Matt's Trouble Dog Interview (& Embers of War review)

The Embers of War Trilogy and Trouble Dog Interview

Gareth L Powell (@garethlpowell)

Reviewed by Matt Adcock (@Cleric20)

Here we are then – assessing the Embers of War Trilogy (and a funky prequel short entitled ‘Waiting For God Knows’ which you can access if you sign up to Powell’s supporter Adventures in the SF Trade) 

I came across these books when someone told me that they’d found a worthy successor to the late, great Iain M Banks – creator of the ‘Culture’ novels, a one-time candidate for the Mad Bastard Party in Scotland, and who is to this day one of my very favourite authors.

‘Surely not’ I thought but damn if they weren’t right – Powell writes uber-cool sci-fi populated with sentient spaceships, warring human and alien factions and a host of galaxy-spanning mysteries. I dove into the first book ‘Embers of War’ and fell in love. Here is not just a worthy successor (who is handily still alive to write more) but an author who has taken up the ‘champion of cool sci-fi’ mantel and delivered big time on it.

If you’ve read any of the 3 main books of the trilogy: Embers of War, Fleet of Knives, and Light of Impossible Stars, you’ll know what I’m talking about. And if you’re yet to experience them – then I’m actually envious of the joy you have ahead of you!?

Waiting for God Knows – an Embers of War short story

“If any of us short circuits, I reckon it’ll be you, Trouble Dog. You’re practically human already. It can’t be long until you start feeling guilty for killing so many of them.”

This is a quick read that takes place before the trilogy. It features the lead spaceship Trouble Dog and gives some background to her relationship with her siblings. It’s a prequel, set during the last day of the Archipelago War, in the moments before the bombing genocide that Trouble Dog and her kin were involved in.

Gareth says: “For those of you who’ve read the books, I hope you enjoy revisiting these characters, and seeing them in their ‘normal’ lives, in the final moments before the fateful mission whose outcome changes everything and directly leads to the events of the trilogy.

And if you haven’t read them, maybe this will whet your appetite…”

Waiting for God doesn’t need to be read before the trilogy, in fact it carries more resonance when you know the fates of the assembled Carnivore-class heavy cruisers, Anubis, Fenrir, Coyote, Adalwolf, War Mutt and Trouble Dog - who each have their own distinct personalities.

It’s not every day that you (even as a reader) get to hang out with and be privy to the conversations of attack craft like these. This story is well worth signing up to Powell’s subscription service to access!

Embers of War

“For a century and a half, humanity had been carelessly leaking radio and television signals into the cosmos. At the height of human civilization, the planet blazed across the radio frequencies like a miniature sun. And at the bitter end of the doomed 21st century, a trading vessel from the Goblet Cluster clipped the edge of this emissions shell and decided to investigate. What it found was a race on the verge of terminal catastrophe.”

Let’s go… Embers of War is the 2018 game-changing, award-winning book that introduces Trouble Dog and her crew to the world. Trouble Dog might be killer but she can’t deal with the death she’s wrought and so after the war she resigns her commission and joins the ‘House of Reclamation’ – a kind of intergalactic Red Cross.

The House of Reclamation was started way back by the great grandmother of Trouble Dog’s captain Sal Konstanz and the plot of ‘Embers’ sees them on a rescue mission which escalates into something much bigger, deadly and mysterious…

I’m not here to tell you the plot – it’s much better to let it catch and energise your endorphins (and it will) as Powell writes with a ferocious love of the genre, a winning style of wordplay and no small amount of wit.

Embers immediately became one of my fav books – and Trouble Dog possibly my fav ever spaceship (sorry Serenity) what more can I say?

Fleet of Knives

“I increased my mental clock speed, accelerating my thoughts until the universe around me seemed to slow almost to a standstill. If I could maximise the time I had available, I might find a way out of this--although I didn't hold out much hope.”

Just when you thought it was safe Fleet of Knives goes and escalates the threat levels across all sectors of the human realms. Trouble Dog and what’s left of her crew, plus some new arrivals, face seemingly unbeatable enemies and impossible odds – but thanks to Powell, that’s just the way this kickass ex-warcraft likes it!?

It’s an excellent follow up to Embers which widens the story and sets up a thrilling climax in the third book, without making this one feel unduly like a bridge or holding pattern that so many second books of a trilogy can become. There is much to enjoy here including the best ever two-word chapter in the history of fiction!!

Light of Impossible Stars

“Nod raised two scaly arm-necks and whacked them together—an action comparable to a human slapping his or her own forehead. “Humans broken.”

“What do you mean?”

It fixed me with a set of small, coal-black eyes. “Humans take guilt not theirs. Humans break selves over actions of others. Humans care too much.””

Finale time then. Light of Impossible Stars has a lot riding on it as the climax to the trilogy. I was delighted in how Powell managed to wrap up this excellent saga, finding fun ways to wrong step readers who think they can see where it’s all going. Shot through with sufficient pathos, sacrifice and meaning, this delivers a crowd-pleasing end to one of the best sci-fi trilogies you’ll ever witness.

So it’s over and the host of memorable characters are burnt into the memories of every right minded sci-fi lover out there. For me the alien engineer Nod and his family were an absolute highlight but these books (and part of my heart) belong to Trouble Dog. If I ever manage to create a character even half as cool as her I’ll be a very happy author…

And speaking of Trouble Dog – I thought it would be fun to interview her – and Gareth was gracious enough to arrange an interstellar communication channel. Here’s what she had to say:

TROUBLE DOG INTERVIEW

Matt: So Trouble Dog, can I ask who or what is your nemesis?

Trouble Dog: If a nemesis is something that destroys you, I guess I don’t have one. Plenty have tried, but they’re all dead now.

Matt: OK, cool, can I ask - of the human media you've witnessed - what is the most disturbing you’ve ever read or watched in a book/film of any genre?

Trouble Dog: I wasn’t a great fan of the Terminator movies. All that anti-AI propaganda. It’s no wonder people don’t trust me.

But the hands-down, scariest thing I ever saw was the Wizard of Oz. Those flying monkeys scared the shit out of me.

Matt: If you were hired to throw a parade of any scale or theme through the centre of London back in 2023 what type of parade would it be?

Trouble Dog: Who would hire a warship to arrange a parade? Certain things are hardwired. Any parade I organised would end up looking like an invasion.

Matt: You’re on a strange planet with unlimited credit that you have to spend as much as possible of in a single evening – talk me through what you get up to…

Trouble Dog: I’d get my exhausts decarbonised. Some of my hull armour replaced. A complete upgrade of my tactical sensor suite… All that good stuff.

Matt: Who or what inspires you most (can be living or dead)?

Trouble Dog: There have been some great philosophers and poets throughout history. A lot of wise words. But I guess they’re all dead and I’m not, so what did they really know?

Matt: There’s a masked assailant with a one-shot kill weapon to your core, who is most likely to be under the mask?

Trouble Dog: I refer you to the answer I gave about my nemesis. Anyone who’s wanted me dead so far is dead. And you can’t sneak into my core. You somehow manage to get aboard, I’m just going to take your oxygen away and yeet you out into space.

Matt: What is the meaning of life?

Trouble Dog: Try not to kill too many people.

Matt: What was the best gift you’ve ever been given?

Trouble Dog: A conscience. Although to be honest, it’s been something of a curse, too.

Matt: If you could create a dedicated sidekick robot – what would it be able to do for you?

Trouble Dog: I could do with a new paint job…

Matt: What would you like written on your tombstone?

Trouble Dog: To be honest, if I’m dead, you can write what you like. But if it’s mean and there’s a digital afterlife, I’m going to come back and bombard you.

Matt: Any final words you’d like to add...

Trouble Dog: Don’t fucking mess with me.

Wise words indeed!?

CLICK THIS LINK TO BUY THE EMBERS OF WAR BOOKS

For all three books, out of a potential 5, you have to go with a Darkmatters:

ööööö

(5 - Stunning sci-fi that deserves to be read by every sentient entity!!)

>>> Imagine a world where the earth is becoming hell?

Click below to find out in my dark sci-fi novel...

Matt takes a dip in the INFINITY POOL (review)

 

Infinity Pool (18)

Dir. Brandon Cronenberg

Reviewed by Matt Adcock (@Cleric20)

“Maybe think of it as a gift. You said you were looking for inspiration. There’s something to the experience, isn’t there? 

You come out feeling, it’s hard to explain, but I can see it in your eyes, if you know what I mean…”

Prepare to have your limits tested!? Infinity Pool is a trip like few others – a vacation destination that will destroy your soul and mess with your mind.

Brandon ‘POSSESSOR’ Cronenberg delivers an incredibly seductive descent into violence, passion, and extremes that it takes a particularly sick mind to dream up.

'Holiday snaps'

Meet writer James (Alexander Skarsgård) with his glamorous wife Em (Cleopatra Coleman) – they are holidaying on the sun-drenched state of Li Tolqa, in a super luxury resort. Guests are not really supposed to venture out of the complex – the locals are not friendly… When James meets a fan of his book – a flirty Gabi (Mia Goth) “I’m an actress of course” and her cool architect husband Alban (Jalil Lespert), they take him on an odyssey that he’ll never forget – if he even survives it.

Cronenberg brings thrills, of a seriously lurid kind, exploring extremities of hedonistic pleasure and depravity. A dip in this Infinity Pool is a heavy-duty viewing experience which is likely to traumatise the squeamish or those adverse to graphic violence and sex. It might feel a little like boundary-pushing in the levels of grimness on show but as The Guardian said of Goth: “It’s hard to keep your eyes off her as she slinks her way into chaos.” And the chaos is brutal as it ramps up to head-spinning levels.

'slinking into chaos'

Holidaying is an excuse for many to engage their wilder side, we’ve seen the shows of (especially English-type) rich revelers treating their surroundings with callous contempt, and Infinity Pool seeks to be the wake-up call that should jolt anyone from such follies…

As a writer, the plot entrapment had me hooked. Once the 'sci-fi meat' of the plot kicks in, it's basically an express elevator to hell.

The film revels in its twisted high-class misadventures – it’s shot beautifully and the cast are great, yes Goth stands out as she did in Pearl and X – she’s becoming the new cool face of horror.

Believe the hype - this is the future of horror and I can’t wait for more…

Out of a potential 5, you have to go with a Darkmatters:

ööööö

(5 - A masterpiece of discomfort and disturbing nightmare fuel)

Awesomeness ööööö – you may never see anything like this again

Laughs ööö – very dark mirth

Horror öööö – seriously gruesome in places

Spiritual Enlightenment -öööö - who are you?

>>> Imagine a world where the earth is becoming hell?

Click below to find out in my dark sci-fi novel...

Matt survives the Cthulhu Armageddon (review) and meet CT Phipps

Cthulhu Armageddon: A Post-Apocalypse Western

CT Phipps (@CT_Phipps) 

Reviewed by Matt Adcock (@Cleric20)

“God Almighty,” I whispered, wishing I could clutch my head in horror. The bindings prevented me from doing so, holding me fast despite my struggles against them. “I’d be careful about calling on gods. You never know what sort of being will answer..”

Incoming transmission – this is not a drill – we are experiencing a CTHULHU ARMAGEDDON!!

Welcome to a timeframe some 100 years past the rise of the Old Ones on an earth that has been reduced to mostly monster-filled deserts…

Your guide for this journey is one John ‘Henry’ Booth, a ranger of one of the largest remaining city-states but when he gets exiled for his group’s massacre and the suspicion he’s “tainted” things go pretty bad. 

On the run with a misfit bunch of characters, this is the time for violent payback – and boy does Phipps deliver!

Booth’s adventures through the post-human civilization wasteland is a fantastic trip to take – the writing is packed with nerd-crowd-pleasing references ‘West-Boys’ for reanimated dead being prob my favourite!? Lovecraftian mythos abounds (as the title alludes to) and the action crackles with kinetic energy (both arcane and visceral)…

If Mad Max himself had popped up in a cameo I would hardly have blinked. If you’re a fan of westerns, sci-fi, Lovecraft or preferably all of the above – get in on this action - and then check out the sequel (I'll be doing that soon)!

Who is CT?

C.T Phipps is a lifelong student of horror, science fiction, and fantasy. An avid tabletop gamer, he discovered this passion led him to write and turned him into a lifelong geek. He is a regular blogger on "The United Federation of Charles" (http://unitedfederationofcharles.blogspot.com/).

He's the author of Agent G, Cthulhu Armageddon, Lucifer's Star, Straight Outta Fangton, and The Supervillainy Saga – I got the chance to ask him some questions:

Matt: If you were granted the powers of a master magic wielder who or what would be your nemesis?

CT: I would almost certainly be a Cthulhu-themed Lovecraftian superhero who would be opposed by a bunch of fascist wizards from WW2 and deranged self-righteous folk. Like a counter-culture Doctor Strange. Which may just be Doctor Strange in the Sixties.

Matt: What is the most life-affirming thing you’ve ever read or watched in a book/film of any genre?

CT: Jurassic Park. Yes, seriously. Why? Because we can someday clone dinosaurs. After that, I definitely feel like Star Wars was the biggest influence in my life. It told me that I, too, could be a revolutionary once I developed supernatural powers.

Matt: If you were hired to throw a parade of any scale or theme through the centre of London what type of parade would it be?

CT: A funeral. Lots of black robes, ominous music, and chanting.

Matt: You are blessed with a supernatural power what does that look like for you?

CT: Some horrific shapeshifting power that makes me a protoplasmic multidimensional entity. Yes, I'd go full Prototype/Shoggoth.

Matt: Who or what inspires you most (can be living or dead)?

CT: I turn to my fellow authors like David Niall Wilson, Jim Butcher, Glen Cook, Michael R. Fletcher, Brian Lumley, Richard Knaak, and others. I've met some fantastic people online and some of them were ones I read growing up or in college.

Matt: There’s a masked assailant with a gun to your head, who is most likely to be under the mask?

CT: In a David Lynchian mind-screw, it's myself.

Matt: What is the meaning of life?

CT: To drive your enemies before you, crush them, and something else.

Matt: What was the best gift you’ve ever been given?

CT: A big Cthulhu glass stein from one of my audiobook narrators.

Matt: If you could have a sidekick of any sort – what would it be able to do for you?

CT: I'd prefer a hyper-competent one like Kato who handles all of the actual adventuring while I mostly natter on obnoxiously.

Matt: What would you like written on your tombstone?

CT: I'LL BE BACK.

Matt: Any final words you like to add...

CT: The book has been read! We're doomed! All of us! Also, read Cthulhu Armageddon. It's apocalicious!

BuyCthulhu Armageddon

Out of a potential 5 - you have to go with a Darkmatters:

ööööö

(5 - This is a superb Armageddon-em-up that you need in your life!)

>>> Imagine a world where the earth is becoming hell?

Click below to find out in my dark sci-fi novel...

Matt gets The Second Last Communiqué (review)

The Second Last Communiqué

D.J. Hall 

Reviewed by Matt Adcock (@Cleric20)

"As  the aging woman  woke  to  the  sounds  of  magpies warbling  outside  her  bedroom  window,  she  unhurriedly sat  herself  up  in  her  bed,  opened  the  side  table  drawer, took out her puffer, and inhaled her asthma medication."

So a barista, an ex-nazi SS scientist, and a heroin addict walk into a bar… Well, I say ‘bar’, I mean a mystery where they form the strangest of relationships as they are overtaken by incomprehensible realms and events.

Yes, we’re back in the weird, wacky, and pretty wonderful world of D.J. Hall… Not content with his oddball Third Last Communiqué - he’s back with the, erm *checks notes, Second Last Communiqué (to be honest I don’t know why it’s called that).

Anyway, James is back and here is the owner of a coffee establishment in the centre of the city of Melbourne. He’s a friendly type but little does he know that his latest pal is a time-spanning SS Nazi officer / murdering degenerate.

James enlists the help of his lover Lucy, a down-and-out junkie (trigger warning hard drug use), and to their

bewilderment, the couple discovers they are exceptional human beings. How you ask? Well they start to receive mathematical and engineering miracle theories - that take over the everyday things they see. But where these are coming from is unclear. James is tempted into trying heroin by Lucy and has an out-of-body experience as a Jewish concentration camp inmate.

As murders pile up around them, Lucy and James will eventually stand on the precipice of calamity as their lives come under the control of a sadistic madman who has unintentionally stumbled upon the elixir of eternal life.

If that all sounds like your cup of tea, and I can vouch that it’s as nutty and fun as it sounds - packing adult content violence and sex scenes along the way - get in on this action today!

Who is D. J. Hall?

D. J. or Darrell to his mates was born in the UK and now lives in Australia, married with two children and four grandchildren. He resides in a small hamlet on the Southeast coast of the Mornington Peninsula.

He's been employed at the Herald and Weekly Times, a major Australian newspaper, for numerous years. Also, having been an artist during this time, he allowed his imagination to expand by proceeding to bizarre narratives, leading to many exhibitions over the years. When covid hit, he decided to take another direction using his unique ideas. So Darrell chose to take up writing for no reason

other than he’d never done it before. And to his astonishment, like a tap being turned

on, the narratives just poured out and still are.

During this period, Darrell has had one published novel: The Third Last Communique, and has also illustrated several children’s books.

Follow him at:

Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/darrell.hall.3979/

Buy The Second Last Communique 

Out of a potential 5 - you have to go with a Darkmatters:

öööö1/2

(4.5 - The Commuigues are getting better each time!)

>>> Imagine a world where the earth is becoming hell?

Click below to find out in my dark sci-fi novel...

 

This post is part of the magnificent ZOOLOO Book Blog Tours...

Matt has Seven Days To Die (review)

Seven Days To Die 

Michelle Kidd (@AuthorKidd)

Reviewed by Matt Adcock (@cleric20)

“The wine began to seep effortlessly into Isabel’s blood stream, its numbing effect finally allowing a wave of relaxation to take hold. Leaning back in the soft leather armchair, she glanced around Anthony’s living room. It was elegant and stylish, nothing cheap or out of place. She could instantly tell he must be doing well for himself…”

The world (and most charity shops) are increasingly full of Detective-em-up books and yet here is another to add to the pile… But wait, before you groan – this is a cut above your average crime novel and certainly one worth seeking out if you’re a fan of the macabre serial killer genre. Whilst initially I was hoping this was a novelization of the great zombie survival PlayStation game Seven Days To Die - finding that it's a rare crime banger makes up for it.

Yes, what makes Seven Days To Die stand out is the expert craft of author Michelle Kidd who obviously has a delightfully sick mind!

This is the tale of DI Jack MacIntosh who is a great lead in this twisty thriller, set against a brutal killer who strangles young women and leaves their bodies strewn across London’s parks. A kinky killer who leaves his next victim’s shoe beside the body of his last one. Detective MacIntosh has seven days to find the truth.

It begins with the body of a young woman being discovered in Hyde Park - wearing only one shoe and near her a black stiletto, but this doesn’t belong to the victim.

What becomes apparent is the killer is taunting his pursuers – as two days later, another young woman is found strangled in nearby Green Park. Wearing just one shoe — you guessed it - the matching stiletto. And nearby is a low-heeled court shoe – potentially belonging to the next victim!

Cue a race against time that will have you tearing through the book to find out if the killer can be identified and caught – or is London in for a long haul of shoeless victims?

Jack MacIntosh is the sort of cop you’ll get along with straight away if you’re into crime books – a decent bloke trying to do the right thing but struggling with demons of his own too, not adverse to getting into scrapes with his superiors, etc... Kidd writes with an easy descriptive style and her world feels believable – packed with nice touches that could come across as cliches in less capable hands but here add to the flavour of the piece.

I’d certainly like to see DI MacIntosh get a TV show of his own one day!!

The mind behind the crimes

Who is Michelle Kidd?

Michelle Kidd is a crime fiction author best known for the DI Jack MacIntosh and DI Nicki Hardcastle series. Michelle qualified as a legal executive in the early 1990s, spending ten years practicing civil and criminal litigation.

But the dream to write was never far from her mind and in 2008 she began writing the first book in what would later become the DI Jack MacIntosh series. 

Michelle now works full-time for the NHS and lives in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.

She enjoys reading, wine, and cats — not necessarily in that order.

Out of a potential 5 - you have to go with a Darkmatters:

ööööö

(5 - Detective-em-up that delivers the goods)

Buy Seven Days To Die

Follow Michelle (not in creepy way) at: 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/michellekiddauthor 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michellekiddauthor/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorKidd 

Website : www.michellekiddauthor.com

>>> Imagine a world where the earth is becoming hell?

Click below to find out in my dark sci-fi novel...

 

This post is part of the magnificent ZOOLOO Book Blog Tours...

Matt receives The Third Last Communique (review)

 

The Third Last Communique 

D.J. Hall 

Reviewed by Matt Adcock 

“He's locked himself in the toilet,” Sebastian said nervously. 

“What exactly happened?” Erika said as she steadied herself against the bar. 

“Don't know. We were having a couple of beers and a bit of a laugh, then all of a sudden, James went very quiet.” 

“What's up mate?” I said; he just stared at me will strange-like then he slowly got up and went to the loo.” 

Strange things are afoot in this oddball sci-fi which brings together 3 people – each with unique gifts. 

First, there’s James – the silent loo-goer from the extract above. He’s you average everyday Australian family man, but his nights have started getting disturbed – because he is being visited by an unknown entity!? 

Then there is Haloke, a female native American astronaut, who unwittingly gets caught up in the most bizarre of hoaxes after discovering a Coca-Cola can on the surface of Mars. 

And thirdly - Nadeeka, a little girl living in a small fishing village in Sri Lanka, who suffers horrendous injuries after stepping on a landmine while playing on a banana plantation. 

I know what you’re probably thinking… Something like ‘what the hell sort of tale could bring these folks from totally different backgrounds together?’ And if they do meet - in the most extraordinary of circumstances – what in the Third Communique is going to happen? 

The mind behind the madness...

I won’t spoil it for you, I’ll just say that the three individuals discover new mind-bending knowledge that could change the world as we know it forever. 

The plot sees James committed to a psychiatric prison where he nosedives into mental chaos after a freaky discovery. Meanwhile a post-Mars Haloke finds life becomes intolerable, as the press and the U. S. Government hound and scrutinise her relentlessly over her suspected involvement in the embarrassing episode that had occurred on the red planet. Might turning to booze help? Or seeking refuge with her grandfather on a Navajo Indian reservation? I can’t see it going well. But spare a thought for poor Nadeeka, recovering in hospital from the loss of both her legs… 

It’s James that is the linchpin to this strange tale of futuristic intrigue that jumps times and places in the most unexpected ways. 

But is it any good? 

Oh yes – D. J. Hall writes with a slightly demented style that works really well for such a left-field tale. 

If you take this trip there will be hard drug use, unexplainable art genius, many and varied conversations and lots to make you think. 

The good news? 

There is more to come as this Communique is followed by (yes you guessed it) Yes The Second Last Communique!! Review of that coming on Thursday…

Buy The Third Communique 

Out of a potential 5 - you have to go with a Darkmatters:

öööö

(4 - Get in on the sci-fi messaging!)

>>> Imagine a world where the earth is becoming hell?

Click below to find out in my dark sci-fi novel...

 

This post is part of the magnificent ZOOLOO Book Blog Tours...

Look through my LetterBoxd

 WHAT IS MATT WATCHING?

This week's viewing for @Cleric20

This year I've started logging film watches on LetterBoxd - it's a fun and simple platform to leave quick reactions. So if you're looking at this blog and thinking 'I guess Matt doesn't watch many films' - jump over to my page on LetterBoxd and you'll find out :) Here's a LINK

Robbie steals the show

Of the films experienced so far in 2023, Babylon is the standout - sure I know a lot of people hate it but I was completely engrossed and loved the whole bloated decadent spectacle!!

Paul Mescal, Frankie Corio - both excellent!

Aftersun was excellent - a sad and poignant tale of father/daughter bonding and living a life without knowing where it's going...

Cult Baddie

The Long Dark Trail had potential, it has a decent premise but just doesn't deliver on it. Certainly not awful but probably only really for those who simply must have some half-baked folky horror.

She wants to play with you...

Surprise of the week was M3GAN which brought a strong new killer toy to the party and was a lot of fun [my review].

>>> Imagine a future where we map Hell by mistake?

Click below to find out what happens...

Matt meets M3gan (review)

M3GAN (15)

Dir. Gerald Johnstone

Reviewed by Matt Adcock (@Cleric20)

"This is the part where you run!"

Got a new pal. Her name is M3GAN... She's not like other girls.

From the folks at Blumhouse who have obviously been watching the Child's Play films or TV series and thought - this is fine but what if Chucky was a super advance AI female doll?

So here is M3GAN - she's a marvel of artificial intelligence, a toy so real she can be a child's greatest companion and a parent's greatest ally. Designed by Gemma (Allison 'Get Out' Williams), a brilliant roboticist, M3GAN can listen, watch and learn as it plays the role of friend and teacher, playmate, and protector. 

But complications arise when Gemma has to take in her 8-year-old niece Cady (Violet McGraw). Deciding that Cady would make the perfect pilot child to test the prototype M3GAN on - things seem to go well but when Cady gets threatened, there are, erm, consequences.

As a film, M3GAN is a lot of fun. Helped by a smart script and just enough nastiness - this is new killer-toy-em-up is worth a watch if only to see the robot doll doing a fun dance before going on a mini-killing rampage.

Amie Donald plays M3GAN and does a good job at moving like a machine. My fav bit was when the inescapable climactic battle sees M3GAN damaged and looking a bit more Terminator than woke Barbie. 

Word is a sequel is already on the way, please God may we one day get a M3GAN vs Chucky film!!

Out of a potential 5, you have to go with a Darkmatters:

ööö1/2

(3.5 - Doll fear gets an upgrade…)

Awesomeness öööö – some killer set pieces

Laughs ööö – dark humour throughout 

Horror ööö – moderate grimness in places 

Spiritual Enlightenment öö - emotionally bonding with an AI works

>>> Imagine a world where the earth is becoming hell?

Click below to find out in my dark sci-fi novel...

Darkmatters Top Ten Films of 2022

 Top Ten Films 2022 

From the mind of Matt Adcock (@Cleric20)

10. The Worst Person In The World

I just about remember being young, life is weird and can be hard to wrangle into meaningful shape. In The Worst Person In The World we get to meet Julie (Renate Reinsve) who is about to turn 30 but struggling to find her place in the world. This film is a cracker blend of drama and romance - shot through with pathos and comedy too. 

Director Joachim Trier gives us chance to journey with her as jobs, lovers, haircuts, and other life choices change but her decisions rarely get better. 

Empire called it ‘a playful love letter to uncertainty, it’s far more accessible and watchable than it has any right to be.’ And they are not wrong…

9. Saloum

Shot down after fleeing a coup and extracting a drug lord from Guinea-Bissau, the legendary mercenaries known as the Bangui Hyenas -- Chaka, Rafa and Midnight -- must stash their stolen gold bounty, lay low long enough to repair and refuel their plane and escape back to Dakar, Senegal. 

Director Jean Luc Herbulot dynamically weaves supernatural mystery into this gritty crime caper that packs action, mystic thrills and a high state of tension throughout. Might the Hyenas be being set up by one of their own? When a shadow from their past catches up with them, there could be devastating consequences, threatening to unleash hell on them all.

8. The Batman

Batman get excellently reimagined by the Cloverfield/Apes/Let Me In guy who brings a sinister and impressively dark vibe to Gotham City where amongst the dubious underworld and dodgy politicians a sadistic killer begins to leave a trail of cryptic clues, and bodies...

Robert 'FFS Twilight' Pattinson dons the cowl and cloak - and despite my reservations about him actually turns out to be an ace new Batman! This film feels a lot like the original detective comic roots of the character and the aesthetic is something akin to SE7EN. Zoë Kravitz who delivers a high-quality Cat-woman and Alfred is reincarnated and under-used in the form of a superb Andy Serkis. Fantastic bat-fun! 

7. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

Knives Out introduced the world to the excellent Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) who returns to try and find out what is happening in the layers in of mystery dreamed up by writer / director Rian “The Last Jedi’ Johnson.. This fresh adventure finds the intrepid detective at a lavish private estate on a Greek island, but how and why he comes to be there is only the first of many puzzles. Blanc soon meets a distinctly disparate group of friends gathering at the invitation of billionaire Miles Bron for their yearly reunion. 

As in all the best murder mysteries, each character harbours their own secrets, lies and motivations. When someone turns up dead, everyone is a suspect. This is an absolute joy and feels very much like Agatha Christie has risen from the dead!?

6. The Banshees of Inisherin 

Martin ‘In Bruges’ McDonagh makes high drama of a dissolving friendship as dull everyman Pádraic (Colin Farrell) gets ‘dumped’ by his best pal Colm (Brendan Gleeson). It’s off-the-scale awkward as Colm tells Pádraic out of the blue that he doesn’t want talk to him or drink with him ever again. It’s tactless and blunt, abrasive and soul-burning and the fallout gets worse and worse until blood is spilled and things have escalated to unfeasible ends.

Pádraic’s self-examination is fantastically played by Farrell with his guileless but not innocent character front and centre. He lives with his repressed sister Siobhan (Kerry Condon), she lives in a permanent state of exasperation at her brother’s darkness that begins to seep through. If that isn’t enough then there’s young Dominic (Barry Keoghan) who steals the show even though he doesn’t get enough screen time...

5. Red Rocket 

This vivid, real-feeling, stylish fable is as heartbreaking as it is amusing (from the excellent director Sean Baker whose last film The Florida Project was my film of the year in ’17). Red Rocket is another tour-de-force, a safari through the lives of the dirt-poor, uneducated and pretty hopeless rust-belt US underclasses. These are folks who you want to root for but who continually make terrible decisions that lead to destructive outcomes that you’ll want to weep for them. 

Simon Rex is absolutely incredible as washed-up adult movie actor ‘Mikey Saber’. Things get grim for him despite his trying to get his life back on track - including a horrible multi-vehicle pileup that impacts Mikey in more than just an allegory of his car crash of a life.

If there’s any justice in the world Mikey should be a cinematic cult icon of the future, his fast-talking hustler predator stare and easy-winning charm is wonderfully watchable. The climax leaves you breathless and broken in equal measure - what future for the star-crossed lovers Mikey and Strawberry (a fantastic Suzanna Son)?? 

4. Bones & All 

Timothée ‘Dune’ Chalamet gets munchy with Taylor Russell (who is a stunningly engaging actress). These two fine young cannibals have a taste for human flesh but are basically Bonnie and Clyde for with supernatural cravings in a world of beauty and terror.

Based on Camille DeAngelis' young-adult bestseller, the movie is a tale of first love broken by an addiction stronger than drugs. Director Luca ‘Call Me By Your Name’ Guadagnino makes this a wonderfully seductive horror, gross and bloody in places but also graceful and full of real emotion. Hanging out with these two young lovers makes for the most excellent if fiendish odyssey.

3. Kimi

Steven Soderbergh bursts back onto the cinematic landscape with KIMI - a full on suspenseful masterclass that punches you in the face with a fantastically entertaining high-tech rabbit hole of deep treachery. Angela (Zoë Kravitz) believes she’s ‘witnessed’ a murder in her role as a ‘KIMI’ operative. She has a digital clip of the crime but the big corp Amygdala (who make the KIMI product) want to cover it up at any cost.

There are a nicely eccentric cast of characters, from Mum (Robin Givens), hacker co-worker (Alex Dobrenko), creepy voyeur  (Devin Ratray), and possible boyfriend (Byron Bowers), each plays crucial roles in the tight plot. Angela being agoraphobic and possibly autistic is a great heroine - but just who can she trust?

2. Everything Everywhere All At Once

Somewhere in the multiverse, there is a film that combines insanely creative fun and action, it also delivers on heart-warming emotion and sci-fi shinanegans. That film isn’t Dr Strange and The Multiverse of Madness, that film is Everything Everywhere All At Once… 

It’s freakin joyride of rude comedy, brilliant surreality, inventive action and highly emotional life auditing. Everything Everywhere All At Once exists in the fantastical outer wilds of the imagination. If you're looking for trip into the realm of lucid dreaming and liminal spaces - this is the film you've been looking for and couldn’t be more original if it tried. Michelle Yeoh is excellent as Evelyn, a laundromat owner who might just be the universal saviour against the threat of the ‘everything bagel’ black hole.

Jamie Lee Curtis is in there too along with two film-stealing rocks with googly eyes who ‘rock’ real emotion!!

1. Top Gun Maverick

30 years after Top Gun defined a decade and made Tom Cruise an icon, he and producer Jerry Bruckheimer have brought Maverick back to the Danger Zone. It is a complete joy to rejoin Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell (Tom ‘doesn’t seem to age’ Cruise) as he grapples with his guilt for the death of his former co-pilot ‘Goose’ (Anthony Edwards). Things get spicy when Goose’s son Bradley (Miles Teller) – callsign ‘Rooster’ signs up to be part of Mav’s special group of pilots training for a secret mission. 

Packed with stupid but equally awe-inspiring fighter jet action - Top Gun Maverick has crashed straight into my all-time favourite list and is just a full-speed treat for all your emotions!!  Oh my God this is FIRE!

Honourable mentions: PREY, X, The Northman, Pearl, Barbarian, Werewolf By Night, Ambulance, Licorice Pizza, The Innocents, Hatching, Hellraiser...  

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