My Thoughts on. . .
Time’s
Convert
Our story is a cleverly woven account
detailing those events taking place after the “All Souls” trilogy.
Matthew and Diana are now happily
married and coming to terms with the responsibilities of bringing up two
“bright born” children. Children who aren’t averse to demonstrating on numerous
occasions how special they are. The Congregation aren’t too happy about that,
of course, so as you can imagine, both Matthew and Diana have to field quite a
bit of unwanted attention and interference.
Regardless, our story doesn’t only
revolve around them.
By far the largest part of the narrative details the
trials and tribulations of Matthew’s vampire son, Marcus Whitmore, someone who
became part of the extended de Clermont family in the 18th Century.
Marcus has witnessed both deprivation and bounty during his life. He’s been a normal, everyday boy; a beating post
for a drunken, abusive human father; a murderer; a runaway; a soldier; a
revolutionary; an aristocrat; and a doctor. Nothing has truly captured his
spirit . . . until he falls in love with a human woman, Phoebe Taylor.
That’s when things get really
complicated!
Marcus believes he’s found his soul
mate. A person he wants to be with forever. But forever doesn’t last that long
when you’re a fragile human with threescore years and ten in front of you.
Time . . . time is an ever flowing
effusion that we all crave. It deserves to be venerated. Cherished. But how to
do that when most humans rush through life with a vulgarity that demeans the
gift they were given?
Marcus and Phoebe are about to find out.
Time’s Convert. A thoroughly charming
story that is as intelligent as it is captivating, highlighting what happens
when tradition clashes with change, and how much true love can endure when
you’ve found “the one”.
Death Wish
Older boys like me will
remember the original Death Wish film from 1974 in which Charles Bronson played
Paul Kersey, a mild-mannered architect who becomes a vigilante after his wife
is murdered and his daughter sexually assaulted during a home invasion by local
hoods.
As nowadays, the film was
attacked at the time for its portrayal of vigilantism. However, it ‘touched’ a
nerve of the public in the United States who were facing soaring crime rates,
and because of this, went on to spawn a number of sequels.
Cut to 2018 and the
inevitable remake, this time with Bruce Willis playing the title role.
Now, Paul Kersey is a trauma
surgeon in Chicago. A self-controlled and quiet man, he lives at home with his
wife and their daughter, Jordan who will soon be going away to college. In this
installment, a restaurant valet – and local criminal – spots how affluent the
Kersey family is. He overhears their plans to go out one night in the
forthcoming week and seizes on the idea of relieving them of some of their
wealth in a hassle-free, risk-free endeavor. As he retrieves the family’s car,
he obtains their home address from the car’s satnav. Job done?
Unfortunately not. Cue the
night of the break-in. Paul is unexpectedly called in to work, leaving his
wife, Lucy and their daughter at home. As in the original film, the hoods break
in and Lucy is killed. Jordan is assaulted and left in a coma.
It portrays this in such a
way that it gets your blood boiling, and before you know it, you’re cheering
for the good guy turned bad, who becomes something of a Grim Reaper in a
hoodie. Clever! Because the film also takes a stab at how easy it is to get a
licensed gun if you’re willing to flout a few regulations, and how much mayhem
can be caused by one man on a mission . . . law or not.
Let’s be clear. While the
2018 version isn’t as good as the original, it’s still and action packed,
ball-busting, Eli Roth vengeance flick that entertains on many levels. It’s
good fun. Just remember to take it as it is
