Review: The Didymus Contingency

The Didymus Contingency by Jeremy Robinson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

First off, don't listen to the hater reviews for The Didymus Contingency. Sure, not everything about the book was historically accurate. Notice that it's classified as "Literature & Fiction" -- meaning that the author may take some creative liberties with the work and that everything isn't required to include 100% accurate historical facts. Second, right in the book's description, it says Tom will be going back in time to see Jesus -- again, no surprise then that the book ends up focusing quite a bit on Jesus' life and issues of religion. And going back to the first point, it's fiction so readers should not be shocked to learn that the book may include details added about Jesus, the apostles, and the time period that aren't 100% purely true and are used to fill in historical gaps and to make the narrative more entertaining. 

There are many things I really appreciated about The Didymus Contingency. I'm a sucker for this kind of book -- one that retells a familiar story (especially using a different genre) but is just different enough to keep you reading to find out how the new elements will be interwoven into the old tale. And Robinson did just that extremely well.  The Didymus Contingency melded time-travel science fiction, history, and religion together in an account of the biblical Gospels while at the same time tackling a time travel paradox in a creative and interesting way (which is all I can say to keep this review spoiler-free). The intricacies of the layered plot kept the story engaging as even though those familiar with any of the four Gospels could not always see where the narrative was going. There were plenty of twists and turns to keep the story fresh and entertaining. And once the plot was resolved, it was so satisfying to see everything fall into place to give you that big "ah-ha" moment when it all makes sense.

Beyond all the praise I've already included, The Didymus Contingency is a well-written book -- but there are a few places I'll agree with some of the more critical reviews.  For example, most of the characters were really only as deep and developed as they needed to be to make the plot work and as a result, they came across as a bit tropey. And some characters became plot devices and didn't always seem to make the best and most logical decisions given the situations they were in. However, everything else was so well done that I have no problem overlooking these minor issues as none of them really hindered my overall enjoyment of the book.

In the audio version of the book, R.C. Bray’s performance is excellent. By now, I expect anything R.C. Bray narrates to be great and The Didymus Contingency is no exception. His tone is ideal, the character voices are unique, and the pacing was matched to work well with each scene. 

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Review: Zombie Upheaval: Still Alive Book Nine

Zombie Upheaval: Still Alive Book Nine by Javan Bonds
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Zombie Upheaval is the 9th book in Javan Bond's Still Alive series and continues the series after Zombie Crusade. If you've never read or listened to a book in the Still Alive series, go read the review of the Still Alive: Series Box Set (Books 1-4), as getting the omnibus is an excellent and economical way to start the series. But if you've made it a few books into the series or have finished book eight and you're wondering whether or not to continue, the answer is easy: hell yes, you should. 

First, let's discuss one of Zombie Upheaval's best qualities: the graphic and explicit descriptions of violence and gore. Most stories use violence as a plot device. In those stories, characters resolve conflict through violent escalation only when it's necessary to move the narrative forward. The Still Alive series takes a different approach. Instead, the narrative in the series primarily exists as a vehicle to bring forth violence, gore, and utter brutality. To call it gratuitous violence is a vast understatement -- unless you are using "gratuitous" to describe the violence as a generous and kind gift provided to the audience by the screenwriter. Using that definition, gratuitous would be the correct word, as Bonds has a disturbing talent for describing vicious, violent deaths through excruciatingly vivid and glorious detail. Violence can't be pointless if the violence is the point!

Though it might have been blasphemous to other fans of the series, I found that the previous book, Zombie Crusade (Book 8), might have tipped the scale toward too much blood and gore and not enough plot; I'm happy to state that Zombie Upheaval finds a better balance between scenes of near senseless violence and those that move the story forward. And though much of the humor remains macabre, the lighter comedy of the earlier books of the series has started to make a comeback as well. While I still think the earlier books (and the POV of Mo) were more enjoyable, I see good things foreshadowed in the future of the series.

On its own, Zombie Upheaval is pretty entertaining. I especially relished the partial return to the central plot with the crew of the Viva Ancora and the glimpses into the mind of Mo through the various short "mo-sodes." The continuing clash between the loyalists of Pastor Mike Brown and the government of Guntersville was bloody but amusing, and I think I'm going to enjoy following the antics of the perverted and cantankerous Mortimer. And as the components of the narrative arc are concluded, I can see a return to the Cora as a focus in future books -- which will be excellent.

And for the audiobook: I cannot understate how much talent S.W. Salzman demonstrates in the narration of the Still Alive series. I'm still baffled that a single narrator can voice all the extensively different characters and do so using unique and instantly recognizable voices. He perfectly captures personalities and brings life to the characters. The Still Alive series has always been fun and entertaining, but Salzman easily takes it to the next level.

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