Film and Book Reviews
for 2011
Films released in 2011
Captain America: The First Avenger directed by Joe Johnston
In the forties a secret plan to boost the war effort results in the creation of a superhero. But can one person really make a difference?
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 directed by David Yates
Will Harry survive his confrontation against Voldemort in the final part of his magical adventures?
Cowboys And Aliens directed by Jon Favreau
The wild west gold rush has attracted more than bandits and cowboys in this alien abduction adventure.
I Am Number Four directed by D. J. Caruso
Making and keeping friends is hard for a teenage alien on the run.
Beastly directed by Daniel Barnz
A vain and unpleasant high school student is cursed with ugliness in this modern interpretation on Beauty and the Beast.
Source Code directed by Duncan Jones
A man is forced to relive eight minutes on a train that will blow up again and again, until he can solve the crime.
Green Lantern directed by Martin Campbell
Can a shiny green costume help failed pilot Hal Jordan find his inner hero?
Thor directed by Kenneth Branagh
The god of thunder is cast down to Earth to learn a little humility.
Books published in 2011
Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Jacob stopped believing the stories his grandfather told him a long time ago. But what if the old man's fables had a grain of truth to them?
Debris by Jo Anderton
When a fall destroys her latest grand project, magical architect Tanyana feels like she has lost everything.
Dead Bad Things by Gary McMahon
People are wicked enough, without rogue interdimensional angels putting their oar in. The second Thomas Usher novel.
Restoration by Guy Adams
Can a group of stranded time travellers fix history and recapture an ancient evil being capable of destroying the world? The sequel to The World House.
Cold Fire by Kate Elliott
Cat and her cousin Bee are on the run from those who want to use their abilities for their own ends, and those who would destroy them. The second novel in the Spiritwalker series.
The Enterprise Of Death by Jesse Bullington
A story of necromancy, warfare and painting in Renaissance Europe.
Further Conflicts by Ian Whates
Thirteen stories of future warfare as humanity faces all manner of threats.
The Information by James Gleick
An eclectic account of the history of communications.
Bloody War by Terry Grimwood
London is transformed into a war zone in this chilling story of modern conflict.
The Last Four Things by Paul Hoffman
Thomas Cale is supposed to be the Angel of Death, but will he give the Redeemers the destruction they crave? The sequel to The Left Hand of God.
The New North: The World In 2050 by Laurence C. Smith
Will rising population and temperatures and thawing permafrost lead to a future dominated by bustling northern cities?
God’s War by Kameron Hurley
A government-sponsored assassin finds herself in trouble when she breaks too many rules. But she is the one the queen turns to in order to track down a dangerous alien.
Harbinger of the Storm by Aliette de Bodard
The Revered Speaker has died, and the High Priest for the Dead must keep order so that his successor has an empire left to rule over. The second book in the Obsidian and Blood series.
Johannes Cabal: The Fear Institute by Jonathan L. Howard
The acid-tongued necromancer journeys to the Dreamlands and takes on ghouls, gods, and furry menaces with a society who want to defeat fear itself.
Angelfall by Susan Ee
When a teenager's little sister is abducted by angels, she sets out on a journey across an apocalyptic wasteland to retrieve her. Book one in the Penryn and the End of Days series.
Allison Hewitt Is Trapped by Madeleine Roux
A young woman hides from marauding zombies, knowing that eventually she must leave her place of safety and confront them.
A Serpent Uncoiled by Simon Spurrier
Dan Shaper sees visions of his own corruption. He is forced to confront his guilty past when a killer starts picking off victims in this crime novel.
The Viral Storm by Nathan D. Wolfe
A look at the world of viruses, and the struggle to detect, track, and prevent viral pandemics.
Paranormality by Richard Wiseman
The science behind seeing ghosts, believing psychics, and how brainwashing works.
Master Of The House Of Darts by Aliette De Bodard
The High Priest has to solve the mystery of a magical plague whilst a dangerously paranoid Revered Speaker rules. The third book in the Obsidian and Blood series.
iZombie: Dead To The World by Chris Roberson and Michael Allred
Gwen needs to eat brains to keep her zombie side in check. But every time she indulges her craving she absorbs the unfinished business of the deceased. A graphic novel.
Phoenix Rising by Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris
Armoured corsets and steampunk style abound in the adventures of agents Books and Braun. The first Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences novel.
Queen of Kings by Maria Dahvana Headley
What if Cleopatra became an immortal monster?
Roil by Trent Jamieson
How do you hold back the end of a world when most of it is an inferno?
The Butterfly Man And Other Stories by Paul Kane
This collection of short urban horror stories features pet demons, blood plagues, a dark apocalypse and rebellious body parts.
The Epigenetics Revolution by Nessa Carey
DNA is not the whole story. This book examines how cells know which genes to activate and what that tells us about disease, inheritance and biology.
The Night Eternal by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan
The last remnants of mankind battle to defeat the vampire plague whilst staying true to their humanity. The third part of The Strain trilogy.
The Steampunk Bible by Jeff Vandermeer and S. J. Chambers
This guide covers the creative side of steampunk, including literature, fashion, art, music, and much more.
The Straight Razor Cure by Daniel Polansky
The Warden has fallen from war hero to criminal, but he will not stand for the murder of a child on his patch.
The Watchers by Jon Steele
A young man with a limp, a prostitute and a private investigator with amnesia fight to keep darkness from engulfing the world.
666 Charing Cross Road by Paul Magrs
Shelley thinks the man she wants to move in with is entirely right for her. She's mistaken.
Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton
Ellie Monroe believes she is an ordinary teenager who has weird nightmares, until she meets a man who can tell her who she really is.
Apoidea by Douglas Thompson
In a world without real bees, who will control their robot replacements?
Automatic Safe Dog by Jet McDonald
Telby Velour is an executive who wants to prove himself to the woman of his dreams. But how long can he pretend to be something he isn't?
Chasing The Moon by A. Lee Martinez
A woman tackles Lovecraftian horrors, odd neighbours and strange appetites when she moves into a suspiciously nice new flat.
Divergent by Veronica Roth
A young woman has to choose between her family and being true to the kind of person she knows she really is.
Electrified Sheep by Alex Boese
A look at some of the stranger experiments carried out in the name of science.
Ember and Ash by Pamela Freeman
Ember is prepared to put political gain before her own personal happiness. But can she really shut out her feelings so easily?
Inflight Science by Brian Clegg
This book examines the science behind flying, from check in at the airport to touch down.
Hateful Heart by Sam Stone
A group of vampires travel back in time to protect themselves from a supernatural weapon. The fourth in the Vampire Gene series.
Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson
A fat princess bears a mystical stone that marks her out as the chosen one. But is she up to the challenge of fighting sorcery?
Feather by David Rix
A young woman tries to make sense of her life in this collection of linked short stories tinged with the supernatural.
Equations of Life by Simon Morden
The London Metrozone is being torn apart by warring gangs and the New Machine Jihad. Can a young man with a bad heart save the city?
Physics Of The Future by Michio Kaku
An examination of how science could shape the world of 2100, and how it can help us to predict the near future.
Cosmos Close-Up by Giles Sparrow
A view of the universe, as revealed by space telescopes and other modern technology.
The Christmas Spirits by Whitley Strieber
In this modern retelling of A Christmas Carol George Moore is a futures trader who has forgotten the importance of generosity and compassion.
Kultus by Richard Ford
Steampunk occult mayhem as thug with demonic powers takes on cultists, otherworldly adversaries and anyone else unwise enough to get in his way.
Camera Obscura by Lavie Tidhar
In this steampunk fantasy Milady de Winter investigates a gruesome murder inside a locked room in Paris.
Black Light by Patrick Melton, Marcus Dunstan and Stephen Romano
Ghost hunter Buck Carlsbad faces off against evil on a high speed train.
Avenger's Angel by Heather Killough-Walden
An archangel tries to win over his archess in this raunchy modern day fantasy.
Knocking On Heaven's Door by Lisa Randall
From particle physics on the tiniest scales to the most awe-inspiring cosmology, and modern experiments that could be on the verge of cracking open the secrets of the universe.
The Silver Wind by Nina Allan
Do you ever wish you could alter time? Nina Allan explores themes of grief, love and family secrets in this collection of five linked stories.
Mistification by Kaaron Warren
His magic is real. But how long can Marvo the Magician keep everyone fooled with his illusions?
iZombie: uVampire by Chris Roberson and Michael Allred
Gwen realises how much she has forgotten as a zombie after she eats a brain that holds memories that are uncomfortably close to home. This graphic novel is the second volume in the iZombie series.
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
Diana Bishop is determined to keep magic out of her life when she discovers an old, enchanted book full of secrets and hidden text.
Dragon's Time by Anne and Todd McCaffrey
Will time travel provide the answer for the dragons and dragonriders of Pern in their continuing battle against Thread?
Bricks by Leon Jenner
The story of a humble bricklayer. Or is he the reincarnation of an ancient Druid who was the architect of something much bigger?
In This Year
The author
Anne McCaffrey died.
