Sunday, August 31, 2014

The Sublimity of Faith (Theology)


The Sublimity of Faith - Frank S. Murray This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.leafmarks.tumblr.com by express permission of this reviewer.

Title: Sublimity of Faith
Series: -----
Author: Frank Murray
Rating: 5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Biography
Pages: 951


Synopsis:
A biography of Frank W. Sandford by one of his most ardent admirers, Frank Murray.
Sandford felt called by God to live by Faith and ended up establishing churches across America and Canada, a large Bibleschool in Maine and several missionary outposts across the world.
Murray chronicles Frank Sandford's start as a young pastor until his death in the mid 1900's.

My Thoughts:
A lot of personal things are in this review, just so you know.

I read this book in preparation for attending Bibleschool in 1997.

So far in my short life, there are 3 books that have quite literally formed me and my thoughts.
The Bible
The Sublimity of Faith
Seventh Day Adventists Believe...

As a young man, I'd read about Biblical heroes, men and women of Faith who lived out God's will in the far past. However, there are times that the young need something more immediate to look up to.
This book provided me that in spades. A man who stepped out from the traditional into what God was calling him to. Sacrifice. Hardwork. Trusting in God when it didn't make sense. Answers to prayer that were miraculous.
It inspired me and made what might have been theoretical in the Bible into flesh and blood.

As I've gone on in life I've met others who didn't have the same view of Sandford as Frank Murray did. Some of those people who had a different viewpoint were my own grandparents. According to them, Murray had rose tinted glasses on when viewing Sandford. I knew Frank Murray before he died and actually had him scold me in church one time because I was fooling around in the audio/visual booth instead of paying attention. And he was in the pulpit, so everyone heard.
I also knew my grandparents.

Murray was one of the most loving, kind, bold,gentle and stern men I've ever met. My grandparents on the other hand, were some of the most bitter and hard people I've ever met.
[that being said, there were reasons they were the way they were. It makes me proud to know that they prevented those things from passing to the next generation. So don't get me wrong, I loved my grands, it is just that they weren't the warm and loving grandparents one usually thinks of]
So if I had to choose one viewpoint over the other, I'd choose Murray's any day but I acknowledge that my grands had some legit things in what they said.

This book showed me that a lifestyle called for by Christ Himself can be lived in this world. Since I graduated from Fairwood Bible Institute in 2000, life has thrown things my way that I never thought I'd have to deal with. Things that broke me, bent me, hurt me and generally tried to make me doubt the Goodness of God. And there are times that I need to be reminded that there are others who have gone through worse things and still kept their faith. They kept on going towards the goal God had called them toward even though everything around them called for them to stop.

In the end, this book called me to be more like Christ.

Viper's Kiss (House of Serpents #2) (Forgotten Realms)


Viper's Kiss  - Lisa Smedman This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.leafmarks.tumblr.com by express permission of this reviewer.

Title: Viper's Kiss
Series: House of Serpents, Forgotten Realms
Author: Lisa Smedman
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 324


Synopsis:
Arvin skips town to avoid the guild and to get rich quick off a Baron who has a kidnapped daughter. Of course, everything leads back to Sybil the goddess wannabe and the mindmage who once tried to control Arvin.
Arvin meets a stunningly beautiful half-Yuanti and teams up with her to take down the kidnappers, rescue the girl and to foil Sybil.

My Thoughts:
Pretty average fare. Lots of action and intrigue and some kinkiness thrown in as Smedman skirts the whole human/yuanti mating thing.

Arvin is still a stupid ass but since I wasn't expecting him to have changed from the previous book, Venom's Taste, it was easy to go with the flow. However, him sending his own lover and mother of his future children into hell, by accident no less, was not something I saw coming. I actually just laughed it was so ridiculous.

This book confirms that I enjoy most of Smedman's Forgotten Realms writings and that when I see her name on a book I will most likely enjoy it. I like having that kind of knowledge.

Thursday, August 28, 2014

Furious (Kris Longknife #10)


Furious (Kris Longknife, #10) - Mike Shepherd This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.leafmarks.tumblr.com by express permission of this reviewer.

Title: Furious
Series: Kris Longknife
Author: Mike Shepherd
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: SF
Pages: 368


Synopsis:
Being the galaxies Most Wanted Person isn't all it cracked up to be. Kris is being kept on a backwater planet doing busy work and climbing back into the bottle while Jack is on a Super Secret Security Platform. In essence, they are both imprisoned.

Then Kris gets free, puts herself on trial on a world not associated with either the Longknifes OR the Grenfelds and begins the battle to prepare humanity for its worst nightmare.

While she succeeds in the trial, it doesn't stop her from being wanted on other worlds. So she, Jack and the others setout to find the abominations and to scout and kill them if possible.

My Thoughts:
Once again, this felt like 2 separate stories in one book. You'd think I'd be expecting it or used to it after 10 books, but no, it gets me every time. Maybe Shepherd has ADHD?

Pretty much everything I've ever said about the previous books applies here. This is an open ended series with no real over-arching series plot without a conclusion for us to look forward to. If these books weren't in the 300-500 page range, I'd be tempted to just call this a serial and let Shepherd rot. In some ways I think Shepherd would do better to let this series turn into something like the Rogue Angel series with nothing but action plots and ghost writers. At least that way I won't be expecting more than I end up getting.

If you've stuck with the series this long, chances are you are going to stick with it for another 10 books unless they are horribly written and Shepherd is a good enough writer that I don't foresee that happening for quite some time.

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

M.Y.T.H. Inc. Link (Myth Adventures #7)


M.Y.T.H. Inc. Link (Myth Adventures Book 7) - Robert Asprin This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.leafmarks.tumblr.com by express permission of this reviewer.

Title: M.Y.T.H. Inc. Link
Series: Myth Adventures
Author: Robert Asprin
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 136


Synopsis:
A series of short stories about each of the characters that have collected around Skeeve and who make up Myth Inc.
And an overall story about Skeeve learning he isn't "all that" but just a guy with a great set of friends.

My Thoughts:
This was slightly humorous and the lack of "funny" was helped out by the fact that Asprin doesn't seem to do his best work with short stories.

Just an average read.

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Future Indefinite (The Great Game #3)


Future Indefinite  - Dave Duncan This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.leafmarks.tumblr.com by express permission of this reviewer.

Title: Future Indefinite
Series: The Great Game
Author: Dave Duncan
Rating: 1.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 476


Synopsis:
Edward does a 180 and embraces the Filoby Testament and voila, everything gets fulfilled.
And Dave Duncan does his best to show hatred and disgust for Victorian English Christianity.

My Thoughts:
I spent a good solid 45 minutes on a review and then because I accidentally clicked the mousepad on my laptap, it all disappeared!
So between my dislike of Duncan's stance about Christianity in this novel and my review gettting eaten up, I am simply stating that I didn't like this book and I'll be sticking to Duncan's King's Blades books from now on.

Another indepth, perceptive and engaging review by Bookstooge. Yep, totally!

Sunday, August 24, 2014

Odd Thomas (Odd Thomas #1)


Odd Thomas  - Dean Koontz This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.leafmarks.tumblr.com by express permission of this reviewer


Title: Odd Thomas
Series: Odd Thomas
Author: Dean Koontz
Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 344

Synopsis:
Odd Thomas, a young man who has a gift for seeing ghosties and other supernatural apparitions, must try to stop an unknown deadly event from happening in the small town of Pico Mundo. With help from his soul mate Stormy, his father figure the Police Chief and the ghost of Elvis, Odd must solve the mystery before evil blooms.

My Thoughts:
Back in May, I watched the movie Odd Thomas [Review can be found HERE] and really enjoyed it. Enough so that I sought out the books it was based on.

This was definitely a case where whichever medium you were acquainted with Odd first is your preferred. I enjoyed the book, and the movie got the dry, self-deprecating tone down perfectly, but since I already knew what was going to happen, the book didn't have the same "oomph".  I liked the movie better, but I can see if I had read the book first I would have liked that better.

For someone who grew up with a complete narcissistic father, a selfish bordering on the insane mother and who can see ghosts and "demons" [bodachs], Odd is pretty grounded. I found the balance he struck between trying to change things and not getting involved to be just what I'd like to think I would have done.

Thoroughly enjoyable read and I'll be seeking out the later novels to put on my TBR list.

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Ordeal by Innocence


Ordeal by Innocence (Queen of Mystery) - Agatha Christie This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.leafmarks.tumblr.com by express permission of this reviewer


Title: Ordeal by Innocence
Series: -----
Author: Agatha Christie
Rating: 2 of 5 Stars
Genre: Mystery
Pages: 292

Synopsis:
A do gooder with stuffing for brains involves himself in an old murder by proving the murderer was innocent and it was another family member.

After destroying the peace of the family and allowing at least 1 member to be killed, he solves the case and gets engaged to the youngest daughter.

My Thoughts:
If you couldn't tell from my rating and synopsis, I didn't really like this book. It was full of breathless secrets that were ultimately meaningless, or even worse, would have helped but everyone was convinced that they knew best and so kept quiet.

Another thing that bothered was the police procedure. I know it was a different time, but who thinks it is a great idea to question the pool of suspects all together in one room at the same time? Idiots. Even Lestrade is smarter than that!

I just didn't enjoy this and it reinforced my opinion that mysteries as a genre are not my thing. The occasional one that is at the top of the pile [And Then There Were None, etc, etc] is good, but not a wholesale diet like I have for SFF.

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

St. Louis Showdown (The Executioner #23)


St. Louis Showdown - Don Pendleton This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.leafmarks.tumblr.com by express permission of this reviewer


Title: St. Louis Showdown
Series: The Executioner
Author: Don Pendleton
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: Thriller
Pages: 181

Synopsis:
Mack Bolan realizes that he can't keep playing whack-a-mole with the mafia and so changes tactics. Instead of just indiscriminately killing, Bolan decides to not kill old mafia leaders who aren't young bucks looking to take over the country. Let the seniors and the bucks try to kill each other. Playing the mafia against itself, so to speak.

At the same time, Bolan hooks up with Able Team yet again as they are on a mission in St. Louis and could really use the help.

And to make things really complicated, Mack's kid brother, who is now 16, wants to team up with his big brother. Not because he wants justice, but because his guardian, Val, former lover and True Love of Mack Bolan, is marrying someone else who wants to adopt him when Val gets married.

In the end, Bolan solves the problems and marches on, alone as always.

My Thoughts:
Pendleton is definitely leading into a more Team Oriented Mack Bolan with his introduction in an earlier book of Able Team. Since he's using them again, I can see Mack joining for at least a while. Until someone else dies and he goes all lone wolf.

I also liked how the whole Val and kid brother thing is being taken care of once and for all. Married, adopted and out of the picture completely. Sucks for Mack, that is for sure. Now he is really alone.  If I had been him, I would have taken a year off from my war, trained my brother and then gone back with a vengeance with a competently trained soldier watching my back. However, it certainly makes more sense story wise to just remove them. Glad Pendleton didn't decide to gruesomely kill them.

I really enjoy these books, as shallow and plot by numbers as they are.

Monday, August 18, 2014

Akira #3 (Manga Monday)


Akira, Vol. 3 - Katsuhiro Otomo This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.leafmarks.tumblr.com by express permission of this reviewer

Title: Akira #3
Series: Akira
Author & Artist: Katsuhiro Otomo
Rating: 4.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Manga
Pages: 284


Synopsis:
The Colonel activates a coup after losing Akira and takes over Neo-Tokyo [because we all know that as Neo-Tokyo goes so goes the rest of Japan].

The rebels are betrayed by one of their own, a schemer who wants Akira for himself so he can be a "player" in the big leagues.

A new group of super powered children appear, apparently loyal to the leader of the rebels, a certain Lady Miyako who is also super-powered, somehow.

Kaneda, Kei and a new sidekick, a true blue Japanese Mama-san are running all over the place, trying to keep Akira safe. Oh yeah, Kaneda steals a tank. Yeah, for real.

Finally, Akira. The poor kid is passed from group to group like a football at the Superbowl and at the end, he psychically explodes and a good part of Neo-Tokyo is now gone. And Tetsuo appears next to him at the last page of the book. Good times ahead!

My Thoughts:
This ran the gamut from sad [Takeshi, one of the 'old' kids getting his brains blown out] to funny [Kaneda stealing a tank is just awesome! This whole volume would have been worth it for just that!]

This is definitely not for everyone. But I would highly recommend it unreservedly to any guy or to anyone else looking for some epic scifi blow-em up action. If you're looking for deep character development and monologues about feelings, go read something else. Seriously.

I'm off to eat a rare steak and shoot some guns. And maybe steal a tank while I'm at it *wink*

Sunday, August 17, 2014

Sands of the Soul (Sembia #6) (Forgotten Realms)


Sand of the Soul: Sembia: Gateway to the Realms, Book 6 - Voronica Whitney-Robinson This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.leafmarks.tumblr.com by express permission of this reviewer

Title: Sands of the Soul
Series: Sembia,  Forgotten Realms
Author: Veronica Whitney-Robinson
Rating: 2.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 240


Synopsis:
Thazienne Uskevren, daughter and spoiled brat, is recovering from physical and spiritual injuries. An old foe returns to steal one of her friends' soul and Tazi is all that is standing between the evil sorcerer and her blind friend.

With an old acquaintance who she doesn't fully trust, Tazi must venture deep into the desert to confront this evil and somehow stop his evil plan from unfolding.

My Thoughts:
Either I'm missing a lot from earlier books, or this author tried to create a backstory and failed wholesale. I felt like some very important pieces of info were talked about that we had no access to. It was very disconcerting.

And this was just blah. Tazi doesn't trust the old acquaintance and yet they fall in love in the end. Mother issues.  Oh and lots of self-esteem building talks and such. Lordy, I hate that kind of crap.

Overall, an average Forgotten Realms adventure, in The Desert.  The series has lost my interest more at each book but thankfully there is only 1 more book and then I can get back to the Erevis Cale books.

Saturday, August 16, 2014

Interphase DNF @ 26%


Interphase - Jonathan  Wilson,Kira Wilson This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.leafmarks.tumblr.com by express permission of this reviewer.

Title: Interphase
Series: -----
Author: Kira & Jonathan Wilson
Rating: 1 of 5 Stars
Genre: SF
Pages: 432


Synopsis:
A mid 20's guy, way in the future, finds another world and finds a chick that likes him there. Only, it is appears to be all digital and computery and mysterious. So a group of friends get together to find out what is going on.
And the world of the future is in the balance or something.

My Thoughts:
Caveat Number 1
I have some mutual friends with these authors and I ALWAYS judge people I know much harder than I do some unknown stranger.

Caveat Number 2
Me and gamers aren't on best of terms. I don't have a problem with people who game and keep it in its proper place. But when I think of a "gamer", I think of that 20something out of college, without a job, living in their parents basement who can't pay you for gas but somehow mysteriously ALWAYS has their monthly gaming fees.

So with all that being said, I think I am the completely wrong person to have reviewed this book. However, I know there are other people like me out there and this is for them [and me obviously, for when I go senile and can't remember why I didn't finish this book]

A lot of blushing goes on. I'm talking "guardians in the kitchen catching a quick smootch and the main character [that 20something gamer I mentioned] blushes at that" level of blushing. I don't like graphic sex in my books, but this level of naivete was annoying.

The story was rolling along and the MC was doing his heroic quest gaming thing and that appeared that that was all he did, play video games. Ok,no problem, in the future the economy is different. Oh, here's 3 sentences about his job that he keeps showing up late for or missing shifts altogether. So he does work, kind of. It would have been better not to mention this at all, as at that point I completely went on a full on Responsibility Rage Rant and my poor wife had to listen to me.

And so I quit.

The writing was fine, the story was a bit drawn out [over 400 pages for a first novel] and the grammar was fine for what I read as well. Maybe you'll enjoy this, maybe you won't. But either way, it isn't the New Best Seller of the Millennium, no matter how you slice it.

Friday, August 15, 2014

Soulminder (ARC)


Soulminder - Timothy Zahn I received this copy from the publisher through Netgalley.com and that in no way has influenced my opinion in regards to this review.


This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.leafmarks.tumblr.com by express permission of this reviewer.





Title: Soulminder
Series: -----
Author: Timothy Zahn
Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: SF
Pages: 283


Synopsis:
Dr. Adrian Sommers lost his 5 year old son in a car accident and is convinced that if he could have had more time, he could have saved his son.
That idea turns into a full blown obsession and Sommers invents a device that can be a holding tank for the soul until the body can be healed and the soul returned.
Each chapter shows a different aspect of the implications of such a device.

My Thoughts:
In many ways, this is the book I have been waiting for from Zahn. Something that is science fiction'y but so theologically and philosophically laced that you can't help but reflect on the implications of what the author is writing about.

Now, Zahn's Mormonism shows through in how he presents the idea of what a soul is and so I deducted a half star because I really disagree on this and I think it is important.  It didn't detract from the overall story though and if you're not too worried about things like that, you probably won't be bothered by this much at all.

The chapters were very reminiscent of old Asimov stories, as each chapter was a snapshot in time of one particular incident. In one sense this novel was a series of short stories that happened to all be about the same subject. I really like short stories when they are done right and most of these were done right.

So overall, I really enjoyed this book. It made me think, even if just to figure out where and why I disagreed with Zahn and it presented some really good questions about ethics, morality and what is life.

I did take off a star because I thought the idea of the "airtight" security rather laughable. If it exists, someone somewhere can hack it, steal it or copy it. Reverse engineering might take years, but this book covers almost 20 years and the rewards would be astronomical.
And secondly, the ending was so deus-ex machina that I quite literally rolled my eyes. Inserted code can be found, no matter how cleverly hidden. The next generation is always producing a smarter genius *smiles*

But once again, Zahn produces a book that I can thoroughly enjoy and recommend whole heartedly.

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

A Forest of Stars (Saga of the Seven Suns #2)


A Forest of Stars (The Saga of Seven Suns, # 2) - Kevin J. Anderson This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.leafmarks.tumblr.com by express permission of this reviewer.

Title: A Forest of Stars
Series: Saga of the Seven Suns
Author: Kevin Anderson
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: SF
Pages: 704


Synopsis:
Stuff happens and the other ancient alien races appear. One for each element of Air, Water, Fire and Earth.
This definitely deserves the title of "Saga", as it is huge in scope.

My Thoughts:
I enjoyed the beginning, was bored in the middle and enjoyed the ending.

Most of my experience with Anderson has been with his Star Wars books and they never impressed me, not at all. This series, the writing is almost like he is enjoying what he is writing and he's trying to do a good job. And it shows.

My only problem is/was that this was just too big. Too much is happening and to force it all in, you get some really boring stretches. Overall, a solid read but not something I'll ever re-read or salivate for the next book, unlike Akira.

Monday, August 11, 2014

Akira #2 (Manga Monday)


Akira, Vol. 2 - Katsuhiro Otomo This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.leafmarks.tumblr.com by express permission of this reviewer

Title: Akira #2
Series: Akira
Author & Artist: Katsuhiro Otomo
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Genre: Manga
Pages: 304

Synopsis:
Kaneda and Kei escape from their holding cells and the top secret base with help from some of the special children. Only to come right back to try to kill Tetsuo and prevent him from releasing Akira.
Tetsuo does his bully thing, hurts the special kids, finds the holding place for Akira and heads over there. Only to find Akira has removed himself from his cryogenic prison and is now free. A free 10 year old boy.
The Colonel orders a Level 7 Alert [higher alert than a nuclear threat] and has a Space Satellite try to fry Tetsuo and Akira. Of course, they freaking miss and all they do is burn off Tetsuo's arm, at which point the volume ends.

My Thoughts:
This volume was much less graphically violent than Volume 1. Kids weren't decapitating each other with pipes, etc, etc. But Tetsuo powers up with a new teleport ability and insta-healing and is just as psychotic and douche-baggy as ever. I really want to see him hurt and die; his attitude makes me sick.

Kaneda and Kei are much more of a team now. While Kaneda is still a hormone filled teen, he is getting to the point where he can now kill Tetsuo instead of hesitating. Kei is still the mature young woman just like from the beginning. Their back and forths are amusing.

I am VERY glad that I own all 6 volumes already, because if I had to wait between volumes, it would kill me. The tension of just what is going to happen is dramatically ratcheting upwards and the mystery surrounding Akira, who we find out is just a young boy, deepens. And will Akira help, fight or surrender to Tetsuo is just eating at me.

If I weren't doing a weekly manga review, I suspect I'd be reading these volumes one a day and just gorging on them.

Saturday, August 09, 2014

Heart of Darkness (Classic)


Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.leafmarks.tumblr.com by express permission of this reviewer.

Title: Heart of Darkness
Series: None
Author: Joseph Conrad
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Genre: Classic
Pages: 116


Synopsis:
The narrator of the story, a sailor and steamboat captain, tells a tale about his adventure of rescuing a Company Man in the middle of Africa. Said company man is an ivory hunter and apparently a god with words.

My Thoughts:
I went into this book not expecting to enjoy it and to hate the underlying philosophy. However, the depths of a fallen man were not glorified and the empty hopelessness of it all fits in perfectly with my thoughts on a world that rejects God. It reminded me of Lord of the Flies in that the characters thought that being British was proof against them ever falling into ways they deemed uncivilized.

I enjoyed the writing and thought it was well done and paced fairly well. However, this free kindle edition, which was taken from the project gutenberg site I believe, suffers from a lack of formatting. And that in turn does affect the story and your perception of what is going on.

I'm noticing that many of the free kindle classics suffer from this. I want to go over and download the actual projectgutenberg.com editions to see if it is sloppy volunteer work or something in the conversion process that just buggers things up. I suspect sloppy volunteer work but can't really blame them. Just digitizing is a huge step, much less properly formatting it,  on your own time no less.

And that is all I have to say on that. Just don't feel like trying to dissect or discuss anything else in the book. I've read it, it was a lot better than I thought it would be and now I can forget about it :-D

Friday, August 08, 2014

Die Trying (Jack Reacher #2)


Die Trying  - Lee Child This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.leafmarks.tumblr.com by express permission of this reviewer.

Title: Die Trying
Series: Jack Reacher
Author: Lee Child
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: Thriller
Pages: 434


Synopsis:
Jack is at the wrong place at the wrong time, gets kidnapped and ends up saving the nation from a megalomaniac who wants to carve his own nation out of Utah or some place and set off a huge bomb in California.

My Thoughts:
There was no tension in this book. You know from the beginning that Reacher will do ultra-violent things and come out the other side and that other people will die.

This reached disturbing levels of violence. The books starts out with a sentence something like this:
His abdominals ruptured under the first punch...

There were a couple of times where I just shuddered and had to ask myself if I really wanted to read something like this. I like violence, hence my penchant for series like Mack Bolan the Executioner and Neal Asher's Polity Universe books but this, this is a level of brutality that I don't want to become used to or comfortable with.

The problem is that just like a junkie, I am attracted to something like this and it has a draw for me. And this is one of the better things that can happen when writing a review, something that was amorphous and vague becomes crystal clear.  I don't want something like this polluting my mind so I won't be reading any more by Mr. Child's.

Wednesday, August 06, 2014

I Dare (Liaden)


I Dare - Sharon Lee;Steve Miller This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.leafmarks.tumblr.com by express permission of this reviewer.

Title: I Dare
Series: Liaden Universe
Author: Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Genre: SF
Pages: 416


Synopsis:
The Ministry of the Interior pretends to have killed off all the members of the Korval clan, except for Pat-rin the Playboy, in an attempt to bend him to their will.
Pat-rin's playboy exterior only covers a true Korval core and he attempts to start the clan over on a new world, with new allies.
However, the Clan is NOT dead and Val Con the Head of the Clan formulates a plan to save himself, the Clan and all of Liad from the depredations of the Ministry.

My Thoughts:
I didn't enjoy this book as much as the previous Liad books, mainly because Pat-rin is too wracked with guilt, self-loathing and self-doubt.
However, seeing the Ministry of the Interior get theirs was pretty good.

The romance side of things was ok, with several couples spontaneously life-mating, one pair through a dream no less.  I rolled my eyes but I didn't feel dirty or disgusted like I would with that smut that passes for romance these days.

Each book I read is bittersweet, as I enjoy them so much and each book finished means I'm one book closer to the end. I ration myself.

Tuesday, August 05, 2014

Von Neumann's War


Von Neumann's War - John Ringo,Travis S. Taylor This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.leafmarks.tumblr.com by express permission of this reviewer.

Title: Von Neumann's War
Series: Von Neumann's War
Author: John Ringo & Travis Taylor
Rating: 2 of 5 Stars
Genre: Military SF
Pages: 522


Synopsis:
Alien probes have terraformed Mars, the moon and are moving onto the Earth. Eating all metal, the probes are destroying our civilization and eventually us.
But thanks to good old American know-how, ingenuity and super-science, we ARE fighting back.

My Thoughts:
In many ways, this was reminiscent of Ringo and Taylor's Through the Looking Glass, but with about 10,000% more military jingo, gun porn and scientific babble.

First off, this book was about 300 pages too long. Nothing happens or is confirmed until about page 150. Do you get that? Nothing is even confirmed! We get science-babble instead. That was not cool.

Second, Earth is almost completely over-run and it isn't until the last 50 pages that the rogue grumpy scientist and the redneck scientists and the gutsy  but warm-hearted military group all come together to turn the tide. 50 pages from the end of a 500 page monstrosity.

Thirdly, utter gratuitous violence, that while making sense in-book, just turned me off. Soldiers getting their heads torn off because of their dog-tags? Yeah, no thanks. And cannibalism, even though only vaguely referenced, was done is such a way as to import the horror without actually saying anything. Once again, no thanks. I'm not sure why, as usually I'm all for ultra-violence, but this, it wasn't good for me.

This just wasn't for me. And I'm not sure who it IS supposed to be for either. There is a sequel, but I certainly won't be  reading it.

Monday, August 04, 2014

Akira #1 (Manga Monday)


Akira, Vol. 1 - Katsuhiro Otomo This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.leafmarks.tumblr.com by express permission of this reviewer

Title: Akira #1
Series: Akira
Author & Artist: Katsuhiro Otomo
Rating: 4.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Manga
Pages: 360

Synopsis:
Best friends, Kaneda and Tetsuo, are juvenile delinquents at a reform school. They are popping pills whenever they can and driving their motorcycles with their gang whenever they can.
One night Tetsuo gets into an accident trying to avoid a mysterious stranger and is taken to a hospital. When he comes back, he isn't the same Tetsuo.
Kaneda gets involved with a rogue group in the process of trying to find Tetsuo and runs afoul of a secret military branch.
And through it all, Akira, a secret weapon that started and ended World War III, is spoken about in hushed tones. What, or WHO, is Akira?

My Thoughts:
I read this sometime back in the early '00's soon after all 6 volumes were released by Dark Horse Comics in collected form. I was wicked impressed.

I was wicked impressed this time around as well. This blends punks, drugs, military, extra-sensory individuals and teen romance into one huge story. There was very little setup and we just jumped right in to the story. Kaneda and Tetsuo are shown as good friends, but thankfully there aren't endless flashbacks to their childhood or any such thing.

Otomo does a fantastic job of transforming Tetsuo from a slightly mild mannered punk into a vicious psychopath with unknown powers. You can also practically see Destiny with a Capital "D" surrounding his friend Kaneda as the one who will have to stop him.

This book is in a large format, which it has to be since most manga are around the 200-+ page mark and this is almost double that. One of the benefits is being able to peruse the pictures and SEE what is happening instead of just racing through the words. One thing I did find slightly disconcerting was that there were several instances where things seemed to have happened out of panel that we aren't privy to and the characters are reacting to that. Have to pay attention.

The artwork is what we have come to expect from a Post-Apocalyptic Neo-Tokyo. Highways leading to nowhere, futuristic military "things", the down and out slumming on the corners, massive underground mechanical items that we simply don't know what they are.

This re-read has lived up, so far, to my memories. I am glad of that.

Sunday, August 03, 2014

Vamphyri! (Necroscope #2)


Necroscope II: Vamphyri! - Brian Lumley This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.leafmarks.tumblr.com by express permission of this reviewer.

Title: Vamphyri!
Series: Necroscope
Author: Brian Lumley
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Genre: Horror/Thriller
Pages: 470


Synopsis:
Years before the activities chronicled in Necroscope, one of the vampires set things in motion for his successor to rise should he ever be destroyed.
This story alternates between modern day tale of Bodescu the descendant and the story of the rise of Ferenczy, the ancestor.

My Thoughts:
Now this was a Cold War Espionage Thriller...with Vampires that I was expecting.

I really enjoyed the historical aspect, seeing Ferenczy through the ages and how he tired of life eventually.

There certainly were disturbing scenes that really bothered me. Bodescu forcing himself on his mother, aunt and cousin with his vampire powers while his Uncle stood by and watched was probably the worst. It wasn't graphic, thankfully, but it was more than enough to put me off.

This was definitely horror, with all the creepy disturbing'ness that goes along with that. Harry is part of the story,  but almost more like a facilitator of information than a real character. Of course, him being an incorporeal ghost might have something to do with that. I did like how things were worked out so Harry could stick around.

Not much else to say really. Not sure why the "!" was added in the title, but hey, those 80's were a bigger than big time.  Enjoyable.

Friday, August 01, 2014

The Price of Peace (Jump Universe #2)


The Price of Peace (Society of Humanity, Bk. 2) - Mike Moscoe This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.leafmarks.tumblr.com by express permission of this reviewer.

Title: The Price of Peace
Series: Jump Universe
Author: Mike Moscoe
Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: SF
Pages: 329


Synopsis:
The group is hired by Westhaven [?] to hunt down some pirates and in the process come across a new group of corporate flunkies who are pushing a new drug to fund their rogue ways.

My Thoughts:
This was almost exactly like one of the Kris Longknife books where one of the little adventures is about rescuing some people from slave labor of drug harvesting.
This was the exact clone of that story [or to be correct, the KL book was a copy of this], and to be honest, I liked this one better.

Trouble, and us, are introduced to his wife-to-be, and that was cool. I really enjoyed following Trouble as he was kidnapped and then rescued.

Nothing stood out about this story at all, much like the previous book and all of the Kris Longknife books. A good solid SFAdventure story that while not blowing my socks off certainly didn't let me down.

One thing I noted, some editions say "Society of Humanity" and others "A Jump Universe Novel".  I hate it when things like a series name change happens for unfathomable reasons. It strikes me as messy and amateur'ish [not on Moscoe's part, buty by the publishers,  Ace/Penguin]