The Season of Passage by Christopher Pike

The Season of Passage is an adult fiction thriller about Lauren, a doctor-astronaut, Jennifer, Lauren's younger and mysterious sister, and the people that surround them as Lauren goes on the first American expedition to Mars.  The Americans have two objectives, to explore the red planet and to discover what happened to the very first expedition, sent by Russia.  Although Lauren has a foreboding, she leaves anyway, and goes on to fall deep into the rabbit hole of the unknown.

If I could pick two words to describe The Season of Passage they would be: PLOT. TWISTS. While some developments were obvious (the love triangle between Lauren, her fiancée on the ground Terry, and her pilot in the air Gary had to be wrapped up and that is only accomplished satisfactorily in a few ways), mostly things didn't end the way I thought they would (at least at first) and that was refreshing.  The novel was very well developed with several little details fully hashed out of the duration of the reading.  Lauren is very intelligent and strong, but at the same time a little stupid and weak if you ask me.  The whole time I was reading of their time on Mars I definitely had to remind myself they weren't just walking around outside but had space suits on--that shows how comfortable the scenes are, when you can picture them like you've been there naturally.  This is reading for fans of sci-fi, spirituality, mystery, thrillers, and the supernatural.

4 out of 5 stars.

King Rat by James , Clavell

Set during World War II, King Rat describes the struggle for survival of British, Australian, and American prisoners of war in Singapore in the Japanese camp Changi.  The novel opens in 1945 and follows Peter Marlowe, a British Flight Lieutenant, and "the King", an American corporal who has become the most successful trader and black marketeer in all of camp.  In King Rat we learn about the previous lives of the men, what survival is, how the camp operates, and what happens after the war ends by atomic bomb.

This is Clavell's first novel and is informed by his own stay in Changi. Marlowe is said to be a representation of Clavell's experiences.  King Rat was long, intense, deeply detailed, and pretty darn good.  It isn't my favorite type of novel because it's a bit depressing, but it is a good, informative read with believable, real characters, tragedy, triumph, and complexity.  Marlowe's struggles with honor, morals, ethnics, desire, and "good business" strung throughout, making the reader consider his/her own values.   I recommend this for men, fans of war novels, philosophers, and historians.

4 out of 5 stars.