N!OBE, the CSFFBT special

So I had big plans for the tour this month because I love the book so much, not to mention I think that Andrew Peterson just might be the story teller of our age.  I was going to re-read the first book (On The Edge Of The Dark Sea Of Darkness) and post a review of it, I was going to attempt an email interview with Andrew Peterson, I was going to repost my original review of North! Or Be Eaten.  I was even going to post a review of his brother A.P. Peterson’s book from Rabbit Room Press, ”The Fiddler’s Gun”.

But I learned a secret about life, dear reader, that no one else knows about.  I learned it after having our first child, Sarah Hope, only a few weeks ago. 

That secret, my friend, is…

Things don’t always go as planned.

I know, it’s something I’m sure none of you have experienced.  But please, believe me when I say it’s true!  It really is true!

Ok, so maybe I’ve been learning that one all my life, and maybe it’s a secret that everybody already knows.  But it’s true just the same.

So I hope I’ve distracted from the fact that I was lame and didn’t do any of those things on the list… even though I just reminded you of that very fact.  But at least I can do one of them now, repost my review of Andrew Peterson’s second book in the Wingfeather Saga… North! Or Be Eaten.

Before I do that, just let me say… I love this book!

This is a book I’ve been looking forward to for a while!  Normally things I wait this long to be entertained by end up disappointing me.

Not this book though!

From the very first chapter I was caught back up into the excitement of the Wingfeather Saga.  It took a few chapters for a few details from the last book to come back to me, but that wasn’t the book’s fault.  Whenever Andrew dropped a hint from the past the memories flooded in like a welcome tide.  It made me want to read the first book all over again.

So on the story went, in directions I wasn’t expecting.  There were many pleasant surprises, though they weren’t all pleasant for the characters to go through.  I did see a few surprises coming, but I think it’s because I’m familiar with AP through his music, and because he’s a fellow Christian.

The characters are deepened and developed more in this book than in most of the books I’ve read.  Take in where they started from in the first book, “On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness”, and it’s amazing to think of where they are compared to where they started from.  I have a feeling that the next book will do even more with them than both of the first two books combined.

I’m loving the setting of the books, the world of Aerwiar.  It’s a land of excitement and epic epochs.  Every image of Aerwiar that the book conjures up has filled my mind with bright vibrant color and overwhelming life (except those places in which life is snuffed out, color is erased by the wicked, or where all is dipped into the darkest black).  The pictures he scattered throughout the pages definitely drew my interest deeper.  I doubt Andrew will write enough books or draw enough pictures to fill my mind with all there is to the world he has created, and the world he is still creating.

The adventure of the book was thick throughout.  It was always one notch more exciting than I expected at any given time.  The drama of the tale unfolded naturally through the course of the journey, leaving NO time to wonder if the pace was too slow or too fast.  After reading the book I feel like I should have a torn up traveling outfit hung on my wall for a display to all.

And while I know I should have seen it coming, the power that filled the last part of the book blew me over.  There was one line in particular that broke me down.  My eyes flooded and my heart stole my mind away for well over ten minutes.  After that I was able to get back to the book.  There were a few more parts that caused my soul to pause and reflect, to soak it all in and breathe deeply the truths of the Living God.  I was compelled to think on Christ’s love, and it was so easy to comply.  The power lasted long after the last words, and I was assured that it goes back farther than the first book.

It was all strengthened by the fact that the next day I read a verse in the Bible that reflected the same truths written in that line that took my breath away.  I don’t know if Andrew had that Scripture in mind, but I’m sure he had the Author of Scripture in his heart as he wrote.

I really want to thank Andrew for writing this book and series.  I want to thank his family too.  As a writer myself I know the impact a wife can have on one’s writing, and I know about some of the sacrifice a wife has to make to let her husband immerse himself in the world he’s making.  And I can’t help but think that his kids are adding light and color to almost every corner of Aerwiar.  Thank you Petersons!

North! Or Be Eaten is an amazing story, and an amazing sequel to an awesome beginning.  I recommend the book to anyone of any age.  I’m truly hoping for many more books in Aerwiar, set in anytime in its history.

Thank God He has made people in His creative Image!!!

To pick up a copy, visit either http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1400073871
or  https://store.rabbitroom.com/books/north-or-be-eaten

For more on the Wingfeather Saga, visit http://wingfeathersaga.com/

For more on Andrew Peterson, check out http://www.andrew-peterson.com  and  http://www.rabbitroom.com/

For more from the publisher, go to http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/

Now if you aren’t already ordering the book, I’m sure these other tour members will be convinced enough themselves to try and convince you to do so!

Brandon Barr
Justin Boyer
Amy Browning
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Todd Michael Greene
Ryan Heart
Timothy Hicks
Becky Jesse
Cris Jesse
Jason Joyner
Julie
Carol Keen
Krystine Kercher
Dawn King
Rebecca LuElla Miller
New Authors Fellowship
Nissa
Donita K. Paul
Crista Richey
Chawna Schroeder
Andrea Schultz
James Somers
Steve and Andrew
Rachel Starr Thomson
Robert Treskillard
Fred Warren
Jason Waguespac
Phyllis Wheeler
Elizabeth Williams
KM Wilsher

What Is Life?

We look at life as that which fulfills our souls, things that reach to our deepest of parts.  In doing so we miss the very thing we think we’re looking for.  We miss it because life isn’t about us, it’s about God.

Although life will fulfill our deepest parts, we’ll never find life by attempting to be satisfied.  True satisfaction and fulfillment come as by-products of finding life… by-products of finding God.  May we enjoy this benefit of life, but more importantly, may we truly live!

John 17:3 “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”

God be praised!!!

May God be Praised!!!

Sarah Hope Jesse, a gift from God to Becky and I…

Sarah Hope, 12-31-2009, 7lbs 3 oz, 20.5"

Review- Curse of the Spider King, by Wayne Thomas Batson and Christopher Hopper

This month’s CSFFBT book is “Curse of the Spider King”, book one of “The Berinfell Prophecies” series.  It is written by Wayne Thomas Batson & Christopher Hopper.

My first impression when seeing the title & target audience was that it was going to be a good book, but not super impressive.  So I wasn’t as excited about reading it as I was with other books.

Then the book arrived.  I was immediately impressed (extremely impressed) with the look, feel and quality of the hardcover edition I received.  Thomas Nelson knows how to make their authors look good!  The fact that there’s so much forest green on the cover helped to, since it’s my favorite color (I have a feeling that if God has a favorite color it’s green too).

So with my hopes lifted up I began the book.  Then… my hopes started dropping again fast.  The first chapter or so just didn’t seem well done.  I thought “Well, at least now I know my book will have absolutely no problem getting published with Thomas Nelson!”  Then I thought, “One of the authors is obviously not meant to write a book, but maybe the other author will be better.”  So I read on, and sure enough when there was a shift in the book (seeming to be a switch in writers) the book got WAY better.  I was hooked!  But then I realized it was going to shift back to the other author…

Well, it was at that point I realized that Thomas Nelson found a winner in this duo of writers.  The novel took off and never looked back.  Maybe the beginning was just rushed, or the maybe the editor wasn’t as focused on it.  Whatever the case, I devoured the rest of the book faster than anything I’ve read before.  Both authors did an amazing job!

At the end of it all I was saddened for two reasons:
1-the book was over and the next one isn’t out yet…
2-my hopes of an easy publishing contract were flushed away, it was back to a competitive market.

One thing that still puzzles me is how satisfied I was with the entirety of the work.  Once I finished it I felt that it was basically an introduction, and a thinned-out one at that.  Yet it stands alone very well.  I will say that it left me salivating for the next one in the series, but if this was the end of it all I’d be ok with that.  I’m not sure how they pulled it off, maybe it’s because they did an excellent job of laying the foundations for a new world to enjoy.  I’m a sucker for a well-built reality in fiction and in gaming.  However it was accomplished, well done Wayne & Christopher!

The target audience is definitely young adults, though I don’t think there’s an upper age limit on who will like it.

In regards to the spiritual aspect of the book, I think they did a good job there too.  There were no life altering spiritual depths (that I can recall), but truths of God were solidly built upon.  I believe God is honored by the novel. 

Curse of the Spider King is a must have for those who love fantasy and adventure, and I imagine that the whole “The Berinfell Prophecies” series will be quite the collection.  Pick it up, read it with your kids, your spouse, or by yourself.  Whatever you do with it, if you read it you’ll probably tell others to check it out.

Thanks Wayne Thomas Batson & Christopher Hopper for this book, and thanks ahead of time for the rest of the series!

You can dive deeper into the Berinfell Prophecies at www.heedtheprophecies.com

Pick up your own copy at http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1400315050

The authors can be found on the following sites…
Wayne Thomas Batson’s blog – http://enterthedoorwithin.blogspot.com/
Christopher Hopper’s Web site  - http://www.christopherhopper.com/

Other members of the tour have written about the book on the following pages:
Brandon Barr
Justin Boyer
Amy Browning
Valerie Comer
Amy Cruson
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Shane Deal
Jeff Draper
Emmalyn Edwards
April Erwin
Karina Fabian
Todd Michael Greene
Ryan Heart
Timothy Hicks
Becky Jesse
Cris Jesse
Jason Joyner
Julie
Carol Keen
Krystine Kercher
Tina Kulesa
Melissa Lockcuff
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Mirtika
Nissa
John W. Otte
Cara Powers
Chawna Schroeder
James Somers
Speculative Faith
Robert Treskillard
Fred Warren
Jason Waguespac
Phyllis Wheeler
Jill Williamson
KM Wilsher

Dangers of Elementary School

I wonder if this kid’s just prepping for the playground jungle of elementary school?

Check out this 5 year old kid!

Review- Haunt of Jackals, by Eric Wilson

This month’s CSFFBT book is Haunt of Jackals, by Eric Wilson.  It’s part two in the “Jerusalem’s Undead Trilogy”.

I’ll start by saying that the book was fun, but please read this whole review if you’re taking my word for it.  Even though I’m not into the “undead” sort of thing, I enjoyed much of the book.  Younger kids may find the elements a bit to scary or creepy though.  The characters were great, the flow of the story was pretty good, and the settings had the perfect amount of description.  The inclusion of cultural characters was entertaining, and after a while I had a great time trying to figure out who was writing the journal entries scattered through the book.  I was taken in about a quarter of the way through the novel, and the only thing that brought me back out was my concern over Biblical issues. 

The cover art is nice.

The first thing I noticed as I began reading Haunt of Jackals was the fact that there were four different sections to read BEFORE coming to chapter one.  Add to that the fact that I’m starting in the middle of the series, and you have a book that’s hard to jump into uninitiated.  One of the opening sections to read is supposed to catch you up from book one (Field of Blood), but of course there’s no real way to do this without reading the first book.

Since I’ve already mentioned the fact that this is part two, I’ll deal with how the book stands on its own… I don’t think it does.  Now that’s not to say I didn’t enjoy the book, but at no point did I feel like I was at the beginning or the end of a tale.  It felt abruptly cut off on both ends.  I would not suggest reading this book without reading the first book first.  You may be disappointed if you don’t have the third book (Valley of Bones) ready when your done with Haunt of Jackals.  Again, this is not to say the book itself is disappointing… I only mean to say that it shouldn’t be looked at as its own work.  It should be considered the middle of one larger novel.  I haven’t read the other two books, so I cannot say anything about them.

For the reader who truly knows their Bible well, this book wouldn’t likely be a problem spiritually.  However, it touches on elements that could easily plant false information about the Bible in the mind of even a moderate Bible reader.  It brings in fads of false doctrine that may cause one to focus on things that are not only untrue, but irrelevant to life period.  The Nephilim being angel/human hybrids is just one example.  While it was creative the way Eric worked it all in overall, I don’t think that necessarily makes it worth the risk, as is.

I’m not sure how I feel about how Eric used the blood of Christ in the book.  It seems like the point was to really honor the Blood, and maybe it did… I’m just not sure.

These Scriptural problems could have been alleviated by having a forward that warns the reader about each element.  With the story being set in our world, it just comes too close to reality for the unaware reader to differentiate between Bible truths and fictional elements.  A reader needs to know where to go in the Bible to read about the elements contained in “Haunt of Jackals”, so they can see what’s what.

So I would not recommend this book to those who’ve not read “Field of Blood” (book one).  I definitely would say “DO NOT READ” to those who are not very familiar with all parts of the Bible.  If the author is able to put in a warning at the beginning of the book it may not be a problem (though adding to the long list of “pre-reads” is not desireable).  I also would not recommend this book to a young audience.

I would recommend this book to those who are studious about their Bible, and who still enjoy fiction dealing with undead elements.  I’d be interested in reading a novel of Eric Wilson’s that doesn’t deal with the undead.  I enjoy his writing style a lot, and want to see what he can do in another arena.

There’s a section of suggested elements to discuss at the end of the book.  If you have a group of readers who fit the recommended readers I’ve suggested, then they may enjoy going through those questions together.

For more information, check out…

Haunt of Jackals - http://www.amazon.com/exec/ class=”hiddenSpellError” pre=”">obidos/ASIN/1595544593

Eric Wilson’s Web site - http://www.wilsonwriter.com/
The Undead Trilogy Web site  - http://www.jerusalemsundead.com/

And to read what other blog tour members thought, visit the sites listed below…
Brandon Barr
Wayne Thomas Batson
Jennifer Bogart
Justin Boyer
Keanan Brand
Amy Browning
Karri Compton
Amy Cruson
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Karina Fabian
Beth Goddard
Todd Michael Greene
Timothy Hicks
Becky Jesse
Cris Jesse
Julie
Carol Keen
Dawn King
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Mirtika
Nissa
John W. Otte
James Somers
Speculative Faith
Rachel Starr Thomson
Robert Treskillard
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Phyllis Wheeler
Jill Williamson
KM Wilsher

Football is for the birds!

I wonder how much they’re paying this flighty player?…

Mr. T

He’s just entertaining!

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These last two are for the guys to watch

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I’m officially a published author!

Hey all, I just wanted to tell you that my short story “Death of Man” has been published with the ezine “The Cross and the Cosmos”.

Please check out the free launch issue.  You can find it by clicking the vertical banner on the right side of the screen here…

http://crossandcosmos.com/

Book Review: Sir Dalton & The Shadow Heart- By Chuck Black

I was invited to review “Sir Dalton And The Shadow Heart”.  It’s book three of Chuck Black’s series “The Knights of Arrethrae”.  I haven’t read any of the other books in the series, or any of Chuck’s other books, so I can’t speak to how it fits in the series.  However, I do have some thoughts on this work.

For those who aren’t familiar with the series, Chuck Black provides a Q&A section at the back that teaches outright the spiritual lessons he tries to bring out in his story.  Each chapter has a set of questions that ask the reader to reflect upon their own life and upon the truth of God.  It felt to me like it would be best used by a group doing lessons together over a period of time.

That’s not a very exciting setup for a book.  And when I first started reading Sir Dalton’s tale, I really wasn’t into it.  It seemed like a generic story forced into the form of a lesson.  But with the shortness of the book, and feeling that the author was really trying to do something good here, I read on.

And to my surprise, I found that I was slowly drawn in.  Even though simply reading straight through may have been more entertaining, I stayed faithful to checking the questions after every chapter.  I wanted to experience the book as the author intended.  It’s a good thing too, because at the end of the book I found I really appreciated it as a whole.

I don’t know if it’s just me or what, but the book seemed to really take on life later on.  The characters seemed more alive, I was experiencing the world in a deeper way, and the story became more engaging.  And while many of the book’s elements have been overused by other writers over the years, there were some refreshingly new elements.  Well, we know there’s nothing new underneath the sun, but they were new to me.

As long as one can take the book for what it is, I think it will be enjoyed and appreciated.  I haven’t read anything Chuck himself says about the book, but I have a feeling he didn’t intend for the readers to take it as just a story.  He probably wanted them to use it as an entertaining and engaging way to go deeper in their faith.  Whether he wanted that or not, it’s how I’m going to recommend the book.  Use it with fans of fantasy, who are open to both direct and indirect study.  Go through it, and then lead a group in a study.  If you lead a devoted youth group then I think you could use this book with them.  I imagine it would be great for parents to go through with their younger children.

There’s a need to consider the doctrine of the book, since the author outright declares some things as truths.  Overall, I really appreciate what Chuck wanted to get across.  There are lessons in there that are sorely needed.  I don’t agree with everything he had to say.  I’d encourage readers to look EVERYTHING up in the Bible.  Don’t just take his word for it, and don’t just take my word for it either.  There are a few things he has assumed, which may or may not be right, but make sure you look to what God says in the Bible and have that as your only foundation for truth.

As long as one is willing to trust COMPLETELY in the Bible, this is a good book for them.  If they aren’t, then it’s possible that it may encourage them to reconsider.  Again, just as a work of fiction I don’t think it’s anything grand.  And as just a lesson it’s valuable but not necessarily a “life changing experience”.  But putting it all together it sure seems to me to be worth while and useful.  I’m very glad I finished the book.

Thanks, Chuck Black!

 

Information from the publisher, Multnomah Books…

Summary:

Sir Dalton, a knight in training, seems to have everything going for him. Young, well-liked, and a natural leader, he has earned the respect and admiration of his fellow knights, and especially the beautiful Lady Brynn.

But something is amiss at the training camp. Their new trainer is popular but lacks the passion to inspire them to true service to the King and the Prince. Besides this, the knights are too busy enjoying a season of good times to be concerned with a disturbing report that many of their fellow Knights have mysteriously vanished.

When Sir Dalton is sent on a mission, he encounters strange attacks, especially when he is alone. As his commitment wanes, the attacks grow in intensity until he is captured by Lord Drox, a massive Shadow Warrior. Bruised and beaten, Dalton refuses to submit to evil and initiates a daring escape with only one of two outcomes—life or death. But what will become of the hundreds of knights he’ll leave behind? In a kingdom of peril, Dalton thinks he is on his own, but two faithful friends have not abandoned him, and neither has a strange old hermit who seems to know much about the Prince. But can Dalton face the evil Shadow Warrior again and survive?

Young adults will be inspired to strengthen their faith along with Sir Dalton, as they follow his exciting and action-packed journey to overcome his doubts and renew his commitment to the King and the Prince in this third installment of Chuck Black’s popular Knights of Arrethtrae series.

Author bio.:

Chuck Black traveled with the Air Force as a communications engineer and F-16 fighter pilot and began a career as a product design engineer. Chuck and his wife, Andrea, homeschool their six children and have a family music ministry that travels throughout the region. He is the author of nine novels, has been published in The Old Schoolhouse e-zine, and has received praise from parents across the country for his unique approach to telling biblical truths. Chuck and his family live in Williston, North Dakota.