REVIEW: "Schism" and "Collision: The Battle for Darracia" by Michael Cash

SCHISM: The Battle for Darracia - Book 1
BLURB
On the planet Darracia, an ever-widening social gap between its inhabitants is causing turmoil that is fracturing a once peaceful world. Struggling with his identity, nineteen year old Prince V'sair must harness the power of the elusive Fireblade, the secret to a warrior's heart, in order to overcome his uncle Staf Nuen's lust for supremacy. Will the energy of the Elements guide the young prince to his true destiny or will Staf Nuen conquer Darracia? After the success of his first three books (Brood X, Stillwell, and The Hanging Tree) Michael is fulfilling a dream and creating his own epic fantasy world. Schism: The Battle for Darracia is the first book in a planned series.

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COLLISION: The Battle for Darracia - Book #2
BLURB
The Darracia saga continues with all the key players spread out and searching for answers throughout the solar system. Prince V'sair struggles to hold his fractured kingdom together without help from his family. His stepbrother Zayden is on a vengeful hunt for his evil uncle Staf Nuen. Tulani navigates her two worlds trying to bring them together. Staf Nuen, the orchestrator of the original coup, is making unholy alliances with nefarious new allies. Like the comet zipping across the horizon, all the different factions are heading for a collision course that will test both their faith and power.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR - Michael Cash

Born and raised on Long Island, Michael has always had a fascination with horror writing and found footage films. He wanted to incorporate both with his debut novel, Brood X. Earning a degree in English and an MBA, he has worked various jobs before settling into being a full-time author. He currently resides on Long Island with his wife and children.

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REVIEW

NOTE: I'm reviewing the first two books of this series together as I read them one right after the other.  Typically, I would not do this, but for the sake of time and effort I'm combining my review of these two books.  They are, after all, two parts of the same story.

One need not go far in order to hear tales of a people who are not getting along with another people.  Nor does it take much effort to hear of one group of people, or one person, trying to usurp power and gain control over a land which may not be rightfully theirs...whether that is good for the land or not.  Power has this corrupting quality.  But what about when those rightfully in power are trying to do things for the good of the people that might unite fronts that have been divided, upending very old societal structures?

LONG STORY SHORT
A prince born from the love between royalty from different peoples (different planets, even) must face his destiny sooner than anyone expected when an uncle on one side leads a revolt against his own brother - a king who is determined to make his kingdom a fair and equal place for both people of the planet to live, Darracians and Quyroos alike.  Good vs. evil.  Tradition vs. a new way of thinking.  Love?  In some ways this is an age-old story told in a new way with new characters and settings that are put together rather well.  While characters are unique individuals, the settings are interesting, and there are elements of science fiction and the mystic that would please even the most die-hard SciFi fan, the plot and writing styles themselves leave something to be desired.  The story itself unfolds rather slowly at first, almost laboriously.  It is like a movie that starts slowly and takes awhile to get to the action.  Once the action is reached, however, there are issues with how it is presented.  For example, scenes full of action fly by so quickly that it is hard to know what exactly is going on.  I found myself confused during about half of these books....which isn't conducive to an enjoyable/productive reading experience.  The writing style itself is also very clipped and efficient in places, while being descriptive in other places - there is a lack of consistency.  Typos are also found throughout the work.  I'd gripe about how the book itself is formatted (double-spaced), but have been told there is a plan in place to address some formatting issues.  A good story with some presentation issues.

On an ascending scale of 1 to 5, I give this book a 3.

LONG STORY

The Good

Here we find a classic story: child born of a union between two unlikely individuals whose destiny will not only shape his world, but possibly that of others as well.  Add a social stratification on his home planet reminiscent of the stratification found in India (albeit with only two factions), floating cities, love, and a traitorous uncle and you have this book.  It is something akin to if Macbeth met "Avatar"....just add a few extra planets.

V'sair is a prince sired by a Darracian king and a princess from a water planet.  He looks different than literally every other individual on Darracia, the planet where he lives.  He has a different destiny - against all odds, unite the two deeply divided peoples who populate Darracia: the Darracians and the Quyroos.  One problem: he has never gone through the Fireblade challenge.  But is the Fireblade what it seems to be?  Only time (and, well, the end of the first book) will tell.  He falls in love with a girl he has known for years as his mother's servant...but she is more, so much more.  About the same time, his uncle stages an uprising that leads to the death of several key figures, physical disfigurement of others, and pushes V'sair to seek out the truth behind the Elements....a truth which reveals more truths which threaten to undermine the planet's societal structures.  And so ends the first book. 

The second book picks up months after the carnage.  V'sair is struggling to figure out how to live into his new role with the people when he was pushed into it before his training was even nearing completion.  Not to mention the other half of his being has been AWOL for awhile, trying to lead her people....but will they trust someone who is of them but not of them?   V'sair's brother is off seeking out the uncle who destroyed everything he once held dear, but perhaps he will lose his life in the process.  There is a pair of sisters who present an interesting question (sorry, you're gonna have to read to figure out what I'm talking about).  The stage is set for a rather epic battle.  Seriously, this book seems to be almost purely stage-setting for the next book....which I find rather intriguing.  Yes, it carries the story forward a bit, but it provides much more background than in the first book.  Frankly, some of this background would have been helpful in understanding what was going on in the first book, but so is.

I'm going to applaud Cash for something that I usually nit-pick authors about: the characters are unique. Even in long, complicated conversation scenes I could generally figure out who was talking even without the "he said this, she said that" indicators.  I deeply appreciate characters who have their own personalities that are clearly distinct from one another and that of the author.  Yay!!  I also really like these characters - especially Bobbien (I think she's my favorite of the entire series - kind of reminds me of the baboon in "Lion King").  They are images of flawed beauty in a way that means they are relateable.  Good deal.

This is a good story.  Sure, some tropes are used that have been done and done to death, but they have actually been combined here in a way that I find rather intriguing.  I'd love to see this story done on screen....after the following has been addressed.

The Bugly (bad/ugly)

Good story.  Less than stellar presentation.  I'm going to rip on this book a little bit because there were enough things that bothered me that, frankly, my reading of these books was a little more stalled than it could have been.  I just couldn't get into it the same way it seems other reviewers were able to.  To each his own - no book is going to please every single reader, this is why we have multiple genres and millions of works within genres.  :)

Anyways, let us first look at style.  I can't fault Cash too much for stylistic choices that I would not make, but I can nit pick on a lack of consistency.  My fiction writing style is one that is very descriptive, full of "flowerly" adjectives and such.  It is not very efficient.  Cash's style is remarkably efficient...in most places.  In other places it is much more descriptive.  The lack of consistency made my head keep changing gears in a way that bugged me. 

Second, the plot itself.  While the story is pretty good, the way it unfolded left a few things to be desired.  It took awhile for the story to get going.  So much work was done in the beginning setting the scene that it was like a movie that starts off slow, with all of the action happening in the last 30 minutes.  Now, this can make some sense given that there is a new world to explore with a new societal structure, entirely new characters, etc.  I get that.  I just had an exceptionally hard time following what in Darracia was going on and keeping track of who was what.  Wait, how'd that person get across the room?  How'd his eyes gum shut with blood in all of 20 seconds?  Oh yeah, and there were enough moments where I thought "that's not how science works" that my brain hurt.  Blood drying too quickly, people not falling right according to how they were just hit, etc.

Third, there were typos all. over. the. place.  Not just the kind of typo where a few letters are out of order, though these were certainly present, but the kind of typo where a sentence had clearly been written one way, then written a different way, and the first way wasn't completely cleared out of the way (confused yet?).  Pronoun confusion reigned supreme, as did sentence constructions that didn't make a lot of sense in my head.  Keep in mind that I'm hard on grammar - while I can't diagram a sentence to save my life, I know when something sounds wrong.  Unfortunately, a lot sounded wrong here.

Finally, I just wasn't that into these books.  I read them because I had agreed to, but after the first book I didn't feel much like reading the second one....and now I really don't feel like continuing to the third.  I really feel as though this is a good story wrapped in less than stellar presentation.  It just was not my cup of tea.  It happens.  

REVIEW: "There is No Fear" by Michael Bowler (Tribute Books Blog Tour)

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The most famous boy in the world is a prisoner. He’s been charged with a crime he didn’t commit, a crime that could send him to prison for the rest of his life. Languishing within The Compound, the most secure juvenile facility in California, while the district attorney vows to make an example of him because of his celebrity status, Lance must endure the daily indignities of the incarcerated.

New Camelot is fractured without him. Ricky and Chris are bereft, living for the weekly phone call that becomes their only lifeline to the brother they so desperately love, while Arthur and Jenny feel the loss of their son with a sadness that can’t be quelled. And what about Michael, the highly volatile teen who helped write the proposition that will change California forever? Could he really be the monster he says he is? His hatred of Ricky is palpable, and his instability may well threaten the lives of everyone at New Camelot.

As the election looms closer, Proposition 51 takes on an even greater significance in light of the pending trial of the century. The more harshly fifteen-year-old Lance is treated within the broken justice system, the more he contemplates the wisdom of his idea that children need more adult rights. If The Child Voter Act becomes law, won’t it simply allow adults to throw more kids into prison with impunity?

Whichever way the voters decide, his greatest fear remains the same: will he ever again be with the people he loves?

The Knight Cycle Continues…

Pages: 284
Release: July 17, 2014
ISBN: 9780990306337

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Michael Bowler

Michael J. Bowler is an award-winning author of three novels - A Boy and His Dragon, A Matter of Time, and Children of the Knight - who grew up in San Rafael, California.

He majored in English and Theatre at Santa Clara University and earned a master’s in film production from Loyola Marymount University, a teaching credential in English from LMU, and another master's in Special Education from Cal State University Dominguez Hills.

He partnered with two friends as producer, writer, and/or director on several ultra-low-budget horror films, including “Fatal Images,” “Club Dead,” and “Things II,” the reviews of which are much more fun than the actual movies.

He taught high school in Hawthorne, California for twenty-five years, both in general education and to students with learning disabilities, in subjects ranging from English and Strength Training to Algebra, Biology, and Yearbook.

He has also been a volunteer Big Brother to seven different boys with the Catholic Big Brothers Big Sisters program and a thirty-year volunteer within the juvenile justice system in Los Angeles. He is a passionate advocate for the fair treatment of children and teens in California, something that is sorely lacking in this state. He has been honored as Probation Volunteer of the Year, YMCA Volunteer of the Year, California Big Brother of the Year, and 2000 National Big Brother of the Year. The “National” honor allowed he and three of his Little Brothers to visit the White House and meet the president in the Oval Office.

He has already written the four continuations of Children of the Knight that complete The Knight Cycle and all will be released in 2014.

He is currently at work on a new novel.

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REVIEW
This country is spoiling for a youth-led revolution, if psychologists examining the popularity of shows "Hunger Games" are to be believed.  Something is wrong, youth know it, youth are affected by it, and youth seem to be the only ones who aren't too tired to do anything about it.  At the same time, people are jailed unjustly all. the. time.  But what do we do when someone who is jailed unjustly is a kid?

LONG STORY SHORT
The first two books in this series (Children of the Knight & Running Through a Dark Place) were absolutely superb, and this third installment fits nicely in this well-established reputation.  The story neatly picks up at the cliffhanger from the end of the previous book, in the middle of heart-pumping drama where the hero of the day has been arrested for attempted murder.  He's innocent, but can he prove this in the face of a public who craves nothing more than fallen heros, DA's bent on reelection, and a corrupt system which stomps upon the rights of youth...all the while figuring out who actually guards his heart?

Search no further for a book that will ignite your passion to work for the good of those whom society has deemed "the least of these", a passion for justice served as well as rights protected and accountability realized.  This amazingly well written book drew me into its action, into the very lives of these characters, in a way that made me want to assign this series as mandatory reading for every high school graduate.  It made me feel.

On an ascending scale of 1 to 5, I give this book a 5.

LONG STORY
The Good
Honestly, I'm not sure anything good I have to say about this wonderful book has not already been covered in my reviews of the first and second installments in the series.  

We start where the last book left off: Lance being handcuffed and roughly dropped in the back of a police car without even knowing the nature of the charges leveled against him.  Upon reaching the detainment facility, Lance learns that he is being accused of attempted murder against a man he had seen recently, a man who has caused much turmoil and pain in Lance's life.  A man whose genitalia had been removed from his body in a brutal attack.  

There is just one problem.  Lance is innocent.  But can he prove so when the district attorney is running for election and wants to nail Lance to the wall in order to further his own campaign...despite rather shaky "evidence"?  SPOILER ALERT: Lance does get out of jail.  But what happens next will keep you pinned to your seat.  Seriously, somehow I thought I'd get to bed on time.  Nope.  I found myself awake well into the night as I read about Lance's struggle to come to peace with his identity, his relationships (just what is he supposed to do with Michael, Ricky, and Bridgett?), and the legal proposition that his efforts helped put before voters.  What will happen?

 Seriously, that question kept me up for two evenings as I read through this work - what is going to happen next?  What next bit of drama will be revealed?  What will Lance uncover about himself and those around him?  Will he be able to handle the things he finds on his quest for truth?

AND WHAT ABOUT THAT CLIFFHANGER?  WHAT THE WHAT??

Not a lot of time is spent on character development, as much of this happens in the first two books.  The same is true about settings: new locations are set up very well while settings from previous books are mentioned but not described much.  It is kind of expected that readers have read the first installments in this series as these books are meant to build upon one another.  They do so very well.  On the one hand, I was glad to see there are at least two more books in the series because it means two more awesome books are coming....and yet on the other hand there is a cliffhanger ending (which is seriously put together in the span of the last 2-3 pages....just when you think it is over, you find that not only is it not over yet, but the story may have just begun) that just makes me desperate to read the next book.  Ugh.  Not a patient person over here!  :P

Anyways, I loved this book - as you can see by the perfect score (I don't give perfect scores easily).  Now, to wait for the next "season" to come out........ 

The Bugly (bad/ugly)
A few minor typos here and there, but nothing to major.  However, CLIFFHANGER.  /grumble.  Again, this is a stylistic choice that I cannot fault Bowler for, but seriously annoying (in honesty, I'd do the same thing).  

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REVIEW: "Running Through A Dark Place" by Michael Bowler (Tribute Books Blog Tours)

BLURB

King Arthur and his extraordinary young Knights used ‘might’ for ‘right’ to create a new Camelot in the City of Angels. They rallied the populace around their cause, while simultaneously putting the detached politicians in check. But now they must move forward to even greater heights, despite what appears to be an insurmountable tragedy.

Their new goal is lofty: give equality to kids fourteen and older who are presently considered adults only when they break the law. Arthur’s crusade seeks to give them real rights such as voting, driving, trading high school for work, and sitting as jurors for their peers charged with criminal behavior.

Understanding that the adults of California will likely be against them, Arthur and his Knights must determine how best to win them over.

However, before the king can even contemplate these matters, he finds himself face to face with an ally from the past, one who proves that everything isn’t always what it seems – even life and death.

The Knight Cycle Continues…

Pages: 447
Release: May 2014

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Michael Bowler

Michael J. Bowler is an award-winning author of three novels - A Boy and His Dragon, A Matter of Time, and Children of the Knight - who grew up in San Rafael, California.

He majored in English and Theatre at Santa Clara University and earned a master’s in film production from Loyola Marymount University, a teaching credential in English from LMU, and another master's in Special Education from Cal State University Dominguez Hills.

He partnered with two friends as producer, writer, and/or director on several ultra-low-budget horror films, including “Fatal Images,” “Club Dead,” and “Things II,” the reviews of which are much more fun than the actual movies.

He taught high school in Hawthorne, California for twenty-five years, both in general education and to students with learning disabilities, in subjects ranging from English and Strength Training to Algebra, Biology, and Yearbook.

He has also been a volunteer Big Brother to seven different boys with the Catholic Big Brothers Big Sisters program and a thirty-year volunteer within the juvenile justice system in Los Angeles. He is a passionate advocate for the fair treatment of children and teens in California, something that is sorely lacking in this state. He has been honored as Probation Volunteer of the Year, YMCA Volunteer of the Year, California Big Brother of the Year, and 2000 National Big Brother of the Year. The “National” honor allowed he and three of his Little Brothers to visit the White House and meet the president in the Oval Office.

He has already written the four continuations of Children of the Knight that complete The Knight Cycle and all will be released in 2014.

He is currently at work on a new novel.

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REVIEW
We tend to forget that famous people are still just people...especially when those famous people are youth/kids.  I read an article recently about Jennifer Lawrence (a young lady who is quickly becoming one of my favorite actresses) of "Hunger Games" fame.  Her father said her fame hasn't changed her in their family much, that she is still going to go through all of the same processes of identity formation and such that other young people go through.  She will just do so under a microscope since she is so famous.  But when a young person is famous because of a crusade to make the world better for children, can fame actually be a problem??

LONG STORY SHORT
Awhile ago I reviewed the first book in this series, Children of the Knight, and absolutely loved it.  This continuation of the story did not disappoint.  We rejoin the characters right in the middle of the scene which closed the first book - Lance has just died while television audiences watched in horror.  An act of love designed to save King Arthur's life.  An act of love that cost Lance his life.  Or did it?  An unexpected character from Arthur's past shows up and changes the game in a way that Lance becomes "the boy who came back".  

A superbly written tale, this book kept me on the edge of my seat as I lost more than a few hours sleep from needing to know what happened next.  How was character XYZ's behavior going to be explained?  What exactly was Operation Silent Treatement?  A difficult past haunts main characters, a mysterious figure becomes a part of daily life in a way that is difficult to figure out, and a wonderfully rich story unfolds in a way that gives me hope that a spark can move mountains.  Can children change the world?  Watch them.

On an ascending scale of 1 to 5, I give this book a 5.  

LONG STORY
The Good
Much of what I said about the first book in this series is true here as well: Bowler here utilizes a writing style that dragged me into the scenes in a way that made me forget for a little while that while reading I was laying beside my son in his hospital bed for a week after he was diagnosed with leukemia.  This was a welcome relief and one that I appreciated deeply.  

Anyways, Bowler's writing style is approachable, likeable, snarky in all the right places, and engaging.  Settings are created in an extremely realistic fashion, we always know how people are moving around in space (it bugs me when books have characters all over a room and don't explain how that is happening), the story progresses naturally from the first book, and just the right amount of new characters to figure out are introduced.  Oh, and a nitpicky thing: characters communicate via looks and body language just as much as they do through words.  Why am I pointing this out?  I tend to find that many fiction books tend towards being dialog heavy as they attempt to work out the vast amounts of silent communication that happens between individuals.  Not so here.  Here we get "the looks", body gestures, and such laid out in such a way that makes perfect sense and is true to life.

But let's get to the story for a moment: King Arthur is still in modern-day L.A. championing the rights of children in a society where adults look upon children as something to be disregarded...at least until they screw up.  He has gathered together a rag-tag group of people to help him in this crusade, people who have names that are remarkably similar to individuals from Arthurian legend (I see what you did there, Bowler). This rag-tag group includes Sir Lance, a young man who lost his life at the end of the first book in a successful attempt to save King Arthur from being shot by a sniper.  A young man who becomes "the boy who came back" after a mysterious figure from Arthur's distant past shows up and resets a wrong: Lance was not supposed to die.  Unfortunately, the manner in which he was saved cost a life that was very dear to everyone, and Lance spends the rest of the book struggling with this sacrifice, as well as with the feeling that death just might want him back.  

Well, in becoming "the boy who came back", Lance becomes the most famous person in the world.  People either love him or hate him.  Adults tend to be suspicious, especially when he proves so successful at wielding words that his oration skills are likened to those of President Lincoln, because he shines a light on how they have failed children (apparently conveniently forgetting how they were failed as children).  Yet just because he is famous and engaged in a noble crusade does not mean he is perfect.  Sir Lance is still just fourteen and learning what living means (especially after having died).  A teenager struggling through identity formation, he makes some rather public glaring errors in judgment that threaten to derail the crusade entirely.  And what should he do with the enigmatic Michael, a boy whom everyone else seems to want to have nothing to do with but to whom Lance somehow feels a connection and the sense that there is some good in Michael to be unleashed?

Never underestimate what children and youth are capable of when their energies are harnessed for good.

This is yet another work which exposes how poorly children are treated in our society.  They are considered children and incapable of making informed decisions until they are 18, but they can be tried as an adult in court and  - in some rare cases - executed as such.  They cannot vote, but must abide by laws which affect nearly every aspect of their lives.  Seriously, I think the political world would look a bit different if youth were able to hold politicians to task in the same way they do so here.  Now, I understand why kids are not allowed to vote....truly I do.  But what if politicians were actually held accountable to the children they are making laws for?  For example, what if politicians had to answer to all of the children whom their recent actions towards food stamps affected?  

Anyways, to get back to the book.  As I said about the first one, it is superbly written, deeply engaging, and made me want to see about getting a crusade such as this organized.  The plot moves along very well and flows very naturally.  People engage with one another in ways that make perfect sense.  Characters' emotions are explored in a way that actually helps readers get to know the characters as more than just a name on a page - they are someone you could meet when going about your daily life.

On another note, this book is more "real" than I would like it to be.  I've met these optional, disenfranchised, violent, and "difficult" children everywhere.  On the whole, adults don't tend to give them much of a chance.  This is a crime to our children.  I've witnessed first-hand how much these "optional" children are capable of when taken seriously and given a chance, and it is incredible.  

Read this book. May it ignite a fire in you to pursue justice for the youngest "least of these" in our society.

The Bugly (bad/ugly)
I've only got two big nitpicks here, and they weren't really enough to derail my giving this book a perfect score.  First, there are minor typos scattered throughout the book.  Not enough to completely derail me as I read, but enough that I noticed it did not seem as thoroughly edited as the first book.  Second, CLIFFHANGER.  BLAHGASDFIAQWESFNAS!!  I HATE cliffhangers!!  I'm not going to knock part of a score down from this, as this is a stylistic choice that makes sense for a book that is part of a series.  Just be prepared that there is a MAJOR freaking cliffhanger at the end.  

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Quick update - those expecting a review from me soon will want to read this

So, this past week my two-year-old son was diagnosed with leukemia.  He was hospitalized for a week, and is undergoing a rather intensive chemo schedule now in order to knock to cancer into remission.

What this means for this blog is this: if you are expecting a review from me, it may be late.  My priority is my son, and he needs his Momma more than your book needs my review.

You will get your review, and I'll notify you when it is up....but just know it may be later than expected.

Prayers for my boy - Drexel - appreciated.

REVIEW: "Anti-Theist: And This is Why" by Christopher Mallard - (Virtual Book Tour Cafe)

BLURB
"Anti-Theist: And This Is Why is an introductory look into atheism/anti-theism and uses quotes, scriptures and a dash of humor to help the nonbeliever and believer alike understand what it is to be a person who is against religion. I give the reader a clear understanding of the differences between a theist, deist, atheist, agnostic, and an anti-theist then I discuss numerous topics including the treatment of women in religion, the sheer ridiculousness of the ancient text these belief systems are based on and the charlatans who use it as a weapon to prey on the weak and helpless. 

I realize the term 'Anti-Theist' and the idea of forbidding someone from practicing and teaching a religion sounds so very horrible but you've got to ask yourself the question why. Why would all of us atheist nutbags, and our numbers are growing, want to take God out of your courthouses, off your money, ban it from public practice or display and, heaven forbid, ban you from teaching it to your children? Why would someone want to do that? Read the book and find out. 

If you're a religious person you could see this as a 'Know thy enemy' moment. Study up on us devil worshiping, baby eating anti-theists and see why we think you're the crazy ones. Mmmm baby.
Thank you and enjoy. 

Caution: Grown up concepts and there is a bit of adult language."

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR - Christopher Mallard
The majority of my adult life was spent working in the oilfields of west Texas. In my spare time I taught myself how to work on computers and eventually turned it into a small business which I work from home. What does any of this have to do with religion? Nothing. Where are my degrees in theology, biology, astronomy and philosophy? I don’t have any. I am your common average Joe and that’s exactly the type of reader I’m trying to reach. Does it take a degree in theology to open the bible and see the stories told within as being immoral and violent? Can the common man not see how the religions of the world have done and are still doing immeasurable harm to society?

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REVIEW
*I received a copy of this book in return for a fair and honest review, which follows.*

Flip through the channels of every-day television, and you are bound to come across a few things: a televangelist, news reports about what someone has done in the name of their "god", reports about the division between church and state, etc.  Religion divides humanity like nothing else on this planet...sadly.   Atheists and anti-theists are at the throats of those who claim a faith in God, and vice versa.  But why?  Do both sides of the argument really understand each other?  Do they want to?

LONG STORY SHORT
This nonfiction book is an interesting historical, sociological, theological, and comedic-al (yes, I just made up a word) look into the belief structure, implications, and impact of religion and its followers.  Mallard brings readers on a rather funny journey of examining this thing called religion that raises incredibly valid and valuable points, shines a glaring spotlight on atrocities committed (and apparently sanctioned???) in the name of the Abrahamic god, and is something that every Christian/Muslim/Jew should read.  It is challenging, forthright, and honest in its critiques of religion, holding followers - and God, for that matter - to task for those things that happen that are contradictory to the image of a benevolent God.  Among other things, Mallard explores women's issues, social events as influenced by religion, social issues, etc.  Interspersed throughout the work are quotes from the religious texts with which Mallard is wrassling, as well as valuable insights from such individuals as US founding fathers, authors, scientists, etc.  There are some major issues with it, however, that do not stem from the argument itself but rather with style, fact checking, and editing.  

Overall, I give this book a 3 on a 5-point ascending scale.

LONG STORY
In the interest of being completely forthright, let me say this upfront - my job title right now is "Qualified Lay Minister".  In my context right now, this means that I'm serving as a pastor at a church in Minnesota.  There, now that this is out of the way, let's get to this book. 

When the email reached my inbox asking me to review this book, it came at a time that I was already swamped with other reviews.  I asked the person in charge if I could have it, and that I would post a review at a later date.  This person graciously agreed, and I just finally read it.  I could not wait to write this review. 

You see, it is a book written by not only an atheist, but an "anti-theist".  In honesty, I'd never heard the term before, but Mallard explains that as an anti-theist, he is someone who doesn't believe in a god and is vehemently opposed to anyone else believing in god/religion either.  Oh boy, I was chomping at the bit to read this!  Why?  Why, as a pastor, would I want to read this book?  Because so many atheists I know (and those I'd probably plunk into the anti-theist category) are so careful around me when I try to engage them in conversations about religion that I never get to the meat of why they do not think God is real.  There is this nervousness around offending a pastor (*gasp!*ohemgee) that has quelched many conversations that I've tried to have.  Not conversations where I was trying to convert anyone, mind you, but conversations trying to understand.  

The blurb of this book assured me that Mallard wasn't going to pull any punches - he'd be completely upfront about what he thinks/believes and why....and I couldn't wait.  

This is a nonfiction book.  In it, Mallard explores such things as miracles, prophets, women's issues, slavery, sex and God, evolution....and much, much more.  He defines many terms that he uses so that little room is left for misunderstanding how he is using politically and socially charged words (which is helpful), and he writes in a way that is approachable by practically anyone (unless, of course, you can't read....but then you wouldn't be reading this post either....unless someone is reading to you).  He pokes fun at religion, and downright shreds the Bible & Quran while showing how the followers of religion have used their god to justify terrible deeds committed against other human beings.  

One of the things I really appreciated about this book is that it is incredibly clear that Mallard has spent time on this.  He isn't just tossing together a hastily drawn document based on snap judgments that are not thought through.  It is exquisitely clear that he has done his research, compiled everything in his head based on what he has read, heard, and experienced, and has come to the conclusion that he thinks is the most true given the evidence presented to him: religion is itself an atrocity against humanity.  

To support this, Mallard looks at how religion has been used against women, slaves, people of other nationalities, neighbors, family members, etc.  He critiques how those who report to be part of a religion treat those around them in their every-day lives. Did that guy really just screw over that other person like that?  But he says he's a Christian...  He also dares to rip into sacred texts and expose contradictions and things that just don't make sense or reconcile well with a god of peace/love.

I'm glad he did. 

Frankly, I wish that more people who believe in God would read this book.  I really, really do.  What Mallard has to say here is hard, but it is not untrue.  Well, most of it.  Of course, what I have read, heard, and experienced tells me that God is real, loving, and just as sick over how people act towards one another in his name as I am every time I watch the news (sorry, Westborough, but you're doing it wrong).  So I disagree with Mallard about that.  What I cannot disagree with him about is how religion has been used as a tool of oppression throughout history.  I cannot disagree with him that the Bible (I'm not familiar with the Quran at all) has gruesome, bloody stories in it that don't make sense, or that the Bible contradicts itself in places (in one Gospel, Jesus heals 1 leper.  In another he heals 10 in apparently the same instance based on timing, geography, who was with him, etc.  WHAT?!).  I cannot disagree with him about how certain stories seem remarkably similar to stories found within the cultures surrounding the Israelites at the time certain texts were written (Enuma Elish, anyone?....seriously - Google the creation story found in the Enuma Elish (a Babylonian document).).  I cannot disagree with him that God and his followers need to be held to task about what has happened in God's name.  

I am not one who supports blind faith.  Mallard isn't either - but he doesn't support faith in God at all.  In fact, he says many times that it should be eradicated, likening such to a disease.  I definitely do not agree with this, but can understand where Mallard is coming from.  I do agree with Mallard, however, that blind faith is often detrimental to not only the one holding it, but also those around that person.  Frankly, I have more respect for an atheist who clearly understands why he or she is an atheist in a way that can be explained logically than for someone who blindly recites words that have little meaning to them other than they learned those words in Sunday School.  I wish more people who adhere to an Abrahamic religion understood their faith as well as Mallard understands his anti-theism.  He knows exactly why he is an anti-theist, and he is passionate about being so.  I may disagree with him completely, but I respect his passion and knowledge about the topic.  And quite frankly, he is right - religion has been use to bully entire peoples into submission and wielded as a power tool since before Christ was born.  I think there is a reason that Jesus railed against the "religious authorities" of his time more so than almost anyone else.  Jesus despises fake, pompous religion as much as Mallard does.  

 Ask questions.  Lots and lots of questions.  Challenge church leaders when their "god" looks an awful lot like them in prejudices and attitudes.  Ask.  Ask.  Ask.  I believe there is a Biblical model for this, but that's a topic for a different post.  

Anyways, Mallard is hard, challenging, and calls people in religions to task for the reality of how religion has been misused.  More people need to hear this and be challenged to be different.

And for the record - the divorce between science and religion irritates the living daylights out of me as well, Mr. Mallard.  That religion has been, and continues to be in places, used to halt scientific advancement is an atrocity.  But I do not think that science negates God.  I'd argue that point, but that would be for a different blog post.  I could write an entire book responding to this one, and just may if enough people ask me to do so.

The Bugly (bad/ugly)
You may have noticed that I've been raving about the book, but I only gave it a 3 of 5.  There are three major reasons for this:

1.  Tone: Mallard raises really good questions and such, but does so in a tone that is so confrontational that I fear those who need to read it the most won't give it the time of day.  I'm afraid he'll end up "preaching to the choir" - most of those who aren't so damn offended by the first 10 pages that they actually continue reading are likely to be anti-theists/atheists as well.  I'll be honest, after I read the first 10-20 pages, I was so infuriated and offended at being called a "nutbag" (among many other things) that I told my husband "I'm not finishing that fu***** book.  He is so damn angry that I can't take it."  Hubby asked if the anger was totally unjustified.  After a huge sigh, my response had to be "No, but he doesn't have to be so flibberting insulting about it."  Now, let's remember that those who are in a faith don't tend to care much if they offend an atheist, so I suppose in a way the confrontational tone is eye-for-an-eye, so to speak.  I just worry that it will prevent people from reading this and taking Mallard seriously.

2.  Fact-checking: While it is clear that Mallard is well-read, and well-researched, there is still a disturbing lack of facts throughout the book.  Example: he says that Jesus goes on and on about slaves in Ephesians.  The problem is that the authorship of Ephesians, including the portion that Mallard references, is usually attributed to Paul (that said, it is one of the contested books that may or may not have been written by Paul).  Jesus didn't say anything about slavery in Ephesians...Paul, or someone writing in Paul's name, did.  Example: Mallard says that no religious texts talk about angels having wings.  The Bible does. At least twice that I can think of off the top of my head (Isaiah 6, Exodus 25).  /grumblegrumble  For someone so interested in truth, I'd think all facts would have been double-checked here, especially since Mallard shows such a good knowledge of the Bible elsewhere.  Also, this entire book needs citations, if for no other reason than Mallard's readers should be able to look at the same source documents that inform's Mallard's work.  If this is going to be taken seriously as credible, it needs a references list.  Perhaps my desire to see this here is an indication of the fact that I'm a bit of a perpetual scholar, but I wanted to look at his sources....and none were listed. 

3.  Editing & Organization:  These might seem like two problems, but they are related.  First, I truly hope that the fact I have a PDF of this book means I got a copy that wasn't fully edited.  There are typos, missing words, run-on sentences, etc peppering this book.  Now, I'm obviously not a grammatical expert (they're found in my work too), but this is a blog.  In a book, these errors need to be weeded out no matter the type of book.  Second, this book is repetitive. repetitive. repetitive.  The same ideas are rehashed in one chapter, and then again in another chapter, then again in another chapter.  It needs to be reorganized in a way that is well-edited and not quite so full of grammatical issues. I'm not saying it should be any less humorous - I love the humor present - but it should be well-crafted.  

REVIEW: "A Foolish Plucking" by Dee Wilbur

BLURB
Yeah, Gary is a womanizer and a boozer, but is he a murderer, too? The police sure think so. True, they don’t have a body, but they do have the big fight between Gary and Alice, his wife, at the country club. And they do have Alice’s blood on the wall behind the bed. And in the shower drain. And in the back of Alice’s Escalade. Unfortunately for Gary, the jury sides with the police and gives him life without parole.

Melissa, Gary’s mistress, brings him another surprise; she is pregnant. She and their daughter move to Richmond, hoping to leave the Scarlet A behind them in Dayton, trading one small Texas town for another. Melissa enlists Jon Miller as attorney to get Gary a new hearing.

Sandy had married Jon without meeting his family. She doesn’t realize that while Jon solves Gary’s problem, she and Jon will struggle with a family crisis involving their sister-in-law.

AMAZON  *  GOODREADS



ABOUT THE AUTHOR - Dee Wilbur
Beatrice Dee Pipes and Charles Wilbur Yates, Jr. write under the pen name Dee Wilbur, a combination of their middle names. This is their second work of fiction. A Texas native, Dee Pipes grew up in a small Texas town. Her degree from Rice University is a B.A. in English. She currently runs a company that helps other companies with marketing, project management, and other tasks. She has been married to her husband Bryan for thirty years. Also a native Texan, Charles Yates, Jr., was also reared in a small Texas town. He graduated from Rice University in Houston with a B.A. and Ph.D. in Biology. He received the M.D. degree from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas. He has been married to his wife Sally for forty-five years. They have four adult sons and six grandchildren. He now tends his garden in Richmond, Texas.

AUTHOR PAGE  *  WEBSITE  

REVIEW
I received a copy of this book in return for a fair and honest review, which follows.

Prosecuting a murder should be a relatively straight-forward operation: figure out how and when the person was killed, the murder weapon, who was present, etc.  As anyone who watches crime dramas regularly can attest, however, prosecuting a murder is rarely "relatively straight-forward."  But what do you do when the one thing you need to examine for sure is missing....the body?

LONG STORY SHORT
A fairly quick read, this little book with a plot worthy of Matlock is another installation into the crime series by Dee Wilbur.  Riveting plot, quirky characters, drama drama drama...  A man fights with his wife, passes out drunk on their front porch, and wakes to find himself in the middle of a murder investigation seeking to pin him for the death of his wife.  There's just two major problems - he knows he didn't do it and the body is missing.  Can the legal system really put him in jail for a murder it can only prove on the basis of circumstantial evidence?  Well, read the book and you'll see!  There isn't much for character development when it comes to the main characters, but this is the 3rd book in a series - you can read the first two books for that.  What you will find is an attorney entangled in an interesting legal battle where his womanizer, boozer client may not have actually "dunit" while he and his wife are simultaneously entangled in a difficult familial situation where one woman's extreme mental illness may spell disaster for her husband and children in more ways than one.  There are some editing issues, as well as extremely long dialogue scenes that made my head spin a bit (a stylistic choice that isn't my favorite, but there ya go), but all in all this is a really good book.  Warning: the ending will make you want more!

On an ascending scale of 1 to 5, I rate this book a 3.  

LONG STORY
The Good
I love good mystery books, particularly when they leave me lifting my lower mandible up off the floor like this one did.  :P  Seriously, my jaw dropped at something near the end.  Not the major "whodunit" (I kind of figured that was going to be the conclusion), but something else....something that also made me go "Darn you, Dee Wilbur!"  Let's just say there's a smidgeon of a cliff hanger.  

What do we have here?  Well, a guy gets into a major blow-up argument with his wife in front of the social elite in their Texan town during a Valentine's Day get-together at a local country club.  After passing out on the floor of the club, the guy gets a cabbie home and proceeds to pass out on the porch of his house (couldn't do that in MN in Feb - he'd wake up with frosty appendages).  When he wakes up, he finds himself embroiled in a battle with local police and prosecutors as they attempt to put him behind bars for the murder of his wife.  There is one thing the prosecution lacks - a body.  Does this stop them? Nope.  Oh, and to make things infinitely more complicated, the man's mistress announces that she's carrying his child.  Oh boy. 

Can Jon get to the bottom of what is going on with this murder case?  Maybe, but what about when you throw in the fact that he and Sandy are dealing with some family drama of their own?  You see, Jon's brother has a wife who is having difficulty that is negatively impacting her relationship with her husband, their children, and her husband's campaign to keep his judge seat.  Just small things like that.  

Nothing about this book is small, except maybe it's physical size.  Big issues, big problems, big solutions, etc.  I'd make a Texas joke but I'm from Alaska, where everything is bigger.  :P

As in the previous books, the writing is very efficient and straightforward.  Few superfluous words exist.  This is part of why a huge and complicated story fits into a relatively small book.  

Character development progresses fairly well.  I enjoyed picking up Jon and Sandy's story again, particularly as we get to see them grow together a bit since their marriage in the previous book.  It was also good to see how some of the other character progressed (particularly Diego....let's just say he gets himself into a bit of a hilarious pickle).  The new characters are developed just right considering their short stints in the overall story line.  I do wish there was a bit more about the legal secretaries' lives considering how much time was spent on them in the previous book, but there is plenty of time for that.  

The plot itself is fantastic.  I won't lie - I figured out the whodunit fairly early on (I've spent much time with my nose buried in mystery books, there isn't a lot that will surprise me when it comes to whodunit....this is part of the reason I refuse to write such a book), but I thoroughly enjoyed how the story unfolded.  While the ending itself didn't surprise me a whole lot (there are some foreshadowing bits tossed in here and there early on that clued me in to what was going to happen), the journey to get there was full of lots of surprises that kept me riveted.  :)

All in all this is a very "real" book - I could actually see each and every thing here happening (maybe certain characters are a little strong-handed in getting other characters to do something), including all of the things with the legal system.  It is intriguing, riveting, and develops characters well - all in all a pretty good book.

Oh...and just a random note - this book is fairly stand-alone, but less so than the previous two in the series.  It would help to have read the previous two books - at least Justice Perverted.  

The Bugly (bad/ugly)
I'm a tough grader.  I've made noises about teaching writing classes, and my husband's response has been, "those poor students".  When pressed, he'll state that I'm really hard on writing.  He's right!  Keep that in mind as you read this section. 

The reason that I gave this book a 3 instead of a 4 is because several of the problems I point out in the first two books (A Jealous God, Justice Perverted) are present here as well, and are glaring enough that sometimes I found myself too distracted from the amazing plot:

• Again, there are not enough indicators of "he said BOO" and "she said EEEK".  There are more than in past books in the series, so I didn't get as lost all of the time....but enough that it was distracting, especially because punctuation was not completely consistent and so I couldn't always rely on paragraph indentation to figure out who was talking.  
• The characters all sound like each other.  Very efficient, no wasted words.  I wouldn't have an issue with this (my husband is one who has a very efficient speech pattern), except that EVERYONE talks that way.  This is part of what made it a little difficult to figure out who was talking...everyone's speech pattern was exactly the same.  
• Too much dialog, not enough other stuff.  Same as the last book.  This is purely a stylistic preference - I am not a huge fan of a HUGE majority of a fiction book being dialog.  I liked the first few chapters of this book in particular a lot because dialog was well balanced with the rest of the text, but after the scene was set, it was mostly dialog.  Very efficient, clipped dialog.  Part of the reason this bugs me is because this style doesn't leave a lot of space for exploring what is happening inside of characters' heads....which is half of the reason why I read - I like knowing what characters are thinking (I am someone with a background in psychology, after all).
• Some of the forensic stuff just didn't mesh really well in my head - wouldn't the original forensic people have realized some of what the later forensic person realized?  Wouldn't the same tests have been run?  

REVIEW: "His Eye Is On The Sparrow" by Lisa Sparrow (Write Now Lit)

BLURB
"From the agony of multiple miscarriages to the pain of never feeling love from anyone, Lisa Y. Sparrow reveals the most intimate of details of her life in the hopes that someone is freed from their own prison of mental illness."

AMAZON  *  GOODREADS














ABOUT THE AUTHOR - Lisa Sparrow
Newcomer Lisa Sparrow has endured more pain and loss in her life than anyone should be expected to. With her first book, His Eye is on the Sparrow, she reveals the challenges she has faced in stunning detail. Lisa is a divorced mother of two wonderful children, Lauren and Leon, and currently lives in Columbus, Ohio. She currently works as clerical support for a local lighting company. She’s learned the hard way that if you stay where you are in life, you’ll never reach your full potential. Her journey to self love and acceptance has been a hard fought battle and one she is led by God to share with her readers. With her first autobiography, His Eye is on the Sparrow, Lisa hopes to shed some light on the subject of mental illness in this country and the process of healing. Although this is Lisa’s first project, it certainly will not be her last. She is currently working on a follow up to "His Eye is on the Sparrow", scheduled to be released in 2015.

REVIEW
I received a copy of this book in return for a fair and honest review, which follows:

Mental illness is the dirty little secret swept under the rug and ignored by the vast majority of the world.  As someone who has family members with mental illness, who has done extensive research into the stigma of mental illness (specifically regarding how it affects children), who advocates for children with mental illness and their families, and as one called to stand in the intersection between individuals with mental illness and the Church, this is an issue that is near and dear to my heart.  We like to pretend it doesn't exist, that "those people" are somewhere "over there".  Bull sh**.  Conservative estimates say that 1 in 4 people have a diagnosable condition.  What is it like to live with depression, extreme self-esteem issues, and a family and society that wants to ostracize you for your mental difficulties you cannot control?