NOVEMBER 2007 REVIEWS:

LOYALTY’S WEB
Joyce DiPastena, iUniverse, 2007, $18.95, pb, 300pp, 9780595432264
    Set in twelfth-century France, this novel focuses on the reign of Henry II of England and the uprisings and revolts that occurred in his Frankish provinces. The drama centers around the Earl of Gunthar, who is sent by King Henry to make sure that Prince Richard and his vassals follow the terms of the peace treaty. A number of assassination attempts happen to Gunthar as soon as he arrives in the county of Poitou, and clues point to the rebellious Prince Richard as the culprit. The family and friends of Helene de Laurant appear to be involved, but young Helene convinces Gunthar that her acquaintances are falsely accused, and she assists him in his investigation to find the real perpetrators. Along the way, Gunthar and Helene develop a mutual attraction, and as they close in on a number of possible leads, their love for each other blinds them to other, more sinister suspects closer than they could ever imagine.
    I enjoyed the author’s writing style throughout. Her medieval history degree serves her well, as she weaves the novel amid the various historical personages and places. -- Brad Eden

A CERTAIN WANT OF REASON
Kate Dolan, Cerridwen Press, 2007, $11.99/£9.99, pb, 259pp, 9781419950551
    The hero of this tale is almost engaged to a female he has no wish to marry, yet feels unable to disappoint due to the deathbed promise her mother and his made to each other. Accordingly, he hits upon the idea of pretending to be mad so that his not-quite-fiancée will no longer wish to marry him. This is a very brave plot device, as there is something decidedly unsexy about insanity.
    Enter the heroine, a young woman who is the de facto guardian of her twin siblings, both of whom appear to suffer from an extreme form of obsessive compulsive disorder. It is thus inevitable that she meets the hero at the point where he is giving a public demonstration of just how insane he is. She is also present the second time he does so, with disastrous results, as her brother decides he is a villainous highwayman he must detain and attacks him (he currently thinks he's a Bow Street Runner).
    The hero is wounded, but the brother is hauled off to Bedlam. The heroine appeals to have him released, but due to the attack he is considered dangerous, and her appeal fails. Accordingly, she hits on the notion of disguising herself as a nun and smuggling him out, which seems to lack originality. Meanwhile, the hero has been consigned to a private madhouse by his nearest and dearest, unfortunately the same madhouse the heroine chooses for her brother. It's all great fun, but was spoiled for me as the successful resolution of the plot depends on something I know to be completely historically impossible.
    However, if you are not too bothered by that sort of thing, and you like a good Regency romance with engaging characters, then this will be right up your street. -- Cas Stavert

HMS SEAWOLF
Michael A. Fowler, Boson Books, 2008, $16.95, pb, 262pp, 1932482520 (paper), 1932482539 (ebook)
    HMS Seawolf is an adventure story of the American Revolution from the perspective of the British Navy. British Lieutenant Gabriel “Gabe” Anthony is in command of Seawolf, a brigantine assigned to protect a convoy containing at least one ship laden with gunpowder, when an accident occurs that leaves Gabe on the east coast of America. Gabe’s friends and brother, Admiral Gil Anthony, cannot accept his loss and form a party to rescue the young lieutenant.
    Taken in after his accident by slaves and a plantation owner’s niece, Gabe forms an attachment to the young American woman. When his friends arrive to liberate him, Gabe must defend his American sweetheart and other victims of her uncle’s white slaving operation. Once restored to his ship and command, though lamenting the necessity of separation from his new love, Lieutenant Anthony plans and participates in the protection of Nova Scotia from American privateers in the exciting conclusion of HMS Seawolf.
    HMS Seawolf, with likeable characters, humor, exciting battle scenes and adventure, is marred by numerous textual errors, including dialogue that would have been better left as exposition. In any several cases, this important information has already been presented in the introduction, and the author should assume his readers are not skipping any part of the story. -- Eva Ulett

DRAGON OF THE MANGROVES
Yasuyuki Kasai, iUniverse, 2006, $12.95, pb, 152pp, 0595390269
    There is something both simple and complex to this story, much like haiku and ink painting. There is also something thrilling and horrifying to know the tale is based on true events. The short novel uses simple language to tell in a direct way the tale of the evacuation of the Japanese 28th army from Ramree Island in the face of the ally counteroffensive.
    The tale is told from two perspectives. Superior Private Minoru Kasuga, an enlisted machine gunner, is trying to escape from the island and its deadly bombardment and attacks. Second Lieutenant Yoshihisa Sumi, an intellectual who only became an officer to escape the drudgery of the infantry, is sent on an impossible and possibly suicidal rescue mission to evacuate soldiers from the island. What neither men expects is that the most horrifying thing they will encounter is not gunfire or bombs but man-eating crocodiles.
    The tale is intriguing by the seemingly absurd notion that in a time of armed conflict, the true terror is not a man but a natural beast. The book is subtly clever. The seemingly straightforward tale touches upon class conflict, Japanese culture, the value of human life, and the classic theme of man versus nature. The compact story will pass quickly, but leaves the reader thinking for some time after.
    Dragon of the Mangroves also deserves attention for being an English- language novel written from the viewpoint of the Japanese in WWII. Western readers will find the account of the Japanese fighting against the British Indian soldiers a fresh perspective. -- Amanda Yesilbas

THE HANGING OF BETSEY REED
Rick Kelsheimer, Infinity Publishing, 2007, $15.95, pb, 258pp, 0741440229
    Nathan Crockett lives in the wilderness of southeastern Illinois during the 1840s—a time when hunters and trappers ruled the area. He meets the mysterious Betsey Reed and her husband Leonard by chance and is immediately and inextricably drawn into their lives. Though Betsey has a reputation as a healer with mysterious gifts, strange things tend to happen when she is around, and her bizarre behavior leads the locals to believe that she’s a witch. When Leonard dies, his troubled niece Eveline accuses Betsey of poisoning him to death, leading to a sensationalistic (and not quite fair) trial.
    Kelsheimer’s fast-paced tale is based on the true story of the only woman ever to be hanged in the state of Illinois. Betsey is an outsider in her own community, one whose behavior is the result of years of childhood abuse and torment. The narrator, Nathan Crockett, has a love-hate relationship with Betsey—he is drawn to her and maintains that she is innocent, but he also fears her apparent power over the people around her. Kelsheimer is a native of southeastern Illinois, near the area where Betsey Reed lived, and he conducted a significant amount of research on the case and on those involved. The characters include both real people and invented characters, and all are portrayed realistically. (Of course, as with any historical novel of this era about Illinois, Abe Lincoln makes a brief appearance.)
    The novel is heavy on dialogue, which keeps the pace quick, and the plot progresses rapidly enough to maintain the reader’s interest. This was frontier justice, cruel though it was, and Kelsheimer has captured it quite effectively.
-- Nanette Donohue

THE END OF SORROW: A Novel of the Siege of Leningrad in WWII
J. V. Love, WingSpan Press, 2007, $21.95, pb, 404pp, 1595941657
    In 1941, Nazi Germany broke the Nazi-Soviet Nonaggression Pact by invading an ill-prepared Russia and faced a Red Army paralyzed by its own political purges and shortage of weapons. The novel primarily follows the tale of Felix and Katya, a pair of lovers, as they cope with the terror and trials of the siege of Leningrad. Skillfully-drawn locations and carefully-nuanced characters make this book emotionally devastating at times, with the depiction of the unimaginable horrors of the conflict, as well as bittersweet at the poignant moments that celebrate life. The book explores what people become when faced with soul-stealing violence and the difficult battle to retain humanity and decency in the face of dehumanizing events. In this case, the dehumanizing events reach beyond the war and anonymous violence to corrupt government, prejudice, and selfish impulse. The city of Leningrad, now known as St. Petersburg, is almost a character in itself. Despite the devastation and ruin, the city continues to live in the hard times and later blooms again with life, music, and art created during the struggle.
    This story can be challenging at times, but the story is well told and likely to stay with the reader. This novel is recommended for anyone interested in the Russian/Nazi front of World War II and those looking for a moving read.
-- Amanda Yesilbas

RIDE UPON THE STORM
Ann Neve, Matador, 2007, £7.99, pb, 311pp, 9781905886999
    Alec Tovell has spent a twenty-year career serving his country in the military. He’s fought bravely in India as well as in the Boer War, but his drinking problem has kept him from being promoted beyond the rank of private. At the dawn of World War I, he finds himself assigned to a Coastguard station in a small town on the Norfolk coast rather than on the front lines of battle. He and a number of other soliders are taking the place of the local Coastguard, who have been sent off to war, and the soldiers are lodging with local families. Tovell moves in with a coastguard’s wife whose husband is fighting in the war, and he soon finds that Ginny and her two children give him the security and stability of a family—something he has never experienced.
    Ride Upon the Storm is a story of enduring faith and bravery on the home front. Tovell is obnoxious at the beginning of the novel—frankly, he’s a drunken mess—but as he grows to love Ginny, he sobers up and learns to consider the consequences of his actions. Ginny is a small-town girl with a dark secret that has caused her a great deal of pain. As with most novels about small towns, there’s a colorful group of supporting characters, including Mrs. Gillings, a busybody with a surprisingly soft heart; Lily, a young woman whose older husband is an early casualty of the War; and Lydia Brewster, whose loveless marriage leads her to find true love with her lodger.
    Though some of the events of the novel are slightly predictable, it is still a highly-satisfying read. Readers who enjoy gentle stories with happy endings will appreciate Ms. Neve’s first published novel. A sequel, which takes place in the same town during World War II, is planned. -- Nanette Donohue


CHAUCER’S TRIUMPH
Garry O’Connor, Petrak Press, 2007, £15.99, hb, 294pp, 9780955376801
    The year is 1399, and John of Gaunt is dead. His body is laid out for all to see in chapels across England for forty days to earn his soul’s redemption. The final four days provide the backdrop for O’Connor’s vibrant adventure. Adam Scriveyn, Chaucer’s scaly, red-faced, narrow-minded scribe, is brought to life. He is determined to uncover the truth behind a dropped court charge of ‘rape’ (still debated today by scholars as either meaning rape or abduction) brought against Chaucer twenty years before the novel began. Scriveyn’s belief in his noble cause and his willingness to believe the worst of people show him without compassion, but numerous shocking events and political machinations he witnesses are testament to the fact that no one is capable of complete disinterested goodness or virtue. The ever-present stench of John of Gaunt’s corpse reflects the moral and physical corruption that pervades their society.
    Those who have not studied Chaucer’s works should not be deterred. O’Connor skillfully weaves Chaucer’s tales and poems into the novel as Chaucer teaches Adam about the nature of men and women, and of the many compromises that one must endure to survive in the cut-throat political world of the nobility and their servants. Narration is shared by many characters, creating a cacophony of voices in the first part of the book, but becomes more focused by mid-point. The voices of Chaucer, Scriveyn, and Chaucer’s sister-in-law Katherine Swynford are particularly strong, and their characters are interesting and well-developed. O’Connor’s greatest achievement is his warm, wise, and humorous portrayal of the poet Chaucer. All of the vibrancy revealed in Chaucer’s works flows through O’Connor’s portrayal, and the reader will look forward to every chapter narrated by the poet.
    Chaucer’s Triumph is indeed a triumph, and one worth sharing.
-- Catherine A. Perkins

THE DAYS OF PELEG
Jon Saboe, Outskirts Press, 2007, $19.95/C$24.95, pb, 619pp, 1598008099
    Peleg, a cartographer and scholar, is a relatively young man at age 120 when he is chosen to participate in the Great Discovery, a twelve-year journey by ship to discover their world that had been destroyed centuries earlier by a great flood and then further divided by a sudden loss of a common language. The mission is to create maps, investigate colonies, and document the world’s remnants. The promise of a hero’s welcome and a great scientific conference is their reward upon return.
    Peleg and his shipmates, including his rambunctious friend Serug, enjoy and endure many adventures at sea and on land as they discover communities in hereto thought uninhabited areas. Eventually, Peleg meets Shem, whose philosophical lectures strain Peleg’s comprehension of Lifeforce and cause him to question his prior scholarship. A parallel storyline involves the political and religious activities in Peleg’s home town of Ur during his excursion.
    Saboe’s novel, self-described as historical science fiction, blends ancient history, Biblical literature, and fiction in a way that is enjoyable to follow despite the occasional typos and lapses in proper punctuation. Eventually, the novel takes a turn towards proselytizing, which slows the storyline and is heavy-handed at times, but does assist the reader with connecting Saboe’s well-researched historical events and legends with the terminology used in the novel.
    Several appendices and a glossary are provided, however, having a background in Biblical literature is helpful with comprehension. An informative website further reveals how fact is translated into his fiction. Despite a few technical flaws and the dogmatic tone in the latter part of the book, Days of Peleg will be appreciated by anyone seeking a different perspective on man’s early history. -- Suzanne J. Sprague

CAPPAWHITE
Gerald Tate, The Derwent Press, 2006, £7.99/$14.99, pb, 273pp, 1846670195
    Otis Tweedy is an African-American ex-policeman married to Irish-born Sarah in 1960s California. With his career ended by injury and weary of prejudice, Sarah is all Otis has left. When she inherits a home in the Irish village of Cappawhite, they decide to make a fresh start. But Cappawhite is no Irish postcard—it's a town of people with dark secrets, bad memories, and personal demons. Soon, strange events lead Sarah to believe that one of these demons may be real. Otis dismisses this stereotypical Irish superstition with stereotypical American brusqueness, but as events unfold he realizes there really is something lurking in Cappawhite, and its next victim may be his wife.
    I enjoy unapologetic horror stories, and Cappawhite has some scary moments. Some readers may be put off by the amount of gore; being raised on Stephen King, I was not traumatized. The historical element is brought in through a prologue, epilogue, and flashbacks. These play no major role except to give scope to the mythology. I found Sarah a little bland—her role was basically perpetual victim—and it took me awhile to warm to Otis, but this was made up for by the great cast of supporting characters, each one with his/her own backstory and a role to play in the conclusion. I cared about them all, and my interest was held until the final twist ending.
    The main drawback was the typographical and editing errors throughout the book. I'm told these are corrected in the new printing; I hope so, because their distraction made it difficult to suspend disbelief and enjoy the story. Beyond that, Cappawhite is a straightforward, creepy tale. If you enjoy monsters and folklore, and aren't bothered by blood, this book could be a good evening's read. -- Heather Domin

THE NEW BEDFORD SAMURAI
Anca Vlasopolos, Twilight Times Books, 2007, $35, pb, 268pp, 9781931201926,
    An interesting fusion of nonfiction, historical information, and the environmental effects of 19th-century globalization, this book tells the story of Manjiro Nakahama, a Japanese boy who in 1841 runs away from home. His adventures with four older men on a fishing boat, being cast ashore on a deserted island with his shipmates, his rescue by an American whaling boat, and his return to Japan where he becomes a samurai, are all interspersed with contemplative sections on various animals, places, and other fascinating tales related to environmental pollution and declining species due to man’s industrial revolution.
    The blend between historical action and current concerns is expertly woven by the author. A partial bibliography is included for those who wish to explore and learn more about the issues portrayed in the novel. The New Bedford Samurai is a wonderful and exciting tale, as well as an informative tome.
-- Brad Eden

MOLOKA’I NUI AHINA: Summers on the Lonely Isle
Kirby Wright, Lemon Shark Press, 2007, $19.95, hb, 330pp, 9780974106724
    As boys during the 1960s, Jeff and his older brother Ben spent their summers with their paternal grandmother, Julia Daniels, on the island of Moloka’i. Julia is a tough woman whose character suits the untamed landscape of Moloka’i, a former leper colony and one of the few sparsely settled Hawai’ian islands. Jeff is a bit shy, but Julia takes him under her wing and helps him grow into a confident, focused young man. At the same time, we witness changes on Moloka’i, as the island progresses from a sparsely-populated no-man’s-land to a developer’s paradise.
    As this is, at heart, the story of a young man’s coming-of-age, there are a lot of lessons to be learned about life and love. Wright’s tale is folkloric in tone and style, with a varied and entertaining (and often comic) cast of characters, including Julia’s eccentric ex-husband, known to the boys as Uncle Chipper. The pace is quick, and the dialogue is peppered with Hawai’ian phrases, some of them quite salty—but that merely adds to the realism of the characters. Wright conveniently provides a glossary at the end of the book for readers who aren’t familiar with the language.
    Since the period when this book was set, developers have been successful at attracting tourists to Moloka’i, so Julia’s rough-and-tumble way of life may be disappearing as we speak, replaced by the tourist trade and faux-Hawai’iana. Moloka’i Nui Ahina gives the reader a slice of true Hawai’ian life and a fine coming-of-age story. This is an entertaining novel that will appeal to young adult and adult audiences. -- Nanette Donohue

CHILDREN'S AND YOUNG ADULT

JONATHAN HODGE AND THE SECRET OF AARGONE
Franklin DeWitt, Tate Publishing, 2007, $13.99, pb, 203pp, 9781598868791
    Historical fantasy and adventure set during the American War of Independence.
    When he was six years old Jonathan Hodge nearly drowned in a lake, but he was rescued by a guardian angel and given special powers. But he was to use these powers only to defeat evil.
    When the War of Independence breaks out, Jonathan goes with his uncle to join the Continental Army. One day Jonathan intercepts a musket ball intended for Washington – and his secret is out. But Jonathan’s identity is to be kept secret and he is to wear a mask when fighting the fifty-foot monsters who rise up in New York Harbour and even fly over the heads of the Continental Congress in Philadelphia. And so Jonathan becomes the Masked Patriot of the Colonies.
    The action is wide ranging. As his uncle is aide to Washington, this means that Washington plays a prominent role in the story. There is a description of the reading of the Declaration of Independence, and the horrors of Valley Forge are vividly portrayed.
    Franklin DeWitt said that he wrote this book to combine his own love of history with a superhero to attract a young adult audience. In this case I think it unfortunate that the book does not contain historical notes. I feel that the target readers would need more explained to them.
    I also feel that for the targeted readership this book would have worked better as a graphic novel. There a Superman-like character flying to defeat the monsters would have very real possibilities for both reluctant readers and also for reluctant historians.
    This book is certainly not for the traditionalists, but it is a courageous attempt to bring history alive for a generation reared on fantasy.  Ages 10+
-- Mary S. Moffat

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