Transgressions and Other Stories

Hilary Orbach
iUniverse, 239 pages, (paperback) $16.95, 9781475980455
(Reviewed: December, 2013)

The work of a New York City psychotherapist, these 14 precisely-written stories deal with the kinds of problems their author is likely to hear about every day at the office: grief, rage, betrayal, family dysfunction, loneliness, sexual awakening, the discontents of modern life.

Hilary Orbach's characters can seem a bit overcivilized (the story is replete with Grahams, Adeles, Trevors and Elyses) and, for their unlikely coincidences, her plots can feel as calculated as blueprints. But the author has her finger squarely on the pulse of the human animal as it lurches out of the long night of existence into the half-light of morning. She is an observant writer.

In “Jeopardy,” a needy neighbor suffering from AIDS undermines the tenuous relationship of two young lovers living in a cramped Manhattan apartment. Having alienated his beloved, the uncertain narrator concludes: “Sometimes I think our only safety lies in not really knowing each other.”

That theme recurs in the Cheever-esque “Transgressions,” wherein an adulterous couple ruins two suburban families. The couple ultimately winds up estranged because “you can't ever be sure you really know the other.” In “Touch,” a young widow who sells psychotropic pharmaceuticals tries—and fails—to love a blind guidance counselor, and in “Becoming Mira,” a teenager realizes she's a lesbian just before finding her troubled father in the arms of the older woman she's fallen for.

Taking stock, perhaps, of her own profession, Orbach glimpses an unsettled Manhattan psychiatrist in “Verona Waits for You.” In the end, the shrink and a rough-hewn New Jersey divorcee set out as “a pair of hopeful messengers through the darkness.”

A touch of humor here and there might color up these dark tales about unhappy people. But as visions of the untidy mind, the troubled conscience, and the doomed soul seeking redemption, they largely succeed, adding up to a collection that’s well worth a look.

Also available in hardcover and ebook

Author’s Current Residence
New York, New York

Source: BlueInk Reviews

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Fire From the Sky

Ron Greer and Mike Wicks
iUniverse, 272 pages, (paperback) $18.95, 9781475997132
(Reviewed: December, 2013)

A valuable contribution to the history of WWII, this in-depth memoir chronicles the air war over Japan. More than a narrative of one man’s harrowing experiences during his 28 bombing missions on a B29 Superfortress, it contains a wealth of essential information about the military operation that decimated Japan’s war arsenal and defenses.

Staff Sergeant Herbert Greer was a 23-year-old, newly married, “frightened boy” from a little town in the Pacific Northwest when he was stationed on Guam. His diary of his service as the radio operator on bombing flights is precisely detailed, also augmented and enriched by his recollections six decades later, as spoken to his son, Ron Greer. Co-author Mike Wicks shows a fine editorial hand in stitching those strands together to provide background to the wartime events that Greer witnessed.

Military buffs will be interested in the development of Boeing’s fabled aircraft, since its enhanced ability in range and bomb capacity made a crucial difference in the war’s course. Even general readers will be impressed by the levels of training the flight crew of the City of Monroe Superfortress maintained.

The crew endured 14-hour flights in excruciatingly tight quarters, often encountering severe weather fronts, before reaching their destination. Once they arrived, they were in extreme peril from flak, fighter and suicide planes, and firestorms that arose and engulfed the plane from the havoc they had created below. Greer recalls “the remarkable stench… the smell of burning flesh” that rose and permeated the plane after a bombing. Equally horrifying was the Japanese military’s practice of summarily beheading captured Allied soldiers, a fact that haunted airmen who faced the option of parachuting from a disabled aircraft.

Greer’s recollections and insights about the members of his squadron and their tight camaraderie add considerable dramatic suspense to this compelling narrative. The book will hold great appeal for WWII veterans and their descendants, as well as general readers with an interest in this fearsome war.

BlueInk Heads-Up: Those interested in military history of any epoch will also find much to intrigue them here, especially since the text includes black and white archival photos and a bibliography of 47 web sites.

Also available in hardcover and ebook.

Author’s Current Residence
Cabot, Arizona

Source: BlueInk Reviews

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Box 731

Paul McKellips
iUniverse, 320 pages, (paperback) $19.95, 9781491702802
(Reviewed: November, 2013)

A modern-day anthrax attack rooted in the horrors of World War II-era germ warfare and human experimentation is at the heart of Box 731, a thriller featuring the protagonists from Paul McKellips' previous two novels, Uncaged and Jericho 3.

Box 731 opens with U.S. Navy Capt. Seabury "Camp" Campbell surviving a near-death experience, having been shot accidentally by his beloved, Lt. Col. Leslie Raines, as they stopped a suicide bomber from setting off an explosive vest. Camp doesn't waste much time recuperating, however, as he's soon jetting off to Israel to reunite with Raines and then to Syria for a rescue mission.

Camp isn't just bigger than life; he's bigger than several lives. Our hero is a Navy SEAL turned trauma surgeon, which comes in handy when he takes down a terrorist by leaping six feet through the air to stab the enemy – and immediately thereafter saves several injured people in surgery. This all occurs just a couple of months after Camp's heart stopped on the operating table following the accidental shooting, edging past creative license and into the comic-book realm.

The action scenes in Box 731 are well constructed, and McKellips keeps the narrative moving quickly, though a tangential storyline about wedding plans would have been better off excised. The dialogue also is uneven, with some lines better suited to a romance novel: "You’re my soul mate, Leslie Raines, you – and only you – you are the only reason I came back. And I won’t leave this world again unless you’re in my arms."

Those issues and some overly broad characters keep Box 731 from really hitting its stride, but overall, it's a serviceable thriller with some energetic scenes and suspenseful moments that many readers will enjoy.

Also available in hardcover and ebook.

Author’s Current Residence
Washington, D.C.

Source: BlueInk Reviews

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Spiritual Wisdom

Ramesh Malhotra
iUniverse, 352 pages, (paperback) $23.95, 9781475992892
(Reviewed: November, 2013)

What began as author Ramesh Malhotra’s personal spiritual journey evolved into a comprehensive, years-long investigation into the “secrets of eternal wisdom”: the hidden, spiritual knowledge contained within the Bhagavad Gita and other holy scriptures from civilizations around the world and across time.

Spiritual Wisdom is the result, and it is nothing less than a modern-day sacred text that skillfully guides readers through understanding and attainment of eternal principles of spiritual wisdom. Simultaneously, and complementarily, the author documents the spiritual evolutionary process, both from a historical perspective and as a body of knowledge.

“The process of spiritual evolution starts with humanity cultivating a quest to know the Creator,” Malhotra states, and then identifies four distinct categories and stages of spiritual development: mythological wisdom (the origins of faith), inspirational wisdom, transcendental wisdom, and ultimately, Absolute Truth: “the union of individual living spirit with the eternal soul.” Each stage contains both “lower and higher” spiritual knowledge according to the Vedas. Lower knowledge contains five main elements: faith, covenants, dogma, omnipotence, and encirclement; the five higher knowledge elements are primordial force, living force, living spirit, the Trinity, and tranquility.

Although this book is not light reading, Malhotra has done the heavy lifting for readers in distilling the complexities of these and other spiritual stages and elements, as well as the barriers to attaining them, into clear and concise language and signposts.

As with any investigation into sacred writings, there are layers of truth to be gleaned, and the unfolding of realization is subjective and progressive and can take years to come to fruition. Humanity has come a long way toward knowing the truth, says Malhotra, but “the unveiling has just begun and it has millions of years to go.”

Spiritual Wisdom is a significant resource for navigating the long road ahead.

Also available in hardcover and ebook.

Author’s Current Residence
Cincinnati, Ohio

Source: BlueInk Reviews

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Anvil of God

J. Boyce Gleason
iUniverse, 420 pages, (paperback) $23.95, 9781475990195
(Reviewed: November, 2013)

J. Boyce Gleason’s stellar debut novel—which chronicles the chaos that ensues shortly after Frankish leader Charles Martel’s death in 741—is meticulously researched, vividly imagined, and literally unputdownable: a labyrinthinely plotted work of historical fiction that is just as good as anything written by literary giants such as Ken Follett, Bernard Cornwell, Philippa Gregory, and Stephen R. Lawhead.

Charles the Hammer has done much to strengthen Francia during his de facto rule. A devout Christian and patron to Bishop Boniface, he has subjugated Bavaria, vanquished the pagan Saxons, and halted the expansion of Islam into Western Europe. But now he is dying, and he has decided to divide Francia between his sons Carloman, Pippin, and his youngest son Gripho, whose mother is the Bavarian princess Sunni. But even before Charles is buried, the scheming begins.

The pagan Gripho defiles a church in his new territory, and Carloman, a fanatical Christian, becomes a pawn for Boniface and the Church’s ambitions. The two are soon pitted against one another in a bloody conflict as their sister Trudi, betrothed to a man for political purposes, attempts to flee to the one she loves — with disastrous consequences.

While there are so many exceptional elements to this novel, character development has to be one of the strongest. The central characters are all extraordinarily layered. Trudi, in particular, is a wonderfully complex figure; she’s a warrioress, courageous, empowered and in many ways the linchpin to the entire kingdom, but also vulnerable and naïve to the machinations around her.

The first installment of Gleason’s Carolingian Chronicles, this debut is a “must-read” for anyone who enjoys historical fiction. A rich and evocative writing style, profound character development, relentless pacing, powerful themes (politics, religion, love, betrayal, etc.), and stunning cover art make this a reading experience that fans of historical fiction will not soon forget. A towering, breathtaking work of fiction.

Also available in hardcover and ebook.

Author’s Current Residence
Clifton, Virginia

Source: BlueInk Reviews

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Marybell's Story

Roselys Polanco
iUniverse, 54 pages, (paperback) $8.95, 9780595355778
(Reviewed: November, 2013)

In Roselys Polanco's coming-of-age novel, 15-year-old Marybell is trying to cope with her troublesome and turbulent life.

Removed from her parents' custody because of her father's abhorrent abuse and adopted by Jenny and Allan—her "so-called" mom and dad— Marybell "was forced to grow up at an early age" and keep a dark secret. She finds comfort in writing, and she's composed this story—her story—for "you[,] dear reader to figure out who the real victim is, who Marybell truly is, what she's truly about. How much pain she is really feeling. And if she truly does care."

This is a heavy and peculiar directive with which to begin the book, given that Marybell's emotional state is never explicitly described and the majority of the book's action is a rundown of Marybell's exploits with her boyfriend, Angel, and her day-to-day arguments with Jenny. However, it's not a failed technique. Polanco makes a clever switch in point of view by the book's end, thereby bolstering the effect of the direct address and shrouding the cheeky conclusion in mystery.

Regrettably though, this 54-page debut is flawed by a lack of punctuation, awkward transitions between scenes and chapters, and inconsistencies in word usage (i.e. "ok," "okay," and "O.K."). Spelling mistakes also detract from the book's enjoyment: Polanco uses "except" for “accept”; "brake up" for “break up”; and "baby's" for “babies.” Choppy prose, such as, "Yes ok what ever you want baby, lets just leave now and then we have more time together..." thwarts readers' engagement. And, a free-form structure confounds: The book concludes with an entry from Marybell's journal and seven poems written presumably by Marybell.

An extensive edit of Polanco's tale prior to publication would have corrected these missteps and allowed its worthy themes of surviving abuse, transition, and self-awareness to emerge. As it stands, the book's mechanical errors are likely to overpower any reader's attachment to the story.

Also available in ebook.

Author’s Current Residence
New York, New York

Source: BlueInk Reviews

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A Shade of Darkness

J.A. Klassen
iUniverse, 383 pages, (paperback) $21.95, 9781475970012
(Reviewed: November, 2013)

This paranormal romance combines elements of Twilight and Pirates of the Caribbean, both PG-13-rated movie series (the first one based on the young adult novels), though it presents an adult tale of sex and violence.

Bronwyn, a lonely 30-year-old writer researching her next book, visits Florida and the Caribbean to learn more about pirates. During her travels she meets Vince, a real pirate and a vampire who can fly, change into a wolf, read minds and mesmerize people. In addition, Vince “looks like Johnny Depp” as Capt. Jack Sparrow and has “gorgeous dark-chocolate eyes” and “a rich, dark scent,” two traits author J.A. Klassen unfortunately mentions every few pages throughout the book.

Without close friends or family to provide a voice of reason, Bronwyn accepts Vince’s invitation to become a vampire. As she learns to hunt and kill for blood, she falls deeper in love with him, and they plan eternity together. That’s when Vince’s nemesis – an evil female vampire and spurned lover who will do anything to prevent his happiness – arrives on the scene.

This novel, told mostly in present tense, which is unusual and uncomfortable in a romance novel, would benefit from aggressive editing. Words and phrases including “aye,” “pretty lady,” “he can smell the arousal on her” and Sparrow’s “What say you?” recur to the point of distraction. Explicit sex scenes and gruesome “feeding” attacks appear so often they lose their thrill.

Besides being repetitive and derivative, the writing displays inconsistent use of Italics for interior monologues, vague and nameless portrayals of nonessential characters and confusing passages – “a sibling of five other children; she’s the middle child. Her parents totally ignored all five of their children.” Paranormal romance lovers willing to overlook the book’s many weaknesses, however, might enjoy the highly descriptive scenes of blood lust.

Also available as an ebook.

Author’s Current Residence
Alberta, Canada

Source: BlueInk Reviews

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The Book: Why the First Books of the Bible Were Written and Who They Were Written For

Allen Wright
iUniverse, 206 pages, (paperback) $17.95, 9781475972412
(Reviewed: November, 2013)

Allen Wright’s The Book: Why The First Books of the Bible Were Written and Who They Were Written For explores the literary and historical events that influenced the first 10 books of Hebrew Scripture.

Looking at how neighboring cultures helped shape the Hebrews’ understanding of God, Wright’s book doesn’t break new ground; Bible scholars and historians have dedicated much time, especially recently, exploring, for example, the similarities between the story of Noah and the great flood depicted in the ancient Sumerian text, Gilgamesh (which may have been written 2,000 years before the Hebrew Scriptures were recorded). Yet, Wright’s sincerity shines through in his easy-to-read summaries.

Some constructive criticism: One, the book is not footnoted so it’s tough to discern what’s fact and what’s speculation. Two, Chapter 18, a personal story about an early encounter with a young Jewish woman, would work better as a preface rather than as an ending, in part because it sets up the author’s intention for his work: to increase awareness and strip down barriers. Three, the book should be divided into parts to help readers navigate the big ideas (the first part being his introductory material, the second, his examination of the selected books of the Bible, and third, his wrap-up and conclusions of his intellectual journey). Four, a good copyeditor is needed to tighten the text and to catch the numerous grammatical and spelling mistakes throughout the book (there are two mistakes on the jacket alone: the subtitle should use “whom” not “who,” and “interpretation” is misspelled on back cover).

While many people interested in biblical history will know that the Old Testament wasn’t written in a vacuum, with more polish Wright’s book could serve as a nice introduction to the historical background behind the Greatest Story Ever Told.

Also available in hardcover and ebook.

Author’s Current Residence
Bessemer, Michigan

Source: BlueInk Reviews

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