The Last Believer, Jerome Komisar

The Last Believer by Jerome Komisar is a book written by a friend's father.

Started: 1/17/2012

Completed: 4/1/2012

Recommendation: Mild recommendation

Recommended By:  Author's daughter.

Review:

This is not my genre, so it hard for me to tell how this book stacks up.  I thought that the character of Illya (The Last Believer) was reasonably well developed by the time the story was over.  I found the plot rather straight-forward and found the sex uncomfortable (maybe because it is written by a friend's father).  Most of the characters were shallow who did not develop over the course of the novel which takes place over a fairly short period.  I was a little uncomfortable with the frequency with which I was told how to react to something that a character said or did as opposed to letting the actions stand for themselves.  The middle section felt abrupt, like it was a much longer novel that was cut short.

The Druids, Peter Berresford Ellis

The Druids by Peter Berresford Ellis is a non-fiction account of the historical Druids.  I bought this from a yard sale some years ago as a follow up to Freeman's book.

Started:  12/31/2012

Completed: 4/3/2013

Recommendation: Good beginning, but I gave up before the end

Recommended by:  Nobody

Words I looked up:

autochthonous -- indigenous or native
primogeniture -- The right, by law or custom, of the firstborn to inherit the entire estate, to the exclusion of younger siblings.

Review:

Really good, clean set of arguments debunking some of the positions commonly held about the Druids. The author then goes one step further and starts generating his own unsubstantiated views in much the same manner as the views he debunked.  I really thought the first half was good, but got frustrated with he long steps in the second half.

The Broken Kingdoms, N. K. Jemison

The Broken Kingdoms by N. K. Jemisin is the second book in the inheritance trilogy.

Started: 2/5/2013

Completed: 2/13/2013

Recommendation:  Not as good as the first, but a book that stands on its own outside of the trilogy.

Recommended By:  Nobody

Review:

Not quite as interesting as the first as the interplay with the Gods is less in an odd sort of way.  This book takes place 10 years after the previous book and looks at a largely new cast of characters.  The writing is still solid, but a lot of the novelty is lost.