Immunity is the sequel to Contagion, one of my favorite recent science fiction reads, and this story was just as compelling and gripping as the first one. Well, maybe not quite as gripping- after all, the first one had an alien contagion turning people into ravening zombie- like creatures, whereas this one is a little more sedate. We left off with Thea and Coen being rescued (or is it captured) after their hair raising experiences on Achlys, and from there the story in this one goes off in an entirely different direction.
Just to recap (and this is spoiler light)- Thea and her crew went to Achlys to answer a distress call, and that's how they ran into the contagion (and Coen, who was a sole survivor). The bug itself is a nasty piece of work, and after what happened at the end of Contagion Thea and Coen have reason to be concerned about it getting out into the galaxy. The results would be disastrous. Their challenges this time have more to do with human monsters than alien ones, however, as they get swept into a Radical plot to achieve independence for the Trios wing of the galactic Union.
To be honest this one was just as well written as the first book- I give Erin Bowman huge props for her storytelling- but I enjoyed this one a little less than the first book, mainly I think because the first book had that horror element, that looming sense of doom. I mean, you're stranded on a planet in the middle of nowhere with a horrifying space contagion- that's my kind of story! The contagion still plays a big role in this one, but the sequel just felt more like a generic science fiction thriller. That's not to say that's a bad thing, but it didn't have that creepiness factor that kept me glued to my seat. This is still very readable, though, and gripping in its own right.
If anything, things might have wrapped up just a little too conveniently for me- kind of how I felt after reading the last book of the Illuminae series. Good stuff, well done, but... in a galactic setting this vast, would all these things just fall into place quite this neatly? I tend to think not. Still, I don't want to give the impression that things went easily. Thea and Coen suffer a lot in this one, and there were times when I was like- how are you going to get out of this?
So on balance this was a solid follow up and a good read. Not as creepy and thrilling as Contagion, but a solid sequel. You obviously need to read the first book to get this, but it's a great duology. I can't recommend these enough if you want science fiction with an edge, and while things may have fallen into place a little too easy for my liking at times, I had a great time with this.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is a movie I've been wanting to see for months now. I mean- Jurassic World right? I see all the Jurassic movies, even if I did think the last one sucked. So I thought it'd be fun to do a live reactions post for this one. Will it also suck? Well, let's find out!
"Anything in here would be dead by now?" Do I even have to say it??
Okay, so they're retrieving a piece of Indominus Rex. Surely that's a good idea. I know, I know, it'll be different this time, right? Well, apparently not. *Sigh*. Of course things are lurking around. Look, when guys on a chopper are screaming at you to come quick- drop everything and GO?
Why is it always raining when bad things things occur?
"DNA sample secure." Well, glad to hear that then. Unfortunately, they lost three people by my count? The underwater dudes and the guy hanging from the chopper. That scene was completely predictable, BTW. Not an auspicious beginning...
So it's been three years. And now there's a volcano.
As usual, Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) is talking sense. Let the volcano take out the dinosaurs. I'd have to agree.
Here's Claire. Dinosaur Protection Group? *Hard eye roll*. Wait though- why am I against the dinos? I guess- they should have learned by now???
So Claire gets a call to meet with Lockwood, who was Hammond's contemporary. Nice estate. She's of course all in on the dinos. I don't trust this Eli- or Lockwood though- one bit. Does Claire have to be sooo naive??
They want to save Blue. Cause raptors are such a good idea. And for that they need- Owen. Yes, Claire has to convince Owen, and so we are forced into their tortured non- chemistry again.
So who is Maisie?
Why is no one questioning yet why Lockwood is going to all this expense to save dinos?
Good thing Franklin knows his stuff. No irony intended.
So it's time to hunt Blue. And oh look... Wheatley is an asshole. Shocker! But wait... they're gonna abandon Claire and Franklin too? Wow, they are asses.
Caressed by a dinosaur tongue!! That's attractive!!!!
Something's coming...
I'm pretty sure a dino would not hang around lava.
I always love a good dinosaur stampede.
Oddly enough, the dino stampede doesn't look quite as good as the stampede from The Lost World, though? CGI- wise, I mean. Although points for Ankylosaurus.
The little rolling ball thingie is still kinda silly, I'm sorry.
Ooh wheeeeeee! Rolling off the cliff though looks fun! That's gotta be a ride somewhere...
Always we're looking at how greedy, corrupt men exploit and mistreat the poor dinos. Which, yeah is valid, because what would happen? Probably something like it. This has a lot of callbacks to The Lost World, actually, with the Owen/Claire/ Franklin watching the evac from a ridge, the evac itself (airlifting the creatures out), the stampede. Would be nice to see different plot, though?
The only thing here though is everything is inferior to The Lost World. Wheatley the great white hunter is a poor man's version of the dude from The Lost World, the dinosaurs being confined scenes are't quite as good, etc. It's like when I watched The Force Awakens and realized I'd seen the movie before, done better... as Star Wars. I'm getting that vibe here.
Of course the keys are in the truck!
Ooh they left one behind! That... was actually kind of heartbreaking...
The casting here... ye gads. First the senator earlier in the show.. that guy is always in B movies. Now we have Toby Jones as Eversoll- he was in Wayward Pines. I'm sorry if this sounds mean, but you know... sometimes the casting makes a movie feel chintzy?
The Indoraptor. *Yawn*. Now they're going to use dinos as weapons? This is getting dumb.
Oh cause these animals aren't guarded or anything.
Ridin' the bull!
Locked in... with an awake dino! That... would suck!
Henry Wu? Aww... couldn't he be a good guy??
So Lockwood was innocent.
So... we have buyers coming, including an arms dealer and a sinister Russian. Is this a Jurassic Park movie or a Bourne movie??
So the dinos are moving out, all over the world after being sold?
Why is that dinosaur bashing the wall just because whistling?
This is pretty alarming... if something like that got out.
Fun to see auctioners getting booted!
Ewww...
Maisie's a...clone???
Blue's on the loose!!
Blue to the rescue... saw that coming.
Gooo Blue!!
Is Claire gonna push the button? Nope! Maisie's gonna. There goes the neighborhood.
So... welcome to Jurassic World. The dinos are out in the world, where do we go from here?
Okay, in spite of rampant silliness, that was kind of an... okay movie. Popcorn fest! Better than the last one?
Were they the first to discover this new world- or the last?
This is my 150th Tagline post- hard to believe. Seems like I just started this feature yesterday. Thanks for reading!
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. Each week a new Top Ten list will be posted. Everyone is welcome to join. Link back so everyone can check out other bloggers' lists. It's a fun way to get to know fellow bloggers.
This week is Top Ten Settings I'd Like To See More Of (Or At All).You can go a few different ways with this- I'm going to go with actual settings as in fictional worlds. This will draw mostly from SF/F since that's mostly what I read, or I should say most worlds I'd want to explore are from SF/F books. Anyway- here we go!
I'm looking forward to seeing the far northern lands- I'm sure we're going farther north in this series yet- and so many other aspects of Martin's world are fascinating (and The World of Ice and Fire teases so much).
I always wanted to know more about the unexplored lands to the east and south of Middle-earth. Where did the Blue Wizards go exactly?
I feel like there are a lot more magical stories to tell about this forest.
I'd love to see more of the Hundred Aker wood.
The Wayfarers universe
More steampunk worlds!
I love this dystopian world!
Did anyone else want to know what was beyond that door?
This week I'm looking at Rio by Duran Duran. This one, like most of their stuff, is fun, and even if the lyrics don't make a lot of sense, that's okay. The fun factor just wins out.
So what do you think?
Lyrics
Moving on the floor now babe you're a bird of paradise
Cherry ice cream smile I suppose it's very nice
With a step to your left and a flick to the right
You catch that mirror way out west
You know you're something special and you look like you're the best
Her name is Rio and she dances on the sand
Just like that river twisting through a dusty land
And when she shines she really shows you all she can
Oh Rio, Rio dance across the Rio Grande
I've seen you on the beach and I've seen you on TV
Two of a billion stars it means so much to me
Like a birthday or a pretty view
But then I'm sure that you know it's just for you
Her name is Rio and she dances on the sand
Just like that river twisting though a dusty land
And when she shines she really shows you all she can
Oh Rio, Rio dance across the Rio Grande
Hey now wooh look at that did he nearly run you down
At the end of the drive the lawmen arrive you make me feel
Alive, alive, alive
I'll take my chance cause luck is on my side
I'll tell you something I know what you're thinking
I'll tell you something I know what you're thinking
Her name is Rio and she dances on the sand
Just like that river twists across a dusty land
And when she shines she really shows you all she can
Oh Rio, Rio dance across the Rio Grande
Her name is Rio, she don't need to understand
And I might find her if I'm looking like I can
Oh Rio Rio hear them shout across the land
From mountains in the north down to the Rio Grande
It's Monday! What Are You Reading is hosted by Book Date
Well my reading rebounded a bit this week. And this week seemed to fly by, too. I discovered a new show- Black Spot- which I am now addicted to and I've been binging. It's so atmospheric. It's a French show on Netflix and is like a mix of dark crime and supernatural stuff. I'm still enjoying The 100 this season too but I'm way behind on Big Little Lies now. *sigh* Let's see- what else? I'm thinking of doing some writing again. I've been on a hiatus I guess (unintended) but as I was looking over some old flash fiction I was feeling inspired again. This piece in particular got me thinking maybe it was time to revisit some ideas I was interested in, but never got to.
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One last thing- many of you know of my love for digital art. One of my favorite artists is Artur Rosa, and he was recently interviewed in Digital Art magazine. That issue also happens to have a focus on future oceans. There's some neat stuff, including concept art for a proposed city at sea. If you love the ocean, and/ or want to see an interview with Artur you can check that out here. Amazing visuals. You can see more of the concept here.
![Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom [Blu-ray]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81L4sZDCZCL._SX425_.jpg)
