Review: Wonders Never Cease, by Tim Downs

Wonders Never Cease, by Tim Downs (Thomas Nelson, 2010)

Nurse Kemp McAvoy’s latest brilliant scheme involves impersonating an angel. His nightly “visitations” to a comatose movie star will prompt her to write a best-selling self-help book, from which he’ll take a well-deserved share of the publisher’s profits.

Kemp is a jerk. There’s no nice way to say it. He really is. Self-absorbed and without conscience. He got kicked out of his residency as an anaesthesiologist for what he calls a “minor” ethical issue, and now he resents living on a nurse’s salary.

He got the angel idea from another best-selling spiritual-insight book and from his girlfriend’s daughter, who claims to have actually seen an angel.

Six-year-old Leah sees a few angels as the story progresses, and that brings her mom, Natalie, into conflict with Leah’s attractive teacher, Matt, and with the school’s arrogant psychologist.

Leah’s voice in the prologue sold me on the book. She’s sharp and funny. The rest of the novel is told third-person, mostly in Kemp’s and Natalie’s points of view.

Wonders Never Cease is a comedy of errors as we watch Kemp dig himself in farther and farther. And it’s a gentle romance as Natalie begins to see the truth about Kemp and to notice Matt’s kindness.

And there are angels.

Author Tim Downs is probably best known for his Bug Man novels, which I’ve yet to read. There’s one in my to-read pile now, though. You can learn more about him and his books at the Tim Downs website,  and read a sample chapter of Wonders Never Cease.

[Review copy from my personal library.]

Related articles

• Review: “Wonders Never Cease” (valeriecomer.com)
• Book review: “Wonders Never Cease” by Tim Downs (thatbaldchick.com)
• New Tim Downs Novel “Wonders Never Cease” Released (prweb.com)

Wheel of Time Re-read: The Eye of the World (spoilers)

The Eye of the World, by Robert Jordan (Tor Books, 1990)

Before the re-read: I’ve read this one twice already, so I remember it a bit better than the rest of the series. First time, I enjoyed it enough to start buying the books instead of borrowing them. Second time, I was impressed by Robert Jordan’s writing. One of the basic rules of plotting is that in each scene, the point of view character needs a meaningful goal. S/he will encounter opposition and the scene should end with a “disaster” of some kind: either the goal is thwarted, or it’s achieved but brings a new problem as the plot builds to a climax. And thus, the reader keeps reading. It was a treat to watch how well this played out in The Eye of the World.

During the re-read: Flipping pages to get to the prologue–Robert Jordan affirms my love of prologues–I caught the dedication: “To Harriet. Heart of my heart, Light of my life, Forever.” Awww…

Min’s viewings of the travellers: It’s fun reading these now when I can see how most of them have played out in the series. But one thing she sees about Perrin is “trees blooming”–could it be that Perrin will help the Tinkers find the lost song? I’m surprised how much it matters to me that the song be found. My son, on the other hand, thinks it’s gone for good and the flowering trees represent the orchard where Perrin’s family is buried.

Rand and Mat’s flight from Whitebridge to Caemlyn: I hadn’t noticed before how non-linear this was written. We’re here, then we’re back seeing how we got here, then forward, then back. It gives a good sense of how confused they are, but this time it left me wishing I could see it in straight time. Must be getting old!

Best line: Moiraine to Rand: “A tool made for a purpose is not demeaned by being used for that purpose. But a man who believes the Father of Lies demeans himself.” [p. 769 in Tor's mass-market paperback edition]

After the re-read: This is one long book. Am I really going to get the whole series read before A Memory of Light comes out? I’ll at least skip the bits that bothered me first time through, but these characters matter enough to me that I’ve enjoyed noticing the background details and connections I’d forgotten.

The Great Thaw

It became known as the summer of the Great Thaw. Not to be confused with the Silent Warming, when the old chest freezer simply gave up.

The Great Thaw was controlled. Intentional. But with it came the sounds of spring: the trickle of water, the crack and thud of ice breaking and falling.

Sounds of hope.

An upright freezer can be a contrary thing, especially when it knows how to sneak its door open for a taste of warmer air. In this particular household lurked one of these, rare in that its cold sprang from its shelves themselves rather than its walls.

Between the effects of time and the thaw/freeze cycle from its warm-air penchant, the shelves achieved great thickness: three times the original, and in places more.

Woe to the individual who had to fit a turkey or other non-tortilla-shaped item between these shelves. The frost grew, until an arm reaching for veggies wedged at the back would come out scratched and frost-tinged.

The time of fresh blueberries rapidly approached, and what were the homeowners to do? Never in their wildest imaginings could they fathom how to lodge sufficient boxes of the dark blue treasures for the year ahead.

The female of the home, a courageous lass, took drastic action. She flung open the freezer door, carried the contents to safe haven, and turned off the thermostat.

At the word of her intrepid mother, who is wise in these ways, she set an electric fan to blow into the den of frost.

The frost protested, turned to ice, but to no avail. First slowly, then with the eagerness of spring, water began to drip and ice to loose its hold.

Freedom came to the home.

Ice-free but cold again, the freezer has a new chance to preserve the family’s food. To help with this vital mission, it now wears an appliance lock to curtail midnight chats with the furnace that shares its lair.

May it long stand, this cold sentinel, protecting blueberries, ice cream and all manner of precious and perishable goods.

[This chronicle was originally posted in 2009 at InScribe Writers Online. Appliance rehabilitation failed, and the freezer in question has been dishonourably discharged for the shrivelling of blueberries in its care.]

5 Geek-Pleasing Things for the Wish List, Plus a Trivia Question

Seen on a weekend visit to Giant Robot Comics—my source of all things Dalek—light sabre umbrellas.

You can also find them at Think Geek, along with the must-have Star Trek Enterprise pizza cutter and the coolest Tardis mug I’ve ever seen.

And at Roddenberry.com you can get your very own tribble! They’re touch-responsive or touch/voice responsive.

I love the crazy tee-shirt and sweatshirt collections at Signals. That’s where my writing shirt came from. 

There’s even one now for David Crowder. (If that doesn’t make sense, see last week’s post: Squirrel Shenanigans.)

Trivia time: Does anyone remember how many tribbles were in the quadro-triticale? Sadly, I do. But I don’t remember Mr. Spock’s explanation of how he calculated it.

Squirrel Shenanigans

I have a lot of respect for David Crowder, for his music and worship ministry, for the insights and humour in his book, Praise Habit [Seriously, it's worth reading for spiritual content, but read the copyright page. You will laugh.] and of course for his hair.

Here he is, “telling the epic tale of the innate evilness that dwells within the tiny creatures we have come to call squirrels.” 

The Bunny

Easter is about Jesus. Ultimate love, ultimate sacrifice, ultimate victory.

Easter’s not about bunnies. (Chocolate, however, is always a good way to celebrate unless you’re allergic to it.)

I’m seeing chocolate bunnies (and Transformers, hockey players, puppies etc) everywhere these days. Puts me in mind of Veggie Tales’ “New Improved Bunny Song.” (From the video Rack, Shack ‘n Benny)

Wheel of Time Re-read: New Spring

In marketing terms I’m a late-adapter: one of those people who don’t decide to buy into a trend until it’s on the way out. Forward-thinking Wheel of Time (Wot) fans who wanted to do a re-read before the final instalment comes out in January 2013 started in January 2012. After all, 13 long books = a lot of reading.

So I may not be reading A Memory of Light while it’s still hot off the press, but I think a re-read will be fun. And it’ll help me remember some of the nuances that I’ve forgotten.

New Spring is the WoT series prequel, written between books 10 and 11, and while I’ve chosen to start with it for the re-read for chronological purposes, I’d never recommend newcomers begin with it. It’s like Narnia’s The Magician’s Nephew in that respect. You won’t really appreciate it unless you know what comes later. I don’t think it has any overt spoilers, though.

Frankly, if this was the first WoT book I picked up, I don’t know if I’d have finished it. Going back after reading other books in the series makes the difference, because I recognized the key characters and cared about them.

Before the re-read: All I remembered about New Spring was an unreasonably strong dislike of Moiraine’s seamstress — to the point that I’d like to set Cadsaune on her.

During the re-read: So cool to pick out little hints and foreshadowings and to recognize names that will mean something later in the series. Verin, hmmm. And a quick cameo of Elyas as a warder.

After the re-read: This one really doesn’t seem as good as the rest. No particularly memorable lines, nor much that’s funny. Biggest objection: Lan’s decision at the end is very abrupt. The series dictates he make this choice, but it’s not convincing. In hindsight, I reacted this way the first time I read it too.

Review: The Mysterious Island, by Jules Verne

The Mysterious Island, by Jules Verne (Rainbow Classics Edition, World Publishing Company, 1957)

It’s March 1865, and the American Civil War is raging. Five Northerners (and a dog), trapped in Southern-held Richmond, Virginia, stage a daring escape in a balloon during a wild storm. They mean to rejoin the Northern forces, but the storm carries them to an uncharted island in the Pacific Ocean.

The Mysterious Island is a tale of the triumph of human ingenuity, perseverance and courage … with occasional help from an anonymous benefactor. That’s where the mystery comes in. The island has no other inhabitants, yet the castaways/settlers experience a number of “coincidences” and interventions.

The novel was first published 1874 as three serials in magazines. It’s subdivided into sections: Dropped from the Clouds, Abandoned, and The Secret of the Island.

It doesn’t match twenty-first-century codes of writing style and political correctness. The narration is formal and of passive construction, in omniscient point of view. Of the main characters, the white sailor and the black servant naturally do the cooking and grunt work, and of course the term “African-American” hasn’t been coined yet.

The science is almost 130 years out of date. The moon, for example, is referred to as a cold star. The characters’ thoughts on the future make for interesting reading.

If you read the novel looking for things to criticize, you’ll find these sorts of things as well as some logistical ones. For example, the escapees threw everything out of the balloon to stay aloft, then cut the ropes to let the basket fall too, then landed on the island and didn’t have any knives. How did they cut the ropes?

On the other hand, if you read it looking for adventure, you’ll find that too. We have four men, a teen boy and a dog, cast onto the island with only their wits and the clothes on their backs. And the dog’s collar, and a match in one pocket, and a kernel of corn in another.

In the four years covered by the novel, the settlers become fully self-sufficient. They make bricks; smelt iron ore; concoct and use nitro glycerine; make bows and arrows, saws etc; establish a thriving garden and livestock enclosure; build a small boat. And the list goes on.

Realistic? Probably not. But it’s a lot of fun to see what they do. I admire their determination to make the best of a bad thing, and their kindness when they have the chance to help another castaway. I also appreciate their faith in their Creator. They know there’s a higher power than humankind, and they’re thankful He caused their balloon to reach the island before collapsing.

The other castaway introduces the possibility of villains turning good (other villains in the novel do not experience changes of heart) and this is relevant when the men finally meet their mysterious benefactor. All I’ll say here is that he’s an outlaw. But he’s saved their lives multiple times.

At over 600 pages, The Mysterious Island is not a light read, but it’s fun. And it has great scope for a movie, as-is. Why those who’ve adapted it to screen have felt the need to add things like giant crabs, time travel and Palpatine-type lightning bolts is beyond me. The few clips I’ve seen are enough to prove it’s not the same story.

According to Wikipedia, Jules Verne is “the second most translated author in the world (after Agatha Christie).” He’s certainly given a lot of readers many imagination-filled hours.

Other reviews of The Mysterious Island: Squidoo, Inkweaver Review (spoilers), Age 30+ … A Lifetime of Reviews.

[Review copy from my personal library.]

Review: Wind and Shadow, by Kathy Tyers

Wind and Shadow, by Kathy Tyers (Marcher Lord Press, 2011)

Prophetic hope, ancient evil, and the struggle to live a life of faith when temptation masks as truth and danger’s all around ….

Fans of Kathy Tyers’ Firebird trilogy have waited a long time for the story to continue. Wind and  Shadow begins the tale of the next generation of the Caldwells, a Sentinel family prophesied to produce a messiah-type hero.

The Sentinels are humans with psionic power, feared but needed by the other humans. And the enemies they faced in the original series aren’t as vanquished as readers had hoped.

Wind and Shadow features twins Kiel and Kinnor Caldwell, one a priest and one a soldier, and Wind Haworth, a young woman divided between two cultures and welcomed by none.

Is Kiel the Promised One? The evil being that captures him schemes to turn him from the Path. Kinnor and Wind are unlikely allies to rescue him … or die trying. And more lives are at stake than they know.

You don’t have to read the Firebird trilogy first, although it’s a strong series and now available in a single volume with the author’s annotations. Wind and Shadow refers to past characters and events as needed and new readers will have no trouble starting here. Since it introduces an unfamiliar planet with new characters, all readers need to orient themselves at the beginning.

It’s a compelling and satisfying story (complete with danger, romance, fast ships and explosions). The planet, culture and technology come to life, as do the internal conflicts of the key characters. I appreciate how those of faith struggle to apply that faith in crisis, and how their choices are not always straightforward – or even right.

You can learn more about NYT bestselling author Kathy Tyers at her website. And watch for Daystar, the conclusion to the Firebird saga, releasing in April 2012.

Other reviews of Wind and Shadow: Valerie Comer at Live Simply-Simply Love; Teisha Priest at Christian Fiction Book Reviews; Stephanie Shackelford at Routines for Writers; Jessica Marcarelli at Visions of Other Worlds.

[Review copy from my personal library.]

Review: A Star Curiously Singing, by Kerry Nietz

A Star Curiously Singing, by Kerry Nietz (Marcher Lord Press, 2009)

In a dystopian future of Earth with advanced technology and a repressive global regime, to be a tech geek is to be a slave. Anyone (usually male) chosen for this role at age 10 is implanted with a chip that allows him to wirelessly connect to machines, computers and serv-bots—to “stream” to them—and to perform necessary repairs.

These people are called debuggers, and Sandfly is a good one. He does what his master orders, and rarely gets “tweaked” for disobedient or dangerous thoughts, although his wry observances of life under the masters—the Abduls (Servants)—skate pretty close to the edge at times.

Sandfly’s world is ruled by a form of Islam that’s all rules and no faith. Absolute power seems to have corrupted absolutely, and Sandfly wonders if there are any good masters left.

A top-secret assignment lands him on a space station (he’s afraid of heights) where he’s introduced to the prototype space ship, Dark Trench. Dark Trench is a technological marvel, but its crew can’t be cleared to go home until Sandfly finds out what caused their only bot to destroy itself part-way through the mission.

There’s a lot more to the story than that, but you need to read it yourself. Part of the fun is being dropped into this unusual world and figuring out what’s going on as you read Sandfly’s narration. He’ll call you “freehead” and occasionally explain details, but most of the time you’re just along for the ride, learning on the fly (if you’ll pardon the pun).

A Star Curiously Singing is a fast read, with twists, turns, humour, faith and danger. It’s a good story, and Sandfly really makes the novel for me. He’s an engaging character with a distinctive voice. The other two books in the Dark Trench series are now on my to-read-this-year list: The Surperlative Stream and Freeheads. I want to know what happens next!

A Star Curiously Singing won a 2011 Reader’s Favourite Award, and was a finalist on a few other awards lists. You can learn more about Kerry Nietz at his website, and read a sample of A Star Curiously Singing on the Marcher Lord Press site. And you can read an interview with Kerry Nietz, and a bit about his newest book, Freeheads, at A Christian Writer’s World. The draw is now over, and I won! Kerry very kindly substituted A Star Curiously Singing for Freeheads, rather than drop me into the series at the end.