#FantasticBeasts and Where To Find Them play script - Spoiler free thoughts! #HarryPotter

I remember when the Fantastic Beasts text book was released many moons ago by JKRowling in aid of comic relief. This tie-in, along with Quiditch through the ages were excellent little spin offs, so I was a tad worried when I heard a film was being created on the concept, and when I saw the play script released as a book I sighed and felt it was a bit of a money spinning venture for the Potter series.

The film however, I was pleasantly surprised with. I think that it was created, bar the original concept, from the ground up to be a film that it actually stands up very well on it's own, where as the Potter films I always thought were a bit lacking compared to the books until really The Deathly Hallows. I always prefer books to movies, but The Death Hallows parts one and two felt like proper films in their own rights - not book to movie conversions like the others. Fantastic Beasts is definitely like this, and tells the story of future noted wizarding author Newt Scamander and his trip to America with some rather interesting companions. The film has an amazing cast, soundtrack and is filmed very well, with a good mix of thrills, laughs and plot.

I saw the film prior to reading the book of the script, which I think helped during reading. For some reason, it's just better reading the written words. It just is. I'm not sure why, or even how but there's something about reading the story that really involves you in the plot, despite the inclusion of stage directions and other instructions. It takes what you've seen and somehow enhances it, allowing your mind's eye to add it's own extra details where you deem necessary and essentially creates your own custom version of the film in your head. Of this, I approve!

The hardback copy of the book is also completely stunning - these sleeve with it's emobossed gold patterns and the swirly illustrations of some of the creations included at the beginning of scene's really do enrich things, and I enjoyed this experience as much as I did 'The Cursed Child'.

Definitely recommended for any Potterheads out there, though I know they've all read and seen Fantastic Beasts a gazillion times already!

Thanks for reading!

#TheHangingTree (Rivers of London 6) Mini Spoiler Free Review

I'm a big fan of the Rivers Of London series by Ben Aaronovitch, and the latest entry was just as appealing as the others.

This time, Peter Grant, our resident detective inspector meets trainee warlock, seems much more confident in his magical ability and prowess, and his mysterious senior office Nightingale seems to have more confidence and trust for him to carry out investigation and altercations on his own.

Again, the stories locations around London town are well described and really give the sense of Peter's familiarity with his surrounding area. I especially like the scenes taking place in The Chestnut Tree pub, a sort of Rivers of London version of The Leaky Cauldron from Harry Potter.

The story this time sees us eventually discovering the identity of the Faceless Man, and involves lots of action sequences between familiar characters, principally around our magical cast trying to make an illicit bob out of selling important magical artifacts and texts, and everyone else trying desperately to be the first to get them.

Whilst not a lot new occurs here in terms of the wider story arc, and actually I felt I had a few blanks from not having yet read the graphic novels, it didn't really detract from the enjoyment of the thrilling story in this book. Sometimes series get to reliant on the underlying arc (looking at you Doctor Who!) so it's nice for this entry to give some meat to the encounters between characters that we already know of. For me, it just makes it feel more solid as a believable story.

So, whilst not groundbreaking, a definite must for fans of the series, and if you're not a fan of the series - go and become one!

#RetroToys - Power Rangers Ultrazord

Oh my this bad boy is HUGE!

Power Rangers were one of my all time favourite kids TV shows, and though it's dated rather noticeably the toys are arguably still quite epic, in both premise and prowess. The 'Ultrazord' shown here is a combination of all the 'Zords' from the original series - Megazord plus Dragonzord equals Megadragonzord, plus Titanus = ULTRAZORD! Grrr.... Check it out below! 

Despite some yellowing and a few missing bits in the way of one wing from the Pterodactyl Dinozord; the tip of Tyrannosaur’s' tail; the horns from Triceratops and Titanus’ chain, the set is in pretty good nick! Unfortunately, the years seem to have eaten the Megazord sword, too.

Check it out below!

Shakespeare's Birthday Parade - Stratford-upon-Avon

For those who follow me on Twitter, you may have seen that I recently got back into playing my flute, something I've wanted to do for ages!

After playing in my first year of Uni for my course, and then playing in the Concert Band for a couple of years, since then I had played very little. Just occasionally and just on my own. I did make an attempt to join an orchestra a while later, but they always seemed to be inundated with flautists.

A good friend of mine, who was teaching music in one of the school's I support, pointed me in the direction of the Birmingham West Midlands Fire Service Band who had arranged an open rehearsal for potential new players on an informal basis. Since then, I've been going to rehearsals regularly and partaking in band socials and concerts in Fire Service Band attire.

It's been a great mix of music, and though it's been challenging going from almost no playing to some quite difficult pieces in a short space of time, I've really enjoyed it and the eclectic repertoire ranging from sweeping classical scores to more popular film music has meant it's always been interesting.

As a self funded institution, the BWMFSB are also a marching band! And because the marches are very popular gigs, this is how they generate a lot of their funding. It's therefor expected (and rightfully so) for members to participate in these! And participate I did!

It's not practical to march with a flute, so I've had to take up the Piccolo which I've played I think about twice before, and not well! It's very difficult, as whilst the fingering is the same producing a decent sound has been much harder for me than I find on the flute. I've put in some practice when time has allowed and can manage at perform a few of the marching pieces with at least some recognisability.

Which is just as well, as this leaves me to attempt to march successfully! Who'd have thought that essentially WALKING would be so difficult!

There are cues to acknowledge when marching, some audio in the form of bass drum rhythms, and some visual in the form of symbols from the band leader using a baton/staff. These indicate when to stop or start playing or marching. The trouble is, between concentrating on that as well as trying to read the miniscule music and play in tune doing all simultaneously is surprisingly difficult! It's a good job the band leader and conductor have been so helpful and friendly, as I may have run for the hills by now...

The first marching gig for me and a lot of the other new players was Sunday just gone, in the Parade celebrating Shakespeare's birthday in the lovely town of Stratford-Upon-Avon. The weather was brisk yet sunny, the crowds out in force and the confetti canon sufficiently loaded.

It was an excellent day, and I was pleased with how much playing I actually did! After a very anxious start, and a few missteps I eventually became more comfortable and felt I did an acceptable job for my first go.

It's difficult getting back into step when for whatever reason you end up on the wrong foot, and reading that small music is nightmarish! Hopefully with some more practice I'll be better at not needing to rely so heavily on the manuscript during marches. It's also significantly more difficult marching in full uniform. The helmet in particular makes things hard as it's so heavy!

As a band we all looked good though, and I've been told we even sounded good, too! So much so even BBC and ITV were able to get some decent audio for the local news.

And so, as one of my recent life goals of joining a wind band again comes to fruition and a regular hobby of mine once again, I feel content in myself that I'm making the effort to engage in a more varied range of activities, broadening my social circles and generally becoming less of a hermit.

I'd call that a success.

#SwordAndLaser anthology Spoiler Free Mini Review

I bought the Sword & Laser anthology ages ago after reading the Press Start To Play sci-fi anthology and stumbling upon this in my amazon recomended purchases.

The first half of the book is dedicated to Fantasy fiction, or the Sword section. The latter is the Laser section, dedicated to sci-fi stories. 

Rather than rate every single story, I thought i'd simply just say how I got on with the book. The introduction by Tom Merritt details his experience from past anthologies, and how useful they are at helping emerging writing talent break into the mainstream, whilst also being a haven for quite simply, naff stories to get into print. Hence deciding to compile this anthology of fantasy and science fiction stories. He blatantly states that not every story will be everyones taste, and whilst this is probably true I found there wasn't a story I didn't enjoy or find interesting at least on some level.

The stories cross a variety of genres; experimenting with time travel, big monsters, space travel, humor, sea creatures and so on. There were some of the stories which started me of thinking 'this really isn't for me' but I'd definitely stay stick with them, as persuing led me to find some of the more enjoyable stories in an unlikely (for me at least) tale. 

It's always nice discovering new authors, and a good anthology is a great way to do it en masse, and thanks to the time and thought put in by Merritt and Belmont, the selection here is all of high quality and fans of science fiction and fantasy are bound to find at least something that appeals to them. Recommended. 

#TheRestaurantAtTheEndOfTheUniverse by #DouglasAdams mini spoiler free book review

Douglas Adams' sequel to the infamous Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy is just as magically ludicrous as the first begin where the former ends. Our favourite bi-headed alien Zaphod and familiar crew are persued to the point of destruction by a Vogon ship, unable to escape using the Improbibility drive thanks to our resident dressing-gown clad human confusing the computer by tasking it with making a decent cup of tea. Of course, it takes the spectral ancestor of Zaphod to save they day, splitting up the crew in a very bizarre fashion, and eventually shedding some light on why Zaphod may have the mahoosive ego he has, even for a two headed alien. 

Using many humerous themes from the previous book, the storys not hard to read, though can be a little tricky to follow, but is always entertaining, and had me smiling during the read a lot! It's also nice and short, and the book is physically small making it easy to read on a train or such. Not intrinsic to reviewing a story but I always find that a nice benefit!

So, if you're going to witness the end of the universe and everything, then why not stop at the restaurant at the end of the Universe for breakfast, first? Definitely worth a read - fans of the first book, Red Dwarf, Spaced etc,,,

#TheInvisibleLibrary by Genevive Cogman mini spoiler free review

The Invisible Library is an excellent concept for a series, and I have high hopes for subsequent novels in this series by Genevive Cogman.

The Invisible Library is a unique collection of all things regarding the written word, located stealthily between dimensions and populated by a variety of Librarian staff whose sole purpose is the acquisition of rare and important texts from around the various dimensions and worlds.

A copy of one text in one dimension may differ to that of another dimension, making it all the more significant for the Library to have it amongst their vast collection. Librarians are bound to the library via an intricate tattoo mark on their backs, and whilst time passes normally when visiting dimensions, all time within the library is stationary, allowing for an extremely prolonged life.

There is lots unexplained about the library in this book, and I personally would've liked more in the way of delving into the expanded universe and social constructs of the library and how it came to be. I'm hoping this has been done to allow for expansion in some of the future novels.

This story sees our librarian Irene tasked by her superior and partnered with a curiously handsome apprentice, to retrieve a copy of The Grimm Fairy tales from a certain dimension, as it contains an entry specific to that alternate world that is a necessity for the library to obtain.

In at effort to include elements from seemingly all fantasy fiction, covering steampunk to magic; vampires and werewolves to fae and dragons, as well as issues with rogue librarian staff and the residents of the alternate dimensions, things can and do get a bit hectic and occasionally difficult to follow, forcing me a few times to backtrack a little and make sure what I understood about the story was in fact right.

Despite this, the story kept me intrigued and gripped for the most part, and I found myself eagerly awaiting my next reading session to discover the outcome of Irene's quest for her text. The fantasy elements within this story work well with the whole mystery/secret agent nature of the library, and whilst eclectic the descriptions of people and places show a truly thought out universe whilst leaving enough to get your imaginative juices flowing.

So, not perfect, but certainly a unique, interesting and most importantly, an entertaining fantasy read. Recommended for fans of Rivers Of London, Potter, Warlock Holmes etc.

#TheAxemansJazz by Ray Celestin mini spoiler free review

The Axeman's Jazz is a murder mystery set in New Orleans just prior to prohibition, where segregation of races is prominent; mafia presence is the norm and the soundtrack is the ever evolving blues and jazz scene.

Everyone's out to gain something for nothing, and the cast of alcoholic investigators, drug addled journalists, cops in scandalous relationships and the Italian mob really add to Celestin's grimy portrayal of the deep south. Locations too, are vividly described, ranging from the seedy underbelly of Storyville with it's illicit prostitutes, to the crowded stereotypical police offices; the dusty fields of Agnola prison and the vile, murky swamps of the bayou.

What makes this story truly intriguing and difficult to put down is Celestin's excellent blend of history, music and fiction to create a truly absorbing and suitably realistic tale of crime, corruption, murder and music.

Multiple motifs rear their ugly heads as our different circles of characters find themselves intertwining in unforeseen ways. There are some appropriately violent sections, without the addition of gore for gores sake, and despite the range and quantity of excellent characters, I still found myself suitably invested in to many of the characters.

The range of elements here is such a success as to make this debut an excellent effort in crime story telling, and worth a go for fans of such fiction, gruesome murders and jazz music.