The Sci Fi Catholic Yak Module
Once again, O blogmaster, you display your talent of writting a great review from an otherwise mediocre book. As I've not read the book I don't feel fit to comment, but I'd still like to mention a few things.
One, please pray for my cousin Paul, who is a soldier in the Canadian military and is on duty in a dangerous part of Afghanistan. Thankfully, he'll only be stationed there for a short time, but anything can happen. Please keep him in your prayers.
Second, I'd to like thank Snuffles for responding to my bleg about reviewing anime like Chrono Crusade that deal with Catholocism, even if he did so unwittingly, 'cause I did ask over four months ago, after all. Either way, thanks Snuffles!
I wouldn't call it mediocre, really. I probably over-analyzed it. It certainly is entertaining to read, though it might not be the best thing to head for if you just want your winged girl fix.
I'm pretty sure Snuffles has had his eye on Chrono Crusade for a little while. I'll nudge him to make sure he reviews it for you.
Oh, and stupid me--I will definitely pray for Paul.
Great review Deej-- and as a former Protestant myself I agree with the few hundred miniature Applachias..someone would get mad about the key of the hymns, next that we should use white juice instead of red, next that high heels are slutty...etc.. and break off over and over again. Doesn't take much..
Thomas--I had the honor of serving alongside the Canadian Air Force during Desert Storm..one of their WOMEN F-18 pilots got an ace before any of the U.S. flyboys...will definitely lift him up in prayers..will also add him to our Carmelite prayer list.
Oh yes...FINALLY finished Orphans of Chaos...no cliffhanger..I'm so disappointed. 
But I DID finish it before it went overdue at the library. For what it's worth--Mr. Wright needs to learn how to talk like a girl....
Heh heh, he did say he wasn't happy with the dialogue in that one.
You didn't think that was a cliffhanger? They only left her with all her fourth-dimensional abilities nixed! I thought it was a great cliffhanger!
And incidentally, why is it called the Clan? If you want to depict good Christians in America's backwoods, you really should pick a different word.
Heheh, you're overlooking the possibility that, for some of our brethren, a member of the Klan really is a good Christian in America's backwoods. I've encountered more than a few, and they are indeed stranger than fiction.
Nice review. I could almost hear dueling banjos in the background.
...for some of our brethren, a member of the Klan really is a good Christian in America's backwoods.
I am quite certain that such a person would not be Sigmund Brouwer. I think it's just a poor choice of words.
Hey, great job. But you're not alone in your dissent by any means and I don't think you're reading into it at all. I agree with you on just about every point. Though I think you did a better write up than I did.
Thanks for a very thoughtful and intelligent review. As part of the blog tour, I've been invited to add comments, and it would be cowardly to ignore a dissenting one!
I appreciate, of course, that near the end, you called it a 'competent and entertaining thriller, well paced and well written'.
I could duck some of your dissenting comments by saying that's all I wanted to accomplish with the novel. There is some truth in that as the extent of my ambitions -- I wasn't trying to write a literary masterpiece because I know my limitations.
However, I think a good counterpoint is that if I'm going to tackle some of those ideas, I need a bigger canvas than a couple days worth of chase through the backwoods, regardless if the chase is done well.
So, foolishly or not, I'm in the middle of the sequel, where I have the opportunity to examine Appalachia from another angle. In another post, I mentioned why Caitlyn's secret wasn't well hidden in Broken Angel; in the sequel, hopefully the much bigger secret about her past will be a surprise.
In the end, however, if BA provides a moderately entertaining read, and gets any discussion going on the role of faith in politics, great.
Again, thanks for such a thoughtful (and thought-provoking) review.
Sigmund
DG, you did not disappoint. As I expected, you gave an insightful critique.
Interestingly, I missed the idea that Appalachians had seceded, per se. I had the impression that they cloistered themselves, with the permission of those in charge Outside. Sort of like what happened in Poland during Hitler's rule, though of course, they were later exterminated.
I'll have to go back and take a closer look at that because it is this topic of the church withdrawing from society I thought was so important to discuss.
I have to admit, I didn't pick up on the "stay out of politics" point.
On the other hand, I didn't react to the Clan like you did at all. Including the name. I never associated the Clan with the Klan. I thought, instead, of Billy Joe and the rest of the clan, a fit kind of tag, then, for the Appalachian mountains. I also didn't think of them as too perfect. I actually wondered at their pacifist stance, at their helping others escape to the Outside, where it doesn't seem to be markedly better for believers.
But I guess I should go write my own post instead of spilling all my thoughts here.
Becky
Thank you, everyone, for the comments.
Mr Brouwer, thanks for stopping by and commenting. I saw in one of your interviews on another blog on the Tour (I checked several last night and don't remember which) that you were writing the sequel. This one was entertaining, and I would be interesting to see how the sequel turns out, especially since Caitlyn would have her wings right from the beginning.
As for what the novel did, or didn't, or should, accomplish, there's a reason that I put in the disclaimer that I might be over-analyzing. When I write a review this lengthy, the end result is almost always that the review looks quite negative, but I did enjoy the novel. It certainly succeeds at being entertaining.
Fun review. And you put your finger on why I can't believe in the coming Christian theocracy (oh noes!): it takes a starry-eyed belief in Christian unity to think that they could agree on something long enough to rule themselves, let alone anyone else.
Rhinemouse: great and funny point. would love to make that remark as an aside when I speak on the subject.
And DG, thanks. Your insight would be very valuable at the editorial stage for any writer.
sigmund
Thank you, Mr. Brouwer, and thanks for being patient with my sometimes acidic sense of humor. I'll try to put up another post tonight for the final day of the blog tour that points out something I liked that I didn't get around to in the review.
Speaking of the editorial stage, I'm a member of the online writer's workshop Critters. If more of your writing is sf like this novel, that's a great place to submit drafts and get feedback. Some major writers are members, as well as a lot of unknowns and newbies like myself.
DG, I expect I'll send the sequel to Critters. Thanks.
I've got a new non-fiction, Who Made The Moon?, and you might be interested in seeing the solid Catholic perspectives on faith and science in it. I can make sure you get a copy if you email me an address to send it.
Sigmund
A silly ditty on Christian unity:
There wonce were a king name o' Constantine,
F'r right good worship 'e were ve-ry keen,
And Donatus felt the weight o' his peen,
Yes, Donatus felt his blow! O,
Donatus fell to his blow!
Then Charl' the great were a man o' Fate,
For the weal o' the lot he did cartu-late,
And the goods o' the Church he would protectate,
And the Saxons came to agree, O
the Saxons were made to agree!
And the Ottos were good, not once but thrice,
And I've 'eard good things about Lewis the pice,
And Fred the Head w' his beard o' red,
And, it seems, a Confessor named Ed.
And even the Angles converted, O
even the Angles believed.
[I can't finish the last verse about the Luther, which is uncharitable anyway, because I have to go wash dishes.]
Smiter--
Us ladies LOVE men with dishpan hands 
Your wife is indeed a lucky gal
"Brouwer forgets that Christianity took over that empire."
Did it really? Many Christians would say that in most respects the Empire took over Christianity.
Either or, I guess. I just suggest reading Revelation to see which conquered which. And notice which one is still kicking.
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