I'M BACK!

Sorry for the delay in starting my summer book reviews but something came up and I couldn't get to the computer. But now I'm ready to start with 2 terrific new books that are already in the Lakeview collection.

Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson envisions a future where some people, called Epics, have gained superpowers but, unfortunately, only use those powers for themselves. A few Epics with the strongest powers have taken over major cities and hire Epics with lesser powers to be their enforcers. Chicago is the focus of Steelheart who can turn anything into steel including streets, buildings, even the ground. When David is six years old, he sees his father killed by Steelheart. But he also sees Steelheart injured. David spends the next ten years researching Epics in the hopes that he can kill Steelheart. When he gets the chance to join a rebel cell of humans fighting and killing Epics, it may be time for his revenge. This story of danger, intrigue, and revenge will grab science fiction and adventure readers.

I have been fascinated by other cultures and how they live and are treated so it's no surprise that I wanted to read Susan Cooper's Ghost Hawk. What starts as a Native American story in early colonial days becomes much more. The story starts with Little Hawk and his winter-long journey into manhood. Before he leaves on this journey a couple of white men and a white boy visit his village. Little Hawk and the boy John Wakeley spend a day becoming friends. When Little Hawk returns from his manhood journey, he finds everyone dead except his grandmother from a white man's disease. Though many villages have been wiped out by this disease, Little Hawk and his grandmother find a new village that takes them in. On a fateful day when Little Hawk again meets John Wakeley, a tragedy occurs. The boys' friendship continues throughout their life overcoming unusual obstacles and we, the readers, get to see how the early English settlers interacted from both the Native American and the white man's viewpoints.