Musings of a Christian Humanist

    In literary terms, Gothic typically refers to that frame of mind and soul that embraces the strange, the mysterious, and the irrational, specifically terror. Gothic novels are often set in the dark and wild. This is what one encounters in Andrew Klavan's most recent novel.     As I consider this novel written for a popular audience, there are no empty cliches for Klavan. Nightmare City is a pulse pounding, page turning, plot twisting engaging work that will be enjoyed by all who love a rich suspenseful novel. This is not a mere bump-in-the-night, goose bump, chills producing novel; rather Nightmare City has the capacity to move the soul toward reflection. The reality of death and evil are all around us and even within us. While there is the true, the good, and the beautiful  received with joy, sometimes the true and good are met in the dark. Ignoring evil does not make it vanish. In addition to our contemporary culture being take...

     There are those lovers of Great Books who would speak so well of the fine, beautiful and good letters, that they implicitly denounce common letters. I am not in that camp. I still remember my sweet, dear grandmother Lila, giving me money from her tips where she worked at a local restaurant, so I could buy the most recent edition of Spiderman, Thor, or Daredevil comics. For a number of years of my youth, that was all I read, but read hundreds of comic books, I did.      If I were teenager today, I would hope that I had a family member who would encourage me to read the young adult fiction of novelist Andrew Klavan. Why? Beyond being true page turners, they are peopled with characters who are often driven by a keen and accurate moral purpose. Sam Hopkins, while flawed in his youthful misdirected desire to be accepted, has a turning point where not only does he do the right thing, he does lots of little things that are ri...

      Andrew Klavan has started writing YA fiction and for a Christian publishing house. While this may be a bad move for some writers, Klavan has navigated the move very well. In truth, Klavan is a fine popular contemporary novelist. The extra benefit of this enjoyable read is that it may indeed have an additional application in light of our political and economic times. Klavan is interviewed by  National Review online  and speaks insightfully about moral reality and the universe.      The plot line is simple as it tells of  four teens who become trapped in a Central American country as a communist revolution unfolds. There is a typical range of characters, including one of the teens who is sympathetic for the revolutionaries and has the opportunity to see behind the curtain and get a glimpse of what really motivates the revolutionaries he has read about, including some of their manifestos. One politica...

     My students regularly ask me about books and authors and also frequently ask, "what do you read when you are not reading Great Books?" It surprises them when I mention certain science-fiction and fantasy authors and I am always open for recommendations. Not long ago I was reading a blog, and novelist Andrew Klavan was mentioned. I was aware of Klavan, but had not read any of his works. Starting with some of his newer works, I must say I have been impressed. I will be finishing some of his YA fiction soon and will blog on that but wanted to start here with his most recent adult novel, A Killer in the Wind .     This novel might best fit into the genre of psycho-thriller with moments of great suspense, and some enjoyable action-adventure.  Characters Dan Champion , former military and investigator, former New York City police detective, and   Samantha,  a librarian, are both broken and yet resilient in a deeply human fash...

   For lovers of great poetry, the name Donald Hall is well known. For those familiar with the poetry of Donald Hall, we recognize the fondness Hall has for the particular place of Eagle pond. In Christmas at Eagle Pond , Hall offers all readers a treasure, in the form of a short story about an imagined childhood Christmas experience at Eagle Pond. In the midst of numerous delightful moments, there is an important reflection of a Christmas pageant and the place a Christmas party held in the life of the community. There are simple and elegant back and white illustrations throughout. The value and glory of transmission of folk culture through story telling is pushed to the front of the narrative more than once.      The story is set in the time of model A's and T's with some still using buggies and sleighs.  Among the many worthy moments in the story, there is ...

      My wife is a librarian and daily interacts with children and books. If I were not a Professor, I cannot think of a more appealing calling. We talk daily about the little ones in her school, books, and the relationship between bookish children and their overall demeanor. A picture book that we recently became aware of is The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore .       For all bibliovores, regardless of age, this book is for you. It is beautiful in form and content, it is good in form and content, and it is true in form and content. Rarely does one find a children's picture book that so throughly celebrates a bookish life, but also deals with some grand humane themes. In addition to this unique book, there is an app (sorry Luddites) that is interactive with the book.  For the critics of such apps, one can make the case that this app encourages greater interaction with the book and other books.  For short film lovers, t...