Priscilla Simms only wants to be the next best reporter and perhaps win a Pultizer sometime in her career. She most definitely does not want to face and earthquake and an extra-terrestrial being in the same day. When an earthquake rocks her San Diego area, a strange spaceship is spotted around the area within the hour. Priscilla is on site when she sees Aster descend from the ship and raise a dead woman back to life. Aster eventually tells her that he has chosen her to help him unveil his plan for furtherment and advancement of mankind, as his people have learned on their own planet. However, the deeper the relationship becomes between human and alien, the more jaded Priscilla's outlook on life becomes and the more dangerous the game gets. Is Aster really a supernatural being sent to help planet earth, or does he have ulterior motives?
Once again, Alton Gansky crafts a fast-paced plot with a supernatural theme and packed with characters and "suspense." While Alton's alien elements are not as off-the-wall as they at first seem, the character department and the end of the plot serve to drag this book down.
Alton knows how to write a long book, yet his length is not a product of deep character development as it should be. Alton knows how to create characters, many characters, that is, but he does not know how or does not want to develop characters. Alton creates so many characters that the reader struggles to understand who is who. Many of these characters are given a shallow rundown yet are not used for more than five chapters. There are only about five characters who are nessecary in the end, yet none of them have personalities. Two of these have excuses for such disrepancies, but the other three do not, especially since one of them in Priscilla, the character Alton spends the most time showing. He obviously has some things to learn about character development.
Alton refrained from excess supernatural elements and scenes, a common mistake he has made in the past. Aster and his surrounding elements are more thought-out and well-developed than usual. However, Alton fell into other old vices such as unnessecary romantic subplots and cheesy showdowns. However, Alton did kill off a few expendable characters at this showdown. In the end, despite the book's length, the plot is quite shallow, which can only be blamed on the magnitude of the character base.
Alton Gansky has only hit on a few Elite ideas because his biggest problem is repetition. He seems to do the same thing in every book, yet not many critisize him for it. I believe that it is time for him to either find something new to write about or stop writing altogether.
3 stars
Showing posts with label alton gansky. Show all posts
Showing posts with label alton gansky. Show all posts
Friday, August 20, 2010
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
The Bell Messenger by Robert Cornuke and Alton Gansky
Probably the best thing about The Bell Messenger is its unique plot structure.
It's about a college graduate who receives of box of seemingly random items from his eccentric uncle. There are several valuable jewels contained in the box, but the most intriguing piece in the box is an old Bible. The college grad wonders where came from. He probes his uncle for answers, but the old man's tight lipped. So the grad has to research on his own. He teams up with a beautiful girl to do the job.
The plot also shows snippets of the journey of the Bible. It was called the Bell Bible because a Confederate soldier passed it to his Union murderer just before death. It then falls into the hands of a street preacher, who also dies. It eventually ends up in Africa where a young couple finds it and brings it back to America.
The book is very different for a debut novel, probably because of Alton's hand in it. The main problem with it is I thought it could have been longer because of its rushed end. The fast movement of time in the past does not leave the opportunity for interesting characters. It's a shame because several of them were ripe for improvement.
The end is continued, but I'm not really sure why. It seems like it could end here.
The best part about this book is the fact that it's not an all out, change-the-history-of-the-world treasure hunt that lots of people are on. It's just a simple digging back into the past. This is also one treasure hunt that has no secret societies in it.
All in all, it was interesting and worth your time. It will be interesting to see what Cornuke will do next.
3 stars
It's about a college graduate who receives of box of seemingly random items from his eccentric uncle. There are several valuable jewels contained in the box, but the most intriguing piece in the box is an old Bible. The college grad wonders where came from. He probes his uncle for answers, but the old man's tight lipped. So the grad has to research on his own. He teams up with a beautiful girl to do the job.
The plot also shows snippets of the journey of the Bible. It was called the Bell Bible because a Confederate soldier passed it to his Union murderer just before death. It then falls into the hands of a street preacher, who also dies. It eventually ends up in Africa where a young couple finds it and brings it back to America.
The book is very different for a debut novel, probably because of Alton's hand in it. The main problem with it is I thought it could have been longer because of its rushed end. The fast movement of time in the past does not leave the opportunity for interesting characters. It's a shame because several of them were ripe for improvement.
The end is continued, but I'm not really sure why. It seems like it could end here.
The best part about this book is the fact that it's not an all out, change-the-history-of-the-world treasure hunt that lots of people are on. It's just a simple digging back into the past. This is also one treasure hunt that has no secret societies in it.
All in all, it was interesting and worth your time. It will be interesting to see what Cornuke will do next.
3 stars
Friday, August 14, 2009
The Incumbment by Alton Gansky
Alton seems to have a penchant for below average series. The Madison Glenn series follows the struggles of small town mayor Madison Glenn.
The Incumbent is basically a murder mystery. As a new mayor and new widow, Madison Glenn has to live two separate lifestyles. But both lifestyles are threatened when a dead body turns up in town. Also, a close friend of her husband relates to her how he died. Since Peter was a Christian and Maddy is not, she struggles with that too.
Though the book is told form her first person perspective, I found it rather boring and methodical in its writing style. The culprit's pretty easy to figure out. The characters aren't any good.
It's just one of those books you wish you hadn't wasted any time on after you read it.
This one could have gone unwritten.
1.5 stars
The Incumbent is basically a murder mystery. As a new mayor and new widow, Madison Glenn has to live two separate lifestyles. But both lifestyles are threatened when a dead body turns up in town. Also, a close friend of her husband relates to her how he died. Since Peter was a Christian and Maddy is not, she struggles with that too.
Though the book is told form her first person perspective, I found it rather boring and methodical in its writing style. The culprit's pretty easy to figure out. The characters aren't any good.
It's just one of those books you wish you hadn't wasted any time on after you read it.
This one could have gone unwritten.
1.5 stars
Submerged by Alton Gansky
Submerged is the strangest Christian book we have ever reviewed. It's the third book in the Perry Sachs series, and the last which is a good thing.
Apparently his father and a handful of other agents went on a mysterious assignment that only they know about. The mission: explore a mysterious underground cavern. What they find inside isn't even explainable in words.
Now, in the present day, Perry's father and friends are either dying or dead from a mysterious disease. All they can link it too is the underground cavern and what was in it.
So when Perry and his crew go to investigate they find that it's coming up through a reservoir built on top of it. In order to stop it, they have to descend into it. What they find down there is beyond believability and bordering on stupid.
There's no book I can think of to compare it to. Nothing about it is normal or even possible.
So you ask, why don't we like it? It's original, sure. But one can be too original.
But that's not really all. There are several typical plot devices Alton uses, including an unnecessary villain, a completely tacked-on romantic subplot, and a dumb "climactic" scene at the end of the adventure.
While one is reading it, it seems really interesting, but at the end you wonder if you wasted your time. You will have to decide for yourself.
3 stars for originality
Apparently his father and a handful of other agents went on a mysterious assignment that only they know about. The mission: explore a mysterious underground cavern. What they find inside isn't even explainable in words.
Now, in the present day, Perry's father and friends are either dying or dead from a mysterious disease. All they can link it too is the underground cavern and what was in it.
So when Perry and his crew go to investigate they find that it's coming up through a reservoir built on top of it. In order to stop it, they have to descend into it. What they find down there is beyond believability and bordering on stupid.
There's no book I can think of to compare it to. Nothing about it is normal or even possible.
So you ask, why don't we like it? It's original, sure. But one can be too original.
But that's not really all. There are several typical plot devices Alton uses, including an unnecessary villain, a completely tacked-on romantic subplot, and a dumb "climactic" scene at the end of the adventure.
While one is reading it, it seems really interesting, but at the end you wonder if you wasted your time. You will have to decide for yourself.
3 stars for originality
Director's Cut by Alton Gansky
How is it that Madison Glenn can't get involved in three murder mysteries in a row? In the same small town!
When her seat for mayor is threatened by a popular state senator and when a movie crew comes to town to film a movie, Madison once again finds herself torn two ways.
But when bodies start showing up around her house, things start to get interesting.
I think we can easily apply the old adage to this book: One's enough, two's a lot, and three's a crowd. Or something like that.
I can't really point out any other significant parts of this book besides the dumb end. The characters are like all the same person.
Murder mystery is a delicate genre. It can either be ridiculous or superb. It all depends on the packaging.
Not the cover, the plot, mind you.
Basically, if you ever read this book, at the end, you'll probably feel like you've wasted your time.
Never fear, that's exactly how I felt when I finished it.
So do yourself a favor and skip this one.
1 star
When her seat for mayor is threatened by a popular state senator and when a movie crew comes to town to film a movie, Madison once again finds herself torn two ways.
But when bodies start showing up around her house, things start to get interesting.
I think we can easily apply the old adage to this book: One's enough, two's a lot, and three's a crowd. Or something like that.
I can't really point out any other significant parts of this book besides the dumb end. The characters are like all the same person.
Murder mystery is a delicate genre. It can either be ridiculous or superb. It all depends on the packaging.
Not the cover, the plot, mind you.
Basically, if you ever read this book, at the end, you'll probably feel like you've wasted your time.
Never fear, that's exactly how I felt when I finished it.
So do yourself a favor and skip this one.
1 star
Beneath the Ice by Alton Gansky
Beneath the Ice is a novel of intrigue in Antarctica. I would say suspense, but that would be lying.
The story continues the saga of brave world explorer Perry Sachs as he travels to Antarctica with his team to unearth something mysterious emerging beneath the ice. As usual, someone wants it for themselves and the enemy is not a mystery.
The book holds your attention up until the end, but it almost lets you down. The idea of a secret group that wants the artifact is nothing new; neither is the scene about almost getting blown away by C-4.
As usual, the characters are bland, especially perfect Perry, who can do no wrong. At least there was no unnecessary romantic subplot. All in all, this book is interesting enough. Probably enough to warrant a read.
2.5 stars
The story continues the saga of brave world explorer Perry Sachs as he travels to Antarctica with his team to unearth something mysterious emerging beneath the ice. As usual, someone wants it for themselves and the enemy is not a mystery.
The book holds your attention up until the end, but it almost lets you down. The idea of a secret group that wants the artifact is nothing new; neither is the scene about almost getting blown away by C-4.
As usual, the characters are bland, especially perfect Perry, who can do no wrong. At least there was no unnecessary romantic subplot. All in all, this book is interesting enough. Probably enough to warrant a read.
2.5 stars
Before Another Dies by Alton Gansky:
Before Another Dies is one of the only murder mysteries that have even intrigued and surprised me at the end. When a killer begins killing people according to what a certain late night radio talk host talks about, who else is Madison supposed to suspect but the eccentric talk host?
While the idea of the book is morbid and something I would have never thought about writing at all, it makes for an interesting read. At least the idea is slightly original. At least the killer isn't obvious.
Though the characters still aren't any good, there are several good things about this book. More good things than the rest of this series. The rest of the Madison Glenn series should be forgotten, and this should be a stand alone.
It does not by far rank among my favorite books, but it's better than some.
2.5 stars
While the idea of the book is morbid and something I would have never thought about writing at all, it makes for an interesting read. At least the idea is slightly original. At least the killer isn't obvious.
Though the characters still aren't any good, there are several good things about this book. More good things than the rest of this series. The rest of the Madison Glenn series should be forgotten, and this should be a stand alone.
It does not by far rank among my favorite books, but it's better than some.
2.5 stars
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Certain Jeopardy by Jeff Struecker and Alton Gansky
At least new author Jeff Struecker has made an effort with Certain Jeopardy. I can't fault him for international and army accuracy because that's his specialty. I believe he is an honest and honorable man since he himself is in the army.
All that said, I can now talk about the plot structure and character development of this book. The plot is about six men in a squadron being sent to South America on a mission. The purpose and significance of the mission were lost to me. It seemed like it was all to-do about nothing.
Anyway, there are WAY too many characters introduced. Not only are there six main characters, but there are also wives of three of the men, a fiancee of another, and a brother of another. There is also a mechanic working with the squad, and an unnecessary family that is forced into the plot.
There aren't any good characters because Jeff can't develop them when he has over fifteen.
The end of the mission, I felt, was a little too suspenseful, having the expendable crewman, so to speak, be the only who dies.
The epilogue is an information dump of perfection, even though it is set at a funeral.
Considering all this, I do not discourage Jeff to stop writing. I think that if he keeps at it, he'll strike the right note eventually.
2.5 stars
All that said, I can now talk about the plot structure and character development of this book. The plot is about six men in a squadron being sent to South America on a mission. The purpose and significance of the mission were lost to me. It seemed like it was all to-do about nothing.
Anyway, there are WAY too many characters introduced. Not only are there six main characters, but there are also wives of three of the men, a fiancee of another, and a brother of another. There is also a mechanic working with the squad, and an unnecessary family that is forced into the plot.
There aren't any good characters because Jeff can't develop them when he has over fifteen.
The end of the mission, I felt, was a little too suspenseful, having the expendable crewman, so to speak, be the only who dies.
The epilogue is an information dump of perfection, even though it is set at a funeral.
Considering all this, I do not discourage Jeff to stop writing. I think that if he keeps at it, he'll strike the right note eventually.
2.5 stars
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
The Prodigy by Alton Gansky
If you liked Blessed Child by Ted Dekker, than you are sure to like The Prodigy.
When a single mother and her young son begin travelling across the country, they leave a trail of miracles in their wake. The boy stops a tornado in its path and preforms other various miracles, though he says after every one that he didn't do anything.
Enter the opposition. There always has to be a villain who wants to boy for his own. A radio talk host trying to make it big sees an opportunity in the boy and takes him and his mother into his care. Of course, the man turns out to be possessed by a demon.
The characters are just okay, which is typical of Alton. At least he restrained himself from having a romantic subplot. Basically, this plot just didn't hit me well, mostly because it kept reminding me of Blessed Child. This idea was original once, not any more. I think this book should have gone unwritten.
2 stars
When a single mother and her young son begin travelling across the country, they leave a trail of miracles in their wake. The boy stops a tornado in its path and preforms other various miracles, though he says after every one that he didn't do anything.
Enter the opposition. There always has to be a villain who wants to boy for his own. A radio talk host trying to make it big sees an opportunity in the boy and takes him and his mother into his care. Of course, the man turns out to be possessed by a demon.
The characters are just okay, which is typical of Alton. At least he restrained himself from having a romantic subplot. Basically, this plot just didn't hit me well, mostly because it kept reminding me of Blessed Child. This idea was original once, not any more. I think this book should have gone unwritten.
2 stars
Finder's Fee by Alton Gansky
Finder's Fee is an odd breed of a treasure hunt. It all starts when a certain woman gets a strange email telling her to recieve a package at a restaurant from a teenager. Inside the package is a thumb drive. She eventually meets up with another man who was also given a thumb drive. They eventually get led to a strange compound in the middle of the countryside.
The plot is a little copycatish, along with the villain and the idea of the villain. This book is a little bit of departure for Gansky, though he never really has a distinctive style. This book was just kind of bland for me.
The characters were pretty average. There was an unnessecary romance, as usual. The end was just pretty average. The whole book was average.
2.5 stars
The plot is a little copycatish, along with the villain and the idea of the villain. This book is a little bit of departure for Gansky, though he never really has a distinctive style. This book was just kind of bland for me.
The characters were pretty average. There was an unnessecary romance, as usual. The end was just pretty average. The whole book was average.
2.5 stars
Friday, August 7, 2009
Out of Time by Alton Gansky
Usually, the final installments of trilogies aren't very good. But the J.D. Stanton trilogy is one of those rare ones that gets better with practically every book.
When ol' JD volunteers to lead several juvie delinquents out to sea on a voyage designed to change their ways, the encounter trouble. Not in the supernatural kind, or at least not the supernatural you're thinking of.
They encounter a storm, and afterwards, they find themselves in a gray world in an old warship dating back to the 1800s. They eventually get on the warship, where the find nothing but ghosts. At this point in the plot, you just have to bear with it to find out what the ghosts really are.
The best thing about the end and explanation is that they don't have some kind of dumb demonic confrontation; it's just a normal end. This is one thing Gansky has improved on.
All in all, this book is worth reading once you get to the end.
5 stars
When ol' JD volunteers to lead several juvie delinquents out to sea on a voyage designed to change their ways, the encounter trouble. Not in the supernatural kind, or at least not the supernatural you're thinking of.
They encounter a storm, and afterwards, they find themselves in a gray world in an old warship dating back to the 1800s. They eventually get on the warship, where the find nothing but ghosts. At this point in the plot, you just have to bear with it to find out what the ghosts really are.
The best thing about the end and explanation is that they don't have some kind of dumb demonic confrontation; it's just a normal end. This is one thing Gansky has improved on.
All in all, this book is worth reading once you get to the end.
5 stars
Through My Eyes by Alton Gansky
Through My Eyes is written in a completely different tone than that of its predecessor, By My Hands. It starts out with Rachel and Jeff already married. Rachel goes unconscious in their closet one day while he's gone. No one finds her until he comes home. While unconscious, Rachel has a dream about God showing her where to find the Ark of the Covenant. When I read this, I thought, Oh great.
Then the book proceeds to introduce several characters having similar visions all around the world. They have nothing to do with each other, but each vision tells them to go see Jeff and Rachel.
Once they all meet up, they all talk about their visions and about where they can find the Ark. And of course, someone else wants to find the Ark too. Someone evil.
From here, the group splits up and goes to two random spots in the world to look for the Ark. Of course, they find the ark, defeat the bad guys, and all go home happy.
The characters are sappy and perfect. Since Gansky has Jeff and Rachel married, he decided to come up with another romance. The end of the book is filled with the good characters defying death and also several conversions to Christ at the same time.
If it's possible, this book is worse than the first.
1.5 stars
Then the book proceeds to introduce several characters having similar visions all around the world. They have nothing to do with each other, but each vision tells them to go see Jeff and Rachel.
Once they all meet up, they all talk about their visions and about where they can find the Ark. And of course, someone else wants to find the Ark too. Someone evil.
From here, the group splits up and goes to two random spots in the world to look for the Ark. Of course, they find the ark, defeat the bad guys, and all go home happy.
The characters are sappy and perfect. Since Gansky has Jeff and Rachel married, he decided to come up with another romance. The end of the book is filled with the good characters defying death and also several conversions to Christ at the same time.
If it's possible, this book is worse than the first.
1.5 stars
Enoch by Alton Gansky
It's safe to say that Enoch was everything I expected it to be. Alton Gansky failed to surprise me. Perhaps if this was your first Gansky book, it would be interesting to you, but after reading all his other books, I found this one to be less interesting. The problem is Alton's made himself no longer special because of his lack of censorship.
The plot is self-explanatory: Enoch suddenly appears on earth, except that the most powerful New Age female reverend is trying to own him. Enoch jumps around the country preforming miracles and wowing everyone with his knowledge. But through all this, he remains ever perfect.
I can't really put my finger on any good characters. There are many unnecessary ones, including his lame and obvious attempt at a romantic subplot.
When I heard about Enoch and read its description, I thought, This is the all the same, and I was right. Maybe if Gansky had eliminated the Madison Glenn series, the Perry Sachs series, Terminal Justice, Tarnished Image, Marked for Mercy, and A Small Dose of Murder, this would have been more special to me.
Like I said, you may find it interesting, but I did not.
2 stars
The plot is self-explanatory: Enoch suddenly appears on earth, except that the most powerful New Age female reverend is trying to own him. Enoch jumps around the country preforming miracles and wowing everyone with his knowledge. But through all this, he remains ever perfect.
I can't really put my finger on any good characters. There are many unnecessary ones, including his lame and obvious attempt at a romantic subplot.
When I heard about Enoch and read its description, I thought, This is the all the same, and I was right. Maybe if Gansky had eliminated the Madison Glenn series, the Perry Sachs series, Terminal Justice, Tarnished Image, Marked for Mercy, and A Small Dose of Murder, this would have been more special to me.
Like I said, you may find it interesting, but I did not.
2 stars
Distant Memory by Alton Gansky
Distant Memory is good, but not great. It would have been better if Gansky hadn't played by all the rules of an amnesia "suspense" book.
It's about a woman who wakes up in a strange motel and finds that she can't even remember who own name or where she last was. The entire book is about her trying to regain her memory, because she of course has something important locked up in there.
She "accidentally" meets up with a mysterious truck driver who just wants to "help". He happens to have everything she needs.
The villain is not revealed for a while, but it's refreshing to actually not have one that's an evil geneticist or a WMD maker.
The characters are little above average, and there's actually no obvious romance subplot. That's a surprise for Gansky.
The best part about the book is its ironic ending. The story is exciting and to reveal more would ruin the story. It is definitely worth your time.
3.5 stars
It's about a woman who wakes up in a strange motel and finds that she can't even remember who own name or where she last was. The entire book is about her trying to regain her memory, because she of course has something important locked up in there.
She "accidentally" meets up with a mysterious truck driver who just wants to "help". He happens to have everything she needs.
The villain is not revealed for a while, but it's refreshing to actually not have one that's an evil geneticist or a WMD maker.
The characters are little above average, and there's actually no obvious romance subplot. That's a surprise for Gansky.
The best part about the book is its ironic ending. The story is exciting and to reveal more would ruin the story. It is definitely worth your time.
3.5 stars
Dark Moon by Alton Gansky
On an ordinary night of stargazing, an astronomer looks through the eye of the telescope and sees something he thought he would never live to see. The moon has turned blood red. According to the Bible, that's a sign of the end times. The astronomer finds himself second guessing himself because he believes that would happen after the Rapture. He tries to study into it deeper, but there's nothing to study. The moon is simply red.
A woman is being held against her will in an asylum because of the strange visions she keeps having. Her husband is a politician, so he keeps her locked up there, away from the press. They keep her confined in her room, but she can't control the visions. She doesn't want them. When she sees a red moon out her window, she believes that she has really lost it.
The best thing Alton did with this book was he kept it normal. No flashy, supernatural scenes. Nothing out of the ordinary (except for a red moon). Just normal, every day life that has been affected by the moon's color change.
The downfall to this book is for one, the lack of good characters. While they are imperfect, they lack personality, thus detracting a little from the realism of the rest of the plot.
Another problem with the book is Alton's general wasted time. He fills time with issues in the astronomer's life, visions from the woman in the asylum, and a short subplot about a schiziophrenic that really never comes to anything. The most interesting part of the book is the explination behind the red moon. Otherwise, the book is a little boring.
All in all, Alton has proved with this book that he can write normal plots and still be interesting.
4.5 stars
By My Hands by Alton Gansky
Healers and healings is a bit of a worn out genre. By My Hands starts when a local pastor is take into a local hospital after a bout of appendicitis. He is taken into surgery by the local surgeon, but the next morning, he doesn't even feel like he had surgery. The surgeon (the female lead) is confused but still refuses to let him go until he recovers. After being released from the hospital, the pastor begins visiting some church friends at the hospital. One patient in particular was in a coma until the pastor went to see him. When the pastor sees him, the man is completely alert and awake with no signs of being in a coma at all.
From here on out, more and more healings happen at the hospital and people from all over the county flock at the hospital to be healed. But the healer remains out of sight from everyone.
From here, the book gets a little boring as the plot meanders here and there. There are several odd scenes that don't fit with the book at all. At end, the pastor almost dies, and the healer finally shows his face to heal him.
This ending, I thought, was pretty lame. But it was a lame end to fit with a lame book. The characters aren't any good. The book would have been better without the inevitable romance.
This book just wasn't good for me.
2 stars
From here on out, more and more healings happen at the hospital and people from all over the county flock at the hospital to be healed. But the healer remains out of sight from everyone.
From here, the book gets a little boring as the plot meanders here and there. There are several odd scenes that don't fit with the book at all. At end, the pastor almost dies, and the healer finally shows his face to heal him.
This ending, I thought, was pretty lame. But it was a lame end to fit with a lame book. The characters aren't any good. The book would have been better without the inevitable romance.
This book just wasn't good for me.
2 stars
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Vanished by Alton Gansky
Vanished continues the saga of former submarine captain J.D. Stanton from A Ship Possesed. Once again, Gansky has crafted an only slightly possible science fiction story. The story starts when Stanton arrives in a town in New Mexico that is housing a government facility. The problem: there are only three remaining citizens. One is a young boy who doesn't speak, one is a crazy homeless woman, and the other is a mad scientist who knows what happened to everyone but won't disclose the information. Stanton, along with these three and several other people, suddenly find themselves being chased by mysterious black ops in helicopters. This part of the story is a bit worn out, thus keeping it off the Elite List.
This book is not near as good as the first but still manages to be suspenseful and exciting (even with the black ops). The whole idea behind the plot is a little out there, which is the main difference from the first book in this series. It seems Alton is just trying to be very different with this idea. The final chapters get rather bizarre but still manage to be exciting.
3 stars
This book is not near as good as the first but still manages to be suspenseful and exciting (even with the black ops). The whole idea behind the plot is a little out there, which is the main difference from the first book in this series. It seems Alton is just trying to be very different with this idea. The final chapters get rather bizarre but still manage to be exciting.
3 stars
A Ship Possessed by Alton Gansky:
JD Stanton is a retired Navy submarine captain who is called back for one mission: to investigate a decades-old submarine that has mysteriously washed up on a beach. No one knows where it came from or what to make of it. When he arrives at the scene, he doesn't know what to make of it either.
A small Nazi insurgent group is trying to resurrect the glory of the Third Reich. They believe that something on board the submarine will help them achieve the power they want. But several things stand in the way of their quest.
This book is well written; jumping back and forth from the past and the present of the submarine to create a suspenseful tale. To say this is his best book would be an overstatement, but the idea behind the plot is original enough to be interesting.
Though the submarine captain is a slightly typical, perfect character, this isn't really as big of a deal as some other books are. The other characters are of about the same caliber, but the plot distracts from this fact.
The only negative thing about the book is that it is slightly typical kind of a supernatural book but Alton Gansky found a creative avenue on which to use this typical idea. The showdown at the end didn't help any, but it wasn't as bad as most supernatural showdowns.
This is the kind of story that is highly believable and possible and is a good start to a great series.
4 stars
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