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The Jevlir Caravansary

Author: jevlir

  • Books: The Taken Trilogy

    This trilogy by Alan Dean Foster consists of the books Lost and Found, The Light Years Beneath my Feet, and The Candle of Distant Earth.

    While I like Alan Dean Foster’s writing generally, though I find much of it much more entertaining than thought-provking (not a bad thing!), I found this trilogy considerably less interesting than the various stories placed in the Humanx Commonwealth. The final volume is the least interesting of the three. It seems to move from triumph to triumph with remarkably little tension for an Alan Dean Foster book.

    Those who enjoy Foster will still appreciate the humor and the general sense of fun. There are also quite a number of surprises. We do get a resolution at the end, indicating that this really is a trilogy and not an endless series.

    I guess I’ll just have to wait for another book from the Humanx Commonwealth. Meanwhile this is still not bad, just not what I expect and normally get from a master author like Foster.

  • Patience of a Saint: God with a Cosmic Baseball Bat

    I love books by Andrew Greeley, and this one is no exception. It’s way out of date, copyright in 1983, and in fact can only be found used on Amazon.com, but I generally write on this blog about what I’m reading right now, and this is one book. In the scattered way in which I have read Andrew Greeley’s books, this is not too surprising.

    Normally I’m a strong advocate of enjoyment in literature–read what you enjoy reading. I’m not much for standards of literary value, though there are things I would regard as destructive. But in the case of Andrew Greeley, there is a bit of an ulterior motive in my enjoyment. I believe Greeley presents the gospel in fictional form as no author author does. Now he tells a very good tale while doing so, but the gospel message–God’s implacable love–runs through these books from start to finish.

    In this book, Red Cain, the central character encounters God who is swinging a cosmic baseball bat. Having had a few similar encounters with God myself, I sympathize with the lead character in practically all ways. I can tell you what such an encounter with God feels like, and I can tell you that Greeley is accurate in presenting it. He’s also accurate in presenting other people’s reactions. I personally had a larger number of supportive people and a smaller number of people who were negative, but the whole range were there.

    Do I mean that this is some sort of theological work? No, though it has both a theological note and a sociological note at the end. It’s good Greeley style entertainment, with the descriptions of sexual encounters that have made people question how a priest could write them, action, suspense, superb characterization. It’s not really deep stuff as in hard to read, but I’m not one of those who favor literature that’s obscure. I like it pretty straightforward. If I didn’t like the story and characters so much, I might find a bit too much human interest rather than movement of the story for my taste, but as it is, it’s all quite manageable.

    With Amazon offering copies for as little as $0.01 (plus their shipping and handling) and copies in libraries around the country, you can afford to take the time to read this. It may help you renew your commitment to God. It might even help you with the more difficult task of renewing your commitment to your family and your community, both physical and spiritual.

  • Reading and Viewing – 9/13/06

    I’ve been reading a viewing a variety of things over the last couple of weeks and I thought I’d comment on a few of them and provide “buy” links.

    First on my list is a mystery by a new author (for me), Donna Andrews, titled Access Denied. This is one of a series, the Turing Hopper mysteries, featuring a sentient, or near sentient, artificial intelligence. I found the characters interesting, but not fascinating, and the artificial intelligence is an interesting concept, though I don’t think a great deal was done with it. I rate this book a 3 of 5 (My Book Ratings).

    To keep my hand in with reading I can count on for enjoyment, I also read two books by Terry Pratchett, Lords and Ladies and Men at Arms. Pratchett can always be counted on for good fun, and I rate the discworld novels a 4 pushing a 5. I have to be honest and admit that there are others books that I will pick up first, so the most honest rating is 4.

    I did try a new book, Joanne Fluke’s Cherry Cheesecake Murder, subtitled A Hannah Swensen Mystery with Recipes. If I were to rate this one myself, I would be forced to give it a rating of one, but I also loaned it to my wife. Her tastes and mine overlap but are not identical. The average rating should probably be about a 3 or 4. The problem is that I have little patience for a book that spends too much time building the characters while leaving me without any action. I prefer characterization that happens more as the story moves. Further, the recipes don’t interest me, which I knew when I picked up the book. In other words, this isn’t a bad book; it’s just not a book for me. Jody thought it was pretty good.

    To round out my reading I picked up a couple by Ngaio Marsh, Light Thickens and When in Rome. Marsh is regular reading for me. There’s some similarity to Agatha Christie, but though that comparison originally attracted me, as I’ve read Marsh I don’t see them as all that similar. One major difference is that Marsh’s lead characters appear to be more official than Christie’s.

    Now for viewing, I have to admit to indulging my love for British comedy, I watched a number of episodes of Jeeves and Wooster, which I find quite amusing in a light sort of way, and a few more of Yes, Minister/Yes Prime Minister.

    In terms of full length movies I watched Creator, which is somewhat humorous but doesn’t attain to greatness (I waver between a 2 and a 3). Next was Mr. Holland’s Opus, which I rate as a 4. That’s not really all, but I didn’t really keep a list.

    Of the current crop of TV programs, the only one I’m following with diligence is The Closer (First Season). This is one of the several shows (CSI and West Wing are others) that my wife and I both follow with diligence, even extending to recording them when we’re out, a truly rare accolade on our part.

    Well, that’s it. Perhaps you’ll find some reading or viewing ideas in the list. I’ll continue to write fuller reviews of materials that are new to me, and that I realy find attractive.

  • The Testimony of Sunday Lunch

    (Note: All characters, and churches portrayed in this story are, as always, fictional. The attitudes, unfortunately, are not.)

    Don’t forget hospitality, because by it some have unknowingly entertained angels. — Hebrews 13:2

    The sermon was about love and hospitality. Sam was unusually touched by the message, and as he and his wife Joyce exited the church, they saw the middle aged man, alone, taking the fastest way to the exit of the church. Sam was pretty sure the man was a visitor. He’d never seen him before, and he did tend to notice these things.

    “Let’s treat him to lunch,” he said, turning to his wife.

    (more…)

  • The War on Fun and Imagination

    The War on Fun and Imagination

    It seems as though practically every day I hear complaints about people having fun. It really doesn’t matter whether it’s how they talk or live, or the type of entertainment they watch or read, or the sports they play, some humorless wet blanket is going to try to smother their enjoyment.

    I’ve personally encountered this a few times with reference to role-playing games. Now it so happens I’m not active with role-playing any more, and haven’t been for a few years. But that’s not because I decided they were a bad thing, or that people shouldn’t get involved in them and enjoy them. It’s just about this time of my life and my priorities. As one can tell from this blog, I still put my imagination to work from time to time working out stories in imaginary worlds. With a nifty little blog like this I can post my stories to be ignored, enjoyed, criticized, or whatever else, and it’s just plain fun.

    (more…)

  • Birth of a Religion

    Marat, priestess of Utu, adjusted her position until she had a clear shot both at the priest of Velanac, and at the drummers who stood to either side. To her left, she could see Amrar, priest of Ra, also prepared with a short bow, not all that different from hers. She stifled a laugh. It’s probably a minute or so before midnight out in the real world above, though I can’t tell in this cave, she thought. I can barely move, my magical strength is expended, all my healing items, herbs, and other mixtures are empty. I’m bandaged around the chest, on one leg, and both arms. Pulling this bow is going to be painful. It’s a fitting end to my career.

    Somewhere to her left, she knew that her colleague, no, associate Natisha was sneaking around the edge of the cavern. Just out of sight of the entrance stood the Lord Kaltros, leader of this little expedition, along with the three remaining hired guards. A few meters behind them would be Lord Mayor Zirdan, mayor of Sidroc, who was the expedition’s patron. He was lying on a stretcher after being hit by several crossbow bolts in their last encounter. It was miraculous that, without any remaining priestly healing ability in the party, he was still alive.

    With everyone injured in some way, it seemed likely that this would be the end. The only surprise was the absence of guards to stop them from getting into position to attack the high priest, but she wasn’t going to complain about that. Perhaps they could at least interrupt whatever ritual he was performing before they all died in the inevitable counterattack.

    (more…)

  • Simple Risk

    Jerin, legal advocate, could not quite believe the young woman facing him across the table. They were in the Aagerinar city jail, and he had been asked to take her on as a client.

    “Marita, heir to the Earl Northmarch, and also third in line for the Duchy of Aagerinar,” he said, reciting the known data. “How old are you, anyhow?”

    “Rumor has it I’m 15.” Her expression didn’t change. She was relaxed, even serene. There was no sign of the tension he would expect of a young woman under arrest.

    “Rumor has it? Don’t you know?”

    “My adoptive mother guessed I was eight when she adopted me. That was seven years ago. In actuality, nobody knows for sure.” Very slight amusement showed. He suspected that if this girl did know, she wouldn’t be telling. “But none of this is important right now. I need you to do some work for me.” Not “represent me” or “defend me.”

    “If I’m to represent you,” he said, “You’ll need to follow my instructions exactly and trust yourself completely to my care. You are charged with a serious crime, and it’s under the city jurisdiction, not the ducal, so you it won’t be easy.”

    “On the contrary,” said Marita, “You’ll do exactly as I say, speak when I tell you to, and be quiet when I want you to. You will merely be a voice.” It was amazing how, when you started from the original serenity, slight changes could convey a great deal of meaning. Now there was a hardness in her expression that would permit no argument.

    “Someone your age can’t do that!” he said. “The legal system can be complicated, and you can’t count on your birth to save you from this one. City judges aren’t chosen by the Duke, and aren’t susceptible to the kind of influence you’re used to using.”

    “I can get someone else. Or you can sit beside me, win this case, and get the fame that results. It’s your choice. But remember, I don’t deal well with disloyalty. You’ll agree to do things exactly as I say.” Still that hardness around the lips.

    Jerin considered for a few moments. He could end up looking like a fool, but on the other hand, Marita had the reputation for living a charmed life, she was close friends with the Ducal heir, her mother was the High Priestess and founder of the Ecumencial Temples of the Sun, and her father was the Earl Northmarch. The odds she was going to end up swinging by the neck from the end of a rope were probably small.

    (more…)

  • This Weeks Reading – 8/29/06

    I’ve decided that putting a single entry for each book I decide to write a paragraph or so about is too scattered. I think I’ll just try to make weekly entries on my reading. Where applicable, I’ll do something similar for what I watch as well, though I watch less than I read.

    This week I read three very different books, though all were enjoyable. When I rate these for my Energion.com Bookstore I use a scale from 1 to 5. This scale means:

    1. I didn’t finish reading it.
      I’m such a determined reader that this only applies to two books that I can remember
    2. I don’t plan to look at this author again
    3. Normal reading level; I liked it and will read this author again on occasion.
    4. I liked it, and will keep my eye open for this author’s work
    5. I truly adored it, and will read everything this author writes.

    My first item this week was the final book in Timothy Zahn’s Blackcollar trilogy, Zahn, Timothy, Blackcollar: The Judas Solution. Timothy Zahn is one of my favorite writers, and so you should not be surprised that I give this a five; I have to just based on my definition. If Zahn writes, I’ll read. In this case, I find the ending to the trilogy quite interesting and creative, and I enjoyed the background of this series. There’s lots of action and suspense, and a few twists and turns, but it mostly hangs together. There are some interesting logical questions, but they don’t overwhelm the story.

    Then I read John Pilkington’s medieval mystery, The Maiden Bell. This was my first book by Pilkington and though I enjoyed it, I must give it a mere 3. I have already visited the library again and completely failed to look for another book by this author. On the other hand, I expect I will read something more by him at some point. I found the story just a little bit slow, and the history was pretty far in the background.

    Finally, I read a book by one of my wife’s favorite authors, J. D. Robb (Nora Roberts). The book is Memory in Death, and I truly enjoy reading any of the books in this series featuring Eve Dallas as a detective. Robb concentrates on the human element a great deal, but the mystery is good, and the action and suspense are adequate to keep your attention. Since I read a good deal of Robb, but haven’t set out to read everything she writes (who could?) I’ll call this a 4.

    Of course I’m only including fiction and literary reading in this listing. A good use of comments might be to mention good books you’ve read recently. I enjoy updating this blog and its good for me whether anyone’s reading it or not, but it might be fun to have some feedback here.

  • Book: Death in the Middle Watch

    This was my first book in this series, subtitled A Carolus Deene Mystery. Leo Bruce presents an interesting mystery, though I think some elements of the plot and some of the clues are a bit overdone. I also think that the probabilities are pushed a bit on what a cruise ship can get by with.

    The characterizations are quite clear, although the book is largely populated by stereotypes, and a good portion of the actions are a bit predictable.

    The story is set on a cruise ship. There was a passenger death the year before and the company has been getting threatening letters. An extraordinarily stupid company president and a rather poor excuse for a ship’s captain make the trip more interesting. Mr. Deene’s apparent love of drama makes the finale a bit more exciting than it realistically would have to be.

    I rate this a 2 out of 5. I finished reading it, but I’m not in urgent search of another volume.

  • Book: Murder in the Chateau

    I really enjoy books about the second world war, whether they are histories or fiction set in the war. Elliott Roosevelt writes a series of books about his mother, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Murder in the Chateau is a good example of the style of this series. In this case, Eleanor Roosevelt finds herself in Vichy France, and as one might expect, there is a murder that she needs to solve.

    I think this particular volume takes more liberties with the historical possibilities than usual. You will need to suspend disbelief to a pretty serious extend in regard to the capabilities of the Gestapo, the SS, and even the Vichy Milice. But the story is interesting, and the characters are engaging as usual.

    I rate this at 3 of 5.