The Skinmap by Stephen Lawhead

 The title gives away part of the plot.   What and who might the skinmap refer to?  That is a question in a time traveling mystery.

This is a coming of age for the protagonist as he grows into a more formidable person.   Kit and Mina were insipid people at best.  Kit changes all that by meeting his grandfather. 

Time travel and magic intertwine in this story where paradoxical encounters abound.   The characters were colorful and the plot was open ended.   I would guess a sequel is in the works.  

I liked the flavor of the story and the way Mr. Lawhead crafted his plot.

I recommend the book.

Body of work of Body of  work of <a type="amzn" > Stephen Lawhead </a>

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

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

How Firm A Foundation by David Weber

Ok, I’m losing count, this is another book in the excellent Safehold series.  Safehold is a planet lost from an alien intelligence that has wiped out mankind except for Safehold.    Safehold’s founders founded a new religion to deter industrialization in hopes of not attracting the attention of mankind’s nemesis.

The aforementioned theocracy has become dominated by the gang of four.   The gang of four, are four corrupt churchmen who will do anything, no matter how despicable, to remain in power.   Mass murder, terriorism, torture and even instigating civil war and denying all progress, it still manages to trumpet it’s godliness.  

As all of Weber’s works he has deplorable villains and laudable heroes.   Weber works many of current society’s ills into his work.   Fanaticism, jihad, corruption, facile politicians, evil empires; he manages to include or refer to through proxy.

Weber is one of those rare authors who can infiltrate your emotions with his characters and feel you full of empathy for their actions.   This book shows the Charisian Empire, once more, co-opting a former foe into a stalwart ally.  

Some reviews complain that Weber is wordy but each brush stroke can increase the depth and beauty of a work.  

I highly recommend the book.

Body of work of <a type="amzn"> David Weber </a>

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

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

Imager’s Intrigue by L.E. Modesitt, jr

This is the 3rd book in the Imager series. In the spirit of the terrific Recluse series, the Imager series debuts a new world of similar interest. Imagers, much like mages in the Recluse series seem both powerful and powerless. This book continues the story of a budding artist journeyman who tragically discovers he is an Imager. Rhen, the protagonist, continues his growth in ability and understanding on how to protect himself and his country.

Modesitt clearly shows who pays for government action and inaction. Politicians send the spear on the way but the sharp point is covered with the bodies of those who have to implement the action. Rhen’s character begins to see that inaction may be more dangerous than direct action.

 

I like the way women are portrayed in Modesitt’s work. He notes frequently that women have the skill to lead but are often held back by the fear of the men who so often are in control. Strong, capable women are shown throughout his work. Modesitt may not be a feminist but he certainly demonstrates that women are and should be equals.

 

In many ways this is a thinly disguised commentary on how profits and political infighting can drag a nation down. Too bad most political animals are too concerned with self serving interests to read books like these and perhaps learn.

Once again the common thread, as I perceive it, in Modesitt’s stories is the lone soul fighting for self identity in a harsh world. Imager was the first book and was excellent and I read Scholar out of order and it was the book that triggered my interest in reading the series.

I highly recommend.

Body of work of L.E. Modesitt</a>

Site: http://www.lemodesittjr.com/

Happy Holidays From Bearly Tolerable Publications!

Happy Holidays From Bearly Tolerable Publications!

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Coup D’Etat by Harry Turtledove

This is a compilation of vignettes of soldiers fighting an alternate history World War II.  

I am normally a very big Turtledove fan.  Not so much on this book.  It covered many of the WWII fronts and the lives of the men and women who suffered through war.  Turtledove had good character studies, as always.

What was missing from this book was any kind of plot if you ignore the fact that WWII could be identified as the plot.  Nothing fit together; you just couldn’t tie all the character studies into a visual whole.   I kept expecting to see some masterful pulling together of separate threads to make a garment that I would happily donned.  It never happened.

Body of work of   <a type="amzn" >Harry Turtledove</a>

Site: http://www.sfsite.com/~silverag/turtledove.html

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

Free eBooks 2012 Holiday Treat

Free eBooks From Novelist Michael R. Hicks

While this page is entitled “Free Novel,” that’s actually a total lie: by coming here, you can get not one, not two, but three free bestselling novels!
I’m offering Season Of The Harvest (Harvest Trilogy, Book 1), First Contact (In Her Name: The Last War, Book 1) and Empire (In Her Name: Redemption, Book 1) completely free as ebooks. There are no strings attached. You don’t even have to cough up your email address or join my newsletter to get them.
All of these books have been on Amazon’s bestseller lists, and readers actually seem to like them. Don’t take my word for it – check out some of the reviews on Amazon (I’m directing you to the Amazon reviews just because there are more to look at; the reviews on other retail sites are similar) for Season Of The Harvest, Empire, and First Contact. You can also check out the ratings for my books on Goodreads.
Why am I giving away these bestsellers for free? Because I want to get you hooked. I want you to read them and be so eager to read the rest that you’ll just click on those little buy buttons. The only risk to you is a little bit of time spent reading to see if you like the books.
So, grab them and get reading! And if you enjoy these books, please do me a huge favor and tell your friends! Spread the word on Twitter, Facebook, in the lunch room, etc., and feel free to send them to this page or even email copies of the books to them. My best advertising is word of mouth from happy readers!
Link to Free eBooks


This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

Sandy Hook Our Prayers Are With You!