The first book that fits the Banal Reader code of conduct is: "The Edge of Reason" by Melinda Snodgrass. I am still reading this and expect to finish it this weekend. I'm three fourths of the way through, but I have very mixed feelings about the book. It is well written, the plot just buzzes along, and the protagonist is sufficiently interesting and likeable so I want to see what happens to him. However, there are basic points of belief and ethics that are so different from my own, that I find myself being a little twitchy as I'm reading. Full review when complete. The Banal Reader will always be accompanied by a cartoon strip that sums things up, just as the D.O.A. recommends posts will always have skeletal summations of the Good Stuff.
Click on the cartoon to see a larger version.
Review: The Edge of Reason is actually a traditional suspense novel. With a few elements removed it could be a typical cop story, albeit a real page turner. The human characters are well fleshed out, especially Richard, Angela and Weber. The interactions between those characters and secondary characters such as Rhianna and Richard's father Robert make for an interesting drama.
The age old fight between Good and Evil is less convincing. The leader of the "good guys" Kenntnis, is ineffectual and the "bad guys" are just over the top screaming babbling killers, with their front man being a television evangelist who is also just an over the top character with no substance. The case is never made for "Reason", because nobody at all acts reasonably. They're all full of angst and they use magic rather than science to fight their battles.
This appears to be the first in a series. If it does continue, I think in order to showcase how a battle between Good and Evil would be fought between logical beings and illogical beings, some science and reasoning needs to be brought to bear against characters who are multi-dimensional but who have faith in what they can't see.
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