Book Review: Ideally Speaking

Title of Book:  Ideally Speaking

Editors:  Steve Hellmann and Lindsay Talmud

Publisher:  Lexicon Books (April 13, 2011)
Available: Amazon

“Ideally Speaking” presents an excellent study of South African Jews who were exposed to strong ideological influences in their youth and thought that they would “make the world a better place”. The book, through a series of interviews with a wide cross-section of those who stayed in South Africa and those who left, presents us with a fascinating look into their memories, thoughts and present day activities as we trace the changes in their ideology and in the world around them.This is not only an exploration into the past, but also a look towards the future, against the backdrop of Israel's struggle to sustain a credible democracy and the many challenges facing post-apartheid South Africa.  

The nature of the interviews, conducted by the two editors: Steve Hellmann and Lindsay Talmud, not only provide a deep understanding of the South African experience, but also touch on universal themes relevant to us all.

What struck me most about this book is the way in which people have opened up and attempted to honestly reflect upon the different stages in their life. Most of the people interviewed have led a long and rich life, taking on demanding roles through which they have definitely left their mark. And although their paths have varied: some deciding to fulfill the Zionist dream of settling in Israel; others deciding to stay in South Africa and fight against the policy of Apartheid; and others ending up somewhere else in the world - most of them appear to have struggled with the same deliberations, albeit with different results and conclusions.

And although their immediate experience was quite different from mine, there still are many significant similarities, and their reflections have helped me better understand my own.

I am sure that many of you who read this book will feel the same.

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Book Review: The Man Clothed in Linen

Title of Book:  The Man Clothed in Linen

Author:  Robert Earle

Publisher:  MC Writing (October 7, 2011)
Available:  Amazon


“The Man Clothed in Linen” is a compelling look, not only into the story of Jesus, but into the complex political climate of the times. Being well acquainted with both Old and New Testaments, as well as living in Israel these past 30 plus years, I can appreciate the amount of research that went into the writing of this novel. The end result feels quite authentic, although - of course - there is quite a bit of speculation.


The narrative is seen through the eyes of Nicolas, a Greek who served the key figures of the time: tutoring the children of Antony and Cleopatra in Egypt, serving as advisor to King Herod and later Herod’s sons in Israel, as well as advisor to the Roman Emperor Augustus and his wife  Livia in Rome. By basing the narrative on someone who is neither Roman nor Jew, we are seemingly presented with a much more objective and comprehensive look at a very complex situation. And understanding the complex political situation is vital in attempting to understand who Jesus was and the role he was to play.


The description of the life of Jesus in the New Testament is based on a small number of carefully selected texts. At times these texts appear to be carefully constructed to glorify the man, rather that present the reality of the human condition, and attempt to simplify a very complex situation. “The Man Clothed in Linen” not only helps us understand better the realities of the time, but also allows us to see better how Jesus would be viewed during his own lifetime.


While challenging many of our pre-conceived concepts, the book does not necessarily present an alternate reality. In fact, it leaves much of this open for us to decide. For example, we are led to believe that Herod was the father of Jesus, however there are conflicting accounts in the book as to whether Herod was capable of conceiving a child at this time of his life, and the later mention of Jesus being the son of a King often holds possible double meaning.  


I found the descriptions, the running dialogue, the development of characters and the manner in which the various story elements are tied together - extremely effective and warmly recommend this book.

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Book Review: Mr. Millennium

Title of Book: Mr. Millennium
Author: Morgan Nyberg
Publisher: Amazon (May 5, 2011)
Available: Amazon

Description:
Gabor Esterhazy is Mr. MILLENNIUM, a bright, young but troubled manual laborer who is taken under the very shady wing of a secret society. Their claim: that he is descended from Jesus Christ himself! Surely the resulting fame, power, money and adulation will bring him the peace he needs? Or will he find, too late, that he is merely a puppet, placed on a false throne to satisfy the insidious aims of those who claim to care for him?

Follow Gabor Esterhazy as he goes determinedly off the rails, and his journey toward happiness becomes a dark and comic shambles of lust, deceit and mayhem.

Review:
Mr. Millennium provides a penetrating look into the dark side of the human condition. We find ourselves asking, at times, how we would react if put into a similar position. The depravity of Gabor’s actions, his misuse of the so-called “present” and “opportunity” awarded him at first, not only disgusts us, but angers us. Possibly because we can identify with a part of him, however small.

I found the book very well written. We are carried along convincingly, meeting well constructed and unique characters who add significantly both to the pace and meaning of the book. The author’s detailed descriptions do not bog us down, as descriptions in many books are wont to do, but carry us  effortlessly along, adding more meat and flavour to the book.

The one thing that surprises me about this book is that I am the first person to review it. This is the first book by Morgan Nyberg that I have read and I am sure to read more. Morgan is not only an expert story teller, but he is also a master of prose. I strongly recommend this book to all who want a really good thought provoking read.

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Book Review: Surviving Beauty

Title of Book: Surviving Beauty

Author: David Rory O'Neill

Publisher: Bookbaby, 2nd Edition (Oct. 19, 2011)
Available: Amazon

Description:

Regan was just seven years old when her mystical beauty became a curse rather than a gift. That was when her father began to ruthlessly profit by selling her image. The exploitation of youthful beauty is an eternal struggle of good and evil. A stubborn non-conformist Detective Inspector of the Garda has pledged himself to that struggle. DI Jim Burrows plays a critical role in Regan’s ability to survive and recover from her exploitation. Regan’s journey from childhood to womanhood is thrilling and dangerous but ultimately becomes a warm and inspiring story of a young girl’s brave journey to adulthood, her struggle to survive the exploitation of her innocence, and above all - the healing power of love.

Review:
The novel is divided into three books: Surviving Beauty (chapters 1-6), Rescue (chapters 7-16) and Adulthood (chapters 13-15). I found a significant difference in the writing in each book, and will relate to this in my review.

The first book, Surviving Beauty, is very well written. The characters are distinct and believable, and their interaction is skilfully crafted. The author tackles a very problematic subject - the exploitation of children and adulation of beauty - and does so with taste, subtle insight and understanding. The character of young Regan, around which everything else develops, allows us to view this world through the eyes of a child. She is not only extremely beautiful, but is still evidently quite naive as to how this beauty is being sold.  Perhaps it is not so much naivety, but rather the need to still believe in her parents. But as the book progresses, we see how her innocence is being stolen by the people closest to her.

In the second book: Rescue - I found the writing to be much less compelling. The subtle balance in the first book, illustrated in the dialogue, the interaction between the characters and the development of events - was lost in the second. Suddenly, the dialogue turned into lengthy speeches by the characters, rather than any real discussion. And when the characters were not preaching out loud to others, they did so by speaking to their inner consciousness. I struggled through this part of the novel, not truly feeling the characters , nor was I caught up in the plot. We also no longer experienced much of the action through the eyes of Regan. We began to view her only from the outside, much like the other characters viewed her. This, however, may have been purposely done by the author in order to accentuate her confusing teenage years.

The third book: Adulthood - brought us back somewhat to what was lost in the second book. The dialogue appeared much more realistic again, except for the odd rantings, and we experienced the development of the plot much more instead of simply being told about it. The exploration of the inner conflicts in Regan and those close to her, was quite poignant in parts. I did feel that this inner conflict could have been developed more, rather than sweeping over it towards a quite idyllic ending, but then I am by nature a cynic and pessimist and don’t do as well with happy ending as do many others. The ending definitely was meant to be an inspiring testament to the triumph of good over evil, and I congratulate the author in believing that such things are still possible.

     

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Book review: The Speed of Darkness

Title of Book:  The Speed of Darkness
Author:  Sarah Baethge
Genre:  Fiction > Young adult or teen > Sci-Fi & fantasy
Published:  September 13, 2011
Available:  Amazon

Description:
Sam Omlup, a computer teacher and web design consultant, tries to live a normal life, despite having to continually hide the fact that he is a werewolf. However, his secret is discovered when, after transforming into a wolf,  he tries to save a complete stranger from attack. To his surprise, the two attackers immediately recognize him as a werewolf and are happy with their discovery. Sam is then horrified to learn that he has exposed himself to members of The Eclipse,  a company of cruel scientists who seek to capture near-human 'supernatural' creatures for use in questionable medical experiments. They can do so because there are no laws to protect such creatures, as such creatures do not legally exist.

Now Sam and Nigel Hunter (the man he saved) must try to remain outside of the clutches of The Eclipse as their pursuers quietly, yet persistently tear bit by bit away from the safety and secrecy Sam has so endeavored to maintain.

Review:
The Speed of Darkness is an entertaining novel about the battle between “good” and “evil”. Entertaining, because things are never exactly what they seem and we discover that there really is no black and white, but rather a myriad of greys. This is enhanced by the subtle poke at so-called “good-doers”, who claim to champion the cause of social awareness without completely thinking things through. I found that the development of the plot and nature of the writing carried me effortlessly through the first half of the book. I was intrigued by the concept of “shadow shifting” and wanted to see where this would lead.

My problems began with a number of  discrepancies in the characterization which became more apparent as we reached the second half of the book. Hillary, who promised to be an enticing character at first, never really carried through with this promise. It wasn’t quite clear how someone, with enough “street-smarts” to pick locks and circumvent computer firewalls, could so easily be swayed by a rather awkward explanation to switch sides.  Nor why Sam, who was constantly guarding his secret from others, would so willingly and without any thought or suspicion,  pick up a total stranger coming into town at the height of his dangerous situation - a man who quickly turned out to be his arch enemy. And why Nigel, apparently a very clever scientist, who came all the way to the town to seek out The Solar Flare organization, would give up first trying to contact them because he couldn’t find them listed in a phone book, and only think of contacting them by email when Sam suggested this to him.

It was because of these types of discrepancies that I found myself struggling at times through the second half of the book, finding the development of the plot to be rather sporadic at times.

I think that Sarah Baethge shows great promise as a writer and hope that in her future books she will invest more of her writing skill in ensuring that the characters are more true to character and compelling throughout the book.

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