Vita Brevis - Ruth Downie

   2016; 366 pages.  Book 7 (out of 8) in the “Medicus” series.  New Author? : No.  Genres: Cozy Mystery; Rome; Historical Fiction.  Overall Rating: 8*/10.

 

    Heads up, Imperial Rome!  Gaius Ruso has arrived!  He’s brought his wife Tilla, and 7-month-old daughter Mara, along with him.  And not much else, other than a bunch of medical equipment, since Ruso is a Medicus (“Doctor”) by trade, and just recently discharged from serving in a Roman legion.

 

    The first thing to do, of course, is to open up a practice and get some money coming in.  He hopes his former military superior, Publius Accius, who’s somewhere in Rome, will put in a good word for him.  Open some doors.

 

    Well, speaking of opening doors, one just did.  Kleitos, a doctor here in Rome just left town unexpectedly, leaving a whole bunch of patients in the lurch and a fully furnished, doctor’s residence.  What a perfect opportunity for Ruso!  He’s moving in today, along with his family.

 

    He plans to set up quickly, and start seeing Kleitos’s patients immediately.  Oh, and he needs to get someone to remove that barrel sitting on the front porch.  It’s sealed, so who knows what’s in it, but it’s stinking to high Olympus.

 

What’s To Like...

    Vita Brevis is the seventh book in Ruth Downie’s (completed) Roman historical fiction “Medicus” series.  I’ve read the first six books, but that was ten years ago.  The series is set in 123 CE, at the height of the Roman empire, although I think this is the first one where Ruso actually sets foot in the capital city.

 

    The mystery angle starts almost immediately; the reeking barrel is left on Kleitos’s porch on page 4, with Ruso making his entrance shortly thereafter.  The chapters are short: there are 76 of them covering 366 pages.  There’s a “Cast of Characters” section at the start of the book, which I found really helpful, due to my 10-year hiatus from this series.

 

    As expected, a relatively simple mystery (what’s in the stinking barrel?) quickly becomes more complex.  Where did Kleitos go, and why?  Why do thugs keep knocking on Ruso’s/Kleitos’s door asking for payment for “services rendered”?  Can Ruso and his former boss patch things up?  Why didn't Kleitos label his potions bottles?

 

    One of the things I love about this series is Ruth Downie’s skill at setting the story in a believable historical epoch.  One example: all cities had “dung carts” in those days.  Horses and donkeys make great beasts of burden as transportation on the streets of Rome, but in a city this size, they generate a lot of poop on a daily basis.

 

    I thought the author’s handling of the sensitive issue of slaver was also deftly done.  The fate of being a slave was a dicey affair.  It all depended on the master.  Slaves also came in all colors., and many of them eventually garnered enough money to buy their freedom.  The medical scenes were also skillfully rendered.   Herbs and potions were of course commonly prescribed, but sometimes surgery was necessary.

 

    The ending is well thought-out.  It’s not filled with thrills & spills, but that's okay.  Instead it's a product of Ruso's deductive reasoning.  And his ingestion of poppies.

 

Kewlest New Word…

Bodge (n.): something that is completed quickly and carelessly.

 

Ratings…
    Amazon: 4.4*/5, based on 1,098 ratings and 96 reviews.

    Goodreads: 4.13*/5, based on 1,456 ratings and 157 reviews.

 

Excerpts...

    “And how is your wife enjoying Rome?”

    “She’s very busy with the baby,” said Ruso.

    “Oh, dear, yes.  I heard something about that.”

    “Parenthood is a marvelous thing,” Ruso assured him.  “You should try it yourself.”

    “I’m glad to hear it,” Metellus told him.  “Especially after the rumors.”

    Ruso said, “It never pays to listen to rumors.”

    “Actually, I find it pays rather well.”  (loc. 437)

 

    “Horatia was only one opportunity among many.”

    “That’s all he thought of her?”

    “Don’t be silly, Ruso.  Daughters of rich families are part of the business.  They’re born knowing that.  It’s their duty to contribute, and since they can’t do much else, the least they can do is provide helpful alliances and grandchildren.  Not everyone can marry for love and live on beans like you do.”  (loc. 4348)

 

Kindle Details…

    Vita Brevis presently sells for $9.99 at Amazon, as do the other seven books in the series.  Ruth Downie also has a short story, The Bear and the Wolf, and a novella, Prima Facie, both set in the Roman Empire for your Kindle, priced at $0.99 and $2.99 respectively. 

 

Across the room, Mara put her toes in her mouth and sucked them.  (loc. 1371)

    The profanity is sparse in Vita Brevis, so little of it that I forgot to keep count.  I’m sure there were less than ten instances in the entire book.

 

    The quibbles are negligible.  The only one I can think of is subjective: Ruso can be dense at times.  You might solve the mysteries and the crimes before he does.  Heck, it took him, and Tilla, an unbelievable amount of time to determine why that barrel on the front porch smells so rotten, and why someone wants payment for delivering it to Kleitos's house.

 

    Overall, the plusses far outweigh the minuses in Vita Brevis, and it was nice to read a cozy mystery where the author pays just as much attention to developing the mystery as she does to the "coziness".  There’s one more book in this series, Memento Mori, so I gotta hit the used-book stores to find a copy since I can’t remember the last time I saw Ruth Downie’s e-books discounted at Amazon.

 

    8 Stars.  One last thing.  Early on, Ruso scrapes up enough money to buy him a trio of slaves.  Two of them evolve into important characters in the story; but the third simply runs away the first chance he gets.  We aren’t even told his name.  I kept waiting for this plot thread to make an impact on the storyline, but it never does.  I’m hoping he shows up in the final book.

Hope For the Best - Jodi Taylor

 

   2019; 461 pages.  Book 10 (out of 14) in the “Chronicles of St. Mary’s” series.  New Author? : No.  Genres: Time Travel; Humorous Fantasy; Historical Fiction.  Overall Rating: 9*/10.

 

    Madeleine “Max” Maxwell has been traded to the Time Police!

 

    Well okay, technically she’s been “seconded” to the Time Police, meaning St. Mary’s loaning Max to them for a while.  It’s sort of a goodwill gesture, aimed at improving the relationship between the two organizations.

 

    One of the weird things is that the Time Police office is based in the future, so Max gets to time-travel forward every time she goes to work.  How utterly kewl is that?!  But the bigger perk for Max is that she gets to be with her son, Matthew, who is being kept at the Time Police headquarters (“TPHQ”), protected by the Time Police from the evil bad guy, Clive Ronan.

 

    Looking after Matthew is not an easy job; see the second excerpt below.

 

What’s To Like...

    I enjoyed Max’s career move in Hope for the Best.  It seemed a nice way for Jodi Taylor to introduce the reader to her new “Time Police” series, the first book of which came out about five months after this one.

 

    It was interesting to watch Max and Captain Ellis learn to work as partners.  Their first adventure involves traveling to 16^th-century London to deal with a Temporal Anomaly.  The Time Police are there to “repair” the digression, even if that means using force.  St. Mary’s is there to record history.  Those differing motivations do not always mesh smoothly.

 

    Delightfully, there’s lots of time-jumping.  I counted ten chrono-hops, and that’s not including return jumps to St. Mary’s and/or TPHQ.  As usual, the book’s cover image gives a glimpse at two of those trips.  The smokestacks shown at the top are of the Battersea Power Station, as any fan of Pink Floyd’s “Animals” album will recognize.  We’ll let you wonder why the bottom image is simply a nest of eggs.

 

    It’s not a spoiler to reveal that two of my favorite characters in this series, Adrian and Mikey, play prominent roles in the storyline.  Grint the Grunt was also an interesting character, as were Hillary and Donald.  I chuckled at the mention of the sport of cheese-rolling on Cooper’s Hill, and liked learning why “Time is like a bluebell wood”.

 

    The ending is tense, twisty, and totally unexpected.  History is restored to its proper order, although not everybody at St. Mary’s, Max in particular, is happy about it.  The Time Police and St. Mary’s have a better understanding of each other, although I’d hardly call them bosom buddies.  Hope For the Best is both a part of a series and a standalone novel.

 

Ratings…
    Amazon: 4.7*/5, based on 5,408 ratings and 383 reviews.

    Goodreads: 4.32*/5, based on 7,706 ratings and 584 reviews.

 

Excerpts...

    I knelt up to see better.

    Ellis pulled me down.  “Stay down.”

    “I can’t.  It’s my job.  I’m the historian.  I study historical events.  You’re the Time Police.  Go and count your crayons.”

    Someone behind me wondered aloud why they let me live.

    “I’ve no idea,” said Ellis.  “Perhaps she’ll come in handy one day.”

    “And if not?”  Was it my imagination or was there a hopeful note there?

    “Then you can kill her.”  (pg. 126)

 

    “Will you come and see me off?”

    “Of course.  Every wife always wants to know when her husband’s safely out of the picture.”

    “And I gather you’re on the move, too.”

    “Yes.  Because of what’s happening at St. Mary’s, Dr. Bairstow’s moved the schedule forwards.  I’m going back to TPHQ.”

    “Give my love to Matthew.  How’s he doing?”

    “He broke the Time Map.”

    “The boy’s a vandal.  He gets more like his mother every day.”

    “And then showed them how to put it right.”

    “The boy’s a genius.  He gets more like his father every day.”  (pg. 278)

 

Kewlest New Word ...

Firkling (v.) : searching; rummaging.

Others: Jellabiyas (n.).

 

I was well and truly up the River of Excrement and my canoe had no visible means of propulsion.  (pg. 352)

    The profanity is pretty sparse in Hope for the Best; I noticed just 11 instances in the first 20% of the book; all of which of the “milder” ilk.  Max pays a visit to a sex club late in the story, but it’s a rather tame experience.  I didn’t note any typos; so kudos to whoever the editor was.

 

    The series is written in British, not American; so there are a few weird words and spellings for us Yankee readers, including draughty, ploughed, ageing, and storeys.  I’m used to hoovering by now, but the abovementioned firkling stumped me.  Jellabiya is an Arabic term.

 

    That’s the nit-pickiest I can be with Hope for the Best.  It’s another fine time-travel tale with lots of wit, humor, thrills-&-spills, family drama, and, maybe best of all, historical fiction blended in.  I've yet to see any drop-off in the quality of the books in this series.

 

    9 Stars.  One last thing.  At one point our heroes come riding in on what is described as “TWOC’d horses”.  Say what?  That acronym stumped me, so I googled it.  It turns out TWOC stands for “Taken Without Owner’s Consent”. Now you know.

The Summer of the Danes - Ellis Peters

   1991; 269 pages.  Book 18 (out of 20) in the “Chronicles of Brother Cadfael” series.  New Author? : No.  Genres : Historical Fiction; Historical Mystery; Cozy.  Overall Rating: 8½*/10.

 

    It’s the summer of 1144 CE and the Church in England needs a favor from Brother Cadfael.  Two bishops have recently been appointed to Sees in Wales, and the Archbishop of Canterbury has decided to send gifts to both of them.

 

    Brother Mark has been dispatched by Canterbury to deliver the presents, but there’s one slight problem: he’s journeying to Wales but doesn’t speak a word of Welsh.  Would Brother Cadfael be so kind as to accompany Brother Mark and serve as his translator?

 

    Cadfael is delighted to accept!  He was born and raised in Wales, but now is stationed nearby at the Shrewsbury Abbey and rarely gets to visit his old homeland despite its proximity.  This trip will mean he’ll get to travel in Wales for more than a week, while doing the church’s business, and enjoying the local hospitality.  What could possibly go wrong?!

 

    Well, there’s a reason why the book is titled The Summer of the Danes.

 

What’s To Like...

    The Summer of the Danes is the eighteenth book the Ellis Peters’ Brother Cadfael series.  I’ve read twelve of the completed 20-book series so far, and not reading them in any particular order.

 

    This book is unique to the series in several ways.  First of all, it predominantly takes place in Wales, which I don’t recall being done before.  Secondly, this is not a murder-mystery, which is what all the other books I’ve read in this series were.  Yes, a murder takes place, but not until more than a quarter of the way through the tale, and Brother Cadfael isn’t involved in the sleuthing at all.  Indeed, Brother Cadfael is mostly relegated to being an observer of events here, dispensing sage advice and making keen observations.

 

    The book is primarily a work of Historical Fiction, and what a fine job Ellis Peters does in presenting it!  Owain, prince of Gwynedd, is engaged in an internecine struggle with his estranged brother, Cadwaladr, who has hired a company of Danish mercenary seamen (hence the title) to help him procure the throne.  Cadfael and his companions become involved in the dispute when they are captured by the Danes and held for ransom.

 

    The main theme of the story is the role that Honor played in medieval conflicts.  There are leaders and fighters in both the Welsh and Danish forces who strictly abide by their pledges.  That’s true of captives as well; they can be released for pressing reasons if they promise return to their incarceration in an agreed-upon amount of time, and which most of them faithfully do.  There is also some Romance, which is a component of all the books in this series, but it's a secondary plot thread and male readers shouldn't be scared off by this.   

 

    Edith Pargeter (“Ellis Peters” is a pen name) was an English author, so the book is written in English, not American, but this wasn’t distracting at all.  There’s a Glossary of Terms in the back, which was helpful, although it ought to be expanded a bit for us Yankee readers.

 

    The ending is pleasant; all ends well for most of the characters.  Love and Honor both emerge triumphant, and the aforementioned murder is solved without any investigation needed.  The conflict between the two brothers is resolved, albeit not in the way I expected.  The Romance resolution will probably surprise some, but veteran Cadfael readers will correctly guess its outcome long before it plays out.

 

Kewlest New Word ...

Tref (n.) : in medieval times, a hamlet in Britain.

 

Ratings…
    Amazon: 4.5*/5, based on 1,380 ratings and 169 reviews.

    Goodreads: 4.08*/5, based on 5,087 ratings and 324 reviews.

 

Excerpts...

    “I had a younger brother, better content to sit on one strip of land lifelong.  I was for off, as far as the road would take me, and it took me half across the world before I understood.  Life goes not in a straight line, lad, but in a circle.  The first half we spend venturing as far as the world’s end from home and kin and stillness, and the latter half brings us back by roundabout ways but surely, to that state from which we set out.”  (loc. 898)

 

    “I am Turcaill, son of Turcaill, kinsman to Otir, who leads this venture.”

    “And you know what’s in dispute here?  Between two Welsh princes?  Why put your own breast between the blades?” Cadfael reasoned mildly.

    “For pay,” said Turcaill cheerfully.  “But even unpaid I would not stay behind when Otir puts to sea.  It grows dull ashore.  I’m no landsman, to squat on a farm year after year, and be content to watch crops grow.”  (loc. 1854)

 

Kindle Details…

    The Summer of the Danes sells for $12.99 right now at Amazon.  The other e-books in the series range in price from $9.99 to $14.99.  Ellis Peters is the pen name used by Edith Pargeter for the Brother Cadfael series, you can search under her real name for additional Historical Fiction books she wrote.

 

“There is no one who cannot be hated, against whatever odds.  Nor anyone who cannot be loved, against all reason.  (loc. 985)

    There’s not a trace of profanity in The Summer of the Danes, and I’m always in awe of any author who can do this while still writing a page-turner.  Neither are there any rolls-in-the-hay or other adult situations.  The closest we come to such things is some contemplation on the institution of arranged marriages and a bit of shed blood when someone gets stabbed with a dagger.

 

    I only spotted two typos: a capitalization (He/he) and though/through.  Kudos to the editor for a job well done.  There were a couple of “extras” in the back of the e-book that I didn't utilize.  One was a preview (the Prologue plus the first two chapters) of Book 19 in the series, The Holy Thief,  which I already have on my Kindle.  The other was a “Guide to Welsh Pronunciation”, which might come in handy for anyone who opts for the audiobook version.

 

    As with all the books I've read so far in this series, I enjoyed The Summer of the Danes.  Ellis Peters’ Brother Cadfael books tend to be formulaic, but it's a great formula, particularly since it involves well-researched 12^th-century medieval historical fiction.

 

    8½ Stars.  One last thing.  Knowing that Edith Pargeter was a meticulous historian, I was skeptical when I read that the base for the Danish seagoing raiding parties was Dublin, Ireland.  Really, Norsemen used to control of a portion of Ireland?!  But Wikipedia confirms this, even making the statement “The Vikings, or Ostmen (East-men) as they called themselves, ruled Dublin for almost three centuries”).  See the “History of Dublin” entry in Wikipedia.

An Argumentation of Historians - Jodi Taylor

   2017; 467 pages.  Book 9 (out of 14) in the series “The Chronicles of St. Mary’s”.  New Author? : No.  Genres: Time Travel; Humorous Fantasy; Historical Fiction.  Overall Rating: 8½*/10.

 

    It’s sad that it took so long.

 

    The Institute of Historical Research at St. Mary’s and the chrono-hopping law enforcement agency known as the Time Police share a common foe: Clive Ronan.  But thus far, the two groups have done too much fighting between themselves to even think about going after Clive.

 

    Until now.  The head of St. Mary's History Department, “Max” Maxwell has come up with a plan.  It’s risky, and hinges on Ronan’s insatiable greed for historical treasures, but it just might work.  And St. Mary’s and the Time Police will both play key roles in it.  All they have to do is cooperate with each other.

 

    And hope that Clive Ronan takes the bait.

 

What’s To Like...

    An Argumentation of Historians is the ninth book in Jodi Taylor’s series showcasing the time-traveling adventures of St. Mary’s historians.  One of the many reasons I’m hooked on this series is that there are always a bunch of time-jumps in the stories, many involving historically fascinating events.

 

    This book is no exception; St. Mary’s personnel make six time-jumps, three of which are for historical witnessing and recording, including one centered on one of my history idols, Alexander the Great.  The other three are done for personal survival reasons including one extended visit to 1399 CE, where Max, along with the reader, learn how to live day-to-day in Medieval times.  It was an enlightening experience.

 

    The text is written in the first-person POV, Max’s.  It is also written in English, not American, which means we Yanks will encounter odd spellings, such as wilfully and pedlar, and odd words, such as knackered and swive.  I love learning foreign languages.  The “Author’s Note” at the book’s beginning is worth taking time to read, and as always, the Dramatis Thingummy is both useful and entertaining.

 

    It’s always a treat when Adrian and Mikey show up at St. Mary's in their 12-foot-high teapot.  The acronym FOD was new to me; it’s the term time-travelers use for the occupational peril "Foreign Object Drop".  The question of “do Medieval castle gate open inward or outward” is examined by St. Mary’s historians, and the reader learns why this is an important detail.  It was also educational to learn the specific duties of a courtesan.

 

    The ending is twisty (is there a traitor in our midst?), exciting (fighting on rooftops), tense (falling from rooftops), and revealing (how does Clive Ronan anticipate every move of St. Mary's).  In short, it is superb.

 

Ratings…
    Amazon: 4.7*/5, based on 6,260 ratings and 470 reviews.

    Goodreads: 4.52*/5, based on 8,645 ratings and 671 reviews.

 

Excerpts...

    “You appear to be setting up a scenario in which you almost invite Clive Ronan to swoop in and shoot you.”

    “Yes, sir,”

    “You don’t think that’s a little — obvious?”

    I can’t help it.  I’m a showman, too.

    I brought up the second part of my plan.

    He read it through.  And read it through again.  And read it through for a final time.  I waited patiently because every reading was a step nearer acceptance.  Finally, he looked over his desk at me.

    “I might find it quite difficult to apply the word “unoriginal” to this part of your proposed plan.”

    “Thank you, sir.”

    “That wasn’t a compliment.”  (pg. 60)

 

    “I don’t want any visitors.”

    “Just as well,” she said cheerfully, laying out pyjamas and a dressing gown.  “You’re not allowed any.”

    I was unreasonably annoyed because that was supposed to be my decision.  “Who said so?”

    “Dr. Stone.  He’s waiting for you if you want to go out and argue with him.”

    I humphed.  I’ve argued with Dr. Stone before.  It’s like trying to fill a bath without a plug.  There’s an enormous amount of effort and when you finally pause to get your breath back, absolutely nothing has happened and you realise you’ve been wasting your time.  (pg. 360)

 

Kewlest New Word ...

Caparisoned (adj.) : decked out in rich, decorative coverings

Others: Swive (archaic).

 

You could have heard a slipper-wearing mouse dance the fandango on a feather cushion.  (pg. 129)

    The profanity is pretty sparse in An Argumentation of Historians, just 17 instances in the first 50% of the book, about half of which were the common scatological term.

 

    There was a smattering of typos, most of which were things I’d have thought Spellchecker would catch.  Examples include: top/stop, ever/every, and of/off.  I’ll excuse Spellchecker for missing the two spellings of one of the characters: Midgely/ Midgeley.

 

    But enough of the nitpicking.  An Argumentation of Historians maintains the usual high standards of a Jodi Taylor novel: fast-paced, action-packed, historically-detailed, and lots of time-traveling.  This was part of a ten-volume paperback bundle given to me as a Christmas present by a friend a few years back.  I’m 90% of the way through it and have never yet been disappointed.

 

    8½ Stars.  One last thing.  Here’s a poser for anyone who has time-traveling acquaintances.  What’s the best method of communicating with someone who lives in the future?  Answer in the comments.

A Storm Hits Valparaiso - David Gaughran

   2011; 322 pages.  New Author? : Yes.  Genres : Historical Fiction; War; South America.  Overall Rating : 7½*/10.

 

    I don’t want to sound pedantic, but the phrase “American Revolution” is rather vague.

 

    For starters, it can refer to North, Central, and/or South America.  By the early 1800s, all those areas had experienced wars for Independence.

 

    The insurrections in South America were scattered throughout that continent.  Brazil was trying to gain independence from Portugal; everywhere else the European colonizer was Spain.  The most famous revolutionary leader down there was Simon Bolivar, and rightfully so.  Bolivia is named for him, and his “liberation area” includes territory from Venezuela down through Peru.

 

    In the lands south of there, Chile and Argentina, different leaders led the uprisings, most notably José de San Martin and an Irish dude named Bernardo O’Higgins.  You’ve probably never heard of either of them.

 

    A Storm Hits Valparaiso chronicles that part of the “American Revolution”, and will help you get acquainted with José de San Martin.

 

What’s To Like...

    There are six storylines to follow in A Storm Hits Valparaiso.  They focus on seven main characters, who are (along with their starting points):

    Catalina Flores (in Chile)

    Lord Captain Thomas Cochrane (in Scotland)

    Diego and Jorge Ramirez (in Argentina)

    Zé (in Brazil)

    José de San Martin (in Spain)

    Pacha (in Peru)

 

    Timewise, most of the story takes place in 1811-1822 CE, although the Epilogue extends that timeframe quite a bit, since it has a “whatever happened to . . .” format.  All of the main characters do a lot of moving around, which is not surprising since wars were underway throughout South America and Europe.

 

    The seven protagonists get more or less equal billing in the first half of the book, but gradually José de San Martin emerges as the primary one.  After checking in Wikipedia, I was pleasantly surprised how many real-life people and actual historical events get worked into the storyline.

 

    The text is delightfully sprinkled with Spanish colloquialisms, such as chica, puerca, aguardiente, campesinos, and claro; as well as some, erm, “colorful” terms, such as maricon, culos, bastardo, and putas.  We’ll let you look up the translations of those.  There’s also a smattering of Portuguese (quilombos) and French (Vive le Roi!  Vivent les Bourbons!), plus one English spelling (as opposed to American): offences.

 

    The ending brings closure to each of the six storylines.  Some of the protagonists are reunited; some have left South America; some have been laid to rest six feet underground.  Overall, things have changed in South America: the revolutionaries have gained the upper hand.

 

Kewlest New Word ...

    Scrivener (n.) : a clerk or scribe.

 

Ratings…
    Amazon: 3.6*/5, based on 189 ratings and 106 reviews.

    Goodreads: 3.44*/5, based on 202 ratings and 49 reviews.

 

Excerpts...

    “Let me make sure I’ve got this right.  Mr. Jackson has called a meeting with himself to see if he is going to increase the amount he is charging himself for such meetings."

    “If you want to put it like that, sir, but I assure you everything is above board.

    “We shall see.  Where is this meeting taking place?”

    “I’m afraid I’m not aware,” said the clerk.

    “Where is Mr. Jackson’s office?”

    “Which one?”

    “Either!”  (pg. 63)

 

    In the end, it didn’t matter; they didn’t care who he was or where he was from, as long as he signed up.  The recruiting officer gave Zé a short speech on the army and the war, which he only partly understood.  Spanish wasn’t that different from Portuguese, but everyone spoke so quickly, chopping words, running one sentence into the next.  Only one part was easy to understand.  The penalty for desertion was mentioned several times: muerte.  Death.  (pg. 117)

 

Kindle Details…

    It appears that A Storm Hits Valparaiso is no longer available in the e-book format I read it in.  The paperback version costs $25.59 at Amazon.  David Gaughran offers two other Historical-Fiction e-books at Amazon: Liberty Boy for $4.99, and Mercenary for free.

 

“A political priest is like a religious general; a castle with sails.”  (pg. 178)

    Profanity in A Storm Hits Valparaiso is a bilingual affair.  In addition to the Spanish words already mentioned, I counted eight cusswords in English in the first 50% of the book,.  There was one roll-in-the-hay later on.  That’s really pretty clean for a storyline chronicling the brutality of war in the 19^th century.

 

    A number of reviewers criticized the six different storylines in the book, finding it hard to remember who was doing what and where.  They have a point, but happily I keep notes while reading; so this was not a problem for me.

 

    I only caught a couple of typos, namely: back lads/back, lads, town?s/town’s, and reigned/reined.  Kudos to the editors, they did a fine job.  And although Valparaiso is one of many settings in the tale, it is not a major one, so I never did figure out why it rated being part of the title.

 

    But these are quibbles.  In World History classes in college, José de San Martin was for some reason my favorite South American revolutionary and I always wondered a.) why he didn’t get as much ink as Simon Bolivar, and b.) what ever happened to him.  Thanks to David Gaughran, I now have answers.

 

    Overall, I enjoyed A Storm Hits Valparaiso, primarily because it covers an important era in History that rarely gets any literary attention.  You might be a bit disappointed that, for most of the book’s fictional characters, the ending is not a “they lived happily ever after” scenario.  But that holds true for the historical characters here as well.  War is Hell.

 

    7½ Stars.  One last teaser.  At one point there is a “talking sword” in the storyline.  When’s the last time you read a Historical Fiction novel with one of those in it?

In the Heart of Darkness - Eric Flint and David Drake

   1998; 445 pages.  Book 2 (out of 6) in the “Belisarius Saga” series.  New Authors? : No.  Genres : Alternate History; Historical Fiction; India; Byzantine Empire.  Overall Rating : 8*/10.

 

    The Malwa are coming!  And they’re threatening to overrun the eastern part of the (Byzantine) Roman Empire!  Quick, send somebody to give them misinformation about our armies there, to scare then by vastly overstating our strength!

 

    Not a problem, sir.  We’ll send General Belisarius to their empire in India, and have him fake becoming a turncoat.  The Malwa will never suspect they’re being duped.

 

    The traitors are coming!  Our spies say a group of plotters plan to assassinate the Emperor Justinian in Constantinople and overthrow the Roman government!  Quick, tell General Belisarius to take command of the loyal Roman armies in that area!

 

    Um, sir.  He’s already on his way to India.

 

What’s To Like...

    In the Heart of Darkness is the second book in a 6-book series co-authored by David Drake and Eric Flint.  The series is based on a historical military commander of the 6^th-century Byzantine Empire.  The authors imagine an alternate timeline wherein Belisarius is aided by an entity from the future.

 

    There are two main plot threads, as hinted at in the introduction.  The setting for the first part of the book takes is almost exclusively India, with just a few cutaways to the Empress Theodora and Belisarius’s wife Antonina, back in Constantinople.  Both those ladies are badass dudettes, neither of whom you’d want to get into a fight with.  In the second half of the book, Belisarius returns to Constantinople to deal with the coup d’etat.

 

    I enjoyed the settings in both India and the Eastern Roman Empire in the 6^th-century.  They felt real to me, and introduced me to empires and historical figures that I knew little or nothing about.  In the Heart of Darkness is an ambitious blend of Historical-Fiction and Alt-History, two of my favorite genres.

 

    Most of Belisarius’s successes are due to his own well-reasoned unpredictability, but he occasionally gets advice from “Aide”, a futuristic spirit, probably computer generated, hiding out in an amulet Belisarius wears on a chain around his neck.  Aide’s insight is valuable, but limited.  His chief contribution is gunpowder, something unknown in our 6^th-century world.  But his attempts to get Belisarius to make mechanized rocket launchers is fruitless because back then the manufacturing technology was quite limited.

 

    The ending, detailing the resolution of the coup d’etat, covers about the last quarter of the book, yet didn’t feel drawn out because it was exciting and action-packed, with the future of the Byzantine Empire hanging in the balance.  The Epilogue updates a number of plot threads, and presumably sets up the next book in the series.

 

Kewlest New Word ...

    Bolides (n., pl.) : very large meteors which explode in the atmosphere.

    Others: Talus slope (n.); Debouched (v.); Epicanthic (adj.), Dacoits (n., pl.).

 

Ratings…
    Amazon: 4.6*/5, based on 487 ratings and 83 reviews.

    Goodreads: 4.21*/5, based on 2,682 ratings and 52 reviews.

 

Excerpts...

    “How do you get off this foul beast?” hissed the Empress.

    “Allow me, Your Majesty,” said Maurice.  The hecatontarch came forward with a stool in his hand.  He quieted the horse with a firm hand and a few gentle words.  Then, after placing the stool, assisted the Empress in clambering down to safety.

    Once on the ground, Theodora brushed herself off angrily.

    “Gods—what a stink!  Not you, Maurice.  The filthy horse.”  The Empress glowered at her former mount.  “They eat these things during sieges, I’ve heard.”

    Maurice nodded.

    “Well, that’s something to look forward to,” she muttered.  (pg. 229)

 

    “I know that crowd, Maurice.  I grew up with them.  Forty thousand Hippodrome thugs can swamp less than a thousand soldiers—but not without suffering heavy casualties.  Especially in the front ranks.”

    She pointing (sic) toward the mob.

    “I guarantee you, Maurice, they know it as well as we do.  And every single one of that crowd, right this very moment, is making the same vow.”

    She laughed, harshly.  “‘Victory!’  is just their official battle cry.  The real one—the private, silent one—is: you first!  Anybody but me!”  (pg. 414)

 

Kindle Details…

    In the Heart of Darkness does not appear to be available as a standalone e-book, although you can purchase it as part of a 2-book bundle that includes Book One, An Oblique Approach, for $8.99.  Curiously, the other five books in the series are all available as discrete e-books, and cost $6.99 apiece.

 

“God, my husband has the worst taste in generals!”  (pg. 51)

    The use of profanity is light; just 8 instances in the first 25% of the book.  Most of those were of the milder ilk, but one was an f-bomb, which always feels out of place to me when the setting is the ancient world.  The expletive f**k simply wasn’t around until the 16^th century or so.  Other R-rated stuff includes several allusions to “adult situations”.

 

    The authors use a lot of historical technical jargon in the text, such as “negusa nagast”, a title for an Ethiopian prince.  I liked the “realism” it imparted to the text, but a glossary of historical terms would have been handy.  Typos were sparse; just a couple of plural/singular slips: introduction/introductions and resident/residents.  And there was a chase scene which went on way too long.

 

    More serious is the fact that the first half of the book (set in India) seemed completely irrelevant to the second half (set in Constantinople).  I got the feeling I was reading something that was originally conceived as two separate novellas, then got squished together to make a full-length novel.

 

    But if you like reading about diplomatic intricacies and you persevere through the never-ending chase, you’ll be treated to a great finish, replete with lots of thrills-&-spills, and where the bad guys are just as resourceful as the good guys.

 

    8 Stars.  One last thing.  I think this is one of those series where you really want to read it in order.  I didn’t.  Learn from my mistake and buy the Books-One-&-Two bundle at Amazon.