review

Back to the Future The Musical – Review

Lee Hall Leave a comment

Some stories, no matter the way they are delivered just work. Back to the Future is an iconic piece of cinema that combines character driven narrative, original story and big-time visuals with an atmospheric orchestral soundtrack. Place all of that in a theatre and it works incredibly well.

As a child there weren’t many films that captivated me as much as Back to the Future so when I did take a seat in the packed out Adelphi theatre in London on a busy Friday evening, I had both expectations and a desire in wanting this musical to work. And to me it does. To translate an icon of cinema to the stage takes some adaptation – a little story adjustment here and there as well as some performances that tribute those in the film and even some that go their own way. Even the memorable time machine has been made for theatre and who could forget the DeLorean kitted out in the way Doc Brown did so – here it is no different and up close, a spectacle. The effects used are modern and the best theatre can offer. All of the memorable characters from the film are present also from Marty McFly to even the lady who yells ‘Save the Clocktower’ and of course George McFly who you could argue is the central role in the story.

Back to the Future is a film full of moments that captivate, immerse and even warm the heart – for the musical they are all there mostly. My only real critique would be the original songs may not carry any memorable qualities but everything else outweighs this true moment in theatre. I’ll admit this is the best show I have seen in some years. For anyone who enjoyed Back to the Future on any level will get something wonderful out of this performance. We may never get a 4th film in the series, but there has always been some debate about the need for it and for now a musical satisfies that big-time!

‘Deceit of the Mind: Quantum Evolution’ by – Henry Cox Review

Lee Hall Leave a comment

A sophisticated deep-dive into the world of quantum mechanics with original concepts

Henry Cox has delivered his most sophisticated story yet and tackles the world of quantum mechanics by way of clever and original story telling. This really is a deep dive into the theory of all things quantum partnered with concepts I’ve not seen explored in fiction before.

The ‘Deceit’ series continues to grow with this latest edition that fuses history, memory, time and genetics while also retaining a thrilling spy theme as ‘Benjamin Oliver’ a retired lawyer returns to his spy roots in what becomes a rescue mission. He isn’t the only recurring character back as this series starts to become a genre in its own right with previous ‘Deceit’ stories intermingling. How the reader gets there is a journey of clever scientific theory combined with Cox’s brand of thriller that reads very much like high end fiction. We’re taken through different eras of time as ancestors and how their story relates to the present day characters unfolds with a blend of language and events delivered in a unique way.

The quantum concepts explored within have a lot of depth and theory which gives a feeling of sophistication and this is exactly what stories like this should be – clever and also thought provoking. Technology and data is out there and in certain hands can be dangerous or even wild – especially so when big business is involved. This is definitely a story that lives up to the title by having a way of playing with the reader’s mind into thinking one way but then taking you on another unexpected path.

‘From ancient times to the present, despite its pure definition, science has always been the prisoner of politics, religion, and even the created dogma of academics, in the name of science – often influenced by the purse. The theory of human evolution has become an academic theology, despite its provable inconsistences.’

A great third book by Henry Cox – I feel cleverer for reading it and that’s a feeling I haven’t had for many years and that’s exactly what this book should do.

5 Stars

Recent Reviews

Lee Hall Leave a comment

Book Reviews mean everything to authors, they help us grow and provide some all-important feedback that may even possibly shape our future works.

While being published may be a hobby for me, I still take it seriously and have aspirations of one day making it more. I appreciate every review I receive from my wonderful readers who have paved this author path for me.

Here is some recent praise for 3 of my works!

You can find out more about all of my books here.

‘The Whale’ – Review

Lee Hall 2 Comments

Brendan Fraser delivers a deeply emotional and moving performance that doesn’t hold back from the brutality of a man suffering.

From the very start of Darren Aronofsky’s ‘The Whale’ we are exposed to a vivid and graphic view of ‘Charlie’ who is a morbidly obese English teacher on the verge of losing his life. Fraser carries a certain charm he has always been known for while also going to new territory for his wide ranging convincing acting ability – very early on we see him wink as he would in an action adventure yarn from the late 90’s but then much later in the film we see him desperate to know that his life has been worthwhile. This existential sense is just one of the many elements and themes of a layered story that touches on loss, love, health, money, religion, purpose and even classic literature.

With a small but brilliant cast, the players all pull together and orbit the main character in their own ways to bring a story that will stay with me for some time. This film could easily become an on-stage adaptation and of course it is more than obvious to see why the award nominations came pouring in. For Brendan Fraser, hopefully this is a redemption story although even without the awards it is a decorated return. At times ‘The Whale’ wasn’t easy viewing which is credit to those in this gripping performance.

‘I need to know that I have done one right thing with my life!‘

5 Stars

‘The Memory Wood’ by Sam Lloyd – Review

Lee Hall 1 Comment

Immersive, descriptive, addictive and full of mysterious intrigue…

Point of view plays a huge part in this immersive, addictive and sometimes frustrating kidnap story that unfolds spectacularly as it progresses. For a debut book, its an incredibly strong arrival for Sam Lloyd in so many aspects but the style is both good for the genre and perhaps just a little confusing in some places.

We see this story told through a few different points of view, which is deliberate to immerse the reader into feeling what ‘Elissa’ is experiencing first-hand and that is a disorientating and harrowing trauma. We meet ‘Elijah’ and see things through his eyes but with a lot of details deliberately omitted for the twisting reveal later. His story and ‘Elissa’s’ kind of run point for a while but later on it feels as if she is second to what is effectively her story. Part of the fun here is trying to guess what is happening in the surroundings and for some parts I got right, others I was surprised by.

There is also a police procedural element which see’s a detective with her own personal issues that kind of enhance the situation a little creating some high stakes and urgency. Most of this concept was quite well done although dark in some parts. There are many details that are kept from the reader until revelations unfold and by then I was invested and addicted. That addiction along with immersion came in waves as it rose then fell in parts. I will say the use of description and keeping his cards close to his chest are two brilliant talents Lloyd has in storytelling and suited this genre perfectly because it kept me reading.

By the end I did find myself with a fair amount of questions left unanswered as explanations were a little on the thin side along with a kind of abrupt ending but my experience was enjoyable and immersive.

4 Stars

‘Sex, Violence, Mars: The Ballad of Left and Right’ by Walrus – Review

Lee Hall 1 Comment

Sex, Violence, Mars is back and just as entertaining as the first encounter…

The Walrus collective are back yet again tell a short but entertaining tale of Sex, Violence, Mars and much more. This time around we see ‘Right’ and ‘Left’ in this kind of buddy story as they try their best to navigate the dangerous but always interesting Mars of the future. Of course there’s a range of themes here and they are all aligned with the title.

Armed with atmosphere suits and a stack of cash they soon realise the desired tender on the planet is ‘electro’ leaving them with a struggle to pay for pretty much anything and that includes the dilemma to charge their suits. While they try to survive on the fringes of Mars and it’s complex society, they find others enduring their own struggle, or perhaps just looking to earn a fast buck from two desperados down on their luck.

“You’re never gonna get that money back unless you do exactly what I want. And now you’re in the hole to me for charge and supplies…”

Their journey takes them on an adventure of action and chasing along with some revelations as we find out more about this planet. Sometimes its them doing the chasing and vice-versa as they target the aptly named ‘Death Corp’ and their mysterious but powerful leader ‘Keiser’. Every so often the lore and backstory of this rich universe is mentioned giving this short but entertaining read depth and range.

Just like the previous encounter the style is delivered with heavy detail on description and chapters/sections move with pace. Our two main protagonists carry a fun chemistry with one another as they do their best to survive, swindle and try not to be swindled themselves. Just how does this link up with the first book? Well, you’ll find out and importantly so, its left open for yet more shenanigans on Mars.

4 Stars – This review first premiered via Reedsy Discovery

“Darke Apocalypse” by Lee Hall

Lee Hall Leave a comment

A huge thank you to fellow author Ellen Khodakivska for a wonderful review of my latest book…

Ellen Khodakivska

If you want to ‘go beyond true darkness’ and feel goosebumps running back and forth, this book is definitely what you need.

“The Prophecy of Old states that everything in Life and Death must be balanced.” Lee Hall, “Darke Apocalypse”

The Plot: Blake Malone, Caitlyn Turner, Luke Hartford, and the rest of the crew come back to a ‘ghost town’ Darke Heath to break into a final fight with the true darkness that only pretends to vanish. On the contrary, it becomes more dangerous, darker, and ruthless than ever. The night creatures hide among the shadows, make up their dark-minded plans, and are ready to use the pure souls as bait to entrap those who stay on the bright side into their dark empire. Only time will show the result of the fight between the light and the darkness. Because the creatures living ‘beyond true darkness’ always have a creephole…

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‘The Man and The Crow’ by Rebecca Crunden – Review

Lee Hall 2 Comments

A short sharp enjoyable tale of magic and the unexpected…

Having just read this book in one sitting I found myself enthralled by page 4 where the story unexpectedly flips and takes the reader on a journey of folklore, witchcraft and murder.

With darker tones and a magical theme that merge together well, Rebecca Crunden delivers a well-written tale that might only be twenty four pages long, but it represents hundreds of years of history and lore for the title character. Throughout, the addictive writing style carries a humour that is both fun and perfect for the genre while the imagination is also given plenty of room to work alongside that history and lore suggested here – as the ending promises, that’s the start of the next story!

For anyone looking to be whisked away only for a short time but through some imaginative literature, this is the one for you.

‘Screaming would have been the sensible thing to do; it also proved impossible. Screaming would mean she’d be able to unlock her jaw and at the moment it felt like her jaw had rusted shut…’

5 Stars

‘Love’s Ragged Claws’ by Gary Gautier – Review

Lee Hall 4 Comments

A short read with plenty of literary depth…

It has been fifty years since ‘Gabriel’ last confessed and so when he does there comes a story of confession through literary depth. For a short read, Gary Gautier packs in so much to construct a tale of reflection, feeling and memories.

I’ll admit, I’m not sure if I did grasp everything within the layers of this book as there is plenty of metaphoric or even symbolic moments interwoven with stylistic description, sentences and the overall flow. For only fifty or so pages, I’m definitely urged to maybe go back a few times a read it just to capture everything which is just one of the unique values this book has.

Like many great reading experiences, our individual interpretation and the relationship it has with what the author has laid out makes it and here they work very well together. The reader’s imagination is given room to breathe while also being taken along the path by the author .With some heavier themes and emotion mixed with lighter funnier moments, the journey this book took me on was interesting from the get go. The existential and moral dilemma ‘Gabriel’ explores through his relationships gives this shorter read a great amount of depth with some great writing.

‘Moral knowledge is easy. Moral action is hard.’

4 Stars

“Darke Awakening” by Lee Hall

Lee Hall

A huge thank you to fellow author Ellen Khodakivska for this wonderful review of Darke Awakening….

Ellen Khodakivska

If you want to ’embrace the true darkness’ and have a ride on a ‘ghost horse’ through crowded night creatures, this book is what you need.

“Most people in this world have some good in them. especially when someone needs a little help”, Lee Hall, “Darke Awakening”

The Plot:  Blake Malone comes back to Darke Heath to confront the evil that starts awakening. ‘The sleepy town, surrounded by pines’ hides more and more dark and dangerous secrets. Those that are supposed to be buried appear to be alive and perilous more than ever. The life paths of Blake Malone and Twister are destined to cross, and together with the rest of the crew, they have to be pretty innovative to gain victory over the night creatures. The demons, shadows, vampires, and many other night creatures can’t wait to break into a fight, the outcome of which is sometimes impossible to…

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