Brendan Shea
The Chronicle's of Prydain is a joyous tale with paths of difficulty, pathos, humor romance, and wonderful characters. The High King is the pinnacle of the story, and I hope you read the series and delight in it.
Lloyd Alexander created wonderful worlds in his time, and none so enjoyable as that of Prydain. Join Taran in his adventures as he finds his way, with Eilonwy the petulant princess, Gurgi the somewhat gluttinous creature and Fflewdur that tall tale telling bard, as they seek an oracular pig in hope of saving the land of Prydain from the evil Arawn. The author weaves an interesting and entertaining tapestry of intrigue and character growth. I have read the Chronicles of Prydain many times since my youth in the 1980s; most enjoyable and highly recommended.
I started reading David Baldacci's books after a family member gave me a copy of the Amos Decker's second outing, The Last Mile, about death row inmate, Melvin Mars. I was hooked immediately and have read many Baldacci works, but aside from the ‘Decker series, it is his early work that I find most intriguing and original.
Like The Simple Truth, this early Baldacci story keeps you guessing about characters you come to care about on the good side and disliking on the bad side. With plot twists aplenty, I had some sense of the main premise due to reading tons of thrillers, but only in a general way. 95% of the book was a complete mystery, and that is how it should be.
Poignant, insightful, exciting tales, of Kirk, Scotty, Chekhov and Sulu. A very well written and thoroughly enjoyable read.
I read this book as a kid, and admittedly, the “Dudas” are not folks I wanted to know about, but everything about the man and the bear, and for the most part, the rest of the community, is golden. I am not sure if this should be a children's book, but it is certainly an important and moving story that I love.
The Escape is amongst Baldacci's best, and maybe the only John Puller book I finished. My introduction to Baldacci's work was with my favorite character, Amos Decker. I enjoy the Puller characters, but the sexual aspects get pretty lurid and bizarre in the few I've read.
The Escape seems an exception, and the bond between John and his brother, and their mutual deference to their ailing, once powerful father are very rewarding. I think The Escape featured the debut of a good female counterpart, but her name I can't bring to mind.
If you enjoy a good thriller with well-drawn if not deeply profound characters, quality writing, and not too much grisly content or gratuitous sexual content, The Escape may be for you. I'm not trying to castrate the American Novel, but to enjoy a good read without delving into the mire.
So there are a lot of books I've given 4-5 Stars to, but this book deserves ten stars. Baldacci has created a story that already existed, likely in many lives, but he unearthed it with great care, as Stephen King might say. The writer gently probed, picked and dusted the tale until our eyes weren't dry, our minds were engaged and our hearts were floored. Do you think that some people are created better than others? Never believe it. Yes, some people do terrible things, but it is not the color of their skin that decides it, but as Dr. King might have said, it is the content of their character. I hope that whoever becomes the next president of these United States, he or she will rule with honor. Did I say rule? That shows a plentiful lack of sense. We are a democracy and a republic, so I hope they will serve and lead with honor. And the Good Lord mend my heart as well as yours.
For many reasons, a multitude, this is one of my all-time favorite books. The Crossings Book Club Dual-Edition, The Cross Examination of Jesus Christ and The Cross Examination of Oliver Finney (the latter most recently released as The Judge), is to me, the best presentation of this story as it provides both theological, cryptographic, historical fiction, narrative, and loving context, the former dual-offering to the latter (The Cross Examination of Jesus Christ provides context for and relates to The Cross Examination of Oliver Finney). Further, the Finney story was published in 2006, and I'd hazard, written in 2005. It also shows that true devotion is a matter of the heart (...spirit and truth).
Lewis' stepson Douglas Gresham pens an intimate, entertaining, and uplifting account of his stepdad Jack. A wonderful volume.
So, while I got stymied by the sexual content, as I try to avoid that in my reading and so forth, I kept with the book because of how well Connelly writes and how interesting Bosch is (and Haller). This is one of many of Connelly's strong outings. Some authors get it right now and then, but it is rare that I read a Connelly book I don't like: The Black Ice is one I will try to go back to, because, like a fine wine (I don't like much wine), you have to develop your palate, and Fair Warning (a Jack McEvoy book that I felt was too episodic, one I might not reread). Other than Fair Warning and some heavier content (which has nothing to do with writing skill), Michael Connelly is one of the best mystery writers I've read; in the company of Dick Francis and Robert B. Parker, among others, but probably one of the most skillful writers I've read when it comes to character writing, setting a scene and telling a story.
I have not read the book but wanted to comment on the synopsis referencing Scientology as a religion.
Religion: the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods.
I am glad she got out. I would not classify Scientology as a legitimate religion in the sense that its adherents are terribly exploited, oppressed and intimidated. While that can happen in organized religion, most faiths are not predicated on it, it is rather the failure of some adherents by their misapplication of their faith. In scientology, the “faith” itself, is fatally flawed.
L. Ron Hubbard was not superhuman, but apparently a sick, influental individual, and David Miscavige seems the same.
I suppose the most important thing is that Ms. Hill got out so that she can discover her identity on her own terms, and find out who God is to her. I'm not saying God is of our choosing, but that God wants us to be free in concluding what He means to them and how we relate to Him.
I would have given this book a five star review but almost didn't finish it. At one point, I was going to get rid of it because of the extremely violent and cruel sexual content. This was Baldacci's maiden literary voyage, and I suppose he wanted to be heard. In some of his later works, like True Blue and The Simple Truth, he is able to convey conflict and depict the bad guys without making the reader feel as though they are in a horrible situation personally. I'm not advocating for a neutered approach, just to avoid having my attitude towards life be influenced too much by art when art depicts something this bad. This book did not make me want to do bad things, but it made me feel at times like a wretch. I identified with Jack and Luther, who were more or less good guys, but the bad guys were hideous and a lot of the good guys got sucked in to their vortex.
I am a big fan of the Francis family of writers, both the late Dick & Mary, and the son of two who writes, Felix. The last Francis outing I truly enjoyed was Dead Heat. Dead Heat was published in 2008, just two years prior to Dick Francis' death. Felix and Dick collaborate on the book, and Dick's main collaborator, his wife Mary, passed away eight years' before, so she was not involved unless before the fact.
I would think Felix the driving force behind Dead Heat, but Felix helmed Damage solo, because it was published in 2014, two years after Dick's passing at the age of 89. Damage has two plot threads, one major, and one, a “minor” complement, but while the minor piece was somewhat awkward and disturbing in content, I found it to be a bit more rewarding than the key plot surrounding horseracing.
As I reserched this review, I realized that Damage was the maiden voyage of the Jefferson Hinkley series, and that having enjoyed Front Runner a lot, knowing now that it was outing segundo, it makes sense that Francis was developing his key players. Lydia, Quentin, Faye and Kenneth are all very interesting to read about, whereas the BHA elements slighly less so.
Maybe I am getting to be more of a sentimentalist as I get older. Still, the sequel, Front Runner was exciting, and not just for the family plot. Further, I read the preview for Francis' Guilty, Not Guilty, and it looks to be very good, indeed. I hope I'm not being too critical of Damage. Francis' writing is good. I think maybe he just took a little long getting to the great denouement without shifting gears a whole lot.
That occured with his dad's books now and then, with his dad being one of the greats.
True Blue is possibly the best Baldacci I've read, in fact, one of the best mystery thrillers overall. Why? It is a seamless blend that intersperses wry romantic humor, familial loyalty, and intrigue. There are good guys and bad guys, but the line gets uncomfortably drawn between them now and then. One machination required a momentary suspension of disbelief, but only slight, and the plot and characters so relentlessly driven and fun, that it was harder to dwell on that nuance, and quickly forgotten. True Blue has a compelling female protagonist, balanced by a close male supporting character, kind of like Leslie Connors and Bradley Carson in Randy Singer's Self-Incrimination, but grittier than Singer's book, and together with the other players, the story moves forward quickly, builds momentum, and hurtles to a great finish. I hope others are as entranced with this book as I was... I'd be proud if I'd written it.
I am rereading True Blue, and am 80% through it. I can't believe it's received even a few poor reviews; it is really an outstanding entry, and I'm loving it all over again.
This third entry concluding the excellent Alcorn trilogy following journalists Jake Woods and Clarence Abernathy, and police detective Ollie Chandler through a web of mystery, with each book being driven chiefly by each protagonist in turn.
If author Randy Singer (Directed Verdict, Self-Incrimination, The Judge), is the C.S. Lewis of Christian mystery fiction, then Randy Alcorn is its J.R.R. Tolkein. I say that, because Singer writes sparely and Alcorn with textual density.
The joy I have in both writer's work is that they recognize that allowing humor and romance to exist alongside the mystery and intrigue bring contrast and pleasure that is rewarding and fun.
Deception is arguably the best of this trilogy in that while it plunges a little deep into the dark side of humanity, it also soars to some of its greatest heights, even as it keeps the cheesy jokes from its hard-boiled detective coming.
Be sure to order a double-cheese with double-pepperoni.
Enjoy!
Jennifer Cramer-Miller recounts her amazing story, navigating the perils of chronic kidney disease, in this heartening and well written account.
Grisham writes well. The book paints vivid and interesting pictures of an intrigue that keeps you in suspense. I'd have enjoyed a little humor and romance but the plot didn't really call for those elements. The denouement was a little abrupt, but overall, a satisfying read.
I think this book by Felix and Dick Francis rivals some of Dick's solo classics. It has a really good plot line, mostly funny and loveable, and a few hateable characters, and the story takes several twists, all plausible and yet diverse and interesting. I really enjoyed Dead Heat, both of two reads, and hope Felix can produce more like this one, as Mary and Dick have passed on.
I really enjoyed Stephen King's book, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, because it's a good primer on becoming a better writer. But I also liked it because the author manages to be straightforward about the odds against a person joining the elite few literary geniuses developing exceptional writing skills. He also simultaneously shows how to elevate one's game.
And I got a lot out of this book because the author makes the entire experience a joy, and concludes with a chilling tale of how he's survived a terrible, real-life accident to persevere and triumph as an author and a human being.
It was also neat to hear about his family and how he has a successful, lifelong marriage, with kids, and imperfections and all.
Finally, his sense of spiritual matters might diverge from mine somewhat, but he seems a fine person and has an admirable grasp of the principals of faith.
Kudos to Stephen King. You were effective, entertaining, and moving in this clever and homey volume. I could have consumed this read in a day or two, but my busy, demanding life expanded my enjoyment over about two weeks' time.