WheelMan Press Reviews

"Dangerous Days" Like Old Times

The Dangerous Days of Daniel X by by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge - $13.59

I should start off this review with a couple of notes.

First, I'm not familiar with James Patterson's past works, though I have probably seen movies inspired by his books. So unlike many of the prior reviews I've seen, I didn't bring any expectations based on past experience into the reading of this book. Also worth noting is that I am a kid at heart, although I tend to read (and write) darker, more adult-oriented fair more often than not. But when this book came to my attention the day of its release, I felt strongly compelled to read it, and so I downloaded it to my Kindle and began reading it soon after. And yes, I am happy I did.

Daniel X is the story of a 15-year-old boy who is an alien hunter, the orphan of parents who themselves were alien hunters, but who were murdered when he was three by the number one target on the List of aliens, who goes by the name "The Prayer." While Daniel's ultimate goal is to find The Prayer and make him pay for murdering his family, in this book Daniel is searching out alien number 6, a particularly nasty child stealing, drug dealing, bad movie producing being named Ergent Seth. Daniel, who has the power to literally create out of thin air and frequently conjures up his dead family or his quartet of teenage friends, usually for either emotional support of for help in a tight spot, goes after Seth, the most powerful foe he's yet to face. At first Daniel seems to have everything under control, but as the best laid plans are wont to do, things quickly go awry, and the hunter suddenly becomes the prey.

"The Dangerous Days of Daniel X" is a fun and quick read, and the writing is clearly targeted for the young adult market, and I'd say even younger. Although 15 years old, Daniel often sounds and thinks more like an 8-year-old, so the book is a pretty safe read for most ages. In some ways it may even appeal to the younger kids more, given that today's young adult books usually cover more mature subjects and the issues of love and angst that are part of today's teen life. And therein lies both the strength and the weakness, such as it is, of this book. When reading the book, I can't help but feel that the book is almost too simplistic, that it was like a white wall scrubbed so hard to make it squeaky clean that the paint came a hair's breadth away from being peeled right off. While I personally enjoyed the book, which reminded me of some of my favorite childhood books like "The Forgotten Door" by Alexander Key and "Have Spacesuit, Will Travel" by Robert A. Heinlein, books that each beautifully capture the sense of childhood wonder that I remember so fondly, I just didn't buy that this teenage boy, who's presumably been on his own since the age of three and therefore grew up really fast, remains as sweet and innocent as Opie Taylor and Richie Cunningham with wings and a halo thrown in for good measure. Patterson may have been better served to make Daniel younger, perhaps ten or so, just to more convincingly fit into the childlike mentality which he's bestowed upon this boy. While I think the book should be judged on its own merits, and not compared to past works by Mr. Patterson, I can see why the book is disappointing to some. It has neither the maturity nor the complexity of the king of Y/A fiction, Harry Potter, and yet it seems to aim for an audience more mature than the writing itself speaks to.

Having said all of that, I enjoyed the book, and will probably read the sequels that are previewed at the end of the book. It'll be interesting to see where Mr. Patterson takes this series, because it has the potential of getting better with subsequent books, if the author decides to age Daniel so that he better fits into a teenager's shoes. If you have young kids, or prefer to read clean, wholesome kid fiction, this is the book for you. If you are looking for more, then I'm afraid you may find this book a let down.

Let's hope that like a fine wine, Daniel X gets better with age.

A Great Writer and a Great Read

Quantum Ethics: A Thriller by Keith Ellis - $23.99

In my opinion, the sign of a great writer is when you read an author's book and find yourself riveted to the page, when you're compelled to keep reading not just to find out what happens next, but because you are blissfully drawn into the world that the author has created. This is what happened to me when I started reading Quantum Ethics: A Thriller. And I can honestly say that, for the most part, it is indeed a thriller of the best kind.

One of the most compelling characters in the book, and now one of my favorite fictional heroes of all time, is a man named John Thunder. He's an enigmatic man who seems to have almost supernatural perception of the world around him, a sixth sense that makes him a tracker and investigator of unmatched skill. His backstory, and the means through which he acquires these skills, is a tragic tale full of ancient mysticism and real-world horror that somehow only makes what could come across as an unbelievable character all the more real. The entire book is filled with colorful and well fleshed out characters like the young genius Cassy and the hulking sidekick to John Thunder named Quaalude. These characters, plus many others whom we get to follow along the way, help to enhance this book as a modern epic tale of the violent and precarious world in which we live today. Unfortunately, I think this is also precisely where the flaws that prevent this excellent book from being perfect are the most evident.

While the story is indeed a thriller, and may I say that Keith Ellis writes extremely well throughout, handling both action and dialogue masterfully, at times the story veers too long from the main plot. There are sections of the book where discussions about Quantum Physics and, as the title suggests, the ethics related to the subject as they relate to the main plot of this story, seem to take a time out to give us lectures on these topics. Well written lectures, mind you, but they are misplaced, distracting and disrupt the forward momentum that this author has the uncanny ability to build with seeming ease. Admittedly the story, about the creation of the world's first quantum computer, the moral and life threatening implications of its very existence, and the fight resulting for control of the device, is rife with deep and real moral implications. But at its heart the book is supposed to be a "thriller" and not a dissertation on social/moral ethics. There are times throughout the book where it loses sight of that fact.

I had the pleasure to read the Amazon Kindle version of this book, and to my delight and surprise I discovered a mention of the device in the midst of the story. And while this in itself should have been a cute moment for us Kindle fanatics, the story again veers off to have one character give the other a lesson on what the Kindle is and how it works. I would love to see a commercial about the Kindle during the commercial break on the Sci Fi Channel for the movie version of this story, but it just doesn't belong in the middle of the book.

And finally, without giving away the ending, I found that some of the characters behaved as if deranged or had no moral compass whatsoever. I love stories where the bad guys and the good guys aren't so cut and dried, because in real life, very few things are indeed clearly black and white. But the good guys should generally be good, and when they suddenly become lustful for death and destruction, particularly when they are people of power and respect, I found it hard to believe. The final confrontation that decided the fate of the world seemed more like the author's proselytizing for an anti-war stance. And I find that particularly regrettable since I don't believe that was the author's intent.

But overall, I loved this book, and though I felt it could have been even better had some of the pauses in action been shorter and less "lecture-like", I would recommend that anyone considering buying this book definitely do so. Another sign of great writing is when the writing itself outshines any flaws you may find in the work, and Quantum Ethics: A Thriller, shines very brightly indeed.

Poetry of inspiration and depth

Come, Wewoka & Diary of Medicine Flower: Poems on the Trail of Tears - Cherokee Aphorisms by Edward C. Patterson - $6.50

 One of the greatest tragedies of our American History, and of the history of our world is the abomination that led to the Trail of Tears of 1831. The devastation that occurred due to the forced relocation of entire nations from their homelands due to the greed of the American government still lingers today within the Five Civilized Tribes who were the victims of this action, and many of Edward Patterson's poetry in this dual collection deals with those after effects, and expresses the anguish, anger, and frustrations that continue to haunt his people almost 200 years later.

In addition to the poems of "Come, Wewoka,", Patterson shares much of his personal life through the prose poetry of "Diary of Medicine Flower". These poems, as personally insightful as the others, are more focused not on the impact of the Trail of Tears on his people as the life he's led and the trials and tribulations which he's faced and overcome.

This collection reflects what I believe to be poetry at its best, poetry which gives us a peek into the heart of the human soul from which we come away feeling a little more enlightened.

This is a poetry collection that every lover of great literature should find moving.

Kindle ebook edition available here.

An Excellent New Sci-Fi Classic

I Am Legend (Starring Will Smith) - $18.99

I must admit that I came into my viewing of "I Am Legend at a disadvantage. First, I haven't read the book upon which it was based (something I hope to correct soon). In addition, I'd heard much about the movie, both how brilliant Will Smith was in the role that had him alone on the screen for a significant portion of the movie, and also how the movie supposedly degrades in the last third. So when I finally got to see the movie last night, I was entirely unsure what to expect.

Having now seen "I Am Legend," I believe that the movie will go down as one of the classics in science fiction cinema. The cinematography is outstanding. When you see the epic shots of New York having been reclaimed by the wilderness, now the domain for the likes of lions and deer, the streets either clogged with deserted cars or choked by vegetation, you really believe that you are in the midst of the greatest tragedy of our modern times. The story is masterfully told in such a way that rather than being forced through a long expositional section providing the back story, or subjected to drawn out flashbacks that interrupt the forward momentum, the past is revealed in brief flashbacks, video clips that Smith's character, Robert Neville, constantly plays on his television, and other subtle but prevalent clues like photographs and newspaper clippings that are cleverly positioned within various scenes throughout early parts of the movie. This film, unlike many others these days, doesn't operate under the assumption that its audience is fairly clueless. It respects its audience, and I very much respect the film for that.

Both Will Smith and his canine companion quickly become beloved friends whom you care for, which makes the twists and turns that occur later on all the more moving. When the enormity of the very fact that, in Neville's mind, he is the only living human left on the earth (besides the vampire-like creatures who used to be humans) hits you, you too begin to feel the weight of his loneliness and can then understand why he is in many ways slowly going insane. If not for the daily ritual that he's structured his life around, one gets the feeling that this man would have ended his own life long before. And there's something haunting about the base story here, that some tragic event could in fact leave a once life-filled metropolis like New York a cold, empty monument to a once mighty race of beings. Could our own quest for advancement one day be our undoing?

While I must admit that the movie does seem to rush toward the ending, with the climatic moments seeming to come too soon after a major plot twist changes Neville's entire world view, I don't have a problem with the way the story ends. I suppose the ending is more "Hollywood" and less "deep" than I assume that the book is, but the ending in itself is very well done, and given the ordeal that this character has gone through, is one that works well for me. I just wish more time had been spent getting us to the ending because what this movie had, which far too few movies in this genre have today, is a solid plot that fed both the appetite of the action junkie and the person who prefers a great story. Another minor fault I must hold against the film is the vampire creatures, who would have been far more compelling if they were played by real people rather than CGI. The only CGI character that has yet to truly come alive within a real world setting is Gollum from The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, and that character was built upon the brilliant acting of Andy Serkis.

"I Am Legend" isn't perfect, and the fact that it came so close is what's most frustrating to me as a fan of both Will Smith and this genre of film, but what it does provide, it does so very well. This is a fun, thought-provoking film that years from now will be one of Smith's most lauded performances. I highly recommend it to everyone.

Making Marketing Accessible to the Masses

The New Rules of Marketing and PR: How to Use News Releases, Blogs, Podcasting, Viral Marketing and Online Media to Reach Buyers Directly by David Meerman Scott - $16.47

The New Rules of Marketing and PR is an in-depth exploration of the principles and philosophies behind marketing. It begins by examining the "rules" of the past, and exploring the mindset that went into the ways in which marketing was handled and why, and contrasts them with the new "rules". The book then explores the various avenues open to today's marketers: blogs, press releases, podcasts, forums, wikis, viral campaigns, and content-rich websites of your own.

Although I must admit that I found Parts I and II of the book a bit dry to read, they do an excellent job of providing insight into the ideas behind marketing, delves into the differences between the old and new rules, and providing a general understanding of each of the marketing avenues listed above.

But for me Part III, "Action Plan for Harnessing the Power of the New Rules," is where the book comes alive for me. It's there that we transition from the passiveness of discussing philosophy into actually putting the New Rules to work for you. At first we learn how to build a marketing plan, and then we transition into creating the content for our marketing materials, the kind of content that will distinguish you from the rest and earn your potential buyers' respect and loyalty. From there we move on to each of the avenues previously mentioned, giving each a chapter of its own so that we learn how to utilize each of them to great effect, always keeping the customer's needs and wants at the forefront of our thinking.

I don't feel that The New Rules of Marketing and PR alone will teach you all that you need to know to be a successful marketer. One of the book's "flaws", such as it is, is that it has more of a corporate business-minded slant, making some of the ideals it presents not as accessible to those of us who run smaller businesses. Nor will it teach you all you need to know to write effective ad copy or press releases, although you will come away understanding the goals to strive for when writing them. But what the book does very well is introduce you to the world of marketing, and give you an understanding of the "old rules" as a foundation to teach you about the "new rules," and if you are a small business owner like myself with little to no knowledge of the ins and outs of marketing, it will provide you with the mindset necessary to become a better, more savvy marketer.

As a primer to begin your study of marketing, this is an excellent resource.

An Example of Truly Great Horror

Not Quite Hell by E. Robert Orn - $0.49 (from Amazon Shorts)

Great horror, in my book, does more than just give you a superficial fright. Great horror touches upon things that are meaningful to you, things that for some may even be considered "too close for comfort." It doesn't just scare you briefly and quickly fade from thought, or resort to merely inducing a gag reaction through gory, gross-out visuals. Instead, it gets under your skin and in some way lingers long afterward. And in some cases, the most frightening stories are the ones about the most mundane yet real experiences, the ones that revolve around the kind of nightmares that, in our day and time, can be all too real.

"Not Quite Hell" is "not quite" the most terrifying story I've ever read. But it is an excellently written, literary tale about love, loss, and the oft-repeated tale of a life cut tragically short, but with the kind of sad twist worthy of a Shakespearean tale. This is not meant to compare the author, E. Robert Orn, with Shakespeare. Far from it. But Shakespeare had the ability to bring great drama and character to what at their root were simple tales, and I think that's what Orn has managed to pull off here in this Amazon Short about a convenience store owner named Buddy and his golden retriever Caesar.

By the time you've finished reading "Not Quite Hell," you may find that your perception of the world around you is not quite the same. And sometimes, that's not such a bad thing.

The embodiment of simple elegance

Stainless Steel Inspirational Ring by Eve's Addiction - $28.00

I've been wanting a new ring for a while, but it wasn't until the other day that I found the right selection of rings on Amazon that appealed to me. I'm a Little Person, and have small fingers, so finding male rings that fit my size 5 finger isn't always easy. I also wanted something nice, but not flashy. After looking over several choices, this ring perfectly fit the bill.

It came within five days of order (which included the weekend), and was packaged inside a nice Eve's Addiction felt pouch inside a sturdy little box. The ring is bright silver in coloring, and looks very attractive. The words "soul", "dream", "joy", "hope", "love", "peace", "live", "grow", and "faith" are etched on to the outside in black script, and although it's a bit small for my aging eyes to read without bright light overhead, it adds a depth of meaning to the ring for me, and I look forward to wearing it for years to come knowing those inspirational and motivational words are always there.

I would recommend this ring for anyone who is considering purchasing it, especially if you are like me and prefer simple elegance and meaning instead of "flash". For $28, it appears to be worth much more. Would make a great gift for either the man or woman in your life.

An Exciting Adventure for Loyal Stargate Fans!

Stargate - The Ark of Truth (Starring: Ben Browder, Amanda Tapping) - $16.99

As a long time Stargate SG-1 fan who has come and gone throughout the ten-year run of the series, and had been watching quite regularly for the last couple of years, I was sad to hear that the show was finally coming to an end. When you grow so close to characters that you feel they are as much a part of your life as the real people in your life, the thought of losing these characters can really instill an impending sense of loss within you. And in some ways, I was feeling this very thing as the show neared its end.

And then I began hearing about the Stargate movies. While excited to see the films when they came out, I was also apprehensive, because the fatal flaw inherent in the act of anticipation is that such things can rarely live up to one's high expectations. But as it turns out, Stargate - The Ark of Truth far exceeded my expectations.

The film picks up and completes the Ori saga which had dominated the series for its last two seasons, and takes us into the Ori galaxy in search of The Ark of Truth, the only device capable of stripping the Ori of their powers by revealing the "truth" to their devout followers. The movie is classic Stargate, except it feels bigger, more grand in scale and scope. Even though it wasn't shown on a big screen, you get a bit of the cinematic experience when watching SG-1 travel to the Ori galaxy and doing battle on several different fronts, as always walking on the brink of disaster. While each of the characters get their just moments in the spotlight, Cam Mitchell (played excellently as always by Ben Browder) steals the show with some of the best action scenes I've ever seen in a Stargate show. The movie is a fitting ending to the series as a whole, and also puts a nice cap to the Ori saga.

The DVD extras are also nice. My favorites were the behind the scenes special which runs about half an hour, and the footage of the Q &A session filmed at ComicCon. Getting to see Ben Browser, Amanda Tapping, and Christopher Judge as themselves was quite fun. And for those not familiar with the series or the Ori storyline, there is a prelude which will catch you up on the storyline and lead you right into "The Ark of Truth."

So if you are a fan of Stargate, or of good adventurous Science Fiction, give "Stargate - The Ark of Truth," a try!

A Remake That Should Have Been Left Unmade

The Andromeda Strain Miniseries (Starring: Benjamin Bratt, Eric McCormack) - $16.99

Although my memory of them are vague, I have fond memories of both the original Michael Crichton novel and the 1971 film adaptation. So when I learned about the remake of the story, a four-hour miniseries, no less, I was very excited to see what would be done with this new incarnation of the Crichton thriller. Unfortunately the answer is "not much."

Probably the prototype for the classic "plague-sweeping-the-world" thriller, The Andromeda Strain in its original form is an exciting roller coaster ride of a thrillfest that kept you on the edge of your seat. The Andromeda Strain Miniseries, while not the worst film I've ever seen, or close to it, was a big disappointment compared to the expectations I had. Much of the plot and some of the characters were far too contrived, more like extraneous elements thrown in for effect than being integral parts of the tale. Although I enjoy a good government conspiracy story like the next guy or gal, the one woven into this piddling plot left me expecting to see the bad guys don black hats, grow long, thin mustaches, and cackle evilly as they grin into the camera for effect. Eric McCormack's character, the obligatory "whistle-blower, drug addict" that the government goes to the utmost ridiculous efforts to eliminate seemed so unnecessary that I began wanting to kill him myself.

Another flaw of this film is that it's practically got the words "deux ex machina" branded visibly onto every twist and turn, and some of those twists were as confounding as a dog trying to catch his own tail. If anyone sees this movie and thinks it even remotely reflects the writing skills of the original author, Michael Crichton, they will be grossly mistaken. In fact I feel that the author should the makers of this film for defamation of character, libel, character assassination, and any other trumped up charge humanly possible. In fact, the more I write about this movie, the more I realize just how much I dislike it.

In reality, the movie's no worse than a high budget "B" movie, somewhat like those that have become the staple of the Sci Fi Channel. The problem is that this film had much more promise, expectation, and a far higher foundation to build upon than most of those films, and somehow wound up being worse than those films. Those films knowingly don't take themselves seriously, but this film I feel wasn't taken nearly seriously enough. I hope the actors in this movie got paid well, because they certainly won't be getting any big time starring roles based on their work here. They all did their best with what they had, but unfortunately something from nothing is still nothing.

This is a first for me, but if I have to rate this film on a scale from 1 to 5, then I'd give it a 1. And except for those who are fans of completely mindless fun (and I'm not even sure this film qualifies as such), then the movie should be rated a negative 2. And since I rarely watch a film I find so many faults with, I think this film's failure is really sad.

The Blessing and the Curse of Memory

The Woman Who Can't Forget: The Extraordinary Story of Living with the Most Remarkable Memory Known to Science--A Memoir by Price - $17.16

Most of us take the ability to remember for granted in a sense. We are fascinated by those who can remember well, and bemoan the loss of our own memories, often attributing such things to the ravages of age. And having seen the horrible effects of Alzheimer's firsthand through my late Grandmother, watching someone slowly robbed of their very soul as their memories are eaten away is a slow and painful process I pray no one ever has to witness. But what we don't realize that some things are best forgotten, or at least dulled by the passage of time. It is in much of that which we forget that allows us to evolve and grow. Just because we don't remember the particulars of an event doesn't mean they don't have lasting effects on us that, ultimately, make us smarter, stronger human beings. But imagine if you never forgot those things...

When I first saw Jill Price's story on ABC's 20/20, I immediately purchased and downloaded the book to my Kindle reading device because it seemed like such a fascinating story. Price suffers from the first documented case of "hyperthymestic syndrome", which refers to the continuous, automatic, autobiographical recall of every day of her life. On the surface one would think that such an ability is a gift, a blessing that every unsuspecting person wishes they had been given.

But as Jill Price takes us through her life journey, we discover the bitter that inevitably goes along with the seemingly sweet. Her syndrome is great in that it allows her to forever relive the most wonderful moments of her life, like meeting and falling in love with her one true love. But imagine when that also means the inability to escape the most embarrassing or painful moments of your life, like the sudden death of this very man of your dreams. Price's memory are vivid and potent, carrying with them not only the clear visuals of every recorded event, but the feelings, sounds, and smells of the moment as well. Childhood fears, though adulthood allows her to put rational perspective upon them, are still as powerful as when she was a child. And although she has the ability to call upon whatever memory she wishes at the prompting of a date, the memories also can come upon her unbidden, and cannot simply be dismissed the way one would change the television set if you don't like what's airing one channel.We've all heard of people who dwell on the past, as well as those who only live in the now. But for Jill Price, there is little distinction between the two, and the only thing more extraordinary than the life journey she's traveled so far is the fact that she's seemingly come through it sane and whole.

The book is not only a great biography about a woman dealing with an extraordinary ability that she's only recently found scientific explanations for, but Price also provides a lot of background information about how the mind and memory work, and how they play such vital roles in the people we become.

I found it a very compelling read, and I think you will too.