Tag Archives: 20th Century

The Year of the Warrior by Lars Walker

American Literature

Synopsis: Captured by Vikings, Aillil escapes slavery by claiming to be a priest, and despite his practical atheism finds himself doing God’s work as the brave, noble hersir Erling Skjalgsson tries to bring order to the violent world of 10th Century Norway. Review: The Year of the Warrior is a prequel to Lars Walker‘s more recent West Oversea, and actually comprises two novels. I think it would be best to read them in order, but all three books are so excellent and stand so well…

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The Axe by Sigrid Undset (The Master of Hestviken)

Norwegian Literature 1 Comment

Synopsis: Betrothed as children, Olav and Ingunn grew up together, but when Ingunn’s parents die, they take an irrevocable step that jeopardizes their futures and the social system that surrounds them. Review: The Axe begins a 4-book series by Sigrid Undset, the Nobel Prize-winning author of the acclaimed and beloved Kristin Lavransdatter books. Like that series, The Axe concerns itself heavily with matters of sexual morality and the toxic nature of secret sin, only this time we get the man’s perspective as well. Olav isn’t…

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The Wheel of Fortune by Susan Howatch

British Literature 5 Comments

Synopsis: The saga of a Welsh family haunted by submerged passions and unfulfilled desire. Review: I was hooked on The Wheel of Fortune from the first pages. It’s juicy, lush, psychologically complex, and keenly observed. The story opens with Robert, scion of the Godwin family, heir to Oxmoon, lusting after his second cousin Ginevra, on the night that she elopes with an Irish rake, Connor Kinsella. When, in pure tragic form, Robert is able to consummate his desire, a chain of events unfolds that scars…

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The Foolishness of God by Ferenc Visky

Eastern European Literature 1 Comment

Synopsis: The prison writings of Ferenc Visky, a Reformed minister who spent seven years in the Gherla prison after the 1956 Hungarian revolution. Review: “He who does not believe in miracles is not a realist.” The Foolishness of God is a slim volume packed with deep wisdom from a man who suffered more than most. Joy beams from every page, a hard-won thanksgiving for a God who justifies and sanctifies through mysterious ways. I love the irony that Ferenc Visky employs in showing how foolish…

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Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien

British Literature 1 Comment

Synopsis: One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them. Review: This is my third time reading JRR Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, and I can’t say I’ve ever enjoyed it more. I’ve been following along with The Tolkien Professor’s podcasted course, and the background I got from finally reading and actually comprehending The Silmarillion really enhanced the depth of pleasure I received once diving back into Frodo’s familiar world.…

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Wizard of the Pigeons by Megan Lindholm

American Literature 1 Comment

Synopsis: A real, live wizard cloaks his magic in the trappings of homelessness on the streets of modern-day Seattle, as a dark evil stalks him and threatens to destroy him. Review: Wizard of the Pigeons really needs to come back into print. It’s a wonderful character study filled with subtlety, ambiguity, and plain old-fashioned good storytelling. Wizard lives on the streets, but his homelessness is just a disguise for his powerful magic. He is able to Know the truth about people and tell them the…

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The Children of Húrin by JRR Tolkien

British Literature

Synopsis: The tragic tale of Túrin Túrambar, master of doom by doom mastered, who sought to fight evil but was undone by his own impetuousness and self-aggrandizement. Review: The Children of Húrin is a retelling in novel form of the chapter in Tolkien’s Silmarillion called Túrin Túrambar. I should’ve waited to read this for a year or two, because about halfway through I burned out on all the epic language and tragic plotting. My experience aside, it’s a fantastic story, one of the best ever…

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The Silmarillion by JRR Tolkien

British Literature 6 Comments

Synopsis: An account of the history of the origins of Middle Earth during the First Age. Review: I have tried and failed to read The Silmarillion on several occasions, and I can only credit my success this go-round to the podcast lecture series given by The Tolkien Professor. The early chapters are so dense with information that his interpretation and analysis helped lay the groundwork for me to be able to enjoy later chapters such as “Beren and Luthien” and “Turin Turambar,” to name two…

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Say Goodnight, Gracie by Julie Reece Deaver

American Literature

Synopsis: Morgan and Jimmy were best friends, perhaps on the verge of something more, when tragedy strikes. Review: Back when I was in high school, Say Goodnight, Gracie was one of my favorite books, and I was curious to see if it held up so many years later. I can remember being drawn powerfully to their friendship and aching over Morgan’s grief. I wanted a best friend like Jimmy, though it wasn’t until reading it now that I realized that author Julie Reece Deaver had…

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Red Prophet by Orson Scott Card (Tales of Alvin Maker)

American Literature

Synopsis: As Alvin Maker heads out for his apprenticeship, the French conspire to rouse the Reds against the Whites for a war that will win all of an alternate America for Napoleon. Review: I am a big fan of how Orson Scott Card has created an American history that encompasses just enough of our reality to feel authentic, but then skewed to include magic and mysticism. In Red Prophet, Card turns Tecumseh into Ta-Kumsaw, and gives him a brother named Lolla-Wossiky whose transformation will affect…

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