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Book Review: Incarnate by Lawrence Weill

 Incarnate by Lawrence Weill

BlackWyrm Publishing, March 2013

ISBN: 978-1-61318-142-3

Available: Paperback

Lara Joyner is a wife and mother of three children. She is very religious. She sees signs all around her that lead her to believe that her son, Dale, is the second coming of Christ. He just doesn’t know it yet. In the midst of a storm, she leaves her her home, taking her two sons with her, in the hope that she can reveal Dale’s hidden potential to become the saviour of mankind by pressing him to perform miracles. As she discovers unlocking Dale’s ability to create miracles is not easy, Lara spirals out of control. Her beliefs and faith are put to the test repeatedly. Her money runs out and desperation sets in. She turns to writing bad checks, theft, and, ultimately, selling herself, to keep the dream alive. Meanwhile, her husband, Frank, frantic to reunite their family, pursues the trio cross country: a reunion that will take a miracle.

Incarnate was an okay read. It is a psychological journey into delusion vs. reason. These are also the main themes throughout and were revealed nicely. The characters had distinctive voices and were consistent. Weill’s depiction of Lara, the religious, sign-seeing mother, is powerful. The descriptions were good without being overly graphic. The religious aspects of this book were a bit heavy-handed for me. That being said, it made sense for the story and characters. I also found the pacing to be a bit slow at times. As a result, it took me longer to read this relatively short book (it is only 224 pages). The story wasn’t compelling for me, and as a result, finishing it was not a strong priority. The concept was really interesting, but the delivery just didn’t work well. I have not read any of this author’s work in the past.

Contains: Sexual Situations, Rape, Adult Language

Reviewed by Aaron Fletcher

Posted on September 15, 2014 by , Reply

Book Review: Absalom’s Wake, Part Four by Nancy A. Collins

 

Note: Absalom’s Wake is a six-part ebook serial. Check out these reviews of earlier parts of the story!

Absalom’s Wake, Part One: A Serial Adventure of Terror on the High Seas

Absalom’s Wake, Part Two: Terror on the Beach

Absalom’s Wake, Part Three: The Whale Rider

 

Absalom’s Wake Part Four:  Terror Comes Aboard  by Nancy A. Collins

Biting Dog Publications, 2013

ASIN:  B00DAHLBG2

Available:  ebook edition (Kindle, Nook)

Part Four of Absalom’s Wake continues the adventure with our hero, Jonah Padgett, being rescued by the island native, Koro, from the sea’s embrace.  At dinner, the captain learns that  King Jim, the most treacherous of all whales, was sighted three hundred miles southwest of Rapa Nui.  The captain sets course, and two days later the ship is in the area, and the hunt is on!  Two of the crew go missing with no explanation.  The mystery is short-lived, as the ship is attacked by Shark-men!  The savage Shark-men, of the Mako Kanaka tribe, take the crew to task.  Many of the crew members are killed, including Captain Solomon.  The crew retaliates by gunning down the vicious savages.  The final blow is dealt by Koro, who harpoons their fleeing leader, One Eye.  With Captain Solomon dead, what will happen to the hunt?

Ms. Collins’ tale continues to be just as strong as in the previous parts.  The tone is consistent, with the characters’ lives falling into a familiar routine.  Their voices are strong and remain distinctive.  The descriptions were vivid and the action sequences were gripping!  The mystery continues, and I was left wanting more, more, more! Recommended for adult audiences.

Reviewed by:  Aaron Fletcher

Posted on August 29, 2014 by , Reply

Book Review: Absalom’s Wake, Part Three: The Whale Rider by Nancy A. Collins

Note: Absalom’s Wake is a six-part ebook serial. Check out these reviews of earlier parts of the story!

Absalom’s Wake, Part One: A Serial Adventure of Terror on the High Seas

Absalom’s Wake, Part Two: Terror on the Beach

 

Absalom’s Wake Part Three: The Whale Rider by Nancy A. Collins

Biting Dog Publications, 2013

ASIN: B00BQOAPE0

Available: eBook(Kindle, Nook, Smashwords)

 

This installment of Absalom’s Wake picks up where part two left off, with Jonah Padgett running for his life from cannibals.  Jonah is rescued by a native named Koro of the Aina tribe who spears one of the cannibals and chases the others into the sea.  The cannibals are of the Mano Kanaka tribe and are arch-enemies of the Aina.  They were after Jonah because of the dolphin medallion he wore, left to him by his uncle. Later, Koro accepts an offer to join the crew as a harpooner.  Koro and Jonah end up rooming together, as Jonah is promoted to Ship’s Cooper and life aboard returns to normal.  At Christmas, Koro tells the tale of Kamoho, King Of All The Sharks and father of the Mano Kanaka, The Eaters of Men.  Koro also tells the story of how he came to be born– a story that sounds very much like the story of how Jonah’s beloved uncle won his wife, years before.  A couple of weeks later, another of the Harpooners bets Koro that he can kill the next whale before Koro can.  At stake is a gold watch, against Jonah’s dolphin medallion.  The hunt is on.  Koro leaps onto a whale’s back and mortally wounds it.  The whale thrashes the sea, tossing the whaleboat about.  The call of “Man Overboard!” rings out, as Jonah slips beneath the waves.

This part of the story was well written and does a great job of slipping a few more tantalizing details in with the action sequences– details that  add a bit of tension and suspense to the overall storyline.  I  look forward to finding out just how Koro fits into Jonah’s life.  As with the previous two parts, the author paints a vivid picture of the environment, and the characters have individual voices.  The only complaint I have is that there is the occasional misspelling which tended to break the mood while I sorted out what was intended.   Recommended.

 

Reviewed by: Aaron Fletcher

 

 

 

 

Posted on August 29, 2014 by , Reply
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