Meet the patron saint of technology - St. Vidicon. During an unfortunate incident during the Pope's broadcast to the masses, Father Vidicon dies for his faith and finds himself in a limbo of sorts, battling against Finagle's General Principle, Murphy's Law and the Spirit of all Paradox. Father Vidicon recruits IT pro Tony Ricci to aid him, and in return, gives Tony a little help in matters of the heart.
The novel is a choppy and in fact reads more like a book of short stories. That doesn't stop the fun of imagining that traffic lights and television broadcasts are really made possible by tiny gnomes. And Stasheff is a master of imitating the tone, word order and pacing of a King James Bible or high mass. This mastery may make some portions of the novel tedious for some readers.
In short, a fun read for those plagued by technical problems or tasked with fixing them.
FTC Disclosure: I purchased my copy of this book and this review is unsolicited.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Monday, June 7, 2010
Book Review: The Stepsister Scheme by Jim C. Hines
Ever wonder if the characters in all those fairy tales really live happily ever after? If so, you might want to check out The Stepsister Scheme.
In this book, we have a chance to catch up with Cinderella (Danielle) after she marries her Prince Charming (Armand). Things are going along quite, well, happily until she is attacked by one of her step-sisters and discovers that Armand has been kidnapped by fairies. To set things right, Snow (White, of course) and Sleeping Beauty (Talia) come to Danielle's aid. How do they know she needs aid? They were previously taken in by Danielle's mother-in-law, Queen "Bea."
During the trio's adventure, we get the real story on Snow White and Sleeping Beauty, who has become quite the warrior princess since we last knew her. We also discover what happened to Cinderella's step-mother and step-sisters after the wedding. Let's just say it's not pretty.
The first in Jim C. Hines' Princess Series, The Stepsister Scheme is clever, engaging and overall, well-written. His explanation of the "real" nature of the Seven Dwarfs is somewhat clunky and not well-developed, but does not distract from the overall enjoyment of the story. I already have the next installment, The Mermaid's Madness, waiting in my to-read pile of books.
FTC Disclosure: I purchased my copy of this book and this review is unsolicited.
In this book, we have a chance to catch up with Cinderella (Danielle) after she marries her Prince Charming (Armand). Things are going along quite, well, happily until she is attacked by one of her step-sisters and discovers that Armand has been kidnapped by fairies. To set things right, Snow (White, of course) and Sleeping Beauty (Talia) come to Danielle's aid. How do they know she needs aid? They were previously taken in by Danielle's mother-in-law, Queen "Bea."
During the trio's adventure, we get the real story on Snow White and Sleeping Beauty, who has become quite the warrior princess since we last knew her. We also discover what happened to Cinderella's step-mother and step-sisters after the wedding. Let's just say it's not pretty.
The first in Jim C. Hines' Princess Series, The Stepsister Scheme is clever, engaging and overall, well-written. His explanation of the "real" nature of the Seven Dwarfs is somewhat clunky and not well-developed, but does not distract from the overall enjoyment of the story. I already have the next installment, The Mermaid's Madness, waiting in my to-read pile of books.
FTC Disclosure: I purchased my copy of this book and this review is unsolicited.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Book Review: Blood Oath by Christopher Farnsworth
Vampires are everywhere these days, but Christopher Farnsworth has created a unique and intriguing premise...The President's Vampire.
In the first of what promises to be an entertaining series of books (and possibly films, as Blood Oath has already been optioned), we are introduced to Nathaniel Cade, a vampire who was pardoned by President Andrew Johnson in 1867 and is now oath-bound to protect the United States and its Presidents against supernatural enemies.
As Blood Oath begins, the arrogant, ambitious young politician Zach Barrows finds out that he has been assigned to take over for the likeable Agent Griffin as Cade's handler. Barrows doesn't have much time to come to grips with this new reality before he and Cade have to set off across the country to hunt down a supernatural threat.
The ensuing action is gripping, with a number of unexpected twists. Adding to the reader's enjoyment are excerpts from "Cade's Briefing Book," letters and news articles that explain Cade's abilities in relation to vampire lore and provide additional background on his service to the office of the President without bogging down the story at hand. Aside from one crudely written sex scene that seemed to drop in out of nowhere, I found Blood Oath to be an entertaining read and I can't wait to find out what Cade and Barrows are up to next.
FTC Disclosure: I received a free, preview copy of this book through a contest on goodreads.com.
In the first of what promises to be an entertaining series of books (and possibly films, as Blood Oath has already been optioned), we are introduced to Nathaniel Cade, a vampire who was pardoned by President Andrew Johnson in 1867 and is now oath-bound to protect the United States and its Presidents against supernatural enemies.
As Blood Oath begins, the arrogant, ambitious young politician Zach Barrows finds out that he has been assigned to take over for the likeable Agent Griffin as Cade's handler. Barrows doesn't have much time to come to grips with this new reality before he and Cade have to set off across the country to hunt down a supernatural threat.
The ensuing action is gripping, with a number of unexpected twists. Adding to the reader's enjoyment are excerpts from "Cade's Briefing Book," letters and news articles that explain Cade's abilities in relation to vampire lore and provide additional background on his service to the office of the President without bogging down the story at hand. Aside from one crudely written sex scene that seemed to drop in out of nowhere, I found Blood Oath to be an entertaining read and I can't wait to find out what Cade and Barrows are up to next.
FTC Disclosure: I received a free, preview copy of this book through a contest on goodreads.com.
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