Showing posts with label Horror. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Horror. Show all posts

Friday, 15 September 2017

Jurassic Park Series #1 - The Book by Michael Crichton

          A billionaire has created a technique to clone dinosaurs. From the DNA that his crack team of scientists extract, he is able to grow the dinosaurs in his laboratories and lock them away on an island behind electric fences, creating a sort of theme park. He asks a group of scientists from several different fields to come and view the park, but something goes terribly wrong when a worker on the island turns traitor and shuts down the power.


Thoughts

Michael Crichton


          Jurassic Park, as for most people, has always been my childhood fantasy. As an 8 year old kid, seeing a dinosaur for the first time(albeit on screen) was an amazing experience. The movie with it's perfect cast, goosebumps-inducing BGM, amazing CGI so advanced for it's time captured my imagination as a child and made me feel watching it is an experience that no one should miss.

          Now that I had such a nostalgic connection with the movie, I couldn't resist picking up the book when I visited a local bookstore. It felt like the book was there waiting for me, destined to be picked up by me. Opening the pages of the book, I was transported 20 years back to the days of innocence. The book, not only overwhelmed me with nostalgia but brought the dinosaurs back to life in a way even better the movie I'd say. I was glad to be back in the park of dreams built by John Hammond, I was glad to be chased by Rexy and I was glad that I got a completely different perspective on Jurassic Park through the book.

          For starters, the book had more detailing. The process of creating dinosaurs - the DNA sampling, hatching and growing them are all beautifully explained in such a way that even someone who has zero knowledge on genetics and science could understand it. I also found that the book differed from the movie in characterization aspect and there were even subtle plot differences.(Differences between the movie and the book in coming up in another blog post soon.). The book also has it's share of fast-paced edge of the seat action and thrills. Grant and his mates being chased by the highly intelligent and skilled velociraptors is a treat to read.


          Hands down, my favorite parts of the book were the 'rants' that Ian Malcolm often got into. Be it him explaining the Chaos Theory or the Fractal Curve, or him admonishing Hammond and telling him about the timeless journey of planet Earth are just literary wonders. I could read those monologues by Ian Malcolm again and again and still my mind would not have gotten enough.

          This is one book that no one should miss. It offers a lot more than the movies will ever offer. Close your eyes and go for it. You will not regret it. See you in Jurassic Park!
Next blog in the series coming soon.

Quotes


“The planet has survived everything, in its time. It will certainly survive us.”

“Let's be clear. The planet is not in jeopardy. We are in jeopardy. We haven't got the power to destroy the planet - or to save it. But we might have the power to save ourselves.”

“You know, at times like this one feels, well, perhaps extinct animals should be left extinct.”

“All major changes are like death. You can't see to the other side until you are there.”

“Living systems are never in equilibrium. They are inherently unstable. They may seem stable, but they’re not. Everything is moving and changing. In a sense, everything is on the edge of collapse.” 

Sunday, 4 December 2016

The Shining - Stephen King



Danny was only five years old but in the words of old Mr Halloran he was a 'shiner', aglow with psychic voltage. When his father became caretaker of the Overlook Hotel his visions grew frighteningly out of control.

As winter closed in and blizzards cut them off, the hotel seemed to develop a life of its own. It was meant to be empty, but who was the lady in Room 217, and who were the masked guests going up and down in the elevator? And why did the hedges shaped like animals seem so alive?

Somewhere, somehow there was an evil force in the hotel - and that too had begun to shine...


Thoughts:

Stephen King

If ever there was one book that made me fear the dark and made my spine tingle with dread, this is it. This book was my third Stephen King novel and his first two books that I read had not gone down well with me. I read Dreamcatcher and Misery before this book and I understood that I have not read the best of Stephen King yet. Amidst this background, The Shining came as a great surprise loaded with horror and terror that can inflict fear on the bravest of hearts.

In his previous two books, I felt Stephen King was beating around the bush a little as he was taking loads of time to get to the main event. I felt that problem resurfacing in this book in the beginning. I still feel Jack's history of alcohol abuse was a little off track to the main plot. However, once the reader toils through a handful of pages and finds the Torrance family locked up in The Overlook for the winter, the action begins and there is not let up in the intensity and the pace from then on.

I'm still amazed how an author can bring fear to the minds of people just by "words". He doesn't get to use visual effects; he doesn't get to use sound effects; he doesn't get to use 'Jump Scare' techniques. All the author has at his disposal are "WORDS". And yet, I must say, the words from the pen of Stephen King has managed to surpass all techniques that a traditional horror movie director employs to scare his/her audience. Perhaps, that is why, the film adaptation of this novel The Shing (Movie) directed by Stanley Kubrick did not impress me as much as the novel did. There are some people who say the movie is better than the book, but I firmly differ from their opinion.

The characters are all well-developed. The Overlook, the haunted hotel is itself a terrific character with a mysterious and horrific past.

The Overlook Hotel(as shown in the movie)


Joey Tribbiani tells what is so great about The Shining
I personally liked Wendy, who struggles to save her son from his father who has fallen into the clutches of the haunted hotel and is slowly going insane. Dick Halloran is another character who leaves a mark in the reader's minds after the book is completed. I liked the fact that there are so few characters so that the reader is not burdened with too much clutter that are not essential to the central plot. King means business in this book.

Remember Joey Tribbiani in Friends, hiding The Shining in the freezer? Well, that is one way to avoid the Overlook haunting you.

Quotes

"Sometimes human places, create inhuman monsters."
"Monsters are real. Ghosts are too. They live inside of us, and sometimes, they win." 
"Wendy? Darling? Light, of my life. I'm not gonna hurt ya. I'm just going to bash your brains in." 

If you want to be scared out of our wits, this is one book you must never miss. The Overlook is waiting for you! 

Saturday, 23 June 2012

The Howler - R.L.Stine



You hold in your hand the key to a shadow world of shivers and screams. Take a step away from the safe, comfortable world you know. Unlock the door to terror. There's always room for one more in..."The Nightmare Room."

Spencer Turner is a major electronics geek, and he's just purchased a cool new gadget called The Howler. It's supposed to allow Spencer to pick up the howls of ghosts and spirits. Spencer would love to communicate with the spirit world. He can't wait to see if it works. Unfortunately, Spencer soon hears his" own" howls of horror -- because when he turns on The Howler, he opens a channel to" The Nightmare Room."

R.L.Stine

Review:

A horror book every child must read.It will scare the hell out of him.The machine with which Spencer is able to talk to spirits is a bit of imagination but comes out well with the story.

A very good book to read after the darkness sets in.




 

 

 

 

Rating: 2.7/5


Wednesday, 20 June 2012

Dear Diary , I'm dead - R.L.Stine

You hold in your hand the key to a shadow world of shivers and screams. Take a step away from the safe, comfortable world you know. Unlock the door to terror. There's always room for one more in..."The Nightmare Room."

That's Alex Smith rushing past you, hurrying home to check out his journal. Why? Because Alex has never written a word in his journal, but yesterday, a mysterious entry appeared in te book--one that told Alex about the future. Alex can't wait to read the journal tonight to find out if there's anything new inside. Too bad he doesn't realize that be opening that book, he's opening the door to..."The Nightmare Room."


R.L.Stine

Review:

R.L.Stine is generally known for his 'horror' writings that give you creeps and goosebumps and this book is no exception.You are gripped in your fear right from the first page and the fear lingers even after you finish the book.

Alex Smith discovers a diary in his room that predicts the future.The diary appears to be a miracle in the initial events but in the follow-up to the climax,the diary starts predicting horrific and blood - chilling incidents.Alex Smith is unable to let go of the monster and is caught in a web of desire and fury.

R.L.Stine really has a knack of terrifying the readers and as he said,his secret is ,

"When the lights fade and the moon rises, anything can happen. The world becomes a carnival of shocks and chills. A whirling merry-go-round that never stops, spinning faster and faster, taking you on a frightening ride. I'm R. L. Stine, don't fall asleep... or you might find yourself in The Nightmare Room."
Now that will sure make us cry for our lives!!! 

Rating:3.7/5

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