Review: The Essence of Life by Rain Arlender

The Essence of Life

by 

Rain Arlender

“Seeking outdoors-loving colleague. Solitude-requiring, big-footed preferably.”  Usually with an ad like this, one would look the other way. But Aurora is in a pinch – she has to take the job. Her employer is a Scottish family who run a distillery. Her workplace is the open field: no animals, no crops and nothing to do. Her work tool – and only companion – a giant pair of Wellington boots. Aurora's task is to walk in the field, and she has no idea why she is getting paid for it...

My Take:

Aurora is a very large girl with incredibly large feet. Her prospects for employment are dwindling when she comes across the ad for a job working in the fields of a small distillery. The Scottish family that runs the distillery is slightly odd but friendly enough, and they affably take her in without much in the way of an interview, other than a good look at her feet.

She is required to walk in the fields during the day, and her only work tool is a pair of Wellington boots. Why they have hired her is unclear, because her task is only to walk the fields, and surrender her shoes and socks each night. Why is she getting paid for this, again?

Content:

Drug Content:

PG-13 - There is a significant amount of drinking in the book, which is not unexpected, as it centers around a distillery, and the quality libations produced there. There are a few characters in this epic tale that drink like a fish, but their activities are usually off-screen.

Violence:

PG - There is some discussion concerning a wife-beater, but there is no violence that occurs onscreen.

Language:

R - The F bomb is dropped 3 times. Sh-t occurs several times, other expletives are absent.

Adult Content:

PG-13 - There is a scene where a young male exposes himself for his kindergarten friends, and wanders off with a young girl he likes. There's discussion about his gender identity. Sex is an offhand expectation of casual dating. There is a scene where sex occurs onscreen, not graphically described, with the girlfriend wearing only the boss's necktie.

Christian content:

Hmmm. So, there's a discussion of who God is, but it's extremely tongue in cheek and slightly irreverent. The Dog is God, Patrick is God. God's house is visited but then there's a discussion of how God isn't coming, and he let them in but left. It's funny, but I'd enter this book with the expectation that God's a good tool for a good joke.

Final analysis:

While The Essence of Life was worth many chuckles, it seemed to drag for me, and I couldn't get invested in the characters, and there were a confusing lot of them. In places the descriptions were panoramic, but the action was confusing and the backstories of the characters seemed a bit unnecessary, if titillating.

I didn't find the irreverence off-putting, but couldn't get invested in the plot or characters, and the pace just moved ponderously on, though the main undercurrent plot of the story is a tremendous joke worth telling. If you like drinking, big feet, or elaborate hilarious pranks, this would be a good book to pick up and delve into, for me, eh, not as much. Three Stars.

Zombie World Domination (The Destruction Begins) by L.D. King

Zombie World Domination (The Destruction Begins)
by L.D. King

In 2036 the zombie outbreak exploded throughout the world. Hundreds of thousands of people were being killed daily around the world. Nothing man did could stop the zombies. The zombies moved forward like a conquering army.

For nearly a year, the world as they knew it, had ground to a stop. Every utility, communication and transportation that had existed was gone. They had been replaced with surviving from one day to next.

During that same year the number of zombies had grown. They had been able to kill hundreds of millions or even several billion people worldwide. There was no way to keep an accurate count of the killed and missing. Adding to the zombie killings bandits were killing other survivors for their meager supplies.

The Destruction Begins follows groups of people as they fight to survive the zombie outbreak. They fight for their lives. They fight just to survive. A year of fighting nothing mankind did stopped the zombies. The human race was doomed.

After a year of the killings there was still no relief in sight. If the zombies could not be stopped, and stopped quickly, the human race on the planet Earth would cease to exist.

My Take:

When a group of teens head to New York City for a last getaway adventure before heading off to college, they have no idea they are going to be meeting up with zombies in an abandoned subway they were using as a shortcut. I mean, zombies don't exist, do they?

From that brief encounter in NYC, to a simultaneous encounter in Australia, and similar occurrences at the same time around the globe, zombies have suddenly appeared out of nowhere. And they seem to be on a mission to kill every human still alive. Join us or die. Or rather, die and join us.

The zombies appear to be horrifically mutated and rotting versions of their former selves, lumbering deceptively quickly around ripping people to shreds in a bloodbath of mayhem and death worldwide. There doesn't seem to be any way to stop them. Baseball bats, clubs, and bullets don't even seem to faze them. I mean, how do you stop somebody that's already dead?

From Egypt to Russia, Australia to NYC, they are everywhere at once and taking people down. Is this the last gasp of the human race?

Content:

Drug Content:

PG - There seems to be very little in the way of drinking in the novel. That is, there are a few wild parties, and a couple people get out of control, but overall the booze is not present through much of the story. 

Violence:

R+ - Zombies are on a rampage, and from the opening paragraphs where people are ripped to shreds, disemboweled and left to die in their own entrails, it's incredibly graphic. If blood, guts, and stench are an issue for you, this is a good one to give a pass on. If it's your thing, you'll be gratified to know that there's a lot of it.

Language:

R - The F-bomb is quite common in this book, milder expletives occur but are not even as common. The language is adult, not teen.

Adult Content:

PG - As gruesome as the violence is, I would have expected a significant amount of adult content, but this book is fairly clean in the regards to sex. In passing some mention is made to characters pairing up but for the most part the sex lives of the characters are completely off set. 

Christian content:

Ah, pretty much nada. In fact, the only characters that seem to mention their deity are the Muslims. Not sure how much of that is simple conversation, because prayer rugs or praying towards Mecca wasn't in existence. I don't think Christ came up even as a swear word.

Final analysis:

I'm really not big on horror, though I am not turned off by it. And I rarely give a book low marks just based on the genre, and I won't here either. But while the story line was rather exciting, the shocking level of the gore was almost desensitizing, as common as it was, and many people simply stood there in shock waiting to be the next shredded victim. It took an amazing amount of distance in the book to pass major reveals in the plot, and many of the characters you might get involved in, partially because of their significant backstory, simply ran into a group of zombies and died.

The characters were relatively three-dimensional, though their struggles before the outbreak seemed superficial, vain, and self-indulgent. Some of them were likeable, honorable even. But some just reminded me of the boys in Lord of the Flies; left without restraint, they just went bad. The plot is interesting enough, and the post-apocalyptic backdrop is pretty well described. It's immersive, but the pacing just dragged horribly, and there were far too many characters to follow, all over the world. The author was obviously trying to give a feel for the global nature of the zombie apocalypse, but there was far too much text for the plot, and too much author intrusion into the story line, for me to enjoy the adventure. Three Stars.

About the Author:

I have been a resident of Las Vegas for over 46 years. I grew up on a working a cattle ranch near Silverton Oregon. In Silverton High School I was a starting lineman for the school’s football team. During my last two years I became a bull rider with the rodeo. In the late 1960’s I proudly served my country in the U.S. Army. 

After my time in the Army was over I moved to Las Vegas for my health. Oregon was just too wet me. My first job in Las Vegas I programmed slot machines for casinos on the famous Las Vegas Strip. In my spare time I started to perform as a standup comedian in the casinos on the Las Vegas Strip. As my fame as a comedian grew so did my bookings.

I am an outgoing person. I quickly grew tired of the cubicle. I left my day job of programming slot machines. I started a small construction company building and remodeling homes in Las Vegas. After many years of being a contractor my injuries, the desert heat and I was getting a little long in the tooth. I sold my construction company. 

Owning a construction company I was still able to perform as a standup comic. Following the sale of my construction company I took a booking on a cruise ship plying the waters of the Mexican Riviera. Years of late nights and smoky rooms I left comedy for good.

Following comedy I became a residential real estate agent. For the next 25 years of my life I sold homes in Las Vegas.

25 years of being a real estate agent I have recently retired to pursue my writing full time.

Throughout my career as a slot programmer, comedian, contractor and real estate agent I held a private pilot’s license. With a number of relationships with casino host’s in a number of casinos. I offered a unique service to the casino host’s. I would fly their high-rollers or whales to one of the many legal bordellos in Nevada. I did this for many years. As my age crept up on me my injuries that I received as a professional bull riding grounded my career as a pimp. I could still fly, just not with paying customers.

What I am most proud of is being married to my wonderful bride. Our marriage brought 6 children together into a blended family. My hobbies are cooking and building hot rods.

Today, I am a proud husband, father and grandfather to my blended family with 6 children and 4 grandchildren.

Drawing from my various careers I is able to add a unique twist to my novels as I brings them to life.

Review: The Extraordinary Temptation by Patrick McCusker

The Extraordinary Temptation
by Patrick McCusker

While on a routine sewer line dig near a thousand-year-old monastery in Ireland, the crew unearth an unmarked cubic meter of white marble. Young archaeologist Ed Weaver, assigned to the dig, finds funding from a Texas billionaire, arranges for the marble cube to be broken and its contents stolen.

Ed's girlfriend Jennie is murdered in process of the theft, and he is bent on finding the murderer, retrieving the stolen contents, and bringing the perpetrators to justice. But how can you trace a stolen artifact when you don't even know what was stolen?

Bill Bronoski, the Texas billionaire, discovers that the stolen artifact is none other than the Crown of Thorns placed on the head of Jesus Christ. Attached to a thorn is a tiny piece of mummified flesh, and Bill uses a team of experts in his biotech labs to attempt to clone Christ.



My Take:
The idea behind this book is both riveting and revolting. From the perspective of a Christian, murder and theft pale in comparison to the heinous blasphemy of attempting to clone the Savior. The author reflected this in the extreme deliberation the antagonist went through before taking advantage of the singular opportunity his crime provided. The protagonist, Ed, uses his wits and training and his expert contacts to prove who was behind the murder of Jennie and theft of the artifact, even determining through evidence what was stolen. The pursuit by Ed and the struggles the biotech team have to accomplish the impossible make for a reasonable read. But, it didn't end there...

Content:

Drug Content:
PG-13 - There's a bit of drinking in this book, and several references to hallucinogens.

Violence:
R - The murder of Jennie is not very graphic, but there is a fatal automobile accident that is described in horrific detail. There is a description of a raider attack in a flashback that is quite graphic.

Language:
R - The Lord's name is taken in vain throughout the book, several characters seem to have difficulty communicating without it... The F-bomb is dropped a few times, and there is a scattering of other curse words here and there. The language was obviously intentional to depict the characters as they are.

Adult Content:
R - One of Ed's American friends spices up each contact with oblique and direct innuendos, sometimes even hinting at bestiality. There are multiple references to women as objects. I do not recall any actual sex scenes.

Christian content:
Sigh. From a Christian perspective, the book gives a clear and winning testimony of the deity of Christ, of His power and Godship. Of God's eternal power, omniscience and omnipotence. Evil spirits are very present and allowed to attack and harass the antagonist and the staff on his ranch.

On the other hand, it also depicts all other beliefs and paths as equally valid and saving, which does not agree with Christ's own claims to be the only Way (John 14:6) (John 15:5). While the book's request that the church return to simple origins and eschew opulence is valid, some of its points don't align with scripture.

Final analysis:

The first half of this book was an excellent and engaging read. I was riveted by the action and struggle of Ed to discover the truth, of the scientists in their attempts to do the impossible, even the terrorizing of the villain. The book could have been a five-star if it had ended when Ed retrieved the crown, or with Bill's punishment. Unfortunately, it didn't end there, and the second half of the book devolved into a second coming advented by the cloning, and a message to the global church by God to simplify and go back to its roots. This was almost a book in itself, when it could have been a few chapters, even though it spanned a few decades. I loved the first half of this book, and really wanted to like it as a whole, but just couldn't. Three Stars. (Really, three and a half, but I'm not given that option...)


About The Author:

Patrick McCusker is a published author, lecturer and nature conservationist.

My first book "Planet Dancing" is about conserving nature on large scale and was published by Open Gate Press, London in 2011.

My second book entitled "FEAR" is an American Medical thriller with a young Japanese-American doctor as the heroine. The story opens in China but then moves to the USA, Boston in particular. Something in a river that flows through Harbin, a city in NE China, is killing people: not just killing them but reducing them to dry husks.

My latest release, "The Extraordinary Temptation" is a science fiction medical thriller where a piece of mummified skin is discovered in a medieval monastic settlement in Ireland. A wealthy American attempts to clone a human from this flesh and unsettling things happen to all those who become involved in this work.

I have won a number of prizes for short stories and at the moment I am attempting to write a stage play. I expect it will be a complete disaster - but here's hoping!

When I was younger I lived in the USA and Canada. While in Canada I stayed for four months in a First Nation's village. I tasted real clam chowder on Vancouver Island and Florida introduced him to my first bowl of homily grits.

I now live in Wicklow, Ireland, with a lump of a cat that chases big rabbits without success. But she insists on prowling the one hectare garden that one day ...!

Contact me, or the cat to collaborate at: mccusker.patrick@gmail.com

Review: Don Lamplighter 3 - The Green Gauntlet

Don Lamplighter 3 - The Green Gauntlet
By D. M. Lichterman

"Green Gauntlet" continues the saga of Christian freelance journalist Don Lamplighter as he faces off against a Satanic cult bent on global domination. This time all Lamplighter wants to do is enjoy the week before Christmas with his wife until a robbery, riot and mass shooting get in the way. What will Lamplighter need to do to put the pieces together in time to have a Merry Christmas for his family and the towns in which he works?

Don Lamplighter is a lovable Christian freelance journalist who works part time at the Walmart in the Seasonal section, and part time as a bell-ringer for the Salvation Army. He is a large bear of a man, who walks with a cane and is driven everywhere by his doting wife and others in his life.

In this book, he runs up against his old archenemy Absalom, the leader of a local Satanic cult, and a new enemy named Jacob Glass, a diminutive meth addict who is supporting his habit by robbing the Salvation Army buckets around town. He tags Lamplighter as his own personal enemy and vows to take him out, creating a pair of vicious green work gloves with tacks glued across them to take out his nemesis.

This was my first foray into the Lamplighter series. I found Don Lamplighter to be a very likable, positive influence on the communities he frequents. The way he calmly handled the robbery at the beginning of the story drew me in, but his daily activities didn't keep me going. The story dragged for me until I got to the boring town meeting, which was suddenly interrupted by a tragic mass murder.

From that moment on, I was invested in the story to the exciting conclusion.

Content:
Violence: 
Quite a bit, actually. Some of it a bit graphic, especially when the mass murder occurs and a scene or two when Glass attacks kindly Salvation Army bellringers with his evil gloves. None of it is gratuitous, though.

Language:
The meth addict drops a couple expletives in the course of the work, but I would label the language as mild.

Sexual Content:
There are several parties thrown by Absalom and his cohorts which involve prostitutes. However, there is no actual sexual content in the novel. One of Absalom's top people is a Madame, and she mentions having some designs on Lamplighter.

Spiritual Content:
Every morning and evening, Don and Gloria, his wife, have a devotional. Key verses in the readings are applied to Don's harrowing scrapes. Don spends much of his time singing Christmas carols and wishing everyone around him a Merry Christmas. It's obvious he's trying desperately to spread the love of Christ and stay in the spirit of the season. However, the burdens of the mass slaying, the robberies, the riots, and the plot to fleece and take over the world wear down on him, and he becomes greatly discouraged. His wife and others around him encourage him. People in this book have to deal with death, crime, and senseless violence. It is unclear whether good prevails, though for the most part the bad guys 'get theirs'.

Bottom Line:
Mass murder, muggings, robberies, large-scale riots, and elaborate setups abound in this adventure, with several plot twists to keep you guessing. Lamplighter and Absalom were pretty well developed characters, although Glass was sidelined to more comedy relief, even though the title indicated he would be the main villain. Because of some pacing issues I had to give this a lower score than I would have liked. I found the story intriguing, the characters believable, and some of the situations humorous. Three stars.

*I received an electronic copy of this novel for an honest review.

About the Author:
Dean M. Lichterman is the author of the Don Lamplighter series, a pre-apocalyptic thriller series starring lovable Don Lichterman, a freelance journalist reporting on and fighting crime in an era poised on the brink of Revelation.