The Expats by Chris Pavone

Premise: Kate Moore is a CIA agent with secrets she is trying to forget. The opportunity to give it all up, secrets and all, is presented to her by her husband, Dexter, when he is offered a lucrative job in banking security in another country. And so it happens that Kate quits her job as a CIA operative and becomes an expat stay at home mom in Europe.

With so many expats in Luxembourg, Kate soon begins to suspect that her new friends may not be who they claim to be. She also learns that the FBI, in connection with Interpol, might be investigating her husband for criminal activity, and she must use her skills as a CIA operative to learn what exactly his activity is. In the process, she begins to uncover secrets about her friends that lead her to suspect them of not being who they claim to be, and about Dexter, whose job to protect banks from hackers might be a cover to do more sinister things.

Kate may be rusty when it comes to being a spy, but her instincts might not be. Everyone around Kate is surrounded by secrets and lies, including herself, and she soon learns that she can’t trust anybody, perhaps even her own husband. As plots are unraveled, Kate finds herself questioning everything and everyone, and her past secrets coming back to haunt her.

Themes: The Expats is a political thriller that is more personal than international. Though it takes place between citizens of one country living in another, it is really more about the individuals than the countries they live in. While politics do play a part in them, the politics of interpersonal relationships is a more prevalent theme.

Trust becomes a huge issue for every character in The Expats. While Kate trusts her husband, she still suspects there are many things he is not telling her. Mistrust gets in the way of Kate meeting new people, trusting friends, and sometimes withholding information from her old bosses in the CIA and from Dexter. We learn very quickly that Kate’s mistrust might be considered paranoia, but her instincts are usually pretty good when it comes to reading people.

I ultimately discovered that The Expats is a redemption story. With her past secrets always in the back of her mind, Kate is worried that they could be brought back at any time, and those secrets might come with dire consequences. Will Kate be given opportunities to make right her past and present choices?

Pros: The pace of The Expats made it difficult to put down, with secrets being doled out bit by bit until I couldn’t stand to wait for the next revelation. This is a story full of vivid language and colorful metaphors. Kate was believable as a spy, and the characters worked in creating a kernel of doubt about their trustworthiness. Without giving anything away, the ending seemed to be a vapid cop-out at first, until I really thought about the point of the story as a whole. Since this is a story about Kate and no one else, in this context, it was the perfect ending for this story.

Cons: There is an abundance of sentence fragments and incomplete or run-on sentences in The Expats. It sometimes works for making the narrative punchy and straightforward, but many times it has the opposite effect, making it choppy and difficult to understand. I also don’t know much about being a spy, but it seemed like a seasoned CIA agent, though out of practice she might be, would make wiser decisions than Kate made in certain situations.

Recommendations: The Expats is a nonstop ride of distrust with suspicion being placed on everyone. What Chris Pavone has done is create a spy thriller that is accessible enough that just about anyone can get into, but that diehard fans of the genre will probably enjoy even more. If you’re looking to get sucked into a mystery with the truth just out of reach, look no further.

Chris Pavone’s website
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A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs

Premise: Captain John Carter is a Civil War veteran, and when his friend comes across a band of Indians the friend is killed. John Carter goes right into the middle of the Indian camp to find his friend, then heads into the hills to escape death. In the ensuing chase, John Carter enters a mysterious cave where he falls unconscious and he is transported to Mars.

On the Red Planet, or Barsoom as the locals call it, he encounters a savage green alien race and quickly becomes respected among them. Though he resembles the red men, he has incredible physical abilities that set him apart from all others on the planet. Because of a lower gravity and his muscles attuned to the pull of the Earth, he can leap great distances and has much greater strength than those around him. With these abilities he gains respect, but when he meets Dejah Thoris, princess of the red men of Helium, he immediately falls in love.

For the love of the princess, John Carter is willing to traverse a savage land, face strange creatures, and throw himself into battle against men, both red and green, in order to save her. It takes traveling to a planet millions of miles away for John Carter to find friendship and love, but it very well may cost him his life.

Themes: A Princess of Mars really is a love story. After spending most of his life without love, or any real close relationships at all, John Carter finds his love on another planet. It is for this love that he is willing to do anything and give everything, including his life.

Appearances are not what they seem on Barsoom. One cannot judge someone for being green or red, male or female, or even between creatures of varying size and ferocity. We discover that those coming from different tribes, or even within the same tribe, must be judged as individuals and not by the reputation or past of the entire group or race.

A Princess of Mars is also an adventure about sacrifice and loyalty. John Carter fights for himself and for his goal of protecting the princess and fighting for her love, but he also fights for friendship and the common good of all creatures on the planet. He must discern his allegiances within and between battling factions and the different races on Barsoom.

Pros: There is much swashbuckling adventure and excitement in A Princess of Mars. We also find chivalry that is difficult to find in today’s fiction. A Princess of Mars has an optimistic view of the world and sees the goodness in people. Burroughs’ writing is full of action and the pacing is great, even when it glosses over details at times. With a cliffhanger ending, it still felt complete and just the right length.

Cons: There are a few instances where things just so happen to move the plot along in favor of John Carter. Call it deus ex machina or coincidence, but at these points it seemed almost lazy on the part of Burroughs, though it did help the quickened pacing when used. It may be the time when A Princess of Mars was written, but it is thoroughly sexist. Even the savage green Martian women are considered fairer and weaker. For example, where perhaps a few of the green men could probably have dispatched an entire pack of wild dogs, a dozen females armed with daggers fare much worse.

Recommendations: With its quaint look at interplanetary travel and alien worlds, the ideas in A Princess of Mars are still grandiose and forward-thinking. Burroughs was well ahead of his time when he wrote the Barsoom series, perhaps if not in scientific terms, then in human nature and fantastical storytelling in general. His inspiration for other stories in the genre to follow make A Princess of Mars a groundbreaking work of fantasy and science fiction. This is a must read for fans of the genre.

Disney’s Edgar Rice Burroughs website
A Princess of Mars on Goodreads
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Buy John Carter of Mars: The Collection (first 5 books in the series)
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Nursery Rhyme Comics: 50 Timeless Rhymes from 50 Celebrated Cartoonists, edited by Chris Duffy

Premise: What happens when you take fifty of today’s cartoonists and you have them interpret and illustrate fifty classic nursery rhymes? You get a collection like this of reimagined stories for people of all ages.

You’ll see familiar stories such as Hey, Diddle Diddle, Little Boy Blue, and Jack and Jill, along with not so familiar (at least to me) such as The Donkey and For Want of a Nail, but each one puts a fresh spin on a classic story in only a few frames.

Themes: Many classic nursery rhymes have themes of doing right and fearing punishment for wrongdoing, political satire, and propaganda. While this is true for some, most are rhymes either spoken or set to music simply to help children go to sleep. Rhymes and music can also help children with reasoning and learning ability, helping to improve math and reading skills.

Pros: At first I thought this would just be another book of nursery rhymes, but as I flipped through the pages I realized the work and artistry that went into each story. Some of the stories, such as Hector Protector, took four lines of source material and elaborated it into an even more interesting story than I would have ever thought. Many of the rhymes are reinvented, such as the clones of One, Two, Buckle My Shoe or the rock band babysitting of There Was An Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe. Others, such as The Itsy Bitsy Spider, were straightforward illustrations of the nursery rhyme we already know. Quite a few of the stories were funny, and every page is pretty.

Cons: A few of the stories have language that will be difficult to understand for young readers, and in some cases, as with The Owl and the Pussycat, the changes in language over time can be confusing or vulgar by today’s standings without the appropriate explanation. In at least one story, Jack Be Nimble, there is a word that I wouldn’t want my child saying (stupid).

Recommendations: I found Nursery Rhyme Comics to be a visually stunning collection of humorous and inspiring interpretations of classic rhymes for people of all ages. I think I enjoyed it even more than my son. A few of the stories might be a little more mature than intended, using language that is either inappropriate or antiquated, but discerning parents can easily skip over them or help younger readers understand them better. I am glad this book is in our home to be read as my children grow, but also so I can enjoy these stories with them. I love this collection. Do yourself and your family a favor and get a copy to read to your kids before bed.

Nursery Rhyme Comics on Goodreads
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All Men of Genius by Lev AC Rosen

Premise: Violet Adams is a great scientist who aspires to attend the illustrious Illyria College, a school for the most promising students of science that was founded by the famous Duke Illyria and now run by his son, Ernest. The biggest obstacle to her attending is not Violet’s abilities as a scientist, but the tradition of being a male only school. When their father goes away to America for a year, Violet’s twin brother, Ashton, helps her pull together the ruse of dressing as a man so she can enter the hallowed halls of Illyria.

Their friend, Jack, is also accepted into the school, so having a roommate who knows her ruse is less of a challenge. The real challenges come when the duke’s ward, Cecily, becomes enamored with Violet, who goes by her brother’s name. Ernest also develops feelings for Violet, but for the real Violet, not her alter ego. She discovers her feelings for the duke may be reciprocal, but to let him know without it destroying her chances for her lifelong dream of becoming a great scientist makes things difficult.

But love and science are not the only things Violet will encounter at Illyria. It is a place full of surprises around every corner, with invisible cats, killer automota, and a mysterious train in the basement. Blackmail and threats come from students and teachers alike. With the end of the year faire to work towards, she must hold up her disguise and her feelings at the same time.

Themes: All Men of Genius is as much a romance novel as it is a fantasy or science fiction novel. There are at least seven love triangles, romantic misunderstandings, or sexual trysts that I can think of, but could be as many as ten to twelve between all the different characters. One of the main plot points is the romantic feelings between Ernest and Violet, both as herself and as her alter ego. We see romance between her brother Ashton and Antony, one of their servants, between Cecily and Violet (as Ashton), Toby and Miriam.

This is definitely a book speaking out on social constraints based on money, social class, gender, sexuality, race, and more. Violet is trying to attend a school for only men, Ashton is a gay male not so covertly expressing his love for another, Miriam is a Jewess standing up for her life while living as a governess for Cecily, while really only upper class people are allowed to attend Illyria.

This is also a book about deception and truth. Violet’s deception about her true identity may end up hurting not only her reputation, but her family’s as well, along with the possibility of hurting Ernest and Cecily along the way. It is the true Violet who the duke falls in love with. Unfortunately, the repercussions of deceit are not necessarily explored completely, as the only deceit that ends in tragedy is that of Volio, our villain. Everyone else seems to turn out happy, but isn’t that how most comedies end? Many who read this will simply give the response, “What is truth?”

Pros: All Men of Genius has everything you could want in a steampunk novel. Not only does it have gears and springs of brass, but it also has something that I haven’t seen much of in other steampunk, and that is an inclusion of other sciences: astronomy, biology, and chemistry, and not just the mechanical sciences. It is funny with compelling characters, each one with great potential and most of them fulfilling that, with a few exceptions. The hat tips to Shakespeare and Wilde inject the story with life, without which it might have fallen totally flat.

Cons: There is entirely too much sex in this book. Ranging from innuendos to bedroom behavior, it goes to the point of ridiculous at times. For such a witty book, throwing in things such as mechanical vibrators is beneath it. It seems like every character’s sexual proclivities are laid out and curiosities are simply commonplace traits for all characters, including Ashton and Antony rolling in the hay, Toby and Miriam’s secret romance, Ernest’s questioning of his sexuality, and Professor Valentine’s love for senior women.

One of the greatest fears for Violet is getting caught travesti, or dressing as a man. This is also one of the biggest problems I had with the book, since Ashton is an invert (gay), but the fear of being caught as a homosexual is inconsistent with this fear of being caught cross-dressing. Violet is afraid she will be caught, embarrassed, put in prison, or even put to death, but Ashton getting caught as an invert is only given a passing glance with little fear of retribution.

My other complaint is that the end felt rushed, as if Rosen was running out of time and space and had to wrap all the character arcs by giving an explanation of everything at the end and he only had a few pages to do so. After the action climax we needed a little more treatment of the characters other than Violet and Ernest to take a breath and soak in what just happened. Even the romantic climax between the duke and Violet seemed bland because it felt rushed and too easy.

Recommendations: All Men of Genius is a witty and socially defiant romp through love and science. It helped to redefine my expectations of not just steampunk, but in most other fiction. While the deviant behaviors of the characters may put people off from reading it, Rosen gives a strong argument for for the importance of being earnest, something which I will heed and respond to with a quote from another famous book: “Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”

Lev AC Rosen’s website
All Men of Genius on Goodreads
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The Practice Effect by David Brin

Premise: The zievatron is a device that can access parallel worlds, and physicist Dennis Nuel has been locked out of the Zievatron Project by his rival, Bernald Brady. However, when the return mechanism ends up malfunctioning, Dennis is tapped as the only one who can fix it. The only problem is that he must go through to the other world to do so. With him will come the “pixolet”, a flying pixie-like creature that slipped in from the other world.

In searching for the materials to repair the return mechanism, Dennis comes across the Coylians, people who speak English, but whose culture is quite different from Earth. Their society is based upon “The Practice Effect,” where nothing is made from scratch. Everything is “practiced” until it gets better and better through use. Sticks are practiced into tools and rough cloth becomes fine silk. The L’Toff are the “makers” who create the basic structures from which objects are practiced from.

Dennis gets pulled into the politics of the world and finds himself pitted against Baron Kremer, who is putting himself into a political position to rule the world, and has plans for the making “wizard” Dennis. Instead, Dennis must use his knowledge of science from his own world and combine it with “The Practice Effect” to stop Kremer, repair the zievatron, and return home. Luckily, he has the help of the pixolet, an ever-improving exploration robot, the L’Toff Princess Linnora, and a thief named Arth.

Themes: Dennis is called a wizard simply because the thought of making something from scratch is absurd to the Coylians, since you can practice something into perfection from a primitive rudimentary start. Because of his gift to make things, however clumsy they may be, he quickly becomes a leader against Kremer, with his leadership skills combining with his abilities as a scientist. The man with these skills that Kremer wants to take advantage of ends up becoming the adversary he must face.

In The Practice Effect, we discover that not only are we looking at traveling through worlds laterally, but also through time. The progression of science can bring worlds together, but it can also cause harm and degradation if unrestrained. Balance can be achieved through using knowledge and tools responsibly.

There is some romance in The Practice Effect, but it isn’t really explored incredibly deeply. There is a love triangle between the trio of scientists of Gabriella, Dennis, and Brady, with attentions going in different directions. With the addition of Linnora (slight spoiler) things might just work out for everyone.

Pros: While the dialogue isn’t the greatest, I found the most fun characters to be those who don’t speak: both the robot and the pixolet. These were far more interesting than most of the other characters, though Arth’s accent was fun to read. I thought the premise, once you buy into it, becomes an interesting twist on what we know about the physics of our world. Dennis’ exploration robot even improves as the story progresses and becomes an important character as well.

Cons: If you can’t buy into basic laws of physics being turned on their heads, then you might not enjoy The Practice Effect. The characters are fairly bland, and the premise might fall apart under close scrutiny of certain readers. Because of this, I found it to be more of a mix of both science fiction and fantasy.

Recommendations: If you can overlook what we know about physics, the story holds together quite well by the time you reach the end. The final explanation about why things work the way they do makes everything much more plausible. While the dialogue isn’t spectacular, the story is well told with a different concept I haven’t seen before. The Practice Effect is a recommended quick, quirky, and fun read.

David Brin’s website
The Practice Effect on Goodreads
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