Double Book Review
Pinkerton’s Secret by Eric Lerner
Lerner’s first novel is the faux-memoir of Allen Pinkerton, founder of America’s first detective agency. Pinkerton begins his narrative with the day Mrs. Kate Warne applies for a job as a detective at Pinkerton’s agency, just years before the outbreak of the Civil War. Mrs. Warne goes on to become the first female detective and Pinkerton’s most trusted partner and confidante.
Pinkerton is an abolitionist, and a friend and admirer of John Brown. In order to finance his support of the Underground Railroad, Pinkerton strikes a deal with the Illinois Central Railroad through their lawyer, Abraham Lincoln. Pinkerton speaks candidly about Lincoln-as he does about everything-and although they do not understand each other, the respect each other highly. Lincoln is elected President, and Pinkerton and his agency are drawn into the conflict as spies.
It was amazing how many men swore they had Lincoln’s ear-maybe because those ears were so damn droopy. Droopy and deaf. He always ended up doing exactly what he wanted to do. He listened to me once, and I saved his life. But I’m a hard man to ignore.
The rest he made fools of. How could I not like him? He never tried to make a food of me-until the last time, when he made a complete ass of me and got his head blown off.
Pinkerton’s Secret offers a fictional glimpse into the of a significant American, at a volatile point in our history. Pinkerton doesn’t sugarcoat anything, whether he’s talking to Lincoln or writing his story, so the book offers a very un-romantic view of abolition and the Civil War.
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
The Lightning Thief is the first book in a series called Percy Jackson and the Olympians. The books feature hero Percy Jackson and the gods of Mount Olympus. (Pretty straightforward, right?) stubefied_by_gd and abarero both recommended the book, and I wasn’t disappointed.
Percy Jackson is expelled from school (again) at the end of his sixth grade year. As it turns out, there’s somewhere else he can go-Camp Half-Blood. There he learns that his only friend, Grover, is a satyr, his Latin teacher is really the centaur Chiron, and his father, who disappeared at sea before Percy was born, is a Greek god. Camp Half-Blood is the summer camp where all the half-blood children of gods are trained to be heroes.
Percy hardly has time to adjust to his new life before he’s given a quest. Zeus’s lightning bolt is missing, and Percy has to retrieve it in order to stop a war between the Olympians. He’s accompanied by his friend Grover and fellow camper Annabeth, a daughter of Athena, who both bring different skills to the trio.
The Lightning Thief is appealing in the same way that Harry Potter and The Chronicles of Narnia are. All feature a great adventure story set in a fantastic world just beyond our own. (Who as a child doesn’t want to step through the wardrobe into Narnia? That feeling that any ordinary kid could have an adventure like that is, well, magical!) Along with the requisite danger, there’s plenty of humor, and of course many reference to Greek mythology. If you’re not familiar with Greek myths, it’s a fun way to learn a little, and if you are, you’ll appreciate all the fun details.
Annabeth nodded. “You father isn’t dead, Percy. He’s one of the Olympians.”
“That’s crazy.”
“Is it? What’s the most common thing gods did in the old stories? They ran around falling in love with humans and having kids with them. Do you think they’ve changed their habits in the last few millennia?”
“But those are just-” I almost said myths again. Then I remembered Chiron’s warning that in two thousand years, I might be considered a myth.
I’m not sure how many books will be in the complete series, but I’m definitely looking forward to reading more.
Lerner’s first novel is the faux-memoir of Allen Pinkerton, founder of America’s first detective agency. Pinkerton begins his narrative with the day Mrs. Kate Warne applies for a job as a detective at Pinkerton’s agency, just years before the outbreak of the Civil War. Mrs. Warne goes on to become the first female detective and Pinkerton’s most trusted partner and confidante.
Pinkerton is an abolitionist, and a friend and admirer of John Brown. In order to finance his support of the Underground Railroad, Pinkerton strikes a deal with the Illinois Central Railroad through their lawyer, Abraham Lincoln. Pinkerton speaks candidly about Lincoln-as he does about everything-and although they do not understand each other, the respect each other highly. Lincoln is elected President, and Pinkerton and his agency are drawn into the conflict as spies.
It was amazing how many men swore they had Lincoln’s ear-maybe because those ears were so damn droopy. Droopy and deaf. He always ended up doing exactly what he wanted to do. He listened to me once, and I saved his life. But I’m a hard man to ignore.
The rest he made fools of. How could I not like him? He never tried to make a food of me-until the last time, when he made a complete ass of me and got his head blown off.
Pinkerton’s Secret offers a fictional glimpse into the of a significant American, at a volatile point in our history. Pinkerton doesn’t sugarcoat anything, whether he’s talking to Lincoln or writing his story, so the book offers a very un-romantic view of abolition and the Civil War.
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
The Lightning Thief is the first book in a series called Percy Jackson and the Olympians. The books feature hero Percy Jackson and the gods of Mount Olympus. (Pretty straightforward, right?) stubefied_by_gd and abarero both recommended the book, and I wasn’t disappointed.
Percy Jackson is expelled from school (again) at the end of his sixth grade year. As it turns out, there’s somewhere else he can go-Camp Half-Blood. There he learns that his only friend, Grover, is a satyr, his Latin teacher is really the centaur Chiron, and his father, who disappeared at sea before Percy was born, is a Greek god. Camp Half-Blood is the summer camp where all the half-blood children of gods are trained to be heroes.
Percy hardly has time to adjust to his new life before he’s given a quest. Zeus’s lightning bolt is missing, and Percy has to retrieve it in order to stop a war between the Olympians. He’s accompanied by his friend Grover and fellow camper Annabeth, a daughter of Athena, who both bring different skills to the trio.
The Lightning Thief is appealing in the same way that Harry Potter and The Chronicles of Narnia are. All feature a great adventure story set in a fantastic world just beyond our own. (Who as a child doesn’t want to step through the wardrobe into Narnia? That feeling that any ordinary kid could have an adventure like that is, well, magical!) Along with the requisite danger, there’s plenty of humor, and of course many reference to Greek mythology. If you’re not familiar with Greek myths, it’s a fun way to learn a little, and if you are, you’ll appreciate all the fun details.
Annabeth nodded. “You father isn’t dead, Percy. He’s one of the Olympians.”
“That’s crazy.”
“Is it? What’s the most common thing gods did in the old stories? They ran around falling in love with humans and having kids with them. Do you think they’ve changed their habits in the last few millennia?”
“But those are just-” I almost said myths again. Then I remembered Chiron’s warning that in two thousand years, I might be considered a myth.
I’m not sure how many books will be in the complete series, but I’m definitely looking forward to reading more.