Advantages: Excellent facilities, qualified professors
Disadvantages: Halls

...Last year, I made one of the most important decisions of my life: to attend King\'s College. This decision has changed almost every aspect of me as this is the type of University that really impacts students on daily basis. The first time I applied to University was in the end of 2005. I had attended a French high school abroad and was a top student throughout most of my school career. Although I did have excellent grades, I always had a low morale as my high school was run by an administration which had transformed it into an enterprise. Competition between students was used as a tool to measure their success, but in fact it caused severe emotional problems amongst pupils. Since most of the other girls in the school excelled in every possible area, I was just evaluated as another number in the school computer. I was given little... Read review

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Advantages: Hearing King answer questions about his life and work
Disadvantages: They never ask the stuff you REALLY want to know

...Some time ago, I reviewed an audio book version of Stephen King’s “LT’s Theory of Pets”, which was, at the time, an unpublished story read by the author himself live at the Royal Festival Hall. At the time I was disappointed that the introduction to the tape suggested there would be questions at the end but that these weren’t included on the reading. However, there was then, and is now, a tape in existence called “Stephen King –Live!” and the information from Amazon on this release suggested that it may be a recording of the whole show. Unfortunately, tracking this version down in offline book retailers proved nigh on impossible. Having searched the audio book collections of nearly every high street book seller, when I remembered, over a few years, I was still without a copy. And with the retail price of nearly £8.00, I didn... Read review

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Advantages: All Of It, If You're A King Fan
Disadvantages: Not Much Otherwise

...Before even thinking of reading this book, you have to consider your thoughts on the author, Stephen King, very carefully. Remember, if you can, your school days. Unless you were a full time rebel or a full time student, there will be lessons in which you remember working hard, and those in which you remember throwing paper aeroplanes and giggling with your friends, yes? For me at least (and I suspect you’re the same), the difference in those two types of lessons always boiled down to how much respect I had for the teacher in question. The same applies here. Stephen King’s ‘On Writing’ is not an autobiography, it is, as the cover states, a ‘memoir’, but that’s only for the first half – the second half is a little bit like how you may remember you’re A level English lessons, those... Read review

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Advantages: A Good Drama
Disadvantages: Dodgy accents and unauthentic settings

...The story of Jesus is without a doubt the greatest story ever told. It is such a good story that I believe that it appeals in some way to everyone, regardless of whether they have faith, or whatever creed they are. To depict such a story in the shape of a film must be such a daunting task. Yet there has been a flurry of such films in recent years. These later films have however tended to portray a more controversial side of the life of Jesus. King of Kings is an example of a film that attempts to keep quite close to the original story told in the Bible. This portrayal is an example of one of the earlier attempts to tell the story on the screen and on the whole it works well. Watching this film today it is easy to forget that it was filmed as long ago as 1961. Unlike many of the films that followed this version, King of Kings... Read review

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Advantages: great animation, good music, 5 discs
Disadvantages: expensive

...There is a number of disney films that I enjoy watching very much, to test this I watch them all and repeat it. The test shows my film of favourite was the lion king. My review here is not written with a corner off of one film but all 3 lion king films. It is without any trouble that I will thus tell you that the films are of a fantastic dimension. Nevertheless the idea of having lions in a film along with nature; will give you a pleasant change from watching humans. I bought the Lion King on 5 discs and its an installation of a DVD trilogy : 3 movies with 2 special feature discs. Lion King --------- The story of Lion king is similar to the disney film Bambi, but instead of the fight with the forest animals they use africa and the words which carry me outside in the manner of the film I cannot describe to you. I will tell you... Read review

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Advantages: Great short stories, each a great novel in its own right
Disadvantages: 'The Body' is a little long

...Sometimes authors are placed into boxes, and the great Stephen King is no exception. While Terry Pratchett is known for his fantasy books and John Grisham for his gripping courtroom stories, Stephen King has always been associated with horror. As IT, Salem's Lot, Christine, Carrie, Cujo, Pet Semetary and Gerald's Game have proved, King is a master at writing scary stories; his books are both well written and compelling, with intricate plots and an imaginative use of lexis making his work extremely enjoyable. Though horror is clearly King's favourite genre, his book Different Seasons shows that he can turn his hand to anything, with this collection of four short novels as good as his previous (and later) works. Different Seasons contains four very different stories, each worthy of being a stand-alone novel in its own right. Three... Read review

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Advantages: Stylish rooms, great food, fantastic staff
Disadvantages: You need a reason to go to Chipping Campden

...WARNING UPDATE - JUNE 2008 - I have just heard that Michael and Vanessa have sold the Kings and it is now under new management. As a result of this, some of the more quirky features of the place have changed - don't be surprised to find no sherry or jelly beans and apparently most of the nick-nacks have gone ***************************************************** Staying at the Kings is like staying with friends - but only if you are lucky enough to have friends with 12 spare bedrooms, a bar and restaurant and impeccable taste in furnishings and decoration. I spend a lot of time in hotels and I'm a bit jaded to their charms these days - it takes a lot to surprise or charm me after 15 years of business travel. But the Kings is something special. In a town like Chipping Campden it's probably not that necessary to try too hard if you... Read review

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Advantages: Compelling writing, superb characterization
Disadvantages: Rather harrowing

...gun fire, he was sent to a Java POW camp, and later to the infamous Changi- the very place featured in the book, and naturally the experiences that Peter Marlowe )the protagonist) undergoes are based heavily on Clavell. An interesting piece of knowledge is that the name of the character 'Peter Marlowe' is a direct reference to Joseph Conrad's 'Heart of Darkness.' To reduce King Rat down to it's most simple elements- the story of one mans survival in a Prisoner of War camp, would be to devalue the novel's worth, and is certainly not what the author intended at all. King Rat is centred around one man. Peter Marlowe; 25 years old, an English flight lieutenant in Changi a camp where only one in fifteen men survived, is the protagonist of the novel, and it revolves around the choices he has to make between honour and survival... Read review

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Advantages: Atmospheric and touching
Disadvantages: A little slow but for a ghost story that's okay.

...I seem to have been reading this novel for a long time, in all probability it has probably only taken me just over a week, a very busy week I might add. But to be honest I feel like me and this book have been intertwined a lot longer. King, here, appears to be writing a traditional ghost story, there are screams in the night, the main character hears the mysterious sound of a child crying upon entering his property, there are periods of coldness or instances of like a wind of coldness passing him by. Which would all point to a traditional ghost story, but with King there is usually more to it than that. I'll give you a brief outline of the plot, but I'll not go into too much detail here as I don't want to spoil the read for those of you who decide that this sounds like your sort of thing. Michael Noonan, a moderately... Read review

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Advantages: A lovely characters and overall story.
Disadvantages: Lengthy and too much going on!

...Hello fellow Ciaoers! I've been away for a while now but I'm back and ready to write! My next review is on one of my favourite films: Anna and the King. I have always loved this film and there have been many makes and re-makes of this film but this latest crack at it, is by far my favourite! As always I shall include a couple of quotes for your amusment from the critics!! "A richly satisfying mix of history, drama and romance." Susan Stark, DETROIT NEWS "Holds its own against the beloved 1956 musical The King and I." Steve Murray, ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION "Even folks familiar with the original accounts will find much to enjoy in the new one." Lawrence Toppman, CHARLOTTE OBSERVER I personally would agree with every last quote here! Well that's done, now on to the boring gritty bits! ***TECHIE STUFF... Read review

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