Beverly Garside's Blog: Books: Mine and Others', page 3

Insurgent

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I continue find this series fascinating. Like many "YA" stories, it should not be limited to that description, as it has every bit as much to offer to adults. The issues in Insurgent are actually very adult ones: the ways personality shapes and limits our perspectives, the often impossible task of distinguishing "right" from "wrong" and when we should make loyalty supreme - and when we should abandon it. If there is a consistent theme in the Divergent series it is complexity. Nothing is as simple as it may seem from the surface, and solutions may require perspectives beyond our own. It is a multi-layered tale with a central mystery - right up my alley. Kudos to the author!



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Struck By Lightning

Struck By Lightning: The Carson Phillips Journal by Chris Colfer

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


I was disappointed with this book. First of all, I listened to it on audio cd, and I believe the author's decision to read the book himself was a mistake. The text was read too fast and poorly enunciated, which had the effect of pouring water on an already tepid text. The hero, Carson, being presented as a jaded 18-year-old going on 37 felt like a tired sit-com trope. The way his grand realizations about how wrongly he's been living his life and looking at the world are summed up in a line or two and then quickly forgotten is also confusing. It felt like the whole point of the book was just glossed over as a passing thought. And in places, the story just doesn't ring true on an emotional level. At one point, one character relates a story about how she answered a question to her second grade class about what she wanted to be when she grew up as "a ballerina," and the whole class laughed at her. Huh? Why would they do that? Second graders typically want to be basketball stars, president, firemen, movie stars and yes, ballerinas. It's hardly likely they would laugh at THAT.
I did like the plot, and the story held my interest to the end. I just wish the author could have been more clear about whether the story was a tragedy or a richly deserved comeupance.



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Divergent

Divergent by Veronica Roth

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I loved this book. I could not put it down. I love dystopias based upon philosophy and thought, rather than the purely apocalypse variety. Divergent delves into personality, ideology, and the point where virtues decay into their dark sides. And the metaphor of growing up and choices determining your life is brilliant. Divergent deserves all the hype it's getting. I'm looking forward to watching the movie.



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Future Hope Review

Future Hope by David Gelber

My rating: 5 of 5 stars




"Future Hope" is a work of Christian science fiction. Gelber, a surgeon, seems to be a biblical literalist with a deep appreciation for science and the double-edged sword of technology for the benefit and detriment of mankind. I don't share the author's religious views, but I do know great literature when I see it. At first glance, the book's out-of-story "history lessons" and simplistic, expository style seem amateurish - until you realize that this is exactly the style of the Old Testament and most of the New Testament. The story flows smoothly with the touch and feel of the Bible stories that inspire it.
It is easy to see why this book was self/subsidy published - and it's not for negative reasons. Mainstream publishers would most likely lack the biblical familiarity to grasp its references and the depth of its allegory. And their moldy ideology about fiction with a political or religious point of view would keep such a work off the shelves. It also would have a poor chance with Christian publishers because of its radical unorthodoxy - not in theology but in substance. For this is a world where God is found in the inter-dimensional plane accessible by space travel, where unicorns romp in the Garden of Eden and where the Mark of the Beast is not imposed by a tyrannical government but is purchased as a popular social media app.
I especially appreciated the author's grasp of the complexity of political corruption and his vision of the demonic in certain types of religious leaders. I found this book a true gem, and as much as I enjoyed it, I couldn't help but imagine how much more it could be appreciated by those who share it's theological belief system.
"Future Hope" is testament to why we should support independently published books. It the past this kind of brilliance and literary mastery would have been routinely censored by the publishing industry. Now it's ours for the taking.



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A New Type of WMD

The Midas Bomb by Steven M. Moore

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I'm not usually a fan of the crime thriller genre, but this story was a different - sticking true to the genre but also going a bit beyond to round itself out with hints of philosophy, psychology, and the vagaries of destiny. Basically, Castilblanco is my kind of cop hero - none of the stereotyped tough guy bravado and cynical quips here that are often the standard for this genre. Castilblanco engages the world beyond his cases, fitting his investigations and his analysis into a tapestry of experiences, education, and an astute awareness of human nature. "Castilblanco never forgot what Franco did to Spain, what Mussolini did to Italy, and what Hitler did to Germany. But what gave him the nightmares was to think of all the stupid people that swallowed their lies."
And in his current case, the lines between the smart and the stupid could not be more stark and distant. A complex conspiracy unfolding behind the scenes is led by a villain who considers himself a genius and the rest of the world's population mere sheep lining up for slaughter. Connecting all the dots and twists here is not for the faint at heart, but as the picture emerges from the fog, it is clearly worth the effort, as it is a picture perhaps never seen before in a thriller. Steven Moore opens our eyes to a whole new target area of society with vulnerabilities rarely contemplated by our leaders and defenders, and a new consciousness as to who among us we may really consider to be on our side.
Bravo to The Midas Bomb. Its explosion certainly has my attention!



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My Book Trailer is Online

Check out the book trailer for "I and You" on my homepage. It's the first of 3 - I am currently working on the second one.

The Second Coming

The Second Coming: A Love Story by Scott Pinsker

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I'm a fan of theology and theological issues, so this book was right up my alley. I loved all the questions asked but was a bit frustrated by the lack of answers. Also, the symbolism escaped me and I could not keep up with the parallel universe of crows, worms, and power struggles in heaven. Perhaps the author will reveal his point of view in the sequel?



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Gone Girl

Gone GirlI read so many contradictory reviews of "Gone Girl." Some reviewers 5-starred it with glowing praise, others were so disappointed. One claimed they had to labor to get through the first part of the book, others complained that there were no likable characters in it. So I started it with some trepidation. But after the first 50 pages, I'm firmly in the loving it camp. I love deep characterization, and I like mysteries, so I guess this book is just right up my alley.