Gordon R Dickson... one of my favorite authors as a young man. This was a slight departure from his usual sci fi, space opera, alien encounters, etc. Gordon R Dickson... one of my favorite authors as a young man. This was a slight departure from his usual sci fi, space opera, alien encounters, etc. "JeeBee" is sociologist/scientist/mathematician, who, along with his think tank members, foresees the crash of civilization. The story picks up in post-apocalyptic America as JeeBee is attempting to cross country to find his rancher brother. There's thin explanation for exactly why the apocalypse has come, "not a bang, but a whimper," ... a failure of financial trust, infrastructure falls apart, and the next thing you know people are killing each other, eating the family pets. That's a bit frustrating as a reader. But even more frustrating is the absolute excruciating detail Dickson gives to things like building a forge, packing a horse or building a shelter. I guess that gives a shot of realism, but it's far from thrilling to read. More interesting is the wolf behavior the book revolves around. JeeBee befriends a human-reared wolf. The intro by a legitimate wolf behavior expert testifies that Dickson really did his homework, and it shows throughout the story. The wolf dynamic is the best part of the story, but the apocalypse takes a back seat, seems almost irrelevant, except for that most people just want to kill you to steal your stuff. Maybe this would have been better framed in a "Jeremiah Johnson" or "Grizzly Adams" genre, where a guy just gets fed up and decides to escape from society.
It feels bad to slam on a book series that so many other people evidently love (from reading other reviews here Well, it's over. I guess that's good.
It feels bad to slam on a book series that so many other people evidently love (from reading other reviews here on Goodreads). I guess I just can't let religion trump realism or logic... or frankly, good storytelling. I suppose folks more appreciative of this trilogy would say that's my problem.
I feel like there was real missed potential here. The author keeps the plot moving quickly with good action and set pieces. Unfortunately everything else is sacrificed along the way. All the logic complaints that I mentioned in my reviews of first and second books continue here. Maybe the author just needs a better editor? So many dropped story threads and characters, it feels he wrote this in one long session in which he kept writing himself into corners...
"Hmm... now I've got a (view spoiler)[ dead main character... what do I do now? I know! I'll have a magic/holy blank book wherein he can write himself back to life from the other world!" (hide spoiler)]
Huh?
And once (view spoiler)[that magic/holy blank book (hide spoiler)] served that one purpose, I think the author realized he just created a device that could resolve ANY plot conflict, so he had to dispose of it, ASAP! Same thing for the (view spoiler)[ 1st wife Rachelle... she served her purpose, now get her out of there so the hero can have a wild romance with the "scag whore" Chelise (sorry for that, but it was the author's unfortunate and distasteful choice of slang, not mine). (hide spoiler)]
And the hero's KIDS! What kind of father is this? He basically interacts with his kids from his first marriage in about three sentences in the entire trilogy. They didn't even make an appearance at his second wedding. Who is raising these kids? Where are the family values here? Thomas might be the worst deadbeat dad in history... second only to Darth Vader (Star Wars spoiler).
Even from the perspective of religious theology and Christian values there's a lack of consistency and logic. Characters flip flop political affiliations, relationships - good to bad, hate for love, vice versa, many times; all with no connection to real feelings or motivations, but rather just to serve the needs of the plot.
As an example, how does the world savior (view spoiler)[ (Justin) go from being the great "Forest Warrior" slaying the "scags" willy-nilly in one chapter, to being all peace-hugs-love, "save scag souls" in the next (hide spoiler)]? Is this supposed to be Christian allegory? Sure, Jesus may have freaked out and threw over a few lender tables in the Synagogue, but he never actually decapitated anyone or threw a spear in their guts. How would that reconcile?
I saw a quote relevant to this the other day. (Paraphrasing here): It isn't your BELIEFS that make you good or evil, it is your BEHAVIORS. By this measure, the characters in this book are outright terrible as moral/ethical/religious role models.
Specifically on religion (sorry, but one last major plot point niggle), the first line of the Gospel of John is not (view spoiler)[ "The histories recorded by his beloved..." (hide spoiler)] That Gospel starts out "In the beginning, there was the Word..." Sorry, but the author makes a big deal about that specific language linking books in the two worlds, but the lingo he references is completely non-existent in the bible.
OK... I'm done. I wasted too much time on this already. ...more
OK... let's start off with the good. There's an exciting pace and lots of adrenaline to this story. The pages turn quickly. It's one of those books whOK... let's start off with the good. There's an exciting pace and lots of adrenaline to this story. The pages turn quickly. It's one of those books where you get a nervous sweat going anticipating the next plot turn. Unfortunately, I had a lot of issues with many of those turns.
So if you're a huge fan of the author or the series, you should probably stop reading my review now, because it pretty much goes downhill from here.
I'm no stranger to suspending disbelief for a good story. Sentient robots, magical elves, blood-sucking fiends, talking animals, indestructible supermen... I'm pretty much on board for anything. But the story has to have logical rules that allow me to suspend disbelief. So whenever I hit a passage or scenario where rules of logic (even as crazily defined by the world in the story) are completely disregarded or nonexistent.... it REALLY, REALLY, REALLY annoys me.
Unfortunately, that happened far too many times in this story, the second in a trilogy, wherein our hero spends time between two very different worlds every time he goes to sleep.
First of all, (view spoiler)[ creating black powder as an explosive (all the way from exploring, mining, distillation and refinement of all the raw materials!) in a couple hour period while a horde of 10,000 warriors waits at the bottom of a canyon under tons of rock surfaces, which are conveniently looming, yet fragile enough to be dislodged by a couple dozen packed black powder bombs? (hide spoiler)] LUDICROUS! Think about it, if (view spoiler)[ the horde was close enough to be crushed by said tons of rock, wouldn't they also be close enough to see people scrambling around on the cliff faces?
"Hey, what are those guys doing underneath that looming cliff which could fall down and crush us? Hmm... I dunno. I'm sure it's nothing. Let's get back to screaming and stomping around in a menacing way without really moving too far from under these tons of precariously placed rock." (hide spoiler)]
Second, in the modern world, the virus-terrorist demands (view spoiler)[ that all countries ship their nuclear weapons to France, to be under said virus-terrorist control. LUDICROUS! As if all these nuclear weapons were able to packed up and shipped off like a bunch of fruits and vegetables. And as if they would have any actual use once disconnected from their delivery and support systems. Yes, yes, I know the author makes some clarifications about how they are are going to just dump most of them in the sea next to their base of operations, but what sense does that even make? Why would you want your base of operations sitting next to a sea full of submerged nuclear warheads? What happens when/if a little sea water seeps in and corrodes all of those sensitive electronic parts? (hide spoiler)] Maybe that's all part of the future plot line to be resolved later.
But perhaps most unforgivable and illogical is when our hero (view spoiler)[ and second in command sneak into the horde compound to steal the holy history books. They make their way through the commander's tent, killing his general along the way. Then, INSTEAD OF KILLING the horde commander, they tiptoe around his sleeping form, realize there are too many history books to carry off in one go, and sneak back out again, saying they'll have to come back later to get all the books. LUDICROUS! Killing the main bad guy would've been the optimal thing to do here... except he probably needs to make an appearance later in the story, so the author had to devise a way to keep him around. And the guy they DID kill is later passed off as a redshirt, not a general, because I think the author later realized he should have kept him around. (hide spoiler)]
So, so very frustrating.
I'm completely put off by the religious zealotry of our hero in the "old" world. Our hero feels that the horde, if they do not individually accept the word of Elyon (i.e., accept him as their personal lord/savior) should be destroyed. In other words, up to a certain plot turn that comes later, he's totally cool with the murder every non-believing man, woman and child. That sounds a bit too much like fanatical Islam (the Taliban) for me to get on board. But as distasteful as that is, it's worse (from a "logical/rules of the story" viewpoint) that his religious zealotry doesn't follow him into the "new" world when he makes the sleepover switch, although allegedly he's the same person. So on our side, he's NOT a religious zealot, but just a guy trying to stop a virus from destroying humanity. If the logic was consistent, his religious zealotry WOULD translate over, and then he'd probably be trying to use the virus to destroy every man, woman and child who doesn't accept Elyon as lord and savior... which I guess would be everyone in our world.
Finally, the story is wrapped up in the end of the book by a (view spoiler)[ religi-psycho-babble-almalgam of Christianity martyrdom inspiring what, at arm's length, one could interpret as mass suicide - if not for the magic of baptism/rebirthing that occurs afterward. It all seems written just to tug at the heartstrings of Christian folk. Ick! (hide spoiler)]
... and yet I am probably going to continue reading this series into the third book.
I started off this book not realizing that it has been labeled "Christian Fiction"... or maybe "Christian Science Fiction". I'm not sure if I would haI started off this book not realizing that it has been labeled "Christian Fiction"... or maybe "Christian Science Fiction". I'm not sure if I would have picked it up if I had known that. I think when something is pitched to a narrow audience (whoever that audience is) the writing/story doesn't need to be as good, because that audience is going to be more fanatic and forgiving.
I present as Exhibit A: Christian Rock music.
So I admit that my judgement of this book my be tainted, but for most of the book, I was simply not impressed. The concept is good - a man flips between two worlds whenever he falls asleep. The action is good too - the devil and his conspiring minions in World A, spies and deadly viruses in World B. But the overall execution seemed to be lukewarm and kind of naive.
World A (for most of the book) is Garden of Eden style, milquetoast- religious wish fulfillment... Wild lions are tame, friendly beasts! We can breathe underwater! We can fly! In the other world, the hero is trying to head off a deadly virus but with a complete simpleton's approach... Walk up to the front gate of the CDC and demand to speak to someone! In a more realistic story, wouldn't you start out local experts? Make some phone calls or send some emails? Build a solid case? Maybe the author didn't feel there was time. And his sister all too willingly drops her entire life and heads off on a crazy goose chase (does she not have a life and back story of her own?).
In both worlds, story threads get dropped in many places... what happened to the $100k the hero owed the mob and all those mob guys chasing him? And how did his sister walk off and place a big bet on the Kentucky Derby... how did she know who to call and how did she collect her $350,000? And what about that guy Bill on the Eden side who might either be a friend or a complete fiction? If there's no time correlation between the two worlds, why the rush to get knocked out (or put to sleep) all the time to make the transfer? Maybe some of these things will be wrapped up later, but right now it seems like the author is just scrambling as he goes along, covering up flaws in the story as best he can.
Moreover, things are just too bland to be interesting. Our hero falls in love with the very first woman he meets on the Eden world, but its a chaste, "can I hold your hand?" kind of love... blah. In the other world, he consistently tells the truth where at least withholding the entire, unvarnished truth, would serve him (and the story) better. So things don't really get interesting until the bad guys start showing up, doing evil deeds, and misleading everyone, which happens far too late in the tale.
The book completely ends a cliffhanger, so I'll stick around for book 2 and 3 to see where this goes.... maybe I'll change my attitude further along in the story.
The author is still young (or so I gather), so perhaps a bit early for a "memoir." But I was hoping for a bit more insight into his mode of thinking, The author is still young (or so I gather), so perhaps a bit early for a "memoir." But I was hoping for a bit more insight into his mode of thinking, reacting, etc.
We start with a revelation... that he has un-diagnosed Tourette's Syndrome. That leads the reader to believe that the narrative will loop around in the end with some indication on how David Jester will go forward with this new knowledge. But that doesn't happen.
What follows is a description of childhood and early teen years that seem no different than anyone else's... or at least mine anyway. What kid doesn't feel like they are different than everyone else? Ostracized, embarrassed, lonely, persecuted, etc.? What kid doesn't want to stay home from school, lay about all day and play video games? Most amazing to me was that his parents actually gave in to this behavior. They let him stay home from school... permanently! When my older brother tried that one, he was promptly booted out of the house. Along those lines, David's parents seemed far too compliant in all of his demands... Buying an obvious teenage alcoholic a bottle of whiskey once in a while because "It makes him happy?" Good Christ.
David Jester seemed like a pretty average kid, probably even above average, that is until his parents and the medical profession start trying to "fix" him with various medications. Not surprisingly perhaps, a recurring theme here is blaming medical/psychiatric professionals with misdiagnosis and incompetence, the flood of prescriptions, etc. Yet David Jester hides his real problems, symptoms and complaints from them. What other outcomes did he expect?
It was simply hard to get on David Jester's side in this story. He's intelligent, but so self-centered and self-absorbed that he thinks nothing of stealing, lying and generally being a complete ass to his friends, girlfriends and relatives, all for no good reason.
Mental illness doesn't give you license to be a total asshole. Or at least, by way of your illness, if you come off as an ass, have the good sense and common courtesy to apologize later to those you harm.
So, pluses for having an entertaining writing style and honesty, but minuses for lack of character and wrapping-up loose ends.
Oh Louis L'Amour... Who else can write what's basically a romance novel about a horse-wrangler bleeding his way through the Mexico/Arizona desert whilOh Louis L'Amour... Who else can write what's basically a romance novel about a horse-wrangler bleeding his way through the Mexico/Arizona desert while bad dudes and Indians chase him?
Our hero sets off to kill the horse thieves who shot his bronco-busting partner, but they turn out to be part of the biggest ranch families in the area. So the tables quickly turn and our hero has a gut full of lead. He runs, passes out and wakes up being tended by a fiery-hot senorita. It isn't long before these two are vacillating between making moon-eyes and spitting fire at each other, fighting like angry wildcats.
"I KEEL YOU!" she screams.
"Aw, you just ain't been halter-broke yet!" he shouts back as they wrestle back and forth.
Somehow treating this angry woman like a wild horse that needs to be broken turns out to be just the right thing to do and they wind up together in the end, shooting a bunch of bad guys and Indians along the way.
Ridiculous fun.
Hmmmm.... I wonder if this approach to women still works? Maybe I'll try that with my wife some day, "Honey, you keep on frettin' around like that and yer gonna throw a shoe! What you need is a strong rope, tight reins and a firm hand! And I'm just the cow-poke to fill that role!"
Enjoyed this collection of stories by Minnesota local storyteller, playwright, humorist Kevin Kling. The stories have holiday themes, or loose connectEnjoyed this collection of stories by Minnesota local storyteller, playwright, humorist Kevin Kling. The stories have holiday themes, or loose connections to holidays throughout the year. As good as an excuse as any to put a collection together, I guess. Liked best the stories that had ring of truth. Many connections to my own childhood memories of being raised up north, although I'd guess he's got a good ten or 15 years on me.
When he veered into wishful territory, or tall tale territory, he kind of lost me, or at least lost my interest.
Like Jenny Lawson, I had an off-kilter father who dropped out of the rat race in his mid-30s in order to run a taxidermy business out of our house. WeLike Jenny Lawson, I had an off-kilter father who dropped out of the rat race in his mid-30s in order to run a taxidermy business out of our house. We had creepy, animal bodies all around (basement, garage, workshop, wherever) in some state of being flayed, flensed or excarnated (look it up). You had to be careful where you dug a hole in our back yard - say in order to bury a beloved cat (or even one you weren't terribly fond of) - because of the chances of digging up an over-ripe carcass.
My dad was also what you might call a serious "Do-It-Yourselfer," to include fixing (or attempting to fix) his own teeth with the tooth enamel bonding material he usually used in taxidermy. Funny thing about that, you don't realize how HOT that chemical bonding process gets when you do it on the canines of a dead animal. But when you do it on your own teeth... very different story! The preparations he made for discomfort with ample doses of Johnny Walker weren't enough. There were sets of finger impressions left on the porcelain of the bathroom sink from his death-grip-while-screaming.
Back to Lawson, she also has HR experience (like me!), along with the goofy human behavior stories that come out of that profession. AND... she has a off-beat sense of humor about everything that happens to her.
So there were CONNECTIONS here for me... a lot that drew me to this book.
HOWEVER... seems like there were a half dozen great stories here and the rest was filler. Post-it-note exchanges with her husband? How'd that make the editorial cut? Also, I suppose there's a shock/funny/freedom thing in referencing your vagina often and enthusiastically. But after the first couple dozen times or so, it got distracting. Seriously, there are a couple pages here where the word "vagina" appears at least 10 times per page. I doubt a dude enthusiastically talking about his penis this much would get a book deal.
On the other hand, I guess Howard Stern got a book deal. Thankfully, I didn't read his book, so I can't make comparisons.
Side note: I wonder what the total "vagina" word count is for this book? 100? 200? 500? I'm sure the average is around once a page. That's got to be a record of some sort.
In conclusion... YES, there's funny to be had here, but wading through the shrill profanity and vagina-centric humor?
Living in a world designed to reward extroverts has its challenges. Maybe the success of this book will help remove the stigma associated with the "inLiving in a world designed to reward extroverts has its challenges. Maybe the success of this book will help remove the stigma associated with the "introvert" label. I'm kind of a hidden introvert now. I've learned to work around it. But when I was a kid, it was something the church ladies (or relatives) whispered behind the back of their hands while shaking their heads:
"Oh, there's that little boy. He's such an introvert you know."
Like I had, I don't know, polio or something.
So it was affirming to read that my abhorrence of parties, conferences, social gatherings and "group energy" might be OK... even normal... for a subgroup of people anyway.
By the way, the description of the Tony Robbins seminar sounded pretty much like Hell On Earth to me (several days of extroverted exercises and group activities.. shudder).
Come to think of it, the emphasis on extroversion was probably a big reason I dropped out of law school after my first year. Acquired knowledge seemed to count less than class participation and "arguing like a lawyer" (i.e., taking a side even if it was clear you didn't know what the hell you were talking about). Speaking just to be heard, or arbitrarily taking a side, was always repellent to me... "talking nonsense" as the Asian students in this book label it.
Back to the book, it also gets into personal relationships and conflicts that arise between introverts and extroverts. Failure to understand this was probably a determining factor in my past failed relationships:
"Why don't you open up!? You're like a robot! Why don't you like doing things with my friends? Tell me what you're thinking!"
"Ugh... I'm thinking I'd like to be left alone? For awhile anyway?"
Thankfully, my wife and I have a good understanding on these matters. Alone time to me = recharging my mental batteries. She gets it.
I think we also have a pretty good perspective on our kids who, truth be told, are much more like me on the introversion/extroversion scale. We feel it's completely OK if they don't want to join groups, play team sports or go to school parties. Being alone, or being with one or two close friends, is just fine
Now if we can just convince the rest of the world that it is "just fine" too....more
This book probably means a lot more to TRUE Star Trek fans than it does to me, a casual fan. Sure, I've seen all of the original series and a smatteriThis book probably means a lot more to TRUE Star Trek fans than it does to me, a casual fan. Sure, I've seen all of the original series and a smattering of episodes from the spin offs. I may have even seen a few complete seasons of Deep Space Nine and the Next Generation. So while I got all the jokes and pokes at the danger of being a redshirt on the "away" team, I didn't the book "laugh-out-loud" funny, as others have reported.
I found it amusing... not "laugh-out-loud" funny. Blame on that not being a "TRUE" Trekker?
I found the story great fun while the redshirts dodged ice sharks and landworms, but it lost steam for me once they broke the 4th wall.. 5th wall? I don't know, I lost count. A lot of walls were broken. And the more that happened, the less I enjoyed it. I would have appreciated an "in universe" explanation for the redshirts and the dangers of being in their position. Seemed like an easy out, the path the story took. Maybe a way to poke fun at Hollywood, and television production in general, was the ultimate goal there.
It's a quick read. There's some filler at the end, with a few codas following up with the characters from "our" universe. I liked the "final, final" epilogue, but the others kinda bored me.
A must read for a Trekker... or Trekkie... take your pick. If you're not a Trekkie, there are worse ways to spend a few hours.
Yeah, I guess it was OK. It has some fun Pratchett-ish happenings and descriptions early on but that seems to fade away as the story moves along... I Yeah, I guess it was OK. It has some fun Pratchett-ish happenings and descriptions early on but that seems to fade away as the story moves along... I suppose as co-writer Baxter took the reins. The curse of a "collaboration." Too bad that the Pratchettness couldn't be maintained throughout.
The premise is that a nutty professor found a way to step between the multiverse versions of earth and posted instructions for how to do that online. So people set off willy-nilly exploring alternate worlds.. the ultimate land-grab. None of these alternate worlds have any humans on them (for some as-yet-unexplained reason) but have every variety of earth creature has evolved in weird and interesting ways. It's a setting for countless "first encounter" situations, but oddly the author(s?) didn't take much advantage of that.
This book starts with a few short-stories patched together, mostly revolving around or linking to our weird-nerd hero Joshua, a "natural stepper" (someone who can move between worlds without the crutch of a hand-held device) and Lobsang, his sidekick/partner/buddy, who also happens to be the world's first AI. The two race off through the long earths to figure out what's causing such a ruckus across all the multiverses of earth.
It becomes a bit boring, honestly. Focusing the story on two or three versions of earth, rather than stretching on into the millions, would have kept the reader more engaged....more
In this Odd story, we find our hero mucking about a fabulous estate where the (maybe) ghost of Nikola Tesla pops in and out, seriously annoyed with thIn this Odd story, we find our hero mucking about a fabulous estate where the (maybe) ghost of Nikola Tesla pops in and out, seriously annoyed with the residents. Pig-men, bats, decadent Hollywood billionaire types, ghost horses and dead ladies all run around and cause quite a ruckus. Odd keeps his head and self-deprecating sense of humor throughout. I would have liked to see more (view spoiler)[ time-travel related hijinks (hide spoiler)] but I guess there was only so much weirdness you can fit between the front and back covers.
Not sure what's up next in Odd's journey. He seems to be accumulating quite an entourage of misfits, book to book. A few more books and he'll be responsible for enough people to staff a baseball team... or at least enough for a pickup basketball game....more
I'm developing quite a soft spot for Odd Thomas - the quirky banter, the insistence on politeness and his penchant for humility - all through the mostI'm developing quite a soft spot for Odd Thomas - the quirky banter, the insistence on politeness and his penchant for humility - all through the most unreasonable and unusual circumstances - it's all kind of growing on me. It is the horrible moments in life that really define us, and it's rewarding to see this character unruffled, self-deprecating and being gracious, even when someone is trying to murder him.
I will admit, however, that the humility does get a bit thick and cloying. I mean, when you've saved a monastery crammed full of disabled orphans from a horrible, grisly death, go ahead and take a pat on the back or two! You've earned it.
I'll keep reading the Odd Thomas novels. They are like putting on a fuzzy sweater and relaxing in a sun-soaked chair near a window on a winter day - comfortable, soothing, secure.
Conclusion to a well written trilogy. I don't really get what was so awesome about Todd that made every single character in this world completely obseConclusion to a well written trilogy. I don't really get what was so awesome about Todd that made every single character in this world completely obsess over him. He seemed an unlikable, uneducated hick with Mommy issues to me. And I wasn't really a fan of the writer's trick of screwing up all the spelling and grammar when Todd was the point of view character. It was distracting and unnecessary. But if you can get past that and the never ceasing string of bad events happening to the primary characters in this book, it's a good read.
I've still not forgiven the author for what he did to the dog Manchee in the first book of this series. I would have preferred an entire trilogy revolving around him, instead of Todd....more
The plot and writing keeps you turning pages here, but this story is dark. Some very deep and disturbing themes here: murder, rape, torture, genocide.The plot and writing keeps you turning pages here, but this story is dark. Some very deep and disturbing themes here: murder, rape, torture, genocide... did I mention the torture, there is lots of torture. A deep look into brainwashing and that thing where the hostage develops empathy for their kidnapper/torturer... Stockholm Syndrome. Our heroes here go from the frying pan into the fire, then into a fire underneath that fire and so on. I lost count of how many times things just got worse for them. Far way too young to experiencing all these things and their "undying" love for each other (what are they, 14? 15?) They pretty much seem like 20 year olds in the place of children just to make the story fit into the "young adult" genre. It would have been a release to see them have an occasional moment of tranquility, if not joy.
I can't really see a "young adult" reading this book... sure, there's no sex between consenting adults - and the rape is only discussed, not depicted in any graphic way, but that's about the only thing held back.
All that said, it will keep you engaged and turning to the next book in the series....more
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