Thursday, 23 February 2023

Totum Amoris Est - Pope Francis

Totum Amoris Est
On the Fourth Centenary of the Death of Saint Francis de Sales
Pope Francis
ISBN 9781784697570
CTS Booklet DO964


I picked up this volume for two reasons the first is it was the next volume in Father Mark Goring’s Saint Mark’s School of Reading, and the second was that I had just read two volumes by St Francis De Sales right before this. Introduction to the Devout Life as part of the Ascension Catholic Classics podcast and Roses Among Thorns with Father Mark. So this volume fit in perfectly with some other current volumes. This is available on the Vatican website for free, but I prefer the CTS Booklet version, I just wish they could publish an eBook edition. About this volume we are informed that:

“Pope Francis honours the legacy of St Francis de Sales on the 400th anniversary of his death by calling on the Church to be outward looking, praising the saint’s far-sighted vision in perceiving that changing times were a great opportunity for preaching the Gospel.”

The description of this volume is:

“Pope Francis marks the 400th anniversary of the death of St Francis de Sales with this Apostolic Letter:

"On this anniversary of the fourth centenary of his death, I have given much thought to the legacy of Saint Francis de Sales for our time. I find that his flexibility and his far-sighted vision have much to say to us. Partly by God’s gift and partly thanks to his own character, but also by his steady cultivation of lived experience, Francis perceived clearly that the times were changing. On his own, he might never have imagined that those changes represented so great an opportunity for the preaching of the Gospel. The word of God that he had loved from his youth now opened up before him new and unexpected horizons in a rapidly changing world. That same task awaits us in this, our own age of epochal change. We are challenged to be a Church that is outward looking." (Pope Francis)”

I highlighted several passages while reading this volume, they are:

“Long disenchanted by the “fleeting glories of the court”, [3] he spent those final days exercising his pastoral ministry amid a flurry of appointments: confessions, conversations, conferences, sermons, and, of course, letters of spiritual friendship.”

“Francis’ profound sense of God’s presence amid the events of daily life was evident in those last days in Lyon. He shared with his Visitation Sisters how he wished to be remembered by them: “I said everything in just two words, when I told you to refuse nothing and to desire nothing; I have nothing more to say to you”.”

“His teachings were the fruit of a great sensitivity to experience. He merely translated into doctrine what, enlightened by the Spirit, he had experienced and learned in the course of his remarkably innovative pastoral activity. We find it summed up in the Preface to the Treatise on the Love of God: “In Holy Church, everything pertains to love, lives in love, is done for love and comes from love”.”

“Devotion is like a flame with regard to fire: it increases the intensity of charity without altering its quality. “In the end, charity and devotion can be said to differ from one another as fire from a flame. Charity is a spiritual fire that, when fanned into flame, is called devotion. Devotion thus adds nothing to the fire of charity but the flame that makes charity prompt, active and diligent, not only in the observance of God’s commandments but also in the exercise of his divine counsels and inspirations”.”

“Saint Francis thus came to view the entirety of the Christian life as “the ecstasy of work and life”. [46] For him, Christianity was not to be confused with a facile escapism or self-absorption, much less a dull and dreary obedience. We know that this danger can always be present in the life of faith. Indeed, “there are Christians whose lives seem like Lent without Easter”, and while we can understand the grief of people who have to endure great suffering, “slowly but surely we all have to let the joy of faith begin to revive as a quiet yet firm trust, even amid the greatest distress”.”

“As the criterion of discernment, he states that while, on the one hand, this ecstasy entails genuine self-renunciation, on the other it does not mean fleeing from life. We should constantly remind ourselves of this, lest we risk straying from the right path. In a word, those who think they are rising to God, yet fail to love their neighbour, are deceiving both themselves and others.”

“Here we find the same criterion that Francis used to measure true devotion. “If you see a person who in prayer has raptures that exalt him above himself to God, and yet has no ecstasy of life, that is, he does not lead a life elevated and joined to God, above all by means of constant charity, believe me, Theotimus, all his raptures are exceedingly dubious and dangerous”.”

“For Saint Francis de Sales, then, while the Christian life is never without ecstasy, ecstasy is inauthentic apart from a truly Christian life. Indeed, life without ecstasy risks being reduced to blind obedience, a Gospel bereft of joy. On the other hand, ecstasy without life easily falls prey to the illusions and deceptions of the Evil one. The great polarities of the Christian life cannot be resolved and eliminated. If anything, each preserves the authenticity of the other. Truth, then, does not exist without justice, pleasure without responsibility, spontaneity without law, and vice versa.”

“Francis could thus conclude his Treatise by appealing to a sermon of Saint Augustine on charity: “What is more steadfast than charity, not in requiting injuries, but in taking no account of them? Concerned not with passing things, but with eternity? Since it has an unshakable trust in the promises of the future life, charity can tolerate all things in this present life. It can endure whatever it must here below, because it hopes in the promises of the world to come.”

I hope those quotes give you a feel for the content of this Apostolic Letter. I admit I was unsure of what to expect when I began reading this. I am thankful I gave it a read. It is a small volume, 32 pages for this booklet edition and only 4 pages if you print it off from the Vatican site. This is a good little volume. 

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2023 Catholic Reading Plan! For other reviews of books from the Catholic Truth Society click here.


Books by Saint Francis de Sales:
Introduction to the Devout Life
The Sign of the Cross
The Art of Loving God
Roses Among Thorns
Finding God's Will for You
...

Sermons of St. Francis de Sales:
Sermons of St. Francis de Sales on Prayer
Sermons of St. Francis de Sales on Our Lady
Sermons of St. Francis de Sales for Lent
Sermons of St. Francis de Sales for Advent and Christmas
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Wednesday, 22 February 2023

The Way of the Cross - Archbishop Georg Gänswein

The Way of the Cross
Archbishop Georg Gänswein
Michael J. Miller (Translator) 
ISBN 9781644133088
eISBN 9781644133095
ASIN B086QRJKPH


I picked this up because I am almost always willing to give another Stations of the Cross a try. I have a few that I return to frequently. I try and pray a Way each Friday during the year, and each day through Lent. I have not read anything else by Archbishop Georg Gänswein prior to this and believe he currently only has one other volume available in English. There are very different descriptions for the print and eBook edition of this volume, they are:

“Countless holy men and women have obtained great benefit from accompanying Our Lord on his Way to Calvary, including the Foundress of EWTN Global Catholic Network, Mother Angelica.Indeed, the Stations were Mother's constant companions through the joys and struggles of her vocations as abbess and media maven. For Mother, the Stations were not some kind of dismal ritual or dark obsession, but a regular opportunity to lay down before Our Lord her pains, struggles, and fears with the faith-infused knowledge that Christ's sufferings have redeemed us.For the first time, EWTN Publishing has compiled and made available to you the beautiful meditations on the Stations of the Cross, collected and edited by Fr. Joseph Mary Wolfe - longtime chaplain at EWTN.Each meditation is accompanied by beautiful images of the Stations of the Cross that Mother Angelica prayed before in her home parish in Canton, OH. It was in this Church that Mother Angelica approached the altar of our Lord and entrusted her religious vocation to Our Lady.We invite you to join Mother Angelica in praying the Stations every day so they can become a part of your personal spirituality, just as they were a part of Mother Angelica's community and of EWTN.”

and:

“For centuries, the Church has encouraged us to pray the Stations of the Cross as a way to draw closer to Christ and gain the strength to carry our own crosses by meditating on His Passion. Yet even while doing so, many of us have had trouble imagining and contextualizing the sorrowful events of that day and even the horrid details of the Crucifixion.

In these prayerful pages, Archbishop Georg Gänswein, longtime secretary to Pope Benedict XVI, remedies that failure of our imaginations. Here he vividly depicts Jesus’ final, slow, sorrowful passage through the narrow, dusty streets of Jerusalem, out the gate in the city’s wall, and unto Golgotha, where our Lord is crucified.

With the help of these powerful meditations, you’ll come to feel as if you’ve been transported all the way back to Jerusalem, to that grim day in A.D. 33, and stand there now, a direct witness to it.

Archbishop Gänswein’s stunning reflections on the Stations of the Cross will give life to your own Stations of the Cross devotions and awaken in you a love and sympathy for our Lord greater than any you have felt before.”

I very much enjoyed the reflections on the stations my first time through this volume. A sample station is:

“I. STATION 
Jesus is condemned to death 

V: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You, 
R: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world. 

Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, 
released for them Barabbas; 
and having scourged Jesus, 
he delivered Him to be crucified. 
Mark 15:15 

During the night, all of Jesus’ apostles abandoned Him. His closest friends had fallen asleep as the fear of death overcame them. He was betrayed, though, with a kiss, the most intimate sign of love. He was condemned to death that same night by the tribunal of the high priest, with a judgment that had long since been passed. He was also beaten then, right before the eyes of the judge. Now, though, He stands before the highest secular authority of Jerusalem, the representative of the mighty emperor in Rome. In this trial He has no advocate. Nevertheless Pilate hesitates for a long time with the sentence, because he can find no guilt in Him.
 
“What is truth?” the governor asks Him, when the Truth is standing before him in the flesh. Then he has Him scourged, crowned by his soldiers with a cap of thorns and mocked, and he himself speaks a truth until the end of days when he presents Him to the furious crowd that is demanding His death. 

“Behold the man,” he exclaims as he shows them the Man of all men, the “Son of man,” the first and last Image of all the images of God. Then he has a servant bring a bowl of water and washes his hands in innocence. Seconds before that, he delivers the accused man over to his persecutors with the words: “Take Him and crucify Him.” 


R: Our Father…, Hail Mary…, Glory be… 
R: At the Cross, her station keeping, 
    stood the mournful Mother weeping, 
    close to Jesus to the last. 
V: Crucified and risen Lord Jesus Christ, 
R: Have mercy on us and on the whole world."

Unlike many stations the images are in the middle of the reflection, not at the beginning or end. The images used for the stations are frescos by Frescos by Martin Feuerstein, we are informed that:

“These beautiful frescos, which were painted in 1898 in the Saint Anna Church, in Munich, Germany, have since been painted over. Color images nave been preserved of only thirteen of the fourteen Stations. We have added some color to the surviving monocrome image of the 6th Station for these meditations.”

In the forward by Baroness Nina Sophie Heereman von Zuydtwyck we are reminded that:

“Jesus on His final path through the Holy Land
 
Accompanying a dying person on his final path is one of the noblest works of Christian mercy. Never is a human being so lonely as in the final hours of his life, since he must walk through the gate of death alone. Although we cannot spare one another this path through the darkness, we can nevertheless accompany the dying person lovingly up to the gate of death, in the firm hope that the merciful Lord will welcome him into the hereafter. 

With Jesus it was different. For Him the path led not only to His cruel death on the Cross, which is bad enough, but into the darkest cavities of the underworld. Not only that: on His final path, He was abandoned by everyone, even His closest confidants. Only His Mother, a few women who had followed Him from Galilee, and John — the only one of the twelve apostles — stood beneath Him in His final hours and watched His eyes glaze over. The Son of God felt abandoned even by His Father, having taken upon Himself vicariously the unfathomable abandonment of the sinner, in order to admit us all again into communion with the Father through His death. No one, not even the worst sinner, will ever have to endure again that kind of abandonment in the hour of his death. 

Have you ever wondered where you would have been in those hours? Don’t we all wish secretly that we had the courage of those women, whose love had led them there beneath the Cross, or the love of John, who was faithful to the Friend “whom he loved” even into the jet-black night of death? 

Well, it is not true that we can no longer perform this loving service for the Lord. On the contrary, in prayerful remembrance of His Passion, we can go beyond the boundaries of space and time and, by dint of our faith, walk beside Jesus on His final path through the Holy Land, consoling Him with our love. In this way, we can be like Mary: a pious tradition in Jerusalem relates to this day that after the Ascension of the Lord she returned every day to the stations of His Passion in order to meditate lovingly in her heart on what He suffered for us and on the great love with which He loved us.”

I stumbled upon this volume while looking for his new volume on being Pope Benedict XVI’s personal secretary, that volume does not appear to be available yet in English. I am thankful I picked this up. I prayed through it the first Friday after purchasing it, and know it will be a version I use often going forward. It is an excellent Way of the Cross. It is a great devotion for personal or corporate use. I can easily recommend this version of this devotion.

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2023 Catholic Reading Plan! 

For all other reviews of Stations of the Cross click here.

Books by Archbishop Georg Ganswein in English:
How the Catholic Church Can Restore Our Culture
…

Note he has several other volumes available in German, and a few in Spanish. 
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Tuesday, 21 February 2023

Gathering Storm - Declan Finn - White Ops Book 4

Gathering Storm
White Ops Book 4
Declan Finn
ISBN 9798356716966
eISBN 9798356717130
ASIN B0BHKJM2CV
 

This series just keeps getting better! Wow, I absolutely loved this story. I could hardly put the book down and once I did I was desperate for the next volume! I have read 29 books by Declan Finn and 28 of them in the last 9 months. I have greatly enjoyed books in several other series. But among my favorites are the White Ops and the Saint Tommy series.  I have also been working through Finn’s back catalogue. This was another excellent story, I had not read any description or reviews before picking it up. I was given an advanced copy of this one for an honest review. I am currently cycling through a few of his series and as soon as I had this one it jumped to the top of my ‘to be read’ pile. The description of this story is:

“When Earth First terrorists threaten to assassinate the Pope, the Rangers of White Ops are called in to protect him.

After the hostage situation at Yesdin planet, Sean Patrick Ryan is still bothered by the Renar weapons the terrorists used. When Earth First has the same weaponry, it's clear that something is wrong on Renar.

Dark forces stalk White Ops. but who will be the prey?”

I will be honest the further I get into this series the more I feel echoes of Babylon 5. But in most ways that only enhances the stories. But they are absolutely not just modified fan fiction. The framework that Finn uses and the characters he has written are exceptional. 

This story takes the action to a very different level. Sean Patrick Ryan and his team of totentanzers – Rangers – are on an assignment to protect the Pope. They have also taken over personal protection for the president of the United Star Alliance. All the while Something is niggling at the back of Sean’s brain, tying together pieces of information from their last few missions Sean has an insight, one that will have huge repercussions for him, his team, and for the whole universe. 


Not only is Ryan is a magnet for trouble but they soon realize that their whole team is becoming so. And some very bad people are not only aware of them but know specifics. White Ops might be the elite team of the Rangers, but they are not enough for the coming storm.

Ryan and his team must traverse the universe, fighting the Earth First Threat, Thought Cops, and the threat that Ryan has uncovered. They must now prepare for maybe their most fearful foe yet, and be prepared to fight on many fronts at the same time. This story is packed full of action. But it is also setting the stage for far more to come. It has great characters. 

This was another very entertaining story with Finn’s usual sense of humour! I really enjoyed this offering from his masterful pen. It is a great read. And leaves you wondering what happens in book 5. An excellent read I can easily recommend this book, this series and all of the books from Finn I have read to date!

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2023 Catholic Reading Plan! 

Books by Declan Finn:
Love At First Bite Series:

The Last Survivors Series:
…

Convention Killings Series:
…

Pius Series:
A Pius Legacy
A Pius Stand
Pius History
Pius Tales (Anthology)
…
Pius Trilogy Short Stories:
...

St. Tommy Series:

Top Secret Service Series:

Dances with Werewolves Series:
…
…

White Ops Series:
…

Land&Sea Season 2:
...

Other books:
...

Anthologies contributed to:
Luna: Planetary Anhtology Series Book 2
Supernatural Streets
Starflight: Tales From The Starport Lounge
Mercury: Planetary Anthology Series Book 4
Venus: Planetary Anthology Series Book 5
Mars: Planetary Anthology Series Book 7
Places Beyond the Wild: A Z-Day Anthology
Shoot the Devil: Ten Tales of Humans Defeating the Demonic
Fantastic Schools, Volume 6
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Monday, 20 February 2023

Self-Portrait - Jim Sano - Father Tom Book 4

Self-Portrait 
Father Tom Book 4
ISBN 9781987970500
ASIN B0BVNZ1B83


This is the fifth novel from the pen of Jim Sano that I have read. It is the fourth that is in the Father Tom series. This one was hard to put down. Once I started it at first I wondered where it was going. Then I started putting the pieces together. It is not a locked room mystery, but it is an excellent story about a theft in broad daylight at a museum, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, with plenty of witnesses. But the pieces just seem to keep not adding up. One of the police investigating believes so and it keeps nagging at him. Father Tom and Angelo believe so and keep digging. And even the wife of the officer who loved the artwork at the museum, and is in desperate need of a medical procedure they cannot afford.

Like the other Father Tom stories this book has great characters, an excellent plot, and it has amazing pacing. With each volume from Sano that I read I appreciate his writing more. I love the Father Tom books and this story kept me on the edge of my seat the whole way through. I am certain the story will draw you in and keep you hooked.
 
This story is a contemporary fiction tale. It is a story about seeking revenge or vengeance, family, and faith. It is what Madeleine L’Engle referred to as realistic fiction. It is set in our world, in our time, and with our issues and struggles. In this story we have a few main characters, and several supporting characters that play key roles. But in some ways this one reads like a Christian or Catholic version of Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer or the Spencer stories by Robert B. Parker. The description of the book is:

“Thieves have struck again at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, the site of the largest unsolved and infamous art heist in history. This time the priceless self-portrait of Rembrandt is stolen. Detective Brooks isn't too happy to have Father Tom back poking his nose into another police case, but the surprising twist and turns and complex lives of the players involved make for an intriguing and emotional climax.”

William Patrick Quinn, Billy is set to retire soon. His partner is like a son. And his own son died many years earlier. Quinn has blamed himself. And does not feel the hero and man of honor many take him for. He is struggling with his own doubt, and inability to help his son, and is questioning how far he will go to save his wife. He is going to have to face his past, and see it in a new light. He will either learn to forgive himself or end up destroying himself. Fortunately he has a devoted wife, Father Tom, Angelo and his partner Sean O’Donnell.

This is another excellent read from the pen of Jim Sano. It is a story about faith, family, and finding our way in difficult circumstances. Very well written, and the characters will stay with you long after you finish reading the story. Reading this was like a visit with old friends and meeting up with Father Tom and Angelo again are great characters to spend time with.

This is another great read from Jim and Full Quiver. I highly recommend it. 

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2023 Catholic Reading Plan! 

Books by Jim Sano:

Father Tom Series:
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Sunday, 19 February 2023

Stations of the Cross: In Light of the Work of the Society of St Vincent De Paul - Fr Gerard Bogan - CTS Devotions

Stations of the Cross: 
In Light of the Work of the Society of St Vincent De Paul
Father Gerard Bogan 
ISBN 9781784697549
eISBN 9781784697068
ASIN B0BTHSVPL2
CTS Booklet D846


As of the reading of this book over the last few years I have read 340 volumes from the Catholic Truth Society. I stumbled upon them while doing research on an author, and have been hooked ever since. I have read many in the CTS Biographies and also Saints of the Isles Series, and I loved the books in the CTS Great Saints Series. I love reading about so many saints, their lives and their times. My other favourite books form the CTS are the Prayers and Devotions books which now look to be rebranded as Prayer Guides. This is the fourteenth Stations or Way of the Cross from the CTS I have read. I try and pray a Stations each day during Lent, and each Friday the rest of the year. This is one I I know I will return to often, especially having the eBook on me at all times. 

The description of this booklet is:
 
“Walk alongside Jesus in his passion and Cross and be prepared to walk with compassion alongside our suffering brothers and sisters, with these meditations on the Way of the Cross in light of the work of the Society of St Vincent de Paul.

This meditation on the Via Crucis – the Way of the Cross – reflects on Jesus’ suffering through the inspiration of Blessed Frédéric Ozanam and the society he founded to help the poor and those in need: the Society of St Vincent de Paul. Walking alongside Jesus in his Passion and Cross prepares us to walk with compassion alongside our suffering brothers and sisters, to learn to love them as Christ loves them, and to enter more deeply into the mystery of God’s mercy revealed in his holy cross.”

The forward to this volume informs us that:

“Frédéric Ozanam was the founder of the Society of St Vincent de Paul. While he was a student in Paris he gathered together a few friends with the aim of responding to the needs of the poor. They decided that they would not promote any political viewpoint. Their motivation was to help people in need, regardless of who they were, or what they believed. If they were in need, then the society would respond to them. They placed their new society under the patronage of St Vincent de Paul. This work is continued today, all over the world, by the sisters and brothers of the Society of St Vincent de Paul.”

And right before the first station we are told:

“During this meditation on the Way of the Cross we will reflect on Jesus’s way of suffering through the inspiration of Frédéric Ozanam and the society he founded to help the poor and those in need, the Society of St Vincent de Paul.”

A sample station is:

“3RD STATION 
Jesus falls the first time 

We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you. 
Because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world. 

Jesus had been weakened. Then he was forced to carry the heavy cross. It was too much for his frail human body. He fell. Even now, across the centuries, you can almost hear the wails let out by his family and his followers as his battered body hit the ground. They were beginning to feel the pain of Jesus. His pain was becoming their pain. They too had begun to walk the Sorrowful Way, the Via Dolorosa.

Frédéric did not want thanks for his help to those in need. For him, it was a privilege to do the work, and seeing first-hand the sufferings of the poor was a way to strengthen his own faith. Life had to be real. Indeed, he wrote that it would help the faith of many of his fellow Catholics if they had the opportunity to see the difficulties suffered by the poor. In this way their faith would stop being one bolstered by holy pictures: they would see the suffering Christ in the reality of the lives of the poor. 

I love you Jesus 
my love above all things.
 I repent with my whole heart 
for having offended you. 
Never permit me 
to separate myself from you again. 
Grant that I may love you always 
and then do with me what you will. 

Holy Mother, pierce me through, 
in my heart each wound renew 
of my Saviour crucified.”

Personally, I like when it had the V. and R for the opening prayer and when it lists the three prayers at the end of the stations. This volume does not do either as can be seen in the sample station above. But the reflections and prayers at the end of each of the stations are excellent. Also, the titles of the stations are not capitalised either in the table of contents or on each station.

1st Station Jesus is condemned to death 
2nd Station Jesus takes up his cross 
3rd Station Jesus falls the first time 
4th Station Jesus meets his mother 
5th Station Simon helps Jesus carry the cross 
6th Station Veronica wipes the face of Jesus 
7th Station Jesus falls the second time 
8th Station The Women of Jerusalem weep for Jesus 
9th Station Jesus falls the third time 
10th Station Jesus is stripped of his garments 
11th Station Jesus is nailed to the cross 1
2th Station Jesus dies on the cross 
13th Station The body of Jesus is taken down from the cross 
14th Station The body of Jesus is buried in the tomb

But it does follow the traditional 14 stations as opposed to the newer 14 Biblical stations introduced as an option by Saint John Paul II. It is the same prayer at the end of each station.  Therefore in some ways this is very modern Stations and in others still traditional.

I really enjoyed praying this version my first 2 times through, before I wrote this review. I know this is a version I will return to often. The meditations or reflections for each station are very well written. Another example from the 9th Station Jesus falling the third time i:s 

“Does this third fall of Jesus remind us that Peter denied Jesus three times? Would Peter have been aware of that? After the Resurrection Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved him, and three times he answered that he did love him. What matters is not the number of times we fall into sin; what matters is the number of times we lovingly return to Jesus. Frédéric Ozanam understood that the life of faith involved both prayer and good works. Some people will devote themselves more to one area than another, but it is for all Christians to be involved to some extent with both.”

I hope the sample station and the extra reflection give you a feel for this volume.  This is another excellent Stations of the Cross from the Catholic Truth Society. I am very thankful I picked it up and know it is one I will use often. A great resource I can easily recommend for church, home, school, or small group use. 



Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2023 Catholic Reading Plan! For other reviews of books from the Catholic Truth Society click here.

For all other reviews of Stations of the Cross click here.

Books by Father Gerard Bogan:

Other Stations of the Cross from the Catholic Truth Society:




















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Saturday, 18 February 2023

Greater Treasures Expanded Edition - Karina Fabian - A DragonEye, PI Story

Greater Treasures
A DragonEye, PI Book 5.0
Revised and Expanded Edition
Karina Fabian
Laser Cow Press
ISBN 9781956489095
ASIN B0BR4N9HT9


First I want to note this is a new revised and expanded edition of this book, if it was a text boom it would be the Second Edition. I read and reviewed the first edition a few years ago, but love Karina’s writing so much I picked this up the day it released and read this new version. She is a master at crafting entertaining and humorous tales. She specializes in Science Fiction, fantasy, and faith based stories. This is the 35 book I have read or reread by Karina Fabian. I really love her style, her sense of humour, and the variety of stories she writes. This is a rewrite of the second stand alone piece set in the DragonEye PI series, and is currently listed as book 5 in the series. I have encountered Vern previously in anthologies and other stories. And I state again that this is another wonderful tale set in this world.

First some comparisons:

Original Edition 2016, description:

“Inside the loosely-defined offices of the Dragon Eye Private Investigations Agency, draconic gumshoe Vern d’Wyvern and his better-looking partner, Sister Grace McCarthy, are jolted out of their video comas by a knock at the door.

She’s a timid little thing in designer rags, an uptown dye job, and a pair of legs that would do anybody’s mama proud. Her brother’s in trouble, and if Dragon Eye tops her list of available options, so is she. This job won’t pay stale beans, but business has been molasses-slow. When you’re contemplating which bodily fluid to sell next to make ends meet, you take the work you get.

It’s a cakewalk, a routine tail, until Grace catches a poison dart in the back—a dart meant for Vern. Something bigger than a wayward sibling is afoot, and with his partner’s life in the balance, Vern races against time to solve the mystery, find the shooter, and obtain the antidote.”

Second Edition 2022, description:

“Newly revised and enriched!

Being a detective in the border town of the Faerie and the Mundane worlds isn’t easy, even for a dragon like Vern. Still, finding the wayward brother of a teary-eyed damsel in distress shouldn’t have gotten so dangerous. When Vern’s partner, Sister Grace, gets poisoned by a dart meant for him, Vern offers to find an artifact in exchange for a cure. However, this is no ordinary trinket – with a little magic power, it could control all of mankind.

Will Vern sacrifice the fate of two worlds for the life of his best friend?”

First Edition Chapters:

Dragon and Nun 
Dart in the Dark 
Junior & the Fat Man 
Fall Drake 
Faerie-Go-Round 
Santry 
The Roman Lance 
The Lord’s Gift

Revised Edition Chapters:

The Tail that Wasn’t Mine
A Shot in the Dark
Dead Ends and Half-Truths
Junior and the Fat Man
The Fall Drake
Faerie-Go-Round
Cranking Up the Heat
Despredatores and Desperate Pleas
It’s All Fun and Games Until Someone Loses a Life
The Greater Treasure
More Trouble For Your Favorite Drake

For those not familiar with the DragonEye PI series, Vern is a Faerie dragon currently stuck on our side of the barrier. He is a Private Investigator he fights crimes both human and Fairy. But in this tale things go very sideways pretty quick. He is on the hunt for the spear that pierced Jesus’s side, and soon his partner is in the hospital. 

This story is now listed as book 5 in the series; it was the second when I originally read it. Fabian has been expanding the series and the first 2 novels published are now and of print and awaiting rewrites, and my understanding is they will end up as volumes 8 and 9 possibly. When I read the first edition I thought that it was so well written it can easily be read on its own. And with how the order and shape of the series keeps changing they can be read in almost any order. This is a very well written story in an awesome series. Vern is a great character. A dragon defeated by Saint George and stripped of most of his powers, now working for the Church working off his debts, in order to get his powers back. He needs to walk a tight line between working off his debts and getting what he wants. There are several groups interest in the artefact. All with different reasons and not all being honest with Vern, and black mailing a dragon into  doing your will could have serious consequences for your health and wellbeing. 

Vern must weave his way through the half-truths, the lies, and the building rally against the fairies to get to the truth. To find out how he solves the case and if he saves his partner you will need to read this excellent story.

Fabian has written or I should say rewritten an excellent story. So give it or one of the other DragonEye PI stories a try, I am sure you will be entertained. A great read in an excellent series.

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2023 Catholic Reading Plan!


Dex Hollister Series:
The Old Man and the Void
Dex's Way
...

Neeta Lyffe, Zombie Exterminator Series :
Neeta Lyffe, Zombie Exterminator
I Left My Brains in San Francisco
Shambling in a Winter Wonderland
…

DragonEye PI Series:
DragonEye PI Novels:

DragonEye PI Original First Editions:
...

Space Traipse Series:
Space Traipse: Hold My Beer, Season 1
Space Traipse: Hold My Beer, Season 2
Space Traipse: Hold My Beer, Season 3
Space Traipse Stories
…

Madness of Kanaan Series:
(formerly The Mind Over Series)

Edited by: Karina Fabian:
Infinite Space, Infinite God I
Leaps of Faith
Infinite Space, Infinite God II
...


Contributed to:
Firestorm of Dragons
The Zombie Cookbook
The Book of Tentacles
Twisted Fayrie Tales
FRIGHTLINER: And Other Tales of the Undead
Mother Goose is Dead
Word by Word: Slowing Down with the Hail Mary
Image and Likeness Literary Reflections on the Theology of the Body
Corrupts Absolutely? Dark Metahuman Fiction
Weird Noir
The Complete Guide to Writing Paranormal Novels
Manifesto UF
Avenir Eclectia
Planetary Anthology: Jupiter
Planetary Anthology: Pluto
Planetary Anthology: Luna
Planetary Anthology: Uranus
FlagShip Science Fiction and Fantasy v2i5
My Little Book of Headdesks
To Be Men: Stories Celebrating Masculinity
...










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