MAY 2008 REVIEWS:

A PRIZE EVERY TIME
Derek Anderton, Olympia Publishers, 2008, $19.86, pb, 277pp, 9781905513338
    In 1954 the small British resort town Widdlesea is ravaged by a violent storm. Left with little funds in the coffer, the town council decides to dramatically increase the rent for stalls at Funland, the local fairground. The stallholders revolt, leaving beleaguered fairground manager Basil Clowd to deal with one act of sabotage after another while trying to appease his superiors at the town council. Though the events and location are fictional, this book was inspired by the author’s fondness for the real fairground Pleasureland in England’s Southport.
    It is hard to know whom to root for in this light farcical comedy. The town council, lead by Mayor Cyril Cheetham, is corrupt. The agitating Organization of Associated Fairground Staff (OAFS) is negligent and bullying. Basil Clowd himself seems to lack a moral compass or a spine. Populating the rest of the book is a secondary cast of silly characters, such as a German stallholder who naively creates a Nazi-themed float for the town parade, a canteen proprietress who blithely serves terrible food on broken dishes, and a teen-aged ride operator who treats the fairground as his own personal smorgasbord of women.
    The novel functions as an end of an era piece, illustrating the British seaside resort fairground at its zenith. An epilogue and postscript detail the demise of such institutions into the modern day arcade and high-tech amusement park. The book relies on (mostly) gentle comedy, and the author’s love for the subject matter clearly shines through. A Prize Every Time will appeal to fans of broad British sitcom humor. -- Robert Perret

THE FIXER
Ed Brodow, Outskirts Press, 2008, $14.95, pb, 221pp, 9781432717032
    Harry Leonoff is a born underdog, the child of Russian Jewish immigrants living in New York City. Stricken with polio as a young boy, Leonoff compensates for his weak legs by becoming the toughest kid in the neighborhood—and the one who always stands up for the weaker kids. As an adult, he’s still the man who stands up for the weakest members of society and takes a stand against discrimination. While Leonoff’s willingness to stand up for others earns him many fans and admirers, he also finds himself making powerful enemies—particularly New York City’s powerful mayor, Fiorello La Guardia.
    This biographical novel, loosely based on the life of Brodow’s grandfather, is a quick, entertaining read. Leonoff is a larger-than-life character, and his willingness to risk his life and livelihood to protect and assist others is admirable. His life isn’t without its tragedies—his crusades against injustice have a negative effect on his family life, and crossing the wrong people too many times can only lead to trouble. The era between World War I and World War II was a time of political and social change in the United States, and I suspect that many cities had their own version of Harry Leonoff. Readers who enjoy brisk biographical fiction with strong characters will appreciate The Fixer. -– Nanette Donohue

RAVENWOLF
Kelly Heckart, Earthling Press, 2007, $15.95, pb, 390pp, 1587496569
    Ravenwolf is a sequel to the novel Of Water and Dragons, but don’t be deterred if you haven’t read the first book. It stands on its own, and pertinent past events are adequately touched. The story begins in 87 AD when Rome occupied the British Isles and had relationships with the native tribes that were tentative at best. The central characters, Nemu and Ambroix, have complicated pasts that threatened both their marriage and the divine order. Ambroix is forced back into the Roman army he betrayed and abandoned in order to save his family. Nemu is a former supernatural being that lost her immortality and found love as a mortal. The book is a sexy blend of fantasy, fighting, and nudity.
    It might be easy to categorize this book as fantasy because of its supernatural elements or as romance because of the explicit sexual content and story of lovers in jeopardy, but the lovely writing and incorporation of well-researched Celtic history and mythos elevates the book to something beyond either clichéd genre. Below the sensual surface, the book seems to touch on themes of balance and unity between genders. Women are empowered in the story with the depiction of powerful female goddesses, but Heckart carefully avoids the trap of choosing one sex over the other by emphasizing the need of each to come together as a balanced whole.
    The story will be entertaining to most and fascinating to anyone interested in Celtic history and myth. -– Amanda Yesilbas

HUGH AND BESS: A Love Story
Susan Higginbotham, Onslow Press, 2007, $11.95, pb, 187pp, 9780615171876
    Set in the 1340s, Hugh and Bess tells the story of an unlikely romance between two people with a great age difference and a troubled past that haunts. Young Bess de Montacute is anticipating a suitable match, but when King Edward III and her father, the Earl of Salisbury, choose Hugh le Despenser, she is horrified. Bess must learn to overcome her prejudices of Hugh’s notorious past and traitorous connections and become a proper wife as is expected of her.
    Hugh also must learn to adapt, first giving up the woman he loves in order to marry the reluctant Bess. He quickly realizes, however, that he is in love with the beautiful Bess, and he attempts to woo his young wife. Although it seems unlikely for the two to successfully maintain their marriage, they do. But just as they grow closer together and admit their love, they are imperiled by a danger that threatens to lose all that they hold dear.
    The novel, although simply written, contains vivid scenes of royal life in the 1300s and successfully details the history of Hugh and Bess. Their blossoming romance and impending doom keeps the story going. Readers will be enraptured till the end, which unfortunately was a bit too abrupt, with just a quick summarization of the rest of Bess’s life. This is a delightful novel full of chivalry, romance, and real-life terrors. -- Rebecca Roberts

THE EXECUTIONER OF PRAGUE
Mirek Katzl, Reviewed copy: Lulu, 2007, $19.75, pb, 315pp, 978430312352
Available reprinting: The Memoirs of a Prague Executioner, CreateSpace, 2008, $17.95, pb, 360pp, 9781434837875
    Mirek Katzl's English translation and free adaptation of The Executioner of Prague (originally published by Josef Svatek in 1905 under Memoirs of the Executioner Mydlar Family of Prague) describes a tale many throughout history have chosen not to hear--the story of a sanctioned executioner. Based on actual events, this historical novel traces the life of Master Jan Mydlar in 16th century Bohemia.
    Following training as a doctor, Mydlar falls prey to a failed heroic attempt at saving the woman he loves. Doomed by family dishonor and shame, Mydlar hides his face with the executioner's mask, working up in rank through multiple rulers to become the Prague Old Town Master Executioner. Through the telling of his story and work, readers are privy to the private thoughts and public actions of a man destined to end the lives of countless murderers, corrupt officials, and town hoodlums. Ridiculed by a repulsed public, Mydlar creates an insular paradise for himself, filled with books, love, and family. Amidst the Thirty Years' War, as Czech Protestants fall victim to the Catholic Empire, Mydlar increasingly finds himself serving new rulers in an ever-changing game of life and death.
    Not for the faint of heart, this novel contains descriptions of torture methods and executions during the 16th century. These details, however unpleasant, contribute to the honest depiction of life during this time period. Katzl excels at illustrating the agony Mydlar faces on a daily basis, torn between a strong work ethic and disgust. His suffering is soothed by the slow, but sure, public acceptance that someone among them must be responsible for the dirty work. Gore aside, this novel succeeds in putting a human face to an inhuman task. -- Erin E. Dorney

KHAKHANATE Book One: The Raven
Thomas Lankenau, Elderberry Press, Inc., 2007, $23.95, pb, 680pp, 9781932762815
    Khakhanate Book One: The Raven is an ambitious effort to weave an epic saga of a Mongol colonization of North America in the 14th century. This labor of love, twenty years in the making, is equal parts travelogue and biography as the protagonist is forever on the move. Karl Waldmann is a Caucasian Mongol born in 1350 to a nomadic tribe near what is today Beijing, China. In his formative years, he is sent to live with his maternal grandfather in a large city. There he receives a cosmopolitan education from a string of tutors before a fear of living a life without adventure sends him back to the nomadic Mongol tribes. He quickly finds himself swept up as a cartographer on expeditions over the frozen sea into North America.
    From there Karl becomes an unstoppable political and military juggernaut, claiming most of North America between Alaska and Mexico for the newly founded Khante nation. Much of the book involves Karl being passed from one Indian tribe to another, practically all of which simply acquiesce to his dominance. So many names and places are crammed into the narrative that there are 54 pages of appendices. The dramatis personae lists no fewer than 138 characters. With such a fascinating premise and setting, less would have been more.
    Lankenau’s intention seems to be to educate more than to entertain, and readers with an interest in indigenous North American cultures will probably find his extensive scope rewarding. There is a forthcoming Book Two, which will benefit from the intriguing possibilities of an alternative history where Mongols beat the Europeans to the bountiful North American continent. -- Robert Perret

MY SPLENDID CONCUBINE
Lloyd Lofthouse, iUniverse, 2007, $21.95, pb, 365pp, 9780595458431
    When Robert Hart escapes his conservative English family for China, he’s hoping to change his life for the better. Raised with traditional Christian values, Hart is shocked when one of his first conversations with his Mandarin teacher involves purchasing a concubine. China is full of surprises for Hart, and his adjustment to the culture is awkward at times. He finds a mentor in Guan-jiah, a eunuch who assists him with his business and helps teach him about Chinese culture and values.
    Hart finds himself in love at first sight with Ayaou, a young boat person whose father is trying to sell her as a concubine. Unfortunately, Ward, a vicious and abusive American mercenary, purchases Ayaou before Hart. A fellow Brit offers to sell Shao-Mei, Ayaou’s sister, to Hart, and Hart purchases her, but only to save her from being raped and abused. Hart is finally able to strike a deal with Ward to purchase Ayaou, but this action sets a chain of devastating events into motion that will change the lives of Hart, Ayaou, and Shao-Mei.
    The beginning of the novel is slow going, but the pace speeds up once Ayaou enters Robert’s life. Some readers may be uncomfortable with the frank sexuality of the novel, as well as Hart’s simultaneous romantic relationship with both Ayaou and Shao-Mei, but those who are interested in unconventional romances with an out-of-the-ordinary setting will find plenty to enjoy.
Lofthouse put a lot of research into My Splendid Concubine, seeking out source material that has been saved in an underground archive in China. Robert Hart was a major figure in the westernization of China in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but his legacy is long forgotten by many. While this novel focuses more on Hart’s romantic entanglements than his diplomatic and governmental work, it may pique readers' interest in learning more about this interesting historical figure. –- Nanette Donohue

HMS RESOLUTE
Elizabeth Matthews, Auxilium ab Alto Press, 2007, $14.95, pb, 196pp, 9780755203963
    In 1852, HMS Resolute, under Captain Henry Kellett, ventured into the Arctic as part of a search operation led by the sadistic Sir Edward Belcher. It was the squadron's duty to locate John Franklin, the explorer. During the mission, Resolute became lodged in the arctic ice. After two years, she was abandoned by the expedition and left for dead.
    HMS Resolute, by Elizabeth Matthews, takes place during the British involvement in the Crimean War, but its focus is on the escalating tensions between the United States and Britain regarding the US's neutral status. This drama plays out against the backdrop of the increasingly volatile slavery issue in the United States.
    Matthews focuses the American portion of this story on a Quaker family in the New London, Connecticut, whaling industry. Fairfax Abraham and his son are torn by their different approaches to the issue of slavery, and the son, Fair Abe, volunteers to go on an arctic whaling expedition to clear his head. While on his journey, he spends some time aboard Resolute. By the end of the story, both the Abraham family and the Resolute play central roles in the resolution of the diplomatic difficulties between the US and Britain.
    HMS Resolute is a well-written, though short, novel. I say short because there are a number of incidents that are addressed in the book that I would like to read more about. The writing was well done, and I wouldn't mind spending more time immersed in the world that Matthews has created. This book would make a good addition to most historical fiction collections. It is a fast-paced, enjoyable novel, which covers a period that has not really been addressed by other writers of historical fiction. -- Rob Amend

BEDDING THE DEVIL
G. Richard Moore, Outskirts Press, 2007, $16.95, pb, 284pp, 9781432715502
    In 1648, slavers overrun a village near Luanda, killing or capturing all. Among the captured is twelve-year-old Samanya, the favored son of the village king. Samanya is then sold into slavery to the Portuguese, but manages to avoid the sugar plantations of the Caribbean and becomes the indentured servant of a free black man in Virginia. There he takes the name Samuel Harden and learns how to work iron, but is eventually driven to the edge of European settlements in New England, where he must struggle to fit into Native American society and raise the three-year-old child of his former master.
    Although Samuel tries to live peacefully, troubles beyond his control follow him when a war begins between the English colonists and the surrounding Native American tribes. Since he is black, the other Native Americans might kill him thinking he is a servant of the English, and the English know that a free black has been teaching the Native Americans to work iron, and may kill him for helping their enemies. Samuel, now responsible for providing for and protecting a wife and child, must hide until the war ends.
    Although there are a few grammatical errors and this story is a little short on action, considering that it takes place during a war, this remains an interesting study in character and applied philosophy. -- Michael Wilson

BEWARE THE WOLVES: A Soviet WWII Story
Victor Moss, Llumina Press, 2005, $17.95, pb, 259pp, 1595265546
    Showcasing the true story of Victor Moss's parents during the 1941 Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union, Beware the Wolves is a depiction of wartime endurance and commitment. Moss's father, Vladimir Moskalkov, serves as a medical doctor in the Soviet army and is subsequently captured as a prisoner of war during the Nazi takeover. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to him, Vladimir’s new wife Slava is forced to become a translator for the very people who have captured her husband. Vladimir takes his medical status undercover in order to survive the POW camps, witnessing his colleagues shot on spot due to their officer status. However, he surreptitiously continues to use his medical training to help other POWs around him. Ceaseless hunger and abuse bring Vladimir to the brink of death time and time again, as he keeps Slava’s picture close by with never-ending hope that they will be reunited. Slava bears the brunt of sustaining her parents and household in war-shocked Vitebsk, taking incredible risks to hear any news of her beloved husband. Subjected to unwanted attention from German officers, Slava does her best to carry on in light of dwindling supplies, frequent bombings, raiding, and a heart wrenching separation from her mother and father.
    As with any truly riveting story, Beware the Wolves will have readers anticipating each new page, anxious for words to reveal how Vladimir and Slava will be liberated. But unlike other enthralling tales, the truthful credence Moss, as a son born in Nazi-occupied Poland, lends is unmatched. Beware the Wolves has definite film potential. -- Erin E. Dorney

THE ORPHAN TRAIN TRILOGY
Robert Noonan, iUniverse, 2007, pb -- Wildflowers, $15.95, 229pp, 9780595426836; Bridie’s Daughter, $15.95, 214pp, 9780595436293; Secrets, $16.95, 236pp, 9780595436286
    Late 19th and early 20th-century industrialization came to America with a price as working people lived in poverty and even children were forced to work six days a week to help their families survive. Orphaned children were often sent to New York City, where the Society for Children would put them on orphan trains, stopping at various towns across the country looking for adoptive parents.
    The Orphan Train Trilogy follows the stories of five orphaned teenagers as they escape from ugly pasts and look forward to brighter futures. Wildflowers looks at life in a Delaware mill town where children are injured in dangerous machinery and abused by the mill owner. They do their best to have normal childhoods, but the hardships shared by everyone around them can never be fully banished. Bridie’s Daughter follows an orphan train to Newberry, Illinois, where three teens are adopted and meet a fourth who was adopted the year before. As the teens’ friendship grows, they begin to explore the new possibilities open to them now that their lives have changed. In Secrets, the characters from the first two books are united and many loose ends from the past are tied up.
    All three books present turn-of-the-century life with great detail and provide an engaging narrative with which to follow a little-studied aspect of our history. While showing all the hardships and abuses faced by these children, the trilogy is essentially uplifting and focuses on exploring the importance and meaning of family relationships, friendships, passion, and love. –- Ann K. D. Myers

MARINES AND RENEGADES
Gene Rackovitch, PublishAmerica, 2006, $19.95, pb, 206pp, 1424116880
    A story of confrontation and tragic death, Marines and Renegades is set on the Pacific Island of Guam immediately after the end of World War II when combined US Marine and naval forces are set to guard the surrendered Japanese army. Told from varying points of view, both American and Japanese, the novel displays insight into the Marines guarding the Japanese prisoners of war and their prisoners’ unique mentality.
   The Marines of Marines and Renegades are representative of second generation, middle America. Some volunteer for patrol missions seeking out renegade Japanese soldiers refusing to surrender merely to souvenir hunt at the end of the great conflict, while other ex-combat Marines acknowledge the fierce loyalty and fighting ability of the Japanese soldiers and appreciate the danger of the pursuit.
    Author Gene Rackovitch wisely focuses on one Marine, Corporal Drago Stoyon, through whose eyes we experience the POW installation on Guam and the continued East-West struggle as a handful of Japanese soldiers refuse to submit to defeat. Death and injury at the hands of a tenacious enemy are still possible for Drago and his fellow Marines, and made more incomprehensible by the formal declaration of cessation of hostilities.
    The novel encompasses not only the experiences of the Marines, but the motivations and culture of the Japanese soldiers as they endure the shame of surrender, while for those refusing to become prisoners life is reduced to an animalistic existence. An ex-Marine, Rackovitch peppers Marines and Renegades with details of Guam’s jungle environment and devastating storms and with anecdotes of the life and camaraderie of the Marines that wins our sympathy for this group of men. -- Eva Ulett

HIDDEN HARMONIES: The Secret Life of Antonio Vivaldi
André Romijn, Roman House Publishers, 2008, £14.95, 383pp, 9780955410017
    Antonio Vivaldi is known today as a composer, but he was also a priest, a virtuoso violin player, and a music teacher. Like many composers, he struggled for recognition throughout his life, constantly striving to bring himself to the attention of the nobility. Even though he never got the prestige he craved, he was relatively successful financially, supporting himself with commissions, teaching, and a successful stint as a theater manager.
    Hidden Harmonies attempts to tell the story of the man behind the music: his fragile ego, his struggles to compose, his development as a composer and musician, his close working relationship with his father, and his work as a teacher. It also attempts to explain Vivaldi’s relationship with the singer Anna Giró, suggesting that rather than being his mistress as was widely believed at the time, she was his illegitimate daughter, born to Vivaldi’s secretary Paolina who claimed to be Anna’s half-sister.
    Much of the detail in Hidden Harmonies is based on historical fact, and it paints a vivid picture of the day-to-day life of an 18th century Italian composer. However, the faithful attention to detail and Vivaldi’s emotional ups and downs make for a rather slow narrative without the traditional story arc of most novels. This book would appeal to those interested in Vivaldi and his life and to readers looking for a detailed view of the musical culture of 18th century Europe. -- Ann K.D. Myers

BULLETS AND BANDAGES
Robert J. Saniscalchi, Bedside Books, 2007, $22.00, pb, 249pp, 1589822471
    Rob Marrino was a teenager when he enlisted in the armed forces, carefree and ignorant of what enlistment entailed in the late 1960s--active duty in the Vietnam War. Lack of direction after high school and youthful naiveté led Rob to join the Army, but he would quickly learn the skills of a field medic as well as those of an infantry soldier. Rob’s horrific experiences in Vietnam, while fictional, are based on real-life accounts of the author’s brothers who served in that war, and the novel reflects their experiences with a respect for detail and a reverential awe of all who served.
    Nicknamed “Doc” by his fellow soldiers, Rob’s friendly and open nature encourages close friendships throughout his experience in the war, particularly with Corporal Green, a fellow soldier. They train together and learn quickly that they must keep their eyes and ears open and not take any chances, but they will need each other to survive. Doc and Green’s closeness gives them a sense of support when they are alone and surrounded by uncertainty in the jungle, and their close friendship makes them great leaders of their units.
    Saniscalchi’s attention to the details of field medic work is fascinating and makes the reader understand how difficult it is to save lives in the middle of a war zone and how important the bonds between soldiers are. The writing is simple and uncluttered and lends itself well to the innocent and unquestioning perspective of his narrator. Occasionally Doc questions the capabilities or strategy of a captain or two, but the hard questions about the war are never asked in this novel. The action is constant, and Saniscalchi’s work is, as a result, an action-packed war story suited to the silver screen.
–- Catherine Perkins

A SNUG LIFE SOMEWHERE
Jan Shapin, PublishAmerica, 2006, $19.95, pb, 236pp, 1424152992
    Penny Joe Copper’s life is far from easy. Her father is a laborer who ended up in prison, and her brother Horace is killed during the Everett Massacre, a union protest in Washington State. Her romantic relationship with Marcel, a handsome young violin player, is ruined by his meddling mother. When a charismatic man named Gabe Rabinowitz begins to pay attention to her, Penny Joe is flattered—but Gabe has other plans for her. Union members see Horace as a martyr to their cause, and Gabe wants to take advantage of their emotions. Penny Joe finds herself as the center of attention at a number of rallies, and she’s also swept into a relationship with smooth-talking Gabe.
    Shapin’s first novel is dense and eventful. The first-person narration puts the reader in Penny Joe’s shoes, and though her situation is often tragic, she always seems to make the most of life. She’s a clever woman who struggles to do what is right for herself, but often gets caught up in others’ problems. Her independence is appealing. There’s quite a bit of suspense and intrigue to keep the plot moving, and Gabe—a wannabe Bolshevik with a serious mean streak—is a fascinating villain. Shapin does a good job integrating the mores and movements of the early 20th century into this novel—her characters think and act realistically. Penny Joe’s journey towards an elusive “snug life” is an interesting one to follow, and the resolution is pleasing. Recommended.
-– Nanette Donohue

DREAM HELPER: A Novel of Early California
Willard Thompson, Rincon Publishing, 2008, $16.95, pb, 314pp, 9780979755200
    What a pleasure to have the opportunity to review a book that is a historical novel about the place where I currently live and work: Santa Barbara, California! Some of the characters and incidents reported in this work of fiction were real people, and the author’s historical note at the end of the novel is perhaps the most succinct and concise history of early California that I have read. It details the establishment of the California missions by the Spanish soldiers from Mexico and the Franciscan priests, the conversion and enslavement of the Chumash Indians, and the devastating earthquake of 1812, all of which are compressed into this story. The novel follows the life of Cayatu, a beautiful young Chumash Indian woman, whose tale is woven into the historical incidents that the author has researched and studied with the help of various grants and scholarships.
    Book two, Delfina’s Gold, is set to be published soon and will bring historical figures such as John Charles Fremont and Augustus Sutter into the story. An excellent and well-researched historical novel and drama. -- Brad Eden

MOSES TRINIDAD, BUFFALO SOLDIER
Michael Walter Tudda, Infinity Publishing, 2005, $17.95, pb, 327pp, 0741428407
    The novel follows the adventures and trials of Sergeant Moses Trinidad and the Buffalo Soldiers he leads on the frontiers of a post-Civil War Texas. The stationing of the all black 9th cavalry under the young idealistic white Captain Taylor in a small Texas town stirs up trouble both expected and unexpected. Moses and his men must deal with a corrupt town sheriff, rogue Texas rangers, and marauding Indians all while trying to overcome racial prejudices to win the respect and admiration of the very people they risk their lives to protect.
The book is action packed and highlights the life and death struggle of a soldier on the frontier. In many ways, this is a classic cowboy and Indian story about daring cavalry rushing in to save the day with the added twist that the cavalry is black. While the story is archetypical to the point of bordering on cliché, it does do an admirable job of elevating the overlooked Buffalo Soldier to the role of classic hero. This book will appeal to fans of the Wild West and those interested in the contributions of the underappreciated black soldier to the settlement of the United States. -– Amanda Yesilbas
 

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