If you have something you'd like me to consider for review, send an email to SBRbooks AT gmail DOT com for a mailing address.
NOTE: I reserve the right to not review everything submitted. But I will list all items received in a blog post.
I read much more than what I review on this blog: Science Fiction, Action/Adventure, Suspense, Paranormal/Supernatural, Military/Spy fiction, Fantasy, Christian Fiction, media tie-in fiction, even some YA stuff in the same genres.
Also, just because the title says "book" doesn't mean I won't review other material. I may very well review comic books, movies, DVDs, TV shows, etc. in upcoming osts.
(I got the idea for this page from SFSignal's Submissions page.)
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Book Review: The Hades Project
The Hades Project, by Lynn Sholes and Joe Moore (A Cotten Stone Mystery).
I picked up this book on a whim from the "New Arrivals" shelf at my local library, because the back blurb mentioned the Holy Lance and the Ark of the Covenant and a world-tracing adventure - and I like stuff like that.
Turns out this is the 3rd book in a continuing series (a 4th book is due out soon), but it's written well enough that you don't have to have read the previous books to know what's going on. In fact, at the very beginning is a short "primer" on the basis of the series: Cotton Stone is the offspring of "the only forgiven fallen angel". Her father, a fallen angel, asked God for forgiveness and was granted the life of a human. He had twin daughters, one of which was taken by God to fill his place in the ranks of the angels, and the other - Cotton Stone - lives the life of a normal human, as a globe-hopping TV News Reporter.
This was an enjoyable book and I plan on reading the others in the series. The book seems to be written from a Christian world-view: God is the Creator, Jesus is the Savior and God-incarnate, the Bible is God's Holy Word (though written by fallible humans), and Satan and the fallen angels are at work in the world to corrupt man and keep as many souls as possible from God.
I like that.
The book does feature some New Agey-type stuff, but even that is given a kind of Christian explanation.
It's most definitely not a Christian novel though. There's foul language, sex, etc. (That's not to say that Christians don't curse or have sex - you just don't find it written quite so bluntly in novels from Christian publishing houses). I've never come across fiction before that featured a forgiven fallen angel or a nephilim as a protagonist and definite good guy.
The blurb on the back of the book doesn't really do justice to the story, and is actually kind of misleading. The Holy Lance, and the presence of the Ethiopian church with the Ark of the Covenant are merely small pieces that don't show up until later in the novel - though the need for the Lance is a driving force throughout the novel, the reader isn't told the connection between the Lance and the plot until rather far into the book. The main plot is mainly about the daughter of a childhood friend of Cotton's who is being followed by "Rubys". The Rubys want to take her away from her mother and turn her into a warrior for Satan. The same thing is happening with the CEO of a major computer company that is trying to develop a quantum computer.
Another organization is also trying to develop a quantum computer in a project codenamed "The Hades Project", which is really just a ploy by Satan to cause massive death on a global scale, thereby preventing so many souls from being with God.
Cotton Stone is an interesting character. While she doesn't have any superhuman powers or senses, she still seems to be able to overcome just about any situation. Whereas some characters in action/adventure books always know just what to do, when to do it, and know they can do it - Cotton is unsure of herself, has to seek help from qualified people, and while she's knows her heritage, isn't happy about being involved in this ongoing spriritual battle.
The Hades Project is a good cross between Action/Adventure, Mystery, Suspense, and wannabe Christian Fiction (even though it's not Christian Fiction). It's published by MIDNIGHT INK, and you can find it by it's ISBN-13: 978-0738709307.
I picked up this book on a whim from the "New Arrivals" shelf at my local library, because the back blurb mentioned the Holy Lance and the Ark of the Covenant and a world-tracing adventure - and I like stuff like that.
Turns out this is the 3rd book in a continuing series (a 4th book is due out soon), but it's written well enough that you don't have to have read the previous books to know what's going on. In fact, at the very beginning is a short "primer" on the basis of the series: Cotton Stone is the offspring of "the only forgiven fallen angel". Her father, a fallen angel, asked God for forgiveness and was granted the life of a human. He had twin daughters, one of which was taken by God to fill his place in the ranks of the angels, and the other - Cotton Stone - lives the life of a normal human, as a globe-hopping TV News Reporter.
This was an enjoyable book and I plan on reading the others in the series. The book seems to be written from a Christian world-view: God is the Creator, Jesus is the Savior and God-incarnate, the Bible is God's Holy Word (though written by fallible humans), and Satan and the fallen angels are at work in the world to corrupt man and keep as many souls as possible from God.
I like that.
The book does feature some New Agey-type stuff, but even that is given a kind of Christian explanation.
It's most definitely not a Christian novel though. There's foul language, sex, etc. (That's not to say that Christians don't curse or have sex - you just don't find it written quite so bluntly in novels from Christian publishing houses). I've never come across fiction before that featured a forgiven fallen angel or a nephilim as a protagonist and definite good guy.
The blurb on the back of the book doesn't really do justice to the story, and is actually kind of misleading. The Holy Lance, and the presence of the Ethiopian church with the Ark of the Covenant are merely small pieces that don't show up until later in the novel - though the need for the Lance is a driving force throughout the novel, the reader isn't told the connection between the Lance and the plot until rather far into the book. The main plot is mainly about the daughter of a childhood friend of Cotton's who is being followed by "Rubys". The Rubys want to take her away from her mother and turn her into a warrior for Satan. The same thing is happening with the CEO of a major computer company that is trying to develop a quantum computer.
Another organization is also trying to develop a quantum computer in a project codenamed "The Hades Project", which is really just a ploy by Satan to cause massive death on a global scale, thereby preventing so many souls from being with God.
Cotton Stone is an interesting character. While she doesn't have any superhuman powers or senses, she still seems to be able to overcome just about any situation. Whereas some characters in action/adventure books always know just what to do, when to do it, and know they can do it - Cotton is unsure of herself, has to seek help from qualified people, and while she's knows her heritage, isn't happy about being involved in this ongoing spriritual battle.
The Hades Project is a good cross between Action/Adventure, Mystery, Suspense, and wannabe Christian Fiction (even though it's not Christian Fiction). It's published by MIDNIGHT INK, and you can find it by it's ISBN-13: 978-0738709307.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Book Review: Hosts
Hosts (A Repairman Jack Novel), by F. Paul Wilson
Published by Tor Fiction in 2001, ISBN 978-0-8125-6166-1
I recieved Hosts from IJustFinished.com, a new-ish book review website/community. And boy was I glad to get this book! I'm a fan of the series, and this is one of the books I had skipped because the blurb didn't make the story sound that interesting. Boy was I wrong!
Hosts is the fifth Repairman Jack novel, out of about twelve so far. I have to say at the beginning: I'm a Repairman Jack fan. Oddly, though, Hosts is one of the 2 or 3 books in the series that I had skipped over or missed for some reason. It's kind of nice going back, and catching up - filling in the blanks. I intend to find the other books in the series that I've missed.
Each of the Repairman Jack novels can be read without having read any others, but it is a series, and helps immensely if you've read all the preceding books. Repairman Jack is the "everyman", generic looking, average height, average weight, doesn't stand out in a crowd. Jack doesn't fix your appliances though; he fixes your ...problems. Someone trying to blackmail you? Call Repairman Jack. Someone stalking you? Call Repairman Jack. Jack lives off the radar, doesn't pay his taxes, and often uses illegal means to accomplish the job. He's not an ex-SEAL, not a government operative - he's just Jack. But he won't work for the bad guys. Jack is also becoming more and more involved (as the series progresses) with a certain paranormal war, though he doesn't want to and doesn't understand why he has be to be involved.
In Hosts, after stopping a killer on a New York subway train, Jack encounters his long lost sister and a reporter that wants to expose Jack as the hero of the subway train massacre. Through an odd cult, Jack's sister is becoming involved in that paranormal war I mentioned, though she doesn't know it - and Jack comes to her rescue.
I knew, indirectly, how this book would end because it's plot points are mentioned in future novels in the series - but finding out how it happens was definitely worth going back and reading.
The Repairman Jack novels defy categorization - they contain elements of Action/Adventure, Mystery, Conspiracy, Suspense, a litle Paranormal, and maybe some Horror thrown in. If you like any of those types of stories, try out Repairman Jack.
The author, F. Paul Wilson, has a website at Repairmanjack.com.
I usually don't give "star" ratings for books, I just tell if I liked the book or not - but IJustFinished.com requires a star rating, so I gave Hosts 4 out of 5 stars.
Published by Tor Fiction in 2001, ISBN 978-0-8125-6166-1
I recieved Hosts from IJustFinished.com, a new-ish book review website/community. And boy was I glad to get this book! I'm a fan of the series, and this is one of the books I had skipped because the blurb didn't make the story sound that interesting. Boy was I wrong!
Hosts is the fifth Repairman Jack novel, out of about twelve so far. I have to say at the beginning: I'm a Repairman Jack fan. Oddly, though, Hosts is one of the 2 or 3 books in the series that I had skipped over or missed for some reason. It's kind of nice going back, and catching up - filling in the blanks. I intend to find the other books in the series that I've missed.
Each of the Repairman Jack novels can be read without having read any others, but it is a series, and helps immensely if you've read all the preceding books. Repairman Jack is the "everyman", generic looking, average height, average weight, doesn't stand out in a crowd. Jack doesn't fix your appliances though; he fixes your ...problems. Someone trying to blackmail you? Call Repairman Jack. Someone stalking you? Call Repairman Jack. Jack lives off the radar, doesn't pay his taxes, and often uses illegal means to accomplish the job. He's not an ex-SEAL, not a government operative - he's just Jack. But he won't work for the bad guys. Jack is also becoming more and more involved (as the series progresses) with a certain paranormal war, though he doesn't want to and doesn't understand why he has be to be involved.
In Hosts, after stopping a killer on a New York subway train, Jack encounters his long lost sister and a reporter that wants to expose Jack as the hero of the subway train massacre. Through an odd cult, Jack's sister is becoming involved in that paranormal war I mentioned, though she doesn't know it - and Jack comes to her rescue.
I knew, indirectly, how this book would end because it's plot points are mentioned in future novels in the series - but finding out how it happens was definitely worth going back and reading.
The Repairman Jack novels defy categorization - they contain elements of Action/Adventure, Mystery, Conspiracy, Suspense, a litle Paranormal, and maybe some Horror thrown in. If you like any of those types of stories, try out Repairman Jack.
The author, F. Paul Wilson, has a website at Repairmanjack.com.
I usually don't give "star" ratings for books, I just tell if I liked the book or not - but IJustFinished.com requires a star rating, so I gave Hosts 4 out of 5 stars.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Book Review: God's Blogs
I've been meaning to review this book for awhile. My daughter brought it home for me from her summer camp, as a Father's Day present.
God's Blogs is a book of blogs written by God. Well, not really. But the author writes the book as if it's God in the first person writing blogs, but not really blogs because they're in a book and not on a website. And there are lots of things in the blogs that can't be done on a website. Doodles, circles words, notes going up and down the margins and between lines.
When I first flipped through the book and saw these things, I thought it would really be irritating once I actually read the book. But it turns out it wasn't (because God acknowledges that he is doing, and that he can, because he's God).
This isn't a deeply religious book with all kinds of significance, and it might not be a good book for a non-Christian. As a life-long Christian myself, though, the topics in the blogs were a nice reminder of what God is and what life with God can and should be like.
For example, at one point God says (in the book, not in the Bible):
"Contact Info.
Just call me...
Out loud,
in your head,
with your heart.
I'll get it."
and another time says
"I miss hearing the sound
of your voice
telling Me what you're thinking about."
Reading that, as a Christian, made me think to myself - Oh yeah... I really need to pray more. And prayer isn't just about me asking God to solve my problems - Christianity is a personal relationship with God and is more than just "gimme", a relationship takes work, takes communication, it's a give and take.
Many of the other blogs by God brought similar thoughts to mind about my relationship with God - and I think that's the point.
God's Blogs is a book of blogs written by God. Well, not really. But the author writes the book as if it's God in the first person writing blogs, but not really blogs because they're in a book and not on a website. And there are lots of things in the blogs that can't be done on a website. Doodles, circles words, notes going up and down the margins and between lines.
When I first flipped through the book and saw these things, I thought it would really be irritating once I actually read the book. But it turns out it wasn't (because God acknowledges that he is doing, and that he can, because he's God).
This isn't a deeply religious book with all kinds of significance, and it might not be a good book for a non-Christian. As a life-long Christian myself, though, the topics in the blogs were a nice reminder of what God is and what life with God can and should be like.
For example, at one point God says (in the book, not in the Bible):
"Contact Info.
Just call me...
Out loud,
in your head,
with your heart.
I'll get it."
and another time says
"I miss hearing the sound
of your voice
telling Me what you're thinking about."
Reading that, as a Christian, made me think to myself - Oh yeah... I really need to pray more. And prayer isn't just about me asking God to solve my problems - Christianity is a personal relationship with God and is more than just "gimme", a relationship takes work, takes communication, it's a give and take.
Many of the other blogs by God brought similar thoughts to mind about my relationship with God - and I think that's the point.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Recent Reads
I've read a few books recently, but haven't felt like giving them a thorough book review.
V: The Second Generation by Kenneth Johnson- not bad. I don't remember so much ...alternate lifestyles in the original TV miniseries, but this book sure had a lot of it! This book is the sequel to the original V miniseries and ignores V The Final Battle and the TV series that followed.
Zero-G by Alton Gansky - pretty good. A current day novel about an astronaut after a terrible accident on the space shuttle.
Dark Moon by Alton Gansky - not bad, but not that great either. Didn't like the ending. Red spot on the moon is growing!! Oh wait, nevermind.
I got a book of Lovecraft stories from the library, but couldn't get into the stories. Too verbose to be scary, suspenseful, or even interesting. "I beheld many scary things that reminded me of things the author of this fictional scary story has written about before and I discovered they are real and defy description but look like mutated sea creatures and my friend of which you are already familiar because this story is supposed to be true was driven quite mad by the scary things that defy description but what follows is an accurate description of them from the way they look, feel, and smell, down to their specific origins in the stars aeons ago when they descended to the earth and became like gods to primitive man and drove them mad as well until the ice age froze them all underneath the antarctic ice cap of which I shall now tell you about in intricate detail." Okay, that's not a direct quote.
Star Wars: Legacy of the Force book 8: Revelation - Excellent book. Easily the best of the LotF series so far. Space battles, political wrangling, Mara's killer is revealed, Jaina trains with the Mandalorians to kill her brother, a good bad guy dies and an old character returns!
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Review Policy
**NOTE: SporadicReviews is no longer located in the midwest, we're now Pacific NorthWesters!**
Questions, comments or products can be sent to: SporadicReviews AT gmail DOT com or send your book or other material for review to:
If you are a publisher or author (published or otherwise) or a marketer of other products, I'd be glad to review your book or product as long as you are okay with the following:
-I'll only review books or products that I think I might remotely enjoy. I won't review something that I believe I won't like. But if you send me something to review, I'll give it a shot.
-I will be honest in my review.
-I won't recommend a book if I don't like it. My review will mention that. I won't be mean or derogatory about the book or author though.
-I reserve the right to not finish a book if I'm not enjoying it. I read for enjoyment.
-I like deadlines.They keep me productive. If there's a date you want a review posted by, perhaps before the book is released, please mention that so I can plan my reading accordingly. But again, I'm reading for enjoyment, and sometimes stuff I want to read will come before stuff I've been asked to read. This blog is called "Sporadic" for a reason.
-I don't post reviews of every single book I read for my own enjoyment. I post reviews of those when a book really says to me "talk about this!".
-I'll post your review on this blog, and links to the review on Facebook and Twitter. If you want a review posted at Amazon as well, I'll be glad to provide that, but I might not remember to do so if not asked directly.
Questions, comments or products can be sent to: SporadicReviews AT gmail DOT com or send unsolicited material to:
Questions, comments or products can be sent to: SporadicReviews AT gmail DOT com or send your book or other material for review to:
Sporadic Reviews
3727 154th Pl SE.
Bothell, WA 98012
If you are a publisher or author (published or otherwise) or a marketer of other products, I'd be glad to review your book or product as long as you are okay with the following:
-I'll only review books or products that I think I might remotely enjoy. I won't review something that I believe I won't like. But if you send me something to review, I'll give it a shot.
-I will be honest in my review.
-I won't recommend a book if I don't like it. My review will mention that. I won't be mean or derogatory about the book or author though.
-I reserve the right to not finish a book if I'm not enjoying it. I read for enjoyment.
-I like deadlines.They keep me productive. If there's a date you want a review posted by, perhaps before the book is released, please mention that so I can plan my reading accordingly. But again, I'm reading for enjoyment, and sometimes stuff I want to read will come before stuff I've been asked to read. This blog is called "Sporadic" for a reason.
-I don't post reviews of every single book I read for my own enjoyment. I post reviews of those when a book really says to me "talk about this!".
-I'll post your review on this blog, and links to the review on Facebook and Twitter. If you want a review posted at Amazon as well, I'll be glad to provide that, but I might not remember to do so if not asked directly.
Questions, comments or products can be sent to: SporadicReviews AT gmail DOT com or send unsolicited material to:
Sporadic Reviews
3727 154th PL SE.
Bothell, WA 98012
Disclaimer: Sometimes publishers or authors give me their book or product free so I can review it. When they do, I'll mention it in the review. Sometimes I get books I want to read for my own enjoyment from my local library or buying one one. The product links in the reviews take you toAmazon.com, where if you buy the linked item I get a very small percentage the purchase (because I like cash).
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