museum experience in Ireland is larger with more merchandise and a larger more touristy bar at the end of it. 

The Penderyn tour however is a much smaller affair; I felt the information around the distillery to be detailed but I didn't really get much time to read a lot. Most information is provided verbally, which would've been fine had it not been quite so loud in the factory. Though, our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable and friendly and quite happy to pretty much repeat everything when we'd moved to quieter location. Learning about how Penderyn differs from Scotch through use of a single copper-pot still rather than a 2 or 3 pot system, thus making it a Welsh whiskey rather than simple a Scotch made in Wales. 

I especially enjoyed learning about the finishing techniques to the whiskey, and how firstly the spirit is aged in a bourbon cask from the Buffalo Trace brand, and then finished of in a a cask from another drink, from Madeira to Sherry and Port casks. 

The tasting at the small bar at the end of the tour was excellent as well, with the guide able to provide everything Penderyn has to offer. 2 tokens are provided for 2 separate samples, else if you're driving you're able to take away with you a miniature bottle to enjoy later. 

Though I quickly used my two tokens on the samples I thought I'd purchase later from the obligatory gift shop I was quite sure, so the guide went above and beyond to allow me to try a few others including a limited edition bourbon cask Penderyn which I then did go on to purchase. We talked informally about the different merits of the alternative versions and how individuals enjoy their Whiskey's different. Although clearly knowledgeable, I never felt condescended to by the guide at all and he was clearly enjoying my enjoyment of the fine spirit. 

The gift shop at the end is well stocked with a variety of the Whiskey and other souvenirs. It's not cheap but not expensive either, most prices comparable with that online and as you'd expect some exclusive whiskeys not available on the shop shelves. I bought myself the limited edition bourbon casks Penderyn for £56 in a lovely box with a measuring cup for £6. 

All in all an excellent experience. I learned a lot about Welsh whiskey in a friendly fairly informal environment and genuinely really enjoyed myself. If you like whiskey or not, I still think it's an interesting thing to learn how something unique to Wales is made. 

#ThePortableDoor (J. W. Wells & Co. #1) by Tom Holt mini review

The story of Paul Carpenter attending a rather unusual interview in a rather unusual building for a rather unusual firm with some very unusual employees that eventually leads him to accept a post in a very unusual job as junior clerk for a company where everything is not quite as it seems...

If nothing else though, Paul is just glad to finally have some semblance of a job. Not only that, but serendipity has brought him into a job working alongside a girl from the interview he finds himself inexplicably falling for. Yet is it serendipity bringing these two unlikely people together, or is there some other worldly malevolence playing with Paul and Sophie's lives...

Things just keep getting stranger and stranger, and as one thing leads to another and the truth about the job and the firm Paul has joined slowly begin to make themselves apparent, our unlikely star finds himself solving a mysterious conspiracy within the company with help of the titular device; A Portable Door - a time and space travelling implement he finds mysteriously in his desk... And within a company such as J.W.Wells calling anything mysterious really is saying something...

A witty and bizarre tale where Tolkien meets Douglas Adams; plenty of geek here to keep fans of sci-fi and fantasy amused whilst also telling an interesting and funny story with a bizarre and eclectic mix of characters. The story is easy to digest and wholly original story about the mundane world of office jobs yet with a magical twist. I can definitely recommend this to fans of things like Douglas Adams or Doctor Who. Not too serious but a nice departure from the often overly serious fantasy genre.

#DeadMansBlues by Ray Celestin Mini Review

Dead Man's Blues is the second out of an eventual four Ray Celestin Novels that will make up the City Blues Quartet. Occurring a few years after the events of the Axeman's Jazz, this story is set against the backdrop of prohibition Chicago, ripe with gangsters, booze runners and illicit underground bars. Al Capone calls the shots and Louis Armstrong provides the soundtrack and the two underpin the three stranded plot superbly whilst the whole culture of the time feels consistently prominent throughout the entire story. I often found myself spotifying a radio channel based on Louis Armstrong’s West End Blues, laying back in the unusual West Midlands sunshine and absorbing multiple chapters at a time. All I needed was a revolver and a trilby to really become one with the reality. 

The story focusses around three at first unrelated strands: a gruesome murder investigated by Jacob, a crime scene photographer who couldn’t make it as a cop because of a leg disability; a missing socialite’s daughter investigated by Michael and Ida of the Pinkerton detective agency, and an assassination attempt on Al Capone’s life in the form of tainted booze looked into by Dante, an old booze runner with a tragic past and a heroin addiction who owes Capon a favour…

The book does an excellent job of recreating the world of the time; the undercurrents of racism, the political corruption and the evolving jazz scene with a basis around real life events (though amended for literary satisfaction as admitted by the author in the afterward). Our three sets of investigators are all interesting characters, with detailed back stories and absorbing personalities. I especially enjoyed reading about Dante’s battles with his past and his struggles with addiction. 

The scenes are gruesome enough and some of the action gets very violent, without being needlessly so, and the inclusion of famous cameos like Armstrong and Capone are welcome and only serve to add to the realism. Capone particularly is expertly written, feeling as menacing and as brutal as his filmic portrayals. 

The way the book progresses from story to story with an intertwining you kind of feel is coming but don’t necessarily expect make the story a real page turner, with good levels of pacing. I thoroughly suggest a large glass of whiskey on a hot day, some good headphones and a jazz soundtrack and you’ll finish this in no time. Highly recommended. 

#StarWars #RepublicComando #HardContact by Karen Traviss mini review

The first in the series of Republic Commando novels from the Star Wars universe sees a group of commando troopers thrust together due to the unfortunate circumstances of war. Each being the sole survivor of their original teams, they find themselves thrust into a new squad of strangers and sent to infiltrate a new chemical research facility and extract the leading science officer from the world of Qillura. As they crash land upon the planet, one clone trooper is cut off from the rest of the group, convening with Jedi Padowan Etain Tur-Mukan; a self confidence lacking student Jedi who is struggling to stay alive after her Master was killed on the planet. She and clone trooper Darman develop an interesting relationship in the book. It's not one of romance, but of mutual respect. Darman helps Etain to bring out her inner confidence and leader whilst Etain comes to understand Darman not simply as a clone, but as an individual. The entire subject of the morality of using clones for an army makes for an intriguing basis for a story, one which Travis uses well throughout her novel. The gangs of ruffians employed by the chemical scientist Uthan to protect both her and the deadly toxin she is developing, are led by Ghez Hokan; a traditional Mandalorian with the values we have come to expect - as respect for war, ruthlessness, leadership and honor. His leadership changes when Uthan encourages him to become more independent. He rids himself of many of his old team, to be replaced mainly by expensive battle droids. His loathing of the clones and how they could've been constructed from the genetic instructions of Jango Fett is apparent throughout, and his determination right up until the bitter end of the story makes for some exciting tactical writing and battle scenes. With a range of interesting characters, an exciting story and quality writing throughout, this makes for a very entertaining read from the Star Wars universe and is more like a traditional war novel than it is a Star Wars book. Whilst the force and Jedi do come into it, there is no reliance on this at all, and the story is more focused around the military tactics of the clones and their advisories. The only reason this falls down a little for me, is that half way through the pace seemed to completely drop and felt a little stagnant. That said, once it picked up I was page turning rapidly right up until the finish and I'm very much looking forward to the next Republic Commando novel. I will also give Hard Contact on the Xbox another go after this. Ace read.

#MeTalkPrettyOneDay by David Sedaris mini review

After only recently discovering David Sedaris through BBC Radio 4 Extra and enjoying his story telling on there, I decided to give one of his books a go.

Broken in to two halves, the book is a collection of stories from David's life and his humerus observations about events and the world around him. The 2nd half is from his brilliant perspective has a French student living in Paris.

There are so many funny tales in the book, from his exploits into performance Art and Drugs, often at the same time; his fascination with Taxidermy and yes Mr Taxidermist, though I am after a stuffed owl I definitely do want to touch the human body part you have stored in a bag behind the counter, but how could you have possible known that about me? His struggles with his incredibly aggressive French teacher in Paris have laugh out loud moments and his broken not quite correct grasp of the language that inspires the title really had me chuckling.

Though not always laugh out loud, Sedaris is an extremely competent story teller, and the way he retells events, describes characters and relationships in his life and generally talks about making his way in the universe is somehow really comforting to read.

It's definitely bizarre, but endearing, entertaining and genuinely witty. Highly recommended.

#PoetAnderson #InDarkness by #TomDelonge mini spoiler free book review

In Darkness is the second novel in the adventures by the unlikely combo that is Pop Punk star goes sci-fi author Tom Delonge (of blink-182, Angels and airwaves and Box Car Racer) and New York Times best selling author Suzanne Young (The Program series of books).

Following the adventures of Jonas Anderson, whose abilities as a Poet allow him to travel between the waking and dream worlds at will, the dream world being an completely alternate reality accessible when asleep and somewhere where Poet Anderson finds himself with unique powers, from creating and harnessing weapons to controlling the entire dreamscape and it's atmospheric conditions. Poet's powers are unusually powerful, but the other poets in the stories also have unusual powers, from immense strength and speed to the ability to stop time.

The original story ended after an encounter with REM, the big baddy of the dream world who seeks to take it over for himself and inflict himself upon the waking world too. With the help of his comatose brother Alan, they manged to defeat REM only to become separated once again.

This sequel sees Jonas dealing with his inevitable destiny in the dreamscape; battling with intense emotions and relationships between him and his brother, his girlfriend Samantha and a variety of other characters and beings within the dreamscape. If this wasn't enough to deal with as a adolescent horny teenager with a liking for whiskey, the fact that REM is back and burrowing his way into the waking world only adds to the pressures. Poet must try however he can, through dodgy dealings, explosive battles and unlikely team-ups to seek out his brother and try as he might to take on the dreaded REM.

Picking up about a year after the previous book, this one is just as exciting. It doesn't feel quite as well written - some of the sentences take strange turns and it took me a while to remember who was who and just what the hell was going on. I also noticed a few typos within my edition which led to some backtracking. However, the imagination employed exceeds all expectations for the newly turned author from musician, obviously taking his inspiration from popular sci-fi culture especially things such as the Matrix.

Both stories feel truly different, yet accessible and are real page turners, so much so I often found myself walking and reading after my beloved coffee shop had to kick me out for closing. Boo hiss.

This second story is obviously an interim to possibly the finale of a trilogy, but that's no bad thing and I wholeheartedly look forward to enjoying the next installment as much as I did this one.

#StarWars #RepublicCommando by Karen Traviss mini review

The first in the series of Republic Commando novels from the Star Wars universe sees a group of commando troopers thrust together due to the unfortunate circumstances of war. Each being the sole survivor of their original teams, they find themselves thrust into a new squad of strangers and sent to infiltrate a new chemical research facility and extract the leading science officer from the world of Qillura.

As they crash land upon the planet, one clone trooper is cut off from the rest of the group, convening with Jedi Padowan Etain Tur-Mukan; a self confidence lacking student Jedi who is struggling to stay alive after her Master was killed on the planet. She and clone trooper Darman develop an interesting relationship in the book. It's not one of romance, but of mutual respect. Darman helps Etain to bring out her inner confidence and leader whilst Etain comes to understand Darman not simply as a clone, but as an individual. The entire subject of the morality of using clones for an army makes for an intriguing basis for a story, one which Travis uses well throughout her novel.

The gangs of ruffians employed by the chemical scientist Uthan to protect both her and the deadly toxin she is developing, are led by Ghez Hokan; a traditional Mandalorian with the values we have come to expect - as respect for war, ruthlessness, leadership and honor. His leadership changes when Uthan encourages him to become more independent. He rids himself of many of his old team, to be replaced mainly by expensive battle droids. His loathing of the clones and how they could've been constructed from the genetic instructions of Jango Fett is apparent throughout, and his determination right up until the bitter end of the story makes for some exciting tactical writing and battle scenes.

With a range of interesting characters, an exciting story and quality writing throughout, this makes for a very entertaining read from the Star Wars universe and is more like a traditional war novel than it is a Star Wars book. Whilst the force and Jedi do come into it, there is no reliance on this at all, and the story is more focused around the military tactics of the clones and their advisories.

The only reason this falls down a little for me, is that half way through the pace seemed to completely drop and felt a little stagnant. That said, once it picked up I was page turning rapidly right up until the finish and I'm very much looking forward to the next Republic Commando novel. I will also give Hard Contact on the Xbox another go after this. Ace read.