On The Homelander Series

(Books: The Last Thing I Remember, The Long Way Home, The Truth of the Matter, and The Final Hour. Written by Andrew Klavan.) Charlie West is an ordinary high school kid. He has an older sister he tolerates, parents he loves but takes a little for granted, and he's in love with a beautiful girl named Beth. Oh, he also has a black belt in karate and a strong desire to enter the Air Force. Yep, Charlie is somewhere between skinny little Steve Rogers and hulking strongman Captain America. A good kid who loves his country and tries to do the right thing. But if all that's true, how did he get strapped to a chair and tortured by terrorists? Why are the police after him? And why can't he remember the last year of his life?

Finally, a series written for young adults that's actually appropriate for young adults! Better yet, it's a modern action/spy thriller. Best of all, the author is a conservative who has his head on straight about the goings-on in the world today. If someone else wrote this series, the terrorists would be funded by some greedy jerk in the CIA, oil industry, or _____ (fill in the blank with some other government organization or large corporation). Klavan takes a different, more realistic approach, and doesn't blame capitalism for all the ills that plague our country.

Is this the most realistic series I've ever read? Aside from the proper portrayal of terrorism, etc., probably not. I'm not sure if all the things in the books are possible, but they require only a slight suspension of belief. Charlie seems to be extraordinarily resiliant, but I've never been on the run before. Maybe some special grace or strength kicks in when one's life is on the line. Or maybe this is just a fictional series that shouldn't be taken too seriously. Either way, the unrealistic elements don't really take away from the series.

Finally, I love Klavan's sense of humor and his writing style. If you want a taste, just watch this video: Barack the Magic Suit, A Political Fairy Tale. No, his books are not quite this blatantly conservative. Although you should pay close attention to the last name of the President of the United States at the end of The Final Hour. It sure made me laugh.

This review is long enough already, so I'll try to keep my other gushing down to a bare minimum. Charlie and all the "good guy" (or girl) characters are all awesome, particularly Mike. And Klavan did a very good job of letting the reader figure out what was going on just before Charlie found out. The line between telling too soon and blatantly misleading readers is a delicate tight rope. Klavan walked it perfectly.

In short, I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a good, clean, conservative read.

My Rating: OK (violence, mention of torture (none actually in the books), terrorism)