Review of THE RUNAWAY KING by Jennifer Nielsen

Jaron is just a boy. His parents and brother are dead as the result of an assassination, and he must assume his rightful place as the new king of Carthya. Only a few weeks ago Jaron himself was thought to have been killed years ago by pirates, until it was discovered that his dad hid him away in a life on his own. Jaron has been a survivor, and he'll need the skills he learned all those years on his own now more than ever because many people want him dead, including the pirates he escaped years before. Jaron is forced to flea the castle and his homeland to keep Carthya from going to war. Jaron is unpredictible and irresponsible, and no one believes he has what it takes to be king. On the run, he makes what most will believe to be some of the most reckless actions of his life. Will he survive? Will he rise to the challenge of being king?

THE RUNAWAY KING by Jennifer Nielsen is the second book in her Ascendance Trilogy. I loved the first book for the incredible twist at the end. I loved this book even more because it delves so much deeper into the character of Jaron. He's had a rough life, and much of his life he's had to be unquestionably selfish in order to survive. Now he is Carthya's king, and a former friend is trying to kill him. His arrogance shines through on almost every page of the story, and you wonder if he'll ever get past this major flaw in his character. You even wonder if he even cares about the people of Carthya. But as the story goes along, and Jaron does things that seem really stupid and counterproductive, you begin to see a different side of him. It's the reason why he does what he does in this story that blew me away in the end. 

THE RUNAWAY KING is a uniquely told hero's journey about a boy who seems destined to be a rescuer, even though everything about him would say otherwise. Nielsen kept me turning pages all the way to the end. It's action-packed, emotionally-stirring, and the end made me really wish I could go ahead and dive into the third book. I was quickly recommending this book to friends even as I read it, and Nielsen will be an author whose work I will continue to look forward to with an expectation that I'm about to read another great story.

Review copy provided by Scholastic

Photo Credit: Scholastic

Review of BASIC.TEACHING, a Video by Francis Chan

In his video BASIC.TEACHING, Francis Chan pours his heart out on the Scriptures and how believers should be committed to learning from them and drawing close to God through them. Chan talks about the authority of the Bible and the need for authentic and faithful teaching. The first disciples taught what Jesus taught so that others could teach and Jesus' message would continue to spread.

Chan's heart in this video is clearly the idea of churches making disciples who make disciples. If we're believers in Jesus, then we're called to teach what Jesus taught. This includes measuring teaching against Scrpture so that we have accurate teaching. Another important idea Chan proposes is that reading the Bible should be something we want to do rather than feeling like a duty. The first disciples and those after them wanted to hear Jesus' teaching. How often do we pursue God's Word the wsy that they did.

The visual journey in the video really accentuates the ideas Chan is talking about. Chan is a passionate teacher, and we can learn some very foundational things through the BASIC.TEACHING video.

Review copy provided by David C. Cook

Photo Credit: David C. Cook

Review of EXTREME WORLDS by Francis Tsai

If you're a drawing artist, you might come to a point where you want to draw something that doesn't really exist in our world. Something out of this world. EXTREME WORLDS: THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO DRAWING AND PAINTING SCI-FI ART by Francis Tsai gives artists the tools and knowledge to create fantastic sci-fi worlds, creatures, weapons, vehicles, and characters. 

After covering some drawing basics, the book launches into the steps to drawing sci-fi art. The book doesn't stop with drawing but puts the techniques into practice by discussing some storytelling concepts in the genre of the space opera. The author covers creating your characters and world. The book includes numerous illustrations throughout that encourage the mind of images an artist can create. 

EXTREME WORLDS is a great book for any artist interested specifically in creating sci-fi art.

Review copy provided by FW Media

Extreme Worlds
Amazon: amzn.to/WVgLgM
Barnes & Noble: bit.ly/10nrq4y
North Light: bit.ly/Ub1tyg

Photo Credit: FW Media

Advanced Review of WRITER'S REHAB by D.B. Gilles

COMING OCTOBER 2013

It's a common occurrence for writers to struggle with doing the very thing they feel they were made to do: write. There are a variety of different causes for a writer experiencing writer's block, but how to get past it? There are few things more frustrating than being a writer and not be producing something good that we want people to read. Screenwriter D.B. Gilles offers somewhat of a process of recovery for writers in his upcoming book WRITER'S REHAB. The book is written as a 12-step recovery program for writers "who can't get their acts together."

The 12 steps deal with issues such as perfectionism, being an 80 percent finisher, and coming up with high concept story ideas. The common denominator is that there is usually nothing stopping you from writing more than you are. Sometimes you just need to settle in and do the work. Gilles often encourages seeking therapy throughout the book to deal with serious issues, which wasn't really relevant to me, but I can see why it might be for some people. The book is aimed primarily to screenwriters, but all writers sometimes need a kick in the behind to do what they need to do, which is write.

WRITER'S REHAB is a compact little book that will help a writer explore the often unnecessary reasons for not writing and find useful exercises to get back to it.

Review copy provided by Michael Wiese Productions

Photo Credit: Michael Wiese Productions

Review of. WRITING IRRESISTIBLE KIDLIT by Mary Kole

WRITING IRRESISTIBLE KIDLIT by Mary Kole explores the themes and techniques used that have made young adult stories like Harry Potter and The Hunger Games a success. Kole is a literary agent who knows the world of kidlit and writes with the goal of empowering writers with the skills to write captivating stories to reach a young audience. And, of course, some of the best kidlit works have crossed over to adult audiences as well.

The book of course features all the standard features of a book about writing fiction, such as plot, character, setting, etc. What makes Kole's book unique and especially helpful to writers interested in writing kidlit is her focus on getting into the minds of middle grade and young adult readers and understanding the themes that resonate with them most. There are even tips on starting your career in writing kidlit. Another helpful aspect to the book is Kole's explanations on the differences between middle grade and young adult stories.

WRITING IRRESISTIBLE KIDLIT is a fantastic book for writers who want to break into the literary world carved out by J.K. Rowling, Stephenie Meyer, Suzanne Collins, and many other lesser known authors.

Review copy provided by FW Media

Writing Irresistible Kid Lit
Amazon: amzn.to/12IhB0J
Barnes & Noble: bit.ly/TljX1R
Writer’s Digest: bit.ly/Uopl4b

Photo Credit: FW Media

Review of GOD AND EVIL edited by Chad Meister and James K. Dew Jr.

The reality of evil and suffering in a world is a problem that everyone struggles with at some point, especially when it comes to believing in the existence of a good God who created the world we live in. If a good God created the world, why all this evil? GOD AND EVIL is a new book from InterVarsity Press edited by Chad Meister and James K. Dew Jr. The book is a collection of essays by scholars and Christian thinkers wrestling with the many different issues involved in the problem of evil. There's some interesting essays in this book, including possible reasons why God might allow evil, an essay on God's hiddenness, original sin and its origin, evil from the perspective of other religions, and of course hell. There are even essays on evolution and intelligent design.

I especially appreciate Bruce Little's contribution on gratuitous evil, Paul Copan's contributions on original sin, and William Craig's chapter on the doctrine of hell.

The only issue I had with the book, which could be a strength or a weakness to the book, is the differing and sometimes contradictory viewpoints taken up. For example, Craig argues for a particularist approach to hell which is followed by an essay by Kyle Blanchette and Jerry L. Walls arguing for more of a Rob Bell-like inclusivist approach. Someone reading this book hoping to come away with some solid answers may find themselves more frustrated by the end. Still, it was interesting to see some of these viewpoints side by side and would recommend it to someone who has already had some experience wrestling through the issues presented.

Review copy provided by InterVarsity Press

Photo Credit: InterVarsity Press

Review of INCEPTION: SHOOTING SCRIPT by Christopher Nolan

I became a Christopher Nolan fan after the first Batman movie, and INCEPTION quickly joined the ranks as one of my favorite movies. I love great movies, but I'm also a writer, so I was interested in Christopher Nolan as writer. I love the idea of the stunning visuals we see in movies beginning as words on a page. The INCEPTION SHOOTING SCRIPT gives me the opportunity to see Christopher Nolan the writer.

The book obviously contains the script of the movie, and it's a great journey through the story. It's amazing how you can see the movie playing in your mind. What I really love about this book is the interview at the beginning between Nolan and his brother Jonathan Nolan. It gives a lot of insight into how Nolan came up with the story idea for INCEPTION and gives you some idea of Nolan's creative process.

The INCEPTION SHOOTING SCRIPT will appeal to people interested in writing for movies. It will also appeal just to fans of INCEPTION.

Review copy provided by Insight Editions

Photo Credit: Insight Editions