Film and Book Reviews
for 2004
Films released in 2004
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban directed by Alfonso Cuaron
Will Harry's third year at Hogwarts see his worst fears realised?
Hellboy directed by Guillermo del Toro
Big, red, hellish and likes kittens seeks similar for warmth and friendship.
Howl's Moving Castle directed by Hayao Miyazaki
A girl is cursed with old age, and a wizard has no heart in this animated fantasy.
I, Robot directed by Alex Proyas
Robots are all the rage in the future.
Spider-Man 2 directed by Sam Raimi
The web-slinger gets ready to throw in the red and blue suit.
The Stepford Wives directed by Frank Oz
This update of Ira Levin's novel explores the sinister side of housework.
Appleseed directed by Shinji Aramaki
Is it time for mankind to make way for a new race?
The Chronicles of Riddick directed by David Twohy
The anti-hero Riddick returns to fight the Necromongers.
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow directed by Kerry Conran
Steampunk has never looked so glamorous.
The Day After Tomorrow directed by Roland Emmerich
Climate change sparks a series of disastrous weather events, heralding the dawn of a new ice age.
Blade Trinity directed by David S. Goyer
The third film in the Blade series sees the hybrid vampire slayer pitted against Dracula himself.
Van Helsing directed by Stephen Sommers
The legendary monster hunter takes on Dracula.
Books published in 2004
Nylon Angel by Marianne de Pierres
When you've met Parrish, you'll know why she's so hard to put down.
Code Noir by Marianne de Pierres
Parrish Plessis is back, and she has already broken her resolution not to hit anyone.
Heat Stroke by Rachel Caine
In the second book in the Weather Wardens series, Joanne Baldwin faces a threat that could destroy the Djinn.
Grim Tuesday by Garth Nix
The Keys To The Kingdom continues as Arthur Penhaligon takes on the keeper of the second key.
Going Postal by Terry Pratchett
Moist von Lipwig delivers the Discworld post.
The Walking Dead: Miles Behind Us by Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard and Cliff Rathburn
Rick Grimes and his band of survivors continue their search for safety in a world taken over by zombies. This graphic novel is the second in the series, The Walking Dead.
Thief of Lives by Barb and J. C. Hendee
In this sequel to Dhampir, it turns out the Noble Dead are not always so noble.
A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett
Tiffany Aching returns to earn her place amongst the witches.
Eve by Aurelio O'Brien
This silly yet incisive satire mixes up the primordial soup.
Undead And Unwed by Maryjanice Davidson
A fashionable secretary wakes in a morgue to discover she is one of the undead.
Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison
Rachel Morgan has to figure out who she can trust if she is to survive more than a few days as a supernatural bounty hunter.
Dreamers by Christian R. Bonawandt
You wake up, but are you still in a dream world?
Market Forces by Richard Morgan
Chris Faulkner is an executive in a cut-throat corporate world where just getting to work can be a matter of life and death.
The Autumn Castle by Kim Wilkins
The first book in the Europa Suite is a dark and unusual fairytale.
Blood And Memory by Fiona McIntosh
The second volume in the high fantasy series The Quickening.
The Walking Dead: Days Gone Bye by Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore
Rick Grimes wakes up in hospital to find the world he knew taken over by hordes of zombies. The first graphic novel in The Walking Dead series.
1602 by Neil Gaiman, Andy Kubert and Richard Isanove
Why are the superheroes and villains of the Marvel universe turning up in Elizabethan times? A graphic novel.
Wolfblade by Jennifer Fallon
The first episode of the Wolfblade Trilogy follows Marla Wolfblade as she learns to survive politics and intrigue in this high fantasy that forms part of the Hythrun Chronicles.
The Well of Yearning by Caiseal Mor
Practical Normans and naive monks face malevolent Otherworld creatures in medieval Ireland. The first book in the Wellspring trilogy.
Jumping Jack Flash by M. A. Keesee
Androids and murder in the time of Sherlock Holmes.
Echoes of a Distant Storm by Wendy Simpson
Two young people face the ultimate evil in this debut fantasy.
Bridge of Souls by Fiona McIntosh
The final instalment of The Quickening.
The Iron Tree by Cecilia Dart-Thornton
A young man whose ancestry is a mystery falls in love with a cursed woman.
Merlin the Sorcerer by William P. Burch
An archaeologist literally journeys to the Arthurian past in this time travel adventure.
Unreviewed books
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna ClarkeMost of the magic has left England, until two magicians appear in the nineteenth century. But they become rivals.
Blood Rites by Jim ButcherThe sixth book in the Dresden Files.
Dead To The World by Charlaine HarrisWhen Eric Northman turns up naked and missing his memory and his usual personality, Sookie feels bound to take him in, even though she knows it will get her in trouble. The fourth in the Sookie Stackhouse series.
Predator's Gold by Philip ReeveThe second book in the Hungry City Chronicles.
The Knight by Gene WolfeA young man travels from America to a strange world of knights, magic, giants, honour, and seven levels of reality. Book one of The Wizard Knight.
Smoke And Shadows by Tanya HuffAn actress dies on the set of a vampire TV show, and an aspiring producer notices strange shadows that may not be of this world. The first book in the Tony Foster series.
Brilliance Of The Moon by Lian HearnOtori Takeo prepares to go to war to secure his lands and those of his beloved Kaede. But a prophecy of battles hangs over him.
Dime Store Magic by Kelley ArmstrongSorcerers want to take custody of an adolescent witch, and they are prepared to fight dirty. But Paige Winterbourne, her guardian, is determined to protect her charge at any cost.
Unreviewed films
Shaun Of The Dead directed by Edgar WrightA man who is stuck in a timewarp and a dead-end job tries to win back his girlfriend during a zombie outbreak.
AVP: Alien vs. Predator directed by Paul W.S. AndersonA team of cannon fodder investigate an unusual ancient structure in Antarctica, and get caught up in a battle between advanced alien races.
