Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana (Ann Rule)

[****] ISBN: 1400043522

The Road to Cana was not quite as enjoyable as Out of Egypt, at least not at first. The first 2/3 of the book felt slow, even meandering. The last 1/3 was very fast paced, almost too quick.

Like the first book, it's a bit of a stretch to get one's head inside the human head of the Son of God, though it's a bit easier having Him be an adult, rather than a child. But the author does an admirable job of trying to get some sort of a clue of the reality of the situation. As in the first book, she also brings the land and culture to life. Altogether an interesting read. Recommended.

The Eagles Brood (Jack Whyte)

[***] ISBN: 9780765304599

I liked this better than "The Singing Sword", but still not as much as "The Skystone". The author shifts viewpoint here, into the head of Merlyn, the nephew of the previous narrator, Publius Varras. This results in more story, but I could have skipped some of the detailed, gruesome, and sometimes depraved details.

This is a Merlyn that runs counter to most previous notions of the old wizard. He's a young warrior growing up in the tradition of the Roman armies that have vacated Britain. We follow his life as he spars with his friend, cousin and rival, Uther Pendragon, who is ultimately the father of Arthur. Theirs is a brutish and often distasteful life. The story is not for the squeamish -- or impatient.

The Singing Sword (Jack Whyte)

[***] ISBN: 0765304589

Not as much story fill the pages of the second book in this series. It's all very good writing, but much of it seems like filler. There are episodes that don't seem necessary to moving the plot forward. And the parts that are pertinent seem a bit drawn out. Even so, I pushed through and enjoyed the ending, which is very key to the overall epic.

In Cahoots: A Novel of Southern California, 1953 (Malcolm Cook MacPherson)

[*] ISBN: 9780679422044

If this book weren't so darn encouraging to me, as an aspiring author, I would have never finished reading it. I figure if this book can be published by a major publisher, someday, something I write can get published, too. Well, maybe I would have finished it just because it's set in approximately the same time and place (pre-Disneyland Orange County, CA) of the book I'm writing for National Novel Writing Month. This doesn't mean that I intend to steal ideas from it, just that I found some clues for coloring the world I'm creating.

What worked: the characters were sweet and kooky, some passages were pleasantly evocative of time and place, the overall idea of California as a land of dreams.

What didn't work: the author started right off throwing bits of localized jargon at the reader without explaining it and never looked back, most of the kooky characters were never really fleshed out into individuals that we actually cared about - they seemed to be just place holders and cogs in the plot - what they did never really jelled into funniness, and the plot was convoluted enough for an amazing mystery or spy novel but was not well drawn enough to overcome the other faults of the book.

As another reviewer noted, if you're a big fan of Disney or Disneyland, you might enjoy skimming through this. Otherwise, it's just another excuse for you to say to yourself, "I could write a book better than that."

The Skystone (Jack Whyte)

[****] ISBN: 0812551389

I believe I first got tipped off about this series by reading a rave on Orson Scott Card's blog. I'm glad I followed up on it.

The Skystone is the first volume of many in a retelling of the legend of King Arthur and Camelot (according to the reviews and the cover blurb). You wouldn't know it from reading the story (until you start getting clues in the latter half of the book). This story is set years before Arthur, when Britain was still under the rule of Rome and the Roman legions. It follows Plublius Varrus, one of those Roman soldiers, through well-staged bloody battles, intriguing political feuds and troubling personal demons. This is quite an adventure.

I found the writing and plotting to be first-rate overall. I read the book straight through in a week (it helped to be sitting in airports and on planes). A few things keep me from giving it a full four stars: (1) Secondary characters seem to be either fully trustworthy and noble or not. It's way too easy to identify allies and enemies. Where are the turncoats? (2) Life in ancient Britain comes across as a bit too idyllic. Although some difficulties are described, the author glosses over many of the harsh realities of everyday life in this period. (3) Typical of most secular books, the Christian themes are very muted and easily confused with simple morality.

I will definitely find and read the rest of the books in this series.

Christ the Lord - Out of Egypt (Anne Rice)

[****]

Yes, this is by the Anne Rice of vampire fame (which I have not read). It turned out to be quite different from my expectations, but I liked it. It is written entirely from the viewpoint of a seven-year-old--a seven-year-old Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah. Anne did her research, which means the book is steeped in ancient Hebrew culture and history. It's probably a bit of a stretch for any adult to truly write from the viewpoint of a young child, much less from the viewpoint of one that is also divine. Anne may come as close as anyone could. I look forward to the next volume in the series.