Released in 2016 by Paramount Pictures and now available on Amazon. Films stars Allie Marie Evans as Max, Patrick Johnson as Fang, Lyliana Wray as Angel, Gavin Lewis as Gazzy, Tetona Jackson as Nudge, Zayne Emory as Iggy, and Luke Gregory Crosby as Ari.

This movie is supposed to be based on a series of books about a group of human/avian hybrids created in a lab who were removed from the lab when they were all very little and are now trying to make their way in the world without being captured and returned to the lab.

Right off the bat, the film differed from the book. Max has breasts. She’s not supposed to have breasts as she oviparous, and in the book she has a breast bone, not breasts. All they had to do was bind the actress or give her some to wear to cover it up. It’s not a small issue – it’s part of the Max character.

Iggy is blind, but he’s not skinny like he is in the book. He’s built. He makes for nice eye candy for the younger generation, but he doesn’t fit the character. His thinness is talked about in the series to some extent and while it’s not a health/performance issue, it does add to the fact he’s a bird person.

The rest of the cast is pretty decent though I don’t remember Gazzy being so into bombs.

A major thing is none of them have visible wings!! In the books, their wings are on the outside, part of their skeleton! They can’t pull them in, and Iggy actually wears an overcoat(missing in the movie) to cover his. This last part might be a misremembrance on my part – please correct me if I’m wrong. I am not wrong about them never pulling their wings into their bodies or having weird slits in their backs for their wings to come out of.

What made me stop watching not even a third way through the film was when Max’s wings emerged. They were tiny!!! Not only than, they weren’t even proper wings! In the book series, the wings are huge with the kids’ having around a 6 foot wingspan each! On the younger kids this is most likely smaller, but the older ones would have wings this size. The fact these wings were so ridiculous and unrealistic was a slap in the face, I think.

The fight scene that followed right after was sheer stupidity with the stop action I couldn’t watch a second more. Yes, it was 2016, but we had some kick ass movies come out that year:

1. Captain America: Civil War
2. Rogue One
3. Deadpool

That’s just three, but they all had great fight scenes! Paramount should be ashamed of themselves for turning a great series into a crap film.

I don’t recommend watching this movie. Read the books by James Patterson instead, you’ll like them a great deal more. Of course, you don’t have to take my word for it, I’d never tell you what to do. I can only offer my opinion. Check out the movie, and the books, if you like and please, if you do, feel free to share. I’d love to hear what you think.

See you on the flipside and don’t forget your towel and sonic screwdriver!

Published in 1997 by Random House Publishing Group. this is the complete six part series based on the fictional city of Blackstone as imagine by John Saul. This is a horror series so be warned.

While Stephen King is my favorite horror writer, I like John Saul as well. He slowly builds up the horror using things like dolls and handkerchiefs to scare the pants off the reader. This use of the mundane is very like King and thus, helps to sell the scare.

While I like the plots, and the stories in general, his writing style is awkward reading for me. He mixes action in with his dialogue, often burying dialogue in a short action scene. I find this makes the flow jerk a bit, but that’s just me.

So, here are the short stories in this series, all in one convenient book:

Part 1 An Eye For an Eye: The Doll

This is pretty self explanatory – it’s about a cursed doll. It’s a lot like Annabell, and it’s a girl doll. While not quite original, the way the characters react to the doll as well as the actions of the doll itself make this story unique and quite creepy.

Part 2 Twist of Fate: The Locket

This is a heart shaped locket like one used to give to daughters and girl friends. It opens, and you could put something inside like a picture or a lock of hair. The one in the story has a lock of hair in it. I won’t spoil the story for you, but it made me rethink wearing any type of jewelry for a while.

Part 3 Ashes to Ashes: The Dragon’s Flame

This one is about a lighter that was shaped like a dragon’s head. The story is a bit gruesome so fair warning!

Part 4 In the Shadow of Evil: The Handkerchief

This is another one that’s self explanatory. I can’t say much more without spoiling the story.

Part 5 Day of Reckoning: The Stereoscope

A stereoscope is like a ViewMaster but much, much older. It uses two pictures of the same scene only slightly different which, when you look at them together through the scope, makes the picture look 3D. It came to being about 1830-40,and it was made to be a toy, to amuse people – like the ViewMaster. In the story however, it’s not that amusing.

Part 6 Asylum

This is where all the things in the other stories had come from, where their evil had been born. This asylum was back in the 1940s or therebouts, and it wasn’t the nicest place in the world to be committed to. I can’t say much else, but I’m sure you’ve seen enough horror movies about asylums to know how this series is going to culminate and end.

I recommend you read this book. I enjoyed it myself, but not everyone likes the same things I do. If you do read the book, let me know. I’d like to talk to someone about it.

See you on the flipside and don’t forget your towel and sonic screwdriver!