What I'm Reading This Week? Along with Important Updates

What I'm Reading?

The Great Hunt of the Horn(Wheel of Time No.2) Continuing with my read through of the entire Wheel of Time series, I'm about to finish this hefty, but very engrossing entry in this series. My goal,as of now, is to read approximately one Wheel of Time book per month

Sandman (Issues 1-20) After having heard only mentions of the brilliance and genius if these comics, I've finally decided to read through them. Thanks to the interlibrary loan system in my county's library's for saving me money!!

Secrets of Eden (Chris Bohjahlian) I'm reading this, in part because of an impending signing happening at a local Barnes and Knobles. Though the greatest reason for reading this is due to my book discussion group at the library (the one I work at!) earning VIP spots in the autographing line.

Update 1: It's been quite a difficult task to delete every single spam comment that lies existent on this blog. In order to further prevent these from coming onto my blog, I've set my comments to moderation and also word verification will be used for any comments made on this blog. Yes these can create an inconvenience but it's well worth it to keep certain raunchy messages from appearing again on this blog.

Update 2: For any who live in Pennsylvania and have been closely following my reviews of Maria V. Snyder's books. I'm planning a release party for her April release of "Inside Out." Since she lives in Pennsylvania, the actual party is scheduled to take place at Exton Square Mall's Borders Express. More information can be found on her webpage. Though I'm planning for a costume contest with prizes, along with a debate about why we think Valek's superior to Edward Cullen or why Yelena's a better female protagonist than Bella Swan. Ignore the latter, I wish not to offend any Twilight fans with any such festivities. But a costume contest will exist and any costume is welcome as long as it does not become too inappropriate.

Storm Glass Review (And Announcement, directly below the review)

Notice: Please be aware that there are a number of invasive spammers on my blog. Hopefully in a week's time, every unimportant comment contribute by these people will be appropriately be deleted. Know that I had no involvement with these spammer's tactics. There exists in a cyber world Gaga Zombies, inspired by Lady Gaga, who spew out their intelligible drivel in computer hieroglyphics or fragments of terrible Gaga lyrics. Thanks for your understanding of this grave and annoying situation!!

Sypnosis (Taken from Maria V. Snyder's site)
As a glassmaker and a magician-in-training, Opal Cowen understands trial by fire. Now it’s time to test her mettle. Someone has sabotaged the Stormdancer clan’s glass orbs, killing their most powerful magicians. The Stormdancers—particularly the mysterious and mercurial Kade—require Opal’s unique talents to prevent it happening again. But when the mission goes awry, Opal must tap into a new kind of magic as stunningly potent as it is frightening. And the further she delves into the intrigue behind the glass and magic, the more distorted things appear. With lives hanging in the balance—including her own—Opal must control powers she never knew she possessed... powers that might lead to disaster beyond anything she’s ever known.





Review: Instead of seeing the story from Yelena's eyes, Maria V. Snyder creates a new series, from the eyes of Opal. While the first series of books that introduced the fantastical worlds of "Ixia," and "Sitia," reflected Yelena's character growth through the use the different modes of subduing or overcoming foes such as the stealthier means of using poison or magic dependent activated by one's mind. (Oddly enough the last book seemed to represent a place of death rather than a tool of death.) With respects to Yelena's character growth though, Poison Study detailed the restructuring of the ability to trust others by probing their minds for certain venomous qualities which could pose danger. Magic Study involved the rediscovery of her origins and finding familial love, after being redeemed from the toxic past that crippled her ability to trust others. Fire Study is where the fate of both countries she loves deeply are dependent on her ability to defeat the malevolent force that threatens the lives of countless people. Basically, she's forced to find some technique to extinguish the fires that vie to obliterate everything she's become deeply in love with. Interestingly, I only came upon this theory by thinking again upon the first trilogy of books as a one huge story, rather than three separate parts. In another post, I hope to post something that explains my theory that these books hold deeper meaning.

Anyways, I'm straying from my review of Storm Glass. Before this series of books, we were acquainted with Opal in "Magic Study," who showed some depth and intrigue towards the end of the book. For that reason, I have been aching for a series that focuses on her character rather than "Yelena." And surprisingly, I found myself impressed by the first book of this separate series. One of the best elements of this book is a new writing style that reflects the change of perespective. Additionally, instead of one love interest, we are given two love interests who compete for Opal's attention. While I did find Yelena and Valek's relationship to be well developed and oftentimes very interesting, I hoped to see some discordance in their relationship. The best relationships seem to directly result from problems that arise and are overcome in a positive manner. If Yelena and Valek were to experience jealousy in the form of another love interest, threatening their formerly stable relationship. Then the readers would have flipped the pages at a faster pace and if a positive result were wrought from this discord, their relationship could have developed into an even stronger, more believable relationship. Ulrick and Kade, refreshingly, have very different personalities that aid in forming Opal Cowen into a more interesting character. This element alone, without the necessity of having it dominate the novel, really convinced me that "Storm Glass," is a far stronger novel than either "Magic Study," and "Fire Study." (Poison Study is unrivaled at the top position mostly because it was a strong debut and the plot itself was fairly complicated right from the onset.)

Not only is there a love triangle, but also there are some very well written passages that describe the glass making in sumptuous detail. By the end of some of the descriptions, I felt some perspiration coat my hands. Because I believe I was vicariously experiencing the physical exhaustion from glassmaking. Along with the glass making, we are given a layered plot involving a mystery of whose destroying the Stormdancer's clans glass orbs, and also the story of Opal's discovery of her powers. Without revealing too many details surrounding the latter subplot, similarly to the "Study Series," the Glass series's titles also offer us a glimpse into the deeper story existent within this book. Cleverly, Kade's comparison of storms to human feelings, reflects Opal's own internal conflict occurring throughout the story. Essentially, Opal's life is unpredictable and interminably turbulent as are weather patterns. Being the skilled writer she is, Maria V. Snyder uses some of her meteorological expertise to help paint Opal's feelings in a metaphoric way. (Hopefully after finishing Sea Glass, I hope to extend my discussion of the link between the titles and the deeper themes of the story)

One flaw I noticed in this book involved certain parts of the story which offered no development in any form. Because of my strict policy, involving spoilers within my reviews, I wish not to provide too many details. Simply put though, there are some instances within this novel that seemed to lack the author's usual finesse with prose. Overall, I really have taken a liking to Opal's character and am very grateful for Maria's courage in writing a series that does not revolve around either "Yelena," or "Valek," Many Buffy and Angel fans know though that these characters do have appropriate cameos which are imperative to the structuring of the story. Now, please give me some time to quell my own personal storms in order to give myself some peace of mind to write. (Meaning, the next book review will take about five or six days.)


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Announcement:


According to my trusty Dr. Horrible Sing Along Blog Calender, the date's the 21st of February. In comparison to my last post, it's been about a month since I've submitted any reviews. Instead of elaborating on this by use of nearly three convoluted paragraphs. I'll sum it up with one sentence: I've finally set plans to begin writing a young adult science fiction series called "Death Seer." Yes, additionally, the level of difficulty of most of my classes have been much higher, creating an increased amount of work. Besides that though, I have taken advantage of every spare minute to dutifully outline the necessary details for each separate novel within this planned series. Please understand the amount of energy needed, both mental and physical, to create an entirely separate world from the perespective of a fabricated character or host of characters (In the case with my stylistics, there's a host of different character perspectives. I'll hint that omniscient third person will be used in a highly creative way.) Here's the basic synopsis of the first book in the series, sharing the title of the series, "Death Seer." The other titles will not divulged as their titles offer some details of the story. Sypnosis:

Death's usually an element of our lives that becomes a reality at the ending point. For Sam, though that ending point's an imminent point within his life as he's gift or cursed with the ability to see death. His affliction entreats him with the ability to see into the minds of humans and know the intimate details of the last page of their lives.

With a government seeking to abduct him , a complex mystery surrounding his mother's life and death, and a disorienting struggle over love; Sam finds that he cannot allow death's malevolence to stall him.

Because at this juncture, there are things far worse than death, existing in life.

The Glass Trilogy

Many Christians know the main tenet of Christian belief lies in having faith within the inexplicable and indescribable. We are taught to have faith that our God is merciful and understanding of the human condition. This simple answer seems to be voiced in a condescending voice when some followers are approached with the hard questions. If heaven's supposedly blissful,then where's our free will? How can we have blind euphoria if we know our loved ones are in hell?

A myriad of other difficult questions sprout from my mind, similar to a faucet which continually allows minute drops of water to fall within the sink's basin below. These difficult questions similarly infiltrate the frontal lobe of my mind and demand to be answered. With my OCD mind though, those numerous questions are refuted by a number of contradictions or hypothetical situations. In effect, more questions stem from a lower quantity of questions. These questions when voiced to fellow followers is met with antipathy and disapproval of being inquisitive and the unorthodox nature of even trying to understand the nature of my belief within God.

Why do we as Christians fear the questions and readily distill them? Why are we so ready to detonate our faith or another person's due to these doubts. Ironically, are we not limiting the limitless bounds of our intricate mind by eschewing these questions. Personally, I believe faith can be bolstered by doubts and in actuality, true faith is formed through our questions and the innumerable clauses attached to those questions. Interestingly, our questions themselves lend to the image of an incomprehensible, wondrous God.

When some Christians meet doubts with ire, are they not squeezing God within a prim, tightly packed box? Unconsciously they are telling believers that God may have a grand visage but at his core, he is easily definable through a human lens. Basically, God can be described in superficial terms as being absolute authority whose supposed to be followed blindly without any question.

Brandon Sanderson's "Warbreaker" intelligently details the erroneous elements of blind faith. Within the book's imaginary kingdom of Halladren, populated by Gods fabricated through human means. We are shown the shortcomings of blind faith with a pretense of majesty. Though externally, the city and Gods themselves boast grandness, internally they are being fueled by stoical denizens who wish to subject to authority in a soulless manner.

As with these humans, doesn't blind faith basically satirize or disrespect God's gift of free will? When we bleach our faith of it's depth, are we not rebelling against God's gift of intellectual freedom? Without thinking through things, do we not become mindless zombies? Sure, God has paradoxes and contradictions. Then again, is it not that our minds are limited to a certain extent that we can not entirely understand eternal things? Instead, we can only postulate and continuously wonder. Confusing works of art with an array of layers certainly presents the true nature of God, someone who we can only speculate about. But it's that very speculation and wonderment that opens our eyes to God and substitutes ignorance and blindness with eyes filled with hope and curiosity.

Favorite Things of 2009 (Part One)

Apologies to all my blog readers for nearly two months of absence. Life swamped me and completely overwhelmed me, restricting my internet a
ctivity to answering the most basic emails.

For my first post of the new year, I've decided to provide a litany of my favorite books,movies,music and television series of 2009. Bear in mind,the list only compiles the top four or five favorites and not every single favorite thing within each category. If I were to list every single book I've read and loved, it would definitely take up about two pages worth of posting.

Anyways, without further ado, here are my favorite things from 2009.

Favorite Book:

Brandon Sanderson's books: During a turbulent December, this book greatly unstressed me with it's rich world and interesting characters. I discovered Brandon Sanderson's books by chance when learning of the writer who had been asked to finish the uncompleted Wheel of Time series. Curiosity then persuaded me into buying the Mistborn series and later, "Warbreaker."

I've only read the first Mistborn book and Warbreaker and both have led me into becoming a psychotic Brandon Sanderson fan. Besides George R.R. Martin, his books were my antidote for my adult fantasy fiction drought. They also dissuaded me from holding the belief that the adult fantasy section was devoid of substance.

Ironically, his books gave me enough reason for me to attempt to read other adult fantasy books. As result, my former pile of young adult fantasy books was replaced with a pile of Robin Hobbs, Brent Weeks, and Anne Mccaffrey books. Each and everyone of these books are still on my hefty "to be read and reviewed," list.

But I highly recommend any of Brandon Sanderson's books, specifically Warbreaker. Normally, I'm not too fond of complicated magic systems but here I found myelf poring over the pages describing both "Allomancy," and "Biochroma." Brandon Sanderson's books awakened my sciencetific side and left me desirable for even more pages depicting this highly ingenious magic system.

One of the stand out elements of any of his books lies with his expertise with characters. Any story without complicated, dimensional characters are immediatley rejected as "nonreads." Warbreaker and Mistborn contain characters with conflicting ideals and ideologies. Both of which are not cemented and are still undergoing the process of forming into potential strong beliefs. This in effect reflects the true conflict of the human psyche that is unable to affix itself to one belief. Instead Sanderson's character's minds pick and choose their beliefs which are often altered by the experiences of life thrust upon them.

I shall end my speal about Brandon Sanderson's books here since my inner geek seems to want to endlessly herald, praise, and appreciate his masterful works. Simply stated, without the intrusion of geek jargon, Brandon Sanderson's books come highly reccomended for any reader who has found themselves becoming disallusioned with the fantasy market as a whole.

To Wheel of Time fans: I'm in the process of reading through the series right now and am very happy that your fandom has been honored with having such a skilled writer to conclude the series. After having the opporitunity to attend his signing and hearing his zeal towards writing a sucessive final book,I am convinced that the final books could potentially be better than the four or five books before Book Twelve.
Other Stand Outs:
Maria V. Snyder's Study series (see archived reviews)
Barry Lyga's Goth Girl Rising (see archived review as well)
Libba Bray's Gemma Doyle Series: Do not be disheartened by the covers because the books themselves have a wide appeal to any reader who likes fantasy books with strong, well developed female characters and a plot that's filled with gothic intrigue.
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (See archived review)


Favorite Movie:
Coraline
This movie earns my top spot without much of a struggle. 2009's movies were mostly dissapointing and void of intelligence. The first half of 2009 contained both "Watchmen," and "Coraline" which were both direct opposites of the number of unintelligent, special effect laden films of the second half of the year. Coraline specially entreated me and other viewers with a well imagined setting filled with colorful creatures and a devilish "other" mother. The movie itself provides an important message of being content with the things provided in our lives. Since sometimes the envied and highly idealed elements could bring upon a host of problems. Basically, nothing blissful comes without added challenges. To my blog readers, please watch Coraline not because it's a product of Neil Gaiman's genious but because it's a wonderful CGI film that contains mystique and not cheap thrills.
Watchmen
Superhero films are oftentimes moronic and usually are aimed at the "ID" audience that desire blood spill without the contemplation or the possible moral defacement. Watchmen stands opposed to those films by providing us with characters who all have fallacious moral compasses. The writer never forces his idealogy or philosophy on us and we must form our own opinions about whom might be the right or wrong character.

Many comic book fans were irate about this film because it did not compare to the comic book. Having read the comic book, I was well aware that no movie would ever dethrone the comic book because any excellent novel can never be reprodouced perfectly by another filmaker.

I had my doubts about Zach Snyder since I abhorred his last film "300" which was basically rampaging mess of violence that pleased the "ID" crowd. But Zach Snyder's visual centered films worked perfectly with Watchmen and greatly impressed me. Again, some fans disliked the film whereas I thought it was wonderful and expertly edited. The montage at the beginning of the film was reason enough for me to herald this film as being a great comic book adaptation.

Other Standouts:
Sherlock Holmes: The film hardly represents the famed Sherlock Holmes from Arthur Doyle's book series. Yet the film strangely entranced me mostly due to the wonderful performances of Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law. When everyone praises Robert Downey Jr.'s acting ability, they are accurate since within both "Iron Man" and "Sherlock Holmes," he is brilliant.
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince: Another excellent adaption, thanks to David Yate's talent. Again, nothing will ever match the quality of the books themselves. But the acting ability of the cast really helps in at least granting the fans with a great adaptation more dependant on acting rather than expensive special effects.

Fire Study Review

Flamed colored font has never been more appropriate for a book that's cover and title both reflect the theme of the third and last installment of Yelena's story. As a whole, Yelena has mightfully grown from a girl ravaged by the ghosts of her past to someone who holds her own and becomes the greatest hero within the story. Amazon reviews led me to believe that the ending was bound to greatly dissapoint any readers who loved either "Poison Study," and "Magic Study." Knowing this, I began reading the novel with greatly depreciated expectations. I trepidatiously flipped the pages and prepared myself for the ending that would not serve Yelena's story justice.

With bated breath, I carefully read each page, anxiously awaiting the one scene that would destroy any last hopes I had for a good ending. Towards page "50" or so, the anxiety dissipated and was replaced instead with excitement and deep interest with the direction of the story. Confounded, I continued to search for some remaint of the supposed element of the story that would greatly dissapoint the fervid readers of the Study series.

In it's place, I found myself becoming wrapped up in Yelena's internal struggle and I developed an intense fascination with seeking out the characters who may be potential traitors. Even with my sured hypothesis's, Maria V. Snyder's narratives still caught me by suprise with the relevations within this novel. At the end, I literally yelled "What?" aloud when I happened onto the novel's most pivotal revelation that reveals to us the main plot which began within "Magic Study." All throughout, I never found anything that was contrively developed and nothing detracted from the high opinion I hold for Maria V. Snyder's writing.

Surely, I am within the minority here, but I found "Fire Study," with it's quick pace and compelling plot to be better than "Magic Study." Poison Study," will always keep the top spot because it was my introduction within this well crafted universe with meticulously sketched characters. Even with the story's political intrigue and plot surrounding soul collection; the story's principally about Yelena's growth into an assured young woman whose male peers marvel her individual strength rather than feel inhibited by it.

Anyone whose faced tragedy early in the lives can relate to and be empowered by Yelena's story. Those who have encountered abuse on varying levels easily can gain strength from Yelena's ability to forgive what befell her within her past. Instead of becoming trampled by that pain, she seeks out strength to rectify the things within her present that she was not able to within her past. Yelena's, not a mere character, but a female character filled with innumerable dimensions. Her insecurities are familiar to us and the strength she discovers within a given situation is not an example of deux ex machina but the natural responce to a perilous situation.

I've begun reading "Storm Glass" already and hope to begin reading "Sea Glass," within a matter of weeks. Maria V. Snyder's series, compared with many other series, combines action and great characters. She has the ability to immerse her readers within a world that no individual wishes to escape. She entreats us with a plot that's filled with many unexpected occurences and nuances. If you are seeking a Christmas gift for any reader whose been begging for an adventurous story filled with characters as finely crafted as Buffy's; I encourage you to check out this series.

To Maria V. Snyder, thanks for helping me develop new friendships with characters I wish weren't fettered to the pages of your books.

Curse of the Spider King:The Berinfell Chronicles Book 1

About the Book:

The Seven succeeding Elven Lords of Allyra were dead, lost in the Siege of Berinfell as babes. At least that’s what everyone thought until tremors from a distant world known as Earth, revealed strange signs that Elven blood lived among its peoples. With a glimmer of hope in their hearts, sentinels are sent to see if the signs are true. But theirs is not a lone errand. The ruling warlord of Allyra, the Spider King, has sent his own scouts to hunt down the Seven and finish the job they failed to complete many ages ago.

Now 13-year-olds on the brink of the Age of Reckoning when their Elven gifts will be manifest, discover the unthinkable truth that their adoptive families are not their only kin. With mysterious Sentinels revealing breathtaking secrets of the past, and dark strangers haunting their every move, will the young Elf Lords find the way back to the home of their birth? Worlds and races collide as the forces of good and evil battle. Will anyone escape the Curse of the Spider King?

Personal Note:Glancing through my archive of past reviews, I've noticed my extended absence from the blog sphere. I attribute that to an increased workload at college, work upon my novel, attempts at reading four or five books simultaneously, and the job at the library. The latter really causes no disruption in my schedule except it does exert my energy before day's end.







Review:

Co-authorship typically lends to helping an inept writer write adeptly with the aid of an author who possesses more skill . Wayne Batson and Christopher Hopper are both great writers though and have no need to use one another as a crutch to provide a good story. So based on that tidbit of information, gathered from reading both their series; I had very high expectations for this series. Overall, those high expectations were met and exceeded. While there were some slight faults that caused me to wonder if my high expectations were too "high." I was very expectant of a few faults, seeing as no writer has completely perfected their craft.

"Curse of the Spider King" begins with a plethora of different perspectives, each one provides a new angle and in this case, new beginning for this planned trilogy. Right from the start, I pinpointed the characters whom I thought were crafted by either Wayne Batson and Christopher Hopper. One of my favorite characters happens to have a personality, similar to Antionette's. Though her disorder is one distinct difference from the character equivalent from the Door Within Trilogy. Luckily, some of the other characters prove to be different than the characters of either author's former series. Most would not recognize this because they are either unfamiliar with their other series or are not burdened (or gifted)with scrupulosity.

Similar to Door Within, an archaic text presents character or characters with a universe that has a slew of problems. These individuals, once unknown to this destiny, now found themselves thrown within this universe and discover they must aid in vanquishing the malevolent forces that the forces of good are grappling with.The factor that helps this series separate itself from the Door Within are the various chapters written from the perspectives of the various protagonists represented within the novel. Unlike the Door Within or even Christopher Hopper's series, the reader's granted the opportunity of seeing a story through the lenses of five different individuals which gives the reader a sense of realism. Additionally, it helps us to understand the motives of different characters and understand their reasoning for making certain choices. From a first person perspective or third person omniscient perspective, we are limited to one character's thoughts and we become biased due to the character's offer of opinions about a particular character's choices or attributes.

Admittedly, some of the perspectives were weaker than others and sometimes I found myself wishing to finish that character's perspective in order to resume reading another character's perspective. This fault might be due to my personal preference for a certain character and may not be due to the writing which throughout was concise and greatly detailed. Besides weaker perspectives, I found myself skimming through some of the earlier fight scenes in the novel due to their predictability. For some reason, I felt I had foreknowledge of what would inevitably occur which caused me to feel slightly bored with these scenes. Wayne Batson and Christopher Hopper later remedy this problem with their expertly written fighting scenes with the principal cast of characters and luckily both suspense and thrills are injected into these scenes. Again, those fighting scenes may have been tiresome to me since I have read a multitude of different fantasy novels and am very knowledgeable of the progression of events within these types of passages within fantasy series.

Even with the previous paragraph of negativity, I found this novel to be enthralling and well written. While I was reading this novel, it was easy to note certain sections that really showed how meticulous both these writers were with writing this novel. Nothing within the pages of this book felt unnecessary and every page of this book bolstered the story and helped me to form friendships with the characters. Hopefully, the next installment in this series is released within a year's time as both authors have helped in creating a highly addicting fantasy trilogy.

Thank you Wayne Batson and Christopher Hopper for diverting my attention from my college work and causing me to nearly miss my train stop last month!

Related Song:





Due to the popularity of posting related songs with my books reviews; I've decided to incorporate a song within this review. From reading some of my past reviews, some of you are aware of my obsession with the Dutch band, Within Temptation. If you haven't listened to any of their songs, here's your opportunity. The below video is their performance of "Our Solemn Hour," a song whose lyrics greatly reflects the battle chronicled within the archaic text the heroes of this story are presented with.

If you're interested in learning more information about this wildly creative, bombastic band, check out either their site or my self penned article (printed in my college's newspaper).





http://www.christiansciencefiction.blogspot.com"> Brandon Barr
http://fantastyfreak.blogspot.com/"> Justin Boyer
http://pagesofdiscovery.blogspot.com"> Amy Browning
http://valeriecomer.com/"> Valerie Comer
http://www.the160acrewoods.com/"> Amy Cruson
http://csffblogtour.com/"> CSFF Blog Tour
http://word-up-studies.blogspot.com"> Stacey Dale
http://www.scificatholic.com/"> D. G. D. Davidson
http://sjdeal.blogspot.com"> Shane Deal
http://scriptoriusrex.blogspot.com/"> Jeff Draper
http://home.earthlink.net/~wyverns/"> Emmalyn Edwards
http://projectinga.blogspot.com/"> April Erwin
http://virtualbooktourdenet.blogspot.com/"> Karina Fabian
http://anewnovelistsjourney.blogspot.com"> Todd Michael Greene
http://realmofhearts.blogspot.com/"> Ryan Heart
http://fantasythyme.blogspot.com"> Timothy Hicks
http://jessebecky.wordpress.com/"> Becky Jesse
http://crisjesse.wordpress.com"> Cris Jesse
http://www.spoiledfortheordinary.blogspot.com/"> Jason Joyner
http://www.molcotw.blogspot.com/"> Julie
http://carolkeen.blogspot.com/"> Carol Keen
http://krystisbooks.blogspot.com/"> Krystine Kercher
http://www.tinakulesa.com"> Tina Kulesa
http://www.realheartprints.com"> Melissa Lockcuff
http://rebeccaluellamiller.wordpress.com/"> Rebecca LuElla Miller
http://mirathon.blogspot.com/"> Mirtika
http://linalamont.blogspot.com/"> Nissa
http://www.leastread.blogspot.com/"> John W. Otte
http://oohbooks.blogspot.com"> Cara Powers
http://www.chawnaschroeder.blogspot.com/"> Chawna Schroeder
http://www.jamessomers.blogspot.com/"> James Somers
http://specfaith.ritersbloc.com/"> Speculative Faith
http://www.epictales.org/blog/robertblog.php"> Robert Treskillard
http://frederation.wordpress.com"> Fred Warren
http://www.galacticoverlordinchief.blogspot.com/"> Jason Waguespac
http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/"> Phyllis Wheeler
http://www.novelteen.com/"> Jill Williamson
http://kmwilsher.blogspot.com/"> KM Wilsher

CSFF Blog Tour: Haunt of Jackals Review


Sypnosis:

A decade earlier, Jerusalem's Undead escaped their tombs in the
Field of Blood. One of their group was missing, and he will return with
a vengeance, fighting his fellow Collectors for control of a vile
book--a blueprint that exploits "six things, no, seven, that the Lord
hates," as a way of dragging down mankind.

As the Collectors vie for dominance, Gina Lazarescu finds herself
fleeing through the mountains. She is alone and wounded, but more
determined than ever to find and protect the children in her care. She
does not know that Cal Nichols still has life-shaking secrets yet to
share. She knows only that she is headed for another confrontation with
the Collectors, one that will lead from Romanian castles to the Pacific
Northwest and eventually to the Haunt of Jackals, birthplace of Judas
Iscariot in Israel's arid wastelands.

Review:

"Haunt of Jackals" suits this month perfectly with it's central theme of demonic vampires. Vampires, as of late, have really blossomed within the literary market, all thanks to Twilight. Twilight's vampires though are toned down and are in many ways, not exactly the monstrous vampires which were originally depicted within Bram Stoker's novels. With the Christian market slowly accepting vampire books, we're faced with the best of the vampire stories. Eric Wilson's story was tightly plotted and has some very interesting theories on how the vampires were originally created. And best of all, not one vampire sparkled all throughout the novel. Even better, the words "bliss" and "chagrin" were not found on any page.

I'm a huge appreciator of vampire lore, something many professing Christians would never admit. Hearing of this series filled me with both dread and glee. To my surprise though, Eric Wilson writes these books with great finesse and shows a great appreciation for vampires. His series is not really the first proper Christian Vampire Series. Sue Dent's "Never Ceese" takes the honor of being the first with a redemptive vampirer. Eric Wilson's series involves vampires who are demonic incarnates and this was refreshing for me, after all the romantic vampire stories which seem to receive the most press as of recently. The story also has a great spiritual message which is interwoven expertly in the plot.

An even greater strength of this novel was the existence of strong female characters. Many tend to believe Christians undermine the potential strength of a woman and largely place them within subservient roles within novels. This myth may apply to a few books, but most Christian books feature some of the strongest, most assertive women within contemporary novels. Any readers can attest to this if they read this series in particular. Every girl is naturally developed and are not mere imitations of super females. But are instead true human characters whose strength is derived by faith and not their biological makeup. All the characters, both female and male are fairly treated and are developed very well.

One thing which bugged me during the novel though was the occasional moment of choppy writing. There were a few times where the author glossed over details and merely summarized over sections in order to move the plot further. Some may not notice this minor fault. I noticed because I'm a scrupulous reader. But these moments were enough to cause me to feel detached from the plot at these parts. Luckily these parts are smoothed over eventually and really are far and few. In all, this novel makes me very excited for the next installment and has helped me to gain more confidence in the future releases within the Christian market.

Links of other Tour Participants

http://www.christiansciencefiction.blogspot.com"> Brandon Barr
http://enterthedoorwithin.blogspot.com/"> Wayne Thomas Batson
http://quiverfullfamily.com/"> Jennifer Bogart
http://fantastyfreak.blogspot.com/"> Justin Boyer
http://www.AdventuresInFiction.blogspot.com/"> Keanan Brand
http://pagesofdiscovery.blogspot.com"> Amy Browning
http://www.kcreviews.blogspot.com"> Karri Compton
http://www.the160acrewoods.com/"> Amy Cruson
http://csffblogtour.com/"> CSFF Blog Tour
http://word-up-studies.blogspot.com"> Stacey Dale
http://www.scificatholic.com/"> D. G. D. Davidson
http://scriptoriusrex.blogspot.com/"> Jeff Draper
http://projectinga.blogspot.com/"> April Erwin
http://virtualbooktourdenet.blogspot.com/"> Karina Fabian
http://bethgoddard.blogspot.com/"> Beth Goddard
http://anewnovelistsjourney.blogspot.com"> Todd Michael Greene
http://fantasythyme.blogspot.com"> Timothy Hicks
http://jessebecky.wordpress.com/"> Becky Jesse
http://crisjesse.wordpress.com"> Cris Jesse
http://www.molcotw.blogspot.com/"> Julie
http://carolkeen.blogspot.com/"> Carol Keen
http://momofkings.wordpress.com/"> Dawn King
http://rebeccaluellamiller.wordpress.com/"> Rebecca LuElla Miller
http://mirathon.blogspot.com/"> Mirtika
http://insellyr.blogspot.com/"> Nissa
http://www.leastread.blogspot.com/"> John W. Otte
http://www.jamessomers.blogspot.com/"> James Somers
http://specfaith.ritersbloc.com/"> Speculative Faith
http://www.rachelstarrthomson.com/inklings/"> Rachel Starr Thomson
http://www.epictales.org/blog/robertblog.php"> Robert Treskillard
http://christiansf.blogspot.com/"> Steve Trower
http://frederation.wordpress.com"> Fred Warren
http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/"> Phyllis Wheeler
http://www.novelteen.com/"> Jill Williamson
http://kmwilsher.blogspot.com/"> KM Wilsher