Free Gift Card For Books

Check it out. The book blogger at In the Shadow of Mt. TBR is hosting a contest to give away gift cards for books!

 

Visit the blog, but don't sign up, because that lowers my chances!  Just kidding! Definitely sign up!

 

I like his reason for hosting this contest: authors generally don't make much money anyway and websites like PaperBackSwap (which I love) lowers their income even more because people are trading books instead of purchasing them new so the author gets his due royalties. I love PBS, but I always feel a little guilty swapping books.

 

 

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Book Review: The Devil's Eye

The Devil's Eye
by Jack McDevitt
Published by Ace Books (HC) ISBN 9780441016358

Another Alex Benedict and Chase Kolpath novel. In the far future of Human civilization, Alex aquires antiquities. Chase is his assistant and pilot. She narrates the story. 

Alex receives an all-too-brief message from a horror writer he's never met asking for his help. But the message doesn't elaborate. When Alex finally catches up with her, she's had her mind wiped and is living a new life as someone else. Alex and Chase decide to find out why she needed help by retracing her last known steps in her previous life.  That path takes them to the most distant human colony, a month away from the nearest planet - and a war could be brewing between the humans and the Mutes. 

McDevitt spins a good mystery, good action and adventure - and he doesn't miss out with the personal element. Chase and Alex are real people. We feel Chase's anger and frustration as she deals with politicians, we feel her self-consciousness as her boss catches her sunbathing topless. Through her narration, we feel Alex's desire to know why. We feel his resignation as he realizes he might be stuck on a planet away from his home and business for three years. We are the Mutes overhearing all of her thoughts.

Eye is a mystery at heart, as are most of the Alex Benedict novels. All of the McDevitt books I've read have been good books. This one meanders down a path of mystery retracing the horror writer's last known locations on that far flung world. As it meanders, it keeps us interested with hints and tidbits of the paranormal, of what is transpiring elsewhere in the galaxy, and glimpses into the ongoing lives of our characters as they seek to find out why someone asked for their help and then had her mind wiped. I had no idea what the solution to the mystery was, and it took a wild turn from just being a reason why that writer needed help, to a major interstellar/interspecies event.

There are some authors whose new books I eagerly anticipate and always seem to enjoy. McDevitt is one of them and hasn't failed me yet.

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Genre Book Review Blogs Meme

I took a class in high school called "Genres of Literature: Sci-fi and Fantasy".  I think the best thing about the class, beyond the reading material, was the teacher - who at one point sent one of the kids in the class to a nearby barbecue restaurant to bring him back some ribs.  That teacher pronounced "Genres" as "Jen Rays". Good times, good times!

Grasping for the Wind is wanting to compile a list of blogs that review "genre" books - in his case: Science Fiction and Fantasy.

Here's the current list, with mine added in.

A Dribble Of Ink
Bookspotcentral
The Book Swede
Dark Wolf Fantasy Reviews
The Galaxy Express
Graeme's Fantasy Book Review
Grasping for the Wind
Fantasy Book Critic
Fantasy Debut
Fantasy and Sci-fi Lovin' Blog
Jumpdrives and Cantrips
Neth Space
NextRead
OF Blog of the Fallen
Pat's Fantasy Hotlist
Realms of Speculative Fiction
Rob's Blog o' Stuff
ScifiChick
Severian's Fantastic Worlds
SF Signal
Sporadic Book Review
Vast and Cool and Unsympathetic
Walker of Worlds
WJ Fantasy Reviews
The World in a Satin Bag

The idea here is to post the list in your own book review blog and add your link to the list.

Book Review: The Thieves of Faith

"The Thieves of Faith" is the second book in the "Thieves" series by Richard Doetsch.

Just as good as the first book, and finds our characters a year later. Michael St. Pierre gets yet another ultimatum to steal something; this time, though, it doesn't affect Heaven, but could unleash Hell on Earth.

Michael's adventures take him to tunnels below the Kremlin, scuba diving, gun fights... and Michael meets the father that gave him up for adoption.

I like this series because it's interesting and fun, there's great character development, Michael has values and sticks to them, he has friends and family and he'll do anything for them.

At least two more books are planned in this series: "The Thieves of Darkness" due out next year in hard cover and a fourth book in 2010 - both of which I plan to read.

You should too!

Book Review: The Thieves of Heaven

I've found a new series I like.

The "Thieves" series by Richard Doetsch. The first book is "The Thieves of Heaven": a Thriller/Action/Suspense/Adventure novel.

Michael St. Pierre lives a life as a security professional and husband to a wonderful Kindergarten teacher. His wife is a devout Catholic and they attend mass every Sunday. Richard is also a retired professional burglar that excels in diving, climbing, and other physical feats and he's on parole after being caught.

Tragedy strikes Michael's life, and a stranger gives him a way out - one last heist.  Michael takes it on, even though it means lying to his wife and violating his parole.  Unknown to Michael, succeeding in the theft will mean a crisis of Heavenly proportions. 

I really enjoyed this novel. It took a little getting to used to the style at first, though. Very short scenes, moving slightly forward and slightly back in the timeline to show action, and then to show what lead up to it. Those aren't bad things - they just took some getting used to. 

Being a married man myself, I enjoy finding books where the main character is happily married.  Michael St. Pierre loves his wife and would do anything for her.  He's not a womanizer, he's not a drunkard, he even attends church with her even though he's lost his faith. 

Faith is another interesting topic here; there's no bloodline of Jesus or any of that crap. Instead, the Catholic faith is shown as real: real God, real Satan, real Heaven, real Hell.  That's nice to find in mainstream fiction.

The Thieves of Heaven is a continent-hopping story that pulls interesting tidbits from history and religion and brings them to a fiery conclusion.  And there are some heart-wrenching, and tear-jerking moments as well.

Read it!

Another Book Meme

A book meme that I'm sure I've done before, I found this at Mommy Brain's Book Review Blog (Happy Birthday Carrie!).

Hardback or trade paperback or mass market paperback?

Any. But I kinda have a soft-spot for Trade Paperbacks - maybe because that's what a lot of the Christian Fiction I read comes out in.

Bookmark or dog-ear?

*GASP* Dog-Ear?! NEVER! Always use a bookmark - or remember the page number!

Alphabetize by author or alphabetize by title or random?

IN a perfect world, alphabetical by author, subdivided by series chronologically. In the real world: Tossed on a shelf.

Keep, throw away or sell?

Never throw-away unless it's just totally trashed from being read over and over. Sometimes sell, usually trade off at Paperbackswap.com.

Keep dustjacket or toss it?

Always retain the dust jacket unless Rubi loses it.

Last book you bought?

I honestly can't remember. Most of the books I've read recently have either come from the library or Paperbackswap.com

Last book someone bought for you?

I don't recall. I'm sure it was one of those little gift-books like "I love my dad because" or something.

What are some of the books on your to-buy list?

I really don't buy books that often anymore (shame on me, I know! I shoould support my favorite authors). I would definitely love to by the latest Age of Fire novel by E. E. KNight, that's a great series and one I'd let my kids read when they're a little older.

Collection (short stories, same author) or anthology (short stories, different author)?

I've never been a short-story fan. Of course, all the short stories I recall reading were from the "golden age" of sci-fi, back when Asimov was at the top of his game, and all the short stories I read from that time period always seemed contrived, or moody. I think I've read some Trek short stories in the SCE series - I guess those count as short fiction.

Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket?

I wasn't crazy about Potter and stopped at the 3rd chapter of the 3rd book. I've never read Lemony Snicket, but my oldest daughter enjoyed the series.

Morning reading, afternoon reading, or nighttime reading?

Absolutely: Morning, noon, and night! Whenever I get a chance. I love to stay up way past my bedtime finishing an excellent novel and then not being able to fall asleep because I'm disappointed it's over.

The books you need to go with other books on your shelves?

Hmm... the rest of the Age Of Fire Series by E. E. Knight. The rest of the Laodecia Chronicles and the other series by Sharon K. Gilbert.

Do you read anywhere and anytime you can or do you have a set reading time and/or place?

Whenever, where ever I can. I can't read book while I'm at work though.

Do you have seasonal reading habits?

Not that I've noticed.

Do you read one book at a time or do you have two or more books going at once?

Usually one book at a time. Though, if I own a book and while I'm reading it I get a library book and have to to the library soon, I'll stop the one I've read and read the library book because there's a time limit - then get back to the other book.

What are your pet peeves about the way people treat books?

Dog-ear, food fingerprints, dead bugs inside, other things found inside books that I'd rather not mention.

Name one book you surprised yourself by liking.

Honestly, I'm really enjoying the Vampire Earth series by E. E. Knight. It's a post-apocolyptic Earth setting, and I usually don't like those. But I liked his Age of Fire books so much, I thought I'd give VE a try, and now I'm caught up and can't wait for the next book!

How often do you read a book and not review it on your blog? What are your reasons for not blogging about a book?

Often. I read many books that I don't feel like writing a review about and I would kinda feel bad just writing "today I read the latest Star Trek book. It was good. Yes, I'm a geek." But then there are books that I think others might really enjoy, and I want to get the word out, or I read a book that I expected to be really good and was sorely disappointed and also want to get the word out. Actually, I can only think of two negative reviews that I've given.