Review: The Scourge Between Stars

The Scourge Between Stars by Ness Brown
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A quick read (novella) sets up a scenario not often explored in SciFi … What happens when your attempt to colonize a world fails? What happens when all hope is lost because your generation ships are nearly crippled and you don’t have the resources to make it home? When random “engagements” of some mysterious force slam into the ship to wreck havoc on critical systems, the dwindling resources seem like a problem for the future.  Maybe they should go back, but no-one remembers why the original colony failed … and they apparently didn’t completely escape when mounting evidence points to an unknown intruder that is hunting the crew.  If they are to survive, it is time for a bug hunt … if only the colonists can put their mutiny on hold for awhile.  

At this point it is difficult to avoid a reference to the Aliens franchise (of which I am a casual fan) … except this was done so much better (at first).  The action picks up about half way through and runs all the way to the end; which along with the shortness of the story and underdeveloped characters/monsters, is the only one I have to pick on this story … which was too rushed and dips into fantasy after what was a solid SciFi adventure.  Perhaps the author can flesh out the story into a full novel in the future to put these minor issues to bed ....

I was given this free advance review copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

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Review: Slaughtered Gods

Slaughtered Gods by Thilde Kold Holdt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“Death to all gods” shout the Damned as the march into The Ragnarök.

And so we come to the Twilight of the Gods in this conclusion to the Hanged God trilogy is a modern rendition of Snorri’s Icelandic Eddas putting in just enough personal spin to make it fresh and interesting for everybody. None of these three (3) books should be read by themselves … so plan on reading the trilogy straight through for the best experience. As might be expected in mythology sourced stories, the more interactions you get with the supernatural … the weirder things get … book three (3) is no exception (so you do get some over the top fantasy here). If you are familiar with the Norse myths here … you probably have a good idea how all of this ends … but we get a few twists that keep you guessing until the end; such as a norm who no longer has a fate and who can theoretically weave a new one for the gods. The primary POV are from Hilda (fighting with the gods) and Einar (fighting with giants) … and these are by far my favorite characters. Supporting POV comes from Ragnar “The StoryTeller” and Tyra … who purpose is somewhat harder to figure out other than helping build out the world. The story actually spins Loki and the giants more sympathetically than I expected … making them something like tragic anti-heroes and the gods as really really cruel to match the hard life of the times. In all, I really enjoyed this twist on a familiar story.

I was given this free advance review copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

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Review: 1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians by Kimlyn J Bender
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The is a commentary of St Paul’s Letter to the Church in Corinth (aka 1 Corinthians).  It is the second letter (the first was referenced within this one but is apparently lost to history) to the Greek converts (Gentiles) in a city with a disreputable reputation that apparently created aberrant behavior and discord within the community Paul had founded two years prior.  This letter is an important factor driving the characteristic of most Pauline tradition Christian Churches today.  The Letter consists of sixteen (16) chapters in roughly six or seven parts dealing with divisions within the Church, sexual immorality and idolatry, proper worship, and the cross and resurrection of Christ.  

Written in the first century (approx 55 AD), the cultural context for Paul and the Corinthians can be different enough to make proper exegesis difficult for some passages.  The commentary walks through each chapter in order and tries to provide that context for better understanding of what Paul is actually trying to say … and it does a pretty good job of that, even to the point of highlighting problematic interpretations (especially with regard to the apparent duality of the text that actually isn’t) with some rational discourse on resolving apparent contradictions with prior/subsequent teachings (such as the prohibition of women speaking in the assembly).  Speculative context that makes some of the passages easier for modern sensibilities is generally avoided though, especially within the realm of sexual immoralities that largely conform to Paul’s Judaic roots.  The language is clear and accessible with as much depth as needed to fully explain the concepts and practical direction behind each group of verses and would be an important addition to any study of this Epistle.

I. Address (1:1–9)

II. Disorders in the Corinthian Community (1:10–6:20)

        A. Divisions in the Church (1:10–4:21)

        B. Moral Disorders (5:1–6:20)

III. Answers to the Corinthians’ Questions (7:1–11:1)

        A. Marriage and Virginity (7:1–40)

        B. Offerings to Idols (8:1–11:1)

IV. Problems in Liturgical Assemblies (11:2–14:40)

        A. Women’s Headdresses (11:3–16)

        B. The Lord’s Supper (11:17–34)

        C. Spiritual Gifts (12:1–14:40)

V. The Resurrection (15:1–58)

        A. The Resurrection of Christ (15:1–11)

        B. The Resurrection of the Dead (15:12–34)

        C. The Manner of the Resurrection (15:35–58)

VI. Conclusion (16:1–24)

I was given this free advance review copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

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Review: Coyle and Fang: Curse of Shadows

Coyle and Fang: Curse of Shadows by Robert Adauto III
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Not What I was Expecting.

This book was billed as a John Wick meets Sherlock Holmes [Victorian] adventure … which I guess is why Amazon pegged it as Steampunk; but that really didn’t drive the story much; making it mostly windows dressing for what was arguably more horror fiction than steampunk noir. The only connection I found to anything Sherlockian was the MC [Coyle] use of a pipe with an apparent penchant for details that debuted early in the story before disappearing for most of the rest. Presumably the other MC [Fang] was supposed to be “John Wick” of the story … but I couldn’t see that connection anywhere.

What you do get and a horror plot set in an imaginary 19th century San Fransisco with vampires, fae and gnomes that spend more time in the mind bending games/drug induced dreams (that were a struggle to work through) and less detective work or straight up action (not accompanied by mental torment or struggle). And what exactly did the Templars add to all of this? I couldn’t figure that out either (other than to add a level of “coolness” to the story) … make this a highly derivative and formulaic story that did not work well for me.

The narration was good for the story as actually told (my wife really like it). So … forget any preconceptions you might have from the blurb … what you get here is a mad “boogeyman” bent on corrupting people into new and horrifying creatures such a ghouls) using a book of magic knowns as the Curse of Shadows. Fang is a vampire assassin introduced with her escape from the lab/prison that made her [different that other vampires]. Coyle is a talented constable/boy scout trying to overcome an eye popping level of misogyny within the SF deceive ranks who is cashiered for giving into to her justified anger during a detective exam. Add a gratuitous pipe to complete the nominal connection to Holmes just in case the read can’t make the obvious connection on their own.

While the origin stories didn’t work for me, they were done relatively well. The two outcasts eventually team up to find the Curse of Shadows before it was too late. They are opposed by a shapeshifting fae that adds s few twists. Eventually the super spies … er … protagonists … end up in the bad guy’s layer for a marginally wickian chain of unbelievable action sequences. Just relax and enjoy the predictable marched toward a satisfying end.

I was given this free advance listener copy (ALC) audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

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Review: Norse Paganism for Beginners: Explore The History of The Old Norse Religion - Asatru, Cosmology, Astrology, Mythology, Magic, Runes, Tarot, Witchcraft & More

Norse Paganism for Beginners: Explore The History of The Old Norse Religion - Asatru, Cosmology, Astrology, Mythology, Magic, Runes, Tarot, Witchcraft & More by History Brought Alive
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The narration was okay with some more obvious pronunciation issues (but it was close enough).  The topic itself is a very quick summary of a Norse culture (circa 10th to 12th centuries).  For the most part, I would have been happier with a little more as some of the brief treatments might lead to a few minor misunderstandings and some would just be more interesting IMHO if etymology were included … such as what exactly the names of each of the nine realms actually mean.  

Additionally there are a few careless comments that imply Easter was synchronized from a Norse holiday instead of the other way around (based solely upon the “bunny” avatar).  No serious scholar that I know of would make that connection (although it is pretty common on social media).  There are some comparisons between Egyptian myths and Norse myths that are a bit of a stretch with no real support other than similarities (which would be expected for any cultures in contact with each other), so fun to think about but not really accepted by any consensus.  All that said … this was a pretty fair introduction to the topic and I would recommend it.

Introduction

Chapter 1 - History of Norse Paganism

Chapter 2 - Norse Pagan Beliefs and Values

Chapter 3 - Spiritual Practices

Chapter 4 - The Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda

Chapter 5 - The Norse Pagan Creation Myth

Chapter 6 - The Nine Realms

Chapter 7 - Mythological Gods, Creatures, and Being

Chapter 8 - Ragnarok

Chapter 9 - Magic in Norse Paganism

Chapter 10 - Runes Tarot and Astrology

Chapter 11 - Norse Pagan Pathways

Chapter 12 - Norse Paganism in the Modern World

Conclusion

I was given this free advance review copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

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Review: 1 Peter

1 Peter by Karen H. Jobes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

An excellent commentary on 1 Peter that digs into the interpretations of the original greek that gave me a much better understanding of the challenges that such entails (and which helped me re-evaluate my own understanding of this epistle). The writing style was very accessible and helpful for someone who is neither a theologian nor an expert in koine greek, so I had no problems following her analysis. Perhaps the only aspect missing would be the limited treatment of the exegesis from the early church; however, what is there is to the point and reasonably evaluated in view of modern scholarship and existing limitations. On balance, there is a lot of analysis focused on each verse (400 pages to discuss some 100 verses) that tackles a number of potentially problematic interpretations with tremendous skill and insight. 

In particular, I was fascinated by the historical context of the household codes and the primary linkage of Jesus to the “Suffering Servant” as well as folk traditions of Noah in Asia Minor that would have influenced the target audiences understanding of the text (this was entirely new for me). In addition, the speculation linking that target audience to the explosions of Jews (and Christians) from Rome into Asia Minor where they would be seen as aliens and strangers fit rather nicely into my own research of late. Finally, the analysis on the when and who with regard to authorship was outstanding (even if inclusive). The rest (on suffering for the sake of Christ) was pretty much inline with my original understanding.

I. Greeting to the Christian Diaspora of Asia Minor

II. The Opening of the Letter: Reassurance for God’s People

- A. Doxology as the Basis for the Christian Line

- B. Be What You Are

- C. The Identity of God’s People

III. As God’s People, Live Godly Lives

- A. Commendable Social Behavior as God’s People

- B. The Inner Qualities of Righteous Living

- C. Suffering Unjustly for the Name of God

IV. Consolation for the Suffering Flock

- A. Final Through about Suffering for Christ

- B. Final Exhortations to the Community

V. The Closing of the Letter: Final Words and Greetings

Excursus: The Syntax of 1 Peter: How Good Is the Greek

I was given this free advance review copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

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Review: African History: Explore The Amazing Timeline of The World’s Richest Continent

African History: Explore The Amazing Timeline of The World’s Richest Continent by History Brought Alive
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

The first chapter starts at the beginning with Homo Sapiens in Africa … and is pretty much a mixed bag. Although it conforms with the consensus, that consensus is currently under fire (especially the information presented on Neanderthals) … so take chapter 1 with a grain of salt. Unfortunately it doesn’t seem get much better as we get further into the book. For example … in discussing the relationship between Khoi and Bantu, there is a statement about Bantu migration through Europe where they apparently picked up metal refining/working (I have not found any support for this statement).

Additionally, the origin myth of the batwa/pygmy people is presented as fact and seems quite improbable (especially lacking citation). By chapter 6 you get an rather incredulous theory of Egyptians coming from a mix of Bantu and Israelites (putting the cultural identity of the latter before the Kingdoms of Egypt … I am pretty sure that is not correct). Now half way through the book the level of questionable scholarship is a serious impediment to any serious recommendation. This was a surprise given how well the History of Asia looked (although that lacks citations as well, so I can't verify those facts either).

Chapter 1 - Homo Sapiens in Africa
Chapter 2 - The San
Chapter 3 - The Hadza
Chapter 4 - The Khoi
Chapter 5 - Pygmy People
Chapter 6 - Israelites in Africa
Chapter 7 - The Bantu
Chapter 8 - Swaziland
Chapter 9 - Khoisan and the Portuguese
Chapter 10 - The Kingdom of Zwide
Chapter 11 - Zululand
Chapter 12 - The House of Mpondo
Chapter 13 - Thembuland
Chapter 14 - Zhosaland

I was given this free advance review copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

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Review: History of Asia: Explore The Magnificent Histories, Culture, Mythology, Folklore, Wars, Legends, Stories, Achievements & More of China, Japan & India: 3 Books in 1

History of Asia: Explore The Magnificent Histories, Culture, Mythology, Folklore, Wars, Legends, Stories, Achievements & More of China, Japan & India: 3 Books in 1 by History Brought Alive
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Any attempt at surveying history across such a large geographical region (even restricting it to the three largest civilizations) is by definition an ambitious undertaking. This attempt is one of the more competent attempts that I have encountered … providing enough space to cover the basic relevant facts while avoiding any significant amount of speculation on the why … in other words, this book just tell you the what and you will need to bring your own context to infer any understanding of the cultures presented (a potentially hazardous presumption when dealing with eastern cultures from a western perspective).

That said, each of the three (3) sections that tell the story of China, Japan and India were exceptionally well organized and sequentially presented from the age of myths and legends up to present day. As best as I can confirm, all of the details provided are well within the academic consensus, probable a result of the previous stated focus on “just the facts” which only increased confidence on the parts I was not able to easily confirm and added to the reputation of the publisher (now one of my favorite historical sources).

A. The History of Asia

1: A Time of Myth and Legend
2: The First Emperor
3: A Unified Civilization Fragments
4: Enter A Golden Age
5: A Dynasty Beset By Enemies
6: The Mongol Rule China
7: The Mighty Ming
8: The Magnificent Qing
9: Revolution and World War
10: The People’s Republic of China

B. The History of Japan

1: Early Japan
2: Myths
3: Nara and Heian Periods
4: Kamakura Period
5: Muromachi Period
6: Edo and Meiji Periods
7: Taisho Period Through WWII
8: Postwar Period

C. The History of India

Part 1 - Ancient India

1. Emergence of Civilizations
2. The Mauryan Glory
3. The Age of the Guptas
4. The Cultural Shift

Part II - Medieval India

5. The Mughal Sultanate
6. The East Indian Company

Part III - Modern India

7. The Fight for Freedom
8. The Casualty of Partition

I was given this free advance review copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

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Review: The Grace of Troublesome Questions: Vocation, Restoration, and Race

The Grace of Troublesome Questions: Vocation, Restoration, and Race by Richard T Hughes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Get Out of my Head :-)

As a PK within the Disciples of Christ (which shares its Stone/Campbell roots with the author’s Churches of Christ), this was a very interesting book with respect to how each tradition evolved to where they are today. In many respects, it filled in a lot for me (and I thought I already knew a significant part of our history). More importantly, despite the optimism found early within the movement, our theology didn’t evolve within the true spirit of Christ … in fact, the author connects many of the flaws within out theology to many of the pernicious ills within (American/Western) society … calling us to task for our tacit (and sometimes explicit) support for slavery, segregation, et. al. He does so be exploring several social myths within [White] American society that I have generally seen as well, so I was favorably receptive to most of his arguments. If you are generally unsympathetic to BLM and/or typically “stay in your lane” in your treatment of those people on the margin, this book may be a tad uncomfortable (surprise, these are troublesome questions right … and he has some particularly harsh words for evangelicals specifically). Although I was i general agreement with many of his myths, I have come to realize that I actually have not gone far enough (so yeah … it was uncomfortable for me as well).

The book is divided into five (5) sections with the first section outlining the need to re-examine restorationist theology (and how it was originally formed) and the last section a general acknowledgement of the many people that help the author “see” his truth … and actually change his own understanding of the issues (much like my own father did as a contemporary … change of self is hard and admirable). Section two examines the restorationist movement as a whole with a surprising contract to evangelical theology that I was not aware of (given how the restoration movement and evangelicals appears to have evolved toward each other, this was not that surprising). Section three hits hard and is where the cracks in the current theology fails with respect to “The Kingdom of God” … It should not be overly controversial viewing that Jesus ministered to the margins … but our ability to turn a blind eye to those people with appear theological justification is. Section four is the call to action … and is the hardest part of the whole book. While there are no specific steps to follow, it becomes clear that we are called to do something (and the author turns to the examples of the Anabaptists/Reform churches for a road map). Just understanding the national myths and systemic biases of our society is a good start (and is helpful for fostering empathy and even love), but the hard part has always been taking the next step …

Section One: Called by Troublesome Questions

- Chapter 1: The Grace of Troublesome Questions

- Chapter 2: The Apocalyptic Origins of the Churches of Christ

- Chapter 3: Two Restoration Traditions: Mormons and Churches of Christ in the Nineteenth Century

Section Two: Called by a Book - Making Sense of the Restoration Vision

- Chapter 4: Called by a Book

- Chapter 5: Restoring First Times in the Anglo-American Experience

- Chapter 6: What Restorationists Don’t Fit the Evangelical Mold

Section Three: Called by the Upside-Down Kingdom of God

- Chapter 7: How a Teacher Heard the Call of Racial Justice

- Chapter 8: The Summons from the Biblical Text

- Chapter 9: Why I Am Not an Evangelical Christian

Section Four: Called to Question - The Restoration Vision, Innocence, and Race

- Chapter 10: How a Naive and Innocent Student Discerned the Umbilical Cord That Tie His Church to His Nation - And the Nation to His Church

- Chapter 11: The Restoration Vision and the Myth of the Innocent Nation

- Chapter 12: How Slavery Still Shapes the World of White Evangelical Christians

- Chapter 13: Resisting White Supremacy

- Chapter 14: Christian Nationalism and Racial Injustice: Where Do People Faith Go From Here?

- Chapter 15: How Can We Rethink the Restoration Vision ?

Section Five: The People Who Issued the Many Calls That Shaped My Vocation

- Chapter 16: The People Who Shaped My Vocation

- Chapter 17: Finding Someone to Love

- Chapter 18: “Next Time, Send Jan”

- Chapter 19: They Believed in Me: The Grace of Good Teachers

- Chapter 20: Five Words That Made a Difference - And the Man Who Spoke Them

I was given this free advance review copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

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Review: Zero-Day: A cyberpunk action adventure

Zero-Day: A cyberpunk action adventure by Al Davidson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Good Cyberpunk with a Major Cliffhanger

In a [typically] ridiculous dystopian world centered around SoCal and the former state of Nevada (carved up by imminent domain to accommodate the additional conspiracy theories coming out of Area 51).  Our Hero (Joshua,  Z[er0-Day], Shot, Reaper) is a misplaced genetic experiment turned gang banger/leader and former e-games legend trying his hand as a more traditional death merchant (aka arms dealer) when the deal goes south.  Don’t over think this … it is just fun entertainment until the story drops off a huge cliff (-1 star just for that).  It loses another star for the gratuitous sex scenes.  

As can be expected for the genre … most of the characters are over the top … but surprisingly relatable (with an obvious hero’s journey and potential for redemption).  Equally surprising is the lack of anything soooo unbelievable that with just little effort you can slide right on past and still enjoy the story (it really was quite fun to listen to).  Overall, the story moves quickly with plenty of action that manages to avoid getting overly descriptive or long (nice balance) and the narration was truly excellent … enough so that despite the crappy cliffhanger, I am tempted to get the sequel just to see what else he does with his world building.

I was given this free advance listener copy (ALC) audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

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Review: Lost Kingdom

Lost Kingdom by Terry Maggert
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

An entertaining take on the Lost World (Not terribly surprising given the title right).  The Hero stumbles into a lost world that represents some ‘undeveloped’ past in human history … in this case, something about the planet is causing tech to eventually fail, so you have an interesting mix of failing tech and primitive civilization where the new comer (Our Hero) has certain advantages (like an embedded AI and smart surveillance drones).  Most of the humor is provided by the interaction between Nathan (Hero) and Cora (AI) and is fairly fun without being too over the top.  

There are s few mysteries to work out as you learn more about the world and the mysteries ‘cable’ that runs along the big river around which all civilization is dependent.  Throw in an alien race or two (along with an apparent indigenous aquatic race) and there is plenty to pull you through the rather predictable story with a few twists and turns to keep it interesting.  There are only a few plot lines; but they take so long to converge that switching between them actually distracts instead of advances the plot (the secondary story of the northern kingdom seems more about world building until the end).  Some of these could use more attention to building up context to make them more interesting earlier.

The narration was pretty good; the only caveat would be female and child voices were not as differentiated as others I have listened to, but he makes up for that with excellent cadence and delivery.  Over all I think it improved the story and made it worth a listen.

I was given this free advance listener copy (ALC) audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

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Review: Following Jesus: A Year of Disciplemaking and Movement-Building in the Gospels

Following Jesus: A Year of Disciplemaking and Movement-Building in the Gospels by Peter Roennfeldt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

There are not any surprising revelations here; for the most part, the book follows the common interpretation of the Gospel stories, and where it appears to diverge from the academic consensus, the difference is nuanced enough to make little difference. For example, the claim that the “East” was dominated by animism and multiple gods is a little off considering the magi (from which this section was talking about) were members of the Zoroastrian Priestly caste (which is actually monotheistic) … which doesn’t really change the exercise much; fortunately most of these historical commentaries are cited, so you can follow-up with the source if desired (a lot of which seems to come from Theologian Mark Edwards). The main contribution (outside of the familiar stories told in an effective outline form that is useful for group study) here is actually the Reflection Questions and Sharing Exercises at the end of each of the 50 Guides divided across five “phases” presumably organized by maturity of discipleship that seem to correspond to a model of: Connect, Engage, Involve, Equip and Send. In clear, simple language the author presents easy to remember and use “gems” for understanding the call to discipleship.

Phase 1: Preparation - For a Life of Multiplication

- Guide 1: Jesus as a Baby

- Guide 2: Jesus as a Jewish Child

- Guide 3: Jesus the Carpenter

- Guide 4: Jesus’ Cousin - Preparing the Way for the Kingdom

Phase 2: Foundations - Modeling Multiplication

- Guide 5: Transition Experiences - Jesus’ Baptism and Temptations 

- Guide 6: “Come and See” - Jesus Calls His First Disciples

- Guide 7: “Follow Me” - Jesus’ Second Invitation 

- Guide 8: Jesus’ Reliance on Holy Spirit Power (Acronym)

- Guide 9: Jesus, the One Temple!

- Guide 10: Meeting Nicodemus - A Member of the Jewish Council

- Guide 11: Explosive Growth - More Disciples than John

- Guide 12: A Samaritan Woman Conversing with a Despised Relative

- Guide 13: A Royal Official - Healing Gentiles

- Guide 14: Essential Frames of Jesus’ Movement Building

Phase 3: Participation - Equipping for Expanded Outreach 

- Guide 15: On the Move - Major Transitions 

- Guide 16: Healing at Bethesda Pool - On Sabbath!

- Guide 17: “Come Fish with Me” - Jesus Invites Participation

- Guide 18: Fishing with Jesus - Trips One through Four

- Guide 19: Fishing with Jesus - trips Five and Six

- Guide 20: Fishing with Jesus - trips Seven

- Guide 21: More Sabbath Controversies - What Was It This Time?

- Guide 22: Essential Frames of Jesus’ Movement Building

Phase 4:  Leadership Multiplication  - Movement through Sacrificial Love

- Guide 23: A Night in Prayer - Choosing Leaders

- Guide 24: Jesus’ Upside-Down Game Plan - Invitation Four

- Guide 25: Leadership and Authority

- Guide 26: Leadership and Doubt

- Guide 27: Leadership and Gratitude

- Guide 28: Leadership and Rejection

- Guide 29: Leadership and Movement Foundations

- Guide 30: Leadership and Tough Assignments

- Guide 31: Leadership in Times of Crisis

- Guide 32: Leadership and Defection

- Guide 33: Leadership and Prejudice

- Guide 34: Leadership and the Rock

- Guide 35: Leadership and Team Politics

- Guide 36: What Was Jesus’ Idea of Church

- Guide 37: Essentials Shared Plainly and Openly

- Guide 38: The Person of Peace and the Steps to Multiplication

- Guide 39: Jesus’ Radical Worldview Affirmed 

- Guide 40: Jesus’ Key Disciple-making Principles Affirmed

- Guide The Last Come First

Phase 5: Movements - Through Holy Spirit Anointing

- Guide 42: Fruitfulness - Who Gives a Fig?

- Guide 43: Love - The Most Important Command

- Guide 44: Faithfulness - Watching and Working

- Guide 45: The Disinherited - “What She Has Done Will Be Told”

- Guide 46: Subversive Humility - On the Path of Life

- Guide 47: Succession to Holy Spirit Presence

- Guide 48: Sacrifice for Others - “Greater Love Has No One Than This”

- Guide 49: Passionate Witness to the Good News

- Guide 50: “Receive the Spirit: - Invitation Five

I was given this free advance review copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

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Review: How Our Brains Betray Us: Change the Way you Think and Make Better Decisions by Understanding the Cognitive Biases and Heuristics that Destroy Our lives!

How Our Brains Betray Us: Change the Way you Think and Make Better Decisions by Understanding the Cognitive Biases and Heuristics that Destroy Our lives! by Magnus McDaniels

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A current survey of our various mental foibles and biases that influence how we process the world around us.  It was well researched and presented, with an explanation of how the bias is and how/why it works that way it does … including what the evolutionary advantage was.  The bonus material after each explanation, are tips and tricks to limit the [negative] impact on our decision making … which seemed fairly reasonable to me, typically consisting of slowing down and being more deliberative.  Knowing about these biases and fallacies, we might be able to examine where these might not actually fit the facts and so correct any erroneous assumptions/presumptions.  Bottomline, it was a lot better than I expected it would be (there is also a pdf that comes with the Audible that is helpful as well).

1. Survivorship Bias

2. Confirmation Bias

3. Availability Heuristic

4. Loss Aversion Bias (Prospect Theory)

5. Hindsight Bias

6. Anchoring Bias (Priming)

7. Egocentric Bias

8. Pygmalion Effect Bias

9. Halo Effect Bias

10. Decision Fatigue Bias

11. Sunk Cost Fallacy

12. Reciprocation Tendency

13. William Poundstone (2016)

14. The Ben Franklin Effect

15. Cognitive Dissonance

16. Decoy Effect

17.. The Spotlight Effect

18. The Ikea Effect

19. (False Attribution Bias)

20. Bandwagon Effect

21. Framing Effect

22. Extension Neglect

23. Zero Risk

24. Ostrich Effect

25. Naive Realism

26. Self-Servicing Bias

27. Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon

28. Plan Continuation Bias

29. The Gambler’s Fallacy

30, Curse of Knowledge Bias

31. The Law of Small Numbers

32. Social Proof

33. Fear of Missing Out (FOMO)

34. The Lollapalooza Tendency

I was given this free advance listener copy (ALC) audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

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Review: I Call Him HIM

I Call Him HIM by Scott W. Kimak
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Sadly, it is very hard to find quality “Christian” fantasy stories … with many, like this one, focused on imagining the dystopian world of the “Tribulation” coming with the Eschaton (End of the World), they all seem to eschew any true world building and character development in favor of streams of descriptions (info dumps) that overly emphasizes the Mary Sue/Gary Stu nature of the hero with the requisite deus ex machina plot points and the unredeemable evil of the “ultimate” antagonist … complete with a appalling voyeuristic telling of how said evil manifests in the world (presumably for shock value … though frequently it’s gratuitous).  

This book fits neatly into that apocalyptic style … with the added detraction of what appears to be a freshman debut of the writer’s craft.  Conceptually it was pretty interesting, but there is little to no nuance in this extremely derivative story (so many tropes so little time) … and pretty much everything is obvious or otherwise predictable.  While there is a hero … the hero’s journey is nearly unrecognizable and flat.  Character interactions were nearly cartoonish in their simplicity and the humor overly crude … and the POV disciple was almost non-existent (switching between 1st person to various 3rd persons).  The “Big Guy,” aka HIM, apparently doesn’t speak (vow of silence?  to make him darkly mysterious?), so the author adds a narrator and sex crazed “Bill” to provide the needed dialog … until HIM speaks for some unidentified reason (sort of … so not an actual vow?  just being a jerk?) … 

Seriously … this book needs a few trigger warnings (and maybe some bleach).  Also Physics (or pretty much any realism) was apparently only a suggestion (possibly the result of lazy research which seems undermine a significant portion of the book).  Finally, without any connection to the protagonists (I actively disliked them), it was extremely hard not to feel disappointed at the missed opportunity (the flap copy was the best part).  I wanted to like this story … I just couldn’t (almost a dnf).

Unfortunately … where good narration can sometimes improve a marginal story, the narration here had the opposite effect for me.  The cadence and enunciation were so extremely discordant that it gave the whole work an unnatural and amateurish feel that emphasized the shortcomings of the story itself.

I was given this free advance listener copy (ALC) audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

#ICallHimHim  #FreeAudiobooks

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Review: Untrustworthy: The Knowledge Crisis Breaking Our Brains, Polluting Our Politics, and Corrupting Christian Community

Untrustworthy: The Knowledge Crisis Breaking Our Brains, Polluting Our Politics, and Corrupting Christian Community by Bonnie Kristian
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In the past decade or so, I have encountered a veritable avalanche of questionable assertions based upon dubious facts (if any) obviously designed to manipulate their target audience. It seems as if people are more gullible than ever and this book tries to identify why we are apparently unable to separate fact from fiction. In fact … given the proliferation of slanted news “opinion” and poorly researched news “entertainment” re-enforced by misleading news “memes” … how to we know what is true and what is not.

The author tries to explain what the problem actually is, how we got here and what we should do about it … the later from a decided Christian perspective … and while I am generally in agreement on pretty much everything she says, I am not as optimistic. Yes … forwarding that “political” meme on facebook designed to falsely enflame the heart against your opponent is decided unchristian and we have an obligation to avoid such evil gossip … but that doesn’t seem to be much of an impediment for many American Christians (including members of my own family who, when forced to acknowledge what they are forwarding/saying was untrue, simply respond by saying they didn’t really mean it … and they just like to stir the pot … before doing the exact same thing again). Unfortunately I typically respond just like the author … with verified sources and debate trying to get them to recognize the error of their ways come back to reason and logic and fairness and christian love. It has taken me awhile to get there, but ultimately I did … you can’t win that argument … so just don’t engage. It is a hard lesson to be sure.

So how did we get to a place where alternative facts and relative truth are the norm? From the constant attribution of ‘fake news” to anything we don’t like to the tribal identity politics that denies any authority to dissenting voices … the media seems like the obvious place to start … and “There is something off here, but it’s generally not intentional, ideologically motivated inaccuracy, as so many American fear.” The optimism here is cute. I used to think this too; but, the battle lines now have been drawn and information is the weapon of choice in this war. While profit is still important, power is the real goal … significantly more than entertainment and speed. Profit here is easy when you have the ability to so easily manipulate your partisans with fear and anger (and Entertainment generally plays on a different set of emotions … or includes such more often than not). How we got here might be chalked up to profit and entertainment initially … but we are well beyond that now.

Regardless … while biased news is not really a recent phenomena, the ability of these news outlets to so easily manipulate their audience is (at least for Americans). They are simply taking advantage of the cracks in our society and the author does a very good job at identifying what these are (and even offers advice on how we, as christians, should respond). Ultimately the author provides a few healthy habits and some welcome advice by which we might be able to stem the tide of this “epistemic crisis” by our example … and maybe bring a few of our friends and family back from the brink … I mean, it has got to be better than simply walking away from them right?

I was given this free advance review copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

#Untrustworthy #NetGalley

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Review: A History of War: From Ancient Warfare to the Global Conflicts of the 21st Century

A History of War: From Ancient Warfare to the Global Conflicts of the 21st Century by Chris McNab
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This was a hugely ambitious effort to summarize the History of War in under 233 pages … that is some 5 thousand years of perhaps the most prominent human activity since we came together in communities to control the natural resources around us. As might be expected, it is frequently overly general in its treatment for many of the pivotal moments in history. That would not have been as much of a problem, except the work also suffers from a confusing organization of what facts are actually presented that the principle question was often left unanswered … and how did this specific fact alter our world (or as the blurb states how did these conflict periodically reshape history). In nearly every battle, we see some combination of foot soldiers, mobile warriors and ranged combatants … but we don’t often see how these actually evolved. 

There is some discussion of a few formations … but there is not so much an explanation of of how one formation had an advantage over another formation and how the weapons and technology influenced that effectiveness. Finally … the early history did not appears to be as well researched as I had expected … example: the claim that Scythian horse archers could hit a SINGLE target from horseback at a gallop is not supported in any of my historical sources outside of myth and legend. Instead, they were known for showing [as a group] “clouds” of arrows back toward their opponents while riding away (which was awesomely effective and very dangerous in its own right without need of exaggeration). There are fewer of these issues as we move more into modern history, so perhaps there is where the author’s specialty is and perhaps that is why the early treatment of war history (in the first half of the book) was not as solid I as wanted … since the modern history from the 19th century on was much better. Over all, I just didn’t get what I wanted to out of this book.

I was given this free advance review copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

#AHistoryOfWar #NetGalley.

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Review: City of Keys

City of Keys by Kat Ross
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Previous Review of City of Storms 

Previous Review of City of Wolves 

This is the third installment of a four (4) book series that moves the story to the City of Nantwich (Emblem of Crossed Keys) … after a very slow start with Malach in the Land of Witches that didn’t really do much for me (although I was pleased to see an Arc of Redemption start to play out for him).  Once we actually get to Nantwich things start to pick up once again … and for the first time we get an undeniable big bad as the powerful nightmage Balaur (revealed in the previous book) gathers his forces under the Banner of the Black Sun to return to power … now that the Void is gone and the Ley restored to the nightmage cities (with secrets and betrayals throughout).  The previous Cold War is now very Hot … perhaps enough to even pull in the mysterious witches.

There is less world building here (still some with the Witch Realm) and once the action gets going, that pulls you through the story quickly as the focus seems to shift to more character building (especially Malach and Nikola); although we do see a few hints as to how the current world came to be and a vague reference to a bound or sleeping dragon.  What I continue to find interesting are the flawed heroes that rise to the occasion to [mostly] carry the day.  The magic system of Marks, Alchemy, Cartomancy,  Lithomancy (Witches) gain a little more definition, but still manage to avoid becoming so over the top that it derails the plot (and I continued to enjoy that as well).  What really drives this part of the series though is the political intrigue that still manages delivers surprises that place ur heroes in a variety of difficult situations.  Although the bloom is off the rose, this is still a fanatic series and this book will join the others on my favorites shelf … looking forward to the conclusion in the City of Dawn (as the story moves to the southern desert).

I was given this free advance review copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

#CityOfKeys #BookSirens

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Review: The Road Away from God: How Love Finds Us Even as We Walk Away

The Road Away from God: How Love Finds Us Even as We Walk Away by Jonathan Martin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Every now and then, if you are lucky, you will have an encounter that resonates with your soul and you weep for the beauty now revealed.

Reading this book was one of those encounters for me, and I was totally not expecting that. To begin with, I didn't pick up the book for myself, I picked up the book because I wanted to be able to reach the “unchurched” who no longer feel that my Church is a spiritually safe home … and this book is absolutely aimed at those people, but the advice here was not the answer I was searching for. Ultimately this reimagining of the “Road to Emmaus” story in Luke re-affirms the idea that regardless of the reason they left and whatever road they are on, they are right where they are supposed to be. Sometimes that is hard to take when you are the one left behind … and that is where this book hit me.

I have never really had a “crisis of faith” that would set me adrift to wander the “Godforsaken Road” to Emmaus. In fact, I come from a family with generations of preachers, teachers and missionaries that helped create a rock solid faith foundation. And while I have changed church traditions, I never really considered myself as the target audience … because when all is said and done … I stayed. In fact, by seeking ordination, you could say that I even doubled down on the place so many now find it impossible to stay in. Imagine my surprise when one of the vignettes profiles a woman that “has not walked away from her faith, but she has had to walk away from some of the spaces that once seemed to nature it.” <— Yeah … that is me looking back from the mirror. What is more … I found the pain and grief that many of my friends and family have also encountered in the Church that prompted them to “walk away.” Until now … I had always felt it was my mission to help bring them back when perhaps it would have been better to walk with them on the their Road to Emmaus instead. In short … I have a new perspective on dealing with the “people in the margins” where we can find the true Christ.

However, if you have trouble seeing these “people in the margins” and understanding their pain … this book is not for you. In the very first chapter, under the subheading of “What Sent You on the Road?” Martin introduces to a woman just coming to terms with her experience of sexual assault when the preacher decides to makes an impassioned defense of then Brett Kavanaugh along the lines of dismissing any concerns under the idea that the righteous are often falsely accused … if you are a partisan on either side, you have likely already formed your opinion about the author’s political views at this point … and you would have completely missed the point the author was trying to make. There is no opinion and condemnation of Kavanaugh here … instead you find a woman who feels that her own experiences, that color her world view, are irrelevant and were callously discarded by a pastor who job it was to minister to the broken. In other words, we the Church failed! Instead of answering Christ’s call to Love, we forced people to pick a side … so regardless if you have left to wander your own road (or if like me you have stayed despite the flaws), “Just keep on following the voice of Love. Don’t let the louder voices into your head. Don’t give in to the panic. Don’t let anybody else establish the terms.” You are exactly where you are supposed to be.

Chapter 1. The Road Called Godforsaken

Chapter 2. God on the Road Away from God

Chapter 3. When the Story Gets Too Small

Chapter 4. Your Pain in Real

Chapter 5. It’s Good to Be a Fan

Chapter 6. The Moment of Recognition

Chapter 7. People of the Burning Heart

Chapter 8. The Way Home

Chapter 9. What Had Happened on the Road

I was given this free advance review copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

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Review: Stoicism Collection: Meditations, On the Shortness of Life, and Enchiridion

Stoicism Collection: Meditations, On the Shortness of Life, and Enchiridion by Marcus Aurelius
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Recognizing that these are reconstructed classics, there really isn’t much to critique outside of organization/structure and delivery … with the primary compliant being the rather useless chapter designations.  Next would be production quality … for which there are occasions of skips, repeats and other errors that should have been caught with a good editorial process.  The work opens with an Introduction (Chapter 2) to the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius (Chapter 3-14) and a comparison of Stoicism and Christianity … (specifically Meditations vs Imitation of Christ) … using Ye Fancy Olde English Thees and Thous (which comes across as an irritating affectation) although is probably a factor of the translation used (Project Gutenberg 17th century).  Still, it was a good summary of the basics of Stoic Philosophy.  Each book barely has any topical organization, being more a collection of personal musings (think personal diary).  Next up is the essay on the Shortness of Life by Seneca … with each chapter representing a very short paragraph (why can’t these all be in one chapter).  The most interesting to me was the “Handbook” … a collection of maxims and precepts in 52/3 chapters spread across 4 sections.

Chapter 01-15: Meditations by Marcus Aurelius (12 Books about 25 mins ea)

Chapter 16-37: On the Shortness of Life by Seneca (20 Chapters)

Chapter 38-90: Enchiridion [Handbook] by Epictetus (53 Chapters)

• Chapters 39/1–59/21. What is up to us and not, and how to deal with external things

1–2. What is up to us and not, and the consequences of choosing either.

3–14. How to deal with external things (reining the reader in from them)

15–21. How to use external things correctly and without disturbance.

• Chapters 60/22–66/28. Advice for intermediate students.

22–25. The problems faced by intermediate students.

26–28. Miscellania: the common conceptions, badness, and shame.

• Chapter 67/29  Discourse on Training
• Chapters 68/30–85/47. Technical advice for the discovery of appropriate actions (kathēkonta).

30–33. Appropriate actions towards (a) other people, (b) God, (c) divination, (d) one's own self.

34–47. Miscellaneous precepts on justice (right actions).

• Chapters 86/48–90/52. Conclusions on the practice of precepts.

48. Final advice and his division of types of people.

49–52. The practice of precepts.

I was given this free advance listener copy (ALC) audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

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Review: Raine of Fire

Raine of Fire by Susan Stradiotto
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

As promised … an urban fantasy about a crime fighting duo with echos of the TV show “Castle” (and elements of “Lucifer” and a few from the Dresden files such as tech issues).  It comes across a bit “pulpy” at times and the humor can be a bit forced, but over all, it was an enjoyable read (for somebody who is a fan of all of the previously mentioned inspirations).  There are a few surprises as they investigate an apparent open and shut case of murder that seems a bit too pat … So a mischievous fairy “nudges” the hard as nails lady detective to dig a little deeper and finds that a few things just don’t add up … with the case AND with her meddling Samaritan whose knows more than he should ... because he can’t admit that he is actually a creature of magic when there is an entire Police Dept dedicated to hunted down his “kind.”  That makes this a fast/light read without a lot of depth … which is why it was more fun that I expected … so I may pick up the sequel to see where it goes from here.

I was given this free advance review copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

#RaineOfFire #BookSirens.

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Review: Interpreting Your World: Five Lenses for Engaging Theology and Culture

Interpreting Your World: Five Lenses for Engaging Theology and Culture by Justin Ariel Bailey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Man is a social animal where we divide ourselves into groups or communities that are typically determined by something we call “culture.” In fact, culture plays an outsized role in determining our identity, purpose and “tribe.” Some philosophers argue that the very nature of self can only develop within and without other people … for it is be such comparisons and contrasts that we find out what makes us different and what makes us the same (e.g. the boundaries of self and the collective and of the other). Culture is such a ubiquitous part of our psychology that it is actually difficult to define it distinctly … so it is more of a recognition when you see it (a sort of this are my people and these are not division of the world) … Much like the author, I find that I “gravitate to spaces in which I am comfortable, where I know what will be asked of me, spaces where I have some measure of power, influence , and control.” And yet, isolation is Not the Call of the Christian.  So while I bring my own culture into the world, conflict is inevitable when I encounter other cultures … some markedly different than my own. How should I “interpret” and “differentiate” myself unless I can understand how culture drives my own motivations and that of others?

This book gives us 5 “lenses” by which we can better understand what culture is and how it works in our communities and weaves that into the generally call by Christ to love [our enemies] and what that means. Each lens highlights an aspect of culture that should ultimately be viewed together as a whole. Each lens is introduced with a bit of an explanation of why that particular metaphor works (for example … Jonathan Haidt is used to introduce a Moral Foundations Theory that explores sin (6) [paired] innate moral intuitions and the tension within each pair in terms of resonance and resistance). Also within each, the author proposed several theological threads exploring the intersection of culture and theology (the point of the book). The sections each end was a series of questions to reflect on or discuss. Over all, this was an quick and easy read without any of the “big” words or ideas often found within a theology piece, so I would recommend that book for any inquirer interested in a culture and how such interacts with [christian] theology (in both directions).

Introduction: Is There Anything to Say?

1. The Meaning Dimension: Culture as Immune System
2. The Power Dimension: Culture as Power Play
3. The Ethical Dimension: Culture as Moral Boundary
4. The Religious Dimension: Culture as Sacred Experience
5. The Aesthetic Dimension: Culture as Poetic Project

Conclusion: The Lived Dimension

I was given this free advance review copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

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Review: Echo: The Curse of the Blackwood Witches

Echo: The Curse of the Blackwood Witches by Yasmine Maher
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

An urban fantasy with the chosen one trope.  While it was a fairly easy read and it comes with the “feel good” ending I was looking for, it took a few strange mind bender trips toward the end that didn’t quite work for me.  This was not helped by the tendency to use flashbacks as info dumps (a lot of which could have gone into a prologue).  Then stir in a healthy dose of time travel hijynx and it seems like we get a bit of "try everything and hope somethings works" approach to the story.  Add this to a general feel of a simple writing style typical of YA fantasy,  and the narrative comes across as pretty mechanical.  The magic system of connecting with souls to "grimoires" was actually kind of interesting, as was the elemental divisions of magic (into 8).  

All that said … I did still enjoy it as something I didn’t have to think much about (so a solid beach read or airport/travel pastime) and it kept me engaged enough to rock through it fairly quickly and the author avoided any big mistakes that would have been hard to ignore … so I might pick up the next one if I am in the right mood.

I was given this free advance review copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

#Echo #BookSirens.

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Review: The Secret of Chimneys

The Secret of Chimneys by Agatha Christie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Okay ... 

1) I love mysteries stories (+1) and Agatha Christie writes some of the best classics in the genre (+1) where all the characters are interesting and intelligent (+1)

 
2) The performance is one of the best I have encountered (+1) ... making this book a 7 out of 5

Over the course of 8+ hrs you are treated to an evolving mystery that will keep you fully engaged and constantly guessing about what is really going on all the way to the end with an mysterious crime boss vs scotland yard and a dashing hero that nobody really knows ... it's a fun ride!

I was given this free advance listener copy (ALC) audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

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