Millions have come to love Brad Thor's literary creation, Scot Harvath. Ex-SEAL, Secret Service agent, hunter of terrorists, Harvath's legacy begins in The Lions of Lucerne. The seemingly invincible Harvath, working in the Secret Service, saves the life of the president's daughter during an attack, but many of his colleagues are killed in the process and the president himself disappears to points unknown. Middle-eastern terrorists are suspected, but Harvath is too smart to be fooled by the ruse. Following a trail of clues that everyone else misses, as well as his intuition, Harvath tracks down the Lions of Lucerne. I don't think I'd be revealing too much to let slip that he saves the day. . . .
Sure, Harvath is larger than life. Sure, he is inconceivably lucky. Sure, there is sometimes a cartoonish, melodramatic flavor to the story and the action. But this isn't Jane Austen. This isn't Ernest Hemingway. It's fast-paced, raw meat, superhero, special forces, flag-waving action and adventure! It's fun to read, fun to observe as Harvath puts the puzzle together, fun to see him get the girl, and fun to see the bad guys lose and lose big. The Lions of Lucerne starts out with Harvath serving in the secret service White House detail. As Thor's readers are well aware, Harvath's future is much broader than that, hunting terrorists where they roost. The Lions of Lucerne sets up that future.
One word on the audio book. I listened to the abridged version (that's what they had at the library). It tells the story efficiently, but it definitely had the feel of being abridged. On many occasions, I had to check my iPod to see if it skipped a track. The shifts in action were just too abrupt. I should have waited for the unabridged edition.
Friday, January 16, 2015
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
The Just City, by Jo Walton
Plato's Republic famously imagined a just city, but Plato himself could not have conceived how to pull of manifesting the just city the way Athena did in Jo Walton's novel The Just City. Being a goddess does have its perks. As an experiment, Athena brings together philosophers from around the world and from many different eras to be the masters of the just city. They plan and build (which the help of "workers," multi-tasking robots from some future era), then travel through time again to buy 10-year-old children at slave markets--10,000 of them--to populate the just city and train to be philosopher kings.
In some ways, Athena's plans begin to work out beautifully. The children are encouraged to forget their former lives. Many do so gladly, but some retain a sense of having been snatched unjustly from their families. They train in art and music and physical fitness, striving to become their "best selves." Five years or so into the experiment, Athena brings in a special teacher to instruct the children in rhetoric--Sokrates himself! He, of course, questions everything, teaching the children to do so as well.
When the children come of age, the masters begin to implement Plato's plan for building the next generation. Marriages are arranged by lot, lasting for one night only for the purpose of procreation, and long-term coupling is expressly discouraged. Quickly all involved become dissatisfied with this arrangement, for reasons obvious to everyone except Plato and his followers.
Walton keeps The Just City interesting by exploring ideas of free will and self-governance in this setting. If the children were rescued from slavery, but clearly have no choice about their future, are they truly liberated? When the robots who do the labor in the city being to express self-awareness, how does their emerging consciousness fit in with the concepts of the soul and free will? I also found her reflections on love--philia, agape, and eros--insightful.
At times, especially early on, I was reminded of some recent YA fiction: the Percy Jackson series, with all the references to the Greek gods and the young people living and training together; the Divergent series, with the ordered, segmented society and the selection of defined roles. But I realize that this probably has less to do with Walton's reading recent fiction than with Plato's influence reaching throughout history. Perhaps every utopian work of fiction reaches back to The Republic, directly or indirectly.
Even if it's been years since you've read Plato, The Just City can be read and enjoyed without a good working knowledge of the Greek philosopher. Walton fleshes out the ideas of The Republic in engaging ways, but I thought she missed some opportunities to tell a great story. The first half of the book was background and buildup to what I thought would be some interesting conflict. She laid plenty of hints of a stirring up of rebellion and potential ascendence of the machines, but those story lines didn't go much of anywhere beyond talk. The good news is, the talk is what makes The Just City compelling. What else do you expect on an island of philosophers and future philosopher kings?
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!
In some ways, Athena's plans begin to work out beautifully. The children are encouraged to forget their former lives. Many do so gladly, but some retain a sense of having been snatched unjustly from their families. They train in art and music and physical fitness, striving to become their "best selves." Five years or so into the experiment, Athena brings in a special teacher to instruct the children in rhetoric--Sokrates himself! He, of course, questions everything, teaching the children to do so as well.
When the children come of age, the masters begin to implement Plato's plan for building the next generation. Marriages are arranged by lot, lasting for one night only for the purpose of procreation, and long-term coupling is expressly discouraged. Quickly all involved become dissatisfied with this arrangement, for reasons obvious to everyone except Plato and his followers.
Walton keeps The Just City interesting by exploring ideas of free will and self-governance in this setting. If the children were rescued from slavery, but clearly have no choice about their future, are they truly liberated? When the robots who do the labor in the city being to express self-awareness, how does their emerging consciousness fit in with the concepts of the soul and free will? I also found her reflections on love--philia, agape, and eros--insightful.
At times, especially early on, I was reminded of some recent YA fiction: the Percy Jackson series, with all the references to the Greek gods and the young people living and training together; the Divergent series, with the ordered, segmented society and the selection of defined roles. But I realize that this probably has less to do with Walton's reading recent fiction than with Plato's influence reaching throughout history. Perhaps every utopian work of fiction reaches back to The Republic, directly or indirectly.
Even if it's been years since you've read Plato, The Just City can be read and enjoyed without a good working knowledge of the Greek philosopher. Walton fleshes out the ideas of The Republic in engaging ways, but I thought she missed some opportunities to tell a great story. The first half of the book was background and buildup to what I thought would be some interesting conflict. She laid plenty of hints of a stirring up of rebellion and potential ascendence of the machines, but those story lines didn't go much of anywhere beyond talk. The good news is, the talk is what makes The Just City compelling. What else do you expect on an island of philosophers and future philosopher kings?
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!
Monday, January 12, 2015
Killing Floor, by Lee Child
Jack Reacher. Mysterious hobo. Murder investigator. Lifetime military man. Always in the wrong place at the wrong time. Millions have enjoyed Lee Child's Jack Reacher novels, which all started with Killing Floor. Originally published in 1998, it's still #698 in the Kindle store. Impressive for a 17 year old thriller!
Set 6 months after Reacher left the army, Killing Floor introduces Reacher to the world. With his military pension, no ties to family, and a desire to see the country, Reacher wanders from place to place, anonymous and free. Unfortunately for him, as he stops in to visit a small town in Georgia, he becomes the fall guy for a murder investigation. The attempt to frame him for the murder falls through due to his solid alibi, but of course he becomes involved in the investigation. When he discovers that the murder victim was his only brother, it becomes personal.
As Child's readers know, Reacher's randomly getting caught up in an investigation is par for the course, so I wasn't too bothered by the coincidence of Reacher's arrival in town on the morning after the murders. But the fact that the victim was his brother seemed so far-fetched that it detracted from the story. Don't get me wrong, I still liked it, and Child kept me interested to the end. But you really do have to be prepared for some rather contrived story elements.
I enjoy Reacher as a character. I like that fact that his transience allows Child to put him wherever he wants, with little connection between the stories, so they can be read in any order. I do have one question, though. Reacher makes a point of traveling light. He never has any baggage; a toothbrush in his pocket is all he needs. When he needs a change of clothes, he usually buys new ones, and leaves the old ones in the trash or in the changing room at the store. But it leads me to wonder: does the guy ever wear underwear? In those stretches of time in which he wears the same clothes, don't he clothes start to stink a bit? I don't remember Child addressing this in any of the Reacher books.
So if you don't mind some story-telling contrivances, and a main character that surely must smell from time to time, Reacher is a fantastic hero: smarter than those around him, just about invincible in a fight, and loved by the ladies. I look forward to reading the next Reacher book!
Set 6 months after Reacher left the army, Killing Floor introduces Reacher to the world. With his military pension, no ties to family, and a desire to see the country, Reacher wanders from place to place, anonymous and free. Unfortunately for him, as he stops in to visit a small town in Georgia, he becomes the fall guy for a murder investigation. The attempt to frame him for the murder falls through due to his solid alibi, but of course he becomes involved in the investigation. When he discovers that the murder victim was his only brother, it becomes personal.
As Child's readers know, Reacher's randomly getting caught up in an investigation is par for the course, so I wasn't too bothered by the coincidence of Reacher's arrival in town on the morning after the murders. But the fact that the victim was his brother seemed so far-fetched that it detracted from the story. Don't get me wrong, I still liked it, and Child kept me interested to the end. But you really do have to be prepared for some rather contrived story elements.
I enjoy Reacher as a character. I like that fact that his transience allows Child to put him wherever he wants, with little connection between the stories, so they can be read in any order. I do have one question, though. Reacher makes a point of traveling light. He never has any baggage; a toothbrush in his pocket is all he needs. When he needs a change of clothes, he usually buys new ones, and leaves the old ones in the trash or in the changing room at the store. But it leads me to wonder: does the guy ever wear underwear? In those stretches of time in which he wears the same clothes, don't he clothes start to stink a bit? I don't remember Child addressing this in any of the Reacher books.
So if you don't mind some story-telling contrivances, and a main character that surely must smell from time to time, Reacher is a fantastic hero: smarter than those around him, just about invincible in a fight, and loved by the ladies. I look forward to reading the next Reacher book!
Friday, January 9, 2015
The Path, by Peter Riva
When you give a computer system god-like powers, is it surprising that it evolves into a god-like being? In Peter Riva's The Path, America is idyllic, with power, food, weather, virtually all aspects of daily life controlled by the System. The System has eliminated scarcity. People only do the work they wish to do, all their needs are taken care of. Of course, this state of wealth has come at a cost, both to America and the rest of the world, which doesn't share its wealth. When programmer Simon Bank inadvertently begins a chain of events that exposes long-held, dangerous secrets about the System, America, the rest of the world, and the very concept of sentience and humanity will be radically changed.
Peter Riva explores some interesting ideas in The Path, and forecasts a technological future that is believable in many ways. Much of the first half of The Path occurs inside the system, with Simon wired in, interacting with the programming. In a way, this was reminiscent of Tron or The Matrix, but, like those movies, it required a pretty big stretch to imagine the landscape and types of interaction that would take place within a computer system and between humans and computer-based entities. Still, Riva handles it fairly well.
The second half takes place mostly in the physical world. Riva transforms Simon into a sort of action hero, evading capture, running to safety, saving the world. The action sequences tend to fall a little flat. And the shifting alliances and revelations of who was who and who could trust whom, while unexpected, were not well-enough developed that I cared about the outcome or the characters.
The Path evolves from a cyber-mystery, to a conspiracy/suspense thriller, to a philosophical/ontological exploration. It does so with a rough-cut, unfinished feel. Lots of good material is here, but the finished product just seems a little wobbly and not too attractive. The strongest element of The Path is Riva's extension of today's technology and computer programming into the near future, and imagining the possibilities of using integrated computing power to coordinate daily functions. When this type of scenario is explored in much sci-fi, the powerful computer turns out to be a malevolent force. In The Path, Riva offers the possibility of shaping the ethical mind of an emerging sentience.
Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!
Peter Riva explores some interesting ideas in The Path, and forecasts a technological future that is believable in many ways. Much of the first half of The Path occurs inside the system, with Simon wired in, interacting with the programming. In a way, this was reminiscent of Tron or The Matrix, but, like those movies, it required a pretty big stretch to imagine the landscape and types of interaction that would take place within a computer system and between humans and computer-based entities. Still, Riva handles it fairly well.
The second half takes place mostly in the physical world. Riva transforms Simon into a sort of action hero, evading capture, running to safety, saving the world. The action sequences tend to fall a little flat. And the shifting alliances and revelations of who was who and who could trust whom, while unexpected, were not well-enough developed that I cared about the outcome or the characters.
The Path evolves from a cyber-mystery, to a conspiracy/suspense thriller, to a philosophical/ontological exploration. It does so with a rough-cut, unfinished feel. Lots of good material is here, but the finished product just seems a little wobbly and not too attractive. The strongest element of The Path is Riva's extension of today's technology and computer programming into the near future, and imagining the possibilities of using integrated computing power to coordinate daily functions. When this type of scenario is explored in much sci-fi, the powerful computer turns out to be a malevolent force. In The Path, Riva offers the possibility of shaping the ethical mind of an emerging sentience.
Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
God Loves Haiti, by Dimitry Elias Léger
Earthquakes, politics, suffering, and romance. In his debut novel, Dimitry Elias Léger revisits Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in January of 2010, when it was devastated by a massive earthquake. God Loves Haiti focuses on the lives of Natasha Robert, a young artist who has married the current president of Haiti, and her lover Alain Destiné, an up-and-coming leader in the developing nation.
At the time the earthquake hits, Natasha and her husband are about to board a plane for Italy, where they plan to retire (escape) from the responsibilities of the struggling nation. After a final night of illicit romance with her lover Alain, in the nation palace no less, Natasha locks him in a closet. He manages to escape, and decides to go to the airport to find Natasha. All their plans are shattered when the world comes tumbling down around them. Each assumes the other is dead. They go on living with a new resolve. The president, too, has a new resolve to serve his country, as he appeals to world leaders for assistance and attempts to inspire his countrymen. Each of the three is forced to reconsider his or her motives and purpose in life.
Léger jumps back in time, telling the back story of the love triangle, painting a picture of life and culture in Haiti while doing so. With the historical fact of the earthquake at the center of the story, I wondered how closely the details of the story followed reality. The fleeing president, the 13th floor of the U.N., where only heads of state can enter, the camps in the parks, cemeteries, and soccer fields, the American movie star who takes up residence in a tent in a Port-au-Prince park, the quick resurgence of commerce, the wedding in the rubble of the cathedral, all combined for a very convincing, intriguing view of life in Haiti and determination of Haitians to rebuild and renew.
The title hints at the theological struggles that Haitians must have had in the wake of the earthquake. The old priest tells Natasha, "The earthquake was the latest sign that God loves Haiti. . . . The way we Haitians suffer misfortune, deprivation, and disproportionate foreign enmity is right in line with the fate of chosen peoples throughout history. Biblically speaking, anyway." Alain has a more cynical response: "'F---ing God,' Alain thought. 'There was no God. There never was. There were tectonic plates deep beneath the sea. That's for sure.' . . . His new religion was no religion. His new God was no God. . . . There was death and there was life filled with micro moments to fill before death."
There are certainly no easy answers to a natural disaster like the Haitian earthquake. By focusing on these three individuals' responses to the earthquake, Léger sheds some light on the human condition beyond this Carribean island. His writing is lucid and tight, a nice balance of story, background, and reflection. (Although his non-use of quotation marks drove me a little crazy.) God Loves Haiti is a strong debut novel that portrays a side of the earthquake that wasn't shown on CNN and draws the reader into the mindset of a devastated Haiti.
Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!
At the time the earthquake hits, Natasha and her husband are about to board a plane for Italy, where they plan to retire (escape) from the responsibilities of the struggling nation. After a final night of illicit romance with her lover Alain, in the nation palace no less, Natasha locks him in a closet. He manages to escape, and decides to go to the airport to find Natasha. All their plans are shattered when the world comes tumbling down around them. Each assumes the other is dead. They go on living with a new resolve. The president, too, has a new resolve to serve his country, as he appeals to world leaders for assistance and attempts to inspire his countrymen. Each of the three is forced to reconsider his or her motives and purpose in life.
Léger jumps back in time, telling the back story of the love triangle, painting a picture of life and culture in Haiti while doing so. With the historical fact of the earthquake at the center of the story, I wondered how closely the details of the story followed reality. The fleeing president, the 13th floor of the U.N., where only heads of state can enter, the camps in the parks, cemeteries, and soccer fields, the American movie star who takes up residence in a tent in a Port-au-Prince park, the quick resurgence of commerce, the wedding in the rubble of the cathedral, all combined for a very convincing, intriguing view of life in Haiti and determination of Haitians to rebuild and renew.
The title hints at the theological struggles that Haitians must have had in the wake of the earthquake. The old priest tells Natasha, "The earthquake was the latest sign that God loves Haiti. . . . The way we Haitians suffer misfortune, deprivation, and disproportionate foreign enmity is right in line with the fate of chosen peoples throughout history. Biblically speaking, anyway." Alain has a more cynical response: "'F---ing God,' Alain thought. 'There was no God. There never was. There were tectonic plates deep beneath the sea. That's for sure.' . . . His new religion was no religion. His new God was no God. . . . There was death and there was life filled with micro moments to fill before death."
There are certainly no easy answers to a natural disaster like the Haitian earthquake. By focusing on these three individuals' responses to the earthquake, Léger sheds some light on the human condition beyond this Carribean island. His writing is lucid and tight, a nice balance of story, background, and reflection. (Although his non-use of quotation marks drove me a little crazy.) God Loves Haiti is a strong debut novel that portrays a side of the earthquake that wasn't shown on CNN and draws the reader into the mindset of a devastated Haiti.
Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!
Monday, January 5, 2015
Beyond Apathy, by Elisabeth T. Vasko
In Beyond Apathy: A Theology for Bystanders, Elisabeth T. Vasko points out that "We live in a society that is all too willing to tolerate violence." That may be true. Just turn on the news or read the paper. But to her thinking, persons who "occupy social sites of privilege" due to their "race, class, sexual orientation, or gender" are frequently bystanders, "those how aid and abet perpetrators (oppressors) through acts of 'omission and commission.'" In other words, white males are complicit in violence against women, homosexuals, and non-white individuals.
In our "heteropatriarchal" society, "gay bashing and slut shaming reveal that gender-based violence remains endemic to Western culture." Similarly, "white racism appears in the form of unconscious bias." I won't argue with Vasko that culture is permeated with prejudice of many kinds. But as a white male, I have to object to her assertion that white males are guilty of violence no matter what. In her view, I could live in a racially mixed community, adopt an African-American child, worship and serve in a racially mixed church, give money, time, and resources to all varieties of organizations which serve the black community, and love everyone, regardless of race, with a pure heart, but I would still be guilty through "systemic unknowing," "latent racial bias," and having benefitted from structural racism.
The idea of structural sin has always been problematic for me. How do I incur guilt for something I have not done? But for Vasko, structural sin makes me guilty since I am a person of privilege. While I don't like the idea, I understand the point and can see how theologians make it. However, Vasko takes the idea farther, outside of Christian orthodoxy. Jesus, she says, "is not immune to ethnic prejudice and religious exclusivism." He is "inscribed in structural sin." He is not "innocent, morally perfect, and one how takes sides with the oppressed." He "appears to take sides with the oppressor, his actions mirroring present-day patterns of privileged escape, racism, and bullying." She even goes as far as to reject substitutionary atonement. Rather than glorify the cross, she promotes a "theology of survival that emphasizes Jesus' healing ministerial vision."
Vasko misses an opportunity to speak to an important issue in society. When we see violence, whether perpetrated by family members, random criminals or bullies, or even by the police or other officials, we must speak out. However, Vasko places moral equivalency on those who swing the fist and those who stay in the shadows for their own safety. And I am just as guilty, sitting here at home in my living room, because I am a white heterosexual male. Guilty, guilty, guilty.
I honestly think she's living in another universe, or at least in another era. In my world, I have had bosses who are black, female, and even black females. I have worked with black, female, and homosexual coworkers, some of whom have been promoted ahead of me. A black police officer lives in my neighborhood. I even have a black president. Yes, racism, sexism, and homophobia still exist. But Vasko goes to far in saying that because I live and breathe as a white man, I am, ipso facto, culpable of any racist, sexist, or homophobic acts of violence. (By the way, she leaves no space for a legitimate theological claim that homosexual activity is sinful. Simply making that claim makes one guilty of violence against homosexuals.)
So, the bottom line on Beyond Apathy is that I found it offensive in its prejudice against white, heterosexual males. More importantly than that, I found her diminishing of Christ's atonement to be outside of Christian orthodoxy. She is writing inside an echo chamber of liberationist and womanist theology. But of course, what do I know. I am blinded by privilege and culpable because of my DNA.
Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!
Friday, January 2, 2015
Slaying the Debt Dragon, by Cherie Lowe
It's a new year, a great time to make changes and build new habits, but as Cherie Lowe points out in Slaying the Debt Dragon: How One Family Conquered Their Money Monster and Found an Inspired Happily Ever After, "there is no good time to begin paying off debt. There is only today." She tells the story of her family's four year journey of paying off over $120,000 in debt. Their combined student loans, credit card debts, and assorted debts were a burden; they decided to make some changes and get it done.
Readers or radio listeners familiar with Dave Ramsey will recognize his attitude and principles in Lowe's book. She looked to his Total Money Makeover for inspiration. She and her husband are avid fans of Ramsey, and even appeared on his show to declare "We're debt free!" Lowe doesn't necessarily introduce new ideas for paying off debt in Slaying the Debt Dragon, but it's refreshing to hear her perspective and gather some of her money-saving tips.
Like Ramsey, she tries to keep it simple. "It isn't that complex. Spend less than you make so you can whack away incrementally at the debt dragon with all you've got." The biggest key (again, no surprise) is making a budget and keeping it. She's a fan of the envelope system, and using cash only, especially at the grocery store and eating out.
She explicitly ties in freedom from debt to freedom to live a fuller life as a Christian. "We had lost a sense of contentment. . . . We had lost the bigger picture of the adventure God wanted to take us on through our story. Living day to day, paying bill after bill, our lives had been locked into a boring status quo existence." I like this perspective. It's not about making money and saving money. It's all about making space in your life and your lifestyle to follow and obey God.
Slaying the Debt Dragon is a very personal, honest book, but I wish she had given a bit more perspective on the income side. Her husband is a lawyer, so I assume he was making a decent income. On the other hand, she mentioned that he picked up some side jobs, but she doesn't go into what they were or what kind of hours those demanded. $120 thousand is certainly a ton of debt, but did they pay it off while earning a salary of $40K a year, or $200K a year? I was just curious about that detail of the story. Whatever their income, their story is still inspiring and informative. She doesn't make paying off mounds of debt sound easy, but she definitely makes it sound doable.
Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!
Readers or radio listeners familiar with Dave Ramsey will recognize his attitude and principles in Lowe's book. She looked to his Total Money Makeover for inspiration. She and her husband are avid fans of Ramsey, and even appeared on his show to declare "We're debt free!" Lowe doesn't necessarily introduce new ideas for paying off debt in Slaying the Debt Dragon, but it's refreshing to hear her perspective and gather some of her money-saving tips.
Like Ramsey, she tries to keep it simple. "It isn't that complex. Spend less than you make so you can whack away incrementally at the debt dragon with all you've got." The biggest key (again, no surprise) is making a budget and keeping it. She's a fan of the envelope system, and using cash only, especially at the grocery store and eating out.
She explicitly ties in freedom from debt to freedom to live a fuller life as a Christian. "We had lost a sense of contentment. . . . We had lost the bigger picture of the adventure God wanted to take us on through our story. Living day to day, paying bill after bill, our lives had been locked into a boring status quo existence." I like this perspective. It's not about making money and saving money. It's all about making space in your life and your lifestyle to follow and obey God.
Slaying the Debt Dragon is a very personal, honest book, but I wish she had given a bit more perspective on the income side. Her husband is a lawyer, so I assume he was making a decent income. On the other hand, she mentioned that he picked up some side jobs, but she doesn't go into what they were or what kind of hours those demanded. $120 thousand is certainly a ton of debt, but did they pay it off while earning a salary of $40K a year, or $200K a year? I was just curious about that detail of the story. Whatever their income, their story is still inspiring and informative. She doesn't make paying off mounds of debt sound easy, but she definitely makes it sound doable.
Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!
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