Books 17-19

Left Behind: The Kids #26-28, by Tim LaHaye, Jerry B Jenkins, & Chris Fabry. Paperbacks.

I grab these books from the library in batches, 2 to 3 at a time, a few times a year. The completist in me needs to finish this series (40 books total), which meands I will have read the entire Left Behind oeuvre. A cultural phenomenon for a time, reflective of evangelical culture of the 1990's, the series was originally intended to be a trilogy, then a seven-book series, and ended as a 12-book series with a trilogy of prequels and a final sequel. And these 40 young adult books. And I am so close to wrapping it all up.

Book Review #16

Time Travelers Strictly Cash, by Spider Robinson. Abridged audio.

This was Robinson's first follow-up to the short story collection Callahan's Cross-Time Saloon (reviewed here).  The original version of TTSC contained a number of non-Callahan's stories, and some non-fiction reviews and essays. I have previously read the terrific "RAH RAH R.A.H.," Robinson's appreciation of Robert A Heinlein, which first appeared here.

Portions of the original book are presented as part of the Callahan's Chonicals audio compilation, which is how I consumed these stories. The Callahan-specific stories pick up where the first collections leaves off, with the crew of Callahan's listening to each other's tall tales. There are stories about a talking dog (a gin-drinking, talking dog) and a loud-mouthed time traveler with an oddly hypnotic power. 

Jake Stonebender and the bar regulars spend the book trying to top each other with their odd, pun-filled stories. But what emerges from these tales is a bit of a through-line, later adapted and expanded by Robinson as the Callahan-verse expanded. By the way, some of the wordplay is delightfully groan-worthy -- puns about coppers, ICBMs and jewel lies abound.

I love the setting for these stories, and Robinson's wacky sense of humor is enjoyable. I do not know what to make of the effort at the end of this and in future Callahan's books to overlay a more serious SF tale onto this patchwork of stories. The last story, about mirror universes and inter-dimensional molecules, was much more serious than the prior stories, and this change of pace was a bit jarring.

I am intrigued to know there are at least four more novels (or collecitons) involving Jake, Callahan, and the crew. But I think I'm going to give them a read.

 

Source: public library

Book Guys Update!

Check out our new website, which contain the videos for the shows (also on YouTube), as well as book-related links.

In episode #72, we talked with the excellent Paul O'Connor from Longbox Graveyard, and Brian Brushwood from Scam School and NSFW.   We talked about the digital world, the app economy, old-school comic books, and Moby Dick.

My eye surgery kept me away from the next two episodes, but they were pretty good nonetheless:

In episode #73, mystery writer Pat Flewelling joined the team. They also talked about with Colleen Hillerup of the Doctor Who convention, Reversed Polarity.

In episode #74, Paul and Sir Jimmy were joined by Bill Meeks of Meeks Mixed Media. They talked about which tablets are better for which functions, lots of book news, and related stuff!

We are scheduled to talk to author R.E. McDermott soon, as well as some guys from Comixology -- stay tuned!

Book Review #15

The Devil's Company, by David Liss. Unabridged audio.

This novel has all the trappings of a modern business thriller: government interference, industrial espionage, and a huge corporation trying to quash its competition and take advantage of its employees. Yes, it has all you would expect from a modern business novel.

It just takes place in 1722. And the big company that everyone worries is too powerful is the British East India Company. The Company worries that its cloth monopoly may by threatened by the development of a machine (never called a cotton gin, but pretty much a cotton gin) that would allow other companies in other nations to create similar fashion fabric that only the Company can currently make.

Nobody uses the phrase "too big to fail," but the English government is portrayed as seeing the Company as a major force for the promulgation of English power, and any problem faced by the Company is seen as a potential threat to the Empire.

This is another in Liss' series of business historicals featuring "thief-taker" and former professional boxer Benjamin Weaver. Blackmailed into acting for the Company, he infiltrates it to uncover a plot involving foreign spies and government agents. A flirtatious mystery woman, nearly as masterful at disguise as Weaver, dogs his trail, and the first thing Weaver needs to determine if she is really friend or foe.

Liss ties interesting facets of early 18th century London into the novel, and does so naturally. The nature of marriage and dowries plays an important part, with the death of a bigamist being an inciting event of the novel. His portrayal of second-class citizens (women, Jews, workers) is also a strength.

This is the fourth of Liss' novels that I have read, and I enjoy his take on both the historical novel and the business thriller. It is a very odd niche that Liss has carved out for himself, but I continue to be a fan.

Source: public library

New 52 Review: Blackhawks

Blackhawks Volume 1: The Great Leap Forward, paperback collection. Issues 1-8, by Mike Costa, Graham Nolan, Cafu and Bit.

I had mixed feelings about whether I wanted to read this comic. On the one hand, the New 52 version of Blackhawks updated the team to be a high-tech covert ops unit, fighting enemies who use nanotechnology and super-smart weapons. I like the high-tech spy novels of Tom Clancy, Brad Thor and others, and I don't mind comics that feature characters without super-powers. So there was reason to be hopeful.

On the other hand, I have read very few of the prior incarnations of Blackhawk or the Blackhawks, despite DC Comics' many efforts to revive the team over the past fifty years. And by the time I picked this trade paperback up, I knew that the series had terrible sales and mixed critical reviews. The first issue was the #48 seller among the 52 titles, and each of the remaining seven issues ranked wither #51 or #52. So there was reason to be doubtful.

To be fair, the book did meet my lowered expectations, but I can't see for sure whether I would have picked up the next collection, had there been one. There was not enough characterization for my taste, and for a team book, that is necessary. The political intrigue involving the place of the Blackhawks within the United Nations structure was interesting, especially after the team's covert cover was blown. But I did not get to know all of the characters in a manner that would have brought me back to future issues.

Reading this collection, I have not been convinced that the graphic medium is the best way to tell a spy story. Maybe novels and movies, and the occasional TV show, are the best formats for telling this type of tale. I enjoyed this particular story well enough, but I don't know that an ongoing series would have held my interest.

Mike Costa obviously knew in advance that the book would end at issue 8. The adventure wraps up with explosions and battles, and then the one-and-a-half-page denouement contains a nice metatextual conversation.

As the series wraps up, one character says "So the Blackhawks program ends in catastrophe and failure." and the response comes, "Don't be ridiculous. We saved the world a few dozen times over. We're just resting our wings. Trust me."

Source: public library.

Mega-Con podcasts

There are many great comic book conventions taking place during the years and across the country, but the annual Mega-Con in Orlando is one of the best-covered conventions out there. Two podcasts regularly attend and post episodes about the con, and 2013 was no exception.

Two True Freaks: Scott Gardner attended Mega-Con this year with his two sons. He produced a special episode, with comic podcasting veteran Michael Bailey. Scott was able to use his press pass to get into the show an hour early, enabling him to interview Boba Fett and Jimmy Palmiotti, among others. The episode runs nearly three hours, and is a very fun re-cap of the event, with Scott & Mike talking about the show and comic creators, with plenty of interviews from the convention mixed in.


Superman Fan Podcast: Every year, Billy Hogan departs from his usual coverage of Silver-Age Superman stories to present coverage of Mega-Con. He has been able to use his press credentials to record a range of panels from the Convention. Items that he posted as his multi-part "Episode 263" include:
  Preview episode: Billy talking about the Con, and what he intends to do, and record.
  Crime Noir Panel II: A terrific panel discussion, consisting of Darwyn Cooke, Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray, Frank Tieri and Dave Johnson.
  Giving Back to Fandom: Discussing Solestar, a comic whose proceeds go to charity.
  Working on Licensed Comics: A large group of comic creators, including Chuck Dixon.
  Dean Cain: The Lois & Clark actor talking about the show, his life, and career.
  Gail Simone: The comics writer talking about her career, and current books.
  Indie Comics: Talking about the good and bad (and ugly) of producing independent comics.
  Kickstarter: Jimmy Palmiotti giving advice on how to crowd-fund comics projects.
  Wrap up: Billy talking about his experiences at 2013 Mega-Con, including a chat with Bob McCleod.

Billy posted a range of panels from the 2012 Mega-Con, as well, as his multi-part episode 218.

Book #14

Deadly Straits, by R.E. McDermott. Unabridged audio.

This is a modern espionage/terrorism novel in the style of Brad Thor, W.E.B. Griffin,  or Tom Clancy. What sets it apart is its focus on the high seas, where McDermott's extensive knowledge of naval matters and ship-building is clear. He is able to convey this knowledge in an engaging and plausible manner.

Management consultant (and part-time spy) Tom Dugan is sent on what turns out to be a truly globe-trotting mission to thwart a terrorist plot involving cutting off the world's oil supply. A long-time friend of Dugan's has been framed in the plot, and Dugan himself is considered guilty by association. He has to prove his own innocence by proving his friend's, while simultaneously trying to keep oil tankers around the world from blowing up. Along the way, there are naval battles, kidnappings, and shootouts. All the things you'd want in an espionage novel are here.

The scope of the novel is amazing, as the action takes place in England, Liberia, Malaysia, China, Panama, Russia, Chechnya, Venezuela, and the US, and probably a few locations that I have forgotten. There are so many places that the action takes place, and so many characters that perform those actions, it is a little hard to identify with any one character beyond Dugan.

McDermott does a good job keeping the action going, and the intricate plot actually seems realistic. Sometimes thrillers can go "over the top" with the villains' plot, giving us something totally unrealistic. But McDermott avoids this common pitfall. 

I will definitely pick up the sequel, Deadly Coast, in which Dugan and company take on the threat of Somali pirates.

Source: I received the Audible.com version of this novel directly from the author. We are scheduled to talk to him on an upcoming episode of the Book Guys Show podcast.