I have thoroughly enjoyed this blog tour. Here is my review:
Caitlyn is not your normal girl. But it is not your normal world. A future America divides itself according to religion or lack thereof. Appalachia is inhabited by fundamentalists whose leader will do anything to keep the Outside out and his people in. The dangerous Outside teems with tolerant sinners. And scientists. Those like escapee Jordan Brown, Caitlyn’s father.
But he can’t bear to tell Caitlyn all of his secrets. Not what happened before she was born, not why she is the way she is. He just wants to save her life, to give her a chance to be free. As free as she can be.
There are others who search for Caitlyn, not to save her but to capture her. They will stop at nothing to achieve their goal. Can Jordan and Caitlyn make it safely back Outside before men bent on power capture them?
This dystopian tale is part sci-fi part mystery part suspense. The characters are so rich, you forget the pace of the book and just let it carry you along to its stunning conclusion. Caitlyn endears herself to the reader through her innocence, trusting nature, and frail strength. She is indeed the backbone of the story and one can’t help both applauding and pitying her.
Themes of scientific research gone awry and severe extremes in religion can also be seen throughout the novel. It explores what may happen to people when these circumstances control their lives.
It has been a few years since I’ve read any of Brouwer’s work, and I’ve decided that’s too long. Out of the Shadows and Crown of Thorns were excellent mystery novels filled with cultural secrets and history. I’m glad Brouwer delves into the sci-fi realm here--and this isn’t the end. Book two is coming. I will definitely be picking up that one as well.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Broken Angel, Day 2: Interview
And now for my interview with Sigmund Brouwer:
Q: You write in several different genres. Do you have a favorite?
A: I'm going to give a weasel answer here and say that I don't have a favorite genre, but justify it by adding when I write, I don't feel like I'm in a genre, but just focused on a story. Characters and their problems are paramount; genre is just background.
On the other hand, genre is a reality, so it's silly to pretend otherwise, and in the end, I think I like best what perhaps isn't classified as a genre yet -- visionary suspense. Broken Angel can fit in science fiction, but hopefully readers will enjoy a roller coaster ride as if it's a thriller too. If someone ever described my writing as Harlen Coben meets Michael Crichton, I'd pretend to be embarrassed by the acclaim, but you can guess otherwise.
Q: How have you grown and changed as a writer in the years since your debut as an author?
A: Any growing and changing is not the result of writing, but because of the wonderful influence of my wife, and our children, who came along after I'd been published for years. I'm a typical guy, and have to fight the temptation to use this genetic wiring as an excuse for excessive golf, tardiness and all my other weaknesses. But becoming a daddy has changed the core of my life, and I hope this is reflected in everything about me, including my writing. I see it, looking back, in Broken Angel too, a story about a father and daughter. I'm going to shamelessly plug brokenangelsong.com, because the music video there (Beautiful Bird, reflecting the theme of the book -- freedom) has my wife and our daughters.
Q: Where did you get the idea for Broken Angel?
A: I was asked to write a future-based story on genetics. Before our daughters came in our lives, I'm sure the story would have been much different, but as a daddy, I began to wonder about the consequences of experimenting on humans, and what would happen if you felt the guilt of hurting the child you loved, and were willing to sacrifice everything to protect this girl.
NOTE: (I asked Sigmund about some of the loose ends at the end of the novel, but I don't want to spoil it for anyone who has not read it. So suffice it to say, he told me he was working on a sequel. Sweet.)
Q: Did you model Caitlyn in any way after a real person?
A: Although I'm so focused on story when I write that I rarely think about metaphors and themes, I've come to realize that Caitlyn's life is each of ours.
We're each born into mystery and tragedy -- life is a mystery, like the questions about eternity that come with our existence. Tragic? As the only species aware of our mortality, we are doomed to know that each joy we have and the loves in our life will be extinguished by death.
We have a destiny beyond comprehension, once we leave the prison of our bodies.
Life is harsh, and tries to break us.
Even as life tries to break us, we have a sense of longing for the beyond, and we instinctively fight to soar.
Q: What do you want to write in the future?
A: In the future, I'd like to keep writing about the future, and tackle ideas like using evolutionary science to trace a genetic code back to the Adam and Eve and the first moments of human consciousness in all of history, or memory transfers that give defacto immortality, or a carnivorous fungus that grows computer-generated intelligence or. . .
Q: You write in several different genres. Do you have a favorite?
A: I'm going to give a weasel answer here and say that I don't have a favorite genre, but justify it by adding when I write, I don't feel like I'm in a genre, but just focused on a story. Characters and their problems are paramount; genre is just background.
On the other hand, genre is a reality, so it's silly to pretend otherwise, and in the end, I think I like best what perhaps isn't classified as a genre yet -- visionary suspense. Broken Angel can fit in science fiction, but hopefully readers will enjoy a roller coaster ride as if it's a thriller too. If someone ever described my writing as Harlen Coben meets Michael Crichton, I'd pretend to be embarrassed by the acclaim, but you can guess otherwise.
Q: How have you grown and changed as a writer in the years since your debut as an author?
A: Any growing and changing is not the result of writing, but because of the wonderful influence of my wife, and our children, who came along after I'd been published for years. I'm a typical guy, and have to fight the temptation to use this genetic wiring as an excuse for excessive golf, tardiness and all my other weaknesses. But becoming a daddy has changed the core of my life, and I hope this is reflected in everything about me, including my writing. I see it, looking back, in Broken Angel too, a story about a father and daughter. I'm going to shamelessly plug brokenangelsong.com, because the music video there (Beautiful Bird, reflecting the theme of the book -- freedom) has my wife and our daughters.
Q: Where did you get the idea for Broken Angel?
A: I was asked to write a future-based story on genetics. Before our daughters came in our lives, I'm sure the story would have been much different, but as a daddy, I began to wonder about the consequences of experimenting on humans, and what would happen if you felt the guilt of hurting the child you loved, and were willing to sacrifice everything to protect this girl.
NOTE: (I asked Sigmund about some of the loose ends at the end of the novel, but I don't want to spoil it for anyone who has not read it. So suffice it to say, he told me he was working on a sequel. Sweet.)
Q: Did you model Caitlyn in any way after a real person?
A: Although I'm so focused on story when I write that I rarely think about metaphors and themes, I've come to realize that Caitlyn's life is each of ours.
We're each born into mystery and tragedy -- life is a mystery, like the questions about eternity that come with our existence. Tragic? As the only species aware of our mortality, we are doomed to know that each joy we have and the loves in our life will be extinguished by death.
We have a destiny beyond comprehension, once we leave the prison of our bodies.
Life is harsh, and tries to break us.
Even as life tries to break us, we have a sense of longing for the beyond, and we instinctively fight to soar.
Q: What do you want to write in the future?
A: In the future, I'd like to keep writing about the future, and tackle ideas like using evolutionary science to trace a genetic code back to the Adam and Eve and the first moments of human consciousness in all of history, or memory transfers that give defacto immortality, or a carnivorous fungus that grows computer-generated intelligence or. . .
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Don't miss CSFF's August tour novel: Broken Angel, by Sigmund Brouwer
You heard me. Don't miss this book! And don't miss my posts, either. Tomorrow I will feature an interview with Sigmund himself. Then Wednesday, my review.
Ready for a multi-sensory experience? Sigmund is married to Christian music artist Cindy Morgan. She has written a song called "Beautiful Bird" that goes with the book. You can see the video here.
If that's not enough for you, visit Sigmund's website and read about all the other things he's into besides writing for adults and kids here at coolreading.com.
And, as always, you can buy the book here.
Listed below are my fellow posters for this month's tour. Check 'em out!
Brandon Barr
Justin Boyer
Keanan Brand
Jackie Castle
Valerie Comer
Karri Compton
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Janey DeMeo
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Karina Fabian
Mark Goodyear
Andrea Graham
Katie Hart
Timothy Hicks
Christopher Hopper
Joleen Howell
Jason Joyner
Carol Keen
Magma
Margaret
Shannon McNear
Melissa Meeks
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Nissa
John W. Otte
Steve Rice
Ashley Rutherford
Hanna Sandvig
Chawna Schroeder
Mirtika or Mir's Here
Sean Slagle
James Somers
Donna Swanson
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Laura Williams
Ready for a multi-sensory experience? Sigmund is married to Christian music artist Cindy Morgan. She has written a song called "Beautiful Bird" that goes with the book. You can see the video here.
If that's not enough for you, visit Sigmund's website and read about all the other things he's into besides writing for adults and kids here at coolreading.com.
And, as always, you can buy the book here.
Listed below are my fellow posters for this month's tour. Check 'em out!
Brandon Barr
Justin Boyer
Keanan Brand
Jackie Castle
Valerie Comer
Karri Compton
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Janey DeMeo
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Karina Fabian
Mark Goodyear
Andrea Graham
Katie Hart
Timothy Hicks
Christopher Hopper
Joleen Howell
Jason Joyner
Carol Keen
Magma
Margaret
Shannon McNear
Melissa Meeks
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Nissa
John W. Otte
Steve Rice
Ashley Rutherford
Hanna Sandvig
Chawna Schroeder
Mirtika or Mir's Here
Sean Slagle
James Somers
Donna Swanson
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Laura Williams
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Today I feature another book I haven't had time to read!
CFBA's latest feature:
ABOUT THE BOOK:
A mysterious book with a dangerous secret.
An evil brotherhood out to conquer the world.
One man stands between them . . . with his family in the balance.
In the twelfth century, Henry the Lion collected the rarest relics in Christendom. And to protect his most precious acquisitions, he encoded the whereabouts in a gorgeous illuminated manuscript called The Gospels of Henry the Lion.
The manuscript has been showing up and disappearing ever since. No one knows where the relic has been hidden . . . or its ultimate power.
Only one man holds the key to the mystery.
He's carrying it in his briefcase at his son's school for show-and-tell, and he thinks it's a fake. But he's about to find out just how real it is.
Because the wolves are rapidly closing in. And if August Adams can't decode the secret in time, the world's balance of power will forever be altered.
A mysterious book with a dangerous secret.
An evil brotherhood out to conquer the world.
One man stands between them . . . with his family in the balance.
In the twelfth century, Henry the Lion collected the rarest relics in Christendom. And to protect his most precious acquisitions, he encoded the whereabouts in a gorgeous illuminated manuscript called The Gospels of Henry the Lion.
The manuscript has been showing up and disappearing ever since. No one knows where the relic has been hidden . . . or its ultimate power.
Only one man holds the key to the mystery.
He's carrying it in his briefcase at his son's school for show-and-tell, and he thinks it's a fake. But he's about to find out just how real it is.
Because the wolves are rapidly closing in. And if August Adams can't decode the secret in time, the world's balance of power will forever be altered.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Matt Bronleewe is a recognized producer, songwriter and author. The former member of the band Jars of Clay, has earned numerous awards producing and co-writing albums that have sold a combined total of over 20 million copies. His songs have recently been recorded by Disney pop sensations Aly & AJ, American Idol finalist Kimberley Locke, and more. Bronleewe has worked with Grammy Award-winning artists such as Michael W. Smith, International pop singer Natalie Imbruglia and Heroes star Hayden Panettiere.
Born in Dallas, Texas, Bronleewe was raised on a farm in Kansas, where he lived until he left for college in 1992. At Greenville College in Illinois, Bronleewe formed the band Jars of Clay with his dorm roommate and two neighbors, and the group soon found success. Though Bronleewe opted to leave Jars of Clay early on to pursue an academic career, he soon found himself in Nashville, co-writing, producing, and playing music professionally.
To add to his list of accomplishments, Bronleewe has expanded his love of story telling beyond music into authorship. He is currently penning a 5 book series for Thomas Nelson Fiction. His first book Illuminated began the adventurous series about rare manuscripts and the mysteries within.
Bronleewe currently resides in Brentwood, Tenn., with his wife and three children. He continues to write and produce music, and he also volunteers through his church to help disadvantaged youth in the community. Bronleewe enjoys reading, taste-testing good food and watching sports, as well as indulging his interests in art, architecture, design and science.
The Book Link!
ABOUT THE BOOK:
A mysterious book with a dangerous secret.
An evil brotherhood out to conquer the world.
One man stands between them . . . with his family in the balance.
In the twelfth century, Henry the Lion collected the rarest relics in Christendom. And to protect his most precious acquisitions, he encoded the whereabouts in a gorgeous illuminated manuscript called The Gospels of Henry the Lion.
The manuscript has been showing up and disappearing ever since. No one knows where the relic has been hidden . . . or its ultimate power.
Only one man holds the key to the mystery.
He's carrying it in his briefcase at his son's school for show-and-tell, and he thinks it's a fake. But he's about to find out just how real it is.
Because the wolves are rapidly closing in. And if August Adams can't decode the secret in time, the world's balance of power will forever be altered.
A mysterious book with a dangerous secret.
An evil brotherhood out to conquer the world.
One man stands between them . . . with his family in the balance.
In the twelfth century, Henry the Lion collected the rarest relics in Christendom. And to protect his most precious acquisitions, he encoded the whereabouts in a gorgeous illuminated manuscript called The Gospels of Henry the Lion.
The manuscript has been showing up and disappearing ever since. No one knows where the relic has been hidden . . . or its ultimate power.
Only one man holds the key to the mystery.
He's carrying it in his briefcase at his son's school for show-and-tell, and he thinks it's a fake. But he's about to find out just how real it is.
Because the wolves are rapidly closing in. And if August Adams can't decode the secret in time, the world's balance of power will forever be altered.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Matt Bronleewe is a recognized producer, songwriter and author. The former member of the band Jars of Clay, has earned numerous awards producing and co-writing albums that have sold a combined total of over 20 million copies. His songs have recently been recorded by Disney pop sensations Aly & AJ, American Idol finalist Kimberley Locke, and more. Bronleewe has worked with Grammy Award-winning artists such as Michael W. Smith, International pop singer Natalie Imbruglia and Heroes star Hayden Panettiere.
Born in Dallas, Texas, Bronleewe was raised on a farm in Kansas, where he lived until he left for college in 1992. At Greenville College in Illinois, Bronleewe formed the band Jars of Clay with his dorm roommate and two neighbors, and the group soon found success. Though Bronleewe opted to leave Jars of Clay early on to pursue an academic career, he soon found himself in Nashville, co-writing, producing, and playing music professionally.
To add to his list of accomplishments, Bronleewe has expanded his love of story telling beyond music into authorship. He is currently penning a 5 book series for Thomas Nelson Fiction. His first book Illuminated began the adventurous series about rare manuscripts and the mysteries within.
Bronleewe currently resides in Brentwood, Tenn., with his wife and three children. He continues to write and produce music, and he also volunteers through his church to help disadvantaged youth in the community. Bronleewe enjoys reading, taste-testing good food and watching sports, as well as indulging his interests in art, architecture, design and science.
The Book Link!
Monday, August 18, 2008
CFBA tour presents: Merciless, by Robin Parrish
Hello, blogosphere! My post will have to be short today, because it's my anniversary and I have lots of other things to do.
I didn't receive this book from CFBA, but I do have it via a website I review for. Unfortunately, I haven't gotten to it yet. Robin's first two books in the series were very interesting and I have reviews for both in the archives of this blog.
So go visit my CFBA friends and read what they have to say.
Happy reading!
ABOUT THE BOOK:
The world as we know it has ENDED.
DEATH and CHAOS creep across the globe and only the POWERLESS can RISE UP to stop it.
But can anything stop the onslaught of the DARKWORLD
From the earth's depths crawls a figure with skin like granite, flames for eyes, and the face of Grant Borrows.
Oblivion has arrived.
Every clock around the world has stopped. Time has frozen.
The Secretum have fulfilled the prophecy, unleashing on earth the most powerful being to walk the earth in thousands of years. His name is Oblivion and his touch is death.
He can't be slowed.
He can't be stopped.
And he can't be killed.
But as long as any live who trust in hope and love and freedom, the fight is not over.
They have only one chance before he brings forth the Darkworld.
Oblivion is: Merciless
"Robin Parrish is the kind of writer who understands how to entertain from the word go. His stories are sure to shape fiction for years to come."
~TED DEKKER, author of ADAM
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Robin Parrish had two great ambitions in his life: to have a family, and to be a published novelist. In March of 2005, he proposed to his future wife the same week he signed his first book contract.
More than ten years he spent writing for various websites, including About.com, CMCentral.com, and Infuze Magazine, which is a unique intersection between art and faith which he also conceived of and created.
One of his more "high concept" ideas for Infuze was to return to his love for storytelling and create a serialized tale that would play out every two weeks, telling a complete, compelling story over the course of nine months. That serialized story eventually came to the attention of several publishers, who saw it as a potential debut novel for Robin Parrish.
In 2005, Bethany House Publishers brought Robin full circle by contracting him for the rights to not only that first book, Relentless -- but two sequels including Fearless and Merciless. A trilogy that unfolded in the consecutive summers of 2006, 2007, and this year, 2008. One massive tale -- of which that first, original story would form only the foundational first volume of the three -- spread across three books.
Robin Parrish is a journalist who's written about pop culture for more than a decade. Currently he serves as Senior Editor at XZOOSIA.com, a community portal that fuses social networking with magazine-style features about entertainment and culture. He and his wife, Karen and son live in North Carolina.
If you would like to read the first chapter of Merciless, go HERE
Buy the book here
I didn't receive this book from CFBA, but I do have it via a website I review for. Unfortunately, I haven't gotten to it yet. Robin's first two books in the series were very interesting and I have reviews for both in the archives of this blog.
So go visit my CFBA friends and read what they have to say.
Happy reading!
ABOUT THE BOOK:
The world as we know it has ENDED.
DEATH and CHAOS creep across the globe and only the POWERLESS can RISE UP to stop it.
But can anything stop the onslaught of the DARKWORLD
From the earth's depths crawls a figure with skin like granite, flames for eyes, and the face of Grant Borrows.
Oblivion has arrived.
Every clock around the world has stopped. Time has frozen.
The Secretum have fulfilled the prophecy, unleashing on earth the most powerful being to walk the earth in thousands of years. His name is Oblivion and his touch is death.
He can't be slowed.
He can't be stopped.
And he can't be killed.
But as long as any live who trust in hope and love and freedom, the fight is not over.
They have only one chance before he brings forth the Darkworld.
Oblivion is: Merciless
"Robin Parrish is the kind of writer who understands how to entertain from the word go. His stories are sure to shape fiction for years to come."
~TED DEKKER, author of ADAM
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Robin Parrish had two great ambitions in his life: to have a family, and to be a published novelist. In March of 2005, he proposed to his future wife the same week he signed his first book contract.
More than ten years he spent writing for various websites, including About.com, CMCentral.com, and Infuze Magazine, which is a unique intersection between art and faith which he also conceived of and created.
One of his more "high concept" ideas for Infuze was to return to his love for storytelling and create a serialized tale that would play out every two weeks, telling a complete, compelling story over the course of nine months. That serialized story eventually came to the attention of several publishers, who saw it as a potential debut novel for Robin Parrish.
In 2005, Bethany House Publishers brought Robin full circle by contracting him for the rights to not only that first book, Relentless -- but two sequels including Fearless and Merciless. A trilogy that unfolded in the consecutive summers of 2006, 2007, and this year, 2008. One massive tale -- of which that first, original story would form only the foundational first volume of the three -- spread across three books.
Robin Parrish is a journalist who's written about pop culture for more than a decade. Currently he serves as Senior Editor at XZOOSIA.com, a community portal that fuses social networking with magazine-style features about entertainment and culture. He and his wife, Karen and son live in North Carolina.
If you would like to read the first chapter of Merciless, go HERE
Buy the book here
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Review of The Bell Messenger, by Robert Cornuke with Alton Gansky
Ask anyone who knows me and they will say that I do not like historical fiction. In fact, I haven’t touched it since I was in high school, and the only ones I read were Eugenia Price and Catherine Marshall, if those even count. Now and then I’ll read good biblical fiction from authors like Ginger Garrett and Alton Gansky.
A copy of The Bell Messenger came to me, and honestly, the only reason I cracked it open was because the prolific Alton Gansky contributed (and also because it involved archaeology--I’ve always enjoyed that).
I was pleasantly surprised by the complex plot and emotive prose. The main character is really a bible--one that has been passed down through generations of people--and not necessarily the kinds of people one would think.
The first owner is a young Confederate preacher, involved in the Civil War not as a soldier, but a messenger of God. He bequeaths the bible to the man who shot him-- a man named Jeremiah Tate who is jaded against the government and God.
Somehow (we learn how as the book continues) Gary Brandon, a recent college graduate, comes to own the bible in 1980. He does his own research to find out who has written notes in the bible’s margins and what certain letters mean that were tucked away in its pages.
I couldn’t help but marvel at the way God’s purposes are portrayed in this book. God uses all kinds of people to further his work and even the toughest end up making sacrifices they never would have dreamed about before. There are so many rich and varied characters--the reader will enjoy getting to know each one.
Indeed, God’s word does not return void if people speak it and live it boldly. This is an excellently crafted story that will be enjoyed by lovers of faith, archaeology, mystery, and historical fiction.
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