Baghdad Without a Map - Tony Horwitz

    1992; 285 pages.  Full Title: Baghdad Without a Map: and Other Misadventures in Arabia.  New Author? : No.  Genres : Travelogue; Middle East; History; Non-Fiction.  Overall Rating : 9*/10.

 

    Congratulations to Geraldine Brooks, news correspondent for the Wall Street Journal!   It’s 1988, and the WSJ has just made her their on-the-spot Middle East reporter.  She’ll be based out of Cairo, Egypt.

 

    Her husband, Tony Horwitz, will of course be moving there with Geraldine.  He’s a correspondent as well, although a “freelance” one.  That means he’s an independent reporter.  He writes an article, then shops it around to various news outlets, and hopefully one of them will buy it.

 

    Freelance reporting is frankly a tough business to be in; you better be writing something that’s either exciting—like warfare, for example—or pulls on the heartstrings—like starving Africans.

 

    Bon voyage, Tony!  Try not to get blown up or die from disease and/or starvation.  And best of luck in learning how business is conducted in the Middle East.  They say it varies from one country to the next.

 

What’s To Like...

    There are seventeen chapters in Baghdad Without a Map, plus a Prologue and Epilogue.  Each chapter title gives the country or region to where Tony is heading, and for the most part, he’s traveling alone.

 

    There’s a fascinating blend of dangerous trips and human-interest stories.  Sometimes Tony Horwitz is on a boat in the mine-laden Persian Gulf, or on a ferry dodging bombardments as it approached Beirut.  Other times he’s visiting as leper colony or staying in a city where there is no such thing as electricity.

 

    I especially liked the fact that most of Tony’s interactions are with everyday people.  The viewpoints of working-class Arabs take precedence over those of political and religious zealots.  The author is American by birth and Jewish by religion.  It was enlightening to see how the average Arab reacts to this when he tells them.

 

    Tony Horwitz is a gifted writer, and his travelogues are full of interesting tips and tidbits.  You’ll learn things like the “three rules of war reporting”, and why chess was banned in post-Revolution Iran.  You’ll also be treated to a number of words and phrases in Arabic and Dinka, and marvel at the “modern technology” in those days that included messages via telex machines and music via Walkmans and cassettes.

 

    Tony Horwitz and his wife were in the Middle East for 2+ years, finally leaving when Geraldine got a new job.  In the Epilogue, Tony returns to Iraq on the eve of Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait and experiences its aftermath, Operation Desert Storm.  How’d you like to be a Jewish-American news correspondent covering Baghdad during that time period?

 

Ratings…
    Amazon:  4.6/5 based on 250 ratings and 73 reviews.

    Goodreads: 4.01/5 based on 4,294 ratings and 257 reviews.

 

Excerpts...

    With typical Arab hospitality, he invited me to stay for lunch.  The men were about to dig their fingers into a communal mound of meat and rice, and they indicated politely that I should take the first bite.

    A southpaw, I instinctively reached my left hand toward the—

    “La!  La!” twelve voices cried in unison.  No!  A man put his left hand on his backside, reminding me of its proper use.  The others laughed.  I’d forgotten the first commandment of desert etiquette, but my hosts seemed good-humored about it.  (pg. 53)

 

    I hit on the television to keep me company while I packed.  The English-language news began as it always did, with a crude Mercator projection of the Middle East and an off-speed medley of Arab tunes.  An anchorman began reading the AP wire in halting English.  There was shelling again in Beirut.  Something about hostages in the Bekaa Valley.  A new American plan for Middle East peace.  And the Israelis had shot dead two more Palestinians in Gaza.  I wondered for a moment if Egyptian TV, through oversight or impoverishment, had simply rebroadcast a tape of the news from two years before.  Or five.  Progress in the Middle East was measured in grains of sand.  (pg. 364)

 

In Cairo, littering was a philanthropic act.  (pg. 76)

    The cussing in Baghdad Without a Map, is sparse.  I counted only 7 instances in the first 50% of the book.  Tony notes some regional drug and alcohol usage, including hashish, opium, and some liquor called "araki".  Individual drug-&-booze preferences seem to vary from one Middle Eastern country to the next. 

    In Chapter Two, the author is introduced to Yemen's preferred drug, something called "qat", and some interesting experiences ensue.  I'm familiar with the word "qat" because it's one of the few words starting with a "Q" that is allowed in Scrabble.

    Baghdad Without a Map was my third Tony Horwitz book, and I've enjoyed each one of them immensely.  His writing is both interesting and informative, and his ability to convey the thoughts and feelings of "ordinary people" is phenomenal.  I highly recommend his books.

 

    9 Stars.  One last thing.  You’re probably wondering why Ayatollah Khomeini banned the playing of chess in Iran.  The rationale was that it would tempt onlookers to bet on the outcome of the chess game, and gambling is a sin.  Sheesh.

Library of Souls - Ransom Riggs

    2015; 465 pages.  Book 3 (out of 6) in the “Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children” series.  New Author? : No.  Genre : YA; Dark Fantasy; Time-Travel; Coming of Age.  Overall Rating : 8*/10.

    Desperate times call for desperate measures.

    A bunch of “peculiars” (children with peculiar talents) have been captured by an evil entity named Caul.  Undoubtedly he’ll feed their souls to his deadly wights and hollowgasts.  It’s time to call in a band of ymbryne to rescue those peculiars.

    Unfortunately, Caul has also captured a dozen of the ymbryne as well, including Miss Wren.  If only Miss Peregrine were here; she’d know what to do.  But guess what, she too has been captured by Caul.

    So it’s up to Jacob and a few other peculiars to save the day.  Alas, their powers are puny compared to Caul and his wights and hollowgasts.  They better find some sort of superhero wizard to help them in their plight.

    Or maybe settle for a mere boatman.

What’s To Like...

    Library of Souls is the third installment in Ransom Riggs’ Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children series, and starts in “mid-adventure”, immediately after the unsettling events described above.  That was a challenge for me since more than four years have passed since I read Book Two.  The tale is told in the first-person POV, Jacob’s.

    There is a “Glossary of Peculiar Terms” included at the start of the book, which helped me greatly in overcoming my 4-year lull in reading this series.  And once again, Ransom Riggs incorporates weird vintage photographs into the story.  As a photography buff, I found those fascinating.

    The first half of the book chronicles our band of heroes’ entry into a grim city called Devil’s Acre, as they try to come up with a plan to rescue Miss Peregrine and their fellow peculiars.  They meet a number of interesting beings, some good, some bad, and some with inscrutable moral orientation.  They also locate Caul’s heavily defended tower, practice their peculiar talents, and learn of the titular Library of Souls.

    Things build to a 50-page epic battle with a slew of deadly wights and hallows (short for “hallowgasts”) to meet and hopefully defeat. Then we come to the second part of the ending, where Jacob has to choose between staying in London with his girlfriend Emma and his fellow peculiars; or returning home to the United States and rejoining his natural family.  His decision may surprise you.

Ratings…

    Amazon: 4.6*/5, based on 18,660 ratings and 2,770 reviews.

    Goodreads: 4.14*/5, based on 166,859 ratings and 12,575 reviews.

Excerpts...

    Louche Lane, it read in fancy handwritten script.  Piracy discouraged.

    “Discouraged?” I said.  “Then what’s murder?  Frowned upon?”

    “I believe murder is ‘tolerated with reservations.’”

    “Is anything illegal here?” Addison asked.

    “Library late fines are stiff.  Ten lashes a day, and that’s just for paperbacks.”

    “There’s a library?”

    “Two.  Though one won’t lend because all the books are bound in human skin and quite valuable.”  (pg. 96)

    “Soon we began to hear stories about creatures made of shadow.  They were emerging from the ruined forests to feed on peculiars—and normals, and animals, and anything that would fit between their jaws.”

    “Once I saw one eat a car,” Nim said.

    I said, “A car?”

    “I was inside it,” he replied.

    We waited for him to elaborate.

    “And?” said Emma.

    “I got away,” he said, shrugging.  “The steering column got stuck in its throat.”  (pg. 207)

Kindle Details…

    The e-book version of Library of Souls costs $8.49 right now at Amazon.   The rest of the e-books in the series range from $7.59 to $8.99, except for Book 2, Hollow City, which is temporarily discounted to a mere $1.99. 

“All right, someone’s gonna get their face melted.”  (pg. 145)

     The target audience of Library of Souls is YA, so it was no surprise that there were no “adult situations” in the tale and very little profanity.  I counted only five instances in the first 25% of the book, all of which were eschatological.

    The Glossary of Peculiar Terms was a great help, but it would’ve been nice to have a Cast of Characters section as well.  Book Two had one.  Also, as kewl as the vintage photographs were, sometimes it felt like Ransom Riggs’ efforts to somehow fit them into the storyline, were noble but clunky.

    But I quibble.  If you stay with our plucky band of Peculiars through the first half of the book, as they develop a strategy to rescue their comrades, you’re treated to a second half that's an action-packed search-and-destroy effort, followed by a closing scene that left a lump in my throat.

    Library of Souls was initially published as the closing book of a trilogy, but Ransom Riggs later penned Books 4-6, much to the delight of his many readers.  I for one look forward to reading those tales.  Hopefully it won’t take me four years to get around to doing so.

    8 Stars.  One last thing.  By far my favorite character in Library of Souls was a bespectacled, talking dog named Addison.  I have no doubt Ransom Riggs patterned him after Mr. Peabody, a Saturday morning cartoon favorite of mine from my childhood. 

The Omega Factor - Steve Berry

    2022; 465 pages.  New Author? : No.  Genres : Religious Mystery; Historical Thriller; Intrigue.  Overall Rating: 8*/10.

 

    Nick Lee is excited!  He's going to Europe!

 

    And he gets to write it off as a business expense, too!  Nick is an agent for a UNESCO subsidiary called CLIO, which stands for Cultural Liaison and Investigative Office.  They look into assisting in the preservation and restoration of art and other cultural objects.

 

    But that’s not why Nick is so excited.  His ex-girlfriend Kelsey is the one who called from Ghent, Belgium and asked for his professional assistance.  Hmm.  Do you think there’s a chance she might want to renew their romantic relationship?  Well, Nick hopes so, but it's probably not gonna happen.  Kelsey didn’t leave him for another guy.  She left him for God.

 

    Kelsey has become a nun.

 

What’s To Like...

   The Omega Factor is a historical thriller novel by Steve Berry, who is best known for his 20-volume Cotton Malone thriller series, of which I’ve read ten.  It was published in 2022, and in the back of the e-book, Berry hints that it might be the beginning of a new series by him, but as of now, no sequel has been published.

 

    The action starts right away, first in a brief 600-year flashback with the famed painter Jan Van Eyck fleeing a band of Spanish Moors, then in present-day Belgium.  Nick’s hope for a routine investigation followed by quality time with Kelsey is replaced by him arriving to find her art studio engulfed in flames, with Kelsey still inside and being attacked by someone dressed in black who acts like a ninja.  Well hey, Nick, if you save Kelsey’s life, maybe it’ll melt her heart.

 

    The storyline is a satisfying blend of deeply-researched religious history and heart-pounding action and intrigue.  Two main features of the plotline—the Ghent Altarpiece and the Albigensian Crusade—are historically real (see their Wiki articles), and there are all sorts of characters—both good guys and bad—conspiring and conniving to carry out their personal agendas.

 

    Steve Berry uses numerous cutaways to give details about the historical elements of the story; things like Joan of Arc, the Hundred Years War, and the role of Mary, the Mother of Jesus and how her divine function evolved over two millennia of Catholic dogma.  As always, Berry includes a Writer’s Note to let the reader know which parts are historically factual and which were spawned by his imagination. I’m a history buff, so I loved that.

 

    Everything builds to a twisty and entertaining ending.  I’m proud to say I correctly anticipated at least one of the twists; but I also have to admit I missed on most of my guesses.  At present, this is a standalone novel, but here’s hoping Nick and Cotton become a team in the future.

 

Ratings…
    Amazon:  4.4/5 based on 6,230 ratings and 243 reviews.

    Goodreads: 3.92/5 based on 10,302 ratings and 801 reviews.

 

Excerpts...

    He’d learned long ago that his job demanded a more moderate personality.  No hotheads allowed.  Patience over impertinence.  Skill over force.  Diplomacy instead of confrontation.  He was an official United Nations envoy without any law enforcement authority whatsoever.  To get the job done he had to inspire trust, not generate controversy.  But what he’d just done violated all of those principles.  (pg. 64)

 

    “A vulture,” she said, “which we had long adopted as our symbol/”

    “A strange choice,” Deal noted.

    “Not really,” Claire said.  “They are quite formidable.  Live solitary lives.  Have few enemies.  And never kill a thing.  That’s us.  We carved them into tree trunks.  The Moors respected us.  We’d nursed several of them back to health after they’d been severely wounded in battle.  We talked with them.  Prayed with them.  Learned from them.  We were friends.  So they honored our territory.  They were not the barbarians the church and history would have everyone believe.  Quite the contrary, in fact.”  (pg. 335)

 

 

Kindle Details…

    The Omega Factor currently sells for $9.99 at Amazon.  Steve Berry has a bunch of other thriller e-books for you, a majority of them starring Cotton Malone.  The prices range from $4.99 to $11.99.

 

“He who runs after two hares at the same time, catches neither.”  (pg. 105)

    Profanity in The Omega Factor was surprisingly sparse.  I counted only 14 instances, eleven of them eschatological in nature, which was expected since heresy was one of the main topics in the book.  I saw only one typo, folly/volley, and I’m not even sure that wasn’t intentional

 

    Several of the negative reviews focused on the prominent religious tone of the tale.  Well, they have a point and are entitled to their opinions, but here’s a way to tell if you’d be similarly affected.  Have you read Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code?  If so, what’d you think of its religious angle?  Whatever it is, you’ll feel the same way about The Omega Factor.

 

    This was an enjoyable read for me, although I don’t think Nick Lee will ever replace Cotton Malone as my favorite Steve Berry protagonist.  It’s not that Nick is that bad of a leading character; it’s that Cotton is that good of one.

 

    8 Stars.  One last thing.  In one very minor scene, reference is made to a bookstore in Scottsdale, Arizona called “The Poisoned Pen”.  Folks, I live in that area and can assure you that indeed, that bookstore really exists and is an iconic landmark.

Low Red Moon - Caitlin R. Kiernan

 

    2001; 371 pages.  New Author? : No.  Book 2 (out of 2) in the “Chance Matthews” series.  Genres: Urban Horror; Fantasy.  Overall Rating : 7*/10.

 

    They make such a strange couple.

 

    Chance Matthews hears spirits talking to her.  Often in her dreams.  Sometimes when she’s awake.  She also sees lots of blood.  Often in her dreams.  Sometimes when she’s awake.

 

    Deacon Silvey is a recovering alcoholic.  He struggles mightily to not have a relapse.  He’s also a recovering psychic.  He “sees” and “feels” things that aren’t there.  The police like to use him because of that gift.  He’d like to get rid of it.

 

    Deacon and Chance are married.  She’s Chance Silvey now.  She’s also eight months pregnant.  I wonder how many of those strange “parental gifts”, if any, the baby is going to inherit.

 

    Other beings are wondering about that too.

 

What’s To Like...

    Low Red Moon is the follow-up to Threshold, which I read about fifteen years ago.  There is a time gap between the two, during which Chance and Deacon marry, and prepare for parenthood.  In effect, that allows Low Red Moon to be a standalone novel.  The story is set primarily in Birmingham, Alabama, but eventually takes a road trip to New England.

 

    I liked the character building.  Chance and Deacon may be co-protagonists, but they struggle to make the marriage work while somehow fending off killers and monstrous entities.  The baddies are diabolically resourceful which adds a lot of high tension to the story.

 

    Chance is a Paleontologist which again resonated with me.  At one point she is drawn into the “Science vs. Religion” discussion, or, as she calls it, the “Age of Rocks vs. Rock of Ages” debate.  To her credit, she handles it deftly.  But to be clear, this is first and foremost a tale of Urban-Horror, with several dark-side fantasy creatures thrown in for good measure.

 

    Everything builds to a bittersweet and unexpected ending.  There are losses for the Powers of both Good and Evil.  There is room enough for at least one more addition to the series, but Amazon tells me this is a duology only.

 

Ratings…
    Amazon:  4.4/5 based on 60 ratings and 29 reviews.

    Goodreads: 4.03/5 based on 880 ratings and 64 reviews.

 

Excerpts...

    “You think you know the score, Deacon,” the girl says, gazing intently at the invisible things she’s drawn on the bar.  “Where the darkness ends and the light begins, all the sins that turn angels into demons.  But you don’t.  Not yet.”

    Scarborough drains the shot glass and sets it down in front of Deacon, wipes his lips with the back of his hand, and the tip of his tongue darts out to catch a stray drop of liquor lingering at the corner of his mouth.

    “Best listen to her, buddy,” he says and jabs a thumb at the girl.  “She’s nutty as squirrel sh*t, but every now and then she starts making sense.”  (pg. 205)

 

    “I need you to believe me when I say that I have absolutely no problem whatsoever killing anyone that tries to help you.”

    “Anyone who,” Chance says.

    “What?”

    “Not anyone that,’ but ‘anyone who,’ because—”

    “You have to be f**king kidding me,” the werewolf barks in its coarse sandpapery monster’s laugh.  “Here I thought you were some sort of geologist, not a g*dd*mn English teacher.”  (pg. 279)

 

“When I was still a little girl, the moon bled for me.”  (pg. 254)

    The cussing is excessive in Low Red Moon.  I noted 42 instances in the first 5% of the book, the favorite of which, unsurprisingly, was the f-bomb.  I think the frequency of profanity continued at about that rate throughout the rest of the book.

 

    There is a lot of worldbuilding in the first part of the book, and that created slow spots.  The author's inclusion of lots of descriptive paragraphs further slows the pacing.  But once the main plot thread is introduced, the storytelling picks up nicely, and the reader is treated to an spinetingling tale of Horror.

 

    The slow-moving writing style bothered me, as well as several other reviewers.  But hey, that’s a personal taste only, and you may well enjoy the detailed renderings of the settings.  If you're in the mood for a tale of Urban Horror featuring changelings, werewolves, and vampires, "this blood's for you."

 

    7 Stars.  One last thing.  There are a dozen or so music references in Low Red Moon.  Take it from me, Caitlin Kiernan has excellent and eclectic music tastes.

The 1066 to Hastings - Howard of Warwick

    2019; 265 pages.  Book 17 (out of 38) in the “Chronicles of Brother Hermitage” series.  New Author? : No.  Genre : Satire; Cozy Mystery; Humorous Historical Fiction; British Humour.  Overall Rating : 8*/10.

 

   It sounded like a reasonable request.

 

    The noblewoman Lady Gudmund wants Brother Hermitage to determine who murdered her husband.  He is after all the King’s Investigator and therefore the person King William would assign such a task.  But the facts don’t support Lady Gudmund’s allegation.

 

    For one thing, the Gudmunds are a Saxon family.  Lord Gudmund followed the Saxon King Harold to the Battle of Hastings, where they by and large got slaughtered by the Normans under King William the Conqueror.  Getting killed in the fighting does not count as being murdered.  Brother Hermitage was about to decline Lady Gudmund’s when she made him an offer he couldn’t refuse.

 

    She offered to pay him and his companions for their efforts.  Money is a great persuader.

 

What’s To Like...

    The 1066 to Hastings is the 17^th book (out of 38) in Howard of Warwick’s humorous Historical Mystery “Brother Hermitage” series.  As the title insinuates, the events take place a short time after the Battle of Hastings, which was fought in 1066 CE.

 

    The usual trio of sleuths—Brother Hermitage and his weaver companion, Wat and Cwen—naturally take Lady Gudmund up on her promise of generous payment.  Most of their investigating entails questioning the various people in Lady Gudmund’s entourage and at the manors where they have arranged to spend their nights.

 

    The big question is: what makes Lady Gudmund think her missing husband met with foul play?  Lots of Saxon lords died in the Battle of Hastings, and even if he was felled by a friendly sword stab, most likely it was accidental, not intentional.  But things turn serious when someone is killed while the entourage is sojourning at a manor hosted by a thoroughly wacko Lord of questionable ethnicity.

 

    As always, the text is full of witty bantering betwixt our three protagonists.  Each has his or her own idea of what’s the proper way to interrogate suspects.  It doesn’t help that no one even knows for sure that Lord Gudmund perished in the battle.  There’s no record of his corpse being recovered, and he wasn’t known to be eager to participate in warfare.

 

    Events lead to a logical ending where Brother Hermitage’s “Sherlock Holmesian” powers of deduction suss out what’s going on.  This is less of a “whodunit” and more of a “whydunit”, and Hermitage doesn’t reveal the key clue until he springs it on the gathered suspects.

 

Ratings…
    Amazon:  4.6/5 based on 389 ratings and 23 reviews.

    Goodreads: 4.34/5 based on 158 ratings and 9 reviews.

 

Kewlest New Word ...

Housecarl (n.) : a professional household bodyguard.

 

Excerpts...

    “Here’s one,” one of the soldiers searching the Saxons called out.  He held up a hand with Renweard still attached to the other end.

    “We know about him,” Wat said.  “The Lady’s servant, does a bit of hunting.”

    “Could be him,” Tancred suggested, sounding slightly disappointed that they’d found their killer so quickly.

    “He says not.”

    “Well he would, wouldn’t he?”

    Hermitage shared that frustration.  If killers wouldn’t keep saying that they hadn’t done it, he could get his investigations completed much quicker.  (pg. 227)

 

    “Were you playing with the bow when it went off?”

    “I was told.”  Bart was starting to sound a little annoyed that people weren’t believing his confession.

    “You were told that you’d killed someone?”  Hermitage wasn’t following this at all now.

    “That’s right.”

    “Did you not remember it yourself?”  Hermitage had come across some casual killers in his time, the Norman, Le Pedvin being top of the list, but forgetting that you’d just killed someone really was going too far.

    Bart looked rather shamefaced.  “I do things when I’m asleep.”  (pg. 154)

 

Kindle Details…

    The 1066 to Hastings currently sells for $0.99 at Amazon.  The other books in the series range in price from $0.99 to $5.99.  Generally, the newer the e-book, the higher the price.

   

“As I understood it, murder almost always requires a death of some sort.”  (pg. 55)

    The 1066 to Hastings is a cozy mystery, and therefore it’s no surprise that it is almost cussword-free.  I noted just two instances of profanity in the entire book.  There’s a small amount of blood spilled during the aforementioned killing, and no adult situations.  I only spotted three typos in the whole story, which is a great improvement from the early books in this series.

 

    The book is written in English, not American, so you encounter weird spellings such as storey, baulked, meagre, and despatched, but at least it wasn’t written in Saxon English.  I’ve purchased a book written in Midieval English and am looking forward to try my hand at that version of our Mother Tongue.

 

    The 1066 to Hastings was a quick and delightful read for me.  I like the fact that Howard of Warwick devotes equal attention to creating a well-crafted mystery and a historically believable setting.  As usual, I tried to solve the case before Brother Hermitage did, and as usual, I failed.  I’ve got several more books from this series on my Kindle and I’m eager to tag along with Wat, Cwen, and Hermitage again in the near future.

 

    8 Stars.  One last thing.  At one point the word “Winterfylleth” is used.  Brother Hermitage notes it is the old Saxon term for the month of October.  Google confirms this.  I for one am all in favor of using "Winterfylleth" on calendars from now on.

The Secret Between the Walls : Book 2 - Charles W. Saunders

    2026; 361 pages.  New Author? : Sorta.  Genres : Children’s Contemporary Fantasy; Supernatural Mystery; Psychological Thriller.  Overall Rating : 9*/10.

 

    Oh what fun it is, to explore the hallways, in the basement of your school, in your spare time.  You pass all sorts of school employees, such as custodians and maintenance men.  But don’t let the principal catch you down there.  There aren’t any classrooms so students have no business being down there.

 

    Courtney and Livi have been doing this lately—at night mostly—and have discovered there is an even older basement with all sorts of hallways beneath what they thought was the bottommost level of the building.

 

    Now they’ve made another startling discovery.  That bottommost level has both a “newer” section and an “older” one.  But does that really make any difference?

 

    The school custodian Stillman seems to think so.

 

What’s To Like...

   The Secret Between the Walls – Book 2 is a direct continuation of Book One in the series; I highly recommend reading them in order.  Courtney and Livi started to notice strange things in their school in the first book.  Now, with help from Professor Popple and the phantasmic Assistant, the girls begin to try to resolve things.

 

    Charles Saunders uses a unique storytelling style here.  A lot of the text consists of short sentences in individual paragraphs.  It takes a bit of getting used to, but I think it works quite well for the target audience of children, ages 9-to-14.

 

    The text is full of witty, sarcastic banter, primarily in the Courtney/Livi/Assistant triangle, and the Popple/Stillman/Assistant one. Young and old readers alike will find themselves chuckling along with the characters.  I also liked that all the characters are “gray” in nature.  Stillman may be the baddie, but he seriously believes his course of action is honorable.  Courtney may be the main protagonist, but she sometimes second-guesses the decisions she’s made.

 

    The ending is both tense and heartwarmingly logical, and left a lump in my throat.  All the major plotlines are tied up, although not always in the manner I was expecting.  There is room in the overall storyline for a sequel.  I for one would like to learn more about what Popple’s future holds, and Courtney might find more ways to use her “gift”.

 

Ratings…
    Amazon:  x.x/5 based on 0 ratings and 0 reviews.

    Goodreads: x.xx/5 based on 0 ratings and 0 reviews.

 

Excerpts...

    “I’m leaving when we find an exit.”

    Courtney kept walking.

    “I heard you.”

    “I mean it.”

    “I know.”

    “I’m not helping you find anything.”

    The Assistant fell into step behind her.

    “I shall note that your participation remains involuntary.”

    “You’re not noting anything.”

    “Then I shall remember it informally.”  (pg. 49)

 

    The old passage seemed to breathe against her.

    After the dust and iron of the routing system, the air felt impossibly clean.

    She could almost imagine stepping out beneath an open sky.

    Almost.

    The Assistant walked to the center opening and extended one hand into it.

    “I detect a significant improvement in ventilation.”

    “No one asked you,” Livi said.

    “I anticipated the question.”

    “Stop anticipating.”

    “I will attempt to be surprised.”  (pg. 95)

 

Kindle Details…

    The e-book edition of The Secret Between the Walls – Book 2 sells for $3.99 at Amazon right now; as does the first book in the series.  It is also available in paperback for $14.99.  At present, these are the only e-books offered by Charles W. Saunders.

 

“I hate when you’re helpful.”  (pg. 149)

    The target audience is children-to-young-adults, so it is not surprising that there is zero profanity in The Secret Between the Walls – Book 2.  I also don’t recall anything even remotely resembling any R-rated situations.  Hats off to Charles Saunders for penning a fascinating story totally free of adult vocabulary and themes.  I didn’t notice any typos, punctuation errors, or clunky sentences.  Kudos to whoever did the editing on this book.

 

    I thoroughly enjoyed The Secret Between the Walls – Book 2.  I don’t think it’s easy to write a story that appeals to Children, Young Adults, and Geezers like me.  Somehow Charles Saunders has done so.  Write on, dude!

 

    9 Stars.  One last thing.  If you happen to be in the targeted 9-14 years old age-span, and don't like having to keep track of dozens of characters, this book’s for you.  I think there are only seven characters.  Wandering empty school halls after dark is not an effective way to meet and greet people.

Ferret Run - GS Freeman

    2026; 286 pages.  Full Title: Ferret Run – Secrets of Arcadia.  New Author? : Yes.  Genres : Science Fiction – First Contact; Fantasy; Adventure-Intrigue.  Overall Rating: 8½*/10.

 

    You know what they say: The third time’s the charm.

 

    Actually, Professor Lupus Hare is hoping that the second time’s the charm.  Several innocent people perished when he made his first endeavor.

 

    And what an endeavor it is!  Professor Hare wants to break through the barriers of the multiverse!  Get in contact with a parallel dimension.  And he and his team have just finished building something called a Collider, which smashes tiny particles together that hopefully will then open gateways to parallel universes.

 

    If successful, this would be a truly groundbreaking experience for all concerned.  Except for one being: Chancellor Trinn.  She’s from a different world, in a different universe, which has a different level of technology.  So Trinn has a different motive for helping Professor Hare’s research come to fruition.

 

    She wants to go home.

 

What’s To Like...

    Ferret Run is a Sci-Fi fantasy novel by GS Freeman (aka G. Scott Freeman) set on an undisclosed planet populated by sentient animal species, including walking/talking ferrets, cats, swans, polar bears, and many more, even a land-dwelling shark.  Humans are an unknown species, at least to start with, and at least to everyone except Chancellor Trinn.

 

    Our protagonist is a ferret named Victoria Lanell.  Her parents died years ago, and she presently lives in care of a guardian goat named Earl Kidd whom she calls “Papa”.  Lanell is also one of Professor Hare’s trusted assistants on the Collider project.

 

    Amazon appropriately lists the book’s main genre as First Contact Science Fiction, a theme I’m quite partial to.  But there is a lot of deeply developed character interaction going on as well.  Earl is hiding many secrets from Lanell; Trinn will do whatever is necessary to return to her home world, and the titular “Secrets of Arcadia” seems to categorize everyone as either “eco-friendly” or “pro-science-&-technology”.  GS Freeman also blends touches of wit and humor into the storyline, which I liked muchly.

 

    I enjoyed meeting the chemist Dr. Crusher, being one myself.  He gives new meaning to the concept of super-glue.  The flying spiders are definitely something to avoid crossing paths with, and I want to visit the “Starducks” shop someday and get me a cup of nuka.  I’m proud to say I chuckled at the mention of “Rick and Morty”.

 

    The ending is suitably tense and exciting.  Things stop at a logical place and the primary plot thread (the “first contact”) is resolved for the nonce.  Here's hoping a sequel is in the offing.

 

Ratings…
    Amazon:  5.0/5 based on 3 ratings and 3 reviews.

    Goodreads: 5.00/5 based on 7 ratings and 7 reviews.

 

Excerpts...

    “I think there’s something older at work.  Something that bridges biology and physics.  Something in the architecture of existence itself.  Look at her.  She’s alien but not foreign.”

    He took a step closer.  “What if dimensional physics doesn’t just transport matter, but favors certain patterns?  What if there’s a design at the core of reality that selects for this kind of form?”

    Myles let out a low whistle.  “That’s not science; that’s metaphysics.”  (pg. 14)

 

    “So she can hear us?”

    “She will once the nanos finish mapping phonemic structure.  Give it twenty minutes, maybe less.  Then we can test comprehension.”

    Hare nodded thoughtfully.  “Then we observe.  See how she handles isolation.  You learn more from what an animal does without instructions than you ever do with a prompt.”

    “She’s not an animal,” Myles muttered, eyes still locked to the display.

    “She is to us,” Hare said flatly.  “And we are to her.  Symmetry’s just perspective, Moleman.  What matters is who’s holding the clipboard.”  (pg. 173)

 

Kindle Details…

    The e-book edition of Ferret Run presently sells for $2.99 at Amazon.  It is also available in paperback format, for $15.99.  To the best of my knowledge, this is GS Freeman’s debut full-length novel.

 

Why bother with methodical research when we can just throw particles at each other and hope for enlightenment?  (pg. 29)

    There’s only a small amount of profanity in Ferret Run.  I noted just 20 instances in the first 2/3 of the book, and these were all of the milder, eschatological variety.  Later on, a scatological term popped up, but just once.

 

    The main issue with Ferret Run is the editing.  There are a bunch of typos, and literally dozens of punctuation errors, to the point of where it became distracting.  There were also two or three continuity issues.

 

    But those things are all fixable via another round of editing.  What counts is that the world-building, character development, and storytelling were all superb.  For me, Ferret Run was a delightful page-turner, and I strongly hope it’s the start of an epically exciting series.  After all, several beings are desperately wanting to get back to their native phases of the multiverse.

 

    8½ Stars.  One last thing.  Professor Hare uses the acronym PDE several times in the story.  It stands for Percussive Dimensional Event.  Is that way-kewl or what?!