Suarez is the modern heir to Michael Crichton, doing for computers what Crichton did for biology and genetics. While this book was based around a fascinating concept, there was no real surprise as to where it was going from nearly the first chapter. Compared to Suarez' earlier books, this one was fine but not nearly as engaging or tense.

Absolutely brutal account of a Marine officer's tour of duty in Ramadi, Iraq.

A fast-paced horror thriller. No surprises to be had here - this is straight-up predictable creature horror, and not as horrific as it could've been.

Australian pastor and author Mark Sayers put out a request for reviews of his new book, The Road Trip that Changed the World a few weeks ago, and I’m happy today to take him up on it. I had previously read his book Vertical Self and enjoyed it quite a bit, so I was looking forward to his newest offering.

The Road Trip that Changed the World draws its title and chief topic from the classic American novel On The Road by Jack Kerouac. Sayers examines how Kerouac’s novel incited a generation to leave the ideals of home, family, and place and instead to chase the dream of the road, the hope of whatever lays just beyond the horizon.

He spends a good chapter discussing our search for the transcendent, and notes how when we fail to notice and embrace the transcendence in the material here and now, we end up constantly looking for the next “woosh” – a fleeting moment of awe that makes us feel alive but quickly leaves us searching for the next hit.

The first two-thirds of the book is devoted to this examination of the shift in American culture brought on by Kerouac; the last third brings things around to the gospel. Sayers discusses Abraham as “the first counter-cultural rebel”, and traces a path through the Old and New Testaments, ultimately concluding that we need to reject the endless search for the “woosh” over the horizon, instead finding joy and meaning and transcendence in the here and now, as we experience true community and relationship with God.

I’ll say this – Sayers has the spirit of the times nailed. If anything, I didn’t respond to it more because it already seemed so familiar. His diagnosis of cynicism, distance, and the search for transcendence in “woosh” moments is right on. His prescription of embracing community and finding transcendence in experiencing God is a call appropriate for the time. If my cynical generation is willing to hear it, The Road Trip that Changed the World is a great call back to what really matters.

Note: I was provided a free copy of the book in return for reading and posting a fair review.

As a long-time Clancy fan, I have a real affection for some of the characters that continue to inhabit his stories. John Clark and Ding Chavez play primary roles in Locked On, and it's hard to do anything but root for them. However, Clancy's writing has gone significantly downhill, and this book is just the latest example of that slide.

Clancy lovers have come to expect long, thick novels, and picking this one up off the shelf leads you to believe that it is another of similar size to classics like Red Storm Rising or Clear and Present Danger. However, opening the 900-page book you find that the publisher has reverted to tricks a lazy student uses with a college paper - wide margins, large line spacing, big fonts. There is probably only 60% of the content that used to be in a 900-page Clancy novel.

The book is also sloppily edited. For example, at one point it is noted that Chavez and Clark have been partners "for over 20 years". Further on, though, Chavez says that Clark "is more than twice my age - what, 63, 64?" It doesn't take a math whiz to figure out those numbers are screwed up.

Back in the glory days of this genre, Clancy was cranking out great stuff, WEB Griffin was top-notch, and Larry Bond was putting out some good stuff in the genre when he wasn't co-writing with Clancy. Today, though, I haven't found a younger author to fill that void; everybody seems to be focused on writing 300-page quickies rather than Clancy-length epics. Sad.

An entertaining con game story, but not as compelling as the first book in the series ("The Lies of Locke Lamora"). A lot of plot layers to keep track of, and while the pirate angles are entertaining, it doesn't quite live up to the original. Still, a fun read.