Review: Legacy of Man

Legacy of Man by David Lingard
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Performance: ***
Story: ***

An Ok YA Fantasy with SciFi/Military Tropes.

It’s a premise that has been done before … a lot; however, that really is what I was signing up for, so I didn’t really count that against it. The Narration was a bit flat making the experience a little less natural feeling, but still reasonable enough to enjoy the book. Part of that is the writing style, which was heavy on description over showing/action making the story one that requires a substantial amount of Letting Go if you wanted to enjoy it … I mean … 12 year old kids basically going full out special ops after a brief boot camp that apparently trains it’s soldiers using the Lord of the Flies method. Yeah … good times … just roll with it and feel good (seriously, it is primarily billed as a fantasy for a reason). Over all the book was entertaining enough to finish and I did actually enjoy some of the twists and silliness, so dig in for a casual read and you won’t be disappointed.

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

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Review: Lords of Uncreation

Lords of Uncreation by Adrian Tchaikovsky
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the final installment of the Final Architecture trilogy and it pretty much maintains the quality of world building and character development found through the work since the beginning. In fact, there has once of the best depictions of diverse [and at times enigmatic] alien cultures that I have ever encountered (along with the subsequent political drama between them). Here we rejoin Idris, Solace and company while they deal with suspicion, corruption, hubris and betrayal to solve the problem of the Architects permanently … with Idris fighting a one man crusade to reveal the “man behind the curtain” in order to avoid a xenocide. However, despite all of the great things in here, the story did suffer from a few pacing problems where parts of the story started to drag as it dived into details and character interactions that at times seem somewhat superfluous … and I would put it aside for a time before returning to it. I would probably enjoy it better as an audible. Still, trilogy as a whole was excellent and if well with the effort.

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

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Review: Godbreathed: What It Really Means for the Bible to be Divinely Inspired

Godbreathed: What It Really Means for the Bible to be Divinely Inspired by Zack Hunt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The principle concept presented by Godbreathed is the idea that the literal interpretation of the Bible, largely attributed to fundamentalists, has been toxic to the christian faith and the author is calling for a return to complex and rich exegesis that mines the spiritual truth of the stories that doesn’t depend on the inerrant historical facts there in. This is pitched as a return to Hebrew scriptural tradition … presumable something like a midrash … and may make the Protestant doctrine of Sola Scriptura problematic. If the reader subscribes to a tradition that mandates a literal reading of an inerrant Holy Bible, this book is not for you and is unlikely to change your mind. However, if the reading is struggling with resolving all of the apparent discrepancies and contradictions that a literal interpretation creates, this book provides some cover for the idea that such is actually okay and perhaps even intentional.

The first chapter advances that idea of treating the Bible and God as interchangeable (bible idolatry) and why that is dangerous to the inspired interpretation that comes from “wrestling” with the scripture. The next chapter covers how and when the Bible actually became canon and points to the fact that tradition actually came first. While there was an interesting hint about the conflation of masoretic disciple and the Christian belief of inerrancy, but I think much of that was poorly supported. That said, I thought the problem of using prooftext to weaponize scripture and such being counter productive was a solid observation in the next chapter. Chapter 4 highlights some of the common objections to literal exegesis and how such became the norm (faith vs science). While the title for chapter 5 was wierdly provocative, it also covers the unfortunately need for certitude that warps a lot of biblical interpretation (instead of allowing for the possibility of admitting that we don’t know). Finally the last three (3) chapters harken back to two early church fathers (Origen and Augustine) to examine their approach to scripture to eventually come up with a simple heuristic for Biblical interpretation … if your interpretation doesn’t not end with love … you got it wrong. Ultimately that is a sentiment I can get behind.

A Word About Words
1. Stop Worshiping This Book!
2. Richard Kiley Wrote The Bible
3. Born Again On The Boardwalk
4. Icarus
5. Cussin’ For Jesus
6. What If The Bible Is Wrong
7. The Bull Stamp
8. Can These Bones Live?
Acknowledgement

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

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Review: Hopewell

Hopewell by C.J. Petit
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Performance: **
Story: **

It was a good premise, but the story just didn’t develop very well. On the up side, it was one of the more wholesome (barring some course humor that didn't land) and upright westerns in the genre (which seems to be a rare thing these days) ... and of course I am a sucker for happy endings. The main problem is the lack any real tension in the plot, made so much worse with the mechanical narration. Characters are flat and extremely predictable. World building is poorly researched (US Marshal … a federal agent … is not able to remove a locally elected sheriff because you don’t like the way he does his job). In short, the story didn't connect at all and it went on nearly two hours after resolution of the primary conflict. By the end, I was actually a tad irritated with how the main character was presented, mostly because I know it could have been better.

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

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Review: Tsalmoth

Tsalmoth by Steven Brust
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the 16th book in the Vlad Taltos series and is actually a flashback story taking place between Yendi (#2) and Jhereg (#1).  If you are new to the series, I highly recommend that you read Jhereg first as an intro to the wisecracking and irreverent main character … Baronet Vladimir Taltos of the House of Jhereg, nefarious crime boss and sometimes assassin.  Here is a quick glimpse at the humor Vlad brings to the story:

[Vlad introduces the reader to his soon to be wife Cawti] “I met her on a warm, pleasant day with a nice breeze flowing in from the  the ocean-sea when she killed me. Nothing personal, she’d been paid.  And I got better didn’t I?”

[Vlad talking to his Capo] “Find someone to watch this guy.  I don’t want to watch this guy.  I’m the boss.  The boss doesn’t have to watch guys.  That’s why we become the boss.”

And the world building is one of my favorites (which, combined with the MC is why the first of this series in on my favorites shelf).  Seriously … this is one of the few fantasy series that both wife and I buy on sight; so if you haven’t started it, you should.

Now … if you are, like me, picking up the next of the series that you have already been reading, I can hopefully assure you that you will not be disappointed.  Publication wise, this book follows Vallista … which was a bit weird and something of a disappointment if I am honest.  This 1st person PoV flash back harkens back to the beginning of the series where most fans fall in love with the character … the setup appears to be Vlad reminiscing with Sethra for some reason that is either not revealed or I do not recall.  The time period is the period just prior to Vlad getting married to Cawti (who is primarily a foil to Vlad just so that there appears that there will always be an adult in the room).  Each chapter opens with a brief segue into a commentary on various marriage customs amongst Easterners (humans) and Dragaerans (elfish) houses. The plot revolves around a mark getting “shined” before paying back the 800 Imperials owed to Vlad at a time when Vlad’s “business” would have a hard time absorbing such a loss.  Vlad being Vlad … pours good money after bad until he uncovers a much bigger plot involving criminal/family factions and self interest within the House of Jhereg, as well as the sorcerous (and very dangerous) Left Hand … it’s enough to get someone very dead.

  

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

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Review: Buddha, the Dhammapada, and The Gateless Gate

Buddha, the Dhammapada, and The Gateless Gate by Joseph Lumpkin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Performance: ***
Story: ***

A Decent Introduction

Keep in mind, this is a religious text … not exactly edge of your seat drama.

A basic treatment of one of the founding documents of buddhist tradition. While I appreciated the ability to listen instead of try to read this text, I just admit to being at a disadvantage with respect to full comprehension being more at home in western religious traditions. This are the somewhat limited commentary provided less effective, so if you are looking for a more detailed understanding I was recommend finding something with considerably more commentary; however, for my purposes, it was a decent start on a text I have always wanted to read.

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

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Review: The Wilhelm Conspiracy

The Wilhelm Conspiracy by Charles Veley
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Performance: **
Story: ***

This is the 4th Lucy James mystery for me, having started out of order with Remember, Remember and then the Crown Jewel Mystery … and this is the weakest of the bunch. More action/adventure than mystery/thriller, the story inserts an average spy story on to the world stage of international politics between England and Germany before WWI … and doesn’t really return to its roots until the end after telegraphing where the mystery was ultimately headed well before that. Frankly the Uber weapon trope is way overdone, especially in an historical setting and where nominal details take up way too much time and space. Stir in a bewildering cast of famous/historical characters and we just don’t get much in the way of development for the title characters … which is why I tuned in. 

However, unlike the consensus that thought we had too much of Lucy here, I actually wanted more of her and less of Sherlock and/or Watson … especially as the portrayal of Sherlock just didn’t seem very good for me .. the ease with which the good guys appeared to be ineffectually running around and getting betrayed or duped or drugged et al. so often that it just seemed so out of character I had a hard time connecting. Keeping everybody straight was a little more difficult by the apparent lack of vocal range and limited diction applied to all characters by the narration, which was fairly average over all.

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

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Review: The Sword Defiant

The Sword Defiant by Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I grew up reading stories of Elric of Melniboné and his black bladed magic sword Stormbringer … the Stealer of Souls.  So when you give me a tale about another sentient/magic sword (called Spellbreaker in this take on the story), I am immediately interested.  Despite the obvious similarities, Sir Aelfric is more of a broken/fallen hero than an antihero, where he must overcome the corruption of experience instead of the very nature from which he springs … and because of that, I found him to be a much more sympathetic, if still tragic and world weary, figure.  

Alf was one of 9 [companions] that had defeated the great evil of Lord Bone and has spent the last few years trying to pick up the pieces (both his own as well as the people at large) … which is probably one of the most compelling aspects of the world building.  “The peace had been harder than the war in some ways;”  Most stories end after the final conflict is won and happily ever after is presumed.  A few may try to show the lie to that presumption and continue on, which is where this story begins … because nature abhors a vacuum and there is always a new evil waiting in the wings to step up and take advantage of the misplaced hope for some respite from the toils of Sisyphus.  “”No wonderful the stories of heroes ended in hasty happily-ever-afters, and never spoke of that might happen after.  The heroes put the world to rights, and then it stayed right for ever.”  Not here … “They rested in silence, and it struck Alf that all the fates of the fallen Nine were ignominious.”

While there is some action on The Road, the bulk of the story take place in Necrad, the fallen city of the vanquished Lord Bone and his Witch Elf allies (corrupted Wood Elves who become vampires when they fade).  The city has yet to recover, with large sections closed off and forbidden while the remainder is partitioned into “Liberties” nominally under the negligent control of one of the conquering heroes.  And then there is The Pit out of which fresh horrors still climb even after the demise of their master.  Stir in Vat grown clones/monsters, Wilder/Weres and Dwarves ... and the potential for conflict … politically and physically … is almost organic to the environment and context of the story.  Magic seems to be divided into two sources; star/elf and earth/bio … that latter being very powerful and, ultimately, corruptible over time. Taken all together, this was a refreshingly new take on the genre that I enjoyed very much.

Alf’s sister Olva provides the second PoV, chasing after her wayward son on her own hapless adventure to give us an alternate view of the world that just didn’t seem to develop into anything interesting until her story merges with her brother Alf and the next battle begins.  After that, there are secrets, betrayals and surprises to beat the band … for Death incarnate has come to the city of Necrad and nothing is what it seems.

  

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

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Review: The Upanishads

The Upanishads by Joseph B. Lumpkin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Performance: ***
Story: ***

A Good  (and quick @ 2.5 hrs) Way to Explore another Faith

I have read the Upanishads and like all such “scripture” or wisdom lit, it can be difficult to stay focused to the end. It is so much better to have somebody read it to you. This audible does exactly that. I can’t speak to the accuracy of the translation, but it seemed to all make sense and I found it more interesting where I could allow the mind to wander a bit around some of the concepts. I also found the commentary helpful (although the attempt to reference other faith traditions was more a mixed bag). Overall it was good, but pretty much as expected for a religious/academic text.

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

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Review: The Curse of Cleopatra's Needle: A Sherlock and Lucy Short Story

The Curse of Cleopatra's Needle: A Sherlock and Lucy Short Story by Anna Elliott
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Performance: ****

Story: ***

Another quick addition to the Lucy James Mysteries (either book 22 or 8.5 depending on who is counting) … and as a whole I recommend the series.  They don’t need to be read in any order; however, I started with Remember, Remember, then the Last Moriarty and worked well for me.  Although the series introduces Lucy as a previously unknown love child of Holmes, eventually we get a much larger cast of characters all connected to Sherlock in some fashion (such as Lucy’s Husband Jack and his little sister Becky) … giving Sherlock a relatively minor role in most of the short stories.

This mystery revolves around a murder of a lady by her husband … but Holmes is not convinced.  With a does of international intrigue tied into a subversive group linked to Egypt (hence the reference to Cleopatra).  Overall it was a fun mystery with a few twists to keep it interesting … solving the murder while leaving a few loose ends for later stories (potentially).  The excellent narration pushes this review to 4*.

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

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Review: The Monsters in our Shadows

The Monsters in our Shadows by Edward J Cembal
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was a bit of a stretch for me as the horror/sci-fi genre is not typically a favorite. That said, the blurb looked like enough of an interesting take to make it with the effort. To set the stage, we have a ruined apocalyptic landscape with enclaves of humans behind walled communities scrambling to survive. From the shadows, a terrifying creature (aka Shivers) emerges that haunts a specific person for a time until its hunger becomes to much prevent it from literally eating its host and if not “exiled” outside of the protective walls by then, going on a rampage devouring anybody else nearby. While there are some obvious analogies and symbolism from these shadow horrors, my interest was more on the basic story that follows Anthem, the city "Exilist" (aka The Reaper) who was responsible for making sure the afflicted were “escorted” out through the city walls into the deadlands before the Shiver goes nuts. Having a Shiver is always a death sentence … it is only a matter of time.

Anthem has a daughter … and his own Shiver, so the clock is ticking to find the truth. Does the Architect (ruler of the City of Atlas) have the answers? Maybe that is why not a single member of that family has ever been “exiled.” Or maybe the truth is outside the walls in the Deadlands. There is a mystery here (and a dark secret); however, you can’t figure it out on your own, so you are left to the whims each tantalizing encounter that keeps Anthem's apocalyptic "hero's journey" from being completely hopeless. If you enjoyed The Road, this story is probably right up your alley. Truthfully it is the end that makes this any good for me, with the obvious nod to depression and the hope contained therein; however, as mentioned above … this was not for me, so I am rounding my final score up.

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

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Review: Paradoxes of the Highest Science

Paradoxes of the Highest Science by Éliphas Lévi
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Performance: **
Story: ****


The narration was a bit laconic for my taste and I found it a little difficult to stay focused. This seems to be the favored style for spiritual/mystical books, where this definitely sits. Organized in 10 unlabeled chapters over 4.5 hours, the first 7 cover the advertised paradoxes (aka oxymorons) that were fairly interesting given the confluence of christian theology and occult magic (not normally grouped together). In that respect, it really comes across as a pseudo-gnostic text that tries really hard to pivot away from literal translations of the christian new testament to provide a more allegorical interpretation (that apparently allows for magic). Even more surprising was the strong defense of Catholicism in chapter 9, which summed up the author’s 51 precepts, beginning with a statement that man only has two (2) means by which s/he may attain certainty: mathematics and common sense (something akin to natural philosophy/law). If you have he patience, there are a few hidden gems here that make it worth the effort.

Note: The term magic here is really more about metaphysics and mysticism; not spells or the like (which would be anathema to judeo-christian thought).


1. Religion is Magic Sanctioned by Authority
2. Liberty is Obedience to the Law
3. Love is he Realization of the Impossible
4. Knowledge is the Ignorance or Negation of Evil
5. Reason is God
6. The Imagination Realizes What It Invents
7. The Will Accomplishes Everything That It Does Not Desire

8. Synthetic Recapitulation: Magic and Mageism
9. Let Us Now Sum Up (51 Precepts)
10. The Great Secret of Magic

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

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Review: Apocalypse Atlantis: Historical Archeological Action Adventure

Apocalypse Atlantis: Historical Archeological Action Adventure by Jay C. LaBarge
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

If you liked the previous installation in the Nick LaBounty series, you will like this follow-up as it is more of the same.  You got a dual timeline with Nick in present day and an Atlantean/Minoan timeline prior to the eruption fo Thera and the collapse of the bronze age.  Not entirely sure how a trained expert in Mesoamerican migration ends up on a grecian archaeology dig, but if it works for Indiana it can work here.  In this case, Nick is on the outs with the love of his life (see book 1) and just needs a distraction (if you thought that would spare you the frat boy hijinks and personal drama … think again).  

Like the previous story, you still get way too much drama and detail here so the story takes forever to really get started.  The big bad is yet another agent of the secret criminal cabal intent on ruling the world because there is only room for one ego on this planet.  Still not clear on why we needed the imagined Minoan story … maybe a story about a Nazi U-Boat will make it all better … because Indiana/Nick is always running into Nazis.  Ultimately all of the pieces for a decent story are here, they way it was stitched together didn’t work very well for me.

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

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