John C Wright recently reviewed The Hidden Truth by Hans Schantz, describing it as "part alternate history, part coming-of-age story, and part techno-thriller, peppered with wry observations about the nature of people, politics and power as seen through the eyes of a youth learning a hard lesson about the evils men hide."
He is entirely correct.
I found the first book engaging enough to go ahead and buy the second and third while I was on what, at the time, started as a vacation of sorts, and ended with a very difficult time in my life almost precisely one year ago. My largest complaint isn't with the tight plot that holds together its assumptions, the dialogue, the growth, and growing pains, our protagonist goes through, but the degree to which the evisceration of the modern progressive left is both a bit too on the nose, and, unfortunately, falls a bit short of Poe's law in not being as ridiculous as real life.
It was still a fun read and I look forward to seeing more, if and when they come out.
Apropos of a recent discussion I had, Jon Del Arroz has a new book out. I cannot do a full review of it as I've just starteed it, but so far he has certainly upped his writing since his first couple books, which I enjoyed.
On a related note, I'm still deeep in the Terran Armored Corps Series which has distracted me from finishing the original Ember War series that I've also truly enjoyed.
While I dislike the degree to which handwavium addresses discipline and infantry issues regarding women soldiers, one aspect I particularly like about the series is that while it's not overtly Christian to the degree that Jon's book is, faith is not a chumps game. In the original EW series, the "hero ship" Breitenfeld has the slogan "Gott Mitt Uns" - God is With Us. One major faction of the TAC is the Templar, and while it is later revealed that some of the miracles - visions - experienced may not be as supernatural as originally assumed, nevertheless, faith and its dismissal are not taken lightly, or as a given - I'm still waiting on the resolution of that one.
