M.L.S. Weech's Blog, page 52

Sonnets For My Savior 43

Ungrateful

A mother protects her son from foolish deeds.

The son wails and gnashes his teeth in frustration.

His mind wants danger more than what he needs.

He sees the mother’s love as an act of restriction.

How much more has this happened to God the Father?

How often have we cursed Him for what would become our blessings?

How many times have we called His commandments a bother?

How frequently have we scorned Him out of desire for harmful things?

But our Father is patient, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

He has plans for our welfare, which give us hope.

If everything that happens comes from God above,

why not be still and silent, for with Him, we can all cope.

How can we receive good from God and not receive the bad?

Why do we grumble over what we want, forgetting all we have?

 

 

The Change

In my mind, there is a mirror

Showing me the man I used to be.

The change in me becomes clearer,

for that wretched man sickens me.

He was angry and lustful.

He believed everything had to be done by his own hand.

He was bitter and mistrustful.

He only sought God to meet his every selfish demand.

How can such a different man wear the same face?

What can explain such a change?

It can only be God’s glorious grace.

Now the man I was seems strange.

Still, the mirror is a great comfort to me;

It shows me how I’ve changed and proves I’ve been set free.

 

 

Peace of Mind

Almighty above, you created man and his mind.

You have the power to quiet a man’s thoughts.

Hear now our prayer, for if we seek so shall we find.

His emotions are racing, and his ideas are tied in knots.

Let your servant’s head be clear.

Help him and guard him from false ideals.

For to you I surrender my anxiety and fear.

For only You can help; only you can heal.

Our trust is in your mercy and grace.

For you are slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

Look kindly upon your servant’s face

and grant him peace from above.

Let your name be praised, and bring glory to yourself.

Bring peace to his heart and return this man to himself.

 

 

Lament For A Guide

How long will your servant suffer?

How long will illness ravage his body?

Only You can free him, no other.

Hear our prayer and grant him the grace You embody.

How long will those who scorn you mock his testimony?

For he proclaimed his health to your name.

Heal him lest doubters scoff and call his praise of you phony.

Cleanse him lest doubters use this in attempt to bring you shame.

Our faith and trust are in You alone.

We praise You, for your mercy abounds.

We kneel before Your mighty throne.

When our strength fails, Your power compounds.

We sing Your praises even amid our pain.

We pray in hope, for in You our hope will always remain.

 

 

The Why

Why do you obey?

Is it for His glory or your reward?

For what reasons do you act in a certain way?

What are your treasures, and where are they stored?

What would you do if your prodigal brother returned?

Would you gnash your teeth and grumble?

Would you begrudge the loss of what you thought you’d earned?

Or would you be glad and remain humble?

Man can observe your actions and think you righteous,

But God sees the heart of every man.

It does you no good to only act pious,

if your actions are only part of a selfish plan. 

Deeds can seem wonderful to a merely human eye,

but those deeds are fear less important than the reason why.

 

 

Understanding

Thunder booms inside my mind.

The core of my spirit quakes.

In You is the only peace I’ll find,

For I lack the strength it takes.

My heart breaks with sadness.

My souls cries for relief.

My eyes seek and only find darkness.

This confusion vexes me beyond belief.

You understand that which is beyond my understanding.

Your comfort can soothe any pain.

Your love is far beyond human comprehending.

I cry out to you and pray in Your holy name.

Grant me wisdom and compassion to help my fellow man.

Work through me to comfort them even when I don’t understand.

 

 

You’re Going To Suffer Anyway

Pain comes to the wicked and the redeemed.

Misfortune falls on the generous and the selfish.

Trials come to the reviled and esteemed.

Death comes to those you hate as well as those you cherish.

Curious are those who turn from God because pain exists,

for their stiff necks don’t lead to lives without pain.

Curious are those who blaspheme God, shaking their fists,

for what does their fury ever obtain?

They make the same argument; pain comes to everyone,

but they only think in earthly ways.

However, what those who’ve turn to God have won,

is glory immeasurable in future days.

What is the reward of those who suffer without belief?

Those who have it can at least take comfort even when they feel grief.

Cover Reveal: Stealing Freedom Ebook (and Audiobook)

Greetings all,

About a year ago, Heidi Angell, T.W. Iain, Richard Drake, and I released The Power of Words, an anthology dedicated to the First Amendment. My story for that collection was Stealing Freedom, and fun heist story about a mother who’s planning to shut down the servers that ruthlessly enforce the prohibition of speech and communication on her planet.

As per the agreement we had on that anthology, we’re allowed to release our individual stories (the anthology will remain available) after a year.  In preparation for that, I’ve commissioned my artist, Carlos Villas, to do the cover.  So, without further delay, I proudly present to you the cover to Stealing Freedom, scheduled for release Oct. 1, 2019.

[image error]

 

It always amazed me to see what Carlos does with my concepts.  For those who are interested, take a look at my request and little thumbnail:

[image error]I told him, “The frame is from the bridge of a girl-child’s nose to just below the collar bone. Around her neck is a metal (techno-looking) collar about an inch thick. Blue electricity is arcing around the collar which is visually undone.”

Carlos patiently went through 13 drafts of the image until we got to the image you see above. The bulk of the revisions were in getting the collar to where we wanted it and then getting that arcing light to look perfect.

He did all that work in perhaps a week? If you’re an author looking for a dedicated artist who will eagerly take direction and produce that level of work quickly, I couldn’t recommend Carlos highly enough.

Once I got the final image, I located a font I liked and designed the overall cover with the author and title text. One may argue my author text is a bit dark, but on a monitor it works out fine. I’d be more worried if it were for a print cover (as printing brings up color and density issues), but if my color-challenged eyes can make it out, I’m confident others can see it. I downloaded the font (for free) and placed everything.

The Audible cover (yes, the audio version of this novella will also be available (I hope) Oct. 1.) was more challenging.  In order to keep everything I wanted, I had to place the text over the face. My options were to put text over the face or crop the face out. I opted for the first choice.

[image error]Once more, you can expect Steal Freedom to be available on Kindle and Audible Oct. 1 (give or take a day or two).

Thanks for reading,

Matt

Book Review: Pull by Stephen Landry

[image error]Cover image for the book was taken from its Amazon buy page for review purposes under Fair Use doctrine.

Spoiler Free Summary:  Pull by Stephen Landry is the first book in the Deep Darkness saga. Sev, a user who can travel through time by going into the minds of people from the past or future (think Quantum Leap only he can’t change anything), is raised in a world where an alien race is seeking to eradicate humanity along with any species dumb enough to help the humans. The three ships that carry the bulk of humanity also cary it’s most dangerous enemy: humanity.  As Sev learns more about his prophesied existence, he  learns more about the origins of humanity’s last ships and society. If they find a planet on which to settle, will there be anything left worth saving?

Character:  Sev is an interesting character. This book has sort of a Martial Arts quest feel to it where the character gets trained in the use of the time travel and combat (think Matrix). His sympathy shows in some areas. He’s compelling in his zealousness. He’s proactive and driven. His emotional journey is solid to as he continues to look for companionship even while he knows he’s already fawning over “the one who got away.” Sev is a plus for Landry.

Exposition: This was pretty solid as I remember. I did feel a bit info-dumped on at times, but, for the most part, the story’s pace seemed solid. He did a good job of mixing in the action with the exposition, but there was a lot of room for improvement.

[image error]This image of Landry was taken from his Amazon buy page for review purposes under Fair Use doctrine.

Dialogue: There was still some exposition in there I didn’t need, and some of it seemed a bit forced and random. I think it was improved from Sleepers, the last book from him I reviewed. The only conversations I remember are the ones in which I got plot information, which is how I know it’s wasn’t very crisp or memorable.

Description:  This is something Landry shows skill in and it is improved from the last book of his I read. He’s got a great eye for putting in nice details that bring the scene to mind. I’d be interested to see if Landry is working on TV or movie scripts. If his dialogue improved, he might have a lot going for him in that medium.

World Building: This is where Landry shines. His worlds and plots are just plain awesome. His creative ideas are fantastic. His outlining and plot points are fun. His visual style has a lot of potential, but the worlds he creates are his best assets. If this book were just edited more thoroughly, it’d be one of the best I’ve read this year; however, those issues really hurt the quality of the book overall.

Another Note on Proof Reading:  As with the last book I read from Landry, I had to post a special segment discussing the proofreading of his book. Unfortunately, I didn’t see any improvement whatsoever in this book. It’s honestly sad to see such great ideas marred by such poor editing and proofreading. I honestly couldn’t help but start counting the number of errors per page, and I got into the teens on some pages. These issues just ripped my attention away from what is honestly a fantastic story.

Overall: This concept is really cool. This story has love, tragedy, fighting, and time travel. However, it was riddled with typos and homophones. The paragraphs were sometimes a full page long, which was pretty demanding on the eye. A good copy editor could make this ok book great.

Thanks for reading

Matt

Sonnets for My Savior 42

Light

He is the light,

And he shines for the salvation of those who believe.

No other shines as bright.

Joy and comfort fill the hearts of those who see.

His light is the way.

Those in the darkness can follow him to safety.

Those filled with remorse can wake to a new day.

Blessed are all those who trust in His sovereignty.

His light burns the wicked.

Those who refuse to see will fall to dust.

They’ll have no advocate when they are convicted.

They’ll face only judgement from the Lord, who is ever just.

Follow the path, turning neither to the left nor the right. 

For the only way to the Father is through Christ, the light.

 

 

Where I’ll Stay

You are my foundation,

They way I live is based on your will.

I shall not seek any other location,

for only Your crops and water can give me my fill.

You are my sanctuary.

In you I will live and feel secure.

Your walls protect me against any adversary.

Your strength is mighty, your defenses are sure.

You are my place of rest.

You provide me strength and endurance.

From You I have peace; I am not stressed.

From You I have perseverance.

I have built my home in You, LORD, and I shall not stray.

I’ve found peace and joy in You, LORD, and in you I shall stay.

 

 

My Comfort and My Relief

When my bones ache, and I can’t move.

I seek You and find comfort and relief.

The life I have and the joy in my heart prove

the peace you bring even amid such grief.

Hear me now, and have mercy on me,

for my body screams amid the rage of time and use.

Please take this pain and set me free.

Strengthen my bones, help the knots in my muscles come loose.

You comfort us in all our troubles,

and we remember that we glorify You if we endure.

If we trust in You, we will not struggle.

For Your power is great, and Your love is pure.

In any time, whether it full of joy or pain,

we find our comfort and relief in you, LORD, always praising your name.

 

 

 

My Treasure

It is not silver or gold.

It is not pride or respect.

It is not living or growing old.

It is not what a man of the world would expect.

What is money but something that comes and goes?

What is pride or respect but something given by man?

But the love of Christ is greater than any man knows.

His love will do more than the love any mortal ever can.

The love of Christ is everlasting.

His mercy and peace endure forever.

Against His light, there is no comparing or contrasting.

His grace remains come whatever.

Whatever comes to me in this world regardless of the amount,

let me seek the treasure of Christ’s love, for that is worth more than any man can count.

 

 

Blind

Do you claim to see?

If so, your guilt remains.

Those who reject wisdom may disagree,

but the irony is they don’t see their chains.

No one in the flesh is without guilt.

This is why we need a savior.

No matter what reputation one has built.

There is no mortal deed that will earn God’s favor.

Open your eyes and see your need.

Turn to Him and be free.

Follow the only one who can lead

the blind to the God who brought all things to be.

The blind can only lead the blind to a pit.

But Christ sees the sin in your heart, and only He can free you from it.

 

 

 

The Right Way to be Different

Anyone loves those who love them.

Anyone lends with the expectation of being paid back.

Who does the same and expects to be treated differently than them?

Who selfishly holds his property and expects others to be generous when they lack?

What better way to be unique

than to love even those who hate you?

What better way to stand apart than to give to the meek

rather than loan and demand your due?

Rather than stand over others,

why not demand more of yourself?

Why not see all men as brothers,

and treat them as you would be treated yourself?

For the LORD is kind to the evil and ungrateful.

Therefore be merciful, even as God is merciful.

 

 

He Came To Serve; He’ll Come To Rule

He came to offer himself as a sacrifice.

He came to take our illnesses.

Those who believe will find paradise.

Blessed are all who bare witness.

He’ll come to repay all for what they’ve done.

He’ll come to rule with a rod of iron.

He’s already won the battle with the evil one,

and those who forsook him will also be thrown into the fire.

Repent now and enjoy the gifts he’s already come to give.

Repent now and be adopted as God’s son.

Repent now and through Him you shall live.

Repent now, for when He returns not even the dead will have found a place to run.

He came to offer freedom for all who would receive Him,

but when he returns, all will kneel and be judged by Him.

Shore Leave 2019 Report: Encouraging consistency

Greetings all,

[image error]Shore Leave was last week, and it was yet again a huge success in terms of books sold!

The thing that really makes this so encouraging is that I’ve now had three consecutive conventions where I sold more than 40 books. This makes me feel like things are starting to build in the best ways.

At Shore Leave, I sold forty-nine books. I was especially thrilled at how the Repressed/Sojourn paperback worked out. I sold out! My favorite story is that one woman bought the book.  She came back the next day to tell me how much she enjoyed it. She said she read Repressed in a matter of hours at the pool and loved it. When she found out Kaitlyn’s first appearance was in Caught, she bought that book.

I only have one copy of Power of Words remaining, and that’s pretty good.  They actually sold pretty fast. I thought for sure the last one would sell, but it just sort of stalled I guess. But still, I sold 13/14 copies.

[image error]Grace, Amanda, and Stevey at Shore Leave.

The next thing that happened is probably the most encouraging.  The Journals of Bob Drifter has been out for four years, and I’ve done three Shore Leave events now.  This is relevant because I met Amanda (and Grace) at Shore Leave.  Bob did very well at the event, and I think I owe a lot of that to Amanda and Grace. You see, they came to say hi (and buy a few new books! Thanks!).  While there, they managed to convince somewhere around four people to buy at least two of my books. They convinced one friend to buy all four of my books.

That’s not it though. That happened to me twice that I can recall. One person would be checking out my table, and another would come up and say, “I read his book (BLANK (Usually Bob)), and I’m telling you it’s good.”

[image error]I can’t express to you how that makes me feel. First off, just having someone walk up and say they enjoyed your book is a wonderful feeling, but to have previous readers bring you more readers is the very definition of “word of mouth!” It’s amazing!

The theory I have is this: It takes people a while to get through their TBR pile. This is true for me. I’m only just now reading books I put on my TBR pile a year ago. My thinking is that these people have had Bob on a shelf for a minute and then it just came time to read it. Now they have feedback for me, and they loved it!

Amanda said, “It’s (Bob) one of the best books I ever read.” She then told me the story about how she was at work and a coworker was trying to draw her attention and couldn’t because she was that enthralled.  WOW! (But please don’t get in trouble at work, Amanda!)

Another person might have been one of maybe three people to buy my book at a convention last year. He said, “It (again Bob) was one of the best surprise reads” he’s had. He said he bought it because he liked me (which is why most people buy most things at conventions). But then he read it and loved it.

All that feedback is so motivating. I can’t wait to get my next few books out there!

I nearly sold out of all my books. Those were just a few stories I wanted to share because of how amazing they made me feel in the moment. Julie was near to tears a few times. It’s just such blessing, and we thank God for brining so many wonderful people to our lives and letting our business grow.

So now for the business side. Shore Leave (and most other conventions I go to) have much more affordable tables. And the sales from the event made back the cost of the table (which is a huge benchmark to me).  But things went so well, we only actually lost about $100. This is still a loss, but it’s significant growth. We’re hopeful that the prints and more products (big news on that is coming) will help tip the scales and allow us to change how we define “success” when it comes to conventions. For now though, we’re just overjoyed this event went so well.

For those who tried my books, thank you so much! We hope you enjoy them. Please remember to leave a rating and/or review on Amazon and/or Goodreads.  They really do help.

Thanks for reading,

Matt

Sojourn in Captivity Is Now Available On Audible!

Greetings all,

[image error]I’m happy to announce that Sojourn in Captivity is now available on Audible. Courtney Sanello did a fantastic job narrating this story. What I like most about this and the Audible version of Repressed is that it’s just such a quick story.  It’s just under three hours, so if you’re driving around town or heading on a trip, you can finish the whole story on the way.

Pretty soon, I currently have 25 codes good for a free copy of Sojourn. I also have codes for my other Audiobooks.

If you’re interested in one (or all) of them, please feel free to email me.  I hope you decide to give them a try.

Thanks for reading,

Matt

Book Review: Of Fire and Storm by D.G. Swank

 

[image error] This image of the cover was taken from the book’s Amazon buy page for review purposes under Fair Use doctrine. 

Of Fire and Storm is the second book in D.G. Swank’s Piper Lancaster series.

 

Spoiler Free Summary: Piper is still new to the who demon slaying business, but the threats are still increasing more greatly. A mysterious threat is targeting young people who inevitably commit suicide. Things take a turn for the worse when one victim turns out to be connected to Piper. Her powers are growing, but someone she loves is going to betray her.

Character:  So this story is really closely patterned after Buffy. While I think the relationship is too close, I still like the feeling because I’m such a fan of Buffy.  It would be unfair to call Piper a Buffy ripoff. Sure, she’s a blonde-haired demon slayer, but Piper has enough unique traits. I’ll even admit that I’m such a fan of Buffy that I’m probably forcing the thoughts.  Piper is compassionate and driven. These traits make her easy to like. She’s a bit gullible if you ask me, but her sympathy and proactivity make her worth following.

Exposition: As the second book in a series, one has to expect some degree of exposition to help the readers along. However, this was pretty solid for me. I got the history when I needed it, and I got the story when I wanted it. I don’t feel like the story dragged down or went off the rails at any point.

Worldbuilding:  It wasn’t bad, but that’s what upset me. This series has a lot of potential in terms of lore and depth, but it never came. As a series, it’s obvious a writer isn’t gong to throw everything out in book two, but I didn’t get nearly as much of the setting as I wanted. Does this really hurt the story? Only if you love deep worlds and complex saga histories. However, if one is just reading one story for the sake of the story, he probably doesn’t miss the scope the same way I do.

[image error]Image of Swank was taken from her website for review purposes under Fair Use doctrine. 

Dialogue: This is where the comparison to Buffy falls way short. The wit and snappy dialogue just isn’t there. I’m not saying it’s bad on it’s own, but I couldn’t help but make the comparisons I did, and when someone does that, that person has to be ready to accept comparison. The dialogue didn’t bring me down (even if some parts were just spoken exposition).  It didn’t feel stilted at all.

Description:  I probably could have used a bit more description. There was enough to get the movie theatre in my head going, but it was a pretty small theatre, and they didn’t have dBox effects. The character description was better than the scenic description by far. But some of the environments felt a bit thin.

Overall: Though it rigidly holds to the Buffy template I’m certain inspired it, it is still entertaining. It’s got a few surprises amid some of the more predictable aspects. It’s not bad if you’re a fan of the genre. It’s a fun read that gives fans of the genre somewhere to go if they need a fix. While heavily inspired (in my opinion) by the aforementioned TV show, I wouldn’t go so far as to call it a cheap knock off. I think I enjoyed it as much as I did because of the blending of new aspects amid a familiar, well-loved story. If you miss Buffy, give this a read and see how you feel about it.

Thanks for reading

Matt

Sonnets for My Savior 41

Why We Were Made

He made our mouthes so we could praise Him.

He made our hands so we could work for Him.

He made our bodies to be a temple for Him.

He made our hearts to be filled by Him.

He did not make us for our own sake, but for His.

He did not make us to please us, but to please Him.

He did not make for our glory, but for His.

He did not make us to serve us, but so we would serve Him.

This does not take away His love for us.

This does not reduce His desire to care for us.

It does not change the wonderful things He will give to us.

It only establishes His relationship with us.

There is no real mystery as to what our purpose is.

The LORD God made us; therefore, we are His.

 

 

Before Him

Before Him, we were lost.

Before Him, we were enemies.

Jesus Christ accepted the cost.

Jesus Christ washed away our iniquities.

Before Him, we were hostile.

Before Him, we committed evil deeds.

Jesus Christ stood our trial.

Jesus Christ intercedes.

Through Him, we are reconciled.

Through Him, we are made holy.

Each person who accepts him has become God’s child.

We are saved through Christ and Christ only.

The only reason we are cleansed of sin

Is the loving, willing sacrifice of Him.

 

 

The Next

If I should live a life full of happiness,

rich in wealth, joy, and love,

I will stand in wonder at the greatness

that awaits in the world above.

If I should live a life full of agony,

wrought with pain and famine.

I will work to remember the glory,

which waiting for me in Heaven.

The things of this world are fleeting,

The grace of God is forever.

The redeemed on this Earth are waiting

For the kingdom of our Savior.

There is nothing, good or bad, this world can offer

that compares to eternal life with the Father.

 

 

You or Him

Why do you struggle to change?

Shouldn’t you be loved for who you are?

Those who seek to obey seem strange.

Why continue to run when the finish line is so far?

Shouldn’t you want happiness?

If God loved you, he’d allow it.

Those who say such things bear false witness.

They speak about the temptation of the world and all that comes with it.

They want you to be like them, when Christ is whom we should be like.

They speak with the world’s wisdom, when we should be fools for the sake of our Savior.

They speak about what feels good rather than what is right.

They seek to bring you to their level rather than the LORD’s favor.

Those who act like men only become men and suffer man’s fate.

Those who act like Him, will be more like Him and receive his grace.

 

 

What We Want and What We Deserve

Let go of your anger and pride.

Let go of your desire for vengeance.

What happened to the mercy for which you cried?

Wouldn’t you want forgiveness if you offered repentance?

Why do we want justice from others,

but we want patience for ourselves?

Why do we celebrate the punishment of others

only to lament what consequences fall on ourselves?

We are all guilty.

All of us deserve God’s punishment.

Compared to God, we’re all filthy.

If mercy is what we seek, why do we hold onto resentment?

Forgive as you are forgiven.

Give the mercy you were given.

 

 

The Helper He Blessed Me With

I was alone.

There was no one to share my pain with.

Whenever I came home,

there was no one to share my joy with. 

I prayed in submission,

finally placing Him in charge of my life.

Then he granted my petition,

and he gave me such a wonderful wife.

She is my helper.

She aides me in sickness and in health.

Her presence has made my life better.

In terms of love and joy, I have so much wealth.

None of this came by any power of my own.

This only happened after I submitted and knelt before his throne.

 

 

Believe

He came from the Father above.

Born to a virgin in a body of flesh.

He came to show the Father’s love.

He gave us life through his death.

He lived a perfect life, guilty of no wrongdoing.

He trained the 12, who would preach his gospel when he left.

The wisdom of the Father was in every word he was speaking,

And to this day all who hear and believe are blessed.

On the cross, He was raised.

Unbroken and unblemished he died.

When he rose again, the path was paved

for all who couldn’t be forgiven by anything they’d try.

Now stands the commandment of our salvation:

Believe in Him who died for our forgiveness and rose for our justification.

Book Review: Pandora’s Star by Peter F. Hamilton

[image error]Image of the cover was taken from the book’s Amazon buy page for review purposes under Fair Use doctrine.

Pandora’s Star is the first book in Peter F. Hamilton’s Commonwealth Saga.

Spoiler Free Summary: When an astrologist notices a star that regularly vanished and then returns, the futuristic Commonwealth society of planets can’t help but investigate the mystery. The mission brings old enemies together, old hostilities to a boiling point, people who were nobodies to fame, and people who were legends hundreds of years to vanish completely.

Character:  This mammoth tome frankly has too many points of view and characters to track. There’s the guy who invented wormholes and the detective who only failed to solve one case. I also remember a guy ended up a starship captain. My biggest problem with this book is that it demands far too much of the reader. If I think about each individual story, they’re great.  I like stories that have a good cast, but this book simply throws too many plots and characters at me.  Even while reading, I couldn’t ever keep up with who was what doing what and where.  I have two plots I liked best, and they are only vaguely connected to the mission to investigate the vanishing star.

Exposition: This is probably the other reason I struggled with this book. A massive cast combined with mountains of exposition just brings the book to a screeching halt for me. We get several pages of life story for each character before anything actually happens. Again, and one of these stories would have been great, but each block of exposition would be tolerable with fewer characters to work around. There are even side plots that just don’t affect the overall plot at all, and that just drags the pace even further down. The coolest plot doesn’t happen until halfway through the book. I think I’d love this series if book one was three to five books.

[image error]Image of Mr. Hamilton was taken from his bio page on the Pan Macmillan website for review purposes under Fair Use doctrine.

Worldbuilding:  Now, if you love deep worlds with complex histories, this is the story for you. The worldbuilding in this story is masterful. I’m not a scientist by any standard, but I would hazard a guess that the speculative fiction in this is based on solid, well-researched material.

Dialogue: This was solid. It wasn’t impressive by any means. I don’t recall any great lines, but it didn’t drag the pace down. Most of the dialogue I remember was just thinly veiled exposition. Most of it was either backstory on a character or explanation of something that happened off screen. Everyone does this. It’s not criminal, but there usually needs to be a bit of snap to the dialogue that livens things up a bit. Again, I didn’t have any problems with the dialogue in this story; I just didn’t particularly like it either.

Description:  I imagine most fans of pure speculative scifi will love the level of description in this book. It wasn’t as meticulous as say, Dune, but it was certainly detailed and absolutely visceral.  If I’m being fair, it’s probably just right, but combined with the exposition and number of characters, it just slowed things that much more for me.

Overall:  If I’m being honest, this book was just so broad in scope. There are stories and characters in this I was truly interested in, but they were all buried by other characters I can’t even remember and never cared about. The pacing from one character to another felt too random. If this book were split up a bit, I probably would like any number of them, but all together just made it feel hard to follow. This book is great for fans of deep worldbuilding and complex science fiction.

Thanks for reading

Matt

Sonnets For My Savior 40

Growth

Those who love the Father

follow Him and obey.

They don’t find his commandments a bother.

They grow more like the Son each and every day.

Eat the right food.

Man does not live by bread alone.

He who lives by the word of God has certitude.

He finds more peace that he has ever known.

Study the the word so that you may grow.

Commit them to your hearts and minds.

If His work is the crop that you have sown,

you will reap more joy than you had thought you could ever find.

Love, Obey, Eat, and Grow.

Do this, and His presence in your life will show.

 

Because I Sin

I am a sinner.

I have looked at a brother in anger.

I’ve accumulated wealth thinking that would make me a winner.

I’ve let others work while I relax in languor.

I was a slave to sin.

I’ve stared at women in lust.

I drank myself stupid to quite the spirit within.

I was a liar no man should ever trust.

Jesus Christ paid the price.

His sacrifice made me clean.

He bled for every vice.

It was the only way to account for the sins God has seen.

The Savior who died and has risen

was the only way I could have been forgiven.

 

 

Perishable vs Eternal

Money will perish.

His love endures.

Fame will perish.

His grace endures.

Flesh will perish.

His peace endures.

Pleasure will perish.

His holiness endures.

Pain will parish.

His comfort endures.

Sadness will perish.

HIs joy endures.

All of the things of this world are perishable.

The Lord God, and the gifts he gives, is eternal.

 

 

Don’t Let Me Fall

Hold me tightly.

Surround me with Your light, lest my eyes wander.

Help me walk steadfastly and rightly.

Your love is a precious gift I never want to squander.

Provide me a means of escape

when temptation gives its seductive call.

Mold me into a better shape.

Lift me to Your grace lest I fall.

My desire is to serve You,

but my fleshly heart was born to desire evil things.

Let me please and glorify You in all I do,

so I might enjoy Your peace and all that it brings.

A life in service to You is a life most blessed.

Grant me wisdom, LORD, so that when temptation comes, I may pass the test.

 

 

Freedom

We have the freedom to speak out mind.

We have the freedom to petition out government.

We have freedoms others can only hope to find,

But our most precious freedom comes through Christ, whom God sent.

We have freedoms to bring arms to bare.

We have freedom of the press.

Of all the freedoms for which we care,

Christ’s is the greatest. Without Him, all other freedom is worthless.

We even have freedom of religion.

We can worship or not however we want to.

This makes it so we ca openly praise God’s own Son,

For His is the only way that is true. I

We have so many great freedoms from this nation we are in,

But it is Christ who gives us freedom from sin.

 

 

How Do You Do It?

How can you be so slow to frustration?

How can you be so quick to forgive?

Too quickly I find vexation,

Too often I become combative.

Help me to be more like You.

Help me to have a heart of forgiveness and peace.

Guide me, LORD, in all I do.

My desire to grow more like You shall never cease.

Grant me a heart like yours, full of grace.

Grant me a heart like yours, full of steadfast love.

Your son’s likeness is the goal to which I race.

Your love is the gift no one is worthy of.

Just as you forgive us our iniquity,

grant us a forgiving spirit so that we may have tranquility.

 

 

The Right Goal

Let us seek Your righteousness.

Let us follow Your path.

Help us walk away from our selfishness,

lest we encourage Your wrath.

Let our deeds be pleasing.

Let good fruit come from our actions.

Let every day be more appeasing.

Let me focus on You with no distractions.

Be first in my heart, soul, and mind.

Be the center of my attention.

For You are the creator of mankind,

and I seek only Your affection.

Becoming saved has given us the proper perspective.

Pleasing You is the only real objective.