Behemoth review

Book Description:

 Jim Thompson, chief game warden of the Masai Mara Game Reserve in Kenya, has a major problem. Three of his prized elephants have been gored to death in the past month. The only clues left are mysterious tracks reportedly belong to a creature long thought extinct. Thompson suddenly finds himself on a tumultuous adventure as he travels across the African continent, hoping to convince himself and the world that he is on the verge of an incredible discovery. He is not alone. On the other side of the world, Professor Stephen Gregory is embarking on an adventure of his own. Forced to resign over his unpopular scientific beliefs, this once-distinguished professor gets the chance of a lifetime when he is offered an expedition into the heart of Africa in search of a creature that could prove his theories true once and for all.

 My Review:


I have been fascinated by the thought of dinosaurs possibly still being alive in our rainforest areas since seeing the movie Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend WAAAYYYY back in the late 80's, so when I had a chance to review Behemoth how could I refuse?

There are two story lines in this book, two different ventures to discover/uncover proof that dinosaurs are still living and breathing on this planet.  Both ventures combine fact and creationist views.  Creatures that resemble our constructs of "ancient" dinosaurs have been described and identified via drawings by local dwellers, this is fact.  Creationists (of which I am) believe that this is another piece of evidence supporting God's accounting of the creation of the world in that dinosaurs and man could and did coexist. 

The book stumbles a bit at the beginning in the writing style, way to much name calling.  (Mike said....then John said......then Mike said......then John replied.... type of thing)  Once you get past the first chapter or so it picks up quite a bit, like Leicht found his stride.  There also is a lot of theology in the book.  I know several readers have commented that they felt like there was to much conversation about creationist beliefs but I really felt like it added to the story.  Why is the rich guy shelling out tons of money to find this possible dinosaur?  Why are these scientist entering an area where they feel a need to bring heavy duty weapons due to the hostile atmosphere in search of a dinosaur?  You need to understand their belief system to truly get it.  Leicht also does a good job of planting an "unbeliever" on the scientific journey, although he is portrayed as being very mule headed and that might turn some readers off I feel like he is a good representation of the population that is determined not to see God in creation even when evidence stares them in the face.

The story line does jump from group to group quite a bit, often without warning and you spend a few paragraphs trying to figure out what is going on before that "ah ha" moment when you realize that you are with the other group now.  Still, a great blend of science fiction, dinosaurs and creationism.  As of this writing it is available on Kindle for around $3, with a steep hike in price for the paper versions.  Well worth the money to purchase for an e-reader!

Buy it here for Kindle or paper books

Thanks Booksneeze.com for the review copy!

The Charlatan's Boy Review

Book Description:

 As far back as he can remember, the orphan Grady has tramped from village to village in the company of a huckster named Floyd. With his adolescent accomplice, Floyd perpetrates a variety of hoaxes and flimflams on the good citizens of the Corenwald frontier, such as the Ugliest Boy in the World act.

It’s a hard way to make a living, made harder by the memory of fatter times when audiences thronged to see young Grady perform as “The Wild Man of the Feechiefen Swamp.” But what can they do? Nobody believes in feechies anymore.

When Floyd stages an elaborate plot to revive Corenwalders’ belief in the mythical swamp-dwellers known as the feechiefolk, he overshoots the mark. Floyd’s Great Feechie Scare becomes widespread panic. Eager audiences become angry mobs, and in the ensuing chaos, the Charlatan’s Boy discovers the truth that has evaded him all his life—and will change his path forever.

My Review:

This was another book I chose as being possibly interesting for my son to read (others included Crazy Dangerous, Crater, and Replication: the Jason Experiment).  The plot sounded interesting and to be honest I wanted to know what a "feechie" was.

Set in mythical Corenwald, a blend of Rogers imagination, old West America, and some British thrown in to the mix, the story focuses on Grady.  Grady is a decidedly ugly young man who assists Floyd in scamming the good folks in the country.  Grady thought for years that he truly was a feechie, an ugly race of people who were thought to live in the swamps and off the land, unable to really speak.  That is until the good country folk stopped believing in feechies and Floyd tried to make a few coins by promoting Grady as the ugliest boy in the world.

While I enjoyed the setting, the country dialogs, and the characters, this story seemed to just amble along with no real purpose.  Grady is searching for a place to belong, and he does eventually stumble upon it by accident, but when he does it feels like a let down.  I was disappointed in the ending, although glad that Grady did get some questions answered, many others were left unanswered for the reader.

Why did Floyd eventually turn on Grady?  Why did the innkeeper woman feel such an affinity for Grady and offer him a home?  Why were feechies looked down upon?  Why were they so separated from other folks?  What was the deal with Barbary, the beautiful daughter of another huckster?

In addition, since this was a Waterbrook Press publication I really expected something a bit more "religious" oriented.  There wasn't a Christian or religious tone to the book at all.  I don't think God (or any deity for that matter) was mentioned in the book at all other than as part of a scam (a praying machine) or that a persons ugliness was given by God.  

All in all when I finished the book I really felt like I had wasted my time.

You can read the first two chapters for yourself here. 

Ten Plagues

Book Description:

 Join the breakneck chase through Chicago for a murderous maniac. As the victims begin piling up, detective Keren Collins’s spiritual discernment is on high alert. Will she capture the killer before another body floats to the surface? Ex-cop, now mission pastor Paul Morris has seen his share of tragedy, but nothing prepared him to be a murderer’s messenger boy. Will his old ruthless cop personality take over, leading him to the brink of self-destruction? Can Keren and Paul catch the killer before the corpse count reaches a perfect ten?

 My Review:


If you enjoy crime novels you will LOVE this book. It opens with action and suspense and that carries through the entire book.  Well written plot, characters with depth, twists and turns make this an enjoyable read.

Pastor P., a former cop, is drawn into a new murderous crime wave when "Pravus" taunts him to deliver a message to "let my people go" before something horrible happens.  Despite a desperate attempt, the horrible happens leading Pastor P. to meet Keren Collins, a detective with the ability to sense demons in people.  Together they try to stop Pravus as he stalks and wreaks terror in the homeless community attempting to re-enact the 10 plagues in the Old Testament.

This book highlights the struggle Paul has trying to reconcile his worldly desires (his cop side in which he just wants to get the bad guy at any cost) and his convictions to let go of the anger and be a more peaceful, loving man.  It also touches on Keren's spiritual gift of discernment.  While she uses it to aid her in her job and to help others find God, she is afraid to let her gift be known for fear that others will find her freaky.  And finally, we are reminded of God's grace and his gift of love and freedom.

This book has it all, mystery, suspense, crime, love, action, and so much more.  I loved the message and I loved the delivery.

Get your own copy of Ten Plagues here

Crazy Dangerous Review

Book Description:
Sam Hopkins is a good kid who has fallen in with the wrong crowd. Hanging around with car thieves and thugs, Sam knows it's only a matter of time before he makes one bad decision too many and gets into real trouble.

But one day, Sam sees these thugs harassing an eccentric schoolmate named Jennifer. Finding the courage to face the bullies down, Sam loses a bad set of friends and acquires a very strange new one.

Because Jennifer is not just eccentric. To Sam, she seems downright crazy. She has terrifying hallucinations involving demons, the devil, and death. And here's the really crazy part: Sam is beginning to suspect that these visions may actually be prophecies-prophecies of something terrible that's going to happen very soon. Unless he can stop it.

With no one to believe him, with no one to help him, Sam is now all alone in a race against time. Finding the truth before disaster strikes is going to be both crazy and very, very dangerous.

My Review:
I jumped at the chance to review this book for one reason only, I really thought my son would enjoy it. He isn't a big Christian reader, not fiction or nonfiction, but I thought that this would pique his interest. Then I began reading it, and couldn't put it down.

Our hero in the story is young Sam Hopkins, a preacher's kid who feels isolated from his peers because of who his father is. As a result he ends up joining up with the "wrong" crowd. Now before you write Sam off, let me tell you that this kid has a strong sense of right and wrong. Do right, fear nothing becomes his mantra after his first introduction to Jennifer. And boy are we in for a wild ride after that!

Now, I am not going to give the story away but I will tell you that by the end of the book Sam becomes (at least in my eyes) an even better example of trusting God than his father! I found the father in the story to be a bit disconcerting. As a pastor/preacher I didn't understand his responses to Sam's queries concerning the possibility of Jennifer seeing demons. His response as to whether it was possible that Jennifer was having visions was, "I've devoted my life to my faith, so you know what I believe, I believe there are powers beyond the ones we see, but...Well, the world is not a magical place, that's all. The things that happen are pretty predictable, and they can usually be explained in ordinary terms...I can't explain (Jennifer's hallucinations) it. Maybe it was just some kind of coincidence or....something." To me this felt like he didn't believe in the possibility of demons or prophetic visions which is contradictory to the Bible. Sam however, displays childlike faith and follows his beliefs all the way through the story. Which is a good thing, otherwise it would have had a really bad outcome!

There are a lot of subtle Bible references throughout the book, like at the end when a strange man comes upon Sam while he is running and tells him(after all that he has been through doing right and fearing nothing) "...keep on training. You're gonna run a good race when the time comes. I'm sure of it." Reminds me of 1 Corinthians 9:24-25 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. Still, this isn't a "shove religion down your throat" type of book, the message is there, but it is more subtle than Spirit Fighter.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from this author! Another 2 thumbs up book!

I just passed the book on to my son, and he has promised to write his own review once he completes it.

order Crazy Dangerous online

Crater Review

Book Description:

  A Helium-3 miner named Crater makes a treacherous journey through space to find a mysterious and priceless treasure.
It's the 22nd Century and a tough, pioneering people are mining the moon to produce energy for a desperate, war torn Earth. Crater Trueblood, an orphan, loves his life in Moontown, a frontier mining settlement. Just turned sixteen, Crater is already a seasoned Helium 3 miner, hoping someday to be a foreman on the scrapes. But "the Colonel," the man who owns the mine, has a different plan for Crater which includes Maria, the Colonel's daring young granddaughter. Crater, accompanied by Maria and his gillie--a sentient and sometimes insubordinate clump of slime mold cells--must shepherd a convoy of Helium 3 trucks across a forbidding river of dust while also looking for a mysterious, historical artifact that could mean the difference between life and death for every inhabitant on the moon.

My Review:

I had read Homer Hickam's Rocket Boys and seen the movie October Sky that had been based upon the book and really enjoyed them.  Add to that the fact that he is from the state I now live (and where my parents are from) and I just couldn't pass up the chance to review this sci-fy, young adult foray of his. 

Now don't let the description fool you, this isn't a book on mining on the moon.  It is about relationships, doing what is right, overcoming obstacles, coming of age and it is good!  Just as with Rocket Boys the characters in this novel feel real.  Despite being set on the moon, the situations feel real.  You can relate to Crater as he encounters situations with friends that cause him to question who he really is and who they really are.  You find yourself encouraging him to make the right choice, to overcome his self doubt, to go for the girl.  You just can't help but like him!

Being the first in a series there are several questions left unanswered by the end of the book, but you aren't left feeling like you were gypped by the ending.  I know I can't wait for the next installment.  I found that I would be comfortable allowing my middle school children to read this and in fact I have encouraged them to do so.  Perhaps they will pick up some of Crater's "do the right thing" mentality even when the right thing isn't always the easy thing. 

So two thumbs up for this title!

 Order Crater online

Swipe review

Publisher's Description:

Everyone gets the Mark. It gives all the benefits of citizenship. Yet if getting the Mark is such a good thing, then why does it feel so wrong? 

Set in a future North America that is struggling to recover after famine and global war, Swipe follows the lives of three kids caught in the middle of a conflict they didn't even know existed. United under a charismatic leader, every citizen of the American Union is required to get the Mark on their 13th birthday in order to gain the benefits of citizenship.

The Mark is a tattoo that must be swiped by special scanners for everything from employment to transportation to shopping. It's almost Logan Langly's 13th birthday and he knows he should be excited about getting the Mark, but he hasn't been able to shake the feeling he's being watched. Not since his sister went to get her Mark five years ago . . . and never came back.

When Logan and his friends discover the truth behind the Mark, will they ever be able to go back to being normal teenagers? Find out in the first book of this exciting series that is Left Behind meets Matched for middle-grade readers.

My Review:

  This dystopian fiction book is a great read for middle school kids and up (including adults!!).  Imagine a world in which life itself is dependent upon being "marked".  You can't buy anything without it and it is a symbol of adulthood, a celebrated event.  That's not so hard for those of us who have read the New Testament and know it is coming.

After some serious world-wide conflict (alluded to but not included in the book) government officials banned together and created world peace.  Citizens were asked to voluntarily take the mark to show their commitment to the new peace.  Fast-forward a few years and we are introduced to Logan, a normal teen struggling with normal teen stuff.  A best friend who seems to be drifting away, a female best friend who is acting strangely, and feelings for a new girl who moves to town that seems to be so much more worldly than he is.

Logan has doubts about the mark, partly because his sister never came back from her marking ceremony, and partly because of the things his grandmothers says about how wrong it is, despite the fact that she too has the mark.  Add to that the feeling of being watched and that kids are disappearing.

The first of the series introduces us to the main characters and the story.  At the end of the book we are left with a lot of questions.  What is the mark really?  What happens with Logan?  What happens with Erin, the pretty gal from the city?  What about The Dust, the group of street children who refused the mark?  And what is DOME, the government body that acts so secretly and is responsible for administering the mark, up to?

The characters, however, are fleshed out and despite the cliff hanger ending it is a great introduction and I look forward to seeing where Evan Angler takes them in the next installment!

God Gave us Love

Book Description:
 As Little Cub and Grampa Bear’s fishing adventure is interrupted by mischievous otters, the young polar bear begins to question why we must love others… even the seemingly unlovable.

In answering her questions, Grampa Bear gives tender explanations that teach Little Cub about the different kinds of love that is shared between families, friends, and mamas and papas. Grampa explains that all these kinds of love come from God and that it is important to love others because…

“Any time we show love, Little Cub, we’re sharing a bit of his love.”

This sweet tale will warm the hearts of young children as they learn about all the different sorts of love, while the gentle explanations of each provide a valuable opportunity to encourage children to share with others a “God-sized love.”

My Review:
Bergren has written three books in this series, God Gave Us You, God Gave Us Two, and of course God Gave Us Love.  This is the first of the series that I have read and i really enjoyed it.

The illustrations Laura Bryant created to go with the story really bring it to life and captured the attention of my daughter as we read.  What I really enjoyed is that the questions Little Cub asks throughout the book are those that even adults have asked.  Begren does a great job of answering them in a manner that a young child can understand.  These questions include How come one minute we can love someone and the next be annoyed by them, and could we ever do something to cause God to not love us.

This is a great book to introduce what love is and where it comes from.

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• author's website