Two Points of Interest: military

Showing posts with label military. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 24, 2024

Book Review - The Valley by John Renehan

The Valley by John Renehan is about an army Lieutenant traveling deep into the valley to investigate a complaint. Black is a deskbound admin officer that is sent up to the valley to investigate a warning shot that was fired by a platoon in a neighboring village. He doesn’t look forward to the task and feels that it is insulting that he was assigned to it. He feels that it's another disappointment in his Army career. As Black travels to the valley, he isn’t aware that his report can determine the fate of the fragile relationship between the Army and the residents of the valley.

When I picked this book, I picked it solely on the cover without ever reading the book summary. After reading this novel, I think I should be more selective when picking books by the cover. The novel started off a bit slowly but then got confusing. The author included a lot of technical military terms that I wasn’t familiar with. The author didn’t spend any time explaining some of what the terms meant. At times, I was confused about what was going on in the story. I felt like I was missing something and the ending left me a bit confused. The protagonist would work something out in his head but fail to share it with the audience so we could also be in on the new information. Instead we are left to ourselves to try and decipher what the new information could mean.

The reader barely got any background on the protagonist other than he was desk personnel and then he was made to go into a village that was filled with war and chaos. During that time he went from a pencil pusher to someone who was physically pushed to the limit. Since we barely got any background on him, it was hard to understand and figure out his purpose for being at the base in the valley without it being explained to us. I don't think I would read another book by the author.

Saturday, November 4, 2023

Book Review - On a Night of a Thousand Stars by Andrea Yaryura Clark

On a Night of a Thousand Stars by Andrea Yaryura Clark is about a young woman’s quest to find out the truth about her father’s past. In 1998 New York City, Santiago Larrea was a wealthy Argentinian diplomat and celebrated polo player. He was married to Lila, and they have one daughter, Paloma, who is a fashion student in NY and a budding jewelry designer.

Santiago and his family are well known for their love of throwing huge parties. The family was holding court at their latest party and everything seemed well until a guest showed up. The woman had an unflappable demeanor and made cryptic comments to Santiago. Paloma noticed that her father’s behavior had changed after the interaction, causing her to wonder who this guest was and what her relationship to her father was. Paloma realizes that she doesn't know much of her father’s past.

Shortly after the party, Paloma and her family travel to Buenos Aires for Santiago’s UN ambassadorial appointment. When they arrive, a cryptic and ominous note arrives for Santiago. Paloma is wary when he refuses to share what the message says with the family. Paloma is determined to find out what her father is hiding.

I thought the book was an interesting read. It was a bit slow moving at times. The book was told from alternating narrators. Paloma narrated the present as she was searching for the truth. And the other narrator was Santiago from the 1970s in his youth, describing his experience with the military dictatorship under Juan Peron. At times, it did get confusing when the narration switched back and forth as some of the characters were in both storylines, and the past had quite a few different characters. There were times that I wanted to read more about a specific timeline but it would switch perspectives. I did find the characters to be dull and bland though I was interested in Santiago’s narration. It was interesting to learn about Argentina’s past and political landscape. The book is a straightforward read but did have unexpected twists. If you like reading slow burn political historical fiction books, then you might enjoy it.

Thursday, June 20, 2019

Book Review - Reentry by Peter Cawdron + Giveaway

Photo Credit - Amazon

Astronaut Dr. Liz Anderson is returning to Earth from Mars to debrief Congress on what went wrong. Instead of being treated to a hero's welcome, she is surrounded by hostility as America is in turmoil. While fighting for her life in Mars, she knew who the enemy was. Back home, she is unsure who she can trust and how she can escape the deadly aftermath of the war. Upon her return, Liz also brings the remnants of the artificial intelligence that contains traces of her dead partner, Jianyu. Liz is torn between believing he is alive or if she is being manipulated by the AI. While Liz is still working through her grief, she is caught in the middle of a guerrilla war. While Liz is struggling to survive she has to decide can she trust the AI with her life?

When I first picked up this novel, I was aware that this was a sequel to the first novel. However, I felt while reading this novel that this book should have been included in the first novel. The first half of the novel, Liz and her fellow astronaut was dealing with the fallout of the AI takeover on Mars. I felt like the novel was dragging and not much was happening. I felt I would have enjoyed this book more if it had a bit more going on instead of Liz spending most of her time running away.

**Disclosure - I received a free unedited copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion. This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my link. Please note, there will be no extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**

Print Length: 304 pages
Publisher: John Joseph Adams/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (June 11, 2019)
Publication Date: June 11, 2019
Sold by: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Language: English
ASIN: B07FKD6GH9

Praise for REENTRY

"It's good to consider the AI possibilities ahead. Peter Cawdron's REENTRY is a marvelous read but also an intriguing scenario for what might go on within the superintelligences." ―Vernor Vinge, Hugo Award-winning author of A Fire Upon the Deep and A Deepness in the Sky

After almost dying on Mars, astronaut Liz Anderson returns to Earth, but not to a hero’s welcome. America is in turmoil. The war is over, but the insurgency has just begun. So while life on Mars may have been deadly, at least up there she knew who the enemy was. Along with her, Liz has brought the remnants of the artificial intelligence that waged war on two planets. Buried somewhere deep within the cold electronic circuits lies the last vestiges of her dead partner Jianyu. Liz is torn, unsure whether he’s somehow still alive in electronic form or just a ploy by an adversary that will go to any length to win. Heartbroken and treated with suspicion, she finds herself caught up in the guerrilla war being waged on Earth, wondering if the AI threat is truly gone, or if it has only just begun.

You can purchase Reentry (Mars Endeavour #2) at the following Retailers:

Photo Content from Peter Cawdron

Peter Cawdron is an Australian science fiction author, making hard scifi easy to understand.

His debut novel Anomaly has gone on to sell over 75,000 copies around the world, while his zombie story What We Left Behind was selected by Kindle Scout for publication with Kindle Press.