Kingsman and James Rollins’ Black Order

 

Dear Friends,

It has been an extremely difficult month for me physically and emotionally, particularly over the last several days. Without delving deep into the all too personal details, I’ll say that I have been feeling raw and vulnerable and teetering on the brink of losing my sanity. So, when I feel this way I find refuge in my favorite distractions: good fiction and the movies.

James Rollins’s Black Order, first published in 2007, follows the adventures of three Sigma Force agents caught up in a conspiracy of world-changing significance that stretches back to WWII and Nazi Germany. It’s smart and exciting, a great blend of historical fact, scientific theory and good old story telling. Yup, it’s a page turner and I’m sure the reason it was on the New York Times Best Seller list. I am looking forward to reading more of Rollins’s early, as well as current works.

If you haven’t seen Kingsman: The Secret Service…go. If you like action/adventure, lots of British accents, superfly fight scenes, spy gadgets and a damn good story-line, Kingsman is for you. I cheered, I laughed, I groaned and I think I might have even shrieked once or twice…and I LOVED IT! This movie is based on a 2012 comic book series, The Secret Service, written by Mark Miller and David Gibbons, screen play by Vaughn and Jane Goldman. Kingsman: The Secret Service: an intense and super exciting spy movie following in James Bond style…maybe better.

Shush, don’t tell Ian Fleming.

Jennifer, thanks for lending me the book. Jeff, thanks for taking me to the movie. AND, James, Mark, David, Vaughn and Jane, thank you…thank you…thank you for your stories. They were my life jacket.

~ K. L. Parry