Film and Book Reviews for 2014

Films released in 2014

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 directed by Francis Lawrence
Katniss must choose between sparking a rebellion against the repressive Capitol, or laying low in an attempt to protect those she loves who the Capitol still holds hostage. The third film in The Hunger Games.
Maleficent directed by Robert Stromberg
This re-imagining of Sleeping Beauty tells the story from the point of view of the fairy who curses Aurora.

Books published in 2014

Farmageddon: The True Cost of Cheap Meat by Philip Lymbery
An exploration of how the move to industrialised farming has affected animal welfare, human health, and the environment. Taking a global perspective, this book pulls no punches in its critique of intensive factory farming.
The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert
We are in the middle of a mass extinction event, caused by the actions of mankind. This book tells the story so far, and examines how we are changing the biosphere.
The Organised Mind by Daniel Levitin
The modern world can bombard us with information, making it exhausting to try to keep organised. Daniel Levitin examines the neuroscience behind keeping order and remembering what we need to.
Saga: Volume Three by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
New parents from opposing sides of a conflict hide out in a lighthouse, but their pursuers are on their trail. A graphic novel.
Sleeping Late On Judgement Day by Tad Williams
Bobby Dollar has already been to Hell, but his toughest test will come when he takes on a rogue angel who outranks him many times over. The third Bobby Dollar novel.
Solatium by Becca Mills
Beth Ryder has hidden powers that mark her out for a different life, but she is about to find out how different when she embarks on a fantastic and dangerous journey. The second novel in the Emanations series.
The Incredible Unlikeliness Of Being by Alice Roberts
Alice Roberts looks at the amazing journey of human development and why our bodies have evolved in the way they have.
The Knowledge by Lewis Dartnell
If humanity suffered an apocalypse, what would it take to rebuild civilisation from its ashes?
The Gospel Of Loki by Joanne M. Harris
The trickster god of Asgard offers his version of events.
Mine To Spell by Janeal Falor
A young woman living in a repressive society struggles to conceal her forbidden magic. The second novel in the Mine series.
Magisterium: The Iron Trial by Cassandra Clare and Holly Black
A boy gets the chance to go to magic school, but he would rather do anything else. The first in the Magisterium series.
Written In The Blood by Stephen Lloyd Jones
A young woman with the power to change her appearance is tasked with saving her kind from extinction. Unfortunately, people like her are more hunted than she knows.
War Cry by Jim Butcher and Carlos Gomez
Harry Dresden leads a group of rookies on a top secret mission. A graphic novel in The Dresden Files series.

Unreviewed books

This Changes Everything by Naomi Klein
A study of the effects of climate change on the political and natural environment, and the forces opposing attempts to reduce carbon emissions.

Alex + Ada by Sarah Vaughn and Jonathan Luna
A lonely young man receives an android companion for his birthday, but he is unprepared for this advanced android. A graphic novel.

Saga Volume Four by Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples
Baby Hazel has become a toddler, but her family is still in hiding and her mother struggles to work as an entertainer. A graphic novel.

Sound Of Sirens by Jen Minkman
On the island of Skylger the natives are an underclass, forbidden to use electricity by the ruling Currents. Sirens threaten to lure people to drown at sea in this dystopian fantasy novella. The first in the Tales of Skylge series.

Spook's: A New Darkness by Joseph Delaney
A young occult warden tries to deal with hauntings, things that go bump in the night, and a young woman who wants to be his apprentice. The first novel in The Starblade Chronicles.

Benton: A Zombie Novel, Volume One by Jolie Du Pré
A young survivalist tries to get by after a zombie plague turns nearly everyone into shambling cannibals. The first volume in the Benton series.

The Lost Centurion by Monica La Porta
An immortal is searching for the vampire who killed his wife when, acting out of character, he decides to save a newly-turned vampire. The first book in the Immortals series.

The Tenants Of 7C by Alice Degan
A flat over a bakery houses a number of young men who are more than they seem, whilst the flat itself seems to have a mind of its own.

Life Blood by V. M. Black
A young woman with leukemia gets the chance of a cure, but the price may be high. The first part of the Cora's Choice series.

Accidental Leigh by Melanie James
Leigh Epstein is in serious mourning for her book boyfriend when she decides to start writing romance. After getting an antique desk she finds her stories have a way of seeping into reality.

Turned: A Werewolf Love Story by K. M. Carroll
A man stuck in a loveless marriage searches for a cure for the werewolf curse that afflicts his city. This novella is the first in the Regency Shifter series.

Her Alien Saviour by Elle Thorne
A woman struggles to save her restaurant business, unaware that an alien soldier is trying to save her from the orders of his superiors. The first in the Ultimate Passage series.

Mistress Of Masks by C. Greenwood
A dark sorcerer escapes a crypt, three people are chosen to save the world from ruin. The first in the Catalysts of Chaos series.

The Silvering Of Loran by G. B. Wren
A princess discovers magic, and must master it to save her kingdom from darkness and herself from an unwanted marriage. The first book in the Silvering series.

The Infinity Program by Richard H. Hardy
If a computer told you it could save the world, would you believe it?

Alien Attachments by Sabine Priestley
An alien falls for a clumsy fighter with unexpected martial arts skills, but his family would disapprove. The first book in the Alien Attachments series.

A Tale Of Two Colonies by Aurora Springer
A woman competes to join a colony ship and escape the subterranean overcrowding of Terra. But nobody knows what dangers wait for them at the destination colony.

Orientation by Al K. Line
After a disease known has The Lethargy has destroyed most of mankind, one man struggles to create a safe haven for the remnants. But some would rather let humanity die out. The first book in the Commorancy series.

The Galapagos Incident by Felix R. Savage
A nervous member of the Space Corps tries to evict the colonists of an asteroid peacefully, but her robot has its own agenda. The first novel in the Elfrida Goto trilogy.

Killing The Dead by Richard Murray
An introverted killer needs to learn to get on with others if he is to survive the zombie apocalypse. This novella is the first in the Killing The Dead series.

Shadow Memories by Nicholas Erik
An indebted private investigator with poor impulse control takes on a case involving ancient cave paintings in this science fiction adventure. The first book in the Shadow Conspiracy Trilogy.

Tainted by Alexandra Moody
A young woman in a giant fallout shelter is heartbroken when people who are tested and found Tainted disappear in this dystopian post-apocalyptic novel. The first book in the ARC series.

Alien Hunters by Daniel Arenson
When aliens turn up to terrorise the galaxy a group of hunters band together to deal with them. The first novel in the Alien Hunters series.

Shatterwing by Donna Maree Hanson
Precious dragon wine is the one thing that keeps people alive in a world devastated by a shattered moon, and one man wants to hoard it. But a young woman has a secret gift. The first in the Dragon Wine series.

Seeds of Autumn by H. B. Lyne
A young martial arts teacher notices her body changing and disturbing occurences. The first in the Echoes of the Past series.

Snowblind by Christopher Golden
A blizzard brings supernatural death to a small town. Twelve years later a new storm comes, and with it more than the memories of their lost loved ones.

Dragons Don't Cry by D'Elen McClain
An ancient curse condemns dragons to live long lives never finding their true mates in this dragon shifter romance.

The Dark Of Twilight by Kate Danley
An archer is sent to a creepy border swamp to guard the kingdom, only to return in disgrace when things go wrong. But she has brought something back with her that curses the stronghold. The first in the Twilight Shifters series.

Magic Of The Gargoyles by Rebecca Chastain
A woman with mid-level earth magic is surprised to be called on to rescue baby gargoyles from a terrible fate. This novella is the first in the Gorgoyle Guardian chronicles.

My Fair Assassin by C. J. Anaya
A young woman recently out of foster care is confronted with a would-be assassin who soon changes his tune in this novella. The first in the Paranormal Misfits series.

Shiftless by Aimee Easterling
A female werewolf without a pack is reluctantly drawn back into the world of pack politics when she meets a wolf and the alpha of her old pack issues a challenge. The first in the Wolf Rampant series.

The Troop by Nick Cutter
A scout troop goes hiking on a cut-off island with only one way to contact the outside world. Then a skeletal man arrives with a strange disease and an insatiable hunger.

The Three by Sarah Lotz
Four plane crashes take place on the same day, leaving three child survivors. The coincidence gives rise to conspiracy theories, but is there something very eerie about the children who lived?

The Beast of Callaire by Saruuh Kelsey
A young woman descended from a legendary family wants to lead a normal life, but a war between gods will put a stop to it. The first in The Legend Mirror series.

Into The Darkness by K. F. Breene
An orphan who sees invisible people comes up against danger and vampires when she ends up in the wrong part of town. The first in the Darkness series.

Zombie Town by Griffin Carmichael
A collection of short stories on the theme of the zombie apocalypse, dealing with tales from the horror of zombie outbreaks to life in the aftermath of the end of the world as we know it.

Standard Deviations by Gary Smith
This book looks at how statistical data can be used to fool people, and how to tell when such information is useful.

The Shattered Crown by Richard Ford
The city of Steelhaven is endangered by hunger, unrest, and the threat of attack. Book two in the Steelhaven series.

Pretty Deadly by Kelly Sue DeConnick, Emma Ríos, and Jordie Bellair
Death has a daughter who spends her time hunting evildoers in the wild west. A graphic novel.

Legends Of Red Sonja by Gail Simone,
A collection of stories about the she-devil warrior as a group of mercenaries hunt her down for execution. A graphic novel with contributions from Tamora Pierce, Mercedes Lackey, Rhianna Pratchett, Marjorie M. Liu, and many others.

Blades Of The Old Empire by Anna Kashina
A skilled mercenary guards a prince with a magical gift. When his enemies hire her she has to choose between duty to her guild and her sense of honour. Book one of The Majat Code.

The Knight: A Tale From The High Kingdom by Pierre Pevel
A knight emerges from a long imprisonment in this fantasy of kingdoms and betrayal.Translated from the French by Tom Clegg.

Diabolical Taste by Ros Jackson
Kenssie and her master hide out in the countryside, where the demoness must fight for liberty, the lives of innocents, and every last scrap of dignity. The second book in the Kenssie series.

Unreviewed films

Dracula Untold directed by Gary Shore
A prince of Transylvania faces having his son taken hostage by Turkish imperialists, and a thousand of his young countrymen drafted into their army. But when he discovers a monster lurking in a cave he is offered a terrible choice.

Seventh Son directed by Sergei Bodrov
The seventh son of a seventh son is chosen to apprentice to a spook, a man who specialises in hunting down witches and other supernatural threats.