Welcome to Part 2
of Rutabaga’s Reads 2014. I haven’t read these books any too recently, nor have
I re-read them. I’ll admit that these stories were not ones I really enjoyed,
but that doesn’t mean you would agree with me. As I always aim to do – and have
hopefully been successful – I pointed out the strengths I found in each book.
When a discrete
particle physicist calls Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon, he understandably
asks, “Are you sure you’ve got the right Langdon?” Another physicist has been
viciously slain at CERN1 (the European Organization for Nuclear
Research) and has the word Illuminati
– in ambigram form – seared into his chest. Being the symbologist he is, Robert
knows of the Illuminati. Summed up, they’re science lovers and religion haters.
As Robert gets involved in the investigation, the body count rises as the Hassassin unleashes his awful evil. The
murdered physicist’s daughter, Vittoria Vetra (a Bio Entanglement Physicist),
gets caught up in the hunt for the Hassassin. Together, they travel to Rome to
save the Vatican from being wiped out by a canister of stolen antimatter. At
multiple moments, it is a life-and-death adventure.
While I enjoyed “The Da Vinci Code”
more, “Angels and Demons” is a fast-paced thrill ride. It’s over-the-top with
many twists and turns. I am middle-of-the-road on this one; I didn’t love it,
but I didn’t dislike it, either. Especially when facts are expected – in this
case, scientific and historical – I like to have a little more background, but
sometimes all of that information, especially when it’s new, can put your mind
on information overload. Many of you have probably read this book, so you know
it’s a “smart” read and not a laidback one.
1Located in Geneva, Switzerland, CERN
operates the world’s largest particle physics laboratory.
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The Mission Song (Sept. 19, 2006) by John le Carré.
Bruno Salvador
is a half-Irish/half-Congolese orphan-by-abandonment. He’s a handsome
twenty-nine-year-old in a sour marriage who’s fluent in multiple African
languages such as Kinyarwanda and Shi. His affinity for languages has made him
a top interpreter in London. He’s sent to interpret at a conference and also to
decipher recordings that are coming from hidden microphones that the attendees
don’t know about. The conference is between Congolese warlords and their
supposed Western backers known only as the Syndicate. Bruno learns of a coup
and tries to prevent it. Will he succeed?
I found this adult fiction book to
be intelligently written. It is ripe with corruption, affairs, displeasure and
even torture. I may be wrong, but I don’t recall it having much humor. The
major turn-off for me was the vulgar language. I’m not wimpy about coming
across vulgar language, for I can always skip over those words or mentally re-word
them, but I felt as though every other sentence contained the “f” word. And
actually, that’s not even an exaggeration for parts of the book.
Have any of you read other books by
le Carré? I’m curious to know if all of his books are like that or if only this
one is.
Silent Thunder (July 8, 2008) by Iris Johansen &
Roy Johansen.
The Silent Thunder of the story is a
decommissioned Soviet submarine, and Hannah Bryson, marine architect, has the
honor to inspect it. It’s her job to make sure every inch is safe before it’s
visited by thousands. Her brother, Connor, helps her examine the sub. A
mysterious message is discovered, but there’s a deadly assault onboard before
it can be deciphered. Hannah’s warned not to, but she leaps into investigative
mode anyway. She has good reason, and she’ll join forces with a mysterious man
called Kirov. Good thing, too, for she’ll need his aid to survive.
Iris Johansen teamed up with her son
for this adult fiction suspense-thriller. While you can see I. Johansen’s
signature touch, R. Johansen adds some more to the Johansen novel. It is brisk,
and the points that appear to be based on fact seem to be well-researched.
How far would
you go to save your sister? I don’t have one, so I don’t really know. However,
I do have a sister-in-law and a soon-to-be sister-in-law. They should know that
I would totally fight off a dark wizard, defend them from Downworlders
Shadowhunter-style or kick a zombie in the face for them. (I could add more,
but let me not get carried away!)
Rachel Kirby is a techno-geek (or
computer genius) attempting to piece together something which may cure her
younger sister, Allie, of a rare disease called Globoid Cell Leukodystrophy
(a.k.a. GLD or Krabbe’s Disease). It’s a rare disorder of the nervous system. A
man named John Tavak uncovers an important secret in an Egyptian tomb that may
save Allie and many more. Unfortunately, there are enemies who want that secret
and are not afraid to use violence and wreak death in the process. Rachel and
Tavak will have to put their expertise together to keep that secret out of the
wrong hands.
The plot is outlandish, but as it is
thriller fiction, there’s nothing wrong with that. There are twists and turns
and a betrayal or two, violence and suspense. I actually didn’t mind either of
these Johansen & Johansen novels. It’s just that following one Johansen is
enough for my reading library!
Sight can be a
powerful thing. “Sight” in this case is the ability to see faeries. Aislinn has
always been able to see them, but they’re not the Disney variety. These faeries
are powerful and dangerous and can be downright vicious. There are three simple
rules about faeries.
Rule #1: Don’t ever attract faeries’
attention.
Rule #2: Don’t answer invisible faeries.
Rule #3: Don’t stare at invisible faeries.
Trouble is,
those rules aren’t helping Aislinn. Faeries are noticing her, including Keenan,
the Summer King, and he wants Aislinn to be his Summer Queen. Why?
Faeries and mortals intermingle in
this YA urban fantasy story. Love and danger swirl around in this book. It’s
not that I didn’t find the book interesting; it simply wasn’t one I loved. I
think Marr creates a well-imagined world within a contemporary setting in
“Wicked Lovely.” If anyone’s read this book or the whole series, I’d love to
hear your thoughts on it.
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