M.L.S. Weech's Blog, page 29

Book Review: Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey from The Dragonriders of Pern

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Spoiler Free Summary:  Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey is the first book in the Dragonriders of Pern series (at least what is commonly regarded as the first in the main arc). Humans have lived for decades without a single strand of thread falling from the sky. The dragons are fat and lazy. All the Weyrs save one are empty. Politics have stolen the birthright of one woman who means to take her hold back, but fate has other plans. The ancient threat returns. It’s time for dragons to fly again.

The cover image for this book was taken from its Amazon buy page for review purposes under Fair Use doctrine.

Character:  Here is where I expect there to be a lot of dissension. One can argue the relationship between Lessa and F’lar to be unhealthy (to say the least). This book was written so long ago with a completely different perspective on things. However, these characters are awesome. Lessa is a strong-willed, decisive character. I affirm she was the first true female hero in fantasy. If she isn’t, please try and justify your nominee in the comments below. She absolutely has character flaws and inexperience, but she’s amazing, strong, motivated, and capable. F’lar is a classic rogue hero. Without understanding (or getting into the logistics) of the dragon bond and how everything works, one may strongly disagree about these characters and their relationship, but I don’t. Their relationship and individual arcs are amazing.

Exposition: It takes a degree of patience to enjoy a Pern book. There is a lot of exposition because this world is so different from our own. I wouldn’t read this to my kids because I don’t think they’d appreciate it at their age (and also there are the adult themes and concepts that aren’t appropriate for young readers). However, once they grow more mature and appreciate reading and world building more, I can’t wait to recommend it to them.

Worldbuilding: This amazing wold is the reward for readers patient enough to endure an excessive amount of exposition. This wold has a political structure and a magic system grounded in science. I’ve borrowed from Pern (in several ways). Brandon Sanderson has admitted Pern’s influence on him. McCaffrey laid the foundation for so many in the genre that I’d consider it a must read for anyone who says they are fans of either science fiction or fantasy.

This Camera Press image was found on McCaffrey’s New York Times obituary and used for this review.

Dialogue: When these characters talk, they’re not just spewing exposition to the readers. Yes, there is some of that, but the characters are interacting for their own sake rather than simply to provide information to the readers. Their voices are distinct and unique to them. This is an under-appreciated skill and a sadly underused technique, but McCaffrey is great at it.

Description: While meticulous and (in my mind) a bit much, there’s no denying that McCaffrey’s description is immersive and captivating. I’m not individually impressed by description, so I’m probably harder on her than I should be, but I’m positive fans of deep-immersive worlds will actually be excited by the description in this book.

Overall: Dragonriders is the best series ever. @me all you want, it’s how I feel. Dragonflight introduces a world of imagination and wonder and makes dragons compelling characters rather than just flying horses or monsters to be fought. This book alone (not to even go into the rest of the series) has everything a fan of fantasy and/or science fiction could ever ask for. It’s not one great idea, it’s ten ideas seamlessly woven together into a perfect story.

Thanks for reading

Matt

Buy The Journals of Bob Drifter

Visits From A Man Named Nobody PT 13

// // // // // // // // // // // //

Paul gripped his mother harder. “I don’t hate you!” He didn’t realize it was true until he said it. The reason it hurt so bad to feel abandoned by her was because he loved her. 

“I’ve been trying to think of ways to make it up to you, to earn your forgiveness, but everything I do just seems to make it worse.” She kept talking as though she didn’t hear him. “I’m not going to stop trying though. You were braver than I was. What you did probably saved both our lives, and I forced you to it. I let him …”  

Her breath caught and she couldn’t manage to say anything else for short time, but she did manage to eventually compose herself. “I don’t deserve your forgiveness. I never deserve to be loved by you again, but I’m going to try.”

He looked up at her, and it may have been the first time in years he looked into her eyes, though tears made it hard for him to see. “Nobody deserves forgiveness,” Paul said. 

The anger in his heart fell quiet. A part of him knew it wasn’t gone, but no longer felt overwhelming to him. 

“It’s a gift, like love,” he continued. He understood the words now, but that didn’t make it easier to do. What Paul realized was that he wanted to forgive her. He wanted to be a son. He wanted to be her son, and he wanter her to want to be his mother. 

“I’ve been suspended for two weeks,” he said.

“The principal told me you got into another fight,” his mother said.

“I’m just like him,” Paul admitted.

His mother snatched his head in her hands. It was surprisingly gentle given how instantaneously it happened. “You are never like him.”

“I hit people who make me mad.” Paul gave her a flat look. “That’s exactly what he did, but I don’t want to act like him anymore. I think he always felt weak, so he wanted to make himself feel stronger. At least, that’s how I feel. I feel like I wasn’t strong enough to stop him.” 

It got hard for him to talk. Admitting his feelings seemed to get more and more difficult even as it strangely made him feel better. 

“So now I hit whoever I know I can hit and get away with it. That’s what he did to us.”

His mother opened her mouth a few times and her hands fell away from his face, but she didn’t look like she knew what to say. Paul didn’t want her to make it ok. That would have been the same way she reacted to his father. She’d make excuses for his actions rather than condemning them. 

“I’m going to try a better way though.” Paul wrapped his arms around her. “Mom … “

He took a deep breath. No matter how much he wanted to say the words, it was so hard to say them. Did forgiving someone for what they did mean it was ok that they did it? Did forgiveness mean nobody paid. Shouldn’t someone pay?

“I … “ he froze. He was about to say he wanted her to act more like a mother, and he did, but that wasn’t what he really meant. “I don’t want you to let me do whatever I want anymore, and when I mess up, don’t be afraid to punish me.”

“I’ll never hit you.” The response was so full of anger Paul looked up at her. “I’ll never let you feel pain again.”

“I don’t think it’s the same thing,” Paul said. “I just shouldn’t get away with things.”

He didn’t have a clue why he was saying what he was, but even that was easier than what he really wanted to say. Finally, he took a deep breath. Be strong and courageous. It’s easy to be angry. It’s easy to fight back. It’s way harder to let go.

He sat up straight so he could look at her. 

“Mom, it’s ok.” He pursed his lips. That wasn’t good enough. It wasn’t the same. “I love you, Mom.” That was better, but it was far easier to admit than the last part. “I forgive you.”

Her lips trembled as he spoke, but as he finishes she broke down crying and throwing her face into her hands. “How can you? How can you possibly forgive me!? How can you even look at me.”

The answer seemed to click even as she asked her questions. The funny part is, the answer is what gave him the strength to forgive her.

“I already told you.” He laughed as he said it, and he felt so good. He wasn’t sure he’d ever felt that good before in his life. “I forgive you because I love you. I just want to be your son. I just want you to be my mom!”

It was his turn to weep, but these tears made him feel better. They made him feel free. 

They returned to their embrace, taking turns saying they loved one another and offering their forgiveness. Paul thought back on his life and realized he really had never been this happy before.

A Four-Star Review for Caught

Greetings all,

I have the honor of being able to share another Audible review for you. Today’s review comes from Troy Buffington for Caught.

Fantasy and horror mix

I breezed through this book pretty fast. I wasn’t sure at first what I was getting into. The story pulls you in. The characters are people you care for. Some twists and turns.

I’m so glad that Troy liked the story. I’m very close to finishing the Beta Draft of Discovered, and I hope it keeps the action going.

As always, if you’ve read my work, please be kind enough to leave a rating and review on whatever platforms you use. It’s always appreciated.

Thanks for reading!

Matt

Book Review: Dragonsdawn by Anne McCaffrey from The Dragonriders of Pern

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Spoiler Free Summary:  Dragonsdawn by Anne McCaffrey is essentially the prequel book that explains the origins of the Dragonriders of Pern series, which is my favorite all time series. Humans have finally arrived at their new home, a planet they immediately being to colonize. But this perfect planet is subject to Thread, a substance that consumes nearly everything it touches. Mankind uses genetics and a bit of fantasy inspired ingenuity to create its defense: dragons.

Cover image from this book was taken from its Amazon buy page for review purposes under Fair Use doctrine.

Character:  I read this before I’d even gone to college. It was the second attempt I made at reading McCaffrey (I was much younger and much less a fan of reading the first time I tried). My brother recommended that I read this first so I better understood the world of Pern, and I think it was wise and is wise for readers who like a little more context to things. I mention this here because I don’t remember the character’s names. I know there was a young boy who discovered the small lizards. This felt a bit like Flight of the Navigator meets Mac and Me. (If you can remember either of those movies, you’re old, but you’re awesome!) I loved the way the story evolved from a sort of sci-fi frontier story to a planet threat story to a sci-fi fantasy blend. The characters were a major part of that. As you get to know these characters, you start to invest more in more on them and then the plot. No, I can’t remember these particular names after some 15 years (or even 20), but that only means they weren’t the once-a-generation memorable characters that F’lar and Lessa and Jaxom and Ruth are.

Exposition: I will say this is where I feel McCaffrey is weakest. It’s not to say she’s more offensive in this regard than anybody, but there is a lot of data in this story, and the reader has to be patient. Fans of deep worldbuilding and hard science won’t actually mind a bit. But for someone like me who is more attracted to character, there will be segments of the story that drag down the pace.

Worldbuilding: This. Is. How. It’s. Done. Everything about this story is meticulously thought out and organized perfectly. The foreshadowing is perfect. The usual price for worldbuliding of this caliber is a bit more exposition than one would normally like. For a world this realistic, I’ll happily accept a few pages here and there that make it possible for me to immerse myself in a story.

This Camera Press image was found on McCaffrey’s New York Times obituary and used for this review.

Dialogue: I actually remember liking the dialogue in the story. This is unique because of how long it’s been since I’ve read it. I remember how the conversations and banter helped me connect more and more to the characters. It was the first story that showed me dialogue can do more than offer backhanded exposition.

Description: Like all sci-fi, this is meticulous. That means it’s a bit more than I personally prefer, but it doesn’t drag down the story. Sci-fi (in my estimation) tends to focus on details that bring worlds and events to life, and McCaffrey is not different.

Overall: Whether you’re starting the series or just want to see a great origin story, Dragonsdawn is a must read for fans of both sci-fi and McCaffrey. If you have someone you think will enjoy Pern, I do actually recommend they read this first. It really helped me wrap my head around the planet before I jumped into the main fall arc. Even if you’re just looking for something to read, you can’t go wrong with this book.

Thanks for reading

Matt

Buy The Journals of Bob Drifter

Visits From A Man Named Nobody PT 12

// // // // // // // // // // //

“I want to make sure I understand what happened.” Mr. Eckleman pointed at Paul. “Trevor was apparently talking about your mother.” He turned his finger toward Jordan. “You hit him for that, but Trevor said Jordan was the one talking about your mother, so Paul hit Jordan.”

Both boys nodded.

Mr. Eckleman shook his head and looked at Paul. “You’ve been warned about fighting, Paul.”

“I know,” Paul said softly. “Am I going to be expelled?” That’s what the principal had said the last time Paul got into a fight. 

“But I said it was ok!” Jordan leapt up from his seat. “Look, I’m fine, and he said he was sorry.”

“That doesn’t mean he didn’t do anything wrong.” Mr. Eckleman just kept staring at Paul. “Why did you come in here to confess?”

Paul thought for a moment. “I don’t want to be that person anymore.”

No one else said anything. The silence grew every bit as uncomfortable as Mr. Eckleman’s stare. 

“I’m angry all the time.” Paul wasn’t sure if Mr. Eckleman wanted him to keep explaining, but he just couldn’t tolerate the quiet another moment. “I don’t want to be angry, but I don’t know how not to be. I think someone gave me a hint, but even then I’m not sure how it works. I just want to change.”

Paul realized he wanted to sit down and read Romans. No matter how infuriatingly short Nobody’s visits were, they always left him with advice that helped. Nobody’s questions were infuriating, but the answers gave Paul options he hand’t considered. 

“I want to try something new,” he said. “But I guess that doesn’t really matter here.”

Mr. Eckleman smiled. “I wouldn’t say that.”

“You’re not going to punish me!?” Paul was shocked. Maybe he was going to get one last chance. 

“I didn’t say that either,” Mr. Eckleman replied, “but given what you’ve said combined with Jordan’s desire to help you, not to mention your science teacher, who seems to be the only adult in this building you respect, I’m willing to reduce your punishment.”

Paul nodded. It was already more than he deserved, and he knew that. 

“Instead of being expelled, I’m going to suspend you for two weeks,” Mr. Eckleman continued. “I suggest you use that two weeks to do whatever it is you’re planning to do to let go of that anger. If you’d like access to our counselor, we’ll allow that.”

“Thank you, Mr. Eckleman,” Paul said. Then he turned to look at Jordan. “I’m still sorry I hit you. I’m sorry that I didn’t ask what happened.” 

Even in that moment, a part of Paul wanted to track down Trevor and beat him. It was such a powerful desire. I don’t want to be angry anymore!

Jordan shrugged again. “Like I said, it’s ok.”

Mr. Eckleman smiled again. “I’m not actually sure what happened here, but I’m encouraged by it. We’ll call your mother to pick you up.”

The principal dismissed Jordan and had Paul sit in the waiting area until his mother arrived. While he waited, he used his phone to read Romans, trying to see what Nobody was getting at.

The answer the the question Nobody asked was pretty easy to find. 

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” The verse was Romans Chapter 5 Verse 8. 

Paul considered the last thing Nobody had told him. “Nobody deserves forgiveness. That’s why it’s a gift.”

It only took Paul about 45 minutes to read Romans. With nothing better to do, he started reading it again.

His mom appeared after Paul got about halfway through his second pass of the letter. She stood in the doorway. Her long black hair flowed over the her shoulders and nearly blended with the purple Lularoe dress she wore. She looked at Paul with brown eyes that shimmered in unshed tears. 

Paul hated that look for some reason. Why did she have to look at him like that? Did she hate him? Was she disappointed in him because he was turning into someone just like his dad? Was he destined to grow up to be just like the man he hated? 

Paul got up and walked past her on his way to the car. He heard her take in a sharp breath as if she were about to say something, but he didn’t give her time. He walked to the car and got in. He wasn’t particularly interested in reading the Bible, but focusing on his phone seemed to keep his mother from trying to talk. 

He was doing it again. He was ignoring her. He was avoiding her. Why was he so afraid? 

“I’m sorry.”

Paul’s head shot up. He hadn’t noticed his mother had pulled over.

“Every time you defended me,” her voice caught, but she kept speaking. “You’d protect me, and all I could do was patch you up, but I couldn’t do it anymore.”

Paul forced himself to look out his window. He couldn’t look at her. He couldn’t watch her bury her face in her hands and cry. 

After a moment, she found the strength to talk a bit more. “I couldn’t keep trying to heal you when I was the reason you were hurt.”

“Let’s just go,” Paul said sharply. He still couldn’t bring himself to look at her. He didn’t want to see her cry. It hurt him, and in strange way it made him more angry. What did he expect her to do? What did he want from her? 

“I shouldn’t have stopped coming in to help you.” She rushed the words out. “But it was worse because I never should have let him lay a hand on you in the first place.” The last word ended in a wail. She dropped her head onto the wheel of the car and sobbed.

Paul could look away all he wanted. He even shut his eyes. But he couldn’t block out the sound of his mother’s weeping.

“I couldn’t stand to hear you crying,” Paul said. “I couldn’t stand to see you hurt.”

He finally turned to look at her, and tears streamed down his face. “That’s why I did it, Mom. I was trying to protect you, and it never worked.”

In some random parking lot in the suburbs, a mother and son held each other and wept. 

“I’m sorry,” Paul said between sobs. “I’m sorry I was so mean. I’m sorry I avoided you.”

His mother gently pushed him away to look into his eyes. “You don’t owe me an apology for anything! I did this, understand? I failed you.”

He still wanted to know why. He still couldn’t understand why she never left his father. He couldn’t understand why she ever married him in the first place.

“I deserve it,” she continued. “I know you hate me, and I deserve that, but I still love you.”

The 2021 State of the Weech

Greetings all,

This is now the fourth year of my eight-year commitment to go all in on becoming a successful author businessman. My annual State of the Weech is just one way I use to track that, and it’s also how I let everyone know what I’m up to.

For a number of reasons, 2020 was a big setback for me as an author. With COVID, all the conventions I intended to participate in were cancelled. This meant the money I would earn there wouldn’t come. I was only able to release one title, my Christian memoir about my mothers death titled Testimony: A Trial of Faith. I genuinely thought I’d release Betrayed last year, but there was a huge gap because I had to simply save up money to pay for editing. I will have to continue to do that (more on that below).

While 2020 was hard on conventions and making progress on additional drafts, it did allow me to get a bit more writing done (if only a bit). I’m positive Betrayed will be out this year. I’m hopeful it will be out in the next three months, but that’s not a guarantee.

With all that said, here are my plans for what I hope is a rebound in 2021.

May 1 (or sooner): Betrayed: Book Two of the Oneiros Log. I’m almost done with the Beta Draft (as in only a few chapters away). From there I send it out to Sara for the proofreading. I’m also going to send this draft to willing Advanced Readers in exchange for an honest review. I’m pretty optimistic about this goal. I have to save up the money for edits, and I have to save up the money for the cover, but I think May is feasible.

These are sure things in 2021. I am about halfway through the discover draft of Discovered: Book Three of the Oneiros Log, and that will be my main project when Betrayed is published.

A quick update on projects I mentioned last year:

Sonnets for my Savior: I completed it, but I doubt it will be more than a series of blog posts. I’m not a poet by trade, and getting feedback has proven difficult. I was happy to have the idea and see it through, but that’s about where it ends.

Musings on Christianity: I also finished this blog series, but again getting participation proved more difficult than I’d imagined. I was happy to study my faith and research questions in a scriptural way, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable releasing this as it’s little more than my personal pondering.

So those projects are probably being left where they are.

Now for projects I am planning to work on in the near future:

Discovered: Book Three of the Oneiros Log. As I said above, am I’m about halfway through the discovery draft. I’d be over the moon if I got this book out in late 2021, but that’s super ambitious at this point. It is my next primary project when Discovered goes to print.

The 1,200: As I said last year, I’m meaning to get to this project. It needs some rework, especially considering current events in real life. But I still think it’s a good story. So I’ll make those edits and I’ll get it out there as soon as I finish Oneiros.

Visits From A Man Named Nobody: This is Christian Science Fiction. I’m posting segments each Sunday as part of my Testimony series. Since this is fiction, I will be publishing this when it’s finished. I’d expect this will be released sometime next year.

New Utopia: This story (pitched as Mistborn meets Avatar), needs revisions and edits, and I’ll jump on them as time permits. This will not be published before 1,200.

Mercer: This is a series I intend to write. I’ve come to realize I’m actually happier working on a large product and a small project at the same time. It gets more titles out and makes me feel more productive. Mercer is going to be a bunch of small novellas written like episodes of a TV show (I call Mercer Dresden Files meets Bones). I will start working on this on the “sooner” side of things, and it may come out before 1,200 (though I don’t think so).

Perception of War: Images of Truth: I did get a few thousand words added to this very large discovery draft, and I will finish the discovery draft of this before I do any revisions to 1,200. I really love this series as a whole (Sojourn in Captivity is basically a prologue novella to the series). I hate starting new books before I finish a draft of one I’ve been working on, so I will get Betrayed to print, finish Discovered (so those who love the series can see how it ends) and then get straight to work on this. 1,200 will probably come out first but this will become the main priority when Oneiros is done.

Leah Saldawn and The Nick of Time: The discovery draft is done. I’ll probably get this out one day, but it’s a very low priority for a few reasons. First: it’s targeted to a 12-15 year old audience, which is way outside my current marketing group. Next, I have so many other projects I’m looking forward to, so this one just isn’t that high on the priority list. It’ll get out there someday, but I wouldn’t anticipate it coming out anytime soon (as in the next three years).

My publishing goals: Discovered (guarantee 2021 release), Betrayed, 1,200/Mercer, Mercer/Images of Truth, Mercer/New Utopia. You see Mercer there a lot because it’s indented to be a constant series with me. I’ll release Volumes in smaller chucks (paperback) and Seasons in larger Omnibuses (box sets). The idea for Mercer is 12 novellas (episodes) / three volumes per season. The goal is to release a bigger project and then a Mercer episode in a sort of pattern. I’m not sure how it will actually play out, but it is the goal.

As for my eight-year goal? Well, I’m actually selling more digital copies than ever before, and that’s encouraging. Hopefully, I’m still losing less money each year. Again, after eight years, if I’m not making a profit or breaking even, I probably need to rethink some things. With COVID, 2020 became far more about marketing, and I’ve seen some positive results. I’m still working toward the dream of making this a full time gig for me. At the halfway point, it’s a little discouraging to see how far I still have to go, but it doesn’t change my drive.

If you’re interested in helping, the best way to do that is to purchase one of my books, read it, rate it, and review it. You can take it to the next level (if you like the book) by recommending it (or buying it) for a friend. In addition to God’s will, which I will always cheerfully submit to, this dream of mine isn’t possible without loyal readers.

That brings me to those of you who are loyal readers. I thank God for all of you. It’s great getting emails from some of you and seeing your reviews. It’s wonderful to know there are a few of you out there supporting me, and I truly hope your ranks grow.

I’m still grateful to God for what he’s done in my life. I have a wonderful wife and three great sons. I’m in good health. I have an amazing day job. In short, I’m truly blessed. I pray God blesses you all, and I hope you’ll continue this journey with me.

Thanks for reading,

Matt

Book Review The Adult Learner by Malcolm S. Knowles, Elwood F. Holton, and Richard A. Swanson

The Adult Learner: The Definitive Classic in Adult Education and Human Resource Development (Sixth Edition) is essentially a summary view of Andragogy.

It’s honestly a little difficult to define andragogy, which is roughly the education of adults. This is a very important book for me in my day job because I teach military students. While reading this, I found myself asking a lot of questions because there is a time for self-directed androgogical learning is absolutely appropriate in some situations. However, a more pedagogical (pedagogy being the education of children) is sometimes more appropriate.

The comparison (and the book) aims mostly at helping one understand the intricacies of andragogy and when it is most appropriate.

It would be easiest to help you understand the distinction in the approach. Pedagogy is instructor centered and student dependent. The student is ignorant. This isn’t an insult; it’s a simple clinical term used to describe a student who has no experience or prior knowledge on a subject. This is where instructors in front of students speaking content originates from.

The problem comes when that student grows and moves on to higher education. I hope you all have had better education experiences than I have (though I feel I had some great teachers in my time), but most of my college classes were pretty much a continuation of high school and even grade school teaching methods. Andragogy seeks to be student centered and instructor facilitated.

This is my goal as a teacher (though I feel compelled to say my students may not agree).

The trick is that student centered learning must come student driven motivation. It’s an instructors goal to motivate learning for its own sake, and that’s where the rubber meets the road in ecucation.

This book gave me a lot of insights into what I call the points of friction in teaching military students, and there are several unique challenges that come with my job. I think anyone interested in teaching or even people curious about researching ways to learn would be interested in this title.

After I finish a few other books I have on education (which I read as part of my training), I’ll want to look for a more application-based book on adragogy because this book was all-in on theory. Still, having a theoretical base to work with, I can now test some ideas and see if some of these concepts will make me a more effective educator.

I know this isn’t my typical sort of review, but I review the books I read, and I just finished this last week. I promise I’ll have a more traditional review for you next week. Speaking of which, I wonder if you’d like to participate in that?

You see, I haven’t finished reading any of the three books I’m reading, which means I’ll need to go to my back log. Which would you prefer to see me review? Mistborn, The Wheel of Time, or the Dragon Riders of Pern? Let me know in the comments below.

Thanks for reading,
Matt

Visits From A Man Named Nobody PT 11

// // // // // // // // // //

Paul scrubbed his hands more fiercely as he thought. There was enough to think about considering he was ditching English at the moment, and he was probably going to be expelled if he got caught. This was his third fight this year. 

He was just. so. angry!

“Who have you become because you choose to hold onto your anger.”

Paul’s mother told him his father was beaten as a child. She said that’s why his father beat them. Did that mean Paul would grow up to hit is kids?

He remembered standing over Jordan.  He already hit kids; he was just the same age as they were at the moment. 

A wave of remorse hit him. He rushed out of the bathroom just as he started to weep. 

I don’t want to be that way!

Even as he hated himself for being a bully just like his father, he tried to justify his actions. Jordan had it coming. He was talking trash about Paul’s mother. 

None of his justifications stood up against his firm belief that no one deserved what had happened to him and his mother. 

Lockers zipped by, becoming little more than a streak of red. He wasn’t even sure where he was going, but something pulled at him. He turned into the principles office just as he realized what he was planning to do. 

The secretary yelped as he blew by her into his office. The principal, a plump bald man in his sixties, looked up, and his face became red with anger. Paul froze, suddenly unsure what he really meant to do. 

After another second, Paul noticed who the principal, Mr. Eckleman, was speaking to. Jordan sat across from the administrator with a bag of ice against his right cheek. 

“I’m sorry,” Paul told Jordan while taking a deep breath and using a sleeve to dry his tears. “You didn’t deserve that. No one deserves that. I’m a monster. I’m just like him, and I don’t want to be. I think I’m cursed, but that’s not your fault. It doesn’t matter what you said. I shouldn’t have hit you.”

“What is he talking about?” Mr. Eckleman’s question drew Paul’s attention.

“I don’t know,” Jordan said. 

“You told me you got into a fight with Trevor,” Mr. Eckleman said. 

Trevor? Paul stood there trying to piece the clues together. 

“You said that Trevor was talking about a classmate, and you stood up to defend him.” The principle pointed at Paul. “So why is the person you said you were defending in here apologizing to you?”

Paul’s head spun. Did Jordan lie? Why? Why lie to protect him? Maybe Paul wouldn’t be expelled. Maybe he’d get away with it. Except, he didn’t want to get away with it.

Paul looked at Mr. Eckleman. “I’m not sure what Jordan said, but I’m the one who him. No one else should be punished for what I did.”

“So, who hit Trevor?” 

“What?” Paul didn’t mean to ask the question out loud, but he really had no idea what was going on. 

“I hit Trevor,” Jordan muttered. His brown eyes shifted to Paul. “He’s the one who said that stuff about your mom. He was really being a jerk about it. I told him to knock it off, but that only made him say something worse, so I punched him.”

It was Trevor? Trevor was the one who called Paul’s mom a whore! Rage filled Paul. He wanted to find Trevor and beat him. He wanted to find him and punch him until he never though to … Nobody deserves that!

Even while standing in the principal’s office, Paul couldn’t help himself. He was somehow every bit as ashamed as he was angry. How could he know something is wrong and yet want to do that very thing so much?

“Trevor told me Jordan had said all that stuff,” Paul whispered. “I didn’t even think about it. I just tracked Jordan down and started hitting him.”

Paul’s voice cracked as he gave the confession. “Jordan defended my mom, and I beat him up for it.”

He really was just like his father. He deserved to be expelled. If anyone deserved to be beat up, it was Paul. Maybe that’s what God was doing. Maybe God knew that Paul was going to grow up to b a monster, so he let Paul’s dad beat him up for it like some sort of advanced punishment. 

“It’s ok.” 

Paul’s eyes were closed against the tears, but he clearly heard Jordan speak. 

“What?” This time Paul meant to ask the question out loud. 

“I said it’s ok,” Jordan repeated. “I don’t really know what happened, but everyone knows you went through some bad stuff. I get it.”

“But I hit you! I threatened you.” Paul couldn’t fathom it. All he’d done, for apparently no reason, and Jordan said it was OK? Why?

“It sucks, and I’m mad about it,” Jordan said. “You wouldn’t even listen, but I figure Trevor just lied to you.”

“But why are you saying it’s ok?” Paul shouted the question. It didn’t make sense! What idiot gets beat up and just brushes it off?

… to be continued …

Book Review: The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson The Fourth Read Through

Image taken from Amazon for review purpose.

 The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson  is the first book in The Stormlight Archive. This was my fourth time reading this book. I wanted to read it before reading The Rhythm of War.

I used my normal format when I did my third read through, so for this review, I want to focus on things that stood out after four read throughs.

First: Kaladin is freaking awesome! I can read this book a million times, and I will still love every word of his arc. This arc (in and of itself) is on the same level as that of Jaxom and Ruth and Rand al’Thor.

Second: Shallan’s arc gets progressively more annoying. I actually like Shallan as a character, but that is in spite of this book’s arc. First, Shallan was the character who taught readers a Rosharan economics lectures, and that is brilliant world building, but it’s not why I read Stormlight or Sanderson.

Third: No matter how annoying, the most rewarding details are in Shallan’s arc. For those who have read RoW, her arc still has little connections that make RoW more interesting.

Fourth: As progressively annoying as I find Shallan (again, just in this particular book), I find Adolin comparatively more endearing. There is indeed a scenario in which Adolin actually becomes my favorite character. If I really had to sit down and contemplate it, he might already be my favorite. Dalinar is up there. What about Kaladin?

Fifth: Kaladin was awesome in this book. He becomes epically awesome in Words of Radiance, but the last two books really tested my patience with Kaladin. I get his character flaw. As a service member with many friends who have PTSD, I completely understand, but fantasy is typically an extreme. I’m glad Kaladin (as reported by Sanderson) has turned the corner, but seeing Kaladin at his best makes me more frustrated. I’ll probably do a comparison between Kaladin’s downward arc and Rand’s. Both are similar, and maybe some will feel differently than I do, but here I’ll say that when Rand was falling into despair, I felt sad for him. I understood his pain and hoped he’d find a way through. With Kal, I simply got more and more annoyed, and that’s not good. I’ll probably even feel more strongly about this as I read Words.

Image by Nazrilof taken from Mr. Sanderson’s Website for this review.

Sixth:  This book currently lands at third best in the series for me. Shallan’s arc alone is enough to bring it down, but I also acknowledge I have RoW higher (number two) at the moment than other readers might. I was talking to my brother who made some good points. He wasn’t such a fan of the science lesson in the middle of RoW that is Navani’s arc. I liked the science of the arc (if not the character decisions and reasonings). So again, a lot of how these books rank for readers will greatly depend on how much they like world building.

Overall: Any book I read more than once is (at worst) very good. If I read it every time a new book in the series, I hope that speaks for the quality of the story overall. This book still had me sitting in my car for 20 minutes simply because I didn’t want to stop listening to it. It’s that powerful. I honestly hope to start reading this series with my sons soon, but my wife will want to finish reading every napkin Tolkien ever sneezed on first, which I can probably understand (it’s her favorite series).

Thanks for reading,

Matt

Visits From A Man Named Nobody PT 10

// // // // // // // // //

“Not once!” It was true, sort of. Sure, since the divorce and that last beating, his mom had given him everything he’d ever asked for. She made what he wanted for dinner. She never told him what to do. But neither did she ever once say the words, “I’m sorry” or “Forgive me.” 

Nobody’s masked head nodded as if conceding the point. “But with all the times you’ve run off or changed the subject, how could she do more than she’s done. And what has that really done for you? Where has your resentment led you?”

Nobody pointed at the mirror. “Who have you become because you choose to hold onto your anger.”

Paul turned to look at his reflection in the splintered mirror. There was that face again. His own face. A face that looked far too much like the face of the man Paul hated more than anyone else. 

“She doesn’t deserve it!” Paul spun back around as he spoke, even if only to hide the all to horrifyingly familiar scowl he knew he wore. 

“Did she deserve the beatings?” Nobody asked. 

“Nobody deserves that!” 

“What about Jordan?”

Paul wanted to lash out, but how could he? Right after declaring nobody deserves a beating, how could he justify beating someone?

“Now we move on to the more interesting question,” Nobody said. He glanced at a black device on his wrist. It would look like a smart watch if it had any sort of light or symbols, but as far as Paul could tell, it was just a black rectangle about the width of a pencil.  “What are the wages of sin?” 

“What?” Paul asked.

“You’ll remember when you think on it. Look to Paul’s letter to the Romans to refresh your thoughts,” Nobody said. He started to make his way back into the stall.

“I never finished it.” Paul said. “I put that Bible away and forgot about it.”

Nobody stopped, standing at the entrance to a simple bathroom stall. “Liar.”

Paul knew it was pretty stupid even trying to lie to a man who could read his thoughts or had some way of knowing everything. How did he know Jordan’s name?  

“Nobody deserves forgiveness,” Nobody said. “That’s why it’s a gift.” 

Nobody shut the door. Paul darted at the door as quickly as he could, but the temperature swung again, and a flash of light forced him to shut his eyes and turn away. Even as his eyes adjusted to the light, Paul flung the door open. His tennis shoes plopped into a small puddle of water. The toilet seemed to be completely unaffected by whatever Nobody had done. 

His science teachers, the only teachers who treated Paul like a normal human being, had talked about experiments and measurements, but Paul didn’t have any equipment. He wouldn’t know what to measure for anyway. Maybe I should start with temperature, Paul thought to himself as he continued to look around the stall. He dropped down to a knee to look behind the toilet.

“What are you doing?” 

Paul’s head spun around to find a boy standing at the bathroom’s entrance. He seemed equally amused and disgusted. 

“I lost something,” Paul said getting up and washing his hands. “Have you seen a watch?”  

Paul didn’t own a watch, but at least it explained why he was carefully looking around a toilet in a public bathroom.

“No.” The answer seemed more like a cough, but he went on about his own business. 

Even as Paul let the water run over his hands, the questions about how Nobody moved around seemed to fade behind the last thing he had said to Paul. 

“Nobody deserves forgiveness. That’s why it’s a gift.”

Paul frowned in confused anger. If nobody deserved forgiveness, why would anyone forgive anybody else? And if people were always forgiven when the didn’t deserve it, why would they ever stop doing things that bothered other people?

Paul scrubbed his hands more fiercely as he thought.