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Historically, the inauguration of America's first African-American president has come and gone with celebrations abound. But unlike this year of presidential firsts, Michael Carver's Collision of Angels explores another side to a potential American leadership, asking a very important question: What would happen if a man of God was elected president?
Enter Tony Campbell, a company CEO with an ever-growing relationship with The Man Upstairs, and son-in-law to Silas Jackson, a man with a brilliant idea. He and his friends have more than enough money to support the idea, and they have just the right person to fill the spot - why not kick off an presidential campaign for Tony? Though hesitant at first, Tony quickly falls into step with his father-in-law after a bathroom visit from the Lord himself. But as the time to announce his running draws closer, the word of Tony's running leaks to the press thanks to buddy Pete's troublesome son and basketball superstar Karl.
Though the addition of Satan's little sneaky henchmen add a little bit of cheese to the story, the book is very solid and beautifully written. Carver is a clearly religious man and writes as so, but not in a preachy, off-putting manner like most religious books. He just tells the story of a man who heavily believes and lives for his relationship with Jesus, a rare find in this day and age. The overall concept also raises questions about our nation's current political state and about what would happen if this country was finally governed again on the principles it was founded and built on.
Hey, I'm all for tombs and mummies and Egypt and anything related, but if you have to go through this much trouble to disturb the resting place of an Egyptian god, you begin to wonder if it's really worth it.
When an archaeologist gains possession of a expansive piece of property in Egypt that potentially houses the lost tomb of Imhotep beneath its ground, it becomes the target of a pharoah-worshipping religious sect named the Sons of Set, whose Head Priest sees it more as a cash cow than the inner sanctum of a religious entity. Their overwhelming desire to gain ownership of the tomb - which they're not even sure is actually there - drives them to kidnap the archaeologist's newfound love and fiancee, track them with a nosy, hash-addicted servant, and pose as the local electricity company. Ah, such rowdy hi-jinx.
The story starts off slow, and if no interest lies in Egypt or its ancient gods, you'll be pretty much put off from the beginning. But gradually, a slipshod story forms that gains more stability and purpose, even though the occasional murder or sacrificial ritual will confuse it a bit. Those looking for an Egyptian-based thriller may pass this one by for a more fluid and sensible tale, but if Egypt is really your thing, Imhotep is worth a look.
If this is our future, I really can't say I'm looking forward to it all that much.
Dan Ronco spins a riveting futuristic novel packed with action, suspense and a whole lotta robots. And religious nuts - those guys are the fun ones. In 2022, the world lies in the aftermath of the virus that hit the world and its computers a decade before. The accused creator, Ray Brown, is dead, but his son David, possessing a weird ability to communicate with artificial intelligence, lives on, often suffering from his father's indiscretions. But when David receives a preset email from his father claiming his own innocence, David suspects that perhaps his father wasn't behind the world-shattering virus, but a business associate who now prepares and distributes A.I. inventions underground. And with the religious sect called the Church of Natural Humans causing havoc as well, picking off anyone who sneezes in the direction of an A.I., answers don't come as easily for David as he might've originally thought.
Though some character dialogue comes off as a bit too scripted, Ronco's story and writing is solid, providing enough twists and turns for the mystery-favoring reader and enough fist-to-fist action for the James Bond followers. An excellent read.
Talk about an identity crisis.
M. Christian (or is it?) puts a whole new spin to the genre of mind-bending thrillers with Me2, a twisted and psychological tale of individuality and the lack of it. Though my description doesn't sound that scary or interesting, I can't do justice to Christian's pulse-pounding skill of turning one man's relatively simple life around with the numerological Genetic Mirror Theory, which says that every human has a genetic twin. (Those who haven't heard of it can check any message board or website for TV show Lost for more info.)
Christian is very unique in his delivery, carving a Starbucks-employed, California-destined, gay "Boy of Summer" into a paranoid, mentally-intuitive, questionably-sane wanderer trying to find his true self (not matter how contradictory those adjectives are). His character's pursuit for his copycat takes him many a party and gathering, one during which he unintentionally gets a little friendly with a darkness-veiled guest.
Christian's visual descriptions (when provided) are vivid and entrancing, gathered in a somewhat confusing order to throw off the reader and any concluding thoughts they may have about this so-called twin and his gradual reign over Christian's character. It's cryptic, enthralling, horrific, fascinating, and never truly reveals its secrets - a great story, indeed.
When you die, are you really dead? Can you keep on living through memory? Kevin Brockmeier's January release is built solely on these questions and many more, delivering a thought-provoking, deep and powerful novel unlike any other.
The Brief History of the Dead revolves around Laura Byrd, a wildlife specialist employed by the Coca-Cola Corporation that is sent out to Antarctica to find uses for the slowly melting ice for the popular soft drink. However, a slight snag in the plan occurs - the world is wiped out by a lethal virus while she's freezing her buns off (now that is some bad luck for ya), and her accompanying colleagues Joyce and Puckett, in a helpful sense, abandon her and their station to seek help across the icy depths. Hold up - it gets better.
Every other chapter deals with another world entirely - one housing those who have passed from the Earth. But it isn't the heaven-or-hell afterlife the majority of the population had envisioned - it is yet another city that expands on its own to house the bloating census. Confused? Be patient.
While these stories seem to have little to do with each other, Brockmeier gingerly intertwines them about half way through the book, making two worlds one...in a sense. Turns out this parallel city the dead folks are shacking up in is powered by the memories of those on Earth. And, since a lethal virus rarely shows mercy to its victims, Laura winds up being the last remaining person on Earth. Only her memories and the people retained in them remain in the city. But what if Laura dies? What will happen to the city and its occupants then?
You'll have to read it to find out. But even still, Brockmeier's mind-bending writing skill is so interesting and twisted, one will have a hard time putting this 252-page novel down. And his intriguing insight into the afterlife and this supposed memory-driven plane may give even the most religious of people something to contemplate.
But be forewarned: You may never look at another Coca-Cola can the same way again.
Historically, the inauguration of America's first African-American president has come and gone with celebrations abound. But unlike this year of presidential firsts, Michael Carver's Collision of Angels explores another side to a potential American leadership, asking a very important question: What would happen if a man of God was elected president?
