Blue Wolf Reviews

Tag: fire

  • Stranded!: A Mostly True Story from Iceland

    Stranded!: A Mostly True Story from Iceland

    Bold colours, magic, a puzzle and educational information make up the story of Ævar Þór Benediktsson’s Grandfather Ævar, and how he got stranded on a volcano and almost turned into a Barbeque.

     Stranded – a mostly true story from Iceland is a most enjoyable and captivating tale which, as it turns out, just happens to be very topical at the moment with the volcanoes in Iceland featuring on World news on a regular basis.

    Grandfather was a scientist, explorer and photographer in Iceland; a very small country, actually an Island in the middle of nowhere. It is generally cold with long dark winters and very bright, long summers.

    In1964 a volcanic eruption was happening and a new island was being formed. Grandfather was very excited by this and watched what was happening very carefully. Several months past and he and his friend were eventually allowed to go onto the Island to records some scientific facts and take photographs.

    They were supposed to be there only for one day, but became so excited that it was getting dark, and cold, when they realised that perhaps it might be time to go. When they went to the place the boat should have been waiting for them, it was not there!

    From then on they were both involved in a very, very scary adventure because new forming volcanic Islands can be very dangerous places to be, especially when it is getting dark! Perhaps the Norse Gods were looking after them, but you have to read the story to find out what happened, because I am not going to tell you.

    There is a very informative section at the end of the book which tells a little about Iceland and a lot about the new volcano explored by Grandfather called Surtsey, named after a very powerful Norse God Surtr – a powerful fire giant.

    The vivid illustrations from Anne Wilson, born on the volcanic island of Ascension, in the South Atlantic add to the charm of the words wandering amongst the pictures, to create a wonderfully informative, enjoyable book with wide appeal.

  • Eleven Liars

    Eleven Liars

    How are two unrelated fires, twenty years apart, connected to murder, drug running, and arson?  Online investigative journalist Ben Harper, with his close connections to the people of the London community of Haddley, is instrumental in bringing to light the lies, uncovering the unexpected truths and thus putting together the pieces to solve what is a complicated puzzle.  

    When Ben Harper, stumbles across a fire in the derelict, disused community centre in the grounds of St Stephen’s church, he notices a trapped hooded figure, who flees into the woods and disappears into the night as soon as he is rescued by Ben. The police investigating this arson attack make a gruesome discovery of a skeleton in the burned out foundations of the charcoal ruins.  This finding has shocking implications for DC Dani Cash; her world is turned upside down.

    Ben’s journalistic instincts are in overdrive when he notices a knife in the remnants of the building. Realizing that current events are connected to the past, Ben with the help of his friend DC Cash delves deeply into the town’s history; a town which is struggling to keep hidden, past activities. Who has what to hide? So many lies. In this web of deceit, who is telling the truth?

    ‘Eleven Liars’ is told from various points of view, which offers the reader a broader perspective on events. Unlike Robert Gold’s first book ‘Twelve Secrets’ which focused on Ben Harper’s back story, this time the author focusses on the back story of DC Cash.

    In this multilayered, engaging, murder mystery, the author leads the reader through the twists and turns of the complex plot, by using short snappy chapters which keep the story line moving forward.

    The title ‘Eleven Liars’, challenges the reader to identify the eleven liars in a plethora of well developed and developing characters.

  • Flames of Extinction: The race to save Australia’s threatened wildlife

    Flames of Extinction: The race to save Australia’s threatened wildlife

    John Pickrell is an award-winning science writer. He has researched Flames of Extinction thoroughly and is very careful with his data and predictions. The beauty of this is that John has the ability to present a vast topic in an understandable and eminently readable style. Without the heart-breaking emotive photos and descriptions, he explains just how many of Australia’s animals are in danger of extinction; not only threatened species, but common species as well.

    Wild Fires in Australia have become more frequent and fiercer as the country comes to grips with the changing climate. The author investigates the effects of the 2019-2020 bushfires on Australian wildlife and ecosystems. He looks at stories from people involved with fighting the fires, rescuing animals, and conservationists. He also seeks information from land managers, and Aboriginal Rangers.

    In one of the chapters, John discusses our valuable waterways and how they have become polluted as the aftermath of bushfires which leads to destruction of the plants and animals which live there. He has also looked at how we address the fires before they occur. It seems that we need to specify particularly sensitive areas and delineate them and protect them. There are many positive works being prepared to save our endangered species, but central to this is the issue of Global Warming.

    Without scientists such as John, raising awareness of the plight of our country, it would be difficult to gather such a diversity of people from all walks of life, all focusing on the problem.

  • Fire in the Clouds

    Fire in the Clouds

    In this lovely, laid back collection from Eric Bikales, the many years of music he has engaged with is apparent as each of the pieces, while blending beautifully to create a whole, is as individual as emotion that inspired each of the compositions.

    Fire in the Clouds is a somewhat majestic title for an album which could be considered as comfortable, as the music reaches out with a lovely mellow ambience, but contains elements of Latino, jazz and totally enjoyable ‘old fashioned’ piano.

    Several of the pieces carry a reminder of the almost unforgettable song from the TV show Friends, ‘I’ll Be There For You’, which while slightly disconcerting, creates a feeling of being in amongst new friends, as each of the pieces unfold. This is not at all surprising considering Bikales background as a composer for many popular TV shows, among which are Good Wife, Hill Street Blues, LA Law and Grey’s Anatomy.

    The delightful Yellow Bird brings in the first of the captivating pieces with a light, uplifting tone which continues throughout the work, setting the tempo for a relaxing and enjoyable thirty minutes of delightful compositions.

    As the various tracks slowly drift out of the ether, the titles are intriguing. Fire in the Clouds is almost self-explanatory as it is both the title of the album, with a magnificent sunset gracing the cover, as well as a stand-alone, catchy little number full of fun, colour and atmosphere.

    Not often is a piece under a minute, but the intriguing little jazz ditty, Now This is one to look out for at 26 seconds in duration, making it very easy to overlook, and as such could be considered as a comma inserted between works of a similar emotional content. Khai written for his wife, is simple and yet elegant with a dash of improv included, as can be a life journey together.

    Rounding out a stylish and peaceful album are the final two tracks, both dedicated to wind: Reasoning With The Wind is once again a catchy little number which has a very different thread of strings added to create a certain calmness, something which a ‘lazy’ wind seldom offers, before Kansas Wind ushers in a slightly different, lazy jazz/blues style piece which is absolutely relaxing and a perfect piece to close a totally laid back collection.

  • The Night Fire A Ballard and Bosch Thriller

    The Night Fire A Ballard and Bosch Thriller

    After the funeral of an old friend John Jack Thompson, a man who was Bosch’s mentor when he was a rookie homicide cop, Harry Bosch, now recently retired, is asked to take care of a Murder Book kept by Thompson, when he left the department many years before. Bosch wonders why Thompson kept the Murder Book and what is in it that he expects Bosch to discover and finish. After all the murder of a young man who was dealing drugs was more than 20 years old!

    And so, begins the latest in the gripping Harry Bosch series from Michael Connelly, with Bosch now mentoring Renee Ballard, an intelligent, first rate detective with that special fire in her belly for ensuring a case is closed, done properly and delivering answers.

    What begins as a somewhat reluctant investigation into a case that was a very cold case, quickly begins to look very much like something else entirely, causing Bosch to rethink his feeling and beliefs of his mentor John Jack, and stretches both Ballard and Bosch’s expertise to new limits.

    Ballard gets sent to a late-night arson case where a homeless man is burned to death. As the details of the case unfold, both Bosch and Ballard begin to suspect that perhaps this latest death has strong links to the past, links to the more than 20-year-old murder in John Jacks’ Murder Book. All Connelly’s novels consist of more than one crime scenario with The Night Fire being no exception.

    Working tirelessly to discover what was behind the unsolved murder all those years ago, digging up secrets from the past, which eventually lead inside a crime syndicate that means business, and are happy to remove whatever is in their way, in order to get what they want, pushes both Bosch and Ballard into terrible danger.

    Yet again they form a formidable team, that of the veteran cop whose seen it all and a ferociously intelligent young woman moving up into the darkly masculine world of crime investigation.

    Well-constructed with the high standard of detail that has come to be an integral component of Connelly’s work, The Night Fire will enthral until the final word, which is as always not what would be expected, and leaves a thread dangling as a tempter for the next Ballard and Bosch novel.

     

  • Fire Opal

    Fire Opal

    Ethereal and beautiful, the first track in this debut album from Eric Jensen as Massergy, is an entree into a world of perfectly crafted ambient music that drifts and flows with a gentle energy, that both intrigues and soothes.

    Commencing with a guitar introduction Vinesong reaches out, offering a journey into another world, a world filled with reverence and wonder, a world where dreaming is allowed; welcomed.

    As Massergy records in the dark of night at the Stillhouse Nature Reserve, perched on a wooden platform, recording whatever comes to mind, influenced by the perfection of the location, it is not at all surprising that the very essence of subtle energies to be found are stepped within in the music.

    Lunar Cinema immediately brings to mind the wonderful canvas unveiled when the moon is full, the surrounding areas flooded with cold, crisp, eerie light offering for all who care to see what else is there, hidden in the heavens. Moody, carried by a current of gentle, unresisting sound this is an ideal piece for serious meditation.

    Album title track, Fire Opal is a strong, haunting piece of ghostly sounds, raising the spectres of places travelled, settled but now abandoned, the lure that once called, gone into time and space leaving behind that void, that shadow of past lives wrapped in the secret world of seeking the magic and mystery of the opal.

    A completely different vibe is introduced in El Viajero, one that could be almost accepted as the introduction of a western movie, the strings of the guitar strummed in an almost discordant manner, underpinned with a soft aura of the synth to create a very captivating track.

    By the time the final track is reached, so too is the reluctant conclusion of fantastically imaginary sound journey to any place the mind has discovered. La Extrana as the finale, once again drifts about the sound spectrum in what could be considered as in an almost unformed manner, but on listening closely the very essence of sound patterns that make up the night, from early evening to sunrise have been captured, fresh, clean and as with all things in nature, perfectly.

    Recorded raw, and ‘created without the use of software or sequencers’ the subtle beauty to be discovered outdoors at night has been retained, overlaying the seven-track album with a seductive, tranquil ambience.

     

  • White Gum Creek

    White Gum Creek

    Nick Langtree had lost what he considered the lot in a devastating bushfire which killed his wife and unborn child, laying to waste much of his farm, the livestock, and his reason for living.

    Six long years have passed since the tragedy and he is only now, with the help of long-time friends and the community, beginning to emerge from his reclusive lifestyle. There are times when he needs to leave his self-imposed lifestyle on Winters Hill, but he does this grudgingly, paying scant regard to the townsfolk who try to engage him in conversation, wanting to encourage him to begin to return to being an active member of the community once again.

    When in town, he often goes into the Gumnut Bakery, an institution in the town that has seen a re-emergence under the new direction of brother and sister team Natasha and Alex Duroz, grandchildren of the original owners; Tash simply can’t help trying to make a little difference in Nicks life, and he is finding that with time and a little help, he is beginning to want to re-join the world; at least a very little piece of it.

    It is not until things begin to go slightly amiss at Winters Hill, he begins to believe he is being targeted by group of vandals, but why. The level of vandalism and a raft of very strange occurrences keep being repeated, eventually escalating to the point where it can no longer be ignored. After much soul searching, Nick realises that there is more to this than kids having a go at him.

    He also realises that his sanity is not at stake and begins to want to know more about what, and who, is behind what appears to be this senseless series events. When Tash gets run off the road by a truck on her way to Nick’s place, the serious of the situation is recognised and he realises someone is playing for real, and in deadly earnest.

    New love, fresh beginning and the overwhelming gift of friendship and love, all come together in this warm and delightful tale from Nicole Hurley –Moore, just when you needed a fresh dose of feel good reading.

    Enjoy