Alien Isolation

As I mentioned in my previous EuroGamer Expo post, I was very fortunate to attend this years event. It gave me a chance to get hands on and see some of the biggest releases that would soon be hitting the highstreet. The biggest developers were there of course along with many indie developers and the event drew quite the crowd.

Whilst I don't tend to enjoy playing snippets of games pre-purchase I was quite eager to try Sega's Alien: Isolation.  This game has been causing quite a stir since its announcement and has won many awards at this years E3. After the last game in the franchise, Alien: Colonial Marines, ended in such devastation I was wary of the hype it was gaining. I as with many others had been burned by the previous game and felt I needed to see it first hand to avoid the problem a second time.

One big problem with bigger games such as this is that they drew the queues. Some of the lines boasted waiting times of over forty-five minutes for only a few seconds of demo. Thankfully this wasn't the case with Alien: Isolation. The queue seemed to dissipate in massive chunks and I started to question what they had behind the massive curtain perimeter. What didn't help was the smoke that seemed to be emanating from somewhere inside. Perhaps inside the infamous Xenomorph lurked and we gamers were in a production line of sorts fed to the hungry beast.

As I approached the staff energetically engaged with us in a refreshing manner that many other booth staff were not. All wearing uniform drawn from the film series, they ushered us forward stating that their 'Xenomorphs were hungry' or to move closer to 'warm us up, Aliens like their food hot. They also provided us with a free comic that ties into the game and told us of the competition that ran alongside the demo. If you could survive until the end of the level (a big IF they emphasised) your time taken, if good enough, would be added to a leaderboard. For those who made the top ten a free T-shirt was yours, if you came first a replica jacket from the game. With such customer interaction it is no wonder the booth apparently won an award for best visitor experience.

We entered the area in groups and were shown a short video about the games production. Then ushered into a darkened box filled with monitors ready to scare the unfortunate watchers. Many articles have said that the game is 'terrifying' and I hoped that it would live up to this. I am still very much on the hunt for something to scare me and I as of yet go rather sedate when confronted with all manner of horror media. I ensured I was sat comfortably, knew the controls and had the headphones secured to ensure I was as immersed as possible.

Immediately felt a sense of familiarity as I looked around the cramp cargo hold I started the level in. As a fan of the film series the iconic look that they carry was like an old friend. Everything is a light grey, piping hangs from the ceiling and tubes of coolant encompass me. This clearly where my character as the daughter of Ripley belongs. The developers clearly understood the feel of the franchise. It could have been tempting, with all the graphical technology at their disposal, to create a wondrous and eye-catching setting. But instead they have stayed true to the gritty, bleak, cargo ship feel that evokes the nostalgia.


I soon found myself gathering everything in the room to help my survival: metal scraps, extra batteries for the motion tracker, health bars and of course a handy flamethrower. I liked the sense of urgency this installed in me from the get go. I hope that a lack of resource will be big in the game making your chance of survival defendant on careful management.
Making my way cautiously towards the objective, a switch to activate the lifts door control. Utilising that trusty tracker to ensure I avoided any unwanted attention. I liked the fact that the tracker seems to take up a lot of the screen when used, which should discourage overuse. Anything else and a player could become reliant; much like Arkham Asylum's detective mode. I noticed a few times my wall-hugging technique would bring me in collision with the scenery. At which point a box would tumble and it's noise seemed to echo too loud for comfort. I felt the atmosphere was just right and really affected my playing style. I became very cautious of tight spaces where I may knock something; which drew me out into the open.

I soon learnt that this would be a bad sign.

I soon met my hunter of course, it was inevitable, unfortunately this wasn't as exciting or terrifying as I had hoped. I just watched him pass me by before sneaking behind him. A lot has been said about the Alien's intelligence, but I still saw the same adherence to a patrol pattern as any guard has in countless other games. Not to say it isn't imposing, I did find myself taking a breath in as it walked past hoping it wouldn't turn its gaze my way. When I made it to my destination I was given the next objective, head back to the lift. At this point there is a scripted attack, but as I kind of guessed there would be I was prepared. I flamed the Xenomorph in the face and then sprinted to the exit, pressing the lift control and surviving... on my first attempt.

It may be a bit boastful, but I will tell you that I did indeed make the leaderboard, unfortunately not the top. I was pretty proud of my free T-shirt especially since they had said no one had won for a while.

The demo was good, yet it wasn't quite as outstanding as I had hoped. Yes, it was atmospheric and yes, it is definitely an improvement on Alien: Colonial Marines (but the what isn't?). Groundbreaking, however, it isn't. The Alien was very easy to outsmart and this meant I never truly felt too vulnerable. I know in the main game there will also be other threats to deal with, I'm sure it has potential.

For now I will keep an eye on it, however, not enough  to pick it up on release day.







Alien: Isolation image from ABCgames, in-game image from Videogamewriters.

EuroGamer Expo London 2014

This weekend I was lucky enough to be able to attend Eurogamer Expo London 2014 (EGX). The expo is one of the biggest game shows held in the UK. At the show developers have gathered to showcase what they have in development and give gamers a chance to go hands on with the year’s releases. Whilst not as big as an American gaming convention, E3 especially, the show still excites me.

A massive thank you to my friend Lewis Bailey for allowing me to attend as his plus one. It was a great day and I really appreciated it.

There weren’t any big exclusive games announced at the event, but there were several game titles I was keen to see in action. The games I was most eager to see included: Namco Bandai’s Project Cars, Dragon Age:Inquisition, Arkham Knight and of course the much hyped Alien Isolation (which I even got a chance to go hands on with). For a full list of games I will provide a link at the end.  It was also my first opportunity to hold the Xbox One and PS4 controllers, both of which I am still unfamiliar with.

Before I begin I will admit that I personally don’t like playing demos; worse still I don’t like playing in public (video games that is, honestly your dirty minds!) Firstly, I don’t like demos as often they are lifted from the games directly. I realise this is technically a good thing; it does after all give you a very good impression of the game. But I like my new games to feel fresh and new and hate replaying a whole section. Some games demos have understood this and offered demos that are challenge maps not in the main quest line or serve as prequels to the story. By doing this not only does it save spoilers until release, but also invests me into the story so that I am eager to pick it up on release.

I hope gamers are going to start seeing the lack of real ingenuity behind the triple A game's PR campaigns. Too much glitz, without any substance, is bad for any industry.

My second peeve about playing in public is that I get very self-conscious. I am always very aware that behind me stand several others who are eager to take my place. This realisation isn’t helped when they offer ‘helpful’ remarks or whisper about my techniques. A lot of this is down to my own pig-headed nature; I like to figure things out for myself. Another issue is the queues that come before the demo, often the most hyped games have lines well over 45 minutes long and when you only get a few minutes of game time to compensate I lose enthusiasm.

By the end of the day we were 'BFFs'

For this reason what actually stole the show in many ways for me wasn’t the big hitters it was actually the indie games. Not only are there shorter queues for them, but the developers are usually on hand. They are eager to get feedback from their games and genuinely interested in your opinion. Thankfully I think the gaming industry is starting to slide towards the indie trend. At this year’s E3 big games like Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare failed to gain as much attention as previous years. I think gamers are starting to see that behind their PR agent led pitches lies a lack of innovation.

The games I tried out were pretty decent and I will post about them separately in other posts. I got to grips with Alien Isolation, NBA 2015, Super Exploding Zoo, Little Big Planet 3, Terra Tech, Never Alone, Cloudbuilt. I also saw a lot of gameplay due to the aforementioned fact that I enjoy watching more than playing. I will go into detail about the games in later posts as I wouldn’t be able to go into enough depth in this post.

You may notice that my Euro Gamer Expo posts are slightly one sided towards what Sony had on show. This isn’t on any biased of my part, more on the part of the show. Sony seemed to get the better space and even the event programme came with a Sony advert attached. The billboards leading from the station to Earl’s court where plastered with their promotions too.  

What I will talk about is my first experiences with the PS4 and Xbox One controllers. I will say that right now due to the exclusives the PS4 is my preferred console (after the Wii U of course). It is also partly because of how the Xbox One’s reveal was handled which left a bitter taste in my mouth. It is rather unfortunate then that after giving both a whirl that the Xbox One controller felt more natural to me.  It hasn’t really changed that much from the old Xbox 360 pad except it has put on a few pounds. The buttons all remain the same and very much easy to understand. Some might complain that the fact that it didn’t change means there is nothing new to gain, but I’m more of the opinion that it isn’t broke, so why fix it?

Luminocity had a beautiful cardboard display.

The PS4 controller on the other hand is an attempt to revolutionise the dual shock pad. Once again it has put on a bit and become squarer at the top. I wanted to test out the touchpad of course, but was somewhat disappointed. The pad is plastic in texture and feels like the back of a Kindle eBook. This made it rather too fiddly for precise control. I found the slightest movement was interpreted as a mile long stroke, which is disappointing considering how advanced touchscreens can be. Despite it’s added size the buttons don’t seemed to have benefited. They instead have become smaller and more out of reach for my fingers to find, the analogue sticks were oddly indented too. I already miss the classic start and select buttons and found myself reaching for empty space. Overall the controller felt alien to me and just rather uncomfortable.

EGX was a fantastic opportunity for me to attend and I really enjoyed seeing what is to come in the year ahead. I saw some great games, met some lovely people, bought expensive merchandise and played spot the cosplayer. It is a must attend expo for those who need to keep up with gaming and geekery.

Link to games on show can be found Here.

Link to Vlog done by The Lewis Rocks, featuring myself, can be found Here.

Banned Book Week

Apparently this week (Sept 21st-27th) marks the annual event Banned Book Week. Launched in 1982, the event seeks to celebrate the freedom to read and also as a protest against censorship.

I decided that I would check out a list of books that have in the past been banned by governments. I was quite surprised to find that a few of those on the list I had read. A lot of these titles I have also included on my Top Ten books that have had an impact upon me; make of that what you will.

Damn those anthropomorphic animals

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

It was banned in China in 1931 for its portray of intelligent animals. I myself can’t quite see why this was deemed harmful for the reader. Surely the fact that it can be seen as a advertisement for drugs is more concerning.

Animal Farm by George Orwell

I wasn’t surprised this one was banned; it was, after all, a clear attack on the USSR political system. What did shock me was that it is still banned, and censored, in some Asian countries. Once again the problem seems to be for its intelligent critters.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

The book was banned in Ireland for its portrayal of sexuality. However, as anyone who has read it will agree, the promiscuous activities aren’t looked on favourably in the novel.

The Canterbury Tales  by  Geoffrey Chauncer

It was banned in the U.S for its ‘filthy’ language. I must say The Miller’s Tale does indeed make me blush.

The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank

It was banned in Lebanon for its sympathetic portrayal of Jews.

Not sure if I fancy it myself.

Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss

China banned this beloved childrens’ book for its Marxist ideas. To be honest the Marxism isn’t that obvious, especially to a child, but I agree that persuasive political ideologies should stay out of childrens’ literature.

1984 by George Orwell

Like Animal Farm, this anti-soviet novel was banned. But this time for its political satire, not talking animals.

Overall, I have to say I applaud an event like Banned Book Week that seeks to highlight the dangers of censorship. Thankfully most of these bans have been lifted and we theoretically live in an age where censorship is harder to hide (in this country at least).

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland image from illustrators lounge, Eggs and ham from yeunglei

Student Essentials - Wireless Range Extender

I have something to admit, I am one of those people who are more than a little set in their ways. Nothing demonstrates this better than my university housing record. Most students will probably start in halls before floating between landlords for the rest of their degree.

 Not me no, I found a house I liked in my first year and stayed put. I got a little adventurous during my second year. Switching rooms to one upstairs, but now for third year I am happily back in my downstairs cave. I’m happy like this, the room may be small, but its cosy and I have had good times there. Honestly, when the landlords come to get me out they will probably find me growing on the walls; a bit like the cursed crew of the Flying Dutchman from Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest. Except hopefully, I won’t have sold my soul and my skin will have slightly less barnacles growing on it.

To demonstrate my technical know how:
 I have no idea what this is about.

The only real problem with the room is that it is a wireless dead spot. For my first year that wasn’t too bad. Yes, I was cut off from technology when I was at home. But it meant I left the house a lot more, instead of using Facebook to socialise I used my actual face! However, now that I am in my final year the workload makes a good connection a bit essential.

You may think we students spend our whole time slacking off, hell even I think that of certain students. But we do a lot of work and in this age a constant connection is needed for this. I could go back to using the uni’s facilities for work, but this means trekking to campus. This is great on nice days, let’s face it though, I live in Britain and the majority of the days it is going to be cold, wet and I’ll probably be set upon by wolves; seriously, some days you just can’t leave the house for those things.

So this year I took affirmative action, well I bought something shiny, (Firefly reference for the win!) I got myself a wireless extender, luckily Argos were having a sale and I found a few cheap(ish) options. I hammered in the code for the TP Link Wi-Fi extender or TL-WA850RE, but I call it Jeff.

As technology know-how goes I am somewhat limited. Restricted to being able to plug stuff in and pray that it does what the box tells me it will. Luckily this model has an easy set-up, which was: plug it into a spare socket, press a button on the front and on our router and then place it between said router and my room.

The difference was immediate, enough that I constructed a review for it. I can actually now have a signal throughout my cave without having the door open. Better yet, I can stream videos, whole videos, without getting hypnotised by those swirling circles. Just think with that kind of help I may be able to write my dissertation, so long as I don’t watch too many videos.

For a student like myself I have to recommend a Wi-Fi extender like this. It really is an essential for university; make sure you put one on your packing checklist. Also I recommend a packing checklist, but that’s for another post.

I’m not being paid by T.P Link and hopefully prove this by suggesting you buy any model of extender, regardless of brand. But the model I have is great, plus it comes with a three year warranty. This means that when I need a work break I can play keepy-ups with it too.

If you do find areas in your home have issues with dropping Wi-Fi then definitely give one of these a go. They are small, simple to use and usually cheaper than buying another box to re-route the signal. Definitely a student essential.

T.P Link image from PCAdvisor, Info graphic from biztech magazine

Top Ten Books to me

Some of you may have already seen the most recent chain campaign currently making the rounds on Facebook. I was quite surprised to see a new one appearing considering the ALS bucket challenge has only just lost momentum. Before you ask, yes I have done that challenge and yes I will be posting it on here in due course; no doubt many of you want to see me drenched.

The latest challenge is to create a list of the ten books that have stuck with you throughout your life. I must admit I was tagged a few weeks ago, but it has taken me a while to decide.
The problem is, as usual, the moment someone asks me to think of anything my mind draws a blank. Suddenly I couldn't remember a single book I have read let alone ones of significance. Which of course was ridiculous, especially considering in the last two weeks I have read five books cover to cover.

1. The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy  by Douglas Adams
   The radio adaptation was always played in our car on long journeys throughout my childhood. It never got repetitive or stale. Both this and the book helped shape my humour and personality above other media. 


2. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
   I picked this book up as part of my A Level English course and instantly fell in love. This was far from the Hammer Horror cliched story I was expecting. I was drawn into the tragic story, and it blurred the lines between monster, society, good and bad. 


3. Muddle Earth by Terry Pratchett and Chris Riddell
   I read this when I was young, ashamedly not that young. However, it made me laugh even after multiple readings. Rather a guilty pleasure of mine.


4. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles by Haruki Marukami (translation by Jay Rubin)
   The most recent addition, after returning from Tokyo I was pining for the culture. So I gave this a read and finished the 600 pages in little under two days.


5. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
It has always been a tradition of mine to read this around the Christmas season, usually followed by watching The Muppet Christmas Carol.


6. The Shining  by Stephen King
   One of the first books I read that wasn't from the childrens' section. Think I jumped in a the deep end a bit. But I loved it and poured through it's pages at lightening speed, pausing only when the tension got too much. It spooked me in places, but not enough to put it in the fridge like Joey on Friends.


7. Blog INC. by Joy Deangdeelert Cho
   I found this book the week I began blogging; in a TV exhibition of all places. The coincidence made me purchase it and it has been beneficial beyond bounds to me as a blogger. It even covers situations I have yet to come across. I can only dream of the levels of success needed to put some sections into use.


8.  Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K Rowling
   Whilst not a mere mention of Harry Potter brings out a hipster sigh from me, I can't deny it has had an impact. My parents began the series by reading to me and by the end I was reading to them. The series kick started the fire of reading within me which has yet to even dwindle.


9. Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne
Another series that was read to me as a child and one I hope to read to my own children. I still chuckle at the voice my Dad gave to Eeyore as he floated down the river during a game of Pooh sticks.

    10. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

          I read this book on a holiday to France, during the trip we spent a lot of time travelling and I soon had the book finished. I loved it for it's surreal story, one which can be read in multiple ways. Is Alice mad, grieving, in another world or just asleep? You can decide for yourself.

So there we have it. My ten most influential reads. Now I want to hear yours; take this as a tag to anyone and everyone who reads this. If you're a blogger and you do it let me know and I'll link you in the post.

DLC Done Right

One of the best innovations the last generations of consoles brought to gaming was DLC. DLC, or downloadable content, is content games developer create for the game after it has been released. This gives the opportunity for the games to expand beyond their original limits in ways that were not afforded to them before. In theory it is a great development in gaming, but as any politician can tell you, theories are open to abuse.

Unfortunately, it didn't take long for this abuse to occur either. The worst examples came in the form of on-disc DLC, which was content provided on the game, but locked until a pass was bought online. Capcom have become known for deploying this 'business strategy', which seeks to squeeze as much money out of the consumer as possible; they even tried to defend their action. Their defence is that by locking away content they can extend the life of the game. Giving gamers gameplay to look forward to way after release. I agree with the idea in theory, but it doesn't explain why the gamer needs to pay for these passes. After all haven't we already bought the disk and everything that is included on it?



Gamers are wise to the tactics.

DLC also gives publishers another benefit as well as being able to charge additional fees after purchase. By promising that DLC will follow they can coax the gamer into keeping the games and not trading them in. This was just another tool in publishers long standing battle against second-hand sale of games. I can see why publishers loathe second-hand games, they see none of the money that stores get from the sale of used games. But, I think a better incentive to buying a game new would be to stop increasing the price when they hit the shelves. It is no wonder that gamers will purchase a used game when the alternative, new games, come at a hefty price tag that is only seeming to increase.





However, I personally am a fan of DLC; or rather a fan of the concept. If done correctly it can breathe life into a game to keep it from going stale. A recent example of this is Mario Kart 8. Nintendo have announced two DLC packs (something quite new for a Nintendo game) that will be released later this year and early next. The packs will incluede new racers, vehicles and tracks for the game with the theme of other franchises. The first pack will include Link from Legend of Zelda and the second will have content inspired by Animal Crossing. Since the original game only had Mario characters the DLC expands the original game beyond what many, myself included, expected. Added to this is the staggering of it's release Mario Kart 8 arrived late May 2014, which means when the first DLC lands it will have been out for a while. Long enough to have allowed people to have played the game thoroughly, and if they are like me, they are eagerly anticipate a reason to hit the tarmac once more.

Luigi's deathstare should put the fear into bad DLC developers.

Not only does staggering release give people an excuse to delve back into a game they love, if they need more reason then enjoyment alone. But it also means the game isn't confusing at release. A game series I love is Mass Effect, but the third installment arrived with additional levels and characters already available. It left me slightly confused as to in what order I was supposed to play the game in. Did I download these extras first, or play the game and risk missing their mission start points if they took place during the main campaign.

DLC when used effectively can be a force for good. It breathes new life and potential into a game. Unfortunately at present I believe that there is more cases of misues than not.

But enough of my opinions. I want to hear yours. Rant, rave and recommend in the comments, I will always reply.



Luigi image from SuperLuigiBros, DLC chart from IGN comments.

Seventh Son

What type of person are you? Let’s do a little test to find out. I want you to imagine that you have just found out a beloved book or series of books is about to be made into a film. Are you type A, who upon hearing this news buries their head into their arms and silently weeps. Type B, who gets super excited exclaiming that you finally get a chance to enter an exciting land. Or are you type C, who reserves judgement until later. Well reader, which are you?

Right now I am quite firmly type A after seeing the second trailer for Seventh Son; the upcoming film 'inspired' by Joseph Delaney's Spook's Apprentice series of books. I put inspired in quotations because after seeing the trailer I can't imagine much inspiration came from the page.

To start with the main character Tom Ward, in the books, is aged twelve in book one. Seventh Son's Tom is played by Ben Barnes, a man aged thirty-three almost three times the age of his character. The same can be said of Tom's love interest Alice, played by Alicia Vikander who is twenty eight. In my mind these casting choices have been made so that the film can target an older age range. An age range that has had enough pandering to, in my opinion. Twilight, Hunger Games, Divergent, The Mortal Instruments and The Host, films whose central characters end up in an teenage angst-fuelled romance. Yes, Tom and Alice have a romance in the books, but at their age it's a subtle one that doesn't match the audience the film makers are targeting. That audience is rather removed from the original book's, which targeted children aged between nine and fourteen. I have to wonder why the makers are shifting the focus of the viewers, especially when this shift dramatically alters the story.

I will give them credit in casting Jeff Bridges as the Spook. He's tall, gangly and sports an impressive beard. He is a great choice for the role and matches the image in my head. The costume he has doesn't quite match. It has the appearance of a knight from the crusades but with a gothic twist: too much chain mail for my liking. Delaney's Spooks wear a long black cloak that leaves them rather fragile and their greatest defence is their knowledge of the dark. In my opinion plates of armour offer little protection from the magic of a witch or the mental torment of a boggart.

This brings me to my next gripe with the film. The book series fits comfortably in the horror genre, it even states on the back 'Not to be read after dark'. I remember when I first read the books feeling slightly uneasy at some of the horror found in its pages. An unease that came from a very psychological place as the story took advantages of very subtle, yet powerful fears. One part that was rather effective came early in the first instalment and young Tom Ward's training. He was tasked with spending a night alone in a cellar haunted by a ghost known for killing those who dwelled within. Before the task begins Tom is briefed on the ghost and the cellar's history, then the candles blown out and we are left alone with Tom in that cellar. Soon thumps and groans are heard from its darkest corner and Tom slowly begins to investigate. The tension created from the approach to the pile of sacks is almost unbearable with great detail made about the slow walk. I won't ruin it for you by detailing his grim discovery; you'll have to read for yourself.

I say this because I can't imagine the scene will be brought to the big screen. From the looks of the trailer subtlety flew out the window when the four-armed monster opened the blinds. It looks like horror isn't the genre the film sits in; instead it looks like a fantasy/adventure film. So, not only does the film want to get in with the tween romance trend, but also wants to ride The Hobbit 's tail-coat too. If the directors don't have enough confidence to allow the film to stand on its own merits why should the viewers?

Talking of The Hobbit, I can't help but think that it 'inspired' the setting of the film. The books are firmly set in England, specifically around Lancaster. It anchored the plot and made it more believable, which when dealing with the horror genre is very important. Freud's work The Uncanny tells us that when what we find familiar is altered it becomes unfamiliar and a sense of unease is created. Think about the view you get every time you open your front door, it's an image that I'm sure is pretty strong in your mind. Now I want you to imagine something that doesn't belong there, for instance a sinister clown, it would unsettle you to say the least, am I right? By changing the setting to something that looks a lot like Middle Earth shatters any familiarity and horror it may have. 

With his cloak on the Spook does look right I must admit.

Lastly, perhaps most tragically, the film appears to mess with the rich lore that the series created. In the trailer spooks are described as being 'noble knights'. Anyone who has even read the first chapter will know this isn't true. Spooks are seen as a blight on society, omens of death and misfortune, they are an unfortunate necessity. If one has to call a spook in then one would hope it leaves soon. They are seen as anything but noble. The books also utilize Celtic folklore and contain creatures and myths from the British Isles. I can't imagine much of these are included and indeed the monsters in the trailer look rather CGI and far removed from ancient.

It is a shame the film seems to deviate so much from the source material, especially when other films have shown it can be done, and done successfully. Harry Potter did it right, J.K Rowling kept a firm grasp on the treatment the films delivered and it paid off. The films are a gift to the fans of the book and a joy for them to watch. Twilight does this too, mainly because the makers had true passion for the books. If Twilight can get it right, then surely anything can, am I right?

I found this map which illustrates the books locations.

As you can tell I'm rather disappointed in how Seventh Son is shaping up. I have a feeling that Delaney signed away the rights to the film and ran with the money. Researching this post reminded me of a film adaptation being made of another of my favourite childhood series, Artemis Fowl. I then looked that up and it seems that the film will cover book one and two, this news sent my head right back into my arms, and I'm not coming out.

What do you think about film adaptations of beloved books, or perhaps the other way around? Let me know in the comments section.

Back cover image from Bookcrossing, Cast image from Comingsoon, Map from Larissabookgirl.