Strange Title, Big Book, Long Reach

Noumenon - Marina J. Lostetter

You’d think I’d know by now, wouldn’t you. Yep, the more superlatives heaped on a debut novel, the less I’m going to like it. Who knows: it might have something to do with the way literature has changed since my debut novel (the first one I read, anyway). Whatever. The reviews for Marina J. Lostetter and her (alleged) first novel, Noumenon, were glowing. They compared it to Arthur C. Clarke’s Rendezvous with Rama (a comparison obviously made by someone who hadn’t read that novel) and Neal Stephenson’s Seveneves. They also compared it to Hugh Howey’s Wool, but I haven’t read it – my one exposure to Howey was unsatisfactory. But we’re not here to talk about Howey (or Stephenson), we’re here to talk about Noumenon…

Anderson Harp's "Retribution": The Spy Novel Comes in from the Cold

Retribution - Anderson Harp

When the Cold War sputtered and came to a halt, espionage thriller writers found themselves scrambling for new plotlines. A few ignored the change and some began writing historical fiction, but many moved the spying from politics to corporate espionage. The problem was simple: a Russian and an American (or Brit) pretty much look the same; but modern conflicts pit westerners against Asian enemies and natives of the Middle East. It’s tough to write a part for Brad Pitt or Tom Cruise as an Arab or Korean without invoking plastic surgery.

But then along came Bosnians and Chechens – Moslems who look less like Osama bin Laden and more like Zorba the Greek; some even with pale(-ish) complexions and light hair. A new breed of spies was born – and Anderson Harp’s man William Parker is at the vanguard.