After Victoria Nguyen experiences a life-altering, traumatic incident, she discovers that she is pregnant.  Desiring to do what is right Victoria wants to make her own decisions about how to handle the matter.  Her mother, who is a controlling politician, would prefer that Victoria does what looks best, instead of what is best for both her and the baby.  With the support of her father, Victoria flees from the United States to London where she is taken in by a family who owed a debt to her father.  Meeting their son William, who is studying to be a deacon, Victoria finds a kindred soul.  Unfortunately, she has to stay on the move to keep out of her mother’s control.

As she continues to seek out peace, Victoria meets the Seymour’s who are from San Francisco.  Madeleine is a history professor who is studying the history of the church. Her husband Jack is a retired wine broker.  They are in England so that Jack can locate a property to purchase and create a home for orphans.  Madeleine also uses this trip to further her research.  The Seymour’s, especially Madeleine, wish to help Victoria, but also have concerns because she is a minor.  Brother Cristoforo, a Franciscan from Rome comes to assist the Seymour’s with their search.  He is also dealing with his own issues.  He does not feel compelled to follow the rules, he follows his spirit instead.  In spite of this, he proves to be a strong asset with assisting Victoria and the Seymour’s.

As time passes and the baby is close to being born, Victoria has to reach inside herself and pull strength from within.  Her relationships, with the Seymour’s and William and Brother Cristoforo, cause her faith to strengthen more and more.  In spite of the trauma that caused her to be in London, Victoria’s personal and spiritual growth is tremendous.  Each person around her is also evolving.  When she encounters her mother, she is able to tap into her new strength and stand up for herself.  Her new found faith helps her.  Along the way she also finds true love.

“Inheritance” tells an incredible story.  Even though the main character, Victoria, is young, she still teaches us a lot about faith and perseverance. She also gives us hope, as we read about what she has had to overcome.  The rest of the characters also offer interesting stories from which the reader will feel inspired.  I know that I did.  I also enjoyed reading about Mrs. Seymour’s research, which is heavily referenced in the appendix.  It added a great deal of interest to the story.  “Inheritance” by Christine Sunderland will be enjoyed by readers of faith-based stories.  I think that it also make a great selection for a readers’ group.

Inheritance
Christine Sunderland
OakTara Publishers (2009)
ISBN 9781602902190
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Readerviews (10/09)

In “Evolution’s Fatal Flaw,” a carefully researched and well written book, author Lawrence Wood sets out to validate two controversial and often debated claims:  that evolution is the proper explanation for our origins; and that evolution is all about the survival of the species, not as one might suppose, about the survival of the individual.  It is a monumental undertaking fraught with scientific and philosophical mine fields, all which he traverses with caution and ease.

Wood lays out the core issue early on in the book by quoting the results of a recent Gallup poll which shows that our society is still fairly evenly divided between three different explanations of our existence: creationism, intelligent design, and evolution.  He wonders “Why do such mutually exclusive explanations still compete in this day and age?”  He decides that the culprit, or culprits as it were, are a set of “illusions” that have been around since the dawn of mankind: “1) the apparently solid earth; 2) the apparent motion of the sun and planets around the earth; 3 ) the apparent same size of the sun and moon and the apparent closeness of the sun and moon; 4) the apparent motion of the stars around the earth and the apparent closeness of the stars; and 5)  the apparently unchanging physical and biological features of the earth.”  As the first order of business, Wood shows how science has explained these illusions and basically made them go away.

As the book works its way through science’s role in demystifying the five illusions and into more complex scientific and philosophic issues, the reader is taken on a delightful and educational journey that could almost be described as a history of science and philosophy throughout mankind, although this is certainly not the book’s purpose.  All the usual characters are present from Aristotle and Copernicus to Darwin and Einstein plus a host of brilliant thinkers largely unknown in the nonscientific community. At the same time, there are discourses involving all the major scientific disciplines, including but not limited to, physics, chemistry, biology, geology and astronomy.  All this is served up in a package of eighteen concise chapters, each ending with a summary of the main points covered along with a preview of what’s to come in the chapter that follows.

By the middle of the book it becomes obvious where all this is going; that evolution is going to win the debate hands down.  This is okay with me as I am one who prefers his reality served up in a logical and scientific fashion.  But some of the arguments are probably going to make die-hard proponents of creationism and intelligent design squirm a bit.  So be it.  It all makes for a healthy debate.

The book’s title suggests that there is a fatal flaw in the evolutionary process which is that humans are overpopulating the earth thus creating a tremendous demand on available natural resources.  It is on this note that Wood ends the book stating: While the overwhelming desire for sexual activity cannot be realistically controlled, there are readily available means for preventing the results of sexual activity from producing too many offspring.  If we are unable and/or unwilling to exercise this option, the devastating population growth plaguing the earth today will continue and, as mentioned above, ultimately doom evolution’s greatest achievement.

“Evolution’s Fatal Flaw” by Lawrence Wood has the potential to be controversial, if not explosive, and should be taken very seriously.  Once it is read, however, it should be set aside and revisited periodically just to browse through its pages to marvel at the accomplishments of the mind and spirit throughout the history of mankind.

Evolution’s Fatal Flaw: The Inevitable Consequence of the Need for Species Survival
Lawrence Wood
iUniverse (2009)
ISBN 9781440171512
Reviewed by Ron Standerfer for Reader Views (10/09)

Fantasy can be a very tricky genre. Take it too far into the "unknown" and you risk being incomprehensible. Stay too close to the "reality," whatever that might really be, and your reader will quickly lose interest. Finding a balance between those two is never easy, and sustaining it throughout a book even less so. Robert D. Berger's  "The Divine Theory of Everything" succeeds remarkably well in doing just this, mostly by using many known elements, yet combining them  in a new and oftentimes slightly challenging way.

Of the many perplexing questions that humankind has faced throughout generations, the one of evolution versus creation is surely at the very top of the list. When one combines this with the other impenetrable dilemma, that of the obvious duality of the world surrounding us, a raging battle has to ensue, be it inside the hero or in the world surrounding him. When the hero battles an internal battle while fighting tangible enemies in extremely hostile environment, you can be assured of a wild and hair-rising tale.

Steve Morgan is snatched from his safe, if somewhat stagnant life, and thrown in the midst of an epic battle between the forces of the evil and those of good. The balance in the world has been upset, and without restoring the proper order, the world is surely going to end. The existence of two worlds, one of science and one of magic, is revealed to Steve and he is rigorously trained for a journey that does not seem to have a clear destination and a known path. While he can choose some of the elements himself, the rest is in the hands of divine destiny. He is thrust into the world of magic, and begins his wandering that ultimately should alter the course of the raging battle fought between the evil and the good.

While I detected many influences and echoes from books and other diverse sources, ranging anywhere from the world of Tolkien over Battleship Galactica and back to Plato, "The Divine Theory of Everything" by Robert D. Berger remained fresh and engaging. Although moving slightly too slowly at times, and with an ending that disappointed in its abruptness and "middle of the action" termination,  I have to admit I am eagerly waiting for the sequel. With an ending of this nature, one must surely be coming soon.

The Divine Theory of Everything: Book 1 Wanderer
Robert D. Berger
Llumina Press (2009)
ISBN 9781605942841
Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson for Reader Views (10/09)