Day 3 CSFF Tour: The Fatal Tree

Yes, I was supposed to submit a review yesterday. But you know what? Since I'm sick as a dog and on meds, I'm giving myself a break. Thanks for doing the same.

As I did last with the previous book in this series, I will not keep spoilers out of the review, because it's nearly impossible. So don't read it if you haven't yet read the series and don't want things ruined for yourself. That said, this won't be very in depth, basically because of the aforementioned sickness. Others on the tour will have done a more than adequate job, and so I'm sure you'll find interesting opinions with them.

Things find themselves going from worse to worst--the very fabric of the multiverse is tearing apart and a cataclysm bringing a finality to all of it looms before our characters. But that is the nature of fiction--calamity is brought only to solve it.

Kit and Mina, along with newer characters Cass, Gianni, and others, have found that the key to saving life is to find again the Spirit Well (which Kit had found once before when he saw Arthur Flinders-Petrie using it to bring his dead wife back to life), and somehow undo that act of God that should not have been committed. And the way to the Spirit Well is through the Fatal Tree, also the sight of the Bone House from Kit's prehistoric travels. And they, as always, seek escape from the wicked Lord Burleigh, who has a change of heart (of sorts) thanks to Etzel's Christlike actions towards him while in a Prague prison.

As many of my other tour members have mentioned, the heart and actions of Etzel are not easily forgotten, and remind us that the smallest kindnesses in Jesus' name can bring forth enormous change in a person or in the world. This aspect of the book was my favorite, as I have recently been pondering this personally and what it means in our lives as believers.

I give the book a 4.5 out of 5 and the series a 5 out of 5. The small caviats I may have had are quickly swept away by the positives and I recommend the series to all who have a brain that they are not afraid to use.


I received a free copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review.

CSFF Blog Tour Day One: Stephen Lawhead's The Fatal Tree

Only Tolkein could be more epic. I'm being serious. This is one of my favorite series ever because of it's wide scope, depth of meaning, exquisite writing, and overall enjoyment.

If you want to see my review of the previous book in the series, you can see it HERE. Also, in the archives are reviews of every other Bright Empires book.

A review of this book tomorrow, but for today, here is a list of the tour's other participants. Go check out their stuff:

Julie Bihn
Thomas Clayton Booher
Beckie Burnham
Jeff Chapman
April Erwin
Victor Gentile
Jason Joyner
Janeen Ippolito
Carol Keen
Emileigh Latham
Rebekah Loper
Shannon McDermott
Meagan @ Blooming with Books
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Nissa
Jalynn Patterson
Writer Rani
Nathan Reimer
Audrey Sauble
Jojo Sutis
Rachel Starr Thomson
Robert Treskillard
Steve Trower
Shane Werlinger
Phyllis Wheeler

More links:

Buy this book on Amazon now!

See what else Stephen Lawhead has up his sleeve here!

Connect using the author's Facebook page!

In conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour, I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

Sky Zone--a great read!

Sky Zone: A Novel by Creston Mapes

My rating: 5 of 5 stars




No one can look back on America's recent history and not think about the threat of terrorism. There are more incidents of it in the news than we want to hear about. For most of us, it hasn't hit too close to home, but it could at any moment. Jack Crittendon is about to find out what it's like.

Jack has been through some tough times, but nothing has prepared him for what's coming. Not only are he and his wife Pam struggling financially, but one day when he checks in for work, he gets way more than he bargained for. Providing security for Festival Arena in Columbus, Ohio, Jack and his ex -military, survival-crazy friend Brian Shakespeare, are thrown into a life and death situation. Independent presidential hopeful Martin Sterling is holding a rally at the arena--one that will pack the seats--but when Homeland Security uncovers intel of a possible terrorist attack, everyone is thrown into panic and chaos. Thousands of people are trapped inside the arena, along with Jack, Shakespeare, Sterling, Jack's reporter friend Derrick, and Everett Lester, former rock star-turned-Christian artist scheduled as part of the evening's festivities.

Who can stand against the evil men holding the public hostage to their every whim? Can Jack, Derrick, and Shakespeare stop the madness without getting themselves killed in the process?

The books in the Crittendon files keep getting better and better. The plot, elements of suspense, setting, characters, subject matter, and faith issues were handled flawlessly to create a complete work that I thoroughly enjoyed. The problems the characters had were ones anyone could relate to, and most of the situations were entirely believable. Although I saw a major twist coming a mile away, it didn't take away from the drama, and I maintain that this is definitely Creston Mapes' best book yet.

As a reader and reviewer who has been with Mapes from the very beginning, I loved that Everett Lester made an appearance in the story. It made me want to go back and read Dark Star and Full Tilt over again.

Without spoiling anything, I will say that Sky Zone is less about terrorism and more about a lot of other things, including maintaining our freedoms, being courageous under fire, being a witness by our example, the importance of our relationships, and God's providence. If I could use spoilers, I would talk a lot more about some other themes that came up, but I won't do that here. Discussion questions are included in the back of the book that address these for group or personal thought.



View all my reviews

Poison Town, by Creston Mapes

Below, I'm happy to review Poison Town, by Creston Mapes. I've long been a fan of Creston's, from his very first book. I received a free e-book directly from him, but was put under no pressure to produce a positive review. Go check out the author here:

www.CrestonMapes.com

www.Twitter.com/CrestonMapes

www.Facebook.com/Creston.Mapes

Jack Crittendon, a Trenton City, Ohio reporter, stumbles upon the biggest story of his career when his mechanic Galen Randall becomes ill in a similar manner as his late wife. Galen believes the local fiberglass plant's spewing of toxic pollution is to blame for both of their maladies. But Demler-Vargus is a huge company with far-reaching tentacles of power. What is the truth, and does Jack stand a chance of getting that truth out?

Meanwhile, Jack struggles both inwardly and outwardly with forgiving Granger Meade, the man who had recently kidnapped his wife Pamela. Though Meade claims to have found God in prison and wants to apologize to Jack and Pam, Jack will have no part of it. Pamela has forgiven and begs Jack to do the same, but apparently to no avail.

As Jack finds out more and more about the Demler-Vargus cover-up, he relies on co-worker and friend Derrick to help him further uncover the story, unwittingly getting them both into great personal peril in the process. What they find is more than they imagined and enough to get them both killed.

Engaging and easy to read, this story delivers on several levels. Solid writing and plot pacing carries it smoothly, along with interesting and varied characters. The idea of poison's effects—from the Demler-Vargus plant, and from the unforgiving heart of Jack—is clever, and fleshed out very clearly. If I had to complain a tiny bit, I'd say maybe Mapes is guilty of overkill on that part. The reader is smart enough to pick up on all of that without it being drilled repeatedly. But point taken.

Two of my favorite characters are Claire, Travis' girlfriend, and Derrick. Both of them help out their friends in time of need regardless of danger to themselves. They don't give up when things seem too difficult, either. Nice friends to have.

I highly recommend all of Mapes' works, especially Poison Town. To me, it's better than the first in the series, Fear Has a Name. Readers who want suspense melded with strong faith elements need look no further.

(I received a free e-book, but no pressure was put on me for a positive review. All words are mine.)

My One Word 2014

If you've known or followed me for any length of time, you'll know that I'm a big fan of my pastor's creation: My One Word. It has become so popular in the last couple of years, he even co-wrote a book with that name, and you can hear about MOW on K-Love radio.

I won't bore you with a rundown of my words from the last 6 years or so. They can be found in the archives of this blog. But I do want to share my choice for this year. I think this is going to be the most difficult yet, and I've had some doozies.

See, I'm a blunt kind of gal. I have opinions, I like to share them, and I like to be right. I've also been known to like having the last word. I don't sugar coat things. I get to the point. I don't like to play games. I get frustrated, upset, maybe even angry when things don't go the way I planned or when the kids (read "kids and/or husband") don't do what I wanted them to do or act the way I wanted them to act. I like to vent. I don't always have a pleasant tone of voice. Okay, rarely, but it's not on purpose. Anyway, when I first started praying about MOW this year, I didn't receive clear direction. Then one day the word "quiet" popped into my head and I thought, "Surely not, Lord! And if so, it does NOT mean silent!" As I continued to pray, God assured me He didn't want me to always remain silent, never saying what I think. However, what He did impress upon me is related, and requires more thought and work then just being quiet.

Before I reveal the word, here's the verse it comes from: Colossians 4:6 - Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone. (NRSV) My word is SEASONED. It comes from a Greek word that means to season, make savory, full of wisdom and grace and hence pleasant and wholesome. For someone who doesn't always think long enough before she speaks, this seems daunting at best. For as long as I remember, I've had a problem with this. Many times I think to myself after a conversation has passed, or after I have gotten angry with someone, "Why did I say that?" Last year my word was LOVE, and I'd like to think I learned to love God and others a little better. Hopefully, that love can create a better way to say things, a gentler and wiser way to respond when I feel like blowing my lid or letting someone have it. Maybe there will be times when I should just shut it and be quiet, but I think most of the time it's just thinking and choosing to say things in a more positive tone or wording. Words mean things and they are powerful. God spoke them and the universe came into being. Our words are indicative of where our hearts are, and they can either build people up or tear them down. I want to respond, not react. I don't want regrets and fighting and anger. I want all of my conversations to be seasoned with God's love and His word, and wisdom that comes from Him.

Have you picked a word for this year? Share it here: www.myoneword.org