Silk Road - Colin Falconer

   2011; 468 pages.  Book 1 (out of 15) in the “Epic Adventure” series.  New Author? : Yes.  Genre : Historical Asian Fiction; Epic Adventure.  Overall Rating : 9*/10.

 

    An enemy of my enemy is my friend.  And the Christian Crusaders fighting the hordes of Saracens in the Holy Land in 1260 AD need all the friends they can get.

 

    What about those fearsome marauding Mongols way out in Eastern Asia?  They’ve been battling the Christian and Moslem armies, and inflicting heavy casualties on both.

 

    Let’s send a Papal envoy to them and get them to join the Crusaders they’ve been killing.  Then the both of us can gang up on those infidel Moslems.  We’ll conveniently ignore the fact that the Mongols are also infidels.

 

    We’ll assign a veteran Crusader to accompany the envoy and keep him safe.  A Knights Templar, no less.  The two of them can travel to and meet with the Great Khan, wherever he is, and convince him to join us.

 

    Nothing can possibly go wrong.  Because we have God on our side, and nobody else does!

 

What’s To Like...

    Silk Road is the first book in a 15-volume Historical Adventure series by Colin Falconer.  It is a standalone novel, not connected to any of the others.  Chronologically, it starts out soon after what Wikipedia labels “The Seventh Crusade”, which was waged in the years 1248-1254 AD.

 

    The storyline follows three main protagonists: William, the Pope’s envoy and zealous defender of the faith; Josseran, the Crusader tasked with making sure William safely reaches the Great Khan; and Khutelun, a Mongol princess who’d rather engage you in combat than become engaged to you.  The character development of these three individuals is deep and satisfying, and that is also true of the secondary characters such as Khutelun’s father, her brothers, and the daughter of Kublai, the present Mongol ruler of Cathay (China).

 

    The historical angle felt meticulously researched, which for a history buff like me, is a definite plus.  The titular “Silk Road” was the main trade route in those days, but traveling it was perilous at best, fatal at worst.  I was familiar with the practice of foot-binding and the partaking of hashish (by both Mongols and Saracens), but didn’t know ice cream was a culinary delight back then.  And William’s clumsy attempts at using chopsticks brought back personal memories one of my business trips to China.

 

    Traversing the Silk Road from the Near East to the Far East entailed months of traveling in the 13^th century, and to pass the time, the reader is treated to extensive theological discussions.  William is annoyingly zealous; Josseran is a jaded warrior; and both staunchly defend their faith and/or lack of it.  It was also enlightening to hear the Mongols, Saracens, and Chinese expound on their religious beliefs.

 

    The ending is both exciting and heartwarming.  The storylines for Josseran and Khutelun are resolved, at least for the moment, and William’s is covered in the Prologue and Epilogue.  There is room for a sequel, but I doubt that Colin Falconer will pen one.  Too many other Epic Adventures to tell.

 

Ratings…
    Amazon:  4.4/5 based on 14,544 ratings and 944 reviews.

    Goodreads: 4.27/5 based on 10,002 ratings and 419 reviews.

 

Kewlest New Word ...

    Argol (n.) : camel droppings dried in the sun (Mongolian).

    Others: Koumiss (n.); Parlous (adj.).

 

Excerpts...

    The woman turned to one of her companions.  “The thin one will die of cold before we are halfway across the mountains.  The other one looks fit enough.  But he is as ugly as his horse, and his nose is twice as big.”

    The Mongols laughed.

    “I have no quarrel with you for my own account,” Josseran said in her own language, “but I object to you calling my horse ugly.”  (loc. 888)

 

    “There are some who think we should spend all our lives as our grandfathers did, on the steppes, stealing horses and burning towns.  But Qaidu and my brother Ariq Boke live in a time that is gone.  Are we to live as Genghis lived, to conquer the world every winter, only to withdraw again during the summer to tend our horses and sheep?  If we are to keep what we have won, then we have to change our old ways.  The world may be conquered from horseback, but it cannot be ruled from it.”  (loc. 3664)

 

Kindle Details…

    Silk Road sells for $3.99 at Amazon right now.  All of the other books in the series are also $3.99.  Colin Falconer has another seven novels available for your reading pleasure, mostly historical fiction and crime thrillers, and in the price range of $0.99 to $4.99.

 

“May you grow boils in your ears the size of watermelons.”  (loc. 2255)

    I was impressed by the sparsity of cussing—just three instances first third of the book.  There are several rolls-in-the-hay however, and a number of adult situations, including a disturbing underage one.  I suspect, however, that such was life in the wilds of Asia back then.

 

    The editing was fantastic; I noted just one typo: defend/defends.  The book is written in “Australian”, the author’s nationality, which means a few odd spellings, such as offence, meagre, and judgement; but also “normal” spellings on such words as realize, specter, and defenseless.

 

    I personally found Silk Road a great piece of Historical Fiction.  There’s a smidgen of Romance blended in; and I liked the way Khutelun and Miao-yen (the Chinese princess) were both, in their own ways, strong female character studies.  I have a couple more books from this series on my Kindle, and I expect I'll start reading one of those in the not-too-distant future.

 

    9 Stars.  One last thing. One of Josseran’s responsibilities during the trek was to act as a translator for William.  William suffers from a deficiency of tact—not a good trait for an envoy—and Josseran often resorts to “loose translations” when William is engaging in brusque dialogue with other dignitaries.  It was most entertaining to read his “free form” revisions.

And The Rest Is History - Jodi Taylor

   2016; 432 pages.  Book 8 (out of 14) in the series “The Chronicles of St. Mary’s”.  New Author? : No.  Genres: Time Travel; British Humor; Historical Adventure.  Overall Rating: 9½*/10.

 

    Clive Ronan is the biggest enemy that the Historians at St. Mary’s (don’t call them time-travelers!) have.  He routinely jumps through the security measures of St. Mary’s as if they weren’t even there.  And today is no exception.

 

    He apparently knows what jogging path his archenemy Dr. Maxwell (“Max”) uses, and has plopped himself on it.  Clive meets her as she comes trotting along, and has a surprising proposal for her: how about a truce?

 

    Naturally, Max is leery of it.  Neither one trusts the other, and both have good reason not to.  But she agrees to meet in a very open place of Clive’s choosing.  Namely, the Egyptian desert, 25 centuries in the past.  What’s the worst that could happen?

 

    Well, either party could arrange a double-cross.  Saharan desert storms can be killers.  The Time Police, who don’t particularly like St. Mary’s or Clive, could try killing two birds with one stone.  And the anthropomorphic muse called “History” might override everyone else’s plans in order to keep the correct timeline unchanged.  And you really, really don’t want to mess with History.

 

    But don’t call it Time Travel.

 

What’s To Like...

    And The Rest Is History is the eighth book in the Chronicles of St. Mary’s series by Jodi Taylor.  To no one’s surprise, the hastily arranged meeting betwixt Max and Clive runs amok immediately.  Clive feels that Max set him up, and vows revenge.  And if you’re reading this series in order (which I am), you know an angry Clive is a dangerous Clive.

 

    There is a pleasant balance of time travel and personal interaction ion the storyline.  Various St. Mary’s employees are in various relationships with coworkers, which can be a hazardous situation when you’re traipsing all over the historical timeline.  I like how Clive’s character is being developed; his “all black” persona is starting to turn just a bit “gray”.

 

    Once again, Jodi Taylor doesn’t skimp on the time-traveling.  The reader is treated to eight chrono-hops, including one to the future, one by others to St. Mary's, and several of them chronicling events leading up to the historically crucial Battle of Hastings in 1066 CE.  Yes, this is fiction, but it’s obvious the author did some deep research of the lives and aspirations of both Harold Godwinson and William of Normandy, and I learned a lot because of that.

 

    And The Rest Is History introduces three new characters to the series.  The first is Max and Leon’s son, Matthew.  The storyline hints that since he was born at an impossible time (due to his time-traveling parents) he has some very unusual talents.  Then there’s Adrian & Mikey, who reminded me muchly of Bill & Ted from their most excellent adventure movie.  They make only a cameo appearance here, but I have a feeling all three of these will play important and recurring parts in this series.

 

    The ending is, as always, exciting, historically enlightening, and spine-tingling.  St. Mary’s and the Time Police, who tolerate each other grudgingly at best, are forced to team up to carry out a rescue endeavor which turns out to be quite a gory affair.  Once the crisis is resolved, both agencies are more than happy to get back to their normal bickering and feuding.

 

Ratings…
    Amazon: 4.6*/5, based on 5,774 ratings and 476 reviews.

    Goodreads: 4.44*/5, based on 9,083 ratings and 687 reviews.

 

Excerpts...

    “Are you a glass half full or a glass half empty person?”

    I said, “Well, it depends where you are at the time.  The Technical Section will say never mind whether it’s half empty or half full, the glass was obviously too big in the first place.  Dr. Dowson will tell you it’s not contemporary to the time period and you should be using a goblet.  The History Department will enquire what bloody glass?  The Security Section will be gloomily surveying the broken shards on the floor, and Mrs. Mack will just tell you to get out of her kitchen.”  (pg. 111)

 

    It takes a lot to catch St. Mary’s off balance.  Over the years, we’ve been attacked, blown up, gassed — several times actually, because Professor Rapson just can’t work out where he’s going wrong — mobbed by swans, crushed and drowned by a runaway monolith, the list is long and we’ve risen above all of it.  We’re St. Mary’s, we say, and our proud boast is that we can handle anything, and that’s true, but you can imagine my surprise and consternation when, out of the blue, a bloody great teapot materialised.  Right in front of us.  Right in the middle of the South Lawn and flattening a croquet hoop at the same time.  (pg. 325)

 

Kewlest New Word ...

Firkled (v.) : searched; rummaged

 

I’ve been at St. Mary’s long enough for the kookaburra of caution to hover over my head occasionally.  (pg. 352)

    The cussing in And The Rest Is History is negligible.  There were only three instances in the first 25% of the book, all of them “hell”.  Later on a couple more profanities were used, mostly the scatological word.

 

    As always, I greatly appreciated Jodi Taylor’s inclusion of a Dramatis Thingummy.  Here, however, it felt like the list of “Security Department” personnel was for some reason omitted.  The spelling typos were few: see/seen, though/thought, and, incredibly, Ort cloud/Oort cloud.  Punctuation typos were more numerous: at least one missing comma, one missing period, and a slew of missing “close quotation marks”.

 

    But these be quibbles.  And The Rest Is History was sheer delight to read, and fully deserving of those lofty Amazon and Goodreads ratings listed above.  The series shows no sign of succumbing to the “let’s just crank another one out” syndrome, I’m so wrapped up in this set of stories, I haven’t even had time to explore Jodi Taylor’s related series: “The Time Police” (5 books) and the “Frogmorton Farm” series (2 books).

 

    9½ Stars.  Acronym Appreciation Moment.  On page 317, the acronym SPOHB is used, which is short for Society for Preservation of Historical Buildings.  Shortly thereafter, the acronym BDSM is used, causing everyone at St. Mary’s to get all excited.  It turns out it stands for… well, we’ll let you read the book to find out, but its not what you think.

At Road's End - Zoe Saadia

    2012; 155 pages.  Prequel to the Pre-Aztec Trilogy.  New Author? : Yes.  Genre : Action-Adventure; Historical Fiction.  Overall Rating : 8*/10.

    Traders.  Pig-headed, filthy, annoying, stubborn, manure-eating traders.  And to add to the indignity of having to be their hired guard, Tecpatl has to endure their arrogant attitude towards him, a glorious warrior!

    Cheer up, Tecpatl.  The journey into the deserts of (what is present-day) Arizona may be long, hot, dry, and boring; but there are forces nearby that are far more powerful than the usual solitary bandit, and they are heading your way.  Destiny awaits you.  At Road’s End.

What’s To Like...

    At Road’s End is an ambitious blending of the Action, History, and Romance genres.  The writing is story-driven, so it’s weighted more towards the Action.  But the Historical detail is sufficient to make the setting believable, and the Romance is enough to keep the female audience reading, while not losing the male audience.

     According to the author’s afterword, the story is set in the 13^th century.  Tecpatl is a member of the Tepanec tribe, based in central Mexico, and neighbors to the upstart Aztecs who, while not yet a predominant force in the area, seem to be on the rise.  The trading sortie journeys into the territory of the Anasazi, at a time before they disappeared into the dusty veil of history.  This is a setting that will cause Historical fiction enthusiasts to drool.

    The history is well-researched.  I questioned whether Tecpatl’s main weapon would be properly called a “sword”, and whether passionate kissing was part of Mesoamerican culture.  Both turned out to be accurate, although double-checking the latter was quite the challenge.

    There aren’t a lot of characters to keep track of, and the two main ones, Tecpatl and Sakuna “evolve” nicely as the story progresses.  There is a kewl underlying theme about understanding cultures other than your own.  There are one or two “adult situations”, but nothing graphic.  There’s no cussing unless you count “manure-eating”, and if you find that offensive, I pity you.

    Some of the chapters start with a “jump” in the timeline.  For instance, one moment Tecpatl is fleeing for his life, the next moment (and at the start of the next chapter), he’s lying in a pond, refreshed and clean.  Zoe Saadia immediately fills the gap with a short backstory, but the style did leave me confused a couple of times.  But let's not quibble.  Overall, the writing is excellent.

Excerpts...

    Two men jumped from the upper terrace.  They were only a little taller than the women, but very sturdily built.  One clutched a short pole as though holding onto a club.  The second was weaponless.  Their hair was rolled into funny neat buns above their ears.

    I can beat them easily, thought Tecaptl, appraising the situation.  Another man’s head popped from the rectangular opening.  But I’d better check the possibility of a retreat.  (loc. 436)

    “People who go to sleep miss something very special.”  She shivered and pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders.  “When I was a child I would sometimes slip out at night and run away into the desert and the fields.  When the moon deity is up, the spirits are definitely there, wandering, busy.  You can just feel them.  And they are not frightening either.”  She sighed.  “Back then the spirits were kinder to us...”  (loc. 786)

Kindle Details...

    At Road’s End sells for $2.99 at Amazon.  The (other) three books in the trilogy all sell for $3.99.  Zoe Saadia has nine other books available for the Kindle, all of them set in pre-Columbian America, and all also for $3.99.

“Does it make a difference to you where you die bravely and honorably?”  (loc. 1354)

    At 155 pages, At Road’s End is about the same length as the other three books in the series (192, 158, and 223 pages respectively).  I’m therefore not sure why this was designated a prequel, unless it was written after the others.

    Due to its brevity, there is nothing “epic” about the book.  But it’s easy-to-read, packed with adventure, and set in an era that is historically fascinating.  There might not be any 10-page discourses about how the maize was cultivated way back then, but some of us think that makes for a better read.  At Road’s End has the “feel” of a YA story, yet will still keep adults entertained.

    8 Stars.  Add 1 star if you are a Historical Accuracy nitpicker and couldn’t find anything wrong here.

Finn Mac Cool - Morgan Llywelyn

   1994; 528 pages.  New Author? : No.    Genre : Historical Fiction.  Overall Rating : 10*/10.

   Finn Mac Cool is a mythical warrior in pre-Christian Ireland. You can read the Wikipedia article about him here.  Legendary he may be, but stories such as his often arise from historical events and real people.

    But how do they “grow” into larger-than-life characters?  In Finn Mac Cool, Morgan Llywelyn weaves a fascinating hypothesis about how just such a thing might have come about.

What’s To Like...

     As always, Morgan Llywelyn’s writing is breathtaking and the characters are all richly three-dimensional, “gray”, and continue to develop as the story progresses.  There are unexpected plot twists, despite the author having to stay within the confines of the established legends.  There is Romance, Action, Drama, History, and perhaps even a bit of Magic courtesy of the Tuatha de Danann.  So no matter what genre you’re in the mood for, you’ll likely to find it here.

The book explores numerous themes, some of which are :

    How history can evolve into legends.

    Heroes grow old, and so do kings.

    Compensation (think ‘karma’) can be brutal.

    A caste system can be brutal as well.

    Oaths and duty are sacred obligations.

    The ending is both logical and surprising, and I found myself constantly changing my guess as to how Finn’s relationships with Goll, Cormac, and Oisin would be resolved.  Celtic Ireland is beautifully portrayed, and my only quibble is with the mention of chess.  Sorry, Ms. Llywelyn; chess came out of ancient Persia, and would not have spread this far by Finn’s time.

Kewlest New Word. . .

Coibche (n.)  :   the bride-price a man had to pay to a woman for the right to marry her.

Excerpts...

    The thudding sound was not so muffled now.  Accompanied by a curious hiss and slap, it echoed along the waterway.

    “Did you ever hear anything like that before?” Finn asked Goll.

    “Never.  Be ready; it could be danger.”

    Finn grinned.  “Is that a promise?”  (pg. 64)

    “His are splendid tales for telling around a campfire, but I cannot vouch for their accuracy, and our children’s children might not be well served if the more outrageous stories were made part of our history.”

    The chief historian,  a thin-legged, round-bellied man with a prodigious memory, found this an astonishing conversation.  “Are you telling me Finn Mac Cool would lie about the achievements of himself and the Fianna?”

    “He would not lie, I think.  But he . . . adds colour.  A great deal of colour.”  (pg. 342)

 “Finn doesn’t know how to talk to a woman.  His mother was a deer.”  (pg. 102)

    As a piece of historical fiction, Finn Mac Cool is superb   There are a couple 'adult situations', but that’s in keeping with the times.  Finn and his band of warriors are mighty and brave, and the women here are strong as well.

    This is my third Morgan Llywelyn novel.  The other two are reviewed here and here.  Each one has been a literary delight, and Red Branch is sitting on my TBR shelf.

    10 Stars.  Add 1 star if . . . well, 10 Stars is as high as we go here.  Highly Recommended.

SPQR - John Maddox Roberts

   1990; 215 pages.  New Author? : No.  Updated Title : The King’s Gambit (SPQR 1).  Genre : Historical Adventure; Murder-Mystery.  Book 1 (out of 14, plus some additional short stories) in the “SPQR” series.  Overall Rating : 8*/10.

    On the streets of Rome, in 70 BC, someone has murdered the ex-gladiator, Marcus Ager.  They didn’t even do it the Roman way (with a sword); they strangled him.  Oh well, there are slayings every night in Rome.  What's one more dead commoner?

    It is Decius Caecilius Metellus the Younger’s responsibility to look into crimes in this neighborhood and he feels honor-bound to do so.  But no one expects him to be thorough about it.  Indeed, there are some who strongly encourage him to curtail his snooping and just turn in a sanitized report.

    Then the bodies start to pile up.

What’s To Like...
    If you read SPQR as a murder-mystery, you may be a tad disappointed.  You’ll probably figure out the “who” of the whodunit early on; and while the “why” is uncovered gradually, there aren’t any major twists to the investigation.  The intrigue behind the plot is complex, though, and figuring out the “who” behind that is more of a challenge.

    But as a Historical Adventure, SPQR is superb.  You’ll go to the markets and the public baths with Decius.  You’ll slog through ordinary workdays and attend festive holidays.  You’ll enjoy everyday meals and lavish feasts.  And of course, along the way, you’ll look for clues and try not to get mugged (or worse) when it gets dark.

    Decius makes a fine protagonist and an excellent narrator.  He has no qualms about pointing out the “warts” of Roman politics; but he’s just as quick to show the strengths of the Roman psyche.  There are a slew of characters to meet, greet, and examine as possible suspects.  For the most part, the characters are gray – some of the highborn are scoundrels; some of the lowborn, if lacking in charm, at least have a measure of integrity in them.

    The ending is well-crafted.  The investigation may be straightforward; but its resolution has a couple of nice twists.

Kewlest New Word. . .
Fructifying (adj.)  :  making (something) fruitful or productive

Excerpts...
    “It is always good to know what men of power are saying in Rome these days.  And while Hortalus was the only man present tonight who wields real power, the rest show great promise for the future.”
    “Even Curius and Catilina?” I asked.
    “Men don’t have to be intelligent or capable or of good character to play an important role in the high affairs of state.  It is quite sufficient to be bad and dangerous.”  (pg. 60)

    “It is the greatest game in the world.  It is played on a board made up of kingdoms and republics and seas.  The men are just counters.  They are placed on the board according to the skill of the players.”  She paused.  “And there is the uncertainty of luck, of course.”
    “Fortuna can be a whimsical goddess,” I said.
    “I don’t believe in the gods.  If they exist at all, they take no interest in what men do.  But I believe in blind chance.  It just makes the game more interesting.”  (pg. 187)

“He's a patrician.  You can kill them, but they don't take humiliation well."  (pg. 130)
    This is the second book I’ve read in this series.   My first one (Book 4), The Temple of the Muses, is reviewed here.  They were both enjoyable reads, particularly for their historical “feel”.  One is set in Rome; the other in Alexandria.  At just over 200 pages each, they are both “thin” books.  But if you’re a history buff, the detailed descriptions in both will keep them from being quick reads.

    There are some subtle differences between the two books.  The Temple of the Muses seemed to me to have more wit and humor, and the writing felt more polished.  OTOH, it also has one or two WTF moments; I didn’t notice any of those in SPQR.

    8 Stars.  Which is what I gave both books.  They’re fascinating looks into life in the Roman Empire at the height of its power.  That’s good enough for me.

The Earth Goddess - Richard Herley

    1984; 256 pages.  New Author? : No.  Book 3 of The Pagans trilogy.  Genre : Historical Adventure.  Overall Rating : 7½*/10.

    Time marches on.  The Hunter-Gatherer tribes are no more.  Paoul, Tagart's adopted son, is taken in by the "civilized" people and is destined for the Red Priesthood.

    The Hunter-Gatherers would be appalled.  The farming and mining communities are dangerous enemies; the Flint Lord's soldiers even more so.   But the Red Priests, with their tattooed 5-pointed stars on the left hands, are said by Tagart to be the most-feared of all.  Time marches on.

What's To Like...
    The Earth Goddess has a different tone than the first two books of this series (reviewed here and here).  The focus is now on Religion, so not surprisingly, there is a lot less fighting and killing.  Indeed, after an initial spate of it, most of the subsequent bloodshed occurs offscreen.

    Richard Herley sets this third book about 8 years after Book 2.  Tagart, Fodich, and Lord Hewzane serve as a bridge between the two novels.  Rian and Ika also have lesser roles.  For the most part, we are treated to a new cast of characters, and new lands to explore.  Paoul, the hero, is not of Tagart's bloodline, and that's a nice change-of-pace.  Like Tagart, he has his flaws.

    Despite the paucity of gore, TEG is not a boring read.  The writing is strong, and the pace, with one exception (the details of the Red Priests' dogma), moves along at a nice clip.   The major characters are well-developed (maybe that's the upside to less bloodshed), and there are some deep insights about Religion in this story that are still applicable today.

    The ending seemed a bit hurried to me, but it had some neat twists and there is a kewl epilogue.  All the major plotlines (Paoul's heritage, religion, and love issues; plus Hothen's lot) are tied up,  I like this better than some other neverending series I've read (WoT, GRRM).

Kewlest New Word...
Stultifying : causing to appear foolish or absurd.

Excerpts...
    "I ... I want to know why I have been brought here.  Am I ... am I to be sacrificed?"
    The old priest looked amused.  "What gives you that idea?"
    "I once heard someone say..."
    "Say what?"
    "That children were sacrificed to the Earth Mother.  By the red priests.  By you."
    "I'm sorry to disappoint you.  Here we cut no throats at all."  (loc. 761)

    "Pagans", they were called; but who were the real heathens, the criminals who abused the greatest faculty of man?  There could be no going back to the forests.  It was too late for that.  The marvels of Tagart's age had gone.  Man was coming to another age, not of decay, as the Order so cynically had it, but of potential unfulfilled.  It never could be fulfilled if he were deprived of the single faculty on which the world's welfare hinged, the faculty indivisible from that which Paoul loved and worshipped most in Yseld: the human spirit.  (loc. 3065)

Kindle Details...
  I bought The Earth Goddess for $2.99 at Amazon.  Book 2, The Flint Lord, is also $2.99.  Book 1, The Stone Arrow, is free for the downloading.  You really can't ask for a better deal than that.

"Above all, remember Gauhm."  (loc. 1019)
    For me, the overlying theme throughout this trilogy was the merits of civilization (as we define it) versus the merits of those who we would call savages/pagans.  The first book examines farming vs. hunting as a lifestyle.  In Book 2, the focus is on the two sides' abilities in warfare.  And here, the topic is an organized religion vs. nature worship.

    In each case, the pagans acquit themselves admirably.  Yet their victories are bittersweet and Pyrrhic.  Hunter-Gatherers may survive a single encounter, but in the long run, the Agrarian way of life always wins out.

    I enjoyed The Earth Goddess, in part bacause the other reviews at Amazon alerted me to the change in tone.  For that matter, I enjoyed the trilogy as a whole.  7½ Stars for TEG; 8 Stars for the series.