SPOILER ALERT!!!

If you don't store the book in a properly sealed container then the book will spoil!

Now don't say I didn't warn ya!

Oh, good. I was just coming here to create a topic called "So Now that you've finished SWR..." to find that the chief had anticipated this... you wouldn't happen to have some Wind technology at your disposal would you?

The following will contain some minor insights into the end of the book, so DON'T CONTINUE IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW!

Alas, I don't want to offend the chief, because I think it's really great that I got a free autographed copy of his work (which, since "Phil is a God Among Men", will likely be worth trillions), but I did not like SWR.

About three-fourths to two-thirds of the way through it, I became irritated with the characters: Avery was learning nothing in his dealings with Shana, and the final solution didn't solve this at all. Also, at the end Avery was swayed by a flawed argument (though he admittedly had no choice).

Shana annoyed me as well when she finally revealed her true intentions and her endgame [not the one involving Stone] (there are undoubtedly people like that in real life, and I am annoyed with them too).

The implication by the Wind that sexuality was somehow a flaw in the human condition was not taken well by me either.

Partly for this reason, but for others as well, I believe the book should probably be classified as Christian fiction (a genre I don't particularly like).

However, I did enjoy that, when real-life physics was involved, it was represented correctly -- our chief obviously wanted to get the details right (as a nitpicker that's entirely understandable). And I also appreciated the Monty Python references... those were great.

Anyway, I hope lots of other people like the book and buy a kajillion bajillion of them.

Nick!

Thanks for the input! Just curious, what would you do differently than Avery? Would you actually fight? Or would you keep your head down and just trudge through? ;-)

As for sexuality being a flaw, I think specifically what is represented is that the Wind claims that it is beyond sexuality and that sexuality lead some of them to acts of which they are not proud. At least...that's what they say. Who can prove that they are telling the truth?

And ...what flaws do you find in the Wind's contending with Avery?

(Bearing in mind of course, that I specifically designed the book to be a reflection on the reader's beliefs and the whole point is just to cause the reader to think a little life, the universe and everything. ;-)

Alright, my turn.

(Now that I have the time, am not nearly being hit in accidents, and...dang, voicemail about it! Oh well, later ;) )

Onwards. And bear the SPOILERS IN HERE.

I liked the book overall, but it was very very hard for me to get into. It took me ten days to read this book (as opposed to HP: OotP which was longer but took 6.5 hours). SWR, for me, did not pick up until about halfway through.

Like Nick, Avery irritated me. He never learned (or just ignored) that Shana was manipulating him for her own personal reasons, and not for the reasons of the Resistance. He carried around that storage card from Shana(!) rather than destroying it. I wanted to bang his head in a brick wall.

Shana and Marcia both annoyed me. Just overall (not any one thing). For that matter, so did Tina Devries (though she was quite minor). And I fail to see what part Nick the Gadfly had in this, other than another character to whom I wanted to beat with a hocky stick.

I also agree with Nick about the "sexuality is a flaw" statement. I also don't believe that it was sexuality that led to Fischer's acts towards Gwenevere as a child, and that the lack of it makes him best fit in his current role. To me, that was just an excuse ("I am an animal chained by my hormones and my [insert crude word here that is synonymous with a rooster]. That is why I am a rapist/molester/sexual assaulter. If I did not have this body part, I would not be this way.").

That said, I find myself in agreement with Silverman Sr. What was the point of the Wind heralding their Reign with blood? I know the Wind can do what they want when they want, without consequence (making them seem more like the humans they claim to be above), but geesh.

The biggest distractions, for me, were mostly two fold (the third being tense changes without warning): 1) Half the book was italicized because no one could stop talking hysterically. 2) Dialog was constantly interrupted by parenthetical actions ("I don't think so, big boy! (Shana leveled a gun at him.) You're going to do as I say!"). That quickly got on my nerves.

However, as I said, I did enjoy the plot itself. Teresa Gray was definitely my favorite character, and I liked the way that Judge Stone really did want to take care of the innocent and the wounded. He had his good qualities - he was more shades of grey than black and white. I like that. A lot. I laughed at the way no one believed the 'crackpot' Elijah Ton until it was too late.

I would have to rate this at 2.5/5 stars. As I said, it was enjoyable, but it was brought down by the numerous irritants, annoyances, and distractions, as well as the very sloooooooooow beginning.

Extreme and Massive Spoilers

the flaw is quite simple: it is only Avery's arrogance that destroys him if the Wind has the right to force him to make the choice. They certainly have the power to destroy him, but that doesn't mean they have the right (might does not make right). They haven't proven they have this right, and they even admit that they won't. They just assume that they have it--one could easily see this as hubris of their own. Hence, it is never addressed that it could be their arrogance that they are beyond humans that leads to his end.

Even if they are beyond humans, if they truly are superior, and if the One is all-powerful, then surely he/she/it/they would be capable of "dumbing the explanation down" to a human level. And what is the point of not doing so? Just so that a human must have faith? What is the point? Why deal with a rational and logical being on an irrational basis?

Machiko!

Thanks for the input! As for the blood-thrist of the Wind, the only real explanation for this is what Stone tells Elizabeth: "I am--we of the Wind are--more awesome and terrible than you are comfortable believing."

On the pace of the book, you would have probably enjoyed earlier versions more. My good buddy Mitzi Adams said the same thing. And, I used to writer "faster". But in the process of writing and rewriting and having editors read it and reread it and give me commentary, I came to the place where I just can't write at that speed any more. It is unsatisfying to me but there's a great deal of story to tell in every tale and I'm just not going to focus on running through the plot for the purpose of entertaining. ;-) So...I am not going to be a good fit for you as an reader if you more fast paced writing. I have never expected that everyone would like my style (in fact, I have never really expected *anyone* to like my style--it is a style that requires a commitment. ;-)

With regards to the characters. I understand that people won't necessarily like Avery. But I've never really worried about whether people liked Avery or not. He is who he is. And my only concern was whether on Avery was true to himself. Personally? Yeah, Avery gets on my nerves! But that's just Avery. He's on a path. And, by the end of book 3...he'll be doing okay!

As for Nick...he's pretty important both in book 2 and 3 and...4 (I think or maybe it's 5, there might be a detour in there!) You might want to think of him as Jar-Jar Binks (Just joking!)

The truth of the matter is that I don't really write "heros", I write characters and if they act heroic, great, and if they don't, that's fine too because that's who they are. But once that character comes to life in my mind, that's who they are and all I can do it write them.

As for Fischer's statement to Avery about sexuality, I think if you will review, you will find that Fischer says two things: That is wonderful to be free and that he *let* the hormones drive him. What Fischer says it that he is beyond sexuality in another place that he thinks is better and he very much realizes that--while the hormones contributed--he is responsible for his actions. I'm still not exactly sure how you have come to the conclusion that this attitude represents human sexuality as a flaw. I think what the Wind is saying is that human sexuality is a precursor. (But we can certainly open up a discussion on it in the new Discussion section if you'd like!)

I like Teresa too...a lot. She's deep and tough and gold all the way through. ;-)

Nick!

I have started a new discussion section and we will continue this over there...

Phil

As for Fischer's statement to Avery about sexuality, I think if you will review, you will find that Fischer says two things: That is wonderful to be free and that he *let* the hormones drive him. What Fischer says it that he is beyond sexuality in another place that he thinks is better and he very much realizes that--while the hormones contributed--he is responsible for his actions. I'm still not exactly sure how you have come to the conclusion that this attitude represents human sexuality as a flaw. I think what the Wind is saying is that human sexuality is a precursor. (But we can certainly open up a discussion on it in the new Discussion section if you'd like!)

This probably would be best as a new discussion in the Discussion section, but I'll make a valiant attempt anyway ;). And, of course, correct me if I'm misunderstanding you.

My problem with Fischer's stance on human sexuality is he uses it as an excuse for his previous transgressions. He sexually assaulted Gwenevere, and then said (in essence), "My hormones made me do it." I call BS on that. Any psychologist/psychiatrist/criminologist/etc will tell you that sexual assault isn't about sex (or sexuality) (as Fischer seems to be insinuating), it's about power. Therefore, Fischer did not do what he did to Gwenevere because he wanted to have sex with her, he did it because he ultimately wanted to have power over her. He's just blaming it on his hormones.

Okay, so an honest to God review, since I've just been up until 2:30 finishing the thing.

I'm actually not sure if it's a positive or negative thing that by the end of the book, my favorite character was in fact Judge Stone. I love that there's always more to him. He's a tyrant who inaugurates his reign in blood. He heals the sick and expects no payment in return. He slays men for trivial property disputes. He spent twenty years rebuilding Teresa's life. And very rarely do we ever hear what *he* thinks on anything. We know what the Resistance thinks of him, and we know what the Gathering thinks of him, but it seems to me that we get very little of what he thinks of himself, with a few notable exceptions. It's maddening, but I like it. He has depth waiting to be explored.

People need to stop talking in italics all the time. It's like reading a comic book. More seriously, I think that sort of device gets a little too specific. I like to be able to develop my own impressions of various people's speech patterns, and what they might emphasize, and how they might sound when incensed. If the formatting's doing that for me, it takes away some of the enjoyment.

I would *really* like to get about ten minutes alone with the One and see what this whole thing's all about... not that this would ever be permitted, but I am quite curious to know what, if anything, he's doing up there, and why human beings only interact with the Wind.

The physics of the Wind's manipulation of the sun's energy are interesting and disturbing all at once; just what *do* they need it all for? The sun, after all, is really big and really bright. It throws off enough energy burning at its usual rate. Speeding it up this much... I really don't like the thought of what you could do with that sort of power. And it also calls into question (for me, anyway) the divinity of the Wind. For one, why isn't this kind of power simply inherent in them, if they're really who they claim to be? And two, why would they have a method of acquiring power that's comprehensible to and reproducible by human beings? I guess I don't quite see the point of that. But perhaps I am not meant to.

In terms of pacing, I thought that the first... well, pretty much the first half of the book could really stand some tightening. And I know this has been responded to above, but I thought I'd throw in my opinion. It just seems to take forever for anything interesting to happen.

In the end, I don't really know how I feel about the book. In one sense, I think it does what it sets out to do; the Wind act as I rather think higher beings would, and humans react against them exactly the way I *know* that humans would. I'm just not sure I'm terribly interested in seeing that play out in a story. It's one thing to say, "We're so much higher than you can ever comprehend, so best just live your life and accept that we are," and attempt to live it; it's another to spend time reading about it and never getting a fuller explanation. And yet a fuller explanation would strip the Wind of their glory, reduce them to the equals of humans, and clearly this wouldn't do either. There probably is some resolution to this that I'm not seeing. And the story is clearly not over at this point, so who knows what may happen? I think, then, that my ultimate opinion of Part 1 is going to be shaped by what comes after. (Rather like the way I cut the Star Wars prequels some slack, because I like the story they set up... although there is *no* excuse for the writing in Episode II.) So I'll give it two and a half abstentions out of five. -_^

Matthew!

Thanks for the review! As I've said in different ways, my goal here is not necessarily to entertain. My goal is to present ideas and give you something to mull. ;-)

Suggestion: Why don't those of you who enjoyed this novel write brief review and post it at Amazon.com? I haven't yet had a chance to read the novel (it's on the huge pile of backlogged books I have yet to dive into), but for those of you who have, you could increase the book's sales and profile by posting your opinions there, which prospective buyers read. Right now, there's only one reader review there, from someone who only partially liked it, and no professional reviews from Publisher's Weekly or anything else listed.

I finally finished reading it the other day. I started it a while back, but put it down for a while. I think that's because of a combination of things, one being that the beginning is a bit slow. That can happen when you're establishing a new world and all of its history and characters. Still, it didn't stop me from putting the book down for a while and doing other things.

It really does pick up later, though. Once Avery joins the Gathering and gets things going there I found that it was hard for me to put it down. I actually became kind of invested in the characters, including those in the second Intermission. I really got into the Avery-Elizabeth relationship, like some others around here was pulling for Teresa, and just started wondering how the whole Resistance vs. Stone thing was going to play out.

It's a fascinating story and asks an interesting question that we don't get often in sci-fi: What would humanity do if it were conquered by a seemingly unvanquishable foe? I guess Stargate has a similar dilemma with the Ori, but they have enough contrivances to win the day. You do have to wonder what an alien race, say the Q from Star Trek, at the point where it may not matter whether they're God himself or not, would do if they really wanted to dominate the earth.

It does have its faults, most of which have been said already. The italics didn't bother me as much, though the parenthetic actions were pretty weird. A lot of the little aside scenes, like the one with the trucker or the rapist, seemed a bit unnecessary. Just showing the Wind's power and morality, I suppose.

That said, I was glad to see Nick show up after his little scene in the Intermission. Definitely a few hints that he has a bigger part to play in the future, especially in that final scene, and I look forward to learning more about him. He's a rather entertaining character.

I guess I'm a bit like Avery in that I like dark endings to stories, though I'll take the happy ones, too. When I thought he'd shot Elizabeth before coming to an understanding with her I was completely shocked, but I loved it. Quite the bold move. It didn't last, and I'm happy that she'll be around for future installments, but it still would have been an interesting development to see him live with it.

Still, I liked the story and look forward to any future installments that may occur. If this was the end, I might be okay with that. It's great how it's so dark and bright at the same time. The protagonist has seemingly lost his cause, but ended up with the girl. Teresa's dropped her baggage. The Resistance apparently gains nothing except having a bit of house cleaning and a potentially important gadfly. Gem may be on her way to joining the Wind (did I interpret that correctly?) We know little about the Wind and the earth continues toward its grave a millennium away. Certainly leaves itself open for more.

3.5/5

Well, I'm just a little behind the times, aren't I? To be fair, I ordered my copy last January, and Borders never got it to me- so it wasn't until I discovered the free PDFs that I could get my hands on it. :-)

To be plain at the beginning- my brain doesn't do any highfalutin 'reflections on the reader's interpretations' mysterious kinda stuff... either things is, or they ain't. :-) In other words, I interpreted this solely as a story of either a postulation of the Millennial kingdom, or an alien invasion, as suggested by the characters, emulating one. As a base concept, then, I took issue with the portrayal of a Millennial kingdom; it seemed too flawed and too human-conformed; that life would still proceed in the manner we are familiar with. The emphasis on technology also bothered me for much of the book- though less so at the end when Fischer explained WHY the Wind use technology. I didn't understand why there was laughter before all were slaughtered in Israel... in short, there were a number of things that portrayed the return of Christ in a way I see as contrary to the way it 'will' be (that, of course, presupposing that I have some clear view of how it will be and the other doesn't- a flawed supposition at best. :-) ) And yes, I also got annoyed, as several readers did, with Avery's endless manipulation, and inability to see through or break free of the manipulation he was under- even though the circumstances didn't give him much of a choice.

So, those are the presuppositions or 'baggage' that I brought to the table the whole time while reading.

That said... I loved it. I couldn't minimize it! (Is that the correct way to say "I couldn't put it down" for a digital copy? :-) ) It was fantastically written, the characters were diverse and interesting without becoming overwhelming, and I cared about each of their stories- some more than our protagonists (I'll definitely jump aboard the Theresa-favorite bandwagon! Likewise for Judge Stone...), at time. The mysteries were largely satisfactorily resolved (I had my suspicions about Lousie...). The plot had plenty of twists- especially the identity of Gem's attacker! Others have commented on the pacing of the opening, but I feel like the concept was intriguing enough that I didn't mind taking the time to explore the world before the action started. The cliffhanger at the switch to the second intermission nearly KILLED me! :-) Most of all, God really spoke to me through this book. Revealed to me a lot about myself- why I was dissatisfied with all that He's blessed me with; what the passions that have been driving me are, though I've never realized them- He took a number of ideas as seeds and worked through them... which made this a very powerful book indeed for me. I thought it was imaginative and interesting. It also stirred a great yearning, for me, for the return of Christ- for a time when injustices are ended and wrongs are righted... I think, in my heart, I've always wanted to be a Judge of the Wind- to go around saving the innocent and being a tool of God's restoration- I've always pictured popping onto the Enterprise-D, say, and saving Tasha Yar's life, or making sure that Anakin Skywalker knows what a ditz he's being and at least has the chance to cut the bull and choose his wife and family over his delusions of power... those are the kinds of things I imagine doing, if I ever could- so seeing the Judges doing this- not just punishing the guilty, but restoring those like Theresa, protecting and comforting those like Elizabeth- really touched me. And the ending, most especially, in Avery and Elizabeth's final confrontation, helped me to realize just how much my own wife has a 'Tink' that can drive me crazy- and how crushed I'd be if she, like Elizabeth, ever drove herself to be rid of it- because it's such an essential part of making her who she is!

So, this isn't so much a review of the overall storyline as it is a thank-you, for the way the book spoke to me, personally. You've got a great talent, Phil. Though I am still kind of annoyed- now that you've dreamed up the neural implants, I find myself rather jealous that the wife and I don't have access to them on the weekends... :-) I think, to compare and contrast to a Christian sci-fi series (I won't say 'another Christian Sci-fi series' because I see that's not what Phil considers it) "The Lamb Among the Stars"... that book also portrayed a post-Millennial,after-the-return world... and the whole thing seemed dull, and stagnant- too reminiscent of the 'sitting on a cloud playing a harp for eternity' vision of the future; a place filled with good things but with no life or energy or joy in it. SWR, for me, did the opposite- it created a world that I'd hunger to be a part of, a world I long for... a world that portrays the return of Christ as the wonder it should be, not the doldrums that too many novels make it. :-) As a side note, I do think it's funny how much discussion there is about what it would be like if God decided to 'invade' Earth... as if He didn't have a right to it already! :-) I think all of us are a little more like the resistance than we'd like to admit. Likewise, as Nsetzer objects, isn't it human arrogance yet again to demand that the explanation be dumbed down, or that the 'authority' be proven? Just like the Resistance in the book, we argue that God has to explain Himself to us before we accept Him or His ways, when, frankly, He doesn't owe us ANYTHING.

Lastly, on the subject of the 'sexual flaws,' to add my two cents, I didn't perceive that the book was suggesting that sexuality A. was a flaw, or B. led to Fischer's actions. I was under the impression that sex was celebrated- in marriage, where it belongs. (I had to laugh when Patrick got his letter- 'Intimate relations are no longer allowed outside of marriage. Either marry her or move out.' How right that is. How good that would be for the world. And how very, VERY unpopular! I think you missed the implications in the flashback portions, Phil... undoubtedly THAT would send 10 times as many to war as the threat of invasion would! :-) "They're going to take my premarital sex- to ARMS, MEN, TO ARMS!!!") And that Fischer was not making any excuses for what he did- just glad that the urges that led to temptations, and, that when acted on (of one's own free will and on their own responsibility), led to terrible actions such as what he did to Gem, were no longer a part of his person. No longer a possibility for him. Glad that that temptation was removed from his life. Not claiming that it was responsible for what he did.

...And I said so on Amazon, too. (In abreviated format from the above.) :-)