I received this book in a website giveaway (Fiction Addict) a few weeks ago, and when it showed up in the mail, I shrugged my shoulders and set it on my shelf, next to other books I felt I would not likely read. Well, I don't mean that to be rude - I'd never heard of the book or the author, got it for free, etc. It was cool to win it, but I really didn't know when - or if - I'd get to it, with so many other great books ahead of it on my "to be read" list. But I'd just got done giving up on the previous fantasy novel (that unnamed book that proved a source of controversy!), and so it was the perfect time to pick up a new book.

So, what can I say? I grabbed it and started reading, deciding to give it a chance to hook me.

Right from the first page, I could tell it was going to be a good read. Davis Bunn is an author that knows his way around a page, that's for sure. Effective hooks, clean structure, easy to read, compelling characters, just the right amount of environmental description (enough to paint a quick picture without overdoing it), and good (occasionally great) dialog.

The 3 Key Players: Storm Syrell is the grand-daughter of a high-end antiques dealer - her renowned grandfather Sean (head of the family business) has just been murdered.Henry Bennett is a treasure hunter, and close friend of the recently murdered Sean, who has salvaged antiques and treasures for Sean for years. And rounding out the three main characters is Emma Webb, a US Government lawyer, who is assigned to protect Storm in light of Sean's death.

These three are sent on a wild ride on the trail of the Big Prize that got Sean killed in the first place - the gold treasures from King Herod's temple, that were somehow smuggled out of Jerusalem before the Roman's completed their siege in the first century AD and destroyed the city, tearing the temple down to the ground. The list of treasures they brought back to Rome as part of the victory spoils did not include a rather sizable list of items found in historical records of Herod's Temple. They are still out there, somewhere.

So the story is part treasure hunt, part spy thriller, part love story, and sadly, part cheese. The first half of the book is terrific. In fact, the writing is good/great throughout the whole book. But the story, in my opinion, fizzles. The climax is rather anti-climactic... but really, when pondering how I would have improved the ending, I was at a loss. The way the treasure hunt was resolved is likely the only way it could have been resolved, considering the way the story was crafted. So I can't fault the author there.

I can, however, fault him for the way the story finished up *after* the treasure hunt was resolved. Without giving too much away, there's a "rescue" scene toward the end which is, by all rights, ridiculous, and struck me as the author either deciding on his own - or feeling pressure from an outside source - to add a final (needed) punch to the tale, to make up for the (likely) unavoidably tepid resolution to the treasure hunt itself. It feels very tacked-on, very Hollywood, which saddened me.

But overall, the read was well worth it, even if only to see how a really good author can spin a great tale, and make it seem so effortless. I don't mean to sound down on the author - it is a good, fun, easy, satisfying and fairly quick read (at under 350 pages, hardback). I just wish there was some way to resolve the chase a bit better.

Summary: 4/5 stars. A good, solid read from a Christy Award Winning author who deserves a deeper look. I'll likely check out other books of his if I get the chance. He has many, though he has apparently dropped the T. from his name. He used to be T. Davis Bunn.

The Hero of Ages, by Brandon Sanderson

Once again, I wrestle with how to proceed reviewing a book (and a series) that is, in many ways, difficult to get my brain and heart around. I don't want to spoil anything, but I may inadvertently do just that, so if you plan on reading this series, consider yourself forewarned.

As I finished the final pages of The Hero of Ages, which is, in turn, the final book in Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn series, I could do little but marvel at the scope of the accomplishment. This may seem like a statement of well-intentioned hyperbole; a product of attempting to write a book review in the immediate aftermath of finishing the book, rather than waiting an adequate cool-down period to gain some perspective, but truly, I believe what Sanderson has accomplished in the writing of this series transcends great story-telling. It works as an amazingly well-thought-out tale, full of terrific characters and action, but it also works much, much deeper. It is also a study of religion and faith in general. It is a study on the nature of deception. It is a study of the problems facing deity. It is a study of dealing with power and strength and frustration. It is a study of the pitfalls of assumption. It is a study of understanding and appreciating strengths and weaknesses in both specific individuals, and in groups of peoples in general. It is not just high fantasy, brilliantly told - it can certainly be enjoyed and appreciated on that level. But it also opens a door into a room your mind may never have gone before, and lets you nose around a bit, with that strange mix of discovery and fascination and trepidation.

Again, well-intentioned afterglow hyperbole? Hard to say. Perhaps a night's rest would temper such words - who knows, I may one day read my sentiments here and feel a bit embarrassed. But for the moment - for right now - I'm fairly-well bowled over by the experience, by the mutli-faceted journey, by the stretching of myself. It's one thing to subtly present philosophical questions that a reader may, perhaps, have never pondered before. It's another thing to hide those subtle questions within incredible action and tension. It is still another thing to resolve both the questions and the action in such a wonderfully fulfilling way, satisfying revelations falling one upon the other, most of them unpredicted, until the long-hoped-for conclusion arrives, both satisfying and bittersweet, for by its very definition, a conclusion concludes.

Book One (The Final Empire) presents an awesome David vs. Goliath tale of epic proportions. Book Two (The Well of Ascension) deals with the aftermath, while showing that things in Book One might not have been exactly what they seemed. Book Three (The Hero of Ages) sets its sights upon the heavens themselves, and upon the weighty issues that plague anyone with a mind in this, our world. Questions that many people of faith may have uncomfortably wrestled with within themselves, in the quiet nights, never quite coming to a satisfying conclusion over... like the Rubic's Cube taken from the shelf now and then, given a few twists and turns, and then set back down again, unsolved.

Will this book (and series) impact you the same way it has me? Unknown. Perhaps it is merely great writing triggering my own issues, and combining in a way that leaves me with a wonderful mental aftertaste, both entertaining me and enlightening me at the same time. I don't know if you will receive them the same way, but I'm certainly glad I have read them. Honestly, Book Two was a bit of a letdown to me at the time, but having finished the series, I can see better now how that second section fit into the grand scheme. Throughout the series, the writing itself (as far as wordcraft) is solid and unobtrusive, the author content to stand back and let the story tell itself. This book is no exception; the dialog serves its purpose, the straight-forward action economical and clean and completely effective. The depth and magic here is what is said, more than how. It is not flawlessly written, beautifully polished or classic literature, by any stretch, but The Hero of Ages completes the series better than I'd ever hoped it would, and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

This is why I read.

Summary: Excellent on many levels. 5/5 Thought-provoking, and a terrific ride at the same time.

It was with much joyful anticipation that I pre-ordered this book the moment I heard about it, back in late Spring of this year. Being a huge fan of Calvin & Hobbes (like just about everyone else in the world), I longed for a glimpse behind the scenes; a look at the man and the mind behind the strip. When the day arrived that I found the book outside, near the rubbish bin, where the UPS man had carelessly and lazily tossed it instead of bringing it to the front door, I snatched it like it was a plate of dry-rubbed ribs and tore it open like a paycheck in the mail. Ensconced in my lair, I dove in.

It wasn't long before I realized I was in for a rather sizable disappointment. Primarily, it was the dull, pedestrian, safe style of the prose. It was like reading something that had been dumbed down for mass consumption by school kids and adults on a school-kid level, intellectually. Like reading a textbook from grade school that has been so expunged of any spark of creativity that you're barely able to stay awake, much less learn anything. It's a kid's ride at the carnival when you were hoping for a pants-soaking roller-coaster... it's the Star Wars: Episode 1 of biography's, in other words...

Nevertheless, I persevered, keeping this thought front and center: "If I had put a year of my life into a book, I'd hope someone would have the decency to finish the book before passing judgment on it!" So I completed it.

This is the book: Martell, the author of two unsuccessful rockstar biographies, decides he wants to profile someone else instead, cuz rock stars are lame. He decides he loves Calvin & Hobbes, and thinks he should profile its creator, in spite of the fact that Watterson is a well-known recluse, shunning publicity of any kind, even turning away seasoned journalists, much less hacks like Martell. Undaunted, he moves forward, likely knowing that, even if he doesn't get Watterson's cooperation (he doesn't, of course) there'd still be legions of C&H fans out there who will snap up his book without thought (like yours truly) and, regardless of its quality, he will have a successful book.

So, he covers the requisite background (where Watterson was born and raised), covers his transition from creative rebel drawing cartoons for his highschool paper and yearbook, to his brief stint as a political cartoonist, to his eventual success, after trial and error, with the daily strip, into his explosion as a comic superstar. Almost all of the facts and quotes are pulled from previous interviews and speeches Watterson had given early on in his career, when he could still stomach the attention. He documents Watterson's quirks, and his rabid stance against doing merchandising of any kind, and his disdain for cartoonists that do such things (in other words, everyone else).

In lieu of Watterson, Martell interviews other cartoonists, and even other famous people in other industries, so they can all go on and on about how awesome the strip was, and how talented and frustratingly weird Watterson was. He talks to childhood friends, former agents, his syndicator, and, in his final big coup, scores a phone interview with Watterson's mom. He even travels to the little Ohio town that Watterson grew up in, and wanders around the place, as if it were Jerusalem, Mecca and Times Square all rolled into one. He also has a chapter where he describes (in detail) some of his favorite C&H strips! lol In that same chapter, he covers the basics of the strip premise, in case, you know, someone accidentally picks up his book without having any clue what Calvin and Hobbes was... and he put that chapter near the end of the book!

In other words, it's mostly filler, (including many quotes used more than once) and facts people can find elsewhere without much effort. Then again, I suppose that's what a biography is supposed to be... I could easily imagine, as I read it, a disgruntled and disappointed Watterson skimming it, thinking "Here's another yahoo capitalizing on my fame."

The best thing I can say about the book is that it was an easy, brief read.

Summary: 2/5 A poor excuse. The UPS man was right to put it where he did. Whoever wants it can have it. Leave a comment and I'll arrange to mail it to you. I don't want it on my shelf. I will not risk open war.

The Battle for Okinawa in WW2 was an incredibly devastating and brutal protracted battle, made doubly horrible by the fact that there were over a quarter million civilians living on the island, unable to flee, as 100,000+ Japanese soldiers defended the island against the largest amphibious assault of the Pacific campaign. The battle took 3 months and killed over 220,000 people (140,000 civilians, 66,000 Japanese soldiers, 12,500 Allied troops), with many times that wounded.

One such civilian family were the Matsukawas, descended from a line of Samurai from back in the day, living in Shuri. The youngest child of this family was 6 year old Tomiko, the eventual author of this book, which chronicles her attempts to survive the battle, separated from her family and alone, for the three months the battle took. Often walking around in the midst of the battle itself, bullets flying and bombs dropping, trying desperately to find a safe place to hole up, to rest, to scavenge food, to survive in the "every man for himself" chaos of the battle, the account is stirring, to say the least.

The book is written in the simple, clean style of one for whom English is not the primary language, augmented (I'm sure) by the author's desire to tell a clear, unambiguous story. The simple, effective style is likely the main reason why this book is classified Young Adult, in spite of the often harrowing content. I don't know how to explain what I want to say... I keep starting and erasing this sentence... lemme try again... the book strikes me as the logical fleshing-out of very old, but vivid, impressions and emotional snapshots. The author was six at the time, and didn't write the book - or even tell anyone about her experiences - until the late nineteen-eighties, when the photographs of her as a child holding the white flag on the day of the surrender surfaced, with someone else claiming it was them in the picture. Tomiko was put out, to say the least, that someone else would dare to do such a thing, and resolved to set the record straight, if only for her own sanity.

That's 40+ years after the fact... I can barely remember things that happened last year, much less from when I was six, and she recounts conversations that took place, feelings she had, things she ate and how they tasted, places she hid... I suppose, if circumstances are traumatic enough, they will leave vivid, long-lasting impressions for some. This must be the case for this author; how she can recall the details of her weeks alone as a 6 year old is stunning to me. Just because I can't remember what I was wearing yesterday doesn't mean someone else can't remember 40-year-old childhood conversations from random encounters, etc.

But I digress. The book is brief - barely 125 pages long, and a quick read. I finished it in two sittings, over about 3 hours. Just because it's a quick read doesn't mean it won't take the breath out of you, and make you long for the day when war and death and extreme suffering will cease for good. Kids shouldn't have to experience things like Tomiko did. No one should, but kids especially. It's no wonder she kept her story buried for so long.

Summary: Strongly Recommended 5/5

In my quest to find new, worthwhile authors, I picked up the first books in a half-dozen fantasy series, including Across the Face of the World, by Russell Kirkpatrick. For the impatient, let me jump to the conclusion straight away: it takes a while to build - perhaps longer than many will have the patience for - but once it gets rolling, it swells into a real juggernaut

Among the strengths of this book:

- The terrain is richly detailed from page one. The author does a terrific job in describing the world in which he tells his story. From mountain to sea to forest, from ice, snow, and rain to wind, heat and calm, the world around the tale is alive and breathing, as much a character in the tale as any of the humans.

- The lore is varied, the peoples distinct, and the tale completely free of profanity and "adult" content. It is definitely a book that you can safely give to any family member without worry of offense (unlike GRRM's Song of Ice and Fire series...).

- In fact, there are very strong Christian parallels to the main lore and questline. Any church-goer will notice the subtle and not-so-subtle Biblical inspirations. And yet, it doesn't become preachy or distract from the reading at all.

- The quest group is truly a unique band of misfits. And while some of their encounters are a little contrived at times, for the most part, what they accomplish is fitting and believable, within the context of what you feel these people are capable of.

The biggest drawback is having to generate enough momentum to prevent giving up on the book. I would read a bit, set it down, and go days without picking it up again. Until I reached almost halfway through, after which time I read the rest practically without stopping. Many of the scenes are now etched into my mind, in a great way, especially the shooting of the rapids. Wonderful.

If you are looking for a good book that will reward your diligence and investment of time, I feel safe in recommending this book to you. I will definitely pick up book 2 and see how the Company fares in the next stages of their quest.

Summary: Builds Slowly to a Great Tale 3.5/5