June 2021 - Luke’s Blog

29Jun 2021 by Luke Harkness 1 Comment

Book Review: Old Man’s War by John Scalzi

We’re many years in the future when humanity has conquered space travel. We now live in a society where on your 75th birthday you can enlist to become part of a program to support humanity’s efforts in space. This program sees you become an elite army to both defend and conquer planets on behalf of humanity. Old Man's War is a fascinating concept and is delivered in a very satisfying way. (more…)

28Jun 2021 by Luke Harkness No Comments

Book Review: The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan

Book reviews, Fantasy

Epic fantasy is a genre that often features whole new realised worlds, creative creatures not in our own world, and, more often than not, a big journey. Lord of the Rings arguably shot this genre into the mainstream. Robert Jordan’s The Eye of the World and subsequent series fleshed out the genre and realised its potential. (more…)

27Jun 2021 by Luke Harkness

The Dos and Don’ts of a Blog – Optimise your articles

Features, Tips and Tricks

So you've just started a blog and are looking for advice on what to do and what not to do. Well, I can't sit here and say I have years of experience, but I can sit here and tell you exactly what I do and this might give you some tips. (more…)

26Jun 2021 by Luke Harkness No Comments

Book Review: The Alienist by Caleb Carr

Book reviews

The Alienist by Caleb Carr is set in the year 1896 in New York when the city is hit by a very disturbing murder that soon turns into a string of murders that sets off the search for one of the city's very first serial killers. It is the duty of Laszlo Kreizler, John Moore and their team to solve these murders before things get out of hand. (more…)

25Jun 2021 by Luke Harkness 1 Comment

Book Review: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Book reviews, Classics, Sci-Fi

We live in a world where books are banned. The idea of reading is illegal. Books give you adventurous ideas and this isn’t right. Books became a notable way to influence people. There are firemen whose job is to burn these books and the houses they’re housed in. This is the concept behind Fahrenheit 451 and it’s executed excellently. (more…)

22Jun 2021 by Luke Harkness No Comments

50 things to know when starting (and running) a blog

Features, Tips and Tricks

I started my blog not long ago. I thought it would be quite an easy process. Pick a domain, choose your blog host and start posting your articles. But as you delve deeper into the complexities of making it something where hopefully you'll see a profit and gain a lot of traction out of it, you realise there's a lot more to starting and running a blog than you may realise. (more…)

22Jun 2021 by Luke Harkness 2 Comments

Book Review: Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Book reviews, Classics

A group of boys find themselves adrift on an island. They wake up with no idea where they are. They must make rules to survive. These rules will be the breaking of them. Lord of the Flies by William Golding explores an incredibly realistic “simulation” if you will, of what would happen if the aforementioned were to happen. (more…)

22Jun 2021 by Luke Harkness 1 Comment

Book Review: The Man In The High Castle by Philip K. Dick

Book reviews, Fantasy

What would it be like if the Nazis had won and gone on to take over America? What would life be like if the Japanese ruled alongside them and all other races were left in slavery and discrimination? That’s what The Man In The High Castle by Philip K. Dick discusses. (more…)

21Jun 2021 by Luke Harkness No Comments

Book Review: The Northern Lights by Philip Pullman

Book reviews, Fantasy

The Northern Lights by Philip Pullman and its subsequent books are one of the most famous series’ in fantasy literature. It features Lyra, a young girl who finds herself thrust into this larger-than-life journey that sees things she never knew even existed. Oh, and she has a pet Dæmon, Pantalaimon. (more…)

18Jun 2021 by Luke Harkness No Comments

Guide to Setting Up a Shop on Your Blog

Features, How to

There are a few reasons you might want to start up a shop on your blog. Firstly, it may be that you want to start making some money from the viewership you're finding is growing on your blog or you may simply have creative talent and want to show this off and may as well charge people for it. Or you may simply already be selling products elsewhere and want to move those ideas/products over to your own blog. (more…)

Month: June 2021