I got a little lost in the sea

The Digital Sea by Thomas K. Carpenter
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The year is 2052 and everyone is living in a virtual reality. It's not quite like Matrix where no one is actually doing anything. People are viewing the world via virtual reality implants or glasses and the government encourages it by making sure to issue older, base models to even the down people and places so everyone can view themselves and the world however their imagination wishes.

There is concern that the world is becoming over populated. Someone is starting wars all over in order to manage this issue. Jartelle the journalist wants to find out who for his next big story. Zel accepts the challenge of finding out who and stopping them because she is desperate for money to save her daughter. Mekena is caught up in a kidnapping ring while trying to save some boys from being enslaved as soldiers.

While the ideas are interesting—a VR implant which allows you to manipulate your view of the world and also use the internet more readily. But with at least six different characters each in their own scene all operating in a realm called the Digital Sea, sometimes I got lost and couldn't follow the storyline.

Due to some graphic scenes and sexual situations, I would only recommend this to adults.

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Honest vampire hunter

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

How much do we really know our history? Could some of the mysteries be explained by … the existence of vampires? Grahame-Smith takes us on an imaginative adventure through Abraham Lincoln's life interweaving sketchy history and filling it in with vampiric fantasy.

The story does get quite bloody and gory, but I still enjoyed it. I already admired Lincoln but then to picture him as a vampire hunter made me like him even more.

Grahame-Smith's story telling style made it hard to put down. This is not for the faint of heart, however.

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A good Christian Military thriller

Congo Dawn by Jeanette Windle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Lieutenant Cristina Robin Duncan comes from a military family. She even spent some time as a child in Africa at the embassy which added Swahili and French to her now grown-up resume. Her skill set is in demand as a supposedly humanitarian business group heads into the Congo to deal with rebelling natives that are slowing profitable mining operations.

Doctor Michael Stewart is with Doctors without Borders. He too is heading to the Congo, returning to the mission hospital his grandfather built and Michael and his sister helped rebuild. He is returning to help with the victims of the mining conflicts, the native victims.

When Duncan and Stewart run into each other in Africa, each has flashbacks of being on the same side in Afghanistan. Unfortunately this time these old friends seem to be on opposing sides of the conflict.

It took a few chapters to get into the story and excitement as there is a lot of back story and detail. However, once I did, this book was hard to put down. As a Christian military thriller it can get a little preachy but I think it also deals well with the question “Why does God allow suffering?”

I enjoyed the ride and would recommend this to adults who struggle wit the aforementioned question as well as those who enjoy a clean, exciting read.

I received this book free from the publisher to read and write an honest review.

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Much to think about

The Shack: Where Tragedy Confronts Eternity by Wm. Paul Young
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This story was really hard for me to read having two young girls of my own. I think this is more allegory than the typical Christian fiction. The scenes at the shack remind me of Passport to Life City—a modern version of Pilgrim's Progress.

Mack took his kids on a camping trip while his wife was away over a holiday weekend. On the last day as Mack was packing up to head home, two of his children asked to take one last canoe ride. With many cautions including the promise of life jackets, he allowed them while the youngest sat at a nearby picnic table coloring. When one child waved from the canoe, it tipped, Mack dove in to save his children; while in the commotion the youngest was kidnapped.

A few years later Mack returns to the shack—the site of the last evidence of his daughter Missy. While there he encounters God. The main concern I've heard and read is that God is depicted as a black woman—yest young explains this depiction to my satisfaction. In some ways it reminded me of the movie Contact.

I'm not sure what to think of the discussion on responsibilities and expectations. Personally I felt the Festival of Friends was unnecessary and too speculative. Then the way the rest of the story was wrapped up was too tidy for me.

All in all, the conversations at the shack were interesting and did cause me to think. I really had to consider various religious traditions and what is truly Biblically sound.

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A Phantom sequel

The Opera Ghost Lives by Ann M. Kraft
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Opera Ghost Lives by Ann Kraft is intended to be a sequel to Phantom of the Opera. It tells what happened to Erik after he lost his dear Christine to another man.

While the Phantom of the Opera seemed to me a mix of Goth and Comedy with a bit of romance, The Opera Ghost seems more a Christian romance. Unfortunately this will affect my review as I am not a fan of romance.

The themes of “God's grace can redeem anyone, no matter how bad they think they are”; and “what you look like on the outside doesn't matter it's what's inside that counts” are obvious. In my opinion the most exciting part and a bit of a twist comes at the end. This book wasn't what I expected it to be, but it has some good themes.

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If Tinkerbell were a rebel with attitude

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Twelve-years-old and an appetite for untapped resources, even if they are legendary or mythical. Artemis Fowl is still young enough to believe faeries exist but smart and sneaky beyond his years. He concocts a scheme to learn the ways of faeries and get their gold.

Holly is a faery, but not the Tinkerbell type. She is an officer with a rebellious streak and attitude to boot. When Artemis and Holly cross paths, chaos ensues.

Colfer includes futuristic technology, mythical characters with lots of personality and even farting dwarves. If you liked Lemony Snicket's series, you will probably like this. I will handing this off to my 5th grader so she can enjoy the adventure next.

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Survival of the fittest

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Katniss Everdeen is a sixteen year old girl whose main goal is survival. Survival for herself, her mother, and her little sister Prim. Daily she hunts and trades to keep her little family alive.

The powers-that-be in the Capitol of Panem—what is left of North America—use survival to keep the citizens of the 12 districts in line. Each year a boy and girl between 12 and 18 are chosen for the Hunger Games—a brutal game of survival of the fittest.

The plot of teenagers fighting one another for survival was hard for me to stomach. However, the writing style kept me turning pages and the character development is excellent.

I would classify this as young adult though I know there are middle schoolers and upper elementary who are reading it. For these kids, I recommend a parent read it first then decide if it’s right for your child.


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