Category Archives: Fiction

Review: Conquerors’ Heritage, by Timothy Zahn

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Conquerors’ Heritage, by Timothy Zahn (Bantam Spectra, 1995)

They say there are three sides to any conflict: yours, mine and the truth. In Conquerors’ Pride the Humans met the aliens they call the Conquerors, and interstellar war began.

Conquerors’ Heritage, the second novel in the trilogy, unfolds from the perspective of the aliens, who call themselves the Zhirrzh—and who refer to their new enemies as the “Human-Conquerors”.

It’s a fascinating look at a believable alien culture. The Zhirrzh are clan-based and tradition-bound, controlling 18 worlds to the Humans’ and allies’ much larger commonwealth.

Zhirrzh are bipedal, with two opposable thumbs per hand, beaks and poisonous tongues that can stiffen enough to slice an enemy’s throat. They also have tails which circle perpetually to disperse their body heat;  the faster the spin, the hotter—or more upset—the individual.

One of the main viewpoint characters is Thrr-gilag, who’s been demoted for his handling of the Human prisoner, Pheylan Cavanagh, in book one. At least he’s still part of the team to contact a race claiming to be unwilling subjects of the Human-Conquerors’ rule. But the Elders’ reaction to his disgrace may bring the end of his bond-engagement to a young Zhirrzh scientist.

Meanwhile on one of the Zhirrzh beachhead worlds in Human-Conqueror space, his brother Thrr-mezaz commands the occupation force and tries to outmanoeuvre the Human-Conqueror commander. Thrr-mezaz is under pressure too after a decision that cost the group one of its Elders. He and Thrr-gilag hatch an outlandish scheme to make things right—unless they’re caught.

Then there’s Prr’t-zevisti, a Zhirrzh Elder. At first I wondered why the narrative kept returning to this peripheral individual who was accomplishing nothing, but it’s so the readers will know he’s in position when his moment of insight comes.

Discovering the truth about the war rocks his worldview. Should he tell the others? Could it make a difference? After so many deaths, they can’t simply call off the fighting.

Zhirrzh don’t often die as we know death, but live in a non-corporeal state when their bodies die. The presence of generations of observers, busybodies and advisors makes an interesting dimension of their society, giving tradition a weight greater than on earth.

One of the subplots in Conquerors’ Heritage is perhaps the Zhirrzh equivalent of euthanasia: should a citizen have the right to choose not to continue outside the physical body? The issue threatens the stability of the entire Zhirrzh culture and causes almost as much fear in government circles as the rumour of an unstoppable Human weapon: CIRCE.

Readers wondering how the Cavanagh family is dealing with the fallout from book one need to hold on for  book three, Conquerors’ Legacy. Given the suspenseful ending to Conquerors’ Heritage, I strongly suggest picking up a copy of book three before finishing book two so you can keep reading.

Timothy Zahn’s current novels are the Cobra War series and Terminator Salvation: Trial by Fire. I’m excited to see a new Star Wars novel coming from him next year too. The Conquerors series is still available through online bookstores, as well as through used bookstores.

[Note: Most books I review are written with a Christian worldview. Timothy Zahn’s novels are mainstream science fiction (or speculative) and seem to match the basics of Judeo-Christian morals.]
[Review copy from my personal library.]

Review: Conquerors’ Pride, by Timothy Zahn

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Conquerors’ Pride, by Timothy Zahn (Bantam Spectra, 1994)

Humans have conquered interstellar travel and forged political alliances with other star-faring races. Now, a Commonwealth Peacekeeper task force’s encounter with a new race ends in just six minutes—and that includes the strangers’ systematic targeting of individual life pods after the battle.

Pheylan Cavanagh is the lone human survivor of the disastrous first contact, and the aliens take him prisoner. With the entire Commonwealth mobilizing defences against the “Conquerors Without Reason,” Peacekeeper Command decides the needs of the many outweigh those of the one. They leave Pheylan on his own.

His father, wealthy industrialist Lord Stewart Cavanagh, mounts a rescue mission of his own, using “borrowed” military fighters and pilots. If they come back, they face a pile of trouble—even if they rescue Pheylan from the Conquerors.

One minor character in Conquerors’ Pride is a Sanduul artist who does threadings: pictures made of spiderlike silk. Her finished images reveal two different moods depending on the angle of view: the same subject, two separate effects.

This was my second reading of Conquerors’ Pride, and I enjoyed watching Timothy Zahn do his own “threading” of the story. In true Zahn style, the picture as viewed from the end of the book has a different feel from what you see while you’re reading. Re-reading, I could see more of the setup, like watching a magician in slow motion to see how he does the trick.

It was good to be back with the Cavanagh family and their allies, and to encounter other friends who’ll play key parts in the series. Revelations near the end of the novel contain some interesting social commentary that’s as applicable now as it was when the novel was first published. They’ll probably still be relevant when I read the series a third time.

Timothy Zahn is a master at creating alien races, environments and cultures as well as fast-paced, intricate plots. He’s a Hugo Award-winning author of over 40 novels and multiple short stories. His Star Wars novels are among fans’ favourites. Curiously enough, they’ve been among the final books I’ve read from him. (Still haven’t read the Terminator novels.)

Conquerors’ Pride was my first taste of Mr. Zahn’s writing, and I’ve bought every book I could get my hands on since then. And in an age where authors must maintain a web presence, he’s succeeding quite nicely without one, thank you.

[Note: Most books I review are written with a Christian worldview. Timothy Zahn’s novels are mainstream science fiction (or speculative) and seem to match the basics of Judeo-Christian morals. Conquerors’ Pride contains occasional very minor profanity. Just so you know.]
[Book source: my own library.]

Review: Deceit, by Brandilyn Collins

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Deceit, by Brandilyn Collins (Zondervan, 2010)

Some evil shouts from rooftops, some scuttles in the dark. The greatest evil tips its face toward light with shining innocence.

Baxter Jackson shone with the worst of them. (p. 15)

Brilliant opening words for a suspense novel! These are the angry thoughts of Joanne Weeks, whose best friend Linda was Baxter’s first wife. Now his second wife is dead too, and Joanne believes he killed them both.

Problem is, Baxter is larger than life in the small California town of Vonita. He’s rich, successful, admired by all except Joanne. He’s even head elder of their church.

But Joanne knows Baxter abused Linda, even if the rest of the town—chief of police included—thinks he’s a model citizen.

A frightening encounter with a hooded man (see the book cover) gives Joanne a new mission: find Melissa, the teenaged foster child who was living with the Jacksons at the time of Linda’s death. “HM,” as Joanne calls the man, says Melissa knows where Baxter buried the body.

Joanne is a professional skip tracer, making her living by finding people who don’t want to be found. But can she find Melissa and convince her to talk before Baxter learns what Joanne’s up to—and stops her permanently?

Joanne’s part of the story is told in first person and alternates with Melissa’s from six years earlier. Melissa’s scenes are told in the third person.

The first-/third-person switch works for me in the novel because it makes a clear break between present and past. As the two plots play out, with occasional third-person scenes from an unidentified man who’s keeping tabs on Joanne, there are some unexpected twists along the way.

In her typical Seatbelt Suspense® style, Brandilyn Collins gives us a wild ride from the opening pages. I’ve read enough of her novels now to trust her delivery: she may scare me, but she won’t traumatize me with explicit scenes.

A big part of what makes her novels bestsellers is the characters: they’re real, with thoughts, experiences and motivations that make sense—and that drive the plot to come out the way it does.

Brandilyn explains some of how she does this in her non-fiction book for writers, Getting Into Character. It’s harder than it looks!

Deceit is the perfect name for this book. It seems like everyone’s lying, even Joanne, whose job sometimes involves gaining information under false pretences. She hasn’t thought anything of it until Melissa demands, “Is that what the Bible says—don’t lie except when you ‘have to’?” (p.186)

If she can stay alive long enough to see Baxter behind bars, Joanne knows she needs to think about Melissa’s accusation. For readers interested in this and other thought-provoking questions, see the discussion guide for Deceit.

You can read an excerpt from Deceit and learn more about the author and her other books at the Brandilyn Collins website. Brandilyn also blogs at Forensics and Faith.

Her next suspense novel, Over the Edge, releases May 2011. You can read a teaser for Over the Edge here. The plot is based on Lyme Disease, and Brandilyn says it’s the novel she was “made to write”. (Her Lyme-Over the Edge blog says, “Brandilyn was struck with Lyme in 2002. She was miraculously healed in 2003 and was completely well for six years. The year 2009 brought a reinfection, which she is managing to keep under control.”) Lyme-Over the Edge is a place for people to share their own experiences with Lyme Disease.

[Book from my own collection.]

Review: Mirrored Image, by Alice K. Arenz

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Mirrored Image, by Alice K. Arenz (Sheaf House Publishers, 2010)

Cassandra Chase loves her job writing an offbeat column with the Lakewood Journal. She’s not happy to be assigned human interest coverage on a recent murder—especially since she bears a strong resemblance to the deceased.

Lakewood is a small town; how can she and the murder victim have not known about one another? Especially when her investigation reveals so many common acquaintances?

Jeff McMichaels is an experienced homicide detective who’s recently joined the local police force. He doesn’t like the influential set’s untouchable attitude—even more so when some of them become key suspects. He also doesn’t like inflammatory journalists getting in the way of his investigation.

Cassie’s not out to cause trouble, just to do her job. But she won’t back down from the detective’s arrogant attitude.

Her home was broken into the night of the murder, and her own life may be in danger. With suspicion falling on those closest to her, McMichaels may be the only one she can trust. And their opposite personalities are definitely beginning to attract.

Alice K. Arenz has created such an intricate web of relationships and secrets that that one of the detectives complains he needs a scorecard. But everything unfolds clearly for the reader.

Cassie is a perky character and I liked her from the beginning, and while I couldn’t guess “whodunit” I had fun speculating on the various possibilities.

The puzzle is set in the prologue, where we see the victim dying. From her thoughts and those of at least two unnamed individuals, we have enough to lead—or mislead—us as we follow Cassie’s and Jeff’s investigation.

Mirrored Image is a romantic suspense that’s closer to the cozy end of the spectrum than the intense or frightening. The murder, and later events aimed at terrorizing Cassie, aren’t graphic or traumatic to readers. It’s a book that kept me reading, kept my mind guessing about the plot, without being too scary to read at bedtime.

I’ll definitely be looking for more from Alice K. Arenz. Her follow-up novel to Mirrored Image is An American Gothic, to release in October 2011. In the mean time I’ll be checking out her more comedic cozy mysteries, The Case of the Bouncing Grandma (a finalist in the 2009 American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year Contest) and The Case of the Mystified M.D. (which received the 2010 ACFW Carol Award for Mystery).

Alice is one of October 2010’s featured authors at the American Christian Fiction Writers’ site. To learn more about her and her books, visit the A.K. Arenz website.

[Review copy provided by the author in exchange for an unbiased review.]

Review: One Smooth Stone, by Marcia Lee Laycock

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One Smooth Stone, by Marcia Lee Laycock (Castle Quay Books, 2007)

I expected One Smooth Stone to be good read. After all, the manuscript won the 2006 Best New Canadian Christian Author Award, earning publication by Castle Quay Books.

The novel’s tagline challenges, “No matter how far you run, God will find you. No matter what you’ve done, God will forgive you.” One endorsement labels it a thriller, but I disagree—it’s not Clancy-esque or high action. It’s a compelling read about hurt people fumbling toward healing, and about a God who won’t let go.

Marcia Laycock’s writing style is vivid and rich with sensory detail. She draws on her time in the North to evoke a strong sense of place. It would be worth reading just to experience the Yukon setting from our warm living rooms, but she also gives us lifelike characters to root for, suspense, and a puzzle to unravel.

Protagonist Alex Donnelly is a man with secrets, and Marcia Laycock brings them to light slowly, compassionately, and with a defter touch than a debut novelist should have. Alex’s and the other characters’ pain is neither minimized nor exploited, and it’s brought to light in a way that didn’t traumatize this chicken reader.

Hard questions and spiritual issues are treated naturally, with none of the heavy-handed preaching or pat answers found in some Christian novels. The story feels real, and it offers hope.

One Smooth Stone is the best Christian fiction I read in 2007, and its characters have a place in my heart.

This is a story for adults, male or female, wounded or whole. You can read the opening chapter of One Smooth Stone here.  A much-anticipated sequel is in the works. [Edited: The Sequel, A Tumbled Stone, released in 2012. You can read my review here.]

Marcia Lee Laycock is a Canadian writer, speaker and pastor’s wife who lives in Alberta. Besides One Smooth Stone, she’s the author of two devotional books and sends a weekly devotional via email to over 4,000 subscribers. You can learn more about Marcia and her books at her website.

[Review copy from my personal library. This review has been adapted from the original, which appeared in Faith Today, March/April 2008.]
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Review: In Every Heartbeat, by Kim Vogel Sawyer

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In Every Heartbeat, by Kim Vogel Sawyer (Bethany House, 2010)

Libby Conley and her friends Pete and Bennett formed a strong bond growing up together in a small orphanage. September 1914 finds them transplanted into residence at the University of Southern Missouri, sponsored by scholarships.

Libby dreams of becoming a famous journalist, Pete is studying for the ministry, and Bennett wants to dive into fraternity life. And although they’re on the same campus, each one carries goals and wounds that threaten to pull their friendship apart.

In Every Heartbeat brings a slice of American history to life. Social conventions carry great weight on- and off-campus. It’s a rarity for a woman to have a career as a writer (or to wear her long hair down, let alone wearing “britches”). And physical discipline is matter of course behind family walls—making abuse almost impossible to prove.

This is a delightful story of friendship, faith and love, and of learning to know God’s presence “in every heartbeat”. Libby (or Elisabet, as she wants to be known in journalism) is a feisty, unconventional young woman, and I enjoyed her.

I’d heard good things about Christian author and inspirational speaker Kim Vogel Sawyer, but this is the first of her novels I’ve read. It follows the award-winning My Heart Remembers, which featured the Gallagher siblings who are now adults running the orphanage where Libby and her friends grew up.

You don’t have to read one to read the other, but I now plan to go back and find out how Maelle, Isabelle and Matt came to be who they are. The hints about their past in In Every Heartbeat intrigued me, and I’d like to read more about Maelle.

I couldn’t find a sample chapter online, but the Bethany House site has an interesting Q&A with Kim Vogel Sawyer. You can also find her on her website and as one of the contributors to the Writes of Passage blog.

[Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications Inc. Available now at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House,  a division of Baker Publishing Group.]

Review: McShannon’s Chance, by Jennie Marsland

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McShannon’s Chance, by Jennie Marsland (Bluewood Publishing, 2009)

Beth Underhill is an independent-spirited young woman who wants to make her own choices in an era and society where that’s not done. She grew up in a wealthy family, accustomed to luxury. Now she’s an orphan, dependant on her relatives’ support. Her cousin expects to arrange a marriage for her, but if she can’t marry for love she’ll marry for business—and she’ll set it up herself.

The novel opens with the stagecoach depositing Beth in the small community of Wallace Flats, Colorado Territory, in 1870, as a mail-order bride.

Trey McShannon, her new husband, raises cattle and thoroughbred horses on property outside of town. It’s like living in the middle of nowhere, but Beth loves the horses, and the raw landscape is perfect for her watercolour paintings. And she discovers depths to Trey that attract her.

Trey fought in the American civil war—on the opposite side to his friends—and carries both physical and emotional scars. He wanted a wife to help with the workload, but he didn’t expect someone as beautiful and ladylike as Beth. How can he dare to believe she’ll stay?

Jennie Marsland has done an excellent job with her characters. I kept turning pages to read more about Beth and Trey as they learned how to coexist and began to fall for one another. The supporting characters are well done too, and there’s an interesting subplot between Trey and the town’s new sheriff.

McShannon’s Chance is satisfying as a western novel and historical romance. I did skip a bit here and there: it’s no surprise that a married couple would be physically intimate, but I’m not comfortable reading about it. What I saw wasn’t offensive, just very private and I felt like an intruder. This is a mainstream-market novel, and perhaps more sensual details are expected (maybe one reason I don’t read them too often?). It also has some moderate profanity, if that’s an issue for you.

Having said that, I look forward to reading the sequel. McShannon’s Heart is expected to release by year-end, and it’s the story of Trey’s sister, Rochelle. It’s set in the same time period in the Yorkshire Dales, England. You can read excerpts of both novels by following this link to Jennie Marsland’s books.

Canadian author Jennie Marsland connects to readers through her website, Hearts Through History, and through her blog, A Chat with Jennie Marsland. McShannon’s Chance is available in print and as an ebook.

[Review copy purchased from the author.]

Review: Becoming Lucy, by Martha Rogers

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Becoming Lucy, by Martha Rogers (Realms, 2010)

When seventeen-year-old Lucinda Bishop’s parents are killed in a carriage accident, she must move west to live on her aunt and uncle’s ranch. The year is 1896, and the developing territory of Oklahoma is much different than the wealthy area of Boston she’s known as home.

Lucinda will come into her inheritance on her 18th birthday, but leaving Boston may not be enough to protect her from another uncle, who wants the money for himself and who may not stop at murder.

Life on the ranch brings many adjustments, and one of the strengths of the novel is in its portrayal of ranch life in that period of time and space. The narrative never stops to dump information, but we experience the setting through Lucinda’s eyes.

The title comes from her struggle with how much to embrace this new life. To belong in a culture where everything is less formal, including people’s names, can she trade Lucinda for Lucy without losing herself?

Aunt Mellie, Uncle Ben and the cousins are loving, faith-filled people who embrace Lucinda as her own. She’s a proper young lady, obedient to her elders and possessing a faith that seems to not have doubts. She’s strong, though, and determined to adapt to all that life has thrown at her.

Novels being what they are, life throws more at her before we reach the end. A deep attraction sparks between her and one of Uncle Ben’s handsome cowboys, Jake. But Jake doesn’t share her faith, and she knows that means she can’t encourage his attention. On his part, Jake doesn’t dare entangle himself. He’s on the run from the law.

This is a gentle prairie romance with characters who are for the most part kind people. The plot is well-woven and the setting rings true.

Becoming Lucy is Martha Rogers’ first novel. You can watch the book trailer for Becoming Lucy here. The next two in the Winds Across the Prairie series are Morning for Dove and Finding Becky (releasing September 2010). You can learn more about Martha Rogers at her website.

[book source: public library]

Review: The Constantine Conspiracy

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The Constantine Conspiracy, by Gary E. Parker (Revell, 2010)

Wealthy, freewheeling bachelor Rick Carson’s annual retreat with his father turns into disaster when the elder Carson is found dead. Only a skilled assassin could have penetrated their security system, so the evidence points to an inside job—perhaps to Rick himself.

The Carson ranch backs onto a national park, and Ranger Shannon Bridge is dispatched to the site until the police can arrive.

Rick can’t risk being detained as a suspect. Instinct tells him if he doesn’t find his father’s killer fast, nobody ever will. He flees out the back door as the police knock on the front.

Believing him to be innocent, Shannon lets him go and offers her help if he’ll trust her.

Meanwhile, at various points across the US, individuals hired by a man matching the assassin’s description commit often-violent social activism, each one claiming to do it in the name of Jesus.

Rick and Shannon are players caught up in a conspiracy of powerful allies united against what they perceive as their greatest threat: Christianity.

The plot is cleverly constructed, and with a subject matter that could come from present-day headlines it should attract plenty of readers.

I prefer a deeper third-person point of view, where the reader develops a stronger emotional connection to the characters. Gary E. Parker uses a distant third-person narration, or perhaps it’s a masterfully-done omniscient. It feels more impersonal, but it’s probably an attribute of the conspiracy-intrigue genre.

The actions and settings work well in the “show-don’t-tell” convention, but to me the thoughts and emotions felt “told, not shown”. Instead of reading that Rick or Shannon was unsure, curious etc, I wanted to see it in their speech and actions.

The novel does have some very strong lines, like the description of Shannon moving “like a woman accustomed to going places and not afraid to arrive.” (page 106)

What bothered me most was the frequent dangling of hidden information. When we meet Shannon we’re told she has a deeper mission behind the park ranger role: a mission she doesn’t know when will begin or end, and one she fears and yet hopes for.

It would have worked better to let us meet her as a ranger and discover the rest on a need-to-know basis.

Readers should be intrigued by the hints instead of resentful about being kept out of the know. Shannon is the biggest example of this, but even minor bits of information feel like jealously-guarded things instead of like nuggets doled out as needed.

I also had trouble with the Carter ranch’s high-tech voice-recognition controls. It’s great to have a computer that turns on your lights and preheats your shower on command, but how does it know when you want your words transmitted over the intercom—and to whom—and when you’re having a private conversation?

The spiritual thread is done well. Shannon takes her Christianity seriously, and Rick has been brought up to hold it in contempt. As the attraction between them grows, the faith issue seems insurmountable. Unlike some novels, the author treats both characters’ views with respect and makes no attempt to force Rick into a quick conversion so the couple can get married on the final page.

After a wild ride, the novel comes to a satisfying finish that leaves room for a sequel. Suffice to say there’s still a significant threat to Rick’s and Shannon’s lives, and they reach a tentative truce on the faith issue. If you like conspiracy theories and fast-paced intrigue, this one’s for you.

American author Gary E. Parker is multi-published in fiction and non-fiction. You can read the first chapter of The Constantine Conspiracy here.

[Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available now at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.]

Review: Forget Me Not, by Vicki Hinze

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Forget Me Not, by Vicki Hinze (WaterBrook-Multnomah, 2010)

She’s been running from her enemies for three years. As the story opens, readers don’t know her name, but we see her attacked by two separate groups in New Orleans.

When she wakes, bruised and abandoned, in Florida, she can’t remember her identity. Her only clue is a card in her pocket with Crossroads Crisis Center on one side and the name “Susan” written on the other.

She’s taken to Crossroads, and that’s when things get complicated.

The mystery woman looks like Crossroads’ director Ben Brandt’s murdered wife—whose name was Susan, and whose cross this woman found in her pocket and is now wearing.

As upset as Ben  is, he realizes that he and this stranger must work together for her safety as well as to find the answers he desperately needs.

With so many unknowns, and what looked like a complex cast of villains, I found it hard to get my head around the book at first. I kept reading out of concern for the heroine and because I trusted veteran author Vicki Hinze to deliver a suspenseful novel that would bring all the pieces together in the end.

The pieces do come together, and the network of villains is indeed complex. “Susan” and Ben are strong, complex characters. She doesn’t know who she is, but she’s sure Whose she is. He knows his identity but walked away from faith when his wife and son were killed. And in the midst of the danger and unknowns, they may be falling in love.

Vicki Hinze has written 23 novels and 3 non-fiction books in the general market. Forget Me Not is her first “faith-affirming romantic thriller, and she handily earns a spot at the top of my suspense list with Brandilyn Collins. Her next novel in the Crossroads Crisis Center series is Deadly Ties, coming February, 2011.

You can read the first chapter of Forget Me Not,  and learn more about award-winning author Vicki Hinze at her website. Check out an in-depth interview with Vicki Hinze at Nora St. Laurent’s Finding Hope Through Fiction blog.

Here’s the book trailer for Forget Me Not: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pi9bXuLk_Fw]

[review copy borrowed from the public library]