HNS Reviews - February 2009
THE BUTCHER'S CLEAVER
by W. Patrick Lang (9780595474769)
Though many novels have been written about the Civil War, few have dealt with the intricate covert actions of the Confederate secret service. In THE BUTCHER'S CLEAVER, the author puts his extensive experience as a military intelligence officer and Civil War expert to exhaustive use in an examination of intrigues in the highest ranks of the Confederate government. The protagonist, Claude Devereaux, is caught up in events that have split the nation and his family; taken from his command, he finds himself involved in plots that test his loyalties and examine his personal motivations. Through him we see famous figures in a different light; the war is shown not as black and white, but many shades of gray on both sides.
Readers looking for a light action/adventure tale may have a hard time sticking with the plot; the presentation is often as tricky as the subject matter. The pace can be frustrating, skipping forward with no explanation or slowing to a crawl during action sequences; it sometimes seems to sacrifice narrative for atmosphere. However, fans of political and military history will find it jam-packed with historical detail and an excellent sense of place. It's not "Gone with the Wind for the 21st century" as the cover claims, but for the student of military history or political intelligence, it is an unusual and very educational read.
GERMANIA
by Brendan McNally (9781416558828)
Germany, 1945: the final days of the Third Reich. As the Allies close in, the upper echelons of the Nazi regime plan their various escapes, some realistic, some fantastic. Plots, schemes, and intrigues abound, and danger is everywhere both from the Allies and from fellow Nazis. In the center of these plans mixes an unlikely group of agents: the Flying Loerbers, a celebrity act of quadruplets from Berlin's cabaret heyday. Separated by the war, each brother uses his own talents and skills as a performer—skills both practical and magical—to make his way through the dangerous years. The four brothers play vastly different roles in the maze of plots and campaigns, until a threat to one of them brings them all together again. But will the reunion save the family or destroy it?
Mixing fact with fiction, real people with original characters, and the gritty realism of war with a little bit of magic, GERMANIA is packed with military and historical detail, bringing the reader into the dirty, panicked world of the defeated Third Reich. It does take the reader some effort in the first few chapters to figure out what is going on, and the ending is somewhat abrupt and vague, but readers of literary fiction will be accustomed to that. A unique premise, interesting characters, a good historical feel, and a tangle of intrigues make for an enjoyable literary debut tinged with a hint of the fantastic.
MISTRESS OF THE MONARCHY: THE LIFE OF KATHERINE SWYNFORD, DUCHESS OF LANCASTER
by Alison Weir (9780345453235)
The latest beneficiary of Alison's Weir's biographical attentions is the little-known but often reviled Katherine Swynford, the long-time mistress and eventual wife of John of Gaunt, son of Edward III and patriarch of the House of Lancaster. Katherine was the woman from whom all future English monarchs would descend, but as with most independent females, history has been less than kind to her. With her usual deftness Weir cuts through centuries of legend and hearsay to paint a portrait of the woman behind the historical figure, a woman quite different from the brazen harlot labeled a witch by her contemporary chroniclers. As in many of Weir's biographies, much is learned not only about the title figure but also those around her—Katherine's family, friends, enemies, and contemporaries, including her brother-in-law Geoffrey Chaucer. The historical research is meticulous and seamlessly integrated into the narrative. The result is the story of a real woman with virtues, flaws, and an altogether fascinating life. Fans of the author will not be disappointed. Recommended.
SCARLET
by Stephen Lawhead (9781595540898)
In the second book of his King Raven trilogy Stephen Lawhead continues his re-imagination of the Robin Hood legend as mythic Welsh adventure, this time from Will Scarlet's point of view. William Scathelocke, a half-Welsh half-Saxon forester, loses his home and livelihood when an invading Norman baron kills his Saxon liege. Homeless, without family, and in a mind for revenge, Will heads for the land of his mother's birth, where word is spreading that an otherworldly hero known as King Raven isleading a last stand against Norman encroachment. What Will finds is a band of feisty forest dwellers led by a man named Rhi Bran y Hud, a displaced Welsh lord seeking to reclaim his stolen kingdom and his people's independence by any means necessary. In Bran's company Will finds friendship, love, and a cause worth fighting—and likely dying—to win. But in Will's mind, death is a small price to pay for the chance to live such an adventure.
Relocating the Robin Hood legend from the shires of Richard the Lionheart to the Welsh forests of a century prior lends a mysterious, fantastical element to the adventure; the Celtic names and tinge of magic only enhance the feeling. Frequent switching between Will's memoir and a third-person narrator takes some getting used to, but the prose is so natural and the pace so taut that the pages turn themselves. SCARLET stands alone as its own story, but after reading it, you'll want to get your hands on the other two titles. I know I did. Very highly recommended.
THE TREASURE
by Iris Johansen (9780553807318)
In this sequel to 1996's LION'S BRIDE, two popular side characters get a passionate story of their own. Lady Selene Ware, a young Scottish noblewoman, and Kadar ben Arnaud, a (mostly) reformed assassin, are whisked off into another 12th-century adventure. After years of freedom, Kadar's Syrian master presses him back into service to help attain two dark goals: one that warps the love between Selene and Kadar into perversion, and another that will lay claim to one of the most famous religious artifacts in history.
The story opens with fun, snarky dialogue between Selene and Kadar, but then the action tends to drag until the main plot kicks in. Perhaps reading LION'S BRIDE beforehand would have clued me in to the villain's back story; without that, it was confusing for a while. But the characters have great chemistry, the adventures are exotic, and the sex is so decadent as to border on kinkiness. (That's not a complaint.) A sensual romance read.