The Genome

tags: mystery, parody-ish, Russian, sci-fi, 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Genome" is a new science fiction thriller by the author of the bestselling Night Watch series.

Five months after the horrific accident that left him near death and worried that he’d never fly again, master-pilot Alex Romanov lands a new job: captaining the sleek passenger vessel Mirror. Alex is a spesh—a human who has been genetically modified to perform particular tasks. As a captain and pilot, Alex has a genetic imperative to care for passengers and crew—no matter what the cost.

His first mission aboard Mirror is to ferry two representatives of the alien race Zzygou on a tour of human worlds. His task will not be an easy one, for aboard the craft are several speshes who have reason to hate the Others. Dark pasts, deadly secrets, and a stolen gel-crystal worth more than Alex’s entire ship combine to challenge him at every turn. And as the tension escalates, it becomes apparent that greater forces are at work to bring the captain’s world crashing down.

According to Goodreads readers, the author included a coded message that the novel is supposed to be a parody of space operas. My copy of the book doesn't have it. Maybe the author removed it, I'm not sure.

The odd characters, the good story, and the humor made me think it is sort of a parody. The murder mystery is very interesting. I enjoyed the book very much. Highly recommended.

The book is written by the author of Night Watch Series.

Major Grom: Plague Doctor

tags: action, Netflix streaming, revenge, Russian movie, super hero

⭐⭐⭐⭐

from Netflix

When a masked vigilante’s killing spree throws a city into chaos, a renegade detective and his rookie partner are the only ones who can stop it.

The movie is an adaptation of a Russian comic book super hero. It is loaded with clichés and borrows from other comic book super heroes like Batman. I liked it regardless of its length. Cinematography is very good. Most important no "woke" Hollywood nonsense. Just good vs evil action movie. I hope there will be a sequel.

Note: The title at first confused me and I thought Major Grom is the Plague Doctor. Major Grom is a cop and the Plague Doctor is Major Grom's brilliant but insane vengeful foe.

Highly recommended.

Silver Skates

tags: fairy tale, Netflix streaming, romance, Russian

⭐⭐⭐⭐

from Netflix

On the frozen rivers and canals of St. Petersburg, a petty thief on skates warms the heart of an aristocrat's daughter as forces try to keep them apart.

The description from Netflix is a bit lacking and inaccurate. This Russian movie is a fairy tale with a twist - it is a rich girl, poor boy romance instead of the usual beautiful princess rescued by a handsome prince. Matvey, the poor boy, works delivering pastry using his antique pair of skates but gets fired through no fault of his. His father is a lamplighter who is sick with consumption.

The setting is at the turn of the 19th century and the frozen St. Petersburg is transformed into a pretty Winter Wonderland where people go to walk about and shop. A group of pickpockets skates around and deftly dispossesses the unsuspecting people of their treasures including pocket watches and billfolds. The leader, who reminds me of The Artful Dodger, drops a watch while being pursued by a gendarme. . Matvey tries to return it to him not knowing he stole it. He gets recruited to the group to earn money for his father's hospital treatment. 

He meets the aristocrat's daughter, Alice, on a dare from his new friends. They meet again at St. Petersburg while he was busy "working". Alice befriends him for her own reasons. As the story progresses, one needs to suspend disbelief but it is a fairy tale after all. Besides, I'm sure you'll love the superb cinematography and lush costumes, and the scenes of the skating thieves are beautiful to watch. 

Language is mostly in Russian, some English, and French. Russian and French dialog have English subtitles, English has none. There are subtitles in CC English.