Alice Isn't Dead

by Joseph Fink
322 pgs

Alice Isn't Deadis another book based on a podcast by Joseph Fink. A few months ago, I read Welcome to Night Vale, which has based on the podcast by Fink and Jeffrey Cranor of the same name. This book is based on a different podcast and is solely Fink's. Like Night Vale, Alice Isn't Dead is a horror story, but while the former is a little more tongue-in-cheek and is based on conspiracy theories and the absurd, this one is a little more traditional and is based on fear and anxiety.

The book and podcast tell the story of Keisha Taylor, a woman whose wife, Alice, a big-rig-driver, disappeared months ago without a trace and is presumed dead. But Keisha knows Alice is still alive, otherwise, how is it possible that she keeps seeing Alice in the background of news reports of every major tragedy across the country? So, Keisha, who goes to work for the same trucking company Alice worked for, now spends all of her time driving around the country searching for her wife, who isn't dead.

Alice Isn't Dead is a fun and entertaining horror story Fink, who has been public with his constant battle with anxiety, gives Keisha the same issue to deal with, and it's prevalent throughout the story. Her feelings of anxiety are justified though. Because as she searches for her wife, she becomes swallowed up by the same world of secret societies and strange creatures that took her wife away from her.

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Black Leopard Red Wolf

by Marlon James
620 pgs  (The Dark Star trilogy #1)

Black Leopard Red Wolf is the type of book that I felt like I should have enjoyed more than I did, and probably would have, if I were smarter. Reading it was kind of like watching an opera for me. When I watch and listen to the performers sing, I know they're talented, but their talent is wasted on me. I just don't enjoy it. Similarly, while I was reading this book, it was obvious that Marlon James is an extremely talented writer and story teller, but I felt like his talents were wasted on me. I had a hard time following and staying interested in the story he was telling.

I first heard about the book when I saw James on a late-night talk show discussing it. It sounded very interesting and the host couldn't stop gushing over the portion of the book he had read so far. So I was excited to pick it up and start it as soon as I got it. When I did, I quickly realized that this wasn't the type of book that can be read casually. It takes concentration and thought, two things I struggled with while reading it.

It's the story of a man called Tracker. "He has a nose," is how people who know him describe him, and he's able to follow the scent of someone, no matter how far away they are, or how long they've been gone. It's because of his unique ability that he's recruited to track down a boy who went missing three years ago. Normally Tracker works alone, but this time he breaks his own rule and finds himself working with a group of unusual characters, including a giant, a witch, a buffalo, a water goddess, and a shape-shifting man-animal known as Leopard.

The book is set in a dark fantasy version of the African continent, where Tracker and his group encounter river witches, bush fairies, blood swamp trolls, and demons, as they follow the boy's scent from one ancient city to another, through the mystical Ten and Nine Doors.

James has a one-of-a-kind writing style. He writes his sentences in such a way that he hides who is speaking and who is doing what until the last possible second. A style that had me shaking my head, both out of amazement and confusion.

★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

The Memory of Earth

by Orson Scott Card
294 pgs  (Homecoming series #1)

Forty million years ago, humans left a dying earth and settled the planet they called Harmony. They created the Oversoul, an artificially e=intelligent computer, with the primary purpose ofensuring the same fate that befell earth could never befall Harmony. They gave the Oversoul the ability to communicate telepathically with people and to an extent, control their thoughts and behavior. For 40 million years, the Oversoul has fulfilled its purpose, preventing people from developing the technologies that led to the destruction of Earth But now, the Oversoul is finally breaking down, and it knows its only hope for survival is to send its core back to Earth, and to the Keeper of Lost Earth, in hopes that it can repair it.

To that end, the Oversoul selects a man named Wetchik and gives him a vision. In the vision, Wetchik sees the destruction of Harmony and realizes that the Oversoul, which was worshipped as  a god by many, but disregarded by most, was in fact real, and could still communicate with humans. Wetchik convinces his wife and four sons--the youngest of whom, Nafai also begins to receive messages from the Oversoul--that his vision was real and that they have been chosen for a very important purpose.

The Memory of Earth is the first of five books in Orson Scott Card's Homecoming series, written back in the 90s. By itself, it's not great, but it sets the stage for what I think could potentially be a pretty good series. For some, it will be obvious from where Card, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, took the inspiration for his story. Which for me, turned out to be a bit of a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it was interesting to see how closely Card mirrored his story, but on the other hand, most of the plot points were foregone conclusions.

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

The Other Woman

by Daniel Silva
476 pgs  (Gabriel Allon series #18)

There's a mole in Britain's MI6, and not one merely within the ranks of the intelligence officers. This mole is among those of the highest levels of power within the agency.

The Other Woman begins with a rescue operation. A Russian agent, whom Israel's intelligence division turned years ago, and who had been providing valuable information for years, has been blown and needs to be brought to the U.K. for sanctuary. But the operation goes bad and it soon becomes clear that someone within MI6 tipped the Russians off. It's up to Gabriel Allon to root out who that someone is and hold him or her accountable.

It's good to see Allon back on the front lines of the action again. In the last couple books, he's been behind the desk orchestrating the operation, but this time he's back carrying it out.

The Other Woman is a great example of why Silva's series has such staying power with me. His plots are fascinating and complex, and the action and intelligence tactics keep me turning the pages.

An interesting real-life event from the 1960s plays a role in this book, and some familiarity with it adds valuable context to Silva's story. In 1963, Kim Philby, a British intelligence agent, defected to the Soviet Union. It was soon learned that he had been working as a double agent for years.

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆