A Tale of Three Kings by Gene Edwards

Plot Summary
A Tale of Three Kings walks a tightrope between narrative and instruction. The narrative part takes the form of a dialogue between its story's characters, in the instructional part, the narrator addresses the reader directly, using the second person pronoun.

A Tale of Three Kings is about the basis for spiritual authority. The narrator identifies two different types of spiritual leaders; leaders like King Saul and leaders like King David. The third king is Absalom, who the narrator identifies as a recycled King Saul. But Absalom is cast in the reactionary position and answers the question: "What would David have done, while he was under Saul's authority, if he was just like Saul?"

The subtitle of this book is: "A Study in Brokenness." And it is fitting. The narrator concludes that the only way right to exercise spiritual authority is through submission.

What I liked
I don't normally like this kind of book, the way it was written. I don't like books that walk a tightrope between narrative and instruction because they generally tend to do both poorly. However, reading this book, I felt like I was reading the transcript of a good sermon, and like a good sermon, it was relatively short. I was able to read through it in an hour and a half while I should have been sleeping. And it was interesting enough to keep me awake.

I feel I've learned from this book. I've been occupied with the concept of leadership lately, both because of the lack of it in my workplace and because I've been watching Star Trek and have been finding in it an exploration of the ideology of Leadership. (I do intend to blog on that later.) This book is like an instruction manual in spiritual leadership. And one that I appreciate very much.

What I didn't like
Nothing, really.

I don't usually enjoy reading a book addressed to the second person, but in this case, it worked. These addresses make up personal challenges to the reader that inspire reflection and inner seeking.

Conclusion/Recommendation
I will quote here the book's dedication:

To the brokenhearted Christians coming out of authoritarian groups, seeking solace, healing, and hope. May you somehow recover and go on with him who is liberty.

And to all brokenhearted Christians: May you be so utterly healed that you can still answer the call of him who asks for all because he is all.

I recommend this book to any Christians who have been brutalized by other Christians and to any who desire or feel they are called to positions of leadership.

If you are one who desires a position of leadership I don't think this book will encourage you to abandon that desire but it may inspire in you a desire to be a greater leader than you had ever before imagined you could be or wanted to be. I know it has for me.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Plot Summary
Guy Montag is a fireman. A fireman who is paid to set fire to books. In Fahrenheit 451's futuristic world, there is no need for firefighters since all buildings are fireproof. Instead, firemen are employed to enforce the censorship of books. A long list of censored books now includes all works of fiction, philosophy, religion, ideology... you get the picture. A list is posted in each firehouse and firemen wait for alarms. When the alarm goes off, the firemen rush to the address, expose the hidden forbidden books and set fire to them and the house they are found in. The owner is arrested and immediately disappears; but many choose to stay behind and be burned with their books. And the firemen graciously oblige them.

This is Guy Montag's job. He works twelve hour shifts at the firehouse. He plays poker with his fellow firemen while they wait for an alarm.

At home, his wife is occupied with the drama that is broadcast over the walls (giant television screens that occupy full walls--the Montag living room has three and Mrs. Montag wants a fourth, although they can't afford one quite yet on Montag's $6000 yearly salary.) The dramas they broadcast seem to be interactive reality-based shows. The viewer can interact and engage in the drama interjecting his or her own opinions into whatever conflict is brewing between the people on the "walls." Each wall broadcasts one person's face, so having three walls gives you three people, four walls give you four people; and you can imagine how overpowering that would be to have larger-than-life people constantly yelling in your living room at full-volume. Mrs. Montag pretty much lives for these dramas, she calls the "wall people" her family and spends her whole days in the living room. She has friends over and they hang out in the living room with the family. She also has radio receivers plugged into her ears, so she can listen to music, commercials, and news (but not too much news, just two or three sentences of it between songs and commercials) all the time. They're even plugged in when she's sleeping, which is probably why she needs so many sleeping pills...

It seems like everyone is occupied with similar pursuits. If they're not sitting in the living room with their wall-families, they're out driving recklessly--another popular pastime. It seems that people in Fahrenheit 451 will do anything to avoid boredom or silence. And their society is more than happy to provide them with all kinds of distractions.

Maybe that's because the government doesn't want its people thinking. The government wants its cheerfully ignorant voters thoughtlessly absorbed in make-believe worlds so it can pursue its own agenda. Even now, the world is on the brink of nuclear war and nobody seems to care.

There's something about all this that seems vaguely disturbing to Guy Montag but he can't quite put his finger on it. He doesn't even realize that he finds it disturbing until he catches himself stealing censored books and hiding them in his ventilation ducts.

And then he meets a seventeen year old girl who seems very different from everyone else.

What I liked
Ray Bradbury's classic bestseller is startlingly prophetic. Facebook, iPods, Big Screen TVs, it's all in here. Kind of scary, considering it was written way back in the 1950s.

The book is very well written. The writing style is ... spartan. Bradbury says so much in so few words. It's actually intimidating. It's a very short book, but it's so deep. There's so much here that I could probably read it several more times and find many more things waiting to be unpacked.

The world of Fahrenheit 451 is rich with detail and very real. Bradbury certainly knew what he was doing when he wrote this. Reading this book, I could imagine myself in it, walking the streets of Guy Montag's city with its two-hundred foot billboards and its constant noise and entertainment and its firemen racing to the latest alarm aboard a salamander truck while its dissidents hid in their homes in fear, harbouring their books and their freethinking.

It's also a very imaginative novel. And, like I've said before, imagination always scores big points with me.

What I didn't like
Almost nothing.

The book was extremely boring at first, I'm embarrassed to admit. I was very tempted to give up on it entirely in the first fifty pages. But, it picked up. The ending was very exciting.

Conclusion (spoiler warning)
Ok, I really didn't see that nuclear holocaust coming at the end... and that was kind of frustrating because I kept trying to piece it together in my head with the previous events. But now that I think about it, my surprise at the nuclear holocaust kind of mirrors the surprise of the people in the novel. The people in the cities that were destroyed didn't see it coming, they died doing what they always did--entertaining themselves thoughtlessly. Meanwhile, it seems as though everyone outside the cities, the dissident freethinkers who had fled civilization and lived as vagrant fugitives in the wilderness expected the nuclear holocaust, knew it was coming, and were prepared for it and prepared to help rebuild the world afterwards.

I give this book a rating of 5/5 flamethrowing firefighters and recommend it to anyone who has the patience to wade into a slowly unraveling story of a dystopian future. Just, beware the dark stuff, it can get kind of creepy.

Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo

Plot Summary
Rob Horton has a suitcase. It isn't a real suitcase, it's imaginary. In it, he keeps all the things he's not supposed to think about--all the thoughts and feelings about his mother, her name, how she died. The stress from keeping the suitcase closed is giving him a rash on his legs. A rash so severe that the principal of his school asks him not to come back until it clears up.

But Rob's okay with that. In fact, he's overjoyed. It's like a vacation from being bullied.

On the same day that Rob finds a caged tiger in the woods behind the motel where he lives with his father, Rob meets Sistine. A fiery little girl.

He begins to learn that certain things, like heartache and memories and tigers aren't meant to be locked up.

What I liked
This is a nice story. It isn't gripping or exciting, but it flows nice and slow and keeps me interested the whole time. The characters are well developed. Kate DiCamillo has a knack for making real-life characters in few words. It isn't moving like Edward Tulane, but it isn't meant to be... it's more like real life.

What I didn't like
Nothing.

Conclusion/Recommendation
This is a great story. It's short and easy to read. It's got a bit of adventure, a bit of suspense, and a whole lot of feeling. Kate DiCamillo makes magical sentences; no word is wasted. And her characters are fantastic. This one gets 5/5 fiery little girls.

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo

Plot Summary
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane is the story of a china rabbit who is owned by a girl who loves him and adores him completely. Unfortunately, the china rabbit knows nothing of love. Neither does he care to. He is a conceited, arrogant, self-centered, overdressed china rabbit.

But one day, he is lost.

The story chronicles the adventures of Edward, the china rabbit, as he passes from one person to another and learns what it is to love and be loved.

What I liked
Everything. A perfect book.

I still find it hard to believe that a story about a china rabbit could move me like this one did. It is possibly one of the most beautiful heart-wrenching stories I have ever read.

What I didn't like
Nothing.

Conclusion/Recommendation
This is a beautiful book that I recommend to everyone. It scores 7.5/5 long furry ears. (Kate DiCamillo, if you ever happen to read this, I love you for writing this book and I don't think I will ever get over it. Thank you.)

The Breadwinner By Deborah Ellis

Plot Summary
Parvana is a little girl, growing up in Kabul, Afghanistan shortly after the reversal of the Soviet Invasion. The Taliban has taken the city of Kabul, forcing the women out of their jobs and schools. Every day, Parvana accompanies her father to the market, where he sets up a booth and reads and writes letters and other documents for the mostly-illiterate population of Kabul.

Parvana's mother and sister have to stay inside their tiny apartment in a partially bombed-out building because it's illegal for a woman to be seen outside without a male escort. And, even with a male escort, they'd have to wear burqas.

When Parvana's father is arrested for no reason, Parvana cuts her hair and dresses like a boy so she can continue her father's business.

What I liked
A great story, and exceptionally well written. Just as I've come to expect from Deborah Ellis.

The characters are well drawn. The description of Kabul under the Taliban is very good.

The quality of this novel is awesome. It was pretty much like being right in Kabul and getting to know little Parvana and her family.

What I didn't Like
Almost nothing. The story-telling (to me) reads a little bit like a newspaper (lots of detail, not much feeling) but that suits the story, and the characters. It actually works pretty well.

Conclusion/Recommendation
As with every Deborah Ellis book I've read so far, I recommend this one to EVERYBODY. A solid 5/5 turbaned Talibs. (Thanks, Joey!)

The Dread Crew by Kate Inglis

Plot Summary

Pirates. Yes, a children's book about pirates. Pirates who ride an earth-ship, a giant, noisy, stinking barrow that can cut its own trails through the woods and travel much faster than the average automobile. And it's set in Nova Scotia. So, it surprised me that the pirates never set out to sea and that there was no reference to Oak Island. At all.

Anyways, on with the plot summary. Eric is a little boy who becomes a pirate tracker when he finds some pirate artifacts in the debris left behind by the barrow as it rumbled through the woods. He collects clues to the whereabouts of the pirates. Little does he know, however, that the pirates are holed up at the farm next door.

Meanwhile, Eric's old friend Joe is hosting the pirates on his farm. They hide their barrow next to his barn and he teaches them good manners and they teach him how to collect junk. Because, you see, the pirates don't plunder and murder and steal... they collect junk and bring it to a pirate depot in downtown Halifax, where they get paid for it. At least, I imagine they get paid for it, but it never really mentions it.

What I liked
The Dread Crew is a very imaginative book and that always scores points with me. It was also very well written. Kate Inglis is a phenomenal story teller and writer and I admire her (and her editors at Nimbus Publishing) for that.

The pirates are also cool. She gets more points for creating wonderful characters.

What I didn't Like
Hmm. The only thing I didn't like was that I had to suspend disbelief way too much. I could be brought to believe that there is a crew of dread pirates that cruise the backwoods of Nova Scotia. But... that they don't harm anyone, and all they do is collect junk, and they have a union... it just wasn't what I was expecting.

Also, the back cover said the story was about Eric, tracking the pirates. But it turns out that Eric is nothing more than a minor character and Joe and the Pirates are actually the main characters. I think a story about Eric would have been more interesting.

Conclusion/Recommendation
An excellent children's story for anyone who likes adventure. And bad mannered, stinky pirates.

It just wasn't what I was expecting. (And I reserve the right to deduct points for that.) So, 4/5 stinky pirates.

the violence of the sun

from we deal in dreams by live:

don't you feel so very pointless
in the feelings of the rain
and the violence of the sun
i must confess that i feel graciously
bigger than the rain
and hotter than the sun
what did you do
what do you say
when the blood spilled is of your loved one
and the kremlins of the world fall around you

oh fearful crying people
the fool is by the river
watching but not swimming
it takes energy not to get used to it
and fall into this place
where everything runs together and dies
this quiet kingdom she is now
forever will she be, in silent celebration

a few years ago i was talking with a classmate, Ran. he was telling me about a short story that he wanted to make into a movie and he compared the violence of a one night stand to the violence of a rape. i asked him what he meant by the violence of a one night stand. and i don't think i understood his answer until a few moments ago.

in december i read rob bell's book, Jesus Wants to Save Christians, in it the authors talk about the myth of redemptive violence. redemptive violence, if i understand it correctly, is when a person commits violence to prevent further violence. they call this a myth because violence is cyclical, violence only begets more violence. therefore, there is no such thing as redemptive violence.

so, just a moment ago, i finished downloading Wolfmother's album, Cosmic Egg and noticed one of the song titles: The Violence of the Sun and recognized it as a line from Live's song: We Deal in Dreams. and i had a bit of an epiphany. the word 'violence' is the noun form of the word 'violate,' which is a verb. violence is the same as violation, so to do violence is to violate.

my little epiphany was this: violence is inherently evil. the only 'good' way to respond to violence is to absorb it, to respond with grace. like Jesus.

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

This is probably one of the best books I've read in a really long time. The story absorbed me so that I felt what its characters felt. It was sad and hopeless, but very moving.

They say this book is supposed to be McCarthy's masterpiece, and I can see why.

The writing is very simple and very clear. It's perfect.

The story isn't epical or even fantastic or wonderful. It's a simple story of a father and son in a hopeless post-apocalyptic wilderness. They are the only real characters in the story and they're traveling south, hoping to find a warmer climate but they're in the middle of a nuclear winter and just about all the food everywhere has been scavenged already and they're barely surviving one day to the next.

I'm kind of eager to see the movie. (It came out in november or october or something.)

 I don't recommend the book to everyone, it's kind of disturbing in a lot of places. For example, there's some cannibalism and the kind of stuff you might expect from people who have no food and no hope. But there's also a lot of goodness and wonderfulness and it's really awesome.

Tuck by Stephen Lawhead

This is the third and last book of Lawhead's King Raven Trilogy. It concludes the escapades of Rhi Bran and his band of merry men in the primeval forests of the Welsh Marches.

The story was very engaging. It never seems rushed and no parts of it seem glossed over or ignored. There's plenty of adventure, and all the elements that made the previous two books so enjoyable.

The writing was solid, dense, but beautiful and poetic. I enjoyed the development of the main characters, although many of the secondary characters seemed flat and static but the story didn't suffer much for that. The only disappointment that comes to my mind is that the role that Baron Neufmarche plays at the end doesn't seem to deserve all the build-up his character has been given. That was a bit of a letdown.

I especially liked how all the political drama that was introduced in book one, Hood, played themselves out to conclusion in this book.

So, here's my conclusion: this is a solid and enjoyable series and I recommend it to one and all. It's got just about everything a good story needs, intrigue, romance, action, adventure, suspense, and pretty fantastic writing. Like I've said before, Lawhead is a fantastic writer, his work is very enjoyable to consume, if a little tough.

Zombieland

So, I just finished watching Zombieland and it is my favourite movie of all time. It even surpasses Shaun of the Dead, which, until now, was my favourite zombie movie of all time.

Speaking of which, I want to write a spoof of the Twilight books, except, instead of being vampires, the Cullens are a family of Zombies called, The Burtons. And Edward's name is Pickle. And he wants to eat Bella's brains.

And there'll be a character called Barry Trotter or something like that who introduces himself as a Wizard... but he's actually a lizard with a widdle bit of wisp.

Yeah...