LEVIATHAN

Rating:
Summary: I am sensing a pattern here.
Review: After having read "Cain" and "Hunter", I was on familiar ground with my third Huggins book. As with the others, it is a story of good superhero vs. evil monster. As with the others, however, it has most of the same flaws. This time there are two heroes instead of one, in the form of a viking Catholic priest named Thor and a grim handyman named Jackson Connor. Thor is literally a giant with an axe to grind and the mind of a literature scholar. Still, how can a man be both eight feet tall and built like Hercules? Even the tallest NBA stars aren't eight feet, and they look like beanpoles. Jackson Connor, however, is much closer to a normal person than any of Huggins' other heroes. He's simply a smart, tough guy with a background in fixing everything, and he generally outthinks the monster instead of outfighting him, unlike the others. This makes Jackson the most plausible and empathic of the main characters in the three books, but there are some flaws. 1) The relationship with his young son is pure sap. 2) Everyone calls him by his last name, even his wife. 3) Why is Jackson working as a foreman at a research site, even for extra pay, when his wife is obviously a computer genius? On to the monster. This time it's an honest-to-goodness dragon, making it the most invincible, and coolest, of Huggins' other monsters. The science behind the artificially created beast is believable enough for this genre, and the idea of a fire-breathing lizard running around making charbroil out of a bunch of idiots is very appealing. In one of the better parts of the book, Huggins even has Thor recount (apparently) genuine historical writings on actual dragon encounters in recorded history. HOWEVER, there are more than a few mistakes. Thor actually fights the dragon hand to hand in one unconvincing, if epic, battle, and the result is completely implausible. The dragon actually sees the shadow of the Devil, directing the beast to kill the boy. Finally, the wringer Jackson puts it through at the end is unbelievable. Not even the wounded Leviathan could withstand the whole series of traps he lays at the end. Finally, the evil-bad-guy-project-director is the same stereotype found in the other books. Then there are the usual literary mistakes. Huggins uses the same adjectives over and over again. The introduction of the dragon's statistics is a ham-handed presentation. There's a totally unnecessary side trip into virtual reality. And when Jackson finally kills the thing at the end using a particular tool, the method he employs should have killed him too if you pay attention to the details of its use. Yet all of this isn't to say I didn't enjoy it anyway. It's just disappointing to see the same stuff over and over again, even though that's what action books/movies usually boil down to. After the first third of the book it becomes a constant pulse-pounding action sequence as the good guys lay traps and fight the beast with a constant barrage from grenade launchers. Huggins introduces some interesting history and mythology without laying on the Christianity too thick. The science is pretty cool, and Thor is interesting, if implausible. In the end, this book is a lot like a good action movie: turn your brain off, bring plenty of popcorn, and have a good time.

Rating:
Summary: More mayhem and monsters from Huggins
Review: After having read "Cain" and "Hunter", I was on familiar ground with my third Huggins book. As with the others, it is a story of good superhero vs. evil monster. As with the others, however, it has most of the same flaws. This time there are two heroes instead of one, in the form of a viking Catholic priest named Thor and a grim handyman named Jackson Connor. Thor is literally a giant with an axe to grind and the mind of a literature scholar. Still, how can a man be both eight feet tall and built like Hercules? Even the tallest NBA stars aren't eight feet, and they look like beanpoles. Jackson Connor, however, is much closer to a normal person than any of Huggins' other heroes. He's simply a smart, tough guy with a background in fixing everything, and he generally outthinks the monster instead of outfighting him, unlike the others. This makes Jackson the most plausible and empathic of the main characters in the three books, but there are some flaws. 1) The relationship with his young son is pure sap. 2) Everyone calls him by his last name, even his wife. 3) Why is Jackson working as a foreman at a research site, even for extra pay, when his wife is obviously a computer genius? On to the monster. This time it's an honest-to-goodness dragon, making it the most invincible, and coolest, of Huggins' other monsters. The science behind the artificially created beast is believable enough for this genre, and the idea of a fire-breathing lizard running around making charbroil out of a bunch of idiots is very appealing. In one of the better parts of the book, Huggins even has Thor recount (apparently) genuine historical writings on actual dragon encounters in recorded history. HOWEVER, there are more than a few mistakes. Thor actually fights the dragon hand to hand in one unconvincing, if epic, battle, and the result is completely implausible. The dragon actually sees the shadow of the Devil, directing the beast to kill the boy. Finally, the wringer Jackson puts it through at the end is unbelievable. Not even the wounded Leviathan could withstand the whole series of traps he lays at the end. Finally, the evil-bad-guy-project-director is the same stereotype found in the other books. Then there are the usual literary mistakes. Huggins uses the same adjectives over and over again. The introduction of the dragon's statistics is a ham-handed presentation. There's a totally unnecessary side trip into virtual reality. And when Jackson finally kills the thing at the end using a particular tool, the method he employs should have killed him too if you pay attention to the details of its use. Yet all of this isn't to say I didn't enjoy it anyway. It's just disappointing to see the same stuff over and over again, even though that's what action books/movies usually boil down to. After the first third of the book it becomes a constant pulse-pounding action sequence as the good guys lay traps and fight the beast with a constant barrage from grenade launchers. Huggins introduces some interesting history and mythology without laying on the Christianity too thick. The science is pretty cool, and Thor is interesting, if implausible. In the end, this book is a lot like a good action movie: turn your brain off, bring plenty of popcorn, and have a good time.

Rating:
Summary: It's The Mighty Thor vs Godzilla!
Review: As a simple comic book premise turned novel Leviathan is entertaining enough. I have read somewhere that Huggins is/was a screenwriter which explains why so much information is delivered in highly unrealistic and stilted 'speeches' rather than built into creating three dimensional characters. I'm no scientist, but it looks as if Huggins did at least some homework and his explanation as to how a fire breathing dragon might be able to actually exist seemed plausible (not that that matters too much to monster fans, we'll take any explanation as long as we have groovy monsters running around wreaking havoc), for that I give it three stars. Fun stuff that is difficult to dislike in the long run.

Rating:
Summary: WOW!
Review: Huggins blew me away wiht this book, it's the kind of bbok that will mkae history. Huggins will head places, and this book is definetly one of the things that will get him there.

Rating:
Summary: Purple prose
Review: Huggins' tale of a genetically engineered dragon is like riding along an interstate and trying to avoid the potholes. In this one, it's the plotholes that are constantly attacking. Although one must admire Huggins' attempt to parallel this story with Biblical references, and show the Christian fight of evil vs. good, he does it such a soporific way that I found it hard to get involved. So many scenes are repetitive, contrived, and at times, laughable. While Thor is definitely a heroic type, his battle with Leviathan can only be considered high camp, even from a spiritual point of view. There is so much computer jargon that it bogs the story down. Also, if you look at this dragon that these scientists have created, it is supposed to be the world's most effective killing machine, virtually indestructible, and yet a handful of humans manage to destroy the creature, but not before going through some hilariously impossible schemes. Here we have another hero, Jackson Conner, a mere electrician, mind you, who fights like Spiderman, practically gets himself killed, yet manages to single-handedly finish off what Thor started. Some of the characters just disappear, without knowing their fate. And Huggins must love the word muscular, as he uses this at least twenty times with the heroic serviceman, Barley. Conner's wife, Beth, serves no purpose but to hang around and moan, although she is clever enough to decode the special encryption set up to disallow anyone tampering with the GEO computer. Which by the way is encrypted with the brain of Dr. Frank's dead wife, Rachel. The scene in cyberspace is virtually (no pun intended) a big anti-climactic howler.
I appreciate the Christian approach to science fiction/fantasy; in fact, Frank Peretti does a beautiful job; however, Huggins spends so much time spouting out philosophies, his narrative loses its punch.
I WOULDN'T BOTHER IF I WERE YOU.

Rating:
Summary: DRAGGIN DRAGON TALE
Review: Huggins' tale of a genetically engineered dragon is like riding along an interstate and trying to avoid the potholes. In this one, it's the plotholes that are constantly attacking. Although one must admire Huggins' attempt to parallel this story with Biblical references, and show the Christian fight of evil vs. good, he does it such a soporific way that I found it hard to get involved. So many scenes are repetitive, contrived, and at times, laughable. While Thor is definitely a heroic type, his battle with Leviathan can only be considered high camp, even from a spiritual point of view. There is so much computer jargon that it bogs the story down. Also, if you look at this dragon that these scientists have created, it is supposed to be the world's most effective killing machine, virtually indestructible, and yet a handful of humans manage to destroy the creature, but not before going through some hilariously impossible schemes. Here we have another hero, Jackson Conner, a mere electrician, mind you, who fights like Spiderman, practically gets himself killed, yet manages to single-handedly finish off what Thor started. Some of the characters just disappear, without knowing their fate. And Huggins must love the word muscular, as he uses this at least twenty times with the heroic serviceman, Barley. Conner's wife, Beth, serves no purpose but to hang around and moan, although she is clever enough to decode the special encryption set up to disallow anyone tampering with the GEO computer. Which by the way is encrypted with the brain of Dr. Frank's dead wife, Rachel. The scene in cyberspace is virtually (no pun intended) a big anti-climactic howler.
I appreciate the Christian approach to science fiction/fantasy; in fact, Frank Peretti does a beautiful job; however, Huggins spends so much time spouting out philosophies, his narrative loses its punch.
I WOULDN'T BOTHER IF I WERE YOU.

Rating:
Summary: No other author is worth Spit. (a dang good book)
Review: I am a 14-year-old high school student. I hate to read...Everybody's books accept for his. He got me hooked on the first page of the prolouge. You are an idiot if you don't buy it...buy it...I said buy it!...what you don't have the money?...you're pathetic. I hate Steven King!

Rating:
Summary: Purple prose
Review: I have never felt strongly enough about a product to remark online about it -- until now -- nor am I going to waste my words on it beyond this simple warning:
DON'T BOTHER WITH THIS MINDLESS DRIVEL.
God is everywhere but in the writing of this purple prose.

Rating:
Summary: Not Huggins' best effort
Review: I have to be honest here. I LOVED The Reckoning, Cain, and Hunter. I've reread those three books a few times apiece, and will probably do so again in the future. For all-out action they're tough to beat. So when I bought a copy of Leviathan I was expecting the same quality but came away disappointed. I don't really know why but Leviathan never hit me with the impact the other three books did. It wasn't the subject matter; heck, I LOVE Thor as a character and am into Norse mythology. Basically the writing didn't seem as polished as his other books and the excitement just wasn't there. I don't want to slam Huggins here but I have to be honest. Mr. Huggins, if you're reading this, just know that I am looking forward to your next book and I truly hope it's as good as the aforementioned three. You're still one of my favorite authors!

Rating:
Summary: Not Huggins' best effort
Review: I have to be honest here. I LOVED The Reckoning, Cain, and Hunter. I've reread those three books a few times apiece, and will probably do so again in the future. For all-out action they're tough to beat. So when I bought a copy of Leviathan I was expecting the same quality but came away disappointed. I don't really know why but Leviathan never hit me with the impact the other three books did. It wasn't the subject matter; heck, I LOVE Thor as a character and am into Norse mythology. Basically the writing didn't seem as polished as his other books and the excitement just wasn't there. I don't want to slam Huggins here but I have to be honest. Mr. Huggins, if you're reading this, just know that I am looking forward to your next book and I truly hope it's as good as the aforementioned three. You're still one of my favorite authors!