Author: HCNewton Page 537 of 629

March 2016 Report

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On April 1, 2016

In Books, Calendar Items, Currently Reading, News/Misc.

So, here’s what happened here in March (a transition month for me personally, so not as much happened as I’d like…)

Books Read:

Morning Star A Prayer for Owen Meany God's Glory Alone—The Majestic Heart of Christian Faith and Life
5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars
Risen Dead is Better Glittering Vices
3.5 Stars 4 Stars 1 Star
Got Luck Elphie and Dad go on an Epic Adventure Reformed Dogmatics, Volume 1
4 Stars 3 Stars 5 Stars
A Devil in Hong Kong Once a Crooked Man The Shootout Solution
2 1/2 Stars 3.5 Stars 4 Stars
Fire Touched The Red Storm Chaos Choreography
4 Stars 4 Stars 4 Stars
The Last Dream Keeper A Far Out Galaxy Heroes and Villains: Pawn in the Game
4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars

Still Reading:

A Light to the Nations Calamity    

Reviews Posted:

How was your month?

A Devil in Hong Kong by David Harris Lang

By

On March 31, 2016

In Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

I’m going to be brief here, thanks to my away-from-home-readathon last week, I’m very behind, and I don’t have much to say about this one. I’m going to be vague, too — because I just can’t muster up enough enthusiasm to get too specific about the book (and if I did, I’d end up not being brief…)

A Devil in Hong KongA Devil in Hong Kong

by David Harris Lang

Kindle Edition, 312 pg.
Merrimack Media, 2016

Read: March 19 – 22, 2016

This started off with a slightly disturbing and intriguing chapter involving torture, a distinctively tattooed man and an ancient artifact — a white jade burial suit. Which was enough to get me interested, even if the scene was a told in a heavy-handed manner (and, for the record, I’m not that into torture scenes, but it does work at getting a reader’s attention).

Sadly, the start was wasted by then turning to an uninteresting historical tour following the suit from its creation in the year 889 through its discovery by amateur archaeologists and eventual disappearance — there was decent material there in a pulp-y sense, but Lang just didn’t sell it. The suit shows up on the black market in the late 20th century, and that starts the dominoes falling to get us to the first scene.

When we return to the modern time, we meet a loser video game player who is “recruited” to join a private intelligence/criminal enterprise. Nothing about this storyline, the characters involved, or the way that the Chinese government uses them for Black Ops was believable, well-told, or interesting. Nothing.

We then get to the Hong Kong detectives investigating the brutal murder that happened following the initial torture scene. These guys are so clichéd, the interaction between them is so stiff, and the way they do their business is — well, I just didn’t like it.

Do you sense a trend?

There’s not one character here that I want to spend any more time with — strike that. The tattooed man has promise — give me a book focusing on him — or the hunt for him in other contexts — I’d probably indulge in it (I might end up regretting the indulgence, but you never know)

The writing here was mediocre at best. The plotlines, the “twists”, the incredible coincidences, etc. were pure melodrama — and don’t get me started on the denouement, I could do 500+ words on it alone, and I’d end up dropping my rating. The dialogue? Painful. Really painful — like the kind of thing that Joel and the Bots (or Mike and the Bots, or Jonah and the Bots) should be mocking. Still, you give this one decent edit from someone with an ear for dialogue and another edit by someone focusing on cleaning out the plotlines and I can see where this would appeal to fans of Dan Brown and/or James Patterson.

There’s a hint of a decent novel buried under a lot of nonsense here, I guess that’s the best I can say. Your mileage may vary, but I wouldn’t recommend it.

Disclaimer: I was provided with a copy of this by a friend of the author in exchange for this post, which was half-baked, I realize, and I feel bad for that. On the other hand, he may not want to see the fully-baked version.

—–

2 1/2 Stars

Heroes and Villains: Pawn in the Game by Tara R

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On March 30, 2016

In Fiction

Heroes and Villains: Pawn in the Game Heroes and Villains: Pawn in the Game

by Tara R
Series: Heroes and Villains, #1

Kindle, 243 pg.
2015

Read: March 26 – 27, 2016


I’m not really sure where to start with this, to tell you the truth. Tara R has put a lot of effort into this, there’s clearly an ambitious story she’s wanting to tell. Sadly, she’s not the kind of writer (yet?) who can pull it off.

She has a hard enough time pulling off basic grammar, punctuation and vocabulary, much less a consistent voice and created culture. I’d given up on this thing by the end of chapter three, but was willing (and eager) for her to win me back — it’s been done before. It’s been done in the last week, but this novel just isn’t capable of it.

I’d try to describe the book a little, but I’m not sure I can — it’s a dystopian fantasy, a world full of despots using their subjects as cannon fodder. There’s magic, to a degree, there’s widespread suffering and abuse, there’s an idealistic revolutionary or two — but no golden age to hearken back to. Just an idea (with no observable origin) that the world could be better. But there’s no one on this world that’s ever seen a better world, so why they’d think there is one is beyond me.

That said, various people — royalty and commoners both, have senses of humor, moments of joy and joking, and even non-royals get dressed in tuxedos (because what epic fantasy doesn’t have guys in tuxes?). In fact, for a dytopian world, it frequently doesn’t seem that bad — except for the people talking about how horrible it is all the time. Again, there’s no basis for them to think so given that this is the way the world has always worked.

The various governmental entities, secret societies, and would-be insurrections just don’t make sense. Their operation isn’t coherent (nor do they fit the setting), their goals are confusing — and then you get the totally out of the blue and bizarre lecture on DNA and I just gave up. This is a barely educated society, and sure, our protagonist is founding secret schools all over the place, but it’s a mighty big leap to go from an agrarian-based culture in a near-constant state of war with only underground schools to people casually discussing genetic manipulation.

Could I have tried harder to understand everything? Maybe — but I was really searching for something to hold on to, I tried pretty hard. But other than curiosity, there was no reason to — there’s not a single character interesting enough to keep you going, to make you care whether they live, die, or are never mentioned again in any way by the author.

It is simply, and perhaps too bluntly, a disappointing mess.

I’m giving it two stars because I didn’t actively hate it. Also, I do think that there’s something buried deep down here that’s worth looking at, and I really do think that in Tara R’s mind, this all makes sense — she’s clearly put the time and thought into it. But she just did not get that to the page. If you’re willing to put in the work, you might find the nuggets. But I wouldn’t recommend spending your time on it, it’s just not worth it.

Disclaimer: I was provided with a copy of this by the author in exchange for an honest review, she hopefully doesn’t regret that exchange too much.

—–

2 Stars

The Shootout Solution (Audiobook) by Michael R. Underwood, Mary Robinette Kowal

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On March 30, 2016

In Fiction, Genrenauts, Michael R. Underwood, Science Fiction

The Shootout SolutionThe Shootout Solution

by Michael R. Underwood, Mary Robinette Kowal
(Narrator)
Series: Genrenauts, Episode 1

Unabridged Audiobook, 3 hours and 25 minutes
Macmillan Audio, 2015
Read: March 23, 2016


I thoroughly enjoyed the story about Leah Tang’s introduction to the wonderful and crazy world of the Genrenauts — and it’s sequel — when I read it last November. When heading out for a road trip, I figured it’d be a good distraction from the road for my wife, son and I. It’s a fun story, filled with characters you want to root for on an adventure that we all would like to take. I mean seriously, a rocketship ride to the Old West? Sign me up.

For me, this time it was a little easier to grasp the explanations given for what the team is up to — the new reality (better, realities) that Leah finds herself in this time out. Partially because I already knew it, partially because I find that kind of thing easier to digest when I hear it (so why don’t I listen to more audiobooks?)

On the whole, I was really impressed with Kowal’s narration. My wife and I weren’t crazy about her characterization of King — the voice was hard to understand, I really didn’t think it matched the description Underwood gave. I had virtually no other complaints — and in fact, really enjoyed her work. It was a little hard for me to deal with the fact that it took nearly three-and-a-half hours to get through, I’m used to spending a lot less time with Underwood’s works (most of them, anyway). But I did appreciate being forced to soak in the world, think about things a bit more than I would have on my own.

I was hoping we’d get through the second installment as well, but we weren’t able to squeeze that in. I’m curious what Kowall did with some of the characters we meet there, and hope I can figure out a time to get to it soon.

If you liked the novella — or if you think you’d like the book, but haven’t gotten around to grabbing it, the audiobook is well worth the small investment of time and money.

—–

4 Stars

United States of Books – The Descendants by Kaui Hart Hemmings

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On March 28, 2016

In Fiction, General Fiction/Literature, United States of Books

The DescendantsThe Descendants

by Kaui Hart Hemmings

Author: Teri at Sportochick’s Musings

Synopsis

Narrated in a bold, fearless, unforgettable voice and set against the lush, panoramic backdrop of Hawaii, The Descendants is a stunning debut novel about an unconventional family forced to come together and re-create its own legacy.

Matthew King was once considered one of the most fortunate men in Hawaii. His missionary ancestors were financially and culturally progressive–one even married a Hawaiian princess, making Matt a royal descendant and one of the state’s largest landowners.

Now his luck has changed. His two daughters are out of control: Ten-year-old Scottie is a smart-ass with a desperate need for attention, and seventeen-year-old Alex, a former model, is a recovering drug addict. Matt’s charismatic, thrill-seeking, high-maintenance wife, Joanie, lies in a coma after a boat-racing accident and will soon be taken off life support. The Kings can hardly picture life without her, but as they come to terms with this tragedy, their sadness is mixed with a sense of freedom that shames them–and spurs them into surprising actions.

Before honoring Joanie’s living will, Matt must gather her friends and family to say their final goodbyes, a difficult situation made worse by the sudden discovery that there is one person who hasn’t been told: the man with whom Joanie had been having an affair, quite possibly the one man she ever truly loved. Forced to examine what he owes not only to the living but to the dead, Matt takes to the road with his daughters to find his wife’s lover, a memorable journey that leads to both painful revelations and unforeseen humor and growth.

Review

Though traditionally this book would not of caught my eye I was interested in reading it because of my love for Hawaii. From the start the author did an admirable job of creating irritating spoiled children in the characters of Scottie and Alex. The addition of Alex’s friend, Sid who has his own set of problems and annoyingness rounded off for me a difficult read. It is not that the book isn’t well written but I wanted to take all of them over my knee and spank them or hug them to death.

As a mother I was stressed during this whole book and angry with Matt that he had not been more present in his daughter’s upbringing and he allowed his wife free rein without question. As the story went on though he started to show superb judgement in how he handled so many of the new situations that showed up. The author did a fine job in the steadiness of Matt still making mistakes and where his aha moments happened, causing a change in his thoughts and actions.

Joanie is written in a very believable manner and one wonders if she ever thought of the damage she was doing to her children or if she was that clueless that she thought she was helping them. Her character is not likable for all the thoughtless damage she did to everyone around.

For me the interaction between Matt and Sid was the most impactful part of the story. Both of these two saved each other is ways that only they understood. What these two did for each other was amazing and heartfelt making me cry.

For this review I listened to it via audible and referenced the ebook version as well. I wonder if I had only read the book if I would have had a different outcome in my review. Though I haven’t seen the movie I wonder how this book would come across on the screen so out of curiosity I will see it though.

I give this 3-1/2 STARS.

(fwiw, I had a few things to say about this a couple of years ago)

Saturday Miscellany – 3/26/16

By

On March 26, 2016

In Books, News/Misc.

Traveled a lot this week — something odd for me. Much reading was accomplished — almost no writing (many notes taken however), but also limited internet time. So…not a lot to talk about here. Sorry!

I did find a few odds ‘n ends over the week about books and reading that caught my eye. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of, them, but just in case:

    This Week’s New Releases I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:

  • Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye — a satirical, violent take on Jane Eyre. Why not?
  • Got Luck by Michael Darling — one more time, I’m telling you that this is good. Go get it.
  • Transgalactic by James Gunn — just go read the summary, not even going to try.


Got Luck Launch Day!

By

On March 24, 2016

In Fiction, Uncategorized

Got LuckYesterday, I blogged about the book, Got Luck by Michael Darling — which I really enjoyed, and today is the release day.

The publisher, Future House Publishing, has this to say:

Police-officer-turned-private-investigator Goethe “Got” Luck is known for rolling with the punches and never taking anything too seriously. When he picks up a seemingly dead-end murder case, his life begins to take a crazy turn. Shot at, chased by people he has never met, and attacked by an invisible liondog, Got quickly learns that there is more to this world than meets the eye.

He discovers the Fae. The Eternals. They who dwell in the Behindbeyond. Once, they ruled over ancient realms, but over the centuries, their power dwindled. Now someone wants to restore their rule and subjugate humankind. All it will cost is thousands of human lives.

The clock is ticking. Getting the world out of this one will take a couple friends, more than a few well-placed insults, and a whole lot of Luck.

To kick-off the release, Future House has a few things you should take note of:

  1. Got Luck is on sale for just $0.99 until March 30th at Amazon. (Not that $4.99 is a bad price for it after the sale)
  2. They’re sponsoring a Goodreads giveaway beginning on the 27th.
  3. They also have a drawing going on for an autographed copy of Got Luck. Check out details on that here.

There are more details about the book, the giveaways, and all that on the book’s Launch Page — be sure to check it out.

Got Luck by Michael Darling

By

On March 23, 2016

In Fiction

Got LuckGot Luck

by Michael Darling

Kindle Edition, 327 pg.
Future House Publishing, 2016

Read: March 15 – 19, 2016


When we meet Goethe “Got” Luck, he’s one part Harry Bosch (at least they both have unfortunate, yet cool, first names), two parts Elvis Cole. Seriously, he’s a barely disguised Elvis pastiche — his partner, Nat is about as close to Joe Pike as you could want (if you wanted to argue he’s Hawk and Henry Cimoli rolled into one to go with Luck’s Spenser, I wouldn’t argue…much). If that’s all that Luck was — a wise-cracking, private eye in the Spenser/Elvis Cole mold — I’d probably have been rather content. Darling appears to have the chops to have pulled off a compelling telling of the investigation into the death of Barry Mallondyke on behalf of his widow.

But wait, there’s more — before he gets too far into the investigation, some things begin to happen to Got that he really can’t wrap his head around. And then — he finds himself doing some things he can’t explain, and before you can say An Taobh Thiar Agus Níos Faide he finds himself in The Behindbeyond, the land of the Fae. A land of magic, magic beings and many things beyond belief. Those he meets in the Behindbeyond are not the only supernatural beings around — Luck is, too.

So, we get the origin story of a new Urban Fantasy hero — he continues to investigate the murder, while learning about his new magic abilities and the new reality that he’s now aware of. A pretty fun combination, if you ask me. He’s not quite as reliant on his magic as say, Harry Dresden or Atticus O’Sullivan; but it’s there, for him to use the way that most P.I.’s would use a pistol.

There’s a promising set of supporting characters in both realities (hard to believe that I haven’t even mentioned Erin, the drop-dead gorgeous medical examiner), a compelling killer, and a little boy who keeps showing up in just the right place. Even a lot of the “lesser” criminals that Luck and Nat have to contend with are pretty entertaining.

I didn’t even finished the first chapter before I decided that Luck and I were going to be pretty good friends. And from about the mid-way point, on, I stopped reading the book because I was doing so because the publisher sent it to me, I really wasn’t even reading it to post about it. I was reading it for the pure pleasure — as a fan. That doesn’t happen too often.

This is pretty clearly a first novel — or at least one written early in a career — so Darling’s got room to grow in his craft. Got Luck could’ve been better, but — man, oh, man, this hit all my buttons — the characters, the world, the narrative voice, the magic — and that ending. I hope this is the first of many. If we’re lucky, it will be.

(ugh, sorry — I don’t know what came over me, that last line was shameless.)

Disclaimer: I received my copy of Got Luck from the friendly folks at Future House Publishing in exchange for an unbiased review.

—–

4 Stars

A Few Quick Questions With…Hagit Oron

By

On March 22, 2016

In A Few Quick Questions With..., YA/MG/Children's Books

Earlier, I posted a piece about Elphie and Dad go on an Epic Adventure by Hagit R. Oron and Or Oron. Hagit was nice enough to take part in a Q&A with me. I kept it short and sweet, because I’d rather she work on her next book than take too much time with me, y’know? Hagit gave some great answers, hope you enjoy this — and be sure to check out her books!

Good depictions of Fathers are pretty hard to come by, so I wanted to say thanks for that. What made you decide to tell as story about a Dad and his kid rather than the typical Mom?
Well, I love stories about fathers and sons. “Out Stealing Horses” by Per Petterson is one of my favorite books and it is truly an inspiration.

I was also inspired by the relationship between my Dad and his Dad. My grandpa was a strict uptight guy. As he grew older he left all that behind and became this soft mellow sweet person, somewhat like Elphie’s father at the end of the story.

By the way, the next book features Elphie’s Mom, but I guess she isn’t the typical picture book Mom as well. I like my characters to be different and unique.
Why elephants? Is there something deep going on — something symbolic maybe. Are they just fun to draw?
I was fortunate enough to view elephants in their natural habitat at Africa, and I fell in love with them. They are so complex. I mean, on one hand they are these huge heavy animals, but on the other hand they are delicate and sensitive. You expect to hear an elephant’s footsteps at the savanna, but you don’t hear a thing. They are so grace and walk very lightly. I knew I was going to write something about elephants after my visit to Africa, but I didn’t have anything concrete until I saw this episode of “the myth busters” a few years ago. They were trying to check if elephants are afraid of mice, (which was confirmed), and boom! I got the idea for the entire series of Elphie’s books.

My daughter, Or, who is the illustrator says that they are also fun to draw. J
Are you drawing on your own experiences for these stories? I see that Goodreads has this listed as the beginning of a series — how many do you have planned?
I guess a writer always writes about her own experience, one way or another. . .
There are currently 4 stories on Elphie’s books. All of them feature the same characters: Elphie, Dad or Mom, Elpie’s somewhat wild friend Phante, and Bravo – Elphie’s pet mouse which is introduced on the next book.

Each book tells a different story, which is told through Elphie’s eyes in first person.
These are all sweet little stories about a child daily experiences, but I do hope adults readers would enjoy them too. It’s like a kidlit with a wink.
Can you talk about your process a bit? What comes first — the words or the pictures? Is it more of a simultaneous thing?
I always start with the words. For some parts of the story it is a simultaneous. For this story, the pages about Elphie and his Dad return from the shop and fight a dragon, rescue a princess etc were simultaneous, because I wanted the illustrations to tell the story together with the words. So I wrote instructions for the illustrations as well.
In the writing of Elphie and Dad go on an Epic Adventure, what was the biggest surprise about the writing itself? Either, “I can’t believe X is so easy!” or “If I had known Y was going to be so hard, I’d have skipped this and watched more TV”.
The biggest surprise about this book was writing it. J

Usually, I plot a story in my head and I think about it for weeks before I write the first word, but this came out as a whole in one sitting completely unprepared.

“Elphie and Dad Go On an Epic Adventure” was actually the third book I wrote in this series. We were already working on illustrations for “Bravo Elphie”, but we liked this story so much and decided to make it our debut.

Elphie and Dad go on an Epic Adventure by Hagit R. Oron, Or Oron

By

On March 22, 2016

In Fiction, YA/MG/Children's Books

Elphie and Dad go on an Epic Adventure Elphie and Dad go on an Epic Adventure

by Hagit R. Oron, Or Oron (Illustrator)
Series: Elphie’s Books, #1

Kindle Edition
, 25 pg.
Orons, 2016
Read: March 15, 2016


Picture books are not the usual fare around here, true. But Hagit Oron asked, and I figured, why not? Now, can I get this post up without using more words than the book did?

Elphie is a little elephant accompanying his dad on an errand — but his dad is one of the good ones, and instead of dragging Elphie along — he entices the child by promising an “epic adventure”. Wearing a cape and carrying a wooden sword, the two set out for a walk to the store.

Along the way, Elphie does battle with imaginary foes, and has one very close call that wasn’t imaginary enough. With some guidance from Dad, a great imagination, and a helpful store clerk — Elphie has an epic adventure indeed.

I really appreciated Dad — he’s not perfect (he gets distracted in a very real and relatable way), but he’s trying — and he recovers from a mistake well. A good guy, not a buffoon, not a super-hero. There’s not enough dads like that in books.

The art is great. The colors are vibrant, the drawings pop just right. It’s not fantastic, which I honestly get annoyed by in kids’ books. It’s friendly and eye-catching, very accessible, and engaging — enough so that you get drawn into it, but not so much that it detracts from the words. The art serves the story — and will keep the attention of those who can’t yet read.

It’s been a few years (almost ten) since I’ve read picture books on a regular basis. This is just the kind of thing I’d have liked then, and would’ve read — and then have been “compelled” to read again (and again and again). For those with kids — or grandkids — or who might have a kid nearby your Kindle, pick it up.

Disclaimer: I was provided with a copy of this book by the author in exchange for this post.

—–

3 Stars

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