Rebellion Of Thieves

Rebellion Of Thieves by Kekla Magoon, 246 pages

“Robyn Loxley plans to seize the opportunity to rescue her parents from the governor's mansion by competing in the Iron Teen contest, although success could bring unwanted attention from Crown.” This series is my favorite by Magoon.  I’ve liked her other books but these have a sense of adventure that is missing some of the hopelessness that I feel when reading her historical fiction.  This follows the Robin Hood stories well and it’s really enjoyable.  Kids who like adventure or just Robin Hood will want to read it.

Church of Spies

Church of Spies: The Pope's Secret War Against Hitler by Mark Riebling, 250 pages

Church of Spies is a history of the clandestine contacts between German anti-Nazi circles and the Vatican of Pope Pius XII, centering on the combative Munich lawyer Josef Mueller, nicknamed "Joey Ox", who worked as a go-between for Admiral Wilhelm Canaris, head of German Military Intelligence, and Church leaders in Germany and Rome.  Between Mueller's connection to Canaris and a circle of Jesuits working with General Ludwig Beck, the pope and his agents - dubbed the "Black Chapel" by the SS - were tied directly or indirectly to virtually every German resistance group, including Claus van Stauffenburg's conspiracy, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and the White Rose.

There are some surprises in Riebling's book, especially how early the alliance between the Pope and the anti-Hitler plotters was forged - already during the Phoney War of 1939 contacts were established with the British government for a Vatican-brokered peace agreement in the event of Hitler's overthrow.  Unfortunately, the book is marred somewhat by Riebling's sensationalistic tendencies (Catholic Action is described as "a practice" used "to cultivate influence agents" and form "'front' groups"), a fault which is exacerbated by his sloppiness (he tells the story of the Scholls without even mentioning their comrade Christoph Probst, who was arrested and executed with them).  These flaws do not stop the book from being consistently interesting and intensely dramatic, but the book would have been superior if it had dealt less with the remarkable personal story of Mueller and more with the discussions within the resistance concerning the aftermath of a successful coup which, Riebling hints, laid the groundwork for post-war Germany and Europe.

Children of Men

The Children of Men by PD James, 241 pages

In the near future, the human race has suddenly, inexplicably become sterile.  Theodore Faron is an Oxford history professor, teaching ever-dwindling numbers of ever-aging students, increasingly a relic of the past in a world that has no future.  His only child died as a toddler in a tragic accident, and his role in the accident destroyed his marriage.  When a former student asks him to deliver a message to his cousin Xan, the dictatorial Marshal of England, he reluctantly obliges, never suspecting that events are already conspiring to turn the ineffectual resistance group to which she belongs into the most important people on the planet.

James, best known as a mystery writer, is trying something different here, though like Cormac McCarthy's The Road, with which it shares much, The Children of Men is not really a science fiction novel - the unexplained apocalypse is only a background intended to throw themes into sharp relief.  James pulls this off superbly, creating a fast-paced story with memorable characters and an ambiguous ending that leaves the readers asking the same questions the author has been asking all along.

Golden Son

Golden Son by Pierce Brown
446 Pages

 "Golden Son continues the stunning saga of Darrow, a rebel forged by tragedy, battling to lead his oppressed people to freedom. As a Red, Darrow grew up working the mines deep beneath the surface of Mars, enduring backbreaking labor while dreaming of the better future he was building for his descendants. But the Society he faithfully served was built on lies. Darrow's kind have been betrayed and denied by their elitist masters, the Golds--and their only path to liberation is revolution. And so Darrow sacrifices himself in the name of the greater good for which Eo, his true love and inspiration, laid down her own life. He becomes a Gold, infiltrating their privileged realm so that he can destroy it from within. A lamb among wolves in a cruel world, Darrow finds friendship, respect, and even love--but also the wrath of powerful rivals. To wage and win the war that will change humankind's destiny, Darrow must confront the treachery arrayed against him, overcome his all-too-human desire for retribution--and strive not for violent revolt but a hopeful rebirth."

 The second book of the Red Rising Trilogy continues strongly.  Certain to be popular with fans of the Hunger Games and John Ringo, the series has a lot of military tactics combined with strong characterizations.