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Autumn 2004
Reviews:
THE ADVENTURES OF GIULIO MAZARINI: In the
Service of Constable Colonna
Arkady Alexeev, AuthorHouse, 2004, $22.95, pb,
422pp, 1418439266
This novel is based on the seventeenth-century life of Giulio Mazarini.
Mazarini, who began his career as a servant-companion to an Italian noble
family, later moved into Vatican political life as a confidant of Cardinal
Richelieu and eventually became a ruler of France. This novel is the first of
four volumes.
The novel begins with Mazarini and his Italian
friend/employer/companion Geronimo Colonna being attacked, robbed, and held for
ransom. The action follows these two as they meet various personages, political
figures, and women. They later settle legal proceedings against the robbers who
attacked them. Mazarini’s love of gambling and living life on the edge is often
brought out in the storytelling. The author occasionally stops the action to
introduce various personages, describing who they are and their place in
history, and important events that direct the lives of both Mazarini and
Colonna. At the end of this first book, Colonna sends a letter to his father in
Italy instructing him to prevent Mazarini from marrying the woman he loves so he
will not jeopardize a bright and brilliant career in the Vatican.
While I had no problem following lines of thought and
action within the novel, I found it distracting that conversation was indicated
through dashes in front of sentences rather than by the traditional use of
quotation marks. Perhaps the author has decided to self-publish through
AuthorHouse in order to avoid extensive delay and editorial corrections to the
publication of his four-volume series, but the casual approach taken to the
presentation and publication will result in less marketing and overall
availability in the general marketplace. This would be a shame, as the
storyline and action are interesting, and it is obvious that the author enjoys
this particular topic.
Brad Eden
A SERPENT CHERISHED
Ann Roscopf Allen, iUniverse, 2004, $16.95, pb,
252pp, 0595322093
Mary Eliza Pillow is the widow of a well-known
Confederate general—and she’s destitute. When she realizes that she can no
longer keep up her glamorous lifestyle, she targets her neighbor, H. Clay King,
a colonel who served under General Pillow during the war. Colonel King is
wealthy and successful, with a productive farm and several properties in both
Arkansas and Tennessee, including a home in Memphis. Unfortunately for Mary
Eliza, King is also married—not happily, but married nonetheless, and his wife
will not grant him a divorce. Using her beauty and seductiveness, Mary Eliza
Pillow forces herself into Colonel King’s life, beginning a romantic and legal
entanglement that ends in murder.
The narration changes with each chapter, so readers are
exposed to the actions and inner thoughts of several different characters in the
novel. This makes the novel needlessly complex in the beginning, when the
readers are not yet familiar with all the story’s major players. It works well
after the first several chapters, because it helps to expose each character’s
peculiar motivations for their actions. Allen uses a wide variety of source
material, including letters and newspaper articles, to bring realism to the
story, which at times seems melodramatic and gratuitous. Readers who enjoy
having a hero or heroine to root for may be out of luck here—it’s difficult to
feel sympathetic towards any of the characters in the story, except perhaps Mary
Eliza’s long-suffering companion, Kizzie. Nevertheless, A Serpent Cherished
is highly readable, especially for those who enjoy the sordid side of human
relationships.
Nanette Donohue
ABRAHAM LINCOLN FOR THE DEFENSE
Warren Bull, PublishAmerica, 2003, $19.95, pb,
199pp, 1592868312
In Abraham Lincoln for the Defense,
Warren Bull introduces us to Lincoln twenty
years before he became president, and long before he became a national hero. In
1841, brothers Henry and William Trainor and their acquaintance, Archibald
Fisher, travel to Springfield, Illinois, from rural Warren County; Fisher then
mysteriously disappears during their visit. Though Springfield is the capital
of Illinois, it’s still a small town where people like to gossip. Soon, Henry
and William Trainor, along with their brother Arch, are suspected of foul play
in Fisher’s disappearance, and the residents of Springfield want justice. The
novel follows the investigation into Fisher’s murder and the Trainor brothers’
trial.
Abraham Lincoln
for the Defense is reminiscent of an episode of
the popular television program
Law and Order in that the reader is
presented with the facts of the case from several different sides of the story,
including each of the Trainor brothers, William Trainor’s daughter, the
postmaster of Springfield, an itinerant whiskey salesman named Kelly, and Mr.
Lincoln himself. Though this exposes some of the unsavory situations at play
during the investigation and trial, it can also be confusing, since the point of
view shifts, often dramatically, with every new chapter. In the first twenty
pages of the novel, there are so many characters presented that the reader needs
a glossary to remember who they are. Fortunately, Bull provides one at the end
of the book, but the distraction of flipping back and forth takes away from the
reading experience. The account of Arch and William Trainor’s trial is
fast-paced, but the ending is a foregone conclusion—the reader inherently knows
who will win. Recommended for fans of historical court cases or Lincoln buffs.
Nanette Donohue
HITLER HERE
George Thomas Clark, Three Point Press, 2005,
$19.95, 637pp, 0974731900
Hitler Here
is a biographical novel that traces the life of Hitler from his rise to power,
dominance of Germany in World War II, and ultimately his death. The novel is
cleverly constructed using short first-person narratives that span from a single
paragraph to five pages. The narratives are written from the point of view of
major historical players and personalities of the time period, including Goering,
Goebbels, Eva Braun, and Hitler himself, as well as the everyday man. This
unique combination of multiple perspectives dynamically brings the time period
to life. The frustrations and fears of Germany between 1914 and 1945 are made
urgent and real to the reader. The novel is painstakingly and excellently
researched, but it avoids reading like a textbook by putting a human face on the
events. The author avoids cartoonish villainization of the Hitler regime; he
instead portrays the individuals in a human manner by focusing on the mental
illnesses, social stigmas, physical defects, and addictions that shaped their
characters. This is not to say he is sympathetic, but rather that he
illustrates with precision their frightening madness, cunning, and brutality.
Hitler comes alive in a chillingly believable way that makes him even more
disturbing. The one exception to the wonderful character portrayal is that of
the women in the novel, who are stereotyped as shallow and vain. In short, this
book answers the question of how an atrocity like the rule of Hitler could
happen. This novel is excellent for the historical novice, as it clearly and
interestingly lays out the series of events leading up to and through World War
II. Due to the stunning amount of research and detail, this novel would also
appeal to any history buff.
Amanda Speight
PUG
SHERIDAN
Sandra Cline, Autumn Leaves Publishing, 2004, $15.00, pb,
288pp, 09754554
Pug Sheridan tells this story in the summer of 1918, her twentieth year. As she
looks back on her life, she tells the reader what it was like growing up in the
South at the turn of the century. In Pug’s neighborhood, we meet the very poor,
the well-to-do, blacks, Native Americans, Ku Klux Klan members, doctors,
ministers, and more. Pug moves from child to adolescent to married woman, all
the while being extremely open-minded for a person of that era.
Cline includes rape, murder, secret societies,
prejudice, and the natural versus the supernatural in this coming-of-age tale.
The reader must suspend disbelief when it comes to Pug’s intuitions and the
spirit visitations she experiences. Pug’s character is the most well
developed character in this novel. When reading about Pug’s experiences,
one feels she speaks with wisdom beyond her years. Other strong characters
include Pug’s father, Pug’s adopted Cherokee grandmother, and the perplexing
“witch” who lives in the nearby woods. These are all secondary characters,
yet vital to the young, developing life of Pug. Unfortunately, Pug’s
family is famous for their "sayings," trite clichés that often get in the way of
the reader’s enjoyment of the story.
The strength of the novel lies in Cline’s ability to
bring the idea of prejudice to the fore—prejudice in the American South,
prejudice in even the best of the characters in the story. When the reader
finishes the book, there is no doubt that no matter who one is or where one
lives, prejudice is a part of one’s background.
This novel will be appealing to fans of the
coming-of-age genre, particularly in the context of
America’s past history in the
early 1900s.
Naomi Theye
IOKASTE: The Novel of the Mother-Wife of Oedipus
Victoria Grossack & Alice Underwood, Publish America,
2004, $24.95, pb, 307pp, 1413726755
Sophocles’ Oedipus fulfilled the gods’ prophecy
that he would kill his father and marry his mother. Born of this is IOKASTE,
a vivid novel that imagines the life of the mother-wife of Oedipus, doomed by
prophecy. As the novel opens, Iokaste must accept her fate. Her unnatural
marriage must be punished. While she waits for death and the dawn, she tells her
story. Prophesied to be the next and greatest queen of Thebes, young Iokaste
quickly learns that to survive and excel as Queen, she must be quick-witted and
wary of the prophets and the fickle gods. Despite her struggle to escape
prophecy, Oedipus is born.
Believing him dead, Iokaste becomes a vibrant leader
whose political savvy exceeds her sensuality and beauty. Iokaste’s
weaknesses lay in her passion, haughtiness, and pride. Grossack and Underwood
create a glorious Queen, but her arrogance may undermine the reader’s sympathy
for her plight. IOKASTE is really about the women of Thebes. The men of
the tale are well represented, especially Iokaste’s doting brother Kreon and the
pious Oedipus, but they are ineffective in comparison.
The Sphinx is a brilliant creation of the authors, and the
most exciting element of this novel. To find the next King, Iokaste plans a
contest of wits, hosted and dominated by the deadly huntress known as the
“Sphinx,” a Dionysian priestess who embodies raw animal power and the
unpredictability of the gods. She alone is equal to Iokaste’s strength of will
and sensuality, and Iokaste is plagued by the threat she poses. These strong
characters dominate the novel and make IOKASTE a wonderful follow-up to
Oedipus Rex—a fast-paced, enjoyable read for anyone who has imagined how
this tragedy came to pass. The authors’ portrayal of the desperate human
struggle against prophecy is as spirited as the Queen herself.
Catherine A. Perkins
THE
AFRICAN JOURNALS OF PETROS AMM
Michael J. Hunt, BeWrite
Books, 2004, $18.35, pb, 453pp, 1-904492-57-6
This book opens with the wreck of a Portuguese ship off the
Wild Coast of South East Africa in 1814. When Petros Ammamanian is shipwrecked,
he becomes a man without a country and is subsequently adopted by the eLangeni
tribe. The second part of the book follows Theo, Petros’ son with a Zulu woman.
Theo is a transporter of goods in South East Africa who tries to find happiness,
love, and a comfortable niche for himself and his wives. These two parts of the
book are interwoven with another story line–that of Mark Mannion, who, after
meeting the great grandchildren of Petros in 1959, wants to help them track down
the lost journals of both Petros and Theo.
Hunt’s depiction of the land, people, and struggles of
Africa rings true. He
does a good job with his characters. They are strong and resourceful,
believable and courageous. Even though the history of Africa is complex, Hunt’s
descriptions and weaving of history with fiction are remarkable. The novel
describes many resourceful, powerful men and women in the historical context of
the developing continent of Africa. Adventure, love, tribal conflicts, political
events, the discovery of diamonds, and racial tensions all add to the thrills
and excitement.
Hunt’s exciting and historically detailed novel brings
the lives and loves of the African people to the reader. Any person who loves
historical fiction and is interested in
Africa’s past will find this a fascinating read.
Naomi Theye
COUSINS OF COLOR
William Schroder, Twenty First Century, Ltd., 2004,
$12.95, pb, 286pp, 1904433111
At the conclusion of the Spanish-American War in 1899, the
United States
began its first foray into imperialist expansionism when it assumed control of
the Philippines from Spain. Rather than a relatively brief conflict as
expected, the American forces found themselves fighting the independence-minded
Filipinos in a long, bloody clash. In William Schroder's well-researched novel,
the American occupation is experienced through the eyes of Private David Fagen,
a young, college-educated African American serving in the all-black 24th
Infantry. The patriotic Fagen is out to prove himself to his white countrymen,
but instead finds himself identifying with the Filipinos he's been sent to
fight. Not much has been written or is known about the African American men who
fought in the Philippines at the turn of the century, so Cousins of Color
makes for an interesting and unique read. The interweaving of historical
figures, including Fagen, with fictional characters is handled deftly. Schroder,
a veteran of combat in
Vietnam,
has done a fine job of capturing the daily life of a country under occupation,
as well as the military action as experienced by individuals on all sides of the
conflict. The only real weakness is the love story between Fagen and the female
revolutionary Clarita, which initially seems rather inexplicable, but which
later provides an impetus for the plot in the novel. Despite this minor
weakness, Cousins of Color will appeal to American and military history
buffs because of Schroder's attention to detail and his obvious love for the
subject. Recommended.
Catherine Collins
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