Skin

Synopsis: Three tornadoes are on a collision course towards the sleepy town of Summerville. To make things worse, a killer wanted by the FBI named Red is on the loose with a vendetta against one of the town's policemen. All of those involved are soon going to find out "what makes the beautiful ugly and the ugly beautiful."

Review: If you're a fan of nail biting suspense, then look no further than this page turner from veteran author Ted Dekker. From beginning to end Dekker paces the story details perfectly and keeps the reader guessing until the very end. In the essential areas of suspense fiction, Skin delivers on every front.

The characters in Skin are people that I feel like I could really meet out in the world. Each person gets the perfect amount of exposure and back story to really flesh out their personalities and the two main characters are easy to sympathize with and root for.

Skin's plot is what really solidifies Dekker's talent as an author. Not only is there an excellent lesson to be learned from the story, but I felt completely helpless as I was masterfully slapped around like a red-headed step child while trying to guess what was going to happen next.

In the end, Skin was a roller coaster ride that solidified my faith in Christian fiction. The future looks bright with authors like Ted Dekker out there.

5/5 Wandalls

Michael Buble': Call Me Irresponsible

Call me Irresponsible, the newest addition to Buble's discography, has a few hit songs that really touch the soul in different ways but unfortunately the album as a whole seems a bit lacking. “Call Me Irresponsible” takes a different approach than previous Buble’ albums, more pop style than Jazz and standards. Being a Buble’ fan I was a little let down, especially after his last album, but in all I don’t regret buying it. Some of the songs work really well for Michael’s style while others just sound like he’s trying to hard to be a dynamic singer. Stick to the stuff you know and grew up with Mikey, and we will love you for it! I give "Call me Irresponsible" 3 Wandals Out of 5.

Robotech: The Macross Saga

Well, here is my first review. I'm going to start with my recent anime and work my way back. I will be reviewing the first of the three Robotech series, The Macross Saga. I got my hands on the huge Protoculture Collection, which is the penultimate Robotech box set. So far I have only watched the first two series, leaving the third and new movie to watch. I believe it should first be noted that Robotech was compiled from 3 separate animes into an 85 series broadcast for American television. The Japanese versions are a bit harder to get, and are only subbed, so this set is probably a good way to go. If you are picky about untouched anime, then the originals would be worth it, but Harmony Gold, Robotech's US producers, did a very good job. My only complaints would be the same freaking soundtrack throughout all three series. Also, Minmei's singing is very repetitive, and can get to you quite a lot. Aside from all of this, Macross is an incredibly well crafted series. Even though it is rather old, originally broadcast in Japan in 1984, the age is hardly a deterrent. This series has some of the best characterizations in any anime, and has made it's way to my top 5. Now of course this series has a bit of old cheesiness, but the series as a whole totally overrides those ridiculous moments.
Now I come to a brief synopsis to pique your interests. The series is 36 episodes and split into two parts. The first half is about the giant space fortress Macross, crash landing on Earth, and the inhabitants working together to repair it and use it for their own in case those who owned it come looking for it. Eventually a warlike race, the Zentraedi, do come looking for it. What follows is an involving and sprawling war. During this time there is abundant character development on both sides of the war. Honestly, the only thing going for a handful of scenes is the intense grasp you have on the characters that lets you shrug aside any inconsistencies due to the age of this piece. At any rate, the end of the series is a big wind down from the climax. It concentrates more on the characters. That is all I will say about it, but as my brother put it so well, Robotech is like a soap opera for guys.

Overall, this series is very well done, and the fact that it is still good even after all this time really is a testament to the Macross Saga. I give it five Wandals out of five. 5/5