Magical

Advantages: Some fun stories
Disadvantages: I'd read most of them in other collections

...I've long been a fan of Neil Gaiman, as he is one of those writers who can mix the fantastical with the real and make it feel somehow natural. His writing has a kind of credibility that means when Neil Gaiman tells you something unbelievable, you start keeping half an eye out for it, just in case. I've read most of Gaiman's novels and short story collections, but had never dipped into the writing he aims at a slightly younger audience. Given that his writing often makes me feel like a child again, I wasn't anticipating any major difference in his writing for the different audience, particularly in a collection of short stories. That is exactly what I got, as "M is for Magic" is a collection of stories specially selected for the audience, but not written specifically for the audience. Indeed, of the eleven stories contained within...

Soho_Black 20.07.2008 · Read review
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Review of M is for Magic - Neil Gaiman

Magical Dragons!

Advantages: fun story
Disadvantages: none

...Dragon Magic is a cute tale that transports children to a magical world of castles and dragons. It tells the story of a small girl called Jess and her blacksmith father, Big John, who rely on their dragon's breath to soften the iron that they use to make things. Problems start when Big John is making a new gate for the king but Huff, their dragon, has run out of puff. Soon some dragon eggs are found and before long a new baby called Puff hatches. She soon becomes part of the family and sets to work helping to make the gate. However, the king is worried that the gate won't be finished and he has spied strangers heading towards the city. It is a race against time especially when Puff shows signs of becoming ill. What else could possibly go wrong? My daughter really enjoyed this story and kept getting excited about what would happen next...

kingfisher111 25.10.2009 · Read review
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Review of Dragon Magic - Pippa Goodhart

A Magical Experience!

Advantages: Fantastic show, and it's free!
Disadvantages: None

...No visit to Barcelona is complete without a visit to the fabulous spectacle which is the Magic Fountain. I had first seen the Magic Fountain on TV back in 1992 when Barcelona hosted the Olympics. It is situated not far from the outdoor Olympic Pool and stadium. I can remember being quite impressed by the fountain and thinking it would be nice to actually visit and watch the show. Sixteen years on my wish came true, as myself and my partner were on holiday in Spain and having longed to visit Barcelona, we booked a day trip to the city. We liked it so much we returned again this year. The fountain stands at the foot of the steps leading up to the impressive National Palace, situated high up on Montjuic, and performances take place in the evenings - four times a week in the summer and twice a week in winter. There are around five shows...

JEFFJEN 24.08.2009 · Read review
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Review of The Magic Fountain, Barcelona

Magic on the screen?

Advantages: Entertaining enough, harmless family fun
Disadvantages: Nothing special about it

...an American Indian played by Frank Salsedo - Uncle Kipper has magic powers that help Ashley in her plans for Orky. However, he doesn't really appear on screen enough to be a character that matters much to the film and I couldn't help but think that it wouldn't have made much difference if he wasn't there. Another pointless character is Hiro, played by Willie Nark-Orn. He is a friend of Ashley and Joshua and is supposed to be Chinese, although his name sounds Japanese and he speaks a language that I have never heard before - it certainly isn't like any Chinese or Japanese that I've heard before. Again, if he hadn't been in the film at all, it wouldn't have mattered. This is a children's film and I didn't expect the story to be realistic or particularly complicated. It certainly isn't either. It is a bit silly - think The Loch Ness Monster...

sunmeilan 28.10.2008 · Read review
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Review of Magic In The Water (DVD)

Magical

Advantages: Almost as good as being there
Disadvantages: "Almost" as good as being there!!

...Since I have completed my collection of all Queen?s albums about 5 years ago, I think it?s about time I started reviewing them so that everyone else realises how good they are and rushes out to buy them. I?m starting with Live Magic since it seems to be the only one which hasn?t as yet been reviewed by anyone. As you may guess if you know anything about Queen, Live Magic is a recording of Queen?s Magic tour in 1986. Since Queen?s career ran from 1971 until Freddie?s sad death in 1991 this tour was when the band was firmly established as one of the biggest bands in the world, certainly with one of the most extravagant live shows. I think the quality of the support band shows just how big this tour was. The supporting acts included INXS and Status Quo!! The album is a compilation of bits of 4 different gigs on this tour, 2 from...

alexpreston 16.02.2004 (17.02.2004) · Read review
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Review of Live Magic - Queen

Magic Roundabout

Advantages: A magical adventure that children of all ages will love
Disadvantages: Some people will hate it as its not the original.

...OK hands up who remembers watching the Magic Roundabout. Lots of you then. I remember it all to well. As I got older I heard the rumours about how it was secretly all about drugs. Then watching it again in a whole new light. Was it about drugs? I dont know, but looking at the animation and even some of the stories its obvious that the writers and animators were on something....lol. Well I did often wonder if it would ever be brought back. The answer is yes. But what a comeback they have made. Gone is the stop motion animation and the charming stories. Instead we have a roller coaster ride of thrills, spills and CGI animation. I knew as soon as my wife heard that this film was being released we would be going to see it in the cinema. After all i am married to a woman who is 26 going on 6. So I shouldnt have been shocked by it...

ian4552 09.08.2005 (23.08.2005) · Read review
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Review of Magic Roundabout (Animated) (DVD)

A Magic Book

Advantages: Good story, well written characters
Disadvantages: Magical element seems a tad childish

...I do love my chick lit as most of you can probably tell from the sorts of books that I review on here, but I do like it to have a certain authenticity about it. I don't like anything to silly and unbelievable so when I came to read this one, and discovered it had things about magic in it, I was a bit unsure about whether or not I'd actually enjoy it or not. But thanks to Carole Matthews good writing style, I think I actually did in the end! Emma and Leo are complete opposites. Leo is unreliable, a bit childish and doesn't take life, love or his job all too seriously, yet his girlfriend Emma is strict, reliable, tidy and enjoys her life being in order. This is why, when Leo turns up at Emma's 30th birthday drunk and incredibly late, she decides the pair are splitting up. But on his way home, a newly single Leo bumps into a lady...

mummy2harry 21.11.2008 · Read review
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Review of It's A Kind of Magic - Carole Matthews

Magically Mighty!

Advantages: Awesome graphics, some nice new features
Disadvantages: Some of the changes from HOMM IV aren't for the better, GLITCHES!!

...Those who read my previous review on Heroes of Might and Magic (HOMM) IV, will know that I'm a big fan of the series and have been since I was introduced to HOMM 2 several years back. Well, some time after the release of HOMM IV I noticed that it was no longer on the shelves in shops (not too much of a problem as I already owned it by then), with the apparent reason being that the makers 3DO had gone bust. This left me to mourn the end of my favourite series of PC games, but, after all hope had long since vanished, Ubisoft picked up where 3DO left off and have now released HOMM V. WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT THEN? HOMM is set in a world of swords and sorcery and fantastical creatures. Throughout the series the aim had been, essentially, to guide a hero or heroes around an adventure map, picking up resources and battling free...

baalzamon 31.05.2006 · Read review
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Review of Heroes of Might and Magic V (PC)

nail magic

Advantages: strong, healthy and long nails
Disadvantages: price

...a fabulous product and well worth the price. I always wanted long nails but they always split and break. But after stumbling onto a review for nail magic on the net i decided to give it a go. two years later i'm a devoted user and have made friends and relatives nail magic addicts as well. When you first start to use it it does tend to peel off but as you go on to use it just once a week the peeling stops and the effects start to show. You can also use it with nail varnish so you don't have to have bare nails. My own nails looks so great that people think they're false! don't expect results overnight as the true strength comes with the new nail growth as it grows and becomes really strong....

ddwest 05.02.2009 · Read review
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Review of Nail Magic

Primary colour (of magic)

Advantages: Plenty of amusing scenes; Rincewind is a great character, as is the Luggage
Disadvantages: Less coherent than later books, and not as sharp in the satire

...The Colour of Magic - which is really half of a complete story, along with its sequel, The Light Fantastic - is where Discworld, and the real celebrity of Terry Pratchett, all began. He'd written a few books before this, but the Discworld series is the true cause of his enduring fame. Why "Discworld"? Because the stories set on a world shaped like a disc, of course! (Mind you, one of the footnotes for which Pratchett is famed implies that it may have been supposed to have been a pizza...) As a long-time fan of the series who has only recently returned to read this book again, one thing that stands out is just how long the story takes to get into gear. Much of the opening section is more concerned with poking fun at the stereotypes of fantasy fiction than in actually moving things along. The parody is well done and humorously accurate...

davidbuttery 10.11.2009 · Read review
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Review of The Colour of Magic - Terry Pratchett