The Cafe (2011- ) - TV series written by Ralf Little and Michelle Terry

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Unfortunately I missed the first series of this but my Mum brought me into the second one and it is brilliant. A very British comedy and without a sitcom style laughing audience some of the jokes might be missed by a few people as they are so subtle but if you are paying attention and understand British comedy it is hilarious. For those who don't get British humour then you can watch it for the eccentric and mildly crazy characters with very sweet story lines.

Very short series (only 6/7episode) which seems to be typical of British TV but the episodes are also quite short and this leaves the viewer quite unsatisfied after watching an episode but also after watching the whole series. I do not believe that this is the fault of the writers but rather due to a lack of time and funding and because of limited viewing numbers it doesn't seem as though the short episodes and series will end any time soon.

The remarkable thing, for me, about this series is that the cast is wonderful. They act brilliantly, well enough to prompt my Mum into praising the acting which is a rare event. Furthermore there is a variety from the normal to the completely crazy. This, again, is very typical of British TV if you have seen The Vicar of Dibley or Blackadder, etc. You genuinely care for the characters and their lives as they deal with problems that are far more realistic than almost any other TV show.

It is a shame that there isn't a larger audience for this because it is so lovely and gentle to watch, nowadays people want more fast paced lines and action. I don't know if this will have a third series but it deserves to and I cannot recommend this highly enough if you have a British sense of humour.

The Maze Runner (2009) - Book by James Dashner

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This book is often compared to The Hunger Games because it is about young people fighting for their lives in odd circumstances however it seems that only people who haven't read this book or don't fully understand it can make that connection because the two series are very different. Dashner creates a fascinating book that is filled with characters you want to read about, even if you don't always like them, and the twists in every chapter keep the reader turning pages from the very beginning. I think that this is the strongest of the three books however the other two can very much stand alone so I will review these three separately. 

The story revolves around a teenage boy named Thomas and his experiences in a large, dangerous and unexplained maze. Dashner writes this marvellously because as Thomas gets frustrated with his lack of understanding so too does the reader. We are as much in the dark as the characters and this means that there is a level of empathy shared between reader and character. Bcause there is an array of characters this also allows people to identify more closely with one or two of them and become even more emotionally tied to the characters, although I wouldn’t recommend getting too attached as Dashner can be quite ruthless with his characters’ fates.  Most of the characters are male, and this may isolate some female readers, but if you read the later books there are more female supports.

The world created is well crafted because it is so small, because the characters live in a small glade encased in a huge maze. You are drawn into the world because the Gladers, as they call themselves, invent their own words and customs that as Thomas gets used to so does the reader. It is a very refreshing idea that a group of boys stranded somewhere can actually create a fairly harmonious and functional society compared to the more classic Lord of the Flies perspective on things. 

One flaw in Dashner's book that was slightly debilitating to a reader is his description of certain aspects and most importantly his description of the grievers. He creates a new monster and names it a griever however the way this monster is described makes it almost impossible to imagine. The description indicates something repulsive because it seems to be a slug with weaponry, but it is still taxing to a reader to be expected to fear something when it is so complex to imagine.

With the film coming next year I am excited to see how the grievers turn out. The casting in my mind, is excellent and hopefully the book will be justly transmitted onto screen. The story is filled with fun and this balance of happy and sad is the makings of any great book series. Dashner created a terrible world but filled it with wonderful people and told a compelling story.