Book Review: the Anvil of the World by Kage Baker

Posted on January 30, 2013 by C.A. Jacobs

This week’s book was the Anvil of the World (Fantasy 350 pages) by Kage Baker. I’d have to say that out of all the books that I’ve read so far this year, this is my favorite.

I found the world-building and imagination of this book absolutely fabulous. In fact, this may actually be a steam punk story, considering it has elements of both fantasy and engineering. Travellers use some sort of steam-engine trains to travel across the land and the story contained demons, people of the forest, humans, and other mystical creatures.

Right from the very start, Smith is a character that I cheered for. When I read the back of the book, I was a little concerned that I would be confused by all the different characters named Smith but the story is so fluid and well-written that I never had any issues figuring out who everyone was.

The cargo transport in the very beginning with the beautiful, decorative eggs was wonderful and I was very impressed with the completely different types of dangers the caravan faced.

Overall, this was a wonderful book, and perhaps I shall add to my review at a later time when I have more time to write. I’m just sorry that it took me so long to read it.

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Book Review: Atoms of Empire by C.J. Cutcliffe Hyne

Posted on January 23, 2013 by C.A. Jacobs

Before I get started on this week’s book review for Atoms of Empire by C.J. Cutcliffe Hyne (Science Fiction? Fantasy? Horror? Old? 279 pages), I’m going to paint a picture of scenery and style.

A few months back, I was travelling around Alaska and found myself with a few hours to spare in Juneau. It was colder than the island upon which I currently dwell and a light drizzle penetrated the overcast sky. Having grown up in a colder, damper climate than my island, I found myself missing the rain, forests, rivers, and general green atmosphere. Wanting desperately to feel freedom from a constant sense of cramped humanity, I wandered a bit away from the beaten track and came upon http://www.observatorybooks.com/, my version of a classic bookstore.

Stacked floor to ceiling with shelves of books, new and old, maps, and at least two glass cases for the more delicate items, the store only lacked a cushy chair tucked up in a hidden corner to make it a perfect example of the library I someday aspire to own when my travels are complete. While I have nothing against modern eBooks and eReaders, there’s just something powerful and moving about the feel, weight, and even the smell of books, particularly old ones. The floorboards creaked under my sneakers as I carefully navigated through stacks of books, lined up on shelves on across the floor, searching for something special as a mark of both my travels and my search for original horror stories.

I asked the clerk at the desk, who wore a warm, puffy jacket, if she knew of any old horror stories buried somewhere in the store. She performed a quick search through the database and came up with a first edition of Atoms of Empire from 1904. Neither the title nor the author rang any bells for me, but the book was in good condition with gold engraving on a loam green background. What can I say? On that somewhat dreary day, I liked the feel of the book. I liked its design and its weight and the book itself is a reminder of a very spectacular trip.

The book sat on my shelf for several months while my “real life” raged around me and swamped my time with work and obligations. After last week’s tedium, I pulled this book off the shelf, full of hope for a story of chilling terror from a time when people could go missing for months without anyone knowing. A time without modern medicine or common comforts, where the shadows in the night stole the souls of young children or creatures in the forest lured innocent maidens away with promises of sacrifice.

As I finally began my journey through this book, I suppose it was my own expectations that formed an image in my mind about what I wanted from the book. I wanted a story that would make me uncomfortable to live by myself or to fear walking into a deep cavern with unknown potential.

And that expectation got me about halfway through the book before I realized and honestly admitted to myself that not only was I completely oblivious as to what was going on in the story, but I also had absolutely no idea who the characters were. The book doesn’t seem to stick to any specific location or characters, or even time for that matter. Each chapter seemed completely independent of the ones previous to it, almost like a short story feel. I kept reading because I was desperately hoping for those carefully placed tidbits that would let me figure out how everything was connected so I could experience that marvelous “Ah-HA!” moment when everything in the story clicks and I figure out what’s going on before the main character does.

That moment never came. And there was never a main character to have that prominent moment of enlightenment. So as I put down this book after finishing it, I think I maybe MIGHT have an idea as to what happened and how it’s all connected, but I’m not really sure. I think I’d have to take some pretty copious notes to figure out who was where and what they were doing and why it affected everything else. I suspect I might take on that endeavor in the future, but not until I have at least a little bit of free time on my hands.

Overall, the book definitely had some rather gruesome and unfortunate parts. I finally did get my classic horror tale, and I think in the future I shall refer to it all by itself (or at least until I can diagram everything and see if I really know what I think I might know). Chapter VI: the Lizard can stand all by itself as a prime example why you shouldn’t go destroying things in unexplored caves. The rest of the book had death and destruction aplenty, usually in the form of plague, slavery, and fire, all of which are terrible and horrifying things, especially back in those days. I’m glad I purchased the book, but I’m not sure I would read it again for enjoyment.

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Book Review: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Posted on January 16, 2013 by C.A. Jacobs

It’s the third week in January and I just finished reading my third book. So far, I am on schedule with reading one book a week as one of my goals for 2013. This week’s book was Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (Classic Literature/Fiction, 278 pages).

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.”

Holy buckets. This book. It’s been sitting on my list of books I probably ought to read at some point ever in my life but I simply hadn’t gotten around to it. Now I have. And I’m pretty sure that I can safely say I will never need to read this book again.

While I do understand that Jane Austen wrote this book as something of a comedy about the times in which she lived, I spent more time being frustrated by the characters and their total frivolity than I did being amused by it. I can’t imagine that I would have ever gotten along very well in a society where my sole purpose in life was to acquire a husband, nor where my entire content of my social engagements depended on commenting on what people wore or how properly they behaved.

The writing style itself took me a bit of time to get used to and because of that, it took me a little longer than usual for me to read and finish this book. The first 80 pages or so were tedious because the characters cared about things that don’t matter to me. They talk about dancing and balls and dinner parties and all sorts of things that have never mattered to me. Granted, this book was well-written and a good indication of a reflection from the time when the novel was first written, but, as with some other books I have read, I am simply not the target audience for things of this nature. I am not typically a fan of romance novels or any other type of reading where the entire purpose of the story is for characters to fall in love. If I’m reading an action or fantasy story that just happens to have a love story in it, that’s completely different because there’s other stuff going on there and a partnership may save the world or end it when aliens or zombies invade. Or something like that. But a romance all by itself holds no appeal to me, which is probably why this book was of such little interest for me.

About 80 pages in, though, I really started to get a feel that the main character, Elizabeth, was also annoyed with the stupidity of some of her relations or peers. She became a character that I would cheer for, especially right at the beginning where she walks the three miles to take care of her sister, Jane, when she becomes ill. I thought fairly highly of her for being willing to go to such lengths to take care of someone who mattered so much to her. And the book was fairly interesting once Elizabeth started traveling the country. As the story progresses, Elizabeth definitely became a worthy character. I was also appreciative of Mr. Darcy’s character, though not his name. Fitzwilliam? Really? Anyway, I feel as though he was well-explained and revealed appropriately throughout the book.

Overall, though I may not have to ever read this book again, I’m happy that I did read it. Those who enjoy love stories or have a greater appreciation for historical works will probably get a lot more out of it than I did. The book itself isn’t bad, it’s just not my kind of story.

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Book Review: Ashes of Victory by David Weber

Posted on January 8, 2013 by C.A. Jacobs

I’ve been rereading the Honor Harrington series in order to catch up on all the characters and the situation as a whole. Over the weekend, I finished Ashes of Victory by David Weber (military science fiction, 645 pages).

http://www.davidweber.net/books/22-ashes-of-victory.html

I’ve really been impressed by the Honor Harrington series as a whole, mostly because of how massive the world-building, technology, and storyline have become. It feels very much as though this is a real universe. The story is populated by enormous amounts of people, but you as the reader wind up picking a few of your favorites and cheering them on, even if they’re technically on the opposing team to the protagonist. Sometimes, the characters get to be on the side of good people and good governments doing what’s best for the people and sometimes things don’t quite work out that way and that’s one of the key things that makes this universe believable. The characters make mistakes and lives are lost because of it. The people are human and act according to their nature, not according to plot holes or storylines.

I also have to say that this book in the series includes my absolute favorite moment out of all of the books I’ve read in this series so far. It doesn’t look like much, but this is my favorite line in the whole series: ‘”Oops,” she said.” Even just typing that makes me giggle. Three words that can have so much behind them. It’s a very well-written story with some fantastic little tidbits just like that.

One of the other things I noticed while I was reading this novel was that I don’t think a female’s breasts have been mentioned anywhere in the entire series. The main character, Honor Harrington, has several times referred to herself in her youth as being awkward and flat-chested, but that’s a legitimate reflection as to how she viewed herself and her potential attractiveness. It actually fits nicely with the story and isn’t weird or sexist at all. I was thinking about this given my response to the book I finished last week. The sexism in there was enough for me to either notice it on the side or actually be slightly uncomfortable with it. But that’s not the case with this series because this book is telling an enormous story with great depth and real, human, characters. I respect that a lot.

This is the ninth book in the Honor Harrington series and the pace doesn’t let up nor have I become bored with the series at any point. Nor does it feel redundant. Overall, still a good book and something I will likely continue to take off the shelf and reread.

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Book Review: A Spell for Chameleon by Piers Anthony

Posted on January 2, 2013 by C.A. Jacobs

So far, the new year has been very productive. I started (and finished) A Spell for Chameleon by Piers Anthony (Fantasy 344 pages) yesterday. I have to say, it was much better than I was anticipating.

When the main character, Bink, was first introduced in the second paragraph of the novel, I was a little concerned. For some reason, that name encouraged me to think about clowns. While I don’t necessarily hate or fear clowns, they are not high on my list of characters I would prefer to read about in my fantasy books. I’m pretty sure I went through the entire book forcing myself to read “Bink” and not “Blink”. It took quite a bit of effort, but was worth it.

I definitely think that one of my favorite parts about the entire book was the world-building. Even the characters who lived in Xanth every day could still discover new and magical things, usually things that intended to kill them. But the world-building in the book also showed that just because a creature looks frightening and kills people does not mean that creature lacks a place in the ecology. Bink starts out the story already curious and respectful of the world in which he lives, but as his travels continue and become more fascinating, he also learns about the true balance of nature and creatures in Xanth. Nothing in that world exists for no reason. Some things appear to have no significant purpose, but in the end, everything apparently minor can turn into something rather major. I also enjoyed how everything was connected. It was along chain of related events that felt random but all fit together in a pattern too big to notice.

In a lot of ways, I guess the characters were kind of stereotypical. There are a few women in the story, and all of them are flawed. I kind of think Bink is also flawed, so in that sense, the characterization was pretty normal for a book that came out in the 1970s. The first woman in the story is Sabrina, who is smart, talented, beautiful, and convenient. Bink and Sabrina are together because it seems like a good idea and they truly do believe they love one another, but it seems as though Sabrina is a bit shallow. Cherie the centaur behaves as I would expect a typical centaur to behave, with the whole history lesson thing. Iris can make herself appear to be beautiful, but you never really know what her true looks are. She’s also a bit temperamental and behaves similarly to a three-year-old who feels they are not getting what they deserve or want. Then there’s the three women that frustrate me the most. Wynne is beautiful but stupid. Dee is totally average. Fanchon is unbelievably intelligent but very ugly. It almost felt like Bink was noticing that there was no such thing as a perfect package where a woman is smart and beautiful and yet the two main male characters seem to be both rather in shape, but it never occurs to them that they might NOT be attractive. I dunno. I can’t decide if it really bothers me or not.

I’m going to sidetrack a little bit here and talk about Bink. Bink really did show remarkable character when he refused the advances of both Iris and Wynne, though Wynne was so unintelligent that she simply thought that her looks were the only thing that men wanted and so she didn’t really advance on him so much as attempt to stick to things she thought she knew about people’s interactions. Iris was very forward about what she wanted and what she was willing to do to get what she wanted. Yet Bink constantly attempted to make the right decisions for the right reasons, working to benefit all of his homeland, not just the decisions that would be easiest or most personally rewarding for him.

There also seemed to be a trend along the environmental lines of taking care of the world you live in, and I suppose the end is supposed to be one of those “people are just fine the way they are and shouldn’t change to meet other people’s standards” kinds of things. Or maybe it’s one of those “everyone has a perfect match” kind of things, which is infinitely more frustrating because I don’t believe that’s really true in the real world. I suppose that’s why we read fantasy in the first place, is to escape from the real world, so I can’t really fault the Happily Ever After ending.

Overall, I did enjoy the book. The world-building was the best and Bink is a character that does what he believes is the right thing for the right reasons. I might pick up more of the Xanth books at a later date, but not likely anytime soon, due to my schedule and the books I currently own and have on my list that must be read.

http://www.hipiers.com/bibliography.html

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New Beginnings

Posted on December 31, 2012 by C.A. Jacobs

Today is the end of 2012. I have to say I’m actually very happy to see this year end. Work was busier and more problematic than I thought it could be and I spent far too much time away from those I love. I lost family, friends, and coworkers who departed this world for the next as well as those with whom I simply parted ways. But for all the sorrow, worry, and pain interlaced throughout 2012, there were also many occasions for joy, happiness, amusement, deep-seated friendship, and learning. This is probably the first New Year’s Eve where I actually feel older. So very, very, very much older.

2013 will provide many new opportunities, and certainly a new outlook on many things. The most pressing concern, of course, is the upcoming move this spring. I finally have come to the end of my time on The Island and will be driving all the way across the country so I can accept a new position on the east coast. It’s not really a big deal, since I’ve lived there before, but it is something that I am both excited for and nervous about. I haven’t exactly been told the details of my new position and there are a couple different ways that could go. I could wind up travelling even more than I already do or I could wind up bored out of my mind filling out paperwork all day. One never really knows.

As with most other people contemplating the fresh start a new year presents, I’ve got a few things in mind that I would like to work towards. I suppose I ought to dig up my previous goals and see how I did overall for 2012 and then maybe use that as a starting point for my goals for 2013. Except for the minor point that I appear to have not publicly announced my goals for 2012. I guess I’m not surprised by that, given how engrossed I was with work at this time last year. So here are a few things that I would like to accomplish in 2013.

1. Write 500 words a day

2. Finish the first draft for Away

3. Finish the TLR project

4. Read a book a week

5. Earn my Master Diver certification

6. Take at least one class towards my Architectural Technology degree

7. Exercise for 30 minutes a day

8. Participate in a monthly writer’s group

9. Find and reclaim the AMP

10. Build a Lego model of the cabin

All of these goals are quantifiable and realistic. All of these goals also encompass the various hobbies and entertainment factions in my life and I think they are pretty solid goals.

Today is the last day of 2012. It’s been a rough and mostly unpleasant year. It will be a new year soon, marking the opportunity for new beginnings and fresh starts. Thank you for being there for me through this past year of total unpleasantness. I hope 2013 is a fantastic year for you, filled with hope, joy, family, love, and friendship.

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A rant about not caring

Posted on September 27, 2012 by C.A. Jacobs

Last week on facebook, I posted statistics about veteran suicide in the United States. Everyday on facebook, I watch my newsfeed fill up with posts about political and religious hatred and bigotry, cute animal pictures and anecdotes, stories about children and pregnancy, and news about books and publishing. I posted something that affects everyone, whether they know it or not. Everyone throughout the United States knows a cousin, neighbor, sibling, parent, friend, or member of their church who has served or is currently serving in the United States military. Serving in any capacity in the United   States military makes that person a veteran, therefore everyone probably knows at least one. And if they’ve been in the military in the last ten years, the chances of those veterans having been deployed to a combat zone such as Afghanistan or Iraq are exceptionally high.

The statistics said this: “For every soldier killed on the battlefield this year, approximately 25 veterans are dying by their own hands. More than 6,500 veteran suicides are logged every year – more than the total number of soldiers killed in Afghanistan and Iraq combined since those wars began. Veterans of all wars account for about 20% of the suicides in the US every year.”

I monitored the facebook site where the statistics originated, as well as the sites of friends who had also shared the statistics. The site where it was posted, https://www.facebook.com/safecallnow, has 3,569 likes. Their posting of this statistic lead to 257 shares, 98 likes, and 20 comments as of 27 September 2012, which equals about 10.5% of the people that might be watching that page. Including myself, I saw the statistic posted on four facebook pages. Those four people have 1,443 friends between them with 41 shares, 15 likes, and 8 comments on that statistic, which means only 4% of the people in those people’s lives care enough about the lives of the people around them to say something. I do realize that there are a lot more people who are not using their facebooks these days and I also realize that facebook runs certain algorithms and only shows certain feeds, but I can’t help that nagging sense that people just don’t care.

Congratulations! You contributed to the deaths of 20% of the population who kill themselves every year!

“But, Miss Jacobs, I didn’t do anything!”

Exactly. You did NOTHING. I’ve already established that if you are a United States citizen, that you probably do know a veteran. Your silence about topics that matter, things that might actually make a difference in someone’s life, is contributing to those people’s deaths. Yes, the statistics are terribly depressing. But if you read something like that and you have any feelings at all, would sharing that information really be so hard? Or not even sharing it, but leaving a comment about how much those statistics suck, or liking the picture to show your support really be that hard? People on facebook seem to have the time to find, share, like, and comment about all the hatred and stupidity in the world but have no time or energy to attempt to make a positive difference in the world around them. I know veterans. I know lots of veterans. And I know veterans who have died, both by circumstances beyond their control and by their own hand.

When in doubt, you could at least pretend to care. Leave a comment. Share the statistics. Bring awareness to a situation that’s going to get a lot worse before it gets better. Those statistics maybe bad now, but given the way things are progressing, I would bet that they’re actually going to get a lot worse. The military has been instructed to find ways to kick soldiers out, which is going to put more pressure on the military personnel that continue to be expected to go above and beyond the call of duty and serve their country in places that would make the average person cringe, only to return from combat and get kicked out because their leadership failed them and now they can’t take care of their families. United States military personnel volunteer their lives to serve their country and protect the people they love. They go to war and get put in unhealthy situations and return to a world where it feels like no one cares about them. They feel as though their employer is actively attempting to screw them over and doesn’t care anything about them and they feel abandoned and forgotten by their family and friends. It’s a crappy situation to be in.

Every voice matters, even yours. You may never know who you’re helping or if you’re helping, but at least by pretending care, you might help save someone. So even if you don’t really care or don’t know if you know a veteran, if you have a heart at all, at least pretend to care.

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About Horror Writers

Posted on July 10, 2012 by C.A. Jacobs

You know, when I was growing up, I didn’t really read much horror. What few examples I did read encouraged me to have discussions with others about how messed up horror writers were. I mean, clearly to write so many unpleasant things, they must have been dropped on their head as a child or something.

But then I grew up.

And eventually, I wound up at Seton Hill University’s Master of Arts in Writing Popular Fiction and I started meeting actual horror writers. As it turns out, Horror Writers are some of the nicest, most amazing people I’ve ever had the privilege of meeting. My time in my Writing Popular Fiction program was the most wonderful experience of being surrounded by other writers like me. These days, I’m kind of upset that I actually finished my degree because if I hadn’t, I would be able to continue to go there every six months and recharge my writing batteries.

Maybe it’s because horror writers spend all their time pushing out the darkness of their souls through the words on the page and that’s why they tend to be super nice people. Maybe it’s because they just see the world differently and that’s why they write such terrifying and shudder-worthy things. I don’t know. I can only speak for myself, and I’m currently still just an aspiring writer, not a real author.

Here’s what I see and what I know.

This http://americanhorrorwriter.blogspot.com/2012/07/benefit-for-tabby.html was posted today. It’s a moving story about one of the horror writers who has been an inspiration to me and so many others. His publisher has offered to donate all the money made off his collection of short stories to help pay the medical bills for his wife who has an advanced stage of cancer. Almost immediately after posting, I saw sizable numbers of my peers sharing the link on their own facebooks, just as I shared it on mine. The first ones to repost were other horror writers or aspiring horror writers like me.

In a related event, another writer in my peer group asked for help and the vast majority of those that I saw who offered to help were horror writers. It fills me with awe and amazement as to how big-hearted so many of my fellow writers are.

It also sometimes makes me a little annoyed with the misconceptions society seems to generate for people like me. You wouldn’t believe how many people scoff at me when I tell them about Legotopia or that I’m a horror writer. It’s like they give me that one look that says I shouldn’t have grown up and acquired “adult” hobbies. I guess I’m supposed to be a an alcoholic or swoon over celebrities and reality shows or maybe I’m supposed to like fashion and cooking. I don’t know. That stuff never made sense to me.

I decided several years ago when I came back from my first extended research trip that the reason so many people in our society have “issues” these days is because they refuse to admit what makes them genuinely happy. I like writing and building my novel ideas (amongst other things) with my rather extensive Lego collection. I like reading. And I fill my time doing these things because they make me happy.

Of all the categories of stereotyped people, I’d have to say that the horror writers I’ve met have never once scoffed at the way I live my life or at the things that I do in my free time that make me happy. I’ve seen the horror writers I know stand up and be the first to offer assistance to those in need. I’m not ashamed to be a part of that stereotype. In fact, I hope someday to be a true and published member of the horror community.

Maybe horror writers are messed up, but if so, it’s messed up because we’re good people. So think about that before you assume that horror writers are a bunch of weird psychos because they’ll probably surprise you and be some of the most kind, thoughtful, amazing, wonderful people you’ll ever meet.

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Novels and short stories

Posted on July 5, 2012 by C.A. Jacobs

So it’s currently oh-dark-early where I live and I spent about an hour tossing and turning before deciding that staying in bed was getting me exactly nowhere. I got out of bed, turned on the computer, and continued work on the new story.

Originally, this was designed to be a short story to submit to an anthology and I was really excited about testing my writer’s skill at something shorter than a novel. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on your point of view, it turns out that my hobby of long-term planning makes writing short stories rather difficult. My idea for this short story has decided to take over my brain with long-term plot concerns, character development, world-building, and all sorts of other things that indicate a serious attempt for a novel, not a short story.

Looking back on my long history of two decades of writing attempts, I have two short stories from when I was younger. Rereading those short stories is fun, but also a learning experience because even those were entire novels packed into 10-15 pages. They were both more like a synopsis than a short story all by themselves.

Someday, I really would like to be able to write short stories. I guess it’s something to add to my list of goals. I’m also pretty sure that being able to write short stories would do wonders to help me clean up some of my novel writing because I would learn more about things that are truly important in the story and things that the readers may not care about so much. The other problem with a brain like mine that has hobbies that include long-term planning is that I think it’s fun to include tiny details throughout the story that don’t feel important and then do something huge with them later. I have this theory that every huge action starts as a tiny action.

But this whole topic brings up one other point that’s been kind of nagging at the back of my head for a while. One of the other major stories I’m working on is a very complicated mix of just about everything. It’s been voiced by a couple people who have read some of my work that the readers may not be able to catch all the tiny details that turn into huge things. So one of the other things I think I will balance better as I continue moving forward with my writing is how much am I writing for the reader and how much am I writing the story that I want to tell. Yes, some of my novels have some very complicated situations and history, but life itself is complicated. You can see this in your own daily life. There’s very little of our human existence that’s simple and cut and dry. Everything’s connected in some way and I’m not entirely certain that I should work to “dumb down” my stories because there are readers out there who won’t get it. At the same time, I’d like to actually sell my stories and have people genuinely want to read them.

I think this is one situation where it’s not one or the other, but that there is a lot of middle ground I can hang out in. I also believe that working to write more short stories will benefit me as an overall writer in the long run because it will help me make my stories less complicated with nifty endings instead of something that could continue for as long as I can write. It’s all about finding balance as a writer between the stories I want to tell and how to get people interested and to stay interested in my stories.

That’s the real reason I want to be an author. I want to share my stories with others and I want those stories to move people the way the stories move me. It’s just up to me to learn my craft to the best of my ability so that I can share my stories in high quality formats instead of mindless drivel.

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Book Review: 1632 by Eric Flint

Posted on July 2, 2012 by C.A. Jacobs

I’m ridiculously far behind on my book and movie reviews right now. I recently read 1632 (Science Fiction 592) by Eric Flint. I found several of the alternate history books on my travels, but they were never the first book in the series. I dislike reading books out of order because I feel like I miss something crucial, so I went out of my way to pick this up when I was shopping some time ago.

This book took me a bit longer to get through than a book of this size usually does. I’m not entirely certain if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. There are different types of books on the market this days. Some read so fast that you only get the basic characteristics of plot and character. A lot of books that I read quickly are ones that I don’t need to think much about. David Weber‘s Honor Harrington series is also something of a time-consuming read. In the long run, I feel like reading books like this, where I pretty much have to read every single word, makes me remember more of the intricate details instead of just remembering overarching trends. I guess it all balances out in the end, where you need to read slower books every now and again to make up for the “brain candy” you get out of quick reads.

The story itself focuses on a fictional town of Grantville, West Virginia that gets somehow transported into the middle of Germany during the Thirty Years’ War. I’m not really a history buff, but there seemed be a lot of little nuggets inserted just for those people who have a much greater understanding than I do of all the nuances of history and that time period. It’s an interesting idea to take our modern view on the world and our modern technology and throw them back into a very unfriendly time in history. I like how not everything is easy and like magic for the stranded Americans. They realize early on that long-term planning is going to be a huge benefit to maintain their modern standard of living and they work to build a brand new power plant out of the resources available in Europe in the 1600s.

I think one of the things that really struck me about this book is how it reflects on what actually makes America function. The high-ranking CEO turns out to be fairly useless in the long-term. He wants to be in charge because he’s used to the power, but he lets politics get in his way so often that he doesn’t understand what’s necessary to actually get the job done. But the average coal miner, school teacher, and high school student demonstrate more of the heart of America than I usually see in novels. It is the workers who make America run and not the politicians, but the politicians love being in charge. In a good portion of the horror flicks I’ve seen, I’ve noticed that politicians don’t last very long once people start dying because they offer no useful skills. They would rather tell someone what to do instead of getting dirty themselves. And this novel does a great job of showing the average American as someone who has the potential to be great and as all the people with the true heart of doing what’s right and good.

Overall, I think I would have to care more about history to be enthralled by this series, but the characters are ones that I absolutely cheer for. It’s a well-written book with an interesting story and good characters.

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