1098. Under The Dome

There is a very simple term to describe a book like this: A "tour de force". 

What would be the  best way to describe a book, which in some ways is similar to the Author's, The Stand? A long book, a very long cast of characters (the cast includes all the residents of a small town in Maine, 2,000+ plus a couple of "dogs of note"), a decent plot, but most importantly the relationships that are put in strain when all these people are put (or forced to live) for a few days "Under the Dome."  At the outset, it's also important to discuss a couple of really large "elephants in the room", related to this book. The first of these is the length, or size of this book. Now, I personally, have no problem with books exceeding 1,000 pages, but it must be said, a lot of readers are rather not interested in tackling such beasts. Would it interest you to know that I finished the last 250 pages of this book in one afternoon's sitting? That's like reading one novel in one day!

The second unmentioned thing of course it that this is a Stephen King book, so therefore, it must be scary, or gory, attributes that accompany most, if not all of his stories. It's hard for me to answer this one objectively, because of my personal experience with this author, and because of my personal belief that every author (especially a good author) is an evolving creature, that is, he or she is not born a GREAT writer, but even if he is a Great writer, can change over time, can alter his craft, can transform his craft to match the times, the era his writing addresses or to reflect the changes in his own personality. That's not to say that many great writers have not written garbage in their later years, or that many others have not produced brilliance for years on end. But to expect the same from an author every time something of his gets published is a big mistake. I enjoy this variability, and this is why I found some comments when this book came out baffling: "I won't read this book, because like all Stephen King books, it's going to be scary." That makes no sense. And so what if it's gory? Weren't some of Stephen's most gory novels, also the most psychologically taught? And that's assuming that I liked (or you, the reader liked) all of his other books. (For the record, I didn't -- but that's a different subject.)  With all of that said, let's move to the story.

The story begins, innocently enough when Dale Barbara, a short order cook, formerly a lieutenant in the US Army is trying to leave "Chester's Mill", Maine. While this a fictional town, populated by fictional characters, as always, the things that happen to them have some roots in reality. Dale, or "Barbie" as his friends call him, is someone who served in Iraq and was a vital cog in the war effort there. But he has some difficult memories from his time while enlisted, and it is those memories that have made him a drifter. In this book, Barbie becomes the town's scapegoat, but at the same time maybe it's hero and savior? He starts of as a hunted man because of a fight outside the diner where he worked. This because he supposedly "raped" one of the waitresses, the ex-girlfriend of someone fairly important to the town, as we will find out.

Juxtaposed with Dale is the town's main Villain, James "Big Jim" Rennie, or is he the hero and savior of the town. Big Jim, is the town's Second Selectman, and is therefore elected to public office by the people of Chester's Mills. He is also a Used Car Salesman. As the Second selectman, he should not be that powerful, but he really is the power behind everything in Chester's Mills. From the banks, to the pharmacies, to the Funeral Home, to the Hospital, to the Christian Radio Station with the most powerful transmitter in the whole of New England. And it is at this Radio Station that one of this town's big secrets lies. Because you see, "Big Jim" is involved in some shady business dealings, and he uses patsies, that is, he uses others to cover his tracks.

On October 21, the day that is to be forever called "Dome Day", a powerful "force field" of some kind descents around the town practically following the exact outlines of the town limits. It's almost like taking a glass cup and trapping a fly or other bug under it on a flat surface. Only those trapped here are human beings. The top of the Dome extends high into the Atmosphere so that birds, insects and of course airplanes can not get in or out. As you imagine, there are plenty of "casualties" when "the Dome" first blinks into existence, whether human, or animal, and these, the author takes some time describing, including their implications. This exposition is classic Stephen King, but overall, considering what I said at the beginning is not that gory. And it really helps build the tension and draw you into the story.

Immediately following the appearance of "the Dome" comes the realization of its existence and what that implies. This again takes some time to work through, and involves some more mayhem, especially since people don't know how the "Dome" limits them (physically, but also socially). The town's Police Chief dies at this time when it's discovered that electronic devices (such as heart pacemakers) do not fare very well near the "Dome". This leaves Barbie with one less "ally" in town, since he is now trapped in Chester's Mill for the foreseeable future. One of the people who beat him, was Big Jim's son, Junior Rennie, and as the town convulses in the aftershocks of "Dome Day" it becomes apparent that Barbie has become public enemy number one.

What follows, apart from a great cast of characters, a great whodunit, because we're really interested in knowing the origin of "The Dome", and a simple power struggle between two people for the control of a town, is a great commentary on the last 10 to 12 years of American politics and sociology. Both the things that unite us and the things that divide us. There are references to the current President, references to the Iraq War, and references to the "Culture War".  Yet, none of that is as important as what shines through and what becomes the book's ultimate message. Man's struggle to overcome his circumstances, however overpowering those might be at any one time, and survive, despite what the odds might be. In the scheme of things, heroes, and goats, fight for what they believe is theirs, fight for theirs' and their family's stake and survival and achieve their 15 minutes of fame. They do so, because the whole world gathers outside the "Dome" to witness the events evolving in this little town in Maine.

I would like to place this book among some of the "great" books I have read in the past. It's strength does not lie in a great, "over-arching" idea, or a great, world-changing character. The strength of this novel lies in the myriads of day to day interactions of the thousands of residents of Chester's Mills, Maine, leaving us all to wonder how would you handle "The Apocalypse?"

For me, an easy 5-star review: 

1097. End of Days

It's hard to categorize this book by author Robert Gleason, a self-styled expert on all things apocalyptic, or things related to the end of the world, and the myth of "2012 as the end of the world." In simple terms, you can say that it is a Science-Fiction novel and it belongs in that sub-genre called Dystopian or Post-Apocalyptic Fiction. I have read a number of Dystopian novels in my time (especially lately), and this one does not crack my top 10, top 100, or top 1,000 (if I had read that many dystopian novels). It's execution leaves a lot to be desired. But let's take things from the top, shall we?

First of all, I was taken-in by the title of the book and the premise of the story. Additionaly, when I flipped to the back of the book jacket, I was hoodwinked (if I can be allowed to use that colloquialism) by such luminaries as Douglas Preston, an author I like, Stephen Coonts, ditto, and Steve Berry. There is more praise by Larry Bond and others. Honestly, having read these praises, I am not sure, if these folks actually read the same book I did, or were paid to say these things, because I seriously wonder about these opinions. But it's not for me to question another man's opinion. What I can do is tell you what I thought of this book.

The book started innocently enough by introducing Kate Magruder, a newsperson (anchorwoman?) of a major cable news outfit. The Cable News Outfit (not CNN, but MTN) is owned by her mother Lydia Lozen Magruder who is the great-granddaughter of a female Apache war-shaman. Lydia owns a multimedia empire (kinda sorta, a latter day Rupert Murdoch), and a bunch of other businesses, so she in effect entangled with the US Government who she supplies weapons to, and of course knows all the power players, all the way to the President. Her daughter Kate happens to be in Saudi Arabia covering the Hadj (the annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca). While in Mecca, Kate sees her ex-husband, John Stone another journalist and employee of MTN who works directly for Lydia as he disappears into the crowd around Mecca.

This is important, because before John Stone disappears he informs Lydia via e-mail of some nefarious plans by a Russian general (who's name is Vladimir Malokov), obsessed with nuclear Armageddon. It becomes clear that even the Russian establishment does not know of his whereabouts. There also two Middle Eastern princesses who are the ones that have captured John Stone and have infiltrated the US Government at its highest levels. Meanwhile, there are forces moving unseen by everyone in the background, poised to strike. We are made aware, from the beginning of Russian Subs, maneuvering in the Atlantic full of nuclear weapons, being hunted by their own forces.

Now, all this seems like a fine story and it would be a pretty good story, on the face of it, BUT, (there is always the proverbial BUT, isn't there). Kate is an impudent child, who does not listen to her mother when she repeatedly asks her to come home, because she feels the "End" coming. Lydia of course keeps having those apocalyptic visions , and I would have appreciated that aspect of the book if it wasn't for so much else that went wrong... We're introduced to John Stone's ex-teammates (Baseball). One is in the Air Force, and is heading to an orbiting Space Station where an A.I. is in control. The other one is being transferred to a jail outside of Houston. Both of them end-up playing a prominent role in events. But so do, a rat (yes, a rat), the AI, someone named Cassandra who is some sort of seeress or prophetess, and the various weapons traveling this way and that.

So let's summarize, we have: intelligent humans, Artificial Intelligence (computers), and then, intelligent Rats, a Seeress, Intelligent Weapons, and in the end, a book that makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. Because I still don't understand the motivations of the people in the jail in Houston. What part do they serve in all of this? What drives Kate Magruder. Other than disobeying her mother, I see no motivation in her, She is a completely useless Human Being, and if the survival of the Human Race depended on her, we're doomed. But even more important that this, what motivates the people who initiate Armageddon? Do they do it for religious reasons, something else? Religion is mentioned, but I guess, only in passing. The people firing those weapons from their submarines end-up being just caricatures of humans. Their weapons, flying "in-glee" over the Earth, are more intelligent than them. All-in-all, a disappointing read, and a waste of my money. I would instead recommend the following:

1. One Second After by William Forstchen
2. Without Warning by John Birmingham

These are just two of the Dystopian or Post-Apocalyptic books that I have read, that handle the subject matter much, much better than this book. As for this book, it is with a sad heart that I can only give it a one star out of five:

When the credits roll on a TV show...

It used to be that the length of an hour long TV Drama was around 50 minutes (or even 53 minutes for some episodes of The Original Star Trek Series). Sitcoms could last for as long as 25 to 30 minutes.

In today's modern, advertising friendly world, this is completely unacceptable. As advertising space has increased, actual running time, actual story space (the essence of what happens in the drama) has gone down to as little as 42 minutes for an hour-long show and 18 to 19 minutes for a sitcom that is supposed to be 30 minutes long.

A similar trend has been observed on Documentaries or even Faux-Documentaries as seen on The History Channel. Case in point the show "Ancient Aliens".

The problem, however, is not so much the reduction in content, which conceivably could cause a decrease in quality, but rather what happens when the credits roll in the end...

Too many shows─as of late─have been using the end (closing) credits to actually conclude the show. By that, I mean, they finish telling the story that has been running throughout the episode during the closing credits. I find this astounding and distracting as well as in bad form. The biggest culprit of this is the ABC show: Suburgatory.

 However, other networks do this quite a lot. I mentioned the History Channel previously. They do this on almost all of their shows, including Ancient Aliens.

Why are TV Networks doing this?

The only thing I have figured out is that it's a tool they use against the users of DVR recording like myself. They actually want people to watch their shows LIVE. What a concept! Watch a TV show LIVE? That is so outdated and outmoded! With DVR technology and time-shifting and the power to watch what I want, when I want, YOU, the TV Networks will never have that power over me. If you continue to insist and play these game with the closing credits, one of two things are going to happen:

1. I, and many viewers like me, will give up on your stupid show.
2. Or, we will continue to time shift, ignoring your pathetic attempts to block us.

Please understand, the technology is here, the tool is powerful, and it give us control over our lives. And control is all about making our lives better. So no, we will not give in to you. So, give up this obsession of running your show during the closing credits. IT'S ANNOYING! Thanks.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN Contributor has a best seller

Why doesn't that surprise me? Of course he does! His name is Dr. Sanjay Gupta! Oh look, he wrote a novel! And oh look, we constantly advertise it and promote it on our crawl at the bottom of all our stations, there fore it becomes a best-seller:

Monday Mornings

Of course one has to answer the question: If he was not a CNN contributor / reporter, would his book be promoted as much? Probably not. And if it was not promoted as much, would people buy it to make it a best-seller? Probably not!

Dr. Gupta's New Novel

I am not going to make any qualitative statements about this book, and neither am I going to read it or review it, unless CNN and/or Dr. Sanjay Gupta sends me a FREE copy. why the heck should I read it? What makes it such a great read after all? Because some TV personality wrote it? How about  the two novels I've written? How would they become best-sellers? See how that works?

Precisely...No one, at least in the real world, cares.

The CBS Evening News

The only news I watch IS the CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley. Why? Because I like my news REAL without fluff, without fake opinion, full of  REAL Journalism. And as Journalists go, Scott Pelley is one of the best, an Old School Journalist out of that Old School where every real journalist who wants to use the title "Journalist" should be from.

So, suffice it to say, I was completely excited to find how the "CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley" has grown year to year and is the only evening newscast making ratings gains. CBS deserves this success and Scott does too. This does not mean that I know Scott, but being somebody who watches this newscast nightly, and have watched Scott Pelley for years on "60 Minutes", I can tell you that he is one of the hardest working journalists. And he's someone that I trust to give me the news and the truth -- just like in the old days, when we trusted Walter Cronkite and people like him.

Evening news has evolved a lot in the past 30 years. It has had its low points (Connie Chung and Dan Rather together) and its high points (Peter Jennings post 9/11). Now, 'evening news' has a new champion, and his name is Scott Pelley, on CBS.

The Incredible Slowness of Posting

At this point in time, I find myself approximately two years behind in posting my book reviews online! That's over 75 books that I have read and have not "officially" reviewed.  I have started a blog post about each individual book, but I never completed that post. For various reasons, I have fallen behind.

How could I have let this happen?

Well, it's time for a massive review dump. Let's kick it! Let's do these reviews, and let's make me famous... or maybe not! Either way, I need to have some fun.

1093. The Sanctuary

Raymond Khoury was born in Beirut and studied Architecture. These things alone endear him to my heart, because he not only came from a difficult part of the world, but he also studied one of the sacred sciences with the intent to go back and rebuilt the once great city of Beirut. That may not have worked out as he planned, but at least he did design and built a number of novels, including this one. And for a bonus, he gets to use his knowledge of Beirut as a main character in this story line. This is the first novel of Khoury's that I have read, and whether it is a good starting point or not for this author, I do not know, because I am given to understand that "The Last Templar" was a much better story. But I have not read that book, nor am I reviewing it here. I can only judge Mr. Khoury based on this work.

By telling you some of the plot points of this book, I don't think I would be giving away the store so bear with me.  I, personally, have always enjoyed, stories involving immortality, including "The Eight" and a book from my past, "The Boat of A Million Years". The other thing that hints at this is the symbol on the cover, the Ouroboros, the serpent eating its own tail. The Ouroboros means a lot of different things, and has had many uses in the past, but one of them does bring us back to the quest for immortality. A hint of this is whispered at the beginning of the book when during the inquisition, a priest is entrusted with a secret from a man who falls prey to the inquisitors. This priest goes on a search across the continents and across the centuries for the missing pages of a book. But so do his pursuers who have realized what he has in his possession.

Meanwhile, in the 21st Century, Archaeology Professor Evelyn Bishop is kidnapped shortly after an Iraqi man contacts her about selling her some manuscripts. Her interest in this is simply as an archaeologist. It is right after the invasion and fall of Baghdad, and the Iraqi Museum of Antiquities has been raided. Many pieces are hitting the black marker and Evelyn is trying to ensure that these pieces somehow get returned to their rightful home. Evelyn's daughter is in town (Beirut), visiting to spend some time with a mother who wasn't all that involved in her upbringing. Mia was the result of a dalliance Evelyn had while at an Iraqi dig, back in the 1970s, back before Saddam, back before the Middle East and Beirut turned really dangerous.

Evelyn gets kidnapped, and Mia somehow is in the middle of it. There is a helpful CIA officer stationed in Beirut and there are the folks working for a shadowy doctor who is trying to get whatever that Iraqi man was going to deliver to Evelyn. It all becomes mystical, and mysterious with clues and puzzles to solve, as the past continues to enlighten us as to who the players are. Especially after the appearance of one of the mystery outsiders who is making a play for the manuscript and with whom Mia eventually hooks-up. Could he be working with the Shadowy doctor?

In many ways this is standard Thriller fare, but in many other ways there is an excitement underneath as the cloth is slowly pulled away to reveal more of the canvas. How are all of these characters connected? Is there something in this manuscript of very high importance? In some ways, I wish that the pacing of this story was a little tighter, and I also wish that a clearer focus was maintained on the singular objective of the 21st century characters. Because, especially after a while, the interludes into the past looked like random tangents going no-where. Once you established the main, critical, over-arching conflict of the book, it is not necessary to beat us with it time and time again. Maybe one brief interlude to either show us how the chase continued down into time, and then update us into the present. After a while, the past interludes got REALLY boring. But, you always come back into the present to see how the main characters were fairing.

In the end, a decent book that read like a quick adventure movie. I would recommend it without hesitation, and of course, I now have to read more Raymond Khoury. Three stars.

My tbr List

What is a tbr?

"tbr" is a "To be Read" list. Due to BookMooch and PaperBackSwap it has become huge in the last three years. The truth is though, that I can't read at the pace I used to be able to read, 1-3 minutes a page. So, now a 300 page book, can take me well over a week. Gone are the days where I used to be able to get through 2-3 books in a week. It's not only because of reading comprehension or speed of course. Life, work, chores and other things are part of this equation. Plus, there are always new books that come out that look interesting or are from an author that I want to read, and in the fullness of time, I acquire some of these books, and then they go on my "tbr". As slow as I now read, you'd be surprised how quickly my tbr gets filled-up. It's a losing battle.

I decided therefore, to list some of the books on my tbr here and ask people to choose for me the book I should read next. Why? Because, I can't decide. The last four books I read were kind of disappointing, and I Want something to shake the "cobwebs". I want, "a good read". Something that will really capture my attention or imagination. So, fell free to comment, or e-mail me at BookMooch or LibraryThing with your recommendation. Here is the list (a partial list at that):

1. The Strain: Book One of The Strain Trilogy
2. The Host: A Novel
3. Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries
4. Queen of the Road: The True Tale of 47 States, 22,000 Miles, 200 Shoes, 2 Cats, 1 Poodle, a Husband, and a Bus with a Will of Its Own
5. The Terror: A Novel
6. Lottery
7. The Army of the Republic: A Novel
8. The Star Fraction
9. The Secret History of Moscow
10. Solar
11. Across the Nightingale Floor (Tales of the Otori, Book 1)
12. Water for Elephants: A Novel
13. Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World
14. Outliers: The Story of Success
15. The Last Open Road (The Last Open Road)
16. Suzanne Collins'sThe Hunger Games (Hardcover)(2008)
17. Lost Star of Myth and Time
18. A Gentleman's Game: A Queen & Country Novel
19. Eon
20. The Unnamed
21. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
22. Daniel X: Watch the Skies
23. The 47th Samurai (Bob Lee Swagger Novels)
24. The Siege
25. Chindi
26. Running With the Demon (The Word and the Void Trilogy, Book 1)
27. The Eight: A Novel
28. Lost and Found: A Novel
29. Directive 51
30. CrazyBusy: Overstretched, Overbooked, and About to Snap! Strategies for Coping in a World Gone ADD

That's it. I am stopping at 30 (note: I have most of the follow-up books in the series implied here, except for #18 and #21)... If I was to list my whole library, it would never end. These particular books have been in my mind for a while, either because they start a series, or because I've had them for a while. Some actually continue series that I have already started. So what say you the educated reader? What should I read next? Feel free to provide some input and help me enjoy my Holiday Weekend (Thanksgiving weekend in the USA).

1053. Blasphemy

Blasphemy is the first book in which Wyman Ford, appears. Wyman Ford is the main character in Douglas Preston's Blasphemy and Impact. He's a Private Investigator, an ex-CIA Agent, a monk, and many other things. He's not really a Jack-of-all-trades, like the guy in Human Target or some other such heroes. He's, however, a man who tries to get the job done.

In this first real job for Wyman, we see him utilizing some of his knowledge of the Navajo language, which is really difficult to learn, getting on the rez (reservation) out in Arizona as a liaison with the tribe on the big project on their land. The US Government built a Giant Super-Collider near Red Mesa to explore the mysteries of the Big Bang. After all, we don't want the Europeans with their Large Hadron Collider to beat us. Wyman, knows one of the scientists at the project, apart from knowing a bit of the Navajo culture so he's embedded to find out why the project has fallen behind. Money has been spent, but there have been no results.

Meanwhile, the Navajo tribal council is having second thoughts. The lobbyists that were hired to represent their interests are trying to manipulate them AND public opinion. Additionally, a local preacher connects with a well known Evangelical Pastor who is aghast at the $40 Billion cost of the Super-Collider (called by the scientists "Isabella"). Wyman's history with a scientist on the project is that of a long ago love affair, when they were both young and in college. Her name is Kate Mercer. All these threads come into contact together with an immense discovery when the collider is first powered to 100%.

What is the discovery the scientists make and it's implications to theoretical physics? Does this discovery have theological implications? Can Wyman bring the truth out into the world or should he hide the truth from the President and his science adviser who recruited him for this mission? Why are the scientists hiding the truth? Why was a man killed to hide the truth?

This is a book worth staying-up all night for. It is the second Douglas Preston book that I have read, but is probably  the first Wyman Ford adventure. It is not as fantastical (in some sense) than "Impact" which I reviewed earlier in this blog -- since I read that one first! But I do think it stands very well on its own. It is an excellent book, because it shows the limits of this particular character in the face of an impossible situation. He's faced with something he knows to NOT be true, yet at the same time, he can not convince others of this fact. His faith is not the faith of others; OR, put another way -- Kate's faith is so strong that he can not change her mind without different evidence otherwise.

All in all, a highly satisfying book and highly recommended! 4 stars out of 5!

The BBC's Merlin, a fantasy series that delivers the promised magic - SFFMedia

The BBC's Merlin, a fantasy series that delivers the promised magic - SFFMedia




A very nice review, and one that I find agrees word for word with my sentiments on this excelent series. Read the review and come back to comment.