AdamStovicek.com

I finished reading J. D. Salinger’s A Catcher In The Rye [B&N] [Powell's] last week and have since resumed reading where I left off with The Lost Fleet series by Jack Campbell with Valiant.

I had a difficult time reading A Catcher In The Rye mainly because of my dislike for the main character, Holden Caulfield. The role of Holden Caulfield reminds me of many of today’s confused young people. Having to listen to, or in this case read, Holden’s beliefs and his reasons for them would have caused me to find a quick end to the painful one-sided conversation had it taken place in real life. He’s definitely a young man searching for his place in life apparently on his own whether by choice or circumstance.

It was well written and I can certainly understand the drama surrounding its publication in the 1950s given the novel’s themes. Without giving it away for the few who haven’t read it yet, I was unsatisfied with the ending. Like many of the stories written during that time period, there was no real plot, rather you get a glimpse of a moment in Holden’s life, perhaps his turning point. Personally, I need more of a means and an end to my stories.

With that, I return to Captain John “Black Jack” Geary who was unceremoniously given command of the Alliance fleet stranded deep in Syndicate space. The Lost Fleet: Valiant [B&N] [Powell's] is the fourth book of the series where we find Geary and the fleet re-entering the Lakota Star System from which they just barely escaped an overpowering Syndicate fleet.

I’m preparing for the last of this series, Victorious [B&N] [Powell's], to be released April 27. Barnes & Noble should have it to me, along with a few other titles I’ve been waiting on, during the first week of May. Jack Campbell, aka John G. Hemry, says it should tie up some loose ends. There are rumors of a follow-up series and possibly a prequel series to follow. Hopefully I’ll have time to catch up on other books before then.