Customer Reviews

The Book of Summer

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've read every book James F. David has written, since his first book was released well over a decade ago. He is one of those authors who you shake your head and wonder why he isn't a bestseller, as he has all the forumlas for big time success. Completely original stories, edge of your seat excitement and thrills, tightly written mysteries that keep you moving onto the next chapter, when you should have turned the lights out hours before and good character development.

His latest book, "The Book of Summer", is no exception. While the novel will completey stand alone, I'd recommend reading "Judgment Day" first, as "The Book of Summer" continues a generation or so after the end of the previous novel.

The main character is teenager named Summer, who has been born into slavery on the distant plannet of America. While it is all she knows, she has heard about life before slavery and dreams of escaping. The novel is her story.

I won't include any spoilers, but I will state that at times I found the novel disturbing. David's descriptions of the horrible abuse by the slavemasters is vivid at times and I found myself cringing. As I read the novel, I was reminded many times of the novel, "The Sparrow".

The jacket quotes a reviewer as saying that it is an "acopalyptic novel Left Behind readers will like" and would strongly agree and disagree at the same time. I'd agree that readers of those novels would love David's two books and find them ten times better written and researched. Unfortunately, I would disagree in that there can be no comparison in these two lovels.

If you are looking for a great read, check out "Judgment Day" and "The Book of Summer" - you will not be disappointed.

I was wondering how James F. David would continue the Judgment Day storyline. I was not disappointed -- it was readable and interesting. I liked it, especially as the author continues to boldly address uncomfortable/non-PC topics. But, the Christian emphasis was stronger in this book and it ended definitely as one part of an ongoing story. I didn't like those aspects as much, so I gave 4 out of 5 stars.

God spoke to the Christians and gave his Chosen one a vision of a new world along with the science and technology to make it happen. He delivered on his promises and the Fellowship landed on America, which was not the world God granted them. Among the passengers are blacks who want to have a better lifestyle. They remained on planet America; when soldiers from earth arrived to eradicate them, the settlers defeated them. The blacks are the masters while the whites are the slaves.

Summer is a slave who is owned by Master Rice; though she abhors him she believes he will make her his concubine like he did with her mother. When Rice kills the man she loves, Summer runs off to a hiding place. There she meets Rey Mann, who has traveled the world after twenty years of being alone on the other side. He hoped the Fellowship would return him from exile, but is unaware they are gone. He has encountered severe loneliness and endured horrific hardship until he meets Summer; he delivers her baby. When Summer is captured and taken to town for punishment, Rey goes to rescue her unintentionally starting a freedom revolt.

The sequel to JUDGMENT DAY is a fascinating racial bending reversal of the Antebellum South. Summer craves freedom and is willing to die to achieve it. Master Rice is a fully developed villain who is a product of his society as he nor his peers see his actions as evil; instead Summer is property to abuse and discard on a whim; his rage drives him over the edge as he wants the power his mother-in-law possesses. This is superb thriller filled with redemption and faith as some believe God has abandoned his children, but others strongly disagree.

Harriet Klausner

Bought this book used, after reading the author's excellent prequel, Judgment Day. I was not excited about the premise of this book, but boy was I wrong.

OK, it looks boring. It's about a slave. Summer, born on the planet America, is born into slavery, only it's the reverse of historical American slavery - the slaveowners are all black. Why? A group of African-Americans asked to be dropped off on the planet by the Fellowship, fleeing Earth because of intense persecution by Manuel Crow. They capture a group of soldiers who land there in pursuit of the Fellowship, and, instead of killing them, institute slavery under the rule of Grandma Jones.

Again, the characters are well-drawn and, unlike those in Dan Brown's books (evil, child-killing Republicans all), are not caricatures, but written with empathy. Rey, the outcast marooned in the wilds, is hellbent on revenge, but we see his motivation. It's the same with everyone, even the bad guys - and, since the baddies are supposedly Christian slavemasters, the line is pretty muddled. There are no easy outs and no easy answers, and almost no one is exempt from criticism in our eyes. We see the world through the eyes of good and bad alike.

One interesting phenomenon is that of Rey's anger against the Fellowship who dropped marooned him. A constant accusation he hurls against them is that they were "liars", in that they promised him freedom but, due to being attacked and fleeing and bringing him along, freed him to be alone in exile. This is a strange accusation that is frequently hurled in online debates about Christianity, because they know that Christians are forbidden from lying in the cause of defending their faith. One can reasonably accuse them of being ignorant, but not liars. But, reflecting on Rey's thinking, I think I understand it now.

The book of Romans says that sinful man not only rejects God, they also suppress the truth. I used to question that last part. How silly it would be to suppress the truth! But I have come to experience that reality. Richard Dawkins, for example, claimed Einstein did not believe in God, and quotes Einstein on the matter. But Dawkins could not fail to find quotes to the contrary, which seem to show that as Einstein understood more and more about how matter is structured, his atheism began to falter, and he ended up (apparently) a deist, expressly rejecting atheism ("I am NOT an atheist"). Dawkins knew this, yet chose to hide it in his book. In other words, Dawkins is lying.

This is just one example. So the accusation seems to be a clear matter of projection. Atheists know there are good reasons to know God exists, yet do not want to believe, so they suppress certain thoughts and reasoning processes. This suppression is rationalized by believing and insisting it is others who are liars. But the very fact that they insist lying is wrong shows that they believe in an absolute morality to which we are all accountable somehow, so that increases the considerable mental tension. It's a vicious cycle.

Similarly, we peer into the mind of Kent Thorpe, another "baddie", who is warped by his belief that his intellect should place him at the top of the food chain, and that others are thereby inferior. His position as a slave, then, fosters even more resentment and anger. We may disagree, but we understand and even pity him.

The author has created an impressive world here, as in the first book, with an extensive knowledge of people, psychology (his field), group politics, sociology, ecology, geology, commerce, survival, military tactics, sci-fi fauna, ... again, there are no caricatures here. He does not create for the sake of showing off how smart he is - it's all part of the story. We meet Rey's pet Ollie the tree octopus, and we come to love them both, even as Rey plots to kill innocents. The author is skillful in his writing, and his sense of humor is subtly revealed in deadpan prose, especially in Rey's "discussions" with Ollie. Ollie is sci-fi gold!

Similarly, slavemasters justify their actions using Scripture. Opposing viewpoints are presented convincingly and credibly, again without caricature. Master Rice's power plays and opposition to emancipation are not the drunken, ham-fisted ramblings of a madman - he sounds eminently reasonable.

Again, there are no easy outs. Although there is talk of God and salvation, God does not appear in fiery flames but in the choices, actions, and words of his people, flawed though they are. Good and evil are not always rewarded as we would like. But this is great writing, great story, and thought-provoking.

This author wrote a very exciting book. I throughly enjoyed it. As a matter of fact, everything he's written have been "Must Reads"! I can't wait until he produces more books.