Author: markswritingcorner

Mark Ahern was born in 1979 and is from Ireland. He attained a Degree in Commerce from UCD in 2000 and a Masters in European Studies in 2001. He has written three novels to date encompassing science fiction and thrillers. At times Mark has used his experiences as an individual with a disability to write from a truly unique perspective. "Chronicles of Martan" which is his sole science fiction work to date, is an epic space odyssey inspired by his love of Star Wars. This was followed by "Not the Usual Suspect" and "Paradigm". His current project is called "The Irish Ripper" and should be available late 2019.

One day in Croker (Pt. 3)

The match was about to begin and with it, the hopes and dreams of every Westmeath man and woman. Here, in the majestic and forbidding Croke Park, which was festooned in maroon, green, and gold. Impatient gasps and shouting broke out. Then, with a blow of the referee’s whistle, there was a roar of eighty thousand souls.

“Calm down Aoife, there is seventy minutes to go,” Yvonne laughed.

It was answered with a nervous smile.

Kerry took an early lead and were four points up after the quarter hour mark.

There was a deathly silence from the Westmeath supporters.

Then Aoife began to chant.

Westmeath, Westmeath, Westmeath..

Others joined in and then it sounded like the entire stadium.

Then Westmeath scored a brace of points and drew level.

The game then went back and forth with long stretches of hand passes.

Shouts of –

“Kick the feckin’ thing” went up.

Each team scored two further point before the whistle was blown for half time.

“I might pop up and see if James and Stephen are okay.”

“Yeah, right Aoife. I saw the way you looked at him.”

“What?”

“You fancy him. Go on, off you go.”

Aoife looked dismissively at her sister.

“I’ll be back in a few mins.”

Review of Wednesday (TV series Netflix)

Okay, I know what you’re thinking. What is that Mark fellow, who let’s face it could be described at best as being middle-aged doing watching a fantasy coming-of-age story about a teenage girl. Is he off his rocker again? Maybe, I even deserve your ridicule.

But, trust me when I tell you that I have no regrets whatsoever. Okay, you have to understand its fantasy and just run with it. The star of the show is Wednesday Addams, played by the wonderful Jenna Ortega. Remember the name. As anybody who has watched any Addams family will know, Wednesday is full of woe.

But this series develops her character significantly. And she has been sent to a school full of werewolves and other monsters. Yes, she is full of woe but deep down she does care deeply about those around her. This comes as a surprise to her, but you and the other characters can sense it. Not that she’ll ever be lovey dovely. Her disdain for her parents is very amusing. Her psychic abilities and curiosity drive her to find out who has been behind recent murders near the school. All very bloody, I like it.

The story builds through each episode. And, of course there is romance, this being a show about teenagers after all. Not too much thank God. That sort of thing is so last century.

There are lots of other memorable characters also such as Enid Sinclair, her colourful roommate, who is still to undergo her first wolf out. Talk about teenage angst.

Thankfully, virtue signalling and wokeness are absent. Yes, it could be seen as feminist, but it doesn’t have any man hate in it.

I was delighted to hear there is going to be a second series. Five stars out of five. Now, you know what to watch this weekend.

One Day in Croker Pt. 2 (Romance)

Stephen was somewhat more coy and he said with a wide grin –

“God, I didn’t think I’d be getting help from a Westmeath woman on today of all days!”

“You better pray that Westmeath win so,” Aoife replied.

Yvonne then interjected –

“You’d want to watch her or she’ll tip ya out of that chair. Say one bad thing about Westmeath.”

The small group burst out into laughter.

Soon, they had reached an exit point onto a standard footpath, but descended onto the road when they saw the large crowds all decked out in the maroon of Westmeath, and the green and gold of Kerry walking along it in the direction of Croke Park.

Aoife could hear that Yvonne and James had started chatting away behind them.

“What stand are you in Stephen?”

“The Hogan Stand. I think they have a special wheelchair area.”

“So, are we. We’re in the Lower Stand”

“Looking forward to it? I guess with Kerry winning everything, you’ve been here loadsa times!”

“This is actually my first time here. ‘Twas a long drive, wouldn’t do it often.”

He strained to look backwards. Aoife felt her heart flutter as she looked into his warm, blue eyes. She reckoned that he was in his mid thirties, just like herself.

“Yeah, I’d say it was. What part of Kerry are you from?”

“Tralee.”

“Oh, lovely. Heard so much about Kerry, have always wanted to visit it.”

They were now in the shadow of the stadium.

The place was jammed full of people all excitedly talking to one another.

“I can take it from here Aoife, thanks so much. I think we have to get a lift up to where we’re going,” James said with a wide smile.

Stephen interjected –

“We can’t wish you luck though.”

“We understand.”

With that, they parted ways.

One day in Croker (Romance – Pt 1)

It was the best of times. Of that, she had no doubt. Westmeath had finally reached an All-Ireland final. Only Kerry stood in the way. It wasn’t that Westmeath had experienced a famine, there was never food there in the first place. No glory, no swagger save a lone Leinster title. Now, Aoife would finally see that all change. She just knew it.

“Don’t get your hopes up too much girls, this is Westmeath after all.”

That was her father just over an hour ago, thinking he was being funny. Unfortunately, he was from Offaly and loved to get the digs in when he could.

Now, she could see the stadium in the distance. The drama, the passion. Adrenaline was pumping through her body. She was with her sister Yvonne. Not the biggest of GAA fans, but more of a recent convert, and Westmeath would need every bit of help it could get.

It was a warm day, not a cloud in the sky and they had just parked up on a field at Clonliffe College. They were now walking on the pathway out of the grounds.

“Come on Yvonne, not much further.”

“Relax Aoife, it doesn’t start for an hour.”

Then Aoife noticed that there was an eldely man pushing a guy in a wheelchair a few meters in front of them. But they are struggling over the gravel surface.

“Sorry, need a hand? Can I be of assistance?”

The old man looked at her forlornly. The guy looked somewhat embarrassed. They were both wearing Kerry colors.

“It’s just so hard to push.”

“Here, let me have a go,”

It was tough but she knew she could do it.

“My name is Aoife by the way.”

The older man spoke first.

“I’m James and this is my nephew Stephen.

The Horror (Comedy)

This may be a time of war, starvation, homelessness and despair but its rare for me to be truly horrified. But, this was a truly terrible confession by Mr R (to keep anonymity). It took some minutes for me to stop shaking with the dread. Well Mr R was out on the town having some beers. All good so far. It has to be done after all. I’d like to imagine he was chatting up everything with a skirt.

And as is customary he decided to have some vodka when he got home. As God would have intended. Well, after pouring himself a triple or so, he had a sip and let the taste hit his tongue.

But he decided that he had his fill and threw it down the sink.

“How could you?” I said

“It’s just so wrong?”

“Think of all the alcos dying for a drop, how do you live with yourself?”

The horror.

All those years of patience, seeking perfection ruined.

Perhaps, it started its life as a potato out in a field full of hope that someday in the future, it could be distilled into the most perfect vodka before being drank by a good man. Hopes now cruelly dashed.

I think of that partially empty bottle of vodka, all alone in a fridge somewhere wondering what is the meaning of it all.

It’ll take time folks but I’ll be okay. Each hour I’m thinking about that beautiful full glass of vodka, a little bit less. I’m strong, I can do it.

Review of “Children of Time” by Adrian Tchalkovsky (Sci-fi novel)

Well readers, I really should have been studying for upcoming interviews but I can always waste tomorrow doing that instead. This novel, the winner of the 2016 Arthur C Clarke was well worth it and a real gem. It’s hard to know exactly to start. It’s a long read at over six hundred pages.

It covers many different themes, some of which are God, alienness and what exactly that means, and the difficulties and duration of space travel for a level of technology that humans might approximate in the next century.

In the far future Dr. Avrana Kern is the head of a science team that has terraformed an uninhabitable torus shaped planet to make it suitable for life. A genetically designed virus to speed the evolution of monkeys is then released. But that is where things start to go wrong. There is a revolution, then a war of annihilation that breaks out throughout the empire. This affects the science vessel too and the monkeys who are the intended target of the virus burn up in the planet’s atmosphere.

Instead, it acts on different species but has the largest impact on spiders/

We are then introduced to an Ark Ship called The Gilgamesh that is the last remnants of humanity and looking for somewhere to settle down. Earth has been poisoned by the Old Empire.

What follows is a fascinating journey through space and time. What most impresses me about the novel, is how the spiders follow their own different way of technological improvement and the pure genius of the author to imagine it all. It really feels like you are being given an insight into something somewhat familiar, yet so alien.

Needless to say, this masterpiece gets five stars out of five. The movie rights have been sold but I think it would be impossible to truly bring it to the big screen. Like all the spider communications would have to be subtitled and would people want to look up close at spiders for so long.. It definitely wouldn’t be as good as the book.

Final thoughts on “Treason” Netflix Series

Well just a short post to keep my readers fully updated, I watched the final two and a half episodes of “Treason” earlier today. As you may remember I was already recommending you watch this series. Well, the final episodes do not disappoint.

This series gets all five stars out of five for me. Thankfully, it didn’t go down a rabbit hole. The story kept its focus and my engagement with the right mixture of intrigue and action. The characters were complex but just the right amount.

Also, the series is it’s own closed story. I’m not left thinking I’ve spent five hours watching a half story like you often get with Netflix.

Will there be a series 2? Quite possibly but it’ll have its own story. The Russian spy character has a lot of potential.

Read my first post if you want to know more.

Review of “Treason” – Netflix series

Hello, ladies and gentlemen, I do hope that you are all enjoying the holidays. I know I am. The thoughts of the drudgery of work, save me please. On a lighter note I started to watch this new Netflix series yesterday and am currently half way through it. I have to say that I am transfixed. It’s the first time in a while that I’ve been impressed by Netflix.

It tells the story of a a youngish (it is significant) M16 agent who finds himself catapulted to the position of C (overall in charge) when his boss is mysteriously poisoned.

Naturally for this type of tv program, all is not as it seems. Otherwise, sure why would we watch it? Our M16 agent may have been getting some assistance on his rise up through the ranks in the form of a Russian spy. And now it’s time for payback.

What follows is intrigue and suspense before a kidnapping ups everything a gear. No sex though and the violence is quite limited for this kind of thing. But, I like it.

These kind of series are prone to getting overly complicated with too many characters and side stories. I’ll keep you updated on whether it keeps its focus but in the meantime, you should give the first few episodes a try.

Review of The Duke (Film)

This film, that only recently became available on Sky Cinema, is a British comedy drama based on real life events. It was released to cinema in February 2022. It’s about a British taxi driver played by Jim Broadbent, self educated sixty year old Kempton Bunton who has recently been fired and steals a famous painting to try and further a socialist cause – that older persons shouldn’t have to pay their tv license. In that regard, it feels eerily contemporary.

It deals with the real life 1961 theft of “The Portrait of Wellington”. Generally, I love these films set in prior eras giving you a snapshot into what life was once like.

So is it any good? Well, yes and no. It’s quite slow to start but that does give you time to get to know the characters that bit better and what their different motivations are. Mr. Bunton’s daughter died a few years previously and he blames himself, trying to do good deeds to make some amends.

He is aided by his dutiful son who helps him in his exploits when he’s not chasing skirt.

The exasperated wife, who has buried her grief is played by played by Helen Mirren and she is brilliant as always. Just a pity role wasn’t a bit more challenging.

The film is quite funny at times, especially when it goes to trial. The intelligentsia meets the self taught man with his unusual answers to questions.

However, the film does have somewhat of a depressive feel to it for a comedy. Of course they have to show the why of what he did. And I don’t think it crosses the line into being a feel good film.

Therefore, I give this film three stars out of five.