Brethern

Brethren is the first book of the Knight templar trilogy, with the second being Crusades. As I mentioned in my blog about Crusades, I accidentally read the second book before the first one, so I had to backtrack a bit but anyway, on with the review!

So in Brethren, it once again focuses on Will, who is at this time an apprentice of a knight in England. He is hoping to become a templar knight to become a member of the Anima Templi, a secret organization tha defends and fights in the name of God and Christianity as a whole. Things seem to be fine as Will trains with his best friend Lyon as they both fight hard to be accepted into the society and live their daily lives, there are two major incidents occuring elsewhere. In the city of London, there has been an incident where the holy Book of the Grail has been stolen. With the book gone, the templars fear that if one were to have the knowledge to decipher the sacred relic, it would mean to revealing the secrets of the Anima Templi and leaving them vulnerable against their enemy organizations. If that wasn't bad enough, the Islam empire in the Middle East has finally defeated their rival, the Mongols who have been trying to expand their empire from Asia. With the Mongols out of the way, the Muslims try to rebuild their country from the costs of the war but as soon as the old Sultan has been assassinated and the famous general Baybars with his hate towards Christianity takes control, things may not go so smoothly as he sets out for war. Facing problems on both sides, the Anima Templi use all of their resources avaliable to fend off the Muslim invasion of the Christian forts and to retrieve the Book of the Grail, the organization has no choice but to send out young Will to find the book while the older veteran knights move to the Middle East for battle.

The historical fiction masterpiece was a joy to read and it just leaves you waiting for more from Young. I have alrerady read Crusades but I am thrilled to get my hands on the thrid book Requiem soon.

Lost Souls

Lost Souls by Lisa Jackson is another murder mystery novel that I happened to have picked up in the libary and enjoy reading. This story resolves around Kristi Bentz, who is far from your average girl. She's the daughter of Rick Bentz, a detective in New Orleans who is famous for being able to crack some of the most complex cases and brought down murderers that would make anyone cring when they heard their name. In the past, Kristi attempted to follow her father's footsteps by trying to bring in killers of the same caliber as Rick Bentz past achievements. The amazing thing is that she has succeeded in doing so, only that she has nearly gotten killed everytime she decideds to stick her head into dangerous affairs with the killers. Now at the age of twenty-seven, Kristi decides to pursue her true dream of being a crime-writer and goes back to her old college, All Saints university. But to Kristi, this isn't going to be just some education opportunity. The real reason she's going is because she thinks there's a mystery to solve there. Kristi has done some research beforehand about the college and it seems that four girls has suddenly disappeared from the campus and were never seen again. This seems completely reasonable, since all four girls were known to be depressed and have taken drugs, so everyone, including their families, were have thought to just run away from the campus with some random guy they picked up. But to Kristi, this similarity seems like the perfect excuse to simply ignore this issue to cover something big up and once Kristi gets to on the campus, she sees that her suspicions were quite accurate. When Kristi talks to some students, she can actually see that they are going to die very soon due to her special ability, which is seeing death. What I mean is that she can see someone's face and all of a sudden their skin would appear all pale. Then, as the days went on closer to their day of death, their faces would disappear and she would see a pale skull looking at her. This encounter confirms the fact that something fishy is going on in All Saints and she has to findout what. But she can't do this alone: she needs the help of high-school lover and ex-boyfriend Jay Knights, a prosectutor who has been hired as one of her teachers in the university. After settling differences, they finally team up and they discover that these disappearances may not just be from a single killer, but are a result of a whole cult worshipping vampires in the school. From then on, Kristi believes that her past encounters were nothing compared to this new threat.
This book is another rare mystery favorite that I happened to come across. It's so suspenseful, even more so than regular mystery novels because, as mentioned earlier, paranormal powers get involved in the situation and you have no idea whatsoever on what's happening! There are some parts in the book where Jackson refers to her past novels but this only encourages me to go out and buy them. I definitely recommend this book to any mystery fans. If a sci-fi guy like me enjoyed it, I'm pretty sure it will rank high for anyone who enjoys the genre.

The Icarus Hunt (completed)

Timothy Zahn never fails to amaze me. This is the second book by Zahn that I have read (the first being Angelmass) and it only strengthens my respect for Zahn as my favorite Sci-fi author. In The Icarus Hunt, by Timothy Zahn, the future is portrayed as humans establishing colonies and cities alongside thousands of alien species. A new form of business called galactic shipping is established benefit the economy but most of the shipping is now under the control of a powerful alien race known as the the Pattaaunutth, or "Patth" for short. Looking for a way to survive, Jordan McKell, a ship pilot who is currently in a huge debt from an mafia boss known as "Brother John", tries to find some work to do when a mysterious gentleman offers him a shipping job on his spaceship the Icarus. Of course, Jordan agrees and heads out for the space port where the ship was held. As seen in the included picture, the Icarus looks like an abomination compared to more standard ships. Jordan is not the only one to notice this however: the other members of the hired space crew notice this strange factor as well. Each member had been hired off the street by the same mysterious gentleman that approached Jordan, looking for people who filled out their roles to operate a huge spaceship. These members are: Jaegar Jones (mechanic), Almont Nicabar (Engineer and ex-military), Chort (alien space walker), Geoff Shawn (electronic specialist), and Tera (computer specialist). These six members are to get along and fly this huge ship all the way to Earth, which is easier said than done for a number reasons. The first is that their employer wasn't on board when they took off, raising suspicion. Second, the crew doesn't even know what they're carrying as cargo. And third, an incident occurs mid-flight that indicates that there is a saboteur on board that can very well threaten their lives. As the story progresses, tensions increase as pretty soon, the Patth itself is interested in the Icarus and are willing to do whatever it takes to make sure it falls in their hands, since this poorly construced ship can change the fate of the economic empire the Patth have established. A highly recommended story for those who like a mix of mystery and sci-fi

The 47th Samurai (completed)

I have decided to try out a new genre for once: MYSTERY. I was looking for a science fiction book at the local libary when I came across The 47th Samurai by Stephen Hunter. The book starts out with a look in the past on Iwo Jima in 1945, when the Americans started their campaign to take over the Pacific area of Japan. Major Earl Swagger is enlisted as commander of a platoon of soldiers to eliminate the remaining Japanese soldiers on the island, under the command of Captain Yano. The the Japanese are pinned down, Captain Yano commands his soldier to be samurai, proud and vigorous warriors who embrace death. Just as the battle begins, the prologue ends and the reader jumps ahead sixty years into the future to Bob Lee Swagger, Earl Swagger's son. Bob is an ex-marine and a Vietnam veteran, who is now retired on his farm in Idaho. One day, Philip Yano, the son of Captain Yano from Iwo Jima, approaches Bob to ask him if he knows the location of the katana, or japanese sword, that Captain Yano used during the heroic battle of Iwo Jima. Accepting Philip's request, Bob locates the sword and travels to Tokyo, Japan to hand it over to Philip. Upon delivery, Philip inspects the sword to discover the fact that his father's sword is more than just a WWII standard military sword: it's a shin-shinto, a national treasure to the country of samurai. It's a priceless artifact that Bob will soon discover that it is indeed worth killing for. Bob arrives at a Japanese airport to suddenly get drunk on sake, Japan's national drink, and misses his flight. However, this is both a blessing and a curse on his part. The next morning when he wakes up, he discovers on the news that the Yanos' house has been burned to the ground. Bob later finds out that it was the doing of a Shinsengumi, a yakuza mafia group under Kondo Isumi, an infamous samurai that will kill anyone who gets in his business. In order to avenge the Yano family, Bob has to dive deep into Japanese culture and master the art of the samurai to survive in the yakuza world. Of course, he can't do this alone. He asks for the help of American-born Susan Okada and the cocaine-dealing journalist Nick Yamamoto in this fight of government corruption. But for now, I don't want to give away any major details on the story. The significance of the sword and why even the government would turn to the yakuza to retrieve it are all revealed in the story to provide a sense of excitement for the reader as he/she puts the pieces together to solve the mystery of the shin-shinto. This factor makes the book very enjoyable and I strongly recommend it to anyone looking for an amazing triller

The Year's Best Science Fiction (completed)

As a sci-fi fan, this was one of the most enjoyable reading experiences, not to mention challenging as well. I found this book randomly in the adult section of my libary, so I gave it a shot and it was definitely worth it. While I enjoyed it, I am aware that there are some people who are quite skeptical about science fiction, such as this one English teacher that I know, and I don't blame them. When people hear the words, "sci-fi", the first images that pop up in their heads is aliens battling humans, human expansion to planets, the apocolpyse and if we'll survive, etc, and that is some of the ideas in this collection of sci-fi short stories but it goes far beyond that. Fans of the sci-fi genre, will be able to distinguish this book as an impressive tome of philosophy. What I mean in philsophy is that this book incorperates sci-fi into the one topic that no one will ever understand: human nature. In many of the planets in space that the main characters of each story go to, they find out the hard way that no matter where they are, they can never escape their nature. For example, in one short story, a team of space explorers come across a single under-developed planet in which they send out undetectable "drones" to survey the alien race that inhabits the planet and come to like these strange creatures. However, another alien race from space as well comes into contact into the alien race from the planet. From the perspective of their drone cameras, they can distinguish this as a conquest in the making as more corpses appear in the civilization on the planet. Most of the team wants to go down onto the planet to save the civilization but only being armed with three laser pistols against a whole army, the captain of the team has no choice but to order the team to stand down and retreat back to Earth. As they escape the space zone above the planet and are ready for take off, they witness a complete genocide as the civilization falls under superior fire power. Unable to do anything, the team grits and close the warp gate that brought them there in the first place and recording it as if nothing happened. This story is a scientific way of expressing that human nature is mostly distinguishable as carrying about one's self and ignoring helping others. The other aspects of human nature, both positive and negative, are explored in each of the different short stories. Like mentioned earlier, this is a long collection ideal for sci-fi fans but people who aren't into sci-fi shouldn't touch this book, for they won't be able to understand what is happening from page one.

Poisonwood Bible (complete)

Eh, it was an okay book. I mean, I can't say it was a favorite considering the fact that I'm a die hard fantasy fan, but I still liked it.

So, starting from where I left off last time, the Price family is trying their best to fit into Congo life, espeacially the girls (Rachel, Leah, Adah, and Ruth May). Fortunately, they get to know the locals, especially Nelson and Antalone, Nelson being their servant, and Antalone is the teacher of the only school in the village, who also gets to be Leahs best friend. But, like any good story, there is always a turning point for the worst. Just as the Price family gets accustomed to Congo life and their time in the Congo is just a few months from leaving the continent, political leader Lamamba decides to unite the provinces of the Congo and rise as an independent nation. In retaliation, the U.N sends troops to surpress the uprising since they had control of the precious diamond mines located in the Congo. With a miniture war occuring, with violent agressions occuring all over the country, all of the white settlers, priests and all, are evacuating. But do the Price family leave? No, sir, Nathan Price (father) is more than happy to stay with his dismayed family, claiming that running away from God's sacred mission to baptize the Congo children would bring them eternal shame. Just as when things have seemed to hit rock bottom, fate just keeps on digging. One morning, when the girls heard a rickis going on in their chicken coop, they rush over to see a green snake killing their chickens. Then, in a blink of a second, the snake takes a leap and kills Ruth May with its poison fangs. Dismayed over the lost of their youngest child, Orleanna (the mother) enters a fragile state between grief and sudden brakedown while the only words Nathan could mutter were, "she wasn't even baptized". When hearing these words, in just a few days, Orleanna takes her children and leave the house, abondoning her stubborn husband in hopes of a better future, away from this tempest of insanity and violence.
In a way, that's exactly what happens, except for the fact that each of the children take their seperate paths. Rachel marries a man, gets a divorce, and marries a more wealthy hotel owner who dies and wills the hotel business to her and lives the rest of her life in luxury, just like the snobby little girl she was when she first stepped into the Congo. Leah, however, decides to marry Anatole and has four of his children. (I felt kinda awkward when I read this chapter). Orleanna decides to take Adah and go back to the states, where Adah finally cures her condition of walking crooked and is more social when exposed to a more educated enviroment in one of the top medical universities. It's kind of interesting to see how their futures were connected to their personalities: Rachel being the rich snobby girl, Leah being stubborn enough to make Anatole finally agree to the message, and Adah, the quiet yet silent one, being a doctor to help others.
So, around the time where the girls turn close to their fifties, the have one last reunion in the Congo where they share information and catch up. Leah informs them that their old father, good old Nathan, was treated as a demon, since he tried to baptize a whole boat of children when it tipped over and all the children died of either drowning or getting devoured by crocidiles. When villagers finally caught Nathan, he was on a wooden tower, which they set on fire and killed him. The ladies found it ironic that not only how Nathan died for his "sacred duty" of baptizism but also because he rehearsed the Bible's verse pertaining about the "end of the world" or whatever (yeah, I'm not much of a biblical person, as you can see). After their reunion, they take their dying mother to go visit the village they first came to when they ask a local for directions. The funny part is that the woman claimed that the place didn't exist and she didn't recall any village in the area they mentioned, since the war most likely lead to the destruction of it.

To be honest, I enjoyed the ending of the book. I interpreted the ending as a message to the girls, saying that after all of the suffering they went through and all of their efforts to try to make life better in the Congo, the only result is nothing and that all of their efforts were for nought, which humored me in a sick sense of humor. Kingsolver incorperates more human lessons in her novel as well. For example, in a chapter where all of the residents of the village, including the Price family, participate in a hunt where they burn the forest and kill fleeing animals. While this is going on, Rachel describes what she saw as barbaric, saying that men were jumping at the sight of blood and that they fought amoungst themselves for meat, showing the negative sides of human nature.

Overall, not my favorite but certainly an enjoyable book to read. If this is coming from me, who is strongly against historical fiction, it just goes to show the skill of Barbara Kingsolver's narration.

Crusades (finished)

The crusades: the series of wars that took the lives of millions of civilians and warriors alike. The Crusades, by Robyn Young, is a stimulating historical fiction novel from the viewpoint of Will Campell, a respected Christan templar, who has a dream of establishing peace in the religous world, where Muslims and Christans gets along with each other as efficently as oil mixes with water. Fortunately, Will isn't the only one with this dream. The Anima Templi, latin for "the Soul of the Temple", is a secret organization of templars whose goal is to establish and maintain peace in this harsh world of religous conflicts and chaos. The Anima Templi was actually established near the end of the first book in the series, The Bretheren. I accidently picked up The Crusades and started reading it, confused at first but that quickly changed. After reading the first few pages, I quickly adjusted and got comfortable with the book, since the writing style Young uses makes it seem that the second book of the series is the first story, since she does such a great job on explaining current events in the book. She also connects to the previous novel in the series by writing about Will's flashbacks on events back in the first book. After giving information about the first novel, those events in the past book lead to significant events in the second story. For example, Will spends and afternoon thinking back to when Will lost his father in a Muslim assault on a Christian fort and spared no one in it. This is just one of the countless factors that contribute to everyone's bloddlust for another Crusade to occur and eliminate the opposing religon. To make it even worse, there is treason occuring in both sides of the war: traitors in the Muslim court are trying to coax king sultan Baybars, ruler of the Islam empire, into eliminating the Christans and Christan merchants are pulling strings to start a crusade, which would imporve their failing businesses with the high demand of weapons. With all of this suspense occuring with just the prevention of a single crusade, it's frightening to think what people had to go through to survive the crusades and even more terrifying to think how difficult the struggle is for Will and the Anima Templi, who have to prevent the intentions of hundreds of political figures of getting through and starting mass blood shed. It just goes to show how amazing Robyn Young is by using her fanatastic narrative skills to make you feel and experience all of the emotions of the characters. Lastly, as a side note, she also includes a glossary filled with characters' names, positions and places, which is helpful when trying to comprehend the viewpoints of different people as a new chapter begins.