Book Reviews: Back Again

It's been awhile, so let's look at some of the books I've read since I made a proper post:

The Family Romanov by Candace Fleming

This book recounts the fall of the Tsar and his family, while also giving context with personal accounts of the horrible state of the common Russian people and of the rise of Lenin and his followers. 

It's hard not to feel a bit sorry for Tsar Nicholas in places, but it's also impossible to not judge him as a poor ruler who let things get out of hand. A tragic history piece, though I'm left with the thought that if the more moderate replacement government had succeeded and not lost power to the communists, if his family had not been brutally killed, if we would have much sympathy at all for them, any more than we do King George of England after the American Revolution. 

The Port Chicago 50 by Steve Sheikin

Sheikin, known several other good YA history books like Bomb, writes about a little talked about part of American history: 

During World War 2, at a time when the Navy was segregated, one of the few jobs African American sailors could get was tasks like loading ammunition. They weren't properly trained however, and a deadly explosion left many dead or injured. 50 then refused to go back to work and thus were charged with mutiny. 

This tells the story of the trial of these men, but also the story of the fight to desegregate the Navy. Thurgood Marshall plays a large role, but the story here isn't entirely fulfilling. The men never really get complete justice. Still, a great work for highlighting a little known piece of history.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Ultimate Collection Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird

I'm going through the original Mirage comics of TMNT. It's a fun romp of two young artists with a chance to take a crazy concept and pour their love of Jack Kirby, Star Wars, and even Dave Sim with a suprise crossover with Cerubus. As a fan of the TV show, I'd heard about how 'dark and gritty' these turtles are but I have to say, while there is some casual swearing, violence, etc, nothing is out of the PG-13 range and most stories seem to be about an even mix of drama and humor.

These are king size versions with massive pages that play well with Eastman and Laird's love of giant splash page battles, and the commentary after each issue is enlightening.  Great fun for fans old and new, be sure to check it out.

January Book Reviews

The books I read in January:

The Potter’s Freedom by James White.
A response to the Norman Geisler book, Chosen but Free. Both books are a little dated by this point, I haven’t actually read Geisler’s book, just one of his apologetics books back in High School. But I’d heard a lot about White’s book as a defense of TULIP and picked it up at a bookstore a couple of years ago and decided to read through it. While some of it can be read as a basic Calvinist defense against common objections to the doctrines of grace, I can’t say I’d recommend it to someone who wasn’t looking for a response to Geisler’s book. Books like RC Sproul’s What is Reformed Theology, Michael Horton’s Putting the Amazing Back into Grace, and others are readily available.

I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga
Definitely a page turner that drew me in, though I guess I need to emphasize that, if it wasn’t already obvious, this is for adults and mature teens, and those not easily icked or disturbed. Very much in the vein of Silence of the Lambs, Jazz Dent is the son of the world’s most notorious serial killer, who hoped to turn him into his protege. When a copycat appears in his hometown, Jazz tries to use the skills his father taught him to catch the killer. The mystery aspect was interesting, but the graphic and disturbing detail were a bit much for me. More critically, the resolution left me a bit disappointed in terms of Jazz actually solving the case, vs something that leads into a second book when I’m not sure I really want to continue to series.

Secret Missions of the Civil War by Philip Van Doren Stern
An interesting collection of espionage stories, mostly primary source collections, from the Civil War. It highlights several fascinating stories, of rogue Confederate ships in Antarctica, female spies seducing officers, and possible confederate involvement in the New York Draft Riots. Unfortunately the fog of war has left many mysteries to history and it’s likely we’ll never know the full story of what went on, even who was actually working for who. Still good for a history or civil war buff.

In Real Life written by Cory Doctorow, drawn by Jen Wang
Graphic novel dealing with girl gamers, international labor exploitation, gold farming and the best of intentions going wrong. Loved the artwork, and ends up being a feel good story but I feel like, I don’t know, something was missing.