Books & Literature
-
Romance Dawn – The beginning of an epic.
One Piece by Eiichiro Oda is one of the most beloved manga series of all time, so I decided to go back to the early days of this heartfelt journey and start from the roots – Romance Dawn. The story itself is quite short, moving quickly and keeping the reader engaged using interesting panel compositions and fast paced action. The story revolves around a young lad called Luffy (fully, Monkey D. Luffy – who would become the iconic protagonist of the series) and his interactions with a pirate crew and a town. One Piece Romance Dawn by Eiichiro Oda My rating: 5 of 5 stars Ahhh yes! This is where…
-
Review : Dawnthief, James Barclay
Earlier this year, I read the fantasy novel Dawnthief, the first novel (of three) in The Raven Chronicles by James Barclay. I have a video on this topic if you are interested below! If I was to give it a score out of a hundred, it would be 82! Pretty good I say. All in all, the novel features a lovely blend of fantasy action and adventure, complete with a quest to the save the country. The excellent, almost “Avengers” or “Justice League”, ensemble-like team dynamic of the Raven are a real treat for fantasy lovers who yearn for deep interactions and banter-heavy adventures. But what really sets this world…
-
The Communist Manifesto; Life Lessons and Epiphanies?
Ok, I was genuinely interested in the ideas and thoughts behind the Communist ideology so I decided to read it a while back. I finished the surprisingly short tome a few weeks ago and boy I’ve been stewing over it for a while! In perfect 20/20 hindsight, I wish I had taken more notes and really delved into the deeper ideas but that would take forever, so here are my thoughts on it, from the perspective of a political and economic layman. First up, the text is pretty dry and a heftier read then it looks. The actual manifesto written by Marx and Engels consists of only approximately 15% of…
-
Beowulf – the classic hero.
Having just finished the prose version of the classic poem, Beowulf, it leads me to wonder about the implications and effects of the poem itself. Originating in an era of rich oral tradition and in consideration of the limitations of literacy amongst members of that society, it is easy to see why the text comes across as difficult to understand today. It also raises a discussion of the poem’s significance both at the time of creation and the modern day. Beowulf is the tale of the classic hero, following the archetype of a daring, strong, adventuring prince in search of glory. The oral tradition of the poem allows it to…
