Lynn Mason

Lynn Mason's A SUMMER OF WAR (2021) is a war story and a love story and a such a damn GOOD story that I just didn't wanna put it down! There, that was just how I felt when I turned the last page last night. I wanted to TELL someone about it. Still thinking about it. Truthfully, it's kinda like a Hallmark movie minus the schmaltz and kitschy decor, with frequent gory firefights, death and dismemberment thrown in. And there's the misery, fear and sometimes even boredom of patrols into the show more dripping triple canopy of the Vietnam jungles, in search of the elusive Viet Cong. But it is foremost, make no mistake, a love story, set against a very real backdrop of the Vietnam war in the summer of 1969. Mason's protagonist is twenty-six year-old Chris McKenna, an ambitious young journalist who wants to write the truth about what is happening in this unpopular war, and so she and her photographer, Paul Lane (a Marine veteran of the War in the Pacific), embed themselves with an infantry platoon at the remote FOB Jane. Seemingly fearless, and eager to prove herself, Chris insists on being a part of every patrol, armed only with her notebook, and her only helmet a NY Yankees ball cap. She soon earns the respect of the whole squad, except for their point man, John Rawlins, a strong, silent type who may be much more than the big, dumb Iowa farm boy he seems at first. And the story is populated with plenty of fascinating secondary characters too with salty, genuine GI dialogue that adds authenticity to all of it. (Hmm ... All that cussing? Not very Hallmark, at ALL.) And our heroine? She can cuss with the best of 'em. No shrinking violet, our Chris, and we find she's never been shy about using whatever she's got to get what she wants. Okay, I take that back what I said about this being Hallmark-y. No way. NOT.

Throughout this book (350 pp), which I ripped through in just a few sittings over two days, I kept thinking who IS this Lynn Mason? And why isn't she famous, and why wasn't this book a huge bestseller? Because it is so much BETTER than that Kristin Hannah thing, THE WOMEN, which was one of the most read books of the past year, although I found it forulaic, predictable an even boring. The answer, of course, is all about money and publicity. Hannah has a major publishing house and PR department behind her which put her on all the morning and talk shows and ran full page ads in print, TV and social media. Mason has none of that. She is a cottage industry unto herself, self-publishing her books and blogging and posting her own ads online. She has her own following, but nothing like Hannah's. Too bad, for readers, because, to my mind, Mason is better. (Check out her website: lynnmason.com .) I flat out loved this book. My very highest recommendation.

- Tim Bazzett, author of the memoir, BOOKLOVER show less

Sydney Bristow 90210

When it comes to my favorite tv shows, I'm not really that into novelizations or prequels written by third parties – rarely do they live up to the standards set by the series' writers and production crews. Even so, when I spotted an audiobook version of ALIAS: RECRUITED at a garage sale, I decided to give it a try.

As you can probably surmise, ALIAS: RECRUITED is a prequel to ALIAS – essentially, the novel is author Lynn Mason's imagining of how Sydney came to work for show more SD-6. The story takes place during Syd's freshman year in college, which finds her a shy, nervous wreck. By school year's end, she's been recruited by SD-6, trained in Krav Maga and weaponry, worked her way up from a desk job to field work, successfully completed her first mission, even killing a man – and spurned the hot guy from her English class who spurned her back in September. All in just 192 pages (or two short CDs)!

Overall, the writing is so-so. The book's Amazon listing says that it's for grades 8 and up, which might explain some of the juvenile focus on hot dudez (as mentioned above). In addition to the Beverley Hills 90210-like college scenarios, I found Mason's portrait of a younger, less self-assured Sydney to be a stretch – an unbelievable stretch. College freshman Sydney has never dated, never had a boyfriend, is in fact an utter tool around guys, and seems to have no social skills whatsoever. While this is attributed to the stress of losing her mother at a young age, I don't buy it. Certainly, I agree that absentee father Jack Bristow might have deflated her self-esteem – and the loss of Laura/Irina only added to Sydney's stress – but she's also smart (a genius, actually), athletic, and beautiful. She'd be able to get a date wearing nothing but a potato sack and speaking in tongues. I understand why Mason painted such a sorry picture of young Syd – in order to contrast her with secret agent Syd, thus illustrating the changes she undergoes under the tutelage of SD-6 – but still, the whole thing comes off as hackneyed. Meh.

I probably wouldn't have wasted my time with ALIAS: RECRUITED had I not been able to find an audio version of the book. It's a fun enough listen – it made my vacuuming fly by, at least. My only complaint with the audiobook is that narrator Amanda Foreman's Francie imitation makes Francie sound like an annoying, idiotic Valley Girl. Seriously, you wonder why Syd would hang out with such a ditz. Ditto the college-age guys – Foreman tries to masculinize her voice, but she just sounds like a dumb surfer, or an even dumber Valley Dude. Quite annoying.

I probably won't go out of my way to buy any of the other prequels on CD, but at its best, ALIAS: RECRUITED made me want to break out Season 1 on DVD.

http://www.easyvegan.info/2009/04/12/alias-recruited-by-lynn-mason/ show less

I always enjoyed the tv show Alias, so when I picked up some tie-in novels for my sister, I decided to read them before sending them to her. Recruited tells the story of how Sydney Bristow, exemplary student but shy and withdrawn, first joins SD-6, covert branch of the CIA. Some well-known characters from the show appear, including Francie, Jack, Sloan, and a cameo by Dixon.

Recruited certainly isn't the best tie-in novel I've ever read; Sydney is depicted as a little too immature and show more socially awkward at the start and grows up unrealistically fast once she joins the agency. However, it's a quick read and for fans of the tv show, a fun way to visit old friends. show less

Sydney's story continues in this novel, taking us back to a time when SD-6 was a place to be proud of working for. The younger more insecure version of miss Bristow was quite intriguing. However, I found it very difficult to believe how immature Sydney acted. She spent a lot of time looking at 'hot guys' and hoping to get a date. Even at nineteen-I think she had better things to do.
I did however like to see the combat training sessions and such. It was interesting to see how SD-6 prepares show more they're agents before they hit the feild.
It was a pretty good book. Nice, easy read. I finished it in a day. It was worth it. A must read for Alias fanatics like me. show less