Wednesday 4 August 2010

Alex O'Donnell and the 40 Cyber Thieves - Regina Doman

Alex O'Donnell and the 40 Cyber Thieves:
A Fairy Tale Retold
Regina Doman
Chesterton Press
ISBN 9780982767702

The more of Regina Doman's writings that I read, the more impressed I am with her as an author and as a storyteller. Her ability to draw the reader into a story and capture their attention is amazing. Her skill at wrapping morality and fairy tales together is incredible. G.K. Chesterton states: "Not only can fairy tales be enjoyed because they are moral but morality can be enjoyed because it puts us in fairy land, in a world at once of wonder and of war." I think if he were alive today he would enjoy these stories for their sense of wonder, morality and the representations of the war between light and darkness, and between good and evil.

This is a modern retelling of the fable of Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves. It is set in and around Washington DC, and in south Virginia. It is the story of Alex O'Donnell and Kateri Kovach, two young Catholics, who are trying to figure out if their relationship has a future. Kateri has just graduated and needs to find a job. Alex needs to finish a few courses to finish his schooling. Kateri is an activist, farm girl, hard-working and early-rising girl. Alex is a modern samurai, a martial arts expert, gamer, computer guru (though not as much as his dad) and very laid back and easy going. Kateri comes to visit and meet the O'Donnells. But the O'Donnells have mysteriously come into some money and are trying to figure out how to take advantage of it, without actually using it. Soon they have bought a motel and enlisted Kateri as the assistant manager. Then they find themselves interviewed by the FBI, and entangled in a conspiracy with 40 Cyber criminals. That is when life really starts getting interesting.
The story has generous doses of family life, faith, hope, discernment and computer espionage. The technical aspects of the story are very solid. Regina does a great job of detailing what is done without going into minutia of how it is done. The story starts a little slowly, then it builds the drama and then it races forward. I read the book in two sittings and the second time I picked it up I just could not put it down. This is a great story that almost any reader could enjoy. It is very well written with strong characters and a brief appearance of some characters from her other books. The pace is good, and the research impeccable.

Book by Regina Doman:
Fairy Tales Retold:
Snow White and Rose Red (1997)
Shadow Of The Bear (2002)
Black As Night (2004)
Waking Rose (2007)
Midnight Dancers (2008)
Alex O'Donnell and the 40 Cyber Thieves (2010)

Rapunzel Let Down (2013)
...

Other Books:
The Story of Job
...

Contributed to:
Catholic Philosopher Chick Makes Her Debut
Catholic Philosopher Chick Comes on Strong
The Mystery of Harry Potter: A Catholic Family Guide
The Chestertons and the Golden Key
...

Picture Books:
Angels in the Water (2004)
Fairy Tale Novel Paper Dolls (2009)
...

NonFiction:
Our Fairy Tale Romance - Andrew Schmiedicke (2009)



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