Book Log 2015 #47: The Fifth Gospel by Ian Caldwell

A little over a decade ago, Ian Caldwell co-wrote a novel called The Rule of Four, a literate thriller about four roommates and the obsession with a mysterious 15th century book. It was on the best-seller lists for months. Great things were expected from both men.

But both of them fell off the radar, book-wise. Dustin Thomason found work writing and producing TV shows, but did have another best-selling book in 2012 with a plot focused on the Mayan calendar and the potential end of the world.  Caldwell spent a good decade coming up with this book, his follow-up. It uses the schism between Roman Catholics and Orthodox churches to drive the plot, with a Greek Catholic priest (a member of one of the Eastern rites that kind of straddle the schism) trying to figure out who killed a local museum curator who was working on an exhibit about the Shroud of Turin, its history between the Roman and Orthodox communities, and how a work called the Diatessaron could shed added light on the shroud's pre-Turin whereabouts.

Throw into that mix added Vatican politics and the sudden reappearance of the main character's wife after years of absence, and you have a pretty packed story. Thankfully, Caldwell is writer enough to pull this off, balancing story lines and providing explanations that help keep the plot moving. It's much more realistic than the breathless exposition of Dan Brown and the like.

That being said, an afterword that went into a further discussion of the factual basis of the book would have been helpful. Still, I hope it's not another ten years before we get another book from Caldwell.

Book Log 2015 #46: Idiot America by Charles Pierce

One of the many books that have come out in recent years about the anti-intellectual streak in American life and politics, this one does forward a specific theory about the trend based in three premises: anything can be true if you say it loud enough, fact is what a person believes and the truth of that fact is how strongly its believed, and any theory based on these truths or facts is validated by how well it sells. The rest of the book shows in various ways how these premises are put into action by our leaders, from the Iraq war to global warming.

There are some interesting diversions in the book - an early chapter talks about cranks and their role in American life before the rise of mass communications - but a lot of it is familiar to anyone who reads Pierce with any regularity (his Esquire work refers to his theory frequently). It's also slightly outdated, as it doesn't really consider the impact of social media and Citizens United (though you can imagine what the impacts have been).

Still, Pierce writes well and is clearly personally invested (the chapter on the Terry Schiavo case is equal parts application of theory and personal animus towards Jeb Bush and his ilk). It's worth a read in the coming political season.

Book Log 2015 #45: The Golden Princess by S.M. Stirling

A battle against Haida raiders and an unexpected remnant of the Church Universal and Triumphant results in the deaths of the High King of Montival and the Emperor of Japan. Now it is up to the two new leaders, both young women in their early 20s, to avenge their fathers and secure this part of the world from further incursion.

They do this by talking. To each other, to leaders of other groups, to their subordinates. They talk a lot. As do the subordinates, who are still wondering if their new leaders are up to the task (less so with the future High Queen of Montival, who now carries the sacred sword her father did, but apparently now tailored to her). I found myself wishing for more songs about elves and overheated descriptions of horse tack, as that usually came with battle scenes.

Speaking of swords, it turns out that this series of Emberverse books will be about another sword quest, as the Japanese were in the former US looking for a sword which is apprently in Palm Springs or a similar desert location in what was California.  I feel like we've done this before.

This is also the first book in the series (I think) that didn't have an appearance by an original character. There were mentions, but no actual dialogue. There weren't even that many appearances by second generation characters. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I do wonder if the transition is being rushed a bit.

Still, in for a penny, in for a pound. I'm a book behind in the series, which I'll eventually get to.

Book Log 2015 #44: A Christmas Far From Home by Stanley Weintraub

This book tells the story of the American soldiers who, in 1950, had to fight their way to safety in the face of a Chinese offensive, bitter cold, and poor living conditions. The book opposes this with the actions and lifestyle of supreme commander Douglas MacArthur, who was trying to run the war from his comfortable digs in Tokyo. The book comes down very strongly against MacArthur, portraying him as out of touch and completely disinterested in opinions and facts that countered his own beliefs.

I have to admit I didn't get more than a third into the book before quitting. I could never quite get into the story, as I was trying too hard to keep up with the unit names and other details to keep things straight. Weintraub has found a niche in writing books about was and Christmastime, and I don't know if this is typical of his efforts. Maybe his earlier books are better.

Book Log 2015 #43: Y: The Last Man by Brian Vaughan and Pia Guerra

An unknown sickness kills every male creature in the world - except for Yorick Brown and his pet monkey. Yorick wants to go to Australia to find his girlfriend, but others - including his mother - have other ideas. They want to figure out why Yorick and his monkey survived, and if they can be used to create new males. Yorick gets hooked up with a mysterious secret agent and an ethically-challenged geneticist, with the group trying to get to California to get to the doctor's lab. Along the way, they run into various militant feminists, including a group whose members now include Yorick's sister, who would happily kill Yorick and his monkey.

I've read about half of the issues of this graphic novel, and am enjoying it, though I'm not sure if I'm that into graphic novels generally. Still, I'm looking forward to the second half of the series.

(Popsugar Reading Challenge: a graphic novel)

Book Log 2015 #42: Layover in Dubai by Dan Fesperman

A corporate auditor stops over in Dubai to check in on a colleague who likes to live on the edge a bit, causing concerns that he may hurt relations between the company and the authorities. When that colleague ends up dead, and a visit by the firm's chief security officer leads the local police right to the auditor's door, he has to team up with an unorthodox police detective to get to the bottom of things.

This is a very solid thriller, which benefits greatly from its unique setting. I only wish it had been written during the global financial slowdown, as that would have added an additional interesting angle to things. Still, a good choice if you're looking for something contemporary and set outside of the usual locations for this sort of book.

Book Log 2015 #41: Dead Wake by Erik Larson

Larson's skill at narrative non-fiction is well on display in this telling of the Lusitania sinking, which bounces between the passengers and crew of the ship and the men of the U-boat that sank it. The strength of the book probably lies with the Germans, as we get a much clearer idea of why the policy around sinking passenger lines changes and why this specific U-boat was in the right place at the right time to fire her torpedoes.

Which isn't to say that the parts about the boat and its passengers aren't informative and entertaining. These sections only serve to underscore the human tragedy of the sinking, as characters we've followed throughout the voyage are put in harm's way, with not all of them surviving (which doesn't even begin to address the hundreds of unmentioned passengers who died).

The only thing about the book I didn't care for was the story of President Wilson and his courting of future wife Edith Galt. I don't feel like the stories meshed very well, and didn't really add much to the overall proceeedings. 

Very much recommended, even so.

Book Log 2015 #40: Wrath of the Furies by Steven Saylor

The latest entry in the series following the young Gordianus the Finder sees him still in Alexandria, waiting out the war in the Italian peninsula where Rome is fighting its local client states, while closer to Egypt Mithradites is taking over many of Rome's Asian territories. Gordianus's former tutor and agent for Mithridates, Antipater, apparently finds himself in trouble, forcing Gordianus to enter enemy territory - Romans found in Mithradates's territory are likely to be executed - to find Antipater and save him from harm.

This book feels much more like an entry from the original series, though it captures enough of Gordianus's youth and inexperience to keep things interesting. There's also the continued development of his relationship with Bethesda, which is still pretty much in her favor.

The best of the young Gordianus books to date, which makes me look forward to future entries.

Book Log 2015 #39: When to Rob a Bank by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner

For their most recent book, the Freakonomics guys package up some of their favorite blog posts in this volume. And while some entries were as interesting and insightful as what's in their regular books, a lot of it is closer to the bulk of the 8000 posts that the authors consider rubbish. So it's probably worth a read if you're a Freakonomics completist, or a browse if you're interested in specific topics.