Saturday, December 17, 2005

I have to say that I have quite enjoyed reading blog-friends’ unpublished manuscripts. I’ve read three now and all have been very good. The latest is Knox’s Irregulars by Discoshaman of The Post Modern Clog.

I believe that any publisher will want to classify this one as sci-fi, which is not my normal reading preference. But Disco created some colorful characters whose leader is Randal Knox. Knox is an officer with the New Geneva Defense Force who is battling the Abkhenazians to save their way of life and their faith. New Geneva is a colony on a terraformed planet who has resisted the Abkhenazian take-over, maintaining their Christian roots and faith. Abkenazia is the new utopia - atheistic, malevolent, hopeless - with a leader who is The Beast personified.

Disco did a good job of keeping the main characters’ Christian faith central without making this an overtly Christian novel. It’s a story of good versus evil, the underdog versus overwhelming odds, people who have a cause for which they will die willingly, love, faith, hope. The dialogue moves the story and is bitingly witty at times. Disco’s own sarcasm is evident.

Once I got my head wrapped around the world Disco had created, I got pulled into their story of survival and battle. It’s a good, entertaining read. He leaves the ending wide open for a sequel, which leads me to believe that this may be the first in a series of stories. So if he’s working on part two, I’m first in the line to read it, please?! So yeah, this means that when it’s published (my typing fingers to God’s ears!), I plan to buy it.

Anyone else read it and have thoughts? I would love to know what others think about it.

Next up: Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card, which my Dad has encouraged me to read for years. My sister also read it and loved it. I’ve had a copy for a while, so since I’m in sci-fi reading mode, I’ll give it a whirl.