The Shadow Lamp (Bright Empires #4)

Author: Stephen Lawhead

3 of 5 Stars

Stephen Lawhead has been my hero since I read his Arthur trilogy when I was a young teen.
He did what I thought was impossible: he meshed fantasy with Christian theology, seamlessly and realistically. He didn't create a new world that broke the rules of ours, but meshed a fantasy one to ours that adhered to rules of our world and a supernatural one.

But this book Lawhead makes it quite clear that he is a theistic evolutionist and leaning much more towards the deistic side of things.  In most books, I can, and do, ignore the underlying theology of the author. But for Lawhead I can't do that, for my Hero's have no failings.

And unfortunately, that says as much about me as it does about Mr. Lawhead.

So on to this book. Sadly, it was pretty much on par with the previous 3. It just kind of plodded.  That is really the best I can say for this series. It doesn't disappoint, it just stolidly moves on. Kind of like a big dumb cow.

There is one more book to go, coming out in Fall/Winter '14, but after that, I think I might be done with Lawhead. A Hero fallen is one of the worst things ever. :-(

Kafka On the Shore

Author: Haruki Murakami

3 of 5 Stars

First off, this has some graphic sex scenes that are incestuous in nature. So proceed at your own risk.

An interesting tale of 2 men, one old, one young, who both have to find something for their lives to be truly fulfilled.

After reading 1Q84, I was pretty ready for Murakami's style, so the almost dreamlike pace didn't unsettle me. The writing is fantastic and in many ways I did love the story. The pacing, the back and forth of scenes between the 2 protagonists, the surreal atmosphere, the funny little interjections, the ordinary just slightly turned 20degrees of kilter, it all made for a fantastic read.

But, incest? I felt so dirty after reading the scenes that I wish I could have taken them out of the story.  Other than that, this would have been a 5star. Now I am sad.

Valkyrie Rising (Hayden War Cycle #2)

Author: Evan Currie

3 of 5 Stars

In this story, we get to see Sorila upgraded, and along with some other Special Forces, take on some real alien soldiers, not the security guards of the previous books.

There is also a space battle, but honestly, it doesn't bear mentioning, as it was more of a "it happened" scenario than anything else.

What struck me is how episodic this felt. Sorila is barely included in the story and we get 1 ambush and 1 fight and 1 space fight. I don't know, it just felt very quick and unfulfilling.

Oh, and all the "women are just as good in the military as men" schtick got old. Felt like pandering to me. You want to make your women kickass, then do it. I had no problems with Sorila at all. Or the admiral in charge of Fleet Valkyrie. Until I kept getting hit in the face with how equal everybody was.

Finally, why was so much time wasted on describing Sorila at home? It didn't add anything to the depth of her character, or make you feel more connected to her. I think it, and the upgrade process, should have been cut and at least another action sequence of aliens versus special forces thrown in.

Maybe in the next book? I sure hope so!

Without Remorse

Author: Tom Clancy

4 of 5 Stars

I have had some hit and miss type reactions to Clancy's books. I LOVED Patriot Games, but Red Storm Rising didn't do much for me at all. I liked the movie Hunt for Red October, but found the book too technical and engineer'y.

So I wasn't sure what I was getting into when I started reading Without Remorse.  I am happy to report that I ended up really enjoying this.

The premise is right up my alley. SEAL commando, who is despondent over losing his wife, meets cute girl. Things end up badly and SEAL goes after those responsible because the Law can't.

Give me a highly trained vigilante with Justice on his side anytime.

The only downside was that this took place in the Vietnam era and I'd really like to read something a bit more modern, kind of like how Shooter [the movie] was updated to Afghanistan from Point of Impact in Vietnam.

So if any of you know of a good modern military thriller, feel free to leave a comment about it.

Blood & Ivory (Kencyrath) DNF

Author: P.C. Hodgell

Unrated

A bunch of short stories. They appear to be reveals that were a big deal at the time, but all the data was later expounded on in full novels.

So I was 30% through and it was all reruns. So I quit.

Carpe Diem (Liaden #3) Publication

Author: Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
4 of 5 Stars

I really enjoyed this. Our hero's are trapped on a non-techy world and must survive until they are either assassinated or rescued.

We are re-introduced to both couples we've met in book 1 and 2.  Having both their histories helped me relate to this story a lot more. It would have been very disconcerting to read about the society of Liad without the previous history.

Steelheart (Epics #1)

Author: Brandon Sanderson

3 of 5 Stars

Awkward. That is how I felt almost the whole way through this book.

I've enjoyed almost all of Sanderson's adult books, and I really liked his Alcatraz books, which I think of as children's books.

But Steelheart? It really did seem like a teen book. It was awkward, stilted, not quite fitting any parameters, at times rational and adult and at others selfish and childish. I felt like I was wearing a set of clothes that just didn't quite fit.

Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy this read. But what I read versus what I was expecting was very different. I'll be reading the next Epics book when it comes out, but with a much more realistic set of expectations and I'm hoping that will allow me to enjoy it more.

Crucible (Star Wars)

Author: Troy Denning

3 of 5 Stars

If this isn't the end of Luke, Leia and Han as major characters, then I'll eat my hat.

I actually enjoyed the story and found it "slightly" above the average recent Star Wars novels. It was really weird seeing Luke and Leia go all "Anakin II". It was a good thing that Denning wasn't allowed to kill any of them.

I will say, I don't see much of a future in the Star Wars universe between this book and where the comic books start up with Ben's grandkid [or whoever Caid is]. Jaina, Jag and the other characters just aren't interesting enough, imo, to have their own storylines.

And that means that we'll probably get more of those awful Old Republic novels based on the video games. I've Kenobi on tap, but after that, I'm not really sure I want to keep on reading in the Star Wars Expanded Universe.

The Leper of Saint Giles (Brother Cadfael #5)

Author: Ellis Peters

3 of 5 Stars

In which Brother Cadfael solves a mystery of double murder, allows young love to come together and generally runs around sticking his nose everywhere.

And we like him for it.

Freedom TM (Daemon #2)

Author: Daniel Suarez

3 of 5 Stars

This was almost a 180 shift from the previous book. Everyone good was now bad and the Daemon and it's minions were now the good guys.

And the first 3rd of the book was more of a soapbox preaching about economic philosophies. It wasn't really interesting.

Then things got interesting, but it was more like a computer game. And Suarez seems to postulate that if only real life were more like a videogame then everything would be ok. The problem is that the system he puts in place could, and would, be abused, hacked and manipulated just like anything in life.

But the points he makes about our current socio-economic way of life simply doesn't ring with me, as I believe the path we are on is one that is a necessity for the End to come.

Really too bad that Daemon wasn't more of a standalone, because this really drags it down.