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Review: The Mongoliad: Book One

The Mongoliad: Book One (Foreworld #1)
by Neal Stephenson, Greg Bear, Mark Teppo , E.D. deBirmingham,
Erik Bear, Joseph Brassey, Cooper Moo

I give this book a 4.

LikeIt

This is an epic tale in the tradition of something like the Song of Roland, but I think this is more much accessible to modern readers. This tale covers a short period of the Mongol rule in which various knights of Christendom are charged with the task of saving what little territories are left, but instead they decided to just take out the Khan. The main character of this story is oddly enough not a Christian or a knight. She is a scout  of mixed nationality who goes along for the ride to help in any way she can, hoping she doesn’t die, and soon begins to empathize with the cause of her comrades.

I like this book for the many stories it tells. There are so many details and lives that cross in this book. It’s a true pleasure to read great stories like these. Cnan and the knights have a great adventure tale shared between them, but each of this group has a story worth learning, even though they don’t all get told in this book. Even though they are united to save Christendom, most these knights aren’t Christians, they just want to take down the Mongols.  There are a few however who remind you of such characters as the Knights of the Round Table.

Then there is Gansukh (a hunter/warrior sent to look after the Khan), and Lian (an obedient and wise slave looking for an escape), and the slave fighters of the Mongols whose names aren’t important right now. There are so many characters and interesting stories to be told in the book that it does sometimes get confusing, but if you stick with it, it all comes together.

I love the way the hunting and tracking scenes are described, and the fight scenes aren’t bad either. My main reason for not giving this book a 5 is the fact that it doesn’t really end. I mean the pages stop, but there is no type of conclusion drawn. I find this a bit irritating. I get that books in a series never really end until the series ends, but I at least expect some type of indication that this part of the series is now complete.

I will never be on board with this idea that a series is an excuse to just stop in the middle of a story so the next book can be printed. I probably would have given this book a 5 if the goal of it had been for the characters to reach the Shield Sisters. The next book could start with what happens after that, but no- this book just stopped.

This is a great historical fiction epic that I think would appeal to readers of fantasy looking to try something different. If you can read the Game of Throne books, you can read this.

This review has been posted to GoodReads. If you’d like to obtain a copy of this book, try this link.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords

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Review: Ghost in the Wires

Ghost in the Wires: My Adventures as the World’s Most Wanted Hacker
by Kevin D. Mitnick, William L. Simon, Steve Wozniak

I give this book 3, almost a 3 ½.

Okay

This is the story of a computer hacker, but not just any hacker. Apparently this is the story of the world’s most wanted computer hacker, Kevin Micknick. The story is told from his point of view and is quite relatable to the modern trend of popularizing average people and making them seem larger than life. I do, however, feel that Kevin Micknick is so much more than average, but I got the feeling I was watching his reality show the whole time I listened to this book (I got it as an audio book).

There is a bunch of “stuff” to be learned from reading this book, but unless you have a keen interest in: phone & communication systems, computers, internet traversal, file sharing, and even a bit of legalese, this book isn’t going to keep your interest. I am actually fascinated by these kinds of things so, for the most part, I really enjoyed this book. Aside from all the technical talk, this book does tell the compelling story of one man’s life-long struggle with hacking and all that comes and goes with it.

I think the main reason I didn’t give this book a higher rating was because I didn’t care much for Kevin in the long run. His story is amazing and his level of almost genius hacking and manipulation skills are impressive, but he’s kind of a jerk. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that he’s a bad guy, he simply does a lot of annoying and silly things (I know a guy like him. He’s a friend, but still a jerk). Most of his problems he caused himself, and even after learning of the injustices he had to face, I still feel like he went through it all because there was no other way he was going to learn his lesson. I think someone who’s more of a people person than I am might not hold Kevin’s personality against the rating of this book, but since he’s telling the story, I find it difficult not to be swayed by my reaction to him as opposed to simply his story.

I think this book is a real eye-opener to all the people who think their identities are so secure and would recommend it for that reason alone. Who knows, someone else may really be in to Kevin’s personality. I don’t see many moms diving into to this, it’s not good for kids, some teens might like it if they’re into tech, but there is profanity present. This one’s for the guys.

This review has been posted to GoodReads. If you’d like to obtain a copy of this book, try this link.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords

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Review: Insurgent

Insurgent (Divergent, book 2) by Veronica Roth

I give this book a 5.

LoveIt

I thought there would be more action in this one and there was…Oh and I was right about those crazy factions and their downfall and all that. Now I can’t wait to see what’s outside, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

Tris is at it again, being all sweet and moody and kick-butt all at once. I like this kid, but she has some serious issues. Four on the other hand doesn’t seem as wise and mature as the author projects him to be in the eyes of all the other characters, but I still like him too (He’s only two years older than Tris, not exactly a father figure).

So in this book we’ve figured out that all the smart people are trying take out all the selfless people and somehow everyone is just now acknowledging the sixth faction, which I was just waiting for all along. There aren’t a lot of surprises in this plot, but I like the way it is executed. The author has put ingenuity to test with the way she’s twisted her plotlines. The few surprises there are in this book, are more than enough to carry the rest of the story if anyone is having a problem there.

The whole theme of control (and mind control) in the book screams anti authority in some ways, but I also think it’s a cautionary tale about the problems with too much control. Apparently someone tried to create a perfect world that’s slowly falling apart and people are willing to kill to keep this failed idea a secret. I admit I have questions about where this story is going, but I was too wrapped up in the mental and physical battle between Tris and the Erudite to spend too much time worry about them.

If the first book was about keeping secrets and finding yourself, then this one is about revealing secrets and testing yourself (finding out if you are who you think you really are). I could say more, but there’s no point. I like this book whether it makes sense or not, and I can’t wait to read the next one.

See my review for Divergent here.

This review has been posted to GoodReads. If you’d like to obtain a copy of this book, try this link.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords