Sir Quinlan and the Swords of Valor – Chuck Black

© 2010 Multnomah Books, Colorado Springs

Chuck Black is a former F-16 fighter pilot and tactical communications engineer. He now writes young adult fiction. Sir Quinlan is the fifth in his The Knights of Arrethtrae series (which is the second series dealing with “The Kingdom Across the Sea” featuring the King and the Prince). This is my first encounter with the stories, and I must say that I am well pleased.

In this adventure, the title character moves from being the unassuming—even cowering—Knight of the Prince called Twitch to leading the elite group of Knights known as the Swords of Valor. He deals with apathy, distraction, and failure in his quest to become the Knight of the Prince that he wants to be.

While this is one in a series of stories, the adventure—like all good series adventure stories—could stand on its own. The author includes enough of the background story to understand its connection with previous installments, but weaves a tale that could stand on its own and engage most young men who love adventure stories (and not a few young women).

The story itself (and I’ll assume both of Black’s series) is a rather thinly veiled allegory of the gospel message of Christianity. For the reader coming from the background of the Christian faith the relationship between Jesus Christ and the Prince takes no effort. Other readers would have no trouble enjoying the story, and this book (along with its sisters) might be an excellent starting place for a young person to talk to friends about matters of faith—or for parents to talk with their pre-teens and teens about them as well.

One drawback in the book is the use of ancient languages and cryptic abbreviations to point to specific allegorical references. For example, the abbreviated names “Disty” (for distractions) and “Bli” (short for blindness) in reference to the cute creatures used by the forces of the Dark Knight to create apathy among the Knights of the Prince; and the name of the creature that represents passion—penthomoth—whose name is taken from the Greek word pentho which means “passion.” To discover these cryptic references one must read the study questions and answers located at the end of the book.

The story itself is well-written and has the ability to stand on its own without the extra study helps that have become popular in the publishing world today. A simple footnote concerning the above mentioned references would be sufficient for the inquisitive reader.

Finally, I should mention that included (along with the study questions) are a couple of artist’s renderings of the unfamiliar creatures encountered in the book and a musical score for a song that relates to the Swords of Valor (“Ride of the Valiant” by Emily Elizabeth Black) as a sort of postlude to the story.

Lovers of swordplay and knightly quest/adventure will love this story as much as I did. In fact, I may look for the previous stories about Arrethtrae just to go on more adventures with the Knights of the Prince. Four out of five reading glasses.

—Benjamin Potter, May 4, 2011

[Disclaimer: I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.]

A Year in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania -- Novels by Calvin Miller

Seasons of Pennsylvania Series – Calvin Miller

Snow © 1998, Wind © 2000, Shade © 2001, Frost © 2002 Bethany House Publishers, Minneapolis

I have to apologize for reviewing a collection of books, but these should be read together, if you can find them all. Calvin Miller—preacher, author, artist, poet (not necessarily in that order)—is a master storyteller. And he proves it once again with this four book collection that brings the reader to the small community of King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, in the era of the Great Depression.

Each installment of the collection focuses on one season, and the interaction of several of the notable families in this rural town. As expected, Snow is set in winter—specifically around the Christmas season—and we become acquainted with the Muellers (the “coal people”) and Mary Withers, a young widow with a sickly daughter. As the dram unfolds, the little girl, Alexis, almost dies on the night that Otto Mueller is discovered to return home to his estranged family, even as his younger brother Erick falls in love with that “Vithers voman” as father Hans calls Mary. Christmas miracles ensue.

In Wind, Miller turns our focus to the McCaslin family (the “cow people”). Peter—the male heir to the McCaslin Dairy—finds himself at odds with his sister Isabel (called “Dizzy Izzy” by everyone because of her proclivity to quote scripture and hang on to the long gone love of an unscrupulous Bible salesman named Benny Baxter) when she insists that the dairy is responsible for giving a job to the down-on-his-luck Ernest Pitovsky and give him, his wife, and their two children a warm place to live. Otto Mueller appears once again, this time to rescue Isabel from her lovesick madness.

As summer creeps up on our little town, Shade chronicles the lives of the families involved as Benny Baxter returns to turn Isabel back into Dizzy Izzy. Also returning to town is Mabel Cartwright’s wayward daughter Christine who discovers a dark secret in the memory boxes of her mother—whose personal memory is failing. Otto sees his love for Isabel slipping away even as his father Hans succumbs to cancer. How will the Muellers survive crisis after crisis?

In a final note, Miller returns us again to King of Prussia in Frost. As the title suggests, this part of the story takes place in Autumn as the town anticipates the first frost of the year. Christine Cartwright discovers she is carrying Benjamin Baxter’s baby—though she has discovered just what a heel Benny is. Helena Pitovsky continues to battle tuberculosis. Mary Withers disappears with her dead husband’s identical twin brother only to find out that they are only identical in physical appearance. Ingrid Mueller must work the wonders only a mother can work to ensure that her sons will be happy and find the love that they both deserve.

You must read the books yourself to get a feel for Pennsylvania in the 1930s. The continued reference to the local Lutheran Church brings a homey touch to this collection of books (which you can order as a set from the author’s website while supplies last).

As a whole I give the books four out of five reading glasses because they are good, readable tellings of a pleasant story about a not-so-pleasant time. I did find that the first of the books touched my fancy most, though. Miller suggests that the last installment is the best because of the resolution found there. In any case, you will enjoy them. I know that my girls enjoyed them when I read them to them at bedtime.

—Benjamin Potter, May 3, 2011

The Lincoln Lawyer – Michael Connelly

©2005 Grand Central Publishing, New York (1^st Movie Tie-in edition, 2011)

As you know, I’m a sucker for free books. So when I saw an opportunity to put my name in the hat for one of several copies of the movie tie-in book or a poster of the just released film based on Michael Connelly’s book, I did just that (chanting, “book, not poster; book, not poster” for several nights until I forgot about the drawing). Then my book (not poster) came and I just needed to find time to read.

I was sure I’d like Connelly’s writing (though I’d never read it before), and I was right. The Lincoln Lawyer is the first among the novels featuring defense pro Mickey Haller—a twice divorced, son of the star of all defense lawyers (who died when Mick was a boy, but left a legacy of courtroom sleight of hand to match Ben Matlock and Perry Mason).

With the smell of dollars in the air, Haller engages a client who convinces him of total innocence in the murder alleged, and takes the case hoping for it to turn into a franchise (that is a big money-maker that keeps on giving for the foreseeable future). What he discovers is layer upon layer of deceit and pure evil. Mickey will be lucky to get out of this one with his life, let alone his attorney’s license.

Here’s a fast-paced legal thriller that will have you guessing, reading, and rooting for the underdog. You might even want to run down and buy yourself a Lincoln Towne Car to run your office from (or start a Limo service, whichever seems most lucrative). I give the book 5 reading glasses and can’t wait for the movie to hit DVD and Blue Ray so that I can get it into my queue.

And by the way, the new paperback version includes a sneak peak at Connelly’s newest best seller, The Fifth Witness (in stores now).

—Benjamin Potter, May 3, 2011

The Canary List – Sigmund Brouwer

© 2011 WaterBrook Press, Colorado Springs

Sigmund Brouwer is one of my “go to” authors when I want to read something that I will most likely enjoy. So when I found his upcoming novel on the list for review from WaterBrook, I snapped at a copy.

Crockett Grey is a teacher of special needs students. His life was turned upside down when his twelve-year-old daughter died of cancer. He lost his family and has to build his relationship with his son on alternate weekends. Enter Jaimie Piper, a troubled foster child who battles demons, literally.

The web only begins to develop when Crockett gets caught up in the world of Vatican espionage, spiritual warfare, and Church politics. We learn that as the sitting pope lies languishing in his bed, there are a number from the college of Cardinals who are jockeying to replace him. We also learn that one of those has given himself over to “perfect possession”.

Where does a special needs teacher fit in? His student Jaimie can sense Evil, and that Evil must show itself in her presence. So when she turns to Crockett for help, he finds himself fighting a frame-up of child molestation and trafficking in child porn. He doesn’t know who to turn to nor who to trust.

Fans of intrigue and spy novels will enjoy this read. I know I did. I give it four out of five reading glasses.

—Benjamin Potter, April 13, 2011

[Disclaimer: I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.]

The Dead Man: Ring of Knives – James Daniels

© 2011 Adventures in Television, Inc.

The second installment of the new DEAD MAN action/adventure/horror e-series is available at your favorite on-line bookstore now. (For some background on the series originated by Lee Goldberg and long-time writing partner William Rabkin click on this link.)

Picking up where Goldberg and Rabkin left off from episode one, Daniels takes us into the mind of Matt Cahill as he struggles to make sense of all that is happening to him. He’s found reports of another person who has exhibited some of his hallucinatory (?) episodes that were chronicled in Face of Evil. In this installment, we follow Cahill for one long and scary night. He finds, not the other tormented soul, but his psychiatrist who has now become a patient at the Carthage Mental Health Center. The good doctor advises Matt to confront his demons with the right question at the right time or else it might be too late.

During the night, Matt encounters a sadistic nurse with an almost unpronounceable name, another nurse (ally or enemy, who ever knows?), a gaggle of gruesome aides, and an obligatory damsel in distress. We follow along as he trips down memory lane trying to recapture the memory of his deceased wife, as well as another frightening outing for our hero come back to life.

Daniels does a very good job tying his story to the foundational story of the series creators. One thing that I miss is the attachment to his grandfather’s axe which gets only a cursory mention at the beginning of the story. Otherwise, if you like action, adventure, horror, blood, and gore, you’re destined for one of your favorite stories. I’ll give it four out of five reading glasses, for the sake of the missing axe.

—Benjamin Potter, April 13, 2011

High Midnight – Stuart Kaminsky

©1981 St. Martin’s, New York

The great American film professor, Stuart Kaminsky (1934-2009), introduced readers to Toby Peters in his debut novel Bullet for a Star in 1977. High Midnight is the sixth outing for the Hollywood private investigator who reminds us of many of the hard-boiled detectives of earlier eras. (Personal note: it’s only my fifth Peters reading—anybody wants to send me an elusive copy of Never Cross a Vampire, I’d be glad to read it.)

Peters himself is an icon from days gone by, practicing his stock and trade in the 1940s. This time, he finds himself wrangled into a case working for none other than Gary Cooper. He’s roped into this one because the dentist from whom he sublets his office (“Sheldon P. Minck D.D.S., S.D./ ‘Dentist and Oral Surgeon’”) poses as Toby in order to meet some of the famous people that he is in the habit of working for. Someone is trying, so it seems, to force Cooper to make a B movie with a handful of B actors, a B director, but a pretty fair script.

Throw in a semi-retired Chicago mob boss, three dead bodies, and a hunting party with none other than Ernest ‘Papa’ Hemingway, and you have the makings for a first-rate mystery story. And, as you might have guessed, Kaminsky through the voice of Peters, delivers. In his methodical fashion, our hero works out the whys and wherefores of the murders, the attempted blackmail, and the (almost) identity theft a couple of steps ahead of the police. Just enough to keep himself from being indicted for the murders!

There are several things to enjoy about a good Toby Peters Mystery: fast pacing, historical references from news and newsreels, and super cameo appearances to compliment the staring roles of some of the greats in the heyday of the silver screen. From Hollywood vernacular, I give High Midnight a hearty thumbs up. For constant readers of these reviews, I attribute five out of five reading glasses.

—Benjamin Potter, March 21, 2011

The Next Christians – Gabe Lyons

© 2010 Doubleday, New York

Gabe Lyons is the founder of Q (qideas.org), an organization that studies society and looks for answers. I was first introduced to this young Christian thinker when he coauthored unChristian. I was intrigued, challenged by, and sometimes enraged at the research conclusions that he and co-author David Kinnamon reached. They were not painting a very bright picture for the Christian community, but one that in some circles, is well-deserved.

The future seems brighter for Christianity in Lyons’ new book—not because the traditional Christians are really changing their ways, but because those who are finding faith in this new generation are affecting a change. This new generation of Christians are those who the author has named “the next Christians”.

According to Lyons, these next Christians are adapting to the changing scenery in the western world, not changing their faith, but living it incarnationally. They take their cues from the record of the Bible as a whole not (as he sees it) choosing the fall and redemption stories at the expense of the creation and completion stories. In so doing, he lauds this new generation of Christians for living lives with a view to restoration. He includes a number of examples of people from all walks of life who have seen a need and, without forcing their faith on others, have still let their faith drive their action—to restore the world to the way God had designed it (or take a step toward restoration, at any rate).

While the author hints at this sort of lifestyle occasionally leading to the conversion to gospel-driven faith of those who are influenced by these next Christians, it seems to be more of a happenstance than a purpose. Yes, I will agree that the traditional (20^th Century) evangelical emphasis on evangelism at any cost has developed within the Christian community an almost mercenary mindset that ignores the person in order to reach their soul (usually toward the end of marking another tic on the scratch-sheet of ‘souls saved’), I am not convinced that disguising our faith and only mentioning our Jesus is the answer either.

I suppose another struggle that I have with this book is its dismissal of anything over thirty years old. This may not be the author’s intent, but it is the message that comes across. Have we gotten things wrong through the years that should be addressed? The answer would certainly be yes. Should we dismiss all that has gone on over the last three to five hundred years? I don’t think so. If I were to analyze my own response to the message of this book, I would say that what leaves the distaste in my mouth is the tone of arrogance that comes across (which is exactly the message that I believe Lyons would not want to be perceived).

The book is not all bad, but it isn’t necessarily the aid to bringing about change that it wants to be. 2 ½ reading glasses.

—Benjamin Potter, March 4, 2011

[Disclaimer: I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.]

Henry Melton - More to Enjoy

Henry Melton (I've reviewed a number of his books, so you should recognize the name) is doing something new that readers of his stories will enjoy. It's serialization of new stories. Check them out here.

The Dead Man: Face of Evil – Lee Goldberg & William Rabkin

© 2011 Adventures in Television, Inc.

When I found out that noted author Lee Goldberg had produced another idea that he intended to work on with other great writers, and then that he was offering a limited number of prepublishing ebooks for review, I made contact. What I received was an eARC (?) for the new THE DEAD MAN series debut.

Matthew Cahill, or rather his frozen body, is discovered beneath tons of avalanche—the victim of a snow-skiing tragedy. When the ME starts to do an autopsy, the lumber mill sawyer begins to bleed. This impossibility after three months of burial under a mountain of snow leads to a variety of twists and turns.

Cahill learns to live again, romance again, and even fight again. This adventure story has engaging characters, elements of finely tuned horror stories, and some fun thrown in for good measure. I’m looking forward to future installments to see where Cahill’s adventures take him. This for several reasons—not the least of which is the reasonably priced packaging in ebook format (which this gem of a story is available in from Kindle to Nook to every ereader in between). You’ll want to get a copy today because the story is fast-paced, enjoyable, and short enough to read in a single afternoon or two. What else can I give this made for electronic age adventure story (and series, I expect) but five reading glasses.

—Benjamin Potter, February 28, 2011

Road Kill – Kinky Friedman

©1997, Simon & Schuster, New York

In this latest foray into the world of amateur detection, erstwhile country singer (and later Texas politician), Kinky Friedman takes an oddly new twisting road. Again the author plays the starring role in a mystery.

Waking up to find himself halfway to crazy-ville, Kinky has a discussion with a gypsy in the bathroom mirror that leads his friends to send him on a sabbatical trip with long-time friend Willie Nelson on the Honeysuckle Rose (Willie’s tour bus). The trip, while restoring some of Friedman’s sanity (if indeed there is any) drops a new case in our sleuth’s lap—one involving Indians (of the Native American variety), roadies, curses, and pot-shots.

In the end, Friedman and friends find themselves investigating age-old Indian legends and Willie’s ex-wives.

Kinky is his usual irreverent self in reporting this tale of music-world travel and murder. If you’re a fan, you’ll still be one. Three out of five reading glasses.

—Benjamin Potter, February 27, 2011