The One with After America

194. Title & Author: After America: Get Ready for Armageddon by Mark Steyn (351 pages)

Genre: Nonfiction—Current Events & Politics

Completed: 27 August 2011

Summary & Review:

Only a few years ago, author and political commentator Mark Steyn’s outlook was slightly more optimistic. The title of his 2006 book was America Alone, implying that perhaps the United States could stay a beacon of liberty and order among a world of increasing tyranny. However, in the intervening years, the United States has seemed desperate to catch up with Europe and the rest of the Western democracies in committing demographic, economic, and cultural suicide. From America Alone in 2006 to After America in 2011, Steyn now presents a world in which there may be no hope left for the core ideals of Western Civilization. Unless we are able to reverse the trend of bigger government and smaller citizens, we must indeed "Get ready for Armageddon."

It is kind of hard to say that you enjoyed a book about the end of your beloved country, and indeed the whole of Western Civilization. But, Mark Steyn has a way of making even such a depressing topic entertaining. His book was definitely not pure levity about this sobering topic, however. Steyn laid out concrete arguments to support his thesis and made convincing points backed with data and observations. Thankfully, he did not leave us without any hope. In fact, if we could just return to our founding principles and lifestyles of self-reliance, rather than dependence on an ever enlarging state, we could reverse the downward kamikaze spiral of the West. I think this book is extremely important for people to understand and internalize and I definitely recommend it.

I pre-ordered this book on Amazon before it was released and they were so on top of things, I got the book a day before it was in stores. Not too bad. Also, an “Arguments Summed Up” post detailing the arguments in After America will be posted in a couple of weeks.

Rating: 9.0

The One with Greenmantle

193. Title & Author: Greenmantle by John Buchan (220 pages)

Genre: Fiction—Classic Literature & Adventure Completed: 20 August 2011

Summary & Review:

The hero of The Thirty-Nine Steps, Richard Hannay, returns in this thrilling World War One adventure. After being summoned to the Foreign Office while on leave from the British army, Hanny is told of a plot to foment jihad among the Muslims subjects of the British empire by the Germans. Hannay and his small band of recruits covertly search throughout Germany and the Middle East for the mysterious Greenmantle, a supposed prophet of Islam who will call for all Muslims to revolt.

I read The Thirty-Nine Steps (#168) several months ago and upon finishing it, I immediately wanted to read the further adventures of Hannay. Buchan has a knack for writing adventure stories of a type that you just don’t find anymore. Today’s “thrillers”—note they’re called thrillers not adventures—are all so serious and dark. There doesn’t seem to be any fun in them. Buchan’s two novels that I have read, however, are filled with the fun and excitement a great adventure story should have. Buchan lived through some serious world events, but he understood that his stories could be a truly “thrilling” escape. I recommend both The Thrity-Nine Steps and Greenmantle.

Rating: 8.5

The One with The Father of Us All

192. Title & Author: The Father of Us All: War and History, Ancient and Modern by Victor Davis Hanson (246 pages)

Genre: Nonfiction—History, Military History, & Current Events

Completed: 14 August 2011

Summary & Review:

In recent decades, the superficial face of war has changed drastically. New technologies allow the United States to strike at enemies with remotely controlled drones, smart bombs, and satellite guided ordinance. Classicist and war historian Victor Davis Hanson makes the case that despite the rapid changing of technologies, the basic principles as to why nations fight wars and how wars are won have remained constant throughout the history of Western Civilization, reaching back to the days of Ancient Greece. Through a series of essays, book reviews, and commentaries, Hanson examines ancient and modern warfare and the way in which public perception of war and its interaction with it have changed over the millennia.

Whenever I read VDH, I realize how little I actually learned in school about the foundations of Western Civilization. I never read a Greek tragedy until college; I only read two works of Shakespeare in high school. If it wasn’t for studying art history and my own personal reading, I would know even less about our Western heritage and that kind of makes me wonder what they made us do for twelve years in public school.

In regard to the book, it was excellent, especially the essays focused on Classical Greece and Rome. Hanson made convincing arguments as to the essentially unchanging nature and presence of war and the constantly evolving public attitude and interaction (or lack thereof) with war. The better we understand the past, and the more we know about it, the better we are able to cope with modern events.

Thank you to my wonderful wife who gave me this book as a Christmas 2010 present!

Rating: 8.0

The One with The Painted Boy

191. Title & Author: The Painted Boy by Charles De Lint (431 pages)

Genre: Fiction—Young Adult & Fantasy

Completed: 4 August 2011

Summary & Review:

Jay Li has never had the chance to live a normal life. Since he was eleven years old, his grandmother has been training him in the ways of the Yellow Dragon Clan: one of the many ancient clans of people who possess animal spirits within them. At the close of his training, Jay is directed to follow his fate and he is led to a small town in the Arizona desert. Even though he tries to live a normal life by making friends and doing his best to fit in, Jay is soon forced to confront his dragon destiny and become the protector of the people living in the gang and crime infested town. But, he must first learn how to control and wield the immense power of the Yellow Dragon within him.

It was very difficult to write a short, concise summary because to really explain everything this book was about would take a lot of set up and background on all the animal clans, what exactly the animal-people are, etc. Needless to say, this was a very unique genre. It was a fantasy like you would find in a book set in some far off land or time, but it was taking place among modern, more real life problems like gang violence. DeLint was a talented storyteller and was able to meld these disparate worlds into a cohesive and readable novel.

Thank you to Luke, a fellow SC dental student, who not only recommended this book but loaned me his copy to read.

Rating: 7.5

Audiobook Update: I have listened to several more audiobooks lately, including Foreign Influence by Brad Thor, The Renaissance in a Nutshell by Peter Whitfield, and The Lost Painting: The Quest for a Caravaggio Masterpiece by Jonathan Harr. The last of those three books, The Lost Painting, was fascinating. Harr chronicled the 1993 discovery of Caravaggio's The Taking of Christ and included the history of the work, snipets of Caravaggio's personal life, and perhaps most interesting, the restoring and authenticating process of the painting.

The One with Rules of Vengeance

190. Title & Author: Rules of Vengeance by Christopher Reich (580 pages)

Genre: Fiction—Thriller

Completed: 30 July 2011

Summary & Review:

After discovering that his beloved wife is a rogue secret agent of the United States, Dr. Jonathan Ransom is separated from her when she must go into hiding. When he travels to London to speak at a medical conference, his wife contacts him to let him know they cannot stay together. Ransom refuses to give up and attempts to follow her. When he finally finds her, he watches in disbelief as she triggers a car bomb aimed at a prominent Russian diplomat. Caught in the net of British police and intelligence services, Ransom must find the truth behind his wife’s identity and stop her next attack.

When I first heard of Christopher Reich I thought that he was going to be stuck in the same vein of thriller throughout his career, i.e. the financial thriller. I guess I expected him to be to finance thrillers what Grisham is to law thrillers. But, after his first few novels, Reich has branched out and this Rules series seems to be his new bread and butter. Personally, I enjoyed the book. Back in 2008 I read The Patriots Club by Reich (#18) and wasn’t particularly in love with it. It was fine, but nothing really special. This novel was much better. The action was swift, the plot was interesting, and the characters were intriguing.

Thank you to my lovely wife who gave me a Groupon to a local bookstore where I bought this book.

Rating: 8.0