Terry Teachout has a copy in hand of his new biography on Louis Armstrong. He writes that his book is a bit different than other biographies on jazz musicians or popular figures. “I’ve sought to write a narrative biography of Louis Armstrong that is comparable in seriousness, scope, and literary quality to a ‘definitive’ high-culture biography of a great novelist–or a great classical composer,” he says. Bravo, sir.
Cool Notice
I’ve been occupied away from the blog lately, so I have not yet linked to this cool post by world famous author Hunter Baker on the reception of his book by ubercool and famous author Andrew Klavan. Klavan said, “I’m startled to report I glanced at it while laying it aside, then picked it up again, then read it through. This is a very well written, concise and learned primer on the secularization of the public square.” I love it.
What’s your next book going to be, Dr. Baker?
It Bears Repeating
Jared has said this before, I think, but it’s worth saying again: Martin Luther is his homeboy.
The Two-Space War, by Dave Grossman and Leo Frankowski
Not a flawless book, The Two-Space War has the definite feel of the debut of a series still finding its sea-legs.
Nevertheless, it’s a voyage worth completing, and I enjoyed it increasingly as I went on.
The set-up is kind of complicated, which slows down the action at the start. This is a standard problem in stories set in unfamiliar worlds, but I thought the authors did as good a job as anyone in weaving the info dumps into the narrative.
The premise is that humans have learned to travel to distant galaxies, by traveling through “Two-Space,” the second dimension. The trade-off is that all but the simplest early Industrial Revolution technology rapidly deteriorates in Two-Space. So the ships by which people travel there have to be wooden ships, similar to those of the Napoleonic era, with interesting differences.
As the story opens, Lt. Thomas Melville and a landing party are stranded on a distant planet, battling thirst and suicidal, ape-like monsters. They await rescue by their mother ship. They were recently attacked by a ship of the evil Guldur Empire, and their captain’s death has left him acting commander.
Through skill and military discipline, he manages to save his landing party from the apes. Shortly thereafter they are picked up by their mother ship, only to learn that the ship (their ships are sentient) is dying, and that the Guldur are coming in fast.
Lt. Melville determines not to take refuge on the primitive planet, but to employ a bold strategy against the Guldur ship. So begins a story that steadily builds in dramatic tension, and draws the reader both through suspense and with interesting, likeable, growing characters.
In some ways I found the world-building a little self-indulgent, by my personal reckoning. The universe Lt. Melville and his crew explore is notable for planets containing elves and planets containing dwarfs, and so (in this narrative) J.R.R. Tolkien is considered an actual prophet. His books are venerated as if they were Scripture. There are also numerous references to the “classic” writers of the 20th Century—such as Heinlein, Weber and Pratchitt. In this version of the future, Science Fiction is considered the highest literary form. Elements of Tolkien, Patrick O’Brien, and (perhaps) Kenneth Roberts rub together in this universe, not always seamlessly (in my opinion), but in the end the authors make it work.
I’m not sure what to say about religious matters (the future seems to be vaguely Christian, in a syncretist sort of way), or the issue of women in combat, which is addressed so eccentrically that it’s hard to draw a conclusion what the authors think.
But the real heart of this book is the battle scenes. Lt. Col. Dave Grossman (full disclosure: he sent me a free review copy) is a retired officer of the Army Rangers, a former professor of Psychology at West Point, and a recognized authority on the physiological and psychological effects of combat on human beings. His descriptions of the experience of battle are as authentic as any you’ll ever come across, and they in themselves make The Two-Space War a moving and unforgettable read. I’m serious about this. The combat scenes are worth the price of the book all by themselves.
Once I got acclimated I was riveted. I recommend the book highly, and hope there’s a sequel.
King of the airwaves
The interview on Issues, Etc. happened after all. My thanks to the interviewer, in case he shows up here. Never did get his name.
Special thanks to our friend Hunter Baker, who shilled for me by calling in and pretending to be a mere mortal. If I’d been thinking on my feet, I’d have said, “Is this HUNTER BAKER, the famous author of The End of Secularism, published by Crossway?”
But of course I was thinking on another part of my body, and it didn’t happen.
Thanks too, either to Dr. Gene Edward Veith or Pastor Paul T. McCain. I’m pretty sure one of them twisted somebody’s arm in St. Louis to get me on the show, but I don’t know which it is.
At some point the Issues, Etc. people will make the interview available for download over at the site.
Listen to it for me. I don’t think I have the nerve.
The adventures of my voice
I made it to Fargo on Friday night, and back again Saturday afternoon. The drive was more enjoyable than usual, as there was little crosswind, something Mrs. Hermanson hates.
I don’t think I’ve ever spoken to a more attentive or appreciative audience than the Fargo Chesterton Society on Saturday morning. Unfortunately it was a small audience; nobody knew where everybody was. Even the reporter who’d planned to interview me for the Grand Forks Herald didn’t show up. Such are the vicissitudes of obscurity.
The Chesterton people were really great, though. Most of them bought books, and they gave me more money than I think I strictly earned. It was a lovely meeting. But I’m disappointed for them.
By the way, tomorrow I’m scheduled to be interviewed, at 3:00 Central, on the Issues, Etc. radio program. You can listen to it the old-fashioned way if you live in St. Louis, or you can webstream it or download it later at their site, for listening at your convenience.
If it happens, of course. I’m taking nothing for granted at this point.
No one named Clementine was involved in any way
Before it’s too late, let me note that today is the anniversary of the Gunfight at the OK Corral, October 26, 1881.
Allen Barra, in his fascinating book, Inventing Wyatt Earp, notes that recent movie treatments have tended to be more hostile to the Earps than earlier ones (though Wyatt Earp and Tombstone, released after he wrote the book, were friendlier). He attributes this to the fact that the Earps were Republicans and Hollywood hates Republicans, even 100 years ago, when they were the liberal party.
Tip: World Magazine blog.
e-Reader Killed the Publishing Star
Marion Manekar says the new e-reader from Barnes & Noble, the Nook, is better than Amazon’s Kindle and therefore could break Barnes & Noble as a printed bookseller.
The Coming Light Age
Pastor Burns Bibles for Halloween
A misguided pastor from North Carolina plans to burn “satanic” books this Halloween, including recent translations of the Bible.
“I believe the King James version is God’s preserved, inspired, inerrant, infallible word of God… for English-speaking people,” the pastor said.
Of the non-biblical books to be burned, they have works by Billy Graham, Rick Warren, John Piper, John MacArthur, Mother Teresa and many others. You can read a list here. (Maybe a Christian bookstore closed recently.)
I guess my impulse is to laugh off such foolishness, but I can’t do it this time. I’m grieved. This man and his congregation are deceived about the nature of God’s holy word in English and the mercy or gracious freedom he gives to his people. I’m even more bothered by his claim to have studied at a Christian college in my town. He says he left because they were too liberal, which is a little funny. Fundamentalists are known by the way they divide up believers and separate themselves from others. The plain meaning of the text is all they need to know God’s will, and by “plain meaning” they mean their interpretation alone. They have gone to the garden alone, while the dew is still on the roses, and the voice they hear is Jesus’ voice, so how could they misinterpret anything?
I’m not too bothered, of course, because there isn’t anything I can do about it. Still, having heard stories of religious abuse, I can’t laugh when those who appear to be clanging cymbals like this hit the news. I’m not a satirist, I guess–which brings to mind this video of a panel discussion from a Ligonier Ministries conference. Doug Wilson gets into acting like Jesus acted, saying we throw some heavy interpretation into our answers when asking what Jesus would do. We almost never think that Jesus would give a satiric or biting answer, like calling some religious leaders a brood of vipers. Piper, Sproul, and Mohler all comment on that idea.