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Rob Ballister

Rob Ballister

has 9 followers and is following 16 people

Greetings! I'm an active duty Naval Officer who left NJ at the age of 17 to attend the US Naval Academy. Despite being trained as an engineer, I try and flaunt my creative side. GOD DOES HAVE A SENSE OF HUMOR, my first book, was one of those creative outlets. It is my take on the funny and not so funny things that have happened to me in my... more »
  • MD, USA
  • member since October 23, 2010

Reviews

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Displaying 1-10 of 76 reviews
  • Crescent Dawn
    • Rated 3 stars

    “CRESCENT DAWN is another one of Clive/Dirk Cussler's cookie-cutter Dirk Pitt adventure. There's an ancient mystery, a beyond evil villian or villains, a beautiful woman (this time it's Dirk Jr. who falls for the beauty instead of his now married old man) and Giordino spouting off one-liners that get worse with time.

    I admit, I read Clive Cussler because I LIKE the formula, but I have to admit that it does seem the duo is running out of ideas. I did like how this book extended a bit longer than usual after the bad guys were dead, showing the impact of the ages old mystery that started the ball rolling. In previous books, that takes seldom more than a few pages; this had almost a whole section devoted to it.

    Many reviewers said "enough already, we are tired of this formula," but that's why I read this one, and why I will read the next one and the one after that. At this point, it's more loyalty than anything else.

    If you like Cussler, this is passable; if you don't and this is the first Cussler book you pick up, you might not be back. Start with something WAY earlier, like RAISE THE TITANIC or DEEP SIX. ”

    Rob Ballister wrote this review 2 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink )
  • Rogue Defender

    Rogue Defender

    by John R. Monteith
    • Rated 5 stars

    “John Monteith's ROGUE DEFENDER is the fourth installment in the "Rogue" series, and is yet another testament to both the author's skill and his submarine experience.

    Jake Slate is back, but this time he knows his heart may not be in his latest mercenary mission. Still, he agrees to help his friend Pierre defend Taiwan against mainland China's aggression, which the United States is unwilling to do. The stakes ratchet ever higher as the use of tactical nuclear weapons by the Taiwanese is first considered and then authorized, threatening to escalate the entire region into a full on nuclear fight. In the moment of truth, with his finger on the trigger, will Jake kill again, or will he let his anger guide him to a less violent solution?

    Monteith's "Rogue" series are full of solid technical facts coupled with keen storytelling. As with the first three, this moves quickly and keeps the reader engaged throughout, climaxing in an unforeseen but rewardable conclusion to this chapter.

    If you like Tom Clancy, Larry Bond, Jeff Edwards, Dale Brown, etc, you need to give Monteith a shot.”

    Rob Ballister wrote this review Thursday, April 4, 2013. ( reply | permalink )
  • The Seventh Angel
    • Rated 5 stars

    “Jeff Edwards' THE SEVENTH ANGEL brings back the USS Towers for another techno-thriller that belongs on the shelf next to Dale Brown and Tom Clancy.

    Everyone knows Russia has kept less than close tabs on her nuke arsenal, and when one of her provinces throws in with the Chinese and puts a Missile boat to see with nuclear ICBMs, bad things are going to happen. The United States' ballistic missile defense will be put to the test, and tens of thousands of lives will come down to how good CDR Bowie and his crew are.

    Jeff Edwards knows Navy technology, and knows how to WRITE about Navy technology. This story grabs the reader from the beginning and keeps the reader interested and engaged through the entire story. I especially like how Edwards interspersed documentary-like historical information about ballistic missiles as chapters throughout the story.

    Every bit as good as his first work, Sea of Shadows, this is a tough one to put down. Looking forward to the next installment! ”

    Rob Ballister wrote this review Thursday, February 28, 2013. ( reply | permalink )
  • Search for the Buried Bomber
    • Rated 2 stars

    “Xu Lei's SEARCH FOR THE BURIED BOMBER held my interest right up until the end. The story deals with Chinese prospectors investigating an underground Japanese base abandoned beneath China. As the prospectors go deeper and deeper underground, they find strange evidence in the camp, including a huge Japanese bomber that was assembled, and flown, underground. Along the way their number begin to succumb to various accidents and treachery, plus they find the corpses of a team sent in earlier that they knew nothing about.

    While the book is definitely Indiana Jones-esque in it's over the top archeological traps and discoveries, as entertainment I enjoyed reading it right up until the end. Mostly because there IS no end. The book just stops, leaving the reader wondering why they just wasted their time reading the book! No indication that conclusion will be presented in sequels either, so I was just left hanging and frustrated.

    In addition, the book appears to be written in formal English, meaning it doesn't flow very well and seems somewhat stoic, no doubt because the author is native Chinese.

    Not worth the effort, considering the ending. ”

    Rob Ballister wrote this review Thursday, February 28, 2013. ( reply | permalink )
  • "If I was President... My Blueprint for America"
    • Rated 4 stars

    “Marty Piatt is not a writer. He's an architect in federal service, but more importantly, he is an American. A THINKING American. An American who was fed up with mindless bureacracy and endless political bickering in Washington. Rather than simply hope things would get better, Marty put pen to paper and wrote down his ideas for a way out of the morass.

    That way forward is "IF I WAS PRESIDENT...MY BLUEPRINT FOR AMERICA," and it is a very thought-provoking read.

    Piatt begins by providing history into the establishment of our government, noting what each branch and facet was intended to do, and what they are actually doing. He then builds on the foundation to delve into the issues America is facing (debt, war, immigration, space exploration, etc.) and addresses each by identifying the problem and saying what he would do to fix it if he were in the Oval Office.

    You won't like some of his ideas. Heck, you may not like any of them. Piatt's writing style can seem a bit amateurish at times, but that only adds to the authenticity; this book isn't written to sell, it's written by one American to fix America, and to make you THINK. Even if you disagree with each of his points, you WILL at least think about the issue, and that in itself makes it worth reading. If every American put the amount of thought into politics that Piatt has (me included) maybe things wouldn't be as clouded and convoluted as they are.

    I agree with many of the ideas. Some I don't. That doesn't matter. I applaud the effort, the exercising of his right to free speech, and his willingness to put himself out there and force people to think. ”

    Rob Ballister wrote this review Sunday, February 10, 2013. ( reply | permalink )
  • The Military Dimension : Mark II
    • Rated 5 stars

    “No question that David Drake is one of the pre-eminent military SF writers out there, and this book is a microcosm of what makes him so great. Realistic action, gritty characters, and a quick moving story make these stories some of the better examples of Drake writing out there.

    Some of these stories are based on Drake's own experience in Vietnam, all but one with a SF twist (will talk about that later). Others are about combat in the future, but from a grunt's perspective, so they still involve the soldier putting his neck on the line in closing with and destroying the enemy.

    Notable standouts that will stay with me for a while are "Something Had to Be Done," about a vampire who gets drafted into the Army, and "The Way We Die." The latter is the only non-SF story in the book (at least I couldn't detect an SF element). It's about the officer-enlisted relationship and how it can go horribly south from an enlisted man's point of view. As a military officer myself, the lesson hit home.

    Unlike many books, the Introduction and Afterword are both worth reading as well, as they speak to Drake's motivatio for writing, and provide a background which make the stories that much more believable.

    Overall, Drake fans will get more of what they love, and newbies to Drake's work will come back for more.

    If you don't find this review helpful, please leave a comment as to why so I can improve future reviews. ”

    Rob Ballister wrote this review Friday, February 1, 2013. ( reply | permalink )
  • SKINFLICKS The Inside Story of the X-Rated Video Industry
    • Rated 3 stars

    “Absolutely learned a lot about the adult industry from this book, and for the most part found it entertaining. However, it did dive VERY deeply into a lot of legal issues, and dealt with them in such a way that I really began to lose interest.

    Author wrote from a first person perspective, in chronological order, and doesn't glamorize or villainize the adult industry; he pretty much just relays his experiences. As the author was a camera man, director, and distributor, his perspective is significantly different from many of the books written by adult performers, and that in itself made it interesting.

    Good reference for papers or studies on the history of pornography in the US, or of the X-rated film industry in general. ”

    Rob Ballister wrote this review Thursday, January 24, 2013. ( reply | permalink )
  • Confessions of the hundred hottest porn stars : intimate, funny, outrageous, sexy, instructional and shocking tell-alls from the biggest names in the biz
    • Rated 4 stars

    “Picked this out because I like reading about the lives of porn stars in their own words. Have read Ron Jeremy: The Hardest (Working) Man in Showbiz, Girlvert: A Porno Memoir, and several other books by adult stars, and always am impressed by the honesty. So I was eager to pick up one HUNDRED stories written by the performers themselves.

    Overall, fans of the adult industry will enjoy this. While there are a few "I like a LOT of sex" stories (which felt forced and less than genuine) there are a more that are honest, insightful, and even well written.

    A few notes: Unless you watch adult films 24/7, and in all different genres, you won't recognize every performer in here. "100 hottest" in the title may be a stretch, but the the author does do a good job of picking stars from different eras and genres of the adult industry, so there's a good cross-section here.

    Many are well-written. Some are not. The author compiled the stories, but did not alter the essays much. Some porn stars are incredibly intelligent and literate people; some are not. Both provided essays for this book.

    Fast moving read, and I like the pictures of the performers after each story (all tasteful, with some nudity). ”

    Rob Ballister wrote this review Friday, December 21, 2012. ( reply | permalink )
  • Bedfellows

    Bedfellows

    by Bob Garfield
    • Rated 4 stars

    “Bob Garfield's BEDFELLOWS is sure to be the most hysterical book you have ever read about the topics of organized crime and mob warfare. In the tradition of [[ASIN:0451205766 The Godfather]] and [[ASIN:0345441702 The Sicilian]], this book has Dons, hitmen, beautiful women, and corrupt cops. In addition, it has a hitman who has never once killed anyone even by accident, a mob daughter with a much larger bra size than IQ, a sandwich salesman who is a few slices of pepperoni short of a sub, and Amway.

    The Donato crime family is in serious trouble. Revenues are declining, the russians are moving in on their turf, and not worst of all, they seem to be losing their edge when it comes to being a feared crime family. Don Donato and his crew of semi-competent mobsters must band together before they lose influence in their own neighborhood...or worse, have to go legit.

    The book is almost farcical, the way it portrays the gangsters, mixing stereotypes with complete absurdity. For example, the only hitman the crew can afford is an outrageously stereotyped Jewish chiropractor. But the humor surrounding the violence that goes with any mob story makes the book. Garfield's character dialogue and situation descriptions will keep you smiling (when you aren't flat out laughing).

    Definite crude humor, violence and language. More of an "R" than a "PG-13." But definitely a great read.

    Fans of Christopher Moore will seriously enjoy this book.

    ”

    Rob Ballister wrote this review Sunday, December 9, 2012. ( reply | permalink )
  • Girlvert
    • Rated 4 stars

    “You never know what you are going to get when you read a porn star bio. It could be an amateurish whine-fest with some arousing sexual experiences [[ASIN:0972747001 Lights, Camera, Sex!]], or it might be Ron Jeremy's [[ASIN:0060840838 Ron Jeremy: The Hardest (Working) Man in Showbiz]], which is surprisingly well written. This book is closer to the second, though it really turns up the shock value. Small pulls no punches in her description of either the actors or the actions that comprised her adult film career, and her brutal honesty at times was almost too much to handle.

    However, as the book follows Small through the transformation from Oriana Small to porn star Ashley Blue, the reader is struck by both the brutal language and the brutal honesty. Small doesn't hold back when discussing her mistakes (drugs, yes, porn, no) and the feelings and needs that were created and satisfied along the way. Even with all the cruel language, the book is well written, moves well, and holds the reader's interest.

    Despite some truly horrible situations, one stops short feeling sorry for Small, as her unbeatable attitude comes shining through. At the end of it, I was almost proud of her, and definitely happy for her. Not what I expected, but worth the effort.

    Those interested in the sex industry will find this book interesting. Those who may want to keep their children OUT of the sex industry may also find it valuable.”

    Rob Ballister wrote this review Thursday, November 1, 2012. ( reply | permalink )
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Displaying 1-10 of 76 reviews

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