Caught. - Harlan Coben

Synopsis: Seventeen-year-old Haley McWaid never gave her parents a moment's worry. Until one morning her mother wakes to find that Haley didn't come home the night before. Three months quickly pass without a word, and everyone assumes the worst. Wendy Tynes is a reporter on a mission: to identify and bring down sexual predators via televised sting operations. Her latest target is Dan Mercer, a social worker known as a friend to troubled teens. But his story soon becomes more complicated than Wendy could have imagined. Caught tells the story of a missing girl, the community stunned by her loss, the predator who may have taken her, and the reporter who suddenly realises she can't trust her own instincts about this story - or the motives of the people around her..

Thoughts

This was another first; my first Coben, and I'm certainly impressed by what I've read. The mere fact that I read this one sitting is tribute to the pace of the novel, and the hold it has over a reader; captivating and exhilarating.

A young girl gone missing without a trace; a man accused of paedophilia, forced into hiding; a television reporter caught up in something she could have never imagined. Coben writes with such brilliance; twists and turns that just when you think they have stopped, continue to shock and surprise as you flick the pages.

His language doesn't just capture the reader, it's thought-provoking as well. Not everything is as it seems, and it's difficult to know who can be trusted. Everyone has their motives, and someone wants to see those around them crash and burn. If you enjoy a cracking thriller that has you questioning throughout, grab this when you can.

5/5.

Spirited

Here it is, only my second ever non-rhymed poem. There's something about it I like, even if it's just an experiment more than anything.

Spirited

Innocence deemed so pure, yet still we suffer
From the mistakes which plague us when we rest
A broken, shattered heart so consumed by anguish;
Breaking the barrier of emotion, flowing tears of blood

Light dazzles on, powering through the bounds of evil;
Victorious in struggling free; an unstoppable energy
So powerful and so blinding; a transcendence
Which forces enlightenment into impossibility

The sun settles softly, a shimmer in the summer sky,
Shining down on all as a single ray of hope
Sweeping troubles and struggles straight away;
Spirits soaring; a sudden, sweet surprise

Look beyond the restraints of life; gaze beyond,
The world is your oyster; limitless opportunity waits,
If you escape the shackles, the shadows of lies
The words will write themselves, the freedom found.

The pain lifts, the tunnels of light stretch ahead,
Yet the hesitance stops you from battling onwards.
You know the answer is clear, that much is certain;
It is time to break out from the cage that holds you in

© Ben Johnson 2011.

Lid of Life

Something I wrote in class when I could hardly concentrate. A non-rhyming poem coming soon, as someone has said that I religiously use rhyme and it's time to prove that wrong.

Lid of Life

The dark shapes of life litter the early morning sky,
Eyes scanning across the moors, we gaze up high.

The wind whistles wildly through the bitter school air;
Steps leading nowhere, as we stop and stare.

Contrasting peace with a world full of sound;
No more interruptions, tranquillity found.

Silence stretches onwards, it rolls across the hills;
A gnarled tree deformed; swishing daffodils.

The poets sigh as their pens splatter the page;
They go unrecognised, in such a dying age.

Clouds swirl in the wind; the dreams to cope;
The cold strikes through the heart as you dare to hope.

© Ben Johnson 2011.

The Whole Truth. - David Baldacci

Synopsis: 'I need a war ...' Nicolas Creel, a super-rich arms dealer, decides that the best way to boost his business is to start a new cold war - and he won't let anything or anyone get in his way. As international tensions rise and the superpowers line up against each other, the lives of three very different people will never be the same again. As intelligence agent Shaw, academic Anna Fischer and ambitious journalist Katie James are all drawn into Creel's games, can anything stop the world from spiralling out of control? This terrifying global thriller delivers all the twists and turns, emotional drama, unforgettable characters and can't-put-it-down pacing that Baldacci fans expect - and still goes beyond anything he's written before.

Review

Well this was my first Baldacci, and despite a few people saying it wasn't one of his best, and probably not the most suitable to start with, I thought I'd crack on with it anyway. I wasn't disappointed.

It was a good read; fast-paced, full of action, and the different threads of relationships through the characters, were just great. Agent Shaw is fantastic; strong, resolute, and will do anything to fight for the one he loves. He's learnt the art of survival, how to look after himself with the odds stacked against him, and it stands him in good stead when getting out of a good scrape.

However, his line of work is dangerous and he is unable to retire and concentrate on the love of his life; a hold over him that he can't shake free. Elsewhere a man turns the world against each other; an international disaster and nobody can stop him as the world spirals out of control. Ambitious journalist Katie James is also caught up in events, even if she does have her own demons to wrestle with.

I enjoyed the twists and turns which kept me guessing right until the end. Is it too late for the world on the eve of a new Cold War? Read this fantastic thriller to see for yourself.

4/5.

Oncoming Storm.

Concept idea based on 'the gothic'; including some of the texts I've studied at school. It's littered with references; see if you can spot them all.

Oncoming Storm

Shadows stretch onwards, through the night so dreary;

Nevermore the raven flies, its wings become so weary.

The night draws inwards; silence from all around;

Stolen whispers litter the air; hushed, the only sound.

Within those castle walls, the two lovers dream;

They sky tainted red with blood: the perfect scheme.

When with it comes murder, the king's reign at an end;

Onwards he will lie, the betrayal of a friend.

In a world elsewhere, the end becomes closer;

The final note delivered, like a music composer.

When all of a sudden, the sky shatters with thunder;

The rain lashes down; it makes us all wonder.

How the work has gone wrong, a monster creation;

A horror so breathless; the result of temptation.

The victor left broken, consumed and aggrieved;

The final realisation, of what he's conceived.

One preached to all, the root of all evil;

Money is the cause, the tale so medieval.

Another so vain, so concerned with his own needs

Selling relics with lies, laughing at those he misleads.

All through the lands, the storm rages on through;

A scientist battles onwards, he has work to pursue.

© Ben Johnson 2011.

The Struggle

Something fresh from the press. It's not too bad I suppose; something different about it though.

The Struggle

People often ponder; they pursue your every move,

Always make suggestions, fuelled with something to prove.

Instead they have no idea; they don't hold the final clue,

Nobody understands the frustration, no one really knows you.

Maybe it's just their ignorance, blinding them from sight;

I know they know you suffer; pain shatters through the night.

Silence stretches onwards; the dejection simply endless,

Ever lonely you shall wander; dreaming, forever aimless.

Reaching out for redemption, but it's merely all in vain;

Your sudden resolution: you shall never love again.

Sometimes you'll start to reason, accept that it's all over;

Our luck has but run so dry; I lost her four-leafed clover.

Resolute wistful wishes, that you know just won't come true;

Rejection cuts deep within the heart; a sword that sliced on through.

Our time together was oh so special, so treasured and so kind;

We're over now, that much is certain; but can the past be put behind?

© Ben Johnson 2011.

Frankenstein - National Theatre Live

Hey folks, long time no see. I've been a little busy recently so hence the lack of reviews. However, today I have something a bit different for you few readers that check in every now and again. Last night I was lucky enough to get to see Danny Boyle's adaptation of Frankenstein screened live from the National Theatre in London onto the big screen at Bradford's National Media Museum. The main actors - Jonny Lee Miller & Benedict Cumberbatch - alternate the roles each night, and we got to see Benedict in the role of the Creation. In any case, I'll post a little introductory paragraph from the website to introduce things, before going on to tell you my thoughts.

Benedict Cumberbatch as the Creature.

I followed nature into her lair, and stripped her of her secrets! I brought torrents of light to a darkening world! Is that wrong? 

Childlike in his innocence but grotesque in form, Frankenstein’s bewildered creature is cast out into a hostile universe by his horror-struck maker. Meeting with cruelty wherever he goes, the friendless Creature, increasingly desperate and vengeful, determines to track down his creator and strike a terrifying deal.

Benedict Cumberbatch (The Creature) & Jonny Lee Miller (Victor Frankenstein)

Okay, so where on earth do I begin this one? Once again I feel that any attempt to review such a fantastic production will be in vain; for there is surely not enough superlatives to describe how wonderful this piece really was. It was a piece of theatre that simply had my captivated for two hours; from the moment Cumberbatch entered the stage, naked and writhing with the agony of a new-born, I was entranced; my eyes dared not leave the screen.

From that moment in, an intense silence settled over the audience; a tribute to how ensnared by the performance we all were. This was a silence only broken for the recognition of the many small jokes and jibes that littered the play throughout. For many, this goes somewhat against the feel of the Gothic genre, but I feel that it simply added to the performance; the relationship between the actors upon stage and the audience, sat watching in anticipation. 

The way in which the stage was designed and used for maximum potential, was just simply brilliant. There was sunshine, rain, snow; numerous props and lighting effects used fantastically and emphatically to recapture the significance of nature prominent within Mary Shelley's novel. A moving central platform allowed for quick scene changes; dynamic and infused with the energy and music to build anticipation as the players moved to the next scene.

For me the only negative was that I felt Nick Dear's script let down the piece somewhat. It's simplicity was noticed by many who watched; yet nevertheless I feel that Miller and Cumberbatch delivered their lines with such emotion and energy that the audience could not help but listen to every word. Frankenstein in essence of course, focuses on a consideration of questions: morality, love, hurt and abandonment, and I feel these are just a few of the themes that the players last night managed to deliver with such subtle genius. 

So, in conclusion I feel that this was one of the most exciting, fresh performances that I have seen in a long time; and I'm sure it will go on to be talked about by many for months and years to come. Danny Boyle, Nick Dear and everyone involved should be proud that they managed to bring a nineteenth century novel to the stage so fantastically; with a new, energetic slant and blended with the modern so brilliantly.

All in all, yesterday evening, Victor Frankenstein's Creation, truly came to life.