A Book A Week

In 2011, I was introduced to the religious conspiracy thriller, Sanctus, by Simon Toyne. While Sanctus shared some similarities with the Robert Langdon series by Dan Brown, I was impressed with the way Toyne was able to take the phenomenon that was surrounding religious thrillers and make something uniquely his own.

In The Tower, the third and final novel in Toyne's Sancti Trilogy, we meet Joe Shepherd. While still a student at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Shepherd is temporarily given the qualifications of a full FBI agent, in order to allow him to assist with an investigation. Recently, a cyber-attack was mounted against the command center for NASA's Hubble Telescope, leaving the orbiting machine unusable. Even worse than the attack itself is what investigators discover at the center. The American scientist who oversaw the Hubble project is nowhere to be found. Left behind is a countdown clock and the message on his computer, "Mankind Must Look No Further."

Shepherd investigates with his teacher turned partner, Benjamin Franklin, and uses his unique knowledge of the scientific community (he was once a student working as a NASA intern) to uncover clues to the mysterious events. But as he begins to find answers, more questions arise. There seems to be a religious connection to events that occurred months earlier, at the Citadel, a monastery that lies within the Turkish city of Ruin. All signs point to these strange events, leading Shepherd to race against the clock to discover secrets that could potentially lead to the end of the world.

Readers of the previous novels will recall the American reporter, Liv Adamsen and the ex-special forces operative, Gabriel Mann, who were the main focus of those stories. They appear in this novel, as well, and we begin to see the connections of their story to the events taking place in America. As the novel progresses, we see Gabriel struggle to fight against the strange blight, a plague like disease that originated in the Citadel and slowly spreads through Ruin, and find Liz, trapped in the deserts of southern Asia. All three characters face their own troubles, as they soon intersect into a thrilling end.

Throughout this trilogy, Simon Toyne has managed to successfully maintain a commitment to relatable characters, thoughtful plotting, and page-turning pacing. This combination has made his novels thrillingly entertaining to read. The opening of this novel takes a bit of time to get rolling, especially as it introduces the new character, Joe Shepherd. Fortunately, Shepherd continues the Toyne tradition of being believably flawed while still being interesting. As his story begins to take shape, the momentum of the inevitable ending begins to mount, and the story becomes completely engaging. While Toyne does a nice job of subtly providing some backstory, to fill in readers who missed the first two installments, there are parts of this story that simply will not work for readers who are coming into this novel without reading the others. Despite this, there are enough new characters and plot points to grab a new reader's attention. Overall, this series may not be perfect, but it is a remarkably effective form of entertainment by an author who has quickly become one of my favorites.

For more information, visit the author's website, Amazon, and GoodReads.

There is no denying, Suzanne Collins trilogy, beginning with The Hunger Games, has become a cultural phenomenon. Growing up, I can remember the excitement I felt, waiting for the latest Harry Potter novel or movie to be released. Today, with the Twilight series, Hunger Games, the Millennium  Trilogy, even Fifty Shades of Grey, it seems like every series is advertised as the next big phenomenon.  I was hesitant to dive into The Hunger Games, but when a friend provided me with a copy, I decided to give it a shot.

The novel takes place in the nation of Panem. Basically, North America has been divided into 12 districts, each serving a specific economic purpose. Each year, in commemoration of the revolution and probably more in an attempt to remind the citizens of the leaders' power, each district is required to send one boy and one girl to participate in a televised battle to the death known as The Hunger Games.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, a skilled hunter from the coal mining district 12, finds herself thrust into these games when she volunteers to enter in place of her younger sister. She will have to face career tribute, people who have specifically trained to compete in the games, so she is almost certain the battles will result in her death. Her hunting skills come in handy, however, and with the guidance of Haymitch, a drunken winner of a previous games, she soon becomes a serious contender. But survival isn't easy. To win, she is forced to make life or death decisions, face taking the lives of other, and risk betraying relationships.

I was really entertained by this novel. The opening, where much of the backstory and preparation take place, was a bit slow. That being said, the story kicks into an unputdownable gear as the games actually begin. Like any good reality television program, I found myself sucked into the action as it was presented. I did feel that the characters were not as deeply realized as they could have been, but as the first novel in a trilogy, I expect they become more layered in later installments. While The Hunger Games is by no means perfect, it does successfully entertain while still providing clever commentary on social and cultural conventions.

For more information, visit the author's website, Amazon, and GoodReads.

(2013: week 2, book 2)

Over the years, Mexican film director Guillermo del Toro has become well known for his fantastic horror films. Disgusted with the recent treatment of vampires in film and literature, del Toro sought to write a novel that portrayed the monsters as he thought they were meant to be. He enlisted the help of seasoned author Chuck Hogan (The Town) to create The Strain Trilogy, a set of novels about vampires taking over the world.

The Night Eternal, the third and final novel in the trilogy, begins two years after the events of the previous novel. After a nuclear holocaust, the entire planet has been shrouded in darkness. Vampires have essentially taken over the world. Because the creatures rely on human blood to survive, they have set up camps, where humans are farmed (think a dairy farm where blood is harvested instead of milk). The entire vampire race is lead by The Master, an ancient being that has been planning this takeover for thousands of years.

There are, however, some humans who have managed to escape the fate of the rest of their peers. Dr. Eph Goodweather, a former doctor from the Center for Disease Control, leads a rebellion with the help of another doctor, an exterminator, a half-breed vampire who seeks to kill the vampires, and a couple of former gangsters who refuse to be turned into the creatures. Eph mourns the loss of his son, who was captured by The Master, and vows to do whatever it takes to rid the earth of the monsters. With the help of an ancient book, the group has one final shot to kill The Master, ending the strain and destroying all of the creatures.

This is one of those novels that really only works if you have read the others in the trilogy. After reading the first two novels, I came into this one with an attachment to the characters and desire to see how the story would pan out. Del Toro and Hogan write in a very cinematic style that works well for this kind of story. They give just enough to keep the reader hooked, while still maintaining a sense of suspense. The action sequences fly off of the page and the characters are written in a way that really made me care what happened to them. There are some plot holes and continuity issues that bugged me, but in a story of this nature, I didn't really mind them. This is a fun B movie of a novel that does a fine job in ending what began as an exciting horror trilogy.

For more information visit the publisher's website
http://www.harpercollins.com/books/The-Night-Eternal-Guillermo-Del-Toro?isbn=9780061558269&HCHP=TB_The+Night+Eternal,
Amazon http://www.amazon.com/review/R34EI6PV7HI7F0/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm,
and http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6945530-the-night-eternal.

(week 24, book 27)