Casino Royale by Ian Fleming

This is the novel that introduced James Bond to the world. Bond is a hard as nails member of the British Secret Service. He is on the trail of a vicious French union leader who is employed by Moscow. This man has to raise money and quickly. To do this he decides to run a baccarat table at the Casino Royale. Enter James Bond. Bond's job is to break Le Chiffre. Along with the French agent Mathis, the CIA agent Felix Leiter, and the beautiful Vesper Lynd Bond has to defeat his enemy, survive capture and torture, and somehow keep the money from falling back into the hands of the Russians. At the end Bond receives a new mission in life. He now is at work with the Soviet organization SMERSH. This enmity will define many of the future novels.

Ian Fleming's Bond is a very different character from the versions in the films. In some ways Daniel Craig has come the closest to capturing Bond’s character. The hard, keen edge combined with a certain ruthlessness and recklessness define the Bond of Casino Royale. If Craig coul capture some of Connery’s suave nature then he may be able to capture the true nature of Ian Fleming's Bond.

This book is an enjoyable spy novel. There are some moments in this book that are difficult to read. I am never a fan of torture scenes and Fleming seems to enjoy writing them a little to well for my taste. Overall it is a grand journey into the past. A world of sophistication and global war of ideas provide the backdrop. More than once Bond is confronted with how small a player he is in the war of great powers.

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Revelation and the End of All Things by Craig Koester

Revelation and the End of All Things is a very interesting study on the book of Revelation and how it has been used in our time. Dr. Koester walks the reader through the understanding of the history and the culture of the period. The author's goal is to break down the images and ideas that have grown up over time around this book and recapture its true meaning. For Koester the book of Revelation is not a cryptic story of the future. Rather it is a book that describes the hope that the Church held that no matter what the earthly powers thought, the power of God stood over all. Hope is the main theme of Revelation and Dr. Koester does a good job of brushing away the fear that many have and helping the reader to regain that hope.

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Sojourn by R. A. Salvatore

Drizzt has finally escaped from the Underdark. Now he is trying to find his way in the surface world. This is not easy for a member of the hatred Drow race. Everywhere he goes Drizzt feels the stigma that comes from being associated with his treacherous people. He is blamed when a family that he watches is massacred. He avenges the family, but is forced to move on. He finally finds refuge and friendship with an old, blind ranger. The ranger accepts Drizzt and tries to help him find peace. After the old man passes away Drizzt moves on again in search of a place to call home. Through adventures he makes his way to the Ten Towns of Icewind Dale. There, in a place where all sorts are welcome to flee he finds a grudging acceptance. Here he also meets the dwarf Bruenor and his adopted daughter Cattie-Brie. These friendships will set Drizzt on the path of become the renowned fighter that he will become.

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Exile by R. A. Salvatore

This is the second novel in R. A. Salvatore’s Dark Elf trilogy. This novel follows Drizzt as he tries to find his way alone after fleeing his people. Along the path he makes new friends and learns about his true nature.

Driven from his native city by the hatred of the Spider Goddess Loth the noble warrior Drizzt has taken to the wilds of the Underdark. His family is still searching for him. After nearly killing his sister he decides to flee from the region. He makes a number of friends and begins the process of learning how to live in a world that is not based on treachery and cruelty. No matter where he goes the malice of his family will not escape him. Finally his mother sends the reanimated corpse of his father and mentor to kill him. As he learns to trust others and how to live in the larger world Drizzt starts to understand what it means to live.

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Homeland by R. A. Salvatore

First book in the early history of the Drow warrior Drizzt Do’Urden. Born into the underground culture of the Drow (dark elves) Drizzt seems incapable of understanding the evil that his culture is founded on. He is trained to be a warrior and becomes the most formidable fighter in the great drow city. His own innate moral sense is challenged, but not destroyed by the cruelty of his culture. Finally, when he only pretends to kill a surface elf child in cold blood, he is forced to flee the city into the deadly regions of the Underdark.

This is the first novel in the Dark Elf Trilogy by RA Salvatore. It gives the story of the birth and training of the great fighter. It also gives us an insight into the culture of the Drow. It is the perfect place to start reading about this hero. Drizzt’s rejection of his own heritage and the willingness to abandon it all show him to be a true hero. This is classic Sword and Sorcery Fantasy. This novel is more than fancy sword fights. At its core it’s about seeking out truth and taking responsibility for your own destiny, even if the whole culture is against you.



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Washington: A Life by Ron Chernow

This is an excellent book on the life of George Washington. Washington is such a powerful figure in our society that it is hard to write on him. For many he is a semi-divine figure. That is true of his admirers and his critics. The admirers try to place him on a pedestal like a god. His critics seek to tear him off of a pedestal with all the rabid zeal of iconoclasts. Chernow gives us a picture of a human George Washington. He is very free with his praise, but doesn’t hesitate to point out his flaws as well.
The “Great Man” theory of history has fallen out of favor these days. It is impossible to look at the American Revolution and the Early Republic period without considering George Washington. A lesser man might have failed and the Revolution would have ended with a British victory and the death of the leaders of the Revolutionary generation. A lesser man might have prevailed on the field of battle, but succumbed to the lure of power and the American Republic would have become a dictatorship or a New World Monarchy. Washington was a greater man than that.
He did have his failings. He could be vain and had an explosive temper. He tried to temper those personal flaws. He rarely lost his temper in public and always tried to stifle his vanity. His occasional lapses do not make him a failure, rather they make him all the more human.
Chernow is a good writer. His books are designed for a general readership so it is not weighted down with the unnecessary baggage of academic writing. There are times where it seems that he re-emphasizes points that he has made quite clear. For example: we are told many times about Washington’s financial troubles. He goes into detail in many different places as if he is trying to convince the reader that this is true. It seemed a bit redundant at times, but that is only a small niggling point.
Overall this is an excellent book and I highly recommend it.
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It's been a while

It's been a while. I have gone crazy with reading books this year and haven't taken the time to actually write any reviews. So from here on out I will try to be better about it. I have already read over 60 books this year. I will be posting a lot of reviews here until I get caught up.


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