A Deeper Blue by John Ringo

Terrorists are intent on bringing VX gas to the United States to kill civilians.   Mike Harmon/Jenkins stands in their way.

The emotional deprivation that Mike feels in this book provides a more complete picture of this larger than life hero.   He demonstrates more depth in his caring for his friends.

That being said, once again we are immersed in non-stop lethal action with solid criticism of our government’s approach on terrorism.   Ringo writes outstanding action books laced with cynical critiques of political correctness. 

Amidst all the action and storyline, Ringo points out that all the terrorist action against the United States has been carried out by young Arab males.  His character regards the lack of profiling of this type of person as sheer insanity, paramount to suicidal.

Ringo’s books are always entertaining and fill a definite niche when I need a kick ass, no prisoners, righteously indignant hero.  Surprisingly the books can be thought provoking as well.   Sadly this seems to be the end of the series featuring The Ghost/Kildar. 

Once again this is not a book for kids, there is not as much rough sex but is is somewhat explicit but it fits with the plot of the book.  

I recommend this book.

Body of work of John Ringo

Web site: http://www.johnringo.org/

The Measure of the Magic by Terry Brooks

This is the second of a two book series that is a  pre-history of Shannara. 

The Sword of Shannara was one of my all time favorite books.    This book does not share that distinction primarily due to an assumption that all readers are up to speed on this long running (1977) saga.  

The story is well written with colorful prose and excellent characterizations but they are not characters I was familiar with.   It was nice to see The King of the Silver River again but the book was not comprised of repeat characters from the books that I have read.   Admittedly I have not kept up to speed on the Shannara books and read this book out of order in spite of having some that lead up to this in my pile waiting.

Keep in mind that the book is good but due to my reading out of order there were things I wondered about that were not explained.   Perhaps a minor synopsis in the final book might be in order.

If you have kept up to speed with this series and have read Bearers of the Black Staff and The Genesis of Shannara trilogy, you will no doubt love this book.   For me without a catch up, I wasn’t thrilled.  When I read the four previous books I may revisit and revise this post.

                                                                                                       

I recommend it if you have read the  precursors.

Body of  work of Terry Brooks</a>

Web Site:  http://www.terrybrooks.net/

 

A Beautiful Friendship by David Weber

 Let me preface this by giving you my prejudice right up front, I am a major fan of David Weber and of anthropomorphism.  

Anyone who has read the Honor Harrington books will recognize the name: Treecat.    This book is Weber’s entry into the Young Adult genre and it details first contact with the Treecats.

Weber may quantify this book as YA but it certainly reads as well and as interesting as all of his books.   The characters are well defined and evoke positive emotions.   I really enjoy the way Weber promotes loyalty, honor, responsibility and the rest of the Boy Scout motto.

Then there are the Treecats.  If you have read any of my other reviews you have to be aware of how much I enjoy the interaction of minds between species.   David Weber does it with such aplomb and panache that I sit in awe.    Once again,  Mr. Weber, you are an artist!

I highly recommend the book and not just for kids.

Body of work of David Weber

Web Site: http://www.davidweber.net/

Starstrike Operation Orion by Kevin Dockery and Douglas Niles

Just as Starstrike Operation Mars was a military shoot-em-up so is this.  SEALS, the extra S is for Space, strike terror in the hearts of our world’s enemies. 

Regardless of the time frame and setting, it still is a somewhat simplistic and far fetched saga of a group of SEALS. The new SEALS as opposed to the original Navy Seals are space faring commandos.  This rendition of the story has them facing some old enemies and reuniting with some old friends. 

This is a quick, non-taxing read.  It is chock full of action and heroics.   It is the ideal intermezzo for deep thinking or long books.   That doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it.   Au contraire, I breezed through it with a grin on my face. 

Although none of the characters are memorable as individuals as a group they prove themselves ferocious warriors. The arrogant aliens grossly outnumber, out gun the SEALS. The alien technology is superior. In spite of this the SEALS show the Aliens that we may be backward technologically but our spirit and ferocity are not to be underestimated. The story like the first one is a very entertaining, small unit combat novel.

I recommend the book.

Body of work of Kevin Dockery

Body of work of Douglas Niles

With Friends Like These…by Alan Dean Foster

 This is a book of short stories.  It is refreshing and shows that even in 1977 Foster was a master of his craft.

There was a lot of tongue and cheek in this book.   Because of the short stories there were no consistent protagonists.   The stories entertained without being taxing.   It is not a book for pondering as much as it is a book for entertainment.

One thing Foster does consistently is show the potential inherent in his characters and hopefully in mankind.

I recommend the book.  

Android for Infants

From the Los Angeles Times:

The Vinci, which will be available later this month, is a 7-inch touch pad that lies suspended in a protective soft-cornered case that is easy for tiny hands to grip and will protect the tablet from some serious baby banging around. Like the LeapPad, it does not have Wi-Fi functionality, so parents don't have to worry about what their 2-year-old might download.

As the company's website says: "The Vinci is not an imitation -- it is a real touch-screen Android-based product, bringing the most advanced technology to the benefit of our youngest citizens."

Maybe that explains the hefty price tag: It's selling for $389.

I love technology but I wonder about this.

Board books and cloth books are huggable and kids sleep with them.  I’m not sure I would want my baby sleeping with a tablet.

I’m certainly not a Luddite but I haven’t seen this even in my scifi books. 

Take note though, for those of us who write kids’ books, we better get them converted to digital format.  

Thrall Twilight Of The Aspects by Christie Golden

 This is another World of Warcraft novels.   This time Thrall the Orc is questing for the lands of Azeroth and specifically for the green Dragon Aspect, Ysera.  

Somehow I think books should come first and then the game but in the real world to get young boys to read you do what you can.  If this series encourages boys to read then it is well worth the effort. 

Never having played World of WarCraft I feel like I am at a serious disadvantage in reading this book.   I am sure that advocates of the game will welcome the rich and colorful details that they can experience in a book focused on their favorite game.   I do not care how careful and what level of expertise programmers bring to a rpg game, they can not expect to exceed the infinite expression of imagination.   Reading this book can provide a more satisfying gaming experience with Golden’s excellent character development and screen painting.

For me, the book wasn’t particularly intriguing but for the World of WarCraft aficionado I suspect this will be a must have book.  

I recommend the book for World of WarCraft gamers.  

Body of work of Christie Golden

Web Site: http://www.christiegolden.com/