A moving, strangely plausible story
357308
This bittersweet love story would be a compelling novel even without the science fictional elements. I'm looking forward to more from this author.
4401475
While fiction is not my usual reading material, I was drawn to the newsworthiness of the subject material, which contained information you would expect from a treatise on understanding terrorism and slavery and the appropriate response contingencies from our government. I was surprised to find I was drawn into the story line so deeply, becoming very interested in how the most imaginative plot would work out. There were sub-plots, twists, even shocks that made it far more exciting than I expected. The writer seems to have an uncanny knack for making his characters real and setting moods and scenes with the details that make you feel you are there, a spectator on the scene. I liked that, and the fact the story moved along well. I am now a bit more broad-minded about reading fiction novels, having found one that not only informs, but entertains so well. I think this book will not be accepted too well by many women, in that it plays strongly to themes of violence, however logical and realistic they may be. If not for the gory descriptions of torture and fighting, I would have given it five stars.
1093220
Simon LeVay's Donation of Constantine is a skillfully woven tale, marrying real historical events with a set of cleverly deployed fictional devices.  As a depiction of the politics of religion I found it convincing throughout.  And that surprised me.  Who knew that Church history (in this case, the events that guaranteed the Papacy a foothold in Italy) could be so absorbing!

LeVay's story benefits from excellent researchboth into historical and political events, and the material technologies (for want of a better phrase) of life for people in various strata of that world.

But it's the well-plotted scenarios LeVay constructs, depicting the kind of political machinations necessary to shore up Papal authority when it was under threat on several fronts, that are the real eye-opener, and made me question how the Church has continued to consolidate its place in the world, and at what expense.

Clearly he implication is (and this is handled with subtlety rather than polemic by LeVay) that events in the life of the church are less managed by some deus ex machina that the public rhetoric would have had us believe, than some pretty desperate human intrigue.  I suppose I shouldn't be surprised to realise this but LeVay makes a convincing case that the survival of the so-called sacred must often have been reliant on profane political skullduggery.

The particular ploy referred to in the titlethe 'donation' of Constantine (the Emperor), in all likelihood a forgerywas apparently a real turning point at a critical time in Church history, with far-reaching consequences, and LeVay conveys an entirely plausible set of motivations among these very human characters intent on fulfilling their goals.
2486199
This is a moving story, with intriguing twists and turns of a good mystery, all of which are believable.  At the same time it gives the reader an insider's view of today's China, something I knew little about.  My recommendation is to read it, enjoy it, and contemplate the realities of China's economic boom the dire consequences that come with economic achievement.
859095
This is a very unusual story with a surprising ending.
4215325
[Note: This book was provided free of charge by Author Blog Tours in exchange for an honest book review.]

This book plays with a premise that is deeply moving, and ought to strike a chord with many potential readers, and that is the way in which this novel sets up the situation where an old man who should be retired is instead working as a janitor at a hospital to try to keep one foot in front of each other to avoid a return to the bad ways that landed him in jail. Then, on what would appear to be an ordinary day, the author sets up a situation where this man gets the chance to reconnect with his first love, whose young relationship is detailed in a series of emotional flashbacks that leave Will Dillinger unable to function normally, and unable to resist lowering the wall that he has built up over time to prevent him from bonding with others, walls that started with childhood as a con artist and a charmer who used his gifts for evil and feels unworthy of grace.

There is, of course, a darker side to this memory of early love. While the specific scenarios of high school students fearing positive pregnancy tests and dealing with the stress of marriage and family before they have any sort of education or jobs is not something I am familiar with, I know of a situation that is not so unlike that of the premise of this novel that did not work out very well. In that particular case, a woman who was married to a decent and upright man got in touch with a widower who had been an old high school flame and ended up beginning an affair with him that split up the family and led to a lot of very dangerous complications. This is, therefore, not a premise that I view with equanimity, especially when the book flashes back to an unsuccessful marriage between Kate and an alcoholic man. This is the sort of story that a lot of people will be able to relate to, broken people seeking wholeness and love and some sort of redemption.

It would be unfair to spoil the various twists and turns of the story, but it is certainly a very convenient tale in many ways. We see Kate as a relatively innocent young woman whose life is changed by marriage to an alcoholic and who has to deal with frustrations and a vestigial sense of loyalty. We see Will struggling with loneliness and the belief that life has entirely passed him by. In wanting to root for love, we see a few surprises, and one where the meet cute at the end, the second chance at life, is not in fact as we would expect, but it is a surprise that is well-earned and a conclusion that ought to be satisfying for readers who want to see love and grace in action, as well as the corrosive effects of secrets and lies and misplaced guilt. Although this is not the sort of novel I usually read, this is a novel that will richly reward readers looking for a second chance at a first chance, which, honestly, includes most of us.
4950533
There's an art to writing surreal horror fiction. Overall, the world of a conventional horror novel (or novella in the case this this book) is, for the most part, the real world. "Normal". Into it, something unreal or horrific is introduced. In a novella like Green Tsunami, which falls into my personal definition of surreal, something unreal and horrific is introduced to a world that is, or has become, itself horrific. The setting for this story is a world changed so dramatically it's become nightmarish in its own regard - an unexplained event has occurred, a slimy green wave (the the main characters have come to call it a tsunami) has washed over everything in the world, and has, and is continuing to, transform everything (organic and inorganic) into something alien and new. When the bonds of storytelling are freed up and not confined to staying in a conventional, "real" world setting, the story can become so weird it gets in the way of any real plot, or it becomes an integral part of book and the characters themselves, like this one.

This review's starting to get surreal. Let me step back.

The story is written by the brilliantly talented husband and wife team L.L. Soares and Laura Cooney. Each chapter is an email sent by either the husband, Aaron, to his wife, Joy, or vice versa. Joy is trapped, a prisoner, essentially, in the office building where she was working when the tsunami hit. Aaron is at home. Many buildings were destroyed in the wave, many others have been altered into strange, alien forms, but the electricity still works sporadically and so does email. This situation is convenient for the plot to move forward, but is often questioned by the characters themselves, who suspect that this may be more deliberate than they realize.

Aaron and Joy had been going through a rough patch in their marriage, noted by the terse way in which Joy responds to her husband's emails. They learn what the world has become for each, and more importantly as the story progresses what has become of their troubled son, who was in school when everything went green.

I was surprised how well the story of Aaron's search for Joy and their son, all the while dealing with his own body's strange metamorphosis (everyone caught in the wave, who survived, were changed in some surreal - there's that word again - way) and Joy's situation being held captive by oddities they call "Balloon Heads", was conveyed through nothing but emails.

I assumed in reading this that the authors wrote their respective character's parts (L.L. doing Aaron's emails and Laura doing Joy's), but I could be wrong. Regardless, their writing in the past has always been strong and this is no exception. The book is inventive and, most importantly, engaging. One of those stories where you want to read just - one - more - chapter and suddenly it's over.

Now, be warned. This is not your average horror story, like I said. The setting and events are quite surreal (not to the vast extent of, say, Cisco's The Divinity Student, though written just as well) and can bend your brain in directions it usually doesn't need to in a Koontz novel. But if you want a story that's way out of the box, but tells a fascinating, and often touching, story, check this novella out.
2258344
The first of the Tommy Trilogy novels, Tommy's exodus is a fascinating, yet strange read.
It sort of brought Kerouac's On the Road to mind as I was reading it, which is definitely a plus. The story is  rather straightforward when you strip it down: Tommy, a young man with a not-very-fulfilling past in the military, is tired of his trainee position in Los Angeles and wants to leave both his job and the city and to go back to Sacramento and move back in with his parents.
But this simple premise gives way to an abundance of chance, yet meaningful, encounters with some very colorful characters. I would characterize the story as being a frame for a bunch of other, smaller yet powerful stories which give Timmy's journey a greater meaning.
His simple journey home, which theoretically can be undertaken with a bus in under 24 hours, takes him over seven months, become a real epic journey for the young man. He gets drugged, beaten, locked up, falls in love, finds a job, experiences a miracle, all in his attempt to go home.
There is a subtle religious undertone to the whole story (other than the obvious nod to the biblical exodus and the Israelite's long meander through the desert) as faith becomes a bigger and bigger issue for Tommy.
This does not, in any way, mean that Tommy is a religious man, or a born-again Christian type. It's only his constant need to reflect on all the crazy circumstances around him that drive him eventually to spiritual channels, and from there to religion.
Tommy's reflection are very often somewhere between poignant and funny. His narration is very candid about his own thoughts and views. His deeper thoughts are always screened by his own experience and ability to express those thoughts, which makes him a very endearing protagonist.
Hobkirk's writing in this novel is very engaging. It was hard to put the book down, as there was always something happening. There were (in the edition I have) some spelling errors and punctuation errors, and a few odd formulations (most of which are in dialogue, which sort of makes it okay), but the fascinating story and interesting characters more than make up for that.

All in all, I highly recommend it.
1119948
Think about your day-to-day, mundane activities infused with eerie and surreal visions and feelings, with occasional interventions into traumatic events that you foresaw, and you might have some idea of what life is like for 20-ish Odd Thomas. A full-time short-order cook and semi-psychic, Odd has acclimated amazingly well to his innate abilities - although never fully understanding them. But a gargantuan evil has been infiltrating his life in the small desert town where he resides; one that foreshadows deadly and very personal consequences.

Odd sees those who have departed this world and return for visits, along with some creepy, shadowy figures that appear sporadically and presage ominous events. He also tries to forge a reasonably "normal" life with his work associates, friends, and his girlfriend, Stormy.

This story is sort of a supernatural-thriller-mystery, where you get the feeling that something really bad is going to happen, and live the anxiety through Odd who recognizes the imminent danger and must work with his knowledge, skills, and relationships to try and avert as much of the damage as possible.

There are many "odd" circumstances in this story - Odd's relationship with his girlfriend, Stormy, and his dysfunctional family; how he interacts with the apparition-types who pop-up now and then - and his quirky handling of his paranormal visions and feelings as if they were "business as usual" occurrences.

As you read through this book you get closer and closer to Odd - feeling the tension that he is experiencing, and understanding a bit about the emotional toll that it takes to be able to see and know things that elude most other people. He is a compassionate and altruistic character that shows you what it really means to go the extra mile for others.
4667512
This book left me thinking about the thin line between savage and survival, a story told in an unapologetic tone that makes perfect sense.  Curiously, the premise here is a suspension of disbelief which you will give up happily. The tale of two young girls living with tigers makes you want to cheer them on. . . even as they return to civilization and the odd world they had left behind.
3529303
This book will not appeal to everyone, given that its subject matter essentially involves a "programmed bummer," i.e., the aftermath of the accidental shooting of a toddler by her older brother.  The loss of  a child is perhaps the ultimate tragedy that an adult can face, and the  very prospect may be too daunting for some potential readers to fathom.
Swick takes this horrifying theme and creates a moving, convincing,  highly readable novel.  The various reactions by different family members,  friends, and acquaintances are all plausible and vividly portrayed.  The  trajectories of the streams-of-consciousness of the protagonist mother and  her son, including the inevitable pangs of guilt, remorse, and disbelief  associated with a tragedy of this magnitude, are skillfully presented.  This is definitely a page-turner that, once begun, is very hard to put  down.
On the downside, there is definitely the feel here of a  made-for-tv-movie-in-the-offing (a "women's movie," for sure),  and the very nature of the subject matter lends itself to occasional  passages that seem unnecessarily maudlin.  Also, the ending, a kind of  "flash forward to see how it all turned out," seemed  unsatisfactory to me.  A more ambivalent and indeterminate ending, in which  the reader could imagine varying potential outcomes, would seem more in  keeping with the overall tone of the book.  As it is actually written,  there is a kind of sappiness to the conclusion, a "gee, if we all give  it our best effort and love one another, things will turn out ok"  sentiment that seemed shallow in comparison to the rest of the  book.
Still, overall this is a worthwhile read, and it  motivates me to  explore other works by this author.
652790
The book is a whirlwind adventure with a fantastic cinematographic feel to it, in an odd way reminiscent of 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas'. The choice of narrative is notoriously challenging but the author pulls it off - a seemingly effortless feat that must have been the result of real writing talent or very hard work, or both. I was most taken with the protagonist who really comes to life to the point where I caught myself thinking about him and wondering what he was up to while I was going about my everyday business. I also found myself experiencing a whole array of responses: in turn I wanted to thump him, hug him, give him a lecture - and of course, listen to him.

The humour, whether in a line or in a scene, was the other thing that stood out the most, in part for its perfect timing, in part for its unobtrusive, staunch presence as a 'purifier' of sorts whenever things could have become a little too serious, too harsh. Again, humour is hard to do right but there was not a stepped missed.

It's a bizarre, enjoyable story; a moving one, too, against rational expectations. Far-fetched adventures walk hand in hand with moments of genuine wisdom, or at the very least of truth. I would highly recommend the book to anyone in search for something very idiosyncratic that is hard to forget for all the right reasons.
496172
The seemingly bizarre world of Beatie Scareli can easily sync with that of the girl who sits next to me on the bus, with a friend or coworker, it can be anyone's reality, fantasy and fiction, strange and every day, surreal and real at the same time. California in the seventies has never been familiar to me since it was before my time and I have never been to the west coast but Beatie and her family, her home, school and hang outs were bright and clear in my head. The story line seems to resemble something out of the Twilight Zone but it's really about the dark paths of life, obstacles and challenges that reality seems to line us up with on the web of dreams we weave. Sometimes the dreams aren't big; we just want a normal life, happiness, a warm dinner on the table, parents who make sure we grow up well, security and warmth, sometimes we get lucky and things are easy and rainbow colored and sometimes like in Beatie's case life is nothing but a whacky TV show that one seems to be stuck in with no way to get out of.

The Italian father who lacks suaveness but not love, trapped somewhere in dark corners of his strange mind seems detached from the schizophrenic woman he married long ago, Frata. The red haired self proclaimed Lucy Ricardo, loving to her child but very much lost and gone upstairs, is standing at an edge of a mental cliff. She is barely holding on what is left of her memory and slowly sinking in phantasm of made up worlds, things she's seen on TV, people she thinks she is, accusing her husband of betrayal is losing grip on motherhood. Beatie, their young daughter appears to be the only sane person in the family, capable of making grown up decision, in reality taking care of both her parents, going to school and trying to survive extremely stressful and abusive situations that she just can't seem to avoid. She is the ethereal heroine, delicate but with an iron core. Her journey though two years of her early teens is nothing less than hair rising but while reading it one can see her story happening to any young girl given similar circumstances. For her to catch up to the reality would mean to break into the darkness of what her life has become instead of ignoring and pretending that mentally ill parents, custody battles, perversions, unfulfilled love and quest for happiness is easily obtained by day dreaming about it.

I found this to be a surreal but fascinating read, finishing the story in one day. The writing is very witty and humorous at times, I felt like laughing and crying back and forth as this book seemed to cross raw boundaries rarely touched with most books. Even the font, reminiscent of a typewriter makes this read like a script to a show that one would like to watch on TV but turn off when it gets uncomfortable. No such option exists for Beatie as she grows up and learns that sometimes you don't have anyone to depend on but yourself. Dark, bight, full of despair but also hope this story will touch anyone and I only hope that the author doesn't stop here, I see a bright future ahead of her.

- Kasia S.
3416106
Mitch Albom is a master in writing fiction that makes you want to believe it could really happen.  A touching story with a surprising ending.
3345570
This story is one that almost anyone could imagine themselves involved in.  There are many unlikely characters getting involved with each other that have little in common, or so it seems, but later on many things reveal themselves in pleasant surprises and other times are bittersweet situations.  I fully intend on reading this again.
3121592
I liked this book very much in spite of its rather unattractive and unlikely premise. In it the world is in advanced state of war and global destruction, which is really not as hard to believe as it would have been 15 years ago, given the destruction we've seen in Syria for example. The perfect counterpoint to this rather dark scenario is the power of love and so the stories of two people looking for the same man that they are in love with is just right, even if they are a little over romantic at times.

I think that is what makes the book work and makes it so clever: if you can believe in the story of impending nuclear destruction, the cartoonesque mass hysteria over Superdevi, the loss of believable news sources and the advanced communal warfare in the streets of Mumbai, well then it is really not too hard to believe the story of Ijaz, predatory gay lover of the shy physicist Karun, or the gentle love story of Karun and his bride Sarita  who settle into a loving not necessarily sexually active but playful and tender marriage.

In the book the story is told in turns by both Sarita and Ijaz and describes their search for Karun, who has disappeared to the north for unspecified reasons. Sarita does not know that the Muslim guy who latches onto her in her search for her husband was her husband's lover for years before she met him . Ijaz (the Jazter) knows who she is and that she is the only way he can find Karun.

Their stories are interlaced with flashbacks of both of their romances with Karun, until they reach the place where he is and they manage to find him and Karun joins them in their near mythical fight against the evil leaders. At the same time Sarita finally finds out her husband is gay and Ijaz is her lover so that requires a certain amount of repositioning from all of them.

If earlier on the book has a mythical feel of the journey and the search, once they get to Juhu Beach it becomes a full blown grotesque and apocalyptic movie and verges on satire, though to call it a comedy the way some of the critics did, seems to be taking it a little far. It reminds me of some of Gore Vidal's dystopian books like Messiah and Kalki, although Vidal's works  lack the antidote of Love. There is even an undercurrent of the Wizard of Oz and in its echoes of that and so many other narratives it is a really good book while sometimes being quite (intentionally) preposterous at the same time. Not to mention the fact that Ijaz sees himself as Jaz Bond some times, which definitely would qualify as comic relief.

The end of the story has a certain predictability or maybe inevitability to it that you have to be willing to go along with but if you can, if you do, the suspension of disbelief can be a great thing.
4678758
Strange but compelling story addressing (in a roundabout way) the important topic of human trafficking. Although Healy falls under the Christian fiction mantel, there is no overt spiritual verbiage in this novel. However, her intent is clear, and her main characters seek justice and the path of righteousness. This is a good read, if not a bit unusual.