I Am Marcus Fox by Bryon Cahill | A Book Review

It's Monday again. Those in the US or those working for US companies, we had a long weekend. I didn't go out of town. I just stayed home and relaxed since I was feeling under the weather. My all-cure for all ailments is sleep. I did just that and watched movies and Korean dramas online. I was also able to write two reviews. Good, but not that good. I was hoping to write more but I felt so uninspired. Anyway, here is another one.

The book - I Am Marcus Fox is an action-adventure. That's what it seemed at first. It seemed like a real-life story but might be too impossible to believe. It's somewhere between fiction and real life. Some events are just too plausible to be actually true. The book started really good. How Marcus Fox was abandoned by his parents and got miraculously saved and adopted by an African couple. He grew up to be a strong man loved by his adoptive parents like their own and then tragedy struck again. It was going well until he got to the part where he battled a shark which felt too unbelievable. I was doubtful about that part. There were other similar scenes in the story which will make you question - "Is this a real story or pure fiction born out of the author's imagination?" In a way, I got confused because in the first few parts you were made to believe that this is a tragic story of a boy who had the misfortune of being born out of crazy and criminal parents. Then along the way, the story seems to blend together reality and fantasy because then Marcus suddenly does these feats that you can only see in the movies. It suddenly felt like a bunch of kids talking about a movie they've watched together and were not satisfied with it that they then decided that the main character should have done this and that. Injecting feats that require supernatural or superhuman abilities which is what happened here.

In a way, even if some parts bordered on impossible, it has a way of getting the reader hooked. I read it in one go. Unbelievably, I didn't put it down though I had times where I had my eyebrows raised and had wrinkles pinned on my forehead. The story has a way of pulling you in and make you root for Marcus Fox to finally have a good life. That's one of the merits of the story. You will wish all his troubles will come to an end and that he will finally live a life he deserves after all the perils and heartbreaks he has to go through. 

I give this book 3/5 sharks.The part with the shark is where I couldn't get over. It's crazy. In the end, I am still unsure if this is part-true embellished with fiction or pure fiction skirting the limits of fantasy. I am still a bit confused what to make of the story. It started really good and the bones of a really satisfying read is there but I can't seem to take it all seriously. Or maybe, it's meant to be that way. It doesn't have to be boxed into what kind of story it is. As one of the reviews on Amazon say, "It's skirting the realm of fantasy and realism." That sentence perfectly sums it up. 

Would you want to read this book? I can't answer that. As I have said, I am unsure. The beginning and some parts of the story were very solid. I just wished it was more believable. If this was meant to be a fantasy, it wasn't really hitting it. If this was just meant to feel more like an action-adventure, then it's so over-the-top. The best answer to the question is to read it yourself and tell me what you think. I may be wrong about all of it but that's how the story felt like to me. Or maybe, I just don't do well with realism like Murakami's Hear the Bird Sing. 

Truth doesn't set you free. It only turns you to dust. 

- Bryon Cahill, I am Marcus Fox - 

Thanks again, Bryon Cahill, for the review copy. Sorry, it took months for the review to come out. 

Chronicles of the Anti-Christ by J.M. Harrison | A Book Review

I actually had a hard time starting this post. It's not that I don't know what to say about the book but it's more of saying something that will eventually lead to the story. What recent event would somehow relate to the story? I could actually think of one. The recent incident in the sea involving a local fishing vessel that was allegedly intentionally hit by another fishing vessel but albeit bigger and belongs to a foreign nation who's not supposed to be fishing within our territorial waters. This is currently a very hot issue since our head of the nation clearly stated in his interview that we should just let them be if we don't want another world war. Who wants one, right? But there should be other ways in which we can insist our sovereignty and rights without resulting to firearms and violent means. It doesn't have to end in a war. Anyway, there's a lot that could still be said about this topic but it's also causing me headaches. So, I'd rather not delve deeper into it and it's probably more suited to another platform. But I am thankful to those who are standing up and protesting in front of the embassy of that foreign nation. Go on and never stop until they hear our voices. We are done being ignored and treated like we are insignificant. And to all those lawmakers who are also fighting for our government to make a stand, please don't ever tire of fighting. If there's a need for every Filipino to rally and make a stand, then let's do that. 

Chronicles of the Anti-Christ, how does the above relate to this book? Well, it's about fighting for what's right and just. Fighting for what's good, even if you are pitted against a very powerful opponent. Never lose hope. Just keep fighting! 

This book talks about the anti-Christ. And guess where that anti-Christ would come from? From whose seed would that person rise from? Make a guess. If you thought of Hitler, then you are on the right track. From all the conquerors, dictators and villains that have ever lived, I think Hitler is hailed the most vicious, greedy and evil. He killed millions of Jews and more. So, this story's proposition that the next anti-Christ would likely come from his bloodline is not too far out. It's actually the mostly likely possibility. I do agree.

I can't exactly remember if I read this book in one go or I stopped somewhere. All I could remember was how the story held some truth and the likelihood of it really happening. I hope never. That possibility ever becoming a reality is very grim, even if this was set in the US. The likelihood of another dictator and lunatic plotting world domination as his life goals is a very dark future. I hope it doesn't ever come true even if it won't happen in this lifetime. I hope the world would never again know of any dictator or megalomaniac dead set on having the world for his own or for any other self-serving purpose. It's dreadful to just even think of it and this story clearly paints that horrible picture. 

But with the way things are happening, especially with my country, it's not going to surprise me if another dictator comes into the open and proclaim his life's mission. At the same time, I'm also hopeful that there will be brave men and women, just like in this story, who will resist and find ways to outwit the Goliath and foil his grand plans. There will always be people who will risk their lives to expose the conspiracies and evil plans just to save many more. My country is a land of heroes, from Lapulapu to Dagohoy, to Bonifacio, to modern nameless Filipinos, who are fighting for justice and equality every day. This little and may be insignificant country to some, will never run out of fearless men and women who will risk everything to keep our freedom and sovereignty. Even if we are beset by countless problems from all directions, our faith, our hope even in the hopeless will continue to give us the strength of character to fight. Don't ever underestimate your enemy. Remember, the littlest ants sting the most.

So, again, this story painting the possibility of an anti-Christ is not far from reality. It's very believable. Harrison paints a dystopian America in this book but also very remarkable and very brave characters who will also stop at nothing to keep this new anti-Christ's plan from ever coming true. This is a very engaging story which will make you fear the worst but also hopeful because there are people who will save the day. And like most stories, the good always wins. No matter how battered and wounded, the hero will keep rising to his feet. He will fight to his last breath. This story also illustrates that no matter how formidable the enemy could be, but if all people, no matter how common or lowly, if they band together and stand up for one common goal, then the possibility of defeating the enemy is not impossible. There is always strength in numbers. And when more than two heads are working, then better and brighter ideas are likely to come out. 

I give this book 3.5/5 phoenix. The two main characters here - Jacob and Arianna represent real people. Jacob, who's too close to Martin Voors refuses to believe that he could be the evil incarnate hiding behind a very charismatic persona. Arianna, a fearless reporter who survived a rape and still, she never let that deter her from getting to the truth. These two characters made the story hopeful and I root for them. Sometimes, beating the enemy also requires beating him at his own game, breaking the rules and sometimes even a gentle persuasion or blackmail would do. Desperate situations call for even desperate and crazy measures. 

I cannot consider myself a true Christian.  I have done  too many things that cannot be forgiven even by Christ, but I sympathize with them. 

- J.M. Harrison, Chronicles of the Anti-Christ - 

Thank you again, J.M. Harrison for the paperback copy. Sorry, it took 48 years to post this review.

The Debt and The Doormat by Laura Barnard | A Book Review

It's a long weekend because of the July 4th. I work for a US company so I also enjoyed the long weekend.  I was feeling under the weather for the last two days so all I did was binge watch Korean dramas and movies. I was planning to write my very overdue book reviews but was feeling so uninspired. I have written very few reviews this year because when I get home from work, all I want to do is sleep. And on weekends, all I want to do are activities that do not involve brain function. Don't get me wrong, I love to write but it has been quite hard for me to find the time to really sit down and channel my emotion and thoughts. I guess, when you feel like you lack sleep and so stressed, it's a bit hard to focus. And I take writing my book reviews seriously. I need to be able to capture the emotions I felt when I read the book and convey it to the readers (to a few who read this blog). So, here I am again, trying to speak my thoughts. 

So, The Debt and The Doormat, I received this last year. I also read it last year, just haven't gotten around to posting a review. I was supposed to review the other books but it turned out I didn't have any pictures yet so I have to just review another one. I chose this book because this was so fun when I read it. This is a romantic comedy set in the UK. Yes, the voices of the characters when I was reading this were in British. 

The main character of the story is Poppy. Honestly, I am not sure if I like Poppy. Her character is not exactly the most admirable book character I have encountered but she had her good points too. Most of the time, I feel sorry for Poppy, especially with her obnoxious Mom. She can't seem to be honest with her Mom or if she did try, she was brushed aside. Yes, it seemed like it's so easy for people to not take her seriously and walk over her. Poor Poppy. Even her best friend, Jazz, seems to not take Poppy seriously sometimes, though she loves Poppy dearly. 

All in all, this was a fun read yet there would be times that you would feel irritated with the way the characters are acting. Sometimes you want to knock on their heads to put sense into the them. Poppy and Jazz' characters are not exactly lovable but you will feel like you want to get involved in their lives and help them. That's how the story was to me. I felt like wanting to be one of the characters and tell Poppy to stand up for herself and tell Jazz to grew a pair and start becoming a responsible adult. Good thing that these two actually developed and become better people by the end of the story. But a lot has to happen, mostly to Poppy, to make her see that people have been walking all over her and she just let them. 

One of the most delicate situations in this story was the one involving infidelity and the people involved are related to Poppy. She had caught the cheating couple and the dilemma is to tell the partners of these two what's going on. If I were Poppy, I would have told my brother. The truth will surely hurt and maybe destroy their marriage but I won't stand and just let my brother be made a fool. 

I think the flaw in Poppy's character is that she was unsure of herself, which most of us are also. But then again, even so, we have to know our strengths also. We have to know our values. What things do we love most and we should stand up for those things. We shouldn't let people just trample on them or destroy them. Somewhere, we have to draw the line where being nice and being such a pushover ends. But then, some people don't even realize that they've been taken advantage of. That they've been made a doormat. I guess, if I were one of Poppy's friends, I would have told her already. Of all the characters here, only one person was honest and cared enough to tell Poppy. It was Ryan. I would have done the same thing Ryan did. I would tell Poppy over and over how she's encouraging people to walk all over her. She should push back. I know her heart is in the right place but sometimes you have to tell people off. I am just happy that at the end, it all worked out for Poppy.

I gave this book 4/5 doormats. As I have said, Poppy is not the best character I've ever read but the whole book was entertaining that even if I have to read it again for the second time to make sure that I write my review right, it still felt like reading it for the first time. It was as entertaining as I remembered it. And that means a lot to me because I don't exactly reread books. To me rereading books either mean two things- one is I didn't understand the story or the book wasn't very memorable. The other is there is a need for me to read the story again because I badly needed to be reminded of how the story made me feel and I needed to feel that emotion in that very moment. There are stories that I have to reread because I needed to feel good about myself. I very rarely reread books. I reread this book because I am unsure of some of the details. Again, not liking Poppy's character so much, I had to be reminded of why I felt that way. With that said, I am not saying that this is not a worthy read. It is. I enjoyed it so much and the fact that Poppy's character bothers me so much is in itself evidence that the story got to me. Me being involved in Poppy's well-being is saying that I do care for Poppy although I wished she were firmer in her convictions. 

Maybe it won't be that bad to fancy someone a little bit. It might actually be good for me. He might be like medicine to me, a bit of a remedy. I just hope he doesn't turn out to be poison.

- Laura Barnard, The Debt and The Doormat -

Thank you again, Laura Barnard for the review book.