CORTEZ LAW III
  • HOME
  • BOOKS
  • MY BLOG
  • THE METRO
  • MEDIA
  • REVIEWS
  • BIOGRAPHY
  • CONTACT

Hollywood Celebrities Who Value Church Involvement and Discipleship

8/28/2018

0 Comments

 
*Here's an encouraging article from MOVIE GUIDE, which is a Christian film review site. Keep these Believers and others in your prayers. Wonderful!

By Tess Farrand, Staff Writer

Working in the industry means that you have a hectic schedule; filming, press interviews, premieres, social media campaigns and award shows… the list continues. This might not sound like work to some, but after years in the business, it’s exhausting.

With fans and paparazzi all over Hollywood, we need to stop and ask when are some Christian filmmakers, stars or artists in Hollywood finding the time or privacy to be spiritually recharged at church?

Well, that’s a tough one….

Thankfully, there are some celebrities that make the time!

Hopefully they’re opening the Bible and praying, but the church provides a great way for these busy Hollywood elites to stop and reflect on their many blessings with fellow believers.

Did you know actor Denzel Washington regularly attends West Angeles Church of God in Christ, a Pentecostal church in L.A? Yes, Washington’s faith is very important to him! He once spoke to Dillard University students at commencement in 2015 on how God directs his daily life, stating, “there’s never been a time where God didn’t direct, protect and correct me. There may have been times where I was less than faithful to Him, but He had faith in me.”

Likewise, Mark Wahlberg goes to Church of the Good Shepherd with his family.

Chris Pratt, who frequently proclaims his faith, attends Zoe Church in Los Angeles and is often seen there with his new girlfriend Katherine Schwarzenegger (daughter of Arnold Schwarzenegger). After an unfortunate divorce with ex-wife Anna Farris, Pratt and Schwarzenegger seem to be taking things slow, with a source confirming that the two are choosing to abstain from sex until marriage, if that’s what they decide, because of their Christian beliefs. If that’s not counter-cultural, what is?
Picture
DENZEL WASHINGTON
Picture
                       CHRIS PRATT                                                       KATHERINE SCHWARZENEGGER
At the end of the day, if you strip away all the glamour of the red carpet and bright lights, entertainment industry people are no different than anyone else. They’re sinners who need Jesus and also need community. Community helps strengthen believers in the faith and continue to press on (Phil. 3:14) to the goal of Christ. Devoid of community, we are all liable to regress in faith.

Justin Bieber has shown a strong desire for mentorship in recent years. Since his profession of faith, Bieber attends Churchome church in LA. After recently announcing his engagement to Hailey Baldwin, Bieber was seen carrying Tim Keller’s book, The Meaning of Marriage, which explores the bigger idea of Christ as the bridegroom of the church. Bieber has also been mentored by Churchome’s lead pastor Judah Smith, who is currently in Bieber’s profile photo on Instagram.

There are also Christian celebrities who specifically help new Christians in the industry balance faith and fame. Candance Cameron Bure for instance notes in her book, Dancing Through Life, that she helped give Sadie Robertson (DUCK DYNASTY) advice when she appeared on Dancing With The Stars.

Discipleship also extends to media personnel. The host of E! News, Jason Kennedy, is a devout believer. He hosted BEYOND A.D. that was a digital talk show about A.D.: THE KINGDOM AND EMPIRE. Jason Sheeler reported to Glamour magazine in 2014 that Kennedy hosts a celebrity-packed bible study, stating, “Kennedy’s gathering was not a thumping, Hennessy-soaked bash, but a Bible study, and it’s one of the hottest tickets in town. When the group started a little more than a year ago, it was just a circle of about 10 people in Kennedy’s Hollywood Hills living room. As word spread, the numbers grew, and it became a weekly, standing-room-only event whose guests have reportedly included Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens, and Justin Bieber.” Kennedy stated that the bible study is the reason he can survive in Hollywood.

We’re proud that there are many Christians in Hollywood and we’d love even more. As Dr. Ted Baehr frequently states, “we need more Christians in Hollywood, and less Hollywood in Christians.” Believing in Jesus is the way to salvation (John 14:6), but finding the time to be discipled and having a healthy Christian community is key to maturing in your relationship with Christ.

Please pray that more influential celebrity Christians would make the time to go to church and find a mentor, and that this would lead others to Christ as well.

Sources: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/maria-shriver-denzel-washington-a-403978
http://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/entertainment/2016/october/almost-pastor-turned-a-list-actor-denzel-washington-on-career-and-christian-roots
0 Comments

Bestseller Walter Mosley on Characterization and the Legacy of 'Devil in a Blue Dress'

8/22/2018

0 Comments

 
​By: Tyler Moss | August 8, 2018
In a conversation with WD, Easy Rawlins author Walter Mosley reflects on the passion and craft that informs his bestselling novels.

Walter Mosley is known for iconic characters. From Easy Rawlins to Leonid McGill and Fearless Jones, his heroes quickly come to life on the page in a way that draws interest and empathy from readers. Their personalities are so distinct that legions of fans line up to buy his books, eager to devour a new mystery through the evolving lens of their favorite sleuth.

“They’re all getting older,” says Mosley, referring to his cast of series protagonists. “So [in each book] it’s a different time and it’s a different person having that experience.”

That nuance may seem subtle, but it’s illustrative of how deeply Mosley inhabits the minds of his characters. In a conversation with WD, he reflects on the passion and craft that inform his bestselling novels.

Devil in a Blue Dress was published almost three decades ago. How do you think your writing or your writing process has changed since that first book? Or has it?

That’s a really hard question. I’m sure that it has, but I’m not even sure how. One of the things that I’ve talked to people about, because a lot of people worry about technique…

It’s like when you talk about painters, and you’ll say, “Wow, look at that. That piece looks like you could pick it up off the canvas and eat it. It looks that real.” I say, “Uh-huh, but that doesn’t make it art.” That just [means] the craft is really excellent. But, you know, you might find somebody living on a farm in rural Tennessee who has palsy, draws a shaking outline of a peach in a couple of strokes, and that’s much more art. He has more feeling to it. There’s more the placement of it, the weight of it. When you feel what was behind the drawing even.

And I say that because I’m a much, much better writer than I was when I wrote Devil in a Blue Dress. But any book I’ve written now, Devil could stand up against critically. Because it’s actually what you put into it that makes it the art, not necessarily the craft. I mean, you can’t be completely without craft, but craft doesn’t make art. Craft just makes good sentences.

In reading Down the River Unto the Sea, it only takes three chapters to feel like you intimately know and feel empathy for your main character, Joe King Oliver. How do you manage to achieve that level of characterization so quickly into a novel?

I think you have to know your character intimately. The other thing about it is this: You’re reading this novel, right? And the notion is, well, it’s like this is the first time you’re ever reading these words. And maybe the last also. But what’s important to remember is that the writer wrote a draft of that chapter and then another and then another, you know what I mean? The writer has written a whole book and then has come back to that chapter with all this knowledge that they have from the whole book, and brings that to bear.

So even though it feels kind of like, well, he did this in the first two chapters or three chapters— really it took a whole book to be able to do that in the first two or three chapters.

How thoroughly do you outline a book prior to beginning, and do you layer in clues and foreshadowing as you go along? Or do you find that you do that more in revision after the story’s already down on the page?

Well, I think that those are two choices, but there are others also. Like, for instance, you might unconsciously put something in there.

Like you’re writing and when you come back to read it again, you go, “Oh wow, look at that. Well if that’s true, then we could do this…” and you didn’t know you were doing it. So I mean, there are a lot of ways. I don’t try to outline a mystery. I outline the story. But I don’t really outline the underlying plot. I discover that in my rewriting.

What role does setting play for you in bringing a story to life?

It’s hard to separate setting from character from the weather. All of it is in description. You’re describing things from the beginning to the end, and how much energy you put into making that feel unique is what that’s about.
Some people are less interested in the urban environment that they’re in, for instance. Honestly, I write well about New York, but I still am not quite sure of the names of the streets that intersect with my street.

I’m writing another book about writing, and one of the moments I talk about is you go into a hospital room and there’s a paraplegic man in a white bed in a coma. How long would it take you to describe that scene? And the truth is, if you did it exhaustively, it would be thousands of pages. Thousands. Because there are so many things happening, so many different elements. In a completely pristine, uninteresting, unmoving room.

So the question becomes: How do you choose what to say to explain that room in a paragraph or two? And move on? And I have an answer for that question, and you have an answer for that question, and all the other people reading this will have an answer for that question. And so partly, it’s how much you love it, but the other thing is how deeply can you feel it. And when you get to the depth of your feeling about that room, let’s say you remember an aunt who is dying, who had kind of lost consciousness lying in a bed in a room, then you can do it. And you’ll say everything: The smell, the time of day, the clock ticking on the wall. Some children out the crack in the window playing in the yard. You know what I’m saying? You decide. It either comes from your memory or your imagination, but it doesn’t come from mine.

You’ve said that in fiction, there’ve historically been black male protagonists and black male supporting characters, but nobody writes about black male heroes. In your mind, what distinguishes a protagonist from a hero?

Well you know, Richard Wright’s characters in all of his books, their main characters—their protagonists—are very serious people, but they’re deeply flawed. And they’re not people that we like or we want to be. That person isn’t representing us in the world. That person’s not our Captain America, you know what I mean? It’s like this guy and maybe he killed somebody. Because he’s completely destroyed by the system.

Now, I understand that a lot of heroes—especially for people from struggling classes in America—they’re going to have been destroyed in some kind of way. They’re going to have to then attack in some kind of way. Like King Oliver, you know. His whole life has been turned upside down and torn apart. He’s lost everything. For a long time: his daughter, his wife, his job, his belongings, everything—gone. But we still like him. He has his flaws, he’s done these things wrong. But we identify with him in a way, and we can say, “I see myself in this character, and I’d like to be able to do what he does to answer my problems.”

Easy Rawlins was like that. And that’s one of the jobs of literature. One of the jobs of literature is to show people themselves. For instance, Huckleberry Finn. That’s a character that people identify with. When he looks at the Widow and he says something like, “Well, you know, if she was going to heaven, I couldn’t see much purpose in me going there, so I guess I’ll go to the other place,” he’s talking to us. He’s talking to the working class. He’s talking to the oppressed classes, wherever he is.

Your upcoming book, John Woman, is described as a “deliciously unexpected novel about the way we tell stories and whether the stories we tell have the power to change the world.” What was your inspiration for this book?

I wanted to write a book about how impossible it is to understand history, and how impossible it is to escape history. So you’re completely controlled by something you can’t understand, even though you believe you understand. My studies in political theory led me to that belief, and just to talk about something so heady and intellectual in a very earthy and earthbound novel reminds me of one of my literary heroes, Émile Zola from France. He was so great at talking about the culture of a country and people.

And at the same time, telling a very earthy story of violence and prison and being a fugitive from justice. All that stuff, you know, is part of understanding how the stories we tell inform our lives.
Picture
Picture
Picture
0 Comments

'SERIAL RITES' Review: Five Stars

7/25/2018

0 Comments

 
Review by Julie Banton | Angels Book Review

This is the first book that I have read of Cortez Law and from the first page to the very last it grabbed me and made me want to keep reading without stopping for any breaks. 

The Characters were well thought out and the story flowed. What I liked the most was the way you switch from the view of the killer to the police. You will find lots of twist and turns. I have now a new Favourite author that I am going to make sure I read the rest of his books. 

I am very happy to give it the five stars that I have given this great book.
Picture
0 Comments

'NASTY LEFTOVERS' Needs More Nastiness

7/16/2018

0 Comments

 
The YA Christian Fantasy novel, Nasty Leftovers, by Guy L. Pace, presents a group of Believers on the mission field in Washington, D.C. after the incident of 'The Troubles.' I didn't realize this was Book #2 in the Spirit Missions series.  'The Troubles,' I gather, represents the Post-Tribulation or Rapture of the Christians/Church setting the stage for Armageddon. 

The story follows teenagers Paul Shannon and Amy Grossman, with a mild romantic attraction depiction in the book, their families, other friends, pastors, and Church Elder/Mission Leader Ray Franklin. The three hold the story together, and Paul and Amy work well as a tandem. I'm guessing more information about them can be found in Book #1, Sudden Mission. But they're likable, heroic, and faithful. So what's the mission? To gather and save as many survivors as possible. The survivors appear and act like zombies without having to venture too far out. It's strange. To convert these lost souls, Paul, Amy, and the others must confront some nasty, evil, manifestations from hell. 

I knew something was awry when Paul finished setting a personal best in a mile run and made mention of a memory that harkens back to a confrontation with the Adversary. Now, those who know their Bible, realize that name references Satan. Okay. Then the local community barters for food just to survive. Electrical grids have gone, and the people rely on an intermittent nuclear power source. Not just Paul's neighborhood, but the nation experiences devastation and have to make due the best they can with communications cut off. Okay, so we're talking Post-Apocalyptic Fantasy. Then shortly after that, I read that Paul and others battle zombies, aliens, killer monks, samurai, and the Adversary. So now I think what have I stumbled upon here? It was actually funny because Paul and Amy made references to monsters and "...Angel stuff..." so matter-of-fact I knew I was behind aka this is Book #2 in the Spirit Missions series. With all of that, I anticipated a wild ride, and I got some of that.

Nasty Leftovers moves with good pace, it's not a very long book, but it seems all proceeds too smoothly for our heroes. Once essential information comes to light, the teams use that information and then execute their plans pretty flawlessly. Comparing Nasty Leftovers with Kingdom Come by Justin Coogle, another Christian Fantasy that deals with spiritual warfare, the significant catastrophes dwindle the ranks of heroism in Coogle's book and raise the high stakes even higher. This doesn't mean Nasty Leftovers isn't compelling, it just needs more nastiness or complication for the good guys. Again perhaps, this was what happened in Book #1, Sudden Mission. I can only go by what's present in Nasty Leftovers.

Now, having said that, I need to allude to several plot points without giving them away to those like me who hadn't read, Sudden Mission. With that statement, I'm assuming these plot points occur in Sudden Mission. Aside from the faith of the Christians on the D.C. missions trip, certain let me just keep it simple, weapons, in use by some community members, don't exactly lend themselves to failure. Despite God's utilizing of fallible men and women, these weapons can't fail, so that skews those plans toward flawless execution. I believe readers who read the novel will understand the references. By the way, nice touch, Mr. Pace. Those left behind for real may very well encounter this kind of manifested good during that time. Sure surprised this reader. A minor point that I have to point out exists in a couple of handful of typos.

In defense of Nasty Leftovers as well, this is Book #2. Mr. Pace probably needs to save pace, for Book #3, Carolina Dawn. So, let me close with this. I love the use of the authority of the saints in the book. I wanted to go around and rebuke everything in sight after reading about Paul, Amy, and their missions teams! 

  
​

  
Picture
Picture
0 Comments

'BLYTHE' Plumbs the Depths of Humanity in Christian/Fantasy Novel

6/29/2018

0 Comments

 
John Kramer's Christian Fantasy BLYTHE explores many spiritual and philosophical depths of character and theme but left me a bit puzzled on just how to classify the book. I believe it was an allegory. I don't tend to read a book's cover copy before reviewing it. I want to discover what it's about as I go.

The story opens with a mysterious figure who trudges along in an unnamed town. With that image, Kramer paints a bleak portrait of struggle and the opening chapter ends with this: "...The harbinger had come home." Harbinger means a sign, indication, or signal. Darker terms for the word includes portent, omen, or forewarning. Okay, this isn't good. 

We follow the title character, Blythe, and her family: Father Duffy and mother, Iris. Blythe's an excellent painter (Picasso, not Sherman Williams). Duffy's a decent man who loves to say, "absolutely, absolutely" when in agreement. The running gag is he can't or won't fix his leaky roof. He chides his wife Iris by saying, "It’ll be the death of you; it’s on your side." Iris works in a successful bakery. But something's amiss within this unit and a couple of them harbor dark secrets that I won't reveal. 

Aaron, Blythe's knight-in-shining-armor, works for his father's bookshop but gets short shrift in respect compared to his lazy brother, Maddox, who also works at the shop. Their father, Lucre, owns the shop and doesn't hesitate to snap at Aaron for everything. This family also hides a couple of buried secrets that I won't reveal either. 

The other cast of characters includes Parissa who despises Blythe and wants Aaron for herself. Sergio and Augustus, Aaron's friends. Ladies Sylvia and Kagetsu, both of which at one time or another attracts the eyes of Sergio. Also, in the cast of characters are Father Philip, the local spiritual leader, Blythe's friends, Maria, Mab, and Haskel, another man of wisdom. But the character that most grates the nerves of these people and mine as well, is Notte. Must read it to concur.

So, all these folks find themselves amidst a hidden mystery that involves the kingdom of Henry IV. Those who enter rarely leave and those who gain entrance must qualify in a very special way. As the story progresses, several of the people of the unnamed town or valley (at least I don't recall a name) wind up residents within the kingdom of Henry IV. If I seem vague about the story, I am for two reasons. One, I don't want to expose too much of it and two, during and after the read, I wondered what I just read. It didn't feel like fantasy, more like a drama, but clearly fantastical elements play a part in the book. 

I especially like the courage of Blythe and Aaron. I appreciate the expounding of Father Philip and Haskel, like the ‘Yoda’ of Star Wars. However, I think the story slows too much in giving these life lessons no matter how uplifting and deep-seated the knowledge they advocate. I do have to say some of the characters don't use sound judgment when they clearly know, so I thought, that others don't have their best interests in mind. (See Blythe and Iris). I wanted to scratch more than my head on some of their decisions. Wow! Maybe a little annoying too was a few things that seem like big events occur off-screen. 

When the final conflict plays out the story takes on a more thriller aspect for the ending, yes, but I wished for more of that. BLYTHE feels more like a character piece or study than this exhilarating speculative fiction piece. That makes this more of a literary piece and what it did for me was to stretch my reading genre capacities. It was different for me. I recommend patience, not to pray for it Christian readers lol. The story is what it is and maybe that's due to author Kramer's background as a communications director in the legal field. He brings such intellect to his characters that I think it slows the narrative too much. 

At the end of the day, the people who populate BLYTHE keep the reader's interest despite some misgivings about the narrative pace and meaning. Again, it's a literary piece that takes its time. There is light profanity within and implied sexual intercourse as well. I give it Four out of Five stars. 

P.S.: I read the cover copy and understand better Kramer's goal for BLYTHE. I stand by my review, but I comprehend his mission.  
​
Picture
Picture
0 Comments

Small-Town Suspense Escalates in 'THE WRECKING'

6/26/2018

0 Comments

 
I read the novella, The Wrecking, by Christy Barritt, as part of the KILL ZONE: Ten Deadly Thrillers Anthology. Seems a serial killer claims the lives of several women in the Virginia mountains. Despite the specific signature that the local authorities decipher, the killer remains at large. In addition to that, the media supplies him with the moniker, the Grim Wrecker, that ties into that very specific signature. But his last victim, Samantha White, nearly three years after her rescue by law enforcement, fights the nightmares of her captivity in her daily life, which includes sessions with a psychologist. 

One day out of the blue, an envelope rests on her front porch. It could be information about local merchants regarding their businesses in the area. Samantha would accept any of that other than what she finds out when she opens it: 

"I want to stop. But I can't fight these urges anymore. You're the only one who can help me. Will you? Please help me, Samantha."

Samantha knows who it is and he knows where she lives. It's the Grim Wrecker. From there the locals get help in the form of a pair of FBI agents, Rick Frost, who she worked with on the initial investigation of the Grim Wrecker, and Daniel Quinn, a transplant from Houston. There's the setup and I won't divulge too much more than that. Samantha's trial by fire involves these men, both positively and negatively, as this case progresses. 

Author Barritt maximizes this novella with a couple of plot curves that fit the confines of the story's setting. This Christian Romantic Suspense tale doesn't drip with passion on the pages. Just a light touch of attraction between some of the principal characters to graft the sympathy and empathy of the professional to the personal.

Readers won't find earth-shattering revelation in The Wrecking, but the story zips along to a neat conclusion that again fits the small town Virginia setting. I give it Four out of Five Stars. 
Picture
Picture
0 Comments

"THOU SHALT NOT..." SERIAL RITES Book Review

6/18/2018

0 Comments

 
By Julie Wilson @ Christian Bookaholic

Four Stars of of Five*
​
Serial Rites by Cortez Law III is a Christian contemporary suspense that has the reader guessing from the start.

An intricate and well thought out plotline keeps the reader entertained as we try to piece together the clues. A serial killer on the loose means there are some graphic details at times.

The novel shows we are in a spiritual battle against the forces of evil. We need to be wise as to which voice we listen to.

Much has been done throughout history in the name of religion. Religion, when twisted causes harm. God is a God of love who desires that our actions be always motivated by love.

Our childhood will always impact our adulthood, for good or evil.

The police department works as a team. They have each other's backs as they work to solve crimes.

A riveting read but there are some scenes some readers may not like.

I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.
Picture
Picture
0 Comments

"Great insights, great police drama"-SERIAL RITES Book Review

6/6/2018

0 Comments

 
By Gina Burgess VINE VOICE Amazon Reviewer
​
​Cortez has produced a marvelous insight into some intriguing characters and a horrific serial killer case that needs solving quickly before more victims die.

These characters are very well developed to the point you can almost predict how one will react to a situation...almost. There are quirks in every human, and without God's controlling hand, we all flounder. Some even flounder with God's presence in their lives. Cortez does a wonderful job highlighting those contrasts in this story packed with action, surprising twists, faith, leadership, and matching wits with a vengeful and twisted psychopath.

Parts are so real, you can tell he's either lived the life or his research is ocean deep. You definitely won't be bored with this novel.

When I read books, it is difficult to impossible for me to turn off my editor mode. I can't help it. I did find some story logjams. There are some cultural references that may not be clear to you. However, the humor and the personalities override those problems. Another story flow jam happens when the dialogue is so cryptic that you can't understand what was just said. There were a lot of places where this happened. Some typos may have caused that problem, but not all. Also there are some sentences that are not clear enough to understand.

Setting all that aside, the story is good, the characters are very believable, the faith factor flows generously throughout making this a joy to read. It really is worth the money.

I received this book from the author so that I could review it for him. This is my honest opinion. (Four out of Five Stars)
Picture
Picture
0 Comments

'KINGDOM COME': A Battle Royal For The Ages

5/15/2018

0 Comments

 
Whew! That was my response after reading Justin Coogle's Christian Fantasy novel, Kingdom Come. It seems Vatican City, the Catholic Church, and Pope Quintus have a plan: Create teams of faithful Christian warriors called Demon Hunters (DH) to combat the growing threat of global demonic activity. Various teams reflect recognizable biblical names: Team Joshua, Team Samuel, Team Matthew, Team Mark, Team John, and the like. With awesome bows, blades, scythes, hammers, pistols, rifles, and armor, they're ready for that combat. DH members receive help from the Trinitarian Guard including the Trinitarian Father, Trinitarian Ghost, and Trinitarian Son who stays close to Pope Quintus. 

Readers follow newcomer Jason Collins whose more ambitious maneuvers in battle grates team members. As part of Team Joshua, his closest teammate is Maria, aka, "...Ace of the Vatican. The prodigious demon hunter. A once in a generation talent." In my words, she's a Terminatrix. There's Team Chaplin Michael, a voracious reader with a subdued humor. Finally, there's the no non-sense, short-temper mentor, Rodrick. Via communication with 'Oracles' who feed them information about their target, they encounter a demonic presence named, The Ripper, in Whitechapel London. Team Joshua wages a good warfare but not without consequences. 

Coogle crafts moments of relative quiet before the pyrotechnics explode on the page in several battles with demonic hordes. Team Joshua gets help from Team Samuel's hero and heroine, Travis and Katie. Other DH teams and the Trinitarian Guard also engage in the battles. Wow! I won't give anything away, but a couple of them register as doozies. When you get to them, you'll know the ones I mean.

Coogle has excellent descriptive flair in his battle scenes and the myriad emotions of his characters ring true. I won't name all the main characters in the story to leave readers some surprises. He also writes some bold narrative plot developments.

However, within that narrative skill set, Coogle's story needs more editing. It doesn't necessarily detract from the enjoyment of the story, but they're obvious issues that need correction. In the fairness of full disclosure, light profanity also pervades Kingdom Come as well.

Kingdom Come possesses super-charged action, emotional loss, inhuman depravity, and imbued faith within the gravitas of spiritual warfare. Four Stars! Kingdom Come! Readers come!
Picture
Picture
0 Comments

'COURAGE' on display in spades within Sci-Fi/Fantasy novel

4/26/2018

0 Comments

 
The science fiction/fantasy novel Courage by Lauren Salisbury deserves praise for portrayals of that courage. Despite the point-of-view of seven different characters, the glue that holds the tale together comes from a brave mother-daughter relationship between Gilla and Mirami, respectively.

In the year 6428, humanity finds itself slaves to the Esarelians, a powerful and brutal race of aliens. Gilla, Mirami, and other humans live on Planet U'Du in various settlements and perform tasks according to the color of jumpsuits they wear. 

Living with their bleak circumstances, the humans carve out a meager daily existence and believe that God will free them from their oppressors. Meantime, Gilla carries the unborn child of her husband, Elias. Family and friends of support include Gilla's brother Than, her best friend, Damaya, and work companion, Amina. But, who wants to live life as a slave? 

Lead by Resistance Leader Aronin, Willan, Elias, Than, and others the humans hatch their plan but the Esarelians abduct Elias. About the same time, Gilla has her baby who she decides to name after the father. Now, Gilla, Mirami, and baby Elias traverse the treacherous terrain to keep one another safe from the Esarelians. From this point on, the tension ratchets up with UD'u and interplanetary conflict that leads to the next chapter in The Legacy Chronicles.

Salisbury knows the landscape of Planet UD'u to space vehicles to weapons to futuristic technology. Gilla's courage and perseverance matched by her daughter, Mirami, holds the story together. The budding romance between Than and Menali I'm sure will continue in the next saga of The Legacy Chronicles. Other interesting developments among the oppressive Esarelians stems from Princess Reemah Ra'hos and her friend, Velay. The power struggle on the space cruiser between Ashal Ra'hon, Ruler of the Esarelian Empire and Reemah's father, and his inner tier of Lorith Na'hor, Nishaf, and Sunath will soon explode and prove worth reading more about.

I'd characterize the Courage narrative as a slow-burn maybe due to the book's details. Because it's a science fiction/fantasy novel and the first in the series, the story probably demands this type of genre setup. However, some of the nuances of say, the Than/Menali dynamic, I wished moved faster. The book's length encompasses less than 230 pages so it wasn't a long read. Courage doesn't have numerous plot turns or jaw-dropping developments, hence the slow-burn comment, but it did keep me turning the pages. What more can you ask for as a reader? Based upon where Courage ends its narrative, plenty of fireworks appear on the horizon of Planet UD'u and the Esarelian Empire. Four out of Five Stars. Good job, Ms. Salisbury. 
Picture
Picture
0 Comments
<<Previous
Forward>>

    Author

    I write stories of suspense, mystery, thrills and chills that I hope keep readers' eyes bloodshot and raccoon like the next morning.

    Archives

    January 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016

    Categories

    All
    ARC Solicitations
    Book Price Reductions!
    Book Review
    Book Trailer News
    Book Trailer Reviews
    Christians In Hollywood
    Kremlin Tide
    Movie Reviews
    National Security
    Podcasts
    Publishing Business
    Serial Rites
    S.Y.P.H.E.N. Chronicles
    The Profiler
    Writing Craft
    Yucca Mountain

    RSS Feed

    View my profile on LinkedIn
Navigation Menu
Home
Books
​My Blog
​THE METRO
Media
​Reviews
​Biography
Contact
My Creative Kudos to
Serial Rites Cover by Fantasia Frog Designs
S.Y.P.H.E.N. Cover by Page Weaving Cover Designs
Kremlin Tide & Cold Lick Covers by The Book Cover Machine
S.Y.P.H.E.N. Soldier Images:
@Bigstock.com/Oleg Zabyelin
Header Images by Bigstock.com
"Blood Pressure" Music: http://www.purple-planet.com
the Following Artists:
Metro Black & Blue Books Logo by Cool Text Graphics Generator
Author Photo by 
The Image Makers
Picture
Evil Apprehended.
Justice Served.
Copyright © 2019  Cortez Law III, All Rights Reserved     Metro Black & Blue Books, Canton, GA 30115     metrobbb@windstream.net