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from our archive: Autumn 2004 |
Spring 2005
Spring 2005 Reviews:
THE
TOLL GATE
Gordon Donnell,
Writers Club Press, 2001, $15.95, pb, 226pp, 0595171699
The Toll Gate
is set in 1919 as
millions of soldiers return from World War I, flooding a recession-plagued U.S.
economy that cannot support their influx. The story centers around Edwin
McIntyre, a sufferer of obsessive-compulsive disorder who has been released from
an insane asylum and sent by a railroad company to break up a strike and
communist menace in the frontier town of Denver, Colorado. Upon arriving in
town, McIntyre stumbles into the express car robbery and murder that essentially
becomes the focus of the novel.
The main character is supposed to be a mild-mannered
bookkeeper with obsessive tidiness compulsions who, when put under extreme
duress, undergoes a radical transition to murdering predator. Unfortunately,
the novel tends to fall flat in characterization. Everyone encountered in the
novel reads as a stereotype with little depth and substance, including
McIntyre. The book seems to have lofty aspirations of tackling both social and
political issues as well as portraying the struggle of one man’s fight for
redemption. However, it reads as a rough sketch instead of a fully fleshed out
novel. Soldiers are perhaps mentioned once, social inequality is thrown out in
passing but not explored, and communism is rapidly dealt with and forgotten. The
stereotypes are so strong that the novel often bounces between feeling like a
Western and a gangster movie. The reader is given few details to actually pin
down the time and setting. The human drama of McIntyre also does not become
obvious or meaningful until the closing pages of the book.
However, The Toll Gate does have moments of
interesting action which make it a page turner, and it does finally find its
stride and meaning in the last thirty pages of the book, giving the novel a
strong conclusion.
Amanda Speight
THE
BEND IN THE RIVER
Susan Gibbs,
Hawkshadow Publishing, 2001, $19.95, pb, 444pp, 097146670X
In 1877, 17-year-old Emma Jorden witnesses the death of her parents in Indian
Territory. She is subsequently rescued by the Cheyenne dog warrior, Shea
Hawkshadow, and this brave young half-breed becomes the first love of Emma’s
young life.
The story is essentially told in two interrelated
tales. The first tale describes Emma’s life between the time of her parents’
deaths and Shea Hawkshadow’s death. In the first half of the book, Gibbs
includes such issues as racial prejudice, violence against women, grief, and
betrayal. The second tale relates Emma’s life after Shea’s death. In this second
half, in addition to the issues formerly mentioned, Gibbs explores drug abuse,
mental illness, and Emma’s struggles to come to terms with the ghosts from her
past.
The strength of Gibbs's first novel is in her character
development. The reader is constantly amazed at Emma’s sense of self, her belief
in justice for all mankind, and the support she is able to give to those she
loves. Shea Hawkshadow, Emma’s half-breed husband, is also a very strong
character. His love for Emma enables him to leave his tribe and, with Emma,
strike out on a long journey in search of a better life. Many of the characters
in this novel are stronger or better than most people in real life. The men who
fall in love with Emma would meet any woman’s criteria for “best husband/friend
ever.” Occasionally the novel becomes contrived, when convenience or coincidence
help the story move along at a faster pace.
This novel will appeal to readers of romance novels
because this story has all of the elements commonly found in the genre--love,
sex, and betrayal.
Naomi Theye
CUNVAL'S MISSION
David Hancocks, Dinas, an imprint of Y Lolfa Cyf,
2004, £5.95, pb, 229pp, 0862437091
The story is told through Cunval, a Christian priest who, at twenty-one, is sent
to establish a mission parish at the estate of Celtic chieftain Yarl Brockvael.
This novel is set in sixth-century Wales after the Romans have withdrawn and
Saxon invasion threatens. The conversion of hostile Brockvael and his tribe
becomes the challenge of Cunval’s life. Cunval confronts Durwit, Brockvael’s
shaman, and faces other dangerous situations. He is banished from the
settlement, builds his own dwelling not far away, and spends time with the
children of the tribe. Although he is not allowed to teach the children
Christianity, he often finds ways to share important principles. Will the young
priest’s example of humble suffering, his prayers, and his advanced knowledge of
agriculture, carpentry, and other skills be enough to win this uncivilized tribe
to Christianity?
In this unique book, the author creates an authentic
account, faithful to the time period. However, the manuscript carries some
flaws in writing style. The main characters are believable, but others are
sketchily drawn. The author’s eagerness to share archeological knowledge seems
to overshadow his storytelling. Furthermore, the narrative carries
abundant passive voice.
The wealth of historical detail will draw some readers
but, with re-working, this book could draw a wider audience.
Judith Carroll
MYCENAEAN
CHRONICLE
William Harwood,
Xlibris, 2001, $21.99, pb, 290pp, 1401034365
According to the author’s statements, The Mycenaean Chronicle is the
telling of the Trojan War stripped of mythology. In essence, this sums up the
plot, but does little justice to the rich depth of the biting social and
political commentary of the work. The book recounts the events of the Trojan
War from the first-person perspective of an arrogant, pragmatic, and maddeningly
complex Agamemnon. The king who led the war against Troy recounts events of the
war after the sack of the city and prior to sailing back home.
Any reader familiar with W. H. D. Rouse’s plain English
prose translation of the Iliad will feel comfortable with how Harwood has
incorporated many classic conventions, such as the recounting of prince’s
lineages, into the work to lend it an air of authenticity. This retelling of the
Trojan War takes away the gods, the supernatural, and the saccharine love story
that is traditionally associated with the Trojan War. Instead, through
Agamemnon the story lays out solid economic and political reasons for the
invasion. The book exhibits its hard, cynical bite through Agamemnon dressing
up the war with religious pretexts in order to sell it to his allies. The
complex and arrogant nature of Agamemnon has him alternately scoffing at uniting
under the cheap ploy of religion and speaking as if he honestly believes it his
duty and right to enforce his belief on the heathens.
The book’s commentary spans far more than the Trojan
War. Sly integration of American slogans and Christian verse make the novel an
absolutely scathing criticism and condemnation of American policy, right-wing
conservatism, and Christianity. This novel is profane, raucous, bawdy, at times
obscene, and definitely not for the prudish, but it is a thought provoking and
entertaining read for anyone with an open mind.
Amanda Speight
THE HOUSE OF PENDRAGON, BOOK I: THE FIREBRAND
Debra A.
Kemp, Amber Quill Press, 2003, $17.00, pb, 266 pp, 1592798837
Using the legends of King Arthur as a basis, the author has told a stirring tale
of the childhood of Arthur’s daughter, Lin. Ignorant of her origins and
heritage, Lin grows up in dreadful conditions as a slave on Orkney. Property of
Queen Morgause, Arthur’s vicious sister, Lin is given to the queen’s youngest
son, Modred, as his personal slave. There is an implacable hatred between the
two young people, and Lin suffers rape, abuse, beatings, and many other
humiliations at his hands. Her defiance and determination not to let Modred
break her spirit and the bond between her and her ‘brother’ Dafydd make what
otherwise would be a heartbreaking tale bearable.
The writing is perfect for this kind of tale: almost
modern in its clarity, but with tiny touches here and there to remind one the
story is taking place in a time long ago. This is no idealized Arthurian time,
but a gritty portrayal of the Dark Ages with all its mud and blood. The
characterization is excellent: fierce, indomitable Lin; gentle Dafydd who has
music in his soul and longs to be a bard; sadistic, brutal Modred; and
beauteous, scheming Morgause spring to life from the page.
This finely crafted addition to the literature
concerning The Matter of Britain is a joy to read. There are hints of what is to
come in the next book in the series and I, for one, can’t wait.
Pamela
Cleaver
SHADES OF ARTEMIS: A NOVEL OF ANCIENT GREECE AND THE SPARTAN BRASIDAS
Jon Edward Martin,
PublishAmerica, 2004, $19.95, pb, 320pp, 1413745822
This novel is set in the fifth century B.C. in ancient Greece, immediately after
the combined forces of Athens and Sparta defeated the mighty Persian Empire.
The novel follows the fortunes of Athens, Sparta, and their natural rivalry
through the lives of three men: Brasidas, the main protagonist, whose unorthodox
yet highly successful strategies helped to forward Sparta’s military agenda;
Cleon, the Athenian demagogue; and the Athenian general Thucydides, whose
chronicles of the Peloponnesian War contain the historical basis for this novel.
The story begins by following the extensive military
training of Brasidas from an early age, his colleagues, the drama of his early
life, and his primary opponents. The drama moves back and forth between the
youths of Cleon and Thucydides in Athens, and that of Brasidas in Sparta. As
the story progresses, the reader follows the rise of these three men in their
respective historical positions, reaching a climax with Cleon becoming the
architect of war policy in Athens, Thucydides’ recording of the horrors of
ancient combat and the plague that strikes Athens, and Brasidas’s efforts to
bring an end to the Peloponnesian War with Athens.
This novel is well constructed, and the drama is
ongoing and exciting. The author provides a list of main characters at the
beginning of the book and a glossary of terms at the end. These two additions
helped me to follow the storyline much more easily, given that there are many
terms, places, and names that may be unfamiliar to most readers. Once
acclimated to the characters and the semantics, however, the author guides the
reader through the interesting lives and careers of the important men in Athens
and Sparta at the end of the Peloponnesian War.
Brad Eden
THE DRIFTERS: A
CHRISTIAN HISTORICAL NOVEL OF THE MELUNGEON SHANTY BOAT PEOPLE
Tonya Holmes Shook, Marquette Books, 2005,
$19.95, pb, 311pp, 092299319X
This novel takes place in America, beginning around the 1830s and ending after
the Civil War. The characters, Melungeon shanty boat people, are a biracial mix
of Cherokee and Caucasian bloodlines. Their story is told through the viewpoint
of the main character, Harriet Holmes. Created by the author around known
portions of the author’s family history, the novel is a fictionalized biography
of Harriet’s life. Photographs of Holmes family members, including Harriet,
appear throughout. The book opens with Harriet pregnant, fifteen-years-old, and
newly married to shanty boat dweller Canady Holmes. Through Harriet’s
experiences, the reader learns of societal wrongs suffered by the clannish
Melungeon people, who must hide from Indian removal. The Holmes family barely
scratches out a living as they travel along the rivers of Kentucky, Virginia,
and Tennessee. The tension created by this family’s struggle for survival and
the hardships they endure during and after the Civil War carries the story.
The author does not spare her characters from
brutalities in this riveting tale. Indeed, if a flaw in this tale could be
found, it may be that the reader must suspend belief to accept that so much
tragedy could happen to one family and that the mother of that family could come
through it all with self and sensibilities intact. Readers will be curious
to learn how brushes with Christians along the way help Harriet to have hope for
the future of her family.
This novel will elicit every emotion from a reader, as
it is a love story as well as an account of suffering. The author’s fine
storytelling, coupled with believable and endearing characters, presents an
unforgettable tale. This fast-paced, dramatic narrative will draw those
interested in Native American history, and will also most certainly provide
enjoyable reading for a wider audience.
Judith Carroll
GENTLEMAN SURGEON
Katherine Springs, Heritage Letterpress, 2004, $19.95, pb, 382pp, 097542341X
There is a lot to like about this book. It is the story of Thomas Wotton, an
Elizabethan gentleman, well connected to persons about the court, who had a
burning desire to become a surgeon. This was not well received by his guardian
because, at that time, surgeons were low class people who were not even allowed
to perform operations without the permission of a physician. Tom stuck to his
guns and went even further: his ambition was to see the two kinds of doctoring
amalgamated in one person. We follow his adventures as he practices surgery;
struggles against a particularly spiteful physician; travels to Padua where he
studies under Galileo and becomes friends with Harvey, the man who discovered
the circulation of the blood; and eventually goes to the New World to be part of
the beginnings of Jamestown.
Ms. Springs has dealt well with Tom’s doctoring; she
gives us enough information to make it seem authentic without overdoing the
medical details. The character of Tom is well drawn, and in the course of the
book he rubs shoulders with many famous people. The author’s research cannot be
faulted, and this leads to what I have against the book. Because she has chosen
to use so much of her research, the story is too diffuse. The first four
chapters that tell of Tom’s early years hold the reader back from getting to the
main story of his adventures as a surgeon and could be dispensed with. Add to
this a rather tiresome romance, and once again the focus is clouded. It is an
interesting read that would have benefited from some cutting.
Pamela
Cleaver
MASTERS OF THE AIR
Debra Tash, Amber
Quill Press, 2004, $19.00, pb, 366 pp, 1592798306
Michael Ryan, a World War I veteran with a shady past and a love of aviation,
travels the U.S. as an itinerant barnstormer. During his travels, Ryan meets
Jake Stimpson, who left his wealthy family to make his own fortune. Ryan and
Stimpson soon become business partners. Stimpson lives for adventure, but
Ryan’s goals are to have a family and a stable home—two things he did not have
as the child of a heroin-addicted prostitute.
An encounter with a wealthy client of the partners’
rum-running business leads the men to the passenger air travel business, and the
novel then follows their lives and loves. The second half of the novel takes
place in the 1970s and focuses on Ryan’s granddaughter Rachel, who is
desperately trying to unravel family secrets that have been hidden for two
generations.
Though there are times, particularly in the second half
of the novel, where the tragedies that befall the Ryan family seem almost
gratuitous, Masters of the Air is a good read. The details about the
early days of American commercial aviation are particularly fascinating, the
characters are well-drawn, and the story is fast-paced and engaging.
Recommended.
Nanette Donohue
DESPERATE MEASURES
Mary E. Young,
iUniverse, 2003, $16.95, pb, 242 pp, 059527868X
Newspaper reporter Dan Kirk is working the police beat for the Detroit Free
Press on a cold November day in 1945 when the body of Twyla Larson is recovered
from the Clinton River. At first, the crime seems to be a curious, random act of
violence against a soldier’s wife, but as Kirk delves deeper with his
investigation, he finds that Twyla Larson was connected with a number of
notorious figures in Detroit’s criminal underground, including former rum-runner
and corrupt cop Cliff Malin and swindler and mobster Vince Di Grassi.
Malin first encounters Twyla at a nightclub, where he
befriends her and offers her a job “delivering packages” to various businesses
around town. Eager to supplement her income, Twyla accepts the opportunity and
has a variety of run-ins with shady underworld characters, specifically Vince Di
Grassi, who swindles Twyla out of most of her savings. Since Malin and Di Grassi
both have motives for murdering Twyla, it is up to Kirk and his associates in
the Detroit PD to sort out the details and solve the mystery.
Though it occasionally seems that Young strays from the
main story onto tangents about minor, even unrelated, characters, the story is
fast-paced, and the mystery keeps the reader’s attention. The novel is based on
the life of the author’s father’s first wife, which could explain some of the
realism and attention to personal details. The descriptions of Prohibition and
Depression-era Detroit are lively and fascinating, and Cliff Malin is an
intriguing villain whose weaknesses for expensive clothes, flashy cars, and
beautiful women finally get the best of him. The twist at the end of the book is
an excellent finish to a very good read. Recommended.
Nanette Donohue
CHILDREN'S & YOUNG ADULT
NOVELS
HENRY
OF YORK AND THE SECRET OF JUAN DE VEGA
Kent Holsather, Lonejack Mountain Press, 2003, $12.95, pb, 176pp, 0972910115
Bellingham, near Seattle, in 1908.
Thirteen-year-old Henry Collins has one great ambition
–– to be a detective. When Sailor Bill disappears, Henry suspects that he has
been murdered. The daughter of a wealthy banker, Sara Flint, finds her life of
luxury boring and craves excitement, and she makes herself Henry’s partner.
Together the two children embark on an investigation. They find that Bill’s fate
is closely linked with events from Bellingham’s distant history before an
encounter with Bill’s murderers puts them both in deadly danger.
The historical background, which is skilfully worked
into the very fabric of the story, covers a wide sweep of Bellingham’s history.
The importance of the sea is shown by the character of Sailor Bill. The story of
Juan de Vega and his treasure map hark back to the Spanish pirates of four
hundred years ago. And the climax when Henry and Sara are fighting for their
lives in a flooded mine underneath Bellingham is a startling reminder of the
significance of mining in the area in the nineteenth century.
On a more everyday level, Sara’s father is very proud
of his new motor car. The children are taken to Buffalo Bill’s circus where Sara
angers her mother by riding a calf. To say nothing of little touches like the
children carrying their lunch to school in pails.
Kent Holsather has lived all his life in Bellingham,
Washington, and is a dedicated local historian. This story is clearly founded on
his own research. In this case it is a pity that he did not include historical
notes and a note on his sources.
But this criticism apart this is still an exciting
story with an authentic historical background. There are even a few hints of
rights of passage.
Well worth reading.
Ages 10-14
Mary S. Moffat
SALLIE FOX: THE STORY OF A PIONEER GIRL
Dorothy Kupcha Leland, Illustrations Diane Wilde, Tomato Enterprises, 1995,
$8.95, pb, 118pp, 0961735767
This is a fictionalised version of a true story which closely follows the
several remaining memoirs and journals. There are historical notes and
contemporary photographs.
Sallie Fox is twelve and with a wagon train travelling
to California. They make steady progress till they reach Albuquerque, New
Mexico, where they stay for a week while they rest and gather more provisions.
When they press on again they do not take the much travelled and well known Gila
Trail but instead the shorter northern Beale Wagon Road.
This turns out to be a mistake, as they find that the
springs and water holes have dried up. Then just as they are about to cross the
Colorado River they are attacked by Indians. Sallie's father is killed, Sallie
herself wounded and most of the animals driven off. It is five hundred miles
back to Albuquerque, but they will have to walk. There will be the problem of
finding water and the danger of further Indian attacks.
Throughout this book Sallie has a watchword: Patience
and Perseverance. She is constantly being told this –– in the early stages of
the journey when she is bored and fretting and later when they are in danger
from the Indians or from dying of thirst.
Sallie Fox is a well documented account of the
struggles of the early pioneers. It is partly aimed at Californian
schoolchildren, but the underlining themes of courage in adversity and the way
in which the human spirit can overcome the most appalling dangers are both
timeless and universal.
‘Patience and Perseverance.’ We can all do to remember
these words.
Very highly recommended.
Ages 9+
Mary S. Moffat
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