Analyzing Books

Category: Religion

  • A Stalled Ox

    A Stalled Ox

    Rating: 4 Stars

    Age Recommendation: 16+

    Warnings: Violence, Strong Language. Potential triggers for those living with or caring for those with mental illnesses.

    Genres: Horror, Thriller, Mystery

    Pages: 102 (paperback, given to me in exchange for a review)

    “I have power here. That’s why I didn’t want him showing you what’s upstairs, I didn’t want you messing this up for me… too late for that now, ain’t it?”

    “It’s a shame your God doesn’t share everyone else’s love for you.”

    Dean Moses’s novella, A Stalled Ox, is a story of about one hundred pages that follows a piece of Howard Harrington’s life as he takes on a new investigation. He is a detective, going undercover to look into a cult that worships a character who calls himself “God,” because the members are said to eat meat in a time where there isn’t any on the market. After injectable enhancements created a genetic disease and killed off livestock all over the world, the United States has started trying to find a solution, protecting the last of each animal to no avail. Howard’s investigation proves that “God” and his flock are much more dangerous than they ever expected.

    Howard and his detective partner, Linda, aren’t quite sure what to expect upon arrival, and Howard isn’t exactly known for having a great track record when it comes to jobs. Linda is a strong female character, though the reader is given a chance to see her vulnerable side as well, which made her feel even more realistic and tangible.

    The descriptions were not lyrical or drawn out in any way, but I don’t feel that they needed to be or should have been. Instead, they matched the feeling of the novella as a whole – stark, brief, but powerful nonetheless. My main problem when it came to the writing had to do with Howard’s thoughts throughout. They were used to explain the back story of this version of the United States after 2020 when the animals began dying off. Those moments felt awkward and pulled me out of the story, but there weren’t very many of these expositional sections from him.

    Though short, A Stalled Ox takes on a multitude of social themes and problems that are prevalent in today’s world. The protagonist is the epitome of ‘diversity,’ as an LGBT, Black/Hispanic character. I could say more about him, but I’ve no intention of spoiling anything. I do want to say, however, that the diverse aspects of Howard are not the entire focus of the story, but instead help to tackle the themes brought up within the novel.

    The writing, in my opinion, took some time to get into and to fully understand. It oftentimes felt a little calculated or distancing, but I think that sometimes one has to look at something from a distance to truly understand the intention behind it or the strength that it holds. This story is powerful in ways that I honestly didn’t realize it would be when I first received it.

    A Stalled Ox is a timely story that many would be able to appreciate in today’s world. It’s graphic at times, as is fitting for the genre, but not to the extent that I felt uncomfortable reading it. It was a quick read, which only took me a couple of hours while I was on the train, and surprised me with each chapter. I am not usually a reader of the horror or thriller genres, but I’m very glad that I picked this one up.

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  • The Secret of Christopher Topher

    The Secret of Christopher Topher

    Rating: 3.5 stars.

    Age Recommendation: Middle grade, maybe Lower Young Adult.

    Warnings: Contains material that followers of certain religions might find offensive.

    Genre: High Fantasy, Science-Fiction.

    Urgent sounding chatter could be heard from outside the room. Something barely audible, about a State of the Union address. Alex held his ear near the door to listen. He heard talk of calming the citizens of the world, and readying the troops for battle.

     

    The Secret of Christopher Topher, by Gee Williams, tells the story of a twelve-year-old boy named Alex Smiley, and how he and his friend Karen spend four years of their lives working to save the human race. The reader is taken along with them on their journey, learning about the truth of the human race’s history. As it turns out, the Roman Catholic Church is perhaps not what it seems. Equally, aliens ought to be taken very seriously if you’ve learned their true nature and history.

    The story isn’t at all what I expected when I was sent a copy of the novel for review. Alex is a rather peculiar boy for being only twelve; he’s in love with his best friend, knows extinct languages, and has an impressive vocabulary. In truth, he isn’t what most people would expect when they think of a young boy. And that really is part of what makes him fit for the job of saving the world, rescuing the President and so on. When he finds a series of secret scrolls, written in a language that his father taught him how to read, he learns more about his dad than he ever imagined could be true. From there, everything is quite hectic and action-packed.

    In truth, the plot of the story was well-thought out, and the twists – even early on – were surprising. I didn’t have any trouble accepting the new rules that Williams presented, given the genre in which the book was set (fantasy and science-fiction). However, I did have trouble with the writing style throughout.

    Essentially, when I’m reading a novel, I like to find things out about the world, or the characters, by being shown things. For example, if a character is blonde and funny, I’d like to learn about that through circumstances rather than having the narrator or the novel simply tell me so. That’s why, when I first started and the initial paragraphs were about looks and personalities of multiple characters I had yet to meet, I was thrown off. Much of the story is presented in this way, with paragraphs of information that the main character shouldn’t have known, or information that could have been presented in a different way. Perhaps, if it had been spread out into a couple of novels, the information could have been given differently.

    I do want to qualify what I’ve just said with this fact, though: My reading tastes are not necessarily the same as yours. I prefer to guess the ending of a book early on, to learn little things about characters that others may not have noticed. I think it comes from reading many series set in fantasy or dystopian worlds (such as Harry Potter or Divergent). But that does not mean that you, as a reader, won’t like this book.

    It is not difficult to understand what’s going on, and is probably pretty good for young readers as far as vocabulary building goes. Some of the names of the alien species will be unpronounceable to those who have not taken a course in linguistics or phonetics, but there are several appendixes, giving extra information. It is not lost on anyone, I’m sure, that the author has done her research and is passionate about the story and the topic she has chosen.

    If you’re looking for an easy read, or are hoping to find something fantastical for your kids to try out, consider giving this book a shot! It may not have been my cup of tea, per se, but it might surprise you, and might give a child the kickstart they need to grow into loving fiction.

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