The Skin Map by Stephen Lawhead- An Honest Review

Two negative reviews in a row is rather discouraging, and I apologize. Please understand that no matter how scathing this review, I am not attacking the author in any way. I'm not attacking anything, simply writing about my observations and opinions of this book. Opinions are just that, opinions. Check out this book for yourself if you want to form your own.

• Summary: 'The Skin Map' is the first fictional novel in the new 'Bright Empires' series. Kit Livingstone finds himself caught up in a life-threatening adventure involving his missing great-grandfather and a lost map of pathways to other times, and other worlds.

• Storyline and Characters: The story was a very imaginative idea. I like a bit of originality in a book, and that is hard to find nowadays. I must admit, most of the characters that mattered to the story, annoyed me. Kit, the main character, was quite the paper cut out, with about three different emotions: shock, worry, and virtually no emotion, as well as having three strains of thought: worry, complaining, and stupidity. As you can see, we did not get along. Cosimo was rather like an over-done steak, this case being, an over-done stuffy British man. His conversation consists of "Old boy", "Old chap", "Dear boy", "Young man", and the like. No other characters really stood out to me at all. In fact, I've forgotten most of them by now.

• Writing Style: This is truly where it all came down to it. I hate to say it, but the writing itself struck me as...immature. I'm sorry. I kept plowing through the book, telling myself it would get better, but it didn't. In regard to Cosimo's language, the rest of the novel was just as bad, or worse. Descriptions popped in at the worst possible times, with the most awful and ludicrous comparisons. Kit and Cosimo stop to admire the sky- in a life-threatening chase. Kit muses on an old poem while gazing at the beauty. A couple lines later, they are running again. What?! These recurring scenes are jarring and break up the story. Certain words and descriptions are used too often and far too close together, such as the depiction of Cosimo- 'the old man'. Perhaps the worst part of the book for writing quality is this example (you really do need to see for yourself,)

' "Stay right where you are!" shouted one of the men behind them.
"You know what we want," came the voice beyond the flashlight.
"Give it to us," added the voice at the end of the chained cat.
"You can walk free- you and your little friend there. No harm done." '
Now I'm not a great writer, but I know when something needs a re-write. This book does.

• All in all, this book was boring, and that was disappointing due to the fact that the idea was a good idea. It could have been better. The language made it difficult for me to complete, and I found myself putting it off and picking up something better. I've not read this author's numerous other works, but if they are anything like this one, I won't.
  

Face of Betrayal by Lis Wiehl- An Honest Review

• Summary: 'Face of Betrayal' is an intended thriller about 3 women who are best friends; Cassidy- a news reporter, Nichole- and FBI Agent, and Allison- a prosecutor. Together they solve crimes, the current one a missing girl from Washington, DC who has vanished without a trace.
• Writing Style and Prose: The author does have a talent for writing, and can keep the reader interested enough to wonder what will happen next. She also has the flair for the mystery in her, which is a special talent in itself; she keeps the reader guessing with numerous suspects.
• Contradictions: An event that happens numerous times in the story is that the FBI agent- Nichole, gives her news reporter pal Cassidy confidential details about the case with the promise that Cassidy will not leak it to the press. This is unbelievable, bordering on ridiculous. An FBI agent would never give out any case information without express permission, much less to a reporter. I thought the author should have done her research a little better. Another issue is that, like stated above, the relationship between a prosecutor, news reporter, and an FBI Agent. This "Triple Threat" relationship could not exist in reality, and is again, entirely unbelievable. I must confess that the name made me laugh- it sounds not at all threatening, almost something a high-school kid would make up.
  
• Theological and Moral Disputes:
  

>Alcohol Consumption: Parents should know that this novel sheds positive light on alcohol consumption and social drinking. The author incorporates it numerous times, and I felt that the story would have been much better without it.
> Pre-marital Sexual Relations: This was a huge disappointment for me. I expected more out of a Christian company and a "conservative" author. Sexual scenes are described in detail, as well as the promoting of sexual relations, and the acceptance of sexual relations as a minor. This was completely needless and added nothing whatsoever to the story. I was shocked at how inappropriate this book was, and I think the publishers should look over their stories more carefully since they claim to be christian. I will not recommend this to anyone, and am not keeping my copy of this book. There are a few sentences that mention God in here but anyone who writes a cheap Harlequin Romance novel can do the same thing. This book was a disappointment; not moral, not conservative, and most definitely not christian.

'Kabul24'- by Henry O. Arnold and Ben Pearson

is*First and foremost I would like to say that this is a more difficult review than usual, as it is on a work on non-fiction. However, I am going to be completely honest and will include the pros and cons of this book. This is not an attack on the authors or the people, but is simply a review on what I have read.*

• Summary: Kabul24 is a true story, about some traumatic events that happened to certain members of the Shelter Now International, (a humane effort the help other countries,) how they were captured, how they held to their faith, among other things.
  
• Writing Style and Presentation: This book would have to be one of the most interesting non-fiction works I have ever read. The story is heart-wrenching and gripping, drawing the reader in along with the captives, with the author. It was wonderfully descriptive, yet the facts were not glossed over with a flowery presentation. At times, I did feel that the author's went a bit over the top on describing the faith of the captives, making them appear to be almost...supernatural, saintly, even. However, it did teach me a great deal on prayer, trust, and faith.
  
• Theological Pros and Cons: Faith and dependence upon the Lord are very strongly presented here. I often questioned myself "Would I have reacted this way?" or "Would I be able to go through all this suffering and still believe God's way is perfect?" It was an encouragement and yet a challenging conviction to me. Compassion for others, even our enemies, was another theme that spoke out to me. Not just spiritual compassion, but compassion enough to DO something to help those in need and suffering, which the Bible clearly teaches. However, another strong theme running through the book, intended or unintended, was a fascination and awe for the Muslim faith. It was almost pro-muslim, if you will. As a christian and a follower of Jesus Christ, not Mohammad, I cannot in good conscience condone it. It was stated repeatedly that the workers were there to help those in physical suffering, and not to witness, and while I do agree that we are to help our fellow man in physical pain, it is all vanity if they die and go to hell. We cannot neglect the spiritual body and only see to the needs of the physical. A message that is stated is how the Taliban and terrorist groups are the violent kind, yet other Muslims are peaceful and loving. However true this may have been to these SNI workers, it is not entirely true of all Muslims, and this is a false description, which may be confusing to many believers. "Peaceful" Muslims and "Fanatical" Muslims follow the same Koran which states destroying all those that do not believe in Mohammad. The situation itself speaks this, as the peaceful Muslim family did not stand up for the aid workers, but betrayed them because they were intimidated. All religions are not the same, yet this work was running along those lines.
  
• Personal Examples: However strong some of my disagreements... I cannot deny that these SNI workers showed great faith and love in the face of persecution. That itself is a great example to us all, and so I can safely say that I would recommend this book to others for that reason. Please keep in mind this is not an attack upon a group of people, but an honest review of a non-fiction work.
  

'Green' by Ted Dekker - A Book Review

Oh boy. I don't like writing negative reviews. I know how hard it is to write a book, and hats off to Mr. Dekker for finishing so many. That truly is a feat. Also hats off for the stunning Circle trilogy he wrote, in my mind, it was brilliant. But I have to be honest. I know I'm going to get a lot of flack for this, so let me just say that I am not judging Mr. Dekker as a person, but, an author WILL be judged by his writing. That's how it works. So let's get started.
*NOTE* MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS

Green can be rather confusing to a new reader in the beginning, especially if you have not read The Circle Trilogy. I know he wrote at the beginning of the book that you can start with 'Green' and go on to 'Black', but trust me, you can't. He includes many elements from the previous novels ('Black', 'Red', and 'White') along with others, that makes the reader lost if not having read the previous stories. These elements are hardly explained except for a sentence such as 'a roush Thomas had met a while ago...' I was alright for the most part, but it was hard to keep up with a couple of the characters as I had not read 'Showdown' or 'Saint'. This is a huge error- an author should never assume that the reader has read all of the books, especially since this book can 'begin' or 'end' the series.
-> Plotline: The Circle is breaking up with different doctrinal lines, doubts, and bitterness. Thomas of Hunter is 10 years older with a wife (Chelise) and 3 children- Samuel, Marie, and Jake. Samuel has lost his way, rebelling against the Circle and his father. Thomas tries to save his son and the Circle before it is too late, with Chelise trying to save her father.

-> Characters:

1. Thomas Hunter (Main): A complete rewrite- I barely recognized the Thomas Hunter from the previous books. In the beginning, he is challenged in front of the Circle by his son, Samuel. Samuel rebels against Elyon and sparks a disruption. Marie- Thomas's daughter, challenges Samuel to hand-to-hand combat to the death in defense of her father's honour. What does Thomas do? Nothing. He's completely helpless, stunned. This made me almost despise him. It's basically like this throughout the whole story: something "shocking" and horrible happens, and Thomas sits down and cries. NOT a man.
   
2. Chelise: Far too obsessed with her parent's salvation, so much so that she puts her whole family at risk. She disobeys all of her husband's commands and precautions.
   
3. Samuel: Apparently an antagonist. He rebels against the Circle, is seduced and brings about Armaggedon. At the beginning he is "saved", in the end he is not. To me he seemed repentant, but he died unsaved.
   
4. Qu'rong: Mostly the same. I was quite happy with his character.
5. Ba 'al/Billos/Billy/Bill: As you can see, four split personalities is very confusing. Ba'al has lived for some time in the other world, while Billy has lived in ours. Yet they are one and the same, despite Billy never dreaming until this book. The phenomena is unexplained and far too confusing. Billy aparently was a character in 'Showdown' and plays a major role in this book. However, not much of him is explained under the assumption that the reader has read 'Showdown'.
   
6. Janae/Jezreel: Another split personality, Janae is Monique's daughter, and has Shatiaki/demon blood in her. She is naturally evil, and partner's with Billy to find the lost books in this other world. Billy and Janae inject themselves with the Raison Strain, counting on the fact that Monique will save their lives and provide a way to Thomas by injecting them with the last vial of his blood. Confusing, I know...but I'm doing my best.
7. Monique: Older and a few mistakes wiser, she injects Billy and Janae with Thomas's blood to save their lives, even though she know's it could affect the whole world. Did not seem like her AT ALL.
   
8. Kara: Thomas's sister, encourages Monique to save Janae and Billy, saying it's what Thomas would do, when obviously it was'nt- (Thomas having stood back and let his son be sacrificed for Elyon in a previous chapter.) I don't know if that was meant to be ironic or not.
9. Marsuuv/Marsuvees Black: Apparently this character is connected to Billy and 'Showdown'. Had no clue what was going on. Marsuuv is a demonic "queen" to Teeleh. Didn't know what the point was.
   

-> Writing & Suspense: For the most part, I was kept hooked into the story. Though he's slackened off a bit in my opinion, Dekker still has a writer's touch and can keep the reader interested. Granted, the book could have used a many rewrites to make it all fit more smoothly, but I thought he told everything very well, despite the fact that I did not agree with how the story went, or how the characters evolved. Awful story, written well.

-> Theological and Moral Disputes:

1. Sensual and Sexual Elements: I would NOT let my younger brother read this novel. This book had far more sensual moments and sexual elements than and of the previous, and this highly disappointed me. I was going to buy the set for my younger brother as a Christmas present, but now I cannot. Mr. Dekker did not take into consideration his younger audience of fans, and I would recommend that all parents review this book before passing it on to their children. Mr. Dekker mentions foreplay, demonic "mating", and many sensual desires that honestly, were not appropriate.
   
2. Doctrinal and Theological Elements: A.) The theory that the Devil has children through humans. This is a dangerous and not sound idea that has not been biblically proven, though many read into it. B.) The idea that it is possible to lose your salvation. Samuel is an albino (saved) up until the middle of this book, where he is seduced and becomes a Scab. He dies unsaved. How is that possible with eternal salvation? C.) The idea that we get a second life on earth, and a chance to save lost loved ones who are already in hell. Elyon allows Thomas Hunter to go back in time to save his son, after Samuel has died and gone to hell. This is never allowed. We get one chance to accept Jesus- this life we live. No do-overs. D.) That all fighting and self-defense is of the world. In this book, the saved believe any fighting at all makes them like the Scabs- the unsaved. They do not defend themselves or their families, instead getting slaughtered because they believe to only show love to the Scabs. This is a dangerous doctrine and clearly against the Bible. God does want us to defend our homes and our families. He means for husbands to protect their wives and their children. Those are only the big ones. There are a lot more, but this review is getting too long already.
3. Demonic Elements: I believe it is possible for a christian, for anyone, to delve too deeply into the occults and demonic elements. You say "know your enemy". I say "know your Jesus". The Bible clearly states to dwell on those things that are lovely, dwell on those things that are pure, dwell on those things that are of good report. It is dangerous for us to study the darkness of the Devil too much. We are not to dwell on that. We are to study the Bible and learn more about Jesus. 'Green' is much darker then all the previous books in the Circle series. In the book are included graphic sacrifices and rituals, demonic possession, and etc. A LOT of it- too much. We know that the devil is powerful, but our God is greater. We are to know HIM. We defeat the Devil with Jesus and the power of the Bible, not by studying the dark arts. This really put me off of the story and I believe, took away from it.
   

->Ending (or lack thereof): I know that Mr. Dekker was trying to make the series a Circle, but that's not the way it is. The book ends with an Armageddon of sorts. Thomas nearly enters heaven, but is still saddened at the loss of Samuel. He begs Elyon to let him return to the past to "save" his son, and surprisingly, Elyon does. A big catch: Thomas cannot remember anything that has happened in all the books. He goes back to where he was at the start of 'Black', living in his sister's apartment, and the whole story starts over again. There is no ending in this. We are told at the end of Green to read Black. What? The same story will just start all over again. Thomas will not save his son because the same thing will happen, and then Elyon will send him back again, and on it goes. Thomas has no memory of anything that happened, so he won't know he was sent back to save his son, and he'll just do the same thing. (Since it continues in the same books.) Samuel made his choice. Everyone makes their choice. We cannot go back and make them change it, we cannot save anybody. Overall, an unsatisfactory ending.

Well, that about wraps it up. Please remember that though this review was brutally honest, it's just my opinion. I'm not telling you to read it or not, but this is what I read. I believe Mr. Dekker can do much better than this, as seen in 'Black' and 'Red'. I'm not attacking his character, I'm stating what I know and what I get from his books. Lately, it seems to me that his books have gotten a lot darker, and more secular. A book cannot be written christian/secular. It doesn't work. I don't know for a fact that he's trying to appeal to both audiences, but the way the books have been going, including this one, it seems that way. I believe this book is too close to the edge for comfort, and cannot be considered an allegory anymore. Please know that I'm not "slamming" Mr. Dekker. He has a great talent. I'm just hoping he let's it out again.
Courtney