Soundbites About Lethal Circuit and Giveaway

Title: Lethal Circuit
Author: Lars Guignard
Narrators: Ben Sullivan
Rating (Story): ★★★☆☆
Rating (Narration):★★★☆☆
Review Summary: Although there were a few things I didn’t like about the story, overall this was a refreshingly non-formulaic take on the thriller with a very unique protagonist.

Michael Chase just wants to find his father. Unfortunately, his father disappeared without a trace in China and a little digging reveals that his death was no accident. In fact, it appears his father was involved with a search for a Nazi airplane which various governments and organizations have coveted since WWII. The discovery that a Chinese satellite controlled by the same technology is falling out of orbit makes his search both urgent and a matter of life and death for more than just his father.

Crux – Classics Retold Review and Giveaway

Title: Crux
Author: Richard Aellen
Source: bought on Amazon
Rating: ★★★★☆
Review Summary: By far my favorite Count of Monte Cristo re-telling, this book kept all the most important things about the original and in doing so became a great thriller with a lot of depth.

Keith Johnson is happily married and pursuing a career as a helicopter pilot when he’s sent to Vietnam. When evidence suggests his sergeant has killed one of his own men, Keith is unable to keep silent. Unfortunately, one of his friends is willing to betray him for a chance at a safer posting and his sergeant is desperate to get rid of him. Sent on a mission meaning almost certain death, Keith is reported as missing in action but actually survives only to be thrown into a prison camp for 20 years. When he eventually escapes, his only thought is of revenge.

Redshirts and Portrait of a Spy – Minireviews

Title: Redshirts
Author: John Scalzi
Source: library
Rating: ★★★☆☆

I loved the premise of Redshirts, in which the characters realize the following: “(1) every Away Mission involves some kind of lethal confrontation with alien forces, (2) the ship’s captain, its chief science officer, and the handsome Lieutenant Kerensky always survive these confrontations, and (3) at least one low-ranked crew member is, sadly, always killed. Not surprisingly, a great deal of energy below decks is expended on avoiding, at all costs, being assigned to an Away Mission” (source). The building of this world is hilarious as Scalzi calls out sci-fi TV shows for all the unbelievable little things they do. Unfortunately, I didn’t think there was much to the plot. It wasn’t especially interesting to me and after the setup, the humor mostly disappeared. The premise was brilliant, the execution largely forgettable.

Your Republic is Calling You

Title: Your Republic is Calling You
Author: Kim Young-ha
Source: library
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Review Summary: The sparse prose, surreal feel, and intimate details you learn about characters’ lives reminded me of Murakami but the book was far darker and the unresolved ending knocked a star off my rating.

Gi-yeong is a typical South Korean family man or so even his wife believes. He’s almost come to believe it himself until one day he gets a mysterious e-mail, recalling him to the home office and his duties as a North Korean spy. The book covers the 24 hours Gi-yeong has been given to report in. As he debates what to do and what to tell his family, he learns that his wife has some secrets of her own.

Soundbites: Digital Fortress

Title: Digital Fortress
Author: Dan Brown
Narrator: Paul Michael
Rating (Story): ★★☆☆☆
Rating (Narration):★★★★☆

As a fast paced spy thriller that won’t require much thinking, Digital Fortress will feel familiar to any one who has read Dan Brown’s other books.  When I read it several years ago I enjoyed it as a bit of junk food for my brain. However, as an audiobook I found its little foibles far more annoying.