Far and Away

 

It has been a few months since my last Charles Dickens novel so I thought I would tackle something similar but by a different author. I do love reading the classics.

Written in the late 1800's, the setting is rural England and the subject is a young girl's struggle with the three men in her life who are pursuing her. Yes, it is basically a love story, but the reader gets a good feel for life on an English sheep farm at the turn of the century.

The character development is excellent, and unlike a Dickens' novel, we are made aware of the place in the story of each character as they are introduced.

Bathsheba Everdene has inherited a substantial farm from a dying uncle and being intelligent and head strong, she attempts to run it on her own. She has already been sought after by Oak, a young man from her past who now becomes her foreman. The neighbouring farmer, a handsome yet stoic bachelor by the name of Boldwood, is drawn into Everdene's life as a result of a foolish and girlish Valentine's prank. And then there is the dashing and romantic, but somewhat evil Troy, a soldier, who chances on Everdene one evening and sweeps her off her feet despite the protestations of almost everyone in her life.

There are some good plot twists and an ending that satisfyingly ties up all the loose ends. Hardy is an excellent writer both in his descriptions, humour, and his ability to draw the reader into a somewhat emotional involvement in the story.

I give this one 4 1/2 stars.   

Dickens' Last Novel

 

The illustration above is a rendition of Gaffer Hexam, a river scavenger, and his daughter Lizzie, as they scour the Thames for anything of value floating on its murky surface. They do find a body, and thus opens Charles Dickens' final novel of his long and illustrious career.

The story gets very involved with each of the many characters, and as in his other novels, the connections between the characters does not come to light immediately, but one has to be patient, and it all does come together in the end.

There is love, hatred, murder, altruism, loyalty, good hearts, and hearts full of greed and mercenary ambitions. In other words it is a cross section of everyday life and the people that make up any city or community, large or small.

I have now read at least half of Dickens' works and I appreciate his skills as a writer and a social commentator. As I pick up another book, no matter the genre or the author, it is lightweight in comparison, and I seem to want to get back to Dickens for some 'meat'. He is a classic writer for good reason. There is nothing quite like a Dickens novel.

 

4 1/2  stars

The Wild Wild West

 

Having recently read Mark Twain's 'Roughing It', my appetite was sharp for more history to verify what I learned from Twain. I found this book 'The Story of the Outlaw - Study of the Western Desperado' by Emerson Hough, written in 1907, and thought it would fit the bill.

Writing about the mid 1800's in the early 1900's gives the author the advantage of interviewing eye witnesses and looking up actual characters that he is writing about. I found the accounts of 'bad men' of the old west most fascinating.

Hough tries to analyse what constitutes a bad man and a desperado and examines what makes some brave, some cowardly, some notorious, and some to acquire legend status during a very short life.

There are numerous stories of train robberies, bank robberies, cattle thieving, gun fights, outright murder and mayhem, and plenty of hangings.

The west was truly wild at that time as the civilised easterners saw the west as a barren wasteland. They did nothing to establish any law and order so there was none. It was truly, in every sense of the word, the law of the gun. No doubt this history of much of the west is the root of the gun culture in the USA today.

When justice did come, it was in the form of vigilante groups and lynch mobs because even the Sheriffs and Marshals were mostly self appointed or hand picked by the criminal elements.

The detailed stories of Billy the Kid, Wild Bill Hickok, The James gang and the Younger Brothers is fascinating. Learning where the expression "Dying with his boots on" came from, is interesting. Stories of just how dangerous the times were in the cities where Mark Twain was prospecting make one wonder how he came away unscathed, although he was robbed at gunpoint one more than one occasion.  

When, in the future, I travel to these locations, I will have a greater understanding of how the country came to be and how the soil was soaked in human blood so often. Knowing the history of a place always makes it all the more fascinating to visit.

This book is a great history lesson and no doubt was the ground work for every western novel and western movie to be made since. What you see in those movies is hardly exaggerated.

3 1/2 stars  

Wild West

 

I have enjoyed reading Mark Twain and thought I would read a bit of his history in this semi-autobiographical book published in 1872.

It starts with a stage coach journey 'out west' to accompany his brother to a new government posting in Nevada. 

He finds no shortage of adventure and with his sense of humour injected into almost all of his experiences, it is an enjoyable read as well as an historical one. 

He was bound and determined to find wealth one way or another and his stories of mining, gold and silver exploration, land speculation, and sightseeing are more than interesting. 

His adventures lead him to the beginnings of a career in writing as he travels first to San Francisco and later to the Sandwich Islands. (Hawaii)  

Yet in all of these adventures and ventures, he never found substantial wealth until he went on the lecture tour and began speaking about his travels.   

I came away from the book with a renewed interest in the history of the wild west, a rudimentary knowledge of the mining industry and gold rushes, and an appreciation for the rugged and rough way of life that was the norm for living in the west in those days.

I recommend this book as both entertainment and as an education in history. And I guarantee you will get a real chuckle out of his story of getting lost in the snow storm.

3 1/2 stars 

Bleak

 

I am more than pleased to announce that I have completed my reading of Charles Dickens' 'Bleak House'. Having read most of his novels, I must say that this is the most difficult to read and my least favourite, although I would still characterize myself as being a Dickens fan.

The story has a litigation as its undercurrent, and a portrayal of the Chancery (legal system in Britain) as being a farce. All of the numerous characters in the novel are somehow influenced by the outcome of a dispute over a will, or wills. The final day in court for the Jarndyce vs. Jarndyce case comes right at the end of the novel and just proves the point that Dickens makes and that is that the Chancery is a farce.

There are too many characters and I eventually was able to hone in on the main ones and follow their progression through the quagmire of wordiness. Dickens takes rabbit trips and indulges in lengthy descriptions and dialogues that do not further the plot nor do they develop the characters. This novel needs some heavy editing. 

I came to realize at the half-way point that I was identifying with one of the main characters. It became intensely personal and I would say that were it not for Richard and his predicament, I would have lost all incentive to finish the book. I found that his state of mind and his reaction to his circumstances was what made him the most real character in the novel. (no spoilers here) 

Other characters in the story were either a product of their time and culture, which we in the 21st century have a difficult identifying with, or an overblown imagination by the author, who while trying to create interesting individuals for his novel, ended up creating people who do not exist anywhere in reality. 

My overall impression of the story is that it is a British soap opera. This becomes evident early on, but when reading a Dickens novel, one reads not only for the story, but to discover the beauty of the English language painted by an artist of the first order. 

In this case, however, the painting is simply too large.        

A Travel Book

 

This is a book for someone who wants to travel but needs a little encouragement and a bit of advice. "Off The Map" is a collection of 25 true stories written by mostly very young women who have experienced and enjoy travel. Some of the stories are nothing to write home about, and some are not well written, but there is enough good to glean from the pages that it was worth reading.

 

Some of my favourite chapter titles were "How to survive a night in the Malaysian jungle", "On being a traveller and not a tourist", and "Our mountains, our struggles ... Mt Kilimanjaro" . Many stories are not stories at all but lists of advice and things that people have learned through and from travelling.

It is short book, and a bit disappointing as I was expecting more adventure as opposed to advice on how to get children to be your tour guides.

 

This book was in the top 100 Kindle bookstore free downloads.

 

1 Star

Forever Young

 

In 1891 Oscar Wilde wrote his one and only novel, "The Picture of Dorian Gray". It caused quite a stir at the time, and because it first came out serialized in a magazine, there was ample opportunity for the censor's knife to chop away at it. At the time it was considered indecent, but, believe me, it is extremely tame and leaves almost too much to the imagination.

 

The story is about a young man, strikingly handsome and full of youthful charm and vitality, who has his portrait painted. While sitting for the artist, he got to know a friend of the artist who happened by. After much conversation, the young man was smitten by the idea that youth and beauty were the only thing in life that was important. When he was given the masterpiece, he fervently wished and prayed that he would keep his youthfulness and that the image in the painting would age with time.

 

He discovers, much to his delight, and then later much to his horror, that this is exactly what is happening. He finds true love and then cruelly rejects his bride to be. It is the beginning of the fall. His moral values deteriorate and he begins to lead a hedonistic life, jumping from one sensual experience to the next and as he does this, the face on his painting takes on a sinister and evil look, while he remains young and handsome.

The drop into moral decay becomes swifter and things come to a head. Without giving away the plot, I can say that things end badly, but the reader could see it coming.

 

The book is social commentary more than anything. Moral duplicity and self-indulgence are not exclusive to the late 1800's so we today can learn lessons from this novel. We have the choice between spiralling upward or spiralling downward. It is up to us which path we choose in life. In every action and decision, we should be looking forward to future ramifications or outcomes. The consequences are part and parcel of the decisions we make and the actions we take.

Which journey do we take. There is no neutral ground. We do not want to end up like Dorian Gray, a wreck of a man, so aptly portrayed in this book.

3 1/2 stars

The Time Machine

 

"The Time Machine" by H.G.Wells  (1898)

 

This is one of the first novels to explore the idea of travelling through time. After a lengthy discussion on the 4th dimension, with several friends, the time traveller proceeds to announce that he has indeed built a machine that will transport him through time. He is met with raised eyebrows but sets out soon enough to prove his theory.

 

 

He pushes the lever to fast forward and lands in the same location as he left, but more than 200,000 years in the future. What then begins is the story of what and who he discovered. The future becomes a platform for some philosophical ideas on mankind, civilisation, as well as talk about political models. What he discovers, and I will not give it away, is that mankind has degenerated.  He observes that there is no war, sickness, disease, want or hunger. There are no weeds, etc. etc. But what has happened to mankind as a result of all this security? I quote

"This has ever been the fate of energy in security. It takes to art and eroticism and then comes languor and decay."

It becomes evident that the struggles that mankind and civilisation encounter are the very things that draw out new ideas and innovations. Struggle, as in the case of the metamorphosing butterfly, gives it strength. This is also true on the individual level. We should not disdain struggle but embrace it, for without it we atrophy and weaken.

The ideas put forth are worth reading, but the story, of course, is pure fiction. It is pessimistic in its outlook for the future of our world, and we are left hanging at the end of the book by the disappearance of the time traveller. (Temporarily or permanently?)

It is a topic that tickles the fancy of all of us, but at least in this life, there will probably not be any time travel for any of us.

                                                 2 1/2 stars of  5
 

 

 

A Most Interesting Life

Revolution in Mind  a book by  Roger Brian Neill

 

The last two books I have read are both autobiographies, that of Roger Neill and of Bill Vanderzalm,  but the two lives and the two books are worlds apart. What they do share is their Christian faith, but even there we see how divergent that can be. I was given this book by a friend of his and because he lives locally I thought it might worth my while to read it. It was!

 

Mr. Neill starts his autobiographical journey with a picturesque description of him, as a young boy, growing up in the Maritimes. His love of nature and outdoor adventure are nurtured early on and remain with him throughout his life. His schooling takes him to university but along the way he has numerous adventures as he finds employment on the ski slopes and on the trains.  

The mind revolution that the title refers to begins in University at the very left leaning Simon Fraser University in Burnaby BC. He paints a picture of revolutionaries and radicals and his temptations to follow that path.

He came from a family of achievers and after doubting he would fit the mould, he does achieve his degrees and establishes himself in a career in social work where his efforts are very successful, working with the mentally ill, something that would help him to achieve a very fulfilling task later in life in, of all places, Jamaica.  

 

His life is a series of adventures, both in outdoor activities, service opportunities, and inner discoveries, always interesting and always prompting the thought in me that I have lead a dull life.

 

Mr. Neill's writing is very articulate, and he particularly excels when he is describing nature, whether camping at Green Drop Lake in the dead of winter or scuba diving in Jamaica. I believe he would be a wonderful adventure writer. His descriptions are poetic and have the ability to draw the reader easily into the situation.

 

His desire to be of service leads him to unlikely places such as Kosovo, Jamaica, and a few stints in the Israeli army. I was hoping for more insight as to how these assignments appealed so greatly to him and what was the motivation to take them on.

 

I was also hoping for a some additional insight as to how his radical ideas were transformed into his desire to follow Jesus.

 

One other minor criticism is the fact that I found the flow of the book a bit jagged, a bit of jumping back and forth with some minor repetition and events happening out of sequence. At the end of the book he reveals that he has been journaling almost all his life. Perhaps he has taken many journal entries and tied them together.

However, this does not distract from the fact that Mr. Neill has led a most interesting life and has written a most interesting book about it. The final chapter entitled "The Hurt Locker" brings together the philosophical elements of his life and I found it to be an integral part of understanding this most interesting man.  

3 1/2 stars out of 5 

 

Return

 

I have read a number of books on this subject, returning from death, and there are some common threads that run through every one of them.

 

"Return From Tomorrow" is about a young army recruit, Dr. George Ritchie, who in 1943, died from a severe case of pneumonia. He was covered with a sheet and nine minutes later when the orderly returned to prepare him for the morgue, noticed that his hand had moved and called a doctor to the bed where they injected adrenaline into his heart and he came back to life. He was without pulse, breath, or blood pressure during that time.

 

In the book, he relates what happened to him during the time he was dead. The story is quite amazing and puts a different slant on some preconceived ideas about hell, heaven, space and time, and the whole spirit world.

When we read a book on this subject, we can take one of two stands. We can reject it outright and say it is fabricated, or we can believe it and take it at face value. For me, there is an indication that would make it more believable, and that is to determine if the experience had an impact on the life of the individual who had the experience. In the case of Mr. Ritchie, it certainly did. Apart from the intense yearning to return to the places he visited, and to be in the presence of Jesus, he developed a new sense of purpose for his life and a new understanding of our mandate, which is to love one another.

What are the common threads? Intense light, intense feeling of acceptance and love, time travel, seeing other beings, both angels and humans, a yearning to go again, unique colours and music, an utter lack of fear of death, and a desire to share the experience. Added to these threads, Mr. Ritchie tells of his glimpse into a unique kind of hell, travelling vast distances in what seemed seconds, glimpses of the future, and communication that was all encompassing but non-verbal.

 

 If every living person was guaranteed a trip to Paris sometime in his life, would it not be natural to want to know a bit about Paris before your trip was due? I am not saying that Paris is like heaven, or like hell, but we all have a built in curiosity as concerns our future.  Because I will die some day (yes, it is true) I am fascinated by this subject. Those who are not are probably in denial.

4 stars 

From the Highlands to America

 

The free Kindle downloads are always an unknown, unless the book is a tried and true classic. As I was perusing the titles, I thought this one might fill my desire for a bit of adventure and action after having read a lot of G.K. Chesterton lately.

Zane Grey is a great action adventure novelist who writes the feminine side of the novel really well, and Tommie Lyn is a female author who writes action well and the romantic side of things even better. Had I not known that Tommie was female, I might not have guessed until near the end of the book.

This is the story of a young Highlander in the early 1700's and the life he lead as a poor farmer's son, who was trained to always be ready to stand up for and fight for his clan. He is torn between adventure and settling down, but in the end the decisions are made for him. After a series of tragic events, he ends up in America as a slave. Apparently this type of thing was not uncommon. The adventures in Scotland are contrasted with life in the swamps and eventually in the Blue Mountains where he escapes to. He is torn between loyalty to the ways of his father and doing what it takes to survive, something he is not always keen on doing because he is haunted by images of his past and memories of his murdered wife. Also he is being pursued by a blood thirsty vengeful man from the enemy clan, who follows him to America.  

This is the first of a multi-book series. It might be worthwhile reading the next one as it is well written and the author claims to be historically correct.

3 1/2 stars

Light

 

This book is another example of short and sweet, interesting and informative for the photographer in you. I am sure that when God said "Let there be light", he had in mind more that 8 types of light, but this book works within the world of light as it relates to photography and how the different types of light serve the purpose of creating good photos.

 

Below is an example from my collection, taken a few days ago, where a cardinal rule of photography is broken. "Always have the sun at your back", limits what you can do creatively. In fact, all eight types of light that Anne talks about in her book can work to your advantage, or if not managed properly, can make for some very dull photos. I like this little book because I am a contrarian type of fellow and like to break the rules at times. (not the law). It is both challenging and satisfying to push the limits of light and I find that it brings out the artist in me.  

 

This little book gets 4 stars.

A Scottish Tale

 

Many years ago we visited the cabin of Robert Louis Stevenson on the Island of Oahu where it was purported that he wrote Treasure Island and Kidnapped. The two stories are similar in that they are adventures of young men being stranded, but the locales are quite different, one taking place on a south seas island and the other in Scotland.  

Kidnapped is a great story at its beginning and its end, but unless one is very familiar with the clans, the history, and the geography of Scotland, it is a bit cumbersome in the middle. 

David Balfour is a young man who is orphaned and sent to an Uncle for 'consideration'. The uncle behaves strangely toward him and after young David begins to understand the relationship between his deceased father and this Ebenezer, his uncle hatches a plan to get rid of David by having him kidnapped. And so begins the adventure that involves ships at sea, fights at sea, storms at sea, and shipwrecks.  He makes a lasting friend in Allan Breck Stewart who lands on board the ship quite by accident. After the shipwreck, they set out across Scotland, avoiding the 'red coats' who are out to get them on a trumped up charge of murder.

In the end, after much trial and endurance in the wilderness, all is well and Davie gets his just rewards.

I will not criticise this classic other than to say that it was a bit weak in the midpoint of the story, but then again, others may enjoy that sort of thing.

If I speak with a bit of a brogue for the next few days, it is because of having read this book.

3 stars   

Book on Photography

 

Being a hobby photographer and enjoying it very much, I find it helpful to read an occasional book on photography. Many times I have done so and found that the one or two things I have learned and applied have taken my hobby to another level. "Beyond the Lens" is a book of encouragement, inspiration, tips, and examples of Robert Rodriguez's excellent image making. The Kindle version does not show up in colour on my Kindle model, but nevertheless, I can see, even in the black and whites, what he is striving to teach.

 

What I came away this time, is two things. Know your equipment, whatever the level it may be at, and practise, practise, practise.

The greatest thing ever about digital photography is the fact that it costs nothing but time and effort to do this.

 

I am finding that both of these tips are helping me. I have been 'out' on numerous occasions already this spring and have come up with some great images. I may never reach the level of a professional like Rodriguez, but I am having a wonderful and creative time trying to get even half way there.

 

The book is short and sweet, and an easy read, and one should be able to take something out of it that will help on the very next click of the shutter.

3 stars 

"Heretics"

 

G.K. Chesterton was a physically formidable man, standing 6' 4" and weighing 286 lbs. He had an intellect to match. He was a prolific writer and I have now read two of his more famous books, "Orthodoxy" being the first. His now famous style begins to grate if you read his works too steadily. He would take a common parable or axiom, or saying, and turn it inside out, up-side down, and state that the exact opposite is true. It is truly remarkable how often and how effectively he does this.

In this book, he devotes a chapter to each one, on a list of his contemporaries, and then analyses their philosophy, their art, their work, or their religion and then proceeds to straighten them out. You would think he would have enemies by so doing, but he was a popular fellow and it was not easy to argue against his reasons for criticism.

I found the book a bit obscure in that it was written for its time, making reference to locations, books, news stories, and people of his times. The ideas, which at times are difficult to extract, are timeless, in a general sort of way, but one would have to read the book several times for these arguments to stick to one's memory, or at least this would be the case for me.

Chesterton is quoted often and with glee. His witticisms are similar to those of Winston Churchill, as in his retort to a lady who addressed him as to why "he was not up front" as pertaining to being in the front lines of WWI. To which he replied," If you go around my side, you will see that I am 'up front'". (He was a rather large man who loved his food and drink.)

I believe I will put Chesterton aside for now, having read his two most popular books, and will read something light for a change. My brain is feeling a bit like a wage earner on April 30th, taxed.

 

2 stars  

An Interesting Mix

 

This is the latest Zane Grey novel that I have read. I will forever think of BC Ferries when I see this book or this post because that is what I did to pass the time on my way over in early May.

 

This novel is an interesting mix of early 1900's western, (written in 1924) adventure, and romance. The guy gets the girl, so now the romance part is over. The western part is all about the wheat growing in central Oregon and southern Washington states. The adventure includes some intrigue and violence on the farm, but is highlighted in the hero's trip to France as a soldier in the first World War.

 

Zane Grey is a descriptive writer and he excels here in both describing the wheat fields as they ripen in the fall, and in his depictions of the horrors of trench warfare in the Flanders Fields of WWI.

 

The aspect of the story which I found most intriguing was the historical accuracy of the incursion of the IWW into the forests and farms of the Pacific Northwest before and during the war. I was not aware of this part of history that took place so close to where I live and when I researched it, found it most interestingly to be true.  The International Workers of the World were a militant union organisation that were rooted in Europe and came to America basically to disrupt their industries through union intimidation, violence and sabotage. In this particular story, they would burn the wheat crops of the wealthy farmers in an effort to "eliminate capital" (destroy capitalism) and to harm the ability of America to feed its citizens and its soldiers.

 

The hero, Kurt Dorn, has a German father who never fully became American so sympathised with Germany during the war. This was a demon for the very patriotic young man who felt he had to go to war to prove something. It almost cost him his life.

Overall, the story is interesting and I learned something while being entertained by a good plot and some good writing.

3 1/2 stars 

Paradoxy

 

I have been coming across G.K. Chesterton quotes for many years now, and finally decided that I had to read some of this man's books. I loaded two of them onto my Kindle and have now read the first, "Orthodoxy" which is a companion to the second, "Heretics".

 

Some call him an apologist, a defender of the Christian faith, but in this book, he does not so much defend the faith as explain how he came to faith. From an early age he had been struggling to make sense of the world and began to build his own religion, or orthodoxy. As he matured and did a lot of thinking on the matter, he discovered that all of his ideas fit into orthodox Christianity. It quite surprised him and he became known later a great defender of the faith.

 

Chesterton is an intellect, as is more than evident in this book. I found it amusing at times, insightful where I understood his reasoning, but generally speaking, way over my head. I had several frustrations as I read. He continually refers to his peers or contemporary events, and me, not knowing my historical facts from the early 1900's that well, let alone British localities and contemporaries, got lost on those occasions. He also employs a habit of continually creating paradoxes in his writing. He forever turns things up-side-down, in-side-out, and changes the words to reverse the meaning of the thought he is discussing. It was often done in such an obscure way that he totally lost me.

 

On the rare occasion when I would fully grasp his point and understand his argument, I would do a little fist pump and then pat myself on the back, assuring myself that I was not a total dolt.

 

It is said of the man that he was a joy to be with, had a great sense of humour, and thoroughly enjoyed his wine and food. He was a sever critic of his friends but they always remained friends and indeed many of them came to faith because of him , C.S. Lewis being one of them.

 

In his forward, Matthew Lee Anderson, himself an author, states that it is probably the most important book of the 20th century and that the profundity of it would not hit the reader until the 3rd or 4th reading. I will not be doing that. I will take Anderson's word for it.

 

In the end, I was a bit disappointed because I had always thought the quotes of his, I had read, were wonderful. And they are. It is just that the rest of the book is too obscure. I will read "Heretics" and then call it a day on Chesterton.

 

2 stars 

 

 

Classic

 

'David Copperfield' is Charles Dickens' 8th and most autobiographical novel. It was published in 1850 and, as some of his other stories, was first published in a series.

The story follows David from his birth into his mid-life and even his golden years.

I found the story very engaging and I have become quite a Dickens fan. There are 37 characters in this novel and I think it is quite a feat to develop these characters to the point where the reader not only remembers them, but takes on a keen like or dislike for each of them. A case in point is a fellow by the name of Uriah Heep. I do not recall ever having had such a visual image of a villain as I have of this ingratiating, slimy, falsely humble excuse for a man. And as for a paragon of  virtue none can compare with Agnes. Peggoty is a model for a doting, loving, nursemaid, and David's stepfather, Murdstone is creepy and manipulative to the point of literally sucking the life out of those around him.

The life and times of David Copperfield are interesting because they portray life in London during that period. The locations, the dialects, the lifestyles of the various strata of society are all described in detail and in very artistic and literary ways. 

One can get completely absorbed into the world of David and his peers, and coming back to the book after a brief absence is like looking up an old friend. 

Although there are a few scenes of action and suspense, the real tension in the novel is the interplay between characters, and the tension that may or may not be resolved. 

The many characters keep appearing and disappearing, always relevant to the situation at hand, and in the end, we get a good synopsis of each character and his or her fate. And as in other Dickens' novels, the good and virtuous people win out and continue onward and upward, whereas the villains and the treacherous, mean-spirited characters play out the end of their lives in misery and sorrow. 

 

Dickens was a prolific writer, and that in the day when there were no word processors or spell check. His writings are the result of a lifetime of pen and paper, but also talent and creativity. I will be reading another of his novels soon, "Bleak House". I have been warned by the reviews that it is another lengthy novel. One has to have a bit of patience reading Dickens, but the effort is well rewarded.   

 

4 Stars 

Action and Suspense in Christian Fiction

 

There is something very comfortable and familiar about reading sequels. "Dangerous Illusions" is a novel that picks up where "Castles in the Sand" leaves off. Having read 'Castles' a few years ago, it took a while for me to become familiar with the characters and story line once again, but there are enough references to the past that soon it fits like a pair of comfortable shoes.

It is several years later and Tess returns to her home town, from a missions trip, where she finds things not quite the way she had left them. Her adoptive parents are out of sorts, her church is struggling out of a slump, and there are strange and unexplained things happening to her, quite randomly, or so it would seem.

There are two themes running through the novel, one of which admits it to the genre of  'Christian fiction', and one which fits it quite nicely into the mystery/intrigue/suspense genre. As new characters are introduced and developed, you just know they are going to be connected somehow, but the reader must be patient.

The questions buzz through the reader's mind as he wonders what the ice-cream truck is all about, is Tess going to fall for the slick new preacher, just who is that nun, what is that greasy biker doing in the story, will the church board ever get their act together, and what is up with Ezekiel the hobo?

The pace to the writing is good, and I found it difficult to put down at times. It was evident that there were two authors, a male and a female and both perspectives were apparent at different times in the story. The loose ends were neatly tied up at the end and all things were explained in a very satisfying way, making the reader feel very happy for the main characters of the story.

There is one thing though, apart from a few plot gaps. I recently reviewed another book in the 'Longbow' series and stated how difficult it was to wait for the next book to continue the saga. There is one little detail in "Dangerous Illusions" that left the reader hanging .... or not. Do I have to wait with bated breath to see if this little detail is significant? It certainly smells that way.

I enjoyed the journey that this book took me on so I give it an above average rating of  4 stars.

Island Adventures

 

This novel, published in 1874, is a story about 4 men, a boy, and a dog who escape from the southern forces during the Civil War. What makes it unique is that the escape was done in a gas filled balloon that was going to be used for army reconnaissance, but was grounded due to a severe storm. The balloon was hi-jacked and immediately soared high into the atmosphere and was blown to the south seas by a hurricane. 

The mix of men and their various talents makes for an interesting story of resourcefulness and survival after having been deposited on a deserted island with virtually nothing but the clothes on their backs.

They not only survived, but within a few years are thriving and do not even wish to be rescued.  But there are very mysterious things happening on the island, leading to a suspicion that there is someone else living there. But search as they might, they could find no evidence. A trip to a nearby island where they pick up a castaway, and an invasion by a pirate ship, eventually take us to the part of the story where the real danger looms before them, the awakening of an extinct volcano.  

In the end, the mystery is revealed and only by the narrowest of margins are the castaways rescued.

Jules Verne loves to write about science and this book is full of it. He was ahead of his time, to be sure.

The story is interesting but the tension is always resolved just a little too neatly, in other words, it is unbelievable. But, good writing is always a pleasure to read, and it is a classic.  

3 1/2 stars