Tagged: civil war

Spoils of Olympus: By the Sword by Christian Kachel

Spoils of Olympus By the Sowrd by Christian Kachel(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)

322 B.C. The Macedonian Empire is on the verge of civil war following the sudden death of Alexander the Great.

As a boy, Andrikos watched as Alexander’s army marched through his homeland of Greek Ionia after defeating the Persians at the Granicus River on their way to the total conquest of the Persian Empire. Soon he will be embroiled in their world, forced to flee his old life due to an unintentional crime.

Thrust into the army, Andrikos struggles to cope with the brutal yet necessary training which his superiors put him through to prepare for the coming wars of succession as Alexander’s surviving generals seek to divide and conquer the spoils of Olympus.

But Andrikos is not destined to be a nameless soldier; by chance he is chosen for a clandestine mission – and is immersed in a world of intrigue, violence and brotherhood.

The path that lies ahead of Andrikos requires him to shed his immaturity and take on the responsibilities and emotions of a man beyond his years as he struggles to save Alexander’s legacy from those who wish to usurp it.

The Spoils of Olympus: By the Sword is a historical epic which follows the advancements of one soldier from boy to man set during a time of global conflict.

[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook in conjunction with the blog tour in exchange for an honest review.]

Much has been written about Alexander the Great but the aftermath of his death isn’t nearly so popular a topic simply because it was a really complex politic situation.  Kings were rising and falling with alarming rate and the diadochi were tearing each other to pieces over the least little thing.  Enter into this world Andrikos, who lives in Illandra with the other Ionian Greeks Alexander liberated.  He’s had a rough time what with his father dying and his uncle seeming to constantly disapprove of him and he falls in with the wrong sort of crowd pretty quickly.  It’s that wrong crowd that really causes him to leave and become a soldier.

Andrikos and the other characters were pretty good.  I particularly enjoyed Vettias, the old spymaster of first Philip, then Alexander and now Eumenes who is under command of Perdiccas.  He’s a clever man and if there’s one thing he knows, it’s people.  Seeing him try to train Andrikos to become the same sort of suave, sophisticated man-of-the-world that he is was funny but touching at times because you really start to see Andrikos grow up.  Throughout the novel Andrikos goes through so much and the brutal training he receives to become a proper soldier in the beginning really is just the beginning.  But because of all the things that he goes through, he finally starts to become a man.  There’s very little left in the mischief-making boy that we met in the beginning of the novel, particularly by the end.  So he at least has a believable character arc and it is very satisfying.

Christian Kachel clearly knows his stuff about the Wars of Alexandrian Succession.  It’s a complicated period filled with secret alliances, backstabbing and war and he conveys the feeling of the time quite well.  This atmosphere of both hope and despair plays out with the characters, particularly with Andrikos.  He leaves Illandra hopeful to join the military, is despairing when he goes through the brutal training and then again becomes hopeful as Eumenes moves against some of the other diadochi for his first battle.  Of course there are more examples of that but I really don’t want to spoil a large part of the plot, particularly some of the interesting twists near the end.  As for his historical accuracy, I’m no expert on the period but after a little bit more research to remind me of names and such it actually is quite accurate.  He doesn’t feel the need to add in battles and people that really didn’t exist other than the main character because the history itself is exciting enough.

My only problem with Spoils of Olympus: By the Sword is that the dialogue lacks both realism and subtlety.  I get that this is historical fiction and of course the language is different from ours in different time periods, but I just found the dialogue unbelievable.  Everyone from soldiers to spies gives great big long speeches about the problem at hand when just a few words would really suffice.  Sometimes the speeches make sense, like when Leandros is recounting his campaigns with Alexander.  Sometimes they don’t, like when the different commanders are giving their soldiers encouragement during the battle.  In a battle as bloody and vicious as a phalanx battle, you’re not going to stop and give your subordinates almost a full paragraph of encouragement.

And that really leads into the other problem: the total lack of subtlety.  Christian Kachel knows his stuff but really assumes that readers don’t, which would be fine if he introduced the history in subtler ways.  But he doesn’t.  No, characters saying things like this: “The Hypaspists are now known as the Silver Shields since the India Campaign under the commands of Generals Nicanor and Seleucus.”  That’s just not realistic because by the time Alexander was dead and Andrikos’ brother Leandros comes back to Illandra, everyone would have known that.  The readers wouldn’t have but the characters most certainly would and it could have been introduced in a much more subtle way through dialogue, i.e. “How many Silver Shields got back from India?”  “I don’t know, but Seleucus and Nicanor sure tried their best to get all of them back after that huge win.”  That’s not the best example but it is better than characters constantly stating the obvious.

So while By the Sword is a good book and I believe that Christian Kachel is a good writer, I did have a hard time coping with the dialogue.  At the same time, I loved both the characters and the moderate pacing of the story that just kept increasing.  If my review has at all intrigued you, I would definitely encourage you to pick this book up and give it a try.

I give this book 3.5/5 stars.

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The Crimson Crown by Cinda Williams Chima

The Crimson Crown by Cinda Williams Chima(Cover picture courtesy of Cinda Williams Chima’s site.)

A thousand years ago, two young lovers were betrayed-Alger Waterlow to his death, and Hanalea, Queen of the Fells, to a life without love.

Now, once again, the Queendom of the Fells seems likely to shatter apart. For young queen Raisa ana’Marianna, maintaining peace even within her own castle walls is nearly impossible; tension between wizards and Clan has reached a fevered pitch. With surrounding kingdoms seeking to prey on the Fells’ inner turmoil, Raisa’s best hope is to unite her people against a common enemy. But that enemy might be the person with whom she’s falling in love.

Through a complicated web of lies and unholy alliances, former streetlord Han Alister has become a member of the Wizard Council of the Fells. Navigating the cut-throat world of blue blood politics has never been more dangerous, and Han seems to inspire hostility among Clan and wizards alike. His only ally is the queen, and despite the perils involved, Han finds it impossible to ignore his feelings for Raisa. Before long, Han finds himself in possession of a secret believed to be lost to history, a discovery powerful enough to unite the people of the Fells. But will the secret die with him before he can use it?

A simple, devastating truth concealed by a thousand-year-old lie at last comes to light in this stunning conclusion to the Seven Realms series.

I’m far from a romantically inclined person but I really did love the twist about Hanalea and Alger Waterlow.  Not only was it unexpected, I liked how it was resolved and how Cinda Williams Chima treated it in general.  History is written by the victors, as the saying goes.

The main story of Han and Raisa is also pretty good.  There’s lots of betrayal, intrigue and drama but it never really goes into soap opera territory.  Politics and duty often get in the way of love but I liked how both characters handled it according it to their personalities: Raisa tried hiding behind duty and Han challenged her to follow her heart instead.  It makes for a great subplot on top of all of the chaos in the Fells and elsewhere.

They’re on the brink of civil war as a foreign army invades and nothing is as it seems, of course.  I loved how Raisa really rose to the challenge in this book.  She was always a strong character but she really came into her own in this last installment.  I can actually picture her as a successful queen now that she’s matured so much in The Crimson Crown.  Not that she was immature in the first book but now she’s behaving like a grown woman despite the fact she’s still really a teenager.  Han, of course, is great as usual.  He really grows into his role as Raisa’s adviser and confidant and he is determined to do everything he can to protect her.  Han is just awesome so there’s not really much to say.

The plot was pretty good as well.  It felt sort of incomplete at the end what with the random twist but at the same time it was a generally satisfying end to a good series.  The rest of the book, however, was excellent and I was so involved I really didn’t want to put The Crimson Crown down, even to eat or sleep.  So I’d say that’s a sign of a good book.

If you loved the previous three books in the series, I think you’ll really enjoy the last installment.  I may or may not read Cinda Williams Chima’s other series but at least I can say that I’m glad I picked up the Seven Realms series.  It was definitely a worthwhile read, despite the rocky beginning.

I give this book 4.5/5 stars.

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The Gray Wolf Throne by Cinda Williams Chima

The Gray Wolf Throne by Cinda Williams Chima(Cover picture courtesy of Cinda Williams Chima’s site.)

Han Alister thought he had already lost everyone he loved. But when he finds his friend Rebecca Morley near death in the Spirit Mountains, Han knows that nothing matters more than saving her. The costs of his efforts are steep, but nothing can prepare him for what he soon discovers: the beautiful, mysterious girl he knew as Rebecca is none other than Raisa ana’Marianna, heir to the Queendom of the Fells. Han is hurt and betrayed. He knows he has no future with a blueblood. And, as far as he’s concerned, the princess’s family as good as killed his own mother and sister. But if Han is to fulfill his end of an old bargain, he must do everything in his power to see Raisa crowned queen.

Meanwhile, some people will stop at nothing to prevent Raisa from ascending. With each attempt on her life, she wonders how long it will be before her enemies succeed. Her heart tells her that the thief-turned-wizard Han Alister can be trusted. She wants to believe it—he’s saved her life more than once. But with danger coming at her from every direction, Raisa can only rely on her wits and her iron-hard will to survive—and even that might not be enough.

The Gray Wolf Throne is an epic tale of fierce loyalty, unbearable sacrifice, and the heartless hand of fate.

Betrayal, war, intrigue and sacrifice all feature heavily in The Gray Wolf Throne but the thing that struck me most about it was how well Cinda Williams Chima writes about politics.  She’s no George R. R. Martin in terms of complicated politics, but you can really appreciate that forces both inside and outside of the Fells influence all of the characters’ decisions.  Particularly Raisa’s.

I like both Raisa and Han equally in this third installment of the Seven Realms series.  Last book I favoured Han but now that Raisa is finally coming into her own I found myself connecting with her on a deeper level.  Both characters are well-rounded and three dimensional and you can really feel their emotions.  When Han discovers Rebecca is really Raisa, that betrayal cuts deeply.  But for the sake of the realm both Han and Raisa have to move past their mutual feelings of betrayal and work together to save their kingdom.

Raisa isn’t one of these annoying heroines that does whatever the heck she wants without even considering the consequences of her actions.  No, she knows that everything she does has tremendous repercussions not only for herself, but for the people she rules over.  Her kingdom is in a very precarious position what with civil wars going on all around its borders but there are also factions tearing the country apart from within.  Even if you’re not a big political junkie like I am I think most readers can appreciate just how well Cinda Williams Chima actually understands politics.

The plot was much faster paced than in the two previous novels but it definitely wasn’t at the price of character development or world-building.  It’s not the pace of your typical action/thriller novel but the plot does move along quite quickly for epic fantasy.  The main thing is that the plot of The Gray Wolf Throne is very interesting.  It’s not the fastest one ever written but it is interesting enough to keep you reading into the early morning hours.

Basically, this third book was better than the previous two and I can’t wait for book four, The Crimson Crown.

I give this book 5/5 stars.

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The Bite of the Mango by Mariatu Kamara with Susan McClelland

The Bite of the Mango by Mariatu Kamara with Susan McClelland(Cover picture courtesy of Open Book Toronto.)

As a child in a small rural village in Sierra Leone, Mariatu Kamara lived peacefully surrounded by family and friends. Rumors of rebel attacks were no more than a distant worry.

But when 12-year-old Mariatu set out for a neighboring village, she never arrived. Heavily armed rebel soldiers, many no older than children themselves, attacked and tortured Mariatu. During this brutal act of senseless violence they cut off both her hands.

Stumbling through the countryside, Mariatu miraculously survived. The sweet taste of a mango, her first food after the attack, reaffirmed her desire to live, but the challenge of clutching the fruit in her bloodied arms reinforced the grim new reality that stood before her. With no parents or living adult to support her and living in a refugee camp, she turned to begging in the streets of Freetown.

In this gripping and heartbreaking true story, Mariatu shares with readers the details of the brutal attack, its aftermath and her eventual arrival in Toronto. There she began to pull together the pieces of her broken life with courage, astonishing resilience and hope.

Just how does one review a book like this?  The Bite of the Mango is probably one of the hardest books to review that I’ve ever read, so please pardon the fact that I may be a little incoherent at times.

I can’t honestly find anything wrong with this book (other than the horrifying fact it’s true).  Mariatu Kamara is a very brave young woman for telling her story with such brutal, unflinching honesty.  Yes, I felt the style was a little too simplistic for my liking but that hardly had an effect on my reading experience.  Sometimes simple is better and I think this was the case with The Bite of the Mango.

The one thing I would have liked more of was background about the civil war.  I understand that Mariatu Kamara had essentially no knowledge of the war at the time, but it would have been nice to hear her thoughts on it as she told the story.  I don’t mean that she should have gone off on a tangent, but maybe some reflections on the war with what she knows now would have been helpful.

Unfortunately, the civil war in Sierra Leone is not well known in the Western world, particularly for young people.  The only reason I even knew of it before picking up this book was because I met a young woman my own age who had lived in a Liberian refugee camp around the same time.  So yes, a little more background would have been nice.  Was the whole narrative confusing without it?  No and maybe it’s just my natural curiosity that would have liked more information.

Really, what else can I say?  If you like memoirs, history or even just well-written nonfiction in general, I’d highly recommend The Bite of the Mango.  You won’t regret picking it up.

I give this book 5/5 stars.

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Isabel: Jewel of Castilla by Carolyn Meyer

(Cover picture courtesy of The Flying Librarian’s Hideout.)

Segovia—12th of April 1466

After Mass this morning, I climbed the narrow, winding stone steps to a window high in one of the castle turrets.  I often come up here to see what lies beyond my prison.  Segovia is surrounded by four thick walls, each with a heavy wooden gate.  The aqueduct built by the Romans more than a thousand years ago stretches to the horizon.

Far below the castle, the Eresma River rushes through a narrow gorge.  Across the river, flocks of sheep seem to flow like a river themselves.  The sheep bleat, their bells tinkle—I know this, even if I cannot hear them.  In the fields beyond the walls, little green shoots of wheat are pushing up.  How I yearn to be there instead of here.

Queen Isabel of Spain was both a woman to be admired and a woman to be hated.  On one hand, she was an incredibly strong female leader for her time who actually chose who she got to marry.  On the other hand, she was the very woman that started the horrible, bloody Inquisition that killed thousands of innocents and forced thousands more to flee their homes.  Here in Isabel: Jewel of Castilla, Carolyn Meyer has attempted to explain both her strong side as well as her ruthless side that came from a combination of her deep faith and her hellfire-and-brimstone-preaching confessor, who later runs the Inquisition.  She certainly succeeds in creating an interesting explanation for Isabel’s brutality in her later life.

Since the story is told from Isabel when she is young, readers aged 10-12 will be able to enjoy this book.  It talks of her impending marriage and the civil war currently going on, but never actually touches on much sexuality or violence.  I wouldn’t call this a fast-paced novel, but at least it is an interesting one.  The dynamics between the characters (Isabel and her brother or Isabel and Queen Juana) are definitely realistic and very believable since the book is supposed to be Isabel writing her innermost thoughts about the people in her lonely life.

I never really knew much about Medieval Spain until I read this novel and I can assure you, I learned quite a lot.  Isabel certainly was a complicated woman, but Carolyn Meyer has made her much more accessible to modern readers.  Anyone who reads this will be entertained and learn a lot of history at the same time.

I give this book 4/5 stars.

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