Review: The Book of Lilith

The Book of Lilith by Robert G. Brown
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This story is a fantastical retelling of the mythic origins of man (and woman) told from a moderately feminist point of view with a fair amount of eastern philosophy mixed in. It begins with the presumption that Lilith was actually the first human soul and that through her love for others, God granted souls to all living things ... Including Adam, the first man. As the story unfolds, the author introduces from very interesting concepts about why we were created, what the soul does for us and how we have the [flawed] moral rules that guide us today. We also find a more rational explanation of man's ejection from the Garden of Eden and a new perspective of the story of Cain.

Unfortunately I thought that rational treatment took away from the mythic quality of the story in general and could not avoid the feeling that I was reading a fancy textbook in school. To be fair, I did learn quite a bit from the story and did enjoy it from that point of view; however, the story seemed to lack several of the critical elements of an entertaining page turner. Part of the problem for me might have been the graphic [sexual] nature of several parts of the story and the subsequent clinical treatment of the subject within. While such content is actually fairly common in ancient text, it is not part of the genre that I typically read for entertainment, making it difficult for me to truly enjoy the book.

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Review: Slaughterhouse-Five

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Okay ... I am not a big fan of the fractured narrative style (jumping back and forth through time). That said … Vonnegut pulls it off better than most. I can't really say that I enjoyed it that much; however, it has been awhile since I have encountered the supporting pseudo-stream of consciousness writing style and I found it mildly entertaining … Vonnegut’s sardonic humor helped immensely here.

Of the story itself … the book is characterized as an anti-war book; however, I felt it had more of an amoral tone then anything (with the possible exception being his discussion with his sons concerning massacres). That is, it was more of an eye witness report then a heart felt condemnation, leaving the reader free to impose whatever moral framework desired so long as the factual events were not dismissed. In that respect, I found myself draw into the story with a rubbernecker’s morbid sense of curiosity where it was safe to look because I was not actually involved. This was where the fractured narrative style really helped; it allowed the reader to explore events that were obviously tragic without overwhelming the reader with an extended emotional response … Vonnegut would just barely touch the ‘dark-side’ before zooming away toward lighter faire.

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Review: 48 Laws of Spiritual Power: Uncommon Wisdom for Greater Ministry Impact

48 Laws of Spiritual Power: Uncommon Wisdom for Greater Ministry Impact by Frank Viola
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was targeted primarily to "those who regularly preach or teach God’s Word" … which the author immediately expands to include all the faithful “because every true disciple of Jesus is called to be a servant - a minister - in some capacity.”

Thus all of these “Laws,” or Rules, are designed to super charge your ministry by ultimately strengthening your relationship with the God and allow Him to do the heavy lifting … basically it repeats what virtually every spiritual self help books says … you can do nothing on your own.

Each Law is introduced with a clear title that summarizes the concept, then specific examples of the issues along with practical steps to identify the issues in your own ministry and/or how to correct them when you find them. Most of these are fairly common and even intuitive … but many are still difficult to put into practice. That is where this book shines … and while I don’t necessarily agree with everything here; I have no doubt that these Laws can provide an effective foundation for my own ministry.

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

#48LawsofSpiritualPower #NetGalley

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Review: Starship's Mage: Omnibus

Starship's Mage: Omnibus by Glynn Stewart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I picked this up through kindle unlimited and I freely admit to inflating my rating on this series because it was just so much fun to read (and is a step up from the typically stuff you get on kindle unlimited). I basically binged this series over about 1 weeks time.

I like Hard Sci-Fi
I like Fantasy

This series gives you both. All of the SciFi stuff that typically gets a tech hand wave as being so advanced it appears to be magic (I am looking at you FTL and Antigrav devices) actually IS magic ... and it is awesome. IMHO the author does an amazing job blending these two elements into his stories and I simply love the world building (plus 1 star for something I have only seen in more of a steam punk genre instead of SciFi).

The stories are more of the cookie cutter, classic hero's tale that simply makes you feel good when you finish it. The good guys are very good (and relatable and easy to like/identify with). The bad guys are actually reasonable intelligent and provide a decent foil for the protagonist with enough humor to make it a fun afternoon read (you get another star there). It is never going to be a classic ... but it will be one of the few stories that I plan to re-read.

I so wanna be a "Starship's Mage" now!!!

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