Book Review: Lore Olympus Volume Seven by Rachel Smythe

Lore Olympus: Volume Seven by Rachel Smythe
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Persephone is sheltering in the Underworld, and the rift of the realms is happening with a trial on the horizon, but when that trial starts the twists and turns come from all directions. Lore Olympus Volume Seven by Rachel Smythe finds Hades and Persephone getting to know one another better as well as dealing with their family and friends, drama around Apollo and his shenanigans continues, and other minor characters find themselves making discoveries that readers have been waiting for them to find out.

Covering episodes #153-179 of her webcomic, Smythe’s continues showing Hades and Persephone learning about each other which gives readers backstory without info-dumping the reader. The introduction of Leto and her own angle to things which helped lead to the trial was a nice way to add tension, especially as it plays into everything connected with Apollo. Once at the trial several minor characters get to add their spin on things and then surprises start dropping including an effective cliffhanger for this volume. Smythe’s art continues to be top notch, how Smythe presents characters in flashbacks is a nice way to show their “evolution” in their long lives, and how Smythe uses well known myths but with a spin of her own given the story arcs she’s created. While I enjoyed this volume as the main characters were given more depth; minor subplots were either completed, thrown on their head, or started with interesting potential.

Lore Olympus Volume Seven brings changes in Rachel Smythe’s webcomic as Hades and Persephone getting closer even as trouble continues percolating in the background or at a trial.

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Book Review: On War by Carl von Clausewitz

On War by Carl von Clausewitz
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It is the most influential yet incomplete and unrevised book of military history and political theory as its readers developed the opening strategies that would lead to stalemate in 1914. On War by Carl von Clausewitz distilled his experiences in the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars as well as his career long study of military history into book of on the nature and meaning of war in all it’s aspects.

Since his widow published his uncompleted work, in which only the first chapter of Book One was revised to his satisfaction, Clausewitz’s features discussions on strategic and tactical doctrines, engagements, a military force, and the basics of defense and attack. While many other 19th century military writers covered the same things, Clausewitz however took note of the differences of absolute and limited war, the violence of war, and most importantly that war is “just the continuation of politics by different means”. Clausewitz style is markedly different between the first chapter of Book One and almost the rest of the volume, except Book Eight, due to the unrevised nature of the text that doesn’t reflect the dual focus Clausewitz introduced at the beginning of the book. While numerous chapters deal with what lay readers would take to be military minutia, for those in the military who realize Clausewitz’s overall objective they understand why. Potentially for those like me who are civilians and want to read this book, it’s because of Clausewitz’s tying military theory with political theory with an eye to understanding how it influenced the Western way of war since its publication. Yet this aspect which was covered in essays and commentary by Michael Howard, Peter Paret, and Bernard Brodie informs the reader that the Imperial German generals and their French counterparts in the lead up to the First World War misinterpreted Clausewitz and emphasized the offensive and not the defensive as the author intended nor did they understand the author’s typing in of the political aspect of war. While reading the book with this knowledge it was a great help in understanding what Clausewitz was talking back.

On War is one of the most influential books of the 20th Century due to its use by those in the military who misinterpreted the intentions of author Carl von Clausewitz, even though the book is incomplete and not revised to the author’s satisfaction. The Everyman edition with essays and commentary really helps laymen like me understand what the Prussian intended to leave to future military professionals.

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Book Review: The Letters of John by Ekkehardt Mueller

The Letters of John by Ekkehardt Müller
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Of the five books in the New Testament written by the Apostle John, the three short letters near the end of the Bible are often overlooked but they are offer many of our descriptions of Jesus. The Letters of John by Ekkehardt Mueller is the companion book of the Adult Sabbath School Bible Study (3rd Quarter 2009) in which he aims to reveal John’s wish for believers to know the correct understanding of all aspects of Jesus. Mueller divides his topic over 13 chapters in which a chapter is an overview of the letters focusing on Jesus, ten chapters dedicated to a breakdown of 1 John and an overview of important themes, and then a chapter each for 2 and 3 John. Throughout the 119 pages dedicated to text, Mueller gives pinpointed analysis to give the reader an excellent resource to use in during their own Bible study of these letters or like myself wanting a short but knowledgeable read.

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Book Review: Lore Olympus Volume Six by Rachel Smythe

Lore Olympus: Volume Six by Rachel Smythe
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The fallout of Zeus’ arrest warrant for Persephone and Demeter along with Persephone’s disappearance in the Underworld, meanwhile Apollo hides his true self from Artemis with the help of their mother, and then Minthe finds herself in some crosshairs. Lore Olympus Volume Six by Rachel Smythe sees Hades offer protection to Persephone after Zeus’ arrest warrant which allows them to slowly get closer, unfortunately when Minthe goes to confront Hades who wants to move on she says too much in front of the wrong person.

Covering episodes #127-152 of her webcomic, Smythe focuses on Persephone and Hades revealing to each other their dark secrets and traumas while Zeus, Hera, Apollo and Artemis continue their own arcs while Minthe’s arc appears to have come to an end. As Smythe really focuses on the relationship building between the two protagonists, it isn’t the “romantic” cliché tropes but something that aims to incorporate their traumas and secrets to build trust, which is something nice to read—not the traumatic stuff obviously just how it’s incorporated—that makes this series unique in my reading so far. Persephone’s situation puts a rift between Hades and Zeus, a split among the Olympians which doesn’t seem like it’ll end well especially given the latter’s bad marriage with Hera who Persephone confides in about Apollo’s pictures. Persephone starts coming between Artemis and Apollo, each of whom view her for different things. Then finally Minthe confronts Hades about being replaced and in her anger reveals what she instigated with Zeus, unfortunately in front of Persephone and the result isn’t good for Minthe. Persephone being the inciting incident to various subplots is par for the course for this genre, but how Smythe crafts the twists and turns independent of Persephone after that gives this story more depth. Yet if the glimpses seen in these episodes, Smythe is laying down clues of what could possibly happen in the future of the overall story. I was really engaged throughout this volume, and I can’t wait to get to the next.

Lore Olympus Volume Six by Rachel Smythe seems like the webcomic is a transition point as the protagonists are starting to really invest in one another while dealing with other issues that are happening in reaction to them either as a couple or individually. The artwork by Smythe continues to be fantastic, which given it was why I was drawn to the first volume is a relief.

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Book Review: Wind and Truth (Stormlight Archive #5) by Brandon Sanderson

Wind and Truth by Brandon Sanderson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The culmination of journeys, discoveries, and struggles on the planet of Roshar occurs in a showdown between the champions of two gods as their forces battle up to the moment of the confrontation. Wind and Truth is the fifth book and concluding installment of the first arc of Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive series as the forces of Honor and Odium struggle over ten days for the control of territory before a Contest of Champions is set to hopefully settle the war between the two Shards for good.

Sanderson had a three-fold challenge of crafting an ending to the first arc of his signature series while simultaneously planting the seeds for the second arc throughout along with establishing the connections with the wider Cosmere already hinted at in other series and standalones. Add to all of that the fact that Sanderson firmly established the early history of Roshar in this book along with glimpse of the Spiritual Realm via the visions that numerous characters experienced. Of all the point-of-view character arcs that have featured throughout the five books, Sanderson seemed to highlight three—Dalinar, Kaladin, and Szeth—because they came to an end or a major transition point that’ll affect the second arc. The 1344-page book has the typical multi-prong climax that one expects from a Sanderson novel of this scale and a series of scenes covering the aftermath. Honestly, my opinion on this book has changed a lot since I finished reading it and thus influenced my rating of it on its own, so my rating reflects it as a concluding volume at this moment however when the series resumes and ultimately concludes it could widely change.

Wind and Truth is a colossus of a read, but it completes the first arc of Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive series and changes the complexion of the Cosmere that had only been hinted at in recent entries in other series and standalones.

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Book Review: 1919: The Untold Story of Adventism's Struggle with Fundamentalism by Michael W. Campbell

1919: The Untold Story of Adventism's Struggle with Fundamentalism by Michael W Campbell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The turn of the century, the rise of modernism and its challenge to Biblical interpretation, the most destructive war seen to that time, and the death of Ellen G. White caused the start of an identity crisis in Adventism that needed to start being addressed. 1919: The Untold Story of Adventism’s Struggle with Fundamentalism by Michael W. Campbell covers the six weeks in which 65 Adventist leaders, editors, and Bible teachers discussed the movement’s identity in rapidly changing times whose records were buried in the archives until 1974.

Through 116 pages of text, Campbell sets the stage, covers the major issues, and gives the aftermath of the 1919 Bible Conference that took place on the campus of Washington Missionary College (now Washington Adventist University) and presided over by long-time General Conference president A.G. Daniells. Hanging over the conference was the death of Ellen White and interpreting her prophecies and the rise of Fundamentalism within American Christianity, this would see the polarization of theological “progressives” and “traditionalists”. Ironically the “progressives” were made up of mostly the older generation while the younger generation made up mostly the “traditionalists” and the debate over “verbal inspiration” and inerrancy in White’s writings. Campbell brings out that the two groups were closer than they appeared but in debating they were pulled further apart. For all the discussions that happened in 1919, the conference was nearly forgotten including what transpired until the late 70s when excerpts of those transcripts that survived were published much to the consternation of Adventists of the day and later. Yet as Campbell’s history of this conference shows the debate that continues in Adventism about Ellen G. White, which makes this short book a very important read for those Seventh-day Adventists interested in our history and how the ministry of Ellen White has been viewed both during her life and after her death.

1919: The Untold Story of Adventism’s Struggle with Fundamentalism covers a conference whose importance had been forgotten until what was said there was published in independent Adventist publications. Michael W. Campbell gives the reader the important details of the debates from the records available as well as giving text, interpretation, and analysis of everything in a to-the-point manner for all readers.

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Book Review: Gospels in Conflict: Paul's Letter to the Galatians by George R. Knight

Gospels in Conflict by George R. Knight
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The earliest epistle from Paul predates one of the most important councils of the early Church as recorded in Acts and covers what is needed for salvation—faith or works. Gospels in Conflict: Paul’s Letter to the Galatians by George R. Knight is the companion book of the Adult Sabbath School Bible Study (3rd Quarter 2017) covering Paul’s authority, the plan of salvation, and unity. Through 14 chapters, the first of which focuses on Paul and an overview of the letter to Galatia, covering 125 pages, Knight covers the entire book of Galatians that focuses through sections from the book and gleams the most important things from them for the reader. While not exhaustive as Knight’s own Exploring Galatians & Ephesians given this book’s length, it is a handy commentary for someone studying Galatians. This was the first of two consecutive Adult Sabbath School Quarterly Bible Studies by Knight with the second focused on Romans due to the 500th anniversary of the start of the Protestant Reformation as Martin Luther was influenced by both of epistles by Paul.

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