Darkship Thieves, by Sarah A. Hoyt

Sarah A. Hoyt has written mysteries, fantasies, and historical fiction, but has perhaps seen her greatest success in sci-fi.  Darkship Thieves is the first of what has turned out to be a 5-book series.  She dedicates the book to Robert A. Heinlein and writes in his tradition.  It's a space opera that spans the solar system, with human civilization fractured and developing on separate tracks. 

Centuries ago, starting in the 21st, bioengineering developed to the point that humans had created their own masters.  Many revolted against the presence of these superior humans, and drove them off-planet.  They established a colony, Eden, on a distant asteroid and cut off all communication with Earth.  However, the Edenites still have to come back to the vicinity of Earth in their darkships to steal energy pods. 

When one of these darkships picks up Athena, an aristocratic teenage from Earth, the pilot's only choice is to take her back to Eden.  As she adjusts to life on Eden, and eventually falls in love with her rescuer, the worlds of Earth and Eden become mixed.  The newlyweds return to get energy pods and end up back in the grips of her controlling father.  She has to choose between her new and old lives, and sacrifice to get her husband back to Eden.

Hoyt writes memorable characters, builds richly detailed worlds, creates an interesting technological future, and, most importantly, tells a great story.  Darkship Theives won the 2011 Prometheus Award for Best Libertarian SF Novel.  On Eden, there are no laws, but generally agreed upon cultural norms.  Back on Earth, there are a few Usaids, people who remember the old United States.  (Athena amusingly refers to the stars and stripes as the symbol of the Usaids's male deity.  A green, robed figure represents the female deity.)  Darkship Thieves is a fun, fast-paced escape.

The Eighth Sister, by Robert Dugoni

Robert Dugoni, who has written popular legal thrillers, mysteries, and other fiction, cuts his teeth on the spy genre in The Eighth Sister.  Charles Jenkins has been enjoying a quiet life on his farm, running a private security firm and raising his young family.  But then his old station chief, from the days decades earlier when Jenkins worked for the CIA in Mexico City, comes calling.

Jenkins, his former boss says, is uniquely situated for a mission to Moscow.  He's fluent in Russian, and his security firm does business in Moscow.  Desperate for funds for his struggling company, Jenkins agrees to go.  The mission: to aid a group of Russian women who have been spying for the US for decades, since the days of the USSR.  Of course, things don't always work out so well.  When his cover is blown, Jenkins has to rely on a Russian CIA informer to get out of the country.  Once back in the US, he learns that his old station chief may not have been working for the CIA after all, and Jenkins is accused of selling US secrets.

The best part of the book is the sequence with Paulina, the woman who comes to Jenkins's aid in Russia.  Their flight from Moscow and Jenkins's ultimate escape is gripping.  Then the legal case and courtroom drama back in the US brings the betrayals and back stories together.  This is a fun read, and Dugoni is on his way to being worthy of a spot on the bookshelf next to Robert Ludlum and John LeCarrè.  

The United States of Socialism, by Dinesh D'Souza

To many of us who have read a little bit of history, it would seem that there is no need to write yet another book critical of socialism.  But socialism is in vogue among college students, Democrats, and broadly among left-leaning people across the U.S.  Bernie Sanders's campaigns for the presidency have brought socialism to the forefront, as have members of congress who openly call themselves socialist.  In this environment, Dinesh D'Souza responds with The United States of Socialism: Who's Behind It, Why It's Evil, How to Stop It.

D'Souza calls socialism "the most discredited idea in history."  It has "proved to make everyday existence a living hell nearly everywhere it has been tried, all over the world."  The current American expression of socialism draws deeply from the well of the German philosopher Herbert Marcuse, applying his radical activism to the identity socialism that has come to dominate.  D'Souza repeatedly points out the ways that Marx would mock the American socialist movement. 

D'Souza addresses the mischaracterization of Sweden as a model of socialism, and argues that the Venezuela model is more likely the direction that American socialists will take the nation.  He makes a strong defense of capitalism and the market, demonstrating that "a market economy involves a level of popular participation and democratic consent that political can only envy.  We don't need to extend democracy from the political to the economic sphere; we already have it."  This is a pretty brilliant point.  We can vote in political elections once every 2 or 4 years, but we vote with our dollars every day.  

The battle to defeat socialism, in the current moment in our history, is battle to defeat Trump's opponents.  D'Souza is critical of press coverage of Trump, his impeachment and the Russian collusion investigation, and the many efforts to bring him and his people down.  The many double standards are easy to identify, but one that he featured was news to me.  Stormy Daniels became a household name when she accused Trump of paying for her silence after an affair.  But when a gay man named Larry Sinclair stated that he had two sexual liaisons with Obama when he was a state senator, and when reports of Obama's affair with the choir director at his church circulated (and who was murdered shortly before the Iowa caucuses), the stories were silenced or ignored.  These stories had at least as much credibility as Stormy's, but Stormy was lionized when these Obama accusers were ignored.  

Whatever you think of Trump and his presidency, socialism in the United States is a credible threat and must be stopped.  History has demonstrated repeatedly that socialism is not only a failure but is lethal.  D'Souza does us a great service by placing socialism in the contemporary political setting and providing the ammunition to bring it down.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!

Alpha and Omega, by Harry Turtledove

Prolific author of fiction Harry Turtledove, once dubbed the "Master of Alternate History," takes a peek into biblical prophecy to write Alpha and Omega.  Set in a very near future, the story centers around the discovery of the long lost Ark of the Covenant, the fulfillment of the prophecy of the red cow, and a messiah figure to bring on the end times.

For most of the book, it reads like much biblical apocalyptic fiction (e.g., the Left Behind series).  Turtledove is Jewish; I don't know how devout.  In Alpha and Omega, he lands on a sort of universalism that leaves the Jewish, Muslim, and Christian characters a bit befuddled.  

I enjoyed the fact that Hogan treats scripture and religion respectfully, even if a bit distantly.  As a Christian believer, I found myself cheering on the fulfillment of biblical prophecy.  The first half is a fun read, seeing the responses especially of the Jewish characters as they saw prophecy being fulfilled.  But by the end the fantasy yarn-spinning got a little out of hand in my opinion and I ended up disappointed.  

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!

Bible Quiz Show, by Paul Kent

Paul Kent's Bible Quiz Show: An A-to-Z Trivia Challenge is exactly what it sounds like.  You think you know your Bible?  Even the most faith Bible student will likely find some challenges here.  Some Bible quiz books are arranged by topic.  Not so with Bible Quiz Show.  As you would expect from the subtitle, the questions are arranged in groups from A to Z.  Each letter has several sets of questions that may or may not be related, but which have something to do with the title.  Arranged game show style from easier to harder (with corresponding scores), you can create your own game show or family night of gaming.  My family's style would be more like calling out answers on a car trip, but you might implement a game board or score card.

Have fun with this one, but be prepared to be stumped a time or two!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!

For God and Country, by Ralph Reed

As a Christian Trump voter, I am continually frustrated by the maligning by liberals in the press (but I repeat myself), Democrats, Never Trumpers, left-wing Christians, and even some conservative Christians, all of whom attempt to call out Christians for supporting Trump.  Trump is an adulterer, womanizer, misogynist, liar, unprincipled businessman, a bully, and on and on, and any Christian who supports him must not be a real Christian.  

Ralph Reed articulates a response for Christians like me in his new book For God and Country: The Christian Case for Trump.  Reed honestly confronts Trump's well-known character issues, placing his presidency in proper historical and political context, and defends the idea that Trump was the best choice in 2016 and continues to promote ideas and policies that are important to Christians.  As Reed writes, Trump "has mad mistakes and has come up short in his life but now advances policies that protect life, defend the First Amendment right to freedom of religion, strengthen the family, and support Israel." 

Reed's perspective is unique in that he's the consummate political insider.  He has been deeply involved in Republican politics since the Christian Coalition days in the 1980s and 1990s.  Since then, as a Republican Party activist and now as a consultant with his firm Century Strategies, he's been intimately involved with political races, activism, and fund raising.  As an insider, he has had behind-the-scenes access to political rallies, conventions, and campaigns over the course of many years.  

Trump had talked about his presidential ambitions for many years, but no one never thought he was serious to go through with it.  He called Reed to his office to talk about running in 2012, but got a sweet deal from NBC to extend his successful TV show, so he decided not to run.  (Ironically, by giving him that lucrative contract, NBC put off Trump's running for president for 4 years.  Surely he would have lost to an incumbent Obama.  So arguably, Trump was elected in 2016 due, in part, to NBC's intervention 4-5 years earlier.)

After announcing his intent to run in 2016, Trump faced a huge field of candidates in the primaries.  Two-thirds of Evangelicals supported a variety of other candidates besides Trump, but as candidates dropped out, support coalesced behind Trump.  In the general election, the choice was clear.  When faced with a choice between Hillary and Trump, "they faced a binary choice between him and Hillary (who had her own ethical and character issues), the vacancy on the Supreme Court, and the broader policy implications of the election."  Plenty of Trump supporters had "concerns and reservations about Trump's character" but considered that "Hillary's character, dishonesty, and ethical lapses . . . were even greater." 

Even though there were plenty of reasons to question Trump's commitment to the policy priorities that caused Evangelicals to support him, it didn't take long for him to prove himself.  He was the first president to appear at the March for Life.  He has appointed not one but two pro-life Supreme Court justices, as well as dozens of judges for lower courts.  He moved the American embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.  He has been a consistent voice on issue that are important to conservative and pro-life voters.

Reed's front-row view of the 2016 election and at key events of Trump's presidency is the best reason to read this book.  But besides the historical perspective, Reed gives a reasonable defense of Trump from a Christian perspective.  If you are a Christian Trump supporter, Reed will fill in any gaps in your thinking about what that support means.  If you are a Christian Never Trumper, For God and Country will, at the very least, give you a bit more perspective on Trump supporters.  As the 2020 election nears, I hope that Christian Trump voters will come out in even greater numbers than 2016 and that Never Trumpers will evaluate Trump on his conservative governance and cast a vote for him.

(Reed closes the book with a 25 page appendix, "Promises Made, Promises Kept."  If you doubt Trump's record, at least peruse this list.)

I wanted to read this after seeing Reed interviewed by Eric Metaxas.  Check it out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cPB72BA9s0

Additional quotes:

"These self-appointed cultural elites point the finger at CHristians who support Trump, accusing them of bastardizing their faith and cheapening the Gospel by backing the Manhattan billionaire.  They assert that Christians have surrendered their moral authority as a result and are disqualified from ever speaking out on matters of public morality again.  In the simplest of terms, the media and the Left twist the Trump-Evangelical alliance into a weapon with which they hope to bludgeon people of faith into shame as silence." p. 8

"As Christians, effective citizenship requires that we work with individuals with whom we sometimes disagree and with whom we have theological and moral differences--some of them deep and abiding. . . . Given that the agenda offered by the Democratic nominees in 2016 (and again in 2020) is openly hostile to and completely antithetical to the principles of their biblical Christian faith, and most certainly to the right to life, Evangelicals and pro-life Roman Catholics are fully justified in supporting Trump for president." p. 19

"The marriage between Trump and the Evangelical movement would prove to be a shotgun wedding, with the real estate magnate in avid pursuit and most Evangelicals in love with someone else, at least initially.  That changed with the passage of time and a herculean effort by Trump--aided by the horrifying prospect of a Hillary Clinton presidency." p. 55

"Despite the media's fixation on Trump's checkered past and occasionally awkward phrases, Evangelicals were driven far less by identity politics than they were by the issues.  They also extended far more grace to Trump than the media ever did.  Evangelicals accepted Trump for who and where he was spiritually, believing that by loving him and showing him kindness and mercy thay might have a sublime influence on him. . . . The chattering class misunderstood the Trump-Evangelical connection as purely transactional or the product of rank hypocrisy.  In truth, it was based on shared values and his enthusiasm for championing them and the issues that animated Evangelicals.  This resonated at the grassroots level, where many believed the GOP establishment had long promised to advance their issues, only to then pay lip service once in office." p. 72

"I had an accidental (or divinely ordered, depending on one's perspective) advantage over some of these leaders, having gotten to know Trump years before.  He and I had many frank and candid conversations about his views on the issues, including those dear to Evangelicals." p. 84

"For Trump in 2016, the Scalia vacancy meant that for the first time in 156 years the presidency and control of the Supreme Court hung in the balance while a critical seat sat vacant.  This would play a significant role in encouraging Evangelicals and other conservative Christians to put aside their reservations about Trump and strongly support him in the general election." p. 90

For Tony Perkins, of the Family Research Council, "it boiled down to a binary choice.  'We have a choice.  Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump,' he said.  Taking a veiled shot at Evangelical Never Trumpers, he called it 'irresponsible' to complain from the sidelines without taking sides.  Perkins said, 'I want him to be successful, because if he's successful, America survives.  That's the bottom line.'" p. 124

"Liberal reporters rushed to find other faith leaders to renounce Trump in what I believed was a calculated and systematic campaign to suppress Evangelical turnout." p. 133

"Soon the media would realize that voters of faith--led by a record turnout of Evangelicals--had provided the margin of victory on an historic night when Trump and down-the-ballot Republican Senate and House candidates won all over the country." p. 147

"Evangelicals and pro-life Roman Catholics were the largest and most vibrant single constituency in the electorate.  From the day Donald Trump entered the presidential race, he appealed to them with a single-minded focus while Hillary and the Democratic Party ignored and insulted them at their own peril." p. 148

"What these critics really resented is that Evangelicals continued to support Trump because they faced a binary choice between him and Hillary (who had her own ethical and character issues), the vacancy on the Supreme Court, and the broader policy implications of the election." p. 150

"Evangelicals have never asserted that someone who fails to live up to Christ's teachings in their personal life can never make a positive contribution to their community and nation.  That is a false and misleading caricature of the Christian faith drawn by those who mean it no good." p. 155

"Two-thirds of [Evangelicals] supported someone other than Donald Trump in the early Republican primaries.  In the general election, they held deep reservations about both candidates.  But in the final analysis, they viewed the protection of life from conception to natural death as both a biblical and moral issue, considered abortion-on-demand to be the most profound evil of their time, and saw Roe v. Wade as a black stain on the history of our country." p. 158

"People of faith, confronted with a less-than-perfect choice between two flawed candidates, chose to do all they could to protect innocent life." p. 159

"Without the Scalia vacancy and other pending Supreme Court appointments as a campaign issue, Trump might well have not been elected." p. 162

Night of the Assassins, by Howard Blum

So many crucial stories in history turn on tiny events, the "what ifs" that could have changed the fate of the world.  In Howard Blum's Night of the Assassins: The Untold Story of Hitler's Plot to Kill FDR, Churchill, and Stalin, Blum recounts plenty of those types of events.  With World War 2 rolling along toward a seemingly inevitable loss, Hitler's only hope might be to assassinate the Allied leaders.  If he can get them all at once, what a statement that would make!

Blum tells the story chiefly from the perspectives of Mike Reilly, the son of Irish immigrants, who, against expectations, came to be the head of FDR's secret service security detail, and Walter Schellenberg, a German intelligence officer.  Schellenberger devises Operation Long Jump and starts the task of trying to discover when and where the rumored meeting will take place.

This book is a great example of taking a personal view of crucial historical events.  Schellenberger, Reilly, and the other players' challenges and frustrations are palpable.  It's hard enough to protect the President, but a president who uses a wheelchair, during wartime--Reilly had his work cut out for him.  Schellenberger had the challenge of planning a mission with an undetermined date or place.  He got some decent intelligence and made some good guesses, and realistically came close to pulling it off.  (Spoiler alert: the mission failed. :) )

Blum gathers tons of first-hand accounts to bring the events alive.  Much of this reads like a spy novel.  Some of the action sequences are summer blockbuster worthy.  A Churchill doppelgänger was successfully taken out (along with a plane load of innocent people) by German fighters.  I had never heard the story of Mussolini's being freed from a mountaintop prison by German soldiers who arrived by gliders to take over the prison.  During FDR's trip across the Atlantic, his battleship was nearly hit by a friendly fire torpedo! 

This is the kind of history that is fun to read, a real page-turner giving a glimpse into a little-known vignette of WW2  history.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!