Dancing in the Dark

Bob Strauss
iUniverse, 253 pages, (paperback) $16.95, 9781491709795
(Reviewed: February, 2014)

Dancing in the Dark focuses on the lives of four adults. At the center is Dr. Harry Salinger, a psychotherapist who regularly pushes the limits of professional ethics.
As the novel opens, Salinger awaits the arrival of long-time patient Jennifer Slater, for whom he harbors a sexual attraction. The 58-year-old widower understands his feelings for what they are: a natural reaction to a beautiful young woman. Whether he acts upon those feelings remains to be seen, and it’s one of the questions that pull the reader along.

Meanwhile, outside the office, he is growing increasingly attracted to Amanda, a former student of his who is now a therapist. Salinger’s life is soon complicated as he finds himself the therapist to Slater’s new beau, Jacques, and falling in love with Amanda, a relationship that is taboo in professional circles.

Author Bob Strauss identifies himself as a psychotherapist, and his knowledge of psychology makes for an intelligent read as his protagonist guides patients – and himself – through life’s daily challenges, exploring their behaviors and the motives behind them. The story is well thought out, consistent and evenly paced.

But while Strauss’ real-life knowledge is one of the book’s strong points, it can also be a weakness, as the author too often falls into therapist-speak, using language that feels unnatural or doesn’t fit the character. For example, in one passage, Jennifer doesn’t merely wish something, but “expressed a wish.” In another, Jacques is made ill by the thought of Slater “fornicating” with another man. While this language may be natural to Strauss, it wouldn’t necessarily be so for other characters and is likely to give the average reader pause.

That aside, this is a professionally written and edited story, one that will appeal to a wide range of intelligent readers.

Also available in hardcover and ebook.

Author’s Current Residence
New York, New York

Source: BlueInk Reviews

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Silicon Seduction

M.K. Poe
iUniverse, 369 pages, (paperback) $21.95, 9781462052219
(Reviewed: February, 2014)

As the title implies, Silicon Seduction is a novel with a split personality; it’s part high-tech spy thriller, part sunny California romance. M.K. Poe’s debut attempts to transcend a single genre, but at times reads like two separate books under one cover.

Each aspect of the story is true to its genre. Romance lovers will enjoy the clever banter and sensual-but-not-graphic interludes between brilliant post-grads Charmaine and Michael as they fall head-over-heels into each other’s arms. Poe’s language becomes distractingly flowery in some passages, though, taking away from the relationship by calling attention to the words used to describe it, such as: “Streaming sunlight illuminated the aqua portals to his soul.”

The Silicon Valley spy mystery—a high tech circuit design with military implications that may have fallen into the wrong hands—separates the lovers as Michael takes on his alter ego: international spy. Fascinating, though sometimes heavy-handed, technical detail here will please James Bond fans, and may teach novices a thing or two, like what a microdot is and why anyone would want to steal it.

The story bounces back and forth between secret communications among agents known only as H-4 and H-7 and emotional reunions between the lovers, interspersed with highly realistic boardroom scenes at Charmaine’s father’s powerful Silicon Valley company. Several spy scenes are genuinely harrowing, and some love scenes compelling, but the two seldom meet.

The disparate stories come together near the end in the novel’s most integrated—and suspenseful—scene, involving Michael, Charmaine, the high-tech thieves and a kidnapping. While it’s fairly satisfying to have the various threads of Poe’s novel come together, a shorter, tighter book might be more apt to keep readers’ attention through to the end.

Also available in hardcover and ebook.

Author’s Current Residence
Hollister, California

Source: BlueInk Reviews

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Wallowa Song

Gaynor Dawson
iUniverse, 154 pages, (paperback) $14.95, 9781491710852
(Reviewed: February, 2014)

The first poem in Gaynor Dawson’s Wallowa Song, titled “Disclaimer” ends this way: “I grew up with the classics/and believe that poems should rhyme.” This brings up several questions: Does including rhyme place any poem on a par with the classics? Do classic poets always rhyme? (Milton didn’t. Frost didn’t.) Are those who don’t use rhyme second-class poets?

In short, many would disagree with the author’s statement. While poems that adhere to a set pattern of accentuation and rhyme can be quite lyrical and engaging if they seem intuitive, they can also seem as if the content has been shoehorned into an ill-fitting format. Such is often the case here.

Wallowa’s content broadly covers four topics: 1) the awesome of experience of nature; 2) amusing verse; 3) the rowing team at Stanford; 4) a rancher's life. While the back cover notes that the poems trace the author’s journey, in reality the poems’ order in no way suggests a chronological progression or intentional "dialogue" between poems for the purpose of dialectical resonance or narrative arc.

Dawson has a gift for creating lovely, absorbing, often anecdotal pieces that can be entertaining and insightful. He describes life in the wild and on a sculling team with lucidity, humor and aplomb. Sometimes, however, his attachment to rhyme leads to poems that are somewhat glib, editorial, quaint and syntactically cumbersome. For example, In "At the Turn of the Tide," he writes: “The Columbia's span/Is more than a mile wide/Where its fresh-water flow/And the gray seas collide...." By changing just a few words, the text is much more expedient and accessible: “The Columbia spans/more than a mile wide/Where fresh-water flow/And gray seas collide.”

This is not to suggest Dawson’s poetry is meretricious or slight, or that light verse is problematic. A different strategy, however, might prove more effective overall. Still, those who enjoy wit often combined with an amused and whimsical outlook on life, will find much to like here.

Also available as an ebook.

Author’s Current Residence
West Richland, Washington

Source: BlueInk Reviews

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The Dragon in the Room

J. K. E. Rose
iUniverse, 72 pages, (paperback) $10.95, 9781491713174
(Reviewed: February, 2014)

Two failed marriages inspired J.K.E. Rose’s dark collection of 59 free verse and casually rhymed poems about chasing internal and external dragons, her metaphor for love. Mostly focused on romantic relationships, additional poems examine family and self. Rather than individual titles, poems fall under nearly three-dozen “dragon” headings, such as DRAGONSBLOOD, DRAGONLOVE, DRAGONDREAM, DRAGONBITTER and DRAGONSBANE, which are repeated throughout the book.

In addition to the dragon motif, a Viking futhark (from the Runic alphabet) divides poems into sections. Back matter titled “AFTER THE END” introduces yet another symbolic idea, Kintsukuroi, the Japanese art of restoring shattered fragments of pottery to its original form, but allowing the “healed wounds” to remain visible.

Despite the plethora of symbolic framework, the actual poems are fairly straightforward, repeating common words and images, such as blood, scars, tears, skin, bones, dreams, death, and, of course, dragons. The book retains a narrow focus with first-person accounts lamenting the author’s solitude (“You told me not to bleed, / not to stare wide-eyed with loneliness, / not to shiver with despair”) and attributing blame (“I prove you wrong / I make me strong”). Poems toward the end offer glimmers of hope: “I will not fall in love again -- / not fall but soar aloft.”

The strength of this collection lies in the writer’s wordplay. Rose juxtaposes words with similar sounds to add artfulness to routine observations: “if all I need is breath and bread and breadth of hope, / then let me stay” and “I wish, I want, I breathe / holding / haven / heaven // exhale / exhaust then / exit.” She also includes colorful imagery (in addition to dragons), comparing herself to a mountain, marriage to a lion, and her protective shell to a snake scale.

While the author offers little in the way of new insights into love, those with the same dark mindset and affinity for dragons may find poems to appreciate in this book.

Also available as an ebook.

Author’s Current Residence
Ontario, Canada

Source: BlueInk Reviews

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Odd Socks

David Clapham
iUniverse, 255 pages, (ebook) $3.99 , 9781475989526
(Reviewed: February, 2014)

Protagonist Andrew Carter’s life is impacted by two young women in David Clapham’s novel titled Odd Socks.

The story contains many plot threads that never seem to come together in a coherent fashion. London native Andrew is a young mathematician during the late 1960s. He’s offered a lectureship at a university where he will be working with a computer scientist and television personality developing home computers.

Andrew accepts and relocates to North Lancashire, where he runs into old friend Toby Morton. At this time, Toby shares his history with Sir Oliver Laine, an MP (Member of Parliament) and businessman, and someone Andrew will come to know. Toby then invites Andrew to his family’s home for the weekend to celebrate his half-sister Antonia’s 15th birthday. After Antonia’s flirting and pursuit, Andrew and Antonia become a couple.

Spring forward 30 years. Andrew’s career is established and he’s presented with an opportunity by Sir Oliver Laine, who is helping launch a pharmaceutical company. Andrew can spend half his time as a supernumerary fellow at Oxford University, and half his time in Viet Nam, assisting with statistical analysis of medical experiments and clinical drug trials. He accepts, and during his first trip to Viet Nam, he meets Cathy, a local teen. Their paths cross again, and soon he brings the girl into his life.

Vivacious Antonia and Cathy are the story’s strongest characters and outshine dull Andrew. In fact, Clapham’s novel is full of pompous British men who talk for pages about themselves or politics or religion, doing little to further the nearly nonexistent plots. The author’s aim here is difficult to discern: Is this a love story? Andrew’s journey of self-discovery? Both? No matter – either way, the purpose is eclipsed by superfluous dialogue and tedious characters.

Clapham’s story sinks under the weight of these many issues. Readers are likely to become confused and disillusioned as they go along, and many may stop reading before the novel’s end.

Source: BlueInk Reviews

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The Valley: Sahra's Quest

Elizabeth Martin
iUniverse, 245 pages, (paperback) $16.95, 9781491710326
(Reviewed: January, 2014)

Sahra’s Quest is the first of a planned fantasy series called The Valley, written by transplanted Scotswoman Elizabeth Martin, now residing in Wyoming.

The book’s heroine, Sahra, is a traveling medic roaming The Valley, a protected fortress constantly under attack by bands of renegades. When Sahra’s beloved uncle is assassinated, she begins a quest to discover who killed him and why. But courageous Sahra, who can shoot as well as heal, must also understand who she is — why she has silver hair and the gift of mental telepathy.

Sahra’s husband Logan recognizes that Sahra has a mission and doesn’t try to hold her back. Among their loose-knit band are: Gertrude, a steady-as-you-go fellow medic; Willi, a teenaged girl afflicted with TB; and Alice, a child with the same telepathic gifts as Sahra. Villains include the murderous Sykes, and Marianna, the power-crazed leader of the psychic Elites, whom Sahra must confront and subdue. The cast of characters also includes the mysterious Monahan, whose loyalties are unknown.

Sahra’s Quest, the author’s first full-length book, is competently structured. However, all the characters speak alike, displaying no accents, idiomatic speech patterns, or special patterns that would help readers tell them apart. The more noticeable weakness is the lack of any backstory about how or why The Valley became isolated, making it hard for readers to empathize with Sahra and her cohorts; the action is non-stop with no pause for retrospection. Sahra’s fierce determination buoys the plot, but by convention, the author should have included enough background material to make the situations more coherent.

The Valley: Sahra’s Quest is an acceptable start-up from a new fantasy writer. In future installments, however, Martin should more fully map and explain the world she has created in order for the series to garner wide appeal.

Also available as an ebook.

Author’s Current Residence
Casper, Wyoming

Source: BlueInk Reviews

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Liberty's Dawn: Book One of the Liberty Trilogy

Art Theocles
iUniverse, 385 pages, (paperback) $21.95, 9781469751573
(Reviewed: January, 2014)

This unusual novel mixes historical fiction with a science fiction twist, telling a story about the American Revolution from a different perspective.

Nik, John, and Sid are three seemingly normal men living in early 21st century North Carolina, struggling to make ends meet in jobs they do not enjoy. On a camping trip, they find themselves hurtled through time back to 1780. After the initial shock and exploring of their surroundings, they decide to observe, from hidden vantage points, the last battles of the Revolution. To their amazement, they discover the details are different than what history records, and take it upon themselves to ensure that events happen as they remember.

While the premise behind this novel is intriguing, there are many elements that strain credulity. Even though none of the three men have any military experience, they have detailed knowledge of military tactics, both from their own era and the time of the Revolution. They know much about the details of each battle they come across, yet none have previously shown much interest in history. From their camping trip, they conveniently have enough supplies to let them live comfortably on their own, and enough weaponry and ammunition to take on the British Army, one of the strongest military forces in history.

In terms of pacing, the book drags, with travelling and camping scenes heavily outweighing action scenes and historical interaction. In addition, the author has a distinctly conservative view on the contemporary economic situation, politics, and environmental issues, which he interjects into the story at several points. Readers with a different take may find these sections difficult.

The first in a trilogy, Liberty’s Dawn establishes the setting, characters, and plot for the novels to come, but some rethinking in future books might be required in order to attract an appreciative audience.

Also available in hardcover and ebook.

Author’s Current Residence
Bailey, North Carolina

Source: BlueInk Reviews

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The Bribe

Oskar Klausenstock
iUniverse, 280 pages, (paperback) $17.95, 9781491709146
(Reviewed: January, 2014)

Two men in whom history has engendered mutual hatred gradually surmount their past experiences in this absorbing novel.

Elderly Nathan Klein is in a nursing home recovering from a stroke when he sees an old man with one leg sitting on a bench in the garden. In a spasm of revulsion, he recognizes the man as Herr Arbeitsleiter Gerhard Reichenberg, the Nazi officer whose battalion demolished Klein’s native Polish ghetto and slaughtered most of its inhabitants. Despite the efforts of a warmhearted physical therapist, Miss Hedberg, Nathan cannot help but envisage Gerhard as the epitome of Nazi cruelty. Gradually however, with Miss Hedberg acting as postmistress, the two men begin a correspondence.

Also available in hardcover and ebook.

The halting revelation of their memories is well paced and convincingly drawn. Nathan vents his hatred of those who perpetrated the Holocaust, and is surprised when Gerhard reveals his secret: He had fallen in love with a beautiful young Jewish girl who had been sent to clean his military quarters. He has been vainly searching for her for 50 years, meanwhile having metamorphosed into a man ashamed of his country and its wartime atrocities.

The book’s most impressive passage is Gerhard’s description of a post-war visit to Jerusalem, vividly illuminated with precise sensory images and sociological detail. Equally as moving is Nathan’s description of returning to his empty village after six hellish months of hiding in the nearby forest. A jarring note, however, occurs when Klausenstock emphasizes Nathan’s lonely existence by giving him a pretentious son married to a spoiled materialistic flibbertigibit, both of whom Nathan despises.

Reconciliation of Holocaust enemies is not a new theme, but the story gains substance and dimension by Klausenstock’s assured use of physical and atmospheric details, and by psychological insights that slowly reveal the sources of each man’s behavior. Klausenstock is a fluent writer, in command of his material and his historical period. The novel’s redemptive message should satisfy anyone looking for an uplifting read.

Author’s Current Residence
Tiburon, California

Source: BlueInk Reviews

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Shadows Present, Shadows Past

J.H. Sanderson
iUniverse, (paperback) $13.95, 9780595398737
(Reviewed: December, 2013)

A quick, easy read, Shadows Present, Shadows Past is the ghost story equivalent of a “cozy” mystery, in which the characters may be discussing a grisly murder, but they do it at teatime while buttering their scones. In this case, the subject is a haunted house, debated over a breakfast of farm-fresh eggs and milk. Still, the result is the same: an entertaining tale whose underlying mystery is almost coincidental.

J.H. Sanderson’s novel has all the elements of a traditional ghost story. The Evans sisters inherit a neighbor’s long-abandoned home, a dream come true that is fast becoming a nightmare. Starting on moving-in day, the house comes alive with phantom footsteps, unexplained door-banging, and sudden cold chills.

It’s pretty standard fare, and the ghost elements are rarely the most engaging parts of the story. Instead of deeply exploring the paranormal, Sanderson turns to character development, and the mind of Colleen Evans as she tries to sort out which shadows are real and which are her own creations. Colleen’s investigation brings out not only her complex character, but also a rich a sense of place: In this small town, the librarian knows all of the gossip, and Colleen’s high school sweetheart is still pining away for her on his farm. Generations of family feuds alternately reveal and obscure the truth as the rural history unfolds.

Shadows Present, Shadows Past is written in an accessible, easy-to-read style; it’s a book you can devour in one or two sittings. You’ll enjoy it if you can forgive the occasional typographical error and a complicated conclusion that draws together a startling number of threads. Instead, concentrate on the old-fashioned story of one woman overcoming her fears with the help of her family. In this, you’ll find a satisfying tale.

Also available as an ebook.

Author’s Current Residence
Madison, New Hampshire

Source: BlueInk Reviews

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Looking into the Revelation: The Countdown to Christ's Return

Dr. Boyd O. Gray
iUniverse, 542 pages, (paperback) $31.95, 9781491704264
(Reviewed: December, 2013)

A recurring theme in Dr. Boyd O. Gray’s lengthy book, Looking into the Revelation, is that mankind has lost sight of its first love, God. This is an idea that permeates the controversial book of Revelation, the last book in the Christian Bible. The author, a pastor for over 30 years, knows Revelation well, and in the course of over 500 pages unpacks the scripture line-by-line and chapter-by-chapter.

One must imagine that this was a daunting task, and Gray’s commitment to the text and his desire to reveal the enigmatic messaging in John’s Apocalypse is apparent. Moreover, there is a strong pastoral quality to the book to help lead people to a change of heart: “The only time Christians have unlimited power of the Holy Spirit at their disposal is when they are obedient to the will of God,“ he writes. “When they break their alliance with God and make their alliance with the world they are entering into a powerless state that will ruin them in effectiveness.”

Though the book could use editing to condense ideas and tighten lines, Boyd is a clear and articulate writer. He makes what is an extremely dense biblical work accessible to the general reader. The problem — and its one the author acknowledges in part in his foreword — is that there is no footnoting so it’s difficult to know exactly which are Boyd’s idea and which are the thoughts of those that have come before him. To be fair, the book is not written for academics, but this lack of citation can leave readers questioning the authority of the writing.

Nonetheless, Looking into the Revelation provides a useful jumping-off point for church groups looking for insight into a book that still perplexes people today.

Also available in hardcover and ebook.

Author’s Hometown
Saint James, Missouri

Author’s Current Residence
St. James, Missouri

Source: BlueInk Reviews

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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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The Bullynator

E. Fanjon
iUniverse, 323 pages, (paperback) $19.95, 9781475990485
(Reviewed: November, 2013)

In E. Fanjon's debut book for adolescents, The Bullynator, a headmaster must prove his ability to run a peaceful, friendly school in order to earn a promotion, and a student helps him by battling a group of nasty, antagonizing students.

JFK is a popular, prestigious high school, but a small, menacing clique has the other students in its tight-fisted grip. The worst is Jack, whose father is an abusive prison guard. David, the book's hero, posits that he and his close-knit friends have become targets because Jack and his gang hate seeing others happy.

As the school year continues, David and his group learn to work together, using their wiles, courage and good humor to fight the bullies. Reader will cheer these students as they challenge the bullies with smart repartee and word play. Soon, the group's kindness and sense of justice grows contagious, and the rest of the school joins their anti-bullying bandwagon.

Fanjon has created an impressive cast of distinctive, quirky characters. Most memorable is Neville, a witty British exchange student, and David’s girlfriend’s eccentric grandmother.

One oddity in an otherwise solid narrative is the inordinate attention paid to characters' heights. The differential between David (average height) and Carrie (a staggering 6' 4 ½”) is frequently referred to, though never explained beyond the fact itself. And their physical relationship seems rather odd: “Carrie walked around the pool, swaying David back and forth in her arms like a baby...”; “...David wished Carrie would wrap him in her soft wool coat, pick him up… warming him like a baby in a blanket.”

What Fanjon does best is capture the myriad personalities in the microcosm of an American high school, as well as seamlessly weave so many threads together. In addition, he does a fine job of handling topics of racial prejudice and class inequality, and the story's ending is a triumph without being unrealistic or clichéd, making it particularly satisfying.

Also available in hardcover and ebook.

Author’s Current Residence
Tampico, Mexico

Source: BlueInk Reviews

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Misunderstood: Healing Jason Sutter

Jay Sherfey
iUniverse, 207 pages, (paperback) $14.95, 9781462059621
(Reviewed: November, 2013)

Jay Sherfey’s new middle reader novel introduces Jason Sutter, a 13-year-old foster child who must come to terms with his burgeoning telepathic superpowers.

In 1962, in a suburb of Philadelphia, Jason arrives at a new foster home. His foster parents, Frank and Lydia Dubois, game the foster care system, taking in the most damaged kids and selling the medicine they are prescribed. Jason’s out-of-control behavior is a result of the overwhelming sensations his telepathic powers cause.

Slowly, through bonding with his foster sister, Suzy, his classmate, Russ, and a group of adults that includes a science teacher, the town librarians and a Taiwanese agriculture professor, Jason begins to understand his powers and use them in positive ways – and discover that there are others like him. But a darker force, known as the Community, is eager to harness Jason’s abilities, forcing him to protect those he has come to care about by making a difficult choice.

Misunderstood: Healing Jason Sutter is the first book in a series, which makes some vagueness in the plot, particularly surrounding the Community, understandable. Still, the book feels thin. Sherfey introduces new characters and plot complications at a rapid clip that too often forsakes details and development that would engage young readers. (There are a few welcome exceptions, including an argument between Russ and Jason over the hardness of a chair, a budding romance between one of the librarians and the science teacher and Frank’s developing sense of compassion.) And, though it’s a historical novel, Misunderstood offers little to no sense of the early 1960s.

Though Misunderstood has some appealing moments and a high-concept premise, it lacks the heft to stand out in the crowded YA paranormal/fantasy field.

Also available in hardcover and ebook.

Author’s Current Residence
Worcester, Massachusetts

Source: BlueInk Reviews

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