A SHEPHERD LOOKS AT PSALM 23 by Phillip Keller

A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 (1970) is a devotional commentary on David’s Psalm 23 by Phillip Keller (also known as W. Phillip Keller), who was many things, not least a sheep rancher.

Psalm 23 is a short psalm, and this is a short book – even so, Keller devotes two chapters to each verse. Keller provides shepherding context for each part of the psalm, explaining David’s perspective on the subject matter and adding his own. The reader will learn as much or more about caring for sheep as about the Christian life, and much of this material is interesting in its own right. Spiritual matters are generally addressed at the devotional level (that is, not particularly in-depth), but Keller’s insights provide a fuller understanding of the psalm and food for thought.  

Keller’s writing is conversational and accessible, and the book is easy to read. Overall, Keller’s application of David’s thought to the Christian life is solid, although he makes some biblically valid points that are certainly not what David had in mind (Chapter 9 in particular feels like a reach). The only other complaint with the writing is Keller’s constant incorrect use of the word “literally.”

A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 is, on the whole, a worthwhile and illuminating treatment of Psalm 23.

RECOMMENDED

THE MASK OF CTHULHU by August Derleth

The Mask of Cthulhu is a 1958 collection of six horror stories by August Derleth. These include “The Return of Hastur,” “The Whippoorwills in the Hills,” “Something in Wood,” “The Sandwin Compact,” “The House in the Valley,” and “The Seal of R’lyeh.”

All six stories are part of the Cthulhu Mythos originated by H. P. Lovecraft – “The Return of Hastur” is based on Lovecraft’s notes. Derleth says in the introduction to this book that these stories are a tribute to Lovecraft, and that they came about from Lovecraft urging his friends to expand the mythos.

Derleth is no Lovecraft. The elements that made Lovecraft’s stories so effective – atmosphere, tone, mystery – Derleth fails at. His stories are obvious, predictable, and melodramatic – Lovecraft’s lurking horrors don’t lurk here; you can’t go down to the basement without tripping over one. Compounding the problem, these stories have far too much in common with one another. If you’ve read one, you’ve pretty much read all six.

The Mask of Cthulhu might appeal to those enamored with the Cthulhu Mythos, but it just isn’t good horror.

NOT RECOMMENDED

SURVIVING YOUR SERENGETI by Stefan Swanepoel

Surviving Your Serengeti: 7 Skills to Master Business and Life is a motivational business fable by real estate expert Stefan Swanepoel. Billed as “a fable of self-discovery,” the book follows a married American couple’s learning experiences over two days in the Serengeti.

Swanepoel covers seven skills for life and business: endurance, strategy, enterprise, efficiency, grace, willingness to take calculated risks, and communication. Each of these he associates with an animal indigenous to the Serengeti.

Most of the information in the book is contained in several-page summaries at the end of each chapter. On the whole, Swanepoel’s message is good, if general. But Swanepoel is a businessman, not a writer, and it shows here. The storytelling is amateurish, the dialogue stilted and expository. There’s not much at all going on in the “story.” I’m not entirely sure why this book was written as a business fable instead of a conventional skills book – perhaps because it simply wouldn’t be book-length otherwise.

Surviving Your Serengeti has as much (or more) to say about Africa as it does about business; it’s obvious that Swanepoel loves the savannah. And there are some interesting tidbits on the subject here. Unfortunately, Swanepoel’s parallels between the animals and business feel forced nearly as often as they work.

Whoever edited this book deserves some criticism as well. Whenever a character’s monologue goes more than one paragraph, the second paragraph of dialogue has no opening quotes (the rule is that the first paragraph doesn’t need closing quotes). This can be confusing.

The end of the book makes something of a big deal about figuring out “what animal you are” – there’s even a website where you can take a quiz – which seems to undermine the book’s previous point, that you should apply as many skills as you can to your life and business.

If you’re looking for business and life skills, Surviving Your Serengeti has about thirty pages of solid material. If you’re interested in Africa, get a book about Africa. While there’s certainly some good stuff here, Surviving Your Serengeti feels too general, amateurish, and shallow, and the union of business and story just doesn’t work well here. You might check it out at the library and just read the summary sections.

NOT RECOMMENDED

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

THE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games is a 2008 young-adult science fiction novel by Suzanne Collins, and the first in a trilogy. In a post-apocalyptic dystopian totalitarian state, children are selected to fight to the death on live television.

This is hardly an original idea; it’s most strongly reminiscent of Koushun Takami’s Battle Royale and, to a lesser extent, Stephen King’s The Long Walk and The Running Man (the movie more so than the novella). Yet Collins manages to keep the setting and the games themselves reasonably fresh. And, after something of a slow start, the book becomes an entertaining, page-turning affair.

Like far too many recent young-adult novels, The Hunger Games is written in the first-person present tense. I don’t know if this is an attempt to engage teens perceived to have short attention spans or what, but it’s obnoxious, and it provides no benefit over conventional past tense (one eventually gets used to it, fortunately).  

Aside from this, Collins’ writing is solid (although the copy editing on this book is rather poor – not her fault). Katniss is a satisfactorily sympathetic character: she’s impulsive but self-sacrificing, and clever, resourceful, and self-sufficient without being deal-breakingly sassy or annoying. The book has a couple of convenient plot coincidences, but nothing unforgivable.

As young-adult books go, The Hunger Games might be as dark and violent as they come. And the novel stumbles here because it doesn’t seem to have much to say about its subject matter (beyond “the government making kids kill each other is bad”). The protagonist is forced to kill other children to survive (most of them, like her, are in this situation through no fault of their own) – you would think that this scenario would lend itself to some psychological self-exploration, but Collins punts on this issue, as Katniss, with only superficial reflection, is implausibly businesslike on the subject – she never thinks much about the people she’s killed, even during her many quiet times. This suggests a disturbing degree of amorality. It’s as though all these kids get dumped into the arena already in full-on Lord of the Flies mode. Collins herself seems much more interested in 1984-style criticism of totalitarian government, which is the subject she’s set herself up to address in the sequel. All of this may put off certain readers, and not unreasonably. In short, Collins’ treatment of moral issues is a legitimate concern, and a missed opportunity – her scenario, unlike, say, The Running Man, doesn’t lend itself well to action movie-style morality.

On the whole, The Hunger Games, while hardly a perfect book, is suspenseful and entertaining, which always overcomes a lot of flaws. It’s recommended to readers who like this sort of thing – if you can acknowledge the moral issues.  

RECOMMENDED