Tuesday, July 05, 2005
Books: Mini-Reviews: Oaths and Miracles (by Nancy Kress)
Technorati Tags: Books Reviews Book Review Nancy Kress Oaths and Miracles
Finished this book July 3rd 2005, but do not feel up to writing a full review for it.
Title: Oaths and Miracles
Author: Nancy Kress
Series: FBI Agent Robert Cavanaugh
Place in Series: First (Stingers, from 1998, seems to be the only sequel).
Copyright: 1996
Books Read by Author: only this one
Book Average Rating: 3.80
Short Stories: 13
Average Rating: 3.76
Highest Rated: 4.90
Lowest Rated: 3.00
Read Author Again?: In book form, not likely.
Plot: The book is told from the point of view of four characters (some have more "screen time" than others), and their stories only sometimes touch. The book opens with a Vegas show-girl stumbling down the stairs during a performance (the person in front of her on the stairs keeps her from falling completely). She appears glassy-eyed, and maybe drugged. Eventually she completes the fall by slumping forward and sitting down on the steps. The girl behind her in the line steps down onto her, and the entire line on that side of the sage ends up lying on the stage. The singer continues singing (red-faced), and the other line of dancers continues to dance. The stage manager drags the drugged looking girl off the stage and deposits her in the bathroom. The girls friend, a fellow female dancer, searches for her, finds her and drags her from the building (oh, and the stage manager informs this friend that the girl is fired). Apparently, the glassy-eyed dancer isn't on drugs but is in fact in a state of shock. Her boyfriend was murdered that day and the girl believes that she is next. The friend shoves her into a car and drives to the airport. They head towards the entrance, but the friend returns to her car because she forgot something. Just then, a car picks up speed and slams into the glassy-eyed, now dead, girl. The girl's friend (who's name is unfortunately forgotten by me) is one POV (1), but a very minor character. Another character, a much larger character, and another POV, interviews the girl. FBI Agent Robert Cavanaugh (POV 2) was in Vegas on other business and was the closest agent. Cavanaugh interviews the girl but can't get anything out of her, except that the girl plans to leave immediately, return home, and enroll in college. After that interview Cavanaugh returns to Washington DC. Meanwhile, a husband and wife were also in Vegas and are also on their way back to the east coast. The wife (Judy O'Brien Kozinski; POV 3) is another POV and major character. Dr. Ben Kozinski is a very handsome intelligent and prominent DNA scientist who is in Las Vegas to present a paper. Judy, a very insincere woman that can't stop nagging her husband nor think that she isn't really good enough for him, is in Vegas to interview a prominent scientist (she is a science reporter). While in Vegas, Ben receives a very good offer to join a struggling biotech firm. The husband and wife fly back to the east coast, the husband interviews for the job, and shortly afterward, he ends up dead. Right before Ben is murdered (the fact of his death has already been mentioned in the book by this point, the book goes backwards in time, somewhat, to get the FBI's story), FBI Agent Cavanaugh is informed of a potential mafia connection with the particular biotech company and is sent off to investigate (one of the pieces of evidence is an anonymous tip sent in that mentions the possible connections, and warns that Ben Kozinski should be warned off). Right as Cavanaugh is leaving the office to head up to the biotech company, a phone call is received noting Ben's death. Cavanaugh interviews Judy. Later both Cavanaugh and Judy separately search for Ben's killer, while Cavanaugh is also trying to tie the company to the mafia (referred to in the book as "The Relatives"). The fourth POV, whose storyline started earlier in the book, is one Wendell Botts. Mr. Botts had been a drunk and abusive man who broke his own little girl’s arm and ended up in jail. Oh, and at the time, he was a member of the "Soldiers of the Divine Covenant" cult that really hates blood (can’t get blood transfusions, can’t eat meat, etc.) but likes ritualistically sacrificing animals. Botts isn’t a member of the pacifist Soldiers anymore, but his ex-wife, daughter, and young son are still members. Botts has tried to clean up, he has stopped drinking, goes nightly to AA meetings and has a steady construction job (he’s saving up his paychecks to show his worth). Botts wants to get his wife and children back, but at the moment, only gets very brief visitation rights. Somewhere along the line, Botts gets it into his head that the Soldiers are now conducting human sacrifice and tries to spread the news to the media. Eventually some in the media pay attention to him, but in the end, this doesn’t help him retrieve his kids. Yes, this particular POV thread does in fact eventually interact with two others (the now college student POV thread is very small, and never intersects Bott’s POV thread). The book continues . . .
Review: The various POV threads is distracting and annoying, and none of the characters are very interesting (or someone I’d like to read about). Judy is too whiny, the ex-Vegas show-girl’s part is too small and thin to get a handle on, the FBI Agent is to full of himself and anti-lawyer, while Botts swears too much. Three of the main POV characters are fully formed, with just the ex-Vegas show-girl ending up having a rather thin cipher-like character. The story structure is annoying, and the plot is somewhat absurd. Overall, I’m very disappointed that I ever started to read this book and would highly recommend readers to skip this book (but I would recommend these readers to sample Kress’ short stories, because Kress does know how to write). Overall, I gave the book 3.80 stars.
Don't agree? Well, these seven reviewers at Amazon.com seemed to like the book, (the overall score is 4 stars out of 5, though 1 reviewer gave the book 2 stars and another gave 3 stars). Epinions.com does not have this book. Nancy Kress official website. Here's a short story by Kress on the Scifi website (and another).
Finished this book July 3rd 2005, but do not feel up to writing a full review for it.
Title: Oaths and Miracles
Author: Nancy Kress
Series: FBI Agent Robert Cavanaugh
Place in Series: First (Stingers, from 1998, seems to be the only sequel).
Copyright: 1996
Books Read by Author: only this one
Book Average Rating: 3.80
Short Stories: 13
Average Rating: 3.76
Highest Rated: 4.90
Lowest Rated: 3.00
Read Author Again?: In book form, not likely.
Plot: The book is told from the point of view of four characters (some have more "screen time" than others), and their stories only sometimes touch. The book opens with a Vegas show-girl stumbling down the stairs during a performance (the person in front of her on the stairs keeps her from falling completely). She appears glassy-eyed, and maybe drugged. Eventually she completes the fall by slumping forward and sitting down on the steps. The girl behind her in the line steps down onto her, and the entire line on that side of the sage ends up lying on the stage. The singer continues singing (red-faced), and the other line of dancers continues to dance. The stage manager drags the drugged looking girl off the stage and deposits her in the bathroom. The girls friend, a fellow female dancer, searches for her, finds her and drags her from the building (oh, and the stage manager informs this friend that the girl is fired). Apparently, the glassy-eyed dancer isn't on drugs but is in fact in a state of shock. Her boyfriend was murdered that day and the girl believes that she is next. The friend shoves her into a car and drives to the airport. They head towards the entrance, but the friend returns to her car because she forgot something. Just then, a car picks up speed and slams into the glassy-eyed, now dead, girl. The girl's friend (who's name is unfortunately forgotten by me) is one POV (1), but a very minor character. Another character, a much larger character, and another POV, interviews the girl. FBI Agent Robert Cavanaugh (POV 2) was in Vegas on other business and was the closest agent. Cavanaugh interviews the girl but can't get anything out of her, except that the girl plans to leave immediately, return home, and enroll in college. After that interview Cavanaugh returns to Washington DC. Meanwhile, a husband and wife were also in Vegas and are also on their way back to the east coast. The wife (Judy O'Brien Kozinski; POV 3) is another POV and major character. Dr. Ben Kozinski is a very handsome intelligent and prominent DNA scientist who is in Las Vegas to present a paper. Judy, a very insincere woman that can't stop nagging her husband nor think that she isn't really good enough for him, is in Vegas to interview a prominent scientist (she is a science reporter). While in Vegas, Ben receives a very good offer to join a struggling biotech firm. The husband and wife fly back to the east coast, the husband interviews for the job, and shortly afterward, he ends up dead. Right before Ben is murdered (the fact of his death has already been mentioned in the book by this point, the book goes backwards in time, somewhat, to get the FBI's story), FBI Agent Cavanaugh is informed of a potential mafia connection with the particular biotech company and is sent off to investigate (one of the pieces of evidence is an anonymous tip sent in that mentions the possible connections, and warns that Ben Kozinski should be warned off). Right as Cavanaugh is leaving the office to head up to the biotech company, a phone call is received noting Ben's death. Cavanaugh interviews Judy. Later both Cavanaugh and Judy separately search for Ben's killer, while Cavanaugh is also trying to tie the company to the mafia (referred to in the book as "The Relatives"). The fourth POV, whose storyline started earlier in the book, is one Wendell Botts. Mr. Botts had been a drunk and abusive man who broke his own little girl’s arm and ended up in jail. Oh, and at the time, he was a member of the "Soldiers of the Divine Covenant" cult that really hates blood (can’t get blood transfusions, can’t eat meat, etc.) but likes ritualistically sacrificing animals. Botts isn’t a member of the pacifist Soldiers anymore, but his ex-wife, daughter, and young son are still members. Botts has tried to clean up, he has stopped drinking, goes nightly to AA meetings and has a steady construction job (he’s saving up his paychecks to show his worth). Botts wants to get his wife and children back, but at the moment, only gets very brief visitation rights. Somewhere along the line, Botts gets it into his head that the Soldiers are now conducting human sacrifice and tries to spread the news to the media. Eventually some in the media pay attention to him, but in the end, this doesn’t help him retrieve his kids. Yes, this particular POV thread does in fact eventually interact with two others (the now college student POV thread is very small, and never intersects Bott’s POV thread). The book continues . . .
Review: The various POV threads is distracting and annoying, and none of the characters are very interesting (or someone I’d like to read about). Judy is too whiny, the ex-Vegas show-girl’s part is too small and thin to get a handle on, the FBI Agent is to full of himself and anti-lawyer, while Botts swears too much. Three of the main POV characters are fully formed, with just the ex-Vegas show-girl ending up having a rather thin cipher-like character. The story structure is annoying, and the plot is somewhat absurd. Overall, I’m very disappointed that I ever started to read this book and would highly recommend readers to skip this book (but I would recommend these readers to sample Kress’ short stories, because Kress does know how to write). Overall, I gave the book 3.80 stars.
Don't agree? Well, these seven reviewers at Amazon.com seemed to like the book, (the overall score is 4 stars out of 5, though 1 reviewer gave the book 2 stars and another gave 3 stars). Epinions.com does not have this book. Nancy Kress official website. Here's a short story by Kress on the Scifi website (and another).
