Chaos-Ted Dekker

This is so far my favorite of the series.  Chaos really keeps the reader plugged in from start to finish and doesn't let you go.  You'll definitely want to read the previous books before diving into this one though.

The Skin Map-Stephen Lawhead

Description:

Kit Livingstone's great-grandfather appears to him in a deserted alley during a tumultuous storm.  He reveals an unbelievable story: that the ley lines throughout Britain are not merely the stuff of legend or the weekend hobby of deluded cranks, but pathways to other worlds.  To those who know how to see them, they grant the ability to travel the multi-layered universe of which we ordinarily inhabit only a tiny part.

One explorer knew more than most.  Braving every danger, he toured both time and space on voyages of heroic discovery.  Ever on his guard, and fearful of becoming lost in the cosmos, he developed an intricate code-a roadmap of symbols-that he tattooed onto his own body.  This Skin Map has since been lost in time.  Now the race is on to recover all the pieces and discover its secrets.

But the Skin Map itself is not the ultimate goal.  It is merely the beginning of a vast and marvelous quest for a prize beyond imagining.

Plot: 

The plot, in essence, was interesting.  Who doesn’t enjoy a strange twist of suspense, mystery, science fiction and fantasy?  I certainly do.  It wasn’t the plot that bugged me as much as it was how it was carried out.  The plot got quite confusing at points and to put it bluntly, dry.  I think the synopsis and hype of the book made it out to be more then it was.  The plot didn’t really start up, or actually get somewhere until page 150, and even then, not much.  A good fifth of the book must have been spent on the development of a coffee-shop, granted, in Old Prague.  But still, a coffee-shop.  At other points it felt as if the author was confused himself.  He sets us up for a third of the book saying it’s all about the Skin Map but then twists it saying the old “It’s much bigger then you know” but then turned it back to the Skin Map again.  Quite annoying if you ask me.

Characters:  The characters were believable and relatable.  One part of the book where I thought the author did quite well at.  He gave a perfect amount of time before switching point of views, giving me enough pages to connect to Kit in a personal way.  Cosimo and other characters came with time, but all fictional characters do.  One I liked especially was Etzel Englebert a little German fellow from Old Prague.  A baker, no less.  His light-hearted nature and good spirits are contagious.

Writing Quality:  This is where the book falls apart.  Stephen Lawhead has all the mechanics of writing down-but he’s missing the key part of novels, at least in this instance.  And that key is keeping things interesting.  The plot was grabbing but the writing felt long and tedious.  It took more then a little effort to read some parts.

Conclusion:  The book’s plot was great.  Characters?  Awesome.  But because of that one key element that was missing, the book just was lost on me.  I don’t think I’ll be picking it up to read it again.  It also didn’t contain any good Christian elements.  It wasn't a terrible secular book, though.  It was clean of anything bad (except for possibly a few cuss words in England) but it was also clean of anything about Christ and such.  From what I’ve read about the novel I don’t think it will get much better in this aspect, either.  But I do have hopes in many areas.  I will continue reading it when the next novel comes out.

My Rating: 3 Pens

Genre: Fantasy

Intended Age Group: Adult

First in five part series

Where to buy: Amazon, Christianbook, Borders

Page number: 203.

Masters and Slayers

Many of you would remember last month when I featured the Oracles of Fire series and Starlighter by Bryan Davis (giveaway is still going on, by the way.  Check out the sidebar!).  Mr. Davis is also releasing a series for adults, the first book titled Masters and Slayers.  Below is the synopsis.

Expert swordsman Adrian Masters attempts a dangerous journey to another world to rescue human captives who have been enslaved there by dragons. He is accompanied by Marcelle, a sword maiden of amazing skill whose ideas about how the operation should be carried out conflict with his own. Since the slaves have been in bonds for generations, they have no memory of their origins, making them reluctant to believe the two would-be rescuers, and, of course, the dragons will crush any attempt to emancipate the slaves. Set on two worlds separated by a mystical portal, Masters and Slayers is packed with action, mystery, and emotional turmoil, a tale of heart and life that is sure to inspire. 

I am psyched to read this book.  I want to see how the author handles what is new territory-the adult genre instead of Young Adult-but I'm really excited just for the book.  Starlighter really has me excited for the story and the storyworld and I'd love to hear more about it.
Also, *psst* I have a special code that can get you a discounted price for Masters and Slayers, Starlighter, The Bones of Makaidos, Eye of the Oracle, I know why the Angels Dance, and Raising Dragons (Yeah, lots of discounts)-somewhere around 3-6 dollars off! And signed, too *psst*  Email me at smr411 [at] gmail [dot] com and I'll send it your way.  Or you can just buy any signed book by Bryan Davis at his online bookshop, of sorts-DavisCrossing.com/Shopping.  Also enjoy a song which I am told is in the book-lyrics composed by the author, Bryan Davis, music created Gwendolyn, and performed by Jessica Coleman.






You can also check out the book website at MastersandSlayers.com

Immanuel's Veins-Ted Dekker

Immanuel's Veins is a romance novel.  I'm not going to describe it otherwise.  I say this because I know  several of my readers can't stand even the smallest amount of romance.   I, on the other hand, am a sap for romance if done right.

That's not to say there's not a little suspense or fantasy in the book, just that it's not all swords and arrows.

I read the book within a week of receiving it.  That's not a huge deal, though.  I've read many in that time.  But I can say without reservation that if I was able to stay up all night reading a book, I would have finished it in one nights' time.  It was absolutely captivating.

When I finished I wanted to rush out and buy a thousand copies, only to give them away to any and every person in sight.  I wanted everyone to hear the story of redemption that is contained within these two covers.  The message of this book is simple: the saving power of love.  God's amazing love and man's greatest possible love for another person.

Many people have said that this book is simply the same as any of Dekker's other novels.  I would say I agree, it's much like his other novels.  Almost exactly the same.  But it's different.  I don't understand why, exactly, but this one's better then any other I've read by the author.  I got lost in it.

The plot is a simple one as I've stated before.  It's something else I can't quite wrap my head around, and I'm not sure I want to.  That is the love that is portrayed in this book.  It's utterly beautiful.  The writing flows effortlessly as to not get in the way of the love portrayed.  Ted Dekker has outdone even the greatest of his previous works.
Needless to say, I give this book five pens.  It was awesome.

Notice: I received this book from Thomas Nelson Publishers and was not forced to write a positive review.

This book has been officially been released and can be found on Amazon and most major bookstores.

I have been asked to do something pertaining to the book. That is to answer a question.  That question is: What is sacrificial love?
My answer:
Sacrificial love is full willingness to give any and everything for someone else.  It is to love without reservation.  Sacrificial love is to give everything for another with the knowledge that they might not care.  That they might not return your love.
It is love in the highest and most beautiful form.  Sacrificial love is to forsake everything you have and hang your pride on a stake and never return to it.  Sacrificial love is to love without abandon.


As you can see, sacrificial love isn't something we see everyday.

I am also happy to bring you a giveaway celebrating this books' release, but more importantly, the message it carries.  "Spread the Love".  It will be a shirt giveaway, and judging by Dekker shirts I've seen (I own one too) and what I've been told, it's going to be a good one.  Right now it seems as if these shirts won't go on the market, so you won't want to miss the opportunity to snag one.  To enter, simply comment on this post!

Also, enjoy the book trailer and what other readers have to say!

Clives Staples Award Winners!

Congrats to the winners of the Clives Staples Award!  Bryan Davis', The Bones of Makaidos took first place.  The Bones of Makaidos is a terrific book.  If you would like to read my comments on it, you can go here.

Donita K. Paul's The Vanishing Sculptor took second.

Wayne Thomas Batson and Christopher Hopper's Curse of the Spider King took third.

Jill Williamson's By Darkness Hid took fourth place.

To see all the details or learn more about the books head over to Clives Staples Awards' website

Why does anyone read books?

Okay, so the title isn't completely accurate.  But still, what gets people to read a book in the first place?  Is it because of requirements for school?  Is it because you like the cover or the title?  Or maybe it's an author you've read before that has gone on your "read whatever he/she writes" list.  Whatever it is, there's always a reason for reading a book.  Even little children at the age of six-seven have a reason they read a book.  If it's not a requirement by a parent or teacher, then it's because it had a cool cover.  There is always a reason.  But what are those reasons?

I can only speak for myself, so that's all I'm going to do.  So the question I ask myself today is, why do I read the books that I read.  I'm a picky reader, I don't just read everything that I see.  So, here are the reasons I read the books that I read.

• Name.  The name of a book is the first thing that I see on a shelf at a bookstore or a library.  I don't see the cover first, but the name.  It has to be something that's not cheesy, yet something that's not altogether boring either.  It has to be interesting.
• Cover.  You got me to reach out and grab the book, if only to scan the cover and the synopsis and move on.  Both the cover design and the synopsis are equally important as the synopsis is the second thing I look at.  Both have to be well-designed and entrancing.

If I'm not at a bookstore or a library and am looking on the internet (I have never used a printed catalog to look for books) then there are other things that I look for.  I still look at the cover and the name, but at that point other factors apply, which are listed below.

• Recommendations.  Word of mouth.  There are a few people that I know can be honest with me if I ask them.  I know I can rely on them to give me their honest opinion on whether or not a book is worth the money.  If they've read the book, I ask them before going onto the next reason.
• Reviews.  I almost always look at the reviews.  And honestly, I focus on the negative reviews.  Since I can't read very many books I can't afford to focus on the positive.  I have to focus on the negatives of some books to decide.
• Of course, if I know a writer to be good and I like his style, then I'll read any books that he comes out with.  Some people take this to the extreme, becoming fanatics of that particular author.
• Genre.  It's not what makes my decision because genres can be very large and sometimes I don't like-or even, quite frankly, despise some parts of a genre-particular parts of a genre.  Even still, I try to look through the newest books in genres I like every once in a while just to see what's new.
• Believe it or not, the publisher.  I know some publishers to produce quality books while some publishers don't.  For instance, I know Thomas Nelson Publishers to produce quality books and I trust that they have a good editing team and cover designer.

So... What do you think about when deciding to read a book?

Coming up...
Review, Interview[with Bryan Davis], and giveaway of Starlighter
Review of Immanuel's Veins-Ted Dekker and an awesome giveaway
Review of The Skin Map by Stephen Lawhead