Classic Review: Moby Dick, or The Whale by Herman Melville

Moby Dick, or The Whale
by Herman Melville

Description:
"It is the horrible texture of a fabric that should be woven of ships' cables and hawsers. A Polar wind blows through it, and birds of prey hover over it."

So Melville wrote of his masterpiece, one of the greatest works of imagination in literary history. In part, Moby-Dick is the story of an eerily compelling madman pursuing an unholy war against a creature as vast and dangerous and unknowable as the sea itself. But more than just a novel of adventure, more than an encyclopaedia of whaling lore and legend, the book can be seen as part of its author's lifelong meditation on America. Written with wonderfully redemptive humour, Moby-Dick is also a profound inquiry into character, faith, and the nature of perception.


My Review:
Finally made it through with audio! I tried a few times before, but didn't get very far.

Very good book, and informative. The ending was fantastic. I don't know how I've managed to avoid spoilers for this, but it was quite an exciting finale.

There are its slow points, though. When Herman Melville says he's going to catalog all of the whales, he's going to catalog all of the whales. Still, there were some very interesting asides, and many, though about whales on the surface, have a rather deeper and profound message.

I can totally see why it has been described as an important book.

Anyhow, I really liked this as an audiobook. Recommended for fans of the classics, of whales, and of sea stories. Vast in its scope.

Borrowed this from the library. Took a little over two weeks to get through.


About the Author:

The writing career of Herman Melville (1819 - 1891) peaked early, with his early novels, such as Typee becoming best sellers. By the mid-1850s his poularity declined sharply, and by the time he died he had been largely forgotten. Yet in time his novel Moby Dick came to be regarded as one of the finest works of American, and indeed world, literature, as was Billy Budd, which was not published until long after his death, in 1924.

Non-Book Review: UP2 by Jawbone

You may have noticed I like to write to review things, lots of things. Not just books, though that's what you'll typically find here on my blog. But I don't just like to write reviews, I read them, too.

Reviews are more important to me sometimes than the product descriptions or even, amazingly enough, my own prior experience with a product.

This is the one I have.

Take the Jawbone UP2 I'm wearing.
 
You might be surprised to learn that it's the second one I've owned, but it's the first one I bought for myself, having received the original from my company as a reward for submitting a health success story.

When the first one's band broke, I spent almost a month perusing reviews and ratings for it and competitor brands. I had intended just to buy the same one again, then I saw the three star average ratings for it, and they just sucked me right in. Here I was about to buy something with a three star average. What did these folks know that I didn't?

Seriously considered this one.

Despite the cool fashion bands, the various straps, the ones with heart rate monitors, and so on and so on, folks seemed to have some issues with these things. So I stopped looking at the UPs alone and got distracted by the Fitbits and how neat those were, and by those reviewers who vouched for that neatness. On and on and on, almost adding to my cart and then dropping one or the other for a month.

So many choices! And the reviews for both sides, Fitbit vs. UP, were as widely varied as were the people who wrote them. I even found a few folks who took their reviews to the next level, buying one of each type and wearing them at the same time to see how they compared and reporting out their findings for the rest of us. I think it was one of those that ended up convincing me to just go with the one I knew and liked, despite it's flaws.

Selling points? Well, The UP2 is rather accurate. It's small and light. Not unattractive. I already had the app installed on my phone. Sure, the bands can break and sometimes the clasp just says, "I'm going to just unclasp now, good luck!" but the thing's only like 20-30 bucks. And yeah, I get more use out of my UP2 than I do out of my watch (also about 20-30 bucks). It managed to train me to sleep better. I've set it up to buzz when it's time to step away from my desk and go for a run or a walk. It tracks how often I work out and cheers me on. I even played around with the food tracker, but I think just logging a week is about all I can take of that, no matter the format.

I figure if I get something like 8 months to a year out of this one, it's worth the cost. The last one lasted about 8 months before the band broke off where it was fused to the sensor part. I'm about five months or so in. We'll see. A couple of other folks had their bands break in the same way.

So yeah, the reviews had me doubting my own experiences, but they also pointed out a few things I'd  disregarded and gave me a lot more information for making an educated decision, which tends to make me happier with my purchases.

I guess what I'm saying is reviews matter to me, even when I end up buying the exact thing I originally planned to buy.

And yes, when this one I have breaks or gives up, I'll probably do it all again. :-) 

Shadows of Valor is complete! On finishing a trilogy...

Yeah, I know I've posted about this before, but I'm still excited about it. Even more so now, because I just received my first review for Fight for Valor on the Michaelscifan blog.

 

You know, it's very scary putting out a book. But what's even more scary is putting out the final book in a series or trilogy. There's this overbearing feeling of potential failure, that people will be disappointed, that as an author you'll drop the ball. I've seen this happen with other trilogies. I spent much longer finishing and then editing this one than with any other. I redesigned all the kindle covers so that they had a common feel but were distinct from each other. I read this thing from front to back more than a dozen times, to check for errors, to gage the flow, to confirm, at least to myself, that the story was fun to read and interesting. Finally, I took some deep breaths and hit publish.

 

And then I waited. I posted some links and put half of my books on sale in celebration. I asked for reviews from just a couple of folks who liked the first two books. And last night, late, I saw the first review. I feel like that one person reading and loving my book has made it all worth it.

 

Will everyone love it? Probably not. But I know one person did, and that just makes my day.

 

 

And, if that wasn't enough, he also reviewed my other newish release, The Freeze. I must say I'm pretty excited about this one, too. I think my only regret is that I didn't flesh The Freeze out more. A common thread in all the reviews so far is that it missed opportunities. A good lesson I plan to take to heart. But, still, folks do seem to like it, and that's awesome.

Here's the link to Michaelscifan's The Freeze review.

Science Fiction Review: The Zondon by Robby Charters

The Zondon by Robby Charters
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A good, well-researched sci fi.

The story opens with Ernie, an undermotivated guy whose twin outshines him. Growing up, Ernie experienced vivid dreams of space, a tomb in Egypt, and a multi-faceted glowing crystal. Now, when he and his brother get the opportunity to resume the exploration of a tomb their parents were forced to abandon before they were born, they jump on it, but Ernie begins to suspect he's been there before.

I found this to be an interesting book, with a good mix of real and fictional science, just enough to be plausible if not probable. As for the story, it's well-fleshed out and planned, and I didn't notice any plot holes. The origins of the aliens, both good and bad, and the tie in with the creation story,the dinosaurs, and the current events in the story are interesting and entertaining. The characters are from extremely different backgrounds, but their personalities, mannerisms and belief systems ring true, probably due to the author's research. This and the travel in the book makes this story appealing from a contemporary standpoint.

Novella Review: Santa Claus vs the Aliens by James Cardona

Today's feature short or shortish book is Santa Claus vs the Aliens.  This one was good timing because the author sent me a review request for two of his books just before I decided on my theme for October.  I picked this one because it looked funny (I like funny) and because it was a novella and fit into my plans.

As a bonus, this story is free today on Amazon (last day), so if you like what you see here, pick up a copy!

santa claus vs the aliens by James Cardona
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Love it. The right mix of humor, danger and whimsy...

Santa Claus vs. the Aliens follows young Edwin Cardona on an unexpected adventure in New York City. Edwin, the son of Puerto Rican emigrants, lives in a children's home where his father left him temporarily while he got on his feet. In a moment of frustration, Edwin throws away his father's most cherished possession, a gaudy ring with a face that looks like Santa. The story begins with Edwin setting out from the children's home on a quest to retrieve the lost ring and ramps up from there into a surprisingly riveting urban adventure featuring aliens, Santa and personal growth.

Set in the Great Depression era, the historical details in this story are both fascinating and accurately portrayed. I didn't get all of the song references, favorites of the time, but the rest is interesting. That young Edwin lives in a children's home and prefers it to his father's family is an interesting setup, made all the more so because Edwin, his father and the family are all real people, relatives of the author. In fact, I've confirmed it with the author; everything besides the obviously fictional parts (aliens, Santa, etc.) actually happened as told in the story.

Wander Dust by Michelle Warren
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Exciting and magical YA, can't wait to read the next...

The story opens at Sera's birthday dinner. Her father, engrossed in his flirty girlfriend, barely acknowledges his daughter's presence, which is probably why he doesn't notice when a mysterious, and obviously evil, woman in black takes an interest in her. It isn't until Sera collapses to the ground under the fiery weight of the woman's attack on her mind, that he realizes something's wrong. Of course, Sera can't tell him what really happened. She's not even sure of it herself.

Reality crushing events continue to haunt Sera to the point she begins to doubt her sanity even as she discovers clues to the mysteries of her past, present, and future. When her father sends her to live with her aunt in Chicago, she soon realizes that insanity is the least of her worries.

Review: Train to Nowhere by Gloria Piper

Train to Nowhere by Gloria Piper

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Outstanding!

Train to Nowhere is YA Dystopian at its finest. The story opens with Garland "venting his frustration" in a performance with his partner, Little Byte. The theme: Outside, anywhere outside! The euphoria is short lived, however, when reality snaps him into post-performance depression. His friends, especially the librarian Dos and Little Byte, try to cheer him up. But rumors that his already claustrophobic world will soon shrink even further fill his mind, for Garland is an Orphan, illegally born and fated to live out his entire life on one of the Orphan trains, never to see the sky, feel the wind on his face, or know true freedom. Sure, he can pull them up on the view screen in his room, but it will always be VR (virtual reality).

Most Orphans are content with their lot, but Garland remembers a time when he wasn't on the train: sunshine

Review: Sanctify by Colee Firman

Sanctify by Colee Firman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What can I say but wow! An easy one to rate at five stars...

Sanctify picks up right where Dissever left off. Addie has just saved Gage from being scattered only to find herself stranded in Greystone, the home of the Akori, with Tanner, Jax, and Juliette. Soon, she discovers Tanner is in a magical coma as his new powers fill him, one that Addie herself awoke from too soon, and Jax has been shipped off to Ravensbog, yet another dimension the Akori inhabit. The only companion left to her from before is Juliette, who is more interested in "freeing" Jax from Ravensbog than pursuing a friendship with Addie.

As Addie's powers grow, so do her mysterious and clingy affections for Tanner. She has to be near him at all costs, like an addiction, but she knows it's weird because he's just her friend. Missing Gage but drawn to Tanner, Addie struggles to resolve her feelings for both. At the same time, she attempts to rescue Jax from Ravensbog but finds he's not exactly interested in being rescued. Besides that, he's still got an attitude.

Review: Tales from Arva: Volume 1 by Kevis Hendrickson

Tales from Arva: Volume 1 by Kevis Hendrickson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Parables, legends and myths, both bittersweet and tragic...

I liked Tales of Arva, though I must say I enjoyed some of the tales more than others. Since each one is unique, I'll address each tale separately.

An Ole Ryme:
I loved this little rhyme. It's written in Old English, like Shakespeare. It brings to mind everything I like finding in fantasy stories all in a well-metered and musical rhyme. The only thing that threw me for a loop was the language. I don't read much Shakespeare, so I had to think about some of the words for a minute.

The Fall of Ithar:
This is the first of the short stories, which reads more like an ancient legend you might find in a J.R.R. Tolkien book. That being said, this little story is packed with heroic deeds shadowed by tragedy. It follows an ancient king, then his son, and finally his daughter-in-law. The creature born from the legend is mentioned in one of the other stories as almost extinct,

Review: The Forest of Angor (World of Myth #2) by Travis Bughi

The Forest of Angor by Travis Bughi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A great story full of twists, surprises, and action.

The Forest of Angor is set in the world first introduced in Beyond the Plains (World of Myth #1). The heroine, Emily Stout, is learning the ropes among the Amazons, working to build her minimal skill with a bow, and trying to make friends with the tight knit group of women. Her grandmother is supportive while Adelpha, the young Amazon princess, has taken her under her wing, but the others mistrust her. Besides that, a traitorous enemy travels among the Amazons, and Emily has a good idea who it is. She must convince the others before it's too late to prevent the disaster foretold in the nightmares that plague her each night, nightmares sent as a warning from the angel, Quartus.

I really liked this installment for several reasons. The locations seem more realistic, the descriptions are vivid, and there are more interesting creatures, such as gremlins, treants, centaurs, and werewolves (not the romantic kind).

Review: Cinnamon Twigs by Darren Freebury-Jones

Cinnamon Twigs by Darren Freebury-Jones

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Intelligent, poignant, believable...

These are the three words I'd use to describe Cinnamon Twigs. This fictional memoir follows the rise and fall of Daniel Mace from childhood, through college, love, loss, fame, and finally redemption. Daniel falls in love with drama as a child, and this early love molds his life and guides him towards greatness as an adult. His memories of youth include best friends Lisa and Elliot, making home movies, and playing small parts in school productions. Not all is perfect even then. His friend Lisa's father is abusive and violent, his mother is bipolar, his own father abandoned him and his mother.

From there, the story progresses into his teen and college years. Daniel meets best friend, Michael, and their adventures play out in the youthful illusion of invincibility.

Review: The Tree of Mindala by Elle Jacklee

The Tree of Mindala by Elle Jacklee

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Wonderful tale!

The Tree of Mindala is perfect for kids and kids at heart. The story unfolds 40 years ago when the magical land, Wunderwood, is under the attack of power-hungry Thornton and his followers. Their goal is to find The Tree of Mindala and steal away it's essence so they alone can decide who can use magic and to what extent. But, although the flora of Wunderwood withers under Thornton's attack and all seems lost, a young man named Truman discovers he could be the key to righting things. And that's just the Prologue!

Fast forward to present day, near Halloween, and we meet Miranda and Marcus. Eleven year old Miranda, ever the daydreamer, reports seeing a mermaid in a pond and gets in trouble when her teacher investigates. Marcus, her pessimistic

Review: Beyond the Plains (World of Myth #1) by Travis Bughi

Beyond the Plains by Travis Bughi

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Fantasy meets the old west...

Coming of age in a mythical world has it's own challenges. Sixteen year old Emily Stout lives with her family on their farm in the Great Plains. The harsh environment lends itself to a hard life. Although similar to the old west, these Great Plains are roamed by behemoths and banshees. The dangers and toils of this desolate land are compounded by the monotony, and Emily dreams of one day escaping to find adventure beyond the plains.

Over the course of events, Emily grows from a flighty and naive farm girl into a strong and courageous young woman. I also love the way old west meets fantasy. Unicorns are used as draft horses, gunslingers sell their services to take down massive behemoths, and minotaurs are much sought after as hired hands.

Review: Exile by R.L. Kiser

Exile by R.L. Kiser

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Genius star man crash lands on Earth in 1600's Japan.

Exile is really two complete stories in one, although it isn't broken down that way in the table of contents.

Part I:
Exile begins as Kendrick surveys his new home. Having narrowly escaped the empire who destroyed his own civilization, he's picked an out of the way, undeveloped world where he hopes they won't follow. But his arrival does not go unnoticed. A local lawman, or Shukido, investigates the "meteor" landing site and discovers him. Kendrick becomes friends with these surprisingly civilized natives and proves himself to them early on by helping them deter an invasion force from a local warlord. A rebellious daughter of the local shipbuilder catches his eye and the two hit it off.

Review: The River of Blue Fire (Otherland #2) by Tad Williams

River of Blue Fire by Tad Williams

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Enjoyable, but takes its time...

The second installment of the Otherland series by Tad Williams picks up where the last leaves off. The "heroes" gathered by Mr. Sellers at the Golden City narrowly escape into another simulation, one that seems perfectly normal except that they are now 1/100th their real size. Gigantic insects and birds populate the world, going about their natural activities, but those are hazardous when you're the size of the next meal.

Soon, events beyond their control shatter the small company and each remnant must find its own way through the increasingly disturbing simulations. Renie and !Xabbu find themselves in Oz gone wrong where they meet a mysterious man who can overcome the rules of the simulation and a naive young girl named Emily who needs rescuing.

Read for Reviews-Pros, Cons and Etiquette

Have you ever logged on to Amazon or another bookstore and decided to buy (or not to buy) a book after reading the reviews?  I sure have.  In fact, if I'm going to dish out money, especially for a paperback, I want to know that the book I'm buying is something I'll like. Reading a book is not only an investment in money but also in time, and reviews provide excellent investment research.

That being said, as an author, I've discovered it's incredibly difficult to get reviews passively.  If you put your book out there for free, you may "sell" hundreds of copies without a single resulting review.  If you don't put it out for free, the odds are worse.  Add to that selective shoppers who, like myself, want to know what they're getting into before they buy.  Without reviews, they may not even download a free copy (or if they do, they may not read it).

So, what's a new author to do besides make all their books free and cross their fingers? One good option is the Read for Review.

Review: City of Golden Shadow (Otherland #1) by Tad Williams

City of Golden Shadow by Tad Williams

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Surprising, complex, and insane...but I like it.

The City of Golden Shadow has been sitting on my bookshelf for over ten years, unread. In times past, I've picked it up and tried to read it, only to give up after twenty pages or so. That being said, I'm glad that I decided to stick it out this time, because this is an astonishingly complex, intricately woven masterpiece. 

Now, to get it out of the way, let me begin with why I never got far in previous attempts. The book starts off on a battlefield with Paul Jonas, a lone soldier stuck in a ditch listening to a man screaming insanely in the background. The imagery is fantastically realistic and more than a little disturbing. In short, it gives every impression of being a war book, which isn't a genre I particularly enjoy. Alas, until this time, I never made it far enough in to realize that nothing is as it seems at first glance.

Review: Tsunami Connection by Michael James Gallagher

Tsunami Connection by Michael James Gallagher

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Tsunami Connection is an action packed, political thriller.

Kefira, a sleeper agent in Mossad, loses half of her team when an RPG hits their helicopter and explodes into a fiery mess. Determined to find those responsible for the bomber, she tracks down the likely suspects with the assistance of a charismatic team of agents. But, what she learns may be more than she can handle.

What I like most about this book are the richly described locations. The author has obviously drawn from extensive research and possibly personal experience to bring them to life. The people, the culture, the details, all work perfectly. The locations I enjoy from the book the most are Canada, Argentina, and Egypt.

Review: The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Riveting conclusion of epic proportions...

Return of the King begins with the Gondor story line where The Two Towers leaves off. Sauron's eye is focused on the city and his forces are gathering for a final strike. Ringwraiths, men, ogres, orcs and trolls are on the move. In Gondor, Faramir struggles to gain the acceptance of his father, Denethor. The young hobbit, Pippin, swears fealty to Denethor on a whim and soon finds himself garbed as a soldier of Minus Tirith. As Denethor loses his grasp on reality, Pippin must decide whether to stay true to his oath or true to his conscious.

Likewise, Merry has sworn his services to the King of Rohan. But the King, unlike Denethor, does not want his small vassal in harms way and decides to leave him behind. His plight is noticed by another who would also fight, despite being told to stay behind, and the two join up and follow together, a decision that just might mean the difference between victory and defeat in the final battle.

The Star Dwellers by David Estes

Review: The Star Dwellers by David Estes

The Star Dwellers by David Estes

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The Star Dwellers is an adventure that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

The story picks up just after Adele and Tristan part ways. Adele and Tawni are in the tunnels leading to the Star Realm and Tristan, Roc and Elsey are with Ben Rose (Adele's father) in the resistance headquarters in the Moon Realm.

Adele's adventure is fraught with danger as she first dodges Sun Realm troups and later fights insanity brought on by an insidious illness. But, both she and Tawni make it through and reach the Star Realm, if not in one piece, then near enough to be of use. But not all is as expected in the dreary underworld of the Tri-Realms. Their army is better equipped than they should be and Adele is suspicious.