Title: Prospero Lost
Series: Prospero’s Daughter
Author: L. Jagi Lamplighter
Genre: Fantasy
I discovered Lamplighter via her husband, John C. Wright. His books are, simply put, amazing. And I was not disappointed in the least bit. Lamplighter (her maiden name, I believe) is an excellent writer. The depth and epic proportions of the book are belied by the humble subtly of her writing.
Miranda is the daughter of the great Prospero, whom Shakespear wrote about so long ago. Though a young lady, Miranda herself is several centuries old and has lately found herself running the family business, Prospero, Inc., alone. One day she discovers a cryptic warning from her father, who has mysteriously disappeared, and sets out to warn the rest of her far-flung family. Partnered with an enfleshed wind spirit detective, as she tracks down each of her siblings more and more of the layers of mystery surrounding her father’s disappearance are pierced.
As can even be glimpsed in this simple description, the story is built upon a mythology primarily derived from Shakespear, though there are many elements drawn from other major mythologies (Greek, Catholic, etc.). It seems like it would get convoluted and confusing, but Lamplighter manages to deftly move the story along while slowly and effortlessly revealing the mythological depth to the world she has created in her books.
And “books” it is. This is the first of a trilogy, and I would recommend not even opening this volume until you had the other two close at hand. As has happened to several of her husband’s works, the publisher took a massive story and neatly chopped it into three parts. The end of this book barely has any level of resolution to it. All the major conflicts are still unresolved, and Lamplighter reveals another level of conflict even in the last few chapters.
With that warning in place, I do highly recommend the book. The reading just flows, the characters are vivid, engaging, and quite intriguing. In fact, for being an adult book, I was rather pleased at how “clean” it was. Though there is a level of romance, it is quite chaste, and the language is not profane at all. I would even go so far as to say it would be fine for any High School age teenager, and probably even any mature Middle School age children.
In the past I read a review which remarked that it seemed that Lamplighter was almost attempting to write “Christian Fiction.” A claim which intrigued me. After reading this, the first of the trilogy, I think the jury is still out on the truth of that claim, but I can make a couple of observations. First, this is not a type of Ted Dekker or even C.S. Lewis “Christian” fiction. No, what Lamplighter has written here is set within a meta-narrative which is foreign to that of the Bible. It is rather close in some places. But, in a sense, it made me think of what Tolkien did with the Simarillion. To work in such characters as Elves, wind spirits, salamanders (fire spirits), the Water of Life, a Dante-esq Hell, and even Father Christmas (among many others) requires a different hierarchy of beings and even of creation.
Second, if a person goes into reading this trilogy expecting some sort of inspirational “Christian” fiction, they will be sorely disappointed and probably even offended. What Lamplighter is doing here is excellent, amazing writing and story creation/development. But because she chose to include such characters and to write the story she did, their very inclusion and nature begets a theology which is contrary to what is contained within the Bible. In my mind, this is okay because this is fiction on a grand scale, with not even a pretense of being very close to reality.
And lastly, early on in the book there was a short discussion on the person of Christ, what type of being he was and where he came from. I loved that she touched on this without trying to explain it all. For this book, at least, she left it a mystery. I am completely intrigued, of course, to see where she goes with it in the following books.
In conclusion, if you enjoy fantasy books – get the whole trilogy and block out a weekend to immerse yourself in it. If you just enjoy really creative stories, a good mystery, and don’t mind some supernatural insanity – grab yourself a copy and curl up. This is an excellent book and I can’t wait until my sons are old enough for me to share it with them!
Worldview: Mythological, but with Protestant undertones
Recommended Age: As I noted above, this should be fine for High School age teenagers, and probably even fine for mature Middle Schoolers.
Title: A Beautiful Friendship
Series: Star Kingdom (Honorverse)
Author: David Weber
Genre: Science Fiction, YA
First off, I must confess, I love Weber’s Harrington universe and all the books in them. So I was slightly disposed to enjoy this book from the time I cracked open the first page. And I will say, it did not disappoint. I think the most awesome part about this book is that, despite the fact that it is categorized as Young Adult, Weber doesn’t dumb it down any. The universe Stephanie Harrington is born into is quite complex, with all the scientific advances as well as political situations. Weber simplifies, but doesn’t dumb it down.
To me, the aspect which makes this a YA book is that the primary character is a young adult. But the situation she is finds herself in is quite an adult one, and her decisions and actions have real consequences. Weber does an excellent job of not shying away from these.
Another aspect of not dumbing down the material is that the book is rife with many sci-fi concepts, many of which are unique to Weber’s universe this book takes place. Weber does an excellent job of introducing/revealing these things without overwhelming the reader.
In conclusion, I greatly enjoyed this book and can’t wait until the next one comes out. I would highly recommend this to any teens – though be forewarned, this will definitely prove to be a “gateway” book for many into discovering the massive Honor Harrington series this YA series is a prequel to. Of course, in my mind, that’s not a bad thing.
Worldview: Secular
Recommended Age: perfectly fine for teens – I would even argue for mature pre-teens being able to read this, as long as they can understand the concepts (political/scientific) within it. There are a few “rougher” scenes, primarily due to some injuries suffered by Stephanie in a hangliding accident and what happens when she is threatened by an extremely dangerous animal right afterwards, but these aren’t anything more than can be found in a PG-13 rated movie.
Title: The Service of the Sword
Series: Honor Harrington
Author: Jane Lindskold, Timothy Zahn, John Ringo, Victor Mitchell, Eric Flint, David Weber
Genre: Science Fiction, Military Science Fiction
Wow.
That’s all I have to say. I’ve enjoyed every one of the short story compilations for the David Weber’s Honorverse, but usually there was a story which I didn’t care as much for or could have done without. Not so much in this book. I enjoyed everyone, and could barely put it down as I devoured the last three. And each story gets better than the last.
It starts off with “Promised Land” by Jane Lindskold, which centers around two characters. First, Michael Winton, the brother of the queen of Manticore who is trying to prove himself in the military on his own merits, and secondly on Judith, who was captured as a child by pirates and forced into a marriage with an older man when she came of age – and she wants to escape. I was already intrigued by the character of Michael Winton, and Lindskold does an excellent job of crafting and pacing the story. You know the paths of the two characters will cross, you just are not quite sure how it all is going to play out – which Lindskold does excellently.
The second story, “With One Stone,” is written by Timothy Zahn, whom I think has never written anything bad. Honor Harrington plays a secondary role in this story, while the primary character is Rafe Cardones. The story takes place after On Basilisk Station, so if you’ve read that book, this is a neat follow-up story. All, in all, it builds to a neat little climax.
It’s been a long time since I laughed as hard as I did reading “A Ship Named Francis,” by John Ringo and Victor Mitchell. So often the ships and captains of the Manticorans (as well as their allies) are depicted in quite complimentary terms. But everyone knows not every ship is perfect, right? And there’s got to be a ship where just about every element of “not perfect” come together, right? Well, in this case, there is. It’s hard to explain, but I can remember vividly laughing so hard I had tears in my eyes and couldn’t even read the words on the page.
“Let’s Go to Prague” (John Ringo) has this spy-noir feel to it. I really enjoyed the story and was slightly disappointed when it was over – I felt like I’d been cheated out of more. It centers around two non-conventional spys (in enemy territory) who decide to go on vacation (in a better locale, albeit still in enemy territory). They stumble upon the defection of an admiral which has just gone south and end up on the run for their lives.
The last two stories were my favorites among many enjoyable stories. “Fanatic,” by Eric Flint, is a masterful follow-up to “From the Highlands” (also by Eric Flint) from the compilation Changer of Worlds. Victor Cachat was a primary character in that story and he plays an almost primary character in this one. If you have read or are planning on reading Crown of Slaves and Torch of Freedom then you really should read first “From the Highlands” and then this story, “Fanatic.” Flint manages an almost breath-taking pace throughout, and the ending is really a masterful turn of phrase and concept – it kept me chuckling to myself for hours afterwards.
The final story is the title story, “The Service of the Sword,” by David Weber. A classic Weber tale. It centers around Abigail Hearns, who is also a significant character in Shadow of Saganami and Storm from the Shadows, and it takes place shortly before those two storylines. Basically Abigail is the first female from the planet Grayson to enter into naval training with the RMN (Royal Manticoran Navy. She’s on her middy cruise and gets quite the baptism by fire. I couldn’t stop reading – it was fantastic! Makes me want Weber’s next book in the series all the more.
In conclusion, if you enjoy the Honor Harrington series, of all the short story compilations Weber has put together for the Honorverse, this is one I would highly recommend. If you don’t know anything (or don’t care) about the Honorverse or Honor Harrington but you still love a good sci-fi tale, you’ll still greatly enjoy this collection.
Worldview: secular
Recommended age: I would suggest High School age, primarily due to the more detailed violence, though there are some more sexually mature scenarios, none of them get close to being explicit or inappropriate
Title: Wind and Shadow
Series: Firebird
Author: Kathy Tyers
Genre: Science Fiction
I was thrilled when I heard that Kathy Tyers was writing another book in her Firebird series. This book, though, is about the children of the primary characters in the previous book. In fact, Wind and Shadow could be read by itself, though some of the depth of the universe Tyers has created therein will be lost.
Within the first few pages it can easily be seen that Tyers has put as much effort into the creation and maturation of her vision of the Firebird universe as she does into the Star Wars books she is much more well known for.
The book starts right into the action, with the initiating event occurring within the first few pages. Kiel Caldwell, an apprentice priest inexplicably disappears within moments of stepping off a his ship. Wind Haworth, the diplomat who invited him, is thrust into a maelstrom of events which quickly spiral out of control with the arrival of Kiel’s brother, a powerful psychic who is slightly hotheaded. The scope of the danger quickly goes beyond mere local consequences as political plots are unveiled.
As I started reading, the pages were initially turning out of curiosity, but a few chapters into the book the pace really started to pick up and before I knew it I was just devouring the thing. The ending is quite climactic and very much a fitting apex to the entire story line.
It’s hard to actually call this a Christian book, because, in fact, the faith and beliefs detailed are not Christian, per se. One of the big ‘what if’s behind the entire Firebird series is ‘what if Christ had not come 2000 years ago, but instead came many years after man achieved space travel?’ All of the conflicts in Kiel’s faith (as well as the other characters) are nearly exact mirrors of many struggles every Christian has, therefore the moral and ethical solutions and resolutions resonate with the Christian faith. But technically the faith is not Christian because there is no Christ (at least not yet) in the Firebird universe.
All in all, an excellent book. If you get a chance, read the other Firebird books first, but don’t let that stop you from reading this one, it stands excellently on its own. An excellent work of sci-fi!
Worldview: Christian (kind of)
Recommended Age: I’d say Middle School and up should be fine. There is a little more mature material in it, nothing close to being explicit, though.
Title: The Way I Was Made
Author: Chris Tomlin
Genre: Non-Fiction
This is a compact little book, spanning a little over 167 of it’s smaller pages. It feels and looks more like a coffee table book, and when I first got it I was a little disappointed that it was so small and short. But when I actually opened it up and started reading it the disappointment faded.
After finishing the book I realized that I would love an opportunity to just hang out with Chris Tomlin, not only to soak up his heart and experience and wisdom as a worship leader, but also because he comes across so humble and sincere in his book. He never presents himself has having it all together or knowing exactly what’s going on in his life. In fact, he admits things are quite the opposite. But he does an excellent job of pointing to Christ as purpose, meaning and object of life – all of it.
The book itself is a very easy read and is not directed towards worship leaders, though there is an excellent chapter on worship leading. There is a biographical feel to it in that he has scattered many different stories from his life throughout the book. And he also offers glimpses into the stories behind many of his songs, which is very neat as well.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes Chris Tomlin’s music, or the music of Passion. I would also recommend it to worship leaders because of the glimpses into worship leading that Tomlin offers in the book.
The book isn’t intended for worship leaders, but for believers in general. As I noted above, he does have one chapter which focuses a little more on worship leading, but he doesn’t get so in depth that any non-worship-leader would get distracted or want to put the book down.
All in all the book is pretty solid. An easy read. And while the theological points he makes are deep, they are not presented as such and he makes them very accessible to the reader (at least in my mind).
Title: First Lensman
Series: Lensman, Book 2
Author: “Doc” E. E. Smith
Genre: Science Fiction
Smith continues his epic Lensman series in First Lensman. The Arisians are continuing to monitor and influence the development of four different races in the galaxy, specifically interested in the human race from Tellus (or Earth). Where Triplanetary, the first book in the series, literally took the reader back to the very beginning of the conflict between the Eddorians and the Arisians, describing the initial developments in the Arisian’s plans to ultimately destroy the Eddorians. That book was almost a collection of short stories, leaping through history and touching on various stories of two specific genealogical lines. In the latter part of that book Smith introduces the reader to Virgil Samms, who is the central character in this novel.
Samms, who becomes the First Lensman, is the driving force behind the development of first the Interstellar Police, which he eventually sees as inadequate for the job needing to be done. When the Arisians bestow the Lens upon him and pledge to provide more for all who are worthy, Samms finally has the incorruptible sign of authority needed and so moves on to establish the Galactic Patrol and the Galactic Council to oversee interstellar matters.
This book is quite a ride. Smith weaves quite a fantastic story, and he has a rather unrelenting pace. Though it was written in the ’50s most of his technology is vague enough to mature adequately with age. Every now and then the way he perceives future technology (specifically that of computers) is definitely rooted in his understanding of computers at that time, and that causes the reader to hesitate a little – but then the story distracts you again and you realize you could care less about the tech because the story is so engaging.
Though most fans of this series will say – correctly – that it really takes off with Galactic Patrol, the next book in the series, this is no second-rate book. In fact, I recommend reading through the entire series chronologically. The books get better and better, in my mind, at least, as you go through the books in their chronological order in the Lensman universe (not chronological order of publication).
Overall I greatly enjoyed this book and would easily recommend it to anyone. Since it was written so long ago it is actually very clean as far as language and sexual material is concerned. I would just very strongly encourage anyone reading this book to get their hands on the other books in the series as well – they are classics in every sense of the word.
Worldview: secular
Recommended age: It is a very “clean” book in regards to language and sexual situations. There is a little violence, but even that is described “modestly”, though the violence may not be so mild. Thusly, as soon as a child can understand the concepts within the book, they should be okay reading it.
Title: Triplanetary
Series: Lensman, Book 1
Author: “Doc” E. E. Smith
Genre: Science Fiction
Triplanetary is chronologically the first book in E. E. Smith’s classic Lensmen series. The first book published was Galactic Patrol. That book drops the reader into a conflict which is already older than the earth itself, though it seems concerned with one particular Lensman, Kim Kinnison. Triplanetary goes back to the beginning and lays out the meta-narrative that particular story takes place within.
That being understood, this book, in the Lensman series, works about the same as the Silmarillion did for Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings epic. In effect, it help you to understand why Kim Kinnison is so important, and why the particular battles that he fights in Galactic Patrol (and later books) is so important. Therefore at the least the first third of the book reads more like a historical (or almost fantastical) recounting than a science fiction novel. Then it highlights particlar stories about particular individuals that make up the geneological line which is so important to the Arisians in defeating the Eddorians.
The last portion of the book is more like the science fiction fare that E. E. Smith serves up in the later books of the series. All in all, it is quite an interesting book. I found it fascinating and engaging – though I must admit I was partially already under Smith’s spell from reading about John C. Wright’s love for this particular series in his blog.
The book reads almost as a collection of short stories which are woven together to form a background for the main stories to come later. And it was written in 1948, so the flavor is a little different from modern science fiction, but I found it fresh and clear – just fun! Since it was written in that era, there really is no objectionable content as far as language or sexual situations. 
There is violence, but it is so masked by inference as to not be really graphic. Due to that I wouldn’t hesitate to allow my son to read this as soon as he could understand the concepts within.
An excellent book, and I highly recommend it. But don’t read it alone – make sure you work your way through all the Lensman books so you can truly enjoy the classic that Smith has woven together here.
Worldview: Secular, slightly evolutionary
Recommended Age: As long as the child can understand the material within, it should be fine.
Title: Vision of the Future
Series: Star Wars; Hand of Thrawn, Book 2
Author: Timothy Zahn
Genre: Science Fiction
Vision of the Future is the sequel to Specter of the Past, both of which form a little mini-series in the Star Wars universe of books called “The Hand of Thrawn.” It picks up right where Specter of the Past left off, without much re-hashing at all – so definitely read Specter first. That said, if you enjoyed Zahn’s previous Thrawn Trilogy of the Star Wars universe, then you’ll probably love this little series. It is kind of a sequel to that trilogy, sort of…
Zahn does an incredible job weaving all the different people involved in a Star Wars story into a cohesive and coherent plot. There is just a lot of stuff going on! But he works it very well, most of the groundwork being laid in Specter of the Past so that he can just build and climax for most of this book. Zahn is an incredible writer, and here he does another excellent job of weaving an intriguing story with beloved characters, all the while making it believable and the characters seeming real.
As is usual in most Star Wars books, at least at this point in series, though there are some more mature social and political situations, the voilence and inferred sexuality would barely rate a PG-13 rating in a movie. So I would feel pretty comfortable allowing a middle-school aged child read this (though I would probably point him/her towards the Young Jedi series first…).
Good book, excellent pacing, and a page-turner to boot!
Worldview: Secular
Age Recommendation: a mature middle school aged child should be fine reading this, though high school age would be more appropriate.
Title: Specter of the Past
Series: Star Wars; Hand of Thrawn, Book 1
Author: Timothy Zahn
Genre: Science Fiction
I am a huge fan of Star Wars, and I also loved Zahn’s Thrawn Trilogy. So when I found another Star Wars book by Zahn, and then found out it was one of two books in a duology which serve as a kind of sequel to the Thrawn Trilogy, I was kind of excited. So I got my hands on the second book of the series and (eventually) started through ‘em. Specter of the Past is the first book (followed by Vision of the Future), and, while it starts off a little slow, is another gem by Timothy Zahn.
Unfortunately, in the end, this book did nothing more than set up all the conflict that will have to be resolved in the sequel (Vision of the Future). That being said, it is most definitely a good read. I enjoyed it a good amount, and found myself really drawn into the story by the end. Zahn doesn’t necessarily take too long setting up his characters, but in Star Wars there are a plethora of characters to draw from and to do the conflict justice he has to take a decent amount of time introducing the characters and revealing the layers of conflict.
As should be noted, there are a ton of Star Wars books out there, and I have have barely scratched the surface of them in my reading. So what is needed to enjoy this book? I would suggest having seen Episodes IV, V and VI of the movie, as well as probably reading Zahn’s Thrawn Trilogy (Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, and The Last Command) before picking up this one. I’m sure reading any of the other books in the Star Wars series which fall before this one chronologically would also contribute to your understanding of what is going on in the galaxy at the time this story takes place, but they are not essential.
I would suggest getting your hands on Vision of the Future before reading this one, primarily because there really is no conclusion at the end. It just kind of stops – almost like a dramatic pause before an intermission and things kick it into high gear. You’re gonna want to have the sequel right there to pick up and continue reading.
If you’re a fan of Star Wars I highly recommend this novel. If you enjoy good science fiction, this would probably be up your alley as well. Zahn is an excellent writer and he does an excellent job here as well. The story would probably be appropriate for middle schoolers (Stars Wars books are generally clean when it comes to language and sexual stuff). The violence is not overwhelming, and the subject matter is slightly mature, but not too much so for that age.
Worldview: Secular
Recommended Age: Middle school age children should be fine with this book.
Title: Beawulf’s Children
Series: Heorot, Book 2
Authors: Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, Steven Barnes
Genre: Science Fiction
I grabbed this book because I remembered it being mentioned as a highlight of Larry Niven’s bibliography in another of his books. That, and the cover was kinda exciting with the gold print and all. That said, I wasn’t sure I would enjoy this book too much because one of the aspects of sci-fi that I enjoy so much is the gadgets, gizmos and high tech in general. This was a book about a group of colonists sent out to a planet from Earth who have lost contact with Earth and are struggling to make this new planet their own – in spite of some super-charged alien animals who have evolved there! I wasn’t sure if that was a recipe for the type of sci-fi I enjoyed.
Well, whether or not the general recipe was to my personal taste, the execution, for the most part, was. The authors kept me intrigued from the first page. The world and the science they created and set the story in was so well-thought out and, in effect, real that I was completely caught up in it. The characters were strong, intriguing and engaging. And the plot never felt forced, all the intrigue, chaos and action unfolded very naturally, though sometimes at breakneck speed.
After I finished reading it, I found out that this was actually a sequel to another book, Legacy of Heorot. That was irritating, I had to read the books out of chronological order. Oh well – they were both good, but, in my mind, this was definitely a step better. It was just a little more complex plot-wise as well as with the characters. But I definitely recommend reading Legacy of Heorot as well – first if you can manage it!
My only hesitation in recommending it is the extremely casual attitude and atmosphere regarding sex in the colonists. All the colonists having been thoroughly screened before being accepted into the colonization program ensured that there was virtually no chance of a sexually transmitted disease in their community. That element, combined with a lack of religious restraint on relationships, created an environment where sexual partnering was done at a whim, though most eventually settled down with more “permanent” partners. But among the youth there is an extremely casual attitude towards sex, and though most specific/explicit details are left out, many encounters are described in varying amounts of detail. But, interestingly enough, there is one conversation between a young lady and her ‘father figure’ near the end of the book where she expresses some regret that she, as well as all her peers, has been so prolific in her sexual partnering.
So do I recommend the book? For the most part, but be aware of a decently strong permeation of a casual (i.e. unbiblical) attitude towards sex. That reason alone makes me hesitant to suggest it to anyone not yet out of high school. But it is an incredibly well-written book, with very strong science behind everything. If you want to read an excellent, stand-alone novel of science fiction, this is one I might recommend, even if you’re not the biggest fan of sci-fi.
Worldview: secular, evolutionary
Recommended Age: College age, due to sexual themes and situations
