AN UNCOMMON BLUE Review

It's been a while. But that's because this has been a crazy summer. I did a friend's wedding, got a new puppy to train, my daughter's getting married next week, my son came home from his two year mission to Russia, we had a family reunion in Utah, and I went through my SUNRISE OVER SCIPIO book and did re-writes in anticipation for its second printing (addressing all the problems critics had with it).

So today, while it's thundering, I'm going to review this book: AN UNCOMMON BLUE by R C Hancock.
I met RC at a book convention this year. We were trying to sell books in the face of heavy hitters like Brandon Mull and Regina Sirois and having a rough time of it. But he bought mine and I bought his and it was all good.
Then later in the year he contacted me about Beta reading his newest offering. So I did it. RC is a fabulous guy. That book was so wonderful that I immediately bumped this book up to almost the top of my mountain of waiting reads.

Boy was I glad I did!

The premise of AN UNCOMMON BLUE is that the people of Telesphore have a fire in their right hand. The color of that fire defines their whole life: their caste, their income, where they'll live, their livelihood and how the people in general will treat them.

Bruno is born a blue--the best color. He should have all the perks society has to offer. But right before he's classified into a livelihood, a random boy runs up and reacts with him, changing his fire, tainting it with green. This automatically ends Bruno's chances at going to medical school, or living with his parents.

Worse than that, there is an altercation and a police officer dies. Now Bruno is on the run and wanted.

I really love it that Bruno does the best he can with what is thrown at him. He's basically a moral, principled person and goes out of his way to protect the downtrodden and misunderstood, even while being bullied and hunted himself.

Bruno is presented with the perfect way to prevail over his 'enemy.' Instead, he makes a string of selfless choices which have unimaginable repercussions.

The book was fast-paced and well written. I was fully invested in Bruno's life, hoping the people he helped would mean good things for him. He made the same mistakes any boy would. He stood by his mistakes with grace and loyalty. I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

And you can't know how easy it would have been to spoil the ending...;o)

Buy AN UNCOMMON BLUE here. And tell RC I sent you...:o)

Write faster, RC.

Spider and Solitaire

Survivor is a guilty pleasure of mine. I watch it for the sociology value. I used to think it might be fun to go on the show, but people are so hurtful and evil on there, that I think not, now. I'd rather go on Amazing Race and travel and do things from all kinds of foreign countries. Much less needing to back-stab on that game.

This season featured a visit from Boston Rob, a recurring nightmare of a player. For me, he epitomizes all that is wrong with the game. And that he got not only a million dollars last night, but also the $100,000 extra, makes my stomach do pike flips. He sat there in full view and wove his machinations very carefully like a big fat spider. Now and then he would jiggle a strand to see if his juicy, stupid, entrapped fly was still trapped. It always was.

Rob 'befriended' Phillip, a loon so crazy that people were trying desperately to get him off. They were amazed that Rob kept Phillip on the string. I wasn't. I knew Rob wouldn't take any of the cute little girls with him to the end without giving them that last little mercy killing sting to put them out of his way. Phillip was his meal ticket to the end because Rob knew nobody in their right mind would vote for the loon. What I couldn't imagine, was that if Phillip were really at all smart, why he would have continued to be obnoxious and loony at the very end, when it obviously could hurt him.

I have to say that there was one young man on there who impressed me more than a survivor has in many a season. Matt made it clear from the start that he was a stellar person. He voted with his conscience and tried his best to work an honest game. I LIKE that. What impressed me the most was that he made it no secret that God was the one in charge for him. Matt spent more time alone on the island than any other survivor. That to me means Matt is the Survivor.

I felt so badly for Matt when people voting for the extra $100,000 gave it, not to him, but to Rob, who didn't need it. I felt like Matt deserved the money much more. I felt like people were voting that way so that it would prove that God didn't do anything for Matt.

But they are wrong. And I was wrong. I was thinking about it this morning, thinking how badly Matt got skunked. But then it occurred to me that God never said he'd help Matt get a million dollars. But He did succor Matt through those times when he was alone and hungry and depressed. He did clearly help him get through more bouts than anyone else in the game. And Matt gave God the credit.

That's why I like Matt.

Boston Rob said he wasn't really a cutthroat spider in real life (I'm paraphrasing here), that he drew the line when he went home to his wife and children. But I don't think that's right. I think he is exactly the way he appeared in four seasons of Survivor. When push comes to shove, he shoves. He showed his true colors and Survivor rewarded him for it.

Matt (and before him Ethan) showed that a person doesn't have to be a jerk. I think they are the ones who win in real life. There were one or two other players this time, who, to a smaller degree, stepped up and were decent. I vote for THEM.
Rob needs to go get a real job, now. If he can.