“Undiscovered Gyrl” by Allison Burnett

The back cover for “Undiscovered Gyrl” declares “only on the Internet can you have so many friends and be so lonely.”

That statement sums up a lot of the life of first-person narrator, Katie Kampenfelt. Katie has decided to defer her college for a year to find out what she really wants to do in life. She chronicles this journey via her popular blog that picks up a lot of hits, comments and e-mails about Katie and her lifestyle.

“Undiscovered Gyrl” is told in the conversational style of a personal blog, complete with mis-spellings, grammar errors and drunk typing entries. All of that makes the novel a fascinating read as we get to know more about Katie and while we may not necessarily like her, we do at least understand a bit more about what drives her.

Katie is stuck in neutral while life seems to be happening around her. She yearns for a true love, but is clearly having some issues from her parents divorce. At several points in the story, you’ll wonder how much of what Katie is reporting here is true and how much of it comes from her own need to entertain the readers and friends she’s made on her blog. At several points, Katie is clearly concerned about her readership base numbers.

“Undiscovered Gyrl” is a book I liked but didn’t love. It’s not a three-star book, but it’s not exactly four. Call it three and a half.

Part of that is that despite having a compelling and readable voice in Katie, the character herself isn’t always likeable. Readers will find themselves conflicted on how to feel about Katie and her choices in the novel. Like life, some are good, some are bad and a lot of them have unintended consequences. What does come through time and again is Katie’s loneliness and desperate need to love and be loved. In that, the novel is haunting and some of the events later in the story will keep you thinking long after the book is through.

“A Game of Thrones” by George R.R. Martin

When it comes to fantasy, I prefer the urban fantasy of Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files or the Newford books of Charles DeLint.

But after enduring “Wizard’s First Rule” earlier this summer, I felt like I should give a fair shake to one of the giants of the genre–the Song of Fire and Ice series by George R.R. Martin. “A Game of Thrones” is a novel that’s long been on my bookshelf, sort of mocking me with its lengthy page count and complex political storylines. Each time I’d think about reading it, another book would come along to distract me.

Finally a reason other than “because it’s there” came along for me to read it. A book club I participate in chose it for our August selection. Finally, the motivation I needed.

And, at first, I was pleasantly surprised by the novel. It starts off well and manages to avoid a lot of the cliches that doomed my reading of “Wizard.” Namely the book assumes the reader has half a brain cell and can follow the on-going plot without the need to have characters sit around and contemplate events up to this point every 20 or so pages. For that, Martin should be commended.

Of course, Martin does include a long list of characters and relationships in the back of the book to help readers out and there were times at the mid-point I found myself flipping to it to keep in mind who relates to who and how. I say this because Martin has created an epic group of characters for the story. And that can be a good thing or it can be a daunting task. Add to it that the story shifts among multiple viewpoints and it would be easy to get lost in the details.

However, Martin never lets the reader get too far lost. There is a portion of the story in the middle where things slow to a crawl, but that’s only because Martin has to set things up for the final third of the novel when revelations begin to occur and the action jumps up a notch. I’ll admit it took me a while to plow through the middle third but the first and last third of the book are simply some of the best epic fantasy I’ve read of late. Of course, when the comparison is “Wizard’s First Rule,” that’s damning by faint praise. But the thing is “A Game of Thrones” works because it doesn’t fall back on the typical fantasy tropes. For a fantasy novel, there is very little of the magic usually associated with such books here–at least until the final few pages.

Also, I’ve heard Martin has a habit of taking unexpected turns and not keeping any character safe from death at any time. That certainly begins in this first novel, where based on how certain characters were developing and casting news for the HBO series, I assumed at least one or two characters would make it through the entire series.

Apparently that’s what I get for assuming.

The story is a long, complex and intriguing one that ends at a place that I’m curious to continue the journey. At least after in the near future. The idea of picking up the near 1000 page sequel to this one seems a bit daunting right now but I have a strong feeling I’ll be back to this universe soon.

“This Is Where I Leave You” by Jonathan Tropper

Jonathan Tropper has carved a niche for himself in the Nick Hornby corner of the literary world.  And on some level it would be easy to dismiss him as a imitator of Hornby if not for one simple thing–his novels are always so damn good.

“This Is Where I Leave You” is no exception.  In fact, it’s the novel that takes all the Troopper tropes and pulls them together in a fascinating new character examination novel that is both compulsively readable and utterly fascinating.

Judd Foxman is in his mid-30s and facing a crossroads.  He’s separated from his wife, who he caught in bed with his boss and radio shock-jock, on her birthday.  That led to him quitting his job and as he wiles away days in a basement apartment with nothing but a TV and a few random pieces of furniture to keep him company, he’s summoned home to sit shiva for his recently deceased father.  Apparently, it was dad’s dying wish for the family to sit shiva for him, something that none of the siblings are too thrilled about.  Seven days at home with family could and does bring up some family issues that have been lurking under the surface for years but no one has ever had the time or energy to dig up and resolve.

As if that weren’t enough, Judd’s wife announces she is pregnant and he runs into an old high school flame who he made a pact with that they’d get together at 40 if they weren’t married or significantly involved.

It sounds like a lot to juggle in one novel, but Tropper deftly juggles all the storylines into a coherent, funny and fascinating whole.  Weaving together the various threads of the past, present and potential future keep the page turning and Tropper utilizes well-placed flashbacks to reveal pertinent backstory at the right moment.  He makes it look effortless to sew in seeds of the story and then allow us to witness the actual events at just the right moment for both the readers and Judd.   The fact that Judd used to date the now-wife of his older brother pays an interesting and humorous dividend as well as an emotional one as the story unfolds.

In the week, revelations will come for many family members.  They all feel authentic as we take this journey with Judd and as you read the story, the title becomes more and more relevant to the story.  It was a story I didn’t want to end, but I can understand why Tropper chose this week-long snapshot of Judd and his family.  I wouldn’t mind a return visit in the future (which would be a first for Tropper).  That said, I did leave the novel satisfied with the journey and feeling like it reflected real life and that Judd was a living, breathing character.  Things don’t always wrap-up neatly or as expected.

“The Strain” by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan

Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan originally conceived “The Strain” as a serialized television series for the Fox network.  After Fox execs balked at the original vision, insisting the writers inject more humor into the storyline of a modern-day vampire apocolypse, del Toro and Hogan decided to take their toys and go home.  Rather than create a movie version of this modern day retelling of “Dracula,” the two decided to go literary.

The result is a new trilogy of books, the first of which debuts this summer and is called “The Strain.”

And it’s one hell of a scary, thrillride.

The story’s television roots show throughout the novel with a huge cast introduced early in the story, many of whom are vampire-fodder by the mid-point of the story.  Del Toro and Hogan’s characters aren’t exactly deep, but we do get to know them enough to care for them, even as many of them succumb to the mysterious new virus that is infecting New Yorkers.

“The Strain” is a scary book that comes along at the right time.  Del Toro and Hogan’s decision to have vampirism spread not through one vampire creating another via bites but as an airborn pathogen is particularily chilling in the time of the H1N1 scare.   The story more than chillingly describes how the virus takes over its human hosts, rapidly transforming them into undead vampires.   And because this is a book with only the special effects limits of your own imagination, be prepared for to be grossed out at times.

You should also be prepared for some unrelentingly creepy moments.  The novel’s opening scenes with a jet plane sitting on the tarmac at New York airport, silent and completely dark are among some of the more unnerving moments in the book.

And while “The Strain” clearly owes an enormous debt to both “Dracula” and “The Stand,” it’s not quite in the same league as either one.  While the novel is populated by a sprawling, diverse cast of characters, many of them are two-dimensional, at best.   “The Stand” spent time developing its characters in its virus-induced apocolypse, making many of them cannon-fodder over the course of the story but still getting us to care about them.  “The Strain” has an equally high body count, but you won’t find yourself as invested in many of the characters here.

However, the pace and horror of what’s unfolding will keep you reading this one.  If your only love of vampires is those created by Stephenie Meyer, then you’ll want to skip this one.   “The Strain” returns vampires to the dark, scary recesses of the imagination, where they belong.

“Sucks To Be Me” by Kimberly Pauley

Seventeen-year-old Mina Hamilton has a seemingly normal life with one small exception–her parents are vampires.  Mina’s known for years, but when the vampire ruling council discovers this, Mina is enrolled in a crash course about everything it means to be a vampire and given a deadline to make one of the biggest decisions of her life–whether or not to join the ranks of the undead.

With the current crazy of teenager vampire books flooding the market, “Sucks To Be Me” stands out from the crowd for several reasons.  One of them is the central narrator and our hero, Mina Hamilton.  Told from Mina’s point of view, the story allows us to see into Mina’s thought process which is, at times hilarious, at times self-pitying and always authentic.

Another stand-out point is the novel’s creation of its own vampire mythology.   While it’s not groundbreaking, the novel does feature several points in which Mina debunks or backs up vampire lore.  The fact that Mina’s English class is reading “Dracula” as the book unfolds only helps things.  First-time author Kimberly Pauley has created a fresh, interesting new potential vampire lore in her book and while this story is complete in and of itself, more entries in this universe and involving Mina would be welcome.

Thirdly, the book is populated by an engaging group of characters.  The biggest of these is Mina, but there are a wide array of supporting characters to get to know and love over the course of the story.   And these characters behavior make for some genuinely laugh out loud funny moments such as Mina’s mom explaining vampire sex to her potential date over the family dinner table.

In a perfect world, a novel as fun, refreshing and as fun as “Sucks To Be Me” would do equal or better numbers as the Twilight saga.  With teenage vampire romance novels being the current rage in the bookstore, “Sucks To Be Me” stands out from the field with its good sense of humor, engaging characters and well-crafted romantic tension.

“Star Trek: Troublesome Minds” by Dave Galanter

When the Enterprise rescues a ship from near destruction, they bring on board the mysterious Belis.  Part of an alien race, Belis has the ability to project his thoughts and will upon people–and that includes Spock.

By saving Belis, Kirk and company may have inadvertently started a war between two neighboring planets. Belis was sentenced to death as part of a peace agreement between the two people.  But when Belis is returned, he begins to take over the will of the people slowly as the other side escalates toward full-scale war.

Added to the dilemma is that Spock may or may not be under the influence of Belis.

The dilemma of what to do about Belis and how the Prime Directive applies to the situation makes for the kind of moral quandary novel that “Star Trek” does so well.  The ethical considerations for Kirk of whether or not the greater good needs to be served over the rights of an individual is a fascinating dilemma.

That said, a solution to the problem comes out of left field a bit, thus negating some of the ethical dilemma and giving our heroes an easy way out.

“WWW: Wake” by Robert J. Sawyer

Good science fiction speculates on things that are theoretically possible given some of the conditions and advances of our current level of technology. In many cases, the advances may be years or decades away from becoming reality, but in the case of Robert J. Sawyer’s new novel, “WWW: Wake,” part of his speculated future has become a reality far too quickly.

It’s disconcerting to pick up a novel that speculates on the future and find one plot element concerning an outbreak of a new form of the flu virus. In fact, the virus that breaks out is the H1N5 in the novel, possibly some distant cousin of the current virus that is creating a global scare and a potential world-wide pandemic.

Of course, I shouldn’t be shocked that Sawyer has done has homework and is able to predict things that could happen in the near future. He’s had a long, distinguished career of doing just that and his new novels are always those I look forward to reading next.

“WWW: Wake” is no exception.

The start of a new trilogy of novels, the story follows several different threads. One is the story of teenager Catlin Decter, who has been blind since birth. A new technology could possibly open give her sight for the first time by making use of the power of the Internet. But there’s something lurking out in cyberspace, building itself up and slowly becoming more and more aware of itself.

Stir in a story about China’s dealing with an outbreak of the H1N5 virus by removing the affected areas and shutting off communication with the outside world for several days and a plot about a highly intelligent hybrid primate and you’ve got a lot of ground to cover in this first installment. And make no mistake, this is clearly a first installment. Sawyer introduces a lot of threads and a lot of fascinating ideas in the course of his story and while he does wrap-up most of the immediate plot threads in this novel, he still leaves you hanging in the end, wanting the next installment immediately, if not sooner. There’s not a character in peril type of cliffhanger here, but instead there are several intriguing points that Sawyer leaves the reader to mull over and consider as we wait for the next installment.

But while the book is full of big ideas, those ideas are grounded in identifiable characters. The main focus of the story is Catlin and her journey from lack of sight to her new ability to see. Sawyer ably puts the reader inside the mind and experience of Catlin, making us see how she works within the world while being blind and how she must learn to adapt to a world where she can see. Catlin’s story will have you feeling her joy, her frustration and her curious nature in how she relates to the world. And a revelation about her father half-way through the story is ably set up and paid off in the course of this first installment.

The only real criticism I can come up with this one is it ended too soon and left me eager for the next installment. And that next installment cannot come soon enough…

“Relentless” by Dean Koontz

When it comes to reading novels by Dean Koontz, I always have the same issue.  I’ll pick one up and within 20 pages I find myself with a remarkable sense of deja vu.   Koontz’s novels are all so remarkably similar in style and writing voice that it’s hard to really remember details about them, even moments after you’ve put them down.  I refer to Koontz as the bubble-gum writer–his books are memorable while you chew them but the flavor fades quickly and you’ll forget them within a few minutes of spitting them out.

So, when I saw the premise for “Relentless,” and read the first few pages, I was happy to see that while there were several standard Koontz cliches at work in the book (a smarter than average dog, the everyman narrator, the guy who out-kicked his coverage in marriage), I became more and more annoyed that he’d wasted all that creative effort on this novel.

To say that “Relentless” requires a big time suspension of disbelief is an understatement.  Our narrator is Cullen “Cubby” Greenwich is a best-selling author and regular guy.  He’s got the requisite great wife, a precious son and they’ve got a hyper-intelligent dog.  Greenwich’s latest novel is reviewed by reclusive and acerbic book critic Shearman Waxx.  The review is less than favorable and Cubby begins to obsess about it.  To the point that he discovers the critic eats at a local restaurant and he heads there to get a look at the guy.  An incident in the restroom where his son accidentally pees near the critic leads to Waxx telling the family the word “Doom,” and then leaving.

The set-up along requires such a huge suspension of disbelief alone due to a series of coincidences.  Waxx’s column appears in a national paper, published in another city but he happens to live near our hero.  Not only that, but he goes to a restaurant our hero knows and can visit and the waiter has tipped our hero off on when to see him.

Then things take a turn for the stranger.  Cubby begins to see Waxx around his house.  Apparently Waxx has some kind of superpowers because he can sneak in a house with an alarm system and not wake said dog that is repeatedly talked about as this great protector.  He tazers our hero and his wife and then blows up their house.  At this point, I was rolling my eyes and wondering how much more insane the book could get.  It also made me wonder if Koontz has had one too many negative reviews and if “Relentless” is meant as some kind of purge of the negative feelings he has toward those critics.   Maybe so, but next time he should leave the book with his therapist and not inflict it upon the rest of the reading world.

From there, the novel continues to have one baffling turn after the next as Koontz piles onto this already outrageously unbelievable story.   You may keep reading, hoping that it will all somehow make sense in the end, but you’re going to be disappointed.

“Relentless” is a terrible book that will sell well based on name recognition.  I suppose every writer is entitled to publish one bad novel.  But this one really sets a new standard for bad books.

Book Briefs

Fool by Christopher Moore

Christopher Moore’s re-telling of Shakespeare’s tragedy of King Lear has great comic potential. It’s just too bad that this novel doesn’t come close to its potential.

Told from the point of view of Lear’s court jester, there are some genuinely amusing moments in this book. However, as I read the book, I kept thinking this was like a Saturday Night Live skit that had been stretched beyond its initial humorous value and just kept going and going and going.

Backup by Jim Butcher

Told from the persepctive of Harry’s brother, Thomas, this short novella is a nice chance of pace for “The Dresden Files.” While it won’t be essential to read it to enjoy the on-going storylines about Dresden, it does give readers some new insight into Thomas. Also, the concept of having a story in the universe told from a different point of view is interestind and Jim Butcher really runs with the concept.

A Shred of Truth by Eric Wilson

Aramis Black is a private detective working in Music City USA (aka Nashville, TN). In this previous novel (which is referred to early and often in this book), he tracked down a family treasure and had a variety of adventures. Now he’s back, helping his brother celebrate the release of his new CD and on the trail of a new threat. This time, the connection is a bit closer to home for Black, who is quickly pulled into a web of conspiracy and deceit.

“A Shred of Truth” has its moments and I genuinely liked the character of Aramis Black. In contemporary Christian fiction, it’s nice to have a guy who struggles with his daily walk and how to live that out effectively. It’s also nice to have a character who is aware of who he was but isn’t defined by it nor does he allow it to become too much of a burden. In short, Black feels like a real guy, working every day to live out his life in a way that is a walking example of what it means to be Christ-like.

I just wish the mystery that surrounded that character struggle was as intriguing. Eric Wilson does a nice job of throwing in red herrings and keeping the plot moving, but when the final solution is presented, it still feels a bit unsatisfying.

Now I’d love to see a novella told by Karin Murphy.

“Crosscut” by Meg Gardiner

In the fourth Evan Dalaney novel, Evan returns to China Lake for her high school reunion and discovers that the death toll among her classmates is unusually high. After two classmates are brutally murdered, Evan suspects something is up and begins to piece together what might be killing her classmates.

It all stems back to a day when the group took a field trip to the local Navy base and were exposed to some kind of experiment. The results are still haunting and affecting the group to this day and it also created a serial killer who is hunting down the people on the trip and slowly eliminating them. Evan is forced to dig into her past to find answers and to try and stop the killer before he or she kills again. And when Evan discovers she’s pregnant, things become even more urgent.

As a check your brain at the door and just enjoy the ride, “Crosscut” works well. But the problems of having a first-person perspective begin to break through as the novel progresses. The story requires that some events unfold outside of Evan’s viewpoint and Meg Gardiner shows us those events. It’s all about upping the suspence quotient, but unfortunately it proves distracting in the novel’s final third. Gardiner is forced to jump between three perspectives in the novel’s final pages and it makes the ending seem a bit forced and overly melodramatic.

But the elements that come before it make it worth enduring some clunky writing in the final pages. The story unfolds at a quick pace that keeps the pages turning and will hook you right in. The overall conspiracy nature of what’s going on is fascinating and done well enough to keep you guessing about certain elements, all the way up to the final revelations.