The X-Mas War

Rating:
Summary: MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW
Review: At first this read seemed quite overwhelming to me, but slowly I began to read the many stories that were presented, and I was impressed.

An anthology of four books, the author overlaps storylines, using letters from soldiers, news reports, and stories to bring the reader into the world of the soldier and the world of war.
This is an excellent work, portraying the heart of the soldier in each word read, as the author writes to bring you, the reader, an understanding of human conflict from past, present and future! I was engrossed with the story of Manny, I believe that was my favorite part. Mr. Malensek words allowed me feel Manny's tribulations. His fears and concerns, very good!
My husband and father-in-law asked me to please let them read this work after I was finished. They are both prior military, and I am sure will devour the words of this book in no time. I still have not decided if I will let them. (smile)

I believe for a man, or a woman, who is in military service, this read would be like a delicious piece of their favorite cake; however, a harder read for those not interested in this arena. I do however feel, if others would take the time to read this work, they would understand fuller the heart of man, the horror of war.
Perhaps the cover page says it all!

I take my hat off to Mr. Malensek for the intense labor that surely had to go into completing this work, and highly recommend this for any that are interested in the deep recesses of military conflict, and
are wanting to share in the heart of a soldier. Mr. Malensek's skill as a writer is evident in "The X-Mas War" as he weaves his words on the paper,as an artist would paint their picture on a canvas!

Shirley Johnson/Reviewer

Rating:
Summary: Worth the money
Review: I was very interested in reading this book and I am glad I purchased it. It is an anthology of various books written by Mr. Malensek and once I started reading it, I couldnt put it down.

The war (or I should say wars) takes place between 2010 - 2011. Most of the story is told by diary entries or news releases, with some narrative in between. I served in the military 12 years and I can honestly say the author knows what he is talking about and I like how he doesn't include some gee-whiz high tech gadgets that a person in this year can't visualize. He has the various soldiers using equipment that is in use today (with the exception of the aresenal ships).

My only real complaint with the book is it seems as if nobody proof read it after it was completed. There are numerous grammtical errors. The biggest complaint is the dates of some of the events do not match up. Example: The author writes how on Jan 31, 2011 the news reports that two US aircraft carriers were sunck off the coast of North Korea, but on the next page one of the characters is writing about the battle and stated it happened that day, the day he is writing his entry is Feb 3, 2011. Also there is a section of the book where the dates are totally messed up.

Overall this is a well written and excellent story and it was worth every penny.

Rating:
Summary: Ok Maybe I Overexagerated
Review: In a previous review of this book, my words were perhaps ill-choosen and put down in the heat of the moment. I basically picked apart and trashed Scott Malensk's book without full justification seeing how I am not a published author. (Not yet anyhow) While I will not change my rating of the book I do retract the majority of things said in the review. Until I have the time to write a more appropriate review let me just leave it at this: I did not enjoy the book, it was not what I expected, but I do believe that with the proper edits it can be made into a novel that has the potential to be big. Very big