Pastoral Reviews Five Fathoms Down

Hey,

So I've read through a couple more books and here's what I thought.

First up is Full Fathom Five by Max Gladstone. This is the third book in a series by Mr. Gladstone (Three Parts Dead and Two Serpents Rise being the first two). Technically they all stand on their own, but it would be helpful to read the other two before starting in on this one because characters from those books show up here.

The series is set in a fantasy world that has a modern-day feel because magic is applied that way. It's not a one-for-one analog of magic == technology, it's a lot more subtle and much better done than my description implies. But the key part about it is that it uses this lens to ask big questions about capitalism and globalization along with the very real, human stories it tells. In particular, Full Fathom Five builds on its predecessors to ponder big topics in a very sophisticated way.

The story takes place in Kavekana, an island like Hawaii that lost its gods during the war between gods and wizards. Now, the scared mountain is used by the priests to make a series of custom-built idols for clients to take advantage of. Basically, it's an off-shore bank that takes soulstuff from investors and makes a return in miracles. Kai is one of the top theologians in the organization and when a friend and co-worker's idol falls through and is slated to be destroyed, she jumps into the mystic pool to try and save it.

Meanwhile, a refugee girl, Izza, leads a group of street kids who struggle to keep free of the arms of the law. She keeps the stories of the children's gods alive but she's growing tired and she's growing old. If she's too old when she gets caught, she'll be imprisoned within a Penitent -- a sort of animated iron maiden that helps keep the peace. Izza wants out and the strange woman who washes up on shore might be her ticket out.

I really enjoyed this book, I've enjoyed the series as a whole, but this book really clicked on a lot of different levels and will probably reward careful re-readings. It was so good I'm kind of hoping this book is the final part of this loose trilogy. Gladstone clearly has talent and if he went on to other worlds/situations, I'm sure I'd be happy to read those as well.

In a more practical turn of events, I read though The Homesellers Kit by Edit Lank and Dena Amoruso. Although not ready to sell my house just yet, it's on the horizon and there's a bunch of stuff I don't know, so I'm flipping through a few books to get an idea of how much I don't know. The answer is...a fair-ish amount. The book was written in 2001 so the information is probably well out-of-date, but the fundamentals probably haven't changed and it was available at the local library so that's what I got. Honestly, all I can say is that I read it and it was food for thought. I wasn't blown away by it or deeply disappointed. Maybe I'll tell you my opinion this time next year.

Finally, sparked by a post from debsquared I picked up Pastrix, The Cranky, Beautiful Faith of a Sinner and Saint by Nadia Bolz-Weber. Pretty much does what it says on the tin. It's the story of Ms. Bolz-Weber's rediscovery of her Christian faith and her efforts as Pastor of an all-inclusive church in Denver. It's not a strict autobiography, it's not entirely chronological and it focuses on several different events in her life and how those events have reshaped her life. What's particularly refreshing is that it doesn't lead to a holier-than-though place. Bolz-Weeber is quite relatable and her particular private prayer "God, please help me not be an asshole", pretty much beats that one Jesus suggested. I liked it. I don't think it's made any particular impact on my way of thinking, but there's clearly an earnest struggle to discover and live up to one's beliefs and that deserves respect and admiration.

later
Tom