Title: Gloria: The Merlin and the Saint
Author: Ann Chamberlin
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: High Country Publishers
Publisher Website: www.highcountrypublishers.com
Pages: 450
ISBN: 1932158618
Price: $24.95
Publishing Date: 2005
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating:
This is a historical fantasy book about young Joan of Arc. It covers the period of the 1420s leading up to the crowning of King Charles of France. Its fantasy aspects are built around Joan’s being a witch. Much of the story is told by the leader of a coven of thirteen witches who poses as a Catholic priest and who becomes her “confessor.”
One might think this a very strange combination; however, the author’s highly accurate historical research and her ability to portray a setting and historical circumstances makes the plot not only come alive, but lends it an air of believability. Joan becomes an incredibly strong character who pulls Charles and his cunning advisor along into the action of relieving a French town under siege by the English whether they want to or not. The author is a very powerful and unusual writer. We rated this book five hearts.
Title: Olympia 420: The Quest for Peace
Author: J.B. Dath
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Herzog House Publishing
Pages: 246
ISBN: 0-9763086-0-6
Price: $23
Publishing Date: 2004
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating:
It’s more than 400 years before Christ and the Peloponnesian War has been raging between the highly militaristic city state of Sparta and the rest of the Greek peninsula, especially Athens. The story is about Orion, a young champion of the games from Elis, who has received a vision from the Olympian God, Zeus, to resurrect the Greek-wide Olympian games. Orion has to overcome the objections of his own city and its self-appointed games commission as well as the underhanded machinations of the Spartans.
This historical novel includes excellent historical details within a fictional framework to acquaint the reader with the Olympic traditions and structures of the past, while providing a good storyline. We rated it three hearts.
Title: Ride to Glory: The Life and Times of a Texas Ranger
Author: Michael J. Gilhuly, MD, JD and Marilyn C. Gilhuly
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Longstreet Press, Inc.
Pages: 244
ISBN: 1-56352-729-4
Price: $25
Publishing Date: 2004
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating:
The saga continues. This second historical novel in a series about the Leroy Wiley family chronicles the hardships of having fought on the losing side in the Civil War. Leroy has come home to try to pull the pieces of his extended family together while spending long periods of time away from home riding with the Texas Rangers against Comanche Indians and rustlers. All this must be done under the watchful eye of a Northern occupying army filled with old foes.
Based on a real-life ancestor of Mrs. Gilhuly, this series smacks of realism. The interpersonal conflict between a long-suffering and sacrificing wife and the adrenalin-junkie husband who decides to go on a cattle drive up the Chisholm Trail to the railhead in Abilene, Kansas, becomes the emotional centerpiece of the story. The reader is provided a clear window into the historical issues of the time. We rated this book four hearts.
Title: Peculiar Liaisons: In War, Espionage and Terrorism in the Twentieth Century
Author: John S. Craig
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Algora Publishing
Pages: 250
ISBN: 0-87586-331-0
Price: $23.95
Publishing Date: 2005
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating:
If you have an interest in the Balkans, this is a must read. It is also excellent background for both WWI and WWII. Finally, if you’re a Kennedy assassination follower, there is some interesting material. These diverse subjects are drawn together by the thread of the actions of a few unique individuals and how they affected the flow of history. This is an interesting academic read of the history of the last century in terms of war and world conflict. It has an extensive bibliography and contains numerous, well-documented references. We rated this book three hearts partially because of its limited marketing segment and specialized subject matter.
Title: Graven Images: The Averillan Chronicles Book II
Author: Barbara Reichmuth Geisler
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Lost Coast Press
Pages: 432
ISBN: 1-882897-84-6
Price: $17.95
Publishing Date: 2005
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating:
Graven Images is a superbly written historical novel/mystery on par with The Year of Wonder. The author has been a head librarian at the San Francisco Performing Arts Library and Museum, and her superior knowledge shows in the quality of her writing. Her story is about a Benedictine Abby in England of 1141 and the nuns and their supporting, surrounding community. A young woman of the village is found dead under suspicious circumstances. A Jewish gold smith/ money lender becomes the prime suspect. He also is the holder of a significant number of expensive loan notes to the Abby. An itinerant sculpture of Church art shelters the Jew until he can determine the true culprit.
The title is apropos to the subject’s Church art; however, it is also to the author’s ability to craft visual descriptions of this medieval community. She paint’s such realism and understanding on the canvas of her book pages with words that clearly describe what it was like to live in these times and conditions. The book is filled with characters who must rise above and beyond their routine to deal with the conflicts of life, politics, and Church hierarchy, which the author so craftily weaves into a tapestry of the story. We are shown the world views of a myriad of people—some uplifting and some superstitious and hateful. In all, this makes for a fascinating read. We scored it a high five hearts.
Title: Our Darling
Author: D.A. Brockett
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Western Reflections Publishing Company
Pages: 182
ISBN: 1-890437-89-1
Price: $14.95
Publishing Date: 2004
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating:
Our Darling is a historical novel based around a true-life incident involving a small child’s mummified body in a cave out in Grand Junction, Colorado dating back to the 1920s. The author has opened a window onto life on the American Western frontier during that time. Although the real-life mystery is not firmly resolved, the story is catchy and provides vivid historical detail in its settings and dialogue. We rated this book three hearts.
Title: Long Road Turning: Women of Paragon Springs Series Book One
Author: Irene Bennett Brown
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Thompson Gale
Pages: 238
ISBN: 1-4104-0179-0
Price: $13.95
Publishing Date: 2004
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating:
This book is regional historical romance at its best. Set in 1873 in Western Kansas, the story brings together an improbable group of women who have one thing in common: survival on the desolate prairie under the harshest of conditions, while trying to bring a little civilization to the area. Their efforts to convert a broken down soddy dwelling on a small homestead while fighting off the imprecations and land stealing actions of a neighboring cattle baron and the threat of a far-away abusing husband are monumental.
The author does a superb job of portraying the setting’s realities. Dialog is realistic and moving. The characters range the spectrum and are well presented. We scored this book a solid four hearts.
Title: Meriwether: A Novel of Meriwether Lewis and The Lewis and Clark Expedition.
Author: David Nevin
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Forge Books
Pages: 416
ISBN: 0-312-86307-1
Price: $25.95
Publishing Date: 2004
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating:
This historical novel of Meriwether Lewis and the Lewis and Clark expedition is rich with background information for the motivations and understanding of Captain Lewis. We follow Lewis from his boyhood on up to his tragic suicide. The most difficult aspect of writing a book such as this is winnowing through the wealth of information available for research and deciding just what to include. This is the second Lewis and Clark novel I’ve reviewed this year, and the other one was almost twice as long. Mr. Nevin has wisely kept to the essentials without getting too dramatic. His characters are understandable. There is enough detail about the expedition’s hardships without going so far into them we become depressed. I recommend this novel for those who would like to understand the political and economic context of the time, the realities of dealing with governments and bureaucracies, and the dark side of a man who has a gene fro chronic depression running through his father’s side of the family–a depression that finally kills him. This is both a sad and triumphant story and deserves to be read during this 200th anniversary of the expedition. We rated it four hearts.
Title: When a Rooster Crows at Night
Author: Therese Park
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: IUniverse
Pages: 183
ISBN: 0-595-30876-7
Price: $14.95
Publishing Date: 2004
Reader: Judy Schuler
Rating:
Therese Park, (Korean name, Sun Jong-ah) was a nine-year-old living in Pusan when North Korea invaded South Korea. Her school is made into a makeshift hospital for wounded soldiers and her family is forced to share its home with some of the thousands of refugees fleeing the communists. As the people of the south struggle to maintain their freedom and their lives, Jong-ah sees how those around her adapt and cope with hardship and learns to cope herself. Although sometimes childishly selfish, she is also compassionate. She fights with her siblings, suffers hurt feelings when refugee children show off their “disgusting talents” and are chosen to perform in the Christmas program in place of Jong-ah, and offers solace to an orphan from the north whose Grandmother sent her south with American pilots. When Jong-ah is separated from her parents on a dock and sent to an orphanage, she and her family learn how important family is. At the end of the war, she waves goodbye to the troops, believing that one day she, too, will leave for America.
When a Rooster Crows at Night, gives a child’s-eye view of a war that still isn’t over. With lyrical prose and gentle humor, it shows how even the youngest among us can rise to the occasion, however reluctantly, when disaster strikes. This is an informative and heartwarming novel. We give it five hearts.
Title: Under Wraps
Author: Jay Coffman
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: The Writers’ Collective
Pages: 330
ISBN: 1-59411-043-3
Price: $17.95
Publishing Date: September 2004
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating:
Under Wraps is a compilation of a clandestine diary Army sergeant Jay Coffman kept during his involvement in World War II’s Pacific Theater. It was against regulations to keep a diary during that campaign due to operational security reasons, so the author had to keep it hidden away from his superiors’ eyes. This book provides an intimate window into one American family’s support of the war and the family members involved in it at home and on the front lines. Military historians will find this a good firsthand source of details of what life was like on the Pacific islands, what their day-to-day concerns were, and the enormous logistical challenges faced by our troops. During this summer’s celebration of WWII vets, this book will be a good source of information to those of us wishing to pay tribute to the men and women who helped defeat worldwide tyranny. We rated it three hearts.
Title: Bootmaker to the Nation: The Story of the American Revolution
Author: Dr. John Slade
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Woodgate International
Pages: 722
ISBN: 1-893617-06-8
Price: $24.95
Publishing Date: 2003
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating:
Bootmaker to the Nation is a superbly written historical novel featuring an elderly couple writing about their experiences in the founding of our nation. Ben is a British apprentice cobbler caught by a British Navy press gang. He is taken to a ship and forced into duty as a sailor. Arriving in the colonies, he escapes, only to be captured by British Army soldiers. Again, forced to drill and march against his will, he is captured by American revolutionaries on the way back from Concord and Lexington. One of his captors is a young lady, Genevieve, and her brothers and father. Ben becomes a revolutionary. He teaches Genevieve to read and write. She becomes a courier and later a scribe to General George Washington. The entire war and the accompanying political revolution are viewed through these two characters’ eyes in their old age.
Although the length of the book is daunting, the author pulls the reader through it so well, it is hard to put down. His use of detail in the settings and the emotions of the characters are masterfully wrought. The reader is drawn into the miseries of soldier life with no pay, no food, and inadequate protection from the elements, which are endured for an ideal, despite the lack of support from their fellow Americans. This is a history lesson made totally realistic by the author’s blending of a myriad number of facts with how they affected the characters’ lives. We rated this book a very high five hearts.
Title: Gilded
Author: Catherine Karp
Illustrator: N/A
Publisher and/or Distributor: Coachlight Press
Pages: 306
ISBN: 0-9716790-0-2
Price: $14.95
Publishing Date: 2002
Reader: Jane Deskis
Rating:
Gilded is a historical novel of the late 1800’s. Karp did a great job of portraying the characters and their hardships during those years when women still felt the sting of being considered a lower class. Her portrayal takes you into the home and heart of the women in a small town where a Casanova has arrived with his hats for sale. Behind the scenes he helps to stir up the confidence and independence in the women that visit him. They no longer want to submit to their abusive husbands like a doll. This is an intriguing story about some of life’s struggles for women. These struggles are rarely read about in the history books, but played a major part in the women’s movement. This story gets 4 hearts.
Title: Shining Mountains, Western Sea
Author: Margaret Wyman
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Idyllwild Publishing Company
Pages: 675
ISBN: 1-931857-01-6
Price: $21.95
Publishing Date: 2003
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating:
In the year we celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Lewis and Clark expedition, it is most appropriate to see this excellent fictional account of the expedition. The author does a wonderful job of creating believable conflict amongst the members of the expedition. She also allows us to see the event through the eyes of the Native Americans who resisted and assisted the group’s journeys. The storyline moves smoothly and provides interesting motivations for the characters. This would be an appropriate supplement to a high school of college study of the event. We rated it five hearts.
Title: Sissy!
Author: Tom Mach
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Hill Song Press
Pages: 346
ISBN: 0-9745159-2-2
Price: $15.95
Publishing Date: 2004
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating:
Sissy! is a winner of the J.D. Coffin Memorial Book Award for Best Kansas Novel. This historical novel is the first in a trilogy about a young woman, Jessica Radford, who loses her family to “Bloody Kansas” border wars. She inherits her uncle’s successful business but sells it so she can pretend she is a young boy and enlists in the Union Army seeking revenge on the Southern Quantrill bushwhackers who killed her family.
This is a strong women’s rights oriented novel. The historical details about the border raids and the underground railroad are meticulous, as are the details about civil war soldiering. We rated this book four hearts.
Title: Ada Blackjack
Author: Jennifer Niven
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Hyperion
Publisher Website: www.Hyperionbooks.com
Pages: 430
ISBN: 0-7868-6863-5
Price: $24.95
Publishing Date: 2003
Reader: Jane Deskis
Rating:
An intriguing story about a part of history that is often overlooked – the exploration of the Artic. Jennifer Nevin did a sensational job relating the happenings of the artic expedition to Wrangell island from the view-points of all those involved. The excitement the four young adventurers had for the chance to explore and their dedication to the one man who set them up for the adventure. The story tells of their struggles to do the job to the best of their abilities without the help of the needed Eskimo families that would not go with them, their struggles to secure food and meat when they didn’t know how to hunt.
Only one Eskimo dared to make the venture from Nome with these four white men. Ada Blackjack needed the job, she needed the money for medical care for her son. She had to go with them on this one-year venture. And only Ada would make it back alive after two years in the Artic.
The story doesn’t end there as the years after the adventure continue to haunt the families. What happened to their sons? Why haven’t their diaries and photos been returned? They only wanted a last word written from their son’s for closure, but all they got was what was written in the papers, now saying it was their son’s fault for the failure of the mission. This is history at its best and we rated it 5 hearts.
Title: Beyond Yesterday
Author: Robert Wheeler
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: RJ Communications LLC
Pages: 507
ISBN: 0-9727584-0-2
Price: $7.99
Publishing Date: 2003
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating:
This superbly plotted historical family saga has more twists and turns in it than a rattlesnake. It is filled with characters who are unknowingly connected by birth and patrimony. It covers the art auction world of the 1900’s and the development of an auction house’s business, as well as the careers of its founders and their legacies. The daughter of the emperor of Japan and stolen jewels worth millions are involved, but the mysteries of the characters’ inter-relationships are even more spellbinding. Nothing is as it seems and alls well that ends well; however, an Alfred Hitchcock-like ending leaves the reader gasping for breath, wondering what will happen next. We rated this fascinating novel a high five hearts.
Title: Recompense: A World War II Novel
Author: Russ Hamachek
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Hara Publishing Group
Pages: 207
ISBN: 1-883697-62-X
Price: $14.95
Publishing Date: 2003
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating:
This tale of PT-boat operations and coast watchers in the South Pacific theater of WWII could easily be the basis for an old time Navy JAG television drama. A young sailor, whose marine father died on the Bataan death march, steals a carbine and jumps ship as a coast watcher is being put ashore on a Japanese infested island. His campaign for vengeance for his father endangers the coast watcher’s mission and life. He is taken into custody by his Commanding Officer and is brought to court martial for leaving his post of duty during war, a capitol offence.
The author uses excellent dialogue and scene settings to bring this story to life. His characters are real-life and his portrayal of command considerations and priorities are well done. We rated this book three hearts.
Title: An American Sin
Author: Frederick Su
Illustrator: N/A
Publisher and/or Distributor: Bytewrite LLC
Publisher Website: www.bytewrite.com
Pages: 335
ISBN:
0-9711206-0-9
Price:$15.00
Publishing Date: 2001
Reader: Andrew Firth
Rating:
Written by a Chinese-American veteran of the Vietnam War, An American Sin chronicles the recovery of an ex-Marine with a painful background. This gives an electric authenticity to the book, steeped as it is in the pain and anguish of a man whose very identity was affected by his experience of modern combat. It is impossible not to feel the sharp sense of loss that Frederick Su tries to portray, as David Wong, the antihero protagonist, searches for so long in vain for the ability to put his actions behind him. That he cannot forget, and cannot forgive himself for what he has done during the war, means that David Wong cannot move on with his life.
The turning point comes when Wong confronts his past and links his physical and spiritual life by falling in love with his fitness instructor. The second half of the book deals with Wong's subsequent journey across America; the torment of over twenty years is exorcised as he meets friends old and new, writes poetry and digs deep into his soul to find the humanity that he remembers from his youth. An emotional and unexpected conclusion brings Wong's initial recovery to a close and one shares his consequent sense of hope for his future.
This is a story of trauma, growth and contemplation. It will give comfort, inspiration and resolve to all who read it. The Vietnam experience touched so many lives that it changed the very heart of America. As a vehicle for describing Wong's experience on one level, it is a metaphor for the nation's own recovery on another. This is a fascinating work that is highly recommended as a thought-provoking contribution to anyone's philosophy of life. We rated this book three hearts.
Top
Title: The Bedford Boys
Author: Alex Kershaw
Illustrator: N/A
Publisher and/or Distributor: Da Capo Press
Publisher Website: www.dacapopress.com
Pages: 260 (with end notes)
ISBN: 0-306-81167-7
Price: $25.00
Publishing Date: 2003
Reader: Andrew Firth
Producing this book has obviously been a labour of love for Alex Kershaw. The Bedford Boys is the true story of the men of Bedford, Virginia, who volunteered for service together during the Second World War. Covering their training in the United States and later in England, Kershaw draws the reader in with his easy sense of identification with everyday people from small town America. On 6 June 1944 the Bedford Boys' unit stormed ashore on Omaha Beach, Normandy. By the end of the day twenty-one of their number were dead.
This is a harrowing book about the impact of warfare on one community and its way of life. Kershaw introduces each of the soldiers with care and obvious sympathy. Their sacrifice is unimaginable and truly heroic. The effect of the description of the D-Day fighting is spellbinding. The whole book is, in fact, well worked and engaging. There is a problem, however. While in no way brushing aside the subject matter of this moving narrative, one cannot help but feel that the genre may have been overplayed. In comparison to accounts of the 36th (Ulster) Division on 1st July 1916, the impact on British towns of the losses to the 'pals' battalions of World War One (counted in the hundreds) and with factional presentations such as Band of Brothers and Saving Private Ryan, the market is already full of similar, and equally compelling offerings. Sadly for the Bedford boys, there is nothing to force their tale to stand out against this background.
This book has an elegiac quality and one is gripped by a sense of the doom that awaits Kershaw's characters. As a sombre reminder of the effects of distant war on peaceful homely communities it should be read by all those who involve themselves in the business of applying national force for political ends. Unfortunately, its message risks getting lost in the noise of other examples of its type. We rated this book three hearts.
Top
Title: Gudrun's Tapestry
Author: Joan Schweighardt
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Beagle Bay Books
Publisher Website: www.beaglebay.com
Pages: 280
ISBN: 0-9679591-3-6
Price: $24.95
Publishing Date: April, 2003
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating:
Gudrun's Tapestry is written like the historical novels I used to read decades ago before the genre got intermingled with the romance genre. I loved this bookreal guts and glory and realism too. Gudrun, a Burgundian noblewoman carries a beautiful war sword to Attila the Hun in hopes the curse placed upon it destroys her enemy. Attila's hoard was responsible for almost entirely destroying the Burgundian people. The story bounces back and forth between what happens when she is allowed into Attila's camp city and how she became this messenger of ill will.
The author handles flashbacks very well. The primary story and the background story vie for dominance throughout the book; the primary story of what happens to her and Attila finally wins out. The characters and action are rich. This is no whimpy, emotional-dependent story (although emotions of the characters play important roles). This story has true grit. The pacing moves this tale along quickly while providing many interesting cultural and historical insights to the period. We rated it a high four hearts.
Top
Title: Kruger's Gold
Author: Sidney Allinson
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Xlibris
Publisher Website: www.Xlibris.com
Pages: 298
ISBN: 0-7388-6586-9
Price: $18.69 / 28.79
Publishing Date: 2001
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating:
Kruger's Gold is an excellent historical military novel about the Anglo-Boer War in South Africa in 1902. An up from the ranks Canadian Lieutenant, Harry Lanyard, leads a patrol of colonial personnel for the British Army on a mission to find millions in gold left behind by ex-Transvaal President, Paul Kruger, during his forced exile from Africa. Harry must fight Boer guerillas, discension in his own ranks, a Boer spy, a Russian spy, and the love of his life. The book is based on superb research of many real-life events.
It's not often we see anything on the Boer war, so this is an excellent and welcome addition to the genre. The author is a fine writer (Boulter Award winner) and military historian. He has six books under his belt and it shows. He uses excellent characterization and dialogue. His settings come to life, and he uses good plot twists. We rated this book Four Hearts.
Top
Title: People of the Owl
Author: Kathleen O'Neal Gear and W. Michael Gear
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Forge Books
Publisher Website: www.tor.com
Pages: 544
ISBN: 0-312-87741-2
Price: $25.95
Publishing Date: June 2003
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating:
People of the Owl is a prehistoric North American novel about the mound building societies in the Poverty Point, Louisiana area. The story takes place some 3,500 years ago. The lead characters are members of the ruling matriarchal clan, the people of the owl spirit. It is a view of how trade development and tribal dynamics may have been in that time. Spirituality is a central theme to the story and how it was the driving force behind so many decisions the mound builders made.
The authors are a husband and wife archaeologist team with anthropology and historian backgrounds as well. They have had best sellers on the USA Today list, and this novel is their tenth. The authors are masters of the writing craft, which brings ancient civilizations to life for the readerjust an excellent read! We rated it five hearts.
Title: Khalifah
Author: John Elray
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Aardwolfe Books
Publisher Website: www.aardwolfe.com
Pages: 315
ISBN: 0970777620
Price: $14.95
Publishing Date: 2002
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating: 3
Khalifah is a historical novel of the early days of Islam, shortly after the death of its founder, Muhammad. Mu'awiya, a forced convert and son of the Prophet Muhammad's worst foe, fights his way up the power structure to become the Khalifah of all Islam. The book is rich with historical details about the infighting and double-dealings of the Prophet's closest followers as they jockeyed for power.
The richness of detailed settings makes this book very educational. It is filled with intrigue and violence. It is recommended to those who would understand the legacies of Islam today. We rated this book three hearts.
Top
Title: Promise & Honor
Author: Kim Murphy
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Coachlight Press
Publisher Website: www.CoachlightPress.com
Pages: 252
ISBN: 0-9716790-2-9
Price: $14.95
Publishing Date: 2003
Reader: Judy Schuler
Rating: 4
When Amanda Graham's husband is killed in action at the beginning of the Civil War, she begins running medical supplies to the Confederacy to help support herself and her foster daughter, Rebecca. Rebecca's father, Lieutenant Samuel Prescott, fights for the Union. Amanda is attracted to him, as well as Lieutenant Colonel William Jackson, her Confederate employer. If Amanda had her way, slaves would be free and there would be no war, but she has to cope as the fighting nears her home.
Promise & Honor takes us into the hearts of the characters in this story. They are full of the complications and conflicts real people might feel. This historical romance is a page-turner. We give it four hearts.
Top
Title: Rebekah
Author: Orson Scott Card
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Forge
Publisher Website: www.tor.com
Pages: 404
ISBN: 0-765-34128-X
Price: $7.99
Publishing Date: 2003
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating: 5
This is another book in the author's Women of the Old Testament series. As always, Orson Scott Card writes a superlative story, bringing an incredible sense of humanness to characters from the Bible. Rebekah, daughter of a wealthy believer of the unseen God, is raised to be a leader of her household, despite the fact her mother died at Rebekah's birth. Her unremitting faith in God earns her the right to marry Isaac, son of God's prophet, Abraham. It also challenges her with two sons who are very different from one another and a father-in-law and husband who stymy her freedom to raise her rebellious son, Esau, in a manner more pleasing to the Lord.
Card has an uncanny ability to take a handful of scriptural verses and grow them into an epic. His abilities as a wordsmith are equaled by few. This book is accompanied by a reader's group guide. If you like Bible history and good historical fiction, you're going to find this book interesting and entertaining. We rated it an almost perfect five hearts.
Top
Title: Tecumtha
Author: Vernon H. Castle, Sr.
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Lost Coast Press
Publisher Website: www.cypresshouse.com
Pages: 456
ISBN: 1-882897-67-6
Price: $18.95
Publishing Date: 2003
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating: 4
Tecumtha is a fascinating view of one of the most important Native American figures in our history. Although this is a novel, it is based on meticulous historical research by a retired Air Force Colonel with journalist training and experience. Tecumtha was a Shawnee warrior who came very close to pulling together an amalgamation of tribes from the Atlantic to the Mississippi. This is a very human story of his adult years.
What I liked most about this book was the author's ability to show Tecumtha as a highly intelligent, caring statesman, rather than a savage. Col. Castle takes us inside the characters' heads, presenting them as thinking individuals and not mindless primitives. Many do not know that great numbers of Indians accepted the white man's ways and became very successful farmers and land owners; and yet, were still driven off their properties in the name of white man's greed. This was a very interesting historical novel with opinion-altering view points. We rated it four hearts.
Title: A Name of Her Own
Author: Jane Kirkpatrick
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Waterbrook Press/Random House
Publisher Website: www.waterbrookpress.com
Pages: 388
ISBN: 1-57856-499-9
Price: $13.99
Publishing Date: 2002
Reader: Judy Schuler
Rating: 5 Hearts
Marie Dorion, an Iowa Indian woman married to a mixed-blood French Canadian man, wants to accompany her husband on the Astor expedition from St Louis to the Pacific. She cleverly maneuvers her way into the journey, over her husband's objections and in spite of his violent wrath. Burdened with a violent, alcoholic husband and two young sons, she faces hostile Indians, freezing weather, and starvation. Her determination to protect her children and her help on the expedition earns the respect of the party, and ultimately the title, "Madame Dorion."
Jane Kirkpatrick is a master. She pulls us out of our armchairs and into the rugged dangerous world of an expedition through the western United States in 1810. Her poetic language offers a soothing contrast to the terrible hardships faced by the Astor party. A Name of Her Own is unforgettable. We give it our highest rating: five hearts.
Title: Bring the War Home
Author: Barry S. Willdorf
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: A Gauche Press
Publisher Website: www.agauchepress.com
Pages: 275
ISBN: 0-9713026-0-X
Price: $ 14.95
Publishing Date: 2001
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating: 4
Bring the War Home , although a novel, chronicles the very real history of the anti-war movement among returning Vietnam vets. The protagonist is an inexperienced, liberal lawyer who accepts a position as house lawyer to an anti war group just off the Marine base in San Diego in the early 1970s. Although the story is about this fictional character, Eric, and his young wife, Emma, it closely parallels the author's actual experiences. We are immediately immersed in a cauldron of anti-war political factions jockeying for power and control while forwarding their agendas. All this takes place within the context of the hard-core Marine military environment and legal system.
This was a very well told story about the turbulent times when our country was torn asunder at its seams by the generation and the power politics gaps. Differences in value systems could get you killed, if not incarcerated. All the factions are representedthe left the extreme right, the military/industrial complex, and the "beautiful people" who played at leftist politics for a hobby and doled out money, demanding obedience and respect in return. Characters and dialogue are excellent, as is the setting. There is a great deal of history to be learned here that won't be found in textbooks. We rated this book a high four hearts.
Top
Title: Cold Harbor
Author: Harlow J. Keith
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: American Book Publishing
Publisher Website: www.pdbookstore.com
Pages: 192
ISBN: 1-58982-014-2
Price: $18
Publishing Date: Sept 2002
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating: 3
Cold Harbor is a coming of age civil war novel in the spirit of Red Badge of Courage. It is about an 18-year-old private, Tim, who is made the brunt of his older tent mates' jokes. They also become his mentors, protecting him from the worries and concerns of pre-battle by keeping him in the dark as to what to expect until the very last minute. One of them deliberately takes a cannon round in his chest to save Tim's life in the fight for Cold Harbor, Virginia. The impact of the war on the young man leaves a mark for many years to come.
The author, an admirer of civil war re-creators, makes the action come alive for the reader. Typical attitudes and living conditions of the time are presented in a convincing manner. We rated this book three hearts.
Top
Title: The Stargate Chronicles
Author: Joseph McMoneagle
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Hampton Roads Publishing Company
Publisher Website: www.hrpub.com
Pages: 299
ISBN: 1-57174-255-5
Price: $24.95
Publishing Date: 2002
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating: 5
The Stargate Chronicles: Memoirs of a Psychic Spy is a fabulous look into the American intelligence community's highly controversial use of Remote Viewing as an intelligence collection ability. This book is by one of the pioneers in the techniques of psychically viewing distant targets and reporting on them. It is a well-done historical perspective, while at the same time; it is an extraordinarily touching memoir of a man who put duty to country above his family and even his own life and career.
Many of the individuals mentioned by the author are well known to this reviewer. This man is the real deal. I know of his work and his career from having been associated with the Army Security Agency and INSCOM myself, within the same career specialty as he originally had worked. The fact that he renders his mastery of this controversial collection method while at the same explaining the incredible emotional and even physical pain his efforts brought him is extremely touching. Those with an interest in intelligence work, military history, and military cultures will find this a fascinating book. We rate it a high five hearts.
Top
Title: Dear Lizzie
Author: William H. Jacobs
Illustrator:na
Publisher and/or Distributor: Converg Publishing
Publisher Website: www.converg.org
Pages:242
ISBN: 0-9706546-X
Price: $16
Publishing Date: 2001
Reader: Kate Fox
Rating: 4
Dear Lizzie is the tale of a Civil War boy and his girl, based on real letters from the author's great grandaddy to his great grandmother.
This is a terrific idea, and Mr. Jacobs does well with recreating and telling the story of these two people. Using his own knowledge of military affairs, and historical knowledge of Civil War battles, units, customs and geography, he at first starts slowly, but gradually warms to the story. By the end, he has us engrossed in Ed and Lizzie's tale, and we can learn Civil War history and human lessons from his efforts. Which young modern couple could stand to be apart, and true, for at least two years? Without even seeing each other, with only letters and the news from the battlefields to keep them together? These books should be used for high school level literature or social studies or history classes. We rated this book four hearts.
Top
Title: Leavenworth Train
Author: Joe Jackson
Publisher and/or Distributor: Carroll & Graf
Publisher Website: www.carrollandgraf.com
Pages: 430
Price: $26.00
ISBN: 0-7867-0897-2
Reviewer: Bob Spear
Rating: 4
Leavenworth Train is a historical true crime story about Frank Grigware¹s accused involvement with a gang of railroad robbers, a robbery in Nebraska, and Frank¹s life sentence to hard labor at the United States Penitentiary (USP) in Leavenworth, Kansas. He escapes and runs to Canada where he creates a new life for himself. The eventual attempts by the US government to get him extradicted to the States almost foster an international incident. This book is up for a true-crime Edgar award.
I own a bookstore and live in Leavenworth, Kansas. I have also taught college and GED preparation behind the walls of our Penitentiary and the military prison; therefore, I know something of the prison life the author describes. The author did an excellent job of research. His book ruffled a few feathers in the corrections system (which tells me he¹s been very accurate, since they don¹t like having their dirty laundry aired in public). He intersperses extensive frontier history and sociology with his storytelling which makes his writing extremely believable and interesting to the reader. This book is filled with irony and examples of inequities in the federal criminal system. I recommend it to all who enjoy reading about true crimes, history, and criminal justice, or thumbing their nose at the system. We rate this book four hearts.
Title: The Revenant
Author: Michael Punke
Publisher and/or Distributor: Carroll & Graff
Publisher Website: www.carrollandgraf.com
Publishing Date: 05/2002
Pages: 272
Price: $25.00
ISBN: 0-7867-1027-6
Reviewer: Bob Spear
Rating: 3
The Revenant is the story of the famous western pioneer and mountain man, Hugh Glass, who was left for dead by his fellow companions after being mauled by a bear. Based on true events, it is the story of a man who makes his way through the wilderness with the intention of seeking revenge on the two men who left him along to die without comfort or equipment.
The story is real. It is filled with adventure and a narrative that is highly readable and certainly believable. One can easily picture the landscape and the rugged conditions facing this mountain man. It was a miracle he survived his ordeal with the bear. It was also a miracle that he was able to ultimately live to tell about it. The telling of this story is compelling. The author takes a true story and pulls the reader back in time. One almost feels like an observer in that place and time. We give this book three hearts.
Title: An Unclean Act
Author: Dean Burgess
Publisher and/or Distributor: Permanent Press
Publisher Website: www.thepermanentpress.com
Publishing Date: June 2002
Pages: 253
Price: $26
ISBN: 1-57962-046-9
Reviewer: Bob Spear
Rating: 5
An Unclean Act is a fascinating historical novel which takes place in Puritan-governed Plymouth and Quaker-led New Port, Rhode Island in the 1660s. It is based on the author¹s ancestors lives and is exceedingly well researched. The book is a study of the violence and intolerance of the Puritan society and the Puritan reaction to the Quakers. The title refers to Thomas Burge finding himself deserted by his wife, Elizabeth, who goes to live with her father and her siblings after ten years of a barren, unhappy marriage. Thomas finds a younger woman who eagerly becomes his Quaker wife without the benefit of an official Puritan divorce. Hence in Puritan eyes, they are committing adultery, an unclean act.
This book is extremely well written. The author really pulls his readers inside his characters¹ heads. It should be considered for study by reading groups because so many of its philosophical and religious issues have direct parallels in today¹s society, both among different Christian sects and between fanatical fundamentalist Islamists and the rest of the world. There are enough interesting issues to keep a reading group¹s discussions hot for several meetings. We rate this book an excellent five hearts.
Title: Call To Glory
Author: Michael & Marilyn Gilhuly
Publisher and/or Distributor: Front Street?
Publishing Date: 2002
Pages: 376
Price: $?
ISBN: ?
Reviewer: Bob Spear
Rating: 4
Call to Glory is an excellent story of a family in Texas who become embroiled in the civil war. The protagonist, Leroy, was a Texas Ranger before going to war and is based upon an actual historical figure and direct ancestor to one of the authors. Although younger than his brothers Clayton and Carter, he is technically and tactically more competent than them, taking on the role of their protector. Their respective roles as Confederate soldiers are realistic and heart rending. This is a giant epic about giant men and the women who loved them.
The authors' descriptions of living conditions, battle scenes, Yankee prison camps, and the politics and weaponry of the civil war are outstanding. We rate this book a high four hearts.
Title: Solomon Spring
Author: Michelle Black
Publisher and/or Distributor: Forge
Publisher Website: www.tor.com
Publishing Date: Sept 2002
Pages: 304
Price: $24.95
ISBN: 0-765-30465-1
Reviewer: Bob Spear
Rating: 4
Solomon Spring is a historical mystery 10-year-after follow on to the author¹s previous Forge book, An Uncommon Enemy. How uncommon it is to boast of three of Forge¹s best-selling authors- Harold Coyle, Fred Chiaventoni, and Michelle Black- who reside in the immediate area of Leavenworth and Kansas City, Kansas. They all have something in common, an appreciation for the history of the area, and an uncanny ability with dialogue and story that makes their books come alive.
Michelle Black is no exception to this stable of excellence. This follow-on book brings us back to Eden Murdoch, a white woman who is captured and eventually marries a young Cheyenne medicine mane. Her champion and one-time lover, Captain Brad Randall, late of the US Cavalry and director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, is thrust back to the frontier to right wrongs to the Cheyenne being perpetrated by his own supervisors in the Department of the Interior and the military. He does so at the risk of losing his governmental career, his wife, and his life. Several new characters are introduced and we find Ms Murdoch fighting greedy tourist developers to protect access to a mineral spring held sacred by all Plains Indian tribes.
The author tells a wonderfully complex story of constantly shifting relationships and betrayals at the consolidation of the western frontier. We rated this book a solid four hearts.
Title: The Money Dragon
Author: Pam Chun
Publisher and/or Distributor: Sourcebooks Landmark
Pages: 352
Price: $24.00
ISBN: 1-57071-866-0
Reviewer: Bob Spear
Rating: 4
Although The Money Dragon is presented as a novel, it is really a fictionalized family history. The characters, facts, and actions are true, and the dialogue is the author's best guess as to what may have been said. This is a Chinese Horatio Alger story which takes place straddling the beginning of the 20th century and the East/West cultural divide in a Hawaii where the rich and white are more equal than others. Ah Leong comes from China as a boy and builds a mercantile empire which spans Hawaii and China. The book describes his boundless energies and enthusiasms, as well as his negatives with all their impacts on his large polygamous family.
The author is a descendent of Ah Leong and has the family pictures to prove it. She has an elegant way of dealing with the family's stormy relationships through expert handling of dialogue and setting. This is the equivalent of a Chinese American Roots. I give it four hearts.
Title: The Food Taster
Author: Ugo DiFonte (Peter Ebling)
Publisher and/or Distributor: Permanent Press
Publishing Date: 05/2002
Pages: 288
Price: $26.00
ISBN: 1-57962-047-7
Reviewer: Bob Spear
Rating: 5
The Food Taster is a superbly written (just about darned perfect) adult historical novel about the renaissance period (16th century) in Italy. Internecine politics have become so bad that anyone of power must have an official food taster to detect poison in their victuals. The book is a faked memoir of an Italian peasant, Ugo DiFonte, who is kidnapped by his local Duke and made his food taster. Ugo and his eleven-year-old daughter are terrified by the situation, but they learn to cope. The book traces the Food Taster's career through some of the most accurate descriptions of medieval life this reviewer has seen. Characters are very believable and the dialogue is sprinkled with common Italian sayings. Many of the characters go through startling changes. The Food Taster follows the transformation of an ignorant peasant to a worldly wise bon viant. The ending is gripping and emotionally satisfying. We predict this title will garner several awards. We award it our highest rating of five hearts.
Title: Enemy Women
Author: Paulette Jiles
Publisher and/or Distributor: William Morrow
Pages: 321
Price: $24.95
ISBN: 0-06-621444-0
Reviewer: Judy Schuler
Rating: 4
Enemy Women by Paulette Jiles gives a fascinating look into a little-known chapter of the Civil War. Set in southern Missouri, it tells the story of Adair Colley. After her father is captured and her house looted by the Union Militia, she and her sisters set out to walk to a friend's store twenty miles away, where they hope to stay until their father returns. En route a Union sympathizer erroneously denounces Adair as a Confederate spy. She is arrested and taken by train to a women's prison in St. Louis. As we follow Adair's journey into prison, through an escape and struggle to return home we are transported back to another era.
The author presents a balanced view of the war. Adair sees both sides committing atrocities, and mentions that most people in Missouri didn't own slaves. The characters and dialogue are true to the period, and the author's background in poetry shows itself in her lyrical descriptions of the settings. Her use of language and historical detail, as well as her compelling and outspoken character, made this book a pleasure to read. We give it four hearts.
Title: The Witch from the Sea
Author: Lisa Jensen
Publisher and/or Distributor: Beagle Bay Books
Publishing Date: 2001
Pages: 321
Price: $16.95
ISBN: 0-9679591-5-2
Reviewer: Bob Spear
Rating: 4
The Witch from the Sea is a historical adventure/romance with a strong female protagonist. In 1823, Tory Lightfoot, a half white/half Amer Indian 16-year-old girl from Boston, runs from an orphanage and stows away on a merchant ship dressed as a boy. Discovered at sea, she begins learning the duties of a deck hand. When the merchant ship is overtaken by pirates, she discloses where the hoard of silver meant to buy slaves in Africa is hidden and is accepted into the ranks of the pirates. The story paints the pirates in an even handed light- showing their good sides as well as their bad. She is discovered to be a girl; however, the fair minded captain protects her and allows her to stay, although his Hispanic crew is afraid she might be a bruja or witch. She comes of age amongst her new found friends and learns there is a depth of humanity in everyone.
The author is especially good with historical detail about sailing vessels and the life at sea. Her use of the languages prevalent in the Caribbean basin is excellent. This is definitely a cut above the average historical romance as it shows the possibilities for a young woman who wants to rise beyond society's perceived "proper" role in life. We give this book four hearts.
Title: The Skystone
Author: Jack Whyte
Publisher and/or Distributor: Forge Publishing
Pages: 352
ISBN: 0-765-30372-8
Reviewer: Bob Spear
Rating: 5
The Skystone is the first historical novel in a series which presents a plausible story of how the Arthurian legend came to be. This volume focuses on two leaders of a Roman community in Britain who realize the Roman Empire is in its last days. Anticipating chaos and collapse, they begin planning for the survival of a new kind of British citizen, Romans who were born and raised on the island kingdom.
Mr. Whyte has written a superb historical novel. The details of day-to-day Roman life in both its military and civilian communities are exquisitely rendered in the story in a seamless manner. His characters bind the reader into the past-almost an Edward R. Morrow "You Are There" feeling. Their dialogue is realistic and their descriptions enable our imaginations to soar. This is one of the best written historical novels this reviewer has had the pleasure to read in a long time. It's reminiscent of one of Mika Watari's old novels. We score it a strong 5 Hearts.
