Saturday Miscellany — 3/1/14

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On March 1, 2014

In Books, News/Misc.

You ever have one of those weeks, where despite your best efforts/intentions, you just can’t find the time or energy to read? (or, write about what you read?) I’ve had two of those in a row here. Hope that changes soon. In the meantime, here are the 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. After a lean week or two, I’ve got a bunch this week:

  • Hammer of Angels by G. T. Almasi — the first in this series as such a blast, I can’t wait to get my hands on this
  • The Chase by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg — two of my favorites are back with their new Fox & O’Hare series, should be fun
  • Honor’s Knight by Rachel Bach — And one more second in a series. As long as this is almost as good as the first, I’ll be happy
  • The Undead Pool by Kim Harrison — the series gets one step closer to the end here. I’m ready for it to be over, but I also know as soon as the paperback hits the shelves, I’ll be diving in.

Chimera by Kelly Meding

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On February 26, 2014

In Fiction, Science Fiction

Chimera (MetaWars, #4)Chimera

by Kelly Meding
ePub, 242 pages
Pocket Star, 2013
Read: Feb. 14-25, 2015

 

    • Let’s see here,

Chimera

    gives us:

  • a first-person account of super-hero life from an under-represented type of Super-Hero — Check!
  • Personal conflicts, Personal demons, general turmoil — moreso than most X-Men, even — heroes that carry emotional scars in addition to those earned in battle — Check!
  • Impending Government Persecution of Super-Heroes — Check!
  • A sex scene that goes on far too long for comfort — but is thankfully easily skippable — Check!

Yup. Chimera is a MetaWars book. It carries all the marks.

Renee Duval, aka Flex, is the focus this time around. She and a notorious ex-Bane have been dispatched to investigate a series of thefts that have to be being carried out by one or more teen Metas. With the threat of officially sanctioned internment of Metas hovering over them, the last thing the Rangers need is some punk kids bringing down the heat on them and any other law-abiding Meta. So Renee and Chimera have their work cut out for them — particularly considering that Renee’s doing her best to hang on to her anti-Bane sentiment, far after the rest of her team is softening. What they discover is unsettling for them, and doesn’t exactly fill the reader with a sense of joy, either.

One the one hand, I get Meding’s motive for varying P.O.V. characters in each book — and in many ways, I prefer this to the books that jump P.O.V. every chapter or so. But it’s also a weakness — for example — Trance was our entry into this world, we saw it all through her eyes. But we don’t get a whole lot of Trance any more — and what we do is just in brief bursts of conversation, and we don’t get the same impression of, knowledge of, experience of her. Still, Flex is a strong, yet flawed character, and it was nice to get in her head.

Plenty of action, some solid character growth, good plot advancement — Chimera is another good installment in a very satisfactory series. For a dystopian future, there’s something welcoming about this world, and I enjoy any time I get to spend in it. This book took me a freakishly long time to finish. That’s not a reflection on the character(s), the story, or the author — I was apparently busier and more tired than I realized until I saw just how long I’d spent reading the book (I’m not so unaware to not notice it was taking me awhile, just didn’t see how long I was taking). It was a good read, an engaging read.

—–

3.5 Stars

Dusted Off: The Girl in the Steel Corset

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On February 24, 2014

In Fiction, Steampunk, YA/MG/Children's Books

The Girl in the Steel Corset (Steampunk Chronicles, #1)The Girl in the Steel Corset

by Kady Cross
Hardcover, 473 pg.
Harlequin Teen, 2011
Read: June 26-27, 2012

When I started this, I kept thinking, “this is the steampunk version of Twilight.” A good, fun read, but nothing to get too excited about. But as I read on, I started thinking that less and less. Maybe because it was getting better, maybe because I just got into the story fully. Doesn’t matter.

Midly predictable plot, but entertainingly told. The characters are engaging and frustrating (in a way that serves to underline how much you like them). The steam-tech is fun and well thought out. The whole super-power thing? Very well executed. Super Powers and Steampunk? That’s some peanut butter you can get in my chocolate, anytime.

Fun, fun, read–with a good jump start to the sequel.

—–

3.5 Stars

Dusted Off: The Cold Dish by Craig Johnson

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On February 24, 2014

In Authors, Craig Johnson, Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, Walt Longmire

The Cold Dish (Walt Longmire, #1)The Cold Dish

by Craig Johnson
Series: Walt Longmire, #1

Paperback, 400 pg.
Penguin Books, 2006
Read: June 28-30, 2012

It’s hard to believe this is a first novel. I love it when that happens. Johnson is assured in his writing, he knows his characters and their world, there’s no mistaking that.

It’s not a fast-paced tale by any means–Johnson saunters through his prose like Longmire would through the world. That doesn’t mean it’s not gripping, though. It’s lush with detail, as scenic and expansive as the Wyoming country it takes place in.

I figured out whodunit pretty quickly, but it took a while to get the why. The journey to the why was compelling, interesting and well worth the time. Looking forward to the next installment.

—–

4 Stars

Spiritual Warfare: A Biblical and Balanced Perspective by Brian Borgman & Rob Ventura

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On February 23, 2014

In Non-Fiction, Theology/Christian Living

Spiritual Warfare: A Biblical and Balanced PerspectiveSpiritual Warfare: A Biblical and Balanced Perspective

by Brian Borgman & Rob Ventura
Kindle Edition, 128 pg.
Reformation Books, 2013

Borgman and Ventura realize they’re heading into dangerous territory here — far too many books on this topic are sensationalistic, fantastic (and I don’t mean that as a synonym for great), and unbalanced. On the other hand, there’s the danger of downplaying the need for this kind of material. They seek (and succeed, I should add) at striking a Biblical balance in their approach.

Essentially, this is a careful study of Ephesians 6:10-20, not a systematic or biblical-theological approach to the topic. Which is well and good, but I’d have preferred one of the latter. Still, there are enough cross-references here to ensure they’re interpreting Scripture by Scripture, as well as illustrating principles from the Ephesians passage elsewhere.

The authors also cite other writers like crazy — for the sake of clarification, illustration, and (I think) to demonstrate to those wary of the topic that they’re not the only ones to consider the idea of spiritual warfare outside the Neil Anderson, Nicky Cruz, Frank Peretti crowds. The authors they cite from are a varied and impressive collection of Reformation-era, Puritan (and slightly later)-era, and contemporary Reformed and quasi-Reformed writers, preachers and commentators. They clearly owe a debt to William Gurnall here, but I think they could’ve used him a bit more throughout.

A solid book, nothing earth shattering. A good starting point, though. Readers would be well off to use this to get an overall look at the topic and then to use the cited authors (particularly those that are pre-20th century) for further study.

—–

3 Stars

Saturday Miscellany — 2/22/14

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On February 22, 2014

In Books, News/Misc.

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:

    Only one new release caught my eye this week (I’m super excited about one next week):

  • Grimm: The Chopping Block by John Passarella — There are Grimm tie-in novels? Huh. I just might have to check these out. The premise on this one works for me.

Hide by Lisa Gardner

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On February 21, 2014

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

Hide (Detective D.D. Warren, #2)Hide

by Lisa Gardner
Hardcover, 313 pg.
Bantam, 2007
Read: Dec. 21, 2013

D. D. Warren is back for her second adventure, and second time being overshadowed by supporting character, Bobby Dodge. They’re reunited by a crime scene that’s decades old and contains multiple bodies of little girls — the chamber they’re found in is worthy of Thomas Harris or Val McDermid, and will immediately grab the reader’s attention (or turn them off to the book straightaway).

Soon after the news hits the press, a young woman comes forward claiming that they’ve misidentified one of the girls, as she’s the actual Annabelle Granger. The tale she tells convinces the detectives (mostly), and provides fuel for their investigation. I won’t get into Annabelle’s story — it’s worth checking out the novel just for it — but it’s at once totally believable and preposterous.

Dodge and Warren face many obstacles along their way — both from the past and present. And following the crooked path to the killer — and Annabelle’s real history — is more complicated and dangerous than anyone would expect. Including crossing paths with Catherine Rose Gagnon (from the previous volume, Alone). The last couple of chapters will keep you turning the pages as quickly as you can.

This is twisted, creepy, disturbing, suspenseful, and not very predictable (although I realized who the bad guy was a long time before the Warren or Dodge did). While I don’t know that it excels in any of these areas, it delivers what it promises. In short, it’s a good read. I’ll be back, and not just to see if Warren ever gets the prime narrative spot in her eponymous series.

—–

3 Stars

Dirty Magic by Jaye Wells

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On February 18, 2014

In Fiction

Dirty Magic (The Prospero's War, #1)Dirty Magic by Jaye Wells
Series: Prospero’s War, #2

Paperback, 381 pg.
Orbit, 2014
Read: February 15-17, 2014

Kate Prospero is a tough cop, scraping by, raising her kid brother with the help of her best bud and a kindly senior citizen neighbor. Her troubled past has so far blocked her from progressing out of uniform and the detective ranks — but she’s got grit, determination, and hope — not to mention an unreliable automobile and a healthy tuition bill for her brother’s private high school.

I know I’ve read and/or seen this a couple dozen times. So does Jaye Wells do something to freshen this up? And does her take on this work? Yes, and pretty much.

Wells’ twist on this is introducing magic into the mix. It’s our world, but instead of Big Tobacco and the Pharmaceutical Industry exploding in the last few decades, while their less than legal counterparts were finding similar success — “clean” (read: legal) and “dirty” (read: illegal) magic came into economic ascendancy. There’s a Magic Enforcement Agency running the war on dirty drugs on the federal level, while Prospero and her brethren in blue take the battle to the streets.

That pretty much tells you all you need to know. The book plays out pretty much how you’d imagine it would. Well-told and decently-paced, there’s nothing to object to here (well, some of Prospero’s emotional reactions seem a bit over-wrought, though your results may vary) — but there’s nothing to get terribly excited about either.

It’s an entertaining enough read, and I’m curious about where Wells will take things. But I don’t know that I’ll run for the bookstore come August when the sequel, Cursed Moon comes out.

—–

3 Stars

Dusted Off: Doc by Mary Doria Russell

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On February 17, 2014

In Fiction, General Fiction/Literature, Western

DocDoc

by Mary Doria Russell
Hardcover, 394 pg.
Random House, 2013
Read: June 9-13, 2012

I was almost 100 pages into this novel when the thought occurred to me how extraordinarily careful Russell was in the way she put this together. Not that I think most authors are sloppy or anything, but the effort to make sure every piece, every word, every event was placed juuuust so was very evident.

The result of all this care is a heckuva novel about the years and events leading up to Wyatt & Morgan Earp heading to Tombstone with their good buddy Doc Holliday. Warm, exciting, brutal–this novel reads like a fast-paced biography. Really, really well written–there are a couple of times that Russell overplays her hand and gets downright manipulative, and at least once she almost lost me while doing so.

I’m glad I stuck it out tho’, the climax was as heart-breaking as it was heart-warming, and the coda put a nice little bow on the whole thing. Well worth the time and effort.

—–

4 Stars

Dusted Off: Kasher in the Rye: The True Tale … by Mose Kasher

By

On February 17, 2014

In (Auto)Biography

Kasher in the Rye: The True Tale of a White Boy from Oakland Who Became a Drug Addict, Criminal, Mental Patient, and Then Turned 16Kasher in the Rye: The True Tale of a White Boy from Oakland Who Became a Drug Addict, Criminal, Mental Patient, and Then Turned 16

by Moshe Kasher
Hardcover, 303 pg.
Grand Central Publishing, 2012
Read: June 1-3, 2012

This book about the descent of a very young man into delinquency and addiction (and his eventual recovery) in just about any other hands could’ve been maudlin, sappy, trite or overly-sentimental. But Kasher’s skill shows itself in being honest and articulate while being able to joke about the tragic events described.

That doesn’t mean he’s making light of anything or glorifying in the problems. But it does seem to allow him some distance from the horror so he can talk about it.

This is a heartbreaking work, eye-opening, educational, incredibly relatable, occasionally laugh-out-loud funny. Great, great book.

—–

5 Stars

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