Reviews

The Extraordinary Colors of Auden Dare by Zillah Bethell

Posted on by Kevin Holtsberry / 1 Comment

At some point I stumbled on The Extraordinary Colors of Auden Dare by Zillah Bethell at the library while looking at books with my kids and put it on my “to read” list. It looked like one of the many creative and interesting middle grade novels:

Auden Dare is colorblind and lives in a world where water is scarce and families must live on a weekly, allocated supply.

When Auden’s uncle, the scientist Dr. Bloom, suddenly dies, he leaves a note to Auden and to his classmate Vivi Rookmini. Together, the notes lead them to Paragon―a robot.

As Auden, Vivi, and Paragon try to uncover Paragon’s purpose and put together the clues Dr. Bloom left behind, they find out that Dr. Bloom’s death was anything but innocent, that powerful people are searching for Paragon―and that it’s up to Auden and Vivi to stop them.

I waited a while to see if I could get it on Kindle or audiobook through my local library but eventually just decided to read it in good old hardcover.

I enjoyed it but it felt a little thin in the world building department. Like the dystopian world that was the setting was just a backdrop or plot hook. I also found Auden rather annoying at times but given his age and circumstances perhaps that is to be expected.

Once I got into it, however, the plot picked up and the ending was enjoyable. Paragon was a fun character if you can suspend your disbelief a bit. And Vivi was a welcome contrast or juxtaposition from Auden. Their friendship seemed realistic and true to life; the rollercoaster ride of competition, emotion, and companionship.

The mystery of Auden’s dad and how it tied into the mystery of his uncle was well done too. I thought the second half of the book was stronger than the first (which is better than the other way around).

All in all an enjoyable read given the usual caveats regarding YA/Middle Grade fiction not aimed at me, etc. Would recommend for young readers.

Reviews

The Test by Sylvain Neuvel

Posted on by Kevin Holtsberry / 1 Comment

This was an impulse library pick up and read. I read the Themis Files series by the same author and I am always tempted by novellas and short pieces of fiction these days so I checked out The Test and put it by the bed for nighttime reading. It turned out to be an enjoyable read, although it is a dark and in many ways disturbing one.

Britain, the not-too-distant future.

Idir is sitting the British Citizenship Test.

He wants his family to belong.

Twenty-five questions to determine their fate. Twenty-five chances to impress.

When the test takes an unexpected and tragic turn, Idir is handed the power of life and death.

How do you value a life when all you have is multiple choice?

Despite its disturbing nature, the strong characters, thought provoking and suspenseful plot, and unexpected ending make it a worthwhile read. A novella that packs a punch in a few words.

This is one of those books that you should read it in one sitting, put it down and let it percolate, and then read again. Would be a fascinating book club read as well, as different people likely have very different reactions given their politics, culture, taste, upbringing, worldview, etc.

It touches on immigration, assimilation, ethics and morality, family, and more all in a hundred pages. What struck me on first reading was the way extreme choices fundamentally change a person. How even if you make the “right” choice it could have negative consequences; unforeseen and unalterable ones. Tragedy tests the human psyche and soul; sometimes beyond the breaking point.

Highly recommended for fans of futuristic fiction that makes you think.

Reviews

Angle Catbird (Volume 1) by Margaret Atwood (Author), Johnnie Christmas (Illustrator

Posted on by Kevin Holtsberry / 0 Comment

I picked up this very weird graphic novel after I ran into it at an art show at the local bookstore where art was paired with Margaret Atwood books. Not knowing that Atwood had written graphic novels I felt compelled to check it out.

On a dark night, young genetic engineer Strig Feleedus is accidentally mutated by his own experiment and merges with the DNA of a cat and an owl. What follows is a humorous, action-driven, pulp-inspired superhero adventure– with a lot of cat puns.

It turned out to be weird and very much not my style.

Pretty typical comic book plot (an ugly, devious bad guy out to rule the world and good guys (and girls) working to stop him) but it involves half-rats and half-cats and the titular Angel Catbird.

To add to the oddity, there are cat welfare factoids and information posted throughout the book. The are supplied by Nature Canada and part of a #SafeBirdSafeCat campaign of some sort. Hard to suspend belief and get into the supernatural element of the plot when there are public service type announcements every other page or so.

To be fair, I’m not a comics type, although I frequently dip into graphic novels that my kids are reading, and so perhaps I am not one to judge. And I am not an Atwood fan either. But even with those caveats, this seems like a weird project started on a whim that would not have happened without Atwood’s literary fame (the introduction adds to this suspicion).

The illustrations are well done and engaging but they can’t hide the poor plot and dialog. Everything moves forward just exactly how you would expect to do so in a comic book or story of this type and the characters lack depth. Nothing draws you in and makes you want to keep reading or catches you off guard.

Don’t think I will keep reading this series …

Reviews

The Real Horse Soldiers: Benjamin Grierson’s Epic 1863 Civil War Raid through Mississippi by Timothy B. Smith

Posted on by Jeff Grim / 1 Comment

I consider myself fairly knowledgeable on the Civil War, but periodically I am surprised by an event that I have not read about. This is the case with Timothy Smith’s The Real Horse Soldiers.

The book is a great narrative and analysis of the Union raid led by Colonel Benjamin Grierson. Smith describes the strategic situation in Mississippi prior to the raid. He then explains in detail the Union plans to divert Confederate attention with several raids and how those raids were planned to be executed.

Smith also excels in his descriptions of the major officers and men (Union and Confederate) that proved pivotal in the main raid. For example, he rightly criticizes Confederate Lieutenant General John C. Pemberton, area commander, for vacillating on whether to confront General Grant or pursue Grierson. This vacillation doomed the Confederacy at not only at Vicksburg, but also in the Western Theater.

Smith highlights numerous examples of Grierson’s superior decision making abilities. For instance, during the raid, he made the decision to push his troopers through the night in order to avoid pursuers and surprise a new target.

Smith’s writing is easy to read and follow. He explains complex strategy and tactics in simple terms that even the most novice reader can follow. He also includes plenty of maps throughout the book.

Reviews

Layover by David Bell

Posted on by Kevin Holtsberry / 3 Comments

I will admit to being a fickle reader these days. My life has been rather crazy at the last four months or so, more anon on that perhaps, and so my mood seems to change regularly. Sometimes I am reading serious nonfiction, sometimes literary fiction but at other times what I really need is something to entertain and distract me from the chaos seemingly surrounding me. The search for intelligent books that still manage to do this, is always going on.

It was this search which led me to Layover by David Bell. I have not read any of his previous works, but I was intrigued by the hook for Layover when I got an email from a publicist about a blog tour. What hook, you ask? Essentially, constantly traveling businessman meets beautiful stranger in an airport and decides his life is not what he wants it to be and so reckless chases after her. Trouble follows. No seriously, he ends up in a hospital trying to put his scrambled memory back together. The rest of the book is his confession of what happened.

I will confess this is not the type of thriller I typically read. If I read thrillers it is usually the espionage or international intrigue type. And Layover got off to a slow start. But once I got into I actually stayed up into the wee hours of the morning to finish it.

There are two issues/problems as I see it. One is plausibility. Many readers might question whether the seemingly sane lead character, Joshua Fields, would really make the type of asinine decisions he does. And the second, is that the secondary character, Kimberly Givens, is given a lot of time when it didn’t seem to add a great deal to the story. She is a divorced single-mom trying to win a promotion, etc. But how exactly her personal life adds to the overall story I am not sure. Her detective work didn’t really add an element of suspense it just was a vehicle to add details to the plot from a perspective other than Josh’s.

Layover served its purpose in giving me an entertaining distraction but it wasn’t good enough to make me what to seek out more of David Bell’s writing. As always, your mileage may vary depending on how much you enjoy this genre, style, etc.

Views

Jonah Goldberg on Post-Liberal Conservatism

Posted on by Kevin Holtsberry / 0 Comment

Where the post-liberals have a point is that humans are happiest in communities, families and institutions of faith. The solution to the culture wars is to allow more freedom for these “little platoons” of civil society from which people draw a sense of meaning and belonging. If Sacramento wants Drag Queen Story Hour, so be it. If some other community holds a socially conservative version of the same, that’s fine too.

What America needs is less talk of national unity — from the left or the right — and more freedom to let people live the way they want to live, not just as individuals, but as members of local communities. We don’t need to move past liberalism, we need to return to it.

Jonah Goldberg