Extreme Makeover – Henry Melton

© 2008 Wire Rim Books, Hutto, Texas

Once in awhile you read something that is really fun. If you pick up a Henry Melton book that’s what you’ll find. Extreme Makeover is his third in a series he’s called Small Towns, Big Ideas. The first (which I haven’t yet had the opportunity to read), Emperor Dad won the Darrell Award (from the Science Fiction community) for Best Novel. The second, Roswell or Bust, was my introduction to Melton’s writing and I found it to be highly engaging. The newest release is certainly good company for its predecessors.

Deena Brooke, overweight and self-conscious, living a sad existence because of an overprotective mother, brushes with death on a stormy school trip. The result of that brush is the invasion of alien nanobots in her body. The tiny robots repair her damaged tissues and help her to become more than she ever was. Her adventure includes developing new attitudes and physical strength, falling in love with the mysterious smart boy who pretends to be average, and saving the world from ultimate disaster.

Luther—who actually turns out to be 20-year-old Luke—is on the run from Las Vegas bad guys who have already killed his parents and are after some secrets that he doesn’t even know he holds. As the two young people discover the new talents acquired by Deena, they figure out the presence of the nanobots and how they are being used by aliens to destroy the Earth.

As always this is a superb example of young adult science fiction. The story reads quickly and keeps the reader wanting to turn page after page. The mixing of several plots is not only not distracting, but it makes the story more intriguing. Hats off to you again, Henry. Keep churning out those stories. Readers will want to get their hands on all the stories in this series as they are released almost too fast to believe.

Extreme Makeover is again rating four and three-fourths reading glasses. Good reading, good entertainment, just plain good fun.

—Benjamin Potter, August 11, 2008

Breaking the Discipleship Code – David Putnam

© 2008 B & H, Nashville

Of late I have been reading a mountain of books that give advice on how to adjust life in the church or among her members in order to make her more relevant in today’s world. Some of the books have been disturbing—not because of the content but because of the accuracy in which they point out the shortcomings of the church as I have known it. Just one challenge after another seems to be crossing my desk. David Putnam’s follow-up to his collaborative effort with Ed Stetzer (Breaking the Missional Code, B&H, 2006) is another keeper.

The difference between Putnam’s book and most of the challenging books being released is its approachable manner. Putnam doesn’t inundate us with research (although the research is out there in full force), nor does he lambaste us with berating language that often accompanies the call to church-wide repentance. What he does instead is simplify the call to return to the basics of Christ-followers’ faith. His theme which is impossible to miss because it is repeated ad infinitum throughout the book: Live like Jesus; love like Jesus; leave what Jesus left behind.

The first two commands—to live and love like Jesus—take little explanation. Live in a servant-leader style that makes more of others than of yourself, without compromise. Love everyone, even those that do not love you or are unlovely. But when Putnam calls on Christians to leave what Jesus left behind he has to explain and expound. Jesus left followers who did what He did as He moved on to make end times preparation. We as Christ followers will leave this world someday, our objective in living and loving like Jesus is to leave behind more followers of Jesus who live and love like He did. Biblical scholars will easily catch the link to Matthew’s record of the Great Commission—“teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you.”

I will admit that I liked much of what I saw in the book even before I began to read. The table of contents revealed a simple yet informative arrangement of the material. The book is arranged in three divisions that purports to (1) define for the reader what a missional follower of Christ is, (2) discuss the process through which one becomes such a follower, and (3) what such a follower looks like in everyday situations.

Putnam is adept in conveying his message concerning the life and lifestyle of a missional disciple of Jesus. He uses easy stories from his own experience in life, in church, in church planting, and in his home to draw a portrait of how one moves along the journey of becoming more like Jesus.

For the reader who likes to have his interaction with a book directed, each chapter is followed by several questions to help apply what has been discussed in the chapter to his life. Part three, in which what a missional follower of Jesus looks like is discussed, short testimonials are inserted between the chapter and the study questions which show that there are people who are actually removing religious baggage from their lives and truly following in the steps of Christ. Some will find these testimonies to be extra blessing validating the material they illustrate. For me, they were actually a bit of a distraction from the flow of the text itself.

Without exception as I read through the chapters of the book I found nugget after golden nugget of profundity that made me stop and say, “Yes, that is what it is to follow Jesus.” The stories and thoughts were well-organized and helpful. With but one hiccup as Putnam discussed living missionally in the city the reading went easy and smooth. The introductory material on the chapter about city felt a little less polished than the rest of the book.

Breaking the Discipleship Code shows evidence of Putnam’s desire to live and love as Jesus loved and to lead others to that same end (leaving behind believers who live and love as Jesus loved). In the course of the book we see Putnam’s heart for the next generation of church planters, his commitment to finding others who are taking the journey with him, and his desire to grow personally.

Was the book challenging? Yes, without being preach-y. Who should read it? Anyone who is on his way to becoming Christ-like. Those who haven’t yet said yes to Jesus, but are interested in learning more, as well as those who are part of God’s kingdom and looking for advice on how to become more like Jesus will find the book helpful. Those who are satisfied that they have all the answers would do better to leave this book alone unless they want to get angry about yet another leader who is calling the church to repentant truthfulness. I give it four and one-half reading glasses and am looking forward to more from this honest young leader.

—Benjamin Potter, July 28, 2008

Casino Royale -- Ian Fleming

In honor of the 100th anniversary of Ian Fleming's birth I thought I'd do a quick mention of the first of James Bond's stories. I read this one several years ago. It's an excellent example of the classic spy novel. In it we are introduced to Bond and his cavalier look at life. The super-spy travels throughout the world winning the women, battling the bad guys, and saving the world from evil.

I recently found a pretty good copy of a Signet re-release of the novel (originally published in 1953, my "new" copy is a "Twentieth" printing with a simpler cover than we think of for James Bond). We are introduced not only to Bond himself, but also his love for women, drink and gambling. The reader should be aware that there are graphic scenes describing Bond's torture when he is captured by the bad guys, but the story is intriguing. Quite surprisingly, the most recent cinematic rendering of this particular Bond story remains pretty true to the original. I was interested to see that they screen writers kept the graphic torture scene, and that Daniel Craig gave a pleasantly accurate portrayal of the hero.

For those who like spy stories, Bond is a perfect getaway. Start with Casino Royale for three and one-half reading glasses.

--Benjamin Potter, July 20, 2008

Coming Soon from Loom & Wheel

Start marking your calendars. Loom & Wheel will be releasing a new Christmas-esque story in October. The new story is actually a retelling of the story of John the Baptist. Like my other biblical fiction it is short (about 60 pages) and should be a fairly quick read. The release date was picked to make it a good Christmas gift idea. Start saving your pennies now.

Broken Angel – Sigmund Brouwer

© 2008 WaterBrook Press, Colorado Springs

Sigmund Brouwer has made a career out of getting young people to read, and also to convince children that they, too, can write a good story. He has written everything from children’s books filled with life lessons to teen series novels to western and mystery stories. He’s written historical stories with sword fights and series mysteries featuring amateur detective Nick Barrett.

In Broken Angel Brouwer mixes all his genre talents and presents a historical novel that’s set in the future. It is the story of the battle between technology and religion—religion gone bad. Caitlyn is pushed away from her father who must send her out in order to save her as well as protect the work of the Clan who help people escape the oppression of the secessionist country of Appalachia. The new country is run by a Big Brother-esque religious leader who has named himself Bar Elohim. Appalachia has become the place where people live by a rigid set of rules down to the 3000 person limit to townships.

Caitlyn’s father, Jordan, allows himself to be caught, and expects to die, to give her opportunity to escape with the help of his friends in the Clan. The story develops showing the use of limited and regulated technology through which Appalachians are controlled by Bar Elohim. Bounty hunters are some of the few who are allowed to carry arms in the countryside as they seek renegades like Caitlyn and her friend and helper Theo (who has escaped from one of the factories that produce the microchips exported to Outside).

Broken Angel reads swiftly and well. The suspense and mystery mixed with a sci-fi/western twist makes for an interesting touch. Brouwer has some difficulty hiding Caitlyn’s “secret” which he fully reveals in the end. But even with the broadcasting of the secret (telling without really telling) the reader still wants to read how the secret is played out for Caitlyn and for those around her. For added effect Brouwer joins forces with his singer/songwriter wife Cindy Morgan in “Beautiful Bird” to tell the final bit of Caitlyn’s story.

Brouwer has another winner here. I give it four out of five reading glasses.

—Benjamin Potter, July 6, 2008

First the Dead – Tim Downs

© 2007, Thomas Nelson, Nashville

The third outing for Nick Polchak, aka The Bug Man, is hardcover. This means that Tim Downs is moving up in the world. As I have mentioned before, Downs got early recognition for his comic strip “Downs Town.” In recent years he’s turned his hand at writing books and doing marriage enrichment with his wife. Some of his more memorable moments in print include Head Game and the Christy award-winning PlagueMaker.

The first two Bug Man novels Shoo Fly Pie and Chop Shop were released in trade paperback to relative success. This time out Polchak is part of the Disaster Mortuary Operation Response Team (DMORT) that is deployed to help with the relief effort in the face of Hurricane Katrina. Nick’s team is to help recover the dead victims of a disaster and aid in identifying them so that families will know the truth about their loved ones.

In the course of the story we learn that Nick has been active with DMORT on a number of occasions. It is where he met his DMORT supervisor Denny—who although he likes Nick well enough wishes that the Bug Man would listen and follow directives, his partner Jerry—a lifelong bachelor and mortician who takes us back to the roots of how and why DMORT was formed, and Beth—the psychiatrist whose job it is to care not only for the trauma of the victims, but also to help the DMORT personnel deal with the stress of an already stressful job. Interestingly enough, during several mutual deployments Nick and Beth have seen the rocky road of infatuation turned to deep like, plummeting to disastrous relationship. Nick would just as soon not even look at Beth, but it has nothing to do with her looks.

One of the biggest difficulties with Nick Polchak is that when he sees a wrong he takes it upon himself to right it. When DMORT is directed by FEMA to help with the Search and Rescue before dealing with bodies, Polchak takes offence. One hearty worker meets Polchak’s objections by yelling “First the Living!” and Nick responds by naming the book.

Nick’s point, perhaps some of the bodies that turn up may not be produced by the storm, but a result of foul play. If you leave the bodies in the water long enough any physical evidence of a crime would be destroyed by the toxic gumbo that has become the streets of New Orleans.

As with all the Bug Man novels, there are passages where the techno babble about entomology and detail about geek-type equipment can force the reader to fight sleep, but the story is good, the plot intriguing, and the story includes life and death action. You will find corrupt cops, drug culture and see the Bug Man become almost human—but don’t tell Nick, it might offend him.

First the Dead is a worthwhile read and rates 4 reading glasses.

—Benjamin Potter, June 25, 2008

News! AuthorTree Website Honored

A couple of months ago, I set up a website to focus particularly on my writing and self-publishing endeavors. This week, the site was chosen to represent the first ever "Spotlight Award." For the effort, I get special recognition and a one-month feature link at Author TreeHouse. If you're a struggling author, you might consider setting up one of these free sites to get more exposure for your writing.

The template is pretty simple to use and the options are worthwhile. There are things that aren't exactly like I would want them, but what can you say when you're taking advantage of the free stuff out there. I've found the people at Author Tree and WordClay to be very helpful as I work on some of my writing. If you're looking for bells and whistles, budget more than zero dollars for your web presence.

The Appeal – John Grisham

© 2008 Doubleday, New York

Welcome back, Mr. Grisham. The old saying is “Write what you know.” And John Grisham has finally taken that advice. Not to say the attorney/politician/author/little league coach knows nothing about Italy, pizza, or football, but after Playing for Pizza I was ready for one of Grisham’s crank ‘em out legal thrillers. The Appeal was just the ticket.

The entire city of Bowmore, the whole “Cancer County” of Cary County in southern Mississippi in fact, is waiting on pins and needles to hear the verdict in the case of Jeannette Baker vs. Krane Chemical. The story that follows is a roller coaster ride following the high of a record-setting judgement, and the appeal that ensues.

Good guys and bad guys are easy to spot in this tale of conspiracy and politics. Krane Chemical (and big industry altogether), led by the rich and unscrupulous Carl Trudeau are definitely bad guys. Struggling lawyers for the plaintiff Wes and Mary Grace Payton (of Payton & Payton) lead the entire victimized town of Bowmore as they fight against the evil empire of Krane who knowingly and willingly contaminated the drinking water of Cary County by illegally dumping toxic waste behind the Bowmore plant. Incidents of fatal cancer skyrocket in and around Bowmore literally killing the town. Jeannette Baker’s losses are greater than most losing both her husband and her son to the chemically induced cancer.

Upon the record-splitting judgment in favor of Mrs. Baker, Trudeau takes steps to purchase a Mississippi Supreme Court justice—through the shady avenue of judicial elections. Incumbent Sheila McCarthy is targeted and labeled as liberal, though her nine-year record shows her to be thoughtful and even in her pursuit of upholding Mississippi law from the bench.

Unknown Ron Fisk is chosen by a secret “election fixing” group to replace McCarthy in an effort to reduce the number of frivolous, high-liability lawsuits in the state. The book follows the original verdict and its fallout, through the election campaign that just happens to take place after the verdict but before the appeal can be heard by the Supreme Court. Finally, Grisham ties everything together in a short section that reveals the opinion of the Court. (Spoiler Alert) The question is will the new Justice, Fisk allow his emotions, his pocketbook, or his judicial understanding to win out?

The book reads easily, as with most of Grisham’s legal thrillers. It ends with more sense of resolution than some. Readers will find it either a refreshing getaway for a day or two, or will be angered by the outcome. The emotion of A Time to Kill is hinted at toward the end of the book, but not fully appreciated. Nice, fluffy summer fare—three and one-half reading glasses.

—Benjamin Potter, May 27, 2008

Free Book! Free Book! Free Book!

Actually it's only one free book. And it can be yours if you're interested. Just click here, register in the comment section, and if your name is drawn, you'll get an autographed copy of Guardian of Light by Steven Hunt.

The Ugly American – William J. Lederer & Eugene Burdick

© 1958, Fifth Fawcett printing (1987), Fawcett Crest, New York

The back cover states, “If this were not a free country, this book would be banned.” It’s a strong statement especially for a book that opposes Communism in the middle of the Cold War.

The book centers on a fictional country in Southeast Asia named Sarkhan. The stories contained within the chapter bounce between competence and incompetence on the part of the diplomats and politicos. Heroes include Ambassador Gilbert McWhite, John Colvin, and Homer Atkins—all men who took the time to learn the culture in which they were being planted. Even with the mistakes made by the Ambassador, the heart was right. The ineptitude of Americans who live and work overseas according to the authors starts high and trickles all the way to the lowest levels.

This book, while written during the height of the struggle between American capitalism and Russian communism, bears all the marks of a lasting piece of literature. The authors write well and keep you engaged in the story, even when you don’t like what’s happening in the story. There are parts of the story line that will dishearten you, it will also open your eyes. Here you’ll find the reminder that Americans are not always right, and even when they are right, they may not be heard—even by other Americans.

This is an excellent book if you can find a copy. Four and one-half out of five reading glasses. Read it if you want a book that will engage your brain. If you want to escape, save this one ‘til later.

—Benjamin Potter, May 16, 2008