Demon
by
Tosca Lee's Demon: A Memoir is a jaw-dropping novel of suspense and great intrigue. Lee's way with words is purely amazing, and the story moves at an equally remarkable rate.
Clay, a failed editor...
The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday - EP
by
12 Stones 12 Stones, Christian rock group hailing from New Orleans, has released three full-length records and, now, one EP. After their self-titled debut, Potter's Field, and Anthem for the Underdog,...
House
by
Adriana House, a story from two heavily bestselling authors, stands as an excellent novel, depicting, of course, the battle between good and evil within a house. A couple is stranded driving down a backroads...
From a clay creature | Posted October-26-2010
Tosca Lee's Demon: A Memoir is a jaw-dropping novel of suspense and great intrigue. Lee's way with words is purely amazing, and the story moves at an equally remarkable rate.
Clay, a failed editor with a painful new life in the wake of his wife's divorce, meets a mysterious "man" in Boston, his hometown, at a local restaurant. This creature claims to be a fallen angel, a demon, called Lucian, who tells Clay that Clay must write down every word of what he says and publish it. Clay, not believing Lucian for a minute, challenges him, but Lucian proves to have either been planning a trick encounter for many years, or is genuinely who he claims to be. Lucian knows things about Clay's life that no one could possibly know, and his timing is laced with perfection. Clay, rather shaken up after Lucian leaves, goes home and lives in paranoia for the rest of his day, waiting to see if Lucian, this captivating yet terrifying entity, shows again as promised. Lucian is true to his word by the next day, making use of Clay's work calendar to warn him of his appearances. This time Clay meets Lucian in a large library, and a series of increasingly bizarre encounters ensue as Clay is compelled to write it all down. Soon in complete disarray, Clay is literally living his life for these tumultuous encounters. Lucian details his rather lengthy life story during the span of the meetings, always obsessed with time. The fallen angel tells of his fall from grace, his imprisonment on earth because of one wrong choice, watching humanity disregard El's sacred gift never offered to him. The fascinating story's finale is astounding, the characters are easy to identify with (particularly Clay), and as stated above, Lee's writing is magnificent. I can hardly wait until my hands hold her second novel, Havah: The Story of Eve.
Demon: A Memoir is an amazing work that I was unable to stop reading. The flow is perfect, the imagery that the novel produces with regards to many briefly covered events in Scripture is resonant with meaning, and the demon Lucian's well-painted hatred of humans seems well-motivated, about which I had always wondered. Now I see more clearly how the fallen angels are motivated to wreak havoc as they do, hating El's chosen creatures "made of clay; the dust of the ground". This novel is an imaginative, wonderful work illuminating several aspects of theology which are often overlooked.
A Superb EP | Posted October-19-2010
12 Stones, Christian rock group hailing from New Orleans, has released three full-length records and, now, one EP. After their self-titled debut, Potter's Field, and Anthem for the Underdog, they have progressed musically and lyrically in a sense that does indeed make me wish that this was an entire 12-track record. The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday, three years long overdue, is a dynamic collection of 5 interesting and catchy songs.
Welcome to the End: Musically, this song is a very well-done guitar-ridden opener, one that pulls the listener into the album. Lyrically, it is not at all different from a few of 12 Stones' other songs, namely Disappear from the same album, which seems to continue the same story. 9.5/10
We Are One: This song is by far my favorite from the EP, one whose play count is already quite high. The lyrics are well-written, fitting the outstanding musical content to a tee. The music itself is an extremely catchy rock beat which simply has the feel of a concert. 10/10
Disappear: The supposed follow-up to album opener Welcome to the End, this song is loud with guitars at the onset, and then mostly quiet until the end. Its lyrics mirror that of said album opener. 8.5/10
Tomorrow Comes Today: I'm still wondering why this track was included on a 12 Stones album, because it is quite slow-paced. The lyrics are sort of strange So shine for me anyone / Cast a shadow on the sun / A light to find my way / I hope tomorrow comes today and the music sounds like a mainstream Christian release. But it's not a bad song, for the chorus is still rumbling its way through my head. 8/10
Enemy: I have to say, I just didn't like this one. The lyrics are plainly peculiar, and lead singer McCoy repeats the annoying screaming that took place at a minute level in Welcome to the End. This song returns to the more rocky level of the first three tracks. 7/10
All in all, The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday stands as a superb album, in my opinion the second best work of 12 Stones' career. If Wind-Up Records let them release a full-length album like this soon, they would have my money.
Chilling | Posted October-07-2010
Christy-Award winning novel Vanish is a one-of-a-kind novel, one whose scope is not often repeated by another in one decade. The book is a captivating and chilling debut by Pawlik.
Conner Hayden, an attorney who is practically married to his job and is divorced, begins seeing strange white, blank faces in his work office, downtown Chicago. Two others, aging model Helen Krause and mechanic Mitch Kent, also begin noticing strange things. Then, one morning they wake to find that everyone has simply...vanished. Desperate for answers, the three set out, eventually finding each other and uniting in their common quest. What they eventually find is one of the most disturbing truths of all - a dangerous place where strange creatures force them to relive their painful, equally scarred pasts. Vanish has an outstanding yet disturbing finale, one that leaves the reader breathless with anticipation for the 2009 sequel, Valley of the Shadow. This very well-written and well-formulated novel kept me up hours into the night, waiting for that big moment of truth to come. And it did...with an even better conclusion than I had hypothesized. Tom Pawlik is definitively traveling into my Top 5 favorite authors - one who will shake the world with his imagination and still deliver wonderful themes.
Excellent Collaboration | Posted October-07-2010 House, a story from two heavily bestselling authors, stands as an excellent novel, depicting, of course, the battle between good and evil within a house. A couple is stranded driving down a backroads highway after their car breaks down unnaturally. Then they find a makeshift hotel, a sign detailing it as the "Wayside Inn". There they meet another couple and eventually the creepy inhabitants of the household. Soon after a strange dinner, a tin can is launched into the mysterious house by a man the ungracious hosts claim to be the "Tin Man", who they state is a known murderer who "only goes after the guilty." On the can is scrawled three house rules. Once they read them, the stakes become painfully clear.
I was completely enamored with this novel, like any other Dekker book, and I finished it in one night. Initially, I had seen the movie, a work which I did not like much, thus I was taking a chance reading the book itself. But I was imminently rewarded! House is an unforgettable novel of good and evil, a fantasy which displays in vivid color the relationship between the two.
The Pawn | Posted September-14-2010
Steven James has certainly landed successfully into the under-populated realm of Christian Suspense Fiction. The Pawn begins with a graphic description of coerced suicide, which leads into a broad spectrum of events that culminate in James' expertly written denouement. Patrick Bowers, an FBI agent specializing in geospatial investigating and "geographic profiling" (who happens to harbor a great dislike for behavioral profilers), is called into Ashville, North Carolina to consult on the case of a deadly area serial killer who leaves the chess piece, the pawn, at the scene of all his crimes. This man calls himself the Illusionist. Patrick's 17 year old daughter, Tessa, is still reeling from her mother's death from cancer only months before, as is Patrick. Their disconnected, frayed relationship is at the center of the magnificent plot of the novel.
With brilliantly interwoven plots and historical information, Steven James has crafted a thriller that is sure to be remembered. The Pawn is a novel that will leave you stunned, hanging on the edge of your seat, enduring the agonizing wait until you can get your hands on the sequel, The Rook. This novel is well worth the time invested!
The Great Romance...& Immanuel's Veins | Posted September-08-2010
All I can say is...wow. "Immanuel's Veins" really is completely different from anything Ted Dekker has ever written. Ever.
"Immanuel's Veins" tells the story of Toma Nicolescu, set in 1772 in Moldavia and told in the first person (a first for Dekker!), who has been dispatched by Catherine the Great with his friend Alek to protect those dwelling in a large royal palace during their "Summer Ball of Delights". Toma (whose name is the Russian equivalent for Thomas, meaning "twin"), placing duty and honor above all else, rushes to perform his duty. But when he and Alek meet the sisters, daughters of a prominent figure, named Lucine and Natasha (who happen to be twins), everything spirals downward.
Thus ensues a suspenseful romance between Toma Nicolescu and Lucine, as Toma struggles with his loyalty to duty and his calling to love. When a band of Russians come to the ball, Natasha and then Lucine are drawn into their trap to the Castle Castile. Learning what they are up against and realizing his passionate love for Lucine, Toma pursues and goes after them.
The writing itself was actually some of the best I've ever seen from Dekker, and the storyline was captivating as well. This story is virtual gold, one of my new favorites from Dekker. So then...drink deep. For "Immanuel's Veins" is a treasure to be remembered.
Offworld | Posted September-02-2010
"Offworld", Robin Parrish's fourth novel (after the Dominion Trilogy), was the first of his that I have read. And I will definitely be reading more! Offworld was a wonderful novel, reminiscent in parts of Tom Pawlik's Christy Award-winning novel "Vanish".
Four astronauts land on earth after an extended visit to Mars in the first manned aircraft to the red planet, in the 2030's. The foursome's aircraft has been experiencing many problems since their approach toward Earth. They crash-land in Florida and proceed to find that everyone, even the animals, has vanished. The novel proceeds to describe their journey through America, toward a pulsing light showing up on a live satellite feed emanating from Houston, Texas.
Their journey there and then the end result of their arrival kept me riveted, finsihing the novel in two days. Unlike many futuristic novels, this expertly written novel does not dwell too much on new technology. Instead, it only reveals that which is of utmost imprtance to the outstanding storyline. This I found especially impressive. "Offworld" is a must-read spun from an astounding imagination. I'll be reading much more from this writer.
Good Premise | Posted July-08-2010
I decided to read "Enoch" for the same reason I wanted to read "Dark Moon", one of his earlier works. Yet like "Dark Moon", it has its moments of grandeur but in the end is disappointing. Henick Jaredson (note the clever last name) is a man walking the streets of rural Texas when an elderly couple drive up to him in a pickup. They and many others, including an FCC agent, an FBI agent, and a local Texas policeman are soon thrust into an intriguing chain of events which sounds an important alarm for the world. With a unanimous message unexpectedly popping up through every major media outlet heralding Enoch's purpose, the world soon learns that either the world's largest Internet prank is being executed, or it is something supernatural, which naturally draws staunch opposition from numerous skeptics. Mary-Martha Celestine, founder of a 12,000+ member cult group is met by a force beyond her comprehension, and her driving quest is now to find and use Henick to her own benefit.
"Enoch" used a great and as far as I know original premise with which to illustrate its message in novel form. I thought it was a bit slow in areas, but at times it was quite enjoyable. The ending, however, was agonizingly quick. Great on the idea, all right on the execution of it. But I'll contiue reading more of Gansky's books.
Where is the plot? | Posted July-07-2010
I grabbed "Dark Moon" because the premise sounded quite interesting, but where is the plot? Sure, the concept of a dark red lunar anomaly sparking political and religious tension sounds great, but the novel itself was very poor on execution. Gansky spends way too much time on unnecessary detail and way too little time on an actual storyline. The characters are well-developed, bringing a measure of satisfaction, but the novel simply did not follow through. I kept telling myself it would soon pick up until I reached the last twenty pages and realized it wouldn't. The ending was most definitely sub-par, and the way the issue was eventually handled was not very intriguing. Gansky formulated the idea exceptionally, but the end result simply didn't cut it. Don't waste your time!
Dekker at his finest | Posted June-25-2010
Skin is an outstanding novel. The story was great; the ending was especially great. The ugly/beautiful theme was very well done and Dekker was exceptional with crafting the villain as always. Sterling Red remains my second favorite villain, directly after Marsuvees Black. The story was solid and I thought it was original. The twists and turns were completely unexpected and after Thr3e I hadn't thought he could ratchet it up more, but Dekker certainly did! One of my favorite books from my FAVORITE author! The characters were well-developed, and I loved the Jerry Pinkus character, though he could become annoying! The beginning drew me in exceptionally well, and the rest of the novel followed straight through. A literary masterpiece...perfection almost at its highest. Skin should be read by everyone!
fanforchrist2009's Music and Book Reviews 
