January Reading

This month's fiction novel of choice will be Uglies by Scott Westerfeld.  I downloaded the first chapter sample of this one on my Kindle app a few months ago and was instantly gripped.  I put off buying it for a while because I knew I had too much else to read, but then a couple of weeks ago I ordered it and as soon as it arrived I knew it was going to the top of the pile.  I love distopian fiction, especially when done well and I have good feelings about this one.

This month's other fiction novel of choice will be Ransom by Lois Duncan.  That's right, I'm reading four books this month but they're all reasonably small so I think it's a reasonable take.  This book in particular I've been wanting to read for years.  I've read all the rest of Lois Duncan's books and I even started this one when I was thirteen... on the day we were moving from America back to Australia.  I was reading on the front stoop when some friends came by and wanted to play so I left my book by the door and went off.  When I came back the book was gone.  I couldn't find it at any book stores in Australia and back then you didn't really buy books online.  But, now I do.  So I did.

This month's non-fiction book of choice is Just Do Something by Kevin DeYoung.  I'm a big advocator of Tim Challies, and when mentioning this to a friend I was recommended Kevin DeYoung. So, when I was at Koorong I picked up the only book of his they had in stock.  Partly because of the recommendation, and partly because the subject matter was so appealing to me.  I know in principle that the only revelations God promises to us is what is already in his word and that I can't expect and mystic signs telling me what to do with my life, but putting that understanding into practice is often difficult.  My hope for this book is that it will offer practical advice and biblical encouragement for making good decisions in the light of the freedom we have in Christ.

This month's second non-fiction book of choice is The Genesis Factor by David R Helm and Jon M Dennis. It's been a topic floating in my mind for ages that I wish I had more reliable information on.  I'm hoping that this book will make me feel more informed and help me to better understand my faith.

Revelation: Apocalypse Now and Then Review

I've never read through Revelation on my own before, and the talks I've heard on the book in the past have never really stuck with me.  But there's something mysterious and controversial about this book of the bible that calls me to it and makes me want to uncover all its many secrets.  I'd had my eye on this commentary by Paul Barnett for a while, after reading one of his other books on Mark (click here for a short review/opinion).  Revelation: Apocalypse Now and Then is a part of an "evolving series committed to brevity, and academic integrity for busy people" says the blurb on the back.  I couldn't think of a more apt description for the book, and indeed the series as a whole.

On days when I had only a small window of time to do my reading I was able to complete one short section in 10-15 mins, including reading the bible passage.  But, the writing flows as such that on days when I had an hour or so to spare I was able to comfortably keep reading without needing to look up at the clock at all (impressive for a commentary I would say).

My main goal in reading this book was to have the mysterious codes deciphered for me so I could potentially read through the book on my own again in the future and find it fruitful.  This, I feel the book has achieved for me.  In clear and succinct language it presented me with reference points for the codes used by John and also cultural background that influenced the imagery throughout the book.  I now know (for example) that the number seven is code for God and eternal perfection, while the "sea beast" is symbolic of the Roman emperor and his government.  These are things I never knew before.

Beyond just this though, Paul Barnett does a wonderful job of illuminating truths in the text.  Let me share a couple of my favourites with you:
Upon reading through the section Revelation 4:9-11 Dr Barnett makes the comment "Worship is the expression of agreement by the people of God about the truth of God."  What a simple and wonderful statement.  It has spoken volumes into my prayer life.  When we express to our God that he is worthy to receive glory and honor and power and so on and so forth, we are not simply pandering to his ego, but acknowledging essential truths about the creator of the universe, and are thus worshiping and bringing glory to him by stating such truths and agreeing with them.  Epic.

If I was to say anything negative about this book is that it doesn't have any study questions as suggested on the back cover.  Very disappointing.  I really found the study questions helpful in the book on Mark and was looking forward to having them again.  I don't know whether they were left out on purpose due to the difficulty of the subject matter or if they were just over looked (I wouldn't be surprised as I have come across numerous grammatical and spelling errors that I thought were quite obvious and should have been picked up in editing.)

Also, I found that a few of the sections less than illuminating and more just rehashing in almost the exact same words as the passage.  I guess this is because the author thought they were fairly self explanatory, but to me they weren't.

Summing up:
An easy four and a half stars.  While I was disappointed about the lack of study questions but the book clearly stands on it's own without them.  To quote J.I. Packer, "Revelation is a complex piece of writing that has mystified many, and it is no small achievement to write a simple commentary on it that dispels the fog.  Dr Barnett, however, has done just this."  I couldn't agree with him more.  Dr Barnett is more than qualified to write such a commentary and his vast knowledge of Roman culture and the apocalyptic writing style is communicated simply and effectively.  This is one of those books you fill with scribbled notes and highlighter marks, then put on the best shelf to be pulled out whenever anyone so much as mentions the book of Revelation at a dinner party.  Oh, and it's not too long either (a two inch think commentary on Revelation would be rather daunting.)

A Study in Scarlet

In addition to my two books for this month I have been doing some reading on the Kindle app on my phone while I rock my daughter to sleep.  I've managed to get through the first of the 'Sherlock Holmes" novels, A Study in Scarlet.  I won't do a proper review because Arthur Conan Doyle's work is too long established as classic for my opinion to be of any great consequence, but I will say this:  how good is it?!?!?!

No, really.  I so often struggle with the 'classics' because they're so much more wordier and heavier than modern novels.  As a rule they seem much more content to plod along at a slower pace.  Not so with good ol' Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson!  It's just so witty and light and entertaining and mysterious and fascinating.  I splurged and spent a whole 99 cents to get the complete works.  Make no mistake, I will get through them all. 

Four very happy stars!

Froi of the Exiles

Please note that this review contains spoilers for Finnikin of the Rock.  Any spoilers for Froi of the Exiles are confined to the first few chapters.

There is a lot in this book.  I remember getting to the half way point and feeling like my head was going to explode from copious amounts plot.  I've never seen so much plot in one book.  There's plot enough for three books, no five, all in one massive volume.  I can see the appeal with a book full of plot like that where the writing is flawless and the plot poetically gripping, but alas, poor Froi is neither of these.

Now, I'm not saying it's not a good book.  It is.  Perhaps even a very good book (almost).  It's just that everything is a bit too 'almost'.  The characters are almost complexly realistic.  The plot is almost believable. The twists are almost very clever.  Sensitive and thought-provoking issues are almost dealt with in an engaging way.  At the end of the day I think there was just something behind it all that felt a little bit forced.  Let me explain.

So, three years after the curse on Lumatere was lifted we find our new hero, Froi.  The once street-rat rapist has now found himself bonded to the queen and has become a much better person with the love of a family (aww) and while also being trained as an assassin.  Froi then finds himself being sent into Charyn on a mission to kill the king and do absolutely nothing else because that's a part of his bond.  He is to use minimal initiative and is barely trusted to do the job at all.  At the same time Queen Isaboe is being to clingy with her daughter, Lady Beatrice is having her virtue called into honor, Lucius is apparently a callous pig who sent back his wife because she cried to much, and, and, and, and.... there's just so much side plot and twists and turns and dragging on and on.

And then there's the racism.  It boggles my mind that the heroic queen of a nation that's supposed to be wise and sensible would be so ignorant as to assume an entire nation of people were worthless and evil.  It doesn't sit right with me that Isaboe's character would feel that way.  I see the point Marchetta is trying to make here and I kind of wish I didn't.  It should feel more organic and less uncomfortable.

BUT... and this is a big but.... the last 200 or so pages of the book really pulls everything together.  I don't know how she does it, but what for the longest time felt like the hardest work to get through now feels like something I might one day read again.  Marchetta's trademark is that she always attacks the complexities of relationships and social issues so poetically.  I'm torn here because on the one hand I feel like if she had kept the book (and indeed the world it's set in) simpler and smaller she could have kept me interested for the whole book and not just the end.  But on the other hand I kind of like that I got so frustrated because it was almost like my emotions matched the flow of the book.

It cannot be denied however that much of the book's plot seems to be forced, conversations with unnatural endings, and arguments with unrealistic resolutions.

The best thing about the book however was Quintana. I loved her as a character (she really carried the book for me) and while everything else wasn't perfect, it still made of an overall engaging read.

Summing up:

I'm going to be harsh.  Three stars.  I would like to be kinder based on how much I enjoyed it, but at the end of the day there is just too much wrong with it to warrant a higher rating.  I would still highly recommend it to any fans of both Melina Marchetta and the fantasy genre.  Anyone else I think would get fed up and just walk away.